Inter have hit a bit of form recently but comments coming out of Milan indicate their visit to Celtic Park is viewed with some trepidation. The stadium’s Champions League reputation remains fresh in the memory, even if the team has been transformed since the last major victory over a truly top team two years ago.
A number of those who will play for Celtic on Thursday will have only seen those great European nights on television. Playing in front of 60,000 Celtic fans will be a new experience. Transforming this support into an energising force is our job. Inter’s first objective will be to frustrate and quieten the crowd. My hunch is that this will be difficult.
We have the line-up confirmed for the CQN11 St Patrick’s Dinner, which is at the Kerrydale Suite on Friday 13 March. Topping the bill for the Q&A is Packy Bonnar, Jock Stein’s last signing, who made his debut on St Patrick’s Day 1979.
Packy’s Celtic and Ireland team-mate, Tommy Coyne, will also be taking part. Tommy had an incredible career and speaks intelligently on football, and life in general. We’re also delighted to have Joe Miller. Joe played in the same Celtic team as Packy and Tommy. Part of our historic Centenary Team, he also scored that unforgettable Scottish Cup Final winner. More recently Joe formed the Association of Former Celtic Players.
To mark the 50th anniversary of Jock Stein’s first game as Celtic manager, which takes place that week, we also have Jock’s personal friend and biographer, Archie Macpherson will speak about the great man. If you’ve ever needed inspiration…..
I’m also delighted to confirm we have Celtic’s First Lady of Song, Patricia Ferns, who is making the journey over from Ireland for our night.
Let me know if you still need a ticket, celticquicknews@gmail.com
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Chris McLaughlin @BBCchrismclaug 14m14 minutes ago
#Rangers board again highlight concerns over Dave King’s ability to become a director. Calls for him to highlight who his NOMAD would be.
Chris McLaughlin @BBCchrismclaug 19m19 minutes ago
#Rangers announce EGM will be held in Grange Tower Bridge Hotel, London. 4 March.
Condolences to midfield maestro and family.
Sorry to hear about your father passing away.
Cheers Pfayr.
Think I’ll dabble @ 2/1 – price is far too tempting to pass by.
We can defeat any team on the planet when Celtic Park is full to capacity.
Laters.
HH.
Murdochbhoy – what if a high percentage of the fouls against us weren’t actually fouls?
ACGR – hope you have recovered from the weekend’s shindig crazy mhan. Sorry I couldn’t make it for beers on Sunday – was like a soup sandwich fs.
Yer a legend mo chara.
HH.
Celts are here
The Curious Case of Finnbogason
Remember Alfreð Finnbogason?!
A player who many Celtic fans used on social media to vilify the Celtic board for not spending the cash to bring the striker in when Celtic were floundering in front of goal.
At the time Alfred was playing for SC Heerenveen and banging in goals for fun. Heerenveen were not letting their star striker go cheap and rejected bids upwards of £5million when Celtic were said to be interested in the player.
The outrage from a lot of Celtic fans that the club weren’t willing to back their manager with cold hard cash was loud enough for everyone to hear. “We spend 1 and 2 million here and there on duds like Amido, Pukki and Bangura when we could just buy one proven striker” was the rhetoric among disgruntled supporters. Of course they had a point! It is frustrating to see Celtic throw money out the window searching in the bargain bin of European football. The fact was Celtic were buying players that fit within their model and budget but the scouting team were just not coming through when it came to getting goals. So why wouldn’t Celtic, just this once sign a player that was capable of scoring goals to help us out in our European quests?
The reason why is staring us in the face now. Alfreð got his move away from Heerenveen to Real Sociedad for the sum of €7.5million rising to $10million with add-ons last summer. An offer Celtic could never in a million years compete with. The Icelandic striker also commanding a handsome wage packet in the process. He was never within our grasp but yet the headlines read that we had missed out on the boy and that riled some fans.
