Before we get down to the business of the day, thanks to The Clumpany for alerting me to the incredible actions of SPFL main sponsor Ladbrokes, who on the eve of today’s big game, Tweeted speculation about Ronny Deila losing his job.
Let’s be clear on this one. Any muppet can Tweet what they like about Ronny’s job, but it’s not the role of the league sponsor to engage in this kind of speculation.
If you don’t remember any actions like this previously from a league sponsor, it’s because it hasn’t happened. Ladbrokes retained PR consultancy Level 5, who are up to their knees in the business of another club, to manage their engagement of the SPFL. This is a clear conflict of interest, bringing wholly inappropriate pressure on the Celtic manager at a critical stage of the season.
Never forget the game going on behind the Game.
A few hours before an important game is also probably not the time to say I’m really disappointed Jozo Simunovic is out injured, but it’s impossible to look ahead to this game without that thought creeping to the fore. Erik Sviatchenko had as good a debut as we have seen from a defender in some time on Sunday, but he needs to move from Crisis Management mode into Partnership Building mode as soon as possible.
My hope is that a Sviatchenko-Simunovic partnership allows Celtic to return to the kind of defensive performances we saw so often last season. Until then, we’ll need a bit more protection from midfield.
The return of Scott Brown will go a long way towards this. He has the menace required to get a foot in the way before threats reach the defence.
Aberdeen will be ready for tonight. They lost four games in five weeks, culminating in a defeat at Celtic Park in October, but they haven’t lost a league game since, and they won their first 8 Premiership games before that period. Whatever was going wrong inside the club at that time is resolved. They are not quite on our heels, but a win tonight would change that.
They will also contrast our performance at Hampden with 10 men against Ross County to theirs in Dingwall a few weeks back, when they bosses the game, came from behind and left with three points.
For Celtic this is the perfect opportunity to dispose of whatever regrets they have from Sunday. A win away to your title rivals is the perfect tonic, it will also need no motivational words.
Colin Kazim-Richards and Patrick Roberts are both fully fit but unlikely to feature in the starting line-up. This is a job for those who know the script.
Three points please, Celtic.
Two other important points before you go……….
The Celtic Foundation Zip Slide last year was more fun than you can imagine. It’s happening again, this time longer and higher (top corner of the Jock Stein-North Stand to bottom corner of the Lisbon Lions-South stand).
To participate you need to do two things:
Ask your friends to sponsor you for the Foundation.
You’ve had many great times at Celtic Park, this will be another, promise. Book now.
I see an 18-year-old Motherwell fan (with no prior record) was jailed for 5 months for releasing a flare at New Douglas Park last year. Sentencing sheriff said:
“Smoke bombs are noxious and potentially toxic. They are dangerous to those with respiratory problems, particularly asthma, and there is the very real potential of causing panic in those confined to the immediate vicinity who have no knowledge of what has been ignited.
“This presents a clear and obvious danger, and immediate action is needed from those charged with ensuring the safety of all those present, especially young children.
“You knew what you were doing and made efforts to conceal your identity. The court takes a serious view of this type of conduct which seems to be on the increase.”
Four months in jail! The 18-year-old soldier will almost certainly lose his job and carry the consequences for a lot longer than he carried the flare. It’s a life-changing action, no matter if you pull your pants up over your eyebrows.
333 Comments- Pages:
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WEEMINGER on 3RD FEBRUARY 2016 4:12 PM
Very true makes me laugh which is good. All harmless stuff but some post are strange.
TT
The day I go to a Celtic match expecting us to lose, is the day I will stop going. I cannot understand such a negative mindset. I expected us to beat Barca, the night we did. :)
Afternoon all.
Thought I’d post now, as, if we don’t get a result tonight, CQN won’t be a place to come to any time soon. I think the mib will be even worse than Thompson. He has already proved that, imo.
We will never get an even break in this country. We symbolise for way too many their own bigotry that they can’t bring themselves to acknowledge. Until that day ever comes, we will always be the whipping boy. As my Dad said to me this morning, it has always been like this in his lifetime (and that is a long, long time).
Canamalar
Leave aside the issue of who the manager is.
I wish it wasn’t Ronny but it is.
Ladbrokes posted a jokey silly tweet for publicity.They got it
It doesn’t affect the teams performance,it doesn’t affect how the manager prepares for the match
A lot of the reaction on here was all about “trying to undermine our manager” etc.
Does anyone in their right mind ( and I accept there isn’t many here) think that Ladbrokes give a flying feck who manages Celtic.
Should they behave like that as sponsors of the league,probably not
Will Celtic object to them being sponsors in any way shape or form.definitely not,They want the money.
