Injuries to Gary Hooper and Georgios Samaras mean that Neil Lennon may go with Tony Watt and Kris Commons up front for Sundays trip to Tannadice. The “must not be mentioned” upcoming game against Barcelona means that first choice Hooper and Samaras will be wrapped in cotton wool, as they are vital to the way Celtic will play that night, and Lennon won’t take any chances. Any sort of decent result against the Catalans will virtually ensure European football after Christmas, so rightly it looks like Celtic will go for it.
Speaking of Tony Watt, Lennon said
“Tony takes the ball in really well. He has got good feet and his touch is getting better. He still needs to work on his awareness, but I think that will come with the more experience he gets. Considering the players we have out, and the role he has played, Tony has been a huge bonus for us.”
On Commons
“I don’t know how many Kris has got already this season. He must be near double figures, so there is no reason why he can’t go on and get fifteen or twenty. I am not setting him any targets, I just want him to keep playing.”
Commons has impressed this year with his play, but he is most impressive for his reaction after the Kilmarnock defeat. He spoke of his disappointment and his intent to put it right, and against St. Johnstone he was a man with a mission. Perhaps initially the support was underwhelmed when he signed, and fingers were pointed at him last season, but he looks like a player now, and may even go on to play for Scotland regularly. Although you get the feeling he isn’t that bothered about that.
Joe Ledley is looking forward to the game on Sunday, he reckons that Tannadice is “always a good atmosphere” and the “fans are close to the pitch”. Closing the “Book of British Football Grounds” he was reading, he added
“We lost there last season, so it just shows its no easy place to go. They haven’t been doing too well this year so they will be desperate to get some points.” he said, vowing under his breath not to volunteer for any press conferences again.
A couple of ex Celts have made the news recently-Niall McGinn up at Aberdeen equalling a club scoring record, and still in with a more than decent shout of breaking it, and former goalkeeper Artur Boruc may also break a record dowm at Southampton.
The Polish fruitbat-lovable when he was playing well, a fat waster when he wasn’t- may soon hold the record for shortest period with the club after his dreadful start on the South coast. Six goals conceded in two games and swearing at his own fans means he faces the sack, and it looks like his time in the game may have come and gone. Shame. He is obviously a tortured soul, but when I met him in Lisbon he was a larger than life personality who was full of laughter. (In this case, thats not an analogy for a pain in the arse drunk, although some say thats what he became.) However it turns out for him, we wish him all the best.
A Newcastle Utd website is asking the question of whether or not they let Fraser Forster go too soon. I had a wee look, but surprisingly, there were no other articles about catholic popes or bears toilet habits.
Anyone ever see a film called the Producers? A Mel Brooks classic featuring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder?
The film is a comedy gem about two guys who set out to make a fortune by “persuading ” lonely old ladies to invest in a broadway show which is doomed to fail, and so they don’t have to pay any of them back.
It gets a mention here by way of explaining a Times article today that suggests Charles Green is the subject of an investigation by HMRC, along with his pal Richard Hughes. With Rangers now dead and starting to decompose, the new clubs share offer may well just have received a mortal blow as it seems a scheme similar to the one used by the Producers was being used by a lot of high rollers and it was set up by Hughes, who owns around 6% of shares in Greens club. Funny thing is-actually its all hilarious-but funny as in strange, some of you may recall Mark Guidi of the Sunday Mail and Radio Clyde saying that something was going to break that would hurt Green.
He’s a reporter. Why didn’t he break it? Because it would hurt Green?
The article, which is interesting if heavy reading , can be found here on the Times homepage, as the link I tried to put in failed miserably, unless you like pictures of Swedish nurses sucking on their pens.
Over on Rangers websites, such as followfollow, there does suddenly seem to be a lifting heads out of the sand. Sure, there are some that still want to shoot the messenger, but there are a few more who might just hang on to their five hundred notes. Surely this can’t be why Green was in such a rush to get it done?
Followfollow also has a competition to win the new book by David Leggat, a discredited loon who runs a blog for the more deluded followers of the old, new, whatever they are this week Glasgow side. If you need something to square off a dodgy table leg or something, then thats just the job for you.
But its not all bad news for Rangers! Legend Lee McCulloch has signed a new contract, and he’ll be with them until he’s 38. Which incidentally leads into the fact that despite claiming they have a young team of rookies and trainees, the Third Division sides average age against Inverness was actually higher than the average age of the Celtic team that started against St. Johnstone!
Many may question the time and space given on this page to the Rangers saga, but its important to keep talking about them, so that the scandal isn’t swept away, and secondly, we all love a good laugh at those less fortunate than ourselves in life.
