57 replies to this topic

[Joe D Reid]

Hey, so, apparently the SPL is underway. The good news is that Celtic started off with an 0-2 win at Hibs. The bad news is that they did so after being run over by freshly painted taxicabs.

[mic99]

Celtic are on FSC Saturday/Sunday morning for the Dublin Super Cup.

Inter on Sat
League of Ireland select team on Sun

[Joe D Reid]

Celtic are on FSC Saturday/Sunday morning for the Dublin Super Cup.

Inter on Sat
League of Ireland select team on Sun

Watching the game now. The camera just showed a (presumably) Irish guy in the stands holding an Irish flag with a silkscreened University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish leprechaun on it, meaning he is asserting his Irishness by waving around an American symbol while watching a Scottish team play an English game. There are graduate theses in (at least) political science, history, sociology, and critical race theory in there someplace.

[goyangfc]

Ki Sung-Yong has improved tremendously since last season, and you can really tell. He's scored two goals in his last three SPL matches. Also, his goal today came just days after he flew back from his Korea Republic MNT friendly match v Japan in Sapporo. His first goal was greater than his second goal, but here is his goal from today. I loved his goal ceremony. He was trying to show his feelings about the recent Lim Su-Jeong (http://en.wikipedia....eong_(kickboxer)) incident in Japan (where she signed a contract for an entertainment show, but the Japanese guys actually fought her (the same Japanese guys went lightly against a Japanese kickboxer, since it was "supposed to be" an entertainment show)).

Edited by goyangfc, 13 August 2011 - 06:02 PM.

[Zomp]

Breaking news: Celtic reinstated to Europa league after FC Scion was found guilty of fielding ineligible players.

[Joe D Reid]

Breaking news: Celtic reinstated to Europa league after FC Scion was found guilty of fielding ineligible players.

Future news: Celtic re-bounced from Europa League after being found guilty of fielding shitty players.

[CodPiece XL]

Breaking news: Celtic reinstated to Europa league after FC Scion was found guilty of fielding ineligible players.

And Celtic were guilty of playing at least 6 who should not have been on the field. Who said Celtic had a crap away record......3:0 away is a great result.

[inter tatters]

Breaking news: Celtic reinstated to Europa league after FC Scion was found guilty of fielding ineligible players.

Sion's Coach has said they plan to appeal and, are so confident they'll win, they will be taking the team to Madrid for the same Atletico Madrid game Celtic are due to play in 1st round of the Europa League!

Can we play a 3-way game? Sounds like fun...

[The Celtbot]

Can't wait for the Old Firm match, will be up early to head to the pub. I'm picking Ki to score at least one and maybe Hooper to score the other. Really would like to see Bangura get the chance to play with Hooper instead of Samaras or Stokes.

[The Celtbot]

Typical media BS right before an OF game. This goes beyond that though.

http://news.stv.tv/s...t-daily-record/

[CodPiece XL]

A complete shambles. Disgraceful second half, lucky to be leading at HT. Lennon's team selection, tactics and substitutions were baffling to put it mildly. 4 in a row for the Huns if Lennon doesn't get his head out of his ass, out thought by 'Coisty........that says it all.

[mic99]

A complete shambles. Disgraceful second half, lucky to be leading at HT. Lennon's team selection, tactics and substitutions were baffling to put it mildly. 4 in a row for the Huns if Lennon doesn't get his head out of his ass, out thought by 'Coisty........that says it all.

Terrible first half
Disgraceful second half

Should have been at least 6 goals allowed

Embarrassing performance from Lennon and the players

[The Celtbot]

Defense needs sorting that's a given. I think it's time to let Bangura play with Hooper regularly now.

It was nice to see Rangers blow it the other night though against Falkirk and get kicked out of their 3rd cup though. A 93rd minute goal is a good way to go.

[CodPiece XL]

Defense needs sorting that's a given. I think it's time to let Bangura play with Hooper regularly now.

It was nice to see Rangers blow it the other night though against Falkirk and get kicked out of their 3rd cup though. A 93rd minute goal is a good way to go.

Personally, I don't give a shit about what Rangers do in the Tin Cup. What do you think about that abortion of a game, tactics, team selection etc. Are you a Lenny fan, just curious?

[The Celtbot]

Personally, I don't give a shit about what Rangers do in the Tin Cup. What do you think about that abortion of a game, tactics, team selection etc. Are you a Lenny fan, just curious?

I'm not a fan of Samaras as many of us aren't, so that right there was a bad selection for me. Honestly the defense is so shit, I don't think it really mattered who he put back there. I would have put Mulgrew back there and played Ledley on the left though, that would have a been a little bit more stable. I will say, when you are up 2-1 and putting them under pressure, I don't think it wise to sit back and rely on our piss poor defense, it seemed like they were content just sitting back and letting Rangers take it to us for the first 10-15 minutes of the 2nd half and that killed us in my opinion. All we needed was that 3rd goal and things would have turned out completely different.

