The money's always greener on the other side.

The back of the Sun today talks about the SPL's new broadcast rights deal with Setanta which will net the league 13.5 million a year until 2010. Good news for clubs in the SPL particularly the smaller/newly promoted ones who will get a £500,000 each just for turning up to work the start of the 2006/2007. The rest of the money will then be payed out depending league position at the end of the season. So well done the spl for negotiating the £54.5 million deal for the next 4 years.

Contrast that however with the premiership where the TV rights packages from 2007 onwards are being bid for by a number of TV channels (including of course BSkyB). The last deal which BSkyB owned exclusively was for 4 years at a whopping £1.024bn. With the rights now split into Six seperate packages the Premier can only expect that price to rise. As happy as St. Mirren will be with their half a million pound welcome hamper when they arrive in the SPL, its peanuts in comparison with £20 million the promoted Championships teams will receive when they turn up in their sunday finest in the new season.

At the other end of the scale, I'll be playing 11s this weekend in East Kilbride and it will cost me a fiver.

Football Update

With Villareal supporters now quieter than a Scientologist giving birth Arsenal get a place in the Champions League final against the winner of tonights match between A.C. Milan and Ronaldinho. Celtic's Champions League adventure next season has a vested interest who wins this years Champions League. If the winner doesn't qualify automatically by their league placing (i.e. Arsenal) then they'll nick Celtic's automatic qualification for the group stage and force the bhoys to have to pre-qualify (BOOOO! HISSS!!!). So here's to the big toothed, pony tail wearing, samba dancing brazilian having a belter of a game tonight and then Barcelona cruising past Arsenal in the final.

With Liverpool unceremoniously dumping José and his 93 man squad out of the FA Cup the scousers are now favourites to lift the silver drinking device in Cardiff on May 13th. They'll be up against a spirited West Ham side though and we'll get a sneaky peek of the final as both teams meet tonight in a premiership fixture. C'mon the Reds.

Sunday was my first Old Firm derby in Parkhead and it was a bit of a non-event unfortunately. Celtic never really got out of second gear and bar a few scares early in the second half never looked uncomfortable as they strolled the 0-0 draw. Despite the papers and meeja trying to hype things up there wasn't any sectarian shouting/singing that I heard and things seem to pass by amicably enough. Overall, a rather subdued affair.

Talk of Petrov leaving in the summer continues

Petrov on the move

Back page of the sun this morning reports that Petrov has handed in a transfer request and looks set to leave in the Summer with Newcastle (possibly managed by Marin O'Neill) his intended destination. The bbc's website has quotes from Celtic saying 'they would reject any such transfer requests and hey he just signed a new contract so just back off right!!!' or words to that effect. Celtic's website carries the official club statement.

Sometimes I think the football pages go for a machine gun approach to sniffing out big transfer scoops: If they fire enough of them out one is bound to hit the target. At the same time, as the old saying goes there tends to be no smoke without fire and Celtic's VERY quick response time in getting a statement of denial out only adds to my suspicions. The fact that Petrov's face looked like a smacked arse on Sunday despite winning the league just adds more fuel to the fire. Sunday's line up against Rangers will perhaps give an insight into whats going on. I think Keane and Lennon in the middle would be the best setup but will Strachan pander to Petrov and put him back in the centre?

My summer transfer predictions:
Steven Gerrard will be linked with loads of clubs and go nowhere and look pissed off about it.
Ashley Cole is off to Spain.
Thierry Henry will head to Barcelona
Petrov to Newcastle of £4 million
Beckham back to the Premiership to a London based Club.
Van Nistleroy to Italy (Juventus perhaps).
Ronaldo (the fat one) to the premiership (hopefully liverpool)

As I think of more through the weekend I'll stick them up.

Good Friday, Great Saturday, Sunday, Monday

Tried to get value for money out of the bank holiday weekend and do a bit of relaxing. Went to see Inside Man in the cinema on Friday night. 'Twas a really good film and both myself and my fiancée enjoyed it. Saturday I painted the hallway in the flat. Its not the biggest hallway mind you but I feel I accomplished something that I'd been meaning to do for ages. Went out to an all you can eat chinese on Bath Street (Star Walk) on Saturday night with some friends. That ended up an enjoyable night too with a few drinks and some friendly banter. Sunday was all about the football as hibs came to Celtic Park to try and upset the title celebrations. Their goal in the first half nearly did that but Magic was around to keep things level. Nakamura was a superstar again. Think I'll get myself the Japanese jersey for the world cup. Although maybe not the home (blue) one :)

Monday was meant to be a relaxing day with a nice walk in the park fitted in somewhere. Unfortunately our walk in the park was replaced with walk to the car pound as our car got towed for being parked in a loading bay. We had thought that the Bank holiday monday would have given us a breather on the parking laws but we learned the hard way that it didn't. £135 that we could have done without spending. Still, we finished the long weekend off with a night in watching the Great Escape. Roll on next weekend...

