How A Resurrection Really Feels

Before the League Cup Quarter Final match between Hibernian and Celtic, Colin Calderwood gave a interesting interview on BBC Radio Scotland to Chick Young. He said teams don't turn corners, that this phrase is a media construct which gives pundits and critics something to talk about. It's probably what you'd expect to hear from an under fire manager though he does have a point. Just because a team wins one game it doesn't make them more likely to win the next or suddenly breeze into a series of victories, in fact statistically a team with inconsistent form is probably going to revert to type and stumble again. In a results business it's odd to think that whether or not a football team is resurrecting itself from a coma has little to do with results whatsoever. It's all about how you roll away the stone.

For a large proportion of the season so far Celtic have looked a beaten team when anything within a match has conspired against them whether it be luck, poor defending or good attacking play. For me, this has been the most disheartening thing. I don't like seeing a Celtic team with their heads down, accepting their fate. The fact Celtic won by the 4-1 margin in the League Cup means little against what is a relatively poor Hibernian side. Goals three and four were fairly inevitable as we took control of the game, though the confidence it may bring Anthony Stokes and Gary Hooper is welcome. What matters is that we equalised at all. The spirit of James Forrest, having the confidence to realise he can move into the heart of the pitch and change a game because he is good enough. In Rennes, the desire of all six foot of Joe Ledley to jump higher than anyone within five yards of him and get his head onto a swinging ball. In Kilmarnock, the fury of a penalty denied Anthony Stokes to spur on a "No, you're not getting away with it that easily" attitude. At Celtic Park, Charlie Mulgrew finding himself backed by a section of the stadium and repaying them with a triumphant knee slide in the rain. This is what Rangers have. This is what we are seeing develop again with Celtic. Two of these roots of recovery occured in games which still led to dropped points yet they are as big an indication as any that all is not lost in our season. When Celtic lost to Rangers at Ibrox the team showed none of this desire just as it never against St.Johnstone, Hearts or Sion. You can't exactly quantify this spirit with modern football's favourite measuring stick, statistics, but it's fair to say it's the sort of attitude which turns losses into draws and draws into victories.

Of course the questions of quality and consistency in more conventional terms remain. The midfield was again tonight lacking for the majority of the first half which puts a defence unfamiliar with each other under pressure and this is something Neil Lennon needs to look at too. It's welcome that Ledley found himself in a more central position than he's been used to recently. Last season our greatest central midfield pairing was Ledley and Beram Kayal and it's surely time we see this on a regular basis. Too often this season Ki and Kayal have found themselves drifting out of the game when not in possession of the football. In midfield it's just as important to be on the top of your game chasing the ball as playing the ball. Ledley provides a strength in this area more than any other player we have and provides balance in the middle of the park whether playing with Ki or Kayal. In attack Stokes and Hooper still don't seem like they're reliving the bountiful partnership of last season though much needed goals for both may see a returning swagger appear on Saturday. It may be because I've ran out of things to criticise the defence over but I'm starting to think the problems in the team run deeper than the cop out argument of a poor defence being our biggest problem. They are not protected in any way by the midfield. They struggle when quick players run at them as when supporting runners from the opposition appear there's no-one helping out when it comes to them having to make a key decision of whether to stand off or commit to the tackle, leaving holes and gaps in the final third. As much as desire and hunger, the quality of play needs to improve too and there's not much to suggest it is when it matters.

The league game against Hibs on Saturday will be just as difficult and awkward as every game we play until the gap to Rangers closes. Nothing will come suddenly. We might not click immediately or push on from the convincing win tonight. This is something I've come to realise only recently, that one doesn't necessarily lead into the other. It's a long, slow and sometimes bitter climb from the pits of finding yourself ten points behind in October. Every foothold you can find is a victory in itself. This is how it will really feel, anxious and frustrating as the strong willed in the squad ensure we bring points to the table. Celtic now seem to be showing they can push themselves on in this manner and that is as positive as the thought of quality of play improving. Sometimes it'll be pretty and sometimes it'll be as fist pumpingly ugly as a scuffed Charlie Mulgrew shot in the six yard box. No corners are turned, it's not as simple as that. As our squad slowly returns to full fitness we need to be in a position that isn't too far away from our goal of regaining the championship. If we come back from the dead too late it won't matter how good we can be, how fit we are or how scintillating our football is... we won't be winners.

