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.........than Celtic getting Ten In A Row. THE IBROX boss knows that Celtic reaching that much sought after target would hurt, but there's a lot more going on in Govan to occupy his thoughts. ALLY McCOIST insists Rangers have more to worry about than stopping Celtic winning 10 in a row. The Ibrox manager has refused to get caught up in the storm created by Dave King’s decision to go to war with the board. The South Africa-based businessman claimed if the current regime weren’t ousted, Celtic would break through the famous nine-title record held jointly by both clubs. However, while that would pain McCoist, he insists the beleaguered club have bigger issues to address. The Rangers boss is one of only three Gers with a full set of nine medals from their run between 1989 and 1997, alongside Richard Gough and Ian Ferguson. And he said: “Of course it would hurt – but for the next 24 months there’s nothing I can do about it. “In the grand scheme of things our concerns are very much the last 24 months and the next 24 months. That’s the most important thing. “We can’t forget what happened, we can’t let it happen again, and we have to keep rebuilding. “Do we have more to worry about than a statistic? Yes but I don’t want to use it flippantly, as if I’m not doing my job. “Of course I don’t want Celtic to go to 10, it would be crazy to say that. But at the same time I think our club has far more important issues coming up. “We’ll have to improve incredibly to get back because it’s safe to say unless there’s a dramatic change in Scottish football, Celtic are everyone’s favourites for the foreseeable future. “We’re miles away if you’re talking about winning the top flight.” McCoist insists he won’t be involving himself in the politics of the club, despite having done so on several occasions over the past two years. He said: “The last few times of getting involved, we haven’t had a board, we haven’t had a chief executive, we’ve had no real stability or structure. “We have that know so they can deal with the business side of it and I’ll deal with the football. “I know my responsibilities and I know the fans look for leadership. But there are now members of the board who will also have to lead. I think the fans will appreciate that.” But supporters groups issued a vote of no confidence in the board on Thursday and backed King. They also supported his call for a trust to be set up that would collect season-ticket fees and drip feed the money to the regime week by week. Chief executive Graham Wallace responded by saying that threat was “damaging” Rangers but King rejected his claim yesterday. In a statement, King said: “I can only express bemusement at the board’s response to myself and the fans. “The board states that our statements are an attempt to undermine the club. That is an insult to fans who have nothing other than the club’s interest at heart. “They (the board) ask for trust but don’t recognise that trust is a mutual relationship and requires transparency. What the board is really asking of fans is to have blind faith – not trust. “This board has not earned that right and in fact has repeatedly demonstrated the opposite.” King also raised doubts about who was really pulling the strings behind the scenes and claimed former Ibrox chief Charles Green could still be a major player. He said: “It is quite possible that Green is still de facto controlling the club. Certainly the existing directors have a minuscule equity stake and yet won’t disclose the true power behind the throne.” Rangers needed a last-gasp Lee McCulloch penalty to see off East Fife 1-0 yesterday and move a step closer to the League One title. They can now wrap up the championship in their next league game against Airdrie on March 12 if Dunfermline fail to win against Stenhousemuir next weekend. But next up for Gers is a Scottish Cup clash with Albion Rovers and McCoist would take a repeat of yesterday’s poor display so long as Gers go through. He said: “If you offered me the same result next week against Albion I’d take it. There’s less emphasis put on performance in cup games because you only get one bite at it.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/ally-mccoist-rangers-far-more-3198056
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FOOTIE cops are probing claims that twisted Aberdeen fans chanted vile paedophile jibes at Celtic supporters. Louts were accused of mocking the infamous Jim Torbett sex abuse case, which rocked the Parkhead side’s Boys Club in the 1970s. The sick songs were reported after the Dons faced Celtic in last month’s Scottish Cup clash at Parkhead A source said: “Cops received complaints about the Aberdeen fans’ chanting and are taking it very seriously. They’ve been in talks with the Crown Office for guidance. “Celtic fans said some of the chants aimed at them were absolutely disgusting. “The stadium is swamped with CCTV so it shouldn’t be hard for the police to single out who they are looking for.” Officers from Police Scotland’s specialist Football Co-ordination Unit are leading the investigation into the February 8 match, when 3,000 travelling Reds fans saw their side win 2-1. It comes after we told last month, left, how shocked bosses at Pittodrie called in detectives after receiving a threatening letter. Just days earlier, Aberdeen fans threw coins and spat at Hoops gaffer Neil Lennon as he watched the Dons play St Johnstone at Tynecastle in the League Cup semi-final. Ex-Hoops youth boss Torbett was convicted of abusing several youngsters who played for Celtic Boys Club. His crimes became public in 1996 when former player Alan Brazil, now a radio broadcaster, revealed he was molested at the age of 13 at Torbett’s home in Sighthill, Glasgow. The beast was jailed for 2½ years in 1998. Yesterday, FoCUS Chief Inspector Stephen McAllister said: “We urge fans to act responsibly during matches for everyone’s enjoyment and not be the minority that spoils things for everyone else.” A Crown Office spokesman said: “Where the singing of a song is in a set of circumstances deemed offensive, individuals will be prosecuted accordingly.” Aberdeen last night declined to comment on the probe.
