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The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Of A Possible Black Weekend

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The Good

It’s difficult after a complete bombscare of a performance to be positive without the aid of elicit drugs, some high bpm quality house and a fine wine. I have seen misplaced positivity which will frankly damage sane mens and womens grey matter if they live their lives thinking like that. I have also seen some idiotic suggestions that makes those who carry those thoughts certifiable.

We are getting back on the horse quickly. Win our last 3 games will see us finish with our highest points total since 2005/06 and will also see us take the title to the last day. That’s progress and in truth we are further down the road to recovery than we have any right to be.

The Bad

That points total may not be enough to win the prize. Like a toodler who has been just put into ‘big weans pants‘ and has not had an accident for months we decided to get all excited and have an accident on a brand new shagpile. It’s no longer in our hands. You might have heard that right enough.

Injuries. Kayal, that’s worth a weeks mourning alone. Ledley, aye, I have been mourning that loss for weeks but some still say he gives the team nothing. A note to all. These two make the team tick. A purring engine when they are in full flight. Hardly any revs per minutes or noise. Good for the environment as well. Without these two players our team is just a Mowbray murmured heartbeat.

Plus, Mulgrew and Wilson are also carrying knocks.

Suspensions see Hooper, Murphy and Maloney as our only fit forwards. One is out of form, the other is out his mind and one is basically a lump that moves about a bit.

The Ugly

Going to The Marnocks so soon after drubbing them is always dangerous. Going to The Marnocks after a near fatal blow, with injuries and suspensions screams that they might just finish the job.

Lennon was to blame the other evening. Why he went with two wingers and not a more solid midfield 3 only he knows. His team reeked of the odor of arrogance in such that we expected to turn up and play our game and not expect to fight for the right to play our game. His subs and reasonings for them showed a man just as perplexed and lost as us. I take it no-one got the memo to shred Tony Mowbrays tactic file?

Problem we have is that he will go with this from now to the end of the season. Unless, Efrain Juarez comes in from the cold or Mulgrew gets drafted into midfield. Mark Wilson could go in there also. Problem is Scott Brown will have numerous chances to prove that he is not a centre midfielder whatever the selections.

Depressed enough? Well, I recommend you stay away from the Telly box when the bumfest is on at Ipox this afternoon. There is not enough vodka and paracetamol to go round.

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  • Gerard says:

    The last three days have been spent dishing out cash to ignorant english punters who bet early doors that celtic would not win the league. This morning i woke up oozing confidence that the league would still be ours as the knuckle draggers would draw one of there final games… Why cant i just accept that it’s over?

    • Bhoy oh Bhoy says:

      Simple- because it’s NOT over. R****rs are certainly bad enough to drop points so i’m holding my breath til it’s truly over. But as LOTW says, this Celtic team has improved massively since last season and whatever happens i expect only good things from next season.

      • lordofthewing says:

        Nice to see Hearts think it’s over. They are getting their belly tickled as I type.

        • Bhoy oh Bhoy says:

          Aye i just checked the score and was ‘surprised’ to see them losing 3 nil already. Bunch of f****ng c***s.

          • lordofthewing says:

            Greyfriars Jobby’s teams are always a joke when they come to Glesga. Today, was no conspiracy, it was just them being the Jam Farts under an auld cock.

  • colin garvey says:

    This league was over after the Motherwell game lets face it as for the Tannadice game well less said the better for the ref

  • lenny4myth2 says:

    truly shameless today, and yet the gers fans celebrate like their team actually achieved something.
    ps the hearts keeper defiantly did not let in ragers 1st goal! honestly he didn’t……..hey you at the back, stop laughing…

  • markjason67 says:

    Since the ICT shambles midweek I’ve been trying to force myself into positivity, Hearts I’m saying can do us a favour, Hmmm ? Half time 3 nil down, where is those illicit drugs I think I might need to sample some to suppress this despair I’m feeling.

    I’m so angry with Neil Lennon & that let down of a Celtic team right now.

    Neil Lennon especially, I’m tired of folk trying to gloss over his ridiculous decisions.

    We lost 6 points at Home back in Nov/Dec,the 4th game we stole 3 points with 2 injury time goals in a 2 nil victory over a poor St Johnstone team, A 4-2-4 formation that every man & his dog knows it doesn’t work, yet lennon still every now & then implements that system. ‘Learning from mistakes ? ‘ He takes 1 step forward & 3 back at times during this season.

    Our defence holds the least conceded goals in this mickey mouse league, & in my opinion our defence is rotten, it’s because we defend from the front, strikers closing down & a solid midfield in front of a defence that takes A lot of the pressure of.

