It didn't take all that long after breezing out into the Paisley Rd sunshine
on Sunday May 25th before the rumours started abounding. 'You'll never
guess' a voice said to no one in particular; 'That ned Sutton has just said
publicly on air that Dunfermline lay down to Rangers.' People all around who
only caught a snatch of the news were saying 'What was that?'. And so it
went on.
By this time, and we're talking a full hour after full time, everyone seemed
to have gotten the gist of the story. Guys going by with radios were
stopped in their tracks and asked if they had heard anything? 'Yup I've
just heard it for myself' they would say. Other Rangers fans with mobiles
were phoning home and their reactions confirmed it was all true. This truly
was the icing on the cake to a memorable season. The yahoos acting with
grace and dignity in defeat like only they can.
As for Barman and myself? As soon as we got back to Partick the news was on
and up popped Sutton on screen. Everyone went quiet and then we all heard
it for ourselves. Tell you what though they are a shrewd bunch up in
Partick and the questions that night as the telly was turned back down went
something like this;
'Who did Sutton mean when he said WE all discussed it last night?'
'How can he judge the Rangers game when he hadn't had time to watch even the highlights?'
'When was the last time Celtic had scored four goals at Rugby Park?'
Then when news had emerged that Sutton had in fact been red carded twice
after the game someone else popped the following pertinent little posers;
'If you were the manager of a team who had just been pipped for the league
and one of your players had been red carded not once but twice after the
match in the referee's changing room, would you let that player represent
your club live on air afterwards?'
'Who thinks Celtic will throw the book at Sutton?'
'Who thinks Celtic will publicly apologise and distance themselves from
Sutton's statement today?'
'Surely the footballing authorities have to throw the book at him?'
Mind you I do have to admit there was widespread guffawing at those last
three questions!
And here we are six or seven weeks down the line and still Sutton has not
apologised for his quite scandalous outburst. Oh he's said he was sorry
that some people might have taken offence at the remarks, but he's never
retracted them.
Sutton's big problem is that it is only now nearly two months down the line
that we've been told just what happened in the aftermath of his becoming the
official Celtic spokesman at Rugby Park.
Let's see now, a car-load of Celtic fans driving up to Dunfermline Chairman,
John Yorkston's housing estate intent on some mindless GBH or frightening
his wife (Unbeknown to them Yorkston flew out on a club holiday immediately
after the Rangers match). Or maybe just a stoning of his windows was all
that would have ensued?
A death threat to Derek Stillie, Dunfermline's goalkeeper on the day.
And if that wasn't bad enough to be going on with even the Dunfermline
players who are Celtic fans were the recipients of some poison pen letters.
Hell hath no fury like would be fair play award winners coming up somewhere
short of a quadruple it would seem.
Now all these incidents individually or collectively are bad enough. But
Sutton's remarks become even more mind-boggling to accept when you consider that the goalkeeper of Celtic's opponents that day, Gordon Marshall, has came out in print and told us that a few of Sutton's team mates were
actually exhorting him to cheat during the game. Apparently Sutton's
colleagues were of the opinion that Marshall should have let in more goals
due to the fact that he once played for Celtic. You couldn't make it up.
Quite simply the Scottish Football Association needs to look at the
following.
Has Sutton withdrawn his remarks? The answer is NO.
Why haven't Celtic FC publicly distanced themselves from Sutton's statement?
Given the reticence of Celtic FC to discipline Sutton can we assume that
club actually does endorse what their employee said at Rugby Park?
Gordon Marshall has to be brought up before the committee and asked to name
and shame the Celtic players he implied that day wanted him to throw the
game. After all we are basically talking about match fixing and downright
cheating here.
If the authorities do not pursue this course of action then what we will be
witnessing is a whitewash and a dereliction of duties by the people in
charge of the game here in Scotland. InTIMidation will have been seen to
have carried the day once again.
Just look at what's been happening up here in Scotland in the last few
years.
- Death threats issued to Mo Johnston after he had congratulated Rangers on
winning NIAR.
- The death threats to Gordon McBride and the hassling of his family after the
1997 Ne'erday OF game.
- The car-loads of Celtic fans on the hunt for Hugh Dallas after their shame
game of 2/5/99
- The attack on Dallas' home that same night.
- The smashing of Jorg Albertz's windows in November of that year
- The attacks on another referee, Mike McCurry's, home in February this year.
- The threat of violence by Celtic's then Chief Executive because they didn't
fancy the date of a OF fixture.
- And now the intent of violence and death threats in the aftermath of Chris
Sutton's words back in May.
If the SFA refuse to take strong action this time around against Sutton and
his club. Then I fear it is only going to be a matter of time before
someone somewhere in an official capacity in Scottish football is going to
lose his life at the hands of Celtic supporters.
Yours purely and simply as a football fan,
THE GOVANHILL GUB