06 Feb 2014 12:31:26
Sometimes I hate Social Media, you can't just seem to support your team.

You will forgive some of us for being about cynical about the Celtic bashing but its an opinion we are quite entitled to have. For the past 20 years I've seen Fergus McCann booed, Gordon Strachan practically run out, Martin O'Neill's cheque book management vilified etc so this current bashing is nothing new to me or most of us.

You have no idea how delighted I am Social Media was not about in 1994. This new way of insulting ordinary fans who are not out and out Celtic bashers - you must be at the match eating a piece of bread with seafood on it and wetting yourself, this is coming from fellow Celtic fans. Nice

I've absolutely no issue with fans questioning every decision at Celtic or wanting a say in team selection and having an opinion on it but if you are going to put your views on an open banter site then other fans will question your opinion and give their views, why is this seen as a problem and why does it warrant grown adults using insults?

Football is horribly ruled by money and if we played in a bigger league with the fanbase we have, I hate to think of the owners we would attract. Dermot Desmond might not be everyone's cuppa tea but I can think of a lot worse and not many who would be better.

Neil Lennon - was the cheap option for the Board and the Scottish Cup game on Saturday is a must win.

1.) 06 Feb 2014
As usual.well said!

2.) 06 Feb 2014
Neil lennon should never have got managers job. The board was dicing with death and could of possibly instigated a repeat scenario of john barnes- no experience, shocking performance.

Lennon knew himself he wasn't ready, evident by asking for a mentor stuart baxter.

He is in a league where he is unchallenged and simply has not been tested.

Last 16 in Europe, imo was down to solid performances from a stronger team with wanyama playing some amazing football.

This year in europe was an embarrassment and should never of been that bad.

3.) 06 Feb 2014
Mrs E bang on.

I'd even take it a little further. In my opinion Peter Lawwell has been excellent for our club. You can argue all you want about penny pinching etc but he has always kept us on a safe financial footing.

I see people banging on about why we haven't signed this £6m player. A £6m player in our environment would have to be 100% the right person. There is absolutely no scope there for not being quite right or needing time to settle in. Also who's to say we haven't been enquiring about these players but again due to our environment was rebuffed?

I think we need to accept the stage we live on and support the team like we sing about.

4.) 06 Feb 2014
Toffee where do you get the notion that anyone speaking against something at the club isn't supporting the team? Do you say the same about Everton's Blue Union, Arsenal, Leeds United or Manchester United Supporter's Trusts who all campaign for changes at their respective clubs. Are you also against the Crystal Palace fans demonstrating against the ticket prices in the English Premier League or the Liverpool fans who campaigned to get rid of their last owners?

We all laugh at the Sevco fans not saving their club, weren't they doing exactly what you want us to do and just accept things and support the team? May I also ask what your opinion on the Celts For Change group who over 20 years ago refused to just accept things?

5.) 06 Feb 2014
Che, the difference then was that the clubs existence was at stake, taking to the edge by a board who had no clue, now we are in a healthy situation it seems you only want a fight with the board as they don't conform to your political beliefs?

6.) 06 Feb 2014
There is nothing I have said that could possibly be construed as political but I'm a member of the Labour Party and a member of UNISON if you must know. So can we get back to talking about Celtic or did you prefer when the forum was all about the politics of the Sevco saga?

7.) 06 Feb 2014
There was a reason I wrote I was delighted Social media was not about 20 yrs ago and one of the reasons Celts For Change was a success! The Club was at the biggest crisis point any Club can ever be at in 1993/4 - where is the comparison today?

Toffeebhoy, totally agree that the environment (or league) we play in dictates how the finances are spent. We are financially healthy this season but we've all seen how quickly that turns.

Scottish football is a riot just now!

DN30 - I thought the success Neil Lennon had in Europe last season was well deserved and it was fantastic. Obviously this season he was shown up and a few players let him down. Wanyama was sorely missed.

He had to the take the job when it was offered, who wouldn't and his first season that bluddy Inverness CT game changed where the league title went, still rages me to this day!

8.) 06 Feb 2014
Seen this yesterday on FB about English Clubs but Liverpool, Newcastle, Leeds have good attendances and I don't mind this either as they are discussing things like the German 50 +1 rule. :-

IF there’s one thing guaranteed to annoy football fans, it’s rubbish. And there’s a lot of it around.

As the powers-that-be – the football authorities and the Government – have saw fit to idly stand by and let any old tycoon get their mitts on our beloved clubs, many loyal supporters have been forced to endure it more and more.

Pic: Propaganda
By now you know the script all too well. Wealthy man arrives. Wealthy man makes promises. Wealthy man wears scarf and/or replica shirt. Wealthy man says he understands the fans and respects the traditions of the club.

Wealthy man royally takes the piss as his ego takes over, the pound signs light up in his eyes, it all goes tits up and he leaves fans crying in their beer. We had it with Hicks and Gillett.

Portsmouth, Leeds United, Blackburn Rovers…they, among others, know the score, too.

After their weekend home humiliation to Sunderland, it was Newcastle United fans that were again shaking their fists in the direction of the boardroom.

Manager Alan Pardew was embarrassingly pushed into the firing line to deflect the bullets from Director of Football Joe Kinnear, who has since resigned, and owner Mike Ashley as he was asked a string of searching questions – why had the club not signed a player on a permanent deal in two transfer windows? Why hadn’t they replaced Yohan Cabaye?

Eventually, he simply walked away. He had no answers. Since Ashley took over at St James’ Park, Newcastle have failed to muster a decent cup run, have finished no higher than fifth in the Premier League, have been relegated and have consistently sold many of their best players.

Most fans think Ashley and Co are more than happy for Newcastle to survive in the top flight, make a profit and post a healthy set of accounts.

The situation prompted one wag to list Mike Ashley for sale on eBay following the 3-0 thumping from Sunderland but there’s a serious point to be made.

What’s the point in a football club without ambition? What’s the point in a football club that seemingly doesn’t care about its supporters? And what’s the point in a football club that puts profit before performance?

The bottom line is, a football club shouldn’t be run like a business. It shouldn’t be a billionaire’s plaything. Instead, it should be respected for what it is – a much-loved sporting institution, a vital part of Britain’s culture, a key component of thousands of people’s identity.
Yet – despite more and more owners taking the piss (see Leeds, see Cardiff City, see Hull City) there’s a collective shrug from those that could make a difference.

Rules could be put in place to protect our clubs from the mad and the money-obsessed: Germany already has a model in place that works well.
There – thanks to the 50+1 rule – the club’s members (supporters) always have the final say. So if an investor swoops hoping to change the name of the ground, introduce a new club name or give the team a new kit, he will have to convince the fans it’s what is right and proper as there’s only ever 49 per cent of the club up for grabs.

Here, we protect our buildings, we protect our trees, we protect our beaches, our wildlife and our greenbelt. Yet we don’t protect our football. And while that remains the case, the smell of rubbish will never be far away from the clubs we cherish.

9.) 06 Feb 2014
The word *rubbish actually says something else but must have been filtered out!

{Ed007's Note - The auto-filter changes sweary words.}