The changes over the last decade have been so profound, and are now so established, it’s difficult to recall how different the balance of power was back then. In 2004, a small handful of people had complete control over the Celtic media narrative.
Was Martin O’Neill going to Leeds United? He was, you were told he was, live on the country’s most listened to radio programme. By a former Celtic player, too. Objectivity and the opportunity to challenge was controlled by the very people who were writing the headlines.
For years, this was the way it was, and it was poisoning Celtic. The ‘old board’ were worthy of little better, but Fergus McCann was brutally attacked. He was the man who would bring equality and respect to our club and fans, but he was demonised by lazy hacks who cared little for truth. So much so, he was booed by the very people who celebrated the league title his vision brought. It was a bitter experience for many.
Martin O’Neill, in some respects, like The Man 35 years before him, brought a force of personality so strong, the gaggle of critics could only stand back in awe, but the system had a flaw. Stein brought unimaginable success with little more than unimaginable brilliance. O’Neill used money, lots of it. More than Celtic were earning. His whirlwind high-spending start at Celtic ended with the £6m signing of John Hartson in 2001, little over a year after he took the job.
Martin would spend another four years working within a budget; not one that brought expenditure into line with income, we continued to lose millions each year, but one which limited signings to a fraction of what was spent on Hartson, Lennon and Sutton.
While those four years were among the most exciting in our history, it was an unhappy era.
Put yourself back in time for a moment. Celtic are champions and have beaten Ajax to qualify for the Champions League for the first time. We were imperious, had beaten Rangers 6-2 and took to a field in Turin to final take part in a tournament which for so long appeared out of our reach.
Juventus went 2-0 up but back came Celtic. I worked with a Rangers fan who was at a lower league game that night. When we equalised, his friend text “I don’t think I can take this anymore”. We had come from nowhere, an irrelevance in Scottish football, but here we were, champions of Scotland and level against Juventus.
At that moment, anything was possible. For the first time in decades, we thought, maybe just…
We soon learned that it takes more than honest endeavour to win in Italy, and visits to Portugal and Norway provided a rude awakening. This was not ’67 all over again, there was a lot of work to do, we just needed to keep the pedal to the metal.
Two years after that defeat in Turin we came close to winning our second European trophy in Seville, with a team which had, pretty much, been in place for three years. We were getting the hang of European football, but the team was aging.
For reasons that defy logic, history records the Seville season as the highlight of that team, but the achievements of season 2003-04, with 25 consecutive league wins, and eliminating Barcelona from Europe, were vastly greater.
Then the party was over. The Great Swede left, we’d lost £35m in a few short years, and reality was acknowledged; all clubs need to live within their means, or face liquidation. The climb-down was necessary, but I’m not going to tell you it wasn’t hard.
Back then few people read football clubs accounts, even though Celtic posted copies to over 20,000 shareholders, but all the clues were there, Celtic had to stem the flow. We lost £7m in the Seville season alone; wages to players and coaches were unsustainable.
Despite this, Celtic were regarded as cautious. We lost £35m over five years; Ranger lost £35m in a single season. If they could pump debt up to £80m and survive, why wouldn’t Celtic? We would learn the answer to this question in 2012, but think back to 2004, thoughts that one of Scotland’s major clubs could be liquidated were ridiculed – often, on CQN.
So how did the media deal with our club in 2004? I was driving to work one morning and had heard “What the Celtic fans want to know, is where is all the Seville money?” once too often. “Where is all the Seville money?” was a toxic question. There was no Seville money, only higher debts.
When I arrived at work I ranted about such lazy reporting. This was calculated reporting of the most pernicious type. A Rangers supporting friend suggested, “Why don’t you start a blog and challenge what they’re saying?” I’d never heard of a blog, but he sat me down and got me going.
The first CQN article, written 10 years ago today, was a modest call to “Ignore the Press”, but just before I pressed publish, I had to select, ‘Allow comments: Yes or No’. I’d no views either way but ‘Yes’ was default, so I left it.
The whole thing, the millions of comments, the hundreds of thousands of pounds raised for those in need, the friendships made, the golfers, the slimmers, those helped in bereavement, the thousands of kids attending our school kitchens each day in Malawi and the countless hours of enjoyment we’ve had, are all down to a default position on Blogger. And a Rangers fan telling me to start the fight back online. Who’d have thought it?
