Todays title is brought to you by  @Huddleboard, who tweeted possibly the best nickname of all time for a Celtic player after substitute Tom Rogic inspired a second half performance which contained the energy that has been lacking of recent weeks.

With the scores at 0-0, there always seemed the possibility that Hearts would cash in on the inevitable defensive lapse , late on in the game, and steal away another treble from Ronny Deila’s Celtic.

Happily, Leigh Griffiths was having none of that, and his first goal, where he decided to run at the defence instead of playing the traditional ball across the eighteen yard area, was a piece of magic.

Shortly after, he repeated the run, but having gone a little too far to shoot, he played the ball along the six yard box, and Tom Rogic finished it off with a sublime back heel.

Those two goals put the game beyond Hearts, and despite the traditional late goal conceded from a set piece, it was too late to matter and Celtic were in the semi final.

For most of the game, there was a feeling that Murphy’s Law would come into play. That rule that states if something can go wrong, it will. Not to be confused with cole’s Law, which, as you know, is a thinly sliced cabbage in mayonnaise.

On the one hand, only conceding one late goal is an improvement, but conceding any in the League Cup must be seen as a crisis and I’m afraid it’s time for this;

Having survived what the Herald called the first of three matches that could decide Ronny’s future-I know, you’d think they’d be sick of their own shite by now-the manager was quite relieved/pleased/happy/not arsed, (delete as applicable) -especially since Scott Brown hurt his knee in the warm up and was forced to miss the game;

Scott felt something in his knee during the warm-up, We will have to scan it tomorrow and then we can say what it is.

“I don’t think it is serious. I hope it isn’t. But, again, it is a knee and we have to wait for the scan.

“It makes the performance even better that we played that way after losing our captain. But we had an Israeli international [Nir Bitton] and a Norwegian international [Stefan Johansen] there, so we have good players coming into that position. Those two played very well.

“I’m very, very happy. It is a great win and an important win. I think the performance was very good.

“We controlled the game and they didn’t have a chance before they scored. You could see we have now played three games in six days [sic], of course. We were lacking in a little tempo to open up space for Leigh. But Tom Rogic came on and added tempo into the game. Then we got our chances. Leigh is sniffing around and waiting for those chances. Today he scored one and made one. Leigh has been phenomenal. It’s confidence, good training, being professional on and off the pitch, these are important things.” 

The two key players, whilst not understating the other performances last night, were Rogic and Griffiths.

The formers exploits didn’t go unnoticed in his homeland;

Tom Rogic has tuned up for the Socceroos’ upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

Rogic scored a sensational winner off the bench in Celtic’s League Cup Quarter-final win on Thursday morning (AEDT).  

Off the bench ? That must have been some shot. not like the Aussies to exaggerate, I suppose.

Leigh Griffiths, fighting off the challenge for his place from Nadir Ciftci and Carlton cole, was immense as well. And , as he is not noted for any particular warm feelings toward the Tynecastle club, enjoyed the game as much as the support;

Same guy, different seasons…

They love him up there.

Griffiths was booked for celebrating, at least that’s what the report will say, even of it was more likely he was booked for scoring, but he doesn’t care…

….if you give me a goal like that and a yellow card then I’ll take it all day long.

“I celebrated like that when I scored my first Celtic goal here. If I go to the Celtic fans then I’m going to get booked. If I head to the Hearts fans I’m going to get booked. So if you give me the option then there’s only one place I’m going.

Ooohh-the little scamp.

“I get abuse everywhere. Here you get stick as an ex-Hibee but the only way to shut them up is to score and set up a goal.”  

He said ” ex-hibee. “

Now he is aware he’s a Tim. We’ve spoken of his new maturity and his professionalism on the pitch. This is the most significant change in him. He’s bought into the club and the mindset that comes with it.

Credit must also go to Hearts boss Robbie Neilsen, who as gracious in defeat, a far cry from the days of Jolly Jim Jefferies and his dour demeanour;

“We didn’t look like we were going to concede for long periods of the game tonight, Our quality could have been better on the counter attack when we broke, we had opportunities to do it.

“But we have come a long way in 18 months, the club has been in administration, got promotion to the top league and we are sitting here getting frustrated after a 2-1 defeat to Celtic when they were holding on at the end, desperate to get the win.

“It shows how far we have come but we want to continue to build and grow. I thought the players tonight were magnificent for me. Young guys like Callum Paterson, Sam Nicholson and Jordan McGhee, guys like that who have come through the academy, are going to grow in this team.” 

So, onwards toward that elusive fourth treble, and for those who say it’s the least Ronny could do, bear in mind that it would only be the fourth, and whilst some would argue about there being no competition, it still requires an awful lot of dedication and hard work not to lose a cup game, especially one like last night, where it means there is no coming back and the treble is gone for another year.

It’s not about the opposition, it’s about what Celtic do.

Next up are Aberdeen on Saturday, and with it a chance to put the final nail in their league challenge , and possibly even inflict a season defining blow to their morale and confidence. The Dons have faltered in the last month or so, and should provide some handy shooting practice before next Thursdays return match with Molde.

Elsewhere, the campaign to remove Lord Livingston of Parkhead from his seat on the board, by the scruff of his neck, continued with the story reaching the national press.

The Daily Record said;

Thousands of furious Celtic fans call for ‘hypocritical’

Lord Livingston to be booted off Parkhead board over tax credit cuts

vote

The paper, one I have always admired , ( Who’s the hypocrite now?-Ed ) went on to quote from one of the quality Celtic websites…

The online Celtic fanzine ETims also publicly denounced the club director and urged like-minded fans to do the same.

