Earlier this year I wrote that the pyrotechnics problem was one of the free rider. There are reputational and Uefa fine costs to Celtic, but the perpetrators hide among a crowd, so encounter no costs. Celtic pay the fines, Celtic fans, as a group, carry the reputational damage, those who create the problem act with impunity.
Two who set flares in Istanbul have been identified and banned by the club. This ban will prevent them attending away fixtures in Europe for a considerable time, but it will not prevent them walking through turnstiles at Celtic Park, or some other Scottish grounds. Celtic have announced that they are considering their position and may raise a civil action to recover fines imposed –aligning consequences with actions.
Whenever I hear someone ‘considering their position’ I don’t expect them to act. Those who act tend to only provide advanced notice when legally obliged to do so. There is a flip side to this, however. If Celtic raise an action the issue is dead – it will not happen again. If Celtic don’t raise an action it may well happen again. Steps to hide identities will be improved, perhaps making it impossible to identify another offender. The stock defence of football clubs, “We’ve done everything we could”, will not wash.
It’s only 12 years since 80,000 Celtic fans went to Seville and didn’t so much as spill a drink. What chance that now?
When they were at their peak, 1.2million miners went down the pits in Britain. Before the pits, the population of Lanarkshire was a fraction of what it is now. They build railways in the late 19th century, allowing coal to be taken to the cities and ports, and people were drawn to places like Bellshill, Motherwell, Coatbridge and Wishaw.
This subsequent years saw the greatest migration from Ireland to Scotland, and an enormous migration from rural to urban Scotland. People came to Lanarkshire to work in the coal industry, and to Glasgow and other surrounding towns to work related industries, like shipping and heavy engineering.
The work was almost always dirty, often dangerous and inevitably poorly paid. Poverty and its associated diseases, including social diseases, were difficult to escape. Even today, the twin towns of Hamilton (a market town established for centuries) and Motherwell (a 19th century town established by the coal and steel industries) are separated by a significant gap in employment opportunities, property values and wealth. Physically they are only two miles apart, you can walk between them in minutes.
Football was the real opium of the masses. They worked five and a half days a week, on their half day they went to a game. Entrance was cheap, even the poor could attend, all boys could play, all men could talk a good game (it remained a predominantly male pastime for decades).
Coal, and its by-products: railways and heavy industry, shaped the industrial towns of Scotland, Wales and much of England. Without it, cricket would be our national game (it was once popular even in Scotland). You wouldn’t have Celtic.
Today the last miner will emerge from a British pit, in Kellingley, North Yorkshire. The pits around Lanarkshire are long gone, and there are few bings left. Jobs now are cleaner and safer, but we’ve lost a link to something Celtic fans value more than most, our heritage.
Speaking of which, get to Celtic Park before 13:00 tomorrow. Wallow in the abundant heritage that is Billy McNeill!
We’re shipping same day from CQN Bookstore, but there’s not long left before Christmas!
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CRC –
Are we about to have the traditional beer / toilet / dishwasher break…….?
Round 3 answers
1 Judas Peter Grant
2 Danny McGrain Alan Rough Davie Provan
3 Mark Reid
4 Simon Donnelly
5 Rambo
6 Juninho
So, It’s no Henri Camara then?
Is it Tebily?
Leaderboard after round 3
30 setting free the bears
20 Gary67
15 Delaneys Dunky
14 Praecepta
14 Jobo Balde
13 Saint Stivs
12 Hamilton Tim
12 Celtic Mac
11.5 garygillespieshamstring
8 Margaret McGill
Break time start again in 10 mins
CRC
Cheers M.
look at the feckin size of alan rough
i dont remember him letting us down though.
mark reid ……………… should have know by the version of the hoops.
on the haste to post first. points are dropped young grasshopper
Maggie
790 total appearances for Billy in all games according to the Wee Green Book
486 league
138 league cup
94 Scottish Cup
72 Europe
HH
CRC
Kindle running out of juice.
Not a clinics if I miss next round.
C’mon, tell me it’s a break, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese
burstinCSC
Saint Stivs
Alan Rough was a hoot
the first of the sweeper/keeper breed
he’d come to almost the halfway line to clear a ball
CRC
+3 in World Club Championship!
Jobo, its a break
Jobo you missed the oral question
dd,
you been on the sauce ?
brian mclughlin was half the size of alan rough,
and johnny halpin had different colour of hair than provan
you at the mentalness
-))))))))
Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh
THE SPIRIT OF ARTHUR LEE on 18TH DECEMBER 2015 8:12 PM
wishaw emeraldcsc @wishaw_emerald Wishaw, Scotland
It is with deep sadness that our president Sean Sweeny has passed away tonight God bless our Mr Presidente
——————————————-
God bless Sean Sweeney ..another good ghuy gone.
Praecepta, thanks
I wonder if they have included them in the Europe column or just wiped those games from history? :-)
HH
CRC
Saint Stivs
Used to love taking shots in against Alan Rough on the Knightswood Park red gravel pitches.
He stayed in the Lincoln Avenue high rise across the road. He was a goalie for Thistle and a big shot to us 12 year olds. He would come over and organise games with him in goal for shoot ins. Always a big Celtic fan and he liked my hoops among the blue shirts. :)
Celticrollercoaster
Apologies..I think my number added Scotland caps ???
Ok Bhoys, we all back?
CRC
Think they might have – sure the European total was 69!!
Hmm………… wonder why I remember that figure??
:-)
Round 4
If you know your Club Captain stats? Head to head League Goals.
Who has scored the most league goals for Celtic in the following head to heads?
(2pts for each first correct answer posted, 1pt if correct but not first posted)
1 Jock Stein v Neil Lennon
2 Paul Lambert v Stephen McManus
3 Tommy Boyd v Danny McGrain
4 Roy Aitken v Billy McNeill
5 Bertie Peacock v Paul McStay
Stein
McManus
Boyd
Aitken
McStay
1. Stein
2. McManus
3. Boyd
4. Aitken
5. McStay
1 Jock Stein
2 Stephen McManus
3 Tommy Boyd
4 Roy Aitken
5 Bertie Peacock
DD.
Provan, Crainie came up to the Port High Youth club a few times during that era with Mike conroy.
watching us training they must have thought we were rubbidge.
Maggie
Interesting to know, cheers, Some amount of games. Big mhan’s a legend
HH
CRC
Big jock
McManus
Tom Boyd
Roy
Maestro
Stein
Lambert
Boyd
Aitken
McStay
1 Jock Stein
2 Stephen McManus
3 Danny McGrain
4 Roy Aitken
5 Paul McStay
1 Jock Stein
2 Stephen McManus
3 Tommy Boyd
4 Roy Aitken
5 Bertie Peacock
Stein
McManus
Boyd
Aitken
McStay
Shortest break ever by the way!!! Grrr
Neil, Stephen, Tommy, Billy and Paul.
1. Jock Stein
2. Stephen McManus
3. Tommy Boyd
4.Roy Aitken
5. Paul McStay
9.48 – “It’s a break”
9.82 – “OK Bhoys, we all back?”
Whit?
Went to the toilet, loaded the dishwasher and hung up the washing.
Did it no used to be 15 minutes. In those good ole days where we were all nice to each other?
excusesinearlyCSC
Jobo, break was 11 mins. I cant help it if it takes you longer :-)
HH
CRC
9.82????
You can tell I’m upset, can’t you.
Was just about to open my Caeser Augustus beer as well……