Ok, lets get this over with.
Was last night the ‘Year Zero‘ moment? The moment that the SFA, R*ngers, Government and the media final admit that years of sweeping things under the carpet, then doing the shake and vac to make sure that no-one knows of The Best Little Country In The Worlds Shame.
I’m not going to go over what has happened this season. Loads of you will be able to explain the gory details better than me.
There is an unofficial backroom team who make this blog possible. They see the snippets of stuff, point me in the right direction and generally shape the debate. They very rarely are seen and they definitely don’t post. One texted me after the incident. It read: “Get the team off the f*cking park”
I disagreed at the time. But today I wish we had taken that action.
I’ve listened and read opinions that while they say they don’t condone what happened to Lennon they follow it up with: “aye, he brings it on himself though” or “he deserved it though.”. Mrs LoTW told me a story about a fair minded work colleague who told another to “zip it” after their description of Lennon was one of: “a trackie wearing ned who walks about a dugout swigging from a bottle of Irn Bru“.
It’s laughable and shows you the situation is unreversible. The perpetrators are in denial. They think they are doing nothing wrong as they haven’t or weren’t told at the beginning they were doing something wrong.
Celtic should have walked off. Celtic should refuse to play until the people in charge of the game say they will tackle the problem. The problem is not just R*ngers. Hearts are rabid – I’m for one glad the mask slipped last night – and others who call themselves Family Clubs (sic) peddle in the hatrid also.
If we are reported to UEFA, then so be it. They’ve already decided that the Scottish game is rancid. The more they see one club and culture being attacked the more this backs up their view. Evidence points to it’s not safe for us to play in Scotland. Let UEFA finds us a new home.
Would that be England? I don’t think so. Our songbook last night shouldn’t be heard in a football ground and Celtic should really be grabbing this ‘up the ra‘ brigade and telling them they are not wanted. Every English Over 40 Stone Island Brigade would be lining up to have a pop.
So, where do we go? The Outer Moldavian Ring Road Second Division (Sponsored By Borats Lentil And Rice Bar) sounds more attractive than the SPL at the moment.
But I’m all for trying to force a move are you?
Incomprehensible to football fans everywhere, big man. Hopefully last night was a turning point, for all but the most bigoted.
From what I have read and heard to do then I don’t think Year Zero is here yet. Mrs LoTW was shocked at the level of defence the attacker was getting from what she thought were sensible people.
One thing has comforted me since last night.
Obviously the intent was to further terrorise and damage Neil. However, instead of the hoped-for images of a bleeding and cowed Lenny, the pictures flashed around the world were of a couple of uppity fenians stomping on a fat orc.
Got another giggle from Follow Follow. They have po-facedly listed all the “racist and sectarian” songs sung last night and emailed it to everybody from David Cameron down.
Made me laugh to think of somebody in the establishment learning for the first time that there’s a song called “Michael Fagan Shagged the Queen”
I don’t know half the songs they sing. So, I fear for the mindset of an orc who listens to rebel songs just so he can write a list.
I see it’s been reported that both us and Hearts have been flagged for singing sectarian songs by SPL observers.
Let this surprise the lurkers. I’m glad.
Roll on the song debate.
First. Michael Fagan Shagging the Queen is not sectarian!
🙂
celtic supporters only have themselves to blame for singing bigoted and ira songs, we cant point the fingers at others then not accept we must move on too. we are better than that last night, i know people are angry and feeling under siege but we cant react like this, it might piss off the hearts fans for 90 minutes but the long-term damage is to ourselves.
i honestly cant see a way out of scotland, would love to see us in england but why would they bring on board a club whos fans are singing ira songs every away game, it will cause them too many problems. we have got to ditch these songs, at least then we can say, ok we did really try our best, we need to support lennon but not by posturing like that. that bitterness is not welcome, we can hold our heads high once we stop those songs, of course its not the same as sending live bombs, but it is adding to the problem. we owe it to our club and what big jock, jinky, tommy burns etc would have expected from us bhoys at a time like this.
It can be done. Ibrox a few weeks back as an example off taken head of warnings. The other night was reactionary but that is no excuse.
sfa=sofa, how can I say this, but we are in complete accord.
Moving from Scotland into anything but a mickey mouse league would be virtually impossible. Or should that be another mickey mouse league.
I am between the lines myself Mr LOTW.
Do we leave behind all our good memories? Accolades, history hallowed turf and prestigious soil, all add to the fabric that built our dreams and present day meaning?
I want safety for our manager / future managers / staff and players so a move would be a jusified option.
I for one am trapped on the line on this one. My head says move because what has happened recently but my heart with emotion says stay, fight the opression and battle on.
…but I will finish with this point –
I for one do not want a player, manager or other to become a martyr for what is going on.
lennon is already a matyr in a sense.
Sean
I think Neil Lennon makes the decision for us. If he stays, we stay and fight.
If he resigns, we never play another game in Scotland.
Do we keep changing managers until we find one the Huns deem acceptable? That’s not sport in any reasonable person’s view. There’s no point in it any more if the mob decides the outcome.
