Into the Bear Pit…
As a young, wide‑eyed and impressionable 13‑year‑old, I had the most spontaneous and joyous of days when my legendary cousin Murdo, a truck driver, came to visit my family. The year was 1990, and Glasgow was enjoying the spotlight as European City of Culture.
My young mind was mesmerised by him. He was handsome, had a quirky Stornoway‑by‑way‑of‑America accent, had charisma and an easy way about him. He drove a truck and slept in his cabin — what an adventurous life that seemed to me at that age.
For reasons unknown, during that visit he took me on a trip to see Burns Cottage in Alloway. What a feeling, sitting in the passenger seat of his truck, looking out from such a high vantage point. He listened to cool music too — he was also a MOD singer.
Then, after the drive to Alloway, back in Glasgow (again for reasons unknown) he took me to Ibrox to see Rangers v Dundee United. I should clarify that I was already a Celtic fan since at least 1985 — like I say, I was impressionable.
My memories of the match itself are vague, but I remember the atmosphere vividly. It was strangely hostile. Almost disturbing. I witnessed grown men near where I stood in the terrace actually piercing poppy flowers through their unpierced earlobes. Imagine what that does to a young kid’s mind. I was gobsmacked by the visceral nature of it. It seemed almost ritualistic. That memory stays with me, of course.
The other memory that stuck is the shift in my cousin’s demeanour as United ran out 2–1 winners. He was in such a rush to get away that I almost wasn’t able to pick up the 50p I found on the pavement as he dragged me homeward. Double bonus — Rangers lose and I’m 50p up. I continue to adore my cousin despite his mood change that day.
And that day brings me neatly to tomorrow’s League Cup Quarter‑Final at Ibrox. Glasgow was being polished up for the world in 1990 — European City of Culture, a city in transformation — yet inside that ground the old menace was unmistakable. I saw it as a kid. And now, decades later, the authorities still don’t understand it.
The fact that Police Scotland felt the need to visit Celtic players at their training ground — and the way this scenario has been reported — raises serious questions. If we believe the media reports, the police were there to remind Celtic players about the potential consequences of their behaviour during the match. Really? What have these Celtic players ever done to deserve a pre‑emptive rebuke from Police Scotland?
What does this say about the state of Scottish football? And what does it say about Police Scotland’s ability to manage a volatile fixture?
This is a significant mis‑step by the police. In fact, it’s a horrendous misjudgement. I’m beginning to wonder if Chief Commissioner Cameron Miekelson is leading this ramshackle operation and Scot Squad was actually a documentary. It’s amateur, and if anything it’s more likely to incite the kind of ugly scenes they’re posturing so desperately to avoid.
Here’s an idea: police the fans within that stadium who will be spewing their bile long before our players even arrive. Hold them to account. Pen them in if you have to. I sincerely hope it doesn’t happen, but what if there’s another incursion onto the field like the mob that surged toward Celtic in the last cup match? Only this time, the only target would be our players. What then? What accountability do the police accept in that scenario? I dread to think what this miscalculation might lead to.
This is sport. It should be treated as such. The political manoeuvring has no place here.
As for the actual football match that’s apparently due to take place tomorrow, anything can happen — it usually does in this fixture. I worry that our Glasgow rivals have been wasting chances in recent matches, and our team have been coughing up chances all too easily. That’s a worrying thought. We know what this fixture demands. Team selection will be key. We need players who are up for the fight, ready to work, and ready to use everything that’s been reported recently as added motivation to turn up and turn them over.
We create chances too. We must make the most of those that present themselves on the day. Let’s have a match played in the right spirit for a change, and let everyone who attends — in any capacity — get home safely, remembering a sporting spectacle rather than whatever the police seem convinced might occur.
