Anyone but Celtic: Inside the culture that created the Lanarkshire Referees Association

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As extraordinary as it might appear that so many people are willing to wait for hours upon hours to walk by a coffin, we have to remember that on this island there are 67 million of us, and the vast majority are warm at home and baffled by those images. There has been a lot of talk, over the last nine days, about respect and how it is paid and how it should be paid. The rush by people in every walk of life to pay homage to the monarch has given some an opportunity to claim that their mood is reflective of that in the nation as a whole. But they speak, in the main, for a very small minority. A lot of work has gone into uncovering what goes on behind closed doors, and in the closed minds of those charged with policing the game of football in Scotland. Some may laugh at this sort of thing but these loonies are a dangerous and poisonous breed and the fact that this sort of guff is given approval by the club itself and not nationally ridiculed by the authorities and the press makes it all the worse, because it just goes to show the influence they have over people.

Emerging from a trophyless season and forced to bring in free agents, suddenly, their prospects suddenly look brighter. This one focuses on the men in the middle, though as you read the book, you realise that they aren’t in the middle at all.IMATIM – Playing the devils advocate…what exactly could/should our custodians have done regarding the stitch up with the scheduling of the League Cup semi finals? The club put forward a reasonable, transparent and fair proposal on how to resolve the matter. This proposal was simply dismissed by the SPFL Board. The club then made a public statement condemning the summary dismissal of their proposal. These people have a large megaphone, but so much contemptible vitriol and odium has poured out of it over the years that most people either pay them no attention or side, reflexively, with those they are hating on.

Fair enough; his prerogative, entirely. But, if that’s the case, be prepared. Or don’t, and see what happens. But when it does, it’s your fault. Walker: “Frank, your next port of call should be someone on the Celtic board. Honestly, get them on the side and see where you can take it.” He does it in such a way that is easy to follow, and with a book like this, the reader has to take the writer on trust. Documentary based on the popular 'The Asterisk Years' book by Paul Larkin, about the Establishment v CelticIts his third book on Scottish football, following By Any Means Necessary and The Asterisk Years, both of which are good enough as stand alone publications, as is Anyone But Celtic, but when you put the three together , perhaps read over a long weekend, you have an enlightening but somewhat dismal picture of how Scottish football is run, and maybe it isn’t such a surprise that we sit , in 2017 at a crossroads where the game is concerned.