There is something that has always bothered me about the media’s assertion that our officials are honest and that this should not be questioned. It reeks of exceptionalism. It’s their way of saying that it’s only in other countries that people are capable of acting corruptly. It’s the suggestion that issues which have afflicted every other country in football cannot happen here.
It is the only place where they seem to believe that Scottish football has higher standards than exist in the rest of the world. For people who constantly talk this game down, that should be regarded as more than just remarkable. It should qualify as a miracle.
The problem is, when you hold our officials up to that standard you are just begging to be made to look foolish, and if your argument is that our guys are so much better than everyone else then you better be sure that “integrity” stretches into every corner of their lives, because if that person turns out to be a charlatan or a crook or a liar or corrupt then how can anyone, with a straight face, suggest that we can trust them on a football pitch?
The elitism which exists in our football environment is disgusting at times. It treats those of us who ask questions about whether our officials can be trusted as if the problem was with us and not with the conspiracy of silence which exists around this issue in the newsrooms. And you know and I know that this is the only place it exists. There is disquiet amongst the clubs and we know full well that there is. Fans across the game have no faith in them at all.
Will Collum make a difference? He has to make changes, and in light of those we can make up our minds, but if he thinks that things can continue as they are then he’s kidding himself on. He needed a major scandal landed in his lap like he needs a hole in the head.
I am astonished at the turn of events in the last few days and which quite possibly casts him into the midst of one.
About two weeks ago, the Scottish Parliament voted to suspend the SNP’s Michael Matheson for claiming a momentous internet bill from the public purse, a bill run up by his sons, in a holiday hotel room, tuning in to watch a Celtic game. It was an idiotic thing to make a claim for, especially as the sum involved was eye-wateringly high and impossible to justify.
But nobody was stamping his feet in indignation quite like the clownish, shrieking hypocrite Douglas Ross, who had his own problems in relation to his cash. In 2021, he had to declare £28,000 in hitherto undisclosed earnings on the Register of Interests at Westminster, some of it coming from the SFA. For this eejit to moralise was nauseating.
Yet he was sitting on his own scandal at the time, and with the arrogance of a born charlatan he probably didn’t think it would ever come to light, except that it did when the Sunday Mail uncovered evidence that he might have claimed public money for expenses whilst he travelled about as an SFA official. Claiming public money for a private purpose is as close to fraudulent as you’ll come, and the whole matter will have to be examined in full.
Today he announced that he’s quitting as an MSP if he’s elected at Westminster, and resigning from the leadership at the same time. The guy who survived one disgrace already, the guy who was investigated a couple of years ago and warned by the SFA for a comment he made about “gypsies”, has issued a statement which he hopes will turn down the noise around him.
“I have served as MP, MSP and leader for over three years now and believed I could continue to do so if re-elected to Westminster, but on reflection, that is not feasible.”
There’s nothing in there about his latest scandal, but he’s denied that anyway. Of course he has. Almost every major political figure who ever resigned in sleaze starts out with a denial, and some of them even blow some smoke as he’s just done, in the hope it all goes away.
He and his allies are claiming that his decision to step down as leader has nothing to do with the expenses scandal. That’s exactly what I’d expect them to say.
So, it’s a coincidence, is it? He was already embroiled in a controversy over his decision to stand for a Westminster seat after saying he wouldn’t, and in the process nudging aside a colleague who was already doing campaign work thinking he was the candidate, and there’s a lot of effort going in to making it sound as if this was the reason for his decision today, but he was adamant this time last week that he intended to carry on, and his statement acknowledges that.
So, what happened in the meantime? The Sunday Mail report did, and he and his party must think that we’re all mugs not to recognise that fact.
It’s pretty clear that this is not somebody trustworthy. He’s the sort of person who will shamelessly moralise about someone else’s behaviour whilst acting as if the sun shines out of his own backside. As an SFA official he is protected by a media which tells us consistently that we have the only honest referees in the world. As a public official, he has no such protective shield and we should all be thankful for that, thankful that we don’t live in a country which gives the political class the sort of benefit of the doubt enjoyed by those at Hampden.
The next time somebody tells you that our refs are the only good ones on the planet, the next time you hear that their integrity cannot be questioned, you can say two words to shut that person up. Look them straight in the eye and say “Douglas Ross.”
Every Celtic Fan in the land wid Luv 5 mins in a room wae this ODIOUS LITTLE PRIK!! SMUG TORY BASTARD wae a Coupon u’d NEVER tire ae SLAPPIN!!
Typical Tory charlatan of the highest order.
Collum will not be empowered to make a difference.
If you want to judge the elite of Scottish football officials count how many are working in the big tournament coming up.
