Former Newco Rangers director, Imran Ahmad, made a few headlines yesterday, the most disturbing of which was: “I firmly believe Police Scotland have their own agenda and are deeply emotionally connected to Rangers Football Club. In my view Police Scotland have a clear conflict of interest.”
That’s an extraordinary claim but I’m not sure it’s supported by extraordinary evidence. There is certainly evidence that Police Scotland investigate and arrest supporters of the club at football games, where prosecution levels are comparatively high. There is not extraordinary evidence to support the claim, but perhaps that’s the point.
The police go after fans, but how does it shake down when it comes to corporate matters? Set aside issues of corporate responsibility from the early 70s, and there are no concerns of criminal activity at Ibrox until the spectre of malfeasance of recent years.
By speaking publicly yesterday Ahmad is now engaged in a PR campaign. He’s marked Police Scotland’s card. This may be the rantings of a fantasist, but we should recognise that Ahmad has been an insider at Ibrox, where he would have had the opportunity to deal with senior Police Scotland officers on a regular basis. Superficial friendships would have been struck. Ahmad would need little in the way of private support when a director of Newco to substantiate his claims.
The headline grabber from Ahmad, “What the rest of the world will never understand unless they experience it first hand is that Rangers Football Club is a religion, in itself, built on centuries of religious bigotry” is also a curious think to say.
To be fair to Newco, they can bat away accusations of religious bigotry easily. Employment criteria for them has never been questioned, but Ahmad’s stuck his neck out on an issue which I’m 100% sure he wasn’t asked about. What chance he’s made notes during his time at Ibrox of any inappropriate police behaviour, or matters which allude to religious bigotry?
Mr Ahmad is asking Crown prosecutors for a letter of safe passage. I reckon he stands a decent chance of getting one. Now.
No matter whether they are innocent or guilty, the SFA have been landed in a very awkward situation by Ajax, who told Uefa the Association made it clear they saw no ground for action against fans chanting “Fenian b…….”
It’s inconceivable that Ajax have an email to that effect. If they do, it will come out, and Operation Deny and Deflect will swing underway again, but these comments would surely never be committed to record, if at all.
Ajax are also in a hole. They have made a claim and will be asked who at the SFA made the comment. You can put your mortgage on the fact Celtic officials will ask this week.
Prejudice at the police and the SFA. It’s been a difficult week for conspirators.
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Ajax have played 5 league games so far this season. Their record is won 4, drew 1. Scores have been 0-3, 3-0, 0-2, 4-0 and 2-2. Obviously Ajax Quick News started looking out the pitchforks and flaming torches after the last game. They are in a severe slump in form. We can take them. :-))
Hail Hail
JFH
Well done on your consistent efforts to retain positivity on here.
I, too, am positive because I believe it:
a) Helps Celtic if the support is positive;
b) Counteracts the negativity of the MSSM.
I really do understand totally committed Celtic supporters being angry with their perception of the behaviour of Celtic FC and wanting to express that anger. I am less understanding of the need to continually make the same points. Especially in a country which already does that job.
The negative guys might be right in their view that Celtic are only interested in our money . Equally, they might be wrong. If the former, I would think their case would be better served contacting Celtic directly. If the latter, then they should consider the effect of constant negativity.
JJ
PS SFTB
An excellent post at around 8:45.
Its up to the players to restore a bit of faith.
That Hun De Boer has got a very big mouth, I hope the bhoys shut him up.
We need to fight for everything…give them it tight, from the first until the last kick of the ball.
We need to show that Celtic are Celtic.
No Fear.
HH
Thanks lymmbhoy
JJ – I was (not unusually) in 100% agreement with your posts yesterday. And thus far today!!
HH jamesgang
Looked at the squads for both Celtic and Ajax. They have an exceptionally young squad, Ours seem geriatric in comparison. Were we to field such a young team, the boo boys on here would slaughter them.
I see from lymmbhoy’s EUFA link that Ajax’s nickname is THE SONS OF GOD.
