It was a fantastic result from Celtic Park last night for Scotland’s poor who are dependent on food aid. Fans arrived in droves before kick off with bags full of provisions to restock food banks across the region.
I can sympathise with the SPFL to an extent. Without a sponsor, they are even more dependent on satisfying television, and satisfying television often involves making unpopular decisions, but the mess they’ve made of scheduling the final Championship fixtures of the season is deeply embarrassing for our game.
Our game is looking more and more like it’s being run like a Banana Republic. Generalissimo Doncaster has a case to answer.
I’m pretty sure no one at Celtic considered Leigh Griffiths as their number one striker when he signed a year ago. That he has become so, is as much a result of his forward competition failing to deliver as much as his own talents, but there’s no denying Leigh’s ability. He’s turned into a vibrant, productive striker who scores all types of goals.
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Truth be Told, All I remember is what people that Mean a lot to me, say to me.
God Bless CQN.
bmcuw.
Its $9+ here for a pint. So it is obviously a lot less expensive to be an alki back home.I think the governor is going to give it to us for $7.That means that Mick will drink about 4 more pints than usual.I’m really looking forward to this.We start about 2pm and the game is on about 9.30pm.our time.The last time we done this I ended up with 4 broken ribs v the huns.All my own fault,suffered a lot of pain,but its all in a good cause.Take care mateHH
.
The Guy below is Obviously Not a Football Supporter..
My First 10 Years in Oz.. I Actually Hated Saturday afternoons.. Even though I know it was Friday Night in Scotland.. I missed the Football and the Craic that went with it more than My Family..
When Celtic stopped 10 in a Row.. The Game was meant to be televised but it was Cancelled at the Last Minute.. Circa 2am on a Sunday Morning.. Me and a Mate scrambled to my Place and listened to Game on BBC world service.. The 2 of us sitting there in the Middle of the Night Greeting wishing we were in Paradise..
001
..
Courtesy The Irish Times..
‘What I miss most about Ireland are the things I took for granted’
‘Ireland and Me’: Philip Lynch, Tasmania, Australia
Philip Lynch: ‘Australia, warts and all is home. Deep down I don’t think I’ve ever seriously entertained the idea of going back to live in Ireland. I’m more able to openly admit this now that my parents are no longer alive.’
Last November, The Irish Times invited readers abroad to submit reflections on their relationship with the land they left. The story below is one of the stories we received,
which is collected in a new ‘Ireland and Me’ eBook.
What I miss most about living in Ireland are the little things I once took for granted.
By this I mean the ordinary everyday stuff. Like the landscape where I grew up in unremarkable rural Westmeath. Long summer evenings that stretched into the night. Soda bread. I miss the stillness of the bog on a midsummer’s day when we were tending turf. And, of course I miss Christmas in winter.
Philip Lynch: ‘My Irishness is seriously on the wane. Such is the inevitable fate for many of us long-term migrants.’‘After 30 years away from Ireland, I’m now an Aussie of sorts.
Generation Emigration: Irish Times site for Irish abroad
And then there’s the small matter of the remnants of the family I’ve left behind. There are cousins I no longer know and funerals of so many aunts and uncles I can’t attend. But beyond all, that I have to concede I’m happy enough here in Australia.
What I don’t miss is the economic nihilism I felt before I left back in the early 1980s. And I’m frankly grateful now that I’m well away from aftermath of the bailout and the massive debt that continues to loom large over the Irish economy. But what I do miss is the humour and the dry ironic wit that pervades so much of everyday Irish life.
I’ve spent the last 30 years getting used to living in this massive continent that is Australia. It’s been a journey of subtle adjustments. I’ve driven the length and breadth of this mighty country and yet I’ve barely scratched its surface. And 30 years on, I’m still adjusting, still trying to make a go of it here. Sometimes I think we migrants have to try harder to succeed because we don’t have much to fall back on.
Australia, warts and all is home. Deep down I don’t think I’ve ever seriously entertained the idea of going back to live in Ireland. I’m more able to openly admit this now that my parents are no longer alive. Having made a go of things here I feel as if I owe some sort of favour to Australia and I’m not about to up stakes any time soon.
My old life in Ireland came to an abrupt stop the day I left. All of a sudden I had no need for my driver’s license, my motorbike and my bank account – or my wellies. All I really needed to leave was a resolve to go and start afresh half a world away.
So much has happened since I left Ireland. The crazy era of the Celtic Tiger has come and gone. The Good Friday Agreement has held. And of course the phenomenon of emigration and the notion of an Irish diaspora have entered the everyday lexicon.
It still feels a little unreal to be moving through my middle-age in Australia. It’s as if part of me isn’t really here at all. I’m still Irish, or at least part of me still is. But every morning I wake up to a brand new day in Australia and the longer I’m away, the more right it feels here, Down Under.
