International Breaks
International fortnights,doncha just love ’em? I know rabid football supporters who book their citybreaks around them,anything to avoid even hearing about them.
Its even worse now,with the advent of a new tournament,Nation’s League,that even The Bombe would struggle to decode.
I do understand that most players consider it an honour to represent their country,and I’m happy for them to do so. Of course,I’m not so sure that our country feels honoured by our representation-Jimmy McGrory got seven caps for his country,and don’t even start me on The Lisbon Lions.
Various Celtic players over the years have fell hard done by over the years;George Connelly and Stevie Murray declined future consideration,Jinky was treated abominably-put the cones out,wee man!-and Jacky McNamara even lashed out during his own “tribute”.
But my main gripe with international football is it’s irrelevance to the vast majority. And the dangers it brings. Few supporters care for it-I struggled to place half of the Scotland team on Friday,and only 20,000 could be bothered to turn up against the third best team in the world. Hell knows how many will bother on Monday against,erm,Albania.
If they were playing out my backdoor,I’d shut the curtains. Or turn on the sprinklers.
But the dangers are obvious too. Clubs lose three potential playing dates for every international break. Of which there are five per year. That causes a concertina effect in the playing season,as too many fixtures are crammed into too short a time. The season is way too full as it is. Plus,lack of familiarity with team-mates puts players a yard or so out of position at times. A danger in itself.
And that’s before we even discuss additional injury problems,such as Luke Shaw yesterday,or even our own John Kennedy.
No,sadly I conclude that international football is a four-yearly fiesta that is worth having. But spare me the preamble. And definitely spare me the qualifiers.
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submitted by majoc
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Have to repost a comment from a previous article. He might be slightly more aggressive than most,but tell him he’s wrong.
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Awe Naw
Don´t take this personally;
But this has all been discussed and debated on CQN over the years and a consensus was arrived at.
The problem I reckon is not whether Rangers cheated or Celtic have done nothing about it. These are non debatable facts. The major share holders (defacto owners) attempted to strangle Resolution 12 at birth. It´s all in the 2012 AGM minutes. The only reason that it was “parked” was due to the fear of losing customers. The passing of time being the desired wish of our plc. Hopefully then it will all be forgotten about. Everyone can move on and they can do what they do outwith the laws of the l and as that what the football industry affords you. A great environment for making contacts and mining information. It was (not is) a case of been seen to be doing something rather than being seen to do doing nothing. That is all nothing more , nothing else. I choose my words very carefully here; ONLY A BELIEVER(fool) OR SOMEBODY WITH A MUTUAL INTEREST WILL TELL YOU OTHERWISE. I have been told by one of the four (verbally face to face ) that Celtic have done “next to nothing”, “tokenism”, “hollow gestures” and that the only reason the PLC can still be considered to be involved is due to the kindhearted nature AND professional background of some of the four musketeers being extremely diplomatic to the very-bitter end. Stoical intelligent well balanced individuals who will never accept defeat. Which brings me to my point. In fact to THE POINT. … about insanity and madness
A point which is all too evident from your post. The Board did want Res 12 strangled at birth. Anyone not aware of this wasn´t paying attention. The problem we as a support have (some of the Resolution 12 Bhoys are also) guilty of this is what is known as a rigid belief system which every Celtic fan I know of apart from a few always exhibit. An inability to think outwith their rigid belief system. Keeping the faith is more important that knowing the truth. Aye and there´s the rub
There comes a time when you have to call a dead pig a pig.
Those that want so desperately for the pig to be alive will stare at it´s dead carcass chastising anyone who is saying that it´s a pig waiting for the pig to decay into nothing , so that they can say . see …look it´s not a dead pig ……… that´s how integral and DANGEROUS these rigid belief systems
Any highlighting of this issue will leave you being ex communicated from the Celtic community. Guilty as charged unless you will buy a ticket. In fact unless you buy anything. Charitable donations will help …, great publicity .. possible tax breaks also … but don´t forget why you are here .. to help turn a profit for the plc
1) Accept that we have a scummy billionaire owner who only wants to MAXIMISE his portfolio (see no difference between Rangers and Celtic fans) and nothing else matters
2) Lose yourself in a very dubious faith and accept it (Charles Mansons followers come to mind)
3) Buy shares in the PLC … forget about sport
4) DO WHAT ONE OF THE FOUR OF THE RESOLUTION 12èrs has already done and accept the consensus that was reached on CQN years ago; That Scottish Football is not a sport. It is an entertainment industry akin to WWF (wrestling) bolstered by pandering to bigots and racists with rigid belief systems.
*Bolstered — more profitable, better Roman amphitheater atmosphere (Romans V Christians) etc.
