Lennon

Rinty · Lennon

I cannot believe the ill will that follows Neil Lennon in our media.

He received EXACTLY the same ban as a Hearts player who committed a more serious offence yet the tabloids and refs are "outraged".

The Hearts player last year got a three match ban for physically barging an official and another 3 match ban for getting TWO red cards. Lennon verbally abused an official and got the same 3 match ban and one match for his ONE red card. Seems balanced, fair and reasonable to me, unless of course we think that Northern Ireland catholics or ginger nappers should be treated differently.

The referee involved showed Lennon a red card for comments made at the end of the match. Yet when Lennon blew his top and reacted the way he did, even the ref did not give him another Red or even yellow card.

If he had, then I could see his point, but if he thought that Lennons reaction didn't even deserve a yellow card, why is a three game ban insufficient?

As usual, only Graeme Speirs in the Herald showed any kind of balanced response. The rest of the tabloids seemed to be disgusted that they couldn't rid Scottish football of their most hated "uppity fenian".

Lennon, By the way, had never been red carded before and has never been suspended in Scotish football as he has never accrued enough bookings in one season to cross the points barrier.

Makes you wonder what all the fuss is about and why he is so hated. I wonder....

azzuri

He's hated so much because he's an arrogant little s**t who deliberately tries to rile opposition fans.

parkhead_rfb

why is aidan mcgeady booed at most away grounds as well then? lets all be honest and face up to the fact that he is hated so much mostly because of the fact hes an irish catholic celtic player from the occupied six counties. Anti irish feeling doesnt begin and end with rangers and its time people woke up to this. For evidence of this look at the motherwell support when celtic come to fir park and also hearts, in particular the scottish cup semi final when they booed the minutes silence.

azzuri

I hate this celtic paranoia thing.

get over yourselves.

Personally I and most others couldn't give a toss where lennon is from or his religion. Lennon is an arrogant little s**t who tries to deliberately wind up opposition fans and players.

He plays just within the laws of the game at times and is seen as a 'cheat' by opposition fans - that is why they boo him.

Thats like saying opposition fans hate petrov because he's bulgarian - which is absolutely ridiculous - they hate him cos he's a diving cheat.

azzuri

And on the Aidan McGeady thing - he chose to represent another country despite having been born and bred here. Scotland lack a depth of quality players at the moment and he would've got into the team no problem. People resent this as it only ignites futher secterian tension between the bigot sisters of problems.

He is seen as a turncoat - are you saying he wouldn't have been booed if he'd chosen to play for England over Scotland under the same circumstances?

parkhead_rfb

would you say the same if a black player had opted to play for the birth country of his parents? aidan is not a "turn coat" as you put it he is someone who has been brought up to have pride in his familys roots, his father was a teacher at my school and he was similarly proud of his irish roots, in the same way i am of mine.

also you talk about paranoia but what other club in scotland has managed to have the chairman of the sfa sacked for deliberately withholding the registration of a player? which other club has been asked to remove the flag of another nation simply because they find it offensive? which other clubs players were regularly booed by large sections of the scotland support?

just because were paranoid doesnt mean they aint out to get us.

azzuri

oh dear

who is 'us' by the way?

SLG

If I brought up kids outside Scotland, I would expect them to consider themselves Scottish at least in part. If they were good at football then I would definately expect them to choose Scotland. I think he's third generation Irish though, but fair enough, it's up to him. I think folk here were just disappointed because we need all the decent players we can get. The fact that he's white, or Irish (except for the real bigots) hasn't got anything to do with it in my opinion.

I also heard that the SFA wanted nothing to do with the guy a few years ago, and that was when the Irish FA came in, and provided him with a lot of support etc. Seems like a missed oportunity on our part.

No point being bitter about it though.

parkhead_rfb

the irish community in scotland. the same people who have been murdered on several occasions for wearing the colours of their football team, has this happened to any other club in scotland?

there is somekind of myth in scotland that sectarianism only exists in the west of scotland and between celtic and rangers but i can tell you from personal experience that you can be called a "fenian b****rd" at many other grounds than ibrox.

azzuri

certainly no point in being bitter about it.

I would rather have a less talented player giving 100% for the jersey knowing that he wanted to play for Scotland.

and no - I wouldn't treat a black player any differently.

parkhead_rfb

i see you avoided the point about celtic fans being murdered simply for wearing the jersey, that must not fit into your nice celtic and rangers are as bad as each other way of thinking, same as my points about bigotry in other grounds in scotland.

SLG

parkhead_rfb

yes but to the bigot a celtic top represents all of those things and to them screams "fenian b****rd"

the cases i am referring to are the boy who was killed by jason campbell in the bridgeton area and the murder of mark scott. graeme speirs is the only mainstream journalist to bring up the fact that a disproportionately high number of celtic fans have been attacked.

SLG

This is always the problem. Separating the sectarianism from the rivalry between football teams (esp the Old Firm). Folk shout stuff at matches all the time. Is 'fenian b****rd' worse than 'sheep-shagging b****rd'?

SLG

By the way, ah'm a proddy Hibs fan who has been called a 'fenian b****rd' by Rangers fans in the past.

parkhead_rfb

has anyone ever lost their life due to being perceived as being a sheep shagger? has any footballer ever had death threats painted in his hometown and also in glasgow due to being percieved as a sheep shagger?

you also say especially the old firm but i would argue that hearts and motherwell are equally as bad in terms of sectarianism it just isnt noted as much as they dont have the same numbers of fans. that certainly wasnt a minority booing the minutes silence for the pope during the scottish cup semi final.

azzuri

The, "It's no just us - it's them too!" excuse just doesn't cut it with me mate.

parkhead_rfb

of course it doesnt because you would rather bury your head in the sand and blame it all on the old firm.

azzuri

thats right - in the same way I've admitted more than once that it's not just a football problem but a Scottish Society problem. Rolling Eyes

methinks you have a selective memory.

parkhead_rfb

well if its a society problem it must be the problem of all football clubs, im glad we agree.

azzuri

we do agree - to a certain extent.

SLG

parkhead_rfb

its the context of the situation though. if someone calls me a w***er fair enough that may be insulting, but if someone were to call me a fenian b****rd it can have a more sinister tone as people have lost their lives due to the perception that they are or may be a fenian b****rd.

football violence is a disgrace and i am totally against it.

SLG

azzuri

It shows perfectly a lot of the problems within the old firm that this thread that started out about neil lennon in the football section has now changed to this topic.

Think we need a new thread for this - but there seems to be no defining line for a 'split'. You can find the new thread in the 'Scottish News, Life and Society' section.

azzuri

parkhead_rfb

thats like saying blacks are equally to blaim for racism.

i believe that rangers and other clubs lets not forget simply give a public platform to bigorty that already exists.

azzuri

you are correct - do you think therefore it would be beneficial to eliminate these platforms?

parkhead_rfb

so your sugesting we shut down the spl? hearts, motherwell and your own club also have there fair share of bigots?

azzuri

parkhead_rfb

the bigotry it would still be there though and it would manifest its self in another form.

celtic arent an exclusively catholic club your correct but it is viewed by many as a catholic irish club and therefore they feel that legitimises there right to attack supporters of that club. I once read a letter into a newspaper that was written by a woman who had taken her child to a westlife concert and was outraged to see so many irish tricolours on display, heaven forbid eh the irish tri colour at the concert of an irish band Rolling Eyes

these are the type of attitudes that are alive and well in scotland today.

azzuri

this thread has went WAY off-topic again.

I'm going to lock this thread. please post any other views about this on the other thread I've already set up.

Your inability to separate football and sectarianism speaks volumes. Rolling Eyes