SPL Footballers in sectarian sing song shocker

[tommy1979]

It seems John Hartson and Stephen Pearson have been very silly boys

http://rapidshare.de/files/10538270/Hartson.avi.html

I wonder what the press will say?

[Loafer]

Although I would never condone such behaviour, it is a very blurred video clip. Could easily be any 12 year old starring as "Pearson" and any run-of-the-mill 20 stone Celtic supporter starring as "Hartson"!!!

The Loafer

[connieb19]

Although I would never condone such behaviour, it is a very blurred video clip. Could easily be any 12 year old starring as "Pearson" and any run-of-the-mill 20 stone Celtic supporter starring as "Hartson"!!!

The LoaferI agree there, probably some chancer trying to make an easy few quid..It can't be easy being in the public eye all the time.

[tommy1979]

Well lets see about that

Offical pictures from the event

http://www.killybegsonline.org/community/news/photos/2005/mcnamara_singing.jpg

http://www.killybegsonline.org/community/news/photos/2005/jackiemcnamara3.jpg

Now stills from the Video

Hartson

http://tinypic.com/jq5jcn.jpg

Pearson

http://tinypic.com/jqhr40.jpg

[willowbankbear]

Thankyou Tommy, for letting all the decent folk on this site see what is the sinister side of John Hartson and Stephen Pearson.
Absolute disgrace they are, Had it been two Rangers players,or Boab Malcolm it would have been front page news today. That is for certain, Luckily for these two imbeciles, the lovely Hollywood actress Lynsay Lohan took an Asthma attack!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:rolleyes:
Also dominating the headlines was chris-tmas card-Sutton leaving the Scottish game after 5 years. Love him or hate him he`ll always be remembered for the final day outburst at dunfermline players for "lying down"
Aye ye got to hand it to the mhedia, theyve done it again

[Loafer]

Get over it Willowbankbear. No guessing which football team you support. In these days of digitally enhanced photography, it could be anyone.

Still looks inconclusive to me.

But as I said before, I would never condone such behaviour and if they are guilty, I would personally chuck them both in the reserves, on the bench and never let them play in the hoops again.

But with Mr Hartson being on near 40 grand a week, I can't see it happening.

The Loafer

[tommy1979]

Still looks inconclusive to me.

Its called having green tinted glasses on lol

[connieb19]

Its called having green tinted glasses on lolWell I think they look GOOORGEOUS..... no matter what

[MagicalTrevor]

LOL at willowbank bear. Talk about bias. Who cares!

[tommy1979]

Rumour has it that the Celtic spin machine is firing on all cylinders in an attempt at keeping the story under wraps, and their efforts, if this is true, appear to have been successful.

If this was an official Celtic function it might be that there were leading club officials present when this "performance" occurred.

Did they witness it, and if they did, did they condone it - or choose to ignore it? A thorough investigation could come up with the answers.

If there is a suspicion that this video is genuine, the story should have been investigated by now, and if it hasn`t, and Celtic has been found to be attempting to keep a lid on this by influencing the press and media who themselves may be eager to be compliant in a news blackout, the story has grown from being a football scandal to one which is a national scandal, and there could be some interesting faces in the dock if the public gaze is finally drawn to this.

[connieb19]

Its whoever was recording this to ake a quick buck that should be ashamed!!

[angela5]

It seems John Hartson and Stephen Pearson have been very silly boys

Click here to see the video (http://216.86.150.60/videos/0/302496_0326a.wmv)

I wonder what the press will say?

Just a blank screen for me.

[connieb19]

Just a blank screen for me.That'll be CFC trying to cover it up:rolleyes:

[ice box]

You need your eyes tested then connie think what your saying . lovl

[tommy1979]

Just a blank screen for me.

right click the link and "save as"

I think you will find this stinks of a cover up, this was an offical function, jackie mcnamaras testimonial dinner in the summer of 2005

nice to also see that a CFC supporters club chairman is also a sectarian bigot

http://www.killybegsonline.org/community/news/article.asp?NewsID=838

his fat gutt is a bit of a give away

in this day in age, where sectarainisim is scotlands "secret" shame, should this kind of thing really be swept under the carpet anymore?

[gleeber]

in this day in age, where sectarainisim is scotlands "secret" shame, should this kind of thing really be swept under the carpet anymore?

I dont think this type of stuff is a secret. It happpens all around us every day but we dont really notice it because its institutinalised. Even the little bit of banter between mates is a sign that its alive and well. It doesnt surprise me in the least that this happens. Religion is the focus in Scotland but the very same thing happens with football in England. The only difference is the religious angle.
Its insane but its very human.

