Congratulations to who originally penned: “We shall not be move, not by the Hearts, the Hibs or The Rangers, erm, we’ll not be moved, OK?” Celtic stand alone, our historic rivals, those who half a century ago denied our grandparents, are gone. Do we have a perfect season ahead? Maybe not, but it will be a unique historical joy nonetheless.
Some of the chat yesterday was that the Premiership would be poorer without Hibernian next season, but anyone who watched Hamilton out-pass and out-play them on Sunday wouldn’t think so. Hibs have offered nothing of note to league football for years. Terry Butcher has got practically everything wrong since arriving at Easter Road but his post-match comment, that perhaps his team needed relegation to thoroughly clear the decks.
Whatever Hibs are they are not competition to Celtic. Our domestic competition next season will come from Aberdeen, Dundee United and Motherwell. United and Aberdeen both finished the season poorly after showing considerable promise early on. Expect Jackie McNamara and Derek McInnes to build on their work over the last year.
If you were an aspiring Championship club you will not have welcomed the Accies result on Sunday. Now clear of their administration travails Hearts have the strongest squad in next season’s Championship. They will also be solvent, able to build on their squad and are likely to sell more season tickets than anyone else in the league.
Hibs’ newly recruited chief exec, Leann Dempster, is potentially the clubs most important recruit in 10 years. She will surely attempt to fit her successful Motherwell template onto the Edinburgh club – and may even have more resources at her disposal.
Queens and Falkirk know they are up against it in their bid for promotion next season but they are two well-run clubs who will have an influence on who does go up. I’m not even prepared to consider anyone else for the promotion spots, some just don’t have the players, some don’t have the management, some don’t have the money to end the season. Some are afflicted by all three ailments.
With the potential of a rejuvenated Hibs making next season’s play-offs, Premiership clubs will spend the next 11 months anticipating the very real possibility that it’s odds on that two clubs will go down next season. Accies and Dundee look more than a match for St Mirren, Kilmarnock, Ross County and Partick Thistle. While Celtic will win the league comfortably, we’re likely to see intense competition between Motherwell, Aberdeen and United for the ‘Best of the Rest’ badge, and between the other eight clubs to stay up.
Visit the CQN Bookstore to get Tommy Gemmell to sign your personal copy of his tome, All the Best.
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935 Comments- Pages:
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Jonny the Tim @ 15:48
SFA have been warned by police, that tomorrow’s game v Nigeria has a “high risk” of being fixed.
And what prey can anyone teach the SFA about such activity? They could offer a masterclass in the dark arts
HH jamesgang
Farage has criticised the shutting down of coal-fired power stations and has opposed the policy of creating wind farms as covering “Britain in ugly disgusting ghastly windmills”.
-well said Nige.
I’m off oot to get my eyes swivelled.
The ole CQN star wars ” May the force be with you ”
And also with you CSC.
Total trivia point, I always find myself saying about ex players that they werent brilliant but at least they scored against the huns, anyone come up with a list of players who scored only once against them ?
The Battered Bunnet 12.25
Just had a call from cousin in Donegal who called me as elderly woman were starting to gather with pitch forks at hand at various crossroads.i believe owenies granny had a bingo win and didnt pay oot.:-)
.hh
QuietnewsdayCsc
21/05/79- Tony Cascarino?
AN TEARMANN
Get over there and get it sorted,bud.
Selfish act,unbecoming of a CELT.
Owen needs every penny for his transfer fund.
Burnley78
CL qualifying round 2 (our first) is regionalised so the hardest we’d get is probably Malmo.
CL qualifying round 3 isn’t regionalised, neither is the play off round.
We will be seeded in all rounds
dontbrattbakkinanger
a one yard belter in a 1-1 draw i think. I never liked him, fell out with a bus load of Irish fans in Switzerland at Neuchetal (scuse the spelling) game, he was one on one three times in that match and couldnt score
Mark Wilson.
TCC
Funniest thing about that goal was his first effort knocked one of them out, cant remember who
21/05/79- there was another Irish bhoy, took a drink [according to Mrs Coyle, anyway] who scored against the Fossils.
…he played on the wing, carried a bit of weight.
Paul Byrne, maybe?
A three -legged race for one legged men could be quite a crowd puller.
