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Police Scotland asleep at the wheel

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By on CQN BLOG & Comments

“The Away Club shall have the right to claim admission for its supporters of up to 20% of the spectator capacity of the Registered Ground at which the Match is to be played.”  That, with a small caveat for the Safety at Sports Ground Act, 1975, is the simple rule which governs away ticket allocation at Scottish Cup matches.

It is uncontroversial and has stood the test of time for decades.  At Celtic Park, which is the largest ground in the country, it means we are obliged to offer more tickets to away fans than anyone else.  Fair enough.

Offering token ticket numbers for Premiership games breaches the time tested safe routes to and from grounds.  At Ibrox, for example, 700 Celtic fans were expected to park alongside Newco fans, then walk through them to the top of Broomloan Road – the designated car parking area for Celtic fans was not sufficient to accommodate even a third of that number.

When I was there for such an occasion, we were fortunate that most of the other lot made an early exit from the game, other outcomes are possible.  While inside the stadium, glass bottles rained down from the stands towering above Celtic fans.

Where was the Safety at Sports Ground Act, 1975, when this arrangement got the green light, you are entitled to wonder?  The same scenario will hold at other grounds if a few hundred away fans are isolated among hostile opposition supporters.

You either make football safe, which Scottish Cup games are and having no away fans are, or you accept there will be actual harm to visiting fans.

Newco are boxed into a corner.  They designated part of the stadium for their ultras group where Celtic fans were traditionally accommodated.  This meant the ultras had to move for Celtic fans, which they really didn’t like and complained about for years.

With weak leadership, Newco relented, cut Celtic’s allocation and forever damaged the sport.  Unwinding this would mean moving their ultras, which is no more possible than Celtic moving 8,000 fans in the Jock Stein Stand, many of whom have been there for 20 years, to relocate their ultras.

When I got home from Ibrox after our win in April last year, I was disturbed that the police were asleep at the wheel in permitting such a dangerous scenario.  Event organisers are not the arbiters of what is and is not safe.  Newco, Police Scotland and Glasgow City Council have all looked the other way while Celtic acted on what was hard evidence of risk to life and limb.

This is why we have a board of professionals, not weak grifters.

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  4. bournesouprecipe on

    Paul67

     

     

    Let it go.

     

     

    The old firm fixture is consigned to the past along with Rainjurz, the bonus is no Sevco in Parkhead for the return game.

     

     

    What’s not to like CSC

  8. Ron Bacardi on

    BRRB

     

     

    I wish I could get back soon to the Shipbank and meet the CQN Wrecks therein.

     

     

    My immediate travel restrictions and planned medical treatments and appointments conspire against this until later this year.

     

     

    Until then, Hail Hail.

  9. celtic40me on

    CHAIRBHOY on 28TH JULY 2023 6:31 PM

     

     

    “It’s often inferred I have an agenda, it was Ange the other day, however, there is no attachment to any particular personality for me.”

     

     

    Of course. An utterly preposterous suggestion

  10. Chairbhoy on

    CELTIC40ME @ 9:18 PM,

     

     

    The reason for defending Brendan Rodgers and his staff to the hilt* was because I believed the PLC Board at that time were in the wrong and being very disingenuous with the staff and support.

     

     

    My feelings are the last five years has shown that my point of view had real substance.

     

     

    *Of course their CVs, experience and successes meant they were a great fit for Celtic.

     

     

    Hail Hail

  11. An Tearmann on

    GREENPINATA on 28TH JULY 2023 3:19 PM

     

    SAINT STIVS on 28TH JULY 2023 2:43 PM

     

     

    I will ask again,

     

     

    what actually is success in europe now ?

     

    ————–

     

     

    Gp-Success is progress and playing to our full potential with no regrets.

     

     

    At- would you call last year a success? We played to our full potential,we got beat,all in Europe’s top tournament,a few chances not taken contrasted with severe punishment met out against us as happens in the reality of Champions league.

     

    I never thought we had any regrets as a team,obviously as fans we have the benefit of hindsight,to the team its the next fixture

     

     

    GP-Realising our aspirations that our well quoted brand deserves.

     

     

    AT- We were realising our aspirations,we were playing in European soccer top tournament the Chamnions league.

     

    “Brand” you mean our name and standing? I fookin hate marketing speak(that’s what brand is) it’s probably why you are a little at variance with the economic reality of Europe’s top table,the champions league,the gap between it and the Europa league is huge.

     

     

    Gp-That can be doing well in the CL. Reaching a semi or final in the Europa or Conference.

     

     

    At- we were unlucky last year,we go again this year,hopefully with a better draw ,bit more luck,yup I know if if if, but that is the challenge of playing in Europe’s Champions league

     

    Maybe this year we attain third spot and drop down to the Europa league,,down to a lower level of football often conflated on here as its European football.it is a different but lower standard.i want Celtic to be playing

     

    at the top level always.if we drop down we recalibrate assess and go on.

