Virgil van Dijk is pleased to get his first goals for the club. Speaking after his brace on Saturday, the Dutchman said;
“I´ve been waiting for my first Celtic goal for a long time so I’m very happy to have got my first two goals for the club.
“I had a couple of chances before my goal. We knew it was going to be a tough game but after our first goal, I thought we dominated the game.”
“It´s always hard to come back after a Champions League game, particularly with it being an early kick-off,” he said.
“Before the game the manager said it would be very hard, but after we scored the first goal we never had any trouble.”
Van Dijk has settled quicker than we could have hoped for, and has contributed more than his fair share in making Celtic stronger in defence than any other part of the field. Something that hasn’t happened for a long , long time.
In fact, its debatable if it has ever been the case, and it gives manager Neil Lennon something to build on.
The good news is that Joe Ledley isn’t going anywhere.
EXCLUSIVE: Joe Ledley poised to quit Celtic
CELTIC fear Joe Ledley is going to walk away for free at the end of the season.
Confirmation that the Welshman is to stay at Celtic came from the Express this morning when the football worlds least accurate news team led with that headline. The guys at the Express are only rivalled by the drunk fellow who sends us his snippets for sheer hopelessness when it comes to getting things right, and in fact, I’m not entirely sure they’re not the same person. The report continues;
Parkhead chief executive Peter Lawwell confirmed in September that the club had opened talks with the former Cardiff City star.
Express Sport understands that those negotiations have made very little headway in persuading Ledley to accept a new deal.
Ledley walked out on hometown club Cardiff to join Celtic on a free transfer in 2010.
And there is now genuine concern at Celtic Park that he will do the same at the end of the season. ”
Ledley himself was substituted, but seemed happy enough to accept Neil Lennons explanation, when the boss explained that if he had stayed on and scored a hat trick, it could have weakened the clubs negotiation stance during contract talks
How are those talks going ?
The record ( Craig Swan ) says;
” Ledley was not allowed to speak about any contract negotiations after the game at the Global Energy Stadium and it is believed there has been no recent advances on the situation. ”
Ledley himself doesn’t seem concerned.
He gives the impression of a man who is enjoying life at Celtic, and doesn’t seem the type to be tempted south for money, glamour and fame. After all, as he is no doubt aware, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the road.
Or is it ?
Zheng Zhi, who enjoyed-well, maybe endured-a brief spell at Celtic , joined Chinese side Ghaungzho Evergrande in 2010, and has picked up an Asian Champions League winners medal after his side beat Seoul in the final. Seoul had an ex Celt in their team as well, a roving right back called Cha du Ri.
They’re the first Chinese team to win the competition, and perhaps football is on the up over there. If only we had some sort of deal with them… ( You are so fickle -ed )
Two weeks tomorrow sees the crunch game against Milan, and there are signs that the Italians may well have a new coach in by then.
Massimo Allegri has led his team to tenth in the league, and that isn’t good enough for the Rossineri;
“I am the coach of the Milan, So if the club thinks this team needs another coach then they’ll let me know. I look at what happens on the field.” Perhaps he should be looking at whats happening off it…
Ally McCoist has ruled himself out of the running.
