The Scotsman did an interesting article today on the fact that recent attendances at Celtic Park have fallen well short of the circa 46,000 paid for tickets, the majority of which are season tickets. It touches on several issues.
Suggestions that a league in which Celtic inevitably process to the title is less attractive to the spectating public than a league with a competitive challenge is not a surprise. It would be bizarre otherwise.
Still, many Celtic fans continue to support the club for a whole variety of reasons: we want to see it prosper, we enjoy going to games with our family and friends, and, unsurprisingly, we enjoy watching football.
Anyone who doubted that attendances would soften after Rangers were liquidated should have widened their survey sample. For most of us, this was a welcome change. The joys of beating Rangers were undeniable, but most of us have a deeper relationship with Celtic.
The Scotsman predict that in the event there was never a “team called Rangers in the top flight” Celtic would endure some serious downsizing. If we remained within the confines of Scottish league football this is undeniably true. So what? There would be little competition, less income, fewer signings and more promotion from the youth team.
In this scenario there would inevitably be fewer Champions League nights too, but in the big scheme of things, would we want it any other way? Of course not. Celtic will be there, in sunshine or in shadow, playing football and paying their bills. I’d sign up for this right now.
There is, of course, the question of how welcome our continued presence in Scottish football would be with the prospect of not just winning 10-in-a-row, which I hear our favourite Sevconian, Ally McCoist, is now discussing as a possibility, but the realisation that 10 would soon become 20, or 30-in-a-row.
All Celtic can do is continue to win football matches, pay their bills and see off all challengers. The game here is irrevocably broken; the consequences of this will continue to emerge in the months and years to come. All we know for sure is that Celtic will prevail, no matter which scenario plays out.
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Zimster,
Liza is a wee hottie
That is the big facade.
I’m Torn about Celtic ,I’m nothing, but the Triangle, why not call it the CELTIC WAY?
Globalism helped the Nazi idea, ideology…..
Marrakesh Express
22:42 on 30 December, 2013
‘Deep seated corruption’
‘The ref was their 12th man as usual’.
Two samples from tonight’s Pars forum.
they should know – big Sutton was right about them
Remember there is a CQN Predictor game week his midweek, so get your predictions in now.
Even if you’re a real roaster!
Spoke to a Bhoy who spoke to Tony Watt last in the Coatbridge KSC club. Said he was in good fettle. In the dark whats going to happen.
Night Night Timland, to all true Celtic supporters.
Weefra HH supporting Wee Oscar.
jude2005 is Neil Lennon \o/
22:45 on 30 December, 2013
heard the same from someone who was talking to him in town a couple of days ago
If the fans that are missing are only missing Sevco. Then in 18 months from now they can soon celebrate their records with them. They will return and it will all be same old same old. Although realistically it will be a split e.g 60.40 I.e for every 6 fans that come back 4 leave. Which is what I was saying earlier.We will take money from anyone anywhere and under any circumstances. Feck those Celtic fans that can walk upright and think for themselves. The only maxim ….maximise income.
If its due to;
Parsimony
Collusion with corruption
Turning a blind eye to proper governance
The treatment of the GB
The offensive behaviour bill
No living wage
Obscene bonuses
Downward product as bonus busting profits increase
Personal safety or family safety
Being strung along with resolution 12
Etc.
I am pretty convinced the holy willies on here will be telling you its because you missed the hun too much.
Clearly this plc is taking advantage of the most stupid and vulnerable part of our support. The bigots and Stockholm syndrome sufferers.
Not very Celtic minded as I see it the dinosaur that I am.
Ideal for those who see Celtic as a way of making money and can easily influence the stupid uneducated amongst us to keep the faith …of the phoney Old Firm II battle lines …phoney as they are all part of the same cabal for their own personal gain.
How much does Scotland lose by The Rangers not being in the top flight ?
HH
Trending on CQN late 2013
Play the youngsters.
PLC booooooo..
PL the devil incarnate…
The Celtic Way…
No future in unbeaten runs…
The Celtic Triangle taking over from the Bermuda wan
PL boooooooo
We’re no awe Neil Lennon any mair
Sevco..
Sevco
Sevco
FTSFA
D D
Brill Mind dont squander it on food!! H H
.
Brazil braced for courtroom drama ahead of World Cup 2014
By Tim Vickery
BBC Sport
World Cup year in Brazil could hardly be more fascinating.
No other society gears itself up so much for international football’s main event, painting and decorating its streets as if for a jubilee.
