Celtic moved 20 points clear at the top of the Scottish Premier League this evening with a 2-0 victory over bottom team, Dunfermline at Celtic Park in one of the most one-sided league encounters of the season. A screamer of a goal from Charlie Mulgrew in the first half and a James Forrest effort 15 minutes from the end were the two polished incidents while Kris Commons battered the Dunfermline goal throughout the game without success.
Playing against a packed defence, the Celtic game-plan was clearly to have shots flying in from outside the box and Ki tested Chris Smith from fully 40 yards early on. Scott Brown played an inch perfect forward pass into space for Cha to run onto before the full back crossed but Anthony Stokes was unable to get on the end.
Gary Hooper was sent clear by a magnificent Stokes pass after 20 minutes but shot wide, although the referee incorrectly awarded a corner kick. Stokes was next to try his luck from outside the box before the ball was worked to Kris Commons for his first, and possibly worst, attempt of the night.
Commons turned provider next with a deep cross into the box which Hooper headed and forced a save from Smith. Charlie Mulgrew opened the scoring on 33 minutes. Cha’s cross was cleared to Mulgrew who shot from 33 yards high into the net giving Smith little chance.
Commons and Ledley continued to find space to create chances while Ki’s passing was the most impressive feature of the game. Dunfermline’s only moment inside the Celtic box in the first half was a corner 5 minutes from the break which eluded the Celtic defence beyond the back post, allowing Alex Keddie to get a header on target.
An incredible miss fell to Stokes early in the second half. Ki’s 40 yard pass split Dunfermline open for Izaguirre to cross. Stokes brought the ball down 7 yards from goal but with the keeper stranded on the line, shot wide. Hooper was equally culpable when Joe Ledley’s shot was blocked and the striker shot over with the goal gaping.
The entire stadium seemed to will Kris Commons to score his first goal of the season. The fact that it didn’t happen was not for the want of trying. He even came close with an in-swinging corner which was cleared off the line. The points were secured when Gary Hooper controlled a loose ball and sent in an excellent cross from an unlikely-tight position, which James Forrest knocked over the line from three yards.
Dunfermline’s second moment of possession inside the Celtic box came late in the game with another corner kick. Neil Lennon will be concerned that it resulted in another free header at the back post which was cleared off the line.
In a gesture which tests the boundaries of the word magnificent, the Celtic fan who paid £5000 towards the Vanessa Riddle Appeal for the signed Celtic jersey we auctioned last week asked us to put it back up for auction again.
Auctions are a magnificent way to help get Vanessa the lifesaving treatment she needs but the cost of participating at the business end soon gets out of the reach of many fans. With this in mind, we have started an eBay raffle; you can win the jersey for the cost of a £1, or the entire purchase price of Rangers FC PLC.
There are no excuses to sit this one out, Vanessa needs your help, you would like to own a signed Celtic jersey, and you too can afford the kind of money Craig Whyte used to buy Rangers. Click here to participate.
Thank you for the dozens of response to the request for writers for CQN Magazine. I’m still working through them, will be in touch soon. Issue six, our Fit and Proper edition, is set to become a landmark collectors item. You can browse the magazine online here but you can buy your own hard copy by clicking on the link below. Fill your boots…..
You can support the online edition by making a discretionary donation here.
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gordybhoy64
Congratulations on the birth of Niamh, my youngest Grand-daughters name :-)
I love meat!!! Hmmmm golf, I live in the middle of nowhere, so play occasionally, as there is sod all else to do… Except eat meat that is :)
I hear it’s like a right of passage to be described a Hun/huness….. To Masonic for my liking ;) No Hun in me even ashamed of my English heritage lol
Englishghirl1888 says:
22 February, 2012 at 23:57
I’ll 2nd that about our Neil, everytime i watch the youtube clip of something inside so strong it brings a tear to my eye.
I couldn’t believe the stuff that was happening last year, the amount of arguments i had with huns regarding the way Neil behaved on the touchline was a joke, we don’t need no lecture from them morons after Manchester, and the amount of spats old watty had.