Can I also add (as Sportscene’s on as I type) that Pat Nevin is a slimey, spineless, soup-taking cunt. Bangs on about how he single-handedly stopped racism in English football, while simultaneously saying Celtic bring it on ourselves in Scotland.
Aye, Rosa Lea Nevin.
these peeplie hate you your past and your present.why subsidise Them. move on and leave them in there squalare.Cessipit spl. 2’nd divison will do.dermot takd notice.
And move where exactly? The Welsh or Irish leagues might welcome Celtic but forget anywhere else.
I’ve been called a fenian outside the West coast, which is funny, because I’m neither Irish nor Catholic.
I would be quite happy to leave (and not have Rangers come with us). You have to despair, eh ? I’m sick of being demonized and people blaming us for the ills of the country. Fans of other teams complaining it’s a two horse race. I’m sorry you have a shit fan base and your club has been grossly mismanaged. Whose fault is that ? not Celtic’s !(nor Rangers). Having said that, I don’t think it’ll ever happen. Where would we reasonably go ?
“Time for Celtic and Rangers to fuck off to England” is a common attitude. Football is a vehicle for ignorant attitudes that already exist. Sectarianism (or the root of it) was a problem long before it was tagged as our fault. Treating the symptom but not the disease springs to mind.
Up the ra and the like have absolutely nothing to do with Celtic FC. Our club has a very honorable and proud tradition and staining it with that nonsense pisses me off.
I can honestly say that this is the season that I’m most proud to be a Celtic supporter. No more taking it on the chin ! Neil Lennon is Celtic incarnate. He’s constructed a team of, largely, newcomers and taken the title to the last day of the season with a very respectable points total. Regardless of the title’s direction, let’s get Motherwell gubbed on Monday !
I don’t find the term fenian offensive. It’s not the word but the context it’s sung that is the problem. I’m sure the list of songs FF contain some that are neither sectarian or racist but could be deemed offensive in law.
It’s murky so let’s just stop.
Though, why is it also worse in embra? Celtic need to look at this and see who Hearts distribute the tickets too.
All this talk of staying and fighting if, and being demonised and blamed for societies ills. Please!
“Up the ra” has as much to do with Celtic as “up tae our knees in fenian blood” has with Rangers. That is to say, everything. I’d quote Seaney as well but I don’t really know what he/she was saying.
We have a problem with sectarianism getting out of hand. It can be solved.
Thirty two years ago we had a bigger problem with alcohol and we got that fixed, for a while.
It seems now that football has been hijacked by the drinks industry. Most of the major sponsors are drinks firms. Every football tournament sees the supermarkets slashing drink prices to tie in with games. Marketing campaigns to get people into pubs to watch games.
After thirty years in the polis I can put my hand on my heart and say that 99% of the worst things that happen with football fans is triggered by drink. It’s the drink which lowers the barriers and makes people think it’s alright to say anything they want. Forget football and think about any Friday night anywhere in Britain. Drunk assailants in jail. Often drunk victims in hospital, or just drunks in hospital. Wives beaten regularly by drunk husbands with football nowhere near.
Sectarianism is bad, but alcohol is the real problem.
The root of the word is not offensive but when it’s used against someone I know the context. I went to school with enough idiots to know what the implication of it was.
The Hearts issue I don’t get. I confess to not being aware of that until recent seasons.
At the end of the day it’s a much wider issue and it’s going to take some form of paradigm shift in cultural attitudes to affect change. I don’t see the government doing much to tackle it. There’s no political gain to be had. UEFA had a chance to send a message recently and instead they sent Rangers into the corner to think about what they did. Pretty poor.
I read a lot of Celtic views in CQN but listening to Radio Scotland these Celtic based concerns were dismissed. Every positive comment about Neil has a caveat and Walter is Mr Dignity. So don`t look to the BBC then.
Listening to games on radio makes anyone sensitive and nervous and hearing the non football songs being sung is very bad karma!
The people who condone then say but are just as guilty as the bombers and the attackers
as you already know from your past experiences @ swinecastle what an odious reptile of a support they have .the problem is not just confined to them and the shame it’s a scotland wide deep rooted hatred of all things connected to celtic .it’s also obvious that the people in power have no love for anything remotely connected to celtic, lest we forget jim farry/brian mcginlay/hugh dallas/george peat to name but a few .who can forget the abuse levelled at certain “scottish” players at grounds up and down the country who chose to play for the R.O.I ??? the country that nurtured them and spent time and money bringing through their talent when deemed not good enough to play for their own country .all the NL haters cannot give a reasonable answer as to why he is so villified by themselves as mrs.LOTW will testify .
oi celtic you aint coming to england with your ira supporting scum…..your scottish/irish thats your choices.to many people down here have been murdered or lost loved ones to your HEROS..so no,non,nein,niet,nuts yu aint coming..not wanted not needed..ENGLAND FOREVER BRITAIN NEVER
I had to get Frank Skinner to translate that post.