In the most significant development towards the regionalisation of European leagues yet, Russian Premier League chief executive, Sergei Pryadkin, has announced plans to merge the Russian and Ukrainian leagues. The plan has been driven by CSKA Moscow, Zenit St. Petersburg and Anzhi Makhachkala, who have formed a foundation committee.
Russian clubs already deal with the rigours of playing across a vast geographical area, so adding a huge nation like Ukraine would present further challenges, but top sides from Russian and Ukraine know that if they are to become genuine top tier clubs they will need to play in as strong a league as possible. The plan is likely to involve feeder national leagues working below the confederated league.
Uefa president Michel Platini has already given the green light to the regionalisation of leagues. The most important question for Scottish football fans, is whether SPL clubs would like to feed into a confederated British league.
The hoary old claim that SPL clubs need Celtic and Rangers has been shown to be a complete falsehood this year. SPL clubs didn’t need Rangers and they don’t need Celtic either – if only those running our game had the balls to ask fans their views on this matter they might reinvigorate our game, instead of managing inevitable decline.
We are not wanted or needed by fans of Motherwell, Hibs, Kilmarnock, Inverness, Aberdeen or Dundee United. These clubs are competing in the best SPL ever with only one problem, a bloated club from Parkhead.
If Scottish football wants a way forward which will see a well-attended and competitive top league, ask the fans, do they need or want Celtic? Do they want an opportunity to feed into a regional league? Any reorganisation which fails to take the views of the paying customer into account will be a disgraceful failure.
Ordered the CQN Annual yet? It is a product of literary brilliance. Get it here in time for Christmas!
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Enough of this mind numbing ‘greatest league in the world’ game. Switching over to Bremen v Nuremburg on ESPN.
WB v WH boring – crowd very quiet – EPL my a@@e
To all the EK bashers out there
im in EK and just about to head out for a chinese carry out. im as sure as i can be that i wont get mugged, stabbed or shot
i bet all you people in blantyre, hamilton, airdrie, coatbridge and banff cant say the same
then again, im not going to greenhills for it
Super Sunday not so super.”Deck the halls” put on for kids and big kids.
understatement of the day from Alan Smith on Sky re the WB game – ‘lacks a bit of quality in the 1st half’
Potential Champions League opponents .
Juventus 3 —-Atalanta 0
Played 3 -5 -2 .
Atalanta keeper kept the score down .
Fabulous playmaking from the excellent Giovinco.
Trademark up , over and score free kick from Pirlo.
Juve continue to make confident noises about signing Drogba.
theglasgowcelticway-aye,big red brick building with no windows.
http://t.co/77xjmGwB
Why “Sevco” matters
Hands off EK.
My last address there was in Greenhills.
A mate of mine reckoned that all the young mothers had red noses and strong calf muscles, through pushing prams up the hills in winter.
St.Bride’s was known a Fort Apache back then.
Is it still?
hoopy-do
what about poisoned
Hoopy do
I work in ek .. So my view is tainted.
A guy who works with mw delivers chinese meals at night… Tells a few tales of coming back empty handed
Im in favour of summer football. If europe is the only real way
of raising the profile of scottish football, i would have the
league taking place in a way thats beneficial to clubs
in europe.
Earlier start to season to have clubs ready for qualifiers
and a break coinciding with end of group stages.
Bremen v Nuremburg is the German equivelant of the WBA v WHU game in that they are all mid table teams, won’t be near relegation battle nor places in Europe. The biggest difference is that both German teams are trying to attack at all times and there is a good atmpsphere in a packed stadium. The Bremen equivelant of the Green Brigade (looks at least twice the size) have never stopped singing and flag waving. Cheap tickets and beer obviously help!!
Gene’s a Bhoys name,
being poisoned is an ever present risk in ek, they dont half know how to mix their chemicals up here – i blame the high quality chemistry teachers in our schools
Kayal 33
New manager will not be in place before draw.
Interesting note on crowds being down (incl EPL) – most of the big European sides had good attendances this weekend. Think fans make the effort knowing there’s a winter shutdown pre-Christmas – allows time with the family, no travel or weather problems.
Shutdowns include; Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Holland – all the big guys!
bada bing
I went there once when I was younger,St Cadoc’s,Halfway,man.I can’t believe it won awards(Carbuncle maybe).
Bada,
A brick sh**hoose. Costs about a zillion quid a year to heat, even have the gas heaters on in the summer. Architect must have been on funny jelly beans when he/she designed that one, either that or was sponsored by British Gas.
I have just emailed Montrose FC asking if I can still purchase a programme from Saturday`s game. If anyone else is interested, here is the address:
montrosefootballclub@tesco.net
JJ
Djbee,
Thanks for sharing, very succinct article, hopefully will gain a wider audience. Very to the point and a factually accurate reflection of the climate we find ourselves in.
Jungle Jim
Montrose might have to print extra programmes to meet demand.
Could become a collectors’ item in the future.
HH!!
auldheid
16:00 on
16 December, 2012
Paul67
To quote Red in The Shawshank Redemption “Get busy living or get busy dying”
————-
Forgive my pedantry but Red ( or rather Mr King) pinched that line from the incomparable Robert Alan Zimmerman. Bob Dylan to you and me!
