Tales Of Heroism And Valour
Morning,all.
It seems that Irvine Welsh spoke the truth nearly three decades ago when he famously put words into the mouth of his antihero in Trainspotting. He has never written a book which compares to that one-but then,not many ever did.
We all know how searing it is as a social commentary of late 20th century Scotland,and sadly it is still relevant and accurate those three decades later.
It’s shite being Scottish.
Of course,the fact is that it is NOT shite being Scottish,it is something that I’m deeply proud of. I only need to open my mouth to talk to someone and they know that I’m Scottish,it’s not like I can bloody hide it!
It’s shite being Scottish. It isn’t. I’ve got enormous pride of where I come from. But bloody hell,it’s shite watching our football team. But we are where we are,still trying to recover from a decline started in the late 80s by a tosser,a megalomaniac who virtually destroyed the domestic game in a quest for what megalomaniacs desire.
And as a result,we have the likes of Dykes and Adams up front last night.
Last night was a failure. No mistake,no arguments. Sure,one or two of the players played superbly. Quite a few more simply weren’t up to that stage. That isn’t their fault,a great man once said you should never ask players to do things that they simply can’t.
Stevie Clarke asked our players to do things that we needed. Quite simply,they couldn’t. The biggest book in the world must be The Scottish Book of Heroic Failures. But I’m proud of their efforts,even if not their results.
I just wish we had the quality available to turn those efforts into results.
******
Above article by BMCUWP
The second biggest book in the world is The Scottish Book of Awefurfuxake!
Morning Bobby,
I think you are way off the mark there by blaming rangers for the Scottish demis.
My own memories of the 80s was a teaching strike, were they stopped school football. This plus the fact that the EPL started to introduce more foreign players, also in some areas football pitches where transformed into Saturday farmers markets. ( partick for example)
There are a host of reasons Scotland failed, but to lay the blame at the huns is not one of them.
Pitymevin
If not the Huns per se, then the Hunnish SFA.
An organisation of self serving Masonic influence that protects and encourages mediocrity at all levels.
Not fit for purpose and a blight on Our game.
Here we go.
Firstly, the SFA has been a Masonic dominated organisation since its inception: and like all such groups, their leaders are hamstrung by the brotherhood, and thus no leaders of any calibrate will go near. Ffs, in my lifetime, two chairmen from clubs like Cove Rangers and Brechin City, rubbing shoulders with all the real sharks from Africa, the Caribbean and South America. It’s easy to understand why so few ever stick their heads above the parapet. The vested interests of powerful people. Guaranteed media trial, everything you’ve ever done or said. Na, I’ll just leave it thanks.
I blame the parents, or the introduction of a fourth tv channel
I’m maybe a bit harsh on David Will of Brechin. He was FIFA Vice President when Hevelange of Brazil was dishing out largesse to African and Asian countries to get their votes for World Cup hosts, positions in FIFA etc. It was a squalid cess pit of corruption and Mr Will was apparently clean as a whistle.
Belated happy birthday to auldheid. I can’t believe the energy you have at 75. I hope you can use it to continue to get to the truth about res 12. You deserve that much at least.
Pitymevin
Teachers main weapon was no unpaid overtime. Running the school teams had always been voluntary. My dad, and thousands like him just stopped after school and Saturday mornings. Schools fiba finito.
The game has never recovered and the proof is Lyndon Dykes.
To me, all posters are right in their strongly held views, even BMCUWP, and that’s not something that has been said by me often! Murraymint introduced the English international to his team in the quest for the Holy Grail, the teachers gave up their ‘hobby’ of a Saturday and the top places being taken by nonentity chairmen of nonentity teams were the slow painful death of Scotland in the football world. The fact that these office bearers probably were members of the Masonic Brotherhood is irrelevant, they were incompetent buffoons
Dykes, as I have said often, has played one game in the many times I’ve seen him and that was against us! We all know what we think of our defence, so it is hardly a vote of confidence!
Last night chances were made. All failed to be taken. The Calum goal was the result of a poor clearance to our midfielder who remembered he had a right foot.
I’m still proud of them, but, as always skill beats honest endeavour!
Here’s to the next game.
BTW, has Ms Sturgeon given US the green light for full attendance at Celtic Park for the UEFA qualifying home game against the Norwegians? Probably she will put Freedom Day forward when told of its significance 😁.
Belated Happy Birthday to Auldheid.
I salute your indefatigablity as someone once made up!
