Joe Hart’s first job when he arrived at Celtic was to provide stability where it was sorely missing the previous season. Vasilis Barkas started the season in goal and played 22 games in total, he was dropped for Scott Bain, who made 23 appearances, but both gave way for Conor Hazard, who played six times, including a memorable Scottish Cup Final, when he saved twice during the penalty deciders.
When the goalkeeper position is unstable, a burden is added to the defence, which had problems of its own. Joe brought authority and reliability where it had been missing. He was a big part of Ange Postecoglou’s success.
Celtic’s treble winning season meant that last term he played more football than any other in his career. By May, he will be 37, and irrespective of form, Celtic will be planning for the future. He is not here for the money or the weather, only the chance to play and he would not he happy as an understudy. Paying Tottenham £1m for a 34-year-old turned out to be good value.
In his interview yesterday, Joe didn’t make suggestions about how he would like to end the season, but he didn’t need to. You and I both know what his intentions are.
Celtic made heavy weather of it earlier this season at Fir Park. Conceding a late equaliser before scoring an even later winner is great fun – and how leagues are sometimes won – but better not to concede late equalisers in the first place.
Motherwell lost at Hearts last weekend, their first defeat in the league since a Christmas Eve loss to Newco – evidence that they are difficult to beat when that is their intention. Their visit to Celtic Park in November started Celtic’s recent run of poor results. A David Turnbull penalty put the home side ahead with five minutes remaining, enough time for the visitors to equalise, despite contributing nothing but defending in the proceeding 89 minutes.
No predictions from me about Sunday.
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Thanks to all who expressed kind sentiments re my wife’s mum’s passing this week.
Weird situation which I have never came across. She was a lady of faith with her daily rosary etc. Yet she did not feel she was good enough and deserved to take the sacrament of extreme unction. She has said this pre Alzheimer’s but was adamant about it to the end. Very sad.
DESSYBHOY on 23RD FEBRUARY 2024 1:53 PM
Wouldn’t surprise me if Board memebers post on here
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nearly outed, its me mark lawwell, i am just head of recruitment, i wont be on the board until 2026 when my father retires, and i get made up with Ross Desmond and one of the Traynors.
cheers.
“Paying Tottenham £1m for a 34-year-old turned out to be good value.”
You can add to that the ~£4M paid for Kyogo and FOC acquisition of Aaron Mooy and reflect on whether the new model transfer identikit- young, development potential – can ever reliably deliver equivalent value.
b78, sorry for your loss, we lost my mother in law last year, terrible terrible time for my wife and daughter and we dont get used to it at all.
i was posting while you were so i didnt mean to be flippant there.
Dessybhoy 1.53 pm
More likely wannabe board members.
TT
As for Celtic not planing for Joe Hart departure being a major catastrophic error by an evil board. That really takes the biscuit.
Hart like McGregor at rangers and their current guy and like Craig Gordon was an example of what can happen with a unique position where very good back up goalies at clubs get fed up and a chance to go and actually play.
There will be others of this genre to be looked out for this next few months.
Barkas is an example of the opposite and how money can be losses away on players with ‘oven ready CV’s’ of the right back up and support and management is not given.
THE BATTERED BUNNET on 23RD FEBRUARY 2024 2:09 PM
no matter how he finishes the season, i fully expect real bids for Matt O’Riley in the summer.
when it works it works, the model i mean, buy potential , let it mature, if a success money will flood in.
sure it might be a 1 in 10 hit rate, but record fees in is one of the reasons there is money in the bank.
i dont know anymore what people really really think success looks like.
Take care of your missus, Paul. These will be hard days for her.
BMCUPW
Sad article with all the problems as he sees it. I wonder where he was meaning as we won 17 of the past 21 trophies this past 7 years since a fired up and energised rangers franchise reappeared.
Probably depressed each week with a wee sack the board placers up his jumper each game hoping for a season like this.
Stivs, absolutely no argument from me, my point being only that a near-exclusive focus on young developmental talent – as we’ve seen lately – is producing suboptimal results.
b78,
the one comment on that article that has me scratching my head is that NFL was not a success 2nd time around,
He own 5 more trophies before the bad season, I mean seriously, what do they think success looks like ?
B78 I cringe when I hear or read people say they know how you feel as nobody does but I can honestly say I have passed this way before as my mum and mrs tt sadly had dementia and Alzheimer’s, both 3.5k miles away but fortunately for us they had family help and good care as well.
Plus we, when possible, spent a lot of time crossing the Atlantic, now we’re talking 20+ year ago now but it disnae get any easier, so good luck to yourself and especially your wife.
