A lack of cutting edge cost Celtic dearly as a Hearts smash and grab sent them into the Scottish Cup final after spending most of the game under the cosh. A controversial last minute penalty by Craig Beattie put Hearts through after an equally controversial equaliser from Celtic four minutes from time.
Celtic completely dominated the first half but had nothing up front to exploit their possession or territorial advantage. Hearts best opportunity of the game came within the opening seconds when Kelvin Wilson was carless with a back pass which was collected by Elliot but Fraser Forster came to the rescue.
Celtic then took over and bossed Hearts comprehensively but could not find a way to open the Hearts defence. Lustig headed over from Kris Commons free kick after the full back was fouled. Midway through the half Commons and Samaras combined to release Mulgrew who crossed from the win for Hooper who should have scored with his header from 8 yards but could not find the target.
Commons nipped onto a short back pass 10 minutes from half time but his touch to take the ball behind goalkeeper Jamie MacDonald was too heavy. Commons had Celtic’s first attempt on target five minutes from the break with a shot from 23 yards but MacDonald saved comfortably.
Ki had two incredible chances in the game, both unmarked back post headers at the end of each half. With 44 minutes gone he struck the upright from 4 yards when he should have scored, an outcome that would be repeated towards the end of the game.
Craig Beattie was introduced at half time and immediately changed the pattern of the game. Two minutes into the second half he played-in Rudi Skacel, benefitting from a ricochet off Kelvin Wilson. Skacel rounded Fraser Forster and shot high into the net.
The goal seemed to break Celtic’s spirit as Hearts created several chances in the opening 20 minutes of the second half. Skacel shot from 35 yards, forcing Forster into a good save. The same player then shot wide after a knock down from Beattie.
Andy Driver dispossessed Michael Lustig just after the hour but Glenn Loovens came to the rescue and conceded a corner. Craig Beattie then played a one-two with Driver before shooting narrowly wide.
Neil Lennon changed Celtic’s shape in an attempt to get back into the game, replacing Samaras with Anthony Stokes and Celtic were soon back in the ascendency. Hooper linked with Stokes on 66 minutes but the Irishman’s shot was deflected wide.
Stokes then headed over from a Ledley cross and had an attempt from 13 yards after Mulgrew cut back to him.
On 82 minutes Ki should have levelled after Kris Commons chipped a free kick towards the back post by the Korean midfielder headed against the post again.
Anthony Stokes should have equalised with five minutes remaining when he got onto the end of a Mulgrew header but he could not turn the ball goal-wards.
A minute later Dylan McGeogh fed Joe Ledley who moved the ball onto Charlie Mulgrew. Mulgrew crossed for Gary Hooper who headed home from 4 yards but the Celtic striker was in an offside position when the cross was played.
In the 90th minute referee Euan Norris awarded Hearts a penalty kick when the ball struck Joe Ledley’s arm when struck from less than 2 yards from him while he was trying to turn his back on the ball to block. Ledley’s arm was not at his side but it was not in an unnatural position either, nor was there even the remotest suggestion of a deliberate act. Beattie struck the penalty straight down the middle as Forster dived to his left.
The last few frantic moments of the game offered further opportunities for Celtic. A Ledley volley was saved before the ball struck Andy Webster inside the Hearts box but the referee wasn’t interested on this occasion.
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Sorry to have to say this but Lenny has his tactics all wrong again today. He gives opponents too much respect with his team set up. We win when we play full on attack yet when we play “important”. today games we play and set up far too defensively. Eg. Kilmarnock, hun and now today. I mean, we are the champions and we should remember that and when we are at our best. Striaght for he juggular every time and we win by a big margin.
we need to get our swagger back but hey-ho we are the champions.
KINGLuBO
ps Sammi is at his best wide on the left, seeeemples
My boy was taking the one love banner in to Hampden today when the stewards tried to block it- because they said it needed to be “fire retarded”
Retarded indeed
OT – Some cracking saves from Given today
ticgaz
For all Paddy’s ability he’s not going to get enough game time.
I don’t see the point in keeping good player who can’t get a game on a wage.
We played poorly to-day. We should have buried them in the first half but we had our ‘B’ game out to-day no movement; therefore square passing; therefore slow tempo. Unlike last week.
The centre of our defence was feeble in the second half. As to the penalties – neither were deliberate and therefore neither was a penalty. There is no such phrase as ‘unnatural position’ in the rules of football. How about offside when forwards are supposed to get the benefit of the doubt – can you be offside when your right shoulder is offside and your left shoulder is onside?
WHY should we have to be better so to take the referees out of the equation, WHY, WHY, WHY.
All we ask for is a LEVEL playing field.
