Post Match Session: Huns(h)

We all know a guy like this dude. He is an associate, a friend of a friend, whom when you go round to his house he is listening to MOR rock (Travis, Dido, Coldplay) cause GQ magazine says it's "cool" and he always has the latest IPOD, even though he disnny know how to work it.

He says he like the fitba'. He'll go into the Celtic shop buy every new top, training kit, dug bowl and sweat band. He says that he hates r*ngers, listens to Real Radio (and takes it as gospel) but you remember him before St. Martin not bothering his shirt aboot Celtic.

I know a man like this. I was in his company on Sunday night- at a quickly arranged BBQ in honor of Skippy- when he came out with this classic.

" That CHRIS LONGFOOT deserved to get sent off for that penalty"

"What????" I replied....

"Aye, Chris Longfoot, the huns midfielder who brought doon Skippy"

I choked on ma can of Tennents when he said it again. He was BEING SERIOUS. Fucking consumers eh?

So how are the hurting savages of the written word taking the defeat....

Sporting contests do not come much more exhilarating, or unrelenting, than this. Under a Beautiful summer sky in Glasgow's east end, the Old Firm derby crackled with an even greater
intensity than usual. With five goals, six bookings and one sending off, this was unforgettable drama played out over 93 exhausting minutes. At the end of it all, Celtic had won the battle. Victory in the war now becomes a more realistic possibility. The Herald

THE Premier League championship trophy remains at Celtic Park, but its future is as Uncertain as that of a tenant half-expecting to be served with an eviction order. The Scotsman

RANGERS stormed into Glasgow's East End yesterday in a rush to kill Celtic's title defence stone dead. But somewhere along the line Walter Smith's players stumbled and ran out of
steam and by the time they had staggered back across the city late in the afternoon their entire season was threatening to unravel. The Daily Ragger

"We sat a bit too deep but sorted it out in the second half and it worked well for us. When we played I thought we made some excellent chances. Gordon Strachan

The goals in their glory and not so glory

Ok, so for the first time in 15 years we comeback from a goal down against The Huns to win. For the first time in El Cairdos R*ngers mangerial career he has suffered back to back defeats against the guid guys.

We have now won two in a row against them after 4 defeats and nae goals in the previous four. We have scored 5 goals in 2 games against them and showed- if nothing else- that we won't be bullied by the team that was going to bully it's way to the title.

It may still "bully" it's way to the title. I feel, maybe, oor show of muscle and galvanised team spirit could be too late. We may run out of games. Mair importantly we may run oot of points to be had. In fact, I'm wishing that if was early March and we had 10 games left.

We didn't play well. Yes, a lot of effort and proud spirit but the lack of fitba' made us second best for long spells of the first half. The worst thing we done was score early. We brought the beasties oot their shells wie an early goal. They hassled and harried and deserved to get themselves back in the game.

I was worried, sitting in the North Stand that the stories of the death of the beast were wide of the mark. Then came the moment the game swung in oor favour. The moment the extra man El Cairdo had deployed in the midfield came unstuck. Paul Hartley crunched Barry Fergiehun. 34 mins in and the game changed.

From that moment on Robson, Naka, McGeady all of a sudden got us going. They wanted the ball, they wanted to try and pass the ball and take risks. The equaliser came from this such want. The equaliser came at the right time for us.

That was the moment R*ngers were spent. They had used their energy in the first period. Burnt themselves oot. A tactic I think we will see them use mair often as the games come thick and fast.

Nae wins in five in all competitions, nae wins in three in the league ( a stat the medija dinny shout aboot) and weary legs. They will try and bury teams in the first half of games from now on in. They can't be chasing games after the 60 minute mark. In fact, in the second half of both games recently at CP Arfur didnae have a save to make. He finished War and Peace, screen printed a nice Pope t-shirt and done The Heralds Sudoku by the full time whistle on Sunday.

Still it looked for a long spell that GS had been out smarted by El Cairdo again. He got caught oot because the huns attacked but his teams spirit- mair importantly his BIG players spirit- got him oot of jail and gave the huns squeaky bum time.

We needed the first victory mair. The last minute goal gave us the belief to hang in there on Sunday and fight to the end. Yes, it was a defo watch wie Mother production and watching through fingers was the norm for the purest.

We played better fitba' in the first game but maybe the pressure and the desperation of obtaining the 3 points in the second meant that I will remember the victory for the effort, the sweat, the thundering tackles and the fact we wanted it mair rather than silky fitba'. Yes, we played fitba' in spells on Sunday but nothing as constant as the first game.

But.....we were mair intelligent than we have been for sometime in seeing oot the game. We got Naka and Skippy on the ba'. They drew fouls and clumsy tackles from the lumbering oafs in blue. The Huns played Amdy Faye to try and make us pish oorselves laughing and put us off.

Its' amazing that El Cairdos "Wattienaccio" has been hailed as the best thing since the guy Warburton stuck his first loaf in his oven. So, tell me, why a tactical genius who has 4 CB still on the field (Hedami is a CB) and a midfielder who is a full back go and play a CM at CB????

GS would have been hung from the rafters of Baird's Bar if he had done something like that. Imaging Massimo coming on for Mick....

I got a text that said "An offside goal, deflected shot and a pen that was ootside the box.....magic Sunday", I was just glad that we are still in the hunt.

"Some men fight for silver, some men fight for gold......"

Keep the fight going to Fir Park bhoys....

Forza

Decanted Newsamble: Huns(h)

Feck me. No many blogs will start wie an expletive but this one does. So double feck me. What a week. As you maybe aware I have been busy off late and my commitment to the blog could be questioned in terms of a player, in his last year of contract, looking fir a wee bosman move and unwilling to meet the 50/50’s heid on during a game.

But the reality is less exciting. It’s boring really. It’s all aboot social networking sites and an addiction in LOTW towers. But......it has been a feck me week news wise.

Lets start of wie the predictable Celtic star to leave story. A story that pokes it’s heid up before every big game. You would have thought the medija would have learned that we no longer fall for these tricks.

So this week its Nakamura – I’m still waiting for the Arfur to go story- that is attracting the attention of Yokohama Marinos who have earmarked him to play quarter back in their new offensive line up. Is not just a re-hash of a story that appeared at the start of this season?

Anyway, Naka is moving into the last year of his contract. He has had an injury inflicted year and his performances- not unsurprisingly- haven’t reached the heights of last year. A serious decision has to get made from a football point of view.

The benefits of having him for another year- for me- out weight not having him. He can change games at a drop of a shoulder and a dipping, swerving cross is a weapon that can be used to hurt the opposing teams. Unfortunately, his lack of English, family circs- wean nearly nursery age- and homesickness may take the decision oot of oor hands.

Got an E-Mither, quoting a text from one of the regular lurkers faither after the decision to “extend” the SPL season. It said.....

“It’s help the huns week in Scotland, the best little protestant country in the world”

I found it amusing anyway.

So this 4 day extension, which has more clauses than the declaration of independence and mair buts than an ashtray ootside a citee centre boozer. One thing is clear though. I don’t reckon it has benefited the Huns.

The Huns wanted an extension to help them win the league. They are annoyed that the SPL are not helping them win the league. The pretence they went for it was that it was needed to help them improve Scotland’s standing in Europe and wished mair time to prepare for the possible UEFA Cup Final.

Their statement proves this. They mention extending the season to May 27th. There idea of an extension was the rest of the league- ok, oor games- being loused and them playing two games against teams in holiday mode knowing exactly what they had to do.

Dignity indeed.

Apart from changing the rules, mid season, the SPL have retained some sort of sporting integrity by not extending the season further to pander to the attempting cheating barstewards from Govan.

