Celtic’s Dubai Trip - player covid positive ( merged )

[Kyle1874]

5 minutes ago, Pasquale for King said:

Spot on. But who’s going to instruct it to happen. 
Bonner called them the “leaders” of Scottish clubs last night, not entirely sure what he meant there. 

The leaders of Scottish clubs what a joke the SPFL are meant to represent 42 members the only care about 2 I would love for some kind of revolt in Scottish football just know idea how or  where it will start 

[JimmyCant]

5 minutes ago, Pasquale for King said:

Indeed, I tried to edit that. 
Him and Hanlon must share that dubious record.
They’re both extremely limited players with one cap each for Scotland. Sounds familiar. 

Stevenson has 4 losses in cup finals. Less than I thought. Someone will have more 

[merrymac]

38 minutes ago, Pasquale for King said:

I think it was on this thread mate, just passing on the hilarity 😆. 

Very honest

[Pasquale for King]

5 minutes ago, Kyle1874 said:

The leaders of Scottish clubs what a joke the SPFL are meant to represent 42 members the only care about 2 I would love for some kind of revolt in Scottish football just know idea how or  where it will start 

Definitely. If those two leave maybe. 

[Pasquale for King]

4 minutes ago, JimmyCant said:

Stevenson has 4 losses in cup finals. Less than I thought. Someone will have more 

Probably 

[Kyle1874]

4 minutes ago, JimmyCant said:

Clubs have had at least two recent chances to push that forward but didn’t take them. 
 

When you have two huge money generating clubs in an ocean of shite it’s very difficult to get a quorum for change that would disadvantage them.

 

A breakaway led by a solid consortium of the other big clubs is the only thing I can see working.

I would love for hearts to Resign from the SPFL and apply to English leagues 

Don’t know if it’s a possibility but the Scottish game is done for me it’s no wonder all the younger ones (am only 30 by the way 🙈) have English teams there is nothing appealing about Scottish football for kids now 

[Cade]

Ewan Murray with another good piece:

"Celtic: The Implosion. The imagination of a scriptwriting genius would have been necessary to piece together a chain of events which are now far enough removed from fiction as to fatally undermine what was billed as a history-making season.

Grand plans relating to a 10th title in a row are long gone; instead, Celtic’s collective decision-making has reduced the club to a laughing stock. Their supporters, normally so fiercely defensive of reputation, have been united in horror at the unravelling of a setup which appeared untouchable 12 months ago. It really didn’t take much to topple this plasticine empire.

There are dismal multimillion-pound transfer episodes, the case of the left-back who breached travel rules for a holiday in Spain without the club’s knowledge, rows from Nicola Sturgeon, European embarrassment at the hands of Ferencvaros and Europa League teams who rattled in 19 goals in six group matches, even before we get to rampaging supporters outside Celtic Park as domestic dominance began to disintegrate. Just when such noise had calmed to the point of acceptance – Rangers’ win in the Old Firm game of 2 January secured the title in all but name – came a trip to Dubai and fallout which renders “ill-advised” as understatement of the year.

By the time Celtic took to the pitch against Hibernian on Monday night, 13 players and three coaches – including Neil Lennon, the manager - were in isolation. Celtic’s season-ticket holders, handed a streaming code for their money, watched a reserve team limp to a 1-1 draw as Lennon issued instructions to substitutes via air pods.

It sums up the incredible scenario that Christopher Jullien, taken to Dubai despite a long-term injury, was the player to test positive for Covid-19 and attract the attention of track and trace teams. Were it Celtic – and not Rangers – holding a 21-point advantage then fans really wouldn’t care less about Dubai and associated drama. But here we are: Celtic are toiling on the pitch and an unholy mess off it. Rangers’ league form has been exemplary but Steven Gerrard must be laughing himself silly.

Celtic’s board detest any charge of complacency. The club object to any assertion that their self-proclaimed scale is undermined by two-bit behaviour. Yet it is impossible to foresee any situation whereby Dermot Desmond, the absentee landlord, would abide by such gross mismanagement at any of his other businesses. Celtic’s Dubai shambles is indicative of dreadful decision-making and a culture of arrogance.

It cannot be emphasised often enough that Celtic should be in a different competitive stratosphere to this, owing to the years of leeway afforded by Rangers’ financial implosion. Instead, punters lapped up thrashings of Hamilton Accies as directors presided over managed decline. The means by which this has all come to a head is spectacular but the signs have been there for years. Lennon was offered his job in the dressing-room showers after a cup final.

The Celtic statement that confirmed the housebound status of the Dubai 16 was as extraordinary as it was audacious. Rather than offer any hint of remorse, this served as a reminder of an entitlement culture. “The reality is that a case could well have occurred had the team remained in Scotland, as other cases have done in Scottish football and across UK sport in the past week,” it read. A club founded on grounds of decency and compassion has acted with blatant disregard for a troubled, wider picture in needlessly swanning off on a charter flight to the Middle East mid-pandemic. They go to Dubai every year, so why not go again? This is the attitude of a petulant teenager, with chutzpah boosted by the scores of observers too scared to criticise such a prominent entity.

