{"id":4090,"date":"2013-12-04T10:59:48","date_gmt":"2013-12-04T10:59:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/etims.net\/?p=4090"},"modified":"2013-12-04T10:59:48","modified_gmt":"2013-12-04T10:59:48","slug":"celtic-diary-wednesday-december-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/etims.net\/?p=4090","title":{"rendered":"Celtic Diary Wednesday December 4"},"content":{"rendered":"

Neil Lennon was at the Huddersfield game last night, which added to speculation that no-one has told him that strike target Jordan Rhodes isn’t there anymore, so he saved face by letting \u00a0us think that James Vaughan is the actual target, and Huddersfield boss Mark Robins supported him by announcing that;<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no way on this planet we will be parting with James.\u201d , who immediately rang his wife and asked her to start looking for schools in the Glasgow area.<\/p>\n

Vaughan has seen his value rocket, \u00a36m in some papers, which if such a sum is available to Lennon in January, then he would have to think of offering it to Blackburn, who are skint, for Rhodes.<\/p>\n

In fact, there are probably several better options than Vaughan, and if he’s the one they want , we’ll just have to trust the managers judgement on another striker.<\/p>\n

\"bollocks\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He’s especially useful at corners, apparently.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

One man who won’t be coming to Celtic is Dutch keeper Warner Hahn, who has opted for a three year deal with Feyenoord. He said;<\/p>\n

” I am incredibly happy with this three year contract. At one point i could choose from many clubs, Newcastle Utd, Celtic, Roma, Lazio-It was getting crazier by the day. But for me at that time it was already clear I wanted to develop in Holland at Feyenoord. I come from Rotterdam, Feyenoord is in all respects a great club. I can only be satisfied in retrospect as to how my career has gone this far. ”<\/p>\n

If only he had spoken to Henrik Larsson about Feyenoord..<\/p>\n

\"bollocks\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We do already have a couple of young European keepers on the books at Celtic. Max and Leo.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Google doesn’t always work.<\/p>\n

The two keepers, Leo Fasan and Max Oberschmidt are doing well in the youth teams, and Fasan ( now third choice ) spoke of his time at Celtic on the official website;<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always different for goalkeepers, so usually they come into the first team a little bit later than other players. I feel like I am making progress in the right direction and I always try my best in training and games to try and step up to the next level.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is fantastic working with Fraser. He\u2019s a great player who is great to train with. I try and take it all in, both what he\u2019s doing on the training pitch and in games.<\/p>\n

\u201cI found it quite surprising just how long it took him to get his first England cap, looking at this year and last year, he performed really well in the Champions League against Barcelona and other top teams.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut now that he has made his debut, hopefully he can get many more starts for his country.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added:\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s been a good season so far, we lost the game against Partick Thistle, but after that we\u2019ve come back pretty good, winning almost every game.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019ve played quite well this season and I try to make the most of things by trying to get clean sheets every game..<\/p>\n

\u201cIt gives confidence to me as a goalie, not to concede any goals plus the defenders and the team overall as they take confidence from it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are winning and we need to keep winning. We are Celtic so our support demands a high standard and they expect us to win every game.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Ugly little spud, isn’t he ?<\/p>\n

However, he speaks well of the club, and I think we’ll hear more of him. He’s highly rated at Celtic, and is earmarked for the future. Its what we do with keepers, get them in young and groom them. But not in the way the BBC do.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Remember Islam Feruz ? He’s been in the news.\u00a0The former Celtic youth star allegedly drove at\u00a0 excessive speed in the city of London, repeatedly braked sharply at pedestrian crossings and accelerated and drove on the opposite carriageway at a bend with poor visibility in a BMW 3 series. All without insurance. Allegedly.<\/p>\n

