I don’t get the flares thing. It’s not a part of my going-to-see-Celtic tradition. But if it was my thing, I’d have the courage of my convictions, I wouldn’t hide the fact.
There are consequences of bringing flares to football games, always has been. By not having the courage to openly ignite them, those consequences are not personalised to the individuals who regard this as an integral part of what they do at a football game, they are visited upon everyone in the vicinity, as well as the club.
The problem with flares at Celtic games is those who bring them hide the fact – as they clearly know there are consequences, and presumably aren’t too interested in taking responsibility for them. ‘Keen on flares, not keen enough to stand up for them’, is why the issue persists.
I get the attraction to bright, shiny, things, but this isn’t a campaign to bring the vote to disenfranchised people against a force who will execute the offender on sight. It’s about bringing a flare to a football game. If it’s so important, do it openly. If you think Health and Safety are simply wrong, find the evidence and use it in court. Have the courage to change something. I know lots of Celtic fans who have had the courage to put their name to something they believed in, in recent years. It’s seldom easy, but it has been done.
But in the years of this debate no one has ever pointed to evidence that igniting flares in a football ground is a clever thing to do. It’s just a ‘look at me’ exercise, ‘But don’t look at my face’, of course.
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Episode 5 of ‘A Celtic State of Mind’ finds Paul John Dykes and Kevin Graham discussing a variety of topical subjects concerning Celtic Football Club, including:
* What now for the Green Brigade?
* Dedryck Boyata – Are reinforcements on route?
* Virgil van Dijk – The windfall cometh;
* Emilio Izaguirre – Moving on.
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twists n turns on 24th July 2017 10:42 am
Tend to agree, they’ve a good thing going in the safe standing area and there was potential to extend the safe standing to other areas of the ground if this goes well, which overall it has been.
To me its madness to risk all this and the improved noise/atmosphere in the stadium for the sake of a couple of risky banners/pyro occasionally.
They say the decision to use pyro wasn’t taken lightly but what does that matter? They still decided to use it knowing the fallout it could cause.
We can all bash the board easily enough at times but the GB need to listen to reason as well.
If you throw it all away everyone will be worse off.
HH
Green Brigade
Moonbeams
Agreed.
On the banners, prior notice would at least allow a decision to be made on whether they were ‘ political’ or offensive.
Still leaves room for debate of course.
Is ‘ f*** Uefa’ offensive? Not in the eyes of most I suggest :-)
Please share with everyone who cares about Scottish football reform.
http://onfieldsofgreen.com/an-away-game-boycott-can-move-the-spfl-if-all-fans-get-behind-it/
The Daniel O’Connell blog made a lot of sense.
http://danieloconnel18.blogspot.ae/2017/07/green-brigade-statement.html#comment-form
Green Brigade Statement
The Green Brigade has today released a statement on Celtic’s move to close their section of the stadium for two competitive matches, which is breathtakingly selfish and arrogant in equal measure.
I reproduce the statement in its entirety with comments below.
Following the club statement on Friday, we take this opportunity to accept full responsibility for both the pyrotechnics display to celebrate the achievements of the Lisbon Lions at the Hearts match in May and our ‘Brendan’s Undefeated Army’ tifo during the match against Linfield on Wednesday evening.
That’s brilliant lads, well done. But you should have just stopped right there because that was all that needed to be said.
While we are disappointed to hear of the impending two match ban that we face, we know that in the sanitised world of Scottish football the actions of an Ultra group like ours may have consequences for our members.
Yes, and the consequence of your Hearts and Linfield displays is a two match closure of your section. You should consider yourselves fortunate that’s all it is.
We do however completely oppose collective punishment and a blanket ban on all fans in our block is disproportionate and unjust therefore we call on the board to revise this decision.
It’s a bit late now to think about the other people who share the shiny new standing section Celtic provided for you. The time to think about consequences was before Wednesday evening.
As a group we are defined by our style of support and our politics, both of which the club are happy to benefit from when it suits their agenda. Almost a year ago, after much immediate criticism, we brought worldwide adulation on the club for our show of solidarity with the people of Palestine and the subsequent charity fundraising which was endorsed by the Celtic support.
I don’t care what your “style of support” is. If it breaks the stadium rules, there is no place for it at Celtic Park. I’ve no sympathy for you if you get banned because you can’t behave yourselves.
As for your politics, again, I don’t care what your politics are. Celtic is a football club, not the sporting wing of the Green Brigade, and your political posturing is tiresome in the extreme.
We’re actually getting to the crux of the matter here because your support for Celtic seems to be secondary to the promotion of your pet political causes, as evidence by the Palestinian display last season.
