I remember my uncle gave me a big horn from his work the day beforehand. He was working on the railways and it was that thing that’s blown to warn workers of an oncoming train. Shamefully I was more excited about sneaking that into the stadium and annoying people with it than actually seeing us win the league!
It was roasting that day as well. Glasgow’s heatwave was ridiculous. It resembled Benidorm on Saturday 9th May 1998. Many punters nervously shifted to the game with their ‘taps aff’ (Cheers Suzie McGuire) showing off physiques as refined as the whiskey distilled nearby at the Gallowgate. The queue for the turnstiles were packed as well. And this was at 2.15pm!

I’d be lying if I could recall the pre-match atmosphere but was likely a combination of excitement and utter dread. The thought of losing the league at home was just unthinkable. The thought of Richard Gough lifting another title at Tannadice that day was sickening. Equaling our record at the same ground the previous season was already bad enough. The way we threw it away at East End Park the previous week was justification for ‘whiteying’.

I did what I do best. Go and stand in a queue for ages to get a large drink, initially. Which then turns into a drink and a pie. With another in the pocket. And some chocolate. And moaned about it. I complained then and I still do now. Only back then I wasn’t paying for it.

Gametime. 3pm. Both matches kick off simultaneously. You have two types of fans in title deciders. You have the supporters who watch the game, focus intensely and blank out everything until the pressure is off. And you have those absolute saddo’s with the portable radio’s, listening out for the score elsewhere. But there was one particular fan, who still sits a few rows behind me to this day, who listened out for EVERY score in the UK. In a football match of this importance, even as a young guy the height of an office chair, I found that pathetic.

’2-0 COLCHESTER!’ , ’1-1 WITH DERBY!’ ‘VIALLI FOR CHELSEA 1-0 AT CHARLTON’.

This bonehead shall remain nameless, but if he’s reading, I’d just like to say on behalf of the  North Stand, Block 102 :  NO ONE CARES ABOUT THE SCORE ELSEWHERE. WE HAVE MOBILE NETWORKS NOW. WE HAVE WIFI AT CELTIC PARK (I think……..) – WE NO LONGER NEED YOUR SERVICES.

Anyway :

Below is The King wheeling away after making it 1-0 with a screamer past Alan ‘Leave It Ally’ Main.

10 minutes into the game my drink was finished. Celtic’s catering staff are the opposite of your man in Oliver Twist. They give you a lot of juice if you ask for it. Now it’s a sweltering day as I said, I’m a wee guy as I’ve mentioned so naturally, my wee Di and Dodi needs the liquid more than anyone else. However, as I stupidly sometimes still do at the games, I offered a few people next to me the juice. When it’s passed back to me within 20 seconds it’s as empty as the profit sheet at Ibrox. Obliterated. Decimated. Whitewashed.

So for the rest of the first half I was in a right mood that could have been so much worse had George O’Boyle not headed over, unmarked may I add, from a cross which Johnny ‘Ave goat this’ Gould was nowhere near.

Half time. 1-0. Tunes are played. Things are muttered. I’m still in a mood. I asked my Granda for some change for more Fanta down at the Food bit. ‘JUST TAKE WHAT YOU NEED’ he says. ‘But Granda this is a tenner…’ ‘A DON’T CARE JUST  DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO’ ‘Awrite……..’.

I missed about 10 minutes of the second half just to get that juice. I needed that juice. When I necked it all, without sharing it, I was a different boy. The fire had risen. I was right in about it. Shouting abuse at Keith O’Halloran like I was a hardman when he was taking a shy.

Later on news filtered through that the Romeo’s were leading 2-1 at Tannadice, which wasn’t that suprising as Dundee Utd weren’t invincible  at home, however this a day where Rangers were definitely going to get their win, regardless, so it was all up to us.

Usually when clouds gather they say it’s bad news, but it turned out to be the opposite that day. For a start – it was the end of the hands over the forehead to see the game properly and the players seemed to step up a gear no longer sapped by Mr Sun.

