Welcome Mizuno, Robson and Samaras

Just a quick note to say welcome to teh new bhoys!

Wish them well in their new careers in the Hoops

Walter and Martin's attempts to sign the next great Italian striker appear to have floundered as he has chosen Brescia instead (apparently)!! No confirmed!!

You have to check this out. The world's greatest singer on the Celtic Jukebox giving it laldy for Hail Hail

Falkirk v Celtic FT 0-1

Celtic pirates plunder 3 points on the high seas of incertainty.

Scrappy second half, where we were very much outplayed for long periods.

Can't fault anybody for effort, but we are toiling.

Long balls - WTF?
How many loose balls are not picked up in midfield, or 50/50's not won!

--------------

Artur: he saved us twice in the first half and safe in the second

Hartley: pretty poor, not completely his fault, but he is not a full back.

Caldwell: competent, but nothing great

Mick: played a captain's role at the back

Naylor: pretty poor, completely his fault, cos he is a full back.

Naka: muscled off the ball all afternoon, but supplied the cross for the goal

Donati: getting more involved in games but not a match winner

Brown: my patience has run out: I would sell this guy if we could get our dosh back

Aiden: nothing worked for him today, kicked off the park (defenders on him picked up 2 yellows )

Skippy: set up and scored the goal - worked hard

Jan: thankless task up front, but hit the post in the last minute

Sno for Naka (70min): did well & steadied the midfield

Caddis for Hartley (75min): should have been on from the start

Killen for Skippy (92min): what's the point?

Falkirk v Celtic HT 0-1

Celtic very much under the cosh against a Falkirk team playing their cup final (something they are perfectly entitled to do, BTW).

Highlights the fact we are not up to the physical challenge.
Artur has saved us twice.

Just when our paddles were proving useless in a sea of self inflicted crap, a minute before HT, Skippy broke away, running practically the length of the park before slipping the ball out the the wing.
Naka then laid it on the wee Aussie's napper.

Collective relief round Timdoc.

Game far from over!
Despite the goal, changes needed - we need to start controlling the game.

Unfortunately Falkirk's Holden stretchered after tackle by Mick - no malice involved but there have been a lot of meaty challenges. Leg break, sadly.

Falkirk v Celtic Preamble

Right, paddles out, Bhoys! And not because of the water logged pitch.
Paddles are out cos we are up Shit Creek, big time.

A win today is a must today just to stay in touch with Real Govan.

So how are we lining up against the wind and rain, MIBs, the SFA, the whole uncivilized world in general, and, eh, Falkirk XI ?

Well the team picks itself really:

-------------Artur--------
Hartley--Caldwell--Mick--Naylor--
--Naka--Donati--Brown--Aiden
-----Skippy---------Jan------

A win of any sorts will do.
A convincing win will do the collective Tic supporters' tickers the world of good.

Second Gear Spin Won't Take Us To The Last Minute

Last minute goals are b*ggers. They either send you home full of joy or make you curse out loud in the canned vegetables aisle in Morrisons, after receiving a txt that said “Huns won 1-0, goal last minute, bast*rds”

Not that I expected anything less. From ma vantage point, North Stand Upper, I mused wie some consternation that the “luck” and “breaks” had deserted us. As Alan Combe produced save after save, the ba’ always dropping to a yellow clad defender or us losing two players inside 18 minutes it seemed it would ring true.

Flag day part duex was on the cards until the luckless yellow clad defender diverted into his own net. A sigh of relief was heard above the cheers that greeted the goal, until Chelski bloody Dagger drowned everyone oot. Really it’s becoming not big or clever and I’m longing for “Fiesta” by the Pogues again.

This was the kind of luck that deserted us during the nightmare of December. When we lost the “Holy Goalie”, a loss which, the mair I look at it COULD cost us the league, for the whole of December we lost numerous “luckless” goals. Inverness, two goals that were savable and a third that took a wicked deflection into the strikers path, ST Mirren, one shot on goal palmed into an on-coming strikers path and then Hibs, a wonder goal from the best full back in Scotland, well Birmingham now.

We could go further back, Calderbuers push on the Jam Farts diving Tall, and yes I think it was a pen but we have seen them all not given. The double injury to oor full back cover, the loss of John Kennedy, the loss of Naka, the return of Elvis- well, was that not unlucky? - the off form of Hesslelink, Naylor, Calderbuer, Scott Browns inconstancy and the balance of the team being disrupted, both tactical and injury wise, can all be counted as unlucky.

But…for you to be Champions, you have to ride injuries and bad performances oot. Score a few last minute goals, grind oot a few results and ask for guys to give you shift in not their natural positions. We have done that the last two seasons. This season we huvnae and I’m seeing mair of us in the h*ns in last two games. The last two seasons we have been masters of what they have done and it’s a worry.

I thought we played well on Saturday. We created chances and played some decent stuff. On the way home I was unfortunate to hear Hugh Keevins and Mark Guidi on Clyde. They tore strips of the Hoops performance. Ma Uncle was at the game, he was listening to Clyde as he watched and he said you wid have thought they were watching a completely different game from the one unfolding in front of his eyes.

Now I widnae call ma Uncle a “fundamentalist” as Shug might do. But he was left in no doubt that Guidi and Keevins were peddling an anti-Celtic agenda. As he said he would usually listen to the game and take their word as gospel but after listening and watching he would never trust these “peepul” again.

So, were GS and Calderbuer listening to them? Today, I have seen Calderbeur described as “arrogant” wie his quote “We'll decide when we've played well not you and the rest of the winalot mob," and GS take on the game was put doon as “hyperbole”.

Ok, GS did go over the score wie this "Scott McDonald was fantastic without scoring a goal, Massimo Donati was fantastic, Shunsuke Nakamura showed some great touches, Scott Brown was driving forward from midfield, and we never looked in doubt at the back.”

Then adding "I liked our performance today, I liked it a lot, and on a good day we would have scored but you lot are so far up Walters arse you canny see it." Now, this is positive spin, a spin so positive it could have came from Alistair Campbell.
Views of the game can be different due to number of factors; the debates on the Timternet are proof of that. I would also not expect oor manager to come out and “hang oor players oot to dry” live on the radio or TV. But he should give us a bit of credit, that we are not buttoned up the back.

