These pages have seen Gordon Strachan written off many times since those four days in August 2005 when Celtic conceded nine goals to Artmedia and Motherwell. Last night, as Scotland manager, he got the breaks. First, at the most ridiculous dive for a penalty ever perpetrated by a player on a yellow card (and I have seen Steven Naismith), then, when tired defensive limbs contrived to concede a late winner for Scotland.
If he gets a result away to Slovenia on Sunday, he will have earned whatever grudging appreciation goes his way. A generation of adults have never seen Scotland at an international tournament. They don’t know the joys of losing 3-0 to Morocco, watching a defensive wall shirk at a free kick, or celebrating as an Iranian scored an own goal to deliver a point. It’s time they learned.
Little about Scotland’s success is good news for Celtic. Should we win the league, our first qualification round will start two weeks after the tournament kicks off. Although that round is unlikely to provide a particularly stiff challenge, consider what happened to Newco when they arrived unprepared against Luxembourg semi-professionals.
Even if Scotland don’t reach the finals in Russia, a second place finish in the group for Scotland would see the players face two play-off games in the middle of our Champions League group games, and the possibility of a League Cup final.
Brendan Rodgers will wish his players every success, but he would surely not be too distressed to share hard luck stories with them when they return to training next week. The club-v-country debate has kicked around for decades, but I doubt if any club/country combo has seen it as acute as it is for Celtic and Scotland right now.
Catch up with this CQN Podcast from last month when we interviewed Celtic star from the Centenary season, full back Chris Morris. It’s a great listen…
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Dallas 9.06pm
Mr P is one of the nicest guys I have met, a gentleman, I always attract the non-Celtic fans :-)
Saw a bit of the DU game against Belfast’s Filth – With Murdoch and Chalmers in their team DU had to win
SOT
Maybe they could put forward disestablishment of the church of england in their manifesto
Jophes, About 8 yrs ago I was minding my then 4 yr old Grand Daughter in a Shopping Centre in Limerick, when she came up & asked for a Euro.
I gave it to her & she went straight over & put it into a collection box & came back & presented me with a lovely red Poppy.
It was the first time in my life I had held one, i was both horrified & amused. Obviously I had to act pleased for the child but also had to get rid of it ASAP before Mrs Corkcelt returned & brought the story home where I would have been slagged for months.
WGS could bore me all day long beating Man U and AC Milan , not to mention that amazing night at Tannadice. Hh
Gordon64
I must admit I was horrified when WGS was announced as our manager – but the wee man did bring us success – good luck to him and the team tomorrow
Corkcelt -The way children see things through innocent eyes
I can’t see davy murray doing anything re Sevco.
I think he will get an HMRC demand of £6m and that will wipe him out.
I have a good idea how he managed to show his wealth at £100m+ and like everything with him, the money either doesn’t exist or it isn’t his.
But as I always say – You just never know wi’ the ol’ Sevco!!
Gerry , Mr P s also one of the funniest people I have ever met. I really enjoyed working with him.
With regards to the Burns Crolla fight. It was nice to see the build up to this fight had none of the nastiness , whether real or stage managed , involved in the publicity events for a big boxing match.
BUL v FRA – thank goodness that’s over – could have been worse only watched the second half. 45 minutes of my life I won’t get back.
SOUTH OF TUNIS. thanks we are both right. hail hail.
Yep no legal impediment to a Catholic being PM
However there never had been one!
Perhaps the establishment use the now dead Rankers selection criteria:
Couldn’t find one good enough – 1872-1990!
DALLAS DALLAS WHERE THE HECK IS DALLAS on 7TH OCTOBER 2017 8:55 PM
I agree with you , the losing Marc Reiper was a huge blow. He was a huge influence in the stop the ten squad.
*I recall him screaming at WTT tae get a sub on in the penultimate game at East End Park. Wim looked like a deer stuck in the headlights; think the job was too much for him. JB might just have been the excuse he needed tae bail oot.