70 odd minutes and this happens :

Harald Brattbakk, who deservedly received his fair share of pelters, swept home after a brilliant cross by Jackie Mac. Party time!

The next 20 minutes were fairly routine on the park. Off it – bedlam. At one point there was a guy in my row sitting CRYING. Actually greetin’. And fair play to that man. I think that symbolises how much winning the game actually meant. It was worth a good greet for.

At full time this was happening :

Everyone was running on the park, stewards were helpless, the polis were hapless and it was just a free-for-all.

Me ? I was sitting with that big stupit railway horn blowing it in some guys ear. He wanted to leather me. And I don’t blame him one bit. He probably has some form of inner lug damage now. Aw well.

All I remember about afterwards after the celebrations was driving through the East End with the scarf out the window and for once being about to gloat about winning something major. Which was nice.

Tommy Burns: The Quadrilogy
Part 2- The Manager

Sometimes, with hindsight, you can see why something wasn’t meant to be.

Fergus McCann invited Tommy Burns back to Celtic under subsequently controversial circumstances, in 1994. On an emotional level it was a genius move- the Prodigal Son back to lead the resurgence of the club following the on-field disasters & off-field drama that had been the mark of Celtic during the early 1990’s. On almost every other level it was a risky move, a young manager moving from a smaller club and, despite huge respect from the fans for his contribution as a player, potentially ill-equipped to deal with a club still going through massive transition & internal upheaval.

Tommy’s first season was hampered from the start by the decision to play our home games at the soulless Hampden Park due to the massive reconstruction plans swinging into place at Celtic Park. I don’t think it can be overestimated just how difficult it was for players & fans that season, with a side going through much-needed upgrading having to play in front of patchy crowds in a terrible ground. I’m not one for using excuses but that was easily my least enjoyable season as a Celtic supporter enduring that hellhole on a semi-regular basis. On the field it was clear that a League challenge was a long-term plan, so the quick fix of a Cup was the desired way forward, after 5 barren seasons. Right on cue we made it to the League Cup Final to play Raith Rovers, overconfidence amongst the supporters kicked in and probably spilled over to the players on the day. Talking of spilled, Gordon Marshall…..the penalty shoot-out that followed the unlikely 2-2 draw will forever be etched in the memory of those who witnessed it. Me, I just remember Paul McStay being consoled by Tommy, both great Celtic men devastated by one of the biggest humblings in our history.

Plan B was the Scottish Cup. Tommy’s signings were by the turn of the year starting to make a real impact on the performances of the team, with Tosh McKinley & Pierre van Hooijdonk in particular in stunning form. And so it would be these two men who would combine to create the solitary goal in a win over Oldco Airdrie (the one Jim Traynor supported) which was marked by Peter Grant’s best ever game in a Celtic jersey & Tommy Burns & Billy Stark’s wild celebrations at the end. The drought was over- time for the title!

Except life isn’t like that….off the park rumours were rife of a bad working relationship between TB and the autocratic Chief Executive who, having put his own money on the line to save the club, had no intention of letting a football manager lecture him on how to spend it. Tommy’s second season was marked with inconsistent results and small steps forward in squad strength & team cohesion, but no trophies. Meanwhile Rangers racked up their 8th consecutive title & the real risk became apparent that Jock Stein’s glorious 9 In A Row record was starting to look vulnerable. 1996/97 was a vital season for Tommy, the club, and the fans.

I might as well declare at this point where I diverge from most of the Celtic fans I know: I hated the 1996/97 season from start to finish. In particular, I detested the cult of personality that sprung up around Paulo Di Canio, whom I regarded as an objectionable on field presence capable of utter genius and rampant stupidity, often within seconds of each other. His sending-off at home against Hearts was a perfect example: 2-1 down with minutes left, we were awarded a penalty, which PDC coolly dispatched past the keeper. However, in the act of retrieving the ball from the net he managed to get into a fight with Craig Levein and was red-carded before we even had time to push on for the inevitable late surge for the winner. Add the off-field divisiveness between ‘south’ and ‘north’ Europeans, the Ian Ferguson nonsense, the subsequent “leetle problem”…the guy let Tommy’s faith in him down over and over again.

