Here we go again!

133

This afternoon’s game is not about playing well or looking the part for the new season.  It is only about getting a result that helps us into the second round.  All of the pretty football and developmental signs we hope to see can wait.

Last year we started the same competitive journey a little closer, in Ireland.  More memorably, a year earlier, things kicked off in Gibraltar.  Ronny’s two campaigns both began in Iceland.  Although the game in Gibraltar was an anxious occasion, early European qualification games have only helped prepare the squad in recent seasons.

If we are to see these four qualification rounds through, we will have eight games in eight weeks.  Each an opportunity to pick up injuries and suspensions.  Let’s hope we come through today unscathed in both respects.

Here we go again!

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  1. Neustadt-Braw on

    I tip a one goal lead when we head to Celtic Park….

     

     

    smiley hot is the new cold thing

     

     

    Braw

  2. Anybody else getting a virus thing when using CQN? It’s not affecting any other site, just this one. Very odd. I usually get a popup a minute after logging in and I can’t get rid of it. Have to close the browser and go elsewhere.

  3. POGMATHONYAHUN AKA LAIRD OF THE SMILES ???‍♂️???

     

     

    I have my spies everywhere:))

     

     

    Can’t wait to see the Hoops take the field tonight:))

     

     

    HH

  4. CHAVEZ – Apparently the team are working flat out to fix the virus that has been attacking the blog.

     

     

    In the meantime I found an app called Firefox Focus for CQN, it’s dead on,blocks the viruses.Google for everything else.

     

     

    HH. ?

  5. CHAVEZ on 10TH JULY 2018 9:25 AM

     

    Anybody else getting a virus thing when using CQN? It’s not affecting any other site, just this one. Very odd. I usually get a popup a minute after logging in and I can’t get rid of it. Have to close the browser and go elsewhere.

     

     

    Yep….started about a week ago. An Amazon pop up which only occurs on CQN when using Chrome Browser. Very annoying as no virus checker or pop up programme I’ve tried can remove it.

  6. Celticrollercoaster supporting @WalkWithShay on

    C’mon the Hoops. Looking for a victory, decent performance and no injuries.

     

     

    Will hopefully get to see the game as well. Just off to check that it is on in the normal pub in Playa Blanca.

     

     

    VFR- if you are on, my prayers and thoughts for Canon Tom. Let’s hope some good can come out of this and the barbaric OO are banned from the highways, if this is how they continue to behave. Banish them to their caves for this nonsense.

     

     

    HH

     

     

    CRC

  7. 50 shades of green on

    Well Bhoys here we go for 8 in a row, midweek games that is hopefully..

     

     

    H.H

  8. Hi Paul67,

     

     

    It’s incredible to think our season is starting already…

     

     

    But the preparation has been sound, it’s going to be a tricky tie away from home so today’s a big game.

     

     

    You make a great point though our “preseason” schedule normally has us in great shape for any Domestic and European competitions we face.

     

     

    Hail Hail

  9. 50 shades of green on

    Bain…

     

     

    Hendry.. Ajer.. Jozo ..Kt.

     

     

    Ollie n Broonie

     

     

    Jamsie …Ollie.. Cal Mac

     

     

    Moussa …

     

     

     

    First wrong guess of the season for me ?

  10. Some great points yesterday on a very sad incident…

     

     

    An excellent post by…

     

     

    jamesgang @ 1:57,

     

     

    Canon Tom has been in my thoughts and prayers since the news started to filter out.

     

     

    I always get enraged by the (i)moral equivalence argument that one side is as bad as the other. Still more so at a time like this.

     

     

    I know how baseless this is. As someone who was brought up in the Church of Scotland and chose to follow celtic from childhood, my religion has never led me to fear or danger.

     

     

    But my assumed religion as a Celtic fan often has.

     

     

    I hope you can express to Canon Tom the enormous support and love that exists for him here and far beyond.

     

     

    That says so much in an enlightened way,interestingly I’ve had the opposite experience – as an “ex-pat” and my name sounds quite Scottish and I support Scotland in most things including football, rugby etc… and sometime wear a “Scottish” top_ many assume I’m not of a Catholic tradition and not a Celtic supporter. Often I get a stark reaction when Scots folk of a certain volition find out the truth.

