Celtic Banter Archive December 17 2012

17 Dec 2012 23:22:31
Not long after he saved celtic from liquidation wee fergus made a statement along the lines of "it would have been less expensive to allow the club to be liquidated but I could not allow the history of this great club to die". Although this is not a direct quote, the bunnet's statement appeared in the press at the time and should be easy to find if someone had the know. pat-c

I seem to remember him saying it in a documentary when interviewed by Traynor.............green jhedi

Couldn't find that quote but found some other great ones

Quotes - By McCann
"I want people to judge me on what we have achieved after five years. I will go back to my home in Bermuda, play some golf and live a healthier life."
McCann, Aug 1995 (The Herald)

Brian Dempsey: "I said: 'This is not going to work - you can't come in here and do everything your own way.'
Fergus McCann: 'I'm going to blow my brains out, and when I do that I want to make sure I go out with the right money.'
Recalled by Brian Dempsey in a conversation. McCann, this unique, controversial, little character, did just as he said he would.

"Being a Celtic supporter is not always easy, but it is always worthwhile."
Fergus McCann (Spring 1997)

"Celtic fans should look forward to my departure as we already have in place a top management team to take the Club forward. I have not dedicated five years of my life to hand the Club over to the wrong people. The Club is on an upward curve. Our target is to have a dominant position in Scottish football followed by being a recognised force on the European scene once again. The quality of people, a first class stadium, substantial finances and a faithful supporter base is the foundation on which future success will be built".
5/12/1997

"Today is my last AGM as Celtic Chairman as I will be leaving the Club as planned before the end of the season. The time has passed very quickly since 4th March 1994, when the Club had reached an all time low with no on-field success, a dilapidated stadium, substantial debt and no money available for new players.
"Over the four years we have made massive progress: winning the League Championship (97/98); building the largest club stadium in the UK (60,000 seats); having the largest support (52,000 season book holders) of any club in Britain. This has been achieved by everyone who cares about Celtic working together towards a shared vision of football success and pride in a club which is part of our culture, open to all and a responsible member of the community working to help others where it can.
"We are now working hard to ensure that the progress that has been made can be sustained into the future. We have begun the search for a new Chairman and a new Chief Executive and we will ensure that we identify the right people to lead Celtic forward into the new millennium once again as a major force in Europe.
"As I have indicated some time ago, I intend to divest my shareholding when I leave the Club. In doing so, my overriding principle is that I shall do what I believe is best for the future of Celtic. I have also indicated my intention that my shareholding will be made available to be held broadly amongst the supporters and existing shareholders of the Club. I believe that this should produce the best structure of ownership for the Club and the Company."
14/09/1998

In response to the current market speculation concerning a proposed takeover bid for Celtic plc, a consortium including Kenny Dalglish and Jim Kerr that is considering a number of options regarding Celtic plc, today announced that the consortium has requested a meeting with the majority shareholder of Celtic plc, which may or may not lead to an offer for his shares and/or an offer for the entire issued share capital of the Company. As of today, no meeting has taken place. The valuation being placed upon Celtic plc by the consortium is substantially below the current market price of Celtic plc
10/11/1998

"I am pleased to announce the details of the sale of 14,400,000 of my shares in Celtic that enables existing shareholders and season book holders to increase substantially their ownership of their Club.
"I am satisfied with the progress the Club has made over the last five years.
I now look forward to once again being a full-time supporter and hopefully watching the team and Club progress to realise its true potential, which I believe is considerable."
20/09/1999

"You can't live on the hope of a television contract and play in a stadium with nobody there."
Fergus McCann

Shareholder: "I tell you that 90% of the people here are not interested in business. They are not interested only in the playing side of things."
McCann: "I tell you that without the business, there would be no club - and NO team."
1997 AGM

I don't want to give them one thin dime!�
Fergus McCann correctly stubbornly states his opposition to compensate the deposed board members after the 1994 takeover.

"What was it Nixon said? You guys won't have me to kick around anymore."
Fergus McCann nears the end at Celtic, 1999

"You pledge your £100,000, get yourself a mobile phone and you're off, you're a football agent."
Fergus McCann

McCann recalls: "The stadium had to be rebuilt and people were saying why don't you just buy the players Fergus? We'll stand in the mud. But the stadium was a tool. We had to have a season-ticket base. Jack McGinn [board member] was saying, "We don't want season-ticket holders, they are nothing but trouble." Well, I just couldn't live with that marketing philosophy at all.The answer is that you have got to fill the park. The average crowd was 28,000 and we built a 60,000- seat stadium. How smart was that? Well, it was the right thing to do."
Fergus McCann highlights Jack McGinn's comment, and illustrates why the old board members' mentality and why they weren't good enough to manage the club.

