Neil Lennon’s suggestion that fostering Fraser Forster from a lower-league loaner to an England international is “one of the best things [he’s] been involved with as a manager” is difficult to dispute, despite his various trophies and Champions League exploits.
Owen Hargreaves earned an England cap before he made an appearance in either of England’s top two divisions, although he was playing with European champions, Bayern Munich at the time. Hargreaves and Lanarkshire’s Joe Baker are the only two to have been capped for England without playing in any of the country’s four leagues. I’ve no idea if there are any others to have earned a cap without having played in the top two division but there must be precious few.
In short, Fraser’s appearance between the sticks on Friday was exceptional. We can now help fulfil the international ambitions of English players, just as long as we continue to compete in the Champions League.
Playing to the galleries
There’s a great line in the movie, Wall St, when Martin Sheen says, “If you live long enough you get to see everything”. Today we got to see the incredible sight of Craig Whyte’s former PR, who represented him before and during his Outstanding Contribution to Scotland, who in fact, represented him well before this, when Whyte was stalking STV as they teetered on the brink of oblivion, use Twitter to turn on another member of the Whyte coterie, for being a part of the Whyte coterie.
It reads like playing to the gallery, which the Daily Record, is a particularly useful punch bag for. No one cares what you say about the Daily Record, so exploit a common enemy and pile on. Tub thumping like this is embarrassing.
Puppet master
It will be interesting to see if the Record investigate who first suggested Whyte turned his attention to Rangers, after his STV ambitions ended….
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Sheik
To be honest with you, it’s doing my head in, same old, same old, nothing is actually changing, they still rool the roost.
I would nutron them if I had my way, but sadly, I am but a troglodyte and as such have no brains, and am confined to spoutin cave like shite.
HH
tet
Please stop beating about the Italian bush and make your point. :)))
Weefra HH supporting Wee Oscar.
TET
With t’internet they and their ilk are exposed, they are being challenged at every turn now and Fergus once again has to be given credit for pursuing Farry and it’s up to us to continue his work. It will take time but it is happening and “they” know it and they hate the thought the “beggars” are now leading and they are following.
HH
Weefra
I hate them more today than I did yesterday, and no just them, the meeja, the establishment, all of the hun scum, they are a total blight on society, I can’t say they should be exterminated, but I want to, how sad is that, how sad that people make me feel that way, all cos of their hate towards us, it really saddens me mi amigo so it does, and if I could change the way I feel, trust me I would, but I know for a fact, I will go to my maker feeling the way I do.
Feck them all.
Let the people sing.
HH
THE EXILED TIM,
as you say look what has happened of the last few years, bent broke all rules to make sure there is a team playing from ibrox, then as the years go buy its rangers, as gradually
we are worn down, peter lawell quips rory and with in a few days on television our manager yes our manager says they will be back and the great old firm is on again its the best derby in the world, please people can you not see whats happening, nothing has changed regarding the sfa,mibs,does anyone seriously think anything has changed honestly? campell ogilvie still in charge is beyond a scandal and yet he sits tight with no pressure at all for him to go now tell me there is change, gullible mmmmmmmmm.
the exiled tim
00:17 on 19 November, 2013
Weefra
I hate them more today than I did yesterday, and no just them, the meeja, the establishment, all of the hun scum, they are a total blight on society, I can’t say they should be exterminated, but I want to, how sad is that, how sad that people make me feel that way, all cos of their hate towards us, it really saddens me mi amigo so it does, and if I could change the way I feel, trust me I would, but I know for a fact, I will go to my maker feeling the way I do.
Feck them all.
Let the people sing.
HH
Can I add a big HAIL HAIL to that. I just worship the earth that awaits them. Nae problem kiddo. :)
Weefra HH supporting Wee Oscar.
mayanman
Oh how I wish I had your faith.
You talk of Fergus and farry, that was a lifetime ago mi amigo, it’s today, the day of the spivs and the cheats, the interweb only makes them more cautious, makes them cover their tracks even more.
A year or so ago I was barred from the RTC site cos I said that they would get away wuth the BTC, I was asked why I thought that, the masons said, I was barred, feckin ejjits.
It will take a generation or 6 for us to not be at the back of the bus.
HH
THE EXILED TIM
00:07 on
19 November, 2013
Sheik
magic
hahahaahah
Sleep time for this Trog.
Take care and god bless Timland.
Sleep well my amigos and amigas.
HH
KTF
tet
Anyhoos, how’s the family and the wee poor dugs? Hope all are well. :)
Weefra HH supporting Wee Oscar.
