I’ve said for a while that very few people realise the enormity of what happened in Scottish football in 2012. Some thought there would be a three-year blip before ‘normality’ was restored. Until very recently prevailing perception is that the current ‘abnormal’ circumstances may last 10 years. The old normal isn’t coming back.
When I talked about how few people realised the permanent consequences of Rangers liquidation on the Scottish football to my brother, he was of the view that the penny wouldn’t drop until Newco were in their second season in the Premiership.
They had all the excuses in the world when they were in the lower leagues, and a genuinely good excuse during their first season in the top flight, but when things don’t improve in the second season, a retrenchment will start.
By then it will be evident that the legendary gap below Celtic is huge, that Newco are effectively cannon fodder, that their fans are a cash cow topping up the coffers of every club they visit (including Celtic), but that no matter what they pay for their season tickets, Newco will always be underfunded.
Season ticket sales at current levels are not sustainable to watch a team fail so miserably. Even this miserable team is not sustainable with the current business model. The retrenchment will be real and painful. Questions are now being asked about how they get themselves out of this mess (16 years too late). There will be no answer.
They will win the odd game against Celtic, and pick up a cup occasionally (if Ross County can do it anyone can), but Newco will only win the league if Celtic get their big move. Many football fans in Scotland will live the rest of their lives only seeing Celtic win the league. Just think of that for a moment. Buying your losers ticket each season will be a painful business. Some will find other things to occupy themselves with.
The real question that should be asked, is how sustainable is a Rangers club that’s as much chance of winning the title as St Johnstone? The answer will be evident by this time next season.
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THE GREEN MAN SAYS SACK THE BOARD on 3RD FEBRUARY 2017 12:34 PM
I dont feel sorry for that halfwit Warburton. He was only too happy to peddle their no surrender bs.
*he knew what he was getting intae, his wife is fae the black north and his boy played for them.
Were do the development squad play there home games,
I think we were very unlucky v Barca away. If they had scored 4 less and we had scored 2 more than we did it would’ve been a lot closer. So consider that a speed bump.
We have to learn from it and move on. What we need to do is dominate the football better.
We should only be playing Paddy for the last few minutes of every game. He’s young and we need to look after Manchester City’s interest.
Now. Cifti. You can slaughter his goalscoring record but Messi didn’t score in his first few games in the under 6 league and he’s worth millions. So that just shows you. This season was all about getting into the CL. Next season we will win it.
Good evening, friends. Work over for another week and anoterh weekend of fun to look forward to. What’s not to like?
Warbs must stay!!
Natknow
He will need to stay! Poor man is gonna look a right eejit if he returns to his old job as a trader.
Standing in the trading ring with everyone shouting ” buy buy buy sell sell sell” and a solitary voice shouting ” loan loan loan”
Poor sod.
NATKNOW
Let’s start a petition!
Just spent the last hour reading back, and finally caught up. Some good posts, on a lot of topics, and entertaining too.
One thing bothers me though. Sandmans fixation with “Darth Vader’s naughty Wife”
I hope he’s no playing wi his light sabre when he watches big Judith. ;)
TWISTS N TURNS on 3RD FEBRUARY 2017 5:21 PM
Natknow
He will need to stay! Poor man is gonna look a right eejit if he returns to his old job as a trader.
Standing in the trading ring with everyone shouting ” buy buy buy sell sell sell” and a solitary voice shouting ” loan loan loan”
Poor sod.
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:-)))
I’d read that no-one could remember him as a “city trader”.
Maybe it was apples and pears he traded? :-)
Nat
From a bear market to a threadbare one.
Yes I did also read somewhere he’s as much of a trader as he is a football manager.
EMERALDBEE\O/ STILL PROUD TO BE AN INTERNET BAMPOT on 3RD FEBRUARY 2017 5:22 PM
NATKNOW
Let’s start a petition!
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Not sure I have the technical knowhow – but I’m happy to sign. Twice!
TWISTS N TURNS on 3RD FEBRUARY 2017 5:28 PM
Nat
From a bear market to a threadbare one.
Yes I did also read somewhere he’s as much of a trader as he is a football manager.
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Aye – more bull than bear if his pressers are anything to go by!
