After a season where our main central defender went on strike in August, our manager set about working his ticket, our main striker went off message with the manager, before the manager decided it was better to shuffle him off the premises on deadline day, and then the manager walked out on us, we appear to have won the league by the same nine point margin as last season.
We have seen some disruptive seasons in our time (although not recently), but this has to be up there with the 1993-94 season, when we sailed perilously close to administration. This is what modern Celtic looks like when it is vulnerable. Not quite imperious, but still a game away from the treble.
Everything else is just background noise. We are eight-in-a-row champions, double treble winners and that could soon be treble treble winners. Next season will be nowhere near as disruptive. We will have a manager who wants to be here and players bursting a gut to do it on the park.
There is a stable and clear vision for the club, experience at delivering sustainable success that seems to be more imperious each passing year and money in the bank to take us there. If you are taken in by the change in who came second, more fool you.
It was a treat to watch Karamoko Dembele for 45 minutes yesterday. He is small, how would he cope against grown men? Quite well, as it turned out. He has fantastic ability to change direction and great pace over 5 yards, talents that allows him to get away from opponents.
If he is as good as some hope, our place in the food chain will become evident soon enough, but we will enjoy watching him when he pulls on the hoops.
I got a text on Saturday evening, “7-1 in jeopardy”. The FA Cup Final was on; this could only mean Man City were threatening to breach the British cup final record win. 62 years and counting.
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I was hoping clarke would stay in the league but wish him all the best – he’s brought shape and tactics to killie
i see you have included JH , so make it 19
GLENDALYS
Saving his legs for the Cup Final.
BSR
Who needs legs when you can score with diving headers?
Ruggygman
Yes Saturday night
Andre Villas Boas – new favourite.
Which just goes to show that nobody has a feckin clue ?
I’m sure red red red will lead the Billy McNeil debate
Not often you get to the airport and find beer is cheaper than where you stayed
New BBC Channel, 8.00pm tonight. Irish emigration to Dundee story. HUGE Celtic family. The Generation Frame.
Sky Bet have Neil Lennon at 6/1 now to be Celtic manager after first league game of next season.
Which seems incredibly generous odds.
Might have a bet on this even though I don’t bet on anything.
Even if Celtic have a bigger name or two lined up these deals could easily break down.
I also after much soul searching WANT Lennon to be given the chance.
I could not care less for the likes of Rafa Benitez.Means NOTHING to me.
Would probably not mind some mid-high European manager with no real English Premier league connections.
But other than that I think I would like Lenny.
Hail, hail bhoys!
Any news on who will be the Hun with a whistle/Mason in the black/ cheat/arse (delete as appropriate) or all of the above for the Final on Saturday?
Big Wavy
As usual, the players you want to keep are the only players who other clubs are interested in
I would have no problem with the 18/20 out however, we will have more problems with the players we want to keep. Tierney, McGregor, Ajer, Forrest, N’tcham and a few others will likely attract interest. We will need to fight the bids off.
I believe our first pre season game is 26th June. 32 days after the Cup Final
MCPHAIL BHOY on 20TH MAY 2019 6:58 PM
Hail, hail bhoys! Any news on who will be the Hun with a whistle/Mason in the black/ cheat/arse (delete as appropriate) or all of the above for the Final on Saturday?
*eyes on the back of his heid collum
Can’t believe Clarke got the gig. Saw him play for many years at Love Street and have watched his trajectory as a coach and now manager. Serious, mean looking and driven. Lenny ticks those boxes for me as well. The Celtic board may have other ideas for the kind of person they want.
What a weird season.
Internecine strife, our two main strikers either transferred or unavailable, the Dedryck carry-on, the manager playing politics, the chief executive playing politics, the team unfocused, manager does a moonlight flit with the backroom staff, the worst injury list that I can remember in 50 years, Lenny comes in to get us over the line. And does so. A minor miracle under the circumstances IMO.
Dear God. Next season, can we take a break from doing things the Celtic way, by which I mean making things needlessly difficult for ourselves, hire a director of football (to ensure continuity in the event of our next coach knacking off to China or Leicester, for example), redefine Peter Lawwell’s role, and spend a lot of money hiring a top coach?
And, finally, can we do what Brendan Rodgers always said he was going to do, but didn’t – namely, slim down the bloated and hugely expensive squad we have at the minute, thereby freeing up millions to finance the above?
(I know it is probably not that simple, but I’m still a bit drunk after the game yesterday)
RIMTIMTIM on 20TH MAY 2019 7:12 PM
Can’t believe Clarke got the gig. Saw him play for many years at Love Street and have watched his trajectory as a coach and now manager. Serious, mean looking and driven. Lenny ticks those boxes for me as well. The Celtic board may have other ideas for the kind of person they want.
*disnae have a very good managerial record though, both clodagh and DM have better.
Absolutely delighted that the manager’s job for my 2nd favourite team has now been settled and I’m optimistic that Scotland’s performances will improve. Probably too late to expect to get anything from the away trip to Belgium in June but, then again, he certainly knows how to set out a team when playing so called bigger opponents.
