Sorry we’re a wee bit late this morning. I was in the Co-op and some fellow lost a twenty pound note. I had to stand on it until he had gone.

There was a bit of drama at the home of Celtics player of the month Kris Commons yesterday. Apparently the kids set the burglar alarm  off, and when there was a commotion outside Kris bravely sent his wife to see what was going on. Her twitter account describes what happened next.

“Nothing quite like your kids accidentally setting the alarm off and half of Glasgow’s police turning up on the front lawn! Oh dear.

“Made April and Wills go down and say sorry to the police, didn’t realise my buttons were open on my nightshirt, cops got an eyeful #cringe!”

She later added: “Three kids all up wide awake… Back to bed? No chance, lol.

“Breakfast anyone? We’re all up!”

Early indications show that the recruitment line at Police Scotland has seen a considerable increase in enquiries.

All this while her husband has been talking of the ups and downs of playing for Celtic;

“You have to take football as a package. The bad times make the good times even better.

“Footballers don’t just have illustrious careers and great highs all the time.

“You have to have those lows to make the highs as good as they are.

“I’m probably grateful that, these times when I am enjoying it, picking up awards and scoring goals, I can keep my feet on the ground because I know how bad it can be.”

He was referring to the time he got a straight red at Tynecastle, which he said was a “dark time ” for him.

( Quite how thats a dark time for him is unfathomable. a straight red at Tynecastle is on my bucket list. )

As was the 2011-12 season;

“It was one of those seasons which had never happened in my career before,” he reflected. “I’d gone from coming in, scoring goals, and doing really well to picking up injuries and not playing well.

“My form was terrible, so I couldn’t argue about not playing. But two months earlier I had been playing really well, and I just didn’t have the answers.

“When you are playing badly, and you’re injured all of the time, you tend to try even harder and end up making yourself worse. It was a bit of a learning curve for me.”

Did he think of leaving ?

“No, never. This is the best club I’ve ever played for.”

Which is exactly the sort of thing supporters love to hear-especially when you know he means it.

Is that why he’s signed a new deal-as reports indicated ?

“I saw that on the back of the papers, but I’ve not heard anything about it yet.

“I’m still looking for this three-year deal (another report). Is that floating around anywhere?

“I’d like to stay here, so it’s important for me to keep playing, keep scoring, stay in the manager’s eye and see where it take us.”

We heard some years ago that James McCarthy met Peter Lawwell, and agreed to join Celtic. His dad was over the moon. But that was the last the McCarthys heard from Celtic. Word from the inside is that someone at Celtic simply forgot to ring him back.

Can we make sure that doesn’t happen with Commons ?

Contracts manager, like PR man , is a bit of a mystery position at the club. At least you always knew who Jock Brown was, whether you rated him or not.

And PR man ? I think Celtic could do with one.

Anyhoo, theres a big top of the table clash to look forward to today, when Motherwell come to town.

They are back in the saddle after a terrible start to the season, and will prove difficult opponents for the Celts, who have not played a competitive game for a couple of weeks.

Can the recent good form continue ? Will it be the free flowing Celtic who crushed the Fir Park side at Fir Park who turn up ?

And most importantly, whose turn is it to be injured by the hatchet men from hell-or Lanarkshire, as it says on the map.

Adam Matthews, still traumatised by his assault earlier in the season is a doubt. He’s received counselling, but the sight of a Motherwell shirt still gives him flashbacks and nightmares, and even the mention of the team will bring him out in a cold sweat.

Also unlikely to feature are Georgios Samaras, Beram Kayal , Mikael Lustig and Mo Bangura. It sort of goes without saying that Steven Mouyokolo won’t make it.

Stefan Johansen and Holmbert Fridjonsson could be added to the squad, but frankly if they get a glance of Motherwells style, they might not be so enthusiastic about playing in Scotland. Its a good job we signed them before this game.

Motherwell striker John Sutton, brother of former Celt Chris, is surprisingly confident, after he was praised by motherwell legend Willie Pettigrew during the week.

( Motherwell legend-a bit like Ibrox financial wizard. )

“It gives you a nice feeling when you hear that someone of Willie Pettigrew’s stature has said the nice things he did about me. When someone that knows the game inside out and has been there and done it, takes the time out to make complementary remarks about your game it does give you a lift.

“But I guess I have to back these words up at Celtic Park and right now there is no tougher task than to go to there and try to get a result.

“That said, the good thing for us is that we have put together a great run over the last six games and we are going to Parkhead with our self-belief high and our resolve very strong. We know we have to produce our best form to get something but we believe that if we do we can leave with a positive result.”

Motherwell will take up their usual formation before the game;

Its incredible, but its exactly one year today since Celtic man and true club great Sean Fallon passed away.

Manager Neil Lennon said this of him, on the club site yesterday;

“I remember one of the last times I saw Sean. It was the day that he unfurled the Championship flag.

