You and I have been in some dark places. While we remember winning nine-in-a-row by brilliant scouting, tactics and athletic endeavour, we also remember when that proud achievement was violated in 1997 by a considerably less wholesome achievement.
At the end of season 1995-96 Celtic finished second but lost only one game. I convinced myself that our world was about to be put right. Tommy Burns’ team would go one step further and win the league in 1997; it had to happen.
It didn’t.
Today I don’t want to talk about the reasons why we didn’t win the league in 1997, we will discuss that in the weeks ahead, but that season taught us the lesson that simply wanting something to happen doesn’t make it likely.
I thought of those dark days yesterday when I hear Ally McCoist’s rallying call:
“We’re going to march right through it
“I’m as positive today as I have been in a long time.
“This institution has been around for 140 years and I want it to be here for another 140 years.
“You’ll see what Rangers mean to so many people. We are really looking forward to the game.
“We have the best fans in the world.
McCoist loves his club the same way his good friend Tommy Burns loved his, but irrespective of the challenge he faces in the league from Neil Lennon’s awesome team, there is nothing McCoist can do to ensure his club survives until the end of the season.
When you’re on the wrong end of history there is nothing you can do about it.
Fancy writing something for CQN Magazine? Drop me an email and let me know what you would like to write about before you get started, just in case someone else has the same angle covered: celticquicknews@gmail.com.
I think we have all been blown away by the bidding on eBay action for the signed Celtic top in aid of the Vanessa Riddle Appeal. The auction ends today and currently sits at an incredible £5000. That’s three zeros, count them! I am very proud of you and your club.
Check out the events on eBay yourself by clicking here.
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Just in from work and off to bed. Will leave you all with this little snippet from our friend Mr. Souness……enjoy…
”
LET’S get something clear here – Rangers need Celtic and Celtic need Rangers.
So comments which came out of Celtic last week from their chief executive Peter Lawwell and manager Neil Lennon weren’t just unhelpful – they also showed a lack of understanding of the history of Scottish football and just how important these two great clubs are to Scotland.
Their message, after Rangers had gone into administration, seemed to be that they don’t need the other half of the Old Firm and that they feel they can stand on their own feet.
But they DO need each other for the unique rivalry which drives them both on.
Manchester United are the biggest club in Britain but when I was manager of Rangers, from 1986 to 1991, our turnover was very similar to theirs – that’s how big we were.
What has happened since is that Rangers – and Celtic – have fallen behind the big English clubs through not being able to compete when it comes to TV revenue.
Scotland has a relatively small population and the clubs there are victims of geography.
Rangers are in the mire through chasing the dream and trying to satisfy their passionate support – and they have got their sums wrong.
But you have to understand that Rangers and Celtic are institutions.
You don’t become a fan of the Old Firm clubs – you are born one.
And the rivalry that exists between them is the greatest in the world.
It is way beyond anything in England. I played for and managed Liverpool – and their fans are as passionate as it comes.
But Rangers and Celtic are on another level.
I supported Rangers and to play for them and manage them was a dream for me.
It was the highlight of my career.
So I find what is happening there now very upsetting.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think this could happen because this is one special club.
They will recover with the right people in charge – even if they have to come back under another name like Rangers 2012.
But there is a warning in all this and that is if it could happen to Rangers, it could happen to anyone.
And it could happen to Celtic, one day, too.”
Vale Bhoy are you from the Vale as in Alexandria?
So glad a support the Celtic
TET
When’s good for you ?
HT, BT and VP are ready to go.
Why don’t rangers just sell the super casino, to pay the tax bills?
Tricoloured Ribbon
My nom de plume is from that area.
I was getting a bit edgy about them slimeballin’ liquidation after the last couple of releases from the admins but I should know better than to listen to anything that comes out of that midden and especially after Phils article the other day so consider me relaxed again.
Les Animeaux Nouveau,non.
FPLG must stay.
midfield maestro says:
19 February, 2012 at 01:26
Me, older than 41!!!