     

     

    This has happened to me in a work environment, social environment, in places as diverse as London and New York.

     

     

    Yet I believe we have to leave the sectarian aspect behind regarding the incident with Cannon White and his congregation.

     

     

    Sectarianism can be complex and nuanced: Catholic, Protestant, republicanism, loyalism, nationalism, unionism, Scottish Irish left wing, right wing, Celtic “Rangers” ethnic identity class, culture, etc, etc

     

     

    Yet what we have with regard to what happened in the Barras was simple; disgusting hateful but none the less simple, it’s all about what the Cops didn’t say…

     

     

    !!Bada Bing!! @ 4:07 pm,

     

     

    Officers investigating the hate crime said the identity of the attacker is still to be established, however there are reports a man, with a shaven head, aged between 20 and 30, was involved.

     

     

    Cops are also checking reports a young man was seen trying to hit the priest with a baton.

     

     

    Police are urging members of the parade to come forward to help identify whoever is responsible for the shameful incident.

     

     

    Superintendent John McBride said: “We will not tolerate any form of hate crime and behaving in such a way is contemptible.

     

     

    “I would like to assure everyone that those who choose to react in a sectarian or religiously motivated matter will be identified and dealt with under the law.

     

     

    – Catholic, they didn’t say, CATHOLIC.

     

     

    They could have mentioned the location of the crime a Catholic Church, they could have mentioned the denomination of the Catholic Priest and they could have and should have mentioned it was an anti-Catholic hate crime. No muddying the waters, no smoke’n mirrors

     

     

    We don’t need holding statements and generalizations about sectarianism or religious intolerance, as welcome as all that is. What we need is a senior Police Officer and Government officials to state loud and clear anti-Catholic hate will not be tolerated in Scotland. This chap said it much better than I.

     

     

    Time for Scottish Government to stand up to anti-Catholic hate

     

     

    As police investigate yet another anti-Catholic incident on the streets of Scotland we must ask ourselves how much longer the Catholic community needs to suffer before their plight is taken seriously.

     

     

    The Scottish Government continues to be reticent about the deep rooted anti-Catholic problem of modern Scotland: a Scotland it claims is tolerant, diverse, inclusive and progressive. Meanwhile, in that same supposedly tolerant, diverse, inclusive and progressive Scotland, Orange parades continue to march through the streets bringing with them the kind of trouble witnessed by Canon Tom White and his congregation on Saturday evening.

     

     

    Nobody really knows if the person who attacked Canon White by spitting on him and lunging at him with a metal pole was someone participating in the Orange walk itself or just one of the many people who follow it. Either way, it is not the sort of behaviour a priest should face as he welcomes his parishioners to the Saturday Vigil in the parish of St Alphonsus in Glasgow’s east end. The matter is now with the police and one would hope the perpetrator will be brought to justice. Yet it is disturbing that orange parades are allowed to walk anywhere near a Catholic Church, knowing full well the sensitivities. It’s interesting to think that whilst Canon Tom White was being assaulted on the doorstep of his parish, the same Glasgow City Council that approved the parade is exploring options around the banning of peaceful, prayerful pro-life vigils. On the one hand the council is tolerant of Orange parades and the disturbance and violence that inevitably follows; yet, on the other, it is intolerant of peaceful vigils.

     

     

    It is a challenge to know just how to tackle the sort of deeply ingrained bigotry and hatred which leads to this type of behaviour. Millions of pounds have been pumped into numerous initiatives and programmes with the aim of tackling sectarian behaviour, all with varying degrees of success. Initiatives which educate and seek to change the culture from the bottom up undoubtedly have their place. But perhaps more important than any programme is to recognise the behaviour for what it is and not try to wrap it up as something it is not. The kind of behaviour witnessed at St Alphonsus on Saturday night is often labelled ‘sectarian’. But it should be labelled ‘anti-Catholic’. Just in the same way an attack on an Imam should be described as ‘anti-Muslim’ or ‘Islamophobic’, and an attack on a Rabbi described as ‘anti-Semitic’.

