Posted on Wednesday, 30th March 2011 by Oz Chris
What has been happening in the world of Celtic for the last week or so? Well, I am afraid someone will need to email me and let me know. Most of last week’s blog was written before the cup final and since then I really have avoided everything on the Internet, living in Australia has its advantages when you decide to shut out the rest of the world.
I thought I wasn’t that bothered about the defeat. I consoled myself knowing that it was only the CIS Cup and asking a manager to do a treble in his first year is a massive task. Add to that, for a change the game was played on a fairly level playing field, I really couldn’t gripe. In fact a big positive from the game is that the earth is in fact still spinning. I genuinely thought it had stopped. To see a referee give them a penalty and change his mind was quite mind blowing, especially since on first viewing and through my green tinted specs I thought it was genuine.
So the media blackout for me was self imposed due to Facebook and Twitter. On Twitter it was the usual doom and gloom and I just didn’t want to be part of it, on Facebook it didn’t take long for my timeline to be clogged with images of that embarrassment to the good people of Senegal. It was actually amazing to see how all the ‘peeepl’ managed to remember their logons after a three-month absence. So be it and how I long for the end of the season as I have no doubt revenge will be sweet.
So now that I am back in the real world, well as real as it can get in this country, I like you have been enforced to endure another weekend of International football or would it be better described as a weekend of boredom. As to why FIFA think it is prudent to throw in this interruption to the domestic leagues just as we are getting to the sharp end I will never know. It’s similar to when someone is about to answer the million dollar question on a TV show and they go to a commercial. It would appear the SFA are not the only ones who need to have a serious look at their organisational skills of how they run The Beautiful Game.
The fact that international football will not go away, my own opinion is that the qualifiers for both the World Cup and European Championships should in fact be a tournament at the conclusion of the domestic season in the two years not taken up by the main events. In fact that would fit in nicely to summer football for all in the Northern Hemisphere and the suggested qualifying tournaments taking place in a country with a warmer climate. Maybe now is the time to plan for change, with the possibility of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar getting played in December the opportunity may not come round again any time soon.
So, now I have accepted I am going to be forced to endure the International’s a bigger problem is who do I support?
My four grandparents are from the Emerald Isle, my father was born in Philadelphia, my mother is from Wicklow and I was born and brought up in sunny Glasgow. In about two weeks time I will officially be an Ozzy. So I have a choice to make.
It would be easy to support the country of my birth, having spent most of my life there, however I am in Australia for a reason. I left the country as in my opinion it was offering nothing for me and more importantly, nothing for my children’s future. The national football team is part of the SFA an organisation that has discriminated against people of the club I have supported for as long as I can remember. Even in the area I now live, those that support the Scottish National team seem to think it is an extension to the establishment. Last year I played in a Scotland V England ex pats charity match, 80% of the players thought it was fair game to play in the Royal Blue of the shame. I have just declined this year’s invitation.
To support Ireland, I would feel a bit of an imposter, I have never lived there or paid a penny to their economy, albeit every Easter and summer holiday as a child was spent on the warm golden sands of Bray Beach. The one time I went out of my way to follow the Republic was the Korean World Cup, it was my first year in Oz and living in a quiet suburb of the Sunshine Coast, midnight kick offs, Mrs at work, kids in bed, perfect. Then a knock on the door and two of Queensland’s finest. They were enquiring as to the cause of the disturbance. After searching my house and finding only my sleeping children, a television, and myself showing what they describe as a bunch of ‘poofs’ running about kicking a ball, they left confused. I still to this day think the two were worried that I had done away with my wife. This night watching Ireland, I think is one of the few times I have shown a bit of passion for a National team.
As for the USA, maybe if I manage to Vegas I’ll consider them.
So this really only leaves me with Australia, a country I have grown to love and hate. I love where I live, the weather is at worst perfect and I hope and pray my children will prosper here. They are a passionate race, most will state they hate ‘soccer’, but to be fair when it comes to the Green and Gold of whatever sport it may be they back them with a passion I reserve only for the Glasgow Celtic. It is though very like most countries, it is run by people who should be locked up. Their desire to be a politician should deny them from ever being one and I fear these idiots will allow this great nation to go the same way as the one I have left behind.
So with all these choices what am I to do, what nation do I choose?
