A wee bit late this morning. My youngest turned eighteen today, and we’ve turned the house upside down looking for his passport. He needs it to buy beer and fags. Can’t think for a minute why Practical Parenting magazine continue to refuse to publish my articles.
It’s kind of strange.
He’s gone from the kid who looked forward to away games at Kilmarnock, where the pub at the end of the road had a play area, to being a man. And it seems like there’s been no intervening period.
I mention it because we are surprised he made it to eighteen. At the pub in Kilmarnock, for instance, they have one of those climbing frames. As the rest of us enjoyed a pre match refreshment, the whole place suddenly went quiet. Someone had fallen off the equipment from a great height.
I didn’t even have to look to see who it was.
Back in the days when Tullys in Motherwell was our pre match stop, I was often informed that there was a small child jumping up and down on the minibus roof.
And another wee story…
When he was about six or seven, we were hightailing it to one game, and he had his birthday money burning a hole in his pocket. At the time he was collecting Dr. who cards, and wanted to stop at the services to buy some. Of course, I refused, and he sulked.
During the journey, his mum rang, and asked how he was doing. I told her he was fine, and she asked to speak to him.
” Dad won’t stop and I need a pee. ”
Like I said, it’s a miracle he made it to eighteen.
Look, it’s a Diary. Not Newsnow.
Aleksandr Tonev, once a favourite of Ronny Deila until he pointed out to an Aberdeen defender what colour he was, is in the Bulgaria squad for their game against Italy, or as he calls them, the Wops.
Anyone else think that he might just have been guilty of the crime he was accused of ?
Jason Denaayer, who has performed admirably for Celtic this season, might yet have a place in the Manchester City squad. The club are pleased with his progress,and evn though they have another centre half out on loan, with PSV Eindhoven, Karim Rekkik, Denaayer might be offered the place in the squad.
PSV are currently top of their league, and want to keep the lad. Denaayer, according to the Manchester Evening News ( or Guns and Drugs Weekly, to give it a more accurate name ) is in pole position. He qualifies as a home grown player, which will probably swing City’s decision.
If you want to see who we are looking at as a replacement, you’ll have to wait for next weeks rumour mill….
Which will give us plenty of time to make something up.
Celtic sent their thoughts to Fraser Forster yesterday, after the big guy was ruled out for the rest of the season with injury.
Best wishes to The Great Wall @FraserForster from everyone at Celtic. Hope you make a full and speedy recovery. (NM)
I bought a single share in Sports Direct International and then I requested a copy of their share register. Their company secretary then wrote asking why I wanted the register and I explained thus:-
Mr Cameron Olsen, The Company Secretary, Sports Direct International, Monday 16 February 2015
Dear Mr Olsen, Thank you for your letter of the 9th February requesting me to explain the purpose of my request to obtain the shareholders register. As you will be aware, Section 116 of the Companies Act enables a shareholder to request a copy of the company’s register of members where this constitutes a proper purpose. As a shareholder I am concerned over the bad publicity the company has been receiving over its use of zero hours contracts and the retail agreements in place with RIFC plc which have also caused a large amount of detrimental publicity which may damage the share price.
I wish to canvass my fellow shareholders as to whether they would be willing to support resolutions to end the use of zero hours contracts and to review the terms of the retail agreements with RIFC plc to ensure that these generate sales revenue that benefits shareholders; rather than the current agreements which whilst appearing to be favourable are generating low sales volumes due to the level of hostility amongst the public to what are viewed as unfair terms.
I look forward to receiving the register so that I can canvass my fellow shareholders to ensure that we are able to ensure that the business does not continue to be involved in contracts which damage the long term interests of shareholders.
Regarding the requested fee of £65, my understanding is that as a member of the company, under Section 116, that this information should be available for free. I have laid out the appropriate section below:
Section 116
Rights to inspect and require copies
(1)The register and the index of members’ names must be open to the
inspection— .
(a)of any member of the company without charge, and .
If my understanding is incorrect, or the company feels this is too great a financial encumbrance, then I will, of course, send a cheque subject to your advice.
I would prefer the copy of the register to be in electronic form.
Yours sincerely,
MARK DINGWALL
The same day Sport Direct lawyers made an application to the Companies Court in London seeking the following –
1/ That the Claimant shall not comply with the request of Mr Mark DIngwall by letter dated 3 February 2015 for a a copy of the Claimant’s register of members.
2/ That they “shall not comply with any future request (whether made by Mark Dingwall or any other person) to inspect the Claimant’s register of members or for a copy of that register where the only purpose given for the request is to enable members to be contacted, without identifying the subject matter and purpose of such contact:
3/ Mark Dingwall do pay the Claimant’s costs, such costs to be assessed if not agreed.
The hearing is set for 11.30 on 14th April.