Nat
:-))
Vg
Did anyone hear Talksport this morning? Rangers Media are raging that Jim White said we have a better chance of getting an invite to play down South than Sevco because our fans behave better :)
A few choice comments from Rangers Media. Smell the fear :)
“Anyone else listening to this clown on Talksport. Rambling on about old firm down south again as the league is not competitive etc. Jim White says Celtic have a better case than Rangers because their fans behave better. Thought this w**k was a Rangers man?”
“No surprise. Sky have also become tarrier appeasers”
“Just shows how much we’re up against it when supposed life long supporters of us are actively criticising us with shite that isn’t even true. ”
“It happens to them all, sadly. The media will soon become property of the tarrier PR machine. ”
“Yip, and you’ve got that c**t Brazil on the same station who will tell you how wonderful the taigs are at the drop of a hat. ”
“Looks like he never really was a Rangers man in the first place then. Should have seen this coming as to go anywhere in mainstream media you can’t possibly say anything good about Rangers. Another one I’ve lost respect for his Kevin Thomson saying he’d be happy to pull on the Celtic shirt for Brown’s testimonial.
So many two faced wee rat b*****s everywhere.”
“No amount of money to me or any f****n charity would have that rag anywhere near my skin. ”
“Jim whites a f****n snake. He used to hang about our club lots in the 90s when we were winning everything. Now he’s sooking off the worst support in Britain claiming they are better than us. Anything to better his career and make more money, f****n parasite. ”
Happy Weekend Everyone.
I read that he wasn’t a “city trader” as such, but more of a currency trader, a bit like a call center worker, with total respect to call center workers :-)
As an aside, a bit of useless info, I think there are only two Threadneedle streets in the UK, one that the bold Warbiola didn’t work in and the other at the back of the Ship Inn pub in Stonehaven, it would only be about 10 mts long and goes into an eye of a needle shape, hence the name :-)
RAYMAC on 3RD FEBRUARY 2017 1:51 PM
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Guid post fella, hope yer well HH.
I said last season that, Cellic would’t have to buy any players in the summer as, all the assets were already there, the only thing missing was, someone to manage those assets.
Given the lack of ambition by the Cellic PLC, I thought that a replacement for RD would come from the local environment or, some other cheap place. That’s why I cited as possible replacements with a view to move the level of recruitment, a bar above the recent aquisitions to the dug-out as,…..3 names who I thought would grab Cellic by the horns and get them firing again……
Roy Keane
John Collins
Mark McGhee
also, as a dark horse…Jim McIntyre.
Little did I know just how hard, 30,000 empty seats would rattle DD’s cage.
When Brendan came in, I thought – he’s a squirrel, here to sell season tickets.
I couldn’t factor in – Cellic PLC being pro-active(which they weren’t)…nor could I see them doing something for the fans, rather than being cheap with they’re managerial recruitment.
By bringing in Brendan, I personally have taken a while to adjust to the fact that, BR is running the Cellic without his hands being tied behind his back. That’s not to say that he’s spent billions which he hasn’t, nor did he need to….imho. But, what BR will do for the Cellic is, make them ito a product that will be put onto the pitch that won’t be, bullied or allow mibbery to get them down, not by what I’ve seen so far anyway.
I don’t applaud the PLC for bringing in BR coz, it was the apathy of 30,000 empty seats that made DD go for BR. If PL had his way….he would have brassed it out with RD and, the 30,000 empty seats he would have gambled that the old firm factor would have filled those seats again. Brendan coming into the Cellic has made me forget about the bored / PLC and all they’re denial and, complicity….I can only deal with that in the way that I have dealt with the PLC since MO’N walked out….by keeping my money in my pocket. I would love to go and see the Cellic under Brendan but,…..those days for me are gone, for a variety of reasons which, for now I’d rather keep to myself. I’ll always love the Cellic and look out for them but, as of now…..I leave it to the Cellic supporters of today.
Going away now, take care fella.
PETEC – Prayers for yer magical sisters amigo.
Thoughts and Prayers for all Celts in need.
….off-oot-zzzzz….
DENIABHOY on 3RD FEBRUARY 2017 5:34 PM –
:-))))))))
“Tarrier appeaser” – tempted to make an Italian tourist related pun. But I won’t..
I love reading their mental comments.
DENIABHOY on 3RD FEBRUARY 2017 5:34 PM
I did read about that. It came as a surprise to me that Jim White would say that.
