The Split

 

The Split

Brendan Behan, author, raconteur and one time IRA volunteer once joked that the first item on the agenda of any Dublin IRA meeting was always the split. There is a grain of truth in his assertation that there is a quarrelsome and fractious part of the Celtic soul. The founding generation of Celtic FC would doubtless agree with that as there were those who dropped out at an early stage as others, described as the ‘more pushy types,’ took over in those early days.

We saw the breakaway Glasgow Hibernians formed by James Quillin, a former Celtic committee member who disliked the way he saw Celtic going in 1889 and became embroiled in messy squabbling with other Celtic committee members in the press. He had initially invited Edinburgh Hibernians to relocate to Glasgow and when they refused, he and others who became known as ‘Quillinites’ founded the new Glasgow Hibernians FC. His vision was that the new club be modelled on the Edinburgh club and that players be drawn from the Irish Catholic community. They set up home in what is today Richmond Park, by the river Clyde and wore tops with vertical green and maroon stripes. Celtic watched from a distance as the new club rose and then vanished within 18 months, laden with debt. It’s interesting to think what the football landscape of Scotland would have looked like had Glasgow Hibernians survived, but with most of their target audience already committed to Celtic, their growth may have been limited.

Down through all the years that Celtic has existed, there has always been dissention, though most of it was led by people who wanted only the best for the club. Today’s AGM ended amid farcical scenes as a well-prepared and coordinated group of shareholders, heckled, chanted and generally made the smooth running of the meeting very difficult. Initial viewing of what went on suggest a more measured approach might have lent itself to close questioning of directors on their failings. In a sense they gave the board all the excuses they needed to halt proceedings and avoid serious scrutiny. They may reflect on that and conclude it was a tactical error.

Dermot Desmond, Celtic biggest shareholder (though not owner as is often reported) sent his son Ross to read a statement in his absence. It proved to be incendiary in its content. Among other things he said: ‘There is no doubt we make mistakes and try to learn from them, but we will not be bullied by aggressive factions.’ Desmond also claimed the protesters were "people whose only vocation in life is being anti-establishment.”  These comments were met by anger from some in the hall and there were chants of sack the board’ and the meeting was wound up by Peter Lawwell. Celtic released a short statement on the club website later in the day which said…

‘Regrettably, due to the continuing disruptive conduct of a small number of individuals preventing the orderly management of today’s AGM, we were required to conclude the meeting earlier than we had planned. Such conduct is completely unacceptable and hugely disappointing, and while today’s events are completely out-with our control, clearly, we regret the impact on our shareholders who were deprived of the opportunity to take part in an orderly and constructive meeting.’

Various Celtic podcasts and social media accounts are predictably focussing on Ross Desmond’s seemingly harsh words for the ‘bullies’ and ‘anti-establishment’ types, seeing them as a direct slander on fans trying to force the club to change and give the support a team to be proud of. They are remarkably quiet about the boorish behaviour of a minority which had the AGM abandoned, seeing it as legitimate protest. Perhaps those protesting realise that their suggestions and ideas for the way forward would have little chance of success given the percentage of shares held by the board and their allies? Either way, the board has performed poorly in certain aspects of their remit, and seemed to admit as much, but surely an orderly meeting would have allowed for questioning and a much closer scrutiny of their actions and perceived inactions?

The immediate way forward looks fraught as neither side looks like backing down. The board hold most of the cards at the moment as they control the majority of the shares in the club. Those protesting need to put in place a realistic vision of the way forward that goes beyond suggesting mass resignations of board members. Who is likely to come in and buy Celtic shares worth tens of millions of pounds? Who will ensure they are the right people to lead Celtic forward?  The current board is widely regarded as being financially prudent to the degree that Celtic have been called the best run club in the UK. That being said, they made a horrendous mess of the summer transfer window, communicate poorly and totally mishandled the departure of Brendan Rodgers. The statement released by Dermot Desmond in the wake of Rodgers’ departure was graceless and unnecessarily vindictive. A Celtic representative should be above such things.

