Flag ban feels provocative

1033

It all seems a bit cloak and dagger to suggest that pyrotechnics are smuggled into football grounds inside flags and banners.  I’d always assumed the ‘stick it up your jumper’ technique would have been the delivery mechanism, not that I’ve any experience of the subject.

Flares have been an increasing menace at football games across the UK in recent years, including earlier this season at a Europa League qualifying game at McDiarmid Park, which passed off without mention in the media, but police have previously limited their interventions to lectures and the occasional arrest.

Football clubs are dependent on Police Scotland for safety licenses for games, and in their wisdom, the police have determined this action will remove one method of entering a stadium with pyrotechnics and discharging them without detection.  The ‘stick it up your jumper’ technique remains, as does ‘light it while pretending to tie your laces’.  Jumpers and tie-up shoes are the real enemy here.

This is an arbitrary over-reaction to the criticism Police Scotland came under for failing to properly police the vandalism at Fir Park, it will not prevent anyone intent on letting off flares inside a football ground from doing so.  Over-reacting after under-policing is a well-known phenomenon.  Going after flags and banners feels provocative. Coincidence?

You’re likely to find out if you’re in a provocative mood on Thursday; Police Scotland will know that provoking a crowd seldom quietens things down.  The reaction to Fir Park made me hopeful that we’d seen the last flare from the Celtic support, now who knows? We’re deep in muscle flexing territory here.
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  1. Maggie,

     

     

    I think you will find St Johnstone have been inundated with supporters looking for refunds that has made the difference, how Celtic or St Johnstone thought there would be no backlash after agreeing to the Police request to ban flags and banners just shows how of touch the people running and policing our game in Scotland are with the normal punter.

     

     

    They are slowly killing the game..

     

     

    gebhoy

  2. Spikesauldman

     

     

    Hiya,Pally..

     

     

    Great tae greet ye..

     

     

    Ah am Gled that Ye brought it Up..

     

     

    Noo.. Everybuddy and His odd Ball.. Uncle..

     

     

    Knows..

     

     

    That

     

     

    “Justice.. Must be Swift”

     

     

    Great word. that. “Swift”

     

     

    No..sit doon an Draw up a chair…and Ye wull Learn..why.. That be so…

     

     

    The Reason the Death Penalty..in the United States..

     

     

    Has..and Is.. And ALWAYS wull be..

     

     

    Ineffective..as.. you, Rightly..Hiv Implied..

     

     

    is because.

     

     

    Is Has Bin.. ANYTHING . but, Swiftly.. Carried Oot!

     

     

    In fact.. at this Time .. There are.. Not one o r two.. but over a HUNDRED

     

     

    Condemned Men n women.. Still ,waiting fur thur Death Sentence tae be Actually

     

     

    Carried Oot..!

     

    And

     

     

    Many of these Lucky? Folk.. Hiv bin ..oan ..so called..” Death Row” (That’s a Laugh…ed)

     

     

    Fur… Many, Many.. Years… Some..over.. TWENTY YEARS …and Still Alive an Kickin.

     

     

    The old Idea o’

     

     

    The Death Sentence ..being well.an Actual.. Death Sentence..

     

     

    In No Longer the Case..

     

     

    Noo …A Death Sentence..is Only anither Name..

     

     

    Fur .. Free Board and Lodgings ..fur Life.. at Great Expense.. fur the People of the State.

     

     

    Yes, The Death Sentence ..Can be ..

     

     

    VERY EFFECTIVE..

     

     

     

    If it is.. well.. Actually Carried Out..

     

     

    In the United States.. Very few Executions take Place..

     

     

    There are A Few..of course.. but .. so few that .. Few People .. Notice .

     

     

    At this Time in the United States

     

     

    That Death Penalty ..could be said tae be..

     

     

    A very Ineffective Weapon.. against the Crime of Murder..

     

     

    And Ah agree wi that..

     

    Howevah…Like Ah hiv Told Ye..

     

     

     

     

    The Death Penalty is NOT being .. well… Enforced.. very well.

     

     

     

    Nice Chatting..

     

     

    Like Ah Hiv Said..

     

     

    “Justice Must be .. SWIFT.. ”

     

     

    Otherwise.. well.. It Is Just No Effective

     

     

    Kojo

     

    Still,Laughin

  3. Margaret McGill on

    up_over_goal

     

     

    16:49 on 23 December, 2013

     

    Nope. It’s a symptom of national anti Celtic bias.

