In yesterdays Champions League draw, Celtic came out of the bowls alongside KR Reykjavik of Iceland. Then , when the balls were pulled out of another pot, it was determined that Celtic would play the first leg at home. Well,when we say home, we mean Murrayfield, Edinburgh, which isn’t home at all.
Ronny Deila, Celtics new manager, had his own thoughts on the tie;
“The draw could be worse and it could be better, but I think it’s an okay draw.”
“KR Reykjavik are a good team and Icelandic football has improved a lot in the last few years. We have to treat them with respect but, of course, we’re favourites and we’re going to do everything to win that game.
“I don’t know much about them and it’s too early to know much more. I’m excited and really looking forward to the game.”
“I think it’s exciting to play at Murrayfield and it could be exciting for the fans too,” he added. “It will be something different for them.
“It’s a big stadium and the pitch will be in good condition so I think there are positives.
“You get judged every match but we can only do everything we can to get everything perfect in pre-season and prepare for the game. If our performance is good we have a very good chance to go through.”
This is him excited. I’m beginning to understand why John Collins is the number two. Whatever faults he may have, he certainly isn’t dull. Deila may take his clothes off for bets, but his press conferences are showing that he may not be as charismatic as we previously thought.
Former manager Neil Lennon, still showing the passion he had as a manager, is ready for life as a fan, and is looking forward to the game;
Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, Its latitude, at 64°08′ N, makes it the world’s northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of the Faxaflói Bay. With a population of around 120,000 (and over 200,000 in theGreater Reykjavík Area), it is the heart of Iceland’s cultural, economic and governmental activity.
Reykjavík is believed to be the location of the first permanent settlement in Iceland, which Ingólfur Arnarson is said to have established around AD 870. Until the 18th century, there was no urban development in the city location. The city was founded in 1786 as an official trading town and grew steadily over the next decades, as it transformed into a regional and later national centre of commerce, population, and governmental activities. It is among the cleanest, greenest, and safest cities in the world.[1][
According to Wikipedia, anyway.
Annual sunshine hours in Reykjavík are around 1,300,[5] which is comparable with other places in Northern and North-Eastern Europe, such as Glasgow, Scotland. The highest ever recorded temperature in Reykjavík was 26.2 °C (79 °F), recorded on 30 July 2008, while the lowest ever recorded temperature was −24.5 °C (−12 °F), recorded on 21 January 1918.[6] The temperature has not dropped to below −20 °C (−4 °F) since 30 January 1971.[7]
Which is a relief.
Because, lets be honest, it looks bloody freezing.
Anyhoo, lets get to the important bit…
Reykjavík is famous for its weekend nightlife. Icelanders tend to go out late so bars that look rather quiet can fill up suddenly—usually after midnight on a weekend.
Alcohol is relatively expensive at bars. People tend to drink at home before going out. Beer was banned in Iceland until 1 March 1989, but has since become popular among many Icelanders as their alcoholic drink of choice.[21]
There are over 100 different bars and clubs in Reykjavík; most of them are located on Laugavegur and its side streets. It is very common for an establishment that is a café before dinner to turn into a bar in the evening. Closing time is usually around 4:30 am at weekends and 1 am during the week. The Iceland Airwaves music festival is annually staged in October.
Reykjavik is also home to thousands of gay and lesbian couples. It is the most liberal city in the country, as it has many gay bars, nightclubs, and festivals, including the Reykjavik Gay Pride Festival each year.
A sort of Amsterdam in duffle coats.
And what of KR ?
 |
|
| Full name | Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | KR-ingar |
| Short name | KR |
| Founded | 16 February 1899 |
| Ground | KR-völlur, Reykjavík, Iceland |
| Capacity | 2,781 |
| Chairman | Guðjón Guðmundsson |
| Manager | Rúnar Kristinsson |
| League | Úrvalsdeild |
| 2013 | 1st |
| KR was established on 16 February 1899 by Scottish engineer Frank McGregor, making it the oldest football club inIceland. It was founded as Fótboltafélag Reykjavíkur (Reykjavík Football Club), before changing to Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur, also meaning Reykjavík Football Club, the change due to “knattspyrna” being considered a more elegant word (“Fótbolti” is literally translated as “football” while “knattspyrna”, while translating as “football”, is literally “ballkicking”). KR modelled their kit on the black-and-white stripes of Newcastle United, a strong club during KR’s early years. KR was the onlyfootball club in Reykjavík for a decade, but as soon as other clubs were established there were plans for competitions. KR won the inaugural championship in 1912 after a play-off with Fram.
|
|
Well, you never know, someone might ask you.
