Exactly one year ago today, just after lunchtime, one of the pivotal moments in Celtic history occurred. Neil Lennon took his Celtic team to Kilmarnock, who had lost their three previous league games, and for 73 minutes looked like surrendering their league title chances just as Tony Mowbray’s team collapsed at St Mirren Park seven months earlier.
The manager later admitted to thoughts of resignation. 3-0 down at half time while already in heavy deficit to Rangers, who were riding a wave of positivity under the reinvigorating ownership of Craig Whyte, events looked to have escaped Neil’s grasp.
It is tempting to write the narrative that a half time talk or tactical change turned things around but turnaround was more difficult to explain. Celtic were awful for the opening 28 minutes of the second half; like condemned men waiting for the inevitable.
Anthony Stokes started the recovery by exploiting Kilmarnock’s weaknesses. A free kick drifted over a wall which didn’t jump and into the net. Had the wall jumped, would history have been different? Three minutes later Stokes fired into the corner of the net from distance, Jaakkola in the Killie goal was not equal to the challenge. Suddenly, we were back in the game, back in the title race.
Charlie Mulgrew, who erred to gift Kilmarnock their third, equalised with 11 minutes remaining, surely there was only one winner now? Not so, images of Heffernan’s last minute header from inside the Celtic six yard box gliding over remain vivid.
We escaped with a draw but it felt like a stay of execution, not a pivotal moment. Neil didn’t resign, he stayed, beat Stade Rennes in the Europa League and never looked back. The imperious positivity which surrounded Craig Whyte was ultimately proven to be a charade, those of us who told you Rangers were in peril were proven correct.
It is impossible to calculate just how much football has changed since Anthony hit that free kick, although imperious positivity still surrounds a charade which is doomed to fail, leaving a lot of football fans out of pocket. If only the football authorities had a warning from recent history that light-touch regulation is dangerous, or had the mechanism to order a financial audit. They do, of course, but despite the traumas of 2012 I doubt they have the appetite to head-off potential problems. It’s easier (in the short term) to hope everything will turn out well.
Not that you need worry about any of this, you can chill and enjoy the season.
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They were hungry banks.
Bazza
How’s uncle Tel?
Teuchter ár lá
Would need to see a constitution
I could not trust any politician\party to put one together after a vote
Zbyszek
If you are lurking – email sent.
H!H!
Some random comments on Independence….
My mother-in-law will vote No. My daughter will vote Yes. Mother-in-law told daughter she had no right to break up the Union that she (mother-in-law) had supported all her life. Daughter replied that she (mother-in-law) had no right to determine the structure of the country that she (daughter) would be living in long after she (mother-in-law) had passed on.
I just slipped quietly out of the room. A relative No Win situation, the only solution to which was beer.
———
It seems to me to be absurd in one sense to determine Yes or No based on the personality, ability or politics of the protagonists in the debate. This is not a 5 year term, it is a nationhood (or not) that is to be decided. No one who leads the campaign either way will be around terribly long, irrespective of the outcome of the vote. It’s a bit like deciding to vote Yes because you like Walter Scott’s novels, or No because you don’t like John Swinney comb over.
————
Is it possible that the centuries of being able to blame someone else (Westminster for example) provides Scottish society with a default excuse for much of our unpleasant side? Has Westminster Rule, for example, prevented our communities from ripping themselves to pieces, or turned a blind eye to the causes of division? In essence, is our Dependence a good reason for continuing to be dependent, or the cause of our anxiety at the prospect of our Independence?
————
Away from a beer.
TBB
ernie lynch
17:38 on
15 October, 2012
BIGbones8867
17:23 on 15 October, 2012
‘The Scottish people can self-determinate these issues when they are free from foreign
influence’
No one anywhere on earth is ‘free from foreign influence’.
Does nationalism make people stupid or does it just attract the stupid?
When someone is intelligent enough to sidestep your ambush they are called stupid.
What a guy,must be wonderful to be perfect.
Scotland IS a seperate entity
Taken by force by invading armies
Many thousands died defending It
Have the moral courage at least to strike a passive blow for freedom
And please refrain from insulting people with your obvious massive ego,i mean IQ
BB
influence’
No one anywhere on earth is ‘free from foreign influence’.
Does nationalism make people stupid or does it just attract the stupid?
weeminger
17:50 on 15 October, 2012
‘The best way to get rid of the SNP is to vote for independence. That way we can get a proper Scottish labour party that’s prepared to put forward some proper social policies. That the SNP is the only party demonstrating any level of socialism (deliberate small s) must be remedied.’
####
‘We want more millionaires and any notion that an independent Scotland
would be a left-wing country is delusional nonsense. The vast majority of
Scots are hard-working, ambitious and compassionate, with enough
experience of left-wing politics to know that they only make matters
worse’
Jim Mather SNP MSP
NegAnon2,
“For what its worth I wouldnt trust this country to govern itself. Outside the central belt in Scotland there is almost uniform hostility to catholicism and to Celtic (there are notable exceptions).”
