The Daily Record won credit for scooping the off-field story of the week, multiple investigations into singing by Celtic fans, but others are beginning to ask who gave the newspaper details of a police investigation.
The stories broke in an unusual manner, with SFA referee and policeman, Eddie Smith, named as the person who reported Celtic fans to Uefa and the SPL. The officer made what looks like an inexplicable decision after some confrontations inside Celtic Park, without mentioning a word of his concerns to the Celtic security people during the game – the normal procedure for such incidents.
Smith, who has Celtic supporting credentials, was named, providing the perfect foil to deflect accusations that this was some sort of Masonic conspiracy, which it was not. The entire episode is a classic internecine dispute among Celtic supporters, but with the comments made to Uefa, the story was parcelled up for the Record by a Strathclyde Police spokesman.
The Daily Record reported, “A spokesman for Strathclyde Police said: “For Eddie [Smith] to speak to the delegate after the match is nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, it is standard practice””. This is completely irrelevant.
Celtic’s retort in the same article got to the heart of the issue – why the police are speaking to Uefa and the media but not speaking to the club: “This is quite unprecedented as no issues were raised to the club during the match and the police didn’t inform us directly about their concerns.”
Control over media communications from Strathclyde Police falls to Director of Communications, Rob Shorthouse, (pictured on the left). Shorthouse, whose own favourite team have taken a reputational battering from Uefa in recent seasons, despite silence from the police, should be concerned that the force have given newspapers material for three days of screaming headlines instead of addressing the key concern about departure from established procedure. This has only inflamed a volatile situation between Celtic fans and officers on the ground. Shorthouse, who held a similar position at the SFA until two years ago, will be familiar with the sensitivities of football issues.
Perhaps a Freedom of Information request will reveal who leaked a story that laid out details which reflected so badly on Celtic. All we want is equal treatment, as a former chairman once commented.
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ulysses mcghee says:
16 November, 2011 at 17:42
I agree this was always going to happen,,,we were going to be ambushed at some point,its the ferocity of it all that has me a pit peeved,,,the Government and the Police especially have made it clear they want our hide’s!!!
I just wish the club would come out and say something in support of its own fans???
Hail hail
Vmhan/Coors
two charged,
one the day after and the one you mentioned earlier.
Che says:
16 November, 2011 at 16:50
voguepunter says:
16 November, 2011 at 16:11
To be fair CT does speak very highly of you.
said your a big dashing handsome individual, always willing to spend a few quid at the bar and as horse tipsters go, you are unsurpassed.
_____________________________________________________________
Calton tongues ,he disnae miss a thing.
Bada Bing
sorry i’ll rephrase that, It would leave me disgusted and angry if they did not.
voguepunter says:
16 November, 2011 at 17:55
Except his round.
Regardless of what views may be held it is completely inappropriate to publish what appears to be someone’s CV on a public forum.
i’m concerned that we as fans have plenty to say about the current targetting of our club, our faith, or whatever way we see our great family. and my concern is this….whos sticking up for us?. The, so called, other side seem to have it sown up . They are through our society, the media the law etc.. and we dont really seem to have that much room to breathe. If there is a “get celtic/irish/catholic” agenda, (which i think there is), whers our heavy hitters?
wheres the vocal support from the players, the former players, the board etc….
why do we seem alone?. it just seems to be us the fans, who are really up against it.
Serge- I dont think PL will say anything about the alleged charge,he might muddy the waters about information procedures that Paul 67 has highlighted today.
Coorslad, glassaghwho and Che thanks for the info.
V
HH
Che,thanks,pity somebody didnt get him before the cops..man got his knees done in Derry last nite,That teach him not to be peeping through cracks in the doors..courts give him a slap in the rist..
coorlad
good to see your on the mend buddy…
Bada Bing
I hope so mate, If we are going to war we need to go to war as a club, not as a board or as a support.
if anyone is interested in seeing Michael Kellys interview on STV last night. Not sure if this is available outwith the UK/
http://news.stv.tv/scotland-tonight/279550-ex-celtic-director-claims-fans-should-not-be-criminalised-over-chants/
Did the horse come in? I never put it on.
V
HH
share
coorslad is Neil Lennon says:
16 November, 2011 at 17:50
Not yet,think they are still looking for it..wasnt even placed..
****************
‹(•¿•)›
Bob LobLaw
I take it you have heard of Linkedin?
Very much a public forum
BT,thanks ready to ‘free Ireland’,bored stupid in the house..
coorslad is Neil Lennon says:
16 November, 2011 at 18:00
Tis early days, they are both in the right place.
Can some official complaint not be made to the Police about their PR man abusing his position? Just as a matter of interest, would he have handled the complaints made about Corrigan after his comments about the League Cup Final? Corrigan has now smeared us with his contention that he is concerned for the safety of Eddie Smith. Sounds very similar to the soundbite put out about Stephen Craven, until the man himself corrected the nonsense.
