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A Murray Park sales pitch in the wake of Sundayââ?¬â?¢s Old Firm game has taken Craig Whyte to within touching distance of completing his Rangers takeover. Whyte met with board members at the clubââ?¬â?¢s training ground immediately after the 0-0 draw at Ibrox ââ?¬â? the prospective owner using the summit to again lay out his plans for the reigning SPL champions. And he appears to have won over the doubters who blocked his hopes of finalising the buy-out of Sir David Murrayââ?¬â?¢s huge controlling interest early last week ââ?¬â? including, crucially, chairman Alastair Johnston. Last night Johnston, who had previously questioned Whyteââ?¬â?¢s ability to finance the clubââ?¬â?¢s future, told BBC Scotland: ââ?¬Ë?The (vetting) committee are now much closer to viewing Craig Whyteââ?¬â?¢s bid as the right one for Rangers.ââ?¬â?¢ Sir David himself has been doing the diplomatic rounds urging directors to ââ?¬Ë?Back the Bidââ?¬â?¢, having dismissed the alternative consortium proposal floated by Dave King and Paul Murray. Sportsmail understands that at least two members of the vetting committee set up to oversee the takeover ââ?¬â? former chairman John McClelland and club legend John Greig ââ?¬â? were immediately won over. Asked about Johnston coming onside, a source close to the Whyte camp said: ââ?¬Ë?If this is true, then obviously itââ?¬â?¢s very good news. With a bit of luck, the deal can now proceed to completion.ââ?¬â?¢ Sir David can sell his shareholding without board approval, but does not want his last official act to be an acrimonious sale forced through against the wishes of the directors. He spent much of the weekend trying to convince directors that Whyte is the clubââ?¬â?¢s best bet. Lloyds Banking Group, who will recoup their Ã?£20million once Whyte takes control and pays off the club debt, have also been putting pressure on the board to rubber stamp the deal. One of the new manââ?¬â?¢s first tasks could be to finalise a six-year contract offer to star asset Allan McGregor ââ?¬â? keeping him at Ibrox until he is 35. The Scotland keeper has told the club he would be keen to stay in Glasgow if the deal is right but Sportsmail understands the new contract offers McGregor a small increase on his basic weekly wage of around Ã?£12,000. A number of English and foreign clubs are keeping a close eye on the outstanding Ibrox No 1 and former Scotland keeper Alan Rough told Sportsmail yesterday that Premiership clubs should be queuing up with inquiries. The 29-year-old has two years left on his current deal and any summer sale would probably be at no more than Ã?£5m. The future of a number of the current Rangers squad remains uncertain and striker Nikica Jelavic has told his team-mates they must stick together in the summer to help Ally McCoist bring silverware to Ibrox. Skipper David Weir and left-back Sasa Papac look bound for exits at the end of their contracts. Madjid Bougherra has again publicly declared he would prefer a summer transfer while McGregorââ?¬â?¢s future may well depend on how he reacts to the contract offer while Steven Davis and Steven Whittaker also have only 12 months left. ââ?¬Ë?If we can stay together and remain focused then I am convinced we can win a lot of trophies together,ââ?¬â?¢ said Jelavic. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1380574/Sales-pitch-seals-deal-Whyte-convinces-Ibrox-board-man-Gers-takeover.html#ixzz1KaJ49uL6

Rangers chief executive Martin Bain has again expressed concerns about the Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) organisation, accusing the group of being influenced by those intent on damaging the club. Bain spoke out after the Scottish champions were fined a total of 80,000 euros (�£71,200) and their fans were banned from the club's next away match in Europe. The UEFA charges related to discriminatory behaviour by Rangers supporters during both legs of the Europa League tie against PSV Eindhoven last month. Rangers were fined an equal amount for both offences and handed a suspended ban on fans attending a second away game, plus the knowledge they will play a home match behind closed doors if fans repeat the offence within three years. Bain said in a statement: "In terms of the UEFA case brought against us, we have had serious concerns about the integrity of the evidence compiled by the FARE organisation and that remains the case. "We are also of the opinion that FARE has been influenced by people who make it their business to damage our club in any way they can. "We are committed to the eradication of sectarianism and believe it would have been more constructive for FARE to work with our club rather than against it. "Instead, they submitted evidence to UEFA with a clear objective in mind and have shown a complete lack of transparency or accountability when asked for clarification on various aspects of that evidence." However, FARE denied any bias against Rangers and accused Bain of stoking a feeling of victimisation among the club's supporters. In a statement released to Press Association Sport, Howard Holmes, chair of the FARE board, said: "We note the comments made by Martin Bain, Rangers CEO, after the hearing in Nyon today. "It is disappointing to see a major European club continue to question the motivation of a body such as FARE in submitting legitimate observer reports at two European games. "The FARE network has a long track record in the area of tackling discrimination and developing initiatives to encourage social inclusion. "Our expertise is widely acknowledged by European institutions in the football, governmental and social sectors. We are proud to have been a social responsibility partner of UEFA since August 2001. "We once again categorically refute any suggestion of bias against, or hidden agenda to damage, Rangers FC. "Mr Bain's comments will inevitably continue to feed a sense of a miscarriage of justice and external blame amongst Rangers fans, rather than accepting the extent and nature of the problem that exists. "Sectarianism is a very serious issue that has tarnished the name of Scottish football. "We look forward to renewed and serious action to tackle the problem across the game in the coming seasons." Bain also reiterated Rangers' commitment to tackling the problem of sectarianism among the club`s support. He added: "To be clear, we condemn sectarianism and there is no doubt the mindless behaviour of an element of our support has exposed the club to a very serious situation. "The people who engage in this type of behaviour are damaging the club they claim to support. "It is abundantly clear from this decision that if there is any sectarian singing at future matches the suspended bans will take effect. Those fans who engage in such activity need to take that message on board. "The majority of our fans understand the situation and would much rather focus on football. They show that clearly at Ibrox and the tremendous atmosphere they created at last weekend's Old Firm match was a case in point." http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/202747,rangers-we-have-serious-concerns-about-organisation.aspx

CRAIG WHYTE will race against the clock today to finally buy Rangers. The tycoon wants the �£33 million deal finalised before the country shuts for the Royal Wedding. London's stock market closes at 4pm today and is then closed on Friday for Kate and Wills' big day and also Monday due to a bank holiday. And a source said: "Everyone is working around the clock to get the deal finalised. "He wants it done before the wedding and the stock market closes. "He knows if it is not completed today it will rumble on until next week. "Everything is almost in place. The deal is almost done." Whyte, 39, is on the brink of taking over the Ibrox club. The takeover has sped up after the Rangers board officially gave him the thumbs up. Gers chairman Alistair Johnston is in America but that should not hold up the transaction. Whyte convinced the board of his buy-out after talks following the Old Firm clash on Sunday. He has vowed to give new boss Ally McCoist a �£10 million close-season transfer war chest. Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/3551733/Lets-do-the-deal.html#ixzz1KlpDMLJG

