Yesterday’s result at Ibrox gave some welcome encouragement but it would be wrong to read too much into it. Rangers still have the kind of lead that would have Celtic thoroughly confident of a league win and, lest we forget, St Johnstone collected all three points from Celtic Park already this season.
The win at Inverness was much more important. The Highlanders are bottom of the league but that is a false position. Two points separate Hibs, Dunfermline, Aberdeen and Inverness, while Kilmarnock, who shipped six goals to Inverness at home two weeks ago, are only a further two points away. Even with 10 men Inverness remained well organised yesterday, don’t be surprised if they move ahead of the four teams above them in the weeks to come.
The league is remarkably tight from fourth place St Johnstone to bottom Inverness, where fewer points separate the teams than split Celtic and Rangers. Don’t, therefore, be surprised if points are dropped in the most unlikely places.
Treat yourself to Starting Tomorrow, by CQN Sponsors’ DMP. Our thanks to George and Gordon. Check out the band at their official site.
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The attack on Stokes home and his pregnant girlfriend must surely go down as “sectarian”.
The attackers are the usual and their targets as usual are connected to Celtic -Ireland-Catholic.
This theme goes right through the scottish media too.
Good morning fellow Celts from chilly, dry North Hampshire
Positive result(s) at weekend and a big step forward for Celts with no goals lost.
Like the look of vic67 and Matty the more I see them play.
Stokesy on fire and Jamesy is looking the part. A star in the making, tho’ am I being too picky wanting to see some better quality on the crosses from him? Or is the problem our strikers cannot get on the end of them? Unsure about that.
Good shift from Ghoops who links well with Jamesy and unselfish passing to Stokesy. Sammi was immense in his highly effective in his understated contribution. The Joe and Kayal partnership works well when Joe breaks into a driving runs and want to see more of that from him.
Thought Dan was solid enough and Big Fraser commanding more with a good save low to his right that nswered another wee niggling doubt. El K looked nervy and probably needs more games if he is ever going to show consistency.
Ki showing great passing quality when he came on. A a couple of decent runs by Paddy who was lucky when Shinnie lived up to his name trying to snap Paddy’s. Shoulda been red!
The currants couldn’t score at home, dropping two points (WHO MISSED THE PENALTY?)…are they on the cusp of a dry spell that will culminate in a barren season?
Dunfermline next for shaving and hopefully we can close the gap even more. Then a possibility of going within 4 points on Saturday before they play again. That will ramp the pressure up on thems.
Potentially a very productive week ahead and could be pivotal for our season.
Lurgan – thanks for your response yesterday, filled in a few gaps and appreciated.
HH
M
THE Green Brigade have just had the sort of week which could swell their egos so much their heads might not fit inside the Parkhead gates.
What a row this faction of the Celtic support has whipped up. What attention they’ve generated. In the space of seven days they’ve been the subject of a UEFA investigation and an SPL one. A senior figure at Strathclyde Police has been in the papers asking for a meeting with them – the Green Brigade issued a statement telling him where to go – and Neil Lennon, the Celtic manager, also spoke publicly about wanting to have discussions with them. Celtic have issued a statement and they’ve been the subject of endless media coverage. They can never have felt so puffed up and important. Mercifully, Celtic’s visit to Inverness on Saturday didn’t turn out to be about the Green Brigade, but it could have been. Everyone had their ears pricked to listen out for the pro-IRA poison they’ve belted out to bring so much trouble to Celtic’s door, but the controversial stuff was absent. Sure, there was some posturing. Fans sang “we’ll sing what we want”. They held up banners saying “Our music has survived through famine and oppression” and “Get up, stand up, don’t give up your rights.” All of that seemed to be setting a depressing context of stubborn defiance ahead of the chants and “add-ons” being heard again, but if there was anything, it was drowned out. Neither Northern Constabulary, Caley Thistle’s stewards nor the SPL’s match delegate reported anything of concern. In fact, they privately praised the Celtic support. Fans’ behaviour is heightened and usually becomes more extreme at away matches, especially after a journey of three or more hours when drink is taken, and that made it all the more encouraging that the Green Brigade toed the line in Inverness. The next test will be the visit of Dunfermline on Wednesday. Celtic’s last two home games have resulted in investigations from UEFA and the SPL as well as obliterating chief executive Peter Lawwell’s frequent claim that the club had no issues at Parkhead and needed to address IRA chants only among its away support.
