NO, GREG TAYLOR CELTIC EXTENSION ISN’T A DONE DEAL, YET...
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- 1 hour ago
- 3 min read
I often call out the likes of the Daily Record, The S*n and other mainstream outlets for their “selective” use of facts when reporting on Scottish football.
So, it would be hypocritical of me to not apply the same critical eye to this morning’s reports that Greg Taylor is staying at Celtic.
I Hope Greg Taylor Stays At Celtic, But We Still Don’t Know
Just for the avoidance of doubt, this is not me taking a dig at the source who reported this, the Facebook Page “The Fitba Gospel”.
I don’t know who their sources are, so I can’t comment on their validity.
But then again, the fact that I don’t know their sources is exactly why I can’t confirm whether or not this story is true.
For clarity, here is what The Fitba Gospel had to say this morning:
“DEAL DONE! Greg Taylor has agreed terms on a new three year deal with Celtic FC. As we exclusively revealed earlier this week - the player’s representatives were back round the table with the Celtic board after a U-turn by both parties and a breakthrough has been made in negotiations.
Both parties are now happy with the offer on the table and, with just a few minor details still to be ironed out, Taylor WILL remain at the Scottish champions to compete for a place with best mate Kieran Tierney next season.”
As I said, I hope this is true. I really do, but we need to look at this critically.
Recently, in analyzing the utter farce that is The Rangers Takeover, I cited the language employed by Keith Jackson, and others, to “give themselves an out” in the event that the deal falls through.
For the record (no not that one), I’ve already made my position on that story clear.
I think there was interest from Andrew Cavenagh and some of his cohorts at some point in buying into Rangers.
However, the combination of the financial baggage of the existing owners, and the moral and ethical baggage of their supporters, means it becomes a less attractive option for the Americans the more they uncover.
I still don’t think it’ll happen.
I am less skeptical about this Greg Taylor story, but I see the same linguistic agility being applied.
“Just a few minor details still to be ironed out”, sounds a lot like “to the best of my knowledge...” or “as far as I’m aware...” doesn’t it?
This isn’t a done deal yet. I really hope that by the time you read this, it had become a done deal, and been officially announced.
But until that time comes, it would be irresponsible of me to just parrot the words of one, solitary source, without any analysis of my own.
As a general rule of thumb, once I hear a story being reported by three unique and unconnected sources, I tend to believe its probably true.
At the moment, despite the wide spread of reports coming out, we only have one primary source. So, I remain reluctant to confirm this as fact.
So, for now, my advice is wait and see. But hopefully, these early reports are validated in due course.