{"id":6501,"date":"2015-02-01T10:34:49","date_gmt":"2015-02-01T10:34:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/etims.net\/?p=6501"},"modified":"2015-02-01T10:34:49","modified_gmt":"2015-02-01T10:34:49","slug":"celtic-diary-sunday-february-1-a-big-welcome-to-the-new-club","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/etims.net\/?p=6501","title":{"rendered":"Celtic Diary Sunday February 1: A Big Welcome To The New club"},"content":{"rendered":"

The historic first meeting between Scotlands biggest club and Scotlands newest one takes place at lunchtime today. After some creative marketing, the owners of the new club have managed to attract supporters of Celtics biggest rivals, the now defunct Rangers.<\/p>\n

And its making me a little tense. One of my sons asked me for a concoction of pineapple, orange and cranberry juices this morning , and he got a punch.<\/p>\n

The media have sold this game to the public as a restoration of that rivalry, and whilst anyone who understands the basic premise of running a business understands that it isn’t, it looks like people are getting caught up in the hype.<\/p>\n

On paper, it all looks fairly straightforward. Celtic lead the Scottish Premier division, whilst The Rangers, as they are known, are struggling to keep pace at the top of the First. A comfortable win should be assured, perhaps by several clear goals.<\/p>\n

Football matches aren’t played on paper, and in this case, the reality could be quite different.<\/p>\n

If Celtic field their under fourteen team, that is. In that scenario, the Ibrox side might fancy a draw.<\/p>\n

Most supporters would say that they never wanted this game to happen, but now that its actually here, I’m kind of regretting not being at Hampden. After nearly fifty years of games against them, sometimes as many as seven in a year, its not that I miss them, hell, no.<\/p>\n

But I miss beating them.<\/p>\n

Does that make any sense ?<\/p>\n

The “Old Firm ” games, and the “uniqueness ” around them had largely lost its attraction in recent years. The stifling police presence helping to stifle the atmosphere, the poison which seemed to increase in direct proportion to the media hyoe often meant that the games themselves were drab affairs. Really, when was the last one that will be remembered for what happened on the field instead of what happened off it ?<\/p>\n

However, no matter how much I try to take my mind off it, and try to play it down, I’m looking forward to putting them in their place.<\/p>\n

I even tried to watch the news to take my mind off it, you know, to give me something else to think about it.<\/p>\n

Like the story about the man from doncaster who was jailed for having sex with a pony.<\/p>\n

Wow. How sick and depraved do you have to be to have sex with someone from Doncaster ?<\/p>\n

Or the dance teacher who got four years for sleeping with two fifteen year old girls.<\/p>\n

Bloody hell . A straight dance teacher.<\/p>\n

Celtic manager Ronny Deila has remained fairly cool about the fixture all week, and keeping the heid will be all important out in what will be \u00a0a highly charged atmosphere. At least for the first four or five minutes until Celtic score.<\/p>\n

\u2018I never think about losing, it\u2019s all about winning,\u2019 said Deila. \u2018My family hates that about me because I think I\u2019ll win every game we\u2019re going to play \u2014 no matter who it\u2019s against. You have to believe you\u2019ll win. I can\u2019t see myself losing on Sunday and that\u2019s our target.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018There will be more hurt and it will be more painful if we lose to Rangers \u2014 that goes for everybody at Celtic. But that\u2019s why we love competing. You have ups and downs but it will be the best feeling in the world if we win.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

A statement that seems , on the surface, fairly bland and uninteresting, and that might even prompt fears that he doesn’t know what he’s going to face this afternoon.<\/p>\n

However, I like to think thats because he’s seen through all the hyoe, and will instruct the players to just go out and do the job, like he does every week.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Many years ago, I remember Jo Venglos playing the “unknown ” Lubomir Moravcik up front against the Old Rangers within a week or so of him joining the club, and I thought it was a mistake. In those days we didn’t have the benefit of the internet, and relied on the papers and the radio for our information. Sure, Moravcik had looked the part when he came, but this game, the nedia sadi, and I believed, would be too much for him.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Of course, the man signed instead of the proven John Spencer cruised through the game, and showed us that hype really is just hype.<\/p>\n

Celtic don’t concede goals very often, in fact they haven’t conceded since coming back from the Canaries. Celtic create chances by the bucketload, and we can assume that some of them will go in. Though I’ll be checking behind me to make sure that doesn’t come back and bite me in the arse.<\/p>\n

\u00a0All we can hope is that the players \u00a0just keep the heid and play the game.<\/p>\n

“I think it is important to win a match, but I think what is even more important is the manner in which you win.”\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Never more so than today do these words from Jock Stein have so much poignancy.<\/p>\n

Not like yesterday, when I went out for a meal.<\/p>\n

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Supporters all around the world are getting ready to watch the game, some of them are highly influential;<\/p>\n

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The players are getting ready;<\/p>\n

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And the police are prepared;<\/p>\n

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Not everyone is being taken in by the hype, though.<\/p>\n

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Stay safe, enjoy the game and sing you hearts out.<\/p>\n

I’ll be waiting for my 7-0 to finally happen.<\/p>\n

One more thing;<\/p>\n

Celtic , according to sources in the Netherlands, are about to sign winger Zakaria Bakkali from PSV Eindhoven, who is highly rated and eligible \u00a0to join Celtic now that Beram Kayakl has moved to Brighton, thus freeing up a space under the limited ridiculous first names rule. This story has been floating around the web for a few days, but doesn’t appear to have any real substance to it.<\/p>\n

Which probably means it will happen.<\/p>\n

That was the late , great Tommy burns yesterday , in a picture taken against Innsbruck.<\/p>\n

Anyone know whats going on here ?<\/p>\n

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

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