There’s a section of our support that is utterly self-obsessed and completely disinterested in representing our club in the best possible light. Whether it’s smoke bombs, flares, fights with rival fans—whatever it may be—they are happy to push their views, their opinions, and their wants above those of every other Celtic supporter and the club itself. It is high time that these people were rooted out of our fan base.
And this is not a knee-jerk reaction to a few days of bitter sniping from south of the border either. Those who know me know better than that. I couldn’t give a good goddamn what Simon Jordan thinks about us, or what the Talksport twittery or The Sun newspaper, or the Daily Mail think of us—since I wouldn’t wipe my backside with either publication. I couldn’t care less what they say. The day I take lectures from those bigots is the day someone winds me up in a shroud and sticks me in a box.
But I’ve exhausted with the English language when it comes to writing about flares, smoke bombs, and the morons amongst our support who just can’t seem to put away their toys, behave like adults, and think about their fellow fans or the club.
And I don’t care what measures the club takes to identify these people and remove them from the support once and for all.
When they take actions that they know will harm the club, they separate themselves from the fan base as a whole. They don’t want to be part of the wider Celtic support. They don’t want to be part of this family. They want to do their own thing. Well, great. Let them do it—but let them do it somewhere else.
We’re on a suspended sentence with UEFA. That sentence will no longer be suspended, one suspects, and Celtic shouldn’t even put up a defence. Because, to be frank, Celtic doesn’t have a defence. We can make a plea for leniency, but we shouldn’t—because it is time that our club copped the kind of punishment that forces it to take action and puts a stop to this once and for all. And it’s about time those responsible were shamed and escorted to the door by the wider support for their antics.
Whatever happens, it needs to happen, in my view, because it’s the only way we’re ever going to move forward.
Once there are meaningful sanctions, the club will have to take meaningful action. And once the club takes that meaningful action, there should be no defence offered for those responsible. There should be no one speaking up on their behalf. They have harmed Celtic. It is as simple as that.
I think it’s high time the whole support spoke in one voice about this. Too many people have been afraid to criticise their fellow Celtic fans, and I think the time for such moral cowardice is now at an end.
This is going to have real consequences for the club. This is going to have real consequences for our fellow fans. And I don’t think it is in any way an acceptable position to sit on the fence over this matter.
Some of those who self-define as “Celtic fans” do not care about the well-being of Celtic. They do not care about the rest of us.
They will do whatever they want until they are stopped—or removed—whichever comes first. And I don’t care which one it is. They have lost the right to refer to themselves as part of this wider family. Their behaviour has ended that.
I was not among those who congratulated a section of our support on behaving themselves after UEFA’s suspended sentence came down. Because people should not need to be forced to behave, to obey the law, to put the club first—these are not things that should have to be policed and especially not when their own fellow supporters do not like this stuff and aren’t comfortable being in the vicinity of it.
This isn’t a question about banners or songs. This isn’t a question about what flags they fly or what slogans they paint on their bed sheets. This is beyond what causes people want to espouse or whether they want to sing some dirge about an old lady who’s been dead for a couple of years now.
When it comes to smoke bombs and fireworks, there’s nothing to debate. This stuff is a risk to health. It is, in fact, a risk to life. It should not be in football stadiums. And those who bring it into football stadiums are endangering their fellow supporters in too many ways to justify it. I am wholly sick and tired of people talking about this as if the spectacle somehow overrides those concerns. This “no pyro no party” line is so moronic that it’s too stupid to debate. Listen to yourselves. Is that empty, vapid schoolyard slogan really the best you’ve got?
When UEFA’s statement and the inevitable sentence come down, I’ll be waiting to see what the club says and does about it. I’ll be waiting to see what approach they take because the club can’t do nothing about this. If the club does nothing, then this is just going to go on and on and on.