The 1996/97 season nailed the Tommy Burns era as manager perfectly for me. At our best we played breathtaking, flowing football & scored goals for fun: however inevitably we’d need to as we were equipped with one of the most terrifying defences in living memory, capable of moments of utter comedy at any time. Results-wise we were much improved on previous seasons & genuinely challenged Rangers for most of the season- however, three defeats to them, one in each domestic competition, were ultimately to be our undoing, and yet another season ended trophy-less. Almost more importantly, the mystique of 9IAR was gone.

The inevitable followed quite soon after the end of the season, with Tommy at first being offered, and refusing, a post overseeing the club’s Youth Development setup (especially ironic & bittersweet given his success in an identical role on returning to the club some years later), followed by his dismissal as manager soon after. For those of us who loved Tommy it was a painful time, seeing him try to act with dignity through his obvious hurt and devastation. However, as with most of Fergus’s big decisions from 1994-99, it was subsequently proven to be the right one for everyone involved. Tommy loved the club, everyone could see that, but he was the right man for the right job at the wrong time.

Tommy would return to Celtic some years later, firstly as an interim addition to the coaching staff under Kenny Dalglish, then as an integral part of the development of the club under Martin O’Neill and Gordon Strachan. I’m personally convinced that Tommy would have been a great Celtic manager if he’d taken the job at a more settled time- unfortunately history books will show only one trophy won during his time at the helm, however his important role in steadying the club following the traumatic events of early 1994 was crucial, and went some way toward creating the foundations that others, MON in particular, would build upon.

This series of articles on TB will continue with Part 3- the Tommy Burns Supper.

You can find the author on Twitter: @pault1888

A series of articles on the late Tommy Burns by PaulT begins with a look at his playing career:

Tommy Burns: The Quadrilogy

Part 1- The Player

When I decided to write something for The Celtic Blog to mark the upcoming 5^th anniversary of the passing of Tommy Burns, I felt it was impossible to tell my version of his story in a single piece. Therefore I’m going to try & relay this in a short series of four themed articles, starting with Part 1- The Player.

I grew up in central Scotland in the ‘70’s & ‘80’s, against a backdrop firstly of Labour incompetence, followed by Thatcher’s assault on Scottish heavy industry and the colossal impact it had on working class people. I came from a very happy one-parent family: my mother worked two jobs to provide us with a decent standard of living whilst, as was all too commonly the norm in those days, my father did his absolute damnedest to avoid other than his minimum obligations to help us. My early football leanings had been entirely influenced by the key people in my life: my extended family had a long tradition of being Hibs supporters and, duly, I’d been taken to Easter Road by my uncle at an early age to see the fantastic Turnbull’s Tornadoes of the early ‘70’s, probably the best Scottish team never to win a League title due to the ongoing dominance of Mr. Stein’s Celtic. However, it was never really my team- I had the sense that everyone wanted me to enjoy it, and to be honest as an occasion I always did, but I never felt like it was MY team.

In 1977 that all changed. I remember sitting down to watch the Scottish Cup Final with my friend Kevin & our two mothers: I’d no great affinity to either side but, as I knew Kev was a huge Celtic fan, I’d half-heartedly agreed to support them that day too. Then I saw the tracksuit tops. Brilliant white, huge green collars, worn with numbered shorts & white socks, lining up to meet the dignitaries. That was it. Something just clicked, and Celtic was MY team. The result was enjoyable obviously, but regardless of how that game might have finished, my life was forever changed that day.

My outstanding memory of the day isn’t the controversial penalty award, or the coolly-converted Andy Lynch finish, or indeed the fact that it was Kenny’s last game in the Hoops: no, the thing that always comes into my mind when I think back is the look of joy on the face of the flame-haired Celtic substitute that day, unused during the game but as delighted as anyone else involved in that famous Double-winning triumph. That was Tommy Burns in a nutshell.

