The arrival of Matthew Sean O‘Riley (surely, nominative determinism at work), our fifth signing of the window, looks like another incredible bit of business by Celtic. Like Moussa Dembele, he signed senior forms with Fulham as a 16-year-old. Whereas Moussa experienced regular first team football in his third season there, Matt found opportunities rare, so declined a three year contract in 2020 and left the club.
That contract offered the then 19-year-old financial security. Instead, he went looking for first team football elsewhere and was without a club for six months. He spent the time training with MK Dons, whom he eventually joined in January last year.
This is a remarkable example of singlemindedness, I cannot recall anyone else in the game going without money in the hope that they better their long-term prospects. At the time he would have been asked, “What if you get injured?” It was a risk that had a significant probability of not paying off.
I love this attitude. Matt will enjoy life at Celtic, but be clear, he is here because we have made him a career enhancing offer – not a career ceiling. Like so many before him, he will want it all in the EPL one day, which is actually a good thing.
MK Dons fans and EFL analysis rave about his abilities. He has been a star there and was destined to go higher soon. Dons confirmed we relieved them of his services due to a buy-out clause (I expect the same is true of this month’s Japanese imports), reportedly £1.5m.
Michael Nicholson is playing a blinder in his first transfer window.
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Saint stivs
Lol very good .
Chairbhoy- just about to head out to watch the game with my brothers in R/glen and we are having a family meal afterwards so I best get this out first.
Now I’m talking about the current sectarian situation in Scotland, where you come from I believe there is legislation on “sectarianism”.
There is no legislation on Sectarianism in Scotland, even with quotation words around the mark. I explained this in previous contributions. There was an education process under previous Labour administrations but no legislation was required for that. The SNP were not happy with that and felt there was a disproportionate conviction rate for Ibrox songs rather than Parkhead songs, so they were looking to even things up and , again, reached for the legal route of banning things, as is their wont. The really really really silly Act they produced was the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act. It sought to define and outlaw Offensive chanting, singing and behaviour, not Sectarianism, again because they could not get a legally binding definition.
Once they launched this daft act, they talked about it as tackling, amongst other things, the “scourge of sectarianism” and tried to present it to people as if Sectarianism had been included in the legislation, but it was not there officially or by definition. It did not produce the results they promised and they ignored a lot of sound advice on that matter, preferring the Holy Willie position that they could turn us all into nice little Scotsmen without any suspect allegiances (I accept that they find “Ulster” Unionism as distasteful as Irish Republicanism). The Act ended up prosecuting daft wee boys from Hamilton who were shouting “Well, Well, F*** your Well” at Motherwell supporters and they did so with full force, visiting households in the early hours, meeting targeted “offenders” at the Airport or in their place of work or study. They tried to destroy a few lives in order to make an unworkable act work. And still they did not “even up the score”. And still they found difficulty in making Republican songs stick as sectarian. Some add ons were and we all condemn those. Some songs that mention the IRA by name fall foul of other laws re prescribed organisations but they cannot make the charge that the IRA or support for it was sectarian.
You seem to be completely blind to the locality and communal requirement when it comes to sectarian issues.
Seem is another of those words like holistic where you can attenpt to shove anything you like in there without rational or proof. I stated clearly that I see the same things you do- we difer only in seeing the word sectarianism as a useful or definable term. Do not play the “I see the bigger picture” card but you guys are too close to see this! You have not yet, to me, proven a case that we are missing something that you alone can see.
“Consider the locality and communal element because it is fundamental to what sectarian means and by ignoring that fact you are all over the shop. “
You still have to prove that there is something unique about our communal rivalry that is absent from other communal rivalries. As McGrain said, the word sect does not denote two distinct separate communities; there can be schismatic sects within faiths, so ruling out Muslim v Jew, Orthodox vs Non Orthodox Jews, Protestants v Mormons, Southern Baptist v Northern Baptist, Brahmins v Untouchables, but reserving it solely for “that ulster and WoS thing” increasingly sounds (put that word in with seems) like an assertion rather than a conclusion.
Aff Oot now
Sectarianism is part of the society or “Rangers are a part of the fabric of society” said Alex Salmond.
