ian1964 10,724 Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 By DAVIE PROVAN I’VE a pal who followed Celtic to Stranraer last weekend and won’t be going to another away game. Can’t blame him. Flares launched, sectarian singing, vile language. Makes you wonder if Peter Lawwell will ever win the battle against that rabble who masquerade as Celtic supporters. The club identified three of those responsible, banning them indefinitely from games. But how does that work? How does Lawwell stop the same idiots attending Celtic’s next away game? He can’t. Unless our clubs take a different approach to fan behaviour we’re all stuck with these halfwits. Ask yourself. Would you sit in the cinema beside a drunk who’s effing and blinding? Isn’t football supposed to be an enjoyable day out? What other part of the entertainment business would suffer the behaviour we see inside our grounds? Put it this way. Would you have taken your wife and kids into the away end at Stair Park when there were flares flying? It’s no surprise attendances are tumbling in Scotland. For every foul-mouthed bevvy-head we let into the ground there are others staying away because of him. It’s been going on for so long we’ve become used to it. But the nasty minority are slowly emptying our grounds, to the extent Glasgow Warriors now get bigger crowds than some of our Premiership clubs. I get that. At Scotstoun you don’t need a flak jacket to avoid missiles. You can share a half-time pint with rival fans without worrying about a sore face. Can you imagine the scene if they’d been selling half-time booze at Stranraer last week? The anti-social mob are not unique to Celtic. Recently, Morton supporters found themselves sheltering from coins and golf balls thrown from the upper stand at Ibrox. One young Ton fan was narrowly missed by a Buckfast bottle. Every chance he could have been killed with a bit of bad luck. Rangers still have their own poisonous element. Recent sectarian abuse of Hibs boss Alan Stubbs proves the nasty element within the Ibrox support is still flourishing. When George Peat was in charge at the SFA he promised sectarian chanting would be punished by points deductions. But how many points have been deducted since? A big fat zero. The law of averages dictates that Celtic and Rangers face the biggest challenge, but other clubs have their work cut out. In the capital, Hearts still have problems, despite Ann Budge’s makeover. In what other sport would Neil Lennon be attacked on the touchline by a half-wit? More recently we had Budge apologising to Ross County after a Staggies supporters’ bus was attacked by Hearts’ “Young team”. The teenagers responsible were banned from Tynecastle for life, but you can bet they’re still causing mayhem at away grounds. You only have to look at Italy to see the where we’re heading. Attendances in Serie A have plummeted because Ultras have been allowed to take over stadiums. Decent supporters have turned their backs on the game because of intimidation. At the Turin derby last year nine people were hospitalised when a flare was fired into the home support from Juventus fans. With three fans seriously injured it was left to Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri to sum up the feeling saying: “Only a madman would take their kids to a football stadium in Italy.” Here, SFA chief executive Stewart Regan was bang on when claiming someone could die unless we get flares out of our grounds. Recognising the war against the neds is being lost, Regan wants a Strict Liability policy with clubs held directly responsible for their supporters’ behaviour. That would require the agreement of the SPFL who weren’t slow to oppose the idea. Board member Mike Mulraney rubbished Regan’s proposal claiming it wouldn’t work. Unfortunately he didn’t have a clue what would work. For certain, no amount of fines will make a difference. The slap on the wrist routine has failed miserably. Points deductions are the only means of making the dimwits see sense. If they know a launched flare could cost their club the title, they might think twice. At the very least it’ll see the decent majority self-police the neds instead of turning a blind eye. If Scottish football is ever to become the family sport it should be it needs to fumigate our grounds of the halfwits. Strict Liability is worth a try. http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/columnists/davieprovan/6865981/Davie-Provan-Footie-yobs-are-scaring-the-decent-fans-away.html 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RANGERRAB 3,669 Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 (edited) Ah Davie, Davie, Davie........... Trying to point the finger at other clubs to deflect the attention away from the club(the one he used to play for) which has by far and awy the biggest problem as we saw at Stranraer again last week. And Are we still peddling the Morton lies from last month's game I see. Where were the arrests then? The culprits would have been easily spotted I'm sure. Well, all part of the plan to deflect attention away from the yahoos. My biggest fear about Strict Liability is it wouldn't be applied fairly. The yahoos,with their chums in the Mhedia & SFA, would still go unpunished Edited January 17, 2016 by RANGERRAB 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEARGER 1,830 Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 By DAVIE PROVAN I’VE a pal who followed Celtic to Stranraer last weekend and won’t be going to