I’m not taking the SPFL- face recognition plan too seriously but that’s not to say the politics behind the suggestion should be ignored. Scottish football has no hooligan problems, compared England or the Continent our game is orderly and sedate. Until recent years there was no such thing as a flare problem, and offensive signing was a thing of the past.
All that changed when the SNP government got involved in 2011. Two managers shouted at each other after a game, three Rangers players were ordered off, and First Minister, Alex Salmond decided a summit was necessary to reign in the game’s wilder elements. What utter tosh.
Three weeks later, Justice Minister, Kenny MacAskill congratulated fans on creating a great atmosphere at the League Cup Final, which was notable for the re-emergence of the previously eradicated Billy Boys song. At an instant MacAskill rebased what was acceptable behaviour at Scottish football.
Since then the game has been trying to put the genie back in the bottle. The arguments were rehearsed in the CQN comments pages and elsewhere, “They are congratulated by the Government for singing The Billy Boys and we can’t sing about nationalist politics”, or words to that effect. Songs which had disappeared from the Celtic support lexicon were soon back and remain. Incalculable damage done by two incompetent clowns.
Since then the Scottish Government and a very small number (very small indeed) of senior officers at Police Scotland decided to subject football fans to the kind of surveillance that would make a military junta of a banana republic blush.
It’s a mess. Officers on the ground readily complain in private, all other political parties pledge to repeal the Offensive Behaviour’ Act, while sheriffs line up to mock cases arising from the Act. Football has been left to pick up the pieces left from a Scottish Government created problem. The Government refuse to accept any liability, will not repeal the Act and having celebrated a new, low, standard for spectator behaviour, seem quite happy with the situation.
Scottish football was doing very well before the Government decided to rebase what is acceptable behaviour. No football authority will succeed in any endeavour if the government is working against it. What the SPFL did was make a clear, if clumsy, attempt to return the problem to sender – the newly disinterested in football Scottish Government.
When one becomes six
I’ve scoured the internet today but cannot see any complaints about Celtic’s alleged “one up front” tactics. This season hasn’t gone to plan, but we’re making an incredible number of chances and scoring a remarkable number of goals.
One up front leaves space for, what is in effect, two wingers on each flank, and an attacking mid able to work inside the box.
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Mike, enjoy your break.
Your posts are always readable and enjoyable as well as passionate about our team.
If you both can get over here to see us play, you would have a great time.
Hopefully you will be back posting sooner rather than later.
Phillbhoy, I hope Archie makes a full recovery.
“Truly I tell you,” Jesus declared, “this very night before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”
An incredible moment for Mankind.
Peter never doubted, he was just scared.
Powerful.CSC
G’night.
Oh and delighted for Ronny D last night, he wants the 5 goal first half fitba to be a norm, especially at home games. Keep the Faith.
Mike in Toronto,
sad that it has come to this but I absolutely respect your take on the current atmosphere. I have more or less stopped posting over the last few months, mostly for some of the reasons that you so eloquently explained. CQN is sadly not what it was; too much rudeness and uncalled for aggression.
HH
Gerry
Fred Quimby, if you feel the need to be confrontational and aggressive to a CQNer send me your details and forward them to the people concerned. Red card.
We played Whitehill Welfare at Easter Rd lads, they were the home team.
BLANTYRETIM IS PRAYING FOR THE KNOX FAMILY on 20TH JANUARY 2016 10:42 PM
Macjay
Genuinely sorry to hear that.
Poor little Archie.
A 5 year old fighting for his life
Hope he pulls through.
Meanwhile on planet cqn a bunch mainly middle aged men can’t stop insulting each other. Not quite through I know but we should try to be more civil to each other.
Mike in Toronto, sleep on it and reconsider.
Any one ever hear from Tom McLaughlin, always enjoyed his posts
Aw Paul, I was just about to ask him to join the Celtic Trust recruitment drive on Saturday!
who did we play tnecastle in league cup with blinker having his best game, early 97.
I was that man and I will now retire for a while
Been a blast
Stivs
Hearts?! :-)
Not quite through. .should read not quite true
But you knew that. ..didn’t you
BT
You know it’s not the right thing to do mate.
Philbhoy on 20th January 2016 10:33 pm
Prayers for Archie and his loved ones.
Let thine ears be attentive……………………
HT –
You where just a wean, you wont remember, it was a wee tema for sure, i need to go look now
Philbhoy
God bless your wee mate Archie
HH
It was Berwick Rangers at Tynecastle.Celtic won 7-0.
Last ever post – I never could abide the Alf Garnetts of this world
Saint Stivs
Think it was Berwick? Was at the game. :)
Stivs
45 this weekend amigo, if it was ’97 I was probably there but don’t recall it at the moment.
God bless and protect wee Archie.