    We play United last weekend at Home & they played decent against An ok united team, so why go to Inverness & change the formation & starting X1,Hmmm ? Maloney is A total liability, just back from 5 months laid up through injury, why bring him in to A must win title race lacking match sharpness, its just simply poor management decisions,before the game kicked of & I heard Maloney was starting I questioned it instantly.

    Look back as far back as the Ross County game, The camera pans in on Lennon & he’s clueless seeking tactical Advice from our chief scout john Parks, it was so embarrassing, Utrecht away, we took the pedal of in a 2 nil half time lead at CP, fair enough, but then why go to Utrecht & play a 4-3-3 system that needed a 4-5-1 or 5-4-1 formation, & to make it worse Fortune after the game flew to Birmingham as he already agreed to sign for WBA, why was he on that park ? You are not going to get 100% of him fearing an injury will scupper his move.

    We go to Braga away, Mulgrew left back was our weak spot & Braga knew this & exploited it, Mulgrew was out of his depth, so we go back to CP, 2nd leg, who is our Left back, I was in the lisbon lions that night & from the first 5 minutes I mentioned to those around me they will punish us through Mulgrew, & they did, Mulgrew never returned to the park at half time, hooked, another Lennon blunder.

    Och I could go on all night about my gripes, trying to be patient with a rookie has taking its toll on me.

    And a characteristic I don’t like in Lennon is his inability to accept responsibility.

    When teams sit of this team then we will run all over the top of them, it is deceiving and makes us look a real solid outfit, but when teams come out & press us & chase every ball physically then what we witnessed at ICT happens and all the inferior players in the squad get exposed.

    And the management continue to do panic decisions during games like this, wrong substitutions, or when we do make the right change then it gets left till to late in the game when the negativity has already ravaged it’s way through the whole team.

    Scott Brown as everyone knows is hopeless in central midfield, he has a decent partnership down the right hand side with Wilson, without Brown helping Wilson, then Wilson is a disaster every time.

    If we lose the title, in my opinion it’s not down to the players, it’s been a catalogue of managerial errors over the whole season, give him a break some might say reading this, yes he is a rookie, allow him a bit of grace and all that, but losing to a poor hun team 3 years is not acceptable due to ridiculous managerial blunders, he is a rookie, but the stupid repeated mistakes should have been avoided.

    There has got to be serious questions asked within Celtic Park even if we win title this year, the lack of defensive signings, when we desperately needed them, Daryl Murphy,Ljunberg signings etc total baffling waisting money on that when it’s needed in other areas, a skint huns going for 3 in a row, there is no excuses anymore, DD needs to change things as we can’t continue this way.

    Sorry for the long rant, just venting…

    P.S. I do see potential in Neil Lennon, I am all for him being in charge next season, a few more additions to the squad and removal of the dead wood, but our board need to be questioning their ability to take us forward, to many big bonuses after one trophy in 3 years..

    Will I change my opinion if it turns out another helicopter sunday and it ends up landing at CP draped in the green & white ribbons ? No.

    • bobocop says:

      Not a rant at all Markjason. In fact well reasoned and pretty astute, unlike the drivel which leaked further down the page from Andrew oliver.
      I thought last season that Lennon was a stop-gap measure and that the board appointed him because no-one of any stature would take up the poison chalice that Mowbray left behind. Lennon has been better than I expected but your post does highlight some valid points.
      His inexperience is there for all to see and I fear for his future if he does not win the league.
      The board, who are the real culprits, will be on the lookout for a replacement. If they find one Lennon will be gone.
      As a ‘gers fan I hope McCoist succeeds but although there’s been more of a deliberate transition from Walter to him I think he too is inexperienced and I fear the worst. I don’t think either half of the old firm is the place for a novice manager. Souness excepted of course but there were plenty of reasons for that.

      • lenny4myth2 says:

        lennon has done an outstanding job for a manager in his 1st season, we all want lennon to stay and the fans would probably boycott celtic park if he was replaced, lennon is going nowhere.

      • Pujol says:

        Bobocop

        Presumably this putative manager of “stature” you suggest we should employ will also be willing to put up with Huns sending him nail-bombs.

        At time of writing, the “old master” is effectively one point better off than Neil Lennon over the course of 35 games.

        Smith has one of the most expensively assembled squads in Scottish history, and was able to add Weiss, Diouf, Bartley, Healy and Beattie to last years champions (not to mention a £4m striker). Despite this, (and the breathtaking cheating from the refs, particularly before the SFA head of reffing was sacked for being caught expressing his bigotry too publically) he was one missed penalty away from losing the league to a first year rookie.

