The idea behind the Diary is to find things that are interesting or amusing to Celtic supporters.
So, I hope you will forgive me if most of todays nonsense concerns the nonsense over at Ibrox.
As you know, Ally McCoist, the manager of the new entity, has decided to give his notice in at the club. Its a 12 month notice, and on the face of it, it means , that under the terms of his rolling contract, he can roll away. With a years wages.
Is it my suspicious mind, or is this quote, taken from todays Daily Record, just a coincidence ?
Scottish football is heading for Irish League level
warns financial expert who masterminded
Fergus McCann’s Celtic takeover
“The game has changed. We are back to the way it used to be pre-David Holmes and David Murray.
“Before they arrived at Rangers, Scottish football lived within its means. When Murray took over from Holmes, Rangers rode the whole Ronald Regan-Margaret Thatcher-driven money merry-go-round and did it successfully.
Thats from David Low, who helped Fergus McCann save Celtic. Quite what his definition of “successfully” remains a mystery. If you call bankrupting a club and leaving yourself open to accusations of tax fraud and money laundering succesful, then I guess they did okay.
He doesn’t stop there. Pausing only to remove his head from between Murrays buttocks, he continues;
“Murray started that and Murray ended it in 2008 and all that’s been happening since 08 is we have gone back to way things used to be.
“The problem is that a lot of Rangers fans in particular think that what happened between 86 and 08 is the norm. It’s not – it was the exception. The banks have gone back to pulling their money out of almost every club in Scotland.
“The prices are too high. It costs a fortune. If you take a family of four to basketball or rugby it’s a pleasant, affordable experience and you can have a beer.
“Taking two kids to the football is three maybe four times more expensive. They’ll charge you £2.50 for a bovril and £2.20 for a pie.
Perhaps the banks pulled the plug on football to avoid the scenario Murray created-that of not repaying loans-and to compare taking the kids to basketball is ridiculous.
If I wanted to go to the basketball, I’d go. I don’t. so I go to the football instead. Its crazy to compare the two. After all, I’ve yet to hear a phone in based on basketball. To compare the prices with football is like saying I’m not going to buy milk today, because water is cheaper.
He isn’t done yet.
“It’s expensive, it’s freezing and the stadium is more than half empty.
“The prices are high because of players’ wages. And there are too many clubs – everybody knows that. There should be half the 42 senior clubs.
“I don’t think Scottish football can afford to be full-time to the extent it is. Back in the 70s there weren’t 10 full-time teams in Scotland.
“Celtic want to leave and go to England – but there’s not a cat’s chance in hell of Celtic playing in England. We are stuck in this jurisdiction, this big fish in a shrinking pond.
“Celtic are trying to run up a down escalator and each year it is getting harder and harder. I was not the slightest bit surprised we didn’t get past Maribor or Legia Warsaw in the Champions League qualifiers.
We ? He did say “we”. That’ll explain why the Record paid him thirty pieces of silver for the article.
“Every three or four years you might get a lucky break and make the group stages or even the last 16 but by and large we are on a downward spiral.
“Celtic and the rest of the Scottish game is going to settle – but at an ever-decreasing lower level.
“That’s going to make the step up into European competition more and more difficult,
“I don’t think we’ve found our base level yet, I believe we have lower to sink before we bottom out.
“We are heading for Irish territory – getting to the same level of the Irish League. I know that sounds pessimistic but that’s where we are headed, taking a five-year view.”
I’m at the game tomorrow, and hopefully i won’t be sitting next to Happy fucking Harry.
Again, its a chance to rubbish the game in Scotland, which don’t forget is watched by 5% of the population, a figure higher than all but three countries in the world.
So there is interest.
Hibernian are about to become the latest club to declare they are free of debt. Only one club is making an arse of the accounts. That means that the game is starting to get itself on a sound footing.
But we dont see articles praising that. In fact, you’d be hard pucshed to see any praise for anyone getting their house in order. It might take a year or two yet, but the removal of the toxic Rangers brand has had a knock on effect.
An effect that is leading to the rebirth of the game. If only that was getting the headlines, and if only that was being encouraged.
Take Stewart Regan, for instance. ( Please, please , just take him-i’m here all week, try the veal etc )
The bumbling , incompetent head of the SFa is trying to find a successor to the development officer Mark Wotte, who quit last month, and guess who he turned to.
Go on. guess. Its fun.
Stewart ReganHugely beneficial two hours with Walter Smith yesterday as part of the recruitment process for Performance Director http://bit.ly/1vYObLF
Fuck me. What is wrong with Scottish football is summed up entirely in that tweet. Sort Scottih football out ? Ask Walter smith ? You might as well ask the fucking cat.
Dear Stewart
Just pack your bags and get on the train
yours
Scottish football.
