Have we progressed since the early season shambles against Legia and Maribor? Of course, we are winning regularly and playing with confidence, but it’s clear there’s also a lot more work to do. Celtic’s best performance of the season so far was in Salzburg, a more favourable wind would have seen us leave with three points, but that performance also stung Salzburg, who saw their aspirations to win the group take a hit.
It will take our best performance of the season to return a win tonight, but I’m expecting nothing less.
Sir David Murray has stuck to his “duped” story. Craig Whyte’s chosen path for Rangers was a surprise to him. This account is now to be explored in the witness box at the trial of the Ibrox Five. I suspect I could script Murray’s evidence myself, “duped”, “shocked”, “best interests of…”
Of vastly more interest will be Alastair Johnston’s evidence. Johnston and his independent board committee opposed Whyte’s takeover and made representations to Murray, which will also be revealed in the witness box.
News that Craig Whyte was arrested in Mexico and is now likely to be subject to extradition proceedings will be welcomed by few of the characters in this messy business. Whyte, as we know, recorded everything. He will be a difficult man to setup as a patsy.
The only questions is, how do I get court tickets?
Three points tonight, please, Celtic.
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Paddy Turner
I’ve arranged to pick my Mrs up from Edinburgh later on so regret I cannot make it.
Thanks for your kindness though!
Hope everyone is well!
TD
“Would I be right in saying that even if they…Red Bull…lose tonight, and win there last game at home they still top that/our division?”
If they lose tonight and win their last game, they will have 11 points. If we win tonight we will go to Zagreb with 10 points so a draw there would see us level with them.
South of Tunis
Nov 27, 2014 07:28 By John Ferguson
AN unprecedented operation swung into action at breakneck speed to allow Smith’s recommendations which are set to transform Holyrood into a more powerful and accountable Parliament.
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AS SCOTLAND woke to a No vote on September 19, some might have believed that the constitutional debate was settled.
The truth was that the result had fired the starting gun for an army of politicians, civil servants and community leaders to begin the complex task of transforming the way our country governs itself.
In the final days of campaigning, this newspaper had succeeded in demanding that Westminster leaders sign a solemn promise that radical new powers would be delivered to Holyrood if complete independence was rejected.
The words on our agenda- setting front page on September 16, headlined “The Vow” would have been ringing through David Cameron’s ears as he announced the creation of the Smith Commission on the steps of Downing Street the morning after the vote.
The Vow
After formally accepting the position of chairman that day, Lord Smith of Kelvin published his terms of reference on September 23.
It was immediately clear that on this occasion, the wheels of government would be allowed to work anything but slowly, despite the vast size of the task.
An unprecedented operation had to swing into action at breakneck speed to allow Smith’s recommendations – set to transform Holyrood into a more powerful and accountable Parliament – to be presented to the nation this morning.
The ultra-modern seventh-floor boardroom of the Green Investment Bank in Morrison Street, Edinburgh, with views across the capital’s historic centre, was selected as a base for the historic negotiations.
VIEW GALLERY
Often working long into the night in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle, Smith’s task was to convene cross-party talks and engage groups across Scotland to deliver plans for dramatic new powers covering tax, spending and welfare, by November 30.
Other key dates included October 31, the deadline for the publication of a Command Paper.
Ultimately, the UK Government will be expected to put forward today’s recommendations as draft legislation proposals on January 25 – ready to be made law by a new Westminster government in 2015.
Smith’s first action as chairman was to visit the Scottish Parliament on September 23 to listen to the first debate in the chamber after the referendum.
A POLITICAL heavyweight in the Scottish Parliament, Goldie has been an MSP since 1999 and served as the Scottish Tory leader for six years.
The 64-year-old stood down as party leader in 2011 and was replaced by Ruth Davidson. Goldie became a life peer in the House of Lords in 2013
VIEW GALLERY
He then invited each of the political parties to nominate two representatives to join cross-party talks – but Smith was also determined that the voices of civic institutions and organisations should be heard as well.
Representatives put forward by the parties included some of the biggest names in Scottish politics.
They were Annabel Goldie and Glasgow University law professor Adam Tomkins for the Conservatives, Maggie Chapman and Patrick Harvie of the Scottish Green Party, Gregg McClymont and Iain Gray of Labour, Tavish Scott MSP and Michael Moore of the Liberal
Democrats, and John Swinney and Linda Fabiani of the SNP.
The parties began thrashing out their views on which powers should be devolved – but taking such complex constitutional decisions, which would
reverberate through dozens of government departments, meant some technical help was needed.
A copy of The Smith Commission report into future enhanced powers for Scotland
To service the needs of the fast-working commission, an 18-strong secretariat of civil servants was recruited, drawn from the UK Government, the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament.
The team members were selected from the smartest policy experts in the UK, with unrivalled knowledge of tax, welfare and constitutional affairs.
