I like Neil Lennon. If Neil Lennon is talking about football, I shut up and listen. But I respectfully disagree on other subjects. If the last three years have taught us anything it’s that Celtic don’t need oldco or newco Rangers. Unequivocally, Celtic Park is quieter since Rangers liquidated, the level of competition we previously had added many to the gates, none of us feel the anxiety of genuine sporting challenge, but so what?
If Celtic sell 40,000 instead of 50,000 season tickets are we mortally wounded? The accounts would suggest otherwise. Does it mean we cannot compete in Europe? I refer to Neil’s record. Does it mean we cannot attract quality players? Well, it means we will not be able to attract some players, but I’m more than happy with the calibre of players we’ve recruited at the moment. Good riddance to the parts of Celtic that went out the door when Rangers were flushed down the Liquidation Lavvy.
I’m going to cut Neil some slack. I’ve been among Rangers fans and been generous enough to acknowledge income will rise at Celtic if newco ever reach the top flight. It costs nothing to be magnanimous.
What we do need is competition, the like of which Aberdeen have given us in the league this season and they and Dundee United may provide next season, if current trends continue. Congratulations are due to Hearts, who won the Championship before the clocks went forward, an incredible display of dominance, but as our two cup wins against them this season (3-0, 0-4) proves, they are miles away from providing the level of competition we see from Aberdeen.
Don’t have time to get dragged into a larger debate at the moment, but whenever Scottish football next turns its mind to strategic development, how to bolster Aberdeen and United should be top of the agenda. I enjoyed our four games against United this month and the recent league game against Aberdeen. More of them would be welcome.
We have a league split at the moment, where the top six hive off to play for the title, but it comes with only five games to play. An earlier split, allowing us more games against those at the top, while creating more opportunity for teams at the bottom to pick up points from their peers, makes more sense. Especially if more commercial income could be shared with the likes of Aberdeen and United.
Have you ever walked up Ben Nevis? Will you ever do so? It’s a big task if you are starting from scratch. When is it safe, what do you wear, what if something goes wrong, how long will it take, what about nourishment along the way?
The Ben Nevis Huddle delivers much of what you need on a plate. The Foundation have it all in hand. You get to walk up the mountain with a couple of hundred other Celts. They let you know what you need to know, check the weather for you and generally look out for things. They have left no one on the mountain. Yet.
What’s more, you get to do it in the name of Celtic FC Foundation, for our work with autism, downs, the homeless and destitute, those marginalised from our society, and those living in third world poverty.
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mike bhoyle
16:48 on 23 March, 2015
GlassTwoThirdsFull
16:41 on 23 March, 2015
Remember this is the same governing body that allowed a company to investigate themselves & that my friend tells you all you need to know about the SFA
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CAxXFM9WkAAxBB9.jpg
Happy 77th Birthday Bertie Bhoy.
Bhoys/Ghirls, I passed on our best wishes today to the wee mhan through his grandson who I have the pleasure of knowing.
HH
kevinbhoy
17:01 on 23 March, 2015
Well done to Lucy, you’ve made your family very proud
P
Kevinbhoy
Dr Lucy congratulations
Ht
I am Fhriend.
Just disappointed that he keeps spouting this pish particularly, given, he suffered from it more than most.
Dr Lucy. Well done. Obviously the brains come from the Mothers side of the family KB.
I suppose it’s mutch easier citing Guidetti for a song that he is explaining to a Dutch reporter than citing a club for 20000 of their fans going through their vile, racist and sectarian repertoire.
The SFA just find it very hard to keep the lid on their hatred of us and everything that we stand for and represent. Evidence in the Boyd/ButcherMc Gowan case compare and contrast with the Tonev case. Not proven when it suits.
Look at their treatment of the basket case on the South side going against all of their own rules in so doing .This really is just the tip of what is a very deep midden.
I just cannot believe that we( by some distance) the biggest club allow this to happen on such a regular basis without us raising so much as a whimper.
Huns singing ‘Go Home Ya Huns’ to Bayern in ’72.
http://youtu.be/hi6UE8G2adQ
“Right proudly high over Dublin Town they hung out the flag of war
‘Twas better to die ‘neath an Irish sky than at Suvla or Sud-El-Bar
And from the plains of Royal Meath strong men came hurrying through
While Britannia’s Huns, with their long range guns sailed in through the foggy dew”
HT
The defence rests m’lud.
kevinbhoy,
Well done to your daughter, a great achievement. HH
beatbhoy
I’d say so :-)
Meanwhile over in Govan,the hunmonkeys continue to trade whilst insolvent…….