Who would i rather have on the touchline Neil or Mowbray, give me Neil anyday because he tells it like it is.
The worst i felt was at the Hearts game, i phoned my mate and the 2 of us were in shock, it was probably the worst i have felt as a celtic fan becasue i didn’t think anything like that could happen.
I can’t wait till we win this Title because no one deserves it more than our Manager.
Charlie..cannot be given space in any opposition half or the missile will be unleashed – glad it went in the net – otherwise a decapitation was on the cards…Roy of the Rovers…eat yer heart oot!
Just seen on the news a sculpture worth 60k was blagged out of Kelvingrove Art Gallery………………surely not……
catchmeifyoucancsc
Hey You Guys!!
Want in oan a Best Seller?
Ye dae…
Leave yer name and address,wi the Blonde at the Front Desk…
and.. don’t call US.. We’ll.. well… You know the Drill!
Noo.. that Ah hiv yer attenshun….
The Best Seller?
Ah am looking fur at least Ten Smart Investors..
fur AH wanna.. Flood the Barras.. wi
Twenty Thousand T- Shirts.. wi.. these Woids Emblazoned oan
the Front.. Printed in Emerald Green..oan a Whit Backgrun…
“WE DON’T NEED NO STINKIN’ TEN POINTS!
Whitya say ye?
Kojo.
gscbhoy says:
23 February, 2012 at 00:03
Heard Steve Lomas during and after the game. I know he is of the other persuasion, but he seemed pretty wholesome in his praise of Celtic and Neil Lennon in particular. He differed from all other commentatprs/pundits in Scotland as well in the respect that he spoke of ‘Neil’, rather than ‘Lennon’. From what i heard he came across as a pretty decent guy
…………………………………………………………..
there was an exchange early in he programme when the Ulsterman Lomas was discussing squad size and foreign attitudes,he mentoned that the brits are content to play reserve and bounce games while others aren;t. fellow ulsterman Packie Bonner piped up “the irish have the same attitude as the brits” there was much hilarity in the sportsound studios. funny enough the same point was directed at neil after the game and he used the same language as Lomas.
PACKIEBONNERcsc
UC
Englisghirl
Dont be ashamed of your heritage
You have a sense of humour,so even if you were a hun (which you cant be cos you have a sense of humour) you are welcome
Wait a minute (you must need a sense of humour to be a hun these days,hmmm now I am confused)
Gscbhoy
I think they were roommates when playing for northern Ireland so have been friends a long time.
Great result, great strike chick, great performances, great slapstick from sammi.
Keep the run goin bhoys!
Hail Hail
Tombola
What is the Stars
Many thanks for the tip earlier today – first flutter on a horse in many a year (lose plenty on the fitbal – have noticed you getting the plaudits for your tips). Just got in from the game to see that it came in.
Will share with the Vanessa appeal.
C’mon the hoops
sourceoflightcsc.
We faced dogged opponents who played with a simple game plan, and we scored two going on 7 or 8.
We remained professional and organized and used our squad wisely.
One of those games that in the not too distant past might have got away from us.
On another issue, I spoke with someone tonight and suggested that our near miss with Administration in 1994 was one of the best things that could have happened to Celtic. We could have been stuck with the old guard, trying to play catch up with them, and being run like a family corner shop.
Thanks Fergus, and hope to see you back at Celtic Park in August.
HH
RWE CSC
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Michael Kelly: Alex Salmond wrong to take sides in Rangers fiasco
Celtic fans: unhappy with Salmond’s comments. Picture: SNS
Published on Thursday 23 February 2012 00:00
First Minister has ensured no Celtic fan will be voting his way after backing crisis-hit club amid Old Firm bigot-fest, writes Michael Kelly
I am a big fan of conspiracy theories. There are many strands to be separated from the continuing Rangers’ saga. One is the establishment conspiracy that Celtic fans see is being organised to save Rangers. They argue that, when Celtic were in trouble, no-one from the banks, the media or politics was preaching how much their club’s demise would harm Scottish football. In fact, one tabloid in the middle of the struggle held a mock funeral complete with coffin outside Celtic Park. And I certainly do not recall any sympathy, never mind support, from the SNP.
