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We are Celtic, ambition

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By on CQN BLOG & Comments

On Thursday I wrote Brendan Rodgers ‘will be a remarkable signing’.  One day after the event, it feels very remarkable.  Some found it so remarkable they have attempted a smile for the first time since Artmedia took the lead.  I’ve even spoken to Newco fans who were engaged by the appointment.  The aphorism, a rising tide lifts all boats, feels apt.

Some weeks ago I heard Peter Lawwell talk about the difficulty of landing a top tier manager in our current environment, however, he finished with a positive “But we are Celtic”.  People want to come here; managers, players, even tourists.  For all the Scottish game’s limits, we are Celtic, let’s not forget.

We’ve used some of that cachet to bring people to the game.  There will be more cameras, more reporters, more international media, more TV viewers and many more glutes on seats next season.  This will reflect on all.

Our media rights are worth more today than they were a week ago.  Consider for a moment how Dafabet and Magners view yesterday’s news?  For all they knew when they signed their shirt deals, we could have had Owen Coyle in charge next season, unless his auntie told them otherwise [an old CQN in-joke].

I’m pleased to hear so many comments that this is a sign of ambition, although ambition is always more nuanced than it appears.  Ambition every year is to win the league and qualify for the Champions League, that’s always the plan, whether it happens, or if it’s only half achieved.  Hopefully the ambition is loaded with a little authority this summer.

Sannabhoy asked me to pass on these comments on behalf of the Kano Foundation to the CQN community:

“To round the season off the Kano Foundation had a visit from Almore to present us with a donation from the Dublin 1916 CQN gathering on Sunday for the sum of £580.

“As you know, this event, to commemorate the Easter rising of 1916, was organised by CQNers Almore and ClogherCelt, and featured 30 CQN members among the 70 scots who travelled over to join the 120 locals at the festivities.  A brilliant time was had by all (just to rub it in to the absentees).

“Brian Ainslie, trustee, is pictured here receiving the cheque from Almore and Delaney’s Dunky.
Kano cheque
“On behalf of The Kano Foundation it gives us great pride and pleasure to accept this fantastic donation.  We appreciate the numerous good causes that are out there and to be beneficiaries of this, and the historically significant events it commemorates, is humbling and makes the efforts of the patrons, ambassadors, volunteers and trustees worthwhile.

“To Martin Connor and Alan Curran, who organised it, we’d just like to say, on behalf of the almost 5000 kids we have taken to Celtic Park, thank you very much.  Without support like yours we couldn’t continue to do this. Hail Hail.

“On that note, I’m away for a kip until next season – I’ll need it – we can take 2000 kids next year . HELP!!”

What a stunning community you are.  Well done.

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  1. Tricoloured Ribbon on

    Well my fellow Tims,time for bed.

     

    Hibs and yer fans God bless ye all.

     

    Huns wakening tomorrow wae hopefully banging hangovers and no Cup.

     

    Then Monday Brendan hoisting a Celtic scarf over his head.

     

    That will do their heads right in.

     

    Goodnight Tims.

     

    Tiocfaidh ar la.

  2. A Ceiler Gonof Rust on

    Celtic should change the date of Brendan being introduced to the Celtic support for at least another week.

     

     

    This is going to utterly overshadow the embarrassing twatting that sevco and their horrible support were handed today.

     

     

    Mon Celtic, timing is everything.

  3. Saint Stivs says SACK THE BOARD on

    New Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers. Picture: Clive Mason/Getty Images

     

    ANDREW SMITH

     

    00:00Sunday 22 May 2016

     

    1

     

    HAVE YOUR SAY

     

    It might be no surprise that the catalyst for Celtic’s recruitment of Brendan Rodgers was Rangers. The unexpected element is how the impetus was formed. It was the Scottish Cup semi-final between the two Glasgow clubs last month that convinced Celtic’s largest shareholder, Dermot Desmond, that the upscaling – which was always planned – had to “go large”. The antics of the Rangers directors that day as they celebrated the penalty shoot-out win over Celtic is understood to have had a profound effect on Desmond.

     

     

    The Irish billionaire was said to be furious that the normal etiquette rules were not respected as he sat in the vicinity of his Rangers counterparts at Hampden in the section set aside for dignitaries. Warm applause and happy smiles were cast aside for behaviour that, according to one insider, “made you think they were in the Rangers end”.

     

     

    Celtic’s major shareholder Dermot Desmond, left, with JP McManus. Picture: Andrew Redington/Getty Images

     

    Celtic’s major shareholder Dermot Desmond, left, with JP McManus. Picture: Andrew Redington/Getty Images

     

    What he considered a classless display was in contrast to the classy display from the Ibrox team which confirmed that the deficiencies in the Ronny Deila set-up demanded remedial action.

