A final thought, on match day, for Scottish Celtic fans
As an Irishman, it is only recently that I have found myself able to support Scotland during international matches. A Celtic supporter, I have spent time in Glasgow and travelled through the Highlands, meeting many Scots over the years and I generally have a good vibe of the people and the place. But I could never support the Scottish national team, and even struggled to cheer for you when playing England. A few years back I was in Canada when Scotland played a qualifier against Italy. I slipped into a Celtic club to watch and couldn’t help myself but cheer when the Italians opened the scoring. And I wasn’t alone. A good number of the Celtic fans in the pub that day couldn’t help but cheer. A man, the club president it turned out, looked around the room disdainfully, and then observed with a wry smile: “I guess we know who the true Celtic fans are.”
When I cheered, the girl I was with nearly hit me, so betrayed was she. I explained to her that a team managed by Alec McLeish, captained by Barry Ferguson, and populated with the likes of Whittaker, Naismith and whichever other huns, was never going to get my support. No matter how much I wanted to be there for her, it just couldn’t happen. I couldn’t look at Barry on the ball and think, “Go on son, boss that midfield.” Truth be told I was driven to manic distraction every time Alan Hutton’s grotesquely hun mug flashed on the screen.
And so my thoughts drifted to today and Ireland’s visit to Paradise.
These days, the hun horde dead and absent from the national side, it is easier to cheer for Scotland. In fact I rather enjoyed the pulsating contest with the Germans, cheering aloud when Anya scored only to find myself sat in disbelief when the Germans again took the lead, ignoring, in camaraderie, what a result may have meant for our own chances of qualification. So of course now, when the petty dislike of all things rangers is no longer relevant, we would of course find ourselves pitted together; we would be forced to test our allegiances to one another and the bond we share with this great club of ours.
For banter and all good nature aside, this is about qualifying for the Euros. This about fecking holidays come the summer of 2016. To be sure, there is a great deal at stake here.
And it occurs to me that while der hun may not be explicit on the pitch, they will be in the stands and they will be wearing the dark blue suits and brown brogues in the executive boxes. Simply because the current side has made it palatable for the likes of me doesn’t change what lurks behind in the corridors of Hampden. At least in a world where the majority of Scotland chose to vote against independence, voting instead for the death of Labour and the rise of UKIP.
As such it is poignant the game is to be played in Glasgow and at Celtic Park. It is fitting that Martin O’Neill is our manager, and that ex-Celts and those with a strong affinity for Celtic are in the Irish side, and significantly, in both ends of the stand.
Considering all this made me wonder how many of the those Celtic supporters who cheered that day when Italy scored were from Scotland. How many had grown bitter about a national game that was infested by bluenoses, which had seemingly made a pastime of over looking Celtic players when it came time to selecting the national side? I have lost track of the number of times I have read it mentioned in the Etims diary, on message boards or heard it raised sitting in a Celtic club having a pint, about the travesty of how few caps Jinky and Danny McGrain collected. And if I have got the players name’s wrong, I have not misunderstood the sentiment. Why do you think McGeady and McCarthy will line up on our side of the halfway line? Because their families knew that they, as Scots of Irish Catholic stock, had never been fully accepted in your country. I could be wrong, but as I understand it the decisions of McGeady and McCarthy to play for dear ole Ireland are as much political statements as they are sporting choices. Because really, playing for Ireland or Scotland, in the grand scheme of international football, is six one half and a dozen, or something of the other (though it should be stressed that we at least have managed the knack of progressing beyond the group stages).
And so my thoughts continue, progress and evolve and I am drawn back to the memories of Italia ’90.
Argentina beat Yugoslavia in the quarterfinals. An Argentine squad captained by Diego Armando Maradona (Franco) of Napoli was set to meet Italy in Naples in the semi-final. As the chosen son of his adopted city, Maradona was acutely aware of the political and social dynamics of Italy and the stark divide existing between the north and the south. And so, appealing to his fanatic fan base in Naples, the hand of god observed: ”The Neapolitans must remember one thing. Italy makes it feel important one day of the year, but forgets about it the other 364.’
The Neapolitans didn’t cheer for Argentina. At least I don’t think they did. But I am sure his comment struck a chord with most, if not all, and even more so as the years passed and the divide between north and south persisted and grew stronger. And I think the reality for Scottish Celtic fans, particularly those in Glasgow, is much the same. You live in a country that systemically targets you and the club you support because of your real or perceived links to Ireland. And now, when you play Ireland in a crucial international match, the narrative established by the press, a press that did all it could to orchestrate a ‘No’ vote, is the betrayal of your choice if you choose, like McGeady and McCarthy, to embrace a country the Scottish Unionist establishment despises. A country the mob that populated George Square on independence night with its bigotry, intolerance and tribalism simply cannot abide. So soon on the heels of the independence referendum, when you now clearly understand what Scotland stands for, you are being asked to boo Aiden (and James before injury), and to embrace everything we all know is anathema to you, to your vision of Scotland, and Celtic itself. Even if only for one night.
