Every Celtic fan will be delighted Fraser Forster was included in the England World Cup squad. Fraser joined Celtic on loan four years ago, becoming a permanent member of staff in 2012. His transformation over that period has been remarkable, which is no fluke.
He is the most dedicated footballer at the club. First in each morning, around 2.5 hours before official start time, he’s also last out of Lennoxtown almost every day. He is possibly the most complete 365-day-a-year athlete we’ve ever had. This is a player who has set high personal achievement goals and has allowed no distractions to get in his way.
Enormous credit also has to go to the man who has guided him through his meteoric rise in recent seasons, goalkeeper coach Stevie Woods. Without the focus, technical development and remedial work Stevie has added to Fraser’s development we would not have nearly as effective a goalkeeper between the sticks.
It is never good to see anyone lose their job but surely the decision for Hearts to sack Gary Locke was one of the easiest to come out of Anne Budge’s 120 minute review (which was more productive than one 120 day review). Hearts early and late season form, where they comfortably recorded victories against most of their peer group, told a tale of what happened for six months of the season, when the team failed to show up.
Locke had the resources to keep his team in the league this season but found every excuse available to ensure they finished bottom.
I’m less sure Danny Lennon deserved to be hooked. The gap between St Mirren’s 8th placed finish with 39 points and Hibs on 35 points is narrow, but when he needed to dig deep, Lennon was not found wanting. St Mirren might not be so fortunate with their next guy.
Tommy Gemmell
We are going to have the one and only Tommy Gemmell on the blog on Friday afternoon between 13:00 and 16:00. He’ll be available to take your questions and talk about life, football and anything else you care to bring up. Tune in.
Issue 20 of CQN Magazine, CQLisboN, is out and enjoying great reviews. Click here to read for FREE.
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In the main.
MWD says Aye
SETTINGFREETHEBEARS
Face the facts,bud.
We are now in close-season mode. Anything goes. There are not enough Celtic-related topics to tide us over till life begins again.
If we are lucky,we might get a few discussions about signing policy. If not,get used to the interminable voicing of entrenched opinion about independence.
I’ve no objection to people informing me about things of which I was previously unaware. The site is great for that.
Sadly,new information will be rare in the coming months. Just the same old regurgitation of the previous same old.
BB 05
From what I’ve seen or read, it’s a waste of time trying to change people’s minds. I’ve also noticed on here that the further from Scotland people live the more zealous they are about independence.
And while we’re at it your prediction about a left leaning Scottish government doesn’t bear scrutiny. Make no mistake, a Yes vote will ensure a Salmond government into the ‘twenties and even the ‘thirties. That means regressive taxation like the council tax. It means tax cuts for wealthy multi nationals. It means more sucking up to the likes of Fred the Shred, Rupert Murdoch, Donald Trump and Sean Connery.
thomthethim for Oscar OK
14:50 on
13 May, 2014
SFTB
Probably picked you up wrong, but Bertie Peacock signed long before ’61.
He probably left then,though.
If I remember correctly, he took appendicitis prior to the Cup Final that year.
*hate tae be pedantic but it was Jim Kennedy who suffered from appendicitis prior to the replay against the Pars. Bertie, who was team captain, had been injured and John Clark was his replacement. After scoring the winner after extra time in a replay at Easter Road Bob was reluctant to drop Luggie. Willie O’Neil who most of us had ever heard of replaced Jim in the replay while Bertie was appearing for the “black north” in a friendly the same night.
MWD
Knee op went well and I have to see a physio next month for assessment. Do you have details of the bike ride in (July?) you could email?
cheers
The Celtic Way
Tontine Tim
15:32 on
13 May, 2014
McBhoy
14:31 on
13 May, 2014
Braveheart will be on the telly everyday in an independent Scotland.
*whit aboot Rob Roy a far better movie
bonniebankscsc
If I recall correctly Rob Roy had an excellent selection of baddies.
MWD
Too deep for me.
HarryenfieldCSC
JJ
Gary67 (formerly Kayal33) 15:30 on 13 May, 2014
Does seem a big strange.
