Mesmerised By Messi and Miffed By The Moans.

I remember saying that I would only “blog” once a week. I would try and update the comments mair often and not let the blog be a vehicle for ma diatribe. Kept telling maeself that people don’t want to read yer rubbish, they want to be read and talk aboot Celtic.

So, last night, when I was wide awake in bed the thought of doing another blog entered ma heid. Ma reasoning behind doing this was I had to many things on ma mind after the game and the egotistical self-centred opinionated bawbag I am- please note all webmasters / bloggers are egotistical self-centred opinionated bawbags, why else would they give up their time to do this? is not the money, that, and they are also sad and have nae life- thinks; hopes that from Paris to Houston via Coventry want to hear them.

Ma feelings of awe, rage, wonder and doon right “Bunch of arses these fecking fans” need to be heard. Haven’t been trawling the Timternet today wie ma usual passion, the things I have read have wetted ma powder though...

Last night, was magical, it was great. It was the reason we pay to go to the fitba’, the unfortunate thing was oor team got ripped a new one, so to speak, but at the same time it was great to watch. At no time last night did any one of the 14 players used by oor manager let us doon.

Yes, they proved that they are not, collectively, able to compete against the crème de la crème, that oor failings, that we all knew existed, will be ruthlessly exposed at that level and that, really, we are only in the CL to pick up the cheque, say “Thanks, see ya next year” wieoot troubling the status quo.

But last night was not aboot that. Last night, like a lot of others we have enjoyed recently, became a fresh memory, a fresh “I was there” conversation topic doon the pub. We done what we could last night, yes, disappointed as we could have done better in the second half, but we took part in a game that will be remembered for what happened on and off the park for a long, long time.

A game that even the Scottish medija canny, surely, find a bad word aboot. Unbelievably though I found a fair few “fans” that had nothing guid to say aboot the performance, they got their panto villain, whose effigy will be burned doon the London Road at the next hame game if they get their way and left wie faces like fizz when the third goal went in.

It all started off so well too. Too perfect really, in hindsight.

I got into the ground early. Well, 7.35pm early. I heard the end of the “Barcelona Anthem”- I thought it was anyway? - as I was running up the stairs, I then got to the entrance of area 412, which looks directly over to the auld Celtic end.

The scene that met me was awe-inspiring. Thousands of green, white and yellow flags were being waved, the “Welcome To Paradise” banner draped over the top tier along wie various other CSC banners. The end was singing, swaying and belting out “Hail Hail” drowning oot the PA.

Went down the front of Area 412. The Green Brigade had hung a banner over to the main lads in the section below. The section below was a sea of waving flags, including a Catalonia flag, the banner stated wie impressive intent “Roar Like Lions”. Now, I could see the whole stadium was energetic.

A look across to the “away end” and I was impressed wie the numbers of travelling. 2000 Cules were bouncing, singing and waving their colourful flags and instead of standing a gawping in wonder at the noise coming from the rest of the arena they were adding to it.

YNWA, started and as I stood looking all around I wondered if there was any better place in Europe. The displays were anarchic, spontaneous European, colourful and messes, which is great. Much better than the holding up the cards, spelling out a message type ones. These displays were on a par wie anything I have seen in Europe and were carried off wie as much passion as any Turk, Greek, Italian or Spaniard.

The game started and like a blue and purple blurs Messi started pulling the strings. We talk aboot Aiden McGeady being special but Messi is SPECIAL. Finds space as easily as a wimin will spend money, will expose a full back as often as the naked rambler exposes himself to the public and has the workrate of a tourist camel in Egypt.

But we scored against the run of play. For all the ba’ they had we scored and looked dangerous when we could get the ba’. The mercurial Messi equalised then, the out of his depth looking for 38 minutes Barry Robson, scored to put us 2-1 up.

The six minutes from Robson’s goal to half time was a magical moment in the history of the rebuilt CP. We started looking like we were going to get a third in that spell, yes, maybe I’m getting a bit carried away but when Aiden was running at Puyol during that period I BELIEVED that we could score a third, and I looked around the stadium.

Over to ma right, top corner of the Lisbon Lions upper tier, about four sections and at least 20 rows in each section were all standing up, waving their flags, scarfs, tops, jumping up and doon and going ape.

All around the ground you could see pockets of the ground singing, dancing and bloody enjoying the FACT that we were leading 2-1, enjoying that we were beginning to believe that we could do it. Half time came and it all changed.
The hope was replaced wie the cynical snipping and rounding on players. It was replaced by the misplaced myth that we don’t lose at CP to anyone, a myth peddled to death by the medija. This myth means that rational thinking goes oot the windae.

Don’t get me wrong, Gary Calderbuers schoolbhoy error is unacceptable at any level of fitba’. It is a mistake made up and doon Sunday parks every weekend by a hungover 20 stane 40 year old but was it the time and place to turn on him?

I mean, when the ba’ fell to buck tooth Ronnie and he slid the ba’ to Henry there was still a hell of a lot for him to do, yes, if the ba’ had been in the stands then Terry widnae have had the chance, and it was a wonder goal- one I had to stop maeself applauding- a goal I don’t think will be bettered this week.

So, Calderbuers was the initial error, an error that led to a flash of genius and probably cost all oor chances of a draw going oot the windae. But, that is wie hindsight. We didnae know at the time that Barca would boost on and produce their best display of the season, though in the proceeding 6 minutes before the goal did indicate that it was in the post.

