Thank you to everyone who participated in our auction for the Lionel Messi signed shirt, which raised £1020 when it closed this morning, a clear £20 more than the Celtic top signed by the Seville squad, which closed a few days earlier, you are a credit to the club. Our summer fundraising for the 1254125 campaign and other good causes is off to an excellent start.
We have seven weeks until our first Champions League qualifying game but the qualifying rounds do not end for a full 12 weeks. These timescales will determine how seriously Celtic take interest in our star players. Right now, there will be little attention to these matters.
With a couple of new contract offers unsigned after 8 months, I expect Celtic will have a sale valuation in mind, but business is often done in the final days of the transfer window, and until then, efforts will continue to re-sign players. Celtic are in the fortunate position of not having to accept an offer to keep the lights on, so if valuations are not met, as was the case with Gary Hooper in January, we can afford to let players leave for nothing.
Willie Wallace’s autobiography, Heart of a Lion, sold out initial stock at the mail-order fulfilment centre and several retail stores last week. The fulfilment centre is now back in stock, all orders should be shipped and with you in a couple of days.
Order your copy (in time for Father’s Day) below:
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Djbee
How sad and embarrassing an utter scumbag
The link to the banner no longer works possibly because someone with a bit of decorum has had it removed from Facebook?
Sorry to go on, but anyone going to Vegas for the North American Celtic supporters Association Party, going from here get in touch with me or see me there at the Riviera Hotel and I will get the CQN guy’s at a table, just call into the office and ask for me, I leave on Thursday see you there have a great flight, the office is at the side of the pool Hail-Hail.
toffeetim
We’re you attending the funeral of Ian Mackie by any chance?
Apologies for the nature of the question!!
Raith Rovers chairman Turnbull Hutton stood
on the steps of Hampden in front of the
national press and called for the league
reconstruction sideshow to end before it all
came crashing down to earth.
Despite opposition to the SPL proposal of a
league structure of 12-12-18, Hutton was in
favour of it, he said: “Well I’m probably in the
minority, I was in favour of the 12-12-18. I
thought that was different and exciting enough
to have something that they wouldn’t have
seen before and the prospect of the sprint for
the First Division title home and away settled
by January, and then the bottom four from the
SPL and the top four from the First Division
entering essentially into a new competition,
playing each other home and away with four
places up for grabs, I thought that was tailor-
made for Scottish football.”
He claimed that the ‘Scottish mentality’ over
the format failing in Austria and Switzerland,
not to mention the failure to sell the proposal
well, put an end to it.
He added: “I don’t necessarily buy-in to that
at all. One of them had run for 15 years. We
don’t have a league structure that’s run for 15
years, and there seems to be other issues
about the distribution of funds and issues with
certain clubs in certain of these leagues.
There’s a Scottish mentality that goes, ‘It
didn’t work in Switzerland.’ That doesn’t
mean to say it can’t work here, it could have
been something really different that got a lot
of attention.
“I don’t think it was necessarily sold all that
well, but when you started to look into the
possibilities, that kind of worked for me and
that also took on-board a lot of the stuff the
fans were saying, they didn’t want to play
each other four times. We solved that with the
18 team third tier, that was home and away,
that was what the fans wanted. Also in both
the Premier League and the top of the First
Division, that was introducing another new set
of games with different teams. So there was
probably 26 teams out of, 26 clubs out of 42
were going to be playing a different format
from what they’d been previously, which
played into what the fans wanted and I
couldn’t quite understand why the second and
third divisions went for the continuation of the
10, 10, that just seemed bizarre to me.”
The proposals confused the hell out of fans
and pundits alike, but as Hutton stated earlier
that’s because it wasn’t sold well enough. In
fact Hutton claimed that right from the start,
there seemed to be a lot of negativity.
He added: “I think it depended on how the
clubs approached it. I know Dundee had a
fans’ meeting and they were all against it
going in and they were all for it coming out.
We did the same at Kirkcaldy, explained it all,
what it meant for us and how it could be. I
couldn’t quite understand the Ross County
view that said my manager doesn’t
understand, the board doesn’t understand, the
fans don’t understand it and the players don’t
understand it. There was a line in there that
said, ‘There must be a lot of dozy b*****ds
north of Inverness?’
“It was kind of incumbent, I thought, on the
clubs and the directors, the chairman, what
have you, the managers to be selling that, but
there seemed to be a negativity, right from the
start, about this that was picked up on by the
broadcasting media, the press.
