The 'Irn-Bru loyal' and wedding anniversaries: Enjoying Rangers' 6-1 win with their largest supporters group (2024)

The clock strikes 9:30pm on a crisp Saturday night and a string of ghouls, skeletons and scantily clad zombies are making their way across the harbour to Stornoway Sea Angling Club. It’s the night before Halloween but time is ticking on the festivities, even with the clocks set to go back an hour.

The venue is popular among young people on the island when it comes to a night out, but a three-minute walk along Inaclete Road takes you to the Lewis & Harris Rangers Supporters Club where the Angling Club becomes better known as the unofficial Celtic bar.

The unofficial part is important to John, a man in his 50s about to finish his final pint of the night, given how significant a cultural reference point the Rangers club is to the community. He puts the ratio of Rangers fans to Celtic fans on the island at 9:1, even giving a rundown of the likelihood of meeting a Celtic fan in Point (1 in 30), Ness (1 in 2) and Uig (1 in 200).

Lager may have impeded the validity of the exact figures, but there is little doubt the island’s enduring Presbyterian culture is translated into heavy support for Rangers. This club, located in the Outer Hebrides, is the largest Rangers supporters club in the world.

It has more than 1,000 paying members, which accounts for around five per cent of the 20,000-strong population.

Halloween has meant it is a quiet night for the club, but the shinty (a popular sport in the Scottish Highlands) team have packed in before closing time at midnight. Donald Lamont, a BBC reporter and devoted supporter, is here and refers to it as “his favourite place in Stornoway”.

He isn’t watching the game at noon the next day against Motherwell, though, as he is working. But the question is: will John be?

His face is a mix of incredulity with a hint of a smirk.

“On a Sunday?”, he says.

“I won’t be allowed…

“And, anyway, Sunday’s my drying off day.”

Frowned upon but not forbidden is how he terms the attitude towards drinking alcohol on a Sunday — still a sacrosanct day for many of the Calvinist population, particularly the elderly community.

As John’s conversation is identically played out by other men upon exiting, similarly not religious but who are respectful of the wider culture, the reason for staying indoors is often just as much down to their need to nurse a hangover as it is their adherence of the Sabbath.

The next morning, Stornoway, vibrant and full of colour the night before, is like a ghost town. Every shop is shut, bar one petrol station, and few people are outside. But John Macinnes, 35, manager of the Rangers club, is keeping a watching guard, leaning against the beige roughcast building.

One by one the cavalry arrives, but not before Alex MacIntyre, who is always first in and sits at the corner of the bar. He has no interest in football — he just loves the camaraderie at the club and acts as the handyman, too, even helping wallpaper the room during lockdown.

It would have taken some time to do so, given the treasure trove of memorabilia on display. There is barely an inch of the wallpaper visible.

There is Andy Goram’s nine-in-a-row shirt signed by the squad, Derek Parlane’s match-worn Scotland shirt from an international against Spain in 1975, a signed shirt from the “Barca Bears” team that won the 1972 European Cup Winners’ Cup and dozens of framed photos from the list of ex-players that have visited. That is not to forget the portrait of the Queen, which hangs halfway along the room and bears the scars of a fire in 2004 that saw the club’s existence put under threat.

An electrical fault caused the blaze, but the insurance paid out, which allowed them to re-open later that year. The club was established in 1975 but they did not have premises until 1984, an opening that roped in manager Jock Wallace for the unveiling.

When the fire left them without a base, the persistence of the membership meant they made do with a portable cabin that housed a bar, a TV and a sound system.

“They say the Tennent’s rep couldn’t believe the booze this tiny cabin got through, but boys would finish their work and go on the lash every night,” says John, the club manager.

It returned better than ever in its new home, which used to be a kipper factory that produced smoked herring. John has been in charge of the club since 2010 and has overseen a steady increase in membership, which has taken them over 1,000 members and to their highest number ever recorded.

“The old manageress didn’t have any staff and at Christmas time she asked if I’d help out behind the bar, so I did that on-and-off for years,” he says.

“The other two barmaids were co-running it for a couple of years and in 2010 I was looking for work. I had gone to uni in Glasgow for a couple of years but it wasn’t for me so I dropped out and moved home. They knew I could run the bar so they offered me it. I thought I’d take it but I didn’t think it would be a long-term thing, and here we are all these years later.”

He walked into a messy situation as the club was £80,000 overdrawn.

“The numbers dwindled because of that as people stopped coming. Big stalwarts of the club had walked away, but once I started a new committee, started showing all the games, getting tickets for matches and trips, people started seeing that and it built up again.

“We had around 300 members then and it has just grown and grown since. The last 10 years, despite being in the bottom divisions, has really galvanised the support.”

