Bored by the board

Podium??

From previous…

On the question of sponsorship (aka walking with the devil), does anyone know what became of Rogue Leader’s Petition from 19 January. Was it blanked or was it possibly even considered. Any info Paul?

?

in there

1st

zing!

Hail Hail

woo hoo, my first first in a while.

4th do better next time

Can Celtic’s new Queen Bhoys work A Kind Of Magic whilst Under Pressure and give the faithful the opportunity to sing We Are The Champions in May?

Afternoon CQN’ers,

Is the Celtic game being televised?

Hx2

Who is going to CP tomorrow to see the start of The Mowbray revolution proper?

Celtic 7 Hearts 1

Paul

With all this 'expertsise' on the board, don't you think we should have secured a better sponsorship deal than we did?

I wonder if Rangers will manage to pull off yet another shock win after being outfought and outshot by St Mirren once again in the replay?

Any predictions for the Scottish Cup draw?...

I’ll go for:
Hibs v Celtic
Rangers v Ross County

And I still don’t think Rangers will be allowed to drop enough points to throw away the SPL Title, but they will be bricking themselves right to the wire!

…Or maybe The Miracle can actually happen. After all “these things” even themselves out over the season, don’t they?

Don't know any of the odds but it looks like we're betting on the favourites this time and most of the good stuff has been snatched.

I'll go for Fulham at home to Burnley.

Final coupon for midweek matches -

JB - St Mirren
PFA - Swindon
TNT - Cardiff
GL2 - West Brom
TTT - Newcastle
BT - Leicester
EN - Man City
CSIAL - Fulham

Paul,

There is always talk of the great business expertise we gain when a new board member is appointed,

But do they see themselves as bringing that to the table, or are they simply fans delighted to be in a position of power within their club? Do they get involved at all in the areas where they hold expertise and experience?

luckybhoy - it hit the mark ultimately however it was basically too late for anything to be done about it this time around.

Rest assured though they are fully aware of the thoughts and feelings of us on this matter and I hope the same mistake is not repeated in a couple of years once we start looking to renegotiate the shirt deal.

Apologies for this repost, i notice when another articles put up everyone clears off on to that one. So as not to deprieve you of your fun...

Moonbeams, you say during my last visit, on the afternoon of the Killie game, you were "Urinating yourself laughing". I am glad to have brought you such amusement. I must also thank your team for give me a chortle or a 1000 later than evening, when by which time I'm assuming you're laughter had come to an abrupt end??

I can understand that whilst the reality of your position in the league table (10 point gap, goal difference half that of the The Champions, Hibs threatening to leag-frog you) is best ignored by many of you, you are overdosing on the fantasy of and speculation regarding our future. I'm sure we'd do the same if the shoe was on the other foot.

Indeed, it was. In the 90s. And we all know what happened there, things changed and you came back stronger, resurgent and ultimately successful from the ashes of abject failure.

I won't join you in the crystal ball gazing, but will make our one observation.

We are in the midst of our financial dire straits now, no signings in 2 years, Management team working without contracts, squad severly trimmed etc. Yet we are Reigning Champions, 2 in a Row winners Elect, Cup holders two years running. So I look forward to when it is our turn to become stronger and more resurgent, and on top of this current success, who know's what we can achieve.
:)

I appreciate the ability of most posters on this site to argue fairly and without resorting to childish insults and offensive language. It's certainly more fun that way.

Luckybhoy, that is the acid test.

The executive team delivered as good a deal as they could get, which was no better than what the other lot got. Fair enough, so, on this important measure, all that expertise looks to be of very marginal value.

I was so busy messing about with the Link Creator and italic formatting that I completely missed the gun!

luckybhoy

I forwarded the petition to a number of people at Celtic and only Gregor Kyle from Channel67 came back. He said he had received a number of emails from supporters expressing concerns about the joint sponsorship and said he would pass it up the line to those who dealt with such issues.

I assume the board took our comments on board and decided, who cares, we're doing it our way.

It galls me to say that I hope to see a huge decrease in the number of new Celtic shirts bought next season when Tennents is on it. If there are very few bought, hopefully the board listen to supporters in the future.

Mort

RogueLeader

Cheers. Thanks and well done again, just too late...but if we have delivered a telling message, then it was all worth it.

Weeminger

Jist before I go.....

7 million shirts?

My erse.

300 million quid + on shirt sales!

My erse is expanding.

hail hail

Ersetadio

coorslad ha ha

Hx2

Paul67 - okay, thanks for the response. Still very disappointing, I now have to rely on my replica 67 kit for the next 3 years - it's about time I purchased a new one ; ).

CLICK THE SPANNER

Mort

Cheers (not to a pint of Tennent's). I'd rather hope that RL's assumption that the petition came just a little too late rings true - or is that just being fanciful?

The huns board that left them in millions of debt,could still manage to match our in your words "experts" in getting the same deal..
not at all impressed..

luckybhoy - "I'd rather hope that RL's assumption that the petition came just a little too late rings true - or is that just being fanciful?"

It wasn't an assumption.....

super_sammy on February 9, 2010 12:10 PM

Its very easy, the team with the most money wins.

Until recently,your team put out the most expensive 11 in the league.Thats now over not only in the short term but also for the forseable future.

Your dark days have only just begun.

VMHAN,
Slowing up,resting for tomorrow..you enjoyed that "champion"...

.

Seems Like TwentyTen is The Year of The 'Bored Member'....

Tiger Woods....

Jonh Terry....

Shane Waren (Again)....

Letterman....

The Outrageous Fortuné....

Paul67

may be too late on the merchandise promotions. I personally know lots of bhoys who will not be spending their hard earned redies on the OLD FIRM T. Most seem serious although time will tell on that front. We'll see I suppose.

MWD

From the last thread

ANSWERS:

The token tim was closest on the Villa sales figure it's around 100k.

300 million people claim to be Man Utd fans worldwide, so 7 million shirts is a paltry 2.3%.

I think these two things are quite interesting. As an EPL team I'd have expected that Villa would be selling more shirts than that worldwide. Maybe more like 250k.

Also Man Utd are the kind of team that are popular with kids, who tend to go for successful teams perhaps before they start thinking about it more. I think this boosts the sales percentage a little. I'd imagine 1-1.5% is typical for a global fans/shirt sales statistic.

I said this was leading somewhere.

I think the board are fully aware that any boycott of merchandise on the back of the joint sponsorship deal is going to have a very limited impact. Certainly less than turning down the deal and going with a sole sponsor, or none at all

As I mentioned the other day, I think we're already missing our sales related bonuses on kit sales, so we won't lose out in that respect either.

I personally have absolutely no issues with the boycott at all, and this is not supposed to be some kind of dig at those making that stand. I'm just not certain it'll make any real difference, so they shouldn't be surprised if it doesn't get acknowledged by the board.

Aside from BigChipsUk's 7 1 mauling of Hearts
Anyone have any predictions?
I'll stick withmy earlier 2 1 scoreline and a 1 1 with the huns

Hail! Hail!

We own the faith!

Anyone going drinking tomorrow afternoon / evening before the game?

Roccobhoy is on a flight into Prestwick at 7.45am tomorrow morn!

All day drinking is an excellent option! :) Anyone care to join me?

Hail Hail

Roccobhoy

Oh sod it, sleep will just have to wait.

Forget all this Celtic supporter on the board nonsense. We are a PLC! As such they and the club have one objective and that is to maximise the return for the shareholders. The rest of us are just noise, cannon fodder and inconvenient truths.

Sad perhaps, but the truth nevertheless and one that if ignored would see the members kicked out on their jacksies.

The inconvenient truth mind you had to be faced up to this window because people with more vision and soul than I did, actually gave up their tickets, stopped buying merchandise and made it clear that that the sales graph was all downhill.

Losing the league again would have meant nothing if the money had kept rolling in and nothing would have changed.

Income and reputations suddenly became paramount.

That is the stark reality, and it is the rebels who could see again that ongoing support was counterproductive to Celtic that actually created the change in attitude.

Supporting this board is admirable if you are a shareholder.

If you want to see a club achieve the aspirations of the support, backing this board is akin to relinquishing the whole concept of 'more than a club'.

Hail hail

Estadio

Estadio@12.12 - if you're still here thisis my source.

Very interesting article Paul67. Because of the supporters we have overseas (competing with Man Utd maybe) we should be constantly growing but we are not. Instead we are being too safe and too dedicated to the Old Firm labelling. A label which needs to be removed first before we can grow. The board members need to realise that a strategy doesn't necessarily mean throwing loads of money at things and hoping something sticks. A sensible strategy where we can benefit from the supporters throughout the world. Channel67 is a good start but with someone with an open mind the possibilities are endless.

as much as i like my ice cold beer, seeing the name on the mhankies shirt will make it taste bitter, not looking forwards to that.
we should gone our own way.

Buy iT if you want to. Don't if you don't. I won't.

If I do decide to buy another Celtic shirt in the next year or two (over and above the four I already have!) it will be of the sponsor free variety, as not only do I dislike being linked with them, but I also disagree with advertising alcohol, gambling or smoking related brands.

Weeminger

fair comment on your % sales at end of last article but I'll make my personal protest none the less. I have decide to stop purchasing everything other than tickets from now on in. That includes Shirts, Programmes, Celtic Views, balls, calendars etc.

just imagine the amount of money they'll lose in pie sales every other week due to me stopping buying them. That alone might bring them down :-)

MWD

weeminger, Celtic is one of Nike's top selling replica shirts worldwide. Im sure they would less than happy to see a boycott of merchandise by us as a result of the myopic Tennents deal

Paul67, I cant help but feel that John Reid talks a good game on the rare occasions he talks. The Tennents deal has done more damge than good, a shockingly poor decision by our "heavyweight" board

I've had two reasonable sounding 'tips' today and therefore pass them on in the spirit intended;

Sedgefield, 14:10 Pendragon 5/2
Southwell, 15:50 Harlech Castle 7/4

Given that both nags have Welsh names at least my missus is happy with today's hospital passes!

Hail! Hail! and Tally Ho...

BigChipsUK:

County would really make der hun struggle. I watch them most weeks (a lot more local to me than the Celts) and they are a very good unit. Gardyne (formerly of us) is a fantastic player and if County don't go up this season, I could see the likes of Dundee Utd/Hibs/etc moving for him. Derek Adams' squad isn't huge, but there is real quality in the ranks. If the draw were at Victoria Park, I'd fancy County to win it by two.

weeminger, and again, I disagree, but will we ever find out to what extent ??

Seriously mate, no-one knows how much merch' sales will be down, but it is my opinion that they will be down. How many people on here have said they wont be buying. I've not read all the post recently, but I'd reckon about 100, just on here, no ?

pablophanque

nolongeraconsumerforcsc

Every time I read about boycotts of any merchandise with Tennents on it I shake my head in wonder.

Buy a shirt with no sponsors logo on it!

My home and bumblebee strips have no logo on them and look much better without Carling emblazoned on them.

Support your club and boycott Tennents if you must, I bet most of those advocating this still drink Tennents lager in the pub!

No sponsors logo on your shirt is the best solution, simples......

Hail Hail!

RobinBhoy

weeminger

As a matter of interest do you know how many replica shirts we sell in a year?

UTLR
if you are about how about a nice big banner for next match with an upside down red T on it with this kinda thing round it and DISHWATER along the bottom, see how tennents like that free advertising at each match....

NO2OF

It is true that Rangers don't get enough recognition for their achievements this season.

Given their desire to be British and play in a British environment, their establishment of new British records also haven't had the recognition they deserve.

First British club to lose all three Champions league group matches.

Lowest Champions League group stage points tally of any British side.

Walter, Coisty, Boydy and Miller have a lot to be proud of - as Kenny was pointing out to the papers today.

luckybhoy

I'd say luckybhoy is correct that the petition came too late as it was only set up after the initial rumours came out that a joint deal with tennents was in the offing and I wouldn't be surprised if it was all agreed a while ago.

Hopefully they take on board our objections for the next time.

Mort

col_p, there is no way they will make Rearrangers play away in the next round of the cup, so wee Ross won't have home advantage.

Mind you, if the balance of the Rearrangers replay is similar to the first game, but the most attacking team wins this time, would you expect County to beat St Mirren?

Perhaps we can look forward to a Celtic v Ross County final...

Weeminger/anyone

As per earlier comments is there anywhere that has statistics on the total number of "official" shirt sales per year for the EPL/SPL clubs..??

Your info that Villa sold approx. 100,000 shirts - did this come from figures released by the club/shirt maker, or from somewhere in cyberspace..??

Hail, hail
LB

Before Fergus we lacked business expertise on the board. Now we just have businessmen - plus a discredited politician.

So it's not surprising that this board thinks only of "the business": "growing the brand" and increasing sales of merchandise and tickets. But, as Paul righly says, they have not even been very successful businessmen as far as the shirt sponsorship deal is concerned.

As well as a business strategy, we need a football strategy. For that we need someone on the board who actually knows something about the game.

The scrapping of the reserve league - as a result of the beggars being skint - shows how our club merely reacts to events rather than being pro-active. We should have withdrawn from the reserve league years ago. We should be setting up an Under-21 youth league in Europe. We should be pursuing a strategy of getting Celtic out of the SPL, not waiting and hoping that the "Old Firm" will get an invitation from somewhere.

Anyone requiring a ticket for tomorrow night,i have adult and child together,or can be used as singles..

Weeminger

No problem with your source.

I will check out the 300 million + figure in the Man U accounts.

Two years and that covers all their debts.

Now I may be stupit, but I'm no' daft!

I will retain my scepticism.

How come in all my travels I have seen more Chelsea/Barca/Arsenal/Newcastle shirts than Man U?

hail hail

Estadio

If you are on Facebook you might want to join this group
Pay Your Debt R*nagers

Hola
Paul67
I do not believe for one minuite the board have done enough to secure a shirt deal without the hun.
Fact is we have The Captain of China playing for us,and he does get a run out,not like the DuWi chappie.We also have a superstar in the making in KI.
These avenues,had they been explored IMO we would have come up with something better than the pathetic deal we have struck with Ts.
I also think the Guinness brand could have been explored.
Conclusion...the board totally lack the B*lls or desire for any change.Hang their heads in shame.
Hail Hail
KTF

Victory in Europe range added to the WeKnowSFA shop.

http://weknowsfa.spreadshirt.co.uk/-I11070160

We had over a 1000 hits from Denmark yesterday due to the Ra Ra Rasmussen story making the Danish papers.

Red Radmussen t-shirts also added after demands.

http://weknowsfa.spreadshirt.co.uk/rasmussen-I11025855

super_sammy at 12.10

I think both teams will drop points on the run in to the title, however wins it we will see in may.hopefully not LLOYDS football club

Paul67,
Very good post.

The Tennents deal highlights exactly where we are at the moment.

We are a bit like Skippy was under WGS. Quite happy to trundle along knowing that 90 mins was in the bag.

We need to make some big decisions. Lets throw of the blinkers and reach out to all corners of the globe with our fantastic brand.

Lets show every Celtic game live on CH67 world-wide and collect all the money for ourselves. Lets evolve the shirt sponsors so that individual players can be sponsored by certain businesses whilst the rest of the team wear our main one.

Actually I dont even know if any of that's allowed, but you get the idea.

Paul67, what gauls me the most is the number of companies represented by our board and major shareholders and not one of these companies has come forward to sponsor our shirts. so instead what we get is the parochial continuum of west central scotland thinking and abhorent morally repugnant deals with Rioters FC.

this proves to me we are a small company and should get rid of the extra baggage of gravy train board members.

or am I missing something? what has become of our brilliant young commercial whizkid who promised global domination of our brand? Has he been headhunted by Tennents?! :-)

DubCentral, could you contact the danish paper to tell them that ra Ra Rasmussen comes from Boney M? and also tell them estadio's story about the american media? its a belter :-)

I was in Madrid recently and the hoops were prominently on display in a few shops - alongside Real, Atletico, Barca, Chelsea and ManU. Of these, only the Celtic tops were sponsor-less.

Does Spain have a similar alcohol ban to France or is it simply a case that the official Celtic tops sold oversees are always the sponsorless variety?

Lazybhoy@12.37 - Villa shirt sales are from quotes from their merchandising chief in this article

BigChipsUK:

I'd expect County to beat St. Mirren (although, that may be my Staggies-tinted shades on). My brother, a die-hard, was telling me they haven't played away from home yet in the Cup, but they do travel well. The style of footie they're playing just now would be a test to any SPL team. Virtually every player is in his early twenties, ex-SPL strikers up front, who link well and they truly play as a unit. They only have a squad of 16, but a strong youth set-up sits directly below (the academy is considered second only to Lennoxtown and is the producer of two youths, who have since went on to Liverpool for 6 figure sums each). I'm a born and bred Celt, but County sits second in my heart, as they've risen from the Highland League team I used to watch, to a really nice little set-up, who can hold their own against most teams.

Paul67 - You may be alluding to this with your comment about "small-league limitations". I don't think there's much the Celtic board can do to transform the club's business operations while we are still in the SPL. The real money is in TV rights and advertising/sponsorship, and the SPL has too narrow an appeal to be attractive to the big spenders.

How many more shirts, DVD, and tickets can the club sell? There's not an unlimited market for Celtic. There are only so many Celtic-branded alarm clocks, car stickers, and soap-on-a-ropes that people will be willing to buy. The biggest challenge in the current climate is holding onto the season ticket holders we have. (thumbsup)

PS - I think we should sell these:

http://www.sourcingcity.co.uk/ProdImages/6eecc957-d7ce-4d81-9b77-786bb2d6e7e2/fh10002-lg-sm.jpg

mountain_bhoy - Paul67, what gauls me the most is the number of companies represented by our board and major shareholders and not one of these companies has come forward to sponsor our shirts.

Well, Asterix, which ones would you suggest should come forward to sponsor Celtic? (thumbsup)

Barack Obama

Dont recall you giving tips on here before so I'll have a go! Nice wee double if it pulls...cheers..and gl

Lubomiraculous - Before Fergus we lacked business expertise on the board. Now we just have businessmen - plus a discredited politician.

A discredited politician? Is there any other kind?

PS - I thought we had two. (thumbsup)

RobinBhoy I agree.
Not only that but the carling logo fades and peels after a few washes. The sponsorless bumblebee top I got also matches my 1 yr old son's as they aren't allowed alcohol logos.
And yet another reason is it won't look out of date next season!
Sponsorless tops all the way for me n ma boy.

pablophanque@12.31 - what I'm coming round to in my own mealy mouthed way is saying that anybody is thinking of making this protest, they definitely need to do it, and it's going to take a concerted effort to ensure that enough people do it for it to have an impact.

super_sammy - I [...] join [...] in [...] ball gazing.

Naughty missus. (thumbsup)

THE EXILED TIM @ 12:40 PM
I also think the Guinness brand could have been explored.

The Guinness brand has as illustrious an employment history as Tennent's.

.

15pts Dropped Out of 33pts....Looking at the Goalscorers....

Looks Like a Job for Ra Ra Man

and Loovens....

NEXT MATCH: Hearts (H) Wednesday - 7.45pm
Since 2005/06: Matches at home V Hearts
Celtic Wins 5
Hearts Wins 3
Draws 3
Celtic 16 Goals
Hearts 10 Goals
Top scorer at home V Hearts: 3 players on 2
Top scorer home + away since 05/06: McManus, Hesselink 4
Top Hearts scorer V Celtic since 05/06: Velicka 4

The Outrageous Fortuné....

