Celtics upcoming semi final against Inverness is scheduled for a 12.15 kick off on April 19.
The showpiece Hampden event kicks off an hour before the days first train from Inverness gets into Glasgow. Inverness manager John Hughes isn’t happy;
“I can understand it from a policing and television perspective but I feel for the supporters because it’s going to be very difficult for them to get down there.
Notice that the people who actually pay to go to the game are prioritised below the police and the tv people.
“We just need to get on with it. I don’t know if there’s travel arrangements laid on and I would like to think all that was and will be taken into consideration.
“I feel for my supporters. The SFA should never neglect their customers no matter what. I’m hoping they get together and help Inverness out – and make sure our fans get there.
“But no matter what, mark my words, they’ll get there. They’ll not be defeated by travel and they’ll find a way to get there – all true supporters do.”
And thats the crux of the matter. supporters will find a way to watch their team, and the SFA know this. So do Sky.
So we are the last people they consider.
David Balfour, who is in charge of the CaleyJags fan group, is fed up of the way Inverness fans are treated. AndIi’ve a lot of sympathy for him, as would anyone who also has to travel a long way to get to a game, especially a semi final which might not come around too often.
He said: “This is the third time this has happened to us and it’s a good thing they can’t change the Scottish Cup Final time. Whatever happens that is 3pm on the Saturday.
“Our supporters will be annoyed but hardly surprised by this. It’s just another obstacle set in the club’s way and it makes us even more determined to do what I believe we can do and that is go down to Hampden and win the game.
“But it’s a missed opportunity for the SFA because I’d rather be talking about a great football occasion in store rather than issues such as this.”
He’s touched on the other problem there.
The SFA .
They negotiated this deal, they cast aside the wishes of the fans, and they too, should be forced to resign.
Theres only the support who can do it. We , indirectly, pay their wages, their expense accounts and feed their egos as they continue to lord it over their “own little feifdom” , to paraphrase one club CEO.
Time to take action, but one step at a time.
Cancelling the Sky sports package is first on the list.
The number you need is 0344 241 0266. Pick up the phone and do it.
While you do that, heres a picture of someone else making a point.
Done ?
If you have done it, then thank you. you have stood against the corporate monster that is destroying the game north of the border.
You have taken a stand against the continual drain of talent south that sees Celtic-and others-unable to build a consistent and settled side able to compete in Europe, and you have made a stand against the treatment of supporters forced to attend games at ridiculous hours of ridiculous days.
And you’ve told them where to stick their four pounds eight shillings and sixpence contribution where the sun doesn’t shine, appropriately on a day when the sun won’t be shining for a while.
If you haven’t done it, or don’t intend to, have a look at these pictures.
Your sky subscription pays their wages now. Wages that Celtic, despite being on television at least once a fortnight, cannot match.
If that doesn’t make you think, look at what moving to Crystal Palace has done to Joe Ledley.
He’s gone doo lally.
And it’s all your fault.
0344 241 0266
You can stop this cruel abuse of the football supporter.
That number again….
0344 241 0266
Removing Neil McCann, Jim White and David Tanner from your living room is a delightful bonus of your actions, and it will remind Sky, and the SFA, that football without fans is nothing, and that the customer is always right.
I’ve done it, and I’ve told them that I am no longer prepared to pay towards the demise of Scottish football.
Over to you.
One other thing you could do is start a thread on any forum you are a member of to encourage others to do the same.
Except Kerrydale Street, who discussed it last month.
Back to the football, and Paul Paton, the likeable rogue at dundee Utd, blamed Celtic for manipulating referees yesterday, which, according to him, is why the Tannadice players keep getting sent off.
Like this ?
“Ronny Deila has an opinion on everything but we see things differently.
“Ryan McGowan’s challenge looked like a good tackle to me but that is only my opinion. I will have to see it again to see who is right.
“I don’t really read too much into what Deila has to say or who he puts pressure on but I think Celtic as a club can manipulate people more than Dundee United can.
“That kind of thing has been happening for years.
“We have seen some injustices in the last few games we have played and that causes frustration. It feels we do not get any decisions – and that it is continual.
