The Offical Statement

It was not until the 1960’s that the burning issue of sectarianism reared its ugly head at Ibrox. A former player, Ralph Brand, made the sectarian policy at Rangers public knowledge and around this time the behaviour of Rangers fans was a real problem for the club. In 1963, Rangers fans jeered during the minute’s silence for assassinated Catholic U.S. President John F. Kennedy. Then, in 1967, then vice Chairman Matt Taylor was questioned about Rangers no Catholics policy and he stated that he felt that they policy was

"part of our tradition....we were formed in 1873 as a Protestant boys club. To change now would lose us considerable support."

In 1972 during the European Cup Winners Cup Final in Barcelona, Spain, Rangers fans were to shame themselves publicly. Murray feels that the Spanish police were perhaps not prepared for the antics of the Glaswegian crowd, however in his opinion, the combination of cheap wine and the knowledge that they were in a Catholic country added venom to the situation.
Ian Archer in the Glasgow Herald, issued a damnation of Rangers:
"As a Scottish football club, they [Rangers] are a permanent embarrassment and an occasional disgrace. This country would be a better place if Rangers did not exist."
In late 1978, Rangers fans were involved in troubles with Aston Villa fans during a friendly match in Birmingham. Birmingham is a city noted for its Irish population and such was the behaviour of the supporters, the match had to be abandoned after only 53 minutes of the game. Willie Waddell said that "these louts are ruining a great club." This brought more pressure on Rangers to sort out the problems caused by their supporters.
In 1983, the resignation of manager John Greig produced fresh calls for the club to end its sectarian employment policy. Chairman at the time, Rae Simpson argued that the club had never been a sectarian club. Perhaps his view would have held more water were it not for the words of the vice chairman 16 years previously. Equally, the presence of supporters’ organisations such as the ‘John Greig Loyal Rangers Supporters Club,’ who picked members up from locations including Orange and Masonic lodges, have not aided their anti-sectarian cause. At the time, Rangers managers had always held strong links with the club, therefore to break with any tradition would have been difficult for them. John Greig was a former player and a member of many fans all time greatest Rangers teams. Each manager knew of the history of the club and so were conditioned by, and refused to break with it. Greig’s predecessor and successor, Jock Wallace, is alleged to have encouraged his players to yell the Protestant battle cry ‘No Surrender’ [See appendix 3] as they entered the field of play.
The Orange Order have long been connected to Rangers, a link supported by the fact that the Order held the annual divine service at Ibrox