Rumours circulated last week that is was Sepp Blatter who leaked the million or so emails to The Sunday Times, allowing them to uncover previously hidden payments between Fifa delegates at the time of the Qatar 2022 vote. That looks fanciful in the face of Blatters tub-thumping, that criticism of the voting process is motivated by racism.
The motivation behind The Sunday Times is irrelevant, Fifa is either corrupt or not. Blatter is indulging in the ancient art of Ad hominem, rejecting a claim not on its own merits, but on an irrelevant facet of the person making the claim. Sony, Adidas and others have led the way is asking for proper oversight of Fifa to protect their brands being damaged by association. This is all very well but by postponing any disclosure until after the forthcoming World Cup, Fifa have years to allow sponsor angst to dissipate. Expect nothing to change.
What a fascinating wee story that the SFA are considering leaving Hampden to Queens Park to maintain and ‘fill’ with a few hundred spectators each game. If this is a bargaining position to force Queens into cutting a generous deal, fair enough.
In the event the SFA decide to move away from Hampden, it’s worth keeping an eye on the stadium. Those who appear intent on driving Newco Rangers into liquidation could do with a spare stadium in Glasgow, just in case the current owners of Ibrox do not succumb to manipulation.
On the subject of that lot, Dundee United’s Stephen Thompson’s playing a blinder. Not only is he cherry-picking their youth talent but he’s also raised the inconvenient fact – Newco Rangers is a two year old football club. Follow the money on this one.
Well done to BBC Alba and Alex O’Henley for the outstanding Jock Stein documentary last night. It’s difficult to add much to the Stein story after all these years but they managed to do so. The level of detail contained therein was remarkable, and it was nothing short of astonishing that we heard first-hand testimony on Jock playing for Blantyre Vics.
If you’re short of a Father’s Day gift, Tommy Gemmell, Bertie Auld and John Hughes will be signing copies of their books at the Celtic Store in Argyle St from 1pm until 4pm on Saturday. Three Lions, one venue, bring your camera.
It’s also an enormous privilege to announce that after we hosted a live chat session with Willie Wallace last year and Tommy Gemmell last month, Bertie Auld will be live on CQN from 1pm this Friday. Bertie is the strong silent type, so you’ll need to prepare a few questions to bring him out of his shell.
Visit the CQN Bookstore to get Tommy Gemmell to sign your personal copy of his tome, All the Best, freshly signed by the man himself this morning.
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it’s not like the ole Sevconians to do somethin’ stupid.
BSR
For those more follically challenged amongst the golfing fraternity, possibly a Russian style hat may be the order of the day, to stave off that cold east wind.
BJMAC CSC
On FIFA.
Not before time.
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/jun/10/lord-moyniham-challenge-fifa-british-government?CMP=twt_gu
and it would filter down to national associations.
Nat Know
Though I am still 95% opposed to the signing of Craig Gordon, I will admit the situation is complicated.
His previous football behaviour or allegiances do not concern me one bit, I am concerned only about his fitness and injury record and whether he is still a good enough goalie. That is where it gets complicated.
I will always defer, to the opinions of the expert and, in Stevie Woods, we have someone who is much better placed to evaluate the fitness and readiness to play than I am. I also do not know the terms of the contract that CG is seeking so we might be getting a good keeper on the cheap or an expensive punt; those are the elements I don’t know but which are necessary in order to arrive at a definitive view.
However, I note that CG did not sign any short term Pay-as-you-play deal with either Dumbarton or Sevco where he trained, in order to earn a longer contract or to put himself in the shop window for a bigger team. That suggests to me that he is still worried about his fitness for the rigours of competitive goalkeeping. I don’t know if any trial evaluation of a goalie’s fitness will be as rigorous as a game situation and whether CG is not cute enough to hide any aspect of his injury that is still giving him concern.
Add to that, whether he is good enough. Yes he was a fine Hearts keeper and a Scottish internationalist during a fairly undistinguished period for the National side, but, despite winning save of the season, he never came close to justifying his transfer fee to Sunderland fans. After two to three years out will he even be back to Sunderland levels of form next season?