Such is life
Taken from John James blog
A Legal Minefield
Wednesday 3rd February 2016
COURT 5
Before MR JUSTICE PETER SMITH
INTERIM HEARINGS LIST
HC-2015-002185 Sports Direct International Plc v Rangers International Football Club Plc
Thursday 4th February 2016
First Hearing
P989/15 Pet: Michael Ashley for Judicial Review
Brodies LLP
Burness Paull LLP
In addition to the criminal proceedings which resume at Edinburgh High Court today, there is a hearing this afternoon at The Royal Courts of Justice, London, where controversial judge Peter Smith is presiding. This is followed on Thursday morning at The Court Of Session with the first hearing of a petition to review the appointment of career criminal Dave King as the chairman of a UK plc.
Three live proceedings, two of which are the result of a career criminal choosing to appoint himself as chairman of RIFC plc. As a ‘concerned’ shareholder, Mike Ashley has every right to challenge the credentials of King. His equity has been de-listed. King has attempted to dilute his equity. King has attempted to strip him of his voting rights. He can make a cogent case that King should be nowhere near a UK plc and that the SFA’s decision to approve him as ‘fit and proper’ was a venal sham.
The Royal Courts Chancery division listings are notoriously inaccurate, however the fact that this petition by SDI is not part heard, would suggest that it is part of a slew of actions by Sports Direct. Some are suggesting that it is a review of the gagging order but I remain to be persuaded on this.
What cannot be denied is that Ashley is waging war against King on two fronts, namely London and Edinburgh. On the 8th February, a five day hearing will commence. This war is one of attrition. It’s evident that he does not care how much he has to spend to expose King as the penniless, lying charlatan that he undoubtedly is.
Meanwhile we await a decision on Green’s appeal for costs, which could hole King’s hostile takeover under the water line. There is also the BDO request for leave to appeal a decision by the Inner House to uphold a final successful appeal by HMRC. If BDO are denied, title stripping will be back on the agenda of social media, but as we now know, will be suppressed by the media with one eye on their Parks of Hamilton sponsors.
We are also aware that the SFA and SPFL will look the other way. It does not reflect well on them to admit that they allowed illegal systemic tax avoidance to be perpetrated for a period of twelve years on their watch. The fact that the clubs, notably the spineless boards of Aberdeen and CFC, have chosen not to act would suggest that what we are witnessing in Scottish football is an entertainment, where even the Companies Act of 2006 and other laws can be subverted to maintain this entertainment.
Anyway
We will win tonight and all will be well
The Ronny lovers will be dancing in the streets and there wont be a Ronny Hater to be seen….except for me,yiz will never take me alive…I will be dragged kicking and screaming to the asylum screaming Ronny Out
However I will be here later to say I told you so…. ( see above,I said we will win) all angles covered.
Enjoy the game and box clever
Parkheadcumsalford
Glad to see you post I’d noted your absence in the mornings.
Taken from John Ja,es Blog
Whiter than Whyte
Was Craig Whyte lurking in a book depository with a rifle to assassinate Rangers? Was Charles Green cast as Jack Ruby, when he took out Whyte with his ‘switcheroo’ revolver? Was David Murray on the grassy knoll? There are so many theories on the conspiracy trial that I’m surprised that no-one has linked it to the murder of a president.
When Whyte entered the High Court with a copy of ‘Atlas Shrugged’ and a very attractive female companion, he gave the impression of an innocent man caught up in conspiracy proceedings from which he would emerge unscathed. He should be made aware that careers in the police force are forged on successful prosecutions.
There are vested interests that want him to be sent down. Whyte was planning to preclude the possibility of prosecution in Mexico, but was caught up in a US/UK/Mexico reciprocal agreement in regard to extradition. He should have chosen Pakistan, as is the case with Imran Ahmad. Had he not preferred a beach destination the Advocate General’s case would not be playing out in Edinburgh High Court today.
Reporting restrictions on these indictments must be observed. As was the case with Green, I will confine my article to what’s in the public domain. Was Craig Whyte David Murray’s patsy?
Craig Whyte is an asset stripper. His modus operandi was well known to David Murray. Whyte would prey on distressed companies, separate the debt from the assets and any pension fund, then quickly dissolve the company with the lucrative assets. Typically the asset rich company would be registered in the British Virgin Islands. There are a number of ways to strip a company of its assets. A loan can be drawn from its account, or it can be taken over by a company where you have control. All that remains are two hollowed kernels of a former company.
David Murray was fully aware of this. A committee of RFC plc directors commissioned a private investigator, Triton, to have a look at Whyte. Mr Murray was presented with this report but claimed that he was ‘under a gun’ from Lloyds Bank and that had no choice. He also claimed to the ridiculous SDM-facing Scottish press that he was duped.
