Rangers International adopted a firm position in their court hearing against former director, Imran Ahmed, in Edinburgh yesterday. Directors and major shareholders know they have a cash shortfall for next season, even if season ticket sales are as higher than anticipated. Therefore, they know they will need to facilitate a loan, cough up for more shares or issue shares to new investors. A few million here or there from season tickets will not change this fact – so the argument goes.
With that in mind the club is under no serious threat from fans turning towards Dave King’s glorious attempt to deprive them of cash. Contrary to earlier reports, organised protests against the Easdales, Ashley and Laxey Partners is in no danger of putting the club under.
The best case scenario for King and his Band of Protagonists is that the club owners would be worn out by the sheer hassle of dealing with their campaign and would wilt before cutting a deal with him on very easy terms. This does not look likely today, the owners appear intent on getting a return for their money.
At various times during the past two years I’ve offered goodwill towards Hibernian, wishing them well against Hearts in the 2012 Cup Final, encouraging them after they lost to Celtic in the 2013 Final, and on the Hail Hail Media Celtic History podcast I spoke about The Famous Five being the best team in Europe in the late 40s, but I’m all Hibs-d out. I hope they are relegated.
50 years ago Hibs were almost the same size a club as Celtic, although Hibs were far more successful at the time. The decades since have utterly destroyed whatever legacy left by The Famous Five. Sir Tom Farmer’s ownership has provided financial stability but when he combined with Rod Petrie the pair contrived to bring about the most wasteful partnership in the history of the Scottish game – and that includes Sir David Murray’s years of unrestrained bombast.
New chief executive, Leann Dempster, has been more than a firm hand on the tiller at Motherwell, she delivered success over and above their station, but Hibs are so afflicted you wonder is anyone will be able to resurrect it with Petrie still in the chair, Farmer in ultimate control and Terry Butcher in the dugout. Not only do they deserve relegation, it may be necessary for Dempster to clear-out the deadwood above and below her. Better to be relegated than stumble on with Petrie and his Inverse Midas Touch.
Some good Celtic fans and CQN’ers are holding an event at Monroe’s Tavern in Galway tomorrow in aid of Console, the Irish suicide prevention charity. One of the many auction items is the photo above, signed by Bertie Auld. If you would like to help Console, stick a wee bid into ruairigucks@gmail.com .
Issue 20 of CQN Magazine, CQLisboN is out and enjoying great reviews. Click here to read for FREE.
[calameo code=0003901717b11f6e50af4 lang=en page=1 hidelinks=1 width=100% height=500]
428 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- »
Paul67 – how do the spivs make money? What scenario benefits them?
And what has Rod Petrie done to fuel your ire?
twists n’turns
The League Cup used to be in sectional format and i seem to remember ending up in the same sectional group as Rangers when they were alive.
It would be good for lower league clubs but I cannot see your proposal reviving interest in the LC or even getting the best 8 teams through to the quarter finals any more regularly.
In the current format, we barely attract 15k to our opening LC tie whether it is Morton or Raith Rovers so I cannot see the attractions of Elgin or Annan, home and away, being any more enticing. Big teams get knocked out of the LC because it is, by a long distance, their 3rd priority after League position which will occupy 90% of their interest and resources and the Scottish Cup which occupies 9% of the remaining 10%. Fair enough, it may reduce the risk of a one-off tie elimination but the risk of not taking the event seriously remains.
I fear we long for the novelty of a sectional format when we have grown bored of one-off elimination ties and we would, equally, get bored with LC sections and long for the excitement and thrill of one-off elimination ties.
I’d far rather we found an outlet to develop our young players who do not have an adequate competitive environment in order to bridge the gap to a first team full of internationalists. If the sponsors do not allow us to field our reserves in the LC we should ask that our B team get a place alongside our A squad, as the price for participation.
This is a cup that we only value because it gives us a chance of a treble. Otherwise, it is of little interest.
leftclicktic-The interesting thing about that case is DU are saying Sevco are only due 2 years compo for the boy,as Sevco have only been in existence for 2 years :}
The current Hibs team is certainly rank rotten.
I’d still sooner lose Kilmarnock though. In fact I’d go further, I’d sooner lose Ayrshire in its entirety.
I just love that Lions photo :)
The more times passes the more magical, highly improbable and unlikely ever to be repeated it becomes.
We are still living, feeding and dreaming on the back of their achievements.
We have all the bragging rights and we will never lose them.
With gratitude to the Class of ’67………..
!!Bada Bing!!
