Despite the fierce rivalry that exists between Scotland and England, surprisingly, many Rangers fans have a soft spot for the Three Lions, and in a lot of cases, actually support them instead of the Tartan Army.
Given Rangers' iconic status in Scotland, this may seem ludicrous at first, but there are plenty of explanations for why this has happened. So what exactly are the reasons why Rangers fans support England? Let's take a look.
English legends and Rangers
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One reason for Rangers fans supporting England over the years is the fact that an array of English talent have called the Ibrox home at some point during their careers.
Players such as Paul Gascoigne, Terry Butcher and more recently the likes of Jermain Defoe have slowly but surely altered Gers supporters' perception of the Three Lions and this is where the affection stems from.
Initially, affection was as far as it went. If Scotland and England were competing at international level, Rangers fans still supported their home nation and were desperate for them to win.
However, the fanbase began to fall out of love with the Scottish national team due to rising tensions with the country's FA, an issue which reached its climax in 2012.
Rangers enter administration in 2012
In 2012, every football fan in the United Kingdom was rocked as the news of Rangers entering administration flooded the newspapers. Financial difficulties were the primary cause, and it was reported that the club's total debts amounted to a figure north of £100 million.
The Gers were on their knees and were in desperate need of support from the Scottish FA – support Rangers fans believe never came.
Speaking after the Scottish FA had issued further penalties to Rangers during the club's administration period, The Rangers Support Assembly released a statement saying: “Just when the club needs the SFA to help it… they kick us when we are down.
“Why did the SFA not investigate when they said they had suspicions before Christmas rather than wait until the club went into administration?
“We do not want to run away from our responsibilities and we accept that any wrong-doing needs to be dealt with but to do it now when we are trying desperately to exit administration is brutal in the extreme.”
Scotland fans boo Rangers players
The above debacle left Gers supporters feeling bitter and betrayed by their FA, and, in response, their fans began to boycott domestic away grounds. However, rival fans in the country were less than pleased with their actions, and tensions again began to rise between Scottish fans and the club.
Over the years, multiple Rangers players, such as Ryan Jack and Ian Black, have been booed by the Tartan Army and it has only made the relationship between Gers supporters and Scotland worse.
The combination of these three factors have resulted in the bizarre phenomenon of many Rangers fans supporting England.