KR have already started their season, and have started quite well;
| 22.06.2014 | D1 | IBV Vestmannaeyjar | 2-3 | KR Reykjavik |  |
| 19.06.2014 | Cup | KR Reykjavik | 4-2 | Fjölnir | |
| 15.06.2014 | D1 | KR Reykjavik | 1-0 | Fylkir FC | |
| 11.06.2014 | D1 | Stjarnan FC | 2-1 | KR Reykjavik |  |
| 02.06.2014 | D1 | KR Reykjavik | 3-2 | Fram Reykjavik | |
| 28.05.2014 | Cup | KR Reykjavik | 1-0 | FH Hafnarfjordur | |
| 02.07.2014 | D1 | KR Reykjavik | – | Vikingur Reykjavik | |
| 10.07.2014 | D1 | Thor Akureyri | – | KR Reykjavik | |
| 19.07.2014 | D1 | Valur Reykjavik | – | KR Reykjavik | |
| 27.07.2014 | D1 | KR Reykjavik | – | Breidablik | |
| 06.08.2014 | D1 | FH Hafnarfjordur | – | KR Reykjavik | |
| 11.08.2014 | D1 | KR Reykjavik | – | Keflavik IF |
“There’s a process going on,” Deila said.
“Of course we know that Craig has been a fantastic goalkeeper. He has struggled a lot with injuries in the last two years. We will see if things can happen but there is still a process.”
“We have just been starting there. I’m used to people coming up with a lot of names but I haven’t read the papers so I don’t know the names.
“We are going to get the squad better in time. We have to be prepared and look around us and find the best players for Celtic. That will take some time.”
Deila added: “I haven’t seen so much on the budget yet but I think everyone at the club knows what kind of task is in front of us and what we need.
“The most important thing is to keep the players. We know this team has got into the Champions League before and done well in the league, so that’s a good confidence from me and for everybody. It’s a good start.”
What he says sounds sensible, perhaps more sensible than what we have heard from previous managers. He’s certainly different from the wisecracking Strachan, or the clueless Mowbray. His press conference yesterday showed an air of calm, a quiet air of authority, but we don’t want any of that nonsense.
He needs to pick a fight with Willie Collum, chuck a shoe at Scott Brown and sing ” a nation once again ” whilst standing on the top of the team bus naked except for his socks.
Just something to get us to like him , I guess. Something we can identify with. He needs a nickname!
“Opus ” Deila
Sorted. He’s a proper Tim now.
Perhaps its just the fact that he’s a totally committed professional, and we’re not used to that yet.
Speaking of totally committed professionals, Keith Jackson, the current sports writer of the year, had a rummage around, found a phone number, and rang it. and he got an exclusive out of it;
BEIRUT lawyer Mazen Houssami has spoken exclusively to Keith Jackson about his desire to increase his holding from his current 6.14% and help ease the infighting which has blighted the club.
Things are looking up, then…
THE Middle Eastern money man behind Rangers investors Blue Pitch Holdings has revealed he is actively trying to buy a controlling interest in the club.
” trying to buy ” means he’s thought about it. “Actively trying to buy ” means he’s asked someone if he should.
In his first interview since helping to fund Charles Green’s £5.5million Ibrox takeover two years ago, Beirut-based lawyer Mazen Houssami spoke exclusively to the Daily Record yesterday after we tracked him down to his HQ in Beirut.
By phone…
And he insisted that rather than cut his losses by selling his 6.14 per cent holding to a would-be saviour such as Dave King, he is preparing to snap up more shares in order to have a greater say in the way the club are run.
Houssami said: “I am happy for Blue Pitch to invest more money in Rangers because I believe in the club. I am hoping today to buy more shares and to become the biggest majority or to get a more substantial minority to be able to control or to influence the decisions a bit more.”
Houssami insisted he is the sole power behind the Blue Pitch group.
Well, if he says he is, he must be.
He stressed that not only has he severed all previous ties with disgraced former executives Green and Imran Ahmad, but that HE fired them from the board.
