Tonight I’m off to watch Celtic take on Hamilton Accies to extend their lead at the top of the table to six points. Here’s what’s going to happen: either we’ll win, and I’ll go home thinking about 5-in-a-row, or we’ll drop points at home to Accies, again, and there will be a joyless walk along London Road. There would be no compensation whatsoever in the latter, no matter how bravely Accies defend their 18 yard line. The former will provide limited joy, as despite previous results, I’ve already anticipated a positive outcome.
Hamilton Academical are a remarkably successful community football club. They are a fraction the size of Dunfermline, St Mirren or Hibs, who languish in the lower leagues, not to mention Dundee United, but no matter how admirable, they are not box office material.
The prospect of league reconstruction – creating a 14 or 16 team top flight, bringing in clubs unable to match Accies on the field, at the cost of games against top 12 teams, is enormously unattractive and unwelcome.
We abandoned an 18 team top flight in favour of a top 10 in 1975 because we are a tiny country who cannot support more than 10 competitive teams (or even that many). Football fans turned up in huge numbers for games against genuinely top clubs, but attendances against semi-professional clubs were as lousy as you would expect them to be.
My first objection against the last reconstruction was use of the word “Professional”. The SPFL includes professional, semi-professional and amateur clubs. The four division league was tarted up as something it’s not. We can, at best, support two leagues of genuinely professional clubs, with two leagues of semi-professional clubs below them.
A professional group of 20 clubs, separated into two divisions, should be created, with only marginal drops in commercial income distribution as you go down the gradient. Semi-professional clubs should acknowledge that status and organise their game accordingly. Set participation criteria, objectives, partnering and commercial plans to suit their needs. They should be free to formally partner with professional clubs, share resources, including expertise and youth development objectives.
There should not be automatic promotion and relegation between the professional and semi-professional leagues. At most, there should be a one up, one down, play-off. This would give teams who drop quickly, like St Mirren, a floor from which they can bounce off, instead of having to take unplanned or worse, un-budgeted, action mid-season to remain in tier two.
I love the prospect of a Scottish Cup game at East Kilbride, but that anticipation required the immediacy of the Cup. No sport survives by creating more mismatches games than it already has.
But this is Scottish football, so I suppose we should expect the worst from Hampden this afternoon.
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RT REV DAVID HAY…
I read a few blogs, probably like yourself, what that mob are getting away with is unbelievable.
Nothing surprises me anymore.
They will more than likely go into administration again and use the different company p**h and ride the storm.
I’m at the end of my tether with huns glorifiying how they are back!
Still, I’ll always be Celtic.
BSR
Is that the same Willie collum that’s a guest speaker at the up and coming question and answer session at carfin.
I wonder if he will give us more ammunition tonight
Quonno
Wouldnt disagree with you there.
There is much frustration at the inability to tackle the cheating.
Its getting to the tipping point.
If nothing is done…Celtic will be subject to the most disgraceful cheating possible.
If we allow them to cheat us…They will.
Thats why i advocate radical change on the Celtic board.
We need people who will represent the wishes of the supporters.
In my view….Celtic fans should own the club.
HH
sorry above should not be contempt of court but breaking confidentiality clauses
HH
Awe naw…
I don’t think MA is the type of bloke to take a loss without punching back.
Here’s hoping.
SIPSINI on 19TH JANUARY 2016 2:12 PM
Paul 67…
The hidden agenda is the huns going bust and due to whatever points deducted (of which they will decide depending on what suits them) some on here like myself, think the fix is on
Nail on head,the Play-Offs were a dogs chance,to get them up last year,they were that bad the referees had nothing to play with. HH
DESSYBHOY
If we change the season to March – November our players might have to play the whole year if we get football in the New Year. They would be away for world and European Championships too, African Championships in January, Febuary.
Can’t see that working!
Sorry.
Philbhoy
When do they get breaks at present, barely 3 weeks off in some cases then straight into pre season and CL/EL qualification. To me it is an all year season, players need to make choices when to play or not especially for meaningless international games as a mature player
Royal Courts of Justice.
The name says it all really.
Ha, What a farce.
Beyond absurd.
