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.
Issue 7 of CQN Magazine is out now! Go to the dedicated magazine site here to read it properly (which you’ll not be able to do below).
Thanks to everyone who has bought a hard copies of the magazine, it looks like the sold out sign will go up again. Order your copy for delivery by clicking on the link below for news and views from Celtic supporters.
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‘GG on 26 March, 2012 at 04:34 said: Today I will begin to seriously pursue becoming a naturalized US citizen.
Dual ( or triple ) nationality is always a great idea,especially if you have kids,
Must say,however,that Jocks and huns are different species.
Although sometimes the lines are blurred.
Question………..
How many points are we in front of the bad guys……
We will be champions………….
With the youngests team in Europe……..
We will get better………….
In Lennon we have a gret manager……….
Bigjoe1/2cutinMiami
.
MacJay..
Ha..
You Will have Noticed l have Not Mentioned My Bhoy Georgious Today..That is Because Me and Him have Too Much Humility..:O0))))
Howwwwwweeeevvvvvvvvvvvvvvvaa..
If He Would Have Scored ‘That’ Goal..it Rightly would Have been Saint Sammi Day..
Summa
Big Joe on 26 March, 2012 at 04:48 said:
Where you watch the game today? Miami or Ft Lauderdale.
Let the sun shine.
‘GG
petec on 26 March, 2012 at 04:42 said:
Like you,I seriously can`t do the abuse of Celtic players or representatives.
eg.I abhor the reference to the Willo Flood window or John Reid the war criminal
It seems basically counter productive even if it were true,which is ,of course a matter of opinion.
We really must detach ourselves from the influences of hunnism.
It`s the only solution.
How to do so is the problem.
18 INT. THE WELTON OAK PANELED HONOR ROOM – DAY 18
This is the room where the boys waited earlier. The walls
are lined with class pictures: dating back into the 1800s.
School trophies of every description fill trophy cases and
shelves. Keating leads the students in, then faces the class.
KEATING
Mister…
(Keating looks at his roll)
Pitts. An unfortunate name. Stand up,
Mister Pitts.
Pitts stands.
KEATING (CONT’D)
Open your text, Pitts, to page forty and read for us the
first stanza of the poem.
Pitts looks through his book. He finds the poem.
PITTS
To The Virgins to Make Much Of Time?
KEATING
That’s the one.
Giggles in the class. Pitts reads.
PITTS
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may
Old time is still a flying
And this same flower that smiles today
Tomorrow will be dying.
KEATING
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may. The
Latin term for that sentiment is “Carpe
Diem.” Anyone know what that means?
MEEKS
Carpe Diem… seize the day.
KEATING
Very good, Mr._?
MEEKS
Meeks.
KEATING
Seize the day while you’re young, see
that you make use of your time. Why does
the poet write these lines?
A STUDENT
Because he’s in a hurry?
KEATING
Because we’re food for worms, lads!
Because we’re only going to experience a
limited number of springs, summers, and
falls. One day, hard as it is to
believe, each and every one of us is
going to stop breathing, turn cold, and
die! Stand up and peruse the faces of
the boys who attended this school sixty
or seventy years ago. Don’t be timid, go
look at them.
The boys get up. Todd, Neil, Knox, Meeks, etc. go over to
the class pictures that line the honor room walls.
ANGLES ON VARIOUS PICTURES ON THE WALLS. Faces of young men
stare at us from out of the past.
KEATING
They’re not that different than any of
you, are they? There’s hope in their
eyes, just like in yours. They believe
themselves destined for wonderful things,
just like many of you. Well, where are
those smiles now, boys? What of that
hope?
THE BOYS are staring at the pictures, sobered by what Keating
is saying.
KEATING (CONT’D)
Did most of them not wait until it was
too late before making their lives into
even one iota of what they were capable?
In chasing the almighty deity of success
did they not squander their boyhood
dreams? Most of those gentlemen are
fertilizing daffodils! However, if you
get very close, boys, you can hear them
whisper. Go ahead, lean in. near it?
