When I researched yesterday’s article (yes, research does happen sometimes) I was far from encouraged. Udinese had an impeccable home record and Snr Di Natale is one of Europe’s irresistible strikers at the moment.
We didn’t manage to resist Di Natale but he will remember Fraser Forster for a few years. We have been fortunate to see a few great goalkeeping performances in Europe in the last decade but last night Fraser was second perhaps only to David Marshall that night in Barcelona. That last minute penalty save against Hearts on Saturday has moved the player onto a new platform.
Udinese had a good 20 minute spell when they looked every inch the team joint top of the Italian league but they were on the rack in the closing stages of the game. Cha DuRi has had an eventful Europa League on the road this season. He was a bit unfortunate at the Udinese goal but completely out of luck when he twisted his body mid-air to volley off the post.
Watching Georgios Samaras last night was a lesson in how complex a game football can be. This is a player who could not hold down a place in the SPL last season, yet playing in a different position he had top-flight defenders throwing themselves at him in order to inhibit progress.
There is still work to be done, but the return of three first choice defenders will enhance the team considerably. The most pleasing thing about last night came after the game; Fraser Forster’s focus was immediately on St Johnstone. It’s all about Perth now.
Issue 5 of CQN Magazine will be out soon. Hard copies will be available direct, at a considerably reduced cost from our current Magcloud arrangement and with a fast delivery turnaround. Details soon.
1,353 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- ...
- 35
- »
Spoke to a guy there at lunch time who was at the game last night. He spoke to the Mayor of the city, who addressed the Celtic supporters prior to kick off. The man couldn’t have been more impressed with the general behaviour and conduct of our support apparently.
Yet between today and last night I read fellow supporters referring to those who travelled as “moronic”, “f$%£wits” and probably the worst of the lot, “so called Celtic fans”.
And why is this? Because a handful of guys took a banner into the ground and had the audacity to display it.
I believe that the GB were responsible for this latest show but only because the lettering was in the font they chose for all their displays, I could though be wrong. That’s right the GB group of Celtic ultras took part in a display in ITALY, the home of Ultra culture. Even so some of their fellow Celts now want them banned for life from Parkhead. These guys who paid a quite considerable sum in the lead up to Christmas to go abroad to watch Celtic are being derided by their own.
Paul67 spoke yesterday about finding common ground between the various groupings within the support. That day is further off than I thought after reading some of the posts on here. I’m disgusted to be honest.
Thats its then,behave like the tartan army,drop your trousers,show your bare arse but dont swear.When you think the directors cant do worse they do.Clean out required,before we are made to stand up and sing flower of Scotland.Slan
ernie lynch says:
16 December, 2011 at 14:07
Bankier’s statement is an indication of the direction the board are taking the club.
Next step is letting the newco huns straight into the SPL.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————
Ernie, is Bankier even a Celtic fan? His statement makes me doubt it? Tartan army me A**E
hamiltontim
And who’s fault is that?
The banner was at best stupid, deal with it.
Mtt
More like the tartan army????
So instead of ‘we hate Jimmy Hill, he’s a poof we replace it with someone else!
Instead of we f*****g hate England, we replace it with someone else!!
Instead of Flower Of Scotland we…..Nope can’t do that!!
Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesus
brimmer
I am a life long Irish Republican who also happens to be a Celtic Fan. The war is over, we won the war now we must win the peace. I love the tradition of Celtic supporters singing Irish ballads. However we must be sensible, the display last night was totally stupid and served no cause. There is a huge Irish Songbook, its a question of agreeing what we should or should not sing. As far as I can see if IRA gets mentioned then the song is taboo despite fact it relates to events of 90 years ago. I don’t like this but it appears to me its something we just have to accept and get on with it. Its the love in our hearts for a Club and all that it stands for is the most important thing, everything else we can manage with a little tweaking here & there. Don’t let them divide us they couldn’t do it over a hundred years ago, don’t let them do it now.
hamiltontim says:
16 December, 2011 at 14:11
me too. i’ve spent my money following celtic abroad like everyone else and i have never thought it gave me the right to display a banner like that or put our reputation of our club at risk
the reputation that people like me have spent years building is being undermined by a handful of people who shouldnt be allowed the opportunity to do it again. or what do you think the club should do?
Unreal! Not an hour after saying the board are deserving of support Ian Bankier makes a statement which almost defies belief!
Jesus. It seems the idiocy isn’t confined to a section of the support.
