{"id":8733,"date":"2016-03-08T10:15:17","date_gmt":"2016-03-08T10:15:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/etims.net\/?p=8733"},"modified":"2016-03-08T10:15:17","modified_gmt":"2016-03-08T10:15:17","slug":"celtic-diary-tuesday-march-8-hype-moves-into-overdrive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/etims.net\/?p=8733","title":{"rendered":"Celtic Diary Tuesday March 8: Hype Moves Into Overdrive"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whilst for Celtic, the cup semi final is just another game, it appears the rest of the world think its a little more than that. In fact, its beginning to take on a sort of little orphan Annie type story as the media whip themselves into a frenzy with the notion that the new club, who are the victims of some bad guys, could somehow win this trophy and then all will be right with society again.<\/p>\n

Yeah, I know.<\/p>\n

Take this screenshot from Newsnow; see if you can spot the trend…<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

and then there’s another “legend ” getting on Deila’s back…<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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And then, incredibly, we hear that Mark Warburton feels sorry for Ronny Deila. Bless him.<\/p>\n

Then again, its from the Radio Clyde website, which one feels should really have the letter “h” in there somewhere.<\/p>\n

Rangers boss feels sympathy for Celtic counterpart<\/h1>\n
\n
\"Rangers<\/p>\n
\n

Jeff Holmes<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Rangers manager Mark Warburton admits he has sympathy for under-fire Celtic boss Ronny Deila.<\/em><\/p>\n

Deila is under pressure following disappointing European and Scottish League Cup campaigns, while Aberdeen are chasing Celtic hard at the top of the Premiership.<\/em><\/p>\n

Warburton and his team could put more pressure on the Norwegian in the William Hill Scottish Cup semi-finals, but the Rangers boss feels his counterpart is on the end of some ill-merited criticism.<\/em><\/p>\n

Warburton told talkSPORT: “I referred to the goldfish bowl and it is a really passionate football city. I thought London was a football city and then you come<\/em>
\nto Glasgow and really they live and die for their football.<\/em><\/p>\n

“There’s 14-15 pages every day in the papers, there are radio shows every evening, and it’s scrutiny beyond belief. The fans phone in and it fuels the fire.<\/em><\/p>\n

“So, he’s top of the league. They had a difficult European campaign, okay, but what more can he do?<\/em><\/p>\n

“I do feel some sympathy for him but I think you know when you join a club like Celtic or Rangers, you know what you are putting yourself up for, that’s for sure.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Warburton, whose Championship leaders face Celtic in mid-April, added: “We took 9,000 officially to Kilmarnock on a Tuesday night, pouring with rain, on a Champions League night, but there were nearer 11,000 unofficially. It’s an unbelievable support.<\/em><\/p>\n

“This is the size of the club and we have got to enjoy it. The players have responsibility, we have a responsibility and if we can get the environment right<\/em>
\nwhere they enjoy the responsibility, we will be in a good place. You have to thrive on it.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Warburton attempted to focus his players on their league game against Morton on Friday night immediately after Sunday’s draw, but he is well aware of the importance of the derby.<\/em><\/p>\n

“I was at Belfast Airport, I had been to see a player,” the former Brentford boss said. “I heard the draw and turned my phone off to get on a 30-minute flight and I had 27 missed calls by the time I landed. That gives you a clue as to what it is.<\/em><\/p>\n

“It’s a fantastic draw and it is a challenge to test ourselves. It’s a game at the national stadium and there will be a 50,000 sell-out and we look forward to it.<\/em><\/p>\n

“There is no doubt we will go into the game well-prepared and ready for the challenge but between now and then we have some very important league games and the week before we have the Petrofac Cup final.” \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

So if Morton beat them on Friday, will we see crisis headlines ? Or even if they make a game of it ?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

You could be forgiven for thinking that this tie is between equals, but of course, it isn’t.<\/p>\n

Essentially, this game is being promoted as the best thing about Scottish football there is, when in fact, its a game that belongs in the past. As far as i can see, it appears that if we turn a blind eye to the fact the other lot are no longer the other lot, who died because of some fraudulent and creative accounting while they decided that paying bills was something other people did, then everything will be alright.<\/p>\n

And somehow, we are supposed to welcome that.<\/p>\n

Yesterday, Dave king, a man not noted for his honesty, released a set of unaudited accounts which , on the surface, tell a story of a club -or company- that has now got its act together and -i quote-“doesn’t have any third party debt “.<\/p>\n

He neglected to mention that this is because no-one is stupid enough to lend them any money, and left out the \u00a39.5m of borrowing from those who are , er, non third party creditors, and also the money borrowed to pay off Mike Ashley, who had threatened to send the whole edifice tumbling down. This was spun as a payment to try and end the fiasco of Rangers Retail Ltd, which was more or less pawned to the Sports direct man to get a few quid in in the first place.<\/p>\n

No matter what they say in public, the fact that no stock exchange listing exists, despite claims that it wasn’t going to be an issue, means that the clubs accounts might as well be written by JK Rowling , for all they are worth, yet the media seems happy enough to go along with the myth.<\/p>\n

Put simply, they can say whatever they want. No-one is going to check it.<\/p>\n

It’s kind of depressing, but the fact remains, Celtic have to put them in their place.<\/p>\n

One report suggested that only a record win would keep the Celtic support off ronny deila’s back, and I suppose 3-0 is a fairly reasonable expectation, but I’m looking for more than that.<\/p>\n

Much more.<\/p>\n

I want everyone to see the gulf between the two sets of players.<\/p>\n

I want everyone to see the difference between the two sets of fans.<\/p>\n

And, I want to see Neil McCann crying on live tv.<\/p>\n

Sky Sports\u00a0pundit Neil McCann says a section of the Celtic support will have worries ahead of their Scottish Cup semi-final against Championship side Rangers.<\/em><\/p>\n

