I think that you can tell a lot about a person when they are experiencing difficult times.
One of the major clues is what comforts them when the storm clouds of life are gathering around them.
Moreover, I think that is true about groups of people as it is for individuals.
I recall during the dark days on the early 1990s this iconic image comforted me greatly.
I’m sure than many thousands of my fellow Celtic supporters also gazed in wonder at Big Billy at Estadio Nacional.
The shutter captured the immortal moment on the 25th May 1967.
When the grim reality a quarter of a century afterwards was to watch Wayne Biggins in the Hoops it was important to remember better days.
That image of Cesar spoke to all the suffering Celtic supporters that once we had been at the pinnacle of European club football.
Despite all that was happening on and off the field, as the old board clung to power and “Celts for change” were in the car park, we would always have Lisbon.
David Low, who was Fergus McCann’s guy in Glasgow, has stated on several occasions that in 1994 Celtic were 15 minutes from going out of business.
The bank had set a deadline of noon and the money had to be lodged.
Not all heroes wear capes.
Celtic’s saviour in 1994 was modestly concealed beneath a humble bunnet.
Apart from paying all of the outstanding bills in full one of the first things that McCann did was to openly address the terrible wrongs that had happened.
In so many ways it was the start of a new era at Celtic.
Since the death of their club in 2012 the Poundland Herrenvolk of Ibrox have not been in a good place.
Well, in many respects they never were, ach mar a deitear sin e scéal eile…
As they had to take on board the enormity of what had happened to their club it was entirely understandable that they would seek solace in their past sporting achievements.
However, instead of reminiscing about the unplayable Jim Baxter or the combative John Greig they have reached out to something else for comfort.
In doing so, it says so much about them as a human community.
There is currently a thread on the message board Follow Follow that currently has 500 pages, 20,000 replies and 2 million views.
Celtic face threat of multimillion pound compensation claim(The Times)
The thread was started with this piece in the Times.
Today there was a post on the thread:
“500 pages & another 9 post’s for 20,000, a lot of effort here bears, let’s keep it going, No Surrender”
This does not appear to be entirely motivated by a concern for Torbett’s victims.
I wrote about the subject of Celtic Boys Club last June and you can read it here.
For the avoidance of doubt, I haven’t changed my views on the subject.
The only thing I would add would be that although the people at Celtic consider that their legal defence is solid I would ask them to look at the morality of the situation.
Is it really beyond the richest club in Scotland to establish a redress fund for victims of these historic crimes?
Is it really?
Celtic just spent around £5m in January on two project players who are unlikely to figure in the first team before the end of the season.
So money for such a fund is not the issue.
Here is a statement by the club in May last year.
If the Parkhead club’s public stance is being controlled by their insurers then the optics are not good.
Not good at all…
Sadly, this awful crime was widespread throughout Scottish football.
These coaches often moved from club to club.
For example, Rangers FC wished youth coach Gordon Neely “every success in the future” in 1991 despite knowing of his conduct with some kids at Ibrox.
In 2018 a victim of Neely was told by Sevco to approach BDO, the liquidators of the original Rangers.
That is legally correct as these maters had nothing to do with the club that was founded in 2012.
Of course, it will come as no comfort to Gordon Neely’s victims that the current entity appears to have a somewhat conditional claim to be the same Rangers that employed the paedophile.
In any football feud gloating is part of the fun.
It has been my biggest journalistic privilege to report and document the death of a club that was the nexus of the very worst in Scottish society.
In 2012 Celtic won when Rangers died and there is no coming back from death.
Since then the Sevco shitshow has provided massive entertainment to thousands of Arabs, Dons, Hibbees, Jambos and Tims.
The puffed-up sense of Herrenvolk entitlement at Ibrox is tragically comedic.
In the stadium that John Brown played for they have been finding other things to comfort themselves on the journey.
Schadenfreude is a part and parcel of being a football fan anywhere in the world.
However, if you cannot draw a line at child abuse then you fail.
Fail as a person…
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A redress board would be the right response, with a fund in place to ensure timely compensation. The BBC contributed (note, as did the NHS and others) to a fund to compensate the more than 200 people abused by Savile, with payments capped at the pathetically low figure of £60,000 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-30494996). It is surely the right thing to do for Celtic, and would perhaps give some leadership in this matter, moral leadership. Any monies Celtic contribute should be matched by other clubs, and, of course, the SFA, which should have had oversight of the youth system and boys’ club system. As has been apparent, though, from revelations about the failure to screen people working with children in football, there has been a lack of urgency from the footballing authorities to address historical abuse and current regulation across the board.
A redress board is a start; the establishment of a redress fund the natural corollary, with a clear expectation that all clubs and authorities involved should contribute appropriately.
