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The Media
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Topic Started: 1 Nov 2017, 11:12 PM (581,085 Views)
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Mickeybhoy84
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21 Mar 2018, 09:36 AM
Post #2441
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If we win another Treble I highly doubt anyone will care about the end of season awards. If Clarke wins MOTY then more power to him. He is actually a good manager and seems like a pretty decent fella as well. The job he’s done at Killie is even more impressive when you consider he took over from a complete moron.
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Father John Misty
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21 Mar 2018, 10:20 AM
Post #2442
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Scott Mullen: Joey Barton should follow his own advice when talking about Scottish football
Spoiler: click to toggle 7 NOT far off two years ago, a group of journalists gathered inside one of the Rangers Training Centre’s meeting rooms. With the beating sun streaming in through the window, the stifled press pack waited patiently for a man with such a hit for himself he’d probably argue the big yellow ball in the sky was glowing out of his own posterior rather than the clear sky above.
Joey Barton, resplendent in a royal blue sweater, eventually entered the busy room before taking the last remaining seat at the table. Speaking for well over half an hour on, well, everything really, he covered topics from his childhood to his reformed character, along with proclamations about going on to prove himself as the best player in Scotland. We’ll come back to that shortly.
Read more: Walter Smith: Scotland job was the only one I would have come out of retirement for
However, his latest spewing of quotes on that measured medium that is TalkSPORT this week triggered a quick delve back into the insight he offered on that scorching afternoon in May, 2016. Earlier this week the disgraced former England cap professed on the back of just eight games in Scotland: “I had had a better career than anyone playing for Celtic at the time.
“I had proved myself in the English Premier League but how many of their players had come down and done the same? I have a lot of respect for the history and traditions of Rangers and Celtic but the standard is pathetic up there.
“I left Scottish football because I couldn’t deal with the poor standards all around me and I came back to the Premier League and scored on my debut for Burnley.”
Oh Joseph, why do you hurt us so?
Given that statement, it is more than a little bit ironic when you cast a quick glance at Mr Barton’s statements on that day two years ago. “There are enough people who are quick to put you down in life so for myself it’s important to be incredibly positive,” claimed Mr Cheery. “For me I’m looking around thinking this is a great challenge and I can’t wait to get stuck in. I know how hard it’s going to be.
Read more: Proud Scott McTominay eyeing a bright future with Scotland as well as Manchester United
“It’s not a case of turning up and people will fall at my feet. It’s not been like that anywhere else in my life and I don’t expect it now. There will be challenges here that I haven’t had before, but what a great learning experience that will be for me. You will find out an awful lot about yourself as a person and as a player.”
A man who was hit with a ban for betting and a player who was sent packing with his tail between his legs following an Old Firm flop and a training ground bust up?
For the record, I was guilty of being taken in by him. Undoubtedly a talented footballer from his time in England, his skill with a ball at his feet is only eclipsed by his unfortunate gift of the gab. Indeed, within six months it was evident that room at Murray Park had been filled with a lot of hot air from more than just the ray of light coming in through the window.
The point is Barton knew only too well what he was coming to Scotland for. Did he expect the standard to be of the same class as the Premier League, or even the Championship? If he did his comments during that opening press conference certainly didn’t suggest so. Certainly if he listened to so-called experts like himself who spout about the Scottish game then he should have been well aware of the challenges ahead. Rangers deserved better for the buck they were spending.
Read more: Andrew Robertson relishing battle with Kieran Tierney for left-back berth and Scotland armband
Scottish football isn’t the Premier League, and thank goodness for that. Attendances across the board are up, we have excitement at the top, middle and bottom of our leagues while there are great stories that trickle down and seep all the way to Brora Rangers and East Kilbride. It is far too easy for those who know nothing about our game to take pot shots at it, and Barton should be included within that number given the fleeting visit he paid to Glasgow. Perhaps us Scots are guilty of under-selling our national game, especially when on a Super Sunday you can watch Stoke City v Burnley live on the telly. Or perhaps not.
