Referee Mallenco scouted ahead of Celtic game

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The Guardian did an excellent piece on Wednesday on how referees in various European territories would view the penalty box wrestling of the Juventus players.  In short, there is a variance in how these offences are punished.  Who knew?

Juventus knew.  I hear they watched four videos of referee Alberto Undiano Mallenco ahead of the Celtic game.

You have to admire their thoroughness.  They had a plan to combat Celtic and needed to know if the referee would let them away with it.  Gone are the days when someone at Juve would simply pick up the phone and ‘ask’.  The danger from Celtic was known, illegal holding would nullify this danger and watching a few videos established what players would get away with.

It’s no longer sufficient to scout your opponents, if you want an edge in this game, scout the referee too.

Every day’s a school day.

I hear from a good contact that a journalist who recently departed the media for a job in the lower leagues once wanted to be a bit of a Jungle Jim. Apparently he was keen to ditch his industry for a job at Celtic back in the 90s. What an escape!

On Friday 1 March the Lisbon Lions will be at the Kerrydale Suite providing commentary and answering questions on their magnificent European Cup final win in 1967. This has never happened in 46 years since that game, to say it is a unique opportunity fails to tell the whole story.

The event is part of our 125 4 125 campaign – central to reinvigorating the charitable spirit which is part of the club we love. It will be a family occasions, tickets are available at £10 for adults and £5 for children. The night has been organised by several fans working in conjunction with the people at Celtic Charity, so please do your best to support this great occasion. Individual tickets or tables are available, details here.
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    Charles Green Q&A Report

     

     

     

    9 February 2013 – Charles Green Q&A, Aurora Hotel, Sydney – The Home of The Sydney True Blues

     

     

    The following is a report from Charles Green’s visit to Sydney for a Q&A. The notes were taken by a member of the Sydney True Blues as a volunteer. Anything reported below can not be taken as a direct quote as no audio recording of the meeting was allowed.

     

     

    Introductions

     

     

    Introduction to the event and welcome to our guests, Alan McKenzie, Jim Hannah and Charles Green. Thank you for making the journey to Australia and taking the time to come here today.

     

     

    Welcome everyone, I just want to start by giving a brief history of Rangers supporters clubs within Sydney. I arrived in 1997 and got straight into the clubcall section of the Rangers News to look for Rangers supporters in Sydney. As part of the Coogee RSC we would watch video recordings of the match which were 2 weeks old that family would send over from home. It was amazing. For Old firm games we would get around 200-400 people turn up.

     

     

    In Feb 2012, just 2 weeks after the club went into administration we held the ORSA AGM in Perth and we had enquiries from people looking to set up supporters clubs in Sydney and the Gold Coast – the support has been phenomenal with the guys here in Sydney staying up until 2am to watch the games. We now have 11 RSC under the ORSA umbrella with additional interest to start clubs in Phuket and Indonesia. Right now the membership currently looks like this:

     

     

    • Hong Kong – 15 members

     

    • Perth – 79

     

    • Adelaide – 18

     

    • Melbourne 1 – 22

     

    • Melbourne 2 – 20

     

    • Northern Beaches – 20

     

    • Sydney – 55

     

    • Gold Coast – 18

     

    • Brisbane 24

     

    • Northern Territory – 14

     

    • Kiwi True Blues– 28

     

     

    Thanks to ORSA we managed to get 6 tickets to the UEFA Cup Final to fans in Australia. We also had Goram and Amoruso out here thanks to ORSA. There are well over 100 people here today which means there must be about at least 40 people here who are not members of the supporters club so I would urge all of you to join one of the clubs and show your support for Rangers.

     

     

     

     

    DK – Thanks now its time for the main event. It gives me great pleasure to introduce Mr Charles Green.

     

     

    Charles Green – Thank you for such a great welcome. In the past few days I have been to Dubai, Qatar, Perth, Melbourne and now Sydney and everywhere the reception has just been fantastic. I am learning each day how great this club is, it also makes me realise that all the hard work that we did in February to buy the club is appreciated. Its great to be here and I will make sure I don’t ramble on as much as the last guy!

