As the darkest clouds descend over Ibrox with news that medals in their trophy room have been poinded by sheriff officers, sentiment in our half of the city is no brighter. Celtic’s best chance to win the league this season lies not in outpointing everyone else, or seeing their principle rivals lose 10 points, it is in the complete obliteration of Rangers, allowing us to take our chances with Motherwell, who can open up a six point gap between second and third against Celtic on Sunday.
Whatever the following weeks bring for Rangers, if Celtic winning the league is a consequence, we cannot allow the title to disguise the abject failure to be competitive so far this season.
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Jobo a bad weekend looks like getting worse for me
TTT / Blantyretim
So thats both knees now…. It should improve his balance…..
Thumbsup
PFayr says:
31 October, 2011 at 20:01
Scratch “potential”.
And he’s a horrible wee shite into the bargain.
Inappropriate on a public forum. Just like the tittle-tattle being circulated about the Celtic work-place, the truth is irrelevent.
henriks tongue says:
31 October, 2011 at 20:19
Whilst the personnel constantly changes, the root of the actual problem – the 2 dimensional football manager type formations rarely do.
Sometimes we are treated to the right footed winger playing on the left at the same time as the left footed winger on the right – for the ultimate shock factor when the other tactics havent worked.
The root of the problem is our players do a very good impression of looking like subbuteo footballers when they dont have the ball at their feet.
That is a level of coaching beyond our current management.
Nearly 2 years at the helm, a completely new team yet without the slightest change is more than enough evidence
The No. 13 Shorts
A fair enough argument. I was a wee bit surprised at the FF comparison as the post was a bit mild for FF, and they’d be praising Willie Collum, but you are right to say it is personal gossip.
Paul67 et al
.I can’t remember if this is my post or maybe I have copied and pasted it from some blog,but They are my thoughts,and rather than type something else.I thought I’d post them on here.
Is there a light at the end of the tunnel,for the life of me I can’t see any light,and I can’t see any end.
When Neil Lennon was appointed as provisional Manager,I knew what the next step would be,the fullfillment of any footballers dream, to be appointed the manager,it was as clear as day that that was what was going to happen,the step up from provisional Manager to Manager in his own right.
Why was that decision made,an experienced footballer,promoted Coach,Provisional Manager,Then Manager all in the blink of an eye,where did he inherit his experience,did he brush against Jose Mourinho,and a bit of magic stuck to him,at this moment in time there is no magic formula,his inexperience is so obvious for all to see.
Neil Lennon,and ultimately the board, for choosing him, have a big problem on their hands,where is Neil going to pick up this much needed experience,He has no clues how to change a teams performance when under pressure,I dread what will happen on the 2nd of January,for at the moment they look incapable of winning a game,let alone a game against the League leaders.
I’ve read back the blogs since I came back from the game,when Celtic went behind,and before they went behind, there were calls to bring on Paddy McCourt,Lennon did bring on Paddy for the last 20 minutes,what I saw of Paddy,was a run up the park,beating a couple of men then losing the ball very easily,the other time he got near the penalty area and fell over the ball, I think now that after I’ve read the previous blogs,I’m inclined to think ,thank god he didn’t come on from the start,Paddy will play outstanding football,and score great goals,but it won’t be at the managers behest but on his own terms,when Paddy McCourt feels like turning on the style,We just have to wait on those magical moments,they won’t come of the paddy McCourt conveyor belt.
As I’ve said Neil has no experience,this is something he will need over the coming games,who’s going to be his mentor,I know that question is a bit belated,it should have been asked when Neil took up the post because that is where the experience comes from,A mentor and a good one at that,but for some reason he didn’t require a minder,a teacher who would guide him through the lean times.
You don’t learn from your past mistakes,well he hasn’t done it as yet.Are we,the supporters to suffer while Mr Lennon learns on his own,how long will this learning curve take, a week, a month,the rest of the season,how long’s a piece of string,that’s the kind of silly question that we are asking.
The board in their wisdom caused this problem,it will be up to them to find the solution.We can’t go on sacking managers,but Neil may have a problem with his ego,he maybe think he is better than he is,and may not want a mentor,that’s when the board will have repair the damage they caused by picking a very inexperienced person to Manage Celtic.To get us out this mess that they, in their penny pinching ways are creating.
