After the backlash over Friday’s incident at Easter Road involving James Tavernier and a ‘fan’, much soul-searching has been committed over the state of the game on both sides of the border following similar events in England.
However, while the two in England were extremely unsavoury at best, the Tavernier incident included a small and deeply worrisome moment which many observers have alluded to.
We will never know if they were right, but it does appear the assailant briefly attempts to reach into his back pocket for something, and we couldn’t imagine what that might have been.
If anything more serious had come of this confrontation, we have to say we fear not only for James Tavernier’s safety, but the future of the game in Scotland, period.
As commenters have said – if a bampot wants to do this, a bampot is going to do this. We can’t stop it, but we can manage it better, and clearly security measures recently have been unable to prevent these sickening images tarring the British game.
The public outcry if Tavernier had been attacked more seriously than he was would have been on unprecedented levels, a watershed moment for sport in this country.
It’s not unprecedented, period though. Older readers will know well the Steffi Graff Monica Seles stabbing, for example, of the 90s, the moment which probably robbed the latter of being the greatest player in women’s history. Stabbed in 93, on court, already having won a frightening eight slams at the age of 21, she only won one more in her career.
So this is the kind of impact a horror incident like this can happen, and for it not to happen again requires intense vigilance and responsibility from supporters.
last game i watched the marshals were watching the game!!! Tav was lucky the Muppet had time to and could have punched him
Delighted that Hibernian now recognise that it is a disgrace when their fans are involved in a criminal act of assault on a Rangers player on the field of play. Quite a change from their stance during the infamous cup final that such things were forgivable “exuberance”
Crazy that this should mark a slight improvement on the professionalism of the Scottish game
The numpty who invaded the pitch will hopefully get his just rewards in court but what about the security guard who completely and spectacularly failed in his job.
My base feeling regarding the recent incidents within the game could well be linked to social media. Clearly, an unhealthy, and disturbing aspect of the lack of policing this medium offers the opportunity for disturbed individuals to make a name for themselves, perhaps based on graphic images freely available.
How many school shootings in America, for instance,were committed before the Internet was introduced ?
This problem goes much deeper than the self-imposed articles in the press from ex-players and half baked responses from those in power.
The hatred, religious divides and vitriol that exists will not go away. Ever.
It is entrenched in the fabric of Scottish people.
Dundee, Hamilton, Dumfries, Aberdeen…it's all there..right in front of you…
Clearly he never had a weapon on him. If he had , he would have been done with that too
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