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<\/p>\nEven the under 19s seemed to be feeling the pressure of the upcoming Champions League games when they needed a late equaliser to preserve their unbeaten run down at Palmerston where they finished 1-1 with Queen of the South.<\/p>\n
One of the pictures from that game has you feeling sorry for all those poor souls who want to be a referee when they grow up,\u00a0<\/p>\n
judging by the look on this kids face he might just fill in the application form for McDonalds instead.<\/p>\n
Mind you, we’ve all seen how they turn out, so perhaps its fair to enjoy his discomfort, as they say.<\/p>\n
The U-19s obviously had the trip to Amsterdam in the Youth UCL on their mind, where they hope to build on their 4-1 thrashing of the Dutch side, a game which is live on Celtic TV on Wednesday afternoon. Its a four o’clock start , which gives the club plenty of time to get the bail money together for any of the players caught with false id in the town centre the night before.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Anyway , watching that game should get everyone in the mood for the big game in the big cup that night.<\/p>\n
Another important game, as a win -or draw would guarantee European football after Christmas, which is where we want to be.<\/p>\n
Ajax boss Frank de Boer reckons all the pressure is on him. Like when he missed a penalty. Or is he a plank ? I get mixed up.<\/p>\n
Scott McDermott, in the Record, says;<\/p>\n
WORRIED Ajax boss Frank de Boer admits his side are under severe pressure ahead of their crunch Champions League tie with Celtic in Amsterdam.<\/p>\n
Ajax haven\u2019t won any of their last four games, which includes the 2-1 defeat at Parkhead a fortnight ago that put them bottom of Group H.<\/p>\n
They also slumped to sixth in the Dutch table after losing 1-0 to Vitesse at home on Saturday and de Boer says his young side are now feeling the heat.<\/p>\n
He insists Ajax can\u2019t afford another slip-up against Celtic and said: \u201cHow big is the match? Well if we want to have a meaningful say in this group, we must get three points, that\u2019s clear. ”<\/p>\n
But we don’t want him to, do we Scott ? We want Scotlands champions to progress, and that way we can all benefit, and the game in this country gets a bit more credibility.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would take us a point ahead of Celtic.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlso, if we presume Barcelona beat AC Milan at home, we can still have a chance of second spot.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor Celtic, a draw may be enough and they\u2019ll go into it more confident than us as we\u2019re the team under pressure right now.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe result against Vitesse is a concern but I\u2019m sure the confidence will return because we have a lot of quality. I will keep telling them that.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlso, the way we played in Glasgow also gives me belief.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yeah, go get ’em , Frank.<\/p>\n
Then we have the Ajax captain;<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Celtic a must-win game for us? Yes, definitely, and all the Ajax players know we have to win it. It\u2019s all or nothing for us now.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t keep going on about the Celtic defeat. It\u2019s gone and we have a chance to make up for it now \u2013 it\u2019s time to move on. Just because we lost in Glasgow doesn\u2019t mean we\u2019re about to give up on this group.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got to have faith against Celtic. I know we lost to Vitesse in the league but this is a different opponent in a much different competition.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite our recent form, every one of us will go on to the pitch believing we can win it. And why shouldn\u2019t we?<\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t play that well in Glasgow and, for us, it wasn\u2019t good enough. But at the same time, we don\u2019t think we deserved to lose the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe created good chances against Celtic. In fact, on Saturday morning I watched highlights from the match on TV again and we definitely had a few chances to score before they took the lead.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a team, we have to use that as motivation. We must remember those chances and believe we can do the same in Amsterdam \u2013 but score goals at the end of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure we will play better against them at home. We will change our game slightly to make us even more dangerous in front of goal.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt times this season, we\u2019ve performed very well, especially against AC Milan at home when we got a draw. So that should give us encouragement.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to do what we did in spells in Glasgow for a full 90 minutes. But it\u2019s easy to say that, we have to do it now.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Yes, but we’d rather he didn’t, wouldn’t we Scott ? …..Scott ? …..<\/p>\n
Scott is currently at the hospital where he is having his tongue removed from Mr. De Boers bottom.<\/p>\n
The rest of the story is basically the Dutch captain saying his team have to do better, and he singled out the wingers especially.<\/p>\n
