Amid the enormous events of the season it is easy to overlook the remarkable transformation in Celtic from a team which was bumping along in third place in October. The 3-3 draw at Rugby Park, when Celtic recovered from a 3 goal deficit in the final 20 minutes to grab a point, is often referred to as a turning point but I don’t subscribe to this, Celtic drew 0-0 at home to Hibs two weeks later as the deficit from the top of the league headed towards 15 points, albeit with two games in hand.
It’s not often I’m told “get a grip of yourself” but that’s exactly what was said when I suggested to our chief executive that if we lost the next game away to Motherwell we were in danger of finishing third.
He then went on to quote me the points gained/lost ratio Neil Lennon enjoyed between becoming Celtic caretaker manager until his team lost at home to St Johnstone in August – a remarkably successful period. He knew the same ratio between that St Johnstone game and the 0-0 against Hibs, which he said was a problem that would be fixed. For good measure adding that we would beat Rangers on 28 December and go on to win the league.
Refreshing, though it was, to hear such utter conviction in The Plan, I wasn’t convinced. Rangers were on a roll and we just couldn’t put a series of wins together. The change came against Rennes on 3 November. Celtic came from behind to win the game 3-1, playing a tactically different game than we had all season.
Since then Neil Lennon has bravely changed tactics with more regularity than any Celtic manager I have known, even during games we have often seen three different strategies deployed. Not all have worked but he has shown a willingness to take chances and has learned plenty about his squad in doing so.
This willingness to take chances and to learn has delivered the league title.
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Off now to find a golf blog to see if anyone is talking about the mighty Celtic.
onlyjokingcsc
HH
Is there a limit to the level of happiness a human can feel?Is it inevitable guilt will kick in?With so much suffering in the world is it insensitive to have a constant glow of joy?For the last few months i’ve been awash with a feeling of felicity and contentment,some of it at the murky mess the huns find themselves in,most at the champion efforts of Neil and his young team.After yesterday’s magnificent performance and the clinching of the title my satisfaction is ‘off the radar’.I’m now beginning to think i might have had my share of fun and i’m now being greedy.Where do these feelings come from?Why can’t i relax and go with the flow?
Thing is though,i still want the double so i can’t feel that guilty.Can i?It really gets on my yayas.
I’m rambling now so i’ll end with this;
If our squad stay together and Neil gets in players he wants to strengthen the squad a year from now who of our players would attract the highest bids and why?
And what would constitute European progress?
P.S.I’m not advocating selling our best players it’s just curiosity.
GLASGOW CELTIC CHAMPIONS!!!
Steviebhoy/PF – ker-ching bhoys, enjoy it.
praecepta – cheers mate, it’s been a great weekend. OMG he’s blubbing again….!
T4
Just one more oldy but goody
http://enematic.wordpress.com/2011/12/17/sectarian-panda/
Hail Hail
Estadio
Vmhan Supporting Lenny! on 9 April, 2012 at 00:04 said:
Apparently Gordon Waddle of the Sunday Mail wrote about a comment of Joe’s on Twitter about the Titanic and said it was indicative of bigotry.
There is bad blood between Waddle and Joe because Joe has , rightly in my opinion, questioned Waddle’s bias in reporting on Celtic.
They are desperate to make mountians out of indents in the sand if it reflects badly on Celtic, we need to be careful not to leave any.
I reckon the hun administrators would pay up front for the tickets but would they hand over a damage deposit. Going by the money we are owed they didn’t do so for the previous game.
Palacio67 afore ye go, I met Wullie C’s wee mate Pat Doch in the club yesterday, he’s still up in Barrow working, I called him a Port bhoy, he wisnae to chuffed with me TAL
The flag yesterday, One love……..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdB-8eLEW8g
Jock
There is an agreement between Celtic and Rangers that each club bears the cost of damage carried out by opposition fans.
Hail Hail
Estadio
Tainted Titles No.1…
Dumbarton League Winners 1890-91 shared with rfc but claimed as full title by the defuncters.
Auld Neil Lennon heid,
Keevins also mentioned the same thing in his column.
Highly suspicious 2 columnists from the same newspaper mentioning the same incident.
Auldheid thanks for that…… I wouldnt have known about that living down in engerlund, I rarely read the rags TBH… thanks again.
Vmhan Supporting Lenny! on 9 April, 2012 at 00:48 said:
=====================
We missed him a few weeks back, the time we were down in Barrow for their doo, I think he was back up in Greenock for the weekend.
