My friends in Celtic, a year ago I signed off on 2010 by saying, “I have never spoken to less confident Celtic fans ahead of a game against Rangers than I have this week”. Celtic had won only five of their previous 10 league games, seven of which were at home, but with a squad ravaged by injury, they found a formation which over several games dominated Rangers.
After three defeats and an Ibrox draw against 10-man Celtic, Walter Smith eventually got it right and beat Celtic at Hampden. The league challenge floundered in a scrappy defeat at Inverness, the home team fought for everything and found some vulnerabilities in Celtic but the season ended on a high with the first trophy of the Neil Lennon era as the Scottish Cup was won at rain-soaked Hampden against Motherwell.
Neil Lennon, Paddy McCourt and Niall McGinn all had to deal with more serious events than football in the first half of the year. Bombs and bullets were sent to Celtic’s three Irish stars, prosecutions are pending. These events put Scotland on the international news circuit in a very unwelcome light. First Minister, Alex Salmond, promised to take action but instead of tackling a century-old anti-Catholic, anti-Irish tradition, his government passed a law which criminalised all sorts of non-sectarian, non-racist activity.
Despite this initiative taking on flagship status for the Scottish Government, Salmond has steadfastly refused to re-gather and publish information on sectarian attacks in recent years. Policy has been made without reference to facts.
The new season brought great promise. Neil Lennon had a year under his belt and was no longer up against Rangers’ most successful manager, instead he would face rookie Ally McCoist, but a humbling by Sion, ultimately neutralised by Uefa, and poor early season league form saw the manager consider his position.
A home defeat to St Johnstone and an utter collapse at Ibrox set the tone, but it was Kilmarnock’s three goal lead which caused Neil Lennon most concern. The story of the second half comeback at Rugby Park is likely to take on legendary status in years to come, but as with much in life, it contained prosaic events. Celtic came out of the dressing room like a condemned team and failed to register a genuine attempt on the Kilmarnock goal for 25 minutes. Anthony Stokes struck a free kick which would have been stopped by most defensive walls but the Kilmarnock version was made of butter and Celtic had a platform to stage a comeback. Killie’s reserve keeper, Jaakkola, failed to reach Anthony’s shot a few minutes later and Celtic were level six minutes after they realised they had a game of football to play.
In their next game Celtic failed to score at home to then-bottom Hibernian, allowing Rangers to open up a 15 point gap over their rivals, who by then were in third place, although with two games in hand over Rangers. Celtic then went to Motherwell and promptly fell behind, our season hung by a thread, but it was that guy Stokes who again had the stomach for the fight. Anthony equalised within minutes and Gary Hooper scored a late winner.
Celtic have not dropped a point since, while Ally McCoist and his boss, Craig Whyte, now look like the rookies they are. They have lost three of their last six games, completing a collapse at Celtic Park on Wednesday night.
A year ago I reflected on the 46 players who played for Celtic during 2010 and suggested we would be better starting with a blank sheet of paper. The league challenge ended in failure but 2011 didn’t. This year ends with a coherent team strategy which could deliver the first sustainable and successful Celtic team in 40 years. We have a young squad, on wages the club can afford, with a scouting and management team that have delivered a clutch of players destined to achieve an enormous amount in the game.
Despite the energy and excitement around Celtic Park, attendances are down. Football is not as fashionable as it was three or four years ago. For much of the season, we play in a cold, wet, environment against well-organised but defensive teams; it’s a hard sell. We all know fans who have drifted from the stands, large areas of the stadium are now scarcely populated unless Rangers are visiting, which will impact income and subsequent expenditure.
Still, the shambles of 2010 has gone, Celtic look like a club with purpose and the tools to move forward with confidence. A two point lead at this stage of the season is largely symbolic but it’s a deserved honour that your team deserves.
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Happy Near Year to all on CQN, health and happiness to ye.
Thinking of you Oscar, get well wee man.
Vinny
Real Madrid are considering a move for Lafferty
Mail Sport can reveal the La Liga giants have been made aware of the Rangers players availability and have placed him under consideration.
Rediculous eh?
Yeah. Well I did Awe Naw it a bit for effect. So if you want the real story replace Lafferty with Jelavic and Real Madrid with Athletico Madrid and you have word for word Mark Guidi’s first 2 para’s in today’s Sunday Hun. Such a rediculous piece I’ve just had to sit and type this post up standing in the shop.
Obviously professional sports Journos are becoming a very rare breed in Scotland.
Guidi should be ashamed and embarrassed to have printed such Rubbish.