And so channelling Diego, I suggest the choice is yours to make. For some 300 years (likely more) the country has treated you with contempt, as nothing more than second class citizens, and now, for one day, they want you to stand behind, if not beside, them.
And so, where will you stand? What will you feel when you see that first Union Jack fluttering in the Glasgow night air? Who will you will to score?
But hey, who the hell am I and what the hell do I know? It was just an innocent thought you know. And truth be told, whoever you choose to cheer for to night in Glasgow, this afternoon where I am I will be watching the game, quaffing Guinness and smoking cigars with a wanderlust Scot, all the while wearing a Paddy McCourt Celtic top – figure that one out! Rocky Patels, if you are wondering. After all, next week, against Dundee, we should all be standing side by side, singing “On the one Road”, cheering for the only side that really matters to us all.
Yours in the ‘Hail hail’,
Cathal O’Riada
Not my experience, my grandmother is from Donegal , grandfather ulster. Mum dad scots me the same 100%
I dont cheer for Ireland as they are a rival. Unless they play England.
I totally agree. I can only cheer on Scotland.
Not attednign the game tonight, more is the pity, but I think the Irish fans that have grabbed tickets for any seat inside Celtic Park are going to find it a much different place to what is normal. This aint gonna be no love-in!
I suspect that McGeady and McCarthey’s decisions were not political considering they were children when they made them. They were more likely to do with Ireland having a better side than scotland at the time.
Neither would get into the current side over the likes of Snodgrass, Anya, Morrison, Brown etc, so their decisions may prove to be correct.
Agree with the sentiment that the Scots team was an extension of them, even the article about McCarthy and how Archie Knox did not rate him so the Irish took him by default. However since the wee man has taken over I have a leaning for the Scots, wishing that they qualify. However I also want the men in green to qualify, let’s hope that’s the outcome. I would be happy with a scoring draw,looking forward to the atmosphere at the game. Currently Glasgow is green and white
More Celtic players in Scotland line up tonight so come on Scotland
Great article and well written! Wish I had the time to debate a few of the points raised but the one that always irks me the most is the statement.
‘How many had grown bitter about a national game that was infested by bluenoses, which had seemingly made a pastime of over looking Celtic players when it came time to selecting the national side?’
A couple of years ago I had a spirited debate with Pensiorbhoy about this same belief that Celtic players don’t get picked for Scotland. When you look at the facts though, that doesn’t ring true at all. Starting back at the WC squad from 1974 (cos that’s the first major tournament I remember) these are the Celtic and Rangers players selected:
1974 – Celtic (4) Hay, Dalglish, Johnstone, McGrain
Rangers (1) Jardine
1978 – Celtic(0)
Rangers (3) Jardine, Forsyth, Johnstone
1982 – Celtic (2) Provan, McGrain
Rangers (0)
1986 – Celtic(2) Aitken, McStay
Rangers (1) Cooper
1990 – Celtic(1) McStay
Rangers(3) McCoist, Johnston, Gough
Euro 92 Celtic(3) – McStay, Boyd, Whyte
Rangers(4) – Goram, Gough, Mcoist, McCall
Euro 96 Celtic(2) – Boyd, McKinlay
Rangers(3) – Mcoist, McCall, Goram
That doesn’t look to me like a biased selection policy.
No contest for me Eire. The country of my birth no longer exists post referendum.
Hail Hail!!
Blood and snotters game, very little football on show apart from the goal, but the right result on the balance of play, although I thought the Scotland fans were poor. If they put in as much energy to supporting the team rather than booing McGeady, they might actually have helped the team to greater heights.
PS.. Wish we could bring wee Maloney back asap.
Me too!!!
he would run the show btw
So, Rab Wallace, can I assume you have moved to a country that does exist post referendum ?
IM a patriotic scotsman born and bred in Glasgow, i am and always will be a true Celtic supporter and very very proud of that, i am also a true scotsman who loves my national team and take great pride in that, i would never support any other country playing against Scotland as i would never ever support anyone playing against Celtic obviously, although ive met some wonderful Irish people, i would never support Ireland as in Scottish, and like it or not Celtic are Scottish, with biggedt majority of supporters, yep u guessed it Scottish,although with a very healthy % of much loved Irish members of the Celtic family, in sorry but i would never go against my beloved Scotland
Hey stevie wonder were u in Seville
B
Brilliant sinkybhoy. My feelings entirely.