Yesterdays teaser allowed us all to speak of John Spencer, the first catholic to sign that the papers acknowledged, and evoked fond memories of Hugh Keevins on Lubomir Moravcik, the unknown dud czech signed instead of “the proven Scottish talent” -well done to all, and special mention to Lenny Bruce for the verbatim Keevins quote.
Incredibly, Keevins is still in broadcasting and journalism, and some people actually pay attention to him.
Today, there have been some classic headlines about Celtic, there have also been some bizarre headlines, hugely libellous and hugely inaccurate. The worst wasn’t by anyone in the MSM, but by the Sunday Sport, way back in the eighties. Apologies for bringing it up, but what did they allege?
Was it “Freddie ljungberg eat my hamster”?
A week further on and listening to the game on CTV audio again on Sunday but at least it cannot be as bad as my live experience last Saturday. I am looking forward to an exciting game with plenty of goals – for us of course!
Ralph, please keep “bringing up” them that is now deid and gone, for it is the only way to finally rid yourself of the bile.
Besides, not to do so, would play right into the hands of those heid in the sand brigade that wish for nothing more than the whole thing go away. I am afraid it is one story that could truly be “unending” and although engulfed in myths, legends and fairy-tales, I am afraid Lord hodge will turn out to be only too real in the end. I fear the Jolly Green Giant will soon be “corne(re)d on the cob” too as his sweetcorn issue is overcooked and confined to the compost heap. There are more tales to be written on this one and I can see Charlie’s fables disintegrating and confining his new entity to the same entombment as his old entity that he got “for a steal” in his cheap (“crooked”) purchase.
Sorry, Ralph, but in spite of getting to the site in daylight, I haven’t got a clue about the quiz. I gave up papers way before the eighties even for wiping :>).
I do look forward to the answer. It will be up there with Chucky’s comments, I am sure.
H H
Was it “Roy Aitken ate my baby”
“Celtic Parked Bus on Moon”
I know they definitely did one about a bus found on the moon but I am certain it was a London double decker. Mind you, these stories were no more far fetched than most we are getting today from the MSM.
H H
They also had a World War Two Bomber found on the Moon, or Mars, or something.
Not wishing to mention the player in case he sues, but they alleged that one of centre halves, who broke into the team around 84-85, scored against hun in 86 and left around about the time of the centenary season, was in fact gay.
As though that had some kind of revelance to his ability as a footballer.
Andy
I remember that and who it was but could not say what paper started the crap talk. The MSM in support of the mob are obsessed with trying to bring up embarrassing but unsubstantiated sex stories about the club. Or maybe they are just w*****s needing one :>)
H H
Ahh the Sunday Sport ,back in the day it was delivered to my parents house one Sunday Morning by the soon to be sacked paper boy , instead of the Sunday Post
Jings, crivvens, help ma boab !,,there were a few hail Mary’s and our fathers said in confession that week by my old man!
Lost it!s novelty after a few weeks and became quite insidious, it always had its knockers.
I,ll get my coat
My best guess is that it was about Chris Morris, who was married and caught playing with the Dublin lassies while on international duty with Ireland.
My second and more outlandish guess is that it was about Jackie Jackin..Dzack..Dzkinof..the polish striker who was always up that disco in sauchiehall street and how he was supposedly diddling with Roy Aitkens wife and that’s why the Bear left the club.
Hee Hee – knockers ,just my level SanMig, keep em comin
80’s Sunday Sport Headlines
“Lex Baille and Mike Galloway in Barcelona Swoop..”
“Mick McCarthy tackles human onto the moon..”
Was it “Alan Stubbs banned from all world football” after he signed for us?
No, wait. That was the Daily Record. Which is very similar to the Sunday Sport in its levels of accuracy regarding Celtic.
SPRING TIME FOR HITLER AND GERMANY. SO FUNNY.
THEY COULD FALL FOR IT.
AFTER ALL, THEZ STILL SUPID HUNS.
Note on the story that The Times thought serious enough to be put on the front page. I’ve emailed the editor of The Herald to ask why there is no mention of it in today’s paper. Here was me thinking that succulent lamb was off the menu.
Have you seen the Ian Black aeticle in Saturday’s Herald (http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/in-the-thick-of-it.19318580) ? It ends with ticket prices and box office contact information for the next Sevco game – is this a service the Herald offers to all Division 3 teams ? Maybe they’re finally showing their true colours.
Was it Shock Horror…….. “Elvis to sign for Celtic”