And him such a nice humble guy as well. Never saw that one coming .<\/p>\n

Motherwell, Barcelona, Hibernian , Hearts, St. Johnstone and Inverness all play Celtic this month, which has lead to the postponement of the Kilmarnock game in the New Year. The players, faced with an unprecedented and harsh nine hours work this month obviously need a break, and are looking at a training camp in Turkey.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile , supporters such as Paul, who replied to the diary yesterday, are looking at a couple of plane tickets, hotel reservations and a diminishing household budget wondering if he can sell them on ebay before the wife notices the bank balance.<\/p>\n

We might be at the same match as the players and management, but we sure as feck aren’t playing the same game.<\/p>\n

This, and a few other topics were discussed with supporters liason officer John Paul Taylor onlast nights podcast, which survived ( sort of ) a few technical difficulties and should be on the site later today.<\/p>\n

Also discussed were the recent events in Amsterdam, and I have to say I feel a little more confident for the lads facing a jail term over there now. Though I wish I’d seen this before we started recording;<\/p>\n

Letter to the city council ( from the mayor of Amsterdam )<\/p>\n

Date 29 November 2013<\/p>\n

Subject Statement of facts on disturbances Ajax-Celtic, 6 November 2013<\/p>\n

Dear members of the General Affairs (AZ) commission (Amsterdam City Council),<\/p>\n

On 14 November 2013, the General Affairs (AZ) commission was asked to consider the
\nfootball match between Ajax and Celtic, and I agreed to provide a statement of facts from the
\npolice. I hereby offer such a statement. Within this letter you will learn more about my
\nanalysis of the actions of the police during the disturbances that took place, as well as
\nlessons learned in policing policy for future international football matches.<\/p>\n

Analysis<\/p>\n

Overall, on 5 November and on 6 November up until late in the afternoon, there was a
\nrelaxed atmosphere throughout the city and a good (normal) relationship between the visiting
\nScottish supporters, Amsterdammers, tourists and the Amsterdam police.<\/p>\n

Ajax hooligans displayed serious provocative behaviour, initially in Glasgow on 22 October
\nand then again in Amsterdam. I refer to the premeditated hit-and-run attack on unsuspecting
\nScots present in Amsterdam\u2019s Old Sailor pub, which took place on 5 November. I absolutely
\ncondemn this cowardly attack. This, in combination with the massive numbers of Celtic
\nsupporters present who were in themselves not a risk but indeed very intoxicated, caused an
\nunacceptably negative influence upon public order in the city on the Wednesday afternoon. I
\ninterpret this hooligan behaviour as possibly the most important cause for the emergence of
\ndisorder between the Celtic supporters and the Amsterdam police at Dam Square on 6<\/p>\n

November at around 17:30.<\/p>\n

From the statement of facts, I have concluded that all necessary measures were taken by the
\npolice in their preparations and focussed on preventing escalation. At the same time, I must
\nnote that it is impossible to completely prevent and rule out all escalations and flashpoints,
\nsuch as those that occurred. The combination of drunken and provoked men, who were
\nalready anticipating an exciting football match, is always potentially dangerous.<\/p>\n

All in all, the police in the city faced a major challenge to continue to separate the Ajax
\nhooligans from the groups of Celtic supporters, whereby a major escalation threatened to
\ntake place on Dam Square at around 17:30.<\/p>\n

In relation to the images of the actions of a Detention Unit (AE) agent, I note that the
\nDetention Unit agents were met with excessive violence from some of the Celtic supporters
\nand no fewer than seven agents were injured. For a short time the Detention Unit agents no
\nlonger felt safe. They must and are expected to react proportionately in such a situation. In
\nthe trial of the arrested Celtic supporters (on 21 November 2013), the magistrate ruled that
\ngiven the circumstances, the conduct of the police was proportionate and that the behaviour
\nof the five supporters was punishable. I conclude, however, that in this specific case, we were
\nnot sufficiently successful in avoiding the necessity of such action, or at least to better protect
\nthe individual agents.<\/p>\n

From the statement of facts, it appears to me that the actions of the police between 17:30 and
\n18:00 ultimately prevented further escalations around Dam Square.<\/p>\n