John Kennedy, Celtic’s assistant manager, reported on Saturday that Shane Duffy would “miss the [Hibs] game because he’s left the bubble”. Duffy had departed Dubai early to attend to personal matters. By Monday night, the Irishman was playing at centre-back.

Scottish clubs have indeed returned positive Covid cases, without the necessity for such a tally of isolations. Celtic aren’t at all used to being told they are in the wrong; and certainly not from Scottish football officialdom. Their level of power may well distort perspectives. An apology to Celtic’s supporters should have opened any bulletin. Instead? Hubris.

There are two strands to the Celtic trip. On the one hand, it was chronically tone deaf against a backdrop of severe restrictions at home and on-field underperformance. On the other, it looks from this distance that it was crazily inviting coronavirus risk. Celtic don’t fly to any domestic fixture.

As photos emerged of an apparently “relaxed” environment, scrutiny only intensified. “I do have doubts, based on how the club itself described it, about whether Celtic’s trip to Dubai was really essential,” said Sturgeon. “I have doubts based on some pictures I’ve seen whether adherence to bubble rules was strict enough.” Celtic didn’t break laws but they abused the spirit of them.

Gavin Strachan, left in dugout charge against Hibs, doubled down on the club’s stance. He said: “There’s regret that one person has caught the virus but there’s not a regret in terms of the permission we got to go and the protocols that we followed, which we have done the whole season. It’s regrettable that we got one positive, which we could have got at any time.

“It’s a trip that’s been done over the last few years and it has yielded very positive results, so the thinking behind it was to maintain that and try to galvanise and push in the second half of the season.” It may have escaped Strachan’s attention that a number of things deemed absolutely fine “over the last few years” are off the table for now.

Andy Walker, a man immersed in Celtic, was wonderfully coruscating during Sky’s Monday night coverage. “What the Celtic support deserve is a bit of contrition from someone with a bit of backbone at this club,” said the former striker. “They are being short-changed and it’s completely unacceptable.”

This mess leaves the Scottish Professional Football League – unimpressive enough in normal times, let alone a crisis – in something of a pickle. After St Mirren and Kilmarnock couldn’t play fixtures earlier in the season, 3-0 victories were handed to opponents. The clubs appealed. Boxing Day – months after the fixtures in question – saw a hilarious but necessary reconfiguration of the table on account of said appeals.

Not only did the SPFL allow Celtic to skip over to Dubai, the league moved the Hibs match – much to the chagrin of the Edinburgh club – to facilitate it. At the point this nonsense was taking place, Celtic held two matches in hand. Neil Doncaster, the SPFL chief executive, had previously been very uptight about scheduling. Celtic were allowed to knock out midweeks while behind in fixtures on the basis of winter sun.

The SPFL appears far more interested in Covid outcomes than causes, especially with regards small clubs with small squads. Celtic played Hibs, hence the integrity of the competition and image damage beyond that don’t apparently matter. Hibs asked for retesting at Celtic, a perfectly valid request even on an optics level, and were refused by their opponents and the SPFL. There is total silence from Doncaster, his chairman Murdoch MacLennan and non-executive directors implicated in yet another farce. This is, however, predictable.

Dubai will for ever serve as an inauspicious reference point in this Celtic campaign of 2020-21. Even in this, such a fickle business, it will take a lot for the club’s support to turn back on-side. The sequel will only depict a happy place if Celtic admit to glaring failings.

[JimmyCant]

Just now, Pasquale for King said:

Probably 

McStay and Jardine both have more losses but they are OF and their losses are offset by huge numbers of wins anyway

[Hashimoto]

2 minutes ago, Kyle1874 said:

The leaders of Scottish clubs what a joke the SPFL are meant to represent 42 members the only care about 2 I would love for some kind of revolt in Scottish football just know idea how or  where it will start 

That is the big problem....There is absolutely NO unity in Scottish football. It's factions, here, cliques there....No joint connection for the betterment of Scottish football.

And you know what? - Celtic know that better than anyone else.  Like a leech they feed on it.

Scottish football does need a revolt, but no one trusts another...It's back stabbing and double talk all the way. Self interest has killed our game.

Change will only come when the clubs can break away from the cesspit that is the SFA and SPFL. It needs to find the right people with integrity and honesty at the root of their moral code. Words that you will never hear associated with Celtic / SFA / SPFL.