Anything else is CHEATING.
No way that banner is genuine. The photograph looks as though the banner is lying on the ground (track). 2 obvious questions, why would it be allowed to sit there and how could anyone get close enough to photograph it. Fake. Which is actually more worrying.
The Hearts Petrov banner – I was at the game and saw no such banner. I`ve looked at the pics online of it – it looks like a sick spoof to me.
John Robertson`s comments on Victor being fouled – I heard the fat SpaceRaiders crisps loving Poison Dwarf claiming Victor had dived. The incident happened right in front of me and was a blatant foul that even redfaced angry Huns without bus fare and anger management issues could spot.
Re calls for referees to declare the team they support and be kept outside of games involving those teams:- I agree with the principle, they do this in England. But I reckon referees would only invent allegiances in the same way as the Laptop Loyal to circumvent the rules.
I could see allegiances being declared as follows:-
Euan Norris – Queens Park
Willie Collum – Thorniewood Juniors (leaving him free to continue applying honest mistakes to Celtic games)
Calum Murray – East Fife
Craig Thomson – St mirren
Steven MacLean – Stirling Albion
etc etc
I think the overtness of the cheating has never been so blatant.
I reckon we were better last year than we are now. Last year the level of performance was higher with Commons, Kayal and iziguirre providing more qaulity regularly.
I felt sorry for our Captain today marginally selected due to late injury scare but carried the mid field today. We asked too much of him for too long.
An Edinburgh final even manufactured will be good for the headlines and perception that all is healthy with the Scottish game.
Clearly we are going to struggle to qaulify for Europe unless we recruit early which will not happen.
I look forward to sorting out the chaff from the wheat. This squad has achieved all it can I feel and I would not be adverse to seeing a few well kent faces being shipped out for a good price.
More worrying is …how long will the support stay on side subsidising this criminal venture?
Another 100 years ?
HH
reilly1926 on 15 April, 2012 at 17:00 said:
Being the shallow and narrow minded type of people they are,they will only mourn for a short while and move onto something else on the demise of their football club however I am a sadistic type of person and would prefer to see their agony prolonged by bringing in of a football manager to Celtic who is capable of punishing a wounded animal when it’s down on a more consistent basis
I saw that banner on FB, never saw it at Hampden..
Referee told players he thought Wanyama handled…feel so sorry for players and fans..I think it’s personal myself
From Lenny’s twitter account
just back from the game disa disa dissapointed………..celtic so pedestrian in their build up from the back…nearly walking pace at times no urgency….when FF is not trying to find sammy wth his kick outs,,hees either finding an opposition player,,,,pooor poor keeper at kick outs…..the banner from the scum reads…………stan petrov 19 days to live………..
The scary thing with refs and teams they support is that Collum is supposedly a tim, what chance do we have :O)
Norris’s dad is a former ref and hun
All the others are hearts fans, Hibs fans must really hate the mib.
Tumilty is a Man U fan, English guy.
Allgreen ,
Does that mean all fringe players should be sold ?
I’m a Paddy fan , I know he’s injured a lot and certainly should
be played more when he is fit , he’ll not be on big money , I’d
certainly keep him.
Bhoys there was no wa it was a penalty. For it to be a foul it needs to be deliberate. Norris was desperate to award it.
Nontheless we were poor in the second half. However if we had taken ur chances we would have won.
I hope Wilson is having an Alan Stubbs first season. At the moment he is very poor.
Thought Glenda was one of our best players today and needed to be covering for Kelvin.
Anyway my ten your old now knows that Fergus Mccann was right there is not one good seat in that joke of a national stadium. I used to love the old Hampden.
Paul67
You forgot to mention that the jamboes goal was also offside. More offside than Hoopers goal imho
Ellbhoy
Heard that nearly crashed the car. It was a molly tackle on Shaun one!
Awe naw
Fraid it wisnae!!
I thought Beattie’s celebration was quite comical. Is a guy not permitted to celebrate a winning goal anymore? Lighten up guys.
I was bemused by the decision to give the penalty, and not having seen any TV pictures, can’t comment on the rights or wrongs, albeit pretty much everyone who has seen it reckons it was ball to hand and therefore not a foul.
We created very few chances today, particularly first half where our possession counted for little other than creating space behind the Hearts left back which delivered Ki’s chance and little else.
Scratching my head really as to the choice of central defenders. Loovens owes more to the Dutch liberal attitides to dope than their philosophy on soccer, while Wilson each time I see him reaffirms the view I had of him the last time I saw him.
Thing is though, Hearts kept the game tight, as happens in many games, and we had little invention up front to create the special moment often required in these games. Removing Sammi for Stokes might have put an extra player centrally, but did little to increase the likelihood of us scoring.