Having said that, Mr Barton could follow his own advice from his opening press conference and be more positive. If he can’t manage that, maybe stick to the mantra ‘if you can’t say something nice, best say nothing at all’. Words which will no doubt be lost on him as he carefully composes his next soundbite.
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prestonpans1745
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21 Mar 2018, 11:28 AM
Post #2443
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The Hootsman back page leading with a picture of the Legneds "charity" match.
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Killie1997
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21 Mar 2018, 11:29 AM
Post #2444
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- One sharp cookie
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- doyle07
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i reckon come the end of the season McInness will go to the huns, if they are still breathing,  and Clarke will get the sheep job, and then we will have a real challenge on our hands
Not a chance of McInnes going to Ibrox after the infamous concomitant statement where they basically accused him of not having the bottle for such a job. That ship has well and truly sailed. Clarke will definitely move on from Killie though sooner or later. I'm fairly confident in saying that Clarke will go nowhere near the Huns or Aberdeen jobs.
I'm also pretty confident he'll be our manager next season.
Only two jobs I'm worried about him taking up here are Scotland and Celtic and neither will be free anytime soon. He's doing a lot behind the scenes at Killie and has a very good relationship wit the board (changed days from that pumpkin Johnston) so I'd expect him to be in the dug out come August.
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Danny Ghirl 67
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21 Mar 2018, 11:34 AM
Post #2445
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Not a chance of McInnes going to Ibrox after the infamous concomitant statement where they basically accused him of not having the bottle for such a job. That ship has well and truly sailed. Clarke will definitely move on from Killie though sooner or later.
I'm fairly confident in saying that Clarke will go nowhere near the Huns or Aberdeen jobs. I'm also pretty confident he'll be our manager next season. Only two jobs I'm worried about him taking up here are Scotland and Celtic and neither will be free anytime soon. He's doing a lot behind the scenes at Killie and has a very good relationship wit the board (changed days from that pumpkin Johnston) so I'd expect him to be in the dug out come August. You gave me a horrible moment there, “I’m also pretty confident he’ll (Clarke) be our manager next year.” Until I saw who you were
I hope he gets the backing at Killie, the buzz around the area just now is very welcome
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Killie1997
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21 Mar 2018, 11:35 AM
Post #2446
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- Ned Rise
- 21 Mar 2018, 01:11 AM
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If they do it at the end of the season nobody will come. Players are all on holiday the second the last game is played.
Not a good enough reason to take a punt on giving it to Stevie Clarke then. Ultimately though, it doesn't matter. All the counts is the silverware, so I guess they can take it and sit it next to their Best Pie certificate for all the difference it makes to the season. All that counts is silverware? Why do you even enter Europe each season then?
Celtic's budget blows everyone out the water, event he Huns. Rodgers has done a fantastic job but if the POTY and MOTY is based purely on who wins the league then we'd be as well never having a vote on it. Just give it out when you get the trophy in May.
Clarke has transformed a team (mostly the exact same players) who had no wins in the first 8 games of the season, had been pumped off Ayr and hammered off Celtic reserves 5-0 at Parkhead and staring automatic relegation as a formality to a team that's coasted into the top six, chasing Hibs and were an absolute shocker of an offside decision in the last minute of extra time against Aberdeen from a Scottish Cup Semi and a realistic chance of a Final.
I fully expect Rodgers to get it, wouldn't complain if he does but you can't base the vote purely on silverware.
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Flawless
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21 Mar 2018, 11:36 AM
Post #2447
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Not a good enough reason to take a punt on giving it to Stevie Clarke then. Ultimately though, it doesn't matter. All the counts is the silverware, so I guess they can take it and sit it next to their Best Pie certificate for all the difference it makes to the season.
