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Celtic Diary Wednesday November 4: Believe What You Want To Believe

When historians finally try to pull together the events of the early part of this decade, we’ll finally know what happened and why. In a world where information is available at the touch of a button from multiple sources, it’s quite incredible that their conclusion will probably be that although information was available, we were considerably less well-informed.

 

In the big wide world out there this morning Donald Trump, the current US president, looks like he might well have garnered enough support to put the country on a civil war footing when any two from Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin or Pennysylvania put an end to his term of office over the next couple of days.

 

Like his comrade in arms over in Westminster, he has made a mockery of the basic rights and freedoms enjoyed in their respective countries by alienating anyone who sees through his charade, whilst praising those not quite bright enough to see through the charade.

 

All done with ruthless manipulation of a compliant media.

 

You can already see the similarities with the microcosm of Scottish football.

 

 

It doesn’t matter what has happened, it’s being re-written to suit the narrative of those in situ to preserve the status quo.

 

Breaking down those barriers requires enormous courage and enormous effort, and sometimes it’s easier just to accept whats going on.

 

In Scotland, the establishment, having seen the financial meltdown caused by the self harm at Ibrox, it’s become more important to return to the way things were than to learn lessons and move forward, accepting the damage done and making sure it doesn’t happen again.

 

With the newly formed Ibrox club leading the league table, nine points to the good, there is now a concerted effort to keep it that way, although it has been the plan all along.

 

 

Whilst Celtic can commendably be said to have circled the wagons on the field after a relatively poor start to the season, the wagons are being drawn even tighter off the pitch by those who can’t abide the idea of those uppity taigs remaining supreme.

 

At risk of sounding a little more paranoid than usual, even the Holyrood government seem to be backing the unionist and conservative camp at Hampden.

 

Two Rangers players were caught attending a birthday party for a  third player, who escaped criticism, which was contrary to Covid protocol, and have been thrown to the wolves by their club/company and greedily devoured by the media.

 

Jordan Jones and George Edmundson have been held up as an example and told they will never play for the club again, which according to the media should be the end of it, and Holyrood , it appears, have commended “rangers ” for their swift action.

 

But hang on, where are the demands for punishment to the club ?

 

Surely the precedent set when Aberdeen and Celtic were forced to postpone matches should kick in as a matter of course ?

 

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The press were on the earlier breaches quite quickly, and quite venomously…but this time round….

 

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Certain sections of a certain support were furious…

 

 

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Whilst one couldn’t help but spew his disgust….

 

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And this party, why has no one questioned why only two of Arfields team mates were there, especially given that it was heralded as a bit of an event on social media …..

 

Joe Black MBE's tweet - "This has to be the best @DBestseventy2 These  people are ill....this is an old man here tweeting this. Now he thinks that Scott  Arfield held a party

 

 

The latest storm surrounds a group of “attractive ” girls staying nearby that were summoned from their hotel to join in the fun via social media, which is a euphanism if I ever heard one, and the whole issue is beginning to look a lot darker than a few lads letting their hair down.

 

The problem is, we cannot count on the media to do a full and frank investigation, and so, given time, the while thing will go away, and the two players may even be offered a reprieve, having “mended their ways”

 

As ever, though, it’s important to look beyond the headlines, and there appears to be much more to it.

 

Allegations that other players were there have surfaced, and even some videos and photographs to back them up, and it seems that the two found guilty are merely a nod to those in power to let it go now, and there’s been a much more serious breach of protocol, and that in turn leads to some more questions, such as why have one club seemingly found a miracle antidote to covid infections, with none of their players infected thus far ?

 

The virus is cutting a swathe through the game, but apparently avoiding Ibrox because they are adhering to all the rules ?

 

 

I think we all know thats unlikely.

 

Earlier in the season, the club/company were found to be not testing players properly, and were duly told off. One wonders if like , say, rules about payments to players, other rules have been adjusted to suit their own agenda.