 

[JimmyCant]

1 minute ago, Kyle1874 said:

I would love for hearts to Resign from the SPFL and apply to English leagues 

Don’t know if it’s a possibility but the Scottish game is done for me it’s no wonder all the younger ones (am only 30 by the way 🙈) have English teams there is nothing appealing about Scottish football for kids now 

It’s not going to happen whilst independence is on the table that’s for sure. Maybe a form of European leagues would have been possible but Brexit probably knocked that on the head too

[Pasquale for King]

5 minutes ago, JimmyCant said:

McStay and Jardine both have more losses but they are OF and their losses are offset by huge numbers of wins anyway

Guys like Considine have been in a few and lost, just the three for him. Wighton/Haring/Berra/Smith have two. 

[Kyle1874]

8 minutes ago, Hashimoto said:

That is the big problem....There is absolutely NO unity in Scottish football. It's factions, here, cliques there....No joint connection for the betterment of Scottish football.

And you know what? - Celtic know that better than anyone else.  Like a leech they feed on it.

Scottish football does need a revolt, but no one trusts another...It's back stabbing and double talk all the way. Self interest has killed our game.

Change will only come when the clubs can break away from the cesspit that is the SFA and SPFL. It needs to find the right people with integrity and honesty at the root of their moral code. Words that you will never hear associated with Celtic / SFA / SPFL.

 

Do the government have the powers to call for an investigation in to the Scottish game I know it is very unlikely 

[Mikey1874]

Not the best lead up to the child abuse cases hitting the courts. 

[john thomas]

31 minutes ago, Pasquale for King said:

Indeed, I tried to edit that. 
Him and Hanlon must share that dubious record.
They’re both extremely limited players with one cap each for Scotland. Sounds familiar. 

Stevenson's cap was an absolute joke . End of season , 2 game trip . Chance to blood promisng youngsters , guys with potential to become future internationalists ?

No MacLeish takes Stevenson , even though he knew he would have to fly home for a wedding[?] after 1 game .

Not that he would ever have been capped again anyway . Amazingly this blatant old pals act was never called out

[EIEIO]

17 minutes ago, Kyle1874 said:

Do the government have the powers to call for an investigation in to the Scottish game I know it is very unlikely 

Dont think so , but I think the Scottish government have been quite cute here in giving grants only to non-premiership clubs.  The Premiership clubs (sometimes via Doncaster) have been "demanding" crowds back in grounds ,while thousands died, and have been offered only loans with interest.

[Hashimoto]

13 minutes ago, Kyle1874 said:

Do the government have the powers to call for an investigation in to the Scottish game I know it is very unlikely 

I would imagine only if there was corruption or other criminality. Highly unlikely that government would want to get involved in something that would possibly dilute their vote, or weaken their electoral powers.

It's up to the governing bodies to regulate the game here...but as we know the SFA is far out of it's depth.....I really can't see what the SG can do in this situation!......Whether we like, or not Celtic's unhealthy influence is playing out right in front of our eyes, and there's nothing we can do about it....

The clubs (with few exceptions) and their Celtic compliant owners have made sure that nothing is going to change anytime soon...    

[The Treasurer]

1 hour ago, tian447 said:

The whole situation has just confirmed that I am correct in my absolute, vehement hatred toward Celtic Football Club.  It is just on a different plane of existence compared to Hibs and Rangers.

 

Every single thing they do is correct or admirable.  They have never ever made a mistake, or admit to their guilt even when it is painfully clear to everyone.  They are the model of society and everyone should jump to meet their standards.  

 

We have been in the middle of, and everyone has directly been impacted by, a pandemic since at least March 2020.  In that time, we've had national and regional lockdowns, people losing their jobs and businesses closing, people not being able to see their families or friends, and tens of thousands of people dying, often on their own without any visitors allowed whilst hooked up to machines to breathe for them, due to this disease which is absolutely decimating society and is continuing to mutate and spread around the World.  

 

And Celtic FC jet off on holiday to Dubai to drink beers and relax by the swimming pool, after they have run around chasing a ball, training in the sun for an hour a day.  Openly doing something that we would all love to be doing right now?  And now they claim they have done nothing wrong, without the slightest hint of acknowledging that they are completely out of touch with reality, because for years they have gotten away with making the rules?  Even when the evidence is clear, and they have broken just about every protocol that everyone else is expected to follow? 

 

Even their own fans are calling them out for their behaviour, which given their usual track record of gleefully winding up every other club about the things they are obviously getting away with, is a sure sign that they have really ****ed things up this time.

 

Celtic FC have done some despicable things in their history, but this threatens to be up there with the worst just because of their sheer arrogance about everything.  "We have investigated ourselves and found that we have done nothing wrong.  Oh, and we were told we could go, so get it up all of you."  Anyone with half a brain cell would realise that travelling a 7000+ mile round trip in the middle of a pandemic, when even their own supporters aren't legally allowed to travel outside of their own Council Region, is in bad taste.  But they are Celtic Football Club, the thoughts of mere mortals don't concern them.

