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Celtic Diary Saturday April 5

Neil Lennon wants a better performance from his players today as they go to Tannadice to face Dundee Utd. Looks like he wasn’t the only one who felt a bit let down last Saturday.

“There were facets of the game last week that didn’t please me,” he said, “but I’ll tolerate that because of the circumstances of having just won the league so I’m looking for a better and brighter performance tomorrow.

“I can understand Dundee United’s priority will be the semi-final next week and they’ll want to avoid injuries to major players because it’s a massive game for them in the context of their season.

“But I’ve not spoken to Jackie and we don’t speak about team selection, but we have our own agenda. We want to win the game and finish the season well.”

That last bit was an odd thing to say.

He’s not fooling anybody. If the unthinkable-though extrememly  unlikely -scenario of Second Rangers lifting the cup at Celtic Park should happen, the players will be the subject of more abuse than any other Celtic players in history. In fact, more than anyone in history full stop. and theres been some bad lads down through time.

Lennon won’t get off lightly either, and so there is a sneaking suspicion that todays effort will not be quite as full blooded as it perhaps ought to be.

And frankly, the game may have come a little too soon for one or two of the youngsters Lennon may throw into the mix today

 

The manager confirmed that Charlie Mulgrew, Adam Matthews, Darnell Fisher, James Forrest and Nir Biton are all still out, although Steven Mouyokolo is back training now, and it’s hoped that Mikael Lustig could resume training the week after next.

This is Steven Mouyokolo;

For those of you who may have been struggling to put a face to the name.

Its a bit unlucky to have three excellent right backs and see them all injured at once, so Danny McGrain might be called into action to help out.

Look, if he wants a game, he should be given one. Dannys experience means he could cope with anything. And he’s brought his own ball. And a spare.

Efe Ambrose will no doubt deputise at full back, which means another possible start for Eoghan O’Connell, and with Liam Henderson already making a name for himself , he too could line up alongside Brown, Johansen and commons in the middle.

But hang on…

Theres always Beram Kayal.

Kayal, who has been told off by the boss for talking to newspapers without clearing it with the club first-not, incidentally, because of what he actually said about clogger Mcculloch and the SPFL, but because he didn’t ask first.

Lennon said

“….. he will play between now and the end of the season.”

Today ?

Possibly, Lennon does sound like he’s thrown down the gauntlet to the midfielder, a stupid thing to do because the Israeli hurt his back picking it up and is now out for another four months.

The manager explained why he is still considering Kayal.

“He was looking more like himself towards the back half of last year, then he had another really bad injury against AC Milan that’s kept him out.

“He’s found it really hard to get back in, such has been the form of Mulgrew, Johansen, Brown and Biton.

“There’s no question the injuries have had a psychologically detrimental effect on him,”

Never mind him, what about us ? His injuries are driving us nuts. And the medical staff are missing watching their children growing up.

“He needs to get past that. He’s fit, he’s training well, and I think that player is still there. He just needs to find it.

Tell him to say Aaaaahhhh and I’ll have a look for him.

“I think it’s more psychological than physical.”

In fairness, theres quite a few physical problems as well. 

“He’s said, ‘I need to play’, and I told him he needs to show his best form in training,” said Lennon.

“He has to try and knock his way past these guys.

And then he’ll hurt himself again. 

“If he gets the chance to play, he has to show us the Kayal of old, a guy who was a spectacular player, by the way.

“I think it’s there. He’s only 25, but I haven’t seen the ruthlessness in him for a while.”

If it is still there, he’s right. Kayal was a tremendous prospect at first, and perhaps his courage is failing him a little. Give him a couple of Bertie Auld dvds to watch. That’ll give him an idea of whats required. Especially if you can find the one where he broke his collar bone but stayed on the pitch to deal with English hardman Nobby Stiles  when Auld  was at Hibs. 

At first, Kayal had a streak in him that wasn’t unlike Aulds own persona, granted way short of Aulds level, but there was a hint of something that could have been developed.

Anyway, McCulloch seems to have shattered the lads confidence in himself, and what he needs is some sort of closure.

Well, probably not that extreme. But he needs to make McCulloch look stupid. To get one up on him in some way, difficult while theres no chance of Celtic meeting the new club , and the best I can come up with is to advise him to let Dundee Utd do it next week.

Or just read McCullochs book. That gives anyone a sense of superiority.

Up front today we should see the next instalment of the Stokes Griffiths partnership, which has come along a bundle since the karaoke kid joined up. Stokes is looking like the player he can be, and Griffiths is settling in nicely, and impressing with his attitude and work rate. And , of course, the goals he makes and scores.

