We will find out later today if the Scottish Government will cancel major events from Boxing Day. Under consideration are street parties, including Hogmanay celebrations, concerts and football games. Yesterday, the Welsh Government stumped up millions of pounds of public money to compensate for forcing major events behind closed doors from the same date.
As always, we should be led by the science. As usual, the politicians seldom are. Current infection rates in Scotland and Wales show no increase from recent months. Of the UK regions, only London has seen an uptick, dramatically so. Things may get worse, but the indicators are not there yet, either for infections, hospitalisations or worse.
In the second half of 2020 we saw the ridiculous consequences of playing games behind closed doors, with fans watching in crowded pubs and each other’s homes. Massive open-air, policed, stadiums were forgone for unsupervised indoor venues.
Scotland saw an uptick in infections when we gathered indoors to watch the Euros, there was no parallel impact from the return to open-air stadiums. “Follow the science,” tells us how dangerous unventilated spaces are compared to the open air.
The Welsh Government are not following science. They are spending money they did not raise because they feel the need to act.
Football fans in Scotland attend after showing a passport. This incentivised them to do the right thing, thousands of us signed up for the passport for only this purpose. The Scottish Government have other steps to mitigate risk, specifically inhibiting public transport, where the science is clear and understood.
What will the Scottish Government choose, unsupervised indoor gatherings, or well-policed open-air events? If only they were actually led by the science.
Other priorities today, but Sports Direct continued to ragdoll Newco in the courts yesterday, winning a judgement Castore sales figures should be revealed to them as part of their claim against the Ibrox club for failing to fulfil their rights to match a subsequent kit deal.
It is quite ironic that the commercial benefit from the splurge in tatty shirt sales following the Castore deal will be assessed by a court and due to be paid by the club to Sports Direct. Is it really that difficult to get this stuff right?
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From previous article
On Covid
My mate (in England) has just tested positive for Covid for the 3rd time. He has a badge now for every variant. Got Aplha before vaccines, got Delta after 2 jags and now has Omicron with a booster.
He has always had a very poor immune system but still a surprise. Was at the Madness gig last midweek so probably got it there. The Delta he got due to another friend going to Wembley and then hosting a do for the Croatia game.
obviously all his fellow Scots have taken the pish but it is still a worry really
From previous article
Commentators always made a big deal about goalies failing if they are beaten at the near post, especially English football pundits.
Kyogo’s 1st goal on Sunday was almost a carbon copy of his goal in the LC vs Hearts. The Hearts game he had acres of space and time but went near post anyway (against a top keeper) and put loads of curl and power on the shot. On Sunday it was much quicker but he hit it instantly and low and hard.
Definitely a tactic by Kyogo and executed very well; can’t blame the keeper
I would be very surprised if the powers that be don’t grab the opportunity to deny Celtic fans access to intimidate the visiting huns next month.
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I think the lead article is meant to suggest that crowds should be allowed because that’s safer than having games behind closed doors.
The only science that has influenced that line of reasoning is the dismal one.
I said I was never posting on this site again, but really; that article is either collossally uninformed or deliberate disinformation.
First, to suggest that there has been no rise in cases is an outright falsehood.
Second, to suggest that we are not “following the science” is correct, but not in the way this article maintains. There is enough data on record to have brought in new measures over a week ago; far from rushing this, we are not moving anywhere near fast enough.
Thirdly, there will be more data available to study in a week or two. Postponing fixtures, as opposed to playing them behind closed doors, is by far the better options. One thing this article gets right is that closed doors games without serious curbs on the hospitality sector simply moves the problem somewhere else, and somewhere worse.
But honest to God, the basis of this article – that there is no reason for measures – is the height of nonsense, and either proof that the writer hasn’t got the first clue what he’s talking about or he’s deliberately spreading disinformation about a deadly pandemic.
Either way, shameful.
