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.
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Warbs – ‘we’re biggest club in Country’
King – ‘we’ll keep spending more than we earn for foreseeable and we won’t factor supporter unhappiness at team performance’
Confused.com
Of course Fat Succulent Jim told Warbs to say that – to the predictable delight of the well educated and well informed Sevco supporters…. Mugs.
Sinclair will be a huge miss. Time for wee Paddy to step in.
Big Judith looks like a lovely juicy raw fillet steak just ready for grilling.
I’m getting hunmgry…
Big Jimmy and Tontine Tim …
Re the 1968 League Cup Final.
Colin Stein was actually suspended for that cup final five days before the game and it caused a dismay among the Scottish sports journalists.
Did Dave King mention the 55 at the AGM?
Judith looking magnificent in cerise tonight…
https://johnjamessite.com
My intention today was to write the latest instalment of The Secret Diary of Mark Warburton but he has stolen my thunder with a comedy masterclass at the AGM. From what I can glean from a number of Twitter feeds, the unseen hand of Jim Traynor has provided him with a script of the required soundbites. My personal favourite was the gazebo-busting ‘being punished for the transgressions of others.‘ Was he referring to the £250,000 slap on the wrist for 12 years of dual contracts and the fraudulent acquisition of 15-20 titles, not to mention the UEFA FFP transgressions in 2011? I respectfully refer him to Neil Doncaster’s SPFL website where the tainted titles can be seen in all their tarnished splendour. Why not say something original and lay the blame at the feet of David Murray where it truly belongs. SDM introduced dual contracts and systemic tax evasion, pocketing £6.3m in a tax-free EBT as he blatantly subverted Scottish football. He also trousered £500,000 per annum as the most bent man in Scottish football, Campbell Ogilvie, set up trust funds in Jersey and the Isle of Man. Bill Nimmo Smith came to the predetermined conclusion that EBT were legal and that other clubs could have cheated with the same crooked elan of the Govan club. The Inner House of The Court of Session kicked that nonsense into touch and duly declared EBT as illegal. How remiss of Nimmo Smith not to consider the cheating of the DOS/VSS predecessors of EBT. I was looking for a revolving bow-tie and polka-dot boxers shorts as Warburton spoke. The circus has arrived early at the Wide as the Clyde Auditorium.
I know this is a long shot…
Can anybody advise on a bar in Amsterdam that would be showing the game on Sunday?
My good buddy George has been fighting cancer for 18 months. He got the word 10 days ago that nothing more could be done, and he was given weeks left.
So I booked flights for tomorrow, from Oslo over to Newcastle where he lives, so that we could raise a glass of something – 12-year-old Jura, milk, whatever – and say cheerio.
I was distracted when I booked them (OK, drunk) and I didn’t notice that the return leg of the flight involves a 25-hour stopover in Amsterdam. 08.15 Sunday to 06.55 Monday morning.
A day in Amsterdam, in other words.
My pal died yesterday morning, 3am. Cruel. I thought me and him would get a few hours, and that he might get one last Christmas with his wife, daughters, grandchildren and big family.
I threw the tickets in the bin. Then I fished them out again when I had spoken to his wife.
She said to stop being a ******g idiot, get my erse to Newcastle and have a drink with her in their local and then take Sunday going round Amsterdam and toasting him in all the bars we used to love. There are a lot of them.
So that’s what I’m going to do.
So any steers on bars showing the game would be appreciated. But bearing in mind the reception we’ve got there over the years I am not hopeful.
HH
Green
Can’t help but I lost my best buddy to pancreatic cancer about 6 years ago and he and I went home and away. Its tough and time only makes it slightly easier. Thoughts to you and your pals family
Best
HH
Good Evening.
In case of interest… My take on the Sevco AGM today…
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2016/11/25/world-class-investment-opportunities/
GREENINBINGLEYINOSLO
Durty Nelly’s, Warmoesstraat 115 Amsterdam (Tel: +31 20 638 0125)
@celticbars.com
Sitting here in Montevideo
Trust me the whole world admires a tax evader. Something vicariously admirable. Be it Messi blatter Barca Huns SFA trump. Anything less than a million dollars is just downright thievery punishable by death. Cake or death?
I’ll have cake
GreenB- sorry for your loss HH
GREENINBINGLEYINOSLO
http://www.mulligans.nl/sports.php
http://www.stjamesgate.nl/home.php
http://threesisterspubamsterdam.nl/en/sportkalender/#action=ai1ec_agenda&ai1ec_page_offset=1&ai1ec_time_limit=1480192201&ai1ec_post_ids=
MARGARET MCGILL on 25TH NOVEMBER 2016 7:08 PM
Sitting here in Montevideo
Are you thinking ?