But Stewart Gilmour is an odd fulla, so we shouldn’t be too surprised.
Richie
I am doing 2 this year.
One September and the 2nd December.
First is just em and my bhoy and possibly JJ for fun. Glasgow to Edniburger just shy of 50 miles. Google Peadal for Scotland.
the Second is the Santa cycle for Neuroblastoma in December. Edinburger to Glasgow stopping off at various oncology units on route to hand out gifts to young kids. 60 miles with the hospital detours. Big Mouldy is doing the full Santa Cyle which is a week of cycling between London and Belfast with several cities on Route.
I’ll pass the details for that if you are interested.
Hail! Hail!
MWD says Yabadabadoo
Rob Roy was my first ever hero growing up, way before Wallace and The Bruce. By the time I got tae High School they were replaced by Michael Collins and James Connelly
Winning Captains – I’d love you to invite Eddie Gray.
I am sure a Sleekit appearance on CQN would give rise to some wonderful questions.
JJ
setting free the bears supports Res. 12 & Oscar Knox
15:42 on
13 May, 2014
quantum
“For me its a no brainer that policies relating to Scotland are best formulated in Scotland.”
What? Like the OBaF Act?
—————————————————————————————-
No not like the OBaF Act. That can be changed . If its a No vote then we will never get the chance to formulate social and economic policy in Scotland.
MWD
I think a week would be the end of me! I will try for the other two though.
winning captains
Denis Law. A big Yes.
DBBIA
Credit cards are definitely last season while cash on the barrel is still acceptable the future is virtual currency such as bitcoin.
I am hearing that there has to be a revolution in football and that not to far away from us a virtual team is being prepared by a virtual club with a virtual manager and that they will all be paid in Bitcoin by a virtual holding company with a virtual registration from the SFA.
bournesouprecipe
15:49 on
13 May, 2014
The Celtic Way
———————
Love it …a tad jealous o the young fhella though.hh
BMCUWP
Don’t forget awe the made-up stuff :-)
MWD
“First is just me and my bhoy and possibly JJ for fun.”
Are you saying you and your bhoy are a dour pair?
JJ
Denis Law (or Jonathan Watson)
“…and don’t forget the boy “O”…….”Ronald O”
setting free the bears supports Res. 12 & Oscar Knox
15:30 on
13 May, 2014
thomthethim
61- Peacock leaving was what I claimed. Hence no reason for Bob Kelly to deny a signing policy based on RCs
******
So you did.
But there was a helluva lot of words between “Bertie Peacock” and “left”, with a comma or two missing!
Too big a gap for my attention span. :> )
JJ
I definately am :-)
MWD
fritzsong
It means more sucking up to the likes of Fred the Shred, Rupert Murdoch, Donald Trump and Sean Connery.
—
I don’t remember anyone in the SNP actually sucking up Donald Trump but I do remember a certain love in among the nationalists with our James Bond in a kilt Sean Connery
No harm in that I suppose he is after all one of our national treasures
I do hope he makes a comeback if we get independence
Richie
If you are referring to ernie lynch, then we have crossed swords many times and, indeed, I have picked him up about a post earlier today. If you are referring to anyone else, you will have to give me a clue about who I have been avoiding, according to you.
MWD- the point was not that good Acts could be commissioned by a Scottish parliament, just that they are not guaranteed to be good because they are Scottish. I have no desire to promote a No vote on CQN; there are plenty of other places I could take that debate. I would point out that ernie lynch is also only a retaliatory poster; I cannot recall him bringing up an SNP issue where there has not been a post earlier from someone advocating a Yes vote.
BMCUW
I try to be careful and precise in what I write, yet it does not stop people responding as if they never read carefully. Let me try to be both simple and precise:-
I have no desire to stop postings about the Independence debate on CQN
It is not the only topic in town and the blog was doing fine before it arrived.
I welcome a wide variety of postings that are not football related and I make a fair few myself.
