‘They’ want to get rid of him. Not all of them, by any measure, I’ve seen Neil Lennon welcomed as an old friend by some whose allegiances lie a long way from Celtic Park, but to some he represents an opportunity to indulge in the kind of prejudice which was once widely accepted in Scotland.
In this instance I’m not talking about the idiot football fans, there are lots of idiot football fans, just waiting for an opportunity to present their credentials. You can meet them wearing any colours. The people who showed their true colours today were in charge of stewarding guests at Tynecastle – and Neil Lennon was a guest.
It’s a horrible place. The day the flats are built cannot come soon enough. I expect a robust response from Aberdeen, as well as life bans. I expect nothing from Hearts.
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Stair, I also obviously accept that there is anti Irish bigotry and that there has been a tolerance of it for too long. However this country also tolerates Irish Republican marches without there being widespread bloodshed. Whether you or I like it, many people in Britain find such marches more repulsive than Orange marches but people are still able to support Republican gatherings. If this country was so hateful then why do such marches not lead to bloodshed?
Orangemen have freedom to protest in most democracies. We may not like their stance but they are free to express themselves. In other words, your point about Orange marches does not support the idea that Scotland accepts such bigotry. Scotland is thankfully not a dictatorship. If you want to launch a counter protest then you may. Thanks for a considered response.
Kitalba, fair point about it being a site concerned with Celtic matters. However certain analogies are unhelpful in my opinion. Others will not agree with me though.
Celtic’s statement indicates that they feel this is not a big issue. That is a little disappointing as the man could not do his job properly without enduring abuse. Off oot.
John
I don’t uphold the right if someone to assault another man in front of many thousands of witnesses and in fact on TV. Nor do I uphold the right of a group of supporters to spit and throw coins at an individual.
Your argument is sound but let’s not lose sight of what actually happened yesterday
It was dreadful. Maybe being made to replay the game behind closed doors would be appropriate …..
John O’Neil:
It is a site concerned with many issues, that is what makes it great. All you have to do is bring an issue to the table and some will listen and some won’t, but I would not judge a cyber space silence to harshly.
I lived in England for more than a decade, I befriended hundreds of them, every one of them to a man or a women had no real problem with Celtic singing republican songs, credit them their empathy with oppressions, but they did despise the Michael Fagan. song and rightly so.
Your point about Republican supporters in the UK being allowed to march and sing, that is true and it speaks volumes about the freedoms afforded society, as long as you don’t sing those freedom songs as you walk along the London Road to Parkhead, and therein lies the farce.
Kitalba….
Nail on head hit.
Kit
FOCUS was set up by CC House after the “summit”
The OB Act was the product and FOCUS set up to enforce same
They secured funding to enforce same and despite resounding condemnation from the judiciary and continuous acquittals the nonsense persists
It is basically a product of the politicisation of the senior law officers in the country …Law Adv and Sol Gen …who are now beholden to the Scottish Govt as apposed to them being impartial legal advisors …
Add , the set up of Police Scotland and the ceding of significant powers to one CC.. House
Media politics together with an outrageously egotistical CC …unhealthy mix
House’s pet poodle is MacAskill.( Justice Minister) …the tail is wagging the dog
Far too many people in Scotland, including those in high office (politically, legally, and in the media) privately celebrate events such as those at Tynecastle yesterday.
They laugh with delight at the thought of someone attacking NFL or sending him letter bombs etc….
Whilst some have argued that events at Tynecastle have nothing to do with the referendum they are only partially correct. Where they are very much part of the referendum issue is the reporting and investigation of such events.
The authorities who will yield 100% power after a YES vote can demonstrate how fit they are for office by their actions today.
History has taught me not to hold my breath….
Have Celtic made a statement…?
pfayr
And all the while Celtic FC support House, MacAskill and FOCUS.
MWD
MWD
Sad but true
stairheedrammy
08:08 on 2 February, 2014
————————————————–
And Irish people, for the most part, are blissfully unaware of this insane bigotry.