“They were all against it, they were talking …
there was the most unbelievable amount of
trash talked about the thing. Then when it got
to the point of the SPL fall-out with St.Mirren
and Ross County, suddenly the same people
who had been planning the thing were all then
saying, ‘It could be quite a good idea, blah,
blah, blah, blah,’ and the whole position was
turned around.”
When asked if it failed mainly down to clubs
looking to serve in their own best interests and
rather than the game as a whole, Hutton
admitted: “Yeah, I think that’s probably true.”
On the subject of playoffs, Hutton continued:
“After having given up on the 12-12-18,
there’s another attempt to try and reconstruct
and suddenly playoffs come into play. If I was
an SPL team like say St Mirren, for example, I
would rather take my chances and play in the
top four in the First Division, home and away,
plus the other three at the bottom of the SPL
home and away. In that mini league, they get
one of our places to get up to the SPL than
take my chance on a play-off game, because
one off play-off games can end in absolute
disaster. We had two seasons of play offs and
we never got up via a playoff. One game where
they goalie had a nightmare, essentially flung
two in the net, that was it, whole season
gone.”
He also targeted the lack of a play-off system
to enter the Scottish Premier League, he
added: “That’s been something that’s been
sadly lacking for years because I understand
how Morton must feel because we were in
exactly the same position a couple of years
back when we led the table for most of the
season and we fell away at the end. We lost
the big game at Dunfermline, who kicked on
from that and won it.
“At the end of the season, we’d nothing to
show for it, we’d have been as well finished
seventh as finishing second, whereas if there
had been an incentive of a playoff that would
have kept the whole season going. So as soon
as Morton hit their patch and Thistle came
through their shaky spell, Morton was on
catch-up, it was always going to be difficult, if
not impossible, for them and you saw that
they kind of fell away at the end as we did two
years back.”
This season’s playoff games, specifically the
Dunfermline-Forfar game at Station Park and
then East End Park, were exciting. It caught
the imagination of most fans online, but the
lack of coverage [other than radio
commentary] came in for serious criticism
from many fans.
Hutton, claimed that one governing body
would be able to sell such games to the TV
companies, said: “I think the difficulty is,
having the SPL and the SFL, they only need
one body, and surely that one body, we know
that there are, every season there will be a
game in the divisions below the SPL, which
will attract a big crowd – the Morton v Partick
game was another one. The Dunfermline v
Rovers game two years ago, 12,000 at East
End Park, these are tailor-made for TV, but
the way the TV deals are negotiated with all
the different bodies makes it almost
impossible.
“Therefore, if we could get one body running
Scottish football, there has to be then
flexibility built into whatever TV deals there
are. There’s a raft of companies that are
longing to show games, but they’re kind of in
negotiations. We saw that with the deal for
the Rangers games being televised, it’s a
convoluted way of spreading money around
the game, what have you. There must be a
better way of doing it than that.”
With clubs looking at their own self-interests
rather than the game as a whole, despite the
rhetoric they peddle in public, I asked if an
independent committee would have been a
better idea to propose said league
reconstruction plans – with a take it or leave
it mentality.
Hutton added: “Well, there’s certainly a case
for that. You could argue that’s what Henry
McLeish set out to do, but there are interests
of the SPL clubs, there’s all the teams that
have all got a point of view, everybody has
got a different working model in terms of how
they finance their clubs. I’ve been a critic it’s
easy to say what’s wrong, actually trying to
sort it, it’s not without its difficulties, I
certainly don’t underestimate the difficulties
that they’ve had.
“There was probably a case for saying what
kind of structure is it we want, let’s put
together that structure and let the leagues
reorganise underneath that new structure.
We’re trying to do that the other way around,
we’re trying to rehash the leagues and then
the structure was almost an afterthought.”
During the discussions of the 12-12-18
league revamp, then-Rangers chief executive
Charles Green spoke out in opposition against
it and that Rangers not having a vote was
inconceivable.
Hutton hit back at the Yorkshireman, he said:
“Well I can really can’t see where the hell he’s
coming from. Rangers imploded and came in
to the Third Division and were prepared, as I
understood it, to work their way through the
leagues, buy a bit of time, sort out their issues
and get back in three seasons to the SPL.
Everybody seemed to be quite happy with that,
that was my understanding.
“We came out of Hampden when that decision
was made, there were Rangers fans there that
were delighted that that had happened, but
Charles Green came in with his proposals, he
knew they didn’t have a vote. How much of it
was grandstanding and mischief making, I
don’t know.”
