I’m not going to tell you it’s right to post tickets by Special Delivery, or pass on a £7 charge, because I know many would, if given the choice, opt to take their chance on regular mail, with a lower (or zero) charge. The value of Special Delivery only really kicks in when your tickets have yet to arrive but all your pals have theirs. Which isn’t going to happen to all of us.
What I will draw to your attention is the gleeful rush to print an inaccurate story that the club gave fans no option to collect tickets in person, thereby forcing them to pay a Special Delivery charge, running in one of the country’s newspapers of Record yesterday.
There are probably upwards of 100 decisions made by Celtic each week. While clearly the club get most right, they absolutely get some wrong and others remain open to debate. If you are going to have a pop, at least pick on something they’ve actually done, not something you are fantasising about.
Or seriously upgrade your fantasies. Having to write, “Earlier we wrongly reported there was no option to collect from Celtic Park but you can in fact pick up from the club ticket office” is just demeaning.
Jupp Heynckes (72) looks like getting the job of preparing Bayern Munich for the Celtic doubleheader. There’s little Heynckes doesn’t know about the game, but despite his successes, he’s always struck me as an unlucky manager.
He was the man who ended Real Madrid’s wilderness decades when in 1998 he won their first Champions League since 1966, but was sacked days later. He exacted revenge over Real when at Bayern in the 2012 Champions League semi-final, but blew the final in the Allianze on penalties to Chelsea.
That defeat did for him, although Bayern took most of the following season before announcing he would be replaced by Pep Guardiola in the summer of 2013. Heynckes duly destroyed Guardiola’s Barcelona on the way to winning another Champions League, before the door hit him on his bum on the way out. Despite his glories, a vulnerability surrounds him. This is a Champions League winner you can look in the eye and sack, apparently.
I hope that vulnerability remains for a few weeks yet.
NEW CQN PODCAST FROM CELTIC PARK ON SATURDAY
Kevin Graham is back with a new CQN Podcast from Saturday. He talks to supporters on the bus on the way to Parkhead, interviews John Paul Taylor outside the ground and captures the atmosphere and action inside the ground before getting some more supporters’ views on the bus home after an eventful afternoon at Celtic Park.
Apologies for a few sweary words in this podcast near the end.
403 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- »
The Robin Hood talk reminds me of one of my favourite jokes
Robin Hood lay dying, and all the faithful gathered round. With his weak and fading breath, Robin asked Marion to bring him the best arrow from the quiver beside his bed, and then asked Little John to bring him his bow. He put the arrow to the bow and aimed through the open window into the generous green sward of Sherwood Forest beyond which he loved so much. He asked of Friar Tuck, “Promise me that wherever the arrow falls, there you will bury me.” And when Tuck had sworn, Robin Hood demanded the same of the others. Then with his last strength he drew on The bow and let the arrow fly.
And then he died, smiling. And next day, they did as they had promised, they buried Robin Hood……. on top of his wardrobe.
James Forrest thinks so from the Celtic blog
Just when I thought I was out … they pull me back in ….”
Stewart Regan, you are entitled to feel bitter tonight. You, like the Rangers officials and players who took EBT’s in the full knowledge that those were bent instruments, must have thought you’d ridden out the storm and that from here on in everything would be plain sailing.
How wrong you were.
Trouble comes for you today out of the clear blue sky.
Down south, police have raided St James’ Park and confiscated computer files and paperwork which they claim will prove that Newcastle United have been engaged in an enormous tax scam, including paying players with side contracts.
The architect of this scam is none other than Mike Ashley. Talk about a thunderbolt.
Oh this could be bad in so many, many ways.
First, there was a period when Ashley had almost full control of the board at Ibrox. If he was doing this at Newcastle, systematically, for years, how are we to know his people weren’t doing exactly the same thing at the top of the marble staircase?
Impossible?
Nobody in Scottish football should dare to use that word after what’s happened these last few years.
So many things that seemed too crazy to be possible have come to pass.
I would not bet against any form of insanity here. It’s all too possible.
