Johnston curve: time to be honest

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Newco director and former Rangers chairman Alastair Johnston is getting a hard time for saying “We are probably doing a little better than we would have imagined back in the dark days of running out at Brechin in the fourth tier” and “we are probably ahead of the curve in reality if we finish second or third”.

Newco are not ahead of the curve if they finish second, given their budget and the experience of their playing squad, they are where they should be.  Another third place finish would be behind the curve, but these are semantics.

The big question is, are this club ‘going for 55’ or was that phrase no more than a device to sell season tickets?

Second for Newco is right on the curve.  If they don’t reach there this season, they will soon, and they will finish second more often than any of their direct competitors.  Johnston’s job is to convince 40,000 people to buy tickets for a competition they know Celtic will win.

I understand why Newco do not run with the phrase “going for second place next time” on season ticket renewal campaigns, but they were only delaying the inevitable.  Many other clubs can be frank with supporters on what their ambitions for the season are, but can you really imagine this level of honesty at Ibrox?

Me neither.  They will spin some old tat to an ever dwindling demographic.  Still, at least the club is in the hands of Dave King and not Mike Ashley, one of Europe’s richest men.  That whole effort worked out well.

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478 Comments

  1. I had a wee lurk on FF earlier to gauge reaction to AJ’ s ahead of the curve comment. A few highlights:

     

    1 FFS is anybody listening to this?????

     

     

    2 Aw Jesus Christ!!!!!!

     

     

    3 what does ” ahead of the curve” mean?

     

     

    And my favourite……

     

     

    “I wish for once someone would just tell us the truth….”

     

     

    He was, mate, he was!!!!

  2. fergusslayedtheblues on

    GUTENBERG on 20TH APRIL 2018 9:30 PM

     

    IMO it would be wise for the club to remove all the fixtures and fittings from the toilets prior to the visit of the hordes next week .

     

    Leave the breezeblock walls and stick in a couple of buckets and a packet of hand wipes .

     

    HH

  3. A.Alianz arena

     

    b ajax Amsterdam .

     

    C

     

    D

     

    E

     

    F

     

    G pitodrie

     

    H st james park

  4. CT, my email from FlyBe says it is an automatic change due to only being 10 minutes (to Belfast), and no further action is required. HH

  5. fergusslayedtheblues on

    BILLY BHOY on 20TH APRIL 2018 9:42 PM

     

    comedy gold over there .

     

    I find myself gobsmacked on a regular basis reading the comments of some of the posters

     

    Even more so when some loonball posts absolute guff and no one even calls them out on it

     

    HH

  6. Allianz

     

     

    Amsterdam

     

     

    Citeh

     

     

    Liverpool

     

     

    Kiev

     

     

    Millar

     

     

    Aberdeen

     

     

    Newcastle

     

     

    Inverness

  7. Mahe.

     

    Once again thanks for the hard work you put into this and the enjoyment it give me.

     

    Honourable mention to Art Of War.

     

    Im really tired now so it’s night all and enjoy.

     

    Hail Hail

  8. Mahe the Madman on

    This weeks podium

     

     

    1st Gary 67 on 32

     

    Joint second JimmyNotPaul and Bognorbhoy on 23

     

    3rd David 17 with 22

     

    Last but not least Jobo with 17

     

     

    Well done all and especially Gary 67.

     

    See you all next week.

     

    Anyone that had a capri was it a magnet?

     

     

    Hail Hail

  9. Luis Enrique for Arsenal according to the Daily mail.

     

     

    Only an unexpected glitch in negotiations which are well advanced will prevent his appointment according to the report.

  10. Fergus

     

    Probably best it’s not my choice. I’d ban the fuc..rs from Paradise for ever.

     

    Obviously not taking commercials into consideration.

     

    Anyway, it’d almost be worth it to take a Hun riot when we either win the league or gloat that we’ve already won the league.

  11. fergusslayedtheblues on

    Looking forward to what should be a cracking game tomorrow .

     

    There is no way Lenny’s boys will stand off us the way Murty’s mugs did

     

    hope the bhoys are up for getting 7IAR tomorrow ,get over the line and give some of our players time to recharge the batteries for the cup final .

