Victor Wanyama scored the only goal of this game after 72 minutes, a postage stamp corner cracker from outside the box, but the 90th minute created most drama as Fraser Forster saved an Eggert Jonsson penalty to secure the points.
Celtic were forced into yet more injury changes as third choice right back, Cha Du-Ri, was drafted in, in the absence of Adam Matthews and long-term absentee, Mark Wilson. With Emilio Izaguirre and Joe Ledley both close to returning to action Charlie Mulgrew played left back, giving Celtic a physical looking formation but they struggled to impose themselves in the opening 30 minutes.
Gary Hooper and Anthony Stokes offered little up front all day but Hooper had two gilt-edged chances before the break. James Forrest hooked an awkward cross in from the right which the Hearts defence failed to deal with, allowing Hooper to shoot from inside the six yard box but he tame effort missed the target. Minutes later Hooper was again presented with a chance inside the box after Georgios Samaras hit the goal-line on the left but the striker failed to get his feet in gear.
Anthony Stokes connected well with a shot from 25 yards which tested Kello, the only real effort either keeper had to deal with in the first half. Stokes came close again after the break but he couldn’t quite get high enough to above James Forrest’s cross and his header rebounded off the bar.
Charlie Mulgrew struggled with his delivery from free kicks and corners all afternoon but the ball broke to Victor Wanyama on 23 yards out after one Mulgrew free kick. The Kenyan brought his foot from right to left across the ball, injecting a devilish degree of swerve to leave Kello rooted to the spot as the ball flew into the net.
With the clock running down Fraser Forster failed to deal with a corner and Wanyama was penalised in the resulting melee inside the box resulting in the penalty. With Jonsson ready to take the kick Georgios Samaras stood over the ball insisting it was not correctly on the spot, taking a clear opportunity to unnerve the kicker. Jonsson refused to re-spot the ball until the referee moved it clearly away from its initial position and insisted it was placed again.
When Jonsson eventually took his kick he struck it well enough but Fraser Forster dived quickly to his left and turned the ball behind. The winning run continues.
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Aidy the Tim says:
11 December, 2011 at 13:14
Did anyone ever post the footage of David Tanner at the penalty yesterday?
I would also like to see that,,,,hope someone can post a link to it lol lol
Hail hail
The Exiled Tim —-
Carlos Puyol —-
A great defender —– Intelligent / seemingly fearless / hard as nails / a leader – a Captain .
Other great defenders —–
Facchetti
Picchi
Baresi
Scirea
Gentile
Nesta
Maldini
Cannavaro
Footballers should be banned from wearing white socks with flip flops!
Terrible sight in football :)
Oh my god. This is embarrassing from Nevin. Anyone else hearing this?
adi
I said defender, Franco as a CH was one of the best, Puyol is more versatile, again imo.
Some think Cristiano Ronaldo is a player, some think Rooney is a player, imo they are not good enough for Celtic, all about opinions :>)
When Ronaldo was at manure, the pundits would have had you believe he was the best player in the world, he wasny even the best player at manure, in fact he wasny even in the top handfull at manure, all about opinions :>))
Best defender debate…… Franz Beckenbauer.
V
HH
Good debate on the new football criminal legislation on the politics show on BBC 1. Many doubts raised by Tom Devine and an other legal panelist but welcomed by Les Gray?
Twinbhoy, you’ll be able to check if I was right about the winning ticket ra morra, when CFC staff upload it at the link below:
http://www.celticfc.net/pools_pwnumbers.php
100% sure it was E2140.
V
HH
Some great defenders mentioned I would add Beckenbaur and Moore to the list
SoT
The Italians have produced some amazing defenders over the years, tis the way in Italy.
Don’t lose the game first and foremost, stood them in good stead over the years.
Had a good debate last night about Barca being the best team on the planet, and the Real fans even admitted they were, they were adamant that Real were the 2nd best…..
THE EXILED TIM —-
Ronaldo ——- ?
Today’s fitba Pink’s review of last nights Ronaldo —-
” Where was Ronaldo ?
