Doncaster wriggling with rules

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SPFL chief executive, Neil Doncaster, is clear on the subject of offensive singing at football games: “It remains the SPFL’s position that if it can be established that clubs have done everything required in overall management of the event pre-match, during the game and post-match then they have no case to answer”.

This may be the case, but if clubs fail to communicate appropriate instructions to fans after one transgression, which is quickly followed by a second transgression, Doncaster’s defence is moot.  The club has failed to do “everything required” pre-match and post-match, and is guilty under the rules, if applied.

Doncaster has employed a rhetorical technique.  When faced with a difficult scenario, make a statement which is in itself true, but the parameters of which do not match the scenario.

The chief executive of the Scottish Professional Football League’s comments this morning appear like an attempt to protect a member club from the League’s own rules.  He is paid to ensure rules are applied, not negated.

It is no business of his to defer responsibility to the police, or the Justice Ministry, which concocted this inept Offensive Behaviour Act in order to “equalise” criminality, where it didn’t exist, but will not lift a finger on this issue.

What do you know about Andy McAtee?  He signed for Celtic from Mossend Hibs in 1910 and left in 1924, having played 438 games on the right wing, scoring 75 goals.  He won six league titles and four Scottish Cups and was one of the earliest Celtic heroes.  During the Great War he fought in the Alps, and in Haig’s bloody field in the Somme.

When he, and other members of our first genuinely great team, retired, Celtic found it impossible to replace them.  We didn’t win another six titles until Inter manager, Helenio Herrera, watched our title win in May 1967.

The Celtic Graves Society mark his final resting place at Kilsyth Cemetery (G5 0TA) at 12:00 on Saturday 28 February.  After a graveside blessing, there will be a Q&A with Jim Craig, Tom Boyd and Pat McCluskey, at The Curling Stone pub, High Craigends, Kilsyth.  If you can make it along and support the great work of the Society, get there.

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  1. .

     

     

    This might be of Interest to Some..

     

     

    91 years ago today, Celtic beat an Irish Free State side 3-0 in Dublin. Silent match footage from that day here

     

     

    Title: “A RECORD CROWD – witness Glasgow Celtic v. Irish Free State match at Dallymount”..

     

     

    ARCHIVE British Pathé

     

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABpXpn_Hjb8

     

     

    001

  2. canamalar

     

     

    19:20 on 24 February, 2015NBM are exactly the same as the arseholes on here that tell us our songs of freedom have no place at Celtic park, our heritage must be sanitised to suit Scotland’s shameful intolerance, you can sing your laments about being beaten andurdered but you can’t sing about your emancipation or the Scottish intolerance of the Irish struggle.Too many Celtic supporters agree and agree because they were educated by that intolerant society. Open to all has it’s own problems, biggest problem being, those who should know better have accepted mamon and make every excuse to deny their heritage as long as the money keeps pouring in

     

     

    Post of the Day

  3. Fgf

     

     

    Well done on phoning them.

     

     

    Look forward to hearing if you get any further on the racism matter, as someone has just posted about it being ‘misheard’.

     

     

    Stan Collymore seemed pretty certain on Friday night about what he’d heard.

  4. I see the Celtic website is promoting our strong record against the weekend’s opponents…

     

     

    http://www.celticfc.net/news/7728

     

     

    Following on from that I would also like to proffer the following analysis:

     

     

    In the last 20 years Celtic have played Aberdeen 37 times at home in the league.

     

     

    Celtic have won 35 of those games (95%), while Aberdeen have won just two. There hasn’t been a single draw.

     

     

    Celtic have scored 110 goals and conceded just 22 (an average of 3 for and 0.6 against per game).

     

     

    Celtic have scored in every one of those games, while Aberdeen have only scored in 1 of every 3 games.

     

     

    Celtic have notched up three 5’s, a 6, two 7’s and an SPL record-breaking 9.

     

     

    With stats like that it is difficult to see anything other than a resounding home win, with the visitors apparently having something of an inferiority complex when visiting CP on league duty.

     

     

    Interestingly, both of Celtic’s home losses to Aberdeen came in 2004 (the year we knocked Barcelona out of Europe), with the following players featuring in both defeats:

     

    Marshall, Varga, Balde, McNamara, Agathe, Wallace, Petrov, Lennon & Sylla.

     

     

    …and even the ever critical Chris Sutton “graced” the hoops in one of those defeats!

