After a short break of a week or two for a variety of reasons, the diary returns…exactly eight years to the day it first appeared.
Eight years.
Far and away the longest time I’ve paid attention to anything in my life.
Since last Wednesday, Celtic have advanced to the group stages of the Europa League, where Lazio, Rennes and Cluj await, after a remarkably mature and professional away performance in Stockholm.
Then, on Sunday, another remarkably mature and professional away performance triggered panic at Ibrox, as Celtic silenced an army of journalistic seers with a comfortable 2-0 win that put the hoops clear at the top in the “title race “.
Don’t let anyone kid you on about that game, Gerrard didn’t get it wrong. There was nothing he could have done, Celtic had better players, a better attitude and a better plan, which became evident from the moment the game started as Celtic kicked into touch to immediately put the home team under pressure.
By panic, what i mean is the PR machine over there went into overdrive and signed Ryan Kent, who has never played a competitive game for his club Liverpool, who somehow persuaded “rangers ” that the player was worth £7m.
If reports are to be believed, that is. My guess is that it’s probably a loan, with an option to buy.
They have now spent all of their income from the Europa League, and probably a fair chunk of the season book money for the next couple of years.
Not that that will matter. This season will destroy them.
Whilst they were desperately trying to get their support to ignore the inspid performance against Celtic, Celtic quietly went about finishing off their transfer business.
In came Lee O’Connor, an young Irish international defender- the third of the window at that level from the old country, Jeremie Fringprom the customary incoming from Manchester City, and Greg Taylor from Kilmarnock.
Not headline grabbers, though thats not a difficult thing to be as the Kent episode shows, but three good players who can develop at Celtic.
Had there been a UCL group to play in, it’s unlikely that these players would have been targeted, but the Europa League means that we can, to an extent, concentrate on building a team for the next UCL.
Which should have been the plan last year…
Several players left Celtic to go on loan, with the notable exception of Jack Hendry, who didn’t fancy Kilmarnock, for whatever reason.
One other who didn’t leave was Scott Sinclair, which meant his wages couldn’t be used to pay the £40k or so a week it would have cost to borrow Victor Wanyama for twelve months, so despite all the activity yesterday, having been talking to Wanyama about a move north for three weeks, you can probably understand why Neil Lennon will be feeling a little deflated this morning.
Tottenham wanted Celtic to pay over half of his wage, which in some eyes at the club, didn’t represent good value.
CQN are saying that Jordan Ibe would have been here, but Bournemouth manager Eddie howe would n’t let him come, which then meant Elyanoussi was offered a shot.
I’m glad I spotted that typo in time, by the way.
Still, you have to say that over the window, it’s been quite refreshing to see the incomings and outgoings as Lennon puts his stamp on the team.
We have a big warm welcome to…
Add Lee O’Connor to that, signed very late last night.
Taylor, we believe cost £1.8m
And our best wishes for the future go to…
| Earnings/expenditures |
Arrivals/Departures |
Fee |
| Income |
16 |
£24.30m |
| Expenditures |
15 |
£11.83m |
| Total results |
+£12.47m |
-
Manager
Age: 48 Years
Appointed: May 31, 2019
Contract until: 30.06.2020
All of that is from…
Any mistakes are theirs, as you can see , there are one or two.
There was perhaps another revelation yesterday when Kris boyd said he’d received a tetchy text from Brendan Rodgers after he’d commented on the former Celtic managers style of play.
Hang on, are we on the point of finding out who told Boyd about dressing rooms splits and other leaks that came his way ?
Surely not ?
Brendan is an honourable man.
We can look forward now to the rest of the season with restored confidence. Sure, there was that one bad game against Cluj, but even that could be dismissed from memory as the Romanians will be back in Glasgow soon…
However, take away the Kent signing, and you’ll see why the game on Sunday could well be the start of the end of the Gerrard years..and posibly even the King years.
It started with a Tifo, one that when added to the stories of loyalist extremists adding to the fervour at the Irish Unity march in govan the other night, suggests the club are lining up with the more unpleasant aspects of their under fire support..
The original, of course, has also been used by loyalist paramilitaries…
One can only wonder how the police didn’t spot such an enormous banner as it was taken into the ground….
There later then followed, now deleted, it seems, a picture of his toilet , apparently vandalised in the wake of the defeat after his reality check kicked in…
Still, even the professionals were fooled…
Not a surprise to discover he’s part of the elite Record Sports team, presumably having been trained in the horoscopes division…
Let’s have a caption competition…
Sweden
Honduras
Manager
Happy Hooooopy Birthday to e-Tims. A must read every time!
HH
Ralph does a sterling job for a miserable auld git! 🙂
Incidentally, the diary is 8 years old but the site has been going for around 20 years…now that is auld!
Our site celebrated its first birthday at the weekend,btw,and we are very grateful to RALPH for allowing us to publicise it here every so often.
Today we launch our first charity initiative,but one with a difference. It doesn’t cost our readers a penny!
https://sentinelcelts.com/2019/09/03/our-charity-initiative-begins/
Caption: What’s the collective term for a bunch of suited, blue nosed, orange bigots? Answer to the SFA who need new Board members.
