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Celtic Diary Thursday July 18

A comfortable enough 3-0 in Belfast over northern Irish champions Cliftonville showed that the players can still get the job done when they have to.

Sure, there were times when the forwards brains tended to be way ahead of their bodies, and the defenders bodies made up for their lack of brains, but all in all, a tricky tie looks to have been settled.

It wasn’t without its moments though, especially straight from the kick off when Cliftonville were awarded a free kick on the edge of the box. Mercifully, it came to nothing, but most of us decided to stay behind the couch to watch, until Mikael Lustigs header bulleted past Conor Devlin in the home goal.

When Georgios Samaras wheeled on the edge of the box and crashed a left footed drive off the bar and behind the line, it was all smiles and and sighs of relief. ย Late in the second half, James Forrest got the goal he deserved, and a potential banana skin had been sidestepped.

For all their enthusiasm, Cliftonville couldn’t get any kind of sustained rhythm and Celtic, once they had settled, looked as though they could turn the screw whenever they wanted.

Well, sort of.

There were chances for the home team, caused mainly by what Andy Murray would call unforced errors, and perhaps the shooting from the forwards could do with a bit of practice, but for what was a pre season game dressed up as a Champions League qualifier, the bhoys did alright. We would all have taken 3-0 before kick off.

Tomorrow sees the draw for the Third Round, where the opposition should be a little tougher, but by then , Celtic will be a little better. Sitting here post match, thats about all we could have asked for.

Manager Neil Lennon sounded like a man with a plan after the game;

” Hopefully we’ve negotiated the tie but we need new bodies in for the next round and we’re going to do that. We’re actively looking at strengthening the squad as there is money available from the wanyama transfer. I’d like somebody in before next week if I can so we can bed them in as quickly as possible. If we could get one in early next week, I’d be delighted but at the moment we aren’t close to anything. ”

On Gary Hooper, who according to a twitterer, spent the evening having his tea in Nandos-probably not true- Lennon said;

” Talks are still on going between Gary and his representatives but no bid has been accepted by us yet. ”

The manager then returned to talk of the game;

” I’m delighted. We played well and scored three goals and created a lot of chances. Hopefully we have a clean bill of health. It was a sticky game for us and we dealt with it very well. A lot of the talk has been about our pre season and the result but we just wanted to try to get it right for these games. Some are, and some are still quite rusty, which is totally understandable. But there were a lot of good performances. I’m delighted with the performance and the attitude of the team. ”

Before the game, Lennon had commented on how unfair it was for a last sixteen team to be involved this early in the competition, and on how he felt his players were a couple of weeks away from being at their best.

He sounded a very relieved man after the game.

The only possible blot on the performance was the petulant foul by Beram Kayal which earned him a bboking late on. Still, it gave the BBC commentators a chance to show their understanding of the rules, when one of them claimed that he thought the booking was for the Cliftonville player.

Stephen Craigan was the summariser, and in summary, he wasn’t very good. Like the rest of the programme really. Mark McGhee mumbled along with Rob MacLean, and it was left to John Hartson to try to carry the show. Ach, he tried.

Its hard to work out why BBC Scotland football programmes are so insipid. At first you think its the lighting, which is similar to that of the back room in a funeral parlour. Or is it the seating plan? Which is presumably designed to make for a cosy chat, with the host facing his guest and the camera viewing side on. Most other football programmes have the presenters and guests facing the audience, as though they are educating and ย informing the viewer. Oddly enough, that is what they are supposed to do.

What we get with MacLean and co. is a view of a table, as though in a restuarant, and the chance to eavesdrop on its conversation. As the table has a couple of former footballers on it, it might be worth listening to. Alas, footballers are never interesting when discussing football. Only when they tell of drink, drugs , women and gambling. So the eavesdropper moves on, looking for a fruit machine or some other way of passing the time until the main course turns up.

It still needs a revamp, but it doesn’t look like it will get it. Money is the problem, the BBC claim, but it wouldn’t cost much to buy a couple of bulbs and turn the chairs around.

As if we haven’t got enough to smile about this morning, shares in Sevco International 5088 Scotland Rangers tumbled again yesterday, with millions of pounds being lost and around 15% of value disappearing.

It looks like someone who was locked in is now dumping his investment and cashing in.

Or could it be that, with the BTC having another airing tomorrow-only a formal thing, nothing major-there have been hints about its eventual outcome?

With HMRC, as the club are about to find out, little matters of rule breaking cannot be fixed over a Gin and Tonic at the lodge.

HMRC want their money, and are also curious as to how a liquidated club can just re-animate itself, and pretend nothing happened.

Second helpings of ice cream anyone ?

ice cream

Some might say that the share price doesn’t matter to the club. Thats not strictly true, as it determines credit available, further investment and market confidence.

If even the wealthiest and staunchest bluenosed bear saw this twelve month graph of the company share price, he would probably think twice.

CompanySummaryChart2_image

and by clicking this link, you get an up to date idea of how its going today.

 

company-summary

Their knight in shining armour isn’t coming any time soon. Although it is rumoured that Kenny Miller may come back to the club, and he shines a bit. Sort of orangey, which they will like over there.

Jim Kerr , of Simple Minds was the man who spoke of possible investment, and which other well known fan said

” You and me ย both ” to himself when he spotted a cyclist, in the hoops, at 4am in the morning heading to a Vancouver bar to watch the game?

 

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Admin
10 years ago

Lance Armstrong?

Frank McGaaaaarvey
10 years ago

Job done comfortably without ever moving out of 2nd gear. Wonder if they moved to 5th gear would they simply speed out the park never to return Forrest Gump style? Let’s see what the draw holds in store for us tomorrow with regards to our path to CL glory. Does anyone even want to begin thinking about contemplating life without CL football this season?

Ralph,

I would be proper p’d off with the cruddy BBC coverage as well if I paid the license fee.

The quote? If it ain’t from the bunnet then it must from the local milkman up at that time in the morning. Mind you, if he said it to himself then how do we know who really said it? It’s too early for those “tree falling in the woods” type of brain teasers.

Donnie
10 years ago

Rod the Mod.

Nick
10 years ago

Watched the game on BBC NI, much better and more unbiased coverage. They even had added McAvennie!

10 years ago

Excellente , so dem goddam munkeyBuns are in TROUBLE again,yi cannie wackit,especially since they made the statement ‘THAT THEYRE NOT WORRIED ‘BOUT CELTIC FC MAKIN; AW KINZ A DOSH IN THE TRANSFER MARKET AND THE CHAMPS LEAGUE REVENUE,YUR DAILY MAIL PISH AW PISH,HOPE THEY GO DOON LES TUBES AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN, G B N L THE ONLY DECENT AND HONEST MANAGER IN SCOTTISH FITBA ( AS WELL AS WEE JACKIE ‘N’ SIMON @UNITED)

10 years ago

They’re too dumb to be worried.

San Miguel
10 years ago

I’ll go for the bunnet

10 years ago

The only thing Kenny Miller shines is his knob …

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