Celtic swept Hibernian aside yesterday, though opinion is divided on why.
The 3-0 win was the result of another “freshening up ” of the side, with Albien Ajeti confirming he can score goals if not avoid injury, Jeremie Frimpong has a talent far beyond what we originally thought, and Scott Brown isn;t done yet.
Mo Elyannoussi looks better behind the strikers than on the wing, and Calum MacGregor has decided that shooting straight at the keeper wasn’t working.
And Nir Biton is our best defender.
All good , then ?
What a difference a good performance makes, but it wasn’t all down to Celtic.
The biggest difference to me is that Hibernian didn’t sit in and try to stifle the game, which allowed both teams to play, and given that freedom, Celtic proved to be better at it.
Which , since the opposition at Ibrox couldn’t overcome the same Hibernian team last week, should put peoples minds at rest.
Add that to the fact that “rangers ” know if they sit in they have no chance of winning, and that they can’t handle pressure, maybe the league will return to it’s normal shape next month, with Celtic at the top.
Should be a better month for all of us.
Starting on Thursday, with the game against Sarajevo, which we can now approach with a little more confidence.
I had to endure the Ross County -Aberdeen clash on EBT Radio Scotland, as for some reason, the BBC sounds app, with the wider audience, chose to broadcast that game, and deny non Scotland based Celts the chance to listen to the game.
It might not sound like much, but it’s just another example of how the station feels towards us.
Still, the updates were better than on Clyde, as the presenters weren’t in tears as they announced the goals.
In the earlier game, Bobby Madden had awarded a couple of penalties to help his side to a 5-1 wn over Motherwell, but the real controversy was at the start of the game when he gave the team talk.
Yesterday also saw the news break that an attempted murder investigation has been halted due to lack of evidence…
No doubt we’ll hear the full story soon, but not in the media….
Another story not in the papers concerns the health and well being of much loved radio pundit Hugh Keevins, who has been blessing us with rambling incoherence of a level associated with drunken tramps at a train station, and concerns that a newspaper may be highlighting his problems and abusing his good nature for their own benefit, a level of cruelty that is equivalent to abuse.
Celtic’s Europa League dream is hanging by a thread and Neil Lennon has 3 weeks to define the season – Hugh Keevins
In the article, I won’t reproduce it, as its not fair on the genial old soul, Keevins offers the opinion that the “eye catching ” results of Steven Gerrard could see him lured away from Ibrox, whilst poor old much decorated Neil Lennon could be forced out at Celtic for not getting results, presumably if you don’t count the trophies.
On a serious note, that such blatant “trolling ” is masquerading as serious opinion is quite frightening, and shows that either competent commentators want no part of the Scottish media, or the Scottish media doesn’t want competent commentary.
Maybe it’s just me, but this tweet, from the Ibrox club/company kind of typifies the Scottish sports media just now…
https://twitter.com/i/status/1309247954331590657
He didn’t save it.
It’s the last week of the revised transfer window , and the absence of Oddsone Edoaurd from the starting line up yesterday prompted speculation that he could be away.
We are aware his agent has pointed out the rewards on offer down south and elsewhere to him, and we know he is unsettled, if you want proof of that have a look at who made the bench yesterday…..
Very little was made of his, and Tom Rogics, return to the bench, but it may mean that there will be no one else coming in this week, and there is a real fear that a few will go.
It all depends on whether or not the English sides reckon its worth spending big money when there is a real risk the seasons will be curtailed.
I’m hoping they won’t want to chance it, although Burnley are interested, it seems , in Ryan Christie, who we hear is interested in the move…well, the money, at least.
Lennon gave short shrift to a question about it during his pre match EBT Radio Scotland interview..
“We can’t affect that, that’s out of our control. There’s nothing in the stories again.
“The media create these stories and then ask me about them. I have no answer to them because there is just no foundation to them whatsoever.
“It’s the last week of the window, and again I’m disappointed that stories are coming out that are unfounded on the day of an important game.
“We had it last week with Ajer, and we’ve got it this week with Ryan and Odsonne.”
Like you, I’ll be glad when the window is closed….
On Saturday, we had this…
Caption – “After the Betty Ford Clinic refused to accept their idea of a long term payment plan, Sevco opted to put the fat Buffalo Bastard through an abstinence program of their own devising.”
Today…
With nobody wanting to buy their players, Rangers seek to find alternative income by restructuring the Albion car park!
Overflow car parking for clubs “closing in” on Alfredo Morelos
Caption: With their sashes and their flutes with their bowler hats and suits they won’t be marching down car parky road
Caption……..
(Some on here may find this racist, but here goes anyway)
In this instance, black paint matters.
Caption…
that’s some parking of the car just in the picture…
Small compacts first row ,gradually getting larger for 4×4 s at the back ?