I can understand a company not wishing to hand out it’s share register willy-nilly but the principle is that sensible shareholders dis-satisfied with the performance of a company should be able to seek out other shareholders and canvass their opinions. In my original request I undertook not to share the register with anyone else and not to contact the shareholders regarding anything other than the company’s affairs.
By moving to strike out my request; and specifically to set the precedent that neither I nor any other shareholder can in the future obtain a copy of the register; Sports Direct are seeking to remove one vital right whereby shareholders can seek to enforce their rights by lobbying other investors in the company.
I have had some free advice so far but with the 14th April looming I think engaging a lawyer would be the sensible way to go. FF.com exists on a hand to mouth basis – we have no rich and mysterious backers nor plentiful sources of income. If we can settle outside of court or are otherwise successful then the balance will, of course, be donated to charitable causes after consultation with the donors.
If you can help then make a donation via Paypal – http://tinyurl.com/FF-SDLegal
Wonderful stuff as usual,i need say no more.Hail Hail.
The Lions playing for the final time together.
The last appearance of the Lisbon Lions!
Looking to the future—so bright I gotta wear green shades!
I think we can hold on to most of our players for next year. If we had to field a team as things are it might go (allowing for injury recovery by next summer)
Gordon
Lustig/Ambrose/Mulgrew/Izzy
Brown/Bitton
Mackay-Steven/Johansen/Armstrong
Griffiths
Forrest/Commons/Stokes/Scepovich all to figure.
Bye to Denayer, Van Dijk, Guidetti, Wakaso, Tonev, Boerrichte and most if not all of our loaned players.
We will need two good central defenders and a proven striker. A back-up left back would help although Mulgrew could handle that.
I think our wingers and midfield are sorted for now.
Any other Van Dijks/Denayers out there? Can we liberate any other domestic players like Mackay-Steven and Armstrong for those positions?
Before the Split:
Celtic:
Away: St.Mirren
Home: Partick
Away: Dundee
Away: Inverness
Home: Killie
Aberdeen:
Home: Partick
Home: Inverness
Away: Killie
Home: Dundee United
After the Split?
As it stands, we would probably play Aberdeen and Dundee United away.
Inverness and St. Johnstone at home
Dundee/Hamilton?
10/11 lisbon lions-williams for simpson-was there and games like that made me love the ‘TIC
Was against Clyde. Here’s the highlights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2gLbBEZ7_M
Yep, Lisbon Lions last game together.
Hope Big Forster makes a full recovery, loved the big guy, and it might be unpopular, but everything being equal Id still have him over Gordon.
Hope Dingwall gets taken to the cleaners pursuing this legal case, big fud – had a bit of a dialogue with him regarding the Billy Boys after league cup semi final, bascially he felt we needed to grow up and stop being so sensitive, see it for the meaningless banter it was – can anyone smell hypocrisy here at all?
See they’ve been renting out flats for the 5 Newcastle loan players, only 2 or 3 of whom have ever been in the city.
Id say similar stuff goes on in football all the time, and I conclude from them letting press know about this sort of thing..
1) Money is very very tight
2) They ve looked at the big expenses – the onerous contacts etc, and despite bluster, have realised they are watertight and cant be broken
3) They are up to something else e.g delisting and want some squirrels for ra bears to look at while they get their ducks in a row – squirrels, ducks, bears, lots of animals there!!
Celtic v Clyde….The last Time The Lions took to the field together….John Fallon took the place of Ronnie Simpson,it was Bertie Auld’s last game for the Hoops,(he also sat on the Ball at one point !!),and my Form Teacher and Physics Teacher at St.Mungo’s Academy,John McHugh ,played at Left-Half for Clyde that Afternoon…..
Ralph
Was too late to comment last night so here’s one just to so you don’t feel neglected.
The biggest thrill of yesterday’s Diary was seeing the picture of the old enclosure during the renovations. It was such a strange experience watching the teams come out in those days, no tunnel and no dug-out but no complaints either. There was some incomparable football played in those days and by an incomparable team. “When will we see (their) likes again?”
Of course, the same can not be said about the south side mob given we see their likes again and again ad nauseam. If only there was football euthanasia then we could all be out of our misery. Anyone reading the latest drivel from Mr. Murray (he of current director status and not he of past unchallenged infamies – I may have that wrong though) would little wonder at the state of the club. If the blatantly obvious could buy players, there would be no need for a war chest. Yet, these people convince the media they are casting pearls. I agree. Right before SWINE!!!! And Mr. Dingwall would be right up there with them if it was not for his obvious alleviating afflictions.
Finally, please, please give the rumour mill a rest till the summer holidays when we can all go away and avoid reading it. But then, I see your heading, so just go ahead with whatever you want.
H H