THE EXILED TIM
big nan
telling it how it is
i bow
fast forward to
52 mins
powerful stuff
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/newsandmediacentre/41430.aspx
Danso 88,
Goebels had nothing on the SMSM. From ever quarter you’ll hear the words “Old Firm” being thrown about like confetti at a wedding. It’s over, no matter how many “stooges” phone-in IT IS OVER. What you see /hear is panic. When Ally messed up in Europe the plug was pulled.
HH
The very fact that Campbell “EBT” Ogilvie is still in office is incredible.
Worse still, he was re-elected this year UNOPPOSED ! ! !
Shame on not just our club, but the rest of the SPL clubs who were cheated over the EBT scandal and kept quiet when he was re-elected.
danso
You and I would be singing from the same sheet, I honestly wish I could give you an answer to our problems.
many will say we ahve none, but ffs, they are staring us in the face, we are going through a wee bit of making a few bob, but as the world goes around, so it will come that times a change, I found an old mag from the late 90s, and it said that they would dominate for ever, and then MoN came on the scene, how things did a change, the world goes around.
The biggest mistake we have ever made has not come to fruition as yet, we should have burried the barstewards when we had the chance, that will come back to haunt our weans and grandweans, all this bollix of their weans being Celtic supporters, dearie me, there is more chance of me being the next Pope.
HH
if it were not for tempory boldness of other clubs fans sevco would have been in first division and in top division now, whats needed again is that same boldness but it wont happen, as for mibs how many matches have opposing teams had players sent off or a penalty been given? yes folks it will be time soon of paying for the privilage of being cheated and you know whats so bloody sad it will happen, i know i come on this site not as regular anymore but i most days as a lurker and i am hurting so bad know because its
so sad whats coming and as has been proved nothing shames them,the last couple of years should have destroyed them in a normal society but you see with cheats there is no sense of shame what ever, look at souness. smith , mcoist, each one to a man knows they cheated as do us celtic fans know this and the galling thing is its going to happen again of that you can be sure.
Weefra
Mrs TET has worked her magic, the dugs are fine, eating us out of house and home again.
HH
tet
Brilliant news. :))) Night. night
Weefra HH supporting Wee Oscar.
Keep the Faith guys, you’re not the only one’s who love the ‘tic but understand there is more than one way to skin a rabbit
ed: surely hun?
HH Good night
eddieinkirkmichael
23:53
A fair point about missing the challenge. But weighing up the pros and cons, as these arguments tend towards:
Do we miss the racism, dressed up as innocent sectarianism ?
Do we ( I mean Scottish Football ) miss the cheating,the tax avoidance and evasion, the media manipulation, the skewed football economy, the unlevel playing field, the honest mistakes…
Do I miss the hordes descending into Parkhead, baying for my Fenian blood, suggesting I go home ?
If they ever darkened our door again then I’d … write a jolly strong post ( I’ll always be a Celtic Fan after all ).
But I’d never work there again.
( I forgot to list the pros; nope, just can’t think of one ).
mayanman
We all love the Celtic in our own way, and for that i thank the lord.
Where abooys in darkest Africa are you going to btw, always wanted to venture there, maybes one day, the farthest I got was the north.
HH
abooys-aboots
HH
THE EXILED TIM,
i know my preferred option is very extreme disband, but i honestly would do a belfast celtic
rather than go back to what it was before, ya see it was brushed off as paranoid but dougie dougie and what happened to oldco dispelled that [ have you noticed hardly any paranoia claims these days?] but you look at this whole episode has panned out so far and does anyone seriously think having trated us like idiots that they wont think there untouchable? for crying out loud our own manager wants them back as do our board
and will play along with the old firm build up as will some fans i fear, but hey im only one
that just happens to have an exteme opinion and thats that.
Two very simple questions which they cannot and will not answer
1. If there was no sporting advantage to paying EBT’s, why use them?
2. If there was no sporting advantage to using EBT’s, why did none of the other 39 clubs in the Scottish league ste-up take advantage of this?
AR
sorry im on a rant but can anyone tell me why our board and manager cannot publicly
state they are a new entity and not old firm and i mean publicly?
TET
I sometimes share your pessimism about the eventual outcome of this bizarre shameful period in our history. What you have to be careful of is it becoming all consuming and having a negative effect on YOU. I’m no expert but I saw similarities in myself. It may be a good idea for me to take a break from the usual lurkin’ but you know this stuff is addictive. Its the injustice of it all. If a purging of the SFA is eventually obtained I hope we can change the name to something other than SFA. I have no suggestions but that name just gives me the creeps.
hh
mihal
A year or so ago, I was slaughtered on here for saying that saying that supporting Celtic today in scotland was akin, in moder day to supporting a Jewish team in Nazi Germany.