I would say over all that I like Lennon as coach, think he's brought some good players here. His tactics sometimes are baffling to say the least though. Still don't understand why we keep ignoring the defensive problems and signing more midfielders.

[mic99]

Right, so the NL experiment is over.

The players should be ashamed of themselves. Kayal should never be allowed to wear the Celtic shirt again.

This season is over. Saint Martin won't take the job, so who takes over?

[CodPiece XL]

I don't even know where to begin. At 3:0 down I thought they may lose 4:1 or :5:1 similar to the 4:0 thumping that ended TM as manager. I hate to say this but getting the draw made the 'Gers supporters happy knowing that Lennon was probably granted a stay of execution. If I was a Rangers supporter I'd be delighted for Lennon to carry on being manager. He should do the right thing and quit. I'm sick of watching this Celtic team, utterly clueless and shambolic. It's not all Lennon's fault, the board should have ponied and addressed central defence which has been a car wreck for 3 years. Celtic wouldn't keep a clean sheet against my pub team. Lennon.....just go.....MON is a pipe dream.

[fletcherpost]

I was talking to my mate who's a season ticket holder and i asked him what the fans think of Lennon. Six months ago this dude loved Lennon, still does but the consensus is 'lack of experience' (no shit) and his time might be up. Thing is - no fucker wants the Celtic or Rangers job. No one good and no one expensive.

The money is dribbling out of Scottish football. When they show the highlights of the SPL games outside of Glasgow the grounds are empty. Aberdeen used to get 24,000 in their ground. Dundee Utd 18,000; Hibs and Hearts attendances dropping too and in the provinces it's worse. These are the darkest times for Scottish football and Celtic and Rangers can't feed off and in turn feed the small teams.

My view: If Celtic want to be a top team, and if they can't get in the English league soon. Then they're going to have to think very long term and get more Glaswegians and local kids playing football and grab more kids when they're 8-10 years old - its a numbers game. I was playing with this 11 year old kid the other day, fuck me he was good. I asked him if he played for a team. He said yea...i said who - he said Barcalona Boys (or something like that.) The kid goes to Barca during holidays and plays with other such kids and this kid was the most skilled eleven year old I've ever seen, he was like a little Messi. And he was Glaswegian. Well Celtic need lots of kids like him.

I also recently watched a match between Celtic Boys and another local team. Celtic lost. These kids were 16-19 i think. And fuck me were they shite. Not once did i see a passage of play with 6 completed passes. But i did see a lot of kicking, nipple twisting; hair grabbing, fighting and swearing and shouting. from the players and the coaches. It was vulgar and not what i thought was the 'Celtic Way' Sure the players cared about winning, but not about playing actual football, the way it can and should be played.

[CodPiece XL]

I just don't like this team, I don't like the manager, I don't like the board, I thought I would never say this but they're not worth any emotional investment on my part until things change.

They have Newcastle's 3 rd string goal keeper, they have defenders who can't get a game for English Championship teams. Since 2008 a shitload of players have come and gone, players have come on trial ad nauseam. They defend like schoolboys and what is up at the zonal defense at set pieces, that's horseshit. . The board have propagated a cycle of mediocrity signing questionable players hoping that the financial crisis at Rangers would allow them to do just enough to secure a title. How effing wrong they were.

This is a backwater league that historically is a two horse race yet Rangers manage to keep a squad of players who at least can produce a level of football on a weekly basis that secures wins and Championships. Good God, even if Rangers went into receivership and were docked 10 points, Celtic could still lose by a hat load of points. I don't want to hear about balance sheets and financial results. It's a football team lacking ambition and the supporters deserve more. I'm all for fiscal responsibility but grow a pair and show some ambition.


Put very simply, No Investment , No Championship, No Champions League, Loss of UEFA Revenue/TV Revenue/Gate Takings/Advertising Takings, players not recognizing Celtic as a 'big' club , managers who look at Celtic as a poison chalice because of lack of ambition and no direction from the board. This is not rocket science, especially when your biggest competitor is on its knees.

I've looked at TV highlights and even at grounds where the old Firm have been playing there are huge empty spaces. That was never the case before. It's a blight that is affecting all of Scottish football not just the Old Firm. I honestly can't imagine wanting to go and pay to see this team even on my infrequent trips back to Scotland.