Your fundraising efforts for Palestinian causes were all very commendable, but you could have done that any time you liked. Instead, you dragged Celtic into trouble with UEFA (again) and then used the resultant publicity to push your “charitable” efforts, which really was a quite shameless exploitation of the plight of the Palestinian people to divert flak from yourselves over the bother you had caused for Celtic.
What isn’t common knowledge is if it had not been for this incredible response, we would have faced the same punishment as we currently face.
Yes. As I said, your fundraising efforts for Palestine really dug you out of a hole last season and you milked it for all it was worth.
In light of this, and of the condemnation of banners and songs from Wednesday, we refuse to allow a discredited and corrupt organisation like UEFA or a board which has welcomed war criminals and Tory Lords to dictate our moral compass.
Spare me the pitiful attempts to smear UEFA and the Celtic board, it’s all so much piss and wind. UEFA has rules governing its competitions which Celtic and everyone else involved has to abide by. You know that as well as anyone but repeatedly choose to cross the line anyway. If you want to play at being edgy, rebellious “Ultras,” be prepared for the consequences and don’t cry about it.
UEFA aren’t going to change their rules because a crowd of playtime protestors want to show how Ultra they are. They’ll just keep punishing Celtic until we’re looking at stand closures, or even the entire stadium closed because you selfishly refuse to follow the rules.
Our decision to mark the achievements of 1967 by using pyrotechnics was not taken lightly. We took the required steps to ensure that this was carried out as safely as possible and in the knowledge that we as a group may face potential consequences as a result of it.
So once again, in the full knowledge that pyrotechnics are banned from the stadium, you decided to bring them along anyway, no doubt accompanied by your fully qualified pyrotechnic engineers to ensure no one suffered breathing difficulties or serious burns. Cheers for that. I wouldn’t have felt the achievements of 1967 had been marked sufficiently if you lot hadn’t brought fireworks into that match.
We believe the scenes that day and the response from the Celtic support proved it to be worthwhile. We have engaged in regular dialogue with the club over this matter throughout the summer and believed to be reaching an amicable outcome, however it seems as if events outside of our control on Wednesday have impacted upon the decision which has now been reached.
No, I’m sorry, the scenes that day don’t make it all worthwhile. Pyrotechnics are banned from the stadium for good reason and the fact you managed to get a few dramatic photos of guys in masks holding aloft fireworks doesn’t make it all okay.
The Green Brigade exists to support Celtic in a positive manner and we believe that this current confrontation is unnecessary and avoidable.
You’re dead right it is. All you had to do was not bring in pyrotechnics or banners associating our manager with IRA snipers to taunt supporters of a Unionist background from Belfast who were visiting our ground for a football match.
If you didn’t insist on continually flouting the rules every other spectator has to abide by, this wouldn’t have happened.
If you want to support Celtic in a positive manner, stop deliberately getting the club in bother with UEFA just so you can exercise your “rights,” to turn the stadium into your personal political playground.
We welcome Peter Lawwell’s call for dialogue as we have been waiting on his availability for some time. One of our first talking points will be the unnecessary and unsafe policing operation carried out during Wednesday night’s match, which we believe must be the source of one of UEFA’s charges (blocked stairwells) and could only have been designed to antagonise fans in the area. As the evidence below proves, it is bizarre and shameful that the club have not only blamed the fans for this charge but have cited it as a reason for the ban.
I’m going to hold fire on this one for now. I don’t know who was blocking the stairway, but I find it hard to believe the club would include the blocking of stairways as a reason for the ban if fans had nothing to do with it.
Other pertinent issues to be addressed are the club’s response to the biggest cheating scandal to shame Scottish sport; the insulting of the Celtic support over the Linfield away debacle and negligence of the safety of those they knew would travel; and the silence over the racial and sectarian hatred directed at our player of the year and manager. Typically, the club are quick to bite the hand that feeds them yet reluctant to unite against common detractions.
Yes these issues have to be addressed, but they are really nothing to do with your antics on Wednesday evening. You’re like a motorist caught speeding here and protesting that the traffic officer didn’t catch a guy who was speeding on the same stretch of road last week.
We have built a positive relationship with the Celtic SLO however we are concerned that his position is nearly untenable due to the manner in which he is continually undermined by Celtic security staff. The SLO is required to ”collaborate with the security officer on safety and security-related matters” however has been deliberately excluded from discussions of this nature which is in breach of the UEFA SLO Guidelines, as per article 35.
Whether the Celtic security staff consult with the SLO or not has no bearing on your persistent flouting of the rules. You’re really just lashing out in all directions now because it’s just sooooo unfair!
