To cut to the chase: this season's finish feels off. There’s an expectation, long-held, that clubs and their people should show each other respect. That unwritten rule — that neither side openly criticises the other — mattered. It kept things from getting poisonous, even when tempers ran high. Seeing that fray at the end of the season is depressing.

Where things started to drift

People will remember different turning points. For me, the shift away from that mutual respect became evident when a certain John Reid was their chairman. You can see why, in a heated environment, lines would blur. But once public criticism becomes commonplace, it sets a tone that filters down through everything: boardroom statements, press rows, players reading the headlines.

The danger of the blame game

Here’s the rub — if this ends up as a finger-pointing exercise, we all lose. It normalises throwing others under the bus and gives licence to the noisy, easily influenced few who’re only too ready to join in. Young fans, casual observers, even players who are sensitive to criticism pick up on that. Instead of accountability, you get scapegoats and a toxic atmosphere that lingers well past the final whistle.

So what now?

I don’t have a neat solution. Truth is, it needs leaders at every level to show restraint and admit mistakes where needed. This should’ve been a chance for calm heads to say "right, let’s sort this out privately" rather than play to the stands. It’s a bitter end to the campaign, especially after dr getting us back in the race with a fair bit of help from W. Nancy. To be fair, pride and position make that kind of humility hard. But if we want to protect the club’s culture, someone has to start it.

Not the most uplifting read, I know. Still, worth airing — because if we don’t call out the damage that public rows do, we’re just letting it become the new normal.

Written by Broste64: 16 April 2026

Tags: tactics