Vlogger Blair McNally on why ultras are the future of Scottish game

“I was outside Almondvale one afternoon and this guy approached me. He said, ‘I’m a student from Taiwan. I love your Vale of Clyde videos’. Honestly, that was the point I totally flipped out. It was crazy.”

McNally, the 24-year-old Partick Thistle fan from Renfrew who has made quite a name for himself since graduating with a BA in Sports Journalism from the University of West of Scotland and plunging headfirst into the vlogosphere, has done more to promote the sport in this country than any highly-paid marketing executive.

Read more:

• Celtic and Rangers must invest in AI and rid Scottish football of balaclava-clad neds
• There must be a reckoning for Scottish football's day of shame - Ibrox was a disgrace
• Hundreds of thousands of pounds damage caused to Ibrox after counterfeit ticket surge

He was concerned at the calls to ban ultras from the national game which have been voiced in some quarters in the wake of the disgraceful crowd trouble which flared at Ibrox at the end of the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup quarter-final between Rangers and Celtic on Sunday. 

He was in attendance in Govan and by no means condones what took place. He offers no defence of those who forced their way in through fire exits, vandalised the stadium, chanted sectarian songs, invaded the pitch, attacked police officers, stewards, coaching staff and players and threw lit pyrotechnics and bottles at rival supporters.

Still, McNally sees first hand the colour, noise and energy which the much-maligned groups bring to grounds on a weekly basis.

He believes that preventing the members of this new cultural subset from filing through the turnstiles will be a retrograde step that will ultimately be hugely damaging for Scottish football.

“It is going to be very difficult for local football clubs, smaller football clubs, even bigger football clubs, to go forward without the next generation,” he said. “The only way you can keep the game going is by getting the youth involved.”

Stickers left by Rangers ultras group The Union Bears (Image: PA)

Ultras, which has been produced by Studio Something, the Leith-based, BAFTA-winning creatives behind A View From The Terrace, is absolutely outstanding. The first of the three episodes airs on the BBC Scotland channel at 9pm on Tuesday. It is well worth a watch.

McNally is an unashamed ultras enthusiast. His love for the burgeoning scene is obvious throughout the series. He certainly acknowledges their behaviour on match days lets them down badly on occasion. However, he argues that how the problems which arise are addressed by clubs and the authorities is crucial.

There have been calls, including on these pages, for football banning orders to be used more often, for stands and stadiums to be shut down, for teams to be deducted points, for increased policing levels and for custodial sentences to be handed out in recent days.

The YouTuber, who has travelled the world to film matches in recent years, has seen how progressive countries have used persuasion, education and interaction to tackle off-field disorder with some impressive results. He suggests that there are far more effective strategies than hammering troublemakers. 

He feels that Falkirk – whose forward-thinking chief executive Jamie Swinney has attributed their rise from William Hill League 1 to the top six of the Premiership in the past few seasons to, in part, the atmosphere which their Gate 20 group have generated  – are a shining example of what can be achieved by embracing ultras instead of demonising them.

Read more:

• Violence flares at Ibrox as Celtic stun Rangers with penalty shootout cup triumph
• Anti-Semite's blackout is archaic - scrapping it can help showcase Scottish football
• Academy chief on how SFA scheme is helping turn Rangers' best kids from boys into men

“What Jamie and Falkirk are doing is brilliant,” said McNally. “They should be role models for every club. They work with the ultras. Other clubs should do that. I think that failing to do that is where problems start. A lot of clubs in Scottish football are missing the same communication and transparency. It creates a divide between them and the fans.

“At the end of the day, ultras aren't going to go away. The scene is only going to get bigger and bigger and bigger. So why not work with it rather than against it? If we keep issuing bans, if we keep punishing ultras, it's only going to get worse.

“When groups like the Green Brigade and the Union Bears get banned there is a reaction. They come back with even bigger pyro displays. We're quite a rebellious country and you can see that in how they respond to punishments. There's a bit of a divide right now between the clubs, the authorities and the ultra groups.

“I accept that crowd trouble, like that which we saw at Ibrox on Sunday, is definitely something that Scottish football needs to get to the bottom of. But if there are underlying issues then what are the reasons for them? How can everybody work together as one to resolve them?”

He continued, “The youth in Scotland have got nothing. Kids in this country are locked out of football pitches. They don’t have facilities to do anything. It’s no wonder they hang out in groups outside shops and what have you. So how can we get them doing something worthwhile, expressing themselves in a positive manner, using their energy constructively?