..
001
AWE NAW
It certainly wisnae riveting viewing,not even for a pub chocker wi Tims!
It happens too often,and even the presentation is poor. The product is frequently awful in the EPL too,but presentation is light years ahead of ours.
Mind you,a pish game is still that,no matter how you dress it up.
PETEC
Not voting at all is as good a choice as any,mate. Especially given the choices in front of us.
.
bobby murdoch’s curled-up winklepickers
04:51 on 17 April, 2015
AWE NAW
‘The Caley Thistle manager believes his team is primed to have a right go at Celtic’
Aye,they had a right go at us last weekend too. 40% possession and one shot on target.
..
Napoli had 40% Possession against Wolfsburg away from Home last Night and Won 1-4.. Caley are More than Capable of knocking Celtic out of the Cup.. Hamden is Not a Happy Hunting ground for Celtic..
We All need to Turn Up..
001
Summa of Sammi….05:13,
You also come under that Umbrella, maximum respect.
NN
PADDYMACOZ
ACEILERGONOFRUST is in Perth at the moment,though not for much longer.
Last mail he sent me said it was $15 a pint and $25 for a packet of fags. His Australian Tourist Board credentials are shot,I reckon!
Jee-zoh,at those prices it must be difficult to enjoy yourself,though I’d probably do it just to spite the bassas!!
SUMMA OF SAMMI
U.S.,2-1 v Barcelona. Dread to think what the possession figures were that night.
U.S.,wtf…
Us,that’s better
bmcuwp
http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/season=2013/matches/round=2000347/match=2009541/postmatch/statistics/
Beeb said 34/64
HH
LYMMBHOY
Blinkin’ flip,we had that much?!
AWE NAW
MSM waking up to your beliefs now.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3042838/SPFL-reliance-TV-cash-forced-settle-scraps-fixture-schedules.html
BMCUWP
Daily Mail is blocked in Thailand. Can you cut and paste that for me please.
HH
Summa of Sammi
Good post that about the emigrant Irish
i can empathise with most of it.
H.H Mick
Scottish football’s relationship with television has become a form of Stockholm Syndrome.
No one is tied up in a basement. There are no hostages. Yet the lengths to which the SPFL will go to show love to those broadcasters who hold a gun to their heads has become a source of growing, simmering public fury. The Scottish game is engaged in a Faustian pact. And the television piper is calling the tune.
Sky and BT Sports pay £16million a year for live coverage of Scottish football. The BBC puts in an estimated £3m a year for Sportscene highlights and radio commentaries.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Awe Naw is Right.
I hope the Lord keeps the Haters in their place.
BMCUW
ACGR must be drinking in the snob hotels my
guinness in Rosie Ogrady’s was only $7 but up
the road in Freemantle it was $11.
I bet he was sneaking a wee malt with his.
H.H Mick
Never thought I’d see the day I complimented a piece in the Daily Mail.
More paid for Lineker than the whole of scottish football by the BBC !!!!!!
Awe Naw…here ya go
Scottish football’s relationship with television has become a form of Stockholm Syndrome.
No one is tied up in a basement. There are no hostages. Yet the lengths to which the SPFL will go to show love to those broadcasters who hold a gun to their heads has become a source of growing, simmering public fury. The Scottish game is engaged in a Faustian pact. And the television piper is calling the tune.
Sky and BT Sports pay £16million a year for live coverage of Scottish football. The BBC puts in an estimated £3m a year for Sportscene highlights and radio commentaries.
Compared with the £5billion paid to English clubs for Premiership football the sums are trifling. Borderline insulting.
St Mirren facing Ross County on a wet March night in Paisley will never be a rival to the Manchester derby but broadcasters don’t show Scottish football out of charity. They do so because it fills their schedules and meets a level of demand. In return for which they regard SPFL football with indifference.
The BBC, a state public service broadcaster, charges the same flat rate licence tax to viewers in London and Manchester as it does to viewers in Glasgow and Inverness, with one key difference. English football is treated with reverence and respect. Scottish football like a pavement beggar.
On Saturday, Hibernian and Falkirk fans will be asked to travel to Glasgow for a Scottish Cup semi-final which kicks off at 12.15pm Why? Because Sky Sports want the game out of the way to show a recorded documentary on Bob Paisley.
On Sunday, Inverness fans must travel 200 miles for another 12.15pm kick-off against Celtic. Topping the bill in the afternoon is the European Cup rugby semi-final between Leinster and Toulon, a game likely to prompt complete indifference in public houses the length and breadth of Britain.
It’s not just the Scottish Cup. Celtic have played just four home league games at 3pm on a Saturday all season.
And the decision to put back the Hearts v Rangers Championship clash 24 hours for the benefit of Sky caused an almighty row while resurrecting the dreaded ‘sporting integrity’ phrase.
