For generations of Celtic fans, they’ve been “the diets”.
“Rangers lite”, or, “I can’t believe it’s not Rangers”.
A trip to Tynecastle isn’t a tough venue like, say, Pittodrie; there is something culturally different in Gorgie.
There, the terraces seethe with a nativist hatred for the Glasgow club that was founded by Irish immigrants.
I would contend that it isn’t a coincidence that Celtic’s Irish Catholic manager was assaulted in that stadium.
Moreover, rather than being seen as a Pariah, Mr Wilson seemed to have some admirers among the Hearts support after he assaulted Neil Francis Lennon.
Although I used the A Word to describe what happened that night at Tynecastle, a jury in Edinburgh disagreed that an assault had been committed.
They deliberated that Mr Wilson had merely been guilty of breaching the Queen’s peace when he launched himself at Celtic’s Irish manager.
Moreover, this wasn’t an isolated incident.
Three years later, the Irishman was on the receiving end of more racist bile from the home crowd at “Tynie”.
They authorise all of my harshest assessments as Sevco’s low-calorie cousin joined at the hip by a nativist hatred of the Fenian other in fluffy multi-cultural Caledonia.
The fascist known as Tommy Robinson, currently imprisoned, is apparently welcome at two football grounds in Scotland.
Lest we forget…
Now, if anyone on Planet Fitba is surprised, then they’ve not been paying attention.
In the immediate aftermath of Celtic’s victory there last night, I was sent the featured image.
A Hearts-supporting colleague told me that it was almost certainly a fake, and I initially believed him.
In fairness, he later clarified that it was actually genuine, and the face of Loyalist killer Michael Stone had indeed been flashed up on the screen at the stadium during the match against Celtic.
Earlier today, I approached the club for comment with my NUJ Press Card in the email.
They’ve yet to get back to me.
It is worth noting that this digital faux pas has made the news here.
For the avoidance of doubt, I’m as certain as I can be that the club employee who uploaded the image to the screens at Tynecastle had no clue about the person in the identity of the person in the photograph.
Of course, the author of the message is entirely to blame for this nasty incident.
Footie experts that I consult assure me that despite their current standing in the league, the Tynecastle club is highly unlikely to be relegated.
However, if they did, the league would be cleaner without the presence of the home crowd at the John Wilson Arena.
This is the emotional state that they deserve.
If some of their number object to the diet jibe, then the answer can be found among themselves.
ADDENDUM
In response to a formal question I put to Hearts, I received the following quote from a club spokesperson today:
“Our fans’ social service was abused by someone online, leading to an image appearing on the stadium’s big screens, and we apologise for any offence caused.
“We will review our procedures internally to ensure this type of misuse is not repeated.”
Aye, always the an before an o unless you are an angry jambo.
A very good day to all the Celtic fans around the world. A good win against the diets at the weekend sets things up nicely for Wednesdays CL game. Really enjoying the new format and looking forward to another big night in paradise. COYBIG ☘️ ☘️ ☘️
Barely a third of the way into the league season and well done to Aberdeen being the only team to show any resistance to a Celtic team on a roll.
A continuation of the current Celtic form will see goals galore in the Scottish league but the true test will be in Europe where progress to the next stage of the Champions League is within reach, with a home win against Bruges this week a must.
Well done Brendan and the bhoys, keep it going on all fronts.
Father from Derry and Celtic man I was brought up in Kilmarnock but always supported the Tic…..don’t see the issue
I grew up in Greenock where the Hertz were universally reviled. In the 70s they had a large hooligan contingent and there was always trouble when they came to Cappielow.
Free-kick is an unusual town in the central Lowlands in that the population is made up mainly descendants of Irish immigrants and refugees from starvation policies in the Western Isles and the Hebrides.
There I is a large percentage of Roman Catholic people in Free-kick which is probably why they did not like the Hertz hooligans.