Well, if he says he has, he must have
He was also behind the coup to topple former chairman Malcolm Murray and director Phil Cartmell last summer in
the shake-up which saw James Easdale appointed to the board.
So he must be the main man ?
Now, 12 months on, Houssami has warned the current regime that he is on the brink of completing another power grab – a move which could erode King’s hopes of getting his hands on the club.
The fact he would have to use his own money has eroded Kings hopes of getting his hands on the club.
He said: “We haven’t received any interesting offers from anyone to buy our shares. Obviously the price we paid for these shares was much higher than the price today, so I don’t think anyone will come and buy our shares at this point.
No shit.
“But we have made many offers to buy more shares and we have not been able to do that at this point. I think everyone is keeping their position for the time being.
“Today, what we are offering on the table is to buy more shares, to work hand in hand with other big shareholders, to
find a reasonable solution so that the club can move forward.”
Sounds like a stalemate to me. What he appears to be saying is that he would buy some more, but no-one will sell him any, but he really, really wants to, honest…
The Record understands the current Ibrox board are in a state of flux because of a serious split between James and Sandy Easdale and chief executive Graham Wallace.
The Easdales, who were originally courted by Green, are understood to represent more than 26 per cent of the club’s shareholders, including Blue Pitch.
But Houssami is demanding an immediate end to the infighting.
He said: “What we are trying to achieve is to put Rangers back on the right track when it comes to the management. There are a lot of politics going on inside the club as I am sure you know.
And outside it.
“At this point, we are trying to reach a solution regarding these issues. We will make a statement when we can officially give the public good news.
Depends what you call good news. Good news for Scottish football would be liquidation, and a visit from Plod. Still, releasing a statement. Theres a novel and refreshing idea.
“The problem is all the internal politics between the various members of the board of directors and the attitude of each of them concerning Rangers and the way to move forward. These things happen in every big company but Rangers have been through a lot of ups and downs recently and we are just trying to put everybody on the same track.
The Highway to Hell ?
“Blue Pitch is one of the big shareholders. We are not here to facilitate anything – it’s a matter of finding common ground for everyone to move forward.
“We have invested a huge amount of money in this club and we don’t intend to let this go. We need to find a solution.
For Sale, one training ground, suitable for development…
“We have a clearer situation now than we had a year before so now we are hoping to move forward and to concentrate on playing football, it’s as simple as that. What Blue Pitch wants is to be able to watch the team gets results, to return to the Premier League and then everything will be OK.
Or, For Sale, one training ground…..
“It should be about the football. It is a football team.
Has he actually ever seen them play ? Thats the one thing they certainly aren’t.
“But it’s not easy. I think some of the shareholders are getting there but we are still working at it.
“We don’t want to abuse anyone, we don’t want to take anybody’s shares. We are happy to buy more at the right price and that’s it.”
I think theres a lot in that last sentence. All the different factions are holding onto what they have in a game of poker, with the first to blink losing all the money that will come from the sale of the assets.
“I am a director, I am the sole owner, the sole holder of the shares. Blue Pitch is me. To describe Blue Pitch as ‘mysterious shareholders’ is newspaper rubbish.
“What can I tell you? I am Blue Pitch Holdings. I control it. I’m actually behind a lot of companies around the world as an investor.
“I understand that Rangers is an emotional investment for the fans. When I came in, the team was having a very bad time – I’m sure you remember all the financial problems that Green was having.
“I and other investors were the people who stepped forward. It’s a business venture for us.
Oh ho-we’re getting to the crux…
“Don’t get me wrong – we like the team. Part of the advantage of buying a club like Rangers is to have all the history and the background that the team has.”
Exactly. He bought a club like Rangers, but not actually Rangers…
As usual, Keith neglects to ask any searching questions . He didn’t pounce on that last bit, he didn’t close down the statement about it being a business venture.
Has anyone made any money out of the new club ? Why did he, if he is indeed the main man, allow nearly £70m to be blown since the last share issue ? And no mention of job security for any of the staff ?
All he has done is give airtime to another player in the greatest scandal in Scottish football history, to sell newspapers to a support that is almost on the point of chucking in the towel.
All to help ailing circulation figures.
Which basically means any type of investigative journalism went out the window. Ironic, because thats exactly what would push those figures up.
