25 years ago, Scotland were due to play a World Cup qualification game against Belarus on the day of Princess Diana’s funeral. The SFA, then run by chief exec Jim Farry, the same man who was eventually removed from office for delaying Celtic’s registration of Jorge Cadete, decided the game should proceed as planned.
Whatever you think of Farry, he acted without concern for the royalist contingent. Despite the SFA’s offices being vandalised and Scottish Secretary, Donald Dewer, applying political pressure, Farry dug in: ”We have taken heed of the various viewpoints, but let’s be reasonable about this, life does and must go on.”
He did not act alone, the SFA International Committee were involved, and they included Celtic’s Jack McGinn, and the Greatest Football Administrator the world has ever known, Campbell Ogilvie! This was a strange time in Britain, maybe the strangest few weeks of the last century.
Royalists were split between backers of the self-styled Queen of Hearts (honestly), and those in the minority, who sided with the actual Queen. The Queen, a bit like Farry, held out as long as she could against the indulgent wallowing infecting millions, by resisting calls to lower flags to half-mast.
Before the end of the week, royal flags were lowered and the Scotland game was postponed. Those of us who never took an interest in royalty were often heard saying “Let’s be reasonable about this”, but were largely ignored.
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boom boom shake the room
CELTIC40ME @ 4:10 & 4:17 PM,
Yes, I think it was Tommy and Martin’s idea, we had the chance to aquire the land at Lennoxtown and maybe things fell into place in that regard.
If you read Tommy’s comments of April 2005, you can see he thinks he’s got a lot of the mechanisms alrwady in place and the Academy is working without the Lennoxtown facility.
He says they “built it” from scratch as in the nineties our youth development had all but disappeared.
Now, we had financial issues to deal with and a new change in tact, what Martin O’Neil referred to as “life in the slow lane”.
Remember that interview with TB was April 2005 and by June 2005 Gordon Strachan was our manager and Tommy became a first team coach.
It would seem at that point the Board were really having a re-think about the academy and maybe the ambition and importance to the Club.
You will see after the share issue the emphasis has gone from an academy to a “training centre”, PL is on record of course as wanting to use Lennoxtown as a first team training facility as taking prospective players around Barrowfield had become embarrassing.
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/celtic-target-training-base-after-ps15m-raised-share-issue-2475951
The academy was playing a much less important role, though the basics were still in place.
Of course by the time we get to Lenny’s tenure and we really don’t need to start a debate on his strengths and weaknesses again, but he only ever utilised one academy player and that was James Forrest.
The head of scouting was John Park and moneyball was the main route to bringing players through and by the time Rangers are dead our backroom operations had deteriorated to the point we were looking for Norwegian knowhow to bolster our player conditioning.
So it doesn’t have to be some great fraud and the change of direction as Brian Quinn’s influence diminished and Peter Lawwell’s increased.
So by emphasising the Academy which I believe was the original plan and keeping the details of the DD’s extra shareholding schtum, the Board were not in anyway being fraudulent, just emphasising what they felt the supporter/shareholder, may deem good reasons to increase their shareholding.
The reasons for the issue were detailed by the Board as per St STIVS c&p post t’uther day, so no one lied, the share issue came at a time of change in the Club.
The fact that the essence of the academy remained at Barrowfield, which was never developed and phase 2 of Lennoxtown was mothballed are symptoms of that change.
Hail Hail
God Bless Our Coronation Cup Heroes 1953
BMW Golf at Wentworth, restarts tomorrow, players using black balls as a mark of respect, rounds might take a wee bit longer than usual……..
Please be respectful when talking about the queen, she was the head of the state, head of the royal family, mother to multiple pedophiles and most importantly, a devoted cousin to her husband.
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PMSL at the moron on Follow Follow who referred to the Queen as ” her gratuitous majesty “.
From the mouths of babes and imbeciles.
Diana’s death was a terrible time for our household.
Our VCR went on the blink the week before (absolutely true) and there was nothing on the television.
Had VCR been available .. entire series of Edge of Darkness plus a couple of really good movies could have tempered our suffering.