I’m afraid there’s no way Celtic will make any payment to any of these individuals, doing so would be admitting liability and would undoubtedly open a can of worms, with other ex boys club players claiming they were abused. I actually find it strange why money would be the answer to these individuals problems, if they were indeed traumatised by they’re experiences, surely psychiatric assistance would be more fitting.
The function of a redress board in such matters is well established.
Celtic already have paid out, in the summer of last year.
Sports Direct no more, Hummel no more…..new retail partners welcome.
Amateur hour as usual as the Rangers PR department invite applications from anyone, everyone, interested in doing business with the club.
The sense of entitlement runs right through the boardroom to the fan base as the latter demand a deal with Adidas or Nike, a deal that reflects the size of the blue brand and the forthcoming 150 unbroken years celebrations.
Oh what a time to be a Rangers fan, a celebration carried out against a background of 6 IAR domestic trebles and no doubt the club still enmeshed in litigation further boosting the coffers of Scottish, and beyond, legal beagles.
But……….. they’re enjoying the journey!
I have said on numerous occasions we need to compensate the victims who genuinely believed they were part of Celtic Football Club. What the F*** is wrong with the board, setting up a trust for these unfortunate victims. Let’s sort out this issue. The deranged love to use it as a whipping stick, but we all know there’s a lack of education there.
My biggest concern with all this is; that after this was uncovered the Whites and Kelly’s let these scumbags, well one in particular back through the door. Yes there out on there arse, but we are the same Club, So we have a duty of care to help out the victims who pulled on the hooped jersey at the time these incidents took place. It’s a stain on our club name, let’s sort it out and shut the dead club followers up.
As a journalist Phil, you could maybe help with supporters like myself put pressure on the board to set up some kind of trust for this sorry state of affairs.
I agree whole heartedly with this , as fans we have always backed charities I know this is not charity for these individuals but recompense for the lack of care and subsequent vile crimes committed. It would be a very good thing if people could help financially towards some kind of fund which helps the victims recover. Another excellent piece as always Phil.
I ment the criminal inquiry compensation board
A redress board can operate on a balance of probabilities rather than after a criminal conviction.
Moreover, it can do so on a no prejudice basis.
The criteria for such a body is well-established.
From bitter experience I know £3000 is the going rate for abuse victims it’s not a lot for a lifetime of pain
Surely the unfortunate victims are entitled to compensation through criminals compensation board.
Surely the unfortunate victims are entitled to compensation through criminals compensation board.
As you say Phil I believe we should be at least morally responsible for the actions of the scumbags who abused kids at the boys club but what troubles me greatly is why was Torbett allowed back into the fold after being thrown out especially with his close relationships with certain directors at the time, these people need to be questioned on what happened back then as only then will the true extent of what happened be exposed to the public domain.
Morally responsible or not any payout to the alleged victims by Celtic (if not legally mandated) will open a compensation free for all as it will be deemed as an admission of guilt. There is no way the Celtic legal team will allow that to happen.
Meanwhile:
“Furthermore, Rangers will celebrate its landmark 150th year in 2022, which represents a unique opportunity for the successful partner to join the anniversary celebrations.”
-Daily Radar right now.
Sevco emergency hunting for new kit maker, pleading for companies to step forward to replace Hummel this summer.
150 years including a club liquidation. 😂😂😂😂
Sports Direct will just match the deal.
Will SEVCO survive to 2022? Will they ask the new kit supplier for an advance on 2020-21 sales? Knowing SDIR has a legal shout on it first?
Elite & Hummel were contracted for next year too. Losing that means T’Rangers owes them money. Indeed the whole contract length offered better recompense to Sevco. Now the third year is lost, the first two years recompense drops significantly plus damages are due. What a messy pickle!
Surely another world record, a 150th anniversary to be celebrated 49 years after the centenary and 10 years after death.
Good point. They were formed in 1873 and have celebrated that date historically. Recently, since 2012, their efforts to rewrite history reached such fervour that they made the old club older.
They’re so messed up with spin they don’t even know their honest history.
Those that glorify in child abuse namely the Klan seem to forget that there was child abuse at their club including Torbett who was sacked after a few years and was swept under the floorboards. Hypocrites.
So Phil, Celtic were 15 minutes from going out of business were they?
So the whole administration step would have been by-passed and we would have gone straight into liquidation?
Is that how it worked in 1994?
Sorry to be pedantic but there would have been a long process before we would have gone out of business.
One thing I’m sure of is that we, the fans, would have raised the relatively paltry £6 million and cleared the debt overnight.
Please take your question to David Low.
It is his assertion and he, unlike you or me, was in the room.
Moreover, unlike you, he isn’t courageously concealed.
We were to be put into Receivership. That was the insolvency event that would have occurred under the prevailing law at the time. Bank of Scotland held a Bond and Floating Charge over the assets of Celtic.
Thanks for the info. Joe.
