ninety-minute nationalism

enjoyed the rest of the vice documentary on rangers and celtic. the presenter - kev kharas, who i’m certain used to write for drownedinsound back when it was good, or possibly the nme when i bought it as a teenager - seemed to warm to both sides the more time he spent with corresponding fans. interestingly, the celtic fans seemed to be responding with a little more grace than the rangers fans, who seemed to be less full of humour, but that might just have been the siege mentality in the backdrop of their succumbing to administration..

interesting too, the camaraderie between the former celtic and rangers casuals who seemed almost fond of each other: whether they’ve grown up and gained a sense of perspective, or whether they are just grounded men willing to admit to mistakes for the camera, i don’t know. 

as an outsider looking in - and looking in you really find yourself doing when you live in the glasgow goldfish bowl - it seemed a reasonably objective portrayal that sought out some of the more interesting characters in the recent history of the fixture. perhaps some more examples of run-of-the-mill supporters would have been warranted for balance. a muslim EDL member who is banned from attending football matches, a convicted casual and a bigoted publican don’t truly sum up your average rangers fan. perhaps also the input from some female fans, who were occasionally seen but never included, would have added something different as well. but then true balance doesn’t always make for great telly, and they remained neutral throughout while providing a different snapshot of the fixture than what we get in the media here.