From that point forward he was my guy. Every one of my friends had a favourite player at the club, but I stood alone in wanting to be Tommy. Despite being a fairly average & totally right-footed defender as a player, in my mind I was a left-footed genius, capable of doing virtually anything with the ball & of conjuring up the spectacular, along with being a flash-tempered, occasionally vicious, moaning-faced get on the park (the one facet of TB’s game I was able to fairly easily master). I was lucky- I saw a Celtic side that overcame and, alongside the stunning emergence of Aberdeen & Dundee United, killed off any serious challenge from Rangers for a decade. It was full of great players, of hard workers, of the occasional liability, but more often than not we challenged for the League & were there or thereabouts in one or other of the cups. Virtually throughout it all was Tommy, save occasional injury, suspension or managerial fall-outs!

I’ve a few treasured memories of Tommy as a player, including one of the most hilarious red cards I’ve ever seen, where Tommy managed to get sent off for dissent whilst walking off the park to be substituted by Anton Rogan at Love Street! However, if I’m honest, the thing I treasured most about him was that he was one of us- he looked devastated along with us when things were tough, and in the high points he was the most elated & joyful man amongst us, no matter the size of the crowd. It mattered to Tommy- he believed in the Club and, whilst at times like any other working man he fought for the best deal for him & his family, you got the feeling that he’d be there for ever. In a team full of leaders, everyone on & off the park looked to him for inspiration.

I met the man once during his playing days- at a supporter’s club function in Livingston toward the tail end of the Centenary Season. It probably was just another handshake at just another dinner/dance for him, but to a young(ish) guy who’d worn a slipper on his right foot to play football at PE, in a vain attempt to strengthen his left foot to Burns-esque proportions, it meant everything. Star struck doesn’t even come close: other than my ongoing Clare Grogan obsession, Tommy was my idol. My stupid questions were treated with patience & good grace, he made a few wisecracks which the mists of time and copious alcohol intake on the night have ensured I’ve completely forgotten, and then he moved on to speak to the next guy. I still remember how I felt in that exact moment. I still smile when I think of it.

In a lot of ways I can pin the decline of Celtic from 1989 to the mid-‘90’s McCann era on the departure of Tommy (and also, to be fair, Roy Aitken), which, to a large extent, ripped the heart out of an already-flagging team. Tommy’s last game was a bizarre friendly against Ajax in December 1989 which finished 1-0 to us (or 0-0 if, like my good friend Martin Lynch, you got into the Main Stand late, didn’t realise we’d scored in the first minute & spent the whole journey home moaning about going to a shite game on a freezing cold night to watch a goalless draw, without anyone feeling the need to correct him). Tommy was on the brink of joining Kilmarnock and, at a prearranged point after an hour’s largely uneventful play, the ref stopped the game to let Tommy say his goodbyes to the Jungle as he came to us & threw his boots in. Football is only a game, its almost ridiculous to admit to crying over it, but I wept that night like I’d lost a friend. The sheer emotion surging from the crowd onto the pitch at that point has lived with me ever since.

There have been better players at Celtic Park over the years undoubtedly, but few have been or ever will be as committed to the Club as Tommy was. More importantly on a personal level, none of them will ever be what Tommy Burns was to me.

This series of articles on TB will continue with Part 2- The Manager.

You can find the author on Twitter: @pault1888

Celtic made changes from last weekend’s defeat at Motherwell, with Zaluska replacing Forster in goal, Gershon starting alongside Wilson at the back, Commons and Ledley returning, Efe Ambrose in midfield, and Watt and Stokes up front.

And it was Stokes who gave Celtic the perfect start after four minutes, turning in a shot from a Kris Commons corner. After the goal the game went into a bit of a lull, but slowly Ross County became the better side, and it was no surprise they equalised four minutes from half-time, Vigurs hammering a shot into the top corner. There then followed the most controversial moment of the game, as on the stroke of half-time Watt put Celtic into the lead, but the goal was disallowed for off-side, replays showed that Watt was clearly on.