A trip to Rennes

It's amazing that middle of the night car journeys, not being able to find the airport car park, conquering a fear of flying, losing your passport on the plane, three hour train journeys each side and not being able to speak French to the local taxi drivers was the least arduous way of making it to Rennes safely. I believe that a good thirty or so buses made it in a road trip fashion through Tuesday/Wednesday night and back again after the game via Calais. A feat I haven't come close to since I went on a school coach trip to Italy at the age of fifteen.

My journey began at 4am on Wednesday morning in freezing, gloomy Dundee when my brother picked me up in 'The Jambo', our maroon steed. Our flight wasn't until 9am but we had to detour to Helensburgh to pick up 'The Faither', the spark behind the whole trip (and a substantial contributor!). It was my first continental trip abroad watching Celtic. The other two had been abroad following the team before, my brother was a virtual ever present in the Seville year and my Dad had even been to France to see Celtic, taking in the first leg of the Paris Saint Germain tie in the Cup Winners Cup '96. At this point I was mainly concentrating on not having a complete mental breakdown ahead of takeoff from Glasgow Airport. I've had a fear of flying since I can remember and takeoff particularly takes it out of me. To put into perspective the way my mind wanders at this moment let me tell you my most rational thought was "I'm risking my life to see Celtic get thumped 3-0 away in Europe". If Dennis Bergkamp says it is dangerous then that is good enough for me.

A valium later and somehow the 'long orange metal death tube' I was in had managed to defy all statistical certainty of fiery misery and arrive at Charles De Gaulle airport. I'm positive we made it safely because of Rule 1 of flight travel: 'If any celebrity/well known figure minor or major is on your flight then it will not crash." So thanks Hugh Keevins, you really did the business. Sorry about planting that package of Class A drugs into your luggage that hopefully means you never see the light of day, it's nothing personal, just business. It seemed for a while my brother would be joining him in airport limbo as he had conveniently stored his passport down the back of his seat, not realising until we were almost in the terminal! Forgetting which seat he was sitting in, it was only found because my Dad had left behind his bunnet as well, a marker from the gods of forgetfulness. Thinking back, it's amazing we made it at all.

The train journey to Rennes was as pleasant as you'd expect. It turned out that it wasn't a train at all and was, to my brother and I, essentially a smooth, high speed bar. Of course all the travelling tims did Scotland and Ireland proud, drinking it dry of lager. After this there was a supply which allowed us to have a glass or two of Merlot. I enjoyed sampling the delicacies of the local fare with dignity, I definitely did not down it as we entered Rennes station. We arrived in early evening and scoped out our hotel, an Etap affair. The receptionist was as friendly as a guy can be and sorted us out with maps marked with 'Bar Irlandais' and where the main hub of the action would be. In fact I think the conversation went more like "Not much to do in Rennes but this area has bars on both sides and many restaurants, is that OK?". I think it was a genuine question and not rhetorical, bless him.

Rennes, the capital of Brittany, is a small city with a population of 200,000 or so. It's full of wonderful buildings, a mixture of grand French architecture and half-timbered houses. Most of the latter appear in a large pedestrianised area full of the aforementioned bars and restaurants, in lanes leading to a square where the mammoth Saint Aubin church stands. The majority of the travelling support congregated in the square in front of Parlement de Bretagne, a 17th C building rebuilt in 1994 after a fire. Rennes also seems to have an abundance of Irish bars, I counted at least five in my wanders around town. Two were in close vicinity to the throng of Celtic fans and they must have made a fortune through the week with the high prices and steady flow of chanting, singing, thirsty folk. That evening the bar O'Connell's opposite the square ran out of vodka! The evening for us was spent having a nice meal and going to one or two of the bars. We learned  the squad headlines that Hooper and Samaras hadn't travelled and there was a general feeling of pessimism from everyone we met, it says a lot these days that we can't guarantee any name on the team sheet. Everyone was of course having a good time. Even I, after the long day and big meal, perked up with some well timed espressos and red bull/vodka combinations. We retired to the hotel at midnight or so with the party in full swing. The Moroccan taxi driver wasn't into football but we soon realised he enjoyed swimming thanks to my Dad's smattering of French understanding. His credentials as a swimming expert were put into question when, despite my brother's enthusiastic explanations, he didn't seem to understand who David Wilkie was, sacre bleu!

