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IT’S not easy being a Rangers fan at times like these. While Celtic spent yesterday with all eyes on Monte Carlo, my old club was trying to get excited about a League One visit from a team from Methil. The club has fallen so far from grace over the past couple of years it has been hard to make sense of it all. Much of it has been a blur, just one heartbreaking episode after the next. You reach the stage where you’ve taken so many kickings you’re just grateful still to be alive. But then you have a week like this one, when you see your old rivals qualifying for the Champions League and gearing up for trips to the Nou Camp, the San Siro and the Amsterdam ArenA. While Ally McCoist and his players are preparing for East Fife at home. As reality checks come, this one makes the eyes water. Since Wednesday night, I’ve been speaking to a few of the boys at Blackpool about it and they were asking me if I think Rangers will ever get back to that level. Or if the Champions League is gone for good. If too much harm and damage has been done for Rangers to ever recover their old status. Now – and I know I’ll be slaughtered for this – but I believe Rangers will be back in the Champions League. And they’ll be back within five years. Yes, I can see why that may seem ridiculous right now but I’m deadly serious. First thing’s first, we need the likes of Jim McColl and his men to take control of the finances and to clean up the mess in the boardroom. And, yes, I know that’ll be easier said than done. But with the right people in charge off the pitch, Rangers won’t need decades to close that gap. They might be in the third tier but as far as I’m concerned, with the new signings available, they’ve got the second strongest team in Scottish football. If they were in the top flight this season they’d finish runners-up. I’m sure of it. So they’ll rip their way through League One this year and it’ll be the same in the Championship. That means in less than two years’ time they’ll be back where they belong. And I honestly believe it’s being realistic to say they’ll be Scotland’s champions again inside of three years. And then these players will have the chance to enjoy what Celtic experienced on Wednesday night. And as someone who knows what I’m talking about, believe me when I say it really doesn’t get any better. I was genuinely pleased for Celtic’s players the other night. Aye OK, maybe that’s pushing it. But as a player I could understand exactly how much it meant to these guys to get through against Shakhter Karagandy. I know Neil Lennon wouldn’t have needed to give them a pre-match team talk. And it’s not just about the finances and the bonuses either. As players, you realise money just can’t buy nights like that. I remember how I felt when that Champions League music started up – it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It was an incredible feeling – totally different from a Saturday. It didn’t matter if it was Barcelona coming to Ibrox, I was so pumped up I truly believed I could go out there and take them. I see a lot of similarities in some of the current Celtic players. That atmosphere does the same thing to them. It’s hard to describe but there’s something electric about these kind of games. I remember driving up to the stadium on the bus and seeing the fans going mental on the streets outside. By the time you walked in through the front doors you felt eight foot tall. You realise the game is going to be televised all around the world. This is your chance to show everyone what you can do against the best. I’ll always remember playing against Lothar Matthaus and Bayern Munich in 1999 when I had just got into Dick Advocaat’s team. I was just a wee boy and had total respect for that guy but as soon as I crossed that line I wanted to destroy him. Anyway, I must have been a pain in the a*** because he poked me in the eye during the away game against them at the Olympic Stadium. I had been in about his ankles from the start and he probably thought, ‘Who’s this skinny little runt from Scotland, running about with the plooks on his chin? What have we got here?’ And I have to admit, I loved it. I knew right then I was giving him a game. Lothar Matthaus, one of the greatest players in the world, had just poked me in the eye. I couldn’t have been prouder. Now I’m older I look back and I see it from his point of view and I laugh at myself. I know what it’s like when you’re up against kids who are trying to fire in about you. But that’s the attitude you need. I turn into a different animal out there and that’s the way it has to be. The downside is that people get a perception of you from what they see on the pitch. And that sticks. I know people still look at me and think this guy’s a wee ned – all because I ran about with my face all screwed up, shouting and bawling. That used to bother me. But you get older and wiser and you learn to accept things. I look back now and say, ‘Look at him, he’s running around like a f****** idiot’. Then I realise it’s myself I’m watching. So I can’t blame others for thinking the same thing. It’s just the way I need to play in order to get the best out of myself. And if you can’t get the best out of yourself in the Champions League then you’ve no business being there. Another big European night that stands out was the qualifier against Copenhagen 10 years ago. I went into that one knowing it would be my last game for Rangers as I would be signing for Blackburn when we got back. And another 48 hours later I remember realising I had just made the biggest mistake of my life. That was a weird night. On the one hand we were celebrating with the fans, and on the other I knew deep down I was away. I remember thinking to myself at the time, ‘I’ve just left Rangers, what am I doing?’ And so now every time I watch a Champions League game it reminds me of that night. It sends a shiver up my spine when the music starts. It’s crazy what that tune does. And I know the Celtic boys would have been feeling the same way. Now they’ve got the group games to come and every one of them will be looking at where Victor Wanyama, right, and Gary Hooper ended up. These guys will be thinking they could be next to get a move to the EPL. That’s what the Champions League offers players, a big-money move. And it’s why Rangers must keep ploughing on through all the hard miles until they’re hearing that music for themselves. Trust me, it’ll be worth the journey.

I see TLB's poop troop got beat 2-0 by Shakhter Karagandy over in Kazakhstan earlier.

Ally McCoist is confident Kyle Lafferty will not allow sectarianism in Scotland to drive him away from Rangers. The Northern Ireland international saw his car window smashed at a petrol station near his home in Glasgow last week. Celtic striker Anthony Stokes was recently targeted by thugs, while Hoops boss Neil Lennon was a sent a 'viable' explosive device earlier in the year and Niall McGinn and Paddy McCourt were sent bullets in the post. McCoist admits the actions of a minority continue to cause problems for the rest of Scottish football, but he is optimistic regarding contract negotiations with Lafferty. "I think we are all sick of it (sectarian attacks). So Kyle's no different from the rest of us," he said. "Anthony Stokes' window gets panned in, and Kyle gets his car done. It's a sad reflection on society but I still think we are getting better. "But I don't think what has happened would stand in the way of Kyle signing a new deal. I would certainly hope not anyway." Nonsense McCoist was responding to comments made by Lafferty in which he aired his frustration at being targeted by thugs during what should be a special moment in his life. "I'm doing okay, but I'm sick of all this nonsense - there's no need for it," he said. "All I want to do is concentrate on my football with Rangers and my relationship with Nicola, and I can't wait for the birth of our baby in three weeks' time. "These are exciting times for me and I don't need them ruined by incidents like this."