I remember days when teams went to Parkhead and feared how many goals they were going to lose by. On European nights there was blood, there was thunder, there was a Scottish tenacity about players hounding you, not giving you time on the ball even though they were not as gifted. These European teams came away knowing they were in a hell of a game. Now, these teams pay their polite respects and the rhetoric is great stadium, great fans but we know we will get 3 points. Maybe Fletcher will get this.........nice video, shame about the song.

[fletcherpost]

Great Post...I'm glad it's not just me that sees it this way. Thing is they've all read the Mcleish report, so they all know what and where the problem is. There's some great 12 year olds out there and very few good sixteen year olds.

Was that a Swap Shop reference?

[CodPiece XL]

Great Post...I'm glad it's not just me that sees it this way. Thing is they've all read the Mcleish report, so they all know what and where the problem is. There's some great 12 year olds out there and very few good sixteen year olds.

Was that a Swap Shop reference?

Nah, it's a reference to Not The Nine O' Clock News. Good fans, great stadium but the football has no substance. Remember these fancy videos for songs back in the 80's , the videos would hypnotize you but the songs were pure shite.




Back to football, I did watch the Europa Cup match yesterday, I didn't have much else on. Celtic shipped a goal within 2 minutes from a set piece. I just hate zonal marking, too often defending at set pieces their defence look positively statuesque. I'm just never comfortable watching this team, generally I think it's inevitable they will lose a goal. They have too many passengers content to pick up a pay check, completely inconsistent and then you start to see a glimmer, they tease you ( see the Samaras pass to Hooper) great goal , great counter attack, then the following match it's back to the same old shite where they look lost for ideas, there is no urgency and the comic book defending rears its ugly head. I hate to say this.......all they have to do is look to the west end of Glasgow to see a model of consistency, a team rolling up their sleeves and getting the job done right.

[mic99]

I tend to overreact to new/young players but Victor Wanyama looks special....20 years old.




Future looks bright if they can keep the core together

shocking defending aside, some effort by an 18 year old on his debut

[The Celtbot]

I tend to overreact to new/young players but Victor Wanyama looks special....20 years old.

http://www.youtube.c...player_embedded


Future looks bright if they can keep the core together

shocking defending aside, some effort by an 18 year old on his debut

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=UAN5N8E7IiE

Agreed, Wanyama looks special. Can't wait for Izaguirre to come back. We've got a lot of young guys that look to be quite talented. Read that Hooper wants a contract extension as well, quotes from him for once.

[PedroSpecialK]

Just over 13 hours until Old Firm. Goyang and I got to meet Tommy Callaghan and Joe McBride at a dinner as part of the hospitality package last night, which was really neat - and now I can't sleep from excitement for the match.

[Biggreenone]

Celtic season ticket holder here .

Seems a few guys might want to look again at their comments on Lennon and the current team.

HH

[CodPiece XL]

My comments were based on the performances of the team as it had been playing to that point, I'm delighted as any Celtic fan that Lennon appears to have turned the team around. To put things in context, Rangers, who have been on life support for the last few years, have won the league 3 years in a row. Celtic pissed the league away last season, notably that loss to Inverness.I remember posting around this time last year that the tide had turned and Celtic would win the league….of course, they lost to Caley and Rangers went on to run the table and I was left in a state of shock. Beaten yet again by a team team on it's knees.... that memory is still fresh. I'm not pinning last season on Lennon, he was not manager for the entire season. However, he had ample time to get the team prepared for this new season, which he quite clearly didn't. They were a model of inconsistency.

Lennon may go on to be the most successful manager in the teams history and I wish him well. The team as a whole has not changed much, what has changed is their attitude and performances since the earlier posts. It was painful to watch and there were plenty of other Celtic fans who felt the same. Even the local punters were voting with their feet and staying away. Credit where credit is due, he’s matured, he’s calmer and his tactics are more consistent. For some odd reason I think their second life in the Europa league helped them. They started believing in themselves. I was waiting for for them to unravel as they have done many times but there is a determination that was lacking previously. The average age of the team is 23-24 and they resisted selling their best assets at the window.


It looks like the treble is on...., the brand of football is not that bad on the eye, Lennon, you may not be as bad as I thought. You may be the man for the job after all but I still have my doubts.Hopefully, he keeps this team together, adds a couple of pieces prior to CL playoffs and get to the league stage. Then....I may start believing.

[CodPiece XL]

Treble is gone......at least Killie played decent football and made a game of it. Well done. Too many passengers today for Celtic, I see Lenny had them up for it. Maybe Motherwell will drop points next week and the Old Firm game will be a real powder keg.

[mic99]

Treble is no long on...

Not Celtic's best performance and it looked like Stokes won a penalty late which wasn't given....disappointing.

Clinch the league on Sunday at Ibrox if Motherwell drop points Saturday.