Now, the Records man in the Dam hasn’t picked up on it, his orange tinted glasses no doubt affecting his vision, but Dutch teams are notorious for arguing amongst themselves and self destructing when things don’t go their way.<\/p>\n
And thats what seems to be happening at Ajax.<\/p>\n
SSN reported the quotes from de Boer, but the overall impression was more of resignation than expectation.<\/p>\n
Anyway, tomorrows Record will, we can exclusively reveal, have a souvenir pull out to get their readers in the mood for the game.<\/p>\n
Its called ” get intae they fenian bastards. ”<\/p>\n
Still on the Record, which is going out of its way to stick to its agenda-presumably the sports staff are all auditioning for the vacant PR job at Ibrox-has another story, this time fuelling the myth of pro Celtic bias at the SFA, or SPFL, or whatever they are called this week.<\/p>\n
Its from Keith Jackson, so you know it should be taken seriously;<\/p>\n
As usual, my words are in brackets. Though they shouldn’t be that hard to spot amongst this, er, offering.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
( Angry ? )<\/p>\n
KEITH says only in this business would the people at the top go out of their way to make winning trophies even easier for Neil Lennon and his players.<\/p>\n
( Ah, no, its Keith thats angry. And quite possibly mad. )<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
LET\u2019S start by making one thing very clear. It\u2019s not Celtic\u2019s fault. None of it.<\/p>\n
\u00a0( Er, what isn’t ? Oh, wait, he’s just getting the difficult and obvious point of the article out of the way at the beginning with a spot of denial. \u00a0)<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not Celtic\u2019s fault David Murray sold Rangers for a pound to Craig Whyte in a ruinous bit of business.<\/p>\n
\u00a0( Slight inaccuracy there, \u00a0Dodgy Dave wouldn’t call it ruinous, He did very well out of that. Saved himself a few bob on bills, and probably fines. Craig Whyte would probably say he did quite well out of it as well. And the club was already ruined, so hey-who got hurt ? )<\/p>\n
Likewise, it\u2019s not Celtic\u2019s fault that, as a result, they have been left to operate in a domestic top flight which is only marginally more stimulating than a Miranda Hart box set.<\/p>\n
\u00a0( Especially when you’re team isn’t in it. Because they cheated for years . )<\/p>\n
No, Celtic can\u2019t be blamed for any of that. All they can do is make the most of it.<\/p>\n
( Like First Rangers did. Except we’ll do it fairly. )<\/p>\n
Pile up the silverware and kill time until Rangers are worthy of more than just ridicule and ready to be taken seriously as a rival once more. Assuming such a day ever comes.<\/p>\n
( It won’t . give it up. )<\/p>\n
But, even so, only here in this nuthouse of a business would the people at the top actually go out of their way to make winning trophies even easier for Neil Lennon and his players than fate has already decreed.<\/p>\n
\u00a0( Presumably the nuthouse he is referring to is football, and not the newspaper industry. )<\/p>\n
Ladies and gentleman, I give you the SFA and its chief executive Stewart Regan.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t get me wrong. There is much to admire about Regan\u2019s leadership of the game in this country. For a start, he\u2019s nothing if not reliable.<\/p>\n
In fact, over the years, he has displayed an uncanny knack for bravely taking on every big issue confronting our game and making a complete and utter mess of it.<\/p>\n
If there\u2019s a decision to make, Regan and his board will botch it. You can be sure of it.<\/p>\n
\u00a0( Go on. )<\/p>\n
With that in mind, perhaps it ought not to have come as a surprise when it was announced last week that this season\u2019s Scottish Cup Final will be taken to Parkhead.<\/p>\n
Regardless of which sides may actually end up competing in it.<\/p>\n
Now you don\u2019t need to be on Ian Black\u2019s speed dial to know Celtic will be odds on to be one of them.<\/p>\n
\u00a0( Like they are in the League Cup final )<\/p>\n
So now not only are Lennon and his players winning a league of one but they\u2019re also afforded the chance to make it a double by winning a cup final on their own pitch.<\/p>\n
\u00a0( You can actually hear him wailing at this point )<\/p>\n
Only inside the SFA\u2019s increasingly muddled mind could this possibly seem like a good idea, one that would even get close to passing the sporting integrity test.<\/p>\n
( So, he finally mentions sporting integrity as something to be aimed for. Sadly lacking when it was all about shoehorning the old tax dodgers into the Premier league in whatever form they took, but as soon as the SFA award a final to the biggest ground in football in the country, everyones a cheat. )<\/p>\n
Deep down even Lennon himself might be left to bristle with indignation if he should end this season clutching a league and cup Double amidst suggestions his side was helped across the finishing line.<\/p>\n
\u00a0( I think Lennon is probably already used to hearing that his achievements don’t count without the taxpayer subsidised opposition from Edmiston Drive. Well, fair enough, the taxpayer didn’t know he was subsidising them… Funnily enough neither did the shareholders at the Bank of Scotland. )<\/p>\n
Again, this is not a mess of Celtic\u2019s making. And let\u2019s be clear here too, Lennon has assembled a side which is miles in front of all the rest. If Celtic do go on to secure another double then they\u2019ll thoroughly deserve it because of the enormity of their domestic dominance.<\/p>\n