May you see victory in your quest for the Holy Grail! Not the same one as Murraymint be it noted.
Cosy Corner Bhoy
I disagree re the irrelevance of Masonic influence and resultant incompetence.
This influence is a malignant sore not just in football but the wider world and should be called out wherever it lurks.
The very fact that they are Only in position because of their connections is the point.
Cosy, the only reason the English came up was because their ban from Europe. Qwqqqqq
Ger, I understand the work to rule and would never deny a person’s right to with draw his labours for a day, but I also remember talk to the teachers at the time and to stop the volunteer work didn’t make sense.
It was a work to rule and it set Scotland back for years.
Morning from a wet and flagless Royal Burgh Of Renfrew – no expressions of football joy or supremacy from the hordes this morning!! 😥
Good article this morning pointing out our lack of fitba anything in the last 3 decades or so. Pitymevin…I disagree with you, the demise of Scottish YOUTH DEVELOPMENT can be traced directly back to the decision by the SFA and SPL to allow RFC to withdraw from the Reserve League for purely financial reasons, this in turn led to other Clubs quickly following suit resulting in the collapse of the perfect vehicle for introducing boys to men’s fitba. In it’s place teams were required to have a certain number of underage/homegrown players on the bench for domestic matches. The system was a complete failure has has never been properly kick-started to ensure our young players are prepared for Senior fitba.
There are a myriad of reasons for our failures in Youth Development – social, political, financial, Bosman, video games etc – but the single main reason is the lack of competitive games especially against older more experienced players.
All in my opinion, of course!!
Have a good day all!
Thanks BMCWPS, another difficult article to write but you always give your honest opinion.
Auldheid, Many Happy Returns. You’ve probably done more for Celtic and Scottish football than anyone for decades.
Football is in the state it’s in because of the stupidity of the supporters.
We’re the ones that ignore all of the warnings and pin the blame on any convenient Aunt Sally.
The game is corrupt.
FIFA are corrupt.
UEFA are corrupt.
The SFA are corrupt.
The SPFL are corrupt.
Even the FAI are corrupt.
Despite the evidence we turn up like lemmings and hand over money.
Rangers ripped their own supporters off for years and went bust.
In their wisdom Celtic Plc allowed the return of a version of Rangers with no improvement in the administration of the game.
The quality of the Board at Celtic is debatable.
No-one is held to account for anything.
We just accept it and hand over money.
A rivalry built on fear based sectarianism.
The Celtic Boys Club debacle. Directors misleading AGMs. Downsizing. Absentee majority shareholder. Cronyism… Dubai.
I could go on.
Still it’s all the Huns fault.
Everything will be forgotten, of course, if Ange manages to skelp the Huns.
(Even if he doesn’t, we’ll still blame someone and hand over money to feed that addiction.)
CCB,
The way things are going, you might be playing against the Danish
Bring your boots with you just in case.
Cheers CFC
Till Later.
Norwegians?
Good article from Bobby. sad but true!
I honestly don’t envy Bobby & Mahe writing these articles day after day for the past 9 months. the worst time ever. I just hope & pray we can get a few chinks of sunlight over at Celtic Park soon. On the pitch and off it.
It’s too much to expect a massive turnaround quickly. life’s not like that. But some instances to give us a bit of hope would be good.
Then Mahe & Bobby could start to get a wee bit excited at the thought of sitting down to the keyboard! They deserve it.
in fact we all do!
Last word,
A good start would be the Declaration of Membership of any Secret Society.
It’s an absurdly that there’s a need for such organisations today.
Enjoy your day.
Stone age tactics from Steve Clarke last and didn’t even see the need to change it at halftime.
I must also say, the more I see of Mcginn, the more I see Christie., without the wild shots Just doesn’t do it for me.
The Gombeen Man, I’m not sure if it’s still the case, but judges in England were made to declare their membership of Masonic lodges. There was a bit of an outcry about it so maybe it’s been revoked. But interestingly, Scottish judges did not follow suit!
Which reminds me of the case for Scottish referees declaring their past or present support for a football club in Scotland!
jimthetim53
I honestly don’t envy Bobby & Mahe writing these articles day after day for the past 9 months. the worst time ever. I just hope & pray we can get a few chinks of sunlight over at Celtic Park soon.
