Later on today I will cover last night’s Green Brigade statement and the response from the club.
That requires a longer article than I can bothered with right now. I wanted today to be about our massive Champions League match against an outstanding team from one of the prestige leagues on Earth.
It is a huge occasion, one that deserves our full attention.
But as has become depressingly familiar, a band of rebels – for that is how they see themselves – are intent on hijacking the occasion, and picking a fight with the club.
They’ve tried fighting UEFA, and they’ve recently started to needle Police Scotland – if there are worse ideas on Earth than a group of people who regularly break the law deliberately provoking the attention of the police, I have trouble imagining it – and have finally turned on their own club.
Make no mistake about it, tonight is about them. That’s how they see it.
Read their last couple of statements if you don’t believe me.
Even better, read the one which came out in support of them from the group that calls itself The Bhoys. That, at least, is about as honest as it can be about what the agenda is. Palestine is an afterthought to these people now, it’s all about sticking it to The Man. Lawwell. And the rest of the board of directors.
The very people who have given these people a platform which they have taken a dump on at every opportunity.
And man oh man, how their egos have grown in direct proportion to the trouble they have caused. It is telling that their statement last night claimed that Lawwell told them in 2016 that they were “finished”.
If he did then he made a colossal mistake in not backing that up. That they are claiming he made such a threat, only for them to survive and grow stronger as they see it, is telling.
They don’t believe Celtic can act against them. They are wrong. They don’t believe Celtic will act against them. They’ve already been proved wrong on that score, and the message still hasn’t gotten through to them.
Everything about their statement and the one before it reeked of a towering arrogance and a completely misplaced confidence in their own position.
It was all about them. How they’ve suffered. How Celtic has persecuted them. How the club is on their back. Previous missives have detailed how Police Scotland is out to intimidate them … in the meantime actual people are dying in an actual warzone on the other side of the world.
Amazing isn’t it? Juxtapose those two situations.
Imagine playing the victim card at a time like this.
The part I found hardest to stomach, or even properly process, was after they had made it clear that tonight is their two fingers to the board they talked up how all they want to do is give their full backing to the team.
Well, too late for that.
The mad thing is, I’m sure they will get behind the players and tell themselves it was a job well done, but they’ve cast a dark shadow over the whole night and the whole experience and we all know that the worst is yet to come because there will be – there will have to be – a reckoning for the things that have happened and which the club has put in the public domain.
Fans all across Europe have displayed Palestinian flags over the last week.
Demonstrations involving millions of people have taken place all over the world.
The Green Brigade believes that a display at our stadium tonight will be exalted and hailed and will “raise the morale” of people who are being bombed and starved and denied medical supplies.
The truth is, that’s nothing but rampaging egotism.
Those people have a lot more on their minds than what flags are flown at Celtic Park.
I wish I believed that this would do some good, no matter how small, because that might in some tiny fashion make up for the enormous confrontation this is designed to provoke … but no good can come of this.
There’s no positive outcome here, and a massive evening for our club is about to be spectacularly overshadowed by events off the pitch.
Don’t let anyone kid you that this is about Palestine any more because it’s not.
Tonight, they want a show of support for that greater cause they believe in; their own. Read their statements if you don’t believe me. Everything else, including the game, is a sideshow for these people.
They think they are the show.
well said James. About time the GB were put in their place. They don’t represent the majority of the Celtic support. (Palastine aside). The continuous IRA chants are becoming a far too regular occurrence at CP. Something that had been reduced significantly has now crept back in thanks to the GB. As you previously stated there are rules and standards in place that every Celtic fan needs to adhere to, the GB should be no different. IMO they suck it up or piss off.
Well said James. The GB are part of the Celtic support -they are NOT the Celtic support- they are not the self appointed moral compass of the club – that resides within everyone who is priveliged to watch the team.
We could be heading for part closure or full after 2 nite , board should prob barred them 4 to nite, some fall-out on the way
Bang on again James, I’ve said consistently over the last few weeks that the GB are all about the GB, they don’t care about the damage they do to the club and would see the club on its knees if it suited their agenda of self promotion.
A phrase used often in football is ” no player is bigger than the club” and added to that should be ” no fan group is bigger than the club” ban them now before their egotistical actions go to far.
My heart breaks for the people of Palestine and Israel, its an absolute disaster and only going to get worse as the conflict spreads throughout the region ( a real threat now), to think that you’re that important and influential that you waving some flags is going to make the slightest bit of difference is arrogance beyond belief.
