Remember when Celtic couldn’t keep a clean sheet? Saturday’s 3-0 win against Inverness was our sixth domestic shut out since Craig Gordon returned to the team after Dorus de Vries injured himself attempting to stop that incredible goal Kilmarnock scored on 24 September.
To put that into some kind of perspective, it took the 20 domestic games before that run started to collate six clean sheets, stretching back to Morton’s visit on 6 March. The longest domestic clean sheet run we achieved last season was three games. Say what you like about the goals from Moussa and Scott Sinclair – and we’ve been spectacularly impressive in attack – but this is a runaway championship because of Celtic’s defensive record.
And what a runaway it is. Remember when we were told we needed the competition we’d see this season? Aberdeen started with a poor five games and we discover there’s not competition at all. There is no competition worthy of the name, just scintillating football, and the stands are fuller than they’ve been in years. We’ll take a look at the rest of the league later in the week.
Brendan Rodgers will spend the international break scouting footballers, his team isn’t finished by a long shot. Usual caveats apply, January is a difficult month, etc., no guarantees targets will want to come, or be available, in January or the summer, but a lot of plans are underway right now for next season’s Champions League. There are absolutely no detectable plans for dealing with the domestic challenge.
In case you haven’t noticed, we’re in November, winter is upon us and for many, a time of crisis looms. Watch this message from Brendan and the players – they are speaking to you and me.
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With a four leaf clover on my breast,
And the green and white upon my chest,
It’s such a joy for us to see,
For they play football the Celtic way.
It’s been ten years, long time indeed,
We stood with pride and we took defeat,
Our beloved team, our ancient ground,
Has been rebuilt, a club reborn.
McCann he rode the winds of change,
And the things he brought will long remain,
A phoenix rising, a house of steel,
And 60,000 Celtic dreams.
The work is done and the stage is set,
The Celtic dream can now be met,
In a sea of dreams, we’re here today,
Lets sit and watch the Champions play.
A very likeable wee man CSC
ERNIE LYNCH:
Agreed
VFR800@GIRFUY.CO.UK;
I don’t dispute what he achieved and I don’t begrudge him his profit but never forget he did gamble to profit coin over soul. No benevolence, no sentiment, just dollars.
KITALBA, I wrote my response at 11:21 before I read your piece on Brian Dempsey. But I think that in some way your piece supports what I did say!
KTF
Didnt the supporters have anything to do with ‘saving’ Celtic?
Was it just Fergus?
Who paid for it all?
HH
BMCUW..@ 10 58 .
Mark Walters / Bananas
A disgrace . .Interestingly the Scottish media opted to put it down to the extremes of Old Firm rivalry / hatred rather than calling it out for the Racism that it was . They adopted a different tone when the same thing happened at Tynecastle.. Wonder why ?
I travelled up from London to Glasgow for New Year – me, my then 77 year old Dad and my young brother went to the game …My old man had words with a prat who was hurling racist abuse at Mark Walters.. Scumball was brave with my Dad but wasn’t quite so game with me . . An arsehole .
Fans are upset that the gap is getting bigger.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37904703
VFR800@GIRFUY.CO.UK:
I know, I don’t mean to distract from his business achievements one iota but if you read the book you’ll appreciate how driven and merciless he was.
He was not doing it for the Celtic pulse or soul he did it for the mosey. He said that himself and credit him his honesty but he riled a lot of people who loved Celtic in the process.
I wish him a long and happy life.
The supporters did and still to this day play a big part in and after the McCann take over, but it was McCanns plan, he hide nothing, told the truth, left us with a state of the art stadium, money wise we where in the black, he made one mistake on his GM/CEO choice, I won’t even mention the little Hun b.,.,., name.
THE GREEN MAN SAYS SACK THE BOARD:
The supporters not only saved Celtic (once given the vehicle to do so) they allowed Fergus to depart a rich hero whilst many hard working Celtic Supporters remained to toil and pay off their emotionally inspired financial commitments.
SOUTHOFTUNIS
I agree. Entirely.
As I mentioned in my post,my reaction was to my shame. I doubt I’m alone in that,and I’d like to think it was the last time overt racism happened and I did nothing about it.