Jim, if you want a ‘chink of light’ just have a look at the background picture on the site at the moment. I find it both upsetting and incredible that we had, just 20 years ago, a team made up of this quality of footballers, guys who could play with/against the best, hold their own anywhere and were real, real characters on the park. No one and I mean no one messed with that lot. I wonder how many teams were beaten before the game started, looking at that group warming up. Every single one of them would walk in to the current team, big Rab included. Will we ever see their like again? There’s your chink of light.
Ave Ave
Emeraldbee, We need some folk on the Celtic Board to look at a picture like that and think that way!
Emeraldbee
It is an absolute scandal the drop in quality over the period you mention! It would be an embarrassing scoreline if today’s team had to play our Seville team.
How do we explain such a drop in quality? Only one thing explains it, it was done on purpose!
went out to the car earlier to go and pick a dog up for grooming, bliddy flat tyre, and my car does not come with a spare wheel, just took me half an hour to get through to the AA , now ive got to wait till 11-30 for them to come out take the wheel off, take it to a tyre shop and bring a new one back, so thats no work for wee joan today
Wish people would stop talking about “Masons” at the SFA, Sevco, and appearing in your cornflakes in the morning! I’d love to know who you think is running us into the ground?
If you think DD & Peter aren’t part of any secret societies, think again!!
Packy, bliddy cars! Can’t live with them, can’t live without them. I’ve to replace 2 tyres before my next MOT. 🙁
The holes in the roads are a disgrace. Why do we pay so much Road Tax & Fuel duty?
Jimthetim53
Referees and honesty.
An oxymoron surely. Or is it a paradox?
Either way I Reckon there would be multi support disclosed for Airdrie, Falkirk, St Mirren etc
Nothing to see here Timmy.
Unlike other countries where corruption is money driven, in our dear country it is a question of blood and bone loyalty. No payment, other than loss of one’s integrity, required
HI JIM, yes thats the problem we cant live without them, but just got a text to say they will be here in 10 minutes, thank god
CFC,
“Either way I Reckon there would be multi support disclosed for Airdrie, Falkirk, St Mirren etc”
I’ve no doubt you’re right there! But it could be challenged with evidence if necessary by people who know otherwise.
PITYMEVIN
I think the style and effectiveness of Scottish football was affected by Murray and Souness.
Souness changed the style of Scottish football by signing big physical players more akin to the English style of the time.Both Dundee Utd and Aberdeen had success in Europe playing an energetic pass and move style suited to the Scottish physique.
The success of Souness’s side prompted other Scottish clubs adopt a similar model with clubs importing 2nd rate versions of the big English players as it was all they could afford.
It was doomed to failure.
Was funny seeing Souness accuse Clarke of tactics from the past as while true he has no sense of irony.
Celtic in the Burns era tried manfully to outskill their opponents and where denied by a corrupt SFA and refereeing landscape.
Wim arrived and Lambert and Larsson tipped the scales.
Wim left (why?) and and the financially doped huns retook the title.
Dr Jo arrived and attempted to outskill opponents but corruption defeated him.
O’Neil arrived and matched them with Sutton,Hartson ,Mjalby,Bobo and Valgaaren.
Success ensued but the stench of corruption and financial doping kept the competition closer than it should have been.
It will be this way till an honest landscape is found and Scottish football cannot progress with the mindset of the SFA and acceptance of corruption by Scottish clubs is considered normal.
We need to put the emphasis back on skill and only an honest landscape can do this.
As the SFA cartel have survived a dramatic decline in the national sport where the huns decide the parameters it is played under i have no real optimism that anything will change.
Jimthetim53
That’s a possibility- but when strident dishonest denial of the team in questions very public demise is accepted as a truth, – anything can be airbrushed.
Particularly by a complicit SFA.
Nothing to see here Timmy
St Tams
Steve Clarke reminded me of Neil Lennon last night as he sat watching his team come second best and showed no idea or inclination to change things.
It was obvious O’Donnell was being beaten all night but no tactical alteration to help?
The midfield was clearly unbalanced yet no alteration till too late?
And to sit and watch this two lumps of wood upfront for almost the full match fail to control a pass or win a header while having zero positional awareness to close down opponents beggars belief?
Paterson was brought on too late but it probably saved Clarke from the criticism of mssm if he had not played any minutes at the Euros.
Clarke knows the score and JF’s and Turnbull’s omission is testament to that.
fan-a-tic
Was crying out for change at ht.
Happy the clamour for Clarke at Celtic came to nothing/ a very limited coach.
