One of the more interesting aspects of Principal Sheriff Bowen’s report on the aftermath of the Scottish Cup final, was his reference to police intelligence in regard to a League Cup semi-final between Celtic and Rangers. Those wishing to read my perspective on this report may do so in the August archive under the title: The Bowen Bullseye. The following extract is germane to the case I will present in this article:
3.4.1. A further match is worthy of mention although no pitch invasion took place.
This was the Scottish League Cup Semi-Final between Celtic and Rangers
held on the 1st of February 2015 at Hampden. On that occasion, the Police
had specific intelligence that certain fans intended to invade the pitch in the
event of a particular result. Because of that, Police Support Units were
maintained in position in the practice area directly under the South Stand.
In the event no attempt was made to invade the pitch and the services of
the Police reserve were not required.
The specific intelligence was that Rangers fans in the South Stand were planning to invade the field of play if Celtic scored a third goal. A 3-0 scoreline was the trigger to an invasion. The ringleaders of this proposed invasion had bought tickets for the South Stand and were known to police.
Several individuals made comments on this site that stated that Celtic were instructed by police to not find the net in the second half. My cynicism in regard to the ‘entertainment‘ that is Scottish football is well-developed, but I thought at the time that this was a conspiracy theory too far. I had a second look at this game. It was evident in the first half that Celtic were so inordinately superior to Rangers that they could score at will. The CFC supporters smelled blood and wanted the renascent Rangers to be taught a football lesson that they would never forget. However in the second half they were treated to a training exercise where the object of Celtic’s possession football appeared to be the avoidance of goals. The marked contrast between the free-flowing football in the first half and the more sterile approach in the second, was not worthy of note by the Rangers supporters with laptops who masquerade as journalists. Charles Green’s equity salesman, Richard ‘Tricky Dicky‘ Wilson, provided the the following reportage for BBC Scotland:
“Celtic eased to victory over Rangers at Hampden to set up a League Cup final with Dundee United. Rangers were more determined in a dreary second half but failed to register a single shot on target.Rangers caretaker manager Kenny McDowall’s game plan was clear enough: the defence sat deep and the five-man midfield dropped off as Celtic carries the ball forward.Containment was their hope. Celtic were more adventurous, although they never lost a grip on their composure or self-assurance. This was an Old Firm game in all but significant competitive tension.”
In this game Rangers failed to have one shot on target. So how did they escape a 4-0 or more mauling? Did the Police Commanfer enter the Celtic dressing room at half-time and suggest that Celtic did not go for the jugular? As we witnessed at the Scottish Cup Final, controlling the Rangers supporters in the Hampden West Stand is well nigh impossible. They sang their hate-crime songs and let off flares with impunity. Had Celtic scored a third goal, the police dealing with the unrest in the South stand could have been caught in a pincer movement by West Stand supporters who chose to engage in support of their South Stand brothers.
Despite my initial reticence I’m now persuaded that the Celtic team who participated in this match were playing to a police edict in the second half. A precedent has come to light. John Robertson, a much respected figure in Scottish football, has stated that a plea was made by police at half-time to urge the Hearts team not to score again as they feared a pitch invasion. Hearts had a commanding first half 3-0 lead over Hibs in a September 1990 derby. This narrative will emerge in the BBC documentary which looks at the last thirty years of Scottish football. If their working title was ‘the cheating years‘ I’m fairly certain a documentary of this nature would not see the light of day. Mark Daly’s ‘The Men who sold the jerseys‘ that lifted the lid on the scale of the EBT tax evasion, resulted in death threats to personnel at BBC Scotland. Choosing the context of an Edinburgh derby suggests that the BBC are playing safe.
John Robertson who played for Hearts, marched with the Hibs fans to oppose his chairman Wallace Mercer’s plans to buy Hibs and subsequently close them down in his desire to create an Edinburgh City club. I’m fairly certain Mr Mercer had one eye on the value of the land on Easter and Gorgie roads. Mr Robertson told the BBC that a senior officer, accompanied by other officers, entered the Hearts dressing room at half-time and asserted:
“We fear another pitch invasion, you know, we’re going to basically say if you score another goal and Hibs fans invade, we may have to stop the game, so you know, if you can help it, don’t score.”
This leads to the following conclusion. If for example you did not fancy Warburton’s patched-up Dads Army squad’s chances against Celtic on September 10, would the swivel eyed loons use social media to promote the prospect of an invasion should Celtic take more than a two goal lead? Those betting in play may well be advised to cash out at 2-0.
