Sinister and inflammatory

542

I was considerably alarmed at this morning’s Daily Record article, which appears to equate calls for an inquiry into an alleged conspiracy to subvert tax law, as well as SFA and SPL rules, on a level with sectarianism. Most clearly here:

“Of course, this will infuriate the self-proclaimed, proud ‘bampots’ on social media toiling away 24/7 in pursuit of justice for Scottish football.

“Their irreversibly entrenched view will always be that ‘the Protestant establishment club cheated on an industrial scale’”.

I’m disturbed that so many people on social media are having their views on rule breaking caricatured as an anti-Protestant witch-hunt.

This is wildly inaccurate, sinister and inflammatory. A sign, perhaps, of the direction of travel in this debate.

This bit is really, REALLY, important.

If there is a perception that there is a risk to social media users this debate is closed – trust me on this one. Right now, some are asking themselves, “How much sectarian hatred are the media prepared to stir up if we talk about this?”

Convince people their club’s record is being questioned, not because of rule breaking, but for religious reasons, and you open Pandora’s Box – and we all know this.

Don’t get angry. This angle is thus far isolated, should be mocked and we should quickly move on.

If you want the debate to take place, don’t lose focus and stick to the point: were tax laws, SFA and SPL rules broken, if so, was this an oversight, or was there a conspiracy to subvert the rules and earlier inquiries?

Perhaps most importantly, this is the time for other clubs and their fans to have their say.

Jim Craig and Brendan Sweeney on CQN TONIGHT!

Lisbon Lion, Jim Craig, and Celt for Change, Brendan Sweeny, Live chat on CQN tonight.

I’m absolutely delighted we have yet another Lisbon Lion, Jim Craig, on CQN tonight, as well as a one of the most influential fans in our history, Brendan Sweeny (who will cringe at reading that).

Brendan has researched and written Celtic: The Early Years, forward by Jim. It is the most incredible account of the how and why a football club was formed in Parkhead in 1888, and the seismic events which shaped its future during the Early Years.

Both will be on CQN tonight from 7:30, you can ask questions on the blog and chat to them. Ask Jim about those great times, his career after football, or what’s going on at the club now.

Brendan, as an integral part of Celts for Change, Jungle Bhoys and now Celtic Graves Society, has been a force of nature for the Celtic cause. This is also about as far into the limelight as he’s ever likely to emerge!

Premium Seats competition for Kilmarnock game on Saturday

Magners, Celtic’s main sponsor, are offering fans the chance to win a pair of Premium Seat tickets in the Jock Stein Stand to the match. All you have to do is answer the following question:

Who was Celtic manager when Kilmarnock won their first game in over half a century?

Email answer to celticquicknews@gmail.com with the answer in the email SUBJECT box.

Competition closes at 22:00 tonight, so this is a one day target!

On another subject, Ad hominem, def:

An ad hominem (Latin for “to the man” or “to the person”), is an attack on an argument made by attacking the character, motive, or other attribute of the person making the argument, rather than attacking the argument directly. When used inappropriately, it is a logical fallacy in which a claim or argument is dismissed on the basis of some irrelevant fact or supposition about the author or the person being criticised.

Just saying……..

Time for some Labi Siffre tunes.

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  1. Evening Jim, a nice easy question, who would you vote the greatest Celtic player from your playing days, and also the all time greatest Celtic player out with your playing era.

     

     

    HH Dan

  2. JC2

     

     

    Amalgams is the stronger of the two but doesn’t look as nice. Wherever a filling shows in your mouth use a Composite. That will be £40 please.

  3. Hello Jim.

     

    As somebody who is involved in a medical discipline, I am extremely interested to know your thoughts/feelings on:

     

     

    1) Did your dental training/academic life help or hinder you in your career as a footballer?

     

    2) Did the fact that you had a very good career waiting for you after retiring as a footballer (I appreciate that you were an anomaly in this respect….) have any impact on your time as a player?

     

     

    All the best to you Jim (and Brendan) and thank you for taking the time out to answer some questions.

  4. Sandman

     

     

    Get rid of it. It will keep giving you pain, food will get stuck in it etc so get rid.

  5. Evening Brendan, there has been a lot of dissent on CQN about the path our present board is currently taking, and the perceived general dis-connect from some of our fans.

     

     

    How would you rate our current board as opposed to the old regime from the 90’s.

     

     

    HH Dan

  6. Bournesouprecipe

     

     

    I did hear him shout. In fact i told him afterwards that his granny in Coltness would have heard him swell – he was screaming at the top of his voice. And that pass WAS perfect – the spin was excellent!

  7. Moving on to football if I may Mr Craig, I believe that you were just as proficient a goalscorer as my other favourite right back, Mr McGrain.

     

     

    Which of your 2 goals were the best and can you describe either?

     

     

    An honour to have asked a Lisbon Lion a question! ;-)

     

     

    Jobo

  8. Seriously now Jim proudest moment

     

     

    Lisbon

     

     

    or

     

     

    your bhoy playing for Scotland at the old egg chasing

  9. hello Brendan,

     

     

    I havnt got to read your book yet, but the topic is fascinating for me.

     

     

    I seen the story retold about Pat Walsh on the run at dublin docks in the 1860s i think helped to escape or a blind eye turned by a certain mr maley.

     

     

    is that true ? did it come out in the research for the book.

  10. weet weet weet(GBWO) on

    Jim

     

     

    What did the Lions honestly think Where the reasons you all got so few caps

     

     

    HH to you cairney

  11. Brendan Sweeney,

     

     

    Were you disappointed like so many Celtic fans were, when Fergus McCann kept to his plan of leaving Celtic after his five year term?

