Football in Scotland returns in front of full crowds on Monday. The one wildcard thrown in by the First Minister yesterday is that instead of having to check the vaccine passport status of at least 20% of attendees, they will now be obliged to check at least 50%. That’s a minimum of 30,000 vaccine checks at Celtic Park on Monday evening.
As we both know, politicians cannot backpedal in a way that looks like they are conceding, so the inevitable delays to fans of all those checks is a small price to pay to get back to following scientific advice. It will also makes Monday’s game at Celtic Park a new worldwide record since the crisis began. No event anywhere on the planet has required 30,000 vaccine checks.
One point for Sky Sports to consider. 10 of the 12 Scottish Premiership clubs voted to bring forward the winter break by a week to give fans a chance of attending instead of forcing two rounds of fixtures to be played before only 500 fans. It was an overwhelmingly popular move that has proven to be wise.
Sky’s match summariser mocked the decision, explaining that the Scottish Government restrictions were likely to be extended, forcing the rearranged fixtures to be played before the same 500 crowd limit. No one was convinced of his sincerity. If Sky want to be taken seriously they require higher editorial standards. Do not take your public for fools.
Our flush and easy January transfer window, which has so far delivered three Japanese players and a teenage Irish striker, hit turbulence yesterday when Middlesbrough attempted to sign Australian international, Riley McGree.
Despite all we have read on our new players from Japan, the only comment on their transfer fees has been surprise at how low they are. There has been no confirmation they were subject to buy-out clauses, which would explain both the modest prices and the fact that they were all sold at the start of the window, not on the last day.
McGree clearly has no such clause. Notions that we could get an in-demand player early in the window are fanciful, why would Charlotte sell before they squeezed the last juice from the fruit? Whatever circumstances lay behind our three Japanese signings last week, they were exceptional.
You buy players early in a window when they have buy-out clauses, are when they are not valued by the selling club or when you patently pay over the odds. Even the latter is no guarantee you will move the dial early in the window. Transfer rules have not changed.
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Should be David Grier. Hh
great see the alcohol issue coming back to bite the politicians on the arse
from the start of the pandemic they have put alcohol up as the greatest enemy in the country
it was the biggest myth they forced upon us during the last 2 years
karma indeed
R.I.P. Veronica ‘Ronnie’ Bennett
Just heard a rumour that the exec summary of the report from Sue Grey’s enquiry is going to be fast tracked this week.
100 people were invited
30 accepted
Apparently the 70 who declined are going to be disciplined for not showing up for work.
🤭
According to the Times, 5 subs to be allowed again in SPFL starting this weekend. Good news for us.
Still plenty of stuff in the papers about Riley McGree set to “snub” Celtic for the English Championship. I’ve never heard of the guy and never seen him play. Good luck to him wherever he ends up.
If I could re-write history then I would rewind 18 months and wake up the the headline……….Vasilas Barkas set to snub Celtic and sign mega bucks deal with Steven Gerrard’s Rangers.
I see Paul67 is still peddling the myth that Middlesbrough bid £5m for McGree, an increase of £2m on Celtic’s £3m. If we are going to include the player’s wages in the fee, then we can’t compare it to the £3m Celtic offered Charlotte FC for the transfer fee alone, excluding player wages.
Are we really expected to believe that knowing they’d have to better Celtic’s £3m, Boro went to £5m rather than say £3.5m or even less?
Paul – If you’re happy to get your news from the Record and the Sun, what’s the point of CQN?
Good news on the 5 subs, minimum 5 minutes extra time every game if both teams use their allocation in a match. Im glad to see a bit of seasonnally dry weather at the moment for training outdoors at lennoxtown.
See Everton and Burnley have a bit of cash from sales, wonder who they will go for and for how much? Souttar still not at Ibrox they must be demanding a fee.
unseasonally sorry
I see Benkovic has been freed by Leicester. I thought he was excellent when he played with us. Could we not revive his career?
The MSM highlighted Jeremy Corbyn attending a wake 8 limited number in “real” time, but the same MSM sat on the 100 strong Tory Christmas party which took place at the same time as Jeremy Corbyn’s attendance at a close friends wake, the Tory story not leaked until 1 full year later and only leaked news of the Tory Christmas party because Boris saw through the omni guff and refused the MSM the Christmas & New Year lockdown that they craved, because Boris is Mr Brexit, Mr Free from EU bull, and MSM, and wee nippy face in Scotland got caught with their pants down after their hysterical reaction to the milder than the cold variant. Do you think that wee nippy face would’ve been so keen on this particularly timed lockdown, if Celtic had been going to Ibrox on January 2nd?
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John Smith (son of Harry Leslie Smith) (@Harryslaststand) Tweeted:
Interesting how Britain’s political journalists reported on Jeremy Corbyn attending a dinner wake of 8 in violation of covid regulations in real time. But it took them almost 2 years to learn of a party at No10 with 100 people in attendance https://t.co/qggvPHHSys #BorisJohnson https://twitter.com/Harryslaststand/status/1481350314112569346?s=20
PARKHEADCUMSALFORD on 13TH JANUARY 2022 10:07 AM
Yeah, I liked Benkovic too… is he injury prone though?
https://youtu.be/_3QA2ATgIb0
Who’s keeping Tony Watt oot the Celtic team?
