Celtic’s run of 27 games unbeaten in domestic football came to an end yesterday as Kilmarnock surprised even their own fans, who bought fewer tickets for the final than they did for the semi-final, perhaps anticipating a reversal.
The bedrock of that magnificent run has been incredibly strong defensive performances; even when Aberdeen scored to take a point earlier this month, their goal benefited from an enormous deflection and the interaction of two debutant defenders.
Kilmarnock’s goal yesterday benefited from no such fortune. Ki didn’t match the forward run of Lee Johnson and Kelvin Wilson didn’t attack the cross. It was, however, a good goal, exploiting the expansive Hampden pitch with some fine passing and excellent movement.
Cammy Bell deservedly won Man of the Match but none of his many saves were spectacular. It could be argued that the stop from Gary Hooper five minutes in turned the match but it was a gift to Bell’s highlights DVD.
Celtic looked like a team who have run out of steam. Profligacy in front of goal and a momentary lapse in defence was all Kilmarnock needed to secure the cup.
I didn’t get a good view of the Anthony Stokes penalty incident at the game, it was Hampden after all, but on the radio going home I heard the evidence clearly confirmed it was not a penalty, which Neil Lennon would realise after he calmed down a bit, despite his initial reaction on seeing a replay.
Television evidence could not be clearer. Michael Nelson went to ground to tackle Stokes and didn’t come within 2 feet of the ball but clipped the Celtic player’s ankle while he was in the process of controlling a fast moving ball.
There was no dispute that Stokes ankle was clipped. No claims were made that Nelson played the ball, or even got close to playing the ball. The incident was an indisputable foul.
When you are running at speed the contact required to force you to lose to lose control of the ball is slight, more than enough contact was made on Stokes to hugely reduce his chances of scoring. Nelson made a rash and ill-timed challenge which should have resulted in an injury-time penalty.
Our sincerest condolences to the Liam Kelly, his family, Kenny Shiels and the Kilmarnock players on the death of Liam’s father Jack in the minutes after full time.
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Re Murray crap .
Is this the same Murry who warned anyone coming in to take us over in our hour of need .
They better have deep pockets ,because I’m going to bankroll ragers .
For every fiver ,we’ll spend (borrow) a tenner
Funny how he was not worried about any one horse league back then .
Seems to me his erse is squeaking
hail hail
Morning
Sir Minty did not think rangers would toil in the 90’s when he spoke then about dominating Scottish football.
Did Sky news produce e-mails last night showing second contracts?
HH
Up Went Nelson – The Go Lucky Four
Anyone here buy their season ticket to watch rangers?
I buy mine to watch Celtic and dont give a monkeys who we play.
HH
:
——————————————————————————–
Man dies after impaling himself on railings
Monday 19th March 2012, 2:30PM GMT.
A 30-YEAR-OLD man has died after impaling himself on railings in the early hours of Sunday.
Michael Stewart, from Derry, is believed to have fallen onto the railings while trying to climb up to reach his window after locking himself out of his home in Val Plaisant following a night out.
It is believed that his girlfriend came home shortly afterwards to find the street cordoned off. Mr Stewart was treated by paramedics outside his home just before 1.30 am yesterday before being taken to hospital.’
****************************
Just a young man who went out to enjoy Paddy’s day.
It seems Murray and indeed Rangers have a vastly overinflated idea of their importance to the rest of the world.
Pay your taxes, pay your NI, pay your transfer fees, pay your players, pay your suppliers, pay your lawyers, pay your administrators in fact just pay your way with your own money and then and only then can you talk about who needs you.
Nobody needs you fool!!
SP
SDM (Sad David Murray) – for someone who has been around the scene in Glasgow for a long time, you sure haven’t learned much if you think Celtic fans won’t buy season tickets because there ain’t no rangers. It has been said before, the main difference between Celtic and rangers is that Celtic fans genuinely love the club; whereas many rangers fans just plain hate Celtic (and all things assocaited with it).
Top of the morning to you all from a grey, damp but mild Fife.
Serious question: Why are the Scotsman using anything that SDM says as serious opinion?
This man is a complete and utter failure and has cost us all a fortune as he was instrumental in bringing about the collapse of the Scottish banking system and is only being kept solvent to save the establishment facing up to that fact.
He did not look at all well in the interview.
Good morning CQNers,
SaintLubo on 20 March, 2012 at 01:17 said:
Interesting point and one I believe carries some validity. I agree there is an indefinable something missing when the team wears an alternative kit to the hoops.
The hoops strip is such a symbolic kit and so synonymous with Celtic that I believe it carries a special significance in the minds of our own team and more importantly in the minds of our opponents.
The alternative strips don’t have the same cache and I’m convinced other teams lose some of the fear-factor when we play in them.
This morning carries a significant news item that some may have missed, in case you haven’t caught the news……RIP NHS
Jabba and Chick rewrite history
Morning all from a dreich North Ayrshire.
Am I right in saying that Nicky Campbell, who feels competent to host debates on such as sectarianism in Scotland, outed himself this morning as a supporter of the Govan bankrupts? I only heard it briefly on 5 Live about 7.30. It was part of a joke about his wife wearing his clothes, including his r…… jersey.
Breakfast wrap from McDonalds is very tasty, 600 calories in a few seconds.
Go for the brown sauce.
Parkheadcumsalford
I believe NC is a Jambo but whatever team he followed is certainly not Celtic.
I listened to many of his broadcasts during the troubles and he was very unsympathetic to the irsh republican cause.
Imagine his shock at finding out his dad was in the RA.
