2010/2011 Season Thread

[Adam Easy Wishes]

Get out of my sight.

[Moose]

Get out of my sight.

I'm sorry man. I knew I should have kept this to myself, till the day I die.

[KarmaTsunami]

Fucking hell, certainly hope that's not the case.

[Adam Easy Wishes]

He certainly seemed to head the ball funny, like he had to stoop quite low and it looked like it hit the top of his head rather than his forehead. That said, I don't recall the medical staff putting on a neck brace?

Hope it's nothing too serious.

[Shaki]

Get out of my sight.

....and get out of my family Moose. I'd have taken the beating (aye, right!)

Hated Celtic more than Rangers tonight which is odd. Still, if someone said they're a Celtic fan I'd consider them less of a cunt than if they were a hun.

The intentional wind up from the Celtic players and staff was obvious tonight. That should be above the staff at least. I've seen a lot of people using the word 'odious' tonight and it's for times like these that it's really required.

Furthermore, Dion Dublin broke his neck and now he plays dube for Ocean Colour Scene so dry yer eyes.

[Soda Jerk]

Neil Lennon is a cunt of overwhelmingly colossal proportions.

There's only one Alan Shearer!

[Adam Easy Wishes]

Furthermore, Dion Dublin broke his neck and now he plays dube for Ocean Colour Scene so dry yer eyes.

This made me laugh an awful lot.

[Christy]

Seems like my rant was timely; this has been building for quite some time. The Old Firm offer nothing to Scottish football beyond some Schadenfreude for foreign observers. It is an absolute embarrassment that they are our most prominent teams.

My prediction:

STEP 1) Media talk about 'shame' until the weekend

STEP 2) Half-arsed apologies along the lines of 'should have been more professional'

STEP 3) Negligible suspensions/punishements

STEP 4) Life goes on

Once more, I re-iterate my point: the OF heap shame upon this country and they give little back. Not a week goes by whereby they don't bring our game into disrepute. It is a constant embarrassment. Rangers sign players like Diouf; he should be jetissoned from football, not revered because he once spat on Celtic fans. A despicable excuse for a human that even Rangers fans in their right minds will abhor.

Scottish football is rotten to the core, and it isn't because of the actual standard of football (whose demise is perpetuated by the media; say it enough and people will believe it). The problem is that there are two clubs who set the laws and who fight their own battles outwith any jurisdiction. In most other countries, both clubs would have the book thrown at them. Won't happen here. They call the shots.

[Diesel]

Hopefully you meant to be ironical

To quote Charlie Nicholas -

"Ironical in spades...."

[delboy]

It's no wonder the supporters of the OF behave in such a manner when the officials and players behave like school kids. Lennon is an irritating little man and should know better.

My solution to the old firm problem is either

1. let them have their own league played behind closed doors, just them two eventually they might get sick of each other.

2. Give them that 'dream' move to England they seem to so desperately crave. But at non league level, visiting football outposts such as Southport, Eastbourne and even my own Cambridge United. Actually stick them in lower that the BSP, at the lowest level!

I dunno what the solution to the problem is really but something clearly needs to be done about the OF, as an outsider on the matter to me I think they're both as bad as each other.

[KarmaTsunami]

BBC News - Old Firm game mayhem 'shameful' as 34 arrests made

No idea how you would fix this. You could definitely make the argument for playing the game behind closed doors but the morons who cause troubles at the games are more likely than not just going to go and cause trouble in pubs - presuming the games would be televised.

Will see what happens with punishments, but like Christy says I can't imagine it'll be more than some players having their bans extended and Lennon's six game touchline ban being enforced.

[Mr Owl PhD]

Footage of the Ashley Cole shooting incident:

[Adam Easy Wishes]

So the BBC news story on the Old Firm 'troubles' last night is the most read story in the UK at this moment in time.

Great advert for Scottish football, obviously.

[KarmaTsunami]

At least it's not getting brushed under other stories. Negative media reception to the Old Firm goes a way towards creating some sort of dialogue that means the two teams could be punished more so than they have in the past.

If you want the OF to be punished in a manner that goes beyond past punishments then you're going to have to expect a higher level of attention from the media.

[Spoonie]

The overwhelming impression that is given in Scotland is that the old firm are above the law, in terms of the SFA, SPL and a lot of the mainstream media. This belief that they keep Scottish football alive somehow and without them there would be no money and no press coverage is an overwhelming feeling among my old-firm supporting friends.