The weekend in review....

Another good weekend. Haired down the road on friday after work for a wedding reception in Gourock Golf Club. There's a fantastic view over the Clyde from the clubhouse although it was obscured at times by the sideways sleet and rain that was howling about the place. We drank, danced and were merry until the early hours and then bought small carry out and heading up for some more drinking, worse dancing and further merriment in one of our friends flats.

The taxi home brought more excitement as we ran out of cash to pay the taxi man once we got back to my fiancée's parents house. Now let me make this bit clear: the taxi bill was about £6.30 and I had just under £5 in change on me. No big deal. My fiancée would run into the house and grab a couple of coins and we'd be fine. But could grumpy arsed taxi man deal with this? Oh no, the eejit had to spend the 2 minutes while we waited mouthing off about me and my fiancée and throwing out snidey comments like "So did you raid your piggy bank tonight boy!". This guy had some chip on his shoulder and I had made up my mind to let him know what I thought of him. My fiancée returned, I gave the man his money and then got out of the car with my well thought out parting shot of "Cheers here's you money and thanks for being such a pr1ck about it".

Well, I must have found the guys trigger word coz he blew his top and went mental. I turned around to see him storming out of the car and charging across the pavement in my direction with steam literally coming out of his ears. Quick mental arithmetic (How big am I plus how young am I multiplied by how pissed off I am divided by How drunk am I with roughly the same calculation for him) put the odds slightly in my favour so I reckoned squaring up to him was the best course of action. I was proved to be right as he came to a screeching halt in front of me when it looks as though I wasn't going to run away. He thought for a few seconds and then grabbed the front of the jacket but his mental arithmetic hadn't factored in my fiancée coming flying in for an attack on his blind side and pushing him back towards his car.

"but...but he called me a prick?" he stammered angrily

To which we both hurled a torrent of expletives in his direction until he got the message and hopped back into his taxi and f*cked off.

We walked back to the house hand in hand. Victorious but tired.

Middlesbore no more!

Its not often I'd be heaping praise on Middleborough Football Club but tonight's heroics in their 4-1 (4-3 on aggr) win over Basle were amazing. A belter of a game to watch, Middlesborough were chasing a 2 goal deficit from the first leg. Big performances from Viduka, Rochembach and Downing led the way and it really was a cracker of a game to watch. Goals, big tackles, dubious refereeing decisions, microwaved pasta and meatballs from tesco (mmmm), a great night.

Match reports bbc, guardian,itv

CHAMPIONS

A great night at Celtic Park. There was something in the air (other then the smell of chips and gravy) as I walked through the East End on the way to the match. Fans of all ages made their way together (some of the little ones wearing their football trainers.....just in case) and there was clearly excitement in the air. Tonight was the night we turn over the #2 team in the league and wrap up the title before the split. And thats just what the bhoys did. The defence deserve a special mention. They've been up and down throughout the season but tonight they showed their mettle. Great performances from Wilson and Boruc and good shifts all round for Blade, McManus and Telfer. The shut out at the back meant big bad john's early first half goal was enough to seal the win and claim the title although the pressure from Hearts late on ensured a nervy finish.

Pearson came on an had a man's game, getting stuck into the middle of everything and really putting himself about. Great to see McGeady getting a run out as a sub too and the boy certainly looked sharp.

So my first full season while living in Glasgow and I've eaten enough steak pies attending games to pay for a few weeks of Balde's wages so I've definitely played my part this year. Still got an old firm game in Celtic Park to look forword too and even if Strachan does revert to playing the youngsters for the remaining games there's enough talent available on the bench to make them enjoyable games to go to.

Soon congrats to the team, well done to the captain Neil Lennon and Strachan....who we buying in the summer :)

Hit of Happiness

Paul's tips has a simple suggestion of five simple things that you can do to increase your current level of happiness. Nothing groundbreaking but a nice list of simple tasks to do that will make you feel a little bit better. Go forth and be happy.

Well Fed

That was a weekend of good eating. Friday night we completely overdid the eating in the Red Lizard in the Merchant City. After a a gluttonous meal of Macoroni and Cheese, Chilli Chips and deep fried onion rings my eyes were rolling in my head and I nearly fell asleep into my dinner. Ben and Jerry's ice-cream on the way home completed the meal.

Saturday was on all day p1ss up for my fiancée's birthday starting in the Butterfly and the Pig on Bath street. Cracking pub and after a couple of hours we ordered a platter of grub that included pieces and slice and sausage rolls and chips. Pure magic by the way. Ended up in bunkered (further up Bath street I think) later on and then more eating in the Canton Express on Sauchihall street.

Sunday was a lazy TV day but the weekend was brought to a suitable conclusion with a nice birthday dinner in Sarti's on Renfield street. The waitress had a serious attitude problem but after mentioning it to one of the other members of staff, she must have got a stern talking to or a kick up the arse and changed her tune to something more appropriate.

An excellent weekend.