Whenever I change the name of a major series on this site, you can bet I had a good reason.
The title of this one reflects the nature of the moment, because there are profoundly stupid people in our footballing culture. And almost all of the truly, incredibly thick ones are found on the other side of the city.
On Tuesday night, I recognised we were heading into a tough week—a week of introspection amongst the fans and within the club. A week where we’d all feel distracted and frustrated by what we had witnessed in the big match. I knew we’d be facing a tough time from the media too. Some would offer constructive criticism; others, still fuming over Rodgers’ weekend remarks, would be sharpening their knives, eager for revenge.
I told my friends on Facebook that we’d have to suck it up, but only to a degree. As I wrote recently, those sharpening the knives had been waiting for an excuse. Some are genuine critics, but others are professional Celtic-haters, always looking for an opportunity to attack us. There’s no reason to give them an inch or tolerate their nonsense for even a second. My suspicion that they’d soon stop sniggering was confirmed last night.
By the end of the game, the silence was as profound as it hasn’t been since Tommy, the protagonist in the famous country song Coward of the County, locked the bar doors and gave the Gatlin boys what they’d been asking for a long time.
Recently, I saw a brilliant ad from the anti-Trump Republicans at the Lincoln Project. It was called The Idiot, and it basically said every village has one—but only in a village of idiots would you let the idiot run the village; it was a message to the Republican Party.
It reminded me of the Scottish sporting press: a village run by idiots, and if you’re in that village how must you see yourself?
Our very own Village Idiot tried to laugh off last night’s result by having a go at us, but apparently even his colleagues at Sky groaned. To me, this proves he’s not seen as a serious professional, but rather as a troll, and it reflects badly on Sky that they continue to put such an obvious clown at the centre of one of their flagship shows.
It’s clear those around him are sick of hearing his pitiful attempts at commentary and analysis, which he makes even more unprofessional by constantly finding ways to dig at us. He’s a moron, a childish, moronic bigot, and it says a lot about Sky that someone, somewhere, thinks he’s worthy of a job. He’s so thick he wouldn’t even get a gig on student radio.
There were plenty more like him, banging their drums, delightedly crowing on Tuesday. But as I said, that result didn’t make them any stronger, faster, or better. They’re the same hollow shell of a club they were before we kicked off in Dortmund. And that was proven last night when Lyon beat them as easily as Dortmund beat us. Except Dortmund were Champions League finalists, and Lyon … well, they’re not the side they once were.
On Tuesday, I didn’t doubt—nor do I now—that if the Ibrox club had played Dortmund instead of us, they’d have been just as thoroughly beaten. Their recent forays into Europe only prove the point. An awful Kyiv team beat them this year, they were destroyed last year in qualifying, and the year before that? Pure slapstick comedy. Yet they sneer at us.
They mock the team that regularly beats them. Most of their fans leave games against us with the same vacant expression you used to see on Vietnam veterans after a night on ambush duty. What are they laughing at? If we’re dreadful, what does that make them, considering they can’t live with us domestically? Many of their fans stake their pride on this unshakeable belief that they’ve somehow got European football sussed.
But they don’t. It’s a myth perpetuated by the media. Sure, they’ve had the odd good result, and they’ve achieved that by doing the exact opposite of what we do. But that doesn’t make them a good side. If they’ve stumbled on some magic formula, it doesn’t work very well. Some of their results in recent years have been every bit as bad as ours. The media may give them a free pass, but we shouldn’t. We should keep hammering that point home.
None of us are kidding ourselves about what we witnessed on Tuesday. None of us thought we were going to Dortmund to dominate the pitch and bring home three points. We knew their vulnerabilities gave us a chance, but we were also aware of our own record and the need for perfection. Whatever they thought they saw in our support, it wasn’t arrogance or delusional confidence.
I’ve read plenty of Celtic fan commentary on this game and spoken to dozens of fans since it ended, both in Germany and online. Nobody is overreacting, nor are they brushing it off. The response has been grounded, reasonable, sensible, and realistic.
Meanwhile, it’s their fans who have reacted hysterically, irrationally, and crazily. And two days later, reality has once again come crashing in, leaving no one on their side laughing anymore. Except for the Village Idiot himself, but even his laughter is so forced and contrived you can see right through it.
From their brief high, they’re now back in the gutter, as reality confronts them once again with what they truly are. All the old doubts, fears, and loathing have resurfaced, running rampant on their forums. Doubts about the manager, the captain, the directors, the midfield, the defence, the forwards—venom is being hurled in every direction, and no one is safe.
The truth is, they have no real confidence in their team, no belief that anyone can elevate them. They don’t believe the manager can turn things around, and his comments about the financial gap are the most pitiful excuses I’ve heard. Everyone knows it’s a smokescreen.
So their joy from Tuesday is already gone, replaced by their old fears. Once again, we see the truth in the saying that he who laughs last, laughs longest. I knew as early as Tuesday that it wouldn’t take long for their bubble to burst.
This club can’t keep its head down for two seconds without presenting us with a target. And that’s why, instead of joy on their forums today, the loathing is bubbling up against so many people inside their own walls. They can’t believe they’ve once again had their moment snatched away. And by their own incompetence.
They are fools, playing themselves for idiots, because the only people who’ve been kidding them are themselves. Who’s a bigger fool than that? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. What do you say to the guy in the mirror who does this to you over and over again? All their loathing is, in fact, self-loathing.
