CAS, Alloa McCoist, your bucket, Mouldy

Celtic box clever again, and the SFA know it.  Aleks Tonev, who has a strong east-European accent and limited English, denies uttering racist comments against Aberdeen.  Did he?  He might well have, for all I know, but, with only one person contradicting Tonev, the SFA have no idea either.

When this issue first raised its head I don’t think anyone on CQN made a character reference for Aleks, but we concluded this issue was destined to remain unresolved, as there is simply not enough information to consider the matter.  The SFA know this and know that the Court of Arbitration for Sport will find in favour of the player if they persist in trying to ban him for 7 games without collaboration.

Don’t let Barry Hearn fool you, it’s the SFA which is unfit for purpose, not the professional clubs or the SPFL.

It was great to see our very own Mouldy67 on the big screens on Wednesday for his Cycling Santa Appeal.  He left London yesterday morning before resting up for the night in Birmingham.  All going to plan, he’ll reach Glasgow on Monday.

Mouldy (Paul) is running to raise funds and awareness for Neuroblastoma Childrens’ Cancer Alliance in memory of Wee Oscar.  It’s an incredible undertaking and a living example of the Celtic spirit brought to life.

You can follow his journey here, if you’re on Twitter, send him a good luck message, I know it will make a difference.  More importantly, you keep tabs on his fundraising here.

I don’t get the notion, apparently widely held and reported by The Scotsman today, that Rangers (sic) cannot afford to sack Alloa McCoist (© Jobo).  He’s on a contract which the club can continue to pay, while promoting Gordon Durie to first-team duties for little or no extra cash.  They may even have a case to curtail their outlays to him.  I can’t see how sacking him costs money in the short term, and let’s face it, that’s all this lot need to worry about.

Knowing where the bodies are buried

Super Alloa has seen the current directors, and all previous regimes right back to Murray, operating up close and personal.  He knows which cupboards have skeletons lurking, while all of them will be aware of his contract negotiations, and what he has, or has not, been prepared to do for the club.  It’s a classic co-dependency situation.  You don’t sack the guy who knows what you don’t want revealed.

There is also the small matter of management priorities.  Would the captain of the Titanic have sacked the chef for a lousy meal after they’d hit an iceberg?

If you’ve not been involved with the Celtic Foundation before there’s a great opportunity coming up next week.  They’re looking for bucketeers ahead of the St Mirren game on Sunday, 14 December, to help raise money for the Christmas Appeal.

One of the beneficiaries of the Christmas Appeal is Glasgow City Mission, who provide emergency accommodation for the homeless, a dedicated Foodbank and an evening drop-in service that feeds those who are impoverished and in need of a proper meal, for, on average, 130 men and women each evening.

Graham Steven of the Mission said, “We are extremely grateful to Celtic FC Foundation and Celtic supporters for their continued generosity.

“Their much-needed financial contributions make the work of Glasgow City Mission possible. In particular, by funding our Older Men’s lunch club, you are providing a safe space for people to come and enjoy lunch and social companionship.

“Loneliness and isolation are significant factors in many of our clients’ lives – you are helping to turn that around, improving lives and strengthening communities – thank you!”

So next week, you can turn up to Celtic Park a wee bit earlier, get to meet hundreds of cheery Celtic fans, get a ticket to the game, and help to feed, shelter and provide companionship for the city’s homeless.

I spent most of the year not doing this kind of work, so I think I need to be there with a bucket next week.  You are cordially invited to pick up your own bucket, email cfcfoundation@celticfc.co.uk or call here 0141 551 4291 now, before you forget about it.  More info here.  We’re lucky to be on the right side of the bucket campaign.

CQN Annual 2015 will be coming off the presses next week, order yours here in time for Christmas.  There’s tons more on CQNBookstore.

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