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He will be in big trouble, a likely 10 match ban. Newcastle already hit him with a 100k fine. It wasn't much of a headbutt at all but its the conduct which is worrying considering he has already punish a linesman and had a go at Pelligrini this season. The guy is a Mr nice man infront of the cameras but obviously is too hot headed. What was Newcastle thinking giving him an 8 year deal. Had he been on a shorter contract he'd have been sacked for this. I can still see him leaving over this.
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Are Celtic determined to take the sport out of football altogether? Are they unable to sustain a defeat without gingersnap bleating that the referee ruined the game? http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/461845/Aberdeen-2-Celtic-1-Lennon-rage-as-Dons-end-Hoops-unbeaten-run Here are the highlights for anyone who may have missed them ... How can anyone say that that is not a penalty and the player does not deserve to be sent off? Further the handball was very iffy. Now they want to appeal the red card. http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/462248/Celtic-appeal-Van-Dyke-dismissal I would say that if they get away with this appeal then they are just killing the game. They have a 21 point lead and yet they want to dominate every aspect of the game. This is just tiresome. Have they no 'sporting integrity' at all?
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Stand back and survey the scene. The institution that once believed itself to be Scotland's premier football club; a national monument, an establishment-protected icon, a pillar of excellence and endeavour, is in disarray once again. The red brick Ibrox facade hides a multitude of sins and an array of secrets. The Old Lady is a bank of opportunity for hedge funds and a safe haven for overpaid, bonus-ridden, bean-counters. Its fading grandeur reflects the impoverishment of its host, and like a stately home with a leaky roof and a never-ending list of repairs, the old ground has an uncertain future. The Old Lady is a victim of the disease of avarice. As she struggles to hide the scars of neglect, a succession of carers has swanned off into the sunset with money-laden suitcases, and now a crisis loan is required to pay bills and keep third division players on top division wages. Rangers' problems have not gone away. Maybe they never will. As smaller football clubs receive public sympathy for their financial difficulties, Rangers, uniquely, stands accused of depriving schools and hospitals of income. As football minnows wallow in victim-status, Rangers is in the dock, roundly condemned by press comment and regularly vilified by public opinion. The world has changed: Scotland has changed: the political establishment has changed. Rangers has become a misfit. In modern Scotland, the club has few friends and even less powerful allies. The club has been so denigrated in recent decades that it taints reputations merely by association. As the club flounders and falters, there is an almost unspoken hope in polite society that its final act will be to disappear altogether. To Rangers fans, this is an unpalatable prospect, but there are people across Scotland - not just Celtic fans - whose most fervent wish is that Rangers goes away: permanently. To them, Rangers represents intolerance, sectarianism and bigotry, and in this hypersensitive and politically correct age, the club is perceived to be an anachronism that has outlived its usefulness. They want it to wither and die because only hardcore bigots and sectarian morons will mourn it. Decent people, in their eyes, will be glad to see the back of it. Beleaguered Rangers fans can attempt to deflect blame, point the finger elsewhere and proclaim innocence, but no-one is listening. The jury has already made its mind up. Rangers has lost the respect of a nation and edged towards the precipice. It has become the black sheep of Scottish football. Administration and liquidation didn't kill the club, but they highlighted something that should be deeply concerning to a support which aches for a leader to look up to and respect. Within the million-strong Rangers fanbase, there is a noticeable lack of people who have the means to rescue the club and the willingness to actually do so. When David Murray bought Rangers in the late nineteen-eighties, it seemed like a marriage made in heaven. Scotland's biggest club had been taken over by a young businessman who had the means, the cojones and the ambition to further the Rangers cause, and enhance his own reputation along the way. From being a well-known business figure, Murray quickly became a household name, and he relished the fame that was part and parcel of being owner of Scotland's establishment club. In time, he became Sir David Murray - a dream come true for a man whose ego matched his not inconsiderable bank balance. Would a thrusting young Scottish businessman buy Rangers today, or would he prefer to duck the opportunity and steer clear of the hassle that being custodian of Rangers brings? Given that there are no budding David Murrays knocking on the Ibrox front door, it would appear to be the latter. What respectable businessman or woman would want to take on an ailing institution that has incinerated millions of pounds at an alarming rate and now has to borrow to keep the wheels on the wagon? What entrepreneur needs his name associated with a club whose existence is