Celtic moved to within goal difference of securing the Scottish Premier League title by opening up an 18 point lead with six games remaining after a two goal victory over St Johnstone at Celtic Park today. Second half goals from Georgios Samaras and an own goal by Chris Millar settled the game which looked even for long spells.
Samaras has been like a player reborn in recent weeks and continued in the same manner today. From the opening minutes of the game he thundered down the left wing using pace and skill at close quarters to strain the St Johnstone defence.
Gary Hooper could have done better when Anthony Stokes fed him early on but his chip was collected by St Johnstone keeper Allan Mannus. Once play stopped referee Salmond booked Maybury for his foul on Stokes as the Celtic striker played the ball forward for Hooper but despite therefore acknowledging the offence, the ref failed to pull play back after Hooper failed to gain any advantage.
Kris Commons is still looking for his first goal of the season and twice came close today. In the first half Stokes held the ball inside the box until Commons arrives to shoot from 8 yards but he knocked the effort narrowly wide. In the second half a swerving shot was on target for the top right corner of the net before Mannus got a touch.
Liam Craig was St Johnstone’s principle threat and he brought a good save out of Fraser Forster from a free kick midway through the first half. Celtic struggled to create much in the opening period but Michael Lustig crossed from the right wing but found no takers despite running along the six yard line.
Celtic should have taken the lead a minute from the break. Commons sent in a free kick, Samaras missed a header and Mannus blocked but Charlie Mulgrew was on hand the head the rebound, only to see his effort cleared off the line.
Cillian Sheridan and Francisco Sandaza both had good headed efforts to open the scoring early in the second half but neither found the target.
Celtic stepped up the pace just after the hour after Ki and Matthews replaced Stokes and Lustig. Scott Brown saw a shot from inside the D saved.
The opening goal arrived on 66 minutes after Georgios Samaras was involved in a couple of scuffles. The Greek international was grounded inside the box and was then shoved off the ball within seconds of getting back to his feet, again inside the box but the referee didn’t see it. Samaras clearly took exception to this treatment and a moment later shielded the ball using his body until he was dragged to the ground.
It looked like a feisty play by Samaras who was clearly animated. When Kris Commons swung in the resultant free kick Samaras rose and headed back across goal and into the net.
St Johnstone pressed forward looking for an equaliser and might have got one had Adam Matthews not made a last ditch interception to turn the ball behind for a corner. With St Johnstone forward for the set piece Celtic broke quickly. Commons carried the ball forward, and with everyone one else on the field running at full pace, he took a second before sending a 60 yard pass across field to Ki. Ki moved inside before playing the ball out to Samaras on the right. Samaras crossed for Hooper but the ball was turned into the net by Millar.
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Tontine Tim on 2 April, 2012 at 00:26 said:
Wednesday night at midnight I’d say. The start of the Timtedium.
hen1rik
From where I was sitting in my front room in the USA, the atmosphere at the game was strangely subdued. Also, I kept reading all week that the game was a sellout, but there were a significant number of empty seats in what I could see of the lower tier – right from the off and they stayed that way.
Thank goodness for The GB and the call and response Bhoys.
HH
Torontony
TOCSC open Thursday 2 – 8 to allow “the abstainers” to catch up.
TAL
Jonnyquest – disagreewith ye mate, ye could easily put it the other way around and say that surely the home team in the second leg has a huge advantage as if it comes down to an extra time of 30 minutes to decide the tie then they get to play that 30 minutes at their home ground ?
RalphWaldoEllison-is Neil Lennon Season 2011-12 on 2 April, 2012 at 01:33 said:
Yes I’m sure on twitter it said it was a sell out but i did notice there was quite a few empty seats.
Over the past few days I have seen Honest tim come in for some criticism with a few even questioning his credentials. Now his posts may be weird and eccentric and frequently of a mineshafter persuasion however I doubt that he is not what he claims to be.
I cannot be sure of this at all however I just feel that nae bun would waste their time coming on here when their club is in such a funny, sorry precarious position.
Yes he may have said Neil should calm down a bit in order to be loved and yes this opinion was rebuked by many who pointed out Neil would never be loved no matter what.