     

     

    Supplementary question,

     

     

    Do you think Celtic would have been run very differently had he not left?

  12. BEATBOY

     

     

    The idea was for us to try and take control from the start of the game. Losing the early goal meant that they adopted what they wanted to do which was funnel back into defence. That played into our hands sit meant that we got the vast majority of possession and when you have possession like that you are in!

  13. Alex Mooney the freelance journo is the same Alex Mooney who used to write for the Rangers standard…. Enough said!!

  14. Brendan Sweeney on

    Paul 67, without the Rebels winning, the 6-2 game would never have happened so it’s got to be the day the fans ousted the old board on 4th March 1994. That said, the 6-2 game was the greatest Celtic game I have ever been at and probably will ever see. Absolute bliss.

  15. Brendan Sweeney on

    Thanks Herbo, i was just in the right place at the right time. It was the Celtic support who ousted the old board and we all played our part.

  16. Shields123

     

     

    It helped – it taught me to focus and concentrate and you have got to do that in football as well. I always worked 2 afternoons a week when a full time footballer. I worked Tuesday and Friday afternoon after coming to an arrangement with Jock.

     

     

    No. Being a professional football is a wonderful life. We had a bit of glamour, great success at a good club playing with great guys and a wonderful support. Just don’t mention the World Club Championship of 1967 or Milan 1970. Apart from that – wonderful!

  17. Hi JIm

     

    Referees, AKA cheats with whistles are my biggest bugbear.

     

    You will know as well as anyone that scottish referees are lets say inclined to favour the establishment team, past and present.

     

    Question is. Why do the club and especially former players not speak out about this.

     

    After all, a level playing field should be the minimum requirement

     

    Thanks

     

    HH

  18. Brendan

     

     

    I was a 16 year old at Celtic Boys’ Club. The club was a mess. I’ll never forget Candelriggs. I know you’re a modest fella but we all owe you a helluva lot. I’ll sit back and enjoy the rest of the Q&A

  19. JC

     

     

    Avery big HH to your self.

     

    The question i will ask and you don’t need to answer.

     

    Should the Rankers be stripped of the titles

     

     

    HH.

  20. Brogan Rogan Trevino and Hogan supports Oscar Knox, MacKenzie Furniss and anyone else who fights Neuroblastoma on

    Good Evening Jim and Brendan.

     

     

    Brendan – not read your book yet but do you know of any meetings which took place prior to 6th November 1887 relating to the formation of Celtic — I am particularly interested in meetings which may or may not have taken place in a barber’s shop on either London Road or Springfield Road?

     

     

    Cheers

     

     

    BRTH

  21. Jobo Baldie

     

     

    How’s the weather?

     

     

    Actually I scored 6 goals! I scored in the Scottish league Cup Final against Hibs (6-2) and I scored in the European Cup tie v St Etienne and I got two in a league cup semi final against Morton at Hampden!

  22. JC2

     

     

    Very close that one – that was a big day. I couldn’t separate them to be honest. One was as good as the other. Both perfect!

  23. Hi Jim

     

     

    Players today seem to be a lot more distant from the fans than in you day, do you think they should try to be more involved or do you see it as something the modern game has become

     

     

    Thanks

     

    Brnobhoy

  24. TBJ says Wee Oscar Knox is in heaven with the angels on

    Jim

     

     

    Referees – worse now than in your playing days ?

  25. Brendan Sweeney

     

     

    Brendan, haven’t read your book yet, hope to pick it up in Glasgow around Christmas, so do not know if you have covered this.

     

    What role, if any, did Celtic FC have in Brother Walfrid leaving the east end of Glasgow for the east end of London not long after the club was up and running?

  26. Mr Craig –

     

     

    Honoured by your reply. Get one of your agents to get a correction onto the ole Wikipedia!

     

     

    I’ll now just sit back and enjoy the show….

     

     

    Oh and as for the weather – it’s dark.

  27. Jim Craig

     

     

    I’ll chance my arm and go for another.

     

     

    I was watching a programme on the Lions fairly recently, and was coping ok with the emotions until you came on near the end, obviously moved by the content. That set me off!

     

     

    I was wondering how long it took, after that amazing 1966-67 season, for the scale of the manager and the team’s achievement to sink in. Was it in fact only after you’d stopped playing that the scale of it all became fully apparent?

  28. WEET WEET WEET

     

     

    It was Rangers fans who went to support Scotland and talked about them and so on. Scotland hadn’t being doing that well at the time i.e. not qualifying. Celtic were doing really well as we know but it was all done by a selecting committee and I don’t need to go into that to see if their was any bias.

     

     

    You would have thought that everybody in our team deserved a lot more than they got but we weren’t that bothered. Club football at Celtic was great and we thought more about Celtic in Europe than representing Scotland.

  29. The Battered Bunnet on

    Hi Jim,

     

     

    Welcome to the most engaging blog in the Celtic cyber sphere thingummajigmy.

     

     

    There is a clear difference in the point if view as between the larger part of the Celtic suport and many of those who have played and managed the club as regards the whole ‘Rangers thing’ (now described as a long-standing conspiracy to circumvent the rules).

     

     

    Q: In your view; Should the rules be applied without fear or favour, or should we ignore all that went before and attempt to recreate the ‘Old Firm’, (for the good of Scottish Football, and all)?

     

     

    TBB

  30. Brendan Sweeney on

    Dan there are no comparisons between the current board and the old board who ran us into the ground. Those of us who lived through the pain and heartbreak of the early 90s will never forget the hurt of losing to Rangers regularly and having to put up with their success. Although things could be better now, the dark days are long gone.

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