I had some difficulty explaining to my boys why I wanted Aberdeen to win the League Cup yesterday, the desirability of having an even-stronger Aberdeen was lost on them after last month’s chastening experiences.
There are those who will tell you Scottish football, and Celtic in particular, need a strong Sevco. That argument is incorrect and ultimately futile, there isn’t going to be a strong Sevco, not in this decade, anyway. What Celtic would benefit most from is if those 40,000 Aberdeen fans fortify their club, which subsequently transforms into an increased football budget. They will hopefully land their own version of the treble this season, two cups and the Best of the Rest title.
If that helps them to shift 20,000 season tickets this summer, their status as the second force in the land will be cemented.
Kilmarnock fans will, almost to a man, be delighted to hear Michael Johnston is stepping down as chairman, although he will remain on the board. The corresponding clearing of their £9.4m debt in a deal with new investor, Billy Bowie, means there is one less financial basket case in Scotland.
Still buzzing after CQteN. I’ll announced the confirmed figure raised for Mary’s Meals Malawi appeal later in the week but I can confirm that on top of the school kitchen at the Kholoni Primary School (pictured below), we have money in to build a kitchen at St Joseph’s Boys School, Kasungu, and Chiphaso Boys School, also in Kasungu.
Yet again your generosity went above and beyond the call. Thank you. If you were not involved earlier you can change that here.
Thanks to Paddybhoy1888, who did a fantastic job with the beanies, more on this soon. The Academy Award goes BJmac, for his outstanding video of the CQteN Dream Team. The video featured every player to represent Celtic in the 10 years of the blog, which the 11 members of the Dream Team, with manager and subs, selected by you. You’ll enjoy it:
We still have some raffle prizes to announce and distribute, so check the blog for the rest of the week as winners will be notified.
Seville, the Celtic Movement, was launched on Friday, to some pretty decent reviews.
“I watched Sean dance animatedly with sheer delight on his face. At that moment any regrets I still had about not actually getting to Seville vanished. I would not have wanted to have missed the chance to celebrate with my own, as well as, the Celtic family.”
Order yours here:
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brogan rogan trevino and hogan supports oscar knox, mackenzie furniss and anyone else who fights neuroblastoma
01:51 on 17 March, 2014
Good Morning & Happy St Patrick’s Day.
If I may — let me tell you a story — & to start with let me ask a serious question.
Do you believe in The Wee People? Leprechauns? Fairy Dust? Kissing the Blarney Stone and the luck of the Irish?
Or even just — fate?
You see — for all that I think I am a logical person there are some things and feelings that I just can’t explain. Certain nights at Celtic Park you get a “feeling”, something that tells you something that you just cannot actually know kind of thing.
Anyway, here is my story…… a very recent story.
Prior to CQ10 I had been exchanging many an e-mail with Paul67 about the event and one strand of conversation was about how the parents of both Oscar and Vanessa were going to be there.
Then, last Thursday I got a message from Paul saying that he had heard from someone who wants to run in the New York Marathon for a Neuroblastoma sufferer, and so could I come up with a suitable candidate.
I went back to Paul and offered two possibilities.
One was a wee boy called Charlie who is aged three — basically Wee Oscar all over again!
The other was Nicola.
Nicola is not three — she is in fact 26 years old.
I slanted my reply pretty heavily in favour of………… Nicola…….. as I reasoned that loads of people will get behind Charlie as he he just such a wee mite…… again just like Oscar —- whilst it was far more likely that Nicola will not appeal so much as she is not a baby.
Surprise Surprise, Charlie won and so someone will run for him in New York in November and that is great.
Yet as I said to Paul something tells me this girl Nicola needs help and I ended my message saying that I would try to find out more about her and ended ” time for a lottery ticket there”.
Well , I bought the lottery ticket and won precisely nothing.
Those of you at CQ10 may recall that I alluded to this girl just after Stevie and Leona Knox were interviewed by Helen (Mynx) — but in the general din and mayhem the message was lost I suspect — in fact I know it was.
So come Saturday after all the CQ10 rushing around had finished my mind turned to 26 year old Nicola and at 13:20pm in the afternoon I e-mailed Paul again about the night before and in passing said I had had a great chat with the Knox’s and the Riddles and ended saying that I would keep an eye on Charlie’s campaign — but that I wanted to find out more about Nicola as I had an idea.
