We are two games away from the league split. Celtic are due to face the three clubs immediately below them: Newco and Hearts and Aberdeen away from home. We will face fifth place St Mirren at home, but sixth place is still up for grabs.
Hibs have a single point advantage over Livingston, so it could go either way. We have already played both twice at Celtic Park on league duty this season, whomever we meet, will have to travel to Celtic Park for a third time. Livi and Hibs have both proven to be difficult venues for Celtic, so no hardship limiting our visits to the Lothians.
Today we hear from John Sweeney, who is part of the Road to Seville team that plan to cycle from Celtic Park to Seville next month, 20 years after he first visited the city on a Celtic pilgrimage. John is a season ticket holder from Croydon, talks about his Celtic life and why the Foundation is an essential part of his Celtic life.
You can support the great work of your Foundation as well as encouraging John and the other cyclists here. Thank you, it is enormously appreciated.
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Biden was thanking Rob Kearney, a distant cousin who played in an Irish rugby team that beat New Zealand, for the tie he was wearing. “This was given to me by one of these guys, right here. He was a hell of a rugby player. He beat the hell out of the Black and Tans.”
Eats shoots and leaves
Why the look ahead to post split Paul?
31 played. Two more before split.
If we win our next two games (big IF) ….
Sevco go into their game away to Aberdeen on Sunday, 23 April …
AT LEAST 15 points behind
Knowing defeat confirms us as champions
Panda time.
What’s black and white and stands in the corner.
Naughty Panda.
An old film,4yrs, on CCV
https://youtu.be/4Ifg0cXtZ8s
HH
Lullabies and battlecries
You have mail.
TT
Casement Park (Irish: Páirc Mhic Asmaint) is the principal Gaelic games stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and serves as the home ground of the Antrim football and hurling teams. It is located in Andersonstown Road in the west of the city, and named after the republican revolutionary Sir Roger Casement (1864-1916). As of 2015 it had an official capacity of 32,282, with safety certification for 31,661, including 6,962 seated.[1] As of 2021, the stadium was closed and in a state of dereliction, with redevelopment plans pending for several years.[2] While planning permission for the redevelopment of Casement Park was confirmed in July 2021,[3] as of March 2023, the stadium remained closed and had been “out of action for a decade”.[4]
In our league setup, is it possible that a team can play 18 home and 20 away games (therefore miss out on home gate money)?
I watched the Milan vs Napoli CL game last night and some of the bear hugging and shirt pulling at corners which went unpunished was incredible bearing in mind what we are seeing here. Regardless of the usual caveats of bias, the lack of consistency in how the rules are applied is frightening.
Forwards and defenders have years of experience in pushing and pulling at set pieces. It has been part of the game for as back as I can remember. Trying to control that now and apply the rules fairly is nigh on impossible.
I just love Joe Biden.
On a more serious note, I’ve little doubt that brexit and its consequences for Ireland’s peace would have been far more damaging where it not for the Biden Administration.
I shudder to think what could have happened here had Trump been re-elected.
I probably share that relief alongside a lot of Ukrainians. Thanks, Joe.
Ziggydoc1 at 12.40
Happens every season when the top 6 clubs are different from those predicted at the start of the season.
WIth all the gambling talk on here the last couple of days, the following from today’s press piqued my interest;
“English Premier League clubs have agreed to a voluntary BAN gambling sponsorship from the front of their jerseys on matchdays after government talks – in a move that will be watched closely by SPFL sides.
Top flight clubs voted on the move despite eight of the 20 teams south of the border enjoying lucrative deals with betting firms. The new move will kick in from the start of season 2025-26. A statement from the EPL read: “Premier League clubs have today collectively agreed to withdraw gambling sponsorship from the front of clubs’ matchday shirts, becoming the first sports league in the UK to take such a measure voluntarily in order to reduce gambling advertising.”
– – – – – –
Us and Them both have gambling sponsorships on our shirts. Might be some pressure applied for SPFL to follow suit.
Paul
If St. Mirren lose their next two games but Hibs an Livingston win theirs then St. Mirren will drop out of the top 6 places and we won’t play them.
THE BATTERED BUNNET on 13TH APRIL 2023 12:52 PM
Ziggydoc1 at 12.40
Happens every season when the top 6 clubs are different from those predicted at the start of the season.
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I wonder (doubt it) if there’s anything done to compensate those who lose out on a home tie. Could be a big loss for a lot of clubs. In some ways, I’d like a big league, in which we only play teams twice. However, whilst the other teams are so poor, it suits us getting the huns four times
Big Judith looking magnificent 😎
BB
Spring is in the air 😎
Deniabhoy
I respectfully disagree .