All that counts is silverware? Why do you even enter Europe each season then? Celtic's budget blows everyone out the water, event he Huns. Rodgers has done a fantastic job but if the POTY and MOTY is based purely on who wins the league then we'd be as well never having a vote on it. Just give it out when you get the trophy in May. Clarke has transformed a team (mostly the exact same players) who had no wins in the first 8 games of the season, had been pumped off Ayr and hammered off Celtic reserves 5-0 at Parkhead and staring automatic relegation as a formality to a team that's coasted into the top six, chasing Hibs and were an absolute shocker of an offside decision in the last minute of extra time against Aberdeen from a Scottish Cup Semi and a realistic chance of a Final. I fully expect Rodgers to get it, wouldn't complain if he does but you can't base the vote purely on silverware. I think Clarke deserves it.
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Danny Ghirl 67
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21 Mar 2018, 11:39 AM
Post #2448
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Not a good enough reason to take a punt on giving it to Stevie Clarke then. Ultimately though, it doesn't matter. All the counts is the silverware, so I guess they can take it and sit it next to their Best Pie certificate for all the difference it makes to the season.
All that counts is silverware? Why do you even enter Europe each season then? Celtic's budget blows everyone out the water, event he Huns. Rodgers has done a fantastic job but if the POTY and MOTY is based purely on who wins the league then we'd be as well never having a vote on it. Just give it out when you get the trophy in May. Clarke has transformed a team (mostly the exact same players) who had no wins in the first 8 games of the season, had been pumped off Ayr and hammered off Celtic reserves 5-0 at Parkhead and staring automatic relegation as a formality to a team that's coasted into the top six, chasing Hibs and were an absolute shocker of an offside decision in the last minute of extra time against Aberdeen from a Scottish Cup Semi and a realistic chance of a Final. I fully expect Rodgers to get it, wouldn't complain if he does but you can't base the vote purely on silverware. Fair points
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Dubz
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21 Mar 2018, 12:20 PM
Post #2449
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Not sure when the awards are decided but I can’t see Clarke getting any. He’s done well to get Killie up there and has made them hard to beat but they are punching well above their weight and I think come the split it will show.
They will revert back to the normal Killie next season, with or without Clarke at the helm. He only ever does well in his first season anyway.
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Ned Rise
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21 Mar 2018, 12:35 PM
Post #2450
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These boots were made for hunbustin'
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- Killie1997
- 21 Mar 2018, 11:35 AM
- Ned Rise
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- tinytim81
- 20 Mar 2018, 10:33 PM
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Not a good enough reason to take a punt on giving it to Stevie Clarke then. Ultimately though, it doesn't matter. All the counts is the silverware, so I guess they can take it and sit it next to their Best Pie certificate for all the difference it makes to the season.
All that counts is silverware? Why do you even enter Europe each season then? Celtic's budget blows everyone out the water, event he Huns. Rodgers has done a fantastic job but if the POTY and MOTY is based purely on who wins the league then we'd be as well never having a vote on it. Just give it out when you get the trophy in May. Clarke has transformed a team (mostly the exact same players) who had no wins in the first 8 games of the season, had been pumped off Ayr and hammered off Celtic reserves 5-0 at Parkhead and staring automatic relegation as a formality to a team that's coasted into the top six, chasing Hibs and were an absolute shocker of an offside decision in the last minute of extra time against Aberdeen from a Scottish Cup Semi and a realistic chance of a Final. I fully expect Rodgers to get it, wouldn't complain if he does but you can't base the vote purely on silverware. I knew I shouldn't have mentioned pies.
What I mean is that all that matters to me at this stage of the season and the position we're in, and I suspect the vast majority of Celtic fans, is winning the treble. If someone outside of Celtic wins player or manager of the year, I'm not too fussed over it.
About Europe, while it was disappointing for a number of reasons, we reached two targets in qualifying for the CL and then getting third place. None of these things are particularly easy to do.
Like I say though, Clarke could be in charge of a team that finishes sixth in the league. Brendan Rodgers could be in charge of a team that wins a second successive treble. I'm sure Clarke would appreciate the vote, but maybe he'd be thinking that someone else deserved in more than him in those circumstances. None of this denies the obvious fact that Clarke has done an excellent job so far.