Matt Dickinson Chief Sports Correspondent 17 minutes ago It was the game of zero tolerance against sectarianism, when police snatch squads would target troublemakers at Ibrox in the aftermath of the bomb sent to Neil Lennon, the Celtic manager. A day when Rangers and Celtic would stand united against any form of bigotry or intolerance and instruct their supporters to focus on the football. Enough was, finally, enough. So what did Rangers do? They allowed a small Union Jack flag to be placed in every seat of a home supporter. There were 40,000 of these flags, supplied by the Rangers Supporters Assembly, and every one approved by the club hierarchy. I rang Rangers yesterday to ask why, exactly? The Union Jack is not an official symbol of Rangers FC. It is not part of the club badge, not on the shirt. It is not to be found on any page of the Rangers website. A shirty spokesman, dismissing the inquiry as a nonsense, said that it was the flag of his country and the British Isles. But there are dozens of British clubs and none of the others ever hand out Union Jacks. If Rangers wanted to give the team a show of support, why not simply hand out regular club flags and scarves? Why endorse a provocative symbol of tribalism, on the very day when both clubs were meant to be going out of their way to calm their fans? The spokesman could not wait to get off the phone, although, before he did so, he pointed out that Rangers had no intention of complaining about the tricolours flown by the Celtic supporters. As if that made everything all right. Apologists will say that the Union Jack is only a flag, a common one, and not an incitement to send parcel bombs to football managers. But it has nothing whatsoever to do with football. In the context of the Old Firm, it has been hijacked as a sign of lasting enmity, of division, entrenching the idea that one club, for now and evermore, will represent the Protestant sector of Glasgow and the other the Catholic. One club handing out Union Jacks cannot possibly take us any closer to the day, however far away it may be, when Rangers against Celtic becomes a ââ?¬Å?normalââ?¬Â sporting rivalry, defined by geography, not historical or religious baggage. A day when the Old Firm becomes like Red against Blue, City against United, Milan against Inter, rather than the poisonous stirring of an ancient religious divide. The bomb intended for Lennon has focused attention on the murderous imbeciles, but there will always be extremists. The battle is surely more importantly won over the centre ground, the reasonable majority. This is the job of driving sense into the ââ?¬Å?90-minute bigotsââ?¬Â as they were described in 2005 by Lawrence Macintyre, the head of safety for Rangers at the time, when he talked of fans with Catholic friends and workmates who became filled with hatred on a Saturday afternoon at Ibrox. ââ?¬Å?If we can get the person that doesnââ?¬â?¢t mean it then weââ?¬â?¢ll isolate the real racists and real bigots in numbers that are manageable to deal with,ââ?¬Â he said. Does anyone seriously believe that the best means of education is for Rangers to hand out Union Jacks? To make such a point to the club yesterday was to be brushed off like an idiot. But then I met the same dismissiveness when I went to my only Old Firm derby at Ibrox a few years ago and expressed amazement that a giant Union Jack was being waved in the centre circle before kick-off. It seemed bizarre then and, given the tensions around Lennon, the ritual seemed even more extraordinary on Sunday. There seems to be an acceptance that these two clubs will always represent a sectarian divide, and the best that can be done is to contain the worst violence and the worst chanting rather than to eradicate the problem altogether. But it has to be asked whether such an approach will ever make sufficient progress. Many well-intentioned campaigns and initiatives have been launched in recent years, only to founder. The charity Nil by Mouth was established after the 1995 murder of a young Celtic fan, Sense Over Sectarianism, a joint-initiative, was launched in 2001, and Jack McConnell, then the First Minister, brought together a summit in 2005 that led to tougher legislation. Alex Salmond, the First Minister says the anti-sectarian laws will be toughened further in the coming months. We can add the Pride over Prejudice campaign launched by Rangers, Bhoys against Bigotry by Celtic and Bigger than Bigotry. No doubt there are others. The treatment of Lennon, the victim of a street attack in Glasgow in the past as well as having the threat made on his life, suggests that this problem is no closer to being resolved and that the clubs have to take a stronger lead. Condemning bombers is the easy part. Rangers will insist that they do plenty, but that has not been the impression given in the past 48 hours, on or off the record. They should pay more attention to their manager, the wise Walter Smith, who talked last week of how the sectarian problem had been tolerated for too long, and his relief that he was retiring. ââ?¬Å?To be quite honest with you, Iââ?¬â?¢m quite glad to be getting out of it,ââ?¬Â Smith said, which was a terribly sad admission from a man steeped in Rangers since he was a lad. So that is one manager driven away and another who might have been killed. And a stupid club who think there is nothing odd, amid all this trouble, in handing out 40,000 Union Jacks.

I wonder when the next deadline finishes?

ALAN THOMPSON has claimed cops should have hammered Rangers fans for hurling "horrendous" abuse at Neil Lennon. The Celtic coach admitted he was gobsmacked that police failed to take action during Sunday's Old Firm clash at Ibrox. He blasted: "I heard some horrendous things going up the tunnel at the end. It's staggering that people can shout some of the things they did." Hoops boss Lennon - under 24-hour protection after sickening death threats - was quizzed by police for cupping his ears to the Gers fans at the end of the 0-0 draw. But Thompson reckons it was the RANGERS fans who should have come under scrutiny after showering Lennon with abuse. He told SunSport: "The fans seem to be able to say what they want and get away with it. "I was two feet in front of Neil and was surprised that nothing was done, especially with such a large police presence in that vicinity." Strathclyde Police won't be taking complaints about Lennon's gesture any further after speaking to him about the incident. And Thompson defended his under-fire manager adding: "For Neil to only put his hands to his ears considering what was said, I can't see a problem with that. "I scored a penalty at Ibrox once and did the same thing. It's just a reaction. "I thought it was fairly humorous on Neil's part. I don't think there was any malice there." Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/3549307/Cops-let-Rangers-fans-off-the-hook.html#ixzz1Kfu9XD5c

From The Scottish Sun (I know, I know). If he signs this 6 year deal it'll be to get us top dollar for him. I reckon there could be a gentlemans agreement between the player and the club. Sign this contract and if we get more than �£x million we'll sell you.

HE could barely sign autographs for crying. Vladimir Weiss had tears rolling down his face as he sat among Rangers fans on Sunday. But it wasn't the 0-0 draw with Celtic that turned him into an emotional wreck. It's the thought of never playing for the Ibrox club again. Weiss, 21, joined Walter Smith's side from Manchester City at the start of the season. But after breaking a bone in his foot last month his time at the club is effectively over. That hasn't brought an end to his love affair with the Ibrox fans, though, as he joined them for the Old Firm title crunch. Weiss posed for pictures and signed his name while singing 'Glasgow Rangers, champions' at the top of his voice. But when they responded by chanting his name at half-time Vlad has revealed he completely lost it. He told SunSport: "I never got the chance to say goodbye to the fans. "That's one of the reasons I went to Sunday's game. "I wanted to spend some time with them at Ibrox - show them the appreciation I have for the club. "I left the stadium with nice memories. "It wasn't the result we wanted. But I enjoyed being in with the supporters for an important game like that. "I just came to Rangers looking to play football, but the club has now found a place in my heart. "The fans were brilliant towards me and showed that at half-time at the Old Firm match. "They were clapping their hands and singing my name - I just sat there crying. "I know it sounds silly but that's the truth. "It was so emotional for me and it's something I'll never forget for the rest of my life. "People surrounded me, asking to have their picture taken with me, and that was the least I could do. "It was just so special and although it made me cry I really enjoyed it. I went to the game with friends and we were in the corner of the stadium right beside the Celtic supporters. "It was all good fun. If I'm honest I was kind of giving it to them a little bit. "It was brilliant - singing 'Glasgow Rangers, champions'. I was also kissing the Rangers badge while pointing at the Celtic fans. "I think our fans loved it but I did too." Weiss was back in Manchester yesterday when SunSport caught up with him. His season is over because of a fractured foot. But the wee fella insists it would break his heart to think he will never get the chance to play for Rangers again. He added: "Honestly, I'll never forget my time with Rangers. "My future is uncertain at the moment. "I have returned to Manchester City because of the foot injury I have - and who knows where I'll be playing my football next season. "I have been told by the manager that I can return in pre-season and fight for my place. "But we all know I need to play games next season. "There is a lot of things I need to learn in football and I'm not going to learn them on the training pitch. "The next year is crucial for me. "I think I will go on loan somewhere to get games because that's what I need more than anything. "If I return to Rangers, then great. "But if it doesn't happen then hopefully one day in the future I will get the chance again. "I want to go back to Ibrox at some stage in my career. "Before I signed I didn't really follow the Scottish league. I wasn't a fan of Rangers or Celtic - but now I am. "I'm going to be a Rangers fan for the rest of my life." Vlad plans to return north before the end of the season and watch Rangers in action again. He's got a vested interest. There's a title medal at stake and he refuses to give up on it. Celtic moved into pole position in the title race after the 0-0 draw at Ibrox on Sunday. They're one point behind the Ibrox side but crucially have a game in hand, away from home to Inverness Caley Thistle. But Weiss insists nothing is certain yet - convinced Celts will still slip up between now and the end of the season. He added: "I still think it's up to Rangers. "For me the boys played better than Celtic on Sunday. They now have three hard games away from home. "Obviously if they win all their games they'll win the league - but I don't think that will happen. "Rangers need to go out and give everything in their games and see what happens. "I am confident the squad is strong enough to do it. "And I'm pretty confident Celtic will not win every game between now and the end of the season. "For me, I'm still hoping to get a winner's medal - I still believe that can happen." Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/3546693/Gers-fans-left-me-in-tears-Im-praying-I-play-for-Coisty-next-season.html#ixzz1Ka2mMedh

