Football has been tribal and jingoistic for over a century. Where it succeed in penetrating beyond the scope of a mere sport, it is inherently primitive. This can be a healthy way for people to remain in contact with all that is important in life but it’s often not.
Writing in today’s Sun, former Celtic player (good grief) , Ian ‘Wrighty’ Wright said: “The next young player who says he does not want to play for England should be ordered to ring the parents of a soldier who has died serving his country in Afghanistan and tell them his reasons”.
To invoke the memory of those who have sacrificed their lives in order to rebuke reluctant footballers is beyond primitive, it is debased and ugly. Bereaved parents would surely be sickened at attempts to equate their sacrifice with a football game. Football and our media have lost their way. Wright should be ashamed, but he won’t be, it’s nonsense like this which newspapers pay for. His media value will have increased.
Harry Redknapp’s ill-made comments about Spurs players not wanting to travel for England games are also a nonsense. There’s not a top-flgiht manager in the game who’s yet to experience players reluctant to fly to Tbilisi, or some other distant destination, for a friendly instead of resting at home with his family. If you are a top pro, these games hold little excitement or value and come at a fitness cost, to pretend otherwise is being duplicitous.
Players with imposing club demands can see these games far enough. Those involved in European football often have two games per week for months, depleting resources and adding strains to muscles. A flight to the back of beyond before a thankless task of a game is simply not an attractive offer. Most players go, but let’s be honest, almost all will choose times to back out occasionally.
England are hurting after an awful World Cup but it will be counter-productive to hand the stage over to jingoistic lunatics. And ‘Wrighty’, if anyone asks you to pull the Paradise Windfall one day, don’t feel obliged to pitch up.
Visit the CQN Bookstore to get Tommy Gemmell to sign your personal copy of his book, All the Best.
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Could it be that Tommy Sheridan’s lawyers are taking a close interest in today’s events?
Geordie Munro. Went for Costa Rica on Corals, got 10/3. Italy draw 11/5. Ivory Coast evens & Columbia 5/4….£1 Yankee =£15. Got three out of four last night. Here’s hoping!
The figure of £500K to implement the Living Wage is overstated (by Celtic).
Even accounting for any impacts on wage differentials between grades, it’s still overstated.
I’d suggest a Living Wage is the minimum appropriate for all who keep themselves, more so for those who keep others. People like Craig Gordon should get the Living Wage as an absolute minimum.
Taking account of age and circumstance, the cost of a Living Wage to Celtic is small beer, and the positive impact on service standards (and hence sales) is likely to more than compensate for the increased cost.
I agree with those who were disappointed that Celtic felt unable to react positively to the suggestion, but stop short of the over-reaction of some.
Clink\o/
15:28 on
24 June, 2014
SFTB & lionroars67 at 14.38.
Is this another example of old firm type reporting.
Mention loyal orders and republicans in the leading paragraph.
Yet when you get to the main body of the report only loyalist figures are available.
Any numbers on republican parades.
Ones as bad as the other dontcha know
One’s as bad as the other died on St Valentine’s Day 2012.when Gordon Matheson, Labour Leader of Glasgow City Council, pleading leniency to HMRC for THEM, declared that Like Celtic, Rangers had carried the city’s good name all over the world.
There is the ole Livin’ Wage, or what ole Dick Byrne calls ‘dandruff’.
Andy Coulson sentenced to 2 years community service.
Judge suggested that he be obliged to work at GCHQ in order that his skills and aptitudes be put to good use for the community.
Igc 15.18
Are you saying that Alan Stubbs was interviewed and was in serious contention for the role to replace Neil Lennon as manager?
TT
Anyone who signs up to murder fellow human beings for the govt of their country deserves to rot where they lie,and their relatives should be ashamed of their choice of career
Auldheid
I said in the first line of my post that our board do get some things right, this isn’t one of them.
The club are more than happy to make money on the back of our ethos of charity and support for the needy.
In my opinion their refusal to pay a Living Wage is the antithesis of the very reasons we were founded.
As I said, it’s a shameful act. I sincerely hope the club look again at it in the near future.
iki
15:46 on
24 June, 2014
Andy Coulson sentenced to 2 years community service.
Judge suggested that he be obliged to work at GCHQ in order that his skills and aptitudes be put to good use for the community.
Hope that two years community is a wind up.
Political post
quonno
15:32 on
24 June, 2014
Could it be that Tommy Sheridan’s lawyers are taking a close interest in today’s events?
http://lallandspeatworrier.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/numptys-guide-to-appealling-tommy.html
Willem II, tut tut.
winning captains @ 14:55…
Brilliant centre forward though he was, I am fairly sure Joe McBride did not even score 1 Celtic goal v Rangers (1872/3-2012)IL.
His miss in the 1966 Scottish Cup final replay still hurts!
I woulr be very surprised if Joe did not manage to stick one in their net when playing for Kilmarnock, Partick Thistle, Motherwell, Hibs or Dunfermline.
Strange (to me, anyway): whenever I picture in my mind’s eye Joe McBride, it is of him sticking the ball in the net at the rangers end. He’s wearing the Hoops but I have no idea who he’s scoring against. Weird…for me, anyway.
TinyTim
15:46
Not the manager’s role, no.
cannot believe celtic are still playing hardball over the living wage!!!
brother walfrid would be appalled
as for ian wright he is a populist windbag
but i dont think he is a bad person probably too big of an ego
ffs he is the suns correspondent
that says it all
Parkheadcumsalford
15:59 on
24 June, 2014
Strange (to me, anyway): whenever I picture in my mind’s eye Joe McBride, it is of him sticking the ball in the net at the rangers end. He’s wearing the Hoops but I have no idea who he’s scoring against. Weird…for me, anyway.
