Partick Thistle visit Celtic Park tomorrow night in the League Cup. with three wins on the bounce under his belt, Ronny Deila can at last claim to have found a little bit of consistency. At least with results, if not completely with performances.

So you would expect the press to recognise this, and perhaps even credit Deila for sticking to his guns and putting a winning team on the park.

Like the Evening Times, for instance;

Jags set for erratic Celts

ALAN ARCHIBALD will expect the unexpected from an inconsistent Celtic at Parkhead tomorrow night.

Written by Chris Jack, the article appears in the paper after Partick Thistle Weekly turned it down for being too one sided;

The Jags make the trip across Glasgow aiming to cause a League Cup shock and book their place in the last four of the competition this term.

Under new boss Ronny Deila, the Hoops have failed to hit their stride on a regular basis this season as they have struggled at home and abroad so far.

Wins over Ross County, FC Astra and Kilmarnock in the last few days have raised the spirits around Parkhead once again.

But Archibald isn’t sure what kind of Celtic side will turn up against the Jags. 

 Maybe, but you’d think he’d have an idea.

 “They are in transition. The new manager has come in and you don’t know what team he is going to play.

“He has made three or four changes in recent games and he has a massive squad to do that.

“You don’t really know what you are going to get – they were 4-4-2 at the weekend and 4-3-3 the previous game.

“I don’t think the manager knows his best team yet and hopefully we can capitalise on it.

 “I was at the game against Kilmarnock and up until the sending-off, Killie played really well.

“The first 20 minutes against Celtic is vital and if you can keep a clean sheet and not give anything away, you can see the difference.

“If you lose an early goal it gives you a bigger mountain to climb.” 

Celtic fans may not agree with the constant changing of formation and players, but it certainly keeps the opposition on their toes. Not that it matters, most teams who visit celtic Park just hang around the penalty box and hope to get a breakaway.

Archibald continued, though you could tell even the MSM weren’t going to convince him he had a realistic chance of an upset.

 “We have got to go there with hope.

“We know the crowd isn’t what it used to be but it is still an intimidating place to go.

“The pitch always seems massive. Our pitch is actually bigger than theirs but it doesn’t feel like that. I think we can use it to our advantage.

“We did it last season in spells and as long as the lads are brave, there is a real opportunity – we think we can hurt them. 

 Celtic boss Ronny Deila was more forthright;

“We want to win everything we are competing in and the League Cup is the first trophy available,” 

“It’s very important, not just for me but for everybody at this football club. So we need to be ready for the challenge we face against Partick Thistle.

“The players were given a day off after the Kilmarnock game on Sunday to be at home and recover by themselves.

“There is a good atmosphere in the squad now but sometimes it’s good to have a day off and see other people, not just staff and team-mates all the time.” 

Talk of winning four trophies is, of course both premature and unlikely, but the attitude of the manager and a couple of the players is heartwarming. Well, when I say players, I mean John Guidetti.

He is , as they say in the land of rappers-a music genre where the artists talk in rhyme, all the time, before shooting each other in fast food outlets- talking the talk and walking the walk.

And its impressed Ronny;

 “I believe everything is possible.” said the manager

“To win the Europa League is very tough, there are very hard opponents, so you have to develop – and have some luck.

“But everything is possible and, of course, you have to believe. That is why I love Guidetti because he believes.

“You can see it in his eyes when he goes on the pitch: ‘I’m here to score, I’m here to win.’ And you can see it in the dressing room.

 “I want all of our players to believe that we can win the Europa League, of course. If you don’t believe, you don’t get it. This group has to commit and have a really, really strong togetherness.” 

 Even as recently as a month ago, Ronny would have been laughed out of town for such a ridiculous opinion. Bumped twice from the Champions League by teams that were at best average, his credibility was at an all time low. Yet, suddenly, with two forwards who can score goals, and a keeper who can stop them going in at our end, maybe he has a point.

 Or maybe I should call for the nurses and get back into bed.

 Guidetti , though, is enjoying himself in Glasgow. Ronny wants him to stay, and if he ever had to stamp his authority over the board as to exactly who is in charge on the field, he has to do it now.

He wants the Swede to stay;

 “John was at Stoke last year, he was at City and he hasn’t played first-team football for two years.

“It’s like it has clicked between Celtic and John. One thing I know in football is that when you are at the right club, you have to appreciate what you have.

“You have to understand that your success is not all down to you, it’s also the environment, the club that suits you and makes the best out of you.

“So far, we have done that with John. I think he can develop a lot and he can reach a lot of his goals here.

“We will do everything we can in our club to make him happy so he wants to stay.” 

We asked Peter Lawwell for his response to that staement, and would he “do everything to make him happy so he wants to stay ” ?

Especially if it meant breaking the bank ?

Of course he will, because he’s on freedom of contract, so he’s just about within our price range. Which means when we sell him, its all clear profit !

He’s just got to ask Dermot Desmond, who reacted badly to the request, and we hear he’s gone out on the beer;

Back to Guidetti, and he does seem to be genuinely happy to be playing for Celtic. He’ll know, like his compatriot Henrik Larsson, that Celtic took a chance on him when others didn’t. And it sounds like he wants to repay that faith.

“It’s a beautiful place to be,” he said of Celtic. “All the people take care of you so well and I have settled into the team so well. They take care of me, my family and girlfriend.

“We go for dinner, or we have Taco evenings. I’m like Gordon Ramsey, so they call me Gordon John now as I’m such a good chef. I haven’t cooked for the other players yet. At the moment, I’m cooking steaks and salad at home – they are good.” 

 The team that eats together, wins together!

 Speaking of those who enjoy a fuller diet, Ally Mccoist , currently in charge at Second Rangers, has expressed his delight at the “investment ” in his club from Mike Ashley, which will allow them to blunder on until Christmas at least, unless they have to buy anything.

