Going by the looks of the photographs coming out of Romania today Ronny Deila and his players will be going a culture shock; the Stadionul Marin Anastasovici isn’t the Camp Nou, our more familiar European haunt.
The industrial surroundings should set a tone for the players, though, and industrial performance is required tonight, where the attributes of effort, attention to detail and strength of character are required.
Astra surprised many of us at Celtic Park last month. After their capitulation to Dinamo Zagreb they were supposed to be the whipping boys of the group, but they can play and extended Celtic more than any domestic challenger would be able to.
A victory would be an enormous boost to our season, and to the development of Ronny’s first Celtic squad. Question is, are we ready yet?
Ignorance of causality
Sometime between when the link between tobacco and cancer was suggested, and when it was proven, cigarette manufacturers mocked the research by pointing to a study which linked dental hygiene with cancer.
A perfectly valid piece of research found that – in their sample – the group who brushed their teeth daily had less cancers. In any research you would expect random links, which is why the medical industry requires many studies before concluding on a linkage or treatment.
Yesterday Community Safety Minister, Roseanna Cunningham, told the Scottish Parliament that recent years has seen decreases in religious hatred crimes at football, which she attributes to the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act., which she informed us we spend £3m per year enforcing. That’s a lot of police overtime to pluck fans out of their beds at 4am.
I respectfully disagree. Ms Cunningham is blind to causality. Top flight football in Scotland these past few years is a completely different place than it was previously. The change had nothing to do with her government’s “horribly drafted” [Sherriff Richard Davidson] legislation.
She knows this, of course, but the landscape has changed over the last year. The Scottish Government received an independent report on the Act in December last year but refused to debate it in Parliament or at committee. This is unsurprising as the issue could have been toxic at a sensitive time.
Jim Murphy yesterday pledged to scrap the Act “right away”, adding “Sectarianism is a deep rooted and hate filled long-term problem in Scotland. It was allowed to fester and grow over many decades. Shamefully it was celebrated by a minority and silently tolerated by far too many”.
No other political party supported the Act, so it will not survive a change of government, but going by the polls that day could be a long way off. That £3m per year is lubricating a lot of wheels, but the real cost is the politically motivated criminalisation of the non-intolerant innocent in order to “equalise” them with the absolutely intolerant.
[calameo code=000390171eccf1f8cf962 lang=en page=118 hidelinks=1 width=100% height=500]
383 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
Just came in is the game aff! Fur Fogs Sake…
wish they would Harrie up and KO…………
braw
good to see you back Kojo, dont always agree but like your updates on the youngsters, and enjoy your different approach , glad youve not taken the hump
HH
What a day – Ne’er a minute to even knock up a Dixie Deans story much to my disappointment — I can feel a Canamalar row coming on!
Right, I see we are playing in the Foggy Dew. Reminiscent of the night in Hungary, I think it was when Rangers ( RIP along with their Golf Handicap, Employers Liability Number, Capacity to contract, Employers Pension Scheme and so many other things that simply can’t be transferred ) were playing a local side in the fog.
David Francey was commentating for Radio Shortbread and somewhere in the mist the Hungarians scored within the first couple of minutes:
” It’s a goal” shouted Francey down the mike and then asked someone close by who had scored and then proceeded to broadcast the answer to the nation:
” Yes It’s a goal for the Hungarians: Fucktevano has scored and Rangers find themselves one down in the first few minutes with Fucktevano the scorer……….”
Dead Air followed for a few minutes right enough …………
Former Celtic goalkeeper and BBC co-commentator Pat Bonner
Posted at 17:44
“This is like the fog in Donegal coming all the way from the sea. It’s difficult for us up here to pick people out.”
…………………….
braw
Ach I’m off to the pub to see the game.
…or not!
HH!!
TwentyFirstofMayNineteenSeventyNine… ( Whew!)
Glad , tae Hear frae Ye,pally..
Sure..
Ah wid Be Maist Disappointed..
If..
You Agreed wi’ everything which Ah come up wi’
Fur..
That wid Spoke Ma Wheel!
Controversy….. is the Life Blood o’.. Interest.
Right?