Reaching four figures in members is no mean feat but it also puts them above reputable groups such as the Canadian RSC’s. Even the English town of Corby, dubbed “Little Scotland” after people flocked south in the 1930s, has not managed the same longevity. They took more than 600 members to the 2008 UEFA Cup final in Manchester but the club closed in 2013.

When Ally McCoist told Alan Brazil about his cycling trip to Lewis & Harris, the Talksport host’s reply to his claim of such fanatical support was, “Ach, away you go!”

In fairness, any supporters club can have a significant paper membership, but for locals it is clear that this club means more than just a £20 tokenistic gesture. It could be down to the “Glasgow Highlander” effect of kids born in the central belt to islander parents returning home with an even greater affection for the respective Old Firm clubs.

The dominance of Rangers on the island has ceded slightly in recent decades but is still agreed to be over three-quarters Rangers. The same is true the further south of Lewis you go, through Harris and North Uist until you reach Benbecula where the causeways connect the Catholic-dominated, Celtic-dominated islands of South Uist, Eriskay, Barra and Vatersay — the area that the reformation never reached.

It’s what the club means to the people that has ensured it is still thriving. The “Irn-Bru loyal” (it is all they drink when they are here and no one asks why) are in the bottom left of the six booths; a group of older regulars are sitting in “Monkey’s corner” (named because a rowdy bunch used to take that place); a couple of recent strangers are now bonding over their frustrations with James Tavernier as Motherwell go 1-0 up.

The “stalwarts” are in the front row. Peter Dickie, 62, and Alan MacPhee, 73, have got the best spots in the house right in front of the big screen, but they have had decades to make those seats their own.

They moved to Stornoway from Paisley and Newlands, both in Glasgow, just a few months apart from each other in 1984 and 1985.

“We were both biology teachers,” explains Alan. “I started on the Tuesday and by the end of the week Peter said, ‘Do you want to go for a drink?’.

“And we’ve been in here every Friday at 4pm since!” Peter says. “It’s a standing arrangement that we come here for a couple of pints and a blether. It’s not a session anymore.”

They have taken the place to their hearts, but the club is a central part of that and is what provided the basis for their friendship.

“John is the heartbeat of this club. We’re very lucky to have him. He really cares about the members and makes sure it’s run properly. It’s not just us that notice it though. He’s well thought of by the ex-players and those at the club who deal with him.”

Alan, who tactically went for his COVID-19 booster in the morning as he thought the “old codgers” would be at church, adds a subtle but important note on housekeeping: “And he’s the most polite man when he’s kicking someone out. He’ll even offer to pay for their taxi at times.”

The dedication to attending the club on a match day, even from the other end of the island, is why attendances can reach over 100 for some games. The barmaid Kirsty says her dad travels from Great Bernera on the far west coast of the island for every game — a 45-minute journey. She was meant to be at Strathclyde University studying maths but she has decided to study remotely due to costs.

Ensuring the lifeblood of the club is youthful is important, though, and there is no less enthusiasm for the club from the fresher committee members.

“It’s a bit like a church for us on a Sunday. They’ve got theirs and we’ve got ours,” says Innes MacLean, 24.

He is one of the youngest committee members, comprised of just under 30 people, but after becoming a member at 18 with his mates, this is usually as close as it gets to Ibrox given their remote location.

“I’m pretty young and it sounds cliche but it’s honestly just for the love of the place. There’s nowhere else for us to go. We love this place being here. It’s the first stop on a night out, sometimes the only stop.

“Everyone is so proud of having the most members. It’s bizarre to think this is the biggest one. We want to keep it going.

“The atmosphere at European games and bigger Scottish games is fantastic. You have to be here a couple of hours before the game or you don’t have a chance of getting a seat. Braga was insane here. A guy dislocated his knee on the wee stage as he kept booting it in celebrations.”

His friend David MacLeod, 29, echoes those sentiments, although his work as a road surfacer has meant he has been in Glasgow more recently.

“You’re so far away you know you’re never really going to get to a game,” he says. “It’s tough but I wouldn’t change it though. If I wanted to I’d have moved already. It’s just the hand you’ve been dealt with, but it’s massively frustrating.

“You always get people who ask how you can support a team miles away, but that’s not how it works. It’s passed on from our families. So many people don’t even know this place exists, but even those who know a little bit about the island probably still don’t quite get how good it is.

“To go to a game you’re talking 200 quid and a day and a half off work just to get there — but it does make it that bit more special when you get to go to a game. You appreciate it more. It makes you sick when you’re sitting watching the game and the ‘subway loyal’ are leaving with 10 minutes to go.”

The regulars are the lifeblood of the club, but its reputation among the wider Rangers support means that it always has a healthy travelling contingent who make sure to stop by.