Oh! And the headline – ‘MADRID IN FOR JELAVIC. Can’t work out whether the sub editor is as unprofessional as Guidi or is taking the urine.
MWD Happy 2012 to you all.
Lurker who occasionally posts.
Happy new year to all, hope it’s a good one for everyone.
HH Dan
Happy New Year to you all,even the hunterlopers!
Happy New Year everyone.
Cathal.
A Happy New Year to all CQN’rs.
Mark Guidi- the guy that said Bartley is a classy player and promised to dish the dirt on Cravengate weeks ago- and still hasn’t delivered. He will no doubt claim “It wisnae me, a big bad sub-editor did it and ran away”.
Anyway, 100% focus on 3 points tomorrow- remember Fir Park last season after Der Hun. One game at a time.
Expect nothing from Ibrox, Motherwell won’t lay a glove on Rangers, McCall knows his place.
Happy New Year to all.
I have a blue top in my golf bag which I put on when the wind is chilly. I refer to it as “My Rangers Top” (all the guys know I am a Celtic Supporter). On Thursday, I started referring to it as my “Rangers Second Top”. o:-)
JJ
maccargo at 0749… from the Scotsman…
“One scenario is that Rangers lose the case and if, at that point, Celtic are still ahead in the SPL title race, Whyte might decide that there is no point in throwing more good money after bad, and put the club into administration this season.
Rangers would be docked ten points, and the league title would almost certainly go to Parkhead. Top players would have to be sold but, with the club restructured and McCoist signing fresh new talent, the damage would not be long-lasting.”
Do you think the journo rote this really believes it? How on Earth does “going into administration” get rid of a club-destroying tax debt? It only disappears if RFC disappears.
They either don’t understand the facts of this case, or simply cannot face the awful implications…
Happy New Year Bhoys an Ghirls
Make mine a Treble….!!!
Catman
Stole these from mates on facebook, they struck a chord
‘All guilty of a moan on FB at one point during 2011. But lets see if we can have a look about and think, shit…i’m glad im not in that ambulance, hertz. wheelchair, job, warzone, relationship, fatsuit, nightclub.:)
Then i hope when we all wake after being shitfaced, with a hangover, and realise that the only person that can change your situation is you!
So a few might just get round to change….the job, the relationship, the shit car, the ringtone that gets on your nerves,your location, your friends, the way you treat or get treated by other, your diet or even just pepsi into coke..
Get a resolution, just a small one so you stick to it. Then just add to it a little bitty all year. Maybe we we can get through 2012 without the world ending or just feeling like its going to.’
‘Who cares what year it is, live your life a day at a time. If one day is shit then try your best to make sure the next one is better. Don’t wait a year to make excuses for the things you could have done, if you want sumthin go and get it or at least knock your pan in trying.
We make our own luck!’
Better than I could come up with…..
Happy New Year Bhoys
MWD
Happy New Year to ye,and thanks for the tip-off about the Sunday Mail.
The following is from that esteemed elder statesman,Hugh Keevins.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This overlooks the consistent support given to Lennon when the half-wits were getting on-the-job training in bomb making and sorting offices were being alerted about anything addressed to the manager of Celtic
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They can’t be taken seriously if they are unable even to report their own actions accurately.
a hoopy new tear to 1 and all
still a bit jaked. i dug oot the banjo last night and my party pieces were wild mountaim thyme, whisky in the jar, mick mcguire, the button pusher and she moved thro’ the fair…………
embdy have their own favourites last night ?
MORNING FOLKS
Oops sorry, a few feeling delicate are we?
Just been reading back and it is good to see some names that haven’t been seen on the blog for a while. Maybe some resolutions made to post more often?
Talking of absent friends it was great to see some posts about Pablo. Steve was in my thoughts at the bells last night, his death was a real low point in a year that had a fair few of them. Still, time to look forward while still remembering old friends.
Only An Excuse really had it in for the huns last night. Our singing took a little bit of a slagging but it was nothing to their Craig Whyte scenes. I’m sure FF will be full of “timmy BBC” posts this morning – but I thought it was hilarious.
tear=year………….of course
Good Morning,
and a good new Year to you all.
If there is one thing that becomes clear this morning from a cursory look at the newspapers, it is that 2012 will not bring about the early demise of lazy journalism– especially when it comes to Rangers PLC.
The piece quoted above by McCargo from today’s Scotsman,signals either that the staff at the Scotsman– complete with a full business editorial section and access to countless lawyers— have absolutely no idea about the likely consequences of the coming tax case from a Rangers PLC point of view, or alternatively, that whilst the rest of us have been making merry over the festive period,Jack Irvine and the spin doctor crew have been busy preparing the next propoganda salvo for the unsuspecting press dummies and the bears in general!
