Glasgow Celtic

[CelticBhoy]

Sound reporting, Salty. What a nice way to start my day!

I guess it's eyes glued on the telly this Saturday for an

equally damaging result for the Scum.

Hail Hail - CelticBhoy

[Jockstar]

Dear oh dear.

[salty]

Rangers won today 2-1 at Ibrox and go 3 points ahead.That is the bad news. The good news is that they only won by 1 so if we can win our last 2 games they will need to win by 4 at Tannadice in the last game to take the title. It is unlikely therefore we will lose out on GD. Lafferty was a disgrace going down as if poleaxed and getting Charlie Mulgrew sent off when there was no contact. I would imagine he will get a "warm" welcome next season in Pittroddie. Boughera maybe a bit unlucky to be sent off.

I must confess I am nervous about the Hibs game tomorrow. I will worry about Hearts next week. Far too often this season Celtic have been flat with uninspired play in midfield creating very few decent chances. A week is a long time in politics and in football. We are in a far better position now than a week ago. Heres hoping we can avail of the opportunity.

[rott]

Tcaifaild ar la

Is there a projected date for this event? You could begin by specifying a millennium!!! HaHaHa

Recently I quoted C.....s alternate name of Sporting Club Sinn Fein and was rifted by a "fan" for being "derogatory and inflammatory". Thank you for proving me right.

[CelticBhoy]

Tcaifaild ar la

Is there a projected date for this event? You could begin by specifying a millennium!!! HaHaHa

Recently I quoted C.....s alternate name of Sporting Club Sinn Fein and was rifted by a "fan" for being "derogatory and inflammatory". Thank you for proving me right.

You say you were "rifted" by a fan.

Poor choice of words, as one can only

be "rifted" by a friend or family member,

not by a mere acquaintance.

Your input is welcome here, just try to

be a tad more accurate with your use of

the English language.

[salty]

As I feared we have handed the initative back to Rangers. Plenty of pressure at Easter Road but nearly all uninspired. As the game wore on you wondered where a goal would come from. I remember thinking that if Hibs scored we would have been really in the manure.

So on to the last day next Sunday. Rangers had a hard match at Tannadice and it is not beyond the bounds of possibility they could fail to win it. But with the finishing line in sight I feel they will win there. As for us we have to beat Hearts at home to have any chance and I would consider that by no means a certainty. Celtic have been poor for most of the season and several of the heroes of last few seasons have been way below their best.

[CelticBhoy]

^ I agree, Salty. Countless attempts but nobody

was in finishing mode.

Better stock the fridge for next Sunday.

It's gonna be a long day!

[rott]

Tcaifaild ar la

Is there a projected date for this event? You could begin by specifying a millennium!!! HaHaHa

Recently I quoted C.....s alternate name of Sporting Club Sinn Fein and was rifted by a "fan" for being "derogatory and inflammatory". Thank you for proving me right.

You say you were "rifted" by a fan.

Poor choice of words, as one can only

be "rifted" by a friend or family member,

not by a mere acquaintance.

Your input is welcome here, just try to

be a tad more accurate with your use of

the English language.

CB I am cut to the quick, mortified even, all my life i have been proud of my GCE "O" Level in English Language and honestly thought I was living up to it. I presume you are a teacher so I will bow to your superior knowledge, in mitigation I would say that within the circles in which I move we have the more general application of the word, thus my error. I was going to argue that perhaps your narrower interpretation was due to your personal background in the Misty Isles and far Mukdahan, whereas mine is a more evolved one, but no let us have none of this - I stand publicly castigated.

Sigh, thank you for your generous and forgiving response.

By the way my Gaelic is even worse than my English, so are you happy that grandslam's spelling of "chocky ar lar" is correct?

I remain etc.

(So should we wager 100 baht on the outcome of next week-end?)

[Jockstar]

Hibernian 0-0 Celtic: Bhoys blow chance to go top

Celtic's Premier League title challenge suffered what could be a fatal blow as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Hibernian at Easter Road.