Derek, a roofer from Invergordon, spends the best part of five months every year working on the island. Whenever he is asked about which team his allegiances lie with he is treated like a king. It’s perhaps just as well given he has had to buy £52 worth of the same merchandise (a polo shirt, tie and snood) after leaving the previous items on the ferry. He’s chatting to Fraser Wright, who comes from just outside Dunoon on the west coast of Scotland and arrived on Wednesday for work at a pylon plant.

On the right of the room, Tam and Susan Findlay are enjoying a more special weekend than just watching a football match. They come from Fort William. but can never find a place they feel comfortable and enjoy watching the game so come to Stornoway four or five times every year due to their love of the island. As it is their 46th wedding anniversary the next day, this was one of the games earmarked at the start of the season.

And suddenly it looks like they will be getting the gift they’re after when James Tavernier scores a terrific volley and then assists Fashion Sakala for the first of his joyous hat-trick. Derek and Fraser are laughing, along with club chairman Johnny MacLean, at how they have been made to look foolish by Tavernier’s two moments of class.

But then the TV cuts out, albeit momentarily. “Best, you’re hopeless!”, shouts Ian, admittedly suffering from Saturday’s exploits as he leans back against the bar. Best is John’s nickname from school due to him being the go-to guy to help with homework.

Nicknames are required here — there are too many people with the same names. It’s why the chairman has been known as Johnny “Pie” since the start of primary school.

There are numerous famous faces to have greeted the club over the years, which are documented in the photobook they have out on the bar for people to look at.

Ronnie MacKinnon is the island’s own bit of Rangers royalty. MacKinnon played 530 games for Rangers, won nine major trophies in his twelve years at the club and is an honorary life member of the club. He has lived on the island for more than 15 years after returning from three decades spent in South Africa, where he finished his career. The club’s hall of fame board actually misspells MacKinnon’s name, but that was courtesy of him signing autographs with “Mc” rather than “Mac” due to it being quicker.

He lives with his wife Elizabeth, the third woman he has married — which sees her affectionately referred to as Elizabeth III by some — and managed to attend Rangers’ tour of the league championship when former team-mate Derek Johnstone visited the club earlier this year.

Willie MacLeod, the oldest member at 98, is honorary president of the club and was also invited along. He was still mentally sharp enough to rhyme off a poem he had claimed to have written years earlier, before accepting he had perhaps borrowed it from elsewhere.

The pandemic took a mental toll on many people, but the club’s value to the lives of those who spend such large amounts of time there is profound. The chairman turns 60 next year and the club are planning a special celebration, perhaps another trip to Ibrox like his 50th, but given it will mark 40 years since he joined the committee his emotional connection to it is undoubted.

“I lost my wife Annie four years ago and the friendships at the Rangers club has been a large part of my life for a long, long time,” he says.

“Because people can’t get to Ibrox it’s a hub, a meeting place. We opened and closed three times during COVID, but whenever we first opened the majority of the guys were single guys who weren’t seeing people. It’s not just a drinking place.”

Even for John, whose job it is to look after the club, recently buying a house less than a minute’s walk from the club has led to him being mocked that he chose to live there because it was nearby.

Fraser Walker came over to Stornoway seven weeks ago for a change of scenery after divorcing. Working in a salmon factory, this was the first place he came to after hearing about it online.

Domhnall MacDonald, 54, is born and bred but he had a spell when he was able to be a regular at Ibrox when he moved to Glasgow for university in 1987. He had only been once before that point in 1980 during a week in which Rangers had three home games and stayed at his auntie’s flat.

“I came back in ’91. Like a lot of people who left the island, I never expected to be back here because new opportunities and jobs were going to be away from here. I was jobbing around Glasgow for a few years and then I applied for a job, which landed me back here. I’m very happy here and I’ll never leave for anywhere else. I realised that many years ago. I didn’t really want to go anywhere else.

“I’m a middle-aged bachelor. I’ve got no one breathing down my neck. You’d definitely miss it if it wasn’t here. It’s a tremendous place to come. It’s a way of life for some guys who are here every night it’s open.

“Every night with a player is special. Walter passing away made me remember that for all the big names to come here, Richard Gough and John Greig, the only time they had a ballot for tickets was for Walter. He was a gentleman and told great stories. Aura is the word I’ve heard used the last week and it couldn’t be any more appropriate.”

A 6-1 was more than anyone had bargained for but, as Sakala’s smile lit up his interview and he presented the match ball to the away fans like it was Simba, the reaction in Stornoway was just as warm, with cheers ringing out for the Zambian forward.

“Sinne Na Daoine” is the club’s motto — “We Are the People”. John is pulled up by Kirsty for not having the Gaelic pronunciation nailed down but whatever he lacks in multilingualism, he has made up for in carving out a special place for Rangers-minded Hebrideans.