The Hunger Gains

Conor Goldson should have known that the last thing the Ibrox klanbase wanted to year at Hampden yesterday was the truth.

Indeed, that rather unfortunate subculture spends every waking hour pretending that this didn’t happen.

When you live in denial that the club you supported actually died in 2012, then any tiny sliver of reality should be avoided.

All that Goldson said post-match was the self-evident truth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qwi4TLYsPY&ab_channel=Football360

Moreover, now that the crowds are back after the Covid interregnum, then the Sevco players simply do not like playing in front of the klan.

The club captain said so in a match programme a couple of seasons ago.

Of course, the Sevco centre back has been here before with the klan.

He bravely did his best to school them about what a genuine anti-racist stance looks like.

Of course, he was trying to educate a subculture that is defined by their embrace of anti-Irish racism.

I’m sure that Conor has never heard of Billy Fullerton and his fascist street gang.

The Glasgow that the Billy Boys terrorised it was the Catholic Irish who were othered and racialised.

In strict footie terms, what yesterday demonstrated was the absence of Michael Beale’s tactical brain.

Before the match yesterday, Sevco’s in house PR superhero had a carefully pre-prepared narrative if they stumbled against the team in green and white.

Essentially it would have been a “we are fully concentrating on the league” spiel.

However, even that wouldn’t fly after being three-nil down in 38 minutes.

I admit I had a wee snigger, too, especially at this glorious idiocy.

The inconvenient truth is that Mr Let’s Gio has inherited a core of senior pros who simply want away.

Indeed, they were looking longingly at the Ibrox exit even when their gaffer was there.

Now that Stevie G is gone to Birmingham, they fear he might not want them there in England.

He’s now definitely the Villain of the piece for many of Sevco’s Gumtree Galacticos.

After all, only last month he was extolling how ” happy” and “settled” he was at Ibrox.

The need for players to be sold in January is not a secret.

However, there must be buyers in place.

For example, it was clear yesterday that El Gordo continues to misfire.

I’ve lost count of the fantasy transfer stories that have been fed to the Stenography Corps about the huffy Colombian.

Perhaps yesterday was also that the day that age finally caught up with Alan McGregor and Steve Davis.

As I have written here recently, what Sevco needed post-Gerrard was an austerity operator.

Ironically he was in the dugout at Hampden facing Celtic on Saturday.

I’m told that Ross Wilson brought up his name in Blue Room conversations as a manager who had proven that he could do a lot with little.

However, Callum Iain Davidson wasn’t a big enough name for the Sevco High Command.

Undoubtedly, his Perth side played with courage and …yes… hunger against the wealthiest club in Scotland.

Now the Sevco High Command could face a winter of discontent.

The December fixture list is challenging, given their relatively easy schedule at the start of the campaign.

What goes around and all that.

Despite the widespread sniggering among the Hoops fraternity, it would be a crass error to believe this was echoed in the Parkhead boardroom.

Yesterday was a bad one for Old Firm Enterprises.

For all of their failings, the Sevco High Command share the worldview of their klanbase and have the same pain receptors.

Can you imagine Celtic’s current chairman plundering his wealth to keep the lights on at Parkhead?

Can you?

Quite…

20 thoughts on “The Hunger Gains”

  1. The Cha I have to agree. It’s funny (for us) to watch the zombie meltdown, but the team need to keep focus. Yes, Sevco have a tough run of games coming up, but our list isn’t massively better. Realistically I can see us being a point or two behind, or a point or two ahead and should we beat them in January (not guaranteed, we’ve barely turned up to these games for 2 years) we could be in the position they’re in right now- hardly unassailable. Interesting times ahead for sure, but the situation remains as it was on day 1- if we win our games we win the league. What others do is not our concern.

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  2. The honest Goldson comments were indeed humorous and I enjoyed perusing the Boche forums, as they foamed at the mouth while still stuck on their buses trying to flee hampden,

    Phil’s article about the predicament of the Boche is as accurate as ever, but reading the comments of other Celtic fans it surprises me that they still don’t realise that they are only part of a business rather than an independent club.

    The “old firm” – at least in todays world (not originally) – is a business comprised of two clubs which undertake a pantomime rivalry. The pantomime is what they sell to SKY Sports and their fans.

    This is as clear as day to me, an Aberdeen fan (although my interest in Scottish football sadly wanes every year).

    This was obvious as far back as 1988 – Celtic’s centenary year. At the time, my Father – a sometime hun – opinion that Celtic had been “allowed” to win the double, in order to mark their centenary. I remember, as a child, viewing the floral Celtic crest at the garden festival and thinking his comments were juts sour grapes.

    However, now with years of experience, I can say his accuracy is obvious. (Granted the immediately prior years were dominated by Aberdeen and Dungpee USh*ted, but Rangers were the reigning champions when Celtic won the league in ’88.)

    And both clubs were stopped from winning 10iar, when it was easier to do the 10? Especially in Celtic’s case. The whole thing is scripted, pure theatre.

    The angle is – clearly – to keep them as equal as possible, in order to prevent one side taking the huff and so stop spending money. That is why Rangers were allowed to match the nine, but not get the 10. And so Celtic were not allowed to get 10 either. Its so obvious.

    When I think of the 1000s who turn up at Ibrox and Parkhead every game, I cant help but think that “a fool and his money are soon parted”.

    Its now been many years since I attended a Scottish football match and I’m afraid I am looking at rugby or speedway as regards what I might take my own 3 kids to watch. Not only are these more honest, but a damn sight better value for money too.

