Ronny Deila introduced an interesting edge following yesterday’s preseason friendly against Rapid Vienna, saying his players’ “body language wasn’t good. I can accept not playing well but the most important thing has to be the attitude and that was lacking”.
Noting a “lack of energy and that players “looked tired” is par for the course at this time of year but adding “we need to do something with their attitude” gives you an indication of what is expected of the players this season.
Celtic players have for a while now been criticised, fairly or otherwise, for languid body language. Caught between Premiership games against teams they are vastly better than, and Champions League games they need to raise performances for, coaches would need to work hard to raise the heartbeat for domestic football. I suspect its’ this Ronny was targeting, instead of a preseason warm-up.
Does anyone know how to stretch hamstrings prior to kicking the ball? It’s incredible that professional footballers, and Celtic players in particular, are so commonly afflicted by this injury. All it takes is one incomplete warm-up routine and a player is out of action for weeks.
Bids for the European Cup canvass, signed by Billy McNeill, close shortly after noon today. Keep an eye on the action here. You can buy a raffle ticket for the second canvass for as little as £1 here.
Funds are going towards the Cookie Jar Foundation and Glasgow the Caring City. Many thanks for your fantastic help.
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Official Celtic Website
FOOTBALL legend Alfredo di Stefano has sadly passed away at the age of 88 in Madrid’s Gregorio Maranon hospital.
Regarded as one of the greatest-ever footballers, he suffered a heart attack on Saturday and passed away at 4:15 this afternoon.
The Argentina-born player won five successive European Cups for the Spanish giants, scoring in every final, and was also crowned European Footballer of the Year on two occasions.
In a stellar career, the forward also enjoyed great success in his homeland for River Plate and for Columbian side Millonarios.
Just weeks after lifting the European Cup in 1967, Jock Stein’s Lisbon Lions were invited to provide the opposition for Di Stefano’s testimonial in the Bernabeu.
In front of 130,000 fans, Celtic underlined their status as kings of the continent by beating Real in their own backyard thanks to Bobby Lennox’s second-half goal, with Jimmy Johnstone turning in a dazzling display. It was the perfect way to round off the most glorious season in the club’s history.
Three years earlier, Jimmy McGrory made audacious but ultimately ill-fated attempt to sign di Stefano for the Bhoys, with defender John Cushley acting as an interpreter in the negotiations.
The thoughts and prayers of everyone at Celtic Park are with the family and friends of Alfredo di Stefano at this sad time.
Joe Filippi’s Haircut
17.11
Hiya,Palomine?
Nice tae talk tae ye.. agin.
Yes, Ah agree wi everything that ye jist Wrote.. Ronny ,is a Manager.. who wull
well.. Actually…
MANAGE!
n… Findin THAT oot… is Nothing, but..
SENSATIONAL!
Imagine That?
A Manager, who is Actually, Gonna..well.
MANAGE!
In the Brief Time that Ah hiv Known Ronny, in Ma Opinion.. it is Looking awfy Like, tae Me….
that Ronny Dee is the “Second”. Comin’!
Ye Know who wiz the “First… Comin'”…of Course!
Ah am all Agog..at the Exciting Prospect..of Ronny..
Pitting up the Bar.. agin.. any of his Charges.. “Proppin’ Up ” .Any Bars..
in thur Free Time.
A Totally…. Tee Total Team.. Is Ma Desire…
Total Dedication tae the Beautiful Game..
Time enuff..later oan in Life , fur Young guys tae … Trip the Light Fantastic
n..Ye Know Damn fine. Whit Kinda Bars….that Ah am talkin’ Aboot..
n.. Stampin oot the Tattoo Nonsense..that his Broken oot among the
Callow Yoofs..
Ach.. Ah wullnae Get AWE that Ah want, fae Ronny..
But… Ah wull Settle fur
SOME!
Nice Chattin’. Pally..as per Usual.
Kojo
Still,Laughin’
Greeninbingley @ 16:44…
Denis Connaghan accidentally threw the ball into his own net at Broomfield in the 1974 Drybrough Cup tie v Airdrie.
Fortunately for Denis we won the game (4-2) and Jock did see the funny side of it.
Coincidentally, on page 1361 of Kerrydale Street’ thread “Old Celtic Images”, CelticIreland has recently posted a photograph of Jock, Neilly Mochan and Bobby Rooney having a laugh after Denis’s OG.
Sky
Cheers
Apologies in advance. This is long, but it sets out to show in detail how the SFA did not act on numerous red flags when dealing with Sevco Scotland.