     

     

    Defending The Club

     

    In my short time at Rangers I have faced more charges than any other Chief Executive ever. I am told that my conduct isn’t right but I refuse to let people tread over this club and I will stand up for the club. I won’t apologise for telling the truth and defending this club.

     

     

    Background to Buying the Club

     

    Back in February I was watching the News at Ten and the main headline was Rangers had went into administration and I felt a sadness for the club. I was mates with Colin Hendry and I had been to Scotland games at Ibrox – but I wasn’t a Rangers fan. I did know that Rangers were a massive club – although that is nothing to how massive I now know this club is. I was initially asked to buy the club and I said no. I was asked again and was encouraged to get a group of investors together. At that time I was planning to go live in France but I was encouraged to look into buying Rangers.

     

     

    I wanted to get lawyers and accountants together to analyse the club and we had to trail through a 15,000 page report from Duff & Phelps. I was introduced to the media by Duff & Phelps as having exclusivity to buy the club. The administrators were running out of cash and it was the end of the season so there was no income for the club. Various different groups were offering to buy the club but were not coming up with any cash. In the end I paid £250k for exclusivity of the club. At that time the fans were questioning me, and none of the other investors wanted to go public. I was being accused of working alongside Craig Whyte and using his money to buy the club. Needless to say that wasn’t the case.

     

     

    We were ready for both the Newco and CVA routes but by the 1st of August we still weren’t registered by the SFA and it was so close to not being registered in time for the game vs Brechin. If we hadn’t made that we would have been unable to play in the league for a full year. We were misled by HMRC and all the problems could have been avoided if we knew the outcome of the tax case sooner as Ticketus were willing to accept the CVA. We would have saved over £500,000 in legal fees if HMRC had been upfront.

     

     

    HMRC are now appealing the decision against a company which is in liquidation and has no assets. They also have no chance of winning this. Rangers made huge mistakes in the past and did deserve to be punished, but not the fans or the staff working for the club. The people who should have been held accountable for all the mistakes have never felt any pain. It is now the fans who are paying for these mistakes.

     

     

    I have never told lies. I am the biggest shareholder at Rangers with an 8% stake. We can never get to a situation where one man has sole control again. That’s why we need fans to invest and buy shares in the club. The stock offering was extremely successful and that was a result of the confidence that the fans gave the City of London – seeing 49k fans turn up every week.

     

     

     

     

    On Tuesday I was in Qatar at the European Club Association Conference and I was sat with the Chairmen of 3 Italian clubs – AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus and I offered Juventus the use of Murray Park while they are in Glasgow next week. We have a lot of friends in Europe and they can’t believe the treatment that Rangers have faced. Growing up I was always taught that when someone is down, you help them back up. That hasn’t been the case with Rangers. People have put the boot in at every opportunity. It is absolutely crazy as you just have to look at the Sky viewing figures or the attendances in the SPL to realise what a mistake it was. During the summer I was told by other Chairmen that they had no choice to vote us down as their own fans were refusing to buy season tickets – I even offered to pay for the 3,000 season tickets that one club normally sells. They told me they could’t do it as there were fans protesting outside their stadiums. None of these decisions were based on business. If we had stayed in the SPL we would have had more bills but we would have had £30M more revenue and Deloitte had helped to advise us that HMRC couldn’t win the tax case. We suffered due to poor decisions – if HMRC had made a decision sooner there would be no newco.

     

     

    Meanwhile I am getting grief from everyone while I am trying to fight to save the previous titles that were trying to be stripped from the club. I was ready to pack it in but Ally asked me not to leave. Ally couldn’t come out publically and back me as Walter was just putting a bid together so he couldn’t be seen to be backing me over Walter. I was happy to work with Walter and he has since told me he is happy his bid collapsed.