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  3. As a grateful exception to the rule” once a Catholic always a Catholic”, I can full understand the intellectual concept of “no Popery” and the fear of submitting to the abomination of Church rule ably demonstrated by the power of the priests and nuns throughout the ’60’s and 70’s, while abhorring the Neanderthals and violence that have clung to the idea since the days of John Knox. The question for me is about the separation of the Irish people and the Catholic religion which in many peoples eyes are seen to be, wrongly, intertwined and inseparable
    The Irish diaspora was the result of a need to escape nightmarish conditions and not to proselytise and, to some extent, this is the case with those refugees the papers would have us believe that “are flooding our beaches”.
    Either way, until we can educate this nation (Scotland) not to see the Irish people as a threat to the “Status Quo” but rather an asset, then there will always be a knee jerk reaction to whatever is perceived to be some “hidden agenda” and the resulting criminal action will be both sectarianism and racism at the same time.
    My Irish heritage is close enough to qualify “having a horse in the race”.

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      • As per rugger guy;

        “Another interesting comment is the deferral of wage payments for high earning staff. No more details on this but this suggests a fairly desperate measure.”

        That’s what jumped out at me from his report, I don’t speak fluent accounting but I understand not getting paid. Some of the Ibrox players at Hampden playing against Hibs looked as if they have downed tools, and wage deferral is a very good reason for doing so.

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  4. Yesterday was an unbelievable day that I would have happily bet my beloved car and house on could never happen. The thought of the most successful team in Govan playing a game of football in Scotland without their opponent losing a player early on and them the peepal not receiving a brace of penalties makes me wonder if we really do live in the matrix and did it glitch in front of our eyes.

    I must commend the Hibernian team for publicly flogging this lot in front of the nation, not only flogging them, but keeping their boot firmly pressed on their throats throughout, a sight to behold was it not.

    For all the staunchness and poppies in the land could not help this last bastion of racist ignorance and intolerance in its moment of dire need, and it was marvellous. The joy of watching Hibernian sticking it to them was only overshadowed by the thought that the penalties would come for them or that a mounted charge may occur at any moment to stop this Fenian laden nightmare for them.

    The sight of their support that don’t do walking away fleeing Hampden quicker than a boat load of refugees emptying on to a Kent beach will stick with me as a reminder of how fragile this lot really are when their mouths are kept shut.

    Now they know they are not Gods, galacticos, and in some months champions it really puts a spring in my step for the New Year.

    On a tangent, but did you notice how the stopping of two coachloads of fans on one of Scotland’s motorways (M74) so they could get out to fight and cause danger to other road users by rangers supporters has barely made a ripple in the pond, they haven’t even been identified as rangers support, just as “football supporters”, strange for all that blue going around you would think they would have noticed.

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  5. You are spot on Park et al have stood up and delivered money. Our Board has taken value and cash out. The comparison is stark and it cost us ten. And we remain behind in the league and have not looked like beating them in two years. Eight games. Astonishing.

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  6. I am pleased that we are facing “anybody but The Rangers” in the Final, and both sets of supporters can look forward to a good day out the week before Christmas.

    …and all without the usual SMSM build-up nonsense around a Glasgow derby final.

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  7. Actually, Conor Goldson will be aware of the background to ‘Billy Boys’ chant. Details of its fascist overtones are all over social media etc. Even the dugs in Glasgow know it. All well documented. Mark Walters could argue he didn’t realise it was a KKK related chant, but that just doesn’t wash

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  8. Phil, is there a reason why you constantly fail to call out Dermott for any of the board’s thinking and subsequent decisions, failings etc ?

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      • It WILL be interesting to see just how much they do get for huffy/hefty Columbian. He’s been NO more than mediocre for over a year now. I look through their squad and I DON’T see ANYONE who would cut it in the EPL.

        I really see no one who would raise over £5m. Even the much hyped youngster Patterson has proved NOTHING yet. He scored, an admittedly good, goal against the181st ranked team in the world. Ralston has been scoring and providing assists since the first whistle of the season. To my mind he’s a FAR BETTER player in EVERY facet of the game.

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  9. In the movie scripted words of Jack Nicholson, ‘They can’t handle the truth’ but as soon as the words left his mouth I thought …aw here we go again, Goldie will be ripped to shreds by the klan.
    And so it proved, funny weekend in many ways, but this was the highlight for me,

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  10. Yes, we need to remain focussed and remember that they’re still 4 points ahead.

    Yes, they’ve got a similar vibe to us a year ago but I believe that was still recoverable if we made swift, correct decisions on new management.

    They’ve made their (enforced) change quickly but they obviously have, ahem, other challenges that might prove troublesome.

    If we concentrate on our own business, hopefully win the League Cup and be (at least) in striking distance when we play them on 2nd January then I’ll be happy.

    Talk of them totally collapsing is premature and the time for crowing about winning the league by 20 points is when we’re significantly ahead and increasing it.

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    • As well as the tirade of abuse aimed at Tavernier, Goldson and Morelos, their fans are crucifying Gerrard for leaving them in the lurch half way through the season. Not quite the legacy that Stevie G would have hoped for.
      A repeat of the first half showing against the Hibees in the next few games could very quickly land the new manager in a very difficult position.
      A position that would see some or all of the above players being punted in January to fund the remainder of the season and bring in some fresh blood.
      If Celtic get their act together, with some January additions likely, putting pressure on the current Ibrox squad and new manager, the noise coming from the Ibrox club’s support will magnify to an extent that one mislaid pass will bring down grief on those responsible, some of whom are already wilting on the back of another cup competition failure.
      Anything less than wins against Sparta and Livvy is likely to see a fans backlash which, given the snow flake performance of the squad against Hibs, is hardly likely to get the best of responses from players already feeling the heat from an unforgiving support.
      Let’s see what unfolds over the next 4/5 weeks which should be a clear pointer as to who can handle the pressure, particularly in a season which would see the SPFL winners likely to go straight into next seasons Champion League group stages and benefit from the financial windfall attached to that.

      Reply

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