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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i hope commons stays i hope commons stays i hope commons stays (and ledley Charles mulgrinho kayal ki FF broon mathews izzie rogne etc.
Sydney Tim,
QB week end for that beer. Not a Southern Hemisphere CSC bash just a Melbourne No1 CSC end of season celebration .
Cheers
Werribee Pat
Serge,
I was asking whether anybody knew much about Jordan Rhodes – but it’s all getting lost in translation :)))
Thanks for the quick response though….
Estradiol,
I’ve just read your admirable support for Sydney Tim.
Are you saying that he is really Victor Wanyama?
*********
Re the Titanic exhibition, the major investors are, Donegal developer, Patrick Doherty and………”.Dermot Desmond. Two sharp cookies.
My nephew is in Belfast playing in the Belfast Invitational cup.
first match started at 11.45..
it is called the Titanic Centenary Invitational Cup….
.
BJmac..
Cheers Buddi.. Good to See you are Back on the Road..
Will be Back for The Huns game.. The Legned that is Bkackpool Vinny has gave me My his Ticket with The GB.. Heaven..
Yes I’m up for the Golf specially after the Masters I’m 50 Meters from one of our Famous Sand belt Courses but not Played since I came Back..
Keep The Faith..
Remember.. It Gets Better..
Summa
Morning again from North Ayrshire. Could turn out to be a lovely day. The sun is shining at the minute.
Picked up The Times for the first time in months this morning to see if Phil Gordon was reporting on our winning the Championship. He was given the game and does us justice. There are 4 or 5 articles by him on the title winners. I am sure he enjoyed writing them as much as I enjoyed reading them.
Lennons passion re: that rings a bell. i thought we had sign someone then i thought it was Lustsig or i was mixed up with k wilson from last season. For me guys Glen has let me down far far too many times in a Celtic jersey to be even considered a new deal, I was at the St.j game last week and when his name popped up on the screen the whole crowd around me groaned and everytime he got the ball you could have cut the tension with a knife, not a fan guys.
KLV
Tim Malone
haha no worries mate, Rhodes would be a fantastic signing for Celtic.
Prolific! scored 5 in 1 game this season. People can argue its the lower leagues in England but thats where we got Hooper. HH
Kevjungle re: yeah mate im still holding my breathe for a get out clause for them, I’m a realist fastly becoming a cynic with this hole dog and pony show. I haven’t bought into the whole ice cream and jelly thing either because of it. never underestimate your enemy and all that.
KLV
Kilbowie Kelt on 9 April, 2012 at 12:06 said:
….PFayr on 9 April, 2012 at 11:24 said:
the celebrations that have surrounded the Titanic anniversary have been puzzling at best
_______________
I thought I was alone in my disbelief at the celebrations in Belfast.
What is to celebrate about the building of an ‘unsinkable’ ship, which sank on its maiden voyage, …built by an openly sectarian workforce who delighted in recounting tales of throwing into the Lagan any Catholic who got through the net of apartheid discrimination ?
Any normal society would want to FORGET this inglorious disaster.
====
Bhoys,
And God forbid should anyone mention such a thing in N.I or Scotland. They will be demonised for spouting ‘Anti Protestant sectarian bile’. Hypocrisy known’s no bounds in these wee ‘democratic’ states.
“No surrender toTaig historians – revisionist history is the way forward” – forget the past celebrate the money.
My wife was keen to go and see the new Titanic movie, until my daughter explained that it was the same movie as the one she’d seen, except it was made in HD. That put her right off, and she said no point in going then.
I think she was secretly hoping for a different ending.
So whens our first Guiness Tournament? Celtic, St Pauli, Santos laguna, Villarreal/Barcelona
I would sell midfielder not buy any more…
Ledley Vic Mulgrew Kayal Commons Sammi forest Brown more than adequate and offer a variety of tactical options.
I doubt we would buy/ attract better.
All efforts on Central defence, goal keeper and a big striker who scores with his head when required.
Guinness even
I know the article by Ian Fraser which I refer to here has been linked to already, but on reading it it struck me that the demise of HBOS and the decline of Rangers share many facets.
Bearing in mind the influence of HBOS on Scottish football, there are still many questions to be asked of it, though whether any will ever be answered is a different matter!
Anyway, this piece below is fairly short. Mr Fraser’s piece is much longer, but well worth a read.
http://scotslawthoughts.wordpress.com/2012/04/09/rangers-fc-and-hbos-some-interesting-parallels-and-some-questions-for-the-blue-knights/
We need lots of new players. The ones we have are all rubbish. Rangers have all the best young players and older players in Scotland. Kyle Lafferty said so.
Branislav Ivanovic is set to be banned for three matches for punching Shaun Maloney in the stomach.
The incident came as Wigan attacked moments before Chelsea broke down the field to score the stoppage time goal
nice guy huh, Shaun is about 5’4 and a nice guy.
Russian bully.
KLV
scotlands shame on 9 April, 2012 at 11:54 said:
ramis turned us down once, he shouldnt get another chance.
onwards and upwards
+++++
Stokes turned us down once.
IIRC, the Ramis deal was done, fees agreed and wages also. Then the player’s agent decided that a bigger cut of the fee would be nice.
Ramis, at the time, was supposedly happy to stay at Mallorca and fair play to him for that, but I don’t think he ever turned us down.
kevinlasvegas on 9 April, 2012 at 12:17 said:
////////////////
I have said often enough on here, something that, I think folk will only pay attention to when, it’s TOO LATE!
I’ll repeat it…..
