Celtic overcame Albion Rovers fairly comfortably in the end, a Patrick Roberts inspired 3-0 win, which sets up a home tie with Inverness, the only Scottish side to have taken anything from the hoops this season.
Scott sinclair gave the Celts the lead with a clever chip from just inside or just outside the box depending on how you want to tell the story to your grandchildren,(it was inside..but you know how legends grow.. ) and Moussa Dembele and Stuart Armstrong finished it off in the second half after good work by Patrick Roberts t make the openings.
Roberts could well be moved into a number ten role on this basis, just as Dedryk Boyata ( ok-you try to remember how to spell it ) could also be uti,ised as a centre back. The forgotten Belgian was comfortable yesterday, having worked on his confidence and concentration issues in training, and having failed to rescue the Celtic career of Efe Ambrose, maybe the manager can do something with Boyata, who only needs to have a little more self confidence to get back into the team.
Judging by this picture, the manager has hypnotised the player into believing in himself, and if thats what it takes..
“Dedryck Boyata also looked very promising too. He looked like the young player I saw at Manchester City. I seen him play against Didier Drogba when he was a really young player and he was fantastic. He was strong, quick, aggressive and that is what I have been saying to him. He hasn’t had a chance to play because others have been in front of him but in the last few weeks in training he has been great.
“You see today he was really focused and there were no mistakes. Play simple, defend, get on the front foot, win your headers and you can be a player.
“I thought he was really good.
“He can still be a player for me. He has all the attributes that I love because he’s big, got a good spring,
he can defend, he’s actually a good defender, he steps forward and defends and he can play.
“The problem in the past has been he’s made mistakes. You can’t make mistakes and lose concentration. You see today – very focused very concentrated.
“Now this might be his moment. He’s got the shirt, he played well and now he might stay in the team.
“I’m not aware of any bids for him. He’s a great professional and I think that’s important. He hasn’t been in the team but he can come into the team and play to that level because of his professionalism.
“He won’t be leaving at this moment. Here’s a squad of 20 odd players now that are working really well.
“I want to make sure we’re strong going into this second part of the season with everyone fighting for their position in the team. That’s the position we are in.”
Actually, it might have been Boyata who has hypnotised Rodgers…
Keiran Tierney is back, which seemed to please everyone, he’s not as exciting a prospect as Barrie MacKay. but he’s the best we’ve got, and that, too, pleased the boss…
“A lot of the players have featured a lot for me over the season. Kieran is one of them and he looked like he had never been away. He is dynamic on that left-side and he and Scott Sinclair have a great relationship. The plan was to give him 60-65 minutes on an astroturf field.
Seemed to work, I suppose.
So with the slump now over, and Celtic having taken until Janury 22 to record their first win of 2017, its onwards and upwards. Things, as they say , can only get better.
Fair play to the captain of the Vanguard , though, he ignored all orders and tried to get the Trumpster before he got us with one of the Trident missiles he had on board. Though how he knew May, Fartage and Nuttall were in the same zone is beyond me.
Still, it wouldn’t be the first time a nuclear submarine had saved the world…
Phil MacGhiollabhan, in his non Keith Jackson guise on his own website, mentioned that Celtic have expresed an interest in, indeed are having talks about, Spanish playmaker Bojan, currently warming the bench at Stoke City. Well, he was on Saturday, I asked a mate who was at their game and he said so, so it must be true.
Bojan is unhappy at Stoke, he started well but sort of lost interst, and has been said to be a little lightweight and lazy.
The thing about Stoke you might not know, but which I do, is that its the first town in england to actually round up foreigners and intern them for the benefit of the locals.
This camp, known as the Bet365 stadium allows for non English to entertin the masses until their usefulness has expred and then they are moved on.
I know. It sounds crazy, but this is a town which might well have Farge apprentice loonball Paul Loonball, sorry, aprrentice nutter Paul Nutthall as one of its MPs…
With Keith Vaz-yes, that Keith Vaz-choosing the Labour guy, and no one round that part of the city is ever going to vote conservative without having some sort of seizure, the way is clear for UKIP to get a foothold in Westminster, which sort of shows you the way things are going.
Still, at least its not Farage-he’s got a new job which will help him become a US citizen as he feels his life is in danger over here…
Which is why I’m glad the football is back, though the BBC aren’t too sure..