They actually rather like Scotland and Scottish people.
I read a while ago the result of a newspaper poll,conducted in Ireland… The question asked of those whom participated – If you were not Irish, which other nationality would you prefer to be?
Something like 90% of those questioned, answered Scottish!!
Can ya believe that?
Such ignorance.
Although I concede that the irrational bigots are excellent in hiding their prejudice on a face-to -face basis.
There is definitely a sneakiness there, and that isn’t a trait exclusive to Scottish people, despite what the recent history of Scotland would suggest.
The reasons?
PhilMac once wrote that the hatred is primarily due to Ireland’s roll in the destruction of their beloved, British empire.
I can’t say if this is true, or not,but I do believe that the success of Celtic FC has got a lot to do with it.
You convince yourself,or are brought up believing that a people are inferior to your own tribe,for whatever reason, the WATP mentality… and then they turn out to disprove your own prejudices and notions – it’s got to rile the supremacist bigots.
There is a lot of jealousy going on too, and envy is a terrible thing, added to that a deep, self loathing – ashamed of their own history, the bargaining and selling, to this day, still marching and parading beneath the banners of those whom conquered their own country… not convincing anyone of their own supposed loyalty though.
Their bitterness is incredible, nobody does hate quite like they do, and the saddest thing is that the more marginalised, and foolish they are seen to be, they become even more bitter.
They are more to be pitied than anything.
Apologies for the rant.
Moonbeams:
Correct. We should never have gone to the ‘summit’, in my eyes anyway, by doing so we gave it Celtic credence where none on our part was due to Celtic malice.
Can you imagine Spiers prevaricating if McCoist or Walter had been targeted like this?
Can you imagine the reaction in England if Moyes or Mourinho had been targeted? (in fact, can you imagine this happening in any stadium in the EPL to any manager, regardless of religion, class, or colour?)
You can’t, can you?
Neil Francis Lennon is fair game in Scotland, and that tells you all you need to know about this bigoted little backwater.
kitalba,
The summit was a trap. By attending we immediately took 50% of the blame for the scenes that night, in spite of the fact that it was the Huns’ discipline that imploded.
We also gave succour to Christine Graham and her nationalist “evening up the statistics” brigade. One’s as bad as the other, etc.
Attending that summit is the biggest single mistake Peter Lawwell has made in his time at Celtic.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/26002727
at least the bbc are giving some voice to yesterday on the website.
We are all over them like a rash, we are WINNING!!
And they don’t like it, they don’t like it atall.
F them, that’s what I say.
As as kojo himself would say – Still laughing lf at them,the insane hun posse.
We arrrrrra peepil!! Hahaha, ho ho feckin ho!
Happy Sunday huns & a big GIRFUY! (as they say in Glesga)
:)
PFayr:
It is farcical, but they created the farce and they cannot decry the farce because to do so means heads must roll. In the interim, ordinary football supporters are being stigmatised, ostracised, victimised and found innocent of no crime.
The farce should be made a movie, nobody will ever believe it is a true story though.
Firstly Good Morning Bhoy,
Secondly John O’Neil on the Money,
No Knee jerk reactions was my message lets get the facts and see what we can actually do,
All bluff and bluster is great on a forum but it doesn’t change anything.
Piece of advice Bhoys, Never type in anger, that’s what the others do, Keep clam and think things through. In Scotland the Irish have always played the long game and we know deep in our hearts we aren’t wanted.
Use our minds to outsmart the mindless,
We lost a great leader in Paul McBride and we feel it most in times like these.
KLV
Today’s Scotland on Sunday continues with this country’s Orwellian ‘journalism’.
They claim the thug who attacked Neil in the dugout at Tynecastle merely “shouted and swore at him”. Even when the glaring proof is on live TV these bigots comfortably re-write history.
Wasn’t that a party?
One for the hun:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BAD9Rjeg6Nc
Marvellous. :)
ItaliaBhoy:
I agree with you, I couldn’t agree with you more, why can you see it, and me too, and thousands upon thousands of others too, and yet we walked into it with eyes wide open?
