Celtic Diary Wednesday March 30: Another Celtic PR Triumph

Of the Celts involved in international action, the one who came closest to sitting out the rest of his season in the treatment room was danish defender Erik Sviatchenko, who somehow walked away from this tackle, by an over enthusiastic Liam Bridcutt ( no, I’d never heard of him either )

Bridcutt tackle

A confused Scott Brown showed commendable loyalty to his fellow Scot who faced the wrath of the Danes afterwards, and kept the kicking for the Leeds man until he got to the dressing room…

Didn’t he ?

Anyway, it all ended in a yellow card for Bridcutt and Neil Lennon got a touchline ban.

Brown was seen to tell Sviatchenko to get up after the tackle, which may have been misinterpreted, and the Celtic captain must have decided he wants to be a referee when he retires..

“I thought it was a fair tackle the way I saw it but I haven’t seen it back yet. Erik got up and that’s the main thing.” 

to which Svaitchenko said;

 “If he sees it again he will probably say it’s a fair tackle again.

“Broony is a funny guy, when he plays he plays with his heart and wants to win every ball. He is right, I am still here, I am not injured, so he can have the right saying that.” 

If I were Brown, and Sviatchenko was hurtling towards me in a training match while i was in possession, I’d tell him to “just take it “.

From a Scotland point of view, Bridcutt can be said to have been giving one hundred per cent. From a Celtic point of view, he’s clearly not mature enough for the top level yet.

And Brown ?

Maybe he didn’t see it, but maybe a wee chat with John Kennedy might set him right. Club loyalties apart, it’s his job to make sure Scotland debutants don’t get carried away by the occasion, and he, more than anyone, should know what injuries can mean.

It was a friendly , after all.

Keiran Tierney did well in his debut, but Leigh Griffiths appeared bemused again by the decision to have someone up front helping him. Anyway, at least they didn’t get hurt and thats the main thing.

Back at the ranch, and Calum MacGregor, speaking at a Show Racism the Red Card event, claims he’s now all grown up after his recent, er, issues.

“It is only natural that when you are doing well you think the world is your oyster and you feel invincible But you get that kind of bang back down to earth. It was a big wake-up call.

“The standards you need to be at every week is the mental side that I have learned. When you go on the park you have to be 100 per cent ready and I am trying to do that every week.”  

When MacGregor broke into the side after he returned from a loan spell in england, he thought he’d made it. Then he realised he hadn’t, and now he knows what he has to do to stay in the team.

And thats not to fret over an international call up…

“I am obviously disappointed not to be in the squads but a few boys have done well and deserve to be there,” 

Still a ways to go, one feels, but at least he’s on the right road.

Walking, obviously.

Celtic’s PR man , whoever he is, whenever he gets back off his break, might want to think about something he missed at the weekend.

Something that perhaps ties in the the clubs identity ?

Look, even Kenny MacAskill noticed what was important about last weekend, as the Irish Post explains..

A LEADING politician has called on the Scottish government to celebrate famed Irish independence fighter James Connolly.

Former Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill made the comments yesterday, calling on the Scottish Parliament to officially recognise the role that Edinburgh-born Connolly played in Ireland’s Easter Rising.

Over the coming year the 1916 Rising Centenary Committee (Scotland) – which includes Mr MacAskill – plan to commemorate the contingent of Glasgow-based members of the Irish Volunteers that participated in the Rising.

The key role played by James Connolly will be a particular focus for the group.

Connolly was executed by British forces for his participation in the Rising which took place 100 years ago next April.

In his motion brought to parliament this week, Mr MacAskill called for recognition of Connolly’s involvement with the Scottish Socialist Federation, the Independent Labour Party and his work with socialist politics in the US, before his involvement in the Rising.

“As long as they don’t sing about it ” he added, off the record,

The hypocrisy is stunning, with Celtic supporters condemned, arrested , beaten and imprisoned in Guantanamo bay,- which is bad enough, but those orange overalls – it seems a little odd that MacAskill should be the one to point out the obvious.

Scotland has ignored the celebrations of its nearest and dearest neighbour.

But we can always count on that bastion of Irishness Celtic Football club to recognise and remember the events of Easter 1916…can’t we ?

Apparently not, there’s that silence again.

Resolution 12-nothing.

EBTS, cheating, -nothing.

And now, a celebration of events that were to lead to the biggest change in Irelands history  – nothing.

Why did the club not at least recognise the significance of the weekend ?

After all, the club does have significant Irish roots, or does it only suit the board to mention that when its a chance to make money from it ?

It reminds me of the first foodbank appeal organised by the Green Brigade, the exuberant singing section with a heart of gold, as the club failed to acknowledge or mention that either.

Its either just piss poor PR, with no-one making the connection between Ireland and Celtic, or an indefensible board decision, which can be interpreted as “Look, we used to be Irish, but we’ve moved on….”