How was Blackpool yesterday? Green and White?
HH
Happy Days playing on Sky… Altogether Now Happy Days… oh liquidation
Vmhan Supporting Lenny! on 9 April, 2012 at 00:49 said:
The flag yesterday, One love……..
=============
Vinny Think I read on here last night that that flag belonged to a CQNers son.
Stairheedrammy ?
HH
Clashcitybhoy on 8 April, 2012 at 23:09 said:
Lennybhoy,
Thanks , he you enjoyed the game yesterday.
I bumped into Smashing Milk Bottles after the game yesterday.
That was some bump. He was in the Algarve watching game on TV and was speaking fluent Portugese after the game.
Palacio67, aye it was brill would have been great up the road innaw, and out in Aus, Canada, etc……. some support a collective HH all around the world.
Who thinks barca are going to follow Manchester united in copying the might Glasgow Celtic !
By tailing their greatest rivals then overtaking them when the pressure becomes too much for the leaders?
am i in a minority of 1 ?
i have never thought for 1 second that Rangers(IA) will get liquidated.
all the talk about the next game against them being the last ‘OF’ game is just nonsense to me, there will be 4 celtic-rangers games next season, i have no doubt about that
rangers will still have a semi-decent team on the pitch next season despite their debt
why do i think these things?
were they any other company in any other line of business then the gates would have been locked long ago, and possibly a few people in court.
but i got no doubt that there is a cabal involving the SFA, SPL and the government to ensure they stay as they are
can anyone say they trust any of these groups to do anything different?
no chance
i will say it again
rangers wont get liquidated
it wont be allowed to happen
t.co/CHuo14a2 – hope this link works – via @cleticmindedcom on twitter, Neil on Sky Sports Goals on Sunday this morning – comes across magic as you’d expect.
Hoppy do
I think you are WRONG … Liquidation is INEVITABLE..
Most SPL teams make a loss each season. It would take 100 years to claw back £135m.
HMRC don’t do walking away
hoopy-do
The net is closing in. I have to say that Alex Thomson is the difference. I like the cut of his gib, and Rangers, the SFA and the Rangers-supporting media certainly do not. In any case, liquidation is a tricky thing to avoid if creditors like HMRC don’t play ball. There’s momentum.
Vmhan Supporting Lenny! on 9 April, 2012 at 01:02 said:
==========
Sad that the coppers closed a couple of our bars though.
Only in Inverclyde eh
HH
PETEC 0053
I noticed the same thing.
Waddell allowed his personal animosity to show through-thoroughly unprofessional,IMO-while Keevins slipped it into an otherwise hagiographic piece-by his standards anyway!
Tossers,the two of them.
Ah well,out to do some work.
Have a pleasant night,folks.
Petty I know but the ref was rotten yesterday.
Bloke109 is Neil Lennon 01:04
Thank You very much for this link.
Amazing to hear good footballing people talking, unlike the agenda driven media up here in Rangers infested Scotland.
Those Men enjoy conversing with such an engaging person as Neil Lennon.
Celtic is Flourishing.
Auldheid, just reminded me of the GB banner recently,,,,,, with the titanic and the rats deserting the sinking ship…… nowt wrong with that IMO, the huns have avoided tax to win trophies since 1995…… everything they get coming as punishment is due, and every opposition club, team and support has a right to feel cheated and angry.
I bet on Celtic winning the league and individual games and have done thoughout that period, good folk have spent hard earned cash to support their teams in open, fair competition, its obvious now that it wasn’t in the least bit fair, no tax, NI or VAT in the last 12 months…£11 mill the huns never paid while we paid our £11 mill approx…….. so they had an advantage of £20 odd million in the last 12 months….
Auldheid you know all this and more…… lots more…… just having a mild rant, too much jelly n ice cream…… TAL
HH AuldheidI
What, if anything, did Joe write about the Titanic? If he’s been misquoted, then I hope that the CSA will sue. If not, then….
T4
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS
We are Championeeees my main man BM.
We are the Champions despite the cheaters leading by 15 points.
Incredible new word I’ve had to google. Loving it, absolutely loving it.
Ooh AAH up the Ra Sa Sa Sa Samaras. ;)))
Just a thought. The administrator’s list had them owing money to Chelsea. Possibly for a pre-season, but surely they’re not still paying up the 12million for Flo.
Apologies if this has already been mentioned.