And where are we now….
I was just a half hour ago looking at a picture presented by
Aljazeera, look at the body language of the police.
Why?
Why?
The guys were just going to walk to the game together.
That picture personifies the ‘summit’.
We shafted ourselves.
Again the picture…
Aljazeera
2.53 ryecatcher
Reasoned post on a despicable act and subject matter.
So hard not to go off at the deepend on this.
It is because Neil is the epitomy of the Irish Taig and because he is succeeding in their environment that he stirs up such irrational dislike.
He stands for what Irish and other immigrant populations have now achieved.
The media portrayal of Lennon vs others accentuates and perpetrates this anti feeling beyond those brought up with such inbred anti Irish feelings.
The next steps should be Neil’s though. Not the clubs. It is he who faces their concequences.
The club must however back HIS next steps to the hilt and as a support I am sure Celtic will do similar.
For me acting in an aligned measured way and with a level of ‘dignity’ on this can see us show how far we have come in 150 years.
The potential if a proper lead and line is not taken is for a real powder keg to explode and there is only one loser.
I cannot believe how mentally strong our manager is. Something inside so strong right enough.
Top of the morning to you all from a very blustery, bright but dry Fife.
Shocking treatment of our manager at Tynecastle.
Like Kitalb, PF Ayr and most right minded people I wonder where FoCUS were and have been shocked by their tactics in the past which see them there when the GB make peaceful demonstration but missing in action for any real trouble such as the Ajax thugs.
But let us be clear about one thing. The esatblishment of a national Football Policing Unit to overcome the inconsistencies of policing across the country was at the suggestion of Celtic FC and Rangers FC.
Until you understand this you will be baffled why our club do not criticise FoCUS.
Neil and Garry would have been well within their rights to defend theirselves,and challenge the cowards,we all know there would have been screeds of banner headlines for Irvine’s lapdogs.The only kind of headlines they are interested in.
Reading back everyone is making comparisons of jews, the deed club and other misjusticies in society, these people fought their own battles just like we do, We know its slanted against us I don’t need to read post after post telling me about the big bad scottish society that i live in every day is. We get no support from anyone the club included and while i’m on it what do people expect our board to do apart from condemn it? if they do anything “we are asking for it” if we don’t we are weak, we need to be realistic in what we actually can do and the answer is not much as the whole liquidation farce showed us. If the club do anything apart from release statements there will be reprisals against us. That’s where we live. I know and it and you know and don’t bother reading the paper today and then moaning about all the biased against us, After years and years you’d think we’d get wise to it ;)
A very angry and frustrated KLV
By the by where are all the board detractors today when we actually have a point worth debating and not made up in a posters head?
Big Nan:
Thank you.
Thank you for not forgetting.
Big Nan – It would seem that the disease is prevalent in Ireland as well,sadly:
http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-25936502
20,000 members!
Franco may have been wrong about many things, but he was right about the Masonic.
A few observations from me as a Celtic season ticket holder now living in Edinburgh.
I was at Tynecastle yesterday as a guest of a mate who supports Aberdeen. Also in our group was a Rangers fan and a Kilmarnock fan. I went along first and foremost to catch up with some folk I hadn’t seen in a while. We were in a bar called Dickens on Dalry Road before the game. It was all Aberdeen fans and the place was absolutely jumping. The atmosphere was good and there was no trouble at all.
Walking up to the stadium 10 minutes before kick off, I was amazed at the lack of police and stewards. There were literally thousands of fans milling about, many of them well under the influence of drink, but I did not see a single cop, not one, and there were only a couple of stewards at the turnstyles. I commented on it to one of my mates and he was equally surprised. Last week at Easter Road there were loads of them.
