Eufa have really been put on the spot by our loss last night. Celtic need to robustly challenge Sion's deliberate cheating. It's not as if they genuinely made a mistake and played players unwittingly. They were warned before the 1st leg about this potential problem.
If Eufa fail to act on this, then they are setting a dangerous precedent. Imagine how Sion would have reacted if (hypothetically) we'd fielded 6 Barcelona players, (borrowed for the night, say at a cost of £1m) and knocked them out. Rules are there for very good reasons and Sion deserve to be dumped out of the competition.
As for the "Armageddon" type reaction. Way over the top. We are all well aware that the Scottish game has been in decline for some time now. But for one kick of a ball, things might have been so different.
I honestly believe that had Samaras scored the penalty against them last season, we would have taken care of Malmo and Dynamo Zagreb and be sitting in the Champions League group stages. However our illustrious board, must now take a serious look at how they have been running the club. I am the last person who would want to see us getting into unmanagable debt scenarios, but most businesses in tough times need to borrow and invest to grow. In football, the need is greater than most other businesses. We should be fortunate having some very wealthy businessmen on our board and the time is long overdue for some serious investment in the playing team. There's an old saying that "you have to speculate to accumulate", and I believe in the case of our great club, there has seldom been a more obvious time for this. I am aware that as a PLC Director there are limits to what can be done, but I don't believe for a minute we are anywhere near that.
Supporters are time and time again asked to put their hands in their pockets to support the club, and I cant think of another team in Europe where the fans are being more shortchanged, or overcharged for an inferior product than at Celtic. It's time for the board to speculate. The directors need to throw money in and increase borrowing prudently, or maybe they should move on and the club be run by someone else, who cares more about Celtic and less about their own personal fortunes. As supporters we have seen the last 3 titles slip through our fingers, and our European status demolished, by a board operating more like a debt management organisation, rather than Club-loving philanthropists. As an eternal optimist, I believe there's still time, however the realist in me thinks not much.
It's not over till the fat lady sings, but I can definitely hear her clearing her throat!
Rant over, I'm away for a lie down in a dark room.
Sion ARA
posted on 26/8/11
Agree with the sentiment of the OP. But these guys don't become billionaires by investing money on a product with increasingly diminishing returns. They are not really fans. Desmond sees Celtic as a status thing, something to brag about to Tiger Woods when they're playing gowf.
They will spend nothing. But at least 2 first teamers will be sold.
posted on 26/8/11
Spot on post, sums it up exactly, it's always the fans who pay and who suffer.
Lack of investment at the right time has cost us dear in the last few seasons yet the powers that be don't seem to learn.
Be interesting to see the reacrion to this.
posted on 26/8/11
Sorry, last sentence should of course read, "reaction".
posted on 26/8/11
to be honest sion could have left all those players out and won last night mabye exepct ex celtic trialist deemed not good wnough by mowbray!! findiono (sp?)
just move on i dont want to be in draw we are pash!! and will only get embarresed more
posted on 26/8/11
"I honestly believe that had Samaras scored the penalty against them last season, we would have taken care of Malmo and Dynamo Zagreb and be sitting in the Champions League group stages
How do you square that with losing to Sion?".
Sport in general is unpredictable, however there is no doubt that success breeeds success. Teams grow in confidence and very often improve, generating a winning mentality. Had we won the league last year, (especially being more or less a new team and new management), I'm sure the players would have kicked on this year. I also feel that the board would have been prepared to spend considerably more than they have, (£Hee-Haw) at this stage, if the carrot of Champions League had been the prize. Hence I feel we would have been a much stronger all round unit with our momentum going in the right way.
"Imagine how Sion would have reacted if (hypothetically) we'd fielded 6 Barcelona players
==================
But they didn't use 6 Barcelona players either".
You are right, but they did transfer 6 players while under a ban and played a proportion of them against the rules. My point was that if rules don't need to be followed or are not properly enforced, then more and more teams will look to flaunt them or look for loopholes in the system. In future however, they could have a precedent set, which could be difficult for the governing bodies to challenge.
posted on 26/8/11
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posted on 26/8/11
That is exactly right zachsda. If Sion prove there is a loophole that they managed to exploit, good on them, but it must be closed for the future. Just like our manager last season.
So far they don't seem to have proven that though, have they.
posted on 26/8/11
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posted on 26/8/11
Fair enough, but still doesn't matter if UEFA don't agree with them. I think they are trying to get a bit creative with what constitutes a transfer window though.
posted on 26/8/11
The Lennon appeal was correct as the rules stated at the time that the bans run concurrently. It was the establishment's lack of knowledge of their own rules that made them a laughing stock and caused them to fail in their attempt to sideline him for longer.
Still I can understand a supporter of a team who has always received preferrential treatment from the governing body, feeling a bit hurt when they're made to look foolish