I watched Olly Lee’s body language as he hobbled off Celtic Park on Sunday, it was clear he was distressed at something more than just missing part of a meaningless game. For him, the Scottish Cup Final was in jeopardy, which Hearts have now confirmed he will miss.
Football managers like an excuse for failure as much as anyone and Hearts are lining them up ahead of the Scottish Cup Final. Cup finals come round rarely for players like Lee, so I was empathetic to his distress as he left the field, but Craig Levein was straight in with the “hugely disappointing news for us……….. and especially for Olly.”
There are a raft of Hearts players with no chance of playing on Saturday, look out for Levein drip feeding the news between now and then, to ensure everyone knows how hard their job is.
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Big Jimmy
It’s the way you tell ’em….
Cracker…
This is from the Irish Times about Leo Cullen’s remarks about the rugby.
Jim Craig who is the answer to the quiz question – ‘Which Lisbon Lion had a son that went to play for Scotland ?’
His son, James, played rugby a few times for the national side 20 years or so ago.
I remember Bill McLaren saying ‘Son of Jim Criag – one of the wonderful Lisbon Lions’.
Anyway –
‘The Glasgow coach Dave Rennie has made light of Leo Cullen’s tongue-in-cheek suggestion that as the Glasgow players “all support Rangers I’ve been told”, that Celtic fans should turn out to support Leinster in this Saturday’s Pro14 final at Celtic Park.
Asked if he was “saddened” by this remark, Rennie said: “He’s a good man, Leo, I like him. As you know, I don’t read a lot of press, so Jack [Reid] filled me in on what had been talked about,” said Rennie in reference to the Warriors press officer.
“But ultimately our thinking is that we’ve got lots of players who support different football sides, based on where they originate from.
“We have a heap of football fans who come and watch us play because they enjoy the entertainment, and that’s what we’re looking for. Obviously we represent Glasgow, and we hope that regardless of what sport you’re involved in you’ll want to be there for what should be a fantastic occasion.”
In any event, Celtic fans are liable to be more concerned with their side’s Scottish FA Cup final against Hearts next Saturday at Hampden Park (kickoff 3pm) and their bid for an historic “treble treble” on the same day.
One man will be supporting both Celtic and Glasgow in Saturday’s two finals in the city will be Jim Craig, a Lisbon Lion whose son, James, played for Glasgow on the wing and won four caps for Scotland around the turn of the millennium. Alas, Craig is one of those who took umbrage over Cullen’s remarks.
“It’s nonsense, like a lot of things like that. But you’ve got to put up with it. If I ever meet Mr Cullen I’ll have a private word with him. He got publicity over his words, and maybe that’s what he was wanting,” said Craig, which, of course, is the last thing Cullen would ever seek.
“It’s very curious. In my own background on one side I’m an obvious Scot, the Craigs, but on the other side I have Irish background – but it’s from Ulster and Connacht, not from Leinster. I don’t think my antecedents would necessarily be supporting Leinster anyway. They would have been supporting Ulster last weekend, but that wasn’t a very good day for them,” said Craig, who nonetheless said he was pleased to see the final in Glasgow.
Asked if he hoped the whole of Glasgow can support this final, Craig said; “We’re hidebound by tradition, aren’t we? When I was a kid, unfortunately there was a religious bias against people of my religion playing for Rangers. Thank God, thanks to the unlikely source of Graeme Souness, that all changed, and now Rangers will sign anybody, and it doesn’t make the slightest difference where they come from.
“In my own case, my four sons and my daughter were all Catholics, but they all married non-Catholics. So what’s the difference? I’m from a non-Catholic background, my father was a convert, and it didn’t make the slightest difference. All my cousins are great, I love them very much and it has never made the slightest difference to me. If people could just treat it like that the world would be a better place.” ‘
Regarding JC’s comments — I fear a period of reflective silence would be in order.
!!Bada Bing!! on 21st May 2019 1:51PM
Heard the suits wanted to arrange a Sunday parade on the occasion of a Saturday win. JK in the frame for shooting that idea down with, the players will be flying out on holiday on Sunday.
C’mon the Leinsters!
Sunday frontstandite to……………. Martin Compston
” Who’s H………….Who’s H……………..”
Martin Compston’s replies
Henrik Larsson
Anecdotes CSC
I readly admit I don’t really know all the rules for Rugby.