Hahahahahahaahaha
Brilliant
LB
Good Afternoon Folks.
In other news, our wee book in Seville appears to be getting some fair plaudits in footballing circles!
This from These Football Times
———————————————————————————————————–
Seville: The Celtic Movement
Book Review
One of football’s most decorated and historic clubs, Peter Doyle remembers Celtic’s incredible journey to the 2003 UEFA Cup final via the brilliant ‘Seville: The Celtic Movement’.
By Peter Doyle | 25 April 2014
The mercury has to be hitting 35 degrees centigrade as I step out of the cool, air-conditioned taxi and into the sweltering May heat in the centre of Seville.
Legend has it that Spain’s fourth largest city, the capital of Andalusia, was founded by Roman God Hercules before Julius Caeser and his legions arrived, followed by the Phoenicians, and then the Moors from across the Straits of Gibraltar.
And standing there under the blazing sun, it seems as countless herculean tasks must have been performed in order to bring this invading army of 80,000 or so Celtic fans to this corner of Spain as their side takes on José Mourinho’s Porto in the UEFA Cup Final in Seville’s Estadio de La Cartuja.
It’s estimated that only around 50,000 Hoops’ supporters have travelled with the realistic prospect of acquiring a ticket, leaving 30,000 outside the ground to watch the match in specially erected fan zones with the ubiquitous big screens or in sweaty, crowded tapas bars dotted around the old town and beyond.
I am one of the lucky ones. I have a ticket… and the rest is history.
Memories of that day – May 21, 2003 – inevitably come flooding back 11 years later as I thumb through the 352 pages of ‘Seville: The Celtic Movement’ in the shadow of the city’s impressive gothic cathedral in the Santa Cruz barrio.
The city is a lot quieter today. Flaherty’s, the Irish bar that reportedly sold two months’ worth of beer in the week of the final, has long since closed. Presumably, the owner relocated to a sunny tax haven with the bar takings.
A warm, spring drizzle coats the narrow, cobbled streets that were once crammed full of Celtic fans as I study the book that was published by self-proclaimed citizen journalist and Celtic fan Paul Brennan who was also in Seville for the final.
When Paul set up his Celtic Quick News (CQN) blog, it was with the sole intention of answering one nagging question: “Where’s the money?”
The money in question was the cash Celtic earned from their run to 2003’s final, knocking out teams from the English Premier League, the Bundesliga and La Liga along the way.
Ten years later, the blog has grown into one of the most popular Celtic fan sites and two books have been published – last year’s biography of Lisbon Lion Willie Wallace, ‘Heart of a Lion’, and ‘Seville’.
Written mostly by CQN editor Jim McGinley under his blog pseudonym of Brogan Rogan Trevino and Hogan – or BRTH for short – with help from David Faulds and numerous contributors to the website, ‘Seville’ tells the story of the Celtic’s journey to the UEFA cup final from the fans’ perspective.
The official record shows Celtic lost 3-2 to a Porto side that lifted the European Cup the following season. But despite the defeat, the road to Seville remains an experience that many fans still treasure.
There had been a feeling of inevitability among supporters about Celtic’s path to the final, with victories over Blackburn Rovers, Celta Vigo, Stuttgart and Liverpool before a nerve-wracking defeat of Boavista in the semi-final.
And this sense of inevitability created its own momentum; a momentum which culminated in the astonishing statistic that, according to CNN, 3% of all air passengers in the world that day were Celtic fans jetting off to sunny Spain.
My own group gathered in Gatwick airport on the morning of the final for a flight to Malaga, where we hired a car to Seville Airport before jumping a taxi into town.
We didn’t have anywhere to stay – all the hotels had been booked out months ago – and had planned to get a taxi back to Malaga after the match, where we had a lunchtime flight booked to Southampton of all places.
But Seville’s now cash-rich taxi drivers had other ideas and had disappeared en masse after the match kicked off, presumably to the same tax haven that the owner of Flaherty’s had skedaddled to, resulting in a very rough and nervy night for all concerned in the city’s airport.
Thankfully, we persuaded two taxi drivers to drive us to Málaga in time for our return flights and hours later we were back in my sister’s kitchen in Brighton, reflecting on what was a truly remarkable 24 hours.
Sure, the result could have been different.
While Henrik Larsson did not deserve to be on the losing side after almost single-handedly dragging Celtic back into the match on two separate occasions with two special goals.
