Just like when Liverpool were crowned Champions and Leeds’ promotion to the Premiership was confirmed, Rangers 55th title victory was met by thousands flocking to Glasgow, not just breaking lockdown protocol but setting off fireworks, damaging buildings and fighting with police.
The Scottish government, FA and eventually the club all said what you expect them to say, condemning the behaviour of supporters who ignored Covid guidelines just as the UK is getting close to finding light at the end of the tunnel.
Yet it’s all good for their PR boxes to tick, yet if large gatherings really concerned any of the above, more pre-emptive measures could have and should have been put in place.
I included two English clubs as examples as well to show this is a problem throughout the mindset of British Fans.
Football is a beautiful game, but it is just that …. a game.
Yes, Rangers waited a decade and Liverpool even longer to be called Champions.
Yet when you think that the Pandemic has caused people to work from home, children to be home schooled, loved ones kept apart, families separated, etc …. The price of football fans not allowed to shout and drink beer in the street is a small compromise to make.
I can only imagine the poor men and women that are not allowed to attend a funeral of their loved one. What must they be thinking of scenes in Scotland this weekend where it felt like crowds were intentionally trying to not be respectful?
What about the NHS workers who instead of claps from the public would prefer common sense?
Like taking the knee, this is something else football pays lip service too.
A 10-year-old could have worked out Ibrox was going to be surrounded by thousands of fans the second Celtic dropped points on Sunday. If those in power cared, police, club security, etc, could have had an action plan in place.
I have got confused over the last year whether our government rules are just suggestions or what can be legally implemented?
I just know it’s been a case of when, and not if, Rangers would be confirmed winners of the SPL (same with Liverpool and the PL).
So that’s a long time for the associations of both countries to make clear their expectations and spell out any consequences.
I bet you if there was a threat of the title being stripped of your club, in an instant you increase the percentage who stay indoors to celebrate.
At the very least Rangers (and Liverpool) instead of promising a future bus parade should cancel those plans as punishment for their fans for putting the welfare of others at risk.
Because that’s what zero tolerance is. It’s saying you simply won’t accept below certain standards.
By now the whole of the UK know the sacrifices their peers have made and chose to do what they want anyway so hit them where it hurts, football.
If they take a sport so seriously, they are willing to, in front of police, blatantly break guidelines designed to keep everyone safe, then they are taking the sport too seriously and would therefore benefit from their team suffering.
If Arsenal lift the Europa League (a big if) and morons set off fireworks outside the Emirates, I will say the same.
I’m a passionate Gooner but for some reason, no matter the result, I never felt the need to swear, jump on a car or smash a window.
It’s like in World Cups when you see English fans in pubs respond by throwing beer in the air. I find it contrived. I have been in that situation. Happy as anyone else, but with enough savvy that I didn’t pay London prices for a Magniers just to waste it!
There will be some readers who can’t get out of a football bubble. They will say it’s harsh to punish a club so severely. I say; say that to someone who’s buried a loved one and been told they can’t attend their funeral?
If one person becomes ill because of those scenes at Ibrox, that’s one too many. If there’s another spike and another lockdown and you gathered outside a stadium or indeed a march or to go to the beach … Then none of you can complain.
Shame on clubs and TV companies for celebrating this behaviour as well. If Sky cared, why show these fans on TV? Why laugh at fireworks being set off while Liverpool are playing?
Let’s make a rule now across the board.
Until the government says so, any fans gathering to celebrate will be in danger of the title being taken from them. As weekend scenes saw over 20 arrests, injuries and damages to property …. I would say that would count as unacceptable. I bet that would instantly reduce the next group of fans who think about heading to a stadium with beer cans and flares?
Be kind in the comments
Dan
Maybe the fans who work at the hospitals and the ones who got infected could tell us how severe the situation is?
My other half worked on ICU when the pandemic hit and the stress she was put under was shocking to see ,she was run down and emotionally drained for the first couple of months ,lack of proper PPE and not knowing what they were dealing with made it even more scary .
I lost my sense of taste and smell in April last year and haven’t regained it and probably won’t ever ,but when that happened they weren’t symptoms people were talking about ,then my misses had an antibody test in July and it came back positive ,but she and my kids had no symptoms ,so it looks likes we had it in April but I was the only one to get any symptoms.
I also know 2 other people that had the same as me and still haven’t got there senses back ,so not fun when meal times come round , but the way I look at it is I got off lightly compared to some
I am so sorry to hear your senses haven’t come back. It’s not easy to live with what you are going through. I hope they will get back eventually and wishing you and your family all the best.
It’s the only symptoms I got mate ,so
It’s not the end of the word ,I can smell
Things close up like right upto my nose and can’t taste certain things like salt and lemon ,but most stuff tastes like burnt plastic which is weird ,like I said though it could have been worse and knowing what I do from my misses and what she dealt with I’m lucky .
Very sorry to hear that Dan kit and I admire your attitude and fortitude in reacting the way you have.
It’s no joke when you live, as I do with someone who has been shielding for nearly 12 months due to medication for arthritis. The fear of catching Covid for him has been very real as it was very unlikely to have ended well for him Hopefully now that we have both had our jabs the future will be brighter not just for him but for those in the clinically extremely vulnerable categories whose lives have been in this terrible limbo.
It never ceases to surprise me how just plain thick and selfish some people are; whether it is the hordes in Glasgow or those who wilfully throw raves, parties and the like when the vast majority are trying to do the right thing for the elderly & infirm and the selfless NHS and similar workers who have worked their socks off to help save lives during this crisis
Dan Kit , I am now happy for you to win predictions
In all seriousness , credit for opening up mate
I hope it educates some
I really sympathise with you. I lost my sense of taste and smell after a chest infection over 3 years ago, nothing to do with Covid. I have regained some of it, probably about 30-40%, which is better than nothing. There is a positive though, picking up after my dog is not quite as smelly. There is a good chance that it will return fingers crossed. Good luck to you and your family!!
