Celtic don’t have a game this weekend, its cup semi final time, so manager Neil Lennon is taking time out to go and have a look at some players, and he will also be attending the League Managers forum ;

“I will take in a few games and I’m going to the League Managers’ Forum on Sunday and Monday. I’m looking forward to that, and to catching up with some great managers and just listening to what they have to say.”

In fact, he’s just glad to be nowhere near Leigh Griffiths, who now faces a charge of bringing the game into disrepute to go with the initial charge of taking the piss out of Rudi Skacel.

Happily , though, for the striker, Adolf Hitler has claimed full responsibilty for World War II, meaning the former Hibs man is in the clear.

The police are involved as well, now. After all, countless fans have had their doors rattled of a morning for similar offences, so it looks like Griffiths has got his wish of being one of the lads.

He’s already been fined a months wage, and from now on has promised to just get a few cans in and watch the game on the telly. And he won’t  watch the classic  but racist comedy Blazing Saddles ever again.

The police will have a job proving that he sung anything, judging from the footage available, in fact it looks more like he realised what was going on and sat down out of the way. Those on the video who were singing, however, will be jumping a wee bit every time the doorbell goes.

Will common sense prevail ? A ban, a warning about his future behaviour and a few weeks working with refugees would be a more sensible option than destroying a mans career for a few moments of ( probably ) drunken daftness,  but this is twenty first century Scotland…

Someone at Celtic either has a pal who lives in Lisbon or we really are keeping an eye on one of their players. The game betwen the Eagles and Rio Ave was watched on Monday, and its led to specualtion again that Fillip Djuricic is on the radar.  Celtics name appeared on a scouting list released by Benfica officials, along with others such as Tottenham and Valencia.

Theres actual evidence as to who Celtic are watching, but Djuricic seems most likely, having been linked before. And he is a playmaker. Which is what we would like to complement the grafters such as Brown and Johansen.

Time will tell…

Speaking of playmakers, Tom Rogic has been in the managers thoughts. The Aussie midfielder has been suffering from a low grade abductor problem ( no, I don’t know either ) but he’s better now, and is ready to take part in the run in -what they call the finals series over there.

Or as the Evening Times described it;

news of Tom Rogic’s recurring groin problem, which is preventing him from getting the game time with Melbourne Victory back in his homeland and may even have brought his season to a premature end,  

Rogic has been cleared of serious damage by medics at Melbourne Victory, and has raised hopes that he will be back as early as next week.

Lennon still speaks highly of the man;

“Putting Tom out on loan to Melbourne was a chance to get games with the World Cup coming up.

“We felt, all in all, with him being back home as well, it would be more comfortable for him. But, Tom is still our player, and he will be coming back here.”

“We might get to see him play in the World Cup as well, which would be fantastic,”

“But, we already know what Tom has got. He has not really shown it consistently yet. But, maybe with the game time he has been getting in Australia, it will benefit him coming forward.”

However, this snippet, from The World Game, is interesting ..

” The 21-year-old playmaker has not enjoyed the best of luck on the injury front since arriving on loan from Parkhead in January, his ill fortune exemplified in late February when he suffered an ankle injury after being inadvertently stomped on by teammate Leigh Broxham during the 4-3 win over Adelaide United.

He managed to play for Australia in its 4-3 loss to Ecuador 10 days later where he attracted a bevy of scouts from both mainland Europe and the UK.

Many had come to Millwall’s Den just to eye Rogic, who may be sold by Celtic after the FIFA World Cup, with seats in the director’s box emptying en masse when he was sacrificed on the hour mark after Australia had been reduced to 10 men after a red card to goalkeeper Mitch Langerak. ”

Rogic out, Djuricic in ?

Whilst we’d all love to see a fairly inactive summer on the transfer front, Lennon is already bracing himself  against bids for some of his better players.

‘I think there will be suitors for a couple of our big players, and one or two are coming out of contract, so you’d have to expect they’ll be leaving.

‘Realistically, I think we have to expect another decent turnaround, with a few players going out and few coming in.

‘Bids are all but inevitable for a couple of our players; it’s just whether we accept them or not. But everyone has their price and we’re preparing with that in mind, looking at other options for the positions concerned.’

He’s not actually saying anything we didn’t know already, but at least we won’t sell on the cheap if the worst does happen. It would just be nice if we remembered we are a big club, and as such,  can turn down bids , no matter how much they are, and make a serious push on the bigger European stage.

