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If you think Leigh’s finished, you’ve not been paying attention

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By on CQN BLOG & Comments

It was only a friendly and he took advantage of an error, but Patryk Klimala’s goal against Nice last night got rid of the onerous burden that comes when every striker joins a new club, he is no longer waiting on his first goal.

Patryk is still only 21, living abroad for the first time and has a whole lot of work ahead, but in these respects he is no different than several strikers who have successfully developed into top talents at Celtic in recent seasons.  We know how to transform prospects into champions, if you want to make it as a striker, this is the place to come.

I know that you and me both have a lot of time for Leigh Griffiths.  He has proven his worth repeatedly in the six years since he arrived at Celtic Park, most notably by scoring 40 goals in season 2015-16.  Since then, he has played more of a supporting role, first to Moussa Dembele and then Odsonne Edouard and he returned from off-field challenges before lockdown with an impressive scoring rate.

High standards, which would have been unrecognisable as recently as Martin O’Neill’s time, have been set at Celtic in recent years.  They have contributed to the club being the most prodigious collector of trophies in Scottish football history.  Neil Lennon is the curator of those standards and he knows more than anyone the cost if he lets them slip.

Leigh has a master’s degree in the science of ‘Prove them Wrong’.  He has been written off and returned to the top more than anyone I can remember, whatever weaknesses he has, this determination to recover is a strength many overlook.

If you think he’s finished, you’ve not been paying attention.

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  2. Big Jimmy on

    Cheers and Hail Hail to the excellent compnay of the Three Bhoys yesterday DAVID66, Eddie, BIGRAILROADBLUES…..and AN TEARMANN…who suddenly appeared from nowhere and disappeared after buying a round of drinks…without giving us the chance to really chat and buy him some Beers…hopefully next time ?

     

    Sadly, the Pub we were in didnt have my usual Beer or any adequate subs…and I was reluctant to turn to pints off Guinness…due to still feeling a bit fragile with my recent health…so I was drinking pints of Lager for the 1st time in maybe 30 odd years.

     

    Just before 10pm last night and me and DAVID66 were the last ones…and we said our goodbyes as we waited for Two Taxis. DAVID66 made sure that I got the 1st one…sadly he texted me a wee while later when I was having a late snack…to tell me that someone had nicked HIS Taxi !

     

     

    As I told him by text…you can never trust any Hun..they are well known for stealing anything.

     

    LOL

     

    I did plan to go to my own local Pub Today…but Ive got a wee sore heid cos I was drinking Lager…so I will watch the horse racing and the Celtic later tonight and maybe get some Beers Tomorrow.

     

    So DAVID66 and myself lasted almost 8 hours…by which time we were telling lies and tall tales to each other…only joking !

     

    HH

     

     

    Once again Bhoys..thanks for the good laughs that we had.

  8. GFTB on

    Cheers for the good wishes bhoys, just opened my gift from wife & daughter ..

     

     

    It contained … “hand sanitiser, anti viral wipes, pocket cleansing gel, apple and apricot household wipes & a reusable face mask”

     

     

    What more could you ask for during a pandemic ???

  15. David66 on

    Goooooooood morning all from a lovely sunny morning in the Garden of God

     

     

    Good craic, good company and for my tipple a pint of T lager what’s not to like. The power of our wee club bringing us all together.

     

     

    BJ – next time we will try your local as long as they sell Tennents

     

    BRRB – get in the Star Bar get a pint and a fry up in you and everything becomes clearer.

     

    Wee Eddie – lurker….. get oan here.

     

    An Tearman- wot a guy in and out and a round of drinks he bought.

     

     

    GFTB -Happy birthday young yin

     

     

    DD – if lurking hope you can join us next time

     

     

    Hail hail all, a day of fence painting ahead for me…maybe

     

     

    D :)

  16. David66 on

    Oops DD- Garry just seen your post.

     

     

    now that BRRB has connected us I will give you a wee text in the coming week.(I know I did last night) see I wasnt that drunk.

