You think you’ve seen everything in this game, and then you read a headline like the one on an Ibrox fan site last night, quoting Keith Jackson from earlier in the day, suggesting that the Ibrox club might take some kind of “moral high ground” by giving us a guard of honour. What an absurd suggestion.
Jackson actually used that phrase. This isn’t some confection of the Ibrox fan site—it’s what he said. He reckons they could claim the moral high ground. He genuinely believes their players might applaud ours onto the pitch in some grand gesture that elevates them to a higher plane. Than who? Than us, of course.
The idea that that club could ever hold the moral high ground is ludicrous in itself. The idea they might hold it over us is even more so. Come on—there is no intention whatsoever of them giving us a guard of honour. Ferguson’s head would explode if the thought even entered it. There are folk at that club who’d burn the stadium down before doing that for us—literally. And the fans? God only knows how insane they’d go.
My buddy Eric from Read Celtic joked yesterday that whether or not we get a guard of honour might depend on how far along the takeover is. I wrote a lengthy piece about that last night, of course, and again this morning after the breaking news.
That whole club is in a state of permanent crisis, and nothing is going to lift that dark cloud. The very idea that they’ll be congratulating us in any way is hilarious. We’re the reason they’re in this mess to begin with.
But what’s really got my back up here is this notion of the moral high ground. There’s no “moral high ground” to be had here. They’d only be doing what every other club in the league would do as a matter of course. As a matter of routine.
There’s nothing elevating or noble in their showing some basic sportsmanship. And there’s an implication—snide and unspoken—that we wouldn’t do the same for them. We’ll never find out, because they’ll never be in a position to test it. But whatever we would or wouldn’t do would be informed, to some extent, by what they do here and now. And we already know what that is.
This phrase comes up a lot—“moral high ground.”
It came up endlessly during that daft debate about whether we should give them an allocation at Celtic Park, even though we weren’t going to take one at Ibrox. The reason we weren’t taking an allocation over there was because they weren’t respecting our safety concerns. But some people still thought we should give them tickets anyway—tickets we weren’t going to get back—just to be the ones who made the first move. Just to take the “moral high ground.”
They also thought we should have given them 7000 tickets, for no other reason, except that it would have made us … look good? To who?
In both those cases, taking the supposed high ground would’ve meant getting nothing in return. It wouldn’t have been reciprocated. We’d have looked like chumps. We’d have given something up and got nothing back. Our fans would’ve been furious, and theirs would’ve been delighted. What exactly would the moral high ground have achieved?
But at least in those cases, both clubs were engaged in the same debate, so the concept of the moral high ground had some shaky leg to stand on.
Even if the proposition was bonkers, it had a thin thread of logic to it.
But what’s the moral high ground here?
This isn’t one of those cases where both sides are part of the same debate.
This is a one-sided scenario. It’s entirely up to them. They can either be sportsmen, or they can behave exactly how we all expect them to behave; like brats.
But let’s imagine—just imagine—they did it.
Let’s imagine they decided to act with sportsmanship.
Let’s say they applauded the champions onto the pitch, the way any other club would.
Suddenly, that’s something for them to be celebrated for?
Suddenly, they deserve special recognition for that?
This is our moment.
We’re the ones who’ll have earned the damn thing. We’d get that guard of honour from literally any other club in the league.
But Jackson would have you believe that if we do get it, they deserve the credit, and suddenly the whole occasion, the whole thing, the whole purpose, becomes one that serves their own interests and their club instead of ours.
He also thinks that it would prove something about them—and something about us.
He’s right. Just not in the way he thinks he is.
That is the warped mentality we’re dealing with.
That is the twisted logic of the Ibrox club and its acolytes.
But ironically, it’s why I know we’re not going to get it. It’s why I know there’s no chance of it happening. There’s not a sporting bone in their bodies.
And the moral high ground?
They couldn’t find it with satellite navigation.
I think if PC was still in charge there would be a chance at receiving one, sounds mad I know but I think back to the league cup final & Rangers players being brought back out from the tunnel to watch us lift the trophy. I think the players or at least some who play over there could not care about the rivalry & it’s just a job. That would make their fans squirm in disbelief but it’s a fact. I think Tavernier is probably one of them too so if PC was in charge I could see Tavenier pushing the players to do it as captain.
