Danny Stewart: Week of Old Firm turmoil must give Eddie Howe food for thought

The monster success of the latest season of Line Of Duty points to the UK public’s appetite for explosive television drama.

More than 12 million people tuned in to watch the finale of the show about bent police officers, and the detectives who dedicate their lives to catching them.

Murder and mayhem abound, with the South-East London accent adopted by Greenock-born former Morton player, Martin Compston, an example of the sort of cunning misdirection audiences have grown to love.

There is organised crime, gangland connections and corruption, layered up like so many sheets of lasagne.

As actual anti-corruption officers have commented, the whole thing is wrapped up in a much more-exciting parcel than they ever encountered in their careers.

That’s OK, though.

Thrill-seekers may argue the point, but pretty much everyone prefers their jeopardy viewed on their flatscreens than served up at close quarters in real life.

It is a thought that Eddie Howe will doubtless have been pondering all week as another startling few days in Scottish football has unfolded.

The professional game is no environment for shrinking violets, and managers have to be extra tough to survive the intense scrutiny they will find themselves under from all sides.

With Howe having lasted a dozen years as a player and another dozen as a boss, it can be assumed he is able to take care of himself.

Whether he wants to try his luck in the super-heated, often toxic, environment of Glasgow’s football scene is another question.

Howe may only have been taking a passing interest in Celtic’s woes back in December when their team coaches were chased out of the club car park by their own fans following a draw at home to St Johnstone.

Howe has since emerged as the prime candidate to be the Hoops’ new manager, and he may now have an eye on all things Celtic.

So the pre-meditated fire-raising at the home of Celtic chief executive, Peter Lawwell – that endangered his family, including a young granddaughter – must have shocked him as much as everyone else.

All escaped physically unharmed, but Lawwell described the incident as a “devastating” attack on himself and his family.

Up until that moment, the news agenda had been dominated by another Old Firm story that had nothing to do with football namely the ugly scenes witnessed in the city’s George Square last Saturday.

Police made 28 arrests – plus the promise of more to come – with SFA president, Rod Petrie, not mincing his words in a statement that referenced “sectarian singing”, “vandalism” and the inflicting of “physical damage”.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon likewise hit out at “vile, anti-Catholic prejudice” and the widespread breaching of Covid rules, witnessed in scenes shown across not just the UK, but in Europe and beyond.

It is worth pointing out football fans giving themselves a pass from having to follow social-distancing regulations for a celebration is not unique to Scotland.

Inter Milan supporters flooded the streets of their city last weekend after winning their first Serie A title in more than a decade.

In Amsterdam, 12,000 Ajax fans packed the streets around the Johan Cruyff ArenA after their side had clinched the Dutch title once again.

However, Italy and Holland do not have the same troubled relationship with drink. Nor do they have the same issues with religious bigotry.

Any outsider who does his due diligence before coming north will quickly alight on the notorious riot by Celtic and Rangers fans after the 1980 Scottish Cup Final.

A studious man, Howe will almost certainly be well-versed on the subject by now, as a result of his months spent as the Hoops’ prospective new manager.

He will have seen stories of the 2019 robbery at Brendan Rodgers’ Glasgow home after his departure to Leicester City that forced his wife and stepdaughter to barricade themselves in a bathroom.

What we have seen underlines the dangers of life for high-profile football people in Glasgow.

Chris Sutton, the former Celtic striker and media pundit, spoke of the city gaining a “terrible reputation”, and voiced his concern players and managers would think twice about relocating to the West of Scotland.

Whether Howe – whose idea of an intense local derby up until now has been Bournemouth against Southampton – is prepared to immerse himself in the culture in his line of duty is a question only he will be able to answer.