I think I'm on both sides... The police have never harrassed me at CP (although, it was a different story back in the eighties and nineties - especially at away grounds and double-y especially at Pittodrie) - there are plenty police about but I've never even seen them lift anyone where I sit nor anyone do anything worth being nicked for. I think the outrage is because of these tales of folk getting checked out at their house and followed and the club's involvement in this. Heard on the grapevine the name of the guy mentioned in the online tales. He's an ex-copper himself, apparently I'm reserving judgement for the moment
i agree that struggle is taking it too far. if as they are saying they are being arrested fro **** all and the club are complicit in the arrest of gb members then the club are bang out of order. however, if they are bang out of line then they deserve all that comes to them. looks like the huns will win attendance wang this week
I don't see the problem with refering to it as a struggle I call getting out of bed in the morning a struggle.
Undoubtably some of them are fannies, generally I am a fan of theirs. The atmosphere without them would b e dreadful.
Everybody who attends or watches a Celtic Home game can clearly see that Section 111 where the G.b. occupy is treated specially at Celtic Park. This special treatment means they are surrounded by the same number of Celtic Stewards as that would man a whole stand. The stewards are backed up by numerous police who seem to have additional cops joining them throughout the game. Anyone who has ever had experience of marshalling young men, late teens and early twenties will know that over patrolling will lead to young men rebelling. If you are near that part of the stadium you can see many been tossed away like animals and if you are close enough to be able to enquire , it is often over taken a drink out of a bottle of water. Our stewards are very adept at handing these "criminals" over. Before the match if you are near that end of the stadium the length of the Queue for section 111 is amazing compared to the others, due mostly to the intensity of the searching. Our club need to have balls or we will lose the GB and will return to where we were in the mid 2000's
Don't speak ****e SH. The amount of times i've had to stand near them, with all the effing maggot hanger ons who are there for a song and ****ing dance rather than to watch the game is tenfold. Umpteen times we've moved seats because fannies have either taken ours or invaded the stairwell. Not only that but wee pished tossers too. My mate and his brother have actually moved their seats this season to be away from them. The core of the GB, even with their 'wan struggle' ****e, are VITAL to the atmosphere at CP. The hunners of pished wee spastics that hang on and tag along aren't. I couldnt give 2 ****s if they're dragged out the stadium.
I couldn't agree more Jiffy, the wee hangers on are the arseholes. I fully expect 111 to be full of 14 year old steamers during the GB's boycott. Knowing quite a few lads who are in the GB or from the Govan Emerald bus, most of them actually feel the same about them, as they feel its the wee hingers oan that give them a really bad name at times. As for the original argument, I can see Celtic's point, and the GB's point. The treatment of the GB by the police at times is ridiculous though. Even the coppers I know who work at Celtic Park have commented on how heavy handed they are instructed to be...
Jiffy and Osp I couldn't agree less, we actually move over to be beside them. Surely if you pick any group of men/youths who have any balls and treat them in such a way that feel they are been picked on they will rebel. The GB were great for preparing the stadium for the Barca match but after that, they were treated like dirt by Celtic stewards and police. If GB are not wanted let the club ban them and face the consequences if not and the club want them then work together keep the cops at a distance.
But it's clearly not as simple as being a black and white issue. Celtic Park holds 60,000. That's 60,000 people of all walks of life etc. It isn't 60,000 of the GB. No one's saying that the tifo against Barcelona wasn't incredbile; it was. However, they have a duty, like every supporter, to follow the rules like everyone else. So if some moron is caught with a bottle of "water" () and is subsequently turfed out, then it's got eff all to do with the GB and everything to do with idiots flouting the law and then moaning about suffering the consequences. There are loads of seats around the GB with families, yet the stairwells are regularly blocked because of teenage fannies who think going to Celtic games are about getting steaming and mouthing off and anyone who isn't their pal. No wonder the stewards are double packed when they have impressionable wee fandans who will mouth off at other fans, who are in their rightful seats and who are there to watch the game, just because they've drank 4 WKDs. I wish folk would drop mindlessly supporting the GB. Making banners and singing for 90 minutes doesnt make you exempt from the other rules and regulations that your fellow fans are subjected to, and if you end up making a name for yourself then expect the police and stewards to watch carefully. The Club reporting them underhand to the police, if it happened, is out of order though. However, what i find odd is that i don't know ANYONE who has been banned from football grounds anywhere. Then again, i don't know anyone in the GB. Go figure.
So the club does have good reasons for keeping a close watch on this group. 1 - They break rules, standing, latteral movement. 2 - They are a magnet for bevied up youths. 3 - The area they populte is usually overcrowded due to bevied up youths, displacing other fans. 4 - They have stated they believe Celtic can be used to push their socialist aganda against the open to all policy. 5 - They have a songbook that devides many Celtic fans. 6 - Their actions have caused the club embarrasment in the past. 7 - They call themselves 'Ultras' .
What have they actually been arrested for? If they've gone to court on Breach, then the charge would have listed what they have done. Does anyone know what the offences are? If it is for standing or general '****wittery' then the club have got give out the names & addresses. They would need to take some kind of positive action or the police can get in touch with the council and look at removing the safety certificate for the whole of CP.
Thomas the cat, have you starting to attend matches. Last year you said going to Celtic Park was for dicks. I wonder would the Celtic "fans" who support the wearing of the poppy and the minutes silence be the same fans that never wrote a line to complain about the ex army man who was reported to send death threats that think the Green Brigade act like Altar boys. The GB can prepare the altar for service and sing the opening hymns but dare they sing a song going back to some of our roots and the big powerful stewards grabthem and hand them over to the type of police Ciaran knows well. I would think our founders are turning in the grave at the treatment of our young fans.
