Monday, August 06, 2018

Novo and Limmy: A handful of Celtic fans leave an open goal to critics

The season has started - fairly well for Celtic - and yet, the Scottish mainstream media are awash with negative stories about the club.

Same old, same old, you may say. But there are lessons to be learned from the actions of a few fans, that have given fuel to those who wish to incinerate our reputation as the best fans in the world.

The targets - who prefer  to be known as victims - are two men for whom I haven't the least time.

One - Nacho Novo - was a thoroughly unpleasant player who had such a desire for recognition that, long after he had hung up his well-used studs, he took to social media throwing the most vile of insults at Celtic and our fans.

The other, who prefers to be called "Daft Limmy" is the embodiment of a proudly non-intellectual underclass creating trash TV. Take Homer Simpson, drain him of charm or wit, give him a  Scottish accent and a TV show and you have Brian Limond.

He has his adherents, but then so do burgers made from mechanically-recovered meat, which you can at least make look like something roughly palatable.

So, how were these two men involved in dragging the name of Celtic through the dirt?

With a little help from "our friends", of course.

Firstly, we had the moron who decided it was funny to sing the cringe-worthy "May you die in your sleep, Nacho Novo," song.

That song was truly embarrassing when Novo was playing.

But, during a match you might make (very lame) excuses that it was all terracing banter, the sort of thing  that only comes out when people get carried away by the crowd and the atmosphere.

It still didn't make it acceptable but then again excuses are generally made for the unacceptable.

What kind of mind - or absence of the same - you must possess to wish to sing such a song to the person's face while going about his business, I would not care  to speculate.

In what circumstances would that be OK?

I could go through the plethora of reasons why there are none but that would be to insult anyone reading this as it surely needs no explanation.

Limmy

When we come to the "Limmy" incident, that's of an entirely different nature.

For those who don't know, on the day that Danny McGrain unfurled our seventh consecutive championship flag at Celtic Park, Limond tweeted that he thought Danny had died, having been electrocuted in his loft, adding, "Who am I thinking of?"

Some younger fans may not know that he was referring to Danny's teammate and friend, the late and much-loved Johnny Doyle who died in that tragic accident.

He was called out on his bad taste - his signature style - and, instead of apologising for the  genuine hurt and offence caused, he doubled-down, insisting that his comment was made out of innocent ignorance and attempting to moralise against his critics at the same time.

Limond, you see, (unlike his brother David who was sent to prison for orchestrating a campaign of harassment against a Celtic-supporting journalist),  knows nothing about the "Old Firm" and therefore, in Limmy World, he can say what he likes, even openly musing about the death of 68-year-old Danny on a day, which should have been all about honouring one of the greatest-ever Celtic players and Scottish sportsmen.

His "defence" was as risible as his sense of humour but he had got what he was seeking - a reaction to add to his notoriety, in much the same way as he "innocently" tweeted about assassinating Donald Trump.

"Opps! Ooh-err! What have I said? I didnae know. I'm awful, aren't I? It's your own fault if you're offended!"

This was as snivelling a performance of publicity-seeking as you were likely to find.

But then two or three people speculated - joked? - about Limmy being stabbed. Naturally, they were from Celtic-affiliated accounts.

The result was that The Herald's Martin Williams (the man who reported that Rangers had died and has spent six years trying to make up for it) was given the opportunity that he had been waiting for.

The story was not a doubly-inappropriate comment on the deaths of Danny McGrain and Johnny Doyle but how bad Celtic fans were threatening someone who Williams apparently considers a national treasure.

And it has allowed Limond to get all the publicity he was seeking and capitalise on what he knows is an  anti-Celtic sentiment in much of the Scottish mainstream media.

(There are specific questions to be asked about Williams but that is for another time.)

Novo and Limond's separate conducts are not mitigated in any way by the actions of fools who would do Celtic fans a favour by finding something to do with their time other than associating themselves with Celtic.