Hibernian are engaged in a battle with the Ibrox side for second place in the Championship. This matters because the team which finishes second has two fewer tense, troublesome play-off games to play. Were Rangers to go into their final game at Tynecastle needing only a point against Hearts — Hibernian’s city rivals — the game would be played against an unparalleled backdrop of suspicion.
To most — Leanne Dempster of Hibs and Hearts owner Ann Budge especially — the issue is one of fairness. It’s clear cut. The games should always have kicked off at the same time and they believe the SPFL have been duplicitous and deceitful.
Loathe to be seen criticising the SPFL, SFA chief executive Stewart Regan chose his words carefully, while all but admitting the league had made a complete and utter hash of things.
‘For 99 per cent of the time, there are no issues,’ he said. ‘Broadcasting in football has been operating for 20-30 years with big money coming into the game. Usually it’s no problem at all.
‘There are times — and we have one right now — where the broadcaster has a requirement to show a match at a particular time on a particular day and that causes issues.
‘It’s important for the league to consult with all of the interested parties, particularly the clubs who are the connecting point with the fans.
‘Obviously, you can’t please everybody but consultation is the secret. Neil Doncaster (SPFL chief) has been challenged by a number of different parties and I think it’s important he listens and tries to come up with a pragmatic solution.’
Minutes after Regan spoke, the SPFL’s solution arrived in the shape of an embarrassing U-turn. As they should have been from the outset, the final-day Championship games were all rearranged for Saturday May 2. With a 12.15pm kick-off, naturally. And after some cap doffing and bowing to the Sky paymasters.
Most accept Doncaster is the paid hand of the most influential clubs in Scotland, with little real executive authority. His job is to act as a human shield for clubs and to put lipstick on a pig of a broadcasting deal.
Yet the decision to put the Rangers fixture back heightened suspicions over both his competence and motives.
In May 2013, the final game in Division Three for the Ibrox club — against Berwick Rangers — was shown live on television. The other four fixtures were immediately brought forward, too. A statement on the Rangers website confirmed the decision had been taken ‘in the interests of fairness’.
What changed between May 2013 and now? To those who believe the SPFL are hellbent on getting Rangers back into the top tier come what may, this was manna from heaven.
‘It’s a challenging time for the SPFL right now,’ said Regan with a degree of understatement. ‘I can see why fans are unhappy.
‘Ultimately there’s always a balance between the needs of the broadcasters and the needs of the clubs, the needs of the supporters and sponsors.
‘When you’re looking at a Scottish football landscape, where money is tight and a broadcaster is the biggest provider of income, that can’t be ignored. I’m not saying it’s right but they have to be heard.’
The problem comes when paying customers believe the broadcasters are the only people being heard.
Scottish fans from across the UK are now routinely asked, at the drop of a hat, to change travel plans to facilitate Friday-night football and noon kick-offs on a Saturday or Sunday. Monday night games have also crept onto the schedules.
And for what? Scottish viewers make up around nine per cent of Sky and BT Sport’ s subscribers. Yet it now costs them more to cover two games between West Brom and Stoke than it does to fund an entire season of Scottish football.
The BBC, meanwhile, pays Gary Lineker as much to present Match of the Day as they do for SPFL highlights and radio coverage.
‘It’s fair to say that the landscape we are in right now is challenging,’ added Regan. ‘When you look at the numbers that the Premier League delivered in England it blows everything out of the water.
‘The Scottish football authorities — the league in particular — are fighting for what you would call the scraps from the table.
‘I know that there is pressure being put on the BBC through a number of parties right now, including the Scottish Government, to try to see if there is any way to make an improvement in income that can be generated by further discussions.
‘But, ultimately, the broadcaster will only pay market rate for the product they are buying.
‘We are trying to get that market rate back up by collectively working on initiatives to improve our game, but it’s not going to happen overnight.’
The empty stands are a problem. The spectacle in the SPFL is often poor and does nothing to persuade Sky that Scottish football is worth paying out more cash.
In a vicious circle, however, this attitude drives the crowds lower and lower. Many now speak openly, then, of Scottish football going cold turkey.
Of subscriber boycotts or ending the abusive relationship with broadcasters altogether and streaming SPFL games online on a pay-per-view basis. Or having no coverage at all.
When old hands of the Scottish game such as Sir Bob Kelly, Jim McLean and Jim Farry warned of the creeping dangers of live television they were dismissed as dinosaurs. Right now, they look like visionaries.
Good morning CQNers,
This extract from the Daily Mail piece speaks volumes.
Scottish viewers make up around nine per cent of Sky and BT Sport’ s subscribers. Yet it now costs them more to cover two games between West Brom and Stoke than it does to fund an entire season of Scottish football.
The BBC, meanwhile, pays Gary Lineker as much to present Match of the Day as they do for SPFL highlights and radio coverage.