Now, people stop me in the street to talk about Celtic. Can there be a greater joy in life? Thanks for all the help and support.
Celtic yesterday, today, forever.
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i mean for all clubs , ta
Paul67 –
Congratulations on your 10th anniversary.
You have provided a great platform for us all here. Keep up the good work.
By the way, whatever happened to the Seville money????
Paul67,
My thanks to you and your good lady wife, who must have given up much in that time, for giving me my most important source of information about our football team.
Sipsini
Nice.. Compliment ,pal.. Ah like It, aloater… Thanks~
Kojo
Still,Laughin’
10 years, Paul..whodathunkit!
Ups outweigh downs by a HUGE margin.
….here’s to the next 10 !!!!
SIPSINI
Aye,I really out-erudited myself wi Again? didn’t I?
Maybe I should pretend that I’m going for a podium every time I open my trap.
It would save you fellas a lot of earache-and time!
Good holiday,mate?
CQN, the blog that gave us “AMORTISATION”
Paul67:
A simple thank you for giving me the vehicle to help and meet so many worthy and good people.
…Celtic yesterday, today, forever…CQN yesterday, today, forever.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Paul67
A Sunday Post that’s good to read.
Who’d have thought that on any Sunday ten years ago?
Congratulations from one of the rank and file.
Happy 10th Anniversary to CQN
You deserve a medal Paul67 :-)
Happy Birthday CQN
A place where many good people have achieved some great things over the past 10 years, our host is if course due. our thanks for his time, effort and the resource he puts into maintaining the blog, happy birthday CQN and special thoughts for those no longer with us.
YNWA
saint of the day – one of ten or so to choose from –
St. Paul of St. Zoilus
Comments
Short Cuts
Facts
Feastday: July 20
Death: 851
Spanish martyr. Paul was a deacon of Cordoba, Spain, and a member of the community of St. Zoilus in that city. He devoted much of his effort to bringing aid to those Christians imprisoned by Muslim officials. Seized by members of the ruling Islamic government, he was beheaded.
Paul
Happy birthday to the blog and many thanks for giving us all the opportunity to talk all things Celtic,football and the rest!
HH
sipsini, cheers.
Gordon_J, and thanks to you, Gordon.
starry plough, hopefully for the better!
mouldy67, and to you, P.
lymmbhoy, you’re very welcome.
Kojo, well, that is something. Never feel small, pal. Been a while since we’ve heard from Fargo, hope he’s well. Thank you for your fortifying words over the years.
GL2, “saint of the day”, I’d forgotten about those!
Yogi, many thanks.
Rev David, you are very welcome.
angelgabriel, it sure has.
Chaplin, indeed. Hope you are well.
WDH, me too. Take care.
vinniethedog, no, no, no! It can go much farther in our direction. And it will!
Kilbowie Kelt, they sure have.
Clashcitybhoy, intrigued is the wrong word, as I’m not. It was a scam, nothing more and nothing less.
weeron, those early months took a lot of work………. Good to have you there. #pintathampden.
North Cyprus, sure will.
Steinreignedsupreme, aaaaaaaaaaaargh!!!!
Parkheadcumsalford, you’re very welcome.
Richie, not me, anyway.
Lennybhoy, sure will!
GuyFawkesaforeverhero, ha! Good one.
RRC, thanks.
Has it been that long? Thanks for all your efforts and
Hail hail
Congratulations Paul and well done. Try to withstand the pressure for censorship.
HH
Paul well done on the 10 !
greenlion2
13:58 on 20 July, 2014
Us MLers are educated, not like some I know from Inverclyde, some I say, not all…:)
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Congratulations on 10 in a row Paul.
your blog as well as doing the things you mentioned has brought together and created great friendships..
KTF
KOJO 1357
Nice one.
CQN, a decade old today, Happy birthday!
Congratulation’s P67 on your fantastic achievement , & long my it continue….
& Hail Hail to all you blogger’s who helped get it this far!
