I don’t like to joke about people losing their sense of self.
It’s my biggest fear. Waking up one day and realising that you’re a little less there than you were before. Of all the ailments out there, it’s the one I’d cope with the least. That’s why I treat this subject with the utmost seriousness and sensitivity.
There are phrases associated with it that I won’t even say, because uttering the words feels like inviting something sinister.
When I ask if it’s time to worry about Graeme Souness, I’m not joking. It’s a serious question, and I’m asking it out of concern, not malice. I don’t want to criticise someone who might be going through something that requires professional attention.
The reason I’m bringing this up is because I recently wrote about his comments on Ange Postecoglou. He called our former manager naïve and lucky. It was an absurd statement, but it didn’t stop there. He’s since gone on to say almost the exact same thing about Arsène Wenger. Anyone with even a basic understanding of football wouldn’t say something like that and mean it.
Even in the echo chamber of nonsense that is Talksport, where one of his co-anchors once said that Arsenal’s Invincibles team wasn’t a good side, it’s a bizarre thing to say, and no one agrees with it—not even the Ibrox fans who dislike Ange just as much as Souness does.
They’re starting to ask serious questions about his mental sharpness, and it’s worth noting that people at their club have tried multiple times to get him involved over there, and he even had suggestions for them on who the manager should be. (He was pushing Frank Lampard; that does not look good in the context of this piece.)
Look, I know Souness has never been the brightest bulb in the room. But repeating these exact phrases, with almost no variation, about two entirely different managers feels like more than ignorance—it feels like a sign of something deeper. Souness should get himself checked out, for his own sake and for the sake of those around him. Some of the people close to him must realise that he’s not all there when he says stuff like this.
There’s no shame in needing help. Even Joe Biden stepped off the stage. Souness has had health issues before, and in many ways, he’s lucky to still be with us. There’s no shame in getting older or losing a step. It happens more often than I like to think about.
If Souness is ill, those around him need to step in. Get him off the air and out of the public eye before his comments become even more erratic. We’re seeing this happen with Donald Trump—people around him know he’s deteriorating mentally, but no one is brave enough to do anything about it. They’re just letting it play out on the world stage.
I was watching an American politics podcast recently where they discussed Trump’s mental decline, and some of the things they said apply to Souness too. Repetition is one of the key signs of cognitive decline, and it should be alarming that Souness is using the same language to describe two very different coaches. It’s a red flag. Extreme, emotive language is another red flag. A lot of people thought Trump was just ramping up the shock factor for a while, but now it’s clear that something deeper is going on.
Souness’s comments, particularly his repetitive use of language, reminded me of what those podcasters were saying about Trump. Now, it’s not fair to diagnose someone based on a few statements. But the folks who’ve been watching Trump for years can see the difference between 2016 Trump, 2020 Trump, and 2024 Trump, and they’re worried. Maybe the people around Souness have noticed the same changes in him.
But, maybe we’re wrong.
Maybe Souness doesn’t have a problem. He’s a lot younger than Trump, after all. And no one’s claiming Souness has any of the personality disorders that Trump’s always been known for, stuff like malignant narcissism. Maybe Trump is just coming apart under the pressure of knowing that if he loses the next election, he could spend his last years in a federal prison.
So maybe people are misreading things with him, and maybe some of us are misreading things with Souness, and there’s nothing wrong with him mentally.
But if he’s fine, that doesn’t exactly help matters, does it? It means he’s just an arse. An ignorant, clownish moron who’s become an embarrassment to himself. And in that case, someone still needs to step in and tell him it’s time to get off the airwaves.
Souness might be falling into an old trap; thinking that making these outrageous statements stirs up controversy. But controversy is one thing—this isn’t it. At a certain point, people aren’t engaging with you because they’re shocked or intrigued by your opinions. They’re engaging because they’re wondering if you can still put your trousers on in the morning without assistance.
Once you reach that stage, you’re no longer provoking thoughtful debate. You’re just provoking a conversation about whether you need help. Either way, having Souness on the air is bad for him, and it’s bad for the rest of us. Watching someone unravel in public isn’t fun, unless you’re the sort of person who enjoys rubbernecking at a car crash.
I don’t take any pleasure in writing this.
It’s not something I want to talk about, and it’s certainly not the kind of subject I usually cover. This isn’t really about Souness at all—it’s about whatever issue Souness might be facing, and that’s a topic best left to him and the people who care about him and I’m afraid that doesn’t include the people who keep sticking him in front of a microphone for the amusement of a bloodthirsty audience. It’s time for an intervention, I think.
To me Souness was just a figure head at ipox. The real brains behind there success in the 90s was Walter Smith. If you look what souness done after he left ipox and Walter Smith done, the difference is night and day
i sent talksport an e mail on this very subject. i stopped listening in 2012 but can read their nonsense on blogs like this one.
Great article and the appreciation you portrayed for a cruel escalating disease off modern times. I like you have witnessed the decline of Graeme Souness over the last few years in a broadcasting capacity. I like many have the experience of seeing family members and friends being struck with this cruel disease. I believe there are something like 37 different variants of the disease.
Graeme has had his health issues over the years and only recently had another heart scare. This is bound to affect other parts of the body, the brain being an obvious cause for concern. Like you i hope fellow Celtic supporters do not seek any joy from the situation. Everybody should realise that this is an illness that will come into our own personal life’s in one way or the other.
The broadcasters & media outlets should have picked up on this a while back. These are multi national companies that employ every analyst known to the human race. This also includes health professionals that should have seen the decline of Graeme. These companies have a duty of care to Graeme and his family.
You would think that after having a heart attack the bigot would start to calm down not continue with their hatred for celtic instead souness continues to bleed hatred his one and only brain cell cannot contemplate being a sensible human being much the same with another bigot in boyd both should stay away from sharp objects for their own safety and live in a dark room
Despite him being a Calvinistic Bastard That ended up being a Jump The Dyke and whoring himself to all things Liebrox one would wish him well IF he actually WAS ill…
On the other hand though…
I don’t know anything about the programme that employs him as I don’t watch it, however is anyone surprised about them giving a gig to an Anti Celtic Sewer Rat* like him…
*(Anti Celtic Sewer Rat If he ISN’T ill) !
I’m trying to think of a Sevco sympathising Blogger…who would write an article like this, about a well known Celtic ex-manager who might have issues.
Try as I might…I’ll NEVER find one.
They are cut from a different cloth.
I really don’t have a good word to say about this guy…but your article shows an element of compassion…and you are to be applauded for that.
As one guy has already said we are cut from a different cloth and hopefully should rise above reacting in the way some of them do but having seen both my parents fall foul to this horrendous illness I wouldn’t wish it or want to hear it affecting friends or family ever again and I know my ma and da would not either god rest them both although I find it difficult for Mr souness to continue in this vein he is obviously bowing to the masses as is his will to do so we all know what Graeme is about.my father made us all Celtic supporters and never with one word of hatred for the other side you tend to find that out by yourself as the guy before me said we are cut from a different cloth.
I worship the ground he is going into.