(loud whisper)
‘Carpe Diem, lads. Seize the day. Make
your lives extraordinary. –
Every Celtic Supporter in the world should
stare into the pictures and know that their lives
has witnessed extraordinary events.
Your lives are sacrosanct
Your memories are inviolate
You have an obligation to yourself to harvest your history
Don’t allow hun antics to pollute your day.
It’s a long road friends – get that head up and carpe Diem to each and every one of you.
Ah,Summa I`m nearly beginning to agree with you about the big Griego,El Greco.
One thing,as Kojo says,improving he is.
He almost scored and he got us the penalty.
Equally,I feel Lenny is beginning to understand when and how to use him.
Hail Hail
Earlier on today I posted at 16:53
We have watched this frequently in recent years. So frequently it is absurd…
The self evident Stacked Deck…
So….
Let them rage against the dying of their peculiar light.
Ultimately, their own Pyrrhic Victory.
It’s a dead club walking.
STILL FEEL THAT..
Since then I have done what I normally do when experiencing such unfortunate ‘spells’… I consult the wisdom of the Good Witches of the West.
I am sure you all know at least one….
One of my favorite sang for Mr Regan
It’sJustNotCricket CSC
Twice….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0X4OxvvaNc
kitalba on 26 March, 2012 at 04:57 said
Well done ,Kit.
That was great.
Thoroughly enjoyed it,tho` I`m probably closer to the daffodils than most.
macjay1,
Something is happening and I am sure it means a permanent detachment from this Hun beast that is all over us.
Their Club dies when they don’t have Celtic to hate.
Our Club will thrive when we don’t have to tolerate their childish nonsense anymore, be that in a Scottish/English or European League.
There is a determination about Celtic off the field at the moment to finish this job that has been started, IMO.
Macjay:
That is the script from the movie,
I just added the last wee bit.
petec on 26 March, 2012 at 05:17 said:
God willing,you`re right.
As Kit says,”carpe diem.”
The day is now.
kitalba on 26 March, 2012 at 05:20 said
I figured that,Kit.
Although you do have a way with words.
Hope you`re heading down this way soon.
macjay1,
Mos def, when young Paul McBride dies you know it is especially true. I sense the Celtic Board/Neil Lennon have had their resolve strengthened if it even needed it.
We are battling for the future and defeat is not an option.
.
Just Watched the 2nd Half..
9 Men Vs 11..Without Our Manager Making Decisions 2-2..
I’ll take that..
Summa
Mos Def
.
Tom English: Old Firm derby at combustible best as Ibrox is electrified
Published: 26 March 2012
Neil Lennon: Reacted like a man with a hedgehog in his tracksuit
‘Lennon reacted to one decision after another like a man who had a hedgehog in his tracksuit’
The Scottish Premier League might be a tired old mess, but there is no questioning the Old Firm’s ability to constantly reinvent itself as one of the most electrifying of all derbies. It has challengers, of course. All around the world there are crazed rivalries in this game but yesterday, Rangers and Celtic upped the ante. It was as if there was this subconscious acceptance that their reputation for producing craziness was under threat, so they delivered a game of unending incident and a post-match reaction from Neil Lennon that stirred the blood.
Celtic had one player sent off (wrongly, probably) and then another. They lost a goal – and then their manager. Lennon was dismissed during the half time break as he sought answers from Calum Murray about some of the decisions he had made. Lennon told his story later on and struggled to keep his anger in check.
He watched the second half in the media room because security advised him he wasn’t safe sitting in the stand. “This is the country we live in,” he said.
Things should have petered out at 2-0, but not yesterday. No, no. Rangers had a man sent off and Celtic scored, then scored again. In the space of two minutes the nine men had pulled it back to 3-2 against the ten men. For the briefest moment the hallucinogenic possibility of a three-goal comeback became possible. Celtic never quite got there, but this was weird stuff. You had the bizarre spectacle of both sides celebrating, Rangers giving it large out of joy and relief at beating their uppity enemy and delaying their title party – “So f****** easy!” they roared – with the Celtic element mustering some defiance in the knowledge that their day will come soon enough, probably on Sunday at home to St Johnstone.
