There are few so irresponsible as those who are truly desperate, and let’s be blunt about this; Ibrox’s fans, players, coaches and directors do not need any excuse to act in an irresponsible fashion, even in the best of circumstances. Facing a Celtic league decider at Parkhead, in front of nothing but a partisan home support, certainly doesn’t qualify for that.
In the days after the Ibrox draw, after Silva had thrown himself about in that absurd and embarrassing fashion, we talked here about the way their coach refused to condemn that behaviour. In fact, he bristled at the idea that his player had cheated, or tried to cheat. I don’t know why he heaped further disgrace on his side with that attitude; we all saw with our own eyes how shamefully the player behaved that afternoon. Denying it was ridiculous.
But it reveals the Ibrox operation to be completely without scruples, and so it shouldn’t be a great shock that its cheerleaders are resorting to irresponsible, even shocking, suggestions as to how the club might snatch at least a point, and two of them – Stuart McCall and Barry Ferguson – have actually dredged the gutter by going further than most would.
Both have explicitly told the Ibrox players to “sort out” Callum McGregor, and their comments make it clear they aren’t just talking about tight marking or anything that falls within the laws of the game; in fact, both appear to be urging Ibrox to try and put him out of the game by any means necessary, even if that involves violence.
I mean, what a disgusting proposal that is. Can these people not just park their more extreme opinions in the interests of taking at least some of the poison out of this game? I was willing to overlook McCall’s comments because he’s just a desperado trying to grab a bit of publicity as much of the world had probably forgotten who he was.
But Ferguson made his comments on Go Radio, and he was much more explicit in what he was talking about. “(The Ibrox club) need to make sure Callum McGregor is facing back to Joe Hart every time he gets the ball. And if he does turn you, take a foul.” That’s not even disguised, that’s as naked as you’ll get, the suggestion that they boot our captain off the park.
Do these games not have enough violence swirling around them without this? I mean for God’s sake, when there are Celtic players dodging missiles at Ibrox and our coaching staff being pelted with them then perhaps it behoves some of those who have a public profile to try and bring the temperature down, and this fixture doesn’t need more heat under it, not now that the Ibrox forums are already fulminating over Willie Collum’s appointment.
Say someone in the Ibrox team takes these “suggestions” to heart, that he goes in hard on the captain, puts him up in the air … and Collum flashes the red card.
If Celtic go on to win the game, then a lot of the crazies amongst their fan-base are going to go full-on nuts, and Collum could find himself in a bad, bad spot, perhaps with the club itself painting another target on his back. We all know it’s possible. Ibrox has frequently resorted to such deflection tactics when they’ve lost crucial games, and Collum is already on the Enemies List.
Are Ferguson or McCall going to own their comments then? No, they’ll disavow them completely, spuriously claim that’s not what they were saying at all and it’ll all be about how fans can’t behave.
The media does this all time, they stoke hatred and then flee the consequences of it. Remember the “question” as to who was more hated at Ibrox, Hector the Taxman or Neil Lennon? That came prior to one of these games, from a national paper, The Daily Record.
The stupidity of this extends beyond the potential for trouble on the day. Say the aforementioned assault takes place and McGregor goes down, injured, out of the match. What if he misses out on the Euros as well? Still a job well done? That’s patriotism, eah? Are they going to go “aww shucks, we didn’t mean do that to the guy …”?
These Peepul are an utter disgrace.
Instead of highlighting these daft remarks the media should have been slamming them.
But that would require the entire industry to behave with some responsibility … and that’s obviously too much to ask.
Totally irresponsible but it should come as no surprise that this pair of idiots would come out with statements like this. Lets face it, a pair of corner boys and not exactly the brightest bulbs in the room… it would be prudent for them both to remember that what goes around comes around