HH
Paul67 et al
Well at least Hamilton Accies should be able to avoid the mismatch that involves playing Annan Athletic. I have long advocated a return to a “bigger” league In Scotland, a bigger league with fewer games in fact. Indeed been round long enough to remember the rationale behind the scrapping of the Scottish League in 1975, stop Celtic, and greed. Overnight it reduced the number of players being produced, while the ’10’ got the benefit of already developed players. Incidentally local government was also reformed” in 1975, another disaster. The decision to extend the BT/SKY/BBC last year, without reference to one football supporter, was the next step, but not the final step towards the return of four “Old Firm” matches televised, at 12.30 on a Sunday afternoon. That is the prize for the broadcasters! Roll up! Roll up!
My friends in Celtic,
I am not that keen on our current league configuration, with its ridiculous split. We play each other too many times and in some instances it can become tedious. Re Dundee Utd. We played them so often, that we got to keep them ( well some of their team anyway)
Familiarity breeds contempt.
Imo a Scandinavian league is a definately a no goer, with even less appeal than the Scottish set up. However it would be foolish to dismiss anything.
It seems that the Sevco court cases are falling like dominoes. Coincidentally or by long reaching friends in high places. I don’t really believe in coincidence, but surely the establishment team cannot have that much influence over the British establishment.
What is of more concern is the amount of Celtic people on here saying that we are unwise for backing our team or others stating that they have given up going or financially supporting our club.
That is what our attention should be on, rather than focusing on dealings from the dark side.
Many argue that there is no such thing as bad publicity, and it seems that they are getting plenty on here.
Hail, Hail.
Tea break so, from BBC Scotland:
Scottish football clubs ‘unanimously against the introduction of strict liability rules’
Posted at 14:44
The Alloa chairman Mike Mulraney says the clubs are against the introduction of the rules to combat sectarianism in football and the use of smoke bombs and flares inside Scottish grounds.
Mulraney, who is also on the SPFL board, says clubs should not be punished if they do all they can to prevent unruly behaviour.
He was speaking following a meeting of all 42 clubs at Hampden earlier today.
Earlier this month, SFA chief executive Stewart Regan said strict liability – where clubs are held responsible for their fans’ behaviour – could be back on the table after sectarian singing was reported at matches involving Celtic and Rangers, and smoke bombs were set off at Celtic’s match against Stranraer.
CANAMALAR @ 1:37 PM,
Thanks, I think we need to progress and Paul is of course correct when he says in Scotland we have less than 10 competitive Clubs. But we currently play teams like Partick home and away, would the League be really less competitive if we were playing Partick at home and Dunfermline away.
We have history with many of those Clubs, when Dunfermline were Rangers old boys I loved beating them.
Hail Hail
SPFL are asking for millions of tax payers money to fund a scheme for facial recognition ? madness
SCOTTISH football officials have been criticised for a plan to introduce facial recognition technology to help fight offensive behaviour in stadium from next season.
The Scottish Government and the Scottish leagues’ governing body have reportedly met to discuss financial help for the multi-million pound scheme to identify offenders.
The proposal by the Scottish Professional Football League has already been met with criticism from protest group Fans Against Criminalisation which has been fighting to scrap the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012 on the grounds that it is “fundamentally illiberal and unnecessarily restricts freedom of expression”.
The group tweeted: “Another draconian development as the war on football fans continues. £2m on this whilst social services are cut #FAC “Facial recognition software for football fans? Is this really the kind of country we want to live in? #PoliceState #FansNotCriminals.”
The SPFL is making moves to tackle offensive behaviour including sectarian singing and the use of flares.
Lies damned lies and stats
Goals all domestic top division clubs in all competitions currently still playing.
1. Borussia Dortmund 85 / 34
2. Barcelona 83 / 30
3. MŠK Žilina 79 / 35
4. Shakhtar Donetsk 77 / 27
5. Celtic 77 / 35
6. FC Basel 75 / 33
7. Real Madrid 74 / 22
8. Bayern Munich 73 / 14
9. The New Saints 72 / 21
10. Crvena Zvezda 71 / 28
11. Legia Warsaw 71 / 39
12. Linfield 71 / 40
13. FK AS Trenčín 69 / 19
14. PSG 68 / 11
15. Olympiakos 68 / 27
16. Dinamo Zagreb 68 / 38
17. Rapid Vienna 68 / 44
18. Slovan Bratislava 67 / 22
19. PSV Eindhoven 67 / 30
20. Manchester City 67 / 32
AttackingFootball CSC
Quonno…
It turns my stomach, I’ve watched hunchbacks grow of late.