But no other society has also seemed set to protest about World Cup spending on the scale that could happen in a few months. We are living in interesting times.
For the diehard, week-in week-out fan, though, the club game is the main driver of passions, in Brazil as elsewhere.
And how to get excited about 2014 if 2013 shows no signs of ending? After 38 rounds, the Brazilian Championship has had two more in the courtroom – and there will probably be more to come.
At the centre of the hurricane is a traditional yet modest club from Sao Paulo, Portuguesa, gamely getting by on crowds often as low as 2,000.
Seen as relegation certainties, they battled their way through the campaign to finish 12th in Brazil’s 20-strong first division. But, as it stands, they are still going down.
In the last game, with safety seemingly assured, Portuguesa fielded an ineligible player – they have been found guilty by the sports justice system, and their appeal was unsuccessful.
The penalty handed out to them is the loss of the point gained in the (drawn) match, plus the docking of a further three points. This is enough to drop them into the relegation zone.
There are two problems here. The first is that the team who benefit from this situation are Fluminense, the politically powerful club of the Rio elite.
The 2012 champions lost Deco to retirement, sold some important players and had an awful run of injuries, including one to international centre forward Fred.
Fluminense have twice benefited from behind-the-scenes manoeuvres. In 1996 they were saved when, as a consequence of a refereeing scandal, all relegation was cancelled, and four years later they were allowed to jump straight from the third to the first division.
Now, only the fact that the full penalty has been handed out to Portuguesa has saved Fluminense from another trip to the second division. That makes three off-the-field actions in their favour.
At least on this occasion the rulebook has been followed. But this brings us to the second problem. The punishment handed out to Portuguesa seems disproportionate to the crime; begging the question, although due process may have been carried out, has justice really been administered?
The circumstances are as follows. At the end of the 36th round, Portuguesa attacking midfielder Heverton, angry at the lack of stoppage time, swore at the referee. He was given the red card, and automatically suspended from the next match.
On the eve of the 38th and final round, he was judged and, based on the gravity of his offence, his suspension was extended to two games. It seems at this point that Portuguesa had gone to sleep.
They had – apparently – made sure of first division survival in their penultimate match, and it could well be that their legal department was not in a full state of concentration. But they were not the only ones.
The CBF (Brazil’s FA) has recently started an internet service aimed at informing clubs of disciplinary decisions. Heverton’s suspension was increased on Friday afternoon, and the match was on Saturday – at which time the information on the site had not been updated.
Diogo of Portuguesa
Portuguesa, from Sao Paulo, finished 12th in Brazil’s 20-strong first division – but, as it stands, they are still going down.
All but two of the matches in the last round were played simultaneously on Sunday. Portuguesa’s game was brought forward a day precisely because there was nothing resting on it; barring a mathematical miracle they were guaranteed survival, while opponents Gremio had made sure of their place in the 2014 Libertadores.
Heverton came off the bench for the last 15 minutes of a tame goalless draw. And this has proved enough to relegate a club who finished 12th.
Portuguesa, in slightly confusing circumstances, were guilty of no more than an administrative lapse. No sporting advantage was sought, nor gained from their actions. Is the full penalty really appropriate in these circumstances?
Should their punishment really be exactly the same as one dished out to a club which knowingly fields an ineligible player in a crunch game and hopes to get away with it?
The STJD, Brazilian football’s sports tribunal, says that it cannot take any of these factors into account. The rules were broken and the penalty has been applied.
But there is a glaring contradiction in their position. In the opinion of the STJD, Heverton’s red card offence was sufficiently grave to warrant an extra punishment. So they can take into account the prevailing circumstances when punishing the player for the red card.
Why, then, are they utterly unable to take into account any of the circumstances when punishing his erroneous selection for the game against Gremio?
This leads to a further question. If they really believe that circumstances cannot be taken into account, how do they profess to administer justice?
Surely the principle of proportionality should apply – that the punishment should be proportional to the severity of the offence.
This principle is certainly part of the conventional justice system – and it would seem sure that is where this case is heading.
Any private individual can bring this case before the law courts, and many Portuguesa supporters are preparing to do just that. The whole thing could drag on for months.
At the turn of the year it is not entirely clear which, or how many, teams will contest the 2014 Brazilian Championship or what format will be used. These, then, are not just fascinating times for the World Cup.
Summa
summa of sammi….
22:33 on 30 December, 2013
What other word would you want me to use to explain what I mean..?