 

They have ideas far above their station, and have it in their heads that they are absolutely invulnerable and above not just the Scottish Football Association's rules and regulations, but the Scottish Government's as well.  It's time someone took these absolute reprobates down and makes them account for their lies, greed, corruption and crimes.  It's time someone finally took them to task over this, because this time they weren't clever enough to cover up the evidence, have time and time again given verbal and written statements that contradict not only the facts, but their previous statements, and this time it's been plastered all over the internet for everyone to see.

 

Scottish Football has created a monster by letting these arseholes get away with everything they have done for years, decades even.

 

I hope the fall from grace is incredibly painful, and replayed over and over forever.  I hope they never get back up, but you just know that they will, and this will become a footnote in the list of deplorable acts that emit from the East End of Glasgow.

Spot on.

Although the only reason their scum fans are calling them out is because they know they've fecked up 10IAR.

Were they out in front in the league those sad excuses for human beings would be on the "we done nuffin wrong" train

[Boof]

ABERDEEN: 1985/86 League Cup

GK1Jim Leighton

DF2Stewart McKimmie

DF3Brian Mitchell

MF4Billy Stark

DF5Alex McLeish

DF6Willie Miller

MF7Eric Black

MF8Neil Simpson

MF9Frank McDougall

MF10Neale Cooper

FW11John Hewitt

 

Aberdeen: 1985/86 Scottish Cup
GK       Jim Leighton
DF       Stewart McKimmie
DF       Alex McLeish
DF       Willie Miller
DF       Tommy McQueen
MF       Jim Bett
MF       Neale Cooper
MF       John McMaster        Substituted off ?'
MF       Peter Weir
FW       John Hewitt            Substituted off ?'
FW       Frank McDougall
Substitutes:
MF       Billy Stark        Substituted in ?'
FW       Joe Miller            Substituted in ?'
 

 

Just in case you're looking in, Michael, there's 8 folk who did it in the same season. Twat.

[Pasquale for King]

20 minutes ago, Boof said:

ABERDEEN: 1985/86 League Cup

GK1Jim Leighton

DF2Stewart McKimmie

DF3Brian Mitchell

MF4Billy Stark

DF5Alex McLeish

DF6Willie Miller

MF7Eric Black

MF8Neil Simpson

MF9Frank McDougall

MF10Neale Cooper

FW11John Hewitt

 

Aberdeen: 1985/86 Scottish Cup
GK       Jim Leighton
DF       Stewart McKimmie
DF       Alex McLeish
DF       Willie Miller
DF       Tommy McQueen
MF       Jim Bett
MF       Neale Cooper
MF       John McMaster        Substituted off ?'
MF       Peter Weir
FW       John Hewitt            Substituted off ?'
FW       Frank McDougall
Substitutes:
MF       Billy Stark        Substituted in ?'
FW       Joe Miller            Substituted in ?'
 

 

Just in case you're looking in, Michael, there's 8 folk who did it in the same season. Twat.

1989-90 too 😆 So 3 have done it twice 🤣

Edited January 12, 2021 by Pasquale for King

[Kiwidoug]

Celtic and rangers are both an utter disgrace and they know it.  On the credit side, rangers imploded this time last year and Celtic are imploding now.

 

Would be great if they could coordinate better and implode at the same time.

 

What a curse and a cancer they are to the Scottish game and Scotland in general.

[Cheile]

1 minute ago, Kiwidoug said:

Celtic and rangers are both an utter disgrace and they know it.  On the credit side, rangers imploded this time last year and Celtic are imploding now.

 

Would be great if they could coordinate better and implode at the same time.

 

What a curse and a cancer they are to the Scottish game and Scotland in general.

 

 

Well said Sir. 100% agree.

[SectionDJambo]

Lewis Stevenson should certainly have a place in Hibs history for making 500 appearances, and counting. 
But to suggest that makes him anything other than an ordinary player is laughable. He has played in some terrible Hibs teams, playing a full part in their humiliating relegation and double failure to get promoted immediately. 
His biggest achievement has to be surviving as a Hibs player through those times, whilst many others were emptied due to the failures of most of the Hibs teams he played in. I can’t recall Hibs ever having to fend off big money transfer bids for him.

[Maroon Sailor]

500 appearances- Not sure if that says more about Lewis Stevenson or Hibs

[john thomas]

51 minutes ago, Boof said:

ABERDEEN: 1985/86 League Cup

GK1Jim Leighton

DF2Stewart McKimmie

DF3Brian Mitchell

MF4Billy Stark

DF5Alex McLeish

DF6Willie Miller

MF7Eric Black

MF8Neil Simpson

MF9Frank McDougall

MF10Neale Cooper

FW11John Hewitt

 

Aberdeen: 1985/86 Scottish Cup
GK       Jim Leighton
DF       Stewart McKimmie
DF       Alex McLeish
DF       Willie Miller
DF       Tommy McQueen
MF       Jim Bett
MF       Neale Cooper
MF       John McMaster        Substituted off ?'
MF       Peter Weir
FW       John Hewitt            Substituted off ?'
FW       Frank McDougall
Substitutes:
MF       Billy Stark        Substituted in ?'
FW       Joe Miller            Substituted in ?'
 

