President of La Liga in Spain has stepped into the Catalonian independence referendum debate by saying if Catalonia became independent clubs from that region, notably Barcelona and Espanyol, would have to leave the Spanish league and compete within their new domestic boundaries.
This claim is without foundation as multinational ‘domestic’ leagues are authorised by Uefa, Fifa and the EU, while Spanish clubs are able to compete with foreign clubs in European competition, but this intervention is likely to be one of the more emotive topics in the Catalonian debate. Would Barcelona fans vote for Catalan independence if it required them to withdraw from the Spanish league and hand back their status as one of the game’s world powers? Some would, some wouldn’t.
Football is the key cultural touchstone of European nations. Those who want to preserve the Spanish nation know this. Excluding Scottish clubs from the England and Wales football market has an enormous commercial impact on top-flight clubs here. It also means that our key cultural touchstone is Scottish.
Those who want to build a cohesive UK would be more productive by working to end the exclusion of Scottish clubs from the England and Wales league than telling nationalists they would be wrong to hold another referendum.
Popcorn and ginger on hand for the latest Newco Rangers episode. Flash mobs and EGMs, all destined to further tear the club apart. As we’ve said here for years, internecine strife is the only thing that can really damage a club. That lot seem to have a infinite supply of the stuff.
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@Livibhoy
In some respects.
In his final season he wasn’t around as much as he needed to be. Obviously family is more important than football so you cannot criticize him for that. With 20/20 hindsight we should have appointed a caretaker like Tommy Burns for the year but I can understand that with the emotion involved it’s hard to see what’s the right thing to do.
Over the course of his Parkhead reign there are big criticisms. One’s that followed him in Villa. Overly reliant on a small group of players, overly reliant on British based players, his teams faded at the end of games and at the end of seasons.
Though his team were the best in terms of quality we have had in my lifetime. I don’t think we will see that quality for a while. We just cannot afford it anymore.
timaloy29
I have heard similar comments on MON before.
His time has gone. He was a great manager for us.
I felt he made a mistake playing players when not fully fit but he gave us a lot of success and I am glad he did. I hadn;t ever seen a treble and saw us get one.
He made mistakes but he got off to a flyer so his stock was high when his mistakes happened. There is the difference between him and every man who took the job afterwards. MON got off to a flyer and dare I say had a slice of luck too.
LB
Worst manager In recent times. Sshh don’t mention it smoke and mirrors.
Philbhoy
14:45 on 8 October, 2014
If Celtic do eventually join a European League, i am assuming it will be home one week away the next.
Will we suffer from a “European Hangover” every second week and play badly at home?
If not, why not?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Not making excuses but currently a European match is midweek and one of three in a week, in a European League it would be one of two a week???????
m6bhoy
14:42 on 8 October, 2014
I’d imagine that those in charge of football operations at Celtic assign roles on the basis of performance/talent rather than where a player comes from
——————————————————————————————————————–
I’m fairly certain we have signed players at least in part because their acquistion opens the club up to new markets, especially in far east Asia.
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Possbily – I wouldn’t know for sure. But that doesn’t answer the substantive point I was making – players are selected to play on the basis of how they show up in training etc. rather than where the come from. For every duff foreigner I can show you a duff Scottish player. On the other hand – who was the last Scottish player we signed/developed who matched the calibre of Henrik, Lubo, BBJ, Naka etc.? If we follow your policy of a core of Scottish players with one or two additional foreigners, I can’t imagine a great improvement. The starting 11 that made the UEFA Cup Final in 2003 contained 2 Scottish players :
Rab Douglas
Paul Lambert
And subs :
Jackie McNamara
Jamie Smith
Shaun Maloney
Both Lamont horses not at the races. Feedback was ground too soft in both places. Did we not use that excuse back in the day with the Motherwell pitch? The winners ran on the same surface! Bliddy hoarses.
I can see nothing wrong with Sutton’s comments. Ronny saying he was happy after getting beat at home by Hamilton was daft at best.
If you were anywhere near this blog Sunday/Monday 80% of the comments were a helluva lot stronger regarding Ronny’s many failings. For instance, I don’t see Sutton calling for his immediate sacking.
There’s a strange belief amongst many Tims that ex-players can only say positive things about Celtic while we can rip into them mercilessly.
Want to know what Sutton really thinks about Celtic? Stick his name into youtube and sit back and enjoy.
Just watched the Panorama programme re the 3million people in Britain who are in work but who can barely afford the basics to live even if their meagre wages are topped up through tax credits. Honest, hard working families close to breaking point. An absolute disgrace! A couple who both work for Tesco can’t afford to shop there; it’s cheaper for them to shop at Iceland. How ironic is that?