ANXIOUS cops have moved to take the heat out of a potential powderkeg in the Highlands tomorrow by pleading with the Green Brigade not to cause further damage to Celtic's reputation. We revealed on Wednesday how Strathclyde assistant chief constable Campbell Corrigan had asked Parkhead chief executive Peter Lawwell to set up talks with the fans group whose song book has been blamed for dragging the club into the dock with both UEFA and the SPL. But Corrigan's attempts to negotiate were booted into touch when the Green Brigade issued a stonewall refusal to get around the table with police. Now Record Sport understands a crack team of specially trained officers will be deployed to Inverness tomorrow to monitor fans' behaviour as Neil Lennon's side take on Caley Thistle in a lunchtime showdown. And Corrigan has pleaded with Celtic's travelling support not to indulge in the pro-IRA chanting that has landed their club in trouble. He said: "I fully intend to meet fan representatives from Celtic - our intention is to impress upon people who continue to sing these songs they do nothing but damage to the club they love. "We don't solve these problems by working in isolation, we solve them by getting around the table and talking about them." Corrigan has set up talks with two other Hoops fan groups - the Celtic Supporters Trust and Celtic Supporters Association. But his main concern is over the more militant Green Brigade and it's understood, even yesterday, Lawwell was still attempting to persuade organisers of the group to listen to what the cops have to say. Lawwell fears that unless they clean up their act more arrests will follow and leave Celtic open to further national embarrassment. Manager Lennon has again made his own plea for songs celebrating paramilitaries to be ditched. He said: "We can't pre-judge any investigation but it's important we put a message out that these chants have no place around our club. "Ninety five per cent of what these fans bring to the game is positive and adds atmosphere but we need to make sure all the negative stuff is removed." And Paul McBride QC, who has represented Lennon and the club, added: "I'm a great supporter of the Green Brigade but a small minority of them sing songs about terrorism and that is not acceptable. "Soon after January it will become a criminal offence. "These individuals might not listen to me or the Celtic board. The hope is that by Neil repeating the message he made last time they will listen to him." Daily RHebel

FOOTBALL fans who peddle internet hate will still get the red card under tough new anti-bigotry laws â?? but only if their messages are deemed to be THREATENING. The change to the SNP's anti-sectarian Bill came yesterday after Nat chiefs added a clause protecting freedom of expression. It now means that messages containing insults or abusing religious beliefs will NOT be against the law â?? but those considered likely to cause public disorder or threaten people WILL. The clause also doesn't apply to sectarian or threatening behaviour at and around football games â?? which will also be deemed illegal. Last night Community Safety Minister Roseanna Cunningham,tasked with steering the legislation through Parliament, said: "The intention of the amendment is not to prevent legitimate religion discussion and debate. "It aims to prevent the kind of communication we saw last football season when individuals were threatened with serious harm. "It is important that we remember that's what this is about." The clause to the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Bill was backed by MSPs on Holyrood's Justice Committee in a vote yesterday â?? despite Labour members James Kelly and Graeme Pearson REFUSING to take part. It also received a lukewarm response from human rights experts. But last night Shadow Justice Minister Mr Kelly again blasted the Bill â?? and called for it to be scrapped. Earlier he and Mr Pearson abstained from every single vote on almost 40 amendments during the vital second of three stages needed for it to become law. The move infuriated Glasgow MSP Humza Yousaf, who represents the SNP on the Justice Committee. He said: "You cannot simply opt out of debating or discussing the whole of a piece of legislation, especially one as important as this. "This Bill is significant and, whether people are in favour of it or opposed to it, they were let down by their Labour MSPs â?? they may as well have stayed at home." But Mr Kelly defended his actions â?? and repeated his claim that the Bill was not "fit for purpose". He said he abstained in protest after the Government "failed to engage" with critics about issues surrounding the legislation. And he vowed his Labour colleagues would turn out in force to vote against it when it comes back for consideration in front of the whole Scottish Parliament. He said: "The reason we abstained was to give ministers time to reflect on the legislation and call a halt to the Bill. "As it currently stands we do not believe it is fit for purpose and Parliament should not be asked to pass bad law. "We want the SNP to withdraw this Bill and take more time to discuss the problems of sectarian behaviour with all interested parties." Mr Kelly's criticisms were backed by Green MSP Patrick Harvie. He said: "I'm still not convinced that this Bill can be fixed â?? its flaws are too deep. "Ministers are stubbornly determined to force it through in the teeth of consistent and reasoned opposition from all quarters, inside and outside Parliament. Parliament as a whole will have one more chance to address some of the most obvious problems with it. "I hope that colleagues in other parties will be ready to discuss how to achieve that before the legislation's final stage." The plans were first introduced following a series of bust-ups and sectarian incidents last season which shamed Scottish football. A host of Old Firm stars â?? including Celtic boss Neil Lennon â?? were also targeted in online rants by web thugs. But the Bill has since faced huge opposition from football clubs, fans' group, church leaders and legal experts, who have all voiced their concerns. Under it, the SNP propose two new offences. The first targets sectarian and threatening behaviour at and around football matches â?? which is deemed likely to cause public disorder. The second relates to threats or serious harm which are intended to stir up religious hatred on the internet or other communications. Those convicted under the legislation could spend up to five years in prison â?? and be banned from football grounds. Another change made by the committee widens part of the Bill to include people not necessarily travelling to a football match. Last night Mairi Clare Rodgers, director of media relations for human rights campaign group Liberty, still voiced her concerns. She said: "We welcome this admission from the Scottish Government that its Bill is chilling to free speech. But the offences it contains remain dangerously broad and a nightmare for police to enforce. "We look forward to further sensible amendment. It's one thing to incite violence, quite another to cause offence." A Rangers spokesman said: "Rangers welcomes the fact the Scottish Government has recognised legitimate freedom of expression is to be protected in the proposed new bill. "We are also supportive of tackling threatening behaviour on the internet. Our overarching concern about any legislation or effort to tackle anti-social behaviour is that it is applied evenly and fairly and does not stigmatise football supporters unjustly." A spokesman for Celtic said: "We have made our position quite clear and believe that the current legislation is already in place to tackle the issues which the proposed Bill aims to address." myView By COLM DEMPSEY, Defence Lawyer THIS is a positive change to the Bill â?? but concerns remain as to whether it is sufficiently succinct. You could still have cases where one person's freedom of expression is another person's offensive behaviour. For example, songs that one person may think are political or simply an expression of freedom could be considered threatening by someone else. There needs to be more clarification to eliminate any potential ambiguity. These will eventually be matters for the court â?? but the more uncertainty and questions are squared away, the better. Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/3953640/New-twist-in-bid-to-tackle-sectarianism.html#ixzz1eW0htd9S