\u00a0( Quick reassurance that he hasn’t any intention of working at Ibrox, but if there are people who feel he could do the job, then of course he’ll listen to them. )<\/p>\n
There is, after all, a reason they are playing Ajax in the Champions League this week and that is because they belong in that environment.<\/p>\n
But \u2013 and mark my words here \u2013 there will be little snide digs flying all over the place the closer we come to the Scottish Cup Final if Celtic are still involved.<\/p>\n
\u00a0( Go on ! Who from ? )<\/p>\n
In fact, that\u2019s the only thing the SFA got right about this announcement. Making it so far in advance was a smart call as right now it\u2019s not a live issue, merely a distant dream for the teams involved in the early rounds.<\/p>\n
\u00a0( Er, like Second Rangers ? )<\/p>\n
But the deeper we go into this competition the more ludicrous their reasoning will be made to appear.<\/p>\n
Especially if Celtic \u2013 and maybe even Rangers for that matter \u2013 make it into the latter stages. Because the flip side of this predetermined lunacy is that both semi-finals will be hosted at Ibrox.<\/p>\n
( Hang on, be careful. They need the money. )<\/p>\n
Even if one of them is between, let\u2019s say, St Johnstone and Caley Thistle.<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t need to have booked a 52,000 all-seater stadium in advance for that one. You could hold it in a phone box in Dundee. Sorry, that\u2019s me being facetious. But Tannadice would do just fine.<\/p>\n
( Thats a sensible argument, but it falls apart when you remember that if Hampden was available, then even if it was Inverness v. Stranraer, then it would be in Glasgow. )<\/p>\n
Regan and his cohorts though do not appear to have given consideration to things such as geographical common sense or even just plain old sporting fairness.<\/p>\n
\u00a0( Theres that fairness thing again. Its like he just discovered a whole new word. )<\/p>\n
All of it has been ignored in an empty-headed rush to make another baffling decision.<\/p>\n
And let\u2019s take it a step a further.<\/p>\n
What if the other semi-final is between Rangers and Celtic?<\/p>\n
( What if it isn’t ? )<\/p>\n
Now that very thought ought to be keeping Regan up at nights because if he had stopped to think this through he would surely have realised the prospect of an Old Firm showdown, either in a semi-final at Ibrox or the final at Parkhead, will cause him a living nightmare.<\/p>\n
\u00a0( He’s got a point. Remember what happened in Manchester when their predecessors made a big final. Its all relative. A national Cup semi final or final could see carnage from the new clubs support on their first big day out. )<\/p>\n
Yes, it might seem far off in the distance right now and Regan will doubtless be hoping this perfect storm does not come to pass but if it does then the SFA will have some serious explaining to do.<\/p>\n
Fans of both clubs will quite rightly demand to know his thought process because one of these sides will go into this meeting \u2013 the first Glasgow derby since the Rangers meltdown of 2012 \u2013 hugely disadvantaged and with one almighty chip on its shoulder.<\/p>\n
\u00a0( The first Glasgow Derby since , er , last week, surely ? \u00a0And its not fair to say they will be hugely disadvantaged-McCoist might be gone by then. )<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s all this potential powderkeg of a fixture would need.<\/p>\n
( Along with some pretty fanatical cheerleading from the press about how their favourite team have been hard done to. Still, if McCoist is still there, at least we can count on him to play it down. )<\/p>\n
Short of building a new purpose-built stadium on the dark side of the moon and the sanctioning of a midnight kick-off, such a coming together of this furious twosome, complete with a 50-50 split of tickets, would represent a security dilemma the scale of which has not been seen since someone stole Dawn French\u2019s play piece.<\/p>\n
( This Dawn French ? )<\/p>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0( Sure , she used to be a big girl, but come on, keep up. )<\/p>\n
And Regan\u2019s SFA will have added to this volcanic volatility by making a decision which ranks right up there beside his most baffling contributions to date.<\/p>\n
\u00a0( What he seems to have missed is that no-one seems to care. Most realistic Second Rangers fans know that they would have no chance of causing an upset should they play Celtic, and frankly would rather avoid such a game. But, surely, since they have the refs, shouldn’t we \u00a0have the ground ? )<\/p>\n
If the worst-case scenario should unfold over the next few rounds, this one might make \u201clet\u2019s give Levein another go\u201d seem like one of their better ideas. “<\/p>\n
\u00a0( Or lets give Jackson another award )<\/p>\n
\u00a0So, a rant about a game that in all likelihood will not actually happen, to cover up his annoyance at a possible double for Celtic.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Good stuff. Just once, it would be nice to read something good about the game, something to cheer us up.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Well, you won’t find such a thing in the national print media, but Celtic Journal has one, a heart warming interview with Lisa Hague, who is better known as the woman who locked Gary Hooper in the toilet of the house she libves in with her man Kris Commons.<\/p>\n
\u00a0As the interview shows, theres a lot more to this remarkable woman than being Mrs Kris Commons..<\/p>\n