What a Joke!!

[Thermopylae 15,287]

I am kinda shocked at this to be honest. Those players watched him die.

Exactly, these are the people who really are involved

[robroy72 0]

Someone on another list I'm on is still in touch with our former LB, Davie Robertson. His son played for Utd. in that game and is still distraught over the whole thing.

[Ibroxblue 122]

Looks like DU asked about this yesterday:

http://www.pieandbovril.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=73018

So the SPL have some questions to answer.

[kirkiebear 1,013]

Embarrassed to be a scottish football fan with these clowns making decisions like this.

[blueger9 0]

Decending quickly into farce. Questions now surely have to be asked about the S.F.A.s handling of this afair.....all quite bizarre..? ..aye right... <_<

[minstral 5,375]

you younger members will soon learn that the manky mob have done this for years, they seem to get what they want and it will keep going on unless we tackle them head on.

[Calgereh 1]

The United game and the rest should be postponed.

[Bluemeanie6 3]

absolute joke, DU dont deserve this crap tims can GTF

[Blue Stars Bearette 1]

the Dundee Utd Players will be shattered after witnessing Phil's collapse the SPL mob are a dithering disgrace its clear to everyone except them all fixtures should have been postponed out of respect. A lot of players will have known Phil and his family. Barry for example grew up with him in Hamilton.

[docspiderman 1,248]

An absolute disgrace, Blair and Gold, if they were honourable men, should resign.They are guilty of bringing the game into disrepute as well as showing complete lack of compassion and sensitivity.

[Poetry_In_Blue 1,043]

Quite happy to postpone the Old Firm game yet when the team who were involved on the day Dundee United, they have requested for the game to be cancelled and guess what? The SPL have said no which is shocking, quite happy to allow Celtics request yet when the team who were involved on the day they say no :angry2:

http://www.dundeeunitedfc.co.uk/

The SPL gave made a complete arse of this and should of cancelled ALL SPL and SFL fixtures as a mark of respect instead of a selected few

Totally agree 100%, all games should have been cancelled.

[Danny 9]

you younger members will soon learn that the manky mob have done this for years, they seem to get what they want and it will keep going on unless we tackle them head on.

I'm not really sure why you're blaming the tims for this. This is the SFA being a bunch of absolute retards.

All games should have been cancelled, but idiotic bureaucracy has dictated that utd v Hertz goes ahead.

Thing is, Smith is their boss - why doesn't he step in here?

[Del 667]

The SFA are a fuking joke!!

We get our match postponed but the team who were playing against Motherwell when O'Donnel collapsed are being made to play!

Absolute shambles!!

[Danny 9]

My (and others) mistake - SFA have nothing to do with this - it's the SPL who are responsible for this madness.

[Muff 245]

Ian Blair and Lex Gold should tender their resignation with immidiate effect.

This is what Ian Blair had to say on SSN earlier on,

'The games are going ahead as a mark of respect to Phil.'

'The Old Firm game is being postponed as a mark of respect to Phil.'

[BLUEDIGNITY 33,684]

Just goes to show we're up against the Authorities as well as the other teams.

Watch for more of this shite as we close in on #52......

And plenty of it, people jumpin on Gordon Smith already too and it has he has heehaw to do with it ? watch the celtic pr machine turn other events in their favour in the coming months. So far in the pr gamesmanship stakesin 2008 it's bheggars 1 Rangers 0. WGS must be havin a quiet smug chuckle to himself.

[Boab 73]

Ian Blair and Lex Gold should tender their resignation with immidiate effect.

This is what Ian Blair had to say on SSN earlier on,

'The games are going ahead as a mark of respect to Phil.'

'The Old Firm game is being postponed as a mark of respect to Phil.'

Those last two lines just strike of BS IMO.

[SUPERCOOPER 115]

Blair is a BS artist

[Muff 245]

He's f*cken clueless.

"The games that have been postponed are games where there has been a direct link to Phil and to Motherwell.

He collapsed on the park v Dundee United ffs. Think how their players must feel? EVERY game should of been postponed across Scotland.

Scottish football is a complete and utter joke, especially with these two f*cken monkey's running it!

[BLUEDIGNITY 33,684]

Ian Blair and Lex Gold should tender their resignation with immidiate effect.

This is what Ian Blair had to say on SSN earlier on,

'The games are going ahead as a mark of respect to Phil.'

'The Old Firm game is being postponed as a mark of respect to Phil.'

Those last two lines just strike of BS IMO.

It's known as double corrupt standards ! Bit of spin here and there ! They have nailed their colours to the mast with this regarding who's influencing Scottish football behind the scenes. Remember John Reid's at the phiggery now chaps !

[CanadianGer 1]

Ian Blair and Lex Gold should tender their resignation with immidiate effect.

This is what Ian Blair had to say on SSN earlier on,

'The games are going ahead as a mark of respect to Phil.'

'The Old Firm game is being postponed as a mark of respect to Phil.'

Those last two lines just strike of BS IMO.

according to the Scotsman, the SPL turned down Celtic's request for a postponement, which seems tasteless to me. When Rangers contacted them and said they agreed the game should be suspended, the SPL then changed their minds, which is probably even worse.

the appropriate thing would have been for all SPL games to be cancelled.

[BLUEDIGNITY 33,684]

Ian Blair and Lex Gold should tender their resignation with immidiate effect.

This is what Ian Blair had to say on SSN earlier on,

'The games are going ahead as a mark of respect to Phil.'

'The Old Firm game is being postponed as a mark of respect to Phil.'

Those last two lines just strike of BS IMO.

according to the Scotsman, the SPL turned down Celtic's request for a postponement, which seems tasteless to me. When Rangers contacted them and said they agreed the game should be suspended, the SPL then changed their minds, which is probably even worse.

the appropriate thing would have been for all SPL games to be cancelled.