Ibrox Park 2025….now called the No one likes us we don’t care car park.
Caption…
Car parking , Cote D’Ivoire attracts attention from follow follow (face) painters
Caption: wee nicola shuts down car parks now due to spikes in people using them.
Caption
SPFL referees training day proves there skills
Ping Pong outstanding yesterday, at least the Hibees tried to make a game of it which gave the team plenty of openings.
As for the farce at Fir Park, they will do everything to stop Celtic
Caption – With their ‘people friendly’ celebration marches being banned from using the queens highway, due to covid, the Orange Order organise an off-road march, thereby proving that the Order and it’s supporters aren’t all about triumphalism and “Get it up ye, ya fenian bastards!”
Caption : ‘Right that’s grand boys, that’s the bands starting positions marked out. But I think we need to rethink the border colours’!
Ralph – although the game wasn’t on BBC Sounds I’m sure you could have listened to it on BBC Scotland MW online.
With covid conquered, Boris sets out his roadmap for world peace.
Caption…Scottish Tory leader caught shouting Red Car,Red Car.
How am I gonna explain this to Mr King and the Close brothers Billy? Ye telt me ye hid an Art ‘O’ level ffs.
CAPTION
Cokehead designs new carparking in his favourite pattern….
The English Premier League feasted on cash, agents grew in numbers raking in a fortune, clubs grew bloated on monies supplied in part by Sky TV. Players wages exploded some earning hundreds of thousands of pounds per week. Transfer values rocketed and meant that they could plunder most leagues and the £s flowed down the swanny river. Covid is asking questions about their largess, already the hands are outstretched looking for hand-outs. The pleas for financial assistance from the Championship ring loud. a lesson to all leagues perhaps to be prudent and self funding. Here in Scotia, Covid Scotland plc. has had the same effect only on a smaller scale for some clubs. Interestingly some of the smaller clubs because of their roots in their local communities while not thriving are at least surviving, we wish them well.
Football- The Peoples Game, gives so much enjoyment to the many and rightly so, we are heavily invested in our club. It was meant to be a relatively simple sport, where the rules were simple, obvious and easily understood. So what happened to the rules that they too became draconian and difficult to understand? the answer is quite simple (unlike the rules) too many people making rule changes, not only are they now extremely difficult to follow they do not make sense.
IE. Meeking’s hand ball in the S.C. semi final, every person in the crowd could see the deliberate hand ball, everyone but McLean and his Band of Brothers. Tony McGlennen the then SFA. Compliance Officer served Meeking with a one game ban, but the rules were so vague only a lawyer could interpret it resulting in Meekings getting off Scot free.
But now in 2019 the rules changed once again as IFAB. states that “if the player makes his body an unnatural silhouette (making his body bigger with his arm, it is automatically an offence if the arm is above the shoulder”. ( Ajer’s unnatural upright arm as he slid into the tackle). I mean Come-On, meanwhile the RNs. new diver (Kent) gets away with blue hued cheating.
Keep the rules simple, stop meddling, and as for VAR? has it made the improvement that its introduction promised? Robots For Refs, that’s the only answer, mibbee.
VAR should be binned, it is atrocious and should be only used in video games. As for McLean the other day, Celtic player hits him on the torso with the ball and as the rules state immediately game is stopped and the ball returned to Celtic. What happens, the ball falls to a Hibs player and they go on the attack and the useless twat waves play on. Celtic should be calling all these ‘honest mistakes’ out at every opportunity.
Supporters from many different leagues were requesting that their governing bodies introduce VAR. but since then not only has it not improved the standard of refereeing in their leagues, it has been detrimental to the game. Hark back to its introduction in the EPL. and the Celtic support was also hoping that it be introduced up here, but the reason for them doing so, was only because of decades of honest mistakes in Scotland, it has’nt changed.
For the last 20 years after the Huns demise Celtic have been by far the dominant club in Scotland, we have contributed massively into the SPL/ SPFL. to the benefit of the other clubs, even so, the standard of Scottish refereeing has still been totally one sided, why? because one man rules Scottish football and is happy to stand aside and do SFA. The only possible reason that he does so, is because in his misguided mind he thinks that he is doing it to support Scottish football and keep it competitive, there-bye keeping the share price up, if its not that then his actions are completely at odds with the fair governess of Scottish football. Res.12 and the 5Way Agreement and his lack of action on the first and his involvement in the second confirm that. That is where the main problem is, nothing will change until his mind set is changed.
Mike, the introduction of VAR up here would only mean more help for the dark side in every (fixed) game they play. If it has to be introduced here, then they would have to use foreign officials to adjudicate. Could you imagine the carnage using the brethren from the SFA? If we think the cheating is bad now you can only imagine how bad it would really get.