We had them buried and let them climb from their tomb, the system will always take their side.
Oh well, back to the cheating ways, as if they never left us!
So rally round the good old Celts, the Bhoys who wear the White & Green, God Bless them.
Think of all the happy days, think of the honours won.
The Celts will rise again to Glory….stand behind them everyone……
Ta ra ra…ta ra ra tarararararararara lala,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Ta ra ra …..ta ra ra..tararararararara lala.
Cannae make the game tonight….keeping the wheels of industry turning down Teesside way… Njoy
Paddy T
Awe_Naw_No_Annoni_Oan_Anaw_Noo
Cheers been a bit out of the loop..
Team?
Craig Gordon
Mikel Lustig
Efe Ambrose
Jozo Simunovic
Keiran Tierney
Nir Biton
Stefan Johansen
Kris Commons
Tom Rogic
Stuart Armstrong
Griffiths Offside.
NoChanges csc
Chairbhoy…
I mind the banner Dunfermline had wishing us a happy centenary, I might be wrong as I more than likely p****d that day, as was all my my mates :)
GreenPinata
Id beg to differ, that the establishment team dont have much pull.
Its not about the daft sevco chancers personally.
Its about the historic ideology that the government and legal system are trying to uphold.
Loyalty to the Crown.
In Royal courts, you get Royal justice.
No surprises there.
Handshakes go a lot further than you think.
HH
Bsr,
What’s the 2nd number neebs?
HH
If Government have some millions to spare ? chuck it at the NHS
Everyone ought to read this riveting series on the NHS – it is truly eye-opening http://tinyurl.com/hs3spgw
If Ashley doesent change that law team of losers (or masons) he has, then he’s no the clever business man I thought he was,or he has underestimated the power of the third knuckle, a good firm of Tim lawyers up here could educate mr A on what he is up against, and make themselves a good and reputable firm, thing is, does one exist, there’s no doubt in my mind he is being stitched up with the mob he has at the moment.
Oh! And good afternoon, it was cold in the sin bin, and the grub was rotten.
Sipsini,
How did we let them climb out of their tomb?
Genuine question.
Bsr,
I’d give wee kt the night off. His wee legs are lasting longer in games but I’d hate to see him out with that dodgy shoulder
HH
Paddy Turner played 41 times for Morton scoring 19 times before signing for Celtic as a striker. He played 7 times in 1963/64 and scored one goal.
CQN csc
Sipsini
I work with two bhoys fae Dumbarton. The stories of violence, sectarianism and racism that took place in their town a fortnight ago was shocking. Dumbarton Harp social club and other Tim pubs in the Rock were attacked. Eddieinkirkmichael’s daughter was caught up in it.
Sign of things to come!
TD67
Welcome back….mind, nae rebel songs:)
HH
Paddy Turner
Good to see you posting!
Hope the family are all well!
I guess young Ryan is going to the games on his own or does he still go with his Grampa?!
Geordie
Should have said Goals n games.
Kieran got that knock at Tannadice as well, due a rest.
DD
Thems are angry that everybody has them sussed.
Will be full scale outrage next season.
Need to sort out that Bugsy Malone cream machine gun.
They are getting it:)
HH
bournesouprecipe
Griffiths Offside. LOL
………….Gordon
Lustig Ambrose Jozo Izzy
……..Bitton Johansen
………………Rogic
Commons Griffiths Armstrong
Bsr,
Cheers ma man
HH
TD67,
Welcome back.
Did you go somewhere??????
HH.
Hmmmmm
http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2016/01/19/report-celtic-pursuing-portland-timbers-fanendo-adi-giant-strike/
Burgas
Looks good
TONYDONNELLY67 on 19TH JANUARY 2016 3:12 PM
a good firm of Tim lawyers up here could educate mr A on what he is up against, and make themselves a good and reputable firm, thing is, does one exist.
Beltrami if they’re still about?