That boast has gone and the satisfaction Celtic have from their supporters earning “Fair Play” awards from FIFA and UEFA for their behaviour at the 2003 UEFA Cup final is also at risk. In the never-ending game of oneupmanship, it’s always been quite a thing for Celtic fans to crow that they get awards from UEFA while Rangers get fines. Celtic have indulged the Green Brigade and received a slap in the face for it. They gave them their own section of the stadium last year (and upset some season-ticket holders who previously sat there by requiring them to move). The club agreed to banners and flag-waving displays. When the Green Brigade made its mortifying “no bloodstained poppies on our hoops” protest last November – a public relations catastrophe for Celtic – the club made a lot of noise about launching an investigation into the matter. If there was any outcome to that, we must have missed it. It can seem as though the Green Brigade has the power in this relationship, not Celtic. They seem to take pride in being a militant, belligerent group. Predictably it has not recognised the authority of the police, nor Scottish football’s governing bodies, and until the weekend it hadn’t seemed to pay much notice when senior Celtic figures called for the IRA chants to stop. You can’t demand respect for the freedom of speech without showing respect for anything else. If the pro-IRA chants are heard at Parkhead again, though, Celtic have no choice but to remove the privileges they afford to the Green Brigade and which some of its members have abused. When it comes to the redistribution of season tickets next summer they will have to disperse them around the stadium, even prevent them from unfurling their signature banner (the one which includes a skull with a Celtic scarf). By also influencing the distribution of away tickets, they could dramatically reduce the presence of the Green Brigade at any Celtic match. Celtic don’t want to do that. They openly praise the Green Brigade for the vibrancy and colour they bring, especially to Parkhead, and they are right to do so. The place would often seem like a morgue without them. That group has made intelligent, germane protests about ticket prices and kick-off times being dictated by television companies. The larger body of Celtic supporters broadly enjoy what they add and respond enthusiastically to them. But it’s noticeable, too, that the vast majority do not join in when the pro-IRA stuff starts up. Whatever the outcome of the investigations, UEFA and the SPL will have no option but to take action if the offensive chants are heard again. The precedent has been set; Celtic cannot afford to keep pandering to a faction of its support it if continues to disgrace them. Perhaps the Green Brigade feels at the peak of its powers right now. In fact the group is at a watershed. Either it continues and thrives as a valued and popular benefit to Celtic, or else it chants itself out of Parkhead altogether.
After a good away win at the weekend we look forward to two home matches this week. Two wins will put the pressure back on our opponents – and a few goals won’t do any harm either
Rain hissing from a leaden sky here in North Ayrshire.
So everyone’s agreed, not just that the sending-off was wrong, but that it was, “ridiculous”.
Traynor, stopping short of demanding a ref’s apology, said that O’Reilly should have gone to the dressing room, told the player to appeal and that he’d back him.
Apparently, if it’s not an elbow that clatters you, then it’s all right.
By Moira Gordon
Published on Monday 21 November 2011 01:00
AS THE beleaguered Hearts team completed a fourth consecutive match without scoring a goal at the weekend, one of their opponents said it was time the Scottish Premier League took action over late payment of wages at Tynecastle – and claimed that the matter would have been dealt with more swiftly by the authorities in England.
For the second month in a row, senior players – the club’s highest earners – have not yet received their salaries, which were due last Wednesday, and the club admitted that it did not have the funds necessary to pay the wage bill. Hearts went down 1-0 to Dundee United at Tannadice at the weekend, and United player Willo Flood said that he sympathised with the plight of the Tynecastle squad. There was speculation during the summer that Hearts were interested in signing Flood – who is happy to have ended up at Dundee United instead.
“I think I’m better off here; at least there is bread on the table for the little fella!” said Flood. “You expect your wages, anybody who works expects their wages, and I feel for them. People say ‘oh it can’t affect them when they are playing’ but I’m sure it does, worrying about the direct debits and your food and your messages and your overdraft. I hope they get it sorted soon.
“Against us, you wouldn’t really have known [there were off field issues], they dug in and played for themselves and their manager. But, how long do you get to go without paying wages? I think it has to be only a matter of time before the league steps in and starts doing something about it. If this was down south, and it had happened this amount of time, I can’t imagine them doing nothing about it down there.”
At the weekend, Hearts director Sergejus Fedotovas tried to assure fans that owner Vladimir Romanov will continue to work in the best interests of the club but admitted they will be a “very different team” next season with senior players set to depart.
Romanov wants to sell the club after becoming disillusioned with football but Fedotovas insisted that would not undermine the future of the club.
Fedotovas said the club were not working to a timescale in their search for a new buyer, but hinted the board were committed to “transforming the business into a much more youthful, enterprising, entertaining and financially viable club”.
Fedotovas could not say when senior players would be paid their missing wages. “I think it is important to credit the players for their professionalism in the matter,” he said. “I do believe they understand that when we say we are doing everything to source funding for their salaries then they accept that we are.
“Despite a sporadic delay at times, we have always paid our players and we fully intend to continue to do so.”
Fedotovas also confirmed players would be offloaded to reduce the club’s wage bill.
“We have several players that have reached the peak of their career at Hearts and are ready for a move,” he said.
“Whether this will be January or the summer – we will need to see what options will be available to us. Our strategy involves bringing through the best young players while selling or releasing some of the senior and fringe players.”
Barrach Obampot says:
21 November, 2011 at 09:31
Popped out but back in now and raging at the attack on Stokes’s girlfriend and the fact that it never made the news. The journalists in Scotland were no doubt too busy sneaking about with hidden mikes/cameras to see if they could catch some 15-year old giving it Up the RA.
Missed the game but a great 3 points well done bhoys. Ironic that the cheating swine O’Reilly helped us, saw the repeat and it was a yellow at least.
Starting to worry about our Bhoys the home of the Stokes family attacked again, there are folk in Scotland that are a festering sore on humanity.
As above next 2 games 6 points and game on.
KTF and stuff the SNP
MOTHERWELL chief executive Leeann Dempster fears fans are being driven away from the game by barmy rules.
Fir Park’s powerbroker spoke out after Well supporters were chucked out of Pittodrie for standing up during Saturday’s SPL clash with Aberdeen.
The Lanarkshire club have been inundated with complaints from disillusioned supporters in the wake of their 2-1 win.
During the match, a number of Well fans were ejected after altercations with stewards. It is understood the problems began due to a small section of the visiting support standing up.
