Graeme Souness was in town to promote a book yesterday with some incredible statements for those of you who “rejoiced at Rangers’ problems”, saying:
“Scottish football needs a strong Rangers and a strong Celtic to create interest outside of Scotland.
“If that’s not the case, Scottish football would die.
“As much as Celtic supporters and other supporters of clubs in Scotland have enjoyed the moment, [Rangers’ liquidation] has damaged football in Scotland beyond belief.
“My luck was that, at the time, the English clubs were having to rebuild their stadiums post-Hillsborough.”
Set aside for a moment the fact that the 97 fans of Souness’ former club, Liverpool, died at Hillsborough three years after he took over at Ibrox.
Ignore, for a moment that we, according to Souness’ former Scotland team-mate Willie Miller, are as good a Celtic team as he has seen, that our income has reached new heights and will go higher still this season, that we are packing stadiums wherever we go, and that all of this is the product of a long-term, sustainable strategy.
Disregard that Hearts are nearing completion of their stadium expansion, or that Aberdeen are set to build an impressive new stadium, or that Hibs are packing out Easter Road at a rate not seen since the 60s.
Pay no attention to the fact that Motherwell have found an ownership model, a manger and players to have them sitting third in the table and in the League Cup final.
Instead, remind yourself why Rangers got into trouble. They introduced an aggressive tax avoidance scheme which they knew would be challenged by HMRC, and they made no provisions for this challenge.
The paid over 55 football players through this tax scheme, ‘loans’ which were never to be repaid and which were eventually ruled as disguised remuneration.
Most strikingly, while manager of Blackburn Rovers, Graeme Souness received such a loan from Rangers. When asked to explain by the Daily Record, Souness even claimed the loan was remuneration – for scouting services. More flagrant remuneration than disguised.
Souness went on to say, “I live in England and there was always an interest in Scottish football from football fans in England. That’s no longer the case.” Maybe if he spent more time with BT Sport, than Sky his impression of interest in the Scottish game would be different.
If Graeme Souness wants to offer advice on Scottish football, perhaps he should be magnanimous and write a cheque for repayment of that loan. Hillsborough matters way more than any book promotion. If you are a former Liverpool captain and want to reference Hillsborough as an aid, get it right.
Souness and the other ‘loan’ recipients should be chased out of town for the carnage they caused at Rangers. Instead, he gets a platform to spout nonsense about Hillsborough and Scottish football, despite appearing to know little about either.
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Bateen
Just off the phone to big M in Bavaria, he was asking after all the great Tims he met last Wednesday at Gasthaus Bock. He got sorted for tickets for Birmingham derby match on Sunday. He is in Glasgow on Monday. Pleading for two tickets for Celtic Park on Tuesday still. See you Saturday J.
DD
is there a fans zone for those without tickets,was there one in Munich?
I thought last night’s performance was one of Celtic’s best in, at least, ten years.
Not so, said a very unhappy Herald hack called Matthew Lindsay. It was an ‘utter non-event’. Another case of the eye-witness fallacy?
Still “glowing” from last night’s performance, I just can’t get enough of discussion and debate on our beloved team. Matthew Lindsay (Herald) is a truly hurting Hun. According to him the game was a total non-event and was all about how poor Aberdeen were. You would be forgiven if you got the impression that Aberdeen were representing the hopes of every anti-Celtic minded person in Scotland last night and failed to deliver thus crushing their hopes and aspirations.
Later in the evening I tuned into SSB while making he dinner. For over an hour there was not a single mention of Celtic last night. They focused on Pedro being sacked. Gordon Dalziel was given an opportunity to give a free promotion for the appointment of Billy Davies as Sevco’s new manager just as he did prior to Pedro being appointed. After more than an hour, they eventually turned to Aberdeen v Celtic. Dalziel’s approach was the exact same as Matthew Lindsay, all about how terrible Aberdeen were. Fortunately, Mark Wilson took issue with him and told him precisely how Brendan out-thought and outfoxed McInnes last night by changing the formation and overloading our midfield. Dinner then called.
After dinner, I watched a bit of Peter Martin and Roughie on STV 2. They were scathing of Sevco. Roughie mentioned about four times how he thought Pedro was being operated from the backnin dome of his statements to the media. He all but named Traynor. Next they openly mocked the Sevco statement and laughed out loud. Later in the programme they had a look at the good goal Dundee had ruled out against Motherwell last night for a non-existent offence. Peter Martin said,”Dobyou think the club will put out a statement?” Cue hilarious laughter from the pair. They were very complimentary about Celtic’s performance last night and KT in particular.
We’re flying, the Huns are crying. Says it all really.
With regard to the article and Souness’ inane ramblings. He’s one of the reasons people are switching from SKY. He’s part of the same old tired format. People are listening but not hearing and watching but not seeing. Souness is irrelevant nowadays. An empty vessel flapping his gums.
It’s great to be a Tim.
Dessy
All the guys I met in Munich without tickets, watched the match in Munich pubs. Maybe Merchant City will have a fan zone?
Hello again all you young rebels.
What a wonderful show from the invincebles on Wed. night,
this team just gets better and better, not giving up hope in
the CL but if we end up in the Europa i think we might surprise
a few of theses so called msm pundits.