This unholy mess has come at a time when the team is dealing with an injury list as long as your arm and facing a run of very tough fixtures domestically and in Europe. There is a clear disconnect between a section of the Celtic support and those running the club. How big that section of the support is remains to be seen.  The Celtic support as a whole is divided and that is not healthy. Some agree with the reasons the fans protesting but not the methodology utilised. Others feel the whole thing is affecting the team at a time when they need our backing.  I tend to think that talking is the way forward. We tend not to hear each other when we shout. We all want the same thing; a thriving, forward thinking, competitive football club so let’s sit around the table like adults and see how we can achieve this. As Brendan Behan said…

“The best way to escape from a problem is to solve it.”

 

 

Jigsaw

 

Jigsaw

Jazzer watched the muscular Moussa Dembele pirouette like a ballet dancer and flip the ball over his own head with deft precision. The startled Manchester City goalkeeper was totally caught out and as 60,000 fans held their breath, the ball, a white blur under the lights, flashed past him and into the net.  James ‘Jazzer’ McDonald felt a familiar surge of energy rip through him as he leapt from his seat in the packed Jock Stein stand. His brother, Tam, was already shrieking in his face and embracing him as Celtic Park erupted. A tsunami of noise and joy spilled from the stands and onto the field as this incredible football match totally entranced those watching. When the seething mass of humanity behind the Manchester City goal calmed a little, Tam pointed to Jazzer’s phone lying on the concrete step at his feet. ‘Best not lose that tonight, bro,’ he said, his grin as wide as the Clyde. As the songs boomed around the stadium, Jazzer picked up his phone and glanced at the screen. There were thankfully no cracks but his faced changed when he saw the notifications saying he had 8 missed calls and 7 unread messages.

 As play raged from one end of the field to the other, he quickly scanned his messages before saying to his brother, ‘Clare’s in labour. I need to go.’ Tam shook his head, ’och, talk aboot bad timing.’ He handed his brother the keys of his car. ‘I’ll let you know the final score. Off ye go and good luck.’ The walkway under the stand was almost deserted and a group of yellow coated stewards stood under a TV watching the game. ‘I hate tae bother you guys,’ Jazzer said, ‘but need tae get oot; family emergency.’ One of the stewards tutted and exhaled in an exasperated manner. ‘Right, follow me.’ He unbolted the big metal exit door and Jazzer slipped out of the noisy stadium and walked quickly along a deserted Janefield Street. He turned onto Holywell Street and headed towards the Forge retail park, where his brother’s car was parked. The streets were eerily quiet, although the low rumbling from the stadium drifted into the dark sky like distant artillery fire. Most folk were likely watching the football on tv, he thought to himself. He located the car quickly and was soon driving towards the Royal Infirmary, the radio blaring out commentary from Celtic Park.

Paul Magnus McDonald took his first breath at 11.03 pm on the 28^th day of September 2016. Jazzer had made it to the delivery room on time and only realised he still had his Celtic scarf on when the midwife handed him his son. He and his wife Clare had just stared at their son for the longest time as if they couldn’t believe that they had brought this little miracle into being. His phone was buzzing with people asking about the baby or talking about the match with Manchester City, but he ignored it. His universe had shrunk to the small room occupied by him, Clare and their beautiful boy.

 Wee Paul was a joy to his parents in that first year. While Clare liked nothing better than to dress him up and take him out in his pram, Jazzer was already thinking long term and placed his son’s name on the Celtic season ticket waiting list. It was around Paul’s first birthday that they both noticed some odd behaviours. He stopped making eye contact with them and didn’t respond to his name. He never smiled and was unresponsive to the games they tried to play with him. They would sing to him, tickle him and wave soft toys in front of him, but his responses were minimal. Clare had looked at Jazzer one day and said, ‘I think we should take him to the doctor. Maybe his eyes need checked?’