However, fans of the Glasgow side can be proud of themselves – not only for their enthusiastic and obsessive backing but also for their behaviour; a fact recognised by UEFA when they honoured the supporters with a Fair Play award (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/c/celtic/3189853.stm).
Meanwhile, ‘Seville’ the book is more than just the account of one football match in the Spanish summer sun.
It’s the story of how a club with a proud European tradition, but left in the shadows after megabucks TV deals across Europe irrevocably altered the playing field in favour of the big teams in the bigger leagues, overcame top-class opposition to re-establish itself once again on the international stage.
And it’s the story of how this club’s impassioned supporters went to every length to be part of this renaissance, making their own mark in Europe along the way.
Citizen journalism may have some flaws, and as CQN founder Paul Brennan observes “it is far from perfect, in fact it’s mostly absurd. But it’s democratic… and most importantly, it’s ours.”
But ‘Seville: The Celtic Movement’ is definitely one by the fans, and is for the fans – of all clubs.
‘Seville: The Celtic Movement’, published by CQN, is priced at £18.99. Visit the online shop at http://www.cqnbookstore.com.
JohnnyClash
I think everyone is assuming that the team finishing 2nd bottom will lose the playoff. I think over two legs the Premiership team will prove too strong for a Championship club.
I don’t think a team from the top league has ever lost a play off. Not sure how many there have been though.
LB
Big Yogi book delivered today,perfect timing for the holiday read.
DBBA
When is the Part Time leaving doo then?
LiviBhoy
Fair point, but with the shocking run of results Hibs are on, and the way they have been playing I would fear for them against any of the potential play-off opposition. I would fancy both Killie and Partick Thistle win over 2 legs.
Mr Johnny Clash- a but Ayrshirist, even for my taste.
Malorbhoy- July 31st.
I’m openin’ the bottle of ‘Doctors’ Special’.
Ernie Lynch,
The latest SFA hand book I can find – August 2013 still has Article 14.1 the same.
So the SFA could transfer the Rangers membership again if they so desired.
Hail Hail
NatKnow – Supporting Wee Oscar 15:23 on 7 May, 2014
The Zombies can’t handle the truth.
And once they willingly accepted Charles Green’s fiction there was no going back. Instead of chasing him out of town for treating them as fools, the Zombies decided he was saying what they wanted to hear; “same club” ect, ect … “bought the history” yada, yada …
They were falling over each other to endorse a con man. It was always going to end in tears (for us, tears of laughter).
JohnnyClash
Depending on results tonight Hibs can lose on Sunday and still stay out of the play off.
If Partick Thistle lose both games they will finish below Hibs.
If Killie lose tonight then Hibs just need to avoid defeat.
In fairness Hibs have been rotten the 2nd part of the season but the team with least points will deserve it.
I would personally like to see the back of Killie. I have never had anytime for that mob.
LB
!!Bada Bing!!
15:25 on
7 May, 2014
leftclicktic-The interesting thing about that case is DU are saying Sevco are only due 2 years compo for the boy,as Sevco have only been in existence for 2 years :}
———————————————————————————————————–
If it goes to a tribunal in Scotland the ruling will be that they are the same club therefore Dundee United must pay the mighty jerz 142 years compensation.
Sevco
When the fans of Stranraer are taunting you by waving credidt cards and singing your not r***ers anymore it must surley be time for even the most deluded to look at their predicament.
hell scud it intae themcsc :))))
With all this talk of Killie, I had to look up David Fernandez, as he played for both us and them. Wikipedia are claiming he scored 100 goals in 112 matches for us (!?) — and that during the era of Hartson, Larsson and Sutton. Really?
leftclicktic We are all Neil Lennon 15:43 on 7 May, 2014
I think the Stranraer fans were singing “you’re not Sevco anymore.”
I have no doubt the Zombies decided this was an endorsement of the ‘same club’ myth…
leftclicktic we are all neil lennon
15:43 on 7 May, 2014
Sevco
When the fans of Stranraer are taunting you by waving credidt cards and singing your not r***ers anymore it must surley be time for even the most deluded to look at their predicament.
hell scud it intae themcsc :))))
Someone said the Stranraer fans were singing ” you’re not Sevco any more”
Kingsnake,
David Fernandez played a lot of games for the reserves.
Still, that doesn’t sound right to me.
Hail Hail
Interesting chat about the return of Hooper.
If it came to pass, then perm any two from him, Leigh and Anthony and we will have taken care of our attacking options.
Three men fighting for two jerseys
I think Hooper and Griffiths would be a deadly combination and would feed off each other. Not unlike the Wallace and Chalmers duo of bygone days.
