Johansen and Denayer step up

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Congratulations to Scotland’s Player of the Year, Stefan Johansen, and Young Player of the Year, Jason Denayer.  It’s fair to say Stefan had an underwhelming first eight months in Scotland, but the turnaround since October has been stark.

It was during our home defeat to Hamilton Accies that month that I noticed a change in his game.  He took on more responsibility and pressed incessantly for the equaliser.  The next game, away to Ross County, was a Johansen virtuoso performance and he’s never looked back.

There was a similar ‘So what?’ reaction to Jason’s early season performances.  Performances were far more like Efe Ambrose than Virgil van Dijk, but he grew increasingly assured as the season progressed.  His international debut two months ago was merited.

Manchester City want him back for next season, where he’ll be second reserve for central defence.  On the upside, he’ll get six games, some of which will be in the cups against lower league opponents.  If City and the player want to map a route to the first team, this is a step in the process, but it’s not without its risks to the player.

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668 Comments

  1. GlassTwoThirdsFull on

    Gordon_J backing Neil Lennon

     

     

     

    16:24 on 4 May, 2015

     

     

     

    Will we be competing with The Rangers next season?

     

     

    Well, if they get promoted we will be – in the same sense as we have been competing with Motherwell or St Mirren this season.

     

    ————

     

    Yep. Just waiting for someone to ask Mourinho if he wants Ipswich back in the EPL so they have some competition next season!

  2. mickbhoy1888 on

    The green man

     

     

    I am nothing more than a customer of Celtic I pay to go and watch them. Unlike in the past there are lot more important things in this world now. I understand that supporting a football club may be the only avenue open to some for social inclusion and you post accordingly.

     

    I don’t think Martin Hannan or me for that matter will lose any sleep over the opinions of a minority group of anonymous posters who we have no wish to socially interact with outside cyberdom

  3. South Of Tunis on

    DBBIA @ 16 .28.

     

     

    I will follow in your slipstream..

     

     

    Asked Mrs S of T for her opinion.-

     

     

    ” all those fat ***** who absolutely shouldnt wear such things will look even more like a condom stuffed with walnuts now.”

  4. 16 roads - Celtic über alles... on

    gearoid1998

     

     

    16:10 on 4 May, 2015

     

     

    ———————————

     

     

    Hail Hail G1998.

     

     

    KTF.

  5. mickbhoy1888 on

    Jude2005

     

     

    A quick search on the Internet would have told you the West Dunbartonshire SNP candidate is Martin Docherty ( unsure if he follows a football team or not)

     

     

    Or don’t you have the Internet

  6. sixtaeseven - Gardez la Foi on

    The Huns are Deid.

     

     

    A cold fact.

     

     

    Sugarman CSC

  7. The Green Man on

    mickybhoy1888

     

     

    Away ye go and greet into your sash.

     

    Handshakes all round for the bigot pound.

  8. Dontbrattbakkinanger on

    I wish to God the gift to gie us

     

     

    To see oorselves as Mrs South of Tunis sees us.

  9. 16 roads - Celtic über alles... on

    I think that the new Celtic tap looks class.

     

     

    HH.

  10. Citibhoy Shoulder to Shoulder with Neil Lennon on

    Mickybhoy1888

     

     

    for a mere “customer” your moniker shows a touch of a more emotional attachment to Celtic I would suggest.

     

     

    Unless of course you are not an anonymous poster…. and actually that is your given names and DOB…. in which case I commend you on your unarguable longevity.

  11. Dontbrattbakkinanger 16.28

     

     

    Sorry beat u to it a couple of pages ago !!

     

    Lose the wee pinstripe and narrower hoops pleeeze….huge improvement on our existing hoops though

  12. Dontbrattbakkinanger on

    Roddybhoy- I’m gutted I wasn’t third.

     

     

    Third is simply the bestest.

  13. Greeninbingley on

    Absolutely bewildered by Martin Hannan’s article. Knew him a little about 15 years ago when he was at Scotsman Publications in Edinburgh.

     

     

    I would have bet the farm against him being associated with garbage like that.

     

     

    Reads to me like he was handed a very specific brief by his editor and hacked it out in 10 minutes flat, hating every minute.

     

     

    Factually inaccurate, biased, sloppy, ill-thought-out, agenda-driven horsesh*t.

     

     

    Just say no, Martin. Just say no.

     

     

    Re the new kit:

     

     

    Numbers on the shorts. All I’m saying. I want numbers on the bliddy shorts.