[golach]

Thankyou Tommy, for letting all the decent folk on this site see what is the sinister side of John Hartson and Stephen Pearson.
Absolute disgrace they are, Had it been two Rangers players,or Boab Malcolm it would have been front page news today. That is for certain, Luckily for these two imbeciles, the lovely Hollywood actress Lynsay Lohan took an Asthma attack!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:rolleyes:
Also dominating the headlines was chris-tmas card-Sutton leaving the Scottish game after 5 years. Love him or hate him he`ll always be remembered for the final day outburst at dunfermline players for "lying down"
Aye ye got to hand it to the mhedia, theyve done it again
Get a grip of yourself Willowbankbear, you must have a short memory was it not your Donald Findlay that blotted his copybook in public and had to resign
I do not agree with any of this bigotry I'm a Hibee and am ashamed to say the Hibs players are no better.

[whooshjohnny]

You are correct Golach it was Donald Findlay QC who was singing the sash (I think) he was absolutely crucified in the press for it and lost his position at RFC.
I think that was fair enough as far as Mr Findlay is concerned he should never have got himself in that situation and he paid the price for it.

But now lets see the Septic players get the same treatment from the media, I doubt very much if that will happen, in the film you can clearly see Pearson cupping his hands round his mouth to get a better shout of the IRA bit.
I think that Aiden Mcgeady (spelling) is also in the clip chanting away but I cant be sure.

Both Hartson and Pearson should be expelled from Celtic Park asap and then dragged through the press however I fear that as usual any bad press from Celtic will be well and truly swept under the carpet..

[chimo]

Get a grip of yourself Willowbankbear, you must have a short memory was it not your Donald Findlay that blotted his copybook in public and had to resign
I do not agree with any of this bigotry I'm a Hibee and am ashamed to say the Hibs players are no better.

What is bigoted or sectarian about singing the sash anyway? Some people may not like what they think it represents, but their ignorance doesnt make it bigoted. The Celtic players on the video are shouting in support of the IRA... but for some strange reason this isnt getting the coverage that other matters received. Think back to the Rangers sectarian grass nonsense in the NOTW...if a made up story like that can make the papers, why cant IRA supporting Celtic players at an official Celtic function make the papers? or is it one rule for stories involving Rangers and another for Celtic?

[whooshjohnny]

Hit the nail on the head there Chimo, one rule for them another for everyone else.

It has actually been proved in court that the Sash is not a bigoted song yet poor Mr Findlay still had to fall on his sword.

Anyone saying that the identity of the people in the film is in question is clearly a Celtic fan trying their best to cover up for their team, I is totally obvious to me that Hartson and Pearson are there singing the only doubt I have is whether or not Mcgeady is there

[tommy1979]

finally a paper has the guts to run with this story....good on you, the P&J

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/5996/pandj1do.jpg

[golach]

[quote=chimo]What is bigoted or sectarian about singing the sash anyway? quote]
Are you for real chimo? Singing the sash is not bigoted or sectarian, you must have a very blinkered and orange tinted view then is all I can say.

[whooshjohnny]

Golach it has been proven in court that the sash is not a bigoted song..end of

I applaud the Press and Journal for having the guts to run the story however they are wrong as Pearson can clearly be seen shouting IRA.

However why has the rest of the media ignored the story??

[whooshjohnny]

Sure I'm an Ulster Orangeman, from Erin's isle I came,
To see my British brethren all of honour and of fame,
And to tell them of my forefathers who fought in days of yore,
That I might have the right to wear, the sash my father wore!

(Chorus);

It is old but it is beautiful, and its colours they are fine,
It was worn at Derry, Aughrim, Enniskillen and the Boyne,
My father wore it as a youth in bygone days of yore,
And on the Twelfth I love to wear the sash my father wore

For those brave men who crossed the Boyne have not fought or died in vain,
Our Unity, Religion, Laws, and Freedom to maintain,
If the call should come we'll follow the drum, and cross that river once more,
That tomorrow's Ulsterman may wear the sash my father wore!

And when some day, across the sea to Antrim's shore you come,
We'll welcome you in royal style, to the sound of flute and drum,
And Ulster's hills shall echo still, from Rathlin to Dromore,
As we sing again the loyal strain of the sash my father wore!

[tommy1979]

Are you for real chimo? Singing the sash is not bigoted or sectarian, you must have a very blinkered and orange tinted view then is all I can say.

The Sash is no more bigoted than The Fields of Atherny, they are folk songs...its the chanting of pro IRA messages that are clearly heard that we are taking issue with here

[crashbandicoot1979]

What the heck does "The Sash" or the IRA or any of that other nonsense, have to do with football in the 21st century anyway? Yes I know that its tied in with the history of the clubs but regardless of whether its classed as bigoted or not, theres no need for it in this day and age.

And although I am by no means a rangers supporter, I have to admit the media do portray rangers as the "baddies" when it comes to bigotry but I know from experience that both sides are as bad as each other.

