Union Bears ‘score spectacular own goal’ after what they did in Rangers win vs Hibernian
Rangers finally got back to winning ways against Hibernian in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final at Ibrox on Saturday evening.
Protests were held before and during the game against Russell Martin and Patrick Stewart as Rangers fans made their feelings on the pair very clear.
The Union Bears played a huge part, as the fan group organised the pre-match protests and held up huge banners calling for Martin to go during the 2-0 win on 20 September.
The vast majority of Rangers fans would agree with the sentiments behind the protests, after a winless league start to the season under Martin, but not all of them would agree with the methods and timing.
Union Bears slammed for disruptive protest
Play was stopped in the 10th minute of the match at Ibrox as the Union Bears carried out a protest, which could see Rangers receive a fine.
Fans from their section launched plastic balls onto the pitch, as they held up banners calling for Martin to be dismissed, and it took several minutes for the balls to be cleared.
While some believe that this protest was one that Andrew Cavenagh could not ignore, others were frustrated as it actually disrupted Rangers’ momentum in the game after an initial bright start.
| Matches | 13 |
| Wins | 4 |
| Draws | 5 |
| Losses | 4 |
| Goals | 17 |
| Conceded | 19 |
| Points per game | 1.31 |
| League position | 11th |
“The Union Bears continued to spell out their own thoughts with a series of banner displays, but their rubber ball stunt 10 minutes in almost proved to be a spectacular own goal as it briefly knocked their own team out of a bright early rhythm,” Andy Newport wrote in the Daily Record.
Rangers did go on to win after Martin Boyle’s disallowed opener gave them a scare, but Martin’s job is still far from safe.
Andrew Cavenagh witnesses Rangers fans anger
Chairman Cavenagh flew into Glasgow to attend the match against Hibernian, and he saw for himself how strongly the fans feel about the manager he has hired.
Cavenagh has backed Martin so far despite the noise, and fans could quickly turn on the owners if this continues to be the case, with Stewart and Kevin Thelwell already receiving heavy criticism.
A lot of fans chose not to attend the Hibs match in protest, leaving a lot of seats empty, and Cavenagh would have seen this as a drop in matchday revenue.
Those who did go went with the intention of supporting the team, while also protesting against Martin, but some believe that the Union Bears’ actions were too disruptive to the players during a must-win game.
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