But far more likely is that the governing bodies down south are going to show you exactly how it’s done. Nobody who studies the English FA can be in the slightest doubt that they will act, because they always do. These people don’t mess about. They might not even wait for the tax man to start formal proceedings before they convene a panel to investigate this stuff. And if they find Newcastle guilty of paying players out of brown paper bags how’d you think that ends?
I’ll tell you right now; all eyes will be on Scotland and the pressure will be enormous for that inquiry everyone’s so keen to see go away. This stuff is rife in football; here in Scotland we’ve said that it’s all perfectly fine. Our governing bodies not only accept it, but if you’re at the right club well, Hell, they may even help you to get away with it.
But The English FA will hit Newcastle hard. The club has just been promoted back to the EPL … you wait to see how their association feels about the ridiculous notion of “no sporting advantage” if it’s proved that they did it by fraud. You wait and see how many national media commentators take Newcastle’s side and beg for mercy on their behalf.
“Oh the poor Geordies have suffered enough …”
Not many, I’m betting.
Scandals happen in football. Clubs get caught out doing things they shouldn’t. They are hardly alone in this. Corporations the world over have been involved in all manner of schemes and scams, and no-one should be surprised that Ashley isn’t so squeaky clean as he’s often been made out.
One of the things I always lauded him for was that he made his money clean … maybe he didn’t though. Maybe the reason he and King hated each other so much was that they were more alike than they knew. Would I be surprised? Of course not.
This could go somewhere, or it could go nowhere.
I think this is trouble. I think it’s trouble for the SFA.
I think it’s trouble for Ashley and Newcastle. I think that because it puts this issue front and centre again that it’s trouble for Sevco and the fans of the old Rangers. Newcastle are so deep in it here they’re not even arguing about the validity of what they did, only about whether the search warrant was valid.
And those of us who are kept endlessly entertained by this stuff will be watching what happens next and where the trail leads and what English football’s bosses do about it. I’m betting they put our own so-called administrators – and our clubs – to shame.
And shame is a weapon.
We can use that one.
come on germany and slovakia
MURDOCHAULDANDHAY
I think Ashley makes his money honestly.
It’s what he does with it…………………
Great post BTW!
Weet, Weet,
I like the Hibs but I am solid Celtic……have been since the sixties. I have no Irish blood, nor am I Catholic but, as a lad, I was attracted to the Tic because of the values of the club. Especially when contrasted with the blue half of the city.
I also read Andrea Camilleri but that does not make me Italian.
Rebus
Is Wullie Collum refereeing the Scotland game?
That’s a penalty all day long.
Rebus67
Just havin a laugh mate
HH
Bateen …
I agree … picking Sevco is worse than picking England! so, plead guilty, and ask the court for leniency!
I actually enjoy the banter with GFTB … after GFTB started, I think I offered a bribe to CRC/Jobo if they would announce every week that I had picked Sevco … just to wind up GFTB!
Mind you, I think I also offered them a bribe to make sure that Liam in Toronto didn’t beat me in LMS …
I’m seeing a pattern here!
What a save by the Slovak keeper!
Wow!
Farce
Red for Slovakia!
2 bookings.
As well as our 4 players and 1 ex player in the starting line up at Hampden, Andrew Robertson, Barry Banan and Darren Fletcher are Celtic fans.
Provan talkin’ pish!
PHILBHOY on 5TH OCTOBER 2017 8:08 PM
Provan talkin’ pish!
I think he’s contractually obliged by Sky to talk up all EPL players no matter how bad they are.
GARY67
You could be right.
2 obvious yellows = a red.
Ref doing ok!
Wow! Our Jamesie! What a game he’s having so far.