And McCann is confident his former Rangers side will give a better account of themselves than they did in the previous clash between the clubs when Celtic won 2-0 in the semi-final of the League Cup at Hampden last season.<\/em><\/p>\n

McCann, a five-time winner of the Scottish Cup, told\u00a0Sky Sports News HQ: “There are some Celtic fans right now who will be a little bit worried and there will be some Rangers fans in the same camp, but I think this will be a closer game than people expect. I really do.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Well, he’s not the only one who thinks he knows our own minds better than we do.<\/p>\n

Take Scott MacDonald, for instance.<\/p>\n

“I think any fans who say they haven\u2019t missed the derby are kidding themselves on. How could you not miss it?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cFor all the other things that it brings at times, it\u2019s still a special day and hopefully it can be a special spectacle for Scottish football for all the right reasons come six weeks\u2019 time.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully the players behave themselves accordingly and outwith that everyone else does as well to make it a good day. It really puts Scottish football back on the map because for the next six weeks this is all we\u2019re going to hear about.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a League Cup Final at the weekend, but we\u2019re all talking about this game, which comes in the middle of next month.<\/em><\/p>\n

“It gives a real buzz again to the city and a real meaning. Hopefully it makes for a good spectacle and the promise of a lot more excitement to come next year.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

I’m not sure which part I’m supposed to be missing.<\/p>\n

It certainly isn’t the quality of the football on show.<\/p>\n

It certainly isn’t the poisonous atmosphere.<\/p>\n

It certainly isn’t the relentless establishment bias.<\/p>\n

I’ve managed four years without the minimum four fixtures.<\/p>\n

And genuinely, I can say i haven’t missed them.<\/p>\n

Yet MacDonald even thinks that the game will somehow “save Celtic’s season”…<\/p>\n

However, if you\u2019re asking who wants this game more then I would say it\u2019s probably Celtic.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI believe they need it more in order to get their season back on track and get their heads right again.<\/em><\/p>\n


\nBack on track ? Has he seen the league table ?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If the media were to concentrate, even just for a short while, on the other clubs who have not had to resort to illegal financing, and who have got their houses in order and still managed to improve on the pitch, then we might have something to be pleased about. Something even to shout about.<\/p>\n

Instead, they have even given a platform to retiring Police Scotland chief Andy Bates. Master Bates knows how to police an “old firm ” game, which shows financial law isn’t his strong point.<\/p>\n

Talking bollocks is though;<\/p>\n

\u00a0“I still passionately believe we can eradicate bile they spout at each other.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Good luck with that. Perhaps we should all be fitted with voice recorders which can be examined after the game.<\/p>\n

“And Police Scotland are much better at policing Old Firm games than in previous years.<\/em><\/p>\n

“We do certain things differently now, we have a much more intelligence-led approach.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Intelligence ? Police Scotland ?<\/p>\n

\"laughter\"<\/a><\/p>\n

“Officers will identify problems and nip them in the bud before any incidents can develop.<\/em><\/p>\n

Ah. they’re going to kill the first born child in each household. Been done before, I think. and it didn’t work.<\/p>\n

“Overall, we are better at policing events.”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Than who ?<\/p>\n

I’d like to see the organisation which Police Scotland are superior to.<\/p>\n

I could do with a laugh.<\/p>\n

Who is this guy ?<\/p>\n

Mr Bates joined Strathclyde Police in 1983 and throughout his career, has performed largely operational roles.<\/em><\/p>\n

He was instrumental in developing Police Scotland’s Events Intelligence Model, which is used as a blueprint for all major football matches, concerts, protests, marches and parades across the country.<\/em><\/p>\n

Mr Bates said: “The model has improved public safety, as well as reducing the cost to the public.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Really ?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Somehow, i’m not overly confident in him or his police farce. Thats not a typo, by the way.<\/p>\n

\n

The “resurgence” of a club that felt it was above the law, and feels even now it can carry on regardless, whilst blaming everyone else for the mess they got into, well everyone has an opinion on that, as long as they leave that bit out, and \u00a0hey, that sells papers.<\/p>\n

Pardon me for not wetting myself with excitement.<\/p>\n

Though I am looking forward to putting them in their place.<\/p>\n

Then we will know the world is spinning happily on its axis again.<\/p>\n

In other news, Carlton Cole is away to England for “personal reasons” , and i suppose you can’t get more personal than an operation.<\/p>\n

Nir Biton will soon be fit again, an announcement made almost as soon as his agent read Saturday’s Chinese whispers Diary.<\/p>\n

The players now have a couple of days off, no doubt to help them ignore the hype about the clash between the respective leaders of Scotland’s two top divisions, and next week they will have a day at the races, to encourage gambling which means they’ll all be living in a flat above a shop by the summer.<\/p>\n

After the nights out on the beer, followed now by a stint at the bookies, it can only be a matter of time before they decide a Thai massage parlour will help with the bonding.<\/p>\n

The SFA have not announced who will referee the game, but it will see the debut of the new referee uniform..<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n

Willie Collum staked his claim for the job with his performance in the Morton game, and there’s still six weeks for other refs to show they can do even better.<\/p>\n

We’ll be lucky to have any players available for the game. They’ll all be injured, suspended or in prison.<\/p>\n

Yesterdays caption competition, as promised, here is the winner, thanks to charlie saiz who put the picture together, and of course, to Stevie, who suggested the caption.<\/p>\n

Your prize is in the post, but not on its way to you.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

And for today, we see Lorenzo amorouso, stealing an old lady’s trolley to fund his Baileys habit.<\/p>\n

Or do we ?<\/p>\n

\"Evening<\/p>\n

\n

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