I see there is talk of renegotiating the tv contract today – apparently there are going to be some amazing games next season in the super smashing “best league in the world” that most of us still call the first division, or second tier.
If the tv companies want to put up more cash to cover the Edinburgh clubs that’s fine. But I hope all top flight clubs will be resisting any notion of switching Premiership games for lower league ones. It would be perverse if clubs who have played by the rules and secured their place in the top division lose out in order to help other clubs who got relegated.
twentyfirstofmaynineteenseventynine
16:16 on 27 May, 2014
That’s right. I think it was maybe Maurice Edu, but cannae remember.
Anton Rogan and Paul McGugan
John Yogi Hughes,the Leith version.
http://www.philmacgiollabhain.ie/difficult-choices-at-rifc/#more-4721
HH
‘ It would be perverse if clubs who have played by the rules and secured their place in the top division lose out in order to help other clubs who got relegated’
– not in Scotchland.
Sevcophilia is the ole missionary position, with the lights on.
Sasa Papac got banjoed.
Darius Wdzecjk and Gerry Creaney; on train haven’t checked spelling
Hh
I well remember Paul Byrne, he should have scored against them in that horrible season we were at Hampden (remember the half time displays) Bloody hell thats just given me some really bad flashbacks, rod stewart, michael jackson et all, times are really good just now !
Craig Bellamy and Darren Odea ?
Hh
Willie McStay
Wee Gordon Strachan’s experience is oft quoted as the worst nightmare in Europe when a new manager comes in at the start of the season. Fact is, Gordon’s experience was pretty typical of Celtic managers of late, with the exception of the unusual scores in the Artmedia matches
I suppose having Lenny break Sutty’s jaw in the first 10 minutes wasn’t the smartest tactic. Anyway, going back 15 odd years and 7 managers, here’s how we’ve done in the past:
Wim Jansen – nearly tripped over Inter Cable in the quals, then slalomed past Tyrol Innsbruck before going out to Liverpool on away goals. Respectable.
Jo Venglos – Beat St Pats before player a ‘work to rule’ sunk the boat v Zagreb in the ECL quals. Beat Vitoria home and away in UEFA Cup before being banked in Zurich. Poor.
John Barnes – qualified for UEFA Cup by beating Cymbran, then beat Hapoel TA before Lyon, Henke’s leg, and general misery. Par for the Celtic course over the years.
MON – beat Jeunesse Esch and Helsinki in UEFA Cup before being papped oot by Bordeaux. See John Barnes above.
WGS – Artmedia… (few recall the 4-0 game at Celtic Park with much fondness, but it was almost one of those nights against a team that ultimately qualified out for the group stage)
Tony Mowbray – creditable win over Spartak Moscow, inc away win following a home defeat, before being spanked by Arsenal.
Neil Lennon – Papped oot the Champions League quals by Braga, then papped oot the Europa League quals by Utrecht.
Based on this historical data, and applying Bayesian Big Yellow Taxi Methods, I have inferred a trend and extrapolated a future first season European performance for the next Manager of Celtic, and it looks kinda like this:
First qualifier: Routine win over ‘pub team’.
Second Qualifier: Uncertain win over middle of the road team from Scandinavia
Final Qualifier: Regrettable loss to a team ranked 73 places below us.
Europa League: 7 points, 3rd place behind PSV and Estoril
There you have it.
Billy Stark
Chris Morris
Brian O’ Neill
I could stand to be corrected here but Andy Lynch and one of my heroes Dixie Deans, although I think we lost that game. And our possible next manager Malky.
Andy Thom
What’s the question?!
HH!!
Owen Archdeacon
Paul Elliott
Harald Brattbaak :)
twentyfirstofmaynineteenseventynine
16:25 on 27 May, 2014
I well remember Paul Byrne, he should have scored against them in that horrible season we were at Hampden (remember the half time displays) Bloody hell thats just given me some really bad flashbacks, rod stewart, michael jackson et all, times are really good just now !
He scored a peach against yon dead lot, new year 95, if I remember. Got flung out of the midden for jumping on the pitch and giving John Collins a big kiss, after the goal.
StraightasanarrowCSC
Cancel HB
roy croppie
was at all of those games but forgot all about Creaney, that was a belter, he should have done so much more with us
Mark Reid