As many of you will now know, I ended up going into the Independent bar on Saturday night where I had the great company of Richie, Mick, Four Green Fields and of course Hamilton Tim ( a gem of a human being by the way ) and the wonderful Mynx.
On the way in I bought another Lotto ticket……….. and yet again won the square route of sod all– c’est la vie.
So, there I am in the pub quaffing a few pints and talking my usual amount of — to be frank — shite ( my mother hates me using that word though it makes her laugh and it is onomatopoeic ) — when Chris or Helen announce that the Knox’s are coming to join us.
If you have never seen Steve and Leona Knox I have to tell you that they are a devastatingly good looking couple — Hollywood good looking.
Anyway both arrive and are warmly greeted and both go out of their way to say what a good night they had had the night before.
Drinks all round.
Now I should add that when I gave the names of Charlie and Nicola to Paul I had added that I could approach the Riddles and the Knox’s for advice about who to nominate but added that such an approach might put both couples in a difficult position and that given they had read the book and bought the T shirt so to speak I was reluctant to do that.
However, there in the Independent I decided to get the thoughts of Stevie Knox and started to tell him about Nicola and why I thought someone should do something about helping her.
Unlike a 2 year old or a 3 year old — a 26 year old has had a glimpse of life — more than a glimpse.
By 26 a young woman will probably have fallen in love, maybe lost her heart to someone, or maybe had it broken — though in reality hearts are never broken– merely dented or bruised. She will know what it is like to be kissed, have someone hold her in their arms hold her hand and maybe walked along a beach with someone she loves and all that kind of thing.
Maybe think about a wedding, children, a new job and all the possibilities of a future … the kind of thing that a two year old or a three year old will have no conception of.
And now this Ba****rd disease threatens to steal all that!
Think back to when you were 26…. and all that you were doing, all that you hoped for and dreamed of.
Everything in my instinct told me that this is where Nicola McCurry was in her 26 year old life — but I knew nothing about her other than that she came from Cushendal and that like Vanessa and Oscar she had had Neuroblastoma as a child and believed she had beaten it… and now it was back with devastating effect.
So — I started to explain all that to Stevie Knox in a pub in Queen Street and as I spoke to him all of a sudden a strange look crossed his face and he stopped me in my tracks.
” Nicola McCurry? From Cushendal? — She is my COUSIN”
And so it turns out that the young woman that I had been thinking about is Oscar’s second cousin — a full blood relative of Stephen’s.
Not only that, my thoughts on her needing help were bang on as even the Neuroblastoma Alliance was initially not prepared to support any campaign for her because she is not a child — they only help children– and Stevie Knox himself had had to go to the charity and plead her case — she had had the disease as a child.
So, I have discussed this with Paul and with Stevie, and here I am in the early hours of a St Patrick’s morning typing away and asking a question:
Who is going to shout for Nicola McCurry?
As I type her just giving page shows that she has received not a single red cent — not a penny — not a rupee — towards her fund. Nada– Nil — Zero.
The story continues, Nicola is a twin — she has a sister called Naomi who is a big Celtic fan and who sometimes gets to Celtic Park courtesy of the Glens of Antrim No1 CSC which is based in Cushendall — and Nicola’s boyfriend Paddy is also a big Celtic fan.
Stevie told me that he and Leona have offered help and advice to the family given their experience with Oscar — but it is a different battle for a 26 year old and no one wants to appear to piggy back on Oscar and his battles and campaigns.
Now, we are raising money for kids in Malawi and the money going to Malawi benefits a whole lot of kids rather than just one individual — and so I don’t want to distract anyone from the Malawi project.
But who shouts for Nicola McCurry?
There is no Mary’s Meals organisation for her.
Instead she faces a situation where her life may be saved but only if she raises the money to pay for life saving drugs the price of which are kept ludicrously high to make a huge profit as the drug companies know that desperate parents will cough up — or find a way to cough up.
It is a disgrace and morally indefensible and down the road we have to do something about such creatures.
So Stephen Knox is going to do what he can to help start a campaign in Northern Ireland — and I have contacted a journalist here so that we can maybe get some momentum for Nicola
….. but to start with I need your help in a couple of ways.
