{"id":5376,"date":"2014-07-20T10:57:28","date_gmt":"2014-07-20T09:57:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/etims.net\/?p=5376"},"modified":"2014-07-20T10:57:28","modified_gmt":"2014-07-20T09:57:28","slug":"celtic-diary-sunday-july-20-another-friendly-another-injury","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/etims.net\/?p=5376","title":{"rendered":"Celtic Diary Sunday July 20: Another Friendly, Another Injury"},"content":{"rendered":"

Celtic managed a 1-1 draw with Dynamo Dresden in Germany yesterday, which, \u00a0sandwiched between the tense Second round Champions League tie with Reykjavik, was never going to get the pulses racing. The performance pleased manager Ronny Deila, though, which says more about his man management skills than the actual game;<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a very tough game with the heat and I\u2019m proud of the boys as they worked hard for 90 minutes after I had trained them hard yesterday and then they had the long trip to Germany,\u201d said the Norwegian. \u201cThe result was ok and now it\u2019s all about getting energy into the game on Tuesday.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe first 20 minutes were good, and I think we got the physical shape out of this. We had a lot of chances in the first half and again at the start of the game but we need those periods to be longer.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cEvery player got 45 minutes in a nice stadium with a good atmosphere so it was worth it. But now it\u2019s important to let the boys rest so we are full of energy and have no excuses going into the game on Tuesday.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0He would have been hoping to get through the game with no injuries to any of his charges, but this is Celtic, and someone had to cop one. This time it was the turn of Kris Commons, who had opened the scoring before most people had found their seat, and thats given us something else to worry about and its not even bloody August yet.<\/p>\n

Ronny Deila explained. I think.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe got a knee in his thigh,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Ouch. My knee is just below the thigh, where it should be. \u00a0That sounds sore if its dropped.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can hurt but I don\u2019t think it\u2019s very big and I hope he\u2019s ready for Tuesday.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

So he’s suffering from a little knee where his thigh used to be. Maybe we need to check with someone who would know a little better- Mrs Kris Commons.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"Lisa Hague<\/b>\u00a0@<\/span>a_rose1dresses<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0\u00b7\u00a0<\/span>11h<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

My mans just walked in and he’s fine, a wee bit of TLC is all that’s needed! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

\u00a0Ah, he’s just got a dead leg. Makes you wonder which of the two deserves the title Mrs Kris Commons more.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Mind that time he cut himself shaving ?<\/p>\n

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

\u00a0If his wife says he’ll be okay, then he’ll be okay.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Craig Gordon, a signing which has split the Celtic support in a way Nir Bitton can only dream of, made his debut yesterday, and you have to say, based entirely on this game, we might have fallen on our feet with this guy.<\/p>\n

\u00a0He made more than one good save and looked more like his old self than any of us probably dared-or wanted -to hope.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Deila was full of praise for the stopper;<\/p>\n

\u201cI was very pleased with Craig. It was a fantastic performance and he was like a cat in the goals and everything seemed easy. I am happy for him after two years and three months since the last time he played.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0This comment, with the addition of the two years and three months line, hints that he may have needed a lot of convincing to add Gordon to his squad. I think he was stating here exactly what he had told those who recommended him a few weeks back, except he may have used it as a reason not to sign him.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Although its good to see we may have got ourselves a first class back up, it will also increase worries that the club will find it easier to sell Fraser Forster, even though no-one has expressed an interest yet, despite one or two furtive attempts to remind clubs he’s available by the Scottish Press. And Sky sports, to be fair.<\/p>\n

\u00a0One final word on yesterdays game, and it concerns the way the Daily Record reported the game, with David McCarthy the man who wrote this tasteless paragraph;<\/p>\n

Comvalius\u2019 goal would have brought some relief to the home fans and a city that woke up to the devastating news that a bus crash on the outskirts of Dresden had claimed the lives of nine people.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

No, it wouldn’t.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Yesterdays diary commented on the way that tragedies and serious international issues can be somewhat trivialised when mixed with the world of sportsmen, not the brightest sparks, and sports reporters, who are several shades dimmer.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Yet that comment said just as much about the sheltered world we all live in, and how we sometimes cannot possibly understand what others are forced to go through.<\/p>\n

