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Friday
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Pity but they have got to go...now!
RobinBhoy
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There's a lot of posts on Gretna Quick News about the' Generation of Administration'.
Always nice to get a wee bit of chaos theory thrown into the final shake-up.
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Generation of Domination and your hoping to win the league with goal difference against truely the worst huns team since my wee Da was a kid in the 30's!
Cabbage McFlabbergaster
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Cabbage
i bet yer wee da isny a patch on you kid
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caesar 1967
Should that no be Cesar?
Why would you take offence against WGS' stating to his players that they should ignore the critics in the crowd as it was only his view on their performance that mattered? That is what he said, not your deliberate twist of those words into having him say the views of the supporters don't matter. Why would you want to twist his words? Do you not have a valid argument with things he has actually said? Do you want to do the tabloids work for them?
Fair enough, you do not like WGS. Give the arguments as to why you reached that conclusion, not imagined things he said.
Have you ever had that experience where you've heard A say something to B about C. Then B goes and tells C what was said, again within your hearing, only, this time, it bears no relation to the tone or intent of what was originally said. Such fishwife gossip only harms our team and divides our support.
What benefit does it do to the team to listen to the disparate voices of our support? How does it help a player to hear he's a fud or worse?
The guy behind me hates McManus with a vengeance- even blames him for the mistakes of others. This is a guy who shouted at Rev. McCurry in midweek, "You cannae be offside from a kick out, you cheat". Don't know about you, Ceasar, But I'm definitely for ignoring his views. I won't seek enlightenment there.
The guy 2 along from him is a Caldwell hater, behind him a few Naylor non-fans, JVOH gets pelters and has his sexuality questioned by the guys 3 rows in front, Scott Brown has a hate club, Naka's a one trick pony and, even Aiden, has a few quietly seething die hards who have been recently deprived of their hate fix.
Before you know it, a manager who listens to our fans on selection matters, is changing 11 players weekly as he receives their report card from the fans. It's no way to run even Rangers,is it?
Of course the views of the fans remains ultra important on our traditions, ownership and core values. But team selection and player coaching (if calling them fuds qualifies as coaching?) is not our job. The manager that starts to listen to the fans or journos on these matters deserves the sack.
Have to run now but I'll catch you response later.
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SOALowe - are you going for a drink before the game tomorrow?
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quote 'the worst huns team since my wee Da was a kid in the 30's!'
bizarre! just because they are not pretty to watch does not make them poor. It's as effective a Rangers team as there has been in 10 years.
Solid in goal for the first time since Klos got injured, dominant at centre half and with a midfield to envy.
Away for a shower after praising them now, a long day of celebrating the unofficial day of Pii!
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If Gretna drop out of the league and into oblivion will a new club be allowed to join the Third Division?
With finances so tight in the loweer leagues would regional leagues not help?
On to tomorrow. Anyone know if Fir Park is playable?
Tomorrow is not a day for artistry.
We need to learn how to roll up the sleeves.
I know playing 2 wingers is happening less in football, but the teams who have done this tend to play with 2 fairly defensive central midfielders.
What about Mark Wilson eventually playing in centre midfield.I always liked MacNamara when he played there.
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SPL heads should roll for this shambles, but knowing our luck we'll end up with an even more bitter hun replacement.
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RBT- Yes, that's how Gretna joined the League in the first place.
They took the place of the late, unlamented Airdrieonians.
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Paul
agree completely.
Incredibe that the media especially Pater Maguire stating that the league will have a big decision to make to ensure that they placate both halves of the Old Firm i.e. Rangers because the rules state that the league will be restated without all Gretna games null and void.
What they seem to desire is Celtic to play 2 weeks in a row at Fir Park and maybe drop something when they can insist as we have played the same number of games against them they should stand.
The situation is simple the Administartor has to do the best it can for the creditors. This would mean hanging on to play Celtic and then folsing.
The SPL (where is Gordon Smith and the SFA by the way, picketing Cathloic Schools?) should have guarenateed assurances that they will fulful their fixtures for the rest of the season.
If they cannot do this the SPL should force their hand and throw them out.
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If the Gretna record is expunged it means the end of Hoopslegend Chris Killen's big moment of glory.
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from the last thread
yes you were right I did miss out Bobo's limitations.