Another theme is the depressing re-emergence of the religious intolerance which has surrounded the Old Firm for decades. Last Saturday, Ibrox saw the worst display of sectarian singing for years, with at least half the 50,000 supporters joining in. Yet there was only one arrest inside the ground for an alleged sectarian offence. How come the leniency?
The new anti-football law was one that the police welcomed. Yet they refuse to enforce it. And the First Minister, whose idea it was to restrict freedom of speech at football, has said nothing.
But, of course, sectarian singing was, for him, last year’s issue. The police raised it in the hope of getting more resources. Salmond outmanoeuvred them beautifully by turning it into an issue of new legislation. Now the police either cannot or will not implement it – and not just at Ibrox. Offensive songs were also clearly heard from the Celtic end during the TV coverage of the match from Easter Road.
But prosecutors are dropping sectarianism from charges because of the difficulty of proving it – as we saw last year with the one-man attack on Neil Lennon at Tynecastle. The new law has actually worsened the position. Before, judges were able to take into account any sectarian aggravation if an offence was proved. Now, unless it is there in the charge, they can’t.
This is characteristic of Salmond’s approach to problems. Seek a quick public relations success and move on, ignoring the long-term impact of his actions. Why otherwise would he not be up in arms about the police’s inactivity?
Now after doing nothing on Saturday, the police want to intervene in the timing of the next Old Firm game. The role of the police is to be told what events will take place and when. It is then their job to cover them, not bicker about time and location. We’ve got things the wrong way round.
As the First Minister becomes more and more complacent with his parliamentary majority behind him, we can see this once sure-footed politician beginning to make mistakes.
The first was to alienate both sets of Old Firm’s fans with his attempts to stop them enjoying themselves. Now he’s compounded this by his overt support of Rangers. Why? He surely cannot have misled himself into thinking that by saying a few sympathetic words about their team he will persuade the loyalest, most vigorously Union-Flag-waving section of Scottish society to vote “Yes” in his referendum?
He’s certainly ensured that no Celtic fan – people who might have had some sympathy with him – will now.
But much more fundamentally wrong than making a gesture of understanding towards Rangers was his plea that the tax authorities found some way of going easy on the club. This is a blunder, not of tactics, but of political principle.
The First Minister is the man who wants to have control of all of Scotland’s tax revenue. Yet at the first public challenge to the authority of Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs – and Craig Whyte has renewed his criticism of the taxmen again this week – he wants Rangers off the hook. His own team, Hearts, have been having their own tax troubles – no intervention call for them. And has he spared a thought for Dunfermline? They are owed £80,000 by Rangers. Obviously given the precarious financing of Scottish football, they are going to need a big chunk of that money to pay their taxes. Are they too to be a special case.
And what about me? I’d rather spend my VAT and PAYE on a skiing holiday, repaying it to the government over five years. Is that OK, Mr Salmond? He says he wants Rangers given time to meet their obligations. He has misunderstood the whole situation. The reason Rangers went into administration was to avoid their obligations. And liquidation could be the next step in that direction. Indeed, one wonders why the administrators seem so desperate to avoid a solution that would eliminate all of Rangers’ debts. For a business in these dire circumstances the focus must be on the creditors and not the customers. However, I would rule out any conspiracy as regards the company being allowed to appoint a “friendly” administrator who had previous business links with it. It seems to me unwise that a large international firm like Duff and Phelps would want to attract even the perception of a conflict of interest. But the statutory obligations on an administrator are so clear and with the penalties so personal that, especially in a high profile case like this with HMRC breathing over their shoulders, it is certain this process will be carried out to the letter of the law.
The tax authorities too will do their duty resisting the influence of the man who likes to think of himself as the UK’s most brilliant politician. Meanwhile, Rangers as a club and a team will carry on while a new owner is sought. Let us hope that the new owners not only run Rangers more prudently than in the past but that they make a commitment to end the sectarianism which hangs heavily around the fringes of the club. There are many people, including many Celtic fans, who want to see Rangers’ financial problems resolved. But they also want to see the bigotry which simmers just below the surface pulled out by the roots. Equally, Celtic must ensure that the triumphalism currently being enjoyed by the fans is not used as an excuse for unacceptable behaviour.
