{"id":7742,"date":"2015-09-05T11:32:04","date_gmt":"2015-09-05T10:32:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/etims.net\/?p=7742"},"modified":"2015-09-05T11:32:04","modified_gmt":"2015-09-05T10:32:04","slug":"celtic-diary-saturday-september-5-complacency-brown-needs-a-shake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/etims.net\/?p=7742","title":{"rendered":"Celtic Diary Saturday September 5: Complacency Brown Needs a Shake"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

Sounds more like the title of an Enid Blyton book, which it probably was. About a young man who wanted to join the Labour Party until his granny found out and locked him in the wardrobe for forty years. Old Enid wasn’t one for socialists.<\/p>\n

Or men.<\/p>\n

Or kids, come to think of it.<\/p>\n

Remember the Secret Seven ? The initials on the shed door, which served as a clubhouse ? Well, that’s where Hitler got the idea from….<\/p>\n

Anyway last nioght threatened to turn into a catastrophe, but thankfully, the scotland game was done by around seven, so I could make sure that the rest of my evening wasn’t wasted.<\/p>\n

Scotland became the second side to lose to Georgia in their Euro group, following the eastern sides historic win over Gibraltar. It finished 1-0. And finished Scotlands interest in the tournament, although to be fair they lasted a bit longer this time.<\/p>\n

Gordon Strachan continued his policy of making his teams smaller both physically and mentally as the Scots nit only made an arse of it, but didn’t seem that bothered that they had.<\/p>\n

In fact, it was that bad it reminded me of Celtic’s trip to the other week, but with even less hope.<\/p>\n

I’m not going to go into what went wrong, because I’ve to go to work on Monday, but it was dire. Next up are Germany in the cauldron of Hampden on Monday, which might be worth watching if there aren’t any adverts on.<\/p>\n

The most worrying thing about the game, which was immediately noticable, was the performance of Scott Brown. This is two big games in a row where he has been posted missing, and maybe he needs a break to get his mojo back.<\/p>\n

It could be that he’s carrying an injury, it could be he has other things on his mind, but a couple of games off can only do him good. He’s just not at the races at the moment. With the Europa League looming, he needs to be right.<\/p>\n

Mind you, the Grimsby Telegraph could have the answer…<\/p>\n

Scott Brown missing for Grimsby Town’s <\/span><\/h1>\n

match at Boreham Wood<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/h1>\n

BOREHAM Wood won’t have Scott Brown snapping at their heels today \u2013 but the Grimsby Town midfielder is on the road to recovery.<\/em><\/p>\n

Having played only 45 minutes during pre-season, the 30-year-old has missed the Mariners’ opening seven games of the season.<\/em><\/p>\n

But while Paul Hurst could be without the services of Brown (pictured) for another month, things are moving in the right direction.<\/em><\/p>\n

Town’s boss told the Telegraph: “Scott is going okay \u2013 he’s now out of his boot and walking around.” \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He’s not only been moonlighting, but it appears the English side have a rather unique outlook on transfer negotiations.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Well, someone needs to tell a constable, and get this sorted.<\/p>\n

Another Celt who featured last night, albeit as a late substitute was Leigh Griffiths. You really have to admire him. At club level he was second fiddle to John Guidetti, and earlier this season, to Nadir Ciftci. At international level, Steven fletcher got the nod ahead of him.<\/p>\n

Anyone else would have buckled under the confidence -sapping decisions he’s had to put up with.<\/p>\n

But he just gets on with it. He didn’t score, but to be honest, the Scottish high ball assault in the final quarter of the game didn’t help. Especially when Strachans men appeared to be auditioning for the most repetitive corner kick competition \u00a0in the final quarter of the game.<\/p>\n

He was disappointed, but also resolute about Mondays game;<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t the best of games and it was disappointing overall to lose. But there are still nine points to play for.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe felt we did enough to get something. Maybe not enough to get all three points but \u2028definitely a draw, yeah.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe had chances in the game and were putting pressure on them towards the end. There was a header that flashed just past the post but it wasn\u2019t to be.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAs a striker you want to have chances to get back in the game and I didn\u2019t get one.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cTo their credit the Georgians minimised the space in behind. It was just one of the things we have to take on the chin.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cNow I would love a crack at the Germans. It\u2019s an honour to put a strip on for your country and if I\u2019m selected or on the bench I would love to get on.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t see why we can\u2019t still beat Germany. It\u2019s at Hampden Park and we have beaten the best there before.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe got good results against France, Holland, Italy. A draw against Germany. I don\u2019t see why we can\u2019t get something on Monday as well.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

If Scotland are to have any chance, then it’s probably best not to show them a re run of last nights game, as Griffiths says, he hasn’t seen any reason why the Scots won’t get something against the Germans. If he watches that game….<\/p>\n