Of Course, Ah am…
Kojo
Game on according to 3e.
teams coming out
Teams on park now.
Kojo
Off out to hopefully watch the game,
Awe the best mate
HH
foghorn leghorn, the fog of war, the foggy dew, phileas fogg
your men have taken a hell of a beating
Welcome back Kojo…missed yer patter pal…
Welcome back Kojo, keep tellin’ it as YOU see it and DON’T avoid controversy. We’re a big family and should be able to handle diverse opinions.
Fog apparently made worse looking by TV camera’s, not so bad pitchside.
COYBIG
HH
Unexpected?…well… at least..
Surprisingly, Large Number of Celtic Fans, here..owing tae the Difficulty in Travel.tae this Grun.
As per.. the Celtic T.V. team.
Kojo
KOJO
we don’t talk much much but I have missed your take on the upcoming starlets……
Have you been down the strip or up in the valley or along in the canyon?
Roller skating round the Bellagio, riding the big green insanity or the Stratosphere or just tending the allotment?
Whatever
Hail Hail
White or yellow socks might have been an idea!
Kojo
Welcome back, and Hail Hail.
Looks worse through the TV camera?
Here’s hoping.
It would appear that racists aren’t merely tolerated on CQN but they’re welcomed back warmly.
Sad indeed.
still mistfied as to why we play with a weak midfield away from home , particularly at the important early stages of the game. Maybe is personnel available but i hope this is not RD achilles!
WeeBobbyCollins.
NIce o’ ye ,pally.. tae Say.. well.. whith ye hiv.. Said.
Did Ye Know..
that..
Ah knew.. Bobby Collins.. Da?
Butch Collins?
Well Ah did…
Butch , used tae Run the Line.as a LinesMan.. When Bobby Played fur Pollok Juniors..
Ah remember.. wan game.. Bobby wiz Deliberately Foulded by a Big Dirty Opponent..
Bobby ,wiz only Sixteen.. at the time..
n..
Butch.. Did Not approve.. n he showed his DisaProval… by..
Hittin the Big Dirty So n So.. oan the Heid ..wi his Flag!
Funny?
Hilarious.. !
The Ref. showed extreme discretion. by..
Ignore.. Butch’s Attack..
Nice Chatting..
Kojo
This is the best I’ve never seen us play.
Ah don’t hiv a T.V. Picture.. fur this Game…
A Bummer.
So Far..
Celtic, are Haudin Fast.. although … Astra… Are Doing well.. taell
Tough Game..
Kojo
Just reading back at all the greetings offered to kojo and preparing to put in a comment myself when I see that Hamiltontim has posted what I would have
Well said stebhoy…………..its like we’ve learned feck all !!
Celtic, playing.. Well..
Well.
Sounds like we ur.. Tappin oan the Door.
Kojo
There’s a live updates post now….no one told us!
Stefan J has a snap shot, smart save from the goalie corner comes to nothing as Big Virg heads past the post..
celts moving well, johansen should have scored from an izzy cross but we’re lookin’ good at this stage, 20mins in
Sounds Like.
Steffi.. Runnin THIS game..
This Kid is the Goods.
Broonie?
Is He Playin?
Kojo
OBAFA is a poorly written piece of legislation which is open to being misused, so it will be. However, it doesn’t make any sense to me to declare this crappy law as a reason to either denounce the SNP entirely or to provide any support for Labour.
Labour don’t give a crap about people in Scotland, and as for Jim Murphy, the idea of a Celtic website supportively quoting a Blairite, pro-war, pro-nuclear weapons, pro-Israel careerist like Murphy would be funny if it wasn’t so disappointing.
And as for Celtic people who cry out against Independence, for God’s sake wake up to yourself!
Outside the main parties, on the pro-Indy side you had the Socialists, the Greens, the Common Weal, and the CND. They felt their agenda would be helped by Independence.
On the anti-Indy side you had UKIP, the BNP, Britain First and the Orange Order. They felt their agenda would be damaged by Independence.
If you have taken sides against Independence because you don’t like OBAFA (and I don’t either), then your priorities are an embarrassment.
So what was I saying?……Hmmm?