In the second half Celtic’s best chance came when an Ambrose header was cleared off the line, replays showed that the officials got this one right. Stokes had a shot tipped over the bar, whilst Zaluska made a save from Lawson and Wohlfarth headed over. Not even the introduction of Paddy McCourt could change the game, as it petered out into a 1-1 draw.

The main talking point is of course the disallowed goal, who knows what the outcome of the game could have been if it had stood. Despite this Celtic’s performance, especially in the second half was poor, with Ambrose’s performance in midfield showing why he’s usually played in defence. On the plus side Kelvin Wilson had another solid game, and it was good to see Kris Commons get some game time before the cup final.  Celtic’s use of substitutions was a bit odd, as the likes of Atajic and Keatings were on the bench but not used, surely it would have been a better idea to bring one of them on rather than Kayal in the 89th minute? It should also be said that the awful pitch, which resembled a sand pit, was not conducive to good football.

I suppose it is hard for these players to get motivated as the league title is already won, but the recent domestic performances – especially away from home – have been very poor, indeed we haven’t won an SPL game away from home since we played Inverness in February. With the cup final coming up in three weeks, it is vital that Lennon and the players rediscover their from, or a season which promised so much could end on a damp squib.

The title run-in had been overshadowed by a dispute between manager Wim Jansen and chairman Fergus McCann, with the news breaking that Jansen had a ‘break’ in his contract, which Jansen had not denied. This off-field dispute seemed to affect the club on the pitch, as Celtic stuttered in the run-in, the week before this game drawing 0-0 with doomed to relegation Hibs. Rangers had also stuttered, losing 1-0 at Aberdeen. So Celtic had a one point lead with two games left, before Rangers’ defeat gave us the chance of going four points ahead.

The team selected included the tough center- back partnership of Rieper and Stubbs, the goalscoring midfielder Craig Burley, with Henrik Larsson supported by Simon Donnelly up front. The Celtic fans outnumbered the Dunfermline fans hugely, with large sections of Celtic fans in the Dunfermline ends of the ground.

Celtic obviously didn’t want to let this large support down, and began the game at a ferocious pace, hunting down the ball at every opportunity, the first chance coming when Donnelly robbed a Pars defender, but hit his shot right into the arms of goalie Ian Westwater. Celtic’s next chance was a Henrik Larsson free-kick, which deflected just past the post, but it wasn’t long before the breakthrough arrived.

In the 35th minute, Simon Donnelly ran on to a great pass from Larsson to hammer the ball past Westwater. Cue scenes of mayhem as the fans celebrated the goal that would surely send the title home. Celtic almost increased our lead before half-time, Larsson having a shot saved, but as the half-time whistle went, the score remained 1-0 and Celtic were 45 minutes away from the title.

The second half started as a replica of first, Celtic in control. O’Donnell and Donnelly both coming close before Larsson hit the post. Celtic were then denied what looked like a stonewall penalty when Ireland barged Larsson off the ball in the box – but the ref didn’t give it. That decision was to prove costly as with 7 minutes remaining Dunfermline equalised. A free kick was flighted into the box and sub Craig Faulconbridge’s header looped over Jonathan Gould and into the net, to send the Pars fans wild.

However, there was still time for Celtic yet, and we came very close to winning the game in a frantic finale. Morten Weighorst had a shot cleared, and from the resulting corner his header was parried by Westwater and then cleared off the line by McCulloch.

The final whistle then blew, and the fans were devastated. Celtic had blown the chance to win the title. However, a look at the table showed that Celtic were still in control of our destiny. With one game to go, Celtic were two points ahead, but with the chance to win the title anything could happen. Would Celtic win the league at home to St. Johsntone? Find out next week when ‘On This Day’ returns with it’s next installment – ‘Smell The Glove’!