Saturday, we were better than in the previous weeks. We handled two set backs early doors and produced a competent performance- the same type of performance the h*ns are lauded for-, which was decent but also infuriating in spells, esp after we scored the goal, we should have went up a gear but we didnae, we became careless and wasteful.

The problem I have is that we should be doing better. Oor performances are off a team struggling to get oot of second gear. We showed signs of life against Killie, the wait to see Naka and Aiden on the same park is pant wetting, but we also retained ma doubts that we won’t be able to lift it when it matters.

Maybe, I was just carried away on Saturday. The London Road Tav, was jumping before the game. It was as busy as I have ever seen it, wie Irish brogue emitting from alcohol tinged breath wie ear bursting volume.

The walk up to the North Stand was awash wie fans, for the first time since the Donestk game. I think being behind suits us, the tag of underdog is 120 years auld, as we got behind the team. The normal placid consumer sang a few songs….strange days indeed.

So I was maybe carried away. We maybe were poor or have ma expectations dropped so low for team 3 that I’m willing to except competent performances from now on in as long as there is gold at the end of the rainbow? I somehow think competent won’t be guid enough and I think GS knows that as well.

Forza

Celtic v Killie FT 1-0

OG and 3pts - we'll take it!

Just when it was beginning to look like Flag Day II ....
Goal
OG after low shot by Skoosh (65min) .

Frantic pace at times showing signs of desperation.
Win obviously deserved, but I fear we will see lots more of the same in the coming months. Don't go to the match hoping to see a goal feast.

Killen did well enough - Deek mostly absent.

Skippy has gone seriously off the boil - messing about when a few months ago he would have been having a pop.

Sno came on for Naka, also Fernandez on for them (87 min).

Killie gameplan ? Well they nearly succeeded!

Fans sounded to be getting really got behind the team.
Killie fans, on the other hand - what are they about?

So, how did we do without Aiden?
We missed him, no doubt about it, but would the scoreline have looked much different?
We could say the early enforced subs disrupted our organisation, but surey we should be able to care of the likes of KFC at home ...?

MIB was Vindaloo !
Skippy booked for disputing penalty claim, etc, etc.

MOTM - sorry naeb'dy stood out.

Ch67 went into Keystone cops mode for a while... had to reboot, so might have missed a few, erm, highlights.

Ach, well, only one point behind ???

Celtic v Killie HT 0-0

Bhoys working hard but no joy - is it over-elaborate, are we too nice ?!?
In any case, not making many clear-cut chances.

Highlight of first half was Big Jan, a bad one after clash of heads - more blood than a spagetti western. So...
20min - double-sub
Surprise Hinkel off too !?
Riordan on.
Hartley drops back to dreaded RB position.
Pity cos Andy/Naka combo was working a treat.

Artur & defense nowt to do.
Brown: yet another off day ?
Killen & Deeks doin' quite well but it's the goals sthat count...

Can we break down the 550 Killie formation?
Possession must be 90/10.If we don't get 3pts today, it could be fatal.

Oh, and the MIB is Madras ! Never any advantage to Celts.

Celtic v Killie preamble...

Second half of the league starts off, with Celtic looking to do better than on flag day (o-o v Killie), and chasing the Waistcoat benchmarkers.

Killie haven't won here since Jim Jefferies was a glint in his faither's eye, but there is no such uncertainty as a sure thing.

-------------Artur------------
-Andy--Caldwell--Mick--Naylor-
-Hartley--Brown--Donati--Naka-
------Skippy---------Jan------

Big question of the day: how will we get on without young Aiden?

Burns Would Be Naka’d If He Answered The Sweet FA Call.

What? The SFA Loyal appoint a Tim as manager.....behave....

A week that started off wie, a medija lackie chastising The Mint in his Times column- no surprise of his chosen target- and enlightening us that, those in the know- medija lackies- call the snippets that The Mint gives oot “Winalot Journalism- as the Laptop Loyal roll over, get their belly tickled and then get fed the propaganda that The Mint wishes fed to the orcish masses- we know that it’s a slow newsworthy week.

Half hearted rumours, made up pesh, agents quotes and washed oot cup replays dinny float ma boat. I want press conferences, signings be paraded at CP and newsworthy news.

Not bitching aboot supposed skulduggery wie the huns cancelling their game against the mighty East Stirlingshire- due to the sewage ridden Clyde seeping through the bare turf- and not playing it this week, a week pencilled in for CANCELLED games, but next week, which was a week pencilled in for replays just so they could get Hooton’s and McCoollucks suspensions oot the way or playing The Shire is easier than playing us- debateable- after a daunting trip to Inversenkie.

It’s all bullocks. And forgive me for not really giving a rats nad aboot the “race” for the Scotland joab. This has changed right enough from NOT giving to NOT REALLY giving a rats nad wie the leaking of the Shaun Maloney shortarsed list.

Now, my take on International fitba’ is this. It no longer has the prestige that it once had. While major tournaments still hold the glitz and razzmatazz, unimportant qualifiers against Andorra, Faro Islands and San Marino and the numerous waste of time friendlies, mean that today’s “superstars” are likely to call off injured and international fitba’ and playing for yer country no longer is AS important.

The Champions League is the only table the top, top players wish to be seen on. Playing in the CL means mair money for the already millionaires pension fund. It’s not only the players that take this attitude. Managers now see International joabs as one step from retirement or a chance to get noticed after getting yer Harry Potters.

Fabio- tax dodger- Cappello was at that stage of his career. Scotland could not attract a manager of that ilk. There was no chance that a manager like Jose Murinho or Sam Allardyce would see Scotland as a chance to get their career back on track. That’s why the short list is so under whelming and understated.

The name of The Beast, Graeme Souness, is one that reeks of supposed glamour, ego and bignameness. Now, he is oot of a joab- deservedly so- and is desperate for any port in a storm. His record is shoddy- better than others on the list- and he reeks of the hunnishness that has factored the last two appointments.