As for the suggestion that any action taken will be done to deliberately screw our club … honest to God, some people in our support live in a fantasy every bit as rich and dark as the those at ibrox. The political class is dealing with issues of life and death. Life and death. Nobody is thinking about the destination of the league title. It is moonhowling to suggest otherwise.
well-policed open-air events?
Hmmmm………..
I would rather the game was off,than play without fans,massive disadvantage
Newco are a shambles, badly run, blah blah. Only they are current champions, league leaders and have outperformed us in Europe for the past three seasons.
Probably the Scottish government’s fault or maybe the football authorities or maybe the man on the moon! Trying to remember which one it was that made us appoint Neil Lennon as manager or allow Eddie Howe to sit on an offer for months or hold on to players who should have been sold. Obviously couldn’t have been Lowball or the big cheese or the board…….
JF
Disinformation on here? Surely not!!!
Covid is in its winter surge. If we go down the route of suspending games then be prepared to find yourself in early March with half the league games still outstanding – the sporting integrity champions will be calling for a points per game finish. If we play behind closed doors then the huns have gained a material advantage in their games against us.
Like p67, I’ve a healthy distrust of administrations that may be tempted to give themselves political cover by being seen to do something, even if that something makes little impact in terms of transmission.
Coneybhoy on 21st December 2021 12:14 pm
Assuming your mate has not been seriously ill I’d take this as a good news story where, on the face of it, the vaccines have protected him.
EUROPEAN CUP WINNERS on 21ST DECEMBER 2021 11:52 AM
I think the stat that brings back lockdown is – how many people are going into Hospital particularly critical care
I think (I am no expert) as more of the population are jabbed there is less need for people to go into hospital
The other factor (in England) of those needing a critical care bed for Covid, 90% are non vaccinated
This starts another debate and a part of me wants to put restrictions on those who choose not to vaccinate
All government decisions are focused on maintaining a functioning NHS
If the NHS looks like its about to collapse – we will be in lockdown.
—–
You make many important points – all over the UK unvaccinated people are exacerbating the situation.
Dr Ed Patrick on SKY TV demolishes the futility of the anti-vaccine stance when he explains that unvaccinated persons admitted to hospital/ICU, will need a cocktail of drugs with side-effects, maybe inducing blood-clots and other complications to save their lives.
This makes a nonsense of the original stance of the ‘not into my body’ anti-vaccine zealots – none of them would say no, or, stop doctors and nurses saving their lives.
Of course a number of people with serious illness and requiring hospital care, e.g heart & cancer problems, are being denied life-saving treatment. Anytime I encounter someone spouting anti-vaccine rubbish, I always ask about this and say “what if was your parents, siblings, children, relatives and friends – never heard anything like a coherent answer.
Morning all from a sub zero Kentucky.
JAMES FORREST on 21ST DECEMBER 2021 12:30 PM
If we are forced to play behind closed doors on Jan 2nd , It will give Sevco a relative advantage vis a vis the Ibrox game where they denied us tickets and forced the team to play before a baying , hate-filled mob . It would not be a deliberate ploy by the government and it is a stretch of credibility to think so , but a postponement until such time as we can play them at CP in front of an entirely Celtic support would be a fair sporting solution .
James Forrest on 21st December 2021 12:30 pm and GlassTwoThirdsFull on 21st December 2021 12:34 pm
Two excellent posts.
😂🤣😂🤣
JAMES FORREST on 21ST DECEMBER 2021 12:30 PM
Well said.
I would ask you to reconsider your decision as this place could do with a dose of realism.
James Forrest – welcome back. It is the time of goodwill to all men.
There are so many, in and out of government, in business and elsewhere ‘dancing on the head of a pin’.
If this virus continues its trajectory & hospitals are completely swamped, the NHS, in essence, becomes the NCS, National Covid Service. Then there are only two options left for governments, whatever their persuasion, or, location, and that is to enact emergency powers to enforce a complete lockdown, plus mandatory jabs & boosters for everyone.