Anybody think they have an entitlement agenda? de Boer as manager. They got an orange away strip? Mmmmm
GER57
Celtic fans would not slaughter a young Celtc team….no way.
But they will slaughter a Celtic team, with overpriced and “scared players”, who wont play or their manager and supporters.
In fact….do you think a young Celtic team would have capitulated, the way we did at Malmo…I doubt it.
If they are good enough….it don’t matter how young the players are.
HH
Jamesgang
I had better stop posting right now, while I am on a high!.If you are as fickle as some of the Celtic support (well, any football supporters really) one bad post and that will be me the end of my career as an acceptable poster 0:-)
JJ
So De Boer says no-one in The Netherlands is interested in Scottish football without Rangers?
So bloody what? I couldnae give a flunky’s muck about Dutch football,regardless of which teams play there.
Bloody rentaquote,but an answer eagerly reported by our patriotic MSM.
Everyone involved in that interview can GTF for all I care.
MURDOCHAULDANDHAY & WEE OSCAR on 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 9:46 AM
Young Aidan Nesbitt in the squad for the Ajax game
—/–//–//–//–
Good to see that – 18 years old going to the Arena with a chance to contribute.
If good enough you are old enough.
Delighted for him and his family
Go get them Aiden.
ger57 on 16th September 2015 10:19 am
Wow apart form Lasse Schone with one appearance. The oldest regular is the keeper at 26. All the others are 23 or under. Kids!
Some posts on here alluding to – the players or, some of them…don’t like Johnny Collins.
I don’t know the full facts but…I’m assuming it’s the Lennon-clique who’s noses are out of joint?
Muldidni – must ‘never’ be played in defence…the left hand side of a 5 man midfield or…not at all…imho
Commoms – If he disny score, what does he do?
Stokes – A greetin-girner who more often than not…concedes possession and, the worst bit….a LCF v’s Killie…we’re down 0-1…Gollum is the mib….Stokes is on the edge of the 6 yard box…last defender in line with him….Stokes has a choice – shoot and score or, wait for the touch from the defender and, go down looking for the penalty….remember…there’s 2 mins left for play…Stokes waits for the touch…goes down…no penalty. Now, instead of Stokes getting his erchie booted out the team….Lennon comes out blaming Gollum for – “Blowing the Treble!”….cronyism pish at it’s best…imho
Izzy -Should have been replaced by Shinnie but…we slept in again…imho.
On Thursday…4-4-1-1…beachball Sunday tactics.
Take care Celts….oot, YNWA.
SFTB @08:45
Ah well let’s just bury it and pretend it never happened and let the more naive bloggers imagine that everything is sweetness and light at Celtic Park and everyone is the best of pals with everyone else inside its environs and everyone agrees that the management team and back room staff and training methods is the best we have available and that more senior players wouldn’t dare to approach Mr Lawell to voice their concerns regarding same
Let me assure you that the sporting media are well aware of the happenings at Celtic Park Lennoxtown and elsewhere and they have no need to trawl through Internet forums and blogs to get their headlines although the more paranoid amongst us would imagine otherwise
It’s also probably a fact that there are more players inside Celtic Park who are more likely to have more sporting msm journalists on speed dial than they are to have authors of Internet blogs and bloggers phone numbers tucked away on their phones
Anyway heard a bit of tittle tattle on the Jordan McMillan saga last night but as its tittle tattle and doesnt have any implications for Celtic I will keep it to myself
As for the term tittle tattle I doubt that most amateur sporting blogs would exist without it
Speak to you later as its a good drying day and I’ve got to go and get a washing on
KEVJ
Howdy,bud. A wee invite for 10/10 may have inched your way about a week ago. No need to reply yea or nay,but I hope yer feeling up to attending on the day.
Meantime,stay strong,keep the chest out shoulders back is that the best you can do approach,and take the battle head-on.
If there’s one thing that unites us on here,it’s our hopes for a KEVJ victory!
Kev Jungle
Those players you mention only won us 3 in a row and helped get us to a last 16 of the CL under NL.
