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I wish Momo all the best, he was a good character if not necessarily a player of Celtic's standard, but he's the first off the wage bill, and the £100k to boot is good news.
Interestingly O'Neill said he's not the only 'want away player' he smoothed the way for a quick exit, to clear GS' desk, any news on who the other's are officially, i'v heard all the rumours, Balde, Douglas etc is that all?
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Fernandez, Laursen, Rab, Hedman next maybe. Question, why dont we offer Hedman in part exchange for Neimi?? He would do a job for Southampton in that league they went down to. I wonder if there is a Q at the managers door this morning, players being told, yer oot, or yer in :-)
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According to the BBC website, Douglas has also joined. With Sylla on a reported £15,000 a week I would imagine that Big Rab would be on a similar wage that means we have already freed £1.56m in wages!
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Well Paul it was worth the wait, the big story, Sylla goes.
Seriously, a good deal, release wages and £100k, can't remember when Celtic last did this.
We always appear to be on the receiving end of a 'doing' in any negotiations.
With reference to anon 9.32 on the other subject, maybe Celtic have employed a good salesman to negotiate and he's just clinched his first deal .... £100,000 .... result.
PS... Cmon Paul you must be getting bored keeping that story all to yourself, what is it? We won't tell anyone :-)
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Good to hear that celtic have started clearing out the high earner/underachievers off the wage bill.
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Have to say, I'm sorry it didn't work out for Momo. Not the world's best player but he was perhaps someone who could've been moulded to become a better player than he was. Always looked as if he'd run himself into the ground when he got a chance too.
Having said all that, he wasn't up to the task but he'll probably do well at Leicester. All the best Momo
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Good luck to Momo. I´ll always remember MON´s double substitution when we were 2-1 down in Lyon at the end of 2003. He brought on Wallace and Sylla, as two wide men, and it was Momo who hassled the Lyon left back, stuck a foot out and the ball went in the direction of Sutton. The big man lunged at the ball with his left foot and it went in and we were about to qualify for the next stage of the CL. Alas it was not to be, there is always a fine line between anguish and elation in football
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Can anyone confirm if celtic have released details of a fee as the last information i had was that Sylla was going to be freed in exchange for termingating his contract one year early. His 'people' had in the first instance talked about a payoff for cancelling the contract.
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Momo was very frustrating-he obviously has bags of skill but somehow manged to stop short of being a great player.Blinker was much the same-I always thought he had a great first touch but would then do something daft-plus we never forgave the lack of bottle.
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Momo is best summed up that most of his best performances came in preseason friendlies or testimonials - the Arsenal game at Highbury comes to mind - hopefully first of many squad members who will leave and replaced with other of better quality
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Glad to see we are getting rid of some of the rubbish that we have on the fringes of the team.
Dont think we need a 'poker face' just good business men doing the deals.
Douglas has gone according to the BBC website - good riddance to him as well
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Paul, great site by the way, the most interesting Celtic site by far that i've found.
Anyway, when do you plan to tell us all the "Big Story"? I think everybody on the site is on the edge of their seats!
BelfastBhoy
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Schneer (or should it be sneer?),
I remember Douglas's save from a free kick at the death against Dundee United recently, which was crucial at that stage of the season. He dropped some clangers but pulled off some important saves too. We need better than Douglas but supporters expecting keepers to save everything is just unrealistic.
I wouldn't say good riddance, I'd say thanks for giving your all to the club but it's time we both moved on
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anon 11.53 - dont you remember the Vignal howler and who can forget that great night in Seville when he sold the jerseys (twice)
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Sorry to post these again, but I have a habit of getting lost on the end of the old thread when a new one starts. A couple of cases of Scot-bashing by the English media mugs:
Firstly I felt the need to email the writer of the following article to complain about his ridiculous statement that "Gordon Strachan is not an overwhelmingly popular appointment with Celtic fans".
I suggested that he visit this site, where he will see that this is clearly a false statement, and invited him to retract the statement from his article. I do not expect him to do so.
http://www.thisishampshire.net/hampshire/southampton/sport/SOTON_SPORT_THESAINTS0.html
And there is no way that Celtic would pay £4M for a 33 year old goalkeeper.
And another one...
http://newcastleunited.rivals.net/default.asp?sid=893&p=2&stid=8382265
"STRACHAN - WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?
By L Teasdale
Date: 1/6/2005
He has only been in the job 24 hours, but new Celtic manager Gordon Strachan has revealed the club's dream of moving to the Premiership has substantial support in England. What the hell do we want with those biggots in England?"
Well, there are only really two things we can say in response to that:
1. It's "bigots", not "biggots". I think he is getting confused with "maggots", which is what two thirds of the teams in the EPL are, feeding off the scraps from the big boys.
2. Now then, let's have a look at the respective reputations of English and Scottish fans across Europe:
Every time the English fans embark on an overseas trip we see the biggest security operation ever witnessed in their destination country, as their hosts quake in their boots at the prospect of the invading hooligans.
Meanwhile Celtic take 80,000 to Seville without even the slightest hint of trouble. And after being knocked out of the UEFA Cup by Villarreal their fans set up supporters clubs to come and watch Celtic again. My, we must have terrified them!
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Douglas always gave Celtic everything he had, a good honest pro.
How can he be blamed for the Vignal howler - it was 2 years after previous howlers. In which case - its the managers fault.
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BigChips Uk - i was trying to watch that England game last night on the telly & ended up under the covers with a beer in one hand & moved onto the bush - can you tell me where i went wrong?
regards
Momo's leather troosers
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I agree with earlier posts. Are we sure we are getting £100k for Momo?
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Schneer,
I replied already but doesn't seem to be coming up. Douglas was a good honest pro..he made some howlers, he made some good saves. Don't think he deserves to be vilified any more than those defenders who've made some howlers of mistakes over the years.
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Rammiebhoy/Belfast Bhoy, story tomorrow (assuming no more major news).
Bigchipsuk, interesting quote from the Newcastle fan. Let me assure you, Freddie Shepherd thinks differently.
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I agree with anon 12.15, i think our shaky defence was more to blame than Rab, and truly think we never replaced Johan Mjalby, he was cool calm and collected, and clearly done the thinking for Bobo. Remember Rab was in nets when we had the best defensive record in Britain.
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Thanks Paul,
I can sit back in my seat for while!
Cheers
BelfastBhoy
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Bigchipsuk
The GUFFS were even at it at the friendly in America last night!!!
Cheers
Murph
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Rab Douglas had his bad moments but he was not constantly bad. He made some fine saves and most of the time did the needful in goal. Okay so he was no Buffon, but then who is? (the reply came back 'Buffon, you diddy').
Whereas, in my opinion, Momo was beyond redemption. The only thing he was good at was falling on his backside. The man could not stand up for falling down. {interesting fact - Momo is actually a good player on Champ Man, which speaks volumes for the Champ Man database!)
I am more happy to see Momo go then Rab. So if Rab is going then good luck to ya big man, hope you do well at your new team.
What ever happened to the Lemmens guy that was about to join?
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The club has come to the end of an era, and for each of the players that do move on in the summer, I would like to thank them all for their efforts. Some more than others.
With regards to Momo, as well as his goal against Basel, his performance at Anfield was outstanding, but he possibly didn't get the chances due to Agathe's consistent form.
Big Rab also looks like he is sharing a Pickfords van with Momo, and I would like to also thank him for his contribution to the Hoops over the past 5 years.
While he has been much criticised for individual errors, he has had some fantastic matches. Who can forget his performance in Valencia?
I have the feeling that they will be the first 2 of many heading out of Celtic Park this summer? (If summer is the correct word, given todays weather).
T.O.T.
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As we have seen it takes a long time to move on a high salary bench warmer. Players have came to CP and doubled their wages and done nothing, sending our wage bill soaring.
We need quality even if we can only afford two or three. A quality player inspires the team and the youths. A journeyman is a long term financial drain and demotivates young talent.
No more squad players, first XI only required.
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Big Rabs goals conceded record last season stands up pretty well. Although his mistakes were pretty much all critical mistakes.
For that reason alone it is time to wave adieu. My priority would be a real (not pretendy) top class GK.
Other than Niemi cant think of one tho'. That then is probably the reason that we have had no real top class GK. If we can find one can we have him please.
All the best to Rab & Momo.
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Given is the best keeper in the prem, consistently consistent!
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Thanks to Momo and Rab. I think they both did the best they could even which is as much as you can ask.
Om a separate note I watched the GS interview on the website and was a little concerned about one comment. It went along the lines of 'the fans will eventually know the budget (from the signings) and will then have to set their expectations accordingly'. That to me suggests lower them rather than raise them. Anyone else have any feelings about that remark?
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Momo's leather troosers:
Where did you go wrong? Well, if you had a beer in one hand you clearly weren't keeping a breast of the situation with the level of interest demanded by Mrs Troosers.
Re: Momo. I don't think he ever got a real chance to prove himself. True, he did do a remarkably good impression of Paulo Wanchope at times (how are the opposition supposed to know where the ball and his feet are going next if even HE doesn't know?!), but he also made a good few positive contributions. I think he took more criticism than he perhaps merited. Good luck in England Momo - the weather's better if nothing else.