That would be a statement of intent to nullify the virus – anything short of this is merely crisis-management and putting off the inevitable.
As for the suggestion that any action taken will be done to deliberately screw our club … honest to God, some people in our support live in a fantasy every bit as rich and dark as the those at ibrox. The political class is dealing with issues of life and death. Life and death. Nobody is thinking about the destination of the league title. It is moonhowling to suggest otherwise.
—-
I would agree with were it not for my own eyes and ears. As I recall, last season we had games suspended after government intervention due to a player breaking covid rules. That same government commended the huns when their breaches became public.
We also have the Scottish Prosecution Service pressing fairy tale charges against people out of a sense of vengeance for what befell oldco.
So I’m reluctant to dismiss as moonhowling the idea that the huns have friends willing to do their bidding.
Cancel the Scottish Cup entirely and the league programme until February, plenty time then to play the matches, its not just football its horse racing rugby etc, the pubs need to close, no point whatsoever in playing behind doors games if thats what happens and then keeping pubs open where people will congregate to watch.
JAMES FORREST
I have to agree with you re paranoid claims that the Scottish Government’s decisions today would be made with one eye on favouring the blue side of Glasgow.
Complete and utter insanity. There is simply no hope for anyone talking such shite.
The top-flight winter shutdown will run from Monday January 3 through until Friday January 21.
————
surely the solution is really simple.
If we close down now for 3 weeks, we just reopen in what would have been our scheduled winter shutdown ?
its not rocket science.
AN DUN
The reason Celtic had to have games cancelled was because Bolingoli secretly went to Spain, breaking covid protocols, came back and went to training before being found out. He put his teammates at risk and games were cancelled because too many players had been mixing with him.
That’s the difference.
plenty of MSM commentary of “the league cup final crowd of 50,000” being the event talked about most often as the example of crowds gathering, that twat in the mail in particular.
was there no ther sporting events last weekend ? none at all ?
coneybhoy @ 12.14
Madness?
Madness, Madness Madness
No?
TOM MCLAUGHLIN on 21ST DECEMBER 2021 1:12 PM
You’re overlooking the fact that the club had agreed covid protocols in place to mitigate against player transmission within the squad.
AN DÚN on 21ST DECEMBER 2021 1:04 PM
‘We also have the Scottish Prosecution Service pressing fairy tale charges against people out of a sense of vengeance for what befell oldco.
###
I’m not sure that’s the reason for what happened.
Whether Boli got covid in his local Tesco or Spain made no difference to our protocols.
Governments are very, very good at spending other peoples money.
Sadly any shutdown/restrictions will impact Celtic and the Celtic fans more than the Huns (they just do whatever they feel like anyway) but if it saves just one life from Covid then it has to be done.
ERNIE LYNCH on 21ST DECEMBER 2021 1:19 PM
The Crown has already conceded the prosecutions were “malicious” and paid out accordingly.
not other peoples money, its our money,
One hour after the article was published, a quieter response than I was expecting.
Perhaps contributors are waiting until after the FM speaks.
Maybe I’ll do the same.
PS – for anyone who makes a public pledge and then breaks it ….
… A career in politics awaits.
AN DÚN on 21ST DECEMBER 2021 1:25 PM
ERNIE LYNCH on 21ST DECEMBER 2021 1:19 PM
The Crown has already conceded the prosecutions were “malicious” and paid out accordingly.
###
All that means is that the prosecutions went ahead although the Crown knew there was insufficient admissible evidence to secure a conviction.
Anything beyond that is conjecture.
playing behind closed doors is a nonsense , close the whole SPL down and restart when safe to do so.
Former chairman John McLaughlin once even joked referencing the point when he led a charge against Celtic’s original landlord in 1891 (who had attempted to impose a massive increase in rent for the first Celtic Park) when he said:
‘Being an Irish club, it is but natural that we should have a greedy landlord.’