There will be no change to refereeing standards until we have impartial refs and preferably full time from other countries but that will be too radical a solution.
Ditch var to pay for that.
Biased tax crook that’s why he’s a tory Huns fan
Looks like the VAR decision was spot on.
Douglas Ross is a CNUT.
i think Matheson was telling porkies too about his thieving. Was it £11,000 ? Run up while
watching a Celtic game? And, as they used to say, the band played (believe it if you like).
He`s a sleazy looking character at the best of times. Dirty greedy, useless baskets, the lot of them.
A horrible odious cretin of a human being as his behaviour to his unwell fellow Tory proves (not that the ill Tory or any of them gives a contentinal fuck about those on the sick that they’re stripping of their benefits)…
He’s just a Tory Butchers Apron Loving Cunt as the banner at Parkhead rightly said…
So are Labour – Butchers Apron Lovers as well to the core…
So are Reform – And The Lib-Dems too…
How the fuck any Celtic supporter in Scotland could ever consider voting for any of the above four Butchers Apron loving mob is beyond me…
Surely there cannot be many out there – or is there !
Vote SNP or Green and get rid of all Unionist Bar Stewards outta Scotland…
Then it really and truly can FINALLY become Bonnie Scotland !!!
Clach the only problem with your logic is that as Nicola sturgeon stated at the last referendum vote ,the SNP will keep the monarchy and use pound sterling,what is independent about that ,bearing in mind that the king / monarchy are the head of the butchers apron.So who does that leave to vote for,I’m old enough to remember when the SNP were known as Tartan Tories I’m not sure a lot has changed.I think we are in a bad way in this election but I think the Tory bastards have had there chance 14 years,and I’m not convinced about how good SNP have been since being the political power in Scotland.
He’s a horrible wee rat and should have been given the “Red Card”, that he likes to shout about a long time ago.
Who’s the bluenose mason in the black?
Douglas Ross embodies everything I hate about the Tories. The gypsies comment exemplified everything that I hate about them.
“If you were prime minister for the day, without any repercussions, what would you do?”
That was the question he was asked. And rather than champion an egalitarian cause, he decides he would use his limitless power to persecute an already persecuted race of people whilst insulting them at the same time by using the gypsy pejorative.
I think it’s an insult to football that he is allowed to represent it at such a high level. It also tells us that the SFA needs an overhaul that we all know is not going to happen any time soon. God bless Celtic for pissing on their (orange) parade with hilarious regularity.
I’m voting labour this time around, snp were giving promotions to yousaf , who was failing at his previous roles. I have never known anything like that, how you could fail at your previous roles, and then get promoted, it was terrible, and then he got found out for the failure that he was. I saw the snp guy also got done for claiming as well, I will go back to labour, starmer and the absolutely phenomenal Angela Raynor will be getting my vote this time around.
Phenomenal Angela Rayner? Are you for real mate? She is awful. Farage made her look like the cardboard cutout that she is last week in the TV debate. Although that’s not saying much. I reckon I could have done the same and I’m shite at public speaking.
New Labour Mk 2 are so close to the Tories in terms of ideology that you couldn’t get a cigarette paper between the two of them. That was the only thing that Farage said last week in that TV debate that made sense.
Their hounding out of the left wing of the Labour Party by their so called comrades demonising them as anti Semites is something EVERY Celtic fan should be aware of given the treatment we got during the Abada fiasco.
The only solution is independence. Yes, the SNP are all over the place. And they have their troubles with dodgy practices. What political party doesn’t? But once independence is attained we can vote in whoever we want. Under a unionist Westminster govt it’s only a matter of time until England forces the Tories on us again.
Don’t be a mug!!!!
Independence roonsa ,under the same monarchy as the English,and using pound sterling what is independent about that,and I’m surprised anyone in Scotland has a good word to say about farage,he is a right wing racist shit kickers that pretends he’s one of the boys,when in fact he comes from a very rich privileged background and remember he was going over to America to help trump FFS,what more can we say.at least Angela Rayner doesn’t pretend where she comes from and farage who is a born liar finds it easy in these debates because of the fact he just spouts lies ,but he has fooled a lot of people with his one of the boys.
Erm. I don’t think I actually did say anything postive about Farage other than he is a much MUCH better orator than Angela Rayner. Which is true. She has about as much charisma as a blancmange.
And as for the assertion (from another comment) that she faced a struggle to get to where she is, fine. Does that mean I have to approve of her politics? No. I will not stand with ANY party leaders who have systematically destroyed the soul and ethos of a once great institution. I suggest you make your way to DDN (Double Down News) and find out why Corbyn is standing as an independent candidate against the party he led only a few short years ago.
