Falkirk played some good football at Hampden this afternoon and looked competitive with the bottom half if the Scottish Premier League, but Celtic scored three, hit the woodwork three times and had a good goal incorrectly disallowed for offside, emphasising how comfortable a day’s work it was for the SPL, Scottish Cup and League Cup favourites.
James Forrest reached the goal line and cut back to Scott Brown, whose shot was deflected onto the post before rebounding to Gary Hooper who made no mistake. The nearside linesman did nothing for the reputation of Scotland’s officials by raising his flag despite a second defender being inside the six yard box while the Celtic striker was 8 yards out.
Six minutes later Thomas Rogne got his head onto a Forrest corner but saw the effort rebound from the crossbar. Falkirk maintained parity for 27 minutes before conceding cheaply. Darren Dods, aware of Rogne’s potency at set pieces, hauled the Celtic defender to the ground inside the box from a Mulgrew corner. Scott Brown converted the resultant penalty.
Stokes could have made Celtic comfortable six minutes from half time when he connected with Hooper’s cutback but his shot was blocked. A minute later Falkirk were level. Victor Wanyama misplaced a cross-field pass to Cha in the middle of the field, Emilio Izaguirre had pushed forward while no one dropped back to cover.
Cha and Wanyama both had chances to get tight on breaking Falkirk players but Higgingbotham feigned a shot and rolled the ball into the path of 17-year-old Jay Fulton, who finished clinically.
Within a minute of the break Rogne had a chance to put Celtic ahead again but mistimed his header before Gary Hooper set James Forrest through with Falkirk keeper McGovern to beat but the winger was denied.
Falkirk’s best chance to win the tie arrived six minutes after then break when Fulton drifted in unattended at Celtic’s left but his half-volley from 7 yards flew over.
Thomas Rogne hit the cross bar for the second time with a deflected shot after another Mulgrew corner. A minute later Anthony Stokes put one foot in the final when he lifted a free kick over the Falkirk wall and into the side of the net. It wasn’t the hardest struck free kick but he caught McGovern mid-jump on his line, so the keeper was slow to move to his right.
Falkirk pushed forward whenever they could and Duffy got the better of Joe Ledley to setup Alston but the substitute couldn’t convert. 12 minutes from the end Fraser Forster made an impressive double save after a corner. He stopped the first from Darren Dods and then saved from Stuart Murdoch.
Ledley saw a shot from a Matthews cross deflected over before the Celtic full back cleared at the other end when Weatherston got behind Wanyama to cross.
Gary Hooper secured the win for Celtic when he collected outside the box after 85 minutes, turned his defender and headed for the bye-line. His cross was converted by Stokes with Ledley waiting if needed.
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Ulster-Celt, That would be a great signing on the last day.
Finnharp
Caught up with highlights from Mordor
The Hibees are in big trouble that defence is diabolical
Anyone know when Celtic will have final tickets available?
Cut-price “Jelly”…….there’s a surprise.
No ‘race to buy’
No 10m
…and nothing near it.
*repeat as often as you like*
Just a desperate and urgent requirement to get any, ANY vaguely sellable asset off the wages.
Crisis, what crisis?
I hope he stays.
Good morning all, a very good weekend for us with more twists to come I hope.
Finn Harp
it’s in the Record, probably made up.
from KDS
“We’ve had 2 bids turned down for Johnny Russell. One of £500k, the second £500k plus a player. United want £1.5million.
We’re expected to move again before tuesday’s deadline.
Source – the Courier and Radio Tay”
Should be an interesting couple of days
UC
Mark Wilson spotted at Ross Hall
Well, I for one will sleep easier in bed tonight knowing that the indefatigable Seeker of Truth and Basher of Injustice, T.Sheridan, has been let out of the ole chokey.
The Revolution Will Not Be Spray Tanned.
Anyways, good win yesterday against an impressive young Falkirk team, good performances from Scott Brown and Gary Hooper.
We have some tough away games coming up and we just need to keep rolling.
Alan Patullo in the Scotsman explaining the farcial scenes at Murray Park this week by stating;
“Rangers, however, have refused to be held to ransom by players”
The bares never had a chance saving their club with journalists like this in Scotland.
HH
Morning from a frosty Airdrie, Jelly wants to go and will go on strike like he did for the buns move.Janko? media setting us up for “celtic lose out headline” with this one. who’s for the off? Cha? Paddy? theyre will be a few for the off and the buns will lose at least 1 other as well as jelly.
KLV
Everything is starting to fall into place on this road to Road to happiness.
Made even better by the huns going down the road to perdition, embarrassing themselves with every step.
Hail hail
I was just thinking after reading Bawsmans post, what if things go pear shaped this week or next and a few RFC fans groups that buy season tickets say Mr. Whyte enough is enough from what you have told our manager, the taxman and us the season ticket holders what you promised on taking over and with us believing you, we bought season tickets in the tens of thousands, you defrauded us with the hope of spending and signing new players, which never really happened, we all want our season ticket money back, or as the YANKS say in good old America, ” We will bring a class A action law suit against you” for the spin that you gave us in the hope of us spending our hard earned money, so quick that it would make yur heed spin….And we will start with an occupy Ibrox.