NEWCASTLE UNITED are poised to snatch Scott Brown for free as the Celtic skipper comes to terms with the prospect of being forced out of Parkhead. The midfielder has agreed a new four-and-a-half-year contract with chief executive Peter Lawwell and had hoped to sign the deal which would have tied him to the club until the summer of 2016. But talks have broken down over a row about a fee due to Brown's advisers - and now Alan Pardew's Premiership high-flyers are hoping to cash in by landing the £4.4 million man for nothing on a Bosman transfer. Record Sport can also reveal that Dutch outfit Feyenoord and Bundesliga big guns Hamburg have been alerted to the player's situation and are weighing up offers. But Newcastle - whose stunning early-season form has catapulted them into the mix for Champions League qualification - are understood to be at the front of the queue. And they are ready to offer the 26-year-old a lucrative pre-contract in a bid to lure him south next summer. Brown was linked with a move to Tyneside at the end of last season, shortly after lifting the Scottish Cup - his first trophy success as Celtic captain. But he moved quickly to insist in an exclusive interview with Record Sport that he saw his future in Glasgow's East End and that his heart was set on signing a contract extension. He said then: "I've heard all the stuff about Newcastle but I haven't paid the slightest bit of attention to it. "I'm captain of Celtic, why would I even think about going anywhere else? "A few weeks ago I had the privilege of lifting my first piece of silverware since being given the armband 18 months ago. "I have a hunger to win more trophies as Celtic captain so that I can look back at my time with the club and consider myself to have been a success. "The club know how I feel and as long as the manager wants me here, then I don't see a problem in working out a deal." Manager Neil Lennon has also made it clear that he wants Brown signed up but there is no sign of an agreement being reached between Celtic and the player's advisers. In fact, sources close to the talks last night described them as "having hit a brick wall". Daily RHebel

It's a funny old world. There's old Sepp Blooter being kicked from pillar to post for claiming racism in football can be sorted with a handshake at the final whistle. But what's the difference between his attitude and that of the apologists who've spent decades saying the same about Scottish football and sectarianism? For as long as I've been campaigning against this cancer, Celtic and Rangers people have shrugged that it'll never change, that it's just the way things are and, yes, at the end of the day it's all just banter. You know, like everyone goes back to work on Monday morning and no one ever mentions it until the next Old Firm game. Aye, right. And some of Enoch Powell's best friends were black. Blooter is an out-of-touch idiot. No more so, though, than all those who've listened to bigoted bile all their lives but have said and done nothing about it. Or at least, not until it becomes an easy target. At Rangers, that was when UEFA started getting heavy and it was conveniently blamed on The Minority. Now, at Celtic, the spectre of sectarianism also has a name. The Green Brigade. A deeply unpleasant bunch whose craving for attention makes them stick out like a big, poisoned sore thumb. And who make it so much easier for the apologists to finally take a stand, especially when they can cover their a**es by writing that these people are an affront to the rest of the Celtic support. But in the days when there was no Green Brigade, just a following commonly known as The Greatest Fans In The World, some Celtic punters still sang about the IRA and FTQ and the rest of the megamix. Yet the same keyboard heroes who now want to change the world never said a dickybird. Why? Because they make their living off following the Old Firm and wouldn't survive without them. Now, though? What a great out The Green Brigade give them. Pin the whole sectarian thing on one corner of Parkhead while making sure everyone else in the stadium knows you love and respect them like family. Same went for Rangers and The Minority, a tag that allowed pundits to pontificate the sweeping generalisation that "most decent Rangers fans will be outraged by their behaviour" and everyone would be happy, because no one had to face up to the less palatable truth. Which is, as with Celtic right now, that the use of abusive and bigoted language at both clubs is so institutionalised as to almost become as natural as breathing in and out. Let's leave the organised chanting and banner waving aside. And address the fact that not a game goes by at Parkhead without opposing fans, opposing players, referees, linesmen and the media being referred to as Orange B******s. Just as not a game goes by at Ibrox without opposing fans, opposing players, referees, linesmen and the media (often the same people as were at Parkhead the previous week) being routinely referred to as Fenian B******s. Yet what do police and stewards do? Hee-haw. They sling a deafy, because to wade in and haul out everyone who yelled something offensive, not to mention illegal, would mean all leave being cancelled in neighbouring constabularies while they wheeched offenders off to the cells. Sadly, the same goes for 99 per cent of the media. Even if they're the ones being abused, how often do we read any mention of sectarianism in their copy? How often does a radio or TV commentator refer to clearly-audible bile in their coverage? Come to think of it, how often have you sat there as a non-Old Firm fan and shaken your head as The Billy Boys or The Boys Of The Old Brigade strikes up and the guy on the mic tells you that "the fans are in great voice"? No one's wanted to get involved. No one's wanted to put their head above the parapet and get it shot off by some deranged nutjob. So they've heard no evil and reported no evil. And even now, when there's an identifiable enemy, the language from on high used to deal with them is still so wishy-washy it wouldn't frighten a three-year-old into eating their broccoli. Cops "want to hold to talks" with The Green Brigade. Neil Lennon wants "to sit and sort things out" with them. B******s to that. They know who these people are. They know where their seats are. They've got the CCTV and telly footage of them in action. So if the police and Celtic are truly serious about about sorting them out, then just bloody well sort them out. Take their season tickets off them. Ban anyone who buys an away game ticket for them. You don't negotiate with bullies and that's all this mob are, bullies who abuse and harass anyone who doesn't follow their agenda. Ask the Strathclyde Police press officer whose family have been subjected to horrendous abuse since the story broke that Celtic were being investigated. The Green Brigade and their Ibrox counterparts are two sides of the same coin. They are the flea-ridden tail that wags the dog. Just let's not kid ourselves that the dog couldn't use a right could fumigating. I'm with those who say Blooter's position as head of FIFA is still untenable despite an apology for his complacency over racism. Wonder when we'll hear the word sorry from those whose life-long attitude to sectarianism has been just as off-hand? Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/columnists/billleckiesports/3947514/At-last-we-turn-on-the-zealots.html#ixzz1eKcyE4gz