I am ashamed that my beloved Celtic refuse to pay all their employees at least the living wage.
Looks a lot like Che Guevara
15:05 on
8 October, 2014
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/29527389
This has got me worried that our very own completely impartial Campbell Ogilvie now has some competition for the FIFA job! Figured he was a shoe in and was hoping he gets it and then leaves his post at the SFA. Not sure how many members of the craft are on the FIFA board though!
===================
There is a FIFA Whistleblower web site at
https://www.bkms-system.net/bkwebanon/report/clientInfo?cin=6fifa61&language=eng
to which I sent the following report in April 2014 with reminder in June. I had almost forgotten but having checked still no feedback.
If it only puts doubts in FIFA’s mind I’m more than happy.
” Last March 2013 FIFA investigated a complaint raised by contributors to the Scottish Football Monitor. The complaint can be found in full at
http://scottishfootballmonitor.wordpress.com/2013/03/12/fair-play-at-fifa/comment-page-48/#comments.
After investigation FIFA closed the ticket but said ” The Chairman of the Investigatory Chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee has decided not to initiate further proceedings at this time. Please note that the Chairman is open to revisiting his decision upon review of any additional material that you believe substantiates your allegations, including your belief that the alleged conduct violated the FIFA Code of Ethics.”
Since then additional material has emerged that suggests that those preparing the commissioning were misled by the administrators of the club under investigation withholding key evidence that would have shown that irregular payments were indeed made in the case of two players (with the nature of many other payments still to be decided by a Upper Tier Tribunal).
The evidence also suggests that the now President of the SFA (and a potential British FIFA Vice President) Campbell Ogilvie was party to the instigation of the tax scheme subsequently deemed irregular, but failed to make any distinction in his testimony to the Independent Enquiry that would have corrected the assumptions on which the judge based his decisions. Full details can be found in the letter sent to the lawyers of the Scottish Professional Football league at
http://www.tsfm.net/an-honest-game-convince-us/#comments
and the evidence sent to SPFL lawyers is attached.
The original complaint was that the decision reached by The Enquiry in terms of sporting advantage and player eligibility on incomplete registration was perverse and still requires FIFA clarification of the intent of the registration process and eligibility consequences of failure to comply. It affects all professional football globally in our opinion and the additional evidence now supplied suggests it was only possible because of the withholding of said evidence.
We believe based on the evidence that the following General Rules of Conduct were broken.
1. Persons bound by this Code are expected to be aware of the importance of their duties and concomitant obligations and responsibilities.
2. Persons bound by this Code are obliged to respect all applicable laws and regulations as well as FIFA’s regulatory framework to the extent applicable to them.
3. N/A
4. Persons bound by this Code may not abuse their position in any way, especially to take advantage of their position for private aims or gains.
Given the possible nomination to the post of British FIFA Vice President which has an international aspect we believe Mr Ogilvie should be granted the opportunity to clarify his position on this matter.”
Post box TSFMon
Apologies Ronnie….in my defence, not a tip, just an update :-) (the last one was a tip)
LiviBhoy
15:09 on 8 October, 2014
coolmore mafia
Poppy debate imminent.
LB
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There no debate – I’m skint! :-)
Poppy debate followed by referendum followed by GB debate. Aaaaargh!
rwe
15:01 on 8 October, 2014
scotlands shame
We have all been guilty of that. On Sunday I was.
Let me associate myself with your sentiment.
Nice touch from you.
Hope it catches on.
——
I might get chased for this comment but I said to the wee Mhan before the game on Sunday that I hoped Hamilton came and played football. They did…..
And after the game I said to the guy beside me, I can see what RD is trying to do.
We just need to be better at executing the plan and:though replacing guidetti rather than stokes still puzzles me.
A manager’s not for life….but he’s at least time Christmas….no?
HH jamesgang
Surely there is only one suitable musician for the question posed earlier? Suzanne Vega(n)?
Jamesgang
I felt the same. With 20 to go I still thought we could do it. The retention of Stokes seemed like stubborness to me. I think RD could sense the frustration of the crowd with his play and kept him on to wind us up (that was made up shite btw :-)
LiviBhoy
I agree that the early days were good times.
It wasn’t total football but the up and at them style was still exciting. We used to hand out a lot of humpings back then.
Maypole Lass beaten by width of a fag paper
Maypole Lass another great pick.
Didn’t bet it myself but my mate at work was on it. Great 2nd at 9/1.