     

     

    Gp-Making others sit up and notice us. Making Parkhead a fortress again.

     

     

    At- I think others do sit up and notice us,wherever or what calibre of tourney we play in,it comes down to 11 v 11.i think the last time we were described as a fortress, was in football terms the Strachan era? In football eras a different time

     

     

    Gp-Great European nights where memories are made and legends are formed. Games that we still remember and reminisce for years to come.

     

     

    At- play the hovis music gp and that is not a slight on yours or mine ambition,we all want that,every year,but we must account the inbuilt unfairness/bias to our/scandinavian/Dutch/balkan/e.europe/Belgian leagues.All fodder to the big 4 telly viewers and the main one the £7Billion league in the epl which is milking even those leagues

     

     

     

    Gp-Regarding the Seville season. That wasn’t just a big day, it was a magnificent journey. Blackburn and Liverpool et al. What a journey.

     

     

    At- a different time Gp ,but like our latec60s early 70s runs….a different time where our aspiring ambition was set in football terms,look at what other Scottish teams did during our legal 9iar

     

     

    Gp-It is probably the best season I can remember. And yes we won nothing.

     

     

    At-yup it was a romp but as you say we won nothing.

     

     

    Gp-We took a record number of well behaved fans on a football participation never seen before. The Celtic family were as one.

     

     

    At Celtic as a family are always at one,maybe exc for 94 when the thieves and old aluysians got funked out of our club,taking it to the brink of being a memory.

     

     

    We built it up,and they did come.We did,you and I and took up the ancient Celtic habit of dissenting and disagreeing(circa Ned mcGinn)

     

     

    Gp-Imo, European football reaches the parts that domestic football cannot. It takes us from a poor domestic environment to the top table.

     

     

    At-well we can’t have one without the other Gp,how we recalibrate on a Saturday poor league to wed champions league seems to be the trick and how you cope with the mental peak and trough

     

     

    Gp-It must be our top priority.

     

     

    At winning is our priority Gp,

     

    No league success no position at Europe’s top table

     

     

    HH.

     

    HH

     

     

     

    PS : The 10th richest team on the planet celebrated their first Euro trophy with gusto. So would I if Celtic were there.

     

     

    Ps Gp West ham is this? I take it you accept the financial gorge that has opened up.its ludicrous you using such comparisons.i see West Ham as no more doped up than their liquidated opponents Fiorentina, we don’t attach as much kudos to their cheating as we do to the team who had 92+ % unregistered players for 12 years.

     

     

    Hope your good

  12. bigrailroadblues on

    Ron Bacardi

     

    I shall look forward to seeing you again B. As will all the Shipwrecks and the bhoys of the old brigade. Take care old chap. 👍

  14. TheLurkinTim on

    Seems am so annoying that the top tier pool player above Scotia f**ked off lol

     

     

    Great day oot thanks to u know who u are. ;-))

     

     

    H.H.

  15. TheLurkinTim on

    BRRB…jist saw the pic…pretty sure that background means we’re angelic….stop sniggerering ya heathens ;-))

     

     

    H.H.

  19. petec on

    Not long now until the new Season.

     

     

    I just want that Rock back for the mega games coming up and 100% fit.

     

     

    It may well have been a Blessing in disguise CCV’s Injury/Surgery because he has been Monumental for the Hoops, so we need Lady Luck he gets back to the same Player he was previously.

     

     

    If he wisnae under the knife, there would be, IMO, so many Clubs trying to sign him.

     

     

    A confirmed Hun Skelper tae.

  33. Maestro on

    Every time we visit the cespit something happens both off and on field they are the underclass and will continue to be so the fact the media police and football authorities do and say nothing tells you all you need to know about them also.

     

     

    Hail Hail 🍀

  35. Greenpinata on

    AT,

     

     

    Yes it is. Let’s huff and puff and blow them away.. we are playing a cracking pack that are very aware-wolf.

     

     

    To all the guys attending, have a howlingly good time and make sure to wolf down copious amounts of the local lubricant which guarantees to have you dublinging over with merriment

     

     

    HH, COYBIG.

  36. Turkeybhoy on

    Maestro,

     

     

    Absolutely correct on the scum.Even in Europe their fans behave the same.Ludicrous scenes of them charging,( Only so far),the Liverpool fans .Trying to get over the wall to get to Napoli or,Ajax players warming down.

     

    Loads of reports on Dons,Hibs,blogs of attacks at Ibrox.Played down,or not mentioned by our gutter media.

     

    Not really one for demanding our Board put out statements,but in this ticket fiasco,I think they should.Refute the lie about tit for tat,get out the true facts,because as it stands,we are looking weak.Media just perpetuating the lie,because we are letting them.

  37. An Tearmann on

    HAIRLIKESPAGHETTI on 29TH JULY 2023 1:30 AM

     

     

    Linked to Ryan Fraser tonight…helps with the ‘trained in Scotland’ quota but that’s about it for me.

     

     

    Who is linking us? Source please HLS

     

     

    HH

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