[mic99]

Looks like the match is on Fox Soccer Channel Sunday morning

[goyangfc]

Really excited to be up for this match. Hopefully, Ki gets a goal against the Huns, and Celtic clinches at Ibrox.

[CodPiece XL]

I was really hoping that Motherwell took full points. Tomorrow now has the potential to turn really ugly. The Orcs of Mordor will be restless having witnessed their Kingdom collapse. It could be the perfect storm.

Edited by CodPiece XL, 24 March 2012 - 01:48 PM.

[mic99]

Well, this has been enjoyable.

Nice of Celtic to turn up today. What on earth could Lennon have been thinking to have Cha in the team today?

Team lacks mental toughness

I feel sick

[Biggreenone]

After two small disappointments in a row - I'll be heading across on Sunday hoping to see us claim the title in Paradise.

HH & KTF

[mic99]

After two small disappointments in a row - I'll be heading across on Sunday hoping to see us claim the title in Paradise.

HH & KTF

I think they were more than small but hopefully you will have a chance to see the league won this weekend.

I know the Celtic family will be thinking of Petrov....

http://www.guardian....etrov-leukaemia

YNWA

[mic99]

With everything Lennon has been through (including clowns like me thinking it might be best for him to step aside earlier in the season), he really deserves this moment.

Champions! Lennon/Brown post-match interviews below-

[Biggreenone]

What a day at Kilmarnock on Saturday....

Glasgow Celtic Champions.....

[CodPiece XL]

I wish I shared the enthusiasm for Lennon around here, lost to Killie in the League Cup, did not have the stomach for the fight with a Rangers team with a skeleton squad, now losing to Hertz in the Scottish Cup. Someone should tell the Celtic defence that it's too late to audition for the three stooges. I think you are being hard on yourself Mic....if Lennon was doubting his own future...you had every right to. As I said...the jury is still out IMHO, maybe I have different standards to what I feel a Celtic team should be. This has ceraintly been more than a couple of "blips" and the inconsistency is worrying.

[Biggreenone]

I wish I shared the enthusiasm for Lennon around here, lost to Killie in the League Cup, did not have the stomach for the fight with a Rangers team with a skeleton squad, now losing to Hertz in the Scottish Cup. Someone should tell the Celtic defence that it's too late to audition for the three stooges. I think you are being hard on yourself Mic....if Lennon was doubting his own future...you had every right to. As I said...the jury is still out IMHO, maybe I have different standards to what I feel a Celtic team should be. This has ceraintly been more than a couple of "blips" and the inconsistency is worrying.

You have to keep in mind that this squad is VERY young (ave age 22-23?) coupled with a very inexperienced management team.Credit has to be given for the run that turned round a 15 point deficit in the league to clinch the title pre split. Yes Lennon has made mistakes and some of his selections / substitutions are questionable - but he is learning on the Job at a massive club - which is incredibly difficult to do. Yes we lost to Hearts yesterday (we were the better team over 90 minutes) - but be in no doubt about the pivotal role referee Euan Norris played by gifting Hearts a last minute present into the final - that penalty decision defied belief.(I could also bring up the denial of a last minute penalty in the LC Final against Killie also the inspired display that day by Cammy Bell the Killie keeper)

In referring to the stomach for the fight against them - I assume you mean the recent defeat at Ibrox ? Yes it was disappointing but they were always going to fight like demons to prevent us clinching the title on their sod. That game was their season and they played like it. Overall though we sat 15 points behind them in October and now sit 18 points ahead (even with the 10 point admin deduction) - that says to me that this squad had the stomach and won the battle over RFC.

If Lennon can get a few experiienced pros in during the off season ( Centre half / big bustling forward) I am certain that this squad and the management team will continue to develop in the right direction. Lennon in only 2 seasons has rebuilt the squad with a talented group of players within a tight budget - Kayal / Hooper / Izaguirre / Mulgrew / Matthews / Ledley / Wanyama / - are all young players with big futures all recruited on fees at a fraction of the current market rate.

And I have not even mentioned with the nonsense he has to put up with off the park.

Hail Hail

Glasgow Celtic SPL Champions 2012.

Edited by Biggreenone, 16 April 2012 - 11:47 AM.

[EdinburghSox]

Yes we lost to Hearts yesterday (we were the better team over 90 minutes) - but be in no doubt about the pivotal role referee Euan Norris played by gifting Hearts a last minute present into the final - that penalty decision defied belief.

You seriously thought that decision "defied belief" ? the ball clearly struck the Celtic players hand as he tried to block a shot, it was a debatable decision, I personally would not have given a penalty as it was more of a case of ball to hand rather hand to ball but it was perfectly obvious why the Ref gave a penalty and certainly did not defy belief .

