Cup victory no advantage for the battle ahead

1

2

hmmm

Aye it is, Paul.

Absolutely spot-on, Paul67. The league is ALL now.

WG

The boss just needs to tell the Bhoys: "Did you lhads enjoy that lap of honour in front of the greatest support in the world last Sunday? Do you want more days like that? They are yours for the taking, but you have to work hard in every game, starting from today's. You can do it. I believe in you, the fhans believe in you."

10 Cup Finals now

Tannadice has been tough for both sides of the old firm since Levein took over but i dont see us losing focus on this one.

Tough to break down but a comfortable win come the final whistle.

3-1 to the hoops!!!

When will the wheels come off the snowball?

Walter's team talk, on the other hand, should go something like this: "You're a shower of dross. Now go out and show me you're not a shower of dross."

Cognitive dissonance.

The Gate In The Wood……………………continueth

This one goes out to Blogger GG who I’d like to wish a very Happy St Joseph’s Day

Teser

WG: And so the League Cup n Paddy’s Day celebrations fade away n we turn oor attentions tae a mair sober Saint, Joseph of that ilk. He’s wan ay that rare breed ay Saints thit gits mair thin wan Feast Day, same is John The Baptist, St Peter n St Paul.

SOAL: When’s ay’s other wan then WG ?

WG: May the First - May Day, the first day ay the month thit’s dedicated tae ays wife of course

Badger: Aye, it says a loat for Joe stayin wi Mary eftir the Annunciation, thirs no miny people wid believe that wan.

SOAL: Well ay goat a haun oot tae help him – gittin aw they dreams n visions tae set him right

WG: Which links him nicely wi his namesake in the Auld Testament

SOAL: Aye, Joseph n the Technicolour Dreamcoat – so Joe could be deemed the Patron Saint ay Dreamers is well is Joiners, Workers n Happy Deaths. Thir disnae seem tae bi much he’s no the Patron Saint ay.

Badger: The May The First thing wiz probably anurra fly move bi The Church.

SOAL: In whut wey, Badger ?

Badger: The Vatican’s famous fur hijackin pagan festivals n turning them intae Catholic wans, hence the placement ay Easter n Christmas tae supercede the pagan forerunners

WG: Talkin ay pagan forerunners it’s always struck mi is bein a bit odd thit the darnel huv a song wi a line in it – ‘me n ma wee pal Joe’. Ah don’t really know miny darnelists thit huv that name in fact Ah don’t know any.

SOAL: Harper the Barrel.

Badger: Aye, possibly, Arthur. Ah nivir ivir liked The Barrel, ay used tae cause us untold damage.

WG: The sheepdips nicknamed him King Joey which tae me sounds mair like a name yid gie a young kangaroo

SOAL: Or a budgie

Badger: Yi cannae furget St Aidan’s greatest ever alumnus

WG: NAFOS ?

Badger: Naw, Joe Jordan fae Cleland
SOAL: Or the Treblebuster, Wee Joe Miller.

WG: Aye, Ah’ll never forgive him fur that.

Badger/SOAL: Whit ?

WG: Aye, Wee Joe wiz coach ay the Clyde team thit knoacked is oot the Scottish Cup in 2006. Is wi went oan tae win the League n League Cup ay effectively busted oor Treble hopes.

Badger: Only you could bend that roon like that, WG

WG: Naw Ah liked Wee Joe bit ye never knew whit Wee Joe wiz gaunny turn up oan a Setirday. Ah remember wance oor parish priest wiz sayin ays sermon it St Ig’s n he asked a rhetorical question eftir which ay paused for dramatic effect

SOAL: Whit did ay ask, WG ?

WG: What is an enigma ?

N this bhoy beside mi shouts oot ‘Joe Miller’. Ayd probably no know whut tae shout oot nooadays. Wu’ve goat a team full ay enigmae. Anywey that wiz Super Joe, dae either ay yis know aboot Trooper Joe ?

Badger: Aye, ma granda used to talk aboot him – Joe Cassidy’s the bhoy yir oan aboot.

WG: It annoys mi thit Joe Cassidy’s contribution tae the cause is so regularly overlooked as ay wiz wan ay the truly great Celts ay aw time. He virtually won the 1923 Scottish Cup for is aysel wi a tremendous scoring run – eleven goals in total including the only goal ay the Final aginst Hibs.

SOAL: Brilliant, WG

WEG: Two years earlier ay pit the darnel tae the sword scorin baith goals it Megiddo in the Ne’erday fixture which wi won two-nowt.

SOAL: Where diz the Trooper bit fit in. WG ?

Badger: Joe served in the First World War. Is well is picking up medals fur Sellik he also goat a Military Medal fur services rendered tae the war effort – he wiz a hero ay the trenches AND the terraces, Arthur

WG: Joe could probably huv combined baith joabs it Fir Park these days. Anywey Ah think wi should remember aw the Joes, Holy or otherwise, in this day ay days. Thir’s Joe Craig an naw n Joe McBride.

SOAL: Whit aboot Joe Calzaghe ?

WG: Whit aboot Joe Calzaghe, Arthur ?

SOAL: He’s a Tim an aw

WG: He’s a Catholic an aw – Ah dunno whut fitba team ay supports.

SOAL: Ah always felt a bit sorry fur Joe Calzaghe.

WG: Whut fur? The guy’s mintit, Arthur ?

SOAL: He’s named eftir a foldit-ower pizza

WG: Coors, Arthur ? Ah feel this is gaunny bi anurra long eftirnin.

TBC

Celtic_First

Came across this explanation earlier.....no clipboards though :)
http://www.viewzone.com/cognitivedissonance.html

Today's article - Short, Sharp & To The Point.

Thom

I was wondering if the pan of hot water the frog was cooking in would go any way towards melting the snowball.

Rogue Leader

Rogue Leader
Your `Doh` moment reminded me of a Bobby Robson `senior moment` I once heard.
Bobby was signing his book in a Newcastle store. At one point, he was asked how many he had signed. When the questioner opened his book outside the store, he read: All the Best,Bobby Hundreds!

YarranabbeBhoy,
Sweddie was a character who `used` the yard as his second home/pub. My uncle, Jim Barr, rented the yard from whoever owned it (?) and from there ran his furniture removal, coal/ general delivery operation. I went on a couple of the `flittings` with him and once ate a bar of `chocolate` I found which turned out to be a laxative!

Some players have said exactly what is required. If we win all the remaining games, we will be champions again.

What more incentive is needed than to be crowned Kings of Scotland ?

Go on Bhoys....put your names down in the history books.

Hail Hail

Celtic_First,

There' snowballs in the Rangers team at present!

Totally lacking. The Frog escaped from the pot a year ago.

Sinse the turn of the year our League form is DLWDDWW, ie 12 points out of 21.

Now would be an excellent time to string a few results together.

Dying with a chest infection - just want to be in the top twenty and then go back to bed. Have I made it?

Paul, I agree to an extent but what struck me on Sunday was just how far ahead physically we were of them. Throughout the game we looked sharper, more so towards the end of 90 minutes and by a long way in extra-time. Even with no European football this year they look to be a team running low on fuel and they look like they will have to stick with the majority of the team that played on Sunday until the end of the season.

We looked in great shape, and without being disrespectful (although I suppose I am) to the likes of Hamilton and Falkirk who we play at home, we have the ability to make changes to our team to keep it fresh. Robson, Maloney and Crosas can be brought in to freshen things up in the midfield, Loovens, O'Dea and Wilson for defence and up front surely at some point soon our strikers will regain their form and confidence.

I would say though that for the tough games (Tyncastle, Tannadice, Aberdeen home) until the split and all games after the split no tinkering be done with the team. The ability to mix it up in the other games should leave us in good condition for this though.

I didn't think the before Sunday that the Final would have any impact on the League but when I was walking away from Hampden I got the feeling we had dealt a blow to them, simply by the way we won it. They looked old and tired.

To paraphrase Vince Lombardi

"The league isn't everything. It is the only thing."

Let's defend our crown with passion, hunger, fight and skill and vocal support second to NONE!

good article Paul and I think we all know that while a nice wee boost it's all about the Leage. I am looking forward to the game as I feel it is the stand out football fixture in the Scottish calendar these days. And we have a good recent record at Tannadice. Anyone know what we are like for injuries? By the way what happened to Aberdeen last night? Thats blue ribbons on the Cup now unless the Saints beat them i fear. I'm not holding my breath however!

Belief, belief, belief, a healthy remembrance of last season's run-in, the energy levels shown on Sunday and a fervent desire to please fhans who are non-pareil is what is needed to secure 4IAR. Now to bed.

porridgeandbananas ,

as the final went to extra time and all the players were being spoken to by their managagers, the Celtic players were up and ready far quicker than their opponents, as if to say to them, come on, we are fitter and fresher and waiting for you.

I just got that feeling that we wanted it so much.

Hail Hail

"Rangers will have focus and bitter determination to make sure they are sitting top of the league on Saturday night."

Even their determination is bitter.

savo01 ,

i'm the same as you, i think the blue of Falkirk will be on the cup now. ;)

Come on Bog Yogi.

Hail Hail

Paul 67, you used the phrase "Rangers will have focus and bitter determination to make sure they are sitting top of the league on Saturday night."

id also like to add that Hearts lost a high tempered Edinburgh derby last Saturday and will look to go to Ibrox on Saturday to try and maintain there stronghold on 3rd place.

Or dare i say bring the gap between them and Rangers to 9 points? touching distance?

Thought Sammi played well when he came on against Der hun, although not in the role he's meant to be doing, but I think it's only a matter of time before he starts to do what we know he can do. Now is when you have to "stick" or "twist". With 18 in my hand, I'll stick.

pablophanque

Afternoon Everyone,

Definitely a key weekend in the title race. We have a harder run-in than the plucky cash-strapped southsiders, so for us to go to Tannadice and get a win would be another huge boost for our chances, and would add serious momentum to the push. I don't think D Utd have lost a league game to either us or the currants this season yet.

Not to win would be the proverbial back-to-earth-with-a-thud moment.

We may need to go with the 4-5-1 on this one to get a grip of midfield, at least at the start, as we were outplayed for large parts of our last meeting. At least this time Flood won't be playing against us !

Never thought I'd be saying this, but it may be WGS keeps Caldwell in midfield, as Loovens had an excellent game and doesn't deserve to be dropped (I've always felt that putting GC into midfield just served to weaken both the defence AND midfield). Other option is to 'rest' Mick and put Caldwell beside Loovens.

Would like to see Crosas in place of Hartley. The lad's a footballer, and is a natural link between defence and midfield. Flood may be useful due his knowledge of DU's players.

Is O'Dea fit ? Does Wilson take his place ?

Glad I'm not in Gordon's shoes. Not going to be easy to keep everyone happy, and that's before we get other injured players back e.g. Maloney, Robson.

hh

decisionsdecisionscsc

good to be back home after cup final victory and a few days in Bremen, been in bed since 4 yesterday,,,getting too old...

had a few bevvies in paddy's next to train station, place was heaving, music was good, green lager was a little disconcerting though.

BT

`Boiling A Frog` by Christopher Brookmyre. Possibly worthy of a read for those who have not read Chris Brookmyre. He is a genuine St Mirren fan but regularly mentions us and the Hun in his books.

Savo01

What's wrong with blue ribbons on the cup? I have a lot of time for John Hughes and his team.

Winningemmell, indeed.

Celtic_First, would that not be Cognitive diss’ance from Smith?

Porridgeandbananas, agree we looked physically ahead of them, but they are a better team than Hearts, Aberdeen, or any other team they will face, apart from Celtic, this season. Attitude is all now.

savo01, cheers.

Cadizzy, even their goal celebrations often appear bitter.

TheProdigalShaun, interesting point.

Falkirk? St Mirren? Dunfermline? Rangers? Was ours REALLY the diddy Cup?

Ha ha ha,
I would love Falkirk to win the Cup as reward for Yogi who I feel plays decent football. He was a bit of a cult hero to me and many others i'm sure awhen he wore the Hopps. A bit like Barry Robson he knows he got lucky and he gave it 110%. In terms of other Scottish clubs who would people rate as being the most anti Celtic/mini huns? I know Heartz/Falkirk/Airdrie have often been touted but are there more specific reasons as to why this is or is it just good old orange bigitory? I'm not form Scotland so pardon my ignorance.

Heston Blumenthal was making frog blancmange on the TV the other night, out of blancmange and err..frogs. He had to go to Chinatown in New York to get a supply of fresh frogs.

PAB/Possilbhoy

I agree, for me, their body language at the final whistle and after, was that of a team not just beaten, but knowing they were beaten!

There is a difference in those positions and one not too easy to overcome.

This weekend could well go a long way to determining where the title goes.......and that's straight back to Celtic Park!

bjmac03,

glad it was of some interest to you mate.

HAIL! HAIL!
Token

JungleJim - It's only the diddy cup when Walter and the Diddymen win it. I hope they have to resort to putting bottles of Lucozade in their diddy trophy cabinet at the end of this season.

Paul67 - "even their goal celebrations often appear bitter."

Ah, a reference to the famous Govan scowl as worn proudly by Boyd and Ferguson. I always wondered why they looked so angry when they scored. Most people would find it an enjoyable experience.

Is it something to do with being "permenantly raging" do you think?

Paul67,

I concur as do many, many others.

I hope we keep our 2 tall strikers on the bench for Sunday too. Have you seent eh size of D.Utd defenders - man mountains. Lets make it hard for them - keep the baw oan the deck. High balls punted is what they tangerinos want - lets go and do what they dont like - just like last week. :-)

tojo - focus focus focus

Who will take over from Walter Smith? Who should takeover from Gordon Strachan? Who could replace Sir Govan?

http://tinyurl.com/d7or4f

Paul, I agree. They are still better, maybe only just, than the other teams they face. I was thinking more that if we concentrate, focus and utilise our resources correctly then it won't matter what they do.

I know it's maybe too simplistic to say but the fact remains if we win our next 9 games we win the League (as we'd have beaten Rangers at Ibrox).

Possilbhoy

That reminds me of a story told by an ex-Liverpool player about Shankly I think.

The 90 mins had finished and extra-time was about to begin and the manager went to all the players and told them to stand up and look fit as the opposition were all sitting down resting. He said that even if they were tired they had to show the opposition that they weren't as it might put doubts in their head.

Mort

War Face

arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

MON THE SELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLICK

Paul Shun

and when, you hear, the battlecry

it will be the fighting men from Crossmaglen

Paul67,

re their goal celebrations. You are dead right. How often do you see them after scoring running away finger-pointing, sneering, almost grimacing, as much a GIFRUY to the other side as anything ( a la Ferguson the other week against Hamilton).

Whereas most players tend to run away hands/arms held high, grins and laughter on faces, celebrating the sheer joy of scoring for your beloved team, a la Aiden last weekend.

"BITTER adj:..... painful to the mind; showing grief or resentment; virulent, resentful...."

Sume them up pretty well I would say!

HAIL! HAIL!
Token

i would be far more confident if Rangers were going to Tynecastle this saturday but even so i think they can atleast stop Rangers taking 3 points.

The main task is do we keep last sundays starting line up? or do we draft back in Marc Crossas and maybe Flood or Robbo if he is fit?

the options are enough to bring a smile to your face.

:-)

Lennondinho18
there wasn't too much fight in Cross on St.Patrick's Day alas!

We haven't seen a Rangers goal celebration the last 3 times we've played them.

.

Paul67....

As You Probably Noticed a Few of Us Enjoyed the E-Tims Article....and Good to See It Give Your Site....A Big Up....

Which all Makes Your Article Even Better....WIN the League is All That MATTERS....Great Call....Lets Not Get Side Tracked By Them....Heads Up to the Game in Hand....

As a Punter....I Have Seen Many a Jockey in What He Thinks is a Unsalable Lead.... Ease His Horse Down Look Over His Shoulder....Only to See a FAR Inferior Competitor Go Past Him On The Finish Line....They are Not Shergar....They Wont Disappear....

.

Now is the End of Our winter of discontent
Made glorious summer by this son of Celts;
And all the clouds that low'r'd upon our house
In the deep bosom of the ocean buried.

.

001WarBhoyCSC

RogueLeader, The Token Tim, it’s is a most unusual phenomenon, and no doubt, a sociological minefield.

Tojo, good point.

P&B, indeed.

Lennondinho18, deep breath.

I think we will see the same formation as Sunday but with Crosas in the team, perhaps Flood also. Leaving Gordon a headache Re the three central defenders. Dundee Utd will also try and play football so there is no reason not to start young Marc I feel.

Paul67,

Time to forget. Too true.

............................

Enjoyed ETIMS article too. Now's the time to put the foot down and drive home this league. C'mon bhoys let's get at em.

............................

This one annoyed me for a couple of minutes last night.

Happened to hear a little bit of Unreal Radio last night - through no fault of my own.

A Celtic fan who was making the point that Ferguson should have been booked for pushing Lennon, happened to mention that Boruc was booked whilst celebrating McGeady's goal. Both numpty's knew nothing of this and then numpty Roughie who obviously knew nothing of the incident then send

"Well Boruc probably deserved it." The tone of his voice was not jovial or jokular.

Couldn't believe my ears.

He then went on to defend Ferguson even though it had happened on screen saying (I will paraphrase here as roughies vocabulary does not stretch to some of the words I am using here) - Well it happened off the field of play so has no relevance.

Astounded of forehead.

I wish we could go back and wipe out the fact that Numpty Roughie played for us. I find that fact sickening when listening to this excuse of an arREARS fan.

RogueLeader,

I agree. marc should come back in for this one and if it is the same formation we played on Sunday it could show an even better side to him...

I always thought the team who lost on Sunday would be most dangerous in the run-in, especially if it was Celtic who under Strachan seem to enjoy the week after a terrible result. That being the case, I'm glad it's Tannadice and not a squeaky home game. Cup Final good will doesn't last long!

Jon Daly hasn't scored a goal since December, we usually oblige :-)

With Andy Hinkel bombing down the right side it leaves
Loovens Mick and O'Dea,as was consistently proved on sunday,a rock steady triumvirate at the back for us, an area of the team that hasn't looked as solid as this for a good wee while.I like it as i think a solid platform is what our midfield/attack needs to flourish.
Crosas will play a part,Robson,Maloney,Wilson and Naylor returning,our strikers to start scoring for fun and the holy goalie back to his imperious best,i'd love it if we could steamroller forward to FIAR as they disintegrated into rancourous failure starting on saturday against the purple ones.

Totally way off topic but has anyone checked out Google maps these days ?

Put in your postcode or address etc and click on your street view if you are offered the option.

Ah'll go'n play cerds oan ma oan then..........hhrrrruuummppphhhh !!!

By-the-by, the mighty Craig Levein (sp) has the same points total as tango n' sash !!!! And some think he's good enough to replace Wee Gordy !!!??? Lordy, Lordy !

pablophanque

Savo01 gud man

Paul 67 Shun, noted and taken!

Sir Paul

In frae the jiggin'

Kiddo, yer writing Swank, is agettin' Swankier... as it should, and therefore is..
Practice does that..

I thought yer line.."the erupting acre of joy"..is eminently qualified to be the quote of the Month!

Verily, mon ami... it be a Stoater!

You know ma Mantra.

"Always aspire, to more Picturesque Speech".. and.. Picaresque, is acceptable,too,at a nip.

Keep upping the Bar...

I hiv nae time fur Limbo Dancers!

Kojo.

If Strachan drops the two big strikers for Sunday i think he will definately go again with Loovens and O'Dea to combat United's height at set pieces. Both Lee Wilkie and Gary Kenneth are 6'4", Darren Dodds is 6'1". Maybe drop Hartly and play Crosas.

FLC

myboysnowatim

just looked at that today

its quite spooky eh?

myboysnowatim

Yep, had a look earlier. It's pretty impressive.

Mort

RogueLeader

Thanks for posting the eTims article, thoroughly enjoyable read.

Predictions for the weekend ? I think it could end up 2 draws, however if they draw on Saturday it may give us the extra boost (not that we need it) to get a win on Sunday. Think it will be a tight game irrespective of our formation / team - 100% focus required for the next 10 games and the league is ours.

bjmac

I reckon you might see a similar starting line-up to Hampden at Tanndice this Sunday, possibly with Willo Flood replacing Paul Hartley to provide a little more energy to the midfield.

Paul & TMC: I hope I'm not wrong but I think their desire has gone. They are really only a one dimensional team , highlighted on Sunday. Methinks the dressing room at Ibrox is lost and the Cardigan has got all he can out of them and Wee Barry for all his cajoling and poor individual effort is well and truly spent? This, allied to the fact most of them will be thinking of pastures new, as soon as they get the chance!

Not necessarily the same team on Sunday but I'd be quite happy with the same formation, as our big lads won't get much joy out of UTD's central defence. Ideal time for Willo to go back and haunt his old club and of Course BR if he's fit?

Onwards to 4iar

Paul, well said, I look forward to your rally cries prior to our games now, keep it up.

Over here in NA they say "put your game face on", I'll take "war face" though. Whatever it is, we all should have them on come Sunday.

We are in the stretch run, in a better position than we where in last year and verging on the healthiest squad we have had all season. Gordon has a bigger arsenal at his disposal, Marc Crosas has to start, I feel beating DU will require a controlled tempo from the midfield and he provides this. This weekend could be a major step to 4enaro.

