The world of science has announced groundbreaking news. Wild apes have been spotted drinking alcohol for the first time.
The first time ? Really ?
Despite Ronny Deila telling him he’s not going anywhere until at least after the Champions League qualifiers, virgil van dijk has been playing his annual game of ” I’m A Great Player Get Me Out Of Here “;
“There has been interest every summer and winter, especially from the Barclays Premier League. I stood there open to it, but Celtic decided not to sell me at that time. Yes, I was disappointed.”
“They must understand that as a footballer, sometimes it’s time to make a move. Of course, the Champions League millions are important for Celtic, but they cannot dismiss any interest.
“If the correct amount is placed on the table, then they will really think about it, yes. If Celtic want to earn money from me, the club must act now.”
He gives the impression that whatever feelings he has at any given moment come largely from the last person he spoke to. I’m guessing that during his break he’s had his agent on the phone, and although it’s plain he’s going to leave at some point, he’ll change his mind again after a chat with the management, and will probably be around for the crucial European games.
So will someone else, arguably just as important;
Emilio Izaguirre fue el que pidió NO estar en la Copa Oro porque dijo que quería hacer la Prechampions con Celtic.
And in English….( sort of )
Emilio Izaguirre was who asked not to be in the Gold Cup because he said that he wanted to make the Prechampions with Celtic.
If we could take a little of the Hondurans attitude, put it in a bottle and make van Dijk drink it…..but at the same time hiding it from Guidetti..then we would have a hell of a player.
But some things cannot be taught, and although it’s churlish of me to suggest it, we should should sell van Dijk to Stoke or something. Then I can drive past his house every day and shout rude words.
Maybe he should ring Joe Ledley, Victor Wanyama and Gary Hooper to hear what “you won’t find another place like Celtic ” sounds like in three different languages.
Van Dijk added, in the style of John Guidetti;
“It’s a dream and a goal to play for the Oranje,
Calm down , Mr. King, he means the Netherlands
“When you play in the Premier League, you are more in the picture. That is clear. Whether that’s right, I’ll leave it to others.
“There are several people who have advised me to leave Scotland.
Agents, by any chance, motivated by money ?
This was mainly to move a step higher, but also the Holland team plays a role. The next major finals in France. I have to go for it, but this is only possible if I perform well in a club.”
Oddly enough, other Celts have performed quite well at international level. It can’t be that hard to get into the Dutch team. Edson Braafheid played in a World cup final, and therefore I rest my case.
“I am 24 this year, I’m ready for something new –
Is he ? Have a look at how he performed in last years Europa League;
more pressure, better opponents.”
More money.
Celtic became the first winners of the SFA Platinum award yesterday. This is from the SFA website, included to clarify what is is that the club have actually won;
The Scottish FA has awarded its first-ever National Club Licensing Platinum Award to Celtic after continuous improvement was shown at various areas of the club.
To receive the honour clubs must meet a series of standards and procedures as set out by the Scottish FA Club Licensing system. These guidelines are encompassed by a National and UEFA regulatory system with specific references to Stadium Facilities, First Team Football, Youth Football and Legal, administration and finance practices.
Clubs are graded from entry level, Bronze, Silver and Gold and only in exceptional cases is the Platinum Award granted.
Scottish FA Chief Executive Stewart Regan said: “The Scottish FA are extremely pleased to be handing out our first-ever Platinum Award to Celtic. As a club they have shown a real commitment to youth football and are continually striving for the highest level – particularly with regards to their Youth Academy.
“I am confident that more Scottish clubs will be joining Celtic in achieving this exceptional award in the years ahead.”
Celtic Chief Executive Peter Lawwell added: “ Celtic aims at all times to be a world class football Club in everything we do and this award is recognition of the high standards of governance across many areas, which the Club has met for some time.”
Er, very good.
If anything, it’s an acknowledgement to all those who work behind the scenes on the facilities at the ground to make the “match day experience ” run smoothly, so that’s good, as without them there would be nothing. So well done to them.
If thats not actually what it is, then that’s what it should be.
And now it’s time for a new section in the Diary;
The champions League this season offers Celtic a chance to put right something that has bugged a few of us for a number of years. You see, the final is being held in the San Siro, scene of Celtic’s defeat to Feyenoord all those years ago.
Which means that fate has decreed we will be in that final, and this time we will win it.
Granted, that’s not enough calculated reason to lump this months rent on at the bookies, but it’s a start.
The draw for the Second round takes place in just eleven days time, and the club have already started to market the games… in a style which mocks the Scottish media in a way that deserves a massive round of applause for whoever is behind it
and it’s not just the Champions League games. The theme continues
Full page adverts in the Record ?
I’ll chip in…..