We sat in the Wheatfield Stand, the one opposite the main stand where Lenny was. I have to say the atmosphere was very good and the sheep supporters had the place rocking. The early goal helped, no doubt. The St Johnstone fans filled the Roseburn stand but were very quiet for the whole game, even at 1-0 when they were still very much in it. Not a single song or chant from them at any stage. The football on show was average at best and I fully expect Celtic to win comfortably next week. St Johnstone were dire and May got no service whatsoever. Flood and Robson ran the show.
Anyway, at no point before, during or after the game did I see any hint of bother, which was probably just as well given the almost unbelievable shortage of police and stewards. I suspect the lack of action against the cretins who abused our manager was at least in part due to this, and not some sinister ulterior motive. For what it’s worth I don’t believe Aberdeen FC has a problem with bigotry and, although utterly shameful, the behaviour was probably simple hooliganism but not necessarily sectarian. Let’s not forget that the Aberdeen fans detest the huns with a passion and have wallowed in their demise every bit as much as we have. If it had been McCoist at the game yesterday, would the behaviour towards him have been any different? I’m not so sure. It’s important that we don’t conflate drunken neddish behaviour with religious bigotry. If there’s evidence of a sectarian aspect to it, deal with it on that basis. The case against the Hearts-supporting idiot who attacked our manager was not properly dealt with because the sheriff made a mess of her charge to the jury over the sectarian element of the indictment.
I think the Aberdeen statement is fair enough and we should not get carried away or rush to demonise the club and it’s entire support, the vast majority of whom are decent. It’s clear that they are angry about what happened and intend to deal with it.
It’s also wrong to portray Tynecastle as some sort of seething cauldron of religious hatred. Whilst they do have a bigoted element, it is relatively small and all Hearts fans I know are embarrassed by it. I sat in the main stand earlier in the season when we beat them 3-1 and was half expecting it to be very unpleasant but in fact there was no abuse of our manager whatsoever. Apart from one cretin who spent the entire game shouting (non sectarian) abuse at Scott Brown, their fans just supported their team.
Finally, with regard to Spiers, let’s not forget that he was the one with the cojones to write about the huge sectarian problem at Ibrox when no other journalist would go near the subject. They still absolutely detest him for it. My own take on him is that he is a flawed writer who is nowhere near as intellectual as he thinks he is but he’s certainly not an apologist for bigots, far from it.
kevinlasvegas supporting wee oscar knox
09:14 on 2 February, 2014
Are you saying we should simply take what is dished out..? …..
These words are not an analogy, lest we forget they should be rung out and resonate in perpetuity:
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out– Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out– Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out– Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me–and there was no one left to speak for me.
And if some body wants to borrow from them in analogise them, with good intent, then shame on any detractor of the good intent.
ipaddy- a balanced and measured post.
My considerable experience of Dons fans is the same, the vast, vast majority are decent. The only time I have come across bigotry in the NE is from Rangers fans who live and work up there.
And yes, the Dons fans dislike the Huns far far more than us- for obvious good reason.
FOCUS were given the day off yesterday. They have a hard shoft today to follow the instruction of Celtic FC PLC and rid Celtic Park of anything but silence and hand sitters.
SHHHHHHH!!!!
MWD
Kitalb, the real question is why Celtic were conned into doing House’s dirty work?
Why did Celtic (Hawthorn?) suggest setting up a dedicated national football police force with an intelligence unit tailor mad for the OB legislation that was just a Bill at the time?
goldstar10:
Then it begs the question… who were these people in the expensive Tynecastle seats who were within gobbing distance of Neil Lennon?
Surely not Chelsea supporters.
iPaddy McCourt Supports Wee Oscar
Great insight into the game mate an dyer right regards GS
67Heaven … I am Neil Lennon, supporting WEE OSCAR..!!.. Ibrox belongs to the creditors
Not at all I’m saying we need to box clever. We know what we are up against.
KLV
Big Nan:
Only one person can answer that and right at this moment he might be on the first tee somewhere in the Caribbean.
Big Nan
Maybe the club never had a choice,
If we say no what happens? the police get even heavier handed? CP gets shut down on H and S grounds? these are petty petty men.
KLV