Derek McInnes and the Billy Boys: The Staggering Hypocrisy of a Man Who Lecture Celtic
Historical Billy Boys footage, a disciplinary controversy and the uncomfortable questions the Rangers manager must answer about his own conduct.
Phillip Cooney 
Derek McInnes and the Billy Boys. It is a subject that deserves considerably more attention from Scottish football’s mainstream media.
The Rangers manager has never been shy about expressing his opinions. He has criticised refereeing decisions, made inflammatory statements and publicly questioned Celtic-related incidents.
However, before delivering another lecture, McInnes has serious questions to answer about his own behaviour.
Who does Derek McInnes think he is to lecture anybody when footage shows him participating in sectarian singing?
Historical footage from his Rangers playing career shows McInnes singing the Billy Boys at a supporters’ event.
The footage dates from the 1990s. It is not a new incident. It has circulated for years, yet his involvement has not attracted the sustained public scrutiny that such conduct warrants.
Why?
Derek McInnes Billy Boys Footage: The Questions That Demand Answers
The Billy Boys contains a notorious reference to Fenian blood. Its sectarian content is unmistakable.
McInnes’s participation deserves condemnation.
Being a young footballer does not excuse singing a sectarian song. Neither does wearing Rangers colours or claiming that attitudes were different decades ago.
The passage of time does not erase responsibility.
In 1999, Rangers vice-chairman Donald Findlay resigned following a controversy involving footage of him singing sectarian songs.
That incident generated widespread national attention.
Therefore, why has McInnes’s participation not faced comparable public questioning?
Has he explained his involvement? Does he regret it? Has he publicly condemned the song?
These are straightforward questions.
Scottish football’s journalists should be putting them directly to him.
A manager cannot expect to occupy the moral high ground while serious questions about his own conduct remain unanswered.
Derek McInnes Billy Boys Controversy: The Motherwell Meltdown
McInnes’s reaction to Celtic’s dramatic victory over Motherwell in May provides another example of his controversial public conduct.
While managing Hearts, he reacted furiously to Celtic’s late penalty.
He described the decision as “disgusting” and suggested his side were up against everybody.
The Scottish FA subsequently found him in breach of its disciplinary rules.
McInnes received a four-match touchline suspension. Following a Rangers appeal, two matches were imposed immediately, while the remaining two were suspended.
His words had consequences.
A senior manager can challenge a refereeing decision without suggesting that the entire football establishment is against his club.
Nevertheless, McInnes chose inflammatory language during a fiercely contested title race.
His remarks resulted in disciplinary action.
Now, his historical participation in the Billy Boys raises a separate question about accountability.
Scottish Football Cannot Keep Avoiding the Difficult Questions
Scottish football has spent decades insisting that sectarianism must be confronted.
That commitment means very little if prominent figures are spared uncomfortable questions about their own conduct.
McInnes should explain his involvement in the Billy Boys.
He should address the song’s sectarian content and clarify whether he regrets participating.
Furthermore, Scotland’s mainstream media should pursue those answers rather than leave supporters to raise the issue themselves.
The Donald Findlay precedent demonstrates that prominent football figures have previously faced serious scrutiny over sectarian singing.
Why should McInnes avoid comparable questioning?
This is not about demanding retrospective punishment. It is about recognising that the passage of time does not automatically erase responsibility.
The staggering hypocrisy is expecting others to answer for their behaviour while serious questions about your own conduct remain unresolved.
Celtic face Rangers tomorrow. However, this issue extends far beyond one football match.
McInnes’s involvement in the Billy Boys deserves a proper public explanation.
Scottish football cannot preach accountability while allowing difficult questions to disappear.
Key Takeaways
- Historical footage shows McInnes participating in the Billy Boys during his Rangers playing career.
- The footage concerns events from decades ago, rather than a recent incident.
- McInnes received an SFA suspension following his comments about Celtic’s penalty against Motherwell.
- Scottish football’s media should apply consistent standards when examining sectarian conduct.
Phillip, sadly those questions will never be asked by the SMSM. Like the Celtic board, things will only change when there are people brave enough to stop taking the free soup/lamb on offer and do the job that they are paid for.
Celtic face Sevco tomorrow. It would be impossible to face Rangers tomorrow, would it not? That club died in 2012. That is a FACT, not an opinion.
Hail Hail.