GUEST BLOG: REMEMBER WHEN #1 – WHEN ARTUR BORUC WAS THE KING.

The first in a new series looking at Celtic memories – both good and bad – comes from the marvelously monikered Prince Trollface and deals with Celtic cult hero Artur Boruc.

“Remember when Artur Boruc was one of the best goalkeepers in Europe ?”

Celtic fans can be slightly guilty of overhyping players who have stood out from the drab collection of averageness in our domestic league, or have made a decent start to their careers at Parkhead. For example, Badr El Kaddouri was up there with Lizarazu after an impressive showing on his debut against Motherwell. Massimo Donati was as conquering as Mussolini for a while and there was every possibility Maceij Zurawski would go onto terrorise SPL defences for years after an excellent debut season for the team.

One thing that can’t be denied, however, is just how good Artur Boruc was, on his day. Now there were also days in which he played like Artur the Aardvark from CBBC but this is not focusing on the games he was too fat to get down to a Kenny Miller scuffed shot at Ibrox and continually concede speculative efforts at Easter Road.

With Fraser Forster playing out of his skin for the past couple of seasons, especially in the Champions League, a stage which Boruc rarely let us down, it’s easy to forget just how superb the big Pole was for us.

Here is, in my opinion, his top five games for us :

5. Rangers 1-1 Celtic, December 2006.

In a match we were expected to run over the top of our rivals, it was a match in which Boruc truly showed how much of an asset he was in games against Rangers. Whereas the likes of Gordon Marshall, Jonathan Gould, Robert Douglas and many other Celtic goalkeepers have froze at Ibrox, Boruc revelled in the hateful atmosphere. It was all very pantomimey as well though, with their fans brewing in rage at his terrible actions of blessing himself (Crime, of course) – it did nothing but seem to inspire him as time and time again he saved his best performances at the home of ‘them’. In this match, he pulled off two world class saves, from Novo and Svensson. He could do nothing about their equaliser, a deflected strike from Brahim Hemdani, but saved every Celtic fan from phoning in a sicky at their work the next day by saving a one on one from the meathead himself, Filip Sebo. Many a Rangers fan would go home that night and boot fuck out of their wife/son/dog. And it would all be down to the heroics of the wind up merchant in between the sticks.

4. Benfica 1-0 Celtic. October, 2007.

Celtic’s record in Portugal was dire. And still is, to this day. When we faced Benfica in the CL in 2007, with a defence of Caldwell at right back, Naylor at left back and McManus and Kennedy at centre half, you assumed we’d be on the end of a doing. And that was just from Gary Caldwell. However, that night, Celtic came within three minutes of a point at the Estadio De Luz, all due to the incredible performance of Boruc. Fingertip stops to deny Rui Costa, Rodriguez and Cardozo, several times, increased his value and made him the most hated man in Portugal since Gerry McCann. Sadly, Angel Di Maria’s wonderful pass found Oscar Cardozo, who’s finish had to be special to beat Artur, and it was, as he stabbed a left foot shot into the top corner to give Benfica three points. It’s a testament to the stopper he kept them at bay so long when it could so easily have been curtains at half time.

3. Celtic 1-0 Manchester United. November 2006.

A game that will be remembered for the best Japanese set piece since Pearl Harbour to many, it’s also one which confirmed Artur Boruc’s status as one of Europe’s top keepers. A Celtic team with a midfield of Evander Sno, Thomas Gravesen and Neil Lennon had no right to even dream of beating a Man Utd side on the top of their game and top of their leagues (Domestic and European). But they did, thanks to a save that many Celtic fans will still remember clearly. Saha stepped up, eventually, and his left footed effort was palmed to safety by an on form Boruc. The eruption at Celtic Park matched the decibels when Cadete scored the fifth against Aberdeen. United knew they weren’t getting their draw. Celtic knew they were getting through to the last sixteen for the first time in their history. Boruc knew he was getting a Three-In-One on the house that night !

2. Celtic 1-1 Spartak Moscow

One of the most thrilling games ever in our history ended in memorable fashion. Maxim Kalinichenko, tired and emotionally drained, stepped up to take a crucial penalty in front of a hostile Jock Stein stand, and watched in predictable horror as Artur Boruc threw himself to his left to send Celtic through to the Champions League group stages. He sprinted off bursting into a dodgy dance routine seen only in the ‘G2’ section of The Garage, as the players, complete with the late Thomas Burns, ran to mob him and pay their gratitude towards his vital part in ensuring CL football for the second successive season. The two penalty saves, as impressive as they were, weren’t even the highlight of his display. The only reason Spartak didn’t have the game wrapped up within half an hour was down to Boruc. Vladimar Bystrov terrorised Lee Naylor time and time again down the right wing to carve numerous chances for the Russians, who were denied repeatedly by the Polish international. Ultimately, the bottle of Venegoor Of Hesselink, composure of Scott McDonald and the energy of Scott Brown were just as important as Boruc’s goalkeeping, but this is all about the big man who shall recieve as many plaudits as possible.

1. AC Milan 1-0 Celtic. March 2007.

Football’s a cruel game. You can sit up in front of the couch on Transfer Deadline day for 18 hours only to see your club sign Mo Bangura. You can give pelters to Allan McGregor for 90 minutes and watch him squirm only to see him give you the ‘GIRFUY’ with seconds to go as he’s had the last laugh. You can appreciate a breathtaking goalkeeping display at the San Siro where it’s not the home one receiving such credit, but the Celtic one, only to see one moment of brilliance upstage him and bring his world crashing down on him. Boruc may have made several stunning saves since this particular match in his Celtic career but he’s never had a better all round performance. Every cross was caught, every throughball was mopped up and just about every shot was bettered by a defiant Boruc. Kaka, Pirlo, Maldini and Seedorf were all denied by an outstanding keeper at his absolute best. The save from Seedorf remains the best I have ever seen him make. In the end, 3 minutes into extra time, a burst of energy from Kaka took him away from a tired Lennon, a simple but effective drop of the shoulder beat McManus and the Brazilian coolly slottted under a despairing Holy Goalie. There was no shame in losing to the eventual Champions League winners that season, who would go on to thrash Bayern Munich & Manchester United and easily dispose of Liverpool in the final. Amazingly, Milan won that with the diddy that is Dida in goals. Had they Boruc, would they even have conceded a goal ?

Any I’ve missed ? Any you think should be there in place of my entries ?

Let’s be hearing them!

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