Celtic Diary Friday February 28

News from the scientific community today, as scientists tell us that jellyfish have survived for over 500 million years without a brain, which must give some encouragement to fans of the new Rangers.

Fraser Forster is in the England squad again-to face Denmark in a friendly, and former player and manager Davie Hay thinks this should be enough to keep him at Celtic Park.

“If Fraser does go to the World Cup, it could convince him that he doesn’t need to leave Celtic to further his England ambitions.

“I think he is enjoying life at Celtic and he has never made any noises that he wants to leave the club.

“Celtic have given him the chance to play in the Champions League and now at international level as well.

“The time may come where an offer comes in that suits all parties and Fraser does leave but the fact that he is getting international call-ups while at Celtic is a positive.”

A good point, Forster has been reminded by Celtics management that he has made his name at the club, and if he manages to cement a place in the international squad, especially as he is still young for a keeper, then his professional ambitions can be mostly satisfied in Glasgow.

Its just that the wages might prove a stumbling block. Think he’ll accept minimum wage ?

In a move that is right up there with playing two in the middle in the champions league, Celtic have decided to appeal the red card given to Virgil van Dijk against Aberdeen last week. That means the Dutchman can play against Inverness tomorrow, but will miss the Kilmarnock game on the 14th instead, after  the appeal is dismissed for being pointless and ridiculous.

The disciplinary tribunal will hear the case next Thursday, but won’t have finished laughing until the weekend.

I think we should have maybe let this one go. Even the all powerful Peter Lawwells unseen fenian hand is going to struggle with this one.

Charlie Mulgrew doesn’t like talking to the press. Thats obvious. He looked distinctly uncomfortable when he pulled the short straw and had to tell the media how grateful he was to Fergus McCann for what he did back in 1994.

The words are okay, and obviously scripted, but asking someone who was still in primary school to talk about it is a poor idea.

“I was young at the time when Fergus arrived but I’ve heard a lot since. ”

“I vaguely remember when the club were struggling and I know how good he was for Celtic.

“As a supporter and player I’m really thankful for what he did for the club.

“The players here who know about Fergus appreciate what he did. He turned the club around and played a big part in the Celtic we know now.

“At the time a lot of fans didn’t fully understand what he was doing for Celtic.

“But what a clever person he was. He transformed the place and we’re all very thankful for it now.

“It’s hard to believe he was booed once as he unfurled a flag on the pitch. You can’t imagine that happening now.

“But the supporters didn’t realise back then how great he would be for the club. He was accused of being a bit tight. But now? As a fan I can’t thank him enough.

“Every time we run out at Celtic Park, a fantastic big stadium, you realise it was Fergus who gave us that. He did huge things for Celtic and I’m sure anyone who doubted him now realises they were wrong.

“When you think now about clubs overspending he was ahead of his time and he knew what he was doing. There are a couple of clubs now who could do with a Fergus McCann.

“Some people thought he was robbing the club and I think that’s why he was booed. Celtic were very close to folding before Fergus came in but look at the club now. That shows how clever he really was.”

Well, most of the words are okay. I’m not sure he was booed for “robbing the club” , more a case of getting the league won and then allowing Wim Jansen to leave, because as I remember that day, there was a real fear we would slip back to where we had just come from. His name was John Barnes.

It was like losing Henrik Larsson and signing Mo Camara.

My own first memory of McCann was travelling back from a game and listening to him on the radio phone in show one Saturday evening.

He was straightforward, asking supporters on air if they would put their own money in. Thinking back, it was a hell of a gamble.

The team was awful, the ground was about to be closed down, and we’d had nothing to cheer about for years.

McCann at that point offered hope, and supporters bought into the dream, though while a few of us liked the idea of the all new superstadium, which at that time was the biggest club ground in Britain, even the most optimistic fan had his doubts that we would need one that big.

And he confounded critics by building it so that the stands faced the pitch, which in the early nineties could have been a huge mistake.

But what actually happened, and it still makes the hairs at the back of the neck rise, was that the support united against the old regime. We dug deep, and many, many thousands of supporters wives suddenly had a great new idea for their christmas and birthday presents.

Shares. Shares in Celtic. We always knew that the supporters were the club, and now we had a certificate to prove it.

McCann invested a lot of money in the club, he’s since said it was pretty much all he had, and he made a lot out of Celtic. And he was worth every penny.

He stood, back to the wall , and took on all comers, the SFA, the press, the banks, and everyone else who wanted to see us finished.