Maybe a typo on your behalf, but… but living outside the central belt and having lived in several different areas outside the central belt my experience is that, apart from one small exception in the Outer Hebrides, no-one know or cares who is Roman Catholic, Protestant, or whatever else.
The only place where the Christian religion is polarised to any extent in Scotland is WITHIN the central belt. No?
I do have similar misgivings to yourself I have to say…though mainly on the SNP’s irrational anti nuclear energy stance.
Doing ok fella. Straight to the tally, so says it all!
No many men could do that!
bazzabhoy
There’s my dilemma……economics.
I don’t know if Scotland, Scots and more importantly me, would be better off financially or not.
One side will tell me I will be better off, t’other side will say worse off.
And I just don’t know. Not a clue
That, along with the ‘cultural’ concerns I have about Scotland’s current crop of leading politicians is why, on balance, I am minded to vote No at the moment.
The current Scottish and UK politicians don’t make it any easier for us. There’s not a single one that I can think of, of any political hue, whom I would completely trust.
It’s a case of trying to discern who is the least untrustworthy and that just grinds my gears. A lot.
SwanseaBhoy
BIGbones8867
18:02 on 15 October, 2012
”Scotland IS a seperate entity
Taken by force by invading armies
Many thousands died defending It”
Dearie me.
The only thing I can suggest is that you watch Braveheart again, but this time play it backwards. That way you’ll get a happy ending.
to tony stokes and craig whyte
Scotland U-21’s beat Canada 2-0 this afternoon
Dylan McGeouch set up the 1st goal + Tony Watt scored the second
Alasdair MacLean
18:02 on 15 October, 2012
When roughly did the SNP drop their hatred of Irish Catholic immigrants to Scotland?
SwanseaBhoy,
I think I’m in your agnostic-type camp as well!
Ernie, that’s exactly what I mean. They’re in no way Socialists but currently have in place social policies we would never have seen from any other party. I wouldn’t trust them to lead an independent Scotland but we’ll never get the labour party we need until it can be separated from its Westminster parent.
Independence for Scotland? Total effin’ disaster IMHO.
Some English people are great. And some Welsh.
Some aren’t.
So are some Scottish people.
Dunno if that helps.
:0)
SwanseaBhoy
I’m too busy trying to deal with a bedroom tax problem to think about independance..
I am unsure at the moment.. probably swaying towards a no thanks…
Cheers Swansea Bhoy – that’s cleared it ALL up for me bud!
rothbhoy
Nae bother.
Anything else, just let me know!
;0)
SwanseaBhoy
one argument I can see for is the intention of the torys to kill the NHS would not happen in an independant scotland, and dont kid youself the NHS will be dead in 10 years
neil canamalar – if that.
BT
A bedroom tax???!!!
You must be good ;-)
ernie lynch
18:08 on
15 October, 2012
Alasdair MacLean
18:02 on 15 October, 2012
When roughly did the SNP drop their hatred of Irish Catholic immigrants to Scotland?
——————————————————————————————————
ernie lynch,
I’ve read your posts before on the early, (post- 2nd world war), beginings of the Scottish nationalist movement.
Very infomative and I googled the history.
I appreciated your insight and your pointing me in that direction as it was a fascinating look into my father’s student era….into the mindset in Scotland when people considered independence seriously for the first time since 1707.
In all consideration though, I don’t think in their ignorance they were any worse than my old aunty looking for nigger-brown thread.
Ignorance and racism has largely been erradicated from modern society and I don’t think the ignorant racism of that era should be held against the SNP anymore than the London landlady signs of, “No Blacks, No Dogs, No Irish”, should be held against the current London tourist agency.
Allegedly – Allez Lecoist says that “Charles Green didn’t mean to say that Aston Villa were useless, he meant to say hopeless”
You couldn’t trust Alex Salmond or the SNP to organise a piss-up in a brewery or a bag-off in a brotherl. Genug gesagt!
Can we ALL not see this in this CONMAN? No related to Charles Green is he?
Verdantvic
I posted this rant over a year ago:
Salmon is a Trout,
He cannot see what is so blindingly obvious to Any Sensible Person that the groups to investigate are:
The Orange Order.
The Masons.
The SNP
Strathclyde Police.
The Shame & their Orc’s.
The Wee Orc’s from the East.
The SFA & their Referees.
The Kangaroo Courts.
The peepul that sent out the so called anonymous Jury letters to the Shame Edinburgh Jury.
John Wilson (at least he showed some remorse & tried to plead his guilt)
The Daily Ranger with the Lamb sucker Jabba, soup sniffing Keevins, skidmark Guidi and fairytale Jackson.
The rest of the Laptop Loyal.
BBC Radio Shortbread….. Who are paid for by Law abiding Tax paying Citizens.
Radio Snyde.
Donald Findley.
