Tam McManus. That’s not a name that’s going to get you rushing to the newsagents just because you hear he’s got a column.
Some of the most witless stuff I’ve read in recent years has come from that guy, and if you do a search for this blog and articles with his name in it you’ll see plenty of examples where I’ve highlighted his utter stupidity.
But today I want to highlight another of his failings and it’s his spinelessness.
Today, writing in The Record – where else? – he has claimed that Hibs are perfectly justified in cutting allocations for our fans. I am not going to sugar coat this, he’s dragged us into the mucky waters of this weekend’s abysmal chanting by the Ibrox supporters, trotting out this lazy and idiotic “Old Firm fans” guff which is so prevalent across the game here.
McManus is not alone in this.
I wrote last night about how Hibs, as a club, had done much the same thing and I can only repeat what I said then; until people have the guts to separate the issues and the clubs responsible for them, and tackle them in a proper way rather than lumping them together with us and us together with them we’re getting nowhere.
And most of these people only do this because they don’t want to just come right out and point the finger at the club whose fans have the worst record in our game.
McManus does point that finger. But then withdraws it as though scared. Which I’m sure is the case. He has no backbone to speak of, or he wouldn’t have written a rant about fans in general but would have got right to the heart of the matter and slammed those directly responsible and their club for remaining dead silent on it. Instead, we get this;
“Hibs’ statement acknowledges the problem in their own support. It’s time more clubs did the same. Sunday looked like the final straw. The chants from (the Ibrox) fans towards Martin Boyle – which can’t be printed in this paper – were terrible. Sickening.
“Don’t think this is a pop just at (them). Every club has a problem element. It’s widespread. Quite clearly Hibs have had enough and don’t want to put their players or fans through any more. They want the supporters to be safe going to games. Is cutting allocations going to make a difference? Does it matter if its 3500 people or 1500 people? The danger is the chants are still there. The chanting, particularly from the Old Firm, is out of order but how do you police it?”
A handful of words condemning fans who openly called for a Hibs player to die whilst he was lying unconscious, and the rest a bitter screed where he invokes “Old Firm fans” as the root of all evil in the game. Weak and thoughtless in equal measure, and actually seeing a former player calling for away fans to be locked out of games is disgusting in itself.
This isn’t the first time McManus has done this either. In March last year, Ibrox fans made disgusting chants during a minute’s silence for ex-Hibs chairman Ron Gordon before the Viaplay Cup Final where we beat their club. Everyone in Scottish football knew who was responsible for those chants, but what did McManus write in his column?
“Old Firm rivalry is always used as a platform of hate by the knuckle-draggers”, as though our fans did it too.
What’s worse is that he’s a stone hypocrite. His demand today that other clubs take a lead in dealing with the troublesome element in their own house would stand up better if he had praised Celtic when it banned The Green Brigade for a litany of offences earlier in the season.
But rather than do that, you know what he did instead?
He went on Twitter after we’d beaten Hibs 4-1 at home to offer the following observation; “Atmosphere at Celtic Park crap only fans i could hear were small band of Hibs fans in corner.”
I am really, really sick of people like this and the way they continuously drag us into whatever gutter Ibrox fans are wallowing in.
McManus would rather conflate two issues than separate them and confront them properly; there are no fans in this country as loathsome as that element which follows the Ibrox club and isn’t happy unless its up to its knees in fenian blood. The section which booed a dead Hibs chairman and wished death on one of their players at the weekend.
If he’s too gutless to call that out properly without attempting some pathetic equivalence argument then he should just shut up about it altogether.
He would look and sound less like a cowardly fool.
Well said, also BBC sports reporter McLaughlin doing the same. Reporting on the game and singing but not mentioning trfc doing the chanting only saying the supporters!!!
Abundantly aided and abetted by a daily Record ghost typist no doubt ? Big Jorge Albertz was having none of the Record’ s lies and deception ….remember that ? He walked out on the posse !