     

     

     

    Desmond’s exasperation could have been, in part, a sense of feeling betrayed. Whatever a certain section of the Celtic support may believe, his fascination with his “emotional investment” of 22 years ago extends to his poring over club forums. Within these his name is mud because of an interview he gave months after Rangers were required to start again in the fourth tier following the 2012 liquidation.

     

     

    In that he spoke of the Ibrox institution “as a fantastic club with a great history”, of being “disappointed” they did not share the same league set-up as Celtic, and of how he was sure it wouldn’t “be long” before they were doing so. An assessment perfectly in line with how clubs across the world that take the name and form of liquidated forbears are understood to assume the former’s lineage, it ran contrary to the Celtic supporter stance that Rangers post-2012 are a new club with no history beyond four years ago.

     

     

    The respect, at reputational cost among his own supporters, then shown by the Celtic kingmaker for a great rival then suffering was, in his eyes, thrown back in his face at Hampden six weeks ago. Putting Rangers in their place became then entwined with the pursuit of “a great manager” for his own “great club”.

     

     

    Desmond, in consort with chief executive Peter Lawwell, crunched the numbers and recognised that a Martin O’Neill-style appointment was doable.

     

     

    Without a direct domestic competitor with even a fraction of their resources since 2012, the intention was that the club should build over the period, and that had been achieved. In addition, commercial deals overseen by Lawwell had helped afford a financial latitude.

     

     

     

    Along with the inevitable uptake in season ticket sales, all these elements not only made it affordable to get a “box office” draw to helm the team – and in the process repair the disconnect that had opened up with the club’s following in recent years over largely joyless domestic success and Champions League failure.

     

     

    With the new enthusiasm and season-ticket purchasing this would spark among the support, it would be self-sustaining – the model that Desmond prides himself on being a key strategist within.

     

     

    The stars then aligned in the ability to entice Rodgers. The Irishman found the proposition intriguing from the get-go, partly owing to his background knowledge of Celtic’s reach. The concerns he had over the post were equally obvious: operating in a backwater with limited funds. Yet, with a wage package that made for a £2m-plus take home and a £15m transfer budget, Celtic could sell themselves as an English Championship style possible. Rodgers wanted to consider his options. If within those, an English Premier League team had fluttered their eyelashes then the proposition would have proved irresistible.

     

     

    However, this is an unusually settled summer as far as vacancies in English football’s land of lucre are concerned. The one notable exception is Everton… where, for all the Merseyside cross-ties, last year’s Liverpool manager is hardly a viable candidate.

     

     

     

    Rodgers and Celtic then were made for each other in this moment. The 43-year-old had to decide, two years on from being England’s manager of the year, if he wanted to be a Championship manager or, with a fair wind behind him he is confident he can generate, a Champions League manager, a domain into which he can take Celtic but which his Anfield successor Jurgen Klopp could not claim for his old club.

     

     

    The final twist in this tale belongs to Desmond. It also comes from that much-regurgitated interview of 2012. “Rangers are one of the great clubs in Britain and we have to acknowledge that,” he said. “They are a motivation for us to go along and beat them in every Old Firm match, so we miss that opportunity.”

     

     

    In Rodgers, Celtic have not missed an opportunity to remind of their reach in Britain and how out of that reach they intend to remain for Rangers.

     

     

     

     

    Read more: http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/teams/celtic/how-rangers-directors-antics-led-celtic-to-brendan-rodgers-1-4134642#ixzz49Ky9fGxq

     

    Follow us: @TheScotsman on Twitter | TheScotsmanNewspaper on Facebook

  5. Auldheid on

    22ND MAY 2016 12:11 AM

     

    Well….. well….. well…..

     

     

    Andrew Smith suggests DD has grown a pair!

     

     

     

    http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/teams/celtic/how-rangers-directors-antics-led-celtic-to-brendan-rodgers-1-4134642

     

     

    =======

     

    Interesting observation.

     

     

    I wonder if the detail of how SFA treated Celtic and shareholders when questions raised about licensing in 2011 might have annoyed him a tad? I was bloody furious.

     

     

    One thing for sure, something provoked a long time awaited response and it is very welcome.

  7. antipodean red on

    Brendan formerly GG,

     

     

    Just when I thought my face was going to settle down with all the laughing I’ve been doing and you come along with ‘Sunshine on Leith’, brilliant.

     

    Hot and sunny and smiley again in Darwin!!

  8. petec on

    Time

     

     

    What a Great Time for the Believers.

     

     

    Brendan will bring through Exceptional Celtic Schooled players.

     

     

    Tommy Burns csc

  9. A Ceiler Gonof Rust on

    Saint Stivs, the huns are not going to like that. No siree, they aint going to like that one bit.

     

     

     

    Haw:_)

  11. sid on

    Saturday, Stokes running wild

     

    And all the lights turning red to green

     

    I’m celebrating with the crowd

     

    And chemicals are running through my blood stream.

