After last weekend’s disappointment, the players need to put a good, solid, performance. Neil Lennon will welcome the opportunity to dispel any regrets as he faces Ally McCoist for the third time as manager.
Celtic fell apart at Ibrox on their visit in September. A halftime lead evaporated, we lost four goals as Rangers hit the woodwork and missed other glorious chances. It was as complete a capitulation as I remember from a Celtic team.
You can forget any nonsense you hear about this being a young Rangers team, man-for-man they are certain to be older than the (genuinely) young Celtic team they will face. You can also write-off recent poor results; on Sunday they will elbow, kick, push, elbow, block, chase and elbow in an attempt to put our key players off their game or provoke retaliation from our easily provoked’.
Those given the honour to wear a Celtic shirt on Sunday must rampage around Ibrox as though they owned the very tuft they tread upon, as though they were taxpayers legitimately claiming their dues. Each green blade of grass is theirs, secured court order as custodians of Rangers have failed to pass on monies collected that should now be paying for health, education and other services.
Only once in history have we won the league at Ibrox, in May 1967, coincidentally a few hours after I was born. Jimmy Johnstone scored both Celtic’s goals, the second, a thundering left foot strike into the top corner.
The first time I met Jimmy I told him I was born that day and he talked me through the game, which he remembered well. The Ibrox pitch was wet and heavy, as was the ball. Jimmy found the going tough and tired in the second half, all the players did. With 16 minutes remaining Jimmy peeled off his marker to collect the ball from a throw-in. He ran in-field until he could sense space closing in on him. There was one defender at his back and one in front of him, although he told me he felt they were zoning-in from all angles.
His shot from the edge of the D passed inches below the crossbar into the net. Jimmy told me, “My legs were empty, I couldn’t have run any further so just hit [the ball]as hard as I could”.
Typical Jinky understatement. It was an exquisite strike, born of not just outstanding technique on his weaker foot, but from having oceans of reserve to plunder when everyone else is done. This was the most beautiful goal crafted from sheer effort and the will to win.
I wish he was there on Sunday.
198 Comments- Pages:
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BINGO
podium?
Almost!
Come on you Bhoys in green
Indio
2 o,clock for Ticketus judgement?
Excellent article Paul, well done.
Árd Macha
first 11?
Paul,
..as though they were taxpayers legitimately claiming their dues..
Fantastic!
That wan didnae last long Paul???
JJ will be there on Sunday, kicking every ball from the real Paradise.
Just Do It…………Celtic!
Nike Sunday?
All depends on murderwell………..but regardless, Just Do Them Celtic!
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
he will be paul
he will be
roaring our side on from the heavens with tommy, bobby, jock, johnny and all the rest
For it’s a grand old team to play for,
For it’s a grand old team be dad,
And when you read its history,
It’s enough to make your heart go sad,
God bless them.
We don’t care if we win lose or draw,
Darn the hair do we care,
For we only know that there’s going to be a show,
And the Glasgow Celtic will be there.
Sure it’s the best darn team in Scotland,
And its players all are grand,
We support the Celtic,
As they are the finest in the land
We love them,
We’ll be there to give the Bhoys a cheer
When the league flag flies,
And they cheers us up when we know the Scottish Cup
Is coming home to rest at Paradise.
Sure it’s a grand old team to play for,
Sure it’s a grand old team be dad,
And when you read its history,
It’s enough to make your heart go sad,
God bless them.
We don’t care if we win lose or draw,
Darn the hair do we care,
For we only know that there’s going to be a show,
And the Glasgow Celtic will be there,
And the Glasgow Celtic will be there.
Paul 67
Can we expect another article later covering a certain judgement ?
Paul67
Being serious here, but I think Samaras will destroy them on Sunday.
Big Victor to get a goal as well.
HH
Top 15
That goal will always be in my top ten. Ill come back later with the other 9.
SAMMI SUNDAY AFTERNOON!
JF a big doubt for Sunday (Bruised ankle)
GH to be assessed tomorrow (Dead leg)
come on the squad
play
DJBEE on 23 March, 2012 at 13:32 said:
SUPER SAMMI SUNDAY AFTERNOON!
p
Eh? They drew the game. We need to win.
#slackers
Paul
Fantastic article. I haven’t felt so motivated since the Freedom speech in Braveheart.
Seriously though, I expect the animals on and off the park to behave despicably, but we are safe in the knowledge that this will be the last ‘old firm’ game, and to win it (and the title) will bury them metaphorically if not physically.
