With Celtic restoring themselves to the top of the league after Wednesdays 3-0 cuffing of Motherwell, there’s a feeling that normality has returned to some degree.
This was further ensconced when Calum MacGregor put his signature on a new five year deal that ties him to the club for, well, five years. Thats how these things work.
“I don’t want to play anywhere else,”
“Celtic is a massive club, one of the biggest in the world, so to get to play your football here is something incredible and something I’m really proud of. So, when the opportunity came up, I jumped at the chance to sign again.
“There were wee bits of speculation flying about but once the manager spoke to me, there was never a question for me of moving away.
“It’s always been Celtic for me and I’ve been happy here. The last two and a half years have been incredible. We have achieved some history at the club and we want to keep going.
“I’ve been here since I was a kid, from nine years old, so it’s pretty much all I’ve known in terms of football.
“When you look at the stature of this club, it’s one of the biggest institutions in world football. To be a part of that, to be privileged enough to play in front of those fans at a club of this size – you can’t take a decision to leave that lightly. Even for the Premier League.
“I only signed my last contract in September last year, so it’s been quick to get a new one. It’s a bit of surprise. I’ve just been concentrating on playing football and trying to do my best for the team.”
MacGregor has developed into a fine footballer, and is testament to what can be achieved with hard work and dedication. That might sound like a cliche, but its not so long that the lad had delusions of granduer and a few behavioural issues that led to a drink drive conviction and a reputation as a billy big time.
He then adjusted his own environment, screwed the nut, as they say, and is now undoubtedly the top midfield player in the country. To suggest that he is even a candidate to replace a club legend is high praise indeed, and with the security of a new deal in his locker, we can look forward to much, much , from a likeable and unassuming young man.
After he announced his new contract, he promptly went off to the Celtic foundation christmas bash, showing that not only does he talk about his love for the club, he does his bit for everything it stands for as well.
Speaking of the Foundation, and they do a tremendous amount of work at this time of year, they could use a spre couple of quid if you have it..
Celtic FC Foundation’s Christmas Appeal aims to Make Dreams Come True this Christmas and help those on our doorstep who need it most. We want to help hundreds of local families facing poverty, giving them the kind of Christmas most of us take for granted, with lots of food on the table and gifts for the kids, and making sure Santa pays a visit on Christmas Eve.
We also want to support pensioners on our doorstep, by lending a hand at a difficult time of year. Local charities need our help too. We can make a massive difference to the lives of children, the homeless, those living in refuge, refugees and those facing other challenges.
Celtic FC Foundation Chief Executive, Tony Hamilton said: “My thanks firstly to the people who have made events like this possible. Without the Celtic support at home and abroad, we would not be able to do any of the things we’ve done this Christmas.
“These events are brilliant for kids. That’s the spirit of Christmas and events like these, helping families and helping marginalised groups and individuals is why we ask for support every year. It was great to see Callum and Mikey there too.
“We rely heavily on the support of the football department and I’m very grateful they found the time through such a busy schedule. We’re very close to the end of this year’s Appeal but there’s still plenty to do and plenty ways which people can help.”
The support received so far for the Appeal has been overwhelming but there’s still time to get involved. You can get behind it in the following ways:
1. Donate by Text – text ‘CELT07’ followed by ‘£1’, ‘£5’ or ‘£10’ to 70070
2. Donate Online HERE
3. Donate via Paypal HERE
4. Donate in Cash – there are collection boxes located in all Celtic Stores
5. Donate by Cheque – payable to ‘Celtic FC Foundation’ and sent to Celtic FC Foundation, Celtic Park, Glasgow, G40 3RE.
6. Give As You Live via your Christmas Shopping HERE
7. Download Toy Tin Soldier’s charity single ‘A Club Where All Belong’ HERE
Thank you for helping us to Make Dreams Come True this Christmas.
If those links don’t work, and given my own level of proficiency in these matters, go to this page instead..
I suppose you want to know the names of the players that are joining our club this winter ?
Well, you’re shit out of luck.
The club is on lockdown where information is concerned, and the old rule applies…if its in the papers, then its bullshit.
Several names have been linked, from the permanently injured Andy Carroll to the not as injured as often as andy Carroll Wilfred Bony to the aye right we’ll get him of Vincent Janssen.
Effectively, the plethora of pundits pontificating on our purchases shows that either a) they haven’t got a clue, or b) they’ve been warned not to say anything.
As b) wouldn;t stop them from dropping hints at least, then we must assume its a)
What we can say, without fear of contradiction, is that two player deals are more or less done and dusted, with a further two in the pipeline.
This does not include any deal for US defender Manny Perez, which will be announced on January 1.
Manny Perez (@mannyP113) has signed with @CelticFC, the deal will be official as of January 1st per an inside source! Perez has spent the past 2 years playing for @PackMensSoccer, previously playing for @NorthCarolinaFC’s Academy & is a consistent US U20 callup!