But I have been to a few Glasgow Warriors Friday night games at Scotstoun. They are great nights with a few civilised drinks before during and after the game.
However selling well over 30k tickets already for CP is a real eye opener.
HH.
Not wanting to cause too much trouble but surely Leinster / Dublin are the Irish equivalent of Auld Reekie / Tartan establishment — court town full of middle class civil service oxygen thieves with ideas above their station and global links to everywhere but home?
And then there is the Norman / Viking / West Brit angle — a pale full of EPL glory hunters, accountants / management consultants, wannabee Bob Geldofs working on US tax dodges to take bread out of the mouths of poor blue collar children.
In other words it will be Glasgow vs the Ya Ya’s on Saturday.
Greenpinata
Having looked at a seating plan, it looks like over 50,000 have been sold. A sell out looks likely. Has truly opened my eyes as well.
Cheerio for now,
JJ
PS
It might come as a surprise to aome on here but there are many people, myself included, who like football AND rugby. Celtic is my first choice by a mile but I prefer rugby to most football games not involving Celtic.
HS.
Wow.
The Battered Bunnit
You make a strong case for Davie Moyes there. One that I can certainly get onside with.
He’s still not my preferred choice. But it is clear, he is a well established and well respected manager.
The true black mark on his record is Sunderland. But that was more a club issue than him as manager. Sunderland are in the 3rd tier of English football for a reason. As Moyes passed through they were spiralling downwards at a rate of knots.
HOT SMOKED on 21ST MAY 2019 3:00 PM
Greenpinata
Having looked at a seating plan, it looks like over 50,000 have been sold. A sell out looks likely. Has truly opened my eyes as well.
………………..
Will both sets of Fans be Corralled to and from the game ?
Will the Fans be videoed throughout the match by the Cops ?
Just asking like.
HH
The Morelos Goalposts
Reports in Italy, stating Rafa has reached agreement with Newcastle to stay on.
That’s one of the pie in the sky options, closed shut.
With regards to the Pro 14 final, in my opinion, is all down to the club wishing the stadium to be considered among the elite in Europe. The recent expenditure in up grading the sound system and the “Disco” lights when added to the cost of Celtic Way and all the exterior Improvements.
I reckon that PL as a executive member of the ECA is aware that the likely criteria for any new European League and that a 60,000 stadia with modern screens, lights and audio and large corporate catering area are a must for such an invite. Hosting other events all adds to the mix as does the reporting of the European Nights Atmosphere by Messi and the like
I feel the promised on-site Hotel and museum are another part of the picture.
Quess what? its unlikely that any other Glasgow club would be invited to be part of these leagues.
BJ @ 3.08
Interesting controlled experiment — 2 x 50K crowds in Glasgow on Saturday.
One alcohol starved / rationed with stealth consumption of tonic wine / Co-op whisky.
One swimming in over priced gassy dross / hipster beardy craft ale.
Two versions of the S/S on offer — English vs proto Teuchter.
Will DD have tickets for both games?
All that is missing is the TFOD2.1 angle — their offer to host the 2019 Tractor Racing Grand Prix must have lost in the post or they lost out to Aleppo / Tehran for the next WWE extravaganza.
Horse ? running @4:00 Wolverhampton fields of Anthery 4/1 yir cash ? dont shoot the messenger HH
I don’t know why its such a surprise that 30k+ have been sold for egg chasing – its one of their big finals, and rugby fans are big event junkies.
Leinster have a big support(for a rugby team) and travel well as far as I know. They’d have been booking these flights and tickets in anticipation.
When the six nations is on Celtic fans in Ireland who would normally fly over wouldnt even bother checking the flights because they are inflated so much and that is even when its on in Edinburgh.
I wouldnt have thought its all Glasgow warriors fans on Saturday which is the conclusion people seem to be jumping to.
HH
FRANNYB67.
Thanks for the tip.
FRANNYB67 on 21ST MAY 2019 3:38 PM
Horse ? running @4:00 Wolverhampton fields of Anthery 4/1 yir cash ? dont shoot the messenger HH
…………….
Great shout Mate…it WON at 7/2…Ya dancer !
HH
I backed a Horse yesterday at 10 to one….it came in at 20 past 4.
HH
Not a problem ghuys HH ????