During times of Scottish people being evicted from their lands coffin ships left Greenock to take them to the Americas. The first place they stopped was Moville in Co Donegal, on Lough Foyle to pick up Irish people who were fleeing an English induced famine.
I live in Edinburgh and I still despise the Hertz
Visited once in the 60s. never again
Sad to see this club falling into the sectarian trap, as a veteran Celtic supporter, I can remember great Hearts teams of the 1950’s and 60’s. The one thing that was in their favour was that they never had a sectarian signing policy, we signed some great players from the Tynecastle club, including Willie Wallace along with Chris Shevlane,Andy Lynch, John Colquhoun and quite a few others. A Celtic supporter friend of mine’s father played for Hearts pre 2nd WW.
Hopefully the current management will get a grip of this element who are disgracing the name of the club.
Strange why this has made the media in Ireland but not in Scotland, on 2nd thoughts it isn’t strange.
Other way about with John Colquhoun mate, we sold him to Hearts
Celtic signed Colquhoun from Stirling Albion , Hearts signed him later from Celtic
Hey! My team plays in that lower league. As do many other decent fans’ teams. Don’t wish them on us. Not everyone who follows this blog is a Celtic fan.
Snap
I lived in Edinburgh for all of the ‘80s and grew to hate the Hearts supporters more than their full-fat cousins at iBroke.
There was a very casual, but very public form of bigotry in Edinburgh borne of the belief that everyone in Auld Reekie was a Protestant.
Ran*ers supporters call them “part-time Huns” and so they feel that the have to outdo them when Celtic visit the midden that is Tynecastle.
I never tried of the Jambo’s professing that they were “The 3rd Best Team in Scotland” to which I would usually reply, “Aye, that’s only fine if you celebrate mediocrity”.
Given their current form they’ll soon be the 13th Best Team in Scotland.
Hail and Hail again!
Growing up in the 60’s with a Mammy fae Leith and a Daddy fae West Lothian I had one Grandad a Celt and one a Hibee the team from the Gorgie slums will always be known to me as “The Huns without the bus fare”their fans couldnae afford to go to Ibrox so they rocked up at Tynecastle to sing the same knuckledraggers anthems as the Klan.When your in a sewer you need something to look up to.
They are the worst fans I have ever seen, I attended my one and only game at tynie on boxing day 1989 an 0-0 draw in which Andy walker missed a penalty, I got home and my dad asked me if I enjoyed the game, I told him I would never go back to that ground again as it was the worst anti Catholic abuse I have ever seen. Horrible, horrible bastards.
Make no mistake, there are many in the diet fan base with as much of a dislike of Celtic, as their full fat cousins from govania.
As an Edinburgh Tim, I can assure you of that.
Which makes a win against them all the more enjoyable. There was a time that they covered it up quite well but the evidence has been slowly but surely coming to the fore, with yesterdays antics the latest to be added to the bigotry list.
They are a horrible bunch, almost as bad as their big cousins and it would be a nice wee case of deja vu if they slipped down to the level deserving of the bigots in their support.
Meanwhile, the Celtic juggernaut continues on its merry way which no doubt upsets them no end HH
If you are raised in Edinburgh why fo you support Celtic?
Why do you have to identify yourself as a ‘Tim’ when discussing football.
I was brought up near Dundee who I supported and had mates who supported Celtic & Rangers but they knew I thought they were either conflating religion with football or glory hunters.
You are sadly mistaken if you think someone who lives in Edinburgh should not support a team from another place.
Many of the bigots l know use this argument. Hearts supporters by far the worst.
So, if my dad, a Celtic fan, moved to Dingwall to find employment then he should have brought me up as a Ross County fan?
You should aim your criticism at the likes of Derek Johnstone who was born and bred in Dundee and grew up supporting United, but is now a dyed in the wool Rangers fan.
All Celtic fans identify as a ‘Tim’ which has nothing to do with religion and just because the team we support is perennially successful does not make us ‘glory hunters’.
No doubt the police in Edinburgh are doing the old empty glass routine …’ looking into it ‘?