Respect. Remembrance. Regard.

Published 11th Nov 2019

This is the eleventh day of the eleventh month. The day on which we should remember, on an annual basis, those who died in the Great Wars so that we could benefit from their bravery.

I was born not long after the end of the Second World War in 1945. I should be grateful that those who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect their country gave my mother and father the opportunity to meet and to have a free world in which to live in and produce a family of their own.

I will become seventy years old tomorrow and I am grateful for the armed forces who fought in that great conflict and, by so doing, allowed me to reach this milestone in my life.

All of what has gone before will, of course, be mocked and derided with glee by those who used Celtic's ground to desecrate Remembrance Sunday at the weekend.

They were a small minority of the otherwise respectful Celtic and Motherwell supporters who bore decent witness to the solemnity of the pre-match rituals.

The dissidents should be an embarrassment to the people who run a club which can count many Celtic supporters among the fallen in their country's sacrifice.

It is for Celtic to decide what is best when it comes to the group of supporters who habitually drag the club's name through the mud and compel them to make regular payments to UEFA for a variety of transgressions which infringe their rules on political statements.

It is a situation best summarised by saying Celtic have a terrific team frequently subjected to regrettable headlines caused by a group of fans who can be a source of inspiration at times and consternation on other occasions.

But I have wasted enough time on them and their questionable ways.

Neil Lennon's take on the international break following the defeat of Motherwell which kept Celtic top of the league by a single goal was illuminating.

Most fans now think of the interlude in the championship race as an intense irritation, an un-wanted respite from a compelling contest to pay scant attention to a national team which long ago lost the interest of a large group of football followers.

But Lennon said the hiatus "breaks up the rigours of the Scottish game."

I take that to mean the manager acknowledges the existence of Rangers as a genuine threat to Celtic's hopes of Nine in a Row, and that Neil welcomes a break from heightening tension.

What's more, he is absolutely correct.

Everybody with an interest in the outcome of the Old Firm's personal battle for domestic honours will need to draw breath before the month of December which will bring a Betfred Cup final between the pair of them and a league match at Celtic Park that could have serious consequences where the league flag is concerned.

You could use your recreational time to ponder the co-efficient table in the wake of Celtic's Europa League win over Lazio and Rangers' triumph against Porto in the same competition, for example.

And then you could allow yourself a long laugh.

I am told by a reliable eyewitness that when Lazio scored an early opener against Celtic in the Stadio Olimpico last Thursday night the sound of cheering could be heard from the television watchers inside the Ibrox hospitality lounges.

When Celtic then scored a belated winning goal against the Italians to secure their place in the knock-out stages of the tournament there were loud demands from those who had previously been gloating that all television sets be turned off immediately.

Such is life in the world of bitter rivalry.

It would have been exactly the same scenario if Celtic fans had been watching Rangers snatch triumph from the jaws of something less productive, and don't even attempt to deny that is the case.

There's nothing wrong with hoping your enemy falls flat on his face. That is the nature of enmity.

But don't kid on you care about the co-efficient and the creation of a better tomorrow for all Scottish clubs.

Celtic and Rangers fans hope that the other falls into a state of mayhem at the earliest opportunity and to hell with the co-efficient.

We live in our own, wee narrow world.

The only advantage, if your old ticker can take it, is that the remainder of the domestic and European season will be laden with drama and top level play from two sides replete with players of commendable quality.

The pair of them do themselves and the reputable wing of their support immense credit.

They have top class managers and players and exhibit a brand of football that is imaginative and easy on the eye.

There are some people associated with them who get on your nerves, but the bad don't out-number the good.

And they never will.

Respect to the fallen on this day of remembrance. Regard to the football players who have given the Celtic and Rangers supporters the beginnings of a season to savour.