There’s talk that the Board are happy to downsize at the moment,but what follows, downsizing of the football side of the business must surely mean the downsizing of the supporting side of the business as well.maybe the board won’t downsize the suuporting side,But I think the supporters will do that for them.
How long do we wait until the penny drops,Neil Lennon was the wrong choice as manager of Celtic,You don’t pick an apprentice to do a qualified job,and Neil was certainly not qualified to manage Celtic.The great man himself done two stints at different clubs to learn his trade before joining Celtic.
There is something wrong with our club when you set out to watch them, and before you go, you wonder if we’re going to manage a win ,or draw,or the ultimate insult,get beat(As my horses are doing),We definately have big problems at Celtic Park at this moment in time.Get it sorted or we could be fighting relegation? at the end of the season.
Eyes Wide Open says:
31 October, 2011 at 20:26,
Only read about the referee incident on the news reports, but whatever the story those responsible should be apprehended and barred from GAA activities.
I was in Casement yesterday and Crossmaglen looked good, but Derry/Armagh affairs have a habit of upsetting the odds.
Árd Macha
Is standing up for Neil Lennon 100%
92 points
freshers play better than sophomore
Neil wrote a book, admitted he had issues, how is that received in a country that has made him public enemy #1, short memories or weakness to exploit ?
Looks like that weakness is being exploited to me, and the people who should be giving succour are letting him down big style – players, collegues, executive and worst of all the support a man down at Celtic park, how does that work ? used to be the twelth man, can be when its all on telly.
How quick to bitter
managerial shortlist
stale solbakken
ole gunnar soslkjaer
erik hamren
fred rutten
dan peterscu
gertjan verbeek
2 nil Newcastle.
jobo
Has action been taken retrospectively into Naismith’s horrendous tackle???
Mullet and Co –
for what vacancy?
Jobo
Greenlion2 says:
31 October, 2011 at 20:14
I am having as good a season as the team on the old coupon and I only picked us once at orcsville…:(
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
cops behavin badly just started, pity panorama weren,t filming at Celtic Park on sat!!!
Parkhead Cumsalford
Aye. Aberdeen player suspended for 3 years.
MWD
By the way, the effort on show yesterday at Casement Park from amateur players, will have shamed the current playing staff, bar a few.
Árd Macha
Mullet and Co.@ 20.37
Fred Rutten has blown the last two league titles at PSV. I hardly think Solbakken would leave the Bundesliga for Celtic. But I like the last two names, Verbeek was my choice at the start of last season.
How are such an average side as Newcastle going to be 3rd in the EPL?
Mullet and Co says:
31 October, 2011 at 20:37
managerial shortlist
Take it that’s for the Leicester job???
FFS get a grip, we have a manager or are you a hun journo???
Mullet and Co @ 20:37
79caps @ 20:43
For which vacancy?
Jobo
TMWTL
hardwork and not concedeing goals
TMWTL
It won’t last of course.
Árd Macha says:
31 October, 2011 at 20:42
Same for the game at Healy Park.
There was a wee fella for Dromore, must have been around 5ft 6in marking a full forward atleast 6ft 3in (the smallest man on the Ballinderry team was atleast 6ft!) and I dont think he was beat to a single aerial ball.
An absolute wee terrier of a man.
That will to win, that personal pride and determination which tells you no matter the circumstances and no matter the odds – I will not be beaten; comes from within.
You cant coach that.
However you can identify that trait and fill your team with them.
For anyone in or near the area it was a wee fella by the name of Fabien O’Neill and wore number 2.
11 of those men in a hooped jersey would have me going home a happy man regardless of the result, because I knew if they were beat – they gave it everything and were only beaten by deserved winners
I don’t get it. The man must be born Scottish to wish well Celtic? From the blog I leaqrn that the one who calls for new manager is hun. Strange.
No 13
I apologize if I offended you. No intent.
If Willie reads here he’ll see a lot worse but I take your point.
Mea culpa.
Jobo @ 20.46
Sorry, I was merely commenting on Mullet and Co.’s “shortlist”. I should not have got drawn into that. For the record, I would not want Neil to be fired. However, if things get any worse, I think he’ll walk. But I am always an optimist and a win against Rennes would give the team a real boost.
Mullet and Co says:
31 October, 2011 at 20:37
managerial shortlist
Take it and shove it…..we get together at the Cousins Of William on Sunday and we give it lots of laldy and we get 3 points and we look ahead to the drama unfolding at Chateau D`Espair.
