Despite it being fairly common knowledge that austerity is the plan for this summer, pointing that out and adding a dose of realism to the fact still gets you abused.

Apparently I’m Lawwells lapdog, and thats just the more polite twitterati opinions on yesterdays Diary.

Anyway, he’s asked me to tell you that there is some good news..

With the possibility of a return to sidieways football next season, it’s thought that watching old games on the telly outside will be more appealing than going in and spending an hour and a half shouting at the players.

Anyway, the club hopes to have the big telly in place for the last day of the transfer window so they can display the message “There will be no further business today so you can all fuck off ”

One of the strangest and most predictable things about writing the Diary-or, indeed twitter-is that reaction to anything written depends not on its veracity, but on whether or not its good news.

If what is on here goes against what Celtic fans want, it’s because I’m talking shite.

If it’s good news, and something we all want, then I’m a trusted source.

Problem is, there’s not really much in the way of “good news ” right now, and most media outlets are stuck with the idea of “making things up “, an old Etims tradition that we have kept going for much longer than they have.

Some of the names being bandied about are a cross between the untalented and the unrealistic, and it wouldn’t surprise me if some of the players don’t even exist.

There is some talk of this guy being on the radar..

Celtic looking to sign Amir Rrahmani

But as usual, it seems like everyone is just jumping on the bandwagon as he’s a fairly recent addition to the list of untalented or unrealistic.

Here’s how it works…this is the original report in Le Dernieur Heure, a Belgian outlet..translated from the French..

Celtic Glasgow and Amiens are in the ranks but the Rouches are holding the rope.

This summer, Standard’s workforce will be significantly overhauled. Several players will leave Sclessin and others will arrive. That could be the case of the kosovar international central defender (19 caps, he was captain in the last match against Montenegro), Amir Rrahmani (25 years). Able to play on the left flank and in the axis of the defense, the strong defender (1m92) is currently playing Dinamo Zagreb.

Rrahmani, who has played 26 games this season (three goals and one assist), is therefore interested in Standard which has entered into negotiations with the Croatian club which can also count on the interest of Amiens and Celtic Glasgow. At this time, according to the close entourage of the player, it is the Standard that would hold the right end. Rrahmani, who is still under contract at Dinamo Zagreb until June 2021, could cost between 1.5 and 2M €.

Note also that the representatives of Amir Rrahmani are the same as those of Mergim Vojvoda, his compatriot so he could join Sclessin. 

Which by the time it reached Sportlens  and their Scottih page, had become..

According to the Belgian outlet La Derniere Heure, the 25-year-old defender is available for a fee of around £1.75million.

Apart from improving Celtic defensively, Rrahmani will add a set piece threat to the Celtic side as well.

It will be interesting to see if the Scottish Champions manage to get the deal over the line now. It could prove to be a massive bargain in future.

Rrahmani is only 25 and he has not reached his peak yet. He could be the mainstay of Celtic’s defence for the next few years.

The player might be tempted to join a big club like Celtic as well. They can offer him regular European football.

The likes of Amiens and Standard Liege are keen on the player as well and Celtic will have to move quickly if they really want to sign him. 

Which will then turn up in the Scottish Sports media as…

Celtic And Rangers Battle Over Croatian Superstar

Gerrard The Key To Deal

Gers Won’t Be Held To Ransom

It’s all bollocks, and although that’s frustrating for our support, that’s the way it is. Let’s just hope that our business will be done quickly, ins and outs, and we can get on with getting ready for the qualifiers, which are closer than you think.

And rest assured, if we can make something up that is at least a little realsitic, good or bad, we’ll let you know.

What might not be bollocks is the anticipated exit of Oliver Ntcham, it’s not exactly a secret he’d really rather be back in France but at least Celtic will make a few quid on the deal, which , combined with the profit on Moussa Dembele and the success of Oddsone Edouard would make one think that Celtic will be looking at French youngsters again this summer.

Especially right backs, and especially at PSG.

Scotland were in action last night, and suffered a heavy defeat to Belgium, proving that Steve Clarke might not be the messiah the national team needs.

I’ll be paying more attention to the national team than usual for a while, as I’m convinced Celtic dodged a bullet with this guy, as one has to wonder why no English club-his family live in England-have expressed an interest in taking him on.

Meanwhile, the narrative keeping the Celtic boys club abuse in the headlines took a sinister turn yesterday..

Other people are thinking along the lines of suggesting the SFA and government look into the wider aspect of historical abuse, and its connections with abuse nationwide.

One place to start would be with Gordon Neely, who worked at Dundee United, Hibernian and Rangers.

Perhaps the media would like to look into who worked with him on at two of those clubs…

And maybe they would like to investigate Neely’s connections down south….

And by the way, before anyone claims this is whataboutery, I’d also ask the media to look into connections between the abusers, and work from there…whatever club or clubs they were at.

The time for deflection is over, and it’s time for the authorities to deal with this.

There are several worrying themes developing..(Scotsman, June 8).

The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry has heard evidence of records being lost or damaged, while previous studies have suggested documents were systematically destroyed.

This may relate to the wider aspect of abuse, but even so, it warrants an investigation, preferably by an outside police force.

Outside of the Uk, that is.

Makes you wonder why some people in government are so Pro Brexit…especially those accused of hiding evidence..

There may be hope, Rod Petrie assumes the top job at the SFA today.

As it is common knowledge throughout the game that before his time at Hibernian he had never watched. played or even talked about football, here’s his chance to start with a bang.

Call an open and transparent investigation into systematic child abuse in Scottish football over the last fifty years.

Do it with sympathy and tact to protect the victims, and don;t be afraid to follow the path that it takes you on.

Yesterday, we showed this..

Today..