[chimo]

[quote=chimo]What is bigoted or sectarian about singing the sash anyway? quote]
Are you for real chimo? Singing the sash is not bigoted or sectarian, you must have a very blinkered and orange tinted view then is all I can say.

Care to explain what is sectarian about either the Sash or the Orange Order??

[whooshjohnny]

Correct the Sash, The Fields of Athenray, Simply the Best or any number of songs are not bigoted tunes in their own right.
I mean you dont see Tina Turner getting involved in religious fighting.
But when references to the pope, IRA, UVF or whatever are added to tunes then they become bigoted.

Now you can read the lyrics I posted as many times as you want but you wont see anything derogatory to anyone in it. And as far as I know there are no other words added to the song by fans to make it bigoted.

So what makes YOU Golach say it is bigoted??

[MagicalTrevor]

This thread absolutely stinks of Rangers bias. I love the well structured and impartial "arguments" against "Septic" LOL

If you want action taken against Celtic players for singing that song then be prepared to start cracking down on the 60,000 or so who sing it every week at Parkhead!

[whooshjohnny]

Gold star Magicaltrevor I am a Rangers fan (for my sins)

I know that both sets of fans (and other teams as well) have quite a few people who are bigoted to the core.

But the point that I am trying to make is, how is bigotry supposed to be ironed out when you have the people who play for Celtic publically chanting pro IRA songs, little Johhny or Timothy is hardly going to think chanting IRA is wrong if he sees his heros John Hartson and Steven Pearson chanting it now is he??????

So now if Celtic had any guts at all they would take their "Anti Bigotry" high ground and tell Hartson and Pearson to levae the club with immediate effect, however I dont think for one minute that they will do that because they dont have the guts!!

[chimo]

This thread absolutely stinks of Rangers bias. I love the well structured and impartial "arguments" against "Septic" LOL

If you want action taken against Celtic players for singing that song then be prepared to start cracking down on the 60,000 or so who sing it every week at Parkhead!

Rangers bias for asking why Hartson and Person on camera chanting about the IRA doesnt get a mention in the press, while Donald findlay singing a song which was thought of by some people to be sectarian (since proved in a court of law it isnt) was hounded from his position at Ibrox? There definately is some bias somewhere, but its not on this thread and its not in favour of Rangers.

[tommy1979]

If you want action taken against Celtic players for singing that song then be prepared to start cracking down on the 60,000 or so who sing it every week at Parkhead!

*SIGH*

Ok I will say it again just for your benefit....its not the singing of the song "The Fields of Atherny" that we have a problem with, that song is not sectarian, ITS THE CHANTING OF PRO IRA SLOGANS by players and fans of Celtic football club at an official club function that goes unreported by the majority of the scottish press that we have a problem about!!

Now what was that you was saying about Rangers bias? lol

[whooshjohnny]

http://www.sportinglife.com/football/scottishpremier/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/06/01/06/SOCCER_Celtic_Video.html

At least the media is begining to take note of the issue!!!

WATP

[jambo]

golach u being a hibs supporter have no room to talk about any other team when u have a player like riordan caught on camera calling skacel a refugee.

[tommy1979]

Pearson's agent confirmed the 23-year-old midfielder featured on the clip but strongly denied that he had joined in any sectarian shouts.

Willie McKay said: "Stephen's seen the video and he said he sang Fields of Athenry, but he never shouted 'IRA'.

http://tinypic.com/jsbwns.jpg

[regalkings]

i know where your getting your info from tommy1979 :D

i have to say that i agree with you tommy, i find it hard to believe that thia appears on sporting life and other online news feeds but can't make reporting scotland, that my friend is a cover up by the press. I never used to believe my fellow gers when they went about this but its there for all to see.

[tommy1979]

i know where your getting your info from tommy1979 :D

Just doing my bit pal :)

If it wasnae for the P&J putting it in print, I dont think any of the so called scottish tabloid press would have run with it in their trademark sensasionalism that they do when rangers do something even remotley construed as sectarian!! Anything Rangers is fair game, anything Celtic....better ask the lawyers first.

Anyone for a Peperami????

[golach]

golach u being a hibs supporter have no room to talk about any other team when u have a player like riordan caught on camera calling skacel a refugee.
Jambo Read my other post before blowing your trumpet

Get a grip of yourself Willowbankbear, you must have a short memory was it not your Donald Findlay that blotted his copybook in public and had to resign
I do not agree with any of this bigotry I'm a Hibee and am ashamed to say the Hibs players are no better.
__________________
The original Grumpy Owld Man

[linksys]

is there a link to a video that works to allow us to make up our own minds?