Manager Neil Lennon has admonished Griffiths, which ties in nicely with the clubs own statement which says he has been punished internally and that should be that. Hopefully, that will be the end of it and the SFA can announce that the matter is now closed. Before they continue to make an arse of themselves.

Again

Lennon continued

“He’s got to stop being daft. ( On Griffiths ) We’ve dealt with it internally and I wasn’t over enamoured with it.

“I didn’t think it was aggressive and nor was there any foul language.

“But there’s a code of conduct he has to adhere to now. He did cross the line in that aspect.”

Will Griffiths know he’s crossed a line ?

“He will do when he gets his letter in from the club.

“I haven’t hammered him or
overemphasised it – you have to give players a bit of space. But I don’t want to have any more conversations about it, put it that way.

“I don’t want him singing with Hibs fans about other clubs. He’s a Celtic player, his whole focus should be on Celtic. We’ve all been guilty of doing daft things at times but that’s his one strike.

 

I don’t want him doing any more – otherwise his career at Celtic won’t be as long as he maybe wants it to be.

“I think he knows that whilst he may feel he hasn’t done a lot wrong, I think he understands the reasons why we are disciplining him. I know he acts daft but he is bright enough, Leigh, to understand that.

“I want him to make headlines for the right reasons.”

Griffiths is a refreshing change from the pampered millionaire footballer we see in the media. He wears his heart ( snigger) on his sleeve, and as long as it doesn’t affect his performance on the field the general opinion amongst the Celtic support is that Griffiths is one of us.

But he does need to be careful. If you go around singing football songs in public, people will film or photograph you, and with the immediacy of social media you could be all over the web before you finish you pint.

The diary on april 1 mentioned something that a drunk guy told us about meetings between some old chums from the old days of Sectarian Rangers.

Elsewhere, specialist in all things dodgy at ibrox Phil MacGhiollabhan has sent an email to the press office ( have they still got one ? ) at Rangers..

And its very good. Wonder if he’ll get an answer…

pertinent questions from Phil

Somethings going on again.

Did they really hand in their accounts yesterday ?

Dave King has gone now, he’s made no offer to buy the club, which means he doesn’t want to buy it. If it gets liquidated he’ll have to start another new club and that means even longer away from playing with the big boys.

Could Walter be donning the battle cardigan again ?

I think we should be told.

Actually, i don’t really care. I just like a laugh.

Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink was the man in the pictures yesterday.

( Czech preist and philosopher Jan Hus, virtual currency Ven , Igor from Young Frankenstein, a picture of the now obselete Old Firm  support, the region of Hesse and a chainlink. )

 

Today its back a wee bit further.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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9 years ago

I see what you did there, after Viduka and Rogic, you are on an Australian angle, its Madge the Bishop

schoosh71
9 years ago

Kayal, i can’t believe the management team hasn’t coached him to stop diving in to tackles, and to stay on his feet. Given it was the manager best attribute as a player.
Griffiths, in the sterile world of modern day football personalities, he just makes me laugh. Which isn’t an easy task. HH

9 years ago

fech the HUNZ

pensionerbhoy
9 years ago

Ralph

I have a clear vision of who and how we will play today after that summation of the probable team selection and its potential to cover every form of behaviour possible in and out of football – short sentences are always the easiest to understand.

As I listen to the game, I am surprised that Lennon tricked you again into thinking the youngsters he would introduce would be under 30. The selection is more reminiscent of window shopping at a pawnbroker’s than a football match with all the cast offs on display. On the other hand, it could be a trial match for potential players in the Disability Commonwealth Games. Parkhead is very quickly becoming the Scottish Lourdes – unfortunately without the miracles. Well not before a minimum four month wait. It has to be that Katrine water.

Far be it for me to question your liturgical and ecclesiastical expertise, but I think that photo is of an Archbishop with the clap and a She-Bishop holding a droopy crook. I am not sure what costume an Archdeacon would wear but he is probably not such an obvious cross-dresser – our grannies wore some queer hats and granpa seems to think size counts. You might find the answer to your quiz in the COOP if Robert Owen is still working there.

H H

pensionerbhoy
9 years ago

Ralph

Here is a quiz. How do they do it. And what a diary if you found out.

Could I then read it and comment before you had posted? Maybe I could trick that thieving troll that has all my gems in his dungeon.

“Live Dundee Utd 0 – 2 Celtic BBC 13:00 Fri, 04 Apr 2014” News Now.

H H

pensionerbhoy
9 years ago
Reply to  pensionerbhoy

And we accused Rangers of devious. Of course they knew results before the season started through masonic prophecy.

H H

Conner1888
9 years ago

Owen Archdeacon?

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