Henke, hope you are good mate.
Even before Covid Scottish football was struggling, we even had to get a couple of very wealthy men to invest into the rebuilding of Hampden, so VAR would be miles away, if ever. Truth be told now, some clubs could go out of business, not Celtic tho. the Celtic support would never allow that to happen,too much love for the club, but others might, some might even amalgamate. The Dons look shaky, new stadium, bad timing and of course the Hill Billies. Honesty in sport should be a given, but it is at it is. We need a total clean up from the top of the SFA. they govern and Lawwell lets them. So for me its a necessity that we look to the board to insist on fairness and equality, we should insist on it, we have the power to make the necessary changes, but we need to enforce it….
All good Mike thanks very much, hope you and the family are well. I hope we can grind cheats fc into the dirt in the coming weeks and secure the ten come Santa time.
Awaiting for approval, Mr. moderator strikes again, will it arise from the dead, it will in its own time.
Naw Billy, I said randomly spread wee white lies.
I got the game on the BBC Sport app Ralph (England-based). Agree strange scheduling though, I spent a useless 5 minutes on BBC Sounds!
Caption: linesman should have gone to spec savers
Caption: If you think they’ve made a cnut of the car park, what about the bus stop?
“Get outta that, ya twat!”
Right lads, that’s Alfredo’s charlie supply sorted for tonight.
If Ajeti’s been playing while unfit then that isn’t on the fans.
And the Wemyss Bay Ferry lineman is still on the line.
Caption: World-beating Albion carpark gets makeover
Pete and Alec of Govan Works Ltd prepare to dispel a long standing rumour by touching an Orangeman with a 10 foot pole
Bellend^ 100 % possession
Duncan is a doob doob
Oh what a night 29th September back in 82, Ajax 1 and the Celtic 2 I remember what a night.
I have followed Celtic home and away since the 70s.
This is probably one of the greatest highlights for me.
After having drawn 2-2 at Celtic park no one gave us a chance.
But with hope in your heart and 3,000 crazy tims in attendance anything is possible.
4 of us from my town joined up with the easterhouse crew to take the 3 day trip. Think it was something like 50 quid for bus ferry ticket and overnight accommodation. Maybe wasnt even as much as that to be honest. We had seen the supporters club notices in the celtic view which gave out times of busses for all the supporters clubs at that time. Amsterdam trip on my birthday, brilliant.
My wife of just one month let me go as a birthday present needless to say im still married to this wonderful lady today.
We hadn’t met the Easterhouse guys before coming from lanarkshire we were usually in the so called traditional rangers end we called it the lanarkshire end they were in the jungle or the Celtic end.
But we were made to feel welcome from the off. They asked around if anyone brought some music, and i said I had made up some tapes but they were mostly rebel not celtic songs. Get them on, I was told and off we went to Sean South of Garryown. Those tapes got played solid for 3 days that even songs they hadn’t heard before by the barleycorn etc were getting full pelt by the time we came back.
The rebel record player being a favourite :).
Wee Johnny who had been working on the Channel tunnel and then in
the Falklands introduced me to poteen.
Now I was only a Buckie and beer drinker then whisky vodka etc didnt cut it for me this was a whole new ball game. Thanks m8.
The game was moved to accommodate the huge interest in the game. Ajax had their first sell out crowd since the 1970s they all expected an easy night.
We were all in the corner of the stadium packed in.
But enthusiastic as ever.
Celtic with their away green strip with the white pinstripe ajax in their traditional iconic red and white.
Big Billy pulled a masterstroke he deployed Graeme Sinclair to follow Cruyff everywhere and annoy the shit out of him it worked brilliantly.
Cheeky Charlie got the opener you forget sometimes how good he really was because of the shit he comes out with now, but what a goal. 1_0 up and we were looking good. Graeme Sinclair was doing as ge was told and Cruyff didn’t like it one bit, but they got their goal a bit fluky and that was them through or so they thought. We roared on in the corner, big Packy was in great form and after 85 minutes Cruyff thought he had done enough or had enough of Sincy as he was subbed to a standing ovation.
Big Billy threw the dice. Proven came off and Chicken George McCluskey came on. Why he had that nickname god knows?
But the ball was worked between McGarvey and Charlie out to the left to George who caught it sweetly and it went out of reach of the keeper into the corner of the Ajax net. Cue bedlam.
That night in Amsterdam no trouble from our hosts the pubs welcome and a great party.
Thank you Easterhouse now what I can’t remember if it was Easterhouse Emerald or Easterhouse John Ogilvie any help there?
Sadly out of the 3 others that went with me 2 are no longer with us.
Thanks Tony and Jim for many memorable times and trips together watching our beloved hoops. RIP Bothers in Celtic. HH
Well that makes it even more weird Duncan lol
I thought it was because he ran around the park like a headless chicken yet with the ball at his feet causing defenses big problems
Yup BB better explanation I think.