LB
TnT
your horse ran some race, beaten a nose at 9s
Che
official distance…a nose…painful
jamesgang
Is there an equivalent to the cat and dog home for unwanted managers after Christmas?>)
Twisty
Tenner ew so not bad again buddy…o))
Ritchie
Good craic with the last bit mhate. But you may be closer to the truth than we admit.
I think RD is strong (stubborn, stooopid others may say) and God knows he has to be with some of the verbals coming his way from around me just behind the dugout.
Given the furore and chip n ginger he could be forgiven for thinking WTF about Celtic and Scotland!
There are 2 strands at play here. The strategic one of increasing professionalism, skills and fitness. This will take time cos surely we can all agree we’ve been lagging behind by European standards.
The other strand is tactical. Need to play left and right footers more often on their ‘right side’ and bolster the midfield.
Had stokes converted some of his golden chances on Sunday ( he wasn’t alone) and we’d one if wouldn’t have fundamentally altered the fact that the overall strategy is correct and/but the tactics need tweaked.
Questions to all the CQN managers. How long would it take you to refashion us into a modern European outfit? And would you have lost matches along the way?
BabyWithBathwaterCSC
HH jamesgang
glendalystonsils
15:46 on 8 October, 2014
jamesgang
Is there an equivalent to the cat and dog home for unwanted managers after Christmas?>)
—–
Yes there is.
I believe it’s called Birmingham City.
HH jamesgang
coolmore mafia
13:24 on
8 October, 2014
Yes can someone post the remarks that are offensive by Hartson and Sutton? If not can you please gtf?
They offend me because they are taking money from the SMSM to prop up their attacks on RD.
So you GTF
Or alternatively put them in the brown bin with the Christmas tree…..
Gentlemen……………..please!
In 2004/5 we lost 3-1 to AC Milan in the San Siro.
Milan were in 2nd gear containing us in the 2nd half until Varga equalised in the 87th minute.
They immediately went into top gear and blew us away, scoring 2 in the last couple of minutes.
I think the players are misinterpreting Mr Deila’s instructions, when he says retain possession he really means recycle the ball and attack, when he says attack he is saying get it under control makes spaces or turn the opposition and shoot when the opportunity arises, all good attacks are swift and full of intent they must obviously all end with a shot at goal or territory gained. Be aggresive and swift, not hesitant and timid.
Hail Hail.
Vespacide
Maybe Ronny would be better with younger players who are happier to change and learn?
LB
As for great Celtic players having an opinion, I think they can say what they like it’s my choice to either read, agree or invest any emotion on what they have to say. As it it is, I don’t do any of those things, if it’s in the press it’s just lies, hearsay or marketing and I have no interest in any of that nonsense either.
Hail Hail.
Livibhoy
Maybe it’s more intelligent and professional players who are receptive to learning and developing.
Maybe age profile is less significant and/or shouldn’t be used as a get out alibi?
Anyway they’re all pups by real world standards. Much like yourself!
HH jamesgang
Burning Bush
“Ronny saying he was happy after getting beat at home by Hamilton was daft at best.”
He did not say that happiness was his only emotion. He used words like frustrated and disappointed in interviews that I heard. He also detailed the areas of the game that he felt needed improving. His “happy” feelings were reserved solely for the fact that we made and created a lot of chances. I think a manager should be allowed to defend himself by pointing out that his team’s style and play led to a lot of goal scoring chances.
Here is what he actually said about being happy and I cannot see a lot wrong in what he says:-
“We had a lot of chances, a lot of shots : I am not worried at all – we are progressing obviously a lot of crosses that should have been better. We also had enough set plays to win the game quite easily.
“With so many chances you should win, no question. We had 10-15 chances.
“We know it’s about taking chances and getting results and today was just a very tough day at work. I’m very disappointed, the players are as well.”
“Now we have 13 days off. I would rather we had a game on Wednesday but now we have 13 days to prepare to bounce back against Ross County.
“I understand the fans booing at full-time. We must win games and today we didn’t.
“But I’m not worried at all. I think we’re progressing again. When you have 10 to 15 chances, you have played quite well.
“We got the full-backs more into the attack, we got more set-plays, more crosses.
“But of course you need to put the ball in the net. We need that determination to really want to get that ball into the net.
“It was too sloppy. The runs into the box weren’t powerful enough. We needed more accuracy and determination.
“To lose at home is not something we want. But in football these things happen. We just have to bounce back.
“We are still in every competition with opportunities to have a very good season.”
some thoughts/ questions…
Were we happy with the football being played the last few seasons? I wasn’t….some good results, for sure (along with some bad ones) … but generally, the level and style of football was very poor….
