Casino football, G.o.D.

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When Ibrox legend Walter Smith issued a statement in June 2012 saying, “We wish the new Rangers Football Club every good fortune”, he no doubt hoped that one day the club would win a major trophy.  That happened yesterday, when Celtic lost only their second domestic trophy since 2016 and their first league in a decade.

Credit where it’s due, “new Rangers Football Club” have yet to lose a league game this season and are worthy winners.  Like old Rangers, they chose to play Casino Football, accumulating £86m in operational losses in their 8-year of financial history, while, as ever, Celtic live within their means.  There is not a hope in hell they would have won the league this season otherwise.

Notwithstanding this, Celtic can reflect on a season of unmitigated failure, and the feeling that they never asked a question of a team who famously bottled every opportunity to win a prize against full time opposition.  Had we got our act together, even as late as January, the outcome may have been different.

Today, the consequences of failure are ours.  We will explore the reasons at the end of the season, none is insurmountable.  The consequences of playing Casio Football are structural and also for a later date.  We got many things wrong this season but trying to live without our means is not one of them.

In January 2005, When Martin O’Neill’s Celtic were sliding below the water line before our eyes, I told you we were 5 years into a Generation of Domination (I was mocked and abused thoroughly for my trouble).  How spectacularly correct that turned out.  It was not a gambler’s hunch; it was the inevitable outcome of how Celtic and Oldco were corporately managed.

I know it’s difficult to step back and look beyond today’s pain, but this is not Self-Flagellation Quick News, I’ll leave that to others.  What was overwhelmingly evident in January 2005 remains so today.  21 years in, we are now in our second successive Generation of Domination (cue 2005’s blind reaction).  All that has changed is the weather, not the climate, so forgive me a lack of panic.

 

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394 Comments

  1. Bhoyjoebelfast on

    For those of a certain age,do you remember the Topical Times football annual?Well I decided to take from the the book a photo of Paddy Crerand,and an uncle of mine put the photo in a frame,a framed photo I still possess to this day.That was better!!

  2. SFTB

     

     

    I’m impressed that you managed to decipher my morse code esque previous post .

     

     

    TT

  3. “Blip” some blip. If that’s how Christie sees our failure to win 10 in a row as some kind of blip what chance did we have all season with players with that mindset. Can you imagine Tommy Burns or Paul McStay coming out with a statement like that. Not only did they blow the 10 they contributed to the scenes of blatant flouting of the pandemic restriction guidelines and the health implications this will incur and the wanton vandalism and destruction that goes hand in hand with hun “celebrations”

  4. spikeysauldman on

    St Stivs

     

    i have one those hooped Jerseys in my drawer – gifted by John Clark !

  5. spikeysauldman on

    Christie maybe meant blimp – hes been aiming for some imaginery one with his overhit shots, free kicks and corners

  6. Bhoyjoebelfast on

    BSR @ 7.11

     

    My first game,and who better than celtic v celtic glasgow and belfast,1952.As a 2 year old brought to Celtic Park, Belfast.I have old handbooks and the game I was at attracted 28,000 and won by the team from the east end of Glasgow.Belfast Celtic wore the white and green with shamrock on the beast and was captained by Jackie Vernon,later to own a pub on Falls Road named the Centre half,and the winning Celts skippered by Charlie Tully.

  7. used to look forward to football times and getting the photo and halftime scores .

     

    oh and by the way the shamrock top is a cracker.

  8. Dermot Desmond should like Peter lawell is doing leave the club in June ,as for the rumours about a Davy Moyes I think that will be a non starter,Now that the league is heading to Greyskull,now is the time for The Celtic Board to get the finger out ,no excuses a new manager with his own coaches,also send all them loans back to there clubsTell Griffith’s Ajeti Nitcham McGregor ,Rogic Bain ,Ralston,Henderson to find new clubs in the summer,Were as Edouard ,Christie,Ajer could be encouraged to stay for another few yrs ,by giving them very good deals ,and can someone tell me how to purchase some shares,don’t want to go down the direct debit scheme ,I just want to own shares and pass them down .

  9. Roy Keane as much as I like listening to him as a Pundit on that Hun Invested Sky Sports,to me that’s his level,he would be worse than Lennon,for throwing players under the bus ,and I’m sure he would be forever up in front of that other rotten cowardly lot in Hampden The Scottish Freemasons Authority,

  10. We cant even get the basic’s right.

     

     

    For the 10,000th time, Ibrox is Snake Mountain.

     

     

    HEMAN CSC

  11. rpmcelticfan on

    Timbhoy2 , Are you some kind of Rebel , get with the program mate , McGregor good Christie bad , ok ;)

  12. Adi. Win the 10 and no celebrations. Hun free Glasgow and Belfast for another visit few years.

  13. well we’ve done it before – let’s do it again. we survived the biggest cheat in sporting history. We made a profit in a tiny league. I hope we can survive covid.

  14. Weebobbycollins on

    Good job the City Chambers were closed yesterday otherwise Scotland’s Proud (Billy) Boys may well have invaded and trashed the place…

  15. John Collins says tonight he would like the Director of Football job. He also said, in relation to recruiting:

     

     

    “Collins also gave an insight into how he’d approach the role, as he questioned Rangers transfer chief Ross Wilson.

     

     

    The former Scotland international explained: “I could be wrong, but I think Ross is more of an organiser behind the scenes with databases and things like that, which bring in a cluster of players.

     

     

    “I’d like to know how he knows a top quality football player. He hasn’t played football at any level at all.

     

     

    “If you’re looking for a midfield player then I think it helps if you’ve played the game and been in the middle of the park. There are good recruitment scouts that haven’t kicked a ball but I think deep knowledge of football helps if you’ve been on the park and been on a training pitch for 15 years.

     

     

    “There are two things in recruitment in modern football. They talk about data. Data is really important but if I’m a little winger playing in a poor team with a small striker and the opposite winger that doesn’t get in the box, my crossing stats aren’t going to be good.

     

     

     

    “So the stats can be wrong. They can tell you the wrong things and that his crossing isn’t good, but I’ve just told you and explained that.

     

     

    “You can talk about data, data, data, but it’s how you read the data and how the trained eye eventually watches them.”

  16. rpmcelticfan on

    The Hun said they were demoted Collins said nowt so not the man for me , telling the truth should be a basic requirement .

  17. BADA BING – I have no real opinion buy I don’t think players liked him due to arrogance, mind you, he’d make a good fitness coach 😀

  18. TIMBHOY2 on 8TH MARCH 2021 7:43 PM

     

     

    For interest, what has Henderson done wrong? Better than Christie.

  19. RPM – has anyone at Celtic openly and consistently told the truth since their liquidation? At best, they all skirt it. At worst, they embrace the lie.

  20. The copper on the news tonight was not Sutherland who was in charge of policing for Saturday and Sunday, just probably a useless observation from me.

  21. rpmcelticfan on

    DeniaBhoy , Agreed and exactly why we find our club in a mess and in need of a complete clear-out .