Estadio
Forget all this Celtic supporter on the board nonsense. We are a PLC! As such they and the club have one objective and that is to maximise the return for the shareholders. The rest of us are just noise, cannon fodder and inconvenient truths.

I was not aware that Celtic have paid any dividend for ordinary shares at all. Indeed I recall that they warned investors there would be no dividend.

Minimising a return surely.

Super _Sam - interesting post!

I understand why you would assert that you are about to move into a position of strength again. Unfortunately for you, I think your analysis limited and missing significant issues.

RFC have been sustained by bank borrowings over the last 15 years. In times of plenty this worked a treat and the success that came with that.

Today's position is rather more difficult for a club like Rangers. While you may be really on your uppers today, the fact is that your current first team pool cost in excess of £20M and that accounts for the youth players now in there!

If you review the balance sheet of RFC over the last 30 years you will find that its expenditure is in excess of its income. That means that any buyer must be prepared to sustain heavy losses with the only high point being the occasional small profit.

There are many troubling questions for Rangers - what is the actual debt attributable to the club - £31M? £80M? more? less?. No one knows seemingly which is rather odd wouldn't you say? The fact is that RFC are inextricably linked with MIM. The assets of RFC are part of the overall MIM balance sheet and any sale of RFC would have a calamitous impact on the financial health (as it is!) of MIM (£100M valuation of Ibrox). The £50M share that SDM "underwrote" is also sloshing around MIM somewhere. Given that MIM are £800M in hawk to the bank its really there you should be looking.

More interestingly, given that the quoted debt is currently £31M (and I am sure it must be less than this given income this season) why has no one bought this great institution? Lloyds wont sell for less than this as RFC are a going concern with a regular income stream and healthy assets which could be sold. Prospective buyers must be aware of the money pit that is RFC and want to buy the club on the cheap hence the alleged £18M bid - so that they have some spare capital to cover their inevitable losses.

The real question is what does the future hold? Will the bears still go to Ibrox to see their youth team in action with other stellar Scottish journey man to keep them company - Kirk Broadfoot anyone?

The RFC paradigm has been broken and yes you may get success this season. Next season and beyond looks troubling a best and your deepest wildest nightmare at worst. Finally do you really think that Smith is making all these doom laden statements just to drum up some interest in RFC - did you consider that he might actually be telling the truth?

RogueLeader on February 9, 2010 12:18 PM

Apologies - wrongly worded.

the long wait is over@12.33 - no, I couldn't find any reputable figures.

That's why I thought I'd look at Man Utd, since they're generally thought of as being the most widely supported/recognised worldwide. It was while looking for them that I came across that Villa figure.

If you'd asked me yesterday how any shirts we sell worldwide I'd have considered a figure of maybe 1m or high hundred thousands.

Now I'm not so sure. Probably 500k shirts would be on the high side.

luckybhoy on February 9, 2010 12:54 PM
RogueLeader on February 9, 2010 12:18 PM

Apologies - wrongly worded.

.....should have read asserted.

A wee question to anybody who knows..

is it a 50/50 split with the shirt sponsor money?

MG

By lucky number 7 on February 9, 2010 12:33 PM

UTLR
if you are about how about a nice big banner for next match with an upside down red T on it with this kinda thing round it and DISHWATER along the bottom, see how tennents like that free advertising at each match....

What a good way to get the message to the board.

Do you think the Green Brigade would be able to organise before teh game against the orcs on the 28th.

I'd quite happily donate money to help produce it.

Hail Hail

Afternoon Bhoys
During my usual lunchtime surf of football cyber space I came across this headline & for a millisecond thought Sky had got wind of an exclusive - not that it's not likely bearing in mind events over Ipox way at the moment..!!

Smith set to leave Rangers

Smith set to quit Rangers
Defender wants to leave with Treble success

Rangers defender Steven Smith is ready to quit Ibrox at the end of the season due to a lack of first-team football.

The 24-year-old has been offered a one-year contract extension but is frustrated by his limited opportunities with the Scottish champions.

Rangers have named Smith in their first XI in the last two matches due to the injury-enforced absence of Sasa Papac, however, the first-choice left-back is set to return for Wednesday's trip to Motherwell.

Smith is therefore expected to drop to the bench and he is also ready to snub a new deal and possible pay rise in order to move elsewhere in the summer.

He told the Daily Record: "The club have offered me a year's extension but Walter Smith knows what my answer will be and it has nothing to do with money.

Difficult

"It's because I want to play. In an ideal world, I want to stay at Rangers but playing nine or 10 games a season won't help my career.

"I wasn't disappointed with the offer. In fact, I was surprised they offered me anything at all.

"It will be difficult to move on. But I need to be playing every week."

Smith confesses that the success of Rangers is a reason to stay but he is ready to move and wants to leave after winning the domestic Treble.

"There's a temptation to stay for another year. Will I end up anywhere like this, where I'm playing at Hampden and going for titles? That's the stuff that makes you want to stay," he added.

"But it looks like I'll be moving and the Treble will be the perfect way to end it."
________________________________

I wonder just how much of a pay rise Smith was offered - if any..??

Hail, hail
LB

nice ideas about the banner but I would be astonished if this was allowed into the ground, and even if it was I don't think it would get staying up too long.

To be honest, Tennents haven't done anything wrong and I don't think we need to be protesting against them. Protest against the board and refuse to purchase any merchandise as it is the board who have got us into this situation, not Tennents.

Hail Hail

Mort

Could our new board member not have got a sponsorship deal through his company?

Celtic by Ralph Lauren. I like the sound of that. Stylish hoops with maybe just a subtle pinstripe. And the wee horsey in the middle.

But not a white horsey of course!

Mort - "To be honest, Tennents haven't done anything wrong "

Indeed. They've offered Celtic large sums of money, and want their brand to be associated with Celtic. That doesn't make them the bad guys in my book either. (thumbsup)

Gordon_J - Could our new board member not have got a sponsorship deal through his company?

No doubt the huns would retaliate by releasing a "Rangers by Primark" shirt. It would be like their regular shirt, but higher quality. (thumbsup)

Gordon_J on February 9, 2010 1:00 PM

You would of course prefer a black horsey... ; )

I do not think a boycott is a good idea. Generally speaking it is a good idea to boycott companies or Countries you don't like. It's a bad idea to try and change those you love through hurting them.

At this point in time no-one will know whether there has been reduced sales due to the recession or due to a boycott. There is no clear signal between your cause and action.

Thus if you want to send Celtic a clear signal and help them-- then do what I and many others have done. Buy the non-sponsored top direct from the club.

They'll get the message loud and clear.

Paul 67 good challenge I also do feel a heavy weight board should be fighting strong.

I have no idea why we do not challenge the system and push to finance buy a failing club like Portsmouth and merge it with Celtic. Then rename it and relocate its games to Celtic Park. I'm sure there would be noise and objection but truth is clubs are businesses more than football clubs. If Bosman the individual can shake the system surely our board can! We should take the heat and challenge the stupid nonesense that Celtic cannot play in England because we are a Scottish Club. Its a nonesense restriction in free trade.

By same token I have no objection to Rangers being bought, relocated and renamed!

Afternoon troops.

Good showing from the blog huns, Media House bashers and "crazies" over the last few days by the way. Keep it up - very readable (honest). A good representation of what we are up against, off the field of play.

Jeez, I hope there is still room for the repetitive, wrong and irrelevant,( like li'l ol me!)

Anyhoo- to Paul's point I'm not bored by the board, I'm dissappointed - the lesson of building from a position of strength has not been learned (which the fans in the stands will never understand why not). A much better performance by these apparently qualified individuals should have addressed this GOD opportunity.

Instead it remains a theoretical argument.

Of course the Board Report Card will be starred with successes, for which the fans unfailingly show their joy, gratitude and commercial support for, but while Poppygate, Hun Racism, and O.F. joint deals are being done with little or no evidence of empathy or communication then , in my opinion, most fans will continue to NOT raise a glass to the Board's health.

Cheers!

Bankiebhoy1

PS -a final shout-out to the Huns, you probably will win the League this year but you've been "helped" to it and as yer mammy didnae tell you, "cheats never prosper". Minty, Walt and Co will get theirs soon, we might just have to wait a wee while longer.

.

Strange But True....

The Orcs Haven't Won @ The Well....Since Paul Le Guen....

TOF

Malarkey - It's a bad idea to try and change those you love through hurting them.

Unless you're a parent. (thumbsup)

Guys, what's the drill with the sponsor-less jerseys? I didn't buy the home top the right at it's launch in '08 but maybe a month or so later. In the club store in East Kilbride they girl said they didn't have any, nor were they likely to get any more in and that I should have pre-ordered it.

So what gives? Are they limited edition? Or available in some club stores and not others?

This is a great point, on paper our Board blows 'them' away, but delivers nothing even marginally better. Mirrors the team and football budget in fact, and this is not because our team and budget is fantastic, it's becasue their's is awful. Who delivers the budget, manager and team? Who delivers the corporate income? Who is in charge of supporter/customer relations? Who still owes us a game on the season book despite having had Hearts in a home CIS cup tie following 5 Champions League priced games?

The Board is not just boring, it's bungling.

Joshsdad!
Think my logo for the banner is a bit better.

Get T f$%k

copyrite Wayne Biggins!!

Like it or lump it and I don't like it so I'm gonna have to lump it
When Celtic lift the league trophy next season after seeing off the challenge
From Hibs ;) the players will be wearing the Hoops and there, right bang in the centre
Will be a hideous big red T. :(
Smiley face for the title though!
2 I R :)

Hail! Hail!

KTF!
Believe!

CQN Coupon
Have split my stake and done the 7 teams for tonight on 1 line, and added Jobo's from tomorrow on the 2nd line.

31/1 and 75/1.

BlantyreKev - What happens to the 'owed' cup game on the season book if we don't get a home draw next round ?

Mr U
I ordered mine online no probs.

Mr Understanding

Order online then you get the choice, very limited in the Celtic shops.

RobinBhoy

By j77 on February 9, 2010 1:14 PM

online on the official celtic store???

Cheers j77

Simple answer really! D'oh!

Mr Understanding

You can get the sponsorless jerseys easiest from the club website. A couple of times I found they were not listed- but after a week or so they were back in stock.

You can also get them in Celtic stores and various shops (sometimes) but there is no clear pattern to where and when I can discern.

By Henriks Sombrero on February 9, 2010 1:14 PM

Expect a meaningless end of season friendly being hastily organised

Shane O'Doirebhoy

http://www.kitbag.com/stores/celtic/products/kit_selector.aspx?selector=238&nav=Replica

RobinBhoy

Thanks for the info gents – much appreciated.

weeminger on February 9, 2010 12:18 PM

wont really make a difference, buying sponsorless shirts would if enough people did it.
if tennants saw 30-40,000 shirts without their T on it they would have to rethink if it was worth it

Looking forward to tomorrow's 7-1 demolition of Hearts, Celtic have won 5 drawn 3 and lost 2 of the last 10 home SPL games against Hearts, and one of the two defeats was after Celtic had already secured the SPL Title in 2007.

Recent form is also tilted heavily in Celtic's favour with Hearts having won just 1 of their last 6 away games, scoring just 4 goals.

When Celtic lost the other one of those two (from the last ten) at Celtic Park against Hearts they (Celtic) were still vying with Rangers for the Title. The Celtic line-up that day was: Marshall, Varga, Henchoz, Balde, McNamara, Tompson, Petrov, Lennon, McGeady, Bellamy, Hartson. Hearts won 2-0!

celticfoo@1.25 - Tennents don't care about shirt sales. All that matters to them is the logo being on the tv whenever we get coverage.

The board won't care if whether people buy sponsor free shirts if they're still buying them.

Not buying the shirt at all is the only way forward.

Robin Bhoy

it's not so much the T with me it is more the association by the OLD FIRM tag. By not colluding with them in sponsorship the PLC would at least be making a positive statement to the fans. By skippy hand in hand with them says only one thing to me. THEY ARE HAPPY WITH THE OLD FIRM TAG! That being the case then literally we are one half of the OLD FIRM coin. It is now time to stand up and be counted. If I were to purchase my usual shirt and the usual home/away/3rd for my bhoy without the T (incedentally I have not purchased strips with the sponsors since Celtic offered us the option) the the PLC would not be affected anyway by by stand. I have 2 options.

1. Stop buuying tickets and merchandise. Punish myself and my team on the park by not offerring my support.

So keep shaking your head in wonder as it makes no difference to me.

MWD

2. Buy my tickets, suppport my team and refrain from buying merchandise to make my point. Maybe costing them between £200 and £500 per year depending on what other stuff I buy.

Option 2 for me.

Better than nothing.

MWD

Moonbeams wet dream on February 9, 2010 12:29 PM

“Not purchasing any merchandise”…. whit?

You never bought any, it was all gifts n stuff, I heard you have two birthdays a year depending on when the new shirts come out, like getting blood out a stone ….. ouch!

:¬)

Jamiebaby I’m up in Green oak tree territory next weekend, I’ll be in the Celtic club on Sat. evening if you’re around.

Hx2

what do you think banners, bans and boycotts of our own sponsors will mean when we're looking for a new deal when this one runs out? can't see people queueing up to sponsor us then, whether its a joint deal or we're going it alone.

DubCentral - i was enjoying reading your blog the last couple of weeks, but now on checking your merchandise page, i see you sell a wide range of products including orange rangers t-shirts etc etc. what is the story there? i understand you aren't a celtic specific site, but what is with catering for the huns? ('true blue' hoodies and 'the govan champions' among other phrases in use.....)

Not feeling confident about the game tomorrow. All I want to see is a bit of progress.

Better defending than against Kilmarnock.
Chances taken with a bit more confidence.
Mobility in getting from back to front more fluid and rapid.
Midfield able to pass the ball forward.

If we do improve the above we will win, if the fans get on the players backs after 25 minutes then we will lose.

Either way its going to be a bit tougher than Killie and the Pars.

super_sammy on February 9, 2010 12:10 PM

some very big differences that may stop the orc resurgence your hoping for:

Didnt have anywhere near the debt you have (and I would wager its larger than being told)

Who will be stupid enough to take over the debt etc? Dave King? More likely to be in jail!

We needed a new stadium which then allowed us to become more attractive to season book holders (went up from 8,000 to 50,000 I think)

Your stadium is built and you cant afford to expand it so no extra season tickets.

Although we had the shitey 10 year umbro deal we were always likely to improve our lot when it was time to get new shirt deal and improve merchandising(as has been proved with Nike deals)

You sold your soul to JJB for upfront money, so nae luck there either

TV deals with Sky were better/bigger at the time

Now these deals are rubbish to say the least, although BBC Orcland will help as much as they can there.

Share issues that allowed fans to buy into club and poured millions into the coffers

Loved the idea about 15,000 orc fans giving 1k each but can you really see it? really come on lol

Our team was pretty bad but we had some money to make squad better

oops something else you dont have on your side

Enjoy this season while it lasts you may not have much to smile about for quite a while

I'd like to buy the logoless shirt, but Celtic only sell the short-sleeved one and I get cold arms.

hothouseorchidscsc

BigChipsUK

Don't share your optimism.

Mowbray will play Brown and Mcgeady, have Rasmussen on the bench, and Hearts will leave with a point.

Weeminger, yep the media generally pick out the players shirts rather than the fans, that's all Tennants care about.
Any chance they'll 'do a carling' and make it a big GREEN T?
We'll be Tims, they'll be (as we say in the Manchester) Th'uns.

Thanks for all the support so far for the WeKnowSFA shop.

We have reduced all Men's Classic T-Shirt's to £12. *

http://weknowsfa.spreadshirt.co.uk/celtic-C140104

* all one colour prints!

MWD at 1.31
I'd go for option 2..

that would leave more beer tokens for us to cash in when you get back to work. ;0)

BT

too true.

MWD

Supporter on the board? So what.

He / she will be be a supporters' representative but he / she will not represent supporters.

Thems the rules.

Wayne Biggins

I'm the opposite. I have a strong feeling we'll do them by a good few. They are rank rotten and I suspect we'll run over the top of them. Based on what evidence from the hoops so far this season? None, to be honest! I still think we'll get it together tomorrow and send them back with a drubbing.

3-0 - 4-1 hoops.

HaHa! I'd forgotten about the 15,000 fans paying £1k to save the club.

Doesn't sound so easy when it's really 15,000 fans paying £5k (at least), does it?

MWD

Where you waiting for that one?

BT

it was all typed up and ready for the correct Nome de Blog. :o)

MWD

Paul, where do you think we are not developing the Celtic brand? Personally I feel that we may have reached close to saturation point and its a bit unfair to blame the board on the fact we play in Scotland with the limited resources it brings.

I agree re the shirt sponsorship though it would be interesting to see what offers were on the table to sponsor only us? Whether we like it or not, there will be a lot of corporates warned off from sponsoring only one side of the old firm as traditionally it has had the same sponsors. Of course this is strange as we have separate shirt makers etc but traditionally they have always had same deal (apart from McEwans obviously)

I think the big part of holding us, and the board back, is the success on the field. They can only do so much with transfer budgets, getting the right manager in etc etc. At 3pm on a Saturday they need to hand the control of their business over to 11 players and a manager.....

If Celtic won the league last year, and were winning it this year, there would be more commercial spin offs than we are maybe currently experiencing. That can't be blamed on the board - no matter what you say about last Jan, we should still have had the team in place that could win that league.

It's funny... dunno why... but I think Wednesday might just be a big night.

Hearts are in a bit of a mess. I think our players need a nice big pitch with a 'proper' smooth surface to work some more space. Some of the pitches we've played on have simply been a disgrace. So I think we might just turn it on.

Rangers have been playing dreadfully for a while now. Motherwell are on a bit of form. I also suspect any refereeing will be more impartial as they seem to believe the 'job' is done. Don't see them losing but I can definitely see a draw.

Or am I talking nonsense. Don't know why I have this confidence. Maybe, even though our manager has us playing some inexplicable tactics we actually have (to steal Mr Mowbray's phrase) 'quality' all over the park.... and I just see teams struggling to defend us out.

B

bobbycfc

lack of investment last january not spring to your mind.

not 100% guarenteed but a striker of just above average ability would have allowed us to win the league. What did we get?

No offence to Willo Flood as it was not his fault that we bought less than was required. I blame the PLC BOARD for that with a BIG FULLSTOP.

MWD

.

The Pub Here Stopped Selling Magners @ Christmas....

Everyday Since then I Have been Standing Outside the Window Giving The Owner The Vickies....Told Him A Wont be Back in....

The Pub Seems to Be Busier Since I Stopped Going in....Some of Ma Mates Say it's alot More Fun in There Now Aswell....

But I Won't Go Back....No Way....Gave Him The Vickies 12 Times Today....

It's the Point of the Thing....He Wont do as I Say....

TOF....

PS....Best Tan I've Had in Years Tho....

dubcentral.

If youre going to be using the site for nothing more than advertising your commercial website (especially when selling products for teams other than Celtic which is , of course , entirely your right)shouldnt you do the decent thing and take paid advertising space as others do?

Especially as recent weeks have shown Paul67 needs to upgrade the server etc.

