Having seen European football played on what could easily be mistaken for a swimming pool, I would be surprised if Uefa postponed Wednesday’s game Quarabag-Celtic game. Champions League and Europa League football takes place on pitches which are unplayable every season.
The combination of clubs travelling thousands of miles, crammed fixture schedules, competitors from hundreds of towns, many of which are not in natural grass growing regions, forces match supervisors to turn a blind eye. If the pitch in Baku is truly in a bad shape, the best Celtic can achieve is to have the game moved to an alternative venue., but even that would take an unlikely alignment of stars.
To some or other extent, everyone wants to control what the media reports about them. This is not in itself bad, but there are limits to the extent a football club, or any other group, should take this desire to control. Often for the reason that it will simply not work.
If some numpty reports that Ronny Deila said something off about Neil Lennon, and Ronny said no such thing, the numpty in question would find (found) himself banned from Celtic Park for using falsehoods to cause the club trouble. His newspaper would have to suck it up, as they were in the wrong.
When it comes to journalists reporting an unwelcome fact the rules are completely different. BBC’s Chris McLaughlin, who was banned from Ibrox days after reporting police arrested fans at the Hibs – Newco game for sectarian offenses has been publicly backed by the BBC.
The Corporation eventually backed Jim Spence after he was subject to significant intimidation for using the phrase “some people will tell you, the club that died” in connection to Rangers, but from the outside they appeared to be on the back foot early on.
In his excellent interview with Phil Mac Giolla Bhain, published today, Spence talks about this, saying “It has been and still is a blatant attempt to coerce and ultimately take journalists livelihoods away from them”.
Banning journos work in some circumstances: when they are factually wrong and doing you harm, but if they are factually correct, you’re handing the perceived enemy the initiative, and the high moral ground. A comment about a small number of arrests for sectarian offenses, which few people read, has now been magnified beyond comprehension. It’s a complete PR disaster of their own making, Newco should buy-in some expertise in this area.
Incredibly, when Craig Whyte made himself busy banning journos who reported what he was up to, those who should have been most alarmed were so lustfully delighted at the bans and invitations to demonstrate, they didn’t stop to consider Whyte was diverting their attention.
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The 2nd half of any game we play will go flat if we are a couple of goals up and have a big European game coming up.
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P.s. Thankfully wullie gollum knows the rules better than a few on here.
Poor wee Neil McCann, his blood pressure must be through the roof watching Celtic win AND get decisions..
Shouldn’t laugh though it’s a sin to mock the afflicted…
The colour of CG’s card could be debated either way. Sammi scored from a similar position at Ibrox a few years ago, but definitely not a “clear” goalscoring opportunity.
My main beef is how it was spun as a “turning point” in the game, which is nonsense. We would have seen the game out comfortably – maybe only 1-0, but still a win. Partick played out a 0-0 v Hamilton with ten men for over an hour.
Feckin phone
SNP
But you knew that
HH
Also a bit concerned that Irvine’s run wasn’t tracked. Maybe down to Bitton not playing?
Cynical manipulation of the list to get elected as MSP? Mathieson more than Spence comes to mind. Now what party is that? Point 2. Being on the ‘Tayside’ list would be a stupid approach for the cynical. SNP will win most of the first votes so list is likely to be labour nominees. Hint: Never employ Thompsontwat as your electoral agent!
The Exiled Tim -Saddo,
I’m sute TT can speak for himself but the question is stange IMHO.
E.g. Dennis Skinner is also a Labour man (as are many others) but I wouldn’t want him as Party Leader either.
The Tory press are having a field day, as are the Tories with no opposition.
THE EXILED TIM
The Labour Party appears to tolerate internal debate and dissent. That’s not something the SNP could ever be accused of.
On which note, has Jim Spence ever had anything to say about the SNP’s Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act?
THE RONNY ROAR IS FANTASTIC, 67 cup winners ….!!!!
ernie lynch,
Thanks for your deep insight into the SNP.
http://server.firefighters.org/catalog/2009/45574.mp3
Ernie-Bawsman
I have been a socialist all my days
During the referendum I wanted a yes vote in the hope that the good people of Scotland would have the chance to take back their given right and elect a socialist government.
Alas not to be
HH
Tony
Agree 100% with your post. I was directly behind the Gordon/Irvine incident. Craig stopped still before contact and Jackson moved towards the goalie, cutely looking for the foul and card.
Dd & Tony,
I agree annaw. And so does jude :)
HH
GM
Good to know my new specs are working. :)
Just been barred again from an ex pat site over here
They like the Hun don’t like the truth
They in the main want to shoot and drown the migrants at Calais
Winkers
Shopping beckons
HH
This place is a joke at times.
Craig Gordon could easily have been sent off for denying a goal scoring opportunity.
On this occasion the refs decision went our way.
If it had been at our end the conspiratorial nits would have been screaming for a sending off ,and saying that we had been cheated.