There is a time for witchhunts,now is not teh time. If Neil Lennon wants to leave , fine. If the arsehole that put him in the job, wants to remove him,then it should be a “buy one get one free” and he falls on is sword too. That WILL not happen,so we have to pee with the c*ck we`ve got. I still say the players are good enough.
Ten Men Won The League says:
31 October, 2011 at 20:44
How are such an average side as Newcastle going to be 3rd in the EPL?
Well organised, motivated with good team harmony an an experienced, pragmatic manager.
Overall they are greater than the sum of their parts. Like all very good teams.
All sounds a bit unfamiliar to me though what about you Neil ?
blind
and i thought he was defending my virtue :¬))
If Craig Burley was commentating and Stoke vs Newcastle was an SPL game he would have talked more about the shocking lack of atmosphere and constantly being able to hear people whistling in the crowd such is the level of quietness – it was an indication of how fallen down scottish football in the whole has become – than he would have talked about the game itself.
Lads this is a bit long winded but worth a read.
The Problems Facing the SFA If Rangers Fall Into Insolvency – A Guest Post by Brogan Rogan Trevino and Hogan
My favourite commenter named after two Celtic full backs, and two fantastic golfers, was good enough to put a lengthy comment on my last post.
To ensure that it gets the wider audience it deserves, I have copied it below.
Take it away BRTH!
———————————————————————————————————
While there has naturally been a focus on the possible exit/survival routes that may be countenanced by the Rangers PLC and/or a Rangers new co– and now some concentration on the actual details of the Whyte/Murray deal– any which way you look at it other than one there is a legal nightmare ahead for Stuart Regan and the newly transparent SFA. I suspect that things are far from clear at Hampden and there is a real danger that there are aspects to any application for admission by a new co that have not been considered– as yet– and which may well tilt the whole thing in another direction.
Stop and consider this? What is the role of the Scottish Football Association? Yes it is there to regulate the laws of football in Scotland, to make rules and apply them, to consider and create new football legislation when appropriate, to ensure compliance with the regulation of its own parent bodies ( UEFA and FIFA) , To represent its constituent clubs where appropriate, to licence in terms of the regulations of both the SFA and UEFA, and at times to be a judicial body applying sanctions where breaches of the rules have been established.
Oh Dear– what a lot of functions and responsibilities– and what a lot of conflicts of interest!
As I have said elsewhere, The SFA does not just represent the SPL clubs– but all of Scottish Football! Some of the smaller clubs may well have a very different point of view to those clubs in the SPL. Many would welcome a giant of the Scottish game having to visit their stadiums twice a year as it would create a substantial financial bonus and enhance the public interest in their leagues– attracting sponsorship, advertising possibilities and so on that otherwise would not exist!
However let’s concentrate on two of the SFA’s clear functions. As a licensing body and as a judicial body which imposes sanctions, The SFA is and must be subject to an obligation to the law that overrides any competing interest or claim by its constituent members. As a licensing body, it’s decisions are certainly open to Judicial review in the Scottish courts and I would suspect that a judicial review would be open to any of it’s members who disagreed strongly enough with any of it’s decisions.
In the past, I have been involved with many judicial reviews concerning Licensing bodies over the years. Two grounds of review are that a) The decision reached is contrary to natural justice and b) that in reaching any decision the body concerned has unreasonably exercised its discretion– where a discretion has been exercised!!
Pausing there, it is very much open to question whether an argument such as that outlined in the Daily Record recently could ever be formally argued before the SFA which is why I suspect that we are about to get a trial by newspaper!
Any argument presented before a judicial body or a licensing body which contains the semblance of an argument which runs along the lines ” It is in your own financial interests to allow our application!” should immediately be dismissed in law as it creates a clear conflict of interest and makes a mockery of the alleged independent and impartial judicial or licensing function.
Any such argument being considered would surely leave the SFA in a very uncomfortable legal place– not to mention UEFA or FIFA — where independence and freedom from personal and collective financial self-interest are under heavy scrutiny and criticism. Take note of the very platform that Platini was elected on!!
So back to judicial review in Scotland.
The current rules in an insolvency position are clear. On Administration ten points at least will be deducted. The ten points I believe is a minimum penalty and it may be that aggravating factors may attract a heavier penalty.