There was a little bit of pressure put on the striker from Emilio Izaguirre, who showed the world how to take a penalty during Honduras’s 3-0 win over Venezuela;<\/p>\n

\u201cEmilio Penalty<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0Charlie mulgrew, also in the side, gave his post match speech;<\/p>\n

\u201cOverall it just wasn\u2019t good enough.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not even talking about the corner and whether it went in. We\u2019re concentrating on things we can affect and one thing you can\u2019t affect are decisions.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact is we all know in that dressing room we can do better. It\u2019s as simple as that.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not looking for any excuses. We have to stand up \u2028and admit we had a bad night \u2028and get on with putting things right. The one thing is there\u2019s still a lot to play for and a chance to get back out for another big game right away.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all so disappointed because we wanted to come here, put on a good show and win the game. But we haven\u2019t done it so we just need to turn it round and move on.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you lose a goal against Georgia they way they play, sitting in the way they do, they will make it hard for you.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a horrible moment when their goal went in but you just need to get on with\u00a0<\/em>it. We had the belief we could get ourselves back into it the way we\u2019ve done before but it just wasn\u2019t to be. We simply didn\u2019t have enough about us on the night.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to get over this quickly and be ready for Germany \u2013 we have no choice, there\u2019s no time to feel sorry for ourselves.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m absolutely sure we\u2019ll get down to work between now and Monday and we\u2019ll be ready.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re looking at small things here. We didn\u2019t perform as well as we can, didn\u2019t create as many chances as we can and once we lost that goal it was difficult.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll be gutted for a bit. A few guys won\u2019t have much sleep after a game like this \u2013 it stays with you, that\u2019s for sure.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cBut we\u2019ve all been there before, plenty times. We know what it takes to get back up from a bad result and that\u2019s our job now.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

I’m sure I’ve heard all that before somewhere.<\/p>\n

Scott Brown turned up for the post match interviews, which was something.<\/p>\n

\u201cNaisy says the ball was in the net. We didn\u2019t get the luck tonight but the group is still wide open, there are still nine points to play for.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t feel sorry for ourselves and we have to get ready for Monday night.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an average performance tonight. After they scored they shut up shop and made it hard for us.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cOn another day we would have got a wee bit of luck but \u2028not tonight.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe can bounce back, it\u2019s all about bounce-back-ability \u2013 and we\u2019ve definitely got that in the dressing room.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

I’m a little worried about the mentality of those two. Brown and Mulgrew are depended on to offer experience and maturity in at both club and international level.<\/p>\n

Judging from those words, none of it was their fault, it was just bad luck but there’s always a good time to be had in the dressing room.<\/p>\n

Some thought it was complacency rather than fear that lost Celtic the Malmo tie, and they may well have been right.<\/p>\n

Maybe time for Brown to get his finger out.<\/p>\n

There’s another round of international fixtures that take place early next week, and after that just two more games in this campaign, not counting possible play offs.<\/p>\n

I’ll be glad when it’s done.<\/p>\n

So will the players, who according to Keith Jackson were having trouble getting a flight out of Tblisis;<\/p>\n

keith jackson<\/strong>\u00a0\u200f@<\/s>tedermeatballs<\/b><\/span>\u00a0<\/a>\u00a013h<\/span>13 hours ago<\/span><\/a><\/small><\/div>\n

Tblisi update. Still no plane. Now being told the earliest we’ll get away is 2.45am. Lots of pissed off players milling around.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

aawww. poor babies.<\/p>\n

Maybe they could play a game of “you were shite tonight because …. “. should keep them going until February.<\/p>\n

Today, September 5, is a special day for those of us who know the history. Joe Sullivan, from the official site, tells us why…<\/p>\n

IT was 84 years ago today, on Saturday, September 5, 1931, the Celtic goalkeeper John Thomson received a serious head injury while playing against Rangers at Ibrox. He died later in hospital, having never regained consciousness after the incident.<\/em><\/p>\n

The death of a footballer in his prime is thankfully rare, and even rarer on the field of play. Even after this length of time, John Thomson’s untimely death at the age of just 22 remains one of football’s great tragedies.<\/em><\/p>\n

A young goalkeeper, already the first choice for his club and country, with a long and distinguished career seemingly ahead of him, dead as a result of an accident during a game.<\/em><\/p>\n

Thomson was renowned for his bravery and fearlessness, and his dive at the feet of the Rangers forward Sam English as the player went to shoot was visible evidence of those virtues. As English shot, John Thomson’s head took the full impact of the Rangers player’s knee, leaving the goalkeeper unconscious and his head bleeding.<\/em><\/p>\n

