There is significant pleasure this morning that Juventus are out of the Serie A Champions League spots. As prime protagonists in the European Super League fiasco, the definitive poster boys for cheating, as well as claiming titles that are not actually theirs (cough), they deserve all the antagonism coming their way. More than all this, however, we all like to see a successful club taken down a peg.
Apart from when it is us, of course, there was nothing pleasant about going from 12 trophies in a row to an empty season. Like Juventus, Celtic looked imperious a year ago on securing nine titles in a row. I am of the view that fans of most other clubs have a milder form of dislike for Celtic than Newco/Oldco, it is certainly true of Aberdeen, Hibs, Dundee United and I suspect even Hearts fans. Those of a couple of teams from my native Lanarkshire will forever be the holdouts. Notwithstanding an occasional fondness for Celtic, every other club and set of fans in Scotland wanted our run to stop. We became the greatest scalp in Scottish football history.
Success like this was great for Celtic and Juventus, and lousy for all other clubs, but it was also great for competitions in both countries. Every cup competition in Scotland from 2016 until Ross County knocked us out of the League Cup in November had an intensity the sponsors could not dream about.
Great sport requires great champions but the greatest sport is when the greats lose. I watched the World Snooker Championship this month and noted the only finals mentioned on TV that involved six-times winner Steve Davis were the two he lost, to Dennis Taylor and Joe Johnson. The former’s win ranking in the top TV sporting moments of the decade.
Those two Davis loses were a blip, he won the next three at a canter. Great champions also know how to recover. I expect no less from Celtic.
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Eventually got my Email from Celtic what a joke.
I particularly like this bit of expectation management:
Engagement and dialogue with all our supporters is crucial to everyone at the Club. == :-)
We recognise there are many challenges ahead, but we are all ready to tackle these together, with our aim as always, to give our supporters a Club they can be proud of based on the great Celtic values. == even more :-)
We also aim very shortly to make an announcement on Season Tickets. == Back on track well done Peter.
I’ve no doubt we’ll bounce back. When we bounce back is the concern. I’d like it to be next season but with every passing day of inaction that becomes more difficult.
Great champions plan for the future.
Big Jimmy
Reluctant as I am to answer questions addressed to JHB
such as :-
“Where is the £350 MILLION a WEEK for the NHS…That the UK Govt PROMISED ?
YOU and the other Daftie Unionists on here STILL have NOT answered that question ….why not ?”
————————————–
I will point out that this was a caim made by the Brexit campaign and Not by the Government of the time. In fact, David Cameron was on the other side of the Brexit campaign when he was PM. He’s still a corrupt tit.
It was the current Tory Govt, run by Boris and his missus, that made that false claim.
As a Labour supporter, in favour of not inflicting further poverty on all my fellow Scots, I feel no need to apologise for what these Tory figures do or say.
They are Tories and are not to be trusted or believed.
Aff Oot
You heard it here first-
Steve Davis is our new manager😀
Paul67
Rubentus?
Amateur hour compared with Rainjurz the only thing they had in common was cheating and debt.
Sevco are headed down the same road.
TIMMY7_NOTED
Lucky you.
Still no email for me.
And no reply to the one I sent them.
Shocking treatment of ‘customers’ for that’s all we are to them.
Cheers Pablo.
Liked this one.
Didn’t know about Juventus’ plight.
Good news. Hopefully Liverpool and Spurs to follow.
Your take on our relationship with other clubs was interesting.
I’d like to see us cultivate these further.
After all we’ve strengthened these formally with positive player loan experiences benefitting other clubs.
And (genuinely) our fans are more pleasant than Sevco’s.
But the Lanarkshire holdouts? – give them nothing.
As for the fightback?
Feeling a bit better about it but ..
…. the confirmation of our new manager week commencing 24 May will make it all a bit more tangible.
Hail hail
Keep The Faith
We’re Not Half of Anything
Paul
Juventus’ difficulties this season, nor those of PSG for that matter, do not really register on my radar to the extent that they compensate for our utter capitulation on and off the field.
I’m surprised and pleased that you haven’t played the COVID/lack of crowds card.
In the case of Juventus however, a case could be made for them not having been given the usual helping hand by officialdom, with referees feeling emboldened this season by the lack of a hostile crowd.
However more likely causes for their current woes are
1) an over-dependence on a clearly past-it Ronaldo,
2) the resultant financial shortfall caused by his financial package leading to inferior player recruitment and
3) the appointment of a hopelessly inexperienced manager in the form of A Pirlo.
An incompetent manager and dud players failing to win.
Whudathunkit???
vale bhoy on 10th May 2021 12:22 pm
Agreed 100%.
Re Celtic : E Mails are like buses.
One on Friday and one 30 minutes ago. Although very welcome communication, I feel we are being primed for something..
HH.
New manager announcement might be as late as Tuesday, 01 June.
SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 10TH MAY 2021 12:20 PM
You heard it here first-
Steve Davis is our new manager😀
——
Interesting.
https://ukm.propstoreauction.com/images/lot/1078/107864_2.jpg
Two posts in the space of 5 mins suggesting differing weeks for appointment of new manager.
Occam’s Razor.
Back to Basics – Glass Half Full on 10th May 2021 12:30 pm
So effectively managerless for 8mths, absolutely disgraceful.
Biggest budget in the country scrimping and saving a few £’s here and there then eventually announce JK on a 12mth rolling contract.
Not another penny.
Back to Basics
We can only hope that it’s worth waiting for.
Whatever punishment comes Rubentus, Real Madrid too, and of course Barcelona I hope it’s significant though I suspect it’ll be fluff
squire danaher on 10th May 2021 12:36 pm
Indeed Squire.