I first went to Celtic Park in the 1960s. I honestly didn’t know there were so many Scotland supporters among the Celtic support. Since then I’ve met a few and it is so rare I remember when; one in Turin at the Juve game in 2001 and one at the Zagreb game last month, another in Lisbon the night we were beat 3 – o. The first time I saw a saltire at Celtic Park was at the Boavista game in 2003. Were they hiding? Now I read Celtic fans not having a problem about Aidan McGeady being booed and trying to say he chose Ireland for ignoble reasons. These are not the Celtic fans I know. Brother Walfrid Where Art Thou? Bear this in mind all you boo boys, you’ll never beat the Irish. You and Gordon McQueen enjoy your day. 800 hundred years has made us tougher than you could ever imagine in your wildest dreams. Tiocfaidh Ár Lá – We will have our day
is that you frank?
Very Interesting read I have to say thoughI have to say I don’t share your felings on the matter.
I don’t think Aiden McGeady’s choice to play for the ROI was a political one I think it was basically a choince of the Heart born of spending most of his childhood holidays acroos the Seas during the Summer Holidays.
His favourite meories growing up will have been formed during that time and so therefore he felt a stronger affinity with Ireland than Scotland I think.
There are similarities to be drawn for me except the difference is whilst I had relatives across in Donegal I never met them or set foot over there as a child.
I grew up on a Scottish Council Estate on the West Coast playing Football on Scottish Fields pretending to be my favourite Celtic players.
Dalglish,McGrain,McStay and Aitken to name but a few but Kenny was my man.
I grew up a Scottish kid from Scottish born parents with Irish names whilst I knew and experienced the shite that came with being and Irish Scot or as I call it now simply a Celt it made no difference to me as most of my pals were in the same boat in that respect Catholic and Prod alike.
I supported Scotland as a bhoy simply because Kenny Paul Roy Murdo Tam all pulled on the Jersey regardless of the dicks in Blue suits and Brown Brogues.
I asked myself before the game would I be disappointed if Ireland went away with a win?
Well the roar I let out when wee Shaun pulled the trigger answered that question once and for all.
Yes I would have.
But in the same breath I would have been far more pissed off if Scotland had played shite…as they have so so many times before.
Ireland is in my blood it is in my Genetics but it is Scotland who is in my Heart.
That is just how it is and it does not make me any less a Celt than the next man.
HH
Ps. Sorry about the typos I blame the Schools 😉
Beautiful Charlie. Beautiful sir.
Charlie, Thanks for your answer to my post. I told you some of my experiences re Celtic and I accept yours for what they are. I totally understand why you support your country and would defend your right or anybody’s to support whoever they wish, club or country. Maybe I’m a bit older than you but my experience was that Celtic fans found Scotland a cold house in terms of the SFA and the national team. That has obviously changed and I have found out recently that there are far more Celtic fans who support Scotland than I previously thought. That’s my problem for not being as observant as I should have been. However I personally, and again this is down to all of us having unique and different experiences, know many Celtic fans, born in Scotland, who would give their support to Ireland before Scotland. Some of them have never been to Ireland but they don’t want to give up on who they are and they want to preserve their Irish identity. As you are Scottish, they are Irish, I recognise your right to be what you are and I recognise their right to be what they are. This world we live in is full of what on the surface seem like contradictions but they are easily explained. Rod Stewart, born in England, English accent etc feels more Scottish than English – his right and his experience, his life, plus like you and me he’s a Celtic supporter. State borders do not define nationality.