Daniel Fergus
You are welcome,had seriously good word for that one,lads I know who are involved,had been planning this for a while.The horse was running at a level way below his capabilities
He may win again (wink wink)
Hen1rik
Yes, and Sally and Walter at the derby goading him, the poor man was going through hell!!
Of course he would be passionate and get wound up easily and they knew that. Wrong on so many levels! The hearts game pfft to that to, what a joke with the outcome of that, how the heck was Lennon the only one punished through all that. Beggars belief!
I can’t wait for him to lift all the trophies this season and stick it to them, full of courage that man.
Sorry lads made a mess of that last post.
Michael Kelly: Alex Salmond wrong to take sides in Rangers fiasco
Celtic fans: unhappy with Salmond’s comments. Picture: SNS
Published on Thursday 23 February 2012 00:00
First Minister has ensured no Celtic fan will be voting his way after backing crisis-hit club amid Old Firm bigot-fest, writes Michael Kelly
I am a big fan of conspiracy theories. There are many strands to be separated from the continuing Rangers’ saga. One is the establishment conspiracy that Celtic fans see is being organised to save Rangers. They argue that, when Celtic were in trouble, no-one from the banks, the media or politics was preaching how much their club’s demise would harm Scottish football. In fact, one tabloid in the middle of the struggle held a mock funeral complete with coffin outside Celtic Park. And I certainly do not recall any sympathy, never mind support, from the SNP.
Another theme is the depressing re-emergence of the religious intolerance which has surrounded the Old Firm for decades. Last Saturday, Ibrox saw the worst display of sectarian singing for years, with at least half the 50,000 supporters joining in. Yet there was only one arrest inside the ground for an alleged sectarian offence. How come the leniency?
The new anti-football law was one that the police welcomed. Yet they refuse to enforce it. And the First Minister, whose idea it was to restrict freedom of speech at football, has said nothing.
But, of course, sectarian singing was, for him, last year’s issue. The police raised it in the hope of getting more resources. Salmond outmanoeuvred them beautifully by turning it into an issue of new legislation. Now the police either cannot or will not implement it – and not just at Ibrox. Offensive songs were also clearly heard from the Celtic end during the TV coverage of the match from Easter Road.
But prosecutors are dropping sectarianism from charges because of the difficulty of proving it – as we saw last year with the one-man attack on Neil Lennon at Tynecastle. The new law has actually worsened the position. Before, judges were able to take into account any sectarian aggravation if an offence was proved. Now, unless it is there in the charge, they can’t.
This is characteristic of Salmond’s approach to problems. Seek a quick public relations success and move on, ignoring the long-term impact of his actions. Why otherwise would he not be up in arms about the police’s inactivity?
Now after doing nothing on Saturday, the police want to intervene in the timing of the next Old Firm game. The role of the police is to be told what events will take place and when. It is then their job to cover them, not bicker about time and location. We’ve got things the wrong way round.
As the First Minister becomes more and more complacent with his parliamentary majority behind him, we can see this once sure-footed politician beginning to make mistakes.
The first was to alienate both sets of Old Firm’s fans with his attempts to stop them enjoying themselves. Now he’s compounded this by his overt support of Rangers. Why? He surely cannot have misled himself into thinking that by saying a few sympathetic words about their team he will persuade the loyalest, most vigorously Union-Flag-waving section of Scottish society to vote “Yes” in his referendum?
He’s certainly ensured that no Celtic fan – people who might have had some sympathy with him – will now.
But much more fundamentally wrong than making a gesture of understanding towards Rangers was his plea that the tax authorities found some way of going easy on the club. This is a blunder, not of tactics, but of political principle.
The First Minister is the man who wants to have control of all of Scotland’s tax revenue. Yet at the first public challenge to the authority of Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs – and Craig Whyte has renewed his criticism of the taxmen again this week – he wants Rangers off the hook. His own team, Hearts, have been having their own tax troubles – no intervention call for them. And has he spared a thought for Dunfermline? They are owed £80,000 by Rangers. Obviously given the precarious financing of Scottish football, they are going to need a big chunk of that money to pay their taxes. Are they too to be a special case.