I think its worth reminding the blog about matters i first wrote about on RTC and also in the early days on here and TSFM . Others have commented also on a number of related issues, however I hear that the relevance is still significant, and the influence has not gone away.
Lets start with Chan Fook Meng (CFM) He was in charge of Orlit, who issued a winding up order served on Rangers. This was over disputed invoices totaling £400,000 . These invoices appeared to be a fee for services provided in raising funds. The winding up order never crystalised and the matter appeared to have been settled without recourse to the courts.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-21370477
CFM had a connection to Charles Green, through Nova Enterprises. Green was Chairman in the company reported to be “owned” by CFM. Brian Stockbridge was also reported to have a connection to CFM when Orlit was known as Tembusu Investments.
The London Evening Standard reported in May 2011 , before any of this would be of interest to Scottish Football, that Rafat Rizvi was previously Chairman and CEO of Tembusu when it was listed on AIM.
http://www.standard.co.uk/business/markets/city-spy-law-may-be-closing-in-on-runaway-rizvi-6400392.html
This should have been red flag #1 for the Scottish Football authorities. A clear link between Green and a man on Interpol’s most wanted list
Another interesting fact about Tembusu is that the Chairman prior to Rizvi was Jonathan Rowland, who’s father David “Spotty” Rowland was the finance provider behind David Duff and James Gray’s disastrous ownership of Hibs. Rowland owned 30% of Hibs when Duff & Gray had control. The very real fear for Hibs fans was that Rowland was reputed to be happy to sell the assets and allow a merger with Wallace Mercers Hearts. Tom Farmer stepped in and that piece of madness was avoided.
http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/chairman-reveals-how-he-won-control-of-hibs-1.600865
http://www.investegate.co.uk/article.aspx?id=20100122101109W2129
That was Red Flag #2 for the Scottish Football authorities.
The Nomad at Tembusu resigned when Rizvi was found guilty of defrauding an Indonesian bank of $600 million. They resigned because although Rizvi quit his roles he was replaced by his wife and the Nomad believed Rizvi was still controlling the business. The new Nomad was Allenby Capital, which was founded by Imran Ahmad, with Brian Stockbridge on board at Allenby as well.
This is red flag #3 for the Scottish Football Authorities. There are now clear links between Rizvi and Green, Stockbridge and Ahmad, and between Rizvi and the guy who had been a significant shareholder and provider of finance to those responsible for Hibs darkest hour.
Next we have the intervention of Charlotte Fakes
The emails leaked by Charlotte Fakes seemed to show that initial funding for Sevco came from Rizvi.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/rangers-court-battle-charlotte-fakes-3159443
http://i.imgur.com/1Ls2NsJ.jpg
http://m.imgur.com/r0gi5X4
Red flag #4 for the Scottish Football authorities
Next we have proof of the closest link possible between Chan Fook Meng and Rizvi. This link is through a trust called the Bunny Foundation Trust. This trust has been set up to benefit Rizvi’s family. Rizvi is the Settlor ( he puts the money in) and Chan Fook Meng is the Protector ( he ensures the trustees act as directed) .
When setting up this type of arrangement you really need a Protector in whom you have 100% trust . The Protector can make or break any or all plans if he goes rogue. When you have this level of trust then you have someone who could front anything for you, especially if there was very good reason why you would want to remain out of sight.
http://offshoreleaks.icij.org/nodes/172905
So now we have Red Flag #5 for the Scottish Football authorities.
Rangers supporters have been failed by Regan & Co with regards to ensuring Rangers , after a period of extreme trauma, would be in the hands of credible , untainted and honest owners who would play by the rules. After the behavior of David Murray and Craig Whyte the very least they were owed was an ownership group who wouldn’t deceive , rule break, cheat and tax evade. They were also entitled to expect owners who would’t risk further trauma by helping themselves to what should have been important working capital.
The Scottish Football authorities may have extended a helping hand with regards to the LNS scope of enquiry and the issuing of a Euro Licence, but they showed they were weak and ineffectual or disinterested in the matter of who was “fit and proper” as owners of a very important Scottish Club.
A recent interview with Mazan Houssami had Houssami claiming that he was the sole shareholder in Blue Pitch Holdings. He claimed never to have met Green, which must make anyone of an enquiring mind , ie not Regan, wonder how on earth he became aware of the investment opportunity. Remember Blue Pitch were in prior to the Aim IPO, so this was a private placing at that stage. Houssami has no connection to UK business’ of which we or companies house are aware.