As far as I'm concerned, the time is long overdue to take on this challenge. Incidents last night are an embarrassment to the sport and there needs to be some serious action taken and a clear message sent to the OF that this kind of thing will cost them dear. Games behind closed doors, removal from European Competition, loss of TV rights money, things that will impact on their bottom line which will get their attention. Fining of players and managers for misdemeanours as were seen in spades last night, fining for fans audibly singing songs which contain content which reflects badly on the team and the sport and so on. Just fine them over and over again until the message comes through loud and clear or they finally decide to move elsewhere, because people are sick and tired of it. These rules should, quite rightly, include every team in Scotland, because there's no place for that kind of behaviour in any part of our sport at any level, but right now the clear and visible offenders are our two biggest teams and if we cut the head off, the message is out there.

[Shaki]

BBC News - Top-level summit arranged after Old Firm 'shame game'

At least their doing summit about it this time

[delboy]

I thought of an idea regarding the OF... hows about a massive points deduction for them both????

[Scootray]

...which will leave them both bottom of the table and a a new rule enforced that 2 teams go down this year, but only if they start with the letters R and C.

[Scootray]

England will never take these mutants with this sort of behaviour unfortunately, so looks like we're stuck with them.

[Alphas]

A summit is something at least but for a change can we have some action? Part of me can see this becoming a little PR exercise at the end with a Lennon/McCoist handshake and smile for the cameras.

Hopefully the authorities will grow a pair and come down on them. Not just to punish Rangers and Celtic but to set an example for any other team who step out of line. As has previously been said, each team has their element but when the usual suspects can't control their players/officials/fans (again) then some firm action is needed.

Neil Lennon's behaviour on the touchline this season has been dispicable. Squaring up to officials, witchhunting refs and picking fights with counterparts isn't punishable by a fine that takes away a fortnights wages, he really has got away with a lot this year. The best part was when the conspiracy theory against Celtic was raised again...by the Celtic chairman no less.

Hopefully this time we'll see some proper punishment with promises of ongoing sanctions if anyone (Rangers, Celtic, Aberdeen, Hearts, Hibs, Buckie Thistle etc etc) can't control people associated with their club.

[delboy]

At least the problem is being talked about on a national scale, its all the talk down here in engerland. Bout time too, all too often its swept under the carpet.

As a neutral I think they're both as bad as each other, I think its nigh on impossible to stop the 'fans' behaving disgracefully but certainly the players and officials of both sides need to behave more responsibly.

Be interesting to see what sanctions, if any, are taken.

[Alphas]

At least the problem is being talked about on a national scale, its all the talk down here in engerland. Bout time too, all too often its swept under the carpet.

As a neutral I think they're both as bad as each other, I think its nigh on impossible to stop the 'fans' behaving disgracefully but certainly the players and officials of both sides need to behave more responsibly.

Be interesting to see what sanctions, if any, are taken.

I reckon a good start to stop the fans misbehaving is for the players and officials to set an example. You don't want the passion taken out of the game and I'm sure everyone would love to see a blood and thunder match but when it descends into farce like yesterday's game then it only tarnishes the Scottish game...which isn't exactly in much glory as it is!

[delboy]

The OF are being discussed on the Cambridge United message board so it has indeed hit a wider audience!

[Hugh_Jazz]

I just can't understand the defeatism among people involved in Scottish football who claim that the problem is impossible to deal with. Absolute bullshit.

It's fucking easy to deal with this problem, and it simply involves dishing out punishment that is actually meaningful. Forget fines. They have never worked, and will not work in future. Options include:

- Games behind closed doors.

- "Proper" bans for violent perpetrators. e.g. 10 matches.

- Stadium bans for managers....touchline bans are useless, they're still involved in the games. Get them the fuck out of the ground.

- Points deductions for excessive violent conduct either on the pitch or in the crowd. Same goes for acts of bigotry/racial hatred.

- Police actually doing their job and denying entry to drunk fans

- Criminal charges being brought against players who commit e.g. assault or incitement during the game. A football pitch should not be treated as lawless.

- Denial of TV money.

If you start going down that road, clubs simply can't turn a blind eye anymore.

FIFA need to get involved big time here as well. Refs are getting absolutely shat on these days and it's got to stop. Rugby style punishments, e.g. sin binning, free kicks moved 10 yards closer to goal for dissent, a rule whereby ONLY captains can speak to the ref are all so fucking obvious that it's an outrage that they haven't been implemented already.

GET IT FUCKING SORTED.

[Spoonie]

Keep fines as part of it - for players, teams, managers, everyone. Just batter the fuck out of them with fines and bans and loss of revenue until they stop. These are two teams who need the money, so lets hit them with something that actually affects

34 arrests of fans inside the stadium. That's ridiculous. And I agree with the ref problem. No player should ever lay his hands on the ref, every player being spoken to should look the ref right in the eye and show him some fucking respect, anyone crowding the ref costs the team yards, etc etc. I play american football and it's very much like rugby in its approach to refs. If you act the cunt and push your luck over a call you don't agree with, it goes from bad to worse very quickly and either you stop or your team stop you.