The Green Brigade.
Charlie Mulgrew.
Peter Lawwell and the PLC board.
Distribution of cup final tickets.
There are a lot of issues dividing the Celtic support these days. In fact, probably the only thing that seems to be uniting the fans is the dislike of what appears to be the new kit.
The most divisive topic is The Gaffer though, Neil Lennon.
The Celtic support isn’t one for a unified approach and attitude though. Never mind notions of #Celticfamily, one of the best things about the club is that it welcomes everyone and everyone has a right to support and to have their own opinion.
When the wheels were falling off in his second season and Lennon was looking a bit precarious, some folk started to have the opinion that he was not cut out for the job. On the field losses, ref bust-ups, arguments, Twitter-time and the unwavering support from some sections of the crowd led a good number of folk to start taking umbrage and upset in everything Neil Lennon did. This has pretty much continued since, through the title triumphs, through the Champions League and through all those bloody days at Hampden. At this point you’re probably full on We Are Neil Lennon or Get The Gaffer To F***.
For me and this campaign, he has won us the league, the Cup Final can go either way and we made big strides in Europe. There was huge pressure in the qualifiers, if we never made it to the group stages this season would have been horrendous and the club’s finances would have been far from healthy.
Apart from a dodgy ten minute spell in the opening game, the qualifying rounds went like a dream and that was it, European mission accomplished before August was over. To get into the group stages alone was huge but of course, once you’re there, you want to go as far as you can. We had a solid but very boring start against Benfica, we played brightly and with invention in Moscow deservedly winning, we were very unlucky in the Camp Nou, we had the night of the year at home to Barcelona, we underperformed in Lisbon and while we got a bit lucky at home v Spartak, we dug it out.
Any Champions League team that gets 10 points deserves credit. Any team in the Champions League that comes from the fourth pot and has the inexperience and budget we have yet still manage to gain 10 points and second place in the group deserves a hell of a lot of credit.
It wasn’t just luck, there was great tactical play, we were set up well in a lot of the games and credit has to go to Neil Lennon. Again, by the time we got to the Juve game, rather than being glad to be there, there was a feeling of let’s win this too. Which is the right attitude to have but that doesn’t mean people should have been angry at us falling short or getting a score-line gubbing. It is hard to properly judge the home game versus Juventus because they scored early on but we played very well for 70 minutes of that match.
Neil Lennon rightly deserves criticism by playing Efe Ambrose, without hindsight, it seemed a risk. With hindsight it is possibly the worst decision that Lennon has made.  However, in the Champions League the introduction of James Forrest in Moscow worked a treat. The tactics of forcing Barca wide and being disciplined at the back were spot on and have been replicated by other teams since. The throwing on of Tony Watt at home to Barca worked out alright. All of these were big calls made by Lenny and if he had got any of them wrong, they’d have been thrown back in his face.
So for the European report card, which is where we need to be each year, Neil Lennon deserves an almighty amount of credit this year.
As for the league, he has taken his eye off the ball; of course he has as well as the team. I’m not saying it’s right but I think it’s worked in our favour with regards to Europe. I think we could have had this league wrapped up by February or March if we went out all out for it but we may have finished at the bottom of our Champions League group or just about scraped into the Europa League. That’s just my assumption and my reading of it but I think we’d have struggled in Europe if we went full-pelt in the league. For this reason, I’m prepared to back Lennon and hopefully the medical team with their preparation for the cup final. If we lose that, he’ll never hear the end of these holidays and dropped focus from the league but we’ll see what Hampden brings.
It’s a shocking indictment (which Lennon must share some blame but not all) that our squad isn’t equipped to deal with both SPL and CL but I think the management have tried to juggle both competitions. In the end, we achieved our aims in both competitions and I think you have to give Lenny credit for that. The cups…well, if we win the Scottish Cup, he gets a pass from me for domestic cups too, even though the St Mirren semi-final was a black stain on humanity, never mind football.
I think it’s a good thing that we have a manager who has won 2 leagues in a row but will receive criticism for decisions, dropped points and his behaviour at times. I think it’s a really bad thing that a lot of folk have painted themselves into a corner so much that they can’t acknowledge his achievements or provide the praise that the manager or team deserves for their overall achievements this year. I don’t really have an opinion about his Twitter behaviour or how he deals with refs. Yes, the manager of the club should be acting more responsibly but with the abuse I give refs, I’m not going to call others out on it. I also find it funny to see some of the characters slating Lenny for his twitter behaviour and then you take a quick look through their timeline. He is being judged by different criteria and rules obviously but a lot of the abuse he takes is hypocritical at times.
You get the feeling the Scottish Cup final is going to be the decider on whether Neil Lennon and Celtic had a good season in 2012/13. I clearly want us to win and I don’t mind admitting, I don’t care how we do it. If it’s a poorer game than the Joe Doumbe final, I’ll live with it as long as we win. That’s as much for me and my family and my mates but it’s also because if we lose, I think all of the goodness from the season will be obliterated by those moaning about another Hampden loss.
I perhaps need to get a life/wife (delete as applicable) but I enjoy watching Celtic as often as possible and we’ve had a lot of great moments this season, certainly a lot more great moments than many of the seasons I’ve been there week in and week out. A lot of this has to be down to the manager and while I always hope for improvement, Neil Lennon has had pass marks from me for this season.