played out while the spectre of sectarianism still haunts it? What hard-won reputation wants to take a chance on a club that habitually pays out too much money for too little reward? What business type would enjoy being the man or woman to sack the club's management team and bring in new blood more appropriate for the task ahead? Would the young David Murray be as quick to buy Rangers in 2014 as he was in 1988? Rangers Football Club is a bloody mess. The team plays dreadful football, the club spends exorbitant sums in the process, it makes the undeserving rich, it is owned by people whose God is greed; it has a reputation that will take years to repair, it can't afford to look after its stadium, and its fans excuse incompetence out of a misguided sense of loyalty. The Rangers support, for the most part, doesn't welcome soul-searching and reflection. It prefers to talk itself up and believe that a full recovery is not only possible, but likely, and this is a mistake. Rangers urgently needs to be re-born. In a relatively short time, the club has descended from being the centre of the Scottish football universe to become an outcast within the sport - and a much-ridiculed laughing stock within the country. The Rangers support has played a minor role in the club's downfall, but it will never fully recover until it plays a major part in its recovery. Fan ownership has to be the future for Rangers. Nothing else will return it to where most fans believe it should be. Only a revolution - a people revolution - will save this club now.
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the investigatoin into hmrc???? not heard much in the last year or so.
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Cammy Bell saves Rangers in the last minute (Willie Vass) Copyright: 2014 Willie Vass More...
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.......because foul-mouthed fans were swearing too much:lol: BARMY Beeb decide bad language might breach Ofcom guidelines and move televised clash between St Mirren and Ross County back beyond the watershed A BAD-TEMPERED Scottish premiership clash was taken off air yesterday – because foul-mouthed fans were swearing too much. The relegation battle between Ross County and St Mirren was meant to go out “as live” on BBC Alba at 5.30pm yesterday. But officials decided the match might breach Ofcom guidelines and moved it back beyond the watershed to 10.55pm. Swearing from fans could be heard clearly on microphones around County’s Global Energy stadium. More than 3000 fans had packed into the Highland club’s ground for the game, which could prove crucial as both sides look to avoid the relegation play-off place. Tempers also flared in the stands and expletives were heard around the ground, breaching strict broadcast rules set by television’s industry watchdog. A spokeswoman for BBC Alba said: “In compliance with the rules set by Ofcom, where no programme that carries offensive language can be broadcast pre-watershed, BBC Alba had no choice but to defer broadcast of today’s Ross County v St Mirren match until post-watershed due to bad language picked up from the crowds.” Ross County have a low tolerance approach to swearing and announcements before each home game warn supporters of both sides to mind their language. As well as bad language from the pitch, St Mirren manager Danny Lennon and Staggies boss Derek Adams were sent to the stands after they were pulled following after a confrontation on the touchline. Supporters later claimed missiles were also thrown on the pitch during the home side’s 2-1 win. BBC radio sports pundit Jim Spence said on Twitter: “Bad language delays transmission of BBC Alba Ross Co v St Mirren game tonight. That’s ###@@@€€€€#### ridiculous.” A Ross County source said: “It was a bad-tempered match and there was a lot of foul language coming from the pitch and the stands. “Ross County are a community club who pride themselves on being family-friendly so it’s disappointing to hear BBC Alba have made this decision.” A club spokesman said: “I think it would be inappropriate to comment at this stage.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/bbc-alba-take-heated-premiership-3175312
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bearing in mind that my football credentials come from sitting on my arse in the Govan stand and standing on what is now the Broomloan stand for 40 years, could I have fucked up Celtic's season any more successfuly than the whinging bigot? Given that the league has been awarded to Celtic before a ball is kicked; Could I have manged to lose the League Cup to a team from a division lower than mine on 100/th of the resources? mmm, yep, I'm inept enough to have done that. Could I have got my team twatted out of the Scottish Cup at home to a side with 1/10 of my resources? To be honest, I probably could have. Could I have gone through a Champions League campaign, winning 1 and losing 5? Probably not, to be honest. I'd have lost all 6. So there we have it, a bluenose of 40+ years standing could have been only marginally more inept and done only margianlly more damage to Celtic than Yellow Tooth. Of a possible 9 trophies he could have won, in the absence of the only real competition, he has had 3 handed to him before the season started and won only 1 of the remaining 6 possibles. And this whilst managing a club whose resources are greater han the rest of the league combined. Yeah, they're queuing up to take Neily south of the border, that's for sure.