His exclusion is a deliberate tactic adopted by the police and Celtic security to facilitate the targeting of our members.
Why are your members being targeted? Because you continually and openly flout safety regulations and refuse to accept any restrictions on your “style of support?”
Maybe if you behaved yourselves for a while there’d be no need to “target” you.
For over 10 years now the Green Brigade has withstood attacks from Police Scotland and sadly this will always continue.
You pride yourselves on being an “Ultra” group, so what do you expect? By your own admission, you’re not just a group of football fans who like to sing and dance for 90 minutes. You’re edgy. You’re in-your-face political lefties. You’re bad boys. So spare me the wounded innocence over your “persecution,” by the police.
This also will not be our first ban or forced absence from Celtic Park. The Green Brigade has not only survived through the years but we have thrived – we are currently as large and strong as we have ever been. We can assure all that we will be back in Celtic Park soon enough and that we will never allow our style nor our politics to ever be diluted.”
So what’s in Celtic’s best interests is not important to you. As long as you get to play at Ultras and let off pyrotechnics and wave pathetic political banners, you don’t care what the consequences for Celtic and your fellow fans are.
It’s maybe time you considered whether you are the main show or the support act.
Every time I mention the Green Brigade, I highlight the positives because there are many. The atmosphere they create in the ground, the wonderful creativity and execution of so many of their displays does so much to make the matchday experience at Celtic Park so good.
They also do a lot of fundraising for charity, especially the foodbank collections.
But all that cannot be weighed against the negatives to excuse the problems they are increasingly bringing to the club. Al Capone ran soup kitchens for the homeless in Chicago, but he was still a cold-blooded murderer.
Now as if it needs to be said, I’m not comparing the Green Brigade to Al Capone or any other rogues over the years who have done a lot of work for charidee, but the point remains, it doesn’t excuse or make okay, their persistent flouting of safety and other rules leading to Celtic being punished for their actions.
Celtic have asked them repeatedly to conform to safety rules and regulations. They have been asked repeatedly to stop damaging the interests of the club they profess to love. Their statement today sticks two fingers up to that.
They have in effect said they will continue to do whatever the hell they like and the consequences be damned.
Well in that case, there is only one possible outcome to the impasse they have created.
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 24TH JULY 2017 10:09 AM,
I think that most of these young french players listen to the master,Zidane.He is ,no matter who is the National manager,the voice of French football.He is a giant to them.He has told Moussa,a stay at Celtic with BR would be great for him.I see today,he has told Ntcham,he could not be at a better club.At their age,what have they to lose?.If they continue to learn correctly,and improve,untold riches lie in front of them,in a couple of years time.
Young Benyu could be the daddy of them all.In saying all this about Moussa,I am not convinced that the 11 man defence he faces every week suits his game.The dopey Huns opened up the game and got destroyed.
Think he is better with space to run into.His 1st and 3rd goal against the dopeys,and his goals for the French U 21s.No matter,its a win win for us.
TWISTS
We’re on the same page ( which is now 48 ) and despite the bluster TGB will tow the line, and the ban will be served.
TGB internet carnage inducing ‘politics’ require a full review.
JF
If you read my posts to Burnley78 yesterday, you will see that i proposed an away boycott of those who refuse to play with a straight bat.
This would indeed work. We fill Celtic Park, but refuse to fund clubs who oppose the truth.
HH
JAMES FORREST on 24TH JULY 2017 10:58 AM
Good idea and I read the CSA article earlier today. If Celtic, Aberdeen, Hearts and other supporters boycotted games against teams who do not support good governance it would be very noticeable on TV matches.
Aberdeen supporters however would have to boycott their own games!
GB member letters from Ronnie Hawthorn …
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2ish7ox&s=9#.WXXGaa3Mw3g
Well,as we approach the usual time for the new article,we are falling marginally short of Post 1888.
Need to up our game,lads!
Robin
Oooft. Cap doffed for posting that here. Will echo the opinion of a lot of Celtic supporters.
Is there any chance the GB tiresome,argument could be halted?.I think everyone and anyone has had their say.Its like the songs or Poppy debates.entrenched views that will not be shifted.No point in prolonging it.All we are doing is giving our enemies,of which we have Legion,cause to get their oar in.We have already seen the lengths they will go to with their ludicrous,Hun led”Ban the GB”petition.We have the most important game of the season coming up.All attention should be on that.
TURKEYBHOY
Aye,I read those comments from Zizou. Very flattering for the lad,as were those to Moussa earlier.
He wasn’t wrong with the latter,I hope he’s right on the button again.
