On Saturday 8 September 1888, across the north of England, league football got underway. Since then leagues have spread to every corner of the globe where a remotely green patch of grass can survive. Thousands of national titles have been decided in that time, some, as we know to our cost, by the slenderest of margins.
The record winning margin, since 1888, across the globe, is shared by two teams, Paris St Germain and Cairo’s finest, Al Ahly, who both won their national titles by 31 points, PSG last year, Al Ahly in 2005.
Your team and mine are currently 30 points ahead of second placed Aberdeen with two games remaining. If we win away to Partick Thistle tomorrow, and against Hearts on Sunday, and Aberdeen drop fail to win both their remaining games, in Glasgow, against Newco tonight and Partick on Sunday, world football’s record books will be rewritten.
You don’t need the record books to tell you this is a special season, one you will remember fondly for the rest of your life, but in future, many the world over will learn about what Celtic achieved this season by reading their name either immediately below, or above, PSG and Al Ahly.
I remember the old days, when we hoped Aberdeen would drop points at Ibrox. Rangers were a basket case of a football club (nothing on today’s Ibrox incarnation, of course), while Aberdeen were one of the top clubs in Europe, and formidable competition for Celtic.
We can be more circumspect now with our sentiment, but – wait for it, I hope Brother Pedro gets a result tonight. He’s working on our place in history.
JOCK STEIN LISBON 1967 T-SHIRTS SELLING FAST! ORDER AT WWW.CQNBOOKSTORE.COM
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IBHOY on 17TH MAY 2017 1:57 PM
Turkeybhoy on 17th May 2017 11:43 am,
Not for one minute am I making excuses for Racism,but,this was a long time ago.We had only recently come out of the dark ages with the likes of Bernard Manning,and TV shows,still popular today,like,”Love Thy Neighbour”.when i say still popular today,my mates in Nottingham loved it.Racism was rife in the English leagues,and Walters was the first Black player to play for the Munters.I was in the Jungle that day,and the hysteria,and dodgy recollections of some,are way of the mark.Pardon the pun.Yes there were a few trumpets ,in the crowd that day,that thought it was funny to throw a couple of Bananas out,but,as I said,the sh!t that was spoken in the aftermath was ridiculous.The Sun reported that Glasgows Greengrocers were sold out of Bananas that day,FFS.
Canamalar
abnegation?????
Are you that JohnJames character.
Next you’ll be saying “quantum” instead of “amount”….
;)
CANAMALAR IT LOOKS LIKE OCD OBSESSION on 17TH MAY 2017 2:16 PM
Really interesting court case going on in Glasgow at the moment, looks like as we already knew the rangers submitted a fraudulent license application for European competition for season 2011/12 and the the senior executives on the SFA board were aware of its fraudulent nature but supported the application regardless.
For some this is not too important
……………………
And to others it most certainly is.
From our very existence we have had to fight for everything.
I have faith we will see justice done no matter how long it takes and no matter who stands in our way
DavidO…,
sorry pal currently doing school work and some of it is spilling over, will try to control it a bit better
The Sun.
was very disappointed to see that one of the pop-ups which plague my infrequent visits to the blog on my iphone was for The Sun, or some Sun related product.
I know about the javascript thing, but don’t bother on my phone because i don’t normally read CQN on it. iPad is different and on the laptop use Chrome which seems to block most of it without changing any settings.
Fast becoming unusable with out having to change settings back and forth.
Hun justice.
Like i said before, they will award Sir DM damages from public funds (again), due to sheer trauma of having to answer some questions in court.
You know the narrative by now
‘That a paragon of virtue such as SDM should be embarrassed in such a fashion, is a disgrace'(Daily Rancid).
Personally, id fire him out of a cannon over the Clyde…..no net:)
Thats the least he deserves.
Grrrrr
HH
Canamalar it looks like OCD obsessionCanamalar it looks like OCD obsession
Yes please do circumscribe the vocabulary.
