THE trip to Herning won’t go down as one of the great cultural or sight-seeing expeditions of our time.
But the hours spent at the MCH Arena showed why Scottish football is being left behind when it comes to supporter engagement and the matchday experience for fans.
The ground, with a capacity of just under 12,000, is compact but smart, while the pitch is regarded as one of the best in Denmark.
From a Press point of view, there was plenty of space to work and the WiFi was fully operational inside the plush Europa Lounge and in the media seating in the main stand.
It was clean and comfortable and a pleasant environment to both work and watch a game in. If only the same could be said for some of the facilities in Scotland.
Outside the ground, fans gathered hours before kick-off and, despite a pre-match deluge, spent time having food and drink. There were inflatable targets for shots to be aimed at while, more bizarrely, a lump of wood that you had to hammer nails into with an axe.
The travelling Rangers fans, having spent the day making themselves seen and heard in the town centre as it was decked in red, white and blue, gained entry to the stadium with ease and would go on to enjoy a memorable evening as Steven Gerrard’s side earned a 4-2 win that puts them on course for the Europa League play-off round.
Midtjylland made the Gers support feel welcome and even their kiosk staff got in on the act by wearing Rangers shirts. That idea won’t catch on in Scottish football, and neither should it.
But the difference between the scenes in Denmark and those at Rugby Park just a few days earlier could not have been more stark.
Here, it too often seems that football fans are customers rather than custodians for their club.
They pay their money, but is enough being done to engage with them? A matchday should be an afternoon out, not just a 90 minutes.
There are, of course, instances when the minority ruin it and the cases of supporter misbehaviour recently cannot be overlooked.
The Gers fans that burst onto the pitch when Connor Goldson scored an injury-time winner against Kilmarnock shouldn’t have done so.
READ MORE: Paul Heckingbottom rues Hibernian's mistakes in heavy defeat to Rangers at Ibrox
It was unnecessary and foolish, but daft things are done in the heat of the moment. The same goes for the punters that climbed onto the roof of the disabled section and fell through it onto the fans below.
It was an act of stupidity, but not one of pre-meditated malice. They deserve to be criticised, but some of the commentary around it has been way over the top and now that the area for disabled supporters has made the news, hopefully Kilmarnock will go about improving that particular section.
As an aside, if there had been an emergency situation, such as a fire or a crush, in the away end and going over that roof was the only escape route, where were the fans behind it supposed to go when the structure itself is as flimsy?
The scenes at the end of the game were worrying and could have been far worse but they can be put down to moments of madness by individuals that should know better.
Of greater concern was the crush outside Rugby Park and the eyewitness accounts, and video footage that has emerged, should be treated extremely seriously by Kilmarnock. Rangers will be involved in the debrief of the events that led to hundreds of supporters being unable to gain access to the ground until several minutes after kick-off as lengthy queues quickly built up as a result of problems with the entry system in use.
The rush of fans as a gate was opened and supporters ran in could have led to serious injury, or even worse. It is only by luck that nobody was hurt as the crowds gathered and supporters became more and more compacted at the turnstiles and gate.
READ MORE: Chris Jack: Loan move could help Jamie Murphy kick-start his Rangers career
At the very least, fans should expect to enter and leave a ground quickly and safely and the scenes at Rugby Park cannot be repeated.
If even that cannot be delivered, then punters here have slim chances of enjoying the kind of hospitality that their counterparts in other countries have every game.
From ticket prices to drink to entertainment, the fan experience in Scottish football isn’t good enough.
While the minority should be punished for their behaviour - whether that be pitch invasions, missile throwing, banners or songs - more can surely be done for the benefit of the majority.
If our clubs or the League need any ideas, take a trip to Herning.
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