Celtic will have to keep the Champagne on ice for a while longer after failing to collect the three points required to win the league at Ibrox this afternoon. The champions-elect looked nervous early on with few looking comfortable in possession, allowing Rangers significant periods of possession. After only 10 minutes Rangers were ahead when Sone Aluko beat Thomas Rogne before cutting inside Charlie Mulgrew and firing a shot past Forster in the Celtic goal.
Celtic scarcely featured as an attacking threat in the first half but moments after going behind Georgios Samaras produced one of the most scintillating pieces of skill on the day. The Greek international collected the ball 70 yards from goal, beat four opponents before his shot from 12 yards was saved by Alan McGregor. Anthony Stokes mishit the rebound allowing McGregor to tip over.
Stokes forced a further save from McGregor with a fine volley after controlling on his chest but the game was soon to look ominous for Celtic. Cha Du-Ri was caught wrong side of Lee Wallace and made the slighted touch on the Rangers player who went to ground two yards outside the penalty area. Referee Calum Murray sent Cha off despite the covering attendance of Charlie Mulgrew.
Despite their numerical advantage Rangers seemed content to prevent Celtic scoring, Fraster Forster didn’t make a single save while Celtic were numerically on level terms or only a single man down. Ten minutes after the break Victor Wanyama was red carded for a two footed tackle on Steven Whittaker.
Lee McCulloch was fortunate to remain on the field after elbowing Scott Brown on the head. In a carbon copy of the incident which ended Beram Kayal’s season in December, McCulloch went to ground after the incident until attended by a physio, which perhaps tempered the referee’s response. Clever, if predictable.
With things clearly not going their way Celtic then lost an offside goal. Celtic had an opportunity to make an attempt on goal when they won a free kick 28 yards out. With Charlie Mulgrew still running into position Scott Brown played a quick pass to Kris Commons but Celtic players were crowded out by a number of opponents and lost possession. Rangers broke forward and applied pressure which brought the best out of Fraser Forster but Andrew Little put Rangers two ahead from what was clearly an offside position.
A further breakaway on the 77th minute resulted in Lee Wallace putting Rangers three goals ahead.
Despite being two goals down substitute Kris Commons started to dictate play and brought Celtic their best period of possession. In the 89th minute Georgios Samaras broke through the Rangers defence but was scythed to the ground by Bocanegra. The referee awarded a penalty and ordered the Rangers player off. Scott Brown scored the penalty
Moments later Commons got the better of Whittaker on Celtic’s left before being brought down by the Rangers player. Commons found Thomas Rogne with the resultant free kick which the defender powered home.
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Fortunes Favour Mibbes on 25 March, 2012 at 23:08 said:
was about to type that myself
Crocker is a good commentator, but no need for him beside him
but the best part of the match was for about 5 minutes when sky lost the sound just had the crowd
The Big House must stay open, that’s the bottom line
Night all!
seems a lot on here are defending the treatment neil lennon gets from the refs etc etc.well the treatment he gives me is terrible ,makes bad decisions tweeks the the team to much ,cant keep his mouth shut at officals ,for goodness sake your are needed as a coach , not someone who rants and raves ,no its not good enough from him ,going to get banned what good is that to me and thousands of celtic fans ,no he will need to control his temper or im afraid the game is up for him.there you go thats treatment for you raging at him,
THE EXILED TIM on 25 March, 2012 at 23:04 said:
One of the best things about watching them in Europe, particularly in more recent years, has been the looks of bewilderment when they come up against honest referees.
Also, probably best you don’t give up. It would be ‘criminal’ to have to redo your pool. Am I still allowed to say criminal?
S
CF
OK Hun encounters?
Shady
We have enough to beat 12 men…jeeez we nearly did with 9…I just feel everyone is looking anywhere but the team for reasons we lost. I’m not denying MIB interference, all I’m saying is despite it (and it was a certainty) we could have slaughtered them today.
Sammi up front on his own from the start and full blodded replacements for Cha and Ki – RESULT! ;-)
See that ahem tackle in the first half where Sammi was taken at the knees?
Why wasn’t he booked for simulation?
justaskincsc
Callum Murray had to even it up after shame game to get back into the establishment’s good books.
Well done Callum I know you’ll sleep well.
Of course Callum will sleep well, sucking the tassel on his sash as a comforter.
timbhoy2,
You are alone in your rage.
Wold you express your rage to the mans face?
What explanation do you think might get and would it satisfy you?
TJ
a wee question for all the bhoys on here
i know (and sometimes i forget) how young this team is
i was born in 1976 (i would be ancient in this team!!!) – wasnt alive the last time we won the league there
i have seen 1 treble in my lifetime(that i remember fully)
are we being too harsh on this team?
how many times have we had the chance to win the title there since 67?
how many times have we had the chance to do the treble since my birth say
are we being too harsh?