Dempster said: “Clubs have guidelines but each club uses its own interpretation.
“We are prepared, to an extent, to tolerate some things and we work to engage with the fans. I heard our fans were told not to travel to Aberdeen with any flags or any drums.
“A couple of years ago Kilmarnock fans brought a load of inflatables. The stewards waded into the section and took them away and I wondered why.
“What is offensive or dangerous about inflatables? It was just a bit of fun and no one else in the ground seemed to mind, yet they were confiscated.
“We’re asking people to come and pay money. When they’ve paid we’re telling them they can’t sing, shout, stand up or dance around.
“I fear they might start to ask themselves, Why are we coming? Why am I paying money for this?”
Dempster will today investigate the situation with the club’s safety officer Alan Marshall and has made it clear she is no way critical of Aberdeen and will not make judgments about the treatment of her team’s fans or draw any conclusions about the incidents until she is in possession of all the facts.
But she knows the bandwagon for standing areas in SPL stadiums is rolling again and believes that could help the situation.
Dempster has discussed the matter with the SPL’s Neil Doncaster and understands inconsistency in the upholding of the rules annoys punters.
Aberdeen fans contacted radio stations on Saturday night defending the Motherwell fans and claimed Old Firm supporters get away with standing at Pittodrie when others don’t.
Dempster said: “A couple of years ago, the debate was raised about safe-standing and a few eyes rolled, believing that this situation had already been covered and discussed.
“But I think that, as the financial squeeze has come, it’s changing again. Fans always ask the question about sitting down and they also get upset by it sometimes.
“It’s obvious that when you’re talking about 4000 or 5000 people it can inflame a situation to wade in there. But that irks the supporters who then ask why they would be put out for standing up.
“How are we going to tell our supporters to do something when there are occasions when it doesn’t get done by others?
“Of course you can’t have it happen all round the ground but in certain situations there has to be a judgment call if there is no danger to safety.”
Dempster is convinced that making the matchday experience as enjoyable as possible for everyone is the way ahead.
She said: “We have a great relationship with our supporters. There has been a bit of leeway because we encourage fans to bring their flags and drums and to make some atmosphere.
“We have a group of supporters who bring masses of colour to games.
“We ask them about how they want to support the team and they say by standing up, by bringing their flags and banners.
“There is an understanding that if we tell them to sit down or tell them something is not acceptable they abide by those rules and we work as a group.
“We have said that if some of their flags are too big to carry around, we could store them for them. We engage with these guys.
“So far nothing untoward has happened and the discussions we’re having with them seem to be working. We feel it’s the way ahead.”
Motherwell Supporters Trust board member Joe Smith revealed what he witnessed at Pittodrie.
He said: “About 20 of our young fans were targeted by the stewards for standing up after Motherwell scored 10 minutes into the game.
“They were told to sit down and I think they did but one of them got up and started singing ‘Stand up for the Motherwell’ which obviously annoyed the stewards.
“Five heavy-handed stewards waded in and dragged the lads out the ground kicking and screaming. It wasn’t fair because hundreds of Aberdeen supporters stood up when their team scored and the stewards didn’t even blink an eyelid.”
CELTIC are poised to make a quickfire signing offer to Swedish stopper Mikael Lustig in a bid to trump interest from La Liga and the Premiership.
The Rosenborg ace, who is out of contract at the end of this month, has surged into boss Neil Lennon’s future thinking after he saw the defender play against England last week.
Lustig, who operates at either right-back or centre-half, is available to join on a free transfer in January and the 24-year-old is not short of options.
Fulham are watching the situation as are Espanyol. However, sources close to Lustig last night said Celtic could make a concrete offer within days in a bid to jump the queue.
Lennon will meet Peter Lawwell this week to look at January signing plans and the chief executive may give the go-ahead for a pre-emptive strike by sanctioning an immediate offer in order to lure Lustig to Glasgow.
SFA troubleshooter Vincent Lunny will go on overtime today after a weekend of managerial mayhem.
Terry Butcher’s high-octane blast at the referee who sent off one of his Inverness Caley Thistle players against Celtic will be examined for breaches of the rules.
And Kilmarnock boss Kenny Shiels, pictured, could be in trouble after suggesting the referee at his team’s game against Hibs was guilty of ineptitude.
But Record Sport understands new St Johnstone manager Steve Lomas won’t be brought before the SFA for his hand gesture directed towards fourth official Craig Thomson during the Perth side’s goal-less draw with Rangers at Ibrox.
The match referee, Euan Norris, dealt with the incident at the time and that’ll be the end of the matter.
But Butcher, inducted into the SFA’s Hall of Fame a week ago, could be back at Hampden for a rebuke if compliance officer Lunny decides his remarks after Greg Tansey was sent off, following a collision with Georgios Samaras, directly accused referee Stevie O’Reilly of incompetence.
An insider said last night: “Calling the SFA’s disciplinary panel a ‘kangaroo court’ could be construed as passing an opinion.
“But saying the referee was guilty of incompetence would be a different story.”
After Caley’s defeat, Butcher said: “The red card influenced the game in Celtic’s favour without a shadow of a doubt. The decision made me mad.
“It was never a red card. It wasn’t even a booking. It was a deadly assault by a fingernail. I feel sorry for Greg. The ref won’t speak to me but I don’t know if we will appeal this decision. I thought we had a chance with Chris Hogg last month when he was red-carded against Motherwell.