YOUR DEAD RELATIVES WHO PAID GOOD MONEY TO WATCH WHAT THEY THOUGHT WAS A FAIR COMPETITION CAN ROT IN HELL BEFORE CELTIC PLC IS PREPARED TO DEAL WITH IT. SHUT YOUR DUMB CATHOLIC REPUBLICAN MOUTH AND CONCENTRATE ON THE TABLOID CRAP WE FEED YOU WITH OR FU** OFF HAIL HAIL THE CELTS ARE HERE
Factual rebuttals more than welcome …. look forward to it
Reply4 hours ago
Awe Naws comment I intend to address in my next article .
Majoc thanks for the article partner. My take on international football.
International football was once essential viewing and the cream of the sport but thats long gone. The Champions league has surpassed it now for quality.
But on playing for your country it never fails to throw up a few weird and strange situations . The boy Rice is holding Ireland up right now having played the last 3 ( what a joke , he shouldnt have played those 3 if he had no intention of following through ) and Ozil’s situation show’s that merely qualifying for a passport and playing for that country is not enough commitment . He was shunned as a non native he claimed and previous players have came out in support of him.
Will we have water breaks in Qatar every 5 minutes leading to ad’s while the game is playing ? That is some companies dream no doubt.
I know one international manager that passed a hat around the dressing room to be filled with cash by his picks as his caps brought you a pay rise and his gravitas at the time meant a few wrong words about you could break your career . You had to in other words.
Michael O Neill can say whatever he wants about religion not playing a part for the new look Northern Ireland team but the simple fact is until you can sit through God Save the Queen at Windsor Park without getting a kicking ( and not knowing the words has seen some “ punished “ ) then its not all inclusive is it and how about you play both anthems to put everyone at ease ? Aye right. The Polish showed the cowards up in south Belfast when they came to town .
How some I know pulled on that shirt is beyond me. Would never chastise them about it though. Their call.
Mahe,
That’ll save me the effort. I was going to do one on Honest Mistakes,Rangers desperate need for CL money-requiring a title win,at all costs-the SFA cocking a deaf ‘un,and the depth of corruption required for all of that to come together.
It can wait-there’s another international break next month,and the story isn’t going to disappear.
Mahe,
Football is all about TV money. We see this with Saturday morning – Friday night schedules, 7 days a week football, Disco lights, Uefa coefficients etc. The list is literally endless.
The nations with a lesser TV audience becoming more marginalized with the new Nations League and increasingly difficult pathway to the CL that we encountered this season hence the disco lights. Think hos supported our docile support will be when Beyonce is playing Celtic Park two days before an Old Firm game. Think of the money. It´s positively orgasmic not.
So the lesser nations like Scotland and Ireland need to stop pretending that it is something that it´s not. Pretending that somehow they are not on a par with Armenia, Georgia, Albania etc They are.
Unfortunately to keep it going we need to pretend that we are relevant.
When Ireland can´t produce any quality players at all why is their an OVER 2 million € a year “EPL” management team instead of investing this in youth academies ? The SFA would do so also if it wasn´t even more corrupt and hadn´t fallen behind even the FAI. It can always take refuge in hunnery.
It is done to pretend that we are still relevant. So that Croker park is sold out, more importantly that TV deals are signed up to. That Bookies can take in the bets, catering, pubs etc. Youth player development who cares
Prediction: Scotland and Ireland will never qualify for a major tournament ever again
Peter Lawwell has already revised his two seasons in every three in the CL for Celtic assessment to one season in four. Hence the disco lights
The Irish get MON and we get Eck, Disco lights, Crowd crushes.
Question: Do the 800 Celtic fans who will attend the next Ibrox game no longer be situated under the dilapidated Ibrox roof ? Will any of the away SPFL away fans be situated under the dilapidated roof
Is this what the SPFL board like to label “mitigating risk ” ?
Interesting that all the Anti Sevco blogs are so well coordinated. Our daily bread this morning is somehow the utterly vain hope that our friends the EBTists can administer a hardy blow. This after Novo, Goram, Amoruso were all given years to pay their court fines while driving away from court in their new Porsches
Awe Naw
When the hun thing first came to light there was all the speculation about what would happen, I was in a handful of people who said nothing would happen to them, I was even banned from the RTC blog at the time for telling them the huns would get away with it, they did.
I also remember saying that the politicos would get involved, I was ridiculed for that.
To dump £150+ of debt, keep their ground and carry on as if nothing has happened is no mean feat, so they suffered a few years in relative turmoil, it’s no bothered them at the end of the day, it’s all Timmy’s fault doncha know.
I also said that the big losers when all is said and done would be Celtic, at the present time things are looking no too bad, you never know what is round the corner, things tend to go in cycles.
Did they die ?
Did they f*ck
TET,
pretty convinced those that believed it roll up to mass every Sunday.
So it´s hardly surprising they are so easily duped.
Hail Hail
New article posted !
New article posted !