The next day a growing number of Celtic fans were making their way North to Parlement de Bretagne from the train and bus stations. By mid-afternoon the Sun was greeting us, the songs had started, the flags were out and a game of football was on the go in the square. The people of Rennes looked on in amusement and seemed to enjoy having us there. We took in Saint Aubin and found one or two other tims saying a prayer for Loovens as well. Time was ticking so after the wander we had a quick bite to eat, a quick pint and made our way to Stade de la Route de Lorient. The city had put on special free shuttle buses for people heading to the match. Upon arrival we found more parties spilling into the streets, the fans were in good voice and very energetic, particularly the boy who scaled the side of a pub and the fans holding up traffic with renditions of Paddy McCourt's in front of local buses. The policing of the match was excellent, a visible presence but only ever observing and patrolling with little to no interaction with the Celtic fans beyond being helpful. Our tickets were in the home end beside the away enclosure and we were welcomed by the stewards who seemed to enjoy my efforts to try and buy a match programme and Rennes flag, which they were giving out for free.

Even before the match you got a sense walking around Rennes that the people of the city and Brittany as a whole were well connected to their kicking-k Celtic roots. Celtic symbols were on bunting throughout the lanes and there were even flags in windows with Scottish, Irish, Welsh, Brittany and Isle of Man flags intermeshed. This was further emphasised with the excellent "CELTIC PEOPLE AGAINST RACISM" banner that the Rennes fans unveiled. I believe the night was designated by the club to promote anti-racism and the banner went down well with me and the other Celtic fans who applauded it.

The game itself I enjoyed. I thought it was a fine performance away from home in Europe and that we had the chances to take all three points. Victor Wanyama and Anthony Stokes were particularly impressive for me. The former mopping up most of the play in our defensive third and the latter creating a couple of good chances for himself, even if he fired them straight at the keeper. The own goal speaks for itself. When it went in I turned to the Frenchman beside me and we both did the universal "what the hell was that?" laugh and shrug of shoulders. The Celtic section was in fine spirits and went particularly wild after we equalised, with the flares and smoke bombs lighting up our end of the ground.One enthusiastic punter even set one off in the home end in the opposite stand. The Rennes fans in my section didn't seem to mind us going crazy when Ledley's header went in and hands were shaken at full-time. The luxury of being in the home section meant we weren't kept for twenty minutes after the game and managed to get a shuttle bus back into town fairly easily. By this time all three of us were pretty knackered. We found a quiet 'local-style' pub with some strange French characters from the 1970s and decided to end the night there with a night cap. The whole trip had been building up to the match so once it was over all thoughts turned to getting up at 4.30am again to catch our train at six.

We landed into Glasgow through turbulence. A great trip with little turbulence in any form up to that point, from Celtic to the fans to the people of Rennes. It was my first continental Celtic jaunt and it won't be my last. It's unlikely to be Bucharest in 2012 but if we get any trips early next year then the point we earned might have gone a long way to getting there. If not, the memories of Rennes are more than enough to have made the whole trip worthwhile.

Match preview: Kilmarnock vs. Celtic

It's hard to find a new angle on a situation Celtic have been in multiple times this season already. On the back of a preventable loss which sees the quest to regain the SPL title take another body blow, Celtic look to get back on track and kick start a consistent run of form. The season has been horrendously stop start so far. Every chance to put right the many wrongs we have seen has come to a skin crawling, infuriating halt. After the last international break the squad came out of the blocks quickly at Celtic Park and blew away a Motherwell team who have had a good start to the season. We lost two out of our next three league games, the only win coming at home to Inverness.

It's been said often enough that things have to be turned round. Hopefully Neil Lennon and his backroom staff have used the time the international break brings to try and piece together that beautiful jigsaw we saw in all its glory in early 2011. We all know this should have happened already but perhaps with the break he has managed to bring the belief to his players that this is a 'fresh start'. The only thing that can exacerbate the situation we find ourselves in is more dropped points. Even a poor performance will be forgotten by Monday as long as the three points are delivered. It would be something to build on at least. A Kilmarnock team who themselves are looking to be 'reborn' will not make it easy at Rugby Park.