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Can someone please explain to me why we don't sing this greatest anthem anymore The "authorities" (define them) have said we cant so we follow like sheep. It is legally proofable (is that a word) that this isn't a bigoted or sectarism song....so say lets start a campagn to bring back our anthem. If it means missing a word then so be it....but they cant ban 1 and not for another Hullo Hullo
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It is widely known that Dave King has settled his issues with the SA tax people. There are also many, many reports that he plead guilty to approx 41 charges which resulted in a massive fine. My question is.....did these charges result in a criminal prosecution & resulting in a criminal record, or was it simply King effectively agreeing to paying the outstanding monies on 41 separate counts with the remaining charges/claims being dropped???? King has been referred to in many reports as a criminal....how accurate is this description???
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...........by bigging up small achievements HUGH believes under-achievement is being covered up at Parkhead while talk of Trebles involving the Ramsdens Cup embarrasses Ibrox club. WHEN Albion Rovers go further than Celtic in the Scottish Cup it’s time to hold your hands up and come clean. And when you’re photographed holding an advertising board aimed at selling tickets for Rangers’ ‘title run-in’ when your team is 23 points in front with 13 games left to play you might at least have the decency to look embarrassed. But part of the deal now with Scottish football is you agree to have your intelligence insulted at regular intervals without ever complaining about it – or even admitting that it’s happened. A properly-developed grown-up, however, should reserve the right to examine the nonsense they’re being fed and give the now traditional answer in return – are you having a laugh? Neil Lennon tells everybody Celtic have had a “brilliant” season. But how can a brilliant season possibly contain an extra-time defeat at home to a lowly championship side in the League Cup, and without managing to score a goal in two hours of play against Morton? How can a brilliant season include a Champions League group stage in which, for the first time, Celtic looked as if they were out of their depth? Finishing bottom of the group while taking a six-goal beating in Barcelona, and failing to make the consolation prize of the Europa League, is what it is. A worrying glimpse of a difficult future at that level for Celtic while their squad is voluntarily diminished in quality season after season. Also, how can another season without a Treble being won during Rangers’ time in the lower orders be excused on the basis that only Jock Stein and Martin O’Neill have managed that distinction throughout Celtic’s history? If those two men could manage it when Rangers were battling them for everything then they should be left out of the argument. The question is why can’t a Treble be won by Celtic when the championship is a given at the start of every season for the current team? And on the subject of perspective, Rangers fans are now supposed to swallow industrial quantities of guff about their team’s current standing. I’ve no doubt Lee McCulloch was only delivering the party line when he was used as the frontman to sell tickets for the remainder of this season. But he can’t possibly believe in his heart of hearts that reaching the Scottish Cup Final in May would be the equivalent of the run that took Walter Smith’s side to Manchester for the UEFA Cup Final against Zenit St Petersburg. Lee was part of that run and must know the difference between beating Panathinaikos, Werder Bremen, Sporting Lisbon and Fiorentina and getting past Airdrie, Falkirk, Dunfermline and Albion Rovers. It’s an insult to the memory of those involved in Europe to compare their efforts to a romp through the lower leagues. Whatever Rangers have done in the Scottish Cup this season is no more, or less, than they should have done under the circumstances. And spare me this ongoing fantasy about the Ramsdens Cup forming part of a hoped-for “Treble”. That word is being used by those who clearly don’t mind having their intelligence insulted. The truth is Celtic and Rangers are not what they once were and have chosen to live in a world of their own invention for the time being. Lennon asks if it’s realistic to expect Aberdeen to challenge Celtic for the title next season when there’s an obvious gulf in points between them at present. “Have you looked at the league table?” he asked during his press conference at Lennoxtown on Thursday. So the manager uses realism when it suits him, and questions reality when there’s an inconvenient argument to be made for saying Celtic’s season has been inadequate. He should have a look about him this afternoon when Celtic get a skeletal crowd for the visit of St Johnstone and take a reality check. Celtic fans are disgusted by under-achievement and if Rangers are cavorting around Celtic Park with the Scottish Cup after the final is staged there then their disenchantment will rise to a new level. Two clubs are trying to take two lots of fans for mugs, and only the gullible are falling for it. The rest have used the evidence of their own eyes, exercised adult judgment and decided to stay away until these two clubs are more recognisable. That’s why season tickets are still on sale in February. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/hugh-keevins-celtic-rangers-conning-3150978