     

     

    Hate crime directed at Catholics or the Catholic faith continues to dominate religiously aggravated offending in Scotland. It is a sad reality of life in our country and, far from being a new problem, it is an age old problem that just won’t go away. In our modern, progressive, tolerant Scotland we have witnessed the desecration of a Catholic Church in Coatbridge, a priest and his congregation attacked as they came out of Mass in Fife, and the words ‘Kill all Catholics’ emblazoned on an iconic Glasgow bridge. These, and the attack on Canon White, are all examples of contemporary Scotland. They are not a throwback to the seventies or eighties. It is Scotland, here and now.

     

     

    The Scottish Government needs to take the lead on this issue and it must not be afraid of confronting the truth. It must openly acknowledge the reality of the anti-Catholic problem in Scotland. Of course, not everyone is guilty of the type of hate directed toward Canon White, but there are too many incidents for it to be swept under the carpet and simply labelled as ‘sectarian’.

     

     

    It is heartening to see the First Minister condemn the incident. Richard Leonard, Monica Lennon, Annie Wells and Mike Russell have also added their voice to the condemnation, as has the new Cabinet Secretary for Justice Humza Yousaf. This is a positive start but more must be done.

     

     

    We have reached a critical point for the Catholic community in Scotland. We now need leadership and that leadership should come from government in the form of a strong message that anti-Catholic behaviour will no longer be tolerated and that government will do everything in its power to stop it.

     

     

    In the meantime let us pray for Canon Tom White and his congregation that they will remain faithful and strong in the face of hate.

     

     

    Anthony Horan

     

    Director, Catholic Parliamentary Office

  11. 50 shades of green on

    Although my formation above is in 4231 format I would like to see us adopt the 3 5 2 and I’ve a feeling once our world cup Stars and any new signings arrive we might well go with that.

     

     

    H.H

  12. On my phone using Chrome..

     

     

    CQN and ONLY CQN brings up the Amazon pop up…

     

     

    for the last 3 weeks.

     

     

    My Norton doesn’t block it/fix it

     

     

    Come on anti virus team…

     

     

    …………………

     

     

    Ref Show Racism the Red Card in Scotland

     

     

    They were recently recruiting for a manager in Scotland…

     

     

    In June, hey held an event at Celtic Park for 2 local schools

     

    St Annes & Quarrybrae Primaries

     

     

    They have a history (see James Forrest & Phil) of releasing statements allegedly from staff who were on holiday at the time & knew nothing of these statements.

     

     

    Their tweets are worse than the pretend statements issued by anonymous staffers..

     

     

    Direct speech quotation marks attributing comments to Brendan that actually refer to quotes from other sources that deliberately misquoted Brendan’s actual words..all condensed into a social media comment…

     

     

    Make Show Racism the Red Card look pathetic, incompetent, out of touch, led by people with no grasp of the situations in Scotland.

     

     

    Maybe they need a new manager in Scotland.

  13. 50 shades of green on

    HS

     

     

    Don’t think so mate, I just think Bain has better distribution of the ball, it was one of the positions I pondered over the other being Eddie instead of Sinky with Cal Mac in the Middle .

     

     

    As I said just my guess I would be happy with Cragie in goals.

     

     

    H.H

     

     

     

    P.s I’ve been wrong before ??

  14. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    CHAIRBHOY

     

     

    “It is heartening to see the First Minister condemn the incident. Richard Leonard, Monica Lennon, Annie Wells and Mike Russell have also added their voice to the condemnation, as has the new Cabinet Secretary for Justice Humza Yousaf. This is a positive start but more must be done.”

     

     

    I fear Mr Horan may be disappointed if he expects those mentioned to follow this up.

     

     

    Lip service. Believe me.

  15. 50 shades

     

    Fair enough. I think he will go with Sinclair instead of Eddie but I say that conversationally rather than with any real idea !

     

    Have to go for a while.

     

    Cheerio for now.