He’d be a useful card to have in the pack imho, Ange likes players that run aboot a lot.
https://www.footballscotland.co.uk/spfl/scottish-premiership/tony-watt-dundee-united-transfer-22734195
PARKHEADCUMSALFORD on 13TH JANUARY 2022 10:07 AM
I see Benkovic has been freed by Leicester. I thought he was excellent when he played with us. Could we not revive his career?
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When Rodgers brought him up on loan there was a period when he was absolutely first class, real quality. He also gave the impression that he enjoyed wearing the hoops. Then got injured, back to Leicester, out on loan numerous times and career appears to be going backwards.
Would certainly prefer to get Rodgers opinion before taking a punt on him. The big Croatian is probably in the Paddy Roberts file.
Our next CH should be a left footer…..
And I would have cashed in on Stephen Welsh given his 4th choice CH status and a ruthlessness we need in our trading of players.
Put in a large sell-on percentage for the next move.
HH
SCEPTICAL CITIZEN on 13TH JANUARY 2022 10:11 AM
The story about the Downing Street party was broken by Paul Brand of ITN.
His husband works in the Cabinet Office.
He’s known about this party since the invites went out.
The whole phalanx of political journalists have known.
It’s client journalism.
Old Matt isn’t being distracted or having his eye taken off the ball by the MSM Christmas party palaver.
They want us all afraid, whilst the sly MSM know that there is nothing to be afraid of, apart fae the dodgy meds!
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Matt Le Tissier🌸 (@mattletiss7) Tweeted:
Don’t get distracted by the no 10 garden party. The major take from this is that they knew covid was very little threat whilst telling everyone else to be scared shitless #eyeontheball https://twitter.com/mattletiss7/status/1481312344605143044?s=20
ERNIE LYNCH on 13TH JANUARY 2022 10:26 AM
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Well said Ernie.
Anybody who believes a single word from MSM, and I mean on any issue, should be aware that MSM’s forte is to mix lies with the truth, then leave the viewer guessing which is which?
Any Celtic supporter who hasn’t a PhD especially about the Scottish MSM, then you’ve not been watching.
hh
JIMDOM on 13TH JANUARY 2022 10:20 AM
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Good post. 👍
hh
Since leaving us, Benkovic has played ten games for Bristol City, one at Cardiff and none at Lueven. This has been down to injuries and poor form.
Leicester have had an injury crisis at the back and Rogers still hasn’t gone near him.
Whatever promise he might’ve had doesn’t look like being fulfilled, he’ll be on relatively decent money and I personally think we should steer clear.
I think Benkovic is signing for an Italian team (Udinese?) after they failed to get Welsh. It was on HITC so could be pish.
loved him in 2018 , especially his header vs Hearts at home
David Grier has been Managing Director of Advisory in London since 2005 and still is.
Not sure how the events of 2014 have been career ending. If he was tipped to go higher, surely it would have happened at some point between 2005 and 2014?
DESSYBHOY
Good news on the 5 subs, minimum 5 minutes extra time every game if both teams use their allocation in a match.
I didn’t realise the new rule meant each team could only substitute one player at a time.
Feast day for our patron.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FI-Mnx8XoAE6fnX?format=jpg&name=small
WHAT IS THE STARS on 13TH JANUARY 2022 11:05 AM
I agree with your sentiment but I think you might have had a better chance of success if you worded it in a more persuasive way. You are certainly capable of that.
Something along the lines of he is entitled to his views but maybe on some other platform?
“TOM MCLAUGHLIN on 13TH JANUARY 2022 11:23 AM
DESSYBHOY
I didn’t realise the new rule meant each team could only substitute one player at a time.”
Surely that cannot be correct?
Collective Noun
an alley of clowns
A Judy Collins of Clowns, por cierto
HOT SMOKED
No. I was questioning Dessybhoy’s claim that 5 subs meant a guaranteed 5 minutes stoppage time if all 10 subs used. My point being – what about a team making 2 or 3 subs at same time?
TOM MCLAUGHLIN on 13TH JANUARY 2022 11:34 AM
Ah, now I see. Thanks.
Bike time.
Cheerio for now.
TOM MCLAUGHLIN on 13TH JANUARY 2022 11:34 AM
HOT SMOKED
No. I was questioning Dessybhoy’s claim that 5 subs meant a guaranteed 5 minutes stoppage time if all 10 subs used. My point being – what about a team making 2 or 3 subs at same time?
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And if you want to use all 5 subs you must bring them on in no more than 3 lots; for example, one single sub, then two together and if you want to use the others then the last two subs must come on at the same time. So in effect you can use 5 subs but there can be no more than 3 ‘interruptions to play’ in doing so.
GEEBEE1978 @ 10:53 AM,
No doubt Benkovic does have talent but does he have the bottle?
I remember the old firm Derby where we lost one nil, Callum got slaughtered for his left back performance but Benkovic was way out his depth and limped off before half time.
BR played him little for either Celtic or Leicester after that and I don’t blame him.
We may criticise the standard of football in the Scottish Premier league but it’s not for the feint hearted.
Neither of course is the English Premiership.
Centre Backs at that level need the craft of a Billy McNeil and physicality of a Bobo Balde.
I do hope the lad gets his career back on track – maybe Italy where the craft of defending is more important.
Hail Hail
Hot Smoked
Fair point made by you..Thanks
But as my fellow Dublin GBS said.
“I learned long ago never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it
new article posted.
Hail Hail
Stay Safe