As you say though with Barry bawbag steering the ship they likely won’t come out the tunnel until Celtic are on the pitch.
More fool them for not doing it though. I firmly believe irrelevant of if they done it for us we would do it for them, not because of taking the high ground but because we are a professional organisation with sporting integrity & as you say it’s not something you should be lauded for doing it’s just a sporting respect ot the champions.
I think Jackass making the point is maybe more making the point to them that they are giving everyone more ammunition to pelt them with if they don’t do it but also making us look ahead of Dundee United to speak about the guard of honour before we are over the line could be an attempt at a distraction tactic for the semi & the dundee united game not that I think that will work.
Fuck their gaurd of honour from the club with the most DISHONOUR in the universe Jay…
One way the Celtic supporters at Liebrox could really rile the bastards would be (for those who are fit enough) to just stand from the minute the Hoops players emerge from the tunnel until the last one is down it at the very end is to stick to one chant all day to The Sevco Hun Hoards…
And that chant would be –
STAND UP FOR YOUR CHAMPIONS…
STAND UP FOR YOUR CHAMPIONS…
STAND UP FOR YOUR CHAMPIONS…
STAND UP – FOR YOUR CHAMP~IONS !!!
A fine article again James directing the vociferous pathological liar of all pathological liars…
One thing though –
Your seventh line up from the bottom “He’s right – Just not in the way he thinks he is…
He’s absolutely very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, not right…
In the fuckin head anyway !
Edit = *DISECTING not directing as it reads – Bloody Hell I’m getting as unprofessional as Jackshun at journalism and that’s saying something from what I read about him on The Celtic Blog !!!
Would you not just love it though,the American Catholics telling them it needs to be done,Ferguson would implode,in fact he would resign and we don’t want that,they celebrated like they denied us the league when it actually is better for us as we will see Celtic clinch it .
We still have Dundee Utd to beat before anything else!!
Wee bazza should be at the end of the line up on a knee t kiss the boots of all the Celtic players..
We just need to not Lose actually.
Fair point Jimbhoy, but being Celtic fans we don’t think along “don’t lose” lines, do we?
I think Celtic should gift the Dundee United match to the Arabs then Pump the huns at their own shit hole to win the Title there. oh how we would Laugh.
They can shove their guard of honour right up their Keith Jacksie, despicable bastards.
Boring as it sounds, one game at a time and the next game is St Johnstone in the Cup.
And let’s be honest, the league is already won and any and all talk of league games is a distraction ahead of the semifinal.
I trust that Brendan has got the squad fully focused on the Cup this weekend and the team put on a show.
Jackson thinks they could gain the “moral high ground” by STOPPING singing sectarian songs (that are illegal) ,buying ropes to kill the POPE, Scarring for life an assistant of a rival club, throwing coins and hitting opposition players,etc etc. NO NO NO Keith Jackson thinks the scum could gain the “moral high ground” just for doing what every “football”club do as a matter of course …. And to think Jackson is payed for this
@ tam. Spot on mate. The hypocritical prick listens tae their poisonous, sectarian bile, week after week and says absolutely fuck all and now he comes away with this. Arsehole’s that fuckin dumb, he doesnae even realize how he’s showin himself up.
The hypocritical prick probably joins in withetheir poisonous, sectarian bile
The hypocritical prick probably joins in with their poisonous, sectarian bile
He certainly ain’t paid by me Tam…
Not even the £0.000000001 pence or whatever it is for a Internet look !
Genuine question – How do Fascists claim the moral high ground?
An oxymoron if ever there was one, and given the context and the hack involved. with the emphasis on MORON.
I for one would not wish to be applauded by such people.
Does Jackson actually have the nerve to show up at Celtic park.
It’s The SMSM. It’s The Laptop Loyal Lapdogs who slavishly print everything they can to promote the Establishment Club! The Fakeover being the most recent example.
You should always remember that as far as Truth and Honesty goes in the Scottish Sports Media then you my friend, and everyone else who reads the SMSM is through the Looking Glass. Where up is down and down is up and truth is not to be told. ?????????