{"id":3725,"date":"2013-10-08T10:09:58","date_gmt":"2013-10-08T09:09:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/etims.net\/?p=3725"},"modified":"2013-10-08T10:09:58","modified_gmt":"2013-10-08T09:09:58","slug":"celtic-diary-tuesday-october-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/etims.net\/?p=3725","title":{"rendered":"Celtic Diary Tuesday October 8"},"content":{"rendered":"

Confirmation yesterday that Adam Matthews will miss three months and undergo surgery on his collarbone after being on the end of a Keith Lasley tackle.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Last night, a club spokesman said;<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam saw a specialist and he will undergo shoulder surgery on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s likely that he will be out for between 10 and 12 weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone at Celtic sends their best wishes to Adam ahead of the surgery and for the weeks ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thats all we can do , really. wish him all the best. He’ll miss the remainder of the group games in the Champions League, but will be back after Christmas for the knockout stages. Which is a fairly optimistic statement. He’ll be back, but will Celtic still be playing European football in the New Year ?<\/p>\n

\u00a0Sure we will.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u00a0Jackson Irivine, who shone in a pre season game against Liverpool, has been handed an international call up. The youngster is in Paris where he joins up with the Australian national side;<\/p>\n

“It’s going to be a great experience I’m really looking forward to it,” said Irvine, who is on-loan at Kilmarnock for the season from Scottish giants Celtic.<\/p>\n

“It’s a very nice surprise and wasn’t really something I was expecting so I’m just going to look to make the most out of it.<\/p>\n

“There are so many boys that are in their very early twenties and even younger still that haven’t quite been given the chance for the first team yet but I’m sure they will eventually.”<\/p>\n

It surprised a lot of us. I didn’t even know he was Australian. Still, its \u00a0a great chance for him to book a place on the plane to Brazil, as the Socceroos have already qualified for next years finals.<\/p>\n

Another youngster, Calum MacGregor is making a name for himself at Notts County, and is fairly keen to extend his loan there until the end of the season.<\/p>\n

“I’ve not spoken about it (extending his loan), but if we keep climbing the table then there’s no reason why not,” said the midfielder.<\/p>\n

“I’m still enjoying my football here. Maybe the club [Celtic] will come to an agreement that Notts County want to keep me and I’ll just see what happens.”<\/p>\n

And for McGregor, Chris Kiwomya’s role as manager at the club could be key to any decision about his loan deal being extended into 2014.<\/p>\n

He added: “He’s tireless and he has a great work ethic \u2013 you can start to see that with the performances starting to turn around.<\/p>\n

“He’s been first class \u2013 he wasn’t getting too down and knew he had good players in there so he’s just trying to get the best out of them.<\/p>\n

“That’s credit to him, sometimes when the chips are down then you can give in a wee bit but he never. It’s been brilliant.”<\/p>\n

Maybe thats a policy which could pay dividends further down the line, sending players out to “toughen up ” with competitive football, and getting ourselves a better player back, and not having to break the bank.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

All of this could soon be irrelevant , though, as Campbell Ogilvie, the SFA peppermint, has announced plans which could lead to Celtic becoming the worlds richest club within about an hour and a half. One expert gave us his impression of how revenue and \u00a0profits would increase<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Ogilvie wants to see drink allowed at the football again, and will hold talks with police, politicians and anyone else he can think of to push for a sensible policy on drinking at the ground.<\/p>\n

\u2018Going back to 1980 when the ban first came in, this comes up every few years.<\/p>\n

\u2018But over the years the corporate hospitality side within grounds has expanded and (alcohol is sold at grounds) within other sports, like rugby.<\/p>\n

\u2018Football evolves, it has changed over the years, and a lot of issues in football are perceptions, or perceived problems.<\/p>\n

\u2018Look at Friday night football. There were perceived issues but Friday night football came in and I don\u2019t think there\u2019s been any problems with it.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
\"Original<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u00a0If you remember the game, police, armed with light sabres stormed onto the pitch after First Rangers fans sportingly crossed to the Celtic end via the pitch to offer congratulations after the hoops had won a keenly fought contest 1-0 with a late winner from George McCluskey after a tremendous through ball from Danny McGrain.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Ogilvie continued;<\/div>\n
\n

I\u2019m sure if alcohol is ever brought into the stadia, it would be evaluated very carefully.<\/p>\n

\u2018And if there were any issues thereafter it would soon be rescinded.<\/p>\n

\u2018But the key issues is satisfying the safety authorities, the police, local authorities and government.
\n\u2018The only way it will happen is if collectively all the constituents are satisfied.<\/p>\n