     

    JJ

     

     

    PS On a completely different note, does one have to be a member of a Union to get support from ACAS ?

     

     

    JJ

  16. Time for Scottish Government to stand up to anti-Catholic hate

     

     

     

    As police investigate yet another anti-Catholic incident on the streets of Scotland we must ask ourselves how much longer the Catholic community needs to suffer before their plight is taken seriously.

     

     

     

    The Scottish Government continues to be reticent about the deep rooted anti-Catholic problem of modern Scotland: a Scotland it claims is tolerant, diverse, inclusive and progressive. Meanwhile, in that same supposedly tolerant, diverse, inclusive and progressive Scotland, Orange parades continue to march through the streets bringing with them the kind of trouble witnessed by Canon Tom White and his congregation on Saturday evening.

     

     

     

     

    Nobody really knows if the person who attacked Canon White by spitting on him and lunging at him with a metal pole was someone participating in the Orange walk itself or just one of the many people who follow it. Either way, it is not the sort of behaviour a priest should face as he welcomes his parishioners to the Saturday Vigil in the parish of St Alphonsus in Glasgow’s east end. The matter is now with the police and one would hope the perpetrator will be brought to justice. Yet it is disturbing that orange parades are allowed to walk anywhere near a Catholic Church, knowing full well the sensitivities. It’s interesting to think that whilst Canon Tom White was being assaulted on the doorstep of his parish, the same Glasgow City Council that approved the parade is exploring options around the banning of peaceful, prayerful pro-life vigils. On the one hand the council is tolerant of Orange parades and the disturbance and violence that inevitably follows; yet, on the other, it is intolerant of peaceful vigils.

     

     

     

     

    It is a challenge to know just how to tackle the sort of deeply ingrained bigotry and hatred which leads to this type of behaviour. Millions of pounds have been pumped into numerous initiatives and programmes with the aim of tackling sectarian behaviour, all with varying degrees of success. Initiatives which educate and seek to change the culture from the bottom up undoubtedly have their place. But perhaps more important than any programme is to recognise the behaviour for what it is and not try to wrap it up as something it is not. The kind of behaviour witnessed at St Alphonsus on Saturday night is often labelled ‘sectarian’. But it should be labelled ‘anti-Catholic’. Just in the same way an attack on an Imam should be described as ‘anti-Muslim’ or ‘Islamophobic’, and an attack on a Rabbi described as ‘anti-Semitic’.

     

     

     

     

    Hate crime directed at Catholics or the Catholic faith continues to dominate religiously aggravated offending in Scotland. It is a sad reality of life in our country and, far from being a new problem, it is an age old problem that just won’t go away. In our modern, progressive, tolerant Scotland we have witnessed the desecration of a Catholic Church in Coatbridge, a priest and his congregation attacked as they came out of Mass in Fife, and the words ‘Kill all Catholics’ emblazoned on an iconic Glasgow bridge. These, and the attack on Canon White, are all examples of contemporary Scotland. They are not a throwback to the seventies or eighties. It is Scotland, here and now.

     

     

     

     

    The Scottish Government needs to take the lead on this issue and it must not be afraid of confronting the truth. It must openly acknowledge the reality of the anti-Catholic problem in Scotland. Of course, not everyone is guilty of the type of hate directed toward Canon White, but there are too many incidents for it to be swept under the carpet and simply labelled as ‘sectarian’.

     

     

     

     

    It is heartening to see the First Minister condemn the incident. Richard Leonard, Monica Lennon, Annie Wells and Mike Russell have also added their voice to the condemnation, as has the new Cabinet Secretary for Justice Humza Yousaf. This is a positive start but more must be done.

     

     

     

     

    We have reached a critical point for the Catholic community in Scotland. We now need leadership and that leadership should come from government in the form of a strong message that anti-Catholic behaviour will no longer be tolerated and that government will do everything in its power to stop it.

     

     

     

     

    In the meantime let us pray for Canon Tom White and his congregation that they will remain faithful and strong in the face of hate.

