Our members usually travel on their local area Rangers supporters buses but sometimes we'll travel together on the train or one particular bus.
What is the UB's relation with the club owners?
We don't really have any sort of relationship with the club owners although they are currently in the process of selling our stadium name as part of a sponsorship deal, we are totally against this and think this is a disgusting act by the owners for some quick money without any regard for our clubs traditions or history.
Tell us about the police and the stewards.
The Police in Scotland are very strict towards football supporters, you can actually be sent to prison for singing a song or chant that someone “might consider offensive”. Regularly our members are harassed by the Police and stewards at matches and some of our group have been banned from all Scottish football matches and have court trials coming up in the next few months for completely stupid unjustified reasons like banging a drum next to a Police horse. Recently some Police officers have started calling our members by their first names and mentioning where our guys work to try and intimidate us. The Police have set-up a specific football unit called "FoCus"who constantly record us at matches and are desperate to destroy our group and the Scottish Ultras scene. In some cases if you are banned from football matches you are required to sign in at a Police station during every football match to ensure you are not attending the game. I'd say we currently have the toughest laws regarding football in the world.
The stewards are not much better and regularly cause problems, many seem to forget that they are not members of the Police.
Except Celtic, do you have any other enemies that you don’t like or hate, and what can you tell us about them?
Club wise we are also enemies with Aberdeen Football Club and Hibernian Football Club, these rivalries have been around for a number of years now and were made stronger by the casual scene in the 80's and 90's. Hibernian (known as Hibs) are also traditionally a Catholic team like Celtic and we are traditionally a Protestant team so that makes the rivalry more fierce.
And do you have any friends?
Our club has a fans friendship with Hamburger SV which has existed since 1977 when the Hamburg Loyal Rangers Supporters Club was formed. As a group we don’t really have any 'official' friendships but we do have links with Chosen Few Hamburg and one of their sub groups - Cider Express Crew.
In February around 30-35 of us went to Hamburg to see the match against Borussia Mönchengladbach and we also visited the year before with similar numbers for the match against Werder Bremen, members from Chosen Few in smaller numbers have visited us over the past few seasons now and our members have also made some individual trips over there in smaller numbers as well so the link is definitely growing between both groups.
What can you tell us about the scene in Scotland?
The Ultras scene in Scotland has only existed now for a few years and is still very small, there are only really two organised active groups in the country – ourselves and the Green Brigade (Celtic FC) with a few smaller less organised and inactive groups at other clubs. Over the last two years the scene has began to grow more and both ourselves and the Green Brigade have received a lot more interest and support from fellow fans. The Green Brigade were formed in 2006 and since then have grown to be very well known in the country even out-with football fans due to controversial actions they've pulled off regarding our club and the British army. Currently, they are facing huge problems with the Police and many of their members being banned from the stadium and also facing court trials.
Last weekend (16th March) they had organised a corteo in support of the Celtic supporters that are currently banned from the stadium and around 200-250 Police turned up with riot vans, dogs and a helicopter, the Police blocked them in and did not allow them to march and soon began striking them with their batons and arresting people without any specific reason.
The first Ultras group in Scotland - the Red Ultras (Aberdeen FC) who were formed in 1999 disbanded in 2010 but a few months ago they released a statement announcing they were returning to the stadium, they've yet to do anything since their return so far though but hopefully they return properly and become active once again.
Except Celtic, do you have any other enemies that you don’t like or hate, and what can you tell us about them?
Club wise we are also enemies with Aberdeen Football Club and Hibernian Football Club, these rivalries have been around for a number of years now and were made stronger by the casual scene in the 80's and 90's. Hibernian (known as Hibs) are also traditionally a Catholic team like Celtic and we are traditionally a Protestant team so that makes the rivalry more fierce.
And do you have any friends?
Our club has a fans friendship with Hamburger SV which has existed since 1977 when the Hamburg Loyal Rangers Supporters Club was formed. As a group we don’t really have any 'official' friendships but we do have links with Chosen Few Hamburg and one of their sub groups - Cider Express Crew.
In February around 30-35 of us went to Hamburg to see the match against Borussia Mönchengladbach and we also visited the year before with similar numbers for the match against Werder Bremen, members from Chosen Few in smaller numbers have visited us over the past few seasons now and our members have also made some individual trips over there in smaller numbers as well so the link is definitely growing between both groups.