And what about me? I’d rather spend my VAT and PAYE on a skiing holiday, repaying it to the government over five years. Is that OK, Mr Salmond? He says he wants Rangers given time to meet their obligations. He has misunderstood the whole situation. The reason Rangers went into administration was to avoid their obligations. And liquidation could be the next step in that direction. Indeed, one wonders why the administrators seem so desperate to avoid a solution that would eliminate all of Rangers’ debts. For a business in these dire circumstances the focus must be on the creditors and not the customers. However, I would rule out any conspiracy as regards the company being allowed to appoint a “friendly” administrator who had previous business links with it. It seems to me unwise that a large international firm like Duff and Phelps would want to attract even the perception of a conflict of interest. But the statutory obligations on an administrator are so clear and with the penalties so personal that, especially in a high profile case like this with HMRC breathing over their shoulders, it is certain this process will be carried out to the letter of the law.
The tax authorities too will do their duty resisting the influence of the man who likes to think of himself as the UK’s most brilliant politician. Meanwhile, Rangers as a club and a team will carry on while a new owner is sought. Let us hope that the new owners not only run Rangers more prudently than in the past but that they make a commitment to end the sectarianism which hangs heavily around the fringes of the club. There are many people, including many Celtic fans, who want to see Rangers’ financial problems resolved. But they also want to see the bigotry which simmers just below the surface pulled out by the roots. Equally, Celtic must ensure that the triumphalism currently being enjoyed by the fans is not used as an excuse for unacceptable behaviour.
MOTM
Shunsuke Mulgrew
TT
Well done to our heroes for their 19th consecutive domestic victory (with 14 clean sheets).
The match stats make for quite staggering reading…
Possession 72% (the highest I’ve ever seen, by some distance)
Shots 27-3 in Celtic’s favour (16-3 on target)
Corners 16-3
Freekicks conceded 5-7 (probably the lowest I’ve ever seen)
That it was only 2-0 is surely testament to Chris Smith in the Dunfermline goal.
If we beat Motherwell at home on Saturday we need only beat Rangers home and away to clinch the SPL Title… even if we were to lose and Rangers win every other match from here on in.
But I’ll settle for winning every remaining match this season and breaking a few records in the process.
Bring it on.
Henrlk
Thanks for posting that. Fine stuff.
HH
What is the stars:
I will always be ashamed of my heritage, they’ve screwed people over for centuries … Sounds kinda Hunnish to me, don’t you think? ;)
As the saying goes you reap what you sow!
20pts clear
in comparison to last year’s bombs n bullets, these are happy happy days
enjoyed the game
couple o folk sittin beside me in the Jock Stein upper still had the party hats on
and a good few balloons about the place too
might be my last game for a while as a chance of a job overseas
good to see Victor get a wee rest too
5 victories and we are champions ?
gonna be sweet
The ibrox administrators have raised their 1st bit of cash. They have sold their champions league music cd to motherwell
Ulster Celt
I always though Pat Bonner was from Donegal
Englisghirl
No,
Nobody should be ashamed of their heritage
you are who you are
(except vegetarians and golfers ,oh and people who do the daily telegraph crossword)
Other than that everyone is ok
http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/4147568/I-never-abused-Kyle-Lafferty-but-hes-a-diving-b.html
Thought this was hilarious.
Gotta go..
Canny wait fur Setterday!
Good Night Scotland
Good Night Ireland
Good Night Wales
Good Night England
Good Night Canada
Good Night New Zealand
Good Night Australia.
and
Good Night…Billy Wallace, wherever you are.
Kojo
So, I heard Daryl King on Clyde tonight talking about the Ticketus deal. Interesting, in the same way as watching two monkeys throwing excrement at each other would be interesting. He appears to believe the Ticketus deal is some kind of zero interest loan, with only an administration fee. He seems to believe Ticketus are some kind of non-profit organisation. If there was ever a reason to be depressed at how dumb the Scottish press is … that man is thicker than a concrete milkshake.