Perhaps you do already Paul for your "advertising" posts..?

Thelongwait

Its a very strange argument that we should expect members of our board to organise sponsorship from there own outside business interests simply because they are members of our board.

These people are captains of industry based on making sound business decisions.Spending their companies money on inappropriate advertising does not seem like a sound decision.

I cant see how "Ralph Lauren" emblazed over the hoops would be of any interest to that particular brand, or indeed "Sandy Lane Hotel, Barbados"

Folks,
Just wondering how we could really show our displeasure at the T deal? Dump a couple of hundred of empty cans outside Cellic Park? Deliver a crate of urine to the board? Organise a mass urination at the steps of Cellic Park (the p*sh symbolises what Tennent's is). Set fire to the stage at T in the Park? Buy sponsorless jerseys and put the Harp Lager or Guinness symbol (although they're not really Irish!) on the jersey.

tnt,

7 teams!?!

Fine! If that's how we're playing it!

I shall now sit in a cream puff for the rest of the day only to emerge from it with a big beamer on my face when the 5th goal goes in tomorrow night in the 62min. Leaving more than enough time for another couple before the end.

;-)

Paul 67,

thats as good a header as you have ever posted.

My own disregard for the board member stems from their lack of action on every front, they want to give themselves a pat on the back for securing this sponsorship "during these difficult times", but what the point of having Business Men on the board if they cant influence or leverage their own contacts and previous business relationships.

I continually harp on about the two billionaire board members and for the life of me still cannot understand why they will not sponsor the jersey via one of their own multi-tiered companies.

For me its a win/win/win outcome for all concerned.

By the long wait is over on February 9, 2010 1:50 PM

100% agreed, dubcentral should pay for his spam.

Dub Central,

Do you pay Paul67 to advertise your wares on this site?

If not, why not?

It is one thing posting a link to another site, but to hijack another man's territory, which costs him money to provide, for your financial gain is not on.

If you have come to a financial arrangement with Paul, then disregard this post, if not, then beat it.

There is only one appointee to the board that I would get excited about...and that man is sitting on a beach in Bermuda with a wee bunnet on his head, and a wry smile on his face.

The legend.

celticfoo and others

I am going off line for a few hours.

I cannot understand why you keep up a dialogue with a Rangers supporter on our site.

Do you think for one minute that anything you say will register with him? Do you think that he will have a road to Damascus conversion and suddenly see the error of his ways. Do you think he will say ''Celticfoo, thank you for showing me through your well balanced and logical arguments where I am going wrong.''

These are people who hate people like us.

These are people who did not allow people like you to play for their club.

These are the people who let the orange bands march round Ibrox Park.

In recent years they may have put up a facade of decency but they still know what they are and I know what they are.

None of us should ever forget that.

Hope he's gone when I get back.

o'ceallaigh

saint stivs fp

I think Dermot Desmond is the only billionaire on the board unless brian Duffy is one too. I think Denis O'Brien is just a shareholder and he owns less than 3% of the club.

I do think that if it would be in their business interests to have one of their companies sponsoring celtic, they should do so but whether that would be the right thing for the companies shareholders is another matter.

Mort

Paul et al

I like to think this is my area, since I get paid a reasonable wedge down here in cityland to do waht I do, which is to monitor such moves as these in my own industry

You have hit the nail smack on my friend, Celtic Plc is now a real heavyweight beast, in any other industry when a Company puts together an executive team of this quality it gets noticed and it gets talked about, dont for a minute believe its any different for football and Celtic in particular

Compare the metal of the Plc board with those at Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester ( both clubs ) and god forbid the likes of Portsmouth and a year one finance junior can see that the Bhoys up north are streets ahead, in a league of their own you might say

Cast your mind back but a week or so, as deadwood was shifted and talent acquired, all on the back of groundwork done by the plc types, they are the men who talk turkey with advisors, managers and competitors alike, and save one, we acquired our targets

The quality of our board relates directly to the quality on the pitch, and most importantly its sustainability.

I couldnt care about their politics or their beliefs, I want a board i believe can deliver continual progress, and I believe we have just that

Changing leagues, getting hold of our TV rights etc etc takes time, dont believe for a minute it isnt happening, our Bhoys in the Bhoardroom are sharp cookies, they aint world class

they are Celtic class

Ming

Hola
Dubcentral
Been looking for an e-mail on your site to contact you,can't find one,any info please.
Hail Hail
KTF

Ghirls and Ghuys,

We have 3 years to get the money together to break the joint sponsorship nonsense.

If 50000 of us chip in £10 a year for 3 years that will give us £1.5m which beats the current deal.

That's correct, just £10 per year for 3 years. That must be do-able.

Anyone willing to pay up-front will get it for £29.

Think we'll beat the "beasts from the east" on Wednesday, but I've got a horrible feeling that the Kilmarnock game was a blunder too far. I can see us clawing back about 8 points on the huns and losing the league on goal difference. Hope I'm wrong though.

pflan76

Regarding the "wee man with the bunnet". He is still making an honest living

This is his company

http://www.limoliner.com/

saint stivs fp - The billionaire's you mentioned are more interested in Golf than Celtic unfortunately.

the long wait is overAuthor Profile Page on February 9, 2010 1:50 PM

Just read back and saw your post. If Dub Central doesn't have an arrangement with Paul, then I reckon he should be banned from the site, as what is to stop anyone abusing the blog for their own commercial gain?

Longwait.... You are correct I will contact Paul.

Exiled Tim - leave a message on the WeKnowSFA site I will be able to pick up your (hidden email) from there and contact you.

http://footballsfootball.com/WeknowSFA/about/

From the beginning of this season I've bought the sponsorless strips and will continue to do so.

But regarding the latest deal that, it would seem, the majority of the support are unhappy with, would buying the sponsorless strip solve the issue?

No big red T on the front of the strip is a bonus but if the strips are still flying out the club shops, sponsorless or not, would it have as big an effect on the board when the time for renewal rolls around again?

If the balance sheet is all that matters to them then surely they wont care whether it's sponsored or non-sponsored strips that are selling. Just so long as strips are selling. Would they then have to think twice about jumping on board with the huns again when that moment arrives in our future(s)?

ExiledBhoy,
Yeah, you da man! Celtic PLC Breakfast is for wimps!

By Estadio on February 9, 2010 12:28 PM

I agree.

Unfortunatley there is only one 'Mes Que Un Club'.

I don't see us putting Unicef (or SCIAF which I would like to see) on our shirts!

I wish I could share the confidence of some of you that we will blow Hearts away tomorrow night.

I understand they are mince and have an abysmal recent record. They are truly awful, but that didn't stop them beating us (ref assisted) at Swinecastle last time out, and it didn't stop them (mostly self-inflicted) knocking us out of the League Cup at Celtic Park.

Even when we beat them at the start of the season, it was only with a last-gasp winner.

What I'm expecting tomorrow night is a bizarre team selection, plenty of huffing and puffing, goal-line clearances and shots hitting every part of the Hearts keeper's anatomy, glaring misses, plenty of whingeing from the stands, eccentric refereeing, "robust" challenges from everyone in maroon, a defensive calamity or two from us, and maybe, just maybe a narrow win.

On paper we are miles better than any of the rest. Just a pity etc, etc...

BTM by all accounts inherited a nest of vipers at WBA and spent the best part of a season getting rid and assembling his own team. It really clicked for them in season 2. Part of me hopes that happens for us too, but I don't really think he will be allowed a second season here.

We can still win this league, because Rangers will drop plenty of points before May. Problem is, so will we.

Hi Fellow Celtic Fans!

Interesting debate on Sponsors Logo's and the dreaded 'OF' moniker.

I would 'Love it!' ( (c)Kevin Keegan ) if those nice folk at 'WeKnowSFA' could come up with a 'copycat' replacement logo for the front of my new Celtic shirt and made up in the new Tennents Style which says:

There's nOF in T!

Yours in Celtic,

TB&F.

oceallaigh on February 9, 2010 1:57 PM

Fair point to be honest

CSIAL,

Twisty is doing the 2 lines as Jobo's pick St Mirren are playing tomorrow night.
So its 7 tonight - including your selection - and 8 including Jobo's tomorrow pick.

Tut tut, big Sutty spitting the dummy oot :-)

HAIL! HAIL!
Token

This is a comment from a poster on the article about Aston Villa being sponsored by the children's charity.

"plz tell me u r jokig ffs ... i dnt know about ne1 else but er... i dnt reali like the idea of a childrens hospice sponsorg us !"

Looks like the poster is not much more than a child itself. This particular member of the text generation are missing more than just the ability to write complete words.

Maybe it's a thing peculiar to Foreign (and its Govan outpost) but I can't imagine a Barcelona fan writing

"jdr! pr favr dime q hbls en brma. no e me gst la dea q ns ptrocine una crdad pr ninos"

about the Unicef deal

dubcentral -- Fair dos.

Thomthethim -- see Dubcentrals post @ 202 pm - right after yours.

Thelongwait.

Re last post (haunting bugle music)

"are" should be "is". A singular mistake that won't happen again

the long wait is overAuthor Profile Page on February 9, 2010 2:13 PM

I caught it. However, I'm glad we brought it up.

TTT/tnt,

Whoops.

As Colonel Nathan R. Jessop would say, "Don't I feel like the ****ing *******."

Cyberpint for the movie. (Too easy really)

Afternoon Troops

Little bird tells me that "Will Jamie Run" is fancied to win the 3.25 at Fairyhouse
3/1 or thereabouts at present.

Bon chance mes amis,

another couple of things...

I'm not sure why some people think we will score a few goals against anyone at the moment. If we are to hit fluent form, I think being realistic the "team" needs a couple more games yet.

The thing we cant fight at the mo' is the snyde feeding frenzy of disharmony and "failure" being fomented by the press. This gives any team the scent of an "upset" against the Celts. forget Andy Driver or Concalves, we remain vulnerable to any First division hun ninja wannabe all over the park at the mo' never mind credible SPL threats.

(Re the Hearts game Im going for a nerrvy one-nil Celts win, with big Ra Ra accidently chesting the ba' over their line.)

Three points, Three cheers, Three non-Tennents beers.

Bankiebhoy1

anyone know of a bar showing the game tomorrow in the hammersmith/barnes area of london?

TTT

Ah wisnae gonnae explain tae the big eejit:-)

Think I'll go and dae anither line n' leave his oot anaw!

CSIAL - Jist means I'm collecting twice.........

tnt,

Not if you take my pick it doesn't. :-D

Joking of course. After Brentfords 4-0 annihilation at the weekend I'm expecting my pick to have a comfortable 2-0 victory against Messrs Fox and co. tonight.

No flukey free kicks at the Cottage tonight. No siree.

On the T on the top why not make it green and add some other letters, say maybe CEL IC to it.
that would be okay with me.

Born67.

Couldn't Dubcentrals company have sponsored us, and if it had to be joint then we could have 'WE HATE
SFA' and they could change the 'T' ( see wot a did there!) to a 'V'
Just a thought.....

BobbyRussell on February 9, 2010 2:34 PM

Good idea as long as he makes sure his queens 11 hoodies dont get sent to the east end in error ...might cause a few problems!

its nice to see a man enjoy his hobbies

TIMES ON LINE
January 3, 2010

Dermot Desmond is all art really
The tycoon funds €200,000 monograph of artist Robert BallaghEithne Shortall

Recommend? (2)
Dermot Desmond became a billionaire through high-return investments and is credited with the Midas touch for his ability to make a profit on any venture. Now, though, he has sunk about €200,000 into an art project that will yield no return.

Desmond, who ranks fourth on The Sunday Times Irish Rich List with a fortune estimated at €1.6 billion, has sponsored a limited-edition monograph about Robert Ballagh, the socialist artist whose work the businessman admires and collects.

The two-book biography includes 24 prints of Ballagh’s best-known works and several that have never been seen before, including a portrait of Desmond. There were 350 copies produced, with 200 going to Desmond and the remainder being sold by the artist at a cost of €2,500 each.

The tycoon sent monographs to several industry moguls and members of the art world elite as Christmas presents. Among the recipients were senator David Norris and Moya Doherty, the co-founder of Riverdance for which Ballagh designed the sets.

Related Links
The best art of the decade
What was the matter with Van Gogh?
The original concept of a simple biography was dismissed by Desmond in favour of a high-quality, limited-edition book, whatever the cost. It was hand-printed and hand-bound in Amsterdam, and the 24 original prints were also hand-produced. The book comes in a black, velvet, draw-string bag with a pair of white gloves to be worn when turning the acid-free paper pages.

Ballagh, probably best known for designing the Irish banknotes used prior to the introduction of the euro, said that the art market was in freefall and it was not the most sensible time to invest in elaborate projects. The idea of someone investing €200,000 in the project “made his legs wobble” but Desmond had insisted on producing something “impressive”. “I met Dermot and muttered something about funding [for the project] and he said he’d be interested in seeing what we had in mind. That was over a year ago,” said Ballagh. “We came up with what we thought was a nice — but what was essentially a standard — book. I brought a mock-up to Dermot and he said he had something far more impressive and special in mind.”

Damien Matthews, Ballagh’s agent and a London-based art dealer, said it was a “crazy” book but Desmond did not care about the money. “He just said ‘do whatever’. You can’t get more extravagant than when each copy costs €1,000 to make — especially when 200 of them have gone to the great and the good of the country,” said Matthews.

“[Desmond] does business to make money but when it comes to the arts, he’s not doing it to make money. He’s a great patron of the arts in general and a fan of Ballagh.”

A letter from Desmond accompanied each of the books sent out before Christmas. There was a personal message, as well as an accolade to Ballagh and his talent as a painter.

Desmond, the majority shareholder in Celtic FC, already owns half a dozen important works by Ballagh, including his own portrait, which the artist did as a surprise gift. It uses Dublin’s docklands as a backdrop, and was given to Desmond to thank him for funding a retrospective of Ballagh’s work at the city’s Royal Hibernian Academy in 2006. The exhibition was suffering a serious funding shortfall before Desmond stepped in.

The businessman also owns Oiléan/Island, an oil on canvas and gold leaf on pebbles, and 10 of Ballagh’s works hang in the Sandy Lane Hotel in Barbados, which the businessman co-owns. Ballagh flew to Glasgow on Desmond’s private jet in November 2006 to watch Celtic play Manchester United in the Champions League.

Desmond collects works by several other Irish artists including Pauline Bewick, the Kerry-based painter.

Ballagh, regarded as Ireland’s first pop artist, has designed postage stamps and sets for Endgame, the Samuel Beckett play. He frequently deals with political issues and Northern Ireland themes in his work, including the imprisonment of the Birmingham Six and the shooting dead of civilians on Bloody Sunday. He was a prominent opponent of the Lisbon treaty.

He has painted a large number of portraits, including ones of Charles Haughey, the former taoiseach, painter Louis le Brocquy and Noel Browne, the former minister and doctor who introduced the mother and child scheme in the 1950s. That work is in the National Gallery of Ireland.

Prints of all three of the portraits are in the monograph.

Also featured is a new painting of James Watson, the American scientist who won the Nobel prize for his work on the structure of DNA. Watson commissioned the portrait 18 months ago and is interviewed in the monograph.

As it happens I'm wearing an emerald green RL t-shirt. My sister picked it up in New York for me because it has 1967 embroidered on it.

By oceallaigh on February 9, 2010 1:57 PM

i agree pal, surely we're not gonny change their minds now are we. but surely we cannot let them castigate us on our own forum. we need to put them in their wee horrible place.

yours in Celtic
celtictilidie

ps they are all very very ugly.

i really should stop calling people 'surely'

before anyones beats me to it.

aeroplanesamazing.csc

I thinking tomorrow night might be a very exciting game for us.

I think Kamara will relish our big pitch and I'm forcasting a MOM performance from him.

look out for lots of ball into the box too with Rasmussen and Keane getting on the end of things.

I have a dream..........!

celtictilidie@3.00 - it is but it's "airplane!".

pedantcsc

By dombhoy on February 9, 2010 12:54 PM
That means that any buyer must be prepared to sustain heavy losses with the only high point being the occasional small profit.

There is so much confusion over our financial situation I'm only going on what i can tell are facts:
08/09 we made a 10mill loss. No CL money.
09/10 add in the CL money, slashed wages costs, zero transfer further reducing costs and we'll have a profit of 5-10mill for the season.

That's not a domesday scenario as i read it.

It is your club that faces the prospect of possibly going two seasons without Champions League money, that can be only bad news for your own financial situation.

Anyway i don't get concerned with worrying about unknown futures, what will be will be. I'll dig deep for Rangers if/when the time comes, but at the moment the party is in full flight - even if we're getting punch drunk on the cheap stuff rather than the fine wine at the moment!

weeminger

shhhourely theirs some mistake. i am only fluent in jive.

right thats plenty....

Raymac / as_i_thought

looks like just us 3 for the coupon tonight. I make it...

Raymac
- Wigan (draw)
- Fulham

as_i_thought
- Leicester
- Reading

BrixtonCelt
- Blackpool
- Swindon

haven't compiled the odds yet but that looks nice...

By super_sammy on February 9, 2010 3:04 PM

"09/10 add in the CL money, slashed wages costs, zero transfer further reducing costs and we'll have a profit of 5-10mill for the season."

Where are you getting your figures from? Going with your financial analysis BFDJ will be right about your team being bought over this season - he can offer £18 of his own money.

as_i_thought at 2:20 PM

If you can be bothered making the trip south of the river there is a nice little Celtic bar in Kennington (northern line)

super sammy so you know your club is going to post a 10m profit do you?
is this after some of the debt has been serviced or what?
If you are making such a tidy profit why has some of this profit not been used to help the manager out?
Or is there no profit at all?
is all prift going to debt?
Or is it meagre that it doesnt really seem relevant?
or will we never know as the acounts will be buried somewhere and nobody in scotland has the balls to look at the balance books.
2 years of non champions league hurt or 1 second being a hun, know what id choose.

Cadizzy - maybe you should open a centre for kids who can't read good and who want to learn to do other stuff good, too. (thumbsup)

super_sammy on February 9, 2010 3:04 PM ,

"08/09 we made a 10mill loss. No CL money."

Add on the wee small matter of the near £20m on new players after Kaunus and that more than wipes out any profit.

And, what slashed wages? The players brought in after Kaunus would be on more than anyone moved out with the possible exception of Captain Un-bookable.

Anyone one else sick fed up of the media/tabloids fawning over Steven Davis in their campaign to have him voted player of the season? This happened when Paul Lambert was a stick out in 2002 i think he won the players award but the writers gave it to amoruso who had only played half a season, absolutely shocking.

Apparently Davis was player of the month for January which started if I remember correctly with him being anonymous at Celtic park for 90 mins.

He attained player of the month status by scoring his first, yes FIRST and 2nd goals of the season in consecutive weeks against St .Mirren on the Wed then Falkirk on the Saturday so he has two league goals this season?? If you listen to any radio and t.v programme you hear pundits/ex players and journalists banging on about how he is the complete midfielder. Well Shaun Maloney has scored more goals than him this season and I can't remember the last time we saw Shaun.

