My friends in Celtic, a year ago I signed off on 2010 by saying, “I have never spoken to less confident Celtic fans ahead of a game against Rangers than I have this week”. Celtic had won only five of their previous 10 league games, seven of which were at home, but with a squad ravaged by injury, they found a formation which over several games dominated Rangers.
After three defeats and an Ibrox draw against 10-man Celtic, Walter Smith eventually got it right and beat Celtic at Hampden. The league challenge floundered in a scrappy defeat at Inverness, the home team fought for everything and found some vulnerabilities in Celtic but the season ended on a high with the first trophy of the Neil Lennon era as the Scottish Cup was won at rain-soaked Hampden against Motherwell.
Neil Lennon, Paddy McCourt and Niall McGinn all had to deal with more serious events than football in the first half of the year. Bombs and bullets were sent to Celtic’s three Irish stars, prosecutions are pending. These events put Scotland on the international news circuit in a very unwelcome light. First Minister, Alex Salmond, promised to take action but instead of tackling a century-old anti-Catholic, anti-Irish tradition, his government passed a law which criminalised all sorts of non-sectarian, non-racist activity.
Despite this initiative taking on flagship status for the Scottish Government, Salmond has steadfastly refused to re-gather and publish information on sectarian attacks in recent years. Policy has been made without reference to facts.
The new season brought great promise. Neil Lennon had a year under his belt and was no longer up against Rangers’ most successful manager, instead he would face rookie Ally McCoist, but a humbling by Sion, ultimately neutralised by Uefa, and poor early season league form saw the manager consider his position.
A home defeat to St Johnstone and an utter collapse at Ibrox set the tone, but it was Kilmarnock’s three goal lead which caused Neil Lennon most concern. The story of the second half comeback at Rugby Park is likely to take on legendary status in years to come, but as with much in life, it contained prosaic events. Celtic came out of the dressing room like a condemned team and failed to register a genuine attempt on the Kilmarnock goal for 25 minutes. Anthony Stokes struck a free kick which would have been stopped by most defensive walls but the Kilmarnock version was made of butter and Celtic had a platform to stage a comeback. Killie’s reserve keeper, Jaakkola, failed to reach Anthony’s shot a few minutes later and Celtic were level six minutes after they realised they had a game of football to play.
In their next game Celtic failed to score at home to then-bottom Hibernian, allowing Rangers to open up a 15 point gap over their rivals, who by then were in third place, although with two games in hand over Rangers. Celtic then went to Motherwell and promptly fell behind, our season hung by a thread, but it was that guy Stokes who again had the stomach for the fight. Anthony equalised within minutes and Gary Hooper scored a late winner.
Celtic have not dropped a point since, while Ally McCoist and his boss, Craig Whyte, now look like the rookies they are. They have lost three of their last six games, completing a collapse at Celtic Park on Wednesday night.
A year ago I reflected on the 46 players who played for Celtic during 2010 and suggested we would be better starting with a blank sheet of paper. The league challenge ended in failure but 2011 didn’t. This year ends with a coherent team strategy which could deliver the first sustainable and successful Celtic team in 40 years. We have a young squad, on wages the club can afford, with a scouting and management team that have delivered a clutch of players destined to achieve an enormous amount in the game.
Despite the energy and excitement around Celtic Park, attendances are down. Football is not as fashionable as it was three or four years ago. For much of the season, we play in a cold, wet, environment against well-organised but defensive teams; it’s a hard sell. We all know fans who have drifted from the stands, large areas of the stadium are now scarcely populated unless Rangers are visiting, which will impact income and subsequent expenditure.
Still, the shambles of 2010 has gone, Celtic look like a club with purpose and the tools to move forward with confidence. A two point lead at this stage of the season is largely symbolic but it’s a deserved honour that your team deserves.
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Keevin’s foot ‘n’ mouth
Have all the huns died and gone to hell ?
Or do huns only have keyboards during work hours. Everyone else please note.
Me and the wife finished of the wedding champers last night.
Both of us fell into bed wearing Pablophanques badges and are still wearing them.
I think awe naw jnr. is experiencing his first major hangover. I was quite shocked to see the incredible rubber man at 3.30 this morning. If I was not so well oiled myself I might have chastised him.
Not Standing For Neil Lennon today. I will offer my searing headache up to him instead.
