Although I’ve never been able to summon up any interest in football, I’ve just spent hours reading about and around the Rangers versus Hibernian Scottish Cup Final on May 21.<\/em><\/p>\n It was a door into a world that troubled me more than I had expected<\/em><\/p>\n Of course I knew about sectarianism in Scottish football, but the extent and depth of the demonisation of loyalists shocked me.<\/em><\/p>\n A Scot who occasionally contacts me privately on Twitter had told me how at the end of the match thousands of victorious Hibernian fans – overwhelmed by a success they hadn’t had since 1902 – had poured on to the pitch, attacked Rangers players and goaded supporters.<\/em><\/p>\n The police had mostly been outside the stadium and so had been late arriving to restore the peace.<\/em><\/p>\n What had upset my correspondent particularly were attempts to blame Rangers, who had been very restrained.<\/em><\/p>\n However, Callum Steele, general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, saw it otherwise.<\/em><\/p>\n “The police response at the Scottish Cup Final was nothing short of magnificent,” he said.<\/em><\/p>\n “It was disgraceful that hundreds of fans outside the stadium conspired to inhibit the police response through acts of violence and intimidation as well as the cowardly act of using children as blockades and shields.”<\/em><\/p>\n This allegation was expanded in the Daily Record by a journalist called Jane Hamilton, a Celtic supporter, who said anonymous police had spoken of Rangers’ fans’ “mob mentality” and alleged the police had to endure a barrage of abuse and the jostling of police vans by, according to one unnamed officer, “everyone”, with parents using children to block roads, “a tactic I had only seen in Northern Ireland”.<\/em><\/p>\n Mr Steele and Ms Hamilton seemed not to have learned from the Hillsborough inquest that when the police mess up blaming fans is a bad idea.<\/em><\/p>\n There is to be an investigation, and I’m not going to get into the ins and outs of what clubs and police appear to have got wrong during and after these events, but on social media the fallout has been what the sports writer Gordon Waddell described as “poisonous, hate-filled, he-said-she-said effluvia”.<\/em><\/p>\n I’ve been reading a great deal of that, and I don’t for one minute ignore the abuse of Taigs and Tims and Fenians, but the insults from republicans are of a different order, for they echo the language of demonisation republicans practised so ruthlessly in Northern Ireland and exhibit the same contempt for loyalists.<\/em><\/p>\n Rangers, who were founded in 1872, and whose rivalry with Celtic is legendary, have had a torrid few years of financial disasters that ended in liquidation.<\/em><\/p>\n Their assets were bought by Sevco Scotland (which later changed its name to The Rangers Football Club) and their players had to start again in the third division of Scottish football.<\/em><\/p>\n Back now in the top tier, their enemies call them Sevco and refer to their supporters as Sevconians, which the Urban Dictionary tells me refers to people “usually bald and toothless” and “consumed with bigotry and lies” who insist they are really Rangers.<\/em><\/p>\n On the website of Rangers supporters the Vanguard Bears, there is a thoughtful blog called “dehumanisation and the end game”, which gets to the heart of the matter.<\/em><\/p>\n It is dehumanising to deny the club’s identity by refusing to call it Rangers and to refer to its supporters as “Ku Klux Klan”, “Nazis”, “Huns”, “knuckledraggers” and “scum”.<\/em><\/p>\n An important part of the process of dehumanisation, as discussed in the blog, is deindividuation, “whereby individuals are seen as a member of a category or group, rather than being seen as a person”.<\/em><\/p>\n As Sinn Fein did to Orangemen and the RUC, so extreme Scots republicans are trying to do to Rangers, with the intention of demoralising them by denying them sympathy, equality, dignity or respect.<\/em><\/p>\n I would hate to see supporters going down the victimhood path, but with the establishment of Club 1872, an independent new, united fan group which aspires to rebuild the club and keep it safe from dodgy businessmen, they have a much better alternative ahead of them.<\/em><\/p>\n Success would be the best way of confounding their enemies.<\/em><\/p>\n I won’t be joining, but I wish Rangers well. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Now , place your hand below your jaw , and push upwards, allowing the mouth to return to the normal closed position.<\/p>\n Amazing.<\/p>\n I googled the author, hoping for an image so that I could have have a look at what someone so far removed from reality would look like-I’m a big fan of science fiction and the possibility of unusual life forms, which inhabit and thrive in an environment far, far different from our own , but I’m none the wiser, as it only offered up three images, and i’m not sure which one is her.<\/p>\n Anyone help ?<\/p>\n It’s not any of them. And I’m not going to piut a picture of her on the site, lest I be accused of inciting sectarian hatred, unless she clinches this weeks award, of course-oh, by the way, if K Dhogg is reading, have you got a picture of last weeks winner yet ?-because no doubt that would give her something else to moan about, and I’m still not sure she deserves the oxygen of publicity that comes with getting a mention on here.<\/p>\n Fill in your own joke about debating whether she should get any oxygen at all, as it appears to be a bit of a waste.<\/p>\n Level 5, having already put their influence on the trophy, put forward another hopeful today;<\/p>\n Here’s what he looked like when we liked him…<\/p>\n and here’s how we view him now…<\/p>\n The once popular-I’ll never forget his contribution to the ten men who won the league, but really, the guy needs to see a priest to exorcise the spirit that has taken over his soul-midfielder said;<\/p>\n \u201cThey know Rangers are back in the top flight and are still building to make themselves better. Celtic know they can\u2019t be caught cold by not doing anything about, so they\u2019ve done something by bringing in a top class manager.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the secret now lies in the size of the budget he\u2019ll be given. How much money will he be given and what type of player will he bring in? If he brings in the level of player he is used to working with, he is going to make Celtic a much better team.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI think they have to burst the current wage structure. You can talk about spending three, four, five million pounds on a player but Celtic don\u2019t have the money to bring in three of four players of that ilk. So you have to look at loan players or those who are out of contract and pay them a lot of money.