AP is an unknown quantity to most of us but a vastly more experienced coach than Clarke. And by the sounds of it much more adventurous.
Who has won titles n cups.
Wish people would stop talking about “Masons” at the SFA, Sevco, and appearing in your cornflakes in the morning! I’d love to know who you think is running us into the ground?
If you think DD & Peter aren’t part of any secret societies, think again!!
======
Whilst it is difficult to prove who are members of secret societies it is easy to see that keeping the “old firm” business model going is easy money compared to running a football team that reflect the aspirations of the support.
There is a document that Phil Mac Giollah Bain published in which Martin Bain and Peter Lawwell collaborated to try and sell ” the old firm” to the English league.
The timing is significant. It was Feb 2011 just before Rangers were granted a UEFA licence on grounds that have been shown to be false.
It is not stretching credibility past breaking point to think that Celtic were not told or had knowledge of the deep doo doo that Rangers were in and the threat their demise would present to Scottish Football was not known to Celtic.
All the propaganda put out by Celtic via favoured blogs to give impression the Board shared the same antagonism to Rangers and SFA as their supporters (remember the Judicial Review that went nowhere) was just that, propaganda designed to keep Celtic supporters happy enough to pay to sustain the lazy business model.
One experience of being involved in Res12 is you just dont know who is on the side of exposing this truth as a few make a good living from keeping the myth alive.
Auldheid
“One experience of being involved in Res12 is you just dont know who is on the side of exposing this truth as a few make a good living from keeping the myth alive.”
Is it fair to assume that anyone with skin in the game is being disingenuous?
Therefore those in the know and in positions to perpetuate the charade are prepared to go to any lengths to protect their malfeasance?
Point being , trust none of them.
Talking about propaganda it seems E Tim’s not considered reliable.
http://etims.net/?p=16982 (near end)
Sentinel Celts have no chance of a call.
CFC
” trust none of them”
I’ve reached that point as the degree of untrustworthiness has materialised over time.
In that sense the organisation with Trust in its name should change it.
Watched the 3 Scotland games. First that I have watched them in years.
We dodged a bullet with Clarke. Very limited manager playing Sam Allardyce type football
Saint Tams
Totally agree. Cannot bear to watch Clarke’s style of football. Boring, negative football.
Quite enjoyed watching the England performance as we looked more offensive. That was because England were more negative than us, and Billy Gilmour was pulling the strings.
Would hate to see Clarke ever get the Celtic job.
Auldheid 10.56.
You think Celtic had no knowledge of the financial strife they were in prior to, or before feb 2011? I can’t bring myself to believe that, not with the future of their beloved Old Firm on the line. Powers much greater than Peter or Martin Bain were always gonna make sure there would be an OF, long after the screaming and bawling had died down.
The people who really do run things will never be seen in public, on the news, or their pics in the papers. The ones we get to see are just the patsy’s, only there to have you looking in the wrong place.
I think you know, pal, that this was always about much more than just football.
Auldheid
Trust requires belief in reliability, truth.
High ideals that we should try to aspire to but not undermine with superficial , glib references.
Trust in our board , and as a result ignorance of their duplicity , has been hugely damaging to our club.
CST should think about that rather self aggrandising title they bestow upon themselves.
Out of a fan base of literally millions, we have only the Trust who are making any waves? Why is that? Where are all the other supporter groups? What options do we actually have?
1. Keep your money in your pocket.
2. Throw your financial support behind the Trust?
Is this it?
B A D
A poll amongst the contributors/lurkers of all the Blogs in Celtic cyber world. ? Or at least those that care.
To assess just what appropriate action is possible.
What question(s) would you include?
Big Audio Dynamite
Auldheid 10.56.
You think Celtic had no knowledge of the financial strife they were in prior to, or before feb 2011? I can’t bring myself to believe that, not with the future of their beloved Old Firm on the line. Powers much greater than Peter or Martin Bain were always gonna make sure there would be an OF, long after the screaming and bawling had died down.
The people who really do run things will never be seen in public, on the news, or their pics in the papers. The ones we get to see are just the patsy’s, only there to have you looking in the wrong place.
I think you know, pal, that this was always about much more than just football.
==/=//==
You set out a narrative I would not dispute but what I do know, based on evidence as opposed to credible but unprovabale suspicion, is that football in Scotland suffers from secrecy ( the secret 5 WA being prime example) and there is a better chance of lifting one of the veils covering your narrative by exposing the one with “football” lettering throughout it.