What this thunderous occasion lacked in quality it made up for in lunacy, the tension of the day typified by the one-man drama that was Neil Lennon. You should have heard the Celtic manager on Friday. He was the model of decorum, an ambassador for peace and tranquillity. He said he was deliberately talking down the significance of the contest for fear of inflaming it. He, more than anybody, knows what can happen when people lose the plot on days such as this so he was calm and considerate and said he was asking his players to be the same.
He meant well, but this was Lennon at Ibrox, an irresistible force meeting an immovable object. It took about a minute for the atmosphere to bring him to the edge of his technical area, for his fine words of Friday to drift away on the breeze. How could it be any other way?
Lennon emerged to protest about a decision and got booed. Lennon protested again and once more the chants went up. He was in the vortex by then, sucked in as we knew he would be. He wasn’t happy with his team, wasn’t happy with the referee, Calum Murray, most of all. He reacted to one decision after another after another like a man who had a hedgehog in his tracksuit bottoms.
Rangers were ahead by then, put in front by Sone Aluko who began this game like he’d been eating the Rangers history books all week and knew all about what was at stake here. Aluko was hungry for the ball. He didn’t just want it, he demanded it and when he got it he ran with it and Celtic didn’t know what to do about it until it was too late. Eleven minutes: Goal. This is not how it was meant to be.
Even by the standards of this fixture the scenes were extraordinary. Despite being behind, when you looked at the Celtic end, a riot of green and white flags with the Tricolour waving between them, you could have been at an All-Ireland hurling final at Croke Park. When you took in the rest of the scene you might as well have been at Wembley in 1966 such was the coverage of Union Jacks.
And the Union Jacks remained hoisted. Sure, Celtic threatened in the immediate aftermath of Aluko’s clever opener, but what failed them last week against Kilmarnock at Hampden failed them again here. They couldn’t finish when they most needed to. Georgios Samaras had a chance, so did Anthony Stokes.
Neither could convert. Their misses – or more accurately, Allan McGregor’s saves – were important because it gave a team that has been devoid of confidence for so long a reason to believe. They got stuck in. They set the tempo. Around the 20-minute mark, Scott Brown got possession of the ball on the right touchline and tried to go by his man. In the blink of an eye, Lee Wallace, Carlos Bocanegra and Steven Davis had robbed him. Seeing the totem of the Celtic team sacked of the ball was a psychological high for the home support. They rose as one. Small things like that mattered on the day.
And big things, too. Approaching the half hour, Cha Du-Ri walked and Lennon fumed and the combustibility of the occasion was writ large. Lennon charged into view, hopping, gesticulating, registering his outrage verbally and physically. The calm of Friday must have seemed like an eternity ago.
Murray had no need to send Cha off. Even Ally McCoist called it a soft red. It was a poor decision and it hamstrung Celtic who were already struggling to stay with Rangers at the time. The controversy carried on, though. Soon after, Lee McCulloch took a somewhat theatrical fall near the Celtic dugout and like a greyhound from the traps Lennon was out again, looking to Murray and to the Gods and asking them what they were playing at.
Come the break, we watched for his reaction and there wasn’t one. That was interesting in itself. As the players filed past him, Lennon stood his ground, hardly moving a muscle. Clearly he was waiting for Mr Murray.
The two of them disappeared up the tunnel and only one of them came back out. We’re going to hear a lot more about what went on down in that tunnel in the coming days, week, months and, God help us, years, too.
Lennon will still have been at the fever pitch of his fury when Victor Wanyama went into a tackle with Steven Whittaker with his studs up. Another red and more red mist.
When Celtic fell two goals behind it looked done. When Lee Wallace added a third it was as if the home support let go of all the angst and strife of the last few months and released it into the Ibrox sky. Not since they came from behind to beat Celtic 4-2 on the same ground last September have we seen Rangers fans celebrate with such abandon. There was talk that some members of the various consortiums vying to buy the club might have been in the stadium somewhere, not on official invites but incognito.
