After a week of dejection, there was a need for a Shiny Thing and, right on cue, a Daily Radar exclusive.
Do you want shiny?
I got shiny!
Here’s some steel!
For the avoidance of doubt, “aspirational” is doing a lot of heavy lifting.
Just as well, that big crane is still there.
If you step back, all of this is redolent of Espanyol Glasgow, the destination of the fabled “Journey” since 2012.
They’re simply the Second Best, and the Covid season now looks very much like an aberration.
Across the city, the Grey Brigade wish it wasn’t so.
However, Fergus McCann, in building a stadium that some members of the ousted ancien régime said would never be completed or filled to capacity.
Of course, they were wrong, gloriously wrong, on both counts.
Celtic start every season with a quite literally in-built financial advantage over their neighbours across the river.
The only proviso is that the Parkhead Club sells their full complement of season tickets.
If they manage that, then there is an inescapable fact:
Celtic have more season tickets than there are seats at Ibrox stadium.
Football finance expert David Low, who was McCann’s local fixer during the takeover in 1994, conservatively estimates that the Hoops have a £15m advantage at the start of every campaign and in Scottish football, such a sum is huge.
In many ways, Saturday’s matchday events encapsulated what it is to be Espanyol Glasgow.
The incident involving the St Johnstone SLO was as predictable as it was shameful.
As this is now Live Proceedings it cannot be commented on further at present.
During the match against the Perth side, I noticed a small banner being held up that depicted Bill the Butcher from Gangs of New York.
Here is mine from last year for context.
That Tifo was so large that it could not have been staged without the approval of the club.
When that type of iconography is officially authorised, those in the Blue Room really should take a moment to reflect on what messages they are sending to their klanbase.
Everyone anyone?
Really?
That’s for them to answer, not your humble correspondent in Dún na nGall.
Dear reader, the featured image is a cruel comparison of how Glasgow’s football landscape is so unevenly divided.
It’s another day and another court appearance for the club created in 2012.
The commercial comparison with the SPFL champions is too stark to be admissible in a piece of fiction writing.
Of course, the Stenopgprahy Corps will do their as best as hope dealers to the Ibrox klanbase.
However, facts continue to get in the way.
If it arrived “Bang on Schedule” wouldn’t that suggest they knew last season but neglected to inform anyone that they wouldn’t have the stadium that john Brown played for ready for the start of this season?
Quite so.
Many, many years ago took my two sons and one of their friends to Cardiff (I lived Newbury, Berkshire) to watch Celtic play “Inter-Cable-Tel” a European game.
Tickets had to be purchased from Cardiff Ice Rink,
Where in the family enclosure beside the tunnel trying to get autographs for the children when Mr McCann came out with Wim Jansen, he stood a few feet away said ‘Excuse me’, he turned and he were okay to sign autographs, heard my accent (Scots), hearing my sons (Home Counties) he asked them why Celtic??
Came across as a very decent human being, thanked him for saving Celtic, his reply..
“Up to those guys now” (Players)
Mention should be made of the Celtic fans.
Having a bar lunch in the hotel my sons had a PSG and an Italian strip, their friend a ‘Hungerford Town’ strip, all 3 were given scarfs by fans, were so happy at the friendly and open manner of the traveling Celtic fans.
Fergus should have an entrance named after him.
“Fergus Way”
Fergus McCann is in my opinion the most important board member in Celtics history, without him we could have lost our club. When you think of the state our club was in when he and his band of Celtic loving businessmen stood up to be counted, and then the supporters with their hard earned cash financed the building of our new ground, we should all be so proud.
I never knew my Grandfather who was born in 1866 in the Gorbals, his parents were from Derry. My Dad told me that his Father was one of the volunteer workers who helped build the 1st Celtic Park, When I look at Celtic Park and think of the great people associated with this club, The Players, The Managers, Board members and those behind the scenes, but most of all the greatest supporters in the World who financed and still finance this Scottish/Irish institution it nearly makes me greet wae pride.
Fergus is a great part of that history and will always be remembered, statue or no statue.
I think a bronze bunnet should be placed above the main entrance to paradise to honour fergus
I watched Fergus being interviewed on a YouTube channel and never have I watched a more humble man. To think a status is not on the grounds of Celtic Park is a shame.
I understand Fergus’ reluctance to have a stand or statue. He just isn’t that kind of guy. However, I agree with many here, we likely would not have had a club where it not for him. He is a genuine part of our history. I would love to see our club honour the wee man in some way during his lifetime. Maybe if the club told Fergus the fans would like to see him honoured; that he could choose. It doesn’t need to be a statue or a stand maybe the fans could donate to the “Foundation” or another favoured charity in is name.
We would have had a club as Gerald Weisfield and Willie Haughey had a deal on offer too as did Dalglish and Jim Kerr but the right man got the job.
Looking at the two images at the beginning of your article, I wonder how long it will be before there is some Trumpian claim that sevco were feted by a larger crowd than Celtic. They are already claiming that there was a “near 40k” attendance. The only thing I can offer is that there were 15k members of the Lillepution sevco supporters club, who were too small to be visible over the seat back in front of them. After all – They wouldn’t be telling us lies would they?
Trump’s poorly attended inauguration when compared to Obama’s gave us a wonderfully Orwellian term:
“Alternative facts”.
The North Stand Should Have Been Named After Fergus As Soon As It Was Completed
Mr McCann said he did not want anything like that when he was alive.
He’s not dead yet!
The Daily Ranger’s tweet shows how little that rag has left. As if it ever had any credibility. A few weeks ago, Sevco was saying there was an “unexpected delay” shipping steel from Asia. Now, the Daily Ranger says the steel arrived “bang on schedule”. Both statements cannot be true. At least one of them is false.
I wonder too which genius at Sevco deliberately picked a delivery date that was “bang on schedule” after the season had started.
I had a laugh at that one.
It brought to mind Hank Williams “I Won’t Be Home No More” with lyrics such as…
Well, you’re just in time to be too late
You’re just in time to miss the boat
Is old Hank trawling them from beyond the grave?
McCoist is “genuinely devastated” at the moment…understandable considering his “Rangers” are dead and the cloned tribute act is on life support. Steel yourself Ally!
It’s getting near time to redevelop the min stand at Celtic Park.
I think it has not been done to date because The Bunnet has said on many occasions that he doesn’t want the stadium or a stand named after him, he doesn’t feel he deserves it. Not sure about a statue but I’d imagine he has the same thoughts on that as well
The North Stand should be named the Fergus McCann stand without delay it’s well overdue.
Hope dealers ….priceless.
It’s about time a statue of Fergus was commissioned for what he did for us, without whom we wouldn’t be in the position we are now ,long overdue be nice to show our gratitude whilst he is still with us .
👍👍👍
Totally agree, well overdue
Totally agree Jim . A statue or a stand named after him. Been saying it for years.
Agreed 💯
You are 100% correct. What’s more, I can’t believe it hasn’t been done already. The Wee Bunnet should be immortalised at Parkhead.
With Mr McCann’s reluctance around this matter, Glasgow’s Celtic could consider a big golden bunnet statue. It would serve as a reminder we will never have to go cap-in-hand again.
as best as hope dealers
asbestos trope dealers