Arguing about giving either of them the MotY seems a bit premature, as does the award itself.
Edited by Ned Rise, 21 Mar 2018, 12:35 PM.
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Tiny Tim
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21 Mar 2018, 12:46 PM
Post #2451
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"a Premier League player in all but status"
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- Danny Ghirl 67
- 21 Mar 2018, 11:34 AM
- Killie1997
- 21 Mar 2018, 11:29 AM
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I'm fairly confident in saying that Clarke will go nowhere near the Huns or Aberdeen jobs. I'm also pretty confident he'll be our manager next season. Only two jobs I'm worried about him taking up here are Scotland and Celtic and neither will be free anytime soon. He's doing a lot behind the scenes at Killie and has a very good relationship wit the board (changed days from that pumpkin Johnston) so I'd expect him to be in the dug out come August.
You gave me a horrible moment there, “I’m also pretty confident he’ll (Clarke) be our manager next year.” Until I saw who you were I hope he gets the backing at Killie, the buzz around the area just now is very welcome Me too. 
I'm sure Killie will be pulling out all the stops to keep him, but it's the same old Catch 22: he's doing well, so he's bound to be attracting attention from elsewhere.
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Adam Smith 11
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21 Mar 2018, 12:55 PM
Post #2452
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Contract up for renewal, now on a diet and trying harder.
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- Father John Misty
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Scott Mullen: Joey Barton should follow his own advice when talking about Scottish football Spoiler: click to toggle 7 NOT far off two years ago, a group of journalists gathered inside one of the Rangers Training Centre’s meeting rooms. With the beating sun streaming in through the window, the stifled press pack waited patiently for a man with such a hit for himself he’d probably argue the big yellow ball in the sky was glowing out of his own posterior rather than the clear sky above.
Joey Barton, resplendent in a royal blue sweater, eventually entered the busy room before taking the last remaining seat at the table. Speaking for well over half an hour on, well, everything really, he covered topics from his childhood to his reformed character, along with proclamations about going on to prove himself as the best player in Scotland. We’ll come back to that shortly.
Read more: Walter Smith: Scotland job was the only one I would have come out of retirement for
However, his latest spewing of quotes on that measured medium that is TalkSPORT this week triggered a quick delve back into the insight he offered on that scorching afternoon in May, 2016. Earlier this week the disgraced former England cap professed on the back of just eight games in Scotland: “I had had a better career than anyone playing for Celtic at the time.
“I had proved myself in the English Premier League but how many of their players had come down and done the same? I have a lot of respect for the history and traditions of Rangers and Celtic but the standard is pathetic up there.
“I left Scottish football because I couldn’t deal with the poor standards all around me and I came back to the Premier League and scored on my debut for Burnley.”
Oh Joseph, why do you hurt us so?
Given that statement, it is more than a little bit ironic when you cast a quick glance at Mr Barton’s statements on that day two years ago. “There are enough people who are quick to put you down in life so for myself it’s important to be incredibly positive,” claimed Mr Cheery. “For me I’m looking around thinking this is a great challenge and I can’t wait to get stuck in. I know how hard it’s going to be.
Read more: Proud Scott McTominay eyeing a bright future with Scotland as well as Manchester United
“It’s not a case of turning up and people will fall at my feet. It’s not been like that anywhere else in my life and I don’t expect it now. There will be challenges here that I haven’t had before, but what a great learning experience that will be for me. You will find out an awful lot about yourself as a person and as a player.”
A man who was hit with a ban for betting and a player who was sent packing with his tail between his legs following an Old Firm flop and a training ground bust up?
For the record, I was guilty of being taken in by him. Undoubtedly a talented footballer from his time in England, his skill with a ball at his feet is only eclipsed by his unfortunate gift of the gab. Indeed, within six months it was evident that room at Murray Park had been filled with a lot of hot air from more than just the ray of light coming in through the window.
