Solid CL performers, realisation dawns at Ibrox

971

I remember some disparaging comment from sections of the Scottish sporting media regarding Mikael Lustig’s performances for Sweden at Euro 2012.  Mikael had only recently joined Celtic and was still finding his feet in Scotland.  In short, we didn’t have enough information to make an informed judgement before the Euros.  We do now.

His energy levels, speed, height, crossing and general levels of performance has been remarkably high and consistent.  Sweden handed him the job of subduing one of the world’s top three players at their recent World Cup qualifier in Portugal, Ronaldo was shackled, scoring only when he left Mikael’s area of the field.

There is a notion that this type of player, who can perform solidly at Champions League and international level, but who we can convince to renew his contract, is more important than the more stellar performers, who have an eye on the exit door.

Adam Matthews timely return from injury will compensate for Mikael’s absence as he recuperates post-op, but we’ve never looked as effective on the right since both of them were fully fit.

The reaction to yesterday’s AGM at Ibrox has been surprising, mostly as it surprised anyone.  The outcome has been a forgone conclusion for weeks (if not months), while the realisation of what the future is going to look like for Newco has finally dawned on a few.

A generation brought up to believe in sugar daddies will have to learn: expenditure must equal or be less than income over any given business cycle.

In this respect, I cannot figure why fans are so unhappy with the Newco board, whose central failing has been to spend far too much money on wages for a manager and players.  From what I hear, no one at the AGM demanded football budget is cut to an appropriate level.

As their new chairman said, costs will be cut; doing so is a financial imperative.  The current Rangers might play in the same colours as its liquidated predecessor, but things will never – eeeeeeeever – be the same again.

This afternoon is the final pre-Christmas posting time if you want your CQN Annual before the day:


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  1. Hamiltontim is praying for Oscar on

    Aberdeen

     

    Dundee

     

    Dundee Utd

     

    Queens Park

     

    Queen of the South

     

    Greenock Morton

     

     

    Cadizzy and Kayal33

     

     

    Strip to the waise (from the bottom up) and sort it out :-)

  2. Haw wait a wee minute. I said AlloaAthletic first and I put the two A’s together and I’m still waiting for my first prize for the last question.

     

    That HT is a timeshare salesman I reckon

  3. As a traditionalist and a Greenockian (heavy breestit wummin and fortified south african/cypriot wine), I prefer to see the local team referred to as Morton without any geographical add ons (well, we can’t have any add-ons, can we?)

  4. Russian ex-tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky is flying to Germany….

     

     

    don,t you just love it when everything falls into place …Gerhard Schröder,Gazprom,political pawns ,and Putin looking good for the Olympics…braw …

  5. !!Bada Bing!!

     

    13:33 on

     

    20 December, 2013

     

    Saurez signs new deal at Liverpool

     

    ———————————————-

     

    Did he bite their hands off to accept it? :)

  6. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS .........FC not PLC on

    CADIZZY

     

     

    Heavy-breestit wummin,apart from taking bloody ages to spell thanks to auto-correct,are just so yesterday.

     

     

    BOURNESOUPRECIPE suggests a new way forward.

     

     

    http://imageshack.us/a/img691/6219/2ro0ojt.jpg

     

     

    That should also please BGFC if he is as bored as he was last week!

  7. Brendan Rodgers not holding back any….

     

     

    “I find all the talk about Malky incredible,” said the Liverpool manager, a friend of the Scot’s since their time together at Watford, speaking before it emerged that Mackay’s time at Cardiff is up. “This a guy that when he walked into Cardiff, they had lost in the play-off semi-finals the year Swansea got promoted and waited two weeks to sack their manager, Dave Jones, on the day Swansea were in the final, which I found strange.

     

     

    “Malky walked into a club that had given him 10 players that summer and he had to build a new team. They brought in someone who totally transformed the mentality and culture at the club. He took them to the Carling Cup final, to a play-off place and just lost out and the following season he took them out of the Championship and they became the second team from Wales to get into the Premier League. He is going to become a big manager at a top club and I find it astonishing that there is talk about him leaving. Absolutely astonishing.