CELTIC manager Neil Lennon is at the centre of a police investigation following a gesture he made towards Rangers supporters after yesterday's Old Firm derby. The complaint came after the Celtic boss cupped his ears in a mocking gesture to Rangers fans who were allegedly taunting him with provocative chants after yesterday's 0-0 draw at Ibrox Stadium. Strathclyde Police put an extra 1,000 officers on the streets in a move to prevent any disorder surrounding the Old Firm clash. The decision to boost police numbers followed concerns about rising sectarian tensions after parcel bombs were sent to the Celtic manager and high-profile fans Paul McBride, QC, and former MSP Trish Godman last week. However, despite fears of a surge in violence, there were just nine people arrested after the game, with six arrests made in the grounds and another three immediately outside. A police spokesperson said all arrests were for "minor offences", such as being drunk inside the stadium and breach of the peace. They added: "We can confirm that we have received a complaint about Neil Lennon at the end of the Rangers Celtic match. "Strathclyde Police officers were in attendance at the time and would have taken action at that time had they deemed it appropriate." Immediately after the match, Lennon responded to questions about his gesture. He said: "Don't ask me about that, It's called humour, all right? "Don't distract away from my team's performance. Don't even write about it. You have the photographs, I'm sure, but it's just a bit of fun. I don't want to distract from my team's performance today. They were men. Real men. Stood up to everything that Rangers threw at them and came back for more." When asked if some fans might not see his gesture as humour, he added: "That's their problem. It's only a bit of fun. Don't ask me about it again." Les Gray, chairman of the Scottish Police Federation who said in February that the only solution to the drunken violence sparked by every clash between Rangers and Celtic was to ban the games, added yesterday that he thought Lennon would regret his actions. "He has been under a lot of pressure recently, but I think he will find that over the next few days he will be disappointed in himself and wish he hadn't done it," he said. However, Mr Gray added that, with just nine arrests, he thought the fans had behaved well. � Opinion is predictably split on Neil Lennon � Neil Lennon can't resist gesture, but it's no laughing matter Celtic's chief executive, Peter Lawwell, defended his manager. he said: "It is laughable that such a ludicrous complaint has been made, given the abuse Neil Lennon received throughout the match. It says more about those making the complaint than it does about Neil Lennon." Mr Lawwell praised the behaviour of fans, adding: "On behalf of the club, I would like to applaud the manager and players for their magnificent efforts today. It's also very important that we thank our supporters, too, for the positive backing which they gave to the team. "Clearly, it's been a difficult week for Neil and he deserves enormous praise for the way he has handled this very tough period. I know Neil has been very humbled by the support given to him by our fans during this time, and they were magnificent in the way they backed him and the team this afternoon. "They were a credit to the Club, and their backing will be vital over the final few weeks of the season." Martin Bain, chief executive of Rangers did not mention the Lennongesture, but said in a statement: "We are very grateful to our supporters for the way they got behind the team in a week that has been dominated by the issue of sectarianism. "The club is hugely encouraged by the response we got from our fans and in particular by the atmosphere they generated around kick-off. "We have been informed by the police that there were no sectarian arrests at the stadium and both the police and the SPL were happy with the crowd's behaviour at today's game." However, some Rangers fans were less than impressed. One supporter said: "It was disgusting; he didn't need to do that. A spokesperson for anti-sectarian charity Nil By Mouth said: "Millions of people around the world will have been captivated by an enthralling sporting occasion, and both sets of fans should be commended for expressing their vocal support in the right manner. "Nevertheless, responsible behaviour has to be demonstrated at all times, whether it be in a football stadium, the street, pub or at home." Following a briefing after the match from Strathclyde Police, and representatives of Rangers and Celtic, First Minister Alex Salmond said overall the feedback had been positive. But he added: "Now we have embarked on a process, there will be no let-up - we will continue until we have driven all traces of sectarianism from our beautiful game of football and from Scottish society as a whole." http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/news/Neil-Lennon-gesture-sparks-police.6757382.jp?articlepage=2

RANGERS fans have been warned that the eyes of the world will be on Ibrox today and they have been urged not to do anything which would further besmirch the club's name in the wake of being charged with two counts of sectarian singing. The result of the Old Firm game will go a long way to determining who wins this the Scottish Premier League title and Strathclyde Police are bracing themselves for what they say could be a "perfect storm", while the clubs are doing everything they can to head off any trouble. Following mayhem on the pitch and off it during last month's Scottish Cup replay, the Scottish Government hosted a summit. However, with heightened attention on today's game in the wake of revelations about Neil Lennon and high-profile Celtic fans being sent letter bombs, and Rangers being charged with two counts of sectarian singing by UEFA, fans are fearful of further embarrassment today. "At this moment in time things have taken a step back to the bad old days and that is a situation that no decent person wants," said John Macmillan, general secretary of the Rangers Supporters' Association. "This is bringing the club into disrepute, it's bringing the good supporters into disrepute and the whole game into disrepute. The cameras of the world will be on this game and, if the fans behave the way they have in recent times, then it will be a shameful situation and that's why we are appealing to fans to bear in mind just what is at stake and cut all the silly nonsense out. "It is obviously a very tense situation but I hope that with the statements we have had from both Walter Smith and Neil Lennon that fans will see sense and just go out there and support their teams and enjoy a good game of football. "Of course we are hoping for a Rangers win but I'm just asking the fans, regardless of the situation, to stay calm and don't bring the club into any more disrepute because we are in enough trouble as it is." The clubs have appealed for common sense, while extra police have been drafted in and fans have been warned that those caught singing sectarian songs will be arrested. Macmillan said: "Some of the songs sung on both sides are nothing whatsoever to do with football. There is no point harking back to the past when people say the clubs thrived on this kind of business ââ?¬â?? and I'm not going to suggest that they didn't do that ââ?¬â?? but we have (all] moved on. "The filth that is coming out of the mouths of some supporters is just not acceptable in today's world and we have to do everything possible to stop it." Recalling incidents in the past where fans reported unsociable behaviour to the club's head of security, he urged fans to do the same again in an attempt to rid the club of some of its more bilious elements. "If you phone in and give them the seat number they would do something about it. I would encourage all decent fans to take a note (of seat numbers] and report them and we will at least get some of them rooted out. "This is a society problem but that's no excuse for ignoring it at football matches. We have to keep working at it ââ?¬â?? the silent majority have to be involved." http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/football/Rangers-Supporters39-Association-urges-fans.6756902.jp?articlepage=2

