Fresh from the bigotry row he stoked last week with comments before the Celtic game which were so idiotic he chose not to attend Ibrox with the rest of the lawbreakers, Ally McCoist is at it again today showing how pitiful and spiteful and petty he is by using the Dundee call-off from last night as an excuse to dredge up a little ancient history; the Dundee email affair.
This story is four years old. The saga of the emails has been litigated in full. An inquiry has been held into what happened. Ibrox even produced its “dodgy dossier” to promote their version of events, the one the then Celtic CEO Peter Lawwell took one look at and called “embarrassing” and which the other clubs in the league dismissed as utterly groundless.
All any of it uncovered was that the club across the city has craziness baked into the DNA. That McCoist still smarts about this shows how incapable these people are of letting go of stuff, even when that stuff is based on paranoia and delusions.
Some of the reactions to yesterday have been off the charts nuts.
Over on the Ibrox forums, they are demanding the points. Chris Sutton has heard that the game might be moved to Ibrox. These things will happen over Brendan Rodgers’ dead body, I suspect. For a start, there is no precedent for doing either of those things, and at this stage in a close title race it would almost certainly trigger the threat of litigation from Celtic Park.
Dundee’s situation is precarious, and all the head-banging in the world isn’t going to make their problems go away. Their pitch is what it is and it’s too late to change that. To pretend, however, that this is simply their fault and there are no mitigations is absurd.
It is entirely legitimate to suggest that Dundee should have gotten their pitch sorted, but there are extenuating factors here. I mean, when the National Farmers Union are telling the media that we might be facing food shortages and thus rising prices because global warming has increased rainfall across the UK to the point where we’re facing high levels of crop losses maybe Ibrox fan sites and people like McCoist shouldn’t just dismiss this partial explanation.
Some of the reaction to this has been crazy. Some is grossly hypocritical.
For a start, I was mightily tickled last night to read comments on some of the Ibrox fan forums about how Dundee could just cut the playing budget to beef up their drainage system; if only their own club took the same attitude towards properly trained security and increased numbers of stewards our players and coaches might not have to run the gauntlet at their ground. And haven’t they ever heard Alex McLeish stating that in order to stay competitive their former club was virtually forced to adopt a tax avoidance scheme?
It’s always easier to suggest these things for other people.
I understand that McCoist was asked the question and had to answer it – although if those in the studio were serious about questioning him there were others they could have asked, such as which protected group he had intended to commit a hate crime against had he actually been in attendance at the weekend’s game – but bringing up the Dundee email saga of four years ago shows that his criticism has as much to do with ancient grievances as it does the current situation.
And these are the sorts of currents which swirl beneath this whole affair; you get the impression that a lot of people aren’t interested in finding solutions here but raking over the coals of past events. The statement Ibrox released yesterday was typically hysterical; notice that they haven’t uttered a single word in condemnation of the people in their own stands who threw things at the Celtic players and coaches at the weekend.
Even Simon Jordan – who is an absolute halfwit and self-affirms as a fan of the Ibrox club – thinks that their statement was ridiculous and over the top. He slammed them for the hypocrisy of daring to preach to other clubs without getting their “own house in order.” No, he didn’t mention the thrown objects, he had the ticket standoff against us in mind, but his point is well made nonetheless, and that’s a sentence I never thought I would write.
He isn’t very articulate, Jordan, but he raises another valid point; the club which is talking about how Dundee have caused embarrassment to the league is the very same one which not that long ago worked to undermine the league’s key sponsorship agreement. They are beyond belief at times with the way they act, and they show not the slightest self-awareness.
They had the chance to play this game last Wednesday; they rejected that flat-out because they wanted a full week to prepare for the visit of Celtic. We all know this to be true, we all know how much they would have whined and wailed had they been “made” to play the game when the pitch was in perfectly good nick … as usual, they expect the world to bend to their whims. It is atrocious how they and their media allies behave at times.
Celtic has really got these guys rattled.
Nobody at Ibrox is talking about the draw at the weekend being a “moral victory” anymore, are they? The sound of bottles crashing is louder than the sound of the chairman hammering out the latest ranting statement on his laptop. You better believe there will be much gnashing of the teeth and foot stamping if they drop points against Dundee when they do finally play the game. The pressure is already being ramped up through their media lackies to make sure they don’t have to, at least not in a traditional away match setting.
The SPFL must resist that. Celtic must insist the game goes ahead at Dundee’s home ground. Sporting integrity cannot be sacrificed to the SPFL’s scheduling issues.
And we must also take advantage of all this by winning big at the weekend. If we do that then their next two matches become non-negotiable must-wins. It has been a long time since their side had to play under that sort of pressure, and they don’t usually handle it well.
If the game is moved to Ibrox, I suggest someone look up the rule book as was done 4 years ago to cut the League season short. The rules were followed on that occasion.
If there is something in the rules that allows for an Ibrox switch, we don’t have a leg to stand on. If there isn’t (and it happens and we don’t win the League), the game in Scotland is done as far as I am concerned.