     

     

    HH

     

     

    D :)

  18. GFTB on

    Yet again cheers Bhoys …

     

     

    Delaneys good to see you on here, am not into music much, know even less about music than fitba, and actually had not heard that Beatles song before today :-)

     

     

    Everyday a school day

  19. BROGAN ROGAN TREVINO AND HOGAN on

    BLANTYRETIM IS PRAYING FOR THE KNOX FAMILY on 18TH JULY 2020 9:09 AM

     

    PARKHEADCUMSALFORD on 18TH JULY 2020 9:09 AM

     

     

    Will the current owners sell and are these moves in Europe a good thing or a bad thing?

     

     

    I think it is inevitable that one day, maybe sooner rather than later, Celtic will be sold. In theory, I think that is a bad thing. In practice – it may turn out to be a good thing.

     

     

    I will try to explain further and forgive me if I go over old ground here.

     

     

    1. When Fergus McCann announced that he was going to sell Celtic to the fans by way of a share issue I was both heartened and dismayed because on the one hand it meant that ordinary fans could invest in Celtic but on the other hand the way that Fergus was doing this and the promises and presentations he was making at the time were bullshit.

     

     

    He may well have not intended them to be bullshit but in the big bad world of reality bullshit was what it was.

     

     

    2. The whole point of a PLC (Public Limited Company) is that this a legal device which creates limited liability status and allows for the public sale of shares in the company.

     

     

    In other words, ownership of the company, be it tiny minority ownership in the shape of a couple of shares, or the full ownership of the company by way of all or the vast majority of shares, can be legally traded.

     

     

    In essence, Fergus created a situation whereby the ownership of Celtic could be, and would be , traded on a daily basis. This was a perfectly legitimate thing to do, is a proper way to structure a company, makes for good business sense and has an awful lot going for it. But it could never deliver, and was never designed to deliver, what Fergus promised at the same time which was that the fans would always own 66% of the club.

     

     

    With the best will in the world that was always totally impossible to secure and was never going to happen.

     

     

    Today, the vast majority of Celtic shares are owned by something like 8 or 10 people or entities and the so called 66% ownership by ordinary fans is much nearer to 10% in reality.

     

     

    3. Dermot Desmond is a Billionaire. He is as shrewd a capitalist as you will find. He is the genuine business article. Smart. Articulate. Very Clever. Completely ruthless in business and a total achiever.

     

     

    He is not as horrible, sanguine and decidedly shitty as say Rupert Murdoch or various others I could mention but he is serious business and not to be messed with. He is also a keen golfer, has proper and genuine Irish roots and culture flowing through him, is no stranger to looking after people and, I have been told, is someone who, on more than one occasion, goes out of his way to be very good to be helpful to some who have worked for him. He can be more than generous when it comes to charity and, as mentioned above, he has in the past gone out of his way to look after folk in all sorts of ways.

     

     

    There is no doubt at all in my mind that he is a Celtic fan who has an emotional interest and investment in the club, but he is a business man and when he bought a significant stake in Celtic it was with a view to making money. If Celtic were invited into in the EPL I have no doubt that he would be tempted to sell his shares. Dermot controls around 44% of Celtic shares.

     

     

    The second biggest shareholder is the Lindsell Train Investment Fund run by Nick Train. Train is a stcokbroking and investment superstar and his funds have assets worth around 15 Billion pounds and his salary makes Peter Lawwell’s look like pocket money.

     

     

    Train is also a Celtic fan but his company’s sole function is to make money for their investors and so they have invested in Celtic just as they have in Juventus. Train holds just under 19% of the club shares and so between him and Dermot there is complete control with 63% of all shares.

     

     

    Then there are other shareholders with small holdings including Chris Trainer with 10.4%, James Keane 6.5%, Tom Allison 3.5%, Bank Lombard Odier 1.5%, Peter Lawwell 0.4% and so on.

     

     

    Obviously there are millions of shares and people can buy and sell them in all sorts of names and through all sorts of funds but very few people actually own control of Celtic and so Fergus’ 66% promise was the stuff of fairytales in reality.

