by STEPHEN HALLIDAY, THE SCOTSMABRIAN Quinn didn't quite paraphrase Harold Macmillan yesterday, but the Celtic chairman was on safe ground when he suggested that the Parkhead club have never had it so good.
After overseeing probably the least contentious annual general meeting in Celtic's history, during which a leak in the North Stand roof and illegibility of players' names on a signed strip were about as much as shareholders could find to complain about, Quinn reflected afterwards that life on and off the pitch at the club is as healthy as he has experienced since he joined the board of directors in 1996.
However, the club showed no signs of succumbing to complacency when Peter Lawwell, the chief executive, admitted to embarrassment over the continued singing of sectarian songs at away matches.
Quinn lavished praise on manager Gordon Strachan, who has recovered from a calamitous start to his Celtic career to emerge as a worthy successor to Martin O'Neill, and expressed deep contentment with the club's financial position which saw them slash their debt by over £10 million to £9.1 million in their accounts to June this year.
"I've never seen it better," said Quinn. "The wheels can come off at any time in football, but I don't think they will at Celtic. Is everything in the garden rosy? I'd say I feel more comfortable now than I have for quite a long time. I think the fruits of our endeavours are beginning to pay off.
"Gordon Strachan has been extraordinary. He is a very resilient person. He has said himself that [the defeat to] Artmedia [last season] was a bit of shock to his system, but to give him absolute credit he gathered himself up, applied himself to the job and did what he does so well in terms of coaching and managing the players. He has done a remarkable job."
Eight points clear in the defence of their SPL title and in a promising position to make progress from their Champions League group, bad news is unusually scarce at a club which once had a monopoly on crisis headlines and cracked crests in the newspapers.
The only negative undercurrent of yesterday's agm was the continuing campaign to eradicate sectarian chants and behaviour from an element of the club's travelling support whose conduct at Inverness earlier this season was described as "vile" by one shareholder.
Lawwell restated the club's determination to weed out the offenders with the increased help of police and stewards at away fixtures. Lawwell later told the media, however, that some of the songs being sung have been wrongly identified as sectarian.
"Celtic are different, to the extent we have strong Irish roots and Irish links," said Lawwell. "A proportion of our fans celebrate those roots and links by singing Irish ballads. In no way could these ballads be described as sectarian, but I think in some quarters it is misinterpreted as sectarian. It is not sectarian behaviour. There is a difference there. We are a proud Scottish club, but with strong Irish connections. It's a fact and we don't want to hide it."
It remains to be seen whether UEFA, who have redefined their own rules to outlaw any "extremist ideological propaganda" being exhibited by clubs or their supporters, will decide to examine any of the songs sung by Celtic supporters. "We have had no threat or remote suggestion that UEFA are looking at Celtic, so all we can go on is what has been suggested and delivered elsewhere," added Lawwell. "We have to be proactive to eliminate any potential threat, because, fundamentally, sectarianism is wrong.
"I believe our supporters are second to none. It's not just a boast - we can substantiate it through the awards they received from FIFA and UEFA. There is, however, a very small proportion of our away support who offensively chant songs that are contrary to what the club stands for. It embarrasses the club, it is unacceptable and we have a very firm plan to stamp it out. We do not want to be categorised as a club that has a sectarian problem. UEFA are very, very serious about this. There will be some sporting or financial sanctions on the club if we don't address it."
A suggestion that Celtic should clearly inform their supporters which songs are acceptable was dismissed by Quinn.
"Wherever you draw the guidelines, you will find opinion split," he said. "It is a task which is very difficult to address. I think people know which songs and chants are offensive. . If they don't know what is offensive, then they are told pretty quickly by the supporters around them. Some people are offended by what I say on this issue and tell me they have a right to free speech. We are not denying them their right, we are saying their right has to also take into account the rights of others not to be deeply offended by what they hear at games."
The club's principal shareholder, Dermot Desmond, sent his apologies for his absence, having to attend a business meeting in Chicago instead.
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