Hail Hail
Finnharp
Just a thought….
Morning bhoys, very severe frost this morning, but as ever hun free.
Been saying for months that they would be lucky to get 10mil tops for all their players, looks like that was right then :>)
How desperate are they.
The real villans in the whole sorry saga are the SFA, idly standing allowing the hun to rip the p*sh out of the game.
Intergirty, aye.
Ulster-Celt: I agree should be very interesting, especially if the rangers fans start thinking along the lines of my last post…
RFC is like Al-Cappone, canny get him for shifting furniture, so next best thing….
Hail Hail
Finnharp
spot on exiled tim. cowards!! they should be stepping on rangers for this whole dabacle as peat did with us asking to be treated fairly.
KLV
Marc Janko! What a signing that would be.
Finnharp-30 says:
30 January, 2012 at 08:50
Think this was raised on RTC, a poster said class action doesn’t exist in Scots Law…
Hail, hail
How would we ever survive without the Lap Top Loyal
Alan Pattullo: Heavy traffic on trialists’ trail up to Murray Park (Scotsman)
“Some among this selection of trialists have proved decent enough. Rangers, however, have refused to be held to ransom by players clearly scenting a bit of panic at a club with an urgent need to strengthen”
Here was me thinking it was because Rangers were skint!
Janko?
Gollygosh!
I don’t see it happening, but it would be fun if it did.
Jan30th and transfer window could close and i would say
Looks on paper to be good business
Wish we had a permenant goalie thou
Neil said about Pawel( if he passes medical ) he is good backup for our goalscorers incase of injury or loss if form
Something we should have seen a while a go
Good for us to look to Eastern Europe , far better valve for money
LearnourlessonsCSC :)
Morning bhoys
Some say that he has a date on Friday night……. with the Laker Girls
and that he submitted an offer of £10million for Nakita Jelavic
All we know is he’s Victor Wanyama.
What a surprise……
Lamb wholesalers, Super Casino ‘developers’ and “Off The Radar” financial kite-flyers, set up………negetave speculative transfer story about their least favourite team….
Shameful.
Ransomes.
Rangers won’t be held to Ransomes.
They reserve the right to choose any brand of lawnmower.
kevinlasvegas
The SFA will be kacking themselfs just now, RTC had a wee spat the other night on twitter with Regan about euro licences, he knows what has gone on in the past, every man and his dog knows what has gone on, but still they do nothing.
They are shamefull, well they would be if they had any shame.
There will be court cases over this affair, nothing surer.
Bawsman 07:16
Good article on RTC, in particular, I liked this line:
“They are digesting themselves for sustenance”
Found this observatrion on self – eating:
“Self-cannibalism behavior has been documented in North American rat snakes: one captive individual twice attempted to consume itself, dying in the second attempt. Another wild rat snake individual was found having swallowed about two-thirds of its body.”
Mon the Hoops – put the Rat Snakes to the sword pnce and for all.
Hope your right Exiled tim.
Been very messy and sneaky the whole thing.
KLV
According to sources in Holland, Janko is indeed going to Porto. Celtic and Fulham were interested but Porto have the cash to pay the fee Twente want and the player wants to go there.
A classic Daily Record set Celtic up for a fall story penned by BOTH Keevins AND Jackson.
The Jonny Russell story seems more legit.
I would take Russell, a fine player. They want 1.5M for him with 18 months left on his deal? Celtic should go back in tomorrow and offer 1M plus a player or two and a loan deal for a young player or something and that might tip it in our favour.
If we get Loovens out the door by tomorrow night I think we’ll have done very well. He is out of contract and is sitting waiting it out which is his right. He has let Celtic down too many times and has certainly not been value for money by any stretch of the imagination.
Maybe one more signing, maybe not but a satisfactory window.
The real drama may unfold across the city methinks – hee hee.
….or another way of putting it:
A good performance by a young Celtic team against First Division highflyers, Falkirk.
This was just another game in a busy season for Celtic but the pinnacle of the season for The Bairns, even so, Celtic`s own bairns found the time to score three goals, hit the woodwork three times and have a good goal disallowed before out-shining the nice football played by Falkirk.
JJ
My thoughts exactly Snake.think Jelly will Escape from govan????lol ; )
KLV
what a monday morning
sun brightening up the whole office.
for some reason the huns in here arent smiling
its only 9.20am and some of the banter on here already has me crying with laughter.
its going to be a great 48hours……..
THE EXILED TIM says:
29 January, 2012 at 23:47
Night bhoys
Been a good day, reached another cup final.
Top of the league, hun in disaray, signing players.
Take care and god bless.
Mucho trabajo the morra, TBO wants a new shower, and she always gets what she wants.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oh,aye?