On reflection I wonder what time he would give for the ‘new to football’ executive team and chairman to get their act together and start to win any trophies ?
2 years or maybe 3 ? Or would the lack of instant gratification mean another change in 9 months ?
Maybe we need an ‘oven ready’ new board ? Where can we buy one of them ?
THE BATTERED BUNNET on 23RD FEBRUARY 2024 2:16 PM
i do agree, always a place for experience and very much so in the goalkeeper position.
but even then, some experienced pros cost us a lot without contributing, a la james mccarthy,
as a ps, please brendan lay Forrest before the others, he can get us back to performing well
BURNLEY78 on 23RD FEBRUARY 2024 2:15 PM
BMCUPW
Sad article with all the problems as he sees it. I wonder where he was meaning as we won 17 of the past 21 trophies this past 7 years since a fired up and energised rangers franchise reappeared. Probably depressed each week with a wee sack the board placers up his jumper each game hoping for a season like this.
*Fully concur with you and ss here, wonder why he left this site hmmmm, the piece that got me was the board drove, the previously and still in some Celtic minds labelled fraud, away, nae chance he only came up here tae rebuild his shattered career and at the first chance was for the joe the toff.
Chairbhoy / SFTB
Discussion around the period after fergus being against a financially doped rangers was a bit odd yesterday.
The term doped to me would apply where rules were being broken rather than just spending exceeding earnings which to me is reckless management.
The real doping era was 2001-10 fuelled by Wee Dicks largess and legacy. Murray ‘crossed the line’ falling over himself to satisfy Dicks every wish. Then once MoN won the treble in 2001 he could not get off the drug.
Hence why when we began rightsizing and still winning under Strachan his bets became bigger and bigger. I had a good line of sight of both camps 2003-10 and it was farcical in the end over their side.
right time to get my chores done.
I will repeat a question i keep asking,
who should be the celtic chair-person and what qualities or experince should they have ?
added with –
what would the ideal ownership model be ? what mix ?
who should make up the board ? and for what reasons ?
i do note – chris mccart, head of academy, he has the biggest office in the new building, wait till brendan finds out.
BURNLEY78 on 23RD FEBRUARY 2024 2:06 PM
Sorry for your loss.
Well it wasn’t a dearie me.
We can all stop worrying about Motherwell on Sunday.
Manager just said at his presser that “we will learn from our mistakes in dropping points this season”
Happy days.
DESSYBHOY on 23RD FEBRUARY 2024 2:30 PM
LOL
Darwin
” I said earlier in the week that I felt there was a malaise running through the club at this time – I don’t know what it is, however piecing together the statements from Brendan and Joe with a pitiful drop in performance, inferences can be drawn.”
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You don’t need the fig leaf cover of Interpreting for the native English speaker, Brendan Rodgers, or ignoring everything Joe Hart said and telling us he was lying.
You were always gonna predict doom and gloom for us and Sunny Uplands for the Ibrox mob. It’s why you’re here.
Joe Hart and Brendan, if they read your post, would be backing away, shaking hate head at your attempt to co-opt them to your project.
SAINT STIVS
Whoever he is , he’ll need to have transferable skills, be highly competent, as Chairman, CEO, Head of Recruitment, Director of Football and still be in total control, when he’s in between job titles, or not evenin the building 👍
HardActToFollow CSC
Hearing Kev J’s most recent attempt to inflate a conspiracy theory reminded me of an article intro on the website of the Flat Earth Society. It read……
“Our influence is growing as we attract millions of people each day to accept they were lied to on the structure of the planet. We are receiving huge numbers of membership applications every day from all around the GLOBE ( oh shit what a giveaway)
LETS ALL DO THE HUDDLE on 23RD FEBRUARY 2024 2:00 PM
The breathtaking arrogance and pomposity of some people on here is sickening….stiffy…
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that last bit was too much personal information that we didnt need to be alerted about.
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😂😂😂 👏 👏👏
●Ireland and Wales related Celtic quiz●
.1]Born 1964 in Antrim.Last game Scottish cup final?
2)Made his champions league debut vs Man United.Came on as a sub replacing Scott McDonald?
3) This 16 year old Dubliner replaced Niall McGinn vs Rapid Vienna in an europa league fixture?
4)Never made a first team start.Was an unused sub vs Barcelona at Nou Camp 2004?
●●●●●●■■■■■■■■■■●●●●●●●●■■■■■■■■■■■■■
1) 14 caps for Wales.Neil Lennon’s second signing.