Skacel is a clever player, I admire his ability to understand what the important positions are, the important passes, the clean strike. We don’t have that in our team. Not that I’m suggesting Skacel for Celtic, although I did once. Merely pointing out that in terms of chance making, he understands the ‘how to’ better than any of the guys in Hoops today.
I’ve always liked the Scottish Cup. It is a great day in the sun (rain permitting) at the end of the season. I am narked that we won’t be there, but I like that Hibs have a chance to lay a ghost to rest. Keeps it all interesting as we continue to debate the ‘need’ for a ‘strong Rangers’ in Scottish football.
Celtic lost today, Craig Beattie celebrated with wonderful abandon, and the Game gets to look forward to an event not seen since Victoria’s Revenue and Customs were chapping at Ibrox.
Hypothetical I know, but what if hun and England had to play a football Cup Final, who would you want to lose???
KINGLuBO
Aye it Wiz
Scorer was not offside but Driver? Was and he was clearly active.
HH
How the BBC saw the Celtic goal……a yard start?
“However, the pressure finally told when Mulgrew’s cross found Hooper, who headed home from 10 yards when the striker had a yard start behind the defence.”
How can colum support Thorniewood when live nearer Bellshill Ath.ground?? Says it all about the little pinichio!! >>>>>>>>>
The banner may be genuine but it wasn’t displayed in the stadium.
Just seen their penalty. It is cheating to award that, no other explanation makes sense.
Apparently that scum banner was confiscated at turnstile.
Disgusting.
Just a wee reminder of titles won in years gone by when their cheating was worse due to lack of TV coverage but back then we had mangers that were capable of putting the teams on the park that were able to overcome
Neither Celtic nor Rangers could really claim that 1979 was a vintage year for them. By sheer chance it was the first year as manager for both Billy McNeill and John Greig, once adversaries on the field and now in the dugout. Scottish football was going through a major credibility problem in 1979 as well, it would have to be said, for it was the first season played in the wake of the Argentina fiasco whose reverberations kept on running in the shape of a general disillusion and cynicism, with drastically reduced attendances and a consequent lack of finance.
It was also one of the worst winters on record for the loss of fixtures. The game in question really should have been played in the New year, but snow and ice made a mockery of the fixture lists in January and February. Celtic, for example, did not play a single league match between 23rd December 1978 and 2nd March 1979. Undersoil heating was simply an experimental concept in 1979 and had not reached Scotland.
There were advantages to be had from this state of affairs. In Celtic’s case, it gave the players whose form had been mediocre and inconsistent until Christmas, a chance to have the famous ‘long hard look at themselves’, and in particular it allowed the recovery from injury, a mysterious foot problem that no-one understood, of Danny McGrain, by some distance Scotland’s best player at the time and who would undeniably have made a difference in Argentina, had he been there.
Celtic’s team was young and enthusiastic, but not yet of the Lisbon lions quality. One of the Lions, Bobby Lennox, was still there, but he was used sparingly by his old colleague Billy McNeill. McNeill had made two very sound investments in the purchase of two quality players from the lower reaches of the Scottish League – Murdo MacLeod, a doughty midfielder from Dumbarton, and Davie Provan, a fast and impressive winger from kilmarnock.
So when spring reached Scotland in March 1979 no clear pattern was emerging in the Scottish League as all teams were ‘much of a muchness’ as the saying went. Dundee United were doing well, as were St. Mirren, with the usual suspects of Hibs, hearts and Aberdeen challenging as well. Such is the nature of Scottish football, however, that the ‘also-rans’ gradually dropped out, although Dundee United lasted longer than most, and the stage was left for the big two to fight it out.
Rangers were, on the face of it, in better shape than Celtic. Already possessors of the League Cup, and still in the Scottish Cup (Celtic had exited miserably at home to Aberdeen in mid-March)), they had also had a good run in Europe, beating teams like Juventus and PSV Eindhoven before losing narrowly to Cologne. Two games between Celtic and Rangers were scheduled in May – one at hampden (Ibrox was being redeveloped) on Saturday 5 May and the other at Celtic Park on Monday 21 May.
The impetus seemed to have passed to Rangers when they beat Celtic at Hampden some two days after the historic and baleful appearance of Mrs. Thatcher in Downing Street for the first time. It was only 1-0, but Celtic had been tame, and Rangers now had the lead in the league.
