There is a point of no return in football, when sentiment has been disengaged so long, it cannot be recovered. Dave King referred to this during his campaign to gain control of Newco, insisting that if the club failed to regularly become champions, young fans would not get the bug. I know older Dundee fans who watched as their city switched during the 1980s and who have long given up hope of being a force again. In the 50s, Hearts and Hibs were comparable to Celtic in size, now they feed on scraps.
The same is true at international level. Some of us remember a time when results in the Home Internationals had an importance it is difficult to imagine now. Under Jock Stein, Scotland were held by “11 dustbins” against Portugal, as the great man struggled to explain why his team only got a draw. The national team succumbed to what was an embarrassing defeat in Kazakhstan this week, but no one cared and no one was really embarrassed.
The Scotland ‘thing’ is finished. Those who like their foreign drinking trips will continue to sign up, but kids and the vast majority who watch club football each week have long given up. The SFA have long lost their audience, and with true bunker mentality, they will never consider the problem lies inside their Hampden offices.
Fortunately, you and me have a league title to look forward to winning………
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Hello
How sad! Even the podium chasers have fled elsewhere…
Back to business…………..
On every level* the SFA are completely detached from reality.
That they, and their media partners, are surprised by the hostility the faced tells you all you need to know.
Know your customer, chaps.
*pun intended
MAHE THE MADMAN ( @ ages ago )
I’m always mindful of global Celtic supporters ( and absent friends ) every time I go to Celtic Park, I believe, and know that you do, that the diaspora of the Celt is unique, and a very different genre, from a random Aston Villain you may meet in Melbourne, or even a Mancunian in Toronto. I go to Celtic Park very much with ‘the cause’ in mind, I support Celtic on behalf of me, and my family, all of those who can, and those supporters past and present who can’t.
CQN posters don’t always demonstrate ‘Dundee away on a Sunday early kick off ‘ attributes, some would if they could, be at the game, but even the rank and file of season ticket holders aren’t that committed, and prefer to join TV Celtic, and make pandemonium, as we knee slide along the living room wooden flooring, when Eddy scores.
Some Celtic fans think we could be better run than what ‘Peter runs us’, and when we’re courting Owen ( where is he now ) Coyle, I was a fully fledged leader off. However, I don’t think a full scale revolution is on the cards just yet, not when we’re so close to 8 (9 and 10) and as BR showed us all timing is everything, for ‘the cause’ even when millionaires fall out, we’ve still to get to our work on time in the morning.
The internet has replaced the Celtic Car Park, watch this space, and when the dynasty eventually changes again some supporters still won’t like it, but our miraculous club will have prevailed.
HH
Sack the boards
Good leader Paul.
Dundee FC reached the European Cup semi-final in 62-63. No one remembers.
Penny doesn’t seem to have dropped fully. Scotland’s qualification campaign is finished.
It ended after Match 1 of 10.
Required outcomes for Scotland to qualify ( for ANY tournament)
– 6 points from seed 6
– 6 points from seed 5 – FAILED
– 4 points from seed 3
– Catch seed 1 or 2 cold at home for a lucky win
– Even luckier away draw at seed 1 or 2
– Hope & pray seed 1 or 2 slip up at seed 5 or 6
Another two years in the wilderness.
The SFA – the shameless delivering the shameful.
Hail hail
https://t.co/3I1CRbVsFt?amp=1
The burning right back question continues to smoulder.
McLeish was a truly awful appointment, but the “method” and person(s) behind it is the bigger issue. Unfortunately, because there is no accountability, nothing will happen.
This is an organisation with the durability of cockroaches but somewhat less vision.
If they only had control of the national team it wouldn’t be much of a problem for us, but their influence on the club game spreads their toxicity to that level also, so it does unfortunately impact on us.
Something has to be done.
Quick look at the San Marino media .
” One more defeat . In existence for 29 years . Played 67 competitive games . Lost 65 , drew 2. . 11 goals for ,310 goals against . No indication that they are improving .A Havelange thing , continued by Blatter and seemingly OK for Infantino . At least the bars in Rimini did some out of season business .”
BSR @ 12:35
“I go to Celtic Park very much with ‘the cause’ in mind,”
A question for you (because I am interested in your opinion… not having a dig)…
what is ‘the cause’? And how does going to the game support it and/or how does Celtic support it?
okay .. a question and a few follow-ups…
Disagree, Paul.
International football as regards WCs etc gets so many people involved who aren’t really football fans.
Can’t see Scotland getting to one for a while but then, Iceland did.
Has anyone resolved on whether McLeish is bevvied or that he has a medical condition? Either way it is apparent that he is not up to the job and doesn’t have the confidence of the players.
It appears the (poor) chap will soon be replaced, The question is who is a candidate.