You can follow the author on Twitter – @andysays78

Celtic made the expected changes as the likes of Ambrose, Wilson, Commons and Ledley were ‘on holiday’. Tomas Rogic made his first start in a while in midfield, Tony Watt was deployed on the wing and Rogne and Mulgrew were the center-halves.

The game began with Motherwell missing a sitter, Hutchinson missing when it seemed easier to score. Kayal then had an effort saved, before James McFadden went on a mazy run before shooting wide. Celtic than had our best spell of the game, Randolph saving a Mulgrew free-kick before denying Hooper from close range after a brilliant Watt cross set Hooper up.

Celtic took the lead in the 40th minute, and again it was down to fine play from Tony Watt, who took advantage of a defense error to cross over Randolph to Gary Hooper, who after hitting the bar with his first attempt rammed the ball into the empty net for his 29th goal of the season. However, Motherwell were level on the stroke of half-time, Lasley setting up Ojamaa, who fired home at the near post. So at half-time it was 1-1.

Only five minutes into the second half, Motherwell were awarded a soft penalty when Mulgrew was adjudged to have tripped Ojamaa. Michael Higdon stepped up and slammed the ball home. Things went from bad to worse five minutes later, when Higdon – who may have been offside – forced Lustig into conceding an own goal to make it 3-1 to Motherwell, to be honest Forster should probably have done better with the goal.

Forster then stopped Celtic from being really embarrassed, firstly saving from a deflected Humphrey shot, then saving from McFadden when it seemed easier for McFadden to score. Celtic’s only real chance came when sub Anthony Stokes hit the post late on but Motherwell ran out deserved winners.

There was always a fear Celtic might ‘down tools’ after winning the league, but I doubt many were expecting a performance as bad as today’s. The only player who can come out of it with any credit is Tony Watt, who worked tirelessly on the wing and was at the heart of the few good things we done today. As for the other fringe players, Rogic played quite well in the first half then faded, whilst Rogne wasn’t very good in defence. To be honest, neither Rogne or Mulgrew played well and I’d doubt if either of them will play at the back in the cup final. Forster continued his recent run of poor form, Kayal started well but faded whilst the likes of Wanyama and Samaras were very quiet.

