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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Brendan Sweeney on 18th November 2015 8:27 pm
Would you be able to direct me to access information about the “Athletic” aspect of Celtic in it`s early days.
I believe a family member used to train and/or compete at Celtic Park.
Gents, Sir Robert Kelly said the TV would kill the game, I used to travel up from Lytham for every home game, pick up my Da and enjoy our Saturday.
4 games last season at 3 on a Saturday, I’ve canned it, thousands like me………..Sir Robert correct?
Cowiebhoy
I heard you were trouble!
It is simple – the Lisbon team. We had a good habit of winning and did it with a wee bit of style.
Who would I drop? The defence must have balance, the midfield must control the game and forwards have a duty to score goals – and you need a good goalkeeper. If you get ALL of these aspects right then you have a successful team.
Martin tried playing 3 at the back but it didn’t work but we did that successfully as both myself and Tommy Gemmell could also drop as a central defender and pivot around Billy.
The Lions were some team!
Hi Lenny i stayed on the CSA Exec for 7 years and was incredibly lucky to work with great guys like Ediie, Joe and Mark from Dublin to name just a few. What folk don’t always realise is the incredible amount of work these guys on different Celtic committees do behind the scenes. It was a pleasure and a humbling experience to learn from the guys on the CSA Committee.
Brendan Sweeney
Thanks Brendan, learned something new there re Brother Walfrid.
His spirit is always with us. Look forward to reading the book in due course.
Jim.
Thanks
Wasn’t Jihn Collins saying we would be sticking with what we are doing A rethink is a definte but where;
Formation ?
Tactics?
Approaxh ?
Recruitment ?
I feel we need to stop panicing financially. Reward those that have delivered. Team building is neiigh on impossible. Even within a squad the turnaround is too quick.
HH
Lennybhoy
See in the dressing room – referees never got a flaming mention. I recall the 1970 Scottish Cup Final the referee did make some mistakes. They don’t always make what you call honest mistakes, sometimes they just don’t get it right. We tried not to get worked up about it. We had an answer – but the ball behind their goalkeeper.
Keep the Faith!
Margaret McGill, oh dear. Each to his own, I suppose.
Macjay, the early Celtic committee were not slow in taking advantage of the hugely popular sports of cycling and running and that is why the current Celtic Park was built in 1892 with the running and cycling tracks, the oval shape of the ground that remained until the 1990s revolution. The Celtic Sports are well covered in the Scottish Referee and the Scottish Sport newspapers in the 1890s in the Mitchell Library on microfiche and i would encourage anyone to avail themselves of these tremendous facilities. They’re priceless.
Blantyre Tim
I am all for that. Common sense, great PR and we still want young boys to come through locally to play for the team. I am all for it.
I hear I know your dad. He was a terrible nag when I was playing in front of him. Good Goalie though!
Hi Guys from a not so sunny Auckland- A couple of questions if i may. First for Brendan. Looking forward to getting the book. Have you read “the Making of Hibernian”? (well worth a read for Celtic historians) As you can imagine their take on Celtic’s arrival is a bit different from ours. In that book they infer that Br Walfird was to an extent “used” by the other committee members as a figurehead. Their intention all along was to make Celtic a business concern.. Our version is that a few seasons go by before the Charity aspect is dropped. Anything in your research that would indicate any truth in what the Hib’s version says? Jim- you came through the reserve team set up. Do you think that we should go back to that kind of competition rather than the youth only type set up now. We seem to have brought more young players through when we ran a reserve team than we do now with the youth team. And finally Jim – have you posted that signed photo from the 1965 League Cup Final yet? Christmas post to NZ gets busy you know! Thanks guys.
Jim Craig
Hasn’t changed much as I’m sure you know.
Great to see two true celts on the blog
Jim – did you and the other players realise that at the time how special Jock was ?
Brendan – looking forward to reading your book.
Mr Craig thanks for the response, ( glad I’m at least 24hrs away from them )
But
You are 2 players short :-) it’s the best 14
On a serious note
Do you think the current Celtic midfield has the ability to control a game ?
Brendan
What is your views in Wee Fergus walking away with just under £50m ?
Accepting he was up front with us, unlike some others we can quickly see through :-)
Thanks to both for coming onto our wee CQN world
Hail Hail
Jim Craig .
My nearest neighbour is an octogenarian Inter fanatatic He walked a long way on a hot afternoon to watch his team being humped in Lisbon .( on a wee black and white tele in a bar in Siracusa.) He has no priblems admitting that the better team won..
Told him you would be on the blog tonight and he told me to tell you this –
” I remember him and I guess Renato Cappellini does too.. That Celtic side were a great team “
BRENDAN SWEENEY on 18TH NOVEMBER 2015 8:38 PM
It certainly was a pleasure and yes you are spot on, a lot of work did and I am sure still does go on behind the scenes. Don’t recall Mark, must have been after my time. Eddie and Joe like yourself spoke from the Heart and had only one objective, serve the Fans and support the Club.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Shameless re-enquiry!
Jim Craig
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?
Brendan
Thanks so much.
I`ll take your advice.
My old man used to tell us “Many a time I ran round Celtic Park.”
MCB, i’ve read mostly every book about the early days of football in general and in the Making of Hibernian i was disappointed at the angle taken against Celtic. I’ve dealt quite substantially with Hibs issues with Celtic in Celtic: The Early Years which explains the many reasons which led to Hibs problems and suffice to say it tells a different story from the one told by our Hibernian friends.
JIM CRAIG on 18TH NOVEMBER 2015 8:42 PM
A Mhan after my own Heart, stick the Ball in the Net.