*mibbees it was the Killie hoops he was wearing. Wee Dixie failed tae score against them as well.
As for Wispy playing and scoring against us. Andy Lynch and Mike Galloway both played for them as well as Zico who mugged one of our players…..it is he who pays your wages that counts.
meant to say the suns gaa correspondent
worse again
quonno
15:48 on
24 June, 2014
Hope that two years community is a wind up.
============
:-)
I will not be surprised, however, if the sentence reflects the notion that his loss of reputation and career is already a great punishment.
darwin
that comment is so hurtful on so many levels
off oot -may not be back
I think the £500k figure might in part be due to subsequent raises required for those in positions of managing the new living wage earners.
darwinsbeautifulidea
15:47 on 24 June, 2014
A disgraceful post.
weeminger
16:12 on 24 June, 2014
I think the £500k figure might in part be due to subsequent raises required for those in positions of managing the new living wage earners.
———
Surely and salary manager (unsure of official title) would be able to do this without any difficulty.
The initial figures I read were £120k are you basing your starting point at this?
BMCUWP
It’s was good to meet you on Saturday night (as it was other CQNers).
Aye I think it was a lot less but my point is establish the cost and take it from there like any business negotiation as if it were wage talks in any business and apply the cost/affordability principles.
HamiltonTim.
The real question is was there anything that stopped the above approach on either side? I find in life that when folk fall out that looking back both sides can see how things could have been done differently.
Definitely a lesson learning exercise for everyone, otherwise it risks becoming an AGM Groundhog Day resolution.
ernie lynch @ 12:47 said:
“Apparently Brookes thanked the judge and told him that his wife had called and left a message that he was to pick up the dry cleaning on the way home.”
Very funny, ernie.
JJ
Hamiltontim
16:16 on
24 June, 2014
Sort of. I think the £120k would probably only be to bring the staff earning less than living wage up to the correct level. As I say there’s then the knock on effect of staff above them in the chain.
That said I think £500k would be on the generous side of that estimate.
I support the living wage though, I want to make that clear.
darwinsbeautifulidea
15:47 on 24 June, 2014
Anyone who signs up to murder fellow human beings for the govt of their country deserves to rot where they lie,and their relatives should be ashamed of their choice of career
~~~~~~~~~~++~~~~~~~~~~
That’s beyond parody.
wish I could take credit for this. via twitter
Coulson offered job as Tory ‘prisons advisor’
From a business perspective I just can’t agree with a living wage for certain jobs and certain circumstances.
Yes, for a full time main job a living wage in all walks of life would be great. But for casual, un-skilled labour the minimum wage is there for a reason.
You start paying lower skilled employees a few pounds more per hour then the people that are on that type of money will want a few pounds more, those above them will feel the same. It’s just not a feasible thing to do for certain types of work.
Malone Bhoy
16:24 on
24 June, 2014
Except that quite often those that are in those part-time positions are the most vulnerable and need that kind of work to fit in with child-care etc.
That it has been shown that the minimum wage doesn’t allow the recipient to achieve the most basic standard of living is something that should be looked at.
darwinsbeautifulidea
You could have expressed your view more thoughtfully.
JJ
BBC Journalist Steve Auston tweeting that Celtic have bid 8 million for Luiz Adriano of Shakhtar Donetsk.
I find that highly unlikely but I’ll leave it with you. He does work for the BBC after all and they never lie…
Auldheid
Who ‘fell out’?
Meetings were taking place between Celtic, the Living Wage Commision and the Celtic Trust. Celtic announced that they were no longer taking part in the discussions and consequently they ceased.
I’m not aware of and ‘fall outs’ or significant disagreements, just a refusal by the club to take any further part.
It is the Employer’s joab tae gie his Hires.. as Little as He Kin..in the way of weekly Emoluments,in return fur thur services.
It is the Hire-ees joab tae get as Much Money as he kin,in return fur his Services.
That’s it.
If the Hire-ee is Satisfied wi’ the Amount of Money, that he will receive ,for his Services..and..is,also, satisfied wi’ the rest of the working Conditions which will Govern his Term of Employment at the Company…at the Time of his Hiring.. then..
He ,certainly, hiznae any Gripe.. or room fur Complaining…if he consequently. becomes dis satisfied with his Wage Structure… or …the Terms of his Employ.
The bargain has bin sealed.
It is .. whit it is.
Howevahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…
If the Hire-ee, unfortunately..in the Fullness of Time..
becomes convinced, that he cannot possibly survive oan the previously agreed wage structure…tae which he is Noo Tied…. then, he kin Look elsewhere fur Employment which is Mair Financially Rewardin’.
Maks sense tae me.
Kojo
Still,Laughin’
Malone Bhoy
16:24 on
24 June, 2014
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZrgxHvNNUc
MALONE BHOY
Thick and incapable of doing middle-management roles,but perfectly capable of doing the donkey work means being paid eff all.
Thick and incapable of doing middle-management roles,but went to the correct school is just fine and dandy.
People deserve to be paid enough that they feel valued. Failing to do so means that companies have put people in control of an area of their output who loathe and despise their employer and have no interest in quality.
It’s self-defeating.
Witness,for example,our catering operation.
malone bhoy
16:24 on 24 June, 2014
Yes ‘the minimum wage is there for a reason.’
However, the Living Wage is called as such for a reason.
No new signings…..Mmmmm
More down sizing……..more player projects….more polishing pebbles hoping for a diamond………
If Delia and Collins achieve ANY Euro success theory will be off in jig time (with the players too)
PL’s bonus however is the constant in the equation though…….just saying.
It is what it is………..