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Celtic Diary Monday December 10

A bit of daylight opened up at the top of the league after Celtic turned over Kilmarnock down in Ayrshire on Saturday, and hopefully it will be the start of a run of consistency now that the tedium of the Champions League is over for a few weeks.

Undoubtedly the highlight of the game was the ten man, twenty two pass move that led to Georgios Samaras crashing a header of the underside of the bar for the third. The BBC were suitably impressed, showing this goal in the style of Benny Hill on their flagship Sportscene programme, which remains as good a reason to go to the game as any.

Total football comes to Scotland, but lets not dwell on that, after all, when did they ever try to promote the game?

Lennon opted to change the formation, going with three at the back and two out wide, which actually led to all goals being cutbacks from the side, although not neccessarily from the wing backs. Anyway, it worked, and Kilmarnock couldn’t cope with the switch.

Simple football, involving giving the ball to a guy wearing the same colour top. Brilliant. All very enjoyable and gives you a warm glow in these cold days.

Manager Neil Lennon was delighted;

“I think it was down to the fact that we are through in the champions League,” he said “The confidence is there, we are not looking a week or two down the line for the next Champions League game and maybe saving a little bit for that. We know the consistency in the league hasn’t been there but away from home we have been very good, we want to replicate that at  home now. We have opened up a gap and its up to the other teams to win their games and keep in touch with us. Three points and a game in hand is a good position to be in now.

Theres only a point separating the next three teams, so the side cannot relax just yet, but the players know they need to keep playing well just to stay in the team now.

The Daily Record have dropped their writer James Traynor, who used to be sports editor, but anyone hoping for a change of style and direction would have been disappointed when a hack asked Neil Lennon all the stupid questions that they are known for. This time it was about managing in England

A polite answer from the gaffer about England was ;

“I’m ambitious and maybe one day. If I’m still good enough, a Premiership team might shine their eyes at me and it would be something to consider.”

Still the same mentality that any success in Scotland is just a stepping stone to the EPL. And thats always going to be part of the problem. The rest of the interview assures us that Lennon is happy at Celtic, and why wouldn’t he be? No-one has attacked him or sent him bullets for ages.

With James Traynor officially concerned as Head of PR at the new Rangers club, its no surprise to see him also booted off his Radio Scotland gig, which has to be good news for free thinking journalists.

All the jokes about his 37 year work trial, his payment in Lamb and his spiritual home have been done, but one question hasn’t been asked-and it won’t be.

How on earth can decent Rangers supporters accept a man whose compliancy and failure to do his job led indirectly-or directly-to the fall of Rangers under Murray in the first place?  Would Thatcher have got a job on the TUC?  Okay, maybe thats a bit strong, but you get the point.

But over at Ibrox, they don’t want to know-after all , they are still celebrating 140 years of unbroken history, with legends strolling around the pitch on Saturday clutching trophies and so on. Perhaps they just wanted to hold them one more time before they have to give them back.

Stirling Albion fans put together a banner saying “More like 140 days2 and acoording to one source were pelted with coins and other missiles. Charles Green would have been mortified at this behaviour, as that money could have gone to his share issue.

Anyway, just to clarify. Their club is not 140 years old. Look at this.

 

But hey, who wants to spoil a party?

McCoist was himself concerned it would all be a “damp squid (sic)”, but they won, and everyone sang and laughed and danced as the south side of Glasgow continued its struggle against reality. Well, thats how it seems. but then, even if there were dissenting voices no-one wants to hear them.

The supporters will obviously speak by refusing to invest in the club that owns the club that runs Rangers, but doesn’t actually own anything. With Charles Green trousering a reported £360,000 a year plus expenses and bonuses, its hard to see him giving a flying feck at a rolling doughnut what those poor saps do anyway.

Steveo gave a full and frank answer to Saturdays teaser-golf tours being the main source of Fergus McCanns money, and you know, he has a point about a statue to the great man-or maybe a bunnet day or something in tribute.

Some board members at Celtic, or former board members have been a wee bit eccentric. Which club, then under the auspice of a former Celtic investor, turned up for a title clinching game at Celtic Park with their players all wearing green plastic noses?

 

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jasbhoy
11 years ago

Livingston?

Hugo_Z
11 years ago

The diary is becoming a little tiresome with regular comments about a team in the 3rd division who, frankly, have very little relevance to Celtic. Every time you make comment on them, you give further credence to their claim that they ARE still Rangers. They aren’t. Ignore them.

Ralph malph
11 years ago

I want them all to go to jail for fraud so I m calling them rangers and reminding people of them.
Fair comment though. It is after all a Celtic Diary. Bit their shennanigans affect us all, especially in the press

Christifart
11 years ago

I like the Rangers comments but agree it needs to be judiciously used for fear of becoming obsessive. I see it as ying and yang for the Celtic Diary. I think the North Stand should be named the McCann stand. It has a nice ring to it and it was wee Fergus who built it (not litraly of course).

MarkyBhoy
11 years ago
Reply to  Christifart

The North Stand as far as I’m concerned is The Fergus McCann Stand. Anything else would be completely inappropriate. It would be good to do it on Flag Day next season where some fans can right the wrongs of the last Flag Day the wee man was involved in.

Aldo
11 years ago
Reply to  MarkyBhoy

Aye fair point that was out of order that day….

Run Sammy Run
11 years ago

You’re just not getting the hang of this internet thing are you. I clicked on the wee image that I can’t read expecting to see a bigger version of it, turns out it links to a page with the image on it… but it’s the same size!

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