Last season Kilmarnock were a breath of fresh air in the SPL. Creativity in midfield from the likes of Alexei Eremenko and Craig Bryson allowed players such as Connor Sammon to come of age and impress beyond the borders of Scotland. The midfield itself was broken up on the Summer and they are a much changed side  compared to what we saw last season. The style of football itself hasn't changed. Kenny Shiels has tried to continue the philosophy he introduced to the club with Mixu Paatelainen of striving to express yourself on the pitch with creative and forward thinking passing phases; both pretty and impressive if pulled off. Without the same level of quality in the team it's led to less than impressive results. Kilmarnock have conceded two or more goals in their last six games and have lost the last three. However, they aren't without danger. Paul Heffernan is Kilmarnock's top scorer this season with eight goals in all competitions, the Dublin born striker will be looking to prove to a UK-wide audience on ESPN there's still life in the legs which spent most of their career in the English lower leagues. No doubt Killie will have studied our defensive frailties and perhaps see this as an opportunity to become a team the rest of Scotland talk about positively again.

Celtic can again call on Beram Kayal and Joe Ledley after being absent in recent weeks which should ensure the strongest area of the squad is strong again on the pitch. A return for Anthony Stokes may be on the cards too after Neil Lennon highlighted a missed chance from Mohamed Bangura in the defeat against Hearts as a big moment in the match. It's frustrating for many Celtic fans that Stokes and Gary Hooper don't start together consistently enough and tomorrow should give them a chance to further prove themselves as our best options in the final third. Kris Commons is suspended after his red card in the Hearts match so any spark out wide will come from James Forrest. Forrest was largely unused on Scotland duty though Craig Levein did turn to him in Alicante and brought him off the bench to go up against the best in the world. Perhaps expecting the talent of a David Silva to rub off on him is asking too much but at the very least his confidence should be further boosted by the honour of representing his country for only the fourth time. Slowly but surely he is turning from a young talent into someone who can be relied upon, these are the types of games which may help show that. Defensively it's likely to be another rejig at Rugby Park. Both Cha Du-Ri and Glenn Loovens are again available for selection after absence and even the most eager of betting men would surely not like to wager on what back line we'll see tomorrow. Hopefully whichever combination it is becomes the base four of the XI and no tinkering continues.

It's a perception that midday kick-offs are often tricky occasions but this is bread and butter for a Celtic team who do this on a consistent basis and have done so for years. If anything it's more of a problem for the opposition who have to switch to such awkward times only when one of the Glasgow sides come calling. As things stand it'd be a relief if tomorrow turns into one of those games that pass by without incident beyond a goal or two for Celtic, the kind of game you don't necessarily get massively excited about. I'm certainly not hoping for any plucky performances from Kilmarnock, even it presented a good advert for Scottish football. I don't believe Celtic are in good enough shape to come up against a serious challenge at this precarious stage of a resurrection. Perhaps later we can look upon this game, cold and Autumnal in Kilmarnock, and think 'it started there'.

The Curious Case of the 67Fanzine

Yesterday, 8th October, a thread was started on a Celtic fan messageboard asking for information on the Celtic fanzine 67Fanzine. The person starting the thread was Joe from The Celtic Collector's Club. Joe runs the fantastic hobby websites http://www.celticcollectorsclub.co.uk/ and http://www.celticmatchprogrammes.co.uk. It's probable you've clicked on one or both of these websites before in your travels around Celtic cyberspace, they are fantastic for tracking down pieces of Celtic memorabilia. Joe collects every fanzine ever produced by the fanbase and was concerned that Issue 3, which he paid for, had never arrived at his door despite repeated promises it was printed and on its way.

In the first replies of the thread someone stated that the person who ran this fanzine was Andy Muirhead, of the website Scotzine. He's a well known figure in the Scottish football online world. I immediately thought to take myself to Twitter to see what he was saying about any allegation that may have been put to him. Sure enough he was in conversation with someone regarding the fanzine. He stated he had nothing to do with the fanzine and that he had only been involved initially, hosting their website and giving them a design template for the 'zine. He also went on to say he too is owed money by an 'Andy Lamont' and 'Padraig Fitzgerald' from 67Fanzine for hosting costs incurred by him since the website has been online.

Something immediately didn't seem right about this so I did a number of things in an effort to find out what was going on. I was hoping Joe, and presumably others, could get their money back if these people were tracked down. I got in touch privately with Joe and started a discussion with him about the different ways he'd been in touch with people from the fanzine. I also managed to speak to a writing contributor from the first couple of issues. I also asked Andy Muirhead to e-mail me to help clear up the rumours about him running this whole thing despite his claims it was two other people.

The writing contributor got in touch with information that the e-mail account 67fanzine@gmail.com had been in Muirhead's name for around five months before it was changed to 'Andy Lamont/Padraig Fitzgerald'. The first correspondence from the account in Andy L/Padraig F's name was August 5th, five months after initial contact from the account under Muirhead's name. Andy Muirhead's explanation for this is that he set up the account and later handed it over to Andy L and Padraig.