I have two further concerns. Our club has had a bad record with taking punts on players with bad injury records. Both Moyoukolo and Boerigter are very good players and, if even one of them, had recovered full fitness, we would have been justified in taking those punts. But,a s both have been failures thus far, we are not in a good position to risk getting it wrong a 3rd time in quick succession. Especially, as these players tend to look for the security of a long term contract before they really put their body on the line for a club and then, if he breaks down, we are forced into an expensive extension to our treatment room.
And finally, even if he is fit and back to semi-decent form, is he really a better bet for Celtic over the next 5 years, to challenge Fraser Forster or our new No. 1 (because, no way, will we accept that CG is FF’s replacement) than are our reserve keepers, Fasan, Hart or McCabe, or even the Fulham reserve that we sourced to play CL Youth football this year? Is he a better bet than the Ghanaian keeper from Stormgodset or whichever younger version of CG is available from places with a good record for producing keepers, such as Poland and Uruguay.
So, no apologies but maybe a clarification of why I am highly sceptical about this being a good move. If the boy comes, he will receive my full backing but my doubts will remain .
I reckon Ol JK has prob paid a fortune in taxes an is entitled to her opinion, as is everyone else.
ernie lynch
It’ll be Interesting to hear from glib shameless liar.
The 8m if raised will disappear into another black hole, to cover running costs, and dilute their watery orange juice even worser.
Valueless CSC
Snake Plissken
11:43 on 11 June, 2014
What a bitter and bitchy comment.
Snake – your post was fairly typical of the bullying and arrogant attitude of the Yes campain and cyber nats. The denegration of anyone who says they will vote no is rather disgusting. However the bullying has not gone unnoticed and I have noticed a backlash against it starting to build.
So keep doing what you are doing.
If you want to scream and shout and get annoyed with those who you disagree with then fine. Try and stop being childish about it though – it isnt helping your cause!
Snake Plissken
“I wonder if the media will attack her like they did the Weirs or fawn all over her as they did with Bowie delivered third hand through an ageing model?”
I may not read as many newspapers as you but I have failed to see or hear the media attacking the Weirs or fawning over Bowie. I have seen individual politicians and partisans from either side laud and criticise both sides but I have not seen what you have perceived.
End Edinburgh rule now- freedom for my street
Sftb,
I’m sure there are other reasons why cg didn’t sign a deal with sevco.;)
He’snomenthol csc
McBhoy
JK is a multi millionaire. Independence is a big risk for the rich. For the poor or not so rich who have little to lose it is more of a decision. I reckon most rich people who live up here will vote No.
LB
Just discovered my e-mail has been hacked – ignore any e-mails received from me in last 24 hours c***s! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
HT
Ole BJMAC will throw his hat in the ring no doubt. He’s got a Bunnet for the Gazebo as well, handed down through generations of Gazebonians.
He’ll be wearing it on Fergus day, along with his Harry Hill shirt and specs, shouting…….. “Come away ma wee Fergus”
Mon the Tartans
The nats and the nits just canny ignore one another eh?
Dearyme csc
a deadly blow would be kinder than deah by a 1000 cuts…?
Whatever happened to the JK Rowling money?
BSR
Ahhhhh ‘The Carluke Uniform’ then but without the missing straw :-)
Can we no get back to arguing about who should not be our assistant manager?
LB
P7TransitionDaysToHighSchoolAreMagicCSC
LiviBhoy
11:57 on 11 June, 2014
‘McBhoy
JK is a multi millionaire. Independence is a big risk for the rich. ‘
##
That’s ridiculous.
JK Rowling could live anywhere in the world. She chooses to live in Scotland.
Where’s the personal risk to her in Scotland leaving the UK?
BTW About the only thing I know about her is that she always insisted that her publishers issued the Harry Potter books simultaneously in print and audio tape so that the blind kids who were following the story weren’t disadvantaged. I thought that was admirable.
Of course JK has a house in a few places around the world and a personal fortune which means she’ll never be short of a few bob and can disappear when the cuts come and they will have zero effect on her life.
Better together in essence I’d say.