[tommy1979]

is there a link to a video that works to allow us to make up our own minds?

dont say im bad to you

http://rapidshare.de/files/10538270/Hartson.avi.html

[theone]

Sure I'm an Ulster Orangeman, from Erin's isle I came,
To see my British brethren all of honour and of fame,
And to tell them of my forefathers who fought in days of yore,
That I might have the right to wear, the sash my father wore!

(Chorus);

It is old but it is beautiful, and its colours they are fine,
It was worn at Derry, Aughrim, Enniskillen and the Boyne,
My father wore it as a youth in bygone days of yore,
And on the Twelfth I love to wear the sash my father wore

For those brave men who crossed the Boyne have not fought or died in vain,
Our Unity, Religion, Laws, and Freedom to maintain,
If the call should come we'll follow the drum, and cross that river once more,
That tomorrow's Ulsterman may wear the sash my father wore!

And when some day, across the sea to Antrim's shore you come,
We'll welcome you in royal style, to the sound of flute and drum,
And Ulster's hills shall echo still, from Rathlin to Dromore,
As we sing again the loyal strain of the sash my father wore!

Sounds to me like a song about taking pride in what their ancestors fought and died for. If there's anything wrong with that then lets close hampden and murrayfield as I'm sure I heard people singing about sending "proud Edwards army" "home to think again".

[Rheghead]

Sounds to me like a song about taking pride in what their ancestors fought and died for. If there's anything wrong with that then lets close hampden and murrayfield as I'm sure I heard people singing about sending "proud Edwards army" "home to think again".

Taking a pride is one thing, taking a grudge is another...:rolleyes:

[tommy1979]

Taking a pride is one thing, taking a grudge is another...:rolleyes:

oh yeah us scots dont have a grudge against the english oh no sirreee :rolleyes:

[JAWS]

There's no grudge against the English, it's a National Obsession.
The only reason all this infighting over Sectarianism is going on is because there hasn't been a match against England for long enough.

And to put one record straight, the Sectarian Mob have chosen the wrong sides completely.

The dear Prince of Orange fought against Good King James with the full blessing of His Holiness The Pope, who (for various reasons) didn't want King James to win.
After the Battle of the Boyne, the Irish Catholics had a very derogatory nickname for the good King James (which I will not repeat here) because as they fled back to Dublin to avoid slaughter who did they find there? Their Heroic Leader who had run faster than they could, got there first, and was arranging his own escape to France, leaving them to their own fate.

So, whenever you hear the chants, remember this.
All those nice Protestants are supporting the Pope's Ally.
All those nice Catholics are supporting the Pope's Enemy.
All of you who have more sense than to get involved can have a good laugh at their stupidity and that will do more to deflate them than any amount of screaming about it.

As one Football Commentator used to say, "It's a funny old World!" :)

[regalkings]

Just doing my bit pal :)

If it wasnae for the P&J putting it in print, I dont think any of the so called scottish tabloid press would have run with it in their trademark sensasionalism that they do when rangers do something even remotley construed as sectarian!! Anything Rangers is fair game, anything Celtic....better ask the lawyers first.

Anyone for a Peperami????

again tommy i agree with you 100&

having read other posts it seems that being scottish and singing anti english songs is ok, but singing about another war seems wrong. culloden was a war between brother and brother as both fought on each sides but its ok now to slag the english about that war:confused: check your history guys, every war between the english and the scots had scots on both sides!!!

the boyne had sides from all over europe but was a religion war.

The irish & scottish hate the english and the media in our country(bill leckie) say its ok to sing anti english songs but surely this is discrimination? which is not now pc but its allowed by our nation as being ok ?

i would argue that the tartan army (which i have travelled to the france world cup with) it a discriminate group which surely must be against our now PC beliefs???

at the end of the day i believe that in that if any nation tried to attack OUR island i would fight for the UK, does that make me wrong?

fly a british flag at ibrox and the scottish press and hearts (who banned that flag at tynecastle) will make me a bigot? Can any person tell me that right ????

[regalkings]

There's no grudge against the English, it's a National Obsession.
The only reason all this infighting over Sectarianism is going on is because there hasn't been a match against England for long enough.

And to put one record straight, the Sectarian Mob have chosen the wrong sides completely.

The dear Prince of Orange fought against Good King James with the full blessing of His Holiness The Pope, who (for various reasons) didn't want King James to win.
After the Battle of the Boyne, the Irish Catholics had a very derogatory nickname for the good King James (which I will not repeat here) because as they fled back to Dublin to avoid slaughter who did they find there? Their Heroic Leader who had run faster than they could, got there first, and was arranging his own escape to France, leaving them to their own fate.

So, whenever you hear the chants, remember this.
All those nice Protestants are supporting the Pope's Ally.
All those nice Catholics are supporting the Pope's Enemy.
All of you who have more sense than to get involved can have a good laugh at their stupidity and that will do more to deflate them than any amount of screaming about it.