Real paid the cash and got the player and fair play to them but as they have learned since the transfer, lighting it up in one league doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to do it in another. Since his move last summer the player has played on 22 occasions for Sociedad and only scored a measly two goals. Now I’m not wanting to do the player a massive disservice, I’m aware that he’s had to come from the bench on numerous occasions since his switch and that could be a mitigating factor as to why he isn’t bursting the net for his new team. My point though is this – there is no such thing as guaranteed goals, no matter how much or how little you spend on a player. Just ask Chelsea and Man Utd who have respectively shelled out a lot of cash for Fernando Torres and Falcao, only to see the players struggle for goals.
There is a common misconception that the more you spend the better player you get, it’s just not true in todays inflated market. That’s why Celtic and the board should not be under pressure to shell out these massive fees for players that might not even cut the mustard when they come. Admittedly our cheaper options have came up very short of the expectations that are put on a Celtic striker in the past few seasons for whatever reason. However Celtic can sleep easy knowing they haven’t shelled out £11million for the likes of Ross McCormack and £6-7million for Robert Snodgrass and yes upwards of €7.5million for Finnbogason. All good players but at that price I’d rather take my chances with the weans at Lennonxtown.
@Creg1888
weeminger
Equally, some of Scot Brown’s challenges that went unpunished were, shall we say, a little agricultural and he definitely won’t get away with in against Inter.
The tempo of the game will be equally as important as the crowd’s influence on Thursday so it is vital we don’t commit silly niggly fouls break it up.
The curse of predictive text, sorry.
Murdoch….
A good warning but…
Celtic players are some of the best disciplined in the league. In terms of red and yellow cards they are way, way down the bad boy tables.
Couple of days ago I posted against the claim of unfairness of Celtic always having more fouls awarded against them than the opposition.
I won’t repeat my excellent post :-) but our pressing game is likely to produce minor fouls as close physical contact is inevitable.
Another poster responded by pointing out how many free kicks are given against Barcelona especially in mid field.
Your warning is still useful though!
HH
Arrest, slander and fiasco: What really happened on Glasgow’s Gallowgate in March 2013
Arrest, slander and fiasco: What really happened on Glasgow’s Gallowgate in March 2013
“We did have an event of serious public disorder that day. It was caused by the police.”
IMAGINE a peaceful community march of a few hundred people protesting against police harassment. Imagine police horses, a helicopter, and 200 officers surround the march, draw their batons and wade in. Imagine the police arrest 13 of the marchers for public order offences and confidently state that more arrests are on the way. Imagine the chief of police calls the marchers violent and intimidating and says that the courts will prove police actions were vindicated.
Got all that?
Now imagine that there are no further arrests as claimed. Imagine that the police fail to achieve any serious convictions for public order offences. Imagine that, after nearly two years of coverage, speculation, and court proceedings, everything the marchers said has been proven right while everything the police said has been proven wrong.
You can stop imagining because this is exactly what happened. In Scotland. In 2015.
Earlier this month, 21-year-old Scott Johnstone became the last of those arrested on the Gallowgate on 16 March 2013 to be cleared of all offences. Johnstone had travelled through from Fife that day to attend the Celtic vs Aberdeen match along with four of his friends.
They had read about the march online and decided to stop off to show support on their way to to the game.
The march, or ‘corteo’, was organised by Celtic fan group the Green Brigade to highlight what fans claimed was intensfying police harrassment of supporters in light of the Scottish Government’s Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications Act.
The Green Brigade is an ‘ultras’ group. Members describe themselves as “a broad front of anti-fascist, anti-racist and anti-sectarian Celtic supporters”. They have held regular political displays inside Celtic Park, including showing support for Palestinian hunger strikers and marking opposition to the the poppy being emblazoned on their club’s strip.
No one was expecting trouble at the march, according to Paul, a member of the Green Brigade and one of the organisers. The fans were set to walk from the Chrystal Bell pub next to the Barras on the Gallowgate up towards Celtic Park. The route is not unfamiliar with supporters – it’s exactly the same route walked by thousands of fans every fortnight as they go to watch Celtic play.
