Celtic can go back to the top of the league with a win over Motherwell in Glasgow tonight. With the demise of the BBC Ceefax service, supporters unable to make the game will struggle to keep up with events, however one of my pals will stand outside the ground near a phone box and let us know whats going on.
Of course, technology means theres any number of ways to keep in touch with events at the game, but there can be none better than sitting in a freezing cold stadium with the wind and snow refreshing the body as you smile at the nearby paramedic to reassure him you’re fine.
Alright, maybe there are one or two better ways.
A huge round of applause has to go to Invernes CT, who told supporters to pay what they wanted to at last nights game with St. Johnstone, which at least shows a sense of appreciation from the club. However, there was a catch;
Bit of trouble clearing the stadium… apparently not everyone read the small print about having to pay £50 to get out!!!
Celtic have also tried to make things a wee bit easier on the pocket, with free tickets at the St. Mirren game, and free tickets for the uneployed at the Ross county game, so perhaps, just perhaps, Scottish football has finally realised that the supporter comes first, and not the television companies, who simply don’t pay enough to make them worth pandering to. In any business, your own customer must come first. Not those of another company.
To tonights game, and Celtic apparently have a full squad to choose from, making it nearly impossible to predict the starting line up.
Great, first game when everyone is back from injury is against Motherwell. Might as well have left them in the treatment room.
Theres some who think that the squad, when full, is a little heavy in numbers, but Swedish defender Mikael Lustig disagrees;
“We are still in all the competitions so we will need to use a lot of players,”
Well, I think he disagrees, because something else occurred to him while he was speaking;
“We did that sometimes at the start of the season but weren’t able to win.
Manager Deila likes to keep us all guessing with his selections, but don’t be surprised to see an unfamiliar line up.
Craig Gordon, Adam Matthews, Emilio Izagueere, Jason Denaayer and Virgil van Dijk should be the back line, and Scott Brown and Nir Bitton should be the two in front of them. After that, its anyones guess.
Liam Henderson and Leigh Griffiths both put in a decent shift on Saturday, which when you consider Stefan Johansen is an automatic start, means either Kris Commons, John Guidetti and any one from about half a dozen will be fighting for the last place in the team.
It wouldn’t be so bad if you could say the team is settled , but despite the defensive side looking familiar, its certainly not settled.
Jason Denaayer wants Virgil van Dijk to stay until the summer. Presumably thats so they can share the cost of the taxi to the airport.
“From my own point of view and that of the team I hope that Virgil is here until the end of the season because he is a strong player. He has been fantastic with me.
“We are friends off the park too and on it we have developed a very good understanding.
“We speak often of football but I have not asked him about what he will do.
“It is up to him and the club to sort that out but I do want him to stay.
“No team wants to see any of their players leave and hopefully he will stay until the summer.
“He has helped me a lot on the pitch. He has a good understanding of the game and we communicate well. I think we got an understanding together very quickly.
He’s not asked him what he intends to do ? Oh come on, really ?
John Guidetti, videoed here singing a song called I’m Walking Away, by a chap called Craig David. ( Or it could be David Craig. I don’t listen to the hit parade anymore. ) is attracting the attention of Southampton, which has been mentioned in the Diary ever since Guidetti began having ” leetle problems with his contract “
Watching that, I’m not sure he isn’t taking the piss, and were I the manager, he would have a bit of explaining to do.
A Southampton website explains their interest…
This season he ( guidetti )has been at Celtic and in 13(2) games he has scored 6 times prompting Celtic to offer him a permanent move at a fee of £2 million, Guidetti originally looked set to sign but in recent weeks has gone cold on the deal prompting many to speculate that he is aout to rejoin the manager who got the best out of him so far.
At 22 he is still raw and there are some who would question why we would spend so little in the position we are in, but Koeman is a shrewd operator and knows that the key to saints continuing their success not just this season but in the year s moving forward is taking raw talent and developing it, after all that is what this club has done since the mid 50’s and Ted Bates taking over.
It is all about building a squad and Koeman knows that although he has attacking options he needs back up and spending £2 million Guidetti is a gamble that Saints can well afford finacially and that it will bolster his squad for a tough end to the season.
Koeman, of course , was Guidettis manager at Feyenoord, which was the last time the Swede performed to his capabilities, so the Dutchman is well aware of the value for money represented in the striker. What concerns me is that the player has clearly lost interest with Celtic, and although the loan is for twelve months, you get the feeling that neither party wants to prolong the agony.
There was that training ground rumour that Guidetti wasn’t going to start another game until he signed a permanent deal, which shows a genuine lack of man management ability, because Guidetti didn’t start against Hamilton, and of course John Collins is at the club, which means it might be more than a rumour. Collins is not noted for his ability to get on with people.
Stuart Armstrong has been the subject of a bid from Celtic, but its not clear when we actually want him to join the team. Armstrong has been compared to Thomas Mueller, the German World Cup star, by ronny Deila, but not in the same way Billy McNeill told Stevie Fulton he was the new Roberto Baggio.
I’ve no idea if Armstrong will be a success with Celtic, but it seems a little odd that we’re in for another midfielder who can run and battle when we already have Brown, Johansen and Henderson. All of whom can score goals as well.
