Tonights the night!

All the waiting is over, the tension can be released and finally, finally, in front of a live tv audience of millons, we will find out who killed that bird on Eastenders.

Oh, sorry. Wrong blog.

For those of us who are not remotely interested in the goings on in cliche ridden Misery Street London, theres a football match on.

Celtic host Inter Milan in a replay of the 1967 European cup final, or the 72 Semi-final, if you prefer. Whatever way you look at it, it promises to be a cracker.

Celtics new manager has come in to take charge of an underperforming squad, changed a few things so that players are doing it his way, and brought in an entertaining style of play.

Oh, sorry, that was the 67 final.

But it could also apply to tonights game.

The question is, after a bit of a false start, can Ronny rise to the occasion, and are the players ready to make amends for the early season disasters in Europe, when Celtic were beaten by teams-quite well beaten by teams-who would have been put to the sword just a few years ago ?

A full house, for the first time in a long while, will help.

As will this, from the Green Brigade, Celtics very own art and design section.

Jock Stein once said that he never saw a fan score a goal, but theres no denying that a roar or two from the stands tonight could well be classed as an assist.

For those of us not going to the game, say because you’ve got a clueless fat trump who organises the ticket and seating allocation on the tarrier carrier and gives your seat and ticket to a non member, and then reminds the driver to bring your case of beer to the Inter game that you left in the motor at the Hamilton game to really make the wound smart, the game is on BT Sports.

In fairness to our man in the Lennon CSC, he realised his mistake, and offered me his seat and ticket, but then the guy I’ve organised to beat him up in Glasgow, steal his wallet and throw him in the canal wouldn’t be able to do his job, and I’d be £50 out of pocket.

Seriously, though, have a safe trip , lads. Well, most of you anyway.

Whats that advert on the telly ?

Is his speech slurred ? Is  his face falling on one side ?

Then you’re in the pub with the Lennon CSC before the game !

So, are Celtic ready for the challenge from Inter ? Is it to be Europe after the clocks go forward, or will it be just a tantalising glimpse of things to come next season.

Ronny reckons we’re ready;

 “I haven’t educated myself in the history between the teams, I just know about the European Cup Final.

“It is the best memory in Celtic history and this is going to be a huge game.But I have to make history, not watch it.

“If we can get another 10 per cent out of our players and Inter drop 10 per cent, then we are there.

“This is two matches and if we get a good result here then we can do it.”

“Teams from Portugal have reached the Final and we can do it in Scotland as well. But we also realise that it’s small details which can make it the right thing or the other way.

“I was at a small team in Norway and now I am at a big team in Scotland and what you learn when you go around is that it’s about the small details.

“There is no great difference between the top players and the rest and in football things can happen, especially in the cups.

“In the league it’s 97 per cent to do with money but in the cup, anything can happen.” 

Hang on, he wants to make history ? Theres another parallel with the big man…

Not exactly the same words, but the meaning is pretty similar.

And Ronny can say them in Norwegian as well, Stein couldn’t, so that makes it even more poignant. ( Yeah, thats crucial, put the beer down, you’re not going to the game-Ed )

Scott Brown, who if booked tonight will miss next weeks return in the San Siro, is ready;

“I’ll approach it like every other game. I get booked every game anyway! No, it’s hard knowing that you maybe don’t want to make that tackle but you need to.

“If it comes along it comes along. I’ll just need to deal with that. It’s hard. It’s the way I’ve been brought up to play, it’s the way I enjoy playing. For me to improve I need to keep doing what I’m doing while I get better at other things.

“It would be fairer for me if bookings were wiped after the group stages but the rules are the rules. Hopefully I can play against Inter away because that would be great.” 

Brown , of course, has missed a few games in Europe due to his recklessness, and hopefully, he’s a little more aware of what happens when he forgets that European refs actually know the rules, unlike their Scottish counterparts.

 “I wouldn’t say it changed me as a player but it forced me not to do something stupid.

“You learn from every experience. It was one stupid moment and hopefully there are no more. I wouldn’t say I’m more streetwise, it’s just about being smarter and getting older.” 

Other players, who perhaps haven’t played in front of a white hot Celtic Park crowd will be looking up to him for help. He needs to play a proper captains role tonight, and lead with maturity and controlled aggression.

Maybe he’s finally outgrown his “dog chasing a bin bag on the beach ” stage.

Hope so. We need him at his best.

Deila dropped hints that Kris commons probably won’t make it, and to be fair , the player himself more or less said this when he was summarising the St. Johnstone game for Sky last Saturday, and that means that one-or both -of the tow new lads could start.

Deila summed up the situation, first on Commons:

“We will take no chances. Pulled muscles can be tricky if they recur.

“Maybe he can play but if not then he will be okay for Sunday. A Kris Commons who is injured is not a good Kris Commons, so we have to be careful.”

And then on Mackay Steven and Armstrong

 “I am not worried about that at all. They are good players.

“It will be a huge night for them but they are ready and have shown me that in training and in matches.

“They have the skills for this level. 

This is a crucial difference between Ronny Deila and perhaps any other Celtic manager from the past. If they are not fit, no matter who they are, they they will not play.

