Beyond Nakamura

The last dodo bird died in 1681

Happy Christmas to Paul 67 and all CQN’ers.

vmhan

it really is quite on here if I can get a first!

3rd...4th

Congrats Naw am urny.....

I agree it is quiet....it's cause some o the bloggers were up late last night methinks

V

Great programme, recomended viewing.

あられのあられ 4続けて私達はここに来る

Paul,

Will it be repeated, or on iPlayer?

So rangers lumber from one racist/sectarian debacle to another, and the joy of it all is they've entirely manufactured this one themselves.

Before they've even sung a word of their new song, before anyone has actually complained (as there's currently nothing to complain about), the debate is raging.

This passage from the Telegraph is gold -

"Supporters of Rangers FC have been banned from singing anti-Catholic songs at Ibrox stadium to taunt their rivals Celtic, a club with Catholic roots.

But fans of the club are said to be discussing on internet forums the possibility of getting round the ban by singing the Hokey Cokey at next week's Old Firm derby between the clubs."

Getting round the ban!!! And that just about sums it up. This isn't about singing a harmless children's song, it's about the intention to cause offence.

Now, with all the debate, when it's been made clear to you that the song may cause offence, surely only a fool would choose to introduce a new song into their repertoire? Oh yes...that's right...

The one thing about all this that leaves me cold is the irrecoverable slur on a children's song. If this interpretation manages to seep into the general psyche it can only be bad, imagine kids at a party who innocently sing this, while parents look uncomfortably at their shoes. Scottish society seems to have enough "elephants in the room" to ignore.

Paul

Time to move on

Not half. Everything comes from somewhere. If the whole world carried similar numbers of grudges as some football fans, British people would never be able to travel anywhere for fear of having their heads chopped off.

Mind you, some of those bankers,...toff with their heads.

pggtips2

Did you get a chance to see my comments on any of the other articles regarding your accusations of Peter Grant?

Or perhaps the comments of a few other regulars on the subject?

Thanks,

TLoPG

Estadio......don't understand the gaelic bud!

Vinny

vinny_bhoy
i see your alter ego was second again..is he a bluenose :0)))

i enjoyed the program last night
pgtips2
estadio national posted it on the site late last night/early this morning.previous article.

Pggtips2

Ive heard it will not be on iplayer but you can download it here.

Full thing at Post 138

Or see the Japan CSC here.

JapanCSC

cheers estadio national.

BT

TLoPG

I did and I still stick to my views of him. This year alone there has been three exclusives with the Daily Record including one that indicated it would be a miracle if Celtic won the league.

I can send you the links if need be.

I personally will not feel offended if they sing the Hokey Cokey on Saturday.
Instead I will sit with a wry smile on my face knowing that this is how desparate they have become to inflict their anti Catholic sectarian hate that grown men in unison will treat us all to a version of the Hokey Cokey.

A wee side note, isn't interesting that Reporting Scotland found it worthy of a news item when they had ignored the real stuff for years.

Vmhan aw, take care.

pggtips2, no, it will not be on iPlayer, but someone is bound to stick it on YouTube.

As for the bankers, there are probably only a couple of dozen guilty faces behind the entire mess.

ValeBhoy, Reporting Scotland picked up the news as a result of an MSP making it news.

It's up on Celtic underground.
http://celticunderground.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=747&Itemid=1

Paul67

(=

I did say some, (=, okay, a very small minority...

anyone know of any celtic friendly pubs near hull that i can watch the game on saturday in? I know of some in leeds but it is at least 1 hour on train.

thanks

Paul67

As we discussed lastnight, world wide publicity works a bit different from the local stuff we get here. Shows both clubs/supporters in a true light.

After the BBC last night, maybe the local media will follow.

Im looking forward to the stories in the old media on Saturday morning about Kris Boyds family being torn apart due to him not getting his Mum the Christmas presents she asked for.

vinny_bhoy

The programme had an effect on me, Ive woke fluent in Japanese.

レーンジャーはだれであるか。

The full programme as click and play

pggtips2

Thanks for responding. I'm glad you saw them, I had assumed you hadn't when you didn't post a reply.

As I said before, everyone is entitled to their views, but it might be nice if you stated they were only your views and not actually based on any known fact which was what you implied.

Please feel free to post the links for these three exclusives, as I must have read something different into the articles than you did.

Sometimes it is possible for an ex-player to give an opinion in the press which actually works to Celtic's advantage, such as playing down expectations and heaping further pressure on our rivals.