IT'S what this game of ours should be all about. Two next-door neighbours, coming head to head with the whole season at stake. One's top of the league, the other a point behind in second. No wonder no one's thought about anything else for weeks. And now it's here at last, there's not a spare seat to be had. From the moment the gladiators swagger side-by-side into the arena, you can't hear yourself think. Best of all, when it's done and every single one of them has wrung every single ounce of energy out of himself and into the the churned-up turf, winners and losers alike go home babbling about the only thing that matters. The football. But enough of Dunfermline against Raith on Saturday. This was Ibrox, 24 hours later. The anti-derby. The opposite of sport. Everything that this game of ours has been allowed to become. A day when the sight of cops everywhere you turn should be a reassuring one - yet which in reality only rams home how depressing a fixture it is these days, how little it has to do with joy or entertainment and how it's all about praying the lid doesn't come flying off a big box of mayhem. A day when the only result that matters to anyone who's not involved through choice is if they get through it all in one piece. The ref and his linesmen, those legions of cops, hundreds of stewards, the girls on the pie stalls, the media. Taxi drivers, bus drivers, casualty nurses and doctors. So many people put through the ringer just so the lawless, brainless element among two sets of fans can have their fun. A minority? Yes, they may well be. But they are the fleas on the tail that wags the dog - and leave the rest of us yearning for a right good fumigating. I mean, what chance is there of peace breaking out between these two when the one guy you'd think would want to keep his head down struts around the pitch winding up the world? Neil Lennon's been sent nail bombs in the post. Internet halfwits are being rounded up as we speak for running online death threat campaigns against him. So if anyone should have been happy to get away with a result and head home to open Easter eggs with the family, it was surely him. But no. He parades around the pitch at full time with both hands cupped to his ears, telling the Rangers hordes he can't hear them. And in one ill-judged gesture, he makes sure the whole firestorm of abuse and recriminations keeps on blazing away. He said he was only having a laugh. And if these were jolly occasions, the world might have seen the joke. But let's be honest, they offer all the fun of a night in intensive care. Or maybe that's just me, seeing as the official line from inside Ibrox was that everyone had a smashing time and Radio Scotland commentator Rob McLean announced that the occasion deserved "ten out of ten for atmosphere, noise and colour and good humour." Good humour? Yeah, maybe in the way French peasants used to crowd round the guillotine for a fun night out or passers-by snigger when an old lady trips over a dodgy paving stone and breaks her hip. From where I'm sitting on days like these, everyone hates everyone else. No one's happy. At every throw-in and corner, twisted faces hang over the barriers, pointing and screaming abuse. They're like angry mongrels barking at postmen. All over the pitch, players who every other week can pass and run and shoot with the best of them pull shirts and click heels, riddled with fear over the dire consequences of losing. OK, so the second half was way better in the first and you could only admire the brilliance of Rangers keeper Allan McGregor as he kept his side in it. But in the end, it sums up the overall lack of quality that it will be most remembered for a striker failing to tuck away a soft penalty given by a ref who - for the second Old Firm outing on the trot - got away with making the wrong decision when it mattered most. Between that messy incident and Lennon's antics at time-up, it was just about the most fitting possible end to a horrible week when this rivalry has felt more tired and tarnished than ever before. I have friends on both sides who once would have sold their granny for an Old Firm ticket, but who'd now rather watch in the safety and sanity of their living rooms. I've spoken to fans of many other clubs who used to tune in to gawp with a hint of jealousy at the craziness of it all but who didn't even put the telly on yesterday. Yet still those who run Scotland's top division insist that these are the two clubs around which everyone must be built, whose every demand must be met. EssPeeEll chief executive Neil Doncaster calls this need to pander to the Bigot Brothers "an unfortunate reality". Well, he was at East End Park on Saturday. He saw first hand how a local rivalry CAN be passionate without being poisonous. And I hope he went home ashamed that he and his cohorts are flatly refusing to open the door to more clubs who have something fresh and energetic honest to offer. If that's how the powers-that-be want things, if that's the respect they have for all those in this country who love football for football's sake, then the end if well and truly nigh. Last week, former Celtic striker Mark McGhee admitted he wished he'd had the bottle to walk off the pitch in protest when the sectarianism got cranked up into overdrive. What a message it would send to the halfwits who spoil it for the rest if a modern-day player could read his words and act upon them. In fact, how good would it be if EVERYONE who hates the baggage that comes with this fixture just got up and walked out and left them to it. Except that you instantly see the flaw in that plan. Which is that the halfwits wouldn't even notice. Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/3544479/The-shame-old-shame-old.html#ixzz1KUFasCRz

A JOINER has fled his home after receiving dozens of threats over a sectarian message about Celtic manager Neil Lennon which ended up on his firm's website. Jim Hardie, 46, said his life had been an "absolute nightmare" for the last four days after a sick prank by one of his son's friends. Celtic fans have since put the offending webpage onto supporters' online discussion boards, with some talking about seeking retribution as tensions run high ahead of tomorrow's Old Firm derby. Mr Hardie told today how he had decided to leave his home in Penicuik, and travel to the north of Scotland for a few days after saying the "hellish" ordeal had left him feeling "sick". His son James' iPhone was taken by a friend who posted a message on the teenager's Twitter account reading "to the absolute legend for trying to kill Neil Lennon <3". The symbol represents a heart. But the Twitter feed was somehow posted up on Mr Hardie's business site, which contains his home and mobile phone numbers, as well as his family's address. Mr Hardie said he had received around a dozen e-mails stating, "We know where you live", and "Don't go to sleep", along with nearly 30 phone calls and texts. He said: "It's just been hellish. I've been looking over my shoulder and wondering what is going to happen next. It's left me afraid to answer the phone." Police said they had concluded Mr Hardie was the victim of a "mindless, immature prank", and were continuing to investigate the incident. Mr Hardie, who has run his joinery business for 13 years, said: "My son had been playing football and left his phone in his shoe. Someone I would loosely call his friend decided it would be a 'laugh' to put a message on his Twitter page about Neil Lennon. Whether it's due to the house wi-fi or a virus, the Twitter comments ended up on my business website. "Ever since then it's been an absolute nightmare. I've been getting silent phone calls and threats on texts and e-mails." Mr Hardie lives with son James, wife Fiona, 47, and daughter Rebecca, 21. His webpage is now unavailable, with a message which states that access is blocked since "viruses, worms and other malware have been found on this site". A police spokesman said the threats being made to Mr Hardie were being investigated. Celtic manager Neil Lennon, his QC Paul McBride and the politician Trish Godman, a Celtic supporter, were each sent a package containing improvised explosives. A Strathclyde Police team is now hunting the bomb-maker. http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/edinburgh/Neil-Lennon-Twitter-prank-leaves.6756659.jp

No bulky letters, no padded packages and no crudely-wrapped parcels. Just a plain, simple message: Stop, before you kill someone. You have already scarred and maimed Scotland's image. Please, let that be enough. Fortunately the potentially lethal devices posted to Neil Lennon and some high-profile Celtic fans and officials haven't led to any loss of life or injury. But if the morons who are sending these packages get lucky, just once, the consequences could be horrific. This has to stop. They have to be stopped. And so, too, must the singing. Surely we've had our fill of that as well. The Old Firm meet up at Ibrox tomorrow for the final time this season and if there is an ounce of decency left among the people who have been shaming Rangers they'll change their tunes. Not because it's Easter Sunday or because UEFA are homing in Rangers. Just because it is wrong. The songs and chants are anti-Catholic, primitive, offensive and also illegal. They are an affront to all of us and Scotland cannot take much more of the publicity it has had to endure this past week even though we are far from a nation of bigots. The vast majority of us are not anti-Catholic or Irish and it is wrong to suggest we are anything other than a country willing to absorb and embrace other races, minorities and cultures. It really is okay to be Scottish. Of course many of us have links to Ireland but many of us prefer to promote our Scottishness first and that should never be regarded as some kind of denial of or insult to another country. Anyone who says it is lacks tolerance. But if we don't confront the deranged who are casting us all in a dark light we might get to the point where we will be ashamed to belong to this country. But not yet. This is a decent place, even if among us there are twisted bands of bigots who use Rangers as a platform from which to lay down the soundtracks to their grotesque images which present us as a nation of poisonous and violent madmen and women. We're not, although the people who are posting explosive devices undoubtedly are and we should be clear they are not doing this in our name. And the people who sing the songs do not act for us either. Neither do those who are fond of throwing out lines that Scotland is institutionally biased or that sectarianism is endemic. None of them speak on behalf of me and I believe I am a fairly typical Scot. The overwhelming majority of Scots are decent and tolerant and we support Neil Lennon against those who want to do him harm. He is a football manager who believes passionately in his club and their fans and that is not a crime. Neither is his faith but there are dangerous people out there who see him as an affront to whatever it is they stand for or believe. Hopefully they'll be rounded up and put where they belong but in the meantime, can the Ibrox chanters do the right thing and shut up. If they have any intelligence they'll realise by now they've gone too far and that the club they claim to support don't want to be associated with them. If they can't see that and pipe down they should be rounded up by Strathclyde Police and taken away. And when they are the rest of us should stand and applaud. But before the police have to act, messages slamming sectarian behaviour and songs should be flashed up on the Ibrox screens - that's if they are still working properly despite the maintenance cutbacks - in the names of chairmen Alastair Johnston and John Reid and chief executives Peter Lawwell and Martin Bain. All of them should be united in their condemnation of anyone who wants to sing about Fenians and Huns or insult the Pope or the Irish. And let's have none of the IRA chants either. These are not political chants. These are downright offensive and these people do not speak for us either. It is asking a lot but we have to hope and believe the players will behave as well. They also have a responsibility to keep a grip on their tempers even though this game will have a massive bearing on the championship race. If we are asking fans to show more respect and tolerance the players must do the same, even in a game which is bloated with importance. If Celtic, who appear to have greater energy and flair than Rangers, win they would be even more confident and unlikely to drop points in the run-in. Same with Rangers, although they do have a weary look about them. They beat Dundee United 4-0 away last week but the Tannadice side finished the game with only eight men. Walter Smith's players will have to find added zest from somewhere and hope they can cope with the tempo which Celtic will want to dictate. And of course, there is the Lennon factor itself. The packages meant for him and the way he's been forced to live his life this year with 24-hour protection have drawn the fans and players to him in a way no other manager can have experienced. They want to win the title for him and that could be telling in tomorrow's match. But Celtic are also a better and more exciting side than Rangers and this added twist should make them even more determined. They want to protect and reward their manager and that could be crucial. However, there is a resilience about Rangers and if they can stand their ground in midfield they might just take the sting out of Celtic. But to do that Smith needs huge performances from Steve Davis, Mo Edu, Jamie Ness and Stevie Naismith. And, of course, he needs Nikica Jelavic to damage Celtic's defence. If the Croat gets the supply he will be a real threat. Rangers, you imagine, will need to score first because they have to put pressure on Lennon's men. They need to put doubt and fear into Celtic, especially at the back. But there is something about this Lennon side. They are brimming with confidence and belief and tomorrow just might be the day they wrench the title from Rangers' grasp. Of course it is never wise to predict which side will win any Old Firm encounter but since the outside world probably thinks we are all insane by now, Celtic just might win this 3-1.