Additionally,as I pointed out,I gave my tickets to the company I was in,so wasn’t actually there at the time. I was parked up,radio on,about 200yds away.
Not an excuse. It was way way wrong. I learned from it.
Kitalba
Not keen on the Fergus
Saw an opportunity, took it.
Transformed the ‘business’ ethic of the board.
Voila….DD and PL.
These kind of people have a need to be ‘thanked’…..and the ability to take credit for the work of the unsung heroes….i.e….The Celtic support.
HH
TONYDONNELLY
In that assessment,I totally agree. Made a similar point a few weeks back.
When Voldemort(!) got the bullet,our struggling side went straight out and scored six. Says it all.
Clinton v Trump,
Poor choice offered by the free market .
HH
My God…how could I leave out a certain Mr Lennox from my list ? Doh !
What happened to the toblerone triangle money?
An Tearmann
Beavis and Butthead
HH
They Embarrassed the Hoops. Do you remember the serialisation in NTV ?
Shameful then, just as it is now. Rubbishing players is neither smart or clever.
I’ve never played professionally, but sort of realise that the guys on the park have been tested, tried and really are the top, cream, zenith, whatever term you wish to apply. Respect is due.
When ill informed opinion rubbishes our own players, it leaves me bemused.
Carl Muggleton this morning eh ? Last night it was Kenny Dalglish. There are some really opinionated fans in our support. Listen out for them at our next home game, earmarking tomorrow’s non-heroes, with their so easily led empty cries. Samaras was in the frame (now a legend) as the easily led, jumped on the bandwagon. Scott Brown was finished, just 6 months too.
At times our support can be legendary, so can our ability to ignore the fact the guys wearing those strips are the best we have at the time.
Our “job” is to support them.
McCann hid nothing from the Celtic fans and left them in no doubt that he’d be walking away with a right few quid, no smoke or mirrors, he used us, and we where compliant, and thank god he wasent a charleton like the many we’ve seen hanging around Ibrox and Tyncastle, of that we should all be thankful to him and the present board, IMO.
One of the saddest days i can remember, was when i realized that Spider Man wasnt a real person:(
America would have had a real leader today.
Pity eh.
HH
KITALBA, I’ve just downloaded the McCann Takeover to my iPad. I will read it with interest!
KTF
Interesting vox pop on Italian lunchtime news re the American election. Americans living / working in Milano , Firenze , Bologna and Roma . . Maybe it was an Editorial decision but all stated that they had voted for Clinton while squeezing their nose . Much talk re a truly vile campaign and the fear that a cryptofascist self serving populist rabblerouser might win.
TD67
I suppose it depends on how you define the word ‘Charlatan’.
Been more than a few of them on Celtic boards over the years.
HH
SOUTH OF TUNIS on 8TH NOVEMBER 2016 12:09 PM
Interesting vox pop on Italian lunchtime news re the American election. Americans living / working in Milano , Firenze , Bologna and Roma . . Maybe it was an Editorial decision but all stated that they had voted for Clinton while squeezing their nose . Much talk re a truly vile campaign and the fear that a cryptofascist self serving populist rabblerouser might win.
=============================================
Berlusconi ?
SOUTH OF TUNIS
I’m more concerned with the reason “why” Trump wants it.
Trump will have known he could win from the outset.
Even his intolerable, intolerant rhetoric are designed to appeal to a (presumably calculated %) swathe of the population.
Touch and go now. So was Brexit.
If i was an American, id vote for Big Bird before Clinton or Trump.
Democracy eh….dont you just love it:)
HH
TGM
But not bad enough to put us into Admin. Or Liquidation eh?
It wont be long before the Democrats have JayZee and Beyonce on the ticket.
Beyonce as first Black Woman President…..running against David Duke for the Republicans.
Think thats crazy?
HH
new article posted.
TD67
Thats true.
But id say that Celtic supporters like yourself, saved Celtic.
Fergus, Brian Dempsey….blah blah blah.
The supporters saved Celtic.
HH
BIG-CUP-WINNERS 1159
Aye,I agree. And so did NTV when they stopped it. They even explained it-I think the one on Danny Crainie was the last straw.
But in their defence,they got battered right into Jim Plumrose. For that,they have my gratitude.