How to proceed?<\/p>\n

Football matches must be organised in such a way that supporters of both clubs, as well as
\nresidents and local business owners never feel threatened or intimidated. Not only in and
\naround the stadium, but also in the city centre or in public transport. Hooligans are a very
\nsmall minority that cause much misery. This demands for extra prevention and a rigorous
\napproach to rioters and the immediate circle that facilitates them. Our historic city centre must
\nbe available to everyone1, and this calls for the imposition of a minimum of general mitigation
\nmeasures. Such does justice to residents and businesses as well as \u2018normal\u2019 supporters.
\nOn the basis of this statement of facts, I propose tightening the following football policies:<\/p>\n

1. Working with Ajax and supporters clubs to find a mix of preventative and repressive
\nmeasures to tackle hooligan behaviour, including that of the newest generation.<\/p>\n

2. The maximum and targeted use of existing instruments (removal orders, group bans,
\narea exclusion orders based on General Municipal Regulations (APV), emergency
\norder and\/or football governance) to quickly intervene and nip the behaviour of Ajax
\nhooligan groups in the bud, and preventing the priming effect of groups of hooligans.<\/p>\n

3. With the policing policy experts (Driehoek), I will discuss short-term plans over the
\navailable capacity of the cooperating organisations so that it becomes possible to act
\nupon hooligans quicker and better, also on the basis of football governance.<\/p>\n

4. In the city centre it is difficult to impose an alcohol ban on football match days.
\nRegarding the maintenance of an alcohol ban, I propose the following:<\/p>\n

a) the possibility to curtail the area of the alcohol ban on match days so that the
\nban can be more effectively enforced<\/p>\n

b) for each international match, consider whether sales restriction regulations
\nare necessary, and if so, implementing this (such as the temporary measures
\non Queen\u2019s Day)<\/p>\n

c) installation of a formal moment during preparations, in which a critical
\ndecision about the enforcement of an alcohol ban in the city centre is made<\/p>\n

5. The coming period should be used by the policing policy experts to examine how
\nDetention Units can be effectively utilised during football events. In doing so, more
\nattention will be given to examining how Military Police (ME) can provide better
\nsupport to Detention Units.<\/p>\n

I will undertake to notify you of the proposed tightening of football policy before the next
\ninternational home match, if not by the Champions League. I hope that for the moment you
\nhave been suitably informed.<\/p>\n

Yours faithfully,<\/p>\n

Mr. E.E. van der Laan<\/p>\n

Burgemeester van Amsterdam (Mayor of Amsterdam) \u00a0”<\/p>\n

Which effectively blames the Celtic support.<\/p>\n

Then theres this<\/p>\n

board of mayor report<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Big \u00a0thanks to Belgrano \u00a0of the KDS board, who worked diligently on translating it into these main points;<\/p>\n

* 50% more police on duty than usual due to the Royal event taking place at Dam Square that same evening
\n* 6 Police Scotland officers on duty as spotters, as well as officers from Croatia and Belgium, observing the Dinamo Zagreb and Anderlecht fans present
\n* Police Scotland officers identified members of the Celtic Soccer Crew to their Dutch colleagues
\n* Dutch police well aware of the Green Brigade, but also well aware that they contain no hooligan element, also well aware of previous peaceful visits by Celtic
\n* Report maintains that actions of the Dutch undercover police was “proportionate” to the situation
\n* The Ajax fans detained for the attack on the Old Sailor pub the night before, were all released the following day
\n* 7 Anderlecht fans in city, 3 St Pauli and around 30 Dinamo Zagreb fans
\n* Dutch undercover police preventing ‘hit-and-run’ attacks by Ajax fans throughout the day<\/p>\n

* Scottish police state that large numbers of Celtic fans were standing with their arms in the air, “as if challenging the police to fight”
\n* 6 of those arrested for violence turned out to be undercover (Dutch and Scottish) police – only once realised
\n* The Dutch undercover laying the knee in was forced to, in order to get the Celtic fan under
\n* The timeline of the report suggests that the guy laying the knee in was doing so because he’d been attacked beside the tram earlier
\n* The media is unfamiliar with techniques of subduing fans, and the kneeing incident is normal and was only used to prevent the bottles being thrown at him
\n* Restraining techniques used are painful, but if these are not sufficient, further painful restraining is necessary<\/p>\n