Iâ??m going to stick my brass neck out here and do something that appears to be highly unfashionable these days. Iâ??m going to stick up for that loud, colourful, at times controversial band of Celtic supporters known as the Green Brigade. And this is from someone, before my cyberspace friends start foaming at the mouth, who utterly deplores all IRA chanting inside football grounds. If you believe some contemporary accounts of the Green Brigade â?? in the main supplied by those who scarcely know them or see them â?? they congregate on that north stand at Celtic Park and boom out pro-IRA chants from start to finish. There is presently a fad among Rangers supporters, at times whipped up into a frenzied outrage on Twitter and elsewhere, to have the Green Brigade endlessly and continuously bawling â??Up the Raâ? at matches. The fact that these observers are rarely there to see or witness such allegations deters them not in the slightest. The latest example weâ??ve had of this fiction was at Inverness on Saturday. By general consent â?? and we were all ears â?? in the early minutes of the match a rendition of â??Up the RAâ? whimpered then petered out over a duration of ten seconds among a small section of the visiting Celtic support. But how was this being portrayed later by those who now spend their lives with agonised ears pinned to their radios? Why, it was a festival of pro-IRA chanting in Inverness. It boomed out continuously. I mean, they ask incredulously, how can anyone deny it? This whole â??offensive chanting at footballâ? debate has become a wearying charade of fiction, name-calling and points-scoring. And, right now, the group of supporters who are being most traduced by it all are the so-called Green Brigade. For what it is worth, last week I wrote that this group have certain members among them who can be crass in their chanting. I first wrote about the Celtic supportâ??s â??pro-IRA issueâ? six years ago, and I donâ??t believe Iâ??ve been alone in so doing. Moreover, I lose little sleep over whether anyone wants to call this type of chanting â??politicalâ? or â??sectarianâ?. Who cares for the hermeneutics, if most of us deem it to be offensive? Yet the Green Brigade, far from booming out the sort of chants I would detest, in my experience have done anything but. In at least four or five games I have attended at Celtic Park this season, their contribution to the atmosphere has been terrific: their loud, tribal chants being flung back and forth across the stadium. It is an utter fiction, perpetrated by some who lie awake at night obsessing over such matters, that the Green Brigade is stocked to the gunnels with pro-IRA choristers. It was fascinating, and at times comical, listening to Neil Lennon on this very subject the other day. Lennon, in the main, evidently thinks that the Green Brigade are fantastic. â??The colour, the atmosphere and the joy they bring to our games is brilliant,â? the Celtic manager told us on Friday. Hang on, Neil. You were supposed to be condemning them. Oh, right. In a fit of counter-balance Lennon also sought to condemn â??offensive chantingâ? that the Celtic supporters might produce, arguing that such chants â??dragged the club through the mudâ?, which they do. Lennonâ??s position in regard to the Green Brigade is not uncomplicated. Many of them, like him, espouse the world view of Irish Republicanism. Lennon claims that his politics are â??privateâ? but they havenâ??t always been so. He comes from a social, cultural and political strand of the Irish saga that chimes with many Celtic supporters. It was due to this and much more that, while speaking impressively on Friday on the subject of chanting and the Green Brigade, the Celtic manager could scarcely help himself in expressing his admiration for these supporters. The Green Brigade, for my part, hardly have a thing in common with me. But what I do know is that their repertoire, while not being impeccable, is not in the slightest way a catalogue of offensive songs inside Celtic Park. To believe this, you really have to have a pre-ordained and fixed view of them, which is one of contempt. On the odd occasion at Celtic Park, as in Inverness on Saturday, when this group does chime up offensively, it only serves to insult its wider expression and humour. It also allows the Green Brigade to be so grossly misrepresented, as we are presently finding.

New blog up - http://chrisgraham76.wordpress.com/2011/11/16/lennon-thompson-and-stokes-join-the-roll-of-honour/

QC Paul McBride has urged Celtic to take sactions against members of its Green Brigade section of fans who continue to glorify the IRA in song. McBride, who has advised Celtic manager Neil Lennon, was reacting to news that Uefa is investigating alleged "illicit chanting" by the club's supporters. "The particular organisation who tend to be involved singing this are called the Green Brigade," said McBride. "Education has not worked and now it is time for sanctions." European football's governing body in April fined Celtic's city rivals, Rangers, £35,000 and banned their fans from their next away European game for sectarian singing in a match against PSV Eindhoven. Now Celtic face an 8 December hearing over chants reported by Strathclyde Police's match commander at their Europa League game against Rennes on 3 November. Continue reading the main story Peter Lawwell will be angry that the club's otherwise excellent reputation is being diminished by this kind of activity and I think we'll see fairly firm action over the next few weeks from the Celtic board Paul McBride QC "To be fair to Celtic, they do have, generally, a very good reputation with their fans in Europe," said McBride about the club he supports. "But we can't ignore the fact that, for a number of years, there have been a small section of the Parkhead crowd who sing songs about the IRA and the provisional IRA and they dress it up by saying that it's political and not religious and it's not sectarian. "But it misses the point entirely. It is offensive. "What do you say to a 10-year-old child who asks his father why people are singing about killers at a football game?" While McBride pointed out that the case against Celtic on this occasion had yet to be proven, he expected that it would result in tougher action from chief executive Peter Lawwell. "Celtic, on the face of it, may have a case to answer and it may well be that, as it is the first time it has been drawn to Uefa's attention, they will be simply given a warning," he said. "But it's a warning shot to Celtic that they will have to deal with it as an issue. "To be fair to Peter Lawwell, he has been doing that for the last couple of seasons. "He has been discussing it with their so-called leaders, I am not sure their leaders are actually in control of all of them, but he has been discussing it with them. "He has been making it clear publicly and privately, he doesn't want this kind of activity and, in a crowd at Celtic Park of say 58,000, we are talking about no more than 500 people. Continue reading the main story The extent of the problem we have seen in Glasgow has been around for years and years, but it's only in the last 12 months that the authorities have really begun to get their heads around it Piara Powar FARE executive director "So it can be done and I think, Peter, he won't be embarrassed, he will be angry that the club's otherwise excellent reputation is being diminished by this kind of activity and I think we'll see fairly firm action over the next few weeks from the Celtic board." Celtic blogger Paul Brennan, though, suggested it was an insignificant problem at Celtic Park and did not know of any such singing at the match against Rennes. "If the police have a matter that they want to act on then it's the police's responsibility to do so," he said. "And it's certainly the police's responsibility to alert the club there and then as to what's going on. "It does the club, it does the fans and our reputation as a nation no good for the police to go behind everyone's back, take no action whatever on the day but raise it with an external body." However, Piara Powar, executive director of the FARE anti-racism network that has previously reported Rangers to Uefa, insists it is right to target sectarian chanting by both sides of the Old Firm. "The extent of the problem we have seen in Glasgow has been around for years and years, but it's only in the last 12 months that the authorities have really begun to get their heads around it," he said. "I think Scottish football had fallen into a place where there was a sense of 'we don't like what happens but the whole city is caught up with it'." http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/15730417.stm

