Over Here, Look At Us, Notice Us - We Matter

THOSE serial attention-seekers, the dark underbelly of the Celtic Family – the Green Brigade – were at it again yesterday, with their huge banner and their all-too-obvious demonstration against OBFA – the Offensive Behaviour At Football Act.

The Green Brigade's latest: "Look at us" banner, on Saturday

This blog's position on OBFA has been stated often – it is bad law, hurriedly introduced, hastily-drafted and basically flawed. That said, taking it off the statute book is not an option. I repeat what I have often said: don't bin it, amend it, because, it is needed.

From some of the stunts they have pulled over recent seasons, it is obvious, there is intelligent life among the Green Brigade, indeed, compared to the Neanderthals, content to fight 317-year-old battles and be permanently up to their knees in religiously-discriminated against blood, the GB come out rather well.

However, the weakness in their argument for their right to keep on signing is this – the notion: “We sing songs celebration the struggle for freedom – they celebrate bigotry” does not wash.

Be it 'The Fields of Athenry' or 'The Sash' there are good, rabble-rousing songs on both sides – they just have nothing to do with Scottish football and should be got rid of. That said, singing either song at a folk club – indeed, believe it or not, I have heard both sung live on TV in folk music shows – is fine. The best part of 50,000 people roaring either one out, in an effort to wind-up opposition fans in the same ground – you bet, I find that offensive.

OBFA could be rendered unnecessary within a season, if the suits along Hampden's sixth-floor corridor possessed a pair of cojones between them. All they have to do is decide: songs celebrating religious intolerance or the political and social history of the island of Ireland have no place in Scottish football; such songs are banned and, if the fans of any club sing them, then that club will be deducted points.

Bring-in zero tolerance, make the clubs responsible for their fans' behaviour and in short order, OBFA would cease. It would cease because, the clubs would have to, instead of, as at present, treating them like dirt, the clubs would have to engage with the fans, involve them, treat them with a wee bit of respect and either force or bribe them to behave.

I know, even Maggie Thatcher baulked at this, but, bring in some sort of membership scheme, with rules to be followed, and punishments for those who refuse to follow those rules, and OBFA would be a thing of the past.

The lady said: "No", but, why not club memberships?

That is the road Scottish football should go down. Trouble is, doing this would be too-much trouble for the suits. But, they cannot bury their heads in the sand for ever, perhaps better they endorse and implement change, than have it forced on them.

HOWEVER, the suits will not be, in the unlikely event they ever do, putting their minds to sorting-out OBFA for some time; they have a more-urgent and to them, important, job to do.

They have to find a buffer from fans' criticism to hide behind – a new Scotland boss to replace Wee Gordon Strachan. They have, as I suspected they would, in the short-term, handed managerial duties to big Malky Mackay, while they conduct a leisurely search for a long-term replacement for WGS. This saves them some money and buys them time.

And, whoever gets the job, though he will never be told this is the case, must not forget, his primary role is to soak-up any supporters' criticism, not rock the boat, and give the SFA Board and the club representatives no cause for alarm.

Ally's wise words on directors still apply

I have said this before and will say it again – these are the wise words of the late, great, Alistair MacLeod: “A manager is safe from the sack, only for as long as he is the focus of fan unrest; as long as they are having a go at the manager, he's safe. Once they start having a go at the board, and asking them what they are going to do about the manager – he's toast.”

In the final days of Strachan, it was all about his perceived failings – the “genetics” quote, the failure to go gung-ho at Slovenia at 1-1, the other dredged-up mistakes of the failed qualification campaign.

Nobody mentioned the fact Scottish fitba is shite and has been since at least the Souness Revolution. The fact it is easier to be capped if you're playing in the second tier in England and you qualify through a Scottish granny. The Grand Canyon-sized gap between the Under-21 team and the A team. The fact we have too-many teams of a similarly-poor standard claiming to be “senior” “professional” football clubs, when they are anything but. These are subjects never to be raised in football society.

The SFA and Scottish football is not fit for purpose. The men at the top of the game will not change things, there is nothing in it for them if they do. The fans are powerless to change it, unless there is a total boycott, and that will not happen.

We are in a mess, which nobody seems prepared to sort-out, so, best we enjoy the speculation around the next sap to take up the challenge of mission impossible, and pick-up the poisoned chalice of the Scottish team manager's job.

I think I'll change the title of this blog to “Moses”, since I feel I am a voice, crying in the wilderness.