But Celtic rolled up their sleeves and won their next three games, albeit none too impressively, against Partick Thistle on the May Holiday Monday, St. Mirren at ibrox (held there because Love Street was being redeveloped and Ibrox, which was also being renovated and which could not safely hold a rangers v Celtic crowd, was adjudged capable of holding the St. Mirren v Celtic crowd!) on Friday 11 May, and the against the now relegated Hearts at Celtic Park on Tuesday 14 May in a 1-0 stagger to victory in which the referee was given the biggest cheer of the night for blowing the final whistle.
All this meant that Celtic had 46 points to Rangers’ 43, but Rangers had two games in hand, against Partick Thistle and Hibs, games that would have expected to win. Two points only were awarded for win in 1979, so a victory, or even a draw, against Celtic would be very much to their advantage. It was Celtic’s last game of the season, and a win would guarantee them the Championship by giving them 48 points, leaving Rangers with a maximum of 47.
Celtic’s form may have left a little to be desired, but Rangers too were struggling. They were involved in the Scottish Cup final against Hibs, which had now gone to two games without producing a result. The first game on Saturday 12 May had been shown live on BBC, and Celtic fans had seen how ineffective Rangers were in a game that hibs really should have won. The first replay, on the night after Celtic’s win over Hearts was a similar story of Rangers failing to win a game they really needed to, and thus the second replay had to be scheduled for the Monday after the Celtic v Rangers game. It couldn’t be any earlier for Scotland internationals were now getting in the way.
Thus the 52,000 fans who had kept their tickets from January made their way to Parkhead that night. It would be the only opportunity for seeing the game as STV, who were scheduled to show the highlights and might just, in a move unusual for the times, have made a bid for live rights, were hamstrung by a strike, the curse of the 1970s and the reason for the recent triumph of Margaret Thatcher and the Conservatives. The BBC might also have made a move for the game, but they were similarly hamstrung, not by a strike but by managerial fecklessness. They didn’t even provide a radio commentary. Thus, no good audio or visual record of the game exists, although the Celtic Cine Club made a brave effort.
The game turned out not to be a classic – it was far too scrappy for that – but a thriller in which the tides of fortune turned frequently, and eventually decisively in Celtic’s favour.
Rangers, attacking the Celtic end of the ground, scored first within minutes of the kick-off. It was a good goal too, made by Davie Cooper and scored by Alex McDonald to reduce the Celtic fans to silence. Rangers held on to their lead until half-time comfortably enough, although not without a few scares.
The Celtic fans were disappointed but not completely downcast. They were very aware that they needed to score twice, for even a draw was of little use to them. A major effort was required, and Celtic’s fans were now willing to play their part. Spurred on by their singing, chanting, flag-waving support, they attacked the Rangers goal with frenzy and passion, but ten minutes into the second-half occurred the incident which in some ways defines this game, but which seemed at the time to have killed Celtic off.
Near the Rangers penalty area Alex McDonald went down after a foul. Referee Eddie Pringle, who was the only calm man inside the cauldron that was Celtic Park, correctly awarded the free-kick, but some Celtic players seemed to think that McDonald was making too much of it in an attempt to waste time. While several players gathered round to remonstrate with McDonald who was still on the ground, Johnny Doyle was seen to aim a kick at him, not with any viciousness, but rather by frustration at the break in play when Celtic were in the ascendancy. Mr. Pringle had no option and Doyle had to be sent off, after the referee consulted the linesman in front of the Jungle who told him what he had seen. What was harder to endure, however, were the smirks of the Rangers players and the pattings on the back of McDonald who somewhat predictably recovered after Doyle departed.
Celtic now seemed dead and buried, but still the songs and the encouragement continued in what seemed more like defiance than a genuine feeling that the cause could be saved. As if in response to the barrage of noise, Celtic surged forward – McGrain and Lynch were both attacking full-backs that night – with Aitken immense in midfield and the two McNeill signings, Provan and MacLeod now showed their value. An equaliser came in the 67th minute after a goalmouth scramble when Roy Aitken was able to prod the ball home.
The score 1-1, the crowd in bedlam and McNeill now decided to replace the defence-minded Mike Conroy with the sprightly veteran Bobby Lennox, still regarded as one of the fastest men in the game, even at the age of 35.
Aitken’s goal had brought Celtic back into the game, but it was still not enough. Attack was now the order of the day, and with renewed vigour the ten men pressed forward, playing with all the determination of the Celts of old in a cause that seemed lost.
Just 15 minutes remained when George McCluskey put Celtic in front, hooking in a ball after an Aitken drive had been blocked by the Rangers defence. This had followed a sustained period of Celtic attack, but then Celtic forgot one of the oldest dictums in the game – that you are always vulnerable after you have scored a goal. Almost immediately Rangers forced what was for them a rare corner, and the ball came to the hitherto anonymous Russell who drilled the ball through a mass of legs and bodies past Peter Latchford to tilt the game and the title once again in the direction of Ibrox.