     

     

    Orlit

     

    We have cash in the bank and are debt free – there is not a single club in Italy without debt. We have £20M in the bank. We have no borrowings yet people are still trying to make mischief. The Orlit situation. We had agreed to pay introductory fees to the stockbroker of 5%. Now we are doing so well they are asking for £230K more and have placed a winding up order against the club! It is complete nonsense and they will not get a penny from me as I will never give in to blackmail and threats.

     

     

    Craig Whyte

     

    Craig Whyte has approached us and said he wants 6 tickets in the directors box plus a payment of £1 million. I said that we should offer it to him but let it be made public that he is back in Glasgow. I’m sure if we told people Craig Whyte was at Ibrox we would have the biggest attendance ever. Everyone is now looking to steal our success and people are looking for huge entitlements.

     

     

     

     

    The Future

     

    I won’t work after Rangers – this is the most satisfying job I have ever had. But of course the shareholders can vote me out. No one has sole control. We operate tight controls now. We need to strike a better balance between running as a business and satisfying the fans. When I was at Sheffield I paid £500k for a Flo brother – Rangers paid £11.5M too much. The club were spending far too much on players and wages. Yet we are still unable to sign players and have no idea what league we will be playing in next season – absolute madness. It is hurting us as it affects decisions – shirt sponsors, TV deals. We also have to face difficult decisions such as the opportunity of stadium naming rights – more on that later.

     

    I have been accused of pandering to the Rangers fans by the media. I didn’t go out of my way to win over the fans, I simply told the truth. I spoke to a fan who was renewing his season ticket for the 30th year and he said that I was the first time anyone from the club had ever spoke to him. That can’t be right. That’s why I have went to the USA and Belfast and I am going up to Stornoway to meet the fans and hear your views. It is so important to listen to the fans. I am looking at business development in Asia and the Far East. Rangers have let down the 600 supporters clubs we have worldwide. Melbourne RSC are celebrating their 30th anniversary and Rangers haven’t done enough to capitalise on the global fanbase. I’m sure if I went to the South Pole I would find a RSC. It is a lost opportunity to not capitalise on this global presence.

     

     

    Jim Traynor and Media

     

    We have brought Jim Traynor on board. He is not a Rangers fan but he knows Scottish football inside out. I asked him to leave the BBC / Daily Record as we need to be able to control the media and Jim is a great asset. Serious action is needed with regard to the media. The Old Firm have always had a huge influence over the media but with Rangers not speaking out for the last 5-6 years had given Celtic too much power. Dominance was now held by just one club and that was not healthy. The reaction of other journalists to us winning the tax case was unbelievable with one editor with his head in his hands and the other claiming it was ‘a fucking conspiracy by the government’. Jim had lost faith in the media. Jim has something on everyone in Scottish football and now he is working for us you can guarantee there are quite a few people on Immodium now!

     

     

    We plan to transform our use of media – starting with a Rangers App for iPhones. Jim Traynor will be out here in Oz next week. We will be holding an interactive phone in where you can speak face to face online and will get the chance to ask questions to myself and Ally directly. We are building a TV broadcast unit in Argyle House so we can control our own productions – there will be no political correctness or boundaries and it will be a fully open forum to discuss. We will also film the aboard meeting – a first in UK PLC history. Fans have a right to know what is going on.

     

     

    Cross Border Leagues

     

    SFA have now admitted they have been speaking to UEFA about cross border leagues and that they wouldn’t oppose Rangers leaving Scotland. This was denied 6 months ago. They haven’t been telling the truth yet I am on a charge by the SFA every month for bringing the game into disrepute by telling the truth.

     

    I told Neil Doncaster I wouldn’t be attending the league restructure meeting as I can’t vote. It is ridiculous we can’t vote. The rules change like the weather. Now we don’t want to listen to the fans, less than a year after being told the views of fans were the most important. I have been looking into us playing in the Conference as it would be a higher standard than what we are playing in now. I have 2 legal opinions that we should sue the FA under the EU treaty for fair trade. To not let us play in that league falls under anti-competition legislation and I have written to the Prime minister to explain this. I will explore every opportunity and do what is right for Rangers.