Tom English, in the Scotsman yesterday, nearly hit the nail on the head over the Amsterdam fracas;
| THE conviction of so many Celtic fans that few, if any, of their number did much wrong in Amsterdam appears to be unshakeable and typical of a support defending their own.To many, the narrative could not be simpler. They were minding their own business in Dam Square last Wednesday when Ajax fans came at them. The police then began to clear them out of there with an aggression that overstepped the mark. A local ned stole a Celtic flag and ran away. Celtic fans ran after him. There was a fight. And another fight. The police got heavy. Plain clothes cops got stuck in with abandon. Supporters got shunted down side streets. Innocents got hurt. Shame on the Amsterdam police and their unwarranted force. Shame on the undercover guys and their extreme behaviour. Shame on Ajax fans. Shame on the media. Shame on everybody, but no shame on the Celtic fans involved in the fighting? None at all? Some of the Celtic narrative is undoubtedly true, but some of it appears one-eyed and a little ridiculous. Innocents got caught up in the violence, no question. The local police steamed in, no doubt about it. There is footage of an undercover police officer repeatedly sticking the knee into a Celtic fan while some other plain clothes guys hold the Celtic fan still. It’s excessive. Anybody can see that. If the point of the exercise was to restrain and arrest a troublemaker then why knee him and punch him after they had him under control? But that’s only one side of the story. There is another side and part of it is going to take place in an Amsterdam court, where six Celtic fans are going on trial on 21 November charged with violence towards police. If found guilty they are looking at a maximum prison sentence of four years. Let’s be clear. You can point the finger in all directions here, but a bunch of Celtic fans – we don’t know how many – behaved like yobs on Wednesday night. Some very serious charges have been made against the six, with lesser charges brought against 22 other Celtic fans who were arrested among the total figure of 44 arrests. The 22 have been released with fines of upwards of ¤500. Four of the six have been bailed pending trial. Two remain in custody. An argument of self-defence and provocation is put forward by some Celtic people for what happened, but where’s the self-defence in chucking bottles and cans at Dutch police? Where’s the self-defence in a gang of these thugs chasing after an undercover cop – even if they didn’t know he was a cop – and setting about him? Where is the self-defence in the YouTube video of that same attack with bottles being chucked at a passing tram? If a Neanderthal Ajax supporter throws a bottle at a Celtic fan, what do we say about the Celtic fan who picks a bottle and throws one right back at him? Is he not a lout as well? Celtic fans have a fine reputation in Europe for their travelling support but some of the stuff that went down in Amsterdam was shameful. Too many fans travelled without tickets and with little hope of getting one. That’s no crime, but it does tend to raise alarm bells if your intention is to congregate, and drink, in massive numbers in the middle of a city that has a history of football violence. It wasn’t the centre of Disneyland they occupied in mid-afternoon with their bottles and their cans. This was an area that has seen trouble many times before and that had, according to a few witnesses, a bit of a malevolent air in the run-up to kick-off. Amsterdam can be a dangerous place on big football nights, especially if your intention is to stay in Dam Square drinking your head off all day. To set the scene, Celtic supporters arrived into a city that is becoming almost as infamous for its hooligans as its hookers. On Tuesday night a gang of hooded lunatics set about a pub in which Celtic fans were having a drink. It was thoroughly unprovoked. They launched their attack and it’s clear for all to see on YouTube. The reaction was one of shock, but it shouldn’t have been. You go to Amsterdam for a major football match and it will usually kick off somewhere, somehow. Last October, when Manchester City were in town for a Champions League tie, there was more hooliganism, local police laying the blame squarely at the door of the Ajax fans, with the odd exception. In February, Amsterdam police arrested 129 people after fighting broke out between fans of Ajax and Manchester United. A few short months before that, a Dutch Cup match in Amsterdam had to be abandoned when an Ajax fan ran on to the pitch and tried to assault the goalkeeper of the visiting side, AZ Alkmaar. It was a scene reminiscent of another day in Amsterdam many years before when hundreds of Ajax fans invaded the pitch at an under-21 game in an attempt to get at Feyenoord’s Robin van Persie. We could go on. Trouble in Amsterdam when Dinamo Zagreb went there. Trouble in Amsterdam when Olympique Marseille went there. Trouble in Amsterdam when Feyenoord went there. Trouble in Amsterdam when Hamburg went there. There is a common denominator in all of this and it is Amsterdam. If the local police are at a heightened state of alert when large groups of booze-laden football fans gather in the city centre then it is no wonder. They’ve seen so many fights – and riots – involving Ajax fans and fans of visiting teams that they can smell another one coming a mile off. Celtic might say that the very people who were supposed to be easing the mayhem merely just added to it. That’ll be played out in court soon enough. On the pitch, and off, Celtic have enjoyed some joyous nights in European football. Amsterdam was at the other end of the spectrum. |
|
Not quite sure if its our own fault for sticking up for each other, or for going there in the first place, but he’s right about Amsterdam itself.
The criticism of Scott Brown in yesterdays diary prompted a couple of replies.
Yes, Brown adds a bit of bite to the team.
Yes, the team are better off with him in it.
Yes, his committment and drive are beyond question.
But, in the six most important games this season, he was gave away a needless match losing free kick in one, got sent off in another and will miss three more.
To make up for that, he will have to score three in Barcelona, turn down a January multi million pound move to the Catalans and offer to pay for everyones season book next year.