 

A league title this season would mean that they could possibly survive their latest financial crisis, and if its deemed to be good for the game by all, including Celtic and the other clubs, then a blind eye could be turned to current problems, as the money coming soon from UEFA would sort it all out.

 

Suspicions were further raised when they announced a further share dilution yesterday…which,of course, was reported as another investment…

 

The ever loyal Mark McDougall of the Record….

 

Rangers have launched 19 million shares at a price of 20p each, according to a report.

That will bring in around £4million if they have been sold to new investors.

It’s the second share issue in the last month after Stuart Gibson put £5million into Rangers in October.

Record Sport exclusively revealed news of Gibson’s investment in the club earlier this year and the Hong Kong-based, Paisley-born businessman.

The new issues could see extra money into the coffers of the Ibrox club at a time when football teams are dealing with the financial fallout of Covid-19.

 

Hot on the heels of the  report on Celtic’s financial figures, which although showed a profit, was touted as bad news because it wasn;t a huge profit, and depended largely on player sales, again touted as a bad thing but it is , in fact, company policy.

 

A lack of gate money and matchday revenue means every club in Scotland is operating with less money than they normally would.

 

That’s true, but the difference for some isn’t quite as big as we’ve been led to believe.

 

Remember the Livingstin CEO said he;d costed it, and his club would lose money if they had a restricted amount of fans at games, although to be fair, apart from Celtic and “rangers “, most clubs wouldn’t see a major downturn in attendance figures of a proportion of fans were allowed in, which leads me to think that it’s all bluster to avoid anyone asking for their season book money back.

 

 

Which itself points to a need to avoid a second meltdown at Ibrox…..

 

 

Of course, league titles are won on the field, and in fairness, the Ibrox club have racked up the first win over their city neighbours which has helped to put them in pole position.

 

That was down to a poor performance on the field by Celtic, and no excuses are offered.

 

But there may be reasons, which are just unfortunate, such as the under strength squad and illness and injury.

 

The Scotland squad was announced for the play off with Serbia this month, and Celtic have a few players in there. If Celtic were to withdraw those players, purely on health and safety issues, we would see the media hound them as unpatriotic, which is eerily similar to how the media treats anyone who speaks out against the Johnson/Trump governments, and yet given that players health is at stake, it’s the correct thing to do.

 

But Celtic won’t do it, and will blame it on the “rules “.

 

No doubt other nations will call up other players, and again there is a risk that they will contract infections, or, more likely, come into contact with those who have.

 

All of which upsets the consistency on the field, of both selection and performance.

 

And thats before we consider the subtle moves to make it difficult for Celtic on the field, which we’re kind of used to, and almost beginning to accept.

 

 

Largely unnoticed, and certainly uncriticised at any level, is the involvement of Andrew Dallas in high profile “rangers ” or Celtic games.

 

Dallas is a piss poor referee, of that there is little doubt, yet he seems to have an unusually high amount of games thus far this season that could have an effect on the outcome of the title race.

 

Of his nine games so far, five of them have featured one of the Glasgow clubs, and all have resulted in wins for them.

 

But, if we were to examine the nature of those wins, and the performances of the referee, then a different picture emerges.

 

Dallas can be counted on to influence a game, by whether breaking up play, making early bookings and, of course, awarding penalties.

 

He’s not the only one, but I’m getting the feeling that he is being groomed for a major role in influencing the outcome further down the line, at a point when interference will be so blatant, the media can point to the overall statistics to show he’s not biased at all, as he;s refereed several Celtic victories already…

 

Like when there’s a flurry of bookings towards the end of a game for “rangers ” players to even up the stats.

 

 

Another referee, Conservative party branch manager Douglas Ross is under investigation for using an image of himself in referee uniform, strictly forbidden by FIFA, and yet escaping mention in the Scottish media.

 

Where morals are flexible in one aspect of one’s life, they tend to be flexible in them all…

 

 

Like in the USA, like in Westminster, there’s some dodgy stuff going on, and its time for our club to start to stand up for itself.