So, this Houssami character…Where have we heard his name before ?
Paul McConville, in October 2012 gave us his thoughts..which were a little more interesting and insightful than Jacksons.
What of Mr Houssami?
There is surprisingly little, at first sight, on the Internet regarding Mr Houssami, other than reports from numerous sources of Mr Green’s comments in May, referred to above.
There is a lawyer in Lebanon by that name, listed on the Bar Association of Beirut website as “Mazen Husami”. LinkedIn takes you back to the similarly names Mr Houssami. I assume, as someone with no knowledge of Arabic, that either can be a translation of the family name.
There is a “Mazen Nabil Houssami” listed as Senior Legal Counsel to the Tameer Holding Investment LLC. That company is described as – one of the region’s leading developers, with a number of prestigious projects throughout the region. In 2008, Tameer Towers project in Shams, Abu Dhabi, on Al Reem Island, was announced by International Property Awards the single most accredited development in the world. Tameer is also developing Madinat Al Majd in Amman, Jordan, in collaboration with Jordan’s Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDC).
The helpfully vague description of Mr Houssami as a “Middle East” lawyer means that it could be either the Lebanese lawyer of that name practising in Beirut, or the United Arab Emirates based Counsel with Tameer. Indeed, they could be the same man. I have emailed Tameer to ask.
Mr Green of course has history in the Middle East construction game. He was deputy Chairman of Panceltica Holdings. This was a Qatar-based construction company which worked on projects across the Middle East, including in the UAE.
It collapsed into liquidation, and Ecojon has already provided some interesting history regarding it on this site.
The Daily Telegraph in 2008 reported on the bright future which Panceltica had. In particular, it spoke to Mr Green, the Deputy Chairman.
The following are extracts from the Telegraph piece:-
Panceltica, a Qatar-based construction group, will today become the biggest company to list on Aim so far this year. The company, which will float at 100p with a market capitalisation of £236m, is hoping to benefit from the ongoing building boom in the Gulf States.
Panceltica is rolling out a new type of technology …”It’s like putting together a Meccano kit,” explained Charles Green, Panceltica’s deputy chairman.
While Panceltica is not bringing in any new money at this stage, it raised £55m several months ago via the increasingly popular route of pre-IPO financing. This allows companies to obtain new funds without having to worry about the immediate market conditions.
“Clearly you couldn’t pick a worse time to float from a market point of view,” Mr Green noted. “But we’re not concerned about whether the market is good or bad having already done our financing. The amount of management time spent doing an IPO is huge, so getting the fundraising out of the way lets us go back to building houses as opposed to carrying out due diligence.”
Panceltica is confident it can profit from the rapidly-expanding construction market in the Gulf States and house brokers Hichens Harrison are forecasting that pre-tax profits will rise from $27.7m (£13.8m) this year to $59.1m next year and $93m in 2009.
Some investors may be uncomfortable with the complex relationships between the company and its shareholders and customers. For example, Barwa is Panceltica’s biggest customer as well as being a major shareholder with a seat on the board.
However, the directors and strategic investors have entered into a series of relationship agreements so that shareholders will not be able to exert influence over any material contracts where there is a conflict of interest. (All emphases added)
So we had a company coming to the AIM with a huge capitalisation – with great hopes for profits – with the company having just raised a huge sum pre-IPO – with an acknowledgement that an IPO involves a huge expenditure of management time – and with concerns for investors about the close connections of the company to its major shareholders. Hmmm.
It was in liquidation two years later, with the market capitalisation of £236 million reduced to dust.
Is this where Mr Green came into contact with Mr Houssami? Is this a connection from his building days? If so, then clearly Mr Houssami has done far better out of the construction business than Panceltica did!
Presumably the prospectus will give us more details about the mysterious Mr Houssami. After all, Mr Green has promised this! “
All of which sounds rather familiar….
As does the pattern of events over at Ibrox. Which show some similarities to the case outlined above.
On the field, to try to boost interest amongst a disillusioned support, they are looking to sign Kris Boyd, to join up with Jon Daly and Kenny Miller in the most fearsome forward line in football history. As long as they don’y have to run around or anything.
Unhappily for us good guys, the bad guys are now becoming a parody of themselves, and its going from being hilarious to a little sad.
But then you remember the nineties, and realise that even sad can be funny. And that they brought it all on themselves.