In my view, NFL cut his clothe to suit the type of players he had … He took what he had, and working within the limitations of those players, got a fair bit from them….. his sytem was designed to be successful at the SPL level, but didn’t match up to cup play, and certainly wasn’t of the standard required to be succesful in Europe.
The key for me is that, I believe, he worked within the limitations of the players he had …. he built a system that got a fair bit out of the players at his disposal, by utilising their existing skillls…. which was good….. (they rarely made a decent forward pass, but he didn’t really ask them too… he counted on team defending and flashes of individual brilliance going forward)…
but, he didn’t do much to add to their existing skills…. which was bad, because it meant that there was a ceiling for how good these players and the team could be , given their limitations ….and if we want to succeed in Europe, that standard has to increase
RD is trying, with most of the same players, to reach a better level of football … but our football had become so stultified, it is hard to overnight expect players (who have played on way for so long) to suddenly start playing like Barca …. but, if we dont at least aspire to that, then, to me, we will never get better, and frankly, why even bother trying?
so, where does that lead us?
Football (excpet for Messi who is a freak talent), like most things in life, is both iterative and incremental … change/improvement only comes through repetition and in small steps …….
If a professional footballer cant see, make or receive a pass (and sadly, many of our players seem to fail at these basic tasks)…. is it the fault of the player or manager? I say the players.
If a manager wants to play a passing game, but picks players who he knows dont have the basic skills, whose fault is that? I would say, the manager’s….
What if the manager picks players from his available pool, hoping that, through practice and games, they will develop these basic skills, but they dont? Depends… on timing etc….
Given our position in the league, and what I see as the almost certainty that we will win the league, there is little harm in giving the players the chance to see if they can play the way he wants ….
If they can, great. If only some can, depending on how many, then some others may need to be considered. If very few can, then the manager needs to consider a different system, and making incremental changes, at least until he has the proper type of players for the system he wants to play.
For now, I see enough potential upside in RD, to give him (and the players) time to learn/make some mistakes and, hopefully, improve … ideally, we will improve throughout the season, and win it at a canter …. and set the stage for a real assault on Europe next season ….
Any manager coming in, and who was prepared to try to changes things (and, in my opinion, any manager who didn’t want to change things. wouldn’t have been someone I would have wanted) … was going to need some time.
I think RD and the players need some time and our support … if RD cant adapt and/or the players ‘down tools’ (which I am afraid may happen), then that support would be withdrawn … but for now they both need and deserve a chance and our support.
LiviBhoy
16:05 on
8 October, 2014
Vespacide
Maybe Ronny would be better with younger players who are happier to change and learn?
LB
You could be right amigo, but like all things a balance is required, and I love seeing a few experienced war horses showing the way forward to the young bucks. As long as they are good pro’s I don’t think age matters that much, it’s how you blend them.
Hail Hail.
Flash mobbin’ sports shops all over Britain eh? Still under the illusion that there’s plenty huns everywhere,that’s another thing they should’ve listened to Hugh Adam on.
No doubt there will be a few fat heidit yins darkenin’ some doors in the central belt but do they no’ realise that most sport shops are in shopping centres nowadays n they’ll be swiftly booted from the premises?
Great plan huns,they would be better aff flash mobbin’ Tesco into buyin’ the midden,razin’ it n building another shop so they can still turn up every week spendin’ money on mince.
TAL
Auldheid
15:20 on 8 October, 2014
Very impressive and comprehensive report from your good self to the powers that be! I am assuming there will not be any handshakers in FIFA who can facillitate our good friends promotion to FIFA, as well David Gill throwing his hat into the ring and you making them aware of his previous its maybe not looking too good for the completely impartial Campbell!
I remember well John McBeth being thrown out before he started for a completely true statement about Jack Warner and his cohorts. Though massively ill advised by JmcB I cant help but think the haste which came to pass and his immediate personna non-grata status by the SFA who throw him under the bus had somehing to do with his family circumstances and the requirement for a craft member to hold that office?
Personally, and I’m sorry to say this to you, I was genuinely hoping the completely impartial Campbell would get the job and move out of the SFA before he can be relied on to do any more favours for his fellow sevconians!
Burning Bush,
It is not what the likes of Sutton and Hartson say or write; it is what and how it is printed wihen they do so for the Record. They, like every Celtic supporter, know full well that the finished article will undermine Celtic. They should not, imo, take that rag’s money. Criticism is one thing; undermining is something wholy other and that is all you will get from that rag about Celtic. It is purely a financial decision as it appeals to their major demographic, the undead.