Are you MWD in disguise? :-))
Paddy G
Cheers big fella your graciousness isn’t a surprise to someone who’s met you.
Hail Hail the Celts are here
What the hell do we care now !
There are a lot of Vales bud.
Know it well mo chara.
http://tinypic.com?ref=17alvt
TR
Nice to meet you.
Afraid I’m heading off to nod.
JCGE
Looking forward to tomorrow but even more so to Monday when I can let rip in work.
Jelly & Ice Cream
For it’s a grand old team to play for
and it’s a grand old team to see.
googybhoy ♥ Celtic and Integrity says:
19 February, 2012 at 01:31
ive read quite a bit of football biographies and such like and cant really square (no stone cutters reference btw) when Souness decided he grew up a Hun.
Born in Edinburgh, playing for Mechiston somebodies, he was stated at the time in various press cuttings as a Hearts supporter.
I am sure he had some trials at Celtic, and might have played for the boys club for a few games.
Before he joined the Huns, in many interviews he spoke about Murdoch at Middlesborough as a huge influence.
No early books about him mentions a love of the huns at all.
just saying like.
i dislike him still anyways.
Get this wan folks,
Caller to Radio Clyde on the phone-in tonight,
Me and ma da wur goin up ra steps and he said tae me this mite be ra last time son..
Please naw wait for us to come for the party..
G64
You paying my flight to the bat cave? :-))
ET
No response from your guid self.
Possibilities –
1. Massive rock fall, blocking your access to outside world.
2. Vino overdose.
3. Choked while laughing at Hun demise.
4. Racquel Welch entered your cave.
HH
AoW
HT
I’m paying.
And you’re going.
G64
We Hamilton bhoys have long memories, I’ll hold ye to that :-))
Gregory Isaacs – Poor Millionaire
“Aint got a penny in my pocket, but I feel like a millionaire”
“Jah never ever give a man more than he can bear”
I really hope that vile piece of you know what is wan of the first on the hit list at Mordor,
Aye you, Jimmy Bell.
HT
Do you think TET knows what he’s letting himself in for.
I cannae wait.
TCR
Who is JB end ?
McCoist-“This instituition has been around for 140 years and I want it to be around for another 140 years.”
Here we go..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHJmPcILfg8
G64
I get the impression that TET is more than capable!!
I think JB is that bitter, obnoxious, hateful rangers kit man who refused to respect the minutes applause for Tommy Burns. He stood with his arms folded.
140 years ?
What have they done in that time
to move the world forwards ?
Surprisingly detailed article on Al Jazeera http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2012/02/201221713140235319.html
Rangers on the brink
The club is dealing with management problems, embezzlement allegations and sectarian violence associated with the team.
The name “Rangers” is one of the biggest in British football.
And while the Glasgow club has a rich history and passionate supporters, it is now in a perilous situation.
On Tuesday February 13, the Scottish champions were placed in administration following a legal stand-off at the Court of Session in Edinburgh. Since then, every new revelation about their financial affairs seems to beg more serious questions.
Rangers owe £9 million ($14 million) in taxes, dating back to the takeover of the club by Craig Whyte in May 2011. The money was deducted from employees’ salaries, but never handed over to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, Britain’s state tax agency.
Club officials are also awaiting the outcome of a separate tax case, regarding paying players via offshore accounts, that could leave the club facing a bill they can’t afford to pay – reportedly as large as £70 million ($110 million).
Adding to the fans concerns, insolvency firm Duff and Phelps say that they do not know the whereabouts of £24 million ($37 million) garnered through a deal with ticket agency Ticketus – which, the administrators say, did not go through the club’s accounts.
This money was reportedly paid into the bank account of a parent company, belonging to owner Craig Whyte.
The administrators have tried to allay fears that the club will cease to exist, but liquidation is a real possibility.
Rangers would not be the first football club to go bust, but they are by far the biggest. The Glasgow club has won 54 Scottish league titles – more national trophies than any other team on the planet.