As one Football Commentator used to say, "It's a funny old World!" :)

so if we play england every year thing will be ok?
do you remember the street fights in glasgow when steve bull scored the winner, when man u walked up paisley road, no, well i seen it, not very nice, was that just fun?
no i don't think so

[peter macdonald]

Dont you just love these Old Firm "supporters" ???? With one side wanting to be soooo Irish and the other soooo British you can understand why the vast majority of the Tartan Army come from outside Glasgow .I think its the novelty of going to watch a game in Glasgow without having to listen to all the putrid drivel being being shouted and sung at Ibrox and Parkhead thats attracts them
I for one desparatley hoped the the English Premier league would be so greedy as to welcome Rangers and Celtic with open arms but it has not come to pass.
It would be a pleasure to see Scottish football rid of the sectarian curse that afflicts it
Guys please read Bill Murrays book "The Old Firm" John Donald publishers
you find find this an educational experience and it will also let you how the rest of the football world looks upon you

[tommy1979]

Dont you just love these Old Firm "supporters" ???? With one side wanting to be soooo Irish and the other soooo British you can understand why the vast majority of the Tartan Army come from outside Glasgow .I think its the novelty of going to watch a game in Glasgow without having to listen to all the putrid drivel being being shouted and sung at Ibrox and Parkhead thats attracts them
I for one desparatley hoped the the English Premier league would be so greedy as to welcome Rangers and Celtic with open arms but it has not come to pass.
It would be a pleasure to see Scottish football rid of the sectarian curse that afflicts it
Guys please read Bill Murrays book "The Old Firm" John Donald publishers
you find find this an educational experience and it will also let you how the rest of the football world looks upon you

Talk about tarring every old firm supporter with the same brush!! we are not all bigoted no marks from glasgow you know! most supporters dont have time for the sectarian minority and want it stamped out. When we see video of celtic players having an IRA sing song and the press are unwilling to report it (it took an aberdeen based "local" paper to break the story) but all to happy to report all things sectarian at rangers you have to wonder what the agenda of the press is in this country?

As for the rest of the football "world" as you put it.....nobody outside scotland gives a monkeys about scottish football, have a read of the sports pages of the papers down in England to find that out for yourself.

And the tartan army think they are the jolly cracksters holier than thou, they dont have leg to stand on....booing other nations national anthems? i rest my case!

[willowbankbear]

[And the tartan army think they are the jolly cracksters holier than thou, they dont have leg to stand on....booing other nations national anthems? i rest my case![/quote]
Aw come on Tommy, thats not fair,hehe ,true tho, I think they all seem to do this booing caper nowadays.
But coz theyre Scots that wear kilts,they seem to think they are exempt and that no1 will mind because they are their village idiots and well, ye can`t really expect much else.
Oh an Tommy most o the tartan army pictures ye see in print, the hordes arnt standing on any legs, theyre usually legless to the point of embarrassment to the decent folk in this nation.
thats enough of a rant for today eh folks

[peter macdonald]

Tommy What you dont realise is that when you go to Ibrox and Parkhead as an away supporter and hear what must be an extremely vocal minority are singing about the Queen the Pope and all things Irish it makes you wonder is this a hatefull political rally or a football match you are attending .As for your views about Scottish football ..yes the people outside Scotland dont care but when you ask them what do they know they immediately refer to the sectarian issues involved in the Old Firm .... I dont know what team you support but when you go to glasgow to support your team dont you even join in???? at least a little ?????? Oh Tommy Ive heard bile coming out of Old Firm fans in the pubs of Caithness frequently and very recently... so if you are an innocent old firm supporter who supports his team never sings or chants abuse about the pope or the queen Im very proud to meet you as I think Ive met one you like you before

[peter macdonald]

Wiilowbankbear Before you get to holier than thou Your team won a European trophy in Barcelona and turned what should have been a tremendous night for Scottish football in to a national disgrace....at a time when Francos police were known as one of the most repressive in Europe (see any Amnesity International
litrature of the time ) your fellow supporters decided to wade into them !! At least most of the tartan army are peaceable (if inclined to over indulge !!) Please contrast the behavior of your supporters in Barcelona with that of Aberdeens fans in Gothenburg and also that of Dundee United in the same city

[abnwicker]

Having watched the video, it's pretty clear that Pearson raises his hand up to his mouth and shouts everytime the "IRA" chant is heard. Celtic should be doing something about it.

Can you imagine what would happen if two arsenal players were filmed alongside supporters of al-Qaeda chanting pro-al-Qaeda slogans, they would be sacked.