From a club on its knees, McCann not only hauled it back onto its feet, he had it coming out swinging.

It wasn’t just him, by any stretch of the imagination. Others worked with him to build the foundations of the club we have today, but theres no doubt that those of us who watched the likes of the Kellys, the Whites, and all the rest of the imposters who stalked the corridors at Celtic Park – see him as a saviour.

If you watch the Centenary video, you’ll see someone called Greta Kelly tell the camera that she knew it was going to be a special year. That was the mentality of the people who McCann swept away. They thought that a programme celebrating one hundred years of history and a league and cup win should include the opinions of one of the directors wives. Or sister. Or maybe even she was both.

No-one should begrudge him a penny, remember he could have lost the lot.

Hell, it was worth whatever he made from the club just to see this face after McCann went after him for delaying the registration of Portuguese striker Jorge Cadete.

In fact, jump in here with me … don’t worry, theres loads of room..

and we’ll head back almost exactly fifteen years, to March 2, 1999, and that days Independent newspaper..

JIM FARRY’S football career is effectively at an end after the Scottish Football Association chief executive was yesterday suspended over the Jorge Cadete affair. Celtic have claimed for three years that Farry delayed the processing of the transfer of the Portuguese player in time for the Scottish Cup semi-final against Rangers in 1996. Celtic lost the game 2-1, but yesterday they won the war against the most powerful figure in the Scottish game. 

The SFA has offered Celtic a written apology as well as agreeing to pay compensation and meet Celtic’s legal fees, and Fergus McCann, the Celtic chief executive, yesterday wasted little time in condemning the part played by Farry. “It has taken Celtic and its supporters three years to receive justice on the issue of the SFA’s chief executive Jim Farry’s failure to properly register Jorge Cadete.

“It is deplorable that a prominent member club should be disadvantaged in this way when on several occasions the SFA’s chief executive had the opportunity to make the correct decision. Mr Farry’s failure to properly and timeously register Jorge Cadete leaves the club in no other position than to ask for the office bearers of the SFA to recognise that Mr Farry’s position is untenable. This case demonstrates clearly that Mr Farry cannot be allowed to hold and exercise such powerful authority.”

The issue recently went to arbitration with the SFA admitting liability before proceedings could finish. Clearly angered by the whole situation, Celtic are demanding the dismissal of Farry, who has held the top job at the SFA since 1990 following 10 years as secretary of the Scottish League.

In the last nine years he has been frequently criticised for his dictatorial attitude which at times appeared out of tune with the ordinary supporter. He insisted on Scotland playing a European Championship qualifier on the day of the funeral of Princess Diana only to back down in the face of severe pressure and criticism.

Farry’s motives for delaying the Cadete transfer remain unclear and although Celtic supporters will interpret his actions as indicating a pro-Rangers stance McCann refused to be drawn on the topic. “I’m not claiming there was malice but there was intent. There was a failure on his part despite the advice of Fifa and Celtic. This is a matter that goes beyond Celtic Football Club, it’s a question of somebody who has failed to follow the rules of football.”

McCann intends to hold discussions with the other clubs in the Scottish Premier League and his frustration with the powerbrokers at the SFA could prove the motive towards a shift of power towards the new body who would effectively run the elite body of Scottish football. In the meantime Farry has agreed to co-operate with an SFA investigation into his actions.

Then, we’ll jump six days later, to the BBC…

Sport: Football

Farry sacked by SFA

Jim Farry’s future is in doubt

Jim Farry has been sacked as chief executive of the Scottish Football Association for “gross misconduct”.

Geoff Webster: “It took only an hour for the SFA to decide”

Farry’s nine-year term was ended following a complaint from Celtic over the registration of Jorge  Cadete three years ago.

He was suspended last week and his fate was decided at a meeting the SFA Council on Monday.

Roddy Forsyth reports for BBC Radio 5 Live

Farry insisted he had done nothing wrong and had said he would not be resigning from his job.

He is now considering legal action.

SFA president Jack McGinn has been named acting chief executive pending the appointment of Farry’s successor.

Celtic ‘satisfied’ 

The move follows an independent commission ruling in favour of Celtic last week after the Parkhead club protested at the delay in registering Cadete.

Celtic will be pleased with the decision

The Portuguese forward missed vital matches towards the end of the 1995/6 season sparking a bitter dispute.

The decision will delight Celtic managing director Fergus McCann who had demanded Farry be sacked for his role in the affair.

