Congratulations to all at Celtic on securing our fourth consecutive trophy. Those of us who lived through the 90s (and those who also lived through the 50s) know how precious these times are.
Collecting that trophy yesterday is not the act of a vastly better resourced club picking up what is their divine right. It is the consequence of over a century of struggle, denial and sacrifice. The current success of Celtic is as remarkable as it looked to be unlikely for much of its existence.
The reflective glory that shines on all of us is the gift of downtrodden ancestors who wanted to escape hardship. When the trophies arrive, celebrate a deliverance.
Throughout the first half yesterday Celtic were well below their normal incisiveness. You and I have seen so many League Cups slip away over the years against weaker opponents. At halftime I thought, “All it will take is a half-chance for Motherwell and it’s the same old story.” Instead, James Forrest found the breakthrough and Craig Gordon (and the post) were up to the job when called upon.
Motherwell manager Steve Robinson has done very well but he set himself up for a fall after beating Newco in the semi-final. Pedro Caixinha was correct predicted Motherwell would not finished the final with 11 men on the field.
The get-into-their-face/leg/body approach was Motherwell’s best strategy for taking on Celtic (and Newco), but there’s no point crying about the consequences afterwards, when you lose.
There has been more heat than light shed on the penalty incident, a consequence of seasonal pantomime analysis. Ask any referee the question he is trained to ask himself in this scenario:
What is Kirpe’s arm doing across Scott Sinclair?
His arm is there to inhibit his opponent. No one will be able to give you an alternative scenario.
The incident would have been a foul and a yellow card anywhere else on the field. That is the statutory punishment for putting an arm round opponent in possession, unless it is a goal-scoring opportunity, in which case the card should be red.
It is unacceptable for a player to fall to the ground when he was not fouled, but not only is it acceptable to fall when you have been fouled, it is expected, unless you want the referee to play advantage.
I do feel sorry for Kipre, who by that stage of the game must have assumed his could foul and hack with impunity, but as well as pumping him up to play this brand of robust football, his manager should educate him on the consequences of putting an arm around and in front of an opponent inside the box.
There is a lesson here for Celtic too. When we lose a cup (or a game), it is likely to be when we concede a penalty and a red card.
Chris Sutton and Neil Lennon: love your work, but your performances on TV yesterday is why good analysts learn the guidelines given to referees. Stick to baiting Newco fans and finishing second in the league respectively.
Moussa, love your work too, but I don’t like penalties that go right down the middle of the goal. Note that every keeper in the land watched yesterday’s game and many will gamble on your repeating the exercise next time you face them from the spot. This is a tactic you must use sparingly.
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Bit confused :) pedant could have a lot of laughs with that
ERNIE LYNCH
Are you the chairman of the lame duck society slagging off Scott Sinclair of behalf of CQN?
Our own man in the stands, who has a very good grip of the game called it a clear penalty I give you Gary 67, a man who’s posts on here over the years would give me reason to take his word over the detractors.
Craig Gordon was a hun during the week now Scott Sinclair dived you couldn’t make this shite up on a Celtic Blog
Heavy odds that Sevco board will parade a “new” manager at the AGM this week.
JOHN51
On a big white horse?
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 27TH NOVEMBER 2017 6:24 PM
I don’t like to see that, particularly from Celtic players.
We won the first leg of a back-to-back season’s unbeaten treble yesterday, the League Cup.
A few on here would appear to be a wee bitty ragin’ about that…
JIMBO67 on 27TH NOVEMBER 2017 6:10 PM
I am old enough to remember some of the really barren periods, so I am with you – every time I see us lifting a bit of silver, my heart soars.
To think of what we had to come through, and win, and we ALWAYS tried to play football based on flair not brawn that put a song in our hearts (usually).
The moment I will always remember from yesterday is Brendan giving his medal to that wee girl in the crowd.
If there’s one thing that defines who we – Celtic – are, it’s acts like that.
Ole Ernie has spent all day decrying Celtics achievement by focussing on a penalty decision that went in our favour. Determined to make Sinky out as a cheat who should be ashamed of his actions.
Nothing positive about any part of our performance.
Jamesies goal, for instance. A belter.
Absolute troll is Ernie.
Not sure how others feel, but I wish Ernie Lynch would go back to talking about politics. Never agree with him on that subject mostl. Like others on CQN I am fed up hearing about a penalty kick and a Celtic player being treated so badly by some on here.