Snake Plissken
12:07 on 11 June, 2014
A bit like well known yes supporter and arch hun Jim McColl who lives in, er, Monacco.
I suppose if it’s good enough for that well known patriot and wife beater Sean Connery I suppose it’s good enough for him.
Sevco Statement verbatim ………………”We are in a good place financially”
p.s. We need 8 million pounds of your money again.
TheGift CSC
Pogmathonyahun aka Laird of the Smiles
£27k winging to you as I type.hope your sister gets well soon.
ernie lynch
How is it not a risk? An independent Scotland can set tax for rich people very high in the future. Everything is a risk with independence.
JK Rowling was a teacher at Leith Academy. She was a very quiet woman and a mate of mine from work was in her class a few times. She done cover for teachers whilst they were ill. He said she was not suited to the boisterous environment of a Leith school and wasn’t surprised she chucked it to have a go at writing. If she had been a better teacher ole Harry Potter may never have existed.
Almost every independent coffee shop from Leith Walk to the meadows claim that JK Rowling wrote part of a Harry Potter book in their cafe.
LB
bournesouprecipe
12:13 on 11 June, 2014
‘Sevco Statement verbatim ………………”We are in a good place financially”
p.s. We need 8 million pounds of your money again.’
###
If I’ve understood it correctly the shares will be issued at a discount to the institutional investors rather than to the hun hordes.
So the huns starving the club of funds because they wanted transparency has allowed the unknown investors to strengthen their control of the club.
As Al Murray would say ‘It’s a beautiful thing’.
SNAKE PLISSKEN
About eighteen years ago,I told my boss that he spent more of his money on the upkeep of each of his horses than he paid to a working man with three kids.
My Dad,who was a fairly senior union fella then(rtd),told me that it is no business of anyone what someone does with their own money.
Even the most valid points can seem like an own goal if he comparison made is odious.
The Weirs,like JK Rowling are entitled to spend as they wish.
However,IMO,they should have had the right to do so anonymously.
JKR is absolutely entitled to her view and equally entitled to make her donation. In terms of large donors to Labour and it’s causes she’s about the only one I can think of who comes close to having a Socialist outlook.
Time will tell whether she has to defend herself like the Weir’s did. Will it be suggested that she’s naive and perhaps has been led up the garden path in the same way Alex Johnston questioned their decision? Only time will tell.
The War in Iraq is the fault of Alex Ferguson and John Hewitt
Everyone does realise JK Rowling is English?
I am not shocked at all she backs the No vote.
LB
FAVOURITE UNCLE
27k? That’s shocking.
I remember when PMcG needed similar assistance,coupla weeks back.
Fortunately it was only about 2k. We all chipped in.
For a private detective!
Btw,we ended up wi ACGR,who was more like Leslie Nielsen in Police Squad. Hilarious,but useless.
LiviBhoy
12:14 on 11 June, 2014
‘ernie lynch
How is it not a risk? An independent Scotland can set tax for rich people very high in the future. Everything is a risk with independence.’
#########
Naw naw naw.
Nae risks.
Taxes will be cut (not just corporation tax) ALL tax.
It’s all in the SNP’s white paper.
Not that the SNP will be the government of course.
Certainly these pro independence chaps don’t see any cause for concern about an increase in personal taxation.
http://www.wealthynation.org/
LIVIBHOY
Maybe yer mate et al should have been better pupils?
ernie lynch
If the ‘institutional investors’ are Easdaleites – that’ll do for me.
SFTB
a goalkeeper
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QS2qw1m8c4U
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS
However,IMO,they should have had the right to do so anonymously
…………………………………………………….
no anonymity for me.. i split mine between the wife and the distilleries!!
ernie lynch
I’m not voting No myself. Just making comments regarding wealthy people. Like I say Rowling was born down South. Not many English people up here will vote yes. I work in Edinburgh and there is probably 70% of my work colleagues voting no.
BMCUW
Without doubt they should have been. Wasn’t a model pupil myself so didn’t criticise.
LB
Is it too much to ask that following Paul67’s article on ad hominem arguments, people think a little before attacking the Yes/No campaigns on the basis of who supports them?