To top it off the evening times now want Lee MCculloch welcomed back into the international fold because if you want to qualify you need your 'best' players available. I'm sorry but if he is one of the best players available we might as well shut up shop now and the last to leave switch off the lights because the games well n truly a bogey. He is still at ibrox by default, purely because nobody came in for him and Rangers financial predicament meant they had to keep him because they couldn't afford to bring in anyone better, I have a mate who goes to Ibrox that told me last season he would be glad if mcculloch was never given another rangers jersy. But here we go with the media campaign to get all the huns back in, keep Scotlands Rangers identity, the reason Jimmy Johnstone only got a handful of caps.

super_sammy

Rangers total losses over the past 10 years amount to £173m. In the same period Rangers have made a profit on players of £53.5m.

Your losses and debt while big, would be much worse if it wasn't for such a good record in the transfer market. The problems will arise when you find there aren't any more players left to sell on at good prices.

I do agree that your turnover will improve this year due to the champions league money but how much that will be offset by the reduction in attendances remains to be seen.

I don't think one year's champions league football is going to make a huge difference to how Rangers operate.

Hail Hail

Mort

WITS 220

Cheers,mate. Your legend continues.

whats the stars.

Will Jamie run.

It certainly did and came in at 7/2.

Thanks for that!!

Paul
Great article as usual. My take on it is that we are blinkered and cannot or dare I say will not, see the big picture. We are still thinking of big fish, small pool but we need another pool. Financially we are doing pretty well in footballing terms and others , and I include our old pals Rangers are not. Whether or not they sort things out, and I feel they will thanks to some sugadaddy type but we have to paddle our own canoe and get into the big time, ie, either a Super Euro League or World series type scenario with the big boys. Forget Rangers, let them stew in their little pool.

By what is the stars on February 9, 2010 2:20 PM
Afternoon Troops

Little bird tells me that "Will Jamie Run" is fancied to win the 3.25 at Fairyhouse
3/1 or thereabouts at present.

Thank you my friend :)

GO ON YA GOOD THING,
Jamie brings home the bacon.

Sir Paul

In my Text,of the Day..which follows...

One shall discover, an awakening..which is different fae a
quickenin'.

Therefore..

Eyes Doon.. Look in.

Internationally, speakin'...

Scotland, is a Wee Tiny Sma'.. Insignificant?
Aye... that tae..

Shoappers Market!

How many MAIR Polo Shirts dae ye think.. Ralphie Baby,
kin expect tae Sell there?

Scotland's Consumer's Market, is a Mere Solitary Pixel,
in the Great Big Flat T.V. Screen of the World.

Ah am sure if ye went thru awe o' the Companies
that are Repped by oor Board of Non Execs Directors,
ye wull find that there is no much of a Market,left,
in Scotland, in which those World Wide Enterprises could
expect to further increase their exploitation.

Howevahhhhhhhhh...

In the no sma' maitter in The Further Consummation of Alcoholic Bevvys..Noo, we ur discussing a Horse that is weering a Different Style o' Tuxedo...

There aweways is.. plenty o' opportunity fur a further increase in
a Likker Company's grip, in the Scottish..or ... Irish..if ye wull..Consumer Market.

So..

Ye kin see that Celtic, are Limited Greatly, in offering A
Practical Enticement to most o' the other World Wide Companies, who are NOT Producers of Alcoholic Beverages.. and in the presentation to those, of a chance to Further increase their
Penetration of the already, over saturated, Scottish Market.

It is therefore,perfectly obvious to Me..

Why Celtic are Restricted to a Sponsor who is
Strictly a Producer of Alcoholic Beverages.

I hate tae use a Hackneyed Phrase,but..

as most of Mine are Hackneyed,anyway.. although,
I wull never make that Admission..

Celtic are Left with the old..

Hobson's Choice..in the Matter of Attracting.. a Willing
and Interested Advertising Sponsor.

Because, of the Small Population that we Represent in
the Great Scheme of things.

Celtic. are Happy to snatch at whatever crumbs that
fall from the Advertising Budget Table, of any, Willing, Sponsor.

Me?

Like everybody else.. I wish that things were different,
but..

We Must face Facts..

We should be grateful fur small Mercies.

Noo ye know.

Kojo.

Mort,
Regarding your point about average attendances:
Averages last season compared to this season so far(from the SPL site)
Celtic 57671 down 12% to 51106
Rangers 49534 down 5% to 47061

Seems that's more of a problem for your side than ours..

Tomorrow night's line-up for the 7-1 drubbing of Hearts:

Boruc
Caddis
Loovens
Thompson
Braafheid
Brown
N'Guemo
Ki
Fortuné
Keane
Rasmussen

Subs: Zaluska, Rogne* (for Loovens, c.75mins), Naylor, Crosas, McGeady* (for Fortuné, c.75mins), Samaras, Kamara* (for Ki, c.65mins)
[*injuries notwithstanding]

whatis:
nice winner, and a jockey who knew what he was on.

keep in tow with the lad from the pub. and start getting ready for the cee bee rattle down that hill.

lets just hope he jumps that dreaded 2 out.

then ur onto something.

keep the faith.

mac

There is still a slight possibility that a team can win the CL this season who will not finish in a qualification place from their league position - Arsenal for example (although it is unlikely).

Were this to happen it would mean that both Celtic and Rangers (should they finish 1st and second) would BOTH need to play qualifiers and so a guarantee of 6 million pounds minimum each would not necessarily exist.

Should TFOD win the league and get straight in AND Celtic were to qualify alongside them, any financial predictions currently being made by the likes of Super Sammy would be null and void.

As his team have now got the WORST RECORD OF A SCOTTISH AND BRITISH CLUB ( I know you'll like that title Sammy because it holds up your confused identity), they will have made less from this years embarrassment than is touted by the Scottish media (if you listen to Daryl King, you get all you will deserve - Nakamura's free kick at Love Street is still hurting him, how about you Sammy? Assuming you are not one in the same person).

There is clearly more to come out about Ranger's money problems and even if you get another assisted title then it doesn't play the long game. A short term fix does nothing for you.

Hail Hail.

Guys - Me thinks a few of you are overeacting wrt Super Sammy. Is this what things have come to - we cant have a bit of banter with anyone from the darkside ???? C'mon, we all talk about the disgrace that is Facist Facist - we are above this and should be big enough to enter into civil debate.

I cant see that SS has been overtly rude so what's the problem ?

CHC

ps - Lets not give it too hard to Super Sammy, all darkside followers I know seem to believe like him that everything is financial rosy in their garden. Fools

WITS,

You are a top Mhan.

Next time you are over here for a game give me a few days notice, coz I want to buy you a beer and a large malt whisky.....or whiskey if that is your preference mate.

HAIL! HAIL!
Token

Super sammy are you going to revert to type or will you answer what you feel about the continued sectarian singing of large sections of your support.
How did you feel as a rangers supporter to watch your fellow fans trash city after city and drag scotlands reputation into the dirt?
do you agree your club has a sectarian problem? do you agree it is not a minority but a sgnificant proprtion of your club/fan base who have sectarian/racist bigoted ideals and use Rangers as a platform to voice these out of date beliefs?
Do you think your club has done enough to stop this?
Are you embarrassed that nobody in scotland was willing to deal with this until uefa stepped in?
Are you embarrassed when officials at your club ask supporters to stop singing these out of date anthems of hate not because they are wrong but because "we will get fined for it"?
are you embarrassed when high up officials at your club sing these aforementioned songs of hate at an empty stadia in front of the world?
Perhaps as someone who has such knowledge of rangers and their finances you can let us know the outcome of the official enquiry into this sectarian singing at san siro as for the life of me i cant find any of the findings anywhere.
Thanks!

Not wanting to get involved in a discussion that has nothing to with me… but Sammy, your last post, picking out the tiny wee bit that you can cling on to whilst ignoring the other (numerous) points about your claims on Rangers' finances and their general financial health indicates, to me anyway, that you're struggling.

Maybe the finance route is one you should steer clear of. Grandstanding with claims like 'we'll have a profit of 5-10mill for the season' with nothing to back it up will have you shot down in flames on here. This is not a bunch of head-in-the-sand Rangers fans enjoying the 'party' you're having this conversation with.

And sure, Celtic's attendances are down. That is a problem. But it's one that can be sorted, I'd say, by investment in the side or what appears to be pretty eye-catching attacking players. We shall see over the next month or so. It would be something of a grave worry were the club not financially stable.

It's also maybe worth looking at them again if a) Rangers still cannot find a über-wealthy buyer by the start of next season and b) what remains of their players who are worth anything (McGregor, Bougherra) are sold on.

yes attendences have been falling (still highest in league)
im guessing that the board acted in signing keane to stop this slide, who knows what effect it will have.
im sure shirts with keane on back will make a lot for club too so we'll see

So folks it's simple. Lets all paint portraits of dermot Desmond (get yer wean's to help) and send them to him. He will in return spend millions on 'The Tic'
Simples

Yiv got tae hand it tae these razorsharp "Peepel" when it comes to making banners !!!!

From FF via Cm................

"MURRAY, MUIR & LLOYDS BG
A MATCH MADE IN HELL

Donald Muir (the enemy within) remember the power of the "people"

Rangers,worth fighting for!

Spot the mistake-
Lloyds are all bankers

One Queen, One Crown , No Pope in this town ?

Protestant And Proud

The bank that likes to say Yes
Has Actually said No
Liars Cheats and Thieves

Lloyds TSB For The Journey.....To Where?

Rangers Fans: being talked about, being talked down to, but not being talked to.

£500m since 1988 - WE are the biggest investors, we are the people.

My club, our club, but NOT MUIR club! (Play on Your club?!)

BOYDS - For The Journey.

"We will not change our club,
BUT we will change our bank"

Bailed out by the Government

The Double standard Bank

Muir the enemy within

Love and passion - not loans and pounds

Muir = Director or Dictator?

David Murray the real enemy within

Murray Muir Lloyds = (trash can)

David Murray
you lied to us all
for every £5 celtic spent
you Robbed us £20

Muir and Murray......
A Parcel O' Rogues !!

We STILL deserve better

Murray buys wine while Rangers wither on the Vine

"one true religion"
take away our players
take away our cash
sell them off to barca
and stuff your bulging safe
...for Rangers is our religion and Rangers is our faith

Football isn't played on a Balance Sheet

Lloyds Banking Group - Making A Drama Out of A Crisis

The Apathy Stops Now !!!

MIH = Murray In Hiding

murray and muir
inglorious ..........

walter smith, man of the "people"

No Muir Silence - We Need Answers.

Donald Muir (the enemy within) - Wit of a Banker!

The Protestant Protest

Lloyds...........no interest in Rangers.

We Are The People
We Deserve The Truth

Muir a silent banker

The bank that likes to say ..............................
You know the questions, we want the answers!
Alliance and Leicester loyal
We're switching today"

pablophanque

Token

I am due a trip shortly,havent been over in a few months,missed the last old firm game,Talked to my cousin the other day and he was giving out to me about my lack of attendance,But then again he grew up in Coatbridge and sure he has a lot to be giving out about.
Looking forward to meeting up with some CQN gang at my next match.

Mackybhoy.
That was a comfortable win,I think Captain Cee Bee will be ok,at least he has the advantage of being a course winner.

Just on the radio here that HBOS (Lloyds owned) are pulling out of Ireland with 700 job losses. Things are only going to get worse for this country for decades to come.

pablophanque

super_sammy

No doubt our attendance is an area for concern and I think our board need to look at how to address that. I think the signing of Keane will improve them in the short term but even an average of 4000 more tickets sold for us generates an average of £100k extra per game. Probably more with supporters buying programmes, pies etc when at the game.

What about my other points? Any comments on how you see your finances improving?

Mort

Pablophanque

Negativity my boy,negativity
We will be grand,

pablophanque - And to think people criticised Jack Straw for his stance against agressive begging.

Subprime FC is now Winos, Addicts and Squeegee Merchants FC. (thumbsup)

super_sammy at 3:41 PM

As far as I can work out an attendance of 51,106 still brings in more cash than an attendance of 47,061.

And while both clubs will clearly feel the hit to the coffers that comes with a drop in attendance there is clearly one side who will feel it much more grely than the others.

If any rangers fans were looking beyond the end of this season they would not be gloating quite so much. Even IF we don't win the league this season, it'll come next season and the season after that. the Rankers are hamstrung financially. There's no way out.

Celic are on the up...

Our season starts tomorrow...

My team for tomorrow, my long awaited return to paradise.

Zaluska

Hinkel (if fit)
Thomson/Hogne
O'Dea
Wee Heid

Crosas
N'Guemo

Kamara wide
McGeady wide

Ra Ra Rasmussen
(goalscorer for Celtic...number 7..) R.Keane

It'll not be that team as we will probably go with the ineffective Fortune somewhere ahead of Ra Ra or Kamara.

DD

By pablophanque on February 9, 2010 3:56 PM

I think most of that list really hammers home what we're dealing with. The ones that aren't bigoted, racist or supremist are just downright illiterate with not even a glimmer of wit or humour or even a valid, succinct point for that matter; the sort of thing a banner is supposed to have. I shudder to think what the collective IQ of the FF knuckledraggers is.

My favourite is: "sell them off to barca"

Sell what off to Barca? What would Barcelona buy from Rangers? Are they short on stewarding at Camp Nou?

I've just finished reading Low/Shennan book on the Fergus takeover and noted that the much-reviled Terry Cassidy advocated jerseys pure and clean with no sponsors crap on them. His reasoning was that the club would sell more. Incidentally was in Santander branch in Byres Road yesterday and in front of me in the queue was Brian Dempsey. Talk about a small world. Oh, and Paul, your article was A1. What about that guy they brought in a couple of years ago for his expertise in the global market ? What has he done ? eh ? eh ?

donegaldanny

Welcome back to Paradise, hope you will be one of many.

RobinBhoy

DD

Tony Mowbray was saying today that he stil feels Fortuné is his number one forward and I would imagine he'll be playing.

Mort

addressing "scotlands shame" and "Snake Plissken"...
I'm going to decline your offer to turn the debate into one about sectarianism/nationalism etc... i find the whole obsession with religion/politics quite boring - can we not rise above all that for once and just concentrate on football business please?

With regard to my estimations about the profit we would make this season, it's pretty simple. The big players are the wages and the CL money.

If you're starting with a 10mill net loss from the season before, add in 10mill for CL cash, then slash the costs through wages/transfer fees, and it's, more than likely, a profitable balance sheet for the year.

We sold Boumsong for 8mill, Cueller for 8mill, and IMO Boogie is better than both of them. If Boogie was sold to the EPL - i'm sure Eck would oblige some of that Carson Yeung fortune :) an able replacement for a couple of million would not be bad business for us (being an accomplished right winger and having a better finished product that Aiden McGeady are surplus to requirements for an SPL centre half!)

Tony,

He can't drop Rassmussen or Keane and Kamara for that matter after Sunday. He has to carry that mooentum on.

If he does what to play Fortune then it has to be

Zaluska
Hinkel
Thompson
Hooiveld
Braffheid

N'Guemo
Brown
Kamara

Fortune
Keane
Rasmussen

Personally i wouldn't play Fortune, i would go a midfield of N'Guemo, Brown and Ki. With Ki supplying the passes to Kamara, Keane and Rasmussen.

We would take 6 off them with that line up.

Speaking o' Deid Cuddies..

Ah am gonna tak a further Swipe at this particular wan..

fur Ah see that there is still a Flicker of Life left.

The Cuddy, in question is..of course.

Did Paul Caddis hiv a Poor Game agin the Dunfies..

or.. no??????

I say right aff the Tap..

Sure, Paul had wan of the poorest appearances, that I hiv seen
him turn in, so faur, in his Celtic Career.. or.. if ye prefer..

... that I hiv, so far, seen him turn in... ( lIke that Bettah?...soddie Ah)

Of that there is No Doubt..

Howevahhhhhhh...everything is Relative.. even.. well.. Relatives!

So..

Wan Man's Poor Ooting is Anither Man's... Well... No Poor Ooting!( Whit's an Ooting,anywey?..ed)(Good Question.Ah wull get back tae ye later,oan that)

Whatevahhhhh ye call it.. In Ma Opinion..

Paul's wiz a most IMPORTANT, wan..

Fur...

If any of Ma Reader's kin .. then they should...

Once More.. re-run the Part of the Last Game.. oan Chan 67 Video.

pertaining tae the LEAD UP... to Celtic's FIRST GOAL.

Mr. Kamara, indeedly, scored a Brammer..

Now, we come to the Absolute Proof..of why.. I am so Indubitably Correct.. when I say that...Master Caddis' Ooting, was a Maist IMPORTANT, Wan..efter all.

Fur..

You shall Observe, that the Pass that was Gifted tae Mr. Kamara..came
from te Neatest, Slickest, Trickiest.. Back Heeler frae..

Master Caddis..

Mr, Kamara, soitenly, Scored the Goal..but.. Master Caddis, set it
up oan a Plate, with the Accompanying Cutlery Tools... fur Him.

Therefore..

Although, by his usual High Standards I must agree that Master Caddis did hiv a Poor.. well.. Ooting( Ah am still waiting fur an answer oan the yin!..ed)( Yes, Yes.. don't interrupt..Ah oan a Roll,here. canny ye see that?)

Master Caddis soitenly did Have a Maist IMPORTANT wan!

I hope Celtic retains Master Caddis, as a Foist Team starter.. fur he his.. well.. a Huge Supply o' MALLUM...as witnessed by his quick thinking in
making that clever Back Heeler..

People wi' Mallum, wull ayeways.. rise tae the occasion...
an there ur no too many aboot,eethur.. especially, in the present
Celtic Team.

And that is a Fact.

Kojo

RobinBhoy on February 9, 2010 4:11 PM

Tickets were purchased prior to the announcemnet of the T deal which I never thought would go through and to be honest my euphoria of the Keane/Kamara/Wee Heid signings has been tempered by that somewhat.

Mort on February 9, 2010 4:11 PM

I saw that on BBC, if he plays wide fair enough, if he plays ahead of Rasmussen or Keane then its at best ill judged selection and at worst cutting your nose off to spite your face on the part of BTM.

Keane is a class apart and Rasmussen is the goalscorer on form. We don't need another player who picks up the ball and runs into a corner.

Donegal played 1 won 1 in the league so far :-)

DD

Kojo,

In looking at things from that angle then I wonder what your opinion would be regarding Mr Hinkel and his team leading 10 assists so far this season...?

Someone wants to get a grip on Walter and tell him his supporters think he's talking cac.

WITS,

good stuff mate. As I said mind and give us a shout prior to you coming over and hopefully meet up for a beer or 2.

HAIL! HAIL!
Token

DD

I'll get a chance to see your second team in the flesh this weekend as they are playing Tyrone. They did look very good against Galway but I wouldn't get too carried away with league form just yet.

League is League, Championship is Championship :-)

Mort

Kojo

While Caddis did not have one of his better games, he didn't have a poor one.

He was unfortunate with the penalty. That's not to excuse him - but he was unfortunate.

His cool back-heeler for Kamara's thunder-strike - I haven't seen that kind of quick thinking amid the chaos since Maloney was in the side.

Paul Caddis and Josh Thompson are two very exciting prospects for us.

up_over_goal

I haven't seen that kind of quick thinking amid the chaos since Maloney was in the side.

