HMRC’s case against St Mirren, raised because they allegedly failed to pay Kieran Doran the National Minimum Wage, has brought the professionalism of our professional game under analysis. Doran’s first contract as a 16-year-old was for £1 a week, which was apparently never paid. The player subsequently wanted to give up the game for a trade (to study medicine) but St Mirren refused to release him from his contract.
By any reasonable measure this is amateur football. There’s nothing wrong with amateur football, in fact it has great potential, but NOT paying someone £1 a week cannot be described in any other way. St Mirren will not be alone.
I made no comment last month on Newco’s reluctance to pay holiday pay as I thought this was something of an open secret. Holiday pay as been a legal right in the UK since 1871, but at the periphery of our game some clubs just don’t pay it. I’ve spoken to an SPL chairman who openly admitted to the ‘ruse’ (not Celtic, before you ask).
Newco are far from alone on this matter, indeed, I would be amazed if top flight clubs were not guilty. The keenness to contract players from July to May is substantial, I reckon lowering some clubs payroll by 8%, while leaving no time in the calendar for players to take paid holidays.
We should stop pretending there are two distinct groups of clubs in Scotland: the amateurs and semi-pros of the ‘non-leagues’, and the 42 Scottish Professional Football League clubs. St Mirren are one of the biggest and best community clubs we have, they have enormous potential to thrive as such, but I seriously doubt their credentials as an economically viable professional club.
More than 30 other Professional League clubs would also be better served trading with a Community League mentality. Developing the potential of local kids and engaging with their community, without the burden of trying to compete in a worldwide talent pool.
The majority of Scottish football clubs were founded in the 19th Century. It seems like no one has subsequently asked: what is our purpose, why are we here, what will our future look like? Without considerable change, the best future 30 clubs can hope for a decade from now will be suffocating indifference, at worst there will be lots of all-seated follies wasting away.
Reminder for tomorrow:
There are new season tickets issued, if your old ticket is still in your wallet, swap it out or you’ll not get in to see the Mighty Celtic tomorrow evening. If you don’t have your new ticket, better get along early to sort it out.
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North Cyprus (formerly Baku) Bhoy
http://www.chabad.org/thejewishwoman/article_cdo/aid/441389/jewish/Uses-for-Lemon-Juice.htm
http://www.versatilevinegar.org/usesandtips.html
Old Wife’s Tales CSC
My friends in Celtic,
“The Battered Bunnet
10:36 on 15 July, 2015
Criticise as you see fit, but the aptness to use gender-related pejoratives, for example Tart, Slut, Midden, when referring to Mhairi Black says considerably more about the critic than the criticised.
===============================================================
Abolutely agree with that sentiment. Down with that sort of stuff on this site!”
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Totally agree, completely out of order and demeans this site.
HH.
clink\o/
10:53 on 15 July, 2015
TD
You description of a 20 year old girl as a Hun midden for a comment she made as a 16 year old is crass and disgraceful.
It makes you sound like an embittered old bigot. I dont know you so is that what you are really like.
I have heard similar descriptions of Celtic fans on here. Mainly of the Green Brigade.
This came from fellow Celtic fans or were they hun middens too
Listen, 16 year olds voted in the referendum so we will leave that well alone, me being right doesn’t make me a bigot, but you may think I am one, and that’s fine by me think what you like as I have done, on the GB I don’t get that one I’m afraid the relatively is a bit off.
BLANTYRETIM
The loss of a friend is so very hard
May your God give you the strength to get through the hard days ahead
but you will always have loving memories to forever hold in your heart
R.I.P. Mr Mc Bride
Ernie
Is gobshite acceptable.
…
Spooky.
When I was reading your post thats the word that sprang into my mind
Have to agree with the comments last night about jim spence leaving shortbread
More airtime for some delusional liquidation denying scribe to inflict
propaganda for the glibmeister in chief
The end of season discussion with Tom English and jim talking sense and Chic-the debt was coming down-young and john brown talking Sevcoisms showed how valuable impartial broadcasting is
There’s only Richard Gordon Willie Miller and Michael Stewart along with Tom English who don’t buy into the love in
Totally agree, completely out of order and demeans this site.
HH.
It’s a Celtic supporters blog, she said she hates everything Celtic, who is demeaning who here, HATES was the word, get it?
Looking forward to the game! Got a fiver on luistig and boyata for first goal,both 20/1. Thot boyata would have been higher! An early goal would be great but looking at some of last nights results a home win with no goals conceded would b good
SOT
Ha – to be fair this wee guy’s on a moth turkey shoot as soon as the light goes on – bang go the poor attracted moths.
When I think he’s foo I’ve been putting the lights off.
I’ve saved thousands of moths and wasps from drowning in the pool when I go on ‘net patrol’ to relieve the boredom of sunbathing, roughly about every half hour.
A huge one got in the door the other night, my daughter said it was a bat, I was ordered to get it out of the villa and chased it around, couldn’t find it. Yes, you’ve guessed it, I felt a tickling up my tee shirt, and out it popped.
No bites though.
As far as I’m concerned for someone to make the comments she did, leaves her character open to attack.
For example: foul mouthed ned.
Let me get this right now, she said she HATES everything Celtic.
And Celtic supporters (cough cough) on this blog are giving it tight to me, because I called her a midden for saying she hates me, I’m Celtic all the way, so I’m who she hates, I’m missing some thing right, PC brigade on duty today? Or is it the political brigade? I’ve already said a don’t care what party she’s from or what her religion is, but any one who has hate in them like that is not a nice person, she’s a midden.
