A Celtic supporter has been accused of secretly subscribing to Rangers TV after returning to the Daily Record Hotline following a months-long absence, with Rangers fans claiming his renewed interest in their club reveals an obsession with all things red, white and blue.
George Wilson from West Sussex said he had "uncovered" the secret subscriber after the return of Gordon Ashley, a regular caller who had been absent while Celtic struggled across four competitions. Wilson said: "We are used to hearing from Gordon Ashley three or four times a week talking up Celtic but more often criticising all things Rangers. Strangely, we haven't heard from him for months, during which Celtic have been getting pumped left, right, and centre in four different competitions. Lo and behold, on his return, surprise surprise, he is talking about Rangers again. Despite many of our games only being shown on Rangers TV, he seems to watch them all, which is fair enough if he's paid the subscription."
Fans React to Return
Stuart Pearson also weighed in on Ashley's comeback, saying: "It appears Gordon's back on earth after spending the last few months living on the moon, and is already howling at it. Does he forget all the favourable decisions his mob have been given for years? Of course he does! Move back to the moon, please."
Ashley and fellow Celtic fan Charles Maxwell made clear this week they are not buying into the hype surrounding Derek McInnes' second-placed Rangers side. But Nigel Nicoll said: "These gentlemen should be seriously worried about the dross that their team is playing. I suggest they focus on that rather than their obsession with the Rangers. By the way, the so-called remembrance scenes at Parkhead were a disgrace. Don't these morons know that at least one Celtic player was awarded a VC - for gallantry?"
Remembrance Silence Criticism
Gary Stevenson took aim at the disrupted Remembrance Sunday silence at Parkhead, saying: "A bit of advice for Ayr's Gordon Ashley, who claims to have seen footage of all Rangers' refereeing decisions this year. I remind Gordon that not everything is shown in the highlights reel, just like Celtic's so-called 12 seconds of silence for our war heroes. That should be shown in its entirety, the length and breadth of the country."
Meanwhile, Celtic's record signing Kasper Hogh has scored in just one of 18 outings since his £11million-plus move from Bodo/Glimt. Joe Sneddon pointed the finger of blame towards the dugout, emailing: "At £3.65 million a goal, the big Ham Hough failure is on Martin O'Neill... not Dermot Desmond."
Scotland Squad Concerns
Scotland have been hampered by two defensive injuries with Luis Binks and Stephen Welsh both forced to withdraw from the squad. That has led to recalls for Amedspor's David Bates and LAFC's Ryan Porteous, but Stephen Mulhern from Dumbarton reckons Sebastian Pocognoli has overlooked an obvious option much closer to home.
Mulhern insisted: "I read with interest Pocognoli bemoaning the lack of young Scottish talent breaking into our game. Strange then when he ignored the finest young talent in centre back Dane Murray who reminds me of John Kennedy before his horrific injury. Bringing in Ryan Porteous is a backward step as he's Bambi on ice in our penalty box and is an accident waiting to happen."
Ferguson Tribute
Manchester United legends gathered last week to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Sir Alex Ferguson's appointment at Old Trafford. Peter Cooperwhite paid his own tribute to the most-decorated football manager of all time, saying: "It says a lot about the great man, Sir Alex Ferguson, that since he left Aberdeen and Manchester United, it's two clubs that have struggled to fill the gap he left. A hard act to follow, as they say."
