letters 102

lennon puzzle

Dear NTV,

Have I understood this Neil Lennon situation correctly?

I know it's not uncommon in some parts of the world for supporters of an extreme nature to threaten either the referee or the star player of a hated rival with execution in order to gain some advantage or put the opponent off their game. But are these guys actually threatening to shoot their OWN star player?

It takes an awesome intellect to come up with something like that.

Still, there might be some spin off benefit for them now that Lennon has apparently quit international football. The fact that he will now play fewer games, will consequently be fitter and will therefore be a better player for Celtic will obviously be to Rangers' advantage.

Yours in total confusion,

PAUL McCAFFERTY,
Glasgow

nil by mouth

Dear Editor,

I have only recently come across some back issues of NTV and some other fanzines regarding the Nil By Mouth campaign fronted by Cara Henderson. I have been interested to read the various comments regarding the political positioning of several supporting members from various organisations including Celtic F.C.

In all honesty I applaud the efforts of the campaign as far as ideas are concerned. It's great to have bus sides and poster campaigns costing hundreds of thousands of pounds, created by some of Edinburgh's finest creative minds.

It is also commendable to seek the finance and support of some of the biggest and most important organisations in the country including the Archdiocese of Glasgow and the Church of Scotland.

It is necessary to have a vision and for that Cara Henderson should, and has, received the praise of many. My difficulty stems from the understanding of the problem and the means to solve it.

Nil By Mouth was founded on a negative. You can have all the ideas in the world and as much money as you can apply for to throw at it, but if you do not know what you are 'for' you have lost.

For a campaign that was founded on what they were against, not what they were for, they have gone far, but I fear in a few years time the momentum and the money will begin to dry up. In terms of understanding the problem I fear they are well off the mark. I'm perfectly sure Cara will never be rejected for employment because she was a Protestant, she will never sit in a dingy colour-clad sectarian bar and listen to the true expression of real hatred from one side to another. She never grew up steeped in religious bias and will probably never understand what it is to be a part of one side or another and be led to sing or shout the most sectarian of chants.

One comment that sums this up is Cara's description of an Old Firm match as "looking down on a cesspit". What Cara forgot is this, what she was looking down her nose at were 'people', it could have been you or I.

The organisation should realise that the actions they refer to as harmful come from real people, not 'scum' or 'degenerates' but real people with real jobs and lives. In fact, to afford the tickets to sit on the seats around and below her position in the stand it would be people with an above average income. That includes doctors, lawyers, accountants, architects, Oxbridge graduates and all.

You might go looking for bigotry at Orange marches or schools in Bridgeton but to even get close to the problem you've got to look a great deal deeper.

DF
by e-mail

wee green book

Dear NTV,

What has happened to the Wee Green Book this season? I grew up with this indispensable Celtic publication in the 80s and 90s and I used to love reading the Chairman's Report which, for ten years or so always started the same way; "It's been another disappointing season..." (The Chairman's report was also a useful indicator of how close to desperation/ senility the board were becoming back in the days of the Kellys and Chris White).

When I asked about this season's book I was informed that whatever information was in TWGB is now available in other more modern glossy productions, such as Pravda and Saturday Pravda.

Speaking as someone who used to treasure the adverts for the City Barbers, "O'Brien's Funeral Directors and the assorted public houses that used to appear in TWGB, not to mention the beloved fixture list wherein I could fill in the scores after the match, I beg to differ.

No, some parts of the Celtic tradition should never be tampered with. Now that they've got rid of the Wee Green Book, what's next? They'll be having strips without proper hoops before we know it!

Yours in Celtic,

LIAM BRADY'S EDUCATED LEFT FOOT
by e-mail

big night out

Dear NTV,

I'm all for the Celtic Commercial Department making as much money as possible for the club, naturally. I'll even turn a blind eye when I'm being ripped off - it's for a good cause after all. But for them to bill the forthcoming 'Greatest Ever Celt' bunfight in the Celtic View as, "It's set to be Celtic's biggest night since Lisbon..." I think is going just a bit far.

I also noticed in their advert for the awards ceremony and gala dinner (£124 thank you very much) the careful wording beside the - somewhat larger - celebrity guest names: "Among the stars invited are Westlife, Rod Stewart, Billy Connolly, Travis..." I invited them all to my league-winning party as well (except foe Westlife of course) but they never turned up.

Yours etc.

JILTED JOHN
Garthamlock

sauce for the gander

Dear NTV,

I agree with everything that was written in your article about David Murray (ntv 101), especially with regard to the easy ride he got from the Scottish media, the press in particular. However, there's something which I don't think was emphasised enough. I refer to the treatment that was dished out to Fergus McCann by comparison.

If we are to believe what was written in the vast majority of the papers, the players that were arriving during Murray's time in charge were all his own signings and little to do with the manager. The Colin Hendry fiasco would tend to suggest that Murray did indeed have a large say in the comings and goings. But can you imagine the stick Fergus McCann would have got in the tabloids if he had even once been influential in the signing of a player, especially one who turned out to be a flop?

I think the same could be said had McCann ever dreamed of naming even so much as a Parkhead lavvy after himself nor indeed if he had ever made idle boasts about how Celtic were going to win a European trophy within five years.

By the way, I have heard that the quickest way in Scotland for an aspiring young hack to commit journalist suicide is to have the temerity to criticise David Murray in print.

Mind you, that doesn't excuse the boozy old sots who've been at it for years.

Yours in Celtic,

MARTIN ROGERS,
by e-mail

cash strapped

Dear NTV,

I have it on good authority that a well known charitable foundation has written to a number of Scottish football clubs to donate prizes to help raise much-needed funds and the clubs have replied with somewhat different gifts. Here, as I understand it, are the donations:
* Celtic gave six tickets to the next Kilmarnock game
* Kilmarnock have given six tickets to a forthcoming game
* Rangers have donated a whopping 15 free places on their stadium tour of castle Greyskull.

Put into monetary value this works out at £138.00 from Celtic, around £96 from Killie and - wait for it - £37.50 from Rangers

And the Daily Retard reckon the Ibrox club is not in crisis? Ha!

Yours faithful through and through

TIM,
somewhere along the M6