The media were at their worst this week, as we all well know. If they weren’t trying to have the game replayed they were publishing every excuse that anyone connected to Ibrox could be inspired to make. And along the way they published a series of pieces about the atmosphere at the game itself was lacking. Lacking what? Poison, in my view.
But the press wanted to keep the debate going, and one of the people they decided to quote was Tom Boyd. One newspaper scandalously headlined his claims with a reference to how Celtic should “wave the white flag.” Words that never came out of Tom Boyd’s mouth, as I am sure I don’t need to tell you. They really have no shame our media. None.
In fact, Boyd said nothing whatsoever that came as any surprise to me or most other Celtic fans. He said that there needs to be a solution by which we can get full allocations back into these guys. Bear in mind, I do not support that view at all; I much prefer Celtic Park without their bile polluting the airwaves. But Boyd has not said something controversial here.
The media continues to talk as if there is some intransigence on both sides here. The solution Boyd wants to see is exactly the same one that our club wants to see. They did not to drag his name into this as if he was telling our club to get around the table. He works in the Celtic Park media team. He knows full well what our policy is. All he did was articulate that.
But the press tried to paint it as if this was some revolutionary suggestion that we should be paying attention to as a club, as if we are the roadblock here and this is one of our own lecturing us about it and begging us to see sense.
It’s so flagrantly dishonest. It’s such a cheap line of attack, using our own guy, and that’s exactly all that it was. Just another avenue down which to come after us. The article in the Record, from Gannon, repeated the lie that Ibrox refused tickets out of concern for the safety of their fans instead of saying what we all know; it was concern for their reputation.
Celtic has said it in public. Celtic has said in private. Officials from our club have said it to select journalists. The manager has said it. Players have said it. Every one of the blogs knows about it and has written it; Celtic wants things to go back to how they were.
We are not the ones standing in the way of a deal. Any other outcome compromises the safety of our supporters and threatens to escalate this situation, and we have made that clear to the club that started all this in the first place, the club which is wholly to blame.
Instead of writing that – and analysing some of Ibrox’s nonsensical excuses for why that can’t happen, such as this guff about fans in those seats (you simply sell those seats at £100 discount and make it clear that the Celtic game isn’t covered) – they would rather continue to push this as a “plague on both our houses” for which we are partly to blame.
Their attempt to dragoon Boyd into that narrative was as dishonest as it was stupid.
There are a lot of little bluenose piggies getting severely agitated.
Let them fkn squeal.
Next time any press asks a Celtic employee a question, they should be told: “I’ll answer your question”. “But if I read in the paper tomorrow a pack of lies, that’ll be the last time”. HH
Never give into them Celtic will always survive without them
Tom Boyd is bang on here.. both clubs should grow a pair and create dialogue. A derby match with no away fans is ridiculous, and the 700 fans was also equally ridiculous. Wee should be filling the broomloand road stand again, as it creates a far better atmosphere. Sometimes in life you have to put petty squabbles behind and look at the bigger picture. A full Celtic allocation at ibrox is what we all grew up with and watched. This garbage over the last few years is school boy pettiness. Both clubs hate each other, in fact despise each other and that’s not going to change but whether people like it or not it’s the biggest showpiece in Scottish football. It’s the game that I and thousands others look most forward to.
You still don’t get the point.
Ibrox started it. They don’t want it resolved .
They can’t resolve it without admitting that it’s their caving into their rabid fans in the first instance under King that started this ball rolling.
They know they can’t guarantee the safety of our staff , players or supporters.
It plays to the fantasy victimhood that they roped their gullible fans into.
It all started with the Tribute Act’s Board.
It’s another way to screw more money out of their own fans.
They know that they can’t guarantee the safety of our staff, players or fans and they don’t want to alienate their fans by trying to address the problem.
Celtic will not take tickets until Sevco address the issue of violence against our staff and supporters.
But do you agree that the huns are responsible for the present situation, Sean?
Celtic should be bigger than that.. and be the club with the most humility. Yes it was them that started it because of the amount of tankings we gave them, this to me is like stuff at a playground. Oh I’m not giving in untill you do garbage. I want to go to ibrox like a lot of other fans do. Both clubs should create dialogue, otherwise there will never be any away fans at the games. It’s petty school boy stuff.