HH
AWE_NAW_NO_ANNONI_OAN_ANAW_NOO on 25TH NOVEMBER 2016 7:20 PM
Yes.Always thinking. Not always good thoughts. Feeling taxed.
BTW
Clash City Rockers was closed for the Barca game. Watched it in the grocers next door
MARGARET MCGILL on 25TH NOVEMBER 2016 7:26 PM
Sitting there thinking deary me … football punditry here we come
I told you that it would be on every telly it was BMCUWP that recommended the pub.
Hi to D
HH
Sailing on the river plate today with D on a kattamaran just like Darmstadt
Friday night is music night right enough – BBC4 at 9.00pm. Classic Albums – Paul Simon (with Roy Halee) revisiting the making of Gracelend. And no more sleeps…. ;-)
Mags
Well enjoy and forget about how unfair the world is for D´s sake
HH
LMCBhoy BSR AweNaw Bada
Thanks for kind words and pubs.
Appreciated very much.
HH
Green B
Sorry to hear about your mate.
HH
MARGARET MCGILL on 25TH NOVEMBER 2016 7:08 PM
Are you going to to the honourable thing with your service revolver if your catamaran is chased into the anchorage by superior forces (let’s call them rowing boats)?
Do catamarans have service revolvers? They certainly should.
Good comedy from the Sevco shareholders coming out of the agm. One guy asked about King says “you have to take him at his word”. A woman then describes him as a “proper businessman”.
You almost feel sorry for them.
Nah!
As the basis of the Child Sex Abuse in Football is mainly accusation at the moment, I was surprised that it opened the lunch-time edition of Reporting Scotland. It was given prominence again in the Evening edition. This time, however, they gave an example involving Alan Brazil at……CELTIC Boys Club. That was the ONLY example they mentioned by name. Celtic. That aspect of this country sickens me ( although I accept I might have got this all wrong).
JJ
Greeninbingleyinoslo.
Sorry to read about the loss of your pal.Condolences to you and his family. I’m glad you’ve taken his wife’s advice and hopefully Celtic lifting the cup will help ease the pain. HH
GLASSTWOTHIRDSFULL on 25TH NOVEMBER 2016 8:05 PM
Good comedy from the Sevco shareholders coming out of the agm. One guy asked about King says “you have to take him at his word”. A woman then describes him as a “proper businessman”.
You almost feel sorry for them.
Nah!
————————-
Just watched that!
Did king not say today that they would continue to spend more than they earn??
Did the same lady not say that she was glad of the financial prudence not returning them to the position they just came from?
If both the above are true then its just comedy gold!!
GREENINBINGLEYINOSLO
Once honorable deed is done I’ll ping you
ALASDAIR MACLEAN on 25TH NOVEMBER 2016 11:10 AM
Got halfway through the “Record” article…..after a few raised eyebrow spots I scrolled back to the top to check the origin.
My own personal “Doh!” moment.
——————
Me too Al !
Got to the dizzy bit (wtf) scroll up….that bassa awe naw!
Dizzy and frightening….braw
I suppose anyone who runs a funding plan separately from their business plan is running the risk of a squint…
Braw.
Greeninbingleyinoslo.
Sorry to hear about your friend.
Enjoy the good memories when having your drinks.
Hail Hail.
For anyone that’s not been watching the (IMHO) brilliant ‘The Missing’ (7 episodes down, 1 to go) then Episode 1 remains available on BBC iPlayer until Tuesday, a bit longer than the usual 4 weeks. I assume each sunsequent episode will drop of each week. It floats my boat, anyway.
I know I’m on a BBC roll here but it’s just coicidence, honestly…
STV and BBC mentioned the conviction of a coach at Celtic Boys Club for sexual abuse and BBC mentioned the player Alan Brazil by name, I hope whoever has been effected by abuse comes forward and receive the help they need, it would be unlikely that the Celtic BC case is the only case in football in this country and I note that other sports /organisations are not excluded as the helpline will assist all who contact them. Abuse takes many forms this is only one I wonder how those who physically bullied people in teams/clubs feel about their conduct Im sure anyone who went to school in the 60 or 70 will recall being belted for not learning, still dont understand how this helps any child or teenager learn
And still, the spelling doesn’t improve….
Specifically , Celebrate Celtic this Christmas.
Macjay – you want to try that link again???