Here are the provisions of the deal for him, including all the frightening bits. And I haven’t made this up. Unlike him, I went and did a proper job researching it. Actually, I say a proper job … it took me five minutes, a Kit-Kat and coffee break, in other words. I guess my “journalism training” is more advanced that his; I googled Ticketus and I had everything I needed in no time.
Rangers have sold the rights to between 23 and 27 thousand of their tickets to this lot for the next three seasons, in exchange for £23 million in up front cash, of which a goodly sum (£5 million) is due as VAT. Now, do the maths. We’ll average this out, and err on the side of caution, giving Rangers the benefit of the doubt, and we’ll call it 24,000 tickets per season, times three. (Please note, we’re not including this season, which Rangers have already forked over £9 million for – nearly half the total they received, if you believe some sources, and I believe them.)
That is 72000 tickets sold to Ticketus over the course of the deal. Now, a half season ticket (a half ticket, bear this in mind), for an adult, is £219. That comes to just over £15.76 million quid for the duration. The average price of a ticket for the season is £450. That comes to £32.4 million. Without this season’s deductions.
£32.4 million over the next three years. Ten million a season. And change. Daryl believes that Ticketus will get back only their initial £23 million plus a small administration fee … but that appears to be a forlorn hope. This one is the sale of the century. Ticketus have netted £32 million – not including this season’s repayment, which we know about – making a nice wee tidy £9 – 10 million profit.
And here is the truly scary – and wonderful – part. The terms of the agreement mean that Rangers’ ticket sales have to exceed 24,000 before they, themselves, get a single penny … because Ticketus’ allocation gets sold first … yes, you read that right. If Rangers sell 23,001 season tickets … they get £450. If they sell 22,999 … they have to pay Ticketus the £450 balance.
So even a season ticket boycott to deny Ticketus their cut will not work. The only thing that will be cut will be what Rangers have for running costs.
Now, the number bods can do a better job on this than me, and come up with more exact figures, but these are in the ballpark …
This deal is a disaster for Rangers in every way. It is an apocalyptic decision, one which has brought the club to its knees as surely as the tax case. Add to that the likely-hood of no European football for next season and you can see the beginnings of a brand new existential crisis sweeping over the club …
Mark my words, the consequences of Murray and Whyte will be with that club for years and years. Think Leeds. Ten years out of administration now, but weak and still treading water in the lower leagues of England. Rangers have a huge support, but will fans raised on glory stick with them through years of pain?
We’re going to find out, dear friends.
Two out of three ain’t bad ;) no chance of me ever doing a telegraph crossword, haha
I will embrace my Englishness, in the comfort of knowing I’m a bit of a mix, Irish and Scot’s :)
The previous Chairman at Ibrokes steps up his campaign to be the saviour of the Huns.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-17133875
God love them
can anything else go wrong
http://www.scotsman.com/news/rangers_fans_president_caught_drink_driving_after_match_1_2133129
I think we should get 2 in front at Ibrox the go with 10 men against them… Just to rub it in!
What is the stars
In mitigation .. The poor wee Hun has been driven to drink..?
Top Corner
I’m traveling at present and away from the PC. Norfolk, Virginia!
In any case the hard drive in the new laptop has died on me, and Toshiba will replace it when I send it off to them. So I hope to get in a video call before you depart.
Using the IPad belonging to Mrs RWE and struggling.
Thanks for all the stuff you post about the youth and dev squad. Fills a need that isn’t really catered for by CQN posters.
HH
JC
Rangers supporters jailed after Old Firm fan clash at service station
http://t.co/kEwQZ4Ke
Maybe someone should send this to Salmond and Co.
What is the stars
Cheers for the tip on source of light.
HH
CQN Goodnight and God Bless, lets hope more bad news for them the morra.
JinkyvJohnGreig
You are welcome pal
Maybe he could give them the points on his licence?
Goodnight Hen1rik, I will bid you all goodnight to.
It was nice chatting to you all, thank you for the warm welcome
HH