     

     

    The Rangers Support

     

    We sold 38,500 season tickets this year. 9,000 did not renew this year due to various reasons. I am hopefully that most of these fans now trust me and will come back next year giving us even more season ticket sales. We have a lot more young people coming to games and that is good for the future of the club. We are making friends on all of our away trips and all of the local pubs and shops love it. In Annan the local shops ran out of beer when we came to visit. We have Russian and South American camera crews following the rise of Rangers – this helps to raise our profile abroad. We have paid the price for our mistakes so there will be no more apologies from us.

     

     

    Boycotts

     

    I was asked by a fan if we will boycott all away games when we get back to the SPL. No. The Dundee United boycott was to make a stand against their chairman who tried to harm our club. That fans boycott was for one reason, but the fans drive on the players. I would love to see the opposite and have so many fans turn up to away games that some of our fans are turned away despite the fact these teams can’t fill their own stadiums. Maybe we could borrow some of the empty seats from Celtic! A taxi driver who was a Celtic fan actually asked for my photo and thanked me for saving Rangers as he said without Rangers there is no Celtic. There is no spectacle of Old Firm matches anymore.

     

     

     

     

    League Reconstruction

     

    In the next 4-6 weeks I will be wanting the outcome of the league reconstruction. At most it will take us another 2 years to get back to the top. We performed terribly against Dundee Utd last week and we need to build a side that can compete and get in Europe. We can never be bigger than Manchester United or Barcelona – we are dreaming if we think we can. I was told to only ever dream when I am sleeping. Dreams when you are awake only distract you. We need a different model – we need to look at Ajax and Sporting Lisbon and Porto. These teams compete well in Europe every year. We need more out of Murray Park and we need to buy young players from teams. Not Messi or even Fabregas who is sitting on the bench behind Messi. We need the youngsters with great potential but don’t get a chance because they are stuck behind Messi and Fabregas. We need a mixture of 1 or 2 experienced players alongside a young team.

     

     

    I am wide awake to the tough realities we face but I am confident we will deliver success over the coming 4-5 years. I am now happy to answer any questions that you may have, unless the question is ‘will I buy a round?’ – the answer is no!

     

     

    Q&A

     

    Q – Hi Charles, what school did you go to?

     

     

    CG – I left school at 15 and went to work in the mines. It was not a comprehensive or grammar school. But I always worked hard. Seeing you all here I see what a diverse group you are but you are all part of the one family and I feel part of that family. I want to be part of it for the next 15 years.

     

     

    Q – When are you going to invite Linfield to Ibrox?

     

     

    CG – As we speak, Andrew Dixon is fixing this. Before the end of May – as soon as they have secured a European place for next season. I am also in talks to have a friendly with Arsenal and we will be buying back our shares in Arsenal. I am sure you have also heard the recent reports about Gazza and I will be looking to arrange a game with Newcastle to raise funds to support Gazza – a Rangers and Newcastle legend.

     

     

    Q – Over the past 12 months the media has been full of misinformation and lies. With Jim Traynor now on board are we going to go on the offensive or go after individuals who have harmed the club?

     

     

    CG – We have 3 potential positions. 1 – stay where we were and let everyone walk all over us. 2 – go to war with everyone. But wars are draining and they are not constructive. 3 – is the middle ground and Jim Traynor is a great weapon. We can use him to harm anyone who wants to harm us. I don’t want to go on the offensive, I just want us to be allowed to get on with ourselves and for everyone else to focus on their own business.

     

     

    Q – Where is the future for Rangers in Europe such as the Europa League?