“I went down to Glasgow to face the SFA compliance officer but it wasn’t overturned. I faced a five-man SFA panel so the odds were five to one against.
“They say the new fast-track system is good but it is a fast-track to nowhere. It’s a kangaroo court and there is no justice.
“If we appeal this time then I won’t go.
Maybe we will get Paul McBride to represent us. The referees’ association are due here on Thursday. They better have a fleet of ambulances on standby.
“That’s three players we’ve had sent off here and we’ve lost all three games. The red cards have all happened when we’ve been doing well in the games.
“I feel frustrated. My players were doing well and we contained Celtic. We were growing in confidence before the red card. I also thought the second goal might have been offside.”
Inverness have until three o’clock this afternoon to put their money where their mouth is over Tansey’s plea of innocence.
Meanwhile, Shiels is also under scrutiny.
After his team’s 1-1 draw at Easter Road he said: “There were lots of mistakes and the ineptitude of one person from the 23 starting participants had a major influence on us not winning the game.”
That outburst could see action being taken against the Irishman by the SFA as their directive asking managers and players not to criticise officials appears to have been ignored by the people who were supposed to follow the letter of the law.
It’s time we all stood up for our game
By jim Traynor on Nov 21, 11 06:24 AM in
THE time has come for the silent majority to make some noise. In fact, they need to bring back the thunder.
On the day he was appointed manager of Celtic that’s exactly what Neil Lennon said he wanted to hear again at Parkhead.
And it’s precisely what this club are in need of right now.
Lennon, Peter Lawwell, Scottish football – all of us – would like to hear this thunder more often. Preferably every time that tedious little mob who call themselves the Green Brigade pipe up in support of the IRA.
They are a disgrace to proper protesters and could be described as one of the downsides to freedom of speech.
But it would be rich irony if real Celtic fans drowned out their nauseating attempts to laud atrocity.
Of course they claim they are merely celebrating their Irish heritage but their argument is fatuous. They were given a platform and they have abused it.
Let’s be absolutely clear on this. This lot have done nothing to promote or protect Celtic’s Irish heritage. They have, however, blackened it. And this notion that they enliven a match, that they somehow add atmosphere, is preposterous.
They are a bunch of silly little boys who are being easily led by one or two who fancy themselves as Parkhead politicos.
These people would be hilarious if they weren’t tarnishing the image of a good and great club and, by extension, the country. Despite what some of them may believe, the Green Brigade are not some kind of political movement. They aren’t railing against injustice and they most certainly do not speak for anyone other than their own twisted little circle.
They are an obnoxious, stubborn, bunch. But because they have been tolerated by people who should have known better they believe themselves to have some kind of importance, when in reality you wouldn’t give them house room.
And now we have them dismissing Strathclyde Police, who would rather chat than charge, by saying they don’t want to meet. Unbelievable.
But what’s worse is the cops will probably keep trying for a quiet word when they should simply take the offenders out and lock them up.
Apparently they and other groups of Celtic fans believe they have been singled out ahead of the government’s offensive behaviour bill. Bilge.
Somehow, I just can’t see Alex Salmond cutting short an emergency meeting on the growing financial crisis to ask what was being done about the Green Brigade.
Besides, if that had been the case then those members of this gaggle would have been in the jail by now instead of receiving invites to come round for tea and biscuits.
But then again, maybe none of us outside of this tiny group – so, that’s just about everybody in the country then – know who we’re dealing with.
Speaking after Assistant Chief Constable Campbell Corrigan had asked for the meeting a bloke called Joe O’Rourke, of the Celtic Supporters Association, told the Glasgow Evening Times: “We, as part of the FAC (Fans Against Criminalisation) group were asked to attend a meeting with ACC Campbell Corrigan, but following his comments, the groups representing the Celtic supporters felt it was inappropriate for us to attend.
“Mr Corrigan was reported to be summoning us for a slap on the wrist, well he obviously doesn’t know who he is dealing with.”
Excuse me? Joe, who are ya? The same question should be asked of the Green Brigade. Why is it in this country we’re always bending over backwards to accommodate the most troublesome minority groups, while decent citizens can be hounded for even the most minor offence, such as failing to say thank you to the druggie who has just mugged you for your wallet? If he breaks into your house and you lay him out, you’ll end up in the dock while he’s being looked after by doctors while seriously ill patients who have worked all their days and paid their dues are lying on beds in corridors waiting for help.
Then he’ll be mollycoddled by a team of social workers who ought to be out there protecting innocent children from abusive parents.
The wrong people are always put first and it’s happening with this lot at Parkhead.
They are openly defiant and clearly determined to continue their celebrations of atrocities even when their own club are pleading with them to stop.
Even so, Celtic were appalled to discover their fans had been reported to a UEFA delegate for offensive chants and instead of raging at those who had sounded off, the club were annoyed by the police action.
It was as though the match commander had done something awful when, in fact, Eddie Smith did his job.
But what does he get for that? Slated by halfwits. Half-baked activists in hoodies who have been told they aren’t wanted but who are too thick to get the message.
They are repeat offenders and Celtic should be banning more of them instead of asking why the police have decided to start reporting their behaviour.
The police are not to blame and the main instigators should have been singled out long ago leaving Celtic’s people free to work with teenage troubadours who don’t really know much about what or why they are singing.
They could yet become the kind of supporters Lawwell and Lennon want.