HH
yellow card, too much use of the elbow
Paul67
Sitting in my classroom and you’ve made me fill up. My wee dad spent many years, and every opportunity, to wind me up that no matter the number of games I’ve attended or the number of league championships and trophies I’ve seen Celtic captains lift, I’d never seen what he saw. Jimmy Johnstone’s bullet into the top left hand corner and Celtic winning the league title at Ibrox.
Well I hope the ole bugger is looking down on Sunday with a wry smile saying..
“Good on ye son!”
Agred they will be up for this , the walking wounded back for one last go at us, we are better than them but we need to go out and prove it, win each individual battle and we can then pass them of the park.
So want Murderwell to drop points tomorrow to allow us to win the league on Sunday.
c’mon you Bhoys in Green
Paul67 on 23 March, 2012 at 12:33 said:
EDIT ALERT.
ASonOfDan, Celtic, Hibs, Aberdeen, Motherwell, St Johnstone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Can I kindly request that you include Partick in the above list?
Somewhere between Motherwell and St Johnstone will do…….
Ta
Paul, they should read that out and show the video just before the match.
Stirring stuff!
Paul67 et al
I could be wrong but I do not think any of the first and only genuine 9 in a row titles were actually won at Celtic Park. 1968, if I remember correctly (it was on the news) was over in Dunfermline, with the crowd overflowing. I seem to remember winning the title at Perth, the old Muirton Park. We have won over half of our titles in my footballing lifetime, and yet most seem to have been won away from the Park, including of course that famous one at Ibrox. Anybody know all the stats?
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 23 March, 2012 at 13:28 said:
CELTIC MAC 1252
Maybe he was speaking from a financial point of view.
We have some serious people at the top in the boardroom,and they might want their investment protected.
Personally,I don’t believe that the top people in our club think that way.
I think they want the rabble across the river gone as soon as possible,and to hell with them.
Agreed Paul67 – was reading about that recently and Wee J had sand as well as skill in abundance!
I can see Big S being pivotal in this game and he is going to have to stand tall – like Jinky – and be brave.
Bring it on!
HH
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 23 March, 2012 at 13:29 said:
Not sure I can say the same for someone who has a bonus to protect though!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Paul67 – Did my hero Alec McNair not win it Ibrokes in 1908 and i’m sure we won the game that day also.
Yet again, Sammi is the man. The decision not to play him in the League Cup final was criminal. Hopefully, there’ll be no repeat on Sunday.
Forrest and Hooper’s form ought to have ruled them out before any injuries, so there should be no concerns on that score.
Wanyama, Brown and Ki to feature.
(in a good way)
hamiltontim – quality post mate.
PHILVIS RETURNS and ERNIE LYNCH have rightly made a few points about Eddie Smith,along the lines of “we know that..” in reply to RALPH WALDO ELLISON’S point.
And they are 100% correct.
But how many others know about a major case-well,it would have been had they been found guilty,trust me-since it was ignored by the media.
Was it D-listed or something?
i think we need a 4-5-1 on sunday
————FF———–
Matthews- Rogne – Mulgrew- Cha
Broonie – Ki – Big Vic – Ledley- Commons
========= Sammi=========
Subs. Zul – Stokes – McCourt – Izzy – Wilson
I too think this will be Samaras Sunday. 2 goals from the big man.
With Jinky there in spirit.
They can’t afford the sand to make the going heavy this time, but they may well dig out an old plough and borrow Agent Whyte’s white horse to rip up their manky pitch.
Remember, there are NO levels to which they won’t stoop.
Great games at ibrox also include one or two from the henrik and lubo era.
Cant help thinking about 1 game where a big ugly Richard gough guy was running around ibrox with 10 fingers in the air, im not sure what he meant, maybe he was counting chickens or something. He who laffs last and all that eh goughie?
Last season at new year, when sami stole the show, was a good game considering we approached it a bit subdued, although the fans certainly didn’t sound subdued. We went onto a run that nearly clinched the title.
But remember that even during their 9IAR when the huns were spending millions of the taxpayers money to buy players that we couldn’t afford, we still had our moments of glory, st patricks day massacre at CP and same again a week later. So even if the we don’t win on sunday or even get beat, its just a minor blip in the big picture that the huns are trying to walk away from.
But enough of that
So heres to lenny winning the last ever old firm game at ibrox. To all the bhoys who are there, give it laldy but take care of each other on the way to and from there
Cmon the killie, Cmon the celts,
up_over_goal
I agree re Sammi. That decision (not to start him) cost us a possible treble even more than the Stokes penalty. IMO