Re: Rab. He made more top notch saves than howlers over the piece. And it's not an easy job being a goalkeeper for a team that is so much better than the opposition. You do nothing for 20 minutes then a shot appears out of the blue and has to be dealt with. It's too easy to drift off and start watching the game on the big screem - then realise that the guy standing still with the ball flying towards him is... yourself!
I wish big Rab all the best at Leicester also. Perhaps we'll see both of them on the Fantasy League player lists when Leicester get promoted... or not?
And I hope Bayern hurry and make their move for Bobo, as I don't want him at CP next season. He clearly isn't a Celtic man at heart, just a mercenary out to make his millions. Liam Miller mark 2?
On keepers, all those who were generally regarded to be the best play(ed) behind rock solid defences. Look at Zoff, Banks, Seaman, Clemence, Schmeichel. Most of the opposition attacks never made it through the defence, and those that did usually only resulted in half chances, or were from long range. e.g. Italy v Holland (x2) in the 1978 WC semi and v Brazil (x2) in the 3rd place play off... both whilst trying to defend a 1-0 lead (NEVER a good idea - GS take note!).
If GS can get a great defence sorted, either from what we have or with some additions, then maybe our keeper will also eventually be regarded as one of the greats.
Finally, not sure about Paul Hartley. Isn't he a couple of years too old? And he signed a new contract in order to secure Hearts a fee - Liam and Bobo take note.
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Wish both players the best of luck at their new club. Momo flattered to decieve, while big Rab made some great saves, his record against the huns was abysmal. I forget the exact number of goals he conceded against them but it was shockingly high.
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I'm glad to see that we are starting the rebuilding process quickly this year. Hopefully we will see new faces coming sooner rather than later. We must remember that the champions league qualifiers are going to be upon us very soon, so we can't afford to wait.....but judging from yesterday's press conference, the signs look promising.
I found it interesting that on his first day GS is already talking about celtic being in the EPL....has he been told something already???
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Tell me - how is getting rid of more players rebuilding?
If I were you I would stay calm until we have some definite news.
3 years of non activity does tend to make you a bit cautious!
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From last thread I think, sorry.
Can someone please tell me exactly what we turned down when NTL paid rangers £31million. If its half our media rights as is often stated does that mean that every time someone pays £5 to watch rangers on the internet NTL get £2.50. Surely the mint isn't that short sighted?
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I think it's churlish to be disrespectful or even Schneer-ing towards players who did their best for the club. Neither Douglas or Sylla were multi-million-pound buys but they gave their all and put in some tremendous performances.
Bob the Builder was fabulous in Valencia, great against Boavista in Oporto and had some great games against Rangers - although he had a handful of stinkers as well. Keepers have no hiding place when they make mistakes. Look at England last season, where only Cech at Chelsea avoided a litany of howlers. And Liverpool fans had despaired of Dudek's boo-boos against Man U before his heroics last Wednesday (and he was lucky to get away with a couple of bad fumbles during that match as well).
As for Momo, he was never quite good enough to hold down a regular starting place and his lack of positional awareness infuriated MON. I particularly remember a daft mistake in the 3-3 match against Rangers when he let Lovenkrands away to cross for De Boer seconds after we'd gone ahead. That said, he signalled the end of Lovenkrands's easy rides against us when he gave him a fearful blootering at Ibrox. I always liked Momo. Which is why Celtic fans are lucky I've never been manager of the club!
We must hope both will be replaced by players with the requisite class and character. But let's not denigrate those who did their job to the best of their ability and left the club on good terms. Good luck to both of them.
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"No more squad players, first XI only required."
Good thinking Milktray - but we need some subs don't we? And better hope we get no injuries...
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I have listened to both the BBC and one with John Cole. I think we should not make too much of the comment about the fans/budget/expectation. It would be remiss of GS if he gave anyone any idea of the amount he had to spend.
I hope that when the dust settles our expectations are high. However, that can quickly lead to disappointment. I know when MON came in I didn't have great expectations and would much rather have had Guus Hiddink. I remember the morning of the MON first OF game. I said to my mate (a rangers fan) that the game had come too early. If we got out of the game still at the top of the league I would have been happy. After 15minutes I was ecstatic.
GS has handled his first couple of days well. I think it is good he is very much hands on. I hope he is as good as his word and tries to improve every player. I know of a few players that need to learn to pass, a couple that need to learn to cross and one that needs both of these and taught to knock the ball past someone and use his pace as a weapon (like he used too).
I think too that the fact that we have two CL qualifiers can work in our favour. It will give the new team time to gel before the really serious stuff.
Roll on that big story Paul. The site is certainly harder work to read now. With so many people contributing I find myself little time to post, or someone steals your thunder before you get a chance. Keep up the good work.
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Bigchipsuk :
1. This site is NOT representative of the majority of Celtic fans IMHO. This site is a reserve of too "excited" Celtic fans - led by Paul"everything is great-buy your season ticket NOW using your Celtic Credit Card"67
2. "www.thisishampshire.net" and
"newcastleunited.rivals" are not representative of the English media. Why didn't you quote Kerrang or Popbitch instead ?
3. I doubt if GS/Liam/Bobo read this site - so plase refrain from asking them to "take note"
3. Silly name BTW
Littlefryblow
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Taken from the BBC site today:
`Hibernian striker Derek Riordan could be a Celtic player next season. BBC Sport understands that the Glasgow club have made an enquiry about the 22-year-old, who scored 23 goals this season and is in the Scotland squad. Riordan still has 18 months left on his current contract, but Hibs are listening to offers after he failed to agree a new one at Easter Road. New Celtic manager Gordon Strachan could move for Riordan if he fails to sign Craig Bellamy from Newcastle.
Bellamy was a success on loan to Celtic for the second half of the season and Strachan has already received indications that he would be interested in remaining in Glasgow.'
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The evening times are reporting that Celtic are in talks with Man Utd over a yet un-named player.
Anybody have any idea? Paul - Have you heard anything of this?
Frank Farrell
Bargeddie
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Au contraire mon ami. En effet je lis cet emplacement. Bobo va vous obtenir.
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Littlefryblow...."This site is NOT representative of the majority of Celtic fans IMHO. This site is a reserve of too "excited" Celtic fans - led by Paul"everything is great-buy your season ticket NOW using your Celtic Credit Card"67"
I would guess that the majority of fans do not know about the web site and are still reading the red tops for the latest info.
The big attraction of the site is that we can learn about the financial side and business side more than anywhere else.
A lot of people on finding the site state that it is the best thing available for Celtic supporters on the net.
We are excited because we see things beginning to happen, hope you will be just as excited if and when they do happen!
Your entitled to your opinion, and we all agree that sometimes Paul gets it wrong, but there is other contributors that are in the debate and make it the site that it is.
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Great No8,
I was of the same idea that Syllas'last year on his contract was cleared so he would take up the offer and get off the books.
Cabbage
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Just as you mention the Evening Times, I see they have ran a front page story today that TFOD are releasing a limited no. of strips for the new season minus the Carling logo for Muslim supporters.
Fair enough. The article then goes on to urge Old Firm rivals to do the same.
Well, if they had bothered to check with the superstore or any of the shops the new top can be ordered without the sponsor as was the case last season as well. Now that is lazy journalism.
Francine McGuire
In the family Changing Rooms with mirrors at my feet
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Johnbhoy - nice play on words - I like it.
I can't remember any 'tremendous' performances by Sylla. Did he ever play 90mins. I seem to remember his best position being at the touchline in his trackie.
There's a lot of 'excitement' on this page over supposed comments from Strachan yesterday. Think we should hold our breath until something tangible comes along.
I'm also very concerned if we are starting to look at un-named players!
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Tony :
I agree with most of what you said - except your ascertertion that "we can learn about the financial side and business side more than anywhere else".
Everything is about spin. Yes, the re-tops usually spin an anti-Celtic thread - but the guff spouted on here is far too rosy. Is Paul really B.Quinn in disguise ?
Red Tops/CQN - 2 wrongs do not make a right.
Littlefryblow
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Littlefryblow
If you believe that "the guff spouted on here is far too rosy"
why do you waste your time not only looking at this site but bother to post on it?
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Littlefryblow
If you dont like what you see theres always the redtops or other less informed sites that you can go to
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Some advice for Anon 2.05
Everything is about spin - don't go down this 'all politicians lie' type generalisms.
Likewise this site...is pro the celtic board yes. If you don't like this angle then find another site.
The red tops are an insult to most people's intelligence and I, for one wouldnt add to their coffers. Buy either the Herald or the Guardian if its measured, structured debate yer after
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I know its silly season and we shouldnt comment on rumour and speculation but;
If we fail to get bellamy (£6m player) and replace him with Riordan (£1m) will we all still be singing the praises of Wee GS?
To be convinced (TBC)
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Thedominie, Rangers sold half their Internet media rights for a fee of what I think was £15million to an NLT company Premier TV.
Thanks TheMadMurph
Frank Farrell, the Neville brother who plays left back has been mentioned.
Anon 1.59, in French according to babel fish has said:
“On the contrary my friend. Indeed I read this site. Bobo will get you”
If indeed you are Bobo, drop me an email. I promise not to ask questions about you moving.
