Glasgow Celtic

[Ahinkel1]

Congratulations to Killie.

Killie worthy of their win.

On to castle greyskull next week to take the tax dodgers down in their own backyard. Or however owns that place these days.

[smokie36]

Congratulations to Killie.

Killie worthy of their win.

On to castle greyskull next week to take the tax dodgers down in their own backyard. Or however owns that place these days.

to that sentiment as well.

[salty]

The Bhoys will need to take the finger out. Held by Aberdeen, 2nd best at Tannadice until the sending off and poor today.

[CelticBhoy]

The porridge is not too good this morning, I'm afraid!

Full marks to Kilmarnock. They deserved it.

I guess we'll have to settle for the double .... although it will be a treble this year as Mrs CB has announced our third baby is on the way. Marvellous!

[salty]

The porridge is not too good this morning, I'm afraid!

Full marks to Kilmarnock. They deserved it.

I guess we'll have to settle for the double .... although it will be a treble this year as Mrs CB has announced our third baby is on the way. Marvellous!

Very sad for Kilmarnock that their triumph was marred by tragedy.

Going for the hat trick CB. Unlike some of our "heroes" yesterday you seem to know what you are doing. Good luck with NO 3.

[CelticBhoy]

It's going to be Hearts in the semi.

[salty]

Semi Final Draw:

Aberdeen v Hibernian

Celtic v Hearts/St.Mirren

Hearts won the replay tonight and will play Celtic in the semi final. By no means an easy game for Celtic and they will need a big improvment from last Sunday.

Just realised you beat me to the draw CB.

Edited March 22, 2012 by salty

[salty]

Motherwell lost to Kilmarnock today so Celtic can win the championship with a win at Ibrox tomorrow.

[CelticBhoy]

I was hoping that Motherwell would go second, Salty old son.

Lifting the trophy at home next week would have suited me.

But now the door has been opened we might as well go through

it and rub salt into the wounds at Ibrokes. Bring it on!

[CelticBhoy]

That was a weird one. I never saw that coming!

Where did that referee come from? Larkhall, I guess.

Next week at home for the title will be just fine, thank you.

[salty]

Rangers 3 Celtic 2

A deserved win for Rangers over Celtic who once again were poor. I was not surprised that Rangers were well up for this one but Celtic started in 3rd gear and never seemed to get out of it. Rangers had most of the early play and went ahead in 10 minutes through Aluko. He nutmegged Rogne and finished a mazy run by finishing past Forster. A well taken goal with the Celtic defence very poor. Celtic seemed to wake up for a period with a good run by Samaras and a shot into the ground and over by Stokes who later had a decent effort pushed away by McGregor. The game really turned against Celtic in the 29th minute. Not for the first time Wallace put into a good position charged in on goal. Cha du Ri on the wrong side pulled him back. He was in a goal scoring position so the red card was justified. What annoyed me even more was the stupid smile on Cha's face. There was no guarantee Wallace would score. An advacing Forster could well have got a block on the ball. Rangers were controlling the game with McCullough causing a lot of problems. Celtic missed a chance right on half time when Izaguirre on a sub for Stokes after the sending off got in past the full back on the end line but instead of a cut back blasted at McGregor who blocked without much difficulty.

Neil Lennon was banished to the stands during half time apparently complaining about the red card to the referee. Things got worse 12 minutes into the 2nd half when Wanyama dived in with studs up in a 2 footed challenge with Whittaker. Celtic down to 9 men and really making things easy for Rangers. Forster made some good saves in the next 15 minutes and Rangers were still only 1 up. He made a point blank save from Wallace in the 72nd minute but Little following up past Matthews who went to sleep had an easy finish for the 2nd. A few minutes later Celtic indulged in some stupid square passing in the Rangers half when Matthews was robbed of possession. Rangers raced down field and Wallace after a great run finished comfortably. With a minute of normal time Samaras took down a ball raced into the area and was taken down by Bocanegra. He was sent off and |Brown scored from the spot. In the 2nd minute of injury time Rogne headed home a free kick from Mulgrew to give a final scoreline that flattered Celtic.

I have felt in the last few weeks that Celtic have been poor and that was my concern before today's game. The stupidity they showed did not do them any favours either. Unless Rangers drop points next weekend we will not be in a position to clinch the championship next week either.

Finally full marks to Ally McCoist for staying in the mouth of the tunnel and shaking hands with all the Celtic players as they came off the pitch at the end. Maybe he was saying thanks to them for their help.

[CelticBhoy]

^ Aye, he shook hands with all nine of them!

[theblether]

^ Aye, he shook hands with all nine of them!

Anthony Stokes blanked him......big Samaras gave him a cuddle

[salty]

Celtic 2 St Johnstone 0.

Celtic got back to winning ways and moved to within a point of the title with victory at Parkhead. It was far from convincing but its all about winning. In a poor first half St Johnstone were never under any great pressure and a Commons shot across goal and just wide was about the only anxious moment they had. In the 19th minute there was a huge wave of applause for Stilian Petrov one of our former heroes who sadly has been diagnosed with leukameia. Celtic were lethargic and again looked like a team treading water.

