to the less diplomatic<\/p>\n
” If you even think of sending me \u00a0a renewal form I will come down there and stick it up your arse. ”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n All of which explains the rumblings in at least one of the offices within the bowels of Celtic Park, but as with all bowel problems, a good old fashioned clean out usually does the trick.<\/p>\n We also hear that the visit to the dressing room wa sso the CEO could ask the players not to start fighting at the awards ceremony later on.<\/p>\n It was close…<\/p>\n There was certainly tension in the air, and rumours of rifts between players were given more credence whn it was noticed ( see above ) \u00a0that perennial feartie Dedryck Boyata actually wore his running shoes in case things got out of hand.<\/p>\n The awards , predictably, went to Leigh Griffiths, Keiran Tierney and Tom Rogic, ( Player, Young Player and Goal of the season respectively -Griff picked up a couple more, players player and top goalscorer ).<\/p>\n Kris Commons was coaxed on to the stage for Best Impression of a Five Year Old, Scott Brown got the Margaret Thatcher Award for Leadership and \u00a0Industry , and Jozo Simunovic got the gong for ” Least Convincing \u00a0Injury “, wresting the crown from now departed permapatient Derk Boerrigter.<\/p>\n There was disappointment in the ranks as well, when Stefan Johansen failed to win an Oscar for his role as a combative, free scoring midfielder, and Nir Biton was upset when he realised the award for the Best Woman player would actually go to a woman, and not to a big girl.<\/p>\n One player missing from the awards was on loan Michael Duffy, who turned in the bravest and most admirable performance over the weekend when asked to form part of a guard of honour for first division winners “rangers “..<\/p>\n The official twitter account kept in line with the general ineptness of the season with a remarkable tweet, featuring Keiran tierney and Danny McGrain, with the phrase “from left back to left back “, showing apathy at best and ignorance at worst.<\/p>\n Then there was the “pink top 2 scenario, when a website released advance pictures of the apparent new away top, in “shocking” pink.<\/p>\n At the recent kit design meeting, both pink and blue were rejected as having no place on a celtic top, so i wouldn’t hold much truck with any of this, but when I saw the initial design of the suits the players were supposed to wear last night, i wouldn’t be surprised at anything any more.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n You should take us more seriously when we tell you something… or do you need to see it in the paper ? Like the Irish Post…<\/p>\n LOOKING back to September, Martin O\u2019Neill\u2019s contract was running down but the FAI\u2019s patience was hardly running thin.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n In a rare interview, John Delaney \u2013 the association\u2019s Chief Executive \u2013 made it plainly clear that come what may, O\u2019Neill will be in charge for the next World Cup qualifying campaign.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cIt is always positive to hear the senior manager is very happy in the job,\u201d Delaney said. \u201cFrom his point of view, there are two big games coming up, and possibly two more in November. Results went our way in September but they could go the other way in October just as easily.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWith this in mind, the thing, as always, is to let the games take place, see where we finish up post October or November, and then sit down and talk about what he \u2013 and the Association \u2013 would like to do. He has done a really fine job.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n So far, so straightforward. All we needed to hear, then, were O\u2019Neill\u2019s thoughts. And in October, they came.<\/em><\/p>\n He said: \u201cMy plan is to qualify for France and if I think that my employers would want me to stay on, then I would certainly want to have a look at that.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Within a month, he had achieved just that. Victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina sparked wild celebrations in the Aviva Stadium and generated fresh debate about the future. Would O\u2019Neill stay?<\/em><\/p>\n Another month passed and incredibly there was still no sign of that elusive new contract.<\/em><\/p>\n Christmas, New Year, his daughter\u2019s wedding and even St Valentine\u2019s Day all passed before the subject was brought up again. And still there was no deal signed.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cRegarding my contract, there is no great difficulty,\u201d O\u2019Neill continued. \u201cIn actual fact, contracts have never been a big issue for me throughout my career. I\u2019ve tended, for the most part, to stick to them.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cSo we will hopefully sit down before the couple of friendly games [against Switzerland and Slovakia next month]. The fact is that I have loved the job here. It\u2019s been really, really fantastic and obviously qualification is, for lack of a better word, vindication for the time spent here.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The matches came and went. But what about that new contract? \u201cI haven\u2019t any news on it,\u201d O\u2019Neill said in the aftermath of the Slovakia game. \u201cI think there should be something very, very shortly but I think that we\u2019re keen to get things going and the FAI have been excellent about it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Perhaps, though, it is time their standards dipped from excellence to mediocrity. Perhaps they should cast their minds back to Euro 2012, to another manager, another successful qualification campaign and another decision whether to stick or twist.<\/em><\/p>\n In handing Giovanni Trapattoni an extension to his terms back then, they left themselves open to being stuck with a man they didn\u2019t want in the aftermath of that tournament. Of course there\u2019s a notable difference.<\/em><\/p>\n By 2012, Trap\u2019s regime was four-years-old and showing signs of fatigue. Qualifying merely masked over the problems that were deeply set. O\u2019Neill\u2019s voice, by contrast, remains fresh.