It may or may not be true that Houssami never met Green, however if a Lebanese lawyer is the only shareholder in a company who own part of a company in Glasgow, it does not necessarily follow that he is the ultimate beneficiary.
Lawyers and clients are able to count on client privilege which keeps their dealings secret. It is entirely feasible, and not uncommon, for a Lawyer in some jurisdictions to have a contract to act for a client , under client instructions with all benefits and entitlements passing to the client, even though the lawyer is the sole shareholder.
Quite frankly i have a huge problem believing a Beirut Lawyer who never met Green is the ultimate beneficiary of Blue Pitch Holdings shareholding. Everything points to Rizvi, who has provable connections to Green , Ahmad and Stockbridge, as still pulling the strings. More than probably using his close friend and trust Protector Chan Fook Meng
Red Flag #6
This brings us to the Easdale’s. Now if I was a respectable Beirut Lawyer , with a genuine investment using my own money, who wanted someone to act as proxy , then i would use a respectable Scottish Lawyer or Accountant. What i wouldn’t do is hand that proxy to a local West of Scotland businessman, especially one who had spent time in jail for financial fraud.
Someone of an enquiring mind , again not Regan and certainly not Ogilvie, might question under what circumstances a Beirut Lawyer would even know a Greenock bus operator . Or in fact if they actually had never met.
Here is where logic takes me with this.
Blue Pitch and Margarita are ultimately beneficial to and controlled by Rizvi & associates through Chan Fook Meng having appointed Houssami as the investment vehicle. He wants someone on the ground who won’t be phased by threats from supporters or enquiries from the media. Green was fine, but he is getting off the scene having let his mouth run away once too often.
Rizvi / Chan Fook Meng gets Green to recommend someone for the role of Proxy who won’t ask too many questions and can see the “good side” of someone convicted of financial fraud.
Green has the very people. He had previously met the Easdale’s when he was looking for committed funding to support the IPO. He knew their background and their personalty and character , and deemed them perfectly fit for purpose . There is every possibility the Easdale’s have never met or spoken to Rizvi or Chan Fook Meng, in fact I think it extremely unlikely they have . All that was required was an agreement with Houssami.
We now have Red Flag #7 Any more and we would have the audience for a military parade day in Beijing.
Laxey have appeared on the scene as opportunist value investors. Nothing wrong with that. It is precisely what they are charged to do by those who’s money they manage, including their own. They get their way by installing a credible and honest CEO in Wallace, however the damage has already been done contractually by previous executives.
Nothing can happen moving forward without the agreement of BPH and Margarita . It appears to me to be checkmate. Either pay Rizvi , if indeed my logic is correct, and you can then unwind the contracts draining the lifeblood out of the club or accept the fact that they will, even with new equity raised, continue to get an incredible yield on the initial investment.
A forced insolvency event would be incredibly risky all round. And then there is the possibly tenuous , and possibly not , connection to the guy who saw Hibs as a property play.
Which of these red flags have the SFA investigated? any of them ? What answers have they received, and now that all these connections have been pointed out, as we know they monitor TSFM & CQN , and i suspect occasionally respond under nom de plume , will they ask the questions they haven’t already asked .
Bada Bing. Did you not think Kayal was the man of the match yesterday ? H.H.
Joe Filippis Haircut
Ah’ll be Delighted tae Answer yer Question
Kayal, Wiz..
Wiz Wit..
The Genuine Man of the Match..in Last Night’s Confront wi the Austrians.
Kayal, is Back.. n..
Ah Am Dee..EE.. Lited!
Kojo
Still,Laughin’
joe filippis haircut- Kayal had a good game,but he’s always injured,he has probably been available for about 25% of our games since he signed.For that reason i would move him on.HH
KOJO. Once again we agree I was surprised when Bada said he should be moved on.When he first joined Celtic he put in many very good performances then he got injured and appeared to lose a bit confidence and form.However,yesterday for me he looked back to his best.H.H.
Gordon
17:44 on
7 July, 2014
Thanks for that.
I remembered we won, but thought it was a league game – forgot it was the Drybrough Cup.
I can imagine Big Jock seeing the funny side of it…. after we won.
An Tearmann
17:31 on
7 July, 2014
Thomthethim
Alfredo de Stefano r.i.p I echo those sentiments .I never seen him ex on film.ahead o his time.capped for 3 countries might be wrong? :-)
HH
****
That night at Celtic Park was special.
