Stokes fell into the trap of talking about them positively, as there is very little to be positive about over at Ibrox, so the papers need these sort of headlines to try to stall their plummeting figures, which they blame on a lack of Rangers, when its simply a lack of professional, honest journalism that has caused the fall.<\/p>\n
Stokes, though, according to the Herald, managed to find other stuff to talk about, with the nominations for the Player of the Year Awards due to be announced;<\/p>\n
“We [Celtic players] are going to be biased but, seeing how well we have done domestically this season, I’d be very surprised if we didn’t get a couple in [this year’s shortlist]. You saw last season, though, that you just never know.”<\/p>\n
It was suggested that, a year ago, Celtic had a number of candidates but no individual above all the others, which may have led to votes for their players being shared around to the detriment of all of them. “I don’t know if I’d buy that suggestion or not,” said Stokes. “If\u00a0it’s true, it’s true. If it isn’t, it isn’t.\u00a0I\u00a0don’t have a clue, so I’m not going to comment.<\/p>\n
“Players work hard through a season and it is nice to get the recognition from your peers in the\u00a0league. It’s not vital. At the end of the day it’s about us winning trophies, but it’s a nice touch and something a lot of players would hope to be involved in. Virgil has been outstanding this year but I’d probably give it to Kris, just for his goals and influence in games.”<\/p>\n
The POTY award is very prestigious. It can enhance a players career and and further his standing within the game, leading to fame, riches and success.<\/p>\n
Last years winner, Michael Higdon, is now with NEC Nijmegan.<\/p>\n
While Anthony Stokes has been getting a bit of flak from the Celtic support for toeing the line about the new club, its worth noting that Celtic themselves have also made a bit of a PR faux pas. I’d blame the PR man, but I’m fecked if I know who he is .<\/p>\n
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From the official website;<\/p>\n
” CELTIC are today delighted to announce that we will be hosting a third cup final this season, with the City of Glasgow Cup final now scheduled to take place here on Monday, April 28 at 7pm.<\/p>\n
The City of Glasgow competition is sponsored by City Refrigeration Holdings Ltd, who have shown tremendous support for this competition over a number of years\u00a0and for youth football in the city overall.<\/p>\n
The showpiece City of Glasgow Cup final will see Celtic\u2019s Under-17s take on Rangers for the famous old trophy. ”<\/p>\n
Simply inserting the word “The ” in front of the brand name associated with the old club would have eased a few suspicious minds about the attitude Celtic have towards our new neighbours south of the river…<\/p>\n
By the way, if you fancy that game, its a fiver to get in and tickets will only be sold to season book holders. Though I think you can buy up to 25,000 each.<\/p>\n
Reality show “Hotline “, the competition to find the next sycophantic sports journalist now that Traynor, Keevins, Broadfoot et al have exited the profession, has a couple more who could be destined to make the shortlist;<\/p>\n
” \u00a0Vince Howey, Wishaw,\u00a0said: \u201cEveryone is going on about McCoist. I am a diehard Rangers fan and what McCoist has been though is terrible.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of the criticism he has come in for has been ridiculous and I would like to say to my fellow Rangers fans to get off his back.\u201d<\/p>\n
To be fair, the wider than most McCoist could accommodate quite a few on his portly frame.<\/em><\/p>\n Gordon Hayden, Gourock,\u00a0said: \u201cI am sick and tired of Rangers fans complaining about the team. With a bit more luck we could have won against Dundee United on Saturday.<\/p>\n \u201cI put on a bet a few years ago that we would win every division including the Scottish Premiership and I still believe it.\u201d<\/p>\n Santa Claus and the tooth fairy are also regularly seen throughout the streets of Gourock.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n But there may be an early favourite. One of the biggest criticisms of the Scottish mainstream media is the unhealthy amount of time they spend plugging the English league, thus promoting a competition that is already overhyped on Sky TV and elsewhere, instead of building up interest and enthusiasm in our own game;<\/p>\n Charlie Goldie, Glasgow,\u00a0said: \u00a0\u201cI really hope Liverpool slip up in the league and that Manchester City go on and win it.<\/p>\n \u201cThe reason for this is not sour grapes but because Liverpool have been playing one game per week, sometimes one every two weeks.<\/p>\n \u201cYou look at Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal and they are playing three games per week.<\/p>\n \u201cJose Mourinho is quite right when he makes remarks about Liverpool having to do nothing but sit on their backsides.<\/p>\n \u201cI would like to hear the thoughts of other members of the Hotline. Come on Manchester City or Chelsea.\u201d<\/p>\n You can have mine. I really don’t give a toss.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n The show is hosted by Chris Roberts, who may even have designs on the position himself, but has yet to prove to have the unique skills required at the highest level. In fact, he might even have shot himself in the foot with this unusually positive couple of lines when another entrant got a plug in for paying on the day at the Etihad stadium, home of Manufactured City ;<\/p>\n John Moss, Paisley,\u00a0said: \u201cI don\u2019t understand why you can\u2019t pay at the turnstiles at Celtic Park any more and you are encouraged to buy a season ticket.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy can\u2019t you just pay about \u00a320 if you fancy it? I recently went to the Etihad to watch Manchester City and paid on the day.\u201d<\/p>\n Roberts promptly put him right;<\/p>\n ” You probably doubled the attendance at the Emptyhad. And John, you can buy a ticket on a matchday from the ticket office. ”<\/p>\n He’s not going to last long….<\/p>\n With that nervy Champions League qualifying campaign just a couple of months away , theres a bit of good news regarding seeding, as it now looks like the Celts will be seeded in all three matches. Which helps.<\/p>\n Mark Walker in the Scotsman explains;<\/p>\n Celtic currently have six teams with a higher co-efficient than them that could be seeded in the qualifiers, but it would take a bizarre set of circumstances for Neil Lennon\u2019s team not to be seeded.<\/p>\n Out of the six teams, the likely Swiss champions Basle are almost certain to go directly into the group stage and the five other teams would have to win their title for Celtic not to be seeded.<\/p>\n Although Salzburg have \u2028already won the league in Austria, and Steaua Bucharest are well clear in the Romanian League, three other teams are struggling to win their titles.<\/p>\n FC Copenhagen are third in the Danish league, Viktoria Plzen are second in the Czech league and ten points behind Sparta Prague with six games to play.<\/p>\n And APOEL are second in the Cypriot league, three points behind AEL Limassol with six games left. ”<\/p>\n Oh, for those days when we went straight into the group stages….<\/p>\n Thats why the other Scottish sides need to step up their game in the Europa qualifiers. The sooner we drag ourselves into the top nations the better. If Gordon Strachan can do it with the likes of Alan Hutton in his team, theres hope for us all.<\/p>\n Afrikan Soccer, which is a magazine to be trusted despite the spelling, has Celtic ready to move for Osasuna and Cameroon midfielder Raoul Loe, who is valued at \u00a32m, and seems fairly interested in coming;<\/p>\n \u201cIt has always been my dream to play in the Champions League,\u201d he said. \u201cIf a club like Celtic wants me to play for them then i would be very honoured to play for them and wear that special jersey.\u201dThe club has such a great history with one of the best football fans in the whole footballing world.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the best football fans in the whole footballing world ? I wonder which one he means…\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Celtic face competition from Hull, Swansea, Barnstoneworth United, Gasworks XI and a whole host of glamorous names. Hopefully, there are still some players who want to play the game to win things…<\/p>\n He looks strong, and is a big lad. More Victor Wanyama than Neil Lennon, for the same role.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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