Or the DropDeadFred cup, or whatever its called.
Gambling plays a disproportionate part in the sponsorship of Scottish football, including at our own club. Yet nowhere does it point out , in any if the adverts, that gambling will inevitably lead to the break up of your marriage and endless phone calls to guys who rent out flats above shops.
Just saying.
Ahead of tonights last sixteen clash with motherwell, Celtic were bouyed-or should that be bhouyed-by the news that Tom rogic has signed a new three year deal. James Forrest needs to be quick with his, otherwise, with the amount of signing being done of late, there’ll be no pens left with ink in them around the ground.
Thats why Paddy McNair is off to Sunderland. When he came up for talks, no-one could find a pen and thats why the deal didn’t go through. You won’t read that anywhere else, by the way, for somewhat obvious reasons.
Rogic, the only Australian I’ve ever heard of with no previous convictions, is a quiet laid back guy, causing many to doubt he is indeed Australian, and could now go on to fulfill his potential. He’s highly rated down under,
and seems the natural successor to Kris Commons in the number ten role, if , of course, Rodgers decides he wants a number ten.
Rogic was pleased to sign up for another three years…
“It’s a great show of faith by the club in me.
“I’m happy here and happy to commit my future to the club that I’m proud of.
“The manager has had a very positive impact on the club so far and I’m sure we will continue to build on that.
“To have my future sorted and know that I’m going to be working with the manager for the coming seasons is great.
“The manager had a say in me re-signing and he has played a big role in me deciding to stay here. You can tell he’s a top-class manager.
“I know that, under him, I can develop and progress.”
Whilst the writing was on the contract for Rogic, its becoming apparent its on the wall for Commons, who was excluded from the squad sent to UEFA for next weeks showdown with the Hapoel Beer Company, and as a space for a “wildcard ” signing has been left, it appears the playmaker has been left out largely to accomodate, er, no-one yet, but someone might come in, which will hardly make him feel good about his situation.
Wherever he goes, we wish him luck.
Oh, while we’re on about finding new clubs, good luck too, to Carlton Cole…
Former West Ham United and Celtic striker Carlton Cole is set to continue his career in the US third tier.
The 32-year-old ex-England international, who was released by Celtic in June after spending eight months at Parkhead, has joined USL side Sacramento Republic FC on a deal for the remainder of the 2016 campaign and will begin training with his new club from 16 August.
Speaking to Republic FC’s official website, head coach Paul Buckle said: “Cole needs no introduction. In terms in what he has does in the game, he has played at the highest level throughout his career and it shows he is a top player and very good professional.
“When he became available, we realized the good he can bring, his invaluable experience and that he can score goals.”
And good luck to the head coach as well, if thats what he thinks he’s getting with Cole…
There might be a new deal in the pipeline-a silly place to leave it-for Eoghan O’Connell, the defender who has taken the bull by the horns after finally being offered a shot in the first team. his current deal is up at the end of the season, and whilst he still has a bit to do to displace Simunovic Boyata or Svaitchenko from the team, ( maybe just tripping them up as they get off the bus would do it ) , there is undoubted promise there, and certainly it can be said his emergence has removed the panic that had set in when we all thought we had no cover at the back.
John Kennedy spoke to the media, in that charming and carefree way he has;
“To be fair it’s (his contract) something we’re well aware of, Last season was tough on Eoghan because he hardly played any football. But he’s come back and has been looking strong.
“So I’m pretty sure we’ll look at that soon and that the club will sit down with him and his representatives and we’ll see what the outcome is. But he’s put himself in a good position with his performances and that’s all we can ask.
“He’s getting to an age where it’s make or break for him in terms of first team at Celtic and you don’t often get the long-term contract.
“Kieran Tierney has come in and got one after doing the business and Eoghan is still to get to that stage. It’s still early stages for him but he’s certainly done himself a lot of favours in terms of the way he’s played and performed.”
“It’s been a big opportunity for him to go and play and he’s certainly taken that. He’s done very well so far this season.
“This is a boy who came through our Academy at 16, I’ve worked with him a long time and know him inside out.
“He had a couple of loans spells last season which didn’t quite work out because of injury more than anything else.
“But he’s come in and had a good pre-season and done very well in the games. It’s now about keeping his feet on the ground and working hard.
“To be fair, he’s a great boy, a great lad to work with. Last season he knew himself there was nothing he could really do about the injuries he got.
“He went down south and had a problem and then went to Ireland and had another injury which was just unlucky.
“But he’s had a solid run in terms of training – I don’t think he’s missed a session – and the manager is showing faith in him. Eoghan is rewarding him with his performances.”