The ref got it right with the sending off.Two yellow cards.
unlucky griff
barry bannan empty shirt so far
not celtic related but portonion.
http://www.ptearlyyears.net/star_hotel.jpg
The Partick Thistle goalie and the Port Glasgow hooligans
1903
——————————-
“The SFA sat for three hours last night, and Greenock and Port Glasgow bulked largely the proceedings. The spectators in that district at club games are drawn principally from the shipyard element, and they have novel ideas of their own as to how they ought to comport themselves. Port Glasgow especially has earned an unenviable reputation. The language of its people is neither refined nor classical, and visiting teams, according to the complaints of Partick Thistle, are subjected to such playful abuse as having ‘daunders’ and other missiles hurled at their heads from the horny handed Clune Park supporters, kicked on their way to the pavilion and abused off the ground.
——————
a good read if you have a spare 10 minutes
http://ptearlyyears.net/the-partick-thistle-goalie-and-the-port-glasgow-hooligans
Davie Provan’s commentary has football fans all over the land looking for the Samaritans phone number…
Cheer up Davie you could be BFSDJ..
I don’t often watch Scotland but decided to watch them tonight. But the over-riding feeling is that Bannon and Morrison are pish. McGregor is head and shoulders above any of them.
We are 2 short in the middle.
FFS WGS – change it at half-time.
KTF
Get Calmac on for Bannan.
THETIMREAPER on 5TH OCTOBER 2017 8:28 PM
Get Calmac on for Bannan.
_____________________________________________
He’s ever so slightly less pish than Morrision so I’d take Morrison off for the wee Ferry.
KTF
I don’t watch Scotland very often but do they always play without a midfield??
Barry Bannan????
talked to a sheff wed fan in work said bannan was Scottish ineista
nearly choked on my lunch
McGregor superior player
scores goals
http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/international-soccer/martin-oneill-agrees-new-deal-and-will-take-charge-of-ireland-for-euro-2020-campaign-roy-keane-also-set-to-stay-36200901.html
MIT 7.17pm
You committed the offence first :-)
Delighted to read you had a great holiday and put a few faces to monikers, no more to be said about picking the Sevs in LMS as MrsGFTB has taken a shot
Batten Bhoy don’t let a lawyer pass the blame he picked the Sevs first, canny remember why it stuck but MIT mentions it every time there is a new competition, must be the guilt :-)
PAPAJOE55 on 5TH OCTOBER 2017 6:17 PM
When I first started to go on the supporters bus to games in mid 60,s ,a song was sung with the words ,they come from Crieff and Kilmalcolm they come from Derry and Tyrone to see the Celtic win their game to see the Glasgow Celtic. I don’t know if this was just a local song as I am from the Crieff area or was adapted by local bhoys, interested if anyone of my generation remembers this song. As it’s quiet on here I thought it a good time to ask the question. HH
—–
I remember this as a wee Bhoy. My da’s version was…
They come from Cork and Kilmacolm, they come from Derry and Tyrone. To see the Celtic play their game, to keep the green flag flying high.
Provan….calling it wrong about red card……any apology…?
Nah didnt think so….
Players union foreign to him also…….ar***ole
I really want Scotland to win tonight but can’t help but laugh at the Sportsound mob complaining about the injustice about a blatant penalty denied. Welcome to our world; the one you defend every effin week as we get pens galore denied.
You truly couldn’t make it up.
GFTB,
Confiteor Deo omnipotenti, beatæ Mariæ semper Virgini, beato Michaeli Archangelo, beato Ioanni Baptistæ, sanctis Apostolis Petro et Paulo, omnibus Sanctis, et vobis, fratres: quia peccavi nimis cogitatione, verbo et opere: mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. Ideo precor beatam Mariam semper Virginem, beatum Michaelem Archangelum, beatum Ioannem Baptistam, sanctos Apostolos Petrum et Paulum, omnes Sanctos, et vos, fratres, orare pro me ad Dominum Deum nostrum.
but this doesnt mean you are allowed to pick Sevco!
:)
Rebus 67
I was attracted to the Tic because of the values of the club.
——————-
That’s it, put perfectly in 13 words.
wow watchin Scotland is brutal
The three midfielders all want to do the same job. Neither willing to go beyond or link up with the striker.
Chris martin on for Weee Jamsie ridiculous
MIKE IN TORONTO
Ita vero, Sexte!