another away game. Can’t blame him. Flares launched, sectarian singing, vile language. Makes you wonder if Peter Lawwell will ever win the battle against that rabble who masquerade as Celtic supporters. The club identified three of those responsible, banning them indefinitely from games. But how does that work? How does Lawwell stop the same idiots attending Celtic’s next away game? He can’t. Unless our clubs take a different approach to fan behaviour we’re all stuck with these halfwits. Ask yourself. Would you sit in the cinema beside a drunk who’s effing and blinding? Isn’t football supposed to be an enjoyable day out? What other part of the entertainment business would suffer the behaviour we see inside our grounds? Put it this way. Would you have taken your wife and kids into the away end at Stair Park when there were flares flying? It’s no surprise attendances are tumbling in Scotland. For every foul-mouthed bevvy-head we let into the ground there are others staying away because of him. It’s been going on for so long we’ve become used to it. But the nasty minority are slowly emptying our grounds, to the extent Glasgow Warriors now get bigger crowds than some of our Premiership clubs. I get that. At Scotstoun you don’t need a flak jacket to avoid missiles. You can share a half-time pint with rival fans without worrying about a sore face. Can you imagine the scene if they’d been selling half-time booze at Stranraer last week? The anti-social mob are not unique to Celtic. Recently, Morton supporters found themselves sheltering from coins and golf balls thrown from the upper stand at Ibrox. One young Ton fan was narrowly missed by a Buckfast bottle. Every chance he could have been killed with a bit of bad luck. Rangers still have their own poisonous element. Recent sectarian abuse of Hibs boss Alan Stubbs proves the nasty element within the Ibrox support is still flourishing. When George Peat was in charge at the SFA he promised sectarian chanting would be punished by points deductions. But how many points have been deducted since? A big fat zero. The law of averages dictates that Celtic and Rangers face the biggest challenge, but other clubs have their work cut out. In the capital, Hearts still have problems, despite Ann Budge’s makeover. In what other sport would Neil Lennon be attacked on the touchline by a half-wit? More recently we had Budge apologising to Ross County after a Staggies supporters’ bus was attacked by Hearts’ “Young team”. The teenagers responsible were banned from Tynecastle for life, but you can bet they’re still causing mayhem at away grounds. You only have to look at Italy to see the where we’re heading. Attendances in Serie A have plummeted because Ultras have been allowed to take over stadiums. Decent supporters have turned their backs on the game because of intimidation. At the Turin derby last year nine people were hospitalised when a flare was fired into the home support from Juventus fans. With three fans seriously injured it was left to Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri to sum up the feeling saying: “Only a madman would take their kids to a football stadium in Italy.” Here, SFA chief executive Stewart Regan was bang on when claiming someone could die unless we get flares out of our grounds. Recognising the war against the neds is being lost, Regan wants a Strict Liability policy with clubs held directly responsible for their supporters’ behaviour. That would require the agreement of the SPFL who weren’t slow to oppose the idea. Board member Mike Mulraney rubbished Regan’s proposal claiming it wouldn’t work. Unfortunately he didn’t have a clue what would work. For certain, no amount of fines will make a difference. The slap on the wrist routine has failed miserably. Points deductions are the only means of making the dimwits see sense. If they know a launched flare could cost their club the title, they might think twice. At the very least it’ll see the decent majority self-police the neds instead of turning a blind eye. If Scottish football is ever to become the family sport it should be it needs to fumigate our grounds of the halfwits. Strict Liability is worth a try. http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/columnists/davieprovan/6865981/Davie-Provan-Footie-yobs-are-scaring-the-decent-fans-away.html Coins and golf balls - plural!! If that was the case there must have been injuries. Another paper for the board to take to task. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RANGERRAB 3,669 Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 And another thing MrProvan..... With reference to that clown Stubbs what about the sectarian abuse dished out to Frank de Boer when Ajax visited the San Giro recently ? That okay? 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy steel 0 Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 Can't argue with anything Provan says there. But I doubt either the clubs nor, as we can see from replies already, the fans will buy into the concept. Much easier to bleat about everyone else and refuse to look at yourself, regardless of what team you follow. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