C'mon the Tic

gsu

Paul67,

I followed a link from a celtic account on twitter http://twitter.com/celtic and ended up here! Are you trying out new traffic sources?

Therags...

PAUL67,
100% right,lets take it one game at a time,if we can string 4 or 5 victories together,i think thier chalenge will petter out.
Our walking wounded our coming back,i think they have a few starting to hide.

I despair at the Scottish Cup.

We have St Mirren Vs Rangers on the one hand

and Falkirk Vs Dunfermline on the other.

That means, the team getting the final Europa League place (assuming Rangers finish no worse than 2nd in the league) will be either a 1st division club or a SPL team that narrowly avoided becoming a 1st division club. Indeed, it is not impossible for the final to be played by two teams in next year's 1st division.

Looking back to the debate on the UEFA rankings of lesser teams from bigger leagues - Hull City having a better European co-efficient than Celtic, despite never having played in Europe, or similar - I guess we can look forward to a repeat of the major coefficient contributions made by Queen of the South, Dunfermline and Gretna in recent seasons.

coorslad
nice to meet up again on Sunday..
what time did you get home?

Paul67:

Re: accounts... you have mail

Kit - Don't keep all the goodies to yourself! Spill a few beans.

blantyetim,it was good to met you and jinkysboy,im told i arrived back in Derry @ 11.30pm.brilliant day all round.

Cheers Yaranabbebhoy;

I lived in the high flats above John Anderson's butchers shop, played for and captained the Townhead Tornados who were run by Mark Hamson and Joe McClusky I'm 49 next month so we're pretty close in age. I used to run about with Joe Shields, occasionally drink in the hurdy and another great friend is Owen Doherty who is over here in Toronto too.

We likely would know alot of the townhead mob as it's a pretty small area.

Keep the Faith, onward to 4 in a row.

For Sunday my team would be; Boruc, hinkle, loovens, heid or hoof and Odea: Flood, Brown, Crosas and Naka: McDonald and McGeady....ball on deck = certain victory:)

Tony

BTW

If Dunfermline beat Falkirk, it will be their 3rd Scottish Cup final appearnace in 5 years. Fair play to them.

Wasn't there talk of changing European qualification rules so that the Cup runners up couldn't qualify, with the place going through the league positions? Not sure if it has been implemented as yet, but there was certainly discussion because of the lack of coefficient points produced by the likes of QoS, etc.

BIGTRAINPETE

That was the side i thought we might play but had
forgotten about CROSAS.
So either flood or Crosas in for Hartley.

By bigtrainpete on March 19, 2009 1:13 PM
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I reckon you might see a similar starting line-up to Hampden at Tanndice this Sunday, possibly with Willo Flood replacing Paul Hartley to provide a little more energy to the midfi

Did anyone else notice that on Sunday as the managers were about to lead the teams out, WGS was resplendent in a sharp suit and buttonhole. No name had a suit jacket on, different trousers and what looked like BROWN suede shoes. He looked like a jaikie. Im no ralph Slater but there are standards. Beat in the tunnel I thought.

Its Mothers Day on Sunday, I'm sure you all know. The reason I mention it is last year on Mothers Day (2nd March) I had a family meal, afterwards I got dropped off at my local for a few pints. It is not well known for Celtic fans to be in it. There is only me and 1 or 2 others (which made Sunday there so sweet!) Anyway, when I entered my wee local, Barry Ferguson, Lee McCulloch and another bloke were in playing pool, after half an hour pensioner Weir appeared as well.

Being no bad at pool I put ma ten bob up to play the winner, all was very amicable. Played "other bloke" first and beat him, then Bazza - he started talking about football automatically assuming I was one of them because the pub I was in, I obviously corrected him immediately, he found this funny but couldn't have been more friendly. When "other bloke" overheard me saying I thought Celtic would win the league he got raging, started shouting over and being all agressive - I just smiled. Both McCulloch and Bazza had to calm him down - turns out it was McCullochs brother. I continued to play pool and hawd ma ane, they didn't let elbows knuckledragging brother hold a que again - just in case.

Unfortunately, I've not been in when Barry has been in since, would be nice to catch up with him after last season and last week :-)

PS About the Lennon/Ferguson incident last week, he should have been booked, but are they not reasonably friendly off the field ? I know lennon was part of a video for Fergusons birthday.

The Battered Bunnet:

I hate doing these posts because it always reeks of 'secret squirrel' but it is not intended that way.

No the 'accounts alert' was to do with our friend in Perth.

btw mate, I have no intentions of falling out with somebody like you.

Has anybody tried Street View on Google Maps yet?

They have Glasgow on there now. It's absolutely engrossing:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&q=Kerrydale+St,+Glasgow,+Glasgow+City,+United+Kingdom&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=13.074846,39.375&ie=UTF8&cd=1&geocode=FQ8wVAMdgs-__w&split=0&ll=55.851132,-4.206562&spn=0.024235,0.076904&z=14&layer=c&cbll=55.851067,-4.206455&panoid=C-h1GuOuqQ59g5qIQeNblQ&cbp=12,167.28631684066673,,0,-19.40848214285713

That David McLetchie article in The Herald is nothing short of a disgrace, change the law because its only one side breaking it - and thats just not fair.

How is Irish Nationalism "clearly sectarian in nature" ? Therefore is british or scottish nationalism sectarian ? What about French or American, surely they must be sectarian ? What an absolute lunatic.

"Policing on anti-sectarianism at football matches has caused resentment because of its focus on one set of supporters" what a shame eh. Maybe if that one set of supporters didn't break the law. And who is resentful, oh maybe its those same supporters breaking the law along with the institutionalised bigots (like McLetchie) - Scotland's Shame indeed.

bjmac

Gordon - Your namesake at the SFA proposed to scrap the runner up qualification spot last year, but Platini flatly rejected it on the basis of maintaining the value of domestic cup competitions. Previously, European qualification was by nomination by the home association, but UEFA changed this to predetermined criteria some time ago.

Kit - understood.

I have just recovered from two massive hangovers in three days Sunday and St. Pats. That´s me off the drink for a while now - murder polis.

Timing is everything

I was having a good goosie gander at the laptop loyals offerings this morning as I always do and was overwhelmed at timing. Not being the brightest bunch and being as thick as thieves and stupid as well you would think that they could coordinate their PR campaigns on behalf of Glasgow Rangers with a bit more dexterity and more transparency. There is no finesse or strategy involved here whatsoever. Even the knuckle draggers can see through it.

Every single Laptop loyalist has been called to arms and the number of articles referring to the cut backs within Scottish football is hardly a coincidence. The week after the treble was snatched from under their noses. Our SC exit coupled with their drubbing of Hamilton and the possibility of doing a treble got them all over excited yet again until they saw what Rangers actually bring to the table. Not much.

While it is true what they are publishing and we all know that teams like Rangers, Kilmarnock and Hearts are dicing with death .... not exactly new information. Why the concerted campaign this week ? Why not anytime in the previous 6 months ? or the start of the year ?

It´s an orchestrated campaign of spin with the single aim of keeping the Orcs on side with regards season ticket sales. The "Old Firm" are performing poorly financially.. Huh ??? Every club IN SCOTLAND is having to make cut backs and ALL of them will be trimming squads and bracing themselves for the credit crunch. Rangers are no different to any other club in Scotland - repeat the mantra 100 times a day until you have bought your season ticket The fire sale will not be started until you have be rest assured.

It´s the knee jerk reaction that has the management hallmarks of Minty Moonbeams all over it. This how he always deals with calamity. You would think that he would have changed his spots by now. Animal instinct and leopards come to mind. A less obvious, a less force fed strategy might have been more appropriate here. Possibly just culminating on Kilmarnocks plight ..... no wait a minute he already tried that strategy recently with sectarianism and Dundee and it backfired.... ok then lets target Hearts ... mmmmmmh wait a minute the parallels between the clubs are to difficult to gloss over and we might need them to buy Velicka. No No lets make it a national problem with Rangers as always being the leaders in reform and sensible business practices ..... and the bears will lap it all up .... well the ones that hate us more than they love Rangers.

You would think that the lick spittle jornoes that make up the lap top loyal would be smart enough to detect this and to appeal to their master about doing it a bit more professionally but they are just sharks that feed of the frenzy. Too weak and pathetic to even dare question it. They know their place in the scheme of things and quite possibly are too scared and stupid to try and influence a better PR campaign.

Carlsberg dont do football seasons but if we were to win the double while clearing off debt and Rangers, Kilmarnock and Hearts were to go to the wall this summer while we bought a couple of quality players. I can see an increase in season ticket sales at Celtic. Many parents would love to take their children to see the mighty hoops without fearing that their children would be insulted and exposed to the twisted minds of thousands. Or the slight worry of any physical confrontations after matches. We could then decrease policing costs as well. Buy Ibrox and Murray park at a snip and start concentrating on what is truly ours. The nice big cup with the Jimmy McGrory ears.

HAil HAil

The Battered Bunnet,

Thanks. Glad to hear that I didn't imagine the discussions.

awe naw

it must the german beer,still ruff.....

drinking hakke i think?

BT
batteredinbremen(drinkwisebtw)

BT,

let me rest assure you that it was Irish beer and too much of it.

HeadachematerialCSC

Aw Naw: thanks for the papers for us all. And what great news: the (self-)deception just goes on and on ...

Assuming events continue to unfold as they are, and thinking ahead a wee while: what do you think the world will be like post the demise of the foe?

What will the orcs be up to? They'll still be out there somewhere ...

Not that I have any sympathy, you understand ... just musing.

wishingmylifeaway.csc

GSU,
tell mr linden his jock stein polo shirt worked a treat at hampden on sunday...i was sitting with big tam and he had his bramalea one on so the maple leaf celts were well represented..

Folly Folly

going by mcletchie's thought, washed up tory's

BT

Guys:

It is late here and I’m calling it a day,

I have the pleasure of the school run tomorrow, and believe me when I say it is a pleasure, in a nice, perverted sort of way. I’m on a week day off and I’ll be one of a handful of dads dropping their kids off at school tomorrow and there will be about four hundred young mums and I am only one of two dads that knows how to kick a round ball the way it was made to be kicked.

The kids love it and they clamour round, their mums however, they sit and cackle and I’m not the apple of their eye as much as their childrens’.

Ah! Well such is life. And it is cheaper. The kids like me and the other dad that kicks the ball with us… he wears a green and white hooped shirt. Maybe one day it’ll catch on.

I’ve been fortunate in my job that now and again I get to do a wee bit of travelling and when I do, there is no shirt I come close to seeing more often than the Celtic Shirt. I always wonder why. Why are we so… everywhere?

Every time I see it, I say to myself, there goes another blessed one.

Anyways, inanities. or not, aside, I have two distant and good Celtic mates who never got to see us humping the huns last Sunday the Sunny and the Glorious.

If anybody has any recording, whatsoever of the full game, and can post it on to me, I will gladly pay for their efforts or add another 20 pounds to Kano’s fund.

Please guys, I need that game.

Kitalba@gmail.com

BJmac,

They are friends. Barry did a wee piece to camera for Lennys testimonial dinner. Quite funny actually.

tojo - recollecting

kitalba,

I hope you will be wearing your tight fitting circa 81 Davie Provan shorts

givethemumsatreatCSC

Piece in todays ET by Peter Martin stating what I have been saying all along. Rangers lack bottle.

Shame it was somebody with his credibility level who has finally broken ranks and spoke about the elephant in the living room.

Paul67,

With the changes to the way European places are awared for next year's Uefa competition, I think this is worth noting this could give the a bigger incentive for the other SPL teams as they would have something to play for until all the places are decided. Also the Scottish Cup may be slightly better as the runner up do not get Uefa qualification, as they did in previous years.
http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/uefacup/Euro-bonus-as-Scottish-clubs.4186881.jp

Before the CIS Final I posted - with full conviction - that whoever won the cup would become SPL Champions.

Had the Bad Guys won I'd probably be convinced that they would win it. Now that The Good Guys have prevailed I can see only pitfalls for us in the run in!! What'm I like??

I blame Kafflik edumacation!! Guilt and doubt!

"War faces on" Great immagery. I like that.

Starting on Sunday.

53

masty,
how but wearin it for the rest of the season :)
I'll let him know. How's Tam doing, trust you had good day, The club was hoppin!

gsu

.

Kitalba....

SetantaOz....Sat 2:30am....Full Replay CIS Cup Final....

001

Aw Naw:

they were absorbed into my most athletic thighs about... well!... about ten years ago.

One day I'll get them out.

001 bhoy:

I'm out and seeing some good guys from the 'dark side' (who are wondering what the 'green pill' will do to them) about a good cause, and besides, as of two weeks ago... I kicked Setanta into touch.

If you, or anybody else, could record it and get it to me - I would be grateful.

Lurgan

You got to try to relax, man.

Have the courage of your (previous) convictions.

If that still doesn't work, I know a good shrink ...

GSU,
i will give it a go mate,the big yin is fine he was over for his youngest brothers 40th and the final of course, the whole of the gorbals was jumpin..

If there's a good time to face Dundee United it's now. We should still be buzzing and confident after our well deserved cup win and they're on a poor run of form - they've only managed 2 SPL victories since drawing at Celtic Park on 3rd January (against St Mirren and Falkirk).

Hearts haven't taken a point from Ibrox for something like 5 years. With Rangers short on defenders and confidence they might have a chance on Saturday.

Had to write a letter to McLetchie, if anyone is interested I'll let you know the response (if I get one).

Good afternoon Mr McLetchie

I am totally astounded at the article I read in yesterdays Herald, where you are quoted talking about sectarianism in Scotland.

I have two questions I would like you to answer.

In what way is Irish Nationalism "clearly sectarian in nature" ? My view of your statement is its racist in nature. Is American Nationalism or indeed British Nationalism sectarian ? President Obama has been quoted in the past couple of days praising the influence of the Irish diaspora in America, why can't Scotland also embrace this, rather than a leading Scottish politician make accusations of Irish Nationalism being "clearly sectarian in nature" ?

Secondly you are quoted as saying, "The result in policing terms, certainly at football matches, has been the taking of so-called anti-sectarian initiatives which have caused a considerable amount of resentment because the emphasis is on one set of supporters.". Who is resentful ? Is it those same supporters who are clearly and without fear breaking the law ? Those supporters who have continuously broken the law for a number of years with it being brushed under the carpet, until UEFA started fining them ? Or is it simply those, James MacMillan referred to almost ten years ago as, "Scotland's Shame".

I firmly believe the quotes attributed to you in the article do absolutely nothing positive to help the fight against bigotry and racism in our country, indeed they do the opposite. There has been a great deal of effort put in to eradicate bigotry and racism in Scotland from both sides of the "divide", progress has been made, in my opinion your comments take us backwards.

I would appreciate and look forward to your response.

Kind regards

bjmac03

My contention here is simple:

Should we win at Tannadice and Tyncastle, I think the league will be ours. I back the team to win all 3 home games so these big two are the key.

Win those and we can sit top come the split safe in the knowledge that they have 3 away games against struggling survival ridden teams which given their current lack of guile and invention is their biggest problem.

So this weekend is vital - a win against UTD cuts Rangers off for my money.

bjmac03,

I know the eldest McCulloch brother fairly well (well enough to consider him a mate and occasional drinking buddy) and the other bro in question - not Elbows - is fairly well known for his hot-headedness.

HAIL! HAIL!
Token

Paul67,

On the earlier etims piece, where CQN gets a meritable credit.
I have friends who are supporters of Scotlands shame. They are good people - not bigots, but supporters of 'their' team. We have AT LEAST one here Ed. Seems a fine chap and many, many rangers fans are. I still want to see my biggest rival fall flat on their 'hin end' though - i dont want to see them go to the wall - but i do want to see them penalised by the bank for bad management, I want their spending curbed, transfer activity nullified and i want their name to be dragged through the mud by the Manchester polis. I'm no bigot and hate no-one (well not unless I have good reason - you cant hate anonymous - and i dont know every rangers fan).

I would like to know why I want all this?

Any doctors of the mind in the house?

tojo - with his anylitical heid on

Token

Can only assume it was the other one, he immediately got annoyed. As I say the actual players couldn't have been friendlier, albeit they had a few scoops - which I found a bit strange with the number of games they had coming up.

Hail Hail

bjmac

Good shout, Krakow.
The amateur psychologist in me would go further: the stickies must know that we out-played them on Sunday - in all parts of the pitch, as well physically and psychologically.
If this is correct, it follows that, mentally, they will be vulnerable. For us to falter this weekend (and assuming they don't - which is a bit of an assumption in itself) could undo nearly all the psychological edge that Sunday's result gave us - for, no matter what anyone in either camp said publicly after the final, an edge it surely gave us.
If we win this weekend, at a tricky venue, we confirm their doubts about their ability to close the gap.
Bring it on.

analytical even.

'over to you C.B.!'

tojo.

Tojo

Its because you hate rangers, saying that doesn't mean you hate all their fans. I have many rangers supporting friends who I trust 100%, enjoy their company and will continue to do so, I still feel the same way as you do about seeing their club suffer, simply because I (and I think you) hate Rangers.

bjmac

Sorry the e-tims article is wrong on a thousand different plains.

NEVER feel cobntempt for a person.

Contempt for their view perhaps and then argue your position. But Contempt for a person.

Sad!

Hail hail

Estadio

I managed to catch an old game on Celtic TV last night - our 3-0 win at Ibrox in 2001. Two tidy wee finishes from Lubo then Henrik tucking away his 50th of the season from a tight angle to round off a fine win and give us our first win there in years. Also featured a wee cameo from a fresh faced Shaun Maloney making his debut.

I'd forgotten how much Alan Thompson and Ricksen hated each other. A few tasty tackles flying in & Ricksen was booked for an elbow on Thommo.

Much is made of the success of Gordon Strachan and how it compares with Martin O'Neill's tenure. I don't think it's fair to just count trophies as it's not really comparing like for like. You can only beat what's up against you and what was up against us then looked much more formidable than what we face now - but then Martin had significantly more resources to do it with (three ~£6M players in one team, not to mention Henrik and a host of guys that cost £2-3M). I've come to the conclusion that we should just be happy we've had two winning managers in succession enabling us to pretty much dominate a decade of football.

bjmac03,

McLetchie is an Edinburgh based lawyer who used to work for Tods Murray. He is the disgraced former political leader of the Conservative Party i.e a hardline unionist and has many dealings with Premier Property group - guess who owns that ? yep you guessed it Sir Minty Moonbeams.

Tory leader David McLetchie quit his position as a partner in a legal firm following criticism over his dual role.
David McLetchie quit his post as a partner in a legal firm
Mr McLetchie had sought advice from Holyrood's standards committee amid concerns over him signing a parliamentary motion questioning expansion plans for Edinburgh Airport.
The MSP had been a partner for Tods Murray which has a client opposing the development. He was advised to exercise judgement to avoid the perception of a conflict and said he had done nothing wrong. Explaining his decision to resign, the leader said he wanted to avoid any misconceptions over his role with Tods Murray. "I am proud to have been a part of Tods Murray for the last 29 years and wish it well in the future," he said.
Four men who tried to muscle in on security contracts were sentenced to serve a total of 17 years in jail. Lewis Rodden, from Cumbernauld, and three members of his security firm admitted assault, possessing offensive weapons, threats and fire-raising. The 44-year-old ringleader was jailed alongside Muir MacLeod, 38, Lee Burgun, 34, and William Bennett, 45, at the High Court in Kilmarnock on Friday. The judge likened the crime spree to mobster racketeering in 1920s America.

What is it with so called unionist intellectuals and the sexual gratification that get when they associate with gangsters?

Why is The Glasgow Herald giving such a shady character a platform ?

You maybe missed my post from earlier or it was too long and boring but it´s the same stuff, just swap political puppets for journoes.

bentineveryimaginablewayCSC

Tory’s expenses: Herald backed

14 October 2005

By Hamish Mackay

Scottish Information Commissioner Kevin Dunion has overruled the Scottish Parliament to uphold an appeal by the Sunday Herald.

Dunion has ordered the parliament to release details of 900-plus taxi trips claimed by Scottish Tory leader and MSP David McLetchie between 1999 and 2004. Holyrood officials had blocked a request by the Sunday Herald for nine months, on security grounds.

Speculation that McLetchie had taken parliamentary taxis to his office at legal firm Tods Murray was confirmed following Dunion's ruling. Last week, documents obtained by The Scotsman revealed that McLetchie had claimed more in taxi fares — £11,565 — than any other MSP since devolution in 1999.

Glasgow Rangers FC's multi-millionaire chairman David Murray has launched a renewed attack on sections of the press whom he feels are biased against the club.

The attack came during a question and answer session at the Ibrox club's annual general meeting. Asked what advice he might give to any young journalist, Murray replied that they might wish to consider an alternative career. He went on: "I made a statement last year that I am no longer prepared to tolerate slagging of the club. There are certain newspapers I won't speak to... and they know who they are."

Tojo @ 2.54

It’s okay to hate TFOD - because of what it/they represent(s).

Most of us will be able to say “some of my best friends” are support RFC, and very nice many of them are, too. It’s hard to give up supporting a team you learned to love at your father’s knee, even when you grow up to find a lot of the bad sh1t attached to it.