That VFR has a lot to answer for…
;)
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS
Closer to £14bn than £30bn (still a lot, mind)
REGGIE on 17TH MAY 2017 1:59 PM
okay REGGIE at you suggestion I figured……..you did post about Brendan going to England and being asked about what songs Celtic fans sing, I can not be arsed trying to find it. However, you elaborated on that by saying how embarassing etc it would be for Celtic, if/when Brendan was asked such a question !
Since you appear to enjoy “Precedents”, you are quick to call Neil Lennon into that as the so called “Precedent”….yet you FAILED to make mention of ALL the “Other Precedents”…..namely ALL the other Celtic managers who did NOT address the Celtic support in relation to which ever songs were being sung ?
Why was that ?…..Go Figure !
POGMANTHONYAHUN,
Sorry to read about your mate.
RIP
YNWA.
DAVIDOPOULOS on 17TH MAY 2017 2:37 PM
Abnegation was a Word of The Day a few weeks ago. So maybe CanNan picked it up here rather than via JJ.
KTF
VFR
So JJ is a CQNer….
Not Hot Smoked :)
POGMATHONYAHUN – Thoughts and prayers with your friend Billy, his family and friends.
HH
CANAMALAR IT LOOKS LIKE OCD OBSESSION on 17TH MAY 2017 2:16 PM
Really interesting court case going on in Glasgow at the moment, looks like as we already knew the rangers submitted a fraudulent license application for European competition for season 2011/12 and the the senior executives on the SFA board were aware of its fraudulent nature but supported the application regardless.
For some this is not too important
It is important to me,and i am sure many thousands more.Many are of the belief,that our board are awaiting the results of the BTC verdict to give them all both barrels.I am one of those,more in hope than expectancy.If the case goes against the Huns,then I would fully expect our board,with the full weight of justice behind them,to take them the full road.
If they do not,then any form of retribution against this board is fine by me.Until then,I will keep my anger at a peep.Not easy.
DavidO
JJ isn’t clever enough to be Hot Smoked!
KTF
VFR
No doubt about it!
Turkeybhoy,
I’ve been using my anger to motivate me to find out what contingencies are available if the expected happens, being a pessimist I can only be pleasantly surprised however having dealt with the incumbents my pessimism is only reinforced.
Dasvido..,
is them words ok or should I take it down a bit yet?
:)
Canamalar
Give me a minute, I’m still looking some of them up in the dicshonerry…
DavidO…,
how can you expect me to take you seriously when you can even spell the name of the book your using, unless you missed the K by mistake.
CANAMALAR IT LOOKS LIKE OCD OBSESSION on 17TH MAY 2017 3:20 PM
Turkeybhoy,
I’ve been using my anger to motivate me to find out what contingencies are available if the expected happens, being a pessimist I can only be pleasantly surprised however having dealt with the incumbents my pessimism is only reinforced.
…………………
Should the Board not do what is right by the Support and the Shareholders in the event of the BTC going against the Huns then they will have betrayed us and all who went before us.
What is the point of us demanding a level playing field only to be compliant in airbrushing away one of the biggest acts of cheating and financial doping in sporting history.
They would do well to not underestimate the deep sense of anger and abhorrence that prevails re the corruption and cheating we have endured as a Support and as a People.
Let’s hope the custodians of our Club will do what is right and what is necessary to see justice done. That day is fast approaching
Canamalar it looks like OCD obsession
Sorry about missing the K, you maybe didn’t hear about my DIY incident at the weekend – I am typing with 9 fingers and one bloody stump.
VFR,
Didn’t Hot Smoked used to be JJ ? ;-)
Is there a special course at uni or somewhere where it involves ripping into the Celtic for ehhhhh let’s just say anything that goes on in world football?
Honestly arguably the best season since 67 and these people just don’t let up, aweright we get the rebel thingie in us all but ffs take a day a week off and enjoy yourself for gods sake, some of the stuff that’s posted on here is hilarious, every ones entitled to have they’r say a get that, a honestly do, I sit back some times and say in the name of f… are you never happy, you ever been happy, honestly it’s fun being a Tim these days, you should really have a go at it, instead of agreeing with Huns on what you/ they think Peter Lawwell is or isn’t, strange bedfellows indeed, or is it?