PS: Your right about that Cowiebhoy, he is President of the CQN Roasters Club…:)
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
butsybhoy
Well I mean, you need more competition. Other clubs need to buy in or develop players. Celtic want to go to a sort of super league. I believe that the non football authorities would welcome this. So for a European league we would be in a Northern league – but the big countries are mostly in the southern side of Europe. So another league would be a problem regardless.
I think we need to provide indoor training facilities throughout Scotland – imagine trying to control a ball on a night like tonight. The kids would develop better if they were able to play indoors. How can Iceland qualify and we don’t? How has ever heard of an Icelandic club doing well.
Sorry I am having a rant.
That takes you on to TV – Sky seem to be happy with the way it is working for them down south so there is no great urgency to say, let’s bring in Celtic. You do wonder however given the money the clubs get and they still don’t do well. The Newcastle United, they got fortunes from Sky but have never been a good side.
Despite having posted this before, I think it is relevant to earlier posts about the ordinary fan no longer being able to relate to present day players.
I believe it was St. Andrew’s Day 1996 that a full of himself Prima Donna, Paolo di Canio managed to get himself sent off before the restart of a game after he had scored from a penalty.
Earlier the same day a grey haired man was walking up from the London Road when a wee lad of about ten handed him an autograph book to sign.
Not only did he sign it, he took a couple of minutes to talk to the kid whose parents probably hadn’t been born the last time the man had played for Celtic.
The man in question was a real Celtic legend. Steve Chalmers.
The above is not hearsay, I saw it with my own eyes.
Hi Jim,
I remember being a wee 8 year old boy when you came to St Constantines in Govan. As I recall, you werent allowed to bring the “big cup” – but you brought the Scottish Cup instead. Cue a playground full of wee kids going mental.
As I also recall, you brought a collection of swapped jerseys that were taken round the classrooms and held aloft to a chorus of oohs and aahs.
I loved that Dukla Prague shirt – do you still have it?
Hail, Hail
Tim Malone
I 100% disagree with stick the ball in the net more than them to balance out the cheating, the game should be a level playing field FFS.
I agree that sticking the ball in the net is a good thing tho.
Bada Bing and others who attended the Celts For Change rallies, your memories of the atmosphere at these meetings are spot on. We were just young ghuys straight out the Jungle speaking from the heart but to see the passion of the Celtic support rallying to the cause was a humbling experience i’ll take to the grave. Incredible scenes and incredible memories of a fantastic support.
Paul67
Your welcome!
i suppose.
It’s beyond my ability to describe how unfathomable it is that the dr would use a religion to manipulate people within a week of the Paris attacks.
Title Stripping Immunity
In the social media brouhaha in regard to title stripping, one salient detail is being overlooked: “The SPL hereby undertakes solely and exclusively to Sevco and to no other person that the SPL shall not take or commence disciplinary proceedings against Sevco in respect of any EBT Payments and Arrangements.”
This deal was one of the key clauses in the 5-Way Agreement. The deal was struck prior to Mr Nimmo Smith commencing his inquiry. If this is the case, and I have no reason to doubt the narrative in The Scottish Law Reporter, was Mr Smith made aware of this title stripping immunity caveat? Was Mr Smith and his two colleagues made aware of this agreement prior to collating evidence or were they kept in the dark by the Scottish Footballing Authorities who have honed their skills as mushroom farmers for decades?
Mr Doncaster’s name was on the draft document of the 5 way agreement that was distributed to the SFA and SFL for their approval.
Those seeking a judicial review of Mr Smith’s report are effectively calling for the head of Mr Doncaster. I would expect the Chief Executive of the SPFL to do everything in his power to robustly defend Mr Smith’s report.
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Jim Craig
Jim, well I’ve asked Brendan about Brother Walfrid, so I should ask you about your own spiritual influences, namely ‘This Man Craig’. Did Jock actually give you he nickname ‘Cairney’ and did you get to meet the great actor yourself at the time?
MurdochauldandHay & Wee Oscar
At any time when football is played you will get players who react badly to criticism. The ones who it affects the most are the ones that you see going into their shells so it is counter productive from the fans’ point of view. Equally the fans have a right to let a player know if they aren’t doing it.
There was a certain player running up the right touchline towards the Celtic end and the Jungle side. He nearly had control of the ball. A fan shouted from the back of the Jungle, ‘come on son, show us some magic’ and a deeper voice from a man standing nearer the front remarked ‘Ah son, disappear!’
the wife hates it when I swap the wrappers on chocolate bars……she gets her Snickers in a Twix.
evening all.. evening Jim and Brendan
roasted or toasted ?
Butsybhoy, although crowds are down when we base it on the last 20 years, we mustn’t forget that we are still attracting figures of around 40,000 against mediocre teams in a League we have won before a ball is kicked. Even during the most successful eras we struggled to get crowds that could match todays, so sometimes that has to be taken into consideration too. The Martin O’Neill era was fantastic in particular but over 60,000 at home to Livingston for example was never going to last.
Jim
thanks for the reply.
HH
Jim Craig
Aside from Lisbon what do you consider to be your greatest achievement in football.
Brendan
Thank you for what you did, sincerely.
What’s your opinion on supporter representation on the current board?
Brendan
What where your thoughts and that of your fellow rebels when Matt McGlone took up the job at The View
Brendan
Also thanks
Tell Jim Iceland are also doing a great deal on frozen goodies for Christmas.
HH
HAMILTONTIM on 18TH NOVEMBER 2015 6:47 PM
This is what a young Celtic supporter had to contend with recently.
————————
HT ,Disgraceful , Talking of cops needing to go to uni….could you educate
Neanderthals?
Bullying we boys seem’s to be the norm,passes the time till their pension or
ailment from stress kicks in.
Thanks for reply Brendan HH