I recently finished reading Barack Obama’s book about his life up to his mid-twenties (Dreams of My Father - A Story of Race and Inheritance) and was struck by his account of becoming aware of his colour and that whole black American-white American dynamic – which, I have long considered, makes the Irish-Catholic experience in Scotland seem pretty trivial by comparison (though no less distasteful).

Anyway, the book shows that it’s certainly possible to adapt to a hostile environment without having to become a nasty thug with chips on one’s shoulders.

It's only human for us to want to see The Currants humiliated … for a great many of its supporters have wished that on us – in perpetuity. "We arra peepil" and all that.

It’s hard to shake off old prejudices, but they needn’t hold us back, provided we recognise them for what they are.

Go in peace, my son.

Regards Sunday,I feel positive,we were very unlucky not to win the last game against DU much like the first meeting of the season,in both games they got late equalisers but so many things have changed since then like the inclusion of Crosas,the Flood factor,the slant towards a different shape in a 4-5-1 which wouldve perhaps prevented the loss of points in the last tie,theres also young O'Dea out to prove himself in the defence and other factors like we are now slap bang in the run in and the players know they must perform now,I also think big gub Feeney's put a lot of pressure on himself after his comments about the Poland game which could work to our advantage but most of all key players of ours are playing even with the lack of goals from 2 know who.

Im tryin this-

.......................Boruc.............................

..........Caldwell.......McManus.........O'Dea...........

.Hinkel....Flood.......Crosas.......Brown........McGeady.

..........................Naka...........................

...........................Skippy........................

I wonder if Wilson might feature too with Hinkel pushed up in midfield in a 4-5-1 which I like the idea of but which of the other mids do you sacrifice for that? I think Naka maybe,playing away n all that n use him as a sub-

...............................Boruc.........................

..Wilson.........Caldwell...........Mick..............O'Dea...

.............................Crosas...........................

...Hinkel.............Flood...........Brown.........McGeady...

..............................Skippy.........................

subs- Naka,JVoH,etc etc.

Id prefer the 3-5-1-1ish but I think Gordon will bring Wilson back in.

LoveDrawingFormationPicsCSC

BB

Bradford Bhoy

Your 3-5-1-1 is promising because it allows the team to start out as essentially as a 4-4-2 with Aiden and Skippy (or Naka and Skippy) up front with a strong defence capable of adjusting to 3 or 4 depending on how the game is going.

Mort

Mort

Yes,Sunday showed McGeady would be the favourite for the forward role.

Im excited about wee Flood though,he'll know a lot about them and just like Sunday,its time the Champions served up some just desserts,lets wreck them!

nofearcsc

Bradford Bhoy

With Flood you have someone who will be very eager to impress and all players relish the opportunity to play against former teams.

If he gets the nod, I think he'll have a stormer.

Hail Hail

Mort

Mr Findlay, who joined Scottish Tory leader David McLetchie at the party's Monday media conference, said those who voted against devolution should not be disillusioned and still had a role to play in stopping the break-up of the United Kingdom.

He said: "There may be a lot of people around Scotland who, because they didn't want the new parliament in the first place and voted against the devolution proposals......now think their best course would be to simply not vote at all in Thursday's elections.

"My message to them is that nothing could be further from the truth.

"Now the parliament is a reality I urge them to think again and to get out to their polling stations to register themselves Three Times a Tory."

Crosas for Hartley would be my only change. Fast football rather than high balls given DU's large centre backs. Flood on the bench to come on if required.

Playing on Sunday could be an advantage to us if Hearts can take something on Saturday.

Oh dear...it looks very much like Bougherra is OUT of the Hearts game.

Broadfool and Elbows/Dailly at Centre Half.

for Tojo

Thanks for the times
That you've given me
The memories are all in my mind
And now that you've succumbed
To the start of our death blow
There's something
I must say out loud
You're once, twice
Three times a tory
Yes you're once twice
Three times a tory

And I hate you

When we are together
the moment you perish
I long for
With every beat of my heart
To crutch you to fold you
To conceal you to bleed you
There's nothing til death do us apart
You're once twice
Three times a tory
And I always hate you
I hate you

LionelCSC

Bradford Bhoy

Thumbs up from me on that formation (The first one - before someone hit you over the head with a brickbat)

up_over_goal

Awe Naw,

Excellent - although I feel its got Thatcheritic tones

tojo - Labour at heart, Tory thinking in business

.

Quiet Day in Paradise....

Quiztime....

Which Player when Asked if He Had Any Superstitions Said: "I Always Like to Score the First Goal in a European Final."

001

Tojo ,

I have her on backing vocals. I got SAHB microphone especially set up for her. I requested it specially ;-)

HAil HAil

001 Bhoy

Tommy Gemmel

up over goal

Ha! cheers!I was just considering Wilson because Ive always thought he's one of the Boss' favourites when fit.

RogueLeader

Good news indeed,the stepover King ho ho ho! there's probably nothing wrong with him,I wouldnt be surprised if theres some behind the scenes dispute!

My dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,friend... Gordon_J @ 4.15.

I am surprised at the amount of enthusiasm that is being generated, apropos... the hoped for inclusion of Mr. Crosas,today,yesterday..and as I confidently expect.. Tomorrow.

Tell my why this is so?

Did Mr. Crosus repeat his sterling performance,against the St.Mirren, that he did in the previous encounter?

Na..

Personally, I do not see what all the excitement is about concerning this young man.

Sure,he can pass the ball,well..and.. well that is about it.

He is still very much of a Tyro.

And that is exactly how Tyro's perform...

Wan guid game.. Wan no sae guid... a la Master McGeady... who should be well past the Tyro stage.. but is not!

It is foolish to expect anything mair.

Fur..

That is how a Tyro .. behaves... that is why we call an Apprentice,in any occupation.. A Tyro.

Being, that he is still at the learning stage.

Kojo.
yer pal.. who likes ye a loat.

And now for something completely different........

is it just me or does Josef Fritzl bear a more than passing resemblance to our esteemed major shareholder??? :-)

HAIL! HAIL!
Token

PS - If this has been noted upon previously (and I'm guessing it probably has) then my apologies for being behind the times.

.

Awe Naw....

Sorry "Awe Naw"....

001

Kojo,

Crosas has learned a fair bit about how to play the game from his Spanish tutors. And they know how to teach young players to make space, to control a ball and to pass n move.

He may well be a tyro, but I think that what he needs now is game time to show us what he can do.

My dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,friend... Gordon_J @ 4.15.

I am surprised at the amount of enthusiasm that is being generated, apropos... the hoped for inclusion of Mr. Crosas,today,yesterday..and as I confidently expect.. Tomorrow.

Tell my why this is so?

Did Mr. Crosus repeat his sterling performance,against the St.Mirren, that he did in the previous encounter?

Na..

Personally, I do not see what all the excitement is about concerning this young man.

Sure,he can pass the ball,well..and..he has loads and loads of POTENTIAL..and.. well, that is about it.

He is still very much of a Tyro.

And that is exactly how Tyro performs...

Wan guid game.. Wan no sae guid... a la Master McGeady... who should be well past the Tyro stage.. but is not!

It is foolish to expect anything mair.

Fur..

That is how a Tyro .. behaves... that is why we call an Apprentice,in any occupation.. A Tyro.

Being, that he is still at the learning stage.

I see no need,whatsovever to change the Team that defeated the G.A.

Kojo.
yer pal.. who likes ye a loat.

I know sunday did nothing for us winning the league BUT it did stop them from winning and getting the treble to keep them going,so sunday although it is a diddy cup it was very important that we did win to knock there drive for the treble out of the window.This week is a bigger game in our season now,they expect us to drop points on sunday as we have not beaten united this season ,so we need to win to keep the 4iar push at full speed.

001Bhoy,

Gerd Muller???

HAIL! HAIL!
Token

Kojo

To be fair to young Marc, he had 2 good games (St.Mirren and Kilmarnock) before a mediocre game (St.Mirren, cup) and he was by no means the worst player on the park that day.

Therefore if your theory is correct, is he not due a good game on Sunday?

Mort

The Token Tim

I dont know but you forgot to put a capital B on bear!

Kojo,

My worry for Crosas isn't that he is a Tyro, it's that he does not have a Cicero to learn from.

Therags...

I was beginning to wonder when Rangers were going to have an injury crisis, and it looks like it may happen on Saturday. Weir suspended, Bougherra injured, Broadfoot unfit, Webster ..um.. Webstered means they could be choosing from Dailly, McCulloch and .. wait for it ... Edu in defence.

Do I like dem apples!

If you think about it, with the exception of Thomson, who is a big miss for them, they haven't really experienced much loss through injury this season. With the league run-in pressure games to come, we may start to see a few more diddy line-ups from them, and the gulf in class between the two squads will finally tell.

Kojo,

My old friend. You still Crispy Cremeing it?

I see where the bhoys are coming from. We dont need battlers against D.Utd like we did on Sunday. I fear the young Crosas would have buckled somewhat in the Cup final under the intense 'thuggery' of the hun hordes. This Sunday he could shine as we require footballers to play against a football team which D.Utd most defo are.

tojo - tripping over his tongue.

.

The Token Tim....

No....

001

Kojo on March 19, 2009 4:53 PM ,

Kojo, I have to say I am surprised at you, the statement about Mr. Crosas has the past written all over it. Knowing that, I'll have to strongly disagree with you.

Marc Crosas is a very calming influence in our side, he does not panic when given the ball and his thinking is usually miles ahead of everybody(he can read a game!).

He has apprenticed already in a different enviorn, he is the present and the future.

I'll give you one of ma rules, If you can read a game you are deserved of inclusion, because not many can

your pal

gsu

Kojo

I think it'll be Noah replacing Zico with Crosas on the bench.

The Token Tim
Better watch Media House will be putting the lyrics to a song about DD soon :)

MR Z....

any word on anas sharbini getting a move. i see he is linked to hoffenheim. do you know how his form is? would love to see him at celtic. would be made to feel at home with the palestinian flags!

My dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,friend.. Mort.
@ 4.55.

How should I know?

Look, Mr.Crosus does need games..that is a given..

However,my contention is that one should never disturb a Winning Combination..

That combination, albeit an extremely Unorthodox one..that we used agains the G.A.

Woiked.. and Woiked well.

We can expect the same Strategy that the G.A. used Against us, when we play the Dundee Jammers.

Why do I say that..?

Because, Every S.P.L. Team.. use the exact same Team Formation, as the G.A. did, whenever they Play our Bhoys... they have learned the hard way.. that it is surely suicide for them, to do otherwise.

One Man ..up Front.. and EVERYONE ELSE BEHIND THE BALL.

So...

Either, by Accident or Design..I suspect the Latter..

Celtic, have now learned how to successfully overcome this Anti Football Approach, that is being practised against us.

Therefore..

Why change this new found Anti-dote?

Na..

I say .. Keep using it... until, it no longer is a Success.

It is always Foolhardiness Personified, to Mess with .. Success.

Makes sense .. Tae Me

Kojo.
yer pal.. who likes ye a loat

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_5073075,00.html

Here's Bougherra story about their injuries

G'day CQN'ers,

Paul67 good article, war face on for the battle ahead and hopefully stay focussed for the remaining games to the end of the season.....party time again wHOOPeee!

Blantyretim good to see ye back bud hope the hangovers been sorted :¬)

vmhan

Hearts have the biggest team,physically,in the league.
I have the beginnings of a feeling about this one on saturday.........here's hoping!

As you correctly point out Paul, we have to put the League Cup Final to the back of our minds. But what a pity we cannot dwell on it longer. We had to wait twenty years for this!!

Alas I only caught the goals. However, to see O´Dea's head-flick, over McGregor, with the Hampden Sun peeking out from the top of the Celtic End, to give Jimmy Johnstone a view of the park, was a joy to behold. That Celtic End then saw an ever approaching McGeady, coming from within his own half, tormenting the Rangers defence and getting hacked down. The Irish Internationalist and Scotsman then had the poise to take the penalty himself, sending the goalie the wrong way, to seal the game and wake us up from our penalty kick nightmare in the process.

I have a feeling that Strachan will play Hartley, who scored up there earlier this season and is fresh after a lay off. Maybe Flood will play, but who knows? Strachan does like to surprise us. The team he chose last weekend would not have been everyone's choice, yet he tamed the Rangers. The fact that this weekend it's on the Sunday is better though, as it WILL give us time to put the Hampden game further to the back of our minds.

gallacher ........ that link never worked amigo.

vmhan

It worked for me !!

Paul67

I made a post last week ,which your post today echoes.

We have it all to do.

We need to start scoring goals.

You can win a cup without scoring goals as our semi final win against DU proved.

We will need to score within the 90 mins ,so we have to be a bid more creative.

vmhan aw

An_Me_An_Awe :)

gallagher tried it again and it worked fine.... must have been me!

vmhan

Hooooooooooops.......

As I'm not "at work" I'm posting under false pretences .........

vmhan aw should read vmhan ........oh er, have to look out for the blog police :¬)

vmhan

As we are already "in bed" with The Herald, as below, perhaps Mr Reid will be having a word with them re McLetchie, or will we continue to quietly take their money?

Main Celtic Sponsors

Carling
Nike
Thomas Cook
Scottish Leader
MBNA
Coca-Cola
Phoenix
Citylink
seatexchange.com
The Herald, Evening Times and Sunday Herald

vmhan aw or vmhan naw

:)

FrankieBhoy,

Given that the newspaper industry is on it's knees, taking their money will hasten their downfall.

And even less Celtic fans

Therags...

gall

vmhan naw in aw .......bah I need drink.....wummin oh the hoose DRINK :¬)

vmhan

My dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,friend... GreenSideUp..

I have no opposition to your claim that Mr.Crossus can read a game very well.

My opposition, to the inclusion of Mr.Crossus,is that the reason for justifying his selection over another...seems to based on the fact that young Marc, is Simply Available.

This is the common reason put forth by his backers... and in the Process, changing a winnng commbination...just disnae mak sense.

He, undoubtedly has potential..

Howevahhh.. in my opinion..

He still has a long way to go, before I would claim that he must be a permanent fixture in the Team.

I keep coming back to my original reason ..

It is a Mug's Game to change a Winning Formation.

A Rapport has been discovered amongst the Members, that did not exist in previous Line Ups.

Fitba, is a Strange Game..

However, one must nevah lose sight of the Fact that it is a

TEAM SPORT.

With the accent on... TEAM!

I would be most reluctant to disturb this Band of Battlers.

Injuries, aside.

Kojo.
yer pal...who likes ye a loat.

from "Fundamentally Flawed"-

topic

"Eagle Eyed Tory Spots The Double Standards Of Scotlands war On Sectarianism"
---------------------------------------------------------------

"Maybe I picked it up wrong but he's only confirming what the Tarriers say-"Oor Irish Republican songs are not sectarian their political n nat know",he should have clearly stated that the IRA are a sectarian anti Protestant murder gang and any celebration or glorification of them should then be a sectarian criminal offence"

Anybody know what time the games starts on Sunday?

vmhan
Hail Hail

http://www.keep-the-faith.net/news.htm

TinyTim,

I think we have been creative, just not hitting the target - we have created numerous opportunities in the past 4 games, but the shooting boots have mostly left us - St. Mirren at home being an exception. Against Kilmarnock, we could, and should, have been a few up before they got going. In the first half against Rangers I counted 4 attempts which you would normally expect to test the goalkeeper with, but all wide, and then there were the 2 in extra time immediately following the first goal.

IMO, training this week should be shooting practice, and... getting Skippy to look up once in a while :-)

Anyway, Dundee United away usually means an open game of football - I think we will relish that.

.

Quiztime....

Which Player when Asked if He Had Any Superstitions Said: "I Always Like to Score the First Goal in a European Final."

001

Answer....

Alfredo De Stefano....

2pm on sunday, allowing our singers a hearty hours drinking to lubricate their larynx before they eulogise our Cup final victory and maybe,just maybe to mock our defeated foe in the aftermath of being bullied out of it at ibrox the day before :)

armsandlegsonitCSC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/7951484.stm

MON reviews the ole big ead film

gallagher ...... der huns won't win at ibORCS on Sat.

My dosh will be on a draw.

vmhan

Kojo while ah dont like Caldwell in midfield ah agree with continuity of selection after a confidence boosting result.

Every one of those players shouyold get the nod because they produced the required result.

Factor in Dundee Utd's height ie Daly,Kenneth an Wilkie an you have got the wee guys to trouble them on the deck Aiden,McDonald an the big guys to counter their aerial threat.

Same again for me.

Another factor ah believe when Gordon has a full week to train we are more of an effective side.

Think we've turned the corner the St Mirren result wis down to physical exertion the midweek before against Killie on a heavy park.

The confidence will be sky high an the professionalism to know how vital this game is is ther tae.

My dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,friend... Tojo @ 5.06.

I must disagree, pal with your statement claiming that we do not require a Battling Formation,against the Dundee Ropers.

These Ten remaining Games are Must Wins, for us.

And.. this is the time were all hands must be to the wheel( Whit Wheel?..ed)( How should I know,pal..but every boady says it!)

These remaining Games are for Awe the Marbles.

Every contest from now oan shall be games of strife and struggle.

They are soitenly no the Type of Games where sweet flowing entertaining Fitba.. wull be the way tae win them.

So..

Make no mistake..

Dundee will do everything tae stymie us.. using every tactic that they kin think of..and that includes..

The Thou Shalt Not Pass, Ploy.. and if ye Dae,Pass..

Then expect tae be Choapped Doon ..in a Hurry.

So

I still maintain that we need tae Put oot a Team of Battlers.

Crosus ,time wull come.. but no yet.

Kojo.
yer pal.. who likes ye a loat

Kojo/Terry O'Neill

Bear in mind that the team that started the game on Sunday were not winning before it was changed, so should the team that finished be given the nod over the team that started?

celt for life on March 19, 2009 6:03 PM
Naw

celt for life, Kojo/Terry O'Neill

and that means no Darren O´Dea then ?

and Sammi and Jan ??????

Lets just leave it to WGS. He has never listened to us ever and who can blame him as he´s doing a pretty good job of it.

Hail Hail

vmhan
I agree a draws the best they'll get i feel.

TerryO'Neill
I don't like Caldwell in midfield either but to change last weeks defence would IMO be foolish.
The only change i can see is Flood for Hartley on the right of midfield.
I just think that come full time on sunday we're gonna be 5/6 points ahead of them,i'm not a betting man but a wee flutter beckons :)

gallagher ..........2pm Sunday it is, muchos gracias amigo.

Simpsons on channel4-------------->

vmhan

The Token Tim,

It's just you.

Now behave yourself.

If you are looking for a lookalike, try Enoch Powell.

gallagher on March 19, 2009 6:06 PM

Flood for Hartely aye possibly.

Anyway whoever represents Celtic on Sunday should be good enough,given a free week in the build up an a trophy recently bagged.

To those that replied to my post, thanks...what a day for a game on Mother's Day!!

RTM: See you tomorrow in BBs, have the tickets in my pocket.

Got a couple left for Sunday, anybody struggling you can e-mail on my e-mail via the link on my profile page!

Hail Hail!

Me thinks that Mr. Bougherra does not want to be further injured for the Algeria against Rwanda game on the 28th. He´ll be looking at flying out on Sunday night, hence Sally´s reference to Kirk Broadfoot

"Kirk Broadfoot was sore, I spoke to him the day after the final on the phone," he added.

"I think that was his heart, his head and his foot, a bit of everything. And rightly so. He doesn't take it well and you wouldn't want him to take it well.

"If Kirk Broadfoot has a chance to play, he will play. That is the attitude you are looking for from Rangers players."

so even if his legs hanging ff he´ll be playing .... I bet the bears just love to hear that sort of thing.

HAil HAil

vmhan
got back yesterday, a wee bit tired,,,o))

back to work tomorrow...

BT

FF has a token Hearts fan! He actually finished his post with a "mon the Hertz",wonder if he'll still have access Saturday night?

I pray we win the league to get reward for having to read their rubbish.

Karmacsc

Aw Naw

Do you want to know what the Rears are saying about it?

blantyretim how ye doodlin,

I love it back to work on a Friday :¬)

When you sent me a wee pic o the Irish flag cocktail, I posted that you sent me it and done a wee quiz on the ingredients of the "flag" and how how to get a green pint.

vmhan

Kojo & Terry;

I would agree that it's not wise to change a winning team....all gie ye that.....if that team is the Lisbon Lions or Mon's team at its zenith.....fond memories there:).....Howevaaah, that's no quite what we huv the noo so I would advocate changes like these wans;

Arturo in goals, Loovens to play after a cracking centre half performance in the final with either heid or hoof beside him; Hinkle and Odea to play; Flood, Brown, Crosas and Naka in the middle with McDonald and Aiden in the forward roles again:).....but lets no forget we can change it up if it's no working.

Just my point of view for youz 2 sage and wise afficianodos o the fitba:)

Slainte soon

Tony

Loved your final sentence , Paul about the lads putting their war faces on. Did you perhaps forget to mention "while Rangers are putting their make-up on" ?.

I dont regard the cup final formation as a successful combination . It was 0-0 after 90mins and the Bhoys were making hard work of it. Caldwell is to slow of thought and technique for midfield .
We play our best whem Crosas is dictating the tempo of the play.