The team’s supporters travel to games from all over Scotland, Northern Ireland and England. On match days, the average attendance is higher than successful English such as Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea.
History and identity
Supporting any football club is an intensely personal experience that draws on history and identity. Alasdair McKillop from the Rangers Supporters Trust told Al Jazeera that for some fans, “it is a bond between family members and across generations”.
The club’s downfall follows some of the most dramatic years in its history.
“The anger about how the club has been run in recent years is widespread and intense.”
– Alasdair McKillop, Rangers Supporters Trust
In the 1980s, player-manager Graeme Souness brought some of the biggest names in the game to Ibrox. English international stars such as Terry Butcher, Ray Wilkins and Trevor Francis all took the road north.
They were tempted by high wages and the promise of European competition at a time when English clubs were banned from the continent because of hooliganism.
Rangers’ transformation continued with the arrival of businessman David Murray, who acquired the club for £6 million in November 1988. He famously boasted that “for every five pounds Celtic spend, we will spend ten”.
His claim that Rangers would always outspend their local rivals now looks very foolish. He turned out to be the sporting equivalent of former RBS boss Fred Goodwin, leading his team on a dizzy spending spree that ended in disaster.
“The anger about how the club has been run in recent years is widespread and intense,” McKillop told Al Jazeera.
“Sir David Murray is held chiefly responsible for the club’s current predicament and many supporters would like to see him being held to account, although it is difficult to see how this could be engineered.”
Rangers supporters care deeply about their history and many see their club as a focus for celebrating a sense of Britishness that is informed by close links with Ulster Unionism.
At its worst, this can have a dark underside, laced with religious bigotry and anti-Irish racism. For most of the 20th century, the club gave official sanction to such intolerance through its refusal to sign Catholic players.
This reflected a broader culture of discriminatory employment practices against Irish Catholic immigrants in Scotland. It could be difficult for Catholics to find work in occupations as diverse as the steel industry, banking and the police.
It was not until 1989 that Rangers made a decisive change, with the acquisition of the flame-haired Scotland international striker Maurice Johnston.
He had made his name as a prodigious goal scorer for Celtic and his transfer was a significant statement by Graeme Souness and David Murray that the old prejudices had no place in the modern game.
Unfortunately, not all of the club’s supporters got the message. Songs such as “Billy Boys”, which includes the lyric “up to our knees in Fenian blood”, continued to be sung at Ibrox until very recently.
In April 2011, UEFA fined Rangers $50,000 and banned its fans from the next away European game for sectarian songs sung in a match at PSV Eindhoven.
Sectarian violence
Nil by Mouth is Scotland’s only charity dedicated to challenging sectarianism. It was founded in 1999 by Glasgow teenager Cara Henderson in response to the murder of her schoolfriend Mark Scott.
“For too long the tail has been wagging the dog and the silent majority of supporters who support their team and have no truck with sectarianism need to find their voice.”
– Dave Scott, Nil by Mouth campaign director
He was just 16 years old when he was stabbed in the neck walking home through a run-down area of the city’s east end, after a match between Celtic and Partick Thistle.
It became clear at the trial that his killer was motivated by religious prejudice.
In Scotland, it is difficult to imagine football without Glasgow’s Rangers-Celtic Old Firm rivalry, but Rangers’ demise could remove a significant focus for sectarianism.
“It’s certainly the case that Scotland would be better off without sectarianism and there is no escaping the fact that both clubs have real problems,” Nil by Mouth Campaign Director Dave Scott told Al Jazeera.
“A vocal section of their support still cling to outdated sectarian attitudes and insist on repeating old battles.
“For too long the tail has been wagging the dog and the silent majority of supporters who support their team and have no truck with sectarianism need to find their voice.”
During Saturday’s game against Inverness, Celtic supporters sang: “We’re having a party when Rangers die.”
The Scottish champions may be in the hands of the administrators, but most observers expect them to continue in some form.
“It is almost inconceivable that the a club of its stature with a massive support base will disappear into the ether,” observed McKillop.