If a player has a grip of a players shirt .
It should be an automatic booking and foul.
There is no need for any player to clench a fist and grab another players shirt .
Anywhere on the pitch .
Apply that rule ruthlessly,and it will stop within a season.
The problem is as you pointed out .
Lack of consistency.
TT
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Ziggydoc. Regarding teams losing out in a home game. I Don think that happens you might have to play a team 3 times away but should still get 19 home and 19 away games.
Tiny Tim – I agree with you. It should be a foul. It is so much a part of the game and we are as guilty as the next at doing it. I see Starfelt doing it regularly at corners and I think AJ had a handful of Morelos’ shirt before he was pushed (Morelos regularly pushes his marker like that to create a yard of space and is used to getting away with it). It happens in every game. Forwards and defenders.
Gives the ref and VAR a choice and most of the time I think they ignore it unless it leads to a goal or they “want” to give a penalty.
Good afternoon all from the Victoria Bar. Sunny day in old Glasgow Town.
Looks like I have missed again on 2nd ballot,very unfair,them supporters who were successful in the cup final should have been put back in the queue,but I suppose Them in Celtic Supporters Association,who in my opinion do not represent the ordinary Celtic Fans ,Joe O’Rourke and his cronies for not stirring it ,decent outside and inside facilities will have no problems getting tickets,as for the supposed trouble makers,The Green Brigade they seem to get all the away tickets,is it corrupt in the Ticket Office ,you bet your life it is.
Just want to flag this up again.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Willie Maley: Former Celtic stars to unveil statue of legendary Co Down manager
Three-year campaign to raise £80k culminates in parade through Newry
Former Celtic stars Jackie McNamara, Joe Miller and Tommy Johnson will unveil a statue of the club’s former manager Willie Maley in his Co Down hometown this Saturday.
The Hoops heroes will be in Newry for the grand unveiling of the seven-foot statue at a site along the Camlough Road.
It brings to a close a three-year campaign by local Celtic fans to raise over £80,000 for a statue of Maley in Newry.
He was born in Newry Barracks in Linenhall Square in 1868 and went on to become one of Celtic’s most successful managers — taking charge of the Glasgow club from 1897 to 1940.
Maley and his family moved to Glasgow after his father took honourable discharge from the army and in 1888, the 19-year-old signed for the newly-formed Celtic Football Club.
He was appointed manager in 1897 and went on to become one of the most successful managers in Scottish football history.
https://focus.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/thumbor/zifDvnUlLVd7OIxik-Ynkg_-yKY=/0x0:3091×2262/fit-in/960×640/prod-mh-ireland/931ff89f-d52e-4809-8de2-daa1170734dd/ef54742a-791b-461e-8110-0fae699fd3fb/931ff89f-d52e-4809-8de2-daa1170734dd.jpg
https://focus.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/thumbor/3-xPP_1nSQhG1Q4j6EkS-Sq4e7Q=/0x103:947×734/960×640/prod-mh-ireland/78011dcd-b127-4917-9b6c-2003e057454f/c10ccbfd-5ee8-4931-b3a4-6b937dc58df7/78011dcd-b127-4917-9b6c-2003e057454f.jpg
He led the team to 30 trophies during his 43-year reign as manager.
The statue — designed and sculpted by Tyrone sculptor Barry O’Neill — will be unveiled on Saturday by Willie Maley Memorial Group chairman Pat McLoughlin.
The group was formed in 2020 to raise the necessary costs for the statue, groundworks and associated fees.
Mr McLoughlin said he was relieved that the huge campaign is nearing its finish and thanked everyone for their support over the last three years.
“There were ups and downs the whole way along, but it’s absolutely fantastic to see the finished product and makes it all worthwhile at the end of it,” he said.
“Every single person is welcome to the parade. It will be a fantastic day out and it will be an honour to see the tribute that we are giving to Willie Maley.
“It’s long overdue and well deserved for Celtic’s first ever manager who put his life into the club and now we’re dedicating a statue to him in his hometown.
“It will be seen throughout the world. It’s been an honour to be involved in this campaign, and on behalf of the committee and memorial group, I would like to thank everyone that has supported the campaign. Celtic fans have made this happen.”
Proceedings on Saturday start at Maley’s birthplace at the former barracks site in the Mourneview area of Newry at 3pm where a memorial plaque will be unveiled. A parade will then proceed towards Trevor Hill and on to Monaghan Street before reaching the statue site.
Guest speaker Tommy Sheridan will address the crowd, followed by a minute’s applause for recently deceased striker Frank McGarvey.
