Our relative financial position has slipped over the last two decades, from regularly featuring in the Deloitte Top 20 clubs in world football, to being so adrift from that status our position is irrelevant.
The seeds of the same decline can be seen everywhere in Europe outside of the EPL. What happened in Glasgow has reached Milan. Today, I am less exercised about leaving Scotland than I was in the early days of CQN. I think it has been watching Tottenham that did it. Tottenham are a huge club, even without Champions League revenue, they have the eighth highest income in world football. But they win nothing. Don’t believe the brand hype, they are a joyless meme.
What do I want from my football? Joy, seems like a good answer. If you are a Celtic fan, you will experience a lot of joy. Celtic Park could be re-addressed: 1 Euphoria Circus, Glasgow. We play in a league against many teams from towns where the entire population could fit inside Celtic Park, but we also have resourceful opponents, so winning just as much as we do feels like a real achievement.
Our Champions League nights are special, they engage the soul in a way Motherwell on Boxing Day will never be able to. A move to England, or a European league, would bring more of these special days, but joy? That would be scarce, compared to our current quota.
There is a flip side of all of this. One of Dante’s nine circles of Hell is surely not a circle, more a box, with four rectangular sides. Surviving in a small league, while aspiring to be top dog, but persistently falling short over decades, watching your only rival clear up, is the worst of all worlds.
Some of us lived through this in the 90s, when the Scotland’s top clubs being consumed in a sea of anonymity in the English leagues would have been a great relief. The comeuppance for reckless spending elsewhere in the 90s was always coming, though.
Offered the choice today, I would still grab at the chance of leaving Scottish football. The world does not stand still and we have to hope for a day when we don’t lose players to Bournemouth (Christie is doing very well there).
If you lived through the 90s, you can probably cope with this level of success and losing players to Bournemouth for another few decades. That is not our choice, though. All we can do is appreciate the gift of Celtic and Enjoy the Joy.
Take care. Hope you have a great Christmas, and if possible, a chance to recharge!
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Why hello there Christmas Eve!
HH!
Afternoon all. Would welcome leaving the Scottish set up.
A puzzle wrapped up in a conundrum
What’s is all about Alfie.
Aipple – also Wednesday eve 🍀
Great Christmas to you and all others on this blog.
Tex
And how long does it take to publish the fans survey
Paul67
‘ Somewhere over the rainbow…. Wae a pie ’
‘Jeremiah was a bullfrog’
https://youtu.be/7dMIMJqDq0s
T
Have a good Christmas, all.
Back at you TEXASTIM.
Been roaming around here for close to 2 decades and three last 2 years have seen me meet a dozen or so from these parts.
Merry Christmas to all.
If you were in Sweden right now you would be watching Donald Duck. Oh, to be in Sweden for a different Donald.
Yip, let’s enjoy being Celtic.
We can’t manufacture a way out of Scottish football to a more elite set-up, even if we did a ‘Leicester’ in the CL – only hope is that another set-up wants, and invites, us.
What we can do is keep winning in Scotland and stay 24 or, higher, in the revamped CL table – that will do me to be going on with for the foreseeable future. HH
Paul 67,
One way to give joy in our “poor” league is to play fast forward thinking. entertaining football.
The tippy, tappy across the 18 yard line, then backwards is not for me.
Possibly naively, I still think that our football should focus on entertainment. That would bring joy to those who watch our games.
Imo, this is a ” burden ” Celtic managers have to endure.
I do think that the revised European format fills the gap that domestic football cannot.
Wishing all on here a very happy Christmas when it comes. And may your God ( or none ) give those who have or are suffering strength.
HH.
Statement fc
Unhappy at britherly appointments
https://www.rangers.co.uk/Article/club-statement-241224/4CvprvpTNEGMj6b5w6cPjB
HH
Enjoy the joy indeed :-))
Merry Christmas to all on CQN.
We dont want to interfere but Frank Connor is running the line at the Celtic Motherwell game which we find unacceptable, I filled in the gaps for those who have any doubt who this is aimed at.
Bit of a feniany sounding name Dessy
Ha
HH
Oh dear Statement o’ clock,totally embarrassing
Followed by death threats from The Gang….
Are You Not Entertained?
MaximusDecimusMeridiusCSC
So , not only do they want to decide who officiates at their games , they want to decide who officiates at our games too ?!!
The SFA had better get a grip of this mob . See where Pandering to them gets you .
Following on from statement o clock have
We issued ours yet about the near side linesman!!
Happy Christmas Timdom
Phil.
Scotland football?
Completed it mate
philcool
he should have been arrested never mind demoted – then again…
Looks like they want to decide who takes control of their and our games , they will use any means to achieve their goal, foreign officials are getting closer .
AT
Smith at Kilmarnock, the press need to slaughter this statement.
AIPPLE on 24TH DECEMBER 2024 12:09 PM
Why hello there Christmas Eve!
HH!
—————
Aipple proves once again that you can never keep a good man down.
😂
Have a cracking Xmas peeps. See you all on here Boxing Day.
😃🎄🇮🇪🏆🍀⚽️🎄🏆🇮🇪🍀
Frank Connor obviously gets dug out due to his name,meanwhile the goat botherer who was on VAR gets it easier
March 2024: John Beaton makes two massive VAR errors in Celtic’s visit to Tynecastle. Celtic boss calls out errors and gets suspended by SFA. John Beaton is awarded the biggest derby in years just weeks later as the main man in the middle.🤷♂️
BBC Scotland Sport on their online pages have printed the statement and have approached the SFA for comment, note no comment from them, what is their purpose?
Referees balloting for strike action…..no?
The bbc on line editor Wilson is said by some to one of the most bigoted small men. A former rangers news employee and ex herald writer. I am astonished he has survived so long with his blatantly twisted agenda.
He took it to insane levels during the lockdown season but he really is at it again this year.
First home game on Boxing Day in 14 years
A home game on boxing day. Celtic park will be full.
Then again maybe not.
Noticeable how the BBC report names Frank Connor first as though he was the senior VAR official. There is no attempt to balance the respective roles and, in fact, gives the impression that Connor had more responsibility. very poor reporting from a supposedly impartial medium, funded by the public purse.
If the SFA cave in and change the officials the game is over, they control refereeing no club should accept this interference, watch out for flu bugs etc being given as a reason.
They are without doubt the most disgusting football club ever HH
Burnley78
I think i know who you are talking of from his days at the Herald,narrative first,story nowhere,truth out the window.A pet of Sir Hunner of Pence,waitin to be telt what to write
BadaBing,some of the zoomers on their site have him down as Frank Connor(unbeaten ex manager from lou macari days) son,zoomerage of the highest order
HH
Conor Barron fee still not set.
HH