The King was leaving his castle to fight in the crusades.He left the key to his wife’s charity belt with his most trusted Knight.”God commands that I fight,but not even he can promise that I will return.If I die fighting in these holy wars,I leave it to you to release my wife to marry again”.The King mounted his horse and rode off the horizon.As he nearly rode out of sight,he turned back and looked at his kingdom one last time…….only to see his most trusted Knight, chasing after him shouting,”IT’S THE WRONG KEY,IT’S THE WRONG KEY,
A good friend advised a Bunker after my post earlier. Cheers J but I battle on
Thanks to those that have taken the time to reply – I will try and respond to one and all with this post
I seem to on my own
Nothing changes and I will persist
1) As stated earlier your view of the Queen is your view, gieve or rejoice – your call
2) More importantly – any post I posted was for the benefit of Celtic Football Club.
3) If Celtic listened to most on here and shouted we want to carry on regardless, she is not our Queen How would that go down with the worlds media. It would be more negative than the Huns wrecking Manchester
4) My point earlier about the negative press Celtic get if they do not put a poppy on their shirt is nothing compared to the negative press they will get if they voice opposition to the grieving mentality of a big percentage of the UK
5) The hun will have a field day they will have the moral high ground – Imagine the Headline “Celtic Football Club disrespects the Queen”
6) Lots of comments about the BBC and the Press with a persuasive one sided story – we all live with the editor having his say -todays CQN post is testament to that “Play on” Like all media its your call what you make of it
7) Someone asked what room I was in when I said “read the room” – that room is the UK – I could attempt to exaggerate and say the world but I will be sensible and stick with the UK
8) Celtic “apparently” are a club for all – I have a love affair with Celtic because I believe we are the good guys – anyone is welcome. The Green Brigade have a brilliant banner “Immigrants welcome” that’s my club I tell the world Yet we grumble at the mourning of an old woman
9) My last point I do not ask anyone to support or grieve for the Queen but “read the room” the country is in mourning (you may not be but a lot are) Associating Celtic (as Paul67 has done today) with an anti Queen view is not good for Celtic. Sometimes silence is golden
Hail Hail to one and all
67ECW
# chasity belt.
It is a complete joke.
Scottish adult football at all levels and Scottish rugby plus pro football in the rest of the country are the only entertainment deeming themselves worthy of cancelling.
Farcical as these will have the greatest challenges rescheduling.
In the past it could be said the football was a sport for the masses but in England this ain’t quite so anymore.
Strange but as some have said on here already it’s about virtue posturing.
I wonder if Charles the Third will ever make it to CP – if he’s good enough to meet martin mcguinness, he’s ………
I commiserate with those who are grieving now and respect those for whom this is a poignant moment in their lives; however I also see this as a chance for our squad to rest ; induct hacksaw and abild into ange’s vision and review the real and poxco matches. Come back better Ange!
Reading the comments about Tom Rogic signing for West Bromwich Albion tells me that a lot of Celtic supporters still believe that the player’s departure from Celtic was entirely his own decision.
67 EUROPEAN CUP WINNERS:
Nearly every word you just posted amounts to “think of what the rest of the country will say.”
The rest of the country doesn’t need an excuse to sneer at us, and they do it all the time, so frankly I couldn’t give a toss what they think and never have.
Stx2 @ 4.29
I think you are only telling half the story.
The £15mill rights issue kept the bank off our backs when we were under the financial cosh of the 2004/05 financial collapse.
WGS coming in and downsizing the MON inflated wage bill from £35mill to £25mill did the rest along with the money from AV for SP in 2006.
So highlighting the £10mill cost assigned to L/Town in the context of a £15mill rights issue is not the full story — not even close.
The full story is that we got the £15mill in 2005 to bring the bank borrowings — had been £23.5mill against a £24mill limit — back to a more sustainable level which gave us time to trade our way towards a £10mill spend at L/town.
Three years in the CL were a big help as well so it shows where we need to focus going forward.
A repost from end of last blog
EUROPEAN CUP WINNERS on 9TH SEPTEMBER 2022 5:14 PM
A good friend advised a Bunker after my post earlier. Cheers J but I battle on
Thanks to those that have taken the time to reply – I will try and respond to one and all with this post
I seem to on my own
Nothing changes and I will persist
1) As stated earlier your view of the Queen is your view, gieve or rejoice – your call
2) More importantly – any post I posted was for the benefit of Celtic Football Club.
