It was great to see that Celtic responded, in a humorous way, to Souness’ idiotic shot at our captain, and even better, at the pathetic attempt he made to “explain” his comments on TalkSport when pulled up about them, in which he claimed to have forgotten the name of our captain.
That response was so transparently fictitious than I wanted to laugh hearing it.
Nobody believes that. Nobody believes that he forgot the name of Celtic’s best midfielder, it was a classic example of a man’s bias and personal animus towards our club coming out in the most unprofessional fashion. I think his explanation – if that’s what you want to call it – was even more disrespectful.
Celtic didn’t bother to milk it too much. They just posted the goal, where McGregor had the assist, and captioned it “The Celtic captain.” Even the dumbest person could not have missed the inference in that, or who it was directed at, and nobody in the media did.
Doubtless Souness or someone else will make the point that Ralston’s bad pass gave up the equaliser, but that’s another story and I intend to write it, and it won’t be the one that most people will expect. Later on, for that one.
But it’s a funny response from Celtic, and one which keeps it light, at least on the surface. But, of course, underlying it is a vast contempt for Souness and those comments and that’s not buried terribly deeply either.
Why should it be? It is right that this club take the offensive against people like this, people who just allow their bitterness to well up and overwhelm them and then try to slither their way out of it, a little like McCoist did with his law-breaking boast.
It was a decent enough game for Scotland, and I thought that aside from a couple of stray passes that Callum was excellent. Towards the end of the game, he delivered a world class pass to Robertson which crafted one of our best chances to win it … he can hold up his head. He has silenced more than a few critics with the way he played.
Celtic’s critics will still try to poke holes in certain elements of his game, but they are pissing in the wind and they have to know it. At the same time, they will continue to pour honey on Gilmour, but I actually thought we looked stronger when Kenny McLean came on … his experience and cool raised our game, and I am amazed that Gilmour and Christie get so much ink when he’s obviously got something to offer.
But Callum was the one some put under the real scrutiny last night and he was great, and I thought the hacks who praised him were right on, I thought the manager’s comments were right on and I thought the response from Celtic was right on.
Souness will not soon “forget” his name. Nor will we forget his colossal disrespect and bitterness. It didn’t surprise us. We know what he is, and so does our club.
Great comment James
“ we know what he is and so does our club “
A bitter hun most certainly.
To be fair James, I thought Souness’s explanation was an honest one. I am at an age when similar instances have happened to me and memory lapses as you get older do occur more frequently, and although I cannot stand the man, I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt in this case.
Anthony Ralston, whom I have backed a lot in the past, and even ignoring his back pass error, I am realising that against quality opposition he is just not good enough. He got constantly skinned last night and was targeted by the Swiss as the weak link, which he undoubtedly was, and in my opinion now, he is not good enough for Celtic in the CL.
Ralston was constantly targeted because he had no midfield cover in front of him. Who was it supposed to be? Billy Boy Gilmour or Greedy Baws McGinn?
He was repeatedly left exposed with no support from midfield and Jack Hendry as his nearest back up in central defence. No small wonder the attacking left flank was preferred by the Swiss.
Notice how they didn’t go down their right flank so much because Tierney and Robertson cover each other.
Remember that Tony is only there due to injuries to two of Clarke’s favourites. He is no Carlos Alberto, but he slogs his guts out for club and country when called upon.
McGinn was a ghost again last night.
Moving on though……
Our media is so bad they were trying to find fault with McGregor’s pass to McTominay! Think about that. A perfectly weighted pass into the stride of McTominay on the edge of the box for him to use the power from the pass to fire his shot and that piece of trash McCann and the lady in the studio were trying to say it was a poor pass.
Pathetic rats.
They apparently “love watching Gilmour play”. That’ll. e the guy that doesn’t play that much but they love watching him anyway?
Wha’s like us indeed……….
Agreed, Ralston is a very limited player (though I just do not see him any worse than Patterson). Through no fault of his own he is starting at RB for Scotland. He turns up and tries his best. All game that defence were blasting balls at their own keeper or passing to nobody/putting it out the park. His bad pass was unique only in that it was the one Switzerland punished. He was also left very badly exposed all game, by players that are getting universally praised today (Gilmour and Hendry).
When you have a so called “lesser” player in your team, you protect him. We instead seemed to pass to him relentlessly and provide no help in his dealing with the biggest threat the opposition had. Aside fom his passing, which was every bit as honkin as the rest of the defence, Tony had an ok game and generally dealt with the left winger reasonably. He also offered about the only 4 good crosses we made all game.
Had to switch over to BBC London watching the game last night, That wee Barsteward McCann was doing my head in with his anti any Celtic player bias and his worship of anything Billy Gilmour.
The boy Gilmour is a good player but the way some of these BBC Scotland guys go on about him you would think he was a Bellingham or Musiala.