“Celtic fans walking up the Gallowgate isn’t exactly cause for disorder,” laughs Paul. “We basically just wanted to highlight what was happening and show solidarity as the harassment was intensifying and bans were racking up. It ended up that we did have a massive event of public disorder that day – it was caused by the police. ”
Following the march, Labour councillor George Ryan described the police kettling as “not acceptable” and “totally disproportionate”.
As soon as the march set off, marchers were faced with a mass of police – almost one officer for every participant in the protest.
“When we started walking, the police began to kettle everyone almost immediately,” Johnstone tells CommonSpace.
Kettling involves the formation of large cordons of police officers who contain people within a limited area. Following the march, Labour councillor George Ryan described this tactic as “not acceptable” and “totally disproportionate”.
Johnstone goes on: “There were police horses everywhere. Me and my pal managed to get out of the way and I started filming from outside the kettle. Most of the police had their truncheons out and they were shouting aggressively. Suddenly, two policeman ran from behind me, grabbed me and dragged me over to the police van.
“When I got to the police van I asked for their badge numbers – they refused to give them.
“I asked what I was being arrested for and an officer said ‘for being a cheeky wee prick’.” Scott Johnstone
“I asked what I was being arrested for and an officer said ‘for being a cheeky wee prick’.
“I said they surely can’t arrest someone for that? ‘Aye, we fucking can and we will,’ was the reply.”
The march prompted a frenzy on social media as fans posted updates and pictures on Facebook and Twitter. The story quickly went viral and even went international when Al Jazeera published an article exploring alleged police brutality in Scotland towards football fans.
An estimated 200 officers policed the march, aided by around 20 riot vans, a line of police horses and a helicopter circling overhead.
Images later emerged of children crying and in distress as police mounted on horseback moved in towards the crowd. Alongside children, an elderly man in his 70s was among those kettled by Police Scotland.
A civil rights advocate and legal observer who witnessed events was quoted at the time as saying: “I’ve never seen anything like that. I have never seen batons used on kids before, and I witnessed the Piccadilly and London riots. I’ve seen violent demonstrations, this was not that, they weren’t even throwing anything, nothing.”
Police Scotland claimed the march had been ‘unauthorised’ and insisted footage vindicating the police side of the story would be forthcoming once prosecutions were concluded. Such material is yet to be published by the force.
Johnstone was charged with acting in a threatening or abusive manner. He was offered a £150 fixed penalty notice by police but decided not to pay it – “Why would I? I had done nothing wrong,” he says – and instead chose to challenge the charge in court. After four appearances at the Sheriff Court, the case was thrown out by the judge.
“I heard stuff about the police and what they get away with in the past,” he says, “but I’d never believed it until I’d seen it. It was a total stitch up. I was astonished at some of the lies just to get me done.”
The expense to the public purse in such cases is often lamented. Less documented, though, is the human expense to the lives of young people as they face upheavel and uncertainity with court proceedings hanging over their heads.
Celtic fans, and in particular the Green Brigade, may face this with more regularity than most. But a similiar message can be heard from fans of all clubs throughout Scotland – the culture of policing around football has changed for the worse, they say.
“There’s a general culture that’s been created which has totally corrupted the relationship between the police and football fans.” Paul, Green Brigade
“I think there’s a general culture that’s been created which has totally corrupted the relationship between the police and football fans,” says Paul, who has been a member of the Celtic ‘ultras’ group since its formation in 2006.
“The past few years it’s the most toxic that it’s ever been. Fans of other clubs will tell you the same thing – it’s the worst that we’ve all experienced it.”
This state of affairs can largely be attributed to the introduction of the much-maligned Offensive Behaviour at Football Act, says Jeanette Findlay, from Fans Against Criminalisation (FAC).
“The legislation has completely poisoned the relationship between football supporters and the police,” she says.