I mean, sporting integrity never came into it when the SFA, SPL and The Huns (The Three Stooges, who do share a bed as this episode proves) caused this stookie by postponing games earlier in the season for no guid reason.

Mind you, another way to look at it is The Huns agreed at the start of the season when the season would end. If they canny complete their fixtures before that date (due to their requested postponements and them failing to win cup games at the first attempt), then they should be fined and relegated to the third division in Outer Mongolia. Either that or they should forfeit the points.

Oor response has been typically low key and pandering to the establishment. Not that I think the SPL’s decision warrants mass shootings and public floggings. No matter what happens the Huns still have to play 4 games in 8 days. Us wishing them no “disadvantage” is wrong though. We should have wished them 1000 injuries and horrible deaths.

Aiden had the right idea. After he had left Nacho The Skankmonsters pocket, in time to collect two POTY awards, that Nacho will never see in his life, he made clear what the Celtic team thought of the proposed cheating fae Govan.

He also had a wee dig at The Skankmonster. The only person that has ever been in Novo’s pocket is his besty mate while he was shagging the guys burd behind his back after his besty mate had put him up in his flat. The Skankmonster showed all the morals of a hun by pumping her. Nice. He is a wee scroat.

Hopefully Aiden’s idea of banter includes, nutmegging, running past, dummying, shimmying and generally ripping the wee scrotal a new arsehole on Sunday. By 2.20pm on Sunday I want The Skankmonster locking himself in a darkened room screaming for his Mum while the ghosts of Broadfoot and Ricksen whisper in his ear “Have you been embarrassed at CP too.....”

Will Scott Brown be on the park to see it though. Oor Gordie has been quoted as saying that his return to the team is not guaranteed after his three game ban for being a petulant wean over the last 6 months.

Three games out, three wins and three decent performances from his replacement who is carrying on his form that made him a pretender to Aiden’s crown. There is a saying that you have to play the form players for your team to be successful no matter the name, ego or price tag.

It’s a mantra that oor manager disnny really follow. It’s no surprise to see oor manager bringing back big money players as he signed them, no matter if they have been pish for months(see Massimo). Stubborn as he is, Gordie surely canny look to change a winning midfield (I’m discounting Massimo from the Sheepie game, as he was a passenger) if available and all fit?

Hartley and Robbo proved their worth in the last derby game. El Cairdo may come up wie a plan to knock these two off their game (for all his faults he usually disnny make the same mistake twice) and a return for Broon could outfox him.

Add to that maybe a starting spot for Sammy (if JVOH and Skippy are fit, if JVOH is still injured then Sammy will start) could freshen up and worry a backline that will probably contain Weir and Dailly.

The game is as much won off the pitch as it is on it. Celtic varied the play in the first game going mair direct often rather than the patient, slow game they played at the weekend. If they try that again- the slow build up- Der Huns tactics of 6-4-0. or 7-3-0 or 4-1-4-1 will easily contain us. We just have to look at the period we played against 10 men against them to see that we could struggle against them.

We require that when we have the ba’ we have to use it purposefully and when we are on top make it count. That’s one thing we dinny do. Last Wednesday in the first half we were that far in front- possession wise- we should have been creating mair chances. Yes, we will have a lot of the ba’ but we canny expect a last minute goal every week to pull us oor the mire. We have to punish the teams when we have the ba’.

Again, first goal will decide how this game is going to go. We score it then we have the platform to boost on, they score it.....like they have done numerous times this season (and remember it’s 15 years since they lost a derby when they scored the first goal) it gives them something to hang onto.

Celtic inflicted The Huns first defeat in 19 domestic games. In fact, if you now take the Huns overall form (all games and competitions) they are 4 games wieoot a win. Injuries and suspension maybe play a part but could this be pointing to a loss of form?

Celtic are 3 games undefeated (them and ICT are the form teams in the SPL). We have dropped 7 points oot of an available 36.

In the last 13 Derby games at CP, The Huns have only scored 4 goals. Last Wednesday was the only time they huvnae managed to get a winning result for almost 5 seasons when they have scored at CP. That last minute goal broke an important sequence.

Looking back the huns record is terrible at CP. For this to continue then we need to gain the proven advantage of scoring first on Sunday. Big decisions for the manager tactics wise and personnel wise but all the stats point to a slender 1-goal victory for Celtic.

More stats from CelticStats and another preview at The Offside.

Forza

Post Match Session: Aberdeen(h)

As we left the stadium the “fundamentalists” were singing “Celtic, Glasgow are going to win the league, are going to win the league are going to win the league”. Unsure where they got optimism (Buckfast, MD 20/20, Eldorado, Drugs?) but after watching 90 mins of tedious shite it wisnny from the park anyway.

Or was it? I mean, The Sheepie managed to hit both posts wie their ONLY shot on goal in the first half. As it hit both posts and bounced back in the HG’s hands I knew then that 3 points where on the cards.

Well, I was confident at that point. The reason? If that was a month ago that would have ended up in the back of the net. Gameplan set and match to Tango and Sash. If that had went in the “consumer” who bothered to turn up would have turned on the team for the remaining 87 mins.

I canny imaging the abuse the non-performers such as Donati, Sammy, Skippy, Willo and Mick would have got if that happened. The abuse was bad enough and that was when we were 1-0 up. Pressure is a strange thing.

Now, in a week when we have had two very decent performances the players running out to a sparsely populated stadium that is as twitchy Bill Oddie must have bemused them. It bemused me.

Keep The Faith has been the message all week in Celticcybertimdom. We have had two performances (both from us and them) that justify that mantra. The Green Brigade, again, tried to inject colour into the proceedings but the vast majority- who turn up- probably see this a unwanted hindrance. Obliviously going to Asda shopping wie the Mrs was a better option for the vast majority. Mind you, it’s just in keeping wie the downturn trend in attendances this season. I’m sure the PLC have noticed as well.

So how do the beasts of the fourth estate see it?

Games in hand represent hope, but the points total on the board is current reality so, for the next six days at least, Celtic are back in pole position for the Scottish championship - and a third successive title under Gordon Strachan - following Saturday's fraught, but valuable, victory over Aberdeen. The Telegraph

SIGNS and omens can have such a heavy presence in football, particularly when a league championship is on the line, that going to a match sometimes feels like stumbling into a pit of superstition. The Hootsmon

Celtic moved to the top of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League with a slender win bookended by favourable fortune and familiar refereeing incompetence from Iain Brines. Georgios Samaras interrupted a fitful afternoon with a headed winner that preserved the champions' flickering ambitions of a third successive title. The Herald

THERE couldn't have been greater signs of panic at Celtic Park if somebody had sounded the horn to begin an emergency evacuation procedure.The Daily Ragger

"I thought we were going score every time we went up the pitch but we didn't have our finishing boots on today," "Our final pass at time left a lot to be desired. Gordon Strachan....talks sense(for once)

The Goal....

Ok, it wissny the greatest game we have ever seen. In fact it was rubbish. Aberdeen played their usual 5-5-0 formation, which there small travelling support- wie a cracking message to the under performing players- gave notice to at the start. They have nothing to play for and the fact that they usually ended up wie a score line to nil (1 goal in their last seven visits) showed that the stayaways had the right idea.

Still though, there was a few positives. Paul Caddis came on and changed the game for the good. The teenager has had a few lucky breaks recently and again it was a case of right place right time- last time he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, or the right time for her- when Hinkel, again, worryingly showed that he might be as injury prone as all oor other full backs.