 

We are still too much of a sift target for those with an agenda, our own PR and social media management is dreadful.

 

Too often trying to become part of the media as opposed to standing alone as a voice for the club, seemingly afraid of criticism or scorn, when in fact, it;s earning criticismm and scorn from those it’s supposed to be aimed at.

 

If we don’t pull our act together now, then this story is not going to play the way we want it to.

 

 

Time for someone not only to move to the front of the bus, to coin a phrase, but to grab the driver and throw him out, taking the wheel himself, and putting the bus back on the right road.

 

And it needs to be done now, and although it may seem to some as being a little bit unsporting, and not gentlemanly behaviour, we’ve seen in the real world that those things don’t matter any more.

 

Results, and the money that comes with it, are the only thing that matters now.

 

 

Paranoid ramblings ?

 

Well, you”d be paranoid if everyone was out cheat you out of whats yours….

 

 

We’ve seen it all happen before, for all the same reasons.

 

And they think they got away with it…so why wouldn’t they do it again ?

 

 

 

 

There was more gloom on the injury front when James Forrest underwent surgery on his ankle. It’s not looking good for a return to action any time soon, and it’s fair to say he has been missed.

 

 

And the striking options were exposed a little when it was revealed that Jeremie Frimpong doesn’t even like scoring….

 

 

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To be fair, to Frimpong, he won’t be the first to meet someone online and find she wasnlt quite the catch in real life.

 

Come to think of it, some we meet in real life aren’t quite the catch either.

 

The sun, incidentally, changed it’s headline after it provoked a bit of a backlash….

 

Scottish Sun Sport
@scotsunsport

Celtic’s Jeremie Frimpong warned he’d be SHOT after row with US love interest who broke Covid rules to fly to Scotland

 

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Oh My Days indeed.

 

Surely there must be a nice young lass out there to keep him warm this winter ?

 

In fact, we hear there’s a couple of models about to hit the stage as they embark on a new singing career

 

Monster - YouTube

 

 

 

Ugly Huns on Twitter: "Been looking for this one for a while, miss rangers!  #UglyHuns http://t.co/m4Pw7RaJsN"

 

 

complete with backing dancers…

 

תג #orangewalk בטוויטר

 

 

 

Having said that, if he fancies any of these, then I’d recommend a Covid test straight away, as taste and smell are the first to go….

 

 

Caption competition……Monday….

 

 

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henkesdreadlocks
 1 day ago

Caption……..

We’ll see what that prick Zorro thinks when I land on his napper for a change.

Today….
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Jimmy Stewart
3 years ago

Leftist rhetoric again.
Reason that I very seldom read what was once my favourite Celtic site.
Every fucking time now.
Leave it alone for once.

3 years ago
Reply to  Jimmy Stewart

Jimmy. Yer baws.
So paying into a game that was bent for years, and that hasn’t learned any lessons is ‘ Leftist rhetoric’ ?

Good article Ralph.

henkesdreadlocks
3 years ago
Reply to  Jimmy Stewart

More fair minded rhetoric and quite frankly, who gives a fvck whether you read this site or not.

Whitearra
3 years ago
Reply to  Jimmy Stewart

Wonderful satirical riposte Jimmy. You should start you own site, so we could all share.

Mike
3 years ago

Hail Cesar.

billy mcneill 1965.jpg
Mike
3 years ago
Reply to  Mike

The Scottish Cup, Billy McNeill is carried shoulder high by his triumphant teammates after beating Dunfermilne in the 1964-65 Cup Final and so it begins.
John Fallon- Ian Young- Tommy Gemmell- Bobby Murdoch- Billy McNeill- John Clark (5) Stevie Chalmers- Charlie Gallagher- John Hughes- Bobby Lennox- Bertie Auld- Jock Stein.