THE EXILED TIM on 3RD FEBRUARY 2017 5:34 PM
I read that he wasn’t a “city trader” as such, but more of a currency trader, a bit like a call center worker, with total respect to call center workers :-)
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So – more of a Bureau de Change operative? :-)
Foxy on 3rd February 2017 4:42 pm
Warburton’s lost the plot.
“I’m reading in the paper Celtic are on a record breaking run. If they won four games less they would be 13 ahead. If we had won one of our games it would be 10. That’s how it is.”
Jesus wept.
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That means if we had lost another four games on top of that, the Huns would be 2 points ahead!
Goddam.
Rodgers OUT!
Nat
That’s the one :-)
HH
THE EXILED TIM on 3RD FEBRUARY 2017 5:48 PM
Nat
That’s the one :-)
HH
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Bottom line – no matter who is in that job, they will do very little without significant investment.
Nat
I personally wouldn’t like to see the likes of Tommy Wright there, he is a very decent manager imo, they can have the Davis’s, McIness’s of the world, they are only slightly better than the slavering gobsheen.
Or how about weary Dave with Miller as his sidekick.
HH
this made me smile ….I hope some of you guys like it too…./
http://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/teacher-personalized-handshakes-students/story?id=45190825
THE EXILED TIM on 3RD FEBRUARY 2017 6:00 PM
Nat
I personally wouldn’t like to see the likes of Tommy Wright there, he is a very decent manager imo, they can have the Davis’s, McIness’s of the world, they are only slightly better than the slavering gobsheen.
Or how about weary Dave with Miller as his sidekick.
HH
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I’d tend to agree with you TET – there are lots who could do a better job. Just as well they don’t have the cash to get rid of him!
http://www.independent.ie/spo
rt/soccer/anthony-stokes-could-be-back-playing-in-the-champions-league-next-season-35420435.html
http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/anthony-stokes-could-be-back-playing-in-the-champions-league-next-season-35420435.html
Was it actually jim white sky that said these things
I’ve seen an English journo speak about Scottish football called Jim white
Don’t know who he writes for
twists n turns on 3rd February 2017 2:44 pm
Barney / Corkcelt
It’s the type of stuff that could’ve been written by a sevcoite in the Murray era.
It’s ironic that it’s being achieved under the model that Paul spent years telling us was unsustainable and would see us become the next Sevco.
Whilst many of us implored Celtic to think big, Paul regularly informed us we were being unrealistic, and every penny that comes in goes out again.
Flawed on two fronts.
1. It wasn’t going out to where it should
2. There wasn’t enough coming in.
A continuation of the previous thinking would have seen us descend even further than the EL also rans which we had become, and would’ve allowed Sevco a smooth passage back to contending for all honours.
( Think semi final 2 seasons ago)
The introduction of a proper manager ( which costs more) in turn leading to the money going out being spent properly, ala Moussa, Sinclair, and the rebirth of Armstrong and Forrest, is what has seen us rise to the current position.
Of course, the biggest plus is that we also play attractive football these days.
I’ll enjoy these glorious times whilst they last. That may indeed be the next decade or longer.
Whilst it’s unlikely Rangers will see a cash injection of such proportions that they’ll challenge us anytime soon, but let’s not start to adopt the attitude of self entitlement and superiority that made us / makes us hate everything they stand for.
Gloating is , however, very much allowed, indeed encouraged:-)
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I’ve been wondering of late if Paul was wrong and it really was that simple to turn things around then why wasn’t it done long before now?
Since 2000 we have had Martin O Neil, Gordon Strachan, Tony Mowbray, Neil Lennon, Ronnie Delia and now Brendan Rogers as managers.
MoN was picked and backed by DD but that model was not sustainable due to wage inflation and if we look at Martin he was not exactly known for turning sows ears into silk purses. He “got” Celtic OK, had EPL experience which meant he could identify players that would make a difference here and had financial backing to get them before player wage inflation pushed the likes of Sutton and Hartson beyond our reach. He was a manager who knew how to use a cheque book well and he gave us a winning team.
Gordon Strachan was brought in to reduce the debt run up to support Martin, had EPL football and management experience and knew players he could get on a more restricted budget than MoN. His teams were well organised but football was often turgid and his appointment split the support in half. He might not have “got” Celtic on his way in but he definitely had by the time he left.