But the thing to remember is if it weren’t for people like honest Tim, Sydney Tim,Kiltaba and Setting Free The Bears with left field and strange and unconventional opinions this site would not be worth reading,
I remain open minded to the possibility Honest Tim is a tim. Maybe I am being kind to him but I just feel he is a left field person rather than an undercover agent. I think when he comes out wae stuff like asking Neil to calm down he is not engaging his brain, he is trying to look to solutions to problems invented by the media and it causes him to write nonsense.
Or he could just be a wind up merchant after all and my attempt to understand his nonsense totally incorrect.
In my opinion Neil does need to calm down, he also needs to wear a suit much more often and get rid of that black gum or what ever it is he chews during games.
I Love Celtic & The Celtic Community. I Love being Part of That. It Centres my Life. Simple. All Else Is Irrelevant.
Rangers directors were assured by solicitor Gary Withey, then (but no longer) of Collyer Bristow, that his client Craig Whyte had the funds not just to repay LLoyds £18m but also to provide a working capital facility of £5m.
Collyer Bristow had been provided with “written confirmation from a UK financial institution”.
It is now suggested that the institution may have been none other than Merchant House Group (MHG), where Whyte was a major shareholder with influence on the board. Furthermore, Whyte was said by MHG to have had more than £30m available to spend.
If this is true, then clearly MHG as well as Withey were misled. LLoyds was repaid from the sale of Rangers’ future ticket revenue.
After Whyte had been disqualified as a director in 2000 he came to the attention of the Companies Investigation Branch (CIB), when he started making moves on financially troubled shoe firm FII Group, where his old pal Aidan Earley was a player. By September 2002 Monaco company Lebron Holdings Services had acquired a more than 5% stake. Lebron and Whyte were previously linked at failed Re-Tex Plastic Technology.
The CIB was contacted by the FII pension fund trustees, who were concerned about Whyte and Earley’s intentions. The CIB monitored Whyte’s telephone calls from Monaco, with the help of the security services. Any deal fell through, so the CIB took no further action.
FII collapsed in 2004, largely due to its pension fund deficit.
I wonder when Murray Mints first sniffed out Whyte
The post split fixtures should be announced this week.
We should get 3 home and 2 away fixtures, since we will have played 17 away and 16 at home after the Killie game.
Home: Definitely Rangers and hearts since we have played both twice away.
The third one could be contentious as we have played Saints, Dundee United and Motherwell twice at home already.
So who would be the likely third home game?
Or will SPL make us play all three away and finish the season with 18 home games and 20 away games?
What would that do to ST holders?
Which of the three would like to attend the trophy presentation as I can’t see the presentation being done at the Huns or Hearts games?
It’s going to be an interesting week what with one thing AND the other.
‘GG
GG on 2 April, 2012 at 02:48 said:
sounds like mair warm balls in the offing if you ask me
For our friends based in Govan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJg-ZmHV4E0
Apparently some members of the Celtic football club were seen out “socialising” with many members of a rather insidious organisation at a certain outdoor lodge in Govan only last week.
Reports of the event describe how the party was in full swing early on, complete with clowns, jelly and ice-cream, singing, dancing etc… Strangely however, it did appear to be only a minority of attendees seemed to be in the party mood.
Sadly, festivities turned sour when an interloper, cunningly disguised in black (rather that his usual blue & white) burst onto the scene and started to distribute cards.
Whilst he may have simply been attempting to join in the festivities by suggesting a good old game of ‘happy families’, apprently ‘happy families’ is not the game of choice at such occasions. Certain reports also suggest that his distribution of the cards in question was not even/fair.
However, his efforts were rewarded by the other attendees getting into the swing of the party, even if some of the songs had some rather dubious lyrics.
Whilst the feelings of angst among the attendees did not entirely dissipate once the interloper in black had left the party, it is a great blessing that the other attendees returned home safely.
Reports state that such social events are soon become a thing of the past. Apparently, the cost of hosting such events (including tax) is too expensive!
I’m a wee bit perplexed at the scale of criticism directed at the team and in particular Neil Lennon.
What would we have given last August to be 8, yes 8, points clear at this stage?
What would we have given to see an 18, yes 18 game winning streak?
Have the players and management team lost their skills?
In a season where Neil Lennon has had to endure attempted assaults from scum, the loss of a dear friend, disruption to his personal life and unwarranted attacks from referees, ex referees and media, why can we not allow the man some slack.
His downstream rival, who is too inept to be judged on tactics, is being regaled for his dignity in adversity.