Labour Freeloader Brian Wilson gets to see what a victory looks like
Can you see a happy hun?
Happy Birthday Etims! Many thanks Ralph.
Caption:
The ungrateful dead
Caption of what everyone in the picture is thinking: ‘Aw that f##in Edouard again! I’ll jist tell them am goin’ for a pish and I’m right f##kin out of here’.
Welcome back Ralph, you do some sterling work sir and are generally under appreciated. I thank you for your efforts.
Caption – Cold War Steve lets his standards slip
HAPPY BIRTHDAY E-TIMS!!
Thanks for bringing it to us Ralph, Desi & whoever fkn else is involved!
HH
^ Ditto^
Not to forget H.H. Hannibal Hector. ^Ditto^
Glad to have you back mate
Caption……….
Is that a bit of ‘hun man love’ going on just behind the Celtic Directors?
8 years of yer Diary and 8 in a Row. Coincidence? Keep it up for at least another 2 years
PS. Watched Dorus de Vries playing for Old Telstar at De Kennemers tournament last Saturday. he had some good games as they won the thing. His kids in full celtic kits :-0
Weloome back Ralph. Many thanks for your hard work. Much appreciated. On the whole, happy with our transfers. Now, let’s get to work.
Caption: Rangers support launch new permanent tifo
I’ve enjoyed 8 years of this diary, here’s to another 8. Where we will be going for 17IAR 🙂
Happy birthday Etims in a week where we destroyed our alleged nearest challengers and finally have an excellent transfer window. I think big Victor might reappear again at a future date. I caught a Radio Scotland interview with a guy called Kevin Sneader head of the consultancy firm Mckenzies recommended by David Low, he is passionate about Celtic and despite criticisms of his firm cane over as a very ethical, incredibly bright forward thinking Celt, a transfer into the Boardroom Dermot?
” Excellent transfer window “?
You think?
Caption : The General Command at the battle of Balaclava look on in disbelief, at the precise moment ‘The Six HUNdred’ charged into the Valley Of Death
Caption: Spot the handsome Hun.
Caption: We all knew the Board were never Tims, but FFS, we didn’t think they were THAT bad! Did we?
Happy birthday all
Caption:
You’ve putten on yer sash and tucked your gut into your flairs
Billy are you contemplating going out somewhere
The shadow on the Queen tells me the sun is going down
Oh Billy
Don’t take your songs to town
It wisny me that started that seventeenth century Jacobean war
But I’m proud to be a bigot and a patriotic bore
And it’s true we’re the same club that we used to be
Oh Billy,
I still need some of your MD
It’s hard to love a bird whose legs are bent and super-sized
And the wants and the needs of a chubber wi’ thrush, Billy I realize
But it won’t be long I’ve heard them say until UEFA close the ground
Oh Billy,
Don’t take your songs to town
He’s leaving now ‘cause I just heard the Rottie start to snore
The way I know I’ve heard it snore 100 times before
And if I’d a blue badge I’d get his lead and put him in the pound
Oh Billy
Don’t take your songs to town
Oh Billy
UEFAs comin’ ‘round.
PL to secret agent DK (sitting next to him disguised in trench coat, sunglasses and wig): “Dave, you’re doing a wonderful job of destroying Rangers from within. Your next assignment: Pay 7 million quid that the club doesn’t have for a bang average player.”
caption – a quiet moment of refelection at the nuremburg rally.
HAPPY 8th BIRTHDAY eTims, best of ALL Tim sites. Amazing that you’ve done 8 in a row too! 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Hail! Hail! and many happy returns.
Ryan Kent
27 League appearances. 6 goals. 4 assists
3 League Cup appearances 0 goals, 0 assists.
9 Europa League appearances 0 goals, 0 assists.
Bwahahahahaha!,! £7m…
Stupid, stupid huns.
🙂
Caption: Early evidence of the success of the Anyhun Everyhun Initiative, this photograph clearly shows the wide diversity within the “Rangers” support.
Caption
Commander cardigan (just in front of jabba ) watches on as his plans unravel , as the blond in amongst the the Tim directors listens out for banned songs …
Had the the stutters there
Caption: dress code at Ibrox is the best they could hope for a tie!
Congratulation Ralph and e-Tim’s for a very entertaining eight years. Here’s to eight more
Happy Birthday. The diary is a daily must read well done!
Caption “right whit wan o youse farted?”
“Naw the shite you can smell is Dave Kings promises “
Caption: Blondie in Row 4 strains to try to hear the “Rangers” sing
Eight years of joy Ralphie, oh how they hurt, their arrogance knows no bounds.
No mention of a compliance officer for Union Jack challenge, or the bottle lobbed at the celebrating players, the usual pish. Madhun at least did a reasonable shift on Sunday.
Caption
The so called great and the good have an away day from throttling the poor and conning the taxman, their hero John Major joins them for a hate fest.
Congrats to etims on 8 excellent years. No ads, no sponsored agenda and lots of humour. Well done to all involved.