• Strachan refuses to blame players

Gary Caldwell and Scott McDonald missed good chances in the first half after Hoops goalkeeper Artur Boruc had saved well from Steven Fletcher's over-head kick.

Despite incessant pressure after the break the champions could not find the net to prevent the first goalless draw between the clubs in nine years and take them back top.

Celtic host Hearts at Parkhead next week in the last game of the season while Rangers travel to Dundee United two points clear of the champions.

The visitors knew that any sort of win - by dint of their one-goal superior goal difference - would recover their top spot from Rangers.

Hibs had dented the Ibrox club's title challenge with a 1-1 draw at Easter Road in midweek but they could barely get out of their own half in the opening moments as Celtic quickly took a grip.

But in the seventh minute, seconds after they had won their first corner of the game, the Leithers had their first effort on goal when skipper Rob Jones headed a Derek Riordan cross over the bar from 10 yards.

The champions, though, treated that let-off as a mere blip.

In the 11th minute Hibs defender Steven Thicot nicked in ahead of McDonald to prevent the Celtic striker getting a clean strike on an Andreas Hinkel cross, and from Shunsuke Nakamura's corner, Georgios Samaras headed over.

However, in the 22nd minute, it was Boruc who was the first keeper to be called in to action.

To end a brief spell of Hibs pressure, the Hoops' keeper pulled off a fine save from Fletcher's overhead kick, after the Easter Road striker had latched on to a searching Ross Chisholm cross.

In an increasingly tetchy match, former Rangers defender Ian Murray was booked for an overly zealous tackle on Nakamura on the touchline and only sheer numbers inside the six-yard box blocked the Japan international's whipped-in free-kick.

Six minutes from the interval Caldwell should have taken advantage of a pin-point Nakamura free-kick from wide on the left but he failed to get enough on his header and the ball slipped past the far post and the waiting Hinkel.

In the final minute Celtic missed another decent chance to get the breakthrough when McDonald latched on to a long pass from Caldwell but he screwed his shot from 14 yards wide of the far post.

It took Celtic less than 20 seconds to win their first corner of the second half through Aiden McGeady but again the Hibs defence held firm with Jones clearing with yet another powerful header.

The champions stepped up the tempo, pressing Hibs back further but they were still wasteful, shown again in the 52nd minute when midfielder Scott Brown headed a long Lee Naylor throw-in over the bar from the edge of the six-yard box.

Celtic's attacking approach left gaps at the back but Hibs appeared to lack the drive and ambition to take advantage.

In the 61st minute, after Hibees' busy midfielder Lewis Stevenson had robbed Hartley in the centre circle and set up Riordan on the left, the former Celtic striker's shot from the edge of the box lacked the conviction to trouble Boruc.

Moments later Fletcher set up Riordan with a quick switch of play but this time the shot from distance sailed over.

In the 65th minute Hibs keeper Yves Ma-Kalambay did well to claw away McGeady's cut-back from the bye-line which was heading for Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, who had replaced Samaras.

It was all becoming increasingly tense and in the 71st minute Ma-Kalambay did well again when he blocked McDonald's angled drive after the Australia international had been set up by Vennegoor of Hesselink, who soon afterwards headed a Hinkel cross over the bar.

Nakamura curled in a corner from the right with five minutes remaining that beat everybody and almost went straight in to the net.

In the first minute of injury time Jones bravely stuck his head in the way of a Nakamura drive from distance which was almost certainly on target but after three minutes of added time, Celtic had to accept that two valuable points had been dropped.

• Strachan refuses to blame players

Celtic manager Gordon Strachan insists he got all he could from his players.

Strachan said: "I could not have asked for any more from the players. I went round them all and said they could not do any more than that apart from put the ball in the back of the net.

"If I said to Aiden McGeady, Paul Hartley and Shunsuke Nakamura, I want you to keep the ball all day and make chances, get to the touchline, get corner kicks and free-kicks, then they did that.

"I can't change what I asked from them. What you hope for is goals and that has been our failing in the last two away games.''

Strachan believes his side kept playing the right way even through the frustration of failing to get the breakthrough.