I too was at the match Jimmybee and it is still the only time I’ve seen the Tic win aboard.
I was surrounded by Tim’s who worked in Spain and drove up the day before.
The locals weren’t that friendly after the match but only lost my strip, it was a bit weird going into pubs half naked. Maybe I unintentionally started the trend so many years ago!
Can’t believe this is happening what a sad day for Ireland and her patriot dead. Even the brits wouldn’t have been so stupid.
From An Phoblacht
The home of Michael Joseph O’Rahilly, the only 1916 leader to be killed in combat during the Easter Rising, was destroyed early this morning.
At 6:30am on Tuesday morning Derryroe Ltd, a development company owned by the McSharry and Kennedy families, bulldozed 40 Herbert Park, despite Dublin City Councillors voting unanimously to support a motion by Sinn Féin Councillor Mícheál Mac Donncha to add the building to a list of protected structures earlier this month.
The demolition of the O’Rahilly house is just the latest example of the State’s efforts to allow and enable developers to whitewash Ireland’s heritage sites.
Scandal previously erupted when the Government pushed for the demolition of no’s 14-17 Moore Street, which were the final meeting places of 5 of the 7 signatories of the 1916 proclamation, and earlier this year Wexford County Council attempted to sell off the 1798 Rebellion centre in Wexford before public pressure forced them to drop the sale. Meanwhile the site of Countess Markievicz’s cottage in Ticknock has been left to ruin, despite recent calls for the site to be preserved and restored.
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Gaeilge, Gaeltacht, Culture and Arts, Aengus Ó Snodaigh has branded the demolition of the O’Rahilly house in Ballsbridge as a wanton act of vandalism on our culture and historical heritage.
The O’Rahilly (above) was the only member of the 1916 leadership to die in combat during the Easter Rising
Speaking to An Phoblacht, Ó Snodaigh said that the move by the developers in spite of the position held by Dublin City Council was “reprehensible”.
“This is a calculated act of wanton vandalism of our cultural and historical heritage – a move driven purely by greed”.
“I am calling on the Minister for Culture Catherine Martin and Dublin City Council to intervene immediately and order the developers to reconstruct the O’Rahilly House brick by brick to its former state.”
Meanwhile Sinn Féin TD for Dublin Bay South Chris Andrews described it as “a big blow to our history and heritage and sends out the signal that all our historical sites are being opened to destruction.
“The clueless amongst us”, now there’s a self-own if I ever heard one. 😉
No one has been calling for Ajeti to start every game. Given that he was still on his holidays when we signed him, it was going to take time for him to get up to speed.
Although his injury is disappointing, he’s held up remarkably well and brings into sharp focus the manager’s clearing failings against Ferencvaros, as all but the most deluded fans would attest.
The only one that seems to bring up Stain is yourself and your completely unwise campaign to put the current manager on the same pedestal as him.
Its a huge ask, filling the refurbished stadium of Hampden. The days of the 1969/70 European Cup Semi-final of 136,505 between Celtic and Leeds are long gone. * A record for a UEFA. competition and an incredible 245,000 watched Celtic in four days.Do we need Hampden? no we do not and IMO. the grass roots of Scottish football needs the money much more than a return to a huge stadium that would be very lucky to see crowds of 51,866. Cup Semi finals and Finals might produce those kind of figures but the odd International game would now struggle to achieve that size of crowd.
The Countries two biggest supported clubs cannot stand being in the same proximity to one another unless the are well separated by Police Scotland. The Scottish Football team have not really been competitive since the late 60s and i for one do not see that changing anytime soon. So what is the point of Hampden? its merely a reminder of a distant past and self- aggrandisement for a body that is non accountable to supporters. No, get the money spent investing in the youth of Scotland to improve the grassroots of the game. “Empty Hampden, use Celtic Park and Help Scottish Fitbaw”.
Now that was much better, great result against a quite good Hibs(or so i hear).All the players appeared to know exactly what they were supposed to be doing and generally did it with aplomb, although why the manager persists with Christie as an auxilliary forward is any ones guess, when we have strikers badly needing game time, especially as Ajeti is now injured(could use a game fit Leigh now). Broonie was great, but its worrying that we need the captain to play well for the team to play well?, especially given his advancing years and the amount of games to be played, so as mentioned before , he could be better managed.
Frimpong was a breath of fresh air, Turnbull looked great and it was good to see the whole team play so well. Lets hope we can build on this performance and its not a case of ‘one swallow does not etc’.
Onwards and upwards then.
Ferencvaros make the group staged. Well well
We should have been able to beat both them and Molde m8. Once again we waited too long to get players in and paid the price.