3) If Celtic listened to most on here and shouted we want to carry on regardless, she is not our Queen How would that go down with the worlds media. It would be more negative than the Huns wrecking Manchester
4) My point earlier about the negative press Celtic get if they do not put a poppy on their shirt is nothing compared to the negative press they will get if they voice opposition to the grieving mentality of a big percentage of the UK
5) The hun will have a field day they will have the moral high ground – Imagine the Headline “Celtic Football Club disrespects the Queen”
6) Lots of comments about the BBC and the Press with a persuasive one sided story – we all live with the editor having his say -todays CQN post is testament to that “Play on” Like all media its your call what you make of it
7) Someone asked what room I was in when I said “read the room” – that room is the UK – I could attempt to exaggerate and say the world but I will be sensible and stick with the UK
8) Celtic “apparently” are a club for all – I have a love affair with Celtic because I believe we are the good guys – anyone is welcome. The Green Brigade have a brilliant banner “Immigrants welcome” that’s my club I tell the world Yet we grumble at the mourning of an old woman
9) My last point I do not ask anyone to support or grieve for the Queen but “read the room” the country is in mourning (you may not be but a lot are) Associating Celtic (as Paul67 has done today) with an anti Queen view is not good for Celtic. Sometimes silence is golden
Hail Hail to one and all
67ECW
C40 @ 5.19
Were those statements before or after DD flounced out saying no more money because the supporters had upset him?
He did change his mind but toys were found below his pram.
He had no choice — the bank invited us in for a chat about our debt levels.
Not good.
The academy should have been our priority.
One player out of 16 shows how this lack of focus is affecting us now.
Bhoyjoebelfast
🤣🤣
Did you know that King Arthur’s famous round table was designed by Sir Cumference?
Oops didn’t realise double post mod can you delete my 5.35 on your round please,and this one
HH
JAMES FORREST on 9TH SEPTEMBER 2022 5:32 PM
JF – this is not about you – its about Celtic
67ECW
A collection of privileged parasites,glad I amin Lanzarote and won’t be back until the whole shit show is long over.Feel sorry for the travelling bhoys who have booked flight and hotels who will compensate them.Hail Hail
67ECW
Not sure Paul was anti Queen ?
Mind you saying the triumphalism from the Telegraph at the fate of wee chip shop owner in Muir of Ord, who did celebrate the Queens demise, I am glad he wasn’t. A frenzied bunch of loyal royal fans attacking her virtually and descending on her shop physically applauded by the royal sycophants.
For me I agree with your sentiment and desire not to have Celtic dragged into being seen as the bad guys here. Their statement was spot on. No more needs be said.
As for the management of the sport Pauls latest post is spot on. Football has totally called this wrong. Created a huge headache for itself in a season it can not afford to. ESP the EPL. I can’t see how they can cancel next weeks games now.
All other sports and entertainment forms in the UK with the obvious exception of Scottish rugby will be playing tomorrow.
IMO Football has not ‘read the room’ 67ECW.
https://theshamrockglasgow.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/goal-diagram-neilly-mochan-1953-coronation-cup-final.jpg?w=750
67ECW
I see nothing controversial in your posts. I lived in England for 15 years and during the Diana thing. It did affect most people there and it was a mass mania
My Irish wife has told me to wind my neck in on Royal jokes online last night
My good pal in Glasgow got upset last night when I sent here a meme. She has the Queen as her FB pic now
James Forrest doing a rude dummy spit is standard on here but surprised a few others piled on (lightly)
The standard of debate has been A1 on here for a few weeks so I was a bit surprised. Still a good day on here overall though
PS
The joke was something like:
she has seen out 15 PMs, 14 Presidents, 10 Archbishops and 2 Rangers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmwChreAQzI
BURNLEY78 on 9TH SEPTEMBER 2022 5:39 PM
Paul may not have intended to be Anti Queen – but to the detractors eye it is very easy to interpret it as Anti Queen
And that is my point – we are setting ourself up to be shot at (and i know what that feels like today)
Hail Hail
67ECW
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRsM-qofKzA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5Apb7aOk9A
Why was this sporting event allowed to proceed.
One rule for the upper class and another rule for the rest of us –
https://youtu.be/VVYA3oTG8fg
CONEYBHOY
I don’t see you that joke offends anyone but Rangers.
so who made the call to cancel Scottish football tomorrow and why.
Anti queen my bollix
CONEYBHOY on 9TH SEPTEMBER 2022 5:41 PM
I like the joke
I have no problem with the debate I love the exchanges and I have exchanged views with JF before
I have great respect for one and all that includes a 96 year old deceased Queen
But we need to tip toe through this – do not give the Hun the moral high ground
Hail hail
67ECW
Scaniel @ 2.04
I can imagine my Father’s response too, God rest him
JACKIEMAC on 9TH SEPTEMBER 2022 5:51 PM
Happy to debate – what’s your point ?
67ECW
and not next week when it would make sense