For the record, Mr Chairman, I do not give a toss about the rest of Scottish Football and I have no wish to see the Celtic support turned into the Tartan Army. Shocking statement. Self policing? What the heck does that mean? Mobs of Celtic fans knocking hell out of each other?
Ridiculous statement, and far removed from reality.
I said last week, if you asked this guy, on the record, under oath, what his favourite Celtic match was you would be surprised to say the very least.
Maybe not so much today.
Corkcelt
You are talking far too much sense, man you will be called a hun soon -)
KTF
Mtt
Canalmar
It’s a bit low from you today. JF and I have disagreed vehemently many times, and agreed on other occasions. Whatever. I know he’s a Celtic fan of some stature, with whom you know where you stand.
Let me be blunt, I have no idea if you support Celtic or not. I do know you have some agenda’s that being on a Celtic forum allows you to address and find some sympathy.
Also, old dog, how is monkey offensive to me. Let’s assume it was offensive for a reason, say my heritage, well then you’d simply be scum. Let’s assume it’s inoffensive to me, on account of the fact that beyond ‘cheeky monkey’ or a fondness for clambering about trees as a child it’s a meaningless jibe, well then surely you’re just reaching… and in doing so simply confirming how limited you contributions are.
Seriously, and I say this for at least the third time, step it up. Your put downs are as limited as your world view.
Truth is, each and every moment the newspapers or media find an opportunity to slate Celtic’s fans it’s an opportunity for you to spout your views – clearly you relish this. To me, it’s a drain, each and every time. Which one of us has Celtic at heart.
Biggest story in history of Scotland about the SFA granting rangers a euro licence when owing to tax
authority.
Get it out there.
This story could be explosive and could rock Scottish football for good.
Sorry to disagree James but a completely over the top reaction. Root them out, ban them, show the world we will not tolerate anyone who tarnishes UEFA’s view of us. Hmmm.
How long ago since these pages were full of insightful, measured and researched prose on the corruption of the game at UEFA and FIFA level?
The banner was crude. The flare was stupid. Didn’t we have flares at Morton last year, Berwick Rangers too? I don’t remember any howls of derision and looking to weed other supporters out for a public flogging. Why is it different now? Because UEFA ddon’t like it? It’s against the rules? It was just as stupid at Berwick as it was in Udine. The vitriol of your attack lacks balance on one and not the other.
You say we’ve “a reputation we have worked hard, damned hard, to cultivate and it has taken us years.”
Not we haven’t and no it it hasn’t. It came completely naturally to all of us and occasionally it is rightly acknowledged, whether that be police forces or town councils in England or Europe. I didn’t work hard at it at all, nor did any of the guys I know. I remember self policing a couple of drunks, and on occasion being policed by my peers when I was slipped a Stella instead of a Carling C2. Self policing, anyone remember that? It appears we’re to by pass that and hand over offenders to a waiting authority, how sad.
I remember reading you on these very pages talking about being willing to die for you brothers in Celtic. I don’t remember the caveat about only under the auspices of the national association!
It was crude and stupid, that’s it. We face the rap together, we express our views within, we move on. Get over it.
celtic40me says:
16 December, 2011 at 14:10
au contraire – don’t really want to discuss my tertiary education but let’s just say modern European history and politics played a significant part. – I think that is deemed a GIRUY
The Honest Mistake,
I was referring to my original 2 questions. I dont think you have answered them as yet….might be I have missed them. Notice Ernie and Kit havent answered yet either.
But to be honest, I dont care now.
They have their views I have mine (as do you) and chances are that at this moment on this issue none of us will change, so why waste our time?
Ive got other stuff to be getting on with.
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
Ps – above board about cheating? Seriously, that makes it ok in your eyes??? Sheeesh!
celtic40me 16 December, 2011 at 14:16
me too. i’ve spent my money following celtic abroad like everyone else and i have never thought it gave me the right to display a banner like that or put our reputation of our club at risk
the reputation that people like me have spent years building is being undermined by a handful of people who shouldnt be allowed the opportunity to do it again. or what do you think the club should do?
Do people like you also take responsibility for the death of the atmosphere at Celtic Park in the years before the supporters groups gave it a kick start? The injection of passion, energy, youthfulness and love of the club that these groups have added has come at the cost of a few incidents like the one getting discussed today.
The club should first engage with the supporters and find out why so many people are frustrated at their perceived lack of action in defence of the supporters at the hands of hostile police, politicians and media.
Before I head off, did Bankier really compare us to the Tartan Army?????????
Aye very good Ian, talk about knowing your “customers”.
What a clown!