[golach]

to all you indignant Rangers followers, here are a few hyperlinks thrown up by Goggle.
You and your team are not snowy white by any means,the Rangers supporters I have seen in the vicinity of Easter Road are usually standing on the corner of my street swilling Buckfast and MD and any cheap white lightning cider & lager you can lay your hands on before they go to the match. If this is your idea of a good day out...what can I say???
Dont get me wrong I'm an armchair Hibee, and Hibs or yon lot from Tynie are no better or worse than your lot, just there are more of you,


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4457202.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4180326.stm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/htmlContent.jhtml?html=/archive/1999/06/10/nfin10.html

[abnwicker]

to all you indignant Rangers followers, here are a few hyperlinks thrown up by Goggle.
You and your team are not snowy white by any means,the Rangers supporters I have seen in the vicinity of Easter Road are usually standing on the corner of my street swilling Buckfast and MD and any cheap white lightning cider & lager you can lay your hands on before they go to the match. If this is your idea of a good day out...what can I say???
Dont get me wrong I'm an armchair Hibee, and Hibs or yon lot from Tynie are no better or worse than your lot, just there are more of you,


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4457202.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4180326.stm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/htmlContent.jhtml?html=/archive/1999/06/10/nfin10.html


very poor argument, rangers fans are nowhere near being angels but the fact that Donald Findlay was caught singing a protestant folk song doesn't mean that it's acceptable for celtic players to associate themselves with or chant terrorist slogans.

[peter macdonald]

abn wicker you are missing the point ...99% of europe pay to go to watch a
football match Ive been at games and local derbys in sweden norway england belgium germany hungary czech republic and holland and nowhere have i heard the bile the old firm throw at each other . it is football .it is not a celebration of religous bigotry!!!!!!
but then again look at the players you missed out on over the years because it would not have been consistant with "future development"(glasgow evening observer 1949) as Rangers withdrew their interest in the brilliant English centre forward Wilf Mannion because of unexplained reasons (sic) !!!Aye right you then missed out on Pele Maradona Valdano di Stefano Puskas Kubala Platini etc as well as Daniel Fergus Macgrain because your scouting system feared the worse when he saw his name!!!!!
Oh and by the way i dont like the other lot either

[golach]

very poor argument, rangers fans are nowhere near being angels but the fact that Donald Findlay was caught singing a protestant folk song doesn't mean that it's acceptable for celtic players to associate themselves with or chant terrorist slogans.

The Sash!!! a protestant folk song OMG thats good. Its an Irish protestant pro UDF. UDF nothing to do with football or Scotland, if it were why then is it the favourite marching tune of the Orange Lodge bands, and dont say they are not BIGOTS because they are. And while Im here I'll tell you I was brought up a Protestant, so I have no axe to grind, Fitba is Fitba, religion is another thing and the two should never come together.

[peter macdonald]

ABN Wicker i forgot to add the whilst Hartson and Pearson as footballers have no excuse for singing such rubbish then Donald Findlay as a QC and upholder of the law of this country (ie Scotland (on £10000/day for some cases)) has a hell of a lot less !!!
Ps having spoken to the chap when he was staying in the portlands last year he was a fine chap but we never did speak of football or religion

[abnwicker]

My point is that if Thierry Henry was caught on video shouting "al-Qaeda", the press in England and elsewhere would make such a fuss Arsenal would have to take action. In Scotland only certain parts of the media have the guts to mention this, Celtic will do nothing, and Strachan can only make jokes about it.

[JAWS]

Golach, I rather think that most of the song on doth sides of the Irish divide were going long before the recent "troubles" and, indeed, long before the troubles in Victorian times.

I will quite happily hum "The Red Flag", does that make me a Marxist/Leninist Revolutionary?
I'm equally happy to hum the "German National Anthem", does that make me a Nazi?
Both are Hymn tunes, perhaps it makes me a Christian Fundamentalist.

Bigotry is, as often as not, in the eye of the beholder and strong reaction to it can be just as much of a problem.
And anybody who thinks that this is just a "Scottish Problem" needs to check what is going on in Italian Football at the moment.
I can remember when the supporters of certain clubs would proudly sing, "We're the worst behaved supporters in the Land!"
The way people keep screaming about bigotry being "Scotland's Shame" those outwith the Country must think that it is treated as something to be proud of.
Perhaps Scots fans should take up the chant "We're the biggest crowd of Bigots in the World!" just to encourage everybody to think so.
You never know, people in the rest of the World might actually come to believe it!
There is nothing like constantly running yourself down to improve your image.