Just read the story in the Scotsman and it doesn't say they had knocked back celtic in fact what it says is first and foremost the O'Donnell family were the first concern and then the postponement of the Motherwell game next and because he was one of celtics extended family the old firm was postponed as well after consultation with Rangers, what that means is they said to Rangers is celtic are getting the game postponed do you have any objections, gun to head stuff, Rangers got to say OK as they would look the big bad bigots as usual. At no time did the SPL refuse celtics request to have the game postponed. Don't know about your work but extended family doesn't get me time off work with pay. Only nearest and dearest. Celtic refused not on your nelly go tell it to the marines !

[Zulu 981]

Whats this extended family shit ? is that the same as being Celtic minded?

[BLUEDIGNITY 33,684]

Whats this extended family shit ? is that the same as being Celtic minded?

It means ye can get away with any dishonourable scam you want at any time and not a person in footballing authority will have the gumption to say NO to you !

[CanadianGer 1]

Ian Blair and Lex Gold should tender their resignation with immidiate effect.

This is what Ian Blair had to say on SSN earlier on,

'The games are going ahead as a mark of respect to Phil.'

'The Old Firm game is being postponed as a mark of respect to Phil.'

Those last two lines just strike of BS IMO.

according to the Scotsman, the SPL turned down Celtic's request for a postponement, which seems tasteless to me. When Rangers contacted them and said they agreed the game should be suspended, the SPL then changed their minds, which is probably even worse.

the appropriate thing would have been for all SPL games to be cancelled.

Just read the story in the Scotsman and it doesn't say they had knocked back celtic in fact what it says is first and foremost the O'Donnell family were the first concern and then the postponement of the Motherwell game next and because he was one of celtics extended family the old firm was postponed as well after consultation with Rangers, what that means is they said to Rangers is celtic are getting the game postponed do you have any objections, gun to head stuff, Rangers got to say OK as they would look the big bad bigots as usual. At no time did the SPL refuse celtics request to have the game postponed. Don't know about your work but extended family doesn't get me time off work with pay. Only nearest and dearest. Celtic refused not on your nelly go tell it to the marines !

Well here's that article from the Scotsman again.

SENSITIVITY and respect seemed to gain a gratifying victory over bureaucratic resistance yesterday when the Scottish Premier League belatedly agreed to postpone tomorrow's Old Firm match following the death of Phil O'Donnell.

The decision came 24 hours after the SPL had rebuffed Celtic's initial request – following the shelving of the Hibernian-Motherwell and Gretna-St Mirren games – to delay the fixture until later in the season. It was only after consultations with Rangers, who supported their great rivals' petition, that the authorities gave their permission.

The League secretary, Ian Blair, said in a prepared statement: "These are never easy decisions, but we recognise that, as a former player, Phil was a member of Celtic's extended football family. After consultations with Rangers, we agreed to postpone this fixture."

At a press conference at Celtic's training centre in Lennoxtown yesterday morning – arranged before the tragedy that befell the Motherwell captain – it was obvious that Gordon Strachan was unhappy with the original insistence by the governing body that the match should go ahead.

Asked if he favoured postponement, the Celtic manager said: "Well, the powers-that-be spoke of postponement, but it seems the game goes on. It's going to be a very difficult day for all of us."

Two hours later, Walter Smith suggested to media representatives at Murray Park that circumstances had changed, and confirmation of the postponement was confirmed soon after. "I don't think you can think about playing," added the Rangers manager.

Strachan was clearly uncomfortable about the prospect of talking about and preparing for a match that, to a substantial number of Celtic players and backroom staff, had been rendered insignificant by the death of the universally respected O'Donnell. The manager was fully supportive of the feelings of his players, expressed by the Celtic captain, Stephen McManus.

"Having met this morning as a group for the first time since Phil's death," said McManus, a close friend of the O'Donnell family, "the Celtic team, management and backroom staff feel very strongly that the match on Wednesday should be postponed as a mark of respect for Phil O'Donnell, a great player and a great man. A number of our squad have close connections to Phil's family and feel it would be inappropriate to proceed with this match at such a time.

"We understand sincerely the inconvenience and frustration a postponement would cause supporters of both teams. However, we feel this would be the only correct decision and we hope supporters will understand our position on this matter."

Strachan had declared his unease over discussing the match the moment he entered the room at Lennoxtown, preferring instead to emphasise the emotional devastation at the club following the news of their former player's collapse during Motherwell's match with Dundee United on Saturday.

"How can we talk about a game of football, and how important and how tense it's going to be?" asked Strachan. "Thinking of four kids wondering where their dad is after a game of football is too much for any of us who have children. I didn't know Phil well personally, but everybody I've talked to about him spoke so highly of him. And I know enough of the kind of man he was from my own son, Gavin.

"When Gavin heard the news, he called me and told me about the time he went to Sheffield Wednesday on trial. Now, when a player goes on trial like that, he isn't paid too much attention, but Gavin told me Phil had gone out of his way to welcome him and look af

ter him. Willie McStay, our coach, was on holiday with Phil and his family recently. Tommy Burns, who signed him when he was manager of Celtic, disappeared, obviously just wanted to be left alone. Tommy knew him so well. We can hardly imagine his grief.

"Mark (McGhee, the Motherwell manager] came round to our house yesterday and we had a blether. He was, as you'd expect, in a state. Phil was obviously a great Motherwell man, but it would be fair to say this was his second club. It's why we all feel so uncomfortable here."

Strachan revealed Celtic will "do something" in memory of O'Donnell and the gesture will almost certainly take the form of a testimonial match on behalf of his family. "I've already spoken to people here about that and we'll certainly be doing something for Phil and his family. We're all saying we have to get on with our jobs, but it does feel very strange."