The Secret's Oot - The Hampden High Heid Yins Don't Want To Know About Bad Behaviour

ONE OF my fellow coffin dodgers - who retired after a lengthy career in the City of Glasgow then Strathclyde Police forces had seen him elevated to senior management rank and installed as Match Commander at Ibrox - has a story of how, during David Murray's custodianship of Rangers, he had seen Alistair Hood, the club's celebrated security officer, tear-up their season ticket books, in the presence of fans who had misbehaved inside the ground.

Alistair Hood, left, with Louis Van Gaal - had a way of dealing with unruly fans

“I thought the measure was a bit extreme, but, when you compare behaviour then with now – it worked. There seems to me, to be a lot more unacceptable behaviour today than back in my day,” my pal continued.

Mind you, an old school cop – who rose from pounding the beat in the city centre to his final high rank – he has always been an implacable opponent of OBFA (the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act), which will be debated and probably repealed in Holyrood tomorrow.

“There was nothing wrong with the previous Laws – Breach of the Peace and so-forth – if used properly,” he added; thereby confirming one of the arguments in favour of repealing OBFA.

Today, further oil has been poured on the flames or troubled waters of sectarianism and intolerable behaviour in Scottish football, by the BBC's revelation that past and current SPFL match delegates have seen reports of unacceptable behaviour at games “swept under the carpet” by the Hampden High Heid Yins.

I am not surprised at this development. Sectarianism was famously described, by former First Minister Jack McConnell, as: “Scotland's Secret Shame”. Maybe so Jack, but, Scottish football's not-so-secret shame is the fact: there is one law for the Bigot Brothers, and a different law for everyone else.

Chris McLaughlin - shining light on Hampden jiggery-pokery

In a piece to camera on the lunchtime BBC Shortbread news today, Chris McLaughlin highlighted incidents, from this season, which Match Delegates had reported to the SPFL, which were not followed-up on. It was quite clear, most of these acts of unacceptable and offensive behaviour were perpetrated by fans of You Know Who.

There wasn't much which Margaret F Thatcher (you all can guess what the F stands for!!) did with which I agreed. But, I was with her all the way when she considered a plan, put forward by the barely-remembered and now deceased Tory back bencher David Evans MP. Mr Evans was also Chairman of Luton Town FC, a club not without its history of unruly fans, and Evans suggested clubs made attendance at matches a “Members-only” basis. This would be a means of having greater control over fans' behaviour, but, such was the outcry and opposition, from rival clubs, the FA and the Football League and from elsewhere on the Tory benches, Thatcher, initially supportive of the move, was forced to back-off and Evans's plan came to nothing.

The late David Evans MP - his plan was so-revolutionary, even Maggie would not touch it

I felt at the time, it was the basis of a great move. It needed a lot of further work, but, had the game been prepared to go beyond its initial knee-jerk rejection, football today would, I am sure, be a different game.

Just imagine, if the European norm of “Strict Liability” was brought into Scottish football. First rendition of “Up to our knees etc” or chant of “Up the RA” or whatever – a fine. Second time around – a heftier fine. Third and all future renditions – points deducted. I reckon the clubs would not hang around waiting for the penalties, but, would be banning fans and keeping better order.

I believe, with membership schemes, policing and security costs would reduce, the atmosphere would improve and, with records of who their fans were, the clubs would have better feed-back and be better able to engage with fans, along the way, probably persuading them to spend more.

Also, in Members Only sections of the ground, it would surely be possible to sell alcohol further raising match-day income.

Sunday's disgraceful spectacle of that march from the Louden Tavern to Ibrox has greatly excited the msm; well, it gives them another excuse to avoid checking-out the impending financial clusterfuck around Rangers.

The Polis have been taking pelters for allowing the march to happen. Perhaps for the best, better than a full-scale Police v Public scrap on Copeland Road and the ensuing accusations of police brutality and over the top heavy-handed policing.

But, I wonder if, when the Louden Tavern's licence next comes-up for renewal, there will not perhaps be a Police objection, on the grounds of allowing an unauthorised, illegal march, to set-off from the premises. There is more than one way to skin a cat after all.

FINALLY, I close today on a sad note – We're oot, after Aberdeen won last night's William Hill, Scottish Cup, quarter-final replay, against Kilmarnock, at Rugby Park.

To get 7500 Killie fans inside RP, on a midweek night in March, is proof positive of the Stevie Clarke factor in the club's rise from the depths. I couldn't be there, but, I was gutted as I listened to the game on radio. The longer we went without scoring, the more that: it isn't going to happen feeling grew.

Freddie Woodman - came back to haunt Kilmarnock, and no mistake

Then, when it went to penalties, I had that horrible notion, Freddie Woodman would come back to haunt us, and he did; while not having Boydie on the park to take one was one successful penalty we were not getting.

I really thought this might be our year for the Scottish, but, living in hope is something you become used to when you sign-up to follow Killie. Good luck to the Dons in the semi-final.

I thought Stevie McLean got that offside call wrong, denying us what would most-probably have been an extra time winner. And, no, I do not believe these calls even themselves out.

Stewart McLean - might not have been pleased with his son last night

 

We wuz robbed, and the ref's faither, Stewart, a Killie Legend and Hall of Fame member too.