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.....about Neil Lennon on way to match at Fir Park 16 Feb 2014 07:56 JAMES BEATTIE, 29, claimed he shouted the comments after he was taunted by Celtic fans as he walked towards Fir Park last August. AN Aberdeen fan who shouted sectarian abuse about Celtic manager Neil *Lennon has been jailed for 10 months. James Beattie, 29, was on his way to watch the Dons play Motherwell at Fir Park when he launched the tirade in the street. He claimed he made the comments after he was taunted by Celtic fans as he walked towards the Lanarkshire ground. He hit back by branding Lennon a “f***** b******, which was overheard by police. Beattie, from Markinch, Fife, admitted shouting abusive, sectarian and threatening remarks last August. He also admitted threatening behaviour at Motherwell police station. At Hamilton Sheriff Court last week, *Sheriff Vincent Smith handed Beattie a three-year football banning order in addition to the jail term. This month, Lennon was attacked by Aberdeen fans at Tynecastle in Edinburgh while watching the Dons’ League Cup tie against St Johnstone. He was spat on and coins and a bottle thrown at him. Beattie is the seventh opposition fan to be sent to prison in recent years for abusing Lennon. Hearts supporter John Wilson, 26, was cleared of a pitchside assault on Lennon during a game between Hearts and Celtic in May 2011. But at Edinburgh Sheriff Court later that year, he was jailed for eight months for a breach of the peace at the same match and handed a five-year football *banning order. In 2012, two men were jailed after parcels were posted to Lennon and two other high-profile Celtic fans the previous year after a confrontation between the Celtic manager and Rangers boss Ally McCoist during a bad-tempered Old Firm game. Trevor Muirhead, 44, and Neil McKenzie, 43, were found guilty of conspiracy to assault Lennon, former MSP Trish Godman and the late lawyer Paul McBride QC. *Muirhead and McKenzie were each jailed for five years. After the incident at *Tynecastle this month, Lennon angrily *dismissed claims he brings abuse on *himself. He said: “I am no more confrontational than any other manager in the SPFL. “However, when it’s an issue regarding me, it seems to be imbalanced. “I can handle myself but I’m not a street fighter. I live my life as quietly as I can away from football but I’m in the public eye. “It’s hard to undo that but I’ve been staying away from flashpoints and controversy.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/aberdeen-fan-jailed-10-months-3150717 -
As the draw is to be made after the Dundee Hibs v St Midden game, I just thought I'd start a thread on it. What will be the best draw for us?, I want Albion Rovers @ Ibrox:rfcbouncy:
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Neil Lennon was spat at, had coins thrown at him and was the subject of verbal abuse at Tynecastle, according to the Celtic manager's agent. Lennon was watching Aberdeen's League Cup semi-final victory over St Johnstone and had to leave the game early, Martin Reilly told BBC Scotland. He said: "I'm absolutely raging about the treatment of Neil, about the stewarding and the fans' behaviour. "It's scandalous that Neil is treated like this." Reilly said that Lennon and Celtic coach Gary Parker had to leave their seats in the main stand after 70 minutes of the game. During the match, which Aberdeen won 4-0, play was held up briefly as two young supporters ran on to the park and got to the technical area, where Lennon was infamously attacked by a Hearts fan in 2011, before being apprehended by police and stewards. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/26002727
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The Scottish Premiership is one of the best attended leagues in Europe 9 Feb 2014 08:47 NEIL DONCASTER claims attendance figures disprove much of the doom-mongering about the Scottish game. SPFL chief Neil Doncaster insists new attendance figures prove that Scottish football isn’t in crisis. The number of punters coming through the gates increased slightly last year to 3,786,598. And over the past three years the total tally across all four senior leagues is down just 1.4 per cent. So Doncaster claims the figures disprove much of the doom-mongering about the Scottish game. He said: “Our crowds are holding up pretty well when that is not the case for many other countries. “Per head of population our Premiership still has one of the best attendance records in Europe.” Aberdeen’s revival has played a key role with home crowds up 25 per cent to an average of 12,400. Hearts and Hibs also reported a rise last year while attendances have remained high at Ibrox despite Rangers playing in the lower leagues. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fan-figures-give-spfl-chief-3127359