Many thanks again, Tony. I need the tin hat these days. As I have said before, some people would rather Celtic fans would stop discussing the matters we do in this manner: “shut-up you CQN people or I’ll come on and say I disagree with you all, even those who offer both sides of the argument. Now get back to reading what I read.”
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Anon who has just been removed. This is a family site for a family club. If you cannot contribute without gutter language, even by abbreviation, don’t bother.
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Afternoon Paul
Can you let the site know where you got the £100k figure from? I never saw anything on the newsewires about celtic receiving a fee.
As for the potential neville link, if any of you have Man U supporting friends then ask them what they made of the nevilles getting new contracts worth 50k per week a year or so ago.
I am told Mr Strachan has made an enquiry about Kieran Richardson.
McStay
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2:24 PM, Anonymous et.al.
For all of you who think, for what ever reason, this site not worth reading do us a favour and stop reading it.
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The un-named ManUre player is apparently O'Shea.
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Littlefryblow....I have met Paul and can assure you he is not B Quinn in disguise.
He's a supporter who reads the accounts and researches his stories, this is derived from a true passion for the club we all support.
The web would be a poorer place without CQN in my opinion.
It was the one place we could let our feelings and thoughts out last week which for many of us was amongst the worst in our lifetime as Celtic supporters.
It was the place we all started to feel better together.
Paul gets no money from the site, it is done more as a hobby and no revenue comes in from it through advertising etc.
He as a young family as well as a business to run.
The time he puts in, in my opinion is worthy of more than some of the negative points and accusations made at him.
There is a golf day out in the near future, anyone who thinks that Paul is one of the board in disguise would do well to go there and see for yourself.
No one has to agree with everything said, room is there to debate.
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For what it's worth I can't find anything mentioning a fee for Momo either, and the following site states explicitly that it was a free transfer (see below). However, for the sake of £100,000 is it really that significant? After all, that only amounts to about 2½ weeks wages for Craig Bellamy!
http://www.teamtalk.com/teamtalk/News/Story_Page/0,7760,1863_500567,00.html
"Foxes snare Sylla on free
Leicester boss Craig Levein has completed the signing of midfielder Momo Sylla, with goalkeeper Robert Douglas set to follow him from Celtic.
Sylla, who had one year remanining on his Celtic deal, has joined on a free transfer."
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I am sure paul can defend himself but it seems a bit rich that people use the very forum he created to launch personal attacks.
Its great that people dont agree life would be very dull if we all did but lets keep it civilized. If posters are lambasted for their opinions people will no longer post and the celtic debate in general will be the loser.
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what's the point in coming on here to slate the site or paul's journalism, unless you are from the dark side. People always have different points of view on this site and that's what makes it so good.
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What annoys me about some of the contributors to this site is they can not give a critique with out resorting to personal attacks.
You can disagree with Paul, is is allowed!! Just keep the tone civil.
That's not too much to ask for, is it?
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Lets get back to the football stuff.
As I posted up from the BBC site we seem to be interested in Derek Riordan anyone got thoughts on him. I don't see him as other than buying into a longer term potential player. By that I mean we would be wise to get him now rater than try and buy him 3-4 years down the line as an established player.
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Weight of evidence (the Leicester web site) seems to be pointing against my information that a £100k fee was paid. Clearly ‘Paul talks *!* rubbish’.
Concur with your thoughts on £50k per week Great No. 8.
Riordan outplayed McGeady last month Celticbhoy. Worth a wee gamble.
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CelticBhoy,
How established do you want?
The guy scored a hatful of goals this season in the very league Celtic are playing in.
Why can't we buy him and allow him to mature at CP?
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Paul,
Someone suggested in an earlier post that you could enforce signing into blogger before posting a comment. Whilst this is undoubtedly never going to prevent some of the more unwelcome comments it would surely deter many.
I welcome the debate on this site, and read as many posts as possible( both positive and negative- whatever way you look at it)and make my own informed decision on whether i retain or bin.
An incredible site that i am totally addicted too, and it seems many others too.
On the subject of GS, i welcome him into the Celtic family. Signings will arrive and players will depart - my belief is that GS has the total committment to the job that we all expect and demand in his position.
Lets see how things unfold in the coming season and whilst i try not to look through rose tinted glasses i suspect many will wish to retain GS than discard him to dusty bin.
HAIL, HAIL!!
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Riordan is a good player but is he going to be first choice? if not then we have able young players of our own who need developed.
This season we must spend on players for now. We have an allegedly very succesful youth system, these are the ones who should be the squad players.
In an ideal world it would be good to snap up all the young talent we can but budget is limited and we need 4 players for the first XI, this must be the priority.
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"Paul talks *!* rubbish’"
Aye.
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I think the type of signings mentioned in various quarters i.e Hartley, Neville, Huckerby, Riordan fit out profile of younger pacey, adaptable players.
Add to them one or two others - bellamy or keane being the dream scenario as well as maybe niemi.
Further add Beattie and McGeady (our brighest hopes) and our attacking options stop looking so predictable (probably now looks inconsistent if anything!!!!)
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Hope your correct Tom64 about O'Shea.
Or is it prhaps Kleberson?
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Paul67 you seem to agree with me when you said he was “Worth a wee gamble.”
As do you Tom64 when you said “Why can't we buy him and allow him to mature at CP”
My point is that he would have to wait his time along with some others at CP especially if we manage to get either Keane or hold on to Bellamy.
Taking the transfer issue further:
1) Is it not the case that you told us Paul67 that the policy was to go for younger players rather than the policy of last year of trying to get older `named’ players.
2) The country we were to look at was not England but more likely Germany for potential signings.
3) I don’t think this policy will have changed even with the turnover of late.
4) Also given that we have major problems in the defence trying to keep cleansheets and with WGS saying that you get a team with a sound defence and then get your quality players to make the difference up front should we not be thinking of who will fill the very much needed defensive positions.
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Interesting site - if a bit too nicey-nicey.
Riordon would be interesting - like him as a player. I guess there will be a lot of speculation for the next few weeks to get us all "excited".
(BTW en français, a Web Site is "Site Web" -pronounced Seet Web of course. Emplacement is more of a physical place. C'est la vie.).
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O'Shea rumour (for that is what it is) comes from keep-the-faith.
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Hi Paul,
Have you heard anything about Gordon Strachan being on a retainer for last 12 months at all?
I have a friend who's saying that when Martin's wife was first diagnosed last year Celtic were lining up Strachan to take over but then Mrs O'Neill had a period of remission so the board decided to hold him on retainer for the year.
This might explain how the events over the past week have moved so smoothly.
Hail, hail.
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As soon as any football type fan website becomes popular the loonies flock there with their loony or even worse postings. I agree its now time to make this site password controlled - but how? - when trying to open an account every user name I've entered when asked for one is 'Sorry, not available' How can you get round this Paul?
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Thebhoys67: It wouldn't surprise me at all. MON was on a 1 year rolling contract, and as such would, I believe, have had to give one year's notice to quit. Assuming that he did this, then the club would have been making moves over the last year to secure a suitable replacement.
Shame the same can't be said for the club after receiving Henrik's year's notice!
WEE TAM: Yup, you're right about "the loonies". I gave up on the BBC message boards because the average mental age was about 7, and it was just one long slagging match. I now use CQN and www.iii.co.uk (search for share code CCP, and there is a discussion board), as the discussions are generally far more sensible, relevant and mature.
Anything that can be done to prevent this site sliding down the BBC MB route would be welcome.
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It's funny how opposite veiws are considered "loony, or worse".
This site is pretty good. Paul lives in a dream world, but some of his wee ramblings are interesting. Looking forward to the "Big Post". Probably along the lines of "The Celtic Board have announced WGS as manager - isn't it exciting !"
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I heard a rumour (from a "source") that we may be swapping Hartson with Phillips from Southampton.
DSTM
GingerAvenger
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Sorry for breaking thread !
Francine - Anon 2.02 said :
"Well, if they had bothered to check with the superstore or any of the shops the new top can be ordered without the sponsor as was the case last season as well"
This only applies to kids tops AFAIK.I tried to buy the Home top 03/04 at Celtic Park Superstore in Aug 03, without the carling logo, as I reckoned they spoilt a great version of the hoops, with that logo emblazoned on it, and was told it only applied to kids tops.
Not sure if this is still the case, but try buying the new top, without the carling logo - i'm quite sure they will say the same.
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Hartson scored 30 goals for us this season - no way could we let him go this summer. I agree that maybe if his end of season form continues he could be moved on but he's got to stay
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3.41 me thinks you get your fun trying to wind people up! Just home from school?
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Bigchipsuk,
surely the years notice would not have applied to MON under the unfortunate circumstances! Hopefully I'll never have to be in that position, but if I was I certainly wouldn't be thinking about contract lengths and the likes.
bryanboru
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Mes Amis du Celtic park.Je departe a Munich a lundi et apres ca quand je retourne a Celtic Park je joue pour un plus grand e'quippe, Bayern en le Champions league et gange.Je pense je suis traus bein pour le SPL et les Bundisliga est pour moi avec le beer et le brockwurst.Merci pour ma temps ici en glasgow mais je nes pas si je vous mange un autre parkhead pudding.