I received the e-mail I had requested from Andy M with his explanation of the situation. In it he explained that one of the people he had set up the fanzine with, Andy Lamont, was not contactable and the other, Padraig Fitzgerald, was in Dubai and had cut all ties with the fanzine. He claims he has been trying to get in touch with them for over a month yet doesn't have a phone number for either of them.

I received information from our friend Joe which showed that the recipient in his Paypal payment to 67Fanzine was named 'Andy Muirhead'. I managed to get in touch with another complainant, Stephen, who hadn't even received Issues One or Two despite paying for them. He too confirmed the recipient in his Paypal payment was the name 'Andy Muirhead'. It was a verified account meaning it is linked to a bank account held by someone called 'Andy Muirhead'.

Before posting on the fan forum, in his efforts to track down the people who run the fanzine, Joe initially had e-mail contact with the address 67fanzine@gmail.com and then with two phone numbers. One of these phone numbers was given to Joe by the distributors who had agreed to sell the fanzine at their stalls on matchdays, the distributors had never seen Issue 3 either, seemingly it was never printed at all. The other number he found on the website of 67Fanzine and inside print copies of Issues Zero, One and Two. He phoned this second number a few times, the person on the other end answered as 'Andy' and assured him copies were being sent out on two occasions. They never arrived. This number was available on the fanzine website at noon on 9th October, it was removed once questions started to be asked online. These two numbers seem to belong to Mr. Andrew Muirhead and they are both listed in the print copy of 67fanzine under 'Editorial' and 'Enquiries'. One of the numbers appears in the e-mail footer of e-mails from the account editor@scotzine.com and when you google either, they both appear linked to Muirhead. The screenshots that follow show this. I have blacked out the full numbers to protect Andy from prank callers. You can click on the images to make them bigger.

I urged Joe and Stephen to e-mail Andy Muirhead direct at editor@scotzine.com and ask for their money back in light of this. He continued to deny he had anything to do with the fanzine beyond web hosting and initial template design. I decided that it was time to ask him some direct questions myself.

I asked:

1) Why is it when people donated money or subscribed to or paid for issues of the fanzine was the recipient's name on Paypal 'Andy Muirhead'?

2) Why is it that the number in the fanzine, the number on the 67Fanzine website until noon yesterday and the contact number a complainant used last week to speak to an 'Andy' about Issue 3 is the same number as yours? You had it in the footer of your e-mail to me yesterday.

3) How did you hand over the Gmail account details without any other form of contact with these people? The names on the account changed in July/August.

4) Why if you were not involved are two of your mobile telephone numbers in the editorial and contact sections of the fanzines?

As of now, I have still received no answers to these questions and the complainants involved have received no reasonable explanation for the evidence linking him to 67Fanzine. In fact myself and Joe were threatened with legal action should we go public with this information.

It was never my intention to publicly go down this route. I had only ever wished people receive money due to them and initially thought Andy Muirhead could put me in touch with those responsible as it was clear he had dealings with these two people. It seems strange to me that a man who is prepared to set up a paypal account, e-mail account and website (which continues to be paid on a monthly basis and which he/Scotzine legally owns) would have no way of contacting the people he was doing this for apart from the e-mail address he set up for them. This isn't an attack on Andy Muirhead or Scotzine, it's just an attempt to get to the bottom of Celtic fans' lost money. The Paypal account appears to be is in his name and his personal phone numbers are on the publication. The last known contact Joe had with the fanzine was through, what appears to be, his number last week. It may be that nothing the circumstantial evidence points to is true. I'm sure if Andy could answer these questions the matter could be cleared up, but he has avoided them. If Andy Lamont or Padraig Fitzgerald come forward then maybe they can deal with questions too but I doubt they even exist. The amounts due to Joe and Stephen may be small but there's no way to tell how many people have ordered issues and not received them. The 67Fanzine website is still online and the 'Donations' and 'Subscriptions' services are still running and accepting money through Paypal.  I feel like I have to present this information to the online Celtic community and the online Scottish football blogging community as a whole because of this. There are only questions, no accusations... but they remain unanswered.

