Break record but don’t leave pointless

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At around 13:16 tomorrow afternoon Fraser Forster will hopefully break the 40-year record of Aberdeen’s Bobby Clark for not conceding a goal in Scottish league football.  Clark’s record is next up for the Celtic keeper but the British and European records are not too far away.

Apart from Celtic Park itself there would be no better place to break this record than at Tynecastle, but the most important part of the day is to secure a win.  Concede early but win the game and we have done our job.  Break the record and leave pointless and we will have nothing to celebrate.

Clarity has never been a prominent feature when it comes to the analysis of football finances.  2012 threw up a slew of ‘experts’, practically all of whom swallowed lines from PR people instead of explaining HMRC’s published rules on voting for or against Company Voluntary Arrangements.

Journalists were briefed on HMRC’s intentions, which filtered to the ‘experts’, soon this PR version of events was accepted an a reality.  The same was going on inside football.  One journalist called me back then to dispute my challenge to his assertion that Celtic would have vote to allow Newco Rangers into the SPL, and that the SPL itself was absolutely certain to vote them “back” (sic.).  Celtic were never going to that way and by then the SPL tide had turned.

It was not in Celtic’s interests to have Newco parachuted into top flight football, which has become clear in the subsequent years, although many in Scotland, including a sizeable chunk of the Celtic support, thought otherwise, and that the club would vote in favour.

It was, therefore, refreshing to watch BBC Reporting Scotland last night without the 2012 flops.  A new expert was found to ask the pertinent question, a £1.5m loan is fine for a short-term fix but what about the enormous long-term problems?

Many thanks to everyone who participated in the CQteN Dream Team.  We have now passed the 125 team target, which has triggered a £1000 donation from a longstanding CQN’er, who is a shining example of what Celtic is all about.

The Dream Team is your chance to select your team from those who have played 10 or more games during the CQN decade.

Select 11 players in either a 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 formation; you’ll need a goalkeeper, two full backs, two central defenders, 3 or 4 midfielders and 2 or 3 forwards.  You also need to select a manager from the decade.

The team judged as the strongest will be announced at the CQteN St Patrick’s Dinner on 14 March.  The event is open to bloggers and lurkers but you can only enter ONCE.  Closing date is 3pm, Sunday 9 March.  There will be prizes!!

For a comprehensive list of players who are eligible for selection, see CRC’s comment here. Email your entry to Doc here, and remember to include a manager: doccqten@gmail.com

If you would like to read the new CQN Magazine, GO HERE to read properly, and for FREE, the graphic below is just a taster.
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  1. Just read the minutes to the fans forum meeting. The replies by the club are as depressing as they are predictable. All’s tickety-boo at corporate celtic, except for those pesky empty seats. How do we fill them???

     

    Also, less than 3k for a standing area? Make a statement, give the whole of the Lisbon lions lower stand over to safe standing, they’ll fill it easily.

  2. Petec,

     

     

    I wonder if the BBC are reporting this matter. It does afterall relate to senior Labour figures.

  3. the honest mistake loves being first

     

     

    08:11 on 22 February, 2014

     

    Tony Donnelly.

     

    The list of apologies is included in the meetings.

     

    Hh.

     

    ______________________

     

     

    Thanks I didn’t notice that, well that tells me one of two things, either they where not invited, or they didn’t recognize the meeting and never sent an apology, so I am still none the wiser mate?

  4. IMO, Conservative Christianity is needed now more than ever before. I’m not Worried though because the Big Guy upstairs is in total control and his Story is to be marveled at, if y’all can take a step back and look at the big picture. ;))

     

     

    The Huns will implode when the Queen publically goes beneath the Pope, all it is, is prophecy.

  5. Hamiltontim is praying for Oscar on

    john o’neil

     

     

    08:28 on 22 February, 2014

     

    HamiltonTim,

     

     

    Should we praise them for such a display? To a certain extent. It was magnificent. However they are Celtic supporters. It is kinda what they should be doing anyway. Praising Celtic supporters for supporting Celtic is a little odd. Your Green Brigade friends are not superior supporters to the rest of us. They just support. Often they do it well. Other times they blunder.

     

     

    Enjoy the game.

     

     

    ————

     

     

    ‘To a certain extent’.

     

     

    John, not a dig, but do you have any concept of the time it took to plan and organise the display against Barcelona?

  6. Thanks LiviBhoy.

     

     

    Another 7 today would be good but I reckon the odds are stacked against that.