And I seriously hope they listen-not that I listened to much advice at that age(!)
Embra
So TGB are banned from the Sunderland away game.
How does that work?
Rhetorical Question ( Away to cut ma Hedge ) CSC
Daniel O’Connell does not speak for me!
MWD
MWD
What a trick that would be eh:)
Ouija Board:)
HH
Good stuff from Joe O’Rourke. Reading between the lines it seems that a boycott of away matches is on the cards. It’s a good idea and something I would support as would many others.
The Tim Reaper
Do you think i should make my move for total domination now, or wait for a few days?
You have seen Bugsy Malone:)
This could be my big chance:)
HH
Are all 900 supporters banned from Celtic matches home and away. Or just the GB.
MOONBEAMSWD on 24TH JULY 2017 11:13 AM
Daniel O’Connell does not speak for me!
MWD
Or sing for me.
oops sorry,thats Daniel O Donnell.His mammy makes a nice wee cuppa right enough.
CLINK\O/ on 24TH JULY 2017 11:22 AM
Are all 900 supporters banned from Celtic matches home and away. Or just the GB.
Thats the problem Clink.The GB dont have 900 members.
Twisty
And it will not echo the opinions of a lot of others.
MWD
It was a wee joke.Stop getting too crabbit.I agree with you on many things.
Not on the GB right enough.
TURKEYBHOY
Asking you a question makes me crabbit? Lol, you don’t know me at all, a don’t do crabbit mate,
And I’m joking to someone in a post I normally put a :)) after it, makes a difference, then I don’t need to ask you crabbit questions :))
Started a new campaign and looking for signatures:
Celtic Fans hating other Celfic Fans and love the PLC who are never wrong about anything.
It’s catchy.
I have though reduced it to the acronym
FANNIES
MWD
MOONBEAMSWD
Canny help thinking you’ve made a .u.t of the acronym.
BMCUWP
Don’t worry. They’ll no get it anyway. They are not Uni leftists!
MWD
MOONBEAMSWD
In a sinister way,that could be construed as a secret society. So keep it quiet,ffs.
Btw,I hope my calculations are right and you are available for a wee sesh on 11/11.
TONYDONNELLY67 on 24TH JULY 2017 11:30 AM
It was a wee joke.Stop getting too crabbit.I agree with you on many things.
Not on the GB right enough.
TURKEYBHOY
Asking you a question makes me crabbit? Lol, you don’t know me at all, a don’t do crabbit mate,
And I’m joking to someone in a post I normally put a :)) after it, makes a difference, then I don’t need to ask you crabbit questions :))
Being CRABBIT again.
When Harry Palmer was behind the Iron Curtain in that Albanian prison cell, in reality, he was still in London.
Now, if they can do that to Harry Palmer in 1966 or thereabouts, think what the SFA can do now:)
AldousHuxleyCSC
HH
Being CRABBIT again.
Phhfffttt never saw that coming.
MOONBEAMSWD on 24TH JULY 2017 11:42 AM
BMCUWP
Don’t worry. They’ll no get it anyway. They are not Uni leftists!
MWD
How come the Uni Rightists get an easy time?.
JJ cutting to the bone.
https://johnjamessite.com/author/sitonfence/
TONYDONNELLY67 on 24TH JULY 2017 11:54 AM
Being CRABBIT again.
Phhfffttt never saw that coming.
Think that was meant to be a tad sarcastic,but its still got a wee whiff of crabbitness about it.
Turkeybhoy
Uni Rightists.
Loads of them, sash wearers, the lot.
Funny costumes galore.
Strange societies, obscure meetings, etc
You name it, they got it:)
HH
Who would win in a fight between Harry Palmer and Bond, James Bond?
THE GREEN MAN SAYS SACK THE BOARD:
Indeed I did mate. The thing is, in order for this to work it has to be done correctly, and professionally. It requires a degree of co-ordination and sophistication fans are nowhere near set up for yet.
I’m a humble blogger; I have no wish to get my face on the telly or anything, I am not some revolutionary planning a coup, but I’ve got enough experience in campaigning to have a fair idea what’s required here and how it could be done.
I’m going to put some ideas up for people to chew over, and if there’s a way of getting the necessary organisational structure in place then great and I wish people well in doing it. The thing is, it would need to come from the fans themselves … the people involved can’t have one eye on influence at Hampden.
It has to be about change and reform and when it’s done it can disband and everyone can get back to supporting their football clubs again.
The thing is, all of Scottish football DOES want to “move on.” But not before the issues are settled.
BSR
James Bond is a rocket:)
HH