Mike
3 years ago

In New South Wales, near to Griffiths, the Australian Gold Miners, discover a HUGE golden nugget: Tomas Petar Rogic. We look forward to the Victoria Diggers discovering our next big talented player, ok cobber?

Obz
3 years ago

Whilst I dont agree with everything in the article today I think the metaphor of the bus is spot on with Lawwell currently driving it.

Lennon has come out fighting and was doing so again on Sunday after the game.

What is one of the best paid CEOs in British football doing to fight cheating and corruption and ensure a level playing field?

The Cha
3 years ago
Reply to  Obz

He’s been doing it for 17 years, so you should know what it is by now.

Sancheto
3 years ago

Caption – the great unwashed hordes from ibrox venture doon ra waater before lockdown restrictions.

Bognorbhoy
3 years ago

Caption..
Look no hands ..hang your towel there darling …..

pilsbury dough bhoy
3 years ago

Caption:
Saltoats beach much improved after massive clean up, claims Council

Stuarty67
3 years ago

Does anyone know if the rangers’s Covid tests are handled “in- house” ?

Salad queen
3 years ago

Caption
What tsunami

alzyerpal
3 years ago

Caption – “…and after the Tsunami swept through Benidorm, it left in it’s wake a mountain of human detritus, mostly swept from nearby ‘rangers*’ bars”

Cortes
3 years ago

Caption: “Those in attendance at the LOL Jamboree at sunny Queens Park listened raptly to the address by Rt Rev I.M.A. Bigot”

Whitearra
3 years ago

Caption : ‘Excuse me, does anyone have a match.’

Cartvale88
3 years ago

Caption
When does the walk pass?

Agree Ralphie, the media and establishment only see the one corrupt team, everything they say and do is to cover up the cracks and quacks. Penalty King Tavernier says it all, Slippy bumps his lips and talks drivel.
As for the compliance officer, correct title is ‘find fault with Celtic officer’, at every opportunity Celtic players are assaulted nothing done.
Liewell is a joke, he should be more forthright, defend the club and take the media to task when they print diarrohea.
Anyways the SSWanker is heading for the rocks

SteveNaive
3 years ago

We cannot ask for a refund on ST. Rules were changed this season on renewal.
Lawwell can move quickly when he wants to.

Oztim
3 years ago

If Frimmers fancies any of them it’s mad cow disease he’s got, not Covid.

Re Lawwell, he should be asked the question: If the Huns win the league this season is it their 1st of 55th title?

The Cha
3 years ago
Reply to  Oztim

Seriously, that would be your main complaint if we feck the 10?

The Cha
3 years ago
Reply to  The Cha

I think missing the 10 will bring down such a shit storm on the board that they’ll do just about anything to avoid that possibility hence no major sales despite no CL, no fans etc and hopefully that’ll be the case in January as well.

I also don’t think that the Huns will implode, as they’ll react as they’ve done up to now ie anger and denial eg “it doesn’t count as Rangers (sic) wasn’t in it”, “last season’s league wasn’t won it was gifted” etc.

wrt Finances, they don’t appear to have any external debt eg Tax so provided mugs eg Parks continue to stump up then they’ll simply carry on in their old imperfect way.

portpower
3 years ago

Celtic FC:

We are thrilled to announce our new global partnership with Cadbury UK.

Cadbury will also generously produce special Celtic FC branded chocolate bars to raise funds
for the Celtic FC Foundation.

They huns will be punching cakes at the Airport.

Steve M
3 years ago

Generally I prefer to keep sport and politics separate but I must correct you here – to say that The Donald enjoys support from “a compliant media” is simply wrong. It’s just not true at all. All of the mainstream media in the USA with the exception of his extremely loyal followers in Fox News are solidly and consistently anti-Trump. Their dislike of him ranges from the rabid and openly hostile (MSNBC), the disdainful and disapproving (CNN) to the reproachful and sceptical (all the rest). Anyway, back to football ….

The Cha
3 years ago
Reply to  Steve M

Yep, I assume that Ralph’s pish stained source was unavailable and this was all his own work.