Think I might have discovered a taste for expensive champers. Awe Naw.
Happy New Year to you all again.
HH
Gordon_J
I actually think Only An Excuse should have been even funnier given how easy ole Whytey should be to take off.
Look at them big googly eyes and the “aaaaaayyyyyyyyyy” in between almost every word. He’s hilarious in real life.
Good job for him he’s a BILLIONAIRE with WEALTH OFF THE RADAR.
Aye, for the same reason my wealth is off the radar: he hasn’t got any.
SwanseaBhoy
Rangers billionaire owner must be whiter than Whyte in this transfer window By Gordon Waddell on Jan 1, 12 09:12 AM in
IN an ideal world… Ally McCoist must have used that phrase a dozen times on Friday talking about the transfer window.
To the point where he was actually laughing at himself for doing it. The irony wasn’t lost on him.
Because his world is so far removed from ideal that if he didn’t laugh at it, chances are he would start rocking from side to side like a Weeble and Google the number for the Priory.
In an ideal world, you know what you want and go in and get it, McCoist says. In an ideal world, you speak to your owner and he meets your needs. And even in an ideal world, if you have to sell, you sell early, get the proceeds and have time to recover.
Meanwhile, back in the real world… This is the ultimate test of Craig Whyte’s intentions for Rangers.
A four-week chance for him to either stand up and be counted for his manager or hang him out to dry.
Let’s face it, in the summer he let McCoist down.
He made all the promises, said there would be £5million, said he would even frontload another 15, asked his manager for a list – then pursued it with all the vigour of a teenage sloth.
Every top target the manager had, they enquired, they prevaricated, they bid tentatively, they missed out.
David Goodwillie, Tomer Hemed, Roland Juhasz, Wesley Verhoek, even Carlos Cuellar. The classic symptoms of the guy at an auction who shoves his hand up first for the attention but knows he’s never going to win.
Then heaves a sigh of relief when he doesn’t because he doesn’t have the readies to buy anyway.
That was before a ball was kicked.
Now, by McCoist’s admission, Gers NEED help. Fresh bodies. A spark.
The team they keep saying was resilient enough to win three titles against the odds has been taken to the well once too often. They’re in reverse gear. Not just because of Wednesday night. Not just because they lost to St Mirren either.
In their last three home games they have been chronic. That 0-0 draw with St Johnstone, the 2-1 win against Dunfermline courtesy of a freak own goal and a conned penalty and the 2-1 victory over Inverness where the away team could have scored five in the second half alone.
And the problem Rangers will have is it’s a damn sight harder to get who you want in January than it is in July. No one’s out of contract. Everyone’s either a fee or a pre-contract deal.
And the latter is as much use to McCoist at the moment as a one-legged man in an arse-kicking contest.
But having seen how hit and miss things get when you end up trawling down the shopping list for second and third choices, Whyte really needs to come up with the goods.
And that way, you take away any excuses. Personally? I’d get shot of Nikica Jelavic.
He has been counting the days to the window like a kid opens the doors to chocolate on an advent calendar.
It will be interesting to see what the deal is. My understanding is it won’t necessarily be the club who offers the biggest sum – just the one who offers the most up front.
Whyte will take £5million in his mitt rather than six or seven spread over three years because it’s the only way he will have anything to give McCoist to reinvest. Likewise, though, clubs won’t be selling to Gers on the never-never. They will want cash.
Either way, he has to entrust McCoist with the means to make a difference.
Alejandro Bedoya, Juanma Ortiz and Matt McKay were all signed on his watch and look woefully short.
But so were Carlos Bocanegra and Dorin Goian and both of them have been terrific, while Lee Wallace is a cert for a long Ibrox career.
It’s now or never for making a season-altering difference though.
Celtic have already invested in an international-standard full back.
And you get the feeling they won’t fail to ram home an advantage this time after Peter Lawwell failed to deliver Steven Fletcher for Gordon Strachan in January 2009.
It’s up to Whyte to counter on behalf of his club and his support.
Old Firm bosses singing from same hymn sheet By Hugh Keevins on Jan 1, 12 09:23 AM in
THE scavenging dogs are circling Ally McCoist, tongues flapping and slavering from the sides of their mouths in anticipation of the kill.
And the Rangers supporters are even worse.