He said: "There was no panic.

"It wasn't a frantic game, we didn't throw balls in the box, we got in to crossing positions, moved them about and when the ball went in to the box, they were always there, always blocking with their keeper making terrific saves.''

Caldwell could not resist a dig at Hibs' tactics while putting some pressure on Rangers ahead of their trip to Tannadice.

He said: "I don't think the Old Firm have managed to win at Tannadice all season so if Rangers are going to win it they are going to play well to do it. We did everything but score. We passed the ball against a team who sat in, didn't come out and didn't want to play the game.

"It would have been easy for us to start lumping it but we were very brave and tried to create. We had half chances that you've got to take but scoring goals was the problem.''

Hibs manager Mixu Paatelainen refused to be drawn on the fact that Celtic had complained about Rangers having a third trip to Easter Road after the league split in to two, as opposed to another trip to Tynecastle to play Hearts.

Hibs held the Ibrox men to a 1-1 draw in midweek but the implication from Parkhead was that Easter Road was an easier fixture for the Govan side.

But the Hibs boss said: "There were some things said when the fixtures came out but I didn't pay any attention to them.

"My job is to concentrate on how we play and how we pick up points. We don't want to dwell on what other people do. I thought defensively we were rock solid.

"All the players were fully focused, on the front foot and concentrated. People said we had nothing to play for but we were fully motivated.''

[rgs2001uk]

Tcaifaild ar la

Is there a projected date for this event? You could begin by specifying a millennium!!! HaHaHa

Recently I quoted C.....s alternate name of Sporting Club Sinn Fein and was rifted by a "fan" for being "derogatory and inflammatory". Thank you for proving me right.

You say you were "rifted" by a fan.

Poor choice of words, as one can only

be "rifted" by a friend or family member,

not by a mere acquaintance.

Your input is welcome here, just try to

be a tad more accurate with your use of

the English language.

CB I am cut to the quick, mortified even, all my life i have been proud of my GCE "O" Level in English Language and honestly thought I was living up to it. I presume you are a teacher so I will bow to your superior knowledge, in mitigation I would say that within the circles in which I move we have the more general application of the word, thus my error. I was going to argue that perhaps your narrower interpretation was due to your personal background in the Misty Isles and far Mukdahan, whereas mine is a more evolved one, but no let us have none of this - I stand publicly castigated.

Sigh, thank you for your generous and forgiving response.

By the way my Gaelic is even worse than my English, so are you happy that grandslam's spelling of "chocky ar lar" is correct?

I remain etc.

(So should we wager 100 baht on the outcome of next week-end?)

Khun Rott,

I must confess my Gaelic is somewhat rusty, too busy devoting my time to the Thai language these days.

From memory I would translate, chuck-hee awr law, as follows, Tiocfaidh ár lá.

Apologize for the transliteration in English, your spelling is probably as correct as mine, I had the same problem with Thai transliterations until I solved that problem by learning to read Thai script.

You know as well as I, Gaelic has differing spellings and pronounciations, depending on the dialect used and the area in which it is being spoken.

I can only assume CB living in the depths of darkest Issan is as rusty as I am, we await his reply in all things "Celtic".

[rgs2001uk]

K Rott,

you really are a pain, this has been bothering me all day, one of the problems of not speaking Gaelic in a few years.

Not only is the spelling incorrect, the grammar, while not incorrect is actually very poor, I have never heard this phrase used by a native Gaelic speaker, and have heard discussions as to whether this phrase was actually coined by a native Gaelic speaker.

My reason for saying this is, a native speaker would probably use the expression, beidh ár lá linn, which I would translate as, we will have our day.

Tiocfaidh ár lá, says far more about a persons politcs than any concern for a united Ireland.

I find it ironic that those concerned with all things Irish would align themselves with a Marxist organization that seeks to turn a united Ireland into a socialist state, especially when we remember what Marxist-Lenninist ideology did to for example Poland.

Funnily enough, this sort of language tends to be used with what I would consider to be "plastic" Irish, usually 3rd or 4th generation Irish-Americans, or people who have never actually lived in or visited The Emerald Isle.