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From BBC website. In case you are wondering where the League Cup final will be played, The Scottish Professional Football League will make a decision later this week. It will, however, be held in Glasgow, so my detective work suggests that is either Celtic Park or Ibrox Stadium. The Scottish FA has, of course, already chosen Celtic Park for the Scottish Cup final with the national stadium at Hampden Park unavailable at it prepares to host the athletics at the Commonwealth Games. Should we not tell them Ibrox is not available ?
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Bigotry towards John Daly from GERS fans! A Threat We Must Not Ignore Two incidents featuring two people I don?t have much time for are red flags that we should be taking seriously this weekend. I watched last night?s game between Cardiff and Norwich and observed Craig Bellamy mouthing off at a section of the crowd after scoring the leveller for Cardiff. I wondered what had been said to him as he was clearly reacting to abuse and also wondered whether or not it was his own fans he was bickering with. The post-match interview provided the answer. Bellamy was clearly upset by the treatment he and his team mates had been receiving from their own support. ?That?s not like them. That?s not what happens here.? Bellamy ? who has been the rounds at many clubs and is well-used to dishing out and getting stick ? was visibly shocked at the level of abuse being meted out by his own team?s fans. This is a growing and worrying trend in football. Many fans are becoming increasingly loutish and thuggish toward players and officials of their own teams. The recent Ibrox boardroom crisis saw Rangers directors being verbally abused in front of their own children and fans talking about torching directors? cars. Celtic have also experienced hooliganism which was carried out at other grounds by the uber faction of their support as a protest against the Celtic board. I have personally witnessed and been informed of incidents throughout the game where club directors have been abused, vilified and intimidated by their own so-called supporters. It all points to a culture of abuse and frankly, it is not about sectarianism. Which means the religious and racial legislation recently brought out is not an adequate legal mechanism to deal with the problem. The second incident was the disgraceful treatment of Neil Lennon yesterday at Tynecastle. By all accounts, the Celtic manager had to leave the game between Aberdeen and St Johnstone early because he was being pelted with coins, bottles and generally abused. Herein lies the rub. You can?t really claim that there was any religious or racial element to this type of behaviour. I seriously doubt the perpetrators were attacking Lennon because he is a Roman Catholic or because he is an Irish nationalist. Neil Lennon was attacked because he is hated. It might not have been racist or religious but it was bigotry in one sense i.e. if you believe that blind hatred is bigotry, then if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck? Hatred of a person is not a crime. Depending on how one goes about expressing that hatred, it could become something criminal. Throwing objects intended to hurt is certainly criminal and hurling abuse is definitely a breach of the peace. But that?s just legalese. The real problem in football is not sectarianism or racism. These are expressions of hate. No, the real problem is hate itself. Football in the 21st century is a breeding ground for hate but that hate is now turning inward and becoming self-cannibalistic. Sadly, Rangers is a perfect example where open hatred of the board and pro-board fans is clearly demonstrated by the rebels. I get messages of the vilest abuse constantly from these people, far more than from Celtic fans. Most Rangers fans have taken well to Jon Daly but there is an undercurrent of bigotry toward him. Celtic fans are not much different. Much has been made recently of the abuse dished out to Angela Haggerty but, as has been pointed out, nothing said to Miss Haggerty by David Limond was anywhere nearly as abusive as some things said to her by her fellow Celtic fans. This new culture of hate and abuse is no longer confined to tribal boundaries. There is no doubt that it is fuelled by the social media craze. Louts that no-one would listen to twenty years ago suddenly now have a platform to display their lack of breeding and intelligence ? and think this then gives them justification to continue their anti-social behaviour in the real world. I?m not a shrinking violet. I started watching Rangers in the late sixties/early seventies so I grew up in the heyday of hooliganism at the football. And I have been known to engage in drink-fuelled loutish behaviour myself as a younger man. But, like others, I sense an ugly new attitude rising in football