Optimism among the Celtic support is tangible right now. For much of last year the league title remained in the balance, but today, despite being promised a more taxing season, we’re miles ahead. You can get odds of over 40-1 on second favourites to win the title; the definition of No Contest.
As I noted yesterday, the transformation goes deeper than the heroics of Scott Sinclair and Moussa Dembele, neither of whom were material in the level of performance shown against Barcelona.
Achievements are often subject to reassessment at a later date and Celtic’s progress or otherwise over the last two years fall into this category.
A year ago, with a faltering Craig, Emilio, Efe, Dedryk, Stuart, Gary, James and others, we looked miles away from being a Champions League team. It turns out, we have a squad full of Champions League players.
Youth development hit the jackpot with Kieran Tierney, while John Park’s swansong signings, Erik Sviatchenko and Moussa Dembele, saw a return to form for our recently departed chief scout.
Money isn’t everything. Since 2004 it’s been clear on CQN that many Celtic fans have no interest in the game’s finances, all they are interested in is seeing an improving team on the park, but for the rest of us, the financial consequence of simply getting to the group stage this season is enormous. It makes accession to the same level next season so much more achievable.
None of that matters right now as we have the first cup final of the season coming up on Sunday. The litany of underachievement in this tournament stretches back to Jock Stein, who qualified for ever League Cup final during his 13 years in charge of Celtic, but after winning the first five, contrived to lose seven of the next eight.
I’ve seen a lot worse teams than Aberdeen knock us out of the League Cup, I hope nothing is taken for granted in the dressing room.
I’ve no idea what happened at the Newco AGM this morning but you’ll remember we discussed here the wisdom of launching a hostile takeover bid while a company is being driven into the sea by boycotts? More precisely, Newco was driven into the arms of the lender of last resort – Sports Direct. Sports Direct provided the cash that kept the lights on and picked up various rights and properties in compensation.
Offering a lender a shop at a rental of £1 per year for a decade seems harsh, but if the alternative is administration, there isn’t really an alternative. We didn’t know what the quid-pro-quo was for Ashley at the time, but we knew there had to be one.
1,095 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- ...
- 29
- »
*** LAST MAN STANDING 8 ***
Wee repost from yesterday…
All of the picks for week 13 are now in and the details are shown below. This week’s ‘I’ll still get into Heaven’ award goes to Every Day’s A Scoolday who is now the only person from the remaining 10 competitors not to have chosen any of The Rangers* Group of Clubs.
Good luck everybody (but to get a winner this side of Christmas does depend on some of you falling soon!). And the good news is that as all the selected games are on today we could have the results and next fixtures out before we lift the Cup!
The fixtures for Week 13 – all kick off’s 3.00pm except where stated.
Saturday 26 November
Partick v Rangers* (Mike In Toronto) (12.15pm)
Burnley v Manchester City (Deccyrollercoaster) (12.30pm)
Dundee v Inverness (Every Day’s A Scoolday)
Hearts v Motherwell
Ross County (Big Shuggy, Jippys Bhoys,Winealley Warriers, Roundstone Cowboys, Paddy McCourt CSC and HunderbirdsAreGone) v Hamilton
Liverpool v Sunderland
Chelsea v Tottenham (5.30pm) (DRAW – Celtic Soul Brother)
Sunday 27 November
Arsenal v Bournemouth (2.15pm)
Aberdeen v Celtic [based on the score after 90 minutes]
* – also known as :
We Could Have Been Club 12…..
The Auchenhowie Doppelgangers
Norman Bates’ Maw FC
The Walking Dead
Rangers 2012
The Zombies
The Tribute Act
Triggers Broom FC
The Deadie Bears
Sevco
No good for all the people.
There is always two sides to every story. Balance is key.
https://www.quora.com/How-many-deaths-is-Fidel-Castro-responsible-for
CQN supporters of Latino fascist totalitarianism and nepotism UNITE.
Fear not.
A new hero has arisen in the West
Fidel`s surrogate and protege currently directs Venezuela to a bright and beautiful socialist dawn .
.
.
.
.
Minus electricity and bog paper.
And this week’s picks from the CQN Couponeers –
Gerryfaethebrig – Preston
Jobo Baldie – Ross County
The Exiled Tim – Portsmouth
Bobby Murdochs Curled Up Winklepickers – Scunthorpe
Pomathonyahung – Cambridge
Lennybhoy – Wycombe
Awalkacrosstherooftops – Aston Villa-
kevjungle- you’ve went from jungle to Celtic End. I presume the main stand is your next port of call! :-)
Other matters.