His quick usage of the ball was in contrast to the ponderous use that had went the 45 mins before. Strong running and decent positional sense- that saved a certain goal- should mean that even allowing for the lack of height- mair a lack of a neck really- he could be a player. Still rumours persist that he is a midfielder though...

His introduction couldnae surpass another MOTM performance- IMO- from Barry Robson. Combative, purposeful, creative- his set play delivery is like Naka’s but backed by a swerving, chilling North East Wind- and robust. Like we all thought Scott Broon would be.

I questioned the widom of buying Robson. Like I questioned the wisdom of signing Hartley. Now, I’m shouting for both of them to be oor midfield duo. I wanted us to sign Scott Broon. Now, I don’t want him to play. I know fuck all aboot fitba as this paragraph proves.

A game so devoid of incident, contrived to give us two disallowed goals and caused Spew Heevins to have a fit. I heard Heevins on the way home- got a lift as supporters bus ended up in bus park, which means an hour before you get oot..I wanted beer and was in the boozer before the bus left the London Road- and he was shouting that the all conspiracy theories should now end as Ian Brines had kept Celtic in the Championship race.

He forgot to mention the “goal” we got chopped off for he haw. Brines was just evening things up as poor MIB’s do. The Sheepies "goal" was chopped off before the ba’ dropped to their player. Did you see what I did there? I said the "goal" was chopped off before the ba' dropped. So...really....there is no goal.

Now, surely Mr Brines knows that a goal canny be a goal if the play has stopped? Well judging by his comments he disnny. He states that the goal should have stood because there was no hand ball. He also, in the same breath, states that ALL players- bar Diamond- stopped as, he had blown to stop play. Can you see the fault in his disallowed goal line of "reporting" here?

His comments- if being factually correct- should have been "I shouldnae huv gave the free kick" before adding "But....if I hudnae chances are Bobo would have ate Zander Diamond, spat oot his bones, used his internal organs to make a nice stew while humping the ba' into row Z"

The foul was given, the play had stopped. It was that much of a non event that Scotsport decided not to show any of the disallowed goals.

If you hudnae been at the game and heard Heevins then you would have believed that the greatest robbery since Ronnie Biggs and Co had just been pulled off. Heevins really is a pwrick. His mantra this year has been “R*ngers grind oot results” and when we do it “Celtic cheat fans”......bitter bitter wee man.

Two words Spew. Arfur Jorge. GIRUY!!!!!!!!

9 points from 3 games. We canny grumble. Hope for this week? A Viola victory and another three points for the bhoys...then Keep The Faith indeed.

Forza

Tic v Dons FT 1-0

Nervous second half - very nervous.

However, we got the required goal from Sammy. He got his head when Robbo whipped in a free kick after 55mins. But generally his play isn't incisive enough - maybe just an impact player after all ?


It was pretty awful fare today to be honest - we made heavy weather of it.
I don't remember a match with so many slack, underhit and misplaced passes.
Was it just a hangover from midweek? Or do Aberdeen just drag us down to their level?

Sammy had a goal chalked off with 2min to go, and more importantly so did Aberdeen two mins into injury time. In fact, they were very close to snatching an equalizer a couple of times.
That would have been game, set and match. But we live to see another day.


However, there are a few positive from today:

• We took 3pts while playing badly.
• Young Caddis looks very promising at full back - defo, one for the future.
• We've got a week to get our walking wounded up and running again.
• We have added an extra bit of pressure on the hun.
• We are top of the league tonight.

I am now away to change out of my broon cords and have a wee drinky - my nerves are shattered. I think next Sunday will take care of itself - it's the other games I'm worried about now.

Tic v Dons HT 0-0

Frustrating first 45.
Constant possession but hard to think of a single clear cut chance.

Best effort of the game was a shot by Severin whose long range effort struck both posts before being picked up by Artur.

Things are a bit flat and predictable - we need to get physical like last Wednesday and add a bit of urgency to the play.

Sammy has started (Jan must be injured cos he's not even on the bench) but to be honest he isn't doing it today - very wasteful. We seem to be missing a physical presence against their defense.
Donati (in for Hartley) isn't creating much and we seem to be relying on Aiden too much.

However the bench is looking a bit lightweight today
(21 Brown, 55 McGowan, 15 Sno, 33 Killen, 17 Pressley, 29 Mizuno, 52 Caddis)

We've got 45 to do it - otherwise all our good work during midfield could be in vain.

Fingers crossed -- that's about it.

Tic v Dons Preamble

Lickety-split, here we go!

Five games left, three at home - every one of them a cracker.

The plot thickens as they say: a win today and Celtic leapfrog the hun to go top of the league two point clear.
(we'll just leave aside those, erm, three games in hand the blue meanies will have for the moment shall we...).

That single fact however should be enough to keep the team's focus and determination.
The bhoys will be raring to go after doing the bizz last Wednesday and, although wee Gordon might have to shuffle his pack a bit, we should have enough to get thru this one comfortably.

As usual, we would like to see an early goal, and would having a two goal cushion while having a cuppa at half time be to much to ask for ?

Aiden, jvoh, Naylor and Hartley are all carrying knocks and Skoosh is still out.
The SFA poney express has just arrived in time to say that Caldwell cannot play today.
Somebody has been sent out to look for Bobo (seems that O'Dea has beeen injured for a while?).

I fancy we will start with:

Artur
Hinkel, Balde, McManus, Wilson
Naka, Hartley, Robson, McGeady
Sammy, JVoH

Expect to see Frosty/Donati and Skippy/Killen/Hutch on at some point.

C'Mon the Celts today (and the Saints ramorra!) !!!

Post Match Session: Huns(h); Decanted Newsamble: Sheep(h)

It took to me to about 1.30am to realise this. But as I watched the re-run of the game- fickle I know, if we had drawn or got beat I would have been giving it big Z’ds by that time- I just noticed...how guid was Caldwell’s pass for the winning goal?

The only decent ball put into the box in the final 10 minutes produced the winning goal. As we have been saying for weeks it has been the lack of the killer touch that has been missing but...who would have thought or much maligned CB would have produced a “Libero” pass in such a high pressure situation?

Now, we did need that result. It willnae matter if it matters sod all in the long term- we all hope it will right enough- but the manner of the win got the monkey- in every sense- of oor backs. As the Wattnaccio pact wie the devil looked to be holding up, the defeat that has so often been avoided by them in the last 28 games, came and bit them on the arse.

I haven’t seen the meele at the end. Unsure who started it (These pictures say Mick and Fergie). In fact when we were drawing the petulance of Aiden and Sammy made me think that the pressure of losing the league was starting to show. In the end though, I think, der Hun reaction at the final whistle showed that they had cracked. Defeat is a new emotion for them. A late defeat is unheard of.

So to the savages.......

The goal of the season seemed destined to salvage Celtic title defence. The save of the season seemed destined to seal Rangers' first championship in three years. Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink's intervention has ultimately ensured a thrilling climax to the Clydesdale Bank Premier League season. The Herald

CELTIC'S first victory over Rangers for 19 months last night ended in ugly scenes at full time, with pockets of confrontation breaking out among players as the teams headed towards the tunnel in the wake of a sensational match which was settled deep into injury time by the head of Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink. The Hootsmon

So it is still not over. Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink's injury-time header, the culmination of a match, which burst spectacularly into life in the final 20 minutes, cut Rangers' lead at the top to a single point. But that is only a fraction of the story. The Guardian

IT had looked like a case of no damage being done to Rangers while Celtic suffered multiple bruising. Daily Ragger

It keeps it ticking along nicely," "We showed tremendous spirit to come back and keep creating chances after missing the penalty."Gordon Strachan

Late goals make a difference. If we had ended up dropping two points Benfica target GS would have been hung drawn and quartered for taking off Barry Robson.

