It’s been dreich in Glasgow all week, so I was hoping the miserableness continued for our guests from sunny climes tonight. A cold blast of wind and rain would surely suit our northern European locals, but it’s as though the city knows there’s a big European game on. The weather is perfect for football.
Like most I’ve been in two minds about who we should start with up front but the truth is how we defend is more important. A narrow win to zero is a good first leg result in Europe, I’d take that right now. And I’d have Leigh up front!
Qarabag are a team who travelled across Europe last season with some purpose, but they haven’t experienced Celtic Park yet. I’m hoping for a night like we had against Shakhter Karagandy, where we pull together to get the job done.
I watched a documentary on homelessness in the London borough of Tower Hamlets recently. It seemed to be a shakedown area for those who have spun off the planet. Poverty, social-exclusion, anonymity and hopelessness on an industrial scale in one of the world’s great cities.
The Celtic Foundation have been working in the far flung corners of world for years, as well as in Scotland and Ireland, but working with London’s needy, in Tower Hamlets, as they now are, has a different feel to it. There’s a tendency to think of London as one huge cash machine, which it is in many respects, but it’s also where a lot of our poor end up. The social isolation is absolute.
Celtic Foundation’s objectives, to improve Health, promote Equality, encourage Learning and tackle Poverty (HELP) know no boundaries. We can’t be the biggest club in the world right now, but we can aspire to be the most ethical. We (that’s you and me) can set the highest standards.
Nothing would demonstrate this more than having 100 people doing the Great Scottish Run for the Foundation in October. Get yourself and/or a friend registered. You don’t need to be fast, you just need to get around Glasgow in your own time, and target raising £125 for the Foundation.
Thanks to everyone who donated to our Mary’s Meals school kitchen appeal, in connection with yesterday’s Magners ticket competition. It amazes me that every time we run a ‘Who do Celtic play on Saturday?’ competition, people get the answer wrong. The winner will be drawn this lunchtime, so watch your email.
Thanks also to Magners. The people there get the point of what the club’s all about. They could have put their mineral water brand on the jerseys in Iceland, where local laws don’t allow alcohol sponsorship, but they offered the space to the Foundation instead.
These guys at Newco love a drama. They’ve blocked the rights of four shareholders, including memorable name Blue Pitch Holdings, who declined to answer questions on about the nature of their interests in the club.
The Companies Act provides for this as you have a right to know if your shareholders are, for example, amassing shares for a prospective takeover bid. It’s unlikely Blue Pitch and the others are planning a coup of this nature. A response along the lines of ‘Hoping for future dividends and capital growth’ would be sufficient. It strikes me as a pointless exercise, playing to the gallery, although it’s consistent with their other shareholder charm offensives.
294 Comments- Pages:
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- »
Happy hump day!
HH!
TV blackout
Who is going to do the updates from paradise ?
Maybe
Surely Top Ten
WK67
3 NIL TO THE CELTIC
You bhoys are sharp!
blantyretim is praying for the Knox family
12:35 on
29 July, 2015
Foghorn
Most who post during the game are watching
When at the match you have no time to post, so don’t think many will be posting as no one has a link
——————
you underestimate the linkfindability and postwhileattendingability of the average cqn’er!!
in fact i salute their linkfindabilityness and postwhileattendingabilityness
THEBARCAMOLE
Not really. They don’t carry money so nae use on a hootenanny.
Mon The Linkfindables…
PAUL67
Being poor in London means being reminded of it rather than helped along the way.
I recall a comment in Michael Caine’s autobiography. He had come home because Mrs T ‘had got Britain back on its feet.’
Then he saw the homeless,sleeping in shop doorways in The Strand-!-and everywhere else. And realised that she may have ‘got the country back on its feet’,but if you were struggling to get off your knees,she wasn’t interested.
And I reckon it’s worse now,tbh.
bognorbhoy
12:37 on 29 July, 2015
I’ll do it from marmaris, it’s on in all the pubs :-) hh
I made the bench.