The club haven’t credited the fertile and imaginative mind behind this campaign, but we at Etims have found where he is staying for a while
Someone should have shown them to Ray Wilkins, the former Rangers , Chelsea and Milan player who is now another of those “expert” pundits…
“I would imagine that Celtic were quite distraught when Rangers didn’t get promoted and Motherwell did – Scottish football just isn’t the same when they’re not in there and pitting themselves against each other,”
He’s right to an extent. not about Celtic being distraught, but about scottish football not being the same.
Those who comment on Scottish football should be those who watch it regularly. No-one else.
Here’s a man who knows his stuff, which is why he isn’t a regular in the mainstream media;
That’s Tom Boyd, doing his bit for the Celtic Foundation. Who in turn, are doing their bit for kids with the help of glasgow taxi drivers.
All good stuff.
And Boyd had a few words to say about football as well,
“Rangers won’t be able to challenge within the next two or three years. Look at where Celtic are just now and where Rangers are.
“There’s a massive gap and it will take a right good few years to bridge that.
“Celtic don’t need Rangers, they need the Champions League money at this moment in time.
“They certainly need competition, which they got to a degree from Aberdeen last season, but more importantly Celtic need to get in to play against the best teams in Europe and keep the challenge of that alive and hopefully then go beyond the group stages. That is certainly more of an attraction just now than playing Rangers.
“With the additional revenue from the Champions League money you can them get better players and I don’t see that over the other side of the city just now.
“I don’t see how you can attract better players to the Championship unless you’re doing what you did previously and that is paying them over the odds.
“It didn’t work out for Rangers last season so it will need to be a different strategy unless they are buying in lesser- quality players.
“My take on it is that it will take a right good few years before Rangers even come close.”
Teemu Pukki has admitted he will probably be back at Celtic for pre season training, as Brondby refuse to pay what Celtic think he’s worth. Martin Odegaard will tour with Real Madrid before choosing where he wants to spend next season, and Lee Erwin has joined Leeds, so he won’t be in the Celtic line up next season, as some had hinted.
Later today, Dave King will be in London at that meeting he referred to earlier in the week….
From 10.30 onwards.
The Record doesn’t know what it’s all about,:
EXACT details of Sport Direct’s legal move were being kept secret last night although it is not believed to be linked to Ashley’s £5million loan to the Ibrox club.
This is because Phil MacGhiollabhan waited until the paper was printed before revealing he’s heard it’s about ringfencing the money Ashley is due from the Ibrox club;
Phil MacGhiollabhan See You In court
Whatever it’s all about, and we’ll know soon, it’s going to be expensive for King;
Barry Likes on twitter revealed;
And then there’s the EGM tomorrow.
I need to nip into Iceland while I’m out later…. looks like it’s going to be a good weekend.
Yesterday, (eventually ) we asked where you would see this graffiti…
The answer, as revealed by Gerrybhoy, was here;
Caption competition today. Based on this picture sent in by a reader with an impossibly long Gaelic name.
With Rangers unable to pass a credit check, Ian Durrrant receives a pay as you go phone for club business
BTW1 – Did you notice the “WATP” just diagonally below the C in Celtic in that graffiti pic?
BTW2 – Further to that San Siro defeat to Feyenoord. Did you know that I actually revenged that defeat single-handedly a few years back.. see
http://carljunglebhoy.blog.co.uk/2013/11/20/a-tim-s-revenge-on-israel-16986696/
Really enjoyed reading your article CJBhoy. The pride and passion are jumping off the screen and lovely to know that your family (well any Tim family, really) were heavily involved in avenging that defeat in 1970. And 5-1, too. Brilliant. I seem to remember a couple of times The Hoops battered the huns by that same score. Well , that can’t ever happen again, I’m not sorry to say.
Hope your Bhoy fulfils his ambition and pulls on the Hoops one day. Sounds like he’s maybe a Liam Henderson type ?
Cheers, anyway.
HH
Cheers Vinnie!
They’re Vershtupped and no mistake.
Allahu Akbar!
CarlJungleBhoy. I did notice the WATP long after I’d sent the picture in. Think it stands for We Are Totally Pish or something similar.
Aha -I thought WATP it stood for “We’ve All Tiny Penises” 🙂
No, it stands for “we avoided the Premiership”
Wee Are Truly Pathetic
We – Doh!
Yes CarlJungleBhoy
Oops meant to add OUTSTAKEND ( I think)
I thought it was we avoid tax paying.
Tom Boyd bit says “lesser quality than they already have” where are they going to find players worse than that pile of shite ? Really!!
Tom Boyd, legend!
