You have to laugh at Steven Naismith, right? There he was today, in predictably bullish mode prior to coming to Celtic Park tomorrow. He is laser focussed on this one in a way he never is when he’s going up against the team from across the city. It is reflected in everything he does, from the way he talks about his own team to the way he talks about ours.
When it comes to us, the narrative is always about how sure he is that he can get results. There is none of the sycophantic, fan-boy gushing that he reserves for the Ibrox club and its managers.
Two of them have beaten him this season; Clement has done it four times now. Incredibly, Naismith was talking today about how well his team has done against “the Old Firm” and how they’ve grown as a team. Two semi-finals and third in the league.
Some people might regard that as a success. Losers would. It’s a loser mentality. Is that where you want to be when a season starts? One of the top two teams regularly beats you like the proverbial red headed step-child, and you can get to cup semi-finals before the inevitable exit? Naismith’s whole season is about the two results he’s had against us.
This is the basis of the legend in his own mind. That’s his campaign, that’s what keeps him swaggering about like a conqueror.
Of course we’ll face a different Hearts than the one which showed up at Hampden.
That was a given, and not just because the one that showed up for that semi-final at the national stadium was pitifully poor and badly set up. If you were trying to self-sabotage you could not do it better than Naismith did it that day. He let Todd Cantwell, a prancing prima donna who would rather be on a reality show, stroll around in acres of space all afternoon.
No Celtic player will get room like that tomorrow. He will have every player in our faces all the live long day. The very antithesis of how they approached the Hampden game and not resembling anything in the same sport as their craven lie-down to Clement’s team at Ibrox, a 5-0 hammering that had the media drooling … just weeks before Motherwell beat them and the wheels came clattering off the bus. Hearts should be ashamed of that.
We all expect a hard game. We all expect a battle. We expect it not with trepidation but with a certain amount of contempt, contempt not for the Hearts team and its players but for Naismith himself, who cannot bring himself to commit fully to the task when it comes to tackling his favourite club with the same endeavour and passion.
Our contempt comes from knowing that this game will confirm everything we’ve been saying about the semi-final; that he didn’t try a leg, that he didn’t set his team up to win, that he soft-pedalled rather than go all-in. With one last chance at silverware at stake. Absolutely pathetic, and which result notwithstanding tomorrow will look even worse.
It has been glaringly obvious since he began his tenure, that Naismith’s cup finals are ALWAYS against Celtic!
Their two wins against us this season, were well explained by our manager at his press conference!
At Celtic Park, we were so off the pace it was unreal and they scored with their two chances !
At Tynecastle, that story has been recounted ad nauseum, and still leaves a bitter taste, with the level of refereeing & VAR “INCOMPETENCE,” on display that day!
No incentive should be required whatsoever, but the recollection of those two games alone, should be enough to give our players the extra motivation, to win convincingly!
Although any type of victory will suffice, I sincerely hope we pump Hearts tomorrow, and show up Naismith for the bitter wee man, that tries that bit extra against us !
Even sections of his own fanbase, are under no illusions, as to where his allegiances lie!
Let’s do this Celtic ! HH
When all is said and done the board must go. Lawwell could have let Rodgers spend 30 million, half the money they had sitting in the bank and the chances are, the league would have been secured by now and the money recouped with surplus from the Champion’s League.
As it is everything is up for grabs and Celtic have to play against 15 players each week (11 opposition and 4 officials) . Thay are not allowed to tackle without being yellow carded and are subjected to brutality.
How Desmond and Lawwell can stomach that I have no idea. Can it really be down to the “Old Firm” being one organisation? It is a bit of a stretch.
Celtic should not be struggling to win the league but each season it should a given and the attention focused on Europe.
There is no way the Summer transfer window will be any better despite the media feeding the fans false hopes.
Good, bring it on ya wee d**k, you and yer team are going to get ragdolled tomorrow….
HH
So true James naiskill hates celtic with a passion why as hearts manager would he not want his team get the monkey off his back they have not had a result against sevco in over 20 years he’s bigoted clown
He’s just a typical wee Ayrshire Sevco Hun – The worst type – Give me a Glasgow Sevco Hun over an Ayrshire Sevco Hun any day of the week…
But he is a danger to Celtic and he will have them up for it for sure so Celtic will need to be on it for the inevitable 90 + 12 minutes if there’s only one goal in it –
He’s also an ugly mutt in that picture above, having said that he’s in fine company with that old boot that ownes The Scumbos of Swinecastle !
