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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St mirren put in request to postpone game
Saint Stivs
Re 1894. I can’t find any references to the flag but I see the international match was at Celtic Park, that it was a 2-2 draw and that the 40+ thousand attendance set a new world record.
Educated guess?
Celtic and St Mirren talking to each other offline.
Good move and good statement.
Absolutely no insight on the SPFL thought process.
Public stance taken by other clubs will be crucial.
LAFAN on 21ST DECEMBER 2021 5:19 PM
St mirren put in request to postpone game
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Appears to be our game plus Sevco on 26th
St Mirren Football Club can confirm that it has requested postponements of our upcoming cinch Premiership matches against Celtic and Rangers following further positive covid tests.
We have tried our utmost to fulfil the fixture, however, following further positive covid cases this morning we are unable to field a team for either match with a significant number of first-team players and staff unavailable.
The health and wellbeing of our players and staff remains our utmost priority and we will continue to take every precaution necessary.
We are in continued discussions with the SPFL and we will keep supporters updated as we look for a resolution to this matter.
Sir Andy Murray…good at tennis…..multi millionaire
Sir Chris Hoy……good at cycling….multi millionaire
Sir Bradley Wiggins….as above
Sir Lewis Hamilton ….good at driving….multi millionaire
The list is endless
Then there’s plain Mr Lou Macari…good at football and absolutely brilliant at looking after, and sometimes saving people facing hard times
Time to end this knighthood pish
http://macari-foundation.co.uk/
Just imagine if the SPFL say that StMirren don`t have to play us on Wednesday but have to fulfill their fixture against Sevco at the weekend !!!
https://twitter.com/ScottishFA/status/1473347124041498632?t=P4Gw7fqYO4mpeGOioY7BJQ&s=19P
I read this as no change to schedule, get on with it
So Ross County`s 5,800 capacity Victoria Park is allowed 500 and Celtic`s 60,832 capacity Celtic Park is allowed……hmmm….let me calculate….oh, that is also 500.
Makes sense……to someone.
Only if you let it be, Neil
“Today’s news will be a hammer blow to clubs and fans across the country, who simply could not have done more to mitigate the impact of the ongoing pandemic,” SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster said.
BURNLEY78 see Premier of Ontario Doug Ford his daughter just google.Selfish twits.
!!BADA BING!! on 21ST DECEMBER 2021 5:48 PM
I agree ( with your conclusion not the stance the JRG seem to be taking).
The last game in scotland before lockdown was a sevco game against bayer leverkusen. They therefore would not need to refund £2.5m. The first game after lockdown was another sevco european game.
Our game against sevco will be in front of 500 supporters. No doubt this restriction will be lifted before our next trip to i brox.
“UNCLE JIMMY on 21ST DECEMBER 2021 5:51 PM
Only if you let it be, Neil”
Exactly.
Are Sevco not due to be without three players going to African Cup? If so they might like Jan 2nd postponement too.
31003 5.41pm
Fantastic work, donation sent.
I wish Lou had brought Neil ‘Nello’ Baldwin with him when he came to manage Celtic.
John swiney say Hibs celtic was a spreader event – what about 50k huns on saturday>
DeniaBhoy- going to the tournament after the game on the 2nd
Saint Stivs
Madden’s shipyard refers to Johnny Madden. He was originally a riveter in the shipyards. I remember noting that name from the team sheet of Celtic’s very first match that you provided us with a while ago. Amazing story. He was a winger and he won leagues with Celtic and then chose to coach in Prague. He lived there until 1948 when he passed away. He is now a legend at Slavia Prague, they re-named a stand after him in 2017.
All I want for Christmas is a Slavia Prague top
GARNGAD TO CROY on 21ST DECEMBER 2021 6:06 PM
31003 5.41pm
Fantastic work, donation sent.
I wish Lou had brought Neil ‘Nello’ Baldwin with him when he came to manage Celtic.
###
You haven’t seen Marvellous?
St Mirren’s money-spinning clash with Celtic has been dramatically axed as covid chaos rained down on the embattled club.
They’d hoped to limp into tomorrow night’s match in Paisley and bank an estimated £55,000 windfall from 4,000 Celtic fans.
HOT SMOKED on 21ST DECEMBER 2021 5:49 PM
So Ross County`s 5,800 capacity Victoria Park is allowed 500 and Celtic`s 60,832 capacity Celtic Park is allowed……hmmm….let me calculate….oh, that is also 500.
Makes sense……to someone.
———-
It makes sense if you consider the ways in which 60,000 people travel to and from an event. The event isn’t the issue so much, its the buses, cars, trains etc thats the problem.
The decision to limit close social contact, crowding on public transport, and raucous occasions where booze is heavily consumed are definitely factors that need to be considered in any attempt to influence social behaviour to slow down the spread of this virus and its variants.
The preference for an Ibrox club over a Parkhead club does not sit at the forefront of this decision.These decisions have been taken simultaneously by a Welsh Labour government and a Scottish SNP one. I expect the Westminster Tory one will just be later to the starting blocks but may surprise us by being more balanced in their approach ( a long shot, I admit, given their previous record and their preference for being governed by money)
The science of virology and physiology have had welcome input to this decision but a far greater input into the decision making here has come from the dismal science of economics and its even more dismal sisters Political Science and Behavioural Psychology.
There are two factors wrong with the balance between risks and safety that the governments have made:-
1) They have underplayed the risks involved in keeping pubs and restaurants open with a fairly loosely policed one metre distance expectation. This has been done for economic benefit because these industries are in dire financial straits. Following the hard sciences should have seen more restrictive measures there. They want to be seen to say that you can stay open ad make money but we urge the public to not visit you on health grounds. It is classic buck passing.