O’Connell himself is quite pleased with the way things have turned out… and how he has fitted comfortably into the back four, with his style of play
“We have always been brought up at Celtic to be comfortable on the ball and take it from the back, I have had that since I was young – I used to play in midfield until I was 15 and maybe that had something to do with it – but it’s something I enjoy, taking the ball under pressure and taking it out from the back.
“That is the way we play here; open and attacking football. I think you need to be able to deal with the ball.
“I don’t think you have to punt the ball. We have been taught at Celtic to play the most expansive football we can, as that is the style. When I first signed for the club, perhaps one of the strongest parts of my games was to play the game.
“I didn’t really expect this. I have played a few games but it was always one-in, one-out kind of a thing. I have never really had a run. It is difficult to plant a seed in people’s heads, that you are ready to play, if you are only playing one game.
“I have got this little run now and I’m hoping to prove to people that I am ready and good enough to play here.”
Good luck to him. I think the last central defender we had come through the ranks was Stephen MacManus, who wasn’t that bad. Unless he had to head the ball. Or kick it.
On to tonights game, and the pressure is on to keep going for as many trophies as we can, after the disappointment of the International Champions Cup, which turned out to be shite.
Celtic play host to Motherwell, and if you want to watch it on telly, make sure the kids aren’t in the room.
Keith Lasley, seen above in a rare moment when he kicks a ball instead of a player, will be out to stamp his authority, and feet, on Celtics midfield, and its never pretty to watch.
Celtic will be without Leigh Griffiths but will be hoping for a repeat of the result at the end of last season, the seven goal thriller which was achieved without him, and joining him on the sidelines are Stefan Johansen and Efe Ambrose-who incidentally will be away very soon-his agent is currently showing videos of Kolo Toure to interested clubs and hoping no-one spots the difference.
So, how about a wee change and a rest for a few tonight ?
Er, no. They can have a rest at the weekend. Lets keep the impetus going in as far as we can
Gordon, Lustig, Toure, O’Connell, Tierney, Forrest, Brown , Armstrong, MacGregor, Dembele, Ciftci.
Depending on how the game goes, changes can be made if someone is feeling a bit tired, or there is the need to protect someone from Lasley.
After all, and it may be a bit early to say it, but you can’t have a treble without a League Cup. and the good news is that it will count this year, as “rangers ” are in the league. Or something.
Meanwhile, the aftermath of sundays game continues to rumble on.
Jamie Walker, the spinning Hearts midfielder, has been offered a two match ban for simulation-something that surely should be offered to a football club playing out of Ibrox if any measure of consistency is to be applied and upheld- and it appears that the club are going to turn it down.
Their manager, Robbie Neilsen, explained..
“I have watched the incident back several times, Jamie told us he felt contact. He got himself out the way of a leg that is coming through. From our perspective, we believe that any contact in the box is a penalty. I believe from the footage which we have seen there is slight contact. You look at the camera from every angle and there is no indication there was no contact – other than people saying there is no contact.”
Okay, in the interests of fair play, lets look at the incident again…
Yeah, tough one to call, that.
Finally, congratulatons to the lads who brought back the first trophy of the season last night… this report from the official website, which in fairness does a better job of the twitter announcement.. the same picture was actually the leader for the story on the website, and I’m quite sure those in charge will take the appropriate steps when they find the guilty party..
Johnston strike seals Jock Stein Friendship Cup win for Celtic: http://www.celticfc.net/news/11046 (MD)
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Jock Stein Friendship Cup
Exsel Group Stadium (Cliftonhill), Coatbridge
Tuesday August 8, 2016CELTIC…1
(Johnston 73)ALBION ROVERS…0
MIKEY Johnston’s clinical second-half finish helped Celtic lift the Jock Stein Friendship Cup as they overcame Albion Rovers 1-0 at the Exsel Group Stadium.
Despite controlling most of the play in either half, Tommy McIntyre’s young Hoops side were kept at bay by Derek Young’s League One outfit in the annual friendly match until substitute Johnston found his mark with a cracking right-footed shot from inside the box with just over 15 minutes left.
The young attacker was set up well by Mark Hill’s driving run from deep and the victory allows the Celts to head into Tuesday’s Irn Bru Cup second round match against Cowdenbeath in good form following last week’s 5-1 thrashing of Annan Athletic in the opening round of the competition.
Tommy McIntyre put out a much changed squad from the one that swept aside Annan in the youths’ last outing last week with only Sam Wardrop, Aidan McIlduff and Calvin Miller retaining places in the team.