Now to get back to Aidan. He’s on record, youtube and explains why he chose Ireland. For him the attachment to Ireland was to do with his ancestry and how he feels emotionally. That goes beyond politics and in my book doesn’t really have much to do with politics. I don’t know where he stands on political issues. To boo Aidan and to abuse him for his feelings on his ethnicitity is racism pure and simple. Only in Scotland in the modern era because of a collective desire among much of the populace and all of the establishment including the press, is racism not recognised for what it is. This is dangerous for society. Those who encouraged the verbal abuse of Aidan would not have done that if had chosen to play for Wales or Jamaica or whatever. McQueen and Strachan tuned into what they knew is a latent strain if anti Irish feeling in Scotland. If Celtic supporters like yourself don’t know this exists then you must have lived in a bubble. Why do you think Celtic are not treated by the media, the courts, the establishment, the SFA on equal terms with other clubs in Scotland? It’s their Irish origins and the Catholicism of many of their supporters, Catholicism being the religion of the majority of Irish people. Remember the last Aberdeen home game when most of the Celtic end stood up and chanted for independence, what was the response from Aberdeen fans, something like ‘it’s not your country’ then we got a rendition of the famine song. That’s racism Charlie. Among the countries of Europe Scotland stands alone in refusing to recognise racism for what it is. Supporting your country isn’t racist but abusing someone for their ethnicity or ancestry is racism. Now what disappointed me about Friday night and afterwards was the amount of Celtic fans who tried to suggest that this was only banter (where have I heard that before?). Strachan described it as ‘pantomime’ stuff, really! If that was Strachan’s pantomime I wouldn’t like to see his scary picture. I can’t think of any other national team in Western Europe with maybe Northern Ireland being an exception, where officials would target a player in an opposing team and ask supporters to give him special treatment. McGeady’ treatment in Friday was shameful, it is Scotland’s shame, and it pains me to witness Celtic fans who should know better trying to brush it off as something else. Some Celtic fans have tried to say it wasn’t them, they say they loved Aidan when he was at Celtic. I have little time for them. They embarrass me, they were there and did nothing to stop it. Now many of my Scotland born Irish fellow Celts were there, in the Scotland end, wearing Ireland’s green, the same green that is Celtic’s supporting Ireland and Aidan. In my book, they were the true Bravehearts, the best of Celtic, Ireland’s sons and daughters. The Glasgow Irish aren’t going away anytime soon. I respect you and your rights, I don’t respect Scotland’s supporters or management. Roy Hodgson would never call for the booing of an opponent, he’s far too much of a gentleman So again I say, enjoy your day in the sun Scotland, worthy winners on Friday by a country mile. I’ll be at Celtic Park on Saturday cheering on Scott Brown and Charlie Mulgrew and I’ve my ticket for the Salzburg game and if God spares me I’ll be at that too. This post has turned into a book, but I will leave you with a question. My friends at the match tell me James McClean was also targeted by the boo boys, what was all that about? I wonder what reception Anthony Stokes would have got had he come on? But here, good luck Charlie. Hail! Hail!
I, like most Celtic fans, have Irish blood in me (both grandfathers were Irish).However, I, like most Celtic fans, am Scottish, therefore, it was Scotland for me on Friday.
I was also disappointed in the support – I thought they could have got more behind the team, rather than concentrating on booing the Irish. I ended up arguing with some zombies in front of e who were giving a couple of Irish fans a hard time for being in the wrong area.
In the paper today is an article on James Morrison – he had a Scottish grandfather, but had no other connection to Scotland and was persuaded by Alex McLiesh to play for Scotland – a bigger turncoat that McGeady?
I was also glad that Aiden seemed to get caught up in the atmosphere on Friday as he didn’t hurt Scotland at all.
I have tried.to leave a response here a couple of times today. It didn’t work, maybe too long. Scotland fans don’t seem to understand that insulting or verbally abusing someone on account of their ethnicity is racism. There is no other word for it. What Aidan McGeady experienced on Friday night was not ‘banter’ or ‘pantomime’ or anything else, it was good old racism. The last contributor says used the word turncoat. Will you please understand that Aidan McGeady is not a turncoat. As an adult he made a choice. I had friends born in Scotland and proud Irish people who were in the Scotland end on Friday. Scotland fans also targeted James McClean, what was all that about? The foul stench of age-old anti- Irish racism and bigotry was in the air and no amount of ‘we loved Aidan when he was at Celtic’ will eradicate it. You Andy were ‘glad’ the ‘atmosphere’ prevented Aidan from playing his best. What a sentiment from someone who witnessed what Aidan went through in every ground in Scotland. Shame on you. Those Scotland born Irish who wore the Green, supporting Ireland and cheering on Aidan, they were the real Bravehearts there on Friday night. We could never imagine the England manager or Martin O’Neill encouraging people to target an opposition player in that way. Times change and there may well be more Celtic fans who support Scotland nowadays but the Irish founded Celtic, generations of the Irish community in Scotland sustained the Club, that cannot be airbrushed out of history and we know our history, we were there at the start of the Celtic journey and we’ll be there at the end and Bonnie Scotland can keep all the foul racism and bigotry they like, we’ll keep the fairytale.
Found two coments, one is on the site now. The other seems to have a couple extra posts in it . If you could remember the first line of the post I can c and p and ignore the rest.
Thanks Ralph. The others were just longer more boring versions of the one you put up. I wasn’t sure of the procedures but know now. Tapadh leat.
As my name suggests I’m from Irish stock and today my heart as always will be green. Remembering the abuse given to aiden and lenny at almost every stadium we played in makes it so hard to forgive the way the Irish have always been treated in Scotland and we’re told we’re plastic paddys and all other crap we get hurled at us…I remember when Italy last one world cup in 06 the press were all over Italian community in Glasgow so it made me think it’s ok to celebrate being Italian/Scot but the biggest immigrant community will always be second class..
Well said Jim – respect.