Hearts of Darkness - but time for a proportionate response to cheats and hooligans

Four months ago, I wouldn't have written this. In fact, I confess that, even now, this is a gut reaction to something wholly unacceptable, clouded by the context of fairly recent events.

But I'm not sure that criminal proceedings against the Hearts balloon who swung a fist in Scott Sinclair's direction are proportionate or necessary.

Hands on: Scott Sinclair felt the love from Celtic fans

I must confess that there is little about the Jambos that warms my heart. I respect the fact that their supporters stepped up to save their club, when others watched their own club die and blamed everyone but the culprits, all of whom could have been found inside their own stadium at any given match.

But Hearts took their medicine, paid their bills and came back.

I think they have a good, if hard-to-love team, which I believe will present our strongest challenge this season.

They played ugly against us, but they played well. They committed too many fouls to the extent that you could consider their foul play part of Robbie Neilson's plan.

Neilson is an interesting character. Not yet feted by the media in the way that Derek McInnes has been lauded to the strains of Bonnie Tyler singing “Holding Out for a Hero”, he has led a team through adversity, to strength.

He managed to outclass a far better funded team of Rangers impersonators to the Championship and make a decent fist of things in the SPFL. I have a hunch that Neilson is the one to watch as far as Scottish coaches within the Scottish game are concerned and that his team will be formidable opponents this season.

On the other hand, it's hard to find any feelgood factor whenever we play the Tynecastle men.

There have been many occasions on which their fans' rabid antipathy towards Celtic have been evident, none worse than the attack on Neil Lennon and the appalling contortions the Scottish legal establishment went to in order to mitigate the guilt of an assailant who had apologised unreservedly for his actions.

Their striker Jamie Walker secured an absurd penalty through a piece of abject cheating and there are reasonable calls for him to face retrospective punishment. I would support that, as long as it was done within an established structure that applied equally to all clubs.

We should try to eradicate that from the game, though we all know we never will.

But the fist-waving idiot?

Bear with me while I combine personal experience with distaste at reactions to recent events.

Firstly, let it be said that the thug who swung a fist towards Scott Sinclair deserves to be punished. A stadium ban would be in order, maybe even a lifetime exclusion, and you would hope that a strident defender of standards as Ann Budge claims to be would take the lead in getting her own house in order.

But, here's a silly anecdote. I once had a friend who was, by common consent, an absolute arsehole, much of the time. He even, pathetically, admitted as much to me, once.

One day, while walking down Union Street, I heard this almighty, shocking roar in my ear. It was my friend, who – never knowing where was too far – had spotted me, run towards me and shouted “Boo!” in my ear with all the volume he could muster.

I am not proud to say that I swung my right fist with all the power my adrenaline-fuelled body had in it - quite a lot. At the last split-second, I pulled it towards me, saving my friend from being laid out on the deck, quite possibly with a serious injury.

I am even less proud to admit that the reaction to punch him came after I caught sight of his buffoonish, grinning face.

In that few seconds, in an agitated state, I “chose” (as far as you can within those reaction times) to knock his head somewhere towards the Clyde and still had time to make that look like an angry gesture, rather than what it was – a real, volatile intention to smack that grin off his face.

I'm quite glad that I didn't make contact and I don't think it would have been a good thing, had I been unable to change my decision. If I had connected, he would have been hurt and I might very well have found myself in trouble.

That is just one occasion on which I have welcomed the maxim that the intention to commit a sin is not the same as the commission of the immoral act.

The thug who swung at Scott Sinclair doesn't have quite my excuse and I suspect he may have a greater history of launching his ham-like fists towards the faces of people who had upset him by being good at what they do.

And we absolutely must make football grounds safe for players and fans. Scott Sinclair didn't antagonise the Hearts fans – he simply took the quickest natural route towards the Celtic fans to celebrate his debut goal.

And had the assault been carried through, a jail sentence would have been appropriate. But supposing that maroon-clad clown may have thought better of lashing out at someone who had simply done his job, I wonder if a criminal record for a swing in the heat of the moment is warranted.