  4. Auldheid

     

     

    I get what you are saying….but sometimes, things go too far.

     

    I think, when employees start to believe they run the show, its time to remind them, that in actual fact, they don’t.

     

    And let me add, that the Celtic board seem not to care, that people such as Eddie Toner have had enough….that speaks volumes imo

     

    Im totally heartbroken at the way our fans have been demonised, all without any support from the board….its just not good enough.

     

    To be told to sit down and shut up….well, that’s just contempt, isn’t it.

     

    Auldheid, id happily listen to you all day, any day….but today, im sickened and saddened by the antics of the PLC.

     

    I feel like crying.

     

     

    HH

  5. eddieinkirkmichael on

    Common sense, well well who would have thought it. The board of both clubs need to be praised for the decision to allow the flags back. It would appear they did listen to the fans this time.

     

     

    I noticed a tweet from the fans liason officer a couple of days ago saying the decision to ban flags was taken at a security meeting and he wasn’t invited and that’s why he didn’t know about it. I thought this was strange at the time and it would appear the club have now seen this also as he is now tweeting that he will be at the meetings from now on.

  6. Maybe St Johnstones solicitor penned a wee email to Mr House saying “where do we send the bill for loss of revenue now?”

  7. Henriks Sombrero on

    Is it too cynical of me to think that Celtic were part of this sham from the beginning ? Worried about more smoke and pyros at the STJ game…..Make out there’s a ban put on flags due to the smuggling in of pyros, and Celtic ride to the rescue by getting the ban lifted. Hey Presto, no more pyros and smoke bombs due to fear of flag ban, and Celtic come out of it smelling of roses ?

     

     

    Bonus for me is I think we’ll see more flags than ever before at an away game !

  8. The Green Man.

     

     

    Football, indeed this blog is all about opinions. For what its worth I may disagree with an opinion but I will always respect alternative views

     

     

    However: Where would the supporters get > £20 million to buy DD out.? Judging by the usual differences on here we could not even begin to agree on how to raise that sum never mind actually run the club.

     

     

    I cannot agree with your statement that “anything is better that what we have now” Events over in Govan dispel that theory.

     

     

    Prior to Fergus coming in when we were nearly going out of business, I don’t exactly remember a queue of financial saviours lining up.

     

     

    HH, Always in Celtic.

  9. Margaret Mcgill

     

     

    It’s a symptom of national anti Celtic bias.

     

     

    That’ll be why St Johnstone have gone against police advice and rescinded the flag ban?

     

     

    Yet more supposition presented as fact. Too much of that has been stinking up this blog recently.

  10. Margaret McGill on

    up_over_goal

     

     

    17:02 on 23 December, 2013

     

     

    I suspect , although cannot be sure since the statement was released sometime after

     

    noon Scottish time that ‘someone” told plod that St. Johnstone were gonna lose a

     

    wad of cash with this ban.

  11. Margaret McGill on

    ..or maybe SJ told plod to piss off as they were in the process of losing a wad of cash with this ban.

     

    Money talks.BS walks.

  12. Margaret McGill on

    67Heaven … I am Neil Lennon, supporting WEE OSCAR..!!.. Ibrox belongs to the creditors

     

     

    07:56 on 23 December, 2013

     

    So having read Downfall you still think the Celtic bored “brote doon” the huns?

     

    or in fact had nothing to do with it?

  13. Henriks

     

     

    Aye —- it’s too cynical.

     

     

    I think it’s pretty clear Celtic were against the ban in the first instance, and the resultant

     

    reversal is pretty good evidence.

  14. corkcelt- SUPPORTING THE DAM 5 on

    The battle re the flags has been won for now. Its absolutely vital now that there are no pyros or vandalism in Perth. Anyone who engages in this type of behaviour is no friend of Celtic. I think Joe called the Flag issue a storm in a tea cup, it was nothing of the sort. It was an issue of Principle and issues of Principle are always important. I thank those in charge of the Club for listening to the support and would also ask them to listen to us re heavy handed stewarding at Celtic Park. We have had a victory, a small one but an important one. Well done to every Celt who posted on a blog, or tweeted on Twitter, to those who made telephone calls, to Eddie Toner and to everyone who made their voice heard in any way. An important lesson has been taught and learned today, when we unite and act as one we are more effective. We made the Police Authorities back down, that is no mean achievement.

