The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Old Firm decision selfish and unjust
The decision by the Celtic hierarchy not to allow Dundee United fans into this weekend’s match stinks.
Parkhead holds 60,000 – it couldn’t have been impossible even with the Covid regulations in operation to find room for a few hundred away supporters.
With Rangers also recently refusing tickets for Motherwell fans at Ibrox, it proves the power of the Glasgow duo to operate selfishly in our game.
I admitted to being briefly heartened at the recent news that the five big city clubs had appointed De Loitte to investigate ways of bringing more money into the game.
It seemed to show independence of thought and mind, but my enthusiasm was quickly put back in its box after Celtic’s announcement that United couldn’t bring any fans.
Interestingly a majority of Celtic fans agreed with my twitter comment that the decision was a disgrace, and a poor one by their board.
Many of them expressed concerns about the knock-on effects if all clubs were to pursue this approach, something that they needn’t worry about given the money the Old Firm travelling fans inject with their big away supports.
The “Old Firm” moniker is one which bugs most Celtic supporters who insist that Rangers post liquidation is a new club – obviously Rangers fans don’t see it that way.
It’s clear, however, that with away supporters being kept out at both Celtic Park and Ibrox, while allowed elsewhere in Scottish
football, that the two Glasgow boardrooms are a law unto themselves.
There’s certainly no danger of a reciprocal ban on Celtic or Rangers away supporters by the rest of the Premiership clubs.
The blasé stance of both boardrooms tells me that any findings which come out of the commissioned independent review will be jointly ignored by the powerbrokers in Govan and the East End of Glasgow unless meeting with their approval.
There’s always been an uneasy alliance between the behemoths in Glasgow.
They may be culturally different but their business instincts are the same.
They know that they’re the two apex predators in the savannah and that the rest will run for cover whenever they bare their teeth.
Meanwhile, on the pitch St Johnstone are Tayside’s top performers again after beating Dundee to book a League Cup semi berth against Celtic.
Saints have the battlehardened feel of a Roman legion about them.
They know exactly what their strengths are and what’s required of them, and they stick with iron discipline to their game plan.
That approach tomorrow versus Hibs, against whom they have a good record,
may well provide further joy.
Dundee and United face Rangers and Celtic respectively and the prospect of little joy.
Dundee are expending lots of energy but not scoring, and confounding folk like me who’ve claimed there are goals in the team.
Sooner or later those claims must be backed up or be exposed as wishful thinking.
United lost to Hibs after some debatable refereeing decisions, along with the early loss Charlie Mulgrew.
Their play was often impressive but like Dundee their cry for a regular goalscorer is becoming a howl of anguish.