Celtic were lucky this decision went our way.
TT
MSM have made ALL political parties tighten up their rules on debate
Labour are no different sadly……..82 yr old man ejected for shouting nonsense
http://www.informationliberation.com/test.php?id=1762
TinyTim,
I said that to my Son at the time. We were lucky Craig didnae get sent off.
That was my view as well DD.
Like a few others I think we will be subjected to a few of the dark arts on Wednesday. I don’t have a problem with that and I am hopeful we will cope with whatever we face.
Thought the Craig Gordon incident was a 50/50 . When it comes to us some don’t like those odds whether it’s Celtic the workplace or wherever.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/33755989
Includes clip of Craig conducting orchestra………….
See to go with the super-duper new website can we have this seasons league table – just a thought
Gordon wasn’t the last man… so he wasn’t sent off
It’s pretty simple like
Good Afternoon.
The Jim Spence interview with Phil Mac G B is really interesting stuff. I was particularly taken by him saying he got private messages of support from colleagues when he was getting abuse from Sevco fans:
A large number of us challenged these colleagues online at the time, and they were very circumspect about supporting him publicly. Hmmm!
Still, at least Sevco fans have reacted well to the interview…
And this is the link I should have included in my previous post! D’oh!
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2015/08/03/an-inexplicably-toxic-combination/
Tinytim
You’re right in a sense.
We’ve to consider ourselves lucky when the laws of the game are interpreted in our favour?
Only a Celtic fan could make that statement.
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PETEC
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OK, so you still don’t remember talking to a stranger about that guy on a horse and the wee molehill, and all for my benefit, obviously.
And that is without any drinks, oh, ok perhaps 2. Strange coming from one so intelligent as you?
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Truth be told,bud,it wasn’t for your benefit. I’ve shown that statue to many people.
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It shows a statue of King Billy,Grade 1 listed,and bliddy enormous it is too.
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With a molehill. The one his horse tripped over
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Personally I think it hilarious. You on the other hand seem to think there was another reason for me pointing it out.
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Your call.
There’s no way the Labour and Conservative Party will win the next general election with Corbyn as leader .. Out of the three establishment candidates, I think the Thatcherite Kendall will drop out soon, to aide the two remaining Blarites ..
..
Genuine Socialist’s like Corbyn, McDonnell and the other 46 who voted against the welfare bill will eventually break away and form their own party…
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It’s the poor in England that I sympathise with most .. We’ve got an alternative to a decade or more Tory austerity.
..
…
Will also see a surge in the UKIP vote up here if JC does win .. Be the Hun Brit Nat’s party of choice, because there’s no way they’d vote SNP or a Labour Party who’s leader rightly believes in a free Ireland.
TINYTIM
Probably right in what you say,but people calling for a red would still be wrong.
Guys my take on the Craig Gordon,is that it could have went either way… I do not think we should be grateful,that this time it went in our favour,I could easily argue red/yellow and put up a good argument for both.
Tight decisions like CGs always cause debate. At the time, I thought he was very lucky and probably wouldn’t have argued too strongly over a red. With the benefit of replays it’s possible to see that VvD and possibly Brown were going to end up between the ball and the goal. Yellow was the correct decision. It would have been no surprise to see a red though.
It’s nice to see a ref get a tough call correct.
Have they phoned Stuart Dougal yet to see what he thinks?
The decision clearly has a bearing on where the title will ultimately
lie.
Little gentleman in a black velvet suit ..
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OldMonikerCSC
..
:)
The thing is, that’s two games in a row where Craig gordon has charged out and been nowhere near the ball. Better teams would have scored both times. He also did it v Inter.
Seems to be his only weakness.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/03/troubles-uk-failures-good-friday-agreement-law-un?CMP=twt_gu
Craig Gordon – stick to your day job
@cfc
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 3rd August 2015 3:19 pm
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PETEC
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OK, so you still don’t remember talking to a stranger about that guy on a horse and the wee molehill, and all for my benefit, obviously.
And that is without any drinks, oh, ok perhaps 2. Strange coming from one so intelligent as you?
.
Truth be told,bud,it wasn’t for your benefit. I’ve shown that statue to many people.
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It shows a statue of King Billy,Grade 1 listed,and bliddy enormous it is too.
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With a molehill. The one his horse tripped over
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Personally I think it hilarious. You on the other hand seem to think there was another reason for me pointing it out.
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Your call.
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My Call?
LOL
You sound like a silent Stuart McCall.
A threat?
A bet,
You ain’t seen nothing yet.
You going to gossip like a hairdresser,
My Middle Big Sister, She has her own shop,
Thanks to Dougie the hun, and his good job. Unfortunately they are divorced now, that breaks my heart.
You won’t ever be able to stop talking about others. The WORD warns about doing that, as well, well you knew that eh?
Charles Kickham
You have just relegated the Bhoys to second place!
You’re not a Dun by any chance?