The point is Barton knew only too well what he was coming to Scotland for. Did he expect the standard to be of the same class as the Premier League, or even the Championship? If he did his comments during that opening press conference certainly didn’t suggest so. Certainly if he listened to so-called experts like himself who spout about the Scottish game then he should have been well aware of the challenges ahead. Rangers deserved better for the buck they were spending.
Read more: Andrew Robertson relishing battle with Kieran Tierney for left-back berth and Scotland armband
Scottish football isn’t the Premier League, and thank goodness for that. Attendances across the board are up, we have excitement at the top, middle and bottom of our leagues while there are great stories that trickle down and seep all the way to Brora Rangers and East Kilbride. It is far too easy for those who know nothing about our game to take pot shots at it, and Barton should be included within that number given the fleeting visit he paid to Glasgow. Perhaps us Scots are guilty of under-selling our national game, especially when on a Super Sunday you can watch Stoke City v Burnley live on the telly. Or perhaps not.
Having said that, Mr Barton could follow his own advice from his opening press conference and be more positive. If he can’t manage that, maybe stick to the mantra ‘if you can’t say something nice, best say nothing at all’. Words which will no doubt be lost on him as he carefully composes his next soundbite. The only direct comparison we have is Celtic playing Man City and Burnley playing Man City that year.
Celtic 4 Man City 4
Man City 5 Burnley 1
Yes the quality is at Burnley Joey
Claiming a sclaffed deflected free kick as justification for failing in Scotland,.
See it was everything else that was crap not me. Narcissistic pumpkin.
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AG67
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21 Mar 2018, 01:07 PM
Post #2453
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Got to say I think if Kilmarnock carry on their current vein from now till the end of the season, I think Steve Clarke will deserve MOY, even if Celtic complete the double treble. If he is still at Kilmarnock if/when BR leaves, I'd say he would be pretty near the top of the list to replace him, but I think he might well receive offers from elsewhere in the near future.
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Dempele
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21 Mar 2018, 01:25 PM
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The votes will be in before the Scottish cup final anyway. Besides, the way we are playing the double treble is far from a given.
Genuine question..who will stop us for the SC?
Only ourselves. Aye pretty much this.
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Killie1997
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21 Mar 2018, 02:25 PM
Post #2455
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- Danny Ghirl 67
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I'm fairly confident in saying that Clarke will go nowhere near the Huns or Aberdeen jobs. I'm also pretty confident he'll be our manager next season. Only two jobs I'm worried about him taking up here are Scotland and Celtic and neither will be free anytime soon. He's doing a lot behind the scenes at Killie and has a very good relationship wit the board (changed days from that pumpkin Johnston) so I'd expect him to be in the dug out come August.
You gave me a horrible moment there, “I’m also pretty confident he’ll (Clarke) be our manager next year.” Until I saw who you were I hope he gets the backing at Killie, the buzz around the area just now is very welcome Aye pubs etc getting a great turn just now!
Need to celebrate winning when we can.
Town was bouncing on Saturday after Ibrox.
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JCBhoy
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21 Mar 2018, 02:25 PM
Post #2456
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Sir Walter in the Herald giving his considered view of Scottish fitba including
" it's great for everybody when there is a level playing field" (between Celtic and "Rangers")
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richiebhoy1888
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21 Mar 2018, 02:27 PM
Post #2457
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Everyone's Fantasy Football first pick
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Here it is Spoiler: click to toggle
17th March Faith no more? Have catholic schools had their day, asks Kevin McKenna Kevin McKenna
PEAK Catholicism happened for me in 1975. I was 11 years of age and have often thought since that my one chance of accessing heaven without any dispute came and went during those anointed 12 months. I wouldn’t say I’d spent the year actively seeking an untimely demise but if this had occurred I’d have been a lot more sanguine about it then than at any time since. I’m likely to require snookers now.