At the root of fans’ anger is the belief that football clubs should not be run along the same lines as other businesses.
Rangers is a big part of many people’s lives, but the fans are unable to hold the club’s directors to account or ensure that it is run with openness and transparency.
Other European countries take it for granted that football clubs belong to their supporters.
Barcelona is the most famous co-operative in the world. The Catalan giants will never be subjected to a takeover by the likes of David Murray or Craig Whyte – because the fans themselves own the club.
Maybe they point the way off the field as well as on it.
HT
I’ll keep you posted re trip to Espana.
What a great week.
Goodnight/Good Morning to all Tims throughout the world.
Celtic,I love you.
TAL.
The Independent don’t miss them for sectarianism
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/scottish/rangers-subside-in-disgraceful-style-7177896.html
Rangers subside in disgraceful style
Rangers 0 Kilmarnock 1: Fans revert to bigoted behaviour as players and manager strive to cope with descent into administration
The crowd gathered in front of the Ibrox main stand out of a sense of duty. There was little organisation, and the affair seemed haphazard. A ragged bedsheet hung from railings, bearing the message: “Sold To A Spiv. Give Us Our Club.”
The point was not to express a cogent argument, but just to be there. The strength of feeling could be measured by the fact that Craig Whyte, the owner, was advised not to attend.
The movement of people towards the stadium contained a subdued pride. It was the first occasion for the supporters to react en masse to the club falling into administration. The songs were familiar, but delivered with an edge. It was not wholly uplifting, though, and there was a rendition of the banned “Billy Boys”, with its lyric “up to our knees in Fenian blood”, during the first half. The stadium then chanted at the referee, Iain Brines, “Who’s the Fenian in the black?”
These outbursts could lead to disciplinary action from the SPL, and they were a betrayal of the notion that the fans are doing their best for the beleaguered club. Those fans had come to prove their support, but instead succumbed to some old anti-Catholic sentiments, and so caused another self-inflicted blow.
The other emotions of the week, the shock, the fear, the angst, the indignation, might have been draining. What Ibrox bore witness to, though, was a culmination of passion.
Crises have occurred before during 140 years of history, but this is a contemporary predicament, shaped by reckless financial mismanagement, egotism and greed.
The current generation of Rangers fans measure their disgruntlement in the number of trophies that the team fails to capture, so the past six days must have been disorientating, as the very existence of their club was called into question.
Financial calamity has become commonplace in football. Yet Rangers’ downfall was a traumatic moment, even if the club have been teetering on the brink for several years. This is a team who are part of the fabric of Scottish life, a social as well as a sporting institution, but history and tradition are no defences against hubris.
As much as Rangers’ plight is self-inflicted, it has ramifications for the rest of Scottish football. Uncertainty is rife, but events have had a galvanising effect. Supporters have rallied together, and renewed their emotional connection with the club. Funds are to be raised for any staff made redundant, and attendance at Ibrox was a pledge of devotion. Anecdotes spread, such as the story of fans living abroad buying tickets and sending them to relatives or former neighbours in Scotland so that there would be no empty seats.
Solidarity has been shown by the players; it is understood the squad is prepared to take a collective pay cut in an attempt to stave off job losses at the club as a whole.
The manager, Ally McCoist, too, is thought to be prepared to work for less. He has a natural empathy with the club’s support, since his own affection for Rangers stretches back into childhood, but also a gift for capturing the moment.
“This is my club, the same as it is for thousands and thousands of Rangers supporters,” he said last week, “and we don’t do walking away.”
The latter remark has become a slogan. In the moments before kick-off, Ibrox was alive with commotion. The appearance of the players was a further release, and the noise began to soar.
A banner in the stand blamed Sir David Murray for the predicament, with the former owner guilty ofreckless ambition in the money that he spent.
The intensity could never be sustained, and Kilmarnock exploited the respite by scoring, when Paul Heffernan scurried through the Rangers defence to cross for Dean Shiels, who finished crisply.
The crowd briefly rallied, but when Sasa Papac was then sent off for a dangerous tackle the mood turned sombre.