Hopefully by this time next week we will know who Celtic’s manager is to be and regardless of who that is he will, not surprisingly, get my 100% backing. After ole Snake Eyes did his midnight flit I vowed never to become emotionally attached to an individual manager ever again. Just appoint someone who brings us success, coupled with an attractive playing style. Simples really.
Paul67 is just a scribe for Peter Lawwell.
Anybody who is positive is just a Board Plant trying to sell us season tickets.
Only those of you who agree with me, are exercising independent judgement and in possession of the facts.
FACT
Evening ladies and gentlemen longtime lurker first time poster in preparation for the debate that will surely follow the managerial appointment that is surely not far away remember I come in peace ?
GREENINBINGLEYINOSLO on 20TH MAY 2019 7:17 PM
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You are probably correct.
We were lucky to have such a big squad this season though, due to the sheer volume of injuries.
That was incredible misfortune, hopefully never to be repeated.
HH. ?
Knightswoodbhoy- are you a hun?
Tontine Tim
Thanks for that, I think! He’s also an arse!
Hi Bhoys
I’m going to be in Prague all weekend looking for any tips but in particular a Celtic bar for the cup final.
Thanks in advance.
KEEP THE FAITH
Bada no I certainly am not have been a season ticket holder since before wee Fergus!
Knightswoodbhoy- it’s a rights of passage on here,to new posters,welcome HH
Tonyrome
Well for some
Do you ever spend a weekend in Scotland
Globetrotters CSC
What is the Stars on 20th May 2019 7:55 pm
Tonyrome
Well for some
Do you ever spend a weekend in Scotland
———————————————————————————
Not through choice ?
KEEP THE FAITH
Globetrotters CSC
ZIGGYDOC1 on 20TH MAY 2019 5:28 PM
BIG JIMMY on 20TH MAY 2019 4:42 PM
Sorry, if its been mentioned since yesterday but…I was quite peeved off with Scott Sinclair yesterday when we were awarded the Direct free kick 20 yards out, and Young Karamoko looked to be “all over it”, only for what looked like Sinclair “Pulling Rank” etc ?
______________
I thought the wee man took the free kick. Unless I’m mistaken, or there was a second.
………………..
One Direct Free Kick….Dembele REALLY Fancied it….Sinclair scuffed it along the ground, hit another Celtic player….Result…..Goal Kick !
It was 20 yards out and in the middle of the pitch. Young Dembele wasnt going to tell Sinclair to Feck Off…although I wish he had.
HH
I would like to know if, at any point in the season, was Paul67 worried we would not win the league
He always seemed so confident even when things were not going very well
I’m not saying i was sh*ting myself but the thought crossed my mind a few times that it was possible
The market on the new manager is not irrelevant to the bookies. They love it.
Big party going on in Manchester tonight, anyone have a clue? Fireworks going off and Wonderwall being blasted out across the city centre. Have Oasis reformed?
Told lot of dough on Moyes today after sports writers dinner last night
Hope nobody unplugs the big telly in Manchester…
In the summer of 1970 we embarked on a disastrous tour of NA. We had just been cheated in the SC Final, thereby denying us another treble, in a game that Jock had been fined for verbally attacking r ight h un davidson at the final whistle, a fine that rival boss Eddie Turnbull admitted if it had been him it would have been doubled.
Ironically 4 days later at the same venue we beat the pride of England and hauf of Scotland as well tae advance tae the Big Cup Final in Milan. Jock has made more than his fair share of errors while managing us but surely underestimating a very good dikeplugger side was his biggest blunder.
So another 4 days later off across the big pond a dejected and demoralised Celtic party minus the Bear, Jinky and Brogie left behind due tae injury, the latter having a chipped bone in his ankle.
The following day we lost 0-2 tae a manure side who played on the counter attack thereby disappointing the crowd who were looking for a fitba display from 2 of the finest teams in Europe at the time.
For many years I had tae listen tae a bluenose acquaintance of Mrs TT telling me that George Best had destroyed our club that night, then again he hudnae much tae cheer about at the time.
Midway through the return match back with Bari in TO Jock decided he was going hame allegedly to attend to some business and have his troublesome ankle examined. Unknown tae us he had been tapped by manure while in TO, while his wife Jean later stated his heart wasn’t in it anymore.
Things went fae bad tae worse as both big Tam and wee ten thirty were sent back home for alleged disciplinary reasons in the Kearney Club prior to a game against “Boston Irish Select” in New England by oul Sean who was now in charge, Davie Cattenach flew out tae meet up with the disjointed squad. One consolation though was a hat trick scored by quality street babe Vic Davidson in a 7-1 victory over the Boston Irish.
With both big Tam and Jinky on the transfer list we lost our next game tae our old friends Eintracht Frankfurt and then moved on tae Bermuda where we completed the tour with a 7-1 wins against a Bermuda XI and 4-1 over Somerset Cricket Club, I kid you not, and so a very tired side arrived back in Glasgow with one piece of good news, the wee mhan didnae want tae leave after all.
