Dundee United fans revel in Rangers win

IT WAS possible to believe that every last Rangers fan had actually respected the boycott of Tannadice yesterday.

So little was heard of the 422 who did show, these refusal-refusniks might have well have watched on the box. How they will have wished they hadn’t gone anywhere near Dundee yesterday. Tannadice, blanketed in tangerine, rocked. More than that, it mocked. Mercilessly. The home supporters staged a monster mockathon, the like of which they haven’t treated themselves to since Dundee were last in their firing line for the funnies.

The United faithful, buoyed by the appointment of Jackie McNamara as manager, were set up for their day to give the reincarnated Rangers a roasting by the 15-second lead they never looked like surrendering. They started doing so even before kick-off with a chorus of “who the f****** hell are you”, which segued into “you’re not Rangers anymore”. Harsh, but on the basis of the anaemic nature of what the Ibrox club subsequently produced, correct to a point.

There was little let-up as the 422 Rangers support sat motionless, impassive. United fans taunted them by “doing the bouncy”, telling them they were only here to see their club, and generally giving it to them tight. And just when it looked like they were beginning to bore of the baiting, a second goal gave them new impetus, with Ally asked the score and a stinging “you’ve never won f*** all”.

Refreshed by the half-time, they spent the second period singing the Cranberries’ Zombie on an interminable loop. Other refrains made the repertoire, some of them even – gasp – nothing to do with Rangers. In response, just before many of them cleared off after United added a third, the small, and hardiest band of follow-followers managed to raise a strangulated cry in support of Rangers. That it soon died a death said, well, all too much.