Hamilton manager, Brian Rice, has received lots of supportive comments since yesterday’s statement admitting to a gambling addiction, as well as breaking rules for betting on football over the last five seasons. The SFA have a duty to discipline him in line with previous offenders when their disciplinary panel meet later this month, but there should be some nervous shuffling in the room, as much of the game’s finances in Scotland are underpinned by the gambling industry. Do as we say, not as we write commercial agreements.
For me, gambling amounts to losing money on every race at my once a year visit to Hamilton Park Racecourse, a sensation that has never once returned an endorphin kick, so will never be addictive, but I go along and bet every year, so I cannot be snooty about others who earn from it.
Football’s rules on the matter are nothing to do with welfare; those who work in the game are subject to a flow of insider information and influence, which could compromise the game. One player was recently disciplined for betting on his own team to lose (they won and he scored). However, the issue has welfare consequence, both for high-earning players and the ordinary punter.
Brian Rice will hopefully overcome his demons, he will certainly have the best of support towards this end. By speaking out so frankly, he has given the game an opening. What can football and the gambling industry do to help the addicted fan? Football has access to people the way few outreach programmes could ever hope for. It has a job here.
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Has the caravan moved on from the Throat Slasher and that gun-totin’ wee Kent?
Scotland more comfortable with certain subjects than ithers?
Aye.
SIEMPRE CELTIC (FORMERLY TRADITIONALIST88) on 22ND JANUARY 2020 11:08 AM
Schved not in the matchday squad apparently
___
The squad is as expected. Bitton & Simunovic out. Johnston & Ajer in.
I think the only change to the starting 11 will be Ajer for Bitton.
Get Shved a loan
Just a thought about our quest for 9 (and then 10)
When the Hun was pursuing 9 they spent a lot of money they did not have on (at the time) top players
As we know they got 9 and blew 10 as well as liquidating their club
As we look to make history, first 9 and then 10
We seem reluctant to spend money we do have
I have said for months our need is a quality centre forward (not a project)
Are we to believe LG is over his poor health and is now the answer – I hope so
BUT – given the importance of our quest I sense we are taking a bit of a risk
The facts are: the first half of the season has us behind the Hun (assuming they win game in hand)
Given our financial advantage would we not look to use that to improve our position and the chance of 9
I do not get a sense that Peter is all over it
They will not beat us – but our own arrogance might
67ECW
TIMALOY29 on 22ND JANUARY 2020 11:11 AM
Shouldnt have any problems tonight. Agree that Shved should be loaned out if Lenny has seen enough in training to decide he is not a serious contender for the first team.
HH
glendalystonsils on 22nd January 2020 11:00 am.
Some contend that is exactly what they are doing now. Where are the players Lenny requested?
A few days left of the window and we has thus far signed a ‘project’ forward from Poland and are supposedly about to sign a defensive middy from an Israeli team. A guy who Lenny has said we shouldn’t expect too much from for a while- IE another project. Meanwhile Spurs have made it clear that they are open to offers for Vic67. Filip B is, apparently available at Leicester along with a veritable wealth of experienced pros sitting warming the benches or languishing in the reserves of Europe’s top leagues who ‘may’ be interested in a loan deal at Celtic.
For example Vic and Filip B could likely be ‘loaned’ for the remainder of the season for less than the cost of PLs yearly salary.
If Soro signs for Celtic the club will have spent circa £4mill nett on players. We are in a neck and neck race with Sevco for the league title yet the sum total of the PLCs ambition to win 9IAR is to spend £4 mill of the huge stash of horded cash?
Fingers crossed and we are looking for the type of player that Lenny has asked for and the team need and that they will be signed before the end of the window. Somehow I think we may be disappointed.
67 EUROPEAN CUP WINNERS on 22ND JANUARY 2020 11:15 AM
“I have said for months our need is a quality centre forward (not a project)”
Patrick Roberts could be described as a “project”. Same with Petrov, Frimpong, Edouard or Ntcham.
There’s nothing wrong with signing young players with potential. In the January window that’s all that’s available unless you want to take on an unwanted journeymen. Top quality won’t be available mid-season.
“The facts are: the first half of the season has us behind the Hun (assuming they win game in hand)
Given our financial advantage would we not look to use that to improve our position and the chance of 9”
The fact is, Celtic are top and they are not.
The fact is, Celtic have improved their position from last season by 10 points.
The fact is, this is the best first half of a season we’ve had in 10 years other than the Invincibles.
