Jamie Maclaren has made a statement today regarding coins being thrown at him at Ibrox.
There was an unusual tone in the words that made the Hibernian striker sound like he thrives in that kind of environment. Regardless, the incident is just yet another damning indictment of how much some Scottish football fans need to grow up.
The game referenced by the Aussie was a clash at Ibrox last season. It was Maclaren’s first goal for Hibs that gave them a 2-1 win at Ibrox. This came after John McGinn and Sean Goss had traded strikes earlier on.
And Maclaren, who’s preparing for a friendly with Australia against South Korea, touched on the moment with a damning memory.
“My first goal for Hibs was away at Ibrox.
“We scored the winner against Rangers and I remember seeing coins just fly past me, fans just launching stuff and it does just show the passion they’ve got over there.
“But even the Edinburgh derby, I’ve scored in that as well and you do think about it, actually the gratitude of playing in that sort of fixture is massive and I’m just proud to say I’ve represented Hibernian and scored in those big fixtures.”
Don’t just ignore it
These comments from Maclaren were very dismissive of the incident. He didn’t seem to care much and instead focused on the positive passion that the incident seems to prove Scottish supporters have.
It’s important to not just ignore the incident, however. Already this season, we’ve seen a coin hit an assistant at Livingston, Alfredo Morelos being struck, and also Hibs manager Neil Lennon.
It makes you wonder just how many incidents like this occur in Scottish football. It only ever seems to be a problem when it actually hits a player, so good on Maclaren for bringing this up.
This isn’t a club-specific matter. This is something happening all around Scotland from no doubt more sets of fans than you would think. Every football club has their morons, and some need to start growing up.
Coin-throwing is one of the most despicable acts a supporter can carry out. It’s important players continue to bring up these incidents when possible so that we can understand just how big and widespread the issue is.
Don’t be annoyed because it’s a Rangers fan being referenced. This has nothing to do with Rangers. It’s a societal problem that needs weeding out.
So fair play to Maclaren for bringing it up, as it continues to increase awareness over a very serious subject.
