FAITH, HOPE AND CHARITY

The Daily Record got a bit over-excited on Saturday, with multiple articles on its online edition about Neo-Gers’ victory over Partick Thistle. Apparently, they’re unbeaten since Wee Boxy took over – that’s five whole games, folks! Kreosote Kenny is back to being the greatest thing since, pardon the expression, sliced bread, while Neo-Gers have world-beaters galore among their youth. Now, there are two phrases you very rarely see together: ‘Neo-Gers’ and ‘youth’. It’s all systems go for next week’s semi-final.

Meanwhile, the signal to Celtic is clear that they can expect no favours from the man in the middle. In fact, it’s going to be quite the opposite. That shocking penalty decision is a sign of things to come, while Kreosote Kenny almost scored from what used to be a ‘Novo Special’ but has come to be a trademark move for Miller. You know the kind of thing: a blatant, game-stopping rule break by Neo-Gers; so blatant that the opposition team automatically stops play. The referee, however, completely ignores the infringement, not even signalling ‘play on’. KK is then free to run at the opposition goal. On Saturday, the ball was out of play before KK made his run, but I’ve seen players scythed down or blatant hand-balls serving the same purpose. They must practise this one at training, since they’ve been using it at both clubs, old and new, for years now. I fully expect to see it repeated next Sunday.

Club 18-72 has released a statement, of sorts, regarding the Dave King situation. All they have to say is that they’re waiting to see how things develop and what the Board’s reaction is going to be. In other words, they’re waiting until Honest Dave tells them what to say. This organisation, after all, is King’s creature and has been right from the start. Some of Club 18-72’s board have already resigned, ostensibly due to Halloween Houston’s shenanigans, but there’s probably more to it than that.

Despite the claims by Club 18-72 that it is an ‘independent’ supporters’ group, its headquarters are at Copland House, while James Blair, Neo-Gers club secretary, as well as die-hard King’s men Halloween Houston and Richard Gough, are on its board. Even many of The Peeppul don’t trust this group, especially when it comes to representing their interests. And they couldn’t be more right; the group is so deep in King’s pocket that it can’t possibly act independently.

Which brings me to a point that just occurred to me yesterday. If Phil Mac Giolla Bhain and johnjames are right and the ‘Cold Shoulder’ affects Neo-Gers’ ability to operate as a business, what’s to stop Club 18-72 stepping into the breach? It already owns shares in Neo-Gers, so it is already involved in the running of the club. It would be an easy matter for the club’s financial affairs to be operated through this group. Supporters could buy their season-books and match tickets through Club 18-72, while even the players could be paid through its bank account. Given the way the Scottish Establishment bends over backwards to accommodate Neo-Gers, this scenario could prove to be a way of letting the club still operate, while pretending to uphold the ‘Cold Shoulder’. In fact, this might well be one of the reasons why King had Club 18-72 set up in the first place.

While investigations are apparently ongoing into child abuse in Scottish football, one charity is in the forefront of standing up for victims and calling out child abusers. Unfortunately, this organisation seems to be in the same camp as the likes of Vanguard Bears. White Flowers Alba is the name of this charity and even a cursory look at its Twitter page tells you all you need to know. Their emphasis is mostly on the Catholic Church and Celtic FC. Now, there is no denying that child abuse took place at Celtic Boys Club and in the Catholic Church, but they are hardly unique in that respect. The agenda of White Flowers Alba becomes clear from some of their other tweets. One speaks of the money spent by the Vatican on flowers decorating St. Peter’s Square for Easter Sunday; another links to a report calling for the charitable status of Buckfast Abbey to be removed. This latter piece is ‘justified’ by the claim that the inhabitants of Buckfast Abbey are a ‘peadophile (sic) order of Monks’. Rather incongruously, the Twitter page also includes a wee snippet, showing Jim Baxter kicking a ball while playing for Scotland. Then again, maybe the piece of film fits in perfectly.

Fifty years ago, in 1967, ex-Rangers player Sam English died at the relatively young age of 58. Despite English’s prowess on the field, including a club record goal haul for a single season, the man is mostly known for the unfortunate accident involving Celtic goalkeeper Johnny Thompson. I think I’ve mentioned on here before that my da was acquainted with Sam English’s father, from whom he learned that Sam suffered from serious psychological problems after Thompson’s death, often relying on pills to get to sleep at night. The man was probably suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. This, no doubt, contributed to English’s early death.

Another contributory factor was the fact that English wasn’t given any time to heal. Great strides were made in the understanding of psychological illnesses during WWI and men that, at the start of the war, would have been shot for cowardice were, by the end, sent home for hospital treatment. Although the condition was called ‘Shell-Shock’, it was understood that not only the constant noise in the trenches caused it. The 1920s also saw improvement in the treatment of mental illnesses, so doctors would have understood the serious psychological pressures that English was under. Bill Struth’s idea of therapy, however, was just to shove Sam English back out into the mix. Gradually, the man’s ability on the football field faded and he was no longer the player he once was.

Struth’s obvious desire to get his money’s worth also had the effect of making English look like a heartless bastard; something over which supporters were not shy about venting their feelings. This obviously affected English as well. Not that Struth cared. Once English was no longer playing as well as he used to, Struth simply got rid of him.

The ones on Saturday that held up a banner saying of English that he was a ‘Proud, young Protestant’ obviously ignore what actually happened to the man. Maybe he started out as a ‘proud, young Protestant’ but his club and his manager turned him into a mental wreck. Perhaps a better way of honouring Sam English would be to get somebody at Ibrox to apologise retrospectively for the way he was treated.

Finally, back to charities again and one Catholic charity is doing its bit to show that there is no bitterness toward Neo-Gers, despite the disgusting, bigoted songs of The Peeppul. In fact, this charity is going out of its way to help raise a warchest for Neo-Gers’ new manager. You can see from the name of SCIAF’s latest appeal that Caixinha will have a lot to thank them for!

“Awright, boays? Ah’m Big Betty King, Billy’s better hauf. Ah’m appealin’ oan behalf-y aw the Hun wives oot there fur Celtic tae let ma man’s team win oan Sunday. Ah’m stull recoverin’ frae the broken ribs Ah goat efter that Five-Wan game. An’ Ah’m no’ jist talkin’ aboot the spare ribs Ah goat oot the Chinese. Gonny let them win? Eh? Gonny? Ah’ll gie everybody in the team a shag if yez dae!”

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