  15. Greenpinta

     

     

    Ive not got all the answers bud, but I know when something isn’t right.

     

    Why wont the board speak up for the fans, attack the lies and corruption?

     

    This is what we are reduced to….agreeing to pretend that everything is fine, when in reality, its corrupt to the core.

     

    I can only speak for myself….but I refuse to take part in this charade any longer.

     

    Sack the Board….No Old Firm

     

     

    HH

  16. jungle jam67 -SUPPORTING THE DAM 5 on

    gebhoy

     

    16:51 on 23 December, 2013

     

    They are slowly killing the game..

     

    ———————————————–

     

    yeah

     

    changing rules to suit as when needed

     

    a bit like the the sfa and the snp

     

     

    all the while the celtic plc sit in silence

     

     

    as was said a while ago

     

    time for the support to send a message to the top

     

    the green pound will not be taken for granted

     

    we pay their wages

     

    directors

     

    managment

     

    police scotland

     

    snp goverment

     

     

    next summer could see a few red faces all round

     

    when it does not work out the way they had planned it

     

     

    jam67

  17. weeminger

     

     

    16:33 on 23 December, 2013On a certain level, it would quite funny if there were no flags or banners but loads of flares and smoke bombs.

     

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

     

     

    Hahaha – on the first whistle a hundred smoke bombs, firecrackers, party balloons and flares lobbed out of the Celtic end and a mass walkout leaving an empty terrace of seats bearing one huge banner, ‘Merry Xmas Mr.Salmond’

  18. With the transfer window about to open, I’m keenly looking forward to Sky Sports images of an unshaven Ally, awkwardly brandishing a note with names and figures scrawled in crayon before driving his SUV away from a gloomily lit Ibrox.

     

     

    Hopefully accompanied by some angry minor chords and thunder crashes.

  19. Money talks

     

    But it don’t sing and dance

     

    And it don’t walk

     

    And long as I can have you

     

    Here with me, I’d much rather be

     

    Forever in Celtic babe

     

     

    It seems the green pound has spoken and some important people listened, I’m glad they did, it gives me a little bit of hope for the future after a worrying weekend. A small step but…

  20. The Green Man

     

    17:09 on

     

    23 December, 2013

     

     

    Do you think documentary evidence exists categorically proving widespread corruption and ant-Celtic bias within the SFA?

     

     

    Without it, and I’ve stated this before, the SFA would be delighted to slap a disrepute charge on us if we were to make that kind of allegation. They’d be equally delighted to hit us with the sternest punishment available.

     

     

    We have nowhere else to go and until we do it’s very difficult for the club to speak out.

  21. glendalystonsils on

    Yes indeed, it looks like we will soon be able to field a team composed entirely of strikers, none of whom could manage an assignation in a house of ill repute.

  22. dessybhoy

     

     

    15:46 on 23 December, 2013

     

     

    I was right behind them maybe 3/4 rows and they knew the songs and started most of them, I would say the majority of the seats where broken due to over crowding and jumping about but saying that a few where broken for the sake of it and there where plenty of young lads drinking cans and the old faithful buckfast openly and not 1 steward or police officer done anything HH

  23. the green man

     

     

    16:06 on 23 December, 2013Kettling, Arrests for signing, Bans for flying banners, demonization of Celtic fans in the media….Whats next…Branding.HH

     

     

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

     

     

    That’s a ridiculous thing to say. Everyone knows Herr Salmond’s plans only stretch to us all wearing a little green cross sewn onto the fronts of our jackets. Or perhaps armbands for the more fashion conscious…

  24. jungle jam67,

     

     

    My issues with the PLC are their continued silence on;

     

     

    EBT’s – nowt said

     

     

    LNS – nowt said

     

     

    5 way agreement – nowt said

     

     

    Uefa Licence – Hmmmm resolution 12???

     

     

    OB act – nowt said and actually they were party to it!

     

     

    The continuation of policies that are alienating thousands of fans.

     

     

    Pricing.

     

     

    I am not an advocate of boycotts but something has to change otherwise there will only be the bottom tier open at Celtic Park, i spend on average probably £2000 – £3000 per season following Celtic and on Scottish football in general, away tickets days out etc etc.

     

     

    I am giving it to the end of the season and if nothing has changed or their is no sign of anything changing, i will pay my dues to the Celtic Trust and my Supporters club, but that will be it from me.

     

     

    gebhoy

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