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May 21 on Liam Conway
I find it difficult to understand why George Galloway's upbringing as a Roman Catholic in Scotland has led him to fear Scottish independence. http://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/political-news/galloway-attacked-for-snp-catholic-slur.21116305 Fair enoug...
Continue reading 'George Galloway's Fears for Catholicism in an Independent Scotland'
Mar 20 on Liam Conway
It is hard to think that the Offensive Behaviour at Football legislation has had anything but a negative impact on the attitudes and behaviours of those it was intended to manage, despite the Scottish Government's bullish claims to the contrary. Whilst th...
Continue reading 'An Ugly Impasse'
Mar 15 on Liam Conway
It is no secret that Celtic's ability to identify and develop young players with potential has reaped tremendous rewards in recent seasons. Michael Grant recently wrote an article in The Herald suggesting that a potential threat to this successful formula...
Continue reading 'Could Player Co-Ownership Help Scottish Football?'
Feb 25 on Liam Conway
By the end of this week, the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications Act (Scotland) 2012 will have been in force for one year: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2012/1/contents/enacted One year on, I don't think we are any closer t...
Continue reading '‘Offensive Behaviour', One Year Later'
Feb 18 on Liam Conway
When the eminent philosopher of football, Friedrich Nietzsche, was asked for his opinion on how referees make decisions in high profile European games, he replied that 'All things are subject to interpretation. Whichever interpretation prevails at a given...
Continue reading 'How Celtic Might Win in Turin, From a Philosophical Point of View'
Feb 13 on Liam Conway
Referees take a lot of stick. Sometimes they deserve it. Other times, when we are in a more generous mood, we are happy to admit that they have a tough job. Particularly at the highest level. However, there are times when we are infuriated by their per...
Continue reading 'Working the Industry Behind the Game'
Jan 29 on Liam Conway
Henry Clarson's thought provoking blog yesterday and Graeme Macpherson's article in The Herald today have prompted me to throw my own tuppence worth into the debate. http://henryclarson.wordpress.com/2013/01/28/heads_you_win/ http://www.heraldscotland.co...
Continue reading 'Some More Thoughts on Celtic Players' Mind-Set'
Jan 10 on Liam Conway
There has been another recent burst of interest in the problem of anti-Catholicism in Scottish society. Opinions vary on how prevalent it is and whether it is in fact a significant problem or not. Some think it is, and believe they have evidence to that e...
Continue reading 'Catholic Schools, Religious Discrimination and Racism'
Jan 1 on Liam Conway
The question of whether sectarianism is a form of racism is an important one. Not only does it have a bearing on how we ought to understand instances of sectarian behaviour and how such instances should be dealt with from a legal point of view; it also ha...
Continue reading 'On Whether Sectarianism is a Form of Racism'
Dec 24, 2012 on Liam Conway
Referring to the link between an individual's social status and his outward appearance, Charles Dickens wrote in his classic novel Oliver Twist, that dignity is 'sometimes more a question of coat and waistcoat than some people would imagine'. Throw...
Continue reading 'Some Thoughts on Gladys Green’s Christmas Message'
Dec 10, 2012 on Liam Conway
“People rightly consider that Celtic use an anti-football system, but Chelsea have done the same and they are now champions of Europe.” Xavi, Barcelona. Whilst it isn't new, the term 'anti-football' has been thrown around quite a bit recently. ...
Continue reading 'What is this thing called ‘anti-football’?'
Nov 25, 2012 on Liam Conway
Nietzsche wrote that the conditions of life might include error. And so the enduring challenge we all face would be to find an approach to what we do that accepts error and failure as intrinsic aspects of our pursuit of perfection and success. Whether w...
Continue reading 'Learning to be Successful'
Nov 23, 2012 on Liam Conway
The underlying premise of most anti-racism initiatives appears to be that education in the virtue of tolerance is the key to eradicating it from our society. It is the most obvious place to start, but we need to go deeper. There may be racist beliefs and...
Continue reading 'Confronting the Bigot Within'
Nov 6, 2012 on Liam Conway
'More than a club', is how Barcelona Football Club famously describes itself. Many of us quite rightly feel that this description also fits Celtic Football Club in equal measure. As far as Celtic is concerned, it is a description that captures the ide...
Continue reading 'Clubs With A Purpose'
Nov 2, 2012 on Liam Conway
The popular misuse of a word can have a transformational effect on how we think about the situation in which it has been used. This is particularly evident when we begin to use certain words with negative intent because we have been subconsciously prompt...
Continue reading 'Jumping on the ‘Bigot!’ Bandwagon'
Oct 30, 2012 on Liam Conway
Graham Spiers has been honest enough in the past to recognise his gullibility in relaying the myths peddled by the former Rangers FC Owner, David Murray. He is the one who likes to take credit for having initiated the use of the phrase 'succulent lamb...
Continue reading 'Spiers On ‘the Rogue, Angry Underclass’'
Oct 22, 2012 on Liam Conway
Excitement and fear are closely connected human emotions. There are times when outward expressions of excitement are manifestations of underlying feelings of fear. When it comes to performance psychology, this complex emotional twinset can actually be use...
Continue reading 'Barcaphobia'
Sep 25, 2012 on Liam Conway
SCOTTISH CUP-SEMI-FINALS RANGERS V. CELTIC ROWDYISM AT PARKHEAD “The Referee had had occasion to penalise and speak to Quinn before, chiefly for his attentions to the Rangers' goalkeeper, and as the end was drawing nigh he ordered him to the pavilion...
Sep 22, 2012 on Liam Conway
Like many cities around the world, there are ways in which Glasgow exhibits signs of having a split personality, which it often finds embarrassing and difficult to deal with. Perhaps none are as obvious as its inability to reconcile its world renowned sen...
Sep 20, 2012 on Liam Conway
Alasdair Lamont described Celtic's performance against Benfica as 'ordinary': http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19662008 Ordinariness is a fuzzy concept in football. It is a matter of appreciating the shifting context. A performance described ...
Continue reading 'Celebrating Ordinariness'