The fact is, we have scored one more goal and conceded one less than we did at the same point in the Invincibles season.
Celtic have dropped points in three games. Ryan Christie dug the team a massive hole against Livingston. Kevin Clancy awarded Hibs an offside goal and denied Celtic 2 stonewall penalties. And then we have the horror show on the 29th.
Prior to the 29th Celtic had won 11 league games on the spin.
If the huns replicate their first half of the season they will finish with 100 points. To me that’s unlikely.
Oglach on 22nd January 2020 11:35 am
Agree.That is exactly what I was getting at.
Oglach
My reason for not commenting on the 5wa at this time was that this was not a new revalation for me.
Some people have had information for some time that there was proof that the agreement was communicated to officials at Celtic, including Mr. Lawwell.
We are just down to seeing whether his defence is he did not see it, or did not read it, or did not approve it. Either way it is semantics. Failing to spot it in his inbox, or read it while it was there or respond to it after reading for fear of being complicit, is just a sin of omission rather than comission.
Anyway, tonight at Killie. They scored a lot of goals from set pieces and bullied Queens Park in the air. We might need a few big ones at the back tonight- maybe a case for Elhamed replacing Frimpong as we have no larger left backs. Ajer might play RB if Simunovic can be persuaded to take a turn on a plastic pitch to get his match fitness back up.
Interesting to see if it is a non-winger team again, leaving the winger -heavy team for home matches against bottom 6 opponents, or whether it just depends on availability
SFTB
Elhamed not available yet.
The Rangers are getting better as the season goes on. we have been poor since Lazio match.
OGLACH on 22ND JANUARY 2020 11:35 AM
“Meanwhile Spurs have made it clear that they are open to offers for Vic67. Filip B is, apparently available at Leicester along with a veritable wealth of experienced pros sitting warming the benches or languishing in the reserves of Europe’s top leagues who ‘may’ be interested in a loan deal at Celtic.
For example Vic and Filip B could likely be ‘loaned’ for the remainder of the season for less than the cost of PLs yearly salary.”
Here is what Mourinho has actually said:
“He’s our player. If he wants to leave or not, he didn’t tell me, we didn’t discuss. We are calm about it. Good professional. That’s it.”Some reports out of England have suggested that Wanyama is unlikely to leave due to Moussa Sissoko’s injury.
Here is what Rodger’s has said on Benkovic:
And he made it clear Benkovic will only be allowed to leave if the Foxes sign another centre-back.
“Only if we brought one in,” Rodgers said.
“That would give him the opportunity to go and get the games he needs. If we don’t, we will need the cover.”
MON the wingerless wonders
SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 22ND JANUARY 2020 11:44 AM
Elhamed isn’t available. Simunovic & Bitton also aren’t in the provisional squad.
Maybe Boli gets the nod at LB. Maybe Bauer at RB.
Forster
Frimpong
Jullien
Ajer
Bolingoli
Brown
MacGregor
Ntcham
Rogic
Griffiths
Edouard
There`s a BIG game tonight.
Meanwhile the enemy within march lemming like , lockstep with the hun and the lepers of the Scottish press to facilitate eight in a row .
No-one would celebrate the demise of P.L. more than the hun and his fellow travellers in the Jock Press. Accompanied by the naive Tim .
Now, how does this compute with anti ” Old Firmism ” which would seem to be their principle issue ?
The consolation is , of course , that the self destructors of the Celtic support probably represent a small , perhaps tiny , minority .
For which the unencumbered Celtic supporter with no hidden agenda can give ” for this relief much thanks “.
Now. Ignore the sad minority , Celtic , and get stuck right in there tonight .
We should be strengthening team.. even if all players were fit. even if we win league, and it is a very big if, we will be in poor shape for start of qualifiers. OE away almost certain. EI and FF back to Southampton. ON almost certainly away as well. We need real players who can walk into team. At LB CH. MF , RW. You cannot rely on LG , Bayo El Hamed Jozo being fit. As for Schved and Kouassi.. that’s what you get when a non manager buys a player on a punt without asking manager. PL obviously doesn’t want to spend any money as cash in hand affects his bonus. But even a couple of loans should be brought in . they won us league last year. Plus the refs have a green light to cheat as much as they like from SFA AND Celtic. The throat cutting gesture was the worst thing I have seen from a player.. yet absolutely no punishment .