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
hen1rik says:
16 December, 2011 at 13:56
Biggest story in history of Scotland about the SFA granting rangers a euro licence when owing to tax authority.
Get it out there.
I wonder why all of a sudden the GB came into the ahead hmmm.
———————————
A related point is whether HMRC got paid the sum arrested to pay the wee tax bill, which was thought to be released last week (10th?)
The story being Rangers belatedly (that being the key word) appealed the bill.
RTC said on his blog when asked if HMRC had been paid that the outcome of the wee case would come out in the coming weeks.
The role of a belated appeal (if it in fact took place) should come out and with it possibly what the SFA were told (or accepted) in granting this season’s licence.
Tartan Army???
Great start Mr Bankier!!
The Meeja will jump on this comparison big time,,,why did it have to be said???
Hail hail
HT
Bang on.
MTT. Stupid why? what in that banner exactly caused embarrasment? The word F**K?
Would you rather we questioned the governing bodies whole integrity and that’d be ok? As let’s face it our friends down South have did just that with FIFA and got the full backing of their press.
I’m sure if we did that we’d get the same from ours!
It was a banner, a banner. Saying F**k UEFA. So what. I would like to know what lives some people on this blog lead,when this offends them.
We got fined for ONE, I repeat ONE add on by a minority to a song. We ALL know it was a farce. Of course I don’t want the add ons at CP. But it WAS a farce on UEFA’s part.
We put a wee banner up saying F**K and people now condemn OUR support.
My, how easy we forget eh!!
brimmer
James Forrest is Lennon says:
16 December, 2011 at 13:11
James, as you know, I don’t always agree with your posts, or sometimes your tone.
However, you have posted today two of the best posts that I have ever read on the blog.
Particularly the second one, time referenced above.
Your PSG reference is particularly apt.
The recurring theme in many of my posts is my distaste for agenda carrying “supporters”.
There is no organisation, which demands that it’s supporters be united, that can function if there are groups pushing a particular agenda; be it political, religious or whatever.
The very essence of having an agenda means that it comes first in the considerations of the carrier.
With Celtic, it should be Celtic first.
That is what the club and it’s support was built on. In triumph or adversity.
We are now an easy target for people or groups who don’t have a platform for their views.
They are not Celtic supporters. They are Paradise Parasites and until that problem is addressed, we WILL end up like PSG.
Will this generation of our support be the one that kills the Celtic ethos? I hope not.
Hi Ghuys, Salve, salve;-
James Forrest is Lennon says:
16 December, 2011 at 12:38
Don’t always like or indeed appreciate your posts but I find myself firmly in your camp with this. Not because it embarrasses us, nor because it allows anyone else to point the finger at us, nor even that it sullies a hard won reputation, no it’s because it is just plain wrong.
Greenwells
Mens sibi conscia recti
The Token Tim – HAIL! HAIL! To Kano 1000 16 December, 2011 at 14:21
Ps – above board about cheating? Seriously, that makes it ok in your eyes??? Sheeesh!
You obviously don’t understand the situation. They interpreted one of UEFA’s rules differently from UEFA. They never hid that they were playing the banned players. They were challenging UEFA’s authority. Sheeesh!
oglach UFB says:
16 December, 2011 at 14:21
i think it can be termed gibberish. i haven’t got a danny la rue what you’re on about.
brimmer Kano 1000
The point about the banner is whether you are offended or not – what does it achieve?
The Kano Foundation has a ticket available for the game on 28th December
North stand upper Area 406, Row w, Seat 25
We are going to raffle the ticket £3 per go
if you are interested you can go to our web page http://www.thekanofoundation.com
and hit the donate button
or text kano11 £3 to 70070
If donating online , can you tag your donation -ticket raffle
THANK YOU TO GRA123 FOR DONATING THE TICKET
Philbhoy , thank you for the gesture .
HH
Sanna
The Token Tim – HAIL! HAIL! To Kano 1000 says:
16 December, 2011 at 14:24
Before I head off, did Bankier really compare us to the Tartan Army?????????
Aye very good Ian, talk about knowing your “customers”.
What a clown!
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
—————————-
He mentioned the Tartan Army only in terms of self policing. He did not compare us to them, he said the club will ask the support to self police in the way that the Tartan Army do.
“We will just keep on that road until we have weeded them all out. We’re talking to the supporters organisations about what they can do for the people in the travelling crowd to self-police, the way the Tartan Army do.”
I have no idea how well or badly the TA carry out self policing to know if the way that they do works, but if it does then it is surely worth looking at rather than plod or UEFA doing the policing for us.