Robson was the best player on the park by a country mile. He made his intentions clear inside the first 15 seconds when he clobbered Christen Dailly- whose nearly forty and his hair is turning grey-…and for a self confessed “bead rattler” (taken from the magic “Last Day Of The Transfer Window”You Tube clip ) as antics showed he has converted to the darkside very quickly.

Barry Robson and his partner in crime Paul Hartley were immense. Barry Robson’s performance was off a mobile Neil Lennon combined wie the Hunskelping attitude of at his peak Alan Thompson. He done mair in his 70 odd minutes against r*ngers than Scott Brown has done in 180.

Still not that the midfield balance was perfect. Better but not perfect. The game was mirroring oor whole season, condensed into one 90 minute showing. Loads of possession, missed chances, creating not to many, team scoring wie first attack and us struggling to breakdoon a packed defence- ironically a ten-man defence- the writing for team 3 and GS was on the wall.

JVOH saved our season. How much it means at the end of it all will come out in the wash. GS can look today; thank a Japanese genius and another blue chip signing for getting him out a hole. Naka's wonder strike rates as one of the best goals I have ever seen at CP. Add to that getting Ugly Betty to think he was Gordon Banks thus stopping another great goal then the Naka does sod all against der Huns myth is dispelled.

I have heard strange mutterings today that Ugly Betty’s sending off changed the game. I even heard that the game would have been drawn if he would have stayed on. Think everyone has forgot that if he hudnae punched it we would have been 2-1 up.

The fall out from the Caesar Palace rumble in the jungle WWF World Lightweight Championship has reached a senisable conclusion. One game ban for each, Weir for being a hideous Hun and Caldwell for failing to connect wie a right-hander, a sending off offence itself…would have been a shooting offence if it were The Skankmonster he had missed.

Not that Caldwell was the only “Tim” that would miss. STV has just showed footage of a brick like mobile phone getting thrown at The Skankmonster after the wee oaf scored and done his best Ned celebration. Add to that the coin incident it wie the Huns doctor means that once again we are in the dock due to the actions of two fools.

These arses once again make it easier for the medjia to lump us in wie the racist, bigoted and vile ones from Govan who last night proved it in all glorious techno colour. Scotland’s Shame….indeed.

The half time banner, which is already a CELTIC LEGEND, summed up in all its 65-foot glory what we all think. While the medija will highlight incidents we, as the point of the banner was trying to prove, can point to 120 odd years of unsurpassed dignity and hidden shame. Indeed as they have been pulled up for it their choice of “targets” have become lower. Famine, Racism and child abuse are now the norm.

So onto Saturday and a game against the Sheep. A revenge mission after oor cup defeat? Nah, I had a great laugh at their expense last week. The Sheep are as inconstant as a 120 year olds bladder. We have won the last two games but failed to score against the Sheep the last time they visited CP.

Saturday depends on which Celtic team turns up. It is very easy to see us beating r*ngers then dropping points at home to Aberdeen. The Sheep defended like legal aid lawyers on a Monday morning the last time they visited CP. Last week they defended like Michael Caine in Zulus.

I know what ones I want to turn up…but I fear that after the defeat last week that we will see a team pump up and determined not to get beat again. We will need to be at oor best.

Forza

Update:

I’m sure I really should add this update into the normal text but I’m a lazy sod. The fallout from the Glesga Derby continues and there has been some crackers that must be ridiculed.

But first there has been a kidnap in my family. The Hun barstewards at ma work have stolen my Mirco Star Nakamura, which sits, proudly, underneath my PC. I have retaliated. I have kidnapped the Barry Fergiehun and Amo figures, who will meet a grizzle end in Naka is not returned.

Thing is, before I left on Wednesday night, I picked up Naka and kissed his heid. I’m now worried that cause I never done it today then we will lose to the Sheep....

Let’s start of wie the joke that is the Huns Trust. The political wing of the cesspool that is Follow Follow. Their ludicrous claims that CP should be closed due cause “ Celtic cannot guarantee the safety of the players” have been rightly greeted wie such guffawing from the beaks.

The delusional mouthpiece , or ringpeice if that takes your fancy, David Edgar fails to mention numerous incidents at Ipox in the last few years like Stan Petrov being hit by a diet (diet ma arse) Coke being thrown from an angel like bear, provoked by the taig gypsy.

AS I said previously, the arses that threw the stuff should get their baws put in a vice and crushed. But...it’s a polis matter. We are the most watched country in Europe and the amount of CCTV at CP means that these culprits should get caught.

Talking of angel like bears, Sally McCunist is quoted as saying that Grandpa Weir has no “violence in the man”. So why have two Hoops had him by the throat this season? Is it to stop him swallowing his false teeth or choking on a Worthers Original?

Lastly, The Skankmonster is on smack. Aye, right you had Aiden in your back pocket you little piece of shit. Does he not remember the dummy in the second half?

Mair stats. The big green statosaurus has returned.

Aberdeen have only won once at CP in their last 6 visits . That was a few weeks ago in the cup. Before that they had been disposed off 5 times wieoot scoring a goal. Aberdeen have also lost 4 out of their last 5 away games- league only- conceding 15 goals.

Celtic have won 3 out of their last 5 home games scoring 7 and losing 3 in the process. Remember until the Huns game we had failed to score in 3 home games, including 1 against the Sheep. 6 goals in the last two games should render that stat useless.

Big Hesslelink has been the main Sheepskelper wie 4 goals against them since he signed, closely followed by Aiden and Skippy who has an impressive haul of 3 against them this season.

So all the stats point to a comfortable Celtic victory to nil. Probably wie JVOH netting at some point. But....what do the stats know.....

Forza, again.

Update 2.

Here is a link to a radio interview that the Green Brigade gave to Dominik Diamond on Talk 107. It's mostly about the LEGEND that is "Scotland's Shame" and what the GB are all about. It's a decent 8 minutes and some straight talking from "Mark".

Forza, again and again.

Forza Green Brigade

Just showing everyone the pic from tonights match. Apparently the Police removed it afetr comlaints from the Great Unwashed.

Funny how they didn't do the same at Eyepox the other week when they unfurled the one about the Holy Goalie.

The Truth must hurt!!!!

Have disabled teh comments section so keep posting on sixtaesevens match report and I'm sure Kevin will have a more detailed one later

What a night!!!!

Hail Hail

Bhoys v Bears HT 2-1

Justice was done !!!

Football wins over anti-football.

But we left it late, very late: 93min from big Jan's napper.

A second half filled with incident and drama.

Equaliser after 55min was the same old story: 1 chance 1 goal.
How often have we seen that this season?
That took the wind out our sails and give them a real boost.

But we stuck to the task and gradually get back into it: culminating in a magical Naka strike that beat the goalie but was saved in the top corner by Cueiller. Red card and penalty!
But a woeful kick by Skippy was saved by their goalie who had been limping about for about 20minutes...

More controversy when Robson - arguably our best player up till then - was pulled off for Sammy! Explain that one to us Gordon.

In the end, well into the 5min added time, a simple cross into the box eventually found its way to big Jan who nodded it over.

Aul' Wattie's pact with the Aul' Nick might just be running out...

We live to see another day and it's game on.

Bhoys v Bears HT 1-0

A very good first half from the Bhoys.

Totally dominating and ahead thanks to a 30 yard swerver from Naka.
What a strike!
We have had about 10 corners, hopefully one of these will pay off in the second half.