 But then again, he’s expressed his delight at each and every one of the “new owners ” who have stepped through the door during the clubs turbulent two year history.

 There were rumours circulating that the fat funsters jacket was on the proverbial shoogly peg, with the new owner possibly opting for someone competent instead, but McCoist has been assured he will not be removed.

 ‘I spoke to the chairman this morning and I’ve spoken to Sandy this morning. It was very decent to phone me and give an update.  

‘Both board members are comfortable with the situation at the moment. If they are happy with that I am happy with it.

 ‘My position and objectives haven’t changed at all since I took over the job. That hasn’t changed and it won’t change.

‘Obviously sad with the departure of Graham. It gives me an opportunity to thank Graham for his work at the club.’  

 Mike Ashley was giving little away, but we saw his reaction when one of his pals asked him if he was keeping Tubby Tum Tum in a job;

As for Mccoist waddling away, like most of his contemparies have done, he remained adamant that would not happen. Not yet, anyway.

“No, not at all,” he said. “I’m as strong willed as I’ve ever been to continue in my job of getting Rangers back to the top flight. And then further.

“I won’t, and we as a football club can’t, lose sight of that. There have been a lot of things going on in the last couple of years when there might have been a reason, but certainly not an excuse, to take your eye off the ball. We simply cannot do that as it too important to too many people.

“I think my past helps. I feel I know the club as well as anybody. Obviously, I’m not comparing myself in any way shape or form to John Greig and Walter Smith but what I would say is that I know the club as well as anybody. I know how quickly things can change, from good to bad and then bad to good. At our club, there is seldom an indifferent period. The best piece of advice I have been given is not to get too carried away with the good and don’t get too down with the bad. If you do that, then you’ll be okay.” 

 That advice came from John Greig, during his spell as manager.

“It has been an unbelievably tough three years and I can totally understand the frustration from a section of the fans,” added McCoist.

“All I would ask of them is to continue with their unbelievable support of the team. I know there has been talk of boycotts and people staying away and I can understand that. The last thing I will ever do is turn against the fans because they have been the one loyal and one constant throughout the last three years.

“But I have to remain optimistic that we can get the club back to where they want it to be. Whether there are 100 people or 50,000 people inside Ibrox, it doesn’t change things for us – we have to go out and get a result which gets us into the semi-finals of the cup. I understand emotions are running high among supporters and they are making decisions they feel are right. But it goes without saying that I would rather have 50,000 in the stadium.” 

Big up the support ? They must have a new man in at the top.

“With the greatest of respect, if Mike Ashley wants to see me, or any of his people who work for him want to see me, that’ll happen,” said McCoist.

“I’m manager of the football team and most of my meetings, if not all of the meetings I want, will be involving the football side of the business.

“It would be wrong of me to start asking to meet people. If it happens, it’ll happen but I’ve got far, far more important things, in the respect the games we have coming up.” 

 Yes, it would be wrong of him to ask to meet people.

Not without demanding to know who they are first.

 Sorry to spend so long on McCoist today, but as the wind of change blows across the city, we need to keep an eye on whatever trick they try to pull this time.

 Not only them, but the SFA. Stewart Regan has written to Ibrox asking for clarification of Mike Ashleys role at the cub. Ashley has already signed an agreement that he would not go above 10% ownership of the club, and neither would he want a seat on the board.

 We have seen a copy of this letter, intercepted yesterday-and its good to see the powers that be clamping down on the shennanigans over the road.

 Dear Ally and the lads.

                                                     Hope you are well. Just a quick note, that agreement with Mike-was it 10% or 100% we said ? Can’t make it out on the form ? See you at the game tomorrow.

                                                               Fuck the Tims

                                                                      Stew

 Poor Stewart. The clocks only went back an hour at the weekend, he had been hoping they’d go back to before February 2012.

 The new club were reportedly a mere 48 hours from administration, until Ashley stepped in with his loan. Prompting Hugh Keevins, the voice of dementia, to claim that if they went under, it would be a shot through the head of Scottish football.

 Hugh hosts a radio phone in on Glasgow station Radio Clyde, where along with Derek Johnstone and an assortment of monosyllabic experts , they attempt to analyse and clarify what is going on in the football world.

 One of which is Gordon Smith, who today told Sky TV that he can’t understand why Dave King, who had £17m on the table to take over the club, wasn’t chosen instead.

Then again, Smith spends most nights wondering where the big yellow thing in the sky went to.

Perhaps it was  a reference to the fact that Ashley may be breaking rules if he takes control at Ibrox.

 As opposed to King who did break rules, and received a heavy fine which kept him out of a South African jail.

Which reminds me, something else is due out this month. Wonder if the MSM will cover it ?

RFC 2012 PLC (formerly The Rangers Football Club PLC) was placed into Liquidation on 31 October 2012.  Malcolm Cohen and James Stephen of BDO LLP were appointed Joint Liquidators.

The Joint Liquidators’ statutory reports to all known creditors will be published on this site within six weeks of each six-month anniversary of the date of Liquidation.

Report to Creditors 30 May 2014

Report to Creditors 15 November 2013

Report to Creditors 22 May 2013 

Liquidation can take a long time. Some might have forgotten all about it. We haven’t.

 Remember Shakter Kharagandy ? They could do with an emergency loan. They are up for auction, and may even go out of business.

shakter in trouble

 With Stewart Regan and the SFA leaving themselves open to accusations of collusion with the new club, perhaps its time to remember another , who when at the SFA , never let his feelings interfere with how he did his job.

 Who is this, and why the glum face ?

 We didn’t have a quiz yesterday, so we are doing two today. Well, a caption competition anyway.

 Whats this guy thinking ?

Oh, and has anyone seen John Collins ?