I have heard of linkedin.com and if cvs a available to anyone who has not been accepted as a contact, then they clearly have a major privacy issue. Even so I’m unclear as to why it is anyone’s interest that this man’s cv is posted on a football forum. There’s a matter of common decency here.
Has anyone else noticed that pro-IRA chanting is now spoken of in the same breath as sectarian singing in what passes for our media? Now that chanting may be offensive but be that as it may be, it is still not illegal. The new bill is not yet law. If anyone is arrested for that, they can take action for wrongful arrest, I would have thought.
Celtic manager Neil Lennon is poised to strengthen his squad by signing former Arsenal youngster Andre Blackman on a one-year deal.
Blackman had a brief trial at Parkhead earlier this month and is understood to have impressed Lennon sufficiently to have earned a permanent move to the SPL.
The 21-year-old full-back, who has previous first-team experience with Bristol City and AFC Wimbledon, is expected back at Celtic later this week when he will put pen to paper on his contract, with Celtic set to have the option of extending it for a further 12 months if he impresses.
I might be barking up the wrong tree but I seem to recall a story on here a while back about someone in the SFA sending out an email with Bobo’s contractual details along with a message along the lines of “get it right up them Bobo” – in reference to the big fella taking a big wedge despite not playing for us. I’m not 100% sure but I thought it was their communications director i.e. Shorthouse.
Apologies if I’m way off track and sorry if this gas already been posted.
Starryhope
CELTIC Under-19s will face Dunfermline at home in the fourth round of the Scottish Youth Cup.
The holders began their defence of the trophy with a resounding 5-0 win over Kilmarnock last Sunday, kicking off their quest to win the competition for the third year in a row.
The tie is scheduled to take place on Sunday, December 11, with the venue and kick-off time still to be confirmed.
Parkheadcumsalford says
Or the insinuations after Donald Findlay got a wee pressie through the post.This whole situation IMO is being orchestrated at a very high level.
WELL BHOYS
We were all wondering when the Scottish football can’t allow Ragers to fail campaign was going to begin .
Well wonder no more ,today is the day ,expect a continual barrage of dire warnings of armageddon for Scottish football .
HH
Bob LobLaw,
In normal circumstances I would agree with you but it looks to me as if the person in question has abused his position because of his football affiliations.
Bob LobLaw
Perhaps you should google the chaps name and see what is publicly available before you climb on your moral high horse.
Its not a CV its a Linkedin page with no privacy conflict, have a look yourself .The salient point being his membership of rangers business club where he can network with “like minded” businessmen.
Very much relevant to the debate
Bob LobLaw says:
16 November, 2011 at 17:56
*****************
I would normally agree but the information is available on the internet, uploaded by the person who does seem to have a hidden agenda against CFC, this is evidenced by the release of information to a daily rag in Scotland, this information affects the good name of the club and the very good reputation of the Celtic support (Scotland as opposed to the rest of the world excluded seemingly). I think therefore that supporters have a reasonable right to know more about this odious little runt.
V
Buzzzzzzzzzzz
What a nest of snakes.
If Uefa get told the full story I would hope they would throw the charges against us into the bin marked “garbage”!
Parkheadcumsa
16 November, 2011 at 18:10
I was wondering if it was law yet and if not ,why were fans being arrested
HH
Parkheadcumsalford.
That may indeed be the case, but I just think we should be above that kind of, in my opinion, slightly sinister behaviour.
notthebus says:
16 November, 2011 at 17:42
Laughed at this one.He can sure talk a lot about himself but grammar not his strongpoint..
A first class communicator THAT has worked in……??????
In my good old Catholic school I would have been expected to use WHO and not THAT in this context
Rob Shorthouse
Director Of Communications at Strathclyde Police
United Kingdom Public Relations and Communications
Current
Trustee at Stirling University Students’ Union
Director Of Communications at Strathclyde Police
Past
Head of Communications at Scottish Football Association
Head of Media & Public Relations at Glasgow 2014
Senior Communications Officer at The First Minister of Scotland
A first class communicator that has worked in some of the most high profile comms roles in Scotland. Currently a Director of one of the largest public sector organisations in the country
I’ve no intention of debating this point with various folks as I’m clearly in a minority. I simply hold a view that we should be above that sort of thing. Others are equally entitled to their views. Let’s leave it at that.
Bob LobLaw
Its not a CV, you have the wrong end of the stick mate!
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/rob-shorthouse/8/aa2/67a
If Shortarse didn’t want people to see his CV could he not just have deleted it like he’s apparently done with his facebook page and twitter stuff?
Bob LobLaw says:
16 November, 2011 at 18:09
“common decency”
now that’s an interesting concept
Stv news just reminding us that big Dan scored an o.g last night..
……………….and the jelly man played for his team .
Cutting edge news,ah canny keep up.