Parkheadcumsalford on 20 March, 2012 at 07:59 said:
Listened to that bit didn’t hear the R word…but then again I lent forward excitedly 5 mins later to hear the report on a new treatment for tinnitus :)
bamboo,
I also thought he was a jambo. I also saw the programme where he discovered his birth family. He seemed to get on with them. But he can’t help himself to show his true feelings on programmes such as the Big Questions. He intervened on one to effectively blame Catholic schools. He shouldn’t have held any opinion as host. Nor could he say too much because the programme was being broadcast all over the UK and it is only in his native heath (or the North?) where such nonsense is given any credence.
I suspect he may well be a jambo, who really is a supporter of the dark side.
The 43000 union jacks @ Ibrokes?
A cheap stunt to screw more money from the gullible.
Absolutely none of their fans will feel able to do anything but buy one of these flags of shame, whether they want to or not.
The flags and the circumstances sum them up. They cling to a symbolism that they think the flag has, a symbolism from a colonial past that is so embarrassing that everyone else wants to forget about it.
More than that, they know that waving this flag will generate some sympathy for them with the Royal Family loving public. The fact that this public is being duped by this stunt is just another part of their undignified duplicity. For the Ibrokes faithful it means supremacy and walks, parades and cultural domination, whereas for the duped public it means an affection for the Queen and a romantic past.
They say that they don’t do walking away, but then we know that they do.
They walk away from creditors.
They walk away from small businesses to whom they owe money.
They walk away from employees to whom they owe wages.
They walk away from investors such as the Club Deck brigade.
They walk away from paying their taxes, PAYE, and NI contributions.
They walk away from integrity in the boardroom.
They walk away from Scottish Football when it suits them.
They remain devoid of dignity till the end.
We need them?
That demonstrates the extent of their arrogance and delusion.
THEY need us, and so they assume that we need them.
They confuse some financial impact that might occur in the short term with the social and cultural benefits that would accrue, which would lead to more financial benefits in the longer term, not less.
HH
Paddy G thanks for the card mate, its a belted.
V
Vmhan Supporting Lenny! on 20 March, 2012 at 08:28 said:
Paddy G thanks for the card mate, its a belted.
V
You are very welcome Mon Vie :-)
Belted – belter
RASCAR CAPAC 0802
I read your post about moving in next to McDonalds.
My first thought was along the lines of taking the man-mountain to Mohamed.
Give it time…….
I find sDM statement that we Celtic need them?
Is my memory playing tricks on me or did sDM not mention in an interview some years ago that he was “trying to crush Celtic and take them out the game”
As l said my memory may well beplaying tricks on me? Anyone help
Mtt
Morning CQNrs,
From a wet and drizzly Glasgow, so pleased that the young Muamba is making steady progress, so difficult not to think of Phil and his untimely death.
Never got to say much about the game last weekend, now I am over the disappointment I still think we are a really good team and that occasionally we will have to deal with a blow like this, good all round quality game of football.
The usual suspects are lining up to undermine us in the lead up to a rfcia v Celtic game, I wondered how they, MSM, are going to do what they do in every run up to this game, tell lies, portray anyone and anything associated with Celtic in a bad light. Well I think early signs are that there will be a massive effort to make them out to be the victims of circumstances, cf G Smith’s snippet on national BBC news….’everyone beware if this can happen to a club the size of Rankers it can happen to any club’, too true if you cheat, steal from other fellow clubs and spend money on players using tax payers money, not to mention the referees.
No doubt they will work at creating sympathy and have the nation crying foul, poor poor Rankers, oh thats right poor poor poor Rankers, want to buy a flag anyone !
C’mon Celtic ignore the crap an get ready for a game of football.
HH
Did anyone ask Murray about his companies being in debt to not far off a billion quid?
The guys a financial genius don’t ya know!
Short week for me…….already looking towards Sunday.
Come On You Bhoys In Green!
HH
@alextomo: First report on Rangers tonight – why did the Board/SFA/SPL and most of the Glasgow media allow David Murray to do what he did? #c4news
Is Izzy injured?,
I think Lenny will play Ledley at LB, and Charlie and Rogne at CH, I much prefer Ledley in the midfield.
We should go with 4-5-1 v the Huns and switch to 4-4-2 if necessary, fast flowing passing game versus strength and thuggery, its near the end game and it’ll be controversial.
V
Today’s Sun reports “death-threats” towards Collum on Twitter.
Idiots like that need their head examined.
Would be interesting to see how long those Twitter accounts had been active,if you get my drift…….
Why don’t Celtic start selling season tickets this week? That’ll give sdm and his loyal cohorts all the answer they’ll ever get. We DO not need them; neither does Scottish football. In fact, our country would be a far better place if they went to the wall now.
Doing a bit of the ole air piano in the car to Layla with Eric Clapton .
I’m looking for a spare ticket for ibOrcs, give me a shout if one comes up.
V
Sorry, that sentence should read “We do NOT need them”.
G#, A and C minor
Bournemouth, do do do do do, layla
V
Bournesoupe, :>)
Parkhead,
Good idea, I could use my spl winning money ha!
V
Well only an insignificant SPL match to look forward to this weekend, the title is won its just a matter of when not if
In keeping with i dont define myself by our rivals from across the city
Having a weekend off
Notinterestedinoldfirm.csc
Morning CQNer’s
Just dropped in to say that, I apologise unreservedly if I annoyed any fellow CQNer’s or, the Magnificent Paul 67 himsef with, the tone of some of my posts yesterday after the Cup Final.
I have decided to, resume lurking, instead of posting :¬)
Have A Ghood Day Everyone.
God Bless.
Hail Hail
Bobby
If I close the curtains I can make it disappear, but I know it’s still there…
We definately do not need the Huns, but I think Scottish football would improve through fair and open competition, there is a real opportunity here for an Aberdeen, DUtd, hertz etc to be a real force in Scotland IMO
V