Ireland's Blast From the Past
Poverty and Political Violence Revisited
- by Harry Browne - 2009-03-18

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=12780

Have to go I'll try and get young gallagher off the green brigade forums so i can get the craic later

Aw Naw

"The way they promote Broadfoot at our club just sickens me.Just shows they are happy with triers,who are not even average,just because he's a fan."

"This is a major concern"

"Typical Rangers,have absolutely no clue about their injuries"

The best one-

"You could read this as Ally having a dig at Boogie for not being willing to take injections"

HO HO HO HO ITS ALL GOOD!!!!

vmhan

did anybody get it correct?

i got home last night,Mrs and mini asked about my green tongue,

nice wee city, i also text jinkysboy as i lit a candle for kano in the cathedral

BT

Bamboo and Bradford Bhoy

Team for Sunday
Boruc

Hinkel Caldwell Mick ODea

Aiden Crosas Brown Naka

JVOH Skippy

Aiden will drift and allow Hinky to overlap down the right. Heid will be restored to normal duties and because of the height DU have at the back, JVOH will play on Kenneth and pin him down, Brown to come thorugh the midfield on Wilkie's side.

Previously Aiden has not had much change down the left, so a switch is in order to the right.

Out of the traps and a quick couple of goals.

4IAR

Blantyretim no, Mort was very close and Rogue Leader I think.

The wife used to make loads in the hotel, it was a good nightcap for our Celtic supporting guests :¬)

Coorslad showed us how to make it.

heres a wee video on the ingredients, but its difficult to make.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2wua45XEkI

vmhan

EKBhoy

Very possibly but I think Aiden n Naka will be put on their usual sides and Samaras didnt do bad up front aerially the last time.

vmhan
it was the irish flag...good man...

BT

BT eh!, I should have said 2 mins and 15sec into the video is the Irish flag.

vmhan

"36 GOALS"

With 12 games to go I said this is what we would need to win the league.

7 against St Mirren.

2 against Kilmarnock.

Currently 3 ahead of schedule.

Only 27 from 10 to go...

Gordon is The Man

my dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,friend.. Tony.

So ye ur an oot and oot Marc Crosus, supporter?

Hmmmmmmmmmm.

I like the guy, but he is only one man in a Team composed of Eleven.

It is laughable to imagine,that this young sprout would make such a difference ,that we are duty bound to select him at the expense of a veteran player.

Paul Hartley, was an intergal part of the Game agin the G.A...

What his role was.. I have no conception,but neverthless, Mr.Strachan had one in mind,otherwise his name would have not appeared on the Team Sheet.

And Paul, definitely, did not disgrace himself.

As I have told everyboady before...

I have never ever played the game.

I have not the Foggiest idea, concerning the finer points of tactics, team formations.. etc.

It is all Greek to me.

Howevahhhhhhhhh...

Like many another Dilettente,before me..

Sometimes, not knowing everything about something, is an Advantage.

The Forrest and the Trees Syndrome.. can and does..surely come into play on many an occasion.

No matter what anyone else may think... Soccer, IS NOT A SCIENCE!

I say .. in life , I have discovered that one should never ever mess with Perfection.

And Mr. Strachan's Tactics and Team Formation Worked in the last game to Perfection.

Perfection?

Sure.. we didnae lose a goal,oor defense was Solid.

Everything, was Copacetic.

The only Fly in the Ointment..and there, always... is one.

I think they put wan, in every Jaur o' Ointment... purposely.. at the Factory...

Bunch o' Commies~

The Fly ,of course,in this Story... is the Complete Loss of The Shooting Boots of our Striking Force.

Howevahhhhhhh...

That is an Imponderable.. and I gave up Pondering oan Imponderables.. when I foist tried tae understaun the Fair Sex.

but, that is neether here or no here.

All in all... the Manager's Team Selection in the last game..

Won the Turkey..

So...

Hey.. this is becoming wan o they Circular Discussions that I abhorr..

So this is ma last woids oan this Subject..

Which ye know in yer hert... is a bunch o' lies...

Oh weel.

Kojo.
yer pal.. who likes ye a loat.

200

tut tut post counting vmhan, very childish.

vmhan

ignore that karate do shotokai

he's a chancer, could be a hunfiltrater..

BT

Oldtim67 must be sleeping, no-one's had mail today :o)))

pablophanque

but oot karate doh

just having a wee bit o fun :¬)

Blantyretim naw he's naw amigo he went to ra cup final and he was in oor end.......... allegedly.

vmhan

Jobo Baldie on March 19, 2009 7:00 PM

I remember you're original post, hope it comes to fruition.

Is it on at the bookies?

vmhan

What game does Broadfoot miss for his red card in the Final?

Slainte Kojo; you make a lot of sense and I will be delighted and you wull tae, to let El Gordo the Great select the 11 combatants for Sundays duel in Dundee....I have complete faith in wee Gordy, he makes me sleep very well at night so he diz.....

But its good folly tae surmise and second guess, per chance to battle yer witts with the manager, its what we do in between the weekend games and it keeps us frae naggin the women in oor lives tae....

I do Hoevahhhhh completely agree with you analysis re the futility in trying to udershtaun the fairer sex; the most slipperyest of slopes ma freeind:)a gied up ages ago and to be honest i feel much better furrit:)

Viva Las Vegas

Tony

jungle jim according to sugar ally macoisty its the next 2 games.

vmhan

vmhan
What? The Hearts game and the next one?

`Sugar Ally`! I like that. Is it original or am I just completely out of touch(both can be true!)?

Yeh, someone posted a coisty interview earlier and I believe thats what he said.

vmhan

.

Celtic's young warriors won the Co-operative Cup final on Sunday courtesy of goals scored by two of the club's Youth Academy graduates and boss Strachan insists that his honours students are taught much more than footballing skills as they progress through the ranks at the Celtic seat of learning.

Gordon Strachan is immensely proud of the Academy system in place at Celtic - not only does it produce quality young football players it also produces players steeped in the whole ethos of the club, players who are aware of the enormity of the institution that is Celtic. "Both Aiden and Darren have come through the Academy and there have been a few in the past few years," said the manager. "Stephen McManus has come through the Academy and done exceptionally well, while the likes of Shaun Maloney was on the fringes, but went on to establish himself."

"They have an attachment to the club and a desire to succeed here." continued Strachan. "They know the history and they know the feelings and emotions of those who are close to the club, mainly because they are brought up in a Celtic atmosphere. They appreciate the significance of it. Some players enjoy that, for some it proves to be too much for them, and to succeed here it takes a lot of mental strength as well as ability."

"Mental strength is one of the hardest things." expanded the boss "Can you play out there and play with good players? Can you handle the pressure? Can you handle 60,000 people screaming at a bad pass? It is a huge test for them."

"The average age of the team that won the cup the last time was 31," he said. "We have tried to bring in a lot of young players and you saw that in the team on Sunday. It gives me a great deal of satisfaction, a great deal of happiness that the players enjoyed themselves. Everyone of them should be pleased with their performance.

"The whole squad was involved in the build-up for this match" Gordon said. "The guys who were left out and the guys who were injured all helped let the guys who were playing keep a clear mind and know that they had the support of everybody. It was really satisfying. It was a really big game, a cup final and I thought that every one of them coped well with the occasion."

Strachan's line-up and tactics for the cup final surprised many observers, not least those in the Hun dugout, and the boss explained a little of the thinking behind his strategy. "I'd asked Aiden to go out and roam, to play where he felt he could be most effective," said the boss. "I wanted our players to turn up in positions which weren't obvious, because that gives the opposition problems. Aiden did that. He's got fantastic energy, he did really well and got it right. The whole team's performance in extra­time was fantastic"

"Their energy was great and everyone in the team has good fitness." added the gaffer "But that energy can stem from a variety of things and one is confidence. I think the way they played, particularly in the latter stages of the game, made them feel good about themselves. It's another little achievement in the history of the club, it's our first win over Rangers in a final for a few years and people remember games like that which is good."

001

Tony ah liked yir team an if ah wis manager that selection widnae be far away.

We've got options an thats always good,with the weather picking up an injuries clearing ther will be an extra edge fur the run in.
Fear of losing yir place is a powerful motivator.

With a wan each n a two each so far this season the players know they have to put in a performance an they will.

vmhan
Surely not? That would mean that Weir (definite) Bougherra (likely) and Broadfoot would all be missing. Obviously, the media would have been full of this story. Obviously.
I thought `Sugar`s` comment was referring to thr Hearts game ie if fit, Broadfoot would play,no?
BTW Not worried if he plays or not; just enjoying the possibility of a team regarding whom one of our journos said that they had a superior squad to us and a mid-field we would die for,if I remember correctly!

This should be of use to a lot of folks on here !

From Celticminded.

The History Of Celtic Programmes

And the team on the week of my birth was...............

Motherwell team : Wylie, Delaney, Thomson, Aitken, Martis, McPhee, Lindsay, Quinn, Strachan, Hunter, Roberts

Celtic team : Haffey, McKay, Kennedy, Crerand, McNeill, Clark, Chalmers, Gallagher, Carroll, Divers, Brogan

0 - 4 to the Good Ghuys

Celtic scorers : Carroll (6, 38) , Delaney og (84), Chalmers (87)

pablophanque

001 Bhoy on March 19, 2009 7:32 PM
Good interview with Gordon liked the fact that the whole squad was involved in the build up.

Noticed on BBC'S coverage Paddy McCourt wae his cup-final suit on,touches like that are important an will help Paddy believe he is part of the future plans.

001 Bhoy 7:32
An excellent post which must give the `Strachan is not a Celtic man` proclaimers cause to think again.Well done, my good mhan.

Terry Bhoy,

Too true my good friend....at the end of the day I trust wee Gordy completely; that's not to say I don't get frustrated at times but I think the players have been getting an easy ride and have to step up and take some / a lot of responsibility.

For me its horses for courses and i'd expect some changes to the line up on Sunday.....perhaps with some added incentive if Saturdays results go our way;)

Just aboot finished work for the day Terry so i'm Tchaikovski hame to make tonights dinner; i'm going with the old spaghetti bolognese, the weans luv it:)....unfortunately nae vino fur dad:( but a fare lash awaits me oan Easter Sunday:)

Keep the Faith

Tony

My dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,friend.. Tony

Whoa...Nellie..

Ye shouldnae be too Skeech to agree tae agree wi' ma SUPPOSITIONS..

Fur ..Stripped o' awe thur Follderall..

That's reall whit they awe ur!

Ma Joab is ayewatys tae Set 'em Up. and my correspondents joab is.. teh Knoak 'Em Doon..

So faur, pal. .ye hiv bin daeing smack up job.

And lang may ye continue tae.. nevah, evah, let me git away wi' too much.. Bunfff....

All this Thrust an Parry..between us co- correspondents... is designed to Keep the Juices o' Contention.. flowing.

And,it has made this Forum the Quintessential One in awe awe Forumdonia~

My mantra...

Be anything, but Never be... Bland.

That wull only result in Over Awe.. ENNUI!

And.. Heaven's tae Betsy..

We dinna want that, o' awe things, tae Break oot oan here~

Dae we?

Kojo.
yer pal..who likes yer style.

Broadfoot misses the first game of next season's CIS cup. They're giving him Bazzadrome injections for Saturday.

I see Ched Evans starting up front for Man City tonight, will be good to get a look at him..

BT

Kojo
If we are not allowed to be bland I will have to become a lurker.Howevah, I have a stye at the moment and in the world of the bland, the one-eyed man is King....so I`ll keep posting. Enjoying your unique input as always.

Night all. Off to watch two hours of Darwin on BBC

Pablophangue.

The Delaney boy was Jimmy's son George,and would be quite happy to score for Celtic.

That game was in the 1961/62 season, makes you quite old,If Paul would allow it,I would call you an old?.

001 Bhoy

Cheers for pointing that piece out, this bit stood out.

GS "The average age of the team that won the cup the last time was 31,"

The eleven that started the game on Sunday had an average age of 23.72

Thats including Paul Hartley at 32 and who is not a regular, in his place usually you would have 21 year old Crosas.

A team that grows together is a team that goes on to win great things together.

This squad plus a few experienced quality additions could go on to even greater things together.

Blantyretim.

I thought you were away until the weekend,I was in Glasgow today,could have met up for a swallie,
I notice that there's people meeting in BBs tomorrow,what time would that be.

I think I may be in Glasgow tomorrow,I have to get a pair of shoes to go with a grey suit I bought today.

My dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,friend..

Jungle Jim

Noboady could evah accuse You of being anything... but being, witty and ingenious,pal

Anybody, who kin mak an Amusing Turn of Phrase, oot o' hivin a Painful Stye oan thur Eyelid,commands respect.

Na.. Ah conseeder thee a very valued submitter tae this maist Splendid o' Forums.. and lang may ye continue to be.

Kojo.
yer pal.. who likes ye aloat.

Film of The Week

Paul,
C5 Aalborg Vrs Man City.
What cost our performances against that little club?

oldtim

drink,drink you say,,,,,,

i think my liver,kidneys are working OT, have gome through about 6 litres of water today...

BTW
you have email...

Bradford Bhoy on March 19, 2009 6:31 PM

Thanks.

It cant be doing his International chances any good and lets not forget he scored the winner against Iceland. Mind you Hutton will walk into his position. Which is a scandal considering he hasn´t played since November.

WHat do I care ???

#HAil Hail

viewfaethewindae

The Aalborg away match was like losing to Falkirk...from memory Wilson at left back was targeted by the opposition....and Robson was tactically naive in not providing cover for the 90 minutes, wandered off and chased the ball.

Forwards missed a few snips that night too.

A couple of adjustments in the correct places for the tic and we will walk all over that Danish mob if we are lucky enough ever to get them again.

I'll probably turn to C5 later to see the score but it is a bit painful to watch such a poor team get past us....

OT, no flies on you my friend. Very impressed mate. Was indeed the week beginning 23.04.62.

pablophanque

Kojo on March 19, 2009 5:42 PM

had to step out, just back the noo

Kojo while I agree wie your sentiments regarding, if it aint broke don't fix it, these games are all important to the final resting place of a certain flag, the tatics have to be spot on regarding our team selection, I have faith in Elgordo to get it right again.

Given the fact that Paul hartley had to play a different midfield role aginst them, he is out of puff outwide, therefore something must change in the midfield.(Crosas)

gsu who enjoys your posts and
whomightabeenoutatthejigginCSC

Estadio Nacional

Agreed - dependant on your definition on experienced.

I would like to see the odd pragmatic signing (e.g. for arguments sake a Sylvinho) as well as up and coming players such as Stilic.

Kojo,

Hartely, fine man though he is, will NOT play that position against Dundee Utd.

Had either of Flood or Maloney (yer favourite) been available, they would have gotten the nod. Robson may even have gotten it.

Nah, Hartley's a fine fella, I enjoy his latter day success, a triumph of application over aptitude, but whatever his best position is in a Celtic team, it ain't out there.

Crosas sitting behind Brown and Naka, with Flood, McGeady and McDonald. I got the horse right here!

dobbo....sharbini would be a great signing imo as well as stilic

Dobbo

For the experience/quality I'd go for a player like Van Bommell or Fred type player players who have played in the Champions League. A quality proven foward to play along side McDonald would be great for next seasons CL.

Both of those are off the top of the head bosmans but if we are spending money on a player Id go for similar who would preferably be sellable.

Add experience and also young European talent like your man Stilic.

But Im happy with the squad we have for the remainder of this season and every one has my full support.

Paul67 et al

Apologies all-round for this post -- 24 hours too late.

Very interested to read the thoughts of the collective on wee AS and the position of the SNP and Scottish nationalism on a forum with a high degree of interest in Irish nationalism.

However for what its worth I think that AS is the biggest political waste of space since MF in full "Horse's Ar*e" mode in the early nineties.

He annoys me on many levels, between him and the MP for the western Isles their view on womens issues can be described as an unhealthy mix of "Grab a granny + School Disco". His attitude to the Constitutional Convention where he left others to do the heavy lifting with loud and brash cameo once all the hard work had been done. The fact that he had to resign over slanderous comments about the party's auditor confirmed to me that he was a political tiddler in search of a small pond.

I have no time for the other two political personalities of the 87-92 parliament, GG in Westminster and TS on a street near you. However they are statesmen compared to AS and his brand of exceptionalism. That he annoys me as much as MF reminds me that the "Tartan Tory" jibe is well aimed as they are two sides of the same small town, small minded coin.

Add the SNP and Tory vote together and the a certain consistency becomes evident.

On the subject of SNP and the RC church, it is all a front.

The 70's jibe of "Sorry no papes" was well aimed as they have a streak of bigotry running through them all the way to the top, literally in the case of the head honch in the early eighties.

Consequently sooking up to variious bishops and cardinals is all part of the plan to try and negate this legacy. The fact that a number of church figures have been taken in by this says a lot about their need for publicity and a lack of political nous.

On the political front the SNP are an unstable bunch of idealists, wishful thinkers, greedy so and so's and funnily enough splitters.

They are Small town / rural vs cities, specifically Glasgow.
They are conservative in their social poiltics.
They are neo-conservative in their economics, the talk of Scotland's penny a ruse to go with the political flow and embarrass DD.

This may sound all a bit green ink but where I come from they revert to type at every opportunity.

No doubt those distinguished CQN gastronomes whitedoghunch & PF Ayr will disapprove but, nonetheless, I'm proud to present;

The Gallery Of Regrettable Food...

vmhan @ 7.18

Glad somebody rmembered! I haven't bet my ''36 goals" with the bookies but now wish I had. But that got me thinking. I do most of my occasional puntin online usually Paddy Power. Does anyone know if you can ask for any specific unpublished bets there, e.g. Celtic to remain unbeaten in the run in, the other glasgow team to get 6 penalties or more, etc etc?

Might be worth a 50p double!

Pabbers .

I'm going into Glasgow tomorrow,And I shall definitely be going to BBs for a couple,Your welcome to join me in the pub.

EN... 2 good shouts with van bommell and fred. although defensive midfield is well covered i think. stilic or/and sharbini are musts.

seven fishes four steaks 5:12

Thai version of "Daily Record" say that Anas Sharbini is on the Hoffenheim radar. Tomislav Maric, the second coach of the Hoffenheim club was on Rijeka game to see the player.

รายที่สองเป็นมิดฟิลด์ชาวโครเอเชียวัย 22 ปีของทีม Rijeka ชื่อ Anas Sharbini โดยแหล่งข่าวในโครเอเชียรายงานว่านอกจากลิเวอร์พูลแล้วก็มี Hoffenheim และ Lille ที่ให้ความสนใจนักเตะรายนี้เช่นกัน อนึ่งนักเตะรายนี้มีสัญญาเหลือกับทีม Rijeka น้อยกว่า 18 เดือนแล้วในตอนนี้

Rijeka last games 2:1, 0:3, 2:1. Nothing special about Sharbini despite critics after defeat against Sibennik 0:3. He is not scoring the goals.

I alsmost forgot.
Thai verson of "Daily Record" is more brave and wrote something interesting about Rangers after the weekend. Here it is:

ข่าว ลือหงส์สนใจนักเตะวันนี้ไล่ตั้งแต่ตำแหน่งกองหลังยันกองหน้าเลยทีเดียว Glasgow Rangersรายแรกเป็นกองหลังของทีม shiiitty ในฝรั่งเศสนาม ชาวกาบอง

EN --- van bommell just today signs 1 year deal with BM.... forget him!!

I know this has been mentioned at the very top of the blog, but to See Celtic fans arguing over SNP?Labour is very Sad when we all know who the real enemy against agaisnt us is ie the tories. Always have and they always will be anti us.

http://theherald.co.uk/mostpopular.var.2496350.mostviewed.mcletchie_calls_for_change_in_football_antisectarian_law.php

David Mcletchie is basically saying, its ok to be anti-catholic/irish as they sing songs about IRA, shocking shocking shocking, Email mail the tory party about this racist

Estadio

Agreed - Poulsen at Juve would be a good shout, he has not settled there and may be available.

Seven Fishes...

Yep, may be going to Hoffenhein, but like Kranjcar he will cost more and more in future!

Cheers Yaranabbebhoy;

I lived in the high flats above John Anderson's butchers shop, played for and captained the Townhead Tornados who were run by Mark Hamson and Joe McClusky I'm 49 next month so we're pretty close in age. I used to run about with Joe Shields, occasionally drink in the hurdy and another great friend is Owen Doherty who is over here in Toronto too.

JOE SHIELDS STILL PLAYING 5'S - UP THE PITZ ON SAT/SUN MORNINGS
STILL DRINKS IN HURDY - STILL GOT HAIR LIKE LOO BRUSH

DID JOE HAVE A BOY NAMED JOE - NOW IN EARLY 30'S YOUNG JOE IS SMASHING PLAYER - STILL PLAYING FOR THE ROCH JUNIORS - WAS WITH PEASY FOR A WEE WHILE BUT THEY WERE ALL ABOUT ATHLETICISM

cheers Mr Z

seven fishes four steaks

You are welcome.
Honesty, it's a long, long way for him to Hoffenheim. Hoffenheim might be another club who got the letter from Rijeka. In sSummer they tried very hard to sell the player.

My dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,friend.. The Battered Bunnet.

I see pal.. that ye ur no aware of the no well known esoteric Phrase..

"He is the Worm in the Tequila", adage.

