If you were sitting in the Cliftonville dressing room tonight, you would fancy your chances against Celtic. They are a team reportedly playing the best football in their club’s history and are packed with professionals who are focussed on the task in hand. Celtic have vastly greater resources, but the fact that we have a list of excuses ready for a below-par performance is concerning.
The plastic pitch, the departed Wanyama and possibly departing Hooper, the tactically non-existent preseason and the fact that the deciding game will take place in Glasgow next week, are all available excuses, and teams with ready-made excuses often take them.
None of the above hold water, though. I would be surprised if Celtic players didn’t spend more time working on a plastic pitch at Lennoxtown than they spend on Celtic Park. Wanyama and Hooper were each absent from substantial Champions League victories last season and whatever gave Celtic the blues in Germany is a consequence of poor form, not a reason for it. Celtic can draw or even lose tonight and will still be favourites to proceed in the tournament but this is a game of football, and deserves to be respected as such.
The momentum for last season’s triumphs started to build after a solid win in Helsinki. A win tonight in Belfast would take the pressure of next week, allowing Neil Lennon more freedom to prepare for future challenges.
No excuses, Celtic.
To kick off the new season we’re having an Internet Bampots session on Friday at the (always excellent) Columba Club in Blantyre. Paul McConville, Phil Mac Giolla Bhain and myself will be on stage for a Question and Answer session from 19:30.
Tickets are available at the door. See you there.
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a stor…,
Today’s SFA news has caused a wee spurt of new backing it appears some who were still mulling it over were just needing today’s news as their tipping point.
As for wasting my time, I disagree, the SFA have been ignoring the rules and asking the board to support a call to UEFA for independent investigation into the licensing irregularities is well within the shareholders and clubs rights. If the shareholders on the board refuse to back it, then for me it tells me all I need to know about their collusion in corruption, shares will be sold and never put another penny into the club till they are gone.
I might just venture on here to laugh at all the cries of injustice from the gloly hunters as the SFA continue to stick it to the club, it’s the privelage they are paying for, they should be enjoying it like they keep telling us to.
Hamiltontim the picture you’ve just posted from the pub seems to centre on someone wearing a pair of short shorts.
Coincidence I’m sure.
Read on Twitter that a £5.2m deal for Gary Hooper agreed with QPR. £4m up front. The rest to be paid in the year that follows.
Hooper is undecided though. Could he be torn on whether to play in the CL or the 2nd tier of English football?
Surely he isn’t pinning his hopes on a move to Norwich.
LB
Is it all quiet over there?
Apologies mate that should have read:
I think your motion will be moot by collective connivance and precedential (and revoltingly lauded by the SMSM and some on Celtic forums) collective acceptance of corrupt governance.
Sevco shares getting dumped like a huge jobby. lol!
£0.45 and dropping… pmsl.
canamalar:
I wish you the best and nothing less.
livibhoy- That’s the problem, if Hooper don’t wanna go anywhere then he just sits tight.
Then watch Lawwell sweat.
the comfortable collective
16:29 on 17 July, 2013
Que?
http://www.lse.co.uk/ShareChart.asp?sharechart=RFC
Jon Daly. “Ive been welcomed into the Rangers family”. You should have been in Coatbridge last Saturday Jon boy they were dancin in your Fenian blood. Right up to their stinking knees too. You silly billy!!!!
ASonOfDan 16:33 on 17 July, 2013
Sevco shares getting dumped like a huge jobby. lol!
£0.45 and dropping… pmsl.
————
The phrase ‘better out than in’ has never been more appropriate…
goldstar10
16:35 on 17 July, 2013
You underestimate oor PL…….
a stor…,
My fantasy is that this is exactly what the board have been hoping for, an excuse to be forced by the shareholder into demanding investigation, so when the meeja turn up the heat they have deniability in instigating this course of action.
Another 100K for 43.00.
What’s about to break?
Hamiltontim;
Are you in Belfast for the game enjoying the local hospitality and the build up?
jude2005 is Neil Lennon \o/
A bit like being welcomed into Sawney Bean’s family I would imagine!!
goldstar10
If Hooper wants to sit tight that is his choice. I reckon he wanted away in January and the club blocked it so he is playing the board at their own game.
Unless a club he wannts to move to comes in he will be happy to pick his cash up for the season and leave as a free agent.
LB
canamalar:
Maybe, but whatever happens the board won’t be too worried about putting bread or cake on their table.
‘Does this mean Kenny Miller won’t be coming now?’
A thought from Fat Sally…
Why are the shares being dumped if the SFA aren’t looking to give Chas Green the ole bamboo splinters under the fingernails?
Has another big wedge of cash mysteriously disappeared from the bus depot?
‘I wonder if Greggs are hiring.’