Cartvale, Madden’s plan was to let robust challenges go unpunished by both teams. Of course one of those teams uses these mote often than the other, so the plan favoured that team. This plan enabled Jordan to think he could get away with his disgraceful tackle on Bauer. Fortunately, fortune favoured the brave!
Calmac should have had a yellow for his tackle and Jack should have had a straight red. That was the Madden plan in action! Poor reffing in my opinion.
Rebus
Not to forget a few arseholes like Mike & Weered…..
😉
Caption
I’ve forty more pictures of large groups of sad bastards if that’s what tickles your fancy
Happy birthday to the diary. Always a good read and always get a laugh.
Cheers.
Caption Roy Aitken tries to keep a straight face as Johnny johnny hayes smashed the rebound in the back of the net to make it 2 – 0. I know it’s no that funny but if it was me in the stand I would be pulling that warmer about wie his orange tie.
Wow, never noticed big Roy.
I’d fancy our single bear against all of theirs.
Caption
Anyone seen that £7million whizz kid out there day, nah he picked kent ahead of ojo
Una,
I feel womens breast are underrated.
Was on my lunch break there, strolling along Princes street & couldn’t take my eyes off them.
Loads everywhere, great stuff.
Nipped out for a bit. 🙂
Not an ogle exactly, merely a brief glance 🙂
Welcome back, Ralph and many happy returns to all the E-Tims!
Caption: 32 Red – A photo tribute to our sponsors
Eight wheels on my wagon
And I’m still rolling along
The “Cherokees”are after me
But I’m still singing
I’m still singing a happy song.
CONGRATS AND KEEP SINGING RALPH
Happy Birthday Etims, are you here for Terry Munro?
Is Lawwell smirking? Very undignified and he’s probably not wearing brown brogues.
I probably say this every year but you share a birthday with me Ralphie’s Diary!
Caption:
Are you glued to your seats, or is there just fuck all for you to cheer about…ya scrotin’ shower of manky wankers!
Gerry,
Happy fkn Birthday to you as well!
Rebus don’t often disagree with you but I thought in fairness Madden let the game flow, a yellow for Cal MAC and red for Jack would have been the correct interpretation of the rules, could you imagine Dallas in there, he would have had Calum off so Jack needn’t have bothered. I also think over the years we have struggled against 10 men though not at Ipox, at least not recently. Anyway those that decide transfer’s have stepped up, can Lenny keep a big squad happy? He could look at Dick Advocat’s failed attempt and his divided dressing room for a model to avoid. Double cover in every position, team well and truly recharged for two big seasons.
Photograph emerges of celtic supporters infiltrating Sevco support
Happy anniversary etims. Thanks a million for all the brilliant stuff posted and recorded over the years.
Caption..after me.Happy birthday to e_Tim’s.
Well that’s eight titles in a row since the forums inception. Keep
It up maybe there’s influence here. I’m sure this was forum is visited by decision makers in the inner sanctum of the club. Still believe we’ve rode our luck and used austere thinking to get over the line it’s added suspense when really it could’ve been so much easier. We need to imprint our identity in Europe. Those defenders we have signed may work out. I like them all even Boli with his anxiety ridden game. It’s his character he’s never going to be composed. The diamond is the Israeli right back. Let’s not forget Bitton this guy has a gravest football mind I for one is sad he did his hammy. He was my man of the match
Caption: Lawwell- “Stupid, Stupid Huns “
Rebus don’t often disagree with you but I thought Madden let the game flow, you are right CalMac should have been booked and Jack off ( funny how right that sounds) but we sometimes struggle against 10 men though not the last time at Ipox. Think of what Dallas would have done he would have had Cal of and Brown for… well being Brown ! Anyway at last those in charge of transfers have acted cover in every position, new blood recharging the team and in to 9iar and 10 iar. A early version of this disappeared in the ether so it may eventually appear twice, hey ho Cmon the hoops.
Happy 8th Birthday Ralph and all your team a great site.
Caption: Roy they are singing the sash again don’t worry they only get to the 3rd line then Eddy scores
COYBIG
Rebus
The cold early view of a game in Canada gives incorrect opinions.
Two years ago Madhun cheated, but overall the game was refereed well, Jack should have got a red card, sone of his decisions were weak, but the loony challenge happened in injury time, what was he to do. If u believe he was trying to appear fair u have a problem.
At least Beat Hun is an out and out cheat, Madhun was reasonable
Cartvale,
Where did I say or even suggest that Madden was fair? My point was that by allowing illegal challenges to go unpunished, he favoured the team that, because they ate limited, used more of them. In others words his plan favoured Sevco. Unfortunately, Sevco were unable to take advantage of his leniency…unfortunately from the Sevco perspective that is! If the ref had punished illegal challenges earlier, would Jordan have thought twice about his tackle? Perhaps or perhaps not! Madden made the correct decision to red card Jordan but it was made easier for him by the fact that it was blatant and at a time that would not influence the outcome of the game. He is simply another poor ref who does not want to upset the boys in blue.
Rebus
Caption: Tannoy announcer- ” Could a Craig Whyte contact the nearest steward or Police officer “