 ‘Autism?’ said Jazzer. ‘What the hell is autism?’ The doctor smiled, ‘Mr McDonald. You have a beautiful, healthy boy but he is not what we call neuro-typical. He’ll see the world differently from others but he’ll still need your love and support.’ Jazzer looked at his wife. ‘No fears there, doc. We both love the bones of that wee guy. Can you tell us what tae expect in the years ahead and what we can do tae help him.’ The doctor nodded, ‘the first thing you can do is to be prepared for the ignorance of others. Your son is different; not worse, not better than other children, but different. Some people with no experience of autism will assume any unusual behaviour they see is down to poor parenting or lack of discipline. You’ll need to develop a thick skin as you guide your son through the years ahead. Time will tell how profound or not his autism is, but you will face a lot of challenges.’ The doctor spoke to them for twenty minutes on what was likely to happen as Paul developed. They listened avidly, determined to learn and determined do their very best for their son.

 Over the next few years, Jazzer read books, articles and even took part in workshops on autism as he and Clare learned how best to understand their son and to help him deal with an unpredictable world. He met other parents with children on the spectrum and soon learned that despite their similarities in some ways, every child was a unique individual. Paul’s sensitivity to noise meant that there was no chance he could join his father at the football. Jazzer would watch him line up his toy cars every day as if he was trying to bring order to the chaos of the world. Repetitive play was one feature of autism Jazzer had learned to accept. He soon learned that James would also flap his hands when he was becoming stressed and Jazzer took this as his cue to find the cause and remedy the situation. There were occasional meltdowns in shops and the odd broken nights’ sleep, but there were also times when Paul was gentle and loving. He’d sit on his dad’s lap while Jazzer read stories to him or played with his sensory toys.

Jazzer could see the occasional accusatory looks from people when Paul was overstimulated in a public place and expressed his stress by acting out. He’d hear the occasions mutters from those with no idea why Paul was upset. Once, when Paul was having something of a meltdown in a big shopping centre, he saw a man wearing a small coloured badge in the shape of a jigsaw on his lapel, approach. He smiled and said quietly, ‘it could be the lights here but more likely the noise. You can get good ear defenders in the tool store. They’ll help.’ Jazzer didn’t catch his name but it was good to meet someone who understood. He also took his advice. Paul wore his ear defenders any time they headed out and it helped him cope in noisy environments.

 In was in the spring of 2023 that Paul first showed any awareness of football. He had seen his dad head out to the match most weekends for just about all of his life but seldom took any notice. Jazzer and his brother sat on the couch watching the cup final between Celtic and Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Paul had been out in the garden enjoying the bright sunshine with his mum, but came wandering in to see what the noise was after Kyogo Furuhashi put Celtic ahead. He gazed at his father and uncle who looked very happy, and much to Jazzer’s surprise squeezed onto the couch beside him and gazed at the tv. Jazzer turned the volume down slightly but his son seemed happy enough just to watch the movement on the screen. When Leil Abada scored to make it 2-0 for Celtic, Jazzer’s celebration was more subdued as he didn’t want to startle Paul. He sat quite happily until the game finished and Celtic had won 3-1. As the cup was being hoisted into the air, Paul looked at his father and said simply, ‘outside.’ He got up and wandered back into the garden, leaving his father and uncle to enjoy the celebrations.