Getting ready for wee sisters wedding today. St Ninians, Knightswood. Wishing her and Denis fae the Bank of Clyde all the very best fir the future.
Kilt – check
Cash – check
Hip flasks – check *Glenlivet ACGR
Intend to just party on to the LCF!
Have a good weekend all.
Tony Donnelly67
Any word on the guy Eddie Gallagher, missing, from Barlia Dr.
HH
Masty
The hun toilet vandalism bill was raised at the agm. PL said discussions were ongoing between Celtic, Sevco and the governing body.
You’ll probably read into that the same as me.
GREENPINATA on 26TH NOVEMBER 2016 9:41 AM
‘On balance’.
What he did, he did primarily for the good of the ordinary people of Cuba.
And on balance he had a positive effect.
I don’t think he was an evil man, like, for instance Pinochet.
TD 67
Sounds like your still raging after Casto put an end to Havana being a mafia run brothel.
;0)
ART OF WAR on 26TH NOVEMBER 2016 9:48 AM
__________________________________________________
Hail Hail fella, hope all goes well for yer sister and all involved today and also that, Denis takes guid care of her.
Oh and, eh….there isny a Jungle at Hundump but, the auld rebellious Cellic end housed most of the, rebellious Junglists :-)
YNWA
Setting free the bears
Interesting how we looked on wed, I thought izzy and sinky were our strong side.
Sinclair out is a loss
If I were BR (yup am sober ha)
How bout paddy on one wing, JF on other with them switching wings with izzy and mikel sitting behind in support.
HH
ART OF WAR on 26TH NOVEMBER 2016 9:48 AM
Have a great day. Best wishes to sister and new hubby.
I’ll give you all a wave as I drive by :-)))))
HH.
TD67- cheers, aye i know mate; just joking. Only time i enjoyed Hamdump was SCF against the Arabs in the sun.
….phone-call-oot…..
Greenpinata – i’ll be the fat Bonnie Prince Charlie lookalike holding a Celtic hip-flask! :-)
Art o war
To your sis and Denis
Good luck.
Ps would put a shirt and jaikit on :-) tho you do have a wee dram on you
Tapsaffurraweddincsc:-)
ARTOFWAR
Best wishes for the future to your sister and your new Brother-in-law.
Hope the day goes well,hope their life goes well.
Would love to see him sign for us permanently but don’t see the point of a loan deal (unless it’s with an option to buy).
CELTIC are putting together an ambitious loan deal for Everton midfielder James McCarthy, who they want to sign in the January transfer window.
Herald Sport understands that Brendan Rodgers, manager of the Scottish champions, wants to bring the 26-year-old to Glasgow in a deal which would initially base the Republic of Ireland internationalist at Celtic Park for the remainder of this season.
We can reveal that a permanent move could be secured next summer if Celtic, Everton and McCarthy himself can agree terms, however, the situation is also being monitored by Newcastle United, Sunderland and Stoke City who are also interested in the former Hamilton Academical player.
Everton’s owners remain reluctant to sell the Glaswegian; however, McCarthy does not figure in the plans of manager Ronald Koeman, having played just two league games this season, and is desperate to get back playing regularly.
The Merseyside club would have to pay the majority of the former Wigan star’s wages, believed to be close to £70,000 a week, which means if Celtic want to push through the move they would have to pay a loan fee, but with the £30m-plus the club will make out of their Champions League campaign they are in a strong financial position.
And there could be an added cash bonus as Liverpool are reportedly ready to make a £30m bid for former defender Virgil van Dijk as the Parkhead club are due 15 per cent of the fee Southampton would receive if such a deal was to take place.
Crystal Palace midfielder Jordan Mutch remains a target and Darlington Nagbe of MLS outfit Portland Timbers has visited the club and is expected to sign when the window opens for a fee of close to £2m.
However, a successful chase of McCarthy would be seen by supporters as another big marker set down by the club in terms of the level of player they can attract.
McCarthy established himself as a much-admired Premier League performer when he joined Wigan in 2009, and won the FA Cup before clinching his move to Everton, who beat a number of clubs to sign him for £12m.
Up until this season, after Koeman took over from Robert Martinez, McCarthy has been a first-team regular, but it is clear he doesn’t fit into the Dutchman’s system at present.
R I P,Fidel Castro.
He stopped the systematic looting and trashing of his country and of his countrymen. Though not without cost.
I’m off to the pub in my Fidel McGrain t-shirt for a wee cigarillo in his memory.
Lurking prix,giruy…
Movie watch.
I know many of you Bhoys on here will be way ahead if me but last night I watched a movie called ” REVENANT” with Leonardo DiCaprio.