The score was 2-2 and ten minutes remained as encouragement and support simply poured from the terraces. The Rangers end, triumphant for a minute or two, now held its collective breath once again as Celtic poured forward. Such occasions often provide a tragic figure. For example there was Alan Craig of Motherwell in the 1931 Scottish Cup final, Dixie Deans, who missed a penalty in the European Cup semi-final against Inter Milan in 1972; that night it was Colin Jackson of Rangers.
Jackson had had a great game up to this point, but he had been booked for one or two robust tackles a few seconds previously. Perhaps this affected his judgement.
George McCluskey made ground on the right, crossed and Peter McCloy parried the ball towards Jackson. Jackson, with Celtic forwards closing in on him attempted to head the ball clear or even out for a corner kick, but all he could do was divert the ball past a bewildered McCloy for an own goal to put Celtic 3-2 up. A lucky goal, perhaps, but not undeserved on the run of play.
There were now only five minutes left. The League Championship was tantalisingly close. ‘Wiser’ teams might have shut up shop for the last five minutes, put the ball out of play, conceded free-kicks in non-threatening areas of the pitch, feigned injuries, argued pointlessly with the referee – all to use up the time.
But Celtic were never wise in that sense. With the crowd still jumping all over one another in ecstasy, they surged forward, reckoning that if they kept the ball in the Rangers half they would find it difficult to equalise.
Time was almost up when the ball came to Murdo MacLeod some 25 yards out. He could hold on to the ball, find a team mate to pass to, even allow it to go for a throw-in. But he reckoned he should try to score. It was unlikely from that angle, but as long as McCloy didn’t save it the ball would go into the Celtic end, from where it would take a while to come out and the whistle would go for full-time. So he belted it as hard as he could – and the ball flew straight into the corner of the net.
Pandemonium once again, and almost immediately the full-time whistle came from Mr. Pringle.
Celtic Park had seldom seen anything like it. The immediate celebrations seemed to go on forever, with poor Johnny Doyle, skulking in the dressing-room to avoid his manager’s wrath, being summoned by Billy McNeill and ordered to join the celebrations.
And very soon the following season, Celtic’s supporters had made up their own song in honour of this game. It went (to the tune of Boney M’s Brown Girl in the Ring): “Ten men won the league, na na na na na…” and was repeated ad infinitum.
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Utd 4-0 Villa…
KINGLUBO on 15 April, 2012 at 17:49 said:
Easy. Huns lose.
London Huns v Spurs starting on Ch.3 (853 on Virgin).
googybhoy
Lottery numbers for Wednesday please?
Love Lenny to bits! But I dont think the manager of Celtic F C should be on that twittwering thing!!
Blimey, Villa are rotten.
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fi41.tinypic.com%2F157oj15.jpg&h=0AQHsiWXcAQGU-LYCFXvlQ-BtWavyU8e__GwdKbPDeY3bKQ
Establishment penalties?
U
All I hope is that Lenny is learning on the job and next year we don’t make the same mistakes, if we balls up again then
Awe_Naw_No_Annoni_Oan_Anaw_Noo on 15 April, 2012 at 17:43 said:
I think the overtness of the cheating has never been so blatant.
I reckon we were better last year than we are now. Last year the level of performance was higher with Commons, Kayal and iziguirre providing more qaulity regularly.
===========================================
Yes the three of them hardly did anything today. Commons was at least trying.
Jude
Disagree again. You got to let the cheating scum know and if the club will not do it then Lenny will.
HH
Afternoon all.
A very frustrating afternoon. I thought we were ok in the first half and even after Ki’s miss I thought were going to be all right. Second half was terrible until Dylan Mc came on – yet another disappointing display in a big game this season with only
Charlie M and , in the first half, Scott B looking the part. If you miss four sitters- Anthony Stokes’ miss was probably the worst – and make Craig Beattie look good you deserve to lose.
And yet the refereeing was appalling when it came to the big decisions. Our goal should not have stood so no doubt the media will say decisions evened themselves out but can anybody who has watched matches in Scotland over the last three seasons seriously believe that had a Celtic player who had just been yellow carded deliberately handled the ball a few moments later wouldn’t have been sent off? No doubt my old chum Kenny Clark will be wheeled out to defend another rank display by a referee.
I’m annoyed we lost in ways that are becoming all too common. Our team is on the right road but still needs more than just fine tuning to reach the level we aspire to. This country’s match officials are at best incompetent and at worst corrupt. And they are getting worse.
H x 2