The Title Race is on
After Celtic beat Hibs on 2-1 on Sunday thanks to a 72nd minute winner from Kelechi Iheanachothe to make the title race really exciting in Scotland with Celtic now in second place and being kept off top spot only by goal difference and the big first v third match to take place the following day, Rod took to social media to beg Old Firm fans to behave themselves during the Scottish Premiership title run in – in the hope that away supporters can soon again return to the fixture.
Rod who will be travelling up for the final three matches against Rangers, Motherwell and Hearts – made the plea after a violent Old Firm pitch invasion at Ibrox received wide condemnation in March.
Members of Rangers ultras group the Union Bears ran on the pitch to confront the Celtic fans in the Broomloan Stand and clashed with stewards and police, while a Celtic staff member was allegedly assaulted.
Celtic announced they were withholding the 2,200 allocation that Rangers were expected to receive following the shameful scenes. The Parkhead club requested that their rivals not sell any briefs to the ultras group – a request that was refused by the Light Blues, resulting in all tickets being held back.
Rod said there were “no excuses” for the behaviour at the cup match and slammed the “archaic” behaviour. In the Instagram video, Rod, who was sporting green nail polish said: “Hi there everyone, it’s Rod Stewart here. Celtic got a fine win against the Hibs, who were a bit unlucky to go down to 10 men.
To celebrate, my wife painted my nails green. As you know, I travel all around the world doing concerts and there’s always Celtic supporters in the crowd with their shirts on.
“A lot of them ask me, ‘Rod, what happened at Ibrox during the cup match with all the trouble?’ And I say, ‘I don’t know. We’ve got no excuses what so ever.’
“I find that behaviour somewhat archaic nowadays and, what I’m trying to say is, with the Old Firm coming up – and I will be up there for that game, the Hearts game and the Motherwell game – let’s try to pull together and behave ourselves. Because the one thing I miss, is having 10-15,000 Rangers supporters in there. But also at Ibrox, I’m sure the atmosphere isn’t what it used to be, with no Celtic supporters.
“So let’s really come together – and whoever wins this league, good luck to you – but please, let’s make a united effort. All supporters, let’s make a big effort in the next three games to behave ourselves. Get the crowds back in and put Scottish football at the top of the list – where it should be.”
And the result from Monday was Hearts 2 Rangers 1 putting Hearts back in top spot
Celtic will take on Rangers at Parkhead at 12pm on Sunday needing all three points and it’s going to be home fans only for this massive match.
Who’s Buying All These Tickets? Rich People?.
In a new interview with Chris Akin of The Classic Metal Show, ex RSG drummer Carmine Appice talked about streaming music services like Spotify and Apple Music taking away the traditional revenue stream of selling music and how most rock bands are forced to make their money touring and the very high cost of tickets”
“You notice everybody’s touring, and look at their ticket prices,” Carmine said. “I mean, you go see Rod Stewart — it’s a thousand dollars. But you can come see our show for 75 bucks. It’s the same thing. But that’s it — you look at everybody touring, and the money that people are spending on tickets. $3,000 or something for Bruce Springsteen. And I heard that KISS, the last show, was 12, 13 grand for one ticket. That’s ridiculous. Who the hell buys tickets for $12,000? And you bring your wife, it’s $25,000. By the time you’re done with everything, it’s probably $27,000. If you buy a shirt, two shirts… It’s ridiculous. Where do people get that money to do that? Credit cards? … Come on. I mean, that’s ridiculous. What do these people do for a living? Average people, what do they make? 70, 80,000 a year? I mean, who’s buying all these tickets? Rich people?”
This week’s Rod Art
This weeks Rod art is something a bit different, A model of The Orion Amphitheater where Rod played recently made by Brad Robison owner of Teufel Hunden Customs that was presented to Rod at the show.
Brad told SMILER this week “The project came about from The Orion Amphitheater located in Huntsville, Alabama. Rod Stewart was the season opener for the amphitheater and since he has a large model train set, the amphitheater commissioned me to make an HO 1:87:1 model of the amphitheater as a gift for Rod for his train set. I spent 3 months working on the project, with many measurements and prototypes made. The amphitheater model is 3D printed, hand painted, and true to scale”.
“Definitely the most unique commission I have ever had”
To see more of Brad’s amazing work go to https://www.instagram.com/teufelhundencustoms/
What’s On
Penny will be promoting her book ‘Someone Like Me’ at this years Boswell Book Festival at Dumfries House Ayrshire tonight Friday 8th May at 19:30
And if you are attending you check out Penny’s bouncy blow-dry done by Steven Carey from Steven Carey Hair in Mayfair.
Matching 10k
On Bank Holiday Monday Penny was at the Matching 10k and officially started the run
To see lots of pictures from the day go to https://www.matching10k.org/
Penny also ended the week on the panel on Thursdays Loose Women
https://www.itv.com/watch/loose-women/1a3173
SMILER magazine Issue 105
While it’s a quiet week as Rod is on a short break can we remind members to check your membership details are up to date as this weeks big news is the next issue of our magazine Issue 105 is very nearly ready to go to press..just a few tweaks left to do!
But here is a sneak peak at the cover, Issue 105 will be sent out free to paid up members and sent to the address you have on our data base.
Bonnie Tyler
As we post this week news is breaking regarding Bonnie Tyler who underwent emergency bowel surgery in the Algarve at the weekend and remains in intensive care. Her condition is considered delicate and she is being continuously monitored by the medical team.
Bonnie Tyler, 74, is in intensive care at Faro Hospital following the surgery. She was placed in an induced coma after a sudden worsening of her condition on Thursday, and her prognosis is considered guarded. She is accompanied by her husband.
The SMILER team wish her the very best and send our love and prayers and hope she is soon on the road to a full recovery
And Finally..
After returning to work for the London Marathon last week Penny has told the Daily Record that she wants to carry on being a City of London Police Special Constable for a long while yet
She said: “I hope to be on duty until I’m 60. Of course, I work in TV and do a lot of charity work, so I meet different people and see different lifestyles.
“But I think policing is where you get to really understand people and that’s what I love. I think as you get older and more mature, your life experiences play a huge role in what you have to offer as a police officer.
“It’s about people skills and your voice is one of the most powerful tools you have as a police officer. When I’m out on the street, I’m dealing with people face to face and showing empathy and drawing from my life experiences.”
See you next week…