But, the day that CQN becomes a predominantly politics blog, is the day I am out of here. I do not believe I will be the only one thinking so.
And to live up to that, this is my last word on politics for the day.
My own tuppence worth on the all Catholic debate.
First saw Celtic in 1949 and never found it to be an issue.
Having said that, I don’t doubt that there may have been a few nutters around who would have had Celtic pursue such a disastrous policy.
There may even have been some who did not approve of Big Jock’s appointment on the grounds of his religion or nono religion.
Even in his post 63 Cup Final desperartion, I don’t believe that Bob Kelly, never my favourite person, would have gone down that route.
SFTB
I did not suggest you were a retaliatory.
My biggwest issue with independence is Politicians. But on balance the UK has those too.
MWD
winning captains
15.22
I enjoy this blog as an irregular visitor to read about Celtic and Celtic-related matters.
I have an old fashioned non-interest in non-Celts’ opinions about my club, so as long as outsiders keep away from the subject of Celtic then I would maintain a respectful but detached interest about their thoughts on other matters.
Tontine Tim,
Of course you are correct.
I recall Bertie missing the game, but, as I think back, I seem to recall that Peacock’s absence had a question mark over it.
Perhaps another one of Bob’s strange Cup Final decisions.
voguepunter
Watched it over and over since Sunday, ….you can see the wee bhoy saying
” Sammi – Hi Ya ”
LoveIt CSC
thomthethim
It was a convoluted sentence.
I’ll get Sherlock onto the case of the missing comma.
Moonbeams WD. Wee Oscar’s our Bhoy and Kano’s our mhan.
16:04 on
13 May, 2014
SFTB
I did not suggest you were a retaliatory.
My biggwest issue with independence is Politicians. But on balance the UK has those too.
MWD
YES /NO dead simple.
If you are happy with the way things are vote NO.
If you want even a chance of change, vote YES.
Paul Larking Highlighting something worth noting.
http://t.co/ynzEyzZs4k
Aiden Bhoy
14:30 on 13 May, 2014
Sandman
Personally wouldn’t give Sammi a 3 year deal on 20k a week.
Didn’t do much for me in champs lge last year.
And only started something like 10 SPL games.
==========================
In the 0-1 10-man home defeat to Barca, Samaras was notihng short of magnificent; took the entire game by the scruff, carried us on his shoulders, ran at Barca relentlessly, tracked, tackled, WAS the Celtic effort that night.
You have the selective memories of many when it comes to Samaras – based on cetain lack of performance vs sPL cloggers who put 11 men behind the ball and deny any space.
My opinions of him are formed in the arenas where it reallty matters, where our quality is ultimately measured. The SPL? We all know we have the player types to suit the challenges there.
You do not run a Ferrari on a stock racing circuit; you save it for the glamour tracks where you want to make an impression.
You also might be advised not to let it go for nothing, in the hope you might pick up a couple of nippy but unproven sporty numbers for the same cash; we’ll end up with a garage full of ‘projects’ and nothing to compete with.
SFTB
As one who really enjoys your posts, I would recommend that you do not say this again “this is my last word on politics for the day.” By all means make it your last word but it will only raise your blood pressure if someone makes a ridiculous comment yet you have barred yourself from responding!
Was hoping to see you at the Hootenannay and asked several people if you were there . Obviously not.
JJ
thomthethim for Oscar OK
16:07 on
13 May, 2014
Tontine Tim,
Of course you are correct.
I recall Bertie missing the game, but, as I think back, I seem to recall that Peacock’s absence had a question mark over it.
Perhaps another one of Bob’s strange Cup Final decisions.
Probably like the present day Sammi episode, the ordinary fan will never know the full truth of the Peacock affair.
Thindimebhoy
15:42 on 13 May, 2014
And the first and only firm declared economic policy for this brand new, progressive, egalitarian state is to cut corporation tax?
quonno
16:08 on 13 May, 2014
Would it not be more accurate to say
If you want to reduce corporation tax by 3% vote yes?
That, after all, is the only specific commitment. The rest is just vague, populist platitudes.