First — the journalist says that the story is all about Celtic fans coming to the aid of Nicola … so I am going to make a donation and I will post the link to her page at the bottom of this piece.
But I stress please don’t give if you can’t afford to or if it lessens the Malawi campaign as that campaign is a CQN community thing as opposed to my personal hatred of this disease and those who would deny people available treatment.
However, if you have a son or a daughter of a similar age can you ask them to maybe do something about it — maybe a campaign at their work or student union or wherever?
I don’t know how many women we have on the site but can we get to mums-net and get some publicity there?
If there is anyone who looks in on here from Cushendal — can we get the CSC on to the case? Can we get other CSC’s to do a collection on their bus next Saturday?
Medtim — can you send the message out via the Huddleboard and if Auldheid can you weave your indefatigable magic on Kerrydale Street and elsewhere?
Anything that helps raise a voice for Nicola.
It is St Patrick’s day and someone somewhere needs the luck of the Irish….. and my vote goes to Nicola…… and yes I will be buying a lottery ticket come Tuesday.
And yes I do believe in the luck of the Irish and the wee people…… time to get them on this lass’ side.
Hail Hail and happy St Patrick’s Day
BRTH
Please read
https://www.justgiving.com/NCCAUKNicolasJourney
summa of sammi….
02:15 on 17 March, 2014
.
On Route to The Celtic Club to Smash some Guiness Glasses with Smashing Milk Bottles..
Melbourne’s Green and White..
Might No be as Guid as CQTEN but there will be more at Our CQTWO..【ツ】
Feck Me I’m Irish..
Summa of Irish4aDayCSC
Happy St Patricks Day everyone.
Come on the Albion Rovers.
And a Happy Birthday to Jacob.
HH
POD?
BMCUW,
nice 1st place post!
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS ………FC not PLC
12:57 on
Good on you mate, I was going to do the same thing.
Lurkers.
The worthiest of podium winners!
HH jamesgang
Happy St Patrick’s day gentlemen, enjoy your Guinness.
Sittin on the train and John ‘wheres ra deeds’ Bomber Brown just got on! Emdy fancy an impromptu Q&A?
BMCUW
Good on ye for reporting, welcome to the lurkers!
Unbelievable that over £1600 has been raised for Nicola I less than twelve hours. Well done BRTH and all the CQN gang
Embramike @embramike now
The world celebrates the green of St Paddy’s Day in March. Only a small angry hurting mob celebrate the orange sectarian stagger in July
A Happy St Patrick’s day to CQNers one and all. Off to work out the remains of the weekend’s Guinness. HH
PAUL67
The more teams who are capable of providing a challenge,the better.
If Aberdeen can build on their success,Kilmarnock on the momentum of their fans,Dundee Utd and others on their youth policy,we may yet see the league becoming more competitive.
I doubt it will return anytime soon to the heady days of the early 80s. But I doubt also it will return to the period since.
As Scotland starts to get its house in order,England may be experiencing the problems we have had since the 90s.
Well,their recessions are usually a few years later than ours!
On a happier note, Rose the deputy catering manager at Celtic has just phoned to say Lyndsey’s cap was handed in and it’s all in one piece.
Thanks,fellas.
Now,how do we REALLY make the difference?
Bucket Day 2?
Make it May 10 and I’ll be there.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day to Irish people everywhere…….and to all who would love to be Irish.
Dick Byrne –
great to see you posting again just before the new article went up. Timing is everything.
Hope it continues.
Some good words posted by Joe O’Rourke on the CSA website. Didn’t realise Joe was the do, could have had a wee cuppa with him ☕️
…………..
CQN deserves great credit.
Great victory on Friday night down at Kilmarnock, I wasn’t down there, and there were two reasons for that. Firstly I haven’t been back to Kilmarnock since their Chairman abstained in the vote to parachute Sevco into the SPL. And secondly because I was invited to Celtic Quick News’s Tenth Anniversary Event in the Kerrydale Suite at Celtic Park.
I’m not normally a big fan of Blogging Sites, but I am a big fan of CQN as it is more commonly known, and the main reason for that is the magnificent work they do in raising money for worthy causes.