Squire
I’ve long been of the opinion that those posting dates for our new management team (even those who say the deal is already done?!) are best ignored.
Well intentioned if not well informed.
Same goes for anyone passing on information from an individuals contract of employment. Guess work at best
SQUIRE DANAHER on 10TH MAY 2021 12:36 PM
Two posts in the space of 5 mins suggesting differing weeks for appointment of new manager.
Occam’s Razor.
###
Never heard of him.
But it’s a good name.
Mysterious with an air of menace.
Squire D – Occam’s razor.
Good one. Lol
One variable MIGHT be ..
… the new manager is not permitted (contractually) to take up a new post until the team he left have completed their season?
🤔
Hail hail
Keep The Faith
We’re Not Half of Anything
Occam’s Razor featuring Celtic FC
All sorts of elaborate hypothesising and excuses are being dreamed up by the support to account for and/or excuse the continuing non-appointment of E Howe, in the belief he is the chosen candidate.
For example;
He is on gardening leave.
He foregoes contracted payments from Bournemouth if taking a job before 1/6/2021.
He is waiting for bonus money if Bournemouth get promotion.
He is waiting for a DoF, preferably his own selection.
He is waiting for a Greatestleagueintheworld team to make him an offer.
At no point has anyone employed by Celtic actually suggested Howe is the chosen candidate.
At this point in time E Howe is not the Celtic manager.
Occam’s Razor says that the most likely reason for this state of affairs is that, while all the above factors are perfectly feasible excuses, the greater likelihood is that it’s because he will not be getting the job, most likely because Celtic have said no to his demands – esp if Lawwell will retain a position at the club for SFA/UEFA purposes.
The choice is between S Clarke after the Euros and J Kennedy if Clarke says no.
Can you blame Celtic for keeping quiet?
Do Juve , need nearly a whole new team to become great champions again ?
If recovery is measured by the next appointment, how many months does it take great champions to replace a manager ?
Do great champions communicate with their supporters , or treat them with contempt ?
Asking for many.
“Like Juventus, Celtic looked imperious a year ago”
————-
Oh dear! The longer we revel in beating teams a fraction of the size, the longer we will go on failing in Europe. And the more we fail in Europe the more we will regress domestically.
Time for some vision and ambition.
———————————–
“Great champions also know how to recover. I expect no less from Celtic.”
————
Great champions recognise their weaknesses and rectify them. Blaming bad luck and continuing doing the same things gets you nowhere.
Preparations for the underwhelming of the Celtic support , just beginning.
Our ambitious expectations must be reduced.
TT
Tell me this.
If Howe has contractual reasons with Bournemouth to not officially leave the club then why not announce that his intention is to take over at Celtic in the future.
If the concern is other members of the coaching team who are still working for clubs then why not just announce Howe and say others will follow.
I think that it is much more likely that the new manager will be working at the Euros and that is what has delayed the announcement.
Clarke or Martinez and Maloney would fit the profile.
I have no problem with losing. I will be delighted to see St J or Hibs win the cup.
I draw the line at losing to cheats. Cheats our club have actively assisted because the money men care only about money… and don’t care how it’s made.
Our league is a farce. And our Board is responsible.
Oh, and great champions don’t settle for being a bit better than their closest competitor!
Dunno Paul – I knew a few fans (Dons and St Mirren for eg) who hate both OF ugly sisters with equal venom. And Hearts fans surely have more in common with the huns than with us!
Know plenty of English fans who prefer them to us as well.
The ‘our shit don’t stink’ routine is a bit unaware. To most, we’re the other cheek of the same erse.
Certainly to our commercial department that’s true.
I think BR will gladly do us a solid by buying average Eddy at an inflated price before jumping ship to take the Arsenal job. Add the fees for Ajer, Christie and Calum, our new manager will be allocated 25mill to build a team who can knock THEM OFF every other year and get a post-Xmas Europa Cup jaunt.
GRUMPY_A_F_CSC
There are 3 constraints when making a business decision – cost, time and quality.
We simply must be considering all of these. We should be looking at the right candidate, for the right price who can come in at the right time.
2 out of 3 isn’t good enough here, despite Meatloafs protestations otherwise.
A manager, post euros, would hand a massive boost to the first time champions of this season.
Remember, next season we need to be around 20+ points better than this one.
I am beginning to fear the worst
PAUL67
Good article but I totally disagree that Hearts hate us less than Rangers, have you been to Swinecastle when we have played. ? A disgusting crowd.
I am very good friends with a former Hearts striker, a Tim, and the things he tells me when he has met the fans is really really worrying.
SCHUMMI
Received same e-mail from Celtic again today.
BIGBHOY on 10TH MAY 2021 1:02 PM
Exactly.
There’s been no announcement about Howe because there’s not now going to be one.
He may have been under consideration at one point but not now given his demands.
Is there any reason why the board would not want Celtic to be successful, on or off the park?
Something going on in the background that we’re not aware of or have overlooked?
I remember being at a St. Mirren v Partick Thistle game in the nineties, at half time the scores were read out via the tannoy the currant buns were getting beat and the roar was deafening, of course, Celtic were not playing till the next day, so who knows how our result may have been received, por cierto
I agree with BIGBHOY, I think its someone involved at the EUROs, por cierto
Falkirk, Airdrie, Hearts, Huns (all and any iterations of that team/club/engine room subsidiary) – probably in that order – they’re the ones that really hate the Celtic, already
Received email today.
I’m confident like Paul that we will bounce back.
The question is when. The longer this farce continues , the more difficult it will be for next season.