Andytown News shine a light on what really happened at Ibrox

Trust the Andytown News to shine a journalistic light on events at Ibrox on Sunday.

Serving the west of Belfast, its readers have a keen interest on all things Celtic and the News likes to keep them well informed.

Under the headline Battle of Ibrox, Forget The Propoganda, Only One Side Went To War, journalists at the News analysed all the footage of the aftermath of Tomas Cvancara’s penalty winner at Ibrox.

And it will come as no surprise to any Celtic fan that the paper concluded “The reality of events on the day bears little resemblance to the ‘both sides are as bad as each other’ favoured by the Scottish, Irish and British media.”

They go on to point out how the Celtic players make their way towards the Broomloan Road stand to celebrate where some Celtic fans have made their way into the 18 yard box and are getting selfies with the players.

A common occurrence, just as Aberdeen fans did when winning the Scottish Cup last season. Celtic fans had to suck it up and take it on the chin – there was no violence.

NEWS ON THE COPLAND INVASION

With Celtic fans, players and staff in the Broomloan Road goalmouth area, a number of Rangers fans, many of them wearing balaclavas begin drifting on to the pitch from the Copland Stand directly opposite the away fans.

Premier Sport commentator Rory Hamilton is in no doubt about what he is seeing. “Supporters [are] making their way on to the pitch at both ends of the stadium, Celtic in celebration, Rangers fans in retaliation.”

The News reports that “After around two minutes of Celtic players, management and fans interacting on the pitch, Celtic staff in club tracksuits begin tugging at and signalling to the Celtic players to leave the field.

As Celtic players make their way towards the sideline, a Rangers fan aims a kick at Celtic full-back Julián Araujo. The fiery Mexican turns to confront his attacker, but is hustled onwards and away.

A Rangers fan in a grey top attacks a member of the Celtic backroom team, reported to be the team’s fitness coach. After a melée involving Celtic players, staff and police, the man is led away by two police officers.”

As the police lead the man away “scores of Rangers fans, the vast majority dressed in ‘Union Bears Ultras’ black, are sprinting towards the Celtic penalty box as police and stewards in high-vis jackets desperately try to assemble a human barrier across the 18-yard line.”

Once the fans reach the stewards line at the Broomloan end a smoking flare is launched into the Celtic fans in the stand and exactly ten seconds later the flare is thrown back on the pitch from the stand.

GOING OVERBOARD ON FAKE NEWS

By the time the fans of the home club pull up short of the police and stewards line, gathering en masse at the right-hand corner of the penalty box D, no Celtic fans, players or staff are left on the field.

At this point a home fan in a blue balaclava punches a steward in the face and he falls to the ground.

The article concludes: “The evidence is stark and overwhelming, even if it makes grim reading for Rangers fans: Not a single Celtic fan crosses the halfway line and indeed only a minuscule number leave the 18-yard box – and that’s to wander towards Celtic players or staff.

There is precisely zero evidence of Celtic fans approaching Rangers players, much less attacking them. Indeed, no Rangers players cross the centre line to come anywhere near the celebrating Celtic fans and players.

Indeed, when the main attack wave of Union Bears Ultras begins sprinting towards the Broomloan there are four Rangers players in sight: three are about to enter the tunnel side by side and shaking hands with three Celtic players, and one is in the Rangers half engaged in a clearly relaxed conversation with another person.”

The News also points out that none of the graffiti that has been condemned was discovered in the Broomloan stand until long after the pitch invasion when the stadium was cleared.

“But the big story of the day was the pitch incursions and the most cursory examination of the mass of evidence readily available gives the lie to the idea that both fans were equally to blame.

CELEBRATORY, NOT VIOLENCE

Yes, Celtic fans accessed the pitch and that should not happen; but their motivation was clearly celebratory, as evidenced by their demeanour and their keenness to get to Celtic players and staff for selfies and embraces.

The fact that they remained inside the 18-yard box is clear and unambiguous evidence of their intentions. The home fans, on the other hand, were masked and clearly aggressive in their demeanour, covering 100 metres at a rapid pace with no intention other than to get at Celtic fans celebrating at their own end.

Ludicrous claims of ‘protecting our players’ and ‘protecting our stadium’ immediately collapse on any cursory examination of the movement and behaviour of both sets of fans.

And perhaps most tellingly of all, “with only a thin line of around 25 police and stewards separating the 7,500 in green and white in the Broomloan from around 250 baying Rangers Ultras, the Broomloan masses stayed put. Had they not, this would be an entirely different story.”

Hats off to everyone at the Andersonstown News for providing the analysis and facts that nobody in the Scottish sports media would dare touch with a bargepole.

THE BATTLE OF IBROX: Forget the propaganda – only one side went to war

Or if you prefer a different version of reality there is BBC Scotland, STV News, TalkSPORT and Fox News.

Andersonstown News, North Belfast News and South Belfast News are the titles of the Belfast Media Group.

RELATED READING

• Andrew Dallas and the WONKY VAR lines
• Fake News from STV

Select Celtic365 as a “Preferred Source” on Google News for prompts to the independent news and opinions that you respect.