It said: “Whilst sitting on the board of a club he professes to support, one set up to put food on the tables of the poor, Conservative Ian Paul Livingston decided that he thinks it’s better that things should turn full circle and go back to the way they were.

“I’m surprised he doesn’t own a firm of chimney sweeps, and is looking to employ some kids to do the insides.

“He should be nowhere near our club, and I’m quite sure that if you could find a contact number, you’d let him know that.

“Oh, and you could let the club know as well.” 

The link to the petition, should you feel the urge to join in, is here;

removal-of-lord-livingston-from-celtic-fc-board

The Lennon CSC, based in Stoke are mostly ex pats, but we’ve adopted an English identity, and will be at the game on saturday to voice our displeasure at Livingston;

The argument for him staying on is that his political views are his own business, and they are. but when his political views contradict the ethos of the club he represents, especially given the controversy over Celtic paying a living wage, then it’s akin to Ian duncan Smith chairing a disabled rights group.

 Do the right thing, and rest assured, you’re doing it for the right reasons.

The moral dimension, as explained in this Private Eye cartoon;

The Celtic Trust have had an idea…

Every single CSC could buy enough shares to vote in the AGM for less than £20 http://www.celtictrust.net/index.php?func=d_home_article&id=515 …   

Interestingly, there is talk of something else, something which has been fluttering around cyberspace for a while, too fantastic even for our own rumour mill….

Could Celtic FC become a community owned club? 

Thats the first time we’ve read this, but we’ve heard all sorts of stories. Might be worth keeping an eye on.

Communities are the base of a club, although Celtics community is spread over a larger area than most, it’s no bad thing to have a say in how it’s run, and to be fair, Celtic do consult the fans on a number of issues.

Not sure about this one, though. It appears to be well meaning, and i may be wrong here, but I’m alays suspicious of this sort of thing;

MAGNERS, Celtic main sponsor, has teamed up with Celtic FC Foundation and Tennent’s Training Academy to deliver a unique employability programme aimed at getting participants back into work after long-term unemployment.

The Magners Employability Project, targeted towards adults aged 25 and over who are registered unemployed, is a bespoke 10-week course with a focus on developing skills in the hospitality industry.

Delivered by Celtic FC Foundation and the award-winning Tennent’s Training Academy, the project is designed for participants to not only engage with a varied mix of employability activities and certified industry training but also dedicate time to health, fitness and nutrition with sessions delivered by Celtic FC Foundation’s coaching staff.

All participants benefit from employer talks, work placements, recruitment days, motivational guest speakers and sessions covering; skills and qualities, job searching, CVs, application forms, interview techniques, work ethic, self-branding and work place expectations.

It’s hoped that all participants will use their new-found skills to move into employment, further training or volunteering on completion of the course.

The project was funded thanks to Magners’ Goals for Charity initiative which saw Celtic’s shirt sponsor donate £150 for every competitive goal scored during the 2013/14 season. A total of £18,300 was raised as a result of the Hoops notching 122 competitive goals with fans choosing to allocate the funds in support of Poverty, a key area of work for Celtic FC Foundation.

It’s a little to close to the old Thatcher Youth opportunities scheme for me, though the involvment of the Foundation does give it some credibility.

I’ll reserve judgment until it’s been running for a while, but welcome anyone who has been involved in any capacity to offer their views.

Elsewhere, the impending sense of doom surrounding Ibrox was cranked up a notch when Dave King flew into town and made a statement. As opposed to releasing a statement through Level 5 PR, which in itself could be hinting at a cash crisis over there.

John James, who has been monitoring events at Ibrox, replied;

The latest outburst by Dave King is probably his most risible to date.He talks about his forty years in business and accuses Sports Direct of being unconcerned with other stakeholders. Perhaps we should remind Mr King of how he ripped off all the shareholders in Specialist Outsourcing, and how he provided his partner in crime with equity and a seat on the board for delivering the Umgeni Water pension fund, that was rendered worthless after he siphoned off the value. Was he in any way concerned that he bribed Greg Morris and then decimated their pension pot? As for his forty years in business, did this include the time he was forced to step down from Micromega as he was such a pariah that he was adversely affecting the share price?

Did this forty years include being arrested and standing trial on racketeering charges? Do you recall being branded a glib and shameless liar in court? What a stunning resume of alleged corruption and malfeasance Mr King. Yet you have the audacity to take Sports Direct to task for poor business practices and corporate governance failures?

Would you classify your early career as a financial adviser, when you lied to everyone that you were a qualified accountant, an apposite example of poor business practice? Perhaps you would choose not to recall how you acquired a 76% interest in Micromega via a British Virgin Island trust fund, breaching the 30% threshold, as you used your daughter as a proxy to gain control?

Mr Ashley wants you to pay your debts Mr King. You’re not very good with debts or taxes, are you Mr King? 

Mr Ashley could call time on you tomorrow and appoint receivers. A cynic might suggest that now that your lies about over-investing have been exposed, you are hoping that Mr Ashley closes you down as you’re struggling to meet payroll commitments? Would that be an elegant solution for not paying Green’s legal expenses?

Mr King, you are a criminal corporate gnat. If you continue to open your mouth without engaging brain, you will be swatted.

Do we actually pay your expenses for statements like this? 

Meanwhile, I hear that theres a run on jelly and ice cream again, surprising for this time of year.

Here’s a game you can play, which was very popular at one time….

or you could just supply the headline which would go with the picture should it appear in a newspaper.