The reasons for doing so were 1) I was trying to argue the case for including him so it wasn't the needed thing to do. (Just as you wouldn't need to include the limitations of your preferred central defensive pairing) and 2) you had already mentioned Bobo's limitations (without mentioning his attributes) so there was no need to for me since it was a counter argument.
I have answered you question.
Now can you answer me why you ridicule me for not listing Bobo's limitations while at the same time you didn't list Caldwell and McManus's?
Thanks in advance
Tonybhoy
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The SPL has told Gretna that an advance on a 6 figure sum will be made if they can give assurances that they can fulfil their fixtures. Surely, the fact that they can only field 10 players against Aberdeen this weekend casts doubt on any such assurance, meaning, logically, that the advance will not be forthcoming. Even if it were, despite their claim that they do not have huge debts, they are reportedly being pursued by HMRC for £350,000, a sum which may swallow up a great part, if not all, of the 6 figure sum due to them at the end of the season from SPL. I haven’t even considered the calibre and quality of any makeshift side that they do manage to put together.
Despite some football consultant talking about fronting a serious bid, there is no-one looking at Gretna's books at the moment so a rescue bid does not look imminent.
It is therefore a nonsense that Gretna are being allowed to adopt a strategy that is centred around flogging tickets to Celtic fans for a game where they cannot guarantee fielding a team (just look at this week). This is a similar tactic to that adopted by a large furniture retailer/carpet seller/kitchen retailer (can’t remember the details) who continued to sell advance orders to customers knowing well that they would not be able to deliver and that they would be insolvent before very long. The administrator is acting in bad faith, in my view, and is essentially throwing Celtic supporters’ good money after Gretna’s bad.
Any Celtic fan should think long and hard before they buy a ticket for the Gretna game next week……especially since the referee will deem the pitch unplayable half an hour before kick off just as you park the car after a rotten start/stop drive through heavy traffic. That could be the case tomorrow also, by the way ….
justtryingtocheereverybody upCSC
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It's possible Bryce Curdy has articulated what many of us have been thinking.
We support our team.
Winning a League and Cup double is in our own hands.
However, our conservative transfer strategy last summer handed the initiative back to our main domestic rivals. This was on the back of our best ever financial results; our financial and business advantages over r@ngers were never greater. We had a better core group of players.
But worrying for me, and others, has been the steady decline in domestic performance over the last two years. Yes, we have gained results and won trophies but the quality of our play has not progressed. I don’t think that saying this makes you any less of a fan. We are football fans. We are Celtic fans. We live and breathe watching football and debating football matters.
ElDiegoBhoy, did I miss a cataclysmic event in the vale of Dumbarton last night? ;-D
We had some admirable rallying calls and (blog) singing yesterday. I have a vague memory of a comedy sketch from a few years ago; when faced with any situation or problem, a stereotypical group of Welshmen would simply burst into song. :)
Chris
brightSideOfLifeCSC
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Michael/DBBIA (and others), you might be interested in this.
Chris
altCSC
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Subt- to liven up side 2 of the difficult 3rd Album
Never say 'Nups' to Nepalese..
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DBBIA,
:-D
Will you make the Cup replay next Tuesday?
Chris
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Although it would make us look bad, I suggest Celtic refuse any away tickets offered for the gretna game, this would end the debacle once and for all.
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Subt- probably not [working].
The 2007-08 season boils down to the next 3 games; tomorrow, the Cup replay and away to the Horribles.
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Cadizzy and Subterannean are pleased to announce the merger of brightSideOfLifeCSC and justtryingtocheereverybodyupCSC. Both parties feel that this would be the best new alliance since those 7 or 8 Inversneckie teams got together and that the new entity brightandcheeryCSC is well placed to take Gretna's position in the SPL, given that brightandcheeryCSC cannot field a team either. Tickets for brightandcheeryCSC's next 15 home games against Celtic go on sale at a soon to be erected orange crate outside Baird's as will tickets for the 3 cup games we will no doubt have with Celtic in the next 3 years. In the event that these fixtures do not go ahead, please form an orderly queue at the spot where the orange crate was and wait for us to get back to you (Bring a sleeping bag and a cargo).
actinginbadfaithCSC
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StevieS,
You got mail,
Martin.
