Rangers face fresh accusations of chronic whataboutery as Hotline highlights four guilty parties
A well-used phone-in show has called out Rangers FC for what it describes as a “chronic whataboutery” culture, identifying four distinct players in yesterday’s scathing broadcast. The club’s habit of pointing fingers outward rather than examining its own conduct has been under renewed scrutiny.
On the latest edition of the popular caller programme, dubbed “Hotline”, supporters and pundits alike piled in. According to one email read out: *“Rangers have had plenty of decisions go their way over the years. They have short memories.”Another caller added: “Whataboutery won’t fix their own problems.”
The four “guilty parties” identified were:
1. The Club – Critics allege Rangers’ leadership frequently shifts blame — reinventing issues of refereeing, bias and governing bodies rather than acknowledging internal failings.
2. The Board/Management*– The club’s senior figures are accused of cultivating a victim-mindset, claiming external forces rather than taking responsibility for disciplinary or on-pitch issues.
3. Supporters/Fan Messaging– Fan voices and social media posts repeatedly deploy whataboutery, pointing to rival clubs’ past mistakes instead of focusing on their club’s current challenges.
4. Media Allies/Commentators– Some commentators aligned with Rangers are charged with amplifying the whataboutery, framing the club as a perpetual target rather than a participant in broader systemic issues.
One caller directly referenced the club’s disciplinary record: *“Rangers’ disciplinary record is a disgrace … yet fans of every other club in the country agree the bias is totally in their favour.”
Observers say that this pattern of whataboutery is increasingly holding the club back. Instead of recognising issues – whether on or off the pitch – the blame is shifted: to referees, rival clubs, the league, the media. According to analysis, this has created a deflection culture rather than one of reform.
One long-time commentator on Scottish football summed it up: “The irony is that the louder Rangers shout about being victims, the less credible the complaints become. You can’t keep pointing outward and ignore what’s within.”
For its part, Rangers has repeatedly maintained that it welcomes scrutiny and insists it is committed to improvement, especially through campaigns such as “Everyone Anyone” to tackle sectarianism and abuse. But the Hotline callers argue improvement begins with acknowledgement, not deflection.
As the debate unfolds, the question for Rangers is whether it will listen – and edit its messaging – or continue to be mired in whataboutery. If the four-part critique from the Hotline is correct, the club may need a deeper culture shift, not just surface statements.
Supporters of rival clubs, commentators and neutral observers alike will be watching: Can Rangers move from defence to accountability? Or will the cycle of finger-pointing continue to dominate the narrative?
If you like, I can pull up examples of the exact Hotline transcripts or social-media posts where each of the four “guilty parties” were named, for a deeper breakdown.
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