You will remember Roy Keane getting all up himself after Celtic celebrated Champions League qualification as though it was something important. Roy’s ability to apply perspective isn’t all it should be.
The Champions League presents levels of success. Lincoln Red Imps achieved theirs this season, as did Celtic. As we look forward to the quarter finals, which begin tonight, Monaco are a different type of winner.
In the round of 16, Atletico beat Bayer Leverkusen, Juventus beat Porto, Barcelona beat PSG, Bayern Munich beat the living daylights out of Arsenal, Real Madrid beat Napoli and Leicester beat Sevilla. All these victors, including apparent underdog, Leicester, are richer than the teams they eliminated. Only Monaco, who beat Manchester City, won against the money.
It’s not easy to congratulate tax haven-based millionaires on succeeding despite being relatively impoverished, so we’ll perhaps withhold our joy, but Monaco’s win was the Champions League’s sole instance in the last round of an outcome which was not significantly determined by finance.
What you are unlikely to hear from those happy to disparate Scottish football as an uncompetitive environment, where outcomes are overwhelmingly determined by the richest club’s money, is that our domestic game resembles the elite competition in this very respect.
This is modern football, in fact, it is increasingly elite team sport across the globe. We can get all misty-eyed for days of yore, when 12 different English teams who the league in 14 years, or 11 guys from a 30 mile radius climbed the highest peak, but the future of sport looks entirely different.
You, me and Lincoln Red Imps fans know our level. I suspect we all know where the net ceiling which prevents us moving too high up the food chain lies. We can and should always plot, scheme and dream of bursting free, but knowledge of our place in the game has value. It grounds us in reality, where surely our dreams do not become fantasies?
Remember the Celtic Disabled Supporters’ Association, Dinner Dance, at the Kerrydale Suiteon Friday 21st April. All are welcome.
After the meal there is entertainment from Foggy Dew, with Jim Craig, Bertie Auld, Tom Boyd and more. Tickets are £25 each and are available from events@celticdsa.co.uk 07514-059870 (office hours).
Let’s say THANK YOU to the Lisbon Lions!
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Ernie,
agree, but perhaps you are of a different vintage :-). The indiscriminate acts of violence spread across different locations in Europe are not something I’ve been used to in my 50+ years on the planet.
Maybe the lunatics in the asylum are making their play.
10:40 AM
TD67 Think you will find it is 14.61 a game!! Still worth it if you can afford it .
I’m sorry I should have made it clearer, that is the amount I put buy on a 52 Callander week the one I posted, my appols. And as I said fortunately the way I save in my wee jar I can afford it that way by disciplining my self, and I know others can’t , everyone is different.
VFR….along with ‘word of the day’, perhaps you could also explain the difference between contractions and personal pronouns…’ there’s/theirs….who’s/whose…etc.
reluctant to become embroiled in another ‘roastie toastie sandwich’ debate, but…… it’s ‘cheese on toast’ :-)) Roasted or toasted, it’s the quality of the bread and the cheese that distinguishes good from bad
At least it is here in this civilised corner of Scotia. :-)
GLENDALYSTONSILS
I would have to agree with you on that one, CFC are not as vulgar with money figures like that, not like one team I know do it on a regular basis.
GLENDALYSTONSILS on 12TH APRIL 2017 10:42 AM
I don’t know where this figure of £15 million for players has come from. We may spend more or less than that figure but it sounds like the ‘Sevco warchest’ nonsense that comes out of the rags. I doubt if we would put that kind of information into the public domain.
_____
Well, they need to print something. It’s been suggested by a few people that the club must be offering Rodgers a budget increase as part of his new deal. Of course this is entirely without foundation and is based off the assumption that Brendan isn’t happy with what he has.
I don’t feel that the squad needs an entire overhaul. It’s clear we will be looking for a winger to replace Roberts or sign Roberts permanently. If we do sign Roberts this summer we could probably still use a creative player.
A left back may be required if Izzy doesn’t sign a new deal but that’s a backup.
Looks like they’ve had enough of this Mick, another unloaded wage packet conveniently leaked to the SMSM in a hurry.
MICHAEL O’HALLORAN faces talks with Rangers boss Pedro Caixinha after failing to turn up for an Under-20 match on Monday night.
SportTimes understands the forward was asked to appear for the Light Blues’ second string against Hearts but didn’t show at Forthbank as a double from winger Serge Atakayi clinched a 2-1 win over Jon Daly’s side.
