> Subject: Letter sent from Dundee United fan to Dr John Reid > > > Dear John > > First of all as this letter may contain mild criticism of Celtic FC, > please do not assume that I have a hidden agenda (I am aware that this > is your normal accusation levelled at anyone who dares question you)- I > am a Dundee United fan who has equal contempt and disdain for both > sides of the old firm. For too many years I have had to listen and > watch while the filth and scum which attaches itself to both Glasgow > clubs brought their vitriolic sectarian bile and hatred with them while > polluting the atmosphere of Tannadice Park and environs- with no > apology issued from either club. May I congratulate you on achieving > the removal of messrs Dallas and McDonald from their posts at the SFA - > after all, Celtic have never received an apology for Hugh daring to > bleed on your hallowed pitch and I remember McDonald once awarded a > throw in to the opposition. > > Whilst you are celebrating your success, may I cause a slight rain > cloud to pass over the celestial vault of your euphoric schadenfreude > by raising a point or two? Fergus McCann made a serious attempt to drag > your club kicking and screaming into the 20th century despite the > opposition and hatred of a large number of the Celtic `faithful'. Under > his stewardship and the following board the club was moved forward to > such an extent that the whole of world football showered praise on > Celtic for the exemplary and impeccable behaviour of their fans at the > Uefa Cup final in Seville. It was a proud moment and showed promise of > great things to come. > > Move forward to 2010 and under your regime the knuckle dragging moronic > bigots are now steering the club back to the bad old days. We had the > dreadful example of the green brigade from section 111 befouling the > image of the club with political banners - I know that they saved up > their giros, shoplifting, protection racket, housebreaking and drug > dealing money to pay for the printing, but surely at least one of them > could have learned how to spell correctly? The club claim they couldn't > identify those responsible despite cctv and HD television coverage. > That is a deliberate and blatant LIE. You know the seat numbers, the > section of the ground they slither into, and you have film and > pictures. Emboldened not only by the boards protection and clear > support they even attacked a home steward during the match against > Dundee United recently - United fans were held back for twenty minutes > after the game due to the threatening behaviour of your fans. I notice > during your recent AGM that you consciously and deliberately stoked the > flames of sectarianism, intolerance and paranoia by insisting that > Celtic have always been the victims of a conspiracy led by the SFA and > referees based on religion (anti catholic and thereby anti Celtic > minded) and that these days must come to an end. Come to end? They > never existed - the unadulterated drivel spouted by you was a > smokescreen to cover up the fact that your football team isn't really > very good just now. Would we have heard such demagogic rhetoric if you > were top of the SPL and doing well in the Champions league? "Oh no, we > are doing badly - quick, pander to the lowest common denominator among > the pond life which supports us and blame institutional bias against > all catholics in this country for our position". Perhaps your team is > not very good because you shaved an orang utang and gave it the > managers job? > I can only assume it got the job because it was "celtic minded" - > whatever kind of mind is controlling Lennon's behaviour it seems, just > like the element in your support you are pandering to, not to have > evolved beyond the most primitive early form of hominid. Throwing > tantrums and jumping around in an uncontrollable rage at every game > whilst blaming all and sundry for ones own flaws is not really the > behaviour expected of a civilized human being, far less one who is in a > position of high responsibility. Oh sorry, it isn't brutish behaviour - > it is defined in a "celtic minded" way as simply being "passionate.." > Did Celtic fail to beat ICT this week because the officials from > Luxembourg were also part of an anti catholic conspiracy? Can we expect > that you will prove that the referees in charge when your club was > knocked out of two European competitions this season (against the > mighty Braga and Utrecht, those giants of continental football) were > part of the same SFA