I’m not surprised by today’s reaction to what happened at Rugby Park yesterday during the minute’s silence, which I’ve written about earlier this morning.
It’s what was expected. The faux outrage is pathetic.
This is what some of our club’s enemies live for. They’d have been gutted had our fans observed it perfectly.
It would defeat the whole purpose of holding it.
So no, it’s not been shocking to see the hysteria brewing over what the Celtic fans did. TalkSport and other platforms have been hosting absurd discussions about what should be done to clubs like ours whose fans won’t fall in line with the so-called “national mood.” Every idiot in the commentariat who is prone to chasing a bandwagon – like Tam McManus and Rodger Mitchell – have clambered aboard to call us out. There’s even a bit of score-settling going on.
Predictably, some of the most hysterical nonsense was raised by Jim White—a broadcaster notorious for his anti-Celtic views and Ibrox sympathies—who floated the idea of points deductions or other sanctions. This morning, I tried to write a serious, considered piece free from emotional language, but the approach of others has made it impossible.
They seem happy to use loaded, dramatic rhetoric as they whip up anger on this issue, and especially those who write for right-wing rags like the Telegraph, people like Alan Cochrane, venting his spleen tonight not only at our fans but at SNP politicians who don’t sang that “God Save The King” dirge.
These folk enjoy nothing more than climbing on top of the shit pile and crowing to those they think are beneath them.
So much of this is phony and contrived and comes from the simple place of hating Celtic.
Points deductions? Really?
Even Simon Jordan wouldn’t entertain such stupidity, pointing out that you can’t punish a club for the actions of a small section of fans. Of course, there are situations where fan behaviour should warrant sanctions, like throwing fireworks onto the pitch or hurling racist abuse. But one of the freedoms that people fought for is precisely the freedom to protest and speak freely.
As I noted earlier, the decision to bring the poppy into football, plastered across kits, was questionable, and until recently, I hadn’t even realised that it only started in 2003.
It’s now become an annual weapon used against our club.
Historically, the poppy was about remembering those who fell in the two World Wars.
Expanding its significance to cover other conflicts—many of which didn’t exactly reflect glory on the British side—was always politically dicey. The Iraq War, for example, was illegal and widely condemned, and the consequences of that blunder are still felt worldwide.
Then there’s Britain’s colonial history, including its actions in Ireland and the atrocities committed by uniformed personnel against civilians. How can anyone expect our fans to “fall in line” with this when it conflicts so fundamentally with their personal histories?
Do you know what the so-called “Republican song” which got sung yesterday during that protest was?
It was Aiden McAnespie, about the 23 year old man killed – shot in the back – on 21 February 1988 by a British soldier who later stood trial for it, and was found guilty of “manslaughter by gross negligence.”
Many believe he should have been charged with outright murder, as that’s what it clearly was.
The idea that people of Irish heritage might one day have to stand in respectful silence for the guy who did that – or those who shot 26, killing 13 outright with another dying later, on Bloody Sunday – is too grotesque even to consider soberly. It’s shameful to even make the suggestion.
Moreover, these poppies symbolise only our dead, not those of other nations.
They don’t represent the Germans, French, Italians, Japanese, Americans, Russians, and others who died. Expecting people from these countries to wear a British poppy on their chests—especially if they come from countries we were actively fighting—is beyond insensitive.
It’s actually something primal, and ugly, like Rome parading its prisoners of war through the streets, a display intended to humiliate. It’s offensive and unnecessary.
So here we are, talking about points deductions for disrupting a minute’s silence. Amazing that these same voices have been silent for years on the toxic singing out of Ibrox.
They appear largely ignorant of the obvious truth that when you discuss punishing those who don’t “support” the silence, it stops being voluntary. That becomes coercion. I can’t think of anything more sinister than that—an approach that’s edging towards fascism.
Look at what James McClean has endured for standing his ground on this. He’s received death threats. National newspapers have called him a traitor.
