TheRangers have for the last few seasons tried to at least match Celtic in the Glasgow Derbies, principally by winning their home games and then setting out to better Celtic’s record versus the so-called ‘Diddy teams’ in the league.
Their fans lobbied their board and Dave King was playing his own long-game win he agreed to removing the Celtic Support from the free Broomloan and instead sticking a few hundred in the away corner usually occupied by the ‘Diddy teams” supporters.
In Celtic’s last game before the pandemic stopped play last season, with the score at Celtic Park against St Mirren being 5-0, The Bhoys Ultras group at the back of the corner where the Jock Stein stand meets the North Stand, were chanting ‘”the coronavirus won’t stop Ten-in-a-Row”.
Sitting nearby at the back of the North Stand I turned to young Lubo98 of this Parish, sitting next to me and said “I hope that they are right”.
By October when theRangers rolled up at Celtic Park all these seats were unoccupied and the virus had already had a significant impact on our season – even before the 2-0 defeat and shambles of a performance that afternoon. With talisman Odsonne Edouard missing due to contracting the virus while away on international duty with the French Under 21s, and with Covid negative Ryan Christie also having to sit that one out due to a jobs worth decision by a health worker Celtic were considerably weakened.
Bolingoli had already got us off to a slow start by his reckless actions in heading abroad – currently the entire Celtic party have done the very same thing with their shortened trip to Dubai – on the very day that the Pope of all people, condemned folk travelling abroad and risking spreading the coronavirus further.
The images of Scott Brown and Neil Lennon enjoying a drink in the sunshine – having worked on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Hogmanay and New Year’s Day – had Celtic twitter in a frenzy last night. Maybe the two were discussing the disgraceful message received on social media by the wife of Nine in a Row veteran Nir Bitton because her husband had got himself sent off at Ibrox on Saturday?
That photograph below and the over reaction to it, plus the Bitton family being abused because Bobby Madden took the one and only chance he had to harm Celtic at the weekend sums up this season – where the players, the management team, the club and indeed the support have all through their actions contributed to the situation we find ourselves in. It’s hard to argue the Bhoys got it right with their chant on 7 Match last year about the coronavirus not stopping Ten-in-a-Row.
Peter Lawwell recently spoke to the Celtic Trust and the various supporters organisations to justify his strategy and performance this season. One of these organisations actually has it written into their constitution that they cannot criticise the club, with he others act in a broadly similar way. Some reckon its all to do with ticket allocations for away games. The minutes from one of these online meetings with Lawwell was read out to me a few weeks ago. Knowing the answer to my own question, I didn’t bother trying to write anything down. I asked “can I publish this on The Celtic Star” to be met by a horrified response – “No you can’t do that!”. Shock, horror and all that! WHAT – IS – THE – FLAMING- POINT?
So far very little of this information Lawwell gave directly to supporters groups has come out, yet he will not come and speak to sites like this one who will reach the support with his answers. Why not speak to us Peter? We are about to interview David Low, Chair at the Celtic Trust and will challenge him on various issues. The scrutiny will be enlightening and David will no-doubt see the benefit in answering our questions and in doing so addressing a very large number of Celtic Supporters. He will do his best to promote the agenda of The Celtic Trust and many supporters will thereafter make their minds up on whether they should get behind the trust or otherwise.
This morning we would like to formally extend the same invitation to Peter Lawwell to be interviewed by The Celtic Star to discuss this season, what has gone wrong and what can be done to rectify the situation? Where is Celtic going from here?
He’ll have no control over our questions but his answers will be presented fairly and accurately to the Celtic supporters reading The Celtic Star.
We will write to Celtic today to formally request this interview – noting that the CEO has been speaking to various supporters groups recently but that these conversations have not reached a wide cross section of the Celtic Support. We did write to Celtic a few weeks ago on Press Accreditation for The Celtic Star and did not get any response so we don’t expect this interview to happen. But we’ll try and we’ll let you know how we get on well before you make a judgement call on the value you received from your digital season watching the Hoops.
Over to you Peter…
You need to ask Paul67 CQN if you want to speak to PL
67ECW