My teacher at St Machan’s Primary in Lennoxtown, a remarkable woman called Nan McCafferty, had told us about an ancient Catholic observance called the First Friday Devotion. Basically, this entailed attending morning Mass on the first Friday of nine consecutive months. In return the devotee would receive “the grace of final repentance”. This was over and above our normal Sunday Mass attendance. It held out the hope that you wouldn’t die without receiving the sacraments and thus the road to salvation might become a little less jaggy. And so, I dutifully attended Mass at 8am on the first Friday of every month throughout that year, fully expecting to become a better person. In a life where most of the Deadly Sins proved irresistible to me I have often since wondered if my devotion throughout 1975 might be accepted as decent deposit in the final reckoning.
Kevin McKenna: Why university lecturers are seeking democratic accountability
In those days most of my friends existed inside a Catholic bubble. The parish priest was a regular visitor and, on Holy Days of Obligation we were marched over a park and through a housing scheme to attend yet another Mass. There was a saint for every affliction and statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary stood ready each May and November to be garlanded with flowers while we sang hymns from little blue books rubbed smooth by the thumbs of those who had sat in these seats over decades. Outside of school our friendships with our Protestant neighbours continued unhindered into adulthood.
We were third and fourth generation Irish and the Catholic faith of our parents and grandparents had been a rock to them. It helped them to endure widespread discrimination in the employment market and the barely-concealed contempt of Scotland’s civic institutions which viewed them as ill-educated jailbirds. Their faith was more than just Church on a Sunday and the teachings of the bible: it was something that defined their humanity; their politics; their relationships and their responsibilities to the state. The schools were sacred to them because they were extensions of the faith and, as such could be entrusted with the spiritual formation of their children. These schools also had to be very good at education. In the face of rejection by the professions and the acute hostility of the old guilds and the Scottish engineering industry they carried the hopes of thousands of families that their children might come to experience a life better than theirs.
The Catholic secondary was no less devout but significantly less cosy. This was where the business end of a Catholic education was to be found and it was where the passport out of the ghetto lay. In Scotland these schools served a dual purpose vital to the economic and civic health of the nation. They formed a bridge that allowed the Irish immigrant community to contribute to wider Scottish society while maintaining its precious faith. The excellence of Scotland’s Catholic secondary schools since their establishment 100 years ago and the sheer breadth of the education they provide have played a significant role in breaking down the fear and suspicion of the Irish.
Ten years ago the then First Minister Alex Salmond said: “Scotland’s diversity is a source of strength, not weakness. For too long, the attitude of some has been, at best, grudging acceptance of Catholic education and, at worst, outright hostility. All faith-based schools play a significant role in helping to shape, inspire and strengthen our young people to learn. It’s time to celebrate their contribution to Scottish education.” Later this year his successor Nicola Sturgeon is expected to echo those sentiments when she delivers the annual Cardinal Winning Lecture.
Kevin McKenna: Why university lecturers are seeking democratic accountability
Yet, even as the Church in Scotland celebrates the centenary of Catholic state schools provided for in the 1918 Education Act, there is a growing acknowledgment within its own community that a rational debate has to take place about their purpose in a country much changed from that which existed a century ago.
From the early 1920s onwards these schools were gradually transferred from Church ownership to state ownership. The civil servants and politicians who drew up the original legislation probably didn’t know it at the time but they were bringing forth one of the great pieces of enlightened, progressive and inclusive legislation that has ever been produced in this country. Before 1918 most Scottish schools were ‘board schools’ organised by school boards and supported by local rates. The Catholic community though insisted on establishing more than 200 voluntary schools. These received some central funding but nothing from the rates which Catholics were still paying. The Act sought to bring these schools under the umbrella of the state principally owing to concerns about an unsatisfactory two-tier system.
Both the Catholic Church and the Church of Scotland were approached to secure their agreement. The Kirk was happy to acquiesce with what was on offer, believing that, as the nation’s established church all safeguards on faith and instruction would automatically follow. The Catholic Church, though, insisted on two fundamental concessions: the absolute right of local bishops over appointments and the right to teach the Catholic faith in the way it wanted. Scotland was happy to grant this and the arrangement has been beneficial to all sides. There are now more than 365 Catholic schools in Scotland.