        Nice of you to fear for Neil’s future, but unless you’re referring to the assaults and attempted murder your fellow supporters have carried out, I don’t think you need to worry.

        • lordofthewing says:

          The mainstream media are peddling the skint myth. It’s only bolt holes like these that the truth sometimes wills out.

        • bobocop says:

          Pujol, I can’t excuse or ameliorate in any way the disgusting and criminal activities of those responsible for the nail bombs. To call them animals would be unfair to animals. To associate them with ordinary Rangers fans or RFC is also unfair. Regardless of the near universal dislike Rangers fans and others have for Lennon I have yet to speak to anyone who has anything but sympathy for the Celtic manager on this. I am not naive enough to think that there aren’t Rangers fans out there lapping it all up but that type of halfwit can be found everywhere in every walk of life.
          In saying that, I think if anyone but Lennon was at the helm the nail bombs would not have been sent and would therefore not be an issue. The nailbomb issue has actually deflected some criticism from Lennon as a manager as Celtic fans have quite rightly rallied round him. It will make it harder for the board to sack him but the patience of the board,and the average football fan , is not endless and unless there is silverware it will be game over.
          As for one of the most expensive squads ever assembled. Quote the numbers, compare them with past old firm squads. £20,000,000 in O’Neills first season. Liam Bradys spree. Advocaat and Souness squads plus £10,000,000 or thereabouts by Celtic in the last year.
          Your jibe at the refs is unworthy of further comment as is your last paragraph.

        • rfc+sfa=cheats says:

          your right, lennon has done an outstanding job in only a year, he sold mcgeady and bought basically a whole team with the money, he has found some fantastic players and pushed ragers all the way, the league will probably be decided on the final day, lost 1 final in extra time and still has another final, he has rallied the fans in a way that hasn’t happened since o’neills time and did it all looking over his shoulder for fear of himself or his family being shot or blown up, AND he has done it against a bias sfa and officials. there’s just a belief at celtic surrounding lennon that is hard to explain, even the ragers fans feel it, that’s why they are so desperate to see the back of him, im more than confidant about the next few seasons, especially domestically.
          LENNON TO THE CORE

      • Pujol says:

        Figures from Wiki:

        Papac £450k
        McCulloch £2.25m
        Edu £2.6m
        Davis £3m
        Lafferty £3m+
        Naismith £1.9m
        Whittaker £2m
        Jelavic £4m
        Bougherra £2.5m

        There’s about £24m before loan fees and signing-on fees for Bosmans. Whether or not it suits your agenda, that is as I said ONE of the most expensively-assembled squads in Scottish history.

        As for your other comments, I didn’t say you personally sent the bombs, I said it was your co-supporters. Otherwise who was it? Those pesky Chelsea fans that wrecked Manchester?

        “In saying that, I think if anyone but Lennon was at the helm the nail bombs would not have been sent and would therefore not be an issue.”

        Oh well, that’s OK then.

        • lordofthewing says:

          You missed some Pujol. Where’s Mendes?

        • bobocop says:

          Those players were bought over a number of years and were heavily financed by the sale of other players. How about Celtic over the same period. The Keane yins must have been a few mill in wages alone.
          Agenda? one of the favourite words of the hopelessly paranoid.
          You missed the point completely

    • lordofthewing says:

      we all knew that we were getting a rookie manager who would make his mistakes in public. I still think we are ahead of schedule. Your list of crimes are magnified in the light of the latest letdown. the last letdown is the most important one domestically, the rest now dont matter cause we got into a position that they were not a factor.

      in the last 3 games we have had two major blunders. 90 mins against ICT and Sammy’s missed pen. those are the money shots.

      though, i’m not having the suggestion that r*ngers are a poor team. they are excellent at winning games they should win despite how well or badly they play. They are going to get over 90 points and they might need to win this league. That will be the highest total in 5 years. We may end up with our highest total in 5 years and not win the league.

      poor teams dont do this.

  • Hell’s teeth–I could have scored against Hearts
    today and Iv’e got a metal hip and a smashed
    pelvis.And that’s my good leg!
    Andrew

  • colin garvey says:

    bet we’ll see a difference in the Edinburgh Huns when we play the soap dodgers on Wednesday as for the Ayrshire Huns well less said the better

    God no wonder Murray’s looking for money he must’ve paid off half the teams in Scotland

    F**k them this team ARE going to bring greatness back to Paradise

    HAIL HAIL LONG LIVE THE REVOLUTION!!!!!!!!!!111111111

  • lenny4myth2 says:

    LENNON IS OUR LEADER, LENNON IS OUR LEADER, LA LA LA LA! LA LA LA LA! LENNON IS OUR LEADER, LENNON IS OUR LEADER LA LA LA LA! LA LA LA LA!