Appointing Mark McGhee would be to the detriment of the Scottish game. He has transformed Murderwell and should not even be considering taking a joab in the international wilderness. I mean the Celtic joab might be coming up in the summer if Mr McGlone is to be believed in the Alternative View

George Burley, well, problems maybe, is another who shouldnae be wanting a joab in international fitba’. But a closer look at the Southampton fans views of him, it seems he is on a shaky nail after spending mair money than other Southampton manager in the last 20 years and not getting them anywhere near promotion. He could jump before he gets pushed. Once again, like Billy Davis, getting oot wieoot damage to their reputation.

That brings me to Tommy Twists and Tommy Turns…Tommy Burns. TB is the bookies favourite. Why TB would WANT the joab is beyond me and also why the FACT that he might take the joab worries me.

It would be like an auld Uncle suddenly leaving wie the parting shot that he wisnny yer Uncle but yer Mum’s fancy bit. It just disnny feel right. For me to look over to the dugoot and not see a Celtic minded figure. They’re plenty on the park but it’s also nice to see one in the dugoot.

Ex-Celts should be in the dugoot. Over the river their dugoot resembles a lodge meeting awe double-breasted suits, broon brogues and ugliness. Make no mistake they will be installing “ra..gers WATP” mentality, supposed superiority, Struthness and will be saving the queen at every opportunity.

I like to think having TB there instils that into oor players. How much input into tactics and team selection is open to debate, his role as 1st team coach might just mean that he puts oot the cones and hands oot the bibs in training. But what aboot his fabled role in the Youth set up?

From the outside it looks like that position is being diluted as well. Wie Celtic appointing John Park and trying to appoint the heidie from the Hearts yoof set up, questions need to be asked what is the future for Burns at CP?

I for one are one of the believers that we are seeing the fruits of Burns labours in the first team just now. Over the last few seasons we have had Maloney, McGeady, Marshall, Miller, Healy, Wallace, Beattie and McManus come through and play a major part- pushing it wie Liam Miller- in the first team. We have also got money for those players when they have moved on.

Lower doon, oor reserve and under 19 players seem to be in demand for loans or perminate moves. Quinn, McGlincey, McGowan and O’Brien are all recent examples of that.

After failed attempts at management, he did create a fantastic attacking side but only won one cup, he got Kilmarnock promoted and failed after spending a kings ransom at Reading, the un pressurised role of yoof development, 1st team coachness and 2nd in command seem to suit TB.

Whatever ma nostalgic take on his fantastically unsuccessful side, I for one would not like to see TB get the Hoops joab again. True gentleman, fantastic player and a TRUE TIM but as history proved not cut oot for high-pressure management.

I was in the Govan Stand the night Burn’s reign ended as Celtic manager. It was peshing doon wie rain and Burn’s in a fawn raincoat?, was oot the dugoot screaming at Di Canio to switch wings, to adhere to tactics….Di Canio refused. As Fawkirk, in a hideous rid top, celebrated wie their “confused” fans it was over.

I’m sure he is a proud man. One that believes that he would do a decent joab for Scotland. He has been number two for both McVogts and McCardie. Both of those managers, esp McCardie, played the sort of antifitba’ that seems alien to TB’s “vision”.

Would he be able to change tact? Would he want to change tact? Has he been around new age Scottish managers- I’m including GS in this- long enough that he now believes that the wattienaccio and bigecknaccio is the future and playing 2-2-6- wie the two at the back being Malky McKay and John Hughes- is no longer applicable?

Why would he also want to leave Celtic to go to the SFA if the joab he is now being offered wisnny on offer before Big Eck worked his ticket? Does he see his time at Celtic coming to an end and is willing to jump into bed wie the perceived devil only a few months back?

Twice he has been overlooked for the number one joab. He walked away the second time flicking a V-sign awe the way to Lennoxtoon. So what has changed?

After two hunnish appointments are the SFA playing the Celtic card- there is a growing anti Scotland feeling- by asking Burn’s for an interview. As wie oor paranoid mentality we already think a body that has appointed two ex-huns and is run by an ex-hun favours, well, the huns and ex-huns.

Think Glesga city council but the other way aboot.

So, adding another twist to oor paranoia, why do I think that if things go pear-shaped for TB if he gets the joab, that the SFA Loyal will feed him to the medija gleefully while lining up Billy Boy Davis- after he has been sacked from Havent and Waterlooville- to take over while blaming kafflick skools.

Another thing- fecking long this..nuthin on the telly- is that the kilt , see you jimmy hat, timberland offessial shirt wearing turtun urmie fitsoliders dinny want Burns quoting, quite rightly, his poor record and their logic that George “hic hic” Burley would better resemble, sorry, would be the correct man to take them forward.

Tommy would be better walking away from this. If he walked away from the Hoops, I would wish him well, give him ma full backing- unlike the previous two, cuts run deep and as is ma right as a card carrying fitba’ fan I’m fickle- when Scotland play.

It would be a sad day for the Hoops if that were to happen.

I think Sourness should get the joab. Just for ma entertainment factor. But I really wanted Jim Jeffries to be in wie a shout. I mean…he fits the profile of the perfect international manager.

He has took his club side as far as he can. He willnae be sacked but willnae improve them anymair. He is tactically pesh and would suit setting up Ecosse in the wattienaccio system at home against Iceland while playing Gary Locke as the holding midfielder.

And his interviews wid be brilliant. Imaging us, just getting gubbed off the Dutch and dour Jim facing Europe’s press…his opening gambit “Fecking lucky Dutch barstewards, awe six goals came from oor errors……”

Forza

Celtic "Rave On": Celtic 3 Beano's 0

" That's a heider....ya bawags....Hesslestink, ma arse"

The 3rd Round of the Scottish Cup always conjures up the same previews. The minions get interviewed aboot prospective shocks and the big boys talk aboot giving the lower league teams “respect”.

This year the previews, involving the Hoops, showed the colorful celebrations that graced Hampden last season. Neil Lennon and Co dancing around to “Fiesta” while the Hoopy hoards shuffled awe embarrassed at Joe Doumbe’s scalfed winner and a poor performance. Still, oor name is on the trophy that has a special place in oor clubs history.

So, of course this competition wie us being the holders is extra special. It also has become auld skool wie nae sponsor to grace or disgrace the old trophy. I dunno whether it’s a sad reflection on the standing of the Scottish game that when even the Conference can get a sponsor- Blue Square- hiya to anyone from Blue Square that will read this, coz I know they will..space for adverts…much cheapness- or whether it adds to the romance.