As for your point about the pound and the monarchy. Let’s get real for a minute. Detachment from Westminster is only the first step. These changes cannot all happen overnight. We need to remove ourself from this union. Otherwise, as I said in my last comment, it’s only a matter of time before we have another 10, 15, 20 years of Tory rule forced on us. Labour will cock it up. They always do.
Look how she got into politics pal.. she left school with no qualifications, and pregnant. She went to college, and joined the trade unions, im an rmt man myself, I work in the railway. She is the epitome of working class, she had no right to be were she is, look at her story, and then we will chat. HH
Correct. Angela Raynor is unimpeachable.
Huge fan of hers. The kind of person you want – you need – in politics.
Spot on goodghuy,I would rather Angela Rayner was leader than Keir Starmer.
Agree with you Roonsa, Independence means genuine change not kid on change from Unionist Labour. Anyone worried about the Monarchy remaining in an Independent Scotland doesn’t seem to grasp, that under a democratic Proportional voting system at Holyrood and a new Scottish constitution, the route will be opened up for real change including getting rid of the Monarchy and all their hangers on in the future.
The days of everybody taking a vow of loyalty to the King or Queen this includes The Judiciary, The Police ,The Military, MP’s and MSP’s. My God I can even remember being made do it at the cubs over 70 years ago. This can be over as long as the 50% of Scottish Independence supporters hold their nerve until we can convince another 10 or 20 % of Scots to join us. If you support Independence voting for a Unionist Party makes no sense.
Enjoy your Butchers Apron rhetoric then goodguy voting for Butchers Apron loving Labour and especially keeping up that right wing cretin Starmer….
That he’s been knighted (for what – goodness only knows) tells you enough…
He is a right wing Londoner who is on public record of saying that if there was a border poll in Ireland tomorrow he’d vehemently campaign against independence for Ireland and very much keep the six occupied counties chained to the tyranny of his beloved ‘union’
While he’s not quite Farage, he’s not that far away from his thinking and Jeremy Corbyn he certainly ain’t for sure…
I agree The SNP have fucked up spectacularly on various issues but they simply are the only route to Scotland being free of Westminster colonialism out there at the minute…
If they got so bad that I couldn’t bring maself to vote for them then I simply wouldn’t vote or if I really wanted to be throne and cast a vote at a ballot box I’d write ‘you’re all fcukin useless’ across it…
But I’d rather drown in a tank of slurry than vote for Butchers Apron loving Labour, Butchers Apron loving Tory, Butchers Apron loving Reform or Butchers Apron loving Liberal Democrat…
By the way – While I’ve had that rant about your political leanings, I do very much enjoy your football related posts on The Celtic Blog !
Me too clachnacuddin I enjoy your posts mate ,the only thing you didn’t mention was are the SNP going to keep the monarchy as that was there stance at the indy ref and that was one of the things that pissed me off about the SNP.like you I’m am no lover of Keir starmer but I’ve had enough of the Tories to last a lifetime and just think the only way to get rid of them is butcher apron loving labour but I see no alternative,one more thing clach I shouldn’t come on the Celtic blog shouting politics but I feel the country ie all of Britain is going to the dogs.cheers pal.
We could definitely be doing with having a SCOTTISH SINN FEIN Political Party Jim…
There would be no monarchy under their policies for sure –
And they’d certainly look out for the working class folks of Scotland and those on benefits though a mate says The SNP are very good with his sickness benefit but they don’t have that much power on that department…
Aye – Scottish Sinn Fein would be a good way forward me thinks !
Aye that wid be guid clachnacuddin ma man ,I wish we could make it happen.
When the SNP say they’ll keep the monarchy and pound Sterling will be our currency, that is on their manifesto and would only happen if they were voted in as our Government AFTER Independence is won.
So we don’t have to worry about those policies when we’re voting for SNP as our vehicle to achieve Independence, only when voting in the election which follows.
Typical Tory scum , no morals, in it to line his pockets, sell out his granny for a quick buck
Every party has members who abuse the system lets see what starmer comes up with in his plans. Will he abolish the tax on the state pension
and come to agreement with rail workers and the nhs workers ?.
Corruption is our system’s main ingredient. Ross is just 1 of a plethora of heinous opportunists riding the train. Getting caught is the only sin in the system’s eyes.
Hopefully someday we’ll evolve out of participating in the whole murky, malevolent sham & create a system where the Rosses are a historical blot on our species.
Honest officiating will follow.
Spot on goodghuy,I would rather Angela Rayner was leader than Keir Starmer.
I meant to add on the subject of James’ article: is there any other country whose rules state that no club employee can imply that an official is incompetent (even if they are incompetent)?