There are seminal moments in watching football in childhood that remain vivid as the years gather speed. One remembers sitting on a Glasgow bus before Celtic hosted Rangers in the New Year derby match at Celtic Park in 1988. A man draped in Celtic garb could be viewed waltzing on to the bus with what resembled a carrier bag brimming with bananas. In an era when men sported Graeme Souness moustaches and Frank McAvennie mullets as standard practice, the sight of fruit in Glasgow's East End seemed like an odd occurrence, even before the latest helping of a fractious fixture that has never ceased to throw up large sequences of unplanned mayhem. It later transpired that the bananas - or an 'assortment of fruit' as the television commentator Archie Macpherson later described them that evening - were intended for the black player Mark Walters, a winger who had signed for Rangers from Aston Villa hours before the match. The bananas shamefully lay strewn before a saturated 'Jungle' area of the old Celtic Park, a spot not far from where Celtic's vociferous band of supporters known as the 'Green Brigade' can be found on match days in the revamped ground. This singing section of ultras support the team while also making their political feelings on wider issues, especially relating to the political make-up of Ireland, be known. It has been 23 years since Walters was racially abused at Celtic Park. With a mission statement that describes itself as 'a broad front of anti-fascist, anti-racist and anti-sectarian Celtic supporters', it is perhaps inconceivable that a member of the Green Brigade or the wider Celtic-minded family would racially abuse a player, but old habits die hard in small splinter groups of the Glasgow club's vast support. Celtic have endured problems policing IRA chants away from home, but their emergence on their own doorstep in recent times is something that must be handled with the realisation that while they may be offensive/illicit and unwanted, such chants may not be illegal. In avoiding fraternising with the traditional Scottish media obsession to lump Celtic in with Rangers as part of the Old Firm package, Celtic would be healthier for lancing this festering, historical boil. Celtic Park is private land, and the club should be entitled to ban unruly guests who fail to show the required level of decorum in watching the team, but there is not much else that they can do. UEFA have decided to study footage of Celtic's match with Rennes apparently after Strathclyde Police made the match delegate aware of 'offensive singing'. Celtic will be called before European football's governing body next month to face a charge that songs of an 'unsporting nature' were sung at the Europa League contest. Songs glorifying the IRA may not be filed under the sectarian category, but they remain unsavoury even if they are argued away as political. These songs are unnecessary, irrelevant and damaging to Celtic - who have a body of award-winning supporters on the continent - and Scotland's reputation. More pertinently, they are offensive to many people, some of whom share the same stadium when watching Celtic. Personally, I think they soil the atmosphere of football because they are offensive, but offensive and criminal behaviour are separate strands. "It is offensive," commented the QC and Celtic fan Paul McBride, a figure who has represented manager Neil Lennon in recent times. "What do you say to a 10-year-old child who asks his father why people are singing about killers at a football game? There is no answer to that." In every sense, fans who damage their club's standing by singing IRA songs are a rogue element, almost rebels without a cause. They are hijacking the club crest and the club's Irish background to further an ideal that surely has no place at Celtic Park. Fans are entitled to be in love with Celtic's Irish heritage and the story of the club's beginnings, but there are plenty of other traditional Irish folk songs that can be sung without stinking the place out. That being acknowledged, is it right to demonise such fans? As two enormous clubs in the relative backwater of the Scottish Premier League, it is no coincidence that Rangers and now Celtic have been earmarked for treatment from the authorities, but there is a wider debate to be had on what constitutes 'offensive' singing, and what is punishable. A fine would seem the likely outcome to embarrass Celtic, but it will be interesting to see whether or not Europe's governing body go after the blue-chip names of Barcelona and Real Madrid on similar grounds. How far will UEFA's bid to silence 'illicit' chanting stretch? It is one thing making an example of a club, or making a scapegoat of them. Celtic and Rangers are hardly in splendid isolation in having fans espousing political idealogy, however warped it may seem to others. National anthems from all over the globe could be held up as offensive, political and unsporting on similar grounds. Upon initial inspection, it seems a good human rights lawyer could have a field day with UEFA's criteria for what constitutes 'illicit' chanting in this sphere. Eddie Smith, the former referee turned Strathclyde policeman, who apparently shopped Celtic to UEFA without notifying the club, surely has a duty to encourage similar happenings throughout Scotland. Will East Fife fans be reported for singing 'they are dirty and smelly..and come from near Lochgelly..the Cowden family' or St Mirren's mascot Paisley Panda be banged up for coming out dancing to Cher's 'gypsies, tramps and thieves' when Morton pay a visit? Or will a Scotland fan be fined for wearing a 'we hate Jimmy Hill' t-shirt? What about a Celtic supporter carrying a Palestinian flag? Is this deemed to be offensive? I recall working for an international news organisation in past times, and being told to dispense with using the word 'terrorist' in connection with mentioning paramilitary groups because one man's terrorist group is another man's freedom fighter, however uncomfortably this may sit with some people. On the surface, proposed new laws to tackle sectarianism, bigotry and racism in Scotland are fraught with peril, because they do not appear to make clear what or what is not offensive. In attempting to protect freedom of speech and freedom of expression, it is a dangerous road to go down. Without strict guidelines, the whole legislation drafted by the Scottish National Party could serve to encourage the notion of police harrassment. An Orwellian society is just as unwelcome as one that endorses songs saluting terrorist groups. Celtic and Rangers may be fierce rivals in football, but their fans share a common ground on the subject of freedom of speech. In every respect, ridding Celtic Park of IRA ditties is an initiative that should be welcomed, but the lines quickly become blurred on what else is deemed legitimate. Anti-IRA songs would also have to be outlawed on the same grounds. Unlike the obvious and awful racism Walters suffered in the late 1980s, the issue of 'illicit' singing is far from black and white. http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/football/desmond-kane/article/2603/

The former SPL linesman has failed to gain permission to be allowed to officiate at amateur level. Referee Steven Craven has had an appeal against his ban from the game rejected by the Scottish Football Association. The former SPL linesman, who resigned from top flight appointments following his involvement in the infamous 'Dougie, Dougie' incident, had hoped to continue as an official at amateur level. Craven though was suspended from taking charge of games at any level by his association and, following an appeal at Hampden on Wednesday, has been prevented from regaining his membership. Referee Steven Craven loses appeal against lifetime ban A statement read out by his lawyer to STV outside Hampden said: "My client is shocked and disappointed by the SFA's decision. "My client maintains that the original decision of the Glasgow Referee's Association to subject him to a lifetime refereeing ban was wholly disproportionate." Craven was the linesman as Celtic faced Dundee United at Tannadice last year, in a game remembered for referee Dougie McDonaldâ??s decision to overturn a penalty given to the visitors and the resulting fall-out. The official said in the aftermath that McDonald had attempted to cover up how the incident occurred, with Craven later speaking out in the press to give his version of events. He subsequently resigned from officiating in the top flight but continued to referee amateur fixtures, before being banned by the Glasgow Refereesâ?? Association, reportedly for speaking out, a decision which prevents him from being involved at any level. â??Dougie [McDonald] ran towards me and said: 'I think I've f***** up.',â? Craven told the Sunday Mail in October 2010. â??After the game Dougie said we should tell the referee supervisor [Jim McBurnie] that I called him over to question the penalty award. "I went along with it because I wanted to be supportive of Dougie. But then Neil Lennon came in after the game and asked Dougie why he hadn't given the penalty kick. "We told Neil the version that was a lie. It was wrong to lie. And I'm not proud that I went along with Dougie's suggestion.â? http://sport.stv.tv/football/scottish-premier/celtic/278366-steven-craven-loses-appeal-against-referee-ban/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/nov/05/celtic-neil-lennon-bolo-zenden

Mowbray W 3-1 Aberdeen (A) W 5-2 St Johnstone (H) W 1-0 Hibs (A) D 1-1 Dundee Utd (H) W 2-1 Hearts (H) W 2-0 St Mirren (A) L 1-2 Rangers (A) D 0-0 Motherwell (H) W 2-1 Hamilton (A) W 3-0 Kilmarnock (H) D 3-3 Falkirk (A) L 1-2 Dundee United (A) P 24/36 GF 24 GA 13 W 7 D 3 L 2 Lennon W 2-0 Hibs (A) W 1-0 Aberdeen (A) W 5-1 Dundee United (H) L 0-1 St Johnstone (H) W 2-0 St Mirren (A) W 4-0 Motherwell (H) L 2-4 Rangers (A) W 2-0 Inverness (H) L 0-2 Hearts (A) D 3-3 Kilmarnock (A) W 2-1 Aberdeen (H) D 0-0 Hibs (H) P 23/36 GF 23 GA 12 W 7 D 2 L 3 Very interesting and even moreso if they drop points against Motherwell as Mowbray won his next game....

