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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So it was Evan Williams….I only got the years wrong….hey ho
GERS
There will be no independence simply because there will be no referendum.
SNP leaders don’t want one because they know the figures are ten times worse than in 2014 –
& there is no oil tax revenue to lie about.
The Indyref2 project is used merely to keep the cult voting. The SNP’s only goal is to stay in power at Holyrood and to send as many MPs to Westminster as possible to embarrass the majority here in Scotland.
Staying in power at Holyrood is an existential issue for the SNP. When they are eventually ousted, no one stays in power forever, and the ‘books’ are opened, we will find wrongdoing, malfeasance, misconduct in public office & corruption of the civil service – this will kill SNP stone dead.
There is no coherent economic plan for separation from the UK. If there was, the SNP & their marching stormtroopers would be shouting it from the rooftops & plastering it on every available billboard with money siphoned-off from the £billions we get each year from UKGOV to balance the books in our de facto bankrupt little part of Britian.
An independent Scotland would be a dangerous place for our kind. Our enemies would be stronger with more clout – much bigger fish in a smaller pool. You think we are discriminated against now – you ain”t seen nothing yet.
Any Catholic/Irish/Celtic person voting for SNP Independence, is a turkey voting for an early Christmas.
glasgow girls getting pumped 0-4 HT
Cmon the labour…ffs
JHB,
your right, with such well laid out insights, and logical persuasive arguments from your good self, I will absolutely vote unionist each and every time I am allowed to.
Your so convincing, I think your a natural fit for the marketing job at Castore.
Yours,
Catholic / Irish / Celtic Turkey.
31003/Saint Stivs
Great memories, I was at both of those games too.
HH
” the £billions we get each year from UKGOV to balance the books in our de facto bankrupt little part of Britian.”
Eh?
If you take the trouble to research, you will undoubtedly find that the tax contribution alone from Scotland far outweighs the ‘meagre’ budget allocated to the Scottish Government, and that does not include trade which is incorrectly attributed to UK because the goods are exported from ports outside of Scotland.
Out.
while someone is digging out examples of radical scottish nationalists , who are anti-english bigots (yip for sure they are cos thats what their doing), and that does not mean i support them in any way, radical is as radical does.
I like this fellas classic “some of my best friends are catholics” and “dressing up as the pope is just funny” defense.
https://www.sconews.co.uk/news/59123/councillor-defends-membership-of-orange-order/
31003
Evan Williams you say? I am literally around the block from their distillery right now.
31003 @ 50 years ago
My memory of the Clyde game — no main stand / roof off / Last parade of the Lisbon Lions.
My thoughts on the timing is Aug 1970 — my first ever game / 6 yr old in the Jungle.
RS led the team out onto the park but EW was down as the GK.
Was it a league game not a LC match?
No matter still remember the score — 6-1.
Too poor
Too wee
Too stupid
Need to rely on the munificence of our masters, Boris, Cummings, Gove, Rees-Mogg, et al.
CatchYerselfOanCSC
HH JG
We are lucky to have such wealthy charitable neighbours.
JHB
Nah…Disagree
Just logged in…thought this was a place to discuss Celtic? See ye…..
was at the vojvodina game, about to leave at the rangers end, my uncle packy who i take my blog name from always left early, was right at the back, wait he says for this corner, charlie ,gets the ball luanches the corner kick, and i cant even remember big billys header, just the ball hitting the net ,i was fourteen years old ,then now 53 years later, still remember it
Fries … @ 6.12
What money are you actually talking about?
Balance of trade?
Public sector finances?
Balance of trade — the UK and Scotland have issues.
No real industrial strategy for 40 years hasn’t helped .
Public sector finances — pre CoViD19 the UK / austerity central was @ 1-2% deficit.
Pre CoViD19 Scotland was struggling with a 7-8% deficit.
The decline of oil is hurting us big time and showing what 13 years of laziness can do.
And then we have the GERS figures to provide some numbers.
Just saw a Rikki Fulton sketch on youtube about Rangers signing a catholic.
Google ‘Rikki Fulton rangers’
BP1 @ 6.41
I can still remember SM’s winner in extra time against Basle in Mar 1974 — Rangers end into the GK’s LH top corner.
Well that is my memory — YouTube might suggest something less dramatic.
Made up for the huge disappointment of them getting a second right at the death to rake the game to extra time.
We had been 3-1 up and looking different class.
JHB on 21ST AUGUST 2020 5:48 PM
your on drugs right?
MADMITCH, was living down here in englandshire then, but no doubt you had the same feelings as me,.luv ya to bits buddy.H.H.
BIG PACKY 1
Similar experience to me.
I was in the jungle with my brother near the rangers end. We were about to go then Celtic won the last minute corner. Turning round we saw Charlie’s corner coming over and Big Billy’s header into the back of the net.
JHB…I doubt very much you’ll change anyone’s mind on here…plenty have tried previously.
SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 21ST AUGUST 2020 4:44 PM
Thanks for the heads up re ‘Anti Social’ by Andrew Marantz. A good (if somewhat depressing) read.
RON , thats something that you and i will never forget .god bless pal..H.H.
I see that Rugby is allowed some crowd attendance next week. We live in a snobocracy
SFTB
You got a ticket ? :O)
Scotland does not have a deficit, the UK has a deficit, of which a disproportionate share is allocated to Scotland.
:))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
Fries … @ 7.08
What is a disproportionate share of the deficit?
How do they manage to do it?
What are your numbers?
Is it all about whisky duty?
Or is there more to it than that?
How does public spending in Scotland compare to England / UK?
How does tax revenue in Scotland compare to England / UK?
SMSM question to James Forrest about ‘playing catch up already’.
Dearie me.
I wonder what they’ll be saying when Celtic are ahead with those two games still in hand.
BIG PACKY 1
Yes. Probably one of my most memorable moments from a Celtic match, although big Billy’s cup winner in 1965 is probably the best. I was in the middle of the rangers end at Hampden with my dad and had a view from behind the goals to see Billy rise up and head Charlie’s corner into the net. Unforgetable.
Another header I remember from Billy was in the world club champions first leg at Hampden when he scored at the Celtic end.
Hold………
;)
RON, you oul git .LOL. i was only 12 in 65.LOL, but my father god rest him,was at the game lovely memories,H,H,
.
Was at both of those Clyde games mentioned earlier – at twelve I didn’t realise I was living in my own history – what days we had, what a time it was, it was, preserve your memories 😢
gREENOCK 1968
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Efz40CwXgAEY0vX?format=jpg&name=small
COPIED WITHOUT NAMECHECK, BAD ME.
PictureThis Scotland
@74frankfurt
·
Aug 19
Cathcart Street, Greenock. (1968) Pic: Eugene Jean Méhat.
BIG PACKY,
I am indeed an oul git at 71, but young at heart.
Am still working. 3 days midweek as a kitchen porter at my local restaurant. Keeps me active and I have social interraction with 20 other staff of various ages.