PL has done ZERO to stop cheating. To get justice. Never demanded titles stripped. Allowed History to be transferred to new club and be old club. Deliberately lied to RES 12 guys. Attacks our fans and says nothing about away fans behavior. Picks up MASSIVE bonuses while not shelling out an extra 100 to get a player a manager wants but spends millions on punts with no input from manager.
MARADOMINIC on 22ND JANUARY 2020 11:57 AM
Ok
Tell us what you want .
Now . Today .
MACJAY1 FOR NEIL LENNON on 22ND JANUARY 2020 11:50 AM
No-one would celebrate the demise of P.L. more than the hun and his fellow travellers in the Jock Press. Accompanied by the naive Tim .
=======================================================
To be fair though why would we let the huns or the Scottish MSM set the agenda for us? They ignored all evidence in front of them before Rangers were liquidated.
Their reaction if Lawwell was to lose his job would be irrelevant, a bit like their celebrating the temporary fall of Celtics share price last week.
If there are serious questions to be answered by those in power at Celtic then they should be addressed and the smirks of a few huns should not let them off the hook. If you think thats a reason to let it go then thats what I’d call naive.
HH
As I said before the scariest filmi have watched is Rosemary’s baby.. Where her husband in in league with Devil, literally. Everyone she thinks is on her side turns out to be part of the Satanic cult. think the penny must drop that CFC :PLC have no interest in fans and players ambitions.Just want money.. And have no interest in sporting fairness. Look at how SFA and refs are carved up. With our ( PLCs) support
macjay1 for Neil Lennon on 22nd January 2020 11:50 am
I like this post. Thank you.
MARADOMINIC on 22ND JANUARY 2020 11:54 AM
That’s a lot of hypotheticals and you seem to take the most negative outcome as a given.
It’s not a given that Edouard leaves. Even if he does, it might not be until later in the summer. Allowing him to play the CL qualifiers (like VVD did)
We don’t know if Elyounoussi and Forster will be back. But it’s possible the deals will be concluded relatively quickly.
Worst case scenario Celtic will be going into the qualifiers with a big squad: Bain, Frimpong, Elhamed, Jullien, Ajer, Simunovic, Boli, Taylor, Johnston, Shved, Forrest, Ntcham, Brown, McGregor, Soro, Robertson, Rogic, Christie, Griffiths, Bayo, Klimala, Edouard
That will be to play a team from Malta, Ireland, Iceland or somewhere like that.
Experienced CF , CH. If manager doesn’t rate Taylor then same at LB. And a RW to pressure JF. They have had 5 months to look for players. They should have been ready for first game after break. Instead we could lose point before any arrive . ANd NL comments in last few months saying we played great when everyone can see we didn’t is worrying. he either believes it of feels he has to give some kind of cover. Either way not good. If you brilliant against PT you score 8 goals! 2-1 against Barcelona – is different!
I admire affluent people so much. They are so responsible that bookies don’t even put shops in the areas they live in as it would be futile. Only those feckless poorer creatures are irresponsible enough to gamble so Fred, Paddy, William et al fill their communities with their eyesore establishments.
These low(er) income types find themselves so because of their own choices, it has absolutely nothing to do with any outside influences (just ask Edward Bernays) or inner human flaws.
I would imprison anybody who earns under £smug annually & is found to be a gambler. They are putting their own & their loved ones future at risk all in the name of a bit of fun & a selfish desire for booze, cigs & drugs (as someone who lives in a WC area I can confirm everyone partakes in all 3 every day & for some this is their diet & those are the ones who have a constant look of happy contentment about them). In fact the more mired in the miasma the higher level of glee can be observed. I often watch & think “If only that 8 stone chap having the time of his life there had a bit more about him he could be performing heart surgery or even be a Cabinet Minister helping shaft his once neighbours whist simultaneously blaming them for said shafting. The irresponsible fool” before walking on gently tutting whilst shaking my head aloofly as I grasp those notes in my pocket I know i’m too dutiful to waste on wagers. The only role these self-sabotaging degenerates play is to remind the finer folk like me & everybody else who is coping with life better than them that we are superior & have cracked how to live in a way these careless no-hopers can only dream of. Sneering at their misfortune (self-inflicted misfortune, of course) is acceptable & righteous, it’s what Jesus would’ve done.
Gambling is a tax on hope.
We’ll win tonight but new players are a necessity.
Anywhy, back to lurking.
HAIL! HAIL!
Looks like The Faithful could be on a Wing(er) and Prayer…..