The missing protagonist .
Low profile
Nervous
Dull .
Missed 2 sitters.
One more loss in his duel with Messi.”
4 out of 10
Vmhan, Kano 1000 – Supporting Lenny & the Green Brigada! says:
11 December, 2011 at 12:04
Paddy G “………..charity night late in January”
I hope you meant a late night charity do in January :¬)
Is it this weekend you take you’re mammy back hame?
V***************
Sorry mate mist your post as Mrs G had me out putting up Christmas lights.
Yes – on the overnight ferry to Portsmouth and driving up tomorrow.
Got a call from one of the mates from Jersey that his brother (Shettleston) passed away yesterday morning, so he igetting a lift up and back.
Gordon_J backing Neil Lennon says:
11 December, 2011 at 13:31
Some great defenders mentioned I would add Beckenbaur and Moore to the list
Alec McNair is the greatest defender of all time and will never be surpassed. 12 league winners medal,62 consecutive games undefeated & played 2 won 2 league games on the same day. Most league appearances or Celtic. As Ali would say “he (McNair) is the greatest”.
Don’t see Danny McGrain on any of those lists, a Celtic player deserving of every bit of adulation as any of those named.
At 4.45pm yesterday Victor Wanayama was the best centre half,midfielder,centre forward,an officer,a gentleman and a hell of a good fella!
McNair is the greatest,
A little before my time …
I don’t see big heidthebaw Mc Leish mentioned either? I suppose today we’ll get a running commentry on the Sunderland game? half these guys seem to forget who they support!
Well done Celtic on the 3 points … even if Lennon isn’t management material
.
I Have My Che Guevara ft Danny McGrain T-Shirt on so it’s a Danny 4 Me..
Summa
Twinbhoy says:
11 December, 2011 at 12:40
‘Crock of Gold’ isn’t new mate, it was released in 1997.
Some brilliant songs on it though.
Just for jonteim – Sunderland 0 Blackburn 1
The unpaid Hearts players are on the verge of walking out. They tell Moira Gordon of their anger and frustration
HEARTS players have lashed out at Scottish fooball’s governing bodies and claimed that the country is sitting back and watching as owner Vladimir Romanov effectively treats them as slave labour devoid of rights and sympathy.
At the end of last month public sector workers staged a walk-out over changes to their pension agreements. By that stage Hearts players had already worked for six weeks without pay and, five days before their December wage is due, they are still awaiting November’s payment. Yet they don’t have the right to strike. They say they have had to sit tight, turn up at training and for matches knowing that they could pick up an injury which would leave them in limbo. With the club advising them that money is still tight, they have had to fend off banks and other creditors and worry about Christmas.
“Anywhere else in the world, if it was anyone other than footballers, the authorities would have stepped in by now. There would have been an uproar. But because we are footballers those normal rules don’t apply. People think we are all millionaires – we’re not, we are normal people with the same money worries and commitments as anyone else and we are under a lot of stress just now.”
The players accept that their trade union, PFA Scotland, has done all it can but have accused the governing bodies of hiding behind what are self-imposed regulations and rules and leaving them blowing in the wind.
“They have hung us out to dry,” said one angry spokesman for the squad of players who are now planning on taking their battle to FIFA. “We asked them to meet with us but they wouldn’t because they said it might cloud their judgment if there was a future complaint or legal action but we just wanted advice and wanted to know what they could do to help us if we did make a complaint.
“We didn’t want to go to them if all it was going to do was let [club owner Vladimir] Romanov know who was involved in making the complaint because we all know he’s not the most reasonable if you go up against him and he doesn’t always play by the same rules as everyone else. I don’t know what they could do but as far as we can tell by statements they have made to the media, there’s no guarantee they can do anything.”
The Tynecastle first-team squad came close to sending a formal complaint to the SPL last month but having been urged by manager Paulo Sergio to drop the action, they went as far as ripping up the signed document, fearing reprisals from their Lithuanian bosses and, in particular, an owner who has not been slow to lash out at dissenters in the past. The next day they received their October wage, albeit 19 days late. The November wage remains unpaid, despite the December pay being due this Friday.