As for others coming in, theres talk that the club have approached Juwon Ashinowo of FC Ashod, who played in all four of Nigerias games in the World cup finals.
Still, its worth remembering Efe Ambrose did as well. He’s a left back, and could be cover for Izaguerre, who threw his shirt into the crowd at Hamilton.
Oh, wait.
Sod the transfer talk.
I’ve got a plan.
Call all the players into a big room. Open the door, and tell anyone who’s not happy to guidetti to feck ( see what I did there ? )
Then pick the best eleven from whats left, make sure they’re happy and start the rest of the season with a win over Motherwell.
A convincing win.
Elsewhere, an old favourite re-emerged yesterday to offer his support to whoever will pay him the most in the current battle for power at Ibrox.
Charles Green told Jim White a few home truths about his time at Ibrox, but all the time you felt he was hiding something, which was spotted by the ever alert Lisbon Lion, on twitter;
It was comedy gold as Green , almost in tears , reminded everyone he was the good guy who halved his wages, refused his bonuses and left with scarcely enough cash for a big French house . Ally Mccoist, he pointed out, didn’t take a pay cut at all.
Apart from that, it was the usual crap ( there really is no other word to describe it. Except perhaps “shite”. ) but no doubt it will have the hordes all excited again, and the press will have something else to deflect from the inevitable car crash about to take place over there again.
Should be a hell of a pile up this time, though.
After all, what else should we have expected from Green ?
Meanwhile, someone was watching, poised to make his move…
There were concerns though, that the weakened and underfunded NHS would collapse under the strain of hundreds of Celtic supporters, who rushed in for treatment after their sides split watching the video.
The Scottish main stream media were alarmed when the sun newspaper finally put an end to the page 3 feature, in which we used to see young girls flaunt their boobies and offer us deep , insightful thoughts on world events. The worry is, that if if the Scottish editors follow suit and remove all the tits, there will be no-one left to comment on the football.
Fair play to the Sun, though, for moving into the 21st century, and we hear they’ve even gone as far as to remove all the knockers on their doors and replace them with doorbells.
Some great ideas as to how to treat the League cup semi final were thrown in yesterday. Humour is the key, and maybe the day won’t be tarred with usual nonsense associated with the fixture.
After all, this could be a fresh start, and we should extend the hand of friendship.
Anyone know where this is ?
Parc de Princes, PSG’s ground?
Cologne?
Yip, Cologne 92.
I take it that Sevco have now decided to chuck trying to be a fitba club and are now concentrating all their efforts on becoming a contender for the longest running (and funniest) comedy show the good people of this country has ever seen. Eat your heart out Del Bhoy and Black Adder.
Missed out Fawlty Towers, but those three definitely my favourite British comedies. Nothing in the last 25 years has come close, apart from softer leanings toward Scottish talent like Still Game.
defo cologne
One of your 7-0,would do tonight,to warm us up,
Ralph.However,the 3 points is all that matters.
I agree,the front 4 will be anyone’s guess.I am
sure Ronny,will find a place,for his out of form
favourite,McGregor.
We should play GMS on the left,he will build up a good understanding with Izzy.
Oh,sorry,have we not signed him yet ? Farcical !
Talking of farce,old ChuckleVision,was hilarious
Chuckles shat on them,from a great height,when he used their money,to buy his French chateaux
(see what I did there)
3-0,tonight.I’ll have to look out,the old long johns,for later.
HS, I heard it wasn’t his knee he was having the operation for, it was to remove the permanent grin he’s had on his coupon since the gullibillys started feathering his nest.
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/63113000/jpg/_63113181_green.jpg
Andybhoy,
Great word,gullibillys.The jammy farts have showed them up,on how to go about their business,on and off the park.
As for Chuckles,you just can’t keep a good man down.I will toast health and prosperity for him,
In 2015,before the game,tonight.
Games on in The Glencairn Club if you prefer a cold pint and warm pie rather than cold pie and warm smell of pish.
Don’t know what Giudetti’s problem is but perhaps tonight could be the game where he sticks him back in after cooling his heels on the touchline for a while. The wind is well and truly out of the sails regarding the supporters love-in with this guy, time to start letting his feet do the talking and his hands do the writing; his mouth can be better used telling his agent to GTF!!
Come on bhoys, a few goals to warm us up tonight !!
Ralph
Listening to the game and we seem to be cruising even at 2-0. It is still really worrying though that our dominance is regularly accompanied by a disturbing lack of goals. We have more forwards than the British army had Scottish, Irish and Welsh soldiers on the front line, yet we can only make the odd dent in the enemy lines. I know Murderwell are brick-walling but we are still making chances and not producing. Mind you, I am listening on CTV and the optimism of their commentators can even surpass yours at times. I sometimes get the impression they create chances out of possession on our own byline. Anyway, I am off to shit myself as Motherwell have just had an attack. Grab the toilet paper. We just got number 3.
Agree with getting rid of the soor pooses at the club but can not think of a better way to put it than yours
“Call all the players into a big room. Open the door, and tell anyone who’s not happy to guidetti to feck”
H H
4 – what number is that. It’s bin so long!
H H