Perpetual motion, plus deadly finishing.
Interesting.
If e can keep VvD for another season, then we will be well set up.
I understand that Gary bitterly regrets leaving.
Choirbhoy: Me neither. I should check the edit history and see if Mama Fernandez was editing her son’s page …
Deal or No Deal……..? Defo a Deal Noel….
Guidi taking voluntary redundancy from the Sunday Mail.
Another one bites the dust.
…so here it is (no big surprises really). Brasil squad for the 2014 World Cup is:-
Keepers
Julio Cesar – Toronto
Jefferson – Botafogo
Victor – Atlético-MG
Centre Backs
David Luiz – Chelsea
Dante – Bayern de Munique
Thiago Silva – PSG
Henrique – Napoli
Full/Wing Backs
Daniel Alves – Barcelona
Maicon – Roma
Marcelo – Real Madrid
Maxwell – Bayern de Munique
Midfield
Luiz Gustavo – Wolfsburg
Paulinho – Tottenham Hotspur
Fernandinho – Manchester City
Ramires – Chelsea
Hernanes – Inter de Milão
Oscar – Chelsea
Hulk – Zenit
Willian – Chelsea
Strikers
Neymar – Barcelona
Bernard – Shakhtar Donetsk
Fred – Fluminense
Jô – Atlético-MG
I seem to remember David Fernandez coming on as a sub in one game and, as he entered the field, he looked half asleep.
Of course, he was hopeless and MON then subbed him again shortly afterwards. Most bizarre.
Guidi – Another one bites the dust. Oh dear how sad- never mind. Crocodile tears shed. Hail Hail Hebcelt
An Premier league team in a play off is coming into it on the back of a poor season, whereas an aspiring second level team is coming into it with the confidence of having a good season.
The morale level of either team could be decisive.
Hooper in a heartbeat
His control on the line and pass to set up wee kris is the sort of stuff that gets fans off their seats , btw i’d like to see Tony Watt in with a shout for a starting place especially in europe with pace , just a thought ;)
Fernandez was poor in a Hooped jersey.
MON made a raft of poor signings around then. He was certainly not the worst. Henchoz was awful.
LB
Good to see BBJ and Stan paying a visit on Sunday.
Well done and i hope both your healths continue to improve
http://t.co/ioCjab1olJ
In the last Rangers game !!
Sorry for the political point,but just watching Scottish question time from the commons earlier today,Tory,Liberal,Labour MPs all one after the other asking pre agreed questions to back up the no vote.Stitch up of the highest order.I’ll never vote for any of them ever again.Pity Nicola Sturgeon can’t take part she would wipe the floor with them,particularly Carmichael and that wee creep mundell.
Apologies again.
All this sympathy for Hibs would be mind-boggling to any outsider. Me on the other hand, I fully understand why many Celtic fans have a soft spot for a team that plays in Green & White, as they see them as the Wee Feenyun. A fact most of you don’t know though (or disrespectfully ignore) is that Celtc football club, in the eyes of the Hibbee, are fierce rivals. The reason for this little known fact goes way back to our inception we borrowed the Hibs first team to play a charity match.
This is from the Hibs Official site………
Birth of Celtic Football Club
Brother Walfrid was doing a great deal of good work in Glasgow’s East End, through his Poor Children’s Dinner Table charity. He had called upon the good grace of his friends in Edinburgh many times, and did so again in 1887, asking Canon Hannan if Hibernian might play in a charity match against Renton in Glasgow. Canon Hannan of course immediately agreed, and the game took place on Clyde’s Barrowland ground. An astonishing 12,000 people turned out to watch the Scottish Cup holders draw 1-1. The money raised from this one game was beyond the dreams of anything Brother Walfrid had managed to raise in the past, and it is believed that this was the moment when he made up his mind that Glasgow should have their very own version of Hibernian Football Club.
The Irish Catholic community in Glasgow at this time numbered around 250,000, and Brother Walfrid knew that if Canon Hannan could raise so much from the Little Ireland community of Edinburgh that was a mere tenth of that number, then surely a similar side in Glasgow could do much more. It should not be thought that he in any way wished to harm Hibernian, far from it, he appreciated very much the help that he had received from Canon Hannan and the St Patrick’s CYMS. His reasoning was that he could not continue to expect Hibernian to help his community when they had so much work to do in their own. He endeavoured then to copy the lead of Canon Hannan, knowing that the Edinburgh priest would do all he could to aid him in his task.