The funny thing is that in the after match interview which Alan Thomson did (Lennon was to angry to appear) Thomson's point was if that was a penalty Celtic should have had a penalty for a similar incident at the other end, the interviewer asked Thomson if he was sure about that to which Thomson said yes as he watched the TV replay several times, where as the TV replay showed that the Hearts defender move his arm out of the way to avoid contact with the ball and it clearly hit him on the hip not his hand. The one refereeing decision which was clearly an error was the Celtic goal which replays confirmed was clearly offside (linesmen have a difficult job and make mistakes, so I wouldn't say that defied belief either). Sometimes the facts get in the way of a good conspiracy story line.

Celtic have played some decent stuff at times this season and more than deserve the championship but Lennon really needs to show a bit more dignity, his antics towards the ref at the end of the game were embarrassing in contrast to Harry Redknapp who did suffer from a decision which defied belief (a goal was given when the ball clearly didn't cross the line) at the weekend.

[CodPiece XL]

You have to keep in mind that this squad is VERY young (ave age 22-23?) coupled with a very inexperienced management team.Credit has to be given for the run that turned round a 15 point deficit in the league to clinch the title pre split. Yes Lennon has made mistakes and some of his selections / substitutions are questionable - but he is learning on the Job at a massive club - which is incredibly difficult to do. Yes we lost to Hearts yesterday (we were the better team over 90 minutes) - but be in no doubt about the pivotal role referee Euan Norris played by gifting Hearts a last minute present into the final - that penalty decision defied belief.(I could also bring up the denial of a last minute penalty in the LC Final against Killie also the inspired display that day by Cammy Bell the Killie keeper)

In referring to the stomach for the fight against them - I assume you mean the recent defeat at Ibrox ? Yes it was disappointing but they were always going to fight like demons to prevent us clinching the title on their sod. That game was their season and they played like it. Overall though we sat 15 points behind them in October and now sit 18 points ahead (even with the 10 point admin deduction) - that says to me that this squad had the stomach and won the battle over RFC.

If Lennon can get a few experiienced pros in during the off season ( Centre half / big bustling forward) I am certain that this squad and the management team will continue to develop in the right direction. Lennon in only 2 seasons has rebuilt the squad with a talented group of players within a tight budget - Kayal / Hooper / Izaguirre / Mulgrew / Matthews / Ledley / Wanyama / - are all young players with big futures all recruited on fees at a fraction of the current market rate.

And I have not even mentioned with the nonsense he has to put up with off the park.

Hail Hail

Glasgow Celtic SPL Champions 2012.

I agree on the team being young and I have gone on record as saying as such. My main gripe is the inconsistency. Ki missed two headers that I feel were easier to score from. The bitching about the penalty award is papering over the cracks and I was truly embarrassed when Lenny charged over to the ref, I was like "here we go again". They have lost two Cup games to inferior opposition...end of story.

If they can't get up for a game against a depleted Rangers team on their turf when they could have sewn up the title, I don't know what to say.

They were the better team over the course of the season no doubt and I don't discount that great run they had without defeat. They won the title. Let's see some additional money being spent on the squad at key postitions over the break as you say. Getting to the CL group stages should be the priority and if Lenny can do that, I'll start believing.

Hey...at least they won the league fairly and squarely by paying their taxes and their dues to other clubs ......unlike some I could mention.

[CodPiece XL]

You seriously thought that decision "defied belief" ? the ball clearly struck the Celtic players hand as he tried to block a shot, it was a debatable decision, I personally would not have given a penalty as it was more of a case of ball to hand rather hand to ball but it was perfectly obvious why the Ref gave a penalty and certainly did not defy belief .

The funny thing is that in the after match interview which Alan Thomson did (Lennon was to angry to appear) Thomson's point was if that was a penalty Celtic should have had a penalty for a similar incident at the other end, the interviewer asked Thomson if he was sure about that to which Thomson said yes as he watched the TV replay several times, where as the TV replay showed that the Hearts defender move his arm out of the way to avoid contact with the ball and it clearly hit him on the hip not his hand. The one refereeing decision which was clearly an error was the Celtic goal which replays confirmed was clearly offside (linesmen have a difficult job and make mistakes, so I wouldn't say that defied belief either). Sometimes the facts get in the way of a good conspiracy story line.

Celtic have played some decent stuff at times this season and more than deserve the championship but Lennon really needs to show a bit more dignity, his antics towards the ref at the end of the game were embarrassing in contrast to Harry Redknapp who did suffer from a decision which defied belief (a goal was given when the ball clearly didn't cross the line) at the weekend.