Are you Shaun Maloney or his agent? :-)

Mort

supersammy
so you took the reverting to type way out.
see no evil, hear no evil.....

lovely, confirmed what i think.
cheers wont be getting into debate with you again,
you know rangers fans are in denail when they would rather talk about finances than sectarian cancer at the heart of their club.
Enjoy your 10 point lead, as ive said before few years of hurt ahead of 1 second involved with that mob.
If i could be btoehred in your opinion now id ask do you actually enjoy watching rangers games? really? it is dreadful stuff with no creativity just brute force.
again, some clubs are different, yes id rather win, but not at all costs.
cheers

donegal danny

are you going to parkhead tomorrow night??

if so then glad to see you have come to your senses and are coming home,,=0)

welcome back pal

hail hail

Kojo

Apologies - didn't read to the end of your post (I know, some people, eh?) - you mentioned the clever assist.

I guess I was so delighted to have the opportunity to mention Caddis that I took off before you'd finsihed sipping your glass of water.

Token

Will do,would like to meet up.

Mort

And there's one. Was expecting bournesouperecipe, but you're just as good!

what the stars, nice tip at 14:20 £10 at 7/2 nice one. absolutely romped home.

Mort on February 9, 2010 4:23 PM

Indeed, I take it its at home and you're not travelling down to Castlebar?

I know one of the lads on the Mayo team so hopefully it'll be a good game. Tyrone might still be too physical for them though.

Granted, but Doherty has us on a winning streak, cranking up the gears in the same way i hope Celtic will start to!

DD

My prediction for Wednesday

Celtic 3 vs 1 Hearts ( without Gonzales, because he hasn't signed an 'unbelievable' contract extension with them )

RaRa,Keano and Fortuné (who Mowbary has openly said today that he is still the 1st choice striker) to score and a Stewart penalty for them.

My team:

Boruc

Caddis
Thompson
Loovens
Braafheid

NGuemo
Brown
Crosas

Fortuné
Keane

Rasmussen

Subs: Zaluska, Rogne, Ki, McGeady, Kamara, Samaras

Hail Hail

P27

ibleedgreenandwhite on February 9, 2010 4:27 PM

I'll be there, LL lower in beside the horrible wee huns (intentionally) so I can fully enjoy Robbies celebrations!

I was at the opposite side of the stand on sunday so couldn't fully appreciate it!

DD

My dear,dear,dear,dear,friend.. Sutton is a Legend @ 4.22.

I was delighted with Mr.Hinkel when he Made those most satisfying assists that you mention,

There.. I have agreed with you,pal..

So what else can I dae fur ye?

At the Moment we are Discussing the Value of Master Caddis to the Cerltic Cause.

What Mr. Hinkel did ..IN THE PAST.. is.. not to put too fine a Point oan it...

WAATTER DOON THE DRAIN!

When Mr.Hinkel Returns to the Team..and I have a chance to
weigh up his Performance...

Then.. I shall be most Happy to Give My Opinion oan Mr. Hinkel's
Up to Date.. Value,.. to the Celtic Team.

Maks sense tae Me.

Kojo.
yer pal..who likes ye a loater

Super Sammy's Accountancy tools

Since it bears on today's discussion ........

http://www.monthehoops.co.uk/showthread.php?t=100047

My latest! Enjoy!

Hail Hail.

silly sammy
wake up and smell the coffee.
Your club is a sectarian institution run by sectarian people and `supported` by sectarian people. Pure fact!!
And by the way your `club` has been run into the ground and its going to get a whole lot worse.
Standing up for LLOYDS!!!

By notthebus on February 9, 2010 4:35 PM

Brilliant.

donegal danny

your nothing but a glory hunter lol,,,i hope you are not the only one who is back ,,i would like to see us get bigger crowds at home now until the end of the season,hopefully it will be enough to inspire the team to slowly chip away at the huns lead

hail hail

DD

It is at home though I've a season ticket this year so will have to travel to other venues but I think I'm quite fortunate and the furthest I'll have to travel is Galway.

Provided the main big teams all stay in Div 1, next season there will be trips to Cork, Kerry and Castlebar. need to attend 80% of games I think to guarantee myself an All-Ireland final ticket.

Now if I can do my end of the bargain hopefully the red hands can do theirs too.

up-over-goal

No offence meant, I was just having a laugh. Personally looking forward to wee Shaun in the team as i think we have played better when he's there though if Kamara can keep his form up, Shaun might struggle to get back in the team, though I'd have him in front of Aiden at the minute as I think he needs a rest and maybe that will take a bit of the pressure off his sholders. When's yer man back by the way?

Mort

Kojo,

Point taken. My query came to mind because, if I'm not mistaken, you've been championing Mr Caddis's cause over Mr Hinkel's for some time now. (If I'm wrong in this then my point is invalid and I therefore apologise with wasting your time)

Please understand that I think that Mr Caddis has a bright future but I'm not quite sure if he merits selection over Hinkel.

You've leapt to his defence today for a poor performance in the previous match and highlighted his positive contribution in the same game. Was Hinkel afforded the same luxury?

We all have our favourites. My signature proves that in itself. But I've always thought of yourself as giving everyone a fair crack of the whip. But is that the case?

very amusing notthebus.

I understand the reaction against the transparency of my explanation why - with the CL money and slashed wage/transfer bill - we will make a profit season.

I'm sure it suits you more to have a smoke screen of confusion behind which you can cling onto that safety blanket that, no matter the prospect of a second season as Scotland's 2nd team (assuming you beat off the challenge of Hibs), all will be ok with Celtic as those villainous Rangers will soon be no more.

You're welcome to your delusion if it comforts you. But some how, i just can't see the Establishment standing by and letting the long term stablity of the famous Glasgow Rangers be challenged :)

Mort

None taken whatsoever! Sorry if my post sounded spikey. I agree Aiden should be out, but not because he needs a rest. I'll say no more.

Maloney and McCourt are our only two genuine left-wing midfielders. I'm a huge fan of McCourt, but Maloney is ahead of right now, but that may change. My worry is, in opting for a more physical presence in attack, Tony may be chucking out the baby with the bathwater.

No idea when Shaun is back, everyone who's on the injury list is still on it, as far as I know.

ibleedgreenandwhite on February 9, 2010 4:38 PM

Aye some glory hunter I am, try standing in sub zero temps away to Morton and Kilmarnock and say thats glory hunting :-)

I haven't seen you criticising those about to bhoycott the club over the T deal yet? Maybe I've missed it though. Even though the reasons are similar to those for which I've been roundly criticised by you and others on here for giving up my season ticket, i.e. helping the huns..again.

Mort on February 9, 2010 4:41 PM

It'll be a fair trek for you down south, McHale park has been done up recently, I was there myself last year for the Mayo v Roscommon game (I believe I was spotted by some on here sporting the Hoops in the front row). You'll be going to Donegal next season as well I'd say.

DD

Moderator

Can we please ban the moronic huns from the site, enough is enough

Che Timvara

A brilliant bit of work. On that could wattie's rantings about worse to come be about MIH's accounts? Or the failure of them to be lodged?

Wheresthepawn CSC

silly sammy
I think you`ll find the term should be infamous.
A totally vile institute!!!

Hi all,

Like many I'd like to see ourselves and the Orcs go our own way RE sponsors but as long as many in Scotland share similar views to Jamiebaby (12:29) firms will feel they have to deal with both or they'll loose as many sales as they generate.

The only way this is likely to change is if we are playing in a bigger league (EPL, North Atlantic,..) where the advertising/association would create a greater net benefit.

FYI I'm not having a pop @JB and would admit myself that association with the darkside puts me right of a product/brand.

Always thought Guinness might have been an option for going it alone. They sponsor a lot of sport and there is popular appeal with their demographic. They would be targeting our global support and as such and negative impact in Scotland should be more than off-set.

Laters

super_sammy.

do u have no pals of your own?

See this 'famous glasgow rangers' you go on about the same mob that refused to sign catholics for over 100 years? are you proud of that by the way?

WGS (4.16pm), we'll take seven off them with my line-up.

James Forrest,

Enjoyed that one - nice mix of fact and sarcasm!

There is a genetic factor related to the probability of having addiction problems. MRI research has shown it to be related to gtenes controlling the size of the right orbitofrontal cortex in the brain - the area that deals with impulse control.

In very simplistic terms, smaller ocf means less impulse control and more chance of addiction.

I'm not sure that anyone involved with Rangers will ever pass step one though. They don't have a problem: it's all Murray's fault. Or Muir's. Or the intransigent bank's.

I think "Walter" is facing up to the situation though. And he wants to make sure his side of things is on the record. Just wait until the you know what really hits the fan. The media will practically canonise him for his foresight.

Of course he will be well away from Ibrox by then. Not daft, is "Walter".

donegal danny

im just joking with you DD,i for one am happy to forget the past(as in our previous dis-agreements) and get on with supporting the tic again at celtic park starting with hearts the morra night

all the best to you danny

hail hail

oceallaigh@1:57 PM

I'm in complete agreement with you on this

Super_sammy

Please go Away

This is a CELTIC blog, take your hun chat elsewhere

There's a good bhoy....sorry boy, oops !!

My dear,dear,dear,dear,friend...Up and over Goal

I am glad that you are in concurrance with my
point of view, regarding the value that Mr. Caddis
did Add to the Celtic Cause in his last, Ooting.

The Game of Soccer is... first, Middle, near the end.. and Last..

a Team Effort.

During the Game, there are individual Mistakes Made..no question..

which lead to the loss of a Goal.

Howevahhhhhhh...

Individual Mistakes .. is what lead to the loss of Every Goal that
is Lost.

So.. to concentrate oan Individual Mistakes..is ..well .. a Mistake!

One should at all times Concentrate oan the Lack or the Presence of

Over All TEAM Effort.

For..

If a Team is Clicking in ALL Cylinders.. then

The Loss of a Goal.. shall soon be Cancelled.

As The BETER TEAM.. The Team that..Clicks.. Shall always be the Victor, in the Final Analysis.

Celtic, at this time.. are Badly Hurt by INDIVIDUAL MISTAKES..

Because..

They are Not Performing as TEAM.

Their Over All Performance is Composed of INDIVIDUALS.

Therefore, we are Hurt by Individuals.. and we Rely SOLELY.. oan the Performance of An Individual, in order to Cancel out that other Individual's Mistake.

And that is No way to Run a Railway, An Airline...or... a Christmas Menage!

Celtic must start.. tomorrow Night...at the Latest..

Tae Grow Up..and Start to Play as A Team..

No as a Bunch o' Ten Year Auld Tanner Ba' Players, in a Street Melee.

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

Meanwhile, back at the real football- a disappointing 0-0 draw at home against The Cong is not the start that Haiphong Cement would have wanted at the San Van Dong Lach Tray.

HCQN blogmeister Pol67 has re-inforced to the Minhshafters and C-mentalists that 1 point from 6 is disappointing but from from an irretrievable position.

'The future' he says' is not set'.

Interesting that posters think they can set the rules. This is Paul's blog and so it goes by his rules. He is happy for fans of other clubs to post here - as long as they stick to the rules. And Super_sammy seems to be doing so.

Do we want to end up like FF, where anyone with an opposing view is banned?

ibleedgreenandwhite on February 9, 2010 4:55 PM

Indeed mate, its all about tomorrow, I'm just hoping for signs of the team finally getting whatever it is BTM is trying to achieve with them. Kilmarnock and Dunfermline haven't inspired any confidence yet and if he starts with fortune instead of Keane and Rasmussen I fear we'll be hindering our chances of winning.

DD

In london for the game tomorrow, usually go the the cock tavern in euston but looking for a wee change, anybody got a good place to watch it, central/east london ?

Gordon_J on February 9, 2010 5:03 PM

You really are the class sook, next you will be getting promoted to a moderator!

I agree. No bans for the huns.

Can you imagine the sectarian abuse a Celtic fan would be taking should he post on FF.

Thats why they are them and thats why we are us

Camalar

Come down to The White Bear in Kennington. Only 5 minutes from central on the Northern line...

donegal danny

i would like to see keane and big ra(cannae be bothered writing his whole name)both start together,to me they look like the most natural partnership up front,keane will drop off and big ra will stay in the box poaching like hes suppossed to,as much as i rate big fortune,to me he wnts to drop off like keane does and run the channels,hes way too similiar to keane as in the positions they take up

so hopefully its those two up front,also would still start mcgeady,,and before i start to get hate mail,=0),,let me just add ,,i know he has dipped in form of late but form is temporary,,class is permanent,,lol,lol

kojo wont agree with me though,,even though i lke him a loater =0)

hail hail

super_sammy thinks they're gonna get bailed out by the establishment. Hey dude i got news for you, the establishments on financial life support,i wouldn't bank on it,no pun intended.

Altogether now.....

Ha Ha
Ha Ha
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha.........

yer up tae yer knees in debt so go surrender and die.

hareandthetortoiseCSC

My dear,dear,dear,dear,friend... Chris Sutton is a Legend.

Pal.. I am fair when it suits my current point of view.

As My Current Point of View.. does Change from My

Previous Point of View.. as

Circumstances Change.

You will find that I have bin a Strong supporter of
Mr. Hinkel..when he was supplying those mooth watering Goodies
tae oor Strikers..

Howevah.. fur whitevah reason..

Mr. Hinkel suddenly, switched aff ..oan making those exciting and
profitable runs doon the wing.. and he has not be doing those

in the past several Games.

Oan My Luv for Mr. Caddis..

I have bin an Enthusiastic Backer for the Inclusion of Mr. Caddis in the Celtic Team.. but.. Not Necessarily at the Expense of Mr. Hinkel.

My desire is for Mr. Caddis to be in the Celtic Team.

Period.

I do not care, just Where in the Team..

My Preference is for Master Caddis to be ensconced in the Mid Field.

Master Caddis was a Mid Fielder Originally when he first was acquired as a Youth.

It was due to the Pusillanimity of whoevah wiz the Celtic Coach,when first Mr.Caddis came under oor Wing, who decided to
convert this young man to a Full Back.

I suppose, that Coach was of the Opinion that Master Caddis would grow a bit taller.

Well,in that respect,the Coach was wrong.. and Master Caddis, is definitely Not A Prime Candidate as a Celtic Full Back..

Fur..

In my opinion we need. a Much Taller Full Back, than the type that Mr.Caddis Represents..

so..
You can see that As far as Mr. Hinkel is Concerned.. I do not believe that Mr.Caddis represents a viable Replacement.

Although, knowing how dilatory the Celtic Coaching Staff is..

I would not be surprised if the Continued to see Mr. Caddis as
a Full back..

Now ye know my sentiments in the Caddis Hinkel Axis.

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

kojo @4.56 spot on yet again kojo for prime minister i say

Gordon_J - indeed, on FF they will ban you for being insufficiently bigoted.

I used to lurk there a few years ago and my hundercover persona got banned for suggesting that comparing Catholics to cancer was over the top.

Je ne regrette rien though, as FF brought me some of the biggest laughs of all time, courtesy of ethel cardew and his Lucozade. Hnnnnnnngggg! (thumbsup)

Gordon_J, In my 52 years on this planet I have come to understand that any person who can attach themselves to the Huns must have deficiencies.

How can any normal person sing their songs and chant their disgusting filth - and they ALL do? Just have to barely scratch the surface and it commes oozing out.

My advice is to ignore this Sammy (why even chose that name?) character and hope he gets bored and slithers away back to the darkside.

Good start to the run in would be any victory with a clean sheet tomorrow.

Hail Hail.

My dear,dear,dear,dear,friend... When Boabby Murdoch if Fit @ 5.19

Me, fur Prime Minister?

Pal..

Britain, Couldnae Afford Me!

Kojo.
yer pal.. who likes the wey ye think.

Barack Obama @ 12:30,

good shout on Harlech Castle mate.

Cyberpint on its way! Cheers.

HAIL! HAIL!
Token

super_sammy on February 9, 2010 4:47 PM

Genuine questions - (which assume that your comment about the Establishment is not tongue in cheek)

Who are the establishment? Do they exist in society generally or just in football terms?

What is their interest in RFC? - are they football supporters like you and me or is their support of / interest in RFC based on something else?

What in detail do you (speaking as a Rangers fan) anticipate they can / will do to assist your club? Is that assistance financial or does extend to other spheres?

In an environment in which competitors expect to be treated equally and fairly is that assistance to be provided with transparency or otherwise and will other competitors ( such as Celtic, Aberdeen etc) be advised of that assistance?

Are any of the above questions unreasonable ?

As I say genuine questions.

Thelongwait

Even DBBIA didn't go to see Ethel Cardew and his Lucozade at the old Burns Howff.

I went and thought they were like Wet Wet Wet doing covers of Phil Collins. Some girl threw her knickers at Ethel but it wasn't anybody I knew.

I'm going to disagree with probably everyone and oppose the idea of Keane starting tomorrow. For me, it sends out the wrong signals, not only to the other players, but to Keane himself.

For the other players, it basically says - I don't care how well you're playing, we've got a £65k a week superstar playing for us so you'll just have to put up with it till the end of the season. For Keane, it says, "Look, Robbie. We, at Celtic, who are so unworthy as to even gaze at your noble countenance, do beseech you - save us from ourselves, for verily we are a load of duffers.' This doesn't exactly set Keane up in the best frame of mind.

So Fortune (and here I agree with Tony - he has been playing well lately) and Rasmussen to start, with Keane on the bench. Bring Keane on for the last 45. Keep him hungry and, if he does what it says on his tin, he'll make it impossible for Tony to bench him for the Aberdeen match.

Nobody can cross a ball better in the current XI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK5w2vEAHOg

On a decent surface :)

Evening all,
Anyone else got the feeling that tomorrow's going to be a great night? I hate it when I get this excited because there's always the chance of coming down to earth with a thud!

I just feel that we've seen signs of the potential recently and with a quality playing surface and big pitch I'm hoping it all clicks into place.

If it can just really click, the fans and players will get a huge lift.

Mon the hooooooooops!

Get in tae them!!!!!

kojo@5.25 we canny afford no ta afford ye if you get my drift and paul67 as chancellor

Glasgow Celtic winning a football match is a sweet sensation.

One that we have felt all too seldom this season.

Regardless of what Rangers do or we if we dont win the league what I want too see is Win Win Win from Celtic and goals goals goals.

We wont go down without a fight!!

celtic new shirt sponsor deal = 1.5 million a year

liverpool new shirt sponsor = 20 million a year

that doesnt add up, wtf are our current board doin?
i know if we werent tied in the huns we could get at LEAST
10 million a season.

not impressed at all

anyone know if game is on tv 2moro?

hail hail!

eagle

no its not - the scottish game on espn is rangers defeat away to motherwell

Brixton Celt,
will do, got directions from the canning town DLR

Gallagher,
I thought they already surrendered, think stormont :o)

When Bobby Murdoch.....,
kojo's reign would have us living like a third world country within 5 years :o) every social suppot/benefit mechanism would be scrapped, he's been quite clear on his economic/political preferrences.
But his patters good.

Gordon_J,
I have to agree, if I remember correctly it was a dirty stinking hun :o) who inspired our host to begin this blog in the first place. We are not them, we are inclusive and we can discuss anything objectively.

http://www.teamtalk.com/football/preview/0,16374,1867_5928029,00.html

Looks like the cousins are lite tomorrow......

Kojo
has also stated that he is a catholic...

end of discussion...;P)

canamalar,

After standing with you in a bar in Newcastle at 2:00am I have to query your last sentence. :D

One thing I can agree on is FF is a poorly run forum.