Its like this, if Scotland’s sectarianism Rangers fc OO etc is 80% of the fabric that Alex Salmond spoke about and Celtic supporters or Tims are from 16% of society, then doesn’t Timmy realise that with those type of ratios that there’ll be no common ground, no equality, who can you equalize such a ratio? If Timmy is fobbed off with the OBFA, from a political party that most Timmy’s vote for, and continue to vote for, even after such a display of hatred from SNP govt, and meek, complicit, surrender of Celtic PLC attending a govt summit, on Timmy’s behalf, because we got three players booked in the Shame Game, then isn’t it understandable why most of those who hate Timmy being in Scotland in the first place, and see how easily gulled Timmy is, isn’t it easy to see where non Timmy gets the idea, or trope, that these Irish immigrants are testimony to the thick misrepresentations of the daft Irish, or the dafty Irish jokes that we’ve all heard, which I find disgusting, and it sticks in my craw why Celtic supporters present themselves as, idiots, mugs, easy meats, and no matter how many university degrees they get, the thick dumbfkery continues to rise, and rise, so given all of that, the situation is, Scotland is a Catholic hating, Irish hating, Celtic hating, country that leaves Timmy the option of, wear your identity of your irish heritage as freely as you can, but don’t demand that 80% of the non Irish, non Catholic, non Celtic supporters, see you as equals because the population ratio dictates that as unquantifiable, but there is another less spoken about option open to Timmy, if you don’t like the raw cold arse of Scotland, then no one is stopping Timmy from leaving, and each time Timmy whines about a lack of equality, your not being smart, as your leaving the door open to big ugly hun Billy to remind us all that,…
“The Famine Is Over Why Don’t You Go Home?”
Hun Billy is cashing in on the gift that dim Timmy constantly gives by whining “Its Not Fair” it isn’t fair, but smart Timmy never shows the enemy his / her weaknesses. When they don’t know what hurts you, then they fear you.
So simple.
CHAIRBHOY on 22ND JANUARY 2022 3:18 PM
No worries. Debate is healthy and useful so there’s no need to apologise for it.
I agree in that in Scotland there does not appear to be a statutory definition of sectarianism. Why do you think that is?
As you have confirmed there is case law however which holds the singing of certain rangers songs to be religious/ racially aggravated offences.
There is also case law which holds that singing songs with references to the IRA, especially those which implied approval of that organisation, cannot be considered an offence aggravated by religious prejudice.
This is because Courts have upheld the view that the IRA was a republican military organisation, was not sectarian in intent and that those who showed support for it, real or rhetorical, were not showing “malice or ill will towards members of a religious group’’.
Is the singing of these songs sectarian because in Scotland the songs pit unionists against republicans? Not really imo. There are unionists within the Celtic support. There may even be unionist supporting Celtic fans and republican supporting Celtic fans within the same family. This was echoed in the referendum campaign where time and again unionists and republicans were seen within family groups. So much like your Non Zionist Jews v Zionist Jews example can this really be considered sectarian as surely families come from the same communal identity?
I suggest that the reason why there’s no legislative definition of sectarianism in Scotland is not because it’s impossible, but because it wouldn’t achieve what law makers want it to.
Which brings us to the offensive behaviour act. This was an attempt to sidestep jurisprudence and level the playing field. To make each side as bad as the other. Unfortunately it was dreamt up on the hoof, was really bad law which damaged a lot of peoples’ lives, and was ultimately unworkable. This is why imo it was repealed. Had it been really bad law which Courts were enforcing it’s likely it would still be on the book today.
Hail Hail
What a goal by Ivan Toney!
dearie me.
PARK THE BUS 442
Wow..
is this the country i live in that your talking about and when we get independence is that what we’ll get?.
Even better strike by Reuben Neves.
14th goal from outside the 18 yard box by Neves. What an asset to have!
5 extra time games in Scottish Cup.
one of the channels just now –
Attilas secret tomb
framed brilliantly as
The search for the man that the christians called the devil , son of a dog, leader of the huns, this will explore the rise and fall of the nomadic war like violent and cruel hun nation.
flood of complaints to the polis
serious point , apart from football or the marching season,
when was the last time someone told you a thick paddy joke ?
called you a derogatary term , taig, bead rattler . whatever ?
abused you verbally in the street ?
in terms of the workplace, do you feel disadvantaged because of your religion or the team you support ?
does your boss disparage your football team ? deny you time off ?
where the flying flup is that eejjit talking about ?
SAINT STIVS on 22ND JANUARY 2022 5:15 PM
Last July. A guy comes across the road & straight into my face gives it the famine’s over why don’t you go home?
As it happens I was making my way home at the time. Walking just outside the Tesco’s on the Dublin Road, Belfast. Sometimes you just have stop and admire the logic.
Park the bigotry in George galloway arse shaped heid
Keep your vomit
Take anyone except Livingston away
Huns have written a letter of complaint to the SFA, as they didn’t get a home draw
McGregor’s injury could be disastrous….Ange said it’s ‘significant “