Celtic Diary Monday October 13: Celtic Players Told To Turn Their Phones Off

Neil Lennon has found another job. He’s going to take up the reins at English Championship strugglers Bolton , and he’s taking his old Celtic backroom team of Johann Mjallby and Garry Parker with him.

Bolton tops apparently also come with a free word puzzle on the front.

Lennon said;

“My objective is to put right the results that have gone against us recently and get them playing a style of football that will please the Bolton fans.

“I’ve left one great club with a great history and I’m going to another club with a great history,” 

 Its good to see him back in the game , and we wish him all the best. However, the question on everyones lips is will he come back to Celtic Park for a few of his old buddies ?

Probably not, Bolton are hugely in debt. Although their chairman, Phil Gartside, explains that they’re not really in debt at all.

Financial results released at the end of 2013 revealed Wanderers, who were relegated by a single point at the end of the 2011/12 season after 11 consecutive seasons in the top flight, were £163.8m in debt.

But Gartside said the vast majority of the debt is to the club’s owner Eddie Davies (and his company Moonshift Investments) and should be considered as equity in the company.

“Every time we’re mentioned in the press it’s alongside the fact that we’ve got a lot of debt,” Gartside told Sky Sports News. 

“I keep repeating again and again that the debt is to the owner and is really equity – it’s no different to what people have done at Chelsea and other places. 

“Eddie’s been a great benefactor to Bolton Wanderers over a period of 15 or 16 years and we are fortunate in that we own every asset and we have very little bank debt.” 

 Except for around £163m or so.

 That debt will be dealt with as soon as Lennon works his magic on the team- a couple of seasons back in the EPL will sort that, and then theres the massive potential income from the Christmas calendar market;

 They know what they are doing in Bolton.

 Back at the football, Scott Brown was pleased with the 1-0 win over Georgia, which keeps Scotland in contention for a place in the 2016 Euro finals, and it looks like he’s decided to take his physiotherapists advice and alter his posture as well.

Of course, it could be that he’s dropped a contact lens and took time out to find it, but whatever happened, he had a great game in the regional colours, and looks to be getting back to his best.

 “I got applauded at Ibrox today – that’s the very first time which was good!

“The fans were outrageous from start to finish.

“And we felt comfortable out there. The lads’ movement up front was brilliant and that helped us guys in behind.

“Steven Fletcher, Stevie Naismith, Shaun Maloney and Ikechi Anya were like livewires.

“When those four are moving around it gives options to myself and James Morrison. It was a joy for us out there.

“At half-time we came in and were delighted to be 1-0 up because we had created a lot of chances.

“I don’t think Georgia really troubled David Marshall in goal and that shows that we defended from the front all the way back.

“We had a lot of the ball and created good opportunities. We could have won by more and it shows that we can adapt to any situation.”

They will have to. Next up are the groups shock troops Poland, who beat Germany on Saturday, and Brown has already witnessed how Polish sides can surprise people. No matter, though, the Scots are confident;

“We’ll go away now and work on how Poland are going to play. That will be another different style for us to cope with.

“They will not play and defend like Georgia did so we will have to adapt and maybe take on a different shape.

“Of course we’ll take heart from winning in Poland back in March but it was a friendly at the end of the day.

“This is a huge qualification game for us away from home and we know how hard it will be.

“Going away in Europe is always difficult and we’ll have to defend really well again.

“Every game is crucial for us now in the group.

“We need to get as many points as we possibly can because Poland, Ireland, Georgia again, they will all provide us with good tests.”

Wonder if he’ll mention anything to Ronny Deila about adapting to the other teams style when he gets back to Celtic Park….

Fortunately, Brown is whats known as a “homebird “, with little or no desire to leave Scotland, but if he wasn’t , he’d be the first name on any list Neil Lennon was compiling…

Have a listen to the recent  podcast for Etims view on Brown, and also the shock revelation that a Celtic board member may well have put a gag on him during the independence referendum…

One person who might well find himself in Bolton is mercurial  ( look, the press use this word. I don’t know what it means either. ) winger and playmaker Paddy Mccourt, who did something no-one else has ever done this weekend at international level;

 His shinguards look very familiar. Northern Ireland, which has even less of a claim to be a country than Scotland, played the Faroes at the weekend, and the bold Paddy showed us all where his heart lies.

Elsewhere, the massive support of Second Rangers was stirred into action over the weekend when they staged a “flash mob ” protest against Sports Direct stores, who, of course , are owned by Mike Ashley, who also owns the naming rights for Ibrox Stadium.

 The support want him to give up the rights, which he purchased for a pound, in a disastrous move when you consider Craig Whyte got the whole lot for a similar amount. Whyte , of course, watched a couple of games when it was still the old club, before making another monumental decision;

 Of course, Ashley has no such intentions of asking for a refund, so the mighty bears have swung into action;

 The plan was to fill their baskets with items from the shop floor, and when they reached the till, wait until the young girl had rung the items through, and then offer a pound for them.

 Well, that should have Ashley booking into rehab.

 Still, its a start for them. They got together and made a point.

Just a little over two years since the club they are trying to protect were liquidated.

 Left to that lot, we’d still be waiting for women to get the vote and the slave trade to be abolished .

They have what can only be called a unique way of looking at events.

 Meanwhile, Ronny Deila has been enjoying his couple of days off. Which no doubt will have John collins making him sweat it out in the gym..

 Thats the first time he’s been seen having fun, and long may it continue. but Ronny, speaking as a man who has occasionally partaken of a light refreshment, watch out for they wiimen. Looks like that one is after your wallet.

 At least pick one that steals it in the morning before you wake up.

Finally, England boss Roy Hodgson has been defending one of his players, Raheem Sterling, who has complained he is tired. Many of you-and me-will point to the fact that running around a pitch for an hour and a half a couple of times is not real work, and that he should do forty, fifty or sixty hours a week like the rest of us.

 However, its worth noting that players these days don’t just run around for a couple of hours, and such claims are churlish and ignorant.

 Some of these poor chaps have to attend training a couple of mornings a week as well.

Caption competition today, whats going on here ?