But, if some fans don't have a sufficient moral compass to guide them away from the unacceptable, then they might instead try some common sense or, at the very least, refuse to give our critics what they want.

It has taken countless thousands of Celtic fans to build our reputation.

It only takes a handful to damage it. 

Saturday, August 04, 2018

Getting it right -- and wrong. How I predicted last season's Celtic fortunes

Football predictions are great. They are usually made with not one iota of insight or expertise and are therefore usually wrong.

On the plus side, the majority of people are blessed with an inability to recall the screeds of nonsense written before a season starts so it's a relatively hazard-free pastime.

But not for this blogger, dear reader (sorry!). I am proud of my wrongness and unbearably smug on those occasions when I am right. Fortunately, that happens with a frequency that allows my acquaintances to find me tolerable.

But here's what I said and I think you'll find it was largely unremarkable.

After that build-up, presumably you are excited, so without further delay...

The Treble

Flying saucer“Firstly, targeting the treble is usually ridiculous. Don’t get this wrong – Celtic should always intend to win any domestic tournament the club enters. But to expect to win all three again is just foolish....
“It can be done but probably won’t. If Celtic end another season unbeaten, we should all wait for the space ships to take us away from this doomed planet as it would surely be a sign that the powers that kept the world turning were broken.”

Spectacularly, gloriously, joyously wrong! But not one to be ashamed of.

Anyway, who would want to be proved right?

“But to win the League and do so comfortably must be the number one target. The 'comfort' part is important. Daylight between Celtic and Aberdeen (probably 15-20 points at the season’s end) takes pressure off players, allows some to be rested for what should be the late rounds of the Scottish Cup and lets Brendan Rodgers preserve some of the key performers by sparing them the last 15-30 minutes of games when their bodies are spent.”

Most of the above was a target, rather than a prediction, with the expected 15-20 points based on previous performances and an expectation that the squad would perform even better than last season.

The league win was still relatively comfortable but not in a way that allowed us to rest players much.

As for the points scored, the prediction was as follows:

1st Celtic P 38 W 29 D 6 L 3 Pts 93

Actual Result:

1 Celtic P 38 W 24 D 10 L 4 Pts 82
2 Aberdeen P 38 W 22 D 7 L 9 Pts 73

Perhaps the most pertinent point worthy of note is that it was Celtic's league performance, not Aberdeen's, which was short of the expectations that had already been tempered from the previous season's 106 points, unbeaten after only four draws and no defeats.

That was largely due to the introduction of a good Hibs side and a radically-improved Kilmarnock, the latter of which could not have been predicted at the time.

Also, notably, Aberdeen actually finished three points worse off than the previous season, in which they had reached and lost two cup finals.

So, it really was a matter of Celtic taking a step backwards from the incredible heights of the Invincibles season, albeit a slightly bigger one than could have reasonably been anticipated.

Scottish Cup

“Having (hopefully) won the league in April, we should be red hot favourites to lift the Scottish Cup to make it a double.
By that time, we should be able to focus on the late rounds with the luxury of not needing points or defending an unbeaten run.
Who would we face in the final? Probably Aberdeen or Hibs, who I expect to make a real go of it in their return to the top division, possibly finishing third behind Aberdeen.”

This was an easy enough prediction, though many pundits were less optimistic about Hibs' prospects (who eventually finished fourth).

Motherwell booting their way to the final was never on the radar and Hibs lost in the fourth round to Hearts, while the Dons went out to Well in the semis.

League Cup

“This is the least prestigious of the three tournaments and the one most likely to lead to disappointment, ending any hopes of back-to-back trebles.
“Again, Aberdeen or Hibs seem like the most probable winners, but any team in the top flight has a chance, including the two smaller Glasgow clubs.
“The major reason for this is that Celtic are likely to be heavily-involved in European competition and strongly focussed on the League campaign. Something usually gives in those circumstances, with players on the fringes of the first team likely to feature.
“So, with Celtic’s the scalp that everyone wants to take, a “shock” exit around the semis or quarter-finals seems a strong possibility.“

Nope, though the logic seems sound enough and the team did exceptionally well to balance all those domestic and European duties an win the cup.