I want to start this article with the condemnation of the recent letter bombs sent to Neil Lennon, Paul McBride and Trish Godman. These attempted attacks are cowardly and pathetic, and not fit for any civilised society. Lennon must be commended with the way he has conducted himself. Amongst the media hysteria and the threats, the Celtic manager has kept his composure and focused on the task in hand. On Wednesday night, his side produced an excellent performance as they hammered Kilmarnock 4-0. Lennon has managed to keep focus on football, and every point, and indeed goal, will prove vital as they compete with Rangers for the coveted SPL title. The media outlets across Scotland, the UK and the world have been quick to show their support for Lennon and have condemned the attackers. However, the constant referral to Rangers Football Club on this matter has been inappropriate. Tensions between the two sets of supporters have been high given how close the title race is this year in comparison to the previous season and the feisty nature of the recent games on the field. Journalists constant referral to Rangers with regards to these horrible attacks on Lennon and other high-profile people associated with Celtic has caused more anger among both sets of supporters and could make policing Sundayââ?¬â?¢s Old Firm clash at Ibrox even more challenging. Firstly, it is not yet proven that it was a Rangers supporter, or supporters, who conducted these malicious attacks. I accept that logic would dictate that would be the case, but until that is proven, it should not be reported in that way. Secondly, if these people are so-called Rangers ââ?¬Å?fansââ?¬Â, these attacks are still nothing to do with Rangers FC as an institution. On some level, it is like saying the actions of al-Qaeda are representative of the Muslim faith, which would be scandalous. These views are highly unfair and provocative. Reporting it in this way causes anger among Celtic fans who see this as Rangers supporters attacking their manager, whilst Rangers supporters are angry that their clubââ?¬â?¢s reputation is being damaged further by these attacks, conducted by mindless morons, who the vast majority of the faithful do not want to be associated with. Tensions between supporters will high come Easter Sunday. The sectarian debate has once again continued after these incidents. There is no proof that these attacks are based on any religious or political reasoning. Lennon is a Catholic and had to retire from international duty from Northern Ireland due to death threats from Loyalists in his home country who were uncomfortable with his presence in their national side. But there is yet no evidence that this is the case this time around, and again, until proven, it should not be reported as if it is the case. There have been players on both divides of the Old Firm divide, such as DaMarcus Beasley, Paddy McCourt and Nacho Novo who have had death threats, attacks and in the case of Beasley, a car bomb. Lennon has had a lot more issues than most, but it is perhaps a reflection of an extreme football tribalism that exists in Scotland, rather than necessarily a sectarian issue. That said, these tribal attacks are more common in developing nations in South America. Apparently Scotland is a civilised and tolerant societyââ?¬Â¦. The reputation of Rangers Football Club is extremely poor right now. These events have severly damaged the clubââ?¬â?¢s image, as well as the supporters. Personally, I feel this is unfair. The horrible acts that were conducted by mindless morons should not be a reflection of an estimated 5 million worldwide fanbase. I feel that reporters should stop their speculation and let the police continue their investigations. Hopefully these people will be brought to justice and Lennon and others can feel more safe for the security of themselves and their families. http://tayloredsportsblog.wordpress.com/2011/04/23/mindless-attacks/

Apr 23 2011 Exclusive by Donna Watson MORE than 50 Old Firm internet hatemongers were last night facing arrest in a series of police raids. A top cop warned: "We're coming to get you", as the operation to crush the bigots was launched. A crack team will carry out the raids before tomorrow's Old Firm clash at Ibrox. They were due to continue throughout today in Glasgow, Lanarkshire and Ayrshire. Their targets are self-styled supporters who have been spewing religious and racial hatred on social networking and chat forums. Among them will be people who have posted vile abuse about Celtic manager Neil Lennon and Rangers star El Hadji-Diouf. The operation has been planned for nearly two months and involves officers from the Strathclyde Police Anti-Violence Directorate, which previously specialised in tracking down thugs setting up gang fights online. Detectives have tracked their targets through internet accounts and website registrations.They will be arresting them for a variety of offences, ranging from breach of the peace to incitement to racially aggravated violence. Action Superintendent Kirk Kinnell, who is heading the operation, said: "This is not a final warning. I want to reassure the public that we are taking action right now. "We know who we are targeting. We have at least 50 live inquiries and we will be coming to the home addresses of people in the near future." Supt Kinnell also revealed that the targets range from schoolboys to middle-aged men. As well as Facebook and Twitter, some of them have been promoting their sick views on football forums. The superintendent added: "All of the inquiries are at different stages. It is a complex process but there is no hiding place on the internet. "It is a broad-ranging inquiry and we are looking at comments about various individuals. This goes back to before the latest parcel bomb incidents. "So some of them are sectarian comments about Neil Lennon and some are racist comments about El Hadji-Diouf, for example. But all are violent and hate-filled. "These kind of comments have become particularly prolific over recent weeks and that has brought it into focus for us. "It is at the point where they have become filled with hate and anger and are likely to incite violent behaviour so we are acting on these as quickly as we can. "Everywhere we find people spreading the disease of hate online is where we will focus our activity." Supt Kinnell said it was "routine business" for the anti-violence team to monitor social networking sites. He said: "It is not difficult for us to track these people. We have cooperation from the Internet Service Providers Association and media companies which facilitate websites. They are helping us to identify those responsible. "This operation will continue for as long as it needs to. We will be relentless in tracking these people down until they stop posting this kind of abuse on the internet. "And if it stops in the coming weeks but flares up again next season, we will be right back on top of them again." http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/2011/04/23/police-launch-operation-to-arrest-50-online-old-firm-hatemongers-86908-23080866/

I never thought I would say it but we have really missed big Lee in many games.

So, weââ?¬â?¢re under investigation again from UEFA because an organisation that meets at Celtic park and is run by Piara Power, whoââ?¬â?¢s close to Dermott Desmond, Celticââ?¬â?¢s owner, has videoed Rangers fans singing The Billy Boys in a European tie. Letââ?¬â?¢s face it, only the naÃ?¯ve would believe that an organisation run by a Celtic fan would never single us out for ancient terrace chants. Terrace chants that are no different to the ones you hear the length and breadth of Britain on a match day. Of course, FARE are fair, they took action when presented with evidence of racial abuse hurled towards Rangers players at a recent Old Firm game. No, wait, they havenââ?¬â?¢t acted on this, instead they have completely ignored this fact. Even after The Rangers Supportersââ?¬â?¢ Trust chairman, Stephen Smith, raised the issue on national television. However, with the impending fine or playing in an empty stadium in the post, it's now time to re-evaluate where we sing certain songs. I love The Billy Boys, but it is now clear Ibrox or away grounds are not the platform for it. Not my preferred course of action but this is the world we live in, sadly! What we can do though, is channel our energies into exposing certain organisations for they what they really are and what their agenda actually is. For this to happen in an efficient manner it would require all fan groups, forums and supporter clubs to put aside their differences and work together for a brighter future for our club. This is how we could turn recent events into a positive. There is a clear split within the Rangers supporting fraternity, a split that needs resealed if weââ?¬â?¢re to move in a forward direction. This might open up old wounds but should we let personal differences get in the way working towards our club moving back to the top of football again where we can be viewed as a powerhouse again? I can already hear the ââ?¬Å?heââ?¬â?¢s naiveââ?¬Â or ââ?¬Å?itââ?¬â?¢ll never happenââ?¬Â chants emanating from the web as this is read. We love, in all our glory, belting out The Billy Boys. What if we were to come together and work in unison that lets us belt out ââ?¬Å?We are the peopleââ?¬Â where it would actually mean something? Is it not most fans dream to have an actual say on how our club does business? Perhaps by coming together we could show the club and new owner in waiting that we can contribute more than just our hard earned cash. Is it possible for Rangers fans to take the ââ?¬Ë?can doââ?¬â?¢ approach and actively work on exposing corrupt organisations and investing in the future of the club which will not just to keep us afloat but will allow us to reap the benefits of our own endeavours? What camp are you in? The ââ?¬Å?It will never work campââ?¬Â or the ââ?¬Å?can doââ?¬Â camp? I see the opportunity, do you? Published on the forum I moderate on but Frankie can do his thing with it if he wants. I know we spoke about bridging gaps between fan groups and perhaps recent events could be a catalyst for it.