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Taken from skysports:
`Skysports.com understand Celtic have had a bid for Derek Riordan rejected by Hibernian.
New Celtic boss Gordon Strachan has admitted that he had already outlined his transfer targets after taking over from Martin O'Neill and it is thought Riordan is top of his list.
Strachan has wasted very little time in making his interest known and is believed to have made an enquiry for the highly-rated striker.
Celtic could be in the market for a new striker with doubts still surrounding their pursuit of Craig Bellamy, with the Welshman's loan deal expiring last weekend.
Hibs have put Riordan up for sale after he turned down the club's first offer of a new deal at Easter Road.
Riordan has just over a year to run on his current contract and Hibs could be ready to cash-in on him rather than risk seeing him see out his contract.
Hibs boss Tony Mowbray is keen to keep hold of Riordan and he rejected the offer from Celtic for Scotland's Young Player of the Year.'
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3:41 PM, Anonymous:
I do not regard "opposite views" as "loony". People are perfectly entitled to post ANY views, positive or negative, but I do prefer them to be factual, or at least to proffer reasoned arguments. I do however object to personal insults or put downs, as these are unnecessary and unproductive.
Littlefryblow:
I did not state that the two sites quoted were representative of the whole English media. I wrote that those were "a couple more cases of Scot bashing by the English media mugs". This is my opinion, and I am as entitled to state it as you are to oppose it. But please do so eloquently.
My assertion (not "ascertertion") that the "overwhelming majority of Celtic fans" are NOT against GS's appointment is based upon what I have read on a range of websites, including CQN, iii, CelticFC.net, KTF, and Comeonthehoops, to name a few.
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Anon 3:53
Je pense que la niveau d'éducation dans les écoles marseillaises n'est pas trop fort - eh?
Vous êtes d'ou - St Jerome, La Rose ?
Adieu et j’espère que vous allez apprendre comment contrôler un ballon !
Emplacement- aie, aie, aie
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Surely if MON had given notice a year ago the stock exchange would have been notified. If anything his personal circumstances will have allowed him to not give a years notice.
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BigChipSuk - I believe we have all taken note of your neccessary, and indeed productive, eloquence.
Merci.
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Paul, at least geeza wee clue, the suspense is killing me, don`t know if I can hold out another 24hrs!!
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Yes Paul, a clue would be good, how about giving the rating of the news on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being totally excellent news?
Go on, it will keep us going for a while longer.
BelfastBhoy
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Anon 4:00pm
#Je joue le foot.Je naime pas l'education alors ma ecrire est mauvais.Malheuresment ma foot est tres bein (traus bien pour celtic), alors j'ai beacoup de l'argent.
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parlez vous Scottish?
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Cant believe the views on Riordan...
If hes only a back-up striker- whats the point?
Do we think Beattie would score 25 in the SPL?....If so whats the point in signing Riordan for a million...
If hes our replacement for larsson (remember the guy who we tried to replace with camara and then Bellamy) it shows a distinct lack of ambition!!
TBC
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can we cut the French crap guys. I failed my o'grade. Quelle Domage!!!
I keep running things through free translators and find it's just nonsense anyway.
If you must show off you linguistic abilities post in English below please.
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Lifebhoy - I ordered a large long sleeved sponsorless top from the celtic shop in sauchiehall st less than two weeks ago - no problem. Will be there 1st July. I did the same through the superstore last year as well. I know they don't like to advertise the fact since Carling put in a lot of money but they are available.
Francine McGuire
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Poetic Champions, thanks for your input. There is a clear route open to have the comments audited before they are published. This would keep the site free of personal attacks and the like, but would also cause it to lose some of its atmosphere.
As the site grows it might become desirable to reduce the number of comments anyhow. Anyone with a view please let me know.
Celticbhoy, all my information from a few months on transfer policy must be viewed in the light of a change of manager. No updates yet, I’m afraid.
BigTex, nicey-nicey? You are the one who signed off C’est la vie.
Thebhoys67, I have no doubt that GS has been spoken to for a year, but no retainers or promises.
Wee Tam, not sure why you cannot get a user name. Try using a long and obscure one, if this is ‘not available’ try from a different PC.
Can everyone scroll down by now, I have a wee personal message for Bobby Russell and Belfast Bhoy:
Glazer, huge, debt, financial imperative, Chelsea, Newcastle, Liverpool, Arsenal, Celtic, financial self interest, several other clubs, FA Prem get an offer they cannot refuse, bingo!
2007 at the earliest, 2008 at the latest.
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This site is unfortunately beginning to deginerate. Faux French & Gaelic (Gai-lic and Ga-lic), stoopid anon postings and Paul's phantom "Big Story".
Then again, this does fit in the 2nd category.
bye
bye
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I'm very glad Sylla is FINALLY gone... i still think we need to get rid of more like Valgaraen, Hedman, and looks like Douglas is gonna follow Sylla to Leicster. The more we let out, the smaller the wage bill, and so we can add better quality players to it. If theres 3 players i would want celtic to sign it would be - Bellamy, Riordan and Niemi.
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Paul - you big tease !
Honestly, there may indeed be financial imperatives, as you say. But fitting Celtic into this jigsaw is a bit left-field. However, let's keep an open mind.
Keep up the good work with the site (even the nicey-nicey bits !)
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Paul et al,
Great to see Momo off the wage bill, need to do the same with a few others. Always had a soft spot for him but he was just not up to it, good luck anyway. Moving on, part of the reason I love this site is the banter and debate about all things Celtic but personal attacks on Paul will not be tolerated. I disagree with what Paul says at times but at least have the intelligence to argue back and get my point across without resorting to personal attacks. It is not surprising that most of these come from anonymous posters. Paul have just taken up golf so will hopefully be ready for next years golf day, count me in.
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Surely Derek(''ma nan says Riordan, but a say Ri'or'dan)
is not TOP of WGS transfer list.
If he is then I wouldn't like to think who's at the bottom!
Nearly all of his goals this season have been against bottom six clubs(0 against old firm).
How would he fair in the champion's League?
Save a million and play Beattie.
Sean
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Premiership clubs want the Old Firm to join the English top flight according to new Celtic boss Gordon Strachan.
Having outgrown their own domestic league, Celtic and Rangers have long sought a switch to the Premier League in England but the door has so far remained closed.
But Strachan, who took over from Martin O'Neill on Tuesday, claims there is substantial support south of the border for the two clubs' inclusion.
"I just know without a doubt that everyone in the Premiership in England would like Rangers and Celtic there - apart from that is the two or three who would miss out," he said.
So basically, it looks like WGS has information regarding clubs in the Premiership wanting the old firm to join them and if Paul is correct the two stories seem to add up.
Hope so, it would be the best thing to happen to Celtic since winning the European Cup.
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Francine, Thanx for the info.
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paul67.
several points.
a football club's accounts do not tell the full story.
neither bankers nor accountants should lead football clubs.
very rarely are bankers or accountants men of vision and that is what we need at this club.
gerry lentils
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Paul, sorry. Re NTL rangers £15 mill /31mill etc. What you said is what I remember seeing mentioned around. I'm quite keen to find out what 'half the media rights' really means.
Do they lose £2.50 in every £5 internet subscription. Is that what they mean by media rights / what about RTV etc.
Seems too good to be true. It could be the one thing that draws us away from them, possibly for ever.
To everyone, One other point, this is the best Celtic site by a mile (IMHO) I'd like it to stay that way. If need be I'm willing to pay.
If people just want to throw insults (and there have been more lately as the site grows) go away.
The debate here is excellent, as I say I thoroughly enjoy it. Keep it up and thanks for everyone's efforts.
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Anonbobo,
Alors, si tu es bobo et en train de part pour joue avec les boche, bien, mais c'est ton bobo, comme deja gs a dit, c'est sure. Mais, si tu es simplement quelcon avec la niveau d'un enfant de mon langue, va fair foutre, mon petit connard.
A+
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Are we all getting a bit too carried away about Bellamy? He would probably use up every penny of GS's budget and deep down, we all know at some point he will start causing trouble.
Why not go for Keane, who genuinely loves Celtic or a pacey striker like Aruna from the continent - a fraction of the cost and wages.
Lets be honest, while he is obviously a v good player, he's not the greatest finisher on earth.
For what it's worth - I'd like to see us get cash for Hartson & Thomo. Their fitness (BBJ) and form (Thomo) has been poor this season but they are 2 high earnesr that we would get a return on.
Sutton and Keane up front next season??
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Well so it begins. Celtic offer for Riordan rejected what was the offer 250 thousand and a bag of toffees. The biscuit mentality remains. Strachan quoted I would have come here without a budget. There will be no big spend. Hail hail to the holy biscuit tin, big club, world wide blah blah blah.
Delusions of grandeur exist in the mind of the deluder - Karl Rodgers mind and communication.
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Ok, since we have no football to talk about right now, let's have a bit of fun. Has anyone ever noticed how many Celtic players and people associated with Celtic have their names ending with the letter 'n' ?