“(The Police) seem to be hell bent on persecuting fans for behaviour that isn’t criminal anywhere else.” Jeanette Findlay, Fans Against Criminalisation
“The police should really only have a safety role in football. But they now seem to be hell bent on persecuting fans for behaviour that isn’t criminal anywhere else.
“What happened at the Gallowgate is probably one of the best examples of that. It made clear that police now also see it as their aim to persecute people who are protesting against this Act.”
The Act has faced wide criticism from football supporters and from the opposition benches at Holyrood. Even by police standards, the results have been poor. Recent figures showed that police were failing to achieve convictions in more than half of those charged under the legislation. It is currently up for review, and calls for the Scottish Government to scrap it have intensified.
For now, FAC continues to demand answers for the events on the Gallowgate almost two years ago. A detailed report into the incident was presented to the Scottish Parliament last December. In response to queries by politicians, chief constable Stephen House said that police would make more arrests, release CCTV footage and be vindicated once criminal proceedings were concluded.
These claims have proved to be misleading at best. Out of the 13 arrests, there were only two convictions. One for minor drugs possession and one for abusive behaviour – an indivual admitted to calling the police “scum” after they moved into the crowd. FAC is considering requesting a judicial review.
“The police action on that day cannot be justified but equally neither can the cover up and slandering of people. Stephen House has to now tell us why he lied to politicians,” says Findlay.
“We want an admission that House was wrong and greater oversight of the police by the proper authorities.”
When a series of questions was put to Police Scotland about the events, the force released a short statement: “We are continuing to consider the contents of the report published last December.”
House may have some explaining to do – and on more than just the Gallowgate. He has been forced to backtrack on the routine arming of police officers, pushed through the backdoor with little or no oversight. His signature stop and search policy is in tatters as police have been found to be searching citizens on an industrial scale and have failed to end searches on children despite promises to parliament.
The establishment of a national police force was never going to be without issues, but critics have accused House of pushing an aggressive style of policing, lacking in tact or sensitivity.
The Green Brigade has been at the sharp end of this policing around football for several years. Are they confident that the police might review their behaviour following recent criticism?
“That would be incredibly naive,” responds Paul. “We’ve spent years being harassed by the police. People have had to deal with the chaos that it has wrecked upon their lives. It’s become part and parcel of things and I doubt very much that the police will seriously review their actions.”
Actions like those on the Gallowgate back in March 2013 have led to a loss of trust among young people.
Incidents like those on the Gallowgate in March 2013 have led to a loss of trust among young people. Young people like Scott Johnstone who faced intimidation, arrest and slander before being found guilty of no crime whatsoever.
It will take time, and a substantial change in policy – and perhaps personnel – to win this trust back.
Picture courtesy of the Celtic Network
lionroars67
07:40 on 17 February, 2015
Great post, and so true…..that’s why I never criticise the Board on signings……it is a veritable minefield….HH
Justafan,
The stats I recorded were prompted by a niggle of mine where we’re giving away stupid unnecessary fouls that break up our tempo, there were never intended to illustrate us as a ‘dirty’ team, and I’ll definitely read back for your ‘excellent post’
Rumours Kris Commons will miss the Inter game.
It wouldn’t be a major loss – and I say that as a big fan of Commons and what he brings to the team.
Matches against higher level sides require not just pace, but a different kind of football nous than that needed in the SPFL.
(I miss Sammi).
up_over_goal –
Hardly a rumour.
Kris has been a doubt since he was substituted at half-time at Dens Park in the cup game after picking up a hamstring injury.
Murdoch….
Clearly you’re right we too often give unnecessary fouls. I think as we develop the pressing game and the players become more adept at it the unnecessary ones will fall.
I disagree with you about breaking our tempo. Few fouls are given when we have possession and moving forward. It is more that we are disturbing the opposition when they have the ball…breaking their tempo in fact. I think that was the point the other poster made with his reference to Barca.