In the 21st century the pattern of religious observance in this country has altered drastically. Only around one quarter of Scotland’s 700,000 Catholics attend church, a picture of decline matched by the mainstream Protestant churches. If Catholic families are turning away from their own church in such numbers where is the argument for faith schools in a nation where Catholics are much more comfortable in their Scottish skin than they were 100 years ago?
Mark Cairns is headteacher at the non-denominational Cumbernauld Academy and a practising Catholic. He feels it is now time to have a mature and rational debate about the purpose of Catholic schools in 21st century Scotland. “Look, there can be no doubt that Catholic schools have contributed magnificently to Scotland’s education system and they helped form me and define me as a person. But I wonder if sometimes a sort of Catholic exceptionalism is aired by some whereby it’s claimed that Catholic schools possess some kind of moral X-factor somehow missing in the non-denominational sector. This would be at odds with the reality in schools such as Cumbernauld Academy.
“I know there are brilliant Catholic schools but everything that makes them great can also be found in a good non-denominational school. At Cumbernauld Academy we have a strong pattern of pastoral support based on fundamental core values of decency, respect for others and honesty. We have a mission to reach out to disadvantaged communities at home and overseas. Crucially, the spiritual needs of all children – no matter their faith background – are met. I don’t know of any non-denominational school where this is not the case.”
Cairns also points to an area where there might be a clash between Catholic moral teaching and the needs of LGBT children. His school has just been awarded LGBT Youth Scotland’s Silver LGBT Charter which recognises an assortment of best practices.
“As a practising Catholic I fully understand the church’s teaching and tradition on some of these issues. But here my primary responsibility is to the care and wellbeing of all my pupils. Though I know that the pastoral care in Catholic schools is excellent I also wonder if there is the potential for a conflict of interests in this area.”
At St Ninian’s Secondary in Kirkintilloch, a few miles north of Glasgow, the head Paul McLaughlin is conducting me on a mini-tour of his 700-pupil school as it gets back to normal following the ravages of the Beast from the East. This is where I spent four happy years in the late 1970s and though a smart new-build now rests on the site of the old school, which had stood here since 1874, a familiar sense of warmth and contentment washes over me and for a moment I am slightly overcome. The day I walked out of here I left behind my last few genuinely carefree moments but it was a place where I’d been encouraged to think clearly and to believe that anything was possible.
Kevin McKenna: Why university lecturers are seeking democratic accountability
McLaughlin is at ease with the pupils and them with him. We walk through the games hall and encounter a group of boisterous first year boys larking about with a football. He loves the fact that they don’t feel the need to stand to attention and salute him.
Later, in his office, he outlines the philosophy and values of St Ninian’s in the 21st century. He points out that, never having taught in a non-denominational school, he can’t comment on what goes on in them but refutes any suggestion of Catholic exceptionalism. “What there is in this school and others I’ve been at is perhaps a sense of us all being in this together and of facing in the same direction; a sense of community where everyone feels they belong and where they feel valued as individuals.
“As well as our traditional feeder schools we have a non-denominational primary school where the parents of their primary seven pupils, almost without exception, want to send their children here. Now obviously they’re not sending them here because we’re a Catholic school or because they are guaranteed to get great academic results but because they recognise that this is a school founded on care and compassion for others and doing things the right way.
“But let’s be honest here; we’re just down the road from Lenzie Academy, [one of the top-rated schools for academic achievement in the country], so for these parents to be so keen to send their children here tells you that they think we’ve got something; that they like what we’re about and that they believe we have a North Star in terms of the values that guide us.”
As an illustration he offers the story of a second year pupil who took her own life a couple of years back and of much-loved teacher who died recently at the age of 50. “I would not have liked to have gone through that in a school which didn’t possess the same values we have here,” he says. “And anyway,” he adds, “even if you don’t buy into this why would anyone want to close down schools which have shown a standard of continuing excellence based on care and compassion for the whole person and for others and which have worked for the great benefit of this country.”
