Scott Brown defence, pyro problems, the joy of Ryan Christie

Scott Brown was assaulted at Ibrox on Sunday and was relentlessly taunted for a family bereavement.  His trademark celebration was understated but marked the treatment he received.  He has been cited by the SFA for “not acting in the best interests of Association Football.”  There is plenty of precedent for Celtic’s legal team to call in his defence.

I have stood within two yards of Celtic fans throwing pyrotechnics onto the field of play.  I have also been in a stairwell, exiting a game with thousands of other packed Celtic fans, when a device went off to the delight of a handful, causing panic to hundreds of others.

If you think appealing to a desire not to damage the reputation of Celtic fans will stop those throwing pyrotechnics, you are wrong.  The reputation of Celtic fans is inconsequential to anyone who throws an item at a player or onto the field.  This is their chance to set their own rules, their personal reputation remains just fine.  If you think they are going to stop because Neil Lennon tells them to, you are deluded.

This will result in blanket video surveillance, a handful of prosecutions, and then we will get back to normal, when Celtic fans’ reputation was the envy of world football.

How much have we missed Ryan Christie?  It is not just what he personally brings, it is having him, Callum McGregor and James Forrest on the field at the same time allows us to move the ball at a pace that is not possible without them.