I have to agree with you on most of what you say, Celtic had the benefit of a close offside decision. There is an element of the "us against the world mentality" around Parkhead, having said that, there have been some pretty shocking referee decisions but I think as a whole, that's just the piss poor standard of the referees in Scotland. Willie Collum are you listening?

Congrats on all Edinburgh Scottish Cup final.....it's been a while.

Now we have to wait and see how the SFA handle the Rangers debacle......that may say more about conspiracy theories than anything else in Scottish football.

[Biggreenone]

You seriously thought that decision "defied belief" ? the ball clearly struck the Celtic players hand as he tried to block a shot, it was a debatable decision, I personally would not have given a penalty as it was more of a case of ball to hand rather hand to ball but it was perfectly obvious why the Ref gave a penalty and certainly did not defy belief .

The funny thing is that in the after match interview which Alan Thomson did (Lennon was to angry to appear) Thomson's point was if that was a penalty Celtic should have had a penalty for a similar incident at the other end, the interviewer asked Thomson if he was sure about that to which Thomson said yes as he watched the TV replay several times, where as the TV replay showed that the Hearts defender move his arm out of the way to avoid contact with the ball and it clearly hit him on the hip not his hand. The one refereeing decision which was clearly an error was the Celtic goal which replays confirmed was clearly offside (linesmen have a difficult job and make mistakes, so I wouldn't say that defied belief either). Sometimes the facts get in the way of a good conspiracy story line.

Celtic have played some decent stuff at times this season and more than deserve the championship but Lennon really needs to show a bit more dignity, his antics towards the ref at the end of the game were embarrassing in contrast to Harry Redknapp who did suffer from a decision which defied belief (a goal was given when the ball clearly didn't cross the line) at the weekend.

A free kick / penalty is awarded for 'deliberate' hand ball - Joe Ledley was facing the opposite direction when the ball was struck at him from a yard away - so in the context of the rules of the game (and you are correct when you say it was ball to hand) yes I was in a state of disbelief when the referee clearly chose to apply his own version of the laws of the game rather than those set out by FIFA. By awarding a penalty in the 90th minute of a cup semi final with a game tied at 1-1 he effectively gift wrapped Hearts their place in the final.

If Hearts had held on to their 1-0 lead and progressed to the final without the aid of a refereeing mistake (which even penalty scorer Craig Beattie acknowledged) I would have no qualms whatsoever - but you cannot seriously deny that in essence Mr Norris' decision decided which team progressed to the final.

NB - I agree 100 % that it was not a penalty in stoppage time when the ball struck Andy Webster - that was no more a deliberate hand ball than the award against Joe Ledley.

As for your comparison of Lennon / Redknapp - Redknapps team were well beaten 5-1 in a one sided affair where the officials made a shocking blunder allowing a goal to stand at to make it 2-0 in the 49th minute - a major blunder but Spurs still had time to make some sort of a comeback - Lennon had a right to be furious when the officials wrongly award a last minute penalty in a game thus effectively ending any chance of a comeback.

It never fails to amaze me how fans of other clubs are concerned about how Lennon conducts himself - particularly those of other clubs who should be more concerned about how those representing their own club conduct their business.Whilst Lennon's behaviour around the dugout may raise a few eyebrows - the behaviour of individuals in the boardroom at prominent SPL clubs should be of far greater concern to Scottish football fans.

Anyhow I look forward to an all Edinburgh final and just hope that the outcome is not decided by another moment of refereeing incompetence. I hope that both clubs enjoy their day out and prove that football in Scotland can thrive without clubs that thumb their noses at their financial obligations.

HH

[fletcherpost]

I like the cut of both your jibs. Lennon is Irish, a Ginge, a hot head and Celtic Manager. And he's had to put up with a lot this past year and a half. I'll cut him some slack but the persecution complex route is never the way to go. It's hard to feel sorry for the biggest club in Scotland who everyone knows now have a wounded Rangers as their closest rivals.

The Big Question: Will Hearts and Hibs sell out Hampden? I used to live across the road from Tynecastle and never once had the urge to watch the Jam Tarts ply their trade. I used to live with a die hard Hibbee and never once had the urge to watch Hibs ply their trade. But man o man i would love for one of the capital sides to get their act together and represent the capital. I mean seriously one of those clubs should be a 'big' club. Shit, i remember when Hibs paid 900k for Archibald and that was a long time ago.

Edited by fletcherpost, 16 April 2012 - 07:49 PM.

[Tony the Pony]

The level of play is so fuckin poor, though. Went to see the Hibs play earlier this season (fuck Hearts) and a bit later I was at some half-assed speedway where Berwick entertains second or third division teams (English team in Scotland, I know. never mind). In all honesty, it seemed to me you could swap those teams and nobody would be the wiser. Also, I have seen my senile grandfather's nursing home team play better football than that shit.