Ye nevah,evah, hoid o' that, I' ll bet?( Neether hiv ah...tell me mair...ed)( I shall..pin yer lugs back..and get informed)

Soiten Tequila Bottlers, aye insist, in adding a Worm of dubious extraction tae thur products..

And.. Ah happen tae enjoy them...in fact...Ah wid as far,although,no too far, as to say,

Ye hivnae tasted Tequila, until ye hiv imbibed in Glassful o' Bliss,frae wan o' these Tequila Specials.

So.. whit in the woild has Awe this goat tae dae wi .. The Incorporation intae the Celtic Eleven, o' an Over the Hill Toiler.. of obvious vintage?

Ah say... Everything!

You say.. Howzat?

Jist as the totally seemingly irrelevant Woim.. adds tae the Flavor and Appeal of the Tequila..

So diz the seemingly and Irrelevant Oldster..add.. that .. Je ne sais quoi.. tae the Celtic Fitba' Machine.

There is nae Rationality aboot eether...addition..

Except, Ah must warn ye..Nevah, Evah, be so Incautiously Gallus, as to Eat the Woim!

No a guid idea. I kin vouch fur that~

Anyway...

That is part of the Mystique o' Soccer.. they Also Serve.. who mak irresponsible cross field passes, at the maist Inconvenient Times...

Kojo.
yer pal..who likes yer style.

MrZ, sorry for troubling you! How is Semir Stilic playing these days?

hairlikespaghetti 3.51am

The Green Brigade are self funded. We rely on the sale of merchandise, donations, race nights, bonus ball etc to fund our various actions.

Sundays tifo probably cost in the region of £1700, and was our biggest effort to date. All 12,500 flags were handmade by our members.

Apologies if I missed an earlier question, any news?

UTLR... keep up the stunning work.
loved the display at the st mirren game, with the 1986 players name....classic

seven fishes four steaks
You are not troubling me. Semir Stilic was very good in Summer and Autumn. After the Winter break he is better. In my opinion he will be sold soon. I hope Celtic will be the buyer.

Hi Paul

Good to be back posting. Hopefully see you soon up in 405, much better than my view on Sunday.

You around PF? What's happenning???

Anyway, really enjoyed Sunday. It's the first time I've witnessed a cup final win against TFOD, hope they dont wait too long for the next time, pretty sure they wont.........GLASGOW CELTIC CHAMPIONS........

Paul, as much as I love reading your posts, most of which I completely agree with, I'm not sure on this one. I get the feeling you are warning the players, on behalf of us all, in the dressing room before Sunday's game... In those circumstances I completely agree. It is our biggest challenge.

However, we are fans with many years watching these things unfold....So, by winning I dont think our confidence will turn into complacemcy, which I think is your inference... I would make a bigger case for the losers, being 3 points behind (as well as 3 championships), becoming unsure of themselves. They will be edgy, second guess themselves, not sure they can make that pass. Sound familiar, we've seen it before with hoops on....TB god rest your soul....

I dont think WGS will allow complacency, but the certainty in our own actions is what victory will bring. The confidence to make the pass, to find the man, to make that run.... They wont have that. I beleive the victory on Sunday will be massive for how the season pans out.

Maybe I need to polish these green tinted specs...

GLASGOW CELTIC CHAMPIONS.............

Greekster.....

MrZ...sounds like he is gettin better and better. really hope stilic joins.
thanks for your informative input. much appreciated

And god knows we need something, because this team is not great......

Paul67, what is your take on David Mcletchie statement about religiously aggravated motivation of section 74 of the criminal justice Act.

Do you think this is David Murray pushing him after Dinner of lamb one night, and as we have said before is it not very dangerous for a politicain(especially tory) to make statements like this

Kojo, there are no worms in tequilla, only in mescal.

seven fishes four steaks 9.37pm

That tifo at Love Street for our last visit there was one of my favourites this season. The blue 'kidd' 2 stick instead of judas went down very well.

'Worst ever team to compete in Europe' have just scored against the richest.

My dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,friend.. Gordon_J.

Thanks for the correction,pal..

All these years, ah hiv bin Ravin aboot the Wormed Tequila.. and it wiz Mescal, awe the time..

Again, thanks fur the info.

Kojo.
yer pal.. who likes yer a loat.

Dobbo/Seven Fishes

I wrote the Van Bommell post then thought where I would play him, he wouldnt fit in, Im a Crosas Brown man.

Id go for a forward.

Estadio,

I thought our club to be all inclusive! Perhaps i am an idiot as you say, others have said it before, because to be frank I do not believe Scottish nationalism to be good for the country and this half way house that currently exists to be even worse. I believe in a united Ireland because I think it makes sense...but times have moved on, and I am Scottish with no Irish blood, so I don't get too hot and bothered about it.

So perhaps you should support another team who like to control the politics of their support and indulge in flag waving nation days.

I'll stick to supporting Celtic as I have done all my life!

Pen for aalborg 1 min to go to take it to e-t

Penalty for the worst team blah blah, given away by Evans

Mr Z

It seems to suggest on the Polish Soca website that Stilic wants to come to Celtic.

viewfaethewindow @ 8.31

They`ve done quite well this season for a little club

Man City v Aalborg into e-t

:)

Glad we never spent millions to try and ensure we beat the likes of Aalborg.

Aalborg 2 Man City 0

Going to extra time.

Aalborg were still the worst Champions League team to visit Celtic Park and we should have beat them in both games.

Torn loyalties now.

Diddy team that ended our European run. Or obscenely rich EPL team.

Time to get the Danish bacon on...

Sydney, I just read the article.... Shocking!!!

It's like saying 'what you say that annoys us does not fall within the rules, so lets change them'

He forgets that the principle of the section is erradicate direct religous prejudice. By glorifying somethng that they, and possibly I, do not beleive in is not direct religous prejudice, no matter how much you do not beleive in it...

So he says lets re-write the clear rules so we cannot be brought up like they xxxxs are not.....

Rambling? I would think so......

Greekster67, aye, the air is a bit thin in 405 but it beats any view of Hampden.

Agree, complacency is not the issue for Sunday, but think of St Mirren, Motherwell and Inverness, we need to find another gear.

SydneyTim, totally agree with your sentiment on the merits or otherwise, of the main political parties in Scotland.

I didn’t hear McLetchies comments, thanks for pointing them out. Stunning, absolutely stunning.

What a fool. I feel like this deserves a lead article tomorrow but I may venture into libel territory, would any lawyer care to comment on what adjective I could use for this man in relation to his expenses scandal?

Yes, I am sure he is being leaned on.

Paul67,

Hearts fan?

hugh keevins ' Aalborg are nothing short of a pub team?'

enough said.

p.s. we should have pumped them

Paul, agreed, the win on Sunday will push us into that gear...

Any adjective is this novice lawyer's answer. Libel is so difficult to bring and must prove many things. I would hardly think he could assert any loss resulting from words on here. GET INTO HIM!!!!!

Greekster......

well dont know about libel but here is email i have fired away to him

Dear sir, i am appalled by your speech in the Scottish parliament dated 18th of March.

You are basically saying if you are irish you are not allowed to say anything about the war of Independence in Ireland as it might offend people and if someone calls you a Catholic so and so, its your own fault!!

So that's reason, why i as a Catholic brought up in Bearsden and had abuse shouted at me was because some other people may have sung some songs about Ireland in 1916.

I will be writing to the irish consulate about how you say and i quote" Glorification of Irish nationalism" is wrong. Well tell that to the irish president as she stands outside the post office in Dublin every year and lays a wreath to the fallen.

You sir have attacked a fellow EU Country and do not deserve to sit in the scottish parliament.

It is 2009, move on and away from your small minded bigotry that you and members of your party still hold. Once again you have shot yourself in the foot and descendants of Irish and Scottish Catholics should and will always vote down the bigots like you and your party.

Sydney Tim

The Tories have no broad support in Scotland and are a minority party a distant joint third with the Lib/Dems behind Labour and the SNP.

Mcletchie can say whatever he wants no matter how controversial because no-one's going to vote for him anyway.

This is a clear attempt to consolidate what little support they have mainly among the lowest common denominator of knuckle dragging pond life bigots and that is the audience he is speaking to.

Ignore him he is an irrelevance.

All those queing up to have a go at the SNP for perceived bigotry would do well to remember that the Labour party in Scotland especially outwith Glasgow has a similar Orange streak running through it. When I was last living in Scotland my local Labour MP was Brian Donohue and a bigger hun you would never meet. He was the honourary guest at the Irvine Orange Orders bi-centenial celebration and has been known to speak out in praise of that repulsive orginisation.

The SNP's courting of the Catholic clergy and support for denominational education may be a ruse to win votes but its better surely than the open hostility displayed towards Catholic schools by many Labour MP's and MSP's. Senior churchmen in Scotland are not easily fooled and they seem to belive that Catholic education is safest in the hands of the SNP.

CaltonTongues, Hearts fan? Who would have guessed?

Paul,

If you do the article how about this for a headline...

"Taxi for David"

paul67,

Next to Greyfriars Bobby (sorry kids) he's the most famous Hearts fan.

Why are the worst team in living Champions League memory, who are currently dominating the richest club in the world, signing Karma Chameleon?

EstadioNacional @ 8.25 :- I have to admit that one had me laughing.

Has He Gone Yet?

Paul67

How about deceptive, deceitful, dishonest, duplicitous, fradulent, swindling? Or well travelled? Wait, i've got it, ITINERANT!

Come on the pub team!

The tories think they are going to win the next UK election, The tories in England have always had a large Catholic Support, they would be horrified if they found out about this Mans anti Cathloic stance and would surely Kick him out their party before he done them any damage.

Paul67

Does the Lithuanian club in Bellshill have a Hearts supporter club?

LocalLhad

If im honest i wouldn't bother with what a party says about segregated schools, as personally i don't agree with them. I'd much rather focus on what parties policies are on say, the economy, health care, devolution.

Paul67

Charlatanical gets my vote.

Arthur,

NO NO AND NO AGAIN,

Martin.

martin42

Keep Standing Up.

martin1842

I thought so

Thanks for your reply young man.

Love

Calton Tongues,

Greyfriars Bobby was the film that Moira and I saw on our first ever date.

Way back on the 16th Dec. 1961.

Martin.

E D B,

You and me, "SHOULDER TO SHOULDER".

How are things?

Great result last week.

STAND UP FOR THE CHAMPIONS,

Martin.

Arthur,

1842 and Young,

Well maybe!!!

Martin.

martin42,

AWWWW:-)

Did you sit down to watch it?

Martin

Just dealing with things.

You'll understand.

Could never have seen this coming but we're not unique in this situation.

Calton,

Of course, (NOT),

Martin.

300

I feel for Aalborg tonight. They have ran their luck at times but they've also shown a lot of fight and have reached where they have on merit. On another night they would have been in the Quarter finals.

E D B,,

Glad you are dealing with it,

Yes, I do,

True and I know you will all cope,

Martin.

Jamiebhoy, like it.

CaltonTongues, says it all.

I love lubo, I’ll take advice first.

SOAL, Bellshill!!! That’s Mossend. I doubt there ever was a Hearts supporters club.

PJBhoynyc, yes, I like that one.

Paul, as an experienced legal eagle and in the absence of my learned friend PF Ayr, I think you'd be pretty safe in calling David McLetchie baldy and specky.

PJ, did you see my post at the end of the last thread ?

pablophanque

Couldn't do any worse than call him a tory in my eyes !

pablophanque

By Blindlemonchitlin on March 19, 2009 10:53 PM
Paul, as an experienced legal eagle and in the absence of my learned friend PF Ayr, I think you'd be pretty safe in calling David McLetchie baldy and specky.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Would it still be OK if paul had one of our irish posters
do a piece of ghost writing for him
or would BADLY have more evidence that timmy were just as bad???

Well played Aalborg. Gave it everything. We would have been too good for Manchester's prima donnas.

-

Disagree on the importance of the League Cup win had we lost a sceond cup tie in 8 days the laptop loyal would have made sure we were in crisis ahead of a difficult trip to Tannadice. It would also have made the match at Ibrox more of a worry.

Now with two tight wins in the last three derby games the Celtic players have the knowledge that they can beat rangers anytime, anywhere.

Blindlemonchitlin, I was considering a bit more bite than that.

Awe naw 3.12pm

I read your post in full. I totally agree, same sh*** different colour.

bjmac

Paul

Maybe a topic which is best to keep your powder dry meantime.

kevtic,
completely agree with you.

EDB,
completely disagree with you

the diddy double would be nice

hail hail

canamalar

Disagree until your heart's content. Frankly I can't be bothered.

Good night.

RATM

McLetchie said nothing about schools in the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday, so I'm not sure how your comment fits into the discussion.

He, along with true blue Rangers man Murdo Fraser were the press spokespeople the Scottish Tories put forward after research they commissioned showed denominational schools in Scotland to perform much better than directly comparable non-denominational ones. I know, because I spoke to them about it.

Both were surprised by the results, but said the research spoke for itself.

You clearly hold another view, but it's wholly inaccurate of you to refer to denominational schools as 'segregated'. They are open to all who share the desire to have their children educated in, in our case, a Christian environment, and non-Catholic and non-Christian pupils are very well represented.

Hi Paul67,

sorry for the lack of input the last 6 weeks, lost my login details and then just went back to being a lurker who read the posts but didn't comment.

In answer to the question you asked me before my disappearance, yes, the 1988 Cup Final was indeed the one that Peter Grant missed due to injury, having broken a bone in his foot shortly before the end of the season.

However, I like to think he made up for it with that wonderful defence splitting pass for Gary Stevens in the 1989 final... ;)

Anyway, I've been thoroughly enjoying the articles the last few weeks and look forward to being able to contribute again.

Hail Hail

TLOPG

Paul67 I tried to fit a headline into the first letters of users name but as usual I failed

TheToryTaxiTwatTriesToTurnProtestantsAgainstBhoysAgainstBigotry

Spikeysauldman 9:26,

Cheers Mate, I suspected Joe was still at the 5s.....a mind him mare when his hair was like a "ginger" brush:).....He only drinks in the Hurdy when the wife lets him oot; she used to stay up the same block as me before she married Joe (a wiz his best man)

Joe doesn't ahve a son he only has a daughter a far as i know, and if the lad is good at fitba then that would further confirm he's no Joe's boy:) We had some great laughs together, he was evn more emntal basck then.

Cheers amigo, nice to hear that Joe is well.

Tony

SydneyTim

Lovely part of the world you are based in - I spent 9 months living there during season 2004/05 and had the good fortune to meet some wonderful people, many of whom were, like myself, members of the Sydney City CSC.

Also, I agree whole-heartedly with you regarding the disgraceful comments from D.Mcletchie. I would be extremely interested to hear any response you get and I am going to see about getting in touch with the Tory party here in England as I would imagine they would be able to exert some influence over the Scottish wing of their party.

TLOPG

http://www.theherald.co.uk/search/display.var.2496350.0.mcletchie_calls_for_change_in_football_antisectarian_law.php

Surely the time has come once and for all for something to be done about this blatant anti-Irish feeling that is so prevalent in Scotland.

This article in The Herald comes two days after Preident Barack Obama praises the Irish Community in America, says how vital they were and are to the prosperity of his nation, and also praises Irish Communities around the civilised world for their role in helping create the modern world we now live in.

This article in The Herald comes a day after First Minister Alec Salmond talks of the open anti-Catholic bias in mainstream Politics and Banking Institutions in Scotland as recent as the 1990's but claims it is no longer an issue today.

One Scotland, One Culture. Theirs.

TLOPG

Last one for the night - I'm just so pleased to have found my login details!

SwanseaBhoy

Thanks for all the posts from Fascist-Fascist over the last few weeks - they have been much appreciated.

Long may your undercover work continue my friend.

Hail Hail

TLOPG

PAUL

any truth in rumours over on dark side that they are talking about
offering their MOST LOYAL supporters a 3 year season ticket ?

Some seem to think it is a good idea to raise revenue and keep wolves from the door
have to say majority think living on the never never is what got them where they are now.

RATM

Apologies. McLetchie wasn't involved that day; it was Murdo Fraser and Brian Monteith. It was a few years ago.

McLetchie is a very good friend of Minty, they share a lot in comon in terms of their outlook on life. McLetchie is a big Hearts man, I have shared "banter" with him following wins we have had at Tynecastle.

I used to work for Tods Murray, funnily enough at the time he was taking taxis here there and everywhere at Parliamentary expense. He used to have to pass through my room to get out of the building and I can vouch that his taxi bills were legendary.

He is also an arrogant, loud, pompous man with no hesitation in speaking down to people he feels are "beneath" him. His comments in no way surprise me, lets face it they are not too far from his colleague Murdo Fraser's were not too long ago. Murray was a fairly hefty contributer to their party in recent times and in my opinion, favours are being called in just now.

TLOPG

posted this at 2:40pm today;

Had to write a letter to McLetchie, if anyone is interested I'll let you know the response (if I get one).

Good afternoon Mr McLetchie

I am totally astounded at the article I read in yesterdays Herald, where you are quoted talking about sectarianism in Scotland.

I have two questions I would like you to answer.

In what way is Irish Nationalism "clearly sectarian in nature" ? My view of your statement is its racist in nature. Is American Nationalism or indeed British Nationalism sectarian ? President Obama has been quoted in the past couple of days praising the influence of the Irish diaspora in America, why can't Scotland also embrace this, rather than a leading Scottish politician make accusations of Irish Nationalism being "clearly sectarian in nature" ?

Secondly you are quoted as saying, "The result in policing terms, certainly at football matches, has been the taking of so-called anti-sectarian initiatives which have caused a considerable amount of resentment because the emphasis is on one set of supporters.". Who is resentful ? Is it those same supporters who are clearly and without fear breaking the law ? Those supporters who have continuously broken the law for a number of years with it being brushed under the carpet, until UEFA started fining them ? Or is it simply those, James MacMillan referred to almost ten years ago as, "Scotland's Shame".

I firmly believe the quotes attributed to you in the article do absolutely nothing positive to help the fight against bigotry and racism in our country, indeed they do the opposite. There has been a great deal of effort put in to eradicate bigotry and racism in Scotland from both sides of the "divide", progress has been made, in my opinion your comments take us backwards.

I would appreciate and look forward to your response.

Kind regards

bjmac03

EDB,
My heart is content, and you can stay silent and bury your head in the sand till your hearts content too.
night night

the diddy double would be nice

hail hail

broonie said it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv-OTq1AxkU&feature=related

.

For all The BhoysOfOz....StatesSideBhoys....Who Might have Missed This....

Courtesy of E-Tims....

Must Read - A Crisis Five Years In The Making....

Henry Kissinger, the former US Secretary of State, Honorary President of the North American Celtic Supporters Association, once famously quipped “I have no time for a crisis next week ……. My schedule is already full.” David Murray can relate.

The trouble is, Murray’s schedule is perennially about dealing with crisis right now, one after the other, stretching on without end. Even his 20 Years of Unsurpassed Bigotry celebrations were haunted by it, with The Famine Song affair erupting like a long dormant volcano, courtesy of Dr Reid and his well-timed, brilliantly pitched comments to the press about that song.

If you believe the press, everything in the garden at Murray Park is rosy and nice. Yes, okay, they might be behind Celtic in the league, they might have last won a title convincingly round about the time Bill Clinton was riding high in the opinion polls, and their financial base might be sinking faster than the RMS Titanic did, but the Scottish press evidently don’t have broken crest graphics for them, and even the word has rarely if ever been used to describe them.

For a long time I put it down to bias, but I am re-evaluating that as of right now, and the reason I am doing so is because I recently heard a wee analogy that made me think again.

A frog dropped into boiling water will leap out immediately. However, if you put a frog into cold water and heat it up slowly, the poor sod will stay put until you literally have frog soup.

Here’s the truth; we are presently seeing the high-water mark of crisis at Rangers, the point where the poor frog starts to cook. But in truth, this is nothing new. Rangers have been in a state of crisis for a long, long time, but because that crisis has been constant, continuous, has been, in fact, permanent in that time, a weird sort of equilibrium has been reached. Crisis, at Rangers, has become more or less normal, and so it tends not to be noticed anymore.

When did this crisis begin? Where was the point where the snowball began to roll down the hill? That analogy, actually, is a pretty good one, because the image is literally bang on. The moment that snowball starts to roll is the point beyond which, without intervention, a crisis becomes inevitable. Where was it in this case?

I would say it happened round about the time Scott McDonald turned the Celtic defence at Fir Park and hit a shot high into the net, on Black Sunday, denying us the league title and handing Alex McLeish a lifeline that ended up wrapped around his neck. Strange as it might sound, I believe that was the moment a bad situation at Ibrox turned into a crisis. McDonald’s goal sent the snowball rolling down the hill, because when that ball hit the back of the net obvious signs of trouble at Ibrox were set aside, the whitewash went up and the cracks in the structure were hidden ……… and they got worse.

Events have conspired against Rangers ever since, as issues elsewhere disguised the appearance of gaping holes, and media lackeys took the Words of Murray as Holy Writ, smoothing out the troubled times as if they weren’t really happening. And meanwhile, the water got warmer, the snowball got bigger and problems which might have been fixable become chronic and the situation got out of hand.

