I never met Jimmy McGrory, who died an elderly man when I was 15. I don’t if he was around Celtic Park much in the years immediately beforehand, but I never even saw him. We have many genuine greats but he is one of a handful of those who could put a claim on being our greatest ever.
I was fortunate enough to meet Jinky several times and have yet to meet Kenny Dalglish or Henrik but the Tier-1 Celtic great I’ve met most is Billy McNeill. Billy’s achievements as a player are legendary, his managerial achievements were none too shabby either, but the way he has represented himself, his family and our clu,b for over half a century, is incredible He must have shared thoughts and memories with well over 100,000 Celtic fans on a one-to-one basis.
Like many of the Lions, and unlike to many less decorated heroes, they never make you feel like you are imposing on them when you’re soaking up the rays of history which flow from them.
The renovations outside Celtic Park are nearing completion and the area will be opened by Billy at 13:00 this Saturday, before the Aberdeen game. While the façade of the stadium has changed greatly since Billy first stood out front as a fan, the school, car park and Kerrydale Street changed only by aging gradually, and the occasional resurfacing.
This renovation will change the way future Celtic fans view the ground in the decades ahead. As a club, we are privileged to have someone of the calibre of Billy McNeill there to celebrate our present and future.
Get along early to support him – and bring a camera.
We are holding a Four Lions CQN Night at the Greenock Celtic Supporters’ Club on Friday 6 June. Willie Wallace is back from Australia for the Lisbon final so we’ve nabbed him for a night, to join Bertie Auld, John Hughes and the one and only Tommy Gemmell. Tickets are genuinely scarce after a lot of local update, if you want to be there, this will be your first and last day to respond…..
The 70th Anniversary Supporters Association Dinner is THIS Friday at the Kerrydale Suite. Dinner, music (step away from the mic. Anthony) and entertainment among hundreds of friends. Tickets cost a mere £30. With the event being on Friday, and Fridays being synonimous with statements these days, I wonder if we’ll have another jelly and ice cream sweet. What a memorable CSA Rally that would be. See you there.
If you would like to attend either event, email me, celticquicknews@gmail.com
FYI, with the Big Cup final returning to Lisbon this month, CQN will be wallowing in unapologetic nostalgia for the next 31 days and beyond. We forget how lucky we are sometimes. Billy, Willie, John, Bertie and Big Tam, celebrate the way only Celtic fans can. Fill your boots.
Seville – The Celtic Movement:
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CELTIC
HAS ROBERT SNODGRASS ALREADY SIGNED FOR CELTIC?
One name that continues to be linked with a move to Celtic is that of Robert Snodgrass. Currently playing in England’s Premier League with Norwich, Snodgrass was first linked in the January transfer window. The media are well known for more or less guessing players that Celtic could be interested in, but this is a name that just won’t go away. The Daily Mirror carried the story back in January that Celtic were ready to bid £6 million to tempt Norwich into selling. However, the £6 million fee quoted was enough to let fans know this was probably just another guess.
Up until last week these rumours had gone away, but then Snodgrass himself was interviewed about Neil Lennon and Celtic. He was quoted saying: “The Celtic lads have great things to say about him so if that is what he is wanting (work in England) then good luck to him. But (with) the manager in charge now, even though we are not getting results, we are playing well in certain spells. It will be interesting to see who does get the job. I’m sure Neil Adams will put his name in the hat and push his own claim. But I’m a Celtic fan so I would like to see him trying to do better in the Champions League (group) stage and try to get the treble.”
This is all fine and well, but is Snodgrass giving Celtic fans a few hints in the background? He went on to say: “There is always going to be lots of talk. Celtic are a massive club but I have a job to do for Norwich and I will focus every bit of my effort trying to keep Norwich in the league. If the worst comes to the worst and you look back with any regret, or if you could have done more, then I won’t be able to live with myself. You must be doing something right if you are being linked with a club like Celtic.”
There’s no denying that Snodgrass is a massive Celtic fan and that he wouldn’t be tempted to move if Celtic finally made their interest known.
At the start of the week, there was rumours circulating that Snodgrass has already agreed to join Celtic in the summer in a deal worth £3.5 million. Whether that’s true or not is another story.
A deal was agreed in January between Celtic and Norwich apparently. Snodgrass told Norwich that he wouldn’t be extending his contract which expires next year. Celtic were keen to sign Snodgrass during the January transfer window but out of respect to Norwich (after they asked him to) Snodgrass agreed to play out the season with them. It’s said that Snodgrass wants to move back home for various reasons.
For now though, this remains only a rumour, but I’m sure we will see things escalating over the next few months.
Snodgrass has been a key player for Norwich since joining them from Leeds back in 2012. He very often comes up with crucial and winning goals.