Gordon64
23:36 on 19 July, 2014
Just simply thank you my friend:)))))
———————
” but just before I pressed publish”
Little did you realise that you were going to give life to a place that is so special to so many.
I make no apologies for saying that CQN is just a wee bit special and will survive ALL the attempts to undermine it .
On the blog I have made friends for life and had experiences through helping and getting involved that have changed my life for the better none more so than Wee Oscar.
P67- thanks and good luck.HH
Soo the idea of Celtic Quick News came from a Hun ?
Anyway just wondering if there is a particular dress code for Tuesday night is it Barbour Jaikets Hunter Wellies and shooting sticks for picnics in the car parks or is it the usual de rigueur for those over 30 …… hooped Jersey two sizes too small for the belly protruding underneath
Great article Paul. Thanks for all the effort you have put in through the years to inform Celtic supporters and to give so many people a platform to build friendships and debate the club that means so much to them.
happy 10th paul, could not do without my cqn fix every day.
Paul67
I don’t have to put in print how I feel about this blog, I have posted it often enough. All I’ll say is, thank you so much for every article you’ve posted.
Weefra HH praying to Wee Oscar.
#pintathampden indeed….:)
Next time, Paul……..
saint stivs
13:51 on 20 July, 2014
FOI to Police Scotland will give you what the official attendances were and not the published attendances
more armageddon anyone ?
No. Club Average Games vs ’13 Highest
1 Celtic FC 47.079 19 0,3% 52.670
2 Heart of Midlothian FC 14.123 19 7,3% 16.873
3 Aberdeen FC 12.918 18 34,4% 20.017
4 Hibernian 1875 Edinburgh 11.027 20 5,1% 20.106
5 Dundee United FC 7.599 19 0,7% 12.601
6 Motherwell FC 5.175 19 -3,5% 9.117
7 Partick Thistle FC 1876 5.001 19 38,4% 7.978
8 St. Mirren FC 4.511 19 2,8% 6.311
9 Kilmarnock FC 4.250 19 -8,5% 7.495
10 St. Johnstone FC 3.806 19 2,5% 7.231
11 Ross County FC 3.787 19 -14,5% 5.982
12 Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC 3.558 19 -11,9% 6.384
. Total 10.228 2,1% 52.670
Happy Anniversary. Discovered CQN about 4 years ago. Looked in just about every day since then. Proud to have played a wee part in some of the good stuff that this blog has brought to the world. Thanks Paul and thanks to all the posters who make this a top class website. Here’s to the next 10 or 67 even!
BMCUW
Jammy git, you sitting in the boozer wi yer finger on the trigger. Now there’s a sight to behold. Hahahahaha. Cograts anyhoo. :-)
Weefra HH praying to Wee Oscar.
Congratulations on a fantastic 10 years Paul and more importantly – thank you.
Sir Paul
Fargo ,Is daeing fine.. Living n LUVVING?.. somewhere, in..
SCRANTON.. P.A.
He sends his Best Wishes tae You.,n…. Yer Long Suffering.. n UNCOMPLAININ'( You Wish!) and still… Beautiful…Wife.. n.. Tae yer Sons .. No tae furget Yer Good Faither, n his Wife..
N. Last but no Least.. Kevin.. the Best Brother that.. well.. A Brother could Hiv!
Kojo
Still,Laughin’
Oooooooooooooooooooops
Hooooooopy Birthday CQN & Paul67
A special mentiom must also go to his good Lady & Bhoys for putting up with all his time on here:))))))))
Paul67:
As I sit and reminisce about the joy that CQN has brought to me and thousands more I suddenly thought…what irony, we must also thank the friend who was the follower of the then mortally injured Rangers Football Club for being the Catalyst in bringing to life to CQN that would educate and inform so many on the former Club’s mismanagement…:)
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
WEEFRATHETIM
Yep.
Jealousy will get you nowhere…
Thanks Paul.
This blog has shed light into many dark places over the years.
No doubt the MSM hate you for exposing their daily lies. Suspect many of them read this blog to find out what is actually happening!
Keep up the good work and will look forward to the 20th anniversary by which time Celtic will no doubt be playing in a league that reflects the size of the club and you will therefore no longer be posting on behind the scenes work in this regard