 

Just in case you're looking in, Michael, there's 8 folk who did it in the same season. Twat.

Get the impression Stewart cba doing his homework . Not the first time he has been completely wrong .

Suspect Stevenson's cup record has grown legs . Only Hibs player to do this ? Almost certainly , their SC record would suggest that . Anyone with a basic knowledge of Scottish football [even recent history] would know this

Suspect if MS went on Mastermind his specialist subject would be MS

[John Findlay]

1 hour ago, JimmyCant said:

It’s not going to happen whilst independence is on the table that’s for sure. Maybe a form of European leagues would have been possible but Brexit probably knocked that on the head too

European cup competitions started in season 55-56. One British club Hibernian FC participated. The United Kingdom did not become a member of the then EEC(European Economic countries/community) until the first of January 1973, along with Denmark and the Republic of Ireland. Brexit will not be a bar to any British clubs participating in a European league.

[tian447]

https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2021/01/12/from-arsenal-to-celtic-where-britains-elite-football-clubs-spent-the-winter-break/

 

Quote

FROM ARSENAL TO CELTIC: WHERE BRITAIN’S ELITE FOOTBALL CLUBS SPENT THE WINTER BREAK

Celtic have recently returned from a trip to Dubai, but where did Britain’s top clubs spend their time training?

 

Elite football can take its toll on even the fittest of players.

 

Wear and tear can affect performance over the course of a gruelling season, and so it’s no wonder clubs look forward to a winter break.  It’s a chance to recharge the batteries, and to enjoy a bit of sunshine in the midst of a cold winter.  From Arsenal to Tottenham Hotspur, here’s where Britain’s top clubs have been training this winter.

 

ARSENAL
Mikel Arteta’s men trained in London, because there’s a pandemic.

 

CHELSEA
Frank Lampard conquered Europe as a player, but his side remained in London due to the pandemic.

LEICESTER
Brendan Rodgers might be remembered by Celtic fans for a controversial departure, but he managed not to depart the country with his players and backroom staff at the height of a pandemic.

 

MANCHESTER UNITED
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his men spent a few days in Marbella. Last year, before Britain was involved in a pandemic.

 

MANCHESTER CITY
If there wasn’t a pandemic going on, Pep Guardiola might have taken his team abroad. But there is, so he didn’t.
 

LIVERPOOL
In a football landscape dominated by media-trained professionals who allow little of their personality to emerge during interviews, Jurgen Klopp provides a refreshing contrast with his eccentricity.

He’s not eccentric enough to fly an entire squad plus backroom staff out to the middle east during a pandemic though.

 

RANGERS
Steven Gerrard’s side are yet to lose a match in this season’s Scottish Premiership, and the decision to remain at home rather than flying out for a training camp during a pandemic proves they haven’t lost their minds either.

 

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Jose Mourinho’s side were the stars of an Amazon Prime documentary called ‘Tottenham Hotspur: All or Nothing’.

Nothing is what was on Spurs’ winter break itinerary, as there is a pandemic going on.

 

In other news, Celtic manager Neil Lennon, his assistant John Kennedy and 13 players are self-isolating after defender Christopher Jullien tested positive for Covid-19.

 

The club travelled to Dubai for a winter training camp, a move which fans called “Sound, it’s not like there’s a pandemic going on” and was hailed by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon as “Exactly the sort of thing you should be doing during a pandemic lads”.

 

Although one or two reservations have been raised, Celtic moved quickly to assure fans that the trip was definitely worth it because you get to sit on the sunbeds.

The intense fitness sessions paid dividends on Monday night as Celtic came within two minutes of beating Hibs and cut Rangers’ lead to just 21 points.

 

 

[Rogue Daddy]

1 hour ago, JimmyCant said:

It’s not going to happen whilst independence is on the table that’s for sure. Maybe a form of European leagues would have been possible but Brexit probably knocked that on the head too

 

Can you really see Rangers and Celtic leaving scotland to join a league they have no influence over? It would be amusing to watch them try to compete on a level playing field with everyone else.

[Rogue Daddy]

23 minutes ago, tian447 said:

https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2021/01/12/from-arsenal-to-celtic-where-britains-elite-football-clubs-spent-the-winter-break/

 

 

 

 

Quality!... and the SPL don't even have a 'winter break' allocated this year due to limited game 'slots'.

 

Only in Scotland.

