This time last year there was far too much talk about trebles on these pages. Celtic were flying in all three competitions, having established a lead in the league, and were heading for a League Cup semi-final against Falkirk. Falkirk were beaten but it took a late Anthony Stokes goal to make the game safe for Celtic. The script was written; a final against Kilmarnock, who always bottled it against Celtic in Glasgow, and a successful run in the Scottish Cup was all that stood between us and the fourth treble in our history.
I’ve lost count of how many such trebles we’ve look forward to. Football has a way of promising lots but it takes an exceptionally good and consistent team to win both cup competitions, as well as the league. More often than not, great and dominant teams don’t win the treble.
Celtic are a great and exciting team but they have not been nearly consistent enough to win the treble this season. We have lost two from eight home games and two from seven away. Good enough to win the league but not to win two cups.
I watched a bit of St Mirren at home to Ross County before heading to Celtic Park last weekend. They were far from impressive but no less so than when we beat them by seven goals in the SPL four years ago. The following week the same team knocked us out of the Scottish Cup.
Sunday is one of the biggest games currently on the roster. Raise your game, Celtic.
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Ole
Breaks
come on andy!
Produce the level of performance, particularly going forward, as we have in last 2 games and we will win comfortably.
Up for the Cup Celts!!
Good article there Paul.
I agree “raise your game” Celtic on Sunday.
Paul67
I agree – Trebles are very difficult for the best teams
buddies will give us a game and we have to be sharp to make final
HH
break point federer
Paul 67 did you hear anything about us being in for the Israeli striker Eliran Atar??
Saw it posted on Facebook earlier..
SP
Cameron’s proposed EU referendum – and why he and Alex Salmond are more alike than you might think.
Of Referendums – Or Referenda – And Politicians
Regarding Slovak and Czech postions on Scotland’s place in the EU:
Mr Lajcak, whose country was formed 20 years ago after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, said the possibility of Scotland becoming independent was “not for us to judge”.
But he told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme the debate about the country’s future was “something we are following quite closely” in Slovakia. “We are interested,” he said. “We know that our case is one of interest.”
When asked if a new country would continue as a member of the EU, Mr Lajcak said: “As far as I know there is a discussion about exactly this issue going on in Brussels. There is no clear answer to this.
“There should be an evaluation of the readiness… but in the end it’s a political decision made by all the member states.”
Mr Lajcak said that when Slovakia came into existence in 1993, “many people were sceptical about the chances for us to exist, let alone prosper”.
But he added: “Right now everybody understands and acknowledges we have been a success story.
So the general feeling is there was skepticism at the beginning, people were not convinced that a split of Czechoslovakia was the best idea, but right now we are doing well, Czech Republic is doing well, and our friendship is better than ever.”
Mr Lajcak was clearly supportive of a new member being possible but he doesn’t know if it is cut and dried and quite frankly none of them appear to have a clear answer. He says it is a question for member states but that appears to be something people dispute or are not sure of.
The BBC DID travel to Prague as well to interview TWO Czech politicians and Mr Lajcak from Slovakia in Bratislava – you can see the brief interviews here – http://youtu.be/K3FtQ0SlDW0
Mr Lajcak is supportive of separation from the Slovak point of view which is why he “sides” to some degree with Scotland’s right to autonomy. As a small country I would expect nothing other from a Slovak. Slovaks have been looked upon as the “little brothers” of the former alliance hence the reason why the support separation not only of Scotland but of other nations in my opinion. I could be wrong there but just from the people I talk to they support Scotland going solo but they find Scots to be ridiculous because they desperately cling to union – Slovaks who have been and seen Scotland ask me with sheer disbelief “How are you not independent?” and I say how long have you got?
Too many reasons to explain I’m afraid.
Karel Schwarzenberg (standing for Czech President shortly) said on the BBC – the international weight of both republics is less than Czechoslovakia was – a Czech view but not one held by many Slovaks. If I may say so this is a typical Unionist view over here but one that is not embraced by Slovaks who with no major resources (people were amazed when I told them the Whisky industry alone is worth 1 Billion quid to the Scottish economy a year) will not countenance a reunion because they want to govern their own affairs for good or ill and are not interested in being “little brothers” any longer.
Therein lies the difference between Scots and Slovaks. Scots appear to be happy to be the “little brothers” but in fact it is worse because like their attitude to our football, in the UK we really don’t count until they can take money and resources from us.
The second interview suggests that unforeseen problems will come from a split (as they did with Czechoslovakia) – which is fair. Go step by step and see what happens. A fair assessment because there will always been unforeseen problems in something this big.
The BBC did indeed interview these people but I’m not sure it was as blatantly pro-Union as Mountainbhoy suggested but what is clear is that the Tories have become the biggest bunch of hypocrites over a referendum issue.
They pushed and pushed the SNP to have that referendum NOW NOW NOW. Why wait? They said. And yet Cameron has done the same thing (if not a worse thing because he required re-election to get his referendum on the EU). A 5 year plan no less. Labour as usual do not have a clue what to do and the Liberals as we know will blow with the wind.
The only future for Scotland IS Independence and freedom to run our own affairs otherwise we’ll be bled dry and then given it with nothing left.
I’m truly sorry so many people don’t see it that way.
Really tough game on Murray’s serve. Stonking stuff. Bit of Umpire controversy.
Murray holds.
4-4 in the 4th
Superb
Andy back to 4-4 in the 4th set
Fed to serve
God forbid we don’t get into the E.U….uncle Eddie will be spinning in his grave.
0-30 on Fed’s serve…
I have a puncture!
Big miss by Fed at 40-30..
Deuce
Paul
I think the players are motivated by the juve game… Competition for places
Lot of truth there, Paul67. One wee, very important, omission. How often have we been cheated by the MIBs out of those trebles? They certainly contributed last season, for a start.
Fed holds.
5-4
Get in there Andy.
Roger, the established Swiss fecker, who plays up to the Masonic crowd.
Ram it home to that c*nt Fed.
Murray holds easily
5-5
Comment from Paul McConnvilles site……
STOP PRESS – THE RANGERS SET A NEW WORLD RECORD
The Rangers has set a new world record. The only club in the world in Govan to trade at a loss despite having: “world-breaking attendances”; the “best fans in the world”; a club that “if [they] were in the Premier League only Manchester United would be bigger”; a “five million global fan-base”;a potential “TV audience of over 530m”; no debt; and an intergalactic film star as their PR supremo.
Re the game on Sunday, same attitude as the last 2 games gives is a St Paddys day Cup Final….
Oh dear, the Masons are controlling Roger…
Maybe I should move back home…
0-30 on the Federer serve again…
3 break points….
3 break point for murray to make it 6-5
….”C’mon Andeeee Murreeeeee!!!!”
Andy breaks fed
Andy to serve for the match
Really assertive stuff from Murray.
Serving for the match at 6-5 in the 4th.
bankiebhoy1
12:01 on 25 January, 2013
….”C’mon Andeeee Murreeeeee!!!!”
I concur……………………..
Murray serving for the match.
….btw puting an asterix in a word doesn’t hide it too well
* nup, no convinced either *
;)
15-0
GETIN Andrew……
15-15
30-15
30-30
Federer swinging everything at the ball