Alex McLeish was a dead man walking for the whole of the season that followed, but the problems at Rangers were easy to dismiss in the wake of a torrid pre-season at Celtic and the Nightmare in Bratislava. That same week we went to Fir Park, a bleak return to a nightmarish ground, and stumbled badly. Journalists like Keevins predicted that with the Hearts revolution in full swing that we might even finish third in the SPL …… unthinkable as it sounded.

And at Rangers, Murray’s promises were allowed to go unfulfilled, as far from signing stars to secure their place at the top of the table, they began to cut the cloth to suit the growing financial strains, and Alex McLeish was allowed to spend a paltry £1 million on Julien Rodriguez, with the rest of his signings being free transfers, like Jose Karl Pierre Fan-Fan (remember him?) Fernando Nieto (I had to look that up) and Olivier Bernard to name but a few.

Celtic, on the other hand, had signed Boruc, Nakamura and Zurawski, all for hard cash, and had brought in squad players to bolster the playing side for when times were tough.

The real story of course was Hearts, though, and whilst some were focussed on them they ignored growing troubles at Ibrox. It has ever been thus. Shortly before George Burley resigned, his team had soundly beaten Rangers ……… and the writing was on the wall as to how bad a side McLeish had assembled. Yet all talk of crisis was firmly focussed on Celtic, as we tried to gel new players under a new manager. The week before Burley resigned we became the first side that season to take points from him, when we drew 1-1 at Tynecastle. It was the seventh match of a 13 game unbeaten run domestically (we won all other 12) which included two victories against Rangers, a run which set us well on our way to the title.

The Burley resignation threw further smoke into the air, and suddenly it was Crisis at Hearts. Rangers frailties, which had already been seen and were being picked over by their fans, were suddenly forgotten by the press, which united behind the idea that the events at Hearts had all but handed Rangers two in a row.

Rangers were champions. That was the reality, as we were constantly reminded, and would remain so until the flag was snatched from their cold dead hands, and that fact covered a multitude of sins. Had they not been champions, would tougher decisions have been made? Would Alex McLeish have gotten that final year? I doubt it. The whole club might have changed, their fans might have been told the truth about the state of the finances and the snowball effect might never have been set in motion.

Rangers finished third that year, a crisis point in itself, and yet it was never reported that way. Instead it was labelled a fresh start, LeGuen was brought in, fresh lies were told, more promises were made, and the snowball kept on rolling and the water kept on heating up and the Rangers support, spoon-fed lie on lie by a weak, neutered press kept believing ……. All is well. All is well. All is well.

What other club could stumble through half a season in a constant state of naked fear, see a manager fall out with the captain to the extent the latter was transfer listed, only for the manager himself to end up out the door, and not have it called a crisis? What other club could push aside a new direction so swiftly, and take two massive steps back, only for the press to report it as though the Heavens had parted and Walter’s return was the Second Coming?

Crisis at Rangers? Don’t be daft. Rangers and Crisis are mutually exclusive, didn’t you know? The idea itself is laughable, the notion is patently absurd. David Murray has said so. Smith’s return brings stability to the situation; the crisis has, in fact, been averted. And so the Good Ship Rangers sailed on, already holed below the waterline and heading straight for the next iceberg.

How David Murray must hate the Cruel Hand of Fate. A poor season at Celtic allowed Smith to seem better than he was. A UEFA Cup run which seemed freakishly impossible to the rest of the watching world made him look like The Messiah. “An unprecedented quadruple” was on the cards, a treble at the very least all but secured, and so no-one paid attention to the cracks in the façade; how the UEFA Cup run had been constructed from the ashes of a Champions League implosion, how negative tactics were powering the run, how domestic away form was absolutely awful and cup runs had been put together out of luck and penalty shoot-outs against vastly inferior teams.

The focus was on Celtic, about Strachan, about poor defending, about lack of cohesion, all of it true, all of it distracting attention from ever widening holes at Rangers and the creaking of the floorboards under their feet. And the frog kept on croaking, although his feet were now stuck to the pan, and the snowball kept rolling, now the size of a house, but far enough up the hill that the villagers below still thought it was a mere trick of the light when they looked up.

The collapse, when it came, in true Rangers fashion, was spectacular to watch and total, and it was multi-faceted. Not only did Smith’s so-called tactical plan fall to pieces, but their fans shamed themselves and the club by rioting in Manchester. At a time when they thought they would be re-emerging as a serious side in Europe the awful tactics and appalling behaviour of their supporters cast them into the darkness and have made them a pariah club.

Indeed, it is difficult to see their reputation recover for the foreseeable future, particularly as the lessons of Manchester have not been learnt at all ……… they continue to disgrace themselves. Their every action makes the Scotland’s Shame tag ever more relevant.

This confluence of events is the reason Murray’s inbox is overflowing with aggravations, why today he presides over a shambles that even as I write these words continues to crumble into the abyss. The club is officially up for sale, all of it, and has been for three years. His entire playing squad, every single player in it, is available for transfer at the earliest opportunity, with hundreds of clubs in Europe on the lookout for bargains, and although Murray’s statements have made it clear that Rangers will be easier to deal with than a Glasgow hooker who’s not had a fix in a fortnight, there was only one bid for a player during the recent January transfer window. One. Out of the entire playing staff.

A financial black hole looms. A fourth title on the trot for Celtic is in the offing. Their trophy haul since McDonald’s goal on Black Sunday is two out of the last ten, a Scottish Cup and a League Cup, both won last season, one on penalties, the other against Queen of the South in a match but for luck they might even have lost. When the recent transfer window closed the less enlightened Rangers fans sighed with relief as no one left, but the more intelligent in their ranks must have looked at events and been concerned. Gravely concerned. Some might even become aware of the boiling water in which they sit, or see what the reflection of sun on snow has hidden up until now; the whole mountain above them is on the move. Coming down.

When I penned a recent article, The End of Rangers, some thought it a mere flight of fancy. Some said the ideas in it were so fanciful I was only kidding myself, only to see David Murray confirm all but the most extreme assessments contained in it. And that too was handled in such a slipshod manner that it brought fresh pain on top of what was already being felt. It is a perfect storm.

The level of contempt I feel for Murray, which all of us should share, is compounded by the contempt I feel for an assembled media who still believes in the bill of goods he’s selling, even when his alchemists metals have long since been found out as worth far less than the gold he has been promising.

Look at the plans mooted during another high-water mark in the ongoing crisis, when the press breathlessly reported the “proposals” for a £700 million redevelopment of Ibrox. They were obviously a nonsense, and after I had run down some numbers and done some investigating I was able to prove that; I wrote my findings in an article for this site, and I argued that those “plans” were akin to the work of the American political strategists who’s job had been to run Ronald Reagan’s re-election campaign.

Without concrete policies, they designed the whole thing around the person of Reagan himself, and topped it with a piece of optimistic advertising called Morning in America. The campaign was a phenomenal success, but the second term itself was an unmitigated disaster; the same fate would befall Murray and Rangers, I argued, because the only viable reason to create the appearance of a plan is to hide the fact that no actual plan exists.

Rangers, like the Reagan administration, were running on empty, and time and circumstances have not altered that fact.

The problem for Murray, and consequently his club, is that for a considerable period of time now matters have been largely out of his hands. The vast majority of his wealth is tied up in either property which has lost its value or in steel reserves worth less now that what they would have fetched in better times.

There is a far larger problem for Murray than simply the falling value of the goods he provides, and to put this is in its proper context I have to simplify things, so those who, like me, don’t know anything about accounting, can understand just how deep the hole is for this man and his businesses.

In business there are two kinds of product; those items which can be purchased anywhere and those which are more specialised. Murray deals in the former; there is an open market for metals, there is no shortage of supply and as with any such product prices fluctuate based on demand. At present, the steel market is flooded, as Eastern European nations like Poland produce far more than they can use, and so the only shortage is in demand, not supply.

The steel reserves Murray International holds count as part of the balance sheet only insofar as their net worth goes. But net worth does not pay the bills. In order to do that, these reserves have to be turned into cash; i.e. they have to be sold. Therein lies the first part of the problem; his turnover is appalling.

Imagine owning a corner shop. Your shelves are full. From the outside things might look like they are on the up and up; certainly, even the bank manager might be inclined to agree when you went to him for a loan, borrowing based on the value of your stock. Imagine, however, your shelves stayed full. Imagine no-one wanted to buy what you were selling. How many times could you refinance the loan, and how much leeway would they give you to do it?

Imagine too that your corner shop was a part of a larger business empire. You also own houses. For a while this section is making a profit, and whilst it is, you can use money from this business to keep the other afloat, even transferring debt between the two sections to keep the banks at bay for a while.

The trouble starts when either of two things happens; the loss-making side of the business is making a bigger loss than the profit making side can cover, or both sides are making a loss simultaneously. At that point, you can lower prices across the boards; this might not make a profit, but it will pay interest on the loans, which, if you have an understanding bank manager, will keep things from getting ugly as long as you agree to meet the timetable for complete repayment. You won’t, of course, you’ll get close but then you’ll ask for a further extension, which the bank will typically grant, based on conditions being met, which you assure them they will be. At certain points in the road, when conditions are good, you may even be able to put funds towards repayment of the debt itself; this in turn brings down the interest payments a little.

Most months, though, are lived hand-to-mouth, but such a financial arrangement is unsustainable over the long term. With a little smoke and mirrors, you can drum up interest in the companies you run in the hope of finding a buyer for the whole mess, but this will fool only the casual observer; no serious party would be fooled into believing in the fantasy you present to the world.

For a while, anyway, this smoke and mirrors act fulfils a dual purpose without which things would be far worse. You buy a flash car, you buy good suits and you present an image of success. You have to. If people knew you were desperate you would be easy prey; your competitors would tear you apart, your consumers would pick you clean and the banks would have your house keys as collateral.

This is a Day in the Life of David Murray, and his redevelopment plan smokescreen was the clearest indication that, under the surface, he was surviving by refinancing debt. That particular survival method is finished. The banks will no longer tolerate it, and so he is likely to meet with an imminent demand to repay a large part of his £790 million borrowings within a short time. He is highly unlikely to be able to manage it, and so, yes, I think that within a short space of time David Murray’s companies will fold.

If he still owns Rangers when that happens, they are done.

Incredibly, Murray himself has helped speed up this process with an astonishing faux-pas which will go down in football history as one of the stupidest things a British chairman has ever done. The Scottish press is not only pretending it didn’t happen, it has given him a free hand to try and roll back the damage.

During the January transfer window, Murray briefed his friends in the media on four separate occasions, and all were given wide coverage, and in no case was he treated with anything other than total respect.

Yet, the second, third and fourth of the briefings were designed to do little more than repair the damage he did in the first. Incredibly, this man who was honoured by the Queen for services to business, a man who is constantly referred to as one of the finest corporate minds in this country, personally dropped the ball and did something which would have gotten any executive, in any company, anywhere in Scotland, fired at once for gross incompetence.

Kris Boyd was in Birmingham, negotiating his transfer. The Rangers fans were in uproar, demanding answers. I believed Murray would have to tell them something; what I had not anticipated was the timing, or the nature of his comments. Murray could have gone for full disclosure; the club is in imminent danger, we must take immediate action to secure our future, please bear with us and support us in this time of tribulation.

This would have been a catastrophic decision for him in many ways, but it would have cleared the decks and properly put the entire club on notice, the fans included, as to what lay ahead. There would have been consequences, probably severe ones, but it would have rallied support around him as he fought to stabilise things and it would have started a search for solutions which were grounded in reality.

The moment he decided to obfuscate he was in trouble; his statements were flatly contradictory, even bizarre. His contention that the club’s financial position needed stabilising was a shock to Rangers fans and others who had scoffed when some of us pointed this out months ago, but at least here he was telling the truth. When he then said he was not taking this action under pressure from the bank it was a transparent falsehood, one which fooled only the stupidest of those who were listening to him. This group included almost everyone in the assembled Scottish sports media, save a few hold-outs who hadn’t been invited to the briefing anyway.

It was when he began to talk about the squad that he dropped the ball completely. He discussed the Boyd deal as thought it were done, said that it had erased the immediate need to sell another “star” but then added a bizarre caveat; if the “right” offer was made for one of his players he would listen, above and beyond the Boyd transfer. The assembled hacks spun that line the way he intended, as if he was the only honest football chairman in the land, the first to recognise and accept the financial consequences of the credit crunch.

Murray’s message, they said, was simple; every player, at every club, has his price. The situation at Rangers is nothing special.

Twenty-four hours later, the Boyd deal collapsed. Every club in the country was immediately on alert that Rangers entire first team squad was available for transfer. And every chairman in the land had already seen through the fiction that the bank was not pushing the agenda. If there was interest out there in signing Mendes, Bougherra, Boyd, McGregor or others, the fees Rangers had hoped to generate were suddenly revised. The word went out. Rangers are desperate. Murray had sent out a signal that they were easy prey; it didn’t matter that he hadn’t intended to, that he had spoken as if the Boyd money was in the bank already; he had announced to the world that the need to sell was chronic, and his hopes for a quick fix solution evaporated. Murray had inadvertently made things ten times worse.

No sooner had the ink dried on his interviews than a new crisis swept over him, and cruelly exposed his lies that the Boyd sale would have been the last during this window. Willie McKay, one of the people he had enlisted to do his business under the radar, publicly exposed his part in the Ibrox fire-sale when he told the press he had been given authority to find a buyer for the Rangers captain Barry Ferguson; that was how some reported it anyway. The Daily Mail, obviously not on Murray’s approved list of friends, reported the interview in more detail than the rest; Murray, in fact, had told McKay to gauge interest in all of the players, including those he had classified as off limits, albeit with that caveat about the “right” offer. Murray had been trying to flog all of the family silver on the cheap, and to compound matters, he had done it when the Boyd deal had still been on.

Any further doubts about the desperate state of Rangers were cast to one side. Clubs in England, like Fulham, like Bolton, like Newcastle, who might have been willing to take, for example, a punt at £4 million for Mendes realised they could wait Rangers out. Some, those with an understanding of the picture in full, have perhaps calculated that the best time to pick the club clean wasn’t during the last window, but during the summer, when Rangers’ need will be even greater. Mendes for a paltry £1.5 million? Ferguson, allowed to go on a free? All things are possible at this point, including the banks almost certainly taking more immediate action to recoup what they’re owed.

Amidst this chaos is Walter Smith, a man I think is misunderstood by much of the Scottish sporting press, who have long referred to him as a great manager. I beg to differ, despite the present evidence of the history books, which would have lauded him as a Rangers legend had he not returned to the club.

In the end, the final pages on him will be those dissecting his ultimate fall from grace. It is right that this should be so, as Smith would never have had such success had Celtic not been one thin dime from dead for most of his early stint as manager.

The fantastic Bruce Springsteen song Glory Days begins with a guy meeting an old friend in a bar. What should be a happy reunion is spoiled by the fact that, as the narrator sings, “All he kept talking about were the glory days.” The point of this song is not to give belated recognition to the nearly men but a lament to false hope; those “glory days” are, actually, more a curse than a blessing. Without them, with no basis for comparison, most of the people in that song, indeed many people in our world, would be a lot happier.

Smith’s biggest problem is that Murray believed his rep as much as he believed it himself. Murray and Smith are long-time friends, and yet from their statements to the press in the early days of the window, as rumour and counter rumour were flying, you’d have thought they’d never met, let alone worked together for an age.

This made Murray’s mistake all the more pronounced; was he, in fact, now deciding who would stay and who would go at Ibrox, without even running it by the manager? From his statements, and those of Smith, it is difficult to infer otherwise.

But back to the point; Murray and his colossal blunder.

Despite the catastrophic nature of his mistake, Murray is not a stupid man. Realising what he had inadvertently done, he went on another whirlwind tour of his favourites in the press. Despite the mountain of available evidence, all pointing towards one conclusion, that Rangers stand on the edge of the abyss, the media lapped up his new claims; Rangers did not need to sell after all. The action was being taken as a statement of intent. Of all his utterances in recent years, this might be the most unintentionally hilarious.

The more cerebral Rangers supporters reacted in fury at what they saw as a flagrant attempt to divert criticism with a smokescreen of half-truths and lies. A new pressure group was hastily formed, and a new slogan adopted; We Deserve Better. The internet boards burned with rumours of administration, and suddenly Murray was on the offensive once again, giving his second briefing in as many days, and his third since the window opened.

Primarily, this briefing was necessary to halt the spiralling rumours. Chick Young himself, a sycophantic Murray toady for as long as the man has been Rangers chairman and Chick publicly a St Mirren supporter, even asked him about it, in an interview never aired but nonetheless reported in various media. He received no real answer anyway; Murray had been with Walter Smith and Ally McCoist at the time, and the only response he received was a sharp laugh. Young, probably fearing another Smith tongue lashing, or worse, chose not to pursue the issue at a moment when the biggest exclusive in Scottish football history was his for the taking, and the moment passed. It may not come again, until the men with clipboards and calculators arrive to carve up the corpse.

That night, Murray quashed the rumours and then launched a fierce attack on his own supporters, an attack Walter Smith was echoing within days. This fresh moment of crisis has created a chasm within the ranks of the fans, a rift which may take years to heal, if the club is around for that long.

Picture a similar scene at Celtic. Try to imagine the scenario. We have just accepted a bid for Scott McDonald, citing a need to sell. Between denials that this is being enforced by the bank, having stated that this sale will be the only one, our chairman admits that if the “right” offer were to come in we would sell again, having just said we were not a “selling club.” This flatly contradicts the statements of the manager who says certain players are not for sale at any price.

A day later the press discovers that agents have been trying to sell other tops stars, on the say-so of said chairman. Would he survive the conflagration? Would he be allowed a further media platform, to further mislead supporters? We can only imagine what the press would do to a Celtic chairman who launched such a venomous verbal assault on a group of fans simply for making legitimate points and asking legitimate questions.

Had any of this, let alone all of it, happened at Celtic every newspaper would have carried the broken badge, and in an era when politicians are routinely called liars by the press, when every celebrity lie and scandal is remorselessly exposed by a hungry media which is now a law unto itself, Scotland’s finest sports journalists not only failed to ask pertinent questions of their own but meekly rolled over and accepted David Murray’s words as Gospel, with a collective shrug that said, “Crisis? What crisis?”

I said it at the start of this article; it’s the same crisis, the crisis that brought down McLeish, which did away with LeGuen, which ushered in the return of Walter Smith and which will see him fired when four-in-a-row is secured and the Murray empire slips deeper into the dark. It’s a crisis of finance, a crisis of ambition, a crisis of forward planning and the failure to clear out the Aegean stables of bigotry and filth amongst their Neanderthal support which have haunted the entire club for decades now, as politicians, decision makers, police officers, football’s rulers and the media sat in silence.

Here’s what some of you might not have realised yet; the mainstream media, which is now aware that something is not right at Rangers, have not been driving this agenda forward. Even now they refuse to investigate the scale of the disaster facing “Scotland’s second biggest institution after the Church”. This agenda is being driven by the fans, and I do not mean the supporters at Rangers.

Celtic supporters, like you, like me, are now playing a decisive role in deciding the future of our rivals. We are the ones who, for the last five or so years, have investigated Murray’s bombastic claims and printed the truth. Websites like this, like Celtic Quick News, have written the hard-hitting articles and reported the facts the press wouldn’t, and websites like Kerrydale Street, CelticMinded and The Huddleboard have mined these facts for the comedy gold which has gifted us a million slogans, which have made our rivals the butt of every joke and given Moonbeams Murray more nicknames than he dared to dream. Talented fans with time on their hands have created songs and made film clips which have become the stuff of legend.

Our mockery has sparked the over-reactions of anger in their stands which led directly to the sackings of Advocaat, McLeish and LeGuen. It has provoked the worst elements of their support to behave in the ways which have made them Scotland’s Shame; this a slogan created by our fans which has become so widely known it is recognised across the globe as the perfect, ultimate summation as to the whole stinking club and what it represents, and which some claim even inspired the platinum selling band Mogwai to write a song.

Celtic fans, utilising the limitless potential of the internet in a way the Obama campaign only dared dream, created the global coalition which first exposed Scotland’s Shame to the world then campaigned hardest and longest against it. Celtic fans rose up in defence of Jock Stein and helped bring truly global pressure to bear over The Famine Song, and in doing both annihilated their image, making Murray’s attempts to find a buyer even harder. Our glorious triumph in Seville, where we taught Europe a lesson about sportsmanship, friendship, love of the game and the self-respect we all carry as Celtic supporters, prompted their own fans to go one better, and so they descended on Manchester like a vast swarm of mutant locusts, with the attendant, horrendous results we all saw coming, and which everyone in Britain saw recently highlighted on Crimewatch UK and just this week has seen a vast number of Scottish-based Chelsea fans arrested.

And it was, of course, Celtic fans whose diligent research uncovered the financial state of Murray International Holdings, and although all of the information was available to the mainstream press it was Celtic websites like this one which broke the story, a full month before this transfer window opened and Murray confirmed what we already knew. Celtic websites, not the mainstream press, were the first to use the words “Rangers” and “administration” in the same sentence, and the first to spark a debate at what the state of our game would be if the whole rotting edifice collapsed entirely.

Through it all, we have prodded and poked where no-one else dared, including their own supporters, most of whom appear to subscribe to the notion that “ignorance is bliss”.