Snake Plissken says:
30 January, 2012 at 09:10
Porto? Can’t say I blame him. The weather is nicer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v694rpQ1QWQ
Things are so bad for them that I expect this week to see Whyte and Fatty on the front page of the papers, standing in the middle of an ole polluted field in Cambuslang.
New motors don’t count :>)
Yes folks, welcome to trial by television. Big Rob’s officially a grass and, on behalf of my fellow Well fans, I’ll have a quiet word with the Sportscene host when I see him at the BBC today.
In fact, I might even threaten to hide his burgundy hair dye unless he promises it won’t happen again.
I thought it was a wee bit naughty to highlight Higdon’s gesture at Tannadice – particularly as the game itself only got the customary 30 seconds – but the man I really sympathise with is the SFA’s compliance officer Vincent Lunny.
This nonsense has opened a huge can of worms and, as Motherwell FC quite rightly stated in the club’s official statement, the whole thing is bonkers.
Higdon should only have been punished (and even then it would have been potty) if a Motherwell fan had lodged an official complaint.
But that never happened.
So why the one-match ban? Call me old-fashioned, but for a gesture to be deemed “offensive” surely someone has to be offended? Stewart Regan and anyone else at the SFA are wrong to compare Higdon with Leigh Griffiths. Miles out, in fact.
When the Hibs striker gestured at Easter Road a few weeks ago, it was towards the Rangers fans in the away end. That could have caused a riot.
Excerpts above taken from a Tam Cowan rant
Wonder who complained at The Scottish cup final Mr Cowan when Rob McLean wrongly branded Celtic fans as Sectarian or were you singing i was born under a union Jack at the time?
Leigh Griffiths done in case and i Quote “could have caused a riot” Yep Rankers fans and the word riot not a surprise there!! now Tam what was it that Rankers fans were shouting at Leigh Griffiths………………………….???
Will the Media ever attack Rankers fans for their propensity to commit to violence orjust even take responsibility for their actions before blaming English German fans
Coppied from the record to save a few hits
It gets better by the hour, toys oot the pram time.
NIKICA JELAVIC will today demand to be allowed to move to Everton after the Premiership outfit launched a late bid to sign him before the transfer market shuts tomorrow.
Record Sport can reveal Goodison boss David Moyes made his move yesterday when an official bid was tabled with Rangers for their top-scoring Croat.
It’s understood the opening offer fell as much as £3million short of the Ibrox club’s £8m valuation of the 27-year-old.
But Jelavic is determined to push a deal through and has told his advisers he will not take no for an answer.
The 27-year-old may even demand showdown talks with the club’s owner Craig Whyte today in an attempt to force the issue and open the door to a deadline-day move to Merseyside.
Moyes is a long-standing admirer of the man who moved to Rangers from Rapid Vienna for £4m in the summer of 2010. In fact, the Everton boss attempted to hijack that deal at the 11th hour but left it too late and lost his man to the SPL champs.
Now Moyes has money to spend again after selling Russia midfielder Diniyar Bilyaletdinov to Spartak Moscow for £5m.
Whyte, though, wants top dollar for his most valuable asset and last week turned down a bid from West Ham which could, over time, have been worth as much as £7m after add-ons.
Jelavic did not rock the boat over the collapse of his proposed move to the second tier of English football but sources close to the player were adamant he will not accept being priced out of a ticket to the Premiership so readily.
The insider said: “Nikica is very close to his agent and he has made it clear to him that Everton is the move he wants.
“Rangers could be left with a very unhappy player on their hands unless Craig Whyte is prepared to do a deal.”
As well as Jelavic, Juan Ortiz is also heading for the Ibrox exit. The Spanish flop could make a quick-fire return to the club from which Rangers signed him – Almeria.
Meanwhile, furious Honduran club Motagua have branded Rangers’ transfer dealings ABSURD – as Chinese outfit Changchun Yatai last night attempted to hijack Ally McCoist’s chances of landing Hamdi Salihi.
The cash-strapped Ibrox outfit have come under fire from the Hondurans after their failure to hand a deal to midfielder Jorge Claros.
Nicknamed The Pitbull, Claros spent two weeks at Murray Park trying to secure a contract and impressed McCoist.
However, the lack of money around the club meant no offer was made to the international star and he sloped off back to Central America.
Claros was left stunned and his club Motagua are raging at the treatment of their prized asset.
The Hondurans wanted around £800,000 for their player but sources at the club say Rangers offered less than half that amount.
President Pedro Atala said: “The truth is that Rangers offered an absurd amount for Claros. We made it clear from the start what we believed was a fair price.
“He is a very good player and deserves to be treated better than this.”
With Jelavic on the verge of being sold, McCoist is desperate for a striker to fill the void but has buttons to play with.
He wants Albanian Salihi – but he’s now the subject of a big-money offer from Asia. Changchun Yatai, where Ibrox flop Matt McKay spent a short time on loan, are willing to hand the Rapid Vienna attacker a chunky wage to go to China.