Actually the entire game could do more to encourage the right kind of fan because at a time when the national sport is under siege, supporters are being kicked out of grounds for standing up.
A number of Motherwell fans were thrown out of Pittodrie on Saturday because they were on their feet having a good time.
Some others complained and the stewards and police hauled a bunch of fans out of their places and marched them to the exits.
These fans had travelled from Lanarkshire to Aberdeen in support of their team only to be pushed out onto the street after having paid to get in.
Neil Doncaster of the SPL will have to explain how that helps bring people back to football.
Anyone who goes to a match and gets annoyed when someone else leaps up to celebrate a goal or a piece of skill shouldn’t really be there. It’s the cinema you want.
But what happened to Motherwell’s fans on Saturday is just further proof the game is heading in the wrong direction.
Time Stokes said sorry to Ireland
By Murdo MacLeod on Nov 21, 11 06:23 AM in
THE first thing Anthony Stokes should do is start composing an apology to Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni.
Then he should get in touch with the Irish FA and ask them how he goes about arranging a meeting with the veteran boss who has just qualified the Republic for the finals of Euro 2012.
And Celtic should lend Stokes any practical help they can to do both of those things – because they’ll benefit at club level while the player attempts to rehabilitate himself on the international scene.
There’s no country in the world I can think of who would turn their back on a proven scorer who was eligible to play for them. And nothing’s forever where rejection is concerned.
Davie Weir and Allan McGregor thought they were unlikely to play for Scotland again – but the call went out for them to return and they didn’t reject the idea when it was their turn.
Anthony made a mistake by saying he was too tired to turn out for his country in the Carling Nations Cup in Dublin at the end of last season.
Now he’s lighting up the SPL with his goals and re-igniting Celtic’s championship challenge with eight strikes in his last eight games.
The cynics can claim he might have waited until qualification for Poland and the Ukraine next year was a certainty before making his attempt at reconciliation with Trapattoni. But they can say what they like.
Stokes is one of those players capable of changing games in his side’s favour and who doesn’t want a player like that on their side? You could say he’s the one who started Celtic’s return from what looked like a bleak place when he scored twice at Kilmarnock to begin the job of pulling the team back from a three-goal deficit to get a draw.
Who knows how important that contribution might turn out to be before the end of the season? Stokes scored one and made one when Celtic then won their crucial match at Motherwell and there was another double at Inverness Caley Thistle on Saturday.
When this guy gets his working head on he has all the attributes of a 25-goals-a-season man.
And his next big target, even before restoring his good name in the eyes of his country, is to play in the Old Firm derby at Celtic Park on December 28.
How many times have you seen Neil Lennon leave Stokes out of these games and try something different? The striker’s in a place where he still has to convince his manager of his worth and only good performances laced with goals will leave Lennon with no other option but to admit Stokes has to be a first pick against Rangers.
Scoring against Dunfermline on Wednesday night would be a help at what’s turning out to be a potentially pivotal stage of the season.
I watched Rangers’ Thanksgiving theme turn to dust on Saturday while I was, ironically, in America. And even in the Florida sunshine I could detect a chill run down the team’s spine.
A goalless draw on his first competitive day in charge of St Johnstone might have been a good result for new boss Steve Lomas – but it was an even better one for his old pal Lenny.
Ally McCoist was right to have nothing to do with excuses about players being rusty after the two-week break for international football.
Celtic went to a difficult place under the same circumstances and had the resolve to get all three points.
Nobody expected Rangers to slip up and now it only requires another trip over their own feet before serious doubt re-enters this championship race.
They have now dropped six points at Ibrox this season and that’s not good enough.
The Celtic players will be looking at the league table and doing their sums where the championship is concerned.
And don’t fall for that old one about managers and players not reading newspapers. They’ll have their eyes glued to the stats because they know a chink of light has just shone through Celtic’s dressing-room door.
It’s amazing the difference a week can make. By the time Celtic finish playing Dunfermline and St Mirren there could be four points between them and Rangers.
That’s what you call touching distance and we haven’t even brought the three outstanding Old Firm derbies into the equation yet.
I don’t think we’ll ever see the time when Rangers lose three games in a row but they will drop points along the way and it’s up to Celtic to hang in there with a consistent run of their own.
And that means Stokes and Gary Hooper have to play their part because there’s no other partnership that compares to them up front at Celtic Park.
They should be in the team all the time because they’re never far away from scoring.
Their good eye for a goal has kick-started a comeback for Celtic in the SPL and the team won’t be distracted by the Europa League game against Atletico Madrid at the end of the month.
The win over Rennes has lifted confidence at the club and another one over the Spaniards would do no harm in the current, favourable climate.
As told to Hugh Keevins
Big Nan, disgraceful but depressingly predictable that the Stokes attack is not being reported.
I have made a request for British Transport Police statistics into football related offences for all seasons (excluding Paul67’s 07/08 obviously) going back to 06/07. Do you want to try and get some before this date?
My argument is that it will give a clearer picture as to where the real problem lies, as the COPFS information is obfuscating the issue because it is incomplete because it was destroyed.
HH
We are back in the title race
By DEREK McGREGOR
Published: Today
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DANIEL MAJSTOROVIC flashed a title warning to Rangers with the emphatic message: Celtic are BACK.
The Hoops are still a huge ten points behind the champions after a weekend which saw them win in Inverness and the Gers slip-up 0-0 against St Johnstone at Ibrox.