* Lessons learned include a higher risk assessment next time Celtic visit. Celtic fans violent behaviour is a new development.
\n* Police were powerless to prevent the attack on the Old Sailor pub due to it coming as a surprise
\n* Celtic fans started it. They threw bottles and cans at uniformed officers arresting the Ajax fans who had stolen the flag from the edge of Dam Square
\n* Undercover police and subsequent actions were necessary due to the violence of the Celtic fans
\n* More police vehicles must be congregated and ready to act, consider banning away fans from Dam Square and setting up Fan Zones instead
\n* Can’t rule out that Celtic fans genuinely thought undercover police were Ajax hooligans. Consider more uniformed police next time instead<\/p>\n

Six of those arrested turned out to be undercover police!<\/p>\n

So, if the cops didn’t know who was who, what chance did A supporter have, when faced with an enthusiastic kicking from a stranger.<\/p>\n

Get this to the lawyers .<\/p>\n

Whereas our supporters should be proved innocent of any crime when the trail kicks in, probably in 12-18 months time, the same cannot be said of the fans of Motherwell and Second Rangers, who have been throwing flares onto the pitch at their recent Scottish cup games.<\/p>\n

Ibrox boss McCoist was shocked \u00a0by his fans behaviour;<\/p>\n

\u201cThese things can give you horrific injuries. ”<\/p>\n

How would they be able to tell ?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He continued;<\/p>\n

“The police, fire services and hospital staff would obviously be against them. ”<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s a lot to ask that people can be guaranteed they are in a safe environment when they go to watch football.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur supporters have been nothing short of sensational over the past two years. But we don\u2019t want incidents like that.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe damage to the surface is bad enough. Falkirk have put down a new pitch in the close season and then we have managed to ruin it through an act of stupidity.\u201d<\/p>\n

He didn’t mention any of their other acts of stupidity recently, such as buying shares \u00a0in the new company\/club. But then he wouldn’t, would he ?<\/p>\n

Flares are in the news in England as well, with Sky TV picking up the story and running with it.<\/p>\n

Clubs involved in three or more incidents with flares in 2013-14<\/p>\n

5:\u00a0<\/b>Everton, Manchester United,\u00a0Wigan Athletic<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

4:\u00a0<\/b>Liverpool, Manchester City, Sheffield United<\/p>\n

3:\u00a0<\/b>Bradford City, Bristol City, Burnley, Charlton Athletic, Leeds United, Mansfield Town, Nottingham Forest, Oldham Athletic<\/p>\n

Source:\u00a0<\/b>UK Football Policing Unit<\/p>\n

\u00a0Peter Myers, a Celtic man from Wigan insists there must be some confusion;<\/p>\n

Whoever filled out the questionnaire at the DW probably thought they meant \u201cflares\u201d as in \u201cflared trousers\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

” Must be some 70\u2019s style Wigan Casino fashion coming back in ”<\/p>\n

Which leads us to the six reasons that Neil Lennon would take the managers job in the bleak northern town of Wigan. (now a lot more bleak since the Montrose pub-an old haunt of mine -was turned into a care home )<\/p>\n

According to Stephen McGowan of the Daily Mail. ( And there is no way the Daily Mail would have sent anyone to Wigan. Wigan , to them, \u00a0is a place in a radical communist manifesto, with a pier and a road. )<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

SIX REASONS WHY ENGLAND CALLS FOR CELTIC BOSS<\/b><\/h3>\n
\n

1.<\/b>\u00a0No other manager of a Scottish club has reached the last 16 of the Champions League with 10 points from their group, as Lennon managed last season in a section which included Barcelona, Benfica and Spartak Moscow.<\/p>\n

For the record, that run included a draw with the Portuguese, wins over the Muscovites home and away, and a famous victory over the Catalans in Glasgow.<\/p>\n