The big screen kept flicking up a message that the Scottish Cup was brought to you by the SFA. The announcer at CP spewed a massive monologue aboot “every school boy dreaming of scoring the wining goal in the Scottish Cup Final”- how true, lost count how many times I have reenacted Frank Macca’s winning goal in the 1988 cup final, must stop I’m 32 now and the nee’bours must think I’m daft running around ma garden screaming- as if he was trying to build up the occasion.

He didnae need to try as the band of around 1000 Beano’s were doing their best to add a bit of atmosphere. They had red and white checked flags; one lad had a Barcelona flag and sang songs that I remember from the auld Annfield in the 80’s. The classic “Rave On Stirling Albion” still gets an airing from the support. This song was devised, well stole, from the Buddy Holly classic and adapted by a Stirling busker who used to attend Annfield complete wie guitar.

They still had the small team, small toon mentality songs…but “Rave On” is a one off. They also enjoyed a wee bit of banter wie the “Holy Goalie”- who produced a world class stop from a quality cross, one of many that the Albion put in during the game- who cup a hand to his ear in a sort of “what are you saying” type fashion. Well, he was bored and cauld.

Now, I reckon the attendance was around 40,000. The club has put the official attendance at 27,932. Since we had to give the Beano’s half the gate money I think the ghost of Kelly and White is alive and well in the bunker of the PLC.

The 27,932 gave the minute applause for Uncle Phil the raucous, roof lifting respect it deserved. Half way through the cry of “there is only one Phil O’Donnell” was drifting over the East End. The big screens were showing goals from Phil in the Hoops- a screamer at Tynie, which I remember fondly coz we had wee yellow learning to swim float type things handed oot to stop oor arses getting wet on the bucket seats- can you guess what happened to these floats? -, it also reminded me just how much POD was a bright light during the season at Hampden in THAT top- and the Jungle Bhoys banner hung mournfully over the Jock Stein stand.

The game started like any other game at CP, against a team wie “shutupshoap antifiba sma’timejimjeffriesmentality” tactics- not that we can complain, it’s oor joab to break that doon, I only complain if WE play it- and once again the Hoops allow teams to settle wie the pace of oor play.

Remember when teams used to get blown away in the first twenty minutes at CP? Now they get the chance to bed in, find their feet and, help ma boab, getting notions of stealing a result. We still create chances but the pace we create them at is what annoys the “consumer” who want us 3-0 up by 25 mins so they can go home- saw two Dortmund fans, one, a wean, wie a natty bumble bee hat on, sitting in front of me looking around bemused when the place emptied wie 75mins on the clock, I can safely assume that at the Westfalion stadium this does not happen.

The Dortmund fans maybe were having a look at Andreas Hinkel. Seeing what they would have got if he had signed for them- but then he was a money grabbing so and so willing to go to a lesser league for mair money- and they would have seen a sound performance from a rusty player.

The player himself agreed, "I haven't played the last few weeks and I think I need more games to get my rhythm and to play better. But where did all the fans go after the third goal” he mused, counting his first win bonus, in the post match press conference.

He added balance to the right hand side of the park and look mair natural at right back than Gary Caldwell would do in the buff. Not that I want to see Gary Calderbuer in the buff. He looks decent going forward, has a physical presence but requires games and the standard of opposition was lower than the usual fair. Judgment needs to be reserved for a number of weeks. He will be afforded that from the stands as- 1, he is not from Hibs and 2, his name is noo Gary.

The returning Naka, showed all the signs of a player just returning after a number of months oot. Still produced a Dagleish like finish from the edge of the box, a classic finish one where everyone- even the stick thin tight wearing school boy that the Albion tried to pass of as a goalie- knew where the baw was going but no-one could stop the shot. Link to the goal is at 101 Great Goals- see “hands of friendship”

We have missed Naka. When Aiden disnny cut the mustard we have struggled to create. Naka still gives us another ootlet- early signs also that him and Andy will get on well doon the right- and another threat. While he is lightweight and sometimes the game passes him by- a reason he should be played in the middle- his importance canny be denied. He must play when fit. Feck this horses for courses dropping him when we play against hammer throwers.

It was a joab done, type performance. I thought we played well- against an ootfit that at one point had 8 players on the edge of their box- created chances and were professional in the way we went aboot oor business.

Few mair goals and the upping of the pace widnae have went amiss but we canny have everything. Still questions need to be asked. What does Donati exactly bring except the ability to find space then play stray passes and is Scott Brown just Steven Pearson wieoot the ginger hair?

Oor first choice pairing of Mickildini and Calderbuer looked suspect- mind you the Albion created little and the chances that they did have came from undefendable “quality” baws into the box- and Lee Naylor was poor. Lack of subs playing time also means it was hard to judge what Killen and O’Brien could bring to the table.

Oor manager says it was “job well done” and it wisnny an “Not an easy game for us or Stirling” before adding “I once beat Macclesfield 7-0 when I was wie Coventry and I told the players I didnae want that to happen today……I wanted the Albion players to be proud.no no, we took it easy, off course team three can play sexy fitba’ we could have scored 125 if we wanted....but we didnae”

The next round sees us wie a tough away tie whoever we get. Opinion on the way home says we want Airdrie. We huvnae played them for a while and their “support” will be sure to give us a warm welcome!!! A welcome so warm it will make Tynie seem like a nursery school picnic…of course I will be going if a ticket is forthcoming…

Hinkel In For A Tinkel + Holy Goalie Smoalie….Mid Winter Just Got Interesting…

"Where's ze fans?"

Mawwwwwwwwwwwwww, did I miss something? A 70,000 sooperdooper stadium from oor soothside nee’bours, built wie a sponsors cash, linked to a hotel, casino, shopping mall and all decked in the blueness of blue wie the bank balance firmly in the black wie £60 a game tickets the norm for the bigot brothers?

That’s as almost as believable as Roberto Hooton being a £10m player- © The Evening Times- or a bid even coming in near that amount from a manager who replied “Alan Who” when asked aboot his blockbusting sweet type bid.

Surely in this winter, when the orcs should be luvin the fact that they are now in the driving seat, the moonbeam one is peddling guid news stories to his lapdogs to hide the fact that after the festival of Benzem they are skint, won’t be spending nae dosh UNLESS they sell their most saleable asset, for a tidy sum, before he comes pish again?