David Murray is a more persuasive liar than Whyte could ever be. Murray is cut from the same cloth as King. Eighteen million pounds and change was a drop in the ocean compared to the £800m he owed to Lloyds. He was not under a gun to sell Rangers. He was concerned that his systemic tax avoidance would be exposed and he saw Whyte as the ideal character to take Rangers off his hands. Murray knew that Whyte had been suspended for seven years as a company director. This suited him as he knew that the SFA and HMRC would use it against him. He would not have sold Rangers to an honest man.
How Whyte convinced Ticketus and Merchant Turnaround to loan him seed capital and a total north of £28m will be revealed in court. We can but hope that White was using his gadget pen to record his meetings with SDM.
In an email, Mr Whyte proposed to Duff & Phelps the “incubator company” concept. How this works is that you sell off the assets and business of the company to a newco, whilst retaining the oldco to hold the league membership and ability to qualify for UEFA competition. One of the problems with a “pre-pack” is that assets often seem to be sold at knock-down prices to people connected with the former owner, if not indeed to the former owner himself. On the basis that there was no “preferred bidder” lurking in the wings to swoop, this seems to suggest that what was intended was that the newco would itself be owned or controlled by Mr Whyte. If his plan had succeeded, then he would have owned a debt free Rangers, and would have been able to sell it off, presumably for a hefty profit.
Mr Whyte envisaged D&P doing the necessary work including the finalising of accounts, to lodge the relevant papers with the SFA by 31st March to allow a UEFA licence to be issued for 2012-2013. However D&P did execute on his instructions
Mr Whyte pointed out that, whatever happened, administration should be short. Therefore he wanted D&P too get in and out of administration very quickly, and to avoid them having any incentive to linger,he capped their fees at £500,000. Mr Grier of Duff & Phelps agreed to this cap.
However, D&P did not move out as quickly as planned and the fees escalated from a “capped” £500,000 to £3.3 million.
All this careful and detailed planning by Mr Whyte was done prior to his acquisition from SDM. He sold his 85% shareholding for £2 to Charles Green.
Did Mr Green execute the ‘incubator’ plan? The debts and HMRC liability was hived off to Rangers 2012, which was the old company RFC plc. Sevco Scotland, the ‘newco’ acquired the assets. However ‘the take it or leave it’ CVA was not accepted by HMRC or Dave King. The oldco could not be maintained to host the SFA and UEFA registrations.
However Mr Green had no need to fret. The ever helpful SFA was on hand to transfer Rangers registration to Sevco Scotland. Once the SPL voted against Sevco acquiring the share owned by Rangers, there was no possibility of UEFA registration.
Were Duff & Phelps were prescient in their decision not to have arranged 2012/2013 UEFA registration with the SFA?
H/T,
Thanks for your concern. I was away for a week and after Sunday, I couldn’t bring myself to contribute anything, as there was so much negativity on here.
Afternoon all. HH
WITS R.I.P
HH
Dd,
I told my old Tim workmate I’d give him a months wages if we beat barca that night in a kinda,I hope we do but canny see it, kind of way.
I’m glad he’s a better man than me :))
HH
Is WITS DD ??
I feel we should be told
HH
Awe Naw
No I am a patriotic Irishman who pays his taxes in the land his birth, unlike the great desmondo
WITS,
I’m no sure how you come to your conclusion, the tweet was solely concerned with undermining the manager, regardless of the media or how many and who read the tweet, it showed disrespect for both club and manager.
But for whatever reason you don’t appear to be able to accept the fact it was published, was an attack on our manager. You whole defence of it is based on your dislike of the manager.
There is no other interpretation that can be logically applied, even as an attempt to attract bets, it was making our manager look like he was for the off.
I’m thinking your bitterness towards the manager is clouding you objectivity.
Geordie
I thought you did irony, Geordie!
You come on cautioning another poster about the ‘power of word ‘, then, when you can’t remember what I posted to you, you use ‘blah, blah’ instead!
The only way Rangers could avoid paying north of 90 million pounds to their creditors was to stop being Rangers. They succeeded.
And the fact that they are still referred to as Rangers after their liquidation is a disgrace, even The Rangers shouldn’t be allowed under Company Law.
If this had been established, then the continuity myth would not have happened and we would not, if Sevco get promoted next season, have to enter through the looking glass to watch Celtic in a competition in which a 4 year old club will be chasing a remarkable 55th League title, a journey too far for many, I ‘m sure.
CANAMALAR
he is DD .. he wanted Ronny :-)
HH
Wtf, lol, I’m lost with this, has someone been go at?
Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct has halted legal action against Rangers and agreed to pay costs
Awe_Naw_No_Annoni_Oan_Anaw_Noo
John James posts too many times in one day. It’s like CQN on transfer deadline day….that’s no life to live…
DAVIDOPOULOS on 3RD FEBRUARY 2016 4:39 PM
At least he has a mind of his own and does not look to be tugging forelock and kissing ass a la phil and paul
HH
@sevcoslayers @ClydeSSB doubt Ashley is rubbing his hands with glee anymore. How much this set him back? £400,000….ouch.