As we headed intae the new campaign none of us had any inclination that the Latter Day Christ was planning on leaving, we were too intent on embarking on a journey that could see us equal Wullie Maley’s legendary 6-in-a-row record.
There did not seem to be any concerns as we started winning and winning well including a 3-1 Glasgow Cup victory over deidco where we fielded practically a reserve side against an almost full strength hun side with only the goalie watson, who had trials with us before joining them, being their only reserve, dodged a bullet there.
We followed that up 5 weeks later with a comprehensive 2-0 win, including a missed penalty, over deidco where young Glasgow derby debutante Daniel Fergus played the Fife ned out of the game, next day’s front page showed a jubilant Jock hugging him at the final whistle, nae signs of wanting away then, but it was still there percolating in the background.
We were also scoring for fun in Europe, with the only blip on the horizon being a 0-1 loss tae the huns in the LC; this was Jock’s first loss in 5 League Cups.
We were overwhelming favourites due tae thumping them several weeks before as well as their own fans booing them off the pitch at hades the previous Saturday in a 0-2 loss tae the sheep, also captain courageous was out with an injury.
Did we once again get complacent in our 3rd major final loss in a row, we definitely didnae play well with Wispy missing a sitter, although we were seriously missing big Tam, Brogie, wee ten thirty, the Bear and Tid.
A cross that bounced off the back of the heid of BFDJ was enough tae give them the cup that until that day was being downplayed as a mickey mouse trophy, we had won it 5 seasons in a row, and yet the Monday morning headlines were a picture of it in the deidco trophy room lol.
Still we picked ourselves up and carried on winning until just before Christmas when we lost 0-1 at hame tae the sheep, this now made them favourites for the title.
However, unknown tae us, the fans, negotiations with Jock and manure were still continuing and by February it looked as if he would leave. The sticking point though was Jock wanted tae bring Sean and Neilly with him, Sir Matt, back in charge after the Wilf McGuiness fiasco, preferred to be surrounded with OT staff.
Things were coming tae a head in our boardroom and it was felt that if he didnae want tae be there then there was the door, as much as Jock was good for us we had been good for him going back tae when we rescued him fae Llanelli.
Eventually big Billy went tae see him and he admitted it looked like OT for him and so on April 14 in a motorway service station terms were agreed with Sir Matt and he would come at the end of the season.
2 days later, on the eve of a huge game up at the pen, Jock called the legendary former miner and told him he had changed his mind. What prompted that?, was it Jean who didnae want tae move away having already followed him tae Wales 20 or so year ago or was it his loyalty tae Sean and the rest of the Parkheid backroom staff, who it now seems widnae have followed him anyway.
And so on the day of the title decider we got the result we needed when an amazing goal line clearance by the big mhan, who went tae see him, saved us a point and virtually ended the sheep’s title hopes.
Not only that just over 3 weeks later, on a sunny Wednesday spring evening, a masterful display by the wee mhan saw us win another double.
I firmly believe that even if he had taken the manure position he would still have led us tae this double. As it was, less than a month later Frank O’Farrell, who earlier the summer before intimated he would like to buy big Tam for the Foxes, was appointed instead.
So there you have it, a manager whose wife admitted his heart was no longer in it yet still carries on even though he lost his first LC final with us, carried out bodies during the ibrox disaster, saw us eliminated in Europe by the eventual winners but not before beating them in the 2nd leg, still does his job and eventually equals a 61 year old record.
A mhan who is recorded at a supporter’s night in 1955 as saying “Unlike many other Celts, I cannot claim that Celtic was my first love but I can say that it will be my last love”
As opposed to a charlatan who claimed we were in his blood yet left us midstream on our way tae another record.
After the hysteria that greeted Steven Gerrard’s honorary consolation trophy after his Rangers win last week it was great to get back to the real thing yesterday with the Hoops getting their eight League title on the trot. Fair play to the young players on both sides who played some nice football especially the Celtic youngsters who threatened to clock up a big score had it not been for some great saves by Hearts ‘keeper.
Let’s hope we get the managerial position sorted and we do not have a repeat of the chaos in the buildup to last season’s Champions Lge qualifiers. Rafa to Celtic? can you just imagine the money he would demand to sign players, forget it. Lenny has done brilliantly in the demanding situation he inherited and he knows the Scottish game.
We have a big rugby game coming up this weekend at Celtic Park when Leinster take on Glasgow Warriors in the Pro 14 final. Interesting to hear some of the young Leinster players describing Celtic Park as a special place and looking forward the encounter. Young James Ryan a world class player on occasions sports a Celtic jersey with Tierney’s name on his back while Luke McGrath favours Scott Brown on his. Good to see that not all young guys are seduced by the Sky and the EPL.
I do like that Citeh song ..” you signed Phil Jones, we signed Kun Aguero “. Good chanting.
JMCCORMICK on 20TH MAY 2019 8:26 PM
I do like that Citeh song ..” you signed Phil Jones, we signed Kun Aguero “. Good chanting
*they could also sing you signed Liam Miller (RIP) we signed big Vincent.
Knightswoodbhoy – welcome! Always (well, actually, usually) good when the number of posters increase.