Scottish football

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

Thought it was a nothing incident , from both sides really . Halfwit shouts something , halfwit replies . Can't believe any fan can complain about him replying really . From a club point of view not exactly professional especially given he's been high profile and controversial lately but almost the very definition of a storm in a teacup really don't you think ?

Massive game for Celtic tonight , I think not scoring last week could really cost the Norwegians though .

Griffiths is clearly a fan on the field, and thus he's prone to sometimes not being able to disconnect the fan side of himself from the professional side

Barry Ferguson was similar

I am starting to worry for him though, especially as he's seemingly becoming almost as reviled as Lennon was amongst certain sets of supporters, and then ended with bombs in the post and nutters running out of the crowd to rugby tackle him

 

[Harryflashman]

Some of them are, but I've met plenty of nice ones too, ditto for Celtic

There's just something about that fixture that turns people into monster's

Then again, we sing about hanging Kopites by a river, so swings and roundabouts

Do you think that's the same as singing about lee rigby who got his head cut off not five years ago mate ? Somebody with no connection to the club who was murdered by terrorists . The RS played z cars for a youngster who was murdered.

 

[Harryflashman]

Griffiths is clearly a fan on the field, and thus he's prone to sometimes not being able to disconnect the fan side of himself from the professional side

Barry Ferguson was similar

I am starting to worry for him though, especially as he's seemingly becoming almost as reviled as Lennon was amongst certain sets of supporters, and then ended with bombs in the post and nutters running out of the crowd to rugby tackle him

He doesn't help himself that's certain , I think the scarf tying has certainly put him up there . This airport incident just seemed to be nothing though to be honest .

Griffith's though probably should ask himself ''why always me ?" though , from the scarves to the chants to the tweets he seems to put himself in the middle of controversy.

Edit : neatly forgot the alleged manager scuffle as well !

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

Do you think that's the same as singing about lee rigby who got his head cut off not five years ago mate ? Somebody with no connection to the club who was murdered by terrorists . The RS played z cars for a youngster who was murdered.

I've always had a bit of a strange feeling about that song tbh mate, same as I do with the "Harold Shipman killed your gran" song that sometimes gets sung on away days in Manchester

That being said, though I've never sung the Shipman song, I always join in with Royal Blue Mersey

Lot's of teams sing the Billy Boys as well, but it doesn't have the same Sectarian connotations so you don't hear about it. For instance, I've been to the odd Stockport County match over the years and they sing about standing on a Burnley fan until he dies

I think it just highlights that when it comes to footballing rivalries, we can all be capable of saying unpleasant things and singing unpleasant songs. I think the main reason we hear about Rangers doing it is because of the overt suggestion that they're doing it to a "Fenian", more than the suggestion they're up to their knees in rival supporters blood. If it was just the act of violence itself people protested to, then we as Evertonians would get it in the neck for hanging Kopites

So there's definitely a line to be crossed, but the argument comes up about where you draw the line

Stomping on Burnley fans and hanging Kopites seems to just about land on the acceptable side, but then telling people to go home because the famine is over or putting up tifo's glorifying Bobby Sands clearly lands on the other

It's interesting to see where that line lies for different people

 

[Harryflashman]

I've always had a bit of a strange feeling about that song tbh mate, same as I do with the "Harold Shipman killed your gran" song that sometimes gets sung on away days in Manchester

That being said, though I've never sung the Shipman song, I always join in with Royal Blue Mersey

Lot's of teams sing the Billy Boys as well, but it doesn't have the same Sectarian connotations so you don't hear about it. For instance, I've been to the odd Stockport County match over the years and they sing about standing on a Burnley fan until he dies

I think it just highlights that when it comes to footballing rivalries, we can all be capable of saying unpleasant things and singing unpleasant songs. I think the main reason we hear about Rangers doing it is because of the overt suggestion that they're doing it to a "Fenian", more than the suggestion they're up to their knees in rival supporters blood. If it was just the act of violence itself people protested to, then we as Evertonians would get it in the neck for hanging Kopites

So there's definitely a line to be crossed, but the argument comes up about where you draw the line

Stomping on Burnley fans and hanging Kopites seems to just about land on the acceptable side, but then telling people to go home because the famine is over or putting up tifo's glorifying Bobby Sands clearly lands on the other

Just interesting to see where the line lies for people

The fenian/Hun debate is interesting as legally only one has been deemed sectarian. The whole offensive behaviour at football act has been a mess to be honest and done nothing that it intended , if anything it seems to have made things worse.

I personally find the lee rigby chants really offensive but I also except people have lines.

I think you raise a really interesting debate though mate .

