The momentum for a confederated regional league in Eastern Europe continues to gather pace with clubs from Belarus keen to join. With a population of around 10m, Belarus is sandwiched between Russia, Ukraine, Poland and the Baltic states, but their league has been rendered uncompetitive by the domination of Bate Borisov, who are on their way to eight-in-a-row titles.
Bate, who are now Champions League regulars, have no opportunity to progress while the rest of the league do not have the resources to compete with them. A regional league would solve all their problems.
Russian and Ukrainian clubs are aiming to have a confederated league in place by the start of 2014, with sponsors thought to be keen to step forward and underwrite whatever is necessary to smooth the way, but the Ukrainian FA suggest 2016 is a more viable date.
Scottish football stands to gain more from regionalisation than anywhere else on the planet. We need to have this debate before blindly stumbling into another Management of Decline while legislators in Minsk leave us behind!
Today is the last guaranteed posting date for CQN Annuals before Christmas, so if you haven’t ordered yet, this is your chance.
Many thanks for the tremendous support of the Annual in recent weeks. We have shipped lots to Australia, Canada and USA, across various European and Asian countries, and to hundreds of towns and cities across Scotland, England and Ireland. Even Ayrshire!
Last guaranteed date before Christmas. You can order the CQN Annual here!
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Rioskorrie
I had Rever last year and he was partnered with Dedê. ;) A very good player as well, I think he is a bit older.
It is a big surprise to me if Dedê is not signed by any of the big European clubs, get in there Celtic, obviously if the price is right. I think the Liga do Brasil, is becoming more prominent and has a lot more cash at its disposal.
South of Tunis
It was reported recently that the Sicilian Regional government had a defecit of c€5 billion.
Buona fortuna!
HH!!
from Yahoo Sport
Top 10 footballers’ Christmas parties that went wrong
Celtic parties — 2001 and 2002
Celtic manager Neil Lennon may have to let his players have a few drinks this festive season or he risks being accused of being a hypocrite. At Celtic’s 2001 party, Lennon got so drunk that he smashed his head on a kerb. A year later the squad headed to Newcastle and Lennon, along with three others, ended up in police custody. Lennon was released early but Dutch winger Bobby Petta, the Swedish star Johan Mjallby and Belgian international Joos Valgaeren all had to spend the night in the slammer.
Yeeeh Haw! The South shall rise again!
Oh. Sorry, wrong kind of Confederate.
SSN
Reporting Charles Green making last attempt to entice shareholders by climbing Belfast City Hall flag pole and raising Union flag. Unfortunately he didn’t realise you could hang it upside down.
MWD
ASonofDan
As someone who lives in that part of the world you don’t have to tell me but the British Isles operates differently and that kind of thing is dealt with somewhat better.
We also have one Neil Francis Lennon as our manager. We’ve seen how he has been treated in Scotland and in Northern Ireland. Too risky.
Don’t forget the other side of this proposal. Sevco in the Republic or would their away games be moved to Tranmere? We all saw how that worked out in 1998 the last time.
I don’t see Scotland joining with the Irish leagues and Wales. The Welsh leagues would be more likely to be joined up with the English as their teams pose no threat to EPL supremacy.
It would be silly to say the 3 Celtic cousin countries would join a new league and Northern Ireland would just be left to get on with it on their own if regionalization were to take place.
Another annual just ordered for Ayrshire, I’ll be picking it up on my flying visit to Troon on Christmas eve hopefully.
bang
thats the door shut for shares
am sure a team thats supported by 1/7th of the worlds population will be over subscribed.
come on jabba give us the facts.
santascomesearly.csc
Does anybody have the DATE of the ECA meeting in Moscow ?
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1e685aea-4768-11e2-a899-00144feab49a.html#axzz2FPOd13P8
Apologies of previously posted.
The FT outlook on Chuckles.
Well, what’s the scores on the doors, Charlie?
Is it an unprecedented amount? A world record? Or just another fiasco …
Ho HO HO – Merry Christmas!!!