So what would have happened next after the club went into receivership?
Surely not instant shutdown?
Would the receivers not be looking for buyers?
My apologies to Phil as my previous post sounds as if I was criticising him but that is not what I intended.
I was just puzzled at the constant claim from various sources (especially the SMSM!) that we were just minutes away from liquidation when I did not think this was true.
I was quoting David Low.
He was in the room and I was merely out in the car park…
Yes pals of Murray and they said then we were paranoid?
Phil, you are absoluely correct. Celtic, my, and your, club is morally resonsible here. Football youth clubs attached to senior football clubs is a huge lure to young footballers and fans; a lure I am sure predators like Torbett and Neely used to their great advantage. Celtic FC went to great efforts just two weeks ago to protect its brand. Regardless of legal responsibility in this case, it must do so again. I think Celtic right now should open a Trust to help people who have been abused in sport and place a couple of £million in there. This can be topped up at the end of the season. We know the history, Celtic FC was created to help those who were suffering and I think right now is the time to carry on that tradition – to help those abused people who need it. As you say, this abuse was not restricted to Celtic or Rangers, but may well have been endemic in our sport. So this Trust should be supported by all SPL clubs and the SFA and the Scottish League. At the very least, Celtic would be able to directly help and compensate those who were abused by Torbett without recourse. It would also show that Celtic FC protects its ane folk when called upon; those kids were, and are still, our ane folk.
I also, as you do, find it sad that we are talking about such things on a sports page. HH
It’s all very true. Just the other day I contributed (to my regret) to a thread in the Daily Record about Pedro Caixinha. My comment which was intended as a little joke said: “Pedro will be best remembered as having stood in a hedge in Luxembourg to address the Rangers fans”. Nothing more, nothing less! I was greeted by a wave of the most foul responses from Rangers fans who accused me of supporting a club that was guilty of “50 years of child abuse at your club”. I have also had personal insults aimed at my children. The irony is that I am a Crystal Palace fan from Surrey. But because I had the temerity to make an innocent joke against a former Rangers manager then (in their minds) that makes me fair game for the recipient of the most vile abuse!
We are sorry you had to experience the Wrath of Klan. They have gotten worse since the Administration & Liquidation demise of their first club in 2012. They are going through what’s known as the Kübler-Ross effect. A Five stage mourning process:
Denial – The first reaction is denial. In this stage, individuals believe the diagnosis is somehow mistaken, and cling to a false, preferable reality.
Anger – When the individual recognizes that denial cannot continue, they become frustrated, especially at proximate individuals. Certain psychological responses of a person undergoing this phase would be: “Why me? It’s not fair!”; “How can this happen to me?”; “Who is to blame?”; “Why would this happen?”.
Bargaining – The third stage involves the hope that the individual can avoid a cause of grief. Usually, the negotiation for an extended life is made in exchange for a reformed lifestyle. People facing less serious trauma can bargain or seek compromise. Examples include the terminally ill person who “negotiates with God” to attend a daughter’s wedding or an attempt to bargain for more time to live in exchange for a reformed lifestyle.
Depression – “I’m so sad, why bother with anything?”; “I’m going to die soon, so what’s the point?”; “I miss my loved one (Rangers); why go on?”
During the fourth stage, the individual despairs at the recognition of their mortality. In this state, the individual may become silent, refuse visitors and spend much of the time mournful and sullen.
Acceptance – “It’s going to be okay.”; “I can’t fight it; I may as well prepare for it.”
In this last stage, individuals embrace mortality or inevitable future, or that of a loved one, or other tragic event. People dying may precede the survivors in this state, which typically comes with a calm, retrospective view for the individual, and a stable condition of emotions.
Sadly, as you’ve experienced, most of the Klan are still going through the Anger stage, it’s in their name after all (rANGERs). They are a forsaken sect with no hope of salvation. We can only hope that when their next entity goes the same way as the first, they can move on to the Bargaining Stage but it will be too late by then as the Ghouls within the Club will be well on their way to consuming their forsaken Souls and stripping them of all remaining material possessions.
Pray for their Souls, if they’ve not already sold them..
Do ORCS have souls?
Its all they have to get back at anything Celtic FC and anyone who supports the club. When a person(termed very loosely) would think that it is acceptable to use child abuse as a valid reason to gain some sort of leveler it just shows you where they are mentally and what the dying of their club has down to them. Remember this mob only listen to what they want to and ignore everything else so kids abused at their own club wont even be a consideration for them. Celtic FC should honor all of us(the supporters) that have stuck with them through thick and thin and pay compensation to anyone affected by the actions of vile sick individuals who used our club for their own depraved advantages. I also agree that the old board should be held to account for their inability to take the correct course of action all those years ago.
Very well said. It never ceases to amaze me how often this needs repeating: https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2016/11/26/a-blog-about-child-abuse/