Of course, it is also possible for an ex-player to simply think we are not going to win the league, as many fans have thought at various times this year.

World of difference between speaking openly to the press and being a mole from the dressing room.

Thanks Estadio Nacional, that's awesome

suggestion for Saturday once we have won the match

the huddle is formed in the centre of the park

Koki in the middle

the players start doing the real Hokey Koki

that would just be a wee bit of banter would it not?

Hail Hail

Kojo (from previous)

Surely the application of your philosphy of living in the now (which is the ONLY place we can live) has its difficulties in managing a winning football team?

Factors like how good will his replacment be, team balance, perceptions of fairness by team mates, morale etc are all matters to be considered in sending a team on the park are they not?

Surely there are times when a manager knowingly plays someone who is not at their best because altering the set up carries more risks.

I thought Samaras might actually make it before his injury, now I am not so sure, but given the alternatives I am not surprised he gets a game at the moment. In the present yet to come with better alterntaives available he might not start or might improve enough to justify starting.

That is not to decry your yardstick for measuring individual performances (I would say that since I often find myself at one with your present time judgements of players) but in a team game the team has to be at least the equal if not greater than the sum of its parts.

This is something WGS is actually good at - how else can you explain a team being so successful (in relative terms) with no right or left back for almost three seasons?

Paul67,

excellent programme by the Beeb. Another reason for the REARS to feel agrieved at the Beeb. More demonstrations LOL. Good to see Celtic being pro-active in this market.

SonsOfErin @ 11:46. that is a very well made point.

yesterday I was of the opinion that The Hokey Kokey was harmless and Celtic fans who were offended were just being a little touchy and looking for offence in something that was a kids nursery ryhme/song. But your point re. this being sung at childrens parties and the new found old meaning being returned by the HUNS (and I call them HUNS again) will rejoice in this childrens song in the face of parents from different religious background. They are SCUM. There is no other word for them.

TLoPG

My view is simple, as the DR was reponsible for 'Thugs/Thieves', then why take the money from them at all as it is likely they will use the vast majority of quotes from players, or ex-players to Celtic's disadvantage.

PeterGrant isn't so smart that he can write the article for them as well as given them the few quotes they need from him to go with the tabloid innuendo.

SonsofErin :- Someone did complain, Mr Matheson the MSP for one of the Falkirk seats brought it up.

Faithfulthru&thru :- I can't see how anyone could find that offensive and in my eyes it would be the perfect retort except for the fact your not going to win :-)

Today's birthday ghirl is Hoopslegend Mme Bruno-Sarkozy

Many happy returns, Carla.

Hope you can make it over for the Quiz night.

DBBIA :- If Mme Sarkozy is todays birthday girl shouldn't her pic show her in her birthday suit?

E.U who thinks the entente cordial can be a good thing.

pggtips2

Unfortunately your view isn't simple - in your original comments which were picked up on by several regulars on here, you stated that you knew Peter Grant was a dressing room mole for the press for years.

Now you are saying you just don't like the fact he has openly spoken to the Daily Record this year.

There is a massive difference there.

Presumably you don't like Neil Lennon for having his autobiography serialised in the DR?

Or for Lennon giving the DR his seal of approval upon leaving Celtic and saying the those responsible for "Thugs/Thieves" were no longer at the paper?

And how do you know how smart Peter is?

TLoPG

I am merely using the fact that he spoke to the DR three times this year as a point(meister)er to the fact that it is now 11 years since he played for us and he is still amongst the top, ex-player or current player of contributors, and he supposedly has a real job too, a job that should be taking up all of his time.

I was coming his time, when playing at Celtic.

Peter Grant for me, was a player whose bark, and his pointing, was much larger than his bite.

His articles through the period of his time at Celtic were little more than dressing room wallpaper for the John Brown/Stuart McCall's of this world. No coincidence of his posturing took place when the Huns won 9iar and he was the one player who played throughout that period.

Generally my experience of football is, that you don't say you are a hardman, as Peter Grant did, you simply are, as Henke is/was, when necessary.

Not to be totally against the man, at his best, he was a poor man's Paul McStay, with a bigger mouth, and more active arms.

Celt4ever, great story and it does indeed show us all that there are some decent bluenoses out there. I could never see me queing to get a rangers players autograph and the very fact that one of your work collegues did, says more about you than them, in a nice way. You should feel justifiably proud that they held you in such high regard, because belive you me, I can count on one hand the amount of huns I've worked with that I would have done all that for, so fair play to you and I hope it's not long until you find alternative employment.