In discussing the transfer policy that will be forced on Ally McCoist, the piece suggests that if all goes wrong, then the Motherwell Born Billionaire may well just decide that there is no point in spending money in this transfer window as Rangers PLC is a busted flush– and so instead he will place the club in Administration!
Shock! Horror! I hear you cry–then again maybe I don’t– because by this time everyone knows that Rangers are in so much doo doo that Administration will be no surprise at all to anyone!
Yet, there are still those who deny that such a step is likely, and clearly the chappie at the Scotsman has not a clue about the consequence of such an event.
Here is the newspapers summation of the current situation:
“Rangers would be docked ten points, and the league title would almost certainly go to Parkhead. Top players would have to be sold but, with the club restructured and McCoist signing fresh new talent, the damage would not be long-lasting.”
There you go! It is that simple!
Don’t worry all you vanguard bears– if it all goes belly up and the Administrator appears, it just means a quick restructure and then Ally will sign some fresh talent and the damage will not be long lasting. Job done!
Simples– as the Meerkat might say! Except the Meerkat on the telly doesn’t actually exist and can’t say “Simples”– it is just make believe!— Simples!
So, just in case everyone has been in a coma for the last number of months, let me reiterate that a company–whether is be a football club or any other business– has to eventually come out of Administration at somepoint or face the prospect of Liquidation! When an Administrator is appointed he takes control of the company and is bound to run it at a profit-or as near a profit as he can-until a buyer is found for the business. That buyer, then has to pay a price that allows the Administrator to pay so much in the pound to the creditors– who have to accept a such a deal– and only then can the Administrator resign and allow the new owner to carry on running the company!
In the case of Rangers plc I just don’t see how that can happen.
For a kick off, Rangers run at a loss of roughly £7M per year! No administrator is going to be able to turn that figure round unless the players are more or less prepared to play for nothing. No Administrator is going to be keen on running such a loss making company unless there is a pretty quick solution that allows him to turn the company over to a new owner with cash etc.
The Revenue are not likely to agree to any such plan without being paid in full or as near as damn in full, and they are certainly not likely to reach a cosy accommodation with a certain Mr Whyte!
So, to save Rangers PLC, someone has to come along and inject something like £40M just to settle the debts, and then produce even more money to allow Super Ally to go out and buy that fresh talent! Not only that, whatever fresh talent there is ,has to be on a wage basis that wipes out the annual £7M average loss. In other words, Rangers need to buy better players but pay them less!
I think I am more likely to meet a talking Meerkat than see someone take on Rangers on this basis!
I am sorry, but my guess is that at some stage– maybe this year—Rangers PLC will have to go into Liquidation and eventually cease to exist! Their financial plight is just too deep!
The stupid article actually continues by trying to make a connection with Celtic by comparing the current Rangers plight over transfers with the established practice of doing business in the transfer window at Kerrydale Street! There is nothing to compare whatsoever as Celtic are in no danger of Adminidtration, Liquidation or anything like it.
Some 5 years after Rangers Football club was born, a guy started out with a wee business of his own. He then brought in his brother, and together they built up quite a successful little enterprise, and after tinkering with a few names they decided to call it F.W. Woolworth!
I am not sure, it the guy at the Scotsman is behind the times but I sincerely hope that he does not spend his spare time going out and looking for a Woolworths store in the shopping areas of Edinburgh. Sadly, Woolworths disappeared from the High Street in 2009— and all because the Administrator of that company could not organise a simple wee restructuring like the one suggested by the Scotsman! There are still Woolworths in Australia and in other places, and there is still an on line Woolworths, but in terms of the UK company law, Woolwoarths bit the dust in 2009. It was an institution, but alas it is now a creature of the past. A piece of History to be fondly remembered.
Perhaps the Scotsman should just go an ponder on that! Some of the best known and at one time biggest businesses of the world can go into administration with so much debt that they cannot just “restructure” and come out the other side.
Not only that, if The Scotsman are insistant on searching for a Celtic Connection so to speak, the they should send the same journalist along to the Celtic Connections concerts later this month. Perhaps the most appropriate concert to go and see would be that of the lovely Nancy Griffiths who has long sung her own wee tribute to Woolworths!
It is called– ” It’s closing time, down at the five and dime!”
Journalists and Motherwell Borne Billionaires please note!
Best wishes to all of you quite marvellous CQNers for a peaceful and prosperous New Year.