For example, Laursen, Hedman, Larsson, Sutton, Lennon, Valgaeren, Thompson, Pearson, Quinn, Finnbogason, Bjarnason, Simpson, Johnston, Stein, MON, Strachan.
Who have I forgotten?
Bearing this in mind, who will we be signing then? Riordan? Gudjohnsen? Owen? Any suggestions?
Frivolous I know, apologies!
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Evening Martybhoy
SC.
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Feel a mixture of things with Sylla going. Mainly relief at getting him off the wage bill, I think. But, as one who ranks Anfield as one of my greatest ever Celtic nights, he has my thanks for a great performance. As regards Rab, he did make some blunders but he did the business against Valencia and then some. He also gave his all, which is as much as we can expect. So, thanks Rab and success in Leicester.
With regards to our rumoured targets, O'Riordan and Neville. No thanks. Beattie is as good as the first and Neville isn't class.
Parkheadcumsalford.
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paaul, cheers for the teaser, is the bingo at the end your own words or part of the BIG story? A big game of premiership bingo? now that would be an offer they cant refuse.
Enough sarcasm. I think regular viewers now have a hint of what the story will be, a culmination of a lot of your previous stuff? looking forward to it.
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ANON 3.41 PM - I was referring specifically to Paul's 2.32 post which read as follows "This is a family site for a family club. If you cannot contribute without gutter language, even by abbreviation, don’t bother" Would that have been you? Opposite views are welcome on this site, in fact they are needed, otherwise no debate.
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Anon - 5.19 - would you prefer that Celtic offered more than he is worth and then have less for other players?
If they did that you would moan about not enough players being bought!
The Celtic board have made mistakes, as have MON and the players, but it seems they will get a hard time no matter what they do from some fans.
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Evening Prophet of Doom Bhoy!
I must say, all this IMHO business worries me, if you are not being honest all the time the principles of this very site will founder into the hands of Garlic (not Galic or Gaelic) munchers and Anon's!
Canajun bhoys suggestion for a code of conduct are starting to appeal.
Paul - I too would pay if required and would happily sign in at all times. The site is great but you must balance it between Mrs67 and the weans, your dodgy sales job (see earlier post) and having a life above Celtic. You don't want the beast you've created to eat you now do you?
I suggest no more than one post per day max (ever) and 2 retorts to comments per day.
All the best
Martybhoy
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"250 thousand and a bag of toffees", eat your heart out Bill Leckie.
All transfer speculation is just that,it's a bit of fun but after the first 20 rumours (usually takes about a week)it becomes a bore. Time will tell so we might as well be patient rather than rushing out to buy the Evening Times on the back of a "Celtic £6 million swoop!!!!...?" headline.
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For those worried about GS signing squad players like Riordan then I think it should be noted that the new coach's strength is precisely that - he is a coach first and manager second.
He sees his true strength's as being able to take a player and make him better, whether he is 21 or 41. I admire this approach and hope it can work on some of celtic's players who may have become a little rigid or static in terms of development.
Under 1m for scotland's top young player is an excellent deal and i think he will offer a lot more than people currently give him credit for.
Look at Jackie mac's transition in the last two years - imagine if half of the first team were able to improve by that amount.
McStay
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Gerry lentils, agree that bankers and accountants as a breed are not the best visionaries, and that Celtic have a surplus of them at the top.
Thedominie, yes Rangers sold 50% of all Internet and RTV revenues.
Some good advice there Martybhoy, I’ll pick up on it.
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and what do you know about bankers paul?
who do you think is in a better position to run the club?
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re:5:19 PM, Anonymous
Why don't you shut up! and go and play with the buses.
You don't know how muc Celtic have bid for O'Riordan nether do I. So what do you want Celtic to do bid a Million just so they get him?
We'er not Chelsea who can throw money about. Any way if we got him at a price WE were happy with then it benefits the club.
PS Paul instead of Golf how about fishing? We can use some of the posters here as bait.
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I know lots, my Dad is a banker!
How about a Russian Oil Magnate or even better an NFL owner or the government?
I'm not having a dig at Paul but that's who runs Chelski, ManU and Real!!
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wee story about Momo which still makes me laugh.
Last year at Firhill the subs were warming up and Momo was there as usual.
the fans started singing the momo song and he turned round and started conducting us with his daft huggy bear grin.
you had to be there really.
Did anyone see how rubbish Phil Neville was last night if he is the manure player linked then god help us.
Rioirdon agree with Rumiod would playing Beattie not save us money???
Think the boy has promise but we also have a yoof team that is showing promise.
Anyone else think that WGS has been appointed due to his profile in England and also to build on our improved image in England?
when was the last time sky showed a live press conference from Scotland?
Back to Rioirdon, if he does sign as does Hartley (estadio you spoke to him yet????) and they are the 1st two signings will we see the 1st WGS backlash from the non beleivers?
Lack of amibition maybe get banded at him and the board?
Finally Paul maybe time to move to another domain away from the one man band that is the blog.
Lot of good contributors here who could help you out.
Giggsy14 aka Celtic Ultra (account dead)
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I think if CQN was a pay site it would lose potential new contributors.
I think some people are looking for reasons to be unhappy, the slightest indication and they are of on one ....as in the riordan comments above anon 5.19 and 4.34
These are not rants in the sense of having a debate in a reasonable manner.
They are deliberate attempts to disrupt the site.
Making people register and use a name is an option that may prevent the hide and snide anons.
Maybe its time to do so for people who want to contribute, and let others read the posts and comments without the need of registering.
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Sorry for being off-topic but what about a bit of fun during the close season on a separate thread.
Submit our proposed Celtic XI for next season before the summer transfers have started. Be interesting to see how close any of us can get to the actual lineup (Might give WGS some additonal ideas for some potential players as well ;)
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Evening MartyBhoy, ProphetOfDoomBhoy.
Loving your advice to Paul67, Martybhoy. Paul67, trust me, if only you knew what he was actually like....
Paul 67 - Have you any inside track on Riordan, Hartley (see previous posts) and the Evening Times story around Man United? Is it defo Phil Neville?
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Thanks for listening Giggsy- I was beginning to wonder why I come on this site...I get plenty of deaf ear at home...
We not only have Maloney and Beattie but we also have Quinn coming through the ranks....all of whom will be on a fraction of the wage Riordan would be on...
The backlash has already started from this non-believer....cup is definetly half empty....
Accountants are non-visionary- I can see where your going with that Paul and its slander!!
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The mean spirited comments about players now leaving the club are unjustified. Both Momo and Douglas were good professionals who did their best. In Momo's case if he wasn't good enough then its the manager who bought him who should carry the can. I think Douglas did have some high profile howlers which cost us but I never doubted his professionalism and application.
Re the criticisms of the site, it is easily the best and most informed, and the contributors restore my faith in Tic fans having spent a season listening to too many nutters sitting around me at Parkhead.
Finally I am not sure Riordan is any better than either Beattie or Maloney and they both have to step up to the next level.
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I may be wrong with this, and I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to remember Momo having an absolute blinder at CP for St Johnstone, just before we signed him. Played up front alone. Terrorised the defence (basically by running at them with the ball at his feet). Then we signed him and played him everywhere EXCEPT there. perhaps that's why he never really took off at CP? Also, could the £100k mentioned be the saving made over the run-out of his contract?
On the subject of the hoops with sponsorship on them - I think this is superb news! I didn't know they supplied them without the sponsors logo. This could prove a money spinner if we could get the word out about this. Would this cause a problem for the marketing dept, given we have signed a deal with the sponsors? Could they force the club to withdraw the option of buy the sponsorless shirts?
Georgiebhoy
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Georgiebhoy
I'll be placing my order first thing tomorrow....the hoops without a logo...HEAVEN !!
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Paul,
Thanks for the cryptic preview of your big story. I've been doing a little research into the TV Deal/EU Competition Commission/English Premiership myself and the following are facts already in the public domain (Scenario 1).
The previous TV Deal was blocked at the last minute by the EU due to it's anti-competitve nature. In order to avoid the complete collapse of the deal Sky agreed to a compromise where they would sell the rights to eight (not exactly sure how many games) live games per season to a competitive broadcaster. When this was put into practice the reserve price below which Sky would not sell was high enough that no other broadcaster was prepared to meet the fee. This meant that the original deal, which was ruled as anti-competitive effectively stood.
The next time the TV rights are sold they cannot be sold as a single package and instead must be divided up into at least three packages. The current thinking seems to indicate that the two main packages could be half of the live TV rights per package (or a 70/30 split with the package with less live games including the right to highlights) with the third being the package of interest to the 'new media' i.e. the Internet broadcast rights. This has been put forward by the European Commission as the minimum required to comply with their regulations.(SCENARIO 1)
What strikes me is that while the EU have stated that the TV deal must be borken into at least three seperate packages they have not made anything other than recommendations as to the make-up of each individual package. This could then lead to the following scenario arising during the next tender process:
Block 1: Tenders are invited for the rights to the live home games of [Insert Team Names].
Block 2: Tenders are invited for the rights to broadcast live home games of the teams mentioned above over media other than Conventional TV, Satellite TV, or Digital TV.