A serial dropper of points, a cynical abuser of the SFA’s appeals system and, worst of all, a man who took his Old Firm defeat with a level of dignity that equates with weakness in the eyes of the fundamentalists.
That’s how McCoist’s charge sheet looks. And there are several other offences to be taken into consideration.
These include not lambasting the referee for refusing to say a ball he couldn’t see was over the line on Wednesday night, thereby failing to create the kind of witch-hunt that causedWillie Collum’s family to live in fear in the aftermath of his previous Old Firm derby.
What kind of man is he at all, this Super Ally?
And what’s Neil Lennon thinking about when saying he understands Rangers were not the first, and certainly won’t be the last, to have a go at appealing a red card they don’t have any chance of overturning?
Doesn’t he know the party line is Celtic would instinctively be conscientious objectors to any underhand scheme that would give them an unfair advantage, unlike that other mob across the road?
If it had been Beram Kayal instead of Lee McCulloch who was sent off for an elbow last weekend, Celtic would have deeply regretted their player’s resort to violence and immediately taken to the moral high ground while accepting his punishment unreservedly.
And if Lennon had dropped as many points as McCoist after having been so far in front, the Scottish press would have scented blood and savaged him.
That’s because the papers are out to get Celtic’s manager as part of the same agenda which guarantees the Ibroxboss immunity from any kind of criticism whatsoever.
This overlooks the consistent support given to Lennon when the half-wits were getting on-the-job training in bomb making and sorting offices were being alerted about anything addressed to the manager of Celtic.
The most heartening sight of the week was the Old Firm bosses offering each other a civilised handshake at the end of a game which gave one so much pleasure and the other more grief.
Everyone from First Minister Alex Salmond to the heads of churches and the judiciary got involved when their last Parkhead meeting didn’t go so well.
So it’s only right to give them due credit for having shown a greater degree of maturity than the extremist wing of their fan base.
The fall-out from the latest derby makes the Old Firm fans resemble the hundreds of thousands of North Koreans who wept and wailed to order when the “Dear Leader” Kim Jong-il was laid to rest.
They throw their hands up in horror and gnash their teeth in a reflex action every time they get a chance to howl about some imagined injustice.
And the outpouring of emotion is as believable as that witnessed outside the Grand People’s Study House in Pyongyang.
Nothing proves conclusively that Lee Wallace scored against Celtic. Live with it.
Everything points to the ref having made a mistake bynotsending off David Healy for his foul on James Forrest. Deal with it.
Healy’s full-bloodied tackle appeared to be borne of frustration at the way proceedings were going.
Likewise Kyle Lafferty’s go at Adam Matthews.
Neither player looked capable of kicking their own backside on the pitch and ended up with the next best thing by booting somebody else’s.
Nobody said the title race had to be conducted without an agreeable level of robust rivalry.
But Lennon and McCoist acquitted themselves with greater common sense and mutual respect than those who don’t understand what any of that means.
Jock Stein, who would have had no time for today’s oddities and malcontents, once said: “In football the eye sees what it wants to see.”
All the rest is for the social networkers, the tweeters and the message board militia who wouldn’t know reason from a black pudding supper.
The Scotsman article preparing the huns for administration does not have a journalists name attributed to it I bet ?
Straight from the Editor’s inbox to print ?
Or feart to put their name on it ?
HH
Happy New Year to one and all on this great site!
Happy New Year to one and all
awe naw
naebody would be stupid enough to put their name to that cack
a page filler ….and a wee bung for the editor for printing it
BRTH 10:54
for some strange reason, i see Sounness getting involved
he’s got a good few bob and 2yrs back he was mingling with some wealthy arabs via his work with al jazeera
not be shocked to see him step up again
tho he has some heart problems
Awe Naw…..had to laugh at keevin’s icredible hypocricy…
” All the rest is for the social networkers, the tweeters and the message board militia who wouldn’t know reason from a black pudding supper.”……….that from a fud who avoids reason in favour of tainting every word which comes out of his rear-end …. feeding his confirmed / abject hatred of Celtic……
he was asked a few nights ago why he hated Celtic, but refused to give the reason, since it might have legal implications…he should be banned from going anywhere near Celtic Park…
wba v everton….dire ,doing their level best to make hangovers worse and making me feel better I didn`t drink last night, back to the cooking and now on the Sangria, home made of course.