“It hurts an awful lot that we couldn’t get three points for the fans,” McCoist said. “But we need to get our sleeves rolled up and get on with it.”
In the second half, the Kilmarnock fans could be heard singing “There’s only one Craig Whyte”. Perhaps a sense of desolation prompted the Rangers fans to reach for the old offensive language. The sheer size of their following is the club’s greatest asset, but they could have done more for their team.
Rangers (4-4-2): McGregor; Broadfoot (Kerkar, 55), Goian (Perry, 21), Bocanegra, Wallace; Aluko, Edu, Davis, Papac; McCulloch, Healy (Celik, 45).
Kilmarnock (4-3-3): Bell; Toshney, Sissoko, Nelson, Gordon; Kelly, Fowler, Hay; Shiels (Racchi, 90), Heffernan, Johnson (Dayton, 74).
Referee Iain Brines.
Man of the match Shiels (Kilmarnock).
Match rating 4/10.
What the administrators said yesterday on…
The missing money
They know what happened to the £24.4m borrowed from Ticketus against future season ticket sales, and how Craig Whyte funded his purchase of the club. “We have a pretty full understanding of what has happened,” said Whitehouse. “Until we get firm legal advice, we can’t put it out, but there will be clarity next week.”
Open and shut case?
HMRC are not intent on closing Rangers down. “We’ve spoken at length with HMRC,” said Paul Clark. “If they had been looking to close Rangers, they would have issued a winding up petition last week. They would like to work with us to make sure that Rangers survive.”
She short-term future
They are confident the club can come out of administration. “Effectively, the position of HMRC on behalf of the taxpayer – to collect as much as tax as they can – and the position of the club are likely to be aligned,” said Clark. “The football club is worth more if it keeps alive.”
Buyers on the horizon
Several parties are interested in buying the club. “Over the next week, we will have a series of meetings with potential new owners,” said David Whitehouse. “This club is a tremendous institution and it seems to us inconceivable that steps wouldn’t be taken to save it.”
Taxing matters
Since Whyte bought the club last May, £9m in PAYE and VAT has not been paid. The money was deducted from wages and should have been paid to HMRC each month. “Definition [of illegality] is when you knew company couldn’t avoid insolvency. It’s a grey area. Could be [borderline illegal].
G64
Deal!!
Night and God bless Bhots.
Hey Saint Stivs, what a week!! The Port must be one big huddle of J & I…
HH
Goodnight Mon Vie’s, remember now, tune in tomorrow for the latest skulduggery from the 2 x 50p mobsters..
.
iPox Tannoy with 10 Mins to go Today..
I’m Walking Away..
#CraigDavidWhyte
Summa
googybhoy
Souness says:
“Rangers are in the mire through chasing the dream and trying to satisfy their passionate support – and they have got their sums wrong.”
Was there ever a euphemism to compare?
Fannie May and Freddie Mac got their sums wrong.
Greece got its sums wrong.
I`m starting to feel sympathy.
Weeel,not much ,but some.
1994 was the year.They tried to bury our beautiful football club.They tried to hammer the final nail into the coffin.No mercy,no sympathy,no nothing.
He/they/them/David Murray declared war on us – they bragged,they belittled,they laughed,they poured scorn on us.They rubbed the salt into our wounds,without pity,without remorse.
May God forgive them,because I won’t.
The Celtic are a kind folk,a humble,humble support.The kindred Celtic soul,the warrior soul and the righteous soul.Born out of oppression and discrimination – that most charitable of all clubs.
For it is known,and it is well known – that we do not take pleasure out of the suffering of others.But we have long memories,we think back,we remember those that kicked us when we were down,they showed neither pity,nor sympathy…and that is fair enough,for we expected nothing for them,and asked for less.Yet they chose to gloat at our misfortune,revel in our plight and our suffering.
And so,i say this,and it kills me to say it,but – LET THEM EAT CAKE!
They instigated it,they started it – they won more than enough battles – we won the war.
FTAT.