Today, Ange sat in front of the media and gave a perfect press conference in spite of hacks desperately fishing for a story. The best they got is that he said the club wants fans to respect the minute’s applause on Sunday.
But of course they do. This is not news.
But the press has tried to make it news, and some of them have written their own version of it, to further poison the discourse and to try to involve him in something that is none of his doing.
“Ange Postecoglou calls for Celtic respectful tribute to The Queen but has not apologised for Warsaw banners” screams the headline in The Scottish Daily Express, one of the papers I explicitly pointed out is not friendly towards out club.
Even by this rag’s diabolical lack of standards, that headline is a disgrace.
But it makes it clear that those who are demanding that our club toe some line or another would not be satisfied even if we did. These people hate us. Nothing we can do is going to change that. Nothing we can say will make a blind bit of difference to it.
Trying to appease them is like trying to appease a ravenous wolf by offering it your ham sandwich. It’s not futile as much as it’s just plain stupid.
Do not kid yourselves that if there had been no banner on Wednesday night that we would not, right now, be reading headlines attacking our club. From the moment she popped her clogs last Friday, the pencils have been sharp and ready to stab us with.
Even before it had happened, we were being slammed all over the place.
Some in the right wing media were blaming us for the fact that no games took place last weekend, saying that the SFA and the EPL had decided that Liverpool and Celtic fans could not be trusted. Then it was attacks because the club issued a statement via its website but didn’t put that statement out on social media. Then it was because Warsaw wasn’t holding a minute’s silence, for which our club was blamed for being part of the negotiations.
Do you get the drift here? It isn’t hard to see.
We would have been attacked regardless, because we were being attacked anyway.
We have enemies. There is no use trying to appeal to their better nature.
They will not be sated until they are up to their knees in our blood. You can hear that song over and over again until it loses all meaning; but it means what it says. Understand it here and now.
That’s what it is that we are dealing with, and you better never forget that.
Even the coverage of the banners themselves gives the game away. They were “hateful” and dishonoured the Queen. She was not mentioned in either. In fact, the fans who put those banners together went out of their way not to; the slogan said “fuck the crown”. The last I heard that was a wholly legitimate view shared by many millions of people.
The fans could have done nothing, of course.
This is the rationale you hear all over the place.
“Better to stay silent if you’ve nothing good to say.”
Oh what bullshit.
Look at some of the people who are attacking our club; Farage, Eden, Kyle, Morgan. If these people held to that maxim we would never hear from them again, period. Cause all they do is spew poison and bile all day, every day, to a vampiric, curtain twitching, spiteful, nasty audience.
These people make their living from “punching down.” I am not going to be cowed or broken or silenced by this gallery of goons. None of us should.
Besides, let’s be honest here; for the last seven days every person who lives in this country has had to skim big sections of the newspapers, ignore entire hours of the telly and in some way or another had our lives disrupted by all this palaver.
Operations have been cancelled in hospitals.
A holiday resort planned to evict every single one of its guests for the day of the funeral, and only relented after outrage.
Supermarket chains are closing their doors, and these are the “open 24 hours” places which didn’t even shut during COVID.
And yes, football fixtures were cancelled across the boards, subjecting all of us to last weekend’s monotony.
And we’re expected to take that in equanimity and silence?
Easier to do when this isn’t get rammed down your throat all day, every day, with no escape, and accompanied by what amounts to a demand that we play ball lest we be ostracised by these toerags and everybody else with a grievance to air.
This hostile atmosphere to any dissent from the “national mood” has been noted by many in the mainstream press and the commentariat, by the way. Polly Toynbee of The Guardian punched back against it yesterday.
“When you next hear them trying to stir up bogus ‘cancel culture’ indignation about a few students no-platforming some speaker on a college campus somewhere, remember what real cancelling is, how dangerous, nasty and powerful,” she said. “It is the megaphones of the right intimidating a whole country by seizing on minor peccadillos, mild anti-royalism or anti-colonial sentiment.”
That and, across the boards, a hatred of our club and what it represents.
Who amongst our number thought we really had friends, or could make any, amongst those people or the constituency they pander to? Who amongst our number genuinely believes that those who know and respect us know something new and so respect us any less?
Our club has not been damaged one bit.
The club didn’t do this, a group of fans did, and those same fans have honoured the hunger strikers, sang about the Irish War of Independence, compared William Wallace to Bobby Sands and numerous other things over the years … not a single person who knows a single thing about those fans is even surprised by those banners far less shocked by them.
Our club has maintained its friendships and allegiances and worldwide recognition through all of it, and it’s why so many of these thuggish clowns are lumbering about attacking us today … they’ve been waiting to do it for years.
Do you honestly think we’re losing allies and partners and respect because our fans are amongst the only ones in Britain who will not be hammered into playing along with this complete farce?
This is the 21st century.
We should not need to pander and pretend that the idea of a hereditary monarch “ruling over us” is not outdated, bigoted claptrap which this country should have grown out of decades ago. The crown itself is the representation of an imperialist, sectarian and racist institution and we should not have to pretend to honour or even respect it.
