We’ve often talked about the only real danger to a football club: internecine strife:
Internecine, def: pertaining to conflict within a group, mutually destructive.
In football, your enemies can’t inflict permanent harm, that can only come from within. This morning’s media cover threats from Sevconians to boycott (clearly in homage to Irish tradition) club/company products. More power to their elbows, they should boycott every piece of tat Newco’s disparate IP rights holders churn out, apart from the occasional novelty duck.
Here’s the thing, before you turn the tanks inwards, you’d better be sure you’ve got the ‘What happens next?’ question sorted. If you don’t, you’re playing a real life version of Lemmings.
Threatening Mike Ashley? Aye sure, that’ll work, knock yourself out. I’m sure Ashley’s known as a big pussy, he hasn’t got the money to face down the malcontents, either. I bet he’s already writing his capitulation letter, “Dear Sevconians, by noticing that I can’t handle conflict you’ve outsmarted me. The game’s up.”
What was it Charles Green told John Brown he would do to Ibrox? Hmmm.
Blame the SFA, SPL, BBC, Celtic, Her Majesty’s lawyers, the Daily Record and Raith Rovers but you need to be on the inside to wreak havoc like this.
Interesting front opened by the English Premier League today on the copycat use of pyrotechnics at football games. “Someone could get killed”, said policing minister Damian Green. You’re 20 years out of date, Mr Green.
Here’s the problem: it’s possible to discharge one of these devices in a crowded area without accepting the safety/reputational/fine consequences. Enormously invasive searches of unconnected people would be required to prevent pyros being taken into a stadium which is just not possible, eradication requires everyone to decide not to participate.
The only practical method I can see of stopping the use of pyrotechnics in Scottish football is to give Sports Direct exclusive distribution rights. Who’d buy them then?
Order your CQN Annual, in time for Christmas, here:
And/or order your copy of Sean Fallon, Celtic’s Iron Man, here:
725 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- ...
- 20
- »
European Super League indeed. Is Green still there?????
setting free the bears
Just saying – Inverness are going well and are close enough despite our unbeaten start- we’d be fools to write anyone off when we don’t have an out & out striker.
Also, Inverness have the top scorer AND have conceded fewer goals than us.
We can be complacent at our peril, as Morton showed.
HH
traditionalist 88
“Look at the Morton game- complacency on and off the pitch. ”
Firstly, I was talking about comments which seem complacent to others, on a blog and I said so to discriminate from being complacent at a match.
But, even so, your view is still an example of post hoc ergo propter hoc.
We lost at Morton and you attribute it, I am assuming, to the low crowd turnout and interest in the match because it was felt to have a likely outcome of a win for Celtic.
All it takes to believe that, is to ignore all the contrary evidence i.e. the number of previous LC ties against lowly opposition that attracted small crowds and nevertheless led to Celtic wins. And, the number of times we have lost LC ties against opposition we were expected to beat whilst playing in front of big crowds (Ross County, St. Mirren and Hearts in recent cup competitions).
Fans are important and I do not seek to diminish our importance but it is players that win matches. It always has been and it always will be.
Turkeybhoy
“Do you not think though that this”Mineshafters,Happy clappers “thing should be abolished.Its nonsense.”
It’s fairly harmless nonsense and I do not see how it can be abolished. It’s just internet shorthand, like being called a board-loving lickspittle or a permanently adolescent rebel. It is always the substance and quality of a debate that informs, much more than the quality of name calling.
Having said that, “You are a big, fat *&^%$£, so you are!” :-)
setting free the bears:
‘Fans are important and I do not seek to diminish our importance but it is players that win matches. It always has been and it always will be.’
Of course it is – no one is saying Jimmy from the Green Brigade is fav for the first goal on Friday night.
I am just saying complacency from the fans CAN filter through to the players and staff, I’m not saying it will result in us losing EVERY match against a lower league side!
We are not 15pts clear, and until we put some more daylight between us and the rest there are no ‘completely meaningless’ matches, as you put it earlier.
HH
‘ It is always the substance and quality of a debate that informs, much more than the quality of name calling’
-SFTB, volunteerin’ to MC the Zombie AGM.
SFTB- The Club were very happy to offer guys contracts,yet treat them like outcasts when their agenda changed? These guys were treated very shabbily by Celtic at the time IMO.Peter Lawwell was instrumental in drawing up and offering the contracts btw.HH
t88
Fair point on my use of “completely meaningless”.
Of course that is a poor phrase. As I elaborated later, all of the individual games are meaningful because the prospect of dropped points is ever present in each of the individual matches.
