Ibrox managing director Stewart Robertson has justified his fellow supporters singing The Billy Boys.
Fresh from Sunday’s incredible statement pointing the finger of blame at the BBC and SNP, Robbo has plunged to a fresh low defending the song that was outlawed by UEFA in 2006.
Over 20,000 fans sang the anti-catholic anthem in December at Ibrox against Hibs with the same chant and others heard clearly at Hampden.
In a carefully scripted Q and A for the Evening Times aimed to promote Club 1872 (in honour of the attendance when Rangers (IL) played Partick Thistle in May 1979) Robbo gave his views on the hate song.
The Ibrox Director said: “If I recall correctly, the Billy Boys was sung after the Hibs fans came on to the pitch. We don’t condone that kind of behaviour. However, if I had a choice between the fans singing a song or piling over the wall into a pitched battle with the Hibs fans, I know what I would choose.
“That doesn’t make it right but you have to put it into context. I’d rather have that than two or three thousand piling over the wall and we have a riot on our hands.”
For the record Robbo your season ticket holders sang about their hatred of Catholics AND piled over the wall to fight with Hibs fans, attempt to abduct a child and strike Hibs fans with a corner flag.
Rallying to the cause of Club 1872 Robbo explained: “I can see why Rangers fans feel they have been given a hard time over the last four or five years. Part of the rationale behind Club 1872 is to give the Rangers fans a voice and stand up for the Rangers fans.
“Rangers fans, some of them feel vilified over the last four or five years. Hopefully, we are back on an even keel, the club is back in the Premiership, so let’s get back to focusing on football. Get back to playing football and moving Scottish football forward.
“Let’s be positive about Scottish football and get away from all the nonsense in the background. Will we ever do it? I doubt it because we live in Scotland and Glasgow. But we need to get back to just focusing on football.”
In their first statement Club 1872 issued a number of threats and warnings before finishing up with the comical claim that ‘the dehumanisation of the Rangers support must stop now’.
During his round of media interviews today Robbo expressed his wish to be voted onto the board of the SPFL, hopefully his justification for a hate-song has put paid to that ambition.