Celtic Diary Wednesday August 13: Here We Go To Four In A Row

Legia Warsaws appeal began in Nyon this morning at 7am. A result is not expected until sometime tomorrow. Its apparently going to take that long to slowly explain to them what they did wrong, and why they have been chucked out.

According to the Record this morning, the player warned the club that he might not be eligible for the game, but they went ahead and played him anyway, which shows a cavalier attitude to the rules.

Bereszynski said: “I will not confirm or deny this information as these are matters which will stay within club walls. Who has to know at the club knows.”

But when asked to confirm the story involving Kuciak, who had encountered a similar case during his spell with Romanians Vaslui, Bereszynski said: “I was convinced the suspension was completed but I can confirm Dusan was first to react.

“He told me there had been a similar situation in Vaslui and I should check it out. Then I started to get interested.” 

The head of the Polish FA, legendary midfielder Zbigniew Boniek, stood out as a voice of common sense, which is unusual for an FA chief ( or perhaps it is the norm everywhere else )

“The guilt does not lie with UEFA or Celtic but with Legia. The people who are responsible for it have turned out to be completely incompetent. As the head of the Polish FA I would always try to help Legia or any other Polish team.

“I called, I asked, I got strongly involved but the provisions for which Legia were punished left no doubt. It had to be a walkover.

“Could Celtic have behaved differently? I know what I would have done but 95 per cent of clubs are not willing to give up such an opportunity.

“I played in a European Cup Final where 38 people were killed and I was the only player who gave my $100,000 win bonus to the families of the victims but everyone has a different mentality.

“It is clearly written that playing a suspended player means a forfeit. Someone at Legia has made a mistake you should not commit.” 

The player agreed;

“The fault in this whole affair is not with Celtic, just us.

“This is today’s football. If you are not vigilant at every step you’re out of the game.”

And when all this is over, Celtic should issue a statement condemning Legias  behaviour, and the Polish side should face a charge of disrepute. Not that they are any strangers to controversy, and, er, cheating.

Bobby Murdoch on the Huddleboard helping to erase any doubts we may have had about the integrity of Legia Warsaw.

Two former Celts have added their ( literally )considerable weight to the Legia argument. Artur Boruc, the former Holy Goalie, tweeted this;

 And followed it with this;

For all true supporters-Rules are rules.But this is my cLub, my home, my Love.U will do the same.

He can possibly be excused, he’s never hidden the fact he’s a Legia fan.

Then there was “vacuum in a jumper ” Dariusz Dzeikanowski, who has a column in the Polish paper  Przeglad Sportowy, where he scribbled;

“This is not the Celtic I know,Celtic was known for years as a club that always promoted fair play. I remember from my time how the fans reacted when a player went down injured and their rival did not want to kick the ball out.

When someone tried to dive, the fans whistled and booed.

“I am sure Celtic supporters feel ashamed and embarrassed of how their club has reacted. They know that this does not bring any pride. It is not Legia that are the laughing stock of world football, but Celtic. They decided to wash their hands of this and put their heads in the sand. I never expected such an attitude. I thought they could talk to Legia and find a solution. If they had not taken this advantage, it would have been better for Celtic.

“The whole world would have appreciated their sporting behaviour. Secondly, I doubt they will be able to beat Maribor. It will be very difficult for them. If they qualify, they will only be points providers for the other teams.”

Frankly, given his propensity for the odd light ale, I’m surprised Dzeikanowski can remember anything about his time with Celtic.

The only thing that worries me about this appeal comes from this extract from the New York Times; ( and the fact its UEFA, who have made spectacular reversals on decisions before concerning Celtic. Rapid Vienna springs immediately to mind )

If and when a second UEFA hears any appeal from Legia, Platini will not, of course, be on the adjudicating panel.

But he was once the finest European player of his era. He was joined in the Juventus attack by a Pole, Zbigniew Boniek, when they, too, won UEFA’s main competition, the European Cup of 1985.

Boniek, now president of the Polish soccer federation, could not publicly call upon an old pal’s act to ask Platini (even if it were possible) to overturn an injustice against the Poles. But Boniek did ask Celtic to decline the place gifted it, and met with no response.

Surely integrity and honesty will win the day ?

But , whilst it would be nice to have a place in the Champions League, we did get beat, and if Legia do go through, then thats that. No big deal .

And thats because our lucky charm is back at Celtic, and nothing bad will happen to us while he’s there;

Danny McGrain is back at training, and his first reaction was to ask new coach Hakaan Lunov exactly what the fuck he’s been teaching the defence;

Its great to see him back, almost exactly thirty four years to the day he had his testimonial. And just seeing him makes me feel more confident, and no doubt his presence will inspire the players.

And they might need it. Tonight Celtic start the chase for four in a row at MacDairmid Park, in Perth, against Cup winners St. Johnstone.

Sky Sports 5, the new channel, are showing the game live. If you already have Sky sports, its just a matter of activating the channel , with the red button.

Supporters are looking forward to seeing the new signings, although they won’t see Tonev, according to manager Ronny Deila;

Tonev won’t be available against St Johnstone. He has his mother on a visit & can’t leave her alone because she can’t speak English”. 

And he’s injured as well.

Tonev has a slight injury, so I’m not sure he’ll be available for the first tie but I hope he will be fit for the second one”

But theres the guy from Manchester city. He should feature at some point. Deila, who is starting to remind me of someone else at this stage,

elaborated on the defender Jason Denayar;

Is he a player worth £6m or £7m right now? I’d say he’s worth more, maybe £10m.” 

Which should help if the player enjoys his time at Celtic, and decides he wants to stay. Especially when we try to negotiate a price.

Can I offer our manager a little constructive advice ?

Just stop talking. Let someone else deal with the press conferences.

Please.

On tonights game, the boss said;

 “We have played a lot of matches in pre-season and a lot in the Champions League but now the league is starting and it’s important to use it to get good results and develop the squad and the team in the right direction.

“We want to perform well and will do everything we can to do it.

“We know that St Johnstone is an opportunity for us to show ourselves as a good side and we’re going to do that.” 

 Which was better. Bland and non-commital.

Saints will have Brian Easton back after a knock, but Murray Davidson won’t be ready. Celtics big decision is whether to go with Craig Gordon or Lukasz Zaluska, which some might argue is similar to deciding whether you want sausages or bacon for your last meal before being shot at dawn.

Oh, and if we wear the new dark green  strip, and get beat, then we should chuck the bloody thing in the bin. As popular as it is with the Rooney family from Manchester;

 Want cheering up ? Read this…

10 best sets of fans in the World. Are you and your team included in this list? Brilliant > http://bit.ly/1pMz1oi 

Celtic are in it, but where ?

Yesterday , we had a little bit of trouble with the site, which meant I’d broken it again. so most of you didn’t see this picture;

So, who is it, and when ?

 Elsewhere, we need to reassure people, after several tributes appeared on social media along the lines of “you were so funny to watch and listen to “, that it is not Ally McCoist who has died.

 …and in England, retired referee has publicly said that he is not a Manchester United fan. Which is what they are all saying after last years collapse. Mind you, Frank Lampard feels at home with his new club Manchester City, having recognised a lot of the supporters from when they supported Chelsea.