ian1964 10,780 Posted May 28, 2016 Share Posted May 28, 2016 Stephen McGowan Scottish Daily Mail28 May 2016 What you didn’t see: television images failed to fully show outrageous scenes after the full-time whistle ANDY WALKER has never minced his words. A straighttalking Sky Sports pundit, he has opinions and he is not afraid to use them. Walker once played football for Celtic. But that didn’t stop Parkhead skipper Scott Brown calling him a ‘poor man’s Gary Neville’. Last weekend he appeared to upset a few more of the green and white persuasion — from both Celtic and Hibernian — with his no-holds-barred description of events from the Hampden media gantry. As Hibs supporters poured on to the pitch, goading and jostling Rangers players, others challenged their opposite numbers to a square-go on the pitch. Walker didn’t hold back. ‘The conduct of some of these Hibs supporters is absolutely disgraceful,’ said Sky’s Scottish Cup Final co-commentator. ‘Absolutely disgraceful.’ No-one who was there could take issue with him. The description was accurate. To be present in the national stadium was to witness what was actually going on. Fist fights. Rangers players being harried and harassed. But viewers taking their version of events from Sky Sports saw none of this. The words coming from Andy Walker’s mouth did not match the pictures. Sky guidelines prohibit the screening of gratuitous violence at football matches. No-one tunes in to the Scottish Cup final to see grown men and teenage neds knocking seven bells out of each other. For that reason, Sky’s producer stuck with just one camera. For four minutes it pointed steadfastly at the vast number of ‘happy’ Hibs fans cavorting in their own half of the pitch — and it didn’t move. A decision was taken which proved critical to the bitter tribalism of this last week. It skewed the entire debate. People have taken up entrenched positions based on existing prejudice and incomplete Sky pictures and refused to shift. Had the camera lurched 90 degrees to the left, the watching masses would have witnessed a rather different scene. An ugly, chaotic scene. A woman being kicked in the stomach. Men and boys looking for scraps. A press photographer having a £6,000 camera nicked. Mindless behaviour everywhere. Not until police appeared on horseback did the main Sky camera show the other side of the pitch. A camera mounted above the Rangers end did capture images of what happened but Sky bosses believe those are suitable only for Police Scotland to see. Greg Binnie, a student Hibs fan, has become the first supporter brought to book after pleading guilty to running at and making offensive gestures towards Rangers goalkeeper Wes Foderingham. Fellow Hibs fan Dale Pryce has also appeared in court. He was charged with attempting to punch Lee Wallace and Jason Holt. And still the naysayers exist. With their dogged determination to place Andy Walker and the mainstream media in the dock. Individuals who were nowhere near the national stadium last Saturday have embarked upon a campaign of denial and ‘whataboutery’. People who weren’t actually there refuse to accept Hibs fans did anything wrong at all. After a century of misery for the club, the fans’ ‘over-exuberance’ was forgivable, they claim. Yet St Johnstone went 130 years without lifting the Scottish Cup and their fans didn’t invade the pitch when they eventually won it. Neither did Dundee United supporters end their own 85-year wait by taking a free swing at opposition players. What happened last weekend crossed the boundary of acceptability. Professional footballers should not be harassed or assaulted at their work. Were Rangers supporters blameless? Contrary to what Sunday’s unnecessary, scattergun statement from the Ibrox club claimed, the answer is no. It’s tricky for a club to occupy the moral high ground when their supporters belt out the self-defeating ‘Billy Boys’ in a football stadium. Rangers managing director Stewart Robertson says he would rather supporters sang sectarian songs than fight with rivals and this column takes his point. But it doesn’t need to be an either/or. The choice is there for sensible people to do neither. When Scottish football fans step out of line there is a consistent refusal to accept responsibility for their own actions. It’s always someone else’s fault. Yet, had Hibernian supporters remained in their seats — or even their own half of the pitch — the Scottish Cup story to top them all could have been written without blemish. Their actions were the catalyst for everything. For any party to start blaming Andy Walker or BBC journalists for reporting what they saw at the national stadium last weekend is wrong. http://www.pressreader.com/ 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trublusince1982 243 Posted May 28, 2016 Share Posted May 28, 2016 starting to get the feeling some of the video footage has been shown to some in the media. All of a sudden opinion is changing. Even the two idiots cosgrove and cowan have seemingly changed their tune 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian1964 10,780 Posted May 28, 2016 Author Share Posted May 28, 2016 Every article states the Rangers fans singing TBB!,yet we never here anything about the yahoos and their IRAoke every week. I must have missed this video,there have been so many!,but in it he says that Rangers have taken away more season tickets from fans than any other club! http://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/football/teams/rangers/10296213/robertson-threatens-life-bans 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig 5,199 Posted May 28, 2016 Share Posted May 28, 2016 starting to get the feeling some of the video footage has been shown to some in the media. All of a sudden opinion is changing. Even the two idiots cosgrove and cowan have seemingly changed their tune Think that's a bit unfair on Cowan - think some on here last week were saying Cowan was disgusted by the Hibs fans behavior. In what way has Cosgrove changed his tune ? 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig 5,199 Posted May 28, 2016 Share Posted May 28, 2016 (edited) Every article states the Rangers fans singing TBB!,yet we never here anything about the yahoos and their IRAoke every week. I must have missed this video,there have been so many!,but in it he says that Rangers have taken away more season tickets from fans than any other club! http://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/football/teams/rangers/10296213/robertson-threatens-life-bans But why would they mention the regular IRAoke's when the game was Rangers v Hibs ? As for removing more ST's than any other club some would suggest that is because we have more issues than other clubs. We, however, know the truth is that we actually deal with our less desirable fans when we can. Have they found the Ricksen lighter thrower yet ? Edited May 28, 2016 by craig 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian1964 10,780 Posted May 28, 2016 Author Share Posted May 28, 2016 But why would they mention the regular IRAoke's when the game was Rangers v Hibs ? As for removing more ST's than any other club some would suggest that is because we have more issues than other clubs. We, however, know the truth is that we actually deal with our less desirable fans when we can. Have they found the Ricksen lighter thrower yet ? You know what I mean!,we never hear anything about the IRAoke every time the yahoos play!,yet every match we play they go out of their way to highlight TBB! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian1964 10,780 Posted May 28, 2016 Author Share Posted May 28, 2016 Think that's a bit unfair on Cowan - think some on here last week were saying Cowan was disgusted by the Hibs fans behavior. In what way has Cosgrove changed his tune ? Their off the ball radio show was on today,I never tuned in but Cosgrove had a different approach,apparantly! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trublusince1982 243 Posted May 28, 2016 Share Posted May 28, 2016 Think that's a bit unfair on Cowan - think some on here last week were saying Cowan was disgusted by the Hibs fans behavior. In what way has Cosgrove changed his tune ? appologised said he opened his mouth without knowing the full details. Put the blame squarely on hibs fans 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig 5,199 Posted May 28, 2016 Share Posted May 28, 2016 appologised said he opened his mouth without knowing the full details. Put the blame squarely on hibs fans Either a reversal of epic proportions.... or a realization that sticking with original story cant be maintained having seen evidence 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian1964 10,780 Posted May 28, 2016 Author Share Posted May 28, 2016 Either a reversal of epic proportions.... or a realization that sticking with original story cant be maintained having seen evidence Their hatred runs so deep they actually automatically assume it must have been the Rangers fans fault? 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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