Norwich fans will be very sad to see him leave, but who can possibly stand in the way of a player joining the club he has supported since he was a child? Celtic can offer him Champions a League football year after year (if they qualify!) and that will also play a key part in swaying him to move back to Glasgow.
It’s a transfer that would be extremely popular with Celtic fans, and he would be a fantastic asset to bring to the club. He would thrive playing in the Scottish Premier League.
Do you think he will be a Celtic player next season?
Good morning bhoys
Entertainment in front of Celtic park from Noon on Saturday and Celtic Way opened by Billy McNeill at 1pm. Lenny & the team present as well.
Rangers players ‘can’t believe’ what they earn, according to Kevin Kyle
By STEPHEN MCGOWAN
PUBLISHED: 23:29, 1 May 2014 | UPDATED: 23:29, 1 May 2014
Kevin Kyle shone a light on the financial mismanagement at Rangers when he claimed even his former team-mates can’t believe how much they earn.
A business review by Graham Wallace last week revealed staggering losses of £70.7million in the last 18 months, with the chief executive insisting that the wage cost is ‘well in excess of what it should be’.
But responding to criticism of players being paid £7,000 a week to play against part-time opponents in the lower leagues, manager Ally McCoist insisted the first-team wages-to-turnover ratio is just 28 per cent — a figure he believes is the ‘envy of any club in world football’.
In a typically candid interview with Sportsmail, however, former Ibrox striker Kyle claims the club are paying players far more than most of them could ever hope to make elsewhere.
‘There are guys at Rangers who can’t believe their luck at what they earn,’ said the 32-year-old, who signed for the Ibrox club in August 2012.
‘I remember a fellow pro phoning me in the summer and, because I had read about it in a paper, I asked him: “Did Rangers really offer you that amount?”
‘And he said to me: “You know what? I think I could actually get even more off them”.
‘You are thinking to yourself: “Third division football and they are going to be earning £350,000 or £400,000 a year? And they would go higher still?”’
Kyle spent last season at Rangers, making nine appearances and scoring three goals during an injury-plagued spell.
Not their fault! Kyle claims the players aren’t to blame if they’re being offered big money by Rangers
Exonerating his former team-mates of blame for doing the best they can financially, he claims he was offered four times what he would have accepted to join the club.
‘You cannot blame the players because they were offered the cash,’ he maintained. ‘It’s the guys who were at Rangers before who ultimately paid them the cash.
‘If you are going to be really, really honest and brutal about it, you take a lot of those players in the Rangers team and challenge them to go somewhere else in Scotland and get the same cash — they wouldn’t get it.
‘Even if they tried to go south, they wouldn’t get it there, either. There would be one or two that might. Lee Wallace probably.
‘But I don’t think any other player in that Rangers team just now could go to another club and get the same wages.’
Anybody know if it is actually the case that Sevco need to go into administration before the final whistle goes in their game on Saturday for the deduction of points (15 or 25?) to happen in the current season?
Any later than the final whistle (season’s end for them) and any deduction happens next season?
Paul 67
As a young Bhoy about 40 years ago I remember my Da taking me and an old neighbour ( Tommy) through to pick up tickets for an up coming big game.
Jim Kennedy at the wee hatch questioning as he did if the club needed such a big request for briefs in his own inimitable fashion.
Anyway , an old man came out the front door and Jim Kennedy introduced him to old Tommy.
‘ you’ll know this man ‘ Jim said to Tommy.
Of course , the old man turned out to be James Edward McGrory.
Old Tommy who must have been in his sixties then but seemed about 100 to me promptly burst into tears!!
That to me says it all about McGrory and how he was held by the support!!
My understanding is that a club/company applying to go into Administration needs to apply to do so, but it is only pending for a few days before formally taking that step.
Doesn’t that mean that Hunco are too late to apply now?
Mind you, all of this has no bearing on Hunco anyway as they just do whatever they want, when they want etc… and the SFA obediently change/create the rules accordingly.
Thehuddlehound
I believe that’s is the case. This was in the Telegraph recently.
Rangers will begin the 2014-15 season in the Championship with a 25-point deduction if the season-ticket boycott by supporters is successful and the club is consequently plunged into administration at any time following Saturday’s game against Dunfermline at East End Park.
The Scottish Professional Football League board’s view is that the club’s season officially ends immediately after their final league fixture and not, as has been speculated, once the play-offs have been concluded on May 25.
Rangers’ auditors, Deloitte, confirmed in March that season-ticket revenue is vital to the club’s future as a going concern.
Former director Dave King and Richard Gough, captain of the team who won nine successive championships, have urged supporters to starve the current board of cash by not renewing season tickets, suggesting that they pay that money into a trust operated by them, from whence it will be released on a game-to-game basis.