Just saw this on TSFM:
From RM … how to quickly double the money you extract from simple bears:
No biggie . . . but i went through the online payment there to make a £500 payment, when i got to the end it said ‘payment was unsuccessful, please return to Rangers website’ (or thereabouts)
so i did it again, this time it took me to the final page and payment was accepted, all good.
just checked my bank there and it looks like it took £1000 (fly bassa Charlie) but my email confirmation is just for £500 (confused), don’t mind if it ends up being £1000 but i’d like some sort of confirmation.
DeniaBhoy
Mine is also winging its way to Troon.
Should we meet up we can compare notes!
HH!!
So the Epic Fail is officialy finished.
Over to you Chuck…
Tallybhoy – I’ll be using mine for bedtime stories for our 4-month old bhoy :)
Gordon_J backing Neil Lennon – I read your blog about solstices and whatnot, and was visited by three thoughts to put to you.
Firstly, I thought most adults knew that Christmas was partly based on older pagan traditions. The early Church had a genius for recycling local customs into a Christian context. That’s why we no longer run around naked worshiping trees. Trees, let’s face it, are stupid. That’s why the only pagans now are fat people who dress up in bedsheets, buy crystals off eBay, and write blogs about “wiccan magick”.
Secondly, what the Dickens is CE and BCE? Is that the gay version of BC and AD? (After all, dolphins are gay sharks, so it would make sense for there to be a gay calendar too, because dolphins are pretty smart).
Thirdly, Merry Christmas! It might not be logical, but tis the season to be jolly. (thumbsup)
South Of Tunis I worked in the public sector in Italy for a year.
When I’ve told people here some of the goings on I am met with that “you’re making it up” kind of look. If I could make it up I’d be writing best sellers. I am careful about who I share such anecdotes with. certainly not with anyone who would use it to sharpen a bigoted axe.
Having said that, the headmaster at the school where I taught, a man from Naples, when contacted for a reference on me by a potential employer here, took the opportunity to send me details of a tax rebate I was due and a 100% refund of my pension contributions. You know many would have pocketed it. I picked up a very welcome £850 three days later at the City Branch of CARIPLO at the start of December, 1985. I chanced my arm and tried to wangle one of their famous calendars, but they told me to GTF.
CARIPLO – a seven letter abbreviation instead of the usual three.
La Cassa di Risparmio delle Provincie Lombarde.
Burgas Hoops, well done!
hailhailplc, interesting few days ahead for Green. We’ll see…
ASonOfDan, I don’t think that is likely but let’s get regionalisation on the table before worrying about which region.
mighty tim, aye, fixed.
pheersy, could be Ed!
cardiffbhoy, hope so!
Auldheid, too many questions for me to take right now but first let’s have our own clubs recognise that this is something which would be good for our game and we need to explore.
ToneLoc, both!
obonfanti1888, who knows!
Snake Plissken
I get what you are saying but my original point was, that UEFA might not give us too many choices.
HH
sixtaeseven @ 13:12
Wouldn’t it be funny if, a bit like votes on the X-Factor, on-line applications made after 13:00 will not be accepted but the money may be taken anyway …
FF
The Lombardy Savings Bank to you and me.
Paul67
As an early Christmas present, can you post the article regarding the selling and leasing of ibrox again. :0)
Challs Green said there was no need to underwrite the Share Issue as it would be “massively over-subscribed”…….
bournesouprecipe
12:58 on 18 December, 2012
Something says to me that being invited to the BPL wouldn’t be as good as it sounds. Another poster, I can’t remember who – apologies, commented that it was the most corrupt League in the World with money laundering etc.
I am really enjoying Celtic sourcing these young players and then Neil making them shine.
I have always had a great admiration for Dutch football, Ajax and their strip is almost as legendary as Celtic IMO. The Dutch fans boo defensive football. ;))
Last season was probably the most shocking ever for goals in the SPL, to me there was a very steady decline. This season goals aplenty across the board. These are things that should be looked at closely and Celtic have not exactly been hammering in the goals, yet. ;)
HH
Of course will ANY MSM ask any pertinent or searching questions of the sevcovian propaganda issue..
Lets not hold our breath.
Obviously Chuckles was running about like Tam Cruise screaming “show me the money”.