KB
Congrats to Dr Lucy and her proud dad, well done.
Beatbhoy@17.36
Was thinking (just like Charlie) the same re HTs post.
Nice one Kevinbhoy. Iknow how you feel. My daughter graduated from Glasgow yooni last year as a teacher. Pwoud man.
Anyhoo, does Doctor Lucy do buckshee homers? My back’s loupin!
Toocheaptogotophysiocsc
Kevinbhoy-great achievement HH
Regarding NL’s comments (if true), we have to remember that people within the business of football do not automatically think like supporters do. Many footballers from different teams socialise together and are the best of mates. I know that Neil Lennon and Barry Ferguson were quite friendly even at the height of competition between the two big teams.
So it doesn’t surprise me when players and managers come out with the things they do.
As for the Guidetti charge…well, that’s just a disgraceful piece of nonsense.
I really don’t disagree with the sentiments you express Paul, at least in as much as life is much better for the absence of such an unpleasant rival.
On the other hand, I was reading the Deloitte money table recently, and while not marveling at Stoke’s appearance on the list on a couple of recent occasions, I was trying to find our club.
We last appeared in 2006/7, with revenue £111m. For context, that’s 2007 money, £111m, with inflation, would be a bit more today. It put us 17th on the list then and even without inflation would place us in the top 30 most years, and the top 20 many years, since 2007. It was the high water mark for our revenue.
I think I should re-iterate that in 2007 our revenue was high enough to have us ahead of most EPL teams from 2014, and the vast majority of German, Italian and Spanish teams.
You know the numbers, so I’m not telling you anything you don’t know. Nor am I suggesting that the only factor in our revenue downturn is the demise of Rangers, but, the truth is a large part of our revenue is in our own hands – if we sell 50k + season tickets we’re generally selling out most weeks, if we sell 40k plus, not only are we not selling out, we’re not evening seeing that 40k turn out to purchase pies and programs and whatever else people spend money on.
It’s a big drop off, which when expressed as a percentage can only be alarming.
Most Celtic fans no longer pine for the ‘speculate to accumulate’ nonsense (which might be fine if we operated in a free market, but we operate in a series of closed markets), so there’s not much we can do by way of investment to encourage the missing fans back.
It boils down to pure excitement. Without it fans will continue to drain away. We can remain a huge club, with an enormous latent fan base, just as we did in the 90’s, but we are going to see fewer fans attending, year on year, for as long as the excitement is absent from the league fixtures.
A simple fix does involve Rangers. You or I might not need it, and our current strategy might not need it, but no matter how painful it is to acknowledge, we would be closer to a competitive revenue stream with Rangers in the league.
The point, which I would have made on here this week regardless of your article, is that we have the potential revenue stream to remain competitive in Europe, but, we don’t currently have the excitement/interest to generate it.
My preference is that we go down a different route, one which doesn’t involve Rangers at all frankly, but, I think it’s unreasonable to pretend their absence isn’t hugely significant
And this wee nugget from RM.
Youllneverwinaway
04 Sep 2008
Not sure when it changed over but my old man told me before he died that when he was a regular in the late 60’s, early 70’s Celtic were knwn as the H*** and that he could remember standing at the Piggery singing “Go home ya H***” to the Celtic fans.
He was never sure of the origin or when it changed though.
Well Celtic just take it on the chin John Guidetti is guilty as charged there is video evidence of the interview and he plays for Celtic so he is fair game,Just like Boerichter and Tonev before him we keep bringing in loan players who have no respect for Scottish football and they keep letting the good name of Celtic down.Come on Celtic get the gloves off and stand up for our great club and our players we need to get tore into those at Hamdump they sit on there hands and do nothing about the goings on at Ibrokes while looking at every opportunity to jump all over Celtic and our players the day has come surely we must take a stand and show that we will not continue to lie down to there cheating. H.H
The SFA consistently failed to deal with the deidco’s fans at Hampden, never mind elsewhere in Scotland, for generations and the sevco version are every bit as bad.
Guidetti tells the truth in a silly wee ditty and he’s charged. Not a surprise though.
Luckily for big John the full weight of our legal team will be behind him; I bet he’s glad he’s not a fan who has been arrested under ‘the Act.’
HH
NFL (The Bolton Manager), he is the issue issue eh!
FFS catch yourselves on!
When was this (latest) ‘opinion’ of NFL’s referred by Paul???
No mention of supporting documentation in the initial diatribe….. Maybe he brings it upon himself……..