Neil Lennon's Celtic: We're hopelessly devoted to you

It's a sign of the times that again this season the international break comes welcome to most Celtic fans. Another poor display all round from the team today saw a winnable game versus Hearts slip out of their grasp for the third time this season already in the SPL. Two goals in the second half sunk Celtic without trace as they couldn't find a way back into the game despite huffing and puffing for ninety minutes. It leaves us ten points behind Rangers albeit with a game in hand. In early October this is a grave situation that needs rectifying as soon as possible.

There are reasons for today's loss outwith the box marked 'Criticism', namely the number of injuries to key players the squad is suffering from this season. As much as it was a poor result it seems bizarre to me that the majority of fans would look at today's team line-up and think "This is going to be tough, we'll do very well to win today" and then ninety minutes later lose the plot exclaiming "That was terrible, I can't believe we lost today". Two of our first choice defenders were missing and three first choice midfielders were missing. Our squad players are good enough to cover a position when the rest of the team remains strong but any club would find it difficult to shore up five positions and maintain consistency. While today's loss is explainable at least, it's sadly typical of the way this season has gone so far. As we continue to struggle from week to week every bad result sparks a brutal and thorough inquest into the failings of the club.

Last season the fans fell in love with Neil Lennon's Celtic. Some even saw a passion re-ignited that had lain dormant for a large proportion of the decade. The players and backroom staff became one with the crowd, everyone was on the same page. This even culminated in a spectacular show of support to a team that lost the league on the last day of the season with their bitter rivals picking up the silver. I was at Celtic Park that day and I don't think anyone that attended will regret standing up and applauding the team. We lived in very strange times and it seemed appropriate to 'stand as one' in backing the manager and team after what was an extraordinarily difficult season on and off the pitch. The team did amass a very large points total in the league and they did deliver a thirty-fifth Scottish Cup. The season was considered a minor success in that Lennon had managed to spearhead a revitalisation of the team and 'bring the thunder back' to the terraces in grounds wherever you found Celtic.  Ultimately though they failed in their main objective of wrestling the title away from Rangers and it seems the disappointment of this failure has lingered more than any other feeling in the relationship between fans, manager and team.

The problem we have as fans is that we are a mere point in a love triangle involving Celtic and another it is betrothed to: mediocrity. We are not the force we were even five years ago. Our squad is littered with players who are paid to train and do little else. Even the stars we gushed praise for last season are contributing in bursts instead of the week after week form you need to win championships. Did we go too far, too soon with our adulation? There's an argument for that. At one point it seemed inevitable that Celtic would build on last year and become the top team in Scotland once again. A team that is successful does not require massive change to continue it's glories. In the Summer we were not coming off the back of a successful campaign even though we were overly positive about the strengths of the team we adored. We required significant looks at a number of key positions. We needed fresh faces to push the complacent 'successful failures' into championship winning form. It seems at this point that Celtic and Neil Lennon have failed to address the issues which caused us to fail in our main objective last season.

There is still a possibility Celtic will turn this around. We did so last season after a poor December. As our squad slowly returns to full fitness we should see an upturn in results on a regular basis. Every game from now until the next derby game at least is a must win game. Rangers are currently rampaging their way through the rest of the SPL yet they have not visited the traditionally difficult Easter Road, Pittodrie, Celtic Park or Tynecastle. We must capitalise on their failings as they do ours. Neil Lennon has never been under this much pressure in a sporting context although we know from other issues that he has as strong a character as you could hope to have. Calls for his resignation or sacking are extremely premature but they won't go away for the foreseeable future. It's now about Neil Lennon conducting his own inquest into our failings and finding working solutions to these. We are in a dark place at the moment and whether he can lead us out into light will be the making or breaking of him as Celtic manager. In the past we were hopelessly devoted to another Celtic team, Tommy Burns'. Let's hope this time around the team can be bringers of success rather than precursors to success. We can't keep waiting to cement our relationship with truly meaningful silver jewellery.