That's supposing that Ms Budge does take action.

But back to context. I suppose that this is informed by the absurd press reactions to Hibs fans taking to the pitch to celebrate their Scottish Cup win, when they were accused of all kinds of calumnies against their opponents players and coaching staff, though none have convincingly reported as much as an Indian burn, as evidence.

And yet all manner of punishments were called for – and many journalists insisted that their “eye-witness” accounts should be taken on trust, despite a Sheriff – presumably in full possession of all the available facts – concluding that threats to the wellbeing of the professional losers were greatly exaggerated.

Those same “respected” commentators called for sanctions from everyone just short of the UN Security Council for Hibs fans on the pitch that day and most of Scottish football scoffed.

So, maybe it would be enough for Hearts to deal decisively with Gormless-from-Gorgie and send a clear signal that Scottish football clubs can be trusted to deal with such actions in a way that the courts have, thus far, failed to do.

But I could be wrong.
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Echoes of the past and green shoots of trust for Brendan Rodgers and Celtic

There is something in the air around Celtic Park at the moment, for now little more than a faint aroma but it's growing.

Brendan Rodgers asked Celtic fans to trust the players after another night when questions were asked but the right answers were delivered.

Young Team: Eoghan O'Connell and Moussa Dembele

It was far from a perfect performance and there were a few players who illustrated why Brendan is still said to be pursuing four other signings – but more of them another time. This is a time to be positive.

He is right in everything he says about fans' impatience creating extra pressure and anxiety. That leads to players making mistakes and it is only natural that a manager should try to do everything to create an atmosphere that allows his team to perform at its best.

But that trust is already slowly starting to build. If Brendan doesn't realise that, he should have been around last year.

For the past two seasons, many of the same players who were on display last night screwed up almost every time they were faced with a major test.

Fans were becoming accustomed to it. But there are signs that improvement is already being made.

There is an increasing sense that the players understand what is expected of them  – both in terms of their roles and commitment – in a way that had been missing.

That lends confidence to the fans and, if understandably nervous, most seem to be getting back that sense of belief in the team.

It will take time – and consistent professional performances – to fully restore that trust but the green shoots of hope are there.

Kieran Tierney, Eoghan O'Connell and Patrick Roberts continue to impress but honourable mention must also go to Saidy Janko who showed some of the ability that caused Manchester United fans to have such high hopes for him before he was thrust into a transitional defence at Celtic.

There are areas for improvement in his game, such as his decision making, but, crucially, he looked like a player who could develop with the sort of quality coaching most of us believe we now have at the club.

And I can't be the only one to have waited for Moussa Dembele to take that penalty, thinking that we were about to witness a pivotal moment in his career.

My mind went back to the story of a 20-year-old Kenny Dalglish tying his lace before scoring a penalty against Rangers for his first competitive goal.

Kenny later admitted that it wasn't because he was cool-as-a-cucumber but instead he was taking the chance to steady his nerves.

We don't know how far Dembele will progress but we do not need to doubt his nerve on the big occasion ever again.

Kolo Toure also brought a sense of assurance to all around him although, ironically, the goal was conceded a few minutes after he went on. We seem to have a new top-drawer defensive coach but, this time, he's on the pitch – and he can play a bit as well.

But, for me, the most surprising change was in Scott Brown. I have long been an admirer and

Play it Kolo: Toure calls for calm

defender of Brown, often taking pelters for my troubles.

I was even once harangued for having mentioned him in the same article as Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard although no direct comparison was ever made.

So I was amused to read Brendan comparing Scott to Gerrard in terms of leadership and commitment to the club.

Before he took a single match, Brendan replied, “150% yes”, to questions about whether the club captain would remain. When you hear the manager then praising him for tactical understanding and playing ability that even he hadn't expected him to have, you can finally put the constant critics to bed.

Last night's was a different performance from Scott, apparently free from being the sole input of drive in the team, trying to force play with sheer energy.