“He not busy being born us busy dieing.”
Never a truer word spoken either. Applies to all walks of life.
From DJBEE`s link above:
“Rangers Football Club was founded in 1872 and went bust in 2012 owing millions of pounds to 276 creditors, including the taxman.
Please, read that again. Millions of pounds, 276 creditors. They will never be paid”
Those sentences should be learned by all football fans and repeated ad nauseum.
JJ
“I admit to being hyper-sensitive about deliberate agendas as, when I joined the BBC more than four decades ago, I found myself in a departmental anti-Catholic, anti-Celtic ethos which I had to fight against…”
Archie Macpherson (Nov 2012) (link)
WE REST OUR CASE……..
Clashcitybhoy
Last year, we lost £2m, but t.v money is same as last season and season books are about same as last year, we have lost 2 home games against oldco so no way have we lost 5 million from their demise.
the mass cull of players over the last year, imho, will have saved us at least 5 million
paul mcgowen, ryan conroy, Andreas Hinkel, Freddie Ljungberg, Ben Hutchinson, neill mcginn, Efraín Juárez, josh thompson, darren o’dea, daryl murphy, Badr El Kaddouri, Jos Hooiveld, Shaun Maloney, Morten Rasmussen, Cha Du-Ri, Daniel Majstorović, Mark Wilson, Paweł Brożek, Ki Sung-Yueng, Glenn Loovens, Andre Blackman, Dominic Cervi, Richie Towell, throw in thompson (first team coach) even when you consider wage increases and players in.
european income is somewhere in the region of 30 million this season against 2 million last season and thats before the ki money is put in.
we should be sacking our money men if our profit is not far higher than £12m profit
i dont want anything to day with EPL and i would not want us to play in it. a northern european league would be far more appealing to me
hail hail
!!Bada Bing!! chortles @16:28 “Jc2-it is one ugly building .HH.”
Bada it is one ugly town.
For any Northern league Celtic are the jewel in the crown.
Hoping to draw Malaga or Schalke in the last 16 and have been saving some trips on expedia for Malaga. 3 and 4 day trips around £200 mark quite good for a few days in the sun. Finding a little hard to get a decent deal for the Schalke trip, I think the nearest airport is in Dusseldorf, so there is a wee bit of travelling to do. It is worth noting that Dortmund is not that far away and with the right flights and hotel this could cover both trips if we draw either of them.
Really hoping for Malaga though, anyone else done any forward planning?
HH
I see there is a new big pub in rutherglen – right across from the vougue – some Gaelic name
Chestnut season, I see.
Gene’sabhoy and tictaewin are right. The rest is just huff and puff.
There is no reason why the clubs in England should allow Celtic in. That is, to be clear, NO REASON.
Absolutely, positively, definitely not a single reason, not one, none at all.
Our club’s future is in Scotland, and all the wishful thinking, all the self-admiration, all the deep consultations of school atlases, makes not a whit of difference. For better or worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health it’s Scotland – or nothing.
http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/top-football-stories/rangers-fans-call-for-apology-after-montrose-programme-s-newco-jibe-1-2694792
Apolgies if already posted
HH
From the SFA website re Kenny Shiels and Dallas minors’ altercation…..
Alleged Party in Breach: Kenny Shiels, Kilmarnock FC
Match: Kilmarnock v St Johnstone – 24th November 2012
Disciplinary Rule(s) allegedly breached:
Disciplinary Rule 203 (Misconduct at a match by dissent, adopting an aggressive attitude and by the use of offensive, insulting or abusive language.)
Outcome: Breach of Disciplinary Rule 203 – Upheld (Subject to the removal of “adopting an aggressive attitude” and “the use of Offensive, Insulting or abusive language” from the original complaint.
=====================
So Shiels done for dissent but all the rest removed. What a carve up. Time for Celtic to be asking questions.
A fairer outcome would have been “dismissed” although committee noted dissent…but may have been too honest for a Dallas.
Palacio67
17:24 on 16 December, 2012
The problem with Malaga will be lack of tickets, getting there and staying there cheap and easy but stadium only holds about 30,000 which they tend to fill.
Heads-Up….
Episode 9/10 of the Arthur Askey Story..
Just about to start on BBC Radio 4 Extra..
[Jobbo Rating *****]
Enjoy….
Stephbhoy,
Don’t forget the 440 000 we goat fir Dalglish. That’s defo still in the kitty in awe.
Lovely town Malaga but their stadium is quite small from what I remember, we can give Schalke or Arsenal a right good run for their money over two legs.
Does yesterdays game go down in history for the most penalties not given in one game??
Many thanks to the Immense Ballieston Bhoy for yesterdays hospitality, enjoyed that Mate..
Kayal33
Thanks K33, any ideas what allocation they will give us? 3-5k?
HH
Palacio67
17:36 on 16 December, 2012
they only have to give us 5%, approx 1,500
Delia,
Disagree. The money men and TV men (one and the same ) will decide how things pan out and it’s obvious that cross country competition drives interest and therefore demand.