Over a week has passed since we blew the opportunity to win our world record ninth treble, it doesn’t get any easier to accept, because we weren’t beaten by a better team, it was a bit like Seville, Porto were more than capable of beating us in 2003, if they played their natural game, but Jose Mourinho doesn’t take chances, and neither does Jimmy Thelin at Aberdeen. What we have to do is learn from the experience and make sure it doesn’t happen again. There are teams in Europe which are very good, and would be hard to beat, but if we applied ourselves properly, and get a fair shot from the officials, we should be more than capable of beating any team in Scotland.
The Scottish media and sports writers are in a frenzy now that the Newco take-over has finally been completed, this gives the newest club in the SPL another opportunity to squander someone else’s money, as they have been doing since their inception. You don’t hear any talk of getting the business/football plan right in the boardroom, no, all you hear from their deluded supporters is how much do we have to spend? This is the supporters who stood with their hands in their pockets when their precious club went into liquidation and died, did they try to save them? No chance, did they try to pay off the massive debts they left behind? Again, no chance.
I have no idea how the new owners will operate within the rules of the SFA/SPFL, but if the way ex-chairman Dave King was examined, they will have carte blanche to do what they want. King came from South Africa after being convicted in court of Tax Fraud, the Judge actually described him as “A glib and shameless Liar” King had to pay the South African Revenue Service £40 million, or serve 82 years in prison, he duly paid up. When King went in front of the football authorities in Scotland, he was found to be “Fit & Proper” to own a football club, a bit like hiring the Kray Twins to look after your interests. Ultimately it doesn’t matter to Celtic Football Club, we are a well-run Club, with the very best business people in the boardroom, and with top class football people in the changing rooms.
We don’t control what happens in Scottish Football, and we certainly don’t control what happens at UEFA. Glasgow Celtic are once again Champions of Scotland, and are now the most successful football club in Europe. Celtic were the first non-Latin team to win the European Cup in Lisbon in 1967, with a team of players born within thirsty miles of Celtic Park, yet next season we have to play a qualifying round to enter the group stages of the Champions League, is the clue not in the name? Champions League? Yet how many teams in the competition are Champions of their own country? Certainly less than half.
So England has six representatives, Liverpool (Champions) Arsenal (won nothing), Manchester City (won nothing) Chelsea (finished fourth) Spurs (won Europa League) Spurs finished 17th in the EPL, the three teams below them got relegated, Newcastle Utd (finished fifth). Three of the teams qualifying automatic have never won the European Cup/Champions League. The top four leagues in Europe according to UEFA have nineteen places between them, yet the Champions of Scotland have to qualify. Spain has five places, Germany and Italy have four each, this is all about money for the top teams. A few years ago some of the biggest teams wanted a European Super League, the ordinary supporters all over Europe demonstrated against that proposal, yet here we have a “European Super Champions League” The teams that are the outside of the big four better take note, the format that was used last season failed, too many of the so-called big teams failed to qualify for the knock-out rounds, so you can bet within a couple of years it will change again, and make no mistake, the big four won’t be the ones to lose out.
What is even more annoying about the system is the claim of the big four football nations. Scotland has the highest attendance per capita of supporters watching top league football in Europe. Scotland has almost double what England has, more than double of Spain and Germany, and almost treble what Italy has, so much for looking after your regular supporters. This is all about money, nothing else but money, how else would you explain Israel playing in European Football? We certainly can’t have Palestine playing, they don’t even have hospitals or schools now, never mind football stadiums of pitches, these poor people are being denied food and water, electricity and medical supplies, but what does UEFA say about that, nothing, because there are a lot of corrupt people in their offices, and it’s all about the money.
Glasgow’s still Green & White.