Even Lizzie the second laid a wreath in honour of the dead.

But Celtic ?

Nothing. Not so much as an enjoy yourselves while you’re out.

Recent events have suggested a drifting apart between those who earn from the club, and those who pay for it.

The board and the fans haven’t been this far apart since the days of Michael Kelly, though at least he continues to provide occasional comic relief.

Its almost like they don’t care…

There seems to be a groundswell of supporters who may hesitate, for their own reasons, to renew their season books this summer.

A number of reasons.

In the interest of fairness and balance, here are some reasons why you should.

Actually, I’d be grateful if you could fill this bit in. I’m fresh out of ideas.

The cup semi final draws nearer, stop yawning at the back, and the club have slipped in a little warning…

The possession and use of fireworks, smoke bombs, firecrackers and all pyrotechnics at any stadium is illegal and is absolutely prohibited. Again, we stress the dangers surrounding fireworks and pyrotechnics, which are considered a serious safety issue. Any supporter participating in such conduct may be removed from the stadium and prohibited from attending future matches involving the Club. 

Fair enough, and I’ll adhere to it, and so should you.

Mind you, there’s no mention of this…

Which you could probably find on Ebay, or in most pubs in the Lancashire/Merseyside area.

Speaking of that game, Mark Warburton has nearly finished his coaching course, and will be even better by the time the game comes around..

Nevertheless, those experts at the Daily Record have given him five handy hints to help him beat Celtic;

Well, their “Rangers ” blogger has…

1: Turn the screw on Ronny Deila 

Ultimately, if Rangers are defeated, it’s the expected result, BUT if Celtic fall then it’s the end of the management team, uncertainty for a large proportion of the squad and huge pressure on Peter Lawell. Warburton has to crank up the pressure, remind his players that the pressure is off, while turning the screw on Celtic and their boss.

There appears to be little love lost between Deila and the player that Rangers fans should fear the most, Kris Commons. Perhaps a wee press conference bomb on that subject wouldn’t go amiss. 

Always bombs, isn’t it ? Oh, and maybe a bullet in the post ?

The ‘Ronny roar’ is a psychologically telling bit of populism: here is a man that needs to be loved to his very core. There’s a thread to be pulled here if Warburton can pick at it via the media. 

Oh come on, thats just Record editorial policy..though I love the bit about Commons being the man Rangers fans fear. But then, they’ve been away for a while, and probably havent noticed the goals that Leigh Griffiths has scored, whoalong with commons has scored against them every time he’s played them.

2: Exploit Sviatchenko with pace 

The Dane comes with good pedigree but he’s raw and still getting used to the pace of Scottish Football. We have also seen in flashes he’s not a guy that relishes either a foot race or players dribbling at pace which is one commodity that Rangers have in abundance and can use to their advantage. This can become especially crucial in the quick transitions of play that this Rangers side thrive on. 

He’s an international defender. Like what they haven’t got. They do have an international forward, pictured above, but he may not be as , er, pacey , as he used to be. Mind you, they could use Dave King. He’s quick around the box. Especially one with someone elses money in it.

3:Stop Kieran Tierney

Oh, come on. He’s no Lee Wallace…

An impressive young player with pace, drive and a wicked delivery, James Tavernier needs to be at the top of his game to deal with this attacking threat and will need defensive help from Barrie McKay that is rarely required at Championship level. Stopping his delivery can help isolate Leigh Griffith and thus neuter Celtics main threat.

Yeah, if the bombs and bullets don’t work, let’s neuter them.

4:Get tight to Leigh Griffiths 

Now he’s just pulling letters out of the scrabble bag and hoping they make sense.

With a deceptive turn of pace and clever runs in behind, Griffiths can be a defenders nightmare if you let him play his natural game. Get in close and make him play with his back to goal and he’s much less effective. Kiernan and Wilson will have to be at their best to nullify his threat and a continuation of the individual mistakes seen from the pair on occasion this season would be heavily punished.

Oh, he means “get him nullified”. which might not  be legal, even if you do it to a cat.

Well spotted, though, he is less effective with his back to goal. Griffiths may have solved this problem, however, having mastered the art of turning around.

5:Rope-a-dope 

Does he mean “Pick Me ? ”

Er, no…

Mark Warburton’s Rangers have spent most of their time dominating opponents’ territory but their pace in forward areas and penetration from midfield is also tailor-made for fast counters as Celtic push forward. If Rangers can marshal their defence properly they have the attacking quality to cause serious problems. Preventing a Celtic goal in within the first 20 minutes will be key in setting the tone for the match and will help doubts to creep in amongst Celtic’s players. 

Yeah. Good luck with that. Inviting the free scoring Celtic forwards, who play at a higher level,  onto the defence that has conceded six goals in their last two games-Falkirk and Queen of the South-in the hope of getting a break away ?

You do that.

Couple of caption competition winners now…

Again, some quality yesterday, so a trickier one today…