Surely no? Are the medija that under the moonbeam spell that even they must realize that the follow followers won’t swallow this? They canny be that stupid to believe that they huvnae been trying to punt the “The White Cafu” behind his back and take their eye of the prize by promising the hoards untold riches and succulent surroundings to eat their blue nose burgers and wipe their arses in?

At least Celtic are not as bad….well they are really wie their Arfur Boruc non story. Right, he has signed a bumper deal- worth anything from £20,000 a week to £33,000-, which extends his stay to 2011 the SSM, would LIKE US to believe. Me, I smell Stan Petrov.

I still believe and think, the Holy Goalie will be off in the summer if some sooperdooper club wie a 70,000 all seater stadium comes in and meets the Hooton type price, which will be written into the small print of the bumper contract. If no sooperdooper club comes in wie a Hooton type bid or if some smaller club than Celtic comes in wie a Hooton type bid but Arfur disnny fancy it then he will stay.

Simple really.

Right, I want the big pole in the goal to stay until he is fat, 40 and looks like the polish John Burridge in an ill fitting rigoot but I know that will not happen. I’m happy wie the fact that Celtic will not actively court bids for the goalie but have laid the cards on the table, gave the holy one a deal that others, only a chosen few, will have to at least match or beat and placed a value on him that means we win a watch if someone meets it.

We are not trying to punt him behind his back. Arfur knows the score. Maybe the SSM likes to pay the fans for fools but he is fair game wie his saleable assets.

The Holy Goalie will have a new Bavarian pal to abuse, punch and shout at when we return to action. Andreas Hinkel, the 25-year-old Seville reject- © Radio Tuecther this evening- has joined to sort the problematic right back slot. Bad news for Andreas is that we have now found out he can play left back as well….but that was only according to Oliver Bonhoff.

While signing a former German international whom at 25 has his best years ahead of him, was kept oot of the Seville team by the new Roberto Hooton- Daniel Alves- a player subjected to trillion pounds bids in the summer- and he has not played for Hibs why am I still not to excited at this signing?

Main reason that GS record in the full back market has been poor. Mo Camara, Adam Virgo, Mark Wilson, Lee Naylor and the Ross Wallace experiment- which has been followed up wie the O’Dea, Conroy and Calderbuer experiment- means that his record at spotting and signing a decent full back is running at 35%. Almost as guid or bad, depends on how you look at it, as his creative midfielder success rate.

Wie the h*ns now edging in front, wie no sign of dropping points soon, this period is as crucial as ANYTIME since Bratislava. GS has a couple of weeks to bolster the squad correctly and get the team playing well again. Player returning from injuries will help the team also if he gets the correct players in, then balance should return ending the playing players oot of position palaver that we have seen recently.

In saying that rumors that he fancies the Brazilian full back Coelho as a right hand sided midfielder, has been known to play players on the wrong wings, center backs as full backs and attacking midfielders on the wing or in the holding role means we canny take nuthin for granted!!!!

This windae will either cement GS as a Celtic legend of a manager or cement the view that he is oor Big Eck that no matter his success his signings will ultimately be his downfall.

So, do I wish we were back to league duty on Saturday when we play ma hometown club- I know support ma local team etc- in the Scottish cup, which we are getting for nuthin and I’m attending because, I am a fan and I attend games also that after last seasons ticket fiasco for the final will need to ensure ma swipe card has been noted as being at the game along wie the 20,000 others that will bother to turn up.

No, another week to before a return to league duty suits me fine. Another week to sign another few players, decide if we will go Brazilian this winter and get rid of the excess fat that sits on oor bench, in the stand swiping the money from the coffers. So what if we go further behind, if GS gets the next few weeks right it won't make any difference.

It also gives me the chance to watch a team I used to watch frequently. Well, many moons ago at the old Annfield, when I used to stand in the Kop end- the only covered end of the stadium- wie ma mates when Celtic were away from hame and Faither G widnae take me to away games.

Saw some "greats". Wullie Irvine, Wullie Watters, Jim Brogan and the infamous Robert Reilly being a notable footnote in ma fitba watching and I also remember Liam Brady playing for Celtic in a reserve game, I think, and being the best player on the park by a country mile in a green and black pinstriped away kit. I also was present at the first every game played on Astroturf in Scotland and the first ever game at Forthbank.

Canny remember much aboot that game at Forthbank but I do remember I purchased my first CD that day..Blur’s For Tomorrow CD single.

Lost interest when they moved to Forthbank. Hassle to get to and I had disposable income to travel to Celtic week in week oot. Even wie Sunday games now, instead of going to Forthbank, where they have a decent team under the guidance of Allan Moore, I will go and watch Milton Amateurs as it is less hassle than taking the car to Forthbank. Oh, and I can have a pint in the wee social club.

So it’s wie a heavy heart I say I hope the hoops take 10 of the Binos, wie Hinkel getting a hat trick.

Forza

Perspective from a Rangers fan

This was uploaded onto the Huddleboard last night and was originally posted upon a Motherwell Message board as well as Fat Eck's Rangers one. Shows that there are some people out there who can forget about the rivalry when it really matters.

"I was at Fir Park one year ago today. A few thousand Bluenoses were there with me - a few thousand Motherwell fans. The Rangers won the match but both sets of supporters felt like losers after this particular game, and at this particular time in their clubs’ histories. Paul Le Guen’s last game in charge, as it transpired. It was, I reported that evening, on these very cyber pages, a “horrible” day. So many Gers fans expressing something akin to hatred for a manager who’d just dropped our captain for what PLG deemed unprofessional behaviour. A manager who’d been with us just eight months. It was the beginning of a week I felt was “traumatic” in the extreme. It took me six months to “get over” what happened to my club last January.

