To be fair, I remember when Celtic got beat by Inverness in that Semi-Final and their fans online were falling over themselves saying that the ref was a Rangers fan who had deliberately robbed them. They then campaigned to get the player who handled the ball banned from the Final, and almost succeeded
Also when Celtic were in the same group with Leipzig and Salzburg in the Europa League they were convinced that Salzburg were going to down tools and let Leipzig win, thus knocking Celtic out, even though everyone else was pointing out that Salzburg would love the chance to stick it to Leipzig because of Austrian/German rivalry. It'd be like Aberdeen letting Spurs win so that someone like Malmo could go through
So yeah, these Rangers fans are nuts, but lets not pretend that such stuff is limited just to them. As with most cases with The Old Firm, both sides of it are home to some absolute nutters who will see any defeat or difficult situation as part of a grander conspiracy to help the other side win at their expense
It's just another part of the Old Firm soap opera that makes those of us who happen to support other sides sometimes just wish they'd both bog off
Also when Celtic were in the same group with Leipzig and Salzburg in the Europa League they were convinced that Salzburg were going to down tools and let Leipzig win, thus knocking Celtic out, even though everyone else was pointing out that Salzburg would love the chance to stick it to Leipzig because of Austrian/German rivalry. It'd be like Aberdeen letting Spurs win so that someone like Malmo could go through
So yeah, these Rangers fans are nuts, but lets not pretend that such stuff is limited just to them. As with most cases with The Old Firm, both sides of it are home to some absolute nutters who will see any defeat or difficult situation as part of a grander conspiracy to help the other side win at their expense
It's just another part of the Old Firm soap opera that makes those of us who happen to support other sides sometimes just wish they'd both bog off
dow1978
Player Valuation: £1m
Considering the Red Bull connection its far from that Aberdeen/Spurs - Malmo analogy but lets not let the truth get in the way of a load of nonsense eh.
Oh re: the ref. What that the same ref seen later in the day singing rangers songs in a loyalist pub?
People pointed out that, despite the Red Bull connection, the Austrians would still want to beat the Germans. It was only the Celtic fans smelling a conspiracy in the works
As for the semi-final, it was a bad call. Bad calls happen. It happened to Ross County in a game with you not too soon after in fact
I think the fact the job was too big for Ronny Deila was more why you didn't win the Cup that season in all honesty. No reason you couldn't have still seen that game out. The penalty was a nice excuse to fall back on
Oh, and before anyone mentions 1982 and Gijon, the Austrian team got slaughtered by their own media for that as the fans had wanted a repeat of a famous win from 1978 and were furious at the tactics, so the chances of history repeating were miniminal, regardless of the Red Bull connection
But again, this was what sensible people were saying anyway
So yeah, the Rangers fans having a melt down is funny, but lets not act like Celtic fans don't do it too and haven't done it a lot over the years
But again, this was what sensible people were saying anyway
So yeah, the Rangers fans having a melt down is funny, but lets not act like Celtic fans don't do it too and haven't done it a lot over the years
dow1978
Player Valuation: £1m
Who are your scottish side mate?
Hibs
dow1978
Player Valuation: £1m
Phew. Thought you might have been a jambo in which case I'd have just laughed at you.
The Celtic View
Player Valuation: £20m
I believe everyone has a degree of paranoia in them. As you say, fans of Celtic and the Rangers, feel officials are against their club, and support their rivals, and fans of the other clubs think the officials are for the two Glasgow sides and against their team, so let's not pretend it's just Celtic and The Rangers fans who are paranoid about officials.
The main difference is, I reckon if most fans heard someone was hanging around one of their players prestige car, they would think the guy was probably trying to steal it, or worse case scenario let down a tyre. I don't think there are too many people who would assume the guy was trying to cut their strikers brake cable in an attempt to derail his rivals title challenge. Also, because Griffith wasn't sent off on Sunday, The Rangers fans have once again, decided Catholics are running Scotland.
As for the ref in that ICT game. you do realise that he was the brother of a former Rangers player, don't you? Can you imagine the meltdown from fans of The Rangers if Aiden McGeady's brother took charge of a cup tie involving The Rangers, and allowed one of their opponents to dive and punch the ball out of goal, then awarded a penalty against The Rangers, and sent off their keeper? They've already decided Catholics are running the entire country because a couple of tight decisions didn't go their way.
England does it right. Officials have to declare what team they support, and they don't officiate at their games, so it's not only fair, its seen to be fair, unless they pull a Hugh Bonkle from Dallas stroke, and lie about the team they actually support.
The Celtic View
Player Valuation: £20m
No, that was John Beaton who went drinking with The Rangers fans after their win against Celtic. Can you imagine what would happen if a ref went to The Brazen Head pub to celebrate with Celtic fans after he reffed a Celtic - the Rangers game?
The ref in the Celtic - ICT semi-final was Steve Mclean.
The Celtic View
Player Valuation: £20m
Aye, you would never get any Scottish teams like say Hibs and, oh I don't know, Rangers doing anything dodgy like that, would you?
The Celtic View
Player Valuation: £20m
lol
The Celtic View
Player Valuation: £20m
Thon wee Hibbie Jane Park. How much does she hate The Rangers? I reckon she hates them more than the Celtic fans! lol
artetas_biggest_fan
Player Valuation: £6m
It’s true to say as a club Rangers were historically more bigoted (no catholic player until Mo Johnston).
When it comes to fans though, I can’t spesk from a Scottish perspective on the Auld firm, but from a “northern” Irish perspective (which is a lot more extreme than the Scots, and up until recent memory was deadly), fans of both sides from here are culpable in regard to bigotry. Wear a Rangers jersey down a certain street, you will get a kicking, Celtic jersey down a certain street, you will get a kicking. I went to a catholic school, owned a Celtic jersey, and in the first 18 years of my life I never knowingly spoke to a Protestant (I’m sure I did, but I never knew it). We lived in a backward cave, two tribes, flags placed to mark our territory. Rangers and Celtic was just an extension of this tribalism.
gonetomorrow
Player Valuation: £80m
Isn't Scottish football great now?
And it used to be so dull with guys like Johnstone, Henderson, Baxter, Lennox, Wullie Bauld, Gordon Smith, Joey Baker, Strachan.......
And it used to be so dull with guys like Johnstone, Henderson, Baxter, Lennox, Wullie Bauld, Gordon Smith, Joey Baker, Strachan.......