Well it didn’t take long for my wee princess to get back to
normal after her little sojourn back home to .Scotland , after
appraising her homely domain which i’d scrubbed from top
to bottom she said ” whits that big pile of claes dain there?
” thats tae be ironed darling i didn’t have much time ”
” ye didny huv time! it’s awe Cellic taps! ye hud plenty time
tae go oot and annoy the ragers supporters ”
” Honey pie you can’t annoy zombies it’s because their deid ”
” you’ll be deid if ye don’t get that ironing done ”
Hrrummmph.
H.H Mick
Eddieinkirkmichael
Maisie doesn’t do the ironing :-))))))
Hoopy Birthday TT.
hope we give bm a game – i really enjoyed the last 20 mins, don’t expect to win but seeing ss and md and jf getting in behind them would be great
TT
Happy birthday to you, happy birthday!
TOSB
A ‘Well fan I know is raging that his team got no credit on Sunday at Hampden. SMSM going on about them being hammer throwers bullying poor wee Sevco. Last night we destroyed the only challenge we have, easily. Magic.
Hello this is WEE BGFC. I have just now created a song to the tune of aee that neil mccann oh what can it be etc. Here it is!
Cheer up Che Guevara
How bad can it be?
Marxist, geurilla warfare artist
Great hair tae!!
HH
WEE BGFC
Sandman. If you’re looking in , brilliant post last night. HH
I’d honestly prefer the Europa, I think it could be a Seville year all over again, with hopefully more luck in the Final.
I’d like to see yesterday’s team, ( apart from Ntcham replacing Armstrong) take the field against Bayern.
A draw will do nicely on Tuesday.
BIG GEORGES FAN CLUB – HAIL, HAIL, WEE OSCAR on 26TH OCTOBER 2017 9:08 PM
ask your mother to check your temperature again.
che guevara lynch
Corkcelt
I am sure we would be welcome in Lyon. :)
DD
Hope the visitors enjoy their trip but not the result.
Wee BGFC
You alright wee man? :))
SANDMAN-just read your DEFINITIVE RATINGS,very very good mate:-))
I see the wee fella is getting into the old revolutionary surrealism again – can’t fault his imaginative turn of phrase – poetic !!
“…Marxist, geurilla warfare artist…” – not too bad at all :-)
HH
BGFC
Minx just discovered what a special day this is for you. Many happy returns of this day and may Celtic continue to give a result such as last night’s before or on the day of your birth for many years to come.
Wee BGFC is suffering withdrawal symptoms from not getting tickets for the game last night, he will be halucinating for the next day or so, should be back to normal for the game on saturday :-)
The Motherwell FC CEO, who was on SSB last Saturday, he slipped in a wee comment during the show, where he said that, league reconstruction was being discussed by all the SPFL teams and, that it had a good chance of getting the go ahead.
Hmmmmm…..¿¿¿
Ye can never be paranoid enough.
Pedro’s Barking Caravans CSC
Anyway,……
……oot.
DD – he went back to school today – currently up having a hot bath.
Getting in form for Saturday.
HH
BGFC
Dessy
The Bavarians were great hosts, who made sure we enjoyed our trip to Munich, but not the result.
‘Tis only fair we return the hospitality, then beat them in Paradise. :)
BROGAN ROGAN TREVINO AND HOGAN on i OCTOBER 2017 6:01 PM
Haw Brogie Rougey Trevy n Hogay! Are you trying to put applicants off?
i said last night, how come rod and his bhoy, who are part timers , get tickets for the match,
but wee BGFC doesnt ……….
and surely there should be a STEWARTS ENQUIRY
KEVJUNGLE – plan is to reconstruct the league such that Celtic starts with a 30-point deficit – it’s only fair so that it balances out our unfair financial advantage (and the debonair good looks of our Bhoys and Ghirls).
HH
BGFC
Delaney’s Dunky
I think we will get even more deflection from the smsm now. Anything to distract from Sevco’s disasters or Celtic’s or Motherwell’s or Hibs or Aberdeen’s successful performances. Part of me is thinking that Pedro was sacked today to take the focus off Celtic’s brilliant win last night.
BGFC
Hope to see you and the wee man Saturday.
Make sure G is fit to start. ;)
Clubs should be demanding a fair TV deal or the cameras are out,instead Doncaster is proud of a £3million increase per season
Belated birthday wishes to the minx1888,HT’s better half:/)))
JC2 – if you’re about mate:-))
DESSYBHOY
I’m no sure how much the clubs get from the TV deal, but saw on a sheep site about a year ago that they reckoned they could get rid of the deal and make more money if they could get an extra 1k at their home games, doesn’t seem impossible, and that is without the near 400k all the clubs get from Celtic being in the CL.
HH
Putting out a request and it is a long shot. Looking for 2 spares for Tuesday for a Bayern Munich supporter who got 8 tickets for CQN guys in Allianz Arena. Cheers.
TET
Think Celtic got £2m from TV excluding CL media rights,pathetic when you see what others get from TV
Dessy
Hope we get Billy Davies, Gordon Dalziel dream team at Ibrox. Dumb and Dumber would be great fun.