     

    Make no mistake back to back trebles will be some achievement

     

    HISTORY IN THE MAKING BHOYS

     

    WHAT A TIME TO BE A TIM

     

    HAIL HAIL

  12. Celticrollercoaster supporting @WalkWithShay on

    Mahe

     

     

    Well done, Glad I didn’t take part though, as I would have made Jobo look good :-)

     

     

    HH

     

     

    CRC

  13. Mahe the Madman on

    Thanks boys. More than welcome.

     

    Dumbhoy ha,,but Terry from Minder drove one. You wouldnt called him that to his face ;)

  14. Gooooooood Evening CQN

     

    Mahe, didn’t log on until just after 9, what a fantastic effort

     

    ( incidentally think I would have done ok in last 2 questions ?? even got Ben Hutchison, but not Pletiskosa

     

     

    PS, Laura has got the strips ?

     

     

    Robinbhoy – yes my daughter Laura, is looking for strips to take over to Ghana, for the Ghirls school she is going to teach at, BMCUWP has my contact number

     

    She is ideally looking for kids sizes if anyone has some

     

     

    Hail Hail

  15. fergusslayedtheblues on

    GUTENBERG on 20TH APRIL 2018 10:06 PM

     

    They will riot either way ,it’s in their DNA and let’s face it it’s all they have to look forward to .

     

    They also know the cops will do nothing ,well that’s not strictly true the off duty ones will of course join in

     

    HH

  16. The huns won’t riot at Celtic park.

     

     

    They will wreck the toilets.

     

     

    Thats their level.

     

     

    Oh and leaving when their 3-0 down at halftime.

  17. Mahe

     

     

    Ah sure he’s only an actor not a real hard man. Which is why he drove a Capri in real life…

     

     

    Plus, at that time I was a fast runner…

     

     

    HH

  18. And by the way. They haven’t sold all their tickets. They opened up a general sale tonight because those balloted didn’t take them.

  19. fergusslayedtheblues on

    David 66

     

    looking good for a green light to hopefully having a title winning swally in the old howgate all going well .

     

    HERE WE GO 7IAR ,,,,,,,,,HERE WE GO 7IAR

     

    HH

  20. Hibs tomoz in a title decider….I’d go with same team that started and demolished der hun….but I’ll trust whoever BR picks ;-))

     

     

    Mahe….loving the pics….that’s a bonny bairn ;-)) Hamish’s grow on you over time ;-)) luv yer back yard….

     

     

    FTSFA

     

     

    H.H.

  21. fergusslayedtheblues on

    SAINT STIVS on 20TH APRIL 2018 10:28 PM

     

    You don’t mean ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

     

    THEIR WALKING AWAY

     

    surely not .

     

    The fat gardener will have to get a new catchphrase

     

    whaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhaaaaa

  22. BBC pleading with Brendan to go to Arsenal. I’m sure they’ll write a nice reference for him.

  23. Hearing from an acquaintance down Ibrox way tonight that there’s a statement coming out from Der Hun along the lines that if Arsenal ask permission, they’ll be allowed to speak to Graeme Murphy. You heard it here first.

  24. History beckons however we are facing a Hibs team who haven’t lost a match since their 1-0 defeat at CP in January. Hh

  25. First time round 8 in a row- Easter Road – I was 15 – magic day for Dixie!

     

    So our new 7 should happen at the same place – the bhoys will surely be totally focussed – let the huns give us a guard of honour or forever in the eyes of the media audience be the shame that they are.

  26. For a number of reasons I’m almost certain Brendan will only leave before summer ’21 if we don’t win the league in ’19 or ’20.

     

    After that, I think he will go to Spain to manage one of the top teams.

     

     

    Stuart Armstrong, again just an opinion, will go to Germany.

     

     

    Boyata will go to Spain and Simunovic will go to EPL.

     

     

    I think it would be great if Dembele and Griffiths would both sign extensions.

     

    I know Moussa will move for big money to a club of his own choice eventually but he’s only 21 and could easily play another 2 years for us in a relatively settled team and then go to PSG.

     

    I still don’t think we’ve seen him at full power this season and I reckon his development in the next few seasons could take him to be easily one of the worlds top 10 strikers.

     

     

    KT will stay as long as Celtic fans love him as much as he loves Celtic…and we always will.

     

     

    HH

  27. Oops…forgot my prediction….tight game….Hibs 0 Champions 2….ye heard it here last ;-))

     

     

    H.H.

  28. Jeep’s Nally81

     

     

    You seem to have an in depth knowledge of our manager and players. In 56 years of attending games I have never managed that insight……………Are you a hun?