Block 3-?: Tenders are invited for the individual rights to the home games (Conventional broadcast and 'new media') of each team in the EPL not mentioned above. Tenderers please note that seperate bids should be submitted for each team's individual rights.
(SCENARIO 2)
This possible scenario would achieve a number of goals. Most importantly, it gets the EU off the Premiership's back.It allows the larger clubs in Engalnd to negotiate their own TV rights individually and so maximise revenue, and it protects the smaller clubs by maintaining collective negotiating albeit in a much reduced format that is inevitable anyway.
What is also inevitable is that if the three blocks are simply as is currently being suggested by the Premiership and the EU (Scenario 1) then the total deal value will be significantly less than the current £1Billion per season paid by Sky. It has been suggested that it could be as much as £200 Million per season less since Sky have been paying a premium to guarantee exclusivety. Without even considering the Glazer push for individual TV rights this creates a strong case for the introduction of Celtic and Rangers. While the addition of the Old Firm would not fill the £200 Million hole, it would certainly soften the blow.
When you consider the distribution of TV money implicit in Scenario 2 the inclusion of Celtic and Rangers becomes even more of an imperative - the clubs in the collective deal will be desperate to maximise the value of what will effectively be the scraps while the clubs negotiating directly will be looking to make as much cash as possible.
It would also please the Competition Commission because it allows the big broadcasters to bid for a collective deal, the new media companies to bid for specific rights, and smaller broadcasters to bid for individual club rights.
Everyones happy. (?)
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Paul, is your story being posted tomorrow meant to come out with the premier league meeting going on for the next two days or is that just coincidence?
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RIGHT first things first anon. @ 11.53,12.40 and 4.20 I don't know what your at but either get your own name or stop impersonating me...I've been busy all day and this is my first post... on momo agree about him mainly performing in non-competitive games (Basle apart) lets face it he always looked very relaxed... not a MON player
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THE IRISH MAFIAS COMING IN AT THE SUMMER AND THE HAVE ALREADY MADE MOVES WITH THE BIG SIX IN ENGLAND SEASON 2008/2009 MONEY TALKS AN FOOTBALL IS JUST A BIZ NOW
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A VERY GOOD SOURCE IE AN AGENT FREIND OF MINE HAS TOLD ME THE FOLLOWING-BELLERS IS AWAY TO THE GUNNERS TO REPLACE HENRY FACT WAYNE BRIDGES IS COMING IN ON LOAN FOR A YEAR.PHIL NEVILE HAS HAD TALKS.NIEMI IS NOT COMING BUT A GOALKEEPER CALLED LEMMONS IS{PLAYS IN SPAIN.ROBBIE KEANE IS COMING FOR A MEDICAL AFTER IRELANDS GAMES.KEWELL DEAL WAS DONE BUT NOW IN DOUBT COS OF HIS INJURY.PAUL HARTLEY WILL BE GS FIRST SIGNING.DIDER A IS MOVING TO MALAGA FOR 1 MILLION.BALDE IS GOING TO LIVERPOOL.IF I HEAR ANYMORE I WILL LET YOU ALL KNOW.PAUL HOPE YOU WILL AGREE WITH MOST OF THIS COS THE SAME FRIEND TOLD ME THAT GS WOULD BE TAKING OVER FROM MON 3 MONTHS AGO
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Can any of the guys who think Riordan is not worth taking a chance on please explain why?
He is not an out-and-out goalscorer although he can play the striker role.He is in effect an attacking midfield player.He has played behind O'connor all season and has previously played wide on the right and left for Hibs.
23 goals for a guy who is not a penalty box striker seems like a fair return to me.There seems to be a criticism that he hasn't scored against the Old Firm this season.How many did Novo score against us last season?
To sum up he is skilful adaptable,can score goals and has his best years ahead of him.Still not worth the risk? I like the way we are going about this.Make an initial bid,let the boy know we are interested and then see how desperate he is to come to CP.
Also,don't get too wound up by comments like "Strachan has admitted that he had already outlined his transfer targets and it is thought Riordan is top of his list." How the hell would they know? Unless they stole his list of course!!!
On the signing front,I really do hope we make our first signing a big one.Whether it's re-signing Bellamy or whatever,I think that something like that would encourage the non-believers that we mean business. It would also give GS a bit of breathing space and goodwill from those who don't support his appointment.
BankieBhoy
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So far:-
OUT
Douglas
Sylla
Agathe
Balde
IN
Hartley
Riordan
Bridges
R Keane
Lemmens
P Neville
Kewell
TEAM
Lemmens
McNamara Varga Neville Bridges
Kewell Hartley Petrov Thomson
Sutton Keane
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test
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This will go down like the proverbial....
I have noticed in recent weeks that I have not enjoyed or got as much from CQN as in previous months (apart of course from the mass therapy dished out over the league and MON losses) and I have concluded that it is becoming used more as a chatroom with lots of short and more personal dialogues and trialogues and less constructive debating. The number of comments per article seems to have increased enormously - not neccessarily and bad thing but 135 comments on Momo departing!
One way of dealing with this problem could be to charge (perhaps only a small sum and one-off) for registration which could be donated to our favourite voluntary organisations in keeping with our traditions or directly to the club. Many 'membership' based sites do it - Friends ReUnited for one and I would happily cough up a few oncers every year. I can see problems with this suggestion but let's at least consider it.
Perhaps we need to create a free chatroom alongside CQN where those who want that 'live' banter could go. CQN Live!
Aw man - I just looked a some previous comments about paying a sub! See - too much to read!
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Anon 5.53, all I said was that “bankers and accountants as a bread are not the best visionaries”, don’t go tearing up your spreadsheet.
Mick, chill, don’t take the bait is always good advise.
Giggsy14, if that is an offer of help I will ‘bank’ it and revert to you in due course, thanks.
Fbicfc, good idea. Worth following up.
OnlySeenInGreenBhoy, Martybhoy I am sure is a paragon of life balance.
Rumoid, I know, accountants often run off to become tax consultants.
An Spailpin Fanach / Rumoid, I suspect that Riordan is better than those we already have. Which begs another question: why?
Girogiebhoy, you are correct about Sylla. Carling would not be troubled by the odd shirt not having their logo, as long as the ones on TV do.
MArzepans, thanks for the scene setter. Glazer, Abramovich, Moores. Shepherd et al will get individual rights. This will make the party a lot more interesting.
Tony, I didn’t know about the premier league meeting.
ANON WITH THE CAPS ON, Kewell would surprise me. Never been a fan of his languid style.
McGrainInSpain, thanks for the suggestion. I don’t think that charging for the site will work, though I like the CQN Live idea for general chat and having a registered site for those wanting to have a debate.
A membership might be useful for other reasons, such as building a pressure group.
Anyway, I have an article to write, bye!
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Hi Paul67 and all, Hail Hail.
I'm a long time reader first time poster. I admire the site very much and have no detrimental comments to make about it what-so-ever, it's good to see that Paul is doing the spadework for the "ordinary guys" like me. I hope to ghod that the big story is so big it'll blow my hair back, hope it's not the preverbial damp squib.
Talk, (from other sites), is Bellars is offski, a shame but there will be others out there just as good.......I wait and see.
Great site Paul, keep up the good work.
Baba
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mcgraininspain
I understand where you and afew other contributors are coming from with regard to paying for access to the site,but it strikes me that Paul is now reaching a crossroads as to where CQN is headed.
Remember,this site was set up by Paul to allow Celtic fans to read the news that the tabloids don't know or don't want you to hear.By charging,you are effectively removing a section of the support from accessing it.
This would seem to me to be the antithesis of everything that this site set out to achieve.Any changes that Paul decides to make need to ensure that it can reach the widest possible audience.We need to get our thinking caps on and help him if he'll let us,bearing the above in mind.
BankieBhoy
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Think you should have a wee conscensus on how the site goes on from here Paul. I, for one would be happy to pay any subscription fee, if there was indeed one. Or as someone suggested, a compulsory sign-in. There are too many snide comments about this, that and the other, and its beginning to get monotonous. Just ask anyone on BBC MB.
In fact the man McGrain has it spot on.
Paul- Martybhoy a paragon of life balance? No idea what it means, but im sure you are right!
Oh right where was i.
Yeah great to get some money for Momo. Wish him and the builder good luck at their new club. Looking forward to tomorrow's post
Dave
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Bankiebhoy
Theres several reasons why I dont want Riordan to sign;
Ive seen him 4 times this season and although he looks ok I was more impressed by hibs movement than i was by him...
At first like you I thought he would be a good signing but;
I think as a support we tend to fancy players that are doing well in small teams more than we do youth coming through the ranks in our own- (bad past exepriences)....
Yes hes scored 25 goals but as a previous contributor mentioned none of these were against the old firm....
How many goals do you think Craig Beattie would score if he was playing for hibs...about 25 me thinks....and he has one bad game for us and "hes a disgrace to the jersey"...
As well as Beattie theres Maloney and Im quite "excited" about Rocco Quinn coming through the ranks as I have heard great reviews about him....do you think he will get the chance if Riordan comes..
To take Celtic to the next level we need to be buying experienced players and augmenting the team with youth.......