Are they still laughing? Of course not.
The sevco 2012 support are the goldfish of Scottish football.
Round the bowl happy
Round again raging ,and so it goes on
Losing all the memories after every lap
Aye but our Goldfish Bowl is actually pure £££ GOLD £££ FSTB…
Their Bowl is The BEGGING Bowl !
Sevco Hun Paupers !!!
Another product of their imagination, is that they try and make out, our support class our team as ‘world beaters’. Not once have ah heard ANY Celtic supporter even so much as claim, that we’re even a good European side these days (years). Not one ! We had examples of imo ‘over optimism’ for the dortmund game aye, tho nothin compared tae the absolute deluded, unmerited, super hype we get constantly from the ibrox support and their media friends. It’s a common characteristic from them, tae accuse other people of behavin exactly like they do theirselves. As for boyd, he’s just sky’s celebrity Celtic hater. They think his dumb, sarcastic and continual Celtic digs make ‘good tv’. He’s a smirkin buffoon.
Hopefully The Hoops are through and professional at Dingwall and come back down from Their Highland Fling with all three points and a polished performance as well…
That would really ramp up the pressure on Sevco then for their 8pm Kick Off…
Dare we dream that St.Johnstone nick a point…
Well probably not normally – But they have a new manager so could we get the new managerial ‘bounce’ that you so often see…
Well Hopefully anyway…
It would be utterly toxic – and utterly hilarious as well…
COME ON YE SAINTS !
You talk about Introspection James. Like it or loathe it at time self analysis is something I have always done automatically. Sometimes It results in good outcomes or sometimes it’s the opposite and I feel flat and down. It can be very difficult to shake Thinking of my analysis of this week was about feeling good and being excited about the game and being really happy that thinking my beloved team would maybe get a draw in Germany. After the 7-1 drubbing looking back from now it has been a period of huge disappointment. That is what my love for my football team can do to me. Flat as a pancake. It takes time to get back up again. What I don’t do James is give thought to the other mob. I am too enggrossed in what my own team is doing to give value to them.
Laughing at them is a great pastime and something I really enjoy normally but I have no interest in them or the press at a time where my club is hurting so much. We sing songs about beating the other mob 7-1. We have just been hammered by the same score. I am dealing with that, that mob and everyone else won’t even enter my thoughts during this footballing hangover.
‘Self Loathing’ and hatred of ‘Others’ is what defines them.
They are locked in to their ‘Kultur’ which in practice limits their options.
They can’t change and still be true to their ‘Kultur’.
They are impotent and that’s where their rage is inculcated.
It’s part of their nature, in their DNA.
Its why they cling to their perceived history. Their ‘Entitlement’ and ‘Supremacist’ fixations.
These are the only things that give value or meaning to their lives. Any other metrics are seen as challenges to their
imagined established order.
They are ‘ra Peepel’ don’tcha know.
I love your work james…but the lads are getting ridiculous..can barely read anything..I know you have to make a living pal.but tone it down a notch please?
I turned the Dortmund game off at 6. Knew we got a lesson. Knew we were up against the finalists last season on their own magnificent stadium. Some of their goals fortuitous and we were rattled. Move on. Win and Lose as a club and supporters.
Brendan is a fab coach and will get the boys over it quickly. He now sees what we need against a top team and hopefully with hindsight in the summer he can add a couple of quality players to the team strengthening some areas.
We have other games in this tournament that are a better match for this Celtic team and they will be tighter and hopefully we can secure the points.
Improving in our domestic league is our main challenge as there isn’t enough money around for teams around us to invest and improve and for the league to grow and be stronger. It’s fact.
The optimism around the team and fans prior to Dortmund was brilliant and we need to get that back.
We are CELTIC…….Huns skelped at home with a low end French league team and it was a stroll it seems. That is a real worry.! Their fans know that so any wee glimmer of optimism they will take like winning a final, it’s what they have become.
The Peepul from Govan have a very warped view on what success actually is.
Since that freak occurrence or more likely a secret Faustian pact in 22′ when they lost half of their games on the way to the Final.
TRFC have amassed a total of 21.0 coefficient points with 17.0 of those won in the Europa League and ¼ of those were bonus points.
Celtic in the same period starting 2022/23, 23/24 including the current 24/25 campaign after only 2 games have amassed 21.0 coefficient points with all 21.0 coefficient points coming from playing in the Champions League.
TRFC are about to lose 14.0 Pts from their total tally so their route to the Europa League will see them lose any benefit they had of seeding.
Just going one round more than Celtic, while playing in the Lesser tournament and Celtic are in with the Elite Clubs, has morphed into a Trophy for them, simply depressed constantly watching Celtic being simply the best and most successful in the Land.
Much better to get your worst game out of the way early when the danger can be minimilised, if that game was one hanging as the be all end all they yes its bad but getting this out of the way now? Much better, brenda and the squad wont allow this to happen again.
Lesson learned we move on . We dont have a ministery of funny walks dept at celtic park or lennoxtown.
The Scottish sports media have peddled this co-efficient myth about the Ibrox mob for the past couple of years, they are the biggest pedlars of sporting Shxte in the UK. Even some of our own supporters have been taken in by the lies.
Right Celtic, let’s look forward, there’s everything domestic to play for and In Europe we’ve got the play-off round or the last 16 as our target. Pride can be won back.