Throughout the process they had to be constantly consulted to give practical advice on how the hundreds of possible changes being discussed could be made to work in practice.
Each of the parties submitted their views to the Commission on October 10, before beginning a series of meetings on October 13 with a view to reaching a consensus.
Within a week of the process beginning, Smith also wrote to 129 public organisations – from charities to pressure groups –asking for proposals and views.
By the end of the second week, the commission published details of how individual members of the public could have their say.
And in the four-week period leading up to the deadline for submissions on October 31, Smith and the secretariat were present at 25 events across Scotland attended by more than 215 organisations.
Dozens of civil servants were required to sift through 407 submissions from civic institutions, organisations and
groups, and 18,381 from members of the public.
All submissions were then shared with the political parties on November 4.
With the November 30 deadline looming, the pace had to be stepped up once again as the
commission drove forward with a public evidence session at the Scottish Parliament on November 13.
Commission members heard from 28 civic institutions and had the chance to grill them on the arguments underpinning their submissions.
The recommendations announced today will represent an unprecedented coming together of ideas and aspirations, not just from sworn political enemies, but from across Scotland.
They will give the Scottish Parliament more power than anyone would have realistically thought possible within 15 years of its creation – and change the face of the country forever.
Try your hand at our news quiz
Seriously doubt we will win tonight
There a good team tho not great
By any means this is a reflection of how far we’ve fallen in the
Last 18 months
Be backing them all the way as usual tho
Hope there’s a full house
Wish I was in Glasgow the noo
Hail hail
Mon the hoops
tonydonnelly67 @15 03 .
Thanks !
Tiny Tim
Ronny has dismantled a secure defensive organisation prepared by Neil Lennon but has not yet re-built the team. There were some signs of a compromise style emerging but, at present, we are still likely to ship goals.
Thenkfully RBS have the same problem and it seems to be the price to pay for a high presssing style. You get attractive games, lots of goals but no security at all when the opposition attack. I cannot think of any high pressing team (Barca, Arsenal etc;) that have secure defences.
Davidopoulos, God help me I was at the Partizan Belgrade game in ’89. To celebrate my birthday!
Do you remember the game against Cologne? Man, I have scars.
Tiny Tim, agreed. Mind you after Efe we really are short of options and I don’t think he fancies Charlie Mulgrew as part of a pair in central defence.
I can only hope he doesn’t go crazy and try to play some kind of 3-5-1-1.
I better check I have enough whisky in the house to last the whole game.
Davidopolus
Was at the Tirol game
Nerves were wrecked
Until we scored the sixth
I remember a Larsson of
Boyd and Mackay CBS awful defence
Great game
SFTB
You got my maths all over the place now, are Red Bull not already qualified?
South of Tunis
Well Lord Smith has published his recommendations today, which include a proposal that all Income Tax collected in Scotland, stays in Scotland. Personal allowances will still be set in London. Airport taxes will also be devolved. All of this will remain in the context of the Barnett Formula, and the block grant from London will also continue, with Income Tax collected in Scotland, deducted from said grant. All of this has to be written as legislation, to be published by January 25 2014 with a view to a commitment by Parliament before next year’s General Election.
TD,
Red Bull have qualified but we could top the group if results went our way
The Vow equated to Home Rule for Scotland in everything but Defence and Foreign affairs ie. Devo max.
Smith Commission offering 70% of tax raising powers and 85% of welfare staying under WM control.
lies lies and more lies. I do believe Creaig Whyte was in charge of the better Together campaign with the amount of wool pulled over eyes and is now he is running the Smith Commision. brilliant!
MWD said AYE
Burning_Bush
I don’t really remember it but my dad (who isn’t even a Celtic fan) still talks about that game.
Sheik Yerbouti
It was a great game in hindsight but man, that was stressful.
Dublin airport having first pint before heading for Paradise.
Time for maybe 2 pints after I meet my auld boy at Central. Where should I go?
Hail hail
Tirol Innsbruck at a packed Celtic Park – it appears a % of our support have been spoilt by the good times.
Its the diehards to make our club what it is, the rest come along for the ride on the big nights. Not real Celtic supporters.
HH
Celtic Mac .
Thanks !
The biggest mistake we could make tonight is to think that Salzburg will be taking it easy or will be playing a weakened team because they have already qualified. It doesn’t work for us that way in Europe, it has worked against us in the past, Barcelona v Shaktar Donetsk, if I remember correctly when our “friends” Barcelona fielded a weakened team to our detriment. We need to win tonight and on merit. So far our displays in the Europa League have involved more luck than skill and a large degree of excellent goal keeping, we need to buck that trend if we are to win tonight and progress.
gordybhoy64
Aye a seen that , they got ten points, we got eight, we won the next two games we got top, last game will be hard, this one isn’t any push over either, but as I said earlier, it’s at the holy ground.