It was excellent, and I believe it has already won Oscars ( not as many as Neymar).
Without giving too much away for those that haven’t seen it, the scene with Leonardo and the Grizzly was ……
I think it’s fair to say that DiCaprios character took more hits than the Celtic Park toilets !
Great watch , I wouldn’t have lasted two minutes back then ?
As an auld film buff, for those of you who haven’t seen these films from yesteryear try and catch the Magnificent comedy ” Arsenic and old lace” . majestic performances from Cary Grant, Raymond Massy and Peter Lorre working with a wacky script that you’ll either love or hate ?
The other old film is one that no doubt many of you will know about an IRA man who becomes a grass. It’s called ” The Informer”. Superb movies both imo
HH
Meant to add, that there’s another film from the 1960s about the IRA ( I can’t remember the name at the moment), in which two great actors who both on and off screen were viewed as ” English Gentlemen”, p!ayed the roles as brothers in the IRA.
The actors were, Sir John Mills and Dirk Bogarde. Superb stuff IMO.
https://twitter.com/AndyNewportPA/status/802119699987316736
Watch raman get telt aff by Traynor for asking crimnal dave king about agm resolutions
HH
HH
Big Jimmy,
Cinema Quick News.
A wee while back I went to the movies to see Revenant.
In my movie buff Barry Norman opinion I though it was overhyped and far too long. It dragged on and I sighed thinking it would never end.
It’s all about opinions my friend. As in life , one mans meat is another mans poison.
HH.
BMCUWP, 10.25.
Brill mate, your post gave me a laugh.
RIP Fidel.
Revenant was a great film.
KLV
Somehow methinks Fidel would have frowned on the smoking ban in pubs ?
Jack McConnell would have been put up against a wall and shot, quite rightly too !
Green pints. Mitchell Langbert? Really?
It is indeed a sadness that made up right wing lies and nonsense are now taken as gospel truth.
We are in the era of the stupid.
Barry Norman – Celtic fan
And why not.
Movies ?
Saw this on Italian tele last night –
La Juala De Oro ..
A Mexican movie re 4 teenagers from Guatemala crossing Mexico in order to attempt entry to milk and honey Trumpland . It made me greet .
Torrential rain yesterday – serious floods / much damage in Sciacca ..
My friends in Celtic,
Watching an article about the advance of technology. It is phenomenal and it seems the limit is endless.
For those of us who normally get the train or basically walk to Parkhead this may be a Godsend. On a cold, wet , windy night walking to and from the nearest station it can be a bit of a pain.
Dalmarnock, Bridgeton, Duke St or Belgrove. It’s 6 and half a dozen.
Roll on human Teleportation. Seemingly it’s feasible, according to the boffins.
HH.
BIG JIMMY on 26TH NOVEMBER 2016 10:31 AM
The Gentle Gunman.
GREENPINATA on 26TH NOVEMBER 2016 10:49 AM
Hologram & virtual reality viewer = teleportation.
Big Jimmy,
My Dad wasn’t a (Hollywood) film fan – English teacher in the old style who could inspire almost anyone to like Shakespeare……loved Arsenic and Old Lace. He even managed to get to show it in class in the 70s – I think under the pretence of a demonstration of how to develope characters in story-telling. Nothing is quite how it seems. In saying that his favourite was the guy who thought he was Teddy Rooseveld.
Negative two.
It’s all about balance. Seemingly the CIA tried to “remove” Fidel Castro 600 times.. Do you really believe that. ? Nobody can be that inept, can they?
Anyway Castro only embraced his socialist beliefs after the bay of Pigs. In fact his initial revolution was dismissed by some ( including the USSR ) as being too right wing.
Left wing, Right wing it matters not to the ordinary people on the receiving end.
HH.
GREENPINTA 10.35.
Your probablly right mate REVENANT was maybe slightly over long, maybe they just wanted to see just how much punishment DiCaprio could take ? Lol.
HH
MASTY
Only the submitted questions were asked.
Next week the questions are about ticket allocation so why not submit a question about their ticket allocation for their next visit to Celtic Park in March given the level of destruction that they caused and ask if that damage has been paid for by the Comedy Club?
ERNIE LYNCH,
Cheers mate, the title had just slipped my mind as I was posting.
HH
3-1 Celtic tomorrow.
Would have really enjoyed watching this game as two best football game teams in the country by a distance.
AFC have a decent manager, decent players and the luxury of stability. No mugs so Celtic need to work hard.
I’ll be watching my son playing for Montrose at Aidrie..but I’ll be listening on the radio.