Celtic Diary Sunday February 2

23 games unbeaten, 10 clean sheets, and today its St. Mirren who come to Celtic Park to face the juggernaut of Scottish football.

They will also try to record the first goal against Celtic since former hoops player Niall McGinn scored the  Aberdeen goal in a 3-1 defeat for the Dons.

Good luck with that. St. Mirren, like Kilmarnock last week, are there just to make up the numbers for the time being as Scottish football reinvents itself post armaggedon, and the Paisley side haven’t tried to adapt yet.

New Celtic signing Leigh Griffiths will not be available, according to Radio Clyde, as he wasn’t signed before 5pm on Friday. BBC Scotland says he can play, and as usual no-one knows whats going on.

Griffiths has been stung by remarks about his less than film star looks, and there is a story that his mother, whilst holding him to the breast, would often think about other babies.

All nonsense, of course. Griffiths will be a success at Celtic, and he can’t wait to get started;

” I can’t wait to get started ” he probably said to someone , somewhere.

Despite what Gordon Waddell says in the Sunday Mail;

” LEIGH Griffiths is Celtic’s glass-ceiling signing.

An acknowledgement of where they are – and that’s where they’re staying. That for them there is no next level.

Domestic heavyweights, Champions League lightweights.

Is Griffiths a good striker? Of course. Good value for money? Yup. Ready to walk straight into the team?

Better than what they’ve already got? Twice more, yup. Can he be developed into a better player the way Gary Hooper was? Definitely. Potential for future profit? See previous answer.

Griffiths ticks all the boxes on Peter Lawwell’s checklist.

But the real question – is he what Neil Lennon set out looking for when the window opened ? ”

Er, yes. Because we know he contacted Griffiths in December.

Neil Lennon is looking forward to the game today, and trying to forget about the game he went to yesterday.

He was over at Tynecastle, watching Aberdeen hammer St. Johnstone on the league cup semi final.

Tynecastle probably isn’t on his list of favourite days out, but he went nonetheless. Whilst in the main stand, he was spat on, pelted with coins and generally abused by Aberdeen fans, prompting stewards to move him closer to the pitch , presumably so someone could get a clear run at him.

As ever, the real issue was overlooked, Graeme Spiers stopped short of saying “he brings it on himself”, largely because he realised just in time he was about to say “he brings it on himself”

Is it because he is a successful catholic living and working in a largely non catholic country ? Doubt it , but its never actually discussed in the media as a possibility, which it certainly is-a possibility, that is.

Or is it just that these days people can get away with actually attacking people in person-such as the live tv assault at Tynecastle a while back – as long as they don’t call them names online ?

Theres a groundbreaking report and study to be done there, perhaps by some journalist prepared to undertake the task of sifting through evidence, talking to people involved, and evaluating opinions, which rules out anyone in Scotland doing it.

Far easier to print a picture of Lennon snarling and tell us its all his own fault.

He must be tired of it all by now, and credit to him for playing it down, because personally, I’ve a feeling its just idiots in the support, who get off on that sort of behaviour.

Still, it adds a bit of spice to next weeks cup game against the sheep fondling fraternity , which might be a good thing.

With Joe Ledley away, there is a place up for grabs in the middle of the park today, and Stefan Johansen is reportedly already stripped and warming up at the side of the pitch, with Survivors “Eye of the Tiger ” playing over his i-pod.

That surprised you-me knowing what an i-pod is. That surprised me as well, and the wife, when she asked me for an i-pad or an i-pod or something similar for christmas.

I got her an i-ron. And a cat, because you can never have enough things in the house that ignore you.

So, will Fraser Forster set a new record today, will it be another clean sheet ? St. Mirren have players who can score goals, but we have players who can defend, and defend well. For all this talk of records not really mattering, it adds an edge to the game, because to get to this position again would require weeks of intense focus and effort.

Lennon praised the big keeper;

“Fraser is in fine form so he’s got the bit between his teeth, as do the whole team.

“We’ve been lucky over the years to have two superb keepers in Artur Boruc and Fraser.

“We waited a long time for a world-class goalie then got one with Artur.

“You think it might be another long wait then Fraser comes along and progresses into a world-level goalkeeper.

“He has done amazing things here. Getting into the England squad and winning a cap while in Scotland speaks volumes for him.

“Everyone will have their own thoughts but I don’t think there’s too much between Artur at his peak and Fraser at his peak.”

When Forster first arrived, I really couldn’t see what Lennon saw in him. when he signed permanently the club went on a bit of a losing streak, ending when Anthonmy Stokes scored a hat trick against Kilmarnock.

The rest is history, but Forster has emerged from the dust as one of the finest keepers around, which from a personal point of view-recalling when he was out practising kicking the ball at half time against old Rangers -before kicking it out to Kenny Miller-I think- I honestly never imagined.

Well done to the big man, he has exceeded all expectations from everyone, probably including himself. My favourite moemt was when he saved that back pass from Cha du Ri.

So, the game isn’t on telly, so google will be our friend this afternoon. Or Radio Scotland, or celtic tv, whodo commentary.

Or , of course, you could go to the match.

I can’t. Theres only two of us who can make it today from down here, and the other guy doesn’t want to listen to my “shite all day ”

You can hardly blame him.

Speaking of shite, who said this back in 1993 ?

” We kept Paul and now we have to do the same with John. We have always been regarded as one of the best payers in football and our conditions match our wages. ”