  14. What is the Stars on

    Why do so many people on here get agitated about stupid newspaper articles ( that appear in rags that nobody on here reads)about football teams that ceased to exist

  15. Tontine Tim on

    there’s no such thing as a bad Celtic strip, just that some are better than others.

  16. the battered bunnet

     

     

    11:03 on 4 May, 2015

     

    One from Jungle Jim’s scholastic satchel.

     

     

    Read this carefully, then ask: What’s the purpose of the Writer? What message is he conveying?

     

    ——-

     

     

    Martin Hannan: Give King a chance to help end Celtic’s rule

     

     

    May 4th, 2015

     

     

    —————————

     

     

    Since the Valentine’s Day celebrations 2012, there have been a number of similar articles from these obscure Masonic hacks. Ahem, “a clarion call for the rounding up of the goat herd” would seem to be the underlying theme.

     

     

    Amusingly it has fallen on deaf ears financially and commercially, however, other outdated organizations seem to be falling in line, the pattern becoming increasingly evident as the season progresses…

  17. Lennon n Mc....Mjallby on

    No bank

     

     

    No ebt’s

     

     

    No crazy lending facility

     

     

    Minimal revenue streams

     

     

    Dubious directors

     

     

    Horrific support

     

     

     

    Challenge Celtic?

     

     

    Aye Right!

  18. jude2005 is Neil Lennon \o/ on

    mick1888

     

     

    Ta. She is standing agin one of the top Labour guys. Douglas Alexander. She has been quoted as saying she hates Celtic in her younger days

  19. Delaneys Dunky on

    Jude

     

     

    Martin Docherty is SNP candidate for West Dunbartonshire. Gemma Doyle for Labour.

  20. 16 roads – celtic über alles…

     

     

    15:35 on 4 May, 2015

     

     

    normanstreet49

     

     

    15:23 on 4 May, 2015

     

    16 roads.

     

    Don’t post links to clap trap like that…

     

    You are perpetuating the myth.

     

    Refer to it by all means.

     

    But don’t post the link.

     

    HH.

     

     

    ——————————–

     

     

    No worries mate, sorry about that. I was just trying to highlight the delusion and the hurt that they are clearly suffering from.

     

     

    Some of the comments are excellent though.

     

     

    It won’t happen again anyway.

     

     

    HH.

     

    ₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩

     

    Post the link all ye want my friend, I read it, I don’t buy papers so these wee links are useful, isn’t that what the blog is about..?

     

     

    Ayrshire is Green and White

  21. Jungle Jim Hot Smoked on

    “Raymac

     

    14:43 on

     

    4 May, 2015

     

    Greenpinata—I meant it to be derogatory. You have your name or you have nothing– “Who steals my purse steals dross” The Merchant of Venice. Look up the rest of the quote.”

     

     

     

    I do not remember that from the MoV. There is a similar quote, though, by Iago in Othello. `trash` instead of `dross`.

     

     

    JJ

  22. hun skelper on

    The only way to make the league ‘ fair ‘ is to make us start minus our previous league points and every other team to keep their’s.

     

     

    So if we get 90 points this season we start on -90 next season and aberdeen and the rest keep what ever they get this season, that should keep the huns and the media happy and stop our March to 10+ in a row.

     

     

    I would still back us right enough HH

  23. Stairheedrammy on

    Mo Johnston, Hun

     

    Nacho Novo, Hun

     

    Neil McCann, Hun

     

    George Albertz, Hun

     

    Lorenzo Ameruso, Hunnish.

     

    Now what religion were they again?

  24. Stan and Stefan - Sitting doon for Scott Broon on

    I think I was first!

     

     

    ———————————-

     

     

     

    stan and stefan – sitting doon for scott broon

     

     

    11:37 on 4 May, 2015

     

    Just saw picture of the new New Balance top for next season. No really “hoops”. No likey.

     

     

    ———————————–

     

     

    Although S&S junior told me that I always dislike the new strip then end up loving it.

  25. mickbhoy1888

     

     

    16:35 on 4 May, 2015

     

     

    Your logic doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.

     

     

    With social media in full swing and such meeting places such as Paul’s creation, rags such as the Scotsman, traditionally accustomed to holding sway over public opinion are experiencing an epiphany that they are an increasing irrelevance.

     

     

    They should be concerned by the bampots, and I expect there is more than one circulations manager having sleepless nights over his latest reports.

  26. Dontbrattbakkinanger on

    ‘und neuen Geldproblemen hangengebieben’-

     

     

    -even the Hessians have seen through the Huns.

  27. Lennon n Mc....Mjallby on

    Talking of new strips,when does Iceberg Slim release a new rig out for his latest beeatch?