Jonathan Watson should be expecting a lawyers letter fae the MBB…..
PFayr
I can think about 40 of them off the top of my head and for a pat on the head. Tom English is still doing his job yet obviously still has misplaced opinions about his own credibility.
HH
1-0 Everton 85 min
Happy New Year
Lets hope its a good one.
Happy New Year to all CQN’s
The article from Guidi in todays Sunday Mail is the most embarrassing piece of sports journalism i have seen for quite some time (and in Scotland that’s saying something)
It is quite simply made up nonsense
Then i came upon the Scotsman article
Oh dear. They really are in for a big shock come March/April
‘Mon the Toffees!
where are we with our STV policy ?
is it simply every man for himself
or have we all decided to bin them ?
haven’t seen any recent links to their site by Paul
and as for me, they’re gone !
history !
(fat) Paul’s steak pies
haha
jealous !
THE LONG WAY IS OVER 1229
Years ago I said that Rangers could not trade their way out of their problems. Spending as they did after Kaunas was a measured response to Celtic’s downsizing,speculate to accumulate.
It worked to a certain extent,inasmuch as they spent £20m,recouped about £40m via CL money and roughly the same through season tickets which otherwise would not have been sold.
While they should never have been allowed access to such a line of credit-as subsequent events have proven-it STILL didn’t stop them from facing meltdown.
Tough.
Couldnae happen to a more deserving bunch of supremacist b…..ds.
Good afternoon friends from dry and bright East Kilbride.
A big Happy New Year to everyone who posts or lurks on the best site on the Internet. And particular good wishes to the man we are all indebted to, Paul67.
Here’s hoping for a very memorable, treble winning year.
Jobo
Bada bing
Happy New Year Big Chap!!
Happy New Year Paul and Ah’ll
Only An Excuse – 1 of 2
Happy New Year to one and all!
Martin42 thanks for your kind words enjoy your Steak Pie!
Knoxy2000 – The wee man will be in our prayers and if you are fundraising for the MRI scanner count me in! Will also make sure I go give blood in January!
Estadio – loved your post about our friend Pablo!
Apologies if I have it wrong think it was you BJmac, you made me laugh with the post about turning up at the wrong funeral can’t beleive you never let on!
Hamiltontim – I am sorry will be keeping you and yours in my prayers apologies x
Jobo…
From one Ek man to another…
Awrabest!
Only An Excuse – 2 of 2
coors young nephew getting a start against Citeh
Keevins. Hell hath no fury like a talentless hack scorned.
blantyretim says:
1 January, 2012 at 14:48
Bt ,check your e-mail…………………please.
By the way, those of you looking for a new article are on to plumbs as they say!
Chef Brennan, has been giving a blow by blow account of how to make Steak Pie, Gravy and trimmings over on twitter.
Apparently, over and above editing blogs and magazines, conducting his business, going to games, giving radio interviews etc he is also a regular Fanny Craddock!!
Of course he would not be a Gordon ramsay as there are too many sweary bits in his cooking.
His last Tweet said “ready to serve”.
This concerns me a bit because those words were uttered by Mrs Brennan in the form of a question!
“Ready to serve?”
Paul’s reported answer perplexed me a bit
” Aye ready!”
Surely not?
Only a Craddock would say such a thing!!!!!!
Guidi’s article on Jelavic is an affront to an already red necked red top. He is treating his readers with total contempt.
WDH
nothing at aol or hotmail…VP
will do..
minx1888,
Good to see you posting – a Happy New Year to you
blanytretim,
From the BBC:
“Sunderland boss Martin O’Neill on full debutant and Northern Irish midfielder James McClean: “He is an exciting talent. He’s come on a couple of times as a substitute and he has electrified the place, particularly against Blackburn Rovers. It’s still a big task for him, but he’s willing and he has no fear.”
By the way everyone…
What is the true story with Kris Commons?
BRTH
A way with words………indeed :)))
HH
Off out for New Years dinner with my dark side relatives, I have to confess to them that I got it pathetically wrong on Xmas Day when I predicted Rangers would win ;-)
Wife has banned me from wearing my new Xmas tee-shirt, the John Lennon 1974 NYC picture with “I love Jinky” on his tee-shirt.
The Celtic golf shirt it is then.