Further thoughts from Fat Sally’s head…
palacio67 – times have changed remember early 90’s standing in a high viz roads jacket waiting for my lift, manys a dirty look i got and that was 7am in the morning!
£0.43 and dropping…
Afternoon.
I hear Celtic have accepted £5.2M offer from QPR but there are add ons to that fee.
If that is so, then we have brought in nearly £18M in transfer fees with a long time left in the window.
Now, I do not expect all of that sum to be given to Neil Lennon to reinforce the squad.
With the other departures, we have freed up wages — some of which have been tied up since the Mowbray days.
That being so, I expect the message to the team tonight to be this:
Be professional. You have been here before— they have not!
You play at a higher level, you beat a far higher level in Europe last year, and we are looking to get quality replacements into the squad for the forthcoming European campaign which task will be dramatically strengthened if the team tonight show professionalism and class by disposing of Cliftonville early and professionally.
Of course we have to be careful and recognise that this team will be playing their cup final tonight on home soil and have everything to play for.
It is time for the team on the park to play the game, the scouts and Lenny to do the business on reinforcements, and for the CEO and his team to really move forward in planning the proposed triangle development to bring repeated money into the club which does not depend on the vagaries of SFA or SPFL membership, putting us in a financial position which is more on a par with other European clubs rather than those who are scared sh**less within the SFA.
With no disrespect to Cliftonville whatsoever, I hope that Celtic put them to the sword tonight and so crack on towards all that is within their grasp.
Gherrybhoy57
Many thanks, looks like the Lonsdale for me
HH
RIFC – £0.42.
Dropping quicker the Charlie Adam’s sister pants!
LB
Emdy ever watch a game in St Julian’s in Malta?
Livibhoy
at 16.29
If thur ur any trewth in that .. well.. Unsubstantiated
Rumour..
Ah Wid Be Surprised.
But..if thur is..
Then Hoops is for the Foist time ,in awe of this Bizness.. showing a wee bit o’
Malum.
No Much ,Mind Ye!.. but, Some… if his being is Being discomfited by Doot and Unease.
because..
Sure.. If He goes tae Q.P.R. Ah wull gie ye .. well Substantial ODDS
that Hooper Wull Nevah Again. run oot …oanta the Field o’ Play… tae the Strains of
“Zadoc the Priest”.
Kojo
Still Laughin.
A stor…
It would be nice to live in a perfect world where everything is perfect but we don’t
Up until very very recently we were told that CFC supporters were paranoid – that everything we imagined going against us was all in our minds
Well we now have plenty of concrete evidence that we were not paranoid and that there was and still is one club being “helped” by the football authorities in Scotland
We also know that the current incarnation of that zombie club is unlikely to survive for more than a season or so
The recent rioting in NI over a fleg or a parade shows that there will remain the possibility of public disorder over what would be a very trivial matter to most people in the UK
The sudden and complete removal of RFC could well have caused such a situation in Glasgow – far better that we have the saga played out over a number of years to gradually calm the situation
That way the Huns gradually recognise what’s happening and do not resort to violence
And we all know they have a pretty good record of violence – win or lose!
We all get to have some additional fun watching events unfold while winning leagues,cups and trebles all round!
I say again what would you like to see happen?
You quote your previous generations not giving the present day CFC any of their hard earned money
instead I take it they gave it to the old board – the family dynasties – who believed that CFC was very much THEIR thing
Well knock me down with a feather but I’ll take Dermot Desmond and co any day over the likes of Desmond White and the Kelly’s pocketing the gate money at HT!
HH
Hamiltontim,
Sorry bud, talking about the pictures from the rock you’ve posted on twitter.
Seen you mentioned you were going to put some up on twitter, and being a nosy bugger had to have a look.
This is the one I was talking about.
“The Irish Brigade in The Rock.
http://t.co/wP2nrcML6Y “
a stor…,
To me that’s no important, I have no problem that they have made loads of money and are good at making money on a personal basis, my issue is how they carry out their duties as legal representative employed to protect the interests of ALL shareholders and the club. So far the club have been denied millions through malgovernance and the board have done nothing about it.
Am I right in thinking there is some kind of verdict involving the tax case tomorrow?
Does this explain the plummeting Sevco share price?
LB
“I’ve never been any happier than I have been at this Club.”- Georgios Samaras.
Sammi to rip it up tonight..
http://www.lse.co.uk/SharePrice.asp?shareprice=RFC
Looks like an investor has blinked!
100,000 shares sold in one transaction taking a 10% hit on original investment .
Sit back and enjoy the show bhoys and ghirls
@RhebelRhebel: The Sevco share price is plummeting, over 400,000 sold for 45p or less this afternoon – http://t.co/PyTZXojgRS
Our board don’t even need a dog whistle, it seems…
livibhoy
I think the Upper Tribunal starts tomorrow on Big Tax case