They at The Daily Record will certainly be ghost writers pretty soon John…
Because they’re gonna hopefully be dead as the dodo the way these sales are going !
This is amazing coming from a guy whose family are Celtic fans including himself,can’t believe he’s just making these comments to keep his job,
Very disappointed in him as I always had time for him growing up
Don’t forget were you came from Tam
He is gutless, that’s the problem, but he wouldn’t be writing for the Daily Rainjur if he wasn’t. He can also dish it out but can’t take it, when he was compering at a golf outing l was at several years back. He was halfway through his “comedy” when l shouted, “When,s the comedian on?” He didn’t like it let me tell you, he didn’t like it one bit. But then he’s easily wound up. Most unfunny “comedian” I,ve never laughed at. His journalistic “skills” are also lacking. When he takes his Motherwell “tap aff”, he’s “goat” a Rainjurz tap oan underneath. He’s not even worth bothering about.
Keep referring to THEM as OLD FIRM SEVCO until it is instilled into the public`s brains. Brainwashing (gaslighting now) them to the extent that when they hear that phrase they only think of THEM. It`s either that or stop
lamenting about them altogether. Lamenting without even trying something different is lazy and pointless. You only need to see how the word Gay had a gradual overhaul to virtually have an opposite meaning
When will the club ban this publication it’s good you highlight his rubbish but till the club do something,third rate footballers (what did he achieve in the game) and mind hacks like him will spout their nonsense
I’m sorry but did Celtic not just ban the Green Brigade for months for inappropriate behaviour.
Why are the “Grey Brigade” that run out club allowing their customers to be attacked by this.
Why are they refusing to defend their own record and willingness to take action.
They only way Celtic fans are going to get the appreciation they deserve is to take action.
Why are the bloggers not.leading this. I understand you have a business to protect but.im sure.you also have the means to find a way to initiate some action to rid ourselves of these dinosaurs.
Every fan is sitting there saying oh I know it’s bad but I’m sure they’ll go all in to fix.it at the end of the season.
How many time are you going to go this cycle with them at the helm ????
Time this Gutless Celtic Board came out and said Publicly we are not part of any Old Firm.
Correct- And great point Micheal !
And who the hell is Tam McManus…
I’ve never ever heard of this guy –
It’s their failure to accept the insecurity of their lost empire, Protestant dominance and unionism that affects their very existence. Hence they live in their lie, the past and the historical empire’s dominance and they’re allowed to do so by this British parliament because they haven’t entered this millennium either. Thus their love of the the union, England and it’s parliament allows them and their bigotry to exist.
Like Russians view of Ukrainians, like Israelis view of Palestinians they view us with Irish Scottish catholic heritage as some kind of lower life that they must oppress.
This country, this so called union allows them to do so through organised lodges and their willingness to allow their free expression of this through marches and rigged organisations.
But they are vulnerable, they are insecure and it’s expressed in their anger as highlighted by their bigoted journos in the media and press
Another one that’s too scared to call them out in case the media work dries up
Playing the game silent and tame
I hate to say it but as long as our fans continue to sing IRA songs (particularly at away grounds) we will always be seen as two cheeks of the same arse.
If we stopped that, and didn’t break seats, the media would have a more difficult time trying to say we’re as bad as each other.
We do have a problem with our own fans and their singing offensive songs,we are despised mostly in England due to the songs about the IRA and Lee Rigby which are as bad as what the Rangers sing,the difference being we also have a great many celtic songs which we also sing but the gers seem to only sing songs of hate and bigotry,I wish we would give it a rest with the rubbish and stick to the real celtic tunes.
He just wants to get a wage and to lick ass people like that shouldn’t have an option if it’s not balanced because everyone knows that them across the city are corroded with their views just like the natzi Jews atm
Is the unqualified McManus to blame or those who proof-read and decide on final cut. The DR has much history in this type of ‘anti-Celtic’ behavior.
2nd rate player, 3rd rate journo.