[7628mm]

2 minutes ago, Rogue Daddy said:

 

Can you really see Rangers and Celtic leaving scotland to join a league they have no influence over? It would be amusing to watch them try to compete on a level playing field with everyone else.

 

I suspect that they would only go if they could continue to have teams in some shape or form in Scotland. This would allow them to crawl back when they are inevitably thrown out of their new league for the obvious reasons.

[merrymac]

1 hour ago, Mikey1874 said:

Not the best lead up to the child abuse cases hitting the courts. 

Think its a great lead up for the honest people looking for justice.

Celtics management attitude is currently being laid bare for the world to see, and demonstrates their attitude to the world in general.

Hope Judges/Jury's are taking note.

[Mikey1874]

Might be new from Tom English 

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55631978

[Geddyalexneil]

1 hour ago, Kiwidoug said:

Celtic and rangers are both an utter disgrace and they know it.  On the credit side, rangers imploded this time last year and Celtic are imploding now.

 

Would be great if they could coordinate better and implode at the same time.

 

What a curse and a cancer they are to the Scottish game and Scotland in general.

If they can kindly do it when we are in the premier and playing really well and winning most ofl our games that would be ideal.

I would love us to be the first team to take the title outside of the gruesomes!

[Des Lynam]

I wonder if Trump done any shagging in Edinburgh? Michael Trump Optics Perception  Stewart. 

[John Findlay]

11 minutes ago, Mikey1874 said:

Might be new from Tom English 

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55631978

It is, this afternoon.

[maroonlegions]

6 hours ago, upgotheheads said:

 

Aye WTF, that's the problem, this forum is full of Fitba' fans, tell them tae GTF.

Full of trolls and Hibs ones at that. You think any jambos would get away with the same on Hibs.net, Aye WTF the right enough.

[Brick Tamland]

3 hours ago, Cade said:

Ewan Murray with another good piece:

"Celtic: The Implosion. The imagination of a scriptwriting genius would have been necessary to piece together a chain of events which are now far enough removed from fiction as to fatally undermine what was billed as a history-making season.

Grand plans relating to a 10th title in a row are long gone; instead, Celtic’s collective decision-making has reduced the club to a laughing stock. Their supporters, normally so fiercely defensive of reputation, have been united in horror at the unravelling of a setup which appeared untouchable 12 months ago. It really didn’t take much to topple this plasticine empire.

There are dismal multimillion-pound transfer episodes, the case of the left-back who breached travel rules for a holiday in Spain without the club’s knowledge, rows from Nicola Sturgeon, European embarrassment at the hands of Ferencvaros and Europa League teams who rattled in 19 goals in six group matches, even before we get to rampaging supporters outside Celtic Park as domestic dominance began to disintegrate. Just when such noise had calmed to the point of acceptance – Rangers’ win in the Old Firm game of 2 January secured the title in all but name – came a trip to Dubai and fallout which renders “ill-advised” as understatement of the year.

By the time Celtic took to the pitch against Hibernian on Monday night, 13 players and three coaches – including Neil Lennon, the manager - were in isolation. Celtic’s season-ticket holders, handed a streaming code for their money, watched a reserve team limp to a 1-1 draw as Lennon issued instructions to substitutes via air pods.

It sums up the incredible scenario that Christopher Jullien, taken to Dubai despite a long-term injury, was the player to test positive for Covid-19 and attract the attention of track and trace teams. Were it Celtic – and not Rangers – holding a 21-point advantage then fans really wouldn’t care less about Dubai and associated drama. But here we are: Celtic are toiling on the pitch and an unholy mess off it. Rangers’ league form has been exemplary but Steven Gerrard must be laughing himself silly.

Celtic’s board detest any charge of complacency. The club object to any assertion that their self-proclaimed scale is undermined by two-bit behaviour. Yet it is impossible to foresee any situation whereby Dermot Desmond, the absentee landlord, would abide by such gross mismanagement at any of his other businesses. Celtic’s Dubai shambles is indicative of dreadful decision-making and a culture of arrogance.

It cannot be emphasised often enough that Celtic should be in a different competitive stratosphere to this, owing to the years of leeway afforded by Rangers’ financial implosion. Instead, punters lapped up thrashings of Hamilton Accies as directors presided over managed decline. The means by which this has all come to a head is spectacular but the signs have been there for years. Lennon was offered his job in the dressing-room showers after a cup final.

The Celtic statement that confirmed the housebound status of the Dubai 16 was as extraordinary as it was audacious. Rather than offer any hint of remorse, this served as a reminder of an entitlement culture. “The reality is that a case could well have occurred had the team remained in Scotland, as other cases have done in Scottish football and across UK sport in the past week,” it read. A club founded on grounds of decency and compassion has acted with blatant disregard for a troubled, wider picture in needlessly swanning off on a charter flight to the Middle East mid-pandemic. They go to Dubai every year, so why not go again? This is the attitude of a petulant teenager, with chutzpah boosted by the scores of observers too scared to criticise such a prominent entity.

