Hand on Heart – An honest preview

They’ve got a Driver, we’ve got a Ki (I’m not talking about Top Gear although presumably their fans may have some).

They’ve got a Black, we’ve got a Brown (Nothing racial nor is it about snooker, even though Roger Black could do a better job for them).

They’ve got a Balogh, we have a pair (A ballsy side that is).

We’ve got an Irish following and O’Dea, they’ve got Elliot and David Obua (Isn’t he from Donegal?).

That’s right folks the net big fixture for the Hoops are Hearts. Once they were like a constant gigantic thorn in our side that Alan Titchmarsh would be proud of but now they are more like a jabbing three year old that wants a go on the swing next but they ain’t having a go ever. In footballing terms recently and in playground terms we may as well have been saying “Now feck off and play on the seesaw like you normally do”, even though they did come in-between (Don’t worry its not a Wayne Rooney story) the old firm  finishing below Celtic and above Rangers, they never seem to keep hold of that small Gulf they clawed back that very season.

In the seasons that followed they seem to lose their stalwart players as such. They lost Hartley, Gordon, Bednar, Pressley, Laryea and now in the present they seem to be losing the battle, and from my opinion, to keep their only real asset that is left, Andrew Driver with a string of English clubs linked to him.

We need to remember though that on the occasion Hearts do up their game against the Old Firm sides, no matter how weak their squads have seemed. Look at last December when Hearts youngster Templeton set up the winner in a 2-1 loss for the Celts. Lennon will be wary of what Hearts have to offer and what they could do to us as a team unit if Celtic lose concentration and primarily ball retention.

The Hearts manager Jim Jefferies is as experienced as any lady any english premiership footballer has paid good money for, he will set out a side to stem Celtics attacking options and more than likely a team that will counter the Bhoys upfield advances.

Loovens and Majstorovic could have their hands full with Kevin Kyle and Stephen Elliot possibly running the frontline for the Jamtarts, so they will have to be on their games. I believe Majstorvic and Glenn will have enough to control that proposed attacking option with Majstorovic being able to track Kyle using his great experience with strikers similar to Kyle which he has run into on the continent. Big Glenn will have to call upon his previous experience and his English Championship run ins with Elliot whilst he was at Cardiff and Elliot at Wolves and Preston.

Another point in Celtics favour is the fact that Hearts team captain, Marius Zaliukas, seems to be having some contract trouble at Tynecastle and with his future in doubt, Jefferies may be forced to push Zaliukas down the pecking order as his concentration is not on his football. Zaliukas is a key player for Hearts and without him their side is a tad weaker. They would lack a solid leader and lose out on the capabilities of a decent defender which would all play in the Bhoys favour come the weekend.

The only place to turn to now is what state the Celtic squad will be in after the International break. Will we have injuries? Hopefully not (Fingers crossed), will we have a team full of tired players? I should not expect our finely tuned players to have a problem with tiredness nor do I expect our returning lads to be any more the pumped for the match ahead than they normally would.

I expect a win against Hearts, obviously, but it will be again another closely contested encounter I predict. I think we will edge it with a goal coming from Big Sammy.

I now pass this out to the masses.

Do you think Hearts have the capabilities to spoil another Celtic outing?

Do you think the international break will have its effects on the side?

What are your expectations on the match ahead?

Please put your answers on the back of a Irn Bru bottle in pink ink and send them to your nearest Woolworths or secondly and most of all easiest, just post a comment.

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