  • Sean says:

    love the imagery!

    As I always have done, I will not concede the fact that anything is over until it actually, mathmatically and impossibly is over.

    A defeatist attitude is not the place to go to right now celts. I know it seems like the huns could have it in the bag now, but who knows what can happen in football.

    I would take the league on goal difference right now myself!

    IT AINT OVER JUST YET!

    p.s.LOTW been having a few issues computer wise, access and so forth. Given me time to work on a special image. Not far away from finishing it now.

    • lordofthewing says:

      cheers, a picture saves a thousand words.

      since Black Wednesday – I’ve just named it that – I have noticed a change in the support. We are annoyed that we have thrown it away but we are all looking forward. The foundations are being laid.

  • Kevin-Barry Causer says:

    Lets go back to 2010 and a sunny April day at Hampden,from those of us who trudged home disconsolately, to fans who slumped in their armchairs in shock or those Tims who drowned their sorrows in the local ale house when the full time whistle sounded to signify a horrifying 2-0 loss to Ross County, who could have predicted the progress that would be made at Celtic in season 2010/2011 under the stewardship of Lenny? Come on be honest! Mr Lennon inherited a squad that had been given a Frontal Loboto-Mowbray.
    We do possess enough quality and fight to beat anyone in the SPL, thats been illustrated on several occasions but theres also that brittle and fragile streak that presents itself all too often and is as yet incurable. Ok its still possible that there will be green and white ribbons on the League Championship Trophy on May 15th but I’m checking into Hotel Pessimism by saying lets win the Scottish Cup and focus on next season x x

    • lordofthewing says:

      here here, I want a team that will dominate for years not just a season. we are laying those foundations.

  • Referees in SPL
    —————-
    Not all referees are bias.
    Not all referees are cunningly bias.
    Not all referees are blatantly bias.
    But all cunningly, blatantly bias referees are Prodestant.
    The majority of all referees in Scotland are Prodestant.
    Scotland is the most cunning,blantant anti-catholic country in the world.
    Probability will always exceed possibility.
    That is why Rangers football players on probability will always have a
    twelve man.

    Andrew Oliver

    • lordofthewing says:

      what a strange post in the context of the blog post it’s on. i don’t dig the prodestant accusation – having been christened one myself – but I blame Hugh Dallas for the state of the refs. He fast-tracked too many clones.

  • bobocop says:

    Complain about it to the Pope Andrew. After all, he is the head of the one true church and is in contact daily with Him. If God can’t pull just a tiny teensy weensy minor miracle for the faithful the what’s the point. I mean it’s not as if He’s busy doing anything else and think how packed the pineapples would be if he pulled it off .

  • lenny4myth2 says:

    imagine there was a catholic priest referee who was excellent at his job with a name like ronan o’neill, would he ever get an opportunity to officiate in the spl, and would he be given a chance to referee a glasgow derby? in all honesty who believes that could ever happen? if not, why not? just curious what people think.

    • lordofthewing says:

      Off course not. He would get bombs sent to him.

      • lenny4myth2 says:

        it wouldn’t get that far, he wouldn’t get a game in the spl, be lucky to get a game in scottish football at any level and everyone in scotland knows it, yet they will all insist there’s no bias, bigotry or racism in the spl and sfa.

        • lordofthewing says:

          I know a guy who got to Grade One status. Comes from a Celtic background. He told me that it’s the press culture of how they report incidents that influences decisions, not background, religion or favoritism. They know that they will get an easier time if a 50/50 or dubious decision goes R*ngers way rather than Celtic’s way. He said it was discussed openly in training sessions.

          That’s Hugh Dallas for you. Live in fear of image. Not in fear of wrong doing.

          The guy was demoted. He was terrible, right enough.

  • bobocop says:

    Lets really push the boat out and try to imagine a black american president with a muslim background.
    No, I know, just too ridiculous to contemplate.

    • lordofthewing says:

      That birth certificate was fake….:-)

      • bobocop says:

        The “fakeover” was too.