For God’s sake … this only enhances the esteem in which our international friends hold us.
How do you think we got these friends in the first place?
“Oh, it’s appalling,” screams social media and swathes of the mainstream press.
In Scotland. In Britain.
We know these people well enough to know where they stand.
These people detest us and everything we stand for so why, suddenly, do so many people care what they think?
We’ve never cared before, so why start now?
The only people genuinely surprised are those too lazy to do their homework.
Others just love to be offended and aren’t happy unless they have someone to scream at.
And if you’re non-white or Irish all the better for them.
These people are bullies, the worst sort of trash, and they specialise in intimidating people into silence and acquiescence.
They picked the wrong targets this time.
Others, as I’ve pointed out over and over again, have been rubbing their hands together waiting for something to crow about.
I couldn’t care less what these Peepul think.
Because I already know what they think and I’ve known it since I was old enough to hear the first insults, the first wave of anti-Catholic and anti-Irish bile being directed at me and mine.
This is not about respect, and it never was.
This is the enemies of Celtic believing that they can either intimidate us into toeing the line or seeking to punish us if we don’t, and they can go straight to Hell because some of us won’t bend and will throw it right back at them, calling them out on their hypocrisy, their history and their bigotry.
What is truly appalling is an imperialist, racist culture. It occurs in all walks of society. People ought to be citizens, not subjects.
I believe that what we need to do,is the opposite of what they want. For example, this weekend’s game, instead of taking part in the requested minutes applause, we should encourage all Celtic supporters to remain completely silent for that minute. No doubt we would still be criticised but, that would be, I believe a very powerful statement.
I’m with big Ange on this, be respectful. Jeremy Kyle has never had a go at us in his life apart from today, so your talking garbage here James. Saying he was just waiting to have a go, a mean your embaressing yourself saying that. Protest if you want to have it, should be done in a peaceful manner, what protest have you seen , we’re it’s fuck him, fuck her, fuck this, fuck that. Our great support, who won a prize off Uefa in 2003 for our great behavior, I’ll tell you 1 thing since the green brigade came to the club, we are a million miles away from getting that award again. All they do, is bring hassle to the club, and division. 2 games into a European campaign, and they have brought the club into disrepute again. And I’m pissed off with people saying Celtic fans, cos it’s not Celtic fans, Celtic fans won the award off Uefa in 2003, these idiots, are dragging our club down to a level, we have never been at before.
Good post S. Thomas.
Well said.
Jeremy Vyle has blood on his hands,he is responsible for the death of a man who appeared on his show,BULLYING the guy into admitting he lied when didn’t.
The guy took his own life committed suicide and that SCUM is responsible,so just who does he think he is calling out our club and support.
Perfect storm for a lot of sports hacks up here to keep a club in crisis off the back pages
Perhaps a better message would have been, “RIP ELIZABETH” BUT WE DON’T BELIEVE ANYONE IS BORN TO RULE OVER US. Leave out the obscenities and it’s hard to argue with that message.
Good shout Dennis
Brilliantly written James and I agree with every word,
There was no moral outrage in 1985 when shortly after the death of Desmond White Rangers played Celtic at Parkhead and their vile fans raised a banner saying ‘ Desmond White sucks cocks in hell’. Nothing was said either in 1996 when big Pierre missed a penalty against the huns and Goram ran towards Pierre shouting’ Fuck you ya black bastard/
It was all ignored and swept under the carpet, the rules for THEM are very different from the way we are treated, Yes, they hate us,
Your spot on James these rancid bastards are out to demonise our club at every turn..I told one of them yesterday that he tell me the difference between a banner saying Fuck the Crown or a Club that’s says Fuck The Crown because we’re not paying your majesty the Tax we’ve screwed her for..What you seemed to miss is that all this banner pish is keeping Wee Gio off the back page..Thats what they’ve up to James..Fuck them all..
S Thomas you don’t speak for me. You can do the same as the crown.Go forth and multiply.
Fuk the MONARCHY, each & evry Fukin Wan ae them!! While ur at it Fuk EVERY KNUCKODRAGGIN HUN BASTARD oot there as well!! BAWAHAHAHAHAHA!!
Who needs enemies when you have the Green Brigade happy to see the clubs reputation trashed all over the world to satisfy their own self importance.
The vast majority of Celtic fans love the club and everything it stands for, openness, acceptance and non discriminatory, everybody welcome.
Thats been trashed by their crass and disgusting banners and brought the club into disrepute.
Never been so disillusioned in over 50 years of supporting Celtic.
Take your political nonsense somewhere else and stop using the club and the publicity it generates as a vehicle for hate, it makes us no better than the other lot we often accuse of the same.
Well said ??