If the Administration is not successfully concluded and liquidation follows the rules state that the licence is lost and surrendered– end of story. An application can then be made by a phoenix company for a new licence and in ordinary circumstances any such company granted that licence would start at the bottom of the league structure and the European regulations regarding the three-year embargo would apply.
Any departure from that set of scenarios on the part of the SFA requires an exercise of their discretion, and in exercising any such discretion the SFA must act according to natural justice and must not exercise that discretion unreasonably.
In that light, look at the footballing and legal facts– as opposed to the “If we are doomed, you are all doomed argument” which has no place in law.
Rangers PLC have deliberately and recklessly broken and flaunted the footballing financial guidelines and have deliberately and recklessly ran up a debt with inter alia HMRC.
Remember that this entire scenario comes about as a result of an attempt to avoid paying due revenues to a relevant tax authority as a result of a connived scheme to avoid paying the taxes that every other club is subject to. Further, I suspect that an examination of the relevant documents surrounding the creation of the EBT and the advice given to Rangers PLC about operating such a scheme will make it clear that no such advice can ultimately be relied upon fully and that there is a clearly stated risk that the entire scheme may well be one which the revenue can have declared illegal with the result that revenues will be due together with accumulating interest and taxes– and that therefore the Directors of Rangers PLC enter into such an agreement fully warned and at their own risk!
Remember too that some of those Directors were paid under that very same scheme!
So this is not a simple case of a business failing and falling into insolvency. This is a case of the Directors deliberately seeking a financial advantage over all competitors which they have been warned in advance may well be unlawful and have sanctions and penalties.
That is a very different scenario to the insolvency of Dundee or Gretna and so on. It is a very different footballing scenario as well, as the entire scheme was designed to ensure that the club concerned could attract the very best players in the country and could win the premier tournaments of the licensing body!
But there is worse to come. On two occasions Rangers have “poached” the national team coach in order to achieve the best possible management of their team. That may be fair enough in a commercial world. However, both of those managers will have wanted to know what the budget will have been to strengthen the squad prior to taking on the job. Let us consider the last such appointment when Walter Smith left Hampden to take up the hot seat at Ibrox.
I will wager ( or at the very least wonder if ) that by that time the Directors of Rangers knew that there was a problem with the tax authorities and the famous or infamous EBT contracts? If so then we have a compounding of the Rangers situation.
If the club had received notice of enquiries being made at that time by HMRC, then going by the advice previously given, they would also know that there was a possibility of a large repayment being due together with penalties and interest.
The prudent director at that point may want to make provision for paying any such liability. Did Rangers? No!!!
Instead, following upon the defeat by Kaunas they went on an unprecedented spending spree to ensure success– all at the cost of paying HMRC and at the cost of complying with the intention of the fair play financial legislation.
Money that could have been used for debt repayment was spent on Mendes, Davis, Lafferty, Whittaker, Naismith ans so on– eventually that extended to the signings of Miller, Jelavic and everyone who followed. Absolutely no attempt at repayment of revenue debt, or the setting aside of money to meet revenue debt, was made.
So this is not accidental insolvency as a result of poor trading– it is a direct result of financial irregularity and it should not be allowed to result in a benefit to the perpetrators of that financial irregularity. Does that argument sound familiar? Yes I thought it would– it is taken from the formal legal pleadings of Rangers PLC lodged in the Court of Session in answer to the claim lodged by one of the architects of this misfortune– namely Martin Bain Esq!
So that is the stance on the financial irregularity of the current Rangers Board! That board of course went through a months long and very public due diligence exercise before acquiring a controlling stake in Rangers PLC. They knew and will have received full legal and accounting advice on the legal status of all revenue claims, how those claims came about and how those claims if successful could affect future trading and licensing of the football club and the PLC.
In such circumstances, Craig Whyte and his cohorts have taken on the previously accepted risk. They are in an even worse position than the former board because they could have simply decided not to invest. They could have waited with any bid for Rangers PLC or its assets until after the First tier Tribunal had reached a decision and the full effect of any legal consequence was known. Yet they didn’t. Instead, in full knowledge and with the benefit of full advice they took on that risk!
We can only speculate as to why that might be. It has been suggested that it as insisted upon by the bank. What would have happened if that had not happened? Perhaps the bank would have pulled the plug and………..? Well the legal consequences are spelt out above. The rules are clear.
So under the current daily Record scenario, in the event of an Administration or even prior to it, the SFA will be approached by someone presumably on behalf of Craig Whyte to exercise an extraordinary discretion ( thus departing from the normal rules ) which it will be argued should apply to some new entity that wants to call itself Rangers because…….?