Thanks for sharing with us and I hope you’ll get better soon. So the government took the correct actions and the ones who never get the virus should listen to the authotities
Sue p@
You have both had the jab now so hopefully you can get on and enjoy you life, it must have been horrible having to shield for that long ,mentally more than anything else .
Let’s just hope that these things work so everyone can start to lead a normal life again .
@ Dan ,think we gotta look out for HH ,he’s shot up the last 4 weeks .
You are too modest. The gap is too big now it would take a perfect gameweek for one of us and the worst for you to close it and there is a question of consistency good results which is a hard thing to do.
I would love to be the inaugural winner but my congratulations, respect and envy in advance to whoever do it.
@ Andrew
Yea I would say I be got back probably 30 % on both senses aswell
The initial 2 weeks it was completely nothing then it started to come back slowly over the next 4-5 months and then it all stated to go to pot ,so the last 6 months everything as started to change ,feel sick from the smell of coffee and when I brush my teeth I just want to throw up and like I said on previous post I’ve got a smell of Burt plastic daily .
I’ve never heard someone losing their senses with a chest infection it’s usually with a head trauma that this happens so that’s new to for me and just asked my other half and she as said the same ,funny old world the body .
Had to laugh at your dog sh1t comment as I have two big greyhounds so like you said easy to pick it up now ,and they sh1t for England ,I don’t think I’ll get it back and it looks the same for you aswelll ,it’s just a shame I can’t really enjoy the nice meals I once enjoyed 😂
I hope you’re wrong about your senses not coming back Dan k. I used to love fish but it now smells ‘off’ to me, can’t drink coffee, smells wierd. You are so right the body is a complex bit of machinery.
I applaud your Missus, Dan. Where I am, we weren’t tested for months… then all of a sudden tested and had blood taken. I had antibodies – no idea when I supposedly had covid, but some of my colleagues have been really ill with it and others just like you are still unable to smell or taste.
A year on and we’re finally beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel…
I take my hat off to everyone that has kept us all going for the last year, it has been really, really tough, but we’re getting there!
It is strange sue ,as my misses is asthmatic and the slightest bit of dust will set her off but she had this with no symptoms .
What humane person could possibly argue with a single word of this thoughtful, decent but, sadly, necessary(for SOME fans, though not most) article!
It is at times like this ghastly worldwide pandemic that wiser folks everywhere learn what is and what is not most important in life. And though we all on JA are obviously passionate football fans, it should not need – but clearly does for SOME – articles such as this to show us the proper way forward.
Celebrating a title win especially after a long break is a footballing tribal rite
which for some transcends any other form of social mores.
Winning the title demands a public display of power and bragging rights in the never ending turf war football engenders.
Yes it is disrespectful in every way the writer states but football fans are sometimes a law unto themselves so no one ought to be surprised.
Mob mentality is never far from the surface in any society and football is actually a healthy vent for millions of young men devoid of any chance of glory in their life time.
It could have been better.
It could have been a hell of a lot worse.
I agree wholeheartedly with everything said in this article. Why so called fans celebrating a title feel the need to trash the place is beyond me. Unfortunately some fans think they are above the law and I blame the authorities for not handing out stricter punishments.
One thing for sure is there is no danger of our fans ever being accused of celebrating a league title!!
Terrific article Dan, as per usual. I can understand the need to celebrate an achievement but not at the expense of others. These thoughts go out of the window when alcohol hits the brain!!
My wife has likewise worked in critical care since the start of the pandemic, so we have lived in an incredibly “tight” bubble since last March, which included only seeing family members visa vie zoom calls during holiday season and for birthdays…both my children have seen no friends in person since last September and have continued their respective studies in an online capacity…as such, I have no patience for those who believe that celebrating a footballing title is worthy of showing blatant disregard towards covid guidelines…I can only hope that anyone who partook in this event were dealt with harshly, especially those who didn’t even have the decency to mask-up and/or who wantonly damaged property during this celebration…I’ve spent a lot of years playing and watching high level sports, which means I’ve experienced a variety of crazy celebratory gigs, some that I would be embarrassed to even speak of now, but never did I ever contemplate smashing sh** or endangering others during the celebration process…I tend to find that those who usually engage in such f’d up behaviour are oftentimes individuals who do this kind of sh** on the reg and these situations just provide them with the perfect opportunity to display their fing ignorance with little chance of suffering the usual consequences of such actions…hopefully something can be learned from this situation, but I highly doubt it…take care and stay safe
what a wonderful article, honesty at its best i think.well done to the author, keep up such telling articles. and mr.dan kit, i am so sorry to hear of your situation, you are so brave to have opened up to us. well done to you and your extremely brave other half, stay safe, both of you.
Life is about living. It’s been a hard and sad year for many people around the world and for many of hte people celebrating I’m sure. It’s understandable everyone is not always making the right decisions. I’ll be honest though, their joy makes me a little happy to see. I know that’s not the proper opinion but people do need that bit of hope and light sometimes so 🤷♂️
I find some people’s views on covid flying in the face of logic . I live in nz and we’ve done quite well at handling the pandemic . A Friend of mine(who I considered quite intelligent)complained that the our lockdown was a waste of time as he hasn’t personally heard of anyone with it . When I explained it was because the lockdown worked , he just couldn’t comprehend it . Some people just dont get it no matter what . Another good article Dan but the ones yr trying to educate simply will never understand. My heart goes out to everyone out there who has been tragically affected by this horrible pandemic