I still stand by that statement.
take the Balkans, nobody thought what happened would happen, and by god it did, nobody thought that the killing fields all over the world would happen, and they just happen as if an every day occurance, there for the grace of god we dis what is happening in scotland today.
Nobody thought that the troubles in the ocupied counties would trancend into the hate and killings that happened, it did, just think about that, on our doorstep, they were killing Catholics for fun, a superb training ground for their soldiers I heard one of their politicos saying in the meja.
Sleep now for sure.
Justdon’tstopthinkingaboutit CSC
HH
Danso
Fear of public safety?
well delaneys dunkey is that what you want a board and manager living in fear of telling the truth? ithink you have helped me in justifying pack it in.
Delaneys Dunky,
i am not wanting a fight with you and i respect your opinion and you have your right and so
should i granted it is extreme.
danso..1888
You’re not the only one. Not by a long way.
But ” The Old Firm “, was purely a newspaper invention, a nightmare that lingers, but never really existed.
Either way its gone now.
And may it never return.
mungolian bhoy
Ach, I will be fine the morra >}
hate this no proper football stuff, we can vent our spleens and get nowhere fast.
I hate them, and all they stand for, that will never change, always been that way, and always will be.
I am too long in the tooth for change now, and if the truth be told, I have no desire to change, maybes if I felt a hint of compassion towrds us, possibly, but no, their hate is worse than ever, so to counter that, mine goes up a decibel as well, just the way it is, it’s called standing up for what I believe, just my way im afraid, and I will not apologise for it.
HH
Danso
It is not what I want at all. I can’t see any other reason for them not to.
mihal,
i know its an msm thing but iseen our manager on sky and while he is entitled to his opinion
on past matches and fervour to say they will be back and normal service resumed i draw the line its just how i feel thats all.
Delaneys Dunky,
i do understand what you are saying and you most probably are right but its wrong and it does in my opinion justify my feelings and my argument.
tet
I understand exactly how you feel as do many others on here maybe even some more strident. Noted the lack of club football. Lots of us feel the same. Getting fed up. Surely with all the evidence a “civilised” country like Scotland would take steps to correct these wrongs. I guess its almost as frustrating for the Italian government who have had to cope with the mafia for generations and you know they are not going away any time soon. Is the word “acceptance” too much to ask for even if it makes us live longer ? I think I may have a wee “smoke” and watch the stars. hh
gerry123
22.31
I agree with you totally. Celtic would never have went down the tubes but that wouldn’t make good headlines.
I actually think Jim Delahunt is a decent presenter but he went down in my estimation when he was having a wee dig at the Celtic fans in Seville. He was insinuating there was in fact trouble in Seville. What actually happened was the guy who reads the news (and never wears a green tie for some reason) got hit on the head with a bottle. I heard him and Sean from Prestwick arguing about it on SSB. JD wouldn’t say what happened but I know that’s what he was gibbering about.
A bit like claiming there was all sorts of criminality going on at hogmany cos a few guys got arrested for urinating up a lane.
Danso-1888
Rap it mate
HH
Someone earlier mentioned Big Jock’s battles with Peter Thompson..
Plus ca change plus la meme chose.
Jock Stein battles bigotry & bias at the BBC
(by TheHumanTorpedo)
From Helenio Herrera to Don Revie, some of football’s greatest ever names have went head to head with Jock Stein and came out second best.
The Big Man enjoyed many triumphs as Celtic manager. But not all of them were on the football pitch.
Managing Celtic meant much more to Jock Stein than just preparing his team for a Saturday. Stein was a football man to the core but he was deeply aware that the Hoops were more than just another team.
To him Celtic was 24 hours a day and seven days week. They were his cause in life. It was a cause he never got tired of fighting for.
No one got to know that better than Peter Thompson and the sports department of BBC Scotland.
Thompson had enjoyed a spectacular rise through the ranks at BBC Scotland, starting off as a tea boy before going on to become a respected radio broadcaster and eventually Head of Sport in the late 50s.
Hard work and ample talent had ensured Thompson became one of the most influential broadcasters in Scotland. To the outside world he liked to portray an image of professionalism and impartiality. But behind the scenes the truth was somewhat different.
There was something within Scottish society that riled Thompson . Something which he loathed. Something which seemingly represented all he detested. That something was Celtic Football Club.
In his autobiography veteran Scottish broadcaster Archie McPherson declared that if an earthquake had swallowed up Celtic Park then Thompson would not have shed a tear.