John Kennedy, Celtic’s assistant manager, reported on Saturday that Shane Duffy would “miss the [Hibs] game because he’s left the bubble”. Duffy had departed Dubai early to attend to personal matters. By Monday night, the Irishman was playing at centre-back.

Scottish clubs have indeed returned positive Covid cases, without the necessity for such a tally of isolations. Celtic aren’t at all used to being told they are in the wrong; and certainly not from Scottish football officialdom. Their level of power may well distort perspectives. An apology to Celtic’s supporters should have opened any bulletin. Instead? Hubris.

There are two strands to the Celtic trip. On the one hand, it was chronically tone deaf against a backdrop of severe restrictions at home and on-field underperformance. On the other, it looks from this distance that it was crazily inviting coronavirus risk. Celtic don’t fly to any domestic fixture.

As photos emerged of an apparently “relaxed” environment, scrutiny only intensified. “I do have doubts, based on how the club itself described it, about whether Celtic’s trip to Dubai was really essential,” said Sturgeon. “I have doubts based on some pictures I’ve seen whether adherence to bubble rules was strict enough.” Celtic didn’t break laws but they abused the spirit of them.

Gavin Strachan, left in dugout charge against Hibs, doubled down on the club’s stance. He said: “There’s regret that one person has caught the virus but there’s not a regret in terms of the permission we got to go and the protocols that we followed, which we have done the whole season. It’s regrettable that we got one positive, which we could have got at any time.

“It’s a trip that’s been done over the last few years and it has yielded very positive results, so the thinking behind it was to maintain that and try to galvanise and push in the second half of the season.” It may have escaped Strachan’s attention that a number of things deemed absolutely fine “over the last few years” are off the table for now.

Andy Walker, a man immersed in Celtic, was wonderfully coruscating during Sky’s Monday night coverage. “What the Celtic support deserve is a bit of contrition from someone with a bit of backbone at this club,” said the former striker. “They are being short-changed and it’s completely unacceptable.”

This mess leaves the Scottish Professional Football League – unimpressive enough in normal times, let alone a crisis – in something of a pickle. After St Mirren and Kilmarnock couldn’t play fixtures earlier in the season, 3-0 victories were handed to opponents. The clubs appealed. Boxing Day – months after the fixtures in question – saw a hilarious but necessary reconfiguration of the table on account of said appeals.

Not only did the SPFL allow Celtic to skip over to Dubai, the league moved the Hibs match – much to the chagrin of the Edinburgh club – to facilitate it. At the point this nonsense was taking place, Celtic held two matches in hand. Neil Doncaster, the SPFL chief executive, had previously been very uptight about scheduling. Celtic were allowed to knock out midweeks while behind in fixtures on the basis of winter sun.

The SPFL appears far more interested in Covid outcomes than causes, especially with regards small clubs with small squads. Celtic played Hibs, hence the integrity of the competition and image damage beyond that don’t apparently matter. Hibs asked for retesting at Celtic, a perfectly valid request even on an optics level, and were refused by their opponents and the SPFL. There is total silence from Doncaster, his chairman Murdoch MacLennan and non-executive directors implicated in yet another farce. This is, however, predictable.

Dubai will for ever serve as an inauspicious reference point in this Celtic campaign of 2020-21. Even in this, such a fickle business, it will take a lot for the club’s support to turn back on-side. The sequel will only depict a happy place if Celtic admit to glaring failings.

Ewan not missing anyone with that, very good piece.

[David Black]

It should be asked tonight on Sportsound if Doncaster has been invited onto the show. His failure to issue a statement on this sums him up. 

[bobskeldon]

23 minutes ago, maroonlegions said:

Full of trolls and Hibs ones at that. You think any jambos would get away with the same on Hibs.net, Aye WTF the right enough.

You think my view that Lewis Stevenson HAS been a great servant to Hibs makes me a “Hibs Troll”? 🤣🤣🤣

[sadj]

1 hour ago, Maroon Sailor said:

500 appearances- Not sure if that says more about Lewis Stevenson or Hibs

Indeed can’t believe people are on here having a pop cause Hearts fans are having a laugh about it. 

1 hour ago, tian447 said:

https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2021/01/12/from-arsenal-to-celtic-where-britains-elite-football-clubs-spent-the-winter-break/

 

 

 

Brilliant 🤣🤣

1 hour ago, Rogue Daddy said:

 

Can you really see Rangers and Celtic leaving scotland to join a league they have no influence over? It would be amusing to watch them try to compete on a level playing field with everyone else.