Weeminger, TBB
The Tap2 system is structurally different to Fortress GB (Celtic’s). The supporter effectively has 4 options, and as long as you register a user ID you can use any of them.
Season ticket, same as Celtic, NFC chip. Supporter Card, looks just like season card but it’s load game by game as you go online.
For those who have not collected a supporter card you can book online and get a pdf with QR, giving 2 more options; you can choose to bring this up on the smartphone to scan it, or you can print it at home and bring it. That covers the vast majority of supporters. You’re really just looking to cover the minority without a smarthpone or internet or printer who have not had time or inclination to get a smart card! The ticket office would need to take care of that and print that poor soul a ticket.
Structurally different in that all of that is owned and operated in one place, the readers for entry are connected to it in real time (newly sold tickets are given immediate access and each code only works once). The readers are hand held, they read Barcode, QR and NFC chips, they can be swapped out, they work off internet, 3G and 4G and even stand alone if the power goes down! (Although everything at the stadium would stop at that point obviously).
Celtic has Fortress GB controlling access, Ticketmaster controlling online sales and the Club controlling season tickets. Readers are hard wired, if it goes down the turnstile closes till and engineer can come midweek.
On Tap2 multiple tickets can be bought as long as each person has a user ID. The ticket would be sent to that ID (for security). Each person would be able to print or bring up on their phone. For kids they can be scanned together with parent from one device – the beauty of hand held is that you deal with a person. It also has a screen that tells the operator what the ticket is, who it is etc. If the Club wants they can have photo ID with registration and that comes up on the reader! Breach of privacy or ideal security against touts and theft? Jury’s out, It’s optional at the moment
Fortress GB is about doing away with gatemen, automation. As far as I can see it only displaces them to stand with their hands behind their backs, searching bags, growling or videoing teenagers. :0)
No one does it on a large scale, traction is slow as Clubs fear change, fear new, or are full of egos, but Livingston have taken it up for this season and Rochdale Hornets RLFC are loving it. Fancy the Clyde game on Saturday? https://tap2.biz/livingstonfc It all goes into the club free of charge, the supporter pays a flat rate £8 for a whole season ticket, or £1.20 booking fee on pay as you go. This pays for the guy in the windowless basement. The stinger is that without traction then this solution will not be around forever.
That’s what I heard from a guy on a bus anyway.
Linkfindability, is it?
The Celtic Park wifi is pretty good.
Problem is finding time windows for in play posts so’s you don’t miss any action.
We need to up our inplaypostability.
Would rather win 3-1 than 1-0.
180 mins to score more than them.
That’s all.
Scanning last night’s CL qualifiers, only ONE home team got a victory!
And scanning the Celtic Park ticket map, I’d estimate ground at between 80-90%sold.
Only major areas unsold are Lions end behind goals lower, sections towards away corner, and Stein lower corners.
Looking at 45,000+.
NOTE:
Tickets can now be PRINTED OFF AT HOME, a la boarding passes for flights. Something I’ve wanted for every game, with plenty of notice – it’s the modern-day equivalent of having a pay-gate and should be hollered to the rafters so every off-the-cuff opportunity can be seized by non-season ticket holders to make it to a game. That’s how to swell gates in 2015. But £29 for ~Ross County? Maybe sane pricing might help too…
This of course, came in an email about one hour after our kid had hoofed it 40 miles into Celtic shop to purchase our passes to paradise. Nae luck, our kid. And we could’ve chosen seats at our leisure…
So any lurking Hun hacks and BBC Scotland tragedies, looks like a bouncing Paradise tonight; And that’s not at yer Mordor ‘fiver for fuds’ penny dreadful giveaway prices.
Write that one up. Ya fannies.
For the oversea fans get your satellite dishes tuning into “IDMANTV” by all accounts they are showing it live in Azerbaijan
Sun is shining in G8, hopefully still shining tonight
Quietly confident, monthehoops !
Foghorn
Are you Ian Dowie ?
Fortress GB? Sounds like a Farage wet dream.
PAUL67
———–
Most of those living on the street have major issues – psychological, physical disability, alcohol abuse and drug abuse.