EL,
Was a foul committed, or is the ‘Well manager correct, when he said there was no contact?
Evidence shows that the defender’s arm made contact.
Anything else is just hot air.
Had Sinclair not go down, the ref may have missed the contact, resulting in the offence not being punished.
Sinclair has recent experience of staying on his feet, to his and our detriment.
The only thing that matters is, did the player touch SS’ arm or not?
Apart from Robertson everyone agrees that he did.
Anywhere else on the park it is a foul.
We have seen situations when a player has had an arm put across him or his arm being pulled/held and the player stops running.
Is he cheating? He doesn’t fall. he just stops running and turns to the referee in appeal.
The hurting huns on Shortbread lead with Killie getting pumped by Aberdeen….
ALL everybody getting tied in knots over this penalty
The most important thing to remember is the colour of the jersey
The bhoy from sky nailed it.
I would love to see video of the efe incident re_ross county same thing
I don’t think either are pens
But if they’re giving them we got to be professional and win our fare share
ARt of war
Ernie not a troll
Ernie comes from the internet lynch’s
A big Celtic supporting family fae the internet
Check it out
Greebinbungleyinoslo
Indeed – after the team walked past my section we turned to leave and just stopped with everybody elseto watch first Kieran and then Brendan go to the crowd . Magic moments in what may turn our to be a really special era for us.
Jimbo67
Well done that man Sean just after being on Clyde.
Just because you don’t agree with somebody does not make them a troll.
Ridiculous assumption of a long standing poster.
Hi Bhoys
Well done to the FAMOUS GLASGOW CELTIC.
League cup winners AGAIN.
Now that penalty was it or wasn’t it?
It matters not a jot.
Why doesn’t it matter?
Because Celtic were already a goal to the good at the time and Motherwell finished the game with a 0 in their goals for column.
So the cup was already won.
Can anyone tell me how you can win a cup final with a 0 in your goals for column when your opponents have at least 1 in theirs?
Can anyone tell me even if Celtic were not awarded the penalty how Motherwell could have won the game?
Super Celts onward and upward.
KEEP THE FAITH
Greenpinata- you obviously didn’t read my post. Where did i disagree?
My comment is in relation to his views on Celtic, his general tone he employs with other bloggers, his lack of empathy when someone announces bad personal news.
Has anyone ever met him? Vouch for him?
Just because he has been posting for years doesn’t make him a Celt. He’s just deep undercover :-)
In short i find him disagreeable and divisive. A troll.
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 27TH NOVEMBER 2017 6:16 PM
BBC News…………..Megan Markle ( naw me neither ) went to a Kafflik School.
******
Two nonroyal royals is a fair enough match.
I hope she brings her penchant for equality into Family!
10iar
Ernie Lynch
Fair play to you Ernie, history has shown that you’re one stubborn CQN’r .
History also dictates that we will debate and re-examine a fortuitous
penalty awards in a manner others won’t.
Celtic fans are fair, generally liberal and just, and when controversy arises
some will take the same line that the main stream anti Celtic driven agenda are destined to take, and consume.
Some Celtic fans old enough will be mildly astonished that come 2017 Craig Thomson applied the draconian football rules where usually, in your lifetime and mine we’re on the wrong end of.
We should be debating Brendan Rodgers v Jock Stein in their 4 trophies in a row,
Are you SMSM?
Heading back to London tonight on the Euston train so have been afforded the luxury of reading all the Scottish press coverage of the game- which I attended yesterday.
What is truly remarkable about the coverage is the poorly camouflaged but clear rank dislike of Celtic Football Club. All this talk about turning points in the game , nil contact ( the Motherwell manager actually stated that there was no contact not minimal contact ) and soft penalties is all about people hurting at the achievements of Celtic. It is nothing less than that. Paul is spot on to remind us all that this Celtic Football Club, its supporters and community was despised throughout Scotland for well over a century. Jock Stein tried hard to right the imbalance in attitudes towards Celtic and I would refer readers to the great John Rafferty when writing upon the death of Sir Robert Kelly that Celtic people wore the injustices and discrimination against them as a mark of courage. Well I agree sometimes our default position is exactly that . Many of our forefathers experienced discrimination in the workplace and certainly whilst following Celtic. Scottish society may have moved on ( I am not qualified to comment on this for I have lived many years in London ) but reading those press articles made me livid. There is no real, genuine praise for what Celtic has achieved as a club- in the face of everything thrown at us, not just historical cheating referees- and this all stems from a deep antagonism to all things Celtic and the fact that the natural order has somehow been broken and does not look like being fixed anytime soon.