However, I understand why there will be a risk of smaller crowds in these December and January fixtures, and it;s not just down to Christmas shopping and January sales.
People “know” we will win the league. Inverness are not playing mind games when they speak of the title destination being, as near as dammit, already at Parkhead. Neither are the media trying to sow complacency in telling us the same thing. They are both making a cold, hard, professional, judgement on form, playing strength and depth, and historical patterns.
That is why we are unbackable at 1/20 and why ICT are second favourites at a very generous 80 to 1. Every other team ranges from 100 to 1 right through to over 1000 to 1.
There’s a lot of players on the books just now being treated shabbily, getting put out on loan or not played even though they’ve signed contracts with the club.
There is nothing new in Celtic treating their players shabbily; it goes back to the days when we were playing in stripes.
And call me ole fashioned but I don’t want the league to be over by Christmas.
Unlike the Zombies.
Scullybhoy 16.13 on 3 December
Sevco supporter’s want the present board removed and prepared to boycott club merchandise while former chairman Malcolm Murray and ex board member Paul Murray reveal to Belfast supporters group that the club remain on a financial precipice.
Malcolm Murray states “This time last year there was a short period when we thought that things were looking pretty good. We raised £22m, had a clean balance sheet, and had full asset ownership. Unfortunately with all of our difficulties most of that cash has disappeared on non-investment activities”
For me the important point is “full asset ownership”, the entire deidco fanbase conveniently never ask the question:
So who owns the deeds?
The honest mistake,
Make it 25-a-side and gie thum aw a game!! ;-)
Bada Bing
We could have offered them the same or bigger wages but the big money they were on, comes largely from our pockets.
I want a responsible level of wages.
Bobo took his and accepted the consequences. He is entitled to do so but I do not have to admire him for it.
Neil Lennon accepted the deal and, in my opinion, his playing form at the end of his career meant we were still overpaying him. Nonetheless, we are now getting the benefit of that money as he is doing a grand job for us.
Chris could have stayed. He was still under contract. He could have acted as Bobo did. Equally, the club could have sought a transfer fee. They both did what was mutually beneficial to them. Though it may seem like I am supporting pL over Chris, there is only one of them that I love, or to be precise, loved. Like you, I went to Chris’s tribute dinner. I will not be going to Peter Lawwell’s because, even if I was so inclined, there won’t be one and nor should there be.
I love the Celtic players. Ex-Celts I weigh up on their own merits.
paul, could we please add Mr P. Liewell to the blame everybody else list
The Honest Mistake loves being first 16:55 on 3 December, 2013
“There’s a lot of players on the books just now being treated shabbily, getting put out on loan or not played even though they’ve signed contracts with the club.”
That’s life as a football player. It happens at every club.
Earlier posts dismissed James Vaughan of Huddersfield as a No No . Watched recorded highlights of Huddersfield v Burnley and he looked like Ronaldo compared with the recent strikers we have signed. Always busy about the box, strong and can find the net. Hail, Hail !
Celtic treating their players shabbily?
For years – apparently unknown to him – our greatest ever goalscorer, Jimmy McGrory, was earning less than some of his team-mates.
Mainly due to his refusal to move to Arsenal.
HH!!
setting free the bears
Aye, know exactly where you’re coming from, just the ‘completely meaningless’ phrase that got me.
I do think Inverness have done superbly well but ultimately will struggle to maintain their form and can see a Dundee Utd/Aberdeen coming strong to take 2nd.
These last 2 yrs without the deadco haven’t quite been the cakewalk a lot predicted mind you – there were lots of predictions of us being 20 clear by Christmas, league clinched in Jan/Feb but it hasn’t materialised.
HH
HH
Peter Lawwell does an excellent job for Celtic. I have said this many times but I will say it again. He is an employee of Celtic. He does what his bos tells him. In his case his boss is the board. He carries out the tasks from the board well and is well paid. His remit includes ensuring the manager is well equipped for the job in hand. He is. His remit is to bring cash into the club. He has. He is paid well but he also takes a lot of abuse from everyone including his own fans.
Do you remember a better man in his position at Celtic? I certainly can’t. Get off the mans back. He is a Celtic supporter and does a fine job for Celtic FC. The treatment that Peter Lawwell gets is incredible. He is a Celtic man and should be treated like one. He is one of our own. many clubs in Britain would like a man like Lawwell at the helm producing the profits and the deals for the club he negotiates.
