Kelvin Wilson, one of a minority not on international duty this week, says that he’ll enjoy his second league winners medal a lot more, and gave an insight into why he wasn’t quite up to it last season.
“I’ve played a lot more this year. I think this has been the most I’ve played in almost three years…..But this season has been a good run for me and I’m enjoying it. When you enjoy it, it makes it easy, but if you’re happy with personal things its ten times easier and thats how its been this year. I think winning the league this season would mean even more to me than last year. Things weren’t right on a personal note so I didn’t enjoy it as much as I could have. A lot of things have been right this year-not perfect, but right-so I’ve got on with my football and I think its shown.”
Which goes to show that its not just a case of performing on the park, and sometimes its important to remember these are just kids , who have suddenly been thrown into an entirely new lifestyle, often in a strange country, and so we should sometimes be a wee bit more patient with them.
Except after a few beers when you’re sitting in the ground, obviously.
Neil Lennon is coming up to the third anniversary of his time in charge at Celtic Park, and incredibly, that makes him the longest serving manager in the Premier League!. Craig Brown has been around longer, but has been at two clubs in that time.
All these new managers and new ideas have almost certainly contributed to the competitiveness of the competition, and if the top twelve doesn’t have any interference from new clubs, next season promises to be more intriguing than most.
The Herald has been counting down the fifty greatest Rangers players, sorry Scottish footballers, and today has numbers 20-11. Bobby Lennox is at twenty, Jimmy McGrory at eighteen,Danny McGrain at fifteen, and Willie Waddell at fourteen, which tells you a lot about that paper. Can’t wait for the presentation to McCoist for his number one spot.
Could this be a leaked picture of the new top for next season? Its doing the rounds in cyberspace, and I suppose it could be worse. No doubt it will sell, but traditionalists won’t like the split hoops. The hoops should be like the US flag-always the same amount on them, which would represent a particular importance to the club. Say, Seven hoops in memory of Jimmy Johnstone, or nine for Jock Stein.
Voting is now open for the Celtic Player of the Year awards, incuding top goalscorer and Young Player of the Year. Details are on the official site, and this year its actually quite difficult to pick a winner, especially in the main category. Victor Wanyama should nick the Young Player gong, but even amongst the nominations he has pretty stiff challenges from Adam Matthews and Tony watt. His consistency should see him win, but Matthews too has been excellent this term.
The row rumbles on over policing of football matches in Scotland, and an interesting article in the Morning Star caught the eye. It probably gives as fair a summation of the events concerning the Green Brigade last week, and asks for an urgent rethink in the lack of clarity in the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act.
This lack of clarity, it says;
“affords great scope for fans, those who have committed no offence, to be put under surveillance, stopped in the street, searched and questioned, seemingly because they are nothing more than football supporters…..were the tactics (on the Green Brigade march) proportionate or provocative?. ….Certainly any notion of a light touch seems to have been eschewed”
Which puts it in plain English with no opinions offered either way, and the questions asked need to be continuously asked until change is made. Keep gathering the evidence, and do not put lion poo anywhere near the horses. It drives them loopy, and a policeman might fall off and hurt himself.
Elsewhere, its not looking good for Dunfermline as they battle a winding up order from HMRC, and manager Jolly Jim Jefferies says he has been “let down” by club owner, Honest Gavin Masterton. Somewhere, a decent investigative journalist can find a story here. Try keywords such as bank, Murray, and loans and see what a cross reference brings up.
Jimmy Calderwoods admission of Murray offering him the Pars job prior to a post at now defunct Rangers has surely put a few lights on in some of our finer journalistic minds…. well, theres three words I never thought I’d use in one sentence.
And heres three more-see if you can spot which.
Derek Johnstone has told Ian Black to “wise up” after he was sent off again in a minor league match for new club Sevco Rangers International, or whatever they are called. (Actually that could be five)
The plump DJ, who recently moved from Real Radio to Radio Clyde to offer his insightful thoughts on all things football was surprisingly honest when he said that “Ian could have seen red long before he did on Saturday for a number of fouls “, and claims black should just get on with it.
“You are never going to change a referees mind” he added.
No, of course not. Unless its a penalty to Celtic.
Eight Celtic players with fifty or more caps-Dalglish, Aitken, Boyd, McGrain, Caldwell, Miller, Collins and McStay. The Scotland site lists Alan Rough as having made the list as well, but Celtic Wiki doesn’t include him.
Paul Lambert only got forty caps. Which says a lot about Scottish international football.
So , staying with the excitement of international football-what is Scotlands biggest win, and the biggest defeat?
Was it when they were turned over by Spain in Madrid, back in the 80’s which was the biggest defeat. Under Andy Roxborugh, 5-0 I think.
Was teh biggest win in teh game where the team (Estona?) didbn’t show up.
I always type teh instead of the! Fast fingers.
Biggest win was getting rid of levein and his flair football
Was 5-0 not against portugal?
The Celtic Wiki is wrong then
it is. Rough had 53 caps, or thereabouts.
Biggest win 11-0 v Ireland, biggest defeat 7-0 v Uraguay
Biggest defeat must surely be 9-3 aganist England in 1961.
i’d love the players to show support behind the Green Brigade and for each player to write “The twelfth Man” on their Player of the year ballot paper.
was it 8-0 against uraguay in the world cup 1954 or 58?
Biggest defeat was v Uruguay in the 1954 World Cup (0-7)
greenmaestro – I think you’re thinking of the 5-0 against Portugal in Lisbon in 1993 towards the end of Roxburgh’s tenure.
Ah! Portugal, Spain. Iberia. 🙂
For all Kelvin Wilsons fine words he has never won a game at Hampden and after the first goal for Aberdeen I would be loathe to play him in the semi final.
Also I know that a lot of people wont have a bad word against Wanyama, but when was the last time he had a truly match winning perfomance?
Ducks and covers head with hands,
biggest defeat was the Portugal 5 nil?when Ally ‘s leg broke and Gravy came oot
0-7 V Uruguay 1974. 8-0 v Cyprus, 1969 in the World Cup – must’ve been a few bankers in their squad! 11-0 v Ireland in the Home Internationals – before partition?
1954 I meant! 😀
Ralph
Been closed down for a few days – not by Strathclyde’s finest – but by internal matters.
If I can start with the possible new strip then I will be sick now and hope we play a lot of games away from home next season. What a disgrace. The hoops are what they are THE HOOPS not some Magners’ seaside rock folly.
For me there is only one player who has given us in toto when playing and that is Adam Mathews. Someone has already said and I agree, Victor is learning very fast how to hide in games but with the odd “hard” tackle catches the limelight. But for sheer consistent ability production, there is only one Adam Mathews.
The issues surrounding the policing of fans is too complex for a mere comment for it rakes up historical, social and religious bias that was so oppressive that the only option available to ordinary folk was silent submission. Today we can be more vociferous and ought to be so by supporting the FAC in whatever way we can. To object without action is to be “silently submissive”.
Ralph, do you not know what the Scotland policy was? If you wore green and white you were only a substitute linesman. The figures show clearly what international football was all about in this country and that is why many, yes very many, of my generation chose not to follow it. I guess I have a good excuse for being able to answer the quiz at least.
Great to get back to the diary, though. Thanks for another good read.
H H