As someone who grew up watching Celtic in the 1950s and have followed the club through its joyous and difficult years I celebrate every achievement of the club. It is frankly breathtaking that our club with all the inherent disadvantages placed before it should stand so tall, be so good at football , be strong financially and contribute so generously to Scottish football. God bless Celtic Football Club.
Ok someone DID suggest it’
Jock Steins teams faced stiffer opposition in Scotland than Brendan Rodgers teams will face for the foreseeable future
Garcia Lorca,
Was going to post much the same,
but you put it so much better,
there is no doubt in my mind the majority of the media in Scotland
hate the success that Celtic are having now.
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Post of the Month
27th Nov 7.24
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Garcia Lorca,
Superb post, you nailed it pal.
Garcia Lorca
I award you an A *
Mr Barr
The penalty didn’t cost Motherwell the tie…….Celtic being the better team cost M’well the tie.
The better team doesn’t always win of course, but I’m fairly confident that we would have got another goal if required instead of coasting the last quarter of the game.
As to the penalty, Scott Sinclair’s reaction was not something he had time to plan for or think about . He got ahead of Kipre and was impeded. Foul. Penalty.
AOW,
If that is your opinion then who am I to argue. Can an opinion be wrong? , but that is a totally separate debate.:))
I just feel that the term troll is too easily used to stifle debate. Many on here toe the popular view and circle the wagons when a poster has the audacity to post somthing controversial or different.
Withstanding that mouthful, I like mavericks and underdogs.
HH to you.
BSR 7.19pm
Who would win between a “stubborn Cqner” v an “unstubborn Cqner” ?
:-)
GARCIA LORCA on 27TH NOVEMBER 2017 7:24 PM
******
Stunning post, especially the Rafferty reference.
You and I are Celtic contemporaries and, like you, I remember the 50’s-60’s, the Kelly era.
My memory of post Lisbon, was how little afterglow featured in the media.
Before the game, all was rosy and bright, as it should have been
However, this was fuelled by the fact that Glasgow had a team involved in two European finals, therefore they could indulge in their Old Firm stuff.
As their final was ten days after ours, the fire still burned.
When RFC lost their final, it was back to business as usual.
Even though we went out in the first round of the 67-68 season, we were still the reigning champions till the following May.
As a club and a community, the hostility towards us never weakened us, it made us stronger and more committed to the club. We repelled all attacks, all from the outside.
We never publicly criticised the club, no internet in those days.
In the media and elsewhere aftermath of yesterday, the though occurred to me, ” what will be the reaction in the dressing and board rooms of the club to hostility over our success and victory”?
My belief is it will make a strong club even stronger and create a formidable resolve within the playing staff akin to “nobody likes us, where’s yir medals”.
Fact
Celtic didn’t win because of a penalty decision given in their favour.
Fact
The level of outrage increased because the offending player was also sent off, and not just yellow carded.
Fact
Once the referee awarded the penalty kick, and from where Sinclair was at the time of the foul, he had no option to call this as a goal scoring opportunity & sent Kipre off.
Fact
If tugging, jersey pulling & other blind side behaviour is part of your game, then you cannot reallycomplain if you are penalized for it.
Fact
Scott Sinclair will be under closer media & referee scrutiny in future, since the bell has been rung that he might be a simulator inside the penalty box.
Fact
Motherwell TV interviewed Robinson after the game & asked him what he thought of the penalty incident, “particularly as some are saying it was a dive”.
Motherwell’s final was the semi-final win against Rangers.
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 27TH NOVEMBER 2017 7:30 PM
Design of the month!
John51
Interesting that whilst Hills still have McInnes second favourite at 6/5 , Paddy Power has removed the `Next Manager` betting on Sevco. Hmm…
JJ
The real culprit,at yesterday’s game,was The Referee,he is worst of a bad bunch,
I would play Roberts and Hayes on the wings on Wednesday. I realise that may look like removing Sinclair from the firing line but that is not the case. I feel Forrest and Sinclair would more appreciate the bigger ( I think ) Celtic Park playing area whilst Paddy and Jonny would do the business at Fir park.
JJ
Celtic 2 Motherwell 0
Hurting huns and assorted greeting faced gits
Live with it
Smileythingcsc