“We now think it will take one of the boys to walk out of the club and as far as we are concerned we all become free agents and can walk out of the club on January 14,” added the player. “We wish this had never happened, we wish it was all over by now but now that it has gone on this long, I think most of us are genuinely hoping they don’t pay us before then because we just want out. I don’t want to stay and neither do a lot of the boys and if we would walk out now if we could. But if I do then there is a chance they could take me to court for breach of contract. But if we wait the 90 days then we can take the fight to FIFA and hopefully they will agree that we can terminate our contracts and walk away for nothing. We just want this to be over.”
The player insisted that the players have tried to maintain professional standards in training and in matches but stressed that the uncertainty and the anxiety being experienced by their families was now beginning to take their mental toll. “It just grinds you down and it’s not fair on us or the fans who are still paying their money,” said the player. “There is no way they should be allowed to get away with this and in any other walk of life, other than football, they wouldn’t be able to. But the SPL and SFA have just sat back and watched it happen, they have done nothing. Instead, it will be left to the players to take legal action to sort out something that they should have been doing something about a long time ago.
“It’s their league, we are their players and it is going to have an impact on the whole league if we do walk away but still they say there is nothing they can do. They won’t even meet us to discuss the situation.
“People think that footballers are privileged and in some ways we are. Yes, we get to play football but boys still want to be able to pay bills and those with families want to be able to provide for them.
“I watched other people go on strike the other week but we can’t do that. The boys have all been talking and we had a few ideas but we can’t do anything that will come back on us. We are the ones not being paid but we have to keep our noses clean. We can’t strike because they would use that against us at any tribunal and claim we were in breach of our contracts. Maybe that’s what they want.”
Romanov wants to sell the club he values at £50 million and has made it known that the squad are all up for sale but the players say that he is dealing in fantasy figures.
“If they want rid of us, that’s fine, they just need to make the transfer fees more realistic. They say we are all worth at least £1m but that’s rubbish. They say they want rid of the higher earners and want a big-clear-out when the transfer window opens but no-one is going to pay the money they want. They will be lucky to get rid of one or two for a fee. They would be better to make it £100,000 and they could get rid of a dozen of us and we would go willingly. Then they would have a smaller squad and have taken in some money. But when you think about it, why should Hearts get any money for a player they haven’t even been paying?”
He added that while those affected felt that the union and the media had done as much as they could to try to support the players’ in their fight, they had expected the authorities to wade in before now.
“We really needed the SPL or SFA to help us but they have done nothing. They are supposed to be responsible for football in this country and they have refused to get involved. It’s a joke. I wonder what it would take for them to take some action. Do boys need to have their houses repossessed? Does someone need a doctor’s line saying they are suffering from stress and depression because all this is taking its toll? Do we need someone to get seriously injured or have to risk going public with a complaint and risk our careers stalling for a couple of years because we get dropped and have to train with the kids? Or do they want us to breach our contracts and go on strike because then it will affect the league fixtures and then they will step in?
“The SPL would soon get involved if we weren’t fulfilling fixtures or the club wasn’t up to date with payments to other clubs, but when it comes to players not having their contracts honoured they sit on their hands. Boys have families and they are worried sick about how they are going to get through Christmas but the football authorities, who we thought had some kind of duty of care, have hung us out to dry. That has shocked us. It’s funny because if we step out of line on the field they are quick enough to come and tap us on the shoulder and the compliance officer is ready to pounce on people for bringing the game into disrepute. But what do they call this? It’s embarrassing for all of Scottish football.
“Whether you are on £2 a week or £2,000 a week, there are bills to pay. Some boys have already missed mortgage or car repayments and by the time we can walk away in January, we will be lucky if no-one has had their house seized by the bank. It’s a massive worry and the fact that the SPL and SFA have done so little is a disgrace.