     

     

    DavidGrayHSC

  12. OmaCelt on

    Brendy one day.

     

     

    The Hibs the next.

     

     

    My bleading heart.

     

     

    It’s great to be a celt.

  15. Celticrollercoaster supporting Shay,our bhoy wonder along the way on

    Hibs are Loaded, don’t think you don’t care

     

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxeFfYsHlu4

     

     

    Well done the Hibees, made my day particularly with Stubbsy, Stokesy, Liam and McGeough!

     

     

    Oh how I laughed because they were written off before a ball wall was kicked.

     

     

    HH

     

     

    CRC

  20. OmaCelt on

    I am glad that the hun directors pi__ed off DD during the cup semi.

     

     

    He went to war.

     

     

    They will learn to regret it.

     

     

    Up The Celts.

  23. petec on

    I seen the clip where the Brave Hibee ran at the group by himself. They proceeded to kick lumps out of him as a group of 12 or so. Brave – The Huns are Cowardice personified.

     

     

    They are COWARDS.

     

     

    Everyone knows that.

     

     

    I hope the investigation is thorough.

  26. Thindimebhoy on

    You know in life sometimes the truth actually does get a voice in the darkness

     

     

    From Ibrox noise website most of the posts of course have nothing to do with a critical analysis of their defeat and more about pitch invasions and justice :)

     

     

    —–

     

     

     

    Alex McC22 May 2016 at 00:02

     

     

    My anger and frustration is with this Rangers display. For the umpteenth time this season James Tavernier was turned and twisted so badly the guy probably won’t straighten himself out until Christmas. Stokes had enough chances to win 20 football matches.

     

     

    It was a Punch and Judy show and all the Punch came from Hibs players.

     

     

    Quite simply Rangers were shite.

     

     

    Did this lot throw the game to keep their jobs?. It fuckin’ looked like it.

     

     

    Tactics if there was such a thing were exemplified with tiny Tavernier man marking Stokes FFS at corners and as we have seen all season the ball was headed into the Rangers net.

     

     

    For most of this season I closed my eyes at every corner into the Rangers goalmouth.

     

     

    Then crosses into the area were too much to bear with my eyes open and finally after Rangers second goal I couldn’t watch as the ball was punted into the Rangers half, usually down our right flank.

     

     

    I could smell this result coming because Stubbs put everything between Tavernier and Keirnan and it won Hibs the cup, and deservedly so.

     

     

    As to the Hibs fans flooding onto the pitch. C’mon get off your high horse, if Rangers had turned up for the fight there would be scarcely a green and white fan left in Hampden at the final whistle.

     

     

    Mr King should be under no illusions, if we are to be anywhere near the top of next year’s SPL he needs to stop bottom feeding and land some killer sharks, and pronto.

     

     

    Today’s result has undoubtedly cost Rangers millions and surely has had a drastic affect on next year’s advertising revenues.

     

     

    Where is the pull factor now for prospective targets to sign on?

     

     

    There are many battles to come and on today’s performance our present resources are not fit for purpose.

  29. A Ceiler Gonof Rust on

    PeteC, ma wee mum hates the huns (sorry Pete but hate isnay a bad thing when a hun pishes in yer baby’s pram, especially when I was that baby).

     

     

    Good on ma wee maw for bringing me up to think the same way she did.

     

     

    Fock them, and their freaky weans.

  33. Saint Stivs says SACK THE BOARD on

    off to bed.

     

     

    i wont forget this day for the rest of my life,

     

     

    if you live long enough , you see everything.

     

     

    god bless the hibernians, we owe them much

     

     

    stubbs, the goalie, mcginn, hendo, miltons mcgeochie,

     

     

    fenians won

     

     

    god bless JAMES CONNOLLY

     

     

    the last great love song

  36. sipsini on

    Not long in….I partied for fellow the greens monkey bashing.

     

     

    Well done the Hibernians.

     

     

    How good was that☘

  37. Saint Stivs says SACK THE BOARD on

    i type too drunk

     

     

    GOD BLESS ANTHONY STOKES

     

     

    bring the bhoy home

  40. petec on

    A Ceiler Gonof Rust,

     

     

    Horrible dude, absolutely horrible.

     

     

    One day I might tell you something, and it is even more despicable than what you just posted. It was my own fault, I got Drunk in an MP’s house.

     

     

    My own side in an MP’s house.

     

     

    No respect whatsoever.

     

     

    I’m Loving the Huns being handed it to them by Everyone in Scotland.

     

     

    I really got PISSED off when hearing about £40000 a year SECRETary.

     

     

    Corruption Cunts.

     

     

    Big hoose and all that.

     

     

    You should learn to walk before you crawl

  41. Saint Stivs says SACK THE BOARD on

    10000 hibees on the park, in the great find a handsome hun event.

     

     

    no not one

     

     

    and there never shall be one

     

     

    ———

     

     

    keep it lit

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