<\/em><\/p>\n However, the rhetoric surrounding his contract is beginning to tire. We are in April now and if both parties are genuinely interested in re-enacting their vows and prolonging the marriage then why has it taken so long for a deal to be struck?<\/em><\/p>\n If ever there was a case of inactions speaking louder than words, this is it, and\u00a0O\u2019Neill\u2019s old club are Celtic surely monitoring the situation.<\/em><\/p>\n But foe now, we return to the \u00a0massive disconnection between the club and the players, the club and the management and most importantly , the club and the support.<\/p>\n We’re becoming more of an irritation of late, which at least means that our current custodians will have to at least pretend to be interested in what we think. Especially as those renewal letters are ready to hit the doormats.<\/p>\n Thats the outside mat, as supporters push them back through the letterbox when they arrive.<\/p>\n We’re well aware now that the board are under the impression that we’ll all be happy again when the new “rangers ” come up the the top division next season, and that alone will make all the problems go away.<\/p>\n Seriously, not since the captain of the Hindenburg told passengers it was fine to smoke has someone underestimated the consequences of a particular action.<\/p>\n The action by the Celtic board in question is the blatant ignorance and shameful procrastination on the Resolution 12 issue.<\/p>\n Celtic have been repeatedly asked to sort it out, and they haven’t..one of those behind the campaign, auldheid, offered a summary on CQN..<\/p>\n Even when provided with clear evidence of skullduggery they have kept their silence.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0That silence has allowed the internal war that our enemies occupy to rub their hands with glee.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0Faced with a morally bankrupt rival, a morally bankrupt governance and a morally bankrupt media, we have said nothing. That vacumn of silence gave them ground to occupy rather than slink away in shame.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0I can take a Celtic who are not playing well. I cannot take a Celtic lacking moral courage.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0If we want to recover we need to start a moral fightback and it needs to start now by revealing the full extent of the cheating that has taken place. No more silence on Res12 no more silence on LNS. There is a clear link between both. There is an SFA needin reform. There is no reason for silence any more.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n There is a feeling that this is a Celtic -rangers thing. It isn’t. Its far more than that, and affects all clubs, because its about the moral flexibility of those running the game.<\/p>\n I met up with the Res 12 guys on saturday, and listened to evidence and stories that would make you weep in shame for the inaction of our club and the people who run it.<\/p>\n I don’t doubt the integrity and honesty of the men behind the campaign, the work they have put in is humbling, and the obstacles they have had to overcome daunting.<\/p>\n But they are winning, and you’ll hear more about that soon.<\/p>\n On the train home, however, i couldn’t help but wonder why they have to do all of this.<\/p>\n Why aren’t the club doing it ?<\/p>\n If they are aware of shennanigans, and they are, because all the evidence is there, why aren’t they screaming about them from the rooftops ?<\/p>\n Why has it been left to a group of supporters to carry on the battle ?<\/p>\n A battle for fairness and integrity, a battle for the image and viability of the game in Scotland.<\/p>\n Why have they been left to shoulder the burden ?<\/p>\n They’re getting no help at all from the board, and if anything, appear to be blocked at every turn, and offered lame excuses, the most common one concerning the EBT scandal. That is, Celtic will make a move if and when the EBTs are declared illegal.<\/p>\n That shows a remarkable lack of understanding of the issue, which concerns the granting of a licence when there was a significant change in circumstances by the UEFA confirmation date that rendered Rangers participation in the champions League illegal .<\/p>\n The SFA and Rangers didn’t mention it when they should have. Nothing to do with EBTs.<\/p>\n The club are aware of this, several media outlets are aware of this, but no-one seems to want to do anything about it, bar the hardy souls of the Res 12 group.<\/p>\n \u00a0Why is it down to them to try to sort the problem, when the club should be doing it ?<\/p>\n The club will try to sell season books soon.<\/p>\n Ironically justifying an increase in price because ” the “rangers ” are “back ” . “<\/p>\n We need to know why they won’t support Resolution 12.<\/p>\n We can ask them.<\/p>\n Emails, phone calls, letters wrapped around a house brick, alright, maybe not the latter, but you get the point.<\/p>\n Forget the team for a minute, and concentrate your anger at the club.<\/p>\n If this isn’t sorted now, it will mean that apathy has won. It means that we have colluded with the cheats in the same way the club has.<\/p>\n We’ve missed an opportunity to cleanse the game once, when Turnbull Hutton made us aware of the depths of corruption and nepotism within Hampden.<\/p>\n We cannot afford to let things go back to the way they were.<\/p>\n Ring the club, email the club, and ask them why we should buy a season book if they’re not prepared to fight our corner when the money is being paid into a sport with all the credibility of the wrestling .<\/p>\n A sport which depends on our money, but somehow doesn’t have to be accountable to us.<\/p>\n Resolution 12 cannot be allowed to fail.<\/p>\n They’ve been doing their bit, now you can do yours.<\/p>\n tel: +44 (0) 871 226 1888 *<\/p>\n Sales tel: 0871 226 1888 *<\/p>\n fax: +44 (0) 141 551 4223<\/p>\n e-mail:\u00a0celticfctickets@celticfc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n Public Relations Email:\u00a0PublicRelations@celticfc.co.uk<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n ( I know, this one surprised me as well. Seems there actually is one.)<\/p>\n Editorial<\/strong><\/p>\n tel: +44 (0) 871 226 1888 *<\/p>\n e-mail:\u00a0celticview@celticfc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/Cg1Bk4nWYAAef6C.jpg:large\")
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