But stopper Majstorovic knows the rejuvenated Celts now have the chance to move to within four points of their bitter rivals if they win their next two home matches, including Wednesday’s game in hand against Dunfermline.
Neil Lennon’s men also face St Mirren on Saturday, 24 hours before Rangers go to Kilmarnock.
And Majstorovic is confident Celtic — for so long this term miles behind the Light Blues — are now finally poised to turn the screw going into the festive period.
He said: “I think if you see our last two or three games, then we are really back on track. Hopefully now we are starting to find that consistency.
“We’re starting to feel our game.
“We have players on the pitch who have been brilliant this season.
“We just need to keep going and take each game as we did this one.”
Boss Lennon will be hoping Saturday’s pre-match doubts Badr El Kaddouri and Victor Wanyama show no side effects after battling through illness at the Caledonian Stadium.
He can’t afford any more injury blows — especially defenders — with nine senior players already sidelined.
Lennon revealed: “El Kaddouri and Wanyama were touch and go. They had a virus.
“But I thought Wanyama was superb and El Kaddouri had a great game for us.
“Credit to them for playing because they could’ve easily given it up — and they didn’t.”
I wonder if Union man Fraser Wishart will come out and defend Anthony Stokes,and condemn the cowardly attack on his pregnant girlfriend as “secterian”,just in the same way he condemned McGregors bird for battering him.Still waiting on an apology for that one Fraser.
ps have you got a link to the Stokes story, so I can pass it on to someone
PLANS for a ground-breaking community-led takeover of St Mirren have fallen through.
The ambitious social enterprise project would have seen a Community Interest Company (CIC) purchase the 52% shareholding put up for sale by a group of directors two years ago but, despite the takeover at one point being said to have been “99% of the way there”, the group behind it have been forced to admit defeat after months of wrangling with red tape. The CIC, 10,000 Hours, had been created to source funding to provide the £2m required to buy out the selling consortium, with monthly contributions by supporters, as well as local businesses and organisations, then used to pay back the loans. It is thought a problem emerged late on in getting a sign-off for the final funding source and, without that money, the CIC did not have sufficient sums to meet the seller’s current asking price. With their original takeover proposals no longer viable, 10,000 Hours now plan to investigate alternative funding proposals – possibly along the lines of an industrial and provident society – with a view to still delivering the club into the hands of the supporters in the future. “We still believe that the club owned and controlled by the fans, and integrated into the community, provides the best way to grow the club and secure its future for the coming generations,” Richard Atkinson, spokesman for 10,000 Hours, said last night. “Over 800 individuals, plus community and corporate organisations, indicated their support for a fan-controlled Community Interest Company to take ownership of the majority shareholding and, while it is immensely disappointing to have got so close to completing the purchase, the opportunity still exists.” 10,000 Hours, however, could face competition from at least one other would-be buyer. Ken McGeoch, a long-standing director not included in the selling consortium, is fronting another takeover bid, while it is thought a third as-yet unnamed party has also made enquiries.
THE loss to Inverness Caledonian Thistle in May is often cited as the key to Celtic’s failure to win the Clydesdale Bank Premier League last season but, if anything, three consecutive home draws in November and December were even more damaging.
What chance, then, of Rangers harbouring similar regrets over patchy home form come the end of this campaign? Ally McCoist’s side extended their unbeaten start to the league season with this draw against St Johnstone but there were few inside Ibrox getting too excited about that achievement, with debate centred on Rangers’ sterile and uninspiring performance. In the not-too-distant past teams would have travelled to Ibrox and be played off the park, but for most of this contest St Johnstone were Rangers’ equals, if not better. It was the same when Hearts, St Mirren and Maribor managed draws there, and also in Malmo’s Champions League win in July. There have been other matches, against Kilmarnock and Hibernian for example, that Rangers have won but not played particularly well in, the accumulation of points papering over the cracks. Only really in the derby victory over Celtic have McCoist’s men been rampant at home this season. Away, they have won every league match and conceded just one goal. Rangers were bereft of ideas on Saturday. They have looked at their best this season when at least one of their main creative trio – Steven Davis, Steven Naismith and Nikica Jelavic – plays well. Naismith will likely not feature again this season because of cruciate ligament damage, while Davis and Jelavic were both peripheral against St Johnstone. The Croat had one header saved but was otherwise expertly shackled by Steven Anderson and Frazer Wright, while Davis, who had a free kick parried by Peter Enckelman in the first half, struggled to make any headway against the excellent Murray Davidson and Jody Morris in central midfield. Naismith’s injury, and Gregg Wylde’s suspension, gave Matt McKay and Alejandro Bedoya a chance in the wide areas but neither made the most of the opportunity. The width, then, for Rangers came from full-backs Steven Whittaker and Kirk Broadfoot although, again, service to the forwards was sporadic at best. It was left to John Fleck to make the most compelling case to be considered the long-term replacement for Naismith. The 20-year-old is a natural No.10, and the player in the Rangers squad most like the stricken former Kilmarnock forward in terms of style and aggression. He showed enough in a 30-minute cameo to suggest he may be finally ready to fulfil some of his early potential. The draw cut to 10 points Rangers’ advantage at the top, which will be reduced further on Wednesday night should Celtic win their game in hand against Dunfermline. It left McCoist a frustrated figure. “I don’t think we did enough to win,” he said. “We did not force their goalkeeper into too many saves or put their defence under enough pressure. We looked reasonably solid at the back but in the last 10 minutes they had as much chance of scoring as we did. Again, coming off an international break we seem to have shot ourselves in the foot in terms of not winning.” Rangers’ next match is at Kilmarnock on Sunday, which may suit them. Away from home there is less pressure to take the game to the opposition or dominate possession, and they can often look more effective on the counter. At Ibrox, with the weight of 50,000 expectant fans upon them, Rangers must be seen to be always moving forward, no easy task against a team as well drilled as St Johnstone. For now, these home draws are little more than a nuisance for McCoist. Their true cost may not be measured until the end of the season. 19’ Peter Enckelman saves Steven Davis’ low free kick 50’ Allan McGregor tips over Murray Davidson’s header 62’ McGregor denies Francisco Sandaza, right
Awe_Naw @ 9.51
Ahh the ole Celtic ‘queue jumping’ could it ever beat a ‘Gers Swoop’
NEIL DONCASTER was staying defiantly upbeat last night after title sponsors Clydesdale Bank announced they were to end their six-year relationship with the Scottish Premier League in 20 months’ time.