[Biggreenone]

I like the cut of both your jibs. Lennon is Irish, a Ginge, a hot head and Celtic Manager. And he's had to put up with a lot this past year and a half. I'll cut him some slack but the persecution complex route is never the way to go. It's hard to feel sorry for the biggest club in Scotland who everyone knows now have a wounded Rangers as their closest rivals.

The Big Question: Will Hearts and Hibs sell out Hampden? I used to live across the road from Tynecastle and never once had the urge to watch the Jam Tarts ply their trade. I used to live with a die hard Hibbee and never once had the urge to watch Hibs ply their trade. But man o man i would love for one of the capital sides to get their act together and represent the capital. I mean seriously one of those clubs should be a 'big' club. Shit, i remember when Hibs paid 900k for Archibald and that was a long time ago.

I think they will sell out Hampden for the final - both had decent sized support at the semis add on your casual fans it will sell out. It should be noted too that the SFA deserve praise for sensible pricing policy - I think I paid £30 for and adult and child at the final last year (take note Celtic fan complimenting the SFA !!). An all Edingurgh final is good for the Scottish game and I really hope it's a success and a good advert for the game (which isnt as bad as many proclaim). 3 different winners of the domestic trophies can only be positive (especially as none of them are Blue).

We are not there but I will be hoping Pat Fenlon leads Hibs to victory - I used to watch him play in the league of Ireland for Bohs (I'm not a Bohs fan)

[EdinburghSox]

A free kick / penalty is awarded for 'deliberate' hand ball - Joe Ledley was facing the opposite direction when the ball was struck at him from a yard away - so in the context of the rules of the game (and you are correct when you say it was ball to hand) yes I was in a state of disbelief when the referee clearly chose to apply his own version of the laws of the game rather than those set out by FIFA. By awarding a penalty in the 90th minute of a cup semi final with a game tied at 1-1 he effectively gift wrapped Hearts their place in the final.

If Hearts had held on to their 1-0 lead and progressed to the final without the aid of a refereeing mistake (which even penalty scorer Craig Beattie acknowledged) I would have no qualms whatsoever - but you cannot seriously deny that in essence Mr Norris' decision decided which team progressed to the final.

NB - I agree 100 % that it was not a penalty in stoppage time when the ball struck Andy Webster - that was no more a deliberate hand ball than the award against Joe Ledley.

As for your comparison of Lennon / Redknapp - Redknapps team were well beaten 5-1 in a one sided affair where the officials made a shocking blunder allowing a goal to stand at to make it 2-0 in the 49th minute - a major blunder but Spurs still had time to make some sort of a comeback - Lennon had a right to be furious when the officials wrongly award a last minute penalty in a game thus effectively ending any chance of a comeback.

It never fails to amaze me how fans of other clubs are concerned about how Lennon conducts himself - particularly those of other clubs who should be more concerned about how those representing their own club conduct their business.Whilst Lennon's behaviour around the dugout may raise a few eyebrows - the behaviour of individuals in the boardroom at prominent SPL clubs should be of far greater concern to Scottish football fans.

Anyhow I look forward to an all Edinburgh final and just hope that the outcome is not decided by another moment of refereeing incompetence. I hope that both clubs enjoy their day out and prove that football in Scotland can thrive without clubs that thumb their noses at their financial obligations.

HH

Ledley may have turned his head but he was trying to block the shot, whilst I don't personally agree many refs would have understandably given a penalty. Craig Beattie (what a celebration) did say that he would be disappointed too loose a semi final to that decision but he also said it was an area of debate, where as he also said that there was no debate about the Celtic goal being offside, as at no time was Hooper onside during that attack. Both these decisions decided who progressed but they were at the very end of the match and "in essence" cancelled each other out.

N.B. The ball did not strike Websters hand, Webster deliberately moved his hand out of the way to avoid contact with the ball as he knew there is always a chance of a Ref giving a penalty whether deliberate or not.

The Hearts owner is a mad man and I wouldn't even try to defend him, while his comments do sometimes amuse me, I don't think they should be used to justify bad behaviour by others, Lennon's antics and claims are similarly mad, bad and just plain wrong.

The final will be a great occasion and Scottish football needs a positive story. As for refereeing decisions if you want to watch a sport devoid of debatable refereeing decisions you are probably watching the wrong sport.