I hope he is not frightened into bending down to the tims as he was at that decision.

Meeting between Supporters Club and Rangers FC and Strathclyde Police Last night, Thursday, Billy Montgomery of the Nithsdale Loyal RSC facilitated a meeting between around a dozen reps mainly from clubs in the Glasgow area. Initially the meeting had been called as a result of media reportage which caused concern about the policing of the forthcoming Old Firm match. Also present were club liaison manger Jim Hannah; Rangers FC security and safety executives David Martin and Robin Howe; and Andrew Bates the match commander at Ibrox from Strathclyde Police. We were given the outline of the complaints to UEFA but no specifics as yet as it is still being worked on by Rangers legal people. Very strong representations were made to the club and police stressing that fans want a level playing field with regards to policing, stewarding and consideration of fan behaviour. It is totally unacceptable that Rangers fans are treated as second class citizens. Fan reps also stressed that we expected the club not only to defend itself to the fullest extent possible in this instance but to instigate changes in policy which will result in the ending of attacks on the club from the media or politically/religiously-motivated mischief makers. Andrew Bates was then asked about the policing of the game in general and about changes to police/legislative policy in particular. With regard to the 35-strong undercover snatch squad mentioned in the Daily Record he said that was incorrect - he will have officers at his disposal whom he can send into the crowd should he feel the need. These will not be targeted at any one support or any one section of the ground. Whilst he would not obviously be drawn into internal police matters we made it clear to him that it was intolerable that any group of fans should be allowed with impunity to sing the praises of terrorist groups for 90 minutes every second weekend, often within the Strathclyde force area. Likewise slogans and banners which are grossly offensive are simply not tolerated amongst the home support at Ibrox and we expect this to be the case in areas reserved for visiting fans. It was likewise intimated that the imbalance in court procedure, procurator fiscal decisions and police tactics needed to be addressed to remove undue influence and that the opinions of Rangers fans in particular need to be listened to and heard in discussions from which we are presently excluded. Preparations are being made for a meeting of supporters club reps on Sunday 1st May - once details are ready details will be sent out.

Published Date: 18 April 2011 By Paul Drury A GROUP of Celtic fans was involved in a tense stand-off with police at yesterday's Scottish Cup semi-final against Aberdeen at Hampden Park in Glasgow. Strathclyde Police officers went into the crowd to arrest supporters responsible for setting off a green flare. However, they were unable to remove the individuals because fellow fans - believed to be members of the Parkhead club's "Green Brigade" group of hardcore support - physically held on to them. Police said four men were later arrested in connection with setting off what they describe as "a smoke bomb". The arrests came as figures emerged showing police dealt with more than 2,400 crimes linked to the Old Firm in the past two years alone. Strathclyde Police and British Transport Police said they dealt with 264 serious assaults, 18 attempted murders and 44 attacks on emergency workers linked to Rangers and Celtic. Last night, a spokeswoman for Strathclyde Police confirmed the latest arrests. She said: "Officers went into the crowd to lawfully arrest a number of people." She acknowledged the police's initial attempt to apprehend the fans had been unsuccessful, but said the alleged perpetrators were later detained. She added: "Four people were arrested in connection with someone setting off a smoke bomb inside the ground. This is contrary to the stadium regulations." All the arrests involved Celtic fans, though a red flare was also set off in the Aberdeen end of the ground. More than 100 Green Brigade members walked out of Hampden in protest at the arrests, missing the final goal by Shaun Maloney in their side's 4-0 victory. Trying to enter a ground in Scotland armed with a flare is contrary to the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995. One fan who made an early departure said: "The cops tried to remove one of the young boys, but the Green Brigade were having none of it. "He was asking the cop why he was being led out, but the officer wouldn't tell him. So he just said, 'Well, I'm not going then'." Members of the Green Brigade made headlines last year when they unfurled an anti-poppy banner around the time of Remembrance Sunday. Some Celtic fans say the group has brought shame on the club, while others insist it has improved the atmosphere on match days. Next weekend's Easter Sunday match between Celtic and Rangers will see 35 Strathclyde Police officers mingle with the crowdto target sectarianism. The plan was drawn up after the 2 March game, which resulted in three red cards, touchline and tunnel confrontations and 34 arrests. Strathclyde Assistant Chief Constable Campbell Corrigan said: "We believe alcohol is the problem. Football is just the excuse. The vast majority of football fans out there enjoy these high-profile matches, without being affected by any violence. "Unfortunately, there is a minority of people who use the matches as a cover to cause disorder and disruption. "As a result, they get drunk, become full of aggression and, inevitably, they cause antisocial behaviour or seriously assault somebody." In February, after the widely condemned behaviour at an Old Firm clash, Scottish Police Federation chairman Les Gray called for an outright ban on any Celtic versus Rangers games. http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/news/Celtic39s-39Green-Brigade39-in-standoff.6753556.jp?articlepage=2