And it is there that I hit a brick wall! Why should this extraordinary discretion be applied in these circumstances?
If their stadium had been closed because of Fire or Catastrophe or some other physical reason that leads to financial ruin then that may be an argument!
If all their players went on strike or broke contracts or something than that may be another.
In fact any argument that these circumstances were not brought about by the club itself may gain some sympathy in law– but a deliberate and calculated act, the risk of which was accepted and taken on by the controller of the new applicant? Not sure about that!!!
Whyte also has questions of his own to answer with regard to a business track record, source of funding, compliance with companies Act legislation, the ability to trade presuming no European Football ( and that must be legally presumed ) and in general answer the fit and proper fitness test. This is a test which he seems to have spectacularly failed in the eyes of the takeover panel at Rangers PLC as the Directors sitting on that panel refused their blessing and sanction.
Those Directors have since resigned and some have entered the legal courts as a result of what they see as Whyte’s conduct. Whats more, in a few short months, Whyte has threatened to sue various journalists and other media outlets following their apparent criticism or questioning of the legal or business circumstances surrounding Rangers Football Club and Rangers PLC.
So on what basis and under what grounds can the SFA reasonably exercise a discretion to a new applicant under the control of Craig Whyte in these circumstances? What would be the legal position of anyone who objects to any such discretion being exercised?
I again stress that I don’t think that potential financial doomsday is a reasonable argument in law to put before a licensing body or a judicial committee– who of course must call for a report and seek to investigate all of the facts. Thus is far harder than is being suggested in the newspapers and of course if in advance discussions are taking place then all of the member clubs should be notified immediately.
What’s more, any such procedure must surely take a proper legal course and a reasonable amount of time. Any Administration would have to occur before there is an application– indeed it may be that an actual liquidation has to occur before any new application because even in an Administration event all licence places are full. Further the SFA cannot agree to the favourable determination of any licensing application before it is made as that is clearly unlawful!
No, for the SFA, the scenario outlined is a legal nightmare even if all the clubs wanted to agree to such a course. I am aware that there is a voting procedure of 11-1 which Rangers might want to invoke but you see even that very rule may well just be challenge-able on the basis of the voters having their own financial interests in mind as opposed to serving another function– an no licensing body can work legally on such a principle. If there is a conflict of interest any such party should take no part in the proceedings and so if anyone thinks that they will go bust in the event of Rangers going bust and going into liquidation should excuse themselves from any decision-making process.
Two last points:
Watch out for the detail of the FC Sion ruling as there may well be an impact on all of this in the detail of that decision.
Lastly, Celtic Football Club are represented by Messrs Harper McLeod Solicitors who have a number of Licensing and sports law experts who will be only too familiar with all of the above. They are also familiar to the SFA and their judicial bodies, their legal representatives and so on. I have a great deal of respect for Rod McKenzie and his team and they will no doubt steer their clients in the proper legal direction if consulted on any licensing or regulatory manner– as the SFA well know!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_prem/default.stm
A great view of the aberdeen players leg after assaulting naismith’s studs
Ray Singh carr 17.43
They should give you a bloody medal.
Celtic are letting you down big time.
I have been posting the same thing for over 4 years now.
DD has to get more actively involved,and get the good ship Celtica back on track.
TT
Árd Macha says:
31 October, 2011 at 20:42
The Cross success is down to skill, hard work, a professional approach, good preparation and probably most inportant – pride. These are qualities we expect from a Celtic side but we’re getting short changed there.
The Cross are truly an inspiration. They have a club lottery for fundraising. All the first team players take their turn when it comes to selling their tickets. Each and everyone.
The Professional Players Association? When all county players received their grants all the Cross players immediately donated theirs to the club. They realise that without the club they are nothing. They owe the club for everything.
Pride. They could sell the stuff.
53
Ahhhhhh well it didn’t take long to start
20:45hrs toe the the party line or your a Hun courtesy of the CQN whips
Sickening
henriks tongue
I have watched Newcastle on every live appearance on tv this season, and ‘a very good team’ is something they ain’t
I think it is more to do with how poor the EPL is at this current time. Look at Man City. Spanking everybody in the EPL, yet struggling in the CL
Mickybhoy.
Is that you whipping the whips?
How sickening is that?