Real were the biggest club on the planet and had all their stars on show.
Such was the contest that Celtic gave them that night, that the crowd insisted on a lap of honour…….from Celtic, not Real!
I’m not sure if he played for three countries, but he was born in Argentina and played for Uruguay and Spain.
Happy anniversary to my wife of 30 years.
When she took me on she had no idea how much work she had on her hands but she’s managed it with very few visits to the A&E ;)
Great to see the start to the pre-season going well apart from the injury to Broonie.
We need him more than he gets credit for imho.
Keep the nucleus and build on it and we’ll give a few big names a scare in the CL this year.
I agree that Kayal has stood out in both games to date. Nothing wrong with his body language!
Twardzik is another who looks like he can deliver.
I have doubts bout Stokes and Commons having the physical ability to shape up.
Charlie is another.
Lustig made a couple of good, last ditch covering challenges yesterday
Joe Filippis Haircut.
at 17.58
Yes.. there are Many oan here.. who wid Agree wi’ Bada.
But..No Me… or.. You.
Sure, Kayal, has gone thru a very bad Patch..
Ah trace it’s emergence..tae that Horrendously Awful Tackle ,by Elbows McCulloch..
that fateful Day.. Where Kayal, who wiz a Marked Man, by the Ibrox Intelligentsia..so.. McCulluch duly made sure that Kayal…
Got…”HIS”.an His Threat wid be Stifled.
Yes, Kayal wiz THAT Feared.
It has Taken the Kid.. a Long time tae get over that.. as well as a Coupla Ither Bad injuries..
He ,definitely… Loast his Confidence… fur a Long Time..
Well.
The Clouds Hiv Rolled By.. noo.. n..
Kayal,is wance Mair.. A Force tae be Reckoned wi…
IN MA OPINION..n.. YOUR’S.. that Must be said, of course.
We shall See..
Right?
Nice Chattin’,Palomine, as evah.
Kojo
Still,Laughin’
thomthethim. I think there are interesting times ahead at Paradise Rony will probably surprise us all in who he is prepared to let go and who he brings in.However,in the very short time he has been hear he seems to know what he is doing.H.H.
hear = here
Kayal is looking back to his best, he must stay. Michael Lustig is a tremendous player arguably our best defender. At the end of last year, I had Derk, Amido & Dylan on top of my “get rid” list. At this stage the only lad I can see no hope at all for is Amido, I know the tap in Derk missed was horrendous but apart from that I thought he played OK yesterday. I thought that Dylan did fine in both games.
ThomtheThim
Pal.. You are Spot Oan!
Kayal, Hiz hid TWO very Excellent outings..
He is Back.. Ah am Sure of that.
Again.. Ah am Perfect Lock-Step wit Ye,pal..
Commons n Stokesy ur Two ..’
LOLLYGAGGERS…
Wull Ronny Affect a Chinge in them?
Tough ,tae Say..
Commons, has developed quite a Strong Following ,oan here.. Ah Note..
but.. Ah am Not A member of that Company.
Sure, Commons , Scores the Goals..which is Mighty Fine n Dandy..
But..
He Never has shown ME.. that He kin Perform well..in
TOAP CLASS COMPANY..
So tae pit oor Faith in Commons tae be the Man tae guide us tae C.L.
Glory..
In Ma Opinion.. wid be Foolish..
We Need someone Else..
Who?
Well.. We Hiv Naebuddy,in Ma Opinion. .who is Capable of Leading us tae Glory.. In the C.L.
The S.P.L. ..is a whole different Kettle o’ Coloured Hoarses!
But..in the C.L.?
Na.. we Need a Leader..
n we wullnae Advance tae the End Game in the C.L. unti we Get Wan..
N..
Let me Repeat..
It wull NO BE COMMONS.
Kojo
Still, Laughin’
Agree,Joe.
He will ruffle feathers, even with his iron fist in a velvet glove approach and one or two sacred cows may be sacrificed in pursuit of his vision.
Di Stefano: A true great has died. RIP, Alfredo.
Alfredo Di Stefano RIP.
A real thing fitba player .
My education includes the 1960 European Cup Final and witnessing hate filled numbnuts exorting a German team to get stuck into ” thae Spanish fenian @@@@s”.
Mid 90s hot – a few weeks early -way down south
I hope Kris Commons and Charlie Mulgrew can develop physically in to the type of player our manager seeks. I worry about both, tbh.