HH
Tom McLaughlin
My finger’s on the pulse.
Now if I can just find a defibrillator…
Morning all
First off my condolences to Midfield Maestro on the loss of his father. RIP
Secondly apologies to Aw Naw. I was on a break at work when I posted and did not realise you had relplied to me.
Thirdly. Hello to my good friend 16 Roads . Sorry I could not make it over at the weekend there. I am off the drink at the moment and am hoping to stay off it for a while yet. One day I shall return to a city I have not visited for too long
And finally not being flippant if you think that sobriety is going to help you battle with Depression all I can say is that in my experience it does not.
Jimbo67
Chris McLaughlin @BBCchrismclaug 14m14 minutes ago
#Rangers board again highlight concerns over Dave King’s ability to become a director. Calls for him to highlight who his NOMAD would be.
————————–
whenever i see the word NOMAD in connection with RIFC I cant help but think of the bumbling idiot nomad from the Beau Peep comic strip – comedy genius – as is the Beau Peep comic strip!!
Whenever I see nomad I think of living out of a tent in a desert with little more than a camel for company.
Or in their future case a blase pitch, a portakabin for agms and a goat.
HH jamesgang
lionroars67
07:40 on
17 February, 2015
Celts are here
The Curious Case of Finnbogason
Remember Alfreð Finnbogason?!
—————————————————————————————
An intelligent, thoughtful and well researched piece – the antithesis of the kind of tripe posted by the usual suspects on here who hate Peter Lawwell and our board, and would presumably have Jeanette Finrot, Eddie Tonedeaf and the CelticTrust running our club.
A lot of these people find so much to hate about Celtic, so why don’t they ‘toddle-off’ and start their own club and leave the 99% of us in peace.
Maidin mhaith.
Árd Macha
“engine room company”
WTF?
foghorn leghorn
re. the word ‘nomad’
I picture a desert, and a group of indistinct figures emerging, like Omar Sharif, out of the heat-haze on the horizon. A herd of sun-bleached, parch-lipped Rangers fans stagger painstakingly onward as they endure ‘The Journey’. Suddenly, one spots an object in the distance. It appears to be a shiny trophy, glinting in the midday sun. They all rush headlong towards it, tumbling down dunes and hurtling past one another in hysterical joy. Sadly, it turns out to a framed photo of Craig Whyte, flanked by an empty Lucozade bottle. :-(
Alfie Noakes
08:54 on
17 February, 2015
lionroars67
07:40 on
17 February, 2015
Celts are here
The Curious Case of Finnbogason
Remember Alfreð Finnbogason?!
—————————————————————————————
An intelligent, thoughtful and well researched piece –
Unlike your reply, personally attacking two individuals without substance
Do not ref me again in any of your posts………. your a troll…………….rule blogs prevent from making further comment
lionroars67
09:03 on 17 February, 2015
Very well put Bhud, hail hail to you :-)
Your report on the Gallowgate Kettling was Superb, and a huge thanks to the Trust and those mentioned for fighting for Our innocent fans
Right work calls, so off oot
Cowiebhoy
09:07 on
17 February, 2015
HH to you Cowiebhoy catch up with you on Thursday at the corner
Midfield Maestro
Sorry to read about your sad news about your dad . Rest in Peace .
midfield maestro
prayers tonight and tomorrow in LEEDS for your dad and famiy.
Cowiebhoy
09:07 on 17 February, 2015
lionroars67
09:03 on 17 February, 2015
Very well put Bhud, hail hail to you :-)
Your report on the Gallowgate Kettling was Superb, and a huge thanks to the Trust and those mentioned for fighting for Our innocent fans
……………………………………………………………..
Ditto
Midfield Maestro sorry to hear about your father passing. Take care of yourself and your family.
Midfield maestro condolences to you and your family
001 Bhoy..
01:24 on 17 February, 2015
.
I’m sure the person who Posted this on FB won’t mind me Sharing it on CQN..