\u00a0And there we will leave the political comment for now. As one or two stated in the replies, its not the right place. It was mentioned only because of the whirlwind swirling around the comments of Nir Bitton, and the potential witch hunt of a young lad, who probably didn’t understand the depth of feeling that the rest of the world has for the actions of his country, which he has probably never had a chance to look at objectively.<\/p>\n

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\n

There may be a new arrival at Celtic this week. A Mexican winger .<\/p>\n

Javier Aquino did play in the World Cup, but I can’t remember him. ( Neither will you. He got half an hour against the Dutch, oddly enough, that was roughly about when it started going pear shaped for the Mexicans. )<\/p>\n

He is lined up-some reports in Spain say the deal is already done- for a season long loan at Celtic, because his club ( Villareal )don’t want to sell him, and they can’t play him either because of the Spanish league rules on non EU players. No-one has asked them why they bought him in the first place. His record actually makes you wonder why they bought him regardless of eligibilty.<\/p>\n

\u00a0His agent , Mario Ordales said;<\/p>\n

There is interest from outside Spain and one club in particular is at a very advanced stage in the negotiations.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cBut we have been assured this is just a loan and not a transfer and only for one season.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0The player appeared 33 times for Villareal last season-in Division Two, most of which were as substitute.<\/p>\n

\u00a0When the World Cup was over, the player seemed quite happy with his lot, and made his forecast for this season.<\/p>\n

It was a wonderful experience to be part of such a great tournament, although we are disappointed to have been knocked out in the circumstances we did to Holland.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cNow I have to concentrate on getting back to playing for Villarreal and having a good season again.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Of course, he wasn’t to know that playing for Villareal and having a good season would become mutually exclusive.<\/p>\n

On the face of it, it looks like we have just found another reason to call in the fellow who scouts our forwards and ask him if he thinks scouting is the career for him.<\/p>\n

Left back Emilio Izaguerre has given a rare interview to the press. He felt he had to come out and defend accusations that his country, honduras, were playing it a bit rough before and during the World Cup.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cEveryone has been talking about the Sturridge incident and the England game.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cBut I said sorry many times to him because that is not the type of player I am. I don\u2019t like to hit other players. It\u2019s not my style of game, so that wasn\u2019t nice.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe shook hands at the end of that match with England.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThen at the World Cup, the Honduras team were criticised for our physical style of play. But I think teams such as Argentina and Uruguay, all the Latin American teams, play this way.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHonduras were penalised too much for the little things in Brazil. It was as if the referee was waiting to punish us, which was very unfair.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIn our first match against France, it was 0-0 when Wilson Palacios got a red card and that really damaged us.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe then had a lead against Ecuador and lost \u2013 but I felt we were affected by\u00a0<\/em>
\neverything that was said about the team and the way the matches were refereed.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cNothing went in our favour. I don\u2019t want to use it as an excuse but the same things didn\u2019t happen to other teams who played the exact same way.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0He’s got a point. Sort of.<\/p>\n

He enjoyed it nonetheless, and then confirmed we got our Izzy back…<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a special feeling to play for my\u00a0<\/em>
\ncountry in such a great tournament.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cBut the World Cup is finished now, it\u2019s in the past. I\u2019m focused and looking forward to the new season with Celtic.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just hoping this campaign can be even better than the last one for the club.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

And he even mentioned that shot against England, when he was denied a rare goal by Fraser Forster;<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why in the last 10 minutes I shot from the left wing \u2013 I think it was about 40 yards out \u2013 to try to get a goal against Fraser.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI really wanted to score a goal against him because he is always annoying me.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

And despite offers to appear in the new “Expendables ” action film, he reassured Celtic fans;<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very happy at Celtic. I\u2019m grateful to the team, staff and fans for everything they have done for me. I have a long contract and I\u2019m not planning on going anywhere.<\/em><\/p>\n

Elsewhere, we haven’t mentioned the troubles of Scotlands newest club, Second Rangers for a while. They are currently touring the United States while there’s still some season book money left, and yesterday were one of the attractions at the California State Fair, where they beat local side Sacramento Republic 2-1. That particular match programme will no doubt be a favourite amongst fans…<\/p>\n

We couldn’t help but notice the official tweet from the club….<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span>Rangers FC<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n