What can you tell us about the scene in Scotland?
The Ultras scene in Scotland has only existed now for a few years and is still very small, there are only really two organised active groups in the country – ourselves and the Green Brigade (Celtic FC) with a few smaller less organised and inactive groups at other clubs. Over the last two years the scene has began to grow more and both ourselves and the Green Brigade have received a lot more interest and support from fellow fans. The Green Brigade were formed in 2006 and since then have grown to be very well known in the country even out-with football fans due to controversial actions they've pulled off regarding our club and the British army. Currently, they are facing huge problems with the Police and many of their members being banned from the stadium and also facing court trials.
Last weekend (16th March) they had organised a corteo in support of the Celtic supporters that are currently banned from the stadium and around 200-250 Police turned up with riot vans, dogs and a helicopter, the Police blocked them in and did not allow them to march and soon began striking them with their batons and arresting people without any specific reason.
The first Ultras group in Scotland - the Red Ultras (Aberdeen FC) who were formed in 1999 disbanded in 2010 but a few months ago they released a statement announcing they were returning to the stadium, they've yet to do anything since their return so far though but hopefully they return properly and become active once again.
At Fir Park (home of Motherwell FC) there is a group of supporters that stand together singing constantly for 90 minutes that produce some visual actions as well, they are not under any group name but the majority are ex members of the Well Bois (a Motherwell Ultras group that are no longer around) and still refer to themselves as “Bois”.
Give us your personal top 5 Ultras groups and tell us in 5-10 words why do you think they are the top 5.
In no particular order:
Ultras Rapid - Amazing frequent choreographies
Gate 13 - Great style with some amazing pyro shows
Gate 4 - Very loud with an old school style
Grobari - Crazy fans with true passion and mentality
Banda Noantri - The old school British style in the Curva Nord is amazing.
Let's get back on Rangers. What's the match that you'll never forget, and why?
The one match I'll never forget is the UEFA cup final in 2008 against Zenit, although we lost I'll never forget that feeling inside the stadium when the teams came out and the shiver went down my back and it sunk in that I was actually there witnessing it. It hurt for weeks after it because we didn’t win but I'm lucky enough to say I was there.
How do you see Rangers going on in 2-3 years?
Hopefully we'll be back to normal signing new players and winning trophies like the Rangers we all know.
What's your biggest dream about Union Bears?
One day I'd like us to return to the Copland Stand to a safe standing section, that would be a dream come true.
And about Rangers?
I'd like to us win a major European final again and witness this one.
As a supporter, where do you want Rangers to play away, that never played before, and why?
We've played mostly everywhere in the world but it would be good to play in Serbia against Partizan Belgrade again and attend the match to witness their support.
What would you like to say to all the supporters who are reading that? (last free words of you)
Football is for you and me, not the fucking industry. Fuck modern football!
Give us your personal top 5 Ultras groups and tell us in 5-10 words why do you think they are the top 5.
In no particular order:
Ultras Rapid - Amazing frequent choreographies
Gate 13 - Great style with some amazing pyro shows
Gate 4 - Very loud with an old school style
Grobari - Crazy fans with true passion and mentality
Banda Noantri - The old school British style in the Curva Nord is amazing.
Let's get back on Rangers. What's the match that you'll never forget, and why?
The one match I'll never forget is the UEFA cup final in 2008 against Zenit, although we lost I'll never forget that feeling inside the stadium when the teams came out and the shiver went down my back and it sunk in that I was actually there witnessing it. It hurt for weeks after it because we didn’t win but I'm lucky enough to say I was there.
How do you see Rangers going on in 2-3 years?
Hopefully we'll be back to normal signing new players and winning trophies like the Rangers we all know.
What's your biggest dream about Union Bears?
One day I'd like us to return to the Copland Stand to a safe standing section, that would be a dream come true.
And about Rangers?
I'd like to us win a major European final again and witness this one.
As a supporter, where do you want Rangers to play away, that never played before, and why?
We've played mostly everywhere in the world but it would be good to play in Serbia against Partizan Belgrade again and attend the match to witness their support.
What would you like to say to all the supporters who are reading that? (last free words of you)
Football is for you and me, not the fucking industry. Fuck modern football!