I back the club, the manager and the players, staff and board. They may all frustrate me from time to time but I don’t revert to calling them by daft names like Liewell. Leave that to the Huns.
LB
weeminger
15:55 on 3 December, 2013
‘Bobo’s problem was that his basic(£28k) + appearance fee(£7k) meant he was on more than £40k/week a lot of the time’
####
Perhaps he should be CEO of Celtic rather than CEO of Bobo Balde.
I’d always thought the reason he was cast out from the team was to avoid paying him appearance money.
Further I’ve always suspected that the appearance fee was thrown in to the contract negotiations to secure the deal.
With no intention whatsoever of paying it, but rather with the firm intention of attempting to amend the contract once the player was signed up.
Which would explain why Bobo stuck to his guns. He was an honest and honourable man and expected others to behave likewise.
And then there’s the ‘he wasn’t played for football reasons’ claim from Gordon Strachan. Mmm.
LiviBhoy – God bless wee Oscar
17:11 on 3 December, 2013
‘I back the club, the manager and the players, staff and board.’
####
And when one or more are other are in dispute with the others, which one do you back?
Trad88
“These last 2 yrs without the deadco haven’t quite been the cakewalk a lot predicted mind you”
Crazy Celtic fans in reckless prediction shocker.
ernie lynch
In that scenario you trust them to sort it out. We only see a snap shot of any dispute and can hazard a guess at what is going on but any disputes should be kept in house and I would usually side with the party who keeps it that way.
Each situation in that respect would need to be addressed on it’s own merit.
LB
‘Treating their players shabbily’
Some posters are now talking like agents…….get real.
£7k….£8k. £15k…….£25k…..PER WEEK! Sorry…..(forgot about their bedroom tax)
God love them.
BBB
Geordie Munro
I was referring more to the Armageddon-mongers ;)
HH
LiviBhoy – God bless wee Oscar
17.11 on 3 December
Well said, I’m sure many supporters regret booing Fergus McCann, it seems that the appreciation of excellence only arrives long after a departure
HH
Trad88,
Armawhat?
Never heard of it:-P
ernie lynch
17:11 on
3 December, 2013
Yes, I think the appearance fee was used to secure him (when EPL clubs were after him I believe). I don’t think the intention was never to pay it. In fact I think he was receiving it for at least a full season until spending got reigned in.
As I said I don’t particularly have a problem with the stance of either side. He’s right to say he signed a contract and he’s sticking to it. I don’t have a problem with the club saying “our financial circumstances have changed will you play for you basic salary alone?”
weeminger
17:24 on 3 December, 2013
Trouble with behaving like that though is that players and agents are wary of dealing with you in future.
weeminger
17:24 on 3 December, 2013
Was it true that during his time in exile Bobo maintained the lowest fat % of all the players?
And was he fined for not wearing a club tie on one occasion?
Bobo balde’s CEO took home a lot of our money for sitting on his backside.
He shouldn’t have been given the chance to take home so much of it. Bobo balde’s CEO cared more for bobo balde’s bank balance than he did about celtic fans.
Beebawbabbity-Do you think it is ok for the Club not to honour contracts, they were very happy to sign? Doesn’t matter if it’s 2k,5k or 28 k.
Weeminger
I dont want to go over old ground either. The contract had been negotiated in good faith by Bobo only to find that 5 months later hé was getting the rug pulled from under his feet. We ended up losing 32k a week. PL keeping MON happy. Unfortunately for us we have never employed a manager as savvy as PL has since. Deliberately so me thinks.
HH
Ernie..,
Bobo represented himself which is why I admire him more than yer average player, he got the better of PL and I suspect that is partly why he was treated so badly.
Canamalar.
You admire him for getting the better of pl even though he took hundreds of thousands out of the club for doing nothing?
The irony of the Balde situation was that when we HAD to draft him back in during an injury crisis we kept our first clean sheet on the road for over a year at Tannadice! I bet he was in seeing Lawwell the day after that. Worth the cash I’d have said:)
HH
SFTB
I said seems based on twice having exchanges about the current situation. I.e running at massive profits while still cutting wages. Skoosh being top dog except for PL. Performance related pay and pay rises being only applicable to the Board and coaching staff. Anyway you seem to be repeating yourself and so am I so happy to leave it there.
HH
The Honest Mistake loves being first
17:41 on 3 December, 2013
‘Canamalar.
You admire him for getting the better of pl even though he took hundreds of thousands out of the club for doing nothing?’
###
He signed a contract.
He was willing to stick to it.
You can’t blame him for not playing if the club wouldn’t let him play.