Amongst the Celtic hyperbole, what Nicola Sturgeon said is possibly being lost

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When I woke up, I didn’t expect the “Government Hates Celtic” chat to dominate the morning.

Because when Nicola Sturgeon suggested that Scottish football needs to get its house in order, it didn’t seem like a dig at Celtic specifically. In fact, when Sturgeon expanded on her comments, saying “I don’t care whether it’s Celtic, Rangers, or any other club”, it seemed reasonable enough to me.

That’s because it’s a phrase she likes to use. When Celtic fans protested outside Paradise after the Ross County defeat, Sturgeon said [Daily Record]:

“I don’t care if you’re a Celtic fan, a Rangers fan, an Ayr United fan or no fan of football at all.

“Anybody who attacks police officers is doing wrong and that is pretty despicable.”

Is there actually much in this? Enough to back Lennon’s suggestion that the Government have it in for us? Did Sturgeon provide enough meat for a whole column of Sutton condemnation? To be honest, I just don’t see it.

Sturgeon “Celtic comments” in context

To be frank, this is starting to get a bit hysterical. Just like Ally McCoist whinging about Rangers being mentioned in the context of Celtic, plus ca change.

If your football club gets mentioned in the context of something happening elsewhere, it’ll hit the ear, no doubt. And your instinct might be to suggest “what’s that got to do with us?”. That’s fair. The First Minister was talking about the latest debacle south of the Clyde, with 5 Rangers players breaking Covid restrictions. On the surface, that has nothing to do with Celtic.

But it’s not that Nicola Sturgeon was saying “I blame Celtic for this.” She is so clearly uninterested in football tribalism that this suggestion seems fatuous. To me, it just read like “I don’t care what football team you are, don’t be daft.” It just so happens that in that statement, she lists the biggest two clubs in the country. Both of whom now have a rap sheet in terms of Covid blunders.

Not blunders of the same level, not the same mistakes as such. But both, like Aberdeen and St Mirren, have caught the Government’s attention.

We are right to back our team, but there’s no actual substance here

Neil Lennon might be trying to curry some favour with supporters, here. By suggesting everyone’s against us, he can win some folk over with a siege mentality outlook.

If that’s the case, this has been a gift. An absolute gift. Anyone with pre-existing concerns about the Government (with fair justification, it must be said) who supports Celtic can use this as a stick to beat the SNP with.

But it just seems… is it not a little hollow? A little lacking in substance to be a valid critique?

More realistically, was Nicola Sturgeon just using a turn of phrase? And maybe, this time, there’s no agenda against us, and we really just need to get past this?

As a Celtic obsessive, I’ve got a million examples of being aggrieved. Some fair, others ridiculous. And I sympathise with the ideas that Lennon and Sutton are voicing, I do.

I just don’t think Sturgeon saying the word “Celtic” in this context is enough to suggest a vendetta. Sorry.

READ MORE: “All guns blazing” Ross County prepared for Bhoys test.