     

     

    “Iain Moody, who was released from his duties [as head of recruitment] at Cardiff, I worked with at Watford and he is one of the most authentic people you will ever meet. My only conclusion when I look from the outside is that you have a business guy operating the club who knows absolutely nothing about football. He has obviously been a very successful businessman in his life and congratulations but football is like no other business.”

  8. neustadt-braw

     

     

    13:16 on 20 December, 2013

     

    Big Nan……….great link…totally enthralled…..my Grandad and uncle were both lowly ships carpenters on the Clyde with not an o,level between them ….salt of the earth though ….you seem to have a fairly good grasp of the honest mans grammar,I wish you well Tom.it is a braw quest ….stay sane :)

     

     

    NB

     

    ………………………………………………………..

     

    Shipwright on shore ship’s carpenter at sea. Lowly! You jest?

     

     

    Chippy at sea was a great job in my day. Own boss and plenty of time off in port.

     

     

    The ships were different before containerisation and I was 4-5 weeks loading general cargo in Japan & Aussie. Not a bad number.

     

     

    Glad you enjoyed it.

     

     

    H.H.

  9. SMSM owned in one sentence by Phil

     

     

    “”Queuing for a press release and…obediently regurgitating the contents shouldn’t be the core function of your job.”

  10. Who was the last Celtic player (male) to play for Scotland at full international level whose christian name and surname both end in the letter ‘r’?

  11. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS .........FC not PLC on

    CADIZZY

     

     

    Don’t thank me,thank the man in the long raincoat. Now you know why he wears it.

     

     

    BTW,I keep that on a separate browser for just this occasion.

     

     

    I’m trying to persuade my print manager to run a test with her image on it. Full size.

  12. 50 shades of green supports wee oscar and his family.h.h.wee mhan on

    *

     

    50 SHADES OF GREEN. 1211

     

    Apologies,bud. My New Year resolution is to avoid the podium.

     

    My shift-pattern just gives me more free time than most at the right moment. Unless I’m up at the bar….

     

    *

     

     

    No need mate,

     

     

    I often sign on just after noon , before I have to pick up my good lady from work, seen a big fat zero and took a chance.

     

     

    Mostly work nights so its often my breakfast time also.

     

     

    Anyway looking for another 7 tomorrow, and hope to seen big mik back after the summer break, at least he doesnt have to rush it due to the world cup.

     

     

    H.H.

  13. HT,

     

     

    Is Old Trafford technically in Manchester.?

     

     

    Answer to any man City supporter.

     

     

    HH. pedantic CSC.

  14. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS .........FC not PLC on

    NAKASAMMI

     

     

    Dunno,but I do hope he didn’t have a lisp!

     

     

    I canny remember any Celts called Roger,though I believe Frankie answered to that name occasionally.

  15. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS .........FC not PLC on

    50 SHADES OF GREEN 1407

     

     

    Gracious

     

     

    Gracias.

  16. Dontbrattbakkinanger on

    Cadizzy, no just pride in my home town team; or is this just a Morton love in?

     

     

    Next time you’ll be tellin’ us Athrur was better than Archie.

     

     

    Is your phone still observing the Sabbath?

  17. Who was the last Celtic player (male) to play for Scotland at full international level whose christian name and surname both end in the letter ‘r’?

     

     

    Peter Pointer…..

  18. Greenpinata

     

     

    Old Trafford’s address: Sir Matt Busby Way, Manchester M16 0RA

     

     

    It’s only their fans that are not from Manchester

  19. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS .........FC not PLC on

    NAKASAMMI

     

     

    I misread the question. I thought both names started and ended in R

     

     

    In which case,bedtime!

  20. DBBIA

     

     

     

    Re observing the sabbath, I called you at 17.18 to no avail…..I expect you were still seething at Johnnie not playing Radar Love

     

     

    Chic Murray once said that a Scotsman will keep the Sabbath and anything else he can get his hands on

  21. ohits

     

     

    Well done, that was quick. There were two others (not Celtic players), Peter Lorimer and Peter Weir

     

     

    BMCUW

     

     

    Good answer although not to my question!!

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