     

     

     

    Anthony Horan

     

     

    Director, Catholic Parliamentary Office

  17. Show Racism the Red Card Scotland are based at

     

     

    Show Racism the Red Card Scotland

     

    1-3 Woodside Crescent

     

    Glasgow

     

    G3 7UJ

     

     

    Tel: 0141 353 1199

     

     

    Their tweet from July 9 read

     

     

    @SRtRC Scotland

     

     

    “We fully support Shay Logan and will be asking the SFA to investigate any claims of racism by Celtic supporters towards him. We also reject any allegations that Shay Logan “brought it upon himself”

     

     

    Their Head Office is at

     

     

    The Linskill Centre

     

    North Shields

     

    Tyne & Wear

     

    NE30 2AY

     

     

    Tel: 0191 257 8519

     

     

    ……………………….

     

     

    False claims of any type of discrimination only really help racists and hinder attempts to eradicate it.

     

     

    If Show Racism the Red Card are ONLY interested in generating noise when racism is alleged – regardless of whether the claims are genuine or are malicious – then they are making things worse NOT better.

     

     

    There is NO known evidence that this football player was racially abused by anyone at Celtic Park.

     

    He was of course subject to a great deal of ordinary. regular abuse for acting in a loathsome & provocative manner in front of 60,000 fans. This occurred AFTER he was red carded by the impartial referee for reckless and dangerous play. He was also fortunate not to be given a 2nd red card for his antics in provoking the home crowd as he left the field.

     

     

    His previous for making racism allegations at Celtic Park that could not be corroborated by ANYONE else are on record.

     

     

    If Shay Logan & Show Racism cannot or will not distinguish between racial abuse & regular abuse, perhaps Celtic as a club need to get involved to re-direct that focus. If the SFA decide to investigate, Celtic will be involved officially.

     

     

    HH

  18. BMCUW @ 10:37 AM,

     

     

    Well, hopefully the pressure can build. It will be interesting to see if anyone is arrested. Though they seem to be stressing that there was no OO members involved and that they were “young”.

     

     

    As is, some young hothead not associated with the walk overreacted.

     

     

    In England, as I’m sure you know, in general, racism lessens as you go down the generations (this recent rise in fascism excepted)

     

     

    It’s sad there is yet another generation of bigots “growing” up in Scotland steeped in this “tradition” when we need to obviate this dogma.

     

     

    It also raises serious questions about Orange Walks…

     

     

    If the assailant had been a member, they could have expelled him and reported him and looked pro-active.

     

     

    If he has nothing to do with the OO then they have a problem, they are saying our events will attract hate filled imbeciles who will be involved in hate crimes and we are not responsible and can do nothing about it.

     

     

    How can marches be allowed to go on if this is the case?

     

     

    Hail Hail

  19. Starting 11 and formation will be that which stared v Sparta Prague and Shamrock Rovers.

     

    3-1-4-2

     

    Gordon

     

    Hendry Ajer Simunovic

     

    Brown

     

    Forrest McGregor Ntcham Tierney

     

    Dembele Edouard

     

     

    Subs Bain Ralston Allan Kouassi Sinclair Morgan Christie

  20. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    EUROCHAMPS67

     

     

    I didn’t ask anyone to believe me,rather than Mr Horan. As was in my post,

     

    *

     

    {“It is heartening to see the First Minister condemn the incident. Richard Leonard, Monica Lennon, Annie Wells and Mike Russell have also added their voice to the condemnation, as has the new Cabinet Secretary for Justice Humza Yousaf. This is a positive start but more must be done.”

     

     

     

    I fear Mr Horan may be disappointed if he expects those mentioned to follow this up.}

     

    *

     

    Keep trying,though.

  21. -5-79 on 10th July 2018 10:57 am

     

    41,716

     

     

    https://www.change.org/p/glasgow-call-time-on-the-orange-walk

     

    =====================

     

    Petition keeps gathering pace, an impressive figure reached to date. Hopefully it will continue to gather support and soon smash the 50k mark. Already it has far more signatories than the Nazis who actually participate / follow the sectarian marches.

     

    Will the politicians actually do something positive to curtail their ‘right’ to march ? I think not.

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