     

     

    CG – Europe is a massive opportunity. The Champions League Final will generate over £1 billion for the clubs involved. And there are clubs looking at refreshing the Europa League. We need this as the format is stale in Scotland and fans lose interest quickly. Next year I want a stronger Rangers who will be competitive in the cups. But we cant buy until Jan 2014. I will only accept a move to a higher league if we get the transfer ban removed. Otherwise there is no point in being in the higher league and being disadvantaged. Stuart Regan thought I was all talk when I threatened to refuse to play this season unless we backed him. The balance of power has now shifted and the future is bright for Rangers.

     

     

    Q – Thank you so much for saving our club. What can we do to ensure the future success of the club to allow my son to follow Rangers?

     

     

    CG – I had a meeting with Central Coast Mariners today, they have great facilities. Scottish talent will never be enough so we need to look at other players from overseas. Ji Sun Park at Man Utd is a great example of this. He is a great player from a commercial sense. We need to set up an academy for talent in Australia, Japan and China. Central Coast can be a feeder club for us. I will be bringing teams over to Scotland. Rangers will be going to the USA this year and Indonesia next year. We will be hosting friendlies at Ibrox. Claudio Reyna will be helping us set up an academy in USA. We need a mix of cultures to build a side which can compete. We have a goalie in our under 17 team who is amazing and teams in England want him. This is also our future through our own academy. Many players walked out on Rangers for personal gain. Naismith said I turned the Rangers fans against him – but if he loved Rangers so much he wouldn’t have left. These are players without honour and they will never be back at Rangers. Players like McGregor, Naismith, Whittaker and Lafferty are not welcome back.

     

     

     

     

    Q – Talk in the past about casinos around Ibrox – are there any plans for the future?

     

     

    CG – The previous plans were so grand and were too far-fetched. I am working with planners on new schemes. I bought back the Albion Car park and Edminston House. We were paying £400,000 a year in finance a year to Lloyds for the car park. I paid £1.4 M to buy this back. I want to move Ibrox complex from in front of the stadium and create a walkway to the ground for families – similar to Wembley Way. We bought Edminston House for £1 million. The ground floor will become the new Rangers shop and the current shop will become a ticket centre so fans don’t need to queue outside. I want to open a fan museum and create a café bar so that fans can spend 3-4 hours at Ibrox on a non-matchday.

     

     

    Q – You have done more for Rangers in the last 6 months than Murray and Whyte in the last 20 years. Thank you so much.

     

     

    CG – Thank you.

     

     

    Q – Whyte was a complete disaster. How do we ensure the guy after you is not the same?

     

     

    CG – When our share price went up many investors took their money and left and that is fine. Rangers are currently only valued at £60M. We will be worth half a billion in 5 years. We are selling shares in an institution and many fans have invested so will help to control the club. The latest Deloitte report shows that when you exclude the money from Sky TV Rangers are bigger than Aston Villa, Sunderland and Everton combined. With TV money, we will be massive.

     

     

    Q – Have you ever considered changing surname?

     

     

    CG – Yeah – Will do it once we win Champions League.

     

     

    Q – Is it realistic that we can move to England?

     

     

    CG – If teams from Wales get in then teams from Scotland get in otherwise they are breaching EU free trade laws. We are looking into this. UEFA/FIFA don’t let football matters go to court but this could be the Bosman situation all over again only for clubs and we are pursuing this.

     

     

    Q – How much have you fell in love with Rangers?

     

     

    CG – Well the last time I went without sleep for 4 days was on my honeymoon!

     

     

    Q – What school will your grandchildren be going to?

     

     

    CG – It won’t be St Pats.

     

     

    Summa of LastQuestionWasMineCSC

  2. Thindimebhoy

     

     

    03:11 on 16 February, 2013

     

     

    petec

     

     

    A song for when your out of mummys coat skirts

     

     

    Welcome my son to the machine

     

    _______________________________________

     

     

    Interesting, a guy who knows how to……

     

     

    A song for such a person?

     

     

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyJdiE0l23c

     

     

    Hang the DJ!!!!!