2) Bought fro Coventry for a reported £ 6m ?m
3) 77 caps for Wales.Left Celtic for Crystal Pa
4) Celtic win 3-1 for this Welshman’s 1994 testimonial ?
●●●●●●●●●●●■■■■■■■■●●●●●●●●●●●●■■■■■■■■
Just some questions to pass some time.Later,Scotland and England related to CELTIC●
Burnley78
What TBB said 2.13.
2001-2010
I would suggest 1999 – 2010,to inc wee tax case(Dos) before goin onto ebts and bigtaxcase.
I have always thought folk like Minty happened to move to ebt from dos scheme,as dos was advised as dodgy.
What was minty doin pre Dos,pre 98?
Recall a lot of ‘offshore’ payments to Hateley,Stevens,Therne,Steven etc.
Maybe just me but minty folk happened to surf tax ruses.
:-)
HH
At THIS moment in Time, can ANY Celtic supporter HONESTLY state, that they are HAPPY/PLEASED with our form this season so far ?
Our overall ” Form/Results ” this season ( apart from the Two Hun games in particular ) have been deeply concerning to me.
I try to be an optimistic Chap most of the time, but we have ALLOWED a bang average Hun mob to overtake us in the League, thats the most depressing part for me.
HH
AN TEARMANN on 23RD FEBRUARY 2024 2:37 AM
AN TEARMANN on 20TH FEBRUARY 2024 12:12 AM
Auldheid
I know your work is highly informative.
As you know imo r12 i think was doomed as soon as it was long grassed at its first agm.
Dermot does not take any dissent in any of his dealings in the corporate work,
His interview at the Dunhill golf tournament
‘Great club with great traditions’ was pointing out Celtic as a clubs direction of travel.
From that first agm continuation of our business model was prime and somewhere along that line trfc would re-enter the league.That they did in 2016 after serving their new club 3 year european ban,the longer r12 went on the more the pointers proved the long grass had done its job,the nimmo smith consultancy starting with an answer(no title stripping) and obfuscating back is just an example of doing business here.
Nimmo smith was never re looked at, even when HMRC won all its cases and appeals against.Our major shareholder did not want it,and Peter done his bidding until some 8 or 9 years later it was defeated by shareholders 99.5% to 0.5% (approx)
Celtic as a company can barely handle a resolution for a disabled section,Dermot as 44% s/h hasa majority and dint want any corporate linkage to the deidyins,their demise is wholly owned by them,Dermots 44% is a majority as their are 22% share purchased in 95 that have not been updated and serviced so by the rules their vote defaults to the PLC board hence those massive majorities against r12 when it was finally voted on.
I would urge every shareholder to update their shares and default their voting rights to the Celtic Trust,setting up alternate groups only serves Dermots divide and rule strategy.
Make the 5% target and things will start to change.
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Auldheid
Thats my first post in this discourse with yourself
My view is Dermot did not want it- get it.
Peter does what Dermot tells him-2013
It got deferred,shelved,longrassed whatever you want or dont want to call it,the resolution at agm2013 did not happen/occur in 2013.
If Dermot had found it important to his s/h he would have been in fast like at the Coral agm
Once our agm was over that was it imo but as you point out we learned bout governance
When i say thats it 👇r12 did not happen
It requested that UEFA establish if the licensing cycle process that granted a UEFA Licence to then Rangers FC PLC in 2011 had been applied as UEFA intended by the Scottish Football Association Licensing Committee.
They wurr deed!
Further.
No action again by DD(majority s/h)
When HMRC cases concluded
No titles in Consultamt Nimmo Smith farce
Treveso letter tap in
Legality of 5wA
Thing in common is in s/h terms i would suggest DD may have wanted continuation of business for Celtic.as major s/h in that club thats all he needs to look after,worries bout the self harming to an ignaminious death is not his business look out.
As you point out governance and compliance has improved,still not as transparent as i would wish-everybox ticked for fans to see.
AH i am not running any false narrative but use away as a lightning point to inform,
3rd time-I am not,nor never have been a member of Celtic Trust,i speak for myself,you have met them more than me,i outlined the times i have said hello.
No misunderstanding misrepresntations falsenarratives
Just power getting what it wanted imo
Dermot is that power in CFC.
My view
Hail Hail
================================
A couple of things an adjournment is not ending Res12 it allowed the process to continue. One of the requistitioners with a legal background was party to the adjournment decision, you know him well and I suggest you check as you are in effect suggestion he was party to what you believe is a “long grassing “based on a misunderstanding of what an adjournment means.