Stephen Birrell doesnâ??t like Catholics, he doesnâ??t like Celtic Football Club manager Neil Lennon and he doesnâ??t like Celtic supporters. These are not exactly unusual sentiments in certain parts of Scotland. But what is unusual is that last week Birrell was jailed for expressing such prejudices. His crime was to join a Facebook page and share his unpleasant views with the rest of us. Birrellâ??s pearls of wisdom included: â??Hope they all die. Simple. Catholic scumbags. Haha.â??; â??Proud to hate Fenian tattie farmersâ??; and â??Theyâ??re all ploughing the fields, dirty scumbags. FTP [Fuck the Pope]â??. This guy is not a pleasant individual and obviously not likely to turn up on many lists of people we would most like to have dinner with. But no threats were made, there was no incitement to commit acts of violence and Birrell did not actually harm anyone. Yet the 28-year-old football fan was charged with â??religiously aggravatedâ?? breach of the peace and sent to prison for eight months. He was also banned from attending any football games in the UK for five years. In short, this was seen as a religious hate crime and all this has happened even before the new Offensive and Threatening Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications Bill (Scotland) is passed by the Scottish Parliament - a law that would introduce prison terms of up to five years for making sectarian comments at football games or on the internet. The idea of sending someone to prison for expressing their personal hatreds seems bizarre in a society that claims to allow freedom of speech. But in the frenzied atmosphere being whipped up around the new laws, a judge sitting in a Scottish courtroom felt emboldened to deprive a person of his liberty by criminalising his words. Birrell is not the only victim of this draconian new mood. Last month, my nephew Brendan travelled all the way from West Belfast to Glasgow to see his beloved Celtic play, only to be arrested while entering the ground for shouting â??Up the IRAâ??, a slogan still found on many gable ends in his hometown. He was held in prison all day and overnight before being charged with â??religiously aggravated breach of the peaceâ??. Given the prevailing climate, the addition of â??religiously aggravatedâ?? turns a minor incident that has been normal behaviour for a section of Celtic fans at games for many years into a serious crime with serious consequences. And then there were the two fans whose banner mentioned the â??Hunsâ??, a term used by Celtic supporters (and even some Rangers fans) for many years to describe the Rangers football team and its supporters, a term that has now been criminalised in the rush to label every expression as a symbol of sectarian hatred. These fans were also arrested and one was charged with a hate crime. The case was postponed several times, leaving the fans unaware of their fate. For months, I have warned that politicians are using the physical attack on Celtic manager Neil Lennon by a Hearts fan to blur the distinction between words and deeds. This poses a serious threat to free speech and civil liberties. But few civil liberties champions have joined this particular campaign, apparently finding the principle of free speech easy to sacrifice when it comes to â??uncouthâ?? football fans who upset their liberal sensibilities. But you donâ??t need to like fooball fans to defend their right to free expression. I donâ??t like anything Birrell says or represents, but I defend absolutely his right to say it without being locked up and labelled a criminal. Birrellâ??s case, and the many more that will inevitably follow as fans outdo each other in their rush to take offence at the sectarianism of their rivals, have nothing to do with justice and everything to do with the ongoing demonisation of one group â?? football fans â?? in society. Scotlandâ??s first minister, Alex Salmond, can now claim the dubious distinction of presiding over one of the most authoritarian and illiberal pieces of legislation in Western Europe. Anyone who remotely cares about basic civil liberties should howl with rage at the imprisonment of Stephen Birrell and should stand up now to defend free speech and the right of football fans to be offensive, whether on Facebook or in the stands at Ibrox and Celtic Park. Kevin Rooney is a teacher based in London. He will speaking at the debate Silencing sectarianism: footballâ??s free speech wars at the Battle of Ideas festival on Sunday 30 October. http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/article/11337/

A CELTIC fan punched a steward at Tynecastle during a match between Celtic and Hearts - minutes after Jambo John Wilson tangled with Neil Lennon on the touchline. Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard today how 19-year-old James Addison struck a steward as a â??large meleeâ? broke out in the away stand. The atmosphere had intensified during the crunch match in May after Wilson ran onto the pitch and approached the Celtic boss. Addison, a plumber from Cumbernauld, was fined £1000 after pleading guilty to the offence. He claimed he was trying to help a friend who was being held by steward Graeme McKechnie as bedlam broke out among the Celtic support, who clashed with police. Sheriff Kenneth MacIver did not hand down a football banning order, but added that the Glasgow club may take their own action. http://www.scotsman.com/edinburgh-evening-news/edinburgh/around-the-capital/celtic_fan_fined_1000_for_punching_steward_after_hearts_fan_approached_lennon_1_1928543