The day I let them scumbags dictate to me or our club is the day I die!! The likes of kyle ! Morolasing anybody! Or that jordan tory clown! We are one the GREATEST Clubs ever to be born came out of unity, charity, solidarity, charting and love!! This lot! Have nothing!! They use their hate to latch on to that halfwits of ibrox a club that died and they all stood back and did nothing!! Why? Cause they didnt care enough! Same with this latest mock outrage its bs pretend to attack our Great Real Club the one where us fans are the club!! We care alright and we fought and saved our club this way before internet banking! That was made the demise of the poison all the normal laughable ! We would raised 10s of millions for our club on current climate they did sweet FA! Tho not surprising as it was only used for the racists and sectarian bigots! The ones now being used by clowns all over the media like kyle and jordan to give them attention! Not on our watch! Want a debate about a monarchy in a country of essentially 90 percent working class people where some use food banks! Well bring it!! That and while we are at explain the dodgy son 14 million pay off ! No charges or the fact thos monarchy has never apologised for the atrocities previous regimes brought to the world , as the south African lad says today on Celtic star segment. You got laugh to at the orcs of mordor who stole over 100 million of tax payers money from the crown I am sure they rather have their tax than the ” try hard” display of bs the other night ha ha That lot can tell us nothing! About anything! They are the shame of world football of that there has never been a doubt is one thing they are good at!
They’ve cancelled funerals in my home town on the day of her funeral, leaving grieving families in limbo!
The whole national mourning thing is preposterous; nobody is that tore up about it other than her family, naturally, but some people do like to act, put on a show, fawn in a desperate act of subservience like the media are atm, hoping it shows them in a ‘good light’ that’ll further their careers or get them an honour like a knighthood or something further down the line; its pathetic how they use this death as a weapon or as a means to project themselves as noble, when all it really does is show them up as crawling venomous lapdogs!
She was the Queen of several countries, and while many of us don’t agree with the need for ‘royalty’, naturally its a big deal to a lot of people so they’ll give her a big send off. Like decent people, let her family grieve in peace the way you’d want to if it were your family who’d suffered a loss, but drop the overboard nonsense.
On the football fans reactions, I’ve not seen any follow ups on Liverpools fans disrupting the minutes silence, probably because the English want to bury the story and move on, and these banners have allowed them to do just that.
Not heard any more about the young guy who shouted “nonce” straight at Andrew either as he was walking in procession behind the coffin, something thats far more worthy of news stories than a daft banner displayed at a football match a thousand miles away!
The whole thing is tedious
Big long think about the other night, but not acceptable, this is hatred crap these are horrible people, and you have turned into them, take a step back and think about it.
What are you on about, hatred? I would say the language used on the banners was wrong but as far as I’m concerned the sentiment was correct. I agree with most of what James has said , I’m afraid you are another of those Uncle Tims who perpetually want to appease our enemies or are you a Celtic supporting Royalist. If that is so then good luck to you but you’re very much in a minority.
Brilliant article James ,if rightwing arseholes likes Kyle,Farage and Morgan complaining bout us means we’re on the right road.Fuckin hypocrite Piers Morgan never stayed ‘silent ‘ when he was attacking Harry and Meghan. If people want to queue for8 hours to see a coffin that’s up to them but anyone with a different view !! And they complain about North Korea
the whole thing kings and queens is just nonsense it’s the 21 ist century not the 13 th century the uk has gone insane since lizzie left us hope things get back to a bit normal after Monday more things more important like cost of living fuel cost and what this Tory rabble has in store for us .
All this finger pointing at our club and support is a squirrel story to distract the BENNYS away from the crisis at their own klub which is about to EXPLODE in the next couple of weeks.
Oh and the spanner in the works for their problems is King the CHISLER not the results or leatherings coming their way from Liverpool,Napoli and Ajax.
Talking about leatherings the klan on FF are looking to be shipped into the Europa Conference League as they feel they could win very easily.
Lol fatman the sumo wrestler overlooked AGAIN for being picked for Colombia in the 3 games coming up for them.
Of course we have enemies who will take every opportunity they can to belittle us but what we don’t need is our own supporters providing them with the ammunition to attack us. We may have the same sentiment as the GB but we don’t need to express it for all the world to see and criticise. Especially this week when the Thought Police are ready to pounce on any aberration. The GB have introduced political displays into our football matches. Do they go to the match to watch Celtic or to score political points? Celtic Park always rose to support the team without bringing political ideologies into it. And who are the GB?, always a “spokesperson” never a “face”. Strings being pulled somewhere. They are not bothered about the club’s reputation, we have seen that by the number of fines we have accumulated already. They can’t take a telling so it that is the case Celtic should ban them and their drum.
Every facet of our lives is politically influenced from the cradle to the grave. Celtic and Rangers have had a thread of politics running through both clubs more or less since the day they were formed.
Although I don’t agree with every protest the Green Brigade are involved with, I do think that they do great work organising collections for food banks, etc. I do wish they would cut out the foul language when expressing opinions. On the other hand I do think it is good to encourage young people to have political opinions even although you might not agree with them.
I’m surprised the huns haven’t applied for a 5 minute silence tomorrow against Dundee United just to show their loyalist staunchness to the rest of the UK.
5 mins silence would be a small price to pay for not stumping up the 67 million quid they owed towards the luxury her and her family have lived in.
Oh FQ aye, excellent James, two days on the trot and didnae miss on any point.
Very well said. TYVM