Broadcasters insist he should comply with the cultural “ethos” if he wants to play here.
This is intimidation. And for what? To enforce a symbol that, by definition, should be voluntary.
The soldiers who died in the two World Wars didn’t give their lives so the country could coerce people into compliance.
The poppy was never a divisive or political symbol until it was made one.
Even the British Legion is dead set against its politicisation and the pressure to wear it. They maintain that wearing a poppy is a personal choice, and remembrance is a private matter. It used to be a solemn moment of reflection, but now it’s a spectacle, an opportunity for performative outrage.
If you want to wear a poppy and observe the silence, by all means, do so.
But don’t drag those of us who choose not to into it. This commentary is more than just hysterical—it’s profoundly dishonest. White and others like Rodger Mitchell and McManus, attention-seekers who couldn’t resist jumping into this, are indulging in a predictable and utterly shameful display of their own.
A lot more people would listen if we’d just had banners. We have players from WW1 and WW2 that the club could acknowledge, we wouldn’t disrespect their memory. I’ve stolen this list below from AI.
World War I
1. Peter Johnstone
Position: Versatile player, primarily outside-right
Service: Enlisted in 1916; served with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, later with the 6th Battalion of the Seaforth Highlanders
Fate: Died on 16 May 1917 during the Battle of Arras
2. Leigh Roose
Position: Goalkeeper
Service: Joined the 9th Royal Fusiliers in 1914; achieved rank of Lance Corporal; awarded Military Medal
Fate: Died on 7 October 1916 during the Battle for Montauban
3. Patrick Slavin
Position: Not specified
Service: Served as a Sergeant with the 2nd Battalion Royal Scots
Fate: Died on 13 November 1916 in the 2nd Battle for the village of Serre
4. John McLaughlin
Position: Reserve player
Service: Served with the 1st Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers
Fate: Died on 10 May 1917 from injuries at the Battle of Calvary Farm
5. Archie McMillan
Position: Outside left
Service: Served with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
Fate: Died between 21 and 23 November 1917 during the Battle of Cambrai
6. Donald McLeod
Position: Full-back
Service: Served with the 1st Battalion Highland Light Infantry
Fate: Died on 6 October 1917, likely during the Battle of Passchendaele
7. Bob Craig
Position: Full-back
Service: Served with the 5th Battalion Scottish Rifles
Fate: Died on 19 April 1918 from wounds during the re-capture of Mesen, Belgium
8. William Angus
Position: Brief Celtic stint
Service: Awarded Victoria Cross for bravery in rescuing a fellow soldier under heavy fire
9. Joe Cassidy
Position: Inside left
Service: Served with the Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) 1/7th Fife Battalion; awarded Military Medal
Club Contribution: Played 188 times, scoring 92 goals
10. Andrew McAtee
Position: Right winger
Service: Conscripted in 1917; served in Italy
Club Contribution: Made 407 appearances, scoring 68 goals
11. Bill Ribchester
Position: Outside right
Service: Second lieutenant in the Machine Gun Corps; wounded at Amiens in August 1918
12. Willie Cringan
Position: Centre-half
Service: Served in the Royal Field Artillery
13. Joe Dodds
Position: Left-back
Service: Served in the Royal Garrison Artillery
14. John Jackson
Position: Goalkeeper
Service: Served in the Royal Air Force
15. Frank Kelly
Position: Forward
Service: Served in the Royal Scots
16. Pat McAuley
Position: Centre-half
Service: Served in the Royal Engineers
17. Tom McGregor
Position: Forward
Service: Served in the Royal Scots
18. John McMaster
Position: Forward
Service: Served in the Royal Scots
19. Joe O’Kane
Position: Forward
Service: Served in the Royal Scots
—
World War II
1. Willie Lyon
Position: Captain
Service: Served in the Scots Guards, Royal Artillery, and Gordon Highlanders; awarded Military Cross for gallantry in North Africa
2. Joseph McCulloch
Position: Defender; played as a guest during the war
Service: Sergeant Major in the 6th Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers
Fate: Died on 24 February 1945 from wounds in battle
3. Oliver Anderson
Position: Not specified
Service: Served in the Royal Artillery; wounded in August 1944 but survived
4. Joseph Leo Coen
Position: Goalkeeper
Service: Joined the RAF in May 1940
Fate: Died in a training accident on 15 October 1941
5. Seton Airlie
Position: Centre-forward
Service: Called up by the army in 1942; played as a guest for English clubs while on duty
6. Jimmy Birrell
Position: Played six times for Celtic in 1938-39
Fate: Career cut short by outbreak of World War II
7. Mike Haughney
Position: Not specified
Service: Served with the Seaforth Highlanders; attained rank of captain
Your article this morning was more balanced and rational. The issue is not about wearing or not wearing a poppy. It was about observing a minutes silence for those who died in 2 world wars. If the non observation of this remembrance would leave our enemies gutted, as you state, would it not be smart to to do the opposite and leave them gutted. Of course, that would require those who fall in to the apparent trap to act smarter. That may be too big a challenge.