"I'm just a footnote in the grand scheme of things. Brother Walfrid was the visionary who started things and his is a name that should stay in people's minds."
Fergus McCann (2011)

Quotes - On McCann
"Fergus McCann is the father of the modern day Celtic!"
Andrew H Smith (ex-Celtic View editor)

"McCann built a stadium. Oh, what a great great thing. Ceaucescu built pretty amazing stadiums, so did Mussolini. I'm in it for the team. It's like building La Scala and having a run of the mill pub-singer perform."
Jim Kerr, May 1999 (shows that not all were respectful of McCann's efforts)

"While other clubs appeared to be able to identify a player they wanted to buy and then just go ahead and buy him, with Celtic it seemed that the process would take roughly the same time as the gestation of an elephant. It seemed that youngish players who are linked with Celtic had become veterans, completed their careers and moved into pub management before Magoo [Fergus McCann] was satisfied enough with the small print to authorise the expenditure."
Alastair McSporran, The Absolute Game Fanzine - 1997

"Some people I know say he's a very nice man once you get to know him. Everyone is entitled to their opinion I suppose!!"
Mark Viduka on Fergus McCann 1999

"I probably did 15 or 20 years as a manager in those three years."
Tommy Burns on his three years as Celtic manager under Fergus McCann

Note: if you have just saw how long that post is and went I'm not reading that,then go back to the top and start again worth the read.

Really wish the poster left a name that's properly the best post on this site I've been on it.being in my mid 20 the bunit was just a name to me and only heard how he really saved the club never read in depth how far he went.he was properly tight back then but look where we are now? Wee fergie must have a wee grain on his face come Thursday 10.30am watching the draw!

IMO Charles green wont even go as far as FMc I think he will be off before the current season finishes.

Once again belter of a post ! Must have took some time in doing it !

Lenny

@Lenny I got the quotes from celtic wiki, just a cut and paste job mate,cheers

Briggs

17 Dec 2012 22:00:54
To be honest, I don't agree with anyone that says Malaga or Schalke would be a good draw for us. Let's be honest. We're not going to win the Champions League and realistically, we're not going to get any further than the Last 16 this year. I would much rather get a team such as Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund as it will be a learning curve for some of our players. I would much rather go out at this stage to a team like Bayern rather than a team like Malaga. It will also mean the players have a greater hunger to qualify for next year's competition.

Was Barcelona not a learning curve ?

At lot said realistically we wouldn't get out the group stages. I think we'll be the first Scottish team to reach the final 8...there you go ! ~ Mrs E

Utter b****cks . We're playing the big boys in a 2 leg game , we must look at the novices and take our chances no matter who it is . There is no disgrace going out to a team who are not a big name . We are now in the best 16 in Europe . Bring it on , lets hit the last 8 ..........DH

When this campaign began I thought we would do well to get 7 pts and hopefully qualify for the Europa League. To achieve 10 pts and qualify for the last 16 of the CL is a fantastic achievement by NL and the Celtic team. We always seem to play better when we are not expected to win e.g. against Barca . I think the best team to be drawn against would be Man. Utd., as we would appear to have no chance against them and the atmosphere at both grounds would be electric. I fancy Barca again in the quarter final!
Liah Smit

Aye just like a few month ago 'realistically' we had no chance of getting through the group stage, in fact I'm pretty sure we would've been lucky to get a point. Get behind the team and stop writing them off, even before the draws made.

Mikey Bhoy

Nah mate I'm not having that, I can understand your opinion but I'll be hoping we avoid Juve, Bayern and Dortmund. PSG are certainly no world beaters, neither are Man Utd this season but we have a genuine chance against Malaga or Schalke and to get to the last 8, earning the club another 5 million and becoming the first scottish club to achieve this would be amazing.

@2 just because you are in last 16 doesnt mean you are in the top 16 in europe.

@6 Oh yes it does.

And just cause your defunct team won so many titles doesn't make them the most successful team in the world.......DH

@7 Tottenham, Man city, Benfica, Ajax, Zenit, Chelsea, Newcastle, Atletico Madrid, Liverpool, Anzhi, Napoli, Lazio, Lyon, Marseille and the list goes on and on. None of these teams are in last 16 but every one of them are better than Celtic.

