I looked into the world of Scottish football betting yesterday. Betting on Celtic to win the Scottish Premiership is less rewarding than putting your money in an interest bearing account, which, I suspect, is an approximation of what bookmakers will do with any such bets. In short, our league is not so much a sport as a secure investment.
Betting gets really interesting if you meander onto what is referred to as the Without Celtic market, or who will win the league if Celtic are taken out of the equation. Favourites are Aberdeen, closely followed by Motherwell and then Dundee United and Hibs (hmm….).
Can you imagine what a league title like this would do for these clubs? Aberdeen, Motherwell and United actually vying to become champions?
Some hold a notion that Celtic are the great benefactors of Scottish football, which is dependent on you and me for the occasional home game and TV money. This is rubbish. Celtic inhibits Scottish football more than we can imagine. We are a competitive poison making it impossible for historically significant football teams to thrive.
Keeping a clean sheet away from home is an achievement for any team. Doing so twice, in Europe, and winning both games, is outstanding for St Johnstone. Well done. I can only imagine their absence from the top of the Without Celtic betting chart is a result of bookmakers anticipating their run to the Europa League final in Turin will hinder their league challenge.
I have to express my sheer delight at yesterday’s pronouncement by the chief executive of Rangers International FC PLC, Craig Mather. We can be confident of this guy’s credentials and that he is worthy of following in the footsteps of Charles Green, Tommy Cooper and other comedic greats.
Mather issued a statement on the club’s web site noting punishments handed out to Hearts and Dunfermline for entering administration were different from the punishment handed out to Rangers International’s predecessor club (the player registrations and current penalties Newco Rangers were allowed to inherit) – for a completely different series of offences.
Those penalties were imposed for a variety of misdemeanours, including failure to declare the club appointed a director who had been struck off, failure to comply with stock market rules and multiple counts of bringing the game into disrepute. The SFA disciplinary panel responsible for the penalties found that “only match fixing in its various forms might be a more serious breach”.
Would you not feel a wee bit embarrassed by this? Mr Mather asks for clarification but I suggest we don’t trouble him by directing him to the aforementioned SFA panel’s ruling. Better that he operates in the version of reality he is most comfortable with, and that he keeps his followers away from looking into the real issues……..
To that effect, our thanks to all the media outlets who unquestioningly reported the Mather comments without hint of irony, apart from those pesky online types at STV, who had the temerity to address the question. Cease and desist immediately.
Flag Day tomorrow, another historic moment in Celtic history. Get in early, or late afternoon, as it happens. Hoping to see some of our new guys make their claim for a start in Sweden.
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From bill mcmurdos bigotfest of a blog, this is a searing insight into the new Rangers current financial n political turmoil. We can say the average the the rangers fan is thick, but the comment below suggests hidden dept.
The last line in particular has a lesson for all of us.
“Justice says:
August 2, 2013 at 8:07 pm
Chuck leaves, Walter comes back, things calm down, season books sell, then chucks back ? I really don’t know anymore what or who or why or where or when or if its gonna happen and who’s gonna do it wherever. I’m gonna get drunk f*ck it.”
—-///
Marvellous.
Celtic and share
http://youtu.be/C2ZKQfp7D6U
jeez_I_thought_blinker_was_pants @ 00:34
FFS, in 1993?!
:)) It was a scary laugh 2 years ago for me.
But in 1993 H&S was a distant actuarial underwriter’s dream !! :)))
Brave fellas you have there :))
Am sure the intermittent lighting in 2011 was not a deliberate tourist memory implant :)))
ACGR
Cheers mate, I can’t wait to see his expression ! Given that he was not expected to make it through his first night, I reckon I am going to be in tears myself…..
And this
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GE0R8Kpd8f4
How do you F5 on an HTC?
swordfish
00:13 on
3 August, 2013
Trying to download songs from YouTube to my iPod,can’t seem to get it right,anyone point me in the right direction.Thanks in advance for any help,hh
Theres a great wee program (IMO) called iVideo Converter that might help you.
It will download mp3’s but will also extract audio from videos and make it into an mp3.
It also copies to itunes if you choose to.
Maybe it would do what ya want?
Phyliss
Wrong John re bench in Lisbon.
ACGR,
Am sure it’s been discussed, haven’t been able to read back today, but I came home tonight to see the Scots BBC news bulletin making a big feature of Chico returning to the Bog of Eternal Stench as…..a consultant.
They need that kind of leader when their stadium is about to be condemned, amigo.
Hail Hail to the return of Chico.
HH.
:)))
And why not?
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gWCLLtlFkbY
Bed time, night Troops, see you at the Gazebo.
someone must have told him if you work too hard you can sweat…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjJU8O6A7Z0
Ffm
lift a bit scarey.
Yes, I took a picture of a suitcase with the name Lucien Hartwig born 28-11-84..just a random one.