McLeish would have been a good signing for us at the time. I had a grudging respect for him as a player.
*Scotland were on tour over here in 1983, one of the local CSCs ran a wee function for the team, dignitaries and smsm. Lad I know was sitting beside eck and he said that he would have signed for us in a heartbeat but the sheep said no chance. Incidentally one of the young TTs was in school with his cousin’s lassie over here at the time; she was never out of our house.
The only member of the smsm tae show up at what was a freebie was big Doug Baillie whose bhoy was with the boys club at the time.
Now, I can’t stand him . Another who became a joke and horrible hun apologist.
*really sad tae see that but he has form as he left both ‘well and the Hibbees in a lurch, similarly with the national side and a host of others, he is now persona non grata and spends his time whoring himself via the smsm.
JINKYREDSTAR like your style hail hail.
Dallas 9.35pm
As per usual I got it wrong thought the fight was 9pm it’s 10pm, Ricky Burns is a reallly nice guy, I don’t know him but plenty of friends know him really well, I might have posted this before am sure the media tried to make a story of the rosary beads he wears going into the ring, they were his Grans and his Gran brought him up, Ricky is a hoops fan and his brother followed that mob that got liquadated and now follows the Sevs… I know as much about boxing as fitba :-) but love cheering the wee man on, youngest nephew and a dozen of his pals go to ever fight …..
As for Mr P totally agree, only thing that bugs me about him he loves saying “the old firm & your as bad as each other” that’s the reason why apart from Celtic fans the other fans don’t care about the cheats
BP
Sometimes there is so much between the lines that the lines become irrelevant
HH
right im posting on here on behalf of my father who because he was a roman catholic from croy got pushed from pillar to post and died at age 53 ami angry too feckin true iam angry he had more qualifications than them orange barstewards but because he went to a roman catholic school he was outlawed well feck you he would have been 88 years old today thanks scotland you done us proud.
If by some miracle WGS could get us to the world cup finals next year who on here would not be proud to see a Scotland team made up mainly of Celtic players, captained by a Celtic player take to the field. Hh
G64 10.06pm
Me :-)
Re Prime Minister and Roman Catholicism, as I recall it,the actual title of the ‘Prime Minister’ is First Lord of the Treasury and as such has something to do with selection of bishops of the established Church of England,the monarch being the actual Head of said church.
It may be possible for a Roman Catholic to be Prime Minister in the House of Commons but it would be ‘impossible’ for him/her to pick the bishops! A bit like me picking the Grand Master of the Mother Lodge here in Kilwinning!
Could be circumvented by delegation of that part of the responsibilities of ‘Prime Minister’ but not likely to happen though I am sure there have been other religions (Jewish?) represented in the past.
Probably a load of crock but that’s what I remember from school history.
Must say I love boxing particularly at the lighter weights.
Have taken a bit of an interest in the story of Benny Lynch from The Gorbals & am gathering as much info as I can..
Just wondering if anyone has any any stories about the wee man handed down over the years as distinct from the public info, I’d love to hear them.
Big Packy 2205: Just remember it is thanks to your Dad and many others of his generation that we don’t sit at the back of the bus anymore.
When I started going to Celtic Park with my Dad,late 40s early 50s only one of pals was a tradesman!!!!
Don’t be annoyed be proud!
Nil illegitimi carborundum.
10.05. Big packs.
There is a post
Don’t forget the words. Don’t underestimate what our kids are going through now.
These people don’t do conspiracies, they do day to day bias that impacts on every aspect of our lives.
There are decent and good among them. United, one day, we will stand in adoration of Celtic.
Cheers comrades.
And hail hail.
Corkcelt
Boxing is an art (real boxing)
The Costbrig Bhoy’s are singing Swet Caroline on Sky TV ,,,, i know what their chorus is :-)
Mon wee Ricky !!!!!
Awenaw- nearly poppy time.
In my work – which has some decent CQN’rs and Gerryfaethebrig- the only time you’ll see a hun put his hand in his picket is for their beloved poppy.