Stand up for The Green Brigade (And every other fan group in Scotland)

For me, yesterday provided the first hair raising, spine tingling moment of the season so far. It came in the first half when as part of their silent protest The Green Brigade produced the 'NO STANDING' banner to immediate backing from almost every person in the stadium who stood in defiance and applauded. A further chant of "Stand up for The Green Brigade" followed in what was a unifying day for everyone present. The group also unfurled banners which said "NO SWEARING", "NO LATERAL MOVEMENT", "SMILE FOR THE CAMERA - SEE YOU IN COURT" & "NO POLITICAL EXPRESSION" before a message which read "Our songs are not sectarian. Our songs are not illegal. We will not be criminalised. We will not be silenced". As the group exploded into life in the second half it cascaded round the stadium and by the end of the match everyone was engrossed with what was happening in the stands, not on the pitch. The Green Brigade have a controversial history in Scottish football already with some seeing their banners and songs, some of which are political in nature, as inappropriate to bring into the arena of football. There are some popular misconceptions about who the group actually are or what they represent due to bad press in both the media and fan forums. Most of these critics would have you believe they're sectarian bigots out to cause harm to the peace and civility of the national game by pushing their agendas onto us. This isn't the case. I have no problem with those who disagree with banners they produce or songs they sing. I have a big problem with people who try to deny their right to do so.

In a statement which traveled round the Celtic internet communities yesterday the group laid bare their reasons for the protest at the match. In it they highlight some experiences with Police forces around Scotland they've encountered, from light intimidation to full body searches, even serious allegations of made up charges being brought upon their members. I've read some opinion today which labels The Green Brigade as 'attention seeking' or 'self-centered', completely ignoring the point that they were protesting for every football fan in Scotland who has a voice and not just themselves. It comes at a time when the culture in stands at Scottish football seems to be "shut up, sit down and know your place". It appears that if you don't do this, you're fair game to be labelled out of order, or worse, a criminal. In Dunfermline the club have threatened to close a stand because some fans aren't sitting down. In the past Green Brigade members have been threatened with bans from Celtic Park for 'lateral movement' in their section. If you have a smoke canister or flare you can be prosecuted under firearm laws. This season you'll see designated police officers at every match filming and documenting everything for reasons unknown. A Motherwell fan was removed from Fir Park for having a banner with the word 'hun' on it. It seems in an effort to rid the game of sectarianism and racism we've gone too far... or is it just a police force who are completely out of touch with a new generation of football fan?

A point that appears to me to be often missed is that regardless of political opinion or ideology, channeling that into making a banner or singing a song is a ridiculously positive way to convey your message. It happens in fan groups all across Europe. Of course some will argue that the football is no place for this and it's fair to think that. Though it seems natural to me that a group of young people will come together and express a shared belief, especially in an arena where you all first happened upon one another. Would police and stewards suddenly be easy going and relaxed about organised displays if there wasn't a banner about a poppy being on a Celtic shirt? I'd have to say probably not. They're scared of something else. It seems to me that they're stuck fifteen or twenty years in the past when organised groups of young guys didn't make a banner to express themselves, instead storming a pub or kicking a rival fan's head in. The Green Brigade lead the way for fan groups in Scotland at the moment with fans from other teams noticeably raising their game in the last two or three years to compete with the colour and noise, this can only be a good thing. In light of this protest, authorities should now begin an effort to open communication with every fan group in Scotland to try and get a perspective on where they're coming from. Whether or not groups would be open to that is debatable but for me it would make sense to try and find some other way forward, because hurling guys out of stadiums isn't it.

In many ways this isn't about Celtic or The Green Brigade. Scottish football should be looking to make itself as vibrant, exciting and atmospheric as possible. It appears to me that we've hamstrung ourselves with constant conservatism and small-minded thinking. We will continue to do so if new legislation being discussed at the moment comes into force. It's my opinion that this legislation is an over-reaction from a Scottish Government desperate to land headlines to be seen to do something about Scotland's societal problems of alcohol abuse and violence. It's certainly not about football OR sectarianism. Unless overtly abusive of creed, ethnicity, sexuality, colour or a call for violence then we should be encouraging expression and different voices. You cannot seperate life into neat little sections of 'Sport', 'Politics', 'Entertainment' like some sort of programme guide and to try to do so is folly. I'd ask every fan in Scotland to let themselves be heard. Bring awareness to your ideas and your personal opinions. Become involved in a fan group of similar minds and use it as a conduit for positive thinking. Support your team. Sing songs of past glories. Stand up and scream obscenities. When you get home start a blog to discuss anything you want. Jump about and sing Discoland for all I care. I may not join you or believe in everything you do but that's your right as a member of free society and no-one should try to take that away from you regardless of the enviroment you are in. I was inspired by The Green Brigade yesterday, not even because of the message they put across, but the clever way they went about expressing it.

Match report: Ross County 0 - 2 Celtic

Celtic got on the road again after Sunday's disappointing result with a 2-0 victory in poor conditions at Victoria Park versus Ross County. Neil Lennon named a very strong team