  3. Summa of Sammi….

     

     

    Thanks for that

     

     

    Now we know Chucklevision TV is bigger than Aston Villa Sunderland and Everton combined

     

     

    The question is when does this global media event start…?

     

     

    I guess we are waiting on Jabba plugging the aerial in

  4. Top man Mr John Savage. You did us proud.

     

     

    I think John knew the answer to every Celtic question tonight. Not easy when you’re up there.

     

     

    I thought the GK questions put to the woman who came after them were hard

  5. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    NTASSOOLLA

     

     

    A bit harsh on the fella-he has firm beliefs,and isn’t scared to discuss them.

     

     

    His heart’s in the right place as well,which is good enough for me.

  6. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    Oh,and he’s a Celtic fan-and no-one on here has ever doubted that. Most of the rest of us have been called a hun onhere at some time or another.

     

     

    Not Petec.

     

     

    He must be doing something right!

  7. The question put to Chuckles asking him if he’d change his name is treated as mildly amusing. A slight dig at Celtic.

     

     

    In truth, it is indicative of the very real mind-set of the Sevconites.

     

    It may seem a joke to many but his surname was a major hindrance to his acceptance by the Sevconites.

     

    It is a sign that the deep seated bigotry against Catholics and Irish Catholics in particular, is alive and well at the Sevco temple.

     

     

    This policy has been in place for so many years, pervading not TO the highest echelons of Scottish society but issuing FROM those echelons, that it is just seen as normal. Indeed, the Sevconites look on it with pride. It is what the club stands for – not that many will actually come out and state what it really is.

     

     

    The large numbers of fans turning out at the Sevco temple is a statement of intent by the Sevconites that they intend to get back to the old days where they can keep the (Irish) Catholics ‘in their place’.

     

     

    The MSM refuse to talk about this policy. It is politically incorrect to do so. But that does not mean the policy does not exist.

     

     

    The neutral looks at the Sevconites and see only a loyal bunch of fans, desperate to get their club back to the top of Scottish football and that their interest is only in football.

     

    But this battle is a religious one as much as it is about football.

     

     

    If this were not the case, let’s see what would happen if Chuckles were to walk out onto the field at Ibrox and bless himself…

  8. Our hero about to tell soeone else to ram it!

     

    “CRAIG WHYTE is set to be dragged into court for a third time in almost as many months as Ticketus step up their fight for the £27million he used to buy Rangers.”

  9. T’ Rankers lard addict manager has spoken about the criminal organisation’s transfer targets and appeal in the Third Division – while offering his view on Craig Whyte one year on from the club slipping in to administration, and zombification.

     

    Ffs….

     

    …..they did not ‘slip into administration’…..they died.

     

    Klan F.C. is a new club/front for violent bigotry.

     

    Why are these fraudulent reports allowed to continue in the face of the facts?

     

    Oh….I forgot, it’s the Sottish Masonic Rite msm.

  10. Good morning CQN

     

     

    Hope we have a big crowd today

     

    Looking forward to the game should be a good one

     

     

    Into Heggies for a small sherry before the game

     

     

    Come on you Bhoys in Green

     

     

    Keep the faith

     

     

    Hail Hail

  11. [{Paul Murray said: “What sets T’rankers apart from so many others clubs and institutions is its 140-year history.

     

    (More lies allowed to go unchallenged.)

     

    “Liquidator BDO are gearing up to take legal action to recover funds for the creditors.( so how do they retain 140 yrs. history, having gone bust, owing creditors?)And the police are also involved in their own investigations.}]

     

    >>>

     

    5Live reporting that Unkle Chunkles has written to David (the twat) Cameron begging him to get t’rankers outta Scottish football.

     

    Good.

     

    Get them down to Lahndahn and put them on The Mandatory Work Programme.

     

    Only way they’ll learn anything.

     

    The IDS Gang’ll support them even more than Chelski as the most viciously rabid, racist and violent club in Inghurland.

     

    I’d love to see the back of them and their tribe of follyfollyers.

     

    Would free up some housing in Glasgow, too. Though much renovation would be required.