Now on to the manager, I know this site sometimes has a reputation for criticising Neil Lennon but in this case it’s deserved. His substitutions were odd, doing the usual desperate tactic of throwing on Paddy McCourt to try and save the game, and the fact that Dylan McGeouch ended up playing right-back is just baffling. Why were Atajic, Keatings and Gershon on the bench but not used? This seemed an ideal game to play them in. I’m also a bit concerned about the players being given ‘holidays’ whilst the season is still ongoing. Allowing the likes of Ledley the chance to go to Dubai – then tweeting – about it is a slap in the face to the supporters. The fact that after the game Lennon admitted another five players are off tomorrow means that next week’s trip to Dingwall to face Ross County is almost certainly a write-off. Although who knows, perhaps our youngsters will show more fight than the highly paid first team squad.

Finally, the stats at the beginning of the article show how poorly at times Celtic have played domestically this season. We are playing a dangerous game giving players a ‘holiday’, you can’t just turn form on and off and there is still a huge domestic game to come. It’s beginning to look more and more like the cup final will play a huge part in determining the future of Neil Lennon too, as the cracks cannot constantly be papered over by stating ‘we beat Barca’ ad nauseam. The players seem to not be motivated by what Lennon is doing, it’s up to him and them to try and find a solution before the cup final, as defeat – and only 3 trophies out of a possible 10 won in four seasons – in that game would not be tolerated by a support which seems to be getting increasingly dissatisfied and could mean that the discussions between Lennon and the board at the end of the season become a very tense affair.

Then earlier today, Lennon appeared on ‘Football Focus’ and refused to confirm his future with Celtic, just stating that he will ‘have talks’ with Peter Lawwell and the rest of the board when the season ends. Both sets of comments were interesting for different ways – firstly, I can understand Lennon being annoyed about none of our players being nominated for POTY, but in all honesty none have really been consistent enough in the SPL, not even Kris Commons, undoubtedly our best player in the last couple of months. His reaction was over the top – and not for the first time. Today’s revelations are even more intriguing, as it seems to me that Lennon is waiting to see what will happen with his budget for next season and what players will be staying or going before committing to his future, the decision will have to be made soon as possible as Celtic’s Champions League campaign next season starts in July.

Now the talking must stop for a while as Celtic head to Fir Park to take on second placed Motherwell. It will be a much changed team from last week, as Lennon has opted to give some players time off this week, indeed Joe Ledley has been tweeting from Dubai – which made him look foolish in my opinion, in fact it’d be better if the Celtic hierarchy told everyone on the playing side to take a ‘break’ from twitter. Other players that have been ‘rested’ this week are Ambrose, Wilson and Commons, so there will be a load of changes, especially at the back.

It seems likely that Thomas Rogne – who seems likely to leave at the end of the season – will partner Charlie Mulgrew at the back. It’s a pity about Rogne as seemed to have a bright future at Celtic – he turned in a couple of great performances at Ibrox for example – but since turning down a new contract he has not featured. It wouldn’t surprise me if he featured in all of the games running up the the cup final – but not in the cup final. Adam Matthews and Scott Brown are still out – hopefully both will return in time for the cup final.

It would seem likely that the likes of Rogic, McGeouch and Gershon will feature tomorrow, they haven’t really featured since a fine performance in a 3-1 win at Inverness. Tony Watt, who hasn’t really kicked on this season would also seem a certain starter. It would be good to the see the likes of Atatjic and Chalmers from the development squad featuring too.

As for our opponents, Stuart McCall’s team have done very well this season and are almost guaranteed to finish in second place. Their dangermen are obviously Michael Higdon – who was nominated for POTY – Nicky Law and the talisman James McFadden. It wouldn’t surprise me if McFadden ended up at Celtic next season, as he has done very well at Motherwell this season. He’s still only 30 and has the type of gallus guile and creativity that Celtic currently lack.

The previous games this season against Motherwell have showed both sides of Celtic’s character, firstly a great performance in a 2-0 win at Fir Park early in the season, a hard fought 1-0 win at Parkhead and then a poor performance in a 2-1 defeat at Fir Park in February. Sunday’s game will be tough as Celtic will be playing a side made up mostly of fringe players against a Motherwell side in good form, but these are the types of games the fringe players must shine in to try and get a first team place. A hard fought win would be a fine result.