Yet again. Celtic find themselves faced with a charge from UEFA concerning the use of pyrotechnics at a European match.
Yet again, the Green Brigade feel that down to the occasional tifo and a hearty rendition of a tune or two, they are above the law.
Fair enough, there are some people who ignore the “Danger : Hot Surface ” signs no matter how large the print is, and somehow expect not to be burned.
The sooner they get down from their high chairs and realise that they are simply thirty quid each per game to the club the better.
No amount of tifos, no amount of good publicity and certainly no amount of “there’d be no atmosphere without us ” is going to keep the board from concluding that it was good while it lasted.
In short, at around £250,000 a display, the club will put a stop to their disregard of the real world.
You can’t blame them.
The rules are simple. No pyro.
Which bit of that is beyond the comprehension of an otherwise bright bunch of chaps is beyond my own comprehension.
And thats before we consider the possibility of someone getting hurt, scarred or even wrse as a result of their juvenile antics.
Judging from the tone of the statement issued by the club, there may soon be a few hundred half season books for sale in the standing section.
FOLLOWING the latest UEFA charge against the Club for the use of fireworks at Celtic Park, it is with real disappointment and frustration that the Club needs to appeal again for this behaviour to stop.
UEFA’s stance on the issue of pyrotechnics is unequivocal and very well-known.
The Club has been sanctioned on numerous occasions and yet, very disappointingly, this behaviour by a small minority persists.
The serious safety concerns associated with such behaviour are obvious, as is the reputational damage which this behaviour and these charges have on the Club. In addition, the numerous financial penalties placed on Celtic continue to come out the pockets of supporters who invest in the Club.
Celtic will be introducing further measures in order to deal with this behaviour. It has to stop.
The club does not want it, our supporters do not want it and UEFA will continue to punish the Club whenever it occurs as it is a clear breach of their regulations. It really is as simple as that.
Given the number of repeated offences, we should also be very aware that there could be further, very serious repercussions which could have hugely detrimental consequences for the Club and our supporters. It is hugely unfair that the enjoyment of Celtic matches could potentially be affected by the negative behaviour of a tiny minority.
Additionally, in the interests of all our supporters’ safety, it is imperative that all fans when attending matches at Celtic Park use their designated seat. This is important in ensuring a safe environment.
Our supporters are fantastic and we greatly value the huge contribution you make to the Club. It is the positive support of our fans which makes the difference, week in, week out.
Our win against CFR Cluj last Thursday represented another great European night on the pitch for the Club. Supported brilliantly by our fans, the team were magnificent in driving us to top of our Europa League group. This should be our focus.
Neil Lennon, our players and our backroom team will be doing all they can to deliver a similar performance against Lazio.
The Club and our supporters need to work together to make sure pyrotechnics and any other form of unsafe behaviour have no place at our matches.
The original draft, we believe, started with the phrase “either tell them to fuck off or we’ll fuck them off ”
Perhaps more concerning is the perception that the GB don’t actually think they’re doing anything wrong, with arguments for their use of pyro ranging from comparing it with the good old days of pitch invasions, random violence and whatever else we used to get up to at the football, to their claim about it only being a bit of fun.
After all, nobody died, right ?
That’s not the point, and it seems to be a point they’ve completely missed.
It’s against the rules, and every time they break it, it costs Celtic a considerable amount of money.
A strange way of showing one’s love for the club…
Elsewhere, and there was a serious setback to the clubs league campaign when an elite team of investigative reporters revealed that “rangers ” will go on to win the title after they consulted a supercomputer…
Presumably the exact same computer that has made it’s creator a billionaire via the fixed odds coupons….
Supercomputer makes Celtic and Rangers title prediction as Kilmarnock tipped for stunning season
Here’s the probability of either side lifting the coveted trophy come the end of the season
Rangers are set to beat Celtic to the Premiership title while St Mirren will be relegated and Kilmarnock will finish third.
That is according to Five Thirty Eight – a website that uses a specific formula to determine the outcome for sporting events.
Neil Lennon ‘s men are on course for nine league titles on the spin, but according to this set of results, the trophy will be in the hands of their city rivals come May.
If it pans out that way, it will be one of the most dramatic title races in years. Rangers would pip the Parkhead outfit by just three points with the Light Blues finishing on 92 points compared to Celtic’s 89.
The authorities have issued a statement concluding that they would still like all clubs to fulfill their fixture obligations anyway, as they’ve sold loads of tickets and have a television contract to service.
Meanwhile, “rangers ” are to be congratulated on continuing to win everything when there’s no actual football taking place.
If you don’t count international football , that is.
Earlier this week, Scotland thrashed Russia 61-0, and last night the deficit proved too much for the plucky easterners to overcome, although they did hit four without reply in Moscow.
Well done to Stevie Clarke, whose collection of has beens and never weres can now look forward to putting Scotland back on the world map, and one has to praise the vision of the men at the SFA, often subject to criticism, for putting him in charge.
It helps deflect from other issues, such as this, spotted by Celticbynumbers, who asked..
Refereeing consistency. You’d imagine given the same ref for both sides, over the season, the number of fouls that are committed before a card is shown would be largely the same for and against. Yes?
The chart shows the number of fouls committed for and against by each SPFL side per card shown in the season so far. Hamilton and Killie fans may wonder why their opponents need to commit 19 and 13 fouls before cards are produced The rest of the league will despair at the top 2
This does add to the idea that the rest of Scottish football is there merely to serve the two big glasgow clubs, and when factored in with the same club myth and all the rest of the bullshit, you really begin to get the impression that history is repeating itself, just with a new entity in one of the lead roles…
Then again, further analysis shows what we all knew…
Here is the difference between fouls needed to produce a card for and against. One clear “winner” The Rangers get a card every 11.75 fouls. Their opponents every 4.74 Leading on both counts and easily the largest “positive” differential in the league. Hamilton and Killie
Usually, at this point in the week, we choose the Etims
Knob of the Week
Read those questions above, and you’ll understand why it’s a collective award this week…
- Ian Bankier Chairman ( Since 2011)
- Peter Lawwell, Chief Executive (since 2003)
- Chris McKay, Finance Director (Since 2016)
- Tom E. Allison, Senior Independent Director (since 2001)
- Sharon Brown, Independent Non-Executive Director ( since 2016)
- Dermot Desmond, Independent Non-Executive Director (since 1995)
- Ian Livingston, Independent Non-Executive Director (since 2007)
- Brian Wilson, Independent Non-Executive Director (since 2005).
On Wednesday, we had this…
Superfan misinterpret’s Mario Puzo’s famous “sleeping with the fishes” line, at Godfather Convention.
Today…