Rangers got the win they desperately needed on Saturday night, defeating Hibs 2–0 at Ibrox in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final. But while the victory ended a run of six games without a win, the bigger story was off the park.
Head coach Russell Martin may have survived the evening, but the pressure on him, and CEO Patrick Stewart, remains fiercer than ever. The Union Bears had signalled their intent in the build-up to the match, organising a protest outside the Bill Struth Main Stand before kick-off. It was well attended, well organised, and crucially, non-disruptive.
Many fans who had previously criticised or distanced themselves from the group’s methods chose to stand alongside them this time. The message was clear, the point was made, and it did not interfere with the team on the park.
Had the day ended there, the Union Bears would have walked away with widespread support. But ten minutes into the match, they committed what can only be described as their own goal.
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A barrage of multicoloured balls rained onto the pitch from the Copeland Road Stand, accompanied by a banner reading: “Delaying the inevitable. Martin must go.” The game stopped. The momentum Rangers had built in the opening exchanges stopped. And with that, the goodwill the group had earned outside evaporated instantly.
The reaction was swift and damning. Supporters online and inside the stadium voiced their anger. One fan wrote on Facebook: “Like that’s going to help the team on the pitch. Protest outside if you wish.” Another, posting on X, dismissed the act as “childish and upsetting the flow of the game.” In the stands, small pockets of the support even turned on the ultras, chanting their disapproval and making their feelings crystal clear.
It was a needless act of self-sabotage. Protest has its placem and right now, with Rangers in turmoil, it is both valid and necessary. Fans are entitled to make their voices heard about the direction of the club, its leadership, and the team’s form. But once the whistle blows, the players deserve the best chance to win. Disrupting the match itself achieves nothing. It only alienates fellow supporters, undermines the intended message, and risks damaging the very cause it aims to promote.
Rangers had started the game brightly despite a let off when Martin Boyle’s apparent opener was ruled out by VAR for handball, with Nicolas Raskin and Bojan Miovski delivering crucial first-half goals. The players did their job. The fans in the stands should have been there to back them.
The Union Bears struck exactly the right tone before kick-off and are a vital component to the Ibrox atmosphere, that without them would be far less imperious than it has become thanks to their constant noise and loyal support.
But inside the ground, they squandered it. If they want the full backing of the wider support, they need to remember one simple truth: once the match begins, let the team play.