Huns were content to sit in even after losing a goal. Obviously, if they sneak a goal, a 1-1 draw would do them. So, it looks as though the onus is very much on us to get a second.

If we continue as we have done, it should be enough.

I expect to see Sammy come on fairly early to add something extra to the mix.
Skippy could be the one to go, as his touch is well off tonight.

C'Mon the Celtic!!!

Bhoys v Bears - Preamble

And so Wattie's juggernaut finally arrives down Parkhead way.
By a sequence of strange circumstances (and there have been a few of those already this season, n'est-ce pas) we have already visited Ipox twice this year on league duty, losing on both occasions.

Those two losses don't fully account for the points gap at the top of the SPL table: we are chasing with 4 points behind having played 2 games more.
So virtually 10 points.
However, a win for the Tic tonight would bring that down to a slightly more respectable gap.

Although last weekend's 4-1 gubbing of Motherwell was most enjoyable, the truth is we are running out of games. After tonight we go into the split, meaning we have just 5 games left: all of them tough, all of them crucial.

At the end of the day, tonight is an absolute must-win for Celtic.The Hun, on the other hand - thanks to Wattie's pact with the devil (I can't find any other logical explanantion for their run this season) - can afford to lose this one.

They will play their infamous Wattenachio, which has repelled a few decent teams this season, and hope to sneak their usual goal against the odds.
What we have to be concerned about is which Celtic will turn up?
Will Gordon deviate from his 442 or replace one or two of his underperforming favorites (Naylor, in particular springs to mind)?

Against Motherwell there were signs that we had suddenly remembered who we are and what we can do (especially in that first 45 minutes we killed the game with 3 first-half goals).

An early goal for us could be decisive. We need every player to go into tonight's game fired up, confident in our ability to win this, and ready to fight for 90 odd minutes.

Tonight's team, if Hartley gets over his injury scare, should be the one that started last time out:

BorucHinkel, Caldwell, McManus, Naylor
Nakamura, Hartley, Robson, McGeady;
Jan, Skippy

If Hartley misses out, and with Skoosh suspended, anybody fancy Donati in there ... Sno, then ?

Only a fool makes predictions about these games blah blah, so I will rush in:
Celtic to win by 2 goal margin.

Post Match Session: Motherwell(a); Decanted Newsamble: Huns(h)

A Celtic player celebrates the last time we scored against r*ngers..circa 1891

My self imposed exile of all things media, in light of the could be unfolding horror, has made me find a few interesting things. I have discovered a great band called I Am Kloot (listen to the song called "Proof"), started to worry about the fate of DC Utd who have started their season badly and my obsession wie all things Bundesliga 2, well St Pauli (who look safe from relegation) has reached its peak.

This morning I had the "pleasure" of hearing Spew Heevins for all of 10 seconds. As soon as the Ol* F*rm tag was mentioned and his monotone was going to start the cliched shite, I knew the exile would continue. In fact, I now know that all I need is the BBC and Newsnow.

So how are we looking in this week of cliched shite? Yesterday saw us dispose of a Motherwell side who, played better than they did last week- when they got three points- but came up against a side that was more creative in the final third, set plays were better- three goals from set plays-, got it's tactics spot on and was "up" for it.

The main difference between last week and this week was that we got the breaks in front of goal. The ba' dropped for us, thankfully, cause when you were like us struggling to score we needed the break of McManusdona punching the ba' into the net. We huvnae all of a sudden turned into Brazil 70. In fact, all we can take from yesterday is 4 goals and the fact we showed a bit of heart after last week looking like a defeated team.

So what do the savages that double as the press say....

And so the scene is set. Wednesday's Old Firm encounter, earlier viewed in many quarters as solely Rangers' opportunity to all-but secure the Scottish Premier League title, now also represents a genuine chance for Celtic to reignite hopes of a race worthy of the name to the finishing line. The Guardian

Celtic made a belated statement of intent here. An emphatic, unceremonious pounding of Motherwell confirmed that the defending champions will not relinquish their Clydesdale Bank Premier League title with a whimper. The Herald

CELTIC secured the win required to keep their faint title hopes alive and in doing so posted a performance which provided some succour for Gordon Strachan. The Scotsman

THREE years ago Scott McDonald ripped the SPL trophy from Martin O'Neill's grasp with the goals that made the helicopter change direction. Daily Ragger

It was not a beautiful game but we did the best we could. We played common-sense football today.“The league looks after itself. It is just the fact that we scored some goals. We can breathe a bit easier and not go away scratching our heads. Gordon Strachan

The Goals

So can we go into Wednesday, which is the biggest game since the last Glesga derby, wie renewed hope? The fact that we were sliced open on numerous occasions and that Arfur was the called into action mair times that he had been recently- another I'm actually quite good quote from GS- is a worry.

Added to that the curse of the El Cairdo. A curse that has afflicted oor team like daylight kills vampires. A curse that means 52,000 Tims will probably celebrate a corner kick on Wednesday night. A curse that means getting the first goal on Wednesday as important as keeping a clean sheet.

360 minutes wieoot a goal. 300 minutes wieoot looking like scoring a goal. I have used Bloggers discretion there. We had a decent number of chances the last time Der Hun came over to oor place in the first half and I will give us a wee 15 min spell two weeks ago. Other than that? Sod all.

That needs to change. For that to change we need to score first. R*ngers have not lost a derby when they have scored first in 15 years. They have also scored the first goal in 25 games this season and won 24 of them.

Us, we huvnae scored in the last three home games. We struggle against teams that are compact, tight and willnae come oot their ain half. I think we have a big big problem on Wednesday as their is mair chance of Pete Docherty coming oot of jail than Der Hun. They'll settle for a draw we canny settle for anything else other than 3 points.

I don't care how we score. Off Skippy's arse. Off Ugly Betty's bucked teeth. A deflected arsehole winder from Gary Caldwell. We must score first. Oor fragile confidence willnae handle going a goal doon and the consumer venom that will seep from the stands. The stats show that the game is over if they score first.

So, it's glad to see Paul Hartley talking like a true fan when he is talking aboot the hurt of defeat. It's not as if he needs to site on a building site wie fat arsed crack showing builders winding him up but I'm sure he dreads a Tuesday night in Karbon when Der Huns are pulling the pish. At least they can laugh at Alan McGregors tattoo...but, I'm sure they would rather laugh at Der Huns losing the league or getting a skelping from us.

As usual you get auld "legends" being trotted oot like Peter The Pointer saying we can do it and some guy called Larsson saying that Neil Lennon returning is great for the club. I'm hoping as well lhads. I'm hoping Neil Lennon is telling Hartley you are the heir to his throne and telling Robson that he can follow in the proud tradition of gingers to get one over Der Hun.

In fact I'm looking for a Hunskelper. Any takers?

Forza

Motherwell v Celtic - FT 1-4

Fairly comfortable in the end once Jan scored with a cracking shot in 57min.

Scoreline very encouraging before next Wednesday with big Jan and Skippy looking as good as they've been since the start of the season.

However, with the game won, I can't understand why we didn't make substitutions earlier, with Wednesday in mind and with the energy draining pitch. Sammy came on for for Jan (82min) and Killen for Skippy (85min) - too late to make any real impact (although Sammy did set up Aiden on a run thru on goal that should have made it 5).

Better performance and attitude today, but our defense is dire, dire, dire.
What does Naylor have to do to get hooked - surely an ideal chance to have given Caddis a run?
Unfortunately we are stuck with Mick and Caldwell for the rest of the season, but that MUST change for next year.
Artur pulled off one wonder save, and is always an inspiration.