We’ve been flat for a number of weeks and it’s difficult to be harsh on the players when they’re looking at a league table showing them circa 20 points ahead of a main rival that had been 15 ahead of them in early November.
They’ve switched off a bit because in their heads they’ve already won the title!
These last two flat performances have allowed the MIBs to have some say in the outcome of the games. The Stokes incident at the death last week was a complete and utter stonewaller, but we should never have been in a position where we were reliant on Collum doing his job properly!
We can only put some of the blame at the officials’ door today, but influential decisions were taken at crucial stages of the game. Rankers deserved to be ahead and Cha was hopelessly out of position, but the red was very harsh indeed and meant that we had a mountain to climb.
Victor should have known that anything close to a two-footed challenge would be punished, but it was a ridiculously soft red card at a time when we were at least, still in the game. That decision effectively neutered any remaining challenge from our team, hardly uncommon in our visits across the city.
An offside goal after that was pouring vinegar in the wounds!
Our management team have to shoulder their share of the blame for the recent poor performances, with out of form players being guaranteed their place and others being played out of their most effective positions.
In an attempt to re-dress the recent slump and introduce more of a creative spark, I would make sure that Commons and Izzy start the next few games. Both of them look as though they are getting back to the level they showed last season, which means they would be automatic first picks.
Play the same back four over a number of games to provide a secure foundation and let Sami & Commons bring back the spark to this young team, leading to a glorious double for Lenny and the Bhoys.
HH
TTTT
Margaret McGill on 25 March, 2012 at 23:05
First thing that’s cheered me up since around 1pm today, thanks i’m now off to my bed with a smile.
HH
Are the huns now officially a ‘wee team’? They were unrecognisable from the team that got gubbed by Dundee Utd (x2), Killie and Hertz. This was a cup final match indeed but only for them.
Can we expect Sally to come out and say ” games against Celtic are a bonus but it’ll mean nothing if we don’t follow it up against the teams around us.”
El Mad
unrepentant CSC
Jimmy Quinn Bits..
Hiya, pally?
Sure, yer wife is Always Right..
Ah widnae dare try tae Contradict a Lady.
The last time Ah did.. hiv a wee Disagreement wi wan..
who.. happened tae be a Waitress..
She, Picked up Ma water glass.. and
Dumped a Full Glass of Water.. oan Ma Heid!
Ah wiz,whit ye might say…
At a Loass Fur Woids!
Ah jist sat there, feeling that , mebbe,it wiznae such a Guid Idea o’ mine…tae get intae a Disagreement wi.. any Lady.
True story!!
So , fae that time.. oan
Ah never try tae cross swords or woids.. wi’ any Lady, whitsoever..!
Ah learned that .. A woman will always Win …any kinda Argument.
Kojo
yer pal..who likes ye aloater
CultsBhoy loves being 1st on 25 March, 2012 at 23:12 said:
Posted earlier that I thought the refs decisions made it impossible to judge our team. Watching the highlights only confirmed that for me. It’s days like today that make me fear that influence will come to bear and somehow, god help us, they’ll squeak through their current ills.
All I can say is that I felt we were coming onto our game at the first red card.
S
I just attempted to listen to the Clyde 1 podcast of the open line and when I say attempted I gave it about 3 minutes as I flciked through each call to get the jist. Idiot and so called Celtic fan after so – called Celtic fan came on to slaughter Neil Lennon, team selection, individual players and like some fans, they refer to the Keevins mantra that Celtic cannot win big games or moreover they freeze on the big occasion.
These folk are naturally silent when Celtic win 20 odd games on the bounce and big games apparently don’t exist when this happens.
Lets put a few thing to bed.
Neil Lennon has lost big games but he has won a lot of big games as well.
The big games according to Keevins and the halfwits who believe his prompting are as follows:
Ross County – Not Neil Lennon’s side and of that side I believe only two players are still at the club who played or were involved in that debacle. It was a debacle and it was a mess but MON lost to ICT and Gordon Strachan lost to Clyde. It happens, it can happen and that is football. Celtic were poor that day, Ross County were not – live with it.
Two Away European matches in Braga and Utrecht – a team assembled in 4 weeks loses to two more organised opponents – no surprise really give our away form in Europe.
Losing at Home to rangers 3-1 on the day when Collum gave a penalty he didn’t see. Are we really going to blame Neil and the players for that? Personally I’d blame Glenn Loovens for pathetic defending but then again I have never been a fan of his and I’ll be quite glad when he leaves at the end of this season.
Last Season’s league cup final – rangers get a free kick from a linesman 40 yards away from where the incident takes place and win the game with the luckiest goal ever. But that is Neil Lennon’s fault.