James Forrest,
What is Santa bringing you this year?
Some more faces?
BK
GeoffreyHoweCSC
The Honest Mistake says:
16 December, 2011 at 14:24
halo affect again. the club have engaged with the green brigade on many occasions but they clearly arent prepared to give anything. so that really leaves the club with no other option.
regards engaging with the support on our treatment by the authorities and the media, i’m sure they know the supports feelings, but doing what the fans want (whatever that means) is totally unrealistic. there’s a smart way of doing things which means taking a pragmatic view at all times. public fights and falling out with everyone doesnt get you want you want, it might make you more popular with the fans who want it give a giruy but it wont be acting in the best interests of the club. the banner last night is a case in point, a cheap shot that makes the green brigade feel better about life but is damaging to the club.
i do try to make the atmosphere better at celtic, i do my best, but i cant take repsonsibilty for the death of the atmosphere at cp. that really isnt my fault.
Beamishismypint says:
16 December, 2011 at 14:33
I hear you. But it wasn’t about achieving anything. It was a banner and yes, a bit childish.
It should be treated as such.
Nothing more.
Why do you thing the LL are now moving on to the smoke type chap??
HH
brimmer
Relax the banner was funny.
UEFA admonish Celtic fans for illicit chanting.
Celtic fans raise a banner in response.
F@@@ UEFA.
That’s funny.
celtic40me says:
16 December, 2011 at 14:32
Nothing changed there then, you not understanding anything that is. Oh and please do me a a big favour – do not comment on any of my posts i promise to reciprocate as i believe in the old addage about never arguing with an idiot.
Serenity – good stuff. Keep ’em coming.
thing=think
BBC Alba
Gael Gael the Celts are here.
BlantyreKev – Hail Hail to the Kano Foundation says:
Mate your sentiments, as ever, are wonderful and brilliantly expressed, and I am with you all the way when it comes to fighting the true enemy in this sectarian backwater in which we live. But in the week, mate the very same week, when UEFA fine us and we know we are under scrutiny the response of a section of our fans is to take a banner into a European ground, where all eyes are on us, and shove it in their face before commiting what I am fairly sure EVERY person who has ever attended a game knows is an offence at UEFA ties, by throwing flares onto the track.
Let me make it clear; the banner itself a nonsense, but it’s also a non-issue. But if you wanted the eyes of the governing body on you as you then do something everyone knows is against UEFA regulations, this was as good a way of doing it as I can think of.
The banner itself, stupidity. The sentiment on it, ludicrous. To unfurl the banner and THEN throw flares, in the week we get fined elevates madness to new levels. The people who did that did not CARE about Celtic, regardless of how much money they spent travelling to watch them. This was an act of complete self indulgence, at a cost to our club.
If this was a one-off I would have little to say. But these guys are now hell-bent of confrontation, with Celtic, with UEFA, with the SFA, with everyone who disagrees with their view. If you believe this matter will rest here, fair enough, but it won’t, we know that it won’t, and it must be seen now as something of a blessing that the next phase of it will be fought in Scotland and not on the continent, where the club itself will land in serious bother.
I am confrontational, cheeky, opinionated, even arrogant at times. And for all I am accused by some of being over-emotional etc, I am in no doubt that the rational response here is to wind it in.
I think UEFA were wrong to fine us, which I expressed in my disbelief that the club was not appealing the fine. I believe they have made enormous problems for themselves in taking that decision, and I do not think it will be applied fairly or evenly, which makes it all the more imperitive we objected and fought, and I think the fact we did not is a disgrace.
I think the Football Bill is a disgrace which will be, and should be, and must be, challenged in every court in the land, and reversed by whatever means necessary.
I also think Republican songs have no place at Celtic Park, having no wish for my club to be associated with any shade of political opinion when our greatest strength is that we are a Family open to all. But I will not seek to criminalise fans who do it.
I do ask that they think about the rest of the supporters. I do ask that they respect the position of the club. I do ask that they listen to our manager, and not only when he praises them. I do ask that they show the same respect they appear to believe they are due.
Where it becomes unacceptable is when they are taking this stand at the expense of all the rest of us. When they are putting us on the path of serious conflict, not only in Scotland but in Europe too. And even if it were not something which will divide the support, tarnish our reputation and land us in serious trouble, the political part of me laments it as scandalously bad strategy and a distraction at a time when we really do have the enemy on the ropes.
We cannot afford for this Family to go into the fights we face in the coming year as anything but united. Is it too much to ask that these guys respect their fellow supporters, respect the views of the club and desist from getting us into fights we don’t need?