By Tom English RIGHT, who did it? Who ratted them out? Has Hoopy the Huddle Hound accounted for his whereabouts on the nights of 10 March and 17 March this year? Has anybody combed the Philips Stadion in Eindhoven and Ibrox and found his paw prints anywhere near this controversy, has anybody established a link between Celtic's canine cheerleader and this organisation with a dramatically elevated profile, Football Against Racism In Europe (FARE)? Such an ironic name, really, given the supposed unfairness of what is happening to Rangers at the moment. Two UEFA charges for sectarian chanting and both of them thanks to FARE's shadowy presence in Holland and Glasgow. This is the burning issue, is it? Who are the people landing Rangers in trouble? Who would sink so low as to orchestrate what Martin Bain calls a witch-hunt against the club? Well, let's just go along with the Rangers take on things and call it a conspiracy. Let's say that FARE, and their leader, Piara Powar, were put up to it by Celtic supporters who are either (a) genuinely perturbed at the songs being sung by Rangers fans or (b) are gleeful about the songs and the opportunity they present to land their rivals in some serious bother. Powar goes into work one morning and switches on his laptop and, suddenly, whoooosh! Hundreds of e-mails from "concerned citizens" of Glasgow asking them to investigate the truly awful behaviour of these people from across the city, this bigoted rabble that shame Scotland. They include newspaper articles and, just to be helpful, a collection of YouTube videos with a helpful lyrics guide just in case the words don't come over loud and clear on the links. This, after all, is the raison d'etre of FARE. They want supporters to contact them if they feel they're being victimised or if they've witnessed behaviour that is racist, homophobic or sectarian. That is why they are here. So Powar listens, as he must. And he mobilises an observer to go to Eindhoven and Ibrox and report on what is being sung. And, lo, sectarian chanting is heard. So, I guess you could call this a witch-hunt if you like. But then witch-hunts are commonplace between Old Firm fans. These people, clearly with too much time on their hands and too much hate in their bones, are inventive in the way they create trouble for each other and social media has it made all the easier. Wasn't it a witch-hunt that saw many people - could they have been Rangers people by any chance? - contacting Strathclyde Police a little while back stating categorically that they heard Neil Lennon using racist language against El-Hadji Diouf, when he did not. And before that, wasn't it a witch-hunt - inspired by Celtic fans, perchance? - that had the inbox of Peter Kearney, the spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland, bursting with indignation about Hugh Dallas and a stupid e-mail that eventually cost him his job? The tit-for-tat has been around for a long, long time. It's part of life in the Old Firm. And it's going to continue. Can you imagine Powar's inbox now? I'm guessing it's about to explode from all the e-mails from Rangers folk pointing out the things that Celtic fans sing and do, how their songbooks are bigoted, how they warrant investigation also. Bain says this: "This now has all the hallmarks of a deliberate and targeted campaign against the club. What else are we to expected to believe when UEFA officials give us favourable reports at our matches only to indict us later on the evidence of an outside unaccountable body?" Well, that's not strictly accurate. Since FARE receive a lot of funding from UEFA then they are answerable to them. Bain says that the official UEFA reports on both PSV games were favourable, but Geir Thorsteinsson of Iceland was UEFA's man in Holland and he made note of sectarian chanting on the night, so it can't have been all that favourable. William Campbell, the head of operations for the Irish Football Association in Belfast, was the UEFA delegate in Glasgow for the return leg of the PSV tie. He didn't mention sectarianism. Rangers people are, understandably, getting exercised about who exactly is feeding FARE their information to begin with. It's not exactly the point, though. The point is that wherever they are getting it from - a spiteful fringe of the Celtic support or wherever else - the information is correct. It's not vicious gossip, it's the truth. There was sectarian singing. Not just in the ties with PSV, but also in earlier games. I reported on the home match with Sporting Lisbon. A line from my piece on the night: "The songs (early on at any rate) were not upbeat dreams of Europe but rather grim reminders of domestic strife. Chants about Celtic and fenians filled the Broomloan Road stand for a short while. What desperados are these? Sunday, clearly, was too long for them to wait to cut loose with such poison." Sunday was the Old Firm derby. More singing. From both sides, no doubt, but Rangers have been under UEFA surveillance for years, they have been fined and they have been warned and the fact that they may now be banned should come as no surprise to anybody. Let's face it, it's been a long time coming, if it happens. Bain talks about an orchestrated campaign. Well, there wouldn't be a campaign at all if there was nothing to campaign about, but there is. The vermin rump that sing these songs will not shut up. They are a desperate burden on their club and a weight on the shoulders of the majority of Rangers people who want nothing to do with that kind of chanting. The SPL won't act against them. The wretched SFL have still said nothing after the epic bouts of Rangers sectarian chanting during their own Co-operative Insurance Cup final, so along come FARE and UEFA and maybe now something will be done. Maybe. The Rangers chief executive says he is "astounded". He is talking about "alleged" sectarian singing. He is looking for "urgent meetings" with UEFA at the highest level. He is clearly suspicious about how these charges came to pass. Fine, you'd have to worry about FARE and how they might be manipulated by the cyber warriors hell-bent on landing "the other mob" in trouble. But the bottom line is this. Was there bigoted singing during the PSV tie? Was there bigoted singing during the Sporting Lisbon tie? Was there bigoted singing in other European ties this season. Yes, yes and yes again. It might trouble Rangers people as to how FARE came to know about their chanting problem, but it's really quite irrelevant. If you're guilty then no matter how many times you shoot the messenger it's still not going to make you innocent. http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/top-stories/Tom-English-39If-you39re-guilty.6753199.jp?articlepage=3

Paul McBride will make peace with Stewart Regan and the Scottish Football Association ââ?¬â?? probably today, I can reveal ââ?¬â?? and thus draw some sort of line under a week when allegations and counteraccusations threatened to derail the process of administration of the game in Scotland. The high-profile QC will have to deploy all of his formidable eloquence to persuade the SFA chief executive that he did not intend to inflict irreparable damage to the associationââ?¬â?¢s reputation when he gave an interview to the BBC and employed such phrases as ââ?¬Å?they [the SFA] have been shown to be not merely dysfunctional and not merely dishonest but biasedââ?¬Â. I have no doubt that Regan will say his piece and say it with force of passion, but McBrideââ?¬â?¢s conciliatory approach is both welcome and necessary ââ?¬â?? whether he has been prompted by a period of personal reflection or the SFAââ?¬â?¢s complaint to the Faculty of Advocates, of which he is a member. Regan has made it a mission to deliver reform of the SFAââ?¬â?¢s elephantine procedures ââ?¬â?? a process started by the outgoing president, George Peat ââ?¬â?? and has enough of a task to assemble the necessary resolutions for consideration at the annual general meeting on June 7 without having to help prepare a defamation suit against a prominent public figure. Certainly words were said on both sides this week that greatly exceeded intentions or capacity to deliver. McBride will tell Regan that he does not believe ââ?¬â?? and did not intend to convey ââ?¬â?? that there is bigotry or institutional bias against Celtic within the SFA. However, he is likely maintain his insistence that the disciplinary proceedings that this week heard the cases of the Rangers trio Ally McCoist, Madjid Bougherra and El Hadji Diouf resulted in outcomes which most people ââ?¬â?? this correspondent included ââ?¬â?? believe to be skewed and that the Ibrox club have been the beneficiaries of deficiencies in the process of football justice. On the other side, there was never any danger that the SFA would sue the newspapers and broadcasters who relayed McBrideââ?¬â?¢s criticism to their audiences. Leaving aside the PR meltdown that would have resulted from trying to claim damages from every publisher, TV and radio outlet involved ââ?¬â?? never mind the independent websites and news agencies which carried the story ââ?¬â?? it is a certainty that every one of them would have presented the public interest defence. A leading QC accuses the governing body of football in Scotland of bias, dishonesty, hypocrisy and incompetence ââ?¬â?? on what grounds could any editor or producer decline to report that indictment? As for suing McBride himself, you can be sure that had the SFA gone head to head with McBride in his natural arena the result would have been bloody and costly. The courtroom is an adversarial arena and the SFA would have presented a much larger target for McBride than he would have done for the SFA. Since the art of administration is to balance enforcement with compromise, a ruling body runs a perpetual risk of being accused of double dealing, political manoeuvring and partiality. An accusation of naked bias, however, is another matter entirely and all the more so in the context of Scottish football and its domination by the behemoths of Celtic and Rangers. The Daily Telegraph yesterday exclusively revealed the rationale behind the disciplinary committeeââ?¬â?¢s decisions in respect of McCoist, Bougherra and Diouf. It might be felt that the right reasons produced the wrong verdict but Paul McBride knows better than most that the same phenomenon is also an unremarkable product of the system that gives him his living. And while he is aggrieved that Bougherra was not banned for laying hands on the referee and can cite a long list of players who have been suspended for that offence, what mââ?¬â?¢learned friend cannot do is offer a single instance where the referee involved actually entered a plea in mitigation on behalf of the offender. Frankly, that fact would have been the focus of attention and argument had McBride not diverted attention with his explosive comments. Calum Murray could have stated in his report quite simply that Bougherra had manhandled him. The outcome would unquestionably have been a ban for the Rangers defender. Instead, Murray declared that, as I disclosed, Bougherra had taken his left wrist ââ?¬Å?in a pleading gesture not to be sent offââ?¬Â. Murrayââ?¬â?¢s intervention ââ?¬â?? and the fact that he told the committee that, at worst, Bougherraââ?¬â?¢s action was worth no more than a yellow card ââ?¬â?? immediately precluded a lengthy suspension for the player. That, and the fact that that there was a QC in the room, who would instantly have demanded to know what precedent the SFA could cite for imposing a swingeing ban on the basis of a caution. Diouf was likewise not mentioned by the referee for having gone to the Rangers support and throwing his jersey into their ranks after being shown a red card. The police did not take action against him, complain or comment to the SFA. Again, while you and I might suppose the SFA should have had Diouf on a disrepute charge, his QC would have asked for precedent. As far as one can judge from the deliberations that went on, the committeeââ?¬â?¢s caution - timidity, even ââ?¬â?? was practically guaranteed by McBrideââ?¬â?¢s successful intervention on behalf of Neil Lennon over the issue of whether the Celtic manager should serve suspensions concurrently or consecutively. At any rate, while the arguments and conspiracy theories rage on, mainly in the obsessive world of Old Firm websites, McBride will speak his conciliatory words to Regan. Peace in our time? One would like to think so. On the other hand, during John Reidââ?¬â?¢s time as chairman at Parkhead, Celtic have become political street fighters, as Regan has discovered the hard way. I am sure that the presence of the Baron Reid of Cardowan and the adoption of a mixture of bare-knuckle tactics and the appearance of proxy spokesmen for the club is all mere coincidence. But Iââ?¬â?¢ll bet the RAF would like to have as much operational capacity as the squadron of pigs which just flew overhead. Meanwhile, we look forward to the photographs of Paul McBride and Stewart Regan shaking hands with the relief of men who have just wrestled on a precipice - and realised how jagged are the rocks below. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/scottish-premier/8452543/Paul-McBride-to-make-peace-with-Stewart-Regan-and-SFA-over-Rangers-rant.html