Inverness Away last season – a very bad performance and result
Sion away – beaten by a team who had players in their team they should not have had – they were dealt with by UEFA correctly and Celtic chalk it up to experience.
Rangers at Ibrox 4-2 another bad performance and a deserved defeat – that can happen in football you know.
Does losing to Athletico Madrid count or was it meaningless? Not sure what the story there was.
Were St Johnstone at home and Hearts away just other games or were they big games?
Losing the league Cup final to Kilmarnock – tight game, Kilmarnock play well and Collum does what he is famous for. But that means Celtic are bottlers. Nonsense.
Losing to Rangers 3-2 in a match where the referee has two sets of rules for two different teams and on a day where they had to win – as Craig Levin once said – there was no point in turning up today, today was only about Rangers and so it proved to be yet again.
So this Celtic team as it stands has lost 6 or 7 big games (and a previous Celtic team assembled by a poor manager and handed to Neil Lennon lost another)
In this time Neil Lennon’s Celtic have been to Ibrox and won when no one gave them a prayer, they have beaten rangers 3-0 and 1-0 twice and came back with ten men against Rangers to get a replay in the Scottish cup.
They have beaten Rennes at Celtic park after being a goal down.
They have drawn twice with Udinesse and should have won both matches.
They have gone to Inverness in the Scottish cup and battered Inverness.
They won at Tannadice in the Scottish cup
They won 4-0 at Tynecastle
They won the Dougie Dougie game which was huge
They won the Scottish cup against a shower of Celtic haters.
And Neil Lennon’s Celtic were unbeaten domestically from October to March but they cannot win big games.
The Fat PLG has won two, yes two “big” matches both of which are entirely meaningless in the grand scheme of things as Rangers will not win any silverware this season, are likely to be without European football next season regardless of where they finish in the league with serial lie-downers Motherwell and the haircut that time forgot in charge stating blithely they are happy finishing 3rd.
When Neil Lennon was chinning Walter Nosurname 4 games in a row, apparently according to Keevins these things did not count with a title race neck and neck and Celtic by knocking Rangers out of the Scottish cup and thereby eliminating their biggest rival for that cup, that did not count.
So please, look at that list and have a think. Neil Lennon has lost SOME big games and SOME players have not played well in ALL of those matches but his winning ratio is much better than his losing one.
If you repeat that tripe you are being spoonfed and getting your tummy tickled while drinking from the same soup bowl as the Uncle tims.
Who will be champions? Neil Lennon’s Celtic team with all these players who don’t win big games.
That statement is almost as stupid as a Hately/Burley tainted title special. Judging by the one sided interpretation of the rules by Callum Murray and the treatement of our manager again by the SFA’s officials Rangers victory today was “tainted” as a different set of rules were applied to the field of play. If the title is tainted who tainted it? Celtic by winning football matches or Rangers by years of financial doping catching up with them to some degree? I’ll leave that one hanging in the wind.
Celtic will be champions either next week, or at Rugby park or at whatever venue is decided. We know it, they know it and no amount of slurs are going to change that.
Do not fall into the canny win big games halfwit mantra. It simply isn’t true. Celtic can and frequently do win big games, it’s just when we lose that the games are described as big games and if you repeat that mantra you’d be as well growing a silly mustache and telling people that the league was over in November and 4iar was guaranteed, it was in the bag as some diving cheat who has done a runner once said.
Stand up for your team.
Hail Hail
antrimkev
I was born in 1960
been through the good, and a long bad
too harsh? yes… allowances made for us all hurtin, but some perspective is needed
shady
Just hurting like all Tims are, what’s the feckin point of it all….
Days like today we also get the usual crap on the blog, they can’t wait to show their tru blue colours.
I expect Lenny to get slaughtered and sent to the burny fire for his audacious comments, the nasty ginger that he is, how dare he.
The pool will stay as it is mi amigo, nothing surer, just hurtin.
HH
The faith is all I have left, and I will be holding it close to my Timmy heart.
antrimkev @ 23:11
It really was. Was nearly blissful. You’re right, Crocker(? if that’s his name) can manage on his own. It seems the side commentators are there purely at the request of Meeja House.
Fortunes Favour Mibbes on 25 March, 2012 at 22:51 said
Elbows is a joke, the way he throws his arm up and writhes about in fake pain after nearly taking Broonie’s heid off, is excatly the same MO he used when ending Kayal’s season. The video replay’s will be almost identical. He is the farthest thing from a professional footballer I know.
Murray’s script was written for him at the lodge on Friday night “Remember Callum they don’t win on oor patch”. Enough said, he would be barred from officiating after that performance in any other league.
gsu
Erm.,
So What to make of it today?
1975
1988
1998
Tonight A MASSIVE PART OF CELTIC and my life died today.