2) They have overplayed the risks of gathering at football matches by using an arbitrary and flat limit of 500 regardless of stadium size. This has been implemented for reasons of Behavioural Psychology i.e. It will be hard to persuade the populace of the need to behave better indoor in shops, bars and restaurants, where infection spread is much much more likely, if they see football fans enjoying greater levels of freedom because they are not under a roof. I would assert yet again that 5 to 10k could easily be accomodated with distancing of two metres plus in a wide open space like Celtic Park. And I will assert, though I have no definitive proof, just supportive evidence, that this would not aid the spread of the virus, if properly policed.
Both of these mistakes have probably been made because the Governments all mishandled the use of lockdown and, particularly, the timetable for departing from lockdown in the last lockdown. We had a very short interval from a near total lockdown to re-establishing almost complete absence of restrictions. Everyone, in Scotland as in England, except for the severely compromised and elderly, treated this as VC (victory over Covid) Day and behaved as though restrictions were gone and would never more be necessary. Football crowds, who had observed the rules for distancing, mask wearing and regular sanitising, impeccably, during the trial periods, dropped all pretence of following these requirements and reverted quickly and irrevocably to past football behaviours.
And that genie cannot be put back into the bottle quickly. We messed up a big chance to influence thinking in the way we presented and interpreted Freedom Day. So all of us who did not mask wear, who did not regularly sanitise and who shook hands, cuddled and huddled through this Lower Risk (not Covid free) Period are partially responsible for these 2 bad decisions
The arbitrary non-scientific plucking of the 500 figure ( for all grounds)
AND
The decision to minimlly restrict pubs and restaurants and shops, where Omicron will still take grip, transmit, and rapidly multiply.
Some will applaud because their politics are in allegiance with the decision makers and some will applaud merely because action, however wrong headed, is taking place as opposed to Westminster, or more accurately, Downing Street and Matthew Parker Street, bumbling.
But let no-one convince you that this is hard and fast scientific reasoning at work. it is some science, some guesswork, and a huge load of political calculation by all Governments, devolved or not.
I’d say we deserve better but we voted for them.
P.S. For any hard of thinking- this is NOT an anti-SNP post but I am damned if I will applaud everything they do.
Celtic and Motherwell have called for the Scottish Premiership winter break to be moved forward to avoid fixtures being impacted by capped capacities.
Hearts have also told fans they are “exploring all options”.
If 02 January game goes ahead …
Announce beforehand that, to honour the memory of Desmond White, Celtic will pay tribute by using his attendance calculation methodology for this match.
Open the turnstiles to 60,000 people.
Announce the official attendance …
… as 500 !
🤭
David 17
“The event isn’t the issue so much, its the buses, cars, trains etc thats the problem.”
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In what way are cars an issue? You cannot fit more than 3 households into a car.
St Mirren game still ON.
DENIABHOY on 21ST DECEMBER 2021 6:04 PM
Are Sevco not due to be without three players going to African Cup? If so they might like Jan 2nd postponement too.
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Their three players are available for the game, if it goes ahead.
SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 21ST DECEMBER 2021 6:32 PM
You can get at least 5 people legally into a car. 52 or more onto a bus or coach and hundreds if not thousands onto a train. It also requires hundreds of key workers such as police and paramedics to facilitate such mass gatherings.
SFTB/David 6.32.
If public transport is such an issue, as I pointed out earlier, why have Scot Gov not reintroduced restrictions on public transport?
There are currently no Covid capacity limits or social distancing requirements on public transport.
Common sense may yet prevail.
Celtic led the way, and the rest of Scottish football will eventually join in as soon as politicians wh lose the notion that there was only just one game with a big crowd at the last weekend. It matters not to Sky moguls whether there are supporters or not, they’re televising the game and have made their money regardless.
St Mirren game will be called off probably tomorrow. Rainjurz no doubt want closed door resumption to add to their 55 and their ‘lead’ at the top.
Who joins Celtic publicly or otherwise, know it makes sense.
New article posted.
And I’m lonely over there !!!!
So either the treatment works or it doesn’t?
If it works why would you need to concern yourself about what others do?
How can it be claimed to work when trials don’t end until 2023?
If your educated by media then who the fk are you to cast judgements on others who refuse to be fooled by said media, a media who are 100% proven liars on every subject on every occasion?
If you give money to a Celtic executive who’s main objective is to keep Rangers and the oldfirm games alive, then who the fk are you to sit in judgement of anybody?
If you vote for a political party that hates Catholics, Celtic, Irish descendants, immigrants who are used for grandstanding purposes, women, children, Jesus, the sick, the poor, the working classes, trade unions, Christmas, St Patrick’s day, and yet you are arrogant, conceited, entitled, and hunlike enough to think you can judge folk who stand their ground and simply refuse to believe a single word that comes out of that “govts” lying deceiving conning mouths or its happy clappy media, and its carefully chosen one narrow view scientists and bellicose “celebrities” and after all of that you still don’t get YOU are the stupid bassa who is to blame for every single bit of this palaver then I’m afraid that only God will have mercy on your lost soul.
Would love to know this : if they are not following the science as you repeatedly assert then what is their basis for decisions that annoy the voters and damage the economy? You know, the two things closest to the nasty politician’s heart.
I’ll give you a clue – there is no sensible answer because they are of course following the science.
If you are going to claim “not lazy journalism” then you need to raise your bar.