26th of foot 6,082 Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 Ah, so says the man who reveled in his ten year Sellik park nickname, 'PROVO'! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trublusince1982 243 Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 if we are having problems attracting fans then why is the stadium so busy? Can it be the fact they are ignoring the attraction of togetherness against a common enemy that can inveigle further support? 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RANGERRAB 3,669 Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 Incredible article written by Davie 'PROVO' Provan as the irony needle goes off the scale. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colinstein 294 Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 Incredible article written by Davie 'PROVO' Provan as the irony needle goes off the scale. he was one of the pundits who ridiculed the league for demoting us to the third tier. He described it as scottish football giving itself "a lethal injection" 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruno55 0 Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 By DAVIE PROVAN I’VE a pal who followed Celtic to Stranraer last weekend and won’t be going to another away game. Can’t blame him. Flares launched, sectarian singing, vile language. Makes you wonder if Peter Lawwell will ever win the battle against that rabble who masquerade as Celtic supporters. The club identified three of those responsible, banning them indefinitely from games. But how does that work? How does Lawwell stop the same idiots attending Celtic’s next away game? He can’t. Unless our clubs take a different approach to fan behaviour we’re all stuck with these halfwits. Ask yourself. Would you sit in the cinema beside a drunk who’s effing and blinding? Isn’t football supposed to be an enjoyable day out? What other part of the entertainment business would suffer the behaviour we see inside our grounds? Put it this way. Would you have taken your wife and kids into the away end at Stair Park when there were flares flying? It’s no surprise attendances are tumbling in Scotland. For every foul-mouthed bevvy-head we let into the ground there are others staying away because of him. It’s been going on for so long we’ve become used to it. But the nasty minority are slowly emptying our grounds, to the extent Glasgow Warriors now get bigger crowds than some of our Premiership clubs. I get that. At Scotstoun you don’t need a flak jacket to avoid missiles. You can share a half-time pint with rival fans without worrying about a sore face. Can you imagine the scene if they’d been selling half-time booze at Stranraer last week? The anti-social mob are not unique to Celtic. Recently, Morton supporters found themselves sheltering from coins and golf balls thrown from the upper stand at Ibrox. One young Ton fan was narrowly missed by a Buckfast bottle. Every chance he could have been killed with a bit of bad luck. Rangers still have their own poisonous element. Recent sectarian abuse of Hibs boss Alan Stubbs proves the nasty element within the Ibrox support is still flourishing. When George Peat was in charge at the SFA he promised sectarian chanting would be punished by points deductions. But how many points have been deducted since? A big fat zero. The law of averages dictates that Celtic and Rangers face the biggest challenge, but other clubs have their work cut out. In the capital, Hearts still have problems, despite Ann Budge’s makeover. In what other sport would Neil Lennon be attacked on the touchline by a half-wit? More recently we had Budge apologising to Ross County after a Staggies supporters’ bus was attacked by Hearts’ “Young team”. The teenagers responsible were banned from Tynecastle for life, but you can bet they’re still causing mayhem at away grounds. You only have to look at Italy to see the where we’re heading. Attendances in Serie A have plummeted because Ultras have been allowed to take over stadiums. Decent supporters have turned their backs on the game because of intimidation. At the Turin derby last year nine people were hospitalised when a flare was fired into the home support from Juventus fans. With three fans seriously injured it was left to Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri to sum up the feeling saying: “Only a madman would take their kids to a football stadium in Italy.” Here, SFA chief executive Stewart Regan was bang on when claiming someone could die unless we get flares out of our grounds. Recognising the war against the neds is being lost, Regan wants a Strict Liability policy with clubs held directly responsible for their supporters’ behaviour. That would require the agreement of the SPFL who weren’t slow to oppose the idea. Board member Mike Mulraney rubbished Regan’s proposal claiming it wouldn’t work. Unfortunately he didn’t have a clue what would work. For certain, no amount of fines will make a difference. The slap on the wrist routine has failed miserably. Points deductions are the only means of making the dimwits see sense. If they know a launched flare could cost their club the title, they might think twice. At the very least it’ll see the decent majority self-police the neds instead of turning a blind eye. If Scottish football is ever to become the family sport it should be it needs to fumigate our grounds of the halfwits. Strict Liability is worth a try. http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/columnists/davieprovan/6865981/Davie-Provan-Footie-yobs-are-scaring-the-decent-fans-away.html Youve a pal who followed the jungles davy? All your pals follow the jungles.... 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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