On resuming St Johnstone continued to look comfortable and Sandaza headed over. Just after the hour mark Celtic began to work up a head of steam. In 65 minutes Samaras earned a free kick which was whipped in by Commons and the Greek rose to head powerfully home. How ironic that the player that drove most of us to despair many times is fast becoming the hero. Almost immediately St Johnstone could have had a penalty when Loovens caught Sandaza at the edge of the area with a very clumsy tackle. Matthews then cleared a very dangerous cross at the expense of a corner from which St Johnstone were not able to get in a shot in a very dangerous scramble in front of goal. Another corner ensued from which they had an attempted cross blocked by Commons whose momentum carried him into Craig. Celtic broke away and Commons released Ki on as a sub who gave a good pass to Samaras. His dangerous cross was turned into his own net by Millar to give Celtic a 2-0 lead and some breathing space. A furious Craig was booked by the referee for protesting to the linesman. It looked on replay that he had a case and Celtic got a lucky break. Most of the action in the game was packed into that 5 or 6 minutes. St Johnstone kept pressing and Forster turned a dangerous free kick over. Craig shot over after Forster blocked another dangerous situation. Celtic saw it out safely to the end and will have the chance to clinch the title at Rugby Park next Saturday where a point will be sufficient.

The worrying aspect is the continuation of lethargic displays of the last few weeks. Hopefully by getting it over the line next Saturday it will spark a much needed improvment which will be needed against Hearts the following week.

[CelticBhoy]

Fine report Salty old son. You are right about Samaras - he has picked himself up of late.

Champions this weekend methinks.

[salty]

Kilmarnock 0 Celtic 6.

Celtic clinched the title with a champions display at Rugby Park. Killie were swept aside by a team that suddenly rediscovered their best form. Indeed it probably was the best display of the season. Taking control from the start Celtic had only to wait 8 minutes before taking the lead. A Ki corner was headed in by an unmarked Charlie Mulgrew. In the 18th minute Mulgrew swung in a terrific ball finished home by Loovens at the far post. Celtic were completley in control and in the 34th minute Mulgrew giving a man of the match performance beat a man and from the edge of the area curled a beauty into the far corner. The faithful were in dreamland. Bell the hero of the League Cup made a good block form Samaras as well as earlier turning away a dangerous free kick form Ki as Celtic kept up the pressure. It was just after the half hour before Killie were even in the Celtic penalty area. Just before half time Mulgrew whipped in another superb ball which Hooper blasted in at the far post for a 4-0 interval lead a mere 7 gosls better than the half time score at Rugby Park earlier in the season.

After the fireworks of the first half the 2nd was fairly muted by comparison. Killie made a few changes and had a bit more of the play than earlier without ever really threatening. Celtic finished with a flourish. Ledley was put through in the 88th minute and dinked it over the goalie and a minute later Hooper finished from just outside the box into the top corner.

It was a display to match the occassion and one to be savoured. Happy days.

[onionluke]

[MrRed]

Congratulations to Celtic winning the title by default

[CelticBhoy]

Winning before the split makes it sweeter.

A fine weekend of celebrations now!

[onionluke]

[salty]

Nice one. Looks like CB has been doing some brain washing.

[CelticBhoy]

^ Not me this time Salty old son!

That is the fine folk of Good Child Foundation keeping the memory of Reamonn Gormley alive.

I'm sure they are all smiles at us being champions.

[CelticBhoy]

Onionluke - that wee video is fantastic. I love it. As do my sons.

Really heartwarming. Great post mate!

[onionluke]

Onionluke - that wee video is fantastic. I love it. As do my sons.

Really heartwarming. Great post mate!

On their way to Parhead at the end of the season doing a charity fundraiser . A wee touch of magic there .

[salty]

Celtic 1 Hearts 2.

Hearts won a dramatic semifinal with an injury time penalty to beat Celtic who had equalised in the 87th minute.

Celtic almost committed hari kari in the opening minute. A Mulgrew clearance was charged down but the ball went back to Wilson. His pass back was woefully shot to Forster. Elliot seized on it but from a narrow angle could only shoot against the goalkepper who had smartly advanced. Later in the half Mulgrew was robbed in possession in a dangerous area but Celtic cleared the danger. These lapses were worrying. Celtic soon took control and enjoyed 70% of first half possession. But they were creating very little. Commons seized on a bad back pass but his first touch took it past the goalie and wide. Hooper headed wide when under pressure and Commons had a decent effort saved comfortably by McDonald. Just before half time Lustig put in an excellent cross to the far post but Ki headed it against the post when he should have scored. It was a uneasy feeling at halt time as I felt Hearts would surely show more in the 2nd half.