A Celtic ultras flag (Image: PA)

“We need education. That is the only way to address issues like pyro and hooliganism. Kids aren't being taught what's right and wrong in this country. A lot of youngsters who are getting involved in the ultra scene just don't know. We need clubs and the football authorities to do more. We need programmes put in place. But we also need everyone to get on the same page.”

The SPFL launched a groundbreaking initiative which they hope will help deter younger supporters from using pyrotechnics inside and outside Scottish football grounds last year. A senior hospital consultant and a UEFA expert are among those who outline the dangers of using fireworks as part of the project.   

McNally is adamant the Scottish Supporters Collective – an amalgamation of 14 ultra groups, including The Green Brigade, Bhoys Celtic, Block E, Motherwell Bois, Block Seven, Cowshed Morton, Ultras City, Eastside City, Fair City Unity, Northbank, Section 1869 and Ultras Thistle, that was set up last year – can help greatly.

“They are the way forward,” he said. “Fans who used to fight with each other every week have put their rivalries aside and come together because they know how bad the issues they've got are. It's been incredible to see.

“Ultras are easy scapegoats. It's simple for people to pin all the blame on certain groups. Now, they aren't all perfect. But I would definitely say they get an unfair rap. They do a lot of good work, things like food bank collections, which goes unnoticed.

“In Scotland, the ultra scene is very important. Look at the crowds at Motherwell, Falkirk, Hibs, Hearts and Thistle now. The difference ultras have made to my own club Thistle has been incredible. You were lucky to get 100 people in in the North Stand a while back. Now it is sold out several times a season.

Read more:

• Stephen Robinson promises Aberdeen players clean slate as Pittodrie reign begins
• Martin O'Neill makes 'entitled' Rangers claim amid Old Firm allocation debate
• David Gray confirms Hibs legend's summer departure, backs star to 'leave on a high'

“Money doesn't make football. It's about fans and passion. But, yes, we need to try and keep them in line. That is probably the issue right now, having ground rules in place. I just hope we can work together and get back on a positive track.” 

McNally himself has a few suggestions from his travels. He has witnessed how having safe pyrotechnic sections inside grounds has prevented the dangerous and illegal use of flares, strobes and smoke bombs in stands. He has, too, seen how involving ultras in match day organisation can prevent unrest.

“I love the way things work in Scandinavia,” he said. “I've been there an awful lot over the years to do videos. The ultras understand the issues, but they work with the football clubs to make sure there are no problems.

“The only people allowed to use pyro are trained ultras who have passed courses. They've got all the necessary protection in place, they've got fire safety officers, they've got buckets of sand nearby.”

He added, “The supporter liaison officers are actually part of the ultra groups in Germany. They self-police. If anyone steps out of line they get punished. And not by the authorities. Everything is kept in-house. It runs really, really well. I stood in among the Schalke ultras when I was over there to try to get a feel for how they do it. Honestly, it works so well.

“The problem with the SLOs in this country is that everything they do or say has to come through the club. That causes a bit of a divide. In Europe, the SLOs understand ultras and are more likely to nip any issue in the bud before it gets out of hand and the club have to step in.”

Rangers ultras set off flares at a match (Image: PA)

McNally has become something of a celebrity among the younger supporters of the clubs whose matches he films since he launched his YouTube channel. He can regularly be spotted posing for selfies with them outside grounds. He clearly relishes what he does and is very good at it.

“People in this country have an incredible love for the game,” he said. “Nobody comes close to our fans for me. I felt like the real raw Scottish football wasn't being showcased properly. I wanted to highlight a side of the game here that nobody had really seen before.

“I just decided to go to a match one day and film it. I didn’t have any money, I used my phone as a camera. But the first video went really well and so I kept going. I learned as I’ve gone along. I've not got everything perfect, I've made big mistakes. But I do feel I have promoted the game in a very positive way.

“I've always loved ultras. I wanted to be one when I was younger. But it was frowned upon in this country. I wanted to show it was acceptable and shouldn’t be laughed at or looked down upon.”

Many stakeholders in Scottish football are doing exactly that as a result of the appalling scenes of affray after the Old Firm derby last weekend – but Blair McNally will continue to shine a light on their exploits regardless in the hope that more people realise just how much they have to offer the national game.  

The first episode of Ultras will be shown on the BBC Scotland channel at 9pm on Tuesday.