Petec,
it is part of a deeper strategy by the broadcasters to get the Old Firm product on the screens again which is mirrored in our recently announced pricing strategy. Us the SPFL administrators and the broadcasters
H$ving critical analysis on Radio Clyde?
The Station is a Joke station now.
were you at the game caller.
Awe_Naw_No_Annoni_Oan_Anaw_Noo
06:29 on 17 April, 2015
Petec,
it is part of a deeper strategy by the broadcasters to get the Old Firm product on the screens again which is mirrored in our recently announced pricing strategy. Us the SPFL administrators and the broadcasters
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Real Kick in the Teeth to the NewFirm.
I agree with you.
the no TV and 15:00 SAT kickoffs will mean an even Stronger Celtic team, despite all the Groaning Supporters when we aint 3 up by 50 minutes.
Leigh G, looks like he is gonnae play like he played @ the less pressured Clubs, now.
Leigh G – Go make so many Happy. There is Something about RONNNNNY, Something about Johnny, and a lot to be about JK, Leigh be that MAN.
The Celtic Massive are Loving you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y8w2W1uy2A
Petec,
its all about globalisation. We are now ran to DD’s ethos. Profits regardless. It is a pity that such an awe inspiring support has bought into it. Ever decreasing circles but ever increasing profits. We pretend to be special by good news management but at our core …we are the antithesis of what we are meant to represent. If Paul67 was to announce that our resident loony was DD himself nobody would be surprised.
HH
Twists,
thanks how are you keeping ?
HH
Morning bhoys & ghirls of CQN
Waking up to a lovely sunny morning in the East end of Glasgow
Hopefully the weather remains the same for both cup semi finals and the hampden pitch holds up for Sundays match .
I reckon that and a ” strong / fair ref” are the keys to celtics success this weekend
Aberdeen and Dundee Utd have to up their games to get closer to ALL their dreams.
I hope either team take the Title off a Great Celtic team in the Future, when all is well.
Awe_Naw_No_Annoni_Oan_Anaw_Noo
06:50 on 17 April, 2015
Petec,
its all about globalisation. We are now ran to DD’s ethos. Profits regardless. It is a pity that such an awe inspiring support has bought into it. Ever decreasing circles but ever increasing profits. We pretend to be special by good news management but at our core …we are the antithesis of what we are meant to represent. If Paul67 was to announce that our resident loony was DD himself nobody would be surprised.
HH
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I assure you I’m not DD.
Lighten up m8ty.
Petec,
:-)
Very droll mate. I dont converse with the loonies. The same reason DD does not converse with us. Due to a lack of respect
DisdainCSc
Good morning friends and a Big Happy Friday from a dry, sun kissed, chilly but most acceptable looking East Kilbride.
Awe_Naw_No_Annoni_Oan_Anaw_Noo,
Hail Hail Great Celtic Man
Awe Naw
Very well thanks. Working – running- working – running……
Hoping to drop the working part of lifestyle in 3 years when I hit blind 60:-)
I see you are in Thailand? Holiday? Relocated? Working?
Managed to get up to a game a few weeks ago. Enjoyed it and realised how much I missed Saturday 3pm games. TV being discussed this morning….it has practically wrecked my chances of seeing hoops now. Sunday’s are no good to me. Friday just as bad. Early kick offs on Saturday does not help much.
Huge Irish presence at Celtic Park when I was a buoy and Young mhan. I wonder if anyone knows how much of the Irish support has dropped off since TV got so much power? I can only think if it’s hard for me it’s gotta be worse for our friends across the water?
If truth be told, I could make it on Sunday’s, but wouldn’t get home till dark o clock, and I’m up so early it’d be tough, but as I say, I could make it, so I ask myself if I would make the effort if we were a CL last 16, last 8 side? The truthful answer to that is….yes, I probably would.
What does that make me then? A glory hunter….a lot would say Yes, and I’d find it difficult to argue against.
Hmmmmmmm………
Buoy…..bhoy.
Morning all. On the a9 on the way to Glasgow.
Theres only wan Jobo Balde.
Wan Jobo Balde, theres only wan Jobo Balde…..
Wan Jobo Balde,
*************************
Awe_Naw 7:02,
I think Everyone respects your view on this site, that is the way it should, dough roughvie.
That St Joseph staircase certainly got me thinking.
I’ve got an unique perspective.
Twists,
Glad to hear youe running aboot healthy. I am thinking of retiring in 2-3 years to Thailand. Currently building a smashing hoose.
Yeah….Jock Stein without fans etc.
We can pick and choose our games and Celtic will sell us the ticket before any diehard if we will pay a quid more. Glory and chasing sporting excellence has been replaced with profits and costs.
Irish contingent were dispensable especially with their political baggage. The home and away support a bit trickier.
HH