\u2018And if people were satisfied that all areas were covered then the SFA would be bound to consider it.<\/p>\n

Ogilvie, who has lost an enormous amount of credibility due to his alleged involvement in the Ibrox financial scandal has had to do something to restore his credibilty (restore ? – Ed ) and seeing as how his snout is too far in the Ibrox trough, this customer friendly idea could help him stay in a job-at least until the police ask him to help with their enquiries once the old Ibrox board finally get invited to a chat about their accounting abilities.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\"\"<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u00a0Drinking at grounds works \u00a0in England, which has all but eradicated its notorious hooligan element, and supporters can enjoy a pre match pint, and if they don’t fancy one, they can always use the money to put down the deposit on a new car instead.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
One of the replies in the diary yesterday was more thought provoking than most, and worthy of further comment. Its this one from Frank McGaaaaarvey, which I may have spelt wrong;<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
” Maybe I\u2019ve become too cynical with Celtic\u2019s dealings of late but I sincerely hope u are right and we see at least 3\/4 years of Virgil and Efe together. We had to suffer Caldwell\/McManus for about that length of time so we deserve that at least for these 2. If a good offer comes in though it will be hard to turn down, unless they both do a Henke and really want to stay. Time will tell. “<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u00a0Its the last bit that made me think. “Unless they want to stay”, and with Gary Hooper and Victor Wanyama now courting obscurity in England, the balance could be tipped in the favour of Celtic, with champions league football and big crowds.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u00a0Do you know, I’m sure another first teamer left in the summer, but I’m struggling to remember who , or where he went to.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u00a0Meanwhile, whatculture.com has started its own campaign to see Fraser Forster start for England against Montenegro on Friday, which hopefully will be ignored, but is worth a mention as it shows the pressure on Joe ” Hapless “Hart<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u00a0England vs Montenegro: 5 Reasons Fraser Forster Should Replace Joe Hart<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
5. To Provide A Credible Threat To Hart\u2019s Starting Spot;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
when looking for reasons for Hart\u2019s decline in form, his lapses of concentration and silly errors, many pundits have pointed to the possibility that he may be a little too secure in his position in the starting line up.
\nForster has the potential to provide a similar competition for Hart\u2019s starting place, but the only way to ensure that he is a credible challenger is to give him the opportunity of playing some real competitive games.<\/p>\n

People may claim that these qualifiers are too important to be making changes in key personnel, but the only way that Forster will seem like a realistic option is to play him in games that matter, not just friendly matches.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

4 \u00a0To Ensure That There Are Other Goalkeepers With England Experience;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Regardless of whether you think Hart should be dropped completely, be given competition for his starting place, or remain indisputable No.1, there is always a possibility that injury or suspension will make him unavailable at the crucial point.
\nIf Hart were to get a\u00a0serious injury<\/a>\u00a0during or right before the World Cup itself, the options to replace him with a player who\u2019s played for the Three Lions before are pretty scarce.<\/div>\n
\nThe only keepers playing in the top flight with England experience, though, are Hart, West Brom\u2019s Ben Foster (six caps), Ruddy (one cap) and Man City\u2019s third choice Richard Wright who played twice for England over ten years ago.<\/p>\n

Forster has managed to become England\u2019s number two goalkeeping option without ever playing. England are going to want to give him a game at some point \u2013 preferably at a moment of Hodgson\u2019s choosing rather than when forced into it on the biggest stage of all.<\/p>\n

Once again, if you really want someone you can rely on, someone whose England experience is useful, then that means that you have to play them in an important competitive match, not just a friendly.<\/p>\n

3. His Form is Extremely Consistent<\/h2>\n

While Hart has shown an alarming lack of consistency over the last few months, Forster has been a solid and reliable presence in goal throughout his career.<\/p>\n

Whether at Norwich in the Football League or Celtic in the Scottish Premier League, Forster has always kept clean sheets. His entire career record is 211 games and 106 clean sheets, meaning he doesn\u2019t concede in 50% of games.<\/p>\n

Of course you could point to how Hart is competing in the higher standard English Premier League, but let\u2019s not forget that Rickie Lambert was able to carry his good League One scoring record up to the Championship, the Premiership, and an England career that features two goals in three games.<\/p>\n

Stepping up a level doesn\u2019t automatically mean a decline in quality of performance.<\/p>\n