BigBear

17 Dec 2012 17:37:43
Question for you ed.

The numbers of shares sold by Sevco will be announced tomorrow i believe. What are the chances of us getting the ACTUAL figures? I mean how does it work? Is it a case of Chico Green coming out and telling us who many have been sold and true to form lying through his teeth about it, or do we get official numbers? {Ed007's Note - There will be official figures released in due time.}

17 Dec 2012 19:44:54
ED007, Green Jhedi I do not often recommend anything that DL blogs about
but his latest one is pure comedy gold.
I actually thought that at first it was a parody, but it seems it is genuine...
I loved the bit about sons and daughters of certain club officials and newspaper hacks going to same school as Mr lawwells son and the other "gem" one son delivered newspapers to his house.
Grounds for a big "timmy" conspiracy ha ha.
Sadly wee Pat and I are retiring as our
comedy cannot match this. lol Timalloy

17 Dec 2012 20:40:41
Oops, should read "going to mr Lawell's son's school"
Timalloy

@Timalloy; He really is teetering on the edge of madness.All he has done is fuel the fires that seem to burn,without any substance,of hatred in a section of the rangers support.Last year Agent Whyte was a true blue who would restore rangers to greatness!Sadly he has some deranged "peepil" who think he is a credible source. As his old Presbyterian granny might have said "im really worried about davids sanity"!............green jhedi

18 Dec 2012 13:27:27
Green Jhedi, I am now reliably informed that this particular blog WAS a parody. I was taken in as it is in his own silly biased style. My compliments to the author a brilliant piece of comedy writing. ha ha Timalloy

17 Dec 2012 18:07:00
any 1 else hearin this rumour about anelka supposedly buying out his contract in china 2 sign for us its doin the rounds on all the celtic fb pages

gunniebhoy

Heard it earlier mate but don't see it happening

Briggs

Gunnie its no annelke its annika rice wae the arse!

17 Dec 2012 16:31:15
I was just wondering , is Sevco's £1.6m share flotation a world record for a 4th tier football club ? lol Drewzybhoy .

17 Dec 2012 07:18:03
Well bhoys, Girls and ED it seems according to reports bangura is back at paradise, whats everyones thoughts on this guy. No doubt ill get shot down in flames here but i said earlier in the year i thought the player looked ok and asked if maybe with a bit more game time he would come good. My thoughts remain the same and maybe attribute this to a few others in the squad as well ( miku for one )

The Happy Turnkey

I just cant see it in the boy at all.Maybe in a different formation with a settled partner,but i would sell in a minute and i think Lenny would as well.Average touch,poor finisher and only seems to have a burst of speed to offer,but,crucially,not quicker than Forrest..........green jhedi

I honestly would rather see us giving game time to Bangura rather than Miku. Bangura is contracted to us and if we could get him scoring a few goals or even contributing we could at least command some kind of fee for the lad. Send Miku back if possible, great touch but an absolute nancy of a striker. Bullied off the ball time and time again, no upper body strength and doesn't win anything in the air. Apart from decent shift holding up the ball against Barca and goal against Dundee utd where he took too many touches and wouldn't have scored against a decent defence he has been an impostor, a none event.

I thnk bangura should be given another shot people forget he's a relatively young guy also suffered the death of his child around the time we bought him that along with injuries will have taken its toll but the spell back in Sweden looks to have helped as we have all seen from his brilliant goal on youtube
bigD

A think we should give the guy a chance see if this loans helped his confidence aswel end of the day hes runnin out in the green n white hoops then he deserves our backing and support if it doesnt work out then so be it move him on in the summer

gunniebhoy

I believe he must have something in him,hopefully give him game time until the end of the season with miku going the other way give him 6 month run in the spl even last 15min of the CL see what's happening with him.

Would rather bangura than miku

Lenny

Sami's has found his level in the Champ Lge,maybe that's where Bangura will find his?Perhaps the rough and tumble of the SPL is too much for him?

Ever the optimist.
Jungle Bhoy.

17 Dec 2012 05:25:28
A wee bird told me that the Sevvies share issue had raised a grand total of ..... Wait for it ...., £1.6m !!

17 Dec 2012 00:14:08
ED; you heard anything about this major corruption story supposed to be breaking this week? Real shocking stuff apparently.cant seem to find any data though..........green jhedi {Ed007's Note - To be honest I've not heard anything that is believable GJ. Have you caught up with mini-Jabba's drunken rants since you have been away? That should cheer you up :-)

Caught up with a bit of him the other day but as you know it has to be small doses with that idiot.To blacken Jock Steins name to punt a book about an ex rangers manager is nothing short of a disgrace.He was praising Jabba senior as well,honestly i felt sick to the pit of my stomach.I remember some cryptic clues in Shaunys blogs re corruption wonder if there might be a connection..............green jhedi

Who is mini Jabba?

David leggat

GJ,Ed, whats the corruption story all about,you have got me intrigued GJ mate.Macca

@ Macca; Thats the thing mate,no one bar some demented tweeter has heard anything.It would seem it's just gossip.rangers fans seem to be running with it saying it finally proves the SFA wanted to "bury" them!...........green jhedi

GJ the agent probably read it on some Myan ruins afterall the world ends on Friday,best to get it out before the world ends.But seriously,on the rangers page some guy is saying it is meant to be in the s*n today but cant see a thing about it,(another non story i think) a bit like the one that they have something on Celtic that they will anounce on the 31st December.cheers GJ Macca.