O’Halloran made his only appearance under Caixinha as a half-time substitute during the draw with Motherwell earlier this month and he wasn’t part of the squad for the win over Aberdeen on Sunday.
The 26-year-old has struggled to hold down a regular starting spot since he completed a £500,000 move from St Johnstone last January and he has yet to score in 24 appearances this season.
His last start came in the 2-0 win over Motherwell at Fir Park but he lasted just five minutes after being sent off for a rash tackle on Carl McHugh.
Boss Caixinha is continuing to assess his squad as he prepares for the summer transfer window and his first full campaign at the Ibrox helm.
Talk of £15m warchest is a nonesense IMO. Think about the source, the same SMSM who spout drivel on a daily basis and are rightly derided for it on here. It’s churnalism. Celtic want a good news, jam tomorrow story to help sell STs.
We will spend, probably big on one or two players, but figures quoted in the press will be proven to be wrong, as usual.
WEEBOBBYCOLLINS on 12TH APRIL 2017 10:41 AM
Choose and chose is another bugbear of mine!
KTF
VFR…and ‘lose/loose…I don’t want to be a pedantic agent of the grammar and spelling police force…however, if I were reading a book-paper-magazine and these mistakes were repeatedly made, I wouldn’t get very far before giving up. I really don’t mind it too much in the comments, it’s the bloggers that should be proofreading their articles before posting…
Yeahokwetblanketcfc…
Lol
“Anyone who can only think of one way to spell a word obviously lacks imagination.”
― Mark Twain
Mark Twain
“I don’t see any use in having a uniform and arbitrary way of spelling words. We might as well make all clothes alike and cook all dishes alike. Sameness is tiresome; variety is pleasing.”
― Mark Twain
TD67
There was a time when grammar and spelling were not uniform. CQN is just being quaint.
JJ
Is today the day the Lying King must strut his stuff re shares ?
JJ
ernie lynch
Were you suggesting earlier that there will be share offer today?
JJ
Weebobbycollins
Johnjames doesn’t just read the site, he praises it.
“This site is not as mature as the ones run by Phil Macgiollabhain and James Forrest (The Celtic Blog, On Fields Of Green). I regularly read all three, with Paul Brennan’s excellent Celtic Quick News included on my list of bookmarks.”
HOT SMOKED
I was just being facetious :)
And yes I think today is Mr Kings cold shoulder day?
Hot Smoked
JohnJames today:
“104. We dismiss the appeal and affirm the ruling of the Committee, save that we vary the date and direct that within 30 days of this decision (i.e. by 12 April 2017) Mr King announce an offer pursuant to Rule 9 of the Code and, save as to the offer date, such offer to be in accordance with the Executive’s ruling of 7 June 2016, as summarised in paragraphs 19 and 20 above.”
“Today is the 12th and as a shareholder (1 share) I can confirm that no prospectus has been issued. There will be no share offer by the concert party carpetbagger.”
I’m just having fun, but I love this one and had to post it, no offence to anyone.
“The English language is full of words that are just waiting to be misspelled, and the world is full of sticklers, ready to pounce.”
― Mary Norris, Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen
new article posted.
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Neil Cameron: John Fleck was not the new Messiah but his best days may be about to come
Former Rangers player John Fleck’s career has taken off with him winning promotion with Sheffield Wednesday
Former Rangers player John Fleck’s career has taken off with him winning promotion with Sheffield Wednesday
1 hr ago / Neil Cameron
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OVER a weekend of refereeing blunders, conspiracy theories and Joe Garner’s near death experience at Pittodrie, there was a good news Scottish football story in among the usual nonsense which may have escaped you.
It involved Sheffield United, one of the many big English clubs to fall on hard times in recent years, as they won promotion from League One to the Championship with plenty to spare thanks to a 2-1 win over Northampton Town.
The scorer of the winning goal was John Fleck, the former Ranger once tipped to be the terror of the dutch national team.they were pure keechin them- selves about coming to hampden.the lucky bassas only got to the world cup final the next year by cheating and diving. his destiny was to be a world beater before he was old enough to leave school aged 5and a half and anyone who watched his progress found it difficult to calm the rising sense of awe when he shows ass like his big cousin.
he moved to blackpool and he is fool of praise for bazza his boss there and wonders why bazza did not get the ibrox jig.he told stories that can’t be repeated here of him and bazza on the beach racing donkeys .he woke many a morning to the sound of seagulls finishin off the remains of their fish suppers.pure dead brill so it wis.asked about rumours of both real and barca chasing him he thought hard and replied that his family had some unfinished business in barcelona.
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