  5. martybhoy59

     

     

    18:24 on 24 February, 2015

     

     

    A bit of good news today after 4 lengthy interviews I finally got offered the job I had been chasing.

     

     

     

    =============================

     

     

    Congrats martybhoy – do you take charge of the first team before the Falkirk game on Firday?

  6. BIG-CUP-WINNERS on

    Sandman

     

     

    Thanks for the info the other week. Watched the LC win in Scruffy Duffy’s. Nice Lunch too.

  7. sunny calmachie on

    Spanish John,

     

     

    Thanks for clearing that up for me,

     

    I am now away to walk the dog ..

     

     

    Happy Celticing

  8. LiviBhoy

     

     

     

     

    14:56 on

     

     

    24 February, 2015

     

     

     

     

    leftclicktic

     

     

    The key is to skip past them and go straight to the MP’s. I believe Gordon Brown is MP for Kirkcaldy.

     

     

    *the same person who gave a peerage to a demagogue.

  9. Looks like Stan Collymore is our only hope!

     

    The SPFL have done nothing, which to be honest is what I expected.

     

    Doncaster may be a clown but he is only a figurehead for the clubs.

     

    In order for the rampant sectarianism to be punished the member clubs must change the rules.

     

    In the meantime I hope Collymore intensifies his campaign and hope he is of high enough profile to spark an interest in England.

     

    If England takes an interest you can bet your bottom dollar the rats will be scurrying for cover.

     

    If the English MSM take a dislike , you are finished.

     

     

    In the meantime I’m certain they will continue to bring shame on this country .

     

     

    I really just want them to fade away .

     

    They are complete irrelevances

  10. bournesouprecipe on

    HT

     

     

    The only time sanction or punishment was enforced was when Rangers were alive, and playing in Europe under U.E.F.A scrutiny.

     

     

    There are no SFA rules other than the fifty shades of grey areas, at present “done everything they can yada yada “

     

     

    If there were rules we’d have Celtic in the dock along with Sevco under the great equalisation scheme, for singing e.g. The Soldiers Song.

     

     

    You know enough about the OB Act etc to form an opinion of how the SFA might tackle alleged sectarianism, when the focus was on Celtic.

     

     

    I say let them sing, (they’ll never see Europe) I’ll tholl it, because I understand that any form of their ‘whataboutery’ will never buy them investment sufficient to challenge our club, and the songbook from bygone days will help them to extinction, quicker than a Motherwell born billionaire.

  11. Parkheadcum….,

     

    Yer right, there are many hypocrites out there that hide behind many excuses, usually for what they think is beneficial to their cause, even when that cause undermines freedom.

  12. hamiltontim:

     

     

    Just what Ronny said on Sunday, he should be okay, took him off as a precautionary measure.

     

     

    Keep the Faith!

     

     

    Hail Hail!

  13. Sandman

     

     

    Couldnae do any worse but I don’t think they would my choice of songs ;-))

     

     

    Lennybhoy

     

     

    Different company mate, very surprised when they told me the full package today, it was beyond my expectations

  14. FAVOURITE UNCLE on

    andy that wouldhavebeenagoalifthekeeperhadntsaveditTOWSEND is ill and misses the game.well I won’t miss him.

  15. .

     

     

    BigChipsUK – Honesty, integrity and fair play since 1887

     

    19:39 on

     

    24 February, 2015

     

    I see the Celtic website is promoting our strong record against the weekend’s opponents…

     

     

    http://www.celticfc.net/news/7728

     

     

    ..

     

     

    Maybe they Should Also Highlight that Inter Milan have Never Beat Celtic FC over 90 Minutes and We Usually give them a Goal or Two of a Start..;-)

     

     

    001

  16. ....PFayr supports WeeOscar on

    Sevco fans routinely sign sectarian songs at Ibrox …their custodians know who sits where …week in week out they do nothing about it

     

     

    Sevco pay lip service to the anti sectarian agenda ….shameful

  17. BIG-CUP-WINNERS

     

     

    19:41 on 24 February, 2015

     

     

    Sandman

     

     

    Thanks for the info the other week. Watched the LC win in Scruffy Duffy’s. Nice Lunch too.

     

     

    =====================

     

     

    Ha! Unreal – I ended up in there too. If only I’d known…

  18. Marty

     

     

    Congratulations M. Four lengthy interviews!

     

    No doubt you deserve the job mate. Chuffed for you.

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