ADVERSITY. He doesn’t know the meaning of the word.
Undoubtedly he would have had a P45 on at least one of his contracts by now in normal circumstances. Let’s hope his tenure is continued.
Typical Celtic fans we ignore the positives and highlight the negatives.
We worry about our CL potential for next season even before the season has ended. Why?
Our management team have shown they can spot a player and with the prospect of CL football next season we should find it easier to attract our first line targets.
Please let’s enjoy the prospect of the next month instead of acting like spoiled children who arrived too late for the party and missed the jelly and ice cream.
‘GG Still an old happyclapper.
Is it true? I heard a rumour that Craig Whyte wrote some children’s books.
But not on purpose.
‘GG on 2 April, 2012 at 03:42 said:
Until Celtic can sweep aside Killie and the huns at will CL is a dream
It speaks volumes about the ethos of any organisation when the only people who want to buy it are crooks.
Margaret McGill on 2 April, 2012 at 03:48 said:
Maggie, based on the dominance of clubs with much higher revenues than we can possibly achieve, for me CL success is measured in qualifying for the group section and holding our own.
The deck is stacked against clubs who live within their means, pay their taxes on time and reward their players with only one contract.
While we remain in the SPL and have no control over our media rights for even bog standard league games, we will be shackled and be forced to accept we cannot leapfrog to the top tier of european football.
My ambition is to win the SPL consistently, play attractive football with people who want to play for us because of who we are and what we stand for.
I was fortunate enough to follow the team during the McGrory, management, and Stein eras, so it’s easier to accept that we have had our day at the top table and be realistic of what we can attain today.
‘GG Pragmatist.
Given the current financial climate throughout Europe (in particular), I would suggest that we will see others coming down to our level rather than us rising up to theirs.
Many countries are facing very hard decisions and I would not be in the least bit surprised if football clubs do not become a prime target for governments looking to get their hands on revenue.
Over the next few years, I suspect that many English and other European Clubs will be crippled financially when the tax bill arrives stamped “FINAL WARNING”.
.
GG..
Are the Post Split games Defo announced this Week.. ( trying to book my flight home) keep changing my Mind.. I thought it would be after last Pre Split game..
Thanks in Advance..
Summa
‘GG on 2 April, 2012 at 04:10 said:
Thats fine and dandy and as long as Celtic remain in the SPL I agree.
However, the Celtic vision since the donout installed PL in 2003 is “Whit are the huns daein?”
Now that this despicable cancer across in Govan may have eaten itself out of existence with a plethora of cheating on and off the park maybe its time for Celtic to get a vision. The fact that no one is calling for jail time and instead we get platitudes of the “big house” amazes me.
I stated here last night and earlier that maybe the donut is waiting for the EPL to implode for similar reasons as the huns and wade in. If their vision is to rubber stamp newco in the hope of maintaining marginal income they can go to hell.
The death of the huns should be a celebration for Celtic supporters. To not veto their despicableness for cash will be the end of it for me. So I say Death Knell first and consider Europe afterwards. It will happen if they get a vision. If the vision is to keep the huns around. You’re welcome to it.
Didn’t realise it was April 1st yesterday & got well & truly done with the Guiness Arena email, grrrrr.
Good morning friends and welcome to Holy Week.
The recent fine weather appears to be at an end as it’s a pretty grey and still dark start to the day here in East Kilbride. But in my head and heart it’s till gonna be a bright (bright) bright sunshiney day. Green tie donned.
Jobo
Right, come on you lot, time to get up!
Or am I the only one that didn’t arrange for a day off to work today just in case….?
Enjoy your day.
Jobo
.
Post Split..Fixture Plans.. SPL SIte..
In the event that the top and bottom six in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League is determined on Saturday, it is our intention to publish the post-split fixtures next week, once live TV selections for rounds 34-38 have been confirmed.
On the final weekend of the season (May 12/13), the bottom six clubs will play on Saturday and the top six on Sunday.
.