This is nothing to do with the Green Brigade as far as I’m concerned, if people want to show support for Palestine by flying their flag , it’s up to them.If Uefa want to sanction us let them be hypocrites, the Ukraine support belies that argument. If the Tory board don’t want us to show support, that is their opinion, neither you , me, them or the Green Brigade, the Bhoys are Celtic it’s all of us and we all have a difference of opinion. The more people who support Palestine in anyway they can the better and in my opinion if you don’t when you have an opportunity its shameful
what about the ones who support hamas…is that o.k. Did you not see the “victory to the rebels banners” if it was only palestinians I wouldn’t have a problem. The green brigade are supporting terrorists and I’ve confirmed this with some on social media. They would love the troubles to come back so they had something to do with their sad lives so instead use palestine as their version of the troubles. In the bin every last one of them.
Well done. I am sick to the back teeth with these virtual signallers. I doubt 20% of them have any knowledge of middle east history,irish history and Celtic fc history. There is a healthy waiting list for season tickets . Ban them all next season and let football fans take their seats.
Hail hail
B
Ive never really bothered to look into how the GB came to be, Ive never really cared what noise they make nor which banner they fly, genuinely has never made one iota of a difference to my experience at Celtic Park, barely paid heed to them, been going there over 50 yrs, and the place has never ever lacked atmosphere, in fact some of my greatest nights in that stadium were long before these egotistical clowns ever existed. They are only ever gonna be interested in whats best for them, not Celtic, the GB definitely have an inflated opinion of themselves and think they are untouchable, they will cling desperately to validation having long since passed the fans supporting the club mantra. It’s time Celtic took control, and ended this elite that think they are representing all other fans, they are not, they would not be missed, it would also be interesting to see how many continued to come to games once the badge of honour was rescinded. You don’t speak for me GB, and never will.
I want these clowns banished from Celtic Park. All they care about is their own extreme political beliefs and are using the club as a vehicle to achieve more publicity, and to hell with the clubs reputation, fines, or risk of stands being closed for repeatedly flouting UEFA rules.
Their banner after the atrocities committed by Hamad made me feel ashamed to be associated with Celtic. I don’t want to hear any crap about how they were supporting the Palestinian people, fighting apartheid or how the club was “born out of politics”. Celtic were not created to support religious extremists murdering men, women and children or kidnapping hundreds of hostages from the most persecuted people the world had ever known. The Jews have had millions upon millions of their people eradicated. They were attacked by yet another group hell bent on eradicating the Jewish people and these utter cretins choose to ignore this to push their “rebel” credentials. No more.
Celtic need to take their season tickets and ban them for life. They have had chance after chance and spit in the clubs face every time.
For all those hanger ons who indulge in whataboutism and have a Scotvec in geopolitical conflicts, go with them. If your country and people were attacked and murdered for centuries, with millions dead, I think you’d have a very different world view.
The Israelis are far from perfect and much needs to be done in the region to get to a place where talks can finally make the difference. Murdering 1400 innocent people isn’t the way to go about it and your support of them, and hiding behind the “free Palestine” mantras, marks you as ignorant and cowardly for supporting jihad extremists.
You want change? Do it through political and peaceful means. Don’t support terrorism and certainly don’t smear the clubs name in your SJW crusade to get virtue signalling points re a cause you know nothing about.
The folks getting bombed, killed and maimed and burned out of their homes in Palestine / Gazza won’t care or know where Parkhead even is…
They will have no TV or newspapers to hear about or read about any show of strength –
But you can bet your bottom dollar UEFA will though…
And live videos sent minute by minute from Sky, BBC Scotland, Daily Record, Daily Mail and Co.
I believe our support are going to turn against the green brigade as they are hell bent on causing bad publicity regardless of what damage it does to the club they say they love. I think they are a disgrace with their actions as we had NIR BITTON. for 7 years and presently we have LEIL ABADA playing for GLASGOW CELTIC who gets no support and must feel alienated by his own fans
God lord James , could not agree more , I’ve got a colleague in work who is a so called member of the G B , he lives in fantasy land , he doesn’t know if he is a communist or a socialist or something else, he know cousins of players , he spouts all kind of ( I heard this and that nonsense) and he believes what he is saying, said before CELTIC need to get rid A S A P , looking forward to your next piece.?