Twelve months on and Rangers had no game today. And I’m so glad we didn’t. We’re all glad there was no Old Firm game today. The eyes of Scottish Football are once again focussed on Fir Park, Motherwell but not because of any match taking place at the home of the Steelmen. This time, terribly, it’s a real tragedy. It’s a genuine trauma. The sickeningly untimely death of a 35-yar-old professional athlete has brought the football world to a halt. And I’m not ready for it to start up again. So many of the football people who were forced to play today also felt they should have been allowed to halt. Everyone just needed to stop. A show of respect was paramount - people will argue about whether playing all the games in one man’s honour or abandoning all the games was the best way to show that respect - but, being honest, the players, fans and officials who make up the SPL’s member clubs simply didn’t have the appetite for football today. It was just far too soon to even think about kicking a ball about.

We dare not imagine what effect it’s had on his wife, children, parents and siblings but Phil O’Donnell’s leaving of this world has stunned us all. Those of us who never knew him as a person, never met him or never supported either of his Scottish club sides, were still devestated by what happened on Saturday. Why? Because we knew him through football - we knew him as a leading participant in and provider of the game we all love. Pause is needed. Reflection and respect is just as vital right now as the simple need to recover as best we can. We want to honour the man who passed away - and we want time to absorb and partially recuperate from this body blow to the game, the game which brings us all together.

All my year-old huffing and puffing about Paul Le Guen is irrelevant, is garbage, is nothing. When compared to the death of a father, son, brother, uncle and husband, football means less than nothing. When a player passes away like this the first thing which kicks in after the disbelief and the sorrow, is a crystal clear perspective on life, and football’s place in it. This has been the theme of so many of the respectful and heartfelt posts on this site since Saturday. And I understand why. Of course I do. But to be totally dismissive of football and its place in society is to do a disservice to Phil O’Donnell and to offer a complete surrender to those who wish to make our beautiful game an arena only of bitterness, myopia and even violence. Phil O’Donnell’s loss is so heart-rendering to people who never met him because he represents all that is positive about a game which can be such a positive influence on all our lives. We who never shook hands with the man or enjoyed conversation with him yet mourn Phil O’Donnell because of what he gave us - and he gave us it through football. All the hysteria and malevolence which football can generate is destroyed in an instant by events like this - quite rightly so. But all the beauty, admiration, excitement and sheer life force it generates should never be forgotten. That’s why we’re so upset - a leading exponent of a most celebrated aspect of communal life is no longer with us. He loved his family first, but Phil O’Donnell loved the positivity of football second. In other words, he was the same as so many of us - except that this love of football was blessed with a skill to play the game like so few of us.

The first thing which often happens in the reporting of such tragedies nowadays - and it’s a sad fact that we’ve seen a few over the years - is people begin wheeling out and dismantling Bill Shankly’s addage about football being more important than life or death. Anyone with an ounce of intellect knows Shankly was wrong. But that same ounce of brain matter should also lead to the question “Well, why then DO we persist so much with following this game?”. The OTHER thing which people have been doing in the posts on this site and the articles in the newspapers since Saturday, is discussing the HIGHS which Phil O’Donnell gave them. His goal in the 1991 Scottish Cup final, his part in Celtic’s first major trophy for five years and their first league title for ten years: I’ve spoken many a time with good friends who were present at these moments and shed tears of joy during these games. Phil O’Donnell made this joy happen. Phil O’Donnell is celebrated because he helped thousands of others celebrate.

The perspective required now is not to write-off football but to ensure we focus on its propensity to lift up our lives. Phil O’Donnell’s game, his livelihood, the thing he did outside his family, is what gives us fans that arena of responsibility-free emotional expression which keeps us sane in the real world. He played the game which allows the rest of us to cope. The complete unimportance of football IS its importance. But the irrelevance of the plastic emotions we attach to it is the perspective for Phil O’Donnell’s friends and family right now. The perspective for the rest of us is to ask exactly why his death has hit us so hard. It’s because he gave us joy through football, his expression of his love of life. Those who want to use football as a vehicle of hate can leave right now.

It’s with a horrible twist of timing that, just a couple of weeks previously, I’d written a little article on football’s place in our world. It was with regard to my depressed feelings after the Lyon and Hearts gams at Ibrox in mid December. I wanted to explain exactly why the negativity from my fellow Bluenoses at these games had got me down. I too used Shankly’s line:

…The Rangers life - no, The Football life, for any fan - is NOT real life. We all know this now. As I discussed with a very dear Celtic man and a darned sound Motherwell man at my workplace just yesterday, the Shankly quote about it being more important than life and death is itself well and truly exposed. Tis sickeningly ironic that Liverpool were the club who eventually found out more brutally than most that this was one very hollow soccer aphorism. But I think I know what Bill Shankly thought he meant(!):

Football can be something which helps us all get through life. We need somewhere and something to which we can sublimate or exfoliate the rough end of the emotions which “real” life deals us. Cant tell yer line manager he’s fucking useless? - slag Barry Ferguson instead! Someone you love is having a rough time and you have to be the strong one? - have a good scream and a greet when yer team is gifted a last-minute winner by a ropey Hearts goalie! Can’t cope with the fact your mum can still beat ye at arm-wrestling? - threaten to punch a mouthy 12-year-old sat behind ye in the Govan Stand.

When times are tough ye sometimes want a pint or two. Yer not trying to run away by doing this - yer just trying to recharge the batteries. Some of us prefer, instead of a pint, the football and the alternative life it offers (It’s better than watching the Box set of Babylon 5!). Well, what happened to me last Wednesday and Satrday was the equivelant of someone not so much spitting in my pint, but sneezing onto its lovely frothy head and not offering an apology. Annoying but - fuck it - there’s better things to worry about… (http://www.fateck.co.uk/index.php/20...rborundorum-2/)

The reasons behind my ranting and railing against those who abused Rangers French manager on 2nd January 2007 are more pertinent than we’d first imagine. Basically, I don’t like to hear football fans express hatred, especially of members of their own club. Basically, I just want football to be all about the love of one’s team, the love of one’s fellow fan. I want football to be all about the LOVE.

We’re so hurt by the loss of Phil O’Donnell because he was a man who persisted, through his love of the game. He just kept going. Football is not just entertainment or social pressure valve - it can also be valuable example. Despite many injury set-backs to his career, which would have ruined the patience of a lesser man, and despite many starring roles in and contributions to many historic on-field successes which would have seen lesser men happy to surrender to the injuries and start counting his medals and regailing pub regulars with his tales of glory, Phil O’Donnell kept playing the game he loved. The game we love. He loved Celtic and he loved Motherwell. These loves bare no comparison with that of his family, but his footballing affections kept him the man that family cherish and helped make him the man so many people clearly admired.