They ‘volunteer’ to take the tins round and shove the tin and poppy in your fizzer.
It riles them when i say “no chance”.
The feckers would wear 10 of them blood badges if they could.
Apols to any on here who has family who have served but i believe it a political exercise not a charitabke one.
Charitable one….obv..
AoW 10.36pm
I think I know the hun you type of, give me a white poppy and there’s your quid
In HMRC there was a manager who looked out his poppy around October, I mean looked out as he had it for years, his words ” am not paying a £1 every year” the Government have hijacked the poppy for all their illegal wars, my dad was born in 1925 so obviously conscripted in the 2nd world war, the poppy is just a political point score these days ….. the rich Huns but one of the £5 metal ones,,,, that means they don’t have to contribute to any charity, as for us and especially this blog we are brought up to help others
R5 …. I would give it to wee Ricky so far
Mon the boxing Coatbrig Champion Celtic fan
Tontine Tim. I was on the company of SMSM reporter about 15 years ago. It was about the time McLeish got the Ibrox job.
When I asked the reporter about McLeish’s task at Ibrox, he shook his head . The reporter did not like McLeish on a personal level as he was untrustworthy.
The 132 years of unsurpassed dignity mince , to me , showed what a clown he had become.
Gerry , ditto about the o@@ f@@@ comment from Mr P . Another Celtic fan that I worked with me and Mr P , was called Derek Johnstone . Derek ‘s mddle namecwas James preferred being called Derek. Lol
Gutted …..
For wee Ricky but that was a good contest
Fellow Celtic fans good night and God bless as the Ricky Burns fans chorus tonight after Sweet Caroline was
“Good times feel so good”
Hail Hail
The fantastic David Rovics playng in a McSorleys bar near you soon if u can get a ticket. Hh
https://twitter.com/woridcupfc/status/916757503995719680
DALLAS DALLAS WHERE THE HECK IS DALLAS on 7TH OCTOBER 2017 11:23 PM
Gerry , ditto about the o@@ f@@@ comment from Mr P . Another Celtic fan that I worked with me and Mr P , was called Derek Johnstone . Derek ‘s mddle namecwas James preferred being called Derek. Lol
*BFDJ’s middle name is Joseph, I believe his family are all arabs and there may be a ben affleck connection there.
Jesus the poppy debate has started already. I stay in a small village in the central belt. Come from a long line of tims who have never been found wanting. Grandfather uncle father and myself all joined the services (voluntarily) never changed any of us although I would loved to have to spoken to my Grandfather and asked why he found the need to Join without being pushed at the age of 38 with a young family. Without people like him we would struggle to have the debate. The poppy doesn’t just apply to the troubles. I am sure without people like my grandfather we wouldn’t have the opportunity to have this debate. We have never been found wanting when push comes to shove . As an individual I can honestly say the best thing I ever done was join the Navy it gave me confidence, life experience and two really good friends who I still keep in touch in with. Like it orlump we are a broad church.
Good night
Castlebhoy
Appreciate the context, nobody was saying anything about the poppy, it was the poppy fascists who want to demean the meaning …. and am delighted you gained two good friends from the navy ….
COSY CORNER BHOY on 7TH OCTOBER 2017 10:12 PM
When she was an MP Roseanna Cunningham asked a parliamentary question about the supposed bar on a Catholic becoming PM. She received a detailed response which is out there somewhere. The gist of it is that there is no bar, and there are arrangements in place for dealing with CoE business.
I’ve never understood why so many SNP supporters make such a big deal of this given a. their Party’s history and b. the fact one of their own MPs effectively scotched (as it were) the notion.
Btw Disraeli was CofE.
ERNIE LYNCH on 8TH OCTOBER 2017 12:22 AM
COSY CORNER BHOY on 7TH OCTOBER 2017 10:12 PM
Btw Disraeli was CofE.
*actually he was Anglican, he was born Jewish but his father left that faith after a dispute with the synagogue, young Ben became an Anglican at the age of 12.