When asked if it was pandering to an element
within his support along with the media who
were against the league proposals, Hutton
added: “Yeah, I mean I don’t know what his
motives were, but there was an element of
grandstanding going on with him, whether it
was Dallas Cowboys, whether it was the ten
million transfer kitty for McCoist. Whatever it
was, it’s all been well documented. What I
think about Rangers has got no bearing at all
because I’m only finally interested in Raith
Rovers. Rangers are where they are, they
cleared the first hurdle and won that league,
I’ve no doubt they’ll clear the second hurdle
and, you know, then it’s a different ball game
and they’re back in the First Division.”
With the 12-12-18 proposals being blocked
and subsequently 13 member clubs of the
Scottish Football League not agreeing to the
proposed shake-up of the current league
system, ten SFL clubs want to break away
from the SFL and join the SPL under an SPL2
league. The ten clubs, include Turnbull
Hutton’s Raith Rovers side.
On the SPL2 proposal, Hutton said: “We came
out of Hampden last year when we had been
talking about SPL2 and the view from all the
clubs, especially the First Division clubs, was
they wanted a solution for all 42 clubs. There
was a view that several meetings ago, that
what we had was a 28-1 vote for the
proposals that were on the table and then it
would appear that certain forces came into
play and 28-1 became 14-14. At that point,
you say well, we cannot go on like this.
“The SPL then, after being unanimous and
going to go ahead with their changes they
come out with a 10-2 vote. There was a
feeling among a whole lot of people that said
well, that’s it, we’ve done our best, there’s no
change, and I suppose the breakaway or the
proposed breakaway of the First Division clubs
was a means whereby we were trying to get a
debate reopened. Everybody that spoke or has
spoken about the First Division breakaway, as
it’s called, or the proposed breakaway, has
been at pains to point out that what we want
is a 42 club solution and that’s still the case.
“If the threat of a breakaway has had the
effect of making people think that there is a
danger of things fragmenting, therefore we’ll
be better if we got our thinking caps on and
did something as an entity, that has to be
good and maybe that’s where we’re at just
now. I mean I don’t have any details, but the
meeting of the Second and Third division clubs
last week in Stirling, what the Montrose
chairman said, kind of led you to think that
there’s going to be.
“You’re never going to get everything you want
in any kind of reorganisation. SPL probably
haven’t got what they want, SFL haven’t got
what they want, but if you’re going to merge
two organisations and try and move it
forwards, you’ve got to be prepared to give
and take a wee bit and there has to be an
element of trust in there. For whatever reasons
latterly, you’ve got the feeling that that
element of trust to make it happen wasn’t
there and that there was vested interest and
short-term opportunities and scores being
settled, what have you. That it got the point
that something had to materialise to
concentrate their minds again and maybe that
was the threat of the First Division
breakaway.”
Ally’s morphing into Hateley!
ALLY McCOIST expects Carlos Bocanegra and Dorin Goian to report for pre-season training on June 24.
The manager, in Bocanegra’s home US state of California for this year’s NARSA convention, is keen to have both players back in his squad for next season.
Having seen his side concede some sloppy goals last term, particularly from set plays, that perhaps comes as little surprise.
Let’s be honest about it – they are two international-quality centre-backs and I’d be delighted if they came back.
“They’d be like new signings, that’s exactly what they’d be like, and of a great pedigree at that.
&&&&&
Happy 80th birthday today, the 4th of June (it is in Oz), to my late father’s cousin, Alex Byrne, who played for Celtic between 1957 and 1963. He was lucky enough to share the pitch in his 100 odd games with the likes of Charlie Tully, Stevie Chalmers, Billy McPhail, Bertie Peacock & Billy McNeill – amongst others – and managed to score 30 goals for the Hoops playing mostly outside-left.
MON
MooooonTheHoops
Alex Byrne, remember him well.
Turnbull Hutton again showing no fear of the intimidation tactics of The Gang.
Bada
Get him in as SFA prezzie and we might get something like an even playing field. Not guaranteed though. :)
Weefra HH
Alex “Acker” Byrne great player and very underrated. Well known and respected in Greenock !
gerald766
17:37 on 3 June, 2013
Diawarra was the other player. Utter tosh about the 4m signing on fee. MSM printed that crap we would be all over them.
Gerald766- 17 37
“Remember,Bangura came highly recommended by “King of Kings”.
No,I don’t remember this although it has been repeated often enough!
I do remember the first story on here started as yours,then mentioned PL involved and that Larson had said he was ok! I wondered at the time, was this Hendryk being non committal with ok ranging from passable to pretty good and not wanting to put a player down.