A gut instinct which has always carried my thinking on Rangers and the “Old Firm thing” is that so many people only tell us how much they “care” when it’s something they hate. So many football fans “care” enough to slate their manager, slag one of their own players, mount protests outside the main doors of their Main Stand - but they rarely show real CARE: We rarely demonstrate patience, understanding, long-term thinking and a wish to nurture positive results through positive endorsement. Encouragement, as I reported a few weeks ago, has almost becoming an offence in the Ibrox stands at various times in my life. This depressed me and people told me not to take it so seriously - only let the good times in football count. Phil O’Donnell passes away so tragically and everyone tells us football is unimportant. Yet this man provided so many of those good times - be it when winning for Motherwell or Celtic or simply providing the quality opponent who made one of your own team’s victories worth celebrating.

Why, I’m bound to ask, do we all know Phil O’Donnell was such a lovely guy? Because the football world, to a man and woman, has been telling us so since Saturday’s tragedy first became known. The football world. Scottish fitbaw and his exemplary role within it, is the reason Phil O’Donnell’s death has hit us ALL so hard. For anyone to pass away at 35 years of age is truly tragic - but we wouldn’t know about it if it had happened to an office worker or a supermarket check-out lady or a manager of a chain of bakers shops, like my cousin, Catherine, who died suddenly during her normal working day, in Stirling last summer.

She too was in her mid-thirties, seemed as fit as a fiddle. She was taken so unexpectedly, by a brain haemorrhage and it all seemed so unreal. It still does. I hadn’t seen her for a few years. That’s just the way things work in life as we all know - we drift apart from some family members. We hadn’t been close since our childhood - shared adventures at birthday parties, jubilee parties, Royal Wedding street parties or whenever we all congregated at my gran’s. It’s only family, friends and colleagues who REALLY knew of my cousin’s passing. Because it happened at work it made a small “human interest story” in a few papers - think the Daily Record even got their grubby mitts on it. But it seemed wrong for it to be in any kind of media because it was no-one’s right to share in the family grief if they didn’t know about her. As shocked as I was, I couldn’t be traumatically upset by the news because, for so many years, I knew nothing about Catherine’s life other than very small second- and third-hand snippets, related stories of how her kids were getting on, where she was living - the usual.

It’s fair to say that, since the early nineties, I shared much more “interaction” with Phil O’Donnell than with my cousin. In the years since he began his career at Motherwell, began being a player my team had to watch out for when we played the Fir Park men, then Celtic, then Motherwell once more, I would be in the stand and he would be on the pitch three or four times a year. I remember sitting down the front of the South Stand at Fir Park, back at the end of October last, watching as he argued with the ref and rallied his troops as they played The Rangers into a very tight corner for large portions of a very uncomfortable CIS cup quarter final. It was one of those little moments where yer sporting bias dissapears involuntarily and yer deeper self says “Jeezoh! Phil O’Donnell! He’s still giving us a hard time all these years later! We’ve hud some ding-dongs with you down the years, mate”.

Sounds trite now. Sounds a bit convenient for the purposes of this rant. But I remember it. I remember specifically thinking about how long Phil O’Donnell had been giving Rangers grief. Just so happens I remember very little of him specifically during the Boxing Day match when he helped his team-mates run us ragged for 20 second-half minutes in which I could see our title challenge dissapearing for a third straight year. That he played in that game, right in front of me, only days ago, sends a chill down my spine. How Motherwell fans must be feeling right now is a matter for my deepest sympathies.

I’ve only ever supported two teams. Scotland and Rangers. But I have always - ALWAYS - been aware of how much the rest of football helps me enjoy life. I never slag referees on these pages (well almost never) - not only because I’m loath to blame anyone but my own team for their failings, but because I know how difficult their job is. I know that the game wouldn’t happen without them. Opposition players I will slag rotten but I’ll also admire their skills and pride myself on the ability to recognise a player. Without the opposition players I also would have no football world to enjoy.

There’s always people around who will say that the sympathy and admiration expressed for once “hated” rivals on their passing is the major example of the hypocrisy of football fans and their world. Well, I’d say that the modus operandi of this blog of mine, has always been to show that the TRUE hypocrisy in football is that so-called “hatred” that so many of our number wish to generate each week, be it against their own team or others. I’ve always tried to say that your football team, just like your colour, creed or religion, is just a matter of birth - you almost have no choice in the matter - so why “hate” others for being stuck with a different club??!! The “” campaigners and the people compiling lip-reading video evidence on Neil Lennon should be the ones getting themselves some perspective at this moment. The devestating wave of genuine emotion for Phil O’Donnell exposes the completely pathetic “thinking” of people who fail to see the LOVE in football, of people who refuse to understand the joke we openly play on ourselves through this game, making rivals of those we have most in common with so that we can prepare for the day we have a real enemy to be strong against. That enemy will be illness, poverty, work, lost love or the death of someone dear.

Football allows us to be unhappy and worried and elated in ways whch just don’t count for anything other than to prepare us for the joys and agonies of the real world. We can’t go taking out all these emotions on our nearest and dearest on a daily basis - so we transmute them into the vagaries of the football world and a pressure valve is created. The more emotion we can get out through football, the saner we can all become the rest of the time, the stronger we can be when real problems hit us and ours. Slag opponents and “hate it” when your team lose but always, always, always keep it in perspective. And always make love and celebration your first aim when turning up at the football. Phil O’Donnell was a player and a half. He often made me me worried and unhappy by what he could do to my team - for that I will always be grateful to him.

The emotional outlet he helped give us as a player is currently helping us mourn him as an outstanding human being, gone so very long before his time."

Thanks to faither from the Huddleboard

View From The Wing- Celtic 3 Gretna 0

Sit doon and shut uuupppp......

Events of the last few days have changed the tact of this match review. The “theme” remains the same. When we compare the halcyon age, when the cupboards were bare but the entertainment high wie what we have seen in the last 18 months, very successful months, and the reaction, or non reaction, of the support in the last 18 months needs to be addressed.