“There is no edge between the two teams and I think it has been taken out of context as there were not really any bad challenges in Wednesday’s game. It wasn’t a game like that and I don’t think Gowser deserved to get sent off.
“I don’t know if I am being biased but it was a hard tackle and he clearly won the ball.
“I might need to see it again but I don’t think there was much in it and they seemed to make an awful lot of it.”
Celtic face Dundee united again tomorrow, this time in the league, and a win is essential because while we’ve been focussed on the cups, Aberdeen have kept plugging aay, and are just three points behind again.
There is no room for complacency as the Dons, despite three defeats to Celtic, are clinging on in there, like little clingy things after a particularly heavy deposit after a heavy meal.
Celtic can freshen things up. Stefan Johansen will be back, and if he’s had a rest, it will be of interest to the more scientifically mnded among us because he will probably show us exactly how perpetual motion can be a reality.
Then theres Gary Mackay Steven and Stuart Armstrong, as well as in form Kris commons and a rejuvenated James Forrest.
Adam Matthews might be back, but theres not such good news about Mikael Lustig;
I have to put this season to one side, I have been out for six weeks now and the foot is still swollen. I have a stretched ligament on the inside of my foot and bruised the bone on the outside. It may take three months before I’m good again.
“But I have to look on the positive side because I don’t require an operation. We will see how long it takes, but it looks like the season is over.”
Thats the Swedish defender speaking yesterday, but his manager disagrees.
“Hopefully he will be back for us after the international break That is the goal. But it is the same injury as Jason Denayer had and it can either be one week or two months. It’s so hard to say.”
You can’t fault his optimism. Although he seems happier than usual with his lot;
“We are in a very good place right now. You can see the players are happy, they love playing together.
“They see the way they train and work benefits them on the pitch, the rhythm is coming more and more.
“Players have to enjoy playing and look forward to every game, that’s the way it should be.
“When you see seven or eight-year-old girls or boys playing football you can see their enjoyment and I think you see that in our squad.
“The only way players get better is when they are enjoying it.
“We’re one step closer (to the treble) but we have to keep performing and winning games.”
Starting tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the drama continues over at Second rangers, with Dave King popping back to South africa, which leaves the other board memebers wondering who will pay this months wages, as they are, according to some sources, liable as directors. King, incidentally, isn’t a director, which is a happy coincidence for him.
Meanwhile, the support have other matters to worry about.
In around a hundred years or so, social historians will point to the early twety first century as a time of changing attitudes, a time when old prejudices were seen as outdated and embarrassing. Prominent commentators of the era will point to the death of Rangers, and its subsequent entities, as a major event in the cleansing of society.
Now theres a story I’d like to be around to read.
Celtics Frank MacAvennie was pictured scoring against Hamilton in 1988 yesterday, today we are indebted to Celtic Colllectibles for this picture of Celtic Park in the fifties.
Who are the opponents ?
Sorry, oh you want that number again.
Okay.
0344 241 0266.
By the way, can I just remind the more extreme religous bigots among the Ibrox support that todays eclipse is not, in fact , a natural event. It’s a sign that God is very angry with you and he demands that you sacrifice yourself in his name.
Well, if they believe they are the same club…..
Actually, the eclipse will be at its best in Scotland, when the moon slides across the face of the Sun.
You might have to google “Sun ” to find out how to spot it up there.
Here’s a novel idea for Inverness fans…. Do what Celtic fans do when we have to travel to Inverness or Dingwall for early kick offs. We hire supporters buses to leave @ 7am to travel to the match. We don’t exoect someone to lay on transport for us. Our Irish supporters leave @4am to get to Celtic park most weeks,it’s called supporting your team. Deal with it ya moaning feckers.
Portraying yourself as some kind of supertim, cannot disguise the fact that Sky and other TV companies are ripping off Scottish football and its fans big time. We will see how enthusiastic a cheerleader Fuzzmachine is when Rupert Murdoch decides that he wants the so called Old Firm to kick off at ten o’clock some Sunday evening.
Totally agree with Fuzzmachine,
Well said!
Solar eclipse? What a load of shite!