Those with the first two must be given help, benefits and guidance to get in to a better life – the latter two must also be given help with their addiction – however, if they are compos mentis, there are financial benefits to which they are entitled – around £160 per fortnight jobs seekers allowance and up to £250/week housing benefit for accommodation to get them off the street – that’s around £19,000 per year.
Of course they have to show willing to help themselves – look for work, or training.
Having lived in London for over twenty years, until three years ago, I have seen it all at first hand – the truth is that there is a majority of homeless people who chose to live ‘rough’ – that is not to say that we ignore them, however some of them have the answer in their own hands.
For the other unfortunates – yes give them as much help as we can.
Linkfindability?
Sausages are the Bhoys.
Syd Neg
That’s quality
The mention of sausages and the crappiness of London all on the first page? Two of my favourite topics and I have to go back into negotiations for the next 5 hours. Life isn’t fair.
3-1 to Celtic
looking forward to the game tonight, love the midweek European nights even against teams I can’t spell/pronounce…
Sandman
Your last 2 paras are a succinct summation!
Just about to set off from a (currently) sunny Dundee with ma bhoy to grab an early bite at our usual hotspot of the Battlefied Rest, and thence to the Kerrydale for 5pm.
Here’s to all Celts and to a hopefully good result this evening.
HH
http://www.celticfc.net/news/8700
Ha ha quality print at home option.
thompsontwin
the truth is that there is a majority of homeless people who chose to live ‘rough’
———————————–
Are you Donald Trump(et)?
Ἢ τὰν ἢ ἐπὶ τᾶς! ‘
is the motto for tonight [ E tan e epi tas!]
-with your shield, or on it; the ole farewell of the mothers of Sparta to their sons as they waved them off to war.
Like ole Mrs Eurochamps says to him as he sets off for the gowf.
Afternoon Timland from a hot hun free mountain valley.
Seems that there are sausages available tonight, sportlem*n are showing it, so I would imagine many others are as well.
HH
BMCUW said:
“And I reckon it’s worse now,tbh.”
I would guess that your awareness of it is greater. As far as I can judge, it has been pretty much the same all my life.
TT
I think you were trying to be understanding of the plight of the unfortunates in your post but where does the evidence for this bit come from :
” the truth is that there is a majority of homeless people who chose to live ‘rough’ ” ?
JJ
Davidopoulos
13:11 on
29 July, 2015
thompsontwin
the truth is that there is a majority of homeless people who chose to live ‘rough’
———————————–
Are you Donald Trump(et)?
Do some research on London – you are a headline reader and not one for doing any ‘homework’
Like all argument for argument sake people, you select a small piece from a reasoned piece – read what I say – I know, I lived and worked there – five years with the homeless!
Dont fancy our chances of a clean sheet,ss just have to roar another couple into the net at the other end,
4-1 tae the Hooooooooooooops.
Win at home by any score and dont lose away from home
JobdoneCSC
one thing for sure our nerves will be shredded by the time the tie is over thats just the way the rollercoaster that is The Celtic does to us :)))))))).
GET INTAE THEM
Let the people sing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&feature=related&v=zhkdy0AOpaM
This time last year we played at Murrayfield and won 3-0!!!!
The same tonight please.
Griffiths and Cifcti for me .. If only one it has to be Griffiths
thompsontwin
I live in London. The point I pick out is an unsubstantiated claim.
A centurion in the Roman army, commanded a group of around 80 men, not 100 as is often thought. The word ‘centuria’ derives from the Latin word for ‘tribe’ ( as originally they were organised around the various tribe and clan groups making up the population of Latium – modern Lazio – and then the wider Italy ) not the word centum for 100.
The senior centurion was the Primus Pilus who commanded the whole of a cohort (made up of ten centuries and hence c 800 men).
the CQN Forum
I have just found an Azeri tv channel via satellite – AZTV.
No idea if the game is on because I cant understand a word!
Here’s hoping.
HH!!
Thompson Twin
Did you see my post at 13:17?
JJ