The sad passing of Phil O’Donnell has only served a stronger need in this blogger to look to the past. The clips currently doing the rounds in Cybertimdom show what we ARE missing at the moment....... ENTERTAINMENT,

Phil, signed for his boyhood heroes and was paraded in what was the WORST CELTIC TOP IN HISTORY. That 3 Hooped number. Terrible top. That apart he was a sign of the hopeful guid times round the corner. Scottish Cup victory the following season after THAT dreadful Coca Cola Cup Final was the only bright spot in terms of winning silverware but at that time Celtic was so much more than aboot winning trophies.

Tommy Burns Celtic was a sign of a rebirth, a resurrection, and a phoenix from the ashes. A team that contained Collins, for a time, McStay, Thom, Cadete, Di Canio and Pierrie. They are the ones we remember but the were amply supported by other forward thinking players wie ability and also the time honoured lack of decent Celtic defenders...

Looking at the footage, the half built stadium is always full. Disnny matter who we were playing as PMS said “There was a buzz aboot the place” that even a game against cannon fodder was greeted like CL nights are at the moment. WE KNEW that we were going to be entertained.... today, we know that we will get the pants bored off us....

Saturday and recent hame games have been perfect examples. Had a mate up for his first game of the season moved to the Jock Stein lower so I could sit next to him. Got to ma seat at 2.40, bets placed- did take 3-0 hoops but......wie JVOH to score first..booooo- and ma nee’bour said, “Surely it will get busier.....”

A wee look around and again the “welcome to paradise” banner that hangs over the JS stand on European nights could have been changed to “welcome to the concrete bowl, were the consumer canny be arsed and the stadium is soulless”...bit big to get on a banner that, right enough.

But that is now the norm for home games. I reckon they have peeked at around 40 odd thousand for non big games this season. In December close to 30 thousand has been the norm wie Gretna and Fawkirk coming in at least 6 or 7 thousand lower than Hibs.

People bemoan the pricing and the standard of opposition. They will point to the Xmas factor as well. Fair points but for me way off the mark. Look at Man Utd, Liverpool or any other club that has had a hame game over the festive period or in December.....did you see vast empty spaces? Nah, either did I.....

What kind of fan do we attract to CP when a MUST WIN game is as poorly attended. The consumer that attends CP will pick and choose his games. I suspect that he has enough disposable income to be able to let his season book sit in his wallet when he disnny fancy it.

Then we get the ones who do bother to turn up are quite willing to sit on their bums, abuses EVERYTHING IN A HOOPS jersey, leave 10 mins before half time for a pie then 10 minutes before the end so their SUV beats the traffic, which wie on 30,000 there is negligible and the amount that leave early mean that the London Road must be busier at 4.40 that at 5.05....

Right, some might say, that CP should be an oasis, geddit?, of entertainment, of drama of passion. Canny think of much mair drama than having to beat a team to stay top of the league but I have to agree wie them regarding the entertainment stakes.

When the custodian of the managers trackie got the joab he said that he didnae bother if he lost three goals as we would score goals, we would play attacking entertaining fitba’ and would get bums off seats. Well, he has got bums of seats.....
The game at tannadeechie was one of effort and workrate. The game was not for the purist but...I CAN HANDLE THAT...as being a fan you canny ask for much more than what was giving at Tannadeechie. Saturday was different. We were playing a team that are relegated and have been since September but the players went through the motions esp in the first half.

Second was slightly better. Aiden and Skippy started to play. Aiden- THE BEST PLAYER IN SCOTLAND- again, showed he is oor only Celtic way type player- i.e swashbuckling cavalier- and Skippy has a talisman presence now, with a touch, workrate and narkiness factor, which makes the guy behind me claim that we should never have sold Kenny Miller laughable.

Oor midfield was never at the races. Massimo Donati’s performance was a worry so much so that thinking back to his claim that AC Milan would regret selling him sound like a soundbite from a deranged man. I’m sure Milan regret buying him for £10m, the director that sealed that deal has probably has a horse’s heid in his bed.....but regret selling him???

The Broony question......once again he was shipped oot wide right when the subs where happening- why did we not just bring on a winger for the terrible Deek, who disappeared straight up the tunnel...it was the quickest he moved all day- and all in, his goal apart looked anything but a £4 million player.

He reminds me of O’Donnell. A stand oot in the mediocre that is the SPL. A box-to-box midfielder that we all hope, wie all the hope in oor hearts becomes the PLAYER he can be. He has to add goals, something O’Donnell did have. He should be aiming for at least double figures wie the Hoops.

In the first half we never dirtied the Gretna’s goalies gloves.... they produced 3 wonderful saves from the holy goalie. I could handle this if we were creating and missing chances...not creating or missing and getting sliced open by a “glorified pub team”- as the lackie behind me shouted- is not on....WE HAVE PLAYERS THAT CAN ATTACK.....the question is WHY don’t they produce it on a regular basis?????

In a week that Alec Ridnose bemoaned the prawn sandwiched munchers at Trafford baw park aboot their lack of support, SOMETHING GS canny dae due to a lack of full backing from the rank and file, just highlights the problems facing fitba all over in Britian.

Yes, new stadiums have sanitised the atmosphere. But a look in Europe, esp Germany shows how atmosphere can be generated. Cheap tickets and standing areas, which are regulated. While standing areas won’t come back, Celtic really need to look at making CP a more atmospheric place and that disnny mean a DJ shouting like a hyperactive 3 year old at a Saturday swap shop convention when he just seen an eagled eyed action man over a souped up techno version of a 60’s classic….or playing bloody Chelski Dagger- sorry Jon Fratelli, I know yer a Tim but it’s bloody CP not the World darts championship or some no mark club wie nae history- after a goal ???….

The support still has that punkish passion and rebelness. 5000 away fans can out sing 50,000 home fans nae probs. Problem is that 5000 are spread all over the stadium at home games while the majority of the 45,000 that dinny want to go to the away games are appalled at the thought of standing up, singing and encouraging yer team….

The BOTTOMLINE is this……whether the “fans” are their to see a winning team or there to support their team through thick and thin if BOTH are watching attacking and entertaining fitba then the atmosphere generates itself. A wag that sits beside said the only time CP will be bouncing again will be when Roy Keane gets the managers joab….I found it hard to disagree…

Forza