Under Thompson’s rule BBC Scotland’s Sports Department employed a sectarian recruitment policy akin to that operated at a certain football club on the south side of the Clyde. Prejudice seeped into the culture of the department. McPherson, who at the time was a rookie reporter, recalls BBC colleagues sitting around debating how you could spot a Catholic by the supposedly different way they pronounced certain words.
For years Thompson was able to easily disguise his loathing of Celtic simply because the Hoops were so poor that they were almost an irrelevance as a football force. But all that was to change in March 1965 with the arrival as Celtic manager of Jock Stein.
Stein immediately began re-establishing the Bhoys as the dominant team in Scotland and with a pin sharp astuteness he quickly identified anyone who might attempt to undermine his team and their achievements. Thompson and BBC Scotland were soon on Stein’s radar.
Until the arrival of Stein, the relationship between BBC Scotland and Celtic Park had been cordial. But the new Hoops manager saw behind the formal façade presented by Thompson and his cronies. He recognised their loathing for Celtic and the prejudice behind it. They were, in the words of Stein, “A bunch of bigots”.
Life for Thompson and co was about to get very uncomfortable.
Stein would pull no punches in his crusade against the bias of BBC Scotland and he seldom missed an opportunity to hammer home his contempt for those running the corporation’s sports department. He nicknamed Thompson ‘Blue Peter’ and when once asked for his favourite comedy programme Stein’s answer was Sportsreel – BBC Scotland’s flagship sports show.
The Celtic boss frequently aimed jibes at BBC reporters and officials and although Stein frequently took part in interviews with corporation staff they were often awkward and unrevealing.
In contrast to his relationship with BBC Scotland the politically shrewd Stein had cultivated a valuable network of loyal contacts elsewhere in the media. He used these moles to plant pro-Celtic stories in the press and, perhaps more frequently, to obtain information on everyone from his own players to other journalists.
Many in the press lapped up Stein’s attack on their rivals at BBC Scotland but the Celtic manager’s crusade was not aimed exclusively at Thompson and co. Anyone who openly displayed an anti-Celtic agenda risked facing the considerable wrath of the Parkhead chief.
On one occasion at Hampden the pre-match entertainment involved the landing of a helicopter on the turf of the national stadium. As the chopper took off from the pitch one hack in the press box remarked to colleagues that if the helicopter crashed he hoped it would be into the Celtic end.
The comment was made by the reporter supposedly safe in the knowledge that he was among like minded friends. But he had underestimated the extent and loyalty of Stein’s informers.
After the final whistle word reached Stein of the journalist’s remark. The Celtic manager quickly hunted down the guilty party. Cornered by a furious Stein the reporter was left quivering with fear as this hulk of a man unleashed a ferocious verbal thrashing.
The message was clear. Those who used Celtic as a convenient target for their anti-Catholic vitriol now had a fight on their hands.
Back at BBC Scotland the pressure was mounting on Thompson to end the feud with Stein. Celtic were no longer an irrelevance. They were a team feared and respected across Europe. A team laden with silverware and plaudits. Thompson bristled with anger at every Celtic success and was becoming a forlorn and frustrated figure. As the whole world celebrated the football and achievement of Stein’s Celtic the BBC reporters in Glasgow were left on the outside looking in.
Thompson insisted the best policy was to ignore Stein’s success. But how can you ignore a man who was rewriting football history. It was an intolerable position for those BBC journalists who only cared about football.
Archie MacPherson had, as a BBC reporter, felt the full force of Stein’s scorn and contempt. But he recognised that not only was Stein the future of Scottish football but that his anger was fully justified. During an interview with the broadcaster Stein made another attack on BBC Scotland’s recruitment policy. MacPherson took this opportunity to make it clear to the Celtic manager that Thompson’s views were no longer shared by all of his BBC colleagues.
MacPherson would slowly win the trust of Stein. At BBC Scotland Thompson’s hard-line stance against Celtic and their manager made him an increasingly isolated figure. With Stein racking up the trophies the corporation could no longer afford to treat the club from Parkhead as a second class outfit.
This acceptance was cemented when Stein took his seat in the BBC studios as a panellist for a Scotland international clash. On the day Stein took his seat in front of the camera the once all powerful Thompson was nowhere to be seen. He simply couldn’t stomach seeing the Celtic manager being treated with such reverence and respect by his BBC colleagues. It mattered not. Big Jock had bagged another victory. Thompson’s time was over.
MacPherson said of Jock Stein: “He came to Celtic not just to manage them, but to battle for them”.
As Peter Thompson would learn. Jock Stein lost very few battles.
Links
Jock Stein