Graham Wallace, the Ibrox chief executive, revealed last week that season books must be paid for in cash because FirstData, the payment processing company, will not accept credit card payments.
Due to their long-standing fiscal problems, Rangers do not have a credit facility with a bank, and last week director Sandy Easdale claimed that the League One champions could not survive a second administration.
They are 39 points clear of second-placed Dunfermline and would still be promoted even if plunged into administration before the weekend. However, if they suffer another insolvency event after the weekend then that would seriously hamper hopes of winning promotion next season. The 120-day review released by Wallace last week stated that it is essential the club return to the top tier at the first attempt.
“To all intents and purposes, once a club has completed its fixtures, then their season has ended,” said a senior Hampden source.
New rules state that clubs sliding into administration trigger an automatic 15-point penalty, rising to 25 points if it happens again within five years.
The SPFL has also confirmed that it would consider a repeat of the administration (and subsequent liquidation) which befell Craig Whyte’s Rangers as a second offence.
However, the Scottish Football Association will issue a licence to Rangers for next season in spite of the continuing uncertainty surrounding the financially challenged club. “The licence will be granted because Rangers have no bank debt,” a spokesman said. “We are unable to withhold that licence on the basis of what might happen to individual members.”
King last night issued a statement attacking the board for not having a plan to raise capital, and suggesting that the police investigation into alleged lies told by Wallace to shareholders at the annual general meeting could be spread to include his fellow directors who, King believes, would also have been aware that the club did not possess sufficient funds to see out the current campaign.
He also reiterated the call to withhold season-ticket money. “The board continues the blame game and takes no responsibility for the current debacle,” he said. “In truth, it is this board’s stubborn refusal to secure fresh equity that is the cause of the present fragile state of the club’s finances. The board clearly hoped to muddle along by using the season ticket advances from fans.
“This review should reinforce to fans that this board cannot serve as an appropriate custodian for their season ticket money. The board has admitted that Rangers is not presently a ‘going concern’ and yet offers no plan on how this will be dealt with in the short term. Fans could once again lose their season-ticket advances if given to the club at this time. It is unconscionable that this board has done nothing to bolster the finances since the last AGM.”
Hearts, meanwhile, have until the eve of their opening Championship game on Aug 9 to exit administration and avoid starting a second successive season with a 15-point penalty. “They can still be in administration for their opening League Cup and Ramsdens Cup ties but, as long as they complete their CVA [company voluntary arrangement] before their first league game, they will escape that punishment,” the SPFL source said.
Thanks, lads.
Lubbly Jubbly CSC
minx1888 praying for wee oscar
23:49 on 1 May, 2014
Thanks, knowing I finished above voguepunter is good…:)
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
mea culpa
06:41 on 2 May, 2014
They could apply today but need to be before close of business. They won’t though, IF they do it is likely to be after today.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Lennybhoy
I believe they will be in admin, but agree it won’t be today.
If they were liquidated, I’d be very sad to see them go. Why? Well, I really wanted them to go into oblivion never to be seen again in 2022, immediately after we do 10 in a row. I’d just hate them not to be around for the party:-)
Congrats to Doug C on his predictor win. Great effort. Sincere commiserations to Stevenagebhoy who led from the off almost and was just nailed in a photo.
Thanks to Doc and CRC for their efforts in organising and the weekly administration of the competition.
Apologies in advance to any lurking Sevcoites for my using the word administration.
What happened to the Doug C predictor win money?
twists n turns
07:04 on 2 May, 2014
I too believe, it is more of a question to ask when rather than if.
Never apologise for using the word administration, they brought it upon themselves…:)
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Lennybhoy
Any you bhoys going to rally tonight popping into BV to meet the oldtim?
I’ll be there at 4 for couple of hours..
Good morning CQN was on FF seen this quote set me up for the day
Sevco knee caped lol
Re: If Nothing Happens in the Next 15 days what do we do?
King wants admin 2. He’s gambling that he’ll get the club on the cheap. I’m coming round to the opinion that this might be the best idea. Kneecapped but back in Bears hands….
BT
Could you give me Oldtim’s latest phone number please, if he is ok with that? Thanks in advance. Hope you are well , really need to try and get home and catch up with some of you soon. Been way too long.
Afraid this rings true for me
Football Is Fixed @footballisfixed · 5m
#EPL £1.8bn annual wages for players (some of whom also feel need to bet on their games too) – how I miss time of Colin Bell and Tony Green.
Good morning friends and a Big Happy Friday from a dry and getting brighter by the minute East Kilbride.
twists n turns
07:04 on 2 May, 2014
Didn’t know he was going there. Plan is to meet WB at 17:00 but now you have given me the nod I will head for BV but might not be for 16:00 as BT coming to install Fiboroptic Broadband between 13:00 and 18:00.
