Andy Halliday leaps to Union Bears defence as he catches Rangers deja vu over fans ‘on the wrong side of history’
Defiant Andy Halliday has offered a defence of the Union Bears following their controversial Rangers walkout.
The ultras group alongside the Rangers Supporter's Association asked fans to take their leave in the 55th minute to send a message to the Ibrox hierarchy as Philippe Clement and his side saw off St Johnstone 3-1 amid rising pressure on the Belgian boss. The move split the support with several punters who remained behind showing their feeling by booing the protest.
The group have insisted they will continue to protest during the game - and former Ibrox midfielder Halliday admitted he could understand the anger when fielding calls on Clyde 1 Superscoreboard. The Motherwell man said: “I think that is where a lot of the frustration you see comes from, the so called younger generation comes from. Like you say Billy (caller), you grew up in period in the nineties where Rangers were dominating just like Celtic are now.
READ MORE: Barry Ferguson reacts to Union Bears Rangers walkout as Ibrox hero makes his viewpoint clear
"A lot of this younger generation want to experience the memories that you experienced, and they feel as if they are being let down by the way the club is being run in the background - as if they are falling short of the standard, so that is where the protest has been. One thing I will says is I vividly remember Philippe Clement saying in some of his messaging in his early press conferences - he used to say he wanted to bring back that synergy between the fans and the players. I don’t think it has been as fractured as this for a long period of time.”
Halliday was playing at Ibrox when the fans protested against the arrival of Mike Ashely at the club - and Halliday admitted that he could see similarities between the two situations. Pressed on the impact on the players during the win over the Perth Saints, Halliday went on: “A lot of them that have an understanding of the club and have been there for a long period of time would certainly understand why people are frustrated.
"Philippe Clement has consistently said that he is frustrated and he can understand why the fans are frustrated. I think the players would understand the meaning behind it.
"Listen, I remember in 2015 that the Union Bears were criticised for protesting against Mike Ashley, and I think a lot of people that criticised them then are on the wrong side of history now. I’ve got a funny feeling that it might be the same again.”
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