James Doleman @jamesdoleman 3m3 minutes ago
Findlay suggests that Ticketus had expert legal advice the deal was legal.
Bryan “That was when he was paying £5m”
Findlay “Did you get further advice when the price dropped to a pound?”
Bryan “We didn’t repeat the exercise”
TURKEYBHOY on 17TH MAY 2017 1:42 PM
TIMALOY29 on 17TH MAY 2017 1:22 PM
Haven’t seen anybody say sack the board lately.
Funny that. It’s almost as if people overreact when things don’t go quite so well on the park :-)
OK,I have an official request from my good mate Neganon,who has asked me to stand in for him in times of great success at Celtic,
Peter Lawell,Grrrr,fekin,heated driveway,enormous salary,Hun lover,SFA lover,SPFL,lover.
Dermot Desmond,Grrrr,absentee lanlord,Golf lover,getting rich off his Celtic shares.Hun lover.
The Board,Arrggghhhh,thats enough.
Glad to be of help.
OK,Negs,speak to you next time we dont win.Been missing you lately.
____
Hahaha had a wee chuckle at that one
Paul67
Whisper it?……….I hope Sevco get gubbed.
CANAMALAR IT LOOKS LIKE OCD OBSESSION on 17TH MAY 2017 1:41 PM
Timaloy29,
Might no need to sack the board, there could be an investigation into their abnegation of responsibility to protect all shareholders interests. None of the information provided by the court is new, all this information was available in the public domain. Though I expect people to harp on about the confirmation that the wee tax case had matured prior to 31st March, this was already confirmed on 1st April by the then rangers chairman Alistair Johnston. That was proof enough to invite UEFA to use their powers of investigation. The board decided to hold off raising any form of clarification request until November/December that year. Too little too late, the value and money was already lost to the shareholders and club by the time they reacted, and apparently a token measure that paid lip service to their responsibilities to protect the shareholders in a feeble attempt to cover their arse.
____
Noted. I was being a bit flippant and the comment wasn’t directed towards you. Turkeybhoy got the idea!
But of course you are right. Serious questions have to be asked about the wee tax case.
When this case is settled and the big tax case is settled at the high court the board must act. LNS’ ruling must be re-evaluated.
The latest bookies odds have Sevco @ 7-1 to win the SPL next season.
For those of us that don’t do betting these odds mean that if you put £5.00 on Sevco you’ll lose £5.00.
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 17TH MAY 2017 4:38 PM
The latest bookies odds have Sevco @ 7-1 to win the SPL next season.
For those of us that don’t do betting these odds mean that if you put £5.00 on Sevco you’ll lose £5.00.
===
I lolled at that one, ;)))
Big Jimmy what is the answer to the questions about the number of caps for the Lions. H H Hebcelt
Sevco game not televised? new world record
Bournesouprecipe @ 4:38
Reminds me of Bertie’s story about himself and Greig comparing bonuses in the tunnel before a game.
“how much you getting for a win bonus Bertie?”
“We are on £3.”
“Ha. We’re getting a fiver.”
“Aye but ours is guaranteed.”
For anyone in the US of A.
Fox Sports HD is televising our 2 last games.
Athletic Bilbao’s methods provide lessons for Premier League clubs
Last Updated: 17/05/17 2:36pm
In an age of global scouting networks and huge transfer fees, Athletic Club Bilbao show there is another way of doing things. How do they stay competitive with their unique philosophy? And what can be learnt from their methods? Nick Wright paid them a visit to find out.
The green hills above Bilbao make for a tranquil setting, but it is a busy morning at Athletic’s Lezama headquarters. Out on the first-team training pitch, Ernesto Valverde is putting his players through their paces in front of a bank of television cameras. There is the steady thudding sound of boots connecting with balls as the rondos gather pace.