We still had 38 minutes after the “error” for us to regain the lead and for Calderbuer to make amends. Nah, lets forget that, lets just boo Calderbuer every time he gets the ba’. That’s the third time I have heard a Celtic player be booed, by his own fans, at CP. Balde, after a mistake against Livingstone, and Sno, against Hearts, being the other ones.

Should I expect anything less? I mean, the people who done this are probably the ones that booed Larsson when he scored for Barca against us. It just acceptable nowadays to pick a scapegoat and boo, abuse and hope he fails no matter the detriment to the team doing this causes.

As the half got worse for us, or better for a neutral, hun or any fitba’ fan, the moans, the strange shouts and groans got worse. Oor defence was terrible so was oor midfield, mumblings of the words “not Celtic class” could be heard.

Samaras was showing why he was only a loan signing from Man Citee, Strachan hudnae a fecking clue, Brouc was kicking the ba’ wrong- yes, really- Aiden’s a bit overrated he has done feck all this second half, Lee Naylor was pesh, it’s only Messi for fecks sake, and EVERY loose ba’ was meet wie abuse.

It reached a new low, or high, when Ronnie was getting subbed. Not usually one for clapping opposition players, somehow canny see me clapping the Stankmonster of the park in the next derby right enough, but somehow it felt right to applaud one of the worlds greatest players off one of the greatest European arenas pitch. No?

He had also been heavily involved in the best away team performance I have seen at CP EVER. It tops PSG in 95. The fitba’ fan in me wanted to do it. Yes, I applauded Henry as well, even after his arrogant French celebration. All I could think at that point was how lucky The Arse Fans had been seeing him for all those years, like us wie Henke.

You probably shouldnae applaud the opposition of the park. Probably just the same as you shouldnae play the oppositions club anthem before the game or wave the flag of your opponents in the pre-match build up.

Difference is, I really think deep doon, we all know that Barca are not oor rivals. Yes, we want to beat them, and we gave it a guid go, but they are not going to stop us winning silverware that we have a chance of winning or achieving what we want, and we did achieve by qualifying for the last 16.

I don’t think the Celtic support would EVER applaud a team or players of a team that are rivals. Rivals that can hurt us in the race for the goals we have set like winning the league, Scottish Cup or qualifying for the CL. I canny remember the Moscow winger- Bystrov? - being applauded when he was destroying Lee Naylor at CP and I canny for the life of me ever see a hun, Hearts, Hibs or Dundee Utd player being applauded off if their team was 3-2 up at Parkheid.

For me that’s the difference but if you saw some of the reaction and read some of the reaction then you would have thought we had applauded Osama, McCoist, Hately and Souness onto the park to do the paradise windfall draw.

After the winning goal, after 35 minutes of pure, pure fitba’ where I was fearing for the scoreline but in awe of the performance, the usual dull thud of the green bucket seats tipping up could be heard just over the expletives being shouted.

A look around and they were leaving in droves wie their faces like fizz, bemoaning Gary Caldwell, Strachan, The Board, The Floodlights, and that they wanted a decent get away to beat the traffic.

The drink-tinged vocal of “Celtic, Celtic” started up before most had reached the exit and the game had re-started. The game kicked off and the only in defeat aired song “We are Celtic Supporters faithful through and through” was in full cry and low and behold the irony those who were streaming oot were joining in…..

The Barca fans knowing the game was now a bogey sung “Celtic, Celtic” and waved their anti-hun banners, I’m hoping that that gesture was due to them being impressed wie oor teams performance and not some ideological thinking that oor clubs are politically linked, which we are, but it’s very tedious, but one thing, it is true is that we are both more than a club.

Final whistle went and the entire tired and emotional crowd stood as a man to applaud oor teams effort, first and foremaist you always applauded your teams effort and as the Barca players swarmed to their Cules we applauded them. We applauded the Cules for their efforts as well.

Still, the moans were continuing doon the stairs and I laughed at the moaners thinking these are probably the guys who booed Calderbuer then sang “Faithful through and through” and think nuthin of it. Them singing that wee song, buying the top, buying the view and attending the European experience means he is a fan.

I always thought the Celtic support was one for decent sportsmanship and backing of the team through think and thin. Yes, success has breed an ugly side to the new fan and I must admit this new fan seems to be mair vocal when abusing and moaning than us, who, no matter how bad the players are playing who will shout encouragement and then moan on the bus on the way hame.

On thing aboot Wednesday night that I think shows me the new fan is not welcome at CP in my book and is a scourge of the modern game.

If you canny appreciate great fitba’, know your teams place in the grand scheme of things and are willing to boo players as the game is going on, then you can fuck, right, off.

Petty minded medija driven- and Internet message board- blunderbuss shouldnae come into yer thinking but the modern fan like sheep. Nae brains and they will believe what they are told what a fan is.

So, to Barcelona. Where I’m going to show that we are the best travelling support in the world, well, it would be rude not to let Laporta doon, and to support ma team to a 2-0 victory in the Camp Nou. If it disnny happen and we crash oot the competition it won’t be through lack of support or effort from the players.

I’m sure the travelling fans like- the vast majority at CP on Wednesday- will be thinking the same.

Forza