Celtic Diary Monday February 25

Yesterdays demolition of Dundee sees Celtic move to within thirteen points of retaining the title. The Hoops crushed Dundee 5-0 , which continues, Juventus apart, a run of high scoring home games.

The next four games are all away, but if the team carry on with this run of form, then the champagne will be out sooner rather than later.

Celtic started uncertainly against the Dens side, with their new manager watching from the directors box. An early Gary Harkins free kick deceived keeper Fraser Forster, and crawled in under the big Celts body, but the goal was ruled out as Dundee forward John Baird was offside, and although he never touched the ball, he did enough to confuse the keeper.

At the other end, former keeper Rab Douglas brought back a few memories as he flung the ball into Joe Ledleys path for the Welshman to open the scoring, and when early Tayside substitute Matt Lockwood completed his memorable three minutes on the pitch by fouling Gary Hooper and conceding a penalty kick. Lockwood was sent off, and the game was over as a contest when James Forrest coolly slotted home the resultant spot kick, and he never fell over while he did it.

Dundee had been unlucky not to score in the first half, but never reached those dizzy heights again as Celtic dominated the rest of the game, and it really was just a game of shootie in.

It was hard not to feel sorry for dundee, Rab Douglas will always be a favourite, and with so many ex-Celtic kids in the line up, you can only wish them well. Especially as John Brown is now in charge.

Joe Ledley, standing in for injured captain Scott Brown, took to the role with relish. His two goals rounded off a man of the match performance which bodes well for Celtic, but badly for Scotland, as he will lining up for Wales at Hampden next month. Manager Neil Lennon said, afterwards;

“Ledley was great and deservedly got man of the match, he is a very important player and proved that over the years. He is talking about staying on here and I would like to do that if I could. He is a great player for us.”

The manager then switched his comments to the game;

We weren’t great in the first half, but we were excellent in the second half and I’m really pleased with the five goals. Thats twenty three goals in the last five home games so we are really starting to turn it on at home”

And its only February.

What was pleasing is that they were all good goals-Gary Hooper and Dylan McGeouch were the other scorers, both finishing exceptionally well after great lead up play.

Hooper is now on 24 for the season, and that makes 75 during his time here. Strangely enough, he isn’t getting the kind of praise and adulation from supporters that he deserves. Perhaps because of the feeling that he’s only here short term.

If the league is wrapped up before the split, no doubt many experts-in the loosest possible meaning of the word-will put it down to a lack of competition, but lets be honest, even a free spending all powerful rangers would have struggled against this side on form.

Like they did last year.

Sky TV will cover Wednesdays trip to Motherwell, and its believed the traditional clogfest will have St. Johns Ambulance service on full alert as well. Motherwell will opt for their traditional kick anything that moves tactic, with Keith Lasley not being fed in the run up to the game.

Elsewhere, ESPN (presumably standing for “Exposing Something Particularly Nasty ) covered the latest chapter in the story of Scotlands newest club as they undertook the short trip over the border to Berwick. The lunchtime feast of football was marred by the insistence of the travelling fans, in their new ambassador role, to indulge in some community singing, as they felt that being over the border in England somehow made them immune from prosecution under the new Offensive Behaviour law.

It was so bad that ESPN actually reported the Sevco/Rangers support to the police and apologised to the viewers for the singing. And they warned that tv contracts would disappear without a strong Rangers-ironically, they could have just killed off the chances of their next couple of years games being watched by anyone outside the ground with their party tunes.

As usual, the singing was described as sectarian, when it was purely racist, anti-catholic and largely concerned with paedophilia, like it normally is, and the club itself was quick to condemn-well, sort of-the support.

They issued a statement before the game was over, which read;

“The club is disappointed by certain outbursts of inappropriate singing by a section of the support at Berwick.” Our fans have been excellent this season both home and away and we do not want to see this tarnished”

That ought to tell them.

Manager Ally McCoist, who forgot to take his ears to the game, said;

“I didn’t know anything about it until I camein. Our supporters have ben nothing short of sensational home and away this season. If they were a little bit out of order today, I apologise. We don’t need it within the club or Scottish football. I’m very, very hopeful its a one off and won’t happen again.”

One off? Aye, okay.

Young player Fraser Aird also tweeted about how wonderful the fans were, adding “WATP” , ensuring he won’t need to pay for a pint in the lodge. Well, when he’s old enough.

You can expect that sort of nonsense from a wee boy, who arguably doesn’t really understand the hatred and vitriol behind the chants, and songs which have absolutely no place in any civilised society, but for McCoist to say anything less than a complete condemnation and the threat of season book removal and lifetime bans is shameful It makes you think they are pandering to the support.

The media have been quick to show their colours as well, with pride of place going to racist apologist Gordon Dalziel, who trotted out the line that they “weren’t real Rangers fans”, and probably hadn’t been to a game for “twenty years”

Except to pick up the season book which entitles them to away tickets, of course.

They had a chance to reinvent themselves as a new club, to gain respect and admiration amongst others within the game, but have instead elected not only to keep their “traditions”, but are now seen to positively encourage it.

Truly, we would all be better off without them. Different club, same baggage.

Compare that with Paul Elliot, the former Celtic defender  who holds a couple of posts within the English FA. An argument on social network twitter with a business colleague ended in Elliot using the word “nigger”, which regardless of the context, and regardless of who it was to, is unacceptable when you work for an anti Racism group.

Elliot resigned, with little or no fuss.

Perhaps it will take an Irish or Catholic player to leave the pitch the next time the Ibrox hordes start their repertoire , which would show the world that they haven’t changed….

Celtic did beat Dundee 11-0 way back when football was open, honest and fun.

Still on goalscorers, Kris Boyd , the record Premier league scorer is back in Scotland at Kilmarnock , as he waits to join minnows Rangers when they are finally allowed to sign someone. The next four top scorers all played at Celtic. Placing them in order, who were they?