Keep The Faith!
HH
timaloy29 on 22nd January 2020 11:47 am
No, it was actually reported in the London press on Monday that Spurs were open to offers for a number of players, including Vic, this window.
Also Brendan is on record saying he wouldn’t mind Filip being loaned back to Celtic. Have we asked?
Regardless if it is Vic, Filip or X to date the club have seemingly ignored, once again, the expressed wishes of the manager in regards to incoming players.
Babasonico…………
Lovin’ yer work bhoy!
HH.
BABASONICOS67
You don’t post often enough!
Hope you are well.
Take care.
macjay1 for Neil Lennon on 22nd January 2020 11:50 am
===
So you believe that it is OK for a CEO to lie to shareholders? Interesting
new article posted.
SIEMPRE CELTIC (FORMERLY TRADITIONALIST88) on 22ND JANUARY 2020 12:01 PM
We`ll have to disagree .
Do you ever read F.F. ?
The hun celebrated long and hard the departure of Brendan . They seriously dislike / hate P.L. and I would be sure that they would celebrate the ignominious departure of P.L. with just as much enthusiasm.
This is not a matter of ” them ” setting the agenda. Its a matter of ” them ” having the same agenda as some of our support.
Indeed serious questions need to be answered , but thats no reason to burn the house , OUR house , down.
It is for Peter Lawwell to explain. It is simply not credible and would be bordering on total negligence not to have been involved, but the 5 Way Agreement final draft was attached to an email from Neil Doncaster dated 26 July 2012 to then SPL Board members including Celtic Director Eric Riley and to Peter Lawwell. No reply or challenge by next day would be taken as agreement, so even if at that late stage the contents of the attachment were not known, simply by not opening it Celtic gave the SPL their approval to its contents”.
Quality signings or loans in this window generally come at the end of it, indeed the last few hours. Quality players, not top quality, always wait to see what offers they have and Celtic are invariably not top of their list. It’s a hard sell and only becomes realistic once the options for the player start to dissipate. Celtic, I would asssume are pro-active at the moment, but these decisions are not soley for Celtic, or, only about money, but more about the agents & players personal analysis of where they are in their careers. Quality will come, but, as usual, it will be on the last day por cierto
BabasonicoS67 12.10
Fine post.reminds me of a john Milton quote
They,who have put out the people’s eyes,reproach them of their blindness.
HH
Another consideration we should be cognisant of is the chance that any email reportedly sent to PL regarding the 5 way could be fake and propagated for obvious reasons. However, Auldheid is usually very careful of such things and usually pretty pretty hard to convince on supporting evidence so if Auldheid is convinced then we can be at least 90% sure it’s the real deal.
@TIMALOY29 on 22ND JANUARY 2020 11:38 AM
Prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
I’m not sure that the comparisons you make are necessarily valid. Paddy had been purchased for £12m by Man City before he was loaned to us; Ntcham and Eddy both had experience in the French and Italian leagues respectively before we signed them- they were also part of two of the most prestigious academies in world football; Petrov was signed for £2.8m in 99(!)- we were unwilling to pay that for McGinn 20 years later. Only Frimpong is a true rough diamond.
The other facts that you mention are true, but hardly of comfort. We may be top now, but Sevco have a game in hand at home; it’s very likely that they will win it.
While we may have more points and goals now than recent years, Sevco have the same goal difference as us now and a game in hand. So the reasonable conclusion is that the league is weaker this year than it has been in the past.
You also have to consider that we are on a 9 game run of scoring 2 goals or less. While we started the season with a bang (scoring 7 and 5 goals in our 1st 2 games), there is nothing to suggest that form is around the corner now. We scored a winner at the death against Hamilton as well.
As Celtic By The Numbers showed, our midfield are overperforming, scoring more than is expected. It is highly likely that this trend won’t continue. If so, we are relying heavily on OE, Griff (4 goals to his name this season; PT was his first start since August), Bayo (who NL doesn’t fancy) and the new Polish bhoy who appears to be 3rd in line already.
Losing this year’s league would be far more detrimental to the club than spending £10-15m on transfers, but yet we are seeming to opt for the cheap option once again.
TIMALOY29 on 22ND JANUARY 2020 11:11 AM
SIEMPRE CELTIC (FORMERLY TRADITIONALIST88) on 22ND JANUARY 2020 11:08 AM
Get Shved a loan
________________________________________
Will do. How much?