The game was a good opportunity for the Academy Coach to test out his new look side following the departure of key players Aidan Nesbitt and Joe Thomson on loan in the preceding days and he drafted in a host of fresh faces for the clash with Rovers in Coatbridge.
After dominating the opening 20 minutes, Celtic began to make their possession count with the lively Miller supplying a string of crosses from the left and Luke Donnelly and PJ Crossan having shots blocked in the box.
The match was an important step for Donnelly on his return to full fitness following a long period on the sidelines and there were flashes of his trademark quick feet and close control in the opening 45 minutes, but not enough to bring a clear cut chance.
The Bhoys were also comfortable at the back in the first-half with the pairing of Dan Higgins and Josh Kerr in central defence limiting Rovers to just one real chance through Ross Stewart’s wayward effort from 12 yards.
After a fairly dominant first-half from Celtic, the home fans were given something to cheer about at the interval when Albion Rovers club secretary Paul Reilly had his head shaved at pitchside to raise money for Beatson Cancer Charity in honour of his wife Elspeth, who died from the condition in early 2015.
Derek Young made four changes for the restart, including his keeper, and the League One side came out battling but it was Celtic’s Theodore Archibald who went closest to opening the scoring, fizzing a shot just over the bar from 30 yards 10 minutes into the second-half.
The Bhoys made a triple swap after the hour mark, introducing Regan Hendry, Johnston and Brandon Payne for Donnelly, Inness Murray and Archibald. The trio did their best to inject some much needed verve into the play, with Rovers content to sit back and play on the break, and their endeavour finally paid off when Johnston broke the deadlock with a cracking finish on 73 minutes.
With Rovers caught up the pitch on a rare attack, Hill broke forward for Celtic and surged through the home side’s midfield before shifting his feet on the edge of the area to free Johnston, who took a touch to steady himself before rocketing past Alan Reid in the Albion goal.
The home side rallied and went close to equalising through Ross Gilmour, who curled a left-footed shot off the bar before Conor Hazard made his first save of the match with just two minutes remaining to deny Gary Fisher from distance.
The Celts held out until full-time, however, and will now look to continue their momentum in Tuesday’s Irn Bru Cup clash against Cowdenbeath.
CELTIC (4-2-3-1) Hazard; Wardrop, Kerr, Higgins, McIlduff; Murray (Hendry 62), Hill; Archibald (Johnston 62), Donnelly (Payne 62), Miller; Crossan
Not used: McAdams, Watson, Duffy
Also of interest to some of you may be this report from the New Yorker, written by Andy borowitz, and sent to us by Steve Brown, which details something we may have seen somewhere before…
MINNEAPOLIS (The Borowitz Report) – Scientists have discovered a powerful new strain of fact-resistant humans who are threatening the ability of Earth to sustain life, a sobering new study reports.
The research, conducted by the University of Minnesota, identifies a virulent strain of humans who are virtually immune to any form of verifiable knowledge, leaving scientists at a loss as to how to combat them.
“These humans appear to have all the faculties necessary to receive and process information,” Davis Logsdon, one of the scientists who contributed to the study, said. “And yet, somehow, they have developed defenses that, for all intents and purposes, have rendered those faculties totally inactive.”
More worryingly, Logsdon said, “As facts have multiplied, their defenses against those facts have only grown more powerful.”
While scientists have no clear understanding of the mechanisms that prevent the fact-resistant humans from absorbing data, they theorize that the strain may have developed the ability to intercept and discard information en route from the auditory nerve to the brain. “The normal functions of human consciousness have been completely nullified,” Logsdon said.
While reaffirming the gloomy assessments of the study, Logsdon held out hope that the threat of fact-resistant humans could be mitigated in the future. “Our research is very preliminary, but it’s possible that they will become more receptive to facts once they are in an environment without food, water, or oxygen”
You may have seen the reports that “rangers ” were looking to sign a chap who has the last name “Fanni “, a deal called off when they realised that supporters may not be rushing out to have his name printed on the back of their shirts, something which didn’t occur to them before they signed Crooks and the hilariously apt Dodoo.
But they are ready to make a double signing this week, which actually describes what the old owners did to the creditors, and the new owners have done to the supporters….
That pictures actually from the Olympics, which have been rocked by controversy again after the Somalian team were warned that sailing and shooting are actually two separate events.
Caption competition now, and from yesterday we have..
Poignantly explained by
The carpet isn’t big enough to sweep the facts that Rangers were liquidated under it.
and today, explain this , if you will…