Chris Morris and Anton Rogan were the two full backs in the picture, bringing back fond memories of marauding raids down the flanks, while these two struggled to get back to help out.
Heres a picture puzzle. whats odd about this, from Lisbon Lion on twitter ?
“….A sort of Amsterdam in Duffle coats”? How very dare you! I wouldn’t be seen dead in The Old Sailor or up Durty Nelly’s in a duffle coat.. Donkey jacket.. Now there you’re talking
Was it Davie Weir’s debut?
*laugh*
We didn’t wear white shorts back then!
He stressed that not only has he severed all previous ties with disgraced former executives Green and Imran Ahmad, but that HE fired them from the board.
No he didn’t. Green sold his shares to Easdale for 1.5 Million and rode off into the sunshine.
I wouldn’t be seen dead in The Old Sailor
Phnaarrrr
So that’s 2 of the 3 major investors in the sinking ship sevco into the property/construction business. What are the odds of the 3rd. You would have thought Keef would have asked the ‘lawyer’, why he had a convicted fraudster representing him on the board. A writer couldn’t make this stuff up. HH
The old boy on the left is asleep.
Interview – Does that word not imply a two way thing?
Jackson is simply a conduit for whatever the various moonbeam the spivs want to feed the huns.
The lad in the picture is wearing a hooped shirt – but Celtic didn’t start playing in hoops until the first year or two of the 20th Century.
was it originally a horse rracing trophy
Sevco’s middle eastern saviour.? Ha ha.
Surely Keech has heard the old French curse….
Va t’en faire couler chez les Arabes!
The zombies are in for another rogering methinks, but hey, they LOVE it!
Now that Sammys gone, do we have a ready made replacement for Celtic Symphony…??
“Ooh aah up Deila”
I don’t think Keech’s a conduit although some of the letters in that word would be apt if they were rearranged.
or was it originaly a doo fleeing cup
that looks like a big blue storie doo on the tap ae that cup though it could be just ma eyesight ha ha
Re Gordon signing,RD ” there’s a process going on ” In other words,Ronny has NO say,the buck ( or thin dime ) stops with
the bold Lawwell.
Congratulations to Stubbsy,on his appointment as Hibs manager.He will have them fired up against the Zombies.How
great would it be,if the defunct club(s) never got promoted next season.That really would be the END of THEM !
It’s “odd” that Woody Harrelson is dressed up as a priest !!
Still can,t believe we agreed to host the opening and closing ceremony,I dont know how much well get for rental,but it will be a tiny amount to the we could lose if we dont get to the group stage,did no one from the football side tell lawwell the risk we are taking
It just shows what second rate country we would be if by some awful reason we vote yes in sept,every nation hosting games build their own brand new athletics stadium to hold the opening and closing ceremony,but us cheapskate scots don,t
JUST VOTE NO IN SEPT #WE WOULD BE A REALLY BIGOTED LITTLE PISS AWFUL NATION
So the pantomime that is sevco has villains called Green and Whyte and now we have a company called PanCeltica, come on these jokes just write themselves.
As for mr deidheid. If we were an independent country we probably would have had the money to build a stadium for the games, but we are too busy funding HS2 and London super sewers to spend money on poor wee Scotland.
Celtic agreed to CP being used in order to cash in on the enormous sums of money being spent in the vicinity of CP. If you’ve been up at CP recently you’ll have seen the vast improvements in the surrounding area. I’ve no doubt Celtic were also given money to improve CP from the fund.
The Glasgow Commonwealth games were planned over 10 years ago, when CP was put forward as a venue, to tie in with the regeneration taking place in the area. I’ve no idea where Celtic / Scotland were in terms of co-efficient 10 years ago, but imagine that we never had to qualify for the CL at that time.
If we can’t negotiate the qualifiers, we have absolutely no chance in the groups.
With regards independence, I can’t understand why any sane Scot would vote no. Why would you want to live forever under the shadow of the butcher’s apron and with an eternal English tory government? If that’s the legacy you want to give your children / grandchildren, fair enough, but I want better.
I will be voting YES, like every other sane Scot.
No, thanks.
Well done big Ssmmi !! Hail Hail – always a tim – god bless you
I was so chuffed for the man last night, he deserves good things in life, he is a diamond.