From now on the days will get longer in the northern hemisphere.
That means a great deal to me and in 2016 I laid out my reasons in some detail.
Last Christmas my brood bought me a light box and that coupled with some Iberian sun has been a boon to me this winter.
For sure we can still have some rough weather in front of us on the wintery island, but the days will now lengthen.
Just the thought of that makes things a bit better for me.
Baby Doctor is already here and Number One Daughter and the Big Fella will arrive over the weekend.
This well-heated house has enough food for a siege and the Bean a tí has everything in place for the day itself.
We’re lucky and we know it.
However, it doesn’t escape my attention that as this economy motors along there are people sleeping in the streets of our capital.
Within yards of where the Proclamation was first read by Pearse citizens of this republic huddle in doorways.
The Irishman from Scotland who was standing beside him that day warned that this might happen.
We should be sick with shame.
So dear reader, I hope that you are as lucky as we are here in Dún na nGall.
The vast majority of ye are regular visitors to this place and for that, you have my thanks and gratitude.
The traffic figures would certainly put forward the case that there is an ongoing need for this samizdat on Planet Fitba.
Give the ongoing failures of the local media in Glasgow on the Ibrox story it would appear that this site still has a role.
Meanwhile, in the southern hemisphere, the darkness has incrementally started.
Indeed, I cannot imagine that there will be much brightness over a certain household in Johannesburg today on their summer solstice.
It was just confirmed to me by an excellently placed source that Dave had not come up with the £19m.
For the sake of Mr King, I hope that my chap is wrong on that one.
I am in touch with a business journo in Joburg and he is a veteran Dave watcher.
He estimated that the King family net worth was around £24m (stg).
Consequently, I can understand why they would be reluctant to put £19m of that into an escrow account in the UK.
Now, it would seem that Dave has bet it all on less than 50% of the potential sellers taking him up on his court-ordered offer.
However, I’m told that the chaps in the Takeover Panel have already a contingency for that.
Of course, despite the changes in the seasons, there are some things that are a constant and Squirrels over Ibrox seems to be one of them.
It is a remarkable coincidence that the figures leaked this week on Sevco’s Europa League journey just happen to be the same amount that was missing in the RIFC accounts.
Of course, The People were soothed by this good new narrative.
That was never in doubt.
I will pop up here at some time next week with my review of 2018.
Regular readers will know the usual format of that.
In the meantime, I hope that you and yours are in a good place in every sense of the that term.
I trust that 2019 will be everything you need it to be.
Full English programme today, Match Of The Day to follow tonight.
Full SPFL fixture list today, no Sportscene tonight.
Presumably we have to wait 24 hours to see the game highlights courtesy of the BBC deal with Sky/BT?
It’s an even happier midwinter Phil. After today’s results, I’m looking forward to your next piece already
Morelos saved Gerrard’s hide today. Up till the late winner Stevie G and his squad were getting pelters from all over online.
The mini invasion smacked a little of the wild celebrations at Firhill with another late goal on Pedro’s watch.
We know how that turned out.
With the Celtic defence looking much more solid with Benkovic in situ we can go to Pittodrie and Ibrox with confidence.
If Goldson and Worral are the Rangers answer to the Celtic attack then it’s difficult to see Celtic not scoring.
Despite Well and Dundee getting everyone behind the ball chances galore went a begging, particularly in the latter match.
Goldson, Worral and McCauley get some praise from their fans for their heading ability in defence.
We won’t be coming at them in the air. The ball will be on the ground and our front players will be running at them at pace.
6 points next week will have a massive impact on the SPFL table.
Let’s get it done and go into the new year looking down on the challengers, leaving the Scottish Cup as the only viable trophy up for grabs.
Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year Phil and to all your readers.
But for the injury/resting of Tierney today Celtic would have started with 5 graduates from their own academy.
It’s almost unheard of in the modern era for one of the bigger clubs.
Young Mikey looks a talent and, in addition to his goals today, he worked his socks off.
Ralston made numerous incisive runs down rhe rightrighton another day could have had a couple of goals for his efforts.
With Christie back in the fold Rogic’s non appearance will be somewhat mitigated.
No better time to get the away form turned around than the fixtures at Pittodrie and Ibrox.
With Tierney, Boyata, Lustig, and Edouard all having had a wee rest, now is the time.
Brendan will have a sore head working around his team selections with Mikey and Ralston laying down their claims whilst Broonie can’t get off the bench.