The actual Irish are much smarter than most people give them credit for, hence why the majority of people living in the "Free State" can see through this rhetoric and the politics involved and tend to vote elsewhere, not because they dont want a united Ireland, but they dont want a united Ireland turned into a socialist state.

I would also like to compliment and thank , Salty for keeping the topic to football, sorry I couldnt.

[Jockstar]

Back on topic lads. It's gonna be squeeky bum time this weekend. May the best team win. But lets hope it's Rangers.

[grandslam]

Hope it's Celtic but will have the imodium swallowed before noon uk time.

[Jockstar]

SPL FINAL DAY

Samaras dismisses Rangers as long ball merchants

May 22, 2009

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Georgios Samaras has added fuel to an already potentially-explosive finale in the Premier League by claiming Rangers play inferior football to Celtic.

The Light Blues are two points clear at the top of the table and victory in their final game of the campaign at Dundee United on Sunday - regardless of how the Hoops get on against Hearts - would prevent the Parkhead club racking up their fourth title in succession.

While Celtic boss Gordon Strachan was reluctant to discuss Rangers ahead of another exciting end to an SPL season, Greek striker Samaras was ignoring unwritten rules surrounding mutual respect between the Old Firm clubs.

Mindful of the fact his side have relinquished an eight-point advantage this season to leave Rangers within one win of the title, the former Manchester City man caused quite a stir when he compared the Govan side unfavourably with the champions.

"We are two teams who don't play the same way,'' he said. "We are better than Rangers. We are a team who likes to play football. At Celtic, we prefer to pass the ball and create chances.

"This is how the gaffer wants us to play. We have also won the title three times in a row with this type of football. But Rangers play another type of football.

"Rangers have something which maybe we don't have - they like to battle, to play long balls into the box and just fight. We want to enjoy the game when we go out onto the park, and we want our supporters to enjoy it, and we want the people at home watching us to enjoy it.

"We don't want people to change the TV channel if they are watching us.''

Samaras refused to give up hope of another twist in this season's SPL tale, saying: "Of course we are disappointed, given that we were eight points clear. But remember what Rangers did last year - with five or six games to go they were seven points clear and they had played one game less than us.

"So you can never be sure. You have to fight until the last second of the last game to win the league.''

Hearts manager Csaba Laszlo believes owner Vladimir Romanov must invest this summer to avoid this season's achievements being for nothing.

The club's majority shareholder is set to fly into Scotland this weekend for showdown talks with Laszlo, as the Hungarian seeks to build on a third-place SPL finish and Europa League qualification.

Laszlo knows the coming weeks are vital to his hopes of further progress in Gorgie, with uncertainty hanging over the future of a number of key players.

He fears the spine of his team could be lost and has urged Romanov to invest - most probably through wages - to retain the majority of his squad and capture experience in the close season.

Laszlo said: "I wish from the board to help us a little bit. Now must come the signal from the club to buy - investment is very important. If you go to the Europa League, you must go with experienced players.

"We need definitely new blood. We must invest and if we don't, we have too young a team for the SPL and also for the Europa League. If next season we are eighth, this season was for nothing. You can't go up and down, up and down.'

[salty]

Samaras is talking b.....ks. Speaking as someone who watches at home I certainly have not enjoyed Celtic a lot this season. I have done more <deleted> and blinding at them and wishing they would show far more battling qualities. Without Barry Robson we have been lightweight in midfield and showed a minimal amount of creativity. This has been a significant factor I feel in the dropping of so many points. Only for Scott McDonald Rangers would be out of sight and they are by no means a great side. Samaras himself has been poor since the turn of the year and far too often just turns into cul de sacs when in possession. As for long balls into the box I doubt if any of us worried about it when McDonald got the winner at Ibrox in December to create a 7 point lead.

We managed to fritter this away by some dreadful defending especially at set pieces. Stupid free kicks were conceded regularly as though by doing this it saved having to think. Scott Brown missed the Rangers game because he picked up so many needless bookings by diving in at times like a bull in a china shop. McManus has been another offender in this regard. He was fortunate not to concede a penalty in the 0-0 draw against Rangers in Parkhead and he has almost guaranteed Rangers will win the Cup with his mindless foul against St Mirren.