Will try and sneak in my tablet to a union meeting tonight so I can keep up to date on the match in Pittodrie. I see no reason why we won’t win, apart from Brother McLean, Ronny’s team selection and Ronny’s tactics:-)
quietlyconfidentcsc
Partick Th v Celtic March 12 -12.30 KO
Killie v Celtic March 19-12.30 KO
Celtic v Hearts April 2-12.30 KO
Motherwell v Celtic April 9-12.30 KO
Moved for TV ….
GM
Haha. Hearing the residents of the Lang Toun are a bit peeved with the MIB at Starks Park last night. My Kirkcaldy born son isnae happy.
Beatbhoy,
Sorry. The blah blah was in reference to what they are actually called. NOT a derogatory dig at your post.
Will you be OK? ;)
HH
There is a few things that could be improved at our club at the moment,and I really do think that the playing staff,considering our options,is not one of them.
Having watched a few EPL games recently,I have to say,my opinion of our support has nosedived.Crystal Palace,those giants of England,who have won hee haw for ages,Liverpool,same,and Leicester,fans would put ours to shame.Non stop support for their teams,win,lose or draw.Man U,playing the worst football in decades,73,000,every week.All I hear from our fans is “Sack the manager””Get rid of Forrest,”or any other poor sod who gets in their bad books.
We sign players.Before they have even kicked a ball,they are rubbished.
We really are turning into the most whingeing,spoilt,bunch of fans.We now seem to have “Its our god given right to win”mentality.The internet has a lot of sins to answer for.can anyone imagine what it would have been like during the “Celts for change”era,if the internet had been available?.
On Sunday,we were robbed rotten,by a cheating bassa of a referee.RDs fault.
Efe goes to sleep,loses his man,RDs fault.Gordon blatantly fouled for their second goal,RDs fault.Grffiths misses a penalty,RDs fault.Does anyone see how ridiculous this is?.The same fans on here who are forever praising Efe,and Griff,strangely quiet,apart from their hounding of the manager.
Our enemies,of whom we have legion,line up against us in every aspect of the game,and we know this,yet we fill their mouths,papers,blogs with our constant bickering and complaining,and then complain when they use it against us.
Delaneys,
Aye. Non more so than Ray Mckinnon.
Ooft. He didn’t miss.
But it’ll be swept under the carpet or dismissed as paranoia.
HH
From Twitter world
John Kennedy has left Celtic, will be announced as Man United manager in next 48hrs.
Geordie Munro
No need to apologise Geordie, but thanks anyway.
And yes I’ll eventually get over it, though it might depend on the Hoops returning unvanquished from way up North tonight.
Paul67 et al
Remember when Victor Wanyama first arrived big Pete alluded (ok I do not know if he alluded as such, might have done) that the big midfielder might be the new centre back. Neil Lennon wasn’t too sure about his best position either, playing Vic at left back, centre back and midfield, and that was just in the one game! Against St Johnstone, which we lost 1-0. Had a few misgivings about Neil at that point. Even so like the proverbial one legged man I am prepared to go out on a limb and state that in Erik Sviatchenko we do indeed have our defensive midfielder. Not tonight though, at some point down the line.
TURKEYBHOY on 3RD FEBRUARY 2016 4:52 PM
Turning point for me was the League Cup final we lost to Killie
I could only get 1 ticket so I wasn’t sat near anybody I knew. Pretty much everybody around me stood about moaning for 90 minutes. They only got excited when Killie scored so they could moan even more.
Every time Celtic lose I hear the same crap “They aren’t even trying”
The SMSM are only printing what the socialist left wingers, uni mob, and splinter groups are spouting, it’s a marriage made in heaven, these groups love the SMSM, they won’t say it, but both are doing a job for each other, and I can assure you it’s nothing nice about CFC.
I’v been saying it for over two year, the enemy is within, Benedict Arnold comes to mind.
Are ‘Just-us’ Smuth and Lewd Lied to-Smuth related?
Turkeybhoy on 3rd February 2016 4:52 pm
Just about sums it up.
Hail, hail to all, and especially those who are making the effort as we speak.
COYBIG.
Today has got to be a low point on CQN, one has to wonder if it is even worth lurking. I don’t pretend to have the answer but I notice quite a few have and left. H H Hebcelt
Strange appointment for Man U – but good luck to John in his new role
Standards have slipped badly on this blog when Paul67 is referred to as an “ass kisser”. Simple manners are beyond some people.
http://www.facepyrofacts.co.uk/facts.html
or
Just Google pyrotechnic injuries and ponder over some of the images