If Riordan is the height of our striking ambitions its a disgrace...
If hes striking back up-- its a disgrace....Give our Youth a chance!!!
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McGraininSpain, it's a good idea in prnciple. Over the past few weeks I too have noticed, not so much a dilution in the quality of debate, but a growing number of morons who detract from the general ethos of the site.
However, the main problem with a fee is that it may deter new posters who have something worthwhile to say (a weeks free usage may be a way round this).
Also, what happens if all the folks who post the stuff that irritates you sign up? You've just paid a fee to get irritated!!Everyone will have things they like and dislike about the site.
For example, I have absolutely NO INTEREST in the views of the Daily Record, The Sun, Radio Clyde etc., yet I can come on the site and find people regurgatating opinions, gossip and speculation from these rags.
I also dislike the armchair managers who come up with lists of players they want to see join and leave the club. Or come out with random statements like, I think we should sign Joe Bloggs from XYZ. He's fast and wouldn't cost much. In my opinion, stick to the Gameboys and Nintendo, it adds absolutley nothing to the debate.
So, as you can see I have my own tastes and preferences. You may like the rumour mongers and armchair managers.
I suppose what I'm trying to say is that it is unlikely that you will ever get a forum that meets your exact requirements, even with a fee.
I'd be in favour of stricter policing of the site that can eliminate the morons, filter things that add nothing to the debate and keep things on track.
All the best.
GM
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rumoid
He isn't just a striker.The point I was trying to make was that we need players who are adaptable,who can do a job when we are suffering injuries and the like.
In effect,we need two players for every position to cover injuries and loss of form.This lad gives you cover in four different attacking positions.If we'd had that this year the title would have been ours.
I just think if you can sign a player who can play a multitude of positions and still get goals for say,£1 million,who still has his best years ahead of him then he is worth the risk.
I take your point about giving our youngsters a chance but if they are performing better in training and take their chance when it is given then Riordan will be sat on the bench.But at least he would still offer more than Sylla,Fernandez,etc....
BankieBhoy
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Comments from Arsenals David Dein this evening......Asked whether he thought Glazer would be allowed to break up the collective bargaining agreement, Dein said: 'I doubt that very much.'
Speaking on Sky Sports News, Dein added: 'I think that one of the strengths of the Premier League is that everyone's kept together. It's a bonding exercise.
'You need everybody else to fulfil it. We had this before, everyone talking about whether you're going to have a European Super League. You've got the Champions League, which in its way is a Super League in itself.'
Dein admitted that one way of collapsing the way deals are currently negotiated would be by a club taking their case to the European courts.
'If the European Commission decided that each club could sell their rights then we'd have different circumstances.
'Personally I don't think that'll happen for a while.'
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Anon 9.42
What would you expect him to say when asked that question?
Wer'e off to milk the cash cow again,this time we are keeping more for ourselves,little clubs,we don't care!!!
Or words to that effect but more subtley put.
BankieBhoy
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About the site: it was very good up to about a month ago. The average length of posts was 200 or 300 words, and a high proportion of the topics were quite serious. Uniquely for a fan website, the needs being addressed were for facts and knowledge. Now it's rapidly sliding downhill. Quite a few posters would plainly be happier somewhere else, like the huddleboard or CelticMad, where five lines would be on the long side for a post.
I think the way forward is to make everyone have to log in, to help us all spot the halfwits, and, revolutionary proposal, ration the number of posts any correspondent is allowed. This will mean that only people who like reading, as opposed to people who like typing, will stick around.
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revolutionary proposal, ration the number of posts any correspondent is allowed. This will mean that only people who like reading, as opposed to people who like typing, will stick around.
A recipe for disaster Delia?
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I would like to add a comment on the current fractious mood on this site.This is the silly season and I believe that we are in that place of football Hell called Limbo, betwixt the trauma and expectation of the last ten days or so and the speculation of what lies ahead.
It is within this vacuum that some of our posters are reacting to rumours and media speculation . I saw a front page headline in one of the Irish redtops today, screaming that Roy Keane rejected the Celtic manager position before it was offered to GS1.We must remember that everyone who posts here, except the im-posters, have the welfare of the club at heart, even though some of the points of view may seem extreme.
Once Paul posts his "Big Story" and the transfer market opens up, I predict we will return to normal and start discussing things that have actually happened and not hypothetical situations.
The presumed interest in Riordan, or any youngster playing regular first team football underlines the problem we have with our Youth Development programme as discussed here recently, namely the gap from reserve to first team pace and the lack of time to blood these boys. If Celtic don't adopt a farm out scheme, then for my money they would be advised to scrap the youth programme and use other clubs sysyems for this purpose.
Perhaps Lambert's club could become an unofficial nursery for Celtic,after all they are owned by a Celtic shareholder and it would make sense of his appointment.
Look forward to the next installment of CQN.
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Since when did post length have any relevance to post quality? Restricting post counts is also a bit of an arbitrary way of trying to impose some sort of control on the 'me too' posts.
Simply requiring people to register before they are able to post is a simple way of discouraging the casual troll but even this wouldn't stop a determined hun from coming on to stir up trouble, however, it would be a useful first step. I could only advocate the introduction of a subscription fee after other avenues are exhausted.
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Why does everyone get so upset with the halfwits that post here?
Ignorance truly is bliss,so when they come on spouting their crap and offering nothing to the discussion let it slide and you'll feel much better.Reacting to it only serves to make them stick around longer.
I for one would not be in favour of limiting the number of posts we can make as sometimes I feel passionately about something and feel compelled to type.I try to make it well-thought and sensible,but anyone who knows me would tell you that isn't an easy task where I am concerned.:)I also read ALL comments before posting.
I find this the most interesting and informative Celtic site I have come across and don't want to see it limited,as I feel the current format is what makes it so interesting.
I'm not against it changing for the better and ultimately that is up to Paul,but i'd like to see it retain as many of the original aspects that made it appeal to me in the first place.
BankieBhoy
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I don't think that a subscription or limiting the number of posts people put on is a good thing to do. The best way to stop the people who are posting on here to basically annoy those of us who enjoy this site, is simply to ignore their posts and not reply to them.
If their comments are simply ignored, i'm sure those people who are on here just to annoy, will soon get bored of it.
I would hate to see this site turn like the BBC site, where 99% of the comments are of the 'bitching' variety.
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Bankiebhoy and rumoid
Enjoying your exchange re Riordan; that's what this site is all about!
My view is that any young player who scores 23 goals in a season in the SPL and is named as the young player of the year must surely be of interest to our manager!
If we sign him I will be delighted...I'm not worried about how many he bagged against the so called weaker teams; he's a terrific player!!
WGS seems to have made a positive start and I've no doubt that will continue; he's an absolute winner and I'm surprised that so far nobody has picked up on his comment that the Board ( and by implication all at Celtic Park ) are great people to work with.
That's as good as the wee man is capable of giving at the start of his career with us. I think I know what he means by that and I can't wait for next season.
Jack73
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Riordan put up for sale, Celtic looking for players,Hibs reject Celtic bid.
Guys come on!
When are you going to learn to read between the lines?
Tell tale signs "its been reported"
"its understood" pure tosh.
Celtic will sign a £5m/£6M rated centre forward of that i have no doubt.
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I was probably one of the very first readers of this site.(First Post) It was started for Celtic minded people, but I didn't know there was a requirement to be a member of Mensa.
The Celtic support covers a wide section of society, I think we have to be careful that the site doesn't start to sound a bit up itself!
Personally I think some posts are tooo long.
I also think that some posters feel that they own the site and are unhappy that their party is being gate crashed by the perceived uneducated.
As the site grows it will get targeted by morons who are just trying to disrupt the flow ie. Huns. But after a while they will get bored and the site should settle back down again.
Let's keep the debates going and ignore the childish comments rather than react to them. It only encourages them.
I'm sure that once Paul posts the big story the morons will be back but we have to keep going. It will eventually settle down again and return to it's usual quality.
TipTop
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Welcome Baba, good to hear from you.
No chance of charging for the site BankieBhoy, though you have called it right with where we are today.
Celtic Quick News does not have a long term strategy. Ideas on a post card please.
Best idea I have heard so far came from our old friend NeilR after a couple of pints on Friday, mixed with one of McGrainInSpain’s less expensive ideas:
Have a (free) membership which allows you to post on the main board in the same manner you can at the moment. Abuse and you would lose your access rights.
Have another chat room along the lines of McGrain’s CQN Live idea, which is monitored by mentors - would mean I could spend more time with Mrs67 (who is out at the pictures tonight).
In terms of a strategy for the site, I am keen that we do what we can to develop Celtic. That will mean more than discussion every now and then, maybe take ideas like stadium naming to the fans and then the club.
Many thanks for the feeback – keep it coming. It seems there is a consensus emerging.
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Have read the site with interest & enjoyed for ages ...time to chip in.
The idea of charging for the site might well result in some individuals being excluded from the debate - I would much prefer the registation option i.e make people identify themselves when posting.
I tend to agree with the comments about Riordan which elude to him becoming a squad player - I have a hunch he'd end up like a Sylla, Laursen or Fernandez. But then again WGS might have a different approach than that of MON.
