{"id":19261,"date":"2026-06-09T09:24:42","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T08:24:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/etims.net\/?p=19261"},"modified":"2026-06-09T09:24:42","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T08:24:42","slug":"celtic-diary-tuesday-june-9-2026-identity-check","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/etims.net\/?p=19261","title":{"rendered":"Celtic Diary Tuesday June 9 2026: Identity Check"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although the World Cup will dominate the headlines and gossip over the next six weeks or so, we at Etims will try our very best to keep all things Celtic. That may be transfer rumours, it may be boardroom gossip or it may be comment on media outpourings. What you can be assured of it will be complete and absilute bollocks, carrying on the great tradition we have here of ignoring everyone else and just making stuff up\u00a0 ourselves.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In case you were wondering.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

That way, because we like to have a laugh, we , or you, won’ t end up as bitter and twisted as those who get paid to comment, analyse or make things up.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Kris<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Kris Boyd, who fills space on our television screens that could almost certainly be put to better use, has had his say on the managerial roundabout at Celtic.<\/p>\n

Sky sports own little roundabout said:<\/p>\n

“You go back to last week, it seemed as if it was Robbie Keane, and then all of a sudden you’ve got fans outside protesting and going off their nut again.<\/em><\/p>\n

“And then all of a sudden it goes full circle and it’s back to Martin’s the favourite.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fancy that. Supporters wanted to keep the manager who dragged a weakened squad to a double despite others who seemed hell bent on making the season a handicap event.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Boyd continued, like he always does.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“You’ve got to ask yourself the question, who is running Celtic Football Club? Is it\u00a0Dermot Desmond<\/a> or is it the fans? Whatever they do, does the club just fold to them? Because that’s the way it looks right now.”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Or perhaps, just perhaps, the man who runs the club has listened to it’s supporters and deciding that their opinion matters after all.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Boyd doesn’t realise it, far less understand it, but he’s raised an important issue here. I’d explain it to him , but even I can’t talk that slowly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What actually is a football club, and who, or what does it represent ?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In these days of state, hedge fund and vulture capitalist owned clubs, what exactly are the responsibilites and aims of a football club ?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In England, which has very few clubs that have retained their identity, the idea is to stay in the cash cow that is the EPL for as long as possible. Only a few clubs have a chance of winning it, and roughly about the same amount are trading at a profit. That league has forced up running costs, such as wages, and the rest of the world is struggling to keep up.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Celtic operate a fiscal policy that does not depend on television money, it doesn;t have the worldwide audince or participation of that environment, and have cut their cloth accordingly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This morning, news broke that Barcelona are after a bailout, the result of trying to keep pace with the Paris St Germains and Manchester City’s of the game.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

European leagues are dominated by the same clubs all across the continent. All of which pretty much guarantees them to extra money from the Champions League. Nice work of you can get it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Arguably, and it’s a sound argument, Celtic should invest to get themselves a seat at the Champions League table, but the club simply cannot afford the wages paid to players in England. Our recruitment therefore, to compete at that level needs to be finding hungry young players who are prepared to wait for that cash bonanza, and maybe even enjoy the game for what it should be about. Winning things, entertaining crowds and so on.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There are players like that out there. But finding them, allowing them to adapt to the Glasgow environment and improving them to resell at a profit is much easier said than done.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What Celtic do have , though, is it’s identity. Celtic are a club with largely a fanbase of common backgrounds, similar political beliefs and , hopefully, above all , a wee bit of moral fibre.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In the corporate world, that’s not a good thing. It means at any given moment the customer will be right, and a policy or strategy can fall apart. Which, of course, is no excuse for the board not actually having either.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

They retain an aura of secrecy around the plans for the future, and have all but severed links with social media and fans groups. Frankly, the abuse they get is their justufaction for that, as sometimes it seems that there’s no pleasing some people.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What they don;t realise though, or maybe they do and just don;t like it, is that uniquely in the football world, Celtic , a club formed by immigrants, has retained that personality, and the support is probably one of the few that can boast a high percentage of what is known as the life long fan.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jobs, husbands, wives , homes other hobbies and interests come and go. But for quite a few of us, Celtic remains the constant in our lives, and as a result, we actually care about what happens to it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We hate it when we are ridiculed, we fight back when we are criticised…Talkshite Radio would have gone away a long time ago if hoops fans didn’t interact when one of their presenters makes an ill informed comment about Celtic.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It’s pretty much the same with most mainstream media outlets, except probably Radio Clyde, where we tune in to hear Hugh Keevins talk, which reassures us that we aren’t going completely doolally ourselves. As long as he rambles on incoherently, we know that we’re still alright.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We don;t want our club to go the way of others. That’s why we stand up for it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Boyd was actually pointing that out.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He just didn’t know he was.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yesterday, we had this…<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Celtic<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
Owen Mullions<\/em><\/div>\n
\u00a019 hours ago<\/em><\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

Caption<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201d Forget aw this fitba stuff, Robbie, the Diary is back\u201d!\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

To which robbie replied ( He doesn’t deserve a capital letter )<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

” feck off, I’m not reading that shite.<\/em>”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Today,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"75<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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