These players are expected to walk into the first team as soon as they get here.
That fact alone rules out Bony and especially Carroll, who would get injured if they had to carry out any physical activity as strenuous as walking.
There have been a few denials that point to little more than agent activity to raise awareness of their players, such as this, regarding Edson Alvarez of Club America..
¡CONFIRMADO!
Edson Álvarez NO saldrá en este mercado de fichajes. Se había manejado que el Celtic de Escocia había mandado una oferta pero no es así.
La figura de la final contra Cruz Azul permanecerá más tiempo en Coapa. pic.twitter.com/zxA6mmHtF6
Which clears up one rumour before it even had a chance to become a rumour.
Even we would ignore that one, as we are concentrating only on players we know. Thats to avoid any more expensive fuck ups, or a “congerton “, as its known in club circles.
Tell you what , though, there’s going to be at least one happy bunny this Christmas.
According to Martin Williams of the Herald…
Celtic’s chief executive to get £2.3m Hogmanay bonus as a performance reward
CELTIC chief executive Peter Lawwell is about to receive a bumper £2.3m Christmas bonus for his performance in running the club for the past two years.
The 59-year-old who succeeded Ian McLeod as chief executive 14 years ago, is due to receive the sum on New Year’s Eve.
It comes over and above his £1.17m annual salary package – which included £17,720 ‘benefits in kind’ – and entrenches him as the club’s biggest boardroom earner. The ‘long term performance plan’ bonus has accrued over two years since the scheme was brought in in 2017.
Its hard to justify that sort of money being paid out, especially within a club that is founded for charitable means.
But that is the world we operate in, and if we want someone who can move the club forward, and keep it operating at the highest level without the massive tv incomes paid to European competitiors, then we need to hire someone who can do the job.
And he needs to be paid accordingly.
After fourteen years, there is no questioning Lawwells loyalty, and little doubt he could earn more elsewhere, so on balance we should be happy with what he brings to the table.
Unless he doesn’t do what he said he would about Resolution 12, in which case he can fuck off, and take his fucking heated driveway with him, which I will personally forward to him one chunk at a time from a reasonable throwing distance.
The BBC are reporting that the council will hold a hearing into the new parking restrictions around Celtic Park and Ibrox…
Council plans for parking bans around Celtic Park and Ibrox Stadium are to be discussed at public hearings after more than 2,700 objections were made.
Dozens of roads would be blocked off to non-residents on matchdays under the Glasgow City Council proposals.
The council says safety issues around blocked junctions, pathways and pavements are behind the move.
However, fans of both clubs have raised concerns about disabled access and a lack of public transport in the areas.
The council has now confirmed independent hearings will be held as many of the objections related to “the potential impact of the proposed restrictions on emergency routes to the stadia”.
The major concern is the pending civil suit from all those wee guys who have lost their livelihoods now that they can’t look after our motors.
Referee chief John Fleming is concerned about the lack of respect for his staff, and may well look into this incident, which has gone largely unnoticed…
But of course, he won’t. He hasn’t commented on it, and with a £6,000 fine for their last blast at the men in the middle, the Ibrox club are already preparing their Everbody Hates Us defence..
And with a visit to the hostile Ibrox environment, there were more concerns about player safety…
Its Friday, and its time for the Etims
Knob of the Week
Theres been a few, but its hard to ignore the present parliamentary crisis where a bloke apparently called a stupid woman a stupid woman, summed up in this tweet…
Anyone who has any experience of communicating with deaf people learns to lip speak, in order to get their point across. You don’t need to lip read, but it sort of comes as a bonus.
Corbyn clearly sits down and says “stupid people ” , but someone saw him do something else..
Jeremy Corbyn clearly calling @theresa_may a “stupid women” at #PMQs today. This kind of misogynistic language must not be tolerated.
And fuck me, did he go on about it. He stood up to say he had seen him say it with his own eyes, a lie to the House which has been quickly swept out of sight, and it took him a couple of days to retract what he’d said… citing that he would take Corbyn at his word.
Corbyn presumably wasn;t aware that the stupidity of those on the government benches was supposed to be a secret, hence the ballyhoo.
Cleverly, who should be up in front of Trading Standards for the use of his name alone, collects this weeks award on behalf of all of those who seem to think that No Deal means that things will carry on as they are now once our enlightened leaders realise that giving the EU a stiff talking to will not alter their opinion on letting Britain carry on with the benefits of club membershi without actually paying for it.
Well done, James Cleverly, in a room full of knobs you alone stood out on a historic week in political history.
Caption competition from Wednesday…
Caption:
“I’ve still never seen an incredible support like the one that followed Celtic to Seville. I still dream about being able to manage a team with a support like that some day…”
Today…