I see the latest Ibrox Noise claims that the likes of Well and Dundee just throw their games against us, particularly changing the team for apparently for no reason apart from weakening the line up.
They did leave Hibs out of that argument of course as it didn’t fit their story.
Even 4 points next week will see us finish the first half of the season at the top.
After the break with consecutive home games against Accies, St Johnstone and St Mirren we can leave the others trailing and march onto 8 IAR.
I was chatting with a dear friend the other day, this guy is reasonably intelligent and supports Rangers.
I gave him a run down of all the TOP stuff, the way DK ousted Lambias etc, the General Ashley pincer move and just about every other truth that ain’t in his beloved SM.
Each of his finely tuned replies were soundly countered with fact.
What astonished me was his parting statement even after all was laid bare.
He told me he was at the AGM and he liked DK.
I bumped into him about an hour later and he said “We’re fucked eh”
Thanks for everything Phil, without you I would never have been able to help set this guy free. He is one of the friends I spoke of in my very first reply to your blog.
I wish you all, your Kith and Kin, and all those your heart holds dear a very merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
With the shameful Scottish media ( and not just on football matters ) we will need your input , Phil , and as many other like-minded commentators as will stick their heads above the parapet .
Keep the info on the GASL coming – and maybe even some of the supporters of The Tribute Act may see the light .
Nah ! Not going to happen .
Happy Christmas to you and yours !!
All the best Phil, you’ve had a great year and your site is by far the best sourced and most credible out there. Hope your family have a great Christmas period and don’t worry about calories until it’s over.
With the Sevco balance sheet offering hope of some sort of financial respite, perhaps all it would take to close them down would be for a well-placed drone to be utilised within the confines of the bigotdome – well, it was certainly a very effective means of shutting down the UK’s second-largest airport!
As for Dodgy Dave – let’s hope he has a wee granny tucked away somewhere that will send him a Christmas card with a fiver in it, since he appears to be just about on the skids.
Phil,
i’m glad you do this work, it is so essential. I too get down with the darkness so I look at today as the start of the journey to Spring. I’m glad you have a way of looking forward, in hope and I’m happy you will have your family around you. I remember going to see ‘The Wind that shook the Barley’ with my Irish girlfriend. My family are from Donegal but i had no idea of the story of the famine despite studying history at school. I was appalled.
Keep shining your light into dark places. Hail Hail, and have a peaceful Christmas. Mick
First up…
Best wishes to Leigh and his family…keep fighting wee man…hope to see you back soon.
On the football front….
For anyone not at Celtic Park on Wednesday….if proof were needed that Broony is a class act and must be kept….then he provided it against Murderwell….500 games…Wow….!! Congrats Captain.
You can argue about systems and tactics….but what is inescapable is…he’s the best player in Scotland.
He will soon be challenged by McGregor and probably Christie…but for now…get him signed up Brendan.
I’d also like to wish you Phil and all your readers…a very Happy Christmas…and a Peaceful New Year.
Hail hail Celtic…onwards and upwards.
Thanks Phil,
Your bad news is,well,good news,for me anyway.Dave has just about finished painting himself into a corner,his sleekit reptilian behaviour might just be seeing the end is nigh.
Oh,please let that be true,it’ll Aw come oot in the courts soon enough.
All the best to you and yours for the holidays Phil,May 2019 bring health and prosperity
HH🍀
Nollaig Shona duit féin agus do Phil
Let the good tims roll HH
Phil; All the best to you and your family for the Holiday’s! Your samizdat is most certainly still needed and is required reading. Looking forward to more of your insights throughout the upcoming year.
Ibrox Noise is making exactly that about the approx £15m extra in the kitty from the European run.
Are they forgetting that a £13m loss has recently been posted for the previous financial year?
We know from the accounts that substantial transfer fees are still to be paid on current squad players.
What about the Breadman and Pedro’s pay offs?
None of Gerrard’s recruits will have come on the cheap in terms of salary, ditto his backroom staff.
It’s doubtful if those who have outstanding soft loans with the club will be in a hurry to provide any more support or end up with more useless equity in exchange.
King’s legal fees alone since 2012 must be astronomical and there is no end in sight to the merchandising fiasco plus he is working to a tight schedule on his TOP/COS issue, with the consequences of not complying may well see him run out of road.
Don’t remember Celtic reporting in their accounts making anywhere near that figure when they were in EL last time. Highly dubious, speculative and wishful thinking as is the norm.
Must have missed the “leaked figures”. Please do tell as I don’t know where else to look for them. TIA