Retired grade one referee Kenny Clark fears match officials in Scotland may consider more strike action. Clark was dismayed after Rangers' Madjid Bougherra escaped punishment for grabbing a referee's wrist. "I suspect most referees will be shaking their heads in disbelief," Clark told BBC Scotland. "I think they'll be wondering if people have very short memories in relation to what happened earlier this season and their withdrawal of services." Bougherra and team-mate El Hadji Diouf were both sent off when Rangers lost a Scottish Cup replay at Celtic on 2 March. As well as an automatic ban for next season's tournament, the players faced charges of "serious misconduct", but each escaped with fines after going before the Scottish Football Association's disciplinary committee. Bougherra was shown a second yellow card in stoppage time and reacted angrily, appearing to try to prevent referee Calum Murray from showing his cards. The defender also held on to Murray's wrist after the first-half dismissal of team-mate Steven Whittaker. Continue reading the main story I'd like to think there would be some changes made over the summer to make referees think they are getting greater support Kenny Clark Former grade one referee "It's an extraordinary decision, particularly in relation to Madjid Bougherra, that's the aspect that worries me most," said Clark. "Players must know that it is entirely unacceptable to lay hands upon match officials. "This decision from the SFA disciplinary committee sends out the wrong message to players at every level." Diouf was booked after a first-half flashpoint on the touchline and he was shown a second yellow card for dissent after the final whistle. "If the disciplinary committee had applied common sense to this situation, they would have recognised that everybody regarded the conduct of both Madjid Bougherra and El Hadji Diouf as extraordinary - and I mean that in a bad sense," continued Clark. "The SFA labelled it serious misconduct, but the punishments meted out don't seem to me to treat it that way. "I would say the disciplinary committee are not living up to their name and have conducted themselves in an incompetent manner on this particular occasion, especially in regard to Madjid Bougherra." Referring to November's unprecedented decision to strike by Scottish referees, Clark went on: "That was brought about by concerns about the level of abuse being directed towards them - and that impacting upon their families. "Here we have a situation with a player in a highly intense, heated situation was laying hands upon the referee and failing to leave the park when ordered to do so. "Then we had Diouf at the end of the game also failing to leave the park when ordered to do so. "All of the match officials in Scotland will be thinking, where is the strong lead coming from that they were promised by the SFA? "I think they will be very unhappy and concerned at this latest development. "I doubt very much that there would be any further action before the end of the season. "And I'd like to think there would be some changes made over the summer to make referees think they are getting greater support." SFA chief executive Stewart Regan has promised to streamline the disciplinary procedure, with those reforms to be voted on at the annual meeting on 6 June. "Stewart Regan, at the time of the withdrawal of labour by referees and again in the immediate aftermath of this Old Firm match, talked in very strong terms about giving support to match officials," added Clark. "Unfortunately, his disciplinary committee don't seem to be following his lead. "It will certainly be frustrating for Stewart Regan and I think he will do what he can to appease the referees by saying he will try to bring about change, which will allow stronger action to be taken, perhaps without relying on committee-type structures. "But I think he has a difficulty in that respect and that's the big problem facing the SFA and Scottish football." http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/scotland/13070335.stm

The SFAââ?¬â?¢S Disciplinary Committee were left with no option but to effectively slap the wrists of Rangers trio Ally McCoist, El-Hadji Diouf and Madjid Bougherra ââ?¬â?? after no evidence was presented that could allow them to impose stiffer penalties. Details have emerged of what went on at Hampden on Tuesday, when the Ibrox three appeared to explain their conduct in the now infamous Old Firm ââ?¬Ë?shame gameââ?¬â?¢ on March 2. McCoist was cleared of any wrongdoing after his touchline spat with Neil Lennon, who didnââ?¬â?¢t appeal his charge and accepted a four-game ban. Diouf was fined Ã?£5000 after he was sent off at time-up, Bougherra was fined Ã?£2500 for manhandling referee Calum Murray as he tried to send him off, with both players severely censured and warned about their future conduct. The punishments dished out were in stark contrast to the hard line SFA chief Stewart Regan promised to take in the immediate aftermath of the game ââ?¬â?? and has led to claims of ââ?¬Ë?biasââ?¬â?¢ from the QC who has represented Celtic in two high- profile battles with the governing body already this season, Paul McBride. Rangers were represented by their own high-powered three- strong legal team ââ?¬â?? headed up by Alistair Clark QC ââ?¬â?? and the three cases broke down like this ... McCOIST There was no evidence presented against McCoist to back up the SFA charge of misconduct. The Disciplinary Committee looked at TV footage of the moment when he and Lennon shook each otherââ?¬â?¢s hands at time-up. McCoist said something in the Celtic managerââ?¬â?¢s ear, to which Lennon reacted. McCoistââ?¬â?¢s comment was not heard by the referee or fourth official ââ?¬â?? and was not cited in the charge against him. The TV pictures shows Lennon pointing his finger at McCoistââ?¬â?¢s face, but there was no movement from the Gers No.2 ââ?¬â?? and that ensured the success of his appeal. BOUGHERRA The Algerian grabbed Murrayââ?¬â?¢s wrist as he tried to show him a second yellow card, but the officialââ?¬â?¢s report says that the player did so ââ?¬Å?in a pleading gesture not to be sent offââ?¬Â. It did not, therefore, constitute violent or threatening conduct. The Committee also heard evidence from Murray which downplayed the incident. DIOUF The Algerian was cautioned for his part in bumping into the Celtic physio as he ran on to the park, and for being involved in a touchline spat with Lennon during the first half. He was then given a second yellow, and subsequent red, for comments made to Murray at time up. He was not mentioned in the refereeââ?¬â?¢s report as requiring any further action to be taken, with Murray happy that he had dealt with Diouf adequately at the time. Rangersââ?¬â?¢ legal team argued that there ââ?¬Ë?is no rule to say a player has to leave the field when his red card was shown after play has endedââ?¬â?¢. Given that Murray had not reported him for any additional misconduct, nor had the police reported the player to the match official despite an officer attempting to stop him from throwing his jersey into the crowd, the Disciplinary Committee had no evidence to impose anything more than a fine. Meanwhile, it emerged today that Willie Young, the former whistler who was refereesââ?¬â?¢ supervisor on the night, wanted Bougherra hit with a hefty ban for his actions. In another move, the SFA could be set to replace the Disciplinary Committee with a compliance officer whose job will be to flag up incidents within 48 hours of them happening and implement new procedures to avoid repeats of this seasonââ?¬â?¢s emabarassments. The appointment could be rubber stamped at the SFA AGM in June. http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/editor-s-picks/why-rangers-trio-escaped-bans-1.1096389

13 April 2011 Last updated at 13:54 Strathclyde Police officers to target 'Old Firm bigots' A specialist team of police will be deployed at the next Rangers v Celtic game in a bid to tackle sectarianism. Strathclyde Police said 35 officers would mingle with the crowd during the Easter Sunday match at Ibrox to target fans involved in sectarian behaviour. The move follows both clubs endorsing a government-led anti-bigotry plan. This was drawn up in the aftermath of last month's ill-tempered Scottish Cup replay at Celtic Park which saw scenes of unrest within the stadium. The game, on 2 March, saw three red cards, several touch-line and tunnel confrontations and 34 arrests as Celtic ran out 1-0 winners. Action plan The following day, Strathclyde Police, which described the scenes as shameful, requested a summit with both clubs, the Scottish Football Association and the Scottish government. All parties later agreed an action plan to tackle Old Firm-related disorder. This included a re-enforced code of conduct for players and officials and greater enforcement of existing legislation to deal with sectarianism and drink related offences. Strathclyde Police now plan to take greater action on the latter measure by deploying officers among the crowd during the Easter Sunday clash. Anyone caught singing inflammatory songs could be arrested and face a football banning order which would exclude them from games for up to 10 years. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-13062962