Vinny, finish tomorrow and back up the road on Thursday and back down here on boxing day and back up again the following Tues' Weds' until the following Sunday. Should be at the United game.

Jinks, try a 700 mile round trip :o)))

pablophanquw

Local (for me) football related....Simon Grayson has left Blackpool to manage Leeds Utd.

Blantyretim have ye got ma pressie wrapped?

re alter ego.......if we put our two heeds together maybe we could have had a 1st....ha

TLoPG

If Neil Lennon's book was serialised in the paper, then no, I think that's poor judgement from him. That said, I didn't buy his book or read the paper.

This just depresses me, this hokey cokey idiocy. The Rangers fans who would use this in the hope of upsetting someone are just being pathetic. Be pretending to take offence Celtic supporters are marginally less pathetic.

Sonsoferin, if the intention to cause offence was what mattered then if the sang "twinkle twinkle" with intention to offend would you oblige and be offended?

Pathetic, and depressing.

Ed, it's just banter and not meant to be offensive

as for whether we will win, time alone will tell but one thing's for sure, we will still be top of the league no matter what and that may even be after two defeats from your lot.

Question for you Ed I would love your perspective on this

do you think your team could possibly win most of the games withe Celtic and still fail to be crowned Champions?

I think this may well be a possibility, but then again what am I talking aboutl, we will win the next two games with your mob and put your championship dreams to the sword!

only joking there I am never ever confident going into a game with your mob and fully expect a close run for four in a row.

Hail Hail

pggtips2

I have absolutely no qualms with any of your points today, as they are the opinions of a Celtic fan and we are all entitled to them.

Thankfully you have now stopped making accusations that he was a dressing room mole as that was what bothered myself and the other posters on here who commented on it.

I don't recall Peter ever once describing himself as a hardman - please feel free to prove me wrong? But he was certainly capable of looking after himself, and his team mates. And Henrik Larsson was a lot of things, but a hardman is not one of them. Brave yes. Hardman no.

And as for "a poor man's Paul McStay" - are you joking me?!? He was absolutely nothing like Paul McStay as he was a completely different type of player and obviously, like most other midfielders the club has had, was a lot less talented.

I'm wondering how much you know your history though - "he was the one player who played throughout that period"... Paul McStay played throughout that period too - are you blaming The Maestro for them winning 9IAR?!?!

Hendy_In_Hull, don't know if it's too far, but you can see it in the Cleethorpes No.1 CSC otherwise known as the Cleethorpes Working Mens Club.

Directions Here.

I'll be there with my daughter. £1.75 a pint and not a hun to be seen. Usually about another 6 - 8 Tims, but they've all gone home for xmas.

pablophanque

Stuart
thats the start of a new song
twinkle hinkle german star...my coats on...

vinny
its being rapped along with mrs bt's...

Zaluska signed a pre contract it's official!!

unrelated to anything, but i just came across on wikipedia a reference to early (and innovative) scottish footballers called the 'Scotch Professors' - very interesting article on them there if anyone wants to gen up on 19th C footie and our influence down south!

Another start of another wee song-

'God rest ye Gersie mental men

let nothing you dismay

The famous Celtic have turned up

To show you how to play..'

Peter Grant was not capable of looking after himself, let alone his team mates.

Peter Grant was at best, a good passer and a decent shot, but that was it.

The other qualities he possessed, i.e. his tackling and midfield general-esque qualities were little more than mythical, particularly against the Huns, or against any side in Europe.

As for Larsson. I've never seen a harder man wear the Hoops. A fighter to the end.

For instance, how could Henke score so many headers against much bigger central defenders? i.e. his 1st goal in the UEFA Cup final.

A man of his size should have been easily brushed off the ball as he was moving away from the goal and had a big defender charging into him.

Good morning all from Ontario, Canada where the temperature is a balmy -20 degrees today. Looking forward to heading to Glasgow this evening and also the prospect of meeting some of the fine people on this blog.

Paul67, thanks for your dedication in keeping this going. It is a beautiful thing indeed and allows us all to keep up to speed amongst other things.

To all CQN'rs Merry Christmas to you & yours. Here's to Saturday and the continuing march to 4IAR.

Blantyretim

Get back to work!!

Ah in all seriousness Happy Christmas mate, I look forward to meeting up with you in B, B,s sometime soon.

Hail Hail

P.S. i,m over this weekend for Ibrox and the following weekend for Dundee Utd.