that, if not confronted and dealt with, could threaten the game itself. One thing to consider is this: There are so many things that are now taboo to abuse ? homosexuality, religion, race etc. For those who happily vented hatred and abuse at stuff like this, it is now increasingly likely that they will get their collar felt or encounter the ire of other fans. In other words, the doors are closing on abuse of causes, faiths, races etc. So people who like to abuse are resorting to personal abuse more and more. What is even more scary is that this drive to abuse is so strong in others that, in the absence of a suitable other to abuse, they will happily abuse their own. Hating and abusing others or hating and abusing your own ? both are serious problems that are a threat to the future of football in particular and society in general.
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...........when the Scottish Premiership is so moribund should be wiped from history Edwin van der Sar holds a world record – when he was at Manchester United he went 1,311 minutes without conceding a goal in the Premier League. That record is under threat. Celtic’s Fraser Forster is currently on 1,035 minutes in the Scottish Premiership. But don’t you think it would be an absolute scandal if Forster took that record off the Dutchman? Celtic are a heavyweight champ bossing the ring, seeing off a succession of flyweights week in, week out. Every game is a mis-match for Celtic, it will be an embarrassment if Forster doesn’t break the record. It’s no criticism of the England man – he’s just doing his job. But it would be so wrong for a keeper at such a dominant club in such an uncompetitive league to take such glory. On Sunday, Forster broke Celtic’s clean sheet record when he shut out St Mirren, making it 11 in a row. Charlie Shaw – a 5ft 6in keeper, Celtic captain and legend - set the original record in 1922. Neil Lennon described Forster’s achievement as 'a testament to him and the players in front of him.' Really? As Lennon also said, Forster wasn’t 'overly worked' during the 1-0 win over St Mirren. He’s not been overly worked all season in the Scottish Premiership. Celtic’s wage bill is more than six times bigger than the next highest in the top flight north of the border. Rangers are out of the picture, and there is no serious challenge. So any records broken by Celtic at this time when the Scottish Premiership is so moribund should be wiped from history. Not only are they totally meaningless, they’re an insult to those who worked so much harder to break the record previously. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2551378/ADRIAN-DURHAM-My-four-questions-Manchester-United-fans.html#ixzz2sLmPGYf4 Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
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Should be unbelievable but is just expected nowadays. --- The Scottish Professional Football League has decided not to take action against Celtic for a banner shown by their supporters in a league match with Aberdeen. Since November, the league have been investigating the display of a giant H by a section of fans at Parkhead, which was accompanied by the message "they fought and died for their wee bit hill and glen." Complaints were subsequently made to the SPFL, who confirmed they would determine whether the banner breached their rules on unacceptable conduct. STV understands the league have ruled there is no evidence to suggest their rules were breached in the incident. SPFL regulations say action may be taken if a person present at a match uses "words or conduct or displaying any writing or other thing which indicates support for, or affiliation to, or celebration of, or opposition to an organisation or group proscribed in terms of the Terrorism Act 2000." However, a club is not automatically punished under SPFL rules if a potentially offensive banner is displayed. The league's regulations state action can be taken if a club has failed to take the necessary measures to prevent spectators from "engaging" in unacceptable conduct. They can then only be hit with sanctions if it can be proven the club failed to adopted and implement procedures to try to ensure such incidents do not take place. The onus is also placed on clubs to be seen to "effectively deal" with any incidents of unacceptable conduct. A failure to do so may also constitute a breach of league rules. Celtic condemned the display of the banners shortly after, saying they had not been approved by the club and were not welcome within the stadium. UEFA, who have different rules regarding the display of offensive banners at games under their jurisdiction, fined Celtic £42,000 following a display at the Champions League match with AC Milan last November. On the banner, unfurled before the match, images of William Wallace and Bobby Sands were shown alongside the message: "The terrorist or the dreamer? The savage or the brave? Depends whose vote you are trying to catch or whose face you're trying to save." -- Can you imagine what this will encourage them to display next? FFS, what a state..............