So King or his cronies leak info to the Record to stir fans up about how bad SD deal is, SD get lawyers onto it, RIFC gagged from sharing info and to pay costs of £20k and rising? Oh, ma sides. This level of corporate stupidity can only really be witnessed once previously in history – the last time Murray & King were on an Ibrox board. At least Craigy went in knowing he was burning it down, Chuckles got his contracts set up and departed, the Wallace board did try to bring costs in line with revenue, but that wasn’t going to fly, so now they’ve got what they always wanted – RRM with an “over investment” state of mind, sadly though with neither the wit nor money to turn the ship around. And deciding to pick a fight with a guy with billions who enjoys the rough and tumble of hard negotiations is not the smartest thing to do either..
And now the all powerful RST have called for a full boycott of SD. Am I right in thinking the contracts are set up in such a way that if the stock isn’t sold its 2nd Rangers who have to pay for it? So this super duper boycott will affect SD not one jot, but will cost 2nd Rangers for all the tat they can’t shift? They deserve one another, the fans and the board. To think that MA will give a flying f**k about RST calling boycotts, another lovely example of their over blown sense of their own importance. Whats that expression about pride coming before a fall. I don’t recall 2nd Rangers saying no to MA’s initial money into Chuckles group or into the IPO, or no thanks to the £5m he put up to keep the lights on, but its an absolute outrage that he wants his money back!!
I m sure these deals are much better for SD than 2nd Rangers, but apart form Super Dave and his “give me the whole club for a £5m” “take over” attempt at the time no one else was putting up the money to keep the ship just about afloat, so beggars cant be choosers, the money was welcome at the time, the conditions on it were onerous I’m sure, but as SD themselves said, they are not a bank!
How very dignified to take the money to see out the season and then cry and claim its not even a loan when the lender wants his money back – hey we thought it was interest free cash, just like the old days (thanks BoS).
Ashley knows they don’t have the money, he just wants to make superdave squirm until he will have to admit he doesn’t have it or until enough season ticket money comes in to pay it, leaving an even bigger black hole in superdave’s –ahem- plans for next season. Id not be surprised to see 2nd Rangers back in court soon with SD trying to ring fence their money. Also don’t be surprised to see Ashley really do some heavy duty stuff to hamstring them for years, just for his own amusement
If even an ounce of humility were to be evident you might start feeling sorry for them, but…. Its just too funny and they are just too un”bear”able, so GIRUY
Hail hail
Well said ECM. I hope all of your predictions come true. It couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch. Had to laugh at the bit in rst statement which read “Mr Ashley must think that the Rangers support are suffering from some sort of mass delusion”. And your point is caller?
If I had one single bit of simpathy for those c– ts I’d shoot myself. Hh
WATP = We Aren’t Tax Payers
We Are Totally Putrid
Wattie And The Pieman
We’re All The Pope
Wasn’t Ally Totally Pish?
What’s All The Panic?
When’s Armageddon(2) Taking Place?
Wailing About Their Predicament
O.k. I admit I was bored!!
@JohnJames…King had a meeting at the Chancery Division?..is that a place for chancers to meet? Very appropriate.
Ralph
I have often criticised you for your excessive attention to those that run-down the club that operates at Ibrox. But chancers are what they are and I now accept some chancers are impossible to ignore. So, just as I find it hard to justify my wife beating me up when I promise her eggs from a barren hen, so I find it impossible to justify a mingy bear trying to take a sardine from a killer whale. So, let it rip, Ralph, every sorry jollification – or should that be jellyfication. I would even cheer if you booted them when they are down and me a man of peace. It is my greatest wish that Tommy Boyd’s insinuations come true and we never have to look for income from “those” games again. At last I have to confess I am converted to your excessive attention. This may be “ridiculous optimism” but it is also my “outrageous hope”.
Stuff the qualifiers, by the way. Put VVD on an orange bus right now. I have no time for players who do not want to be with us. As far as I am concerned he is now Dutch Spaghetti and should be bolognesed out the door. Both of them are pasta redemption. As for Pukki, just get rid of him for whatever they are prepared to pay. Why keep a player on wages when he simply is neither good enough nor in the manager’s plans? Unproductive weight that should just be sacked and binned.
Loved the Fairy Liquid advert. Unfortunately it gives me hacks. Mind you, I use the orange smelling one.
If I could open that wee box thing I might have a go at the quiz but my IT skills don’t get passed Twit….er!!
H H
@CarlJungleBhoy….I read your story on your blog, wasn’t going to at first ‘cos it looked loooong (and I’m a lazy bassa sometimes!!), but I got into it and read it all. Really good tale and put a smile on ma face too. good luck to your boy…nothing is impossible (except the creditors getting paid), all the best. H.H.
On yersel CJB