Welcome to Celtic Zaluska(even tho we have to wait until January)

JUNE even....DOH

Faithfulthru&thru :- I'm feeling slightly confident about the 27th, mainly due to the fact we are at home, I don't think there is mch between the two teams and think playing at home will be the difference.
Having said that about the home advantage I could see us winning the four league games against you and still losing the league, the team we have can raise their game at times and can play some nice football but they just aren't consistent enough.
If we do win against you then I can see the momentum moving to us and hopefully giving us a decent run but I think this season it will go to near the end of the season before a winner can be picked.

TLoPG

When I say, any side in Europe, what I actually mean is, any side whose players haven't read the Scottish newspapers.

Those hardman qualities were little more than a media persona built up by both Peter Grant and the Scottish press such that when a side came to play Celtic hadn't heard of these mythic qualities of Peter Grant, they played Celtic like they didn't exist, because...

They didn't exist.

Blantyretim...........I hope the pressie is 3points thats what I asked santa for lol

DBBA very seasonal :¬)

Pablo.....thats some travelling ......take care and have a safe and happy Christmas.

Vinny

rocco
i finished on friday. back on 5th jan.
was in bb's with oldtim and jinkysboy yesterday..

happy christmas to you and yours..

hail hail

pggtips2

An now I understand. You don't rate Peter Grant as a player. Fair enough. As I said, at least you now are being honest and choosing to slate the man as opposed to lying that you knew he was a dressing room mole.

If you think Henrik Larsson was the "hardest" player you have ever seen wear the Hoops you must be an awful lot younger than me, gone to an awful lot less games (this is my 23rd year as a season-ticket holder) and also have a completely different meaning of what a hard man is.

You never saw Roy Aitken play? Danny McGrain? Murdo McLeod? Willie McStay? Davie "which door do you want me to kick boss" Moyes?

I don't want to absolutely tear your points to shred, but as anyone who has a decent idea about football will tell you, Henrik won so many headers because he had impeccable timing with his jumps, he had a fantastic leap for his size, and he knew how to peel away from defenders and find space.

Anyway, I'm happy enough now that at least you have stopped slandering a good Celtic man that over 50,000 people turned out to pay their respects to at his testimonial.

Best wishes in Celtic.

Valeboy - 11:56

A wee side note, isn't interesting that Reporting Scotland found it worthy of a news item when they had ignored the real stuff for years.

----------------

Yes, but they can safely mention this story knowing full well that this will be treated in the media as political correctness gone mad and yet another case of easily offended timmy. They are still in their safety zone. It's quite clever really because it kind of implies that the "scrutiny" of the rangers support has reached ridiculous levels.

Like you say, I personally won't take offence if they sing it as it says more about them and the direction they are headed in than anything else.

Am I in the minority here when I say I don't care what the Huns sing, for all I care they can sing all the racist, sectarian songs they want as they have always been morally bankrupt and eventually they will go financially bankrupt because no right sane individual will want to associate nevermind invest money in a team that has a deprived disgusting following.

Stop trying to civilize the Huns. Let them drown in their own Cesspool of Filth. The more Manchesters that happen, the more racist/sectarian songs they sing the more distance we can put between us and the O** F*** tag, regardless how much Celtic PLC still wants to cling to it. So don't complain, do what I do laugh at their pathetic lifes, obviously they get no enjoyment out of their football team, the only only enjoyment they get is from acting as knuckledragging Neanderthals when singing their vile songs.

Let the Orcs Sing, they are only damaging themselves.

We just have to sing back "Four in a row, Here we go"

Mon the Hoops

repeated from last thread .. as Paul had just posted a new article when i posted ...

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Estadio Nacional

many many thanks for the link to the full show... subarashii

i have a friend in Chiba Prefecture (where the alex miller footage was shot) who would really like to see this i suspect.

so again.. many many thanks to you.

>>>>>>>>>>>

To Paul .. and the rest of the CQN gang on here .. a very merry xmas.. and a happy new year to you all.

good luck; good fortune; good fun and good times to you all.. your friends and your family.

Peace be with you all..

Cheers,

N.D.

sfa extend trasfer window until 5pm on 2nd Feb. sky sports breaking news...

did we not know that last week?

Yes I do think Aitken, McLeod were hard, very hard, but being hard isn't only about kicking people up in the air. Its also about being kicked up in the air too. The hardest are those who can give and take.

Those who say they are too smart to ever take, simply aren't brave enough to take.