The short term priority for me would be adding players who will slot straight into the first team. Then augment this by "complete development" of the youngsters so that when the time comes they can step into the first team without any problem - maybe farming them out to foreign/ championship sides is the best way to achieve this.
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On the subject of Riordan, why does it matter that he didn't score against the Old Firm? It wasn't the games against Rangers that lost us the league. It was the inability to beat Aberdeen, Hearts, Motherwell... need I go on? Riordan has scored against these teams and if he continued to score against these teams, while wearing the hoops, I will be delighted. He's a cracking wee player who, according to my Hibby mates, has that "little bit extra". Seems a quality that some of our youngsters lack. Strachan has targeted the reclaiming of the league - we need the best players available to achieve this. Riordan is available.
TinneyBhoy
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Riordan, it must also be considered what his goal to chances ratio was with Hibs. With Celtic he will get at least double the chances, so we should expect more goals.
The difference is experience. It's a pity that Lambert didn't get a club outwith the SPL. That way we could have used him to blood some of the young players.
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In recent times when Paul67 has raised a new thread an early attack on his post has triggered off debate which has resulted in many comments debating Paul's integrity instead of the topic at hand . As a consequence this attacking/defending of Paul has resulted in lengthy posts of little bearing to the subject matter.
Seems like the devil's own ( envious journalists perhaps ?) are at work here to decry his work/deflect from the real story . Interestingly this never happened on any significant scale till his invitation to the Celtic press conferences.
Jeromek
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jack73
Glad you are enjoying it.Nice to see rumoid defending our own youngsters though.
Tiptop,I don't think this site is headed "up itself" but I do know that compared to ALL other sites I have come across it is the only one where you can claim a contradictory opinion without accusations of being a hun!!!
The one thing that sets it apart is the respect shown to all its contributors by others.We may agree to disagree but every opinion is valid.
Paul,the suggestion for an improved CQN is a good one.I just didn't like the idea of charging or limiting comment.As for where CQN goes from here,how big do you want it to be?
You could perhaps take it to all the CSC's,word of mouth on that scale would certainly increase readership.Perhaps a trip to North America to spread the word further would be in order? Give them your vision of the future.If you could convince Mrs 67 that it was missionary work she might agree!!!
BankieBhoy
P.S. When are you posting the big one? Thursday early hours or later,don't want to miss it!!!
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Paul, the idea of making people register to post and cancelling the registration of time wasters is all well and good, but how do you stop people re-registering with countless UserIDs?
Short of capturing their credit card number and running a credit check, then deduping on actual name & address, I can't see how you would do it.
I'm all in favour of filtering out the nuisance factor, but I think registering will have limited impact.
As mentioned by an earlier contributor, if we do not respond to antagonistic posts, then their authors will soon get bored and go back to the BBC site.
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Spot on tinneybhoy!
I have to disagree with gaz66 in the context that Riordan has a much more impressive track record than Momo, Laursen and Fernandez.
How many goals did they score with their respective SPL teams before they signed for Celtic?
I suspect that WGS's first signing will be a big name ( a la Martin ,waiting until he had Sutton fixed up before he saddled any so called modest player with the "first big signing" burden, so we may have to wait a wee while until for any news on Riordan
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test
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Ha ha! Tried about 50 combinations of my password et voila as Bobo might have said! Anyway Lauren Robert has joined the Dark Side but it will not be reported for some time. Why not? I don't care. I heard about Neville months ago. Hope it is wrong. Here's to a nice quiet summer! Cheers
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Paul67 agree with NeilR suggestion so far does sound the best idea. The site continues to attract more visitors as it is the site that has got everyone talking we all get fed up with the red tops as or as a great manager once described them as "journalism as weak as p**s"! How do you expect us to sleep tonight waiting on your big annoucement tomorrow? What time are you posting it?
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Seanbhoy
Why the delay in Castle GreySkull announcing it's latest accuisition? Surely it's another ol' pals act which Mr Mint would revel in???
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Do you think the Celtic board are waiting up tonight to get the announcement as well :))
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I have read with interest the views on how the site has changed in recent weeks and you could probably put it down to timing.
Over the course of the year, fans websites peak with the number of hits during the start and end of the transfer windows.
I think that we have noticed this in recent weeks, and to be honest, I would expect it to remain fairly busy until the end of August. (Although I think that WGS will have done most of his business early doors this close season).
A suggestion that I have is to allow Paul's excellent articles to be viewed by all, but for those who wish to debate or comment on them, then registration would be required, whether it be monetary or not.
What about pop up adverts for non members and none for members? That would allow Paul to pay for any costs that he incurs in running this site.
T.O.T.
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Retraction!
http://newcastleunited.rivals.net/default.asp?sid=893&p=2&stid=8382265
Earlier today this read:
"He has only been in the job 24 hours, but new Celtic manager Gordon Strachan has revealed the club's dream of moving to the Premiership has substantial support in England. What the hell do we want with those biggots in England?"
Following my complaint (sad, I know, but I felt it necessary) this paragraph now concludes with:
"What the hell do we want with Celtic in England?"
As explained previously on this thread... MONEY.
Clearly the author agrees with my assertion that collectively labelling the entire Celtic support as "biggots" [sic] is grossly unfair.
Well, I feel better for that anyway!
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Paul,
You have used up your CQN allowance for the day - get to bed!!
Agree that the democracy and counter argument nature of the site give it the unique atmosphere. The silly comments don't bother me that much, just sigh and scroll on.
Like our club let's promote tolerance and openness. If we can change the opinion of one "idiot" it's a job well done.
Like the mentor idea, would happily assist their.
Like the membership idea. I'm no IT guy but I'm sure a 24hr access delay could prevent time wasters. There are ways and means of deterring people. Maybe members could be required to provide some key details but this will no doubt have data protection implications.
By chance I bumped into a girl who is an admisinstrator for the BBC message boards during the last bank holiday, she told me it was a nightmare job and they regularly had the authorities involved identifying "nutters" posting abuse and bile. We have it good here.
I also think the site does a good job of policing itself.
Sorry delia more than 200 words no doubt, just thinking out loud.
Looking forward to the post Paul.
Night Night
The WorkLifeBalanceMaestro
AKA Martybhoy
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I admire you Paul for all the stick you are taking in your own "house" from cyberhuns. The admiration comes from the fact that you leave the majority of the inane postings on here for all to see. Kudos to you.
The problem as I see it, is that there are too many decent bloggers on here taking on the role of "moderator", in defending the personal attacks directed at yourself. This is commendable, but the only tool/weapon they have as "moderator" is "right of reply", which only fuels these fools' purpose.
The simple way to deal with these cyberhuns is to IGNORE THEIR POSTS, or give a few trusted bloggers who have the time to spare some admin rights.
I also agree that this site is becoming difficult to keep up with. Kudos again to you for keeping the masses entertained and informed.
I would hate to see the original format of this site changed dramatically, but the fact is you are going to have to make some dramatic changes here to keep it working as successfuly as it has this past year.
Good luck and best wishes on that front.
PS If anybody is looking for a good messageboard that is frequented and administered by Celts like yourselves, look no further than http://kerrydalestreet.co.uk
This board was created by a guy called Fitzpas with help from other users, when the old E-Tims messageboard was pulled last summer. Can you believe those guys at E-Tims pulled the plug on the messageboard in the last week of the transfer window!! That was just sick E-Tims.
dialupcelt.
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Returning to the original topic of the thread, there's no doubt that we need to populate our first team squad with players of higher quality than Momo and Rab, however lets send them off with our best wishes for what they did contribute in their time at Celtic Park and wish them all the best for the future.
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interesting stuff paul67 but i will believe it when it happens.
david murray said back in the early 1990's that a full scale european league would be up and running by the year 2000 and we are still waiting.
that is why he probably spent so much money and took on such an enormous debt on the assertion that rangers would be playing in a
european league.
it wolud be fanrastic for celtic if what you are suggesting were to happen but we musn't get to far ahead of ourselves here.
why can't we just go down to the premiership on our own and leave rangers up here. the biggest obstacle to celtic playing in england is rangers. who needs all that no surrender and billy boy nonsense anyway?
gerry lentils
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It’s just a matter of time before the Zorgs on the planet Interstellar V1 decide that playing the Proton Packs of Ursula V2 doesn’t provide them with enough power tokens per seasonal mean of the second moon.
As such they believe that, long term, an alliance with the Intergalactic League teams of the bi-polar communities of Nestruv V4 would be a power token net producer.
So coming soon… Intergalactic League Andromida.
I wonder if I can make up any old tosh and publish it a website and get idiots to believe its true…. Mmmmmmm….. lets see…….
Cheer up, we lost the league, lost our manager, we’re skint but hey ho the good old Intergalactic League Andromida carrot rears it head again.
With the exception of the financial details (which have been widely available across the Media) that entire article is horse manure.
So that’s the big story you’ve been promising is it Paul67?
That ain’t even lazy journalism …….. that just pathetic guff written after 8 pints.
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back to Momo:
the Leicester website says he was a free & ther is no mention of Big Rab signing. Has he?
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i wish celtic and the ira could part company = no more shitty embarrasing songs thanks