Stuart Waiton updates us on how football fans are rebelling against the eliteâ??s attempts to control them through censorship At a time when the Hillsborough disaster is in the news it is useful to reflect on how the policing of football fans has changed and yet has not changed. Then the overt elitism and snobbery about football supporters allowed fans to be caged in and policed like the scum they were seen as. After the deaths at Hillsborough caused by this form of policing the Sun notoriously (and to their cost) continued with this established line, making up stories about Liverpool fans robbing the dead and urinating on injured police officers. Today another inquiry is being launched into the Hillsborough event and will no doubt find some technical explanation for the carnage. But you donâ??t have to look to the past to find football fans being treated with contempt by the establishment, backed up by the middle class prejudices of the day. Today we no longer have overt elitism. It is unlikely, for example, that the Times will talk about football as a â??slum sport played in slum stadiums watched by slum peopleâ?? as they did in the 1980s. Like the modernisation of the stadiums, todayâ??s elitism is new and shiny, and as with modern prejudices, they are not seen as such. Football fans are now racist, sectarian, homophobic and so on, and the new elite, trained in 1980s radicalism, uses the power of the state to enforce their political correctness. We are no longer physically caged into grounds, but our mouths are increasingly being clamped shut. Authoritarianism is growing in Scotland in particular, with more fans every week being locked up for singing songs or writing offensive words online. The latest case has seen one fan, Stephen Birrell, sentenced to eight months in prison for mouthing off on the Ban Neil Lennon Facebook page about â??fenian scumâ??. Again it appears football fans are being used as guinea pigs for policing. In the 80s CCTV was developed as a â??responseâ?? to fansâ?? behaviour, and ID cards were proposed as a way to monitor this perceived mob. Today CCTV cameras are everywhere and ID cards for everybody are on the political agenda. Joining the extensive and growing use of cameras at grounds we now have listening equipment, because modern authoritarianism is less about controlling what we do than what we say â?? as Stephen Birrell and others are finding to their cost. In this respect the current reactionary measures by Scottish politicians are actually far more dangerous and troubling than the bullyboy tactics of the police back then. At least under Thatcher police intimidation was introduced and defended on the basis of our actions at games, our violence. Now it is our very words that are seen as a new cause of harm, and fans are treated like children who need to be protected from one anotherâ??s name calling. Unfortunately for the SNP, who assumed their politically correct authoritarianism would be unopposed, they now face a serious campaign against their proposed Offensive Behaviour at Football Bill from a variety of sources including fans themselves, who have protested at Celtic Park and Ibrox and are shortly to demonstrate in Glasgowâ??s George Square. The â??scum peopleâ??, it appears, have had enough of the snobbery directed at them by the new elitists and the outcome of the latest authoritarian form of policing is still to be decided. Stuart Waiton is founder of Take a Liberty (Scotland). The petition against the Offensive Behaviour Bill can be found here http://www.thefreesociety.org/Issues/Free-Speech/the-scum-people-rise-up

RANGERSâ?? impressive start to the defence of their SPL title would suggest Ally McCoist has more than managed to build a strong starting line-up. But on the evidence of last nightâ??s friendly fixture victory over English Premier League giants Liverpool, the Ibrox manager also has plenty of strength in depth which could prove vital in the coming months of the campaign. It is often argued Celtic boss Neil Lennon has far greater resources at his disposal than his counterpart across the city, but it now appears that such an argument is outdated. With no European football this midweek in light of their failure to reach the Champions League or qualify for the Europa League, Rangers took the opportunity to invite Kenny Dalglishâ??s Liverpool north of the border. Naturally, the main thinking behind such a fixture would have been in financial terms, as the men running the club desperately try to claw back even a fraction of the money they lost out on at the start of the season when they were knocked out of both European competitions. On the pitch, though, it also proved to be a successful night as McCoist used the game to have a closer look at several of the players he has waiting on the wings and hoping to break into the first-team. It was an opportunity for Australian internationalist Matt McKay to show what he can do and try and stake a place for a competitive outing after spending most of his time on the bench following his move from Brisbane Roar. And he didnâ??t disappoint. His positional sense, and his overall awareness and knowledge of the game, impressed McCoist and he now provides the Light Blues boss with an alternative to youngster Gregg Wylde for the role on the left of midfield should the youngster lose form. On the other flank, Juan Manuel Ortiz managed to make a reasonable impact on occasions and as much as he hasnâ??t set the heather on fire, he is still a player who can deputise in a few positions across the back and in midfield should he be required to do so. A third summer signing, Alejandro Bedoya, was also decent enough against Liverpool without being outstanding and once again, he is another player McCoist knows he has waiting on the wings should the time come when he is required to make changes. When you then factor in that Kirk Broadfoot and Davie Weir came in to play at the back, with the latter looking particularly comfortable against £35m striker Andy Carroll â?? especially considering he hasnâ??t played for some time â??and that Kyle Bartley is still to return, McCoist probably has more viable defensive options available to him than Lennon. With Lee McCulloch getting some much-needed game-time and John Fleck coming off the bench as well as fellow youngsters Jordan McMillan and Ross Perry, there is actually an extremely strong squad of players in place at Ibrox. McCoist, as you might imagine, was really pleased with the 1-0 win which came courtesy of McCullochâ??s strike but it was the chance to see so many of his fringe players in action which delighted him more than the win over the Anfield club. â??It was a good exercise from the point of view that a lot of our lads got a game under their belt,â? explained McCoist. â??We managed to play a number of players who havenâ??t played that often for one reason or another and that was pleasing.â? He added: â??Big Davie came in at the back as did Kirk Braodfoot, Lee McCulloch started in the middle and we managed to start McKay, Ortiz and Bedoya â?? and I thought the three of them played well, as did the others. â??A few of the younger boys also came on at the end, so it was good to give everyone that needed a game some time on the pitch. â??And it is always a good workout when you are playing against a team with the quality Liverpool had out there. â??I thought we played very well on the night. We kept good possession of the ball and were well organized and restricted them to very few opportunities. We might have scored a second goal but overall it was a worthwhile exercise. â??With the two clubs not having European football this season, it was good to get a game and it sets us up nicely for going to Tynecastle on Sunday.â? McCoist might have everyone available on Sunday but there will come a time when one or two of his players start to drop out through injury and suspension. Knowing he has players ready to come in will provide the Rangers manager with a lot more confidence to deal with those problems when they inevitably arise. http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/fringe-men-on-centre-stage-show-ally-mccoist-has-a-deep-pool-of-talent-1.1130115

Thankfully Killie didnt take 3 points.... Lennon must stay !! Sponsored by Celtic boss admits he feared for his job at half time By Stephen Halliday Published on Saturday 15 October 2011 19:46 CELTIC manager Neil Lennon has admitted he feared for his job when his team went in at half-time 3-0 down to Kilmarnock at Rugby Park. On an astonishing afternoon in Ayrshire, Celtic looked certain to sustain a fourth SPL defeat of the season as calamitous defending helped an impressive home side race ahead through goals from Dean Shiels, Paul Heffernan and James Fowler. But for the first time in their history in a domestic fixture, Celtic avoided defeat after falling 3-0 behind. A double from Anthony Stokes and a Charlie Mulgrew header, all of the goals coming in a frenzied seven minute spell, completed a salvage operation which perhaps prevented Lennonâ??s position being seriously considered at the club last night. Asked if that had been a concern at half-time, Lennon replied: â??Of course it was. All those sort of thoughts go through your mind. But you have to try to motivate yourself and your players in that situation. â??It was as important a half-time team talk as Iâ??ve ever had to give. Another defeat, in the manner we were playing, would have been very difficult for me to take. It could have been a huge loss for us. â??I was as angry as I could possibly be at half-time. Defensively we were very, very poor. The midfield were poor, the two front boys were poor. As a collective, their performance was nowhere near acceptable. We did have a great chance to go one up, which Anthony Stokes missed, but the goals we conceded were awful. It was long balls over the top which we just were not dealing with. It is something we have to eradicate very quickly. â??I asked the players to find some belief, will and guts, to dig deep in the second half. They did that. Iâ??ve got mixed emotions now. Iâ??m angry, but Iâ??m also proud of how they came back in the second half. â??Overall, though, Iâ??m disappointed. We canâ??t afford to keep dropping points because Rangers have been very consistent so far. We have to make up a lot of ground already.â? Lennon was scathing in his assessment of Celtic after they completed the first round of 11 SPL fixtures. â??We havenâ??t been good enough,â? he said. â??We have lost three games already and thatâ??s far too many. We have also conceded too many goals. We have problems at the back which we need to find a solution for very quickly. It is the same personnel as last season, but there seems to be a nervousness about them. I donâ??t know where it comes from. We have to look at ourselves as well, the backroom staff, but we are not doing anything different from what we did last season.â? Lennon has a fresh injury concern to contend with ahead of Thursdayâ??s Europa League match against Rennes in France. Striker Gary Hooper failed to reappear for the second half yesterday after suffering ankle damage. â??Weâ??ll just have to wait and see how he is,â? said Lennon. â??But we will have Kris Commons available again after suspension and hopefully Georgios Samaras will be fit.â? Kilmarnock manager Kenny Shiels was left to reflect on another match from which he felt his team did not emerge with their just deserts. â??When you are 3-0 up after 72 minutes, you expect to get all three points,â? said Shiels. â??But the Old Firm always have the quality which can get them back in a game. Thatâ??s 11 games in the SPL now and, apart from against Rangers at Ibrox, we could easily have won them all in terms of our performances. â??Even after it went to 3-3 today, we had the best chance to win it through Paul Heffernan. We dominated the ball for long periods and it wasnâ??t as if Celticâ??s goals came as a result of incessant pressure on us.â?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-15333744 A man who posted sectarian comments on a Facebook page called "Neil Lennon Should be Banned" has been jailed for eight months If this is in the wrong place please move.