As for your points about Henrik, I agree with all of them but you don't include in any of these points, his bravery. All of what you've said avoids contact with other players, a great number of Henrik's goals involved going into situations knowing he was going to get kicked or punched.

Ahh, Cesspool of Filth.

They never could manage to recreate their live sound on disc, and some thought their twin bass/ zither/ tuba and stylophone line-up illsuited to the demands of a 21st Century audience weaned on the bland pap of the X-factor.

Their best album, the live double set 'Claustrophobic Quantum Nemesis' is being offered on eBay for $5,or less.

the legend of peter grant

whilst i have only been a season book holder for just over ten years,i can honestly say that henrik is one of the toughest,bravest,courageous celtic players i have ever seen,the way he fought back from serious injuries,the way he took kick after kick and just got up and put the ball in the back of the net.

you seem to think because he never kicked or set about opponents,that this does not make him a hard man,,,on this point we will have to disagree,my friend.

hail hail

thanks to Estadio for posting links to the bbc doc last night.

i am a member of the TokyoCSC although I don't get up there much these days, now that I've moved out of the bright lights towards the salt water...

I was surprised not to see Martin in there... (founder/heartbeat of the club) but i guess they wanted to show Asian faces talking Celtic.

Quite a good doc though it has to be said...

A Miller should try Nato for breakfast - NOT!

When the time comes i'll get up to Yokohama with the hoops on... front row, belt out a few numbers in Naka's direction for old times sake.

It's true that the kids in Japan are all together a different breed to Scotolando (Japanese pronunciation)
There are also many top technical players in the J-League - i raved on here last month about the international Left Back... pity he's only 5' 6"!

It only goes to show what a blinder Gordon has played with young Koki.

Culture shock doesn't get past the first page of the novel.

Well done wee man!
Keep on keeping on & you could also go down in history

tbdJ

pggtips2, agree about Henke. I always thought he was proper hard. Made of wood kind of player. You could kick him all you like, he'd pretend not to notice. It's a different kind of hard from the Roy Aitken hard though. I'd never describe Henke as a hardman

Narrowboat,

I am a great believer in allowing people the right to disgrace themselves, if that is their wish.

I liked the analogy posted yesterday, I think, about huns and the more "respectable" type.

The latter being the officer class and the former, the foot soldier, doing the dirty work.

As long as the "officers" merely tut- tut at their errant comrades, the longer they will stay mired in their stench.

Evil triumphs...etc.

Are you not getting brave confused with hard? Henrik was the bravest Celt I have ever seen, but not to sure about the hard man label.

Away win at Ranger,
No Points for the Teds
The little Gord Strachan
Planned it in his ginger head

Tommy Burns in the bright sky
Looked at the hoops play
The little Gord Strachan
Had them playing the Celtic way

The Orc they are Howling
The poor Wattie shakes
But little Gord Strachan
No mercy He makes

I love Thee, Tommy Burns
Look down from the sky
And stay by my hoops side,
'Til 90 minutes is nigh.

Manage here, Gord Strachan,
I ask Thee to stay
Choose the hoops forever
And 13 in a row I pray

Bless all the dear player
In Gordon Strachan's care
And take us to seventh heaven
With a 7-1 win over the Bears.

I'll grab my coat

thebhoydave JAPAN

Glad you got to see the programme.

How was the Japanese media coverage of Kokis debut?

Stuart

If you think he is proper hard, why not think of him as a hardman? I admit it isn't the single quality you would label him by but this is not to say he shouldn't have that bestowed on him also.

As for Henrik not kicking people, that's a myth too, its just that Henrik was very good at it (=

new article posted.

Unfortuntely for the tabloid old media stirlingshire fire brigade have confirmed they're not treating the fire at martin bain's house today as suspicious. No doubt tomorrows rags would have been insinuating that it was a sectarian arson attack by Celtic fans, just like the suggestion that beasley's car getting broken into was him being targeted as a rangers player!

Hardest player to wear the hoops - Tony Mowbray.
Not only a tough player but someone who would be collected for games from the hospital in which his wife was dying from cancer and still had the mental strength to play games such as the 1-1 lockout game at Ibrox.
That's hard.

Naw-am-urny-Bhoy

I'm not sure. In football cliche terms, they are different, but in actual terms they are one in the same thing.

Is a real hardman only someone who is actually a coward? Doesn't sound very hard to me. Sounds like someone whose hardness level has a threshold and not a very large threshold.