Last weekend, we got free football, featuring Celtic and “rangers “, and it’s just occured to me that apart from presumably falling figures, it was a blatant move from Sky TV to build up the audience for this weekends game, which will be billed as a title decider.
When, in fact, the title will be decided in a boardroom again, on average points, with the Covid 19 pandemic reaching new heights, that only anyone with a bit of common sense could have foreseen.
With “rangers ” set to be missing a couple of key players at the weekend, the Scottish government has demanded an enquiry, and the SPFL may well decide on a winter shutdown , starting on Friday, especially if it looks like rain.
Even if Celtic do win the league this year, expect the narrative to be about how exciting it was, and how refreshing it is to have a new team, and club, though they might leave that bit out, challenging for honours, even of they haven’t actually won any.
If “rangers ” win the league, it will give Celtic’s much maligned board a chance to sell season books on the strength f regaining the title, although if the pandemic doesn’t go away by the end of the summer, and things have gone rather unsettlingly quiet about the vaccine, then there is little chance they’ll fool us again, whatever is at stake.
The other catastrophe in waiting , Brexit, and I’m still waiting for anyone to tell me any real costed and sourced benefit, could actually have a real and costed benefit.
With foreigners no longer allowed to come over here and take our jobs, there may be a possibility that young Scots will start to break through in larger numbers, and if they actually hang around to learn something, rather than thinking they’ve made it by moving to Englandshire FC and making a lifetimes wage in a few months, then perhaps that part of the game will undergo a rennaisance.
Hell of a price to pay for it, though.
There will be rules and regulations for foreign players going to play in England, but as money talks even now lawyers and agents will be trying to work out how to ignore them.
Then again, if there is no football to play there is no football to watch, and this winter will prove to be a little more difficult than most.
Unless a full lockdown is put in place now, we’ll still be talking about this next christmas.
Away from all that, and tomorrow the hoops face Dundee United, and its important that all concerned don’t allow the hype of the Glasgow derby to interfere with preparation or focus.
Celtic now appear to have found the team they think will be more or less the first choice for the rest of the season.
Worryingly, there is talk that Fraser Forster will return, despite him leaving twice already for more money. We’ve heard its a done deal, but then again, so have you.
Paddy Roberts, that great deceiver of flattery has also been spoken of, mostly with reverence.
At the start of the season, the diary bemoained the influx of players who couldn’t get a game at their clubs….all of whom have now been taken out off the first choice list.
Lets not make the same mistake again in January.
Lennon has picked his team, for the love of god he needs to stick with it.
Off the field, and it seems the Celtic Trust have decided to emulate the board policy of ignoring criticism and hoping it goes away.
Resolution 12 is key to clearing up the toxicity of our game, and if the board say they will pursue it, they need to be seen to do so, and asked repeatedly to report on progress. Anything else is mere urination on our heads under the excuse that its raining.
Celtic need “rangers “, or at least Celtic-and Scottish football-think they need “rangers ”
What they really need is a proper club to replace “rangers “, who replaced Rangers with a similar entity, and despite initially calling them out for what they are, the media and authorities , having waited until international eyes were turned away, simply reverted to calling them Rangers, and allowing, nay, promoting the pretence that they were.
That alone shows you how much any of them care for our game, it shows how little concern they have for supporters.
With the right leadership and direction, those who will cheat and allow their support to be cheated will pay the price.
But , as Orwell wrote in Animal Farm,
I fear that may be the case with our club…..
Yesterday, we had this…
Caption: Before another ‘outstanding performance’ quote the tongue is secured to the cheek.