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You are at:»»Time for Paddy, Emilio and Kelvin

Time for Paddy, Emilio and Kelvin

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By on CQN BLOG & Comments

Tomorrow Celtic have a Scottish Cup tie away to Peterhead, currently second bottom of the Third Division.  Peterhead have recorded their only two home wins of the season in the last two weeks, so Celtic’s scouts will have seen them at their best, but the break from league action will allow Neil Lennon to rest players who have been carrying niggling injuries, including James Forrest, whose terrific form could be jeopardised by the stresses of carrying such a prominent responsibility for Celtic.

The game in Peterhead will also give fringe players an opportunity to shine.  I suspect Paddy McCourt is still carrying the can for hitting the post against St Johnstone in August, the day it all started to go wrong.  We’ve missed him.  Emilio Izaguirre and Kelvin Wilson would also benefit from 90 minutes football as the squad reassembles itself, although the game might come too soon for Kris Commons.

News that Beram Kayal’s injury is likely to keep him out of action for four months was sickening.  This is the third serious injury Beram has suffered since joining Celtic 18 months ago.  I read a bit about grade 3 eversion ankle sprains yesterday.  He’ll need the best treatment and recuperation in the days and months to come.

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  1. masty is neil lennon on

    Kittoch says:

     

     

    8 January, 2012 at 13:52

     

     

    down at swindon mate, played yesterday

  3. Professor Green is with Neil Lennon on

    kittoch

     

     

    He was playing for Swindon yesterday in their 2-1 win over wigan. Di canios the manager.

  4. fan-a-tic on

    Any team news yet?

     

    Would play Blackman before Izzy

     

    They will be allowed a robust style of play.

  5. Kittoch on

    Thanks bhoys for your prompt responses, is he doing well?

     

     

    Always thought he had a talent, maybe a little vertically challenged.

  7. Indio on

    Zaluska; Cha, K Wilson, Mulgrew, Izaguirre; McCourt, Brown,

     

    Ki, Ledley; Stokes & Samaras – strong side picked by Neil Lennon

  14. Snake Plissken on

    Glad Paddy and Emilio are playing.

     

     

    Go out and blow this mob away inside 20 minutes Celtic.

  18. masty is neil lennon on

    kittoch

     

    young caddis was captain yesterday and according to the following match report did ok….

     

     

     

     

    “Paolo Di Canio!” the County Ground sang in full throated honour to the exultant strains of La donna è mobile and Swindon’s most unlikely idol raised his hands to the skies in almost Messianic pose.

     

     

     

    The adventures of this greatest of entertainers are up and running once again and Di Canio the manager may be about to quite eclipse Di Canio the player if there are many more wonderful afternoons like this.

     

     

     

    Orchestrating the defeat of Premier League Wigan with his splendid crew of League Two journeymen was, he reckoned, the greatest day of his career.

     

     

     

    Yes, better even than his winner against Manchester United for West Ham in the fourth round 11 years ago.

     

     

     

    And, as he was quick to point out, it was so grand that there ought to be a plaque erected to honour the 2012 heroes here. “Not a big statue, just a small plaque,” he shrugged. Fair enough. Paolo. After all, he has only been here since the summer!

     

     

     

    And it all had the feel of such inevitability against a top flight side down on their confidence that it hardly felt like a giant-kill at all. For, inspired by another very handy number 10 Matt Ritchie, Di Canio’s men made a nonsense of the idea that Wigan should be 53 places ahead of them in League placings.

     

     

    The exultant Di Canio himself was the model of restraint in his smart red scarf and Italian designer overcoat. The other day, our favourite ref pusher found himself up on an FA misconduct charge after going bananas following a last second goal by his side at Northampton, celebrating wildly with his players much to the local police’s chagrin.

     

     

    This time, with Paul Benson’s winner coming 15 minutes from the whistle, he was able to gather himself. “I promise you it was difficult not to run on the pitch,” he beamed.

     

     

    In front of a thrilled full house, Swindon had recovered from a first half goal from the visitors’ Callum McManaman to win with goals from Alan Connell and substitute Benson. They could have been built in Di Canio’s committed image, so robust was their response to going behind.