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Oldtim,
You got mail,
Martin.
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Still laugh when I think of the Gretna players attitude to having drawn Derry City in UEFA cup.
The perfect draw, it had been deemed, as it would ease them into European Competition.
Little did they know!
Derry City are now a shining example of how a small club should be run. No small thanks due to Glasgow Celtic who were only too happy to bail them out by playing a glamour friendly to raise emergency funds when they were facing much the same predicament as Gretna find themselves in now!
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Subterranean
Thanks for posting that link to Bryce Curdy's post. I'm only dipping in and out at present and hadn't seen it.
Bryce
An excellent post. Well considered non inflammatory and expresses well the underlying disquiet that I'm sure we are all feeling.
I was dismissive of Rangers for a deal of the first half of the season because I frankly believed they were not very good either individually or collectively in comparison with us.
I've had to alter my view however as I've seen them bond into an unfussy stubborn cohesive unit who are simply damned difficult to beat. (Ask Werder Bremen.
We on the other hand seem only to flicker for short periods and can be easily it appears blown off course. I don't know if that's a character trait of the players a lack of leadership from the Manager a combination of both or simply a run of bad luck such as Naka grazing the post the other night instead of bulging the rigging. Sadly it has put us in a very tight corner. How the management and players deal with that may lead us all to some definitive conclusions.
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Martin42 you've got mail.
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What about giving Mizuno a run out now and again to try and inject a bit of urgency into games that aren't maybe going our way.
I am of the belief that you learn by doing but is there a danger that if he doesn't do the business instantly that he will be given a hard time by fans.
I remember following Naka's debut against Dundee United that everyone was raving about him but a couple of lacklustre games later and he was on his way to becoming as some posters on here have said "another of Gordon Strachan's dud signings"
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DBBIA
My bhoy starts swimming leasons 2 morrow at 12.00 although if it rains 2 night i might give him half an hour in ths shallow end at Fir park then watch the game.
AL
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Mort,
I would think he would need to be given a run out only if we are a few goals up, it would be just to give him a feel for the rough and tumble of the SPL. I think at the moment he will be in the gym trying to bulk up for next season, as with his frame I'd expect he would be easily muscled off the ball.
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canamalar
I suspect you are right. Possibly next week against Gretna youths might be the time :-)
Really looking forward to seeing him playing as saw him in one reserve match and he looked good.
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Hail Hail
All is not over with 'Ye of Little Faith' don't despair, how do you expect our team to have the 'fighting spirit' when some of our support do not possess that essential quality, players pick up on that. Thank god some of the posters on the CQN were not around when Dunkirk happen, they would throw in the towel to Adolf Hitler and then we would all be Huns, I wouldn't want any of the 'towel throwers' beside me fighting in the trenches. (Question does becoming a 'Towel Thrower' is that the first step for a 'Happy Clapper' to becoming a 'Mineshafter'?)
Stop torturing yourself, with doom and gloom scenarios, if you go down that route, as the HMV Store Saleswoman said to me while pointing to the 'Ska Section' of the store "That way leads to MADNESS"
The end of the season is the time for gnashing of teeth and self flagellation. Our Season is not over with, we can still win it, others here on the CQN have pointed out more eloquent than me that our position is not as perilous as it looks.
Many posters complain that our players do not possess a 'Never say Die' spirit, how can we demand it of our players if we do not possess itself, that we act like spoiled children when things start to look bad, it reminds me of the kids that use to pick up their fitba and go home because the game is not going their way. Shame on all you quitters and 'Towel Throwers', I guess when the Celtic Song is being sung do you stop singing when it comes to the verse "We don't care if we win lose or draw,
Darn the hair do we care"?
So never give up till it is mathematically impossible and if and that is still a big "if" we lose the league at the end of the season, that is the time to kick the carp out of Gordon Strachan, Gary Caldwell, Lee Naylor, ............. (insert your favourite whipping Bhoy here)
Remember
When you walk through a storm
hold your head up high
And don't be afraid of the dark.
At the end of a storm is a golden sky
Greatest Fhans in the World! Indeed!You having a laff!
Keep the Faith
Righteous Narrowbhoat CSC
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E D B,
You got mail,
Martin.