     

     

    Craiginho

  7. Kayal,

     

     

    You make it sound so simple! If only the club could just set up an entire standing area. The club were quite right to highlight some of the good things which are done in the name of Celtic but problems won’t go away.

     

    Will we ever be treated to something which resembles food in the catering areas?

  8. john o’neil

     

     

    08:15 on 22 February, 2014

     

    Tony Donnelly,

     

     

    Good morning. We know what will happen with the Green Brigade. There will be another confrontation. That is what happens.

     

    ________________________________________

     

     

    I’m still not clear if they where invited to the meeting, no one seems to be able to clarify that yet?

  9. Hamiltontim,

     

     

    A lot of work must have been done. I just wanted to say that we shouldn’t praise a group of our support too much for supporting the team/club. It is what we are there for. Will we be giving thanks to the Green Brigade for all eternity for that display? Personally, I want them to be at Celtic Park.

  10. john o’neil

     

     

    08:42 on 22 February, 2014

     

    Hamiltontim,

     

     

    A lot of work must have been done. I just wanted to say that we shouldn’t praise a group of our support too much for supporting the team/club. It is what we are there for. Will we be giving thanks to the Green Brigade for all eternity for that display? Personally, I want them to be at Celtic Park.

     

    _______________________

     

     

    I agree, but not with the political baggage.

  11. John O’Neil

     

     

    08:33 on 22 February, 2014

     

     

    Petec,

     

     

    I wonder if the BBC are reporting this matter. It does afterall relate to senior Labour figures.

     

    _____________________________________________

     

     

    Hi John,

     

     

    Not sure what you are reffering to. That dreaded word; enlightenment, would be good. ;)

     

     

    HH

  12. Depressing response from the club, quite chilling that they think they are doing all they can with regards to supporters concerns, this is not a progressive organisation.

     

     

    I am one of the support who travel a distance (3 hours) to get to the games. I have 2 season books I will not be renewing next year.

     

     

    I understand they club are between a rock and a hard place with the TV companies but why should I shell out for Saturday games which are moved to midweek AFTER I paid my money.

     

    The fans survey last year asked me what would stop me buying my season book, I stated that pandering to the armchair support would see me join them if that’s what the decision was.

     

    Season books are not cost effective when you can’t use them.

  13. I think for a first meeting all considered, it cleared up a few points, not all points but I didn’t expect that, others did, but! Rome wasn’t built in a day, well done to all who turned to make the effort, but I’m still waiting for an answer on the question I asked earlier, did the GB get an Invite, anyone clarify that?

  14. Petec,

     

     

    I guess that this story is not running much on the BBC then. Have a look at the Telegraph today. Andrew Gilligan wrote about it. This topic has been known about for years but now some victims may learn more about why a culture of horrific abuse was allowed/encouraged to prosper.

  15. Good morning friends from a damp but brightish East Kilbride.

     

     

    Really looking forward to this lunchtime’s encounter and hoping that we start with the same front 6 as last week.

  16. dettolandtheblackash on

    Hi guys heading through to Edinburgh for game -looking for two tickets.any help much appreciated.

  17. John O’Neil

     

     

    08:56 on 22 February, 2014

     

     

    Petec,

     

     

    I guess that this story is not running much on the BBC then. Have a look at the Telegraph today. Andrew Gilligan wrote about it. This topic has been known about for years but now some victims may learn more about why a culture of horrific abuse was allowed/encouraged to prosper.

     

    __________________________________________________

     

     

    I’m starting to get the jist, I don’t usually use the BBC or any MSM outlet and my thinking was before I joined CQN. ;)))

     

     

    Every position of power today, likely, has a person that has been utterly compromised. Sad, very Sad, but likely to be true.

     

     

    I hope I’m utterly wrong but I cannae see it.

     

     

    Keep talking, it is appreciated here.

     

     

    Jimbo Connolly

  18. TBJ Praying for Oscar Knox on

    Good morning from a sunny Heathrow airport

     

     

    Hoping to get back to Cambuslang in time to drop my bag home then nip out to the local to watch a clean sheet .. three points . With leigh on the score sheet

     

     

    Warming up with an ice cold pint of the sponsors apple beverage :)

  19. TBJ Praying for Oscar Knox on

    Lenny

     

     

    Jeezo mate .. I been out the country three weeks but even I know HT and the Minx are currently on the train to embra ;)

  20. Tom in Australia,

     

     

    Blessings to your family and to yourself during this time. Hopefully the authorities are helping you with red tape etc.