Celtic released a short statement in response to Farry’s dismissal making it clear they were satisfied with the outcome.

It said: “No-one likes to see anyone lose their job. However, in this circumstance it was inevitable due to the substantial evidence of Mr Farry’s behaviour and attitude.”

Farry issued a short response after the announcement, saying: “I will now be forced to seek legal advice. I can make no comment beyond that.”

It is understood that Farry had requested to attend the SFA Council meeting but received no answer.

‘A lot to think about’

SFA council member Hugh Scott, owner and chairman of Greenock Morton, said: “It is always disappointing to see someone of that quality no longer fulfilling that function.

“I would think that we have confidence in the office bearers to make sure natural justice is dispensed.

“We must always remember that the president and vice-president are very capable of running the SFA.

“I think the answer is that we all have a lot to think about and we all have to be comfortable with what we have heard and seen, and I have a high regard of what we have seen and heard.  ”

I enjoyed that.

And heres another blast from the past. Remember this ?

There was a move by the owner of another club to get Fergus to help him out, but I don’t think anything came of it.

Its twenty years ago this week the wee man walked into Celtic Park, and the club are celebrating it at the game tomorrow. Manager Neil Lennon paid tribute on the official site;

“I was a young player in England then and I had a look at it but you didn’t realise how deep the club was in trouble and how much was going on in the background – and now I do,” said the Irishman. “I realise what a gargantuan job Fergus had on his hands.

“We are in the position now where we are a Champions League team with a fantastic stadium and great facilities due to his vision and his patience. He put up with a lot of criticism from outsiders and saw the club through that.

“His greatest legacy is probably Celtic Park as it is now and the way the club has gone forward in the last 20 years. From where it was to where we are now – a robust, healthy European Champions League club, and hopefully we are going to be champions for the third time in a row again. I think he can take a huge amount of pride in the state the club is in now.”

The man himself has added a message as well;

“I appreciate the club marking the occasion of 20 years since the takeover.

In 1989 the process did not begin as a takeover. But by 1992 it became clearly the best way forward.

I want to thank the financing partners who joined me and had faith in my plan especially John Keane and Albert Friedberg, the colleagues who worked tirelessly collecting shares and proxies and challenging the entrenched ‘custodians’ and most of all the many concerned supporters who campaigned and held the Board and the Bank publicly accountable.

This was followed by the  supporters stepping forward in great numbers by investing in Celtic’s future with their hard-earned cash at a level never seen for a football club before or since  because of the importance of the Club in their lives.

Like them, I care greatly for the values and history of the club that was founded for noble purposes to help fund the penny dinner tables of the poor in Glasgow’s East End.

I am very proud when I see Celtic’s progress, its status in Scotland, and its worldwide reputation. Especially when I see the great work of Celtic FC Foundation carrying on the legacy of Brother Walfrid. 

Every supporter wants success for Celtic. That does not mean winning every game and beating every opponent, big or small.

It does mean having a Club that is the best it can possibly be, on and off the field, that never accepts second best, despite the obstacles it has had to overcome throughout its history.

Celtic supporters want to be proud of their Club. That’s all they want.
It is what they deserve.”
Fergus McCann

Don’t suppose anyone has a bunnet I can borrow for the game ?

Theres a podcast up on the site today, many issues are discussed within, including financial affairs and maybe with the straightforward honesty of McCann in mind, compared to the dodgy dealings over the river, we should always remember that honesty is the best policy, especially where the clarity of directors payments are concerned;

Especially the last paragraph.

John Divers was the fellow in yesterdays diary,

Born in Clydebank, Divers is the son of former Scottish international John Divers and grand-nephew of ex-Celtic player Patsy Gallacher. He played 242 games for Celtic between 1957 and 1966. Playing mostly as an inside left; he scored 110 goals for the club, which helped gain him a reputation as a skilful, clever and hard working player.

Divers was part of a number of Scotland squads and played on three occasions for the Scottish League XI, scoring 4 goals.^[1]He contributed to Celtic’s nine consecutive league championships in a row by scoring the first goal of that period; which was away against Dundee United in 1965. After joining Partick Thistle in the early part of the 1966–67 season, he later retired from the Senior game in 1969 to attend Strathclyde University.

John Divers spent some of his later life in teaching, spending most of his career in Our Lady and St. Patrick’s High School inDumbarton.

Wiki is my friend.

Right, difficult one today. Who is this player, from the thirties, and what did he do to Tommy Scott of Flakirk that earned him a red card ? Which presumably no-one appealed .