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http://twitpic.com/dtp3jl According to the Daily Record. Bid of £900k rejected with club holding out for £1.4m. Don't grudge him a move tbh, he has earned it but the fee annoys me somewhat. A possible loss on such a good player is just typical of us. We are talking about a player in his prime, an international footballer and one who plays in a position where it is hard to find good ones. Of course we will survive and win the next two leagues without him but that doesn't mean i like it. If it was Celtic in our place, Lennon would be all over the media saying how priceless Lee is and how no one could afford him and Liewell would have his lapdogs writing the player is worth their standard £10m no matter the level he plays. As delusional as their tactics are, we need to take a leaf or two from their book. Why not tell the agents brokering the deal that the fee is £5m, we may get 3/4s of that. Who knows.
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You know, some had to do it! Barrie McKay might be off to Morton for ONE months. Greenock Telegraph
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http://www.sportinglife.com/football//news/article/26854/9012286/violence-mars-hoops-clash Violence mars Hoops clash Last Updated: November 6 2013, 23:34 GMT Celtic's Champions League trip to Ajax has been marred by a clash between supporters and police in the centre of Amsterdam before kick-off, following which 15 fans have been arrested. Amsterdam Police told Press Association Sport that fans armed with bottles and sticks attacked plain-clothed police in an incident described as "coming out of nowhere". Eight police officers were injured with one knocked unconscious following the fighting in Dam Square, in the city centre. Police said the majority of those arrested were Celtic fans, although it is believed that supporters from other clubs were also involved. "At the end of the afternoon a large group of Celtic supporters attacked police officers in plain clothes," a spokesman told Press Association Sport. "Eight were injured and one was knocked unconscious. "A few of them had broken noses and needed stitches above their eyebrows and on their lips. "Bottles and sticks were used in the attack which came out of nowhere. "There were 15 arrests, mostly Celtic supporters." Celtic lost the match 1-0 and face an uphill battle to reach the knockout stages of the competition. Amsterdam Police said it expected the number of 15 arrests to rise during the night and that a final figures would be "high". It is thought that fans from other European clubs were involved, although police said they "had kept themselves covered". Celtic supporters had been urged by the club to be careful after an attack on Hoops supporters in a city-centre bar on Tuesday night. Thousands of Celtic supporters flooded into Holland for the Group H game at the Amsterdam ArenA. A statement on the Celtic website said: "Celtic Football Club is urging all supporters in Amsterdam for tonight's UEFA Champions League tie with Ajax to be extra vigilant following an unprovoked attack on Celtic fans last night "The attack in the city centre by an element of the Ajax support resulted in a number of arrests. "Celtic are urging all supporters to be extra vigilant in the city centre and at the Amsterdam ArenA, and to only stick to the advised areas for safety reasons." At the pre-match media conference on Tuesday afternoon, Ajax coach Frank De Boer expressed hope that the tiny percentage of fans he describes as "crazy" would not disrupt the game. UEFA opened disciplinary proceedings against the Dutch club after some of their supporters clashed with police and stewards at Parkhead last month during a match which the home side won 2-1. The case will be dealt with by UEFA's control and disciplinary panel on November 21. De Boer admitted that some Ajax fans remain a concern when asked if he was confident of the game passing off trouble-free. "I am confident in that but you never know," said the former Rangers player. "There is always some crazy people (who) try to disturb something but hopefully it will not happen."
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http://sport.stv.tv/football/clubs/st-mirren/257663-st-mirren-boss-paul-mcgowan-will-be-disciplined-over-police-officer-attack/ Surely he'll serve time for this? Can't believe it's not headline news given some of the stories on our players which have made it.