Looking at the one competition in which both Forster and Hart competed together, the Champions League in the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons, Forster has kept 9 clean sheets in 20 games, conceding 19 goals, while Hart has kept 2 in 8 games, conceding 14 goals.<\/p>\n

This gives Forster a 45% clean sheet record to Hart\u2019s 25% and all this with Hart playing behind a much stronger defence.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

2. He Comes Recommended By The Best<\/p>\n

In the\u00a0build<\/a>\u00a0up to the Champions League match between Celtic and Buffon\u2019s Juventus last year, Buffon suggested that Forster had the potential to be one of the best young keepers in the world, describing him as a keeper with authority and confidence who didn\u2019t look like making any mistakes.<\/p>\n

With mistakes being the big talking point after Hart\u2019s performance against Bayern Munich, Buffon has\u00a0once again weighed in<\/a>\u00a0this week to say:<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it is time now for England to give Forster a chance. He has proved he can handle the big games and the pressure situations. If the England coach is picking his team on form then Fraser is his only option<\/p>\n

1. He Has Performed Exceptionally In Big Games<\/p>\n

The biggest argument against playing Forster in the games that will decide whether England make it to the World Cup is that, with no previous England caps and a regular\u00a0job<\/a>\u00a0in the Scottish Premier League, he doesn\u2019t have the necessary big game experience.<\/p>\n

Sure, the Scottish league has managed the remarkable feat of being even less competition for Celtic since Glaswegian rivals Rangers were forcibly relegated in 2012, but Celtic\u2019s Champions League campaigns have allowed them to compete at the highest level.<\/p>\n

While Hart\u2019s Man City crashed out of the 2012-13 competition without winning a single game, it was Celtic that progressed from the Qualifying Rounds to the Last 16.<\/p>\n

In particular last season\u2019s campaign was memorable for a brilliant 2-1 victory against Barcelona. Forster was the hero on that occasion, making a string of superb saves to preserve the Bhoys\u2019 lead.<\/p>\n

Forster was so unbeatable that the Spanish media dubbed him \u201cLa Gran Muralla\u201d, \u201cThe Great Wall\u201d.<\/p>\n

This wasn\u2019t a one off performance either. While Hart was blundering his way through the Bayern Munich game, 10 man Celtic were given a rematch against Barcelona.<\/p>\n

Barca dominated possession but were held to a single goal, winning 1-0. It could have been more but for Forster whose impressive double save from Neymar and Alexis Sanchez in the dying minutes strengthened the case for his England inclusion at just the right moment.<\/p>\n

Given this kind of major international experience, the ability to handle Neymar, Messi and company, Forster should be pretty prepared for whatever Montenegro could throw at him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Thats a very , very good article which, apart from the bit about Rangers being “forcibly relegated ” , should set minds thinking down south.<\/p>\n

Whilst I want Forster to succeed internationally, at least as long as he is with Celtic, I fear for him being thrown in as a desperate replacement for Hart. If it all goes wrong, he would be the scapegoat.<\/p>\n

However, if it goes right for him, he would be the hero. And I guess thats what all footballers want.<\/p>\n

You can read the full article here-Forster article<\/a>\u00a0, but if you do, don’t show it to Roy Hodgson.<\/p>\n

Those of you who like to be more cerebral about the game might be interested in an evening with Spanish football expert Graham hunter, who will be at the Glasgow Film theatre to talk about his new book, and other things. Details here-graham hunter event<\/a><\/p>\n

The three players pictured in yesterdays diary, Paul Lambert, Henrik Larsson and Kenny Dalglish all won the big cup with other teams, as well as serving the hoops with distinction as players.<\/p>\n

Today, heres some more with a common link..<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0\"\"\u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

Finally, one or two of you may have noticed a debate raging over the content of the Daily Mail newspaper, which has been acused of being overly right wing, bordering even on racism. I had a wee look today to see if theres anything in it. Adnan Januzaj burst onto the scene this weekend with a couple of goals for struggling Manchester Utd. So, who is he ?<\/p>\n

Daily Mirror – “Januzaj can play for England”
\nThe Sun – “Januzaj can play for England”
\nDaily Express – “Januzaj can play for England”<\/p>\n

Daily Mail – “Mass influx of foreign Muslim youths threatens England National Team”<\/p>\n

Speaking of the extreme right wing, I see Prince William has played in a football match at Buckingham Palace to celebrate his family doing FA for the last 150 years. Or something like that. Surprised the game didn’t get more publicity, really.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
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