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Fantastic piece on e tims Why Do I Put Myself Through This .. can nae do the linky thingy... but well worth a read
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Cadizzy,
We will need an oodle-rich benefactor to see us through our current difficulties. It will take much less than £30k but every penny will be well spent... ;-)
Chris
altHappyCSC
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Im sure I heard someone mention insurance or the lack of it for Gretna players if they continue to operate. Can anyone expand on this? and how would this affect Celtic players in a match against them.
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Mort,
never got to see, but I think it was on here I read the reviews and when the coaching staff are saying he is Celtic class I get a bit excited and look forward to seeing him play.
But then what is Celtic class in todays set up eh ??
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Daveinlondon,
You got mail,
Martin
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narrowbhoattim
That is why there are no atheists in foxholes
I just can`t help believing csc
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Paul67,
Much as this does not sit comfortably with me, I agree. Gretna should be closed down. Now.
(not the town or course. just the footie club)
Martin42,
You got a reply :-)
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apparently Aberdeen v Gretna will go ahead tomorrow after gretna managed to get enough players to play.
Wonder were they able to get the £30k needed for Busses, Hotels and Staff wages?
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Nazza- good to see the spirit of Winston S Churchill being invoked on the blog;~)
DBBIA/ Air Marshall Sir Arthur Harris CSC.
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StevieS, me neither. Martin42, Oor Kevin and I sat among the Gretna fans at Fir Park earlier in the season and their welcome was memorable, even when we scored two late goals to deny them their greatest win ever.
It is also true that they would shed a whole lot of goals in the coming weeks, which would put Celtic’s goal difference out of reach of Rangers, but the time has come.
Mort, just read your comment; if the play Aberdeen tomorrow, there is no decision to be made.
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Paul 67 et al
I remember being uneasy with Greta's entry at the start of the season. I remember Falkirk, P Thistle and others being denied entry and asked to shell out for infrastructure before getting in.
The concept of sharing Fir Park filled me with dread since it was alsways a poor drainage surface to double up on.
However, it is the full SPL members who have allowed this sham to develop and surely all member clubs must shoulder the blame to now get to the end of the season?
The SPL clubs should be required to provide the capital to Greta to enable them to retain their staff and complete their fixtures for this season.
That might cost, but that way they might just remember that in future, if it looks like a camel, it probably is a camel.
The way to maintain the integrity that is being referred to is not to shut them down but to keep them going to the end of the season.
The idea of fleecing Celtic supporters (once again) to solve a problem not of their making should be binned. If the game is deemed playable fans should not buy the tickets. Let the clubs clean up this mess not the fans.
Payforyourownmistakes CFC
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DBBIA
Me and my computer are hiding behind the sandbags giving the 'V Sign' as I type.
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Arsenal v Liverpool
Roma v Man Ure
Schalke v Barcelona
Chelsea v Fenerbache
Arsenal/Liverpool v Chelsea/Fenerbache
Roma/Man Ure v Schalke/Barcelona
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Dumbhoy said
"The idea of fleecing Celtic supporters (once again) to solve a problem not of their making should be binned. If the game is deemed playable fans should not buy the tickets. Let the clubs clean up this mess not the fans."
I agree wholeheartedly. Per my earlier post, I am also concerned that Celtic fans would buy tickets, the game would not go ahead and there would be no refunds.
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3 of the choice of 4 teams we need to win the champions league paired by the semis is not good news.
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durmbhoy & Cadizzy,
agreed as I said
the club should refuse any away tickes offered.
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ardoch
not necessarily. Chelski could still get 2nd place in the EPL
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The SPL is a membership club. Let the other members support their unfortunate brother in his times of trouble.
intheinterestsofintegritykeepgretnagoingcsc
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Afternoon gents
LeftWinger is in St Andrews for the weekend (well till Saturday afternoon anyway) and is looking for somewhere to watch the Celtic game. Any ideas?
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Micheal_67, celticbars.com
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It should be in times like these, re Gretna, that the "fans Spokesman/Chief" of the Supporters Assoc.should come out with some guidelines as to the matter of fans investing in tickets for the Gretna-Celtic match.
These"leaders" usually have plenty to say on matters outside of their remit whenever called upon.