     

    >>>>>>>

     

    More garbagio from Murray ( Paul )

     

    “I’d like to think over the next six to 12 months a true picture emerges of what happened, why and who was responsible.

     

    “Justice must be served.( hahahahahaha!!) Perhaps when that happens people will be better able to move on.”

     

    Aye! Tae London. Get tae ya bams!

     

    These feckers are way outta control like crack and meth addicts on a suicidal 12 month binge.

     

    Utter drivel just vomits forth uncontrollably from them.

     

    In the final analysis, good for a laugh, though.

     

    : > )

     

    HH!

  12. It just gets better ad better. I’m p*****g masel’ reading these comedy quotes:

     

     

    “Rangers assistant Kenny McDowall: I’d welcome back players who quit last year.. but fans might not be so forgiving……..

     

    ‘STARS’ including Steven Davis, Allan McGregor, Kyle Lafferty, Steven Naismith and Steven Whittaker all left after Gers’ financial collapse last year – but Davis says he’d like to return one day.

     

    They just keep on in the fantasy land of the jolly Green (Charles) giant.

     

    You couldnae make it up…..but they do…..endlessly.

  13. Q&A

     

    Q – Hi Charles, what school did you go to?

     

     

    Q – What school will your grandchildren be going to?

     

     

    It is obvious that these ‘peepul’ will never change! It must be bred into them. I feel sorry for people who travelled half way round the world to get away from this mindset only find that it is being kept alive and well by huns in other parts of the world.

  14. 140 years? That boils down to roughly 1million per year unpaid debt.

     

     

    Your “glorious history” is permanently linked to your inglorious unpaid debt.

  15. ntassoolla

     

     

    05:25 on

     

    16 February, 2013

     

    Top man Mr John Savage. You did us proud.

     

     

    I think John knew the answer to every Celtic question tonight. Not easy when you’re up there.

     

    …………….

     

    He did well right enough but got at least one CFC question wrong I think, still harder to win CRC’s quiz though, maybe we should invite him on :>)

     

    V

  16. ‘moning troops…………

     

     

    Dark and still in the Rebel County

     

    ….if it stays dry today, the border camapaign continues.

     

    Four trailers of horse manure to spread……..

     

     

    (that’s a lot of “raphael” to spread….even for me!)

     

     

    HH.

  17. Morning,

     

     

    So Mallenco was at a Uefa meeting 3 weeks ago were refs were told to penalise holding in the box.

     

     

    Makes you wonder what ‘Gifts’ he had waiting on him when he arrived in Glasgow.

  18. Funny how the laptop loyal up here have went out their way defend Juve and criticise Celtic.

     

     

    English perspective from Brian Reade of The Mirror

     

     

    There are not enough trees on earth to

     

    provide the amount of paper needed to

     

    list all the faults in modern football.

     

    Ticket prices, kick-off times, cheating, the

     

    grotesque sums paid to players and

     

    agents, 15 minute half-times to benefit

     

    the couscous-scoffers in the glass boxes

     

    and the TV advertisers, mega-rich owners

     

    buying success, the cowardice of the

     

    game’s rulers, the inconsistency of the

     

    officials… (you take over for the next

     

    half-hour now, my fingers are aching).

     

    But there was a blatant disgrace screened

     

    across Europe this week that pulls many

     

    of those sins together. Something that

     

    sums up the cheating, the fear that match

     

    officials and the game’s rulers have of

     

    upsetting the big boys and the sheer

     

    disregard for the rules of the game and

     

    the wishes of the paying fans.

     

    Something which shows that at its core

     

    football is a bent game run by gutless

     

    yes-men: The wrestling match staged by

     

    Juventus players during the Champions

     

    League game at Parkhead.

     

    Or rather the refusal of the officials to do

     

    anything about it for fear they would

     

    upset so many people in authority they

     

    might never be paid to work again.