The CST as I recall gave the requisitioner present pelters on exit based on the wrong understanding of what an adjournment allowed which was to allow Res12 to be raised at subsequent AGMs. It was on that basis the proposal to adjourn was accepted which allowed much of what you have used to argue the case to be revealed.
Traverso only confirms what I have been put forward and that is UEFA were more concerned about delving into what took place in 2011 as they were the ones who bought the fraudulent submission from Rangers.
Did PL ever get an answer from Infantino after he copied a letter to SFA about Rangers use of ebts in 2012?
There is as much reason for UEFA to want a long grass approach as DD.
You said ” trfc would re-enter the league. That they did in 2016 after serving their new club 3 year european ban,the longer r12 went on the more the pointers proved the long grass had done its job,
”
How could it have gone on if it ended in 2013 and where did the pointers come from – the pursuit of Res12! R2ngers were ineligible to apply for a UEFA licence from 2013 under Article 12 of UEFA rules designed to protect the integrity of UEFA competition. Had an equivalent applied in Scottish football, the 5WA would not have been possible.
You quote the resolution but appear to have overlooked the mention that the aim was to investigate the SFA Licensing process as it was they who granted the license in 2011, again it was about the SFA as I have repeated, but that did not suit the narrative of the day from the media and SFA that Celtic supporters wanted action against Rangers. No we didn’t, we wanted action against the SFA! So they twisted the narrative to protect themselves.
That is two misconceptions on what an adjournment meant in 2013 and what the resolution sought a swell a as a contradiction of when Res12 ended
DD may well have had his own reasons to have the issue long grassed (like UEFA) but when Sherriff Officers called in August 2011 to collect overdue tax then the question came up about how long does it take for a payment to lie unpaid before collection action was taken?
Res12 tried to get answers to that and had the SFA been honest it would have ended by 2014, but they were not and the decision to go legal was based on the adjournment authority (that there was legal advice on) giving the requisitioners the power to do so. Which they did and under that same Res12 adjournment power the issue was raised at subsequent AGMs until Celtic finally decided to engage with the SFA/UEFA in the 2021 AGM which happened under FSR with the introduction of rules to prevent clubs becoming insolvent.
It is all set out at the Closure of Res12 link. I provided.
I regret having to correct misconceptions, particularly the one that Res12 ended in 2013 when it clearly didn’t in legal terms.
It ended in 2022 with the agreement of Celtic and the small shareholders (not me) that it had run its course.
So please stop misleading readers on the basis of hindsight, I was in the room when the events actually took place and there is a record of those events in the Res12 archive I am happy to be questioned on.
https://res12.uk/part-6-closure-of-resolution-12-to-celtic-agms-2013-to-2022/#:~:text=The%20Meanings%20Applied%20to%20Celtic%20Announcement.&text=The%20manner%20in%20which%20Resolution,revised%20to%20prevent%20a%20repeat.
68
Squirrels, Foxes, Hyenas, even Board Pasty’s,
Whoa, hold on there . At least we know there will be no equine there as they just won’t tolerate naysayers.
The stuff of nightmares for some.
HH.
“The board shares the frustrations of the supporters regarding the less than anticipated activity in the recent transfer window.”
That’s ok then
As a very minor shareholder with preference and ordinary shares, I can confirm that the dividend paid on my eligible shares has never varied in the almost 40 years since I bought them.
It has been unaffected by Celtic’s financial performance or cash in the bank.
I’m pretty confident that the same could be said of DD’s dividend, albeit his annual dividend might be a bit larger than mine given the size of his holding. (Ooh er missus):)
GLENOWEN
The difference being that ,unlike the board, we are simply bystanders.
GLENOWEN on 23RD FEBRUARY 2024 3:37 PM
Expected sound byte from them.
They could not give a flying ****
SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 23RD FEBRUARY 2024 2:36 PM
Do you still not believe in so called “conspiracy theories “.
Take Covid, jabs and Lockdown.
The true cost is becoming more apparent each passing day. Control issues, Mental health issues, crazy events and numerous side effects
Healthy people suddenly taking ill.
Who on earth would trust the establishment? The lies, deceit, greed, secrecy and total dysfunction.
HH.
For the avoidance of doubt, I am not DD, a board member or in the know about anything
My only board connections are that Fergus McCann once signed a programme for my son and I once spoke to Brian Quinn when standing next to him at the bar in
BBs after a game. 😃
At least the £67m in the bank is a nod to Lisbon.
Get those phones lit up round the stadium to celebrate.