Steve Clarke? Paul Lambert? Alex Neill?
There is a paucity of candidates
Big boy,
Imo, Steve Clarke would be the ideal candidate. I doubt the likes of Petrie would agree…….
“Over the two games we had a mountain of changes and it’s not easy when you don’t have momentum or rhythm.
McLeish also defended his decision to leave winger James Forrest out of the starting line-up.
“We had fresh players coming in,” he said
———-
So, we didn’t play well because we had to make too many changes, but I made an extra one that I didn’t need to make!
Parkhead
SC for the national gig makes sense …. he has done a decent job with limited talent at Killie …
For him, it would likely mean more money, and he could probablyl in England most of the time (where, I believe, his family are still located).
And for the SFA, they probably see it as a chance to get one of the critics of the problem in the game ‘in the tent/on side’ so to speak …
Cheers to
Mahe the not so mad man but more the kind of common sense man
I can’t see McLeish going any time soon. He isn’t going to resign. Who would sack him – the same people who appointed him?
Once enough of the Tartan Army go AWOL then SFA will panic, Ticket sales for Cyprus on 8th June are likely to be poor
McLeish will hang around to see out this doomed campaign.
Then the SFA will hire the next deadbeat/EBTfiddler/ex Rainjurr to see out the next doomed campaign….
….and so on and so forth.
Unless or until the deadbeats who hire the deadbeats are run out of town.
There’s still quite a few EBT’ers hanging around though , so it could take a while.
Mahe @ 3.32am
The biggest problem was the timing ,,, that problem will be negated when the league is won so if the timing proves unproblematic then what exactly is the problem ?
The problem with the timing is twofold. First, it created the uncertainties about winning the league because he left with a narrow margin lead and 11 games to play. The fact that NFL (and PL) stayed on to help us secure (hopefully the 8iar title) does not change the fact that BR risked that title by leaving when he did. You can be damned sure that NFL and PL would both get it in the neck if they had not moved on to secure the title so BR cannot escape the timing criticism IF later events show that we won the title anyway. That is a post-hoc justification.
The 2nd problem is the timing of WANTING to go, not just enquiring about it, the year before is that it removes the arguments about “not being backed” from his justification. At that time, he had Moussa, he had Odsonne, and he had Dedryk, and he still wanted to go. The subsequent fuss made about not landing McGinn and making snide comments about Shved, have to now be seen through the light of his bridling at being made (bribed) to stay on when he was champing at the bit to get away.
I fail to see the big deal of person gets better offer and wants to take it except in this instance we the fans feel he owes us loyalty…….So we are selling him , hes leaving before contracts up to everyones mutual interest ,, ,, yet is he tarnished for leaving early ?
If our assumption, that he was paid to stay on after his China offer, is correct, then he still left before PL and DD would have wanted him to. Leicester paid us £9m allegedly to let him walk in February but I really doubt that either PL or DD wanted him gone with the league not yet won and 3 cup ties to negotiate. Even at the cost of a reduced transfer fee for BR, I expect they would have wanted continuity to the summer when it was well trailed and half-expected that he was going. BR would not have got half as much rancour from the support if he had departed after LANDING the cup and title rather than merely preparing the ground for this achievement.
Brendan knew what he was getting into,,,
Aint going for it . And why would DD apparently tell Peter to support him to the fullest or else at the London summit post leaks ? That doesnt align and suggest Brendans beef is not receiving support thus Peter ordered to give it.
Besides the only way he could find out the inner workings is through verbal contact with Lenny as the rest ( Martin , Gordon , Ronnie , Tony ) are all for one reason or another not in a position to know Peters lark recently…….. Perhaps we should ask why did they leave and understand that clear oral answers simply cannot be forthcoming when one has signed an Nda .
Brendan had worked with a DoF at Liverpool. He had done his research and knew PL’s role at CP before signing. Otherwise he would have walked in his first ever transfer window because PL’s role has not changed during the NFL era, the RD era (though he may have needed the support more) or the BR era. There were no noises about interference or signs of unhappiness expressed until the Moussa & McGinn windows. These happened after BR had wanted to leave. After China, he did not put his wanderlust behind him. Despite us paying for him to stay on, he was looking for a way out. Going out of Europe to Valencia finally allowed him to convince himself that he could burnish his reputation no higher and, anyway, Leicester is a decent enough gig and they were willing to pay us to sweeten his departure.
We can wait for all these alleged Non-disclosure agreements to finally reveal what we all allege to know anyway, that it’s all Big Bad Pete’s fault. I’m still waiting for Bobo to spill the beans. Neil Lennon was supposed to be able to tel us the truth about Lawwell interference but, what do you know, here he is signing up for another chance to be “betrayed” by PL. Either Neil has a short term memory problem or the problem is not so bad as we like to think it is.
rich Thai owners who were ambitious in grabbing Ranieri and seen it payoff big time and so did their faith in their former non league star striker , Man Utd reject etc.
