It’s been six weeks since Celtic have had something to play for: 1 May, a five goal win over Dundee. Since then we wound down the remaining Premiership games before cranking up a fortnight ago at our new second home in Paisley, but it all comes into focus on Wednesday at Celtic Park, when we are expected to humble apparent Champions League whipping boys from Iceland.
People at Celtic have complained for years about having to play such important games in the middle of July, but I’ve never bought that argument. If we have to face Legia-type opposition later this month, we can’t have an early enough test. The challenge is known, it’s the responsibility of the club to be ready.
Stjarnan are likely to be the least resourced team we will face this summer, but if we get a comfortable win on Wednesday, these two games, as well as the friendlies against Eibar and Rennes, should provide ample opportunity to physically and tactically ready for the real test.
A few weeks back we discussed the game of brinksmanship involving Greece and it’s analogy in Scottish football, “Those sitting at the Syriza side of the table know they may be marching their citizens off the edge of a cliff”.
8 days ago Tsipras won his referendum mandate but quickly accepted that you can’t play poker if you don’t have any cards, never mind aces. I wondered if he hoped to ‘lose’ the referendum. I wonder if others hoped the SFA would find ‘against’ them a few months back. As we mentioned, it was “one of the classic failures of leadership – telling people what they want to hear in order to gain power, without any way of delivering on the promises made”.
If the Greeks had said ‘Yes’ Tsipras could have capitulated, blaming the will of the people. If the SFA said ‘not Fit and Proper’, others could have declined to invest, blaming Peter Lawwell and his ‘cronies’ at Hampden. I’m sure you could write the script yourself.
Populism’s easy, until you are given control, then it’s harder than granite. We’ll see the same lesson played out in Scottish football in the months to come. You need five aces in your hand to play poker with a billionaire, even then, don’t make assumptions.
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P67
Could you please stop the cheap shots at AT and the Greek debt / financial crisis. They are in poor taste regarding the situation the country now finds itself in and the cuts they are going to have to endure over the coming decade / decades.
To hear you mouth saloon bar logic towards the current situation and try to tie it in to the TFOD / TFOD2 / SFA pantomime is shameful in the extreme.
On one side you have a country sliding into destitution and economic slavery and on the other you have a bunch of yahoos drifting away to English football and egg chasing.
To link them suggests that you are doing a greater disservice to Greece than the unreconstructed walloper that is the German Finance ministry.
Fair enough that AM has no recollection or understanding of the great events that happened in 1953 but I would have expected better from yourself. Consequently more about the upcoming games and less about your homespun view of economics and its related developments in EU politics.
However if you want a link — I will offer one.
That is the concept of a growth agenda.
To survive Greece needs one.
Their only problem is the second rate classical nonsense on order.
You cannot thrift your way to economic salvation in a stagnant continental economy.
And the link with the club — well it desperately needs a growth agenda.
My worry is that the Irish Raj and Bonus Driven Pete are not the guys to provide it.
The Greek GDP has shrunk by 25% from its peak.
Oh yes and the club’s turnover has fallen 30% from its peak.
Maybe we should practice a little austerity in our boardroom?
Canamalar
Just as I posted I then read your post.
probalby the only sensible post on the Greek depression I have read on here. but not been on much lately.
The ole elitist pro banking neo-capitalist will be having a go at you now for blaming the bankers.
Albeit Greece’s problems were not all created by the banks and bankers who now have a fist grab on their nation, but also by their own governments criminality, mis-management, their countries massive elitist tax evasion public, their defence overspending (2nd highest in NATO), etc etc.
MWD said AYE
Hamiltontim
Not sure. I am sure there will be though.
I just passed the Usher Hall at lunch and had a wander into the box office.
LB
Usher is playing the Christy Moore Hall in Dallas, Tx, in October.
Madmitch, or you could always buy an android box…
Mullet @ 14.06
The 2015 GE Nats / Tartan Tories will have a half life of about 16 months and then carnage.
Some of the fellow travellers / recent converts are political gadflies and serial crowd chasers. And then you have the political simpletons who will recoil in shock when they realise that to build a political omelette you have to break a political egg.
Livibhoy
Just checked, he is. 29th/30th October.
Will Setanta Ireland have the Stjarnan game on?
NEGANON
I’m usually in your camp on these things but Scottish football had to deal wi the impending King scenario as soon as the huns and the media bought into it.
Figuratively,of course. Not financially. As is their wont.
Most of us are convinced Rangers II are a busted flush. King jumped in,promised the earth-and the stars.
Stars who would have them in CL in three years.
Why would anyone put their neck on the block to tell the slavering supremacists that their saviour was not fit and proper under such circumstances?
That way they get the blame for them going nipples north again.
Pass him,and pass the buck. Machiavelli would be proud of it.
THEHONESTCOVERUP
Greece is consigned to penury for the foreseeable future.
Never mind the politics,people will suffer during that time.
Badly.
They don’t deserve this.
Macjay 1 for Neil Lennon
What do you think of Lyndsey Sharpe’s remark?
BMCUWP
There will be an exodus of young people out of the country.
Can you blame them?
Madmitch..,
Got to agree with your disappointment with the comparison, however there are a few comparisons that can be legitimately made, such as
Greece were allowed into the EU on the back of nondisclosure similarly to the rangers being admitted into European competition, in both cases it was the responsibility of the admission administration to verify all relevant information offered or otherwise.
In both cases the administrations abdicated their responsibility however in Greece’s case they got vilified and blamed for the Europeans refusal to do their own mandatory checks.
In rangers case the administration SFA covered up everything in an attempt at self preservation. Again in both cases they don’t actually care who now knows they think they are beyond justice, this is only true of Europe, the SFA are too small.
IB @ 12.50
This is not a Greek failure.