Memo to chuck… There s none. Sevcovia is a land of make believe and spin and a place where everyone keeps quiet even when the car crash is about to unfold.
You reap what you sow..
Cannot wait for our draw.. Are MSM mentioning this..
HH
Tallybhoy
It was recently reported that 74 dead teachers were still receiving their salaries [ in cash ] from a Post Office in Palermo . Man collecting the salaries was the brother of the relevant official in the Education Department
It was recently reported that 8 medics in Palermo had been caught selling Disability Certificates .
Meanwhile in Catania 24 local authority workers have been caught taking money in exchange for helping people move up the local authority housing queue.
I’m hoping we can start a TV channel on the Sky platform a la Liverpool FC.We could combine the classic/current games,with a shopping channel.DVD’s ,books,tickets and some of the wonderful gifts Bourne recently posted.£50 a year or part of your Season Ticket money.
!!Bada Bing!!
lol!
With contributions from P67 and a few others…
Rioskorrie
12:12 on
18 December, 2012
…. rolling over from the previous article.
Taking the family to NY for Xmas, staying in Midtown Manhattan. Hoping to see the game on the 26th. Which of the local CSC’s is best to take a 3yr old to?
Anybody?
___________________________________
The Parlour is the best one I’ve been in. Up off Central Park in the 80’s. Streets that is, not decade!!
!!Bada Bing!! – I hear you can buy a share in the NeoHuns on Bid Up TV. (thumbsup)
Afternoon bhoys, off to Galway 2nd week in January with 4 fellow celts :-). Any advice on hotels,pubs and clubs would be much appreciated HH
It’s Jackanory time……. Over to you chic.
Couldn’t some of the CL money be used to remove those degrading stanchions?
philvisreturns,
What’s wrong with worshipping trees? At least trees exist.
CE = common era. BCE = before common era. Makes more sense than AD/ BC since no one actually knows when Jesus was born.
And a joyous Winter Solstice to you too!
!!Bada Bing!!
13:23 on
18 December, 2012
I’m hoping we can start a TV channel on the Sky platform a la Liverpool FC.We could combine the classic/current games,with a shopping channel.DVD’s ,books,tickets and some of the wonderful gifts Bourne recently posted.£50 a year or part of your Season Ticket money.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Been saying the same thing for some time now.
This HAS to be the way forward.
Makes sense to me.
HH!!
Ntassoolla – What did they do to you that was degrading? (thumbsup)
I find the Russia/Ukraine move interesting but misconceived somewhat.
Russia has a population of 150M. Ukraine 38M. Russia has no need of a larger market, and Ukraine is pretty much the same size as Spain. Combining the two will not (IMO) yield the financial gains suggested. The whole is likely to be no more than the sum of its marketing parts.
Belarus, having already partnered with Poland for Euro 2012, would do well to look in that direction, and bring in the Baltic states too.
I think the Russia/Ukraine idea is likely to discourage UEFA and may put the kybosh on the Regionalisation project. Regionalisation is, to my mind, about enfranchising the smaller nations in Europe, not about creating football monoliths.
Combining Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Czech and Slovakia is a neat parcel of football tradition and wealthy, tech-ready consumers.
Romania, Bulgaria and the Balkans makes sense from a similar perspective, albeit there is a generation of growth to go before the consumer market is comparible.
The idea of Greece teaming up with Turkey, Cyprus and Israel might be preposterous politically, but would certainly be interesting!
And similarly, Scotland with Holland, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden and Norway. That federation would represent the highest per capita GDP media market in Europe.
Merging Portugal into La Liga is the pragmatic move while what happens to the Irish and the Finns remains to be determined, but is by no means a challenge nprovided there are well managed and ambitious clubs wanting to develop into more demanding competitions.
Regionalisation is about relevelling the pitch by creating an environment where the historically great teams of Europe’s peripheral countries can re-emerge. The issues in Russia and Ukraine are entirely different to those in North West Europe, and the solution for one is unlikely to be the right answer for the other.
Regardless of which, there is a growing momentum behind these new structures, and it is, as Paul suggests, incumbent on the Leadership in Scotland to drive the project, not sit back and watch others set the pace.