Even on our 12 game winning streak I felt we were poor in quite a few of these games. Hopefully we will win next Sunday and at least not hand the title to Rangers.

[Jockstar]

Got these in an email from my dad.

:D :D

[Jockstar]

Some more.

[Jockstar]

Final one.

[Jockstar]

NAKAMURA TO RETURN TO JAPAN?

J-League's Yokohama Marinos bid for Nakamura

May 19, 2009

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J-League club Yokohama Marinos have confirmed that they are bidding to resign star midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura from the Scottish champions Celtic.

"We have made an offer to Nakamura and Celtic to acquire him," a spokesman for the Yokohama club said. "We would like to begin negotiations as soon as possible so that we can bring good news to his fans in Japan."

Nakamura, 30, has indicated he could return to his native Japan for family and personal reasons when his contract expires at the end of this season.

Yokohama Marinos president Masaharu Saito hopes to cut a deal as early as next week. "I believe he can accept our sincerity," Saito was quoted by Nikkei business daily as saying.

However, Celtic manager Gordon Strachan has said he wants Nakamura to stay with the Bhoys. The playmaker joined Celtic in July 2005 after three seasons with Italian club Reggina. He is hoping to help the Glasgow giants to a fourth consecutive SPL title in what many expect to be his farewell season at Parkhead.

Yokohama Marinos, which ended last season a mediocre ninth in the nation's premier league, had twice previously tried in vain to resign Nakamura, who began his career with the club, spending five years there between 1997 and 2002.

[salty]

Naka will always be remembered fondly by Celtic fans everywhere for the free kick that beat Man Utd in the CL a few seasons ago. He made an outstanding contribution to the 3 Titles in a row.

However he is one of a number of players whose form has notably diminished this season. Given his domestic situation it would not be a huge suprise if he did return to his homeland for the remainder of his career.

[grandslam]

Ho Hum. Have you seen a handsome hun ??

[salty]

So much for all the <deleted> coming from Parkhead all the week. "Keep the faith" "We are a better team than Rangers" etc. They went to Tannadice and hammered Dundee Utd 3-0 while we were serving up another uninspired display. So after leaving Ibrox in December with a 7 point lead there has been a swing of 11 points in Rangers favour.

Overall this season Celtic have been dreadful. In the 1st half we were scraping wins but in the 2nd half we were shocking. The only consolation today is that Rangers won it and saved Celtic the trouble of handing it to them. How much worse would it have been if we had beaten Hibs last week and were in the driving seat going into today?

I would expect a few in and outs over the close season.

[Jockstar]

Unlucky.

[rott]

Unlucky.

Que?

[CelticBhoy]

Just heard that Ginger Baws has packed it in.

Not surprised. He couldn't have been giving

out any great inspiring team talks for the final

few weeks after seeing that run of 0-0's.

I think he lost interest.

So who do we reckon is taking his place?

Shearer ?

[grandslam]

Owen Coyle of Burnley is favourite, he is a Gorbals boy but might want to remain loyal to Burnley. He'd be my choice but would

also take Craig Levine. Heard ginge recommended Mark McGhee, no wonder the wee sod wasn't interested in the last few

games. Still it wasn't tight at the end up and Rangers were up for it.

[MSingh]

BIG rumours that Mr O Neill is going back to Glasgow...

[salty]

These "big rumours" seem to have escaped the notice of the papers thus far.

[MSingh]

These "big rumours" seem to have escaped the notice of the papers thus far.

Oh well i must have got it wrong, nothing wrong though with building the Celts hopes up & knocking them back down again, much like in the League Title this Season...

Enjoy Mark Mcghee..

[rgs2001uk]

I hear the smart is money is on Tony Mowbary if Celtic can afford him, if not expext Mark Mcghee.

How many Celtic managers scalps has Walter Smith collected now? and can you name them?