None of what happened here would have come as a surprise to the Blue Knights, but if the men from Chicago and Singapore were in the stadium it would have been priceless to see their faces. This was raw and untrammelled emotion. The Old Firm lack many things but they still do blood and thunder better than most.
The little kicker at the end of the story was engrossing, too. A third red card, this one for Rangers, and the sudden sight of Celtic finding themselves as an attacking force. Scott Brown put away a penalty. Thomas Rogne nutted home a header. All over the place the Rangers fans gulped hard and looked at their watch. Good news at last. Time was up.
For once in these occasions, the loser has the benefit of a safety net rather than a gallows, but it wouldn’t have felt like that to Lennon. He’ll have a championship party to look forward to soon enough. And a date with the SFA to go with it.
Summa
Good morning all
Callum ‘Bonkle’ Murray and John ‘Dallas’ Fleming (ref supervisor) accomplished their objectives today
– Hun victory
– celtic players sent off
– Celtic manager sent off
Murray is so anti lennon and Celtic that the board needs to request he never referees another Celtic game. This is a man who when he was manhandled by 3 rangers players , he turned up before the SFA and cleared them all. Lenny asks him a question and is sent off. John Fleming overseen all of this.
Regan was meant to bring a level playing field. He has not. The channel 4 interview showed him up a hesitant , nervous individual who lacks the guts and leadership to screws the cancer of the SFA referees system.
He also is compliant on the newco reentry with neil Doncaster. After the extraordinary level of cheating exhibited by the officials ( including assistant referee for slowing an offside 2nd Hun goal to stand) Celtic need to fight until the death against the SFA and newco reentry.
Lawwell being on the board is ok as it a positive step in the war. They have guys like Campbell Ogilvie who had bets, administered them throughout 2 contracts and covered up.
It’s good Fleming and Murray showed their hand yesterday. We know who our enemies are now.
Morning,all.
Couldnae be bothered posting after the match,I thought I’d be a bit better-humoured in the morning.
Nope,didnae work.
We didnae turn up.
Simple as that for me,though with one or two exceptions.
Fair enough,the referee gave us nothing but black eyes,but we should have been good enough.
Fortunately,over the season,we have been.
I’ll settle for that-in one of my rare glass half-full moods!
PS,I hope Neil can prove what he said after the game.
Surprisingly lucid article from Leckie in the sun today…….
TIN-HAT ON!
Or should that be tinfoil helmet?
Morning boys and ghirl,
Long time lurker seldom post. We all know cha should never have sent off, but looking at the wanyama tackle its 50/50, some will go some won’t. I have looked at it a dozen times and what is more dangerous is the way whittaker goes over the top in the same tackle, Shocker.
RS reporting Lenny sent to the stand
no proper comment about the fact that he couldn’t be seated there because if security fears
News management … I despise the Scottish media
petec
I enjoyed that. (does not mean to imply that I agreed with half/any/all or none of it)
The comments section is an education in itself.
Good morning friends from a dry and bright EK.
Jobo
pfayr:
There should be objections raised with the SFA/SPL and representation to UEFA regards the fact that Neil Lennon was not able to take his place in the stand after a totally incompetent performance by a judicial retard masquerading as a badged up referee.
It – in itself – highlights that our paranoia is not, and never was, a figment of our sinister imaginations.
Top of the morning to you all from a beautiful summer-like morning in Fife.
Disappointed with the result yesterday and while we didn’t start well and Rangers were (naturally) up for it at home and led by a good goal from Aluko, it is impossible to make any judgements on the game as it was ruined by the clown masquerading as a referee.
Further compounded by Buffoon Brines resulting in the eventual sad situation where our manager [a Celtic manager who has been faced with unprecedented violence in Scotland] is forced to endure the second half of the game from the bowels of Ibrox stadium because it was deemed unsafe for him to sit in the stand!