Above post from last Friday
STEVE LOMAS last night claimed Celtic gaffer Neil Lennon is held to higher standards than other bosses because of his profile.But he knows his “Marmite” mate will never win over all his critics.The two former Northern Ireland internationals, who were room-mates as kids at Manchester City, go head to head at Celtic Park for the first time today.And in a week when the Hoops boss has been cited three times by the SFA, St Johnstone gaffer Lomas said: “He is held to a higher standard – but that probably comes with managing Celtic.“With what Neil’s been through, at times he brings stuff on himself and I think he knows that.“But I do think there’s an unfairness around him.“He’s like Marmite – you either love or hate him – but anyone who knows him will tell you he’s a good guy.“I know his family and he’s from decent stock. But because he’s played for Celtic, captained Celtic and is now managing Celtic, he’s going to be at a disadvantage.“Some of the things that have happened to him have been nothing short of scandalous.“Being left knocked out in the middle of the road, receiving the things he did through the post – absolutely disgusting.“Worse people in Scotland don’t get that level of abuse, criminals and the like.”
Morning Jobo I’m in work already just a wee bit slow to get on CQN this morning…. too may folk bumping their gums about Lenny’s Lions…….
Thats my Monday morning whinge oot the road… Onwards to Victory…..
Vmhan Supporting Lenny!
HH
It’s that slow on here this morn i’m having to work
Serge lifes a bitch innit :¬)
morning to you workers…
had a great night last night…
met some friends old and new and had a guinness or two…some Jamesons also..
Vmhan
…Like a deer in the headlights, what do i do! ;-)
BT
Morning mate, I’m jealous. Not even Petra or the Dead Sea can stop me from wishing i was at Paradise yesterday
Morning all from an overcast North Ayrshire.
I was listening to Radio 4’s Thought for the Day earlier. Given by a member of the Iona Community (a John Bell?). He perfectly described them, while suggesting it was the support of Boca Juniors. Radio Scotland simply reinforced this, when they gave a synopsis of the day’s newspapers. Seemingly, acc to the Sun, the police have warned Whyte not to come near this part of the world because they are out to get him. How easily they are misled. SDM gets off scott free, as ever.
Just for laughs…
Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell has struck a secret multi-million pound deal with Guinness to rename Celtic Park. The deal, which will come into effect from the start of the 2012-13 season, will bring more than £400 million into the club coffers over the next 10 years, a source close to the deal exclusively revealed to The Irish Times this week.Celtic’s home stadium since 1892 will be renamed ‘The Guinness Arena’ from August 2012, according to documents seen by The Irish Times, and then as ‘Guinness Glas (Gaelic for ‘green’) Arena’ from 2015. The deal does not initially include shirt sponsorship, although Guinness are believed to have an option to take over shirt sponsorship from from Tennents, when Celtic’s deal with the rival brewery firm concludes in 2013, or when the deal is voided by Rangers entering a liquidation process. It could push the total value of the deal to more than £60 million per season.The historic deal, brokered by Diageo’s Dublin-based commercial team and Celtic’s financial big-hitters headed by Eric Riley, will be greeted with delight by Celtic’s bean counters, while it will likely draw anger from those supporters opposed to changing more than 100 years of Celtic history.Secret talks with beverages industry giant Diageo, the parent company of the Dublin-based Irish brewers, which turned over more than £13.32 billion in 2011, have been taking place for more than six months the source told The Irish Times. Guinness is said to have day-to-day responsibility for the groundbreaking sponsorship, although Diageo’s London-based senior management were required to sign off on the deal, which is believed to be the biggest of its kind in football.“Make no mistake this is a done deal,” the source, who did not want to be named, told us.“The Celtic board are obviously delighted with the deal, although they know that it will bring an angry reaction from some fans’ groups. But as Rangers face financial meltdown, Peter Lawwell knows that as long as Neil Lennon keeps delivering results on the pitch, commercial activity will be unaffected by fans’ complaints.“Guinness is one of the most recognisable brands in in the world, but rarely gets involved in football. This is a strategic move for the company to build a strong tie between two massive worldwide brands and to get involved in the higher echelons of football, whilst also helping in keeping with their Irish identity and roots. Celtic has been tracking this deal for months, perhaps even years. Mr Riley and Mr Lawwell pulled out all the stops to seal it.”
serge pretty flat atmosphere tbh…
victory was all that matterd…
too many people met yesterday to mention because I will forget someone..
special mention to Creetown CSC for the tickets though…
oldtim.HebCelt, Mort & Mrs Mort,CRC,MWD,Four Green Field, Penfold.tims in ohio.dick byrne,subterranian,HT..who did I miss out? .
BT. It was good to meet you (and others) yesterday, hope that young fella Oldtim made sure you got home.
HH