People inside Celtic may keep their counsel on most things but there are issues on which they are very clear where they stand, and the things that concern us often concern them too with the only the difference that you very rarely will hear about that from the club directly. Which isn’t to say that questions are not being asked behind the scenes.
One of those issues broke into the public light last week when Chris Sutton brought it up, in his latest column. We’ve talked about this ourselves, but to see it featured in a mainstream publication, albeit by one of our own guyst was something of a surprise, although why it should be I don’t know, because you have to be blind not to have spotted it even if it took big Chris to do the sums.
“By my counting,” he wrote, “this weekend will be the 18th time that Celtic have played after (the Ibrox club.) It’s far from easy when you are the (team) which has to constantly respond to results.”
18 times folks. One more time this season and that will be half a campaign … and when you consider that we play half of our leagues games at home you need to ponder that statistic properly. This is not simply explained away by televised games, and it’s not even completely explained away by UEFA’s scheduling of Champions League games.
Half a season of playing after they’ve already played. If we were the sort of team to waver under pressure that could have been the difference between a winning campaign and finishing second. Don’t kid yourself that this stuff doesn’t matter … that is so slanted as to be ridiculous and Sutton is definitely not the only person outside Celtic social media who sees what this is.
Believe me, people inside the club had spotted it as well. Because it stands out a country mile and it’s way too obvious to ignore. I don’t know if anyone inside the club is making noise about this behind the scenes but I would not bet against it.
I mean, should we add it to the list of bizarre anomalies which the game here has to tolerate, such as those incredible, almost mind-bending Ibrox penalty stats? That, too, is dismissed as just one of those weird things which happens sometimes.
Celtic would be mad not to be raising this somewhere, with someone … and I am sure that we will be. Not that it’s ultimately made a lot of difference … but it’s another of those things we cannot just allow to go on because in another campaign that could have been critical.
I’ll give you 2 guesses and the first one doesn’t count !
Where my comments
Just wait tae nxt Season when we’re in the Champions League & they’re in the Europa! They will have 6 games on the Sun guaranteeing us playing b4 them!! As soon as we open up a 3 pt lead then play on the Sat they’ll be writing tae UEFA demanding the Europa Leagues moved tae a Tues/Wed slot lol!
A few factors have to be considered here James.
Sky have given the lunchtime slot to Scottish football and the Sunday slot means no clash with the EPL.
The lunchtime slot might not be to our liking but it’s prime time viewing for the Asian market, so course we would be a huge market target, something the scum could and never will be either.
Also viewing figures would be bought into consideration and of course we will bring in a far bigger viewing audience, so better commercial revenue for Sky.
So maybe the real question should we be getting a far bigger slice of the TV revenue money with being the far biggest attention within Scottish football?
Our club is complicit, that’s why there’s never ever any complaints.
They know as well as any the supposed need for a Rangers under any guise, and for them to survive financially, and for TV companies to remain interested in buying the rights, the worst that can happen is 2nd every season, and the access to CL revenue that offers up.
The 5WA also means that toxic sh itshow of a club get to behave any way they want knowing they have the rest over a barrel.
While we’re showing a decent profit PL will not be asking any questions.
When the huns are on sky it’s always
on a Saturday lunchtime,so they still play before us,,, something stinks,,,,
How can the team that is No1 in every single attacking stat be 8th in a 12 team league for the penalties deficit?
HH
I am fed up pointing this out it is not a coincidience sky sevco sports know what they are doing the celtic board need to get this sorted
Everyone in the whole of the UK hears about it on the sports news on a Saturday when it is announced that R4ngers (aka Old Firm Sevco) have reduced the gap to (now) 9 points.
So it’s actually more enjoyable now after weeks of it being reduced to 6 points.
I would suggest that it’s not pressure free for them either trying to maintain that gap
Imagine the ” bottle jobs” had to play so much after us ha ha it be 30 points!! Not to count all the decisions tho go for then especially highterd more tho we all knew anyway!! But since var!! And that filth moan about that goal ha ha where it’s clear as day he pushes Johnson!! And is a foul in every league in the world! But it’s the Hun way eh ” comforting lies!! Weirdos utter weirdos are the huns and dont know who they are or what they are or stand for!! Hence the cling to the rancid hellhole for Identity tho sad they didn’t care enough to let oldco die eh ha ha In an age of internet banking to what a rid neck they truly are !! As well as being the poison of that country!
It’s beyond a joke now,surely the Celtic board must talk to uefa about this
It’s the “computer’s” fault, James. HH
The fixture list has never been random (e.g. Derby Days).
I and many Celtic fans I know have been asking the same question this season.
Easy to disagree with the article when we’re 12 clear and have the league in the bag.
I wonder if these “Fans”would be so complicate, if it were us sitting 12 behind partly due to always playing catch up and the numerous honest mistakes.
Facts are facts, it’s as simple as that!
Each season The SFA claims it uses a third party,
with a supercomputer to arrange the league fixtures list around all the variables.
In truth, the blazered tw@ts are still using their Sinclair ZX Spectrum, of ’82 vintage!
Nobody at Hampden knows how to use these modern, new fangled PC’s.
And as we know, the SFA sloths are resistant to change.
In reply to postie a few of our away games have not been on sky with a 3pm kick off but we could still watch it.it also suits the travelling support to have it at 3 pm.
It is very wrong that we have had to do this on a regular basis, in fact it’s corrupt to the core. However, it’s a real positive that we have coped with it, overcame it, and broken their hearts and spirit as we constantly maintained that gap. They say it is the hope that kills them the most, and we destroyed that hope on a weekly basis as we poured on the agony.
Let them fkn squeal.
They seem to be at home every Forces’s day too.