..
**UPDATE. I have heard Ian possibly moved to Manchester around 2003 after leaving Blantyre. He used to drink in the Parkville pub as he lived behind it (Cameron Way possibly).** BELLSHILL BORN AND BRED? PLEASE HELP…looking to contact my half brother who I lost contact with many years ago. I think he may be away from Bellshill now but he was brought up there. His name is Ian Richardson and he had a younger sister Fiona. I think he will be in his early 50s possibly. He was a taxi driver for the years I knew him. He had a daughter Emma with his 1st wife but I’m sure he remarried many years ago now and had more children. I know he lived in Blantyre for a few years and moved away again around 2003 but not sure where to. I think he went to Bellshill Academy. Any info, please pm me. Would really like to be back in contact or get to know my nieces/nephews. Thank you in advance for any info x.
..
If anyone could help drop me a mail and l can forward the Girls details..
bhoysofoz@gmail.com
TIA
001
_________
There
is a FB page
Bellshill past and present
That will help here
http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/celtics-keeper-of-the-flame-still-carrying-the-torch.118641532
Hamstring injurys difficult to put a timescale on them, better to keep him in cotton wool for what matters re the domestic stuff, nae rushing him back please.
Midfield maestro.
Condolences on the loss of your faither.
Lionroars67 @7.40
Quite an interesting article making a point that I am surprised that has not been made more forcefully about the player we were supposed to sign in 2013 by those who support the club’s transfer strategy.
At the risk of being accused of being a ‘Vulture’ and a ‘board hater’ ( I cannot fly and I have mixed views on the way our club is run at boardroom level if you must know) I don’t think the article or the failure of Finnbogason in San Sebastian vindicates the way the board acted in the summer of 2013 generally or specifically with regard to that player.We did spend c£5m ( then about 6m Euros) on three players who flopped with the fee being quoted widely for the Icelander being the same as expended on those players. Most of us had the intelligence to know that there was no guarantee that a player would repeat the feats of his previous club at his new one but felt that a player who scored as many goals as Finnbogason did with Herenveen (who play in a better league than our own) would have done better than a player who had an unspectacular scoring record at every club he had played for whether in leagues inferior or superior to our own who was eventually signed after we beat Karagandy. That Finnbogason has flopped with Real Sociedad is hard to argue but that does not mean he would have flopped with us.
We would not have paid 7,5m Euros in the summer of 2013 for the player , if the prices quoted at the time had any basis in fact ( neither I nor, I suspect, the writer of the article know if they were) but we did spend 6m Euros ( again with the caveat that these were the figures quoted widely in the media and therefore may not be true) on players who did little or nothing of note in a Celtic jersey. One player who many of us thought was worth shelling out less than we paid for two players more than a decade earlier going on to flop at another club in a different country should not disguise that our scouts got it woefully wrong in the summer of 2013 ( as they did in the summer of 2012) or vindicate our club’s strategy for signing players then or now.
But I agree I think we probably dodged a bullet !
Jimbo67
Condolences to Midfield Maestro, family and friends on the loss of your father. May he Rest In Peace.
Condolences to Midfield Maestro.
RIP
He recalled: “I have a lot of memories of that game because I think about it a lot! I tell you before the match, we stopped to watch them train and do you know what they did? They played a practice match against journalists, with hundreds of fans on the side of the pitch who were drinking and laughing. It was like a village festival!
“Our manager Helenio Herrera was the only person who had watched Celtic and he came back and told us we would win the game easily and we had beaten Real Madrid and Benfica in the previous Finals.
“I scored a penalty early on. We thought we would win by three or four goals. But Celtic reacted brilliantly and the speed of their forwards troubles us a lot.
“We undervalued Celtic and I hope Inter don’t do that again this week. We spent the whole game defending. Jimmy Johnstone and Bobby Lennox gave me in particular a lot of problems. Celtic were deserved winners.”
Sandro Mazzola