I will text you later let you know what time I will be there and if you won’t still be there you can tell me if oldtim will still be there.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
blantyretim
07:20 on 2 May, 2014
Didn’t know he was going there. Plan is to meet WB at 17:00 but now you have given me the nod I will head for BV but might not be for 16:00 as BT coming to install Fiboroptic Broadband between 13:00 and 18:00.
I will text you later let you know what time I will be there and if you won’t still be there you can tell me if oldtim will still be there.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Lionroars
Was a time when you asked me to describe what football meant for me , I’d have answered Saturday afternoon, being part of a family, passion, pride, the bus sweep, lifts over turnstyles, floodlit Euro nights, beating Rangers, David Francie, Bob Crampsey, Arthur Montford. So you’ll work out my age from that lot.
I do retain the passion for the hoops, but admittedly it has been diluted somewhat, due to the fact ‘ business/ money’ has become the driver. Sunday kick off’s, expensive tickets, money driven Euro competitions catering for the rich clubs, torturous media coverage, corrupt governance…..and Jim Traynor and Chic young. Even Rangers disappeared.
Fortunately Celtic fans retain an unequalled ” sense of belonging” in my opinion, but there is evidence that even that is being tested to the limit.
Lennybhoy
Blantyre Tim disnae half pack a lot into his day!
twists n turns
07:04 on 2 May, 2014
You will have guessed my post to you was meant for blantyretim.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
beatbhoy
07:47 on 2 May, 2014
Oh I know that only too well…:)
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
TravellerBhoy,
Your posts are unmissable. There are a lot of good posters on CQN, but your offerings to the blog always take my attention. They are so powerful.
I know you have been asked this before, but really, have you looked into getting anything published yet?
I’m sorry that I wouldn’t know where to start in terms of taking the search that you mentioned on here, I would help if I could, and I hope you do get some help and good advice with that.
Anyway, I just wanted to say all the best to you fella. Hail Hail and God bless.
KevinBhoy.
Lennybhoy
Yeah, but installing fibre optic broadband on top of everything else!!
Twisty
Text on its way. Was in the tunnel going through brigton.
Real black spot there….o)
Lenny
4.30 by time I get there. After all I need to install broadband to some numpty on Coatbridge. 8)
Good laugh reading the blog yesterday thanks for all the stories.
Happy birthday kickinthenakas
BT
Tyvm.
twists n turns
07:46 on
2 May, 2014
We are in a similar age bracket, 9 years old when Celtic lifted the big one, 12 yrs old for the 1970 Mexico world cup, how i loved that Brazilian team, many hours spent with pals playing and imitating what we had watched, who will you be today ? take your pick from Jinky, Murdoch, Lennox or Pele, Rivelino, Jairzinho
Sorry to say have no enthusiasm for the world cup in Brazil, its Celtic for me and at present again sorry to say at mulling over whether i should renew my SB
Nakas happy birthday.
You share it with my great friend from Larkhall James..
Hail Hail to you both..
Lionroars67
Due to work commitments I no longer have a ticket. Mini BT will be getting one this year again though…
Lionroars
Same age bracket indeed, exactly the same age! Tell me yer a Saggitarian:-)
blantyretim is praying for the Knox family
08:03 on
2 May, 2014
BT due to work commitments i am unable to attend all home matches, usually my sister who is a big Celtic fan gets my SB, its just the truth in this tweet i posted is getting to me ! football is fixed = SFA
Football Is Fixed @footballisfixed · 5m
#EPL £1.8bn annual wages for players (some of whom also feel need to bet on their games too) – how I miss time of Colin Bell and Tony Green.
For those of you who remember a wee catch up on that fabulous team
http://www.goal.com/en/news/1717/editorial/2009/03/01/1132712/where-are-they-now-brazils-1970-world-cup-winners
L67
You just need to look at the lions to see what real football men are.
lionroars67
08:01 on 2 May, 2014
twists n turns
07:46 on
2 May, 2014
We are in a similar age bracket, 9 years old when Celtic lifted the big one, 12 yrs old for the 1970 Mexico world cup, how i loved that Brazilian team, many hours spent with pals playing and imitating what we had watched, who will you be today ? take your pick from Jinky, Murdoch, Lennox or Pele, Rivelino, Jairzinho
Sorry to say have no enthusiasm for the world cup in Brazil, its Celtic for me and at present again sorry to say at mulling over whether i should renew my SB
Looks like we’re the same age…..I remember it like you say…..a year after the world cup you had Arsenals double winning side….many a time when scoring into the top corner of an industrial doorway I’d be shouting “GEORGE” as in Charlie George, but in a David Coleman fashion.