Why are masons masons? If to seek individual financial advantage over non masons then tackling one of their avenues ie football is an alternative to just accepting there is nothing we can do.
Martin O’Neil was given money from the 2001 Share Issue, that helped take us to Seville.
In many ways, I like to think Murray took the bait.
The Share Issue of 2005 saw us change course. Rationalise debt, Lennoxtown, Moneyball etc.
By Manchester, Rangers were goosed. Murray was looking for a way out.
It’s possible/probable that things were done to try and prevent a collapse at Ibrox.
Next we have Whytey, Ticketus, Duff and Phelps, Dave King and court cases ad nauseum.
Unfortunately, the Plc model is predicated on an Old Firm model.
Scottish football at an elite level, needs the gate money, tv money. As the coefficient points earned by Sevco demonstrate, Celtic benefit handsomely from their performances.
Nobody wants to pay to see Tyson Fury box a novice. So procedures were discovered to allocate those Titles.
Nobody wants to see Fury knockout Wilder 10 times in a row.
As Sevco improved, Celtic came down the gears.
Without any meaningful domestic competition for years, Celtic need modernised at every level.
It looks like our model of prudence first is set to continue. Sevco are still in boom and bust mode. Possibly the hope is that with ECL funding, they’ll screw the nut?
In many ways, the New Firm are in a new phase of recovery after Murray. Unfortunately, for Celtic supporters that means humble pie and in some ways paying for the mistakes at Ibrox.
It’s an unfortunate reality. But I don’t think Desmond sees any sustainable model without Sevco, in Scotland.
That means that the depressing sectarianism continues and Scotland remains a divided colonial embarrassment.
Communications at Celtic are poor. I believe the support are protected from much of what goes on, by Celtic.
The chink of light has been over a decade of humiliation at Ibrox and the fact that Rangers died. The current entity at Ibrox has been allowed for business reasons.
With the collapse of Rangers. The Old Firm died. Sequels are rarely as good as the original.
It’s over.
What follows is an inauthentic parody of the original. The high of 2012, will never be repeated. Chasing it, is simply chasing a high of an addiction.
It’s up to the individual, whether to finance the sectarian Old Firm duopoly.
Generations of social, religious, political and educational programming doesn’t wash away in a rinse cycle.
It’s either, try to embrace the moment or leave it to your grandchildren to move things on.
CFC
I was thinking of all the supporters groups we already have, why are they So silent on the events of the last decade? Maybe they haven’t been and I’ve missed it? All I ever see is stuff pertaining to what the Trust is saying-thinking-doing. The whole thing just seems weird.
As for questions? I’d want to know the reason Celtic chose not to act on evidence we had been cheated out of what should rightfully have been ours. Not just cheating, but cheated on an industrial scale …with us now being asked to hand over our hard-earned (Again!), knowing what we now know, to watch a rigged game.
Our attachment to the club is So strong, people are willing to keep paying to get cheated. It’s madness.
Big Audio Dynamite
Out of a fan base of literally millions, we have only the Trust who are making any waves? Why is that? Where are all the other supporter groups? What options do we actually have?
1. Keep your money in your pocket.
2. Throw your financial support behind the Trust?
Is this it?
====
During the uncovering process Res12′ adjournment enabled there was one point where those who had appeared to be supporti declined to switch from passive support to active participation when that would have made a difference.
1. The CSA.
2. The CST
3. CQN.
4. Various supposed Celtic leaning journalists and individuals whom on Twitter had appeared supportive.
That moment came in late May 2018 and is set out at http://www.res12.uk if you follow the dates from 15th when charges of non compliance in monitoring period were made by SFA against the current Rangers that prevented scrutiny of the circumstances under which the licence was granted.
Any investigation into that territory would have undone the 5WA that Celtic accepted because the 5 Way only considered the period CW was Rangers owner from 6 May 2011 and the one area it would allow any investigation into was Rangers use of ebts and side letters, which became the LNS Commision that cleared Rangers of any question of dishonesty individual or corporate.
This was only possible because evidence of dishonesty between Rangers and HMRC was kept from the Commission.
What occured under the secret 5WA was continuation to this day of the moral hazard that Scottish football is in thrall to.
Auldheid. Thanks for the info 👍 would it be right to say the Association has nothing to do with the trust? They are not working together?
Maybe not giving some the credit they deserve but, our support as a whole seems impotent these days.
Thanks again👍