On the face of it, the news represented another blow to the prestige and financial well-being of the league and a further reminder of the extreme pressure being experienced by sponsorship revenues, but the SPL chief executive told Herald Sport last night that he was optimistic of finding an adequate replacement, and the end of the arrangement in 2013 – at the same time as the Irn Bru deal with the SFL expires – presents another opportunity for talks to merge under the one league banner.
The SPL were forced to shelve league reconstruction plans during the summer when no consensus of the existing members could be found to change the league format to two leagues of 10.
“The whole economy is struggling at the moment, but against that backdrop we have Scotland’s foremost sporting property in the title sponsorship of the Scottish Premier League and the interest and exposure to the game in Scotland continues to increase,” Doncaster said.
“So I am very optimistic that we are in a good place to attract a new sponsor in 20 months’ time. We structured the arrangement with 18 months remaining to give Clydesdale Bank a clear line to decide whether they wanted to renew again so that it gives us a clear run to find a replacement. It is a coincidence [that the SPL and SFL sponsorship is set to expire in 2013] but certainly, as part of any league reconstruction, there may well be opportunities.”
Doncaster paid tribute to the arrangement with the Clydesdale Bank, which has been worth approximately £2m a year since 2007.
It has come at a time when sponsorship revenues have been particularly difficult, with the Scottish Cup being without a sponsor in 2011 prior to signing up with William Hill, and at a time when the Scottish Communities League Cup has had to require government funding.
“The SPL and Clydesdale Bank have enjoyed an extremely successful partnership and the relationship has gone from strength to strength over the years,” Doncaster said.
“I would like to thank the Clydesdale Bank for their support and commitment to Scottish football and look forward to working alongside the Clydesdale Bank to ensure the final 18 months of the partnership continue that great success. Work also now begins on seeking a new title sponsor for the foremost sporting competition in Scotland from season 2013/14. The Scottish Premier League has consistently demonstrated that it provides terrific value to its sponsors. I am sure that success will be important in the work we now undertake.”
Steve Reid, retail director of the Clydesdale Bank, said: “It has been a privilege to support Scottish football over what will be a six-year period. As well as supporting our national sport, we entered into the sponsorship to raise awareness of our brand and it is fair to say we will have achieved more than we could have hoped for. However, we believe that at the end of our current deal in 2013 the time will be right to hand the partnership over and, in making the announcement now, we are giving the SPL 18 months in which to find the league’s next sponsor. We remain firmly committed to the remaining period of the sponsorship and look forward to working with the SPL throughout this time.”
Barrach Obampot says:
21 November, 2011 at 09:59
Big Nan, disgraceful but depressingly predictable that the Stokes attack is not being reported.
I have made a request for British Transport Police statistics into football related offences for all seasons (excluding Paul67′s 07/08 obviously) going back to 06/07. Do you want to try and get some before this date?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Put up the contacts you have and I will write and get my MSP/MP involved.
Anything to shine a light on our wee secret.
Barrach
”
Stokes’ pregnant missus forced to flee angry Glasgow mob
today at 7:48 am
The pregnant girlfriend of Celtic and Ireland striker Anthony Stokes had to flee their Glasgow home after it was targeted by angry yobs late on Friday night.
Stokes’ long-term girlfriend Debbie Lawlor was home alone as the sometime Ireland frontman was away in Inverness preparing for an SPL tie on Saturday afternoon.
A gang of yobs, thought to be hardcore fans of Celtic’s bitter rivals Rangers, attacked the house around 2.30 am on Saturday morning, smashing one of the front windows and causing damage to a car outside.
In the aftermath of the attack, Lawlor fled the house and spent the rest of the weekend in a hotel in Glasgow. Despite being made aware of what had happened on Friday night, Stokes played a blinder for the Hoops on Saturday, scoring both goals in a 2-0 win over Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
This is the second time in little over a year that Stokes’ house has been the target of an attack; his home was bombarded by a gang of Rangers fans after an Old Firm clash last year while his parents were inside.
Celtic have already begun an investigation into the incident, with spokesman Iain Jameson telling The Star:
“Clearly this is very concerning on the back of last year’s events involving both Anthony and Neil Lennon.
“We now hope the police deal with this matter very seriously”
Jim Armstrong, a neighbour of the couple who helped out in the aftermath of the attack, told the paper:
“She’s seven or eight months pregnant. If she was in when it happened she must have been given a bit of a fright. I think she was a wee bit upset.”