Broony could you please put Paton about 7 foot in the air on Saturday please?
VVD…same instruction
Jason…same instruction
Emilio….same….
i think we should play our reserve goalie…..and see how paton gets on facing up to him at a corner……cannae sneak up on him from behind
I just watched leech Jackson at the money in sport conference in Melbourne.(a)he admitted r……s died,(b)he blamed David Murray for most of their woes(c)said what everybody knew about Craig Whyte ..but…no mention of his own sycophancy on his takeover or his backing of chuckles.the rest was the usual deflect and deny bullshit that we,re accustomed to.what a cockhead.
I watched Keech Jackson´s performance too. He didn’t mention the creditors not being paid, didn’t mention that one of his colleagues was one of the most ardent promoters of the “wealth off the radar” myth, didn’t mention (until cornered) that other clubs that were liquidated ceased to exist and therefore Rangers too were dead…he made a wee joke answer instead, he rifted, farted, hesitated, scratched his nose and top lip and generally hummed and hawed his way through the interview in a monotone voice (as zombies do), and shamelessly re-wrote the facts to portray himself as one of the journalists who exposed and warned of the con-men at Ayebrokes. I just wonder how much this creepy fothermucker got paid for sitting on his erchie and spouting pure shite to an unsuspecting audience. Hypocritical cretin!!!
That would be Paul Paton the cowardlu Norn Irn hun who is being prosecuted for attacking the Celtic goalkeeper from behind, and who took a sly dig at Stokes and then fell to the ground like a big Jessie squealing that he’d been hit.
If you stood on him you’d have to scrape him off your shoe and then run it under the tap.
Aye a Rangers Tap.
On Celtic TV they call him “Paul Paton falls down”.
Is that a real Jaw Paton has?
Looks like desperate dan’s wee Bro.
I’m awa fir a peh, Ken.
Once again an excellent read…thank you.
Just a quick question.
Is there any mileage in the thought that the extention to Rangers Int. FC.’s hearing regarding Mike Ashley’s influence in board matters came about through a plea bargain from the new board to accept the points docking if the announcement could be delayed?
Delayed just long enough to have the gullible believe that the playoffs remain a real possibility and that their support will play a pivotal role in achieving that status.
And In reality their continued support is desperately needed to raise funds that will allow the board to avoid the financial sinkhole under Ibrokes developing for just a little longer.
If the points were to be deducted now, the playoffs may seem unlikely and patrons would lose heart, thus more disquiet and less funds would ensue.
Like I say…just a thought.
Once again that number is 0344 241 0266 ;))
I posted a reply to you on yesterdays SKY article about using Celtic TV with Android.
Thank you.
I’ve just read it.
I’ll give it a go this weekend
DUNDEE UTD BULLSEYE WITH JIM BOWEN!
Stay out of the black and stay in the red
You’ll get sent off if you lose the head,
Jackie Mac and Sid Donnelly should keep the head
And mute Paul Paton a total Dick head!
Can’t wait for Saturday and Bully’s star prize,
A trip with Paul Paton to see ‘ stars in their eye’s,
So who will Paul be we can’t guess it’s too hard,
Tonight Matthew I’m Chic Charney, aka the red card!
Charnley….
Bravo Ralph about time someone dedicated a Forum to stopping SKY’s rape of the beautiful game.
Football has whored itself to the highest bidder of that there is no doubt and anyone who continues to pay SKY extra dough for a SKY SPORTS Subscription and who follows Scottish Football with any affection really needs to be having a word with themselves.
You are part of the problem.
SKY are taking every single one of you for a fucking mug.
Illegal stream, Listen to the radio or better still use the money to go to a game or two but ffs do not give it to that shower of shite as all you are doing is propping up the English Premierhype.
I have never bought SKY on principal.
Why anyone would want to fill the pockets of an Organisation that cares not two fucks about our Club(s)is beyond me?
Make a stand Today Bhoys and Ghirls.
Fuck them off.
Let them know why as you are doing it.
0344 241 0266
Ive not had SKY for over 10 years. If there is a game i want to see, I go to the pub.
Laughing at the unintended irony of that hun monkey’s post.