Knowing Sky Sports Scotland JT probably part of the plan to have the game kick off at 3pm – Let’s let them have plenty time to get drunk and we shall get the desired result… And of course they did as well…
This never used to happen when I started going to Parkhead…
When it did I kept the silence (to protect Celtic really) and not The Scummy SFA / SPFL for sure…
Did I be upstanding – No chance but I’m liberal and not bothered and just kinda indifferent to those who chose to do so nearby…
They cannot beat us on the park (even unfairly nowadays)…
They cannot beat us with our financial figures either…
So this is their only chance, the one where Male Sevco journalists and fans wank themselves crazy for a year spunking and jizzying everywhere for a year and Female Sevco journalists and fans finger themselves until they flood the River Clyde laying in wait for their day of glory and we duly gave it to them…
Anyway it’ll soon be November 12th and only another 364 days of The Scummy’s of The Scummy Scottish Football Media masturbating themselves insanely until Poppy ‘Cock’ comes around for them all once again !
Well written article. Well done.
That’s it – The 12th November…
A couple of songs for Alexa to play then –
1) It’s over by Roy Orbison…
2) What’s another year by Johnny Logan…
James s well written article.
I have cut this short as this is the third time of writing. Adverts keep throwing me out.
Why can’t the GB not go on talk sport or take ads out in the paper laying out why there is an issue. The establishment know what the issue is but turn a blind eye. The people need educating on what our concerns are. We need to do something as this will only get worse.
A young ME would have reacted the same way as the GB, but times have changed and myself along with it. Celtic FC can do without the criticism that we have to endure because of this yearly event, so surely those who do not want to obey that minute’s silence only have to remain outside the ground until it’s over. Surely that is not too much to ask, do that and don’t attract negative vitriol toward our great club.
So 62 years after the 2nd World War ended we were suddenly coerced into having a minutes silence by the Football authorities, at all professional football matches in the UK on the weekend nearest The 11th November.
In 2006 Gordon Brown came up with the Idea of a veterans day, starting in June of that year, later to become known as armed forces day, and it’s no coincidence that this was shortly after the illegal war in Iraq. The Labour government of the day were obsessed with cover ups and glorifying the military.
It is no coincidence that the change in the attitude to Remembrance ceremonies and the coerced compulsory wearing of the Poppy became common place at that time.
Oh how the media love to kick our club and support over this issue, I tend to support the GB for having the courage to be different, I’m sure that those on the board of our club don’t share the views of the GB, therefore to talk of punishing our club for a section of our support refusing to be silent when ordered to, is ridiculous.
A silent protest would be better. The banners I have no problem with. The songs detailing why we cannot support the modern widened poppy fest are also fine, at any other point in the day. It’s not that I think we should be observing poppy fest, it’s that I think we can manage the PR better.