It was at the start of the following season when Jazzer was in the pub with Tam discussing their team’s prospects for the year ahead, when a chance remark got Jazzer thinking. One of their friends, a bearded plumber by the name of Eddie, was taking his daughter to her first ever game. He had chosen the upcoming testimonial match for James Forrest as tickets were freely available. ‘Should be a good match for the wee yin tae start her Celtic watching career,’ he said, sipping his beer. ‘You ever think of taking Paul tae the game?’ Jazzer shook his head. ’He has a sensitivity tae noise, even with his ear protectors on, he might not handle it.’  Eddie looked at him, ‘Jazzer,’ he said, ‘have ye not heard Celtic have a soundproof sensory room now for kids on the spectrum tae watch the matches? My cousin takes her wee one, she tells me it’s great.’ Jazzer shook his head, ‘I had no idea mate. You think I could take Paul?’ His friend nodded, ‘haud oan, I’ll phone my cousin and get the details.’ Jazzer looked at his brother Tam, who smiled encouragingly. Tam knew how much it would mean to his big brother to take his son to Celtic Park. He hoped it could be made to happen.

Tuesday, August 1^st 2023 was the day that Athletic Club from Spain came calling to play in James Forrest’s testimonial. When Jazzer got home from his work, he saw that Paul was already wearing his Celtic shirt. Clare looked at him, ‘if he not managing, bring him home. OK?’ Jazzer nodded, ‘but it’s a proper sensory room like the one at school. The only difference is it’s in a football stadium. He’ll be fine.’ They set of early with Paul strapped into his booster seat in the car and headed to Celtic Park. The streets were still quiet around the stadium, though the flag and scarf sellers were in position as Jazzer and Paul made their way to the Lisbon Lions stand.

As he stood gazing up at the huge stand, Jazzer felt a little emotional. His great grandfather, a navvy from Donegal, had watched McGrory and John Thompson here. His grandad had seen Tully, Evans and Stein play the game. His father had grown up watching the Lisbon Lions sweep all before them. Jazzer had enjoyed watching Larsson, Sutton and Lubo strut their stuff. Now, Paul, would be the fifth generation of his family to enter Celtic Park. Whether he watched any of the football remained to be seen, but that might come in time.

The sensory room was called the Lions’ View and was tastefully decorated in green and white stripes. There were sensory toys, lights and bean bags strategically placed and the whole room gave the impression of being very well thought out. A row of soft chairs sat by the double-glazed window and Jazzer lifted Paul up to get his first glimpse of the stadium. ‘Look, Paul,’ he smiled, adjusting his son’s ear protectors, ‘Celtic Park.’ Paul seemed more interested in the autumn leaves being projected onto the floor and squirmed free of his father. He lay on the floor with several other children, entranced by the lights and the feel of the screen, Jazzer let him be. It was his first time here and he was entitled to just getting to know the place.

Jazzer strategically placed himself by the side of the window as the muffled sounds of the crowd told him the game was underway. Despite keeping a close eye on his son, he did see Reo Hatate score for Celtic in an exciting first half which ended with Athletic club 2-1 ahead. The second half saw Celtic pile on the pressure and Bernabei equalised. The roar from David Turnbull’s winning goal was just about audible through the glass. To Jazzer’s surprise, Paul climbed into one of the high, soft chairs and gazed out at the celebrating Celtic players. He pointed out towards the pitch and said in a low voice, ‘Celtic.’ It was only one word, but Jazzer felt a wave of emotion sweep though him. ‘Aye, son, it bloody is,’ he said. He knew then that Paul would not be a stranger to Celtic Park. A watching mother slipped him a handkerchief. ‘You too?’ she smiled. Jazzer nodded, ‘what are we like, eh?’

Driving with the brakes on

 

Driving with the brakes on

Watching Celtic deservedly defeat Rangers at Hampden Park in the league cup semi-final at the weekend was as exciting as it was refreshing. The first half saw Celtic move the ball forward faster and the Hoops players were unafraid to turn the Rangers defence with long balls behind their back line. It wasn’t perfect and the team conceded a few chances but it was a refreshing change from Brendan Rodgers’ preferred tactic of keeping the ball away from the opposition. Celtic managed 21 attempts on the Rangers goal with their more direct, aggressive approach and really should have been out of sight in that first 45 minutes. Their energy and aggression forced errors from a Rangers defence that were glad to reach half time just one goal behind.

