News that fans could be able to attend games from the middle of next month is very welcome. Lots can happen between now and then but Celtic Park with a reduced capacity is better than an empty Celtic Park.
For those attending, the process of gaining entry to the ground will feel onerous; more like being allowed onto a flight than into a stadium. A trial-run next week against Motherwell, even if only for 1,000 of us, will be useful to check processes before more significant numbers arrive.
On 20 February this year, a day after Newco advertised on their website for a kit partner, I told you production runs for replica football kit were such, that getting a deal done and shirts on shelves for this season in any volume was impossible. I wrote, “manufacturing slots are booked in March or early April. These are high volume items, production cannot be arrange doff the cuff.
“Multi-million pound contracts with any serious manufacturer will require scoping and due diligence, this could take weeks, if not longer.”
There are a small number of manufacturing facilities in the world that can produce these garments in volume, the major brands all use them and production slots are booked – to the minute – months out.
When Newco and Castore announced their deal in May and promised to ship in August, two possibilities occurred to me: I was wrong, or they were both flying by the seat of their threadbare pants.
Yesterday, the kit supplier apologised for adding Castore and Newco logos to school sweatshirts (busted as they had not gone to the trouble of changing details on the washing label). They also apologised for shipping top quality replica tops from China to some fans, when they intended to only ship inferior kit, manufactured at a location in Turkey. Yes, really.
Fans are now comparing shirts with a similar quality to any other replica football top, and something that costs the same as any other replica top, but is a very inferior product.
Getting things right in football costs money, takes time and experience. If you think you can breeze into this industry, bang a few heads together and deliver a world-class deal, you have world-class arrogance.
Newco’s commercial director, James Bisgrove, was less than a year in the job when he put an email address on the club website asking kit suppliers to get in touch. To be fair to him, it was a terrible position to be in, but he signed a deal without the scoping and due diligence that would prevent fans suffering this debacle. He does not have the experience required to do the job.
In February, before Castore were even a glint in the Newco eye, I wrote that their new kit deal, “will be a poor contract and it will perform badly for all concerned.” But all of us who have been paying attention for the last 8 years (and the 12 before) knew that.
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GARNGAD TO CROY on 21ST AUGUST 2020 12:50 PM
Did the Castore brother’s used have a stall in the forge market about 10 years ago? I seem to remember getting a cracking deal on 7 emerald green strips and a goalie top for the five-a-side team! Excellent quality and ready within a week of ordering.
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2 brothers you say??
I was thinking of putting up a similar post for a stall at Govan market.made me laugh.as a guy there done them too.maybe early contact was made in a bissniss sense.:-))
hh
Billy Longarm
1 review
3 stars: Average
7 hours ago
Back to school
I purchased some of the Castore lifestyle range for my kids, the jumpers are perfect for going back to school, they come with a handy tag to write little Billy’s name and class so he doesn’t lose his jumper. It was dead easy to remove the Rangers logo, it just peeled right off.
Fab post paul67
Pressure game for Los hunos tomorrow.
AT- 2 Brothers you say…..Rodney and Del Bhoy…..?
MadMitch 3.37
😁 aye, as you and a couple of others mentioned earlier ; funny old time in politics world wide right now. I am assured by the born and bred Irish here (i am an Ayshire settler- sounds familiar!) that politics hasn’t changed a bit here since 1922
PS
If anyone is interested in a different angle on Irish history since 1922; try to access the evxellent ‘No Country For Women’ from RTe. It is on RTE player if you can get it outside of Ireland and currently still running on RTE
Goes through the lens of women’s rights and how it all regressed post 1922 Free State and was nothing like the 1916 proclamation for women (Connelly turning in his grave)
First episode covered laws on voting, juries, pregnancy outwith marriage, church, laundries, mental hospital, rape, abortion, contraception, first woman president, civil war abuses etc etc.
top watching
Another quiet Celtic news day, so we’re treated to the dreary pro-Westminster rantings of our vocal unionist minority, where substance defers to the rhetoric of the right and where facts are ignored in favour of insults. Nobody should deny your freedom to vent, and it must be frustrating to observe your own slide into outdated, marginalised, minority politics but surely there are more suitable arenas than this?