Commons scores, makes goals, creates chances, wins free kicks and has great delivery.
One key reason why we have 4 in a row is that Mr Fitness realized he needed those goals to win the title.
If he keeps leaving Commons out, he’s going to be out of a job.
I was watching the highlights and goals in the CL last night,and low and behold who turns up as a colour commentator but the one and only fat boy McCoist on BT.
WELL! I never saw that coming. :)
Fack me did he ever take them to the cleaners, delude?
MICKBHOY1888
Nurses on a tea-break?
(Reference to your comment the other night,not a dig)
IMO,recreational drug use in Scottish football is likely to be more prevalent than currently revealed. It’s fine to say that professional athletes know better than that,but there aren’t many on income paths which would deter it.
I heard he was dead on 16th September 2015 10:44 am
If Commons wants to play, he needs to do what needs done at training and force his way into the team. If he’s not doing that, he’s got no reason to complain.
Whether he is or isn’t is known only to himself and the management team.
Disagreement with management is fine. Undermining them is not. Right now it looks like he’s undermining the manager.
weeminger
With respect do you know if he is not pulling his weight in training?
My suspicion and it is a suspicion is that Deila has never really liked Commons but realized his goals win games and relented and played him (along with Griffiths who was also bombed out for a long time last season).
Griffiths is the only striker we have scoring so he is still in the team.
Ciftci started the first 3 Euro games.
The Green Man
Young players and young teams tend to be inconsistent. They sometimes suffer heavy defeats.
Our support is intolerant , expects/demands to win every game. Ajax’s team gas an average age of 21/22. It’s inconceivable that Celtic would play such a young side in Scotland, never mind Europe.
I heard he was dead on 16th September 2015 10:53 am
I don’t and that’s why I said:
‘Whether he is or isn’t is known only to himself and the management team.’
Perhaps Griffiths has taken on board the management instructions and that’s why he finds himself in the team.
Did you ever watch the video of Deila talking about management practices? He doesn’t come across like he would let personality clashes get in the way. In fact I think he specifically says you can’t. So I’m not sure whether he likes, or dislikes Commons would really come into it.
GER57
You are right…its inconceivable that Celtic would play such a young team as Ajax do.
Here’s hoping our experienced players can take advantage.
Regardless of our line-up, we should be busting a gut to show we are a good team.
Have a right good go at them….we have nothing to lose.
I don’t care if we get beat…as long as the players do Celtic justice.
HH
Delighted to see Aiden Nesbitt in squad, we need to see him, and other youngsters on the pitch more often. If he was an Ajax player he would already have a reasonable amount of first team experience in domestic football.
Don’t understand our policy of filling our bench with players who are never going to be first picks (Ambrose, McGregor, occasionally Stokes) when we could have a couple of youngsters there ready to come on and get experience when time was right (Nesbitt, Tierney, Thomson etc).
Gary67 on 16th September 2015 11:18 am
I would say it’s because the support would never back the idea of a youngster being thrown on in a must win game. Ajax are 20 years (or more) ahead of us in the start ’em young and sell ’em on way of operating, so I imagine the support are more used to it and more forgiving. Ajax have only won the title 6 times since 2000.
In the middle of a 7 year period where they didn’t win the title their average attendance was still c48k. I’m not sure we’d get that.
Ones called Ronald, one’s called Frank, one plays for Barca the other one’s a ones called Ronald.
The rags in top flight Hunnery, even a story about an unwashed Celtic supporter., makes a change from the priest stories.don’t give them oxygen. Stand up for The champions.Hailhail.
Bottom line is RD is the manager/coach if he doesent like what he sees at training or anything that affects the team, he is well with in his rights to pull them up and tell them to toe the line as that is his job, most in here think his job is to come in here and let them pick the team, alright everyone has a different team to pick every game, so as I said like it or lump it he picks it, yes have your opinions on who you think is better by all means, but let the man get on with his job ffs, some of the accusations and attacks on here have been cowardly and Hunnish, agenda pushed just get to the real crutch of the negativity, the never ending rants day after day after day, cut the guy some slack ffs, let him get on with it, there are so called Celtic supporters doin the SMSM job for them and they are loving it, just read the papers, aweeeeeeee that’s right you don’t buy them, anyway you don’t need to its all in here, and so are they.