You were putting forward the view that some want them back…….I was saying that they must be mad to want that carnage/ corruption etc back…….seems straightforward to me……
…and……it’s all academic anyway…..the deed cannot be resurrected….THANK GOD
paolosboots FC before PLC
22:26 on 30 December, 2013
Yes was watching the match yesterday with BT & SannaBhoy so was in good company.
Surely the biggest oxymoron on this site ever
Jude
Haha, what chance have I got with two daughters who love to cook. Will invest in a bottle of Courvoisier for the bells. :)
ryecatcher
22:01 on 30 December, 2013
Sorry there!
Lets talk after your first team gub Hull ramorra!
D D
Saw ur post at 18.05
Whers Loch Humphrey?
petec
22:28 on 30 December, 2013
NFL sent TW away to Holland and now with no prospects!
If I was a young up and coming Scottish footballer I would avoid Celtic.
D D
Mrs J’s favourite brandy too.
Can Tony Watt play for us if it was an agreed year long loan? Some strange rules in loan deals.
The one game I watched Celtic with BSR, I made sure AWENAW and his gifts to Celts was registered with wan of Celtics best supporters.
Perhaps Celtic is now ALL about helping others and not winning?
We have a GREAT platform noo.
awe_naw_no_annoni_oan_anaw_noo
22:47 on 30 December, 2013
If the Huns make it back to the same league as us in 18 months time can you hazard a guess as to what the size of crowd will be when they turn up at Celtic Park
Or
Can you really envisage 9000 empty seats in the Broomloan road stand if we were to go calling at Ibrox
Summa of sammi
Perhaps being 12000 miles away takes the edge of things, and I can understand why, but out of about thirty tims I’ve spoken to about that horrible club (old or new) only two want them back. They are both under twenty so that might explain it. I’ve had 45 years of apartheid, poison, violence, biased refs, corrupt governing bodies, imbalanced media and grand scale cheating.
They have been a blight on Scottish society and they would/will return worse than ever. I never want them to darken our doorstep again.
Greenlion2 :-)
GL2.
It was an alcohol free day. Well for paolosboots and sannabhoy…
Just about an eight hour shift for me though..
B B
What more can Tony do? He comes off the bench and scores 2. That coach sounds a of a K P imo.
mickbhoy1888
22:58 on30 December, 2013
No I think the attendances for both Old Firm games will be sell outs. Any short term loss we will experience will be offset by increasing the hun uptake.
HH
Jude
The Kilpatrick Hills, halfway between Clydebank and Dumbarton. Wee bit of Paradise on earth.
Mrs J has impeccable taste :)
Obviously, you would say :))
Signing for me wd be May from St J. He wd bring more than Mackay would. imo
And vice versa
I also expect far more arrests and prosecution of Celtic fans for future old firm games.
HH
Awe Naw, MickyBhoy1888, I know you’re probably right, games v Sevco will sell out.
I just hope the board doesn’t sell us out and accept them as OF games.
Margaret McGill
22:56 on 30 December, 2013
petec
22:28 on 30 December, 2013
NFL sent TW away to Holland and now with no prospects!
If I was a young up and coming Scottish footballer I would avoid Celtic.
__________________________________________________
The wee man stays in EK but travels through to Dumbarton for his training sessions.
Celtic are Brutal at those ages. Ideally the wee guy would be training wae Hamilton, I think they have a guid youth system, not to be atm. The wee guy is far too loyal and will only move when he is kicked oot.
Panic
D D
She has that!!!
PB and BT haha…
They are coming back.
We couldn’t have stopped it. Wanting it to be different doesnt make it so.
They would never have stopped us if roles were flipped.
It’s up to the individual what they’ll do when the time comes I guess.
Only certainty is ….. it will be a long 18 months or whatever of wailing and gnashing.
doc
22:44 on 30 December, 2013
Predictions posted mate…
Until we meet again…
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Margaret McGill…
Didn’t know Celtic were playing Hull tomorrow.
Oh well….every day is a schoolday with you,ey?
LennyBhoy, good luck with them buddy.
BT was a good day.
Doc wonder what the match programme will say at our first meeting with the new club, we will find out if our Irish Raj was being clever with the media on the golf course or will his plaything be advanced by the return of the so called O..F… derby?
Jude
I would take a punt on S May!
That 5 mins highlights has finally convinced me. Thought he gave Virgil a tough game on St Stephen’s day.