In the movie The Matrix, Neo is offered a red pill and a blue pill, the second of which will have him wake up in his bed, safe and sound, or so it will seem, but with no memory or knowledge as to ever having been asked to make a choice, forever to live (and eventually die) as an unknowing slave. I cannot help think of alternative scenes, written for the vast majority of the Rangers fans, where instead of being turned into batteries to support the life cycle of the machines of the film they are, instead, used as living breathing credit cards, funding Murray’s desperate bid to keep his businesses afloat.

“Take the red pill,” says Morpheus, “and see how deep the rabbit hole goes.” This line, for all its lyricism, is trumped by the one which comes before it. “Remember; all I’m offering you is the Truth. Nothing more.” How many Rangers fans would have happily lived in ignorance, not knowing what we do about the state of their club?

“What’s the Green Pill for?” the hero in our version of the story asks, when presented not with two pills and two choices but three.

“Take that one and you go to sleep and wake up a Celtic fan, and then not only won’t you care about the Truth, but you’ll find it absolutely hilarious,” is the answer he gets.

Is a crisis you don’t know about any less a crisis than the one right in front of your eyes? Rangers fans could have taken control of their club and its destiny any time they pleased; all they needed was the will to look past Murray’s smoke and mirrors. The press could have played a role in enlightening them, but instead of being part of the solution they continue to be part of the problem, and as the sleeping humans in the Wachowski brother’s bleak vision of the future are seduced by a world which no longer exists (and perhaps never did) the Ibrox of our version is filled with zombie-like figures sitting in expensive seats. An electrode in one ear transfers money out of each fans account and into that of Murray International. The electrode in the other ear pumps in Radio Clyde and other Murray propaganda.

Facing this inhuman precision, this genius of genetic engineering, our hero turns to the man at his side, who smiles, having heard it all before. He nods. “I know what you’re thinking,” he says. “I wish I’d taken the blue pill, right?”

Our hero looks back, and for a moment says nothing. Then with a glance at the Big Screens, advertising OrangeFest, he turns and shakes his head. “Actually,” he says, “I was thinking that I should have taken the green one.”

In the absence of a pill to make it all better, the Rangers supporters had better start preparing for really hard times, and they will be harder than they need to be. If they’d been following events as closely as we have they would know already:

This is a crisis five years in the making. No wonder Murray has no room on his schedule these days, not even for a fresh disaster. But I suspect he’ll have to accommodate one before much longer. He can, perhaps, take some consolation in the notion that the next one might very well be his, and Rangers’, last.

I doubt that will make him feel better, but as I don’t like the man I don’t really care. The irony pleases me; his ego is his undoing. Never did such hubris merit its nemesis.

David Murray is coming down the mountain. Soon.

001

The Legend of Peter Grant i too am in the Sydney CSC club, but i fear our boats must have passed, Sadly the Sydney CSC is not much of a club anymore, not too many members now. yes it would be interesting to see how The tory party in England responds to these pro "scotlands shame comments" He is basically trying to hold on to his loyalist support in Scotland.

bjmac03 would be interested in your reply also, i have emailed him.

As long as there are people like David Mcletchie in Scotland then, "Scotlands shame' will live on,

His quote from Martin luther king is quite frankly remarkable as it would the same to say to the African Americans, " stop singing those songs about slavery and stop being black or you deserve to be discriminated against" it is a total joke and we have to out these people and not allow them to hold office in a civilised society.

ST

001 i used to really despise Chick young, but now i love him( not in a sexual way) His and his friends( you know who i mean) have covered this up for years and said everthing in the loyal garden is rosy and now we are the point of no Return, thankyou chico kisses XX

SydneyTim

I will let you know of any response I receive (I don't expect one), I am also going to look into the Freedom of Information route. In Scotland we are entitled to access all sorts of things - I'll wait a few days before starting.

As an aside, my brother was over in Oz last year and attend the Sydney CSC BBQ, I think it may have been around Oz Day, he was made most welcome, had a fantastic day and was last to leave! His girl isn't Celtic, but she also loved it.

Hail Hail

bjmac

bjmac03

Thanks for posting that for me, I must have missed it earlier in the day. I would be most interested in any response you night get. Once I write something I will post it on here for you and SydneyTim.

TLOPG

SydneyTim

Good to hear you are in the Sydney City CSC although disappointed to learn there are not many members now. I try to keep in touch with my old amigo Steff, and Brian too, when I can. I remember a very nice guy called Terry from Glasgow when I was there too. he had a boy who was good at football if I remember correctly.

I agree that he is just trying to hold onto his anti-Irish, anti-Catholic, anti-Celtic support base but I also fear something more sinister at work:

1. Part of the ongoing PR campaign by Rangers to try and deflect the glare and attention away from their own supporters by making out we are equally as sectarian/racist/vile.

2. An attempt to appeal to the "following" masses (as opposed to the huddled masses!) for them all to unite behind the club as that is the only way to protect themselves from the evil Catholics who dare to share "their" country. Anything to stop them revolting over the state the club is in.

I must admit I love your reasons for loving Charles "Chico" Young - I personally cannot stand him - but you are correct in your statement that it is only down to him and the many other "poodles" in the laptop loyal that Sir Moonbeams has been able to work his own unique brand of magic for so long. One day we should really thank them... ;)

TLOPG

bjmac03

You couldn't possibly be James MacMillan !

Could You ?

L.O.P.G.@ 1.02
McKechnie.

Pablo
Just caught it there.... To be honest I have not quite digested it all as I am running around after a sick 4 year old and a wife due with child in 8 weeks.... Had a scan and will absorb later..... But at first speed read two words spring to mind.....

IGNORANT BLOWHARD.....
My more considered analysis to follow.

SydneyTim
Ah......So like me you spent your youth in the Bears Den? I alternated between there and Clydebank. Six miles? More like six light years apart they were.... In fitba and beyond.

Back later my primary responsibilities call....

Im sorry and misread who said what and when, many posts, info got a little miscontrued, and about segregated schools i was talking about RC schools. Part of my argument was going to be that, non denomenational schools were as a result of a study shown to have better results. I admit I did get completely mixed up, and my tupenceworth now looks stupid as a result, i apologize.

winningemmell on March 19, 2009 12:09 PM

Now that I've had a mention on the CQN soap, it's downhill from here.

'GG God bless St Brigid of Ireland.

PJBhoynyc spent my 1st 3 months in Clydbank then the bears den, but had and still do have family in Clydebank, lived there also twice

SydneyTim
I do not know what age you are.... But we have much in common.
Drop me an email if you wish. My CQN name @ Gmail.com
Love to talk.

I suspect we share more than history whatever the age difference......

PJ

Pablo. Read that again. Will ask 'soccer' friendly american PE teachers and ask their opinions.
Mine ?
Agree with your own.

Blogger 'GG

I visit St Brigid's shrine in Faughart often have you been there ?

Chaplin on March 20, 2009 4:28 AM

My reference to St Brigid came from a quote in a Lenten mediatation booklet:

"I would like a great lake of beer for the King of Kings: I would like the people of heaven to be drinking it through time eternal." ~ St. Brigid of Ireland

'GG who wishes Lenten books were like that in my youth.

Last night (Wednesday) my wife and I went to our local Surf Club here in Australia. It was the first time I would see Jock, a Rangers fanatic, since Sunday. I was looking forward to a bit of gloating. When Celtic dropped 2 points to ICT earlier in the season, he got a few people to wind me up. It was really people who had little or no interest in football, other than they knew about the intense Celtic/Rangers rivalry. It was only 2 points in the middle of the season, but you'd think it had handed Ranger the SPL title to listen to Jock.

Anyway, I had prepared the groundwork. Before I arrived, several other people, under my prompting over the last few days, had got to him and by the time I arrived, he was a blabbering wreck, effing and blinding about Catholics and the Pope. The Aussies who wound him up were more or less the same ones who had done it to me, and to a man they remarked that Jock was happy to dish it out, but it seemed he didn't like it coming at him.

He actually said to me: "Ok you beat us 2-0 and won the cup, but don't forget, you needed extra-time to beat us."

Has it really come to that? They think they have something on us because they took us to extra-time?

Oh how times have changed.

Just a wee reminder to an earlier request:

if anybody was wise enough to copy the game on Sunday and doesn't mind sending me a copy of it, I'll make a donation to Kano's fundon their behalf.

Re Kano's fund and Bluenoses: today I received a donation of 250 pounds from some concerned and caring Rangers supporters. Sometimes things happen that make you stop and wonder.

I know there are good people amoung them, they know it too. Just a pity that the ones with their clubs best interests at heart don't have the heart to stand up to the ones who will do it, and society, (their society too) most harm.

Morning gents,
A little information would be greatly appreciated, I'm a little flustered this morning, her good self has booked us for a weekend in blackpool and this has interfered with my well laid plans for sunday ! Does anyone know of any "celtic friendly" pubs there that will have the game on ? Any help will be greatly appreciated
Fb

.

Not One to Give the Fellow Fellows Across the City a Plug....

Especially after Manchester Unplugged....Live @ The Riots....

But....

I Have Always Said....Walt Disnae....Fitba Play....

.

Past, Present and Future: Rangers and the Santayana Aphorism.

.

Our contributor argues that the lessons of the past and the evidence of the present suggest no future for our manager.
"But, Walter has matured as a manager!"

That was the cry when he returned to Ibrox. A vicious molestation of Everton FC had been mitigated by a three month stint holding the bibs at Old Trafford, along with glorious failure at the helm of a modestly talented Scottish national side. His time had come to return to the Club where he made his name, and we were assured we were getting a refreshed, modern Smith, hungry for more success and ready to de-rail Celtic's pus-spewing juggernaut.

At the time I remember posting an article from an Everton fans website, bemoaning the antiquated approach taken by Smith during his time at Goodison. In response, many FFers claimed Smith had 'matured' since then, he had learned the lessons from his failure at Everton and was now ready to take on the Rangers challenge in 2007.

More than two years on, we remain static in the exact same League position, albeit with more frequent flirtations with the top perch, and are once again in need of a knight in shining armour to rescue us from the doldrums of turgid mediocrity. A quick scan of our squad should set alarm bells ringing immediately. A £30m spend - luxurious by any standards these days - still sees us with no recognised right-winger in a squad of around 25.

A sixteen-man Cup Final squad with not one single winger in it is almost as stupid as putting four left-sided attackers on the bench for the Old Firm derby on December 27th . Where, one may ask, is this new-found 'maturity'? In late 2008 we saw a run of eight games in which the left-side of midfield was occupied by a different player each week (usually a central midfielder or a striker, naturally) culminating in the emergence of young John Fleck (another striker), who has found himself bombed out of the squad after initially impressing. Walter now seems hell-bent on turning Kyle Lafferty into a winger, but that experiment was abandoned mid-match just at the point it seemed Lafferty was finding his feet in the role.

I could mention that in the last two defeats against Celtic we finished with strike pairings of Lafferty & Papac, then Boyd & Dailly, but I'm trying to keep the tone of this article on the serious side, and any casual onlookers reading that will no doubt presume I was just taking the p^ss.

See below a typical fans' assessment of Walter's time in charge of their club:

• Utterly awful football with little spirit or creativity
• Despite injuries, the available players appeared to be poorly prepared for each match.
• The 4-5-1 experiment had mostly been a complete disaster.
• Smith had a bizarre aversion to playing wingers, despite having several available
• The policy of buying aging injured players had backfired badly.
• Will NEVER change his mind or admit he's wrong
• Tactically clueless
• Needs a strong control over his spending
• Buys players on reports and videos without seeing them himself
• Very poor relationship with young players
• Attempts to establish a steady regular team selection
• He could not decide on a formation and basic system of playing
• He failed to play most of the players in their best position
• He could not ensure that each player understood the team plan and his particular role within it
• He was blatantly incapable of getting the players fit.

Of course, those of you who aren't wilfully blind will have twigged that the above quote came from an Everton fan-site and was written circa 2005.
Scary isn't it? For it is crystal clear the problems Walter brought to Everton - nine years ago - are EXACTLY the problems present at Rangers today. Whether it's myopia or just age-induced stubbornness, 30,000 Toffees screaming at him couldn't get the message across, what hope have we?

We have a man at the helm who will not change his approach until he is sacked and he will not, ever, hold his hands up and admit he got it wrong. He has failed to win the League in his last two attempts (98 and 08) yet is still regarded as some sort of 'Old Master' who cannot be criticised or questioned. We are told he 'knows the score' despite all signs pointing to the contrary, as he blunders from one decision to the next, seemingly intent on reproducing his failed Everton side in a lighter shade of blue.

It is often said that good managers don't become bad managers overnight, but what the hell do you do when the horse you backed wasn't even a good 'un in the first place? You give it a mercy-bullet in the temple. Here's hoping Walter Smith chooses a more enjoyable but equally permanent mode of retirement sometime soon.

001

.

Kitalba....@ 2:04pm....

Re; Full Replay of the CIS Cup Final on SetantaOz @ 2:30am Tonight....

I am at Our Other Place which is Foxtel-Less....Hopefully Some other Down Under Hoopite will Oblige....

Hail Hail

001

bjmac03 if you get a reply can you post on here , I would be interested to read it. The tories are in power in NZ just now after conning the people with tax cuts. Before we even have our pittance they have increased just about everything else they can increase and have started on their program of social destruction and slicing up the state wealth for their mates. The rich get richer. I know Labour have problems BUT the alternative is a big step backwards , for the young crew who haven't experienced Thatcher don't do it and don't split the vote.

Kojo admit it you are secretly a big Crosas fhan. The lad is a rising star. If we can secure his contract long term he will be priceless. Haven't seen every game he has played in but when I have he is composed , skilled , intelligent and doesn't need to look up to make the pass. As the mud dries and the sun shines he should be on the park every time. Are Celtic playing a long term game with the contract to make sure Barca don't take him back? Last year I thought Sammie could be a new Henrick , he's not , but he will play his part in the 4inarow run in and is a player who will get better with the weather.

Tough game against the arabs but I have a feeling we go 6 clear this weekend. Hail hail

Good morning aussie tims, ameritims and all CQN'ers wherever ye are,

JungleJim on March 19, 2009 7:37 PM........ I may have got that wrong as I was skimming past the posts, I agree with you Broadfoot or naw .... who cares, their dropping 2 points IMO.

End of a 2 week audit today thank crunchie for that! and its happy Friday to ye all wHOOPeeeeeee!

vmhan

The Gate In The Wood………………..continueth

SFA HQ

Wilma: Sir Gordon, I have Mr Donald McDougal on line three

GD: Tell him I’m busy, Wilms.

TBC

dear oh dear, Mcletchie really isnt very clever. check this out for a contradiction!!

"Since in itself this has no religious connotation because nationalist and republican movements in Ireland have historically been of a secular nature, then clearly such conduct cannot fall within Section 74 - even though it is clearly sectarian in nature."

eh?!!!!! Mr Mcletchie, please explain why it is "clearly sectarian in nature" if Irish nationalism and republicanism is historically secular and therefore non sectarian - how can you possibly state such a thing?!

please note Mr Mcletchie - I am a Celtic supporter brought up as a Protestant who quite happily sings Irish folks songs at the game.

Morning gents,
A little information would be greatly appreciated, I'm a little flustered this morning, her good self has booked us for a weekend in blackpool and this has interfered with my well laid plans for sunday ! Does anyone know of any "celtic friendly" pubs there that will have the game on ? Any help will be greatly appreciated
Fb

fergus's bunnet on March 20, 2009 8:37 AM

Yir asking at the right time amigo,

The trades club in Blackpool is where the Blackpool Shamrock watch the televised games (we run a coach to all home games).
We watch the games upstairs and it'll only be Celts that are in there, the wearing o the green is to be encouraged.

If you're staying near the football ground or gym/cinema complex then its walking distance, failing that get a taxi.

I'm not sure if I'm going as I live in Cleveleys just outside Blackpool.

If anybody's on the door just say Vinny sent ye along.

vmhan

.

Fergus....

Vmham....Should see You Alright....He is a Member of Blackpool Shamrock....

001

vmhan, 001 Bhoy,
Thankyou very much, you have averted a week long sulk and possible divorce proceedings (better half not as commited though she should be!!!) I'm now actually looking forward to going. I just pray we'll win. Once again many thanks
Fb
arabhuntingbytheseacsc

001 Bhoy, I've been called worse than a member :¬)

vmhan who might just take a trip into Blackpool to meet a CQN'er.

Remember you're seaside Celts shirt :¬)

vmhan
Hail Hail

.

Gold????

001TheManWithTheGoldenDavidBeckahmsCSC

fergus's bunnet...........Password to gain access to the Trades club is......Big Joe's gay.

Kitalba 5.47am

Re Kano
I have a vhs copy,which Unusually for me I had the presence of mind to set for ET so includes post match celebrations. Happy to send it out, if you provide details.

still standing

Blantyretim.

I'll be in town and in BBs around 12ish going on 1ish,if your about and fancy a couple pop in.

oldtim67 Happy Friday, I hope you get you're shoes!

412K26 on March 20, 2009 9:36 AM......... please don't :¬)

vmhan

fergus's bunnet I'll do you a one day south shore rebels pass.

A wee tip is to buy the local paper Blackpool Gazzette and look for the "whats on" guide, it'll tell ye all the shows, caberets, live music events, if thats yir thing.

I hope ye have a happy hun skelpin weekend.

vmhan

jc2,

PAUL

any truth in rumours over on dark side that they are talking about
offering their MOST LOYAL supporters a 3 year season ticket ?

Some seem to think it is a good idea to raise revenue and keep wolves from the door
have to say majority think living on the never never is what got them where they are now.

Now that is fascinating if true. What if they do go into administration? If another owner took over would they be duty bound to honor these? I wouldn't think so... I'd guess you'd just rank as a creditor who never got his goods. Let's put it this way if I were (and thank god I'm not!) a Rangers supporter I'd be very careful about paying for something like that without using my credit card (then it's the credit card company's risk not mine!)

B

I noticed there was some talk about the co-efficients earlier on in the thread.

To update people on how bad it has become, because of the dismal collective performances by Scottish teams this year, Scotland have dropped from 9th to 13th in the UEFA rankings.

What does this mean for us? Well, this season the SPL the winners still qualify automatically next year, but next season whoever finishes top will have to play two ties against champions from our section of countries ranked 13 to 53. In theory, we could play the San Marinese champions and the Andorran champions to qualify for the CL. The runners-up would still face the same qualification as just now, a tie against the runners-up from countries 6-15, and then possibly against one from the top 5 countries.

Europa League would be no different for Scotland though, still three places in the same qualifying rounds.

As has been said, losing the league at this point would ensure that Rangers would start hauling themselves level with us again. Two more titles and they are finished.

412k26
If big joe is gay I'm not calling him anything ;-)
vmhan
Thanks again for the tip, Do I get a badge with my rebel badge ?
Fb

oops Do I get a badge with my rebel pass ?
Fb
watchingtheclockatworkcsc

fergus's bunnet

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLG,GGLG:2006-51,GGLG:en&q=blackpool+gazette

Fergus of course you do, dae ye think we're cheapskates :¬)

vmhan offski for a bitCSC

стахановец

There is still hope that the champs of the 13th ranked country won't have to go through any qualifiers in 2010 if the team who wins the 2010 Champions League finishes in the automatic qualification position in their league e.g. If Man U or Chelsea win Champs lge in 2010 and finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd in EPL then we (or whoever wins 2010 SPL) won't need to go through a qualifier.

Mort

vmhan might have met you once. Was on holiday in Blackpool (love it never hear a bad word) when we were to play a "friendly" for Ryan Giggs testicles. If I remember correctly they came up and played a full force team for Tommy Boyds testimonial at the end of the previous season and beat us 2-0 so it was gloves off. Caught the bus from the club and watched a 4-3 victory from the very top row drumming on the corregated walls. What a night , fantastic atmosphere , Catona came on late and the Blackpool bus was top notch. Three hours drive for every home game . hats off vinny.

Blogger 'GG

I visit St Brigid's shrine in Faughart often have you been there ?

Chaplin where are you from? I was raised about 100 yards from St. Brigid's Shrine!

Did anyone get U2 tickets? I got 4 for Wembley! Wo Ho!

OT, should have said thanks for the invite last night. My apols. I'll give this one a miss mate, but I'll see you Sunday morning for our 10:30 rendezvous as planned.

pablophanque

Mort:

That's true, and hopefully it does work out, but it just shows you how far we have fallen as a nation in the space of two years.

374th?

Well oh well well well....

What to do - dump Glenn Loovens back on the bench so we can play big Mick and Gary?

Leave him in the team - he deserves another shot - but dump Gary Caldwell on the bench so we can play Crosas?

What about Darren O'Dea - dump him on the bench so we can play Mark Wilson a more natural full back?

But Darren's threatened to quit if he doesn't get games!

What about Willo Flood - when is he gonna get another chance?

What About Jan and Sammi - stick with 4-5-1 and leave them on the bench?
Aiden to support wee Scotty again?

Rather Gordon than me to sort all that out, and he has to get it right or we could trail the fod again.

Mind you, I really fancy the Hearts to do us a turn tomorrow - they are due a change of fortune.

стахановец

Gretna, Queen of the South, Dunfermline etc have done us no favours in this respect.

It's possible that another First Division team might be playing in Europe for Scotland next season also.

Because we have 4 teams in Europe all the points earned by all teams are divided by 4 to give Scotland's ranking.