I kid you not but I would far rather listen to McCoist than that wee sanctimonious Prxxk McCann, a failed manager and a BBC Scotland fixture talking bitter anti Celtic garbage.
As for Sourness he’s just a bitter auld guy and was another failed manager in the EPL.
Martin O’Neil’s boys shut the big mouth up when they hammered his Blackburn team, and stuck his “men against boys” jibe right down his throat. That victory is right up there when I think of the great night and days I’ve had supporting Celtic.
Ralston is a complete night mare. If for any reason we play him in champions league he will be ragdolled everytime.
The Swiss winger last night made a fool out of him all game long.
We, celtic need better.
Disagree with the gilmour – mclean assessment. Thought gilmour done quite well in the mid and it looked a better shape. Tho Germany wouldve been a different animal of course than the Swiss. Granted, McLean looked OK, tho didnae really have much time tae make any prolonged impact. Mc Gregor ran his socks off all night and souness is just showin how bitter he is. And some of these clowns, especially from the DR, they’ll always be ready and eager with a snide comment, when it’s a Celtic player involved in anythin negative about the performance.
What’s the difference between an apple and an orange.
You don’t get any apple bastards
If Souness is having memory losses then you cut the man some slack,Altzimers or Dementia isn’t nice to listen to watch someone with that horrible disease.
Except he isn’t: he is lying through his teeth, not unexpected from a tax dodging scoundrel.
Cream as we know will always rise to the top. Thats why Callum was on top last night. The dregs always sink to the bottom where Sourness’ comments belong!
Callum will be long remembered for his footballing qualities as well as the way he conducts himself professionally, long after Sourness (pun intended!!) has gone who himself will only be remembered for being controversial.
On a side note, after your piece on our Jamesy the other day I thought the game was crying out for him in the latter stages yesterday, and Shankland. I think Clarke missed an opportunity to take the three points and settling for the draw. That decision may come back to haunt us. Jave a great day all!! God bless!
“Wonder kid” Gilmour was blowing out his arse before the hour mark, and whilst he isn’t a bad player, he is vastly over rated by the sevco leaning media in Scotland.
Not someone to rely on when the chips are down.
As for Ralston, he was at fault, but was placed in a difficult position by Hanley and Gilmour, a point overlooked by the man with an agenda Neil McCann, who apparently spent the rest of the match getting digs in a la Sourness.
I say apparently because I was able to watch a BBC English channel with James McFadden and a very fair English commentator, in stark contrast to the unprofessional eejits on BBC1 Scotland, McLeod and McCann, both of whom displayed their lack of knowledge of the game and their lack of impartiality.
Hardly surprising given the preponderance of ex Ibrox place men in BBC Scotland football coverage.
In contrast, the TV panel at half time and full time was also fair, but then again its members were not drawn from the usual suspects.
Beautifully and professionally done by Celtic FC !
Can you imagine if say Mark Wilson had spoken out like that on BBC about say Ryan Jack…
The Sevco Huns would be screaming for retribution in every rag, every radio channel, every TV channel in The Scummy Scottish Football Media…
But of course Wilson would never dream of that…
He’s far too much yellow cowardice in every sinew of his fibre being for that to ever happen –
He’d have been very suited to that primrose yellow away jersey that we had out in The late 80’s !
he knew what he was doing calling him not by his name but bringing celtic into it and then another snide remark by saying he forgot his name. if any of the english pundits did the same at an england game all hell would break loose and they would never be seen again.
James I dunno if you see the comments on here or not.
But having missed the sco game live I listened to the 1st half on bbc radio. And the coverage was dreadful towards calmac at the goal.
Every1s celebrating and a printer said aye but macgregor nearly messed it up then ex oldco player Thompson responded ohhh but how brilliant was Gilmour.
Now halving started to watch the game on iplayer.
At our goal cal is the one who’s challenging 2 swi players so they don’t have easy possession just outside our box, then busts a gut to support the attack and the if you watch him he’s actually pulling the ball back to pick his pass for the goal. And all this described by the bbc pubfit as nearly messing the chance up. Its disgusting it’s shocking and trying to paint him as some whipping boy.
Then at there goal ralston is slaughtered, for a poor pass. There’s no mention of Hanleys amateur pass to Gilmour, which he couldn’t get under control so plays it quick to ralston.
Who then trys to play the triangle but Hanley (and hendry) is standing square and rooted and not following the move.
None of that mentioned only interested in hanging Ralston out for it. Even the radio commentary was the same, saying something along the lines of gilmour was screaming for the ball to be played forward to him. Which was bull.
The bottom line is, is it time the club just told the bbc where to go. As there not just not friends of our club they’re actively digging at us as a club our players and us fans aswell time and time again
*pundit. Not painter or pubfit