As the keeper was being stretchered off, a section of the home support were unaware of the seriousness of the injury and cheered until they were silenced by one of the Rangers players.<\/em><\/p>\n

Thomson’s death stunned football, and was particularly hard felt by everyone connected with Celtic.<\/em><\/p>\n

Some 40,000 people attended the funeral in Cardenden, including thousands who had travelled through from Glasgow, many walking the 55 miles to the Fife village, and Thomson’s coffin was carried by his devastated team-mates.<\/em><\/p>\n

James Hanley, in his book\u00a0The Celtic Story\u00a0(1960) wrote: “It is hard for those who did not know him to appreciate the power of the spell he cast on all who watched him regularly in action. ‘A man who has not read Homer,’ wrote Bagehot, ‘is like a man who has not seen the ocean. There is a great object of which he has no idea.’<\/em><\/p>\n

“In like manner, a generation that did not see John Thomson has missed a touch of greatness in sport, for which he was a brilliant virtuoso, as Gigli was and Menuhin is. One artiste employs the voice as his instrument, another the violin or cello. For Thomson it was a handful of leather. We shall not look upon his like again.”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Thomson was brought up in the Fife mining village of Cardenden, and like many of his contemporaries, had started his working life as a teenager down the pits.<\/em><\/p>\n

He signed for Celtic in 1926 at the age of 17, having been spotted playing for Wellesley Juniors by Celtic scout Steve Callaghan, who had also alerted the club to the talents of a certain Jimmy McGrory.<\/em><\/p>\n

Celtic paid \u00a310 for the young man who would go on to become known as the Prince of Goalkeepers, and by the age of 18 he had already made his first-team debut against Dundee at Dens Park in a 2-1 win for Celtic.<\/em><\/p>\n

During his short time as Celtic goalkeeper, he won two Scottish Cup medals – in 1927 when East Fife were defeated 3-1 and in 1931, when Celtic beat Motherwell 4-2 in a replay, having drawn the first game 2-2.<\/em><\/p>\n

International recognition followed on the back of his impressive displays for Celtic, and Thomson gained four caps for Scotland and four for the Scottish League.<\/em><\/p>\n

A quiet and unassuming character off the park, once on the field\u00a0of play Thomson had a natural athleticism aligned to a brave spirit and impressed all who had the privilege to see him play.<\/em><\/p>\n

In his book,\u00a0The Story of the Celtic; 1888-1938, Willie Maley, manager of the club at the time of the tragedy, wrote: “Among the galaxy of talented goalkeepers whom Celtic have had, the late lamented John Thomson was the greatest. A Fifeshire friend recommended him to the club. We watched him play. We were impressed so much that we signed him when he was still in his teens. That was in 1926. Next year he became our regular goalkeeper, and was soon regarded as one of the finest goalkeepers in the country.<\/em><\/p>\n

“But, alas, his career was to be short. In September, 1931, playing against Rangers at Ibrox Park, he met with a fatal accident. Yet he had played long enough to gain the highest honours football had to give. A most likeable lad, modest and unassuming, he was popular wherever he went.<\/em><\/p>\n

“His merit as a goalkeeper shone superbly in his play. Never was there a keeper who caught and held the fastest shots with such grace and ease. In all he did there was the balance and beauty of movement wonderful to watch. Among the great Celts who have\u00a0passed over, he has an honoured place.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Certainly the death of John Thomson hit the club – the officials, players and the supporters – hard and had an understandably adverse effect on subsequent performances over the next couple of seasons.<\/em><\/p>\n

Indeed further tragedy was to hit the club just two years later when Peter Scarff, who had played in that fateful game, died from tuberculosis at the age of just 24.<\/em><\/p>\n

John Thomson’s memory has lived on with Celtic supporters and fans still visit his graveside in Fife to pay their own respects.<\/em><\/p>\n

The final thought on the tragic events of September 1931 is to remember the epitaph on John Thomson’s gravestone, which reads: “They never die who live in the hearts they leave behind.” \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Embedded<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

That was the touring China side , back in 1979, in yesterdays picture.<\/p>\n

Anyone explain this ?<\/p>\n

\"Embedded<\/p>\n

Right.<\/p>\n

What do we want ?<\/p>\n

Racing Car Noises !<\/p>\n

When do we want them ?<\/p>\n

Nnnneeeeeooowwww.<\/p>\n

I’m here all week, try the veal etc.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Sounds more like the title of an Enid Blyton book, which it probably was. About a young man who wanted to join the Labour…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":7744,"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\/2015\/09\/complacency.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2J7If-20S","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7742"}],"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=7742"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7742\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7745,"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7742\/revisions\/7745"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7744"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}