What particularly galls is that as soon as he’s back in action he is doing the same thing. He got booked again, for playing silly buggers, and my biggest fear is that while dividing the fans isn’t too bad, what if he is dividing opinion in the dressing room ?
Some supporters think he is letting the side down. Do some of the players feel the same way ? The swift, public backing of Brown after the Barcelona game suggests he is.
Brown could be a great Celtic captain, but at the moment he is his own worst enemy.
The headline yesterday referred to the Barnes fiasco when Inverness bundled Celtic out of the Scottish Cup, and cut short a promising managerial career.
Thankfully, it was the start of a playing revolution at Celtic, and thats how the game should be remembered.
This ones obvious, but what nasty accident nearly put keeper Jonathan Gould out of action in the run up to that game ?
Clue-Tom Boyd talks about it in the recent E-tims podcast. (Actually, Tom Boyd talking about that game in the podcast is one of the best interviews you’ll ever hear from a Celtic player. Despite my miserable voice. )
Joe Ledley…either back him or sack him I say. Give the guy the captaincy and a set place in the team instead of seeing him here there and everywhere ( although i admit it could just be hes always injured!).
As for Broon…everyone loves a wee over-excitable puppy, oh they make us all smile but only for a wee while, even puppies have to grow into mature dogs who do what they’re told!
Good to see Rogic and Biton get a game and some laissez faire and unfit players rested (aka dropped) on Saturday. Keep the team how it is Neil, let them stew a while and give the rest of the squad some hope they can actually break through. It worked for wee Jamesy Forrest!
Poor Tom Boyd, still got the imprint of the phone next to his ear after that interview…a true Celtic great and a total gentleman. Get him in the dressing room before Milan and he can remind the players what that jersey means.
Did Jonathon Gould drop the bag of money the Daily Record used to allegedly give him and Burley for inside info?
I’ve said it berfore. Scott Brown will never be a great Celtic captain. In too many games he gets involved in petty squabbles instead of getting on with the game. You have to have aggression to play the game but with Brown it’s nasty at times. He does give us that bit of dig that’s needed but at times he gets carried away. When you look at Paul McStay,a Celtic great who knew what our great club was all about, Roy Aitken, a hard man, fully commited to the cause and like McStay a great example for the rest of the team to follow. Brown will never be mentioned in the same breath as those two if he does not mend his ways.
To be captain of Celtic is a great honour. Neil Lennon should remind him of that or pick another captain.
HH
Nearly forgot…dont see any mention of Ally McCoist publically backing the new Chairman…after 15 mins chat…what was the chat
“Are my shares and promotion bonus okay?”,
“Aye!”
“Magic!, you have my backing!”
Give it until Dec 18th just before the AGM and watch as Ally declares “Im no business man, just a daft wee fitbaw guy but i will admit, I always feared he wasnt quite right” when he starts backing the old regime to come on board.
Spot on !
not a great fan of Brown he lacks any footballing ability ,cant pass more than a few feet,gets involved in petty feuds but don’t think you should get booked for celebrating a goal,just because it,s done in front of a mad bastard who wen’t at him two footed and was lucky to get the ball ,a red card offence in england
Agree whole heartedly with your assessment of Brown. No class. He is not what Celtic stands for. Too many times he has hurt the team. Lennon keeps backing him. Celtic is MUCH bigger then either. Also lets sign Ledley and play him. Better overall player then Brown. Question – If Brown went to the EPL would he start for any team other then the bottom 2 or 3? Probably not. But Ledley could probably start for all but the top few. Brown needs to smarten up or move on.
Listen. I’m not condoning the action of those Celtic fans throwing bottles back etc, but the reason things got out of hand is very simple: The Amsterdam authorities – and in particular the police specialist hooligan units – got their tactics totally and completely wrong!
If they’d done their job properly by targeting and clamping down on the root cause of the problem – those hard core Ajax fans everybody knew were determined to cause trouble – this would not have happened. – Unless they were fast asleep for the 2 weeks running up to the match, they certainly had the intelligence and more than enough warning signs that major trouble was brewing – the poisonous atmosphere was tangible on every Ajax fan site – So what did they do? : Order up more police vans & put more riot squad units on stand-by. A total cop out, with cop and out being the operative words!