The first major appeal they did was the “Bring Martin Home Appeal” which was about Martin Kane who lives in Perth Australia; he was paralysed from the neck down and was stuck in hospital away from his family.
The target was exceptionally high, around £50,000 was required to adapt the family home to make it possible for Martin to live at home, I don’t think anybody thought it was achievable, but lo and behold, not only was it achieved, but it was actually surpassed.
CQN also played a major part in raising funds to help with the Cancer treatment for five year old Oscar Knox, little Oscar suffered from Neuroblastoma; about £250,000 was needed for the treatment. As we know, the money was raised and little Oscar is doing great, which is absolutely brilliant.
The latest project taken on by the CQN Bhoys, is to raise funds to provide Kitchens for the distribution of Mary’s Meals in Malawi, I believe up until now they have provided funds for three schools, and are hoping to help fund more.
Great credit must go to Paul Brennan and his fellow CQNer’s, they carry on the work first started by Brother Walfrid in the East End of Glasgow, now it is work which affects people globally. The Celtic Fans have always rallied to the cause of those less fortunate in this world, I’m sure we will continue to do so.
So to all of you who have given freely of your time, and has put your hand in your pocket, I give you thanks and encourage you to continue to do so. Your hard work and kindness is greatly appreciated.
Hoopy St Patrick’s Day to one and all.
billy bhoy 05
13:16 on 17 March, 2014
Tommytwistsandturns
The Chip
Very, very droll and funny
BMCUW
Good on ye for re- posting!
V
VMHAN
Blatant plagiarism. I hope BRT&H and SUMMA will overlook it this time!
An easy way of donating (well for me anyway) :)))
Did you know you can also donate by text message? Please text NCMC87 and your amount between £1 – 10 to 70070 a maximum of 3 text donations can be made in anyone day up to to the maximum amount of £30.00 thank you.
eddieinkirkmichael
13:04 on 17 March, 2014
On a happier note, Rose the deputy catering manager at Celtic has just phoned to say Lyndsey’s cap was handed in and it’s all in one piece.
—-
Fantastic news Eddie, love a happy ending. Happy St. Patricks day!
Paul 67 etal.
It will be impossible to add to all that has been Said in the preceeding 1.500 posts for this blog, but my uttering will just add another bit to what was a fantastic day? night.
I nearly wasn’t coming as I was becoming unwell on the train coming through to Glasgow, but I had an important meet up with my good Friend from Poland Zbyszek, I promised to meet him coming from the plane on Thursday at Prestwick, but I was late and he wandered about the Airport until I arrived 30 minutes late, sorry about that my friend.
We booked into the Millenium had a wee rest then went to the Blane Valley, when I arrived there, the place was empty so we had a wee drink, and a few had promised to meet us there, BT. DWD. for the life of me I can’t remember who else was there, my memory seems to have diminished the further the day went on, I had booked a meal at La Laterna for two people going on five, or six, well I think 5 made it, 6 including myself. Lovely meal.and lovely booze up and best of all lovely company, When you book a meal you would normally expect to pick up the bill, but to my surprise EDB had done the dirty on me and paid the tab, maybe others had chipped in but they wouldn’t tell anything. A big thanks for the treat Bhoys.
Next day I woke up after a night at the Millenium Hotel and I felt unwell again. I went to the chemist in Queens St Station and asked if I could speak to the Chemist if she could advise me on a cough mixture, I was coughing and Spluttering and I thought I may have to gone home. The Chemist asked what was my problem and after I told her she asked if she could phone my Doctor, I couldn’t believe she was being so helpful to me, she came back from phoning my doctor and she asked for my mobile number, I couldn’t remember it, I never can, so we went back to the Hotel and searched my mobile for my phone number, no luck there, then it dawned on me, someone who would know my number, BT was the man, I called him to text my mobile back to me, problem solved the doctor called me and he said to go back to the chemist as he was going to give her the go ahead to prescribe the medicines, Zbyszek went back an forth to the chemist, I think on the third try he came back with the medication, I took eight tablets from one box and proceeded to swallow them, Zbyszek was worried about the amount I was taking, but I knew what I was doing. after about an hour I was feeling fine.
