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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Just popped in to see if the old blog was calmer and gaining a bit of respect for each other again, nope so away into town to watch the grand auld team. Hail Hail
Facial recognition
Watching me watching you watching him who watches the watchers ?
PHILBHOY
Im calm bud.
Just though it was a bit off comparing CQN to FF.
Still…I dont mind apologising to LIONROARS67, if ive upset him.
No problem.
HH
LIONROARS67 on 19TH JANUARY 2016 6:30 PM
The Green Man on 19th January 2016 6:25 pm
I’m usually at CQN corner most home games, be good to put a face to the name
– See more at: http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/no-sport-survives-by-creating-more-mismatches-games/comment-page-8/#comment-2757231
Wonder what the topic will be at the old CQN corner tonight? 4 3 2 1 :)
WHAT IS THE STARS on 19TH JANUARY 2016 6:36 PM
Cheers,pal.
Canamalar
How did ye get on wi your kodi?
“It is said…….
………… that woven into the fabric
of Hoopy-The-Huddle-Hounds big squashy nose
the faint outline of a compass and set-square is visible
…………………………………………………………..but only when
the WW2 floodlights are lit….”
Wonder what the topic will be at the old CQN corner tonight? 4 3 2 1 – See more at: http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/no-sport-survives-by-creating-more-mismatches-games/comment-page-8/#comment-2757250
My money’s on a certain cantankerous old dude from the milk
Canamalar
I thought Armstrong had his best game for us last week against DU, so maybe play him wide left again.
The other wee barra will play wide right.
Mast,
Kodi is great, but still prefer my CTV for watching games
Accies will park the bus.
5-0 te us.
At least.
Philbhoy,
I think we loose a bit of Armstrong’s quality sticking him out left.
Then again maybe I rate him too highly.
Canman
CTV available via Robocop on kodi
Figured Izzy would start tonight,as I said the other day, that’s two games in a row he’s been rubbing that shoulder, GMS is a surprise, shop window?
Tierney I mean, on the shoulder thingie, lol.
At the weekend a significant number of posters were banned from FF due to posts they made on a thread about the St Johnstone striker the new club is bidding for. Something to do with his name or what it implies.
CQN isn’t like that.
However that is one of the few instances of late where you can point to disharmony on that site.
Despite being in court on what seems like a daily basis, making do with bidding for near amateur players and having various other scandals and humiliations to deal with, their support, horrible as it is, is united.
This time last year CQNers were busy putting together and co-funding that advertisement we placed in the Sunday Herald. This hit the mark and brought our collective view to an international audience while embarrassing the new club pretending to be Rangers and also the Scottish football authorities.
I am of the opinion that the increasing view that ‘they have got away with it’ and will bring their pretendy club with the bile and bigotry of old, into our league next season, is the reason we are ill-at ease collectively at the moment.
And that will be a minefield for Celtic where every comment, slip of the tongue or maybe a new player answering a loaded question – all will be used to divide us further.
Friday night in Dundee was an example of just how magnificent the Celtic support can be. Online the Celtic Bampots have achieved so much and have more to do.
The Celtic cause is weakened when the support is split. We have so much more to do…together.
I’m hoping GMS is used as the left winger as he is supposed to be a winger and bring Armstrong more central, let’s see his distribution.
HAMILTONTIM on 19TH JANUARY 2016 6:43 PM
Macjay
Yer still wrong! :-)
=============================================
You sound like my wife.
No Telly coverage here,so relying on the ever reliable C.Q.N. updates.
A BIG night for Ronny.
Two in a row.Hopefully.
My money’s on a certain cantankerous old dude from the milk – See more at: http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/no-sport-survives-by-creating-more-mismatches-games/comment-page-8/#comment-2757259
Lol, yi think?
Surely Armstrong will be in central midfield, with GMS out wide and Rogic behind G51.
Winnig Captains
That was basically what i was saying.
Got slated for it:)
HH
TD / Masty
I very much doubt that TD will get much more than a mention at the corner tonight.
The crowd that gather there are normally too busy meeting and greeting. .. dodging doc and crc attempts to sell badges etc – and dealing with a tankerous old git from blantyre who used to play for the famous glasgow celtic :)))))
Seriously bhoys – join us for once – you might be pleasantly surprised and who knows maybe some fences might be mended; )
The Celtic cause is weakened when the support is split. We have so much more to do…together. – See more at: http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/no-sport-survives-by-creating-more-mismatches-games/comment-page-8/#comments
Well said that man, one team, one support, no splinter groups, no divide.
Winning Captains
Great post.
Better posting it again tomorrow than at the end of this thread.
TBJ
Oldyin at meeting tonight so you will be free to invade his space
The game is not on the telly tonight then?
BT..,
I’m paying for the premium version only stream when the buffering gets too much, I suppose it might be a good idea to compare, see which gives better quality, the free version or premium version.
TBJ SAYS WEE OSCAR KNOX IS IN HEAVEN WITH THE ANGELS on 19TH JANUARY 2016 6:59 PM
TD / Masty
I very much doubt that TD will get much more than a mention at the corner tonight.
The crowd that gather there are normally too busy meeting and greeting. .. dodging doc and crc attempts to sell badges etc – and dealing with a tankerous old git from blantyre who used to play for the famous glasgow celtic :)))))
Seriously bhoys – join us for once – you might be pleasantly surprised and who knows maybe some fences might be mended; )
– See more at: http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/no-sport-survives-by-creating-more-mismatches-games/comment-page-9/#comment-2757267
Your prob. Bang on, a was just f…… With it, ……..thanks for invite, but I’ll pass.
TD67,
Welcome back ye old git!
HH
gsu
GREENSIDEUP
THANKS MATE
bankiebhoy1 on 19th January 2016 6:50 pm
You’ve taken that too far…. The History of Hoopy and his Celtic character are legendary. Have you never seen the movie? Dodgy link but worth the watch if you have time before the match starts. Hope it connects.
Hoopy: The Early Days
Revelling in infamy ….generally a Hun trait
Not exclusively it would seem
Shameful
Do you hate the Huns Fanendoooo
http://eplscouts.com/article-celtic-planning-to-sign-copenhagen-2-5m-striker/
Not too sure about this new PC nicey nice tony Donnelly, why after you sir, oh no I insist after you. Back in the old days it would never have happened. Probably all eating paninis and drinking cappuccino and reading the guardian down in the brazen these days
PFAYR SUPPORTS WEEOSCAR on 19TH JANUARY 2016 7:17 PM
– See more at: http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/no-sport-survives-by-creating-more-mismatches-games/comment-page-9/#comment-2757284
Move on, I have,……..
WHAT IS THE STARS on 19TH JANUARY 2016 7:24 PM
As you say yes, but as you see some just won’t move on, if he’s baiting me? Ah well that’s up to him/her.just letting him/ her know, it’s not happening.
PJ……………
I knew it…….
…….Sly Sylvester The Sleekit Crafty Cat
……………………………… and now known confederate of that Horrible Hurtin’ Hound!
HH.
Do we stay on this thread or do we switch to Celtic v Accies updates?