It's run by an individual with an over-sized ego and anyone not in keeping with his outdated stereotype of what a Rangers fan should post is swiftly banned - Bear or otherwise.

Havent been on there in a long time but i'd be surprised if the way it's run has changed much.

@Thelongwait
The first rule of the Establishment is you do not talk about the Establishment.

Sorry :)

Lads,

Let's be encouraging our Hun brethren (moronic or otherwise) to post! A rounded blog view of our derby rivals supporters thoughts and opinions has to be a good thing - (shoorly?)

The guid ranjurs peepul are just doing what they have always done, and been allowed to do for decades and decades and decades - Turn a deaf ear and a blind eye to the indefensible shame at the heart of their community. Those that purport to complain should get no plaudits for joining the realms of ordinary decent society.

It is tough for them all now, so they will bind together tighter as their wee (free) world shrinks and their traditions are exposed to the light of European scrutiny and ridicule.

C'mon Huns speak - up, the World and CQN is listening.

super_sammy on February 9, 2010 4:47 PM

BEAT THE CHALLENGE OF HIBS? were gonna beat yous as well

celtic #1

My dear,dear,dear,dear,friend.. When Bobby Murdoch is fit.

Pal.. ye ur too kind.

Howevahhhhh...

Ye should be careful with yer praise.

Fur, dinnae ye know that there are A few People who... read this Blog, who are convinced that Kojo is an Egotistical Egoist?

And.. therefore.. ye wull cause them tae raise their Ire and inflame their Disgust.. fur you,in their jaundiced eyes... tae be Feeding My,according tae them,of course..Over Blown Vanity?

Howevahh... Pal..

Thanks awe the same.

I believe that you and I( Should that no be... Me!..ed)( You? Whit hiv you goat tae dae with it?) are gonna hiv a long lasting Friendship.

Kojo
Yer pal.. who like ye a loater.

canamalar

Point taken, it's just the next bit we're waiting on, going by their modus operandi it looks as though they're waiting on us to storm the battlements and put them to the sword around the same time as their owners accounts are published, providing us with the ultimate song material adinfinitum of how at their valiant last stand whilst wearing cardigans we finished them off :)

tippingpointCSC

The Green White & Golden Eagle (5:35)

Unfortunately the value of shirt sponsorship deals is a function of their TV audience and the size clubs support, rather than just the latter.

This means that, as things stand, we'll only ever get a fraction of our peers (United, Liverpool, Arsenal,..).

Further there is also a premium associated with the league itself. So smaller clubs in England get extra just through association with the EPL and the bigger teams. Kind of goes without saying that I don't think Celtic benefit by association with the smaller teams in the SPL and the FOD actually drag us down, as companies feel they need to sponsor both to avoid alienating the others supporters. In this regard, I think it is fair to say Sammy's crowd benefit through this association and at our expense.

the long wait is over February 9, 2010 5:37 PM

cheers.
espn are probably right not to show the celtic v hearts game,
the huns at motherwell will be a cracker. . .

hail hail!

Can anyone update this blog as to the injury status of a) Mizuno b) Misun?

I had high hopes that Misun would make my 'impending Naylor' fears recede.

May the angels watch over Braafheid's left achilles.

Cadizzy @ 5.28 pm

Surely you're making this up?

Hola
Evening Bhoys
I have a friend who is a hun,he is extremly inteligent,he is not a bigot,he is honest,he is a very funny man,he is a very caring man,he is a very loving man,he is a very generous man,in fact he has all the things going for him that could make him a Celtic supporter.
He is not a Celtic supporter because,Ok you have guessed it

My god he is really ugly.
Hail Hail
KTF

Since its dinner time, heres a very very rare track thats just been re-discovered after years of searching.

The greatest dinner time music there has ever been...

Get the gravy on.

hoopeddreams

Unfortunately, you're right. The girl who threw her knickers at Ethel was my then girlfriend. The fact that she was still in the knickers at the time destroyed our relationship there and then.

I'm so upset yeah yeah
I'm so upset yeah yeah

super sammy

2 points to you

you can still, presumably, answer the last of my questions and

you say "outdated stereotype of what a Rangers fan should post" and
"The first rule of the Establishment is you do not talk about the Establishment." in the same post. I appreciate the movie reference in the latter and your wee smiley at the end so I take it the irony in the juxtaposition of those statements isn't lost on you?

Thelongwait

Cadizzy - What a complete waste of time and money that was. (thumbsup)

Cadizzy, so you felt jilted then ;o)))

pablophanque

johnshuttleworthcsc

Cadizzy

Somehow I feel......jilted, John.

hoopeddreams, wish I'd thought of that :(

:o)

pablophanque

wits 2.20
cheers for the tip

Cadizzy - I feel jilted too, Elton John.

Doh! (thumbsup)

pablo

Unfortunately my typing is not as quick as yours!

Paul67

I like your assessment of our Board - boring - in essence we can't grumble as they have done nothing very bad...but on the other hand they have failed to do anything really good - which given the opportunities presented of late is an immense disappointment..or at the very least just a bit boring. The most infuriating aspect of the Board's behaviour is the defeaning silence they offer..

I also think they seem to see things after the fanbase, rather than before...which is not encouraging.

However I think the fanbase gift them the luxury to behave as they do...and CQN-ers (all of us!) are guilty of that particular crime. We endlessly (and as it transpires, fruitlessly) cast our eyes to Ibrox too often hoping to celebrate their misfortunes...when we should be pressing for the delivery of success at Parkhead.

On a different note...

My worst fears are coming to pass - I see Tony telling the media that Fotune is at the front of the stiking pack...Oh Dear! I knew on Sunday that he would be blind to Rasmussen's efforts - so unbelievably - I expect to see Morten on the bench. If I'm right - Tony has lost the last shred of doubt I'm giving him...

You would think that with our poor form of late, lets say over the last 2 or 3 months, that by now we would all be a little bit wary when it comes to hyping ourselves up for the next league match, particularly against fellow top 6 competitors.

Check out CQN over the same period and you will see that prior to muggings by the likes of Falkirk, Kilmarnock, Hearts or even Dundee United, we've had multiple posters on here telling us how we are going to thrash the opposition, then following the inevitable gubbing, same posters back on here now indignant and demanding that we sack the lot of them. So predictable.

Therefore not really surprised to see comments like "Looking forward to tomorrow's 7-1 demolition of Hearts", appearing on here earlier today, gob smacked mystified as to why we keep on torturing ourselves like this, but no, definitely not surprised.

By philvisreturns on February 9, 2010 6:02 PM

"Cadizzy - What a complete waste of time and money that was. (thumbsup)"

Didn't actually cost me a penny. In fact, I negotiated such a good price for her with Ethel, I had money for chips from the chippy near the bus stop..but guess who was standing there!

By up_over_goal on February 9, 2010 5:28 PM

Could we play all 3?

Zetabhoy

Agree 100%. It also happens when the huns have a difficult away fixture.

In fact when they win away against Hibs or whatever, the bile starts here about Celtic!

hoopeddreams, but your's was funnier, if the comma was deliberate !

Cadizzy.......enough already !!! There's a thing in comedy that should tell you when to stop, but I guess that'll come with practice :o)))

pablophanque

Whilst I'm passing, have to comment on Paul's latest article, definitely not pro board, so how will this sit with all the posters who are convinced that Paul is a board stooge I wonder. Hopefully they'll be confused.

Bhoyfromcults @7:24

If indeed rasmussen is on the bench and Celtic have the game won by the time he/if comes on, would TMs starting XI not then be justified?

Surely best to wait till the game is over and see where we stand, before you start criticising his apparent line up?

On jury duty overheard the following (two fellow jurors talking while one peruses the daily record)

"Ah ma mate Brian is the ref the morra night thats 3 points fur hearts"

Me being a nosey bassa said did ah hear yae right ther talking about yir mate the ref.

Aye Brian Winter hes a red hot Rangers fan we used to go tae the gemmes the gither.

Says i, am ah Celic man, so it disnae surprise me.

Cue the backtrackin "ah he widnae deliberately cheat"it widnae be worth him risking a £1000/week.

So ah asked im

How wid we know if he wis cheatin wit wid it look like?

An honest mistake,the letter of the law being applied,
ah didnae see it,ah wasnt aware of the incident?

Av seen them given?

He joost laughed.

ZetaBhoy on February 9, 2010 6:32

I've noticed a slight change in the tenor of P67 postings re The Board...I welcome this as I think it allows CQN to function as it should - as a friendly critique on Board behaviour - I think this provides much needed Governance...

Ungoverned by fans - our Board will only build the profit margin at thye expense of the team..

CQN can offer a lead to the fans and a cautionary word to Board memebers - who I suspect read it..

CB

Super Sammy
Info for you
MIH to go into adminstration shortly.£750m debt £400m due now.
Rangers to go into administration as a result.
Keep your eye on the papers over the next two few weeks.
Bob.

bandwagonesque

Indeed we could, but it's the principle of the thing. Of course he's a great player, but what has Keane done so far? Failed to score in 90 mins against Kilmarnock, and a penalty against Dunfermline. Should that mean he gets to start over, say, Ki, Crosas, Kamara?

Terry

But of course, we are all paranoid.

Celtic Bob

I got that email as well.

Its about 18 months out of date.MIH debt will be nearer £1billion

Read this from last October

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/scotland/article6897695.ece

Up over goal

Are you serious about Robbie Keane not deserving to start.

His movement and runs off the ball are excellent,if more players were on his wavelength (which I am sure they will as they get used to him) he would look a lot better.

First name on the sheet CSC

up_over_goal

yes he should! To be fair, Keano hasn't had a real good chance in a game (except the penalty, which he put away)and will score at least 15 goals this year, at least. Him and Rasmussen and Kamara/Fortuné up front from now on.

P27

Ten Men Won The League

I think you miss the point...

Tinkering when you need to is one thing..tinkering against the evidence when you don't need to is another..

It's as clear as the massive nose on Tony's face that Rasmussen can score goals, is in form and deserves a starting place ahead of Fortune who is less of a goal threat.

I'd be willing to bet that you are in a minority if you believe Tony choosing Fortune ahead of Rasmussen will please the fans...even if it results in a victory against Hearts.

I'd say Rasmussen should get the nod in front of Fortune as he's taken his chance..Fortune has spurned his as far as I'm concerned - he has improved but he is no prolific goalscorer. Right now we need a prolific goalscorer...as there is a fair chance we will conced goals.

Celtic Bob

Roberts yer fathers brother! :)

That'll do for me

Hail Hail

Has to be keane and rasmussen...has to be. But it might not!!

Play Fortune in behind them or out wide. Play Kamara too. Our defence is shocking anyway, so lets go three at the back and have Broonie, N'Guamo and the outstanding Crosas in the middle.

Goals galore in that team. At both ends....

Daryl King is sounding like things are finally dropping.
Is there a realisation of impending disaster dawning on him?

Let's hope so.

What is the exact date that MIHs accounts have to be published by?

Dinkys treble

Pays 5/1 at all good bookies and some bad ones too.

Man City
Fulham
Leeds

How does sponsorship work? Can we opt out? can they? it really is a joke. I am glad to see some pressure being applied here. I would think this is one issue where there will be a united front from the support but I suspect there is b all we can do about it until the deal is up in 3 years.

IT smacks of laziness to me. Why wasn't the word put out - individual match sponsorships for all away games for example. Keep the hoops sponsor free except for worthy causes. Find other ways to increase revenue.

On the plus side Pompey's demise will further help our ability to operate in the transfer market as other over spenders cut back and the knock on effect takes place over the coming years. It is also ominous for the Gers I hope. Mr Tax man wants his money.

PeteTheBeat @ 6.29pm

Another thing that surprises me are the number of CQN posters who have bought into this 'rangers are rubbish' business hook line and sinker. OK, we all love to wind up their fans by telling them that but amongst ourselves you would think that we would be a wee bit more honest. They are 10 points ahead of us and yes they look very very ordinary, but as we all know looks can be deceptive.

notthebus
Actually expect it to hit the press this week.
Does not matter a jot wether accounts are published or not.
A lot of good people will lose there jobs through this.
Super Sammy should be a very worried man at the moment.
What email?
Bob.

By up_over_goal on February 9, 2010 6:42 PM

I know where your coming from - where your sentiment is at.

However, I dont think Robbie Keane has displayed any of the negative traits that you mentioned in your original post. I think he has been a model of good practice since he got off the plane.

I wouldn't think about leaving him out as a way to protect the reputation of Celtic.

What is the Stars - he's the second name on the sheet for me.

Incidentally

Skippy is 5/1 to score first for Boro tonight.

He is also 5/1 for the last goal. That is worth a wee fiver of my hard earned I think.

Bhoyfromcults @ 6:37 PM

"our Board will only build the profit margin at the expense of the team"

How true mate, and as you say, all the more important that CQN at least try to keep them on their toes.

Paul67

" Even the 'hearts and minds' thing is delegated to the executive(s). "

Can you expand on that?

twists n turns on February 9, 2010 12:48 PM

My apologies, one winner and one complete donkey!
Another tipster is being beaten as we speak!

By Bhoyfromcults on February 9, 2010 6:46 PM

It's as clear as the massive nose on Tony's face that Rasmussen can score goals, is in form and deserves a starting place ahead of Fortune who is less of a goal threat.

It's clear you are being disrespectful to the manager of the famous Glasgow Celtic. Rasmussen's form or otherwise I think I will go with the team our manager picks, I am sure he knows more about football than you do. He does see the players in training every day. Fortune has scored a couple of crackers as well and looks to be a player.

Just in case anyone picks me up wrong, I agree rangers in terms of Europe are indeed rubbish, but not domestically, we all hope that they don't get the treble but equally we all know that they just might.

If it is true about Rangers and admin. Could we sum it up as???

Murray in the 90's and at the start of of 2000 done a Leeds Utd and spent ,spent,spent to quote Peter Risdale "live the dream" and it has ended up with nothing?

Murray has done a Risdale with Rangers then??????

OMG !!!

Barack

No worries mate..keep em coming

So a team revamped by TM starts a run at 1st place. Minus it's most productive goal scorer since Hartson, with no obvious improvement in defense, and led by an unproven manager.

First result - conceding 2 goals and having to play catch-up against a mid-table 3rd tier team. One of our goals from a penalty, and another being an og.

Sorry, but I'm not bubbling with optimism.

Morning/Evening all

08.00 here in Auckland, and the Sun is belting out its welcome to the beach bums and business-men alike.

Celtic should take a leaf out the book of the executives here....all board members - preferably surfBOARD toting members should go to work in frayed shorts, figure hugging tea-shirts and (for the women) well nuff said! That would bring the crowds back.

Anyway.

Weeminger...didn't mean to appear curt earlier, but this Man U shirt sales of 7 million just doesn't seem credible. Their total turnover is circa 300 million which is less than the figure predicated on the suggested shirt sales. Or have they done a 'Rangers' and sold off their rights to the sales for a yearly stipend?

Malarkey...I see what you are saying regarding the 'no dividend' scenario. However, I never suggested that declaring a dividend or even making a profit was mandatory. It is likely and not remotely unique that the few shareholders who own the vast majority of the shares regard 'maximising their return' as being satisfied by merely holding value while other promises are pursued (successful or otherwise).

The positions of power and access at CP are big enough carrots to satisfy many.

So maximising shareholder return can be the same as minimising shareholder loss.

Provided those shareholders (see last two agm votes) are content with the hegemony of the man with the majority, then little will change.

I still think they are a bunch of visionless shysters, but that is another story and is being concocted in the sleepy hollow of my brain!

Anyway.....off galivanting again. Will look in again after we have beaten Hearts (Fingers crossed)

Hail Hail

Estadio

p.s. In response to Philvis' "Thumbs-up" I propose to now sign off with "Fingers crossed"

P.P.S. I didn't sign the petition!!!!!!! I didn't agree with its potential side-effects. Anyone else own up to that calumny.I will explain later, as if anyone gives a toss, when I get a bit more time. (Fingers crossed)

just my luck, wit s postsa winner and our new IT at work blocks my access to tinternet... ;0(

well done to all who backed it....

bet the 6 for tonight...

Cadizzy - I hate it when people ask me to guess, I'm rubbish at guesses. Was it TV's Gerard Kelly from 'City Lights'? (thumbsup)

ZetaBhoy - They have an organised squad of players who play for the jersey and each other, and an experienced, competent manager who knows how to make do and mend and grind out results in the process. It will be very difficult for us to make up the 10 point gap, because between them and the referees I can't see them dropping as many points as we might hope. (thumbsdown)

However, if Smith leaves them at the end of the season I can't see his replacement being able to keep it together, especially if it's SuperSwally. (thumbsup)

Zetabhoy 6.59

"but as we all know, looks can be deceptive".

Not in the huns' case.........they are all straightforwardly ugly,........an honest, undeceptive ugliness, if you will

Barack

One out of two is not a bad return at all.Keep them coming
I watched A P McCoy and Ruby Walsh win the first races at Market Rasen and Fairyhouse respectively today and both jockeys showed why they are on the very top rung of their profession.
McCoy came from the next parish to win on "Open Day" at 9/2 and Ruby somehow got his Horses Nose in front for the first time on at the post having been nowhere coming over the last.

I wonder will we see the two of them battling it out up that Cheltenham Hill on Kauto and Denman in a few weeks

P.S. I made up the word "undeceptive"

By Estadio on February 9, 2010 12:28 PM

In normal businesses shareholders are paid out of profits. Celtic do not run at a profit, either little debt or break even so how exactly is the club being run for the benefit of shareholders?

I am a very modest shareholder, bought a few in the last issue to put something into Celtic not get to get a return. I think there are many more shareholders like me.

But if somebody is getting a return and taking money out of the club then I want my share.

What was the dividend paid out and who got it?

The Financial Times may not have a sport section, but in the near future Crystal Palace fans may not have a team, so anything is worth trying. Readers of the newspaper may have spotted an unusual advertisement in its pages today: the chance to buy a football club.

Palace's administrators, P&A Partnership, have been trying to sell the club since it went into administration two weeks ago, prompting a ten-point deduction that sent Neil Warnock's side tumbling down the Coca-Cola Championship.

In what might be viewed in some quarters as an act of desperation, since anyone who is interested in football must surely be aware of Palace's plight, the administrators have placed a notice in the FT advising readers of the "opportunity to acquire a long-established South London club" that is "currently enjoying success in the FA Cup".

The "well established and highly reputable academy" is cited as a key asset and apparently the club "offers many benefits for an investor".

Related Links
Board games will not distract in-form Forest
Butterfield boosts Palace’s coffers
Coca-Cola Championship round-up
The projected revenue for the season ending in May is quoted at £13.8 million, though there's the small matter of a £30-odd million debt to take into consideration. And isn't "stadium freehold available" just a nice way of saying that the club doesn't own its ground?

The administrators might be better off placing advertisements in the Russian or Middle Eastern media in the hope of catching the eye of a benevolent billionaire. But there is a certain cachet at least to being listed in the FT's pink pages. Last July, Tranmere Rovers were put up for sale on eBay.

The advertisement:

On instructions of the Joint Administrators, B Guilfoyle, C White and J Russell:

FOOTBALL CLUB FOR SALE

Crystal Palace F.C. (2000) Limited

The sale of the football club and its associated assets presents an opportunity to acquire a long established South London club (founded in 1905) currently playing in the Championship division of the Football League and currently enjoying success in the FA Cup (next match against Aston Villa in the fifth round).