Lurking Huns…GIRFUYs
Craig whyte was in mehico…trying to enlist..as part of the St Patricks battalion…………get yer scarff oot craigy bhoy……
Here’s a good bit of trivia for you…
Tirol Innsbruck went bust in 2002. Do you know who their last ever manager was?
Nainaythatwikipedia noo!
Malmo eliminated Salzburg from the Champions League .
Malmo beat Salzburg 3-0 in Sweden .
Malmo in this Champions League –
Juventus 2-Malmo 0
Malmo 2 -Olympiakos 0
Atletico Madrid 5-Malmo 0
Malmo 0 -Atletico Madrid 2.
Malmo 0 ——-Juventus 2 .
I watched both Malmo V Rube games . Malmo are very average.
COME ON YOU BHOYS IN GREEN!!!
lets get stuck intae them tonight.
Get behind the Bhoys all you lucky ones going to the game. They’ll need your support against a good team. But we can do it!!
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
TD & SFTB
Salzburg top our group with 10 points. We have 8.
If we win tonight, and away to Zagreb, we will win the group. RBSs final game is at home to Astra, which we all expect them to win.
Zagreb must win their 2 matches to have a chance of qualifying at our expense, if we fail to win tonight.
Paul67 et al
I mentioned earlier in the season that to qualify from our EL group would represent a fair bit of progress from RD in his first season. Not progress from where we were say two years ago, or even last season when we at least reached the CL group stages. What we need now is one good home performance which will take us beyond where we are now. I will take a one goal win right now.
Davidopoulos – what? you mean a team went bust, got liquidated and didn’t just miraculously reappear? Crazy talk. I wonder who bought their history?
TT
Not sure Ronny has many other better options than Efe if Denayer is unfit.
Charlie Mulgrew can play there, which means a new CB partnership at the expense of breaking up a settled midfield partnership, which is strictly non-ideal in both departments.
After that we’re down to the kids, the most experienced of whom, O’Connell has started 3 matches for us.
If Efe’s confidence is low at the moment, it’ll be shot if he loses a starting place in a must win Euro tie to a kid with no experience.
Burning_Bush
15:24 on 27 November, 2014
Davidopoulos – what? you mean a team went bust, got liquidated and didn’t just miraculously reappear? Crazy talk. I wonder who bought their history?
——————————————————-
Strange isn’t it? Clearly a glitch in the Matrix…
TD
Yes, RBS have already qualified but will want to finish top to avoid a 3rd placed CL drop-out team in the next round.
Even if they lose tonight they could end up top as they have their easiest home fixture against an Astra team with nothing to play for. Meanwhile, we have to travel to Zagreb which won’t be easy, even in the unlikely situation that they are out of the running by then.
The Vow equated to Home Rule for Scotland in everything but Defence and Foreign affairs ie. Devo max.
____________________________________
There is no official document on this, unless you are talking about the DR one, surely not?
Moonbeams
They are all liars ,I trust none of them on either side.
The price of oil at $80 a barrel as opposed to the SNP price of $135 a barrell is a disgraceful lie also.
TT
Burning_Bush
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FC_Wacker_Innsbruck_%282002%29
This answers all.
Particularly this bit:
“The club regard themselves as the spiritual continuation of the team FC Tirol Innsbruck, which went bankrupt in 2002 as well as the original FC Wacker Innsbruck which had been founded in 1913. In honour of this heritage, FC Wacker Tirol was renamed FC Wacker Innsbruck in 2007. However, legally it is a distinct and separate club, and is not entitled to claim the honours won by its predecessors.”
Davidopoulos.
Mentioned by the Italian tv commentator when the man in question lifted the Woprld Cup———–
Low.
As the net closes around Whytey, the noose tightens around Ally …
http://www.onfieldsofgreen.com/so-long-farewell-auf-wiedersehen-goodbye/
Zagreb could get beat tonight no?
South Of Tunis
Yes indeedy. I was curious about his background when watching Germany in the 2008 EC’s – it seemed he came out of nowhere after Klinsmann but had actually managed a number of clubs prior to that.
The Battered Bunnet
Shhhhh Efe is the whipping Bhoy now that Jamesey is fit.
Both games in the group to be draws tonight.
2-2 Hoops
1-1 Zagreb
LB
“How many tickers could take a game like the one we played against FC Tirol Innsbruck?”
Davidopolous,
Still one of my favourite European nights.
It had everything. We were oot. In. Oot. In…Ffs.
Henke own goals and sublime chips.
I’m sure Andy Thom scored a free kick inside the box that night too. One of the first I’d seen.
TD, it was the front page of the DR that was shown on the news last night with signed photographs of Cameron, Clegg and Milliband!