BIGRAILROADBLUES @ 2:37 PM
Good afternoon all from the Victoria Bar. Sunny day in old Glasgow Town.
———–
While I am genuinely happy for BRRB, a little part of my heart sinks when reading this
😉😉😉
Envy probably.
(Actually .. not probably)
TIMBHOY163 on 13TH APRIL 2023 2:43 PM
In the late 70’s and 80’s I helped run the Mount Carmel bus from Killie, had one of the largest memberships in Ayrshire. Went up to the ticket office for our Aberdeen allocation. Got 17 tickets, the bhoy in front of me was a Glesga CSC. No where near our membership, full bus allocation.
Told the guy Kennedy to stuff his tickets , it would cause a hugh loss on the bus. No doubt nothing has changed, its who you know 🤫
Typo 7 not 17
https://cdn.celtsarehere.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/32EF1DDD-9942-47B9-8F8A-1CA5C674B101-1920×1698.jpeg
Johnston has kept Anthony Ralston firmly out of the team (granted the Scot has endured some injury issues) over the past few months and ex Celtic winger Steve Guppy has been full of praise for the Canadian.
Guppy was key in helping to draft Johnston to MLS side Nashville when the right back first started out and has compared the 24 year old’s crossing ability to that of David Beckham’s (Daily Record):
“Too many players hit the first defender when they cross. And then don’t actually think about the reasons why. That was something we tried to install in Alistair.
“Alistair is not really one who will take a player on but if you give him time he’s very similar to David Beckham.”
To be compared to an immense talent such as Beckham is immense for Johnston however it has taken a fair amount of work for the Canadian to be where he is today.
Taken from THE CELTS ARE HERE
Just read 67hailhail report of Steven Naismith’s first presser.
Apparently he mentioned Celtic and stability.
Don’t like the man at all …
… and he follows a sizeable list of ex Ibrox players who’ve made it to the manager’s office at Tynecastle ….
… But, IMHO, he has a point.
A quick look at the archives
(Google – these hacks really do get money for nothing)
Shows 27 different permanent or temporary managers since 2000.
Back to Basics 2.59
Take a day off young fella and join me for a tour of some of Glasgows finest inns and taverns. And some real dives.😂
TIMBHOY163
Where do you get off calling the Ticket Office corrupt just because you didn’t get a ticket in the semi-final ballot? Do you understand the concept of a ballot? There are winners and losers. There are certainly no guarantees. Some members of the GB will be successful, other GB members will not.
Where is your evidence that the entire GB always get tickets? Do you complain to the National Lottery because you haven’t won a prize after 3 weeks?
For the record, I missed out on the 2 ballots for the LC Final and both ballots for the forthcoming semi-final.
I was and am disappointed but them’s the breaks and I won’t be crying like a baby and demanding that other supporters be banned from ballots and labelling ticket office staff as corrupt.
Ziggy / TBB
I think the 18/20 home / away has only happened on 1 or 2 occasions since the split came into force. Plenty of times we have seen teams play the same club 3 x at home or away due to the seeding situ which you mention TBB but very very rare we have an anomaly in total home and away matches for any club.
TimBhoy163
I understand your frustration if you continually miss out on big games. I don’t know if there’s corruption in play but I don’t think so. I don’t know anyone on authority at Celtic Park or in the Ticket Office but I have been remarkably successful in the ballots over the last 5 years or so. I didn’t get one in the ballot for the League Cup Final which I attribute to not taking the one I was allocated in the semi-final. Near Christmas and I had a lot on my plate. I didn’t get a ticket from last week’s ballot but came out of the second ballot today and secured a ticket. I hope you manage to get a ticket for the final )assuming we win through of course).
All clubs in the Premiership are guaranteed 19 home and 19 away fixtures throughout a season. Often it means one or more clubs playing other clubs 3 times away and once at home and vice versa, but the 19/19 split is always maintained for every club.
INCHTURE BHOY AKA NEIL LENNON on 13TH APRIL 2023 2:18 PM
Ziggydoc. Regarding teams losing out in a home game. I Don think that happens you might have to play a team 3 times away but should still get 19 home and 19 away games
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Yes, that the intention, though I’m not sure it can be gauranteed.
Naismith was an obnoxious character in his latter years albeit he was a good player. He just fits the format for an uninspiring usual suspect punt.
Team for Sunday.
Joe, Canadian Bruiser, Carl, CCV, Greg, Captain, Tomoki, Matt/Aaron, Kyogo, Daizen, Jota.
You heard it here first and quite rightly ignored it. 😂
The GB have been banned from getting tickets for the SF