The Club offers many benefits for an investor with a key asset being the well established and highly reputable academy. Prinicipal points of this opportunity are:

• Established and well known brand;

• 26,300 capacity stadium at Selhurst Park held by way of a 25 year lease from April 2008;

• Stadium FREEHOLD available;

• Training ground and academy, in Beckenham, Kent, with 4 full size pitches, junior size pitches, state of the art gymnasium and physiotherapy facilities, held by way of a 15 year lease from August 2003

• In addition to 26 players on professional contracts, there are 16 junior players held on scholarships;

• Revenue streams including commercial sponsorship, Football League payments and television rights, in addition to ticket sales and stadium sub-leases;

• Further revenue streams from player contracts “sell-on” clauses;

• Projected revenue for season ending May 2010 - £13.8million.

An information memorandum is in the course of production and should be available during the week commencing 8 February 2010, which will comprise a synopsis of the salient points of the opportunity and will be available to interested parties following the signing of a confidentiality agreement.

Confidentiality agreements can be obtained from the Joint Administrators c/o The P&A Partnership, 93 Queen Street, Sheffield, S1 1WF TEL: 01142 755033.

By mountain_bhoy on February 9, 2010 12:42 PM
DubCentral, could you contact the danish paper to tell them that ra Ra Rasmussen comes from Boney M? and also tell them estadio's story about the american media? its a belter :-)

I must have missed Estadio's story, any chance of a re-cap?

With regards to having a charity on the front of the shirt. My mate was at a "think tank" at Celtic Park early last year where they discussed this and canvassed people's opinion. The lady who ran the event stated that unfortunately unlike Barcelona we would be unable to afford losing the sponsorship money having a charity would cost us. They did mention that we may be able to have an arm sponsorship for a charity which I would be a big fan of.

Another thing that was mentioned as being in the pipeline was the opening of a HUGE (her emphasis) pub at (I think) the back corner of the Jock Stein beside the cemetary. I would be curious to see if this had some tie-in to the shirt sponsorship? To be fair I would have preferred Bellhaven Best but.....

Celtic Bob @ 7:01

Never mind the press it's the fan i want to see it hit :)

Preferably in the blue room....imagine the mess :)

Stripped of ten points, that just about evens things up re the MIBs decisions, but not quite the full 18 denied.

Mibbe Pauls tanks will be parked at the bottom of the marble stairs tae protect Donald Muir et al frae the baying mob?

Personally i cannae wait for aw this tae unfold.

Hail Hail

Estadio - I like your style, but fingers crossed can also indicate you're fibbing. (thumbsup)

Auldheid

You didn't read what I wrote...did you? Go on be a big gatekeeper for yer pals on Kerrydale street and admit it. You've got more knee jerks than a Michael Flatley chorus line.

Money, financial profit and dividend are one way of rewarding shareholder investment. Positions of power are another.

See you used the word 'normal' business. Therein lies the conundrum and the total gripless damp handshake of a every sucking toe curling one of them. (Peter L being the honourable exception - what a battle he has had to wage)

Bunch of spineless shysters who are dragging Celtic to a level of mediocrity last seen in 1947/48!

Def off now (Fingers crossed)

Hail Hail

Estadio

gallagher
Panic is setting in now and those tanks are not far off.
Rags now have Boughera going to Barca.
Another JFK moment on the way.
Bob.

Philvis......I know......or do I?(Fingers crossed)

Hail Hail and farewell.

Estadio

What is the stars.........i asked earlier if you'd any word for fairyhouse.....i got called away to go to carrick on suir and come home to see you posted a winner.....well done & i'm going mental here!!!!

Hail Hail
Wolfetonebhoy

The Vanguard Bears? Anyone had a go at removing John Mccrae and his jolly japing cronies from the web yet?

philvisreturns @ 7:16 PM. - agreed and I hope that you're right,

glendalystonsils @ 7:16 PM - nice one mate - you definitely are right!

Paul67
I suspect future celtic and political historians will find our 'top heavy' board to be a compelling study of early 21st century cultural chicanery and political shenanigans.... It being both victim and perpetrator of such trickery...
It represents the cutting edge of 21st century global business while operating in the best wee 19th century mindset in the world context.
Difficult balancing act that...
Yes Paul the board may be many things....But boring?
No Sir...

Terry O Neill @6:35

I also know Mr Winter and I can confirm that he is indeed a hun.

Used to work in the same station as him where it was well know where his loyalties lay.

We'll get nothing from him tomorrow

The vanguard bears have this on thier write for us page...
Remember Bears! the scumbags in the Scottish media and the hypocrites in Parliament, will never defend you, Rangers football club or the indiginous population of Scotland. So get writing and don't allow the myths and propaganda to continue unanswered.

A really good point Paul . We have a top heavy board of folks who appear to add very little in their areas of expertise.

Re the shirts and sponsorless options which people are banging on about. My sense is that this option was one which was granted by Carling, as was the concession to Celtic not to have their Red chevrons on the shirt.

I am not so sure that Tennents have or will agree to this, and the sight of a hideous Red T on a Celtic top horrifies me. As much for the basic fundementals of anti catholicism on which the brand was built as for the horrible colour adorning our shirt.

The last time we had red on our shirt was in the bad old days of Peoples....

Bobby Lennox can beat them on February 9, 2010 7:06 PM

Yet again I am reminded of the proverbial quote:

"There are none so blind as those who WILL not see..."

From Channel67, Tony Mowbray is asked,

Do you feel things are about to click into place?

Laughs

Well you hope so, I think, you know, the players have been, we signed them when, last Monday, three or four of them, so em, we had a week or so training, we will wait and see. I wouldn’t be as bullish as to say yes everything is raring to go.

Loovens is asked

Have the new signings re-energised the squad?

Well yes is always good that good players come and join the team, so of course, we were delighted when a player like Keane joined the club.

I for one am delighted too and hoping the Celts click big time and soon.

What is the stars and Patrick27

As you can see, it's not that I doubt he'll be superb for us this season, more that I think it's almost disrespectful to both parties that he starts without question.

bandwagonesque

Fine, but what are the negative traits you say I mention? I don't follow. If you mean 'superstar' behaviour, there is no way I'd accuse Robbie of that, more of Celtic being too starstruck.

Celtic Bob

Tanks for that :)

Hail Hail

The man in the know...

do you know if T where the only option?
did our current sponsers not re submit a bid as such?

BT

By Bhoyfromcults on February 9, 2010 7:41 PM

Bobby Lennox can beat them on February 9, 2010 7:06 PM

Yet again I am reminded of the proverbial quote:

"There are none so blind as those who WILL not see..."

What do you mean? I still think Tony Mowbray knows more about football than you do, that your comments were disrespectful and that Fortune is an excellent football player.

Going by your posts I get the feeling you will rejoice if Celtic lose tomorrow and you can then tell us all how clever you are.

Wolfetone Bhoy

So Sorry about that,had a busy morning in work (it really is a curse for us Sporting Gents to have to dirty our hands with something as vulgar as work but I digress)only got on to the blog about 2.00 so didnt see the earlier posts.
It won in similar fashion to the one you put up (The Kings Sword)

Eiroimid Aris
Might have one for tomorrow

My team bearing in mind who is available and on form:

Zaluska
Caddis Thompson Loovens Braafheid
Ki N'Guemo Brown Kamara
Keane Rasmussen

Dont want to get my hopes up to much for tomorrow.

As im getting that Deja Vú of walking up to the ground full of hope and excitement thinking THIS IS THE GAME WHERE WE WILL TURN THE CORNER, THIS IS THE GAME WHERE WE'LL GIVE SOMEONE A GOOD HIDING, THIS IS THE GAME WHERE WE WILL SHOW THAT ACTUALLY DO HAVE THE BEST TEAM/SQUAD IN SCOTLAND.

So far Ive been wrong, wrong and wrong.

Tony Mowbray has the tools at his disposal to beat Hearts and we have to trust that he will put the right team out (whatever that may be).

He has hinted that Fortuné will play which means a front pairing of Keane and Fortuné with Ra Ra coming off the bench if and when needed.

Kamara is a must. He played superbly against Dunferline.

Playing Brown would be a questionable decision given his medicore and uninspiring return to the side on Sunday but if he does play, I hope he puts in Captains performance and builds his season upwards from there.

Hail Hail

Channel 67 have got an old Celtic v Hearts game on.

Here is part of the commentary.

Murdoch,

Johnstone,

Johnstone cleverly playing it back,

flick by Chalmers,

Lennox scores,

beautifully taken goal.

9 December 1967, Celtic 3 Hearts 1

Bobby Lennox

Happy to debate all night long...that's what the site is for..all I'm saying is that Fortune may be a good player...if he was excellent, I doubt he'd be in the SPL- Henke was an excellent player - Fortune may well be a good player. Rasmussen may also be a good player..but he's a potentially good player who is in form and scores goals.

Fortune may be a good player but he is not as prolific as Rasmussen on the evidence to date - therefore Ras deserves the nod..surely you've seen that with your own eyes?

I'm surprised there are still folk who blindly follow Mowbury's selection and tactics..given the results they have achieved to date..that is indeed BLIND faith.

up over the goal

I know where your getting at, but TBH, it's not really a matter of respect to start him instead of a striker who is never going to be as good as him. IMO of course.

P27

http://bit.ly/akF6hy

No wonder they keep playing for the replay!

Bhoyfromcults

We have no choice but to support the team the manager puts out similarly we can only back the manager we have.

As to debating all night, I have got better things to do.

By the way in that 67 game Lennox got another and Chalmers got the third.

We could do with a result like that tomorrow.

MOWBRAY.

How hard is it to spell our manager's name correctly?

Middlesbrough's starting line up has McManus, Flood, Robson, McDonald and Killen.

Caldwell starts for Wigan (who are 1 up)

And goal-a-game Fox starts for Burnley

Jobo

Hola
Noticed a little snipped in the evening times earlier today and they refered to the man with no surname as Red Adair.
Do they know something about a fire he might have to put out.
Hail Hail
KTF

Bhoyfromcults.

Can i chuck in my tuppence?

I agree with the pairing of RaRa Rasmusson and Keane.

Robbie works best when he is dropping into pockets of holes, leaving the penalty box un-manned if you like.

To play Robbie with Fortune will result in crosses being fired into no one.

For christ sake we havent had a penalty box striker for so long (sorry Scott, harsh I accept) and have been crying out for one all season with the team creating between 12-18 chances per game - use him!!

So for me, its Keane and RaRa Rasmusson.

Id also like to see Brown back in the middle and given a licence to break forward. Our Central midfield have been the real failure this season - totally ineffective.

On more recent viewing, this may not be the game for Ki.

ElDiegoBhoy

oh MOWBRAY, i thought it was Mobwayr! Joke. Is there any games on TV tonight???

P27

Bhoyfromcults

I think it is you who is suffering from poor eyesight. Any Celtic fan you speak to, would tell you that Fortune had been Celtic's best outfield player in January. As TM has pointed out many times, Fortune is not an out and out goalscorer and was not purchased for such a role. He is a player who pulls the centre halfs out wide therefore creating space for those to run into. TM knows his value to the side having worked with him before. He will be a very important player for Celtic untill the seasons end

Bobby Lennox

Cool - agree even I'm getting bored with it...ha!

Come tomorrow - I'll be supporting whever dons the hoops...whoever
it is. Tony will also get full respect.

Actually - I'll be playing...but will bolt straight to the radio hoping for a victory..howevere slim.

Bobby Lennox my (dear departed) Dad's favourite player - superb nom de plume!

C'mon the Hoops!

My preferred team for tomorrow

................Zaluska

Hinkel Thomson Hooiveld (Loovens) Braafheid

............Brown Nguemo

.......Fortune Keane Kamara

...............Rasmussen

On what basis are we saying that Brown deserves a place in Central Midfield tomorrow.

Time after time (prior to his injury and again on Sunday) he has shown that he not a central midfielder - tho not sure what his best position is.

Unfortunately Crosas, Ki, Zhi and Brown have not been a stand-out so far this season - but would prefer Crosas and Ki if I had to pick 2.

Ten Men Won The League

I've got 20-20 vision mate...

I'll tell you what I see when I watch Fortune...I see a guy who has just slipped to about 5th choice as a striker.

I don't doubt he puts a shift in... I don't doubt he scores great goals...but is not a great goal scorer.

I also happen to think he telegraphs his every move - nae guile...when it comes off for him it is invariably nowt more than brute stregnth. He is a misser of certs.Ras is a scorer of half chances. Kamara probably stronger in every department than Fortune.

I see him as excellent back up to Rasmussen, kamara, McGeady and Kean. He's probably even behind Maloney when fi and right now I'd say he is only slightly ahead of Sammi - but that could change.

Right now, on the eveidence to date - I can't see past Keane, Ras, Kamara and Aiden...

Has Lady Gaga given the Green Brigade the perfect song for our new Danish striker with her chorus to this one....

Woh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-MOR-TEN-RASM-U-SSEN-Wo-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

Even the follow-up to the chorus fits!!

Ra-Ra-Rasmuss-en
Ra-Ra-Rasmuss-en

Lady Gaga at Celtic Park?

Whatever next....

How come Brown gets a spot in most people's teams?

Has the whole world gone crazy?

A timid performance against Dunfermline, preceded by a mad cameo at left back are what constitutes form these days, it seems.

I would love it Scott Brown came good. I really like his kind of player, but he has shown zero evidence that he is on the verge of a turnaround in his performances.

But hey, I'm sure he does well on the training field.

Can you honestly say that Brown does more than Zhi, on what you've witnessed?

Jobo,

That formation was very close to mine. I'm going for a 4-3-3 with Kamara joining the midfield and a front line of Fortune/Keane/Ras.

The holly goalie and the undropable one need exactly that!!

Man city 1 bolton 0. tevez penalty.
SS2.

Killen scores for Middleborough!

Funny would not be the word if Bolton were relegated, ironic doesn't quite cover it either. Funnily ironic maybe.

bhoyfromcults

Fair enough. It's all about opinions i suppose.TM could well appease us both by playing Fortune, Keane + RaRa!

As for Aiden, there is a bhoy who needs a spell on the sidelines! :)

My team for tomorrow is based on form only...

Zaluska

Misun Thompspon Rogne Caddis

Brown Zhi Ki McGinn

Fortuné Samaras

celtic's Team for the Heart's game.

Boruc

Caddis Braff

Thompson Loovens

Brown Nguemo Ki Kamara

Fortune Keane

Howevahhhhhhhh..

If Ah wur King..

Cool Haun

Rogne Braff

Thompson Loovens

Forrest Brown Nguemo Ki

Keane Rasmussen.

James Forrest is a wonderful Talent that
needs experience.

He should be inserted, gradually, into the Team,
During the rest of the season.

He will be a superb addition to the Team.

All he requires at this time...is time,,, in
the First Eleven.

He should be played as frequently as is possible
in order for him to get that so important First
Team experience.

Kojo.

WGS

If the hun go into admin does that mean that they will lose 10 points straight away.

Angus

WGS

Are the hun in admin and will they be docked points.

AY

2-0 Middlesborough!!

Agree Aiden would benefit from a rest...because he has had to run his guts out, usually playing against 2 or 3 men in every game.

Once rested..Aiden will get heaps of 1 on 1s...as teams now need to double up on Keane...I think we'll see a purposeful McGeady.

After the Brown at LB experience last week...I'm not blindly accepting any decison by BTM

C'mon the hoops!

Unlike the disrespectful t-shirt on DubCentral's website, I have a soft spot for Boro. More power to them.

my team for tomorrow

.........Brown

Brown Brown Brown Brown

...Brown Brown Brown

...Brown Brown Brown

Up Over Goal - howsatt?

MWD :o)

Angus young:

Even if such a regulation is carved on a tablet of stone and locked safely in the vaults underneath Gordon Smiths desk, the huns will no doubt be treated as a special case.

Kojo

After lauding Caddis to the skies, he doesn't even make into your 'If ah wur king' side!

I'll go with

Zaluska

Caddis
Thompson
Loovens
Braafheid

Zhi
Crosas
NGuemo

Ki

Fortune
Rasmussen

James Forrest sounds great, by all accounts. Speaking of the up and comers, what's happening with young Feruz?

SS3: Carlisle 2 Leeds 2 (4-3 on agg) - 5/6 minutes to go - could be mildly entertaining.

Esatadio

You wrote

"Forget all this Celtic supporter on the board nonsense. We are a PLC! As such they and the club have one objective and that is to maximise the return for the shareholders . The rest of us are just noise, cannon fodder and inconvenient truths."

I (and another poster ) asked which shareholders were getting a maximised return?

I take it from your response there is in fact no return being maximised. If so it follows that what you wrote was either not in fact true or The PLC are doing a bad job of looking after the shareholders.

I thought you would have handled the question better than the you did.

You said

" Supporting this board is admirable if you are a shareholder."

It is quite possible to be a shareholder and a supporter. It is quite possible to be a supporter of the Board in some respects and a critic in others. It is also possible to be a supporter/shareholder with aspirations but who can separate the ideal from what is and not lose love for either.

Well it is for me.

Dont know if anyone else noticed but in the first 20 mins of the Kilmarnock game - when Celtic actually played some good flair football, McGeady looked a lot more relaxed as Keane and Kamara whizzed around - looked like some pressure had been taken off him. However, he then went on to play a poor game. But I believe he does need rested for a a couple of games. When he comes back into the team (which is not so dependent on him anymore) - if he can curb his greedy streak - he will be essential in overhauling the 10 points defecit to clinch the SPL.

MWD

Hope you're well.

Moonbeams wet dream

Aaaaaarrrrggggghhhhhh!!!!

Ya Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam!!!

Overhead_Kick

Your exclamation marks make you sound surprised. Are you?

CQN Coupon update -

Of the 7 games playing tonight we're comfortable in 2 (2 goal leads), looking good in 3 (winning by a goal, close in 1 (no goals) and down in 1 (Newcastle losing 1-0 at half time.

We're currently needing 3 goals to go our way.

Jobo

Moonbeams wet dream

Cheers that gave me a right good laugh!!

Who would be on the subs bench?

Super Sammy at 3.04pm

You flawed accounting logic at assuming your loathesome club will somehow turn last year's £10m loss in to a £5m-£10m profit this year is beyond comprehension.

Let me illustrate some very basic facts.

You rightly point out that the £10m loss did not include Champions league cash. This year will. A prediction of £10m income is likely to be, after costs, net of around £8m.

HOWEVER, last year's loss was despite you managing to get £7.8m for Carlos Cuellar from Villa and a reported £3m for Daniel Cousin from Hull. A loss which therefore would have been £20.8m without the benefit of that cash.

So, let's start again. You don't have that £10.8m in transfer income this year but you probaly have netted about £2.5m for Barry Ferguson and Mendes.

So, let me now illustrate that Sammy boy:

Loss last year (your number not mine) = (£10m)
Actual loss without Cuellar & Cousin income = (£20.8m)
Transfer income for Capt Ned and Mendes = £2.5m
Champs league income = £8m

Loss this year on a like-for-like basis = (£10.3m)

Oh dear, look at that Sammy, you're heading for another £10m loss unless you off-load another few players.