 Not only does this mean players in the first team will look after themselves and train fully, the knock on effect goes right through the squad, as the fringe players know that they will not be ignored in favour of a teachers pet who will play no matter how ready he is.

 There seems to be a more settled look to Celtic just lately, so it will probably be

Gordon, Matthews, van Dijk, Denaayer, Izaguerre, Brown, Bitton, Mackay Steven, Johansen, Armstrong, Griffiths.

 Anthony Stokes, John Guidetti and maybe James Forrest could have a role to play, but from the bench.

 And a prediction.

Within five minutes of the start, every single one of us will jump up and say “oh, you bastard ” as the ball blazes over the bar after a move that cut inter open.

 Celtic , now this might be viewed with these on

will finish winners tonight, but only by 1-0, setting up a hell of a game next week.

 Brown, and probably Johansen will get booked, Craig Gordon will be recommended to the Vatican for canonisation, yet  Leigh Griffiths will get a massive standing ovation, for his goal and his effort when he is replaced, on the brink of exhaustion, after seventy minutes.

 See. no need for me to go to the game, I know whats going to happen.

( The author reserves the right to delete this bit of it turns out to be shite. which is usually what happens when he predicts anything. )

 Thats perhaps a little over optimistic, but thats what football at this level is about. Dreams and expectations sometimes exceed reality.

 But theres no harm in it.

 Unless you are a writer with the Belfast Telegraph, and your name is Michael Walker

It has the ring of a contest straight from the late stages of the European Cup: Celtic v Internazionale. It has the whiff of history, prestige.

The memories will hang like mist around Parkhead – Stein, Gemmell, Mazzola, Facchetti. It is a game embroidered with heritage, and a pre-match appearance from the surviving Lisbon Lions will ramp up the decibel level of a 60,000-strong crowd.

Then comes kick-off. Then the reality of the present will invade the glorious past. Perhaps the match will counter reduced expectations, but we will still know that neither Celtic nor Inter are what they were.

That assessment could refer to 1967, when Celtic became the first British club to win the European Cup – against Inter, famously, in Lisbon. Or it could refer to 1972, when the teams met in the semi-final and had to be separated by penalty kicks.

It could even refer to more recent days – Inter won the Champions League under Jose Mourinho in 2010, while Celtic beat Barcelona in Glasgow in November 2012 and played in the last 16 of that competition four months later. The slide has been swift.

More than half the Celtic team that defeated Barcelona have left, as well as manager Neil Lennon. The likes of Fraser Forster and Victor Wanyama are at Southampton while the scorer of the winner that night, teenager Tony Watt, left for Belgium and has just joined Charlton.

For tonight’s match, midfielder Kris Commons is still doubtful with a hamstring injury while right-back Mikael Lustig (ankle) and midfielder Charlie Mulgrew (knee) are both missing.

As for Inter, they are on to their seventh manager since Mourinho and none of the starting XI which overcame Louis van Gaal’s Bayern Munich in Madrid in May 2010 will play in Glasgow tonight. San Siro turnover is such that there may be just two of the Inter team who lost 3-0 at Spurs two years ago.

Yet the Italians will have recognisable faces. Roberto Mancini, who preceded Mourinho at Inter, has returned to the hot seat. He will be trying to compensate for a mediocre season in Serie A with a serious run in Europe’s secondary competition. For the first time it rewards the winners with a Champions League place next season, with the final to be held at the San Siro.

Inter are 10th in Serie A, 15 points off an automatic Champions League qualifying position. Mancini has been back three months and it has been unspectacular. But for the first time Inter have had consecutive victories under the former Manchester City manager, defeating Atalanta 4-1 away on Sunday following a 3-0 win over Palermo.

READ MORE  

You know what, I don’t think I will. Looks like he hasn’t got a ticket either. 

This Michael Walker, is he the same Michael Walker who writes for the independent, mostly about Newcastle ? 

 Or gave them this, yesterday ?  

Celtic vs Inter Milan: 1967 European Cup finalists have been in steep decline since those days

It has the ring of a contest straight from the late stages of the European Cup: Celtic v Internazionale. It has the whiff of history, prestige. The memories will hang like mist around Parkhead – Stein, Gemmell, Mazzola, Facchetti. It is a game embroidered with heritage, and a pre-match appearance from the surviving Lisbon Lions will ramp up the decibel level of a 60,000-strong crowd.  

I think you know the rest…

 How did he find two papers that would print that ? 

 We sometimes criticise-alright often criticise the Scottish press for constantly putting the game down in this country, but this guy is doing it in as many countries as he can find, 

 He might have a point, neither side is as good as they were back then, but the game will still attract twice as many to the ground as any other Europa game tonight, so how about pointing that out ? 

 As you can tell, I’m looking forward to the game, and so should everyone else. 

 Oh, and Eastenders. Do you want to know who did it ? 

 Nah. Me neither.   

 Kenny Dalglish was replaced by Dixie Deans back in the 72 semi final, and we all know what happened next…

Before that, the teams prepared for extra time….