The boss was on devastating form today as he sat in front of the media and dealt out some hard truth to them about our post-Christmas fixtures being shuffled around with an away fixture now falling on Boxing Day.
He smelled a rat and he was right to.
Seven post-Christmas fixtures in a row away from home. How do you explain that? An anomaly? Like the fixture list we’ve started the season with.
A quirk of that computer. For a machine with no biases, it really does operate as though it were programmed in Larkhall.
On top of that, we have an awful lot of anomalies in Scottish football, and the thing is, they seem to favour Ibrox or go against us. Maybe that’s an anomaly in itself, like the penalties thing with them in the league. An anomaly. One Hell of a one.
There are people who are going to accuse Rodgers of playing to the gallery. That might be a valid criticism to level at the latest incumbent across the street if he was talking this way, but Rodgers has no need to do any such thing.
He’s won over the fans; he’s accomplished that goal and people are solidly behind him. So why would he bother?
Rodgers is genuinely pissed off about this, and he knows Scottish football well enough to look at it and think that it’s suspect, and he said so. ““Either we’re very, very unlucky or someone’s making tricks behind the scenes,” he said and that’s as clear as it can be.
This is a man who has already been here for two and a half years prior to this. He is not stupid. He knows what he’s watching and he knows this isn’t bad luck or anything else. There are too many of these wee anomalies and none of them to our benefit.
I think something else should be noted above and beyond the words. It’s what the words mean. Ange was very, very clear that he wasn’t going to discuss any of these notions that the table was stacked against us.
But he clearly knew. It just wasn’t his style to come out and comment publicly on it, although he dropped the occasional dark hint.
Rodgers is much more aggressive on this stuff and that means the club is now going to be much more aggressive on this stuff.
This isn’t a guy who will be content to sit there and handwave this stuff as though it’s of no consequence. Rodgers will take these issues on, and that means we’re moving to a front-foot phase, more so than we’ve seen in a while.
So those behind the scenes be warned. This is a new attitude from Celtic, one that isn’t going to be subservient or silent about this stuff one minute more. That’s over with. Ange did things one way, that way’s the past.
This is Rodgers’ team now and he does things in the Rodgers way and this is part of that, and a change that we should not underestimate.
He speaks quietly does our Brendan from The Glens of Co. Antrim in Ireland…
But when he speaks he speaks with intelligence and clout…
Knowing this hellhole of a football country he’ll probably be charged with bringing the game into disrepute –
How often did that punishment befall Wee Lenny…
Far too often while The likes of The man with no surname (Walter) could say what he wanted and Gerrard was even more vocal in The Liebrox managerial seat…
Great to FUCKIN FINALLY hear someone at Celtic have a pair off balls to speak out –
Keep it up and I might just reapply for a season ticket once again !
I well remember going up to Aberdeen 3 Boxing days in a row , around the early 2000’s I think; the furthest away game in the league at the time . I said at the time that something isn’t right , 2 up to Aberdeen on Boxing day is unlikely but 3 is mightily fishy. The stats must be somewhere for the last 20/25 Boxing days, ought to make interesting reading.
Are we really playing seven away games in a row?
Don’t think that’s correct.
Hi James,
Just had a look at the fixture list and don’t see the 7 away games in a row, what’s the deal with that?
7 boxing day games in a row
Think we had seven Boxing Day games in a row in their early 2000’s…
And seven Boxing Day wins in a row as well –
This of course was when we beat (knocked out) Rangers (as they were known as then) seven times in a row…
I think the last one was a last minute belter past Stefan Klos by Alan Thompson at The Celtic (Gallowgate) End…
I was in a pub in Antrim Road in North Belfast that day…
It was awesome indeed – And I got drunk on ‘Punch’ !!!
7 Boxing Days in a row !
It refers to the first game after Xmas day being away from home seven times in a row, rather than seven away fixtures in a row during the same season.
Go with both barrells we all know Scottish football is corrupt , Celtic will always overcome,Brendan back us as we back you YNWA
Ah sorry.
Seven years in a row not seven fixtures in a row.
My bad.
Celtic plc, lawwell and Co will do nowt, they never do a thing, in fact they are complicit in covering things up. Fergus McCann where are you?
one swallow doesn’t make a summer. we need to real serious push-back on every/all issues that have pissed us off for years
Another anomaly is that in 11 of the past 12 seasons all of our opening fixtures have been at home – what’s all THAT about?! Oh, wait, flag day. Right…
I don’t think this is as big a conspiracy as it may look at first glance. Granted, while Boxing Day always falls on the same date, the opening day of the season does not, but it’s quite consistently the last weekend of July or the first weekend in August now so while variable it’s only slightly variable. I haven’t the time or inclination to pore over previous seasons fixture lists to prove it one way or another but I think that a combination of that and Sky’s unhealthy level of influence over fixture scheduling (a similar ‘anomaly’ exists in the EPL with Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur nearly always meeting in early January, and guess what- they are again on 14 January, and I’m certain this is Sky TV’s work) is more likely to have more to do with this than it coming from the room in Hampden with the chequered floor tiles…..
We don’t have 7 away post Xmas. Sounded odd given we’ve just had a load of away games including Hibs amora.
We’ve got a good run of home games Nov and Dec and post Xmas is
Dec 30th v rankers at Paradise, Jan 2 away to St Mirren
then shutdown to
Jan 27h v Ross County at Paradise, two away then
Feb 17th v Kille at Paradise
With reference to the Asia cup also we might have postponed games if, as is well likely, we have a number of our players selected for Japan, South Korea and Australia. We have a right to cancel given those numbers .
Good luck amora Bhoys. HH
Would like Brendan to complain vehemently about the refs not pacing 10yrds properly at free kicks…8 for Celtic….11 for R2ngers…
The Board is never going to speak out and criticise,
well, about anything contentious with the SPFL or the SFA that is.
Can only guess BR made that fixture comment without the Board’s knowledge?
Well done…now have a pop about the sevco ‘no-penalties’ fix!
Fair Play to Brendan for Saying this….WHY have the Celtic Board Stayed Silent here ?