[peter macdonald]

ABN wicker your point is absurd why would Theiry Heni stand up and shout such a thing??? if your saying that officialdom are biased against rangers lets examine the facts when you and your fellow secterian palls from Parkhead were fined a palty £20000 for their infamous police horse charge in the 1980 cup fianal a drop in the bucket (sic) to Rangers and Celtic at the same time Huntly on gates of 300 were fined £100 for one drunk invading the field at christie park !!!it nearly put them to the wall there is also the jorge cadette case when his registration was delayed by jim Farry ..who then resigned when it was learned he had "mislayed" cadettes regisration for a month !!!!
Then there are the media in Scotland ever heard of Chick Young???
ever watch the Scotsport program on monday night with its Old firm bias ???
ever listen to the coma radio scotland on saturday afternoon goes into if someone scores against the old firm???
and then there is the story of ian durrant the best player that scotland ever /never had ???????
but that is another story from the imagination of the west of scotland press ....except for the glasgow herald who just reported a player suffering a bad tackle nothing more nothing less but then as non old firm mortals were are not allowed to say that Neil simpsons career was ruined as well Did he get more or less Scotland caps than Durrant im not sure ?? but ill find out
Sir Alex ferguson made a carreer at Aberdeen in pointing out the bias of the west of Scotland press toward the Old firm ..it must have been the easist job of his carreer!!! but maybe he had other reasons ...Bill Murray "The old Firm" pages 270 272 273 278 No wonder that Alex cracked up when he was linked with taking over Alex macLieshs job at Ibrox ...i would have thought a guy from from Govan would have jumped at the job welll maybe no!!!!

[Alexander Rowe]

swilling Buckfast and MD and any cheap white lightning cider & lager you can lay your hands on before they go to the match. If this is your idea of a good day out...what can I say???
[/URL]


Sounds like a great day out lol.

Nothing much more to add to this debate, Gers on here have shown there is definatly a pro-celtic bias in the media. Pearson should be sacked from Celtic for his support of the IRA (child killers). Neither the Sash or fields are sectarian songs its the chants/words added to it.

And what exactly is wrong with Rangers wanting to be British as some above said ??

Just to stir it even further has anyone else read up on the story of Danny Devenny, who painted the Stein (who used to dive into the Celtic support to get them to stop singing their vile) tribute recently? Ex-IRA member who was paid "enough to retire on" by the Jungle Bhoys - a group recognised and approved by Celtic FC to organise fan displays at Parkhead.

The Jungle Bhoys feature in all organs of Celtic FC - CelticTV, Celtic View, celticfc.net.

Just imagine the outcry if Michael Stone had done something similar for Rangers ? Thats a story and as yet has been completely ignored by the media. Why ?

BTW im not Rangers.

[tommy1979]

Tommy What you dont realise is that when you go to Ibrox and Parkhead as an away supporter and hear what must be an extremely vocal minority are singing about the Queen the Pope and all things Irish it makes you wonder is this a hatefull political rally or a football match you are attending .As for your views about Scottish football ..yes the people outside Scotland dont care but when you ask them what do they know they immediately refer to the sectarian issues involved in the Old Firm .... I dont know what team you support but when you go to glasgow to support your team dont you even join in???? at least a little ?????? Oh Tommy Ive heard bile coming out of Old Firm fans in the pubs of Caithness frequently and very recently... so if you are an innocent old firm supporter who supports his team never sings or chants abuse about the pope or the queen Im very proud to meet you as I think Ive met one you like you before

I am a rangers supporter as you can guess and of course I join in when supporting my team, sing the songs...however I do not sing the words that people have added in that spoil these songs. I think the situation has improved massivley compared to the 70's and 80's when we had the celtic fans in monkey suits throwing bananas and rangers with rules against signing catholics. Today we still have the problem of the 90 minute bigot (this happens mostly in old firm games) but i hope their days are now numberd with the new laws to tackle this problem.

I am an optimist and i live in hope that i will see the day when there is no bigotry between old firm supporters however to lose the rivalry between the teams in the process would make me a very sad man indeed.

[peter macdonald]

Tommy Im so delighted to hear your views but Im not so optimistic to hear some one ask me what my "stance was" in a local pub recently was to put it bluntly appalling ....This irish rubbish should have nothing to do with football in scotland but if hatred can be channelled properly it can produce commerical gain and who have gained more than the old firm
(IMHO the best goal ever scored for a scottish team in Europe was Bobby Russell with a 40 yard lob away against PSV about 1982 but thats another story !!!!!) What ever happened to him ???????

[tommy1979]

Just to stir it even further has anyone else read up on the story of Danny Devenny, who painted the Stein (who used to dive into the Celtic support to get them to stop singing their vile) tribute recently? Ex-IRA member who was paid "enough to retire on" by the Jungle Bhoys - a group recognised and approved by Celtic FC to organise fan displays at Parkhead.

Just imagine the outcry if Michael Stone had done something similar for Rangers ? Thats a story and as yet has been completely ignored by the media. Why ?