Wits
Hamilton Park Friday evening 13th May. Fancy it? PF Ayr, Chris, myself and big John already booked into hospitality but I can add to the table if I move reasonably quickly. Be great to see you again, been too long!
By the way, I still can’t text or call you, unless I reply to a text from you. It’s odd.
Anyone else fancy a night at the races, you’re most welcome.
£99 plus VAT. Champagne reception, 3 course meal, programme….the usual kinda thing.
Mike in Toronto
I hope when you decide to come back, you come back slimmer ya Fatbhoy, ye! The blog cannae keeping carrying the weight of all these Fatbhoys :-)
On this very subject, 19 Fatbhoys & 1 Fatghirl clicked into operation last week and lost a staggering 33 lbs between them, which is above our target loss of 29.6 per week.
So with our 11Ibs lost by the early starters in the first week also banked ( with no target for week 1), we have a little additional excess banked away for any bad weeks ahead
Within this loss, we had 4 Fatbhoys away off in the wrong direction with a weight gain, and one Fatbhoy that weighed in late and fatter (His score will count next week). We of course have a Fatbhoy building up reserves in Dubai at the mo, before he joins us in February.
As Mike in Toronto only weighed in this week, he will join the fat league of losses next week,
Our target loss for the 20 weeks is 562 lbs and we are 8% of the way there.
HH
CRC
Eyemouth United
Paddy T
Stivs/Ht
Good shout. Just remembered that the venue was changed to facilitate a pay day.
HH
MIT and BT
Sorry you feel like that although who could blame you.
Maybe install that wee app that canman was pushing earlier. Filter out the blog hoggers and self important eejits.
Hope you both reconsider
TnT
I get the same problem trying to contact Almore in Dublin. When he is in Scotland, our phones link no problem. Strange.
Stivs
Just checked SoT, who I really hope changes his mind about chucking it, was absolutely correct. Still don’t remember it though! Maybe I got hit by the baw early that day :-)
Gearoid
If memory serves me we won 3-0.
well done on the Berwick spotters …………..
that brought me to another celticwiki game ……………….
which princess team did we beat 21-0 in a pre-season ?
————————————————
1997-08-09: Berwick Rangers 0-7 Celtic, 2nd Rd League CupThis is a featured page
Match Pictures | Matches: 1997 – 1998 | 1997-1998 Pictures
Trivia
The chances of signing Marc Rieper increased when West Ham signed David Unsworth from Everton.
The game was moved to Tynecastle.
Annoni was injured, Hannah, McKinlay and Marshall were dropped.
The Berwick goalkeeper Darren Collier was struggling with an injury but played. Berwick had made an attempt to sign Pat Bonner before the game but he had turned them down saying that he wasn’t fit and that it would be wrong to play against Celtic.
Jonathon Gould, Stephane Mahe and Regi Blinker’s competitive debut’s. Larsson and Blinker’s first competitive goals for the club s.
Review
An easy win against Third Division opposition – but a banana skin avoided and the team playing better with each outing.
Teams
Berwick Rangers (5-4-1):
Collier (Burgess 46); Cunningham, Fraser, Clark, McNicoll, Finlayson; Smith (Laidler 78), Irvine, Sloan, Walton (Rafferty, 70); Forrester.
Bookings: Clark (Berwick)
Celtic (4-4-2):
Gould; Boyd, MacKay, Stubbs, Mahe (McNamara 46); Burley, Wieghorst; Blinker, Jackson, Larsson (O’Donnell 77), Thom (Donnelly, 69).
Scorers: Jackson (16), Larsson (21), Blinker (28), Wieghorst (38), Thom (41), Donnelly (70), Donnelly (84).
Referee: J Fleming (Glasgow)
Attendance: 6,267
Ht
Go raibh maith agat
phoning anywhere in ireland from clydebank, and your monitored by the brits telecom.
paranoid, moi.
Delaney’s Dunky
It’s odd I’ve deleted Wits, added him again, but nope. Actually, I’ve not tried him from my company mobile, I’ll give that a go. Different net wot so perhaps it’ll work. I’ll let ya know!
Network!
Hope it is just bhoys crying wolf tonight. Would not like to see guys like BT, MIT and SoT leave this place. Three of my favourite posters. Sad night. :(
Dunky
Just sent WITS a message which looks like it’s gone through, certainly not got undelivered notification. EE. My other phone is O2. It’s either the network or the subscription type I guess? What network you on?
Had a nice wee double up last night on Leigh to score at least two and WBA.
Tonight I tried Liverpool minus two and Barca to be winning ht/ft.
Happy days……but we all know…Paddy will wreak his revenge soon enough.
TnT
Tesco mobile. Cheap n cheerful. :)
Very sad to hear some of the boys having enough.
I think the last couple of days on cqn have been very bleak indeed.
I totally understand how they feel.