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve just got to bite the bullet and make sure they qualify for the Champions League. If Rodgers does that, it\u2019s a success because they\u2019ll not only get the Champions League money, but they\u2019ll fill the stadium again.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Oh no!<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a difficult one You have to assess the squad and if he can bring in players of a better standard, you\u2019ve just got to go with that. Whether it\u2019s Scott Brown or Leigh Griffiths, if you bring in a better player you change him.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt depends who he brings in. The size of the Celtic squad has to be trimmed down – you can\u2019t have 18 players sitting doing nothing week in, week out. They have to make some money by getting rid of some of the players and being able to finance better quality.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThe manager has just got to make a decision on whether Scott Brown is going to play in the team. It\u2019s all about his opinion.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Yes, his opinion. not yours, murdo, because yours is written for you.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n And Jim Traynor, the conductor of the sleaziest orchestra in town, here’s \u00a0a message for you.<\/p>\n Ah, good, he’s seen it… someones printed it off for him.<\/p>\n Murdo finshed his puff piece off with a stark warning-stop laughing-for Rodgers…<\/p>\n They shouldn\u2019t have a fear of Rangers,\u201d he saids. ( sic ) \u00a0\u201cBut with Rangers winning the Scottish Cup semi final, it lets you know that they are a threat. Celtic thought they had a settled squad and everything was fine and they wouldn\u2019t have had to change much going into the new season.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cBut Rangers had already been saying that they would be bringing in more players, so everybody knew they would be better next season – and yet they\u2019ve already beaten Celtic with the squad they\u2019ve got.<\/em><\/p>\n Squad they’ve got. Okay, lets asume they do have a superior sqaud, just for funzies.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Who is going to manage them ?<\/p>\n Mark Warburton hasn’t been seen since David Gray headed the winner in the Scottish cup final. His answerphone now says<\/p>\n “I’m sorry I’m unavailable right now, unless you are the chairman of a football club that actually does what it says it will do. ”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Of course, this absence can be explained, and it was explained, in great detail and with foresight not seen since the bold Nostradamus forecast a man called Hister would cause a bit of bother in Europe….<\/p>\n The “Phantom “, so called because he doesn’t want to reveal his true identity, and have people kaughing and pointing at him in the streets, is always good for a laugh if you want to see someone pretend to have a rational argument , but for fucks sake don’t ask him any direct questions, he falls apart and calls you “sad “, largely because he can’t spell “obsessed “.<\/p>\n Here he is , engaged in conversation with a witty , warm and stunningly attractive chap on twitter, regarding the Belfast Telegraph piece above after the Brad Pitt lookalike commented on the piece…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Happy to help. I’m guessing it was helpful, as the “phantom ” -real name…(not yet-Ed ) ” struggled for an answer.<\/p>\n But more to the point, where is Mark Warburton, and why isn’t he answering any calls ?<\/p>\n Perhaps no-one is ringing him….<\/p>\n But it does expalin the plethor of articles about Celtic, and perhaps even theres a hint in the Record ? Level 5 story…I’ve not covered all the quotes as they get even sillier firther down, but not once , as MacLoed burbles on about the challenge from Ibrox, does he mention the name of Mark Warburton…<\/p>\n So, heres the word from our pish stained source.<\/p>\n “He’s fucked off, and there’s no way they are going to tell the gullibillies until they have bought their season books<\/em>. “<\/p>\n Whereas our non-pish stained sources, who keep us in touch with goings on at Celtic, assure us that our manager is still there, and will most likely be around for a while.<\/p>\n Oh, and could part two of the “Summer Of Contentment ” be about to be revealed ?<\/p>\n We tried to get hold of the man who does the Celtic website, but it was an obstacle too high when we found out we didn’t actually know who he was, or , if indeed , such a person exists, to try to confirm rumours that he’s been working on a sensational release for this week….something about a statement, something about a club which is standing up for its fans, and one which will have the SFA taking immediate action…<\/p>\n Yesterdays caption competiton, which put a smile on my face, and thanks for all the well wishes, and more than once captured the personality of the big fellow, and the winner, although it was close, was… largely because this may have actually happened, and there will be a few who can verify it, this one…<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.reactiongifs.com\/r\/2011\/07\/tumblr_lcgzrrF8ho1qdsu67o1_500.gif\")
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<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\nBrendan Rodgers could replace Celtic pair Scott Brown and Leigh Griffiths <\/span><\/h2>\n
reckons former Hoops star Murdo MacLeod \u00a0<\/span>
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<\/p>\n@<\/s>Richiestoke<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0Jun 6<\/span><\/a><\/small>Stoke-on-Trent, England<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n@<\/s>RuthDE<\/b><\/a> @<\/s>PhantomL5<\/b><\/a> @<\/s>BelTel<\/b><\/a> And I thought Scottish journalism was bad. Easily the most ill informed and badly written piece of all time.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n@<\/s>PhantomL5<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0Jun 6<\/span><\/a><\/small><\/div>\n@<\/s>Richiestoke<\/b><\/a> @<\/s>RuthDE<\/b><\/a> Seems pretty uncontroversial unless of course you think using words like “klan” to describe football fans is okay? \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n@<\/s>Richiestoke<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/a>\u00a0Jun 6<\/span><\/a><\/small>Stoke-on-Trent, England<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n@<\/s>PhantomL5<\/b><\/a> @<\/s>RuthDE<\/b><\/a> Funny you should say that. Spot any similarities?<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/CkQzFihW0AAJGZd.jpg\")
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