Industrial performances, Ignorance of causality

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Going by the looks of the photographs coming out of Romania today Ronny Deila and his players will be going a culture shock; the Stadionul Marin Anastasovici isn’t the Camp Nou, our more familiar European haunt.

The industrial surroundings should set a tone for the players, though, and industrial performance is required tonight, where the attributes of effort, attention to detail and strength of character are required.

Astra surprised many of us at Celtic Park last month.  After their capitulation to Dinamo Zagreb they were supposed to be the whipping boys of the group, but they can play and extended Celtic more than any domestic challenger would be able to.

A victory would be an enormous boost to our season, and to the development of Ronny’s first Celtic squad.  Question is, are we ready yet?

Ignorance of causality

Sometime between when the link between tobacco and cancer was suggested, and when it was proven, cigarette manufacturers mocked the research by pointing to a study which linked dental hygiene with cancer.

A perfectly valid piece of research found that – in their sample – the group who brushed their teeth daily had less cancers.  In any research you would expect random links, which is why the medical industry requires many studies before concluding on a linkage or treatment.

Yesterday Community Safety Minister, Roseanna Cunningham, told the Scottish Parliament that recent years has seen decreases in religious hatred crimes at football, which she attributes to the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act., which she informed us we spend £3m per year enforcing.  That’s a lot of police overtime to pluck fans out of their beds at 4am.

I respectfully disagree.  Ms Cunningham is blind to causality.  Top flight football in Scotland these past few years is a completely different place than it was previously.    The change had nothing to do with her government’s “horribly drafted” [Sherriff Richard Davidson] legislation.

She knows this, of course, but the landscape has changed over the last year.  The Scottish Government received an independent report on the Act in December last year but refused to debate it in Parliament or at committee.  This is unsurprising as the issue could have been toxic at a sensitive time.

Jim Murphy yesterday pledged to scrap the Act “right away”, adding “Sectarianism is a deep rooted and hate filled long-term problem in Scotland. It was allowed to fester and grow over many decades. Shamefully it was celebrated by a minority and silently tolerated by far too many”.

No other political party supported the Act, so it will not survive a change of government, but going by the polls that day could be a long way off.  That £3m per year is lubricating a lot of wheels, but the real cost is the politically motivated criminalisation of the non-intolerant innocent in order to “equalise” them with the absolutely intolerant.

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383 Comments

  1. Tomleeds,

     

     

    Lustig is saying “check out the puns these comedians on cqn are posting!”

  2. tomtheleedstim on

    !!Bada Bing!!

     

    17:00 on

     

    6 November, 2014

     

    Aberdeen game on Sunday might be in doubt

     

     

    Fog spreading?

  3. Hello,

     

     

    Just had a text from my son, hes inside ground says no danger at moment

     

     

    lilys

  4. foghorn leghorn on

    lilys grandpa

     

     

    17:03 on 6 November, 2014

     

     

    Hello,Just had a text from my son, hes inside ground says no danger at moment

     

     

    lilys

     

    ——–

     

     

    though to quote him accurately “dad, i cant see any danger”

  5. ————–C.Gordon—————

     

     

    Lustig. Denayer. VanDijk. Izzy

     

     

    ———-brown. Mulgrew———-

     

     

    Mcgregor. Johansen. Wakaso

     

     

    —————-Scepovic——————

  6. squire danaher on

    C. Gordon

     

    3 E. Izaguirre

     

    21 C. Mulgrew

     

    23 M. Lustig

     

    5 V. van Dijk

     

    22 J. Denayer

     

    8 S. Brown

     

    32 W. Mubarak

     

    42 C. McGregor

     

    25 S. Johansen

     

    12 S. Šćepović

  7. tomtheleedstim

     

     

    17:03 on 6 November, 2014

     

     

    !!Bada Bing!!

     

    17:00 on

     

    6 November, 2014

     

    Aberdeen game on Sunday might be in doubt

     

     

    Fog spreading?

     

    As quickly as the puns mate ;))

  8. Hebcelt.

     

     

    Gordon; Lustig, Denayer, van Dijk, Izaguirre; Brown, Mulgrew; McGregor, Johansen, Wakaso; Scepovic. (MH)

  9. Celtic Football Club ‏@celticfc 45s45 seconds ago

     

     

    Celtic team to play FC Astra: Gordon; Lustig, Denayer, van Dijk, Izaguirre; Brown, Mulgrew; McGregor, Johansen, Wakaso; Scepovic. (MH)

  10. Celtic were very poor in the first game against Astra although there could be an excuse that the game was played in dreadful conditions Celtic also carried the additional pressure of being overwhelming favourites. The Zagreb contingent were correct when they said Astra were a useful side and were not as bad as the 5-0 drubbing they suffered in that game so a result to-night we hope for. I don’t think Celtic can play as badly again and hopefully conditions will not be as bad as a couple of weeks ago at Celtic Park.

  11. Celtic Football Club ‏@celticfc 16s17 seconds ago

     

     

    Subs: Zaluska, Ambrose, Matthews, Kayal, Bitton, Griffiths, Tonev (MH)

  12. Ffs!!!!

     

     

    More changes from weekend!

     

     

     

    Zaluska clean sheet and dropped. Ronny out.

  13. Brian McNally ‏@McNallyMirror 10s11 seconds ago

     

    #Celtic Europa League tie with Astra in Romania will kick off at 6pm despite heavy fog enveloping the arena say BT Sport.Will it finish tho?

  14. foghorn leghorn on

    googybhoy ♥ celtic

     

     

    17:07 on 6 November, 2014

     

     

    Just come in have I mist anything???

     

    ——–

     

     

    nothin to see here, move along ;-)

  15. Listen guys im sorry ,

     

     

    I read his text wrong .he meant at the moment it would Not go ahead, but hes since said, its clearing again

     

     

    Sorry,

     

    lilys

  16. Hun skelper,

     

     

    Gary67 posted it earlier today.

     

     

    I couldn’t see it being anything different either.

     

     

    HH

  17. Morrissey the 23rd on

    I am about to log off to watch the fog. I’ve not read back (for days) but I hope to when I can. My friend Peter tells me he had a toadily fantastic meeting with some Celtic fans. I’m a curious cat.

  18. Hankray

     

     

    “I don’t think Celtic can play as badly again”………

     

     

    Keeping the Faith… That’s what I like to see.

     

     

    Hope ur right… Or we’ll be on here at 7.45 looking for you…..