LE GUEN WAS GOING TO WATCH A FOOTBALL MATCH NOT ENTER A WAR ZONE..

FORMER Rangers striker Mark Hateley has called on Celtic supporters to shop the idiots who shamed their club by spitting on Paul Le Guen.

The new Ibrox manager was given a harsh introduction to the bitter rivalries that can afflict the Scottish game as he left Tynecastle on Sunday.

Naively, perhaps, he swung a left on McLeod Street and wandered alongside departing Celtic fans on the way to his vehicle in the Hearts car park.

He was spat upon twice as the Hoops support, still smarting from their side's 2-1 defeat, took exception to the presence of the Frenchman in their midst.

Most Celtic followers condemned such behaviour on fan websites such as The Huddleboard on Sunday night.

Hateley knows what it is like to be targeted by rival fans. He was assaulted outside Pittodrie after a 2-2 draw 12 years ago as he signed autographs for a group of disabled youngsters.

He also knows what it is like to be on the receiving end from Celtic fans after two spells over six years at Ibrox when he was more often than not the hammer of the Hoops.

But he was surprised Le Guen was targeted for such vitriol because the former England striker's exchanges with supporters of his arch rivals were, for the most part, laced with humour and underpinned by respect.

Hateley admits Rangers could have better advised their new boss, who watched Celtic at Parkhead against Manchester United last week, of the potential pitfalls of making a trip to watch his two greatest rivals at Gorgie.

But the former Monaco frontman reckons Le Guen was only following the same spying routines that would have been natural to him as boss of Rennes and Lyon.

In condemning the behaviour of visiting fans at Tynecastle, Hateley has warned supporters of Scottish clubs not to throw away their hard-won reputation and run the risk of being lumped with the hooligan fringe in England.

He said: "Maybe, with hindsight, Rangers should have warned Paul better but he wasn't going to Lebanon.

"He was going to watch a football match, not entering a war zone, and he should not need security to take in a game between his two biggest rivals.

"I'm glad Celtic fans have been appalled by this incident and they should work to identify the culprits responsible or else run the risk of them all being tarred with the same brush.

"The actions of a minority can damage the majority and this is a group of fans who won an award from UEFA for their support at the UEFA Cup Final in Seville.

"That is the standard Celtic fans set for themselves and they - indeed, all Scottish fans - should look to build on that.

"Why shouldn't Paul have walked through the fans? After all, the game was finished and he was going about his business, preparing to return to his family.

"I know a minority were involved but we don't stand for players spitting, so why should we accept it from fans, particularly if it's aimed at officials from other clubs?

"In France, Paul would have done exactly what he did on Sunday and walked back to his car after taking in a game. There is a fierce rivalry in France between the likes of Marseille, Paris St Germain and Lyon but nothing matches the intensity of the Old Firm, although in this instance it's the ugly side of the rivalry no one likes to see.

"Nine times out of 10 any abuse stops at the verbal and most of it is done with humour.It's part and parcel of the game and should be expected but this was not acceptable.

"There are a mindless few, but in my experience it is a tiny minority, such as the idiots who shout abuse across the street when you're out with your family and only end up looking foolish when you ignore them.

"For the most part I enjoyed a good relationship with Celtic fans when I was a player.

"The true supporters would stop for a chat and maybe even ask for an autograph. A few even used to say I should have played for them instead.

"It was the home-grown players who bore the brunt of most abuse but now there are more foreigners and mentalities are changing."

Only once in his Rangers career - and that was one time too many - did he experience a supporter overstepping the boundary. Astonishingly, the unprovoked attack came as he was scribbling signatures for disabled youngsters at the Pittdorie front door.

He recalled: "I was doing autographs for a group of kids in wheelchairs and there were fans from both clubs.

"Suddenly, a group of four lads appeared and one of them kicked me on the side of the ankle.

"He wasn't the brightest as he did it in front of an Aberdeen security official who immediately reported it to the police.

"I shudder to think what would have happened had it all kicked off in front of the kids and I just wish fans would support their club s in the right way.

"Two police officers from the north visited me at Ibrox a couple of weeks later with mugshots and I picked out the same culprit as the Aberdeen security official.

"The lad was banned from Pittodrie for life."

Hateley also reckons Celtic supporters who witnessed the incidents on Sunday have a duty to act to preserve the reputation of all Scottish football followers.

If not, he fears we're on a slippery slope towards being bracketed with English hooligans.

He added: "Scotland fans are renowned worldwide for joviality and fun, not for spitting at officials from other clubs on the street.

"Scotland can't go from enjoying a great reputation at international level to being known for mindless acts of thuggery in our club game.

"The last thing that Scottish football fans want is to be compared with English hooligans and that's why serious incidents such as this need to be stamped out.

"As for Paul Le Guen? He is a guy who watches a lot of football and he'll carry on doing that.

"It will not have any effect on his attitude -and that's the only way to be."

Taken from the Daily Record