Brendan Rodgers was a terrific manager for Celtic as his trophy haul testifies, but since the turn of the year, Celtic have been difficult to watch. The recycling of the ball from left to right and back again in some games saw the Celtic centre backs with more touches of the ball than any other players on the field. This reached its nadir in the Scottish cup final with Aberdeen, when Celtic had 82% possession and fashioned just one clear cut chance in 95 minutes of football. O’Neill proved against Rangers that if you are aggressive and risk losing the ball by playing the odd 50-50 pass, then you create more chances and give the fans a much better spectacle to watch.

Watching Celtic this past six months or so reminded me of that classic 1980s Del Amitri song which contains the lyric; ‘When you're driving with the brakes on, when you're swimming with your boots on…’ Celtic under O’Neill looked liberated from that philosophy and played with the sort of freedom and speed the team has been lacking in recent months. The coaching philosophy seems to have changed and the team look the better for it. They weren’t perfect by any means, they gave the opposition the ball more than I would have liked but they were hungry again, eager to get at the Rangers defence. It was much more encouraging than that tepid display at Tynecastle.

One has to wonder at Rodgers team selection for the match at Tynecastle when he played inexperienced, young players in the toughest away venue in the league at the moment. You need experience and dig in those matches and much as I’m all for youngsters getting their chance, it seemed as if the manager was making a point about the threadbare nature of the squad. He had a £6m centre back in the form of Austin Trusty on the bench as well as the seasoned Anthony Ralston, a player who has seldom, if ever, let the team down.

Martin O’Neill is an old fox who knows the game inside out. He spotted immediately Celtic’s lack of physicality and drafted Trusty, Ralston, Kenny and Osmond into the squad. He also let the likes of Reo Hatate know that he’d need to earn his place in midfield with more consistent performances. We all know Celtic’s lack of options in attack have been a source of frustration lately, but the enthusiasm, energy and movement provided by Kenny and Osmond augur well for the future. The two young forwards found the net and could well have scored more. Celtic looked a more aggressive, direct, strong running side and Martin O’Neill’s fingerprints were all over that approach.

Encouraging as the past two matches have been, Celtic now face a very difficult trip to Denmark to face FC Midtjylland. The Danes are currently top of the Europa League having won all three games played so far, including a victory away to Nottingham Forrest. They are no mugs, as those results suggest, and Celtic will need to be on their game to stand any chance of returning home with a decent result. Those European matches will provide an excellent testing ground for the progress Celtic are making and allow the squad to be utilised more fully.

I suspect though, Europe is something of a distraction at the moment as Celtic set their sights on running down Hearts in the SPFL. We are approaching the end of the first quarter of the league season and Derek McInnes will know that the SPFL is a marathon and not a sprint. Celtic will doubtless look to chip away at their lead until they come calling at Celtic Park in December. That game will be a real test of Hearts’ mettle and it remains to be seen if Celtic are still under the guidance of Martin O’Neill or if a new manager is in place. Either way the next couple of months will go a long way to deciding what sort of season Celtic has. The fixtures will come thick and fast and it is noticeable that Celtic will be playing Roma just three days before the League Cup Final with St Mirren. That’s the price of success and we just need to deal with it.

As for Rangers, I think they have a good, young coach who will make them better. It’s up to Celtic to invest wisely, appoint the right coach and stay ahead of them. The lingering hubris of their supporters who yearn for the days when they ruled the roost in Scotland continues to fade as the harsh reality of living within your means hits home. Their predicament reminds me of the phrase "when you're accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression." Celtic have the resources to keep ahead of them but need to use them well and not repeat the sort of transfer window we saw in the summer. We should emerge stronger from each window, not weaker.

I enjoyed the league cup semi-final with Rangers. It reminded me of times past when such games were exciting, end to end dramas with goals, incidents and talking points. It was good to see Celtic set free to really go after their opponents. O’Neill has taken the hand brake off and the weeks ahead should be quite a ride.