FFFFTHEM
Hindsight is a wonderfull thing. I couldnt see how we wuld be allowed to win. I told my bros this one hour before kick off.
C Murray is a Hun. In a secret conversation, me and him, he would admit. I saw through him on his first appearance at CP.
Brother Callum did as B Callum does.
Nice goal by Aluko. Opportunities then taken by B, Callum.
He will snigger and smle about it as do all despots.
South Africa, Southern States of USA, Libya, Egypt. The weapon of choice is to ridicule your opponents whlst you know their accusations are valid.
For the lives of my fellow fans saved today from the rabid hordes,I say. well done B.Callum. But I know this reason was not your motive.
We ARE better than you and all you do. Remember that as you greet your maker.
Time and Tide. USA, South Africa have heard TICK TOCK TICK TOCK……….Can you hear it Huns?
Fortunes Favour Mibbes on 25 March, 2012 at 23:20
i think thats his name
he is a good commentator whoever he is – when we or they score he does what a commentator has to do
unlike begley
Kingoh,
My thoughts exactly. Thanks for posting that, I have not been able to articulate quite as well regarding this last week’s events.
Árd Macha.
The biggest embarrassment of today referring were not red cards but penalty for them. If Cha fouled Wallace, this foul happened at least 2 yards before penalty area. This sums up well the level of the refereeing. I noticed that the linesman did not rise the flag up. Red cards might be questionable but 2 yards mistake is not. You should hear how Polish referees are blamed for giving wrong decisions with on side and off side play when their mistakes are more than 20 cm.
CaltonTongues on 25 March, 2012 at 23:22 said:
Sorry bud, wot?
Does it not amaze you all that everyone has so much to say but ironically very little is said.
Goodnight.
MWD
GSU @ 23:20
Aye, he made a total halfwit of himself today.
With so many eyes watching.
Either he’s swallowed the Jabba excretions that the status quo will remain intact next season, or he’s decided to go out with a bung today.
THE EXILED TIM on 25 March, 2012 at 23:20 said:
Faith is all you have? Pish.
Yer still one of us.
Yer still handsome.
You’ll never be one of them.
S
so its only neil lennon thats hurting ,no i dont think so im hurting more than him .his problem is his ego ,and its time he came down a peg or 2 ,hurting i your right im hurting just like last week .so dont come on here and say he is hurting ,
Celtic_First on 25 March, 2012 at 23:09 said:,
Could not agree more. I just mentioned the 7-1 as an appropriate scoreline for the next derby game on twitter a few minutes ago – Scary
Árd Macha
Mien Gott!
It reminds of the first letter of Jeremy Bender to the Corinthians:
“And daily they impose new defeats on us o Lord: for God, who used to watch with mother on our behalf, is now asleep, and Bampotmen puts forth his power to support the murray on the Moon beams.” As a result descendants of the 1690 FOXp2 mutant gene attend Ibrokes as often as possible and
share such diatribe with one another on the assumption that the language of communication is in fact English.”
timbhoy,
you are being silly, really silly and its difficult to take you seriously
TJ
Callum Murray cheating today was on par with Hugh Dallas. His sending off the manager at half time In light of his dubious decisions was harsh in the extreme and shows he was following a pre meditated plan.
John Fleming the SFA supervisor must see that his senior referees , Murray thomson and collum have been guilty of outrageous decisions against Lennon as an individual and Celtic as a club. Is he aiding and abetting by his choice of referees for key games and tacit support for their errors by his silence ( acceptance ).
If a team fails in football the manager pays the price. In this case , in consecutive weeks we have seen a referee deny Celtic a stonewall penalty in the cup final and Murray cheat Celtic today. Fleming is making the appointments and rewarding his favourites just like Dallas.
Fleming is as clever version of Dallas. He will avoid the anti pope emails, lying on radio to defend a lying referee. Fleming is doing his best to damage Celtic.
My script for tmw:
“Oh, was that a big game?”
Cryingontheinside CSC.
Snake Plissken on 25 March, 2012 at 23:19 said:
Well said.
Give me passionate, articulate, straight talking and honest any day of the week. No faux friendly or cheeky chappy.
Time for bed – there’s a party to get ready for.
S
Evening all!
I dont get much time to drop in these days but I do always make a few minutes to catch the article.
Disappointing today, although we really should have known they were never going to lut us win it at Ibroke! Why we were all so confident I dont know. (hindsight is wonderful)
Glasgows A&E staff will be breathing a sigh of relief tonight!
The wife just updated the blog, wee Oscar had a great day so check it out if you have a few minutes spare.
Goodnight and take care!
Knoxy
http://www.oscarknox.blogspot.com
shady
It’s obvious you have never met me, handsome, ffs :>)