The sort-of-new Scottish Football thread pt 2 and a half

(Onimo, expect text messages on Sunday if I can't get a Setanta-friendly pub)

Do they mean him or his son?

Kenny Miller = TOTAL FUCKING DONKEY. Bye!! (plz)

* and about 500 other people

Don't forget his cousin Kevin and the state-of-the-art £100M stadium on a toxic Cambuslang swamp for Teh Best Fans In Teh World (TM).

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/video_and_audio/help_guide/4304501.stm

rofl at Lennon picking on wee Aidenho at the end of yesterday's game. Strachan says it's because Lennon is "scared to lose" - I think it's because Lennon is "a dick"

I'm not convinced we need Pressley. I don't have any great issues with him, he's about as good/bad/liable-to-throw-a-game-away/likely-to-score as Caldwell or Balde, so in that case, I just don't think we need him. Darren O'Dea looks alright from what I've seen, and Kennedy can't be that far away now.

Hearts and Hartley saying nothing following his hearing. I think it's safe to assume he hasn't been sacked, though I wouldn't be surprised if they were taking bids in January.

Huns off to Israel again. Plz to get comedy protestor with his silly handcuffs again?

I thought Rangers were the Protesting club?
:-P

(except for the small boys that always do comedy dashes round the pitch when Celtic win the league, evading lumbering fat blokes in yellow jackets and leaving them spinning around looking foolish, because they're always funny)

On Off The Ball just now, they've just claimed that John Martin (comedy Airdrie goalie) may be making a comeback. Daily Record photographers must be rubbing their hands* in glee.

* clad in comedy oversized goalie gloves, obviously

xpost to Gerry before Ailsa ruined my comedic timing

I don't imagine too many St Mirren fans will be at the Inverness game on New Year's Day. There was a reason New Year's Day was traditionally a derby day - everyone was too fucked to get any further than the nearest football ground. Now the fixture "computer" throws up a fucking 3-4 hour journey.

Jiri Jarosik? Form? SRSLY?

(Shaun Maloney's current form is "being knacked", yet Thompson still can't even make the squad, let alone the bench, let alone the team)

scotstvo  	88
ailsa_xx 	86
ilx_onimo 	86
aldo_cowpat 	79
treefell 	78
cheasyweasel 	75
MCibula 	67
zeus88 		42

(Scotstvo seems not to think it's a bad idea, so I don't think you can classify "actual Celtic supporters" as some sort of hivemind)

I still think Pressley is the best Scottish defender and should have a few seasons left in him at the top level. He's only 33.
Still, it's a case of wait and see.

Any other possible signings for the old firm on the way? Not seen a paper for ages and haven't been reading the web about it either.

Bwahahahaahahah.

John Kennedy, Andy Webster, Steven McManus, Russell Anderson, Gary Caldwell, there's five for starters. Zander Diamond. Mark Wilson if we're moving outwith centre halves. I'd probably rate David Weir above him too, but that doesn't mean I'd want to sign him either.

He is markedly slower at 33 than he has been in previous seasons, and I don't see him getting any better as he gets older. If we're going for an experienced Scottish head, I'd rather, say, Christian Dailly, who is the same age, faster, more experienced, more versatile and NOT CUP-TIED. But I don't see the point of this signing at all.

this china captain had better be good

At least no-one seems to be getting their knickers in a twist about the fact that Pressley used to play for Rangers.

I like Rogne a lot. Watched the second half last night when I got in - he was tidy and efficient. average age of the Celtic team last night was just over 22 - Samaras and Brown at 26 pushing it up a bit.

Still have my reservations about Lennon - we should never have been so far behind such a poor Rangers team, and it'll take a lot to shift the memories of that pishy game against Hibs and that appalling first half against Kilmarnock, not to mention the European qualifying crap, but that won't take anything away from the last seven weeks or so. Still enjoying it.

Decades of things balancing out over a season so dealwithit.gif suddenly forgotten as Rangers possibly maybe incorrectly have a goal not given - the SPL is now volunteering to FIFA to be guinea pigs for goal-line camera technology.

How about some fucking knee-high studs-up tackle spotting technology? Or some deliberate and repeated handball technology? Or maybe some flagging offside correctly technology?

Below from the minutes of a meeting between the Association of Celtic Supporters and Strathclyde Police.

o_O

On the subject of relations between large elements of Celtic support and the police CC accepted that there had been a breakdown in trust following a series of anti-Celtic briefings given by the Communications Officer at Strathclyde Police. It was pointed out and accepted that the journalist and the tabloid concerned were known to have an anti-Celtic agenda. CC confirmed that future briefings from police would need a different approach and that Communications Officer would no longer be doing that function and that Celtic PR Dept. would be involved. CC accepted that these events had been damaging to police.

(CC = Campbell Corrigan, Assistant Chief Constable, Strathclyde Police)

Communications Officer at Strathclyde Police

http://i39.tinypic.com/11ty0bc.jpg

Formerly head of communications at the SFA and previously a communications dude at the Scottish Government. Matey with Alex Salmond through working on the Commonwealth bid.

P.S. dudes who minuted the Association/Police meeting - the Celtic Symphony doesn't have add ons. So is singing the actual lyrics OK now then?

Celtic occasionally play a version with "up the Celts" - I assume "up the RA" is being counted as alternative/add-on lyrics. On Wednesday they sang neither - preferring to use Georgios Samaras as a handy rhyming substitute.

Is this image more or less clear cut than the goal line incident?

http://i.imgur.com/HTPxC.png

referee Collum clearly unsighted by looking the right way

Aye, I know that, but the actual original version (video recorded at Celtic Park btw) is Ooh Ah Up The Ra. Yer man from the polis said no add-ons, the minutes don't show anyone challenging, so let's see how that stands up next time Celtic fans get done for singing it.

Also, Collum's eyes are in the back of his head, so how can he be expected to see stuff in front of him?

that's what I was getting at

Clarifying in case anyone who isn't us passes by :-)

Happy New Year, Scottish football peeps. Only An Excuse was totally pish, wasn't it?

Never saw it, but that'll save me t0rr3nting it.

couldn't hear most of it due to overexcited children, but what i did hear was pretty pish. happy new year!

Denis Law and Frank MacAvennie still getting an airing, ffs. No jokes.

Only an Excuse has been pish since the early 90s. I can only assume Jonathan Watson has some incriminating photos of the controller of BBC Scotland.

Aye, not been funny since it came off the radio?

Was ok when Tony Roper was still involved. Wasn't Alistair McGowan involved for a bit after that, so at least there was someone who could do impressions rather than having to start every sketch with 'hi, I'm Jim Spence' or similar exposition? They need to get that Paul Reid guy involved, also some people who can write jokes.

Anyway, that's the transfer window slammed open, so expect exciting 'Sandaza/Fat Gaz/Novo/Boydichenko to Rangers' type pish for the next month before it slams shut with no-one signing anyone because Scottish football is shit and we're all doomed.

Scottish football is shit and we're all doomed

Happy new year! I have digitally taped the hogmanay "comedy" but no watched it yet.

I am thinking about not drinking for the game this afternoon. My liver's beginning to struggle with the demand.

Talking of windows slamming open - Jelavic not selected for Rangers today.

Novo and Boyd back at Ibrox would surely be pure lolz.

Also Healy starts o_O - must have made a hero of himself with that assault on James Forest. Just needed to catch the manager's eye, and wee James's kneecap.

Kerr and I on the esspeeell thread on proper-ILX