So excited about the game tonight like a child at Christmas
so jealous of all you Tims able to get to the game …………..give a big
C.O.Y.B.I.G. shout out for all us having to sit at home……and enjoy watching the
Bhoys
catch you all later
HH
tonydonnelly67
You have my sympathy.
I think the PC-SNP battalion are sniping.
” Hing th’ wutch!”
Po-faced CSC
BOURNESOUPRECIPE
You sure it didnae escape from your wallet?
I believe there is a game on tonight.
LB
vintage 67.. fergus didnae throw oot the biscuit tin
Snipe all they want they’ll get the same answer, anyway I’m off to the zoo to take care of a little tab I left last night, seems I drank more that I had in my wallet tsk tsk tsk, HH
Lurking Huns GIRFUYs
Looking forward to getting back to the football tonight and seeing how the stadium looks….
ps, On what she said / he said, I’m only glad we didn’t have social media when I was a daft bhoy, the things I would have said then would still be biting me in the arse now….
I hope Tony Stokes gets a last hurrah tonight. I fear I will never see one of his corners hit the first defender again.
Also, Stokes for first scorer…
roy croppie
10:47 on 15 July, 2015
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CJ5rKsgWwAA0PVu.jpg
Looks a bit different now…
HH
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Careful you will start KeyJ hankering to turn the clock back.
Two reasons never to vote SNP
#1 The Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014
#2 Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012
scullybhoy
Fair enough but just one more:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CJ0d4k7WgAAKDK_.jpg
the really ole Jungle
HH
We are going to be playing a parked bus defence tonight in my opinion , it’s a pity kris commons not available as he has the guile required to open up. Zig and Zag hopefully possess that talent as well the other player we have is stokes so hope he is at least on the bench pace will not work against a deep sitting defence so no Forrest for me, hope we get an early goal to relieve tension and then we can play . Nice to be back talking football. H H
On Mhairi Black.
I said about her,prior to the election,that comments made at 16 shouldn’t be held against her. Otherwise we’d all be in bother-especially if alcohol or football were involved.
I also said that a poster on here had asked her,as a potential constituent,to explain them. She visited him personally to do so.
That takes a fair bit of chutzpah. And I’m pretty sure it got his vote in return.
I respect her achievements to date. A 1st,and an MP. All before she could even have voted when I was a kid. I respect her honesty,and I admire her for her speech yesterday.
Not because it was as outstanding as has been suggested,but because the patronising approach to her down here was stopped in its tracks.
One wee point though-and on this I agree with a few others on here. Does anyone think she would have achieved first-class honours in Politics if she was incapable of individual thought process?
Of course not. Yet she has chosen to follow a career-as an SNP MP-which nullifies her main strengths.
I somehow don’t think she is going to simply accept being part of the party machine.
From our good friends at Urban Dictionary
20 Words related to midden
cow •
tart •
molson •
munter •
sammy dow •
slag •
slut •
tramp •
whore •
beach •
canadian •
chardonite •
garbology •
glass •
leaverite •
mire •
molsonite •
obsidian •
shlert •
skank
Can I assume references to Mhairi Black as a ‘Midden’ were unrelated her fondness for North American beers, occultish rock music, or minerals?
Roy Croppie
With the wonderful pictures and music you post you are a credit to this site and Celtic H H
LiviBhoy
11:28 on 15 July, 2015
I believe there is a game on tonight.
LB
Hear hear
Let the People Sing – The Malleys
https://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&feature=related&v=zhkdy0AOpaM
——
If my Da would have still been with us he would have been 81 today and talking about Celtic in a way that got me hooked ,they had to stand their groud in the 40s,50s & 60s & wear their colours with pride.
Be proud of our heritage Bhoys & Ghirls and wear the colours with pride ,
those who have gone before us had to fight for it.
C’mon the HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPS
John Mcdermott -my old man
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNL_wGZgV5Q
onwards wae the Celtic
Willie Maley
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kI4ny-6Rn4
Thank-guidness the well upholstered Ms Hendricks
doesn’t read the oul’ bhlog………….
………or does she?
Double-D standards Scoddish Natiional Phwoar!! CSC
Glasgow’s Green n White – in the distance.
papajoe55
Thank you HH
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CJ5cmq7WoAAPP_T.jpg
Ronny still has lots of attacking options tonight even with Kris out. I’ve got a feeling GMS, aided and abetted by Griff, could be the answer tonight.
HH
ROYCROPPIE
Alfie was to the fore in that photie. He divided the support when he joined,tbh.
Then he hit the inside of the post at Ibrox from over 30 yards. He was oor Alfie after that!
Getting back to football…
Looking for a pub in Manchester foe tonight’s game please?
Anyone (and that includes Mhairi Black)
P
TD67 @ 08:40…….
The below link might answer some of your concerns……
Ernie Lynch,
The resulting fallout from the aforementioned below link certainly does give some credence to the perceived Stalinist tendencies of the SNP leadership………
Regards & Hail Hail
TBM
http://www.scottishleftreview.org/article/the-constitutional-debate-monarchy/
BMCUWP
I missed his darkside days but I remember being excited about his signing. And as you say, going by the debate amongst my uncles, he wasn’t welcomed with open arms.
HH
pod i
http://www.osheasirishbar.co.uk/
HH
ROYCROPPIE
I was delighted. The huns had been chanting his name for weeks as encouragement to their board to bring them back.
Jock trumped them.
As always.
Big-time.
Outstanding in our double season of 77.
THEBARCAMOLE
Another one ‘opened in new tab’ for later-thanks,bud.
Keeping cool and studying form?