The work that Paul67 puts into this community is breathtaking, and 2011 has seen the development of a number of new ideas that have moved the site from Blog to New Medium. Thank you Paul.
I suspect that 2011 will be seen as the last year of the Old Ways of Scottish Football. 2012 will see changes to the fabric of the sport, precipitated by the inevitable demise of Rangers, and perhaps Hearts and one or two other old established clubs. There will be a Battle Royal for position and rank in the new order, but the old ways, the old influences, and the old assumptions will be challenged and wiped away. How it all plays out remains to be seen, and patience may be as important as perseverance at times, but I look forward to Scottish football finally growing up after a 100 year adolescence.
TBB
meerkat
BRTH- Maybe the guy at The Scotsman should look at the restraints on other heavily indebted companies, like, er, The Scotsman and their parent group Johnston Press plc.
If ever anybody wanted to study the mismanagement of a business that only a few years ago was returning 30% profit on turnover into a company that is now crippled with horrific debt and shelling out almost £40m per year in interest alone- this is the one.
JP shares were at one point worth £5.75, trading at around 4.5p now.
Good morning and Happy New Year to all Friends of Celtic and this Dear Green Place.
HH.
A Happy and Champion New Year to all Tims everywhere.
Happy New Year to Paul67 and all CQNers worldwide – here’s to a successful footballing 2012 for all connected with the Club.
From Rangers Media
“Representatives of the Rangers Fans Working Group met yesterday with Campbell Corrigan, the assistant Chief Constable, plus a couple of his colleagues as well as David Brand and Dougie Stevenson from the FoCUS unit.
The meeting, which lasted for 2 hours, involved some frank and open discussions regarding what FoCUS is trying to do, what the Police in general are trying to achieve with football fans, and potential areas to look out for to ensure our fans are not in danger of arrest and prosecution under the new law.
The main points of the meeting were as follows;
The police continue to refuse to produce a list of banned songs, but during training and meetings with forces around the country, they advise the home match commander and police on duty what songs to be aware of.
FoCUS go to games through a mixture of them choosing matches after viewing the fixture list, and by being invited by the match commander. This will normally be intelligence led.
There are 15 Full time FoCUS officers and can cover 6 matches at the same time. They hope to be at 6 matches on January 2.
For the first half of the season, there was a lot of filming using the hand held cameras to gather evidence of good and bad behaviour at football matches. As this part of the work has been completed, cameras are now only deployed to a particular incident during a match.
Footage obtained through FoCUS cameras are held for 30 days and then deleted unless there are reasons to retain it, for example where offences have been committed.
When asked if FoCUS would publicise a list of matches attended on their website, we were told they had not thought about it but would look into it for the end of the season. They were keen to declare that they are not solely interested in Rangers and Celtic games, and that the most problematic areas trhey have encountered have been, amongst others, the Ross County v Partick Thistle match, with a group of Dundee casuals, a group of young Ayr fans, and even at a junior match in Ayrshire.
The police are happy to keep in constant contact with fans groups to discuss and advise on offensive songs. They stated they were happy with our previously published list of songs and chants we have previously advised Rangers fans to steer clear of.
FoCUS have now ordered new bibs saying FoCUS rather than the current anti-sectarian police unit.
The police will discuss fixtures for 2012-13 with the SPL before they are finalised this summer. They will again push for 1 midweek OF fixture and they were disappointed that they only midweek fixture offered by SPL was the December one.
There were 12 arrests at the recent OF game, of which only 1 was for Sectarian Breach of the Peace. There were only 2 arrests at the recent St Mirren match, 1 for a smoke canister and 1 for being drunk. These are fairly typical figures for Rangers matches.
Police were happy with current trends of policing at football, with police numbers at football down 30% in the last 2 years, which they hope continues in the future.
CC stated that he advised the Celtic trust that up the ra would lead to arrests and prosecution in answer to a direct question about it, and that it was not an exclusive list.
The police are looking to develop links with fans groups to assist in the training of officers, and to observe such training when it occurs.
There was 120 litres of alcohol seized by police during bus checks at OF game. More info to follow on this.”
Happy New Year CQNrs and Good Health to enjoy the next months of great footie from the Celts. We need to show our skill, strength and sinistrality against Dunfermline.
C’mon the Hoops, C’mon Izzie,
Hail Hail
Wee Chick’s year-end roundup still manages to achieve the required levels of obfuscation, deflection and earnest chicanery that this ‘buddy’ is rightly famous for.
ItaliaBhoy says:
1 January, 2012 at 10:29
I believe that your last sentence hits the nail firmly on the head. Operation Ostrich is now in full swing….