I know, it’s actually quite simple, time to log off and go back to bed till the weekend and do what I have been doing for years. Stick to the one team I have always supported and ignore the rest of the world.
KTF
Oz Chris (twitter @cmcmon and for podcast and website updates @TheLostBhoys)
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Posted in Oz Chris | Comments (5)
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March 30th, 2011 at 10:47 am
born in lennoxtown (aye there!), ma n da in glasgow, all grand parents ireland like lots of tims… my kids born in england… but all tims to the core.
a no brainer, you follow your heart, your history and your culture…
erin go bragh !
[Reply]
Chris McMonagle Reply:
March 30th, 2011 at 8:08 pm
I have just had the very same lecture from my brother
[Reply]
March 30th, 2011 at 12:15 pm
OzChris – nice and interesting article !
There is a nasty default Anti Celtic feeling here in Australia from people who know nothing about us or football (you should come bike riding with me and my Super Hoopy friends in full regalia and look on in awe at the pelters that we have to deflect).
Funnily, though, when there is a game televised live or actually played out here involving my beloved Old Firm (!! only joking) we (Celtic supporters) outnumber them (detractors) 67 to 0 by my counting !
I was born here in Australian and have lived here mostly other than long range childhood summer holidays to Ireland (we went to Brittas Beach and Banna Strand so probably didn’t cross paths).
I support the Republic of Ireland and Australia in that order, and would support Ireland in the event that Stokesy was taking the deciding pen in a FIFA(Registered Trade Mark) World Cup Final between the two.
Like yourself though (I suspect) I support the famous Glasgow Celtic way way more than I have any feelings for Internationalist Footballing.
I would put it at : Celtic 36-International Football 0 to make a direct footballing reference.
Occasionally you get a Brazil 1970, Spain 2010 or a Maradona 1986 (Aguanta Argentina !!! – the original place my grandparents emigrated to from Rathangan, Kildare) to give you a real thrill, but I think about Celtic every waking hour of every waking day – versus international football only rarely and 95% of the time simply with an awareness that yet again it is interrupting our season.
I am often stunned by the excellent thought and powers of expression (and sheer decency) of my bhrothers and shisters in Celtic, but Joe stood out among them all yesterday with his his well judged comparison of it to an elderly relative.
In closing, I feel compelled to state :
I want the double this year as much as I wanted the 1-in-a-row league title back in 1998 and I (like most of you) wanted that very badly.
I have also become increasingly concerned since the League Cup Final that Lennon not being on the sideline will hurt us. If he was backing and urging me on at work, I would be the best accountant in Sydney !
Hail Hail
TB
[Reply]
March 30th, 2011 at 12:51 pm
Well, as a full paid up member of the tartan army (well the Scotland Supporters Club) there’s no doubt where my loyalties lie when it comes to internationals. I love my country, despite all it’s flaws. They are something that should be fixed not feared of fled from as far as I’m concerned. They certainly won’t cause me to give up MY country.
I’ve tried supporting the other nations I have family ties to. I went to the World Cup in Germany in 2006 to support Poland but it just wasn’t the same – and not just because they were already out by the time I got there. I’ll always be hoping that Poland and the Republic of Ireland do well in these tournaments, and I’ll back them when Scotland aren’t there (as they frequently aren’t now) but there’s a lack of passion. Probably the same lack many have for Scotland.
Still can’t be arsed with friendlies though. I know why they’re needed, but then I agree with Chris on this one – qualifiers should be compacted into the summers of non-championship years. Then we wouldn’t need pointless friendlies to keep us busy between qualifiers. I mean, whatever tit decided that Scotland should have a YEAR between playing Spain and the Czech Republic in consecutive qualifiers needs a good kicking.
[Reply]
March 30th, 2011 at 8:33 pm
Krys, I also love Scotland, in fact its not uncommon for me to feel a bit homesick and how I long for a pint of Tennents in the Queens Park Cafe.
However as a country, it has a dark side that festers its way into almost every aspect daily life. Yes it needs to be fixed and I can assure you I spent a fair bit of my working life attempting to do just that. For my efforts I can get to say I know exactly how Neil Lennon feels about threats to his family’s life.
As for supporting the national team, I attended Hampden once and swore never again.
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