Over the coming months several meetings were arranged in Glasgow to drum up support for the idea of a new ‘Hibernian’ in Glasgow. Some Irish Catholic leaders however could see some of the danger signs, as it was becoming apparent in these meetings that some of the men coming to the fore where business-minded with hints that personal gain rather than charitable aims were uppermost in their thoughts. Brother Walfrid however appeared oblivious to this as he pressed forward with his plans, taking everyone at face value.
By November Brother Walfrid was ready along with his supporters from St Mary’s Parish, and they revealed that a new football club would be formed. While most wanted the new club to be named Glasgow Hibernian, Brother Walfrid opposed this on the grounds that it would cause confusion. He got his way, and Glasgow Celtic was born. The real men behind this move however proved to be the businessmen, a builder from Donegal named John Glass and Pat Welsh, a tailor who had left Ireland under furtive circumstances 20 years previously. These men had seen the earning potential of a professional football club, and their subsequent methods of achieving their aims was to prove catastrophic for Hibernian Football Club.
Misguided Delight
Hibernian though were delighted on hearing the news of the formation of Celtic Football Club, and typical of Hibs they made an immediate donation towards the expenses of forming the new club, letting it be known at the same time that anything they could do to help would be done. Hibernian continued blissfully unaware that the founding of Celtic might cause them even the slightest problem, after all did every Irish Catholic not see football as they did, as a means of doing some good for their communities? More important at this time for Hibernian was their first ever tour of Ireland; at last the men of Little Ireland were to visit the homeland of the fathers.
Michael Whelahan was joined by a large party of officials and players for the trip, including John and Philip Farmer who would play a major part in the future of the club. Hibs first game came on Monday 2nd April 1888 against Belfast Distillery, with Hibernian running out winners by three goals to one before a very large crowd. Twenty four hours later and Hibs defeated a United Belfast side 4-1, Hibernian this time earning a standing ovation from appreciative Irish fans.
One month later, Hibernian travelled to Glasgow to fulfil a promise Canon Hannan had made to Brother Walfrid, Hibernian would formally open Celtic Park with a game against Cowlairs. The match ended in a 0-0 draw but was a highly entertaining one for all that, the new Glasgow club benefiting greatly from gate receipts with Hibernian paying their own expenses. On 28th May, Celtic played their own first game, against Rangers, but as they still did not have a full team they leaned heavily on their friends from Edinburgh and seven of the players in their side that day had connections with Hibs – Celtic won the game 5-2.
On Borrowed Time
In the following weeks Celtic played several games and each time used players borrowed from Hibernian. There were rumours doing the rounds of course about the intentions of the new Glasgow club, but these were dismissed by the Hibernian committee who simply would not believe that their close friends would mean them any harm. It’s a great pity that the Hibs men were so trusting, as John Glass and his partners were already making their own plans and these included financial inducements being offered to the best players in the Hibernian side that they might join Glasgow Celtic for the following season.
By August 1888, the Hibernian committee men had learned that the rumours where in fact true, and the cream of the best football side in Scotland would not be turning out for Hibernian, but rather had defected to Celtic and the riches being promised. Just as shocked as the Hibernian men were most of the Celtic committee as well, who had not been aware what John Glass and his supporters were doing. Even if Hibs had wished to take Celtic on like for like, they could not do so, the very being of Hibernian was that every penny earned went to charitable causes, Celtic had undertaking no such principles.
John Glass had recognised the massive financial rewards that would ensue from professional football. The game had gone professional in England sometime before, and Scotland was about to follow, all the same the way he set about using the loyalties of the Irish immigrant population left a sour taste in many a mouth. Celtic were seeking to have the best of both worlds, they would sign any players they wished while still retaining an appeal to the Irish community. Business had, not for the first time, trampled over idealism, money had spoken and it was not the first time in the history of Hibernian Football Club that they would suffer for their own ideals.
Hail Hail!
timmy7_noted
I saw a photo of the place online and it was empty. Shows how much the MP’s think about Scotland.
I doubt even half the Scottish MP’s were there.
LB
Fernández always looked as if he’d been dragged out of a skip.
Dontbrattbakkinanger 14:43 on 7 May, 2014.
You’ve no met my Mrs………………………………..:-)
Joking aside, I love Dumfries and I’ll be down there at some point in June. Hopefully get a day on the Nith and a game of sclaffbaw with my hun brother in law at Sotherness.
Enjoy your semi retirement.
HH
I’d be happy to see Hooper back at Celtic. He is a proven success at our club.