I was at Atalanta v Verona in serie B in April 1999 - big end-of-season promotion clash. I stood on the Curva Pisani with the Atalanta ultras - only coz my Sister in Law was one of them, mind! - and I asked what I could shout over at the Veronese, to make me one of the Ragazzi. Soon found out that the worst insult you can hurl in Italy - even between two Northern teams - is “NA-PO-LI-TA-NI”!!

Neopolitans get the same abuse in Italy as the North East does in France. In fact the Neapolitans get it worse. So much worse. it really is a different country down there. And you just gotta love Napoli. As I stood there in my Jim Baxter retro-top, I couldn’t believe all these good Catholic boys and girls around me were being so racist.

Oh no, wait a minute, I could believe it . That’s right - sorry - I remember now - I COULD believe it.

“that must make Celtic the Napoli of Scotland” say our perpetually offended friends from across the toon. Errrrrrm - NOh! - sorry. Napoli have won TWO league titles in their entire history and even that was only when they had Mara–fucking-Donna. It’s when ye see REAL subjugation that the whinging from the estate agents and bankers in the Broomloan on Saturday, all in front of their former Home Secretary chairman, becomes more insulting than laughable.

PLG had nothing to do with that banner, BTW! True, in the past he’s made some of the best banners in Europe but after six months working on the anti-North East flag the fellah who usually does all the stitching for the PSG flag-makers said he wisnae happy with the “fancy” way PLG was advising him tae use his needle and thread. It was him or PLG - and everyone else working on the flag was pally with the other guy so … :-)

PSG still right in the relegation merde…

After the Rangers getting a bad name for “sectarian” chanting, here are PSG fans showing the world how they feel about their country cousins.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7322902.stm

Sectarian? - or is that just between the Glasgow clubs?

Brilliant link. Spat mah beer oot!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvV4Zvf2_20

hey you!…

he’s dah Crooklyn Bear extrordinaire,
comin’ atya like he just don’t muthafuckin care
rhymin’ the Sash from Haarlem to Queens
and every crib, borough, sate and nation in between.

He’s a lyrical Bluenose,
A scratchin ted;
Dis ain’t no weak-ass tourist or boozed-up Glesgie ned!

He’s no pranksta - he’s oor gansta,
and he’s doin it all with bling;
He’s the shogun - shogun Emporah
and ya all gonnae hear him sing ….

(Daaaaaah, dud, dud, dud - Another one bites the dust …)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Qm6WwwfriY

Shogun for President 8-)

Of course I could always wait until the lodge meeting and we can laugh about those conspiracy theories then ;-)

Does embdy remember the cup final where Roy Aitken took OUR throw in and the tims scored from it and won the cup? It seems to me that inept refeering is blind to whatever team you follow. These things happen to us all. In the NFL you have instant replays and coach’s challenge’s etc. Would this work for fitba? Maybe. All I can say is that the NFL has more or less taken out the wrong calls by officials…but at the expense of continuity. Maybe a manager could be limited to one challenge per game? Who knows…one other thing….the refs are very well trained and there are more of them.

Officials deal Celtic a telling blow

The 2007/08 title run-in could yet require a significant footnote, pointed in the direction of officialdom.

Obviously a conspiracy. Just like helicopter Sunday!

Is it just my memory or does anyone else remember Advocaat being criticised for asking why Lambert wasn’t sent off when fouling Albertz, giving away a penalty and breaking his own jaw at Ibrox a few years ago?
Still the longer they think it’s a conspiracy the longer it’ll be before they try and fix what is clearly wrong with their, ahem, team. And if big Carlos isn’t a better player this year than Aids Mcgeady then there truly is a conspiracy after all!

Thomson’s goal, a slick one-two with Jean-Claude Darcheville ending with a precise low drive under the body of the Celtic goalkeeper, Artur Boruc, is not the kind of thing normally expected of a defensive midfielder.

His manager, Walter Smith, however, would also not expect to see television pictures confirming Thomson as the offender in the later collision with Celtic striker Georgios Samaras.

As Thomson came in from the right, Samaras knocked the ball away, and the Rangers player swung his left foot, appearing to connect with his opponent’s shin. Many of the 50,000-plus crowd, including Smith and, apparently, referee Dougal, did not see the challenge, but the TV pictures revealed an offence that merited at least a yellow card.

Dougal’s stand-side assistant, Keith Sorbie, did have an unobstructed view of the incident, however, but did not bring it to the referee’s attention. Having already been cautioned in the first half, Thomson should have been sent off. Instead,he was secured to a stretcher and carried off, replaced by substitute Charlie Adam.

The Rangers website reported yesterday that Thomson “is not as badly injured as first feared”. It reported: “He (Thomson] was taken to hospital for xirays but they revealed that he has not suffered a fracture. He has soft tissue damage and is comfortable.”

The collision with Samaras would lead to another puzzling development at the end of the match, when the fourth official, Craig Thomson, raised his board to indicate there would be three minutes of stoppage time. Setanta, who broadcast the match live, confirmed that the time devoted to Thomson’s on-field treatment before his removal came to three-and-a-half minutes.

There were, in addition, five substitutions made during the second half – three by Smith, two by Celtic manager Gordon Strachan – for which each is normally allowed 30 seconds.

“up to our necks in fenian blood”

That should give the perpetually offended instant apoplexy and take the heat off the masons, referees, etc etc until the next OF game…

8-)

Oh the Bluebonnets are Blue…..

I would hereby like to start a competition to re-write the words of Hullo Hullo. My starter for ten…

Hullo Hullo, we are the teddy bears,
Hullo Hullo, we really love the Gers
We’ll follow them to everywhere until he day we die
For we are the loyal Rangers boys

any others?

I noticed that you managed to engineer an opportunity to mention PLG again. If one didn’t know better one would think that you are pineing for him :-)

Was is just me or was the half/full time coverage on Setanta tinted slightly green? Big Terry and Macca were reffering to ‘tics total domination in the first half, Bazza’a shot accross the goal which was saved by Boruc was not mentioned, Macca was saying that had Brown got the penalty Celtic could have gone on to win by 3 or 4. Scott Booth- well, I always expect him to talk shite and he didn’t dissapoint.

As for the ref, I thought he had a decent game. Yes, he didn’t book Barry for dissent, but Scot Brown got a few warnings for much more aggresive talk back.

I’m probably telling an old joke now - I am in Czech Republic so maybe this has already done the rounds in Scotland.

A Viagra truck was seen making a delivery to parkhead. When questioned, GS explained ‘ we haven’t been able to reach a semi all season and I thought could help’

I think Eck summed you lot up brilliantly!