History will record that season 2012-13 was more successful for Celtic than season 2013-14 but the champions’ league performances this season have been comparable only to those of season 2003-04, when the club completed a 25 game winning streak.
With seven games to go we have already collected five points more than the team which reached the knock out stages of the Champions League last season, and this season we have had a worthy competitor for second place, who are favourites to complete the domestic treble of League Cup, Scottish Cup and Best of the Rest titles.
Kris Commons, Virgil van Dijk and Fraser Forster have correctly gained enormous plaudits throughout the season but the story of Celtic’s success is more nuanced. We don’t just have a great keeper and a great central defender, we have a central defensive partnership which is better than either of the two partnerships I watched in the Manchester derby on Tuesday night.
In other times the story of our season would be the injuries at right back, but the standard of cover there, with Lustig, Matthews and Fisher, is such that no one really noticed.
The strikers didn’t really get going until Leigh Griffiths arrived in January, and much of our player investment over the summer missed the target. This had consequences on the autumn, when we came up short of last season’s (over) achievements in the Champions League, but we have a plentiful squad of players, including Forster, Lustig, Matthews, Izaguirre, Ambrose, van Dijk, Brown, Johansen and Commons who are more than capable at Champions League level, with others knocking at the door.
Congratulations to Neil, his technical team, the many who work to keep the ship pointing in the right direction, some behind the scenes and some front of house, and to each of the players who left their mark in the history books.
On the equivalent day six years ago, we recorded that Gordon Strachan had joined Willie Maley and Jock Stein as the only Celtic managers to have won three consecutive titles. Neil Lennon’s name is now added to that list.
With all this championship coverage, did the phrase ‘Good day to bury bad news’ slip into anyone’s mind? “There is a reasonable expectation that the Company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence”.
You know when your chairman tells you he has a reasonable expectation the company will continue in existence that there’s nothing to worry about. All the doubters have been put in their place.
Seville – The Celtic Movement, is out now:
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Alba tv lads irish in scotland
Zbyszek
How sad that there are so many places that football cannot be enjoyed because of these fools.
Reckon I must have been present at every Hoops title winning game between 1970-1988
Dunno why but my favourite title winning game was Joe Craig v Hibs 1977.
I hero worshipped King Kenny as a kid and cried when he left.Maybe the fact it was Kenny’s last in the Hoops had something to do with it.
27 years of age when he left….,,he served us magnificently .
ryecatcher
21:03 on
27 March, 2014
Memories are hazy, but think we won midweek at Kilmarnock ’68 and Dunfermilne about ’70 or ’71.
garygillespieshamstring
21:05 on 27 March, 2014
My 85 year old da waxes lyrical about Malky McDonald too – best ever Celt in his eyes
Hi Mr. Z,
Poland is a place that has been on my wish list to visit for many years, I’m signed up for a trip in June. Must say I’m really looking forward to it. I assume the weather there in June is much the same as Ireland or Scotland.
Celt55…..
Judging by all the answers and my fading memory, maybe it would have been easier to ask how many times we’ve won it on a Saturday haha
HoopsaregreatforwinningmidweektitlesCSC
Pfayr
Hearts?
Have we actually ever won the league on a weekend!?? :-P
Corkcelt,
Mr z will keep you right but when I visited Poland it was June and the weather was bliddy het.
Mr Z
How are you my friend? Sorry did not get to meet you at CQteN(The bar was between us)
HH
BIG-CUP-WINNERS
Agree. One year later I was in Dortmund and the atmosphere was fantastic. Similar to that I saw in Glasgow.
Stuttgart is rich city with companies type of Mercedes-Benz. Dortmund is (was) very industrial city. Does the atmosphere at the games depend on social structure that much?
Ernie Lynch 21:22
“John Beattie is as thick as mince.”
Yet another demeaning comment from you ,without foundation, and an attempt to portray yourself as some kind of intellectual. You are a sad individual.
VP
Those weren’t posters they were pieces of art and are believed to be worth a small fortune!! :-)
SOAL
You subjecting your lovely wife to the Gallowgate on Saturday?
Thanks Geordie, I’ll bear that in mind.
Corkcelt….
Poland generally blazing hot in July/August and very pleasantly warm in June.
Don’t miss Krakow if you’re touring the country.
Absolutely stunning city.Quite breathtaking actually.
Kelvin boy
You are a lucky bhoy. Enjoy every minute of your time with him.
Used to love hearing all the stories and still miss it even after ten years have passed.
Rye…
Kilmarnock, er….1969???
Best title win was 21 May 1979.
A wee clip of Scottish kids entertaining the good people of Vigo, Galicia, Spain last Autumn.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fza1ZX36Ufk
There are some GOOD aspects to this country….
HT
When and where
Is Mrs HT going?
Corkcelt
+17 C and sunny tomorrow. Ryecatcher is right.
Yep ryecatcher, Krakov is on my itinerary ok. Was supposed to be going in May but the guy organising trip couldn’t get the numbers so we are down to go mid June now hopefully there will be no problem this time..
Corkcelt
Krakow is the only place I’ve visited in Poland. Was stunning. Would love to go back. Enjoy.
HH jamesgang
VP,
Ha Ha, it was a sore one HT took for the hoops and minx obviously felt sorry for him and agreed to getting married due to his facial condition…two pints noo.
Said to shug that I met you at cqten, he wasn’t sure until I mentioned Alvin Stardust :))
voguepunter
Thank you, I’m well. Maybe next time I’m there :-)
Corkcelt
Try to hire appartment if you like to be free. They are in better locations and for less money.
I meant rent.
neilbhoy
21:36 on 27 March, 2014
Beattie is thick.
No doubt he’s a lovely chap and very kind to small animals.
But he’s thick.
He shouldn’t be presenting any form of even semi serious news show.
SOAL
Bar67 after the game with mates but meeting up with Minx later.
Corkcelt….
If you plan to visit Aushwitz,it is every bit as harrowing as you could imagine even all these years later.
It should never be forgotten and I think it changes everyone’s thinking slightly if they ever set foot inside the gates of hell.
Auschwitz sorry
Mr Z / jamesgang Thanks lads. We are on a bit of a hectic schedule, flying to Berlin, 2 days there, then coach to Poznan, 1 night there, then Warsaw for 2 nights, then Krakow for 2 nights on to Budapest for 2 nights then fly back to Dublin. Probably a bit mad for a couple of pensioners but hopefully ’twill give us a flavour of the place and we can return at a later stage for a longer break.
corkcelt
Krakow
I was there for my stag do in 2006
good city and good people but you must go to Auschwitz and Birkenau i know it sounds morbid but that tour will live in my memory all my days.
by the way the pubs are also good
Love
Agree with Ernie….
John Beattie might be a nice guy but he is not the sharpest tool in the box.
John O’Neil
http://youtu.be/Z_5SD5Toc3k
BOOM
H.H.
John Beattie was a dirty bamstick on the rugby field …..I know !!!
I’m loving it
Geordie Munro
21:32 on
27 March, 2014
Have we actually ever won the league on a weekend!?? :-P
Motherwell away. Jock`s first. `65 ? . Referred to earlier.Wee Bobby goal.