His successor Tony Mowbray was a disaster, some of which could be put down to the absolute dependence by RFC on CL money for survival. (It wasn’t called the season of honest mistakes for nothing.) Mowbray was an ex Celt but not so sure he “got” us as MoN did . He only had management experience of Hibs and WBA in the Championship before joining us and so his knowledge of the standard of player that would make a difference was not as good as his two predecessors, reflected in who he recruited. I cannot recall any players that he developed to become better players under him but that might be my failing memory and could be corrected if wrong.
Neil Lennon got caretaker responsibilities after TM has a RFC v Hearts type of score v St Mirren by which time it has become very clear TM is not the man for the Celtic job. Lennon definitely “got” Celtic but had no managerial experience to fall back on here or England. However he brought Hooper to Celtic and made a number of good signings to strengthen the team although just how much personal knowledge of them played a part is not clear. I doubt he had seen Izzy or Kayal play but he would have known about Mulgrew and perhaps Ledley or knew others who could vouch for him. Fraser Foster turned out to be another top signing Did Lenny make some players better under his management? Possibly but nothing like as many and as spectacular as Brendan Rogers.
Then we have Ronnie Delia. No high level management experience, no experience of UK football or management and so little of the personal knowledge of players that would raise standards. Johansen was his obvious best signing but even he fell away after a good start. RD definitely did not “get” Celtic in a truly passionate way, not that he didn’t want to but that passion comes from understanding the club’s history against a Scottish background. The idea was that RD would do what BR is doing which is develop players but taking Stuart Armstrong as a example RD was a fail.
By this time DD, for reasons that have become part of an accepted narrative mainly being pissed off at TRFC Directors after we lost the SC Semi final on penalties but perhaps also by that time in April 2016 he was as pissed off at the evidence of RFC cheating that was coming from Res12 , decides as he did in 2000 and 2004 and 2010 that he should pick the manager and it so happened Brendan Rogers who “got” Celtic, had EPL top level experience, knew players in the EPL who could make a difference AND (who amongst us really appreciated this aspect?) could actually make players better than they were adding immense value not just on the field but off it in potential transfer terms.
In Brendan Rogers I think there has been an alignment of factors including availability that simply did not apply during earlier tenures and the lessons that can be drawn from a more accurate analysis than my memory allows is that the most important signing Celtic will ever make is the manager and such a manager should have all the attributes that can be discerned in that analysis and once obtained should be incentivised to stay by all means necessary which is not just financial but support for his ideas and vision and how to realise it.
There might not be another such a fortunate alignment of factors in any foreseeable future.
Evening Celts
Warburton. How is it possible for one man to be that stupid.
I hope they chase him down Edminston Dr, and catch him:)
A Fool in Fools clothing.
HH
TGM 6.13
Keep him there forever
SSB
Comedy gold, Gerry McC toying with BDJ, I know some prefer not to listen, but the dinner doesn’t make itself and the dishes don’t wash themselves
MaryPoppinsCSC
Hunderbirds are Gone on 3rd February 2017 5:23 pm
Just spent the last hour reading back, and finally caught up. Some good posts, on a lot of topics, and entertaining too.
One thing bothers me though. Sandmans fixation with “Darth Vader’s naughty Wife”
I hope he’s no playing wi his light sabre when he watches big Judith. ;)
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Nope. I just sit there using the Force…
; ))
‘Bring back Senderos..’
BFSDJ, Oh my aching sides..
SANDMAN
The Force is strong in this one ;)
Warburton is of course a dead man walking. It is a question of when, not if they will sack him. He signed a new contract last season worth £600k a year for a period of 3 years. If they part with him soon he will be due a pay off of over £1m. I actually hope they win tomorrow, I want him to be there on the 12th of March. Make no mistake if he is, that will be his final reckoning as we will hammer them severely.
BFDJ urging the zombies to be more realistic and that 2nd place is acceptable,quick as a flash Gerry Mac reminds the overweight cheerleader that he actually tipped Sevco to win the league at the start of the season.
Comedy gold lol lol lol
HH
Hunderbirds are Gone on 3rd February 2017 6:27 pm
SANDMAN
The Force is strong in this one ;)
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One day, she’ll appear to read the weather wearing her ‘Slave-Girl Leia’ bikini outfit, I just know it…
Warbungles latest presser
https://youtu.be/QqaQ_Bhgmrc