Last night in Las Vegas, during his show, Rod Stewart invited everyone who was wearing a Celtic shirt to join him on stage to celebrate.. :-)
A great ambassador for our club is Rodney :-)
T4
The murray media think that Joe’s an easy target (he’s not IMO), can you imagine them going against CH4 or Phil M. If it came down to it Joe would have our support, perhaps theyre just trying to get clicks on their website or stupid huns to buy the rag?
Don’t buy them and don’t listen to their radio rangers ….. be happy!
V
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktOZTTeo_Z0&feature=related
What a Support
On Joe O’Rourke
I’m afraid the Association will be better off if he walks. Some of you can say what you want about him being a good guy – and he is a good guy – but his tweet has to be seen in context, and in context it’s indefensible for the head of our supporters association to said what he did. There is no defending it.
This started with a sectarian joke which someone tweeted. Something about whilst Protestants were building the Titanic Catholics were building an iceberg. Not funny in the slightest, highly offensive and sectarian.
For Joe to then re-tweet that, and add that it was a shame the people who built it were not on board … indefensible for the head of our largest supporters association to make those kind of remarks.
Mountain out of a mole-hill? I remember people saying that about Dallas and his sectarian email. For the media and others, this is an open goal, and this time I will not shoot the messenger. I am offended by the idea he should remain in post, offended by in the same way I would be demanding the head of someone in the Rangers Association, or Assembly or whatever they are calling themselves, if they had done a similar thing.
In my view this cannot, and should not, be allowed to stand.
That’s my personal view, and I have no axe to grind here at all. As long as he is in post the Association will be regarded, by many, as condoning his views. There is talk of a police investigation … and that sounds like cobblers to me, but no matter. It is inconceivable that he can carry on.
Nor should he. There is no defence here.
NL took over a team of underachievers when TM left and he went about the task of getting them to play with some pride. he achieved his goal and was rewarded with a new contract. NL bought in a host of young players and won the scottish cup in his 1st full season, took the title to the last day of the season and came up short in the final of the league cup, but early exit out of european football. NL took his team to league title success in his 2nd full season as manager, again came up just short of league cup in final and is contesting a semi-final in the scottish cup, entered into the eurpa league after sion were expelled and gave good account of self.
with a modest budget NL has transformed the fortune of celtic and has, through his transfer policy, brought in some of the best young players we have had at our club in a decade. he has continued to bring in players with polish centre back fogal, Nigerian play-maker, ibrahm and swedish international right back, lustig signed up. NL should be given the opportunity to bring in 2 or 3 quality first team players this summer. we need a goalkeeper, fraser if possible, a powerful pacy goal scoring centre forward is an absolute must if we are to breach defenses on the continent and a creative midfielder.
NL has built his own team over 2 1/2 seasons and during that time several players have moved closer towards the exit door, which should allow for a couple of quality signing. moving on the fringe players is a must if he is to realise his ambition of building a team capable of competing in europe (not winning, but earning respect).
yet, this could be NL hardest summer since arriving as he will need to put his own ambitions before players like mark wilson, cha du ra, loovens, o’dea, dan, thompson, mcginn, mccourt, murphy, jaurez and radmussion etc… he may also have to sell one of his current first team players to fund the signing of quality players in other areas of the team i.e. sacrificial a midfielder for the quality centre forward.
expectations for next season will be high with a successful defense of our league title and an appearance in the group stages of the CL (finishing 3rd and dropping into europa league). celtic board ~ back NL so that he has best chance of achieving goals. celtic’s ability to start developments with re: the celtic triangle, i imagine, will rely heavily on celtic’s participation in the CL.
celtic need to progress on the pitch to see progress off the pitch and needs to progress off the pitch to become more competitive on the pitch in the longer term. NL’s success over the coming years will shape our future.
Only saw in the past hour that the defuncters won 3-1 against ten men St Mirren at some point over the weekend.
Forgot all about them.
They have never been so irrelevant.
James Forrest is Neil Lennon! We are ALL Neil Lennon! 01:34
All these communication interfaces come with dangers, some more obvious than others.
Joe has fell foul of its seduction unfortunately, especially when there is a concerted anti Catholic/ anti Celtic feeling in the media.
These tools are always good as long as you are not on the wrong side of them.
JF given the apparent attacks on him from the hun media,and you’re post which I can’t fault…… I’ll reserve my thoughts on this subject until I have more info, he deserves that IMO.
HH to ye!