“Scotland IS the huns, the huns ARE Scotland!”
Sad but, too true! IMO!
Hail Hail
Off oot
laters…
jackie mac on 8 April, 2012 at 20:43 said:
Kris Commons Loves Celtic
http://youtu.be/hhTcfo5AQ-I
Cathedral View on 8 April, 2012 at 22:42 said:
I read last week that the traditional day for the trophy presentation is the last home game of that season and changes if it goes down to the final game. Then it becomes Helicopter whatever.
Art of War on 9 April, 2012 at 00:07 said:
Rangers were instrumental in stopping the Reserve League but Fergus was gone by that time.
celtic have to use what income we have as best as we can. that means making every penny count and it is clear we are not doing that with lots of money tied up in players who don’t justify their wage.
in my opinion:
it don’t make any sense to keep loovens, he has had 4 years and rarely shows an ability to be commanding.
dan has on occasion shown himself to have good ability, concentration can let him down, for me he should not be re-signed.
o’dea never quite worked out and needs to go
cha has had his moments, a handful of games, but we are well covered at right back, he should go
mark wilson as much as i like him and do think he has ability, i think he needs to go, unreliable due to no fault of his own, but we cant justify giving players 8k a week because of one good season and four or five injury hit ones.
thompson ~ young lad will do ok, just not at celtic
mcginn ~ had a couple of good games but it never worked out and he should be sold to the highest bidder, whatever that bid is.
mccourt ~ can be great can be awful ~ 3 years and a handful of games cant be use to justify his wage and he should also be sold to the highest bidder.
jaurez ~ think i have more of a chance than he does so we should take a hit to get him of the wage bill.
radumssion ~ i thought he would work out, he did not work and we need to move him on, even if it means we dont see a return on out investment
murphy ~ never quite worked out i was never convinced and he should also be sold to the highest bidder.
11 players who in my opinion we should actively be looking to move on with combine wages that would allow for 3 quality additions additions.
On 17 January 2012, Centre Back Jaroslaw Fojut signed a pre-contract agreement with Scottish Premier League giants Celtic. He will join the club at the start of 2012-13 Scottish Premier League season after his contract expires
We live in the moment………….
That’s what we are naturally, genuinely
good at.
True kevjungle,I always make a joke with my friends, ” if they sack calum murray they bring in murray calum” too many of them to change anything is my fear, look at the evidence over the last year and they still are here and only punishment has been 10 pt deduction.
KLV
think ivanovic is a serbian rather than russian bully!
good point about stokes and ramis, transfer fun has started.
we have signed a centre half though havent we?
im a ridiculously silly optimist.
With the addition of the pole I would start new season tomorrow, full of confidence.
This team has character, now with the experience of getting over the line watch us grow. I dont think we need anyone else in.
but As I said, I’m a ridiculous optimist
stephbhoy on 9 April, 2012 at 12:27
Nothing controversial in your list except maybe Paddy McCourt who I might keep
just because – he’s Paddy McCourt.
Standing Up for The Champions……
slightly unsteadily but hey ho!
HH
Thanks Bourne, thats who it was. Fojut, Nice one. Anyone think K. Wilson has looked poor or am i jumping the gun? Too Early? Rogne,Chaz both been excellent at the back dan ok glen ok and kelvin shakey for me.
KLV
When do we get the trophy? Looking to but tickets for me and the kids. Is it the 13th May against Hearts?
When we talk about signings for the next season,
Its amazing to think we Izzy to get back to full strength.
We have the young guy Ibrahim to make his debut
and we have the return of the imperious Kayal to look forward to.
we have yet to see the best of our newsix foot right back.
Big Vic can only get better and young Forrest is going to be a great,
and thats before we look to the transfer market
Exciting times ahead Bhoys
HH
Mike
Fin75 on 9 April, 2012 at 12:33 said:
13th May against Hearts?
I forgot about Jaurez, looked ace in the first few games in europe in spells went on international duty had a party and never been heard from since, strange. I think he’ll be off as well. too many defs and mids now.
KLV
Kilbowie Kelt on 9 April, 2012 at 12:06 said:
….PFayr on 9 April, 2012 at 11:24 said:
the celebrations that have surrounded the Titanic anniversary have been puzzling at best
Although I have no hard evidence, family lore has it that my own grandfather may well have been one of those thrown in the Lagan.
As for being a normal society. Many a time during the recent troubles I would froth at the mouth on hearing some journalist or politician talking about the return of Belfast to normality. From the middle of the nineteenth century, Belfast and normality were never even on distant nodding terms.
I believe that it was Leon Uris in his novel ‘Trinity’ who summed the place up perfectly.
He opined that given the presence of a hostile majority, there was some excuse for the behaviour of the ruling classes in Derry. However, Belfast had simply been born the mongoloid child of the British Empire. I merely quote. No offence is intended.
Great Ad in Daily Record Shocker
http://t.co/w1efdfgo
HH
Mike
I think Cha should be retained, not only for his speed and ability, but for his beaming smile that lights up every ground in which he plays. :-)
Cheers bonbhoy……tickets purchased!!
We were at the final against Killie and my bhoys were very disappointed when we never lifted the trophy…….seeing the hoops lift the league should make up for it.
Hail Hail.
Cheers!!
The Far East bid for TFOD by the Singaporean businessman could be good for a laugh.
He already owns a team called Hougang United. TFOD will love the merchandising, especially the scarves.
http://www.hgfc.com.sg/fans.html
And the curtain rises for act 26 of the play “The day that ranjurs died.”