Morning all. Don’t know if this has been posted but whilst just out on my first run/crawl of the new year I heard on 5live that the rumour is Jordan Rhodes has broken a bone in his foot. We have watched him several times in the last few weeks. If true then I think it’s one we can chalk off for January.
Tax office ‘investigating Premier League footballers’ perks’
Seems like MMRC has football firmly in its sights
One of the strange things about the Rangers situation is that fat Ally talks as though everything at the club is fine now ive known for years he is daft but I never took him to be a clown.He sits right at the heart of there crumbling empire and must know when the collapse comes he is going to be left carrying the can, if anyone doubts this just look on F.F.after we beat them the other night.If bids come in for any of the poundland teams players they will have to sell and as most clubs know they are in financial difficulties they wont offer top dollar.Now Ally said if players are sold he will hope to get some of the money to purchase players but he will have to trawl the bargain basement to find any he can afford and then he will have the problem of salary to deal with as the club must cut its wage bill so they are unlikely to find many players rushing to join them.If fat Ally had any brains he would realise to save his reputation amongst the knuckle draggers he should abandon the sinking club asap and tell his story to his friends in the media if he does anything other than this he is going to become a hate figure with the orcs. H.H.
BRTH
excellent synopsis of RFC`s predicament
re the “stupid article”…i think it`s willfull blindness on their part
when reality dawns the ordinary bluenose`s pain will be twice as bad given the tripe the LL have fed them of late
bankiebhoy
what do you want the truth
…..they can`t handle the truth
happy new year matey
watching Goals on Sunday
Di canio is a nutter
last min winner for Swindon ..he runs onto the pitch to the opposition goal to celebrate with the players ….
sent ot the stand ….headcase
PF
Same to you chum!
You are of course right regarding that most precious of journalistic minerals “the Truth”……
Nuggets like the boul’ Chick just keep uncovering astonishing amounts of “Brass Neck”.
Shameful.
Happy New Year
To one and all for everyone connected with the Celtic family.
and a wee exclusive from the sunday post of all places…..
RANGERS TO TAKE A HIT ON JELAVIC
Rangers are ready to lose money on striker Nikka Jelavic. The Light Blues had been hoping for a minimum of £8 million, but Ibrox owner Craig Whyte could lose out on at least £1.5 million in order to take a fee in full.
Mac
The Hootsmon, is a strange phenomena………….or maybe all those proto-jurors got their sensibilities from its opinion pieces afterall?
Perhaps it’s just the the remnants of powerful message management toughing it out till the bitter end.
It’s tainted and it doesn’t seem to care.
Nothing for us there.
Whit a quandry!
Off to wee sister’s for New year’s day dinner and jolly family get together. Mind you I will end up bantering with the weans (Last year I was not allowed to mix with the adults ).
Anyways, wee skin and blister has given me two options for nosebag.
IF I BEHAVE MYSELF AT THE BIG TABLE, I can have Steak and ale pie, minted whole boiled potatoes, mash, peas, broccoli and gravy by the gallon, followed by ice cream, sherry trifle all washed down with a fine Rioja, a palate cleansing imported pilsner and the finest of highland malts
OR IF I CAN’T PROMISE TO CONDUCT MYSELF IN A GROWN UP MANNER, I can have what the weans are having to keep them quiet……
Piece’n’square sliced, brown sauce and a few cans of Tennent’s super lager.
Well, being their one and only UNCLE MATT,the wee wans have their expectations and I have a certain reputation to bolster. And let’s be honest I’ve so much education to pass on to the future stalwarts of my genetic legacy.
Do my afternoon will now see the healthy diet resolution screwed on day 1 again then as I cavort with the nieces and nephews and show them how to hold their breath until their face goes purple, pass wind like a ventriloquist and get someone else the blame and get them up to speed in the finer points of Texas “Hold ’em”.
And one wee tip
Remember don’t even look at yer bank account till all sharp knives are put away, you’ve recovered your sense of the ridiculous and our natural vein of black humour has once again taken over your outlook on life.
Looking forward to 2013 already!
Hail Hail
Estadio
Happy New Year to the good people of CQN.
A year that will bring a return to league winning and the first of many titles.
Lets do this Celtic, no more messing about.
BurstHeidCSC
apart from the Scottish media and the huns …does anyone else consider that they`ll get anymore than £6m for Jelavic
a decent player ..not great ….who performed appallingly in the Huns embarrassing Euro non-run
does scoring a few goals against SPL teams really command such a transfer fee
think we`d get £10m for Hooper