I have a question for some of you out there. There are lots of you, and I know a good few of you. You out there who are not from Glasgow, who have no family who are from Glasgow (though you claim that Paisley or Hamilton count as Glasgow), who have not been to Ibrox or Celtic Park more than twice in the last decade, who wouldn't, if asked, be able to recall Kyle Lafferty's squad number off the top of your heads (more of him later, oh yes). You out there who, despite this, still refuse to follow your local team, still always look out for the Rangers and Celtic results first (and don't look at any other results because no other clubs are worthy enough of your attention, after all no-one else will win anything), and treat an Old Firm derby win for your preferred half as if it was your Christmas and birthday rolled into one.
The question is this: how can you bear to be associated with the horrific sectarianism in the stands and the hooliganism and cheating on the pitch when you have no logical attachment to the team itself?
I speak for myself here, but I sincerely believe that the supporter of any other club in Scotland outwith the Old Firm would say the same: if my club, Inverness, had fans and players that behaved in this way, and a club that quite clearly showed no intention of dealing with it (for all their insistence that things are quite the contrary) then I would ditch them and try to follow someone else's games on a Saturday afternoon. Some say you can't choose your football team, but I think there are times, if the relationship becomes abusive (and violent!), then regardless of your feelings, you have to end the relationship and dump your partner. Otherwise, if you are an honest, caring human being, how can you live with yourself? After all, football is only a game, it's not worth being dragged through the mud for. If it isn't even your local team (and only in the American Midwest can you call 150 miles away local) then frankly the mind boggles.
Of course, for anyone who has been living under a rock, this rant has been brought on by the wonderful advert for Scottish football that Rangers put on this Saturday lunchtime, with the usual poisonous bile from the stands added to by the blatant cheating and feigning of injury by Kyle Lafferty, and the obscene, reckless attack on the Aberdeen goalkeeper by Madjid Bougherra. I stand my description of Bougherra's challenge; he is comfortably second best to the ball and is well aware that he is likely to injure his opponent. Bearing in mind what befell Petr Cech a few seasons back, any player who endangers an opponent like this deserves at least a red card and preferably a word from the police. Kicks to the head can kill. As for Lafferty, I hope that at least he is embarassed. I suspect I'm dreaming, though.
And, as always, Rangers and Celtic are the advert to the world for Scottish football. And once more Scottish football has been let down. It's Catch-22; the game can't survive without the Old Firm in this country, yet ultimately they are destroying it, with actions like this which turn off the rest of the world from it, and, of course by dragging away all those football fans out there who, in defiance of any sort of logic, continue, from afar, to cheer them on, them and all the venom that comes with them, depriving the smaller clubs of their much needed support.
I'm glad I'm not a Rangers or Celtic supporter today, because I would feel very sick indeed. I just wish there were many at Ibrox today who shared that feeling.
L.
PS What are the chances the SPL will have the guts to punish Kyle Lafferty after all this? If he gets banned, I will probably faint with shock.
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