{"id":15375,"date":"2020-03-06T08:13:43","date_gmt":"2020-03-06T08:13:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/etims.net\/?p=15375"},"modified":"2020-03-13T10:07:35","modified_gmt":"2020-03-13T10:07:35","slug":"celtic-diary-friday-march-6-relax-itll-be-fine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/etims.net\/?p=15375","title":{"rendered":"Celtic Diary Friday March 6: Relax..It’ll Be Fine"},"content":{"rendered":"

The ninth league title drew a little bit closer on Wednesday when Celtic fought back to gain a point at Livingston, a ground where they had previously dropped all three.<\/p>\n

In fact, the goal scored in the first half by Calum MacGregor was the first goal scored at the new town since Jimmy McGrory headed home in the early part of the twentieth century.<\/p>\n

Or it might have been Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink in the early part of the 21st.<\/p>\n

I get mixed up.<\/p>\n

The result leave the hoops thirteen points clear at the top, though “rangers ” have a game and an insolvency event in hand.<\/p>\n

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Nir Biton, who has added a wee bit of calmness to the defence since his return, was aware that something might have been happening somewhere else…<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know about other guys but I heard our fans roaring during the game, when we were 2-1, so I was I like, \u2018what\u2019s going on here?\u2019\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThen I realised Rangers were playing at the same time so I thought something happened there.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cBut you know, during the game you don\u2019t think about it you concentrate on yourself you concentrate on your game.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to make sure that we stick to our game plan, stick to the thing that the manager wants us to do, and we need to win as many games as we can.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI think when we, when you play for a club like Celtic you have to believe all the time.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYou play for a massive club, you\u2019re always fighting for trophies, you have to have this winning mentality, and you have to, every game even if we are down even if we are up.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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He goes on a bit, but we sort of get the point.<\/p>\n

Something was going on elsewhere, of course, as “rangers ” slipped to another defeat to another team at the bottom of the league when Hamilton recorded a 1-0 win at Ibrox.<\/p>\n

It’s clear that the club\/company is in some sort of meltdown for whatever reason, and it’s doubtful that Gerrard will be around much longer, as the media are now not exactly turning on him, but certainly no longer defending him.<\/p>\n

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Oh, and those fans forums….there must be steam coming off their keyboards.<\/p>\n

One chap, bluechip, wrote an open letter to Gerrard, which should help.<\/p>\n

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Dear Steven,<\/em><\/p>\n

I wish you nothing but good health and success in your managerial career. If you read this open letter, I would like you to read it out to your first team squad at The Hummel Training Centre.<\/em><\/p>\n

I am a lifelong Rangers supporter. My dad took me to my first home game at Ibrox in the winter of 1969, the opposition were Airdrieonians that night iirc. I am now 63 years of age and I have never felt as low as I was last night after yet another debacle on the park and even now, the feeling of desperation is almost overwhelming.<\/em><\/p>\n

I would like you to sit each and every one of your first team squad down and ask them, in a one to one, how they feel about last night’s game. Also how they feel about their form since the turn of the year. Ask them about their personal pride. Ask them if they think about their performance after they leave Ibrox in their fancy cars on their way to their expensive homes. Ask them if they are comfortable handing that lot trophy after trophy. A treble treble or a quadruple treble, as tainted as they are, will never be achieved ever again and we will forever be reminded of it. But most of all, ask them if they are HURTING as bad as the supporters are.<\/em><\/p>\n

If they are not HURTING, then they should be nowhere near this great club. Those are the ones who have to be cleared out at the end of the season, no more second chances.<\/em><\/p>\n

All of us supporters handle adversity in different ways. Personally after watching the game last night, I felt sick to my stomach. I could not get to sleep for ages, going over and over in my mind where the team has gone wrong. It must have been 4am’ish I let myself pass out with the thought that we are a leaderless team on the park. No rage, no shouting or in fighting among the player’s just acceptance that another three points have gone. The usual sound bites will be trotted out, a reaction from the player’s, we go again etc., etc. Sickening platitudes.<\/em><\/p>\n

The hairs on my neck still stand up when I am walking towards the gable end of The Bill Struth stand, it is a symbol of what this great club stands for, tradition. The SPFL is full of teams who hate us. Steven, that alone should motivate any professional to win the battles on the park. Unfortunately our team is full of players who do not get what Rangers are all about.<\/em><\/p>\n

Yours Sincerely<\/em><\/p>\n

Ian.<\/em><\/p>\n

P.S. For the guys and girls on the forum, thank you all for bearing with an elderly, frustrated bluenose. I know some will scoff at the open letter and some will sympathise , that’s ok, we all have different coping mechanisms. Writing it down is mine.<\/em><\/p>\n

P.P.S. I will still be mulling this over in my head till Sunday and then hope will once again kick in.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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And then on sunday night, he’ll reach for his box of crayons and start all over again.<\/p>\n

We shouldn’t laugh, but their mentality throughout the eight year existence of the club that replaced their favourites, encouraged by a compliant media and a colluding SFA means it’s difficult to be sympathetic to their plight.<\/p>\n

Neither gracious in victory nor humble in defeat, their entitlement mentality and, er, traditions and culture…never specified but often cited…has made them quite unpoular.<\/p>\n

As, indeed, they have noticed…<\/p>\n

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On twitter the hurt continues…<\/p>\n

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There are several more in the same vein, and perhaps those kind of tweets were a result of not only their own clubs perofrmances on and off the field, but the news that Adidas and Celtic are about to announce a record breaking kit deal…while their club advertises for anyone daft enough to take a chance on them.<\/p>\n

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Which prompted this…<\/p>\n

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Another took up the cause…<\/p>\n

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It beggars belief that anyone could be so stupid with presumably just one head.<\/p>\n

One fellow usually starts off quite optimistic..<\/p>\n

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oh dear…<\/p>\n

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It’s clear the support have all but given up, and perhaps one or two of the management are dreaming of better jobs that might be out there…<\/p>\n

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The rest of them just pretend they are not interested…<\/p>\n

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Some clubs don’t mess around when their support embarrass them, you know…<\/p>\n

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Fort William FC<\/span><\/em><\/div>\n
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Club Statement Following unacceptable behaviour of The Ultras supporters group over a number of games this season we have taken the decision to ban this group from home games. They will be able to gain entry individually if accommpanied by a parent. Peter Murphy Chairman<\/span><\/em><\/div>\n

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Speaking of Adidas, there are a few designs floating around the interweb, some of which are okay, some of which aren’t, but the key for me is quality.<\/p>\n

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Nike and New Balance never quite grasped that and all the tops I bought while they made them have now fell apart, yet the Umbro ones are still fine…<\/p>\n

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Back to the good guys, and the St Mirren game tomorrow could be livened up with a show of support on the 8th minute for beleagured ibrox chief Gerrard, as his own support tried it against Hamilton, and whilst it dodon;t quite work for them, perhaps we should help out.<\/p>\n

If not this week, then certainly next week at Ibrox…if the SFA haven’t shut the league down by then.<\/p>\n

Myself, Charlie the dug and Hector, Desi and Monty got together to discuss all the recent events on the Podcast…<\/p>\n

You can listen here as well as catching up on other episodes below…<\/strong><\/p>\n