This is a failure of the EU dream / ideal.
It is being driven by a political class who do not have a sense of history.
1953 made West Germany.
Even Pakistan took a haircut regarding the FRG’s debt.
Their economic miracle was built on the low debt economy gifted to them.
To see them victimise Greek is shameful.
And the neon con chorus of East European debt Hawks is unforgivable.
We are now living on a weaker more dangerous continent with all this economic misogyny.
Cana … @ 14.33
Blow it oot yer erse.
Not even funny.
Oh and madmitch,
On your other point
“The Greek GDP has shrunk by 25% from its peak.
Oh yes and the club’s turnover has fallen 30% from its peak.
Maybe we should practice a little austerity in our boardroom?”
Isn’t this exactly why the turnover has fallen because they have been practising austerity and the more severe the austerity the further the fall.
Madmitch,
it wasn’t meant to be funny, it is the truth a very serious and sickening parallel.
When power gets to a certain level it believes in its own infallibility and immortality.
macjay1 for neil lennon
13:53 on 13 July, 2015
jmccormick
13:42 on
13 July, 2015
“But then again the vast majority in Scotland are racists too.”
Oh dear…time to leave the blog.
——————————————————————————————————————–
Yeah.
Lets hear the outrage about anti-Scottish racism.
On the other hand,under no circumstances make the slightest remark of a derogatory nature about Ireland .
Hunnish double standards.
~~~~~~~~~~~~++~~~~~~~~~~
MACJAY
Much as I love you,mate-you seem to be putting yourself in the position of a victim rather than a protagonist.
Care to remind anyone what ‘the slightest remark’ was?
You may well be able to argue that your comment was correct-and believe it or not I have a lot of sympathy with that-but the slightest remark it certainly was not.
Apropos nothing in particular.
Good to see that Police Scotland have learned the lessons from last weeks tragedy where they failed to respond to a call re. the RTA near Stirling. I’ve just had a visit from them re. a traffic offence I committed about 6 months ago.
Dont try and tell me, it’s not about the money.
HH
art of war
13:32 on 13 July, 2015
KODI BOX BHOYS!
The eagle has landed.
I will be in touch tonight regarding delivery and payment.
I’m based in the city centre so can meet etc….
Spec – They are Amlogic S812-H best chip to date for streaming Quad core 4×2.0ghz. They have 2 gb DDR3 and Andoid 4.4 but are due to get 5.1.1 as the beta is out just now. They have 8gb emmc and have gigabit Ethernet & Dual band WIFI. 4k & 3d capable.
Pretty much the highest spec available other than the minix x8h+ which is £140 that has slightly better wifi and 16gb storage.
4x USB ports & one micro sd card slot. They power external USB hard drives no bother.
Speak soon!
AoW
———-
AoW – that looks like music to my ears.
How do I get in touch?
Jonny…,
Hope you had a tasty comment for them on that subject.
scullybhoy
14:29 on 13 July, 2015
Macjay 1 for Neil Lennon
What do you think of Lyndsey Sharpe’s remark?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Any response?
A.O.W
………Guys, please – beware of geeks bearing gifts.
;)
Art of War.
You can contact me on gmail using supersuttoncsc
Cheers.
bankiebhoy1
14:55 on 13 July, 2015
A.O.W
………Guys, please – beware of geeks bearing gifts.
;)
———–
Brilliant.
Happy birthday Oldtim, hope you are keeping well. Will catch up with you soon.
Aye forgot that
Many happy returns Oldtim
OldTim67
Many happy returns ya oul tart! :-)
https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-android-tv-box-sellers-raided-by-police-150612/
Be careful with the Android boxes Bhoys.
LB
What’s the difference between a policeman and a police officer?
MoonbeamsWD
14:05 on
13 July, 2015
I find it distasteful making comparisons between a so called football club and a country on it’s knees were hundreds of thousands are being forced into poverty, forced onto the streets to live and the suicide rates are going through the roof.
And as for those comparing the situation in greece to what might have been if Scotland chose to be independant, take your heids oot of the Daily Mail you nutters.
===========================
How would an Independent Scotland have fared when the (big Scottish) banks crashed?
AOL
A wee note of caution on Kodi.
I’ve uploaded to my laptop and added many channels.
Some return blanks because no matter how good the hardware if an event or movie or show is not on stream it’s not available.
I’ve not tested getting Celtic TV as I subscribe to it but although I find lots of addons (cchannels) that mention Sky when I try to link I’m not successful.
It’s brilliant for movies and shows but when it comes to live events my feeling is a lot of frogs (addins/channels) might have to be kissed before you hit a stream.
That note of caution might recede when the season starts and there are more games being streamed possibly from foreign broadcasters. What’s Arabic for Offside or Goalllll !
David a very Happy Birthday to you, hope to catch you soon for some Hebridean size gins and vodkas,got a wee Hebridean gift with your name on it. See you next time I,m down. Hail Hail Hebcelt
What did Lyndsey Sharp say …..?
HH
channelislandcelt
She made a comment that was a play on words of the BJK slur.
How would an Independent Scotland have fared when the (big Scottish) banks crashed?
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here is a list of banks that have bone bust and who has bailed them out. The Belgian Irish and Dutch were bailed out by the governments that stood to lose the most. So i guess the answer to the question would probably be the English and Scottish government would bail them out.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_banks_acquired_or_bankrupted_during_the_Great_Recession
No, nobody know? A policeman works for the people, a police officer works for a company, to make money! The police are a Plc on company house.
Macjay@13.53
Any chance of giving it a rest??? You really do go out of your way to be offended. If Ireland is not mentioned you will find a way of making sure it is.
And while you are at it what do you think of Lyndsy (not so) Sharps remark. Think Scullybhoy has asked you a couple of times. Never catch a Tim saying something like that.