In the nearby main building, which looks more like a secondary school than a training facility, stewards in red berets oversee journalists preparing for the manager’s weekly press conference. Youth coaches busily plan their afternoon sessions in a cluttered office upstairs. Local children wait for photographs with their heroes at the front gates.
It is a typical scene, but this is not your average football club. And we are not the only visitors. “We have coaches from other clubs come here practically every week,” says José María Amorrortu, a former Athletic player and manager who now works as the club’s sporting director.
“A coach from QPR is here right now,” he continues. “Last week we had Brighton and Hove Albion, next week it’s Swansea. We had Bologna from Italy here recently. Bayer Leverkusen came last year. We have people here ready to receive these kind of visitors. They come from all over the world.”
They come to understand how, year after year, this 119-year-old club competes in the top half of La Liga and challenges for trophies while only fielding players from the surrounding Basque Country. They come to learn how, despite the limitations of this philosophy, Athletic are the only Spanish club other than Barcelona and Real Madrid never to have been relegated.
They come to see the inner workings of Lezama. “When these coaches are here, they wear Athletic kit,” says Amorrortu. “They are out on the pitches. They are in the dressing rooms. They are seeing what happens here every day. We have open doors, there are no secrets for us. Why not explain what we do here?”
At the heart of what Athletic do is a staunch devotion to youth development. Their recruitment policy has become more flexible in recent decades, but Athletic are still dependent on producing players native to, or developed in, the autonomous communities of the Basque Country and Navarre in Spain and the Northern Basque Country in France.
In the context of modern football, their success is something close to miraculous. The title-winning glory days of the 1930s and 1980s are over, but in the last five years Athletic have reached four cup finals. They won the 2015 Spanish Super Cup with a 5-1 aggregate victory over Barcelona. This season they are on course for their fourth top-six finish in seven years.
They will achieve it with a first-team squad containing 20 players who have come through their own academy. It is the highest proportion of any club in Europe’s top-five leagues, and it has drawn the likes of QPR, Brighton and Swansea to Lezama at a time when youth development is a hot topic in Britain.
Barcelona vs Eibar
According to Michael Calvin, author of No Hunger in Paradise, a new book on the many pitfalls facing young players today, only 180 of the 1.5 million boys playing organised football in England will make it to the Premier League. It is a staggering figure which highlights a growing issue in English football. It also puts Athletic’s achievements into context.
“I am often asked what the difference is between the boys here and the boys in England,” says Amorrortu as he takes a seat in a small classroom in Lezama. “The truth is there is no big difference. If we can produce so many players to play in our first-team at the top level, why can’t they?”
In part, it is a question of how Athletic focus their resources. The club have received huge transfer fees from the sales of Ander Herrera and Javi Martinez to Manchester United and Bayern Munich in recent years, but with such a limited pool of players from which to find replacements, their profits are primarily reinvested in their academy.
Their youth coaching set-up is finely-tuned and the training facilities at Lezama are in a constant state of improvement. Athletic are one of four Basque sides in La Liga along with Real Sociedad, Eibar and Alaves, but their regional scouting network is unrivalled. “We have eyes everywhere,” says Santi Urquiaga, another ex-Athletic player now working on their technical staff.
But finding and signing the right young players is just the start of it. What’s more important is the clear pathway that exists from academy to first-team. As Amorrortu explains, there is a sense of openness and opportunity you just don’t get at other clubs.
“There has to be a chord that unites all of this,” he says. “The boys in the youth teams have to be close to the first team. That relationship is very important to us. There is not one space for the young players and another for the seniors. Our 16, 17 and 18 year-olds co-exist with the first-team. They might not play together but they have grown up together. There are no barriers. It’s all part of our philosophy.
“It’s the same with the public. Every day a lot of people come here to see the boys. Go outside right now and you can see a child kicking a ball around with his father. It’s normal here. There is a warmth about Lezama. It’s a place where you breathe a footballing atmosphere.”