Of course the press misrepresented Tom Boyds comments. It’s what they do. I know that, you know that and certainly Tom Boyd should know that. So why say anything to them to give them the opportunity to twist your words? Say nothing to them. Ignore them.
I also happen to disagree with his opinion on the subject, and given the reality that Ibrox cannot reverse their position without alienating their supporters renders the subject redundant.
S.Thomas hates the word ‘hun’ I wonder why, as it describes them so very, very well.?
S Thomas makes arguably the best points in this blog if I do say so myself. I don’t hate the word hun, but I’m not sure it’s a nice word. I hate the word fenian. I think both words are not the nicest, but each to there own a suppose.
Why would you hate the word fenian Sean, none of us fenians do.
You trip yourself up every time ya walloper.
Tripped myself up lol.. are you on the smack again? If I don’t like the word fenian then that’s up to me. If someone called me a fenian I would take offence to it, as I think it’s pure bigotry. In fact I would more than likely attack the person, and I make no bones about that. Calling someone a hun, and a fenian it’s designed to antagonize someone. Like I’ve stated below, walk up to a guy the day and call him a hun, and see how it goes for you.
I’ve given you enough rope, you do the rest!
A beat you every time pal when we have a debate.. you come out with garbage constantly. “ Us fenians love getting called fenians” , Christ I’ve heard all now man. This what the twilight zone feels like, or the groovy gang or something. If you love getting called a fenian then you must have a brain the size of a pea.
I hate the word ‘fenian’ as well. We are a Scottish club with a proud Irish history not the other way around. We are a club open to all .. we’ve had plenty of ‘non-fenians’ from N. Ireland playing for us. The 7-1 side that destroyed Rangers in 1957 had two of them, Bertie Peacock and Sammy Wilson. Think of all the great Celtic players from Rangers-supporting families, like Kenny Dalglish and Danny McGrain. Leave the political and ‘religious’ bigotries to the other lot!
You should put it to the test Johnny. You should go for a walk today and call a guy who’s minding his own business a hun,, and see how it goes for you. I wouldn’t have thought it would go great.
Celtic hold the upper hand within this ticket stand off currently and need to keep it that way also.
I’m totally in favour of keeping the DOBs out of Celtic Park as we don’t need these shower of Hun scum whatsoever.
Yet the filth still needs us still to make themselves relevant.
Are the European nights now a far bigger and better occasion than the Glasgow Derby these days?
I believe so and that’s where our main focus should be for the foreseeable also.
When the scum not able to guarantee Celtic supporters safety within that shithole and the scum in a cash crisis, I fail to see how a resolution can be found, not that I believe Celtic need to either.
wow……..
really hard men on here…all because someone isn’t “fenian” enough….
same on hun boards…if someone show’s the slightest sign of not being “staunch” enough..there’s a pile on…
wonder are they as confrontational face to face….
or is it because they are sitting behind a keyboard ????? mm……
My grandfather was a member of the Fenian Brotherhood so I would consider it an honour to be referred to as a Fenian.
As for Boyd: what is his reaction? The usual, I suppose, just let it go and be ready to accommodate them again. If I was in his shoes it would be aye, naw, mibbe, whit dae ye think yersel?, is that right?, dae ye no’ realise yir a bigot? Cheerio then, ah’ll see yi.
Anyone from Celtic being interviewed should give the bare answer without elaborating and the second answer should be cheerio.
Tom Boyd, a true legend who still represents the club behind the scenes.
The ticket problem further exemplifies the bias and dishonesty of Scottish mainstream media. Even the BBC reported the absence of an allocation was due to “safety and security reasons”, which I’m still waiting for them to justify.
If you give into son’s of Pinocchio you will always be at the back of the bus
James you are 150% correct on this one. These kiddy on journalists, most of whom can barely string two words together are mixing it. Who was it that from the get go reduced the Celt ic represention for games at Mordor? Scottish media! A very poor collection of arseholes and diddies. Lying ,fantasy and fairy tales,are their forte .Little wonder that they are spiralling down the shitter.??
There’s only one way to deal with it. Be the first one to give the allocation and “back down”, install cameras and mics and invite 15 uefa delegates to sit either side. Then watch how many more away games the klan get invited to after.