Maybe the absence of Skoosh is a good thing.
I thought Robson alongside Hartley gave us a more composed midfield.
A midfield suited to the rough and tumble of Fir Park.

Will Gordon - who will be glad of a wee bit of respite after today - stick with that against Wattie's XI? Personally, I hope so because if today was "competitive", our next game will not be for the faint hearted.

Motherwell v Celtic - HT 1-3

That's more like it Celtic !!!

Make no mistake the "family club" are fighting tooth and nail for this (surprise, surprise).
The pitch is an absolute disgrace.
But we are in there fighting.

We said that we would take a first goal in any shape or form, and it looked as tho it was Mick's arm rather than his napper that got the first one over the line (15min) after cross in from Naka.

However, short lived cos Hartley feet got stuck in the sand on the half way line, and Motherwell went right up the park and scored (surprise surprise). Possible that Mick knocked the ball over the line as it was going out.

Skippy hit back in 30min after another cross into the box.

Big Jan who wasn't getting much joy from either defense or ref, scored a cracking header from a Robson corner jusr on half time.

I am happy with this performance and fight.
Keep it up, bhoys - hit them for 6!!!

Motherwell v Celtic - Preamble

Can we do today in the Fir Park quagmire what we couldnae dae last week on the hallowed turf (against 10 men, in case anybody needs reminded)?

Whereas 3pts last week would have kept our flickering title hopes alive and put the Hun under a bit of pressure, a win today - I feel - is more about trying to get a bit of self belief back before taking on the Wattie Wizards next Wednesday.

One thing is certain, we have got to get back to scoring goals. An early one would help. And it doesn't matter how it goes in: a sclaffed effort off wee Skippy's shin would do me for starters.

Just as important, we have got to get back to playing a more direct, fluent, aggressive style of fitba. Something that we haven't seen since the CL last 16 matches started to mess up our psyche.

We need to cut out the 40 yard Hail Marys, and keep the ball on the deck.
Pass it - but pass it forward and at pace.
The ultimate weapon is the cut back from the bye line. And does anybody remember how to shoot? - sometimes we want to carry the ball into the net.

We have the players, and our players have the talent - can Gordon get it out of them?
Today is a big test in more ways than one.


Knowing tha Gordon won't not budge from his 442 (and if Iknow that, I think it's safe to assume Mark McGhee and aul' Wattie do as well) and Skoosh suspended, starting line-up could be:

Boruc
Hinkel Mick Caldwell Wilson
Naka Robson Hartley McGeady
Sammy Skippy

But if things aren't going well, changes must made early (and not just like for like, eh, Gordon?).

Not often I make predictions, but I can see a Celtic goal in this match.
:o)

--------------------
Postscript:
This being the match that was postponed after the tragic passing of Phil O'Donnel at the start of the year, there will be a tribute organized by the Green Brigade (card display) and possibly others for the former Celtic and Motherwell favorite.
RIP Phil.

Decanted Newsamble- Pre Motherwell(a)....

Women always say us men moan. Like this week, I reckon I’m coming down wie “Man Flu” or the plague or shingles while MrsG thinks am at it as I dinny want to dae anything roond the hoose. My foul mood has nothing to do wie The Hoops not being able to buy a win or the failure to beat 10 man Motherwell. I have an excuse.

So does Derek Riordon have something to moan aboot. He mentions that oor esteemed manager “Talks rubbish”- guilty as charged me thinks on that count, for proof see later on- and mentions the manager telling him he was a superstar -that could play anywhere bar in goals- then not playing him.

Nice, that the story broke just after a Championship blowing type defeat against 10 man Motherwell- can you tell I’m annoyed that we couldnae beat 10 man Motherwell- but it’s not wieoot substance this story. It’s another blow to the image of GS.

We sign the hottest property in Scottish Fitba’- 64 goals in 146 games before he joined us- and promptly use him sparingly and in the wrong position. Anytime he has been called upon to play as a left winger he has chipped in wie 8 goals in 13 starts and- as Deek says- the manager seems to fancy him on the- rapidly becoming more common- occasions that we need a goal.

We all have heard the rumours. I don’t feel it’s right to comment on the rumours- we don’t know whether him being steaming in training, going oot in Leith wie his mates when he was told not to, punching Kenny Miller, getting it on wie GS’s daughter or just being a wee ned in training- as we don’t know whether they’re true or not.

But this is a story Barry Robson should take note off.

Barry was kind when talking aboot his new boss. I wouldn’t expect him to be anything but.

Problem for Barry is he has went from POTY contender in a decent DUTD side to a fringe player who is not getting a game for a side that is struggling to score goals from the midfield. I’m sure the 10 mins, here and there he gets- and usually in those ten mins he plays in three different positions – is not what he was promised by the esteemed manager when he signed.

He’ll have watched the poor midfield performances- including his one against Barca at home but....he did score- and wonder why he is not getting a shot. Brown, Donati, Hartley, Sno and Naka all seem to be before him. Hartley aside not one of them deserve to be starting at this moment in time.

Makes you wonder why sign the best form midfielder in Scotland- much like Deek was the best striker in Scotland when he signed- and then not play him when the area he excelled in before arriving is struggling like Albert Steptoes horse going up Primrose Hill wie a lead fireplace on it’s back?

More worryingly though, is the talk of “new systems”, “tactical work on positioning” and the manager wanting him to play a different way. What was wrong with the way he was playing before? Is that not why we signed him due to his goal scoring from wide areas?

Should I expect anything else from a coach who takes 20 mins to make a sub, spends 5 mins wie the sub drawing diagrams on a bit of paper and who utterly bamboozled me last week discussing zonal marking wie The Beast.

But then what do we know? We are all fickle fuckers who dinny know we are born. Aiden was quite right to have a go at the "fans" . Same as I had a go at those "fans" as well.

Fair do’s pointing oot GS record but ignoring the record of one win in seven, no wins in four against r*ngers, no goals in four against r*ngers, 11 points dropped at home to the not very good, put oot of two cups at home by poor sides and failure to score in oor last three hame games- how I long to hear “Chelsea Dagger” again- is something that can’t be ignored.

Maybe they would stop being as fickle if Aiden managed to put in a decent cross every now and again. If that happened they widnae need to be fickle as we would be winning 5 or 6 nil and Aiden would be king. But that is not happening.

And like Aiden, I believe one of the reasons this is not happening is because the players have lost form. Arguments can rage over systems, positions and tactics- they do influence games- but at the end of the day, once the 11 players trot over that line there is not much the manager can do if they start having a mare.

Ok, the manager can stop the players having a mare by dropping them, subbing them or rollicking them but if the manager feels he is putting his best 11 on the park and they are not producing then something has to give. Worrying thing is the manager seems to have his heid buried under his bed covers singing "nanananana..I'm not listening" (Is this the most embarrassing interview EVER from GS?)

Over the last two seasons and the early part of this season, we have relied heavily on individual brilliance- it is the “Celtic Way”- to dig us out of holes. Whether it has been a Naka free kick, an Aiden turn, a Maloney rocket or a 26 goal Skippy we have always have had quality that others have not. The need to change the set up never reared it’s heid due to this.

Thing is these players in the current set up are not producing it. Yes, the manager is being let down by his players but......the manager is letting the players down by playing them while they are struggling.

Skippy McDonald,chucked a hissy fit when he was subbed last week. Thing is, he shouldnae have had a chance to chuck a hissy fit as he should have been coming on to the park at that point not going off.

Skippy has been the epitome of the general decline in certain players. Fantastic before xmas now has Kenny Milerites and couldnae hit a coo wie a banjo. The second heaviest man at CP should have been rested before now wie the impact loan signing Georgios of the junglios being used more from the start than has been seen.