“Sean was always a very outgoing person, the quintessential Irishman – a real class act. He always had a story for you or a bit of craic and that day he came in with his whole family you could see it meant just so much to him.

“In fact, in my manager’s office on that day, there was about 3,000 people in there and 1,500 were red-heads so there’s a real good gene running through the Fallon family!

“Even when I signed for Celtic, I had the blond hair at the time and he came up and gave me a wee dunt and told me to change back to red.”

“Sean was always sharp as a tack, even well into his later years as he was still very bright and always had a kind word for you. He is an icon of the club and will be long remembered by everyone at Celtic.”

Some people will never be forgotten. RIP Sean.

Manager Lennon took in the Norwich Fulham game the other night, and the papers would have you believe that he is already looking through the office furniture websites for a desk that will go nicely in Chris Hughtons headquarters.

This is from Sportsmole;

” Norwich chief executive David McNally said on Thursday that the club would not “contemplate” relegation to the Championship, adding that he would “prefer death rather than relegation”.

The Canaries have not won in eight matches in all competitions and are 15th in the Premier League, two points above the relegation zone.

A report in the Daily Star says that Lennon is being lined up for the job, although Hughton is adamant that he will not resign.

The former Newcastle boss joined the club in 2012. ”

This was the Star headline;

Norwich set to replace Chris Hughton with Celtic manager Neil Lennon

CELTIC manager Neil Lennon is a shock contender to take over at Norwich.

While the Record went with;

Fenian bassa fecks off. 

No Rangers means No point 

But wait, perhaps there will be a Rangers after all!

Jack Irvine, head of Mediahouse, who like to put the Record straight-see what I did there ?-has moved to quell any doubts among the support of the club that isn’t going to tell anyone its already dead.

From the Express;

JAMES and Sandy Easdale are poised to plough around £20million into cash-strapped Rangers.

The Greenock businessmen, already significantly involved in the Ibrox club as shareholders and directors, are edging closer to selling their bus firm and are considering investing massively in the stricken League One leaders.

The brothers are already understood to have knocked back approaches for McGill’s Buses amid rumours that one £80m offer wasn’t enough and that they’re holding out for £100m.

If they succeed in getting a buyer at that price, the speculation is they will aim to increase their stake at Ibrox by investing about £20m.

In a double whammy yesterday , manager Ally McCoist also moved to reassure fans;

No fire sale ?

Asked if he has been told to sell anyone, McCoist said: “Me? No I haven’t. I won’t be selling anybody.

“The club might sell somebody but I won’t be selling anybody.”

Perhaps he’ll trade them…

He added: “There are a few options and that’s an option but it’s not a road Graham and I want to go down.

“To be fair, Graham hasn’t told me he wants the squad size trimmed but the obvious interpretation of cuts in the player budget would suggest it.

“He hasn’t said as such but maybe reading into what he’s said about a smaller playing budget and cuts, you’d think that’s what he’s meaning.”

I wish I knew what McCoist was meaning.

There is now a fear clubs could raid Rangers in the next fortnight for players on the cheap as another period of financial upheaval looms.

McCoist said: “We’ll find out soon enough. I hope that’s not the case.”

On the cheap ? Exactly how much does he think these players are worth ?

And then the usual;

McCoist added: “I’ve nothing but tremendous pride in the players. My loyalty is to the players, the fans and the football club and I stand by what decision the players would make.”

Just doesn’t want to be in the room when they make them….

“There have been a couple of constants through this whole thing. The fans have been unbelievable but so have the players.

“They have been magnificent for the club during the last 18 months.”

There are another couple of constants he didn’t mention;

The one where he has pillaged the club he professes to love.

The one where he continually lies to supporters about what is really going on over there.

And above all, the stubborn refusal, either because he’s too stupid or too devious, to face reality.

“We have all accepted that again there are going to be extremely tough times ahead,If anyone needed to be convinced about that, then recent events would indicate it is going to be the case.

“But it feels different from two years ago for one major reason. I have been given a categoric assurance that there will not be a chance of administration this time. That’s obviously the biggest difference and one we would all be looking for here.

“There is no chance of a second administration. So this is definitely different, although it’s still not nice. I feel sadness about it, a feeling in the pit of my stomach. But I’m not sceptical about Graham’s assurance. I think the club has now got a chief executive who will tell everyone the truth. Make of that what you will, but he will be completely up front about things.

Stupid or devious ?

Hard to decide. So its probably both.

Some good news, yesterday we mentioned the lack of activity between Celtic and the Amsterdam victims, and by a remarkable coincidence, the club issued a statement, which makes me kind of feel bad, since they were obviously on the ball anyway. Still, so long as the job gets done, thats the main thing, and I’ll live with the embarrassment.

John MacPhail scored the winner back in 1951 as Celtic beat Motherwell in the Cup Final.

Who are these people ?

Thanks to Baresi on the Huddleboard for that one.