Nothing detailed in the leader………..
Was it about the same time as Bertie (HB 2 U, HB 2 U)…… Was voting ‘NO’….. ????
As I did yours truly, BTW……….
CQN, has advised in the past, do not allow ourselves to be divided by the SMSM…….
Aye, right, no problem, for we will do that very same thing in the name of CFC unaided……….
Shameful stuff, almost Stalinist in its projection………
More CFC Pussy Polemics…….
Never mind the symptoms, look at the causes,,,,,,,,,,,,
The shallow political annihilation reminds me of why I seldom post on here!
Regards & Hail Hail
TBM
Joe Filippis Haircut
Saved me typing there Joe.
On the money Pal
Total Joke. Though the club have replied already so lets see where this one goes.
VicTIMised.csc
KLV
roy croppie
Delighted if Celtic challenge this. Just a pity they haven’t done the same with supporters.
STV bleeps out the ‘hun’ word re JG……..
bontybhoy
17:50 on 23 March, 2015
Wee reminder: the team you refer so frequently in your contribution beginning with R* is deid.
Thank you.
Hamiltontim
HT exactly.
HH
Now they are happy to show big John on Evening news singing the son.What a disgrace we are the easy touch.H.H.
SON=SONG H.H.
I have no problem ex players and ex managers having an opinion on The Rangers but they all seem to be singing from the same hymn sheet,giving the MSM what they want to hear.They do not seem to understand how cheated we feel at the financial doping that gave them success mainly at our expense.Neil Lennon really should concentrate more on his own club since they seem to have debts in excess of £100million and are fighting to stay in the championship.
Congratulations Kevinbhoy and Dr Lucy.
STV news bleep out Guidetti using the word hun.
Comical.
The headlines about Celtic tonight are paltry UEFA fines and a ridiculous SFA charge. This must be on the horizon then:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CAw2831XIAAt4Md.jpg:large
HH
thebarcamole
17:52 on 23 March, 2015
What Paul has stated above over what Neil Lennon has said, is easily referenced online in an interview.
In this instance, I feel Neil has brought criticism on himself.
San Diego Bhoy,
Aye, well I don’t really care. If they call themselves Rangers what are you going to do? Keep arguing about it until your blue in the face? Seems like a counter-productive strategy to me.
Good grief! ‘Hun’ is now a word that has to bleeped out on the STV news. Huns, really??
Poor wee sensitive huns.
I will never be able to work out the mentality of many ex Celtic players when it comes to Sevco. It seems many suffer from some form of Stockholm Syndrome.
Take joe miller as an example. I witnessed Joe being chased by a mob of rabid Huns in Toryglen in autumn 1989, a couple of months after he had scored the winning goal in the 1989 Cup Final.
Joe was at St Brigids primary school to present medals at a football tournament. Word got out and a mob of delinquent Huns from Prospecthill Circus made their way over to the school to try and do violent mischief to Joe. They were tooled up with sticks and bottles.
He legged it from the angry Hun mob and vaulted over a fence onto Prospecthill rd and made his getaway in a Vauxhall Cavalier that was being driven by what I presume was one of his mates.
I was 11 years old at the time and it was an early lesson for me in the violent scumbag ways of the bosh. It takes a special kind of reptile to try and attack someone simply for scoring against their football team and to try to do it in front of a bunch of school kids.
But now I hear Joe Miller talk of missing “the great rivalry” “Scottish football needs rangers” etc and I think he must have a really short memory.
Every football club has roasters among its support but the Sevco franchise has and had more than most. There is nothing healthy about that club and the rivalry it tries to forge with Celtic – it’s built on nothing but hatred and bigotry from their side.
Joe Miller knows that from his own experience. I witnessed that for myself. And Neil Lennon knows it more than anyone. I can’t understand why they miss being abused and attacked by thugs in the name of a football “rivalry”.
Let Sevco rot in the 2nd tier. Scottish football is healthier without them.
bontybhoy
18:07 on 23 March, 2015
They cann call themselves whatever they like
My post to you was just a gentle reminder to a Tim, who really should know better.
joe filippis haircut
17:51 on 23 March, 2015
That’s as angry as I’ve seen you on here.
Come on Celtic – grow a pair for once.
STV used to describe the atmosphere at Ibrox as sensational and fantastic when the deidco played in the Champions League. I seem to recall 50,000 pumped up bigots spewing their anti-Catholic and anti-Irish anthems.
Then we got asked why we didn’t support them in Europe.
longlongtimeagoCSC