     

     

    If only his dad could have seen it, sighed Di Canio afterwards. His father Ignazio died recently and would have loved to have seen his boy leading Swindon into action in the famous FA Cup, especially with the match having been shown on Italian TV yesterday.

     

     

    “I’m very happy, it was a very emotional day,” he said. “It was important for me as a manager and a man. All my family were at home in Rome to watch it – my brother, my mum, my nephew, all of them – and my only sadness was that my father could not have been there with them. He would have been so proud.

     

     

    “Absolutely this is my greatest achievement. The winning goal took a deflection but although you need a bit of luck in this game, I felt there was no doubt that we deserved it.”

     

     

    Too true. The winner saw a 25 yard shot from Ritchie take a wild kick off his mate Benson and leave poor old Ali Al Habsi quite flat-footed but it was only perfectly reflective of Swindon largely controlling affairs through much of the second half. Wigan may have enjoyed much of the

     

     

    possession but Swindon, so effective through the excellent combinations and delivery of Ritchie and captain Paul Caddis from the right flank, that they created easily the best chances.

     

     

    Di Canio had described his side as the Barcelona of League Two in during the week- which is presumably why Wigan rolled up in Real Madrid all-white – but what really impressed was not their neat passing and movement so much as their never say die attitude.

     

     

    For, even though Wigan made nine changes from midweek, once they had gone ahead just after the half hour, you could not offer too much hope of a

     

     

    Swindon revival. McManaman quite bamboozled Aden Flint, who bright him down naively, and when Ben Watson hit Wes Foderingham’s left hand post from the resultant spot kick, McManaman reacted quickest, sweeping home the rebound.

     

     

    The whirlwind response reflected well on Swindon’s tempestuous leader.

     

     

    “Today, they made the dream come true,” Di Canio boomed after watching a subsequent five-minute spell end with Ritchie’s perfect left-footed cross being met by a lovely, glancing back headed equaliser by Connell.

     

     

    Swindon now scented a sensation. Even before Benson’s winner, they should have been awarded a penalty after Gary Caldwell fouled Connell, the one moment which saw Di Canio became hugely animated when referee Peter Walton waved away his protests.

     

     

    Now, Di Canio is dreaming even more wildly. Who did he want next in the FA Cup for Swindon? “Barcelona? Real Madrid?….,” he laughed, bringing the house down.

     

     

    Er, his Swindon disciples fancy the great man is capable of anything now, even if securing that draw may just prove beyond him.

  21. masty is neil lennon on

    hebcelt says:

     

     

    8 January, 2012 at 14:05

     

    good stuff mate, we must talk nearer the time as quite a few from the brazen are heading over…

  25. Patrick27 on

    Do you think a certain neil Lennon was reading Pauls article and the blog last night???

     

     

    Team choice with paddy, izzy and kelvin, whilst given Forrest a rest……

     

     

     

    HH!

  27. Ten Men Won The League on

    That first XI is more than good enough to beat Peterhead. Get the job done asap Celtic

     

     

    Great free kick for Kolarov. 1-3 now

     

     

    A wee red card for a Utd player would make it interesting

  33. St.John.Doyle on

    I think Ki really likes playing with McCourt as Paddy always makes himself available for Ki to deliver a short pass and with Izzy back I think we will see a different attacking edge to our midfield which I think we have missed since Broony came back.

     

     

    A good chance for some players to put a marker down for automatic inclusion

  36. bigdanistheman on

    Watching the manc derby, I switched over to the Huns at half time only to hear tanner say something about the mighty r*****s being in town! Is this guy for real?

  38. ....PFayr on

    Arbroath fans claiming C Murray,,,ref

     

     

    is only “a hun with a whistle”…is that sectarian /racist or just a reference to his perceived Rangers bias

     

     

    or is hun only sectarian when used by CFC fans

  40. kelvinbhoy on

    Come on City 3-2 now. What does it take for Carrick to get booked. Strutting about the way McCulloch does, kicking anything that moves.

  42. Clashcitybhoy on

    Re the McInally comments

     

    I am sure the last time we played one of his teams in a cup match, it had a physical edge to it.

     

     

    My view then, was it was a wee tester to see if our players were willing to risk injury against minnows in a cup tie.

     

     

    I remember a Billy Stark team doing similar.

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