TBF The Execs of the non-Fox stations admitted they were doing it solely for ratings and revenue and knew the anti-Russian hysteria was BS and, ironically, not helpful to the Dems.

desdamoaner
3 years ago

Caption – Kris Boyd’s open air swim fallout

Or

Fife’s new Blue flag beach opens to the public.

Lefty Rhetoric. oh my days……

Una
3 years ago

Caption

Monti experiences some wood on the beach for the first time in many a year

Morto
3 years ago

Caption: Scottish Government praise Rangers* directors for their tight maintenance schedules at Ibrox.

Owen Mullions
3 years ago

Caption:Sevco fans arrive at the sunlit uplands promised them by Dave King.

3 years ago

When I first heard about the story of the huns party I was surprised that the party organiser wasn’t reprimanded strange to think he sends out the invitations but avoids getting the punishment.
We all knew it was going to be like this. Its why we were angry with the performances of both the manager and the players since the start of the season. Every goal every point we need to do more than them.
They have it all in place and we need to ensure that come ibrokes we are ready for the fight and the battle against the establishment.

3 years ago

caption: Hey pal gonnae stop telling your dog to fetch a stick.

The Cha
3 years ago

Caption – Gallant Brexiteers fail to assemble their IKEA boat kits in order to heroically sail out and bravely confront the dangerous dinghies full of wummin and weans”.

Frank McGaaaarvey
3 years ago
Reply to  The Cha

Careful now Cha, you’re treading on lefty rhetoric ground there.

The Cha
3 years ago

(H)oops, I’m so out of touch that I didn’t realise Celts For Fascism was a thing.

Frank McGaaaarvey
3 years ago
Reply to  The Cha

Definitely the odd trump supporting gammon on here on occasion.

Uibh fhaili
3 years ago

Larne beach July 2023 not enough huns around to gather the drift wood for a July 11 fire

James
3 years ago

It’s the same every season,however high the stakes the more the cheating from the craft,Celtic could’ve put any challenge beyond them long ago n don’t expect the board to make much noise about parity of consequences,creates too much hassle for them.

Puggy67
3 years ago

Caption: At a team building event the SPFL board break up a boat and build a raft.

sfa unfit for purpose
3 years ago

Post brexit , enjoy a beach holiday in the uk without any ‘ foriegners’

Puggy67
3 years ago

It’s going to be great. None of those bloody foriegners coming over here with their big hats, shamrocks and “top of the morning to ye” starting football clubs, wearing gre*n in away that’s offensive, winning everything, it’ll be just us and we are the peo…..haw’d on!

sfa unfit for purpose
3 years ago

Lol , that spellcheck doesn’t always work . I blame the website.

henkesdreadlocks
3 years ago

Caption………

Guy with hands on head exclaims ‘ Agghhhh ffs, I was told the abundance of beaver here was beyond anyone’s wildest dreams.

Stevie D
3 years ago

Is it a closed shop now?

Funkyy
3 years ago

Caption:- Hey, has anybody seen ma da’s walking stick?

sfa unfit for purpose
3 years ago

Boli Boiligoli. Hounded out of Scotland by a media who have yet to name Scott Arfield as the party host.

Just played a solid game in the Champions league and earned a win against Man U.

The Cha
3 years ago

If that picture from the House of Balloons (seriously?) is genuine and was a public post then the Huns hierarchy should have been aware of it and took action eg ban the players from going or were negligent in their Covid responsibilities.

So who’s going to ensure investigation and punishment of any miscreant club and players:

SFA – nope
MSM – nope
Celtic – nope

Mm, we’re running out of options, so any good guys out there?

portpower
3 years ago

One at hame and four away. I reckon well be all good here.

If sevco dont get 2 games rescheduled, it is all on the desk.

sevco indelible FC.

portpower
3 years ago

Put leftist, Diego, doon for a goal.

These peculiar days.

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