“In any other profession if you weren’t paid you could walk away but we can’t. Our contracts don’t allow that… yet. In the meantime we are tied to Romanov and this club. Everyone makes a big thing about fair trade and civil rights but we are like Romanov’s slaves, we are his property while we are under contract. But no-one should be allowed to get away with not paying people. We haven’t been paid since our October wage and although I don’t know how most of us will cope, I hope we don’t get paid again before we are free to walk away in January. Like a lot of the boys, I just want out. I just wish it didn’t have to happen this way.”
South Of Tunis says:
11 December, 2011 at 13:21
Good list of great defenders.
Surely though, there is a glaring omission.
For me, the greatest of them all was the Gentle Giant, JOHN CHARLES.
Over 600 appearances for Leeds & Juventus and NEVER booked in his entire career, let alone sent off.
Never knowingly hurt an opponent & immediately apologised to those he hurt accidentally.
Played centre-forward as competently as he did centre-half.
A role model whose ability & sportsmanship will never be seen again.
The greatest of them all,..the immortal Giovanni Carlos.
An all too familiar whiff returns to the blog….groan!
T4
Mark McNally
What about Richard Gough,sure he could play CH and referee at the same time…
Good Afternoon Adi and Sandman.
Puyol? If ever there was a “rock” around which to build a club it is Puyol or El Tiburon which together with Puyi is his nickname!
Unbelievably, Puyol started out as a goalkeeper before injuring his shoulder. He then switched to striker, before moving back to defensive midfielder. When he joined the Barca B team he wa employed principally at right back, before Louis Van Gaal switched him into the first team as a Central Defender. He made his first team debut in 1999 and has been the club captain since 2004, when he was “elected” captain following a vote by the players, backroom staff and management. Ever since, he has been sheparding the Ronaldinho’s, The Messi’s, The Xavi’s. Iniesta’s,Henry’s and Henrik’s as well as the kids in the background.
He seems to have been around forever but is only approaching his 34th Birthday in April. he has made over 400 competitive appearances for the barca first team but has been injured for the last 8 months or so playing only occasionally and then breaking down again. He has played 98 times for Spain and even die hard Madrid fans were said to have voted for him as the national Captain.
However , he has now returned to full fitness and was asked in a recent interview when he thought he would retire? His reply was to make a guess– and his best guess was somehere around the age of 65 or 67!!
Even he would admit that he is not the greatest footballer technically but his experience and his positional sense all over the pitch– let’s face it he has played in just about every position— make him a wonder. He has said of himself:
“I don’t have Romário’s technique, Marc Overmars’ pace or Patrick Kluivert’s strength. But I work harder than the others. I’m like the student who is not as clever, but revises for his exams and does OK in the end.”
Teamates have described him as a “the kind of pain in the arse that you need” as he still believes you can win when 4 goals down, and that even when 3-0 up he takes the view that 3 is never enough.
Away from football he is a practitioner of Tibetan Budhism, is a constant reader, and a member of a Spanish Animal Protection league..
He has seen it all, done it all, and worn all the T shirts.
I wonder if he will go into management?
@hamiltontim says Oh ah up Kano and the Foundation x1000 says
I’m jigging to it in the front room with the hoover as my partner – and a blazing hangover.. :)
God Bless HH x
MON has a hell of a job at Sunderland if you ask me.
Twinbhoy says:
11 December, 2011 at 13:57
Shane would be suitably impressed. I’m sure that’s the manner in which he intended his songs to be listened to :)
Gordon J
Jock Stein once said of Bobby Moore that he was so good “He should be declared illegal!”
It’s got to be Maldini followed closely by Danny
Gordon_J backing Neil Lennon says:
11 December, 2011 at 13:42
McNair is the greatest,
A little before my time …
Heroes are forever.
BRTH – earlier on I mentioned how much I’d love to see Carlos in the Hoops, but there’s absolutely no chance of that.
T4
Top defenders.
John Charles.
http://youtu.be/3Qywda-v64c
new article posted.
2 pub teams on Sky,best league in the world my a$£€
Funniest names…..
Helmut Schön