And with that there’s news that Celtic, as is deep rooted in their ethos, are trying to get someone less fortunate out of the difficult circumstance he finds himself in.
From what i can ascertain, there has been interest in Bojan for a few months now, and this could be a goer, especially as he has realised his career is going nowhere, and its not always about the money…
Doesn’t it make you feel a little warmer inside ?
Not as warm as I felt on Saturday, mind.
Another good day in the city, sampling local food
and wine..
whilst among friends, and it was good to hear that the lads are quite relaxed about the way things are moving along, and so, therefore am I.
We may even find a surprise ally or two in the coming weeks….
Don’t be silly. Not that one.
Now, here’s a conundrum, something that bugged me all the way home. not as much as the Birmingham fans who joined the train at Preston, but enough to warrant a mention.
See, I was talking to a legally minded chap on Saturday and I asked him what the chances are of for instance, me buying up one of the debts that are owed to Rangers and suing the new club for the money, which would at least get them to say they are a new club, and he, in his wisdom, put that idea out to grass.
Imagine you had supplied a pub with a big van load of beer, and they went out of business owing you for the delivery. Then, new owners come in, and trade as the same pub, with the same fixtures and fittings, but when you ask them for the money, they tell you where to go.
You could sue, of course, but they don’t owe you a penny. So you’d lose.
At this point its worth noting that no one from the darkside has used this analogy, but they will now, as long as someone reads it to them very slowly..and explains what is meant by paying a bill.
Ah, says I , feeling immensely clever, what if the new pub had traded on the strength of the previous pub winning several pub of the year awards…
That, he said with a sigh, is down to the brewery…
You can see why the SFA cling to the notion that its the same club. And why some organisations have swallowed their interpretation of events.
But you can also see why no one else does…and that day of reckoning isn’t too far away.
Thats the point here. when chuckles Green took control, shortly before fleecing the Rangers fans of their money-still largely unaccounted for, it was the SFA that legitamised their “same club ” claim, and the ludicrous argument that the business had merely changed hands.
Here we are laughing at “stupid huns “, when in fact it looks like our weak and incompetent SFA were instrumental into this arrangement as they thought it would save Rangers-it didn’t-and make Scottish football better-it won’t.
And yes, the hordes have suffered, but not in the way they think.
Those trials will be well worth watching, though I wouldn’t trust official reports.
And I wonder which officials if any, will be called to the stand.
Maybe we have been chasing the wrong people here. The fun and games associated with the death of our old foes have distracted us from the actions of the SFA/SPFL during those events, and maybe some brave journalist could turn his attention to them, and their other cock ups throughout the years….
The SFA/SPFL need looking at a little more, instead of focus being on the new club.
For instance, why did they allow Gretna to live outside of their means before imploding ?
And what really happened at Airdrie, or Clydebank, or Third Lanark, for that matter ?
To lose one Premier club is careless, to lose two is unfortunate. Losing five is downright negligent.
We hear ( from oban on twitter ) that after Celtic were drawn to face Inverness in the Cup, referees moved to make their intentions clear this time by announcing their new kit, which will be worn for the first time during that game..
Also from twitter, its good to see our club making a stand for decency…
At the weekend, it was good to see “rangers ” hold a minutes silence for the passing of John Little, who would no doubt have been honoured. A number if his former pupils remember how he was forced to leave Rangers after marrying a catholic, and perhaps this is their way of saying sorry…
Sapre a thought also for Rod Stewart, who played up to the cameras and brought a little life into the Scottish cup draw yesterday. Although he clearly wasn’t drunk-note his laughter at the bingo caller crack made by David Tanner at the end-its going to stick with him now, but I would venture he doesn’t care..so i might as well pretend I thought he was drunk as well….and congratulate him on his new tv role…
Caption competition from Friday…
Caption;
Sevconian wives get in some self defence training in preparation for their husbands returning home after another thrashing by Celtic
Today… its back to current affairs, what could Barack be writing for Donald as he leaves the Whitehouse….
Finally, I see the Daily Record have caved in to pressure and failed to back Alan Clark, the hack who posted something on twitter five years ago.
More importantly, rumours spread that there’s more than one person who writes the Diary….
