Celtic's Tour of Japan

[StuGers 477]

I've noticed this has been referenced a few times, especially on other forums. Can anyone please elaborate on what the scandal about his was?

[26th of foot 6,054]

I've noticed this has been referenced a few times, especially on other forums. Can anyone please elaborate on what the scandal about his was?

 

Rangers played 15 games in European competition to reach the 2008 UEFA Cup final. We had won the League Cup and reached the Scottish Cup final, including three ties going to replays. Throw in 38 League games and you can see there was a considerable fixture crisis. Rangers were due to play nine games in the last 21 days of the season and asked for an extension to the season. The SFA managed to secure Rangers a 3 day season extension.

 

Ra Sellik challenging Rangers for the championship(two old firm games still to be played) objected to any further season extension because Lawwell stated Sellik had a long standing post season tour of Japan booked. Of course, this tour of Japan was lucrative and had penalty clauses. Thus, we had nine games in 24 days. Despite leading ra Sellik by 10 points at the end of March, we succumbed to losing the championship, but defeated Queen of the South 3-2 in the Scottish Cup final.

 

You can imagine the surprise, when no tour of Japan took place and no explanation was forth coming. Peter tells lies.

[MacK1950 2,358]

He should be changing his name by deed-poll to Liewell in fact long ago.

[Uilleam 5,924]

Rangers played 15 games in European competition to reach the 2008 UEFA Cup final. We had won the League Cup and reached the Scottish Cup final, including three ties going to replays. Throw in 38 League games and you can see there was a considerable fixture crisis. Rangers were due to play nine games in the last 21 days of the season and asked for an extension to the season. The SFA managed to secure Rangers a 3 day season extension.

 

Ra Sellik challenging Rangers for the championship(two old firm games still to be played) objected to any further season extension because Lawwell stated Sellik had a long standing post season tour of Japan booked. Of course, this tour of Japan was lucrative and had penalty clauses. Thus, we had nine games in 24 days. Despite leading ra Sellik by 10 points at the end of March, we succumbed to losing the championship, but defeated Queen of the South 3-2 in the Scottish Cup final.

 

You can imagine the surprise, when no tour of Japan took place and no explanation was forth coming. Peter tells lies.

 

A deceitful black japanned bastard, one might observe.

[StuGers 477]

Thanks for the answer. Why am I not surprised by that story!?

[craig 5,199]

Thanks for the answer. Why am I not surprised by that story!?

 

And not a word of it incorrect. And yet nobody, upon nobody, ever questions why this may have been a lack of "sporting integrity".

 

Another fact of that same season is that this was the season where Phil O' Donnell passed away on the pitch playing for Motherwell - Phil played for Celtic 90 times over a 5 yr period - but left Celtic 8 yrs prior to his untimely and tragic passing. Celtic were due to play Rangers in the New Year OF game about 10 days after Phil's passing. Celtic had key players missing through either injury or suspension (McGeady was one IIRC) and requested the match be postponed. Duly granted.

 

Fast forward 5 months and the passing of Tommy Burns. Tommy was a TRUE Celtic legend (no disrespect to Phil but I feel "legendary" status is thrown about all too willingly these days), having played for them 350 times over a 14 yr Parkhead career and also went on to manage the Club. Did Celtic request a postponement of their next game ? No. Their official line was "Tommy would want us to play the game".

 

What is all very convenient about this is that, by this point, Celtic were 1 point ahead of Rangers but having played a game more than Rangers. What is even more convenient is that had Celtic requested a postponement then the SFA would have had to extend the league by more than the original 3 day extension..... why you may ask ? Because in the final 7 days of the 2007/2008 season Rangers were forced to play 4 games in 7 days. This was the club's schedule in those last 7 fateful days :

 

Saturday May 17th - away to Motherwell

Monday May 19th - away to St Mirren

Thursday May 22nd - away to Aberdeen

Saturday May 24th - SC final vs QoS

 

And preceding those 4 fixtures we also played another 4 fixtures in the preceding 10 days, one of which was an emotionally exhausting UEFA Cup final.

 

Check here to see our schedule in those last 17 days - was quite incredible. And the whole of Scottish football willed us to lose - with there being plenty of reports that Pacific Quay staffers watched the game in the canteen at PQ and when Zenit scored the place "erupted" in joy. And yet we have people, some of our own, who actually want us to support other Scottish teams in Europe ??? Not for me I am afraid.

[craig 5,199]

Thanks for the answer. Why am I not surprised by that story!?

 

And not a word of it incorrect. And yet nobody, upon nobody, ever questions why this may have been a lack of "sporting integrity".

 

Another fact of that same season is that this was the season where Phil O' Donnell passed away on the pitch playing for Motherwell - Phil played for Celtic 90 times over a 5 yr period - but left Celtic 8 yrs prior to his untimely and tragic passing. Celtic were due to play Rangers in the New Year OF game about 10 days after Phil's passing. Celtic had key players missing through either injury or suspension (McGeady was one IIRC) and requested the match be postponed. Duly granted.

 

Fast forward 5 months and the passing of Tommy Burns. Tommy was a TRUE Celtic legend (no disrespect to Phil but I feel "legendary" status is thrown about all too willingly these days), having played for them 350 times over a 14 yr Parkhead career and also went on to manage the Club. Did Celtic request a postponement of their next game ? No. Their official line was "Tommy would want us to play the game".

 

What is all very convenient about this is that, by this point, Celtic were 1 point ahead of Rangers but having played a game more than Rangers. What is even more convenient is that had Celtic requested a postponement then the SFA would have had to extend the league by more than the original 3 day extension..... why you may ask ? Because in the final 7 days of the 2007/2008 season Rangers were forced to play 4 games in 7 days. This was the club's schedule in those last 7 fateful days :

 

Saturday May 17th - away to Motherwell

Monday May 19th - away to St Mirren

Thursday May 22nd - away to Aberdeen

Saturday May 24th - SC final vs QoS

 

And preceding those 4 fixtures we also played another 4 fixtures in the preceding 10 days, one of which was an emotionally exhausting UEFA Cup final.

 

Check here to see our schedule in those last 17 days - was quite incredible. And the whole of Scottish football willed us to lose - with there being plenty of reports that Pacific Quay staffers watched the game in the canteen at PQ and when Zenit scored the place "erupted" in joy. And yet we have people, some of our own, who actually want us to support other Scottish teams in Europe ??? Not for me I am afraid.

[der Berliner 3,719]

A couple of things, Zenit was given a 10 day off-period by the Russian FA to prepare for that final and, unless memory deceives me, it was one of the first instances where the words "sporting integrity" were uttered from the filthy mouths, as the "season hadto end before the cup final" or the like was thrown into the fray.

 

We did store quite a bit on that topic over the years on the German board, but I'd have to dig it up.

 

It all fell in nicely with having some games being postponed because of a death of one player, but when another stalwart passed away, nothing was done at all. Not that the team where said dead player played for had a game off or were granted it.

 

The list is long, so terrifyingly long ...