conspiracy? Is the fact that your club doesn't > ever win champions league away games caused by the same SFA conspiracy? > Now you want referees to declare which team they supported as a child - > did you trumpet your own allegiance when you took the post of Northern > Ireland secretary? Your stance is not even politics of the playground - > it is politics of the gutter > > We have just experienced the first ever strike by Scottish referees - > widely acknowledged to have been precipitated by the recent statements > from celtic park. The witch hunt carried out against Dougie McDonald > was apparently because he lied. Correct me if I am wrong, but weren't > you part of a government who took our country into an illegal war > against Iraq on the grounds that they had weapons of mass destruction, > despite the advice of Hans Blick and the UN expert inspectors? That war > was justified by a blatant LIE. I think that I have established that > you have no problem with a lie as long as it is "celtic minded". What > is worse - a lie by McDonald which didn't affect the result of a game > or a lie which resulted in the deaths of hundreds upon hundreds of > thousands of mainly innocent Iraqis? Are their deaths justified in your > own thinking because they deliberately chose to be born into a culture > which was muslim and thereby not "celtic minded"? You question the > integrity of the SFA and referees, yet as a former Secretary of > Defence, you used that position to obtain a post as an advisor to a > security firm currently working in Afghanistan for ÃÆÃâÃâ ââ¬â¢ÃÆÃ¢â¬Â âââ‰âÂ¢ÃÆÃââââ¬ÃÂ ÃÆÃ¢Ã¢ââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾ÃÂ¢ÃÆÃâÃâ ââ¬â¢ÃÆÃ¢Ã¢ââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ãâ¦ÃÂ¡ÃÆÃââââÂ¬Ã Â¡ÃÆÃ¢â¬Å¡ÃâÃÂ¯ÃÆÃâÃâ ââ¬â¢ÃÆÃ¢â¬Â âââ‰âÂ¢ÃÆÃâÃâÃÂ¢ÃÆÃ¢Ã¢ââ¬à ¡ÃâÃÂ¬ÃÆÃ¢â¬Â¦ÃâÃÂ¡ÃÆÃâÃâ ââ¬â¢ÃÆÃ¢Ã¢ââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ãâ¦ÃÂ¡ÃÆÃââââÂ¬Ã Â¡ÃÆÃ¢â¬Å¡ÃâÃÂ¿ÃÆÃâÃâ ââ¬â¢ÃÆÃ¢â¬Â âââ‰âÂ¢ÃÆÃâÃâÃÂ¢ÃÆÃ¢Ã¢ââ¬à ¡ÃâÃÂ¬ÃÆÃ¢â¬Â¦ÃâÃÂ¡ÃÆÃâÃâ ââ¬â¢ÃÆÃ¢Ã¢ââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ãâ¦ÃÂ¡ÃÆÃââââÂ¬Ã Â¡ÃÆÃ¢â¬Å¡Ãâý50,000 a year. > That type of self promotion was regarded as sleaze by new labour when > seeking office and used to attack former cabinet members who had taken > advantage of their political influence. Do you have any concept of what > integrity actually means? All the lower league clubs have been put in > an invidious financial position by the strike this weekend through no > fault of their own - how much more can you do to alienate your club > from simple football supporters? Apart from being a catalyst in this > strike you have implied that the whole of Scottish Football is involved > in a conspiracy against "celtic minded" > people - that is a wicked slur! Keep your accusations levelled at the > other Glasgow club and the west coast. The rest of Scotland is happy to > live in the 21st century. > > To sum up some people might be led to think that you are a moral, > social, religious, philosophical and political dinosaur. For my part I > congratulate you on achieving high political and football positions > along with self enrichment and aggrandisement - you have done well for > an atavistic, pusillanimous, parochial, bradyphrenic, hypocritical, > mendacious lugubrious bigot of the worst kind. Well done John, Johnny > bhoy, St John, newly self appointed spokesman of Scotland's 850,000 > catholics - don't know how you sleep at night but I assume the > medication helps. > > To conclude Jonnysaurus, and to hold a moral mirror up for you - let's > look at institutionalised bigotry. Jock Stein, by far the greatest > character in celtic's and Scottish football history was denied a place > on the board when he retired simply because he was not born "celtic > minded". Apparently 7 of the European Cup winning team were not born > "celtic minded" - bhoy, did they collude in a hidden "non celtic > minded" agenda to bring celtic the greatest moment in their history? > Work this one out shouldn't in people glass houses stones throw. Be > careful of the splinters! This letter is not anti celtic or anti > catholic - it is querying your right to stand in moral judgement on any > institution whatsoever. Do a favour to those august institutions Celtic > Football Club and the Roman Catholic Church and just stop talking in > public. It is better to stay silent and be thought a fool than to open > your mouth and prove the fact.
Perhaps your team is > not very good because you shaved an orang utang and gave it the > managers job?