As far as I’m concerned, this has disenfranchised the wider support. If the club does nothing about it, then the directors themselves might as well be the ones lighting the flares and holding up the smoke bombs. Because the responsibility that the club has to the rest of the support should override any other consideration now.
There is one other issue that comes to the fore here, but I’ll talk about that in a piece a little later on today. It’s about the media—because whilst I don’t give a damn what Simon Jordan and the rest of the clown car brigade have to say about us, I mind that they say it when they normally stay silent on this stuff. I find their stance to be wholly dishonest at best and, at worst, outright hypocritical.
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images
Our latest podcast – The Hardest Part – is out now.
can the moron in the photo be identified ?. quite a few adults in there not all silly wee boys.there was one set alight at the young boys game in the front standing section i was close to it in the next section no respect or regard for other fans . it pains me to say this but they are no better than the other mob.
Totally agree, it’s unfortunate that good fans are going to miss out on an away day that they deserve but this is the cost these “fans” have put on the club.
Tbh I think the best way to make the point by UEFA is to implement the ban for the next away fixture no postponement of it to a qualifier next season.
That will drive home you’ve cost yourself a trip to Munich.
Only thing I’ll disagree on it Simon Jordan has been vocal about poor van behaviour within stadiums for years. I listen to talksport enar enough everyday & he always speaks out against misbehaving fans. Calling for immediate bans & fines for those involVed.
I get you don’t agree with a lot he says but for me I find a lot of what he says (outside of the generalisation of Scottish football) to be well informed & at the very lest have foundational information to back his stance up.
Side note – Is that Dean Lennox Kelly in the bottom right of the photo. Kind of looks like him but I don’t think he’s a Celtic fan.
Despair, embarrassment & disgust. This/these selfish idiots are showing no respect for the reputation of Club, Manager, Players or fellow supporters.
The ‘collective’ achievements in Europe this season are being overshadowed by these foolish actions.
We all will, in some way, have to pay for these brainless acts. I’m asthmatic & have found it difficult to breathe at Hampden, in particular. I’m sure there are many others. I too think that the ‘security’ checks before a match are a joke. However, if someone is hellbent on bringing a pyro in they will do so. I don’t understand what goes through someone’s head – it’s a considered action to take a pyro to a football match….what is the driver ?
Go away pyro freaks, you’re bringing nothing to the party.
Great article James.
I can honestly say I don’t even think you can call them security checks entering Celtic Park.
I’ve never once been stopped to be checked, patted down or anything.
I walk up to the turnstile & head into the ground.
I’ve had tickets near the groups at both ends of the ground who are the likely culprits of these actions (one far more likely than the other & we know who that is) & haven’t seen anyone being checked.
Compare that to going to OT for both the legends game back in September & attending a premier league game vs Leeds in February 23 because I was down there for work.
In both cases there were thorough pat downs of everyone definitely reduces it.
But I agree someone determined to take this stuff in will get it in. I wouldn’t be surprised if they are getting them into the stadium when they are given access to prepare the tifos etc.
I’m sure it wouldn’t be a stretch for them to know someone who works in the kiosks or something to keep them somewhere tucked away ready for the match.
The group at the Jock Stein end in what used to be the family section are by far the worst, the songs sung are a complete embarrassment. So called Ultras everywhere are ruining the football experience for so many people with their stupid selfish behaviour.
Totally agree with every word fella
Couldn’t agree more.
Behaving in a way that gets the club fined or supporters banned hurts Celtic, a proper fan wouldn’t do that.
“small section” , no James im sorry it’s a large small section. They walked about Birmingham city centre as if they owned it, and singing IRA songs, in Birmingham of all places. The Ira murdered innocent people in cold blood in Birmingham, and these cretins want to sing about it. They have no morals, and they are absolute poisonous scumbags. Listen people have their views on the royal family, in whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing, but the way he and his son got abused was atrocious. I mean it shouldn’t be a personal thing, they are rats it’s as simple as that.
