In Spite Of Alonso Apology Celtic’s Concern Over Ibrox’s Behaviour Continues To Grow And Grow.

Ange Postecoglou was asked about the shocking incident on Monday when an Ibrox coach head-butted Fran Alonso. He was happy to tell us that as far as he’s concerned it’s in the hands of the authorities where it belongs and there’s nothing more to say.

The perpetrator himself has published an apology today, at long last.

Out of his club, nothing whatsoever.

Ibrox has uttered not one official comment since the night in question, where their manager told the media that he hadn’t seen the incident but was sure that if there was something in it that the club would launch its own investigation.

We’re four days onwards from that, and yesterday The Mooch was asked to comment. Incredibly, he claimed not even to have seen the incident yet. That’s either a barefaced lie or it is a shocking indictment on that man and the attitude which prevails inside his club.

A Celtic coach who did that would have already been fired.

He would have been suspended by the club on the night it happened and the investigation would have been over already. The SFA’s own hearing would be moot because he’d no longer be employed by us.

Ibrox’s lack of a statement is profoundly shocking.

But it’s their apparent lack of concern over it which is far worse. The Mooch claims that it was “out of character.”

So does McPherson himself.

You know how many times courts hear that?

You know how many times it’s offered in mitigation?

Behaviour oftentimes arises from circumstances.

So how do we know how out of character it is? How many times has he seen a Celtic team score a last minute equaliser against his side? How do we know that he wouldn’t react in exactly the same way if it happened again?

If I’m surrounded by my mates and all is going well, it would be entirely out of character for me to start behaving aggressively.

But if I was in a tense situation and something needled me then I might snap and lose it. Is that out of character, or precisely keeping with your character within the confines of that scenario?

Let me put this another way; he’s clearly not used to the sight of uppity fenians celebrating in front of him.

What was it he called Alonso? A little rat, wasn’t it?

Dehumanising language as well as the attempt at violence, and from someone representing a club which hasn’t even apologised and doesn’t seem to care either way.

But out of character. Sure.

Why do I get the sense that had everyone involved with the Ibrox operation shook hands with their Celtic counterparts at the end and congratulated them on not giving up that this would have been even more out of character?

I’ll tell you right now, it is not hard to understand why people at Celtic are gravely concerned at this stuff. How many times has Ibrox fallen back on the excuse that the craziness of people within its sphere is excused because they were “provoked”?

That’s just another way of saying “out of character” right?

This would never have happened except …

They are very easily provoked if you ask me, and that should concern them as much as it concerns us.

I do know that Celtic would have apologised and that we’d have taken action before now.

Your club either has standards which it holds to or it does not.

It either takes this stuff seriously or it does not.

And we know they don’t, and that’s why we won’t take tickets for their stadium.

Their manager would have us believe he doesn’t even care enough to watch the incident to see what all the fuss is about, even as he defends the guy. That club is dangerous, and Celtic knows it. It is beyond a joke now.