We could also make the case for Naka being dropped and Robson coming in to take his berth, a case for Mick to be dropped, a case for Lee Naylor to be sent back to the black country and a case for Scott Brown to go back to salt and sauce land to find his form.

And.....we have to return to Fir Park the scene where we last lost the league, to play on a midden, which should be reported to the U.N for crimes against grass. Troubles? Mair troubles than the middle East.

I would usually end this blawhard rambling by producing some stats like a big fat green statosaurus who has lumbered into view armed wie Google and prozone. But I have already done that last week.

What I can add is....Motherwell have won their last two games 1-0 and Celtic have lost theirs 1-0. Celtic have also failed to score in their last three games. Once again, I predict a tight one goal victory either way wie Motherwell the slight favourites wie winning 12 out of the last possible 15 points at home. Mind you oor away record is the same for the same amount of away games.

We can finish on a total of 89 points if we win the remaining games. If we continue on oor current form we will lose the league by 13 points. We can only cling to the hope that we find form and r*ngers implod. Them dropping points last week made us losing three against 10 man Motherwell even more bugging.

But we need to get our ain house in order and Sunday is a chance to get three points closer.

Forza

The Murder Of Motherwell......

Your day starts off in hope. It ends up with you watching your goalie kidding on he is the Polish John Hartson and- embarrassingly- playing the final few minutes of the game as a makeshift striker. Mind you, if the truth was to be told then when I saw the team at 2.50pm then I knew what was coming next.

In the games we have lost or dropped points at home this season the games have followed the same pattern. Decent start, fade away, opposition gets comfortable, opposition scores wee their first attack, opposition then sits in and we huff, puff and do fleck all to change it.

Where as earlier on in the season we had players who were pulling us out the mire now we have a team misfiring and for the first time on Saturday we saw a team physically chuck in the towel with half an hour left.

No ideas and no hope. Even in the dark days of scrapping 1-0 victories I always said we put in the effort. Saturday it’s easier to pick the players that didnae put in the effort wie, for me, only Caldwell and Hinkel- who had his worst game in a Hoops jersey- didnae hide when the chips were doon. And by saying that disnny mean I thought they had guid games.

Only 3 goals- against Gretna- in the last four games, failure to score in the last three home games and overall- so far- 11 points dropped at home and papped out of two cups at home show where our major problem lays. Our manager likes his stats and these must make unimpressive reading for him. Fortress Parkheid is no more. I always thought that the ICT defeat would come back to haunt us but it know looks like our home form will be our undoing.

So how do others see it?

A pall of uncertainty hangs over Celtic and their beleaguered manager. This was the day the defence of their championship died. Played out against a soundtrack of booing, and abusive chants aimed at Gordon Strachan, it made for an ugly spectacle. The Herald

The question now is, what is the present mindset of Dermot Desmond? There are Celtic supporters, reporters and columnists who, while trying to fathom the immediate future for Gordon Strachan, would love to be able to peer inside the head of Celtic’s principal shareholder. The Times

CLASSICALLY educated or not, Gordon Strachan will have a deep understanding of what Hamlet meant when he referred to "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune". The Scotsman

THE jury left Celtic Park early to consider their verdict. They will reconvene back here a week on Wednesday for the next Old Firm game to deliver their findings.
If the league has already been lost by then, and in all probability that's likely, the fans must decide on that date who's to blame. The Daily Ragger

I will have to suffer with the rest of the fans who have Celtic at heart. We didn't take our chances and couldn't keep a clean sheet," Gordon Strachan, from the Beeb.....Motherwell goal as well.

Full "highlights" here, for those whose Beeb link willnae work

The most striking thing about our poor results this season has been that fact that they have all been the same. When our system fails it fails big time and our manager is loathed to change it. Unsure whether it is stubbornness our a misguided belief that it’s worked before and it will work again.

Any kudos he did have wie the vast majority of the support has now disappeared. His constant changing of the midfield and his belief that playing Massimo Donati at home is a great tactic while forgetting that Massimo’s decent performances where that long ago I didnae need to clip ma nose hair. He also ignores the fact that oor best performances from the turn of the year have been when Hartley and Brown have been the pairing in the middle.

Also, playing players that are so out of form in the hope that they will suddenly regain something that resembles a performance has also cost him. Skippy, Brown, Mick, Naylor should all have been dropped by now. This season is resembling 2005 in terms of a team not functioning and a manager not willing to believe that he maybe wrong.

Now, his record should give him a slack. I empathise should. Fact of the matter is I and the majority don’t think he has it in him to rebuild and not make the same mistakes. He has had three years and the problems he inherited are still their and that is after spending millions. But....he did not deserve, no CELTIC manager or players, deserved what they got on Saturday.

In my twenty odd years following the Hoops I have seen some howlers. We have all been through dark times, times a lot darker than now. We have seen teams put out by Macari, Brady, Frank Connor and John Barnes. These teams gave us loads of howlers to muse over.

But at no time have I ever heard the CP crowd turn on their own like they did on Saturday. The chanting tell Strachan to get tae, the booing of subs and in fighting, arguing and punches being thrown was the most sorriest state I have ever seen at CP. The success spoiled consumer- at least they turned up on Saturday unlike a the last few home games- proved to be a fickle beast. A beast we all knew they were.

I found maeself thinking that if GS stayed then these fuckers would not renew their books, go back to shopping on a Saturday afternoon and disappear from the slopes of Paradise. Having just watched my team chuck another three points away I don’t need thousands vein bulging scream green murder at everyone. I mean do you think the board don’t look at Celticcybertimdom to gauge reaction? Do they really think throwing scarves and singing anti Strachan songs is really going to do us any guid.

The honour of the UEFA fair play award is a long time dead. We are nothing more than big club Charlie type followers who change like the wind and will stamp their feet like weans when low behold we dinny win games. Look across the citee. Like what you see? Like taking the moral high ground? Well don’t.

GS position is a lost cause. The PLC will make the decision to replace purely on financial grounds. Lost revenue and lost pound signs will be the reason DD makes the decision to change if it comes to that. I firmly believe though GS was leaving anyway and his mind has been made up for sometime.

While not being in the pro-GS camp am not fully anti-GS. If we were told that he was getting another year then I would support him but......I do think that would be the wrong decision. All managers reach their glass ceiling. GS has reached his.

I said in the pre match blog before the Motherwell game that if we carried on the form we have been showing in the last month or so then we would lose the league by 15 points. That’s now changed to 13 points. We go into next weekends game looking just to stop them winning the league at CP. Changed days.

Forza.

Cetic v Motherwell - FT 0-1

Well - that's that then.

Impotent - I think that's the word for it.

Unable to score against a 10-man Motherwell.

Hardly a clear cut chance - more a succession of half chances, either fluffed or saved.

Too many players went missing in the second half (Scott Brown, Donati, Naka).
McDonald was poor. Naylor was unbelievably bad (couldn't believe Hinkel was hooked and Naylor stayed on!!!).

The more I watch Celtic, the more I'm convinced there are over-coached.
They are told to play a system and can't switch to anything else when they need to.
Subs were like for like.
We've got a lot of decent players but it's no longer working with Gordon Strachan.


I think there comes a time when you've got to hold you hand up and say it won't be our season.
Just a pity we had to gift wrap it.

Cetic v Motherwell - HT 0-1

How many times have we seen this scenario this season.

Celtic make all the play, make all chances, make all the half chances - no goals.
Opposition one attack - one goal.
Celtic go into panic mode thereafter.

Hard to pinpoint what's going wrong - apart from unable to score and unable to defend.