Top 5 on the basis that they needed to perform in a way that was head and shoulders above the rest over the course of at least a full season. and being players you expected to do magic on any given day. In descending order of magicality- equal first is Henrik and Jinky, third is Dalglish, fourth Lubo and controversially fifth is Charlie Nicholas for his ability to score over a season.
THE GREEN MAN SAYS,
Do you think that Spiderman has his own WEBsite ?
No Fergus McCann = NO Celtic.
Brutal fact for the revisionists who look upon The Bunnet as some kind of deplorable, beneath their strong ethical bullshit.
The Bank of Scotland were poised to joyfully take Celtic into extinction. There were at least 2 of their board hell-bent on it; as keen as th elittle orange goat-feckers they were to be responsible for Celtic’s demise.
I worked with on of their biggest customers at the time, a man who had affinity for Celtic but no love; but wa swilling to shar ehis knowledge and concern knowing my allegiances.
In his words there ‘looked no way out.’
The Bunnet shattered them – he was the classic enter-left-stage anomaly in the matrix. They had Scotland tied down – there wasn’t a mover or shaker with the combined means or conflicting interests to make a clean attempt to save Celtic.
ONLY something like the McCann factor was going to stave off the inevitable.
And he arrived, and it did.
I can assure you there were a couple of see-you-next-Tuesdays on that BOS board whose anguish was unrelenting as their legacies as Celtic’s executioners failed to cement.
Whatever aspersions you may cast upon Fergus McCann, be very clear there would be no Celtic as we know it and probably no CQN if the wee man had not upped sticks and travelled back 2,000 miles to take the war to Scotland’s bigoted, corrupt and anachronistic institutions.
Yes he was a businessman first and foremost, but he was also a Celtic fan who kne whow to get a dirty corporate job done just right and we should be eternally grateful he did just that because there’s not a supercillious revisionist on here who could have.
MACJAY
” Berlusconi ?”
What do American citizens working in Italy have to do with Berlusconi ?..
” I really hope the Italian people vote for Mr Berlusconi . He is very much one of us ” ..
Margaret Thatcher – BBC One News – 24 3 1994 . Then quoted in The Daily Telegraph , The Daily Mail and The Daily Express .
Any idea who were the ” us ” she was referring to . ? – Free market Hayek disciples or populist spivs peddling snakeoil to the gullible ?
Ronnie Simpson.
One of the best saves I have ever seen was a league Cup semi final in the late 196Os ( I think ?) V Ayr Utd.
Their centre forward was a guy called John ” Dixie” Ingram, who received a cut back about 8 yards out, right in front of the Celtic end @ Hampden that night.
Due to the cut back arriving from Celtic’s left hand side,Ronnie was naturally guarding his near post. Ingram did everything right by shooting first time across Ronnie and a Celtic goal that 70% unprotected. A goal seemed inevitable and we CELTS witnessed all as if in slow motion ? To this very day, I can vividly remember watching as the ball went towards our goal line, when out of nowhere Ronnie somehow got across the goal and literally ” TRAPPED” the ball on the line with his right hand !
He clawed the ball into his body, and hastily put it out for a throw in.
He then went down immediately as his shoulder was in fact badly injured making this magical save, and was subbed. ( I think it was weeks/months earlier when he had injured the same shoulder very badly v Clyde at Shawfield ) ?
We all wondered who would replace Ronnie in goal that night ?…..and then up stepped big Tam Gemmell !
Big Tam spent the remainder of the game in goal waving and blowing kisses to the Celtic support !
Again if memory serves me correctly, this match was a replay as the first semi final had ended 3-3 ? I don’t think big Tam let a goal in that night, and Celtic eventually won thru to the final I just can’t remember the year ?
Ronnie’s save that night was the best I ever saw…..until I sadly witnessed Gorams save v big Pierres header in the 3-3 game at ipox ?
Ronnie Bhoy RIP.
Sandman
Celtic
HH
I know we are all off on another thread and probably nobody willever read this but just had to say the best Celtic player I’ve ever seen – and I was a regular at Parkhead during our nine in a row – was Henrik Larsson – indisputably the King of Kings – IMO. The Lisbon Lions without a doubt the best team as a collective – but as an individual HL gets my vote every time. His dinked chip in the 6 – 2 game…. top of the pops for me.