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The friend of a lady named Mabel
Who loved to gaze at his navel
When he spoke it was clear
You could`nt but hear
More sense at the tower of Babel
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...or, the towel of Babel
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Gretna may well play tomorrow with a mix of unfit and youth players - but so what?
According to the administrator the club is losing money every week, and the £1M+ of debts isn't going away. Surely the gate against us is insignificant in comparison?
Unless Gretna can guarentee being around to fulfill all of its fixtures to the end of the season the club should be kicked out of the league now.
Maybe Aberdeen will score a barrowload on Saturday and force a rethink?
And maybe the spl will now perform a proper due diligence process on any club applying for membership in the future. This should include actually having a stadium, not groundsharing, and having an appropriate business plan in place for at least three seasons.
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From previous:
I've been accused of negativity more than once by others on CQN and so have deliberately kept away from the blog since Wednesday night in order to mull things over. I will also post first and catch up later so have no idea what the general feeling on CQN is, assuming there is one.
Firstly it would be a little harsh to be too critical of a side who have dropped points in an SPL match for the first time in a couple of months. There has been a good response from the team since December, but unfortunately Rangers have matched it.
Secondly the destiny of the title remains in our own hands. Indeed two wins and a draw in the three remaining Rangers matches would still put us level on points, assuming results against other clubs match up, but would mean a minimum goal difference swing in our favour of four (two one goal victories). Seven points from the three Rangers games probably remain enough.
Thirdly the damage was done earlier in the season in my opinion. The underestimation of our rivals and the underinvestment in our team last summer were shocking errors of judgement which do not require any benefit of hindsight. The results in December, and the home draw with St Mirren and the defeat to Inverness after leading 2-0 in particular, which followed are the reason we find ourselves in this predicament.
I am conceding nothing, but two wins and a draw (nevermind three wins) against Rangers is going to be a very tall order. Why? I won't win a popularity vote for what I'm about to say, but from what I've seen this season Rangers are playing more effective (ie better) football than us and deserve their virtual six point lead. They may not be pretty, but they are more consistent, resilient and organised and have a formation that works. Central midfield is our main problem, but I think the problem is with formation rather than individual players. Aiden and Naka are superb talents, but playing both is a real luxury as when we don't have the ball they stay wide and we get outnumbered in the middle. The problem is exacerbated by a back line who sit relatively deep. There is a big space and we have very few bodies there.
I have believed for several weeks that if the four point gap was to change before our match against Rangers, it would need to narrow rather than widen if we were to maintain a good chance of keeping our title.
What about our manager. I have said very little on CQN about Gordon Strachan mostly, if I'm being honest, because I simply can't make my mind up. Let me say immediately he is not a poor coach. The question in my mind is whether he is good or merely average, and in particular has he got the beating of Walter Smith? I'm not sure. I was ambivalent about his appointment and absolve him of the vast majority of the blame for Artmedia, a tie we should never even have been playing. Successive Champions League last sixteens are unquestionably the feathers in his cap. There has also been considerable domestic success. I have always maintained, however, that winning the league when there is no realistic competition should count for little. Rangers were always going to improve at some point, and the minute they did we started to struggle. In Europe I do not believe our performances have improved. Gordon Strachan, in my opinion, has simply had the good fortune which his predecessor lacked. Indeed I would maintain our best six group stage matches was 2003-04. I am proud of the way we competed against Milan last year, but cannot recall seeing Celtic so comprehensively outclassed as they were over 180 minutes against Barcelona this year, a side who are not the best in their own league and their league is not the best in Europe. There is no discernable sense of progress. He inherited a mess and did outstandingly well to turn things around quickly, but we have not moved on since about October or November of his first season in charge. I have no idea what type of side he is trying to mould. I am sometimes not 100% convinced he does either. I like the guy and the way he treats our cretinous sports media in particular, but there is a stubborness and inflexibility about formation and team selection which I think lets him down. There is never a plan B.
Five titles out of eight, three out of the last six, assuming the worst, will be very depressing returns from a period of supposed domination.
bryce
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new article posted.
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Martin42 -- have replied and (almost) sorted out the mails!
D.
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dbbia
If Estadio lived in Cuba he wouldn't need a toaster. Just put out on washing line and wait for sun to do its job.
hespickingonthecubansnow csc