In 2008/09, Celtic, Rangers, Motherwell and Queen of the South all contributed a grand total of 7.5 points. (Celtic contributed 7 of those points.) When this was divided by 4 it gave Scotland a total of 1.875 or 29th overall in Europe behind Ireland, Belarus, Cyprus and Lithuania.

We were 5th best last year, helped by Rangers and Aberdeen's exploits in the UEFA Cup. This is where the points are available. For instance, the current No1 country in Europe this season isn't England, Spain or Italy. Nope, The Ukraine are currently leading the way.

A change in how co-efficient points are gathered with much greater emphasis on the Champions League is what is needed.

Hail Hail

Mort

412k26
Nice one mate, very helpful
Fb

ZetaBhoy

That's why he gets paid the big bucks. I agree, it's a tough call but he has been making the right calls for nearly 4 years now so I don't doubt for a second that he'll make the right call again on Sunday.

Hail Hail Gordon

Mort

It's a shame that Walter gets the flak for Sunday's defeat when everyone knows that Ally mentors the Cup teams.

Fair's fair.

Mort:

You are right, and I am aware of the breakdown of points. But the fact that 1st and 2nd division sides are regularly reaching the Scottish Cup final is part of the weaking of our domestic game. If Aberdeen can't beat a numpty team over two games this year, can't beat a numpty team last year in the semi-finals, can't finish their dinner either probably, then we are in trouble.

Let's not forget that 3 of our points came simply from automatic qualification to the CL.

Maybe it's best that we drop right down the rankings for a while, go down to only four or even three teams, and then we can harvest points for a couple of years, assisted as well by the qualifying rounds against Maltese pub teams that would give us plenty of points.

fergus's bunnet......Directions to the Trades club

http://www.blackpoolshamrockcsc.co.uk/

From the BBC "Meanwhile, one of Scotland's top police officers says domestic violence soared by 88% following last weekend's Old Firm Co-operative Insurance Cup final at Hampden Park. (The Scottish Sun)"

Draw your own conclusions ...

Still Standing:

Fine man you are.

If you could please get in touch at kitalba@gmail.com. I’ll pass on my details. I’ll get your tape copied, forward it, and I’ll get the original back to you.

If it is at all possible -and to borrow the words of another good Tim and CQNer who now lives in West Coast, South America - if the stars align and I find myself in Glasgow at the same time as you … I’d love to buy you a beer… and some.

Cheers Mate, believe me… you have made my day and that of another couple of good Tims too.

Last Sunday was a most beautiful day as far as beautiful days go. Well it was for us anyway. As for others… well that is their problem.

Did anybody see Setanta´s "Press box" last night? I´m sure the suits at the SFA tune in to watch Gordon Smith as if watching a car crash through their fingers. A pretty boy mouth piece that cant remember what to say.

Scotlands representation within the Olympics heavily discussed.

Rangers debt problems glossed over and telling that both Smith and Spiers didn´t want to publicly comment on it. The program dedicated about 30 seconds towards it. Gerry Mc Nee doing his best Pavlov dog impression by steering it towards Kilmarnock going out of business

Why is Setanta giving Rangers such an easy ride ? When this is compared to the treatment that Celtic got with regards the crap that they suggested happened with Aiden after the 4.2 defeat which lead to an apology. I have to ask myself why has a relative newcomer to the scene became a full paid up card carrying member of the laptop loyal ?

I use Setanta but if it was to go bust. I imagine that some of the short fall would be made up by Ch67. Considering that Setanta is an Irish company I dont understand why they play the laptop loyal game. Booth, Hately ..even Craig Burley and Jock Stein. BBJ has fast became a money grabbing tabloid tart.

CAn anyone tell me why Setanta has compromised itself with the majority of its global audience with regards SPL coverage ?

HAil HAil

sorry above should dread Jock brown.

I will now go away and whip myself until blood is drawn for an entire week for making that error

Hail hail

Have to agree with you Mort re Gordon getting most of the big decisions right, though this is a big one coming up.

I suspect he will play the same team as last Sunday, incl Paul Hartley.

Awe-Naw

It's probably that they saw how well Sky were doing out of the premiership and decided that is where they saw themselves going. To that extent, getting the SPL and getting a base of subscribers in the UK meant they could go after the EPL and get much greater audience share and therfore greater advertising revenue.

I think aswell because they have a monopoly over Celtic games (and GAA matches) in the US, Australia etc they probably don't have to concern themselves too much with how they treat their bread and butter subscribers as they know they will always get Celtic fans to buy their product. They need to appeal to the Rangers fans and with their recruitment of second rate journos and pundits to their SPL programming they have the people in place to promote this.

I honestly don't think they care too much about the SPL at the minute.

Mort

By IRINA NELSON

DRUNKEN thugs were blasted by a top cop last night over the huge surge in violence after the weekend’s Old Firm clash.

Strathclyde’s Assistant Chief Constable John Neilson revealed serious incidents in the aftermath of Sunday’s showdown more than DOUBLED.

Officers on the streets had to deal with many more cases of attempted murder, brutal assaults, public disorder and breaches of the peace.

And domestic violence shot up by a staggering 88 PER CENT.

Police locked up more than 550 people on the day of the match — and ALL were boozed up.

ACC Neilson said violent incidents have peaked during the last three Celtic versus Rangers games.

He added: “Why would anyone hit their partner because a result did not go their way?

“This is the real picture of alcohol-fuelled violence when there is a game of football on — and there is absolutely no excuse for this level of violence.

“I want people to know this is happening across the whole of Strathclyde — and that something has to be done.

“People need to understand that the Government is doing its bit in a bid to reduce alcohol consumption and that we are doing our bit.
Murder

“And it is now their responsibility as adults to start behaving appropriately.”

This is the first time Strathclyde Police have revealed actual figures of the crime surge following an Old Firm clash.

It shows violent incidents peaked when the Glasgow giants played each other on Saturday, December 27, Sunday February 15, and last Sunday.

After the most recent game, the Cooperative Insurance Cup final, domestic violence rose by 88 per cent — to 231 cases — compared to the previous Sunday. There were also four attempted murders and 28 serious assaults, as well as 132 other assaults and 118 breaches of the peace.

On December 27, police logged 193 cases of domestic violence — a rise of 57 per cent compared to the average 123.

There were also 148 breaches of the peace and 116 assaults — a total of 264 offences compared to the average 182 — a rise of 45 per cent.

Serious and violent crimes more than doubled during the Old Firm game on Sunday February 15 — a rise of 113 per cent compared to an average weekend.

Cops also had to deal with one attempted murder and 39 serious assaults. There were also 147 breaches of the peace and 137 simple assaults. And police were called out to 185 incidents of domestic violence — a rise of 52 per cent compared to non-match weekends.

Mr Neilson insisted the fault does not lie with the football clubs, the players or the fans — but with the louts who sit and booze all day and then head out looking for trouble.

He said: “We would not say they are related to the football fans themselves as they are generally well behaved at the matches. But, afterwards, right across our villages, towns and cities the level of violence is through the roof.

“And our research shows that it is alcohol-fuelled and it is clear that it is related to those three days when the Old Firm were playing. I am not attributing this violence to the teams or the fans — but to the people who are out drinking all day.

“Crime, on average over the last three Old Firm games, was 113 per cent higher than during any other weekend.

“But the really concerning one is domestic violence which was 88 per cent higher than the previous Sunday.

“That is a huge increase and it is simply unacceptable. We also had to contend with 551 prisoners on Sunday. The weekend before we had just 204 — so that’s a rise of 170 per cent. And every single one of them was under the influence of alcohol. I am absolutely determined to stamp out the rise in violence at these times.”

A Celtic spokesman added: “At all times we encourage positive behaviour from our fans. Celtic takes its social responsibility very seriously and works tirelessly through a range of initiatives to challenge all forms of unacceptable conduct.”

A Rangers spokesman said: “We encourage sporting behaviour and do not condone any form of violent or anti-social behaviour. We also support the police view that the actions of people causing trouble well away from matches is influenced by other factors.”

Scottish Women’s Aid said there is “no excuse” for the rise in domestic abuse after Old Firm matches. A spokeswoman added: “These figures represent a shocking increase. Neither alcohol or a football score is any excuse for these incidents.”

The link between football, alcohol and violent crime is set to be tackled by new body, Citizenship Through Football.

It includes representatives from the police, Government, the SFA, SPL and various other partner agencies.

Head of SFA security Derek Kirkwood said: “I am shocked to hear these figures — particularly on domestic violence. It appears there is a correlation between a football match and those levels of violence and we will work very closely with Government and the police to stop this.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said they are “committed” to reducing post-match trouble.

irinanelson@the-sun.co.uk

Pablo-and/or any other technophiles- can I record a programme from the BBC iPlayer onto a CD [or ideally a C60!] so I would be able to hear it again and again?

стахановец

The decline is alarming and the provisional rankings for 2010, 2011 and 2012 all have Scotland in 12th place. Without a great improvement from all our european participants over the next couple of years we will drop much further so you might just get your wish.

Mort

Awe_Naw_No_Annoni_Oan_Anaw_Noo
Re Setanta,think you have answered your own question. They are an Irish company. To my mind they have vastly over compensated for this by giving the tangerine hoards plenty of their own in commentary, punditry etc ( bearing in mind Minty and Media House are vigorous lobbyists for their own agenda and will demand sympathetic people are used on these platforms and it wouldnt suprise me if Media House even pay the fees of some of their tangerine pals!!) this coupled with the good old commercial opportunity of snaring the great unwashed majority in Scotland into paying their subsciptions if they are not having to spend their money on getting home from Chadderton.( I mean if Sir Minty can trouser millions from them then why shouldnt Setanta?)
I dont agree with you on John Hartson though mate.

Awe Naw

Easy.
Money.

They need Rangers fans to subscribe to make their Scottish venture viable. They need Celtic fhans too, but employing people like Rob Maclean means we'll always be subjected to comments such as Artur Boruc's making the sign of the cross being "a sinister gesture".

Rangers fans would never put up with that.

Well, to be fair, I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only Celtic fan to complain that day (Hibs away last season). Artur had expressed some disregard for the Hibs fans at the end, you may remember. When they went back to the studio Rob Maclean said: "This isn't the first time Artur Boruc has made sinister gestures towards opposition supporters."

Now, since then, Artur has made a few gestures of an impolite nature, but trust me, at the time of the comment, the previous controversy he had engendered had all been because of making the sign of the cross at Ibrox.

I complained to Setanta and asked them to clarify if making the sign of the cross was, in fact, what Maclean had in mind when he used the term 'sinister gestures'. I just got the usual generic automated 'we take all complaints seriously' response.

When that led to nothing, I complained to Ofcom, who wrote me a nice letter to say that, since Setanta are registered in Luxembourg, there was nothing Ofcom could do.

Basically, Setanta and Rob Maclean got away with that remark. Just like Jim White and Charlie Nicholas on Sky got away with their racist 'Tottie famine' jibes.

I wish Channel 67 would swallow up the broadcasting rights so that we need no longer be subjected to these anti-Catholic and anti-Irish attitudes that are so ingrained among the broadcast media in Scotland that no one bats an eyelid.

Have someone call a delusional chef a 'Hun' in the context of a satirical comedy show, however, and the earth moves.

Is there not a fair amount of anti-Celtic feeling in certain parts of the Irish media?

DBBIA,

Assuming you mean a radio rather than TV programme, check out the link below. Many radio programs can be downloaded as podcasts.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/podcasts/directory/

Surely the increase in domestic violence on December 27 can also be attributed to seasonal familial pressures?

Man utd v Porto. UEFA warm balls menthod does it again

Awe Naw... @ 10:53

Did you spot the obvious difference in the relative spokesman statements from the Hoops and the Orc's. Celtic's is a responsible all encompassing statement of the pre & post match violence while the Orc's is an all encompassing "Other factors" response. It's not our fault, it's they dasturdly Chelsea fans again.

A Celtic spokesman added: “At all times we encourage positive behaviour from our fans. Celtic takes its social responsibility very seriously and works tirelessly through a range of initiatives to challenge all forms of unacceptable conduct.”

A Rangers spokesman said: “We encourage sporting behaviour and do not condone any form of violent or anti-social behaviour. We also support the police view that the actions of people causing trouble well away from matches is influenced by other factors.”

MWDnotsurprisedatall.CSC

The article on violence is very careful not to point fingers at the disappointed ones on Sunday. However one wee quote from the police spokesman tells you all you need to know

"He added: “Why would anyone hit their partner because a result did not go their way?"

....unless,of course, Celtic fans were distraught that it was only 2-0

Villarreal v Arsenal
Manchester United v FC Porto
Liverpool v Chelsea
Barcelona v Bayern Munich

Manchester United/FC Porto v Villarreal/Arsenal
Barcelona/Bayern Munich v Liverpool/Chelsea

Gordon J -what am I downloading my wireless programme onto? One of those wee memory gadgets?

Ideally I'd want to be able to listen to it in the car, or the shed ;~)

Dontbrattbackinanger

There are a few programs available on the internet that allows you to copy stuff from the BBC iplayer and other video sharing sites. Not sure how legal any of them are but a google search of rip iplayer will give you a good start.

Hail Hail

Mort

Gordon_J

Man U v Chelsea again in the final then.

Mort

DBBIA,

The download would be an MP3 file, which you could then burn onto a CD. That could then be copied onto a C60, which I think is what we used to call an "audio casette".

Celtic_First, Now today tomorrow and always

I dont find it too smart by Setanta. Their priorities right now is the "home" market, their problems have been well advertised and I can understand why they should want to target those viewers.

Legally guys like me shouldn´t be watching ...but they are and I would suggest in their thousands. I would also suggest that those that they are pandering too do not have such a large global audience and what they are doing is alienating a larger global audience. Not a good strategy considering they seem to be losing an audience that they are trying to pander too.

I think they missed the boat. It should be more high brow and less acquiescent towards the hoardes. I find it amazing having watched scotsports coverage of the SPL for three years that they should decide to copy it. It´s appalling!

on BBJ what he says on Setanta and what his ghost writers write for him in his name for the Sun are two completely different animals. In the run up to the last league Glasgow Derby. BBJ absolutely hammered Boruc joined in with the media frenzy , slaughtered WGS if he even considered picking and that he got it wrong with Artur and that he must be dropped immediately in that same week their was two days worth of articles extolling the virtues of John Fleck and what a serious player he was and was going to be a big big name in the game. Sorry but I stand by my media tart assertion on BBJ he´s worse than Craig Burley. Does he really need the money ? No does he believe what´s been written in his name ? obviously not. Should it be dismissed because its the Sun ? Not by me

HAil HAil

Mort,

Might be. Barce v Bayern could be the tie to watch. Both teams score a lot of goals but lose a few too.

Mort March 20, 2009 11:17 AM

another Chelsea v Man U final and all English clubs going through to te semi finals. Another year of that and the CL will be revamped.

fingerscrossedCSC

I think it could be man utd v barcelona final but here's hoping the Gooners can overcome all.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMI-FINAL DRAW:

Manchester United/FC Porto v Villarreal/Arsenal
Barcelona/Bayern Munich v Liverpool/Chelsea

Great draws for Man U me thinks!

BBC Scotland has been cleared by telly watchdogs over a bigotry row — after a Rab C Nesbitt character called Rangers fans “huns”.

Furious Gers supporters complained to Ofcom after the phrase was used to refer to celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay — briefly on the Ibrox club’s books.

The watchdog investigated the Christmas Eve episode of the hit comedy — starring Gregor Fisher as boozy Glaswegian Rab and said it didn’t breach any of its rules.

But last night the Rangers Supporters’ Trust accused the TV regulator of “double standards”, and said Gers fans were being treated as “second class citizens”.

Spokesman Stephen Smith said: “As far as the vast majority of Rangers fans are concerned, ‘hun’ is a grossly offensive term.

“The BBC’s cop-out is just another indication that Rangers supporters are seen as second class citizens.

“I wonder what would happen if Rab C Nesbitt referred to a Celtic-supporting celebrity as a ‘fenian’?”

The Christmas special was Rab C’s first appearance on screens in ten years. BBC chiefs defended the episode after it was criticised at the time. And actress Elaine C Smith — who plays Rab’s long-suffering wife Mary Doll — claimed critics were overreacting.

And she also revealed the show’s creator Ian Pattison was a Gers supporter.

She said: “The complaints were about a gag written by a lifelong Rangers fan. To all sides of this ridiculous divide, I say grow up.”

The episode was also the subject of a string of complaints over “excessive” swearing and references to child sex abuse.

But BBC Scotland last night said: “Rab C Nesbitt is a comedy programme in which the characters are well-known for their tongue-in-cheek remarks.”

Cadizzy

I noticed that too. I couldn't help but think of a certain Mr Waddell, captured on film having a wee chuckle at the thought of Rangers meaning so much to its supporters that, if Rangers lose, "they go home and hit their wives or girlfriends".

The irony of Rangers fans then accusing Jock Stein of doing too little to address the abusive behaviour at Celtic Boys Club of one person is astounding.

One instance of abuse of any kind is one too many and I am wary of appearing to belittle the problems or 'make capital' from them at Rangers' expense. Nothing could be further from my intentions, having seen some of the effects of domestic abuse in my own wider family as I'm sure many of us have.

After completing their Champiyawns League games, Chelpool and Liversea will have played each other 32 times in 5 seasons.

Market saturation?

Celtic_First,

I remember years ago being in shock when a woman friendly with my maw we met in the street was sporting a black eye.

"This is always what happens to me Mrs. Awe Naw when the Rangers get beat"

"well thank god he doesn´t support Partick Mrs black eye"

careinthecommunityCSC

TootingTim

Astonishing.

Mort

.

Paddy Power....

Champions League 2008/2009

Manchester United 2 - 1
Barcelona 11 - 4
Liverpool 13 - 2
Arsenal 15 - 2
Chelsea 13 - 2
Villareal 25 - 1
Bayern Munich 16 - 1
Porto 40 - 1

Each Way Odds 1/3 places 1,2

Gordon_J

You've just jinxed em. both games will be 0-0 and tie decided on pens :-)

Mort

001 Bhoy

Bayern Munich would be a good bet in that market.

Mort

GordonJ, Mort- cheers. Don't hold your breath for a successful conclusion modern technophobias is rubbish.

Anyways, thanks to Spotify I now am listening to 'Boots, Buckles and Spurs-50 Songs celebrating 50 Years of Cowboy Tradition' which is clearly a good thing; but apparently these kind of websites are not good for the survival of independent record shops, which is clearly a bad thing.

Armed guards for Artur?
http://www.keep-the-faith.net/news.htm

Lads can anyone help me settle a bet. When did the term hun first attach itself to Rangers Supporters and what caused it.

Awe Naw

In the late seventies, I got a job washing dishes in an Ayrshire hotel. I was rubbish at it, but that's beside the point.

A lassie of 16 that worked with me started crying, in contrast to my leaping around, when word came through that Celtic had beaten Rangers 3-1. This was when games kicked off at 3.00 on a Saturday. Tommy Burns was one of the scorers.

She said: "That's it, I'm going to get a doing when he gets back." Aged 16? I mean, I realise that meant she could have been married, but she definitely wasn't. She was just going out with some guy.

I didn't have the social skills to talk to her about it. I'm not entirely sure I'd know what to say now.

Awe Naw @ 10:53

It would be interesting to see these figures for the game they won, I would be surprised if the domestic abuse spiked at all.

Might be worth investigating if someone can get access to the figures, might help prove the point that most of us already know, the majority of these incidents happen when Rangers don't win.

bjmac

Awe naw,

I always thought that Setanta were the business side of the company and contracted the programme making out to production companies, like Wark-Clements, for example.

Perhaps someone will know for certain if this is the case.

Nevertheless, they appear to be going down the tabloid route of not alienating the WAG beating hordes.

Incidentally, I was on to them this morning to change my credit card details and after informing them that I was not too happy with the extra channels, i.e., golf, horse racing, cricket and the EPL, they reduced my subs by half.

Fine company they are.

Awe_Naw_No_Annoni_Oan_Anaw_Noo: Full title because your post deserves the attention: and 'SILENCE IS NOT A CURE'

In response to your earlier post of March 20, 2009 10:53 AM:

Drink or more specifically, alcohol, itself, is a poor excuse for the shameful demographic behaviour of a collective; - THEM - a race above…? so they claim.

Alcohol is not the problem… mind sets are. What role, if any, do the elected authorities realy play?

Some ‘people’ just cant take a beating. How sad are they!

Beat you to it...

Most ‘Sad’.

Corkcelt- this gets discussed every so often on here. After WW1 the term 'Hun' was a fairly generic term of abuse in Scottish [?British]football, so supporters of any club could be called Huns, including the famous Glasgow Celtic.

corkcelt

Apparently the term 'hun' originates from 1969 when Rangers played Newcastle. Such was the behaviour of the Rangers fans, the local paper referred to them as 'marauding huns from across the border' the following day.

When have we ever seen Rangers fans act like this before?

Would really love a copy of that newspaper if it exists.

Mort

.

Mort....

Yes they Could be an Unknown....Since That Semi=Final in Petersburgh....

The Uefa Cup....is Also Wide Open PSG @ 8/1 Embdy....Quote...."I Would Love it Absolutely Love it if They Won"....UnQuote....

001PLGCSC