Neil Doncaster, the other half of the comedy duo charged with sorting things out issued a statement.
Thank fuck for that. At least they’ll stop laughing at me for a bit
Well, he didn’t say that, but I bet thats what he’s thinking. If he has actually mastered the concept.
Circling the wagons ? From the Record to the BBC. This from the Videocelts site;
Showing the type of judgement that they are famous for BBC Scotland have chosen to screen live coverage of the Sevco v Raith Rovers match on February 8.
Well, thats a surprise, and actually a problem for the Ibrox club. The BBCs love for them will backfire, and a crowd of 10,000 or more just became unlikely.
Anyhoo, back to ally McCoist.
Heres the bit in his contract about walking away.
Oops. My bad.
That should clarify things. Still, his impending departure has upset a lot of people.
Which is exactly why he’s going. As we mentioned in a number of previous Diaries, there was never going to be any chance of McCoist presiding over the humiliation they are going to get. No chance at all. He’s even brought out a range of shoes to symbolise his walking away.
I’m at the game tomorrow, and there may be a guy on the bus making his first trip to Celtic. We’ve introduced a few over the years, and they keep coming back. Not diehards, but maybe casual supporters. and without them, the CSC may well have not been able to make so many trips over our thirteen years of existence.
They come back because we make them feel welcome. Which brings me back to Toxic FC;
Still think they’ll be missed ?
The club is already dead, and hopefully, come the League Cup semi final we can make the fans feel even worse. Nothing less than double figures will suffice. When thats done, the players can go in at half time and take the rest of the game easy.
I never wanted to see Rangers return in any shape or form, but while they are pretending to still be here, its our moral duty to put them on their arses. Ad keep them there.
Away from that, and on to tomorrows game.
Just win, and keep winning.
This may even be the first time Deila has started the same players in cinsecutive league games. Like i said yesterday, he’s getting to know which players he wants, and which he doesn’t.
Of the old Lennon crew, perhaps its surprising that Charlie Mulgrew may be the last man standing.
Oh, wait, thats the man from Sunderland on the phone….
Theres a freak result in the pipeline, so .do yourself a favour and put 7-0 on as a correct score.
Its going to happen sooner or later.
Heres a picture to think about, posted by John Paul Taylor on twitter.
Who might it be ?
Neil Mochan.
Great diary.
Loved picture of Sally’s brogues.
Sevco are in their own Armageddon bubble,and don’t messr’s
Regan and Doncaster know it.As well as the laptop loyal.Watty
will be recommending Sally for the developmment job.
Sleekit Sally knows Sevco have not got the dough to pay him off.But,why is he not accepting no dough,or pies,and help save jobs ? Sleekit by name,will always be Sleekit by nature !
Don’t we just love,the Zombies MISERY !!
It’s Neil Mochan, of course – a man who deserves the title ‘a Celtic Legend’. Who could ever forget the magnificent goal he scored against Hibernian in the Coronation Cup final?
Incidentally, I have learned he is the subject of a new book – and I for one am looking forward to it.
Great read on a dull day without football,hope we play two up front tomorrow,against possibly the poorest side in the League
As much chance of that as Sevco beating QOS on a Friday night in Dumfries on December 12th in the year of 2014.
You would think that a financial svengali, such as Low, would have noticed the demise in the music and film industries in the same time period. When will it eventually occur to him and his millions of acolytes that it’s maybe the system of Capital that is failing us all?
Ralph
The Diary took me back a long time today, top class humour, loads of home truths and an optimism not witnessed since a wee man from Canada put on his wee green bunnet. I don’t think there is a sentiment expressed that I disagree with. It is almost beyond comment and certainly not worthy of mine. It is up there with your best. Your good woman must be back behind you these days.
My only concern from it is Regan tossing the Scottish game into a bottomless pit wrapped in a cardigan. Even worse news than Sally in Brogues taking a hike.
One of my all time favourite Celts Neily Mochan. Fine portrait of a fine man.
H H
Whit a hoot!
Time enough to talk about humiliations at full time on semi final day.
Neil Mochan who won three trophy’s before kicking a ball at Celtic Park for CELTIC.
I’ll bet Ronnie changes the line up once again.
It’s what he does…
Cannot believe the crap our new Manager get’s on here.
I wonder how many of those tha watch these games actually watch what is happening or just sit there moaning about wee mistakes for 90 minutes?
We totally outplayed St.Mirren today.
Created a host of chances but yet again our finishing not quite where it should be.
We won 4-1 ould well have been 7-8-9 10-1 in the end.
Guarantee the same names will bemoaning about 2 up front or rotation.
Pathetic.
6 points clear 9 wins on the bounce give the guy a break ffs and back your Manager who knows we might be watching something special unfolding here?