I agree completely Joe @ 18.16. I’m not sure that Ronny’s style will suit Kris Commons for one, I love Kris & hope he signs an extension but I think we can expect the unexpected re who gets shipped out. By the way does anyone know what the situation is regarding Tom Rogic. Is he back at Celtic Park or is he injured.
I was at the game when Di Stefano played with Real Madrid at Celtic Park,
my Dad and I travelled from Rothesay, as we were on holiday, for the game, and returned to the Isle of Bute on the Post Office boat, I don’t know if that was allowed but that’s how we got back to the island por cierto
Parkheadcumsalford. I think Charlie will be ok as he can cover in many positions and for any manager that is good.However,Kris might not have it for Rony in the longer term.H.H,
Joe Filippis Haircut
He will clear out the majority of the 1st team over a period of time, that’s what new managers always do, although his reasons for change will probably be to do with attitude as well as it being his team por cierto.
Por Ciero. You will no doubt be correct over the longer time. H.H.
Just to mention, folks……had a fantastic experience today with an alloy wheel repairer called Wheelpro Glasgow East Branch……. best of 5 quotes, unbelievably friendly, efficient, and the repair was perfect ….. would highly recommend them ….( just Google. Wheelpro….!!!!) ….
South Of Tunis
18:26 on
7 July, 2014
Alfredo Di Stefano RIP.
A real thing fitba player .
My education includes the 1960 European Cup Final and witnessing hate filled numbnuts exorting a German team to get stuck into ” thae Spanish fenian @@@@s”.
*aye the same German side that took 12 aff them in the semis.
Whit’s A
HUMAM TARIQ?
Hmmmmmm..
From the Look of HIs Work… Ah think that He may be jist the Kinda Guy
that we hiv bin Lookin Fur.. tae..
Gee up oor Mid-Field.
Ye know.. Somewan, wi… BRAINS.
We hiv the Brawn..but.. Nae Mallum .
N.. We need THAT.
Gotae Go ,joe..
see Ye..
Kojo
Still,Laughin’
parkheadcumsalford
18:27 on 7 July, 2014
No need to worry about those 2 Bhoys, believe me…!!
Till later all
REMEMBER if you get an Email from me delete it without opening it, seems I have been hacked:((
Obviously who ever is doing the hacking is no lookin for money :))))
“Raven loony” still making me smile BSR:)))
I’m surprised the orange order chap never blamed Catholic schools for the wrongs in Scotland’s society as its a reason used by a number of people, wrongly in my opinion.
Derk played well on his short debut and when he came on as a sub when we beat the Dons 3 1 at Celtic Park last season. I normally give players new to our club a settling in period especially foreign players. If he doesn’t do well when given a chance, it will be in his & our best interests if he moves.
thomthethim for Oscar OK
18:08 on
7 July, 2014
An Tearmann
17:31 on
7 July, 2014
Thomthethim
Alfredo de Stefano r.i.p I echo those sentiments .I never seen him ex on film.ahead o his time.capped for 3 countries might be wrong? :-)
HH
****
That night at Celtic Park was special.
Real were the biggest club on the planet and had all their stars on show.
Such was the contest that Celtic gave them that night, that the crowd insisted on a lap of honour…….from Celtic, not Real!
*aye that was some night, at 1-3 we scored another which for some reason was chalked off, if it had stood we would have beat them…that was the night the “Celtic Cha Cha Cha” was born.
After the game oul Bob said we had found our secret weapon against the continentals, as they were called then……..Stevie Chalmers….oh how they laughed…were laughin on the other side of their faces almost 5 years later.
Big Alfie played with three different national teams during his career: he played six times with the Argentine national team, winning the 1947 Copa America; twice with Colombia (not recognized by FIFA); and 31 times with the Spanish national team. However, he never played in the World Cup
Sad to hear of the death of Alfredo Di Stefano. We will always remember how he paid tribute to the Lions by asking them to play in his testimonial match. RIP.
Kojo,
Once again I think your football analysis is spot on.
It must be, if it concurs with my own and Joe Fillipi’s !!
South of tunis
I’ve heard that one too from uncles who were at the game. The hun hate mob dished it out to those ‘Spanish fenians’ who were the best team ever.
Btw was the semi not played at Wimbledon? 6-1 6-2 to Eintracht?
Paul67 et al
RIP Alfredo Di Stifano
The loss of a bona fide footballing great.
Hampden Park 1960, Celtic Park 1963, The Bernebau 1967
Salut!