[Biggreenone]

Ledley may have turned his head but he was trying to block the shot, whilst I don't personally agree many refs would have understandably given a penalty. Craig Beattie (what a celebration) did say that he would be disappointed too loose a semi final to that decision but he also said it was an area of debate, where as he also said that there was no debate about the Celtic goal being offside, as at no time was Hooper onside during that attack. Both these decisions decided who progressed but they were at the very end of the match and "in essence" cancelled each other out. N.B. The ball did not strike Websters hand, Webster deliberately moved his hand out of the way to avoid contact with the ball as he knew there is always a chance of a Ref giving a penalty whether deliberate or not. The Hearts owner is a mad man and I wouldn't even try to defend him, while his comments do sometimes amuse me, I don't think they should be used to justify bad behaviour by others, Lennon's antics and claims are similarly mad, bad and just plain wrong. The final will be a great occasion and Scottish football needs a positive story. As for refereeing decisions if you want to watch a sport devoid of debatable refereeing decisions you are probably watching the wrong sport.

We will have to agree to disagree mate - You see it from a Hearts perspective I see it from a Celtic perspective. I just hope you are as understanding if your team suffers a simillar decision in the last minute of a big match.

As regards to Lennon - whilst I can understand to an extent where you are coming from, to those that watch every Celtic match (which I do and I am assuming you dont) more often than not his reaction is understandable. Without talk of conspiracies (which I dont buy into) Celtic under Lennon (and Mowbray too) have suffered an abnormally high amount of 'contentious' decisions against them in key games - way too many to have this 'these things even themselves out' rhetoric wheeled out. I realise that supporters of other teams may scoff at the notion and bang on about 'there they go again' but believe me within our support these things are very real .

I wonder were you as equally upset about Jim Jeffrie's regular touchline tantrums at officials ? Anyway since this is a Celtic thread its best left at that.

Anyway enjoy the final - I hope it's a great advert for the game in Scotland.

Like another poster said the real test of conspiracy theories will be how the league and the other member clubs (including Hearts) deal with the aftermath of the inevitable when it happens over in Govan. It will be interesting to see if there is any sporting integrity remaining in the game in Scotland when the dust settles.

H H

Edited by Biggreenone, 17 April 2012 - 06:32 PM.

[EdinburghSox]

We will have to agree to disagree mate - You see it from a Hearts perspective I see it from a Celtic perspective. I just hope you are as understanding if your team suffers a simillar decision in the last minute of a big match.

As regards to Lennon - whilst I can understand to an extent where you are coming from, to those that watch every Celtic match (which I do and I am assuming you dont) more often than not his reaction is understandable. Without talk of conspiracies (which I dont buy into) Celtic under Lennon (and Mowbray too) have suffered an abnormally high amount of 'contentious' decisions against them in key games - way too many to have this 'these things even themselves out' rhetoric wheeled out. I realise that supporters of other teams may scoff at the notion and bang on about 'there they go again' but believe me within our support these things are very real .

I wonder were you as equally upset about Jim Jeffrie's regular touchline tantrums at officials ? Anyway since this is a Celtic thread its best left at that.

Anyway enjoy the final - I hope it's a great advert for the game in Scotland.

Like another poster said the real test of conspiracy theories will be how the league and the other member clubs (including Hearts) deal with the aftermath of the inevitable when it happens over in Govan. It will be interesting to see if there is any sporting integrity remaining in the game in Scotland when the dust settles.

H H

I think everyone agree's on the facts 1) Shouldn't have been a penalty (although it did hit Ledley's hand), 2) The Celtic goal was offside 3) Ball never even hit Webster's hand.

Every fan who regularly watches every team in every league in the world thinks the refs are against them, it's generally accepted in most leagues that the big teams get the big decisions. In Scotland the non-Old Firm fans think the big two get a lot of decisions, I guess I subscribe to that and put it down to the size of the Old Firm support and resultant media scrutiny rather than any deliberate bias, I also think I'm big enough to admit that Hearts probably benefit from that logic against smaller teams at Tynecastle.

I think any manager can have as many tantrums as he wants on the touchline, I just don't think it's fair to aggressively confront refs in the middle of the pitch or suggest decisions are personal. When I watch Lennon on TV as an analyst (he did the Hearts v St Mirren QF) he is one of the most intelligent and astute analysts there is, I guess it's the result of the pressure of managing the Old Firm in Glasgow.

As for Rangers, they are a complete mess, hopefully they are liquidated so that we can get in a fairer voting structure and start making some changes for the good of game.

[CodPiece XL]

I admit I'm not a paying fan bit I would really like to see Lennon fielding a few more youngsters, there's nothing much to play for and I would be more inclined to watch some of these "meaningless" games.

As far as Rangers, did anyone read Bill Miller's statement? It reads like a bad script from "Emergency". He's kidding himself if he thinks he will get his cake and eat it.

[Joe D Reid]

Tough to tell whether he's being histrionic to make a point, but McCoist raised the possibility of a Glasgow Rangers-Berwick Rangers derby in the 3d division next year.