Not sure about them but we most certainly would

[sadj]

12 minutes ago, bobskeldon said:

You think my view that Lewis Stevenson HAS been a great servant to Hibs makes me a “Hibs Troll”? 🤣🤣🤣

I think its the assertion that you say Hearts fans make childish comments or ridiculous comments on a Hearts forum about a Hibs player. Who gives a **** , well done Stevenson but as above the big thing is wether it says more about Hibs or about Stevensons ambition in football. He is far from a good footballer but hes remained in the Hibs team through good and bad times apart from maybe when they signed Whittaker I think 🤷🏻‍♂️ 

[upgotheheads]

1 hour ago, sadj said:

I think its the assertion that you say Hearts fans make childish comments or ridiculous comments on a Hearts forum about a Hibs player. Who gives a **** , well done Stevenson but as above the big thing is wether it says more about Hibs or about Stevensons ambition in football. He is far from a good footballer but hes remained in the Hibs team through good and bad times apart from maybe when they signed Whittaker I think 🤷🏻‍♂️ 

 

Don't agree, he's a decent footballer who would have got a regular game for us over the last few years. I agree with the ambition remark though, if he has any he would have wanted to play for us.  

[Tommy Brown]

Love Soccer Guy

[Rudy T]

The only reason the Celtic fans are outraged is they can't blame anyone else for this and their own board are treating them the way they've treated everyone else in Scottish football for years; with complete contempt. 

 

Losing this league will see a power shift back to Rangers, Doncaster and co will remove the Celtic/Lawell boaby and pull on their Union Jack boxer shorts to lure the Rangers back into the hampden boudoir!

 

Celtic fans will suddenly have a cause again as their club gets shafted by the hampden lunch club and Rangers rack up 3 or 4 titles in a row. 

[colinmaroon]

5 hours ago, john thomas said:

All the repentance , saying sorry etc is a joke

Act with arrogant disregard as Celtic have done then say sorry . Easy-peasy , just means you've got away with it .

If you were genuinely sorry , repentant you wouldn't have blatantly ignored the rules in the first place

 

End of conversation.  No point!

[Dusk_Till_Dawn]

1 hour ago, Rudy T said:

The only reason the Celtic fans are outraged is they can't blame anyone else for this and their own board are treating them the way they've treated everyone else in Scottish football for years; with complete contempt. 

 

Losing this league will see a power shift back to Rangers, Doncaster and co will remove the Celtic/Lawell boaby and pull on their Union Jack boxer shorts to lure the Rangers back into the hampden boudoir!

 

Celtic fans will suddenly have a cause again as their club gets shafted by the hampden lunch club and Rangers rack up 3 or 4 titles in a row. 

Away from the issue of Celtic trying to act like victim, I’m completely baffled by how aloof the club are being with their own support. How do Desmond and Lawell think they will square this with their fans? Do they think they’re finished so it doesn’t matter anyway? Do they think folk will have forgotten by the time crowds return? Are they jiggered financially?

 

The Green Brigade rats will never let them forget this. It’s full on civil war. Which is

 

[Boof]

 

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/55621354

 

Around the 1 minute mark...some Celtic player chucks himself to the ground. Any repurrecuassoons? I doubt it.

 

And from the free kick Celtic scored from - I don't think this rule was being closely applied...

 

"If, when a free kick is taken, an attacking team player is less than 1 m (1 yd) from a ‘wall’ formed by three or more defending team players, an indirect free kick is awarded."

[Rudy T]

52 minutes ago, Dusk_Till_Dawn said:

Away from the issue of Celtic trying to act like victim, I’m completely baffled by how aloof the club are being with their own support. How do Desmond and Lawell think they will square this with their fans? Do they think they’re finished so it doesn’t matter anyway? Do they think folk will have forgotten by the time crowds return? Are they jiggered financially?

 

The Green Brigade rats will never let them forget this. It’s full on civil war. Which is

 

 

Lawell thinks he's untouchable, he's had 9 years of unchallenged power and a fan base that circles the wagons the minute anyone dares question their club. Now the ten has gone the fans have turned but he's still so full of his own self importance he thinks he can go head to head with them and the more they push back the more he tries to prove he's the man in charge. If they want Lennon out they should start a Lenny must stay campaign and Lawell would sack him in the morning! 

[colinmaroon]

8 hours ago, JimmyCant said:

It’s not going to happen whilst independence is on the table that’s for sure. Maybe a form of European leagues would have been possible but Brexit probably knocked that on the head too

 

Independence could open the door to a European League. 

[john thomas]

3 hours ago, colinmaroon said:

 

End of conversation.  No point!

Checked my post again . Seems logical ?

[colinmaroon]

5 minutes ago, john thomas said:

Checked my post again . Seems logical ?

 

You obviously missed the point about change. Confession and repentance (that word from the Greek meaning to turn around and go the other way) necessitates not just confession but changing away from the crap you've been practicing and it includes making reparations where necessary.