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I note ra Sellik View is advertising the club's latest piece of merchandise, 'a Treble Treble Watch'. It's official, a Jeweler commissioned to design a bespoke piece. I wonder if he could be persuaded to consult his creative muse and design an accompanying, 'Paedophile Ring', after all, it's an official link?

New strip looks okay, going by the leaks...

I only listened to the podcast of the Monday evening Sportsound programme but Stewart was on and the Scottish Cup Final fall-out was part of it but not in much detail regrads the game itself. Edouards dive didn't happen because they didn't mention it. Even when it was happening, it didn't happen. 1001 camera angles could have been employed but if you don't mention it........ Stewart did find time to focus his critical eye on nemesis, Craig Levein. After a shrewd tactical approach in the Final, Stewart still managed to call him out as Cathroesque. Bingo card didn't quite come up due to the surprising omission of an ongoing simmering indignation at Morelos getting a red card rescinded in August. --------------- I cast my mind back to the League Cup Final and a Celtic penalty that was incorrectly awarded. It was missed but that isn't the point. Weeks later when Stewart was on Sportsound discussing poor refereeing decisions, Rangers were named when pointing toward injustices. However, when it came to that injust Celtic decision, Mr.BioMechanic could only bring himself to talk of the League Cup Final, no mention of who was involved. * Point being, if you don't mention it, for many,..it didn't happen. Repeat and repeat and over time it helps to brainwash and marginalise. You take a glance at a site like the 'Scottish Football Monitor' and it's a similar pattern. A more accurate name would be the 'Rangers Monitor'. A place where only one dimensional thought is tolerated and that pretends to be a high-falluting think-tank for the good of our game. I once tried to give it some balance, but I was accused of, charged and banned for the old whataboutery. ------------------------- * Looked back (this thread Feb 5th / p.141) Background is Andrew Dallas and awarding 4 penalties to Rangers v St.Mirren.

I used to go to pre-season games in Germany and the fitness levels were absolutely nil comma nil. It was the same with Ally bringing the players back just 2 weeks before important European games. I hope like last season Gerrard works them hard in Spain as that was the catalyst for our Euro run in my opinion. We were super-fit against lesser fit teams.

It's not telling us much that we didn't know, or strongly, strongly suspected, but here it is. From today's Times https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/scotland/celtic-links-to-abuse-scandal-boys-club-revealed-5k8gb833r TIMES INVESTIGATION Celtic links to abuse-scandal Boys Club revealed Marc Horne May 30 2019, 12:01am, The Times Celtic FC’s refusal to accept blame for systematic child abuse at its feeder club has been undermined by its own archives which reveal “official” links between the two organisations. Four men who held senior positions at Celtic Boys Club have been convicted in recent months of molesting dozens of children over three decades. While expressing “regret and sorrow” for the victims, Celtic FC bosses insist they are not legally culpable for the widespread abuse, describing the boys club as an “entirely separate organisation” with which they had “historic contacts”. Their position is contradicted by a number of articles in the Celtic View, the club’s official magazine, however, which talk of the boys club being “brought into the Celtic family”. An archived page from the Celtic Boys Club website says that a “semi- formal arrangement” was put in place by the late chief scout John Higgins so it could be a “nursery for young players Celtic had identified as having potential”. A lawyer representing the abuse victims said that they provided “compelling and unanswerable” proof that Celtic FC bears responsibility for the actions of the four convicted paedophiles. Celtic View articles seen by The Times reveal that: ● David Hay, the Celtic manager at the time, described the boys’ club as “very much a part of Celtic FC”, while a columnist spoke of an “official connection”. ● Celtic’s board of directors stated they were totally committed to the boys’ club and offered “investment and support”. ● Jimmy Savile was a guest of Celtic in 1987 and was hailed as a “staunch supporter”, only months after the club dismissed allegations of widespread abuse as “scurrilous”. ● Celtic’s own official history book says that the purpose of the boys’ club was to “bring talented youngsters under the Celtic wing”. The revelations put further pressure on Celtic to follow the lead set by Manchester City and issue an apology and compensate those who were abused. In 1987 Frank Cairney, a coach at Celtic Boys who was convicted of child sexual abuse in December, boasted about how the club had been founded by his friend Jim Torbett, a fellow paedophile who was convicted last November and is in jail. Cairney, in his column for Celtic View, wrote: “It was some 20 short years back that [Celtic manager] Jock Stein and [Celtic chairman] Sir Robert Kelly brought the CBC into the Celtic family. “It is now 18 years since Jock and [the Celtic scout] John Higgins made the connection official.” A Celtic View report from a boys club social held in March 1986, which was attended by the players Tommy Burns and Paul McStay, said: “David Hay [the manager] complimented CBC and once again confirmed that they are very much a part of Celtic FC.” Two years earlier it had published an article which said: “The CBC organisation and its close attachment and association with Celtic FC and the service it has given to the name of Celtic has been admired and envied by many of the top clubs in Britain.” Patrick McGuire, a partner at Thompsons Solicitors, said: “[This new evidence] reduces to ridicule any suggestion that Celtic FC and CBC were in any way, shape or form separate organisations. Every boy who went through the CBC knew it was part of the Celtic family and now we have absolutely compelling evidence that shows this. “Court proceedings will be served on Celtic unless they do the right thing and face up to their responsibilities.” Celtic FC did not comment. Official connections between Celtic FC and its feeder team are spelt out on the Celtic Boys Club (CBC) website. It was taken down after the club was renamed St Patrick’s Sports Academy last year. The Times has accessed an archived version of the site that states: “Initially the club was run totally independently from Celtic FC by a group of volunteers. Celtic FC scout John Higgins recognised the potential benefits of CBC to the professional club and subsequently a semi-formal arrangement was made where the boys’ club would act as a nursery for young players Celtic scouts had identified as having potential. It was an arrangement which would see the CBC produce an impressive list of talented players who would go on to make their names with the Hoops.” It confirms that the boys club trophy presentations took place at Celtic Park. Quotes that undermine the official story “It was 20 short years back that Jock Stein and Sir Robert Kelly brought the Celtic Boys Club into the Celtic family. It is now 18 years since Jock and John Higgins made the connection official.” Celtic View, November 18, 1987 “David Hay in his remarks welcomed the ex-Celtic Boys Club players now playing with professional clubs. He said it brought great credit to the family name of Celtic that they should maintain the association with the boys club. He complimented Celtic Boys Club and once again confirmed that they are very much a part of Celtic FC.” Celtic View, March 12, 1986 “Youngsters like Roy Aitken and Tommy Burns were coming through from Celtic Boys Club, which had been founded to bring talented youngsters under the Celtic wing.” Celtic: The Official History by Brian Wilson