It is dated 7th May 2012.
Did something no happen in June of that year where “protestants in positions of authority” failed to do their job properly with hilarious consequences for ” Roman Catholics” and righteous people everywhere?
PMSL!
Solar eclipse?!!! You’d have to be a feckin space age engineer to follow the instructions on how to look at it safely…”put a pinhole in a card and reflect the card against a mirror, meanwhile, stand on your heid, count to ten and use some tinfoil to reflect against a sheet (borrow a sheet from a Hun who uses them for KKK rituals) then genuflect,meanwhile, reflect the reflection off a reflection…” Saw a big lady wheeling a pram a minute ago, looking to the sky then taking a selfie! Her, the wean and the Partial Solar! Protection hell, I think she was one of The Peepil.
I’ve never done SKY but I think a boycott is a great idea. It was one of our great Irish inventions, the boycott. Very effective and spot on. Papers today. Paton/ The moral watchdog?!! His agenda comes from his roots man, ken? How delighted he’d have been had Mackay-Stevens (can I call him Gary from now on?) and Armstrong went to the Huns. Simply, Jackie should encourage his players to be a bit more professional and classy. If he has a grievance it should not be against Celtic or referees but against his own boss who has sold the family silverware. Jackie might understand that we know that situation very well: Hooper, Ledley, Wanyama, Forster, Ki, etc. He also left Dunfermline pretty quickly when Celtic came calling. We’ve lost a lot more players to big bucks than Jackie ever will. Question? Will Gary and Armstrong play on Saturday? Should we risk them?
How the Arabs have been losing against us is their own fault. They have actually had more refereeing breaks over that time than we have. Jackie might also stop his players from tweeting a lot of gobshite.I’ve lost a lot of respect for Jackie for kicking the cat. He should take his real grievances to Thompson.He should also maybe discipline his own players a bit more. (Zaluska incident) Nobody can blame a team for searching for the best players. Nobody forced him to sell. After all, we beat the Arabs 6-1 when they had both players.
Tomorrow, let’s just be good footballers, let them do all the provoking and we’ll just score more goals by being better at the game.
Good read – as ever. The point about the directors being personally liable is slightly misleading though. They won’t have to pay any wages out of their own pockets straight away, but in the event of an insolvency they could eventually be found liable for the debts of the company incurred in the period when they should have known there was a risk of insolvency – that’s Wrongful Trading.
And if they knew that insolvency was going to happen but continued to trade anyway and incur additional liabilities then they could be liable to criminal prosecution (for Fraudulent Trading), which would be fun…
Subscription cancelled.Illegal streams for me from now on.
HH
Ask the Tim pubs to remove Sky from their TVs.
Any chance of the compliance officer taking a look at theButcher \Stokes incident.
Any chance of SFA taking action against Butcher as his comments would appear to bring the game into disrepute.
By the way he was born in Scotland but chose to play for the land of his father and. not a word in the MSM about it.Now if his name had been McGeady!!!
Why not start one of those e petitions-send a link to all the fan clubs/fanzines in SPL it would soon get a few hits, might even make the media. Sky wouldn’t like the bad press-but still wouldn’t listen anyway
If ever there was a day for a 7-0 thrashing then that day has arrived tomorrow 1500 hrs Celtic Park, would love to see Fanny McNamara and his whinging team of Fannies get a good humping .
I binned these thievin’ Capitalist bastarts 2 years ago…
Would urge others to do the same.
AS for Dundee Utd;
Feckin’ shower of gob shites….I’m sick and tired listening to their crap.
I hope we tank them tomorrow.
I’ve got family coming up from England for the game… Hope we’re all celebrating big time tomorrow night.
HH To all of that Mike.
Pax Vobiscum Charlie…
Or as the wife says to me…
“Gie’s peace you “…:0)…
Hey, Mike Bhoyle. To celebrate all we have to do is play like we can play and keep the discipline. It is normal to lose your cool when your opponent outplays you. I’m surprised Rankin let wee Forrest skin him so many times without retribution. Still, you can’t kick what you can’t catch. Bhoys, just keep the heid and play to your strengths.