Lurking Huns GIRFUYs.
weeminger on 16th September 2015 11:24 am
Wasn’t saying throw him in on Thursday, or even a game like Pittodrie on Saturday, but there are numerous opportunities throughout a season of domestic football where our own young players should be getting more first team opportunities. Its one of the consequences of the bloated squad policy we have, the buy them cheap stack them high of mediocre players.
Gary67 on 16th September 2015 11:31 am
I know you weren’t but I’m talking about in general when subs aren’t necessarily tactical.
For the sake of argument let’s say Tierney was available for Thursday and was on the bench in place of Mulgrew (assuming Izzy starts). If Izzy was to pick up an injury, is replaced by KT and we lose to a goal from the left side. Are the general support going to accept that it’s just part of getting youngsters into the 1st team? If we put more youngsters on the bench than the required minimum (is that still a rule?) that kind of situation is always a possibility and every game is a ‘must win’ until such time as the league is won. Then we’re told that blooding youngsters isn’t that meaningful because it’s not proper competitive games.
At the moment I don’t think so. Maybe in future.
Young player need time to develop. If they are bit superstars after half a dozen games they should be benched, loaned out and sold. The rule after this is that they will get better the longer the don’t play a la Tony Watts and it us easier to slam dunk young players on the park and praise them later after we have demanded thier heads. Quite a few young players in the hoops just now who need some time and support.
weeminger on 16th September 2015 11:42 am
The minimum number of youngsters in the squad rule doesn’t apply anymore. I think the support would cut a youngster more slack if they made an error than if a more experienced player did. Just my opinion, and I certainly would. They need to learn and the only way to learn how to be a Celtic player is to play for Celtic.
In your scenario, if Izzy starts on Thursday (and he should) and gets injured, they’d bring Blackett on. We prefer giving game time to other team’s youngsters ;-)
Gary67 on 16th September 2015 11:51 am
Ha! Fair point. Time to do some work.
The number of negative posts on CQN has reached new levels, the time between posts on CQN has reached new levels.
Sad.
JJ
Let me quickly add that that was a general point and not in response to any of the most recent posts!
Cheerio for now,
JJ
WEEMINGER
Ronny’s video presentation may suggest that he doesn’t let personality clashes get in the way of things.
Quite right too.
The problem occurs when the other party feels differently.
new article posted.
Jungle Jim
I think the time between posts is more to do with the aggressive and invasive advertising malware that this site is now riddled with.
I have to disable JavaScript to avoid being bounced to willie hills, ladbrokes or some war game smash when I try to come on here on my iphone. When trying to post from my laptop, the site takes ages to load and any attempt to send comments generates an irritating pop-up that keeps appearing.
I’d guess many people who would normally post have given up in the face of all this. Sometimes life is too short.
It’s a shame though, but you’re right, post Aberdeen game excepted, the number of posts on here definitely seems to have gone down.
TONYDONNELLY
I’m in broad agreement with you about Ronny. The man must be allowed to do his job.
He has the players to do so,even if they aren’t of a standard some of us would like.
That these players are of that standard suggests that they are unlikely to get a gig at a ‘bigger’ club.
High time they realised that,knuckled down,earned their corn and showed a modicum of respect to their manager,and a bit of professionalism while they’re at it.
Their application thus far has been an insult to that profession and their manager,but more importantly,to us.
Not a single one is performing to the level they did in the first four months of this year,bar LG.
That is a disgrace.
Young players for me a 21 year old is not a youngster 15 to 19 might be youngsters but at 21 you are all the man physicaly that you will ever be and need games to gain first team experience.We create some of our own problems at Celtic we supporters want them to win every game and if draw one and lose one panic sets in.So the manager knows there is no margin for error so picks more experienced players as often as not so the 21 year olds cant get in the team. H.H.