Europe

“We are very good, our improvement has been beyond what just about any of us could ever have hoped for – but the gap in the league table doesn’t reflect how close we are to being a top European side....
Put your cuppa down because we’re not up to that standard – yet. But we’ll get better.
The thing about playing significantly inferior teams four times is that you can emphasise your (notional) 40% superiority four times a season. Celtic were 30 points better than the second-placed team but how well would Aberdeen do in any of the top German, Spanish, Italian, French or English leagues?
We should realistically aim to qualify for the group stages and then be playing for 3 or 4th place. And that’s where I think we’ll be."
Not bad but not so hard to predict, either, for those of us keeping our feet on the ground.

Summary

“So, for next season: a League and Scottish Cup double with a 3rd-place finish in the Champions League and a respectable showing in the Europa.”
Looking back on the season, you could argue that we did better or worse than expected, which is as convenient a way of hedging your bets as you can get.

What do I predict for next season?

Now, that's another story...--

Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Against Modern Football: Celtic censoring the Rosenborg match is not fair play but shameful

In recent times, on social media, fans' banners and even graffiti, the words, "Against Modern Football", have increasingly been seen.

This is not some Luddite slogan from those hell-bent on defying progress, nor yet an exercise in misty-eyed nostalgia, imagining that days gone by were without their faults.

Rather, it is an indictment on the practices associated with the corporate game of football today.

A sport that often seems to have lost its soul as the joy of the game is increasingly subordinate to the business interests of those who know everything about how to make money but care nothing for fair play in the boardrooms, on the field and in the stands.

Celtic choose to brand the the club, "like no other" and indeed there are many things that set us apart.

But, when it comes to commercial matters, it can be seen that Celtic is a club like very many others across the world.

Fans are only of worth in terms of their spending power and PR value.

If they help the team, create an exciting atmosphere, draw praise from the best players from the most famous clubs; good. But pay for the privilege, buy the tickets, the shirts (preferably all three) and subscribe to every paid service the club has to offer.

When clubs from the richest leagues come to town, it's a PR extravaganza, carrying "the brand" worldwide.

But clubs from smaller leagues - like Norway, for example - who cares?

Is the world going to buzz with news about Celtic playing Rosenborg? Probably not.

Similarly, there isn't likely to be a lucrative Norwegian market for shirts and merchandise.

Does that mean that Rosenborg fans don't deserve to watch their team in what Celtic fans hope will be their last round of Champions League football?

Apparently so. At least to some.

But, to others, the fact that Celtic are refusing to sell TV rights to the first leg against the Norwegian champions is nothing short of shameful.

It is an embarrassment to a club that often seeks to cash in on the image of a higher football ethos.

The inherent unfairness of the Champions League has rightly been bemoaned by all connected to Celtic.

It is simply wrong that the Scottish and Norwegian champions have to play each other in the second of four qualifying rounds.

But what is also wrong is the fact that only the Rosenborg fans able to travel to Celtic Park will be allowed the simplest right in football - to watch their team play.

The Celtic suits and their shield-bangers in the "independent" online community will tell you that this is necessary to protect Celtic from illegal streams and to encourage a solid turnout to back the team.

Cynics will say that Celtic are more worried about forcing fans to fork out the exorbitant prices for home matches when UEFA is not in control of the broadcast rights for the matches.

But bottom of the list of priorities - again - is the lowly football fan. You know - the ones who keep the damned game alive and awash with money that flows from the many to the few?

Few fans can travel to international away matches and many can't attend games at all.

But that matters little to the self-appointed censors at Celtic Park who hold in their hands access to, not one club, but two.

The fact that the early rounds of the tournament are overwhelmingly the preserve of clubs from smaller leagues makes this easy.

Rosenborg fans will, quite rightly, complain but few in the outside football world will listen.

And nor will the executives and directors of Celtic Football Club plc.

A corporate club, like any other.