I thought the Olympic Stadium was far from the action but that last night took the piss.

there will probably be no investigation as the SNP don't want to alienate the Catholic vote that helps keep them in office

Here's some recent tweets from MSP John Mason. The contortion to avoid appropriation any blame to Celtic is incredible to watch. Another line I've noticed recently from Celtic fans is if that if something is not proven through the courts, then it never happened.

I wonder was she above the law ?.?

Ian1964 posted it in the general football forum.

Apart from not winning a trophy - not getting through that group was the other major disappointment from last season. I suppose it was heartening to be back in challenging, but we should have won the group. Morelos (wrongly) disallowed goal in Moscow cost us

Yeah and be worn by stars like Karl Svensson Jeremy Clement and Seboooooo

Mmm ? not so sure about that top, looks to me like the sort of top you'd win bugger all in.

I hope you're right, coop. Although last season's efforts ended rather disappointingly, it was great to have the likes of Rapid Vienna and Villarreal back at Ibrox.

I think qualifying for the group stages gives everyone a huge lift, I fancy Stevie G to get us there again.

https://twitter.com/ProfTomkins/status/1134099571246809089

Should have stuck with it !!!

Steven Gerrard was born in the same month the Iranian embassy siege in London was resolved and two days after 4 Scots were in the starting line-up for the winners of the European Cup. Rangers had just finished 5th in the Scottish Premier division !! Today he enters his 40th year....time for life to begin in earnest

I would wager it is significantly more than £200k per year tbh. Celtic have heavily lawyered up in the past - which is part of their strategy of influence. We should adopt the same until such time as the process is fair and transparent. I suspect we will continue to be paying for lawyers for some time to come.

Yep, lawyers are good at creating markets for themselves. If this costs the game, say even, £200k, a year then its money wasted. It's added nothing this year. Another side observation, is that we've had 12 or so citations. We've challenged half of these. That's costing money (and time and effort). Celtic obviously haven't had many citations (when they should have) so have avoided that hassle. They obviously had the Brown antics after the game at parkhead, but they didnt take long to bat away.

Would be impossible to say exactly given it would fall under the general bracket of professional services in their accounts but the fact that law firms have dedicated sports lawyers says just about everything you need to know.

I lasted forty minutes. Coincidentally to your post, I went out and put grass food on the lawn.

The SFA asked for female not to be named,after all they don't want undue publicity

Only if we win.

Only if it suits the board. Otherwise they are pissing against the wind. How will board secrecy work? Board meeting of 1872: Oh xxxxxx you had a meeting of the board last night what was said? I can't tell you it is a board secret. But you are on our board. Yes but I am not allowed to discuss Rangers matters.

Given we made a £14 million loss, he's got a point!