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Levein’s Bizarre “Give Us Peace” Comments Betray His Anti-Celtic Outlook.

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Every now and again, someone in our media will say something where the unconscious bias seeps out.

They can’t help themselves.

Some of them expend so much energy in disliking our club or finding stuff to criticise it for that even when they are giving us praise they sometimes lapse into extraordinary collapses in their objectivity.

I am ever grateful, as regular readers are aware, for the way certain friends of mine in Celtic fan media continue to go that extra mile on behalf of the rest of us, and Paddy Sinat of Vital Celtic is one of those guys. He listens to all the radio shows. He pays attention to every word that is said on there, and he always catches those little moments of madness.

Yesterday he posted an article on a bizarre statement made by Craig Levein, from Sunday’s post-match comments on BBC Radio Scotland, prior the Celtic game.

He was talking about the strength of our squad and he got to talking about Maeda.

“I mean he’s just like if you ever play Scalectrix, it’s like having the pedal to the metal on Scalectrix. He just goes 100 miles an hour every time. And you think, ‘Wow, give us peace would you?’”

Paddy’s take on it was that it was a “weird wee way to compliment Maeda” and I agree.

He also pointed out that what Levein was engaged in was “a kind of envious and begrudging admission” and that’s even closer to the mark.

But I’ve turned that statement over and over in my head, and it was more than those things. It was one of those momentary lapses where someone in the press is so lost in their point that they forget themselves and say more than they intended.

Who exactly is the “us” in Levein’s comments?

Isn’t a strange way for a neutral to speak about a Celtic player and the way he plays?

Give who peace?

Because the only way I can read that is that he’s not speaking as a neutral at all, but someone who badly wants to see Celtic lose no matter who the opposition is. He talks like a guy being plagued by wasps, not as a commentator watching an outstanding football player who brings credit to this league.

The only “us” is anyone Maeda’s coming up against, and if you’re on the “us” side of that equation then you’re not being objective, are you? If your thought watching Maeda tear apart Livingston tomorrow is “give us peace” you’ve picked a side.

If your thought watching him terrorise the Ibrox club on their home soil and scoring a goal there was “give us peace” then you maybe ought not to be in the commentary box at all.

Paddy got to the heart of it; “an envious and grudging respect.”

But do you watch Manchester City with an “envious and grudging respect”? No.

When I watch Real Madrid I do it with a grudging respect, but that’s because I lean towards Barcelona … watching Benzema rip them to pieces in the El Classico last October, scoring twice, I may even have winced a little and uttered the words “for God’s same man, give us peace.”

But then, I don’t pretend to be objective in that scenario.

And to be honest, neither does Craig Levein.

He’s never liked us, and he couldn’t kid us on about that now.

I think he slipped up on Sunday, and some of that slipped out.

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  • Sophie Johnstone says:

    Unconscious bias my backside knows exactly what he’s said,I wouldn’t get too uptight with whatever that relic has to say

  • Pan says:

    We know he is anti-Celtic and we also know what is really behind that.
    He is not capable of reasoning and the “Give us peace” statement is a mixture of his annoyance that his sense of superiority that is enshrined in the Scottish Establishment is now being torn to shreds. What an unhappy, shoddy and failure he is!

  • Migano2000 says:

    I heard his comments and didn’t think twice about them to be honest. I just assumed he was talking as a former defender and commenting on the fact that Maeda is at them every minute he’s on the pitch with his tireless (and very quick) movement/running.

    Not for a moment suggesting Levein is a fan of us (or Rangers) but I think we’re in danger of looking for something where there’s nothing here imho

  • Denis Rodgers says:

    I totally disagree!! His point of reference was that Maeda had just replaced Jota & he was referring to the thoughts that were perhaps going on in the defender’s mind. I am a Celtic fan & I read all your posts but really!!!!????

    • Walter Chinstrap says:

      Totally agree Denis.

      JF is finding fault where none exists.

      I’d hate to play against the wee man!! I’d be saying geez peace ffs you’re rag dolling me!!

      We have enough stonewall anti Celtic utterances out there every day without imagining them.

      Must do better

  • Tommy says:

    I think he was talking as a defender. As meada’s continues running is a nightmare to play against.

  • Effarr says:

    “For God’s sake man, give us peace” you admit to saying. So who are the “us” you mention. To be honest, I can’t see anything untoward in what Levein said. Anyone I have heard making that remark always uses the plural rather than the singular.

    Maybe you are just looking for faults and giving them an excuse to use the P word.

  • John Copeland says:

    Levein making his comment on Radio Scotland being paid by the licence fee payers with public money ! He tries to be intelligent and neutral ,but always gets found out in the end …Being anti Celtic working from BBC Scotland is a natural event ! It just comes with the dinner …

    • Roonsa says:

      Look. Anyone who knows anything about Scottish football knows that Levein is a fucking clown. Three numbers sum up that man’s “expertise”. 4-6-0.

      However, I really see no point in breaking down anything he says. It has to be the most futile exercise in journalism ever carried out on here.

  • jrm63 says:

    This is a stretch to say the least. Give us peace. Really?

  • Eamonn Little says:

    Craig Levein quoted himself as being “a Celtic supporter”growing up in Fife.I remember him saying it.Maybe all they years involved with the diets as player and manager changed him.Or maybe it was a back handed compliment.I think it was complimentary.We have used that description on many occasions for players,”never giving you a minutes peace”.Jonny Hayes was described in this manner

  • John S says:

    Levein – Scotland – 5-5-0 formation.

  • Kevin Borek says:

    I cannot stand Levein, but I think he was talking about the defenders that are marking him. Although you can never tell with that tool.

  • Lonelybhoy says:

    Nonsense. It’s exactly as you first thought it was.”us” is anyone Maeda is playing against

  • Peterbrady says:

    My arse he’s a bigot from cowdumpbeath always has been a bigot now a irrelevant dinasuar bigot

  • Stevie says:

    Or, is he saying the player never stop moving and it gives the opposition nightmares.

  • Eldraco says:

    Do you have a word contract or something or perhaps enjoy creating for oneself a useless Gordian knot.

    The man is simply echoing what am sure many players are saying about Ange ball in general and in particular meada ,hatate kyogo is that there is no rest with them.

    That’s it!!

  • Adam Thomas says:

    Gies peace not “us” cmon James looking for things that aren’t there.

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