We NEED to win this game - we've got 45min to do it.

Cetic v Motherwell - Preamble

We go into this game knowing that the league is out of our hands: even the tall order of winning our remaining eight games will not necessarily mean retaining our flag.
We are 6pts behind with one more game played.

Thems the facts.

Last weekend's result was hard to take, and I think I even wrote that for me the league was finished. However, a week is a long time in football. There's time to mull things over, and things happen on and off the field to make you reconsider.

On our side, Neil Lennon is back at Paradise. Hopefully, he can coach some focus and drive into the squad who have been missing just that recently. I'm especially happy to see him back in time for the two forthcoming games against the hun. If you had to choose between Swally or Lenny who would you rather have in the dugout beside you?

On the hun side, maybe last night against Sporting we were seeing the first signs of tiredness and frailty? That coming on the back of their manager virtually asking for an extension to the season. They could finish the season on their knees.

First things first tho': Motherwell.
Decent team (by all accounts) as good as, if not better than, Aberdeen and DUnt, the teams we failed to beat in our last two home games.

However, we MUST put them down tomorrow.
Not least of all because we meet them again next week. If we put in a decent performance and score a few, it should set us up nicely - psychologically speaking anyway - for the "return" match.
Also, a bad defeat for Motherwell would give a timely boost to DUnt for their match on Sunday...

Starting line-up could be:

Boruc
Hinkel Mick Caldwell Wilson
Naka Brown Hartley McGeady
Sammy Skippy

But if things aren't going well, I would like to see changes made sooner rather than too late (like last weekend).

Not often I make predictions, but I can see an early goal and a 4-1 scoreline.

Lenny Comes Home.....

So Lenny returns to increase the number of gingers in the dugout. 1st team coach role, that on the surface seems reasonable enough but.....I canny help feel there is more to this than meets the eye.

If he is there to galvanise the dressing room and add a bit of spirit. If so then what does it say about Big Mick and why does this, if it is the case, reek the same as them appointing McCunist?.And isn't it about two months two late?

Or is it basically to get a fan friendly face in the dugout to smooth the fact that GS may still be hanging about next season?

Or...has the next Celtic manager arrived.......

Forza

Timmyparanoia, Cheats, Dignity and Motherwell...

I decided to turn off my Timmyparanoia meter this week. I really have had enough in the last few weeks- well in the lead up to the game at Ibrox- and I decided to focus on our failings. In retrospect I should have just let rip but....a fair few other Celticcybertimdom sites and blogs ensured that Timmyparanoia and stereotype is alive and well.

Not that I disagree with any of the articles. In fact I think the ETims article is the best thing I have read on Celticcybertimdom for ages. Thing is, apart from the usual GS must go, what's wrong with the team and Gary Calderbuer is the son of satan articles, it was a delight to see one site, drop it's usual straight down the middle on the fence batting style and prove that it is as paranoid as the rest off us. Unsure if that was an "editorial" decision though.

In the last two weeks we have seen the true beast that is the press in this country. We have had the Scott Brown is a thug stories. The Arfur Boruc leaving stories. Then we had Uefa investigate stories. We also had the press indifference and reporting in the infamous Ol* F*rm 5 withdrawal story. This concluded in our manager instigating "Robsongate" with a fly wee "Robson was fit" comment.

And this was all before the game.

After the game we have had to watch the press not question why the four Huns were unfit to play for Scotland but were fine to play in the derby- one had a broken toe, one had tore his tights, one had hurt his elbows and the other fancied a pint in Bothwell-, we had to listen to them all defending diving and a national "newspaper" give credence to the big lie while playing the innocent. Oh, they also ignored sectarian banners and chanting.

The Uefa to investigate chants story, as was said last week, was a case of nothing to see, nothing to hear and has been proved to be a Hun leaning media lackie- jobless(freelance) my arse- trawling You Tube- how apt- and sending a clip to UEFA. I for one would have welcomed an investigation. It would have once and for all cleared us over what this country media see as sectarian chants. If we were found guilty then the Tartan Army would have been fucked as well. If UEFA are really interested in why this lowlife c*nt sent them the clip then I hope they investigate deeper.

The thing is looking at Newsnow from the Friday to the day when we were told we had no case to answer the wee bugger had done his job. All the headlines spoke of us being cleared, case being dropped,UEFA having no evidence not one of the the streams posted the true facts. Mud sticks and I'm sure the jobless wee fucker is being well lauded doon the ludge.

Next up was Kevin "cheating" Thomson and the backing he received after his dive. Ok, going down when there is contact is part of the game and not a dive. Going down, booting oot your trailing leg to ensure you make contact with your opponents shin on the way past is.

Then accusing a fellow pro of "lacking class" and saying you are honest is just taking the pish and canny remember the media backing a certain Lithuanian player or the sweeping under the carpet when a Japanese player was fouled a few weeks back.

I'm not even going to comment on "El Cairdo's" broken leg comment. Dignity drips from this man like a wax from a burning candle. Needless to say Thomson broken leg has healed enough for him to play against the Verde-e-Blancos. Some physio at Ibrox these days eh lads?

Now the worse one. A national paper proving what we already knew that they were hideous, laptop loyal poodles so far up Murrays arse that they were willing to show their true colours wie this. A shite excuse followed and a half hearted sorry.

I said in an article eons ago that R*ngers fans hate us more than they love their own team. In fact, I read one article today that admitted that even though they are enjoying their best form for nearly 36 years the fact that the season "gets worse and worse for them" proves my point and now the media are rubbing oor noses in it as well.

So what will Celtic do? Well, apart from release a few statements and more statements it seems nothing very much. Are we keeping our powder dry for the end of the season when John Reid- a man whose small talk at dinner parties includes "So, have you ever sent thousands to an unjust war and help slaughter thousands of innocent people"- crashes into the the SFA offices, while his MI5 bodyguards unleash hell, shooting up the room, waving a dossier for them to investigate?

Or are we waiting for UEFA to do it? Or are we waiting for it all to blow over and take it on the chin like nice wee Taigs while being ashamed of the Irish diaspora the club has, trying to dilute it to become mair Brutish and acceptable in this small minded country where anti Irish racism or should that be anti Irish descendant racism is alive and well?

I could be wrong, just heard that there has been a fair election in Zimbabwe so there is hope for us yet.

Winning the league from our current position would be the biggest slap in the chops this country has ever had. Thing is our current form, if continued, would mean we would lose the league by 15 points. Our March league form of W2 D1 L1- added to going out the cup at home and drawing a game before that so overall form was W2 D2 L2- is the main reason we require 24 points to ensure we meet the 92 point total.

We play Motherwell three times in that spell. Motherwell have paid for their in action and this has caused them to be inconsistent. Their March form was W1 D1 L2 and they have failed to score in their last three away games. Celtic have failed to score in their last two home games, last game and have only scored against Gretna in their last four.. High scoring game on the cards? It could be a tight one goal victory either way.

Motherwell beat a Hibs team whose only loss in the previous 8 games was to us and R*ngers and if the truth be told Celtic looked like a beaten team after about 75 mins of the derby. Our home record against Motherwell has seen us win the last 4 games at CP against them but the pressure is on for us now and we have yet to see Team 3- in this later part of the season- rise like a 70 year old on Viagra to meet this pressure.

Nice to see Naka, McGeady and Sammy talk up our chances and say we are still in it. But....in a strange twist of fate as I typed that I just watched GS on Sky Sports comment "Talk means nothing it what you do on the park that counts" when talking about an Arsenal players interview before the game with Liverpool.

Time to practise what he preaches eh?

Forza