Afternoon, was a trip to the Blane Valley to meet up with a good few CQNers, I said to the barmaid that there will be a few coming in for a drink, she asked if I wanted to have a gin & tonic, no just a can of coke, then the pub went from a quiet bar into a very noisy one in the matter of 1/2 an hour, The Blane Valley must have had a good afternoons takings, The Doc was there doing what he he had come to do, collect ticket money and, giving out his pressies for later on that night.
I’m trying to remember all who I met on the night but it would be impossible to put it on the blog, My post is long enough without adding a lot of names that you will already know who was there.
I wrote a post a few months ago about what CQN means to me and Friday night was the ultimate for me, although I had no drink that day, I enjoyed every minute of the night, too meet so many people who I call friends was a buzz for me, who needs drink when your enjoying yourself, and I really enjoyed myself on Friday, thanks for your company.
Finally, I’d like to say thanks to whoever come up with the present for Zbyszek, I’m surprised that he went up on the stage and spoke to 450 people, it was a big surprise for me, it would have been overwhelming for him, I think he must have had more too drink than I thought he had, (lucky man).
I must say that it was good to see the Brennan Family there in force, It would be a hard decision for you all to make, Glad you decided to come Martin. Paul. and Kevin, good to see you all again.
Great post Oldtim67
HH
Oldtim67
Hope you are feeling better!
Happy St Pats to all from Eire, lets hope this @albionrovers v Sevco match is refereed Fairer especially after the ref’s previous Error…
Oldtim67
I hope you’re feeling better pal.. Take care.
OLDTIM67
Wonderful stuff,mate.
Old Tim
You deserve a bit of credit for what occurred on Friday too.
TTTT
That was a belter.
Dick Byrne
re:-
“The CQN Ashton Lane Club meets in Brel on the 2nd Friday of every month. It’s a lively couple of hours discussing the latest in dance, literature & the arts but finishes dead on 10:00 so we can be home in time for the Review Show on BBC4.”
A wee quiz:-
The first rule of CQN Ashton Lane Club is
a) We do not speak of CQN Ashton Lane Club
b) No huns
c) No south, east or north siders allowed
d) BYOB- Bring Your Own Boyfriend
20,000 SEASON TICKET HOLDERS AT PITTODRIE .YOUR TAKIN THE PISS
THEY NEED TO RE ALLOCATE SEATS TO THEIR FANS SO THEY CAN FLOG MORE AWAY TICKETS
BAD DAY SUN WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE INSTEAD 2 TEAMS I HATE IN OUR PLACE
AND IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN IN MAY
LENNON OUT
As I have said before,if,and it really is an if,the huns manage to get to the top league,they will find it a very different place to the one their dead team left.
I think a lot of people got the wrong idea about many Celtic fans wishing an Aberdeen win on Sunday.Remember the old saying”My enemies enemy is my friend”.A strong Dons,a resurgent Dundee U,ICT,never a pushover for the hun,even in the bad old days of”Rigging”,hopefully a much stronger Hibs,under Terry Butcher,a good possibility.Their middle of the road SPL team,if even that,will struggle to compete with these teams.
Thats what we should be hoping for.
Afternoon all will be taking a posting break from the site for a while my youngest bhoy has special needs and he is going through a bad time and the moment nothing serious or anything like that thank God it’s just his behaviour lets him down and it’s emotionally draining for us his mother especially as she has to deal with school and the like .the posts on here are a tonic even the bad ones from cqns victor meldrew,chip on his shoulder more like both of them.best of luck to the bhoys on the pitch for the rest of the season and the bhoys and ghirls on here. Back to lurking mode
OldTim67
Great post ya oul tart :-)
BT sent me a text saying that you were home and feeling better but I only noticed it very late last night.
Stay well and take good care of yourself.
I see the sevconians held a protest at the weekend involving cards being held up in the 18th and 72nd minute. (Apparently something to do with the year the liquidated team were formed)
do you think that in response the celtic fans should have a we icre cream and jelly every evening at 12 minutes past 8 every night to celebrate the end of them
8.12 pm now takes on a new sgnificance!
but what happens if the new sevconians fall this year, will we need to have more dessert at 8.14pm too?
i better buy trousirs wi a bigger waist band!
GINGER
Family comes first,mate. Fair play to ya!
BESTALUCK to the young fella,and to you and your wife.
Feel free to pop back any time you like. We’ll do our best to cheer you up.