Competitiveness in Scottish football has been so lacking for so long, some have come to expect it is here for good. Former Newco director Dave King said as much this week, suggesting new owners of the new club would be guaranteed to finish in the top two of the Premiership and have a crack at Champions League football. Perhaps.
Hibernian took time to get going this season, but when they did, they outperformed Newco. David Gray will improve performance again next term. If Hearts take Tony Bloom’s money you can expect him to aim no lower than second in the table.
I doubt we will have a four way fight for the title anytime soon, but there are disrupter seeds in the soil, only a fool would fail to see them.
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Happy Friday eve to you all.
Offside law change feels tricky to me although fully support the idea.
Law makers need to find more ways (and different ways) to get the ball into final third more often.
Rugby Union’s 50:22 rule has been pretty effective in changing the almost automatic high defensive line deployed previously.
Good afternoon all from Molly Malones.
“I doubt we will have a four way fight for the title anytime soon, but there are disrupter seeds in the soil, only a fool would fail to see them”
Lol, Pablo.
Not many fools among US based investors.
I am that fool.
I dont forsee any investment to any club in Scotland making them strong enough to becomie competative.
The odd cup for some teams, even The 2nd Rangers, but competative in the league, no.
This will only happen when Celtic have some sort of transitional disaster.
I dont belive in the “everything is cyclical2 in football guff either, that mantra is spoken all the time, but for me, only Celtic failing lets that happen.
As to the offside changes, please please please let it happen, how many more goals would we have had this season ?
“Hibernian took time to get going this season, but when they did, they outperformed Newco”
Wasn’t sure if Paul’s statement was a generalisation so had a quick check.
Shouldn’t have doubted you Pablo when it comes to data. 😉
Since their 4-1 humbling to Dundee in November, Hibs have played one fewer league games than the current second placed team and won 3 more points.
Hmm.
also, while am on, what is this hun-guffery, that it would be ok to be in the europa league instead of the champions leaguue, because we would have a real chance of doing something, who ever got better by dropping down to a lesser competition, europas and conference are there to give the diddy teams something to play for in europe.
St Stivs
I think there’s room to consider that Celtic’s performance is cyclical, peaking as a crop of young players emerge as genuine talents, dipping when we replace them and start again.
At these points other teams are more likely to succeed against us, giving the impression of a more competitive game, but really it’s just the variation in Celtic’s standard creating an illusion.
If we don’t qualify for Champions League is there a safety net of dropping into Europa ?
Do we face two teams to qualify or has that still to be established ?
The Battered Bunnet on 8th May 2025 1:01 pm
aye, one bad season in 14, and even then it took a global pandemic and a spectator lockout for the other team to actually compete.
Our dominance in Scotland is hard earned, exceptional management of the playing staff to never stop.
I am not counting this year as a treble yet, we have too much of that expectation happening.
But when they won the league, we were meant to fold like a pack of cards said someone, instead we recover, get better and go again.
We were told you cant even win trebles when the rangers aint there, Now they are and we cant stop.
The takover, imho will not bring success quickly.
Neither will it for Hears.
Who else has US investment in Scotland now ? Aberdeen ? United ? Hibs > dUNFERMLINE, AND A FEW OTHERS, MEANS NOTHING IN BECOMING COMPETATIVE.
Andrena on 8th May 2025 1:04 pm – It could soon be 3 teams if the hun take over collapses meaning less hun coefficient points.
General question to our Irish contributors.
How much money did Shamrock Rovers make for their European participation this season, ?
why oh why.
https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipNYruuT4nFw9oYZJA0bSaTte2v7Ryn0P1ZtXg7KDw0MI1fDgcdPQYeP47Hx6I706Q?key=eF9ueHVkZEMwZUdjZkgxSjhydXFteGY1NC1jdW5R
Andrena on 8th May 2025 1:04 pm
If we don’t qualify for Champions League is there a safety net of dropping into Europa ?
Do we face two teams to qualify or has that still to be established ?
—–
We play one team and if we fail to qualify, then we go into the Europa. Results in other countries, in the coming weeks, will determine if we are seeded. Could go either way.
As long as we keep striving for improvement we should be fine. Our points total looks like being around the same as last season, which was generally considered to be a challenging campaign. Need to look to improving it next season. Summer recruitment has to be right.
While Hibs have the best points per game record in the division since January 1st, their success does seem to be reliant on a young manager who won’t be long there if his success continues. An inherent fault in any model that places too much importance on the managers ability – as we might find out sooner rather than later
Structural strategic and operational Changes at Hearts with the arrival of Tony Bloom are far more likely to bring about lasting change to the old order. Perhaps not immediately, changing the culture thats so deeply embedded in Scottish football will take time, as is obvious from spending time reading some of the comments on here.
St Stivs
Most reliable figures for Shamrock Rovers conference league campaign point to 7 million euro.
For League of Ireland team that’s absolutely huge money
CELTIC MAC on 8TH MAY 2025 10:27 AM
big jimmy I would agree with you, both GCC and Police Scotland (Glasgow Division) are derelict in their duty in allowing an Orange Walk to take place in Glasgow on the same day Celtic will celebrate being SPL Champions and with Celtic supporters arriving in Glasgow from all directions. No doubt hiding behind Article 11 of the HRA and ignoring the risk of the threat to public order. I never tire of telling those who care, or dont care, to listen that Prince William, who became King only as the result of a coup d’etat and a foreign invasion of England dont forget, never ever set foot in Scotland. And neither should any of his followers or fellow travellers. It is a complete and total disgrace, and while the GCC are no friends of Celtic FC, the Police in particular will bend over backwards to facilitate Orange Walks, particularly in Glasgow, which holds more than Belfast. They should hang their heads in shame but are more likely to join in than do the right thing, which is stop it happening in the first place.