I’ve heard that some likeminded individuals have in the past taken to walking the queens highways to spread their views, but not sure how you’ll manage that while socially distanced?
Anyway, back to football matters – my preference would be to keep Ntcham, get Turnbull, let Rogic go and a no to Duffy. Being Irish and singing in a pub is not enough in my book, and I’ve seen little on the pitch to think he will improve us. There is better value out there, he does not fit our signing criteria and we need two new CBs, not just one. We also need someone to challenge Forrest, and a replacement for Bolingoli. So four in, possibly five if we think we need another goalie, and two out. I think that’s a realistic ask…
RE Mad Mitch
As in the conservative mp and nut case commanding officer of the argyll and sutherland highlanders?
Your nom de plume speaks volumes.
“My choice is to stay in the UK and fight for progressive politics”
as in the jeremy corbyn manifesto, look what the english biased media did with him.
“Tough gig given the media bias and the Brexit bounce that has enlivened the hard of thinking.”
you are obviously too clever for this country
“I also think that we lack the social and societal depth to be a successful small country.”
Really, and the tories do have the societal depth, because that who has been RULING US for the last 10 years and most likely to rule us for the next 20.
There has to be a first step to free us from the english oxbridge autocracy. First step is independence then get a real labour manifesto.
Everything else you have said is not even worth comment.
And truly when everything is said and done why would you want to stay in a country with the hard of thinking?
Hail Hail from Mursheen
GER57 on 21ST AUGUST 2020 2:13 PM
Meanwhile, back on planet earth, the political party which is front and centre in pushing for Scottish independence, and the party that would dominate in the event of it ever happening, is the party that forced through The Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act , in the teeth of opposition from every other political party.
Not one SNP politician has ever challenged or criticised the legislation, even to this day.
ger57 on 21st August 2020 2:13 pm
You’ve got all the yoons coming out from under the bed, well done :-)
mursheen on 21st August 2020 4:18 pm
Well said that man, both the politics and the footy.
I wish our unionist trolls nothing but disappointment :-)
I hope you are actually Celtic fans but I wouldn’t be surprised if not.
Watched the Tierney Open Goal interview earlier. KT comes across really well, a lifelong Celtic fan no doubt about it.
I just wish the interviewer wouldn’t interrupt him and each other.
ger57 @2:13 pm
The country we seek on Independence is not xenophobic a la Trump or rule Britannia. It is a welcoming, friendly and progressive force for good.
You Sure?
I seem to remember this guy being a prominent Boot Boy for the Yes campaign.
Apologies for the Record link- but it was the only place I could see the story covered. I did try The National but this guy is a prolific letter writer to that paper.
CB @ 4.12
Seems to be he way of small country independence — 50 months of froth / fury / excitement.
Followed by 50 years of stagnation / insularity / social conservatism — leading to more emigration.
I will try a follow up on the RTE programme — sounds interesting.
Plus follow up on the 1916 Women’s Declaration.
Seems like a revolutionary element kicked open the door but a conservative mob walked through it.
PAPAJOE55 on 21ST AUGUST 2020 1:02 PM
AN TEARMANN
Re yesterday’s talk of the tunnel tigers , Thee is a lovely memorial behind the chapel in Dungloe, all the guys who lost their lives and where , very sad how many. Also if up my way Big John who runs the Commercial in Muthill is a bit of an expert on the tigers , he has lots of pictures and Info about them . He also wrote and sang a song about them and I’m sure he would give a rendition to anyone who asked.HH
=====================================
Thanks Papa Joe.The impact, value and contribution.of the Irish diaspora is immense.
My da spent time up north building the hydros,a lot of friends like him contributed to dams in sloy,tummel and cruachan.
it was hard graft.pick and shovel.i was up at Sloy the other day.an awesome dam wall all built without the machinery.a lot also contributed to the faith by helping build chapels all up the West coast.one at Strathblane on outskirts of Glasgow such an example.