Of course, things didn\u2019t go quite to plan this year in a group of death featuring Barca, AC Milan and Ajax.<\/p>\n

2.<\/b>\u00a0While Lennon and his team were receiving all the plaudits for last year\u2019s glorious European achievement, pundits were scratching their heads as to why higher-profile names in England weren\u2019t managing to do the same with bucketloads of cash at their disposal.<\/p>\n

Roberto Mancini\u2019s \u00a3250million Manchester City side crashed out after finishing bottom of their group, while Roberto Di Matteo\u2019s Chelsea also failed to make the knockout rounds.<\/p>\n

Both Italians were to pay for those disasters with their jobs.<\/p>\n

3.<\/b>\u00a0The Northern Irishman has shown an ability to get big performances out of teams acquired on modest budgets.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A classic example was the backs-to-the-wall 2-1 victory over Barcelona in October 2012, a match which will never be forgotten.<\/p>\n

How long Lennon could continue punching above his weight at that level was a matter for conjecture, and perhaps his \u00a317.5million team\u2019s recent defeat to \u00a375m AC Milan said it all.<\/p>\n

Wigan could surely provide him with the cash to keep taking a swipe at the bigger boys down south.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0<\/b>Lennon has perfected the art of bringing players in for modest fees and turning major profits.<\/p>\n

Victor Wanyama arrived for \u00a3900,000 and was sold to Southampton for a staggering \u00a312.5million, making him the biggest Scottish export since Aiden McGeady.<\/p>\n

Gary Hooper wasn\u2019t a bad acquisition, either, coming in for \u00a32.4m and going to Norwich City for a fee believed to be around \u00a35m.<\/p>\n

Expect similarly bumper profits in the future from the sales of goalkeeper Fraser Forster and defender Virgil van Dijk.<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0<\/b>Histrionics of the past have gone, replaced by a more restrained, calmer figure on the sidelines.<\/p>\n

The infamous touchline spat with Ally McCoist was an obvious low point, but Lennon\u2019s overall demeanour seems to have changed for the better.<\/p>\n

Perhaps his well-publicised problems with a lunatic fringe who sought to drive him out of Scotland helped him put football\u2019s pressures in perspective.<\/p>\n

Having lived in a goldfish bowl here, he\u2019s media-savvy enough to deal with anything in England.<\/p>\n

6.<\/b>\u00a0He\u2019s up for a challenge. Now the Champions League has gone and the Scottish league title is a foregone conclusion, there\u2019s only the Scottish Cup to compete for between now and the end of the season.<\/p>\n

A club like Wigan would have enough resources to allow Lennon to build on their FA Cup triumph and really go after that play-off spot which seemed to be eluding Owen Coyle.<\/p>\n

After upsetting Barcelona, a crack at the Premiership big boys would be the ideal next step for ambitious Lennon<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0Etims , however, have come up with 6 reasons why he wouldn’t take the job;<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
1; \u00a0Neil Lennon is not that stupid.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u00a0Actually , just six words, really.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u00a0Still, its all part of the MSM ” run a bad story about Celtic” \u00a0campaign, now in its 126th year.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u00a0The team listed yesterday was indeed the Motherwell line up when they recorded an 8-0 win over Celtic back when both teams wore a \u00a0black and white strip. Stewart of Motherwell scored six that day, and its quite possible he was helped by Celtic keeper Joe Kennaway leaving the fray and being replaced in goal by Willie Buchan.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\"Motherwell<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u00a0When I was a lad, not quite in a black and white strip, Motherwell had a decent team, and a forward who seemed to score against us with alarming frequency. In fact, it seemed like he would often sneak on the pitch when we weren’t playing Motherwell to score against us. This is him more recently. Who is he ?<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\"\"<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n

<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Neil Lennon was at the Huddersfield game last night, which added to speculation that no-one has told him that strike target Jordan Rhodes isn’t there…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":4092,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/etims.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/rhodes.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2J7If-13Y","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4090"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4090"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4090\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4093,"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4090\/revisions\/4093"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}