The fact that this Ajax mob – I lost count at 80 – entirely escaped their notice in the most heavily policed part of the city on the relatively quiet Tuesday night before the match, reeks of total bloody incompetence. http://www.geenstijl.nl/mt/archieven/2013/11/hooligans_breken_020_af.html
It does also show just what a bunch of cowardly, little shitbags these Ajax fans are – it was like a mob-handed version of the ”ring the door- squoosh” game I played as a kid – but it is indicative of the type of incident which sparked the trouble on the Wednesday.
So, instead of concentrating their energies in providing a protective ring around those Celtic fans gathering in Dam square before the match, keeping an eye out for small groups joining from the various side-streets – which would have been do-able with visible back-up from the local uniforms on the street corners leading to the square, what did the specialist police decide to do? They thought it would be much more clever (/fun?) to infiltrate the Celtic fans undercover in numbers – conveniently ignoring the fact that with tensions already strung tight, small crowds of plain clothes cops either silent or whispering under their collars in Dutch, was hardly likely to deflate tensions – and then rely on the M.E (riot police), plus an increased number of Mobile police van units, with even more on standby, to handle things if/when trouble broke out.
The incident which sparked things off was also totally predictable. Everybody knew the Ajax hard core were livid about getting one of their flags stolen (& waved at them upside down) 2 weeks at Celtic Park. Their fan websites were all rife with messages swearing revenge, which surely couldn’t have escaped the notice of the police, so-called, “intelligence” officers?
Sure, you can argue a case that it was foolish of Celtic fans to go chasing after the Ajax fans who stole their flag, but let’s be honest.- If you had a drink in you and some wee shit nicked your banner would you stand still and grin?
Bearing in mind what had happened the previous night and the warnings – even from the official Celtic site – to be on their guard – it’s hardly surprising Celtic fans retaliated against those in their midst with Dutch accents (and the absence of Celtic colours), is it? How were they supposed to tell the difference between an uncover cop and an Ajax casual intent on stirring things up? In the circumstances, if you saw a fellow Tim surrounded by and kicking out against blokes in plain clothes, would you immediately assume he was a hooligan deservedly getting arrested by undercover cops? The simple fact is the trouble was not started by Celtic fans. It’s also conveniently forgotten that the instigators – a small group of Ajax fans (+/- 12 I hear) were also arrested in Dam Square.
Sure, far too many Celtic fans (over)-reacted violently to the heavy handed police tactics needed to keep a lid on things – the M.E (riot police) were sent in by the specialist units to break things up, but only after the undercover units had already ballsed things up big time. They got it badly wrong.
However you choose to paint it, the root cause of the problem – and much of the blame – lies not with the Celtic fans, but the police & authorities who, with their totally misjudged tactics, failed to offer Celtic fans proper protection, exacerbated the situation by ramping up the tension and actually served to fan the flames, rather than douse out the sparks before they could ignite. I realise this comparison is stretching things a bit too far, but a deliberate policy of blaming everything on the fans, to cover up all their own faults, isn’t exactly new in the world of policing is it?
CarlJungleBhoy- Fantastic summary of the whole situation.We have been all over the world supporting our team and only ever have problems when we come up against cowards who are jealous of us,our club and everything we stand for.
Let the people sing.
I keep on asking this question, but never seem to get an answer.
How come every Celtic & Scotland manager has made Scott Brown a 1st team pick? We’re talking Strachan, Mowbray, Lennon, McLeish, Smith, Levein etc etc.
He still holds the record for the highest transfer between 2 Scottish clubs. David Murray held a press conference to explain to the rangers (RIP) fans that much as they wanted Scott Brown, they couldn’t afford him (the beginning of the end).
He’s so highly regarded by all the people in football who you would imagine know what they are talking about, yet according to the Celtic fans he can’t pass, tackle, head a ball and is basically worse than a jersey short.
p.s. Joe Ledley isn’t half the player Scott Brown is, if both were available for transfer, Brown would command a much higher fee.
p.p.s. I like Joe Ledley, but realise he isn’t as good or effective as Scott Brown.
Andy
Its maybe a touch of “Aye, but what could be” that a lot of people feel with Broon. We all suspect he could be a great but theres never been a Celtic legend made sitting in the stand due to a lack of maturity. Maybe Celtic could do worse than get Davie Hay in to chat with Broony on the Dark Arts.
When the chips are down we are looking to Brown to lift the team, fans and club up, he cant do that sitting in a suit in row Z.