He seemed to have more time on the ball than on any occasion I can imagine, no doubt helped by the improved organisation Brendan Rodgers has brought to the team.

With that, came probably his best night in terms of ball distribution that I have ever seen from him – both long and short passing with both feet, including one 35-yard pass to put Leigh Griffiths through on goal.

Brendan has said Scott can be the playmaker and – pelters at the ready, now – there were even shades of Paul McStay in his readiness to take pressure off his teammates, switch play and create opportunities.

None of this need be taken as premature predictions of greatness for the team or individual players.

What we have are signs of progress and with them, early seeds of trust. It will be continued progress that will allow that trust to grow.

And then the sky's the limit. We may even start talking about hope.
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Celtic fans should lay off the boos and support Efe Ambrose

Celtic fans are the greatest in the world. People keep telling us that and we just can't get enough of it.

Lionel Messi said so again before our International Champions Cup match on Saturday and Xavi and Iniesta are just two of an array of stars who have said the same.

And mostly it's true. The fans give the team incredible backing. The chorus of You'll Never Walk Alone, scarves raised, from a packed Celtic Park is one of the great sights and sounds of world sport.

Ambrose with Ahmed Musa (L) after winning  the 

Africa Cup of Nations in 2013

And we back the team, no matter what. It's that encouragement that has given Celtic the edge on countless occasions against teams assembled at far greater cost.

But supporting the players as a team also means supporting them as individuals.

We've all had our favourites and favourite whipping-boys amongst the players. Once, it was Anton Rogan who was the subject of everyone's favourite moan. Later on, it was Tony Cascarino and then Regi Blinker. Olivier Tébily and Adam Virgo also caused the hearts of many a Celtic fan to sink.

Just now it's Efe Ambrose. Ambrose seems to be unable to play a match without a calamity right now.

Maybe it's an inability to concentrate, maybe it's anxiety; it's hard to say.

He has been criticised on social media and blogs – including this one – and that's understandable. We shouldn't have  culture in which it is unacceptable to criticise inadequate standards.

And, after all, commenting on the rights and wrongs and villains and heroes of a match is all part of being a fan.

But when the players pull on the green and white hoops, trying their best, we should encourage them. And, so long as they are trying, that means we should be cheering them on to better things.

Ambrose is going through a tough time but hearing boos from Celtic fans when he got the ball against Barcelona was a saddening moment. It said that some of the fans there knew nothing of the values that made Celtic and our fans something special.

We should always show solidarity with our own.

But there is a question for those fans involved: what did you want to achieve by that. Did you want to destroy Ambrose, make him fearful of getting the ball and hearing the sound of derision from his own fans?

Because that's the only thing that could be achieved by that sort of display.

If Celtic fans want the team to progress, they will only do so by encouraging the team in a positive way. Anything else is sabotaging their own team's chances.

Did those booing fans imagine that Lionel Messi was listening to them thinking: “Yep, booing their own players – that's what real fans do”?

Or would he be just a little disappointed in the same way that the majority of Celtic fans were. Being embarrassed by fellow fans is never a pleasant experience.

There have been occasions when Celtic players have clearly not put in adequate effort and then it may be fair to let such players know that is unacceptable.

And I even recall a few ironic boos being directed at Roy Aitken when he clattered into Dragan Stojković a bit too hard during a friendly at Celtic Park. That was just a reminder that Celtic fans have always believed in fair play and admired quality football.

But none of those circumstances apply to Efe Ambrose.

It all seems to have unravelled for Ambrose since that performance against Juventus, three days after he had helped Nigeria to a win in the Africa Cup of Nations.

Since then, there seems to have been a sign hanging over him and little has gone right for him.

However, it looks likely that he will play against Astana on Wednesday and, if he does, he will be a crucial player.

In that case he will need all the support and encouragement that his coaches, team-mates and fans can give him.

Who knows what positive effect that might have but let's try?

After all, Celtic players never walk alone.
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