     

     

    Green Pinata,

     

     

    Thanks for your kind words the other day. It makes a pleasant change. Moscow is one helluva place. Magnificent.

     

     

    Off oot.

  21. Frank Ryan's Whiskey on

    eddieinkirkmichael

     

     

     

     

    19:25 on

     

     

    21 February, 2014

     

     

     

     

    Frank Ryan’s Whiskey

     

     

    17:50 on

     

     

    Well written piece but no one is saying that the only thing Scotland has is Oil, people will usually bring up Oil, Whiskey Green Energy etc as they are the most talked about and in the case of Oil the biggest earner. Your right of course the oil will run out at some stage that’s a given, you do though fail to mention that there is potentially as yet undiscovered Oil off the west coast of Scotland.

     

    You say there are people out there that are saying oil will definately be worth $?. Can I let you into a secret, no one knows what oil will be worth next week let alone in several years time. The trend in energy prices has been on the rise for several years and from what I’ve read the trend will continue to rise, unless you know something the markets don’t them I’ll dismiss this part of your argument if you don’t mate.

     

    Overall though I don’t have a problem with what you’re saying, what I would say is that in an Independant Scotland at least the revenues from the oil will be used to benifit this country and not the City state of London as it does now.

     

    ===

     

     

    For the sake of clarification I am employed by a major oil company in an operational planning capacity. I have a fairly comprehensive grasp on the global demand for oil and gas and the resultant prices and how this is predicted. Simple one – predicted milder winters less demand for oil and gas price drops.

     

    Another little know fact is we know where most of the oil is. Satellite technology combined with other modern survey methods pretty much lets us know where to look and where the best chance of success is. The oil industry knows where the oil in in the UK is there is no such thing as ‘wild cat’ drilling anymore. The West coast of Scotland may well have oil the salient point being is it worth exploiting. A comparable example There is oil off the west coast of Ireland also but not in any quantifies that justify the expenditure of huge amounts of money to recover it. I worked on a project ‘Connemara’ off the west of Ireland with Statoil , deep water & huge amounts of cash spent drilling and completing a test well only for the project to be P&A’d (plugged and abandoned) shortly after the 1st oil was recovered. Too expensive to commercially exploit the field.

  22. blantyretim is praying for the Knox family on

    Dettol

     

    HT has one for aberdeen he is in car on way to station.

     

    sent tooting tim a text

  23. Hamiltontim is praying for Oscar on

    Lennybhoy

     

     

    Nope 10am Mass and then train through mate as we’re staying in Edinburgh tonight. I’ll look out for the Coatbridge rikshaw :-)

  24. Morning all. Gray day down here. Hope it’s better in Edinburgh. Hope too we get the record. My memory of Aberdeen, when they gained that honour, was of a team who were overly defensive and were into the likes of time wasting, of which the goalie was a past master. They got away with a lot that no Celtic team would.

  25. macjay1 for Neil Lennon on

    ——————————————————————–

     

    lionroars67

     

    06:50 on

     

    22 February, 2014

     

    ———————————————————————–

     

    twists n turns

     

    05:50 on

     

    22 February, 2014

     

     

    Patently a misunderstanding,lionroars.

     

    I was quoting from the above post.

  26. macjay1 for Neil Lennon

     

     

    09:42 on 22 February, 2014

     

     

    ——————————————————————–

     

    lionroars67

     

    06:50 on

     

    22 February, 2014

     

    ———————————————————————–

     

    twists n turns

     

    05:50 on

     

    22 February, 2014

     

     

    Patently a misunderstanding,lionroars.

     

    I was quoting from the above post.

     

    _________________________

     

     

    That cleared that up.

     

    ;))

  27. tonydonnelly67

     

    08:55 on 22 February, 2014

     

     

     

    I don’t know if the Green Brigade were invited to the forum or not, but the following extract from the minutes seems to imply to me that they were not:

     

     

    “The Club can confirm that, if a relationship with the Green Brigade can be

     

    developed, then attendance of their members at future meetings would, of course, be discussed with them.”

  28. Don’t see too many team changes today. Izzy is a doubt – is Charlie fit if needed? Hope to see Nir Biton boss the midfield again. And it would be great to see both our former Hibs strikers to score against the other Embra club.

  29. Well I’m assuming that the GB did get an invite to the meeting as none of there predictable banner carriers in here are jumping to there defense, or am I miss assuming?