Today the main football story in the papers is about what The Sun characterises as a “bizarre” spat between Celtic and Sevco over our club’s decision “to withhold £40,000 in ticket money” they are due, to offset the still unpaid bill we sent them for damage to the toilets at our ground when their “minority of fans” wrecked them during their club’s inaugural visit.
The quotations are all taken directly from The Sun’s article.
The transparent outrage in the piece strongly suggests that this story came from Ibrox.
The tone is just perfectly matched to what we know about them; whiny, verbally incontinent, cowardly, snide.
But even without that I wouldn’t have thought otherwise.
Celtic runs its business in a thoroughly professional manner and would never have volunteered that information to the media. It’s a private matter between the two clubs. What that Sevco had left it as one, they’d have been spared the inevitable embarrassment that accrues to any institution which doesn’t pay its bills.
You don’t have to question whether or not Sevco would have leaked this.
A club that would pass a footballer’s confidential medical records to the press is capable of stooping to any low in waging PR war. And when the Village Idiot is running your PR operation you do routinely look worse than you would have had you just kept your mouth shut.
The media can try to spin this as they like – and they will – by trying to cast a dark shadow on Celtic; the article itself was loaded down with invective against us – and Sevco can bitch and moan about it as much as they want, but there are no two sides to this. One side has behaved with decorum and in a fair-minded way. The other caustic, bitter, prideful institution acting out like a five year old kid, and just as pathetic and powerless to get what it wants.
Robbed of the pomp and swagger that accompanied Rangers, Sevco has shrunk into itself and is now a basket case club just one notch up from outright gangsterism. They litigate every point of contention through their media pals. They issue threats, veiled and not so. They try to whip up the most brazenly barmy section of their supporters with talk of how the world hates them, and they lash out in all directions at their perceived enemies.
It’s like watching Donald Trump at a press conference.
Their fans were filmed wrecking the toilets at our ground. They boasted about it openly on social media. The photos of the damage were horrendous. It was extensive. There was no doubt whatsoever as to their guilt, and their club was billed for it as per the agreement.
They either chose not to pay or couldn’t. It’s that simple.
Their rational for not sending a cheque at once, their motivation, is of no consequence whatsoever, and it carries precisely zero legal weight. They were unhappy at certain things that happened that day? Tough. Should we have played less well, and not piled on the humiliation?
It’s pathetic, it really is.
They call themselves Rangers; well, that club thought it was something. It talked about conducting itself with dignity? Sevco behaves like a guy who’s been on the wine for two straight days, stinking in soiled trousers, and shouting at people in the street.
Celtic had two choices when faced with this petty belligerence and we did them a favour by not just issuing a writ. They’ve got enough troubles on that front already. We took the second option, and decided to withhold the money we owe them for Ibrox.
The Sun may characterise that as “bizarre” as it likes; in my view we’ve behaved with great restraint. The truly “bizarre” aspect of this is that 7000 of our fans attended that game, and thus presented their club with £300,000 even after we took the money they were due us for the repairs.
Their response to this is telling in itself.
This club is run by irascible personalities incapable of shrugging off the least criticism or slight. Their reaction to our perfectly reasonable and wholly justified action is typically crass and childish. They are making noises about “damage to Ibrox” that they are still assessing.
Yes those scented candles really do leave a hell of a mess when they burn all the way down.
In my view, Celtic should have stuck an extra £2000 onto our bill, for the improvements our fans made to their toilets which, if you’ve read their own forums, are the cause of much moaning and criticism on a weekly basis.
According to internet sources, Celtic received a specious communique about this alleged damage over a week ago – after yet another demand for payment of their own bill – and we did what any organisation in our position would have done when faced with such moronic behaviour; we asked them for the itemised details, photographic or other evidence and invoices laying out the exact costs as determined by an insurance company.
As of last night the only reply we’ve had is silence, the silence of a fake hard man in the pub who’s finally been told to bring it or shut it.
The Daily Record describes this as “tit for tat.” Well, there are certainly tits here, and the only tat is that written by the media itself. Their fans caused havoc at Celtic Park and the club refused to pay the bill for it. That’s the be all and end all of this.
But this is what they are now, nothing but a bag of wind, forever making noise.
A club that sees itself as special, as belonging at the top, but who can’t even muster the professionalism of an amateur side in the lowest tier of the game.
There is no class there at all.
Sevco is a petty, spiteful little football club, wallowing in envy and self pity and Celtic is fully entitled to treat them that way.