Go on now, grow some Cojones and go and get them. Stop that lot and you have solved Scotland’s Sectarian problem. We all know it’s an enormous task trying to untangle all that tangled mindset mess out?
Or just take the easy path and blame and criminalise the Celtic Support through your stupid ill thought out Sectarian Bill… The best wee Country in the world… Huh… We can see your party for what it is; I will finish with an applicable retort to what the Celtic Support think of you and your party.
Stick your new Bill up your nationalistic arse; see you in a European Court near you.
From the best wee bigoted country in the world ya Trout.
Nothings changed my mind since.
JD
Aston Villa?
We gave them MON…
They gave them wee Eck…!
Spot the difference?!
HH!!
……..and, remember, politicians will go with the majority, to simply retain votes / power… And what does that mean in Scotland..????
The Legend Johnny Doyle,
The most troubling aspect of your post is that you thought it worthy of being repeated.
rangers are not my favourite team csc
Absolutely mate – spot on. The Unionists on here always astound me, as they are very often highly sympathetic to the Irish republican cause. It is a contradiction that leaves their argument in favour of staying with the UK totally redundant.
In my opinion, it is an example of how such people like to be misty eyed romantics in their head, but utterly scared to make the step when it comes to doing something themselves (ie taking control of their own future).
Irish nationalists from Scotland, wanting Scotland to remain under the union flag….. staggering.
The day after the SNP gained most seats in the Holyrood elections, the Daily Telegraph letters page was crammed with ‘Indignant of Tunbridge Wells’ types, writing in to say ‘..who do they think the are… wanting to leave the union?’ the utter arrogance of english people (and there are many) who feel that they should have a say in whether scotland is ‘British’ or ‘Independent’ amazes me, and simply spurs me on further to vote for Independence for my country. Like many other Celtic fans, I see myself as Scottish, not British.
As for people going on about ‘Salmond… hearts… failing to defend Neil Lennon… etc’ – you have a point. However – deal with it in an adult manner. Vote Salmond out once Independence is gained, if you dislike the man so much. Other alternatives will inevitably come forward. the Celtic fans are a large voting block in the country. The ‘Green pound’ is very powerful too, and can be utilised to great effect when shaping an independent Scotland. Scaremongering stories about the white underclass of ayrshire being vehemently ‘anti-kafflick’ and therefore Scotland turning into an orange merde-hole are somewhat unfounded…. the majority of intelligent, educated Scots would be only too delighted to vote in legislation getting rid of the parades etc assosciated with dumps like darvel, cumnock, larkhall, w(s)hitburn etc.
Just remember – 1% of Scotland’s entire population are inside Celtic park every second Saturday. Loads more fans are not at the game. 90% of Scottish sport reporting is Football, and 90% of that is either Celtic or Rangers. Yes – the huns are a bigger group, but frankly they are in disarray, will begin deserting soon, and as the Green Brigade said – their children will be Celtic supporters. We are not some pathetic minority, we are a sizeable economic and political voting block, and as long as people stand up and fight, should not be pushed around after independence is granted.
Hail Hail
One year ago today, time is a magician. Sitting in a Greek bar in arillas, Corfu watching the game with my wife. It was cold and wet ( not Kilmarnock but Corfu ) and we went into the bar to watch the game.
There was a Scottish chap sitting on his own and when Killie scored he let out a yelp. Some English folk asked him if he was a Killie fan ” no am a rangers man but support anyone who plays them’ .
Fair enough I thought and sat as the second and third went in then HT.
He left the pub, Celtic came out and turned it round as we all now know but forever in my mind I will remember it as a cold wet day in Corfu in the company of a liquidated football fan and smile, karma.
BT
Is this bedroom tax measured in cubic feet or inches?
Ernie,
I was waiting on the Braveheart piece
Predictable indeed,another” i,m smarter than you” insult
Good movie but,i,m not a romantic Scottish republican
The reason being is i,m Irish
I,m 54 yrs old,(before you ask)
And for 40 of them I,ve been involved in militant and political Irish republicanism
Seen too much pain, grief,death and destruction to be romantic about it
And we still haven.t achieved our objectives
You, the Scottish nationalists and republicans
Have the chance to achieve by peaceful means
What many have died for.
That.s my point,it,s hard for us,here in the occupied north of Ireland
To comprehend why some wont grasp this opportunity to vote
Astounded of forehead,to say the least
BB
Celtic U20 starting XI, for Firhill ( a win to go back to the top of the table )
Daniels; McManus, Miller, O’Connell, Waters; Lindsay, Kidd, Henderson; Johnstone, Kirwan, McMullan
via CFC
Off out to see Port Vale v Oxford – despite it being live on Sky
Up the Vale
Alasdair MacLean
The only place where the Christian religion is polarised to any extent in Scotland is WITHIN the central belt. No?
– > Correct (and south west scotland to some extent) – in other words, anywhere where the uneducated white underclass live in large concentrations. (Sad to say).