     

     

    There is no doubt that all the individuals involved are Celtic fans (You can put your life on the fact that PL is Celtic to the core) but they are also business men who have to make money for their funds, investors and so on.

     

     

    Whether we like it or not, Celtic is a legally tradeable business and when conditions are right for someone, some big fish will make an offer to buy the shares in the club. If Dermot or Train can be tempted they will sell — and once you own 65% of the club or so it is not to much of a stretch to get to 70%.

     

     

    At that level you MUST offer to buy all the other shares and some will sell.

     

     

    David Murray controlled RFC owning 85% or so of the shares most of the time.

     

     

    I believe some, like Fergus McCann himself are very wary of a future takeover bid simply because that it is now realised that if the stars align in the right way the legal mechanisms are all in place which would allow this to happen.

     

     

    Celtic, despite what anyone may think of, or say about, Peter Lawwell’s management of the company, are really well run and as a football business they rank with the very very best making it a club worth looking at and potentially investing in.

     

     

    And there lies the problem as any old Tom, Dick or Oil Magnate can come up with the dough and if the money is right they can take control.

     

     

    Fans then become more customer than fellow shareholder — which was never what Fergus intended but actually created.

     

     

    If the owner is a dyed in the wool Celtic fan it could be great but if not then it could be any old person at all.

  21. Big Jimmy on

    DAVID66..My local does sell Tennets lager…and we dont have to “Book” seats etc. The Chargehand phoned me on Thursday to ask why I hadnt been in etc….but since i posted earlier Today..I dont think I will be having anymore Beer for a week or so as the Hospital has sent me a package this morning in the post with some solutions that i need to take before I have some “Procedures” on Wednesday.

     

    Its also telling me what to eat and drink…and what NOT to eat or Drink before and soon after this Wednesday…so I wont be visiting any Pubs til maybe late on next week or soon after ?

     

     

    HH

  29. David66 on

    BRRB – ffs I am even more handsome than j thought.😂😂😂

     

     

    You might a gave a 3 minute warning with that photo.

     

     

    Right I’m on a diet….after ma case a tennents

     

     

    D :)

  31. bigrailroadblues on

    Memo to self. Never again follow lager and vodka with a kebab. I should know better. 😳

  32. Coneybhoy on

    Really jealous of the Glasgow Bhoys our on the Lilian Gish yesterday!

     

     

    Big Jimmy, sounds like the best medicine you could have had👍

     

     

    Irish pubs (with no food) still shut until at least 10 Aug. Our local GAA club is freshly painted and raring to go. All my neighbours gutted as we were all going to hit it hard this week

     

     

    Hey ho, out for a meal with my wife tonight which includes bevvy

  33. blantyretim is praying for the Knox family on

    BRTH

     

    Thanks for explaining ☘️☘️

     

     

    BRRB

     

    Can now put a face to David 66

     

    As I’ve met the rest of u bhoys

  34. Hamiltontim on

    BRTH

     

     

    I hope you’re keeping well J.

     

     

    Fergus hasn’t gone away you know! :-)

  37. corkcelt on

    The Happiest of Birthdays to Gerry Fae the Brig.

     

    The four amigos on the piss yesterday, scare the s**t out of me.

     

    Don’t think I would last an hour of their sesh & even then would be pole axed for a couple of days after.

     

    Anyhow God Bless them all.

     

    I’m emerging from hibernation myself, Lovely Indian Meal last night with another good Tim & our respective wives, a Family Barbecue this evening and a couple of days in Killarney early next week,

     

    All of this coinciding with seeing the Celts play again has me buzing for the first time in months.

  38. Coneybhoy on

    Corkcelt

     

     

    Apparently US tourists(ignoring quarantine) are causing covid spikes in Kerry. They are now banned from eateries/shops in Killarney

     

     

    Ironically, they are landing in Dublin praising the Irish for keeping rates low and safe for them while ruining it for the locals and keeping pubs shut

  42. whitedoghunch on

    big Jimmy

     

    if on lager

     

    drink carliing

     

    no fishy business

     

    less chance of a sore heid

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