Even if you save a few million this year on wages and other costs, let's give you the benefit of the doubt and you save a further £5m, that still means your mob are staring down the barrel of a £5m loss. This year.

Read it and weep sammy.........

glendalystonsils

Aye right enough!

Up over Goal

With 5 ex celtic players in Middlesborough tonight - your damn right im surprised !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jobo there is no such thing in cqn coupon as comfortable. We have had a team 4 up and 4 2 up with a minute to go draw.

Happy birthday Gordon Strachan I hope this starts your run to the EPL

In defence of the Scott Brown debate;

If we leave him out now, you can forget about even recouping a few quid if you want rid in the summer, because the boys confidence will be shot.

He has publicly been announced as captain for the rest of the season, now lets give him a few games to see if its going to come to fruition.

Remember we are all hoping that it will be Scott Brown + 10%.

If he hasnt done it by March 1st - then get rid.

But lets see if our manager can coax the player that we have only ever seen in glimpses in the green and white hoops, but was seen almost every other week in the green with white sleeves.

Aukdheid

I refer you again to my post at 7.15pm.

MAXIMISING return can mean Minimising loss. Power is however the name of the game and those who give succour to that bunch of wasters (PL excluded) are as guilty as them in seeing our club in a position that forced their hand in January - with OUR money.

Normal sharebuying puts abslutely zilch into Celtic's coffers. Season and tickets and merchandise however do.

This lot are con-men!

Toodle-oo (Fingers crossed)

Hail hail

Estadio

Overhead_Kick

Robson was our best player when he left us, and it's no accident that his return to their squad coincides with two goals in the first half.

With those players, I predicted that Strachan will make it at least to the play-offs this year.

You see if they don't!

Carlisle-Leeds on SS3, straight to penalties.

My dear,dear,dear,dear,friend..Over Head Kick @ 8.30

Pal.. on your feelings re Mr. Brown.

I do not blame you for expressing askance,
in light of this young man's PAST innumerable shoddy performances.

Howevahhhhh..
The Key woid is... PAST.

It is easy mistake for one to make, to fall into the trap of Basing One's PRESENT Opinion, on Historical Evidence...Gleaned from the
PAST.

We do not know if there shall be a Vast Improvement
in the upcoming Performances that Master Brown shall exhibit,
now, that he is injury free..

neither, do we know if
Master Brown shall Miserably Fail,and show not the
slightest improvement vis a vis, his past performances.

In the case of Mr. Brown, the intelligent thing to do

Is to wait and see which way his Performance Meter..
rises or falls.

Then any opinions that we express shall carry the hall
mark, that they are based of Current and therefore, Up to date, evidence.

Maks sense tae me.

Kojo.
yer pal..who likes ye aloater.

Estadio@7.15pm - The 7 million figure was quoted in the article from a guy involved in pitching to sponsor them, so I've no reason to doubt it.

It's worth remembering that shirt sales are only one part of their merchandise income and probably only make up a wee part of the total. In 2008/2009, for example, they received a total of £99M in media revenue (£86M from tv!!).

I find it odd about the suggesstions to drop THG and Brown. THG is still a world class keeper and as far as I know he has played well recently.

Brown was injured for the bit before his 8 week lay off. He struggled on so wasn't doing his best. It won't be long before he bosses the midfield again.

As i said earlier my team is as follows

Boruc
Caddis
Thompson
Loovens
Braafheid
NGuemo
Brown
Crosas
Fortuné/Kamara
Keane
Rasmussen

Hail Hail

Kojo

Your wise words are just the thoughts that were running in my head...

P27

Patrick27
THG used to be a world class keeper.

Since Artur's return from injury, he hasn't impressed me. He's not been commanding inside the box and conceding too many goals despite having little to do in most games. His distribution is erratic. He needs a wake up call.

DBBIA dancing in the streets of DBBIA land

BES

True but i still think he will come good very soon. Besides, he's The Holy Goalie!!!

P27- who has to go...

Signing off now.

Have not enjoyed the site much today.

If anyone is interested why, I'll say no more than check my post at 1.57.

o'ceallaigh

My dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,friend... Up over goal @ 8.41.

Pally, sure I luv Master Caddis..

But..

NO AS A FULL BACK!

I am soiten I made that crystal clear,in my Previous Submissions
on this very Subject.. Positing, why I luv Mr. Caddis.

Mr.Caddis, is many things but being able tae match

Josh Thompson, Eye tae Eye...withoot staunin' oan a stool...Is no wan o' Them!

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

Estadio

My first post was made after reading the earlier one I quoted from not having seen yours of 7:15 until you referred me to it. (the gap between a post being submitted and posted perhaps?)

Now I see what you mean by maximising return, the kind of glow one gets from wandering around the temple of Celtic Park that gets brighter and warmer the nearer one thinks they are to the centre of it all.

Och I never let that kind of stuff bother me, people are people, what is real remains, everything else is made up and changes in time.

FECKIN` NEWCASTLE..GEORDIE STEWARDS !!!!!!!!!!!!

Re Scott Brown - he is now Captain of the side; Tony Mowbray has promoted him into this position; this is why, when fit, he will always be in the team. One thing he will do - run his socks of, box to box, for 90 minutes. Now that he is back, free from prolonged injury, the only time to judge him properly will be after an extended run in the side. Until then.... he needs support. I like his gallus attitude, I like his passion, I've been disappointed that he hasn't fulfilled his potential at Celtic, however now he needs the fans to give him encouragement to realise that potential; Tony's backed him,,,,,,, shouldn't we ?

I don't care about Rankers finances. I only care about our football. We should stuff the Jambos tomorrow. I'm hearing the Rocky music now! There's not a player we have that I don't think is superior to anything in any other SPL team.

That said, the reporting on their finances seems offensive to to me and folk with common sense.

It is reported that they owe HBOS £30m. Despite my hopes, I'm sure the bank won't insist on it all being paid back in one go. They'd likely accept £7.5m per year for 4 years plus interest and charges if they could be assured of payment. The bank could easily take that short term hit to avoid the publicity they might fear. So the debt can't be their problem when if comes to selling. (Among the many problems those orcs have!).

The problem must be the shares. Every tabloid I've seen writes off the value of the shares. WTF!! Four years ago, when we first heard that moonbeams wanted out, he'd surely never have given his shares away for nothing. Not when MIH or someone had just underwritten a recent issue to the value of £50m (and that's not counting the ones he already had). Even in today's times, anybody considering giving away an ongoing business for nothing might be locked up. Especially a football business where you could sell all the expensive players, bring in some underpaid youngsters (with no morals), have your team sit mid-low table for 5 years and make modest/small profits with the couple of thousand mugs paying for tickets and screwing every last drop out sponsers and sky.

On a purely financial basis the shares have a value. If moonbeams has 60% of these there's still a value. You could argue £100m for Castle Greyskull (hahahaha! but that's what I understand the balance sheet says), £50m spawning ground (if they own it), £2m McShagdface, £3m Boger (Barelona? Not with a bargepole!), £3m Davis, £1m Papac, £1m Naismith, £8m the rest of the munchers, £4m for the rights to merchandising (in 7 years time when they get it back), £1m for rights to sell food (in 10 years when the contract runs out) £3m for other miscelaneous income/assts (TV right, etc). That's 60% of £175m. My math isn't great but I don't think the answer to that sum is £0.

But maybe moonbeams has gone all "Tony from Tile-it-All".

On a completely separate subject, and hypothetically, if a company was in trouble and owed £700m and only had £400m of assets, it is likely the the creditor would require some security over the existing assets (property, stocks, shares, etc). If the terms of repayment were not being met, and reasonable creditor could
a) keep the security and allow the business to pay back the debt over time, if it was satisfied that the business had a future and was being run well
b) through statutory procedures, sell off all the assets to recoup at least the current value of the assets, if they believed that they would not get their money back within a reasonable time frame
or
c) allow the sale of any of the assets to repay the debt or part thereof, provided that the sale proceeds would be equal to or more than the asset's actual value.

If a creditor was going to proceed with option c) in regard to a security over shares in a subsiduary company(which hypothetically may have had a multi-million pound value a couple of years ago and had a definite hypothetical financial value of about £175m, should it loose the security and write off and additional £30m of debt in return for £18m? (Hypotheticallyof course.) It's a question you think any reasonable journalist would ask when reporting on a story. Strange then that I didn't see it asked at all.

Anyway, I don't care about them. My point is simply in relation to the reporting that (as a sucker for made up news) I trawl through in my lunch hour. Could be worse. We could be about to bomb a random country and I could be asking why reporters haven't asked "If you really believe that they can bomb us in 45 minutes, why are we giving them 4 months notice the we're going to bomb them? Are you nuts or just a wannabe bon villan?"

I'm going back to lurking now.

Hail Hail

By Mr X on February 9, 2010 8:45 PM

Ouch. You decided against the use of chloroform I see. ;)

Larrybhoy,

Not to mention that fundamental element of his game in which no one else in the squad as.

The one in which Mick, the apparently Irish trainer of the legendary Rocky, would call the 'snarl'....

Larry.bhoy
Absolutely

Larry.bhoy
Completely agree mate.

By Mr X on February 9, 2010 8:45 PM

You have carelessly forgetten one crucial thing Mr X - the money Rangers SPENT on transfers during the season Cueller left.
Lafferty, Mendes, Davis, Edu, Bougie etc.. £10mill plus.

So you're figures:
"Loss last year (your number not mine) = (£10m)
Actual loss without Cuellar & Cousin income = (£20.8m)"
is a load of, erm, tosh, as what came in, went out.

So correct your own sums and you'll see that 5 million profit magically re-appears.

"Read it and weep sammy........." you said. I'd rather read it and correct your simple error.
The Bhoys on here deserve not to be misled.
:)

My dear,dear,dear,dear,friend... Patrick27

Ah hiv a tender spot for Yer Name,pal..

My Gal.. The Wondrous Gabriella.. calls me, by a Pet Name..

Pasquale..( She is Italian)

My Christian Name if Not, Patrick...

Why she calls me .. Pasquale.. I have no Idea.. but, I rather Like it.

Anywey...

I am glad that you and I are oan the same spot on the dial,regarding our Mr. Brown.

Good tae know.

Kojo.
yer pal.. who likes ye aloater.

Craig Brown Rallies The Well Troops.

by Toddy Rhosfry

Craig Brown the last Scottish international manager to lead the country to a major tournament not just once but twice was in effervescent mood yesterday. The 69 year old manager with a wealth of experience in the footballing world knows what he is talking about. Well you certainly get that feeling talking to him.

He is committed to his new temporary tenure at Motherwell and has by his side Archie Knox. Archie has a wealth of experience in the front line and has rubbed shoulders with the best of them. Motherwell have been revitalised since Craig Brown and Archie Knox succeeded Jim Gannon at New Year, while Walter Smith has steered Rangers to a substantial lead in the SPL title race, despite being unable to sign any players during three consecutive transfer windows.

Brown, named Scotland's manager of the month for January, on Tuesday declared that Smith's place in the pantheon of Scottish bosses was secure.

"With his achievement at Rangers, and to a lesser extent with the Scotland team, I put Walter along with the great Scottish legends like Jock Stein, Alex Ferguson and Jim McLean," said Brown.

"You are talking about an outstanding manager and Archie will confirm that. Archie was with him for seven of Rangers' nine titles and he speaks so highly of him.

"Walter had an excellent spell at Everton where the financial constraints were so great that the job became almost impossible. In the nine-in-a-row period, Rangers were able to sign Terry Butcher, Paul Gascoigne and Brian Laudrup, but he is not able to sign anyone like that now.

"I'll not name the comparable signings because they are not in the hunt with these guys. So, enormous credit to him for what he has done in the past and what he is doing at present."

Stirring words from Craig for his players to dwell on and with Archie in the background doing the spade work. The Motherwell players will unquestionably be focused on not embarrassing themselves against Scotland´s inevitable champions and avoiding a heavy defeat in what is the game of the evening. If Motherwell find themselves in the unlikely position at half time tomorrow evening then I hope the Motherwell players enjoy Craig eulogising about the Champions elect.

ghents

why oh why bother ..who cares anyway ....

clearly Uncle Wattie`s only kidding and teh financial good times are round the corner ...it`s just a ruse ..isn`t it ??

night night ...the Geordie capitulation has P`ed me off

hail hail

from the official site.

Loovens: Josh has got what it takes

Mark Henderson
GLENN LOOVENS has heaped praise on the rapid progress of teenage central defender Josh Thompson.

The 18-year-old has belied his tender age with a series of steady displays in recent weeks, after injuries to more experienced players in his position saw him thrust into the starting XI.

In the last two fixtures, he has partnered the Dutch internationalist in the heart of the Celtic defence and the pair could link-up again for the SPL fixture against Hearts tomorrow night (Wednesday).

And Loovens has been very impressed by the maturity of his young defensive colleague.

He said: “Josh is young and has to learn a lot, but he is doing a great job.

“I am sure he is going to be a great player and, of course, it’s our job to help him, during the games, but I think he has done well so far.”

“It’s good that he has his own mind too, as just because you are young it doesn’t mean you have to accept everything.”

The Hoops will be looking to get back to winning ways in the SPL against the Tynecastle men after the defeat to Kilmarnock last week.

Robbie Keane, along with the likes of Diomansy Kamara and Edson Braafheid, are expected to make their home bow and Loovens is hoping to see a good turnout of supporters for the vital clash.

He added: “Yeah, it’s always important to get a full house and have the fans behind you.

“It’s better for you as a player, as it gives you that extra boost that you might need.”

The Dutchman knows the importance of picking up three points tomorrow if the Hoops want to remain in the title race, but he believes the team are more than capable of going on a winning run and claiming the championship.

He said: “There are still 15 games to play for so that’s a lot of points and we play Rangers twice so I can’t see why not.

But we need to make sure we get a run going and don’t drop any more points.”

http://www.celticfc.net/news/stories/news_090210135526.aspx

Bloke_109

Just glad to be back at albeit with the pain.

Overhead_kick

I reckon I'd need to go with six subs.

Brown Brown Brown Brown Brown & Keane. :o)

MWD

We need to give the cousins of William a real doing tomorrow night - points and goal difference are essential. They are without...
Bouzid - hamstring
Driver - recurrence of knee problem
Palazuelos - knee
Robinson - knee)
Templeton -foot
Thomson - knee
Stewart - knee
Kingston - hamstring
Novikovas - ankle
MacDonald - ankle
Goncalves - dropped until he signs new deal

Re Sammy

Why some of the vitriolic posts towards a guy who comes on and is straight up in the fact that he is a follower of the dark side? I prefer his honesty as opposed to some of those on here pretending to be hoops fans, and unless I am mistaken he has been polite and respectful in his posting?

Sammy, welcome, though you may not feel it. Stick it out.

BTW

If you have some venom to spit, fire it towards the Toon army. Barstewards.

TnT
I suspect your wee flutter went right down the pan?

PF ayr,
What's more likely regarding Sir Walter's "outburst"?

1. Sir Walter get all of a do-da with emotion and the prospect of us being months from disintergration and can't help but pour his inner-most feelings out to his trusted confidant Chick Young.

2. Or Walter's "outburst" is a calculated statement from the old fox, part of his own agenda of mind games, of a design that distant observers such as ourselves can only speculate about.

I think the rational choice would be Number Two. Disagree?

From Rangers (Sash Trash) Media.

Daft - yes, very daft.
Sick? No.
The 'Vanguard Bears' website however - sick, very, very sick.
Some IT expert must know how to disab.........

Bobby

CQN coupon busters!

TNT -

I think you'll fine Leicester are putting the coupon down too.

Jobo

Blooming Norah!

Female referee at the Forest v Coventry game. Can you imagine that in Frank McAvennies day????

Whatever next?... Huns posting on a hoops website?? Crazy world indeed.

Whenever I see our friends from the blue side on here I can't help but think of them like Neo in The Matrix as they get unplugged!

Tell me Edward, will you take the green pill or the blue pill?

Green pill and you wake in paradise
Blue pill and you wake in Manchester :)

By benjybhoy on February 9, 2010 9:36 PM

'Doomsday is approaching fast at the end of this season.'

Was all I read, good to see they are in high spirits, lets hope we are disabled with laughter at their misery.

Jobo

Aye I seen that, but at 0-0 we were still in it until the last kick. Glad it was 2 teams and not just the one again.

benjybhoy
Interesting article. Seems odd that Rangers fans are protesting about Lloyds involvement in their club's finances. The bank could have closed their club and sold the assets (as was threatened to us).

They should consider themselves fortunate that the bank has allowed them to continue playing without a firesale of the current playing staff. They need to wake up to reality.

Aye ok jobo....

i am having a mare at the moment... ;0(

BT

By super_sammy on February 9, 2010 9:24 PM

So you will not be spending that kind of money on that kind of player again to balance the books?

It is something you get used to in time.

We have.

blantyretim
Any news on Willie O'Neill ?

BES

I will phonemy dad and get back to you,

BT

Naka's reign in Spain has gone doon the drain....

Coach Mauricio Pocchetino has informed the former Celtic midfielder that he doesn't feature in the clubs long term plans and is willing to release him to Japan. "Nakamura is a big player, but his problem has been adapting to Spain," said the Espanyol coach.

Any chance of getting into the CQN coupon predictions?

Dinkys treble up again as posted earlier.

Man City
Fulham
Leeds

5/1

Thats it for tonight...here's to a 4 goal thrashing of the mini's tomorrow.

Night all

Eyes Wide Open 2, like it; the "snarl" - Scott definitely has it.
Bobby Evans Super Star, Vinibhoy - TMs vision will soon be clear - here's hoping he gets there. Would love him to prove the many critics wrong.

Why-oh-why did I bother with them useless flamin geordies!!!
3-0 stuffing by Derby????
Done me on 2 diff lines.

Apologies to the Couponeers.

Not a Happy Bhoy here.

HAIL! HAIL!
Token

blantyretim
Sorry - got to sign off now. I'll catch up with you later about Willie. I'm sure he knows many of us who saw him play are thinking about him.

A resounding win required tomorrow night.

KTF

By benjybhoy on February 9, 2010 9:36 PM

Here are some other quotes from the Rangers article.

‘On the field of play everything is in view. Any cheating is watched and corrected by a referee. Foul play is punished.’

This guy obviously missed both old firm games.

‘The big question is: Will organized protests have any result if the real culprit(s) are not clearly known?
The last time protests were hinted at the Bank said Rangers were running the club. Walter was mad.
He may be mad once more.’

Can I edit that: The big question is: Walter was mad. He may be mad once more.

Nope, not any clearer.

‘There may be a white knight about to pounce as I write.’

Probably, but does he have a criminal record.

Larry.bhoy
just caught your post as I was about to sign off. Agree totally about TM. Tomorrow night will be the turning point.

Night all,

KTF

BES

I will speak to my dad tomorrow and let you know next time your on..

BT

Who's going to explain amortisation to Super Sammy?

Bobby Evans Superstar

The whole country is on the brink financially. The whole of Europe is on the brink financially.
There's little or no chance of anyone coming riding to their rescue in the near future. If I were them, I'd be opening accounts at Lloyds and promising to buy the next 3 years season tickets in advance with a cover letter begging them not to put my club in administration. But they insist on biting the hand that is currently stopping them dropping over the cliff. It's called stupid.
Things are going to be tough for everyone of the next decade (or more). I know of one institution w