Fulham also showed ambition in going for Ranieri. Did not work that time. Us signing a non-league guy like Vardy would see him derided as a “project”. Leicester shows ambition in paying big bucks for Slimani too. Ambition can leave you broke if you end up relying on a sugar daddy.
I would like your take on what the money is for ? Bankroll a move when der Hun dies again would be my bet if I gambled.
I will do but I’ll come back with my musings on that later
For me, it does not matter who repaces Mcleish.
I f you put a wonderful jockey on a carthorse, it is still a carthorse.
Whilst the SFA are run by Blazers who live in a Masonic/Protestant Scotland past , only an unlikely fluke could result in Scotland becoming a reasonable side.
This is about as likely to happen as is an honest admission of the reality of the Ibrox Club and of Rangers before them.
, I have lost all positive interest in the Scotland football team.
JJ
BREXIT – – On a lighter note, caution, contains a wee swearie or two
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IL2XwSkFJQ
KINGLuBO
Very well put Paul, I’ve long since lost interest in the national team – but then when I see a Celtic player in the team giving it his best shot I feel guilty about not caring if we win or lose,
However regardless – until such times as the SFA Blazers are cleared out and we get some decent responsible transparent management in there that’s not going to change,
Sacking Gordon Strachan and hiring Alex Mcleish – how on earth did they ever think that was going to work? Everybody could see it was a non starter – and surely now everyone knows it’s not the team manger that’s the problem.
Hot Smoked
playing devil’s advocate for a moment…
Scott Bain is a good keeper …
in Tierney and Robertson, we have two of the better young left backs around…
many celtic fans think Brownie was a once in a generation midfilerder/leader …
I think Calum McGregor is a player .. and this season ryan christie has shown real promise
people rave about James Forrest ….
Leigh Griffiths is a born finisher, and OB has opened my eyes during his time at Celtic
that is just the Celtic bhoys .. but, surely, that is the basis for a decent team…
Not a fan of international football, but Forrest and everyone else who were on the park v Kazakhstan could have been dropped.
Anyone who wants to discuss the shambles that is Scotland should head over to Scotland Quick News. Some of us are not interested in Scotland, remember this is the same SFA that detest Celtic FC and all we stand for. Celtic first, Celtic last and Celtic overall. FtSFA
Cambhoy, Since when was CQN solely about Celtic? Some of us ARE interested in Scotland. If there’s a debate about a particular subject that doesn’t interest you, whether that’s Scotland, politics, or anything else there’s always the scroll on by option. Hail Hail.
cambhoy
Celtic overalls? Now there is an idea!
I thought Strachan resigned from the Scotland job? The football was better than EBT Eck but the problem was that he stuck with his favourites and refused to change. Anya, Hutton, D. Fletcher, Morrison, MacArthur, Bannon would all still be playing.
Fix Fitba’ Empty Hampden.
expat_celt
check the stats – strachan changed more than you thought
regardless, whether he played faves or not, his teams were better
the sfa and all the balloons in fancy dress who follow them have got exactly what they deserve
My S/T has been ‘automatically renewed’, apparently
Turnstile fodder is the unhappy fate of the sect114 diehard.
No word on k/off times, rubidge catering, and even more rubidge drummin’ comin’ from our neighbours the ole green brigade, like a fridge falling down three flights of stairs.
EXPAT CELT
online Mail report from Oct 17…..
“Gordon Strachan has been sacked as Scotland manager after failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
The Scottish FA have announced that Strachan will leave along with his assistant manager Mark McGhee.
A 2-2 draw away to Slovenia in World Cup qualifying on Sunday curtailed any hope Scotland had of reaching the play-offs and qualifying for their first tournament since the 1998 World Cup. “
Also did I want disco lights?
Nay.
Did I want wall to wall gambling sponsorship and adverts.
Nay,nay.
Did I want just cold water in the torlet washbasin?
Nay, nay and thrice nay.
Jobo – Keep it Lit Bhoy. I no longer feel much for the national team but I do like reading your hopes and thoughts on the squad. My hope is that Celtic can provide a positive, professional and neutral influence on the Scottish game.
HH
And America decides the Golan Heights will join occupied Palestine, exceptionalism that will hopefully be remedied soon.
If I criticise the zionists and support the Palestinians it is impossible to use the anti-semitic argument in any meaningful way, since both sides have Semitic origins.
The zionists are probably the most anti-semitic organisation in the world.
‘My hope is that Celtic can provide a positive, professional and neutral influence on the Scottish game’
– the SFA release their new mission statement