Loathsome coach in charge of a loathsome club. That said, he better watch out because it was exactly the same attitude that got his predecessor the tin-tack, and old squashed-face is now coaching Bobtail Nags FC in Asshole, Montana or somewhere, with his reputation in tatters with little realistic prospect of getting back in the game here at any decent level. Still, I daresay Naismith will be coaching at Rangers before long – Kilwinning Rangers.
Yep – At least as you say Capt. Kilwinning Rangers are actually a definite Rangers !!!
I agree with the captain! The Messerschmidt is a Hun loving little bastard.
Is that the actual Kilwinning Rangers, or The Glasgow Kilwinning Rangers International 2012 tribute show?
I like to fact check ?
You missed one important factor why Hearts teams always turn up against Celtic but almost never against any rangers club. Look at the results before skudbooksmith took the job and you’ll find the same pitiful results coupled with the usual lacklustre effort regardless of personnel.
Similarly Hearts have always played the same way against Celtic, aggressive, physical, snapping into tackles- they put Hatate out for months in Ange’s first few games and he wasn’t the only one.
The Hearts support are the biggest reason why we can expect a completely different game from what our rivals get- or any other club get including Hibs. Hearts players know that if they put in a performance like any of the ones they’ve done against the cousins this season, they’d be sine die- however a few crunching tackles, a snarling coupon & if by some miracle they receive a booking, then its player of the year dances & pats on the back.
I don’t understand the players in this circumstance. Do they know the manager is setting them out to lose and accept it? Performances suggest yes but I really struggle with the mentality of professional athletes accepting that (unless we are talking Pulp Fiction and the Marcellus “pride Xxxxxxx with you” quote).
This is the same Naismith who walked out of cheating liebrox shouting he’ll never play for sevco scotland fc 2012 but in his interviews he says the old firm all the time that ugly zombie f.pig Naismith is a 2 face bastard and i cant understand they hearts fans putting up with him not even trying to beat sevco fc 2012 thats one ugly zombie i would love to see getting kicked about for 90 mins because all he does is cry to the official on the park he’s a dirty RAT RATS BASTARD of a guy but he will get hearts up for it tomorrow and celtic better not let that scumbag team beat us again mr clancy is the ref tomorrow another big prick that gives celtic nothing but breaks up play when celtic are on attack i just hope BR tells our players its 90mins not 45mins we play for and our defence better show up especially that Taylor Scares Johnstone dont give clancy our VAR the chance togive hearts a penalty just watch what they do and get the ball to fuck..COME ON CELTIC WON TOMORROW AND ITS N OUR HANDS FOR THE DERBY GAME AGAINST THE BIGGEST CHEATS IN SCOTTISH FOOTBALL SEVCO SCOTLAND FC IS THAT RIGHT MR NAISMITH SEVCO FC YOU WALKED OUT OF YA RAT RATS..
Someone stole the punctuation from your comment.
If the police catch those perpetrators, they can expect a long sentence …
Ohh aye, f**k The Rangers International 2012 tribute show
I hope we hammer those second rate huns once and for all, Naismith a tax dodging shyster of a man ,cmon Celtic hammer this cunt 2 morro.
Not just a cheat but a heid like a cold hamburger supper.
I always wonder if Jamesy Forrest ever asks his brother Alan about Hun Naismiths preparation and team talks for the games against Celtic and the games against Sevco? How much do they differ? Is it THAT obvious in the dressing room? Surely he’s asked him. It would be very interesting to find out. Maybe we’ll find out when they’ve both retired. HH
It’ll be a different hearts team and a different shankland at CP. Absolutely nae doubt, we always know that. As in all the remainin games, it”s the result that counts. 1 game at a time.
There must be Hearts fans that don’t care about rangers, raging at the difference in their teams and their managers approach to these games. They are a disgrace especially Naismith. Embarrassing
The Ned from Stewarton is playing what he believes to be the Long Game regarding him buffing his CV with the help of The Laptop Loyal, The People and his results against Celtic in the hope of being the next Alex McLeish and being asked to ascend the Marble Staircase when they disperse with Clement.
I think Clement was picked for the job solely for his name; clementine is a small sour orange ? and never top shelf. Clearly a reference to the orange bastarts in Greyskull.
Logically, the next manager should be called dogsanusknobsplash
It’s a theory I’m working on