They brought on Craig Beattie the ex celt at HT and he made an immediate impact. His through ball clipped off Wilson. Driver who was offside sensibly left it to Skacel who rounded Forster and smashed it into the roof of the net. My unease intensified. Ki shot over the bar and failed to centre in a good position. Hearts with Beattie giving them an outlet were having more of the play than the first half and were looking very dangerous on the break.Forster had to make

a good save and Skacel was wide. After an hour Samaras who had been poor was substituted by Stokes. But still Hearts were coping comfortably with uninspired Celtic pressure. Beattie was just wide in another attack, After 71 minutes Celtic had their 2nd shot on target by Stokes which was an easy save for McDonald. Forster was almost chipped but saved on the line. In the 74th minute Wanyana came on for Lustig. Ki again had an excellent chance at the far post but again his diving header hit the outside of the post this time. He should have scored. Wanyama forced a couple of free kicks the 2nd of which had McDonald at full stretch to turn over for a corner. From the corner he he made an even better save from a Mulgrew header. Celtic were now mounting intense pressure and in the 87th minute they equalised. The feeling of relief when Hooper headed in a great ball by Mulgrew was even more when the replay showed he was inches offside when the ball was played in. Knowing how vulnerable Celtic looked at the back one prayed that they would keep the ball in the Hearts half. But far from being shattered Hearts pushed forward. They blazed a free kick over just at the end of the 90 minutes. But then Celtic seemed to stupidly lose possession and a possible dangerous centre was blocked for a corner. From the corner the ball was cleared to the edge of the area. Zaliukas has a shot which hit Ledley in the arm. It was ball to hand but the ref awarded a penalty which seemed very harsh. Beattie scored and took off on a semi circle of honour in front of the ecstatic Hearts fans. Celtic in a final flurry saw a Ledley shot saved comfortably and as the ball came into again it cannoned off the arm of a Hearts defender. Appeals for a penalty were rejected. It would have been extremly harsh but so was the one given.

At the end an angry Neil Lennon marched on to give the ref a piece of his mind. I have not as yet seen an after match interview but he will no doubt be extremley aggrieved. After the League Cup I thought his remarks were way over the top. I hope he takes a bit of time and give the game a bit of thought before he has another rant. Cue conspiracy theories but the facts are Celtic again failed to make the most of their chances and most of their play was uninspired. Not for the first time Hearts have dumped us out of a knock out competition in recent seasons. The first all Edinburgh final since 1896 beckons.

[smokie36]

Yeah it will be a great final!!

[Jockstar]

Lennon needs to be more of a man and accept defeat instead of saying that its a vendetta.

Lennon claims referees have vendetta

April 16, 2012

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Neil Lennon's relationship with the Scottish Football Association could be heading towards an irretrievable breakdown after he criticised referee Euan Norris for awarding the late penalty which led to the Hoops' 2-1 Scottish Cup semi-final defeat by Hearts and claimed: "It's personal.''

PA Photos

Neil Lennon: On collision course

• Celtic blog: Is it personal with Lennon?

Lennon marched onto the pitch to confront Norris after the Premier League champions' hopes of a league and cup double were sunk from the spot by substitute Craig Beattie, after a penalty was given when a shot from Jambos skipper Marius Zaliukas hit the arm of Hoops midfielder Joe Ledley.

Lennon, who has three disciplinary cases pending, was further enraged when Norris refused Celtic a penalty in injury time when the ball appeared to come off the arm of Hearts defender Andy Webster.

He did not attend the post-match press conference, where his place taken by coach Alan Thompson who confirmed Lennon had been to the referee's room and it is likely that he will be asked to explain his actions.

The Northern Irishman will almost certainly be in more trouble after a comment made on his Twitter account.

Lennon tweeted: "Referee told players he thought (Victor) Wanyama handled ... feel so sorry for players and fans ... I think it's personal myself.''

He left himself open to further and perhaps more serious sanctions when he later re-tweeted a comment from Celtic supporter @DazDiCanio which suggested the club "pack our bags and get out of this league that is run by crooked £SFA officials''.

The game had looked to be heading to extra-time when Celtic striker Gary Hooper levelled Rudi Skacel's opener with four minutes remaining.

However, Beattie's winner against his former club ensured Hearts will play Hibernian in the final of the Scottish Cup for the first time since 1896, with the Leith side looking to win the trophy for the first time since 1902.

Lennon was written to by SFA compliance officer Vincent Lunny demanding an explanation for his comments about referees ahead of an SPL game against St Johnstone at Celtic Park at the start of the month.

The Parkhead boss is fighting two other charges relating to criticism of referee Willie Collum after the League Cup final defeat to Kilmarnock and his half-time dismissal by referee Calum Murray during the recent 3-2 SPL defeat at Ibrox.

Hugh Dallas believes Celtic manager Neil Lennon went too too far to "bully'' Norris.

"I can't remember in 25 years of refereeing seeing a manager run that far onto a pitch to bully a referee,'' Dallas told STV. "These pictures are going around the world and it is not good.

"Take another example yesterday in the Tottenham Hotspur game. It was a huge occasion and a goal was given where the ball didn't cross the line. After the game, Harry Redknapp said he had a chat with the referee, who admitted he made an honest mistake.

"Redknapp said he was disappointed but was keen to move on. That's how we should do it in Scotland.''

[CelticBhoy]

Yeah it will be a great final!!

In Glasgow.

[smokie36]

Yeah it will be a great final!!

In Glasgow.

Hampden is the national stadium. Well pointed out.

[salty]

Why not Ibrox? The owners appear to have a money problem and would find the rental income useful.