That environment fosters belonging and belief from the U10s up, and there is also a defined structure in place to prepare the young players for men’s football. At the age of 18 or 19, they are sent on loan to Athletic’s fourth-tier feeder club Basconia. After that, they move up to Athletic’s B team, Bilbao Athletic, who play in the regionalised third division.
“We know the transition from academy football to senior football is tough,” says Amorrortu. “When you only play with players of your age, it’s not the same. We believe the most promising boys should play with higher age groups. You learn much more by playing against men. It’s not about winning, it’s about preparing you for the professional game.”
The current first-team squad is proof of that. In forward Iñaki Williams, centre-backs Aymeric Laporte and Yeray Alvarez and goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, Lezama has produced four of the brightest young talents in La Liga. Every one of them broke into Athletic’s first team having followed that well-trodden path through Basconia and Bilbao Athletic.
Crucially, they are also products of patience. In an age when so many young players are ruthlessly discarded by top-level clubs, Athletic are proud to take a different approach. “If I have one piece of advice for other clubs, it is to be patient with the progress of the boys,” says Amorrortu. “Don’t buy players instead of giving opportunities to the youth.
“In the world of football, unfortunately, there is no patience. But for our philosophy, we have to have patience and we have to have trust. It’s not easy but it works. For us, every boy is a long-term project. It’s about continuity, trust and a sense of belonging. They are strong values.”
They are values the club’s manager must adhere to, too. Valverde, who is the front-runner to take over at Barcelona in the summer, is a former Athletic player currently in his second stint in their dugout. In between the two, he had spells in charge of Espanyol, Olympiakos, Villarreal and Valencia.
“It’s very different from any other job,” he tells Sky Sports. “It’s very different in the sense that in other teams, whenever you have a problem in the squad you can go to a very broad market to find players. You have scouts looking all over the place. Here, it’s the opposite. You have to adapt to the style of players you have, because you know it’s very difficult to find anyone else.
“For example, if you want to find a left-footed left winger, or any left-footed player, which we don’t have many of at the moment, you know there’s a chance you won’t be able to. This season, in fact, we haven’t signed a single player. It’s something that comes with the job. Once you decide to become the Athletic manager, you accept that.”
But while filling holes in the squad can be problematic, Athletic’s philosophy brings other benefits that don’t exist elsewhere. “In other teams you have more work to do in the dressing room because you have people from all over the place,” says Valverde. “Here it’s much simpler. The spirit of this team, the mentality of this team, is very difficult to recreate.”
That togetherness is plain to see every time Athletic’s players take to the field in the visceral atmosphere of the new San Mames, their stunning, 53,000-capacity stadium in the heart of Bilbao, and it is typified by Mikel San José, a combative midfielder who has spent his entire career at Athletic apart from a brief spell in Liverpool’s academy.
“We have a different philosophy to most clubs in the world,” he tells Sky Sports. “It doesn’t make us better or worse, but we are different. We fight with the weapons we have in an age where football is becoming more and more modern. There is more and more money and clubs can buy better players, but every day we are doing things better with our weapons and our ideas.”
San José tasted another side of football at Liverpool, but now, at 27, he is already making plans to stay at Athletic for the rest of his career. “All of us at this club, we are people who want to be here,” he says. “We want to represent this club, we want to represent the people of the club and all the people who follow us and support us.”
It is rare to hear a modern footballer speak so passionately about his club, but that continuity, trust and sense of belonging are powerful tools. “Our philosophy is transmitted from generation to generation, from parents to children,” says Josu Urrutia, Athletic’s president since 2011 and yet another graduate of Lezama.
“If you have the whole world to choose players, you have more options. But our idea is more proud, more romántico. I am going to compete with my people, with my town, and we are going to face the difficulties as they come. We are going to invest in the complete development of people and athletes, and we are going to give them opportunities to represent us without any fear.
“That’s the great strength of Athletic. In other teams you don’t see it in the same way. There may be more talent and more technique in their players, but there is less heart and less feeling. We have people who are hungry and proud to wear the shirt. It puts us on the same level as our rivals.”