According to Knob McLean on last nights sportscene Motherwell are in joint second place with Celtic. Hhhhhhhmmmmmmmm
They must have scrapped goal difference while I wasn’t looking.
Dunfermline have taken three points from seven Home games and TEN from seven away games. We should go into this game knowing we are a better side but must give our all to beat a reasonably successful away team.
JJ
Forgot my weather report on my earlier post,
It’s a cracking morning along the coast of NW engerlund, blue sky, wind light and the Irish sea is calm, a temp of 8c according to the car but feels warmer in the sun.
The chase has only started ….. Onwards to victory Celtic!
V
glendaly
Yes, a mere 12+ goals, too.
He’s been saying that we drew level, since the day we gubbed them.
Maybe goal difference doesn’t count because of the sectarian singing he still thinks he heard at The Cup Final?
Wel those behing the current which-hunt against Celtic fans (which fans sung it and which song did they sing, badoom tish!) has done its job by turning Celtic fan against Celtic fan on here.
BTW The saltire predates the SNP by about 1100 years (its apparently the oldest national flag in the world) so please don’t give those short-term politically expedient muppets the ownership of it.
Final point: the Huns didn’t owe £50m in tax – wasn’t it £28m and the rest are fines? Either way, they could have bought a bunch of stuff – body armour for soldiers possibly, but also incubators for new-born babies, school books (for non-Catholic schools), MPs expenses, heck they could even have paid for a right old knees up at HMRC’s Christmas party. But they didn’t – and even with that extra £28m they were still up to their knees, I mean ears, in debt. And it’s our financial management team getting the abuse? Hunbelieveable.
Morning Bhoys
A big welcome to Celtic for our new signing Andre Blackman a full back indeed
Balloch
Copy this
Mob attacks Stokes’ home where his pregnant girlfriend is at home.
Ah, Rob MacLean – the man who quits BBC Scotland for Setanta and then walks straight back into his old job.
I wonder why? It’s certainly not because he’s particularly good.
Big Nan, you can contact BTP here;
http://www.btp.police.uk/freedom_of_information/request_information.aspx
I have also made the request through my MSP. Given the high-profile nature of this proposed new legislation, and the laughable excuse given for deleting the COPFS data, they can hardly argue against gathering as much information as possible on this issue. I would link the stats that Paul67 has given, to show exactly what information is required.
Jungle Jim
Thanks. Can you post the link for where the story came from.
HH
I have no clue about the new bhoy Andre Blackman,,,,is he a left back,and si he good enough o go straight into the team????
Hail hail
I have to say I dont give two tuppeny sucks about winning the league this year. Would be great but it does not excite me as much as the; Huns, baby huns and ayrshire huns going out of business. If that means the end of the professional game in Scotland then that is just an extra coating of jam. If the Scotland national team plummets even more than it has then that´s chocolate sprinkles on top of the jam. If that means Celtic playing bhoys in a dilapidated stadium then fine I can cope with that … and if you know your history it´s enough to make your heart go whoa whoas . we dont care what the animals say … etc.
STILL STANDING UP FOR NEIL LENNON
Hail Hail
Wish somebody at Celtic could take note of how on earth St Johnstone could have practically 60% of possession, at Mordor and prevent the loss of a goal.
Add to that beating Celtic at CP, given the players and resource they have a their disposal
it is indeed a funny ole game.
Where do we go wrong?
googybhoy
Thanks.
HH
THE OLD FIRM could be set to go into battle outside of the UK for the first time in their history – with the USA the likely destination.
Chief Operating Officer Ali Russell has revealed that he believes there is scope for the two teams to meet either post-season or pre-season and they could face each other more than once.
There was talk of a match in Boston last year but Rangers backed out of the deal as they felt it would not have been the most neutral of venues.
And the prospect of the Old Firm going to head to head in the States is back on the agenda.
Russell said: “I would like to see us take the Old Firm fixture abroad but we have to be careful because we don’t want Rangers to become the lesser brand.
“We have a strong tradition at Rangers and we have to make sure we play on an equal footing. Boston was the right idea but maybe the wrong city.
“It might be that we take it to somewhere neutral or it might be that it’s more than one game which gives you an opportunity to create a home and away scenario.
“We haven’t even scratched the surface with the Old Firm rivalry. It is one of the most intense environments you will ever see and it is probably the biggest rivalry in world football.
“I think both clubs and both sets of fans should be applauded for creating that rivalry. Neutrals find it intoxicating and I would be interested in taking it abroad, whether that’s pre-season or post-season.”
Speaking in the Mail on Sunday he added: “There is no such thing as an Old Firm friendly. It would be an intense occasion and that would have real mileage across the world.
“The clubs have worked together in the past in terms of securing sponsors such as Tennent’s. There’s no doubt there is a huge Irish and Scottish affinity in the US so that would suggest there is an opportunity for us to develo
On a football related note: the only feeling better than watching the Bhoys win is find out the Huins dropped points the same weekend. Taking nothing for granted, but as others have said, if we win the game in hand on Weds we’ll have caught up 5 points in a week. We have quality player coming back and they’re now missing their top scorer for the rest fo the season. We have 2 games to play @ Celtic Park to their one at Poundland. Squeaky bum time on Mordor.
Weather foggy and overcast in London, but the sun’s high in the sky if you’re a Celt.