And let’s be even more blunt; these are fights we WON’T WIN.
The Scottish Government bill, we can fight tooth and nail. But the SPL and the SFA write their own rulebook, and UEFA writes its own. Yes, we can demand equality of treatment and that is something we simply have to do, but isn’t it easier just to step back, take a deep breath and let any new rules punish other clubs instead? We KNOW they were written to hammer Celtic fans, but they can only do that if Celtic fans are not smart enough to change tactics. Then those rules, which exist to batter us, can become OUR weapon, not theirs.
Sing the Solidiers Song at EVERY game. Sing Aiden McAnespie if you have to make a political point. Sing Only Our Rivers if you want to make a Republican one. Or go one better; learn and sing Here’s to Those Brave Protestent Men and confuse the Hell out our enemies at the same time.
The IRA stuff? What’s the need for it? What purpose does it serve? We have better songs. We have songs with lyrics which cut like a knife every time they are heard. Words are weapons … and the provisional stuff long since ceased to be a sharp instrument and is now a clumsy bludgeon more likely to be dropped on our own foot than rammed down the enemy’s throat.
Let the wounds heal. This is a chance for these guys to be more than just the best cheerleaders we have for the team on the park. They can unite the support again, they can unite this whole club.
But only IF they learn to wind it in. Last night was a PR disaster, it got us into a fight we do not need, cannot afford and will not win … and my fear is that the backlash it will provoke will spark another protest, more banners, more songs, more trouble … and we will be counting the cost for years.
mickthetic says:
16 December, 2011 at 14:14
hamiltontim
And who’s fault is that?
The banner was at best stupid, deal with it.
—-================================
Possibly the irony of your own post has been lost on you. I don’t need to “deal” with anything, you’re the one with the problem of the banner.
I take it when the polis are kicking in doors at 7am you’ll be there with your sat nav showing them the way.
weeminger:
FTP? What does it mean? FKB? FTQ? Mate I no longer bat an eyelid at such. They are meaningless.
I was once in a lift, not too long ago. The lift was full of corporates, suits and secretaries too. To one side of the life was a little guy; looked fit as and totally nonchalant. On his jersey was the logo ‘FTP’. One of the secretaries asks the litlle guy what do the letters mean. The little guy looks at her and then looks at me and says to her “ask him. He knows”. To the best of my knowledge I’d never met nor ever spoken to this guy before. I was a wee bit taken aback and when the young girl looked at me inquisitively I just shrugged my shoulders and looked away. The lift stopped at my floor and I got off, so too did the wee guy with the ‘FTP’ logo.
So I asked him “What does it mean”?
“Whatever you want it to mean” he replied in a very Belfast, Belfast accent.
Oh! he was a hun okay. To the marrow he was a hun.
Long story short, we ended up being paired together on a long job which involved trips to remote locations. He told me a lot of stories. One of the stories he told me was how the UDA broke into his home and shot his father dead in front of his fourteen year old eyes. His father was old school UVF and in talks with the ‘Official’ IRA. He immigrated because his mum asked him to and for him and his siblings it was the wisest thing to do.
He was a very successful boxer back in his day in THE SIX COUNTIES, as he referred to his homeland. He only lost two fight out of seventy plus if I remember rightly. We played a lot of football together and we would both make ourselves available to teams who were short of players and struggling a wee bit. Invairabley these teams were found at the lower end of the tables and teams further up used to think they could bully the crap teams, wee Billy, yes Billy was his name, and I took great delight in putting one or two of these teams to right about what it was to get stuck in. Billy offered every hard man we played against to walk to the sidelines and settle it. Not once did any of the bullies take him up on his offer and some of the bullies towered over him. Never once did we leave the field beaten, regardless of what the score might tell you. For years we would give out our home numbers to any struggling team and we would always try to BOTH get along and we always backed each other up.
As I said he was a hun to the core just as I was a Fenian to the core and one night after a game and a couple of beers, I asked him, “What does FTP mean?” I knew what it really meant in his company name sense but I still wondered.
“My partner is a Dublin man and he named the company. He is a church going man; a Catholic church going man”
To this day, me and wee Billy, we are still good mates but my footballing days are now behind me.
I don’t get too offended too easy anymore. And please don’t invoke my religion as a means to your point scoring again. It is puerile; more puerile than whomsoever unfurled a banner with a sentiment that most Celtic Supporters agree with but don’t have the bottle to admit.
Which SPL managers publicly backed Neil Lennon when he was receiving the bombs and the bullets?
There was only one. He must have been a fenian.