Leader: Old Firm must strike a new tone to reduce tensions

Published on Sunday 15 May 2011 15:33

THE Scottish Premier League season may have come to an end but still the collective madness that has taken hold of Scottish football continues. Yesterday police and the bomb squad were called to Cowdenbeath after a suspicious package was sent to the chairman of the lowly Fife club, the advocate Donald Findlay.

It turned out that the package only contained a knife and was not of the kind of potentially deadly explosive device that has in the past been sent to the manager of Celtic, Neil Lennon. "Only". Just stop and think about the use of that word. It "only" contained a knife and was, presumably, meant as a threat in the same way as sending bullets to Mr Lennon was. It was not intended to kill or maim.

Yet this is what Scottish football, and Scottish society, has come to. It seems almost a relief that this is a relatively minor incident. It says a lot about the atmosphere of hatred and extremism which has been engendered in our so-called national game that we might even think of something like this, a threatening criminal act, in such terms. It should not be so. We must not begin to think in this way.

At such a fraught time one would hope that the senior figures in football, and it must be said the serious problems only involve Celtic and Rangers, should show some leadership, some restraint and some diplomacy to send a message out to their so-called supporters. In this context it is regrettable that Walter Smith, in a parting shot as he stands down as manager of Rangers, should attack his rivals at Celtic when claiming the Parkhead club's criticism of referees set the tone for this annus horribilis of a season.

Mr Smith spoke not long after his opposite number, Mr Lennon, had praised his Rangers counterpart - and may well set in train further tit-for-tat responses which can only serve to heighten an already poisoned atmosphere between the two clubs. Rangers fans will point to Mr Lennon's remarks at the weekend, that a lot of people in the game had to "look at themselves in the mirror", comments they will take as a slight even if, as most commentators believe, it was not meant as one.

As he is departing the game, it would be better had Mr Smith chosen his words more carefully. Over the past year Mr Lennon has not exactly covered himself in glory either, and he must take his share of the blame. Both managers, and their clubs' senior executives, appear to feel they have to speak to what they believe is their hardcore support, but in doing so they alienate the majority of their own more reasonable followers - and the rest of Scotland.

Over this season we have seen the ugly face of the beautiful game but the summer SPL break is at last upon us, for which much thanks. When football resumes, Mr Lennon and Mr Smith's successor, Ally McCoist, must set a different, more positive, tone which their supporters might just respond to. We cannot go on this way.