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

The fenian/Hun debate is interesting as legally only one has been deemed sectarian. The whole offensive behaviour at football act has been a mess to be honest and done nothing that it intended , if anything it seems to have made things worse.

I personally find the lee rigby chants really offensive but I also except people have lines.

I think you raise a really interesting debate though mate .

I'd consider such Lee Rigby songs to be unreasonable personally

I personally don't think Hun is sectarian, because even fellow protestants such as Hearts fans call them that as well

And indeed, back in the day both Old Firm teams were called Huns

To me the term has always meant more about Rangers/Celtic fans being a rampaging hoard coming to your town, like the Huns themselves used to do in ancient China

That doesn't strike me as a sectarian term tbh and when people claim it is it smacks a bit of whataboutery to me (Something both sides of the Old Firm are want to indulge in)

 

[Alanbileysfeathercut]

I've never hid my disgust of these two clubs and their bigot undertones
For every celtic ira chant
You have a rangers bouncy bouncy on a catholics head
On other threads posters post about sexism and homophobia
One things for certain they will be acceptable and the norm before our Glasgow twins forget about religion in football

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

I've never hid my disgust of these two clubs and their bigot undertones
For every celtic ira chant
You have a rangers bouncy bouncy on a catholics head
On other threads posters post about sexism and homophobia
One things for certain they will be acceptable and the norm before our Glasgow twins forget about religion in football

The strange thing as well is that Sectarianism itself is becoming gradually less of an issue in overall Scottish society. Yes, it still exists, but then again so do homophobia and racism. However, such feelings are now closer to minority beliefs than majority ones. Still lots of work to do, but progress has been made

Despite this though, the Sectarian element of the Old Firm rivalry almost seems to have gotten worse

 

[Harryflashman]

I'd consider such Lee Rigby songs to be unreasonable personally

I personally don't think Hun is sectarian, because even fellow protestants such as Hearts fans call them that as well

And indeed, back in the day both Old Firm teams were called Huns

To me the term has always meant more about Rangers/Celtic fans being a rampaging hoard coming to your town, like the Huns themselves used to do in ancient China

That doesn't strike me as a sectarian term tbh and when people claim it is it smacks a bit of whataboutery to me (Something both sides of the Old Firm are want to indulge in)

Yeah I think Hun was first used about Celtic fans , but the illegality of one word use to describe opposition fans and not the other whether right or wrong is going to cause issues.

I was going to use whataboutery earlier actually it's certainly an issue

 

[Harryflashman]

The strange thing as well is that Sectarianism itself is becoming gradually less of an issue in overall Scottish society. Yes, it still exists, but then again so do homophobia and racism. However, such feelings are now closer to minority beliefs than majority ones. Still lots of work to do, but progress has been made

Despite this though, the Sectarian element of the Old Firm rivalry almost seems to have gotten worse

I genuinely think legislation has increased the divide , just my opinion .

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

Yeah I think Hun was first used about Celtic fans , but the illegality of one word use to describe opposition fans and not the other whether right or wrong is going to cause issues.

I was going to use whataboutery earlier actually it's certainly an issue

It's the biggest problem really, you ask some Old Firm supporters and it's always the other sides fault somehow, regardless of the issue

Ranger's bullishness over the whole EBT thing and Celtic's paranoid victim complex doesn't help either

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

I genuinely think legislation has increased the divide , just my opinion .

I think most agree that the legislation hasn't worked

Both clubs need to do more IMO

Celtic have threatened to break up the Green Brigade for a while and never do. Maybe it's time they did?

They do a lot for atmosphere in that ground, but they've continuously defied both the club and the authorities

 

[Alanbileysfeathercut]

The strange thing as well is that Sectarianism itself is becoming gradually less of an issue in overall Scottish society. Yes, it still exists, but then again so do homophobia and racism. However, such feelings are now closer to minority beliefs than majority ones. Still lots of work to do, but progress has been made

Despite this though, the Sectarian element of the Old Firm rivalry almost seems to have gotten worse

Sorry Mikey in certain parts of Scotland it's still alive and well unfortunately
Maybe from the outside looking in its not as bad but the undercurrents still exist

 

[Alanbileysfeathercut]

I think most agree that the legislation hasn't worked

Both clubs need to do more IMO

Celtic have threatened to break up the Green Brigade for a while and never do. Maybe it's time they did?

They do a lot for atmosphere in that ground, but they've continuously defied both the club and the authorities

The club's have tried and continue to do so
Even Brenda said something about it

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

The club's have tried and continue to do so
Even Brenda said something about it

Lennon even aired his dislike of the Bobby Sands one (Which is how far back that one was)

But the GB don't seem to want to listen and believe the rules don't apply to them