Let them implode: Butcher, Paton, McGowan—they’re gonna blow!
Somehow, I feel less pressure in the league than in the Cups. We need to do it though.
Hail hail to that mate
Cheers.
I gave up all TV on the last day of 2014 after a family discussion in the wake of the referendum and the abnormal kick-off times dictated by the so called best league down south.
We cancelled the TV licence and the Virgin ? Sky package.
No live TV is watched at all now in our home. I also had the pleasure of telling them why. The only difference no TV has made to my life and that of my family is that we are much more content and are saving loads of money each month which can be put to much better use.
Don’t just talk about these capitalist b……..s. Don’t support them. Get a season ticket and support your team instead.
Ralph
Never had that Sky stuff and never intended to. But this Diary (deserves 2 capitals but that would be bad English), has affirmed my determination – if it needed it that is. I am fortunate to have Celtic TV and being of a certain historical era, listening is kind of second nature now. The pictures on the post midnight replays are most often quite out of sinc with the commentaries I have listened to but when the results are right, who cares? I just think there are times when they get too absorbed in excessive personal opinions (wonder where they picked that up?) and forget they should be giving the listeners actual coverage of what is going on in the game itself – this will not seem valid abroad where you are actually watching the game as well.
Isn’t it so very interesting that once the media provides teams with sort of recognition and build up dreams of success, particularly against Celtic, they go berserk. Latest in a long run post McInnes and Aberdeen’s subjugation is Dundee United. Unfortunately, there disillusion is being spread over four games. But as each passes so the feeling of quashed entitlement grows more bitter and acrimonious. Sadly it has reached Bear proportions now and every plus for Celtic is now perceived as part of one holy and almighty plot hatched in heaven and nurtured by everyone and everything in The Vatican, Glasgow City Council, the SPFL and the SFA as well as the referees. The biggest laugh about it all is that all authenticated historical documentation tends to prove the opposite and only one team has actually any real grievance against any of the last lot of organisations or individuals listed. A grave silence should descend over Tannadice from this day forth so that the club and its fans can listen to their own ludicrous moaning, wailing and incessant lamentations.
However, silence can be threatening too. I wonder how many are some what perturbed by the sudden silence of the South African mega-mouth now that he actually has to do something other than moan, wail and lament.
We are in a good place right now with much of our claims and counter-claims vindicated daily. It has been some long time since I looked forward to a game against Dundee United with such relish and confidence as I do this Saturday. I only hope our players feel the same way even though Forrest will probably be in the team.
Photo: The league was so much bigger then and the black and white makes it hard to distinguish team strips. I first though it was Rangers but then noticed the socks and I do not remember a white band on the arm. It is Parkhead looking towards the Hayshed and I am pretty sure a young Billy McNeil and John Clarke are in there and it might be Jim Kennedy heading with Frank Haffey in goal. The ref is undeniably Tiny Wharton.
H H
Third Lanark ?
See that ratbag Paton says that “what happens on the pitch stays on the pitch. ”
Except, presumably, when he happens to be around Ashton Lane. Isn’t this the same creep who claimed he’d “rather fiddle taxes than kiddies.” Like to see him getting a right good kicking tomorrow at the same time as his team are getting a severe gubbing.
Not sure of our opponents Ralph but from l to r the Celts I can remember look like Jim Kennedy a very young John Clark the unmistakable stature of an equally young big Billy and the keeper looks like big Frank Haffey. Defending the back post looks like Dunky McKay and I’m not sure who is to the right of him. “Clark McNeill and Kennedy the best you’ve ever seen” from the Celtic song released in the early 60’s.
I don’t believe what I am reading SKY BT are keeping Scottish football alive remember when sevco were voted out of the league the first thing Peter lawell did was go to London to ga television deal no deal the likes of Aberdeen Motherwell Dundee United would probably go to the wall within a few years leaving Celtic with no competition By the way this was said to me by someone close to the Celtic boardroom
How did Scottish Football ever manage to survive before SKY and BT came in and saved it?
I have been away on business, has anyone got a link to the highlights from Wednesday Night?
It is on BBC Sport Scotland website