Of course, not everyone sees the romance behind it. Athletic’s philosophy has its critics as well as admirers. But what matters to Athletic is that the squad buys into it. The average stay of a first-team player at Athletic is between seven and eight years. “There is a lot more loyalty among our players than in other clubs,” says Amorrortu.
Laporte is a case in point. The highly-prized defender had the chance to join Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City last summer, with the Premier League giants ready to activate his £50m buy-out clause. Instead, he signed a new long-term contract with the club that has carefully nurtured his development since plucking him from the Northern Basque Country in France in 2010.
“Athletic is pretty much everything for me,” the 22-year-old explained afterwards. “It was to thank them a little bit. They still needed me for a few years. I’m happy to help them in every game.”
“Aymeric had the opportunity to take a different path but he’s happy here,” says Urrutia. “We try to make sure the players are happy and that they want to be here. It’s impossible to control with release clauses because there could always be clubs willing to pay them, but if you’re happy, if you can identify with our ideas, it’s much more difficult to leave.”
Athletic now hope Williams, a thrilling talent who became the first black goalscorer in the club’s history in 2015, will display the same kind of commitment. The Spain international is wanted by Liverpool, but he is an idol and a trailblazer at his boyhood club and seems in no rush to leave. “I am where I want to be,” he said recently. “The signs he is giving us are that he loves it here,” says Urrutia.
Athletic’s Iñaki Williams was born to African parents in BIlbao
Athletic’s Iñaki Williams was born to African parents in BIlbao
The loyalty of Laporte and Williams is yet another lesson for QPR, Brighton, Swansea and the many other clubs who come to this place in search of answers. They leave knowing it would be impossible to recreate such a deeply-ingrained philosophy, but Athletic’s ideas on youth development, on belonging, provide hope that they too could do things a little differently.
Morning has turned to afternoon now at Lezama, and out at the front gates there is a clamour of activity as the first senior player makes his way towards the exit. It is veteran goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz. He drives a grey van untypical of a top-level footballer, and instead of pausing to wind down his window, he cuts the engine and steps out to ensure every waiting child gets a photo or an autograph.
The 36-year-old recently announced he will retire at the end of this season, with Sunday’s game against Atletico Madrid at San Mames set to be his 391st and final appearance for the club. It will be an emotional goodbye, but Athletic will look to the future knowing that in the 22-year-old Kepa, Lezama has already delivered his successor.
That, in essence, is everything this club strives for. And so, in their own unique way, and with the continuity, trust and sense of belonging that underpins it all, Athletic Club Bilbao will march on. “It’s in our blood,” says Amorrortu. “That’s just how it is.”
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Is this to be admired or not?
Thanks to all who have passed on their condolences for my friend Billy. It’s getting late here in Brunei and I’m about to hit the hay. Not only was he a good mate but my kids loved him to and I know that at least my youngest will manage to attend his funeral on Friday to represent the family.
Once again thank you.
Bryan says Ticketus paid season ticket money to Rangers, who lent it to Wavetower, who paid the bank debt.
Dear, oh dear ,oh dear.
thebigliebusters CSC
HEBCELT on 17TH MAY 2017 4:48 PM
Big Jimmy what is the answer to the questions about the number of caps for the Lions. H H Hebcelt
………
Sorry HEBCELT, I had forgotten all about giving you the answer as I’ve been up to my eyes in issues at home.
Anyway, the answer is……117.
Which is shocking, and a clear indication of SFA and some Scotland managers NOT awarding caps to Celtic Greats. That was the answer that I gave in the Tie Break in Bairds Bar that night, which was spot on, only for Bertie Auld and Dear Wullie O’Neill to state….”How the feck did you know that” ?
I was reading the interview from a while back with Tommy Gemmell on here , and in the thread about SFA Bias, tommy was quoted in saying that ” Wee Bertie NEVER won a Scotland Cap” ?
I believe that Bertie Auld won ONE Scotland Cap, was is included in the total amount of 117.
Wee jinky…only 23 caps ?….a feckin disgrace, but we Celts know why.
HH
GG
Good ole Bertie