James. I must correct you. Tax avoidence is not a crime. Tax evasion which they were guilty of is a mojor crime
Where, or when they play this game is obviously an issue and may have a say in this league. The bigger issue, is STILL what transpires in that game and all the remainin games, regardin these officials. That’s a bigger concern imo and what we should really be focusin on for now.
That this game wasn’t played on the FIRST available midweek, ie last week…tells us all we need to know about Sevco, their fears, their whining and all their fawning apologists in the media!
We all know they are a disgrace, and that they have been pandered to, since the new club was born in 2012. The fact that they are still allowed to issue nonsensical statements, and act without impunity is the great stain on the governance within our game.
If they are indulged, over the Dundee fixture, which then affects this title race, and there are no consequences…our game is indeed, burst!!
You rightly mention the disgraces that are McCoist, and our ‘wonderful’ SMSM.
The former let his cheeky chappy facade, mightily fall, with his comments pre Ibrokes, and now his latest ‘jaunty’ banter!
The latter, as per, do not roundly condemn him, nor do they mention the assaults on our club at the Crumbledome last Sunday.
We all know that it’s the norm, and wonder, if the bias, ignorance and intolerance shown towards our club and fanbase will ever be properly called out?
I reiterate, that winning this title, will be one of the most satisfying, for many years !!!
Dundee have let everyone down with regards their pitch. But the solution, if it came to it, would be a neutral venue. Not Ibrox. Not a forfeit. It begs the question… Why are sevco so afraid of an away game against Dundee…..
Dundee haven’t let the Scottish game down lastweek the new club sevco got it cancelled because they were playing celtic they were terrified incase dundee took any points off them and then celtic beat them at cheating liebrox but we all know loyalist beaton give them a helping hand and the cowards on the celtic board shite themselves toget the truth out and if we lose the title to the officials cheating i can see the celtic fans going mental way that shower of shite on our board dirty rats everyone of them..HH
Here’s the thing Swally…
That e-mail came through and Celtic were awarded the title under the rules –
It was the second time we’d won Nine titles in a row – Another Record…
Just like when we won it the first time around – Another Record…
To add to every other one that Celtic OWN in Scummy Scottish Football –
Here Swallywag and any lurking Sevco Huns –
“To all The Huns out there, Do youse know…
You’ll never beat, our 9 in a row…
And, you’re ba’ is fuckin burst…
Cos The Celtic done it first…
And we’ve won The European Cup an aw’
So fuck youse all” !
“To all The Huns out there, Do youse know…
You’ll never beat, our nine in a row…
And, it’s really fuckin nice…
That The Hoops have done it twice…
And we’ve won The European Cup an aw’
So fuck youse all” !
These are little ditties that I sometimes sing to maself to the tune of ‘Winter Wonderland’ when I’m on the whisky and 9 in a row* crops up like today !
*(The 9 in a row has to be said like 9 in ‘arrow’ – ie a wee tad quicker) to make it work in drunken song version !
I actually agree with you on most things James, but I disagree with you on Simon Jordan, I think Simon is a terrific pundit, he takes no prisoners and calls everything how he sees it, I wish there were more like him actually. I have to comment on Dundee here though, it’s been a bit of a car crash from them, two games in a row postponed, that’s pretty unprofessional, but as long as it keeps us ahead after the St Mirren game were they have to travel to Dingwall on Sunday morning, I am happy enough with that.
Completely agree on SJ. Very little he says I disagree with when he is speaking on the english game.
Often find he is happy to put us in with them during discussions about Scotland but it’s because plain & simply he holds very little interest in scottish football. This would normally irritate the life out of me but he openly admits he doesn’t hold an interest & therefore doesn’t look at things beyond what is shown to him.
I also don’t buy he holds any favouratism to Rangers. He is a Palace & England fan who will support a southern club over a northern club because he’s a southener. I’m pretty sure he’d back an English club against any other nation club.
He was also full of praise for Ange when he was up here & was very pro him for spurs & other jobs in the prem.
He has said he is a fan of Phillipee Lemon recently but with his recent comments I can see him backing away from that.
Totally agree on SJ. I think when discussing the English game or finances very rarely do I disagree.
I think he is misinformed on Scottish football but that’s because he has openly said he has little interest in it.
He spoke very highly of Ange when he was up here & advocated him for several premiership managerial positions.
He has spoke of his fondness of Philipee CLemon recently but I think he will distance himself from that as he sees his attitude/entitlement surface.
Crop shortages,you say,James ??
Well,breathe easy everyone because at least there will be no scarcity of cabbages as the SMSM is full of them,as is The Stade de Bigot every time the huns play at home !!
Sevco are no threat to us winning this league.
The real threats have come,and will continue to come,from the Masons in Black and the 5th columnists in the Celtic boardroom.
Desmond the Donkey and Parasite Pete had better book a trip to Jupiter if we don’t accomplish victory after 38 games because the fury of the Celtic support should be such that even from that distance they will feel the heat !
If only fat Sally looked into the 5 way agreement!
They could have played the game the week before prior to the Celtic match and chose to body swerve it, as usual with these cretins everybody else is to blame.
The gardening guru should show a bit more appreciation for Dundee FC, if it weren’t for the older club’s generosity his new club wouldn’t have received their I’ll gotten football licence in 2012.
HH