He gently refutes the notion that the pastoral care of LGBT children might be compromised in a Catholic school. “At St Ninian’s we don’t see LGBT children or Asian children or children with learning difficulties or mental health issues. We only see the whole child and want to establish a framework where they will all be cared for and all their needs met. In our Religious Education classes our students are encouraged to question belief at all times.
“But let’s also be clear about something: our parents have repeatedly told us that while of course they would be concerned if our academic standards slipped they would be much more concerned if they felt that our Catholic identity was slipping.”
Monica Kierney, the head girl at St Ninian’s, is passionate about how Catholic education has helped shape her outlook on the world beyond. “I think Catholic social teaching has never been more relevant to society than it is today,” she says. “It encourages me and my friends to work for a fairer world as well as urging us to be the best that we can be. It has given me opportunities to think of others and to help them by following the example of Jesus. As I move on from school I can only speak of the positive value my Catholic education has given to me in preparing for the future.”
The term ‘post-Christian society’ is still loosely conferred on a modern Scotland where there are many more philosophical and behavioural attractions competing with religious faith for our hearts and minds. In the 2011 census though, 53.8% of Scots identified as Christian. Yet, how many more, while professing no religious conviction had their values and ethics shaped, at least in part, by faith?
Dr Roisin Coll, Director of the St Andrew’s Foundation for Catholic Teacher Education at the University of Glasgow, has no doubts about the value of Catholic education in seeking ways to combat unfairness and social inequality. “In Scotland there exists a synergy of school, community and government key to combating disadvantage and the social mobility of the Catholic community. Many Catholics have their historical roots in famine and disadvantage and this has helped mould our response today to those who feel alienated or excluded.
“Catholic schools ‘get it’ since we understand this narrative and we understand the commandment ‘love thy neighbour’ which means we have to do something about it; to respond; to make a difference. Catholic education seeks to make a difference whether it is in the lives of people confronting hardship and poverty in their own community or people confronting dislocation, asylum and violence from refugee communities. Catholic education has embedded a sense of solidarity with disadvantaged communities because that is part of our own narrative, our memory.”
Visiting St Ninian’s this week rekindled memories and stirred echoes of half a lifetime ago. I was cared for here by men and women who were dedicated to helping me and my friends make something of ourselves. These people, grounded in the faith and wisdom of ages, also instilled in me the political values and social perspectives which have helped form me. Without this faith I am nothing and Scotland is utterly reduced.
Don’t see anything wrong with that me neither?? good article
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Killie1997
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21 Mar 2018, 02:29 PM
Post #2458
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- Dubz
- 21 Mar 2018, 12:20 PM
Not sure when the awards are decided but I can’t see Clarke getting any. He’s done well to get Killie up there and has made them hard to beat but they are punching well above their weight and I think come the split it will show.
They will revert back to the normal Killie next season, with or without Clarke at the helm. He only ever does well in his first season anyway.
I beg to differ, having seen every game we've played since he took over.
Punching above our weight is not how I'd describe some of our wins.
We could have and should have won by more than 1 on Saturday and that's been the story in a lot of our games.
Folk say we sit in and hit teams on the break but if that was the case then why did even Celtic only have one shot on target against us last month?
We are sound defensively but I wouldn't say overly. Guys like Jones, Brophy, Kiltie, Erwin etc are not much use at the back!
We play at a high intensity but there's plenty of football being played.
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Killie1997
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21 Mar 2018, 02:34 PM
Post #2459
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For what it’s worth, if Rodgers gets to the final then I think it should be him given the fact he’ll have a great chance of back to back trebles.
I don’t even think the huns managed that in the 90s?
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Tim Bombadil
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21 Mar 2018, 03:28 PM
Post #2460
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- Killie1997
- 21 Mar 2018, 02:34 PM
For what it’s worth, if Rodgers gets to the final then I think it should be him given the fact he’ll have a great chance of back to back trebles.
I don’t even think the huns managed that in the 90s?
Nope
No one has ever achieved back to back trebles
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