CELTIC are closing in on a stunning swoop for James McFadden. Record Sport can reveal the Scotland star and his representatives have held talks with Parkhead powerbrokers in the past 48 hours. It's understood all parties are happy with the way negotiations are progressing and a highly lucrative deal could be tied up today for the 28-year-old striker. Celtic McFadden has been out of football since the summer when his contract expired at Birmingham City. They didn't renew his deal after he injured his cruciate ligament last season. But he has now fully recovered and has received offers from Everton, Wolves and West Ham. However, he does favour a move back to Scotland and the chance to play for his boyhood heroes suits him perfectly. Hoops gaffer Neil Lennon is desperate to land Faddy to boost his squad as they bid to try and catch up on Rangers' 10-point lead at the top of the table. If the McFadden deal is clinched today, it will be the ideal gift for the frustrated Celtic supporters as they head along to Parkhead tomorrow for the club's AGM. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/2011/10/13/celtic-close-in-on-swoop-for-scotland-star-james-mcfadden-86908-23485447/

Ref: http://themondaysupplement.co.uk/headline/uefa-set-to-punish-celtic-and-rangers-for-craig-levein%E2%80%99s-no%E2%80%93show/? Haha.

Does the dick not know that Rangers so far this season have been without Wier, Papac, Whittaker, McCulloch, Ness, Bartley, Goian Naismith, Lafferty and Jelavic at some point this season. Lets see how the tims do without Brown.

A man who posted threatening and abusive messages against Celtic manager Neil Lennon on Facebook has been given a 12-month community payback order. Robert Rollie, 39, from Cumnock, East Ayrshire, admitted posting comments on a page targeting Mr Lennon on 14 March. The Rangers fan was arrested after a police task force, formed after March's so-called Old Firm shame game, began reviewing social networking sites. At Glasgow Sheriff Court, Rollie was told his conduct had been disgraceful. 'Shoot him' The court was told that Rollie posted his comments on the Facebook page "Neil Lennon should be sacked and jailed for racism". Continue reading the main story â??Start Quote There is no room in a modern Scotland for the views expressed by you and othersâ? Sheriff Martin Jones QC His comments demanded that the Celtic manager be sacked and sent back to Ireland. Rollie also used abusive terms towards Mr Lennon, stating: "Shoot him". He was interviewed by police on 27 March, during which he said he had no recollection of posting the messages. Rollie accepted, however, that they could only have been posted by him and that they appeared to be targeted at Neil Lennon. Sheriff Martin Jones QC told him: "Your behaviour on this particular date online or otherwise is quite disgraceful. "As I have said to others there is no room in a modern Scotland for the views expressed by you and others." He added: "Taking account of the fact that you are a first offender and have a good work record and have never been in any sort of trouble I intend to deal with this by way of a non custodial penalty." http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-15197744

Police launch new sectarian singing probe MARTIN WILLIAMS Share 5 Oct 2011 POLICE have launched an investigation into the singing of sectarian songs at the SPL game between Hearts and Celtic at the weekend. Officers have begun a post-match investigation after receiving complaints away fans sung pro-IRA songs during the sideâ??s 2-0 defeat at Tynecastle Stadium. It is understood the police are also looking into the singing of anti-Catholic songs by Hearts fans. Police have confirmed one fan was arrested and charged with breach of the peace â??with a sectarian aggravatorâ? at Sundayâ??s match, which was shown live on Sky Sports. Songs reported to have been sung by Celtic fans included Ooh Ah Up The Ra, said to be a pro-IRA song :surprised:, The Boys of the Old Brigade, which celebrates the role of the 1920s IRA in the Irish War of Independence, and Roll of Honour, an Irish rebel song that commemorates the participants in the 1981 Irish hunger strike. A Lothian and Borders Police spokesman said: â??We are investigating complaints about the singing of sectarian songs and there is a post-match investigation under way. Anyone who is found during these inquiries to be committing an offence will be brought to justice.â? We are investigating complaints about the singing of sectarian songs and there is an investigation under way The new probe was compared by the police to that carried out when trouble flared at the Hiber-nian v Sunderland pre-season friendly in August. As of last week, 12 men have been arrested and charged with breach of the peace, some of which were aggravated by religious prejudice. Sundayâ??s game was expected to lead to high tensions as it was the first since Celtic manager Neil Lennon was confronted by Hearts fan John Wilson on the touchline in May. Mr Wilson, an unemployed labourer, was jailed for eight months after being found guilty of a breach of the peace at the game in May, although there was uproar over a not proven verdict returned by the jury at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on a charge of assault aggravated by religious prejudice. Safety measures introduced for Sundayâ??s match included â??clear zonesâ? between the two sets of fans and police and stewards around the dugouts. Security guards escorted Lennon closely in an attempt to prevent a repeat of the scenes. While there was no sign at the match of Wilson, who was banned from Tynecastle for life after charging at Lennon, the Celtic manager was taunted by some Hearts fans who wore face masks of Wilson. There were also reports schoolboy football team Livingston Hearts were subjected to abuse from Celtic fans when they took to the field at Tynecastle. Scores of supporters were seen making obscene gestures at the youngsters as they jogged past on a lap of honour during the half time interval.