I find this shocking and for the first time in my life as a Celtic supporter/shareholder I will be writing to the club to find out what they intend doing about this.
To say I am angry about the refereeing and the security situation at Ibrox is an understatement.
Like most Celtic supporters I am comforted by the fact that we have won the league, but just imagine how we would feel if yesterday’s game had been a title decider.
If the fplg had been sent off at CP then he could have sat in our stand safely. This is the difference between ‘the people’ and us. Will the msm pick this up?
No.
Bobby Murdoch’s……….
I agree with you. Whatever we think about the sendings off (soft, IMO) or their second goal (offside) the truth is we did not play well enough.
As is often the case in life our weaknesses (inexperience, inconsistency) are founded in our greatest strengths (youth, ‘potential’)
We will win the league, we should win the cup, and we will be even better next year. Rangers?……………….
Like most I am appalled that a Celtic Manager was not allowed to watch his team from the stand at Ibox as “his safety could not be guranteed” – What an indictment of all things Rankers and this country. We must do something about this irrespective of the referreing issues
I apologise wholeheartedly and unconditionally to Neil Lennon and to CQN for a couple of comments I made at half-time, where I accused Neil of being a disgrace for having got himself sent-off in our hour of need, and shamefully called a few CQNers paranoid.
All I can say is, my remarks were borne of frustration and anger, but that is no excuse.
I did try to come on and apologise after the game but I just could not log in. I assume the blog was in meltdown.
Finally, I will never post in support of Calum Murray ever again. In the cold light of day, I view his performance as bordering on criminal. He has become a cheat. He has joined hands with the Forces of Darkness. He knows where his bread is buttered. I hope he chokes on it.
Sydney Tim: hopefully does not speak for all tic fans downunder. Does he ever praise the tic? Please rest of Celtic World family, do not put all Aussie Tims in the same bracket as Sydney Tim. We love Celtic. we believe in Neil Lennon, we do not constantly knock our young team on the cusp of a Leaague Championship achieved after being 15 points down in November.
Sydney Tim does not represent the ethos or voice of Aussie Tims.
Morning all from gay Paree, sun is our and spring is in the air.
Well, this Monday morning feels a lot worse than last Monday morning.
Last week, most on here were disappointed with the result, our performance and a debatable decision at the end of the game, but were willing enough to congratulate Kenny Sheils and his team for their win on the day.
Yesterday we saw something completely different.
Or was it so diffrent from what we have witnessed throughout the years?
A read a lot of posts on here last night.
One that struck me was from StMichaelsBhoy2
http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/?p=8444&cpage=13#comment-1356024
He argues that what we had witnessed was Scottish football in microcosm.
He rightly points out our shortcomings but then illustrates how yesterday’s game perfectly illustrated how Rangers’ financial doping and refereeing corruption have served them well over the last 15 years at least.
Well worth a read.
KTF, Sixtaeseven
has wee eck called for a ‘summit’ yet? if not, why not? 3 sending offs and a manager being unable to watch his team for his own safety, surely there must be a summit!!
oh wait, no election for another 4 years
Kayal33 on 26 March, 2012 at 08:20 said:
No Summit
No MSM call for a summit, therefore no summit
the tabloid hun churnalists are ecstatic over yesterdays game
we all know why
Morning all. Lovely morning here in North Ayrshire. Again I was able to sleep properly. Still, woke up sickened. The main reason is not the losing to them, which always has that effect; nor was it the cheating, as I was expecting nothing else. No, it is the treatment meted out to our manager. I asked yesterday and I do so again: if they could not provide for our manager’s safety in their stand, how can they be allowed a licence to operate? I hope we are taking this up NOW with the SFA. You can be sure nobody else will be even interested.
I don’t know if its been talked about yet but will the 25 match (or thereabouts) ban that Lenny will be handed mean that he won’t be able to be presented the trophy on the pitch when we win the league?
I see the papers are saying it’s all the fault of Neil Lennon
I hate this hole of a country sometimes
still angry but smiling at all the orcs with green whilst proudly wearing green