Big Jimmy @4:12
Ah the oul wans are the best ???? HH
I’m sure if Neil had won the game at Ibrox recently there would have been a clamour to give him the job, the majority of the support would be onside with the appointment, Yes it was a meaningless game – for us. The league was already won, but unfortunately for Neil it was far from meaningless, it was an opportunity to convince us that he was ‘The Man’. Losing has us all worried that with Neil in charge next season it will be a dog fight with sevco that could go either way, and none of us want that.
We want a manger who can demonstrate that regardless of circumstance sevco will always be travelling along in our wake, we already have a clear advantage so we just need someone to maintain or improve that advantage, losing at Ibrox recently has us all reflecting on whether Neil is the man that can do that. Some of the other names being mentioned is also a concern, AVB for example, has he even heard of sevco?
Davie Moyes certainly knows all about Celtic, 10 in a row, and sevco. Personally as long as one of these guys get the job I’ll be happy, they both will have a real determination to make their mark with their team next season, possibly Davie would be the Hungrier for success when you consider his record as a manager compared with Neil’s, and generally speaking players and managers who arrive at Celtic hungry for success with a point to prove generally do well. I would sleep easier with DM being appointed but if Neil gets it he’ll get 100% backing from me.
Yesterday my 2nd favourite team announced its new manager, a good appointment in Steve Clark
Breaking news this hour is that my 3rd favourite team, EKFC may have talked Darren O’Dea out of his planned retirement.
It’s all happening!
How many teams can 1 man support Jobo??? Hope to see you at Aberdour on the 21st, Santa Ponsa in the morning. Bring on the Jambo scum on Saturday HH
Rock tree Bhoy, I suggest that Ibrox only crystallised the doubts that many people already felt about Neil for the job based on the turgid style of football we have been playing since February, now I get all the mitigating circumstances etc etc but tbh the idea of Neil getting the job worries me greatly
BIGBHOY on 21ST MAY 2019 3:23 PM
I agree, and I am all for it. I think if we’re getting 50,000+ into our stadium for pro-14 rugby it can only be a good thing. The east end even now suffers from a historical bad press so the more we can move to change and rejuvenate that the better I like it.
But as I understand it, we don’t make the list for elite venues – those deemed capable of hosting CL/Europa finals – because the Celtic Park dressing rooms are too small and there is no access for team buses directly into the stadium. To fix this would need a rebuild of the old stand, which I believe is listed.
Might be wrong – it has been known! :)
Paul67 et al
In Brendan (O’Hara) we trust.
Anywhere in Burgos showing the Cup final? Asking for a friend…
Our pitch look good from a distance, close up it dosent look too clever. We have commented on this after many games.
It is suffering from a disease we hear.
So let the Rugby commence.
New pitch and a great promotion of paradise. And for all you old timers on here , the Rugby goalposts have been erected and Dixie is ecstatic. Alibet a wee bit too late.
Anyway guys HH to all.
Rock Tree Bhoy
Neil would get absolutely slaughtered in the media if he was given the job. They just don’t get that is the type of motivation he thrives on. I know in my heart of hearts that he would deliver, but is there an appetite for a soap opera?
I think that many on here feel that they are throwing him under a bus by not taking the office door off the hinges and demanding his appointment.
We should be careful what we wish for because with Neil – we know exactly what we have.
God Bless Neil Lennon – Legend.
GREENPINATA on 21ST MAY 2019 6:11 PM
Our pitch look good from a distance, close up it dosent look too clever. We have commented on this after many games.
It is suffering from a disease we hear.
————————–
I wonder if it’s just the grass grass, or has the plastic grass got a disease too :-))
HH
BGFC
Hutchybhoy – enjoy Santa Ponsa. That’s where the Baldie gang are heading in 5 and a bit week’s time! And, yes, I’m hoping to get to Aberdour in June so see you then.
Greenpinata
The grass at CP is suffering from a disease called poaceae sevcosis. It was contaminated by a group of visiting football supporters of a now deceased club.
HH
My friends in Celtic,
Great post earlierfrom the battered bunnet.
CV : Davie Moyes v Neil Lennon
Davie Moyes absolutely wins hands down with a generally impressive CV. Why am I not therefore inspired.??????
KNIGHTSWOODBHOY on 21ST MAY 2019 5:54 PM – agreed, that’s a boat you wont be alone in.
Guys,
I believe we have tried to emulate the Johan Cruff Arena.
We have definitely came up trumps with our light show ( wow ) but with a few notable exceptions we have not come close to the wonderful grass that the Dutch excel in.