        • rfc+sfa=cheats says:

          wont know if the year long fakeover was fake for about a year, the ragers board still believe it’s a fakeover and they have been going over whytes finances for a year so who am i to argue.
          yes obama in the white house, amazing, especially after the dominant white protestant middle and upper class in american trying their best to stop “a black” from becoming president. even to this day trying their best to get rid of him by coming out with crap about him not being an american, i suppose its a similar feeling with the racists here as there, “his dads from ghana so hes not american,” “his mothers irish so hes not scottish.” he gives us hope for the future, one day scotland might evolve and turn its back on racism and bigotry.

        • rfc+sfa=cheats says:

          and of course i dont mean all middle/upper class white protestant americans, a hard core were opposed and used some nasty and underhand tactics to derail obama.

        • bobocop says:

          I think we know the reality of the fakeover.
          Those proddy white middle class yanks. The nearest they’ve got to an aristocracy is those wealthy white Kennedys.

        • rfc+sfa=cheats says:

          Exactly! Me lumping a huge section of America as all being the same as a each other, and as different from everybody else is RIDICULOUS! Yet you think it applies to Celtic supporters, Catholics, members of the Catholic Clergy? All Catholic people are individuals, as are Protestants. Many people of Catholic faith, even in the Clergy, have done fantastic, outstanding work in science, Catholic people have made huge impacts in medicine, astrology and also been responsible for helping millions of people in so many ways.

  • harrybhoy says:

    I dont understand how the players couldnt be motivated at half time in inverness..surely somethin along the lines of ‘WAKE UP for f**ks sake we’re playin for a title here’ was used? among others, how would that not garner a response? keep it tight at the back and lets work on that goal we need..
    there are good fitba players in the team..I’m still in shock..havin said that, we have a young team and lennon is the man for the job..its over till its over

    • lordofthewing says:

      I think the team got a bollocking at half time and maybe went into their shells. Lennon has been a bit softly softly in the last few days.

  • chiefinkorea says:

    I’m still fully behind Lennon – overall a great job under very difficult circumstances. However, unlike some fans, I don’t believe he should be immune from criticism and both he and the players messed up big time on Wednesday. At times in Inverness, I thought he and the rest of them looked stunned and clueless. While I accept the improvement, the job remit is always to win the league and having had it in our hands and give it away (or at least put it back in their hands)so feebly is galling.

    However, we need stability and this manager and team have huge potential. We have played some great stuff this season but can be frustratingly inconsistent and still lack a few more natural leaders. I worry that losing Kayal and Ledley for these 3 games makes it tougher for us to win our games never mind rely on them dropping points. That said, who knows, maybe we’ll get a miracle.

    My initial reaction was not to care about the Scottish Cup. But the team needs to experience winning something and the final against McCall’s lot will be huge so we need to be united and get behind the team for the rest of the season.

    Wednesday still hurts but we are supporters not glory-hunters!! Remember the 90s? This is great fun!!

    • lordofthewing says:

      We are drinking from the furry cup of positivity now. As I have said many times and been ridiculed for it by those who feared their supposed superiority was in danger by a club and a man they find inferior so much so that they decided to send bombs that success is not only measured by winning and if thats your only measurement of success then your life is sad and shallow and tuesday is giro day.

      We have got our Celtic back. It’s not perfect but is fecking loveable!

    • bobocop says:

      Yes Chiefinkorea!! How I loved those nineties.

      • lordofthewing says:

        I loved the 90s as well. They were great times and showed there was a lot more to Celtic than winning tin pots.

  • ianin440 says:

    Initially I though that Ki should have played in midweek to make a stronger midfield. However when I saw the pictures I thought that it was the defence that let us all down.
    The first ICT goal sees Charlie claiming off side and holding back. Izzy gave a half hearted attempt to stop the cross but Charlie didn`t catch up on Rooney to win the tackle.
    Goal two, poor marking. Grant Munro didn`t move from his starting position at the corner.
    Goal three poor clearing header by Dan but the attempt to play for an offside wasn`t quick enough.Aas for the break aways that could have been goals 4 and 5. The central defenders were shocking as they were just after Commons` goal when Rooney had a good chance.
    Generally the pitch didn`t suit our passing style and the midfield was by-passed which didn`t allow the team to dictate the match.
    The manager picked a team at Perth to handle this situation. I think he was fooled at ICT by the pitch looking better than it was and he went with a football playing team.
    Rugby Park? Is that a football pitch? 🙂

    • lordofthewing says:

      The midfield never picked up any second balls. We were out numbered. Ki should have started.

      The manager should have changed his tactics to suit the pitch during the game. He didn’t.

  • ianin440 says:

    Cheers Kevin, good point about the second balls. 🙂

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