Celtic Diary Monday December 2

The art of football made a stunning re-appearance at Tynecastle as Celtic swept Hearts aside in an inspiring seven goal thriller. Although Celtic scored all seven, a hatrick from Kris commons, two from Scott Brown and one apiece for Joe Ledley and Mikael Lustig, Hearts played their part as well by picking the ball out of the net and bringing it up to the halfway line so we could get on with the game.

Thats unfair. The young Hearts side never gave up trying, but the new look Celts , with four in the middle and the full backs doing the wingers job, were quite simply, unstoppable.

In fact, the game was so enjoyable that even the poor presentation and insipid commentary from the BBC couldn’t put a dampener on things-although managing to miss Kris Commons second goal showed the level of competence within the national broadcaster. Surprised they remembered to take the lens cap off.

Celtic started with the regular four  at the back plus Forster, and had Brown, Bitton, Ledley and Mulgrew in the middle. Anthony Stokes and Kris Commons had the traditional strikers role, and the latter revelled in his new role of being on the end of moves instead of trying to start them.

Some of the moves were breathtaking in their speed, their passing and their movement, and if Celtic continue to play this way for the rest of the season, they need not worry about falling crowds.

This was football you would pay to see. football you would look forward to seeing, and football you would wax lyrical about on the way home.

You couldn’t even pick out the best goal, never mind the best player, in what was easily Celtics finest performance of the season, and it came at a time when the Second Rangers fans, both in the media and in the stands, were hoping to play Celtic in the next round of the Cup. Perhaps they might soften in that attitude of “Bring on the Celtic ” now.

See. Told you.

Kris Commons wants to play them in the Cup;

“I would fancy playing Rangers any time.

“They’re fantastic games, awesome, not just for the fans and players but the media as well.”

He didn’t add that the new club were laughably shite, and needed to be put in their place, but thats what I think he meant.

I’d rather not play them, simply because of the nonsense associated with them, but if we have to, then we should charge a low ticket price, according to their status in the league, and not stop at seven. The draw is this afternoon, and I’d far rather they were made to go to Easter Road, Tannadice or especially Pittodrie.

That, of course, is if they are still around after Christmas. They do need money, and lets hope they don’t get a home tie against us which might see them survive until the end of the season.

Hot balls anyone ?

Actually, if they don’t get that plum tie, then would it be cynical of me to suggest that they will throw in the towel before the AGM ?

Perhaps they would find a way to hang on to milk a few extra quid from the first meeting of the two clubs…

Anyway, enough of them, back to the good guys. What went right yesterday ?

Well, everything, but Nir Bitton not only looks a player, he makes a difference to the rest of the team. He hand a hand in all bar one of the goals, and might well have scored himself. More to come from this lad, as he starts to settle.

A lot has been made of the Hearts team being young and inexperienced, and theres no doubting it is, but that formation, that hunger and that finishing yesterday would have made any team buckle at some point.

So, well done to all involved. It was a pleasure to watch.

Neil Lennon agrees;

“If you’re looking for Utopia, that first half was probably it. All five goals were breathtaking.

“And the performance was the best I’ve seen, certainly in my time as a manager.

“That’s what we’ve been seeking for a few months now and off the back of what was a disappointing exit in the Champions League.

“The players showed remarkable character to play as strongly as that. Now there are people out there going, ‘Well, it’s only Hearts, young team, blah blah blah.’

“It wouldn’t have mattered who we played today. I thought we were absolutely amazing.

“It’s a statement of how good a team we are. A few people are thinking, ‘They’re on the way down’ and then the boys respond like that.

“We are in transition and it may take a wee while for the whole squad to come to fruition. But Virgil van Dijk is already a stalwart and Nir Biton showed his class again today.

“Boerrigter, Pukki, Balde – there’s more to come from them. And I already have class players here – Lustig, Ledley, Commons, Brown, Ambrose, Forster.

“We looked a Champions League team – which is what we are. I’m not getting carried away but that is what I want.

“I know we can’t replicate it every week but the players have shown they’re capable of that.”

This was his 200th game in charge-doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun ?

“Yeah, I know and it’s the best performance I’ve had.

“When you’re a young manager there’s a very high percentage don’t make 50 or 75. So to be at 200 is brilliant.

“There have been a few ups and downs along the way.

“You have to show character yourself – and you have to instil that into your players.

“There was pressure going into the game. It’s a massive pick-me-up after Tuesday when we were all feeling a bit flat.

“But when you take stock, this team have done wonders over the last couple of years and we’ll build to do that again.”

Despite yestrdays performance, Lennon maintains he still wants to strengthen;

“I was away looking at players with Garry Parker. We’ll continue to do so until January.”

He was at the Huddersfield -Burnley game, and hopefully someone told him that Jordan Rhodes isn’t at Huddersfield anymore.

Someone who looks like he might arrive in January is doing his best to get out of where he is just now.

No, not him, although that tweeter exchange is interesting..

Ireland midfielder Aiden McGeady has been dropped from Spartak Moscow’s first team for an unspecified period for failing to heed instructions, coach Valery Karpin said on Friday.

“Yes, McGeady was suspended from training with the first team for not complying with my instructions in training and matches,” the Russia international Karpin told reporters.

“The rest is our internal affair.”

Local media reported McGeady, capped 63 times by Ireland, has been criticised by Karpin for poor form and his performance in Spartak’s 1-0 loss to city rivals CSKA last Saturday.

Several Russian newspapers said the 27-year-old winger would be allowed to play only in Spartak’s reserve team and would leave the club in January.

“All of us were surprised to see the Irishman on the field and asked him what happened,” a reserve team’s player told Izvestya newspaper on condition of anonymity after Friday’s training session.

McGeady joined Spartak from Celtic in 2010 on a four-and-a-half-year contract for a reported fee of around £9.5m.

Spartak, who are third in the standings with 33 points from 17 matches, three points behind leaders Zenit St Petersburg, take on Volga on Sunday.

Any estate agents in Glasgow been asked to look for a house for him yet ?

Andy,  a regular contributor to the Diary responses, asks the question about a memorable McGeady moment during his six years at Celtic, and he has a point. nothing specific comes to mind, so it does place a doubt in the mind over whether or not its a good move for the player and the club if he returns.

I’d like to see him arrive, probably for a very low fee, be given a free role behind the strikers-if we ever get any-and if he doesn’t give us a McGeady memory, then we can sell him on at a profit.

Elsewhere, Motherwells cup campaign came to an end before they even got a chance to play Second Rangers, which would have upset manager Stuart McCall.

But praise is due to the wee Coatbridge side, and heres hoping they get a big tie again, at home, maybe even to Celtic.

If you watch an old clip from Tynecastle, you’ll notice that the supporters are in the wrong ends. The away end was swapped a few years ago, so that we al had the pleasure of walking past the natives. Well done to Deadhead who called it correctly.

Celtic scored seven yesterday in the Cup. What did this player do in the cup ?