Your article is absolutely spot on and so are the comments made. These ignorant, obtuse, mindless morons are not fans …pure and simple. Football fans pay their money to go and watch their favourite team and give them, unwavering support.
They don’t go to sing depraved songs, endanger lives with flares or fight with every rival ( and sometimes fellow) fans, that they encounter.
Get them named, shamed and booted out of our support .
Post Wednesday, I’ve never heard so much condemnation of these cretins, from many friends and fellow fans !
Apologists for them, and there are plenty, should take that look in the mirror !
Unfortunately, we can’t take the moral high ground, re Sevco’s clowns, when we have a fair number purporting to be Celtic fans !
It’s time for real action to root them out !
We can’t all be wrong eh?
HH
He must be identifiable from the photo. Celtic should be on the front foot and issue a life ban with immediate effect. And surely the police can charge him as well? Celtic also know who gets tickets for each away match. Should be an unequivocal collective last warning to the GB – any pyro and those who were issued with tickets forfeit their season ticket, no ifs, buts or maybes. We have a waiting list of fans desperate for the chance of a season ticket.
And as for the tifo stuff – the best tifo is the whole stadium with scarves aloft singing Walk on.
Name/shame and lifetime ban , for anyone with respiratory issues these pyrotechnics could be lethal .
Great article and couldn’t agree more.
These so-called fans force their opinions, non-Celtic songs and actions on the entire support and don’t care at all.
Most of us probably hold the same views on the Monarchy but would never use the club as a vehicle to protest.
Unfortunately, we are all tarred with the same brush and the latest non-surprising incidents of anti-sociable behaviour have created more enemies for the Club together with the embarrassing media coverage that followed.
Our Manager is clearly embarrassed at having to answer questions that are nothing to do with what happened on the pitch. This has happened several times and will he get tired of this and decide to go?
The board of directors have to be held accountable for allowing previous incidents of poor behaviour going unpunished and seemingly doing nothing to address the spew of non-Celtic songs at every game.
I agree that the many culprits should be booted out but I doubt the Club will do anything. They will ignore it and pretend nothing happened as usual.
An away travel ban from UEFA is almost guaranteed together with an inevitable fine for illicit chanting similar to the recent fine served on Shamrock Rovers.
I wonder what it will take for the Club to take action?
Agree with most of that of course something has to be done to keep our reputation especially those that would wish to travel to Munich.But on a day more links between Epstein and Prince Andrew surface I won’t weep for that family,or their hurt feelings over a song or two
Definitely need something done about the pyro for sure…
What I don’t know – Perhaps a punishment beating, their fingers broken, or their wrist broken then he / she might not be so keen nor so able to partake in such an act of folly any time soon…
I’d say to them to please fuck off and maybe offer their ‘services’ to Sevco but if fact I actually apologise to Sevco as they wouldn’t deserve a Scummy Celtic supporter like the one that lobbed the flair associated with even fuckin them !
Was he even a Celtic fan or someone who dislikes Celtic who did it deliberately knowing a ban would obviously follow ?
Unfortunately pyro use up until that incident created the suspended sentence,pyro use to highlight the plight of Palestinians being bombed in Gaza.
Celtic .
Created specifically to help starving victims of oppression and hate who were escaping a genocide.
When you read it’s history it’s enough to make your heart go sad.
God bless them.
I thought that myself Volp and posted it in the next article at 8.33pm last night…
Sevco fans very are capable of such ‘framed’ tactics…
Out with football – See The Silent Valley Dam bombings (1971 I think) and The Miami Showband Massacare (1975 I think) for evidence !
I seen you had posted a similar question on another article Clach. ?
I wouldn’t put it past an enemy of Celtic fans from doing that to stop Celtic fans taking their messages and songs to Germany in the Champions League.
Ban the bloody lot of them for good. Singing up the RA in Birmingham was insensitive to say the least. These so called fans only negatively contribute to the club. 10,000 waiting for season tickets so the solution is simple