*as the song says, “two foreign old monarchs in battle did join, each wanting his head on the back of a coin, if the Irish had sense they’d drown both in the Boyne, and Partition throw into the ocean”, plus the battle of the boyne occurred on July 1, it was the battle of Aughrim that occurred on July 12 the following year which was the decisive battle of the Williamite War in Ireland
It was fought between the largely Irish Jacobite army loyal to James II and the forces of William III on 12 July 1691 near the village of Aughrim, County Galway, the battle was one of the bloodiest ever fought in the British Isles; 7,000 people were killed, the Jacobite defeat at Aughrim meant the effective end of James’s cause in Ireland, although the city of Limerick held out until the autumn of 1691.
Oh and please no comments about it being a different calendar the simply dont know their history
CELTIC40ME @ 1:47 PM,
“While Hibs have the best points per game record in the division since January 1st, their success does seem to be reliant on a young manager who won’t be long there if his success continues. An inherent fault in any model that places too much importance on the managers ability – as we might find out sooner rather than later”
It’s an inherent fault for a Club to have a good young manager with ability, as they may move on…
Is that the same logic as….
🎶 … If you want to be happy for the rest of your life – Never make a pretty woman your wife..
So for my personal point of view
Get an ugly girl to marry you🎵
Hail Hail
The original Flight of the Wild Geese
Today, in 1691, the Flight of the Wild Geese marked a pivotal moment in Irish history. 12,000 Irish Jacobite soldiers fled to France. These vanquished warriors were bound to the Treaty of Limerick, following their crushing defeat at the Battle of Aughrim on the 12th of July that year.
The treaty, co-signed on the 3rd of October 1691 by Jacobite commander Patrick Sarsfield, formally ended the Williamite War in Ireland. The defeated Jacobite soldiers were given a choice: swear allegiance to King William III and remain in Ireland, or leave for France to continue serving the deposed James II.
Those who chose exile became known as the Wild Geese. Once in France, they were absorbed into all-Irish regiments of the French Army under Louis XIV. By 1697, these Irish brigades had become a notable force in French military campaigns, fighting valiantly in battles across Europe, distinguishing themselves in engagements like the Battle of Fontenoy in 1745.
Thus, Ireland haemorrhaged another generation of soldiers and leaders, leaving her immeasurably weakening against English rule and forever changing the course of history on our island. That poignant term “Wild Geese” has since been used to describe Irish emigrants, our diaspora forced abroad for work.
No hun in Paradise again. Our last two matches against these low life criminal scum is proof. Accept no tickets for their hovel again.
SCULLYBHOY
Delighted with ‘xmas’ gift.Many thanks.
Wasn’t aware of an Orange Walk on trophy day.
Hmm.
Assume the timing is intended to see them well clear of the city centre at full time.
Not sure what the pre match picture will look like.
For a 12:30 kick off I’d assume hostelries would be open at 11am?
SCROLL BYE if not interested…
HORSE RACING….
TOP Trainer Adian O’Brien WON the TWO BIG Races at Chester yesterday, he has ALSO Won the TWO BIG Races at Chester Today.
I Won a few Quid as I backed ALL FOUR with the Bookies on Tuesday in an ACCUMULATOR.
Even better….I ALSO backed ALL FOUR along with the first winner at Chester yesterday ” ALI SHUFFLE”, in an EXCELLENT FIVE TIMER which paid out at odds of just over 79/1.
I still have Two other Winners going on to other Horses at Chester Tomorrow.
Sadly, Aiden does NOT have any runners at Chester Tomorrow.
God Bless AIDEN and his Irish Team of workers.
NOT Too Shabby.
LOL
HH.
As BBRB says, no huns in Paradise ever again. How many more times have we to endure other players and staff, never mind our Support, being targeted by their lowlife support. The SFA and the powers that be either ignore the situation or claim that one is as bad as the other.
Ticket sorted for Saturday. Area 102. I must have been in every part of the stadium.
Regards- Johnny the nomad. 😂
White smoke
HABEMUS PAPAM
.
GENE
Will annoy a few ….
Horse Racing……
I ALSO had Aiden O’Briens TWO Winners from Today along with the Favourite in the last Race at Chester for a TREBLE.
The TREBLE paid out just over the odds of 15/1.
Over the last Two days at Chester its been a good wee lift at the end of the day.
HH.
bigrailroadblues on 8th May 2025 5:00 pm
Ticket sorted for Saturday. Area 102. I must have been in every part of the stadium.
Regards- Johnny the nomad. 😂
…………….
Have you tried the Celtic DUG OOT yet ?
LOL
HH Mate.
BRRB
Grand daughter (15) will be at Celtic Park ( SAT) her first game….
https://www.youtube.com/live/J6MqpK91bEA?si=5qQfE2Lxmpc59Z4w
We have a new Pope
HH
gene
My guess is that the new Pope will be French, Cardinal Marc Aveline from Marseille
Actually that is who would have got my vote, if I had had one that is
Which I didn’t
New Pope should appear in forty five minutes or so
Big Jimmy – did you have a flutter on the new pontiff ?
BIGRAILROADBLUES on 8TH MAY 2025 3:43 PM
No hun in Paradise again. Our last two matches against these low life criminal scum is proof. Accept no tickets for their hovel again.
*after celebrating our 1-1 victory lol doubt that we will ever be welcomed back, they will find some sort of excuse NOT to.
Celtic mac
As long as it’s not The Donald
Pizzaballa for Pope!