     

    It didn’t happen once or twice, it

     

    happened whenever Juventus had to

     

    defend a set-piece. And it wasn’t simply a

     

    personal duel between Stephan

     

    Lichtsteiner and Gary Hooper aimed at

     

    shielding the Juve keeper. At one point I

     

    counted four Celtic players being held or

     

    blocked by defenders who were looking

     

    at the man not the ball.

     

    And the cheating was allowed to happen

     

    because the Spanish referee bottled it.

     

    He saw the continual bear hugs and

     

    clinches, and thought booking one player

     

    from each side would be enough. Then

     

    allowed it to happen again and again

     

    because he didn’t have the courage to

     

    pull out a red card or give a penalty.

     

    It meant Juventus were safe to carry on

     

    illegally ruining every set-piece and thus

     

    Celtic’s chances of getting anything from

     

    the game. The fact the Italians were the

     

    better team and would probably have

     

    won anyway, doesn’t excuse it. If

     

    anything it makes it worse.

     

    And it all leads back, as most things do, to

     

    the men at the top.

     

    Everyone in football knows that the extra

     

    two goal-line officials are about as

     

    pointless as a pair of balls on a chemically

     

    castrated eunuch. Everyone except the

     

    man who introduced them three years

     

    ago. This is what President Platini said at

     

    the time:

     

    “With the five referees every area of the

     

    pitch is covered. There will be near zero

     

    tolerance with respect to the referee

     

    because with the help of his assistants he

     

    should see everything. Now, if a referee

     

    cannot see, it means he is no good and

     

    must find another job.”

     

    So I’m guessing the Parkhead ref, Alberto

     

    Mallenco will soon be receiving his P45.

     

    Or maybe not.

     

    Because if Platini took action against

     

    Mallenco he would have to take it against

     

    most referees from Italy and Spain where

     

    cheating through man-handling is

     

    ingrained.

     

    If he instructed Champions League

     

    referees to punish persistent use of these

     

    dark arts with penalties and sending-offs

     

    (which would stop it at a stroke) he would

     

    face anarchy from the powerful southern

     

    European UEFA delegates who keep him

     

    in his lucrative job.

     

    The biggest joke is that in the same week

     

    wrestling was kicked out of the Olympics

     

    its place in football has never looked

     

    more assured.

     

    But I don’t see too many Celtic fans

     

    laughing.

  19. Good morning friends from an overcast but dry and calm looking East Kilbride.

     

     

    Breakfast – ParkRun – coupon on – rolls on sausage – Celtic Park – mass – curry. Oh and a few shandies.

     

     

    What a life!

  20. Skybet have priced EVERY game in Britain today as odds on for both teams to score.

     

     

    That can’t be right, can it?

  21. .

     

     

    Jobo..

     

     

    Mentioning Square Sausage on a Saturday used to be a..Automatic Red..

     

     

    Deleted: Square Sausage Violation..

     

     

    But Since I’m having Succulent Lamb BBQ Style.. And Your Probable eating a Highland Pony .. I’ll let it Go..

     

     

    NJoi Your day..

     

     

    Summa

     

     

    Ps.. Is it a Early KO..!

  22. This weeks bets to avoid! The CQN Coupon…

     

     

    Awalkacrosstherooftops – Carlisle

     

    Lennybhoy – Wigan

     

    The Token Tim – Cardiff

     

    Greenlion2 – Walsall

     

    Estadio Nacional – Livingston

     

    Jobo Baldie – Morton

     

    PF Ayr -Watford

     

    Blantyretim -Sheffield Utd

  23. saltires en sevilla on

    Good morning fellow Celts – grey skies over London Town

     

     

    Off to Emirates today / what price a Blackburn upset ?

     

     

    C’mon Hoops get another 3 points chalked up.

     

     

    HH

  24. murdochbhoy, yermanfrommk07:10 on16 February 2013

     

    >>>>>>>>

     

    “B-b-b-b-bad to the bone.” somehow I just knew it would be THAT song!

     

    HH!