Celtic Diary Monday May 4: Dark Deals Behind Closed Doors ?

There are a few things that supporters need to be aware of, although they really are down to common sense, when you think about it.

John Paul Taylor , the Celtic supporters liason officer is probably the busiest man at the club just lately, as fans will be keen to know about one or two things, as well as just finding an excuse to talk about football.

First, if you’ve been trying to ring the ticket office….

For info there is no one picking up calls on

phone line, please don’t call the 0871 or 1967 numbers  

With there no matches to sell tickets for, that makes sense.

But what of the tickets already sold, such as the visit to Ibrox ?

Eight hundred fans have already paid for them, and if the league is , as we expect, declared over, what will happen to that money ?

Surely Celtic haven’t passed it over to Ibrox ?

A spokesman said “Do you think we’re fucking stupid ? “-although he probably wasn’t really a spokesman, but he was wearing a hooped shirt.

800 x 52 is a fair few quid, and Celtic are holding onto that money and will refund it if and when they have to, much to the disappointment of those at Ibrox, who don’t get to see a lot of cash these days. You can read into that what you want, it may be that is how things are usually done, but it also may be Celtic being a little cautious with supporters money, in case, for instance, “rangers ” prove to be difficult to get the money back from, for whatever reason…

In fairness to the club, there isn’t a lot they can do as plans for this season and next are still largely up in the air, so we’ll just have to be patient.

We’ll also have to get used to the press touting our players around. The transfer window opens soon, or at least it would do under normal circumstances, but with no air travel and other restrictions on movement in place, it’s unlikely there will be much going on, which must worry thise players who are out of contract this summer.

Some agents, too, will be nervous, perhaps even having to sell one of their houses, but they’ll probably survive.

Clubs will be reluctant to spend any money without knowing what their income levels will be for the foreseeable future, and especially in England, clubs have enormous outgoings that are simply not being replenished.

But that doesn’t stop the tittle tattle, and Oddsone Edouard is the one being tittled… by Kris Boyd, of all people, as finally someone in the media talks about something other than how badly “rangers ” have been treated by the SPFL.

“I honestly believe Edouard could go all the way,”

“There’s no doubt he could walk into the Arsenal team – and their North London rivals Tottenham would also be a great fit for him 

He’s linked superbly with Leigh Griffiths during their time together in Glasgow, so the prospect of him playing alongside Harry Kane would be a mouth-watering one for Spurs fans.

“Edouard has everything you want in a modern striker. Whether he leaves Celtic this summer is down to him. If he wants to find fame and fortune in England then the Parkhead club will soon be eyeing a replacement.” 

The word is, though there’s nothing concrete, that Edouard will extend his deal at Celtic for at least another year, as he’s desperate to see his name spelt correctly in the Diary.

Speaking of the SPFL and the BBC backed campaign to get some sort of investigation going about something, we have some evidence that the man who provided the evidence to “rangers ” might just be up to no good…

Well, he certainly gets enough bad press to be a high profile Celtic fan.

Derek Clark, another Ibrox cheerleader and media figure, is still in a bad mood about the possibility of the league being stopped, although it is going to happen, and the resulting ninth title in a row that will be won by Celtic.

And it’s really annoying him that, when asked, Celtic minded people think they should be awarded it, as they would have won it anyway.

Has there been one Liverpool player come out and say they deserve to be given the league title? I can’t think of one, their behaviour since football was suspended has been exemplar.  

Oops…

Perhaps he should also focus on the fact that not one single club in Europe has been weeping and wailing about authorities picking on them and pleading for the season to be null and voided, whilst claiming ti has unyet revealed evidence of misgovernance but won’t show anyone what they have until those they have the evidence on have been suspended.

Actually, I’m on the point of spotting why Kim Jong Un hates them, as they’re making his legal system look far to lenient.

A lot of things are different these days, and it’s good to see how some are dealing with it, especially when it’s not for their own benefit, but for the good of people in general.

Confesion is good for the soul, as they say, but I’ll be declining the offer as there is nowhere open to buy the sandwiches and drinks I’d need to take with me.

Whilst there is a lot of talk and certainly a lot of desire to get the English football season restarted, largely ecuase the clubs are paying out far more money than is coming in, there may yet be a spanner to be thrown into the works, as our own Hector Bandido pointed out on our most recent podcast.

From the Mirror…

Premier League stars could hold the key to whether the football season restarts – and they could end up vetoing the whole thing.

Clubs will talk to their players in the next 48 hours to gauge opinions about whether they are prepared to carry on under the current Project Restart proposals. 

The Professional Footballers’ Association and League Managers’ Association are also to be consulted and it is the outcome of these talks which may decide whether the Premier League feel they can push on.

Mirror Sport understands player welfare was a big topic of discussion in last Friday’s Premier League meeting and there is a growing feeling that it will evolve into the biggest issue.

Players have major health concerns for themselves, the knock-on effect for their families and also there are likely to be major question marks as to whether they would even be covered by insurance should they get coronavirus.

It’s not going to happen, and even if it is forced through, an awful lot of players will suddenly develop coughs and sore throats….  and you can’t blame them.

Meanwhile, Neil Doncaster spoke to BBC Sportsound to clarify the allegations that the BBC, via Tom English, have made about how Scottish football is run.

Doncaster interview

The full transcript is in the link, and let’s face it, English is probably wishing he’d thought things through before becoming involved, as Doncaster proved to be a far more capable debater than the Irishman probably though, and thus Tom was left not only with egg on his face, but the bacon, sausages and tomatoes as well.

Then again, doncaster had the facts, and the main one is the difference between a loan and an advance, the latter being the payment made to a club when Ann budge was on the board.

Yes, it seems again like the SPFL are muddying the waters, but nowhere near as much as Englsih muddied his pants as he realised he was barking up the wrong tree and listening to the wrong “sources “..

Does this mean all the fuss will die down ?

Possibly, as it looks like despite not having all their accounts on order, “rangers ” have been allocated a European place for next season, maybe as a trade off.

That means that source of income is secured, and if they get their way with the idea that no club going into administration should face a points deduction, they would call that a good result, as it gives them a chance of at least making life difficult for Celtic in the quest for ten.

Expect also some sort of group hug with referess as well soon, as they will need to get them back onside..either that, or a massive new recruitment drive at the SFA for whistlers, and to make sure all is tickety boo, applicants will undergo forensic background checks, to make sure they are of good stock….

The fact that “rangers ” have been allocated a European place next term is something which really does need a proper investigation, and with previous form indicating that rules could be bent to accommodate them there’s something that Tom could get his teeth into if he wants to avenge his humiliation by Doncaster.

There’s enough evidence out there to at least suggest an inquiry would be needed, even if its just to put our minds at rest…

On Saturday we had this….

For younger readers, it’s set to the  classic tune by the Shangri La’s, called Leader of the Pack.

Today…