However the story seems to have been passed down as being “OK’d by KoK. After later reports on his abilities and some viewing I think I prefer my interpretation of KoK’s laconic statement. Whatever?
tusker
Kojo
I hope the fence posts don’t have pointy tops. :-)
‘GG laughing at last.
weefrathetim-With his business acumen with Diageo amongst others,he could buy and sell the complicit clowns in charge of the game in Scotland.How did Smudger get the SFA Execs job again? By all accounts he didn’t even meet the job criteria.But being a hun and a Mason ticked all the boxes.
Tusker.
Strange
http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/sport-editors-picks/henrik-larsson-mohamed-bangura-is-right-for-celtic.14907055
MooooonTheHoops
Tough times growing up as a ‘Hoop’ from 1957-65 but remember Alex Byrne well – a favourite of mine because I often played at O.L.
Bada
Says it all really. BUT, we will see them all off with our magnificent support. IMHO. :)
Weefra HH
Wigan agree deal for Martinez to Everton
Walty at the helm
Master Ally on the poopdeck
Mather in the crow’s nest
The scurviest, scrofuloussest rag-tag gang of knaves ever gathered under one sail
Scribbler Jabba keeping his log
Set course for the isle ‘o’ saps, and pick those mugs’ pockets!!!!!!!
‘crushed nuts?’ ‘Naw, Layringitis!’
Please! No renditions of: ‘it was on the good ship Souness’ before the watershed!
It might be worth giving Bangura another run in our pre-season games I have never seen anything to indicate there is a player there, but surely the bhoy must have something that we havnt seen yet ? H.H.
isle ‘o’ saps
haahhaahhaha
thats getting used,
hahahahahaha
joe filippis haircut
19:45 on 3 June, 2013It might be worth giving Bangura another run in our pre-season games I have never seen anything to indicate there is a player there, but surely the bhoy must have something that we havnt seen yet ? H.H.
A tattoo maybe? :)
You must be joking Turnbull Hutton being the head of Scottish football? what you are telling me is you want a straight up stand up guy leading our national game,you’r having a laugh, level playing field never going to happen, the game is bent, the people who run it (the we are the people) will never be beaten, my god it makes me laugh Jock Stein must have cast a giant shadow, must be really cold in that shadow, even there yesterdays where yesterday’s.
Bada Bing. Good one fella very quick lol. H.H.
praecepta
19:43 on 3 June, 2013
#######
The boy stood on the burning deck
The flames licked round the row locks
He said with a sigh and a tear in his eye
I wish I’d protected me share options!
Well shiver me timbers sea dog Smithie de Cardigan has shanghaied the locals and now they set sail under the Jolly Dodger to the Isle o Saps
Isle o Saps
hahaha
Joe F-Diawara who we looked at the same time ,was playing in a better league.Though he’s not set the heather on fire in Spain,he might still be one to consider.Bangura doesn’t look like a player to me mate.HH
The Honest Mistake- 19 31
Well, I must use your title! First time I have seen that comprehensive account. Obviously I read just someones “early” blog and miscued!! My apologies to Gerald766 and all the later posters that I thought were misquoting Hendryk. Definately me wrong and, so far, KoK?
Humbly corrected.
tusker
Good evening friends
Crushed nuts-You can be sure the Legned and Sally will be part of the “penny a share” gang,therefore fleecing the stupid hun hordes.
!!Bada Bing!!
…… but surely the bhoy must have something that we havnt seen yet ? H.H.
A tattoo maybe? :)
I think PL has slipped up on this marketing area – he should have tied-up some ‘corporate’ advertising deals based on the player’s tattoos.
* Any player with a dragon tattoo = Chinese Restaurant advert.
* Any player with a tiger tattoo = Indian Restaurant advert.
* Any player with a bar-code tattoo = Asda/ Tesco advert.
Etc., etc. :-)
MooooonTheHoops
A couple of us from St Pat’s HS Dumbarton used to go to see ther Celts reserves on Friday nights (I think ) an Alec Byrne used to be absolutely fantastic for the wee team, however when he played for the senior team, it was almost is if he got stage fright or something, he just faded out of games. Shame really.
And Captain Smith looks through the scope and say’s ” I see no ships” but ” I thought I saw the Titanic on the horizon but alas it has gone”
tonydonnelly67
Stop beating about the bush and come to the point. It was posted in jest. Chill :))
Weefra HH
Anybody see any club challenging us next year ? How long before a consistent club emerges – Can they beat the other clubs is the question.
Bada bing
Bangura doesn’t look like any kind of footballer ….apart from a crap one ….
‘crushed nuts?’ ‘Naw, Layringitis!’
Was thinking more of the Sally (Nell) ditty: ‘neath the light of the pub stood little Nell’ ……… etc!