The Derry boat shipped a lot of our forefathers and was a direct link between shantallow in Derry with Broomielaw in Glasgow.
you should get your pal to post his poems and tales of the tunnel men.An old neighbour of mine Colm,who sadly passed away was on the Clyde tunnel working deep underground,slaving away,in conditions that his lungs congealed in later years as he should have had been working with oxygen.He was part of a group claim,but just like asbestos workers their claims were “timed out” as one by one they all died off.
hope all is well in the county.it looks ,sadly as tho I won’t get over to get my view from the hill.
hh
When Dad won’t cut the grass,
dressed up for 2nd class.
That’s Castore.
Murs @ 4.18
You don’t do irony — do you?
I got the name after my old Egg chasing captain heard me discuss the 1983 manifesto in somewhat detailed terms with a couple of his fellow Tories.
I would be interested in your thoughts regarding what should be in a “Real Labour Manifesto” and how the Nats have let us and you down over the past 13 years with their small town / middle class welfare state..
Pash
AT did you get to read the PADDY NAVVY blog from Wild Geese I linked yesterday ?
If someone could point out a politician who wasn’t a lying money grabbing expenses fraudster cheat, I’d vote for them.
Good luck to Glasgow fc
hh
Mahe- I gave it 15 minutes, shambolic presentation
st.stivs
I am still tipping thro it.looks great.like yourself I find myself learning thro taking off down a link :-)
hh
Good,
the descriptions of the bigotry is just breath taking.
There is also another one about the population demographics , I will find that as well.
131003
Not too far off the mark.
Was at Bertie Aulds last game for Celtic. A league game against Clyde. The “new” main stand was still under construction at the time. Big Jock scrambled out the dug out twice during the game. Both times while we were winning 6-1. First time to berate Wee Bertie for sitting on tha ball and disrespecting the Clyde players, and the second time to berate Evan Williams for booting the ball up the park instead of passing it out to a full back. Amazing what pops into your mind when you’re sitting doing nothing
bada Bing
del & toddlers :-))
https://twitter.com/TamsellicsonIII/status/1296486374783295494?s=09
hh
If I remember correctly it was also the very last time the Lisbon Lions started the match. Evan Williams coming on for Faither immediately after kick off as he was then past it
More trivia…that game was the last of the season. First game the following season was also against Clyde. We won that 9-0. I stood on the same spot in the jungle for both games…..
6-1 game was ‘69-‘70 season
9-0 game was ‘70-‘71 season
Then again…..my memory is shit so I could be totally wrong on all counts…..I was only 12 at the time
Anybody got a spare for the Motehrwell match?
31003, had to come on, your spot on i was at those games.H.H,
Cheers BP
the lions last game. celtic 6 clyde 1, simpson leads teams out, but JF plays in goals. bertie retires. wee boys run on the park.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1113141099646849026
Just in – listening to fans concerns, Sevco are switching kit supplier from the Castore brothers to the Chuckle Brothers.
I forgot that clip, old lip was tremblin a wee bit, aopoligies to JF it is evan williams in goal.
Desmonds magic turnstyle clickers gives official attendance as 35,000, while the papers record a HUGE ATTENDANCE.
1971-05-01: Celtic 6-1 Clyde, League Division 1
Trivia
The Lisbon Lions turn out for the last time as a team on a wonderfully emotional day.
The injured Ronnie Simpson is stripped and leads out the team but is replaced by Evan Williams at kick off.
Bertie Auld is carried shoulder high by Celtic players at the end.This game was the 14th anniversary of his debut game for Celtic and it marked his last appearance having just been given a free transfer.
The front enclosure is now demolished and work on the new main stand has started. The stand resembles a building site. If you look at the photographs for the match you can see the scene of devastation that is the old Main Stand.The rebuilding aimed to increase the number of seats, give unrestricted views and incorporate a new Press Box.
Lisbon Lions John Clark’s last game for Celtic in a major tournament (he played a few days later in the Glasgow Cup).
while im on good luck to kieran tearney, hope he makes mega bucks at arsenal, now if we meet in the champions league, and he scores a brace against us, would all you ghuys be saying well done kieran thanks for that, dont think so , he is an arsenal player now , get real .H.H,
St Stivs
That is brilliant
I was there.
Could have sworn it was Evan that replaced Father
I stand corrected
It must have been the 9-0 game Jock gave him pellets for booting the ball up the park instead of passing
Absolutely luv that clip…..never seen it before
Pellets=pelters