Cachad

Thank You for posting this. Fiancee is a former Royal Marine Commando and is doing more time in the sand pit. It's good to see these guys getting respect.

Karlos The Jackal

Brought a tear to the eye!

Scottish, English or Welsh, those guys deserve a good homecoming welcome and for the Scots guys there can be no finer welcome than at Ibrox!

Good on yer 'Gers!

commander

Kev, why should the marines not get a big day out like that? I don't think there was any political agenda..

You are looking too much into it..we are british and they are british forces..More than that, Rangers is a scottish club, 45 Cdo are the scottish commando so there is a link.

Rangers and Hearts have strong links to the armed forces.

A big Rangers fan Marine Gary Wright was killed in Afghanastan.

Big Kevin

Hello mate. I hear what you say and would argue with none of it. You may even be right in that I have possibly read to much into it. For clarity, I would like to say that, on the evidence of the video, 45 Cdo certainly enjoyed the experience and who in their right mind would grudge them that? Not me.

Many of us have links to the armed forces, my grandfather's brother was killed on active service in France in WWII having joined the British Army at 15 years of age following his father relocating them to the West of Scotland from Ireland, and I have many good friends, and some relatives, presently serving both in the British Army and RAF. When my mother, God rest her, died last year she passed her father's service medals on to me and they are my most treasured possession.

In a way I regret posting what I did earlier, and I sincerely hope that I have not offended you or anybody else by what I said. I have no axe to grind with anyone who would commit themselves in service of their country. I admire and respect those who are so called, and I apologise unreservedly therefore if I have upset anyone.

I am in favour of keeping politics separate from the football though. It's an area where misunderstanding and distrust are all too prevalent in Scotland. But if we don't talk about it then we won't learn from each other, and then we'll never get anywhere will we?

StublueKPL

Kev, Whilst i respect everything you said...........

What exactly is your problem then?????

I still cant work it out.?????

Rule Britannia, Do your research and realise that it was written by a Scotsman and that, no offence fellow Brits, But that we put the Great into Great Britain. Unless of course, you want to follow part of scotland and be Oirish?? methinks the latter.

also, what i said earlier??? what is the problem....
Also, maybe you just cant accept that the Scottish/British team won the league? Not the Plastic Paddies whom you support who glorify in celebrating British Soldiers deaths. Whilst i have to say that i am proud of your families history, in fact, i take my hat off and would love a story like that, but , and Im sorry for saying this, but the sooner people realise what the Celtic support is about the better. yes, maybe not you ,but be honest, the majority. who hate everything Britain stands for.(and before its said, im from a mixed background and i dont care if anyones a protestant or catholic)

Big Kevin

Heya Stu,

My problem is that I abhor all aspects of politics and religion in football, particularly in Scottish football, most specifically in Glasgow. As long as we wave union flags and tricolours from opposite ends of a football ground at each other we'll be stuck back in the dark ages. I can't be arsed to research who wrote what tbh, and I don't care whether it's Rule Britannia or the Soldier Song, my personal view is that the time for these at a football match is gone. That's all.

The reason I posted further on the matter was that I felt maybe my comments had been misconstrued as being detrimental towards British soldiers, that was in no way my intention and I merely sought to clarify that.

You're entitled to think what you will in terms of who or what I might wish to follow, as much as I am entitled to think that stabbings, beatings and killings in the name of sectarianism, and under the guise of supporting football teams, is outrageous and shameful.

I've gone a bit off topic from the original post, which I know was put up there by Commander for very good reason, and I have no argument with the sentiments behind that post. But I am sick of the division and hatred that is perpetuated by the singing of songs that are hundreds of years old at football matches.

Unless and until we get over it, that's how we are and will be seen by everybody.

commander

guys, this is a contentious issue that is best kept for 'followfollow' or 'cum on the hoops'..

I dont want to get into the old arguements that never ever get resolved..

I do read with interest and respect Kev, your grandfather, like mine paying the ultimate price for his country. His medals hang up in my house alongside my own, and they will be passed on generation to generation..

Which begs the question, how on earth could you attend Celtic park on Rememberance weekend and stand amongst the anti british forces contingent that swarms Celtic park. You would get lambasted for wearing a poppy and they dont have a minutes silence...

I dont get it..seriously..

A football club is main part of the community in the UK...and come together in the face to tragedy (ibrox) or celebration(lisbon Lions, Barcelona).. I have no beef with the anti british feeling that circumvents the east end of Glasgow.that is their views and they are entitled to it...and the Celtic club and support do represent that view..what i cant grasp though is why people who honour and respect the armed forces could stand there and listen the the bile that is spouted..

And incidently that goes for the red hand brigade of fannies that you see at Ibrox..A lot of neds who have never stepped foot in Ireland.


Almost all clubs have some kind of rememberance plaque or suchlike for their players who paid the ultimate price in the 2 wars..is there suchlike at Celtic?

Could you have imagined if the marines had been paraded a week later at the Old Firm match??

As for waving of the Union Flag and the tricolour...We are in Great Britian..the union flag is the flag of our country. The Union flag and the saltire flies above Ibrox. The same should fly above Celtic Park. They are a scottish and British club too..weather you like it or not. This is not Ireland this is Scotland..there is no place for the Tricolour..IMHO

Big Kevin

Hello Commander,

There is truth and sense in a lot of what you say. But things are changing, and we can only hope that it will be for the better.

All the best,
K.

Abu Andy

Commander,

There is not a plaque but there is a scroll of honour with the names of the Celtic players who lost their lives in the war listed within the Cetic Park boardroom. (Would have said trophy room but you would have just reminded me it was empty)

With regards to the comment
"Which begs the question, how on earth could you attend Celtic park on Rememberance weekend and stand amongst the anti british forces contingent that swarms Celtic park."
I was at the last match on remebrance weekend and it was a minority that tried to disrupt the remembrance events. You can't say all celtic fans are the same when most of the support ignored the folk outside trying to pass on flyers, the so called swarms. The small minority (sorry swarms, at most 50 of the 59000 fans) were booed by the support when the left as a demonstration 10 mins into the match.


My question is why was is necessary to parade the soldiers at any football ground? They should have received a parade/welcome through Glasgow City so people could honour them for what they have done.

A.A.

commander

Hi andy, the Marines have been given a parade through their home town of Arbroath.

This rangers link is purely through football. It started when one of the 45Cdo guys wrote to Rangers to arrange a bounce game for the guys when they came back from afghanistan,

they had the game (and beat rangers!!) and Rangers offered them the opportunity to come to Ibrox on matchday and be welcomed onto the pitch..

kinda the same way Man u had soldiers hand out the league winners medals..

football=community. A community that in general supports its armed forces and most people in the community know or know someone who knows someone who is serving in those god forsaken hellholes..

To suggest (not that you did) that Rangers had any alterier motive is ridiculous.