‘We’re already looking at a few players we like, and with the league now settled, it gives me the space to go out myself and look at a few who are under consideration,’ he told FIFA.com.

‘But whether we can keep on unearthing little gems, or big gems, is another matter. Our strategy has worked on the whole, but other clubs are now looking at our model and trying to copy it.

‘And you can’t always get your signings right. You just hope that your record of good ones outweighs the bad because it’ s such a crucial part of the job.’
But there is some good news-he’s thinking of going back on twitter !

‘They’ve asked me to come back and I think I probably will because I did enjoy it,’ he said of Twitter.

‘The problem was that it started taking up too much of my time. But I certainly don’t have a problem with the players going on and engaging in that type of thing.

‘What’s made very clear, though, is that there’s a line they cannot cross. They know where that line is.

‘It’s important to realise though that social media is here to stay and, as long as it doesn’t detract from my players’ duties to this club, I don’t have a problem with it.

That should end well.

Meanwhile, Lee McCulloch has replied to accusations that he deliberately hurt Beram Kayal in a match between Celtic and his old club, the now defunct Rangers;

The Daily Record, and that fine smither of words Hugh Keevins led with the headline;

Rangers star Lee McCulloch laughs off Beram

Kayal blast: Leg-breaker? I didn’t even touch you

Hang on, surely theres a few pictures that prove otherwise…

The Record had this one, which left out the lower parts of the body, where the offence was committed;

And not this one

Or this one;

Or this one

Actually, just the rest of the one they did publish would have sufficed;

Which clearly shows the intent on McCullochs face.

Anyway, Keevins, with his head firmly between Mccullochs thighs , continues…

LEE McCULLOCH has defended himself against allegations of foul play by Celtic’s Beram Kayal.

With his elbows ?

The Parkhead midfielder claimed in an interview with journalists in his native Israel that the Rangers captain had deliberately set out to hurt him in an Old Firm game.

A better phrase would have been “The Parkhead midfielder stated the obvious in an interview ……

McCulloch was in the middle of describing the pain he was suffering after losing the Ramsdens Cup Final when he had to address the pain he’s alleged to have inflicted on an opponent.

Alleged ? Now theres a novel and refreshing use of the word.

But his reaction to the remarks was swift and unequivocally defiant. Big Jig said: “When I saw what had been said about that incident I had to laugh because I made no contact with him whatsoever.

Big Jig ? No bias in this report then.

“I saw a photograph in the press, taken from one angle. If I had caught Kayal from that angle I think his leg would’ve snapped. But I didn’t even touch him.

“There’s another where you can see he rolled his ankle himself.

Ah-the injury was self inflicted ! 

“I don’t know if Kayal brought this subject up himself or whether the press mentioned it.”

To be honest, “Jig ” , everyone who saw it mentioned it. And will continue to do so as an example of a limited-very limited -footballer resorting to an assault to try to compete with a far more talented opponent. 

Keevins yesterday compared Ally McCoist to Jock Stein, today he is giving a thug a vehicle to defend his reprehensible actions.

Isn’t it time he was retired ? Surely that would be kinder ? Keevins cannot seriously believe what he publishes, which has to undermine his credibility.

Or is he just a tit ?

And McCulloch ?

Live on Sky Sports, this Saturday, he will come up against forwards far faster, far more intelligent and far more trickier than he has faced for a couple of years. No doubt he will be shown up for being the classy defender -in fact the classy guy -that he really is. Compulsive viewing.

Those of us over forty will be licking ashtrays today in an attempt to remove the foul taste after Atletico Madrid celebrated the fortieth anniversary of their the European Cup semi final against Celtic by reaching another one.

I’d just like to wish whoever plays them the best of luck. Unless its Chelsea. In which case I’m cancelling Sky Sports.

I cancelled BT Sports yesterday, as the company now want me to pay £1.60 to keep my old email address. Just on a point of principle. They said they were sorry to see me go.

Not that fucking sorry, obviously.

Sometimes , in this horrible, horrible world, we have to stick to our principles. And if we all did, perhaps it wouldn’t be such a horrible place.

And congratulations to Jackie MacNamara-he’s managing to talk up cup opponents second rangers on SSN. And he’s not laughing, although he does look to the side once or twice, rubbing his nose.

Yesterdays caption competition had Neil Doncaster handing the instructions for the match referee in the Ramsdens  Cup final , thanks to Dr. Sticky Boots for that one.

Today, what is Manager Coisty saying to his captain ?