Two things got to me…The barracks at Birkenau were they were herded worse than battery chickens, rife with dysentry and typhus..the other was the pictures of a few hundred Polish jews on the walls of one barrack. Their haunted boney faces showing dates of birth and dates of execution.
I saw it on Tuesday and Im still affected writing this.
Doc.
I think my fb page trumps your pic with boydy..
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=i-42KmHX7ZA
Before I go.
Ourselves Alone
From earlier; Big Billy punched Gerry McNee in a lounge at Heathrow airport when the team was returning from a Euro match. McNee had questioned his tactics in front of a crowd of people and Billy offered to have a word outside. He thought he was going to get an exclusive, which he of course did.
John Cushley was in the year below Big Billy at Our Lady’s High in Motherwell. Many said that he had better potential as a youngster. I thought he was at centre half when we played FC Zurich in the 1st round en route to Lisbon. Was Billy not out injured for a spell then?
Summa @ 00:45
If you’re anything like our Greek Hero, you’d have constructed a Lisbon Lion Shrine within 14.5 minutes of reaching the deepest point, AND found your way out without a guide, while rescuing three lost tourists on the way. :)))
The song for the boardroom when Challs comes around !
T4
We never managed to get to the camp when we visited Poland due to the country suffering the worst floods in its history.
Zbyscek and I where in a few churches in Warsaw and krakow much to oldtims disgust..o))
Taranis, even more reason to cherish it buddy. I had a similar experience when my young fella was born. He spent his first two days in Ninewells scbu. Turned out (thankfully) he was a fraud but for myself and Mrs ACGR that was two days of living hell. Many on here have met the bhoy and he’s a fully fledged, died in the wool heid case of a tim and I remember like yesterday the first time I took him to our hallowed east end home.
Have a great father and son day out tomorrow and don’t forget your camera.
HH
Marrakesh Express
Never been to Lisbon…You must rectify that one soon, Benfica/Sporting is the one euro trip I would recommend to anyone, for obvious reasons !!!
Fortunes Favour Mibbes
Went again in 1995, drove there and stayed with a Polish family we met in 93, trip of a lifetime. Went on an organised tour to Auschwitz in 93, but went back in 95 with the car as I thought they missed a lot out, we were there the whole day by ourselves, unforgettable. Smashing country.
T4, Chuckles is the man.
Marrakesh Express @ 00:54
Has never left me amigo, think it will stay with you – which is important of course, but also a measure of who you are.
I still greet thinking about it. But accepted that rather than try to fight the greeting, it’s sticking there for a reason, which is obvisously why it is an essential place, and that we should be sending all our dimwit friends to at any opportunity !!:))
Don’t know of you know this, but if you don’t, let me know, and I’ll email a copy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miLV0o4AhE4
Just going off to bed having perused some of the current fare.
You might like this link to comments from eminent journo on msm and Charlotte…
Sorry could not get the link thing to work…..
http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2013/jul/26/data-protection-rangers?INTCMP=SRCH
HH
G57
Cant see Cush in the team from 67?
Willie o neil pkayed against Zurich and nantes. Assume jim Craig must have been injured.
Marrakesh Express
Standing Up jail still scares me as well. Evil bastards.
This is also fab, from the bigoted dark side ….
——-
Jack says:
August 2, 2013 at 10:09 pm
Dave King is my favourite to eventualy to over Rangers, I believe a man you can trust.
————
SARS anyone?
BT, unfortunately I had to pull out of Tony’s golf event due to my team falling apart. PC67 was putting the whole gig through his company when his boss pointed out they were both in Manchester for a meeting on the 23rd. Bah!!
I’ve told Tony I’ll take him out on the man’s course at Carnoustie in early September, so hopefully he’ll forgive me for missing his do.
How’s the leg? Would it not have been easier jist hivin it hacked aff?
HH
Disney matter what we do
Night Bhoys…Fly the flag:O))).
Night, Doc! Enjoy Fleg Day tomorrow….!
T4
FFM, the return of chuckles the clown is indeed like a breath of fresh air. Well it is for us who crave the utter obliteration of the hun.
Long may his lum reek.
Acgr.
Sooke to Tony yesterday and he told me. That was my reasin for visiting big Billy today as I asked him to sign a couple of cracking pics for the charity.
Leg getting better daily starting to work from home as of Monday..
blantyretim
I stand corrected. Its great fun reminiscing about that era. HH
BT – I’m happy to be corrected, which John was it?
If you think Fallon I’ll buy you you a pint.
But if I’m right then I’ll have a large Grouse.
Gerard716
Apols for what you read the other night, not my point of view, and I certainly don’t think it equates with the majority, as was proved the next day and since.
Hopin you don’t give up on CQN, Sir.
For Fred C Dobbs, and the Celtic Family:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-g1ePpGBYM
“the country’s media elite”
Geezo……just wanna get on ma knees right now and bow.
Gerry. I have the celtic companion book in the drawer by my bed..
Phyllis.
Definitely JF..
Ill have a magners thanks..o))