That is a very good point and also a bigger scandal than the video IMO

[abnwicker]

ABN wicker your point is absurd why would Theiry Heni stand up and shout such a thing??? if your saying that officialdom are biased against rangers lets examine the facts when you and your fellow secterian palls from Parkhead were fined a palty £20000 for their infamous police horse charge in the 1980 cup fianal a drop in the bucket (sic) to Rangers and Celtic at the same time Huntly on gates of 300 were fined £100 for one drunk invading the field at christie park !!!it nearly put them to the wall there is also the jorge cadette case when his registration was delayed by jim Farry ..who then resigned when it was learned he had "mislayed" cadettes regisration for a month !!!!
Then there are the media in Scotland ever heard of Chick Young???
ever watch the Scotsport program on monday night with its Old firm bias ???
ever listen to the coma radio scotland on saturday afternoon goes into if someone scores against the old firm???
and then there is the story of ian durrant the best player that scotland ever /never had ???????
but that is another story from the imagination of the west of scotland press ....except for the glasgow herald who just reported a player suffering a bad tackle nothing more nothing less but then as non old firm mortals were are not allowed to say that Neil simpsons career was ruined as well Did he get more or less Scotland caps than Durrant im not sure ?? but ill find out
Sir Alex ferguson made a carreer at Aberdeen in pointing out the bias of the west of Scotland press toward the Old firm ..it must have been the easist job of his carreer!!! but maybe he had other reasons ...Bill Murray "The old Firm" pages 270 272 273 278 No wonder that Alex cracked up when he was linked with taking over Alex macLieshs job at Ibrox ...i would have thought a guy from from Govan would have jumped at the job welll maybe no!!!!

You fail to understand my point, i'm not saying Thierry Henry would stand up and say such a thing, but if he did, there would be such an uproar all over the british press, so why isn't the same fuss been made about pearson who can clearily be seen and heard shouting "IRA".

[whooshjohnny]

Looks like the fat man Hartson has been caught again.
According to the Sun another video clip has been uncovered with him attending a function, he was reportedly singing the FOA and when the putrid crowd began their Sinn Fein and IRA chants he stood smiling.

Perhaps getting caught out once at a function could have been construed as being naive but twice!! Surely this is a habit for the pie eater.
How many more times has he done this and not been recorded I ask you?
Surely CFC should show this man the door with immediate effect

[peter macdonald]

I totally agree with you that strong action should be taken ...he should be shown the door ..along with all the rest of the old firm players management and supporters who indulge in this putrid rubbish once a fortnight at venues in Glasgow

[abnwicker]

I totally agree with you that strong action should be taken ...he should be shown the door ..along with all the rest of the old firm players management and supporters who indulge in this putrid rubbish once a fortnight at venues in Glasgow

Why are you trying to spread the blame to Rangers, Celtic need to take action, hartson and pearsons actions have nothing to do with the players, management or supporters across the city.

[whooshjohnny]

I think Peter is just trying to point out that there is a widespread problem across the board in Glasgow. Lets not forget though this problem isnt only restricted to Glasgow clubs, Aberdeen, Hearts and Hibs all have their dodgy moments..

However in the past Rangers have had their problems and in fairness have dealt with these problems swiftly and satisfactorily.

However at the moment its all about Celtic, lets see if the Bhoys Against Bigotry and Nil By Mouth brigade will deal with this scandal in the only acceptable way, I fear not...

[peter macdonald]

whooshjohnny yes sectariansm is rife in scottish football ..there are most definately problems in Edinburgh as well as seen by the the scenes outside tynecastle on Celtics last visit what sets the Od Firm apart is the amount of money they have made out of it...and despite both clubs protestations to the contrary they still are !! Think of it this way if Celtic banned every one of their fans who sang in praise of the IRA and rangers every fan who sang about being up to his knees in Fenian blood (as they have the power to do so according to the scottish executive) then a sizable part of their income would disappear
and they have no intention of that happening ... Anyway enough said I have gotten a loan of a book called Dynamo by Andy Dougan from a mate of mine He tells me that its about a team with a real history (their battles and famines happened in more recent times i believe) ..and I am going to settle down to read that

[JAWS]

Where I was brought up there were two large building firms.
One was Wildings the other was Pius A. Baines.
I will give you one guess as to which one employed no Catholics and which employed no Protestants.
(For those who are having difficulty - don't look closely at the names)
There were many other firms where the same happened, but they weren't so obvious from the outside unless you were aware of them.

That had nothing to do with Glasgow, Edinburgh or even Scotland and was well south of the Border.

Certain cities with more than one football team have the same religious support as with Edinburgh, Glasgow etc.
It just isn't as open as it is north of the Border, but it's still hidden away there if you look closely enough.

With some teams in Italy the difference is political. (Religion would obviously be a little difficult).
The extreme Left Winger's support one club and Extreme Right Winger's the other. And that's only been shouted about recently.

Scotland is not the only place where football is used by supporters for reasons other than the Club itself.

I'm not saying it is right to do that, but pretending things like that only happen in Scotland is pure arrogance.