The Green Brigade is a pernicious and narcissistic group of dysfunctional individuals who claim to be Celtic Supporters but in reality are people who have their own misinformed political agenda and are bringing our great club into disrepute. The Board should ban them : the Green Brigade does not represent the views of the vast majority of our support and its malpractices are not only besmirching Celtic’s world wide reputation as an outstanding institution but costing us thousands upon thousands of pounds in fines. It is time for The Board to take the necessary measures to put this band of malcontents in its place. Hail . Hail.
bravo james…bravo !!!
these dicks are WAY too big for their boots….
i can never understand how “ultra” fan groups from other clubs around the globe gained such power within the said club…having watched the GB i now know…a drip, , drip..drip effect…til all of a sudden you realise there is a lunatc in your sitting room that you originally invited in for a cuppa and to watch the telly…but now he’s trying to take over the fukn house…
kick them out now….
they are showing the same arrogance as that bastard lawweii, whom they condemn……
i hate israel and they way they treat palestinians…hate them….i didn’t see any celtic tops {thank fuk} on the hamas/isis butchers on saturday the 7th – LEAVE CELTIC OUT OF IT !!!
again, well said james…
HH
Couldnt agree more. I have yet to meet a fellow supporter who is not sick and tired of these egotistical pseudo supporters. If they were true supporters of the club why take action that consistently cost them money. Will they pay the club back the money that will be lost when a section, or all, of the ground is shut?
I am so tired of GB bs. To the bin with them. They aren’t bigger than the club. Whatever garbage they pull tonight, I hope it seeks their fate.
And you know what will happen in the rancid media they will condemm our whole club our full support. I fear the worst tonight not in the team or players and Brendan I think we will win but all the talk and attention will be on the GB. I am so depressed hope the boys can give me some Joy tonight hail! hail! COYBIG.
GB have been part of the show on a great number of occasions and that, in my view, has contributed to the spectacle. They have, outside of Paradise, undoubtedly assisted in many great causes, and their views on Palestine and its civilians I fundamentally agree with. That has my respect.
Decades of land grabs, shootings and imprisonments, the fairly recent killing of a female Palestinian journalist and then the batoning of her coffin carriers at her funeral by Israeli troops has been deeply disturbing. Trying to force them to drop the coffin hoping she’d fall out was truly despicable and deeply depraved.
7th October was a massacre by Hamas. What Israel has done before and since is too.
In my view both sides’ actions are depraved, even worse than terrorism or freedom fighting and deserving of the world’s condemnation. All of the world.
Parade through the streets by all means GB, rally against it at government buildings. Go to the church and pray for it to stop. You have my total support if that truly is what you stand for. It has nothing to do with the board so don’t use what is happening for your own end in that matter either.
Don’t bring anything to do with that to our Paradise tonight. Show your Celtic colours, Celtic tops, flags and scarfs. Let’s see the best of you. Tonight your actions and your organisation will be judged and we’ll see your true colours. Show decency and respect to our club but mostly, show it to the innocents. HH
Spot on James.
Time to put the GB back in its box and throw away the key.
Totally agree James.
The major issue I still have around all of the current events in the middle east, is that the thousand plus Israeli lives lost, no longer seem to matter whatsoever now, due to the acts of retaliation?
Never been a fan of politics because it mainly is just a game of spin played out by politicians, to suit an agenda where the poor become poorer and the rich become richer.
Football has always been a great escape from the shite that goes on within this world.
Sadly that doesn’t feel like the case tonight.
It’s already turned into this GB sideshow, with the match only taking a so called 2nd preference for these gobshites.
Will there be repercussions upon the club?
Totally expecting it also.
Will the spin include or try to be portrayed as support towards hamas, who actually are in power in Gaza?
Wouldn’t surprise me, and yet as a support we have spent so much time defending our club, or calling out all the bullshit that is constantly be thrown our way.
No doubt we have already given the Scottish media plenty of animation to be fired our way regardless of the result tonight.
Like yourself James, I fail to see what good for the club will come out of such a display tonight, and the though of a shower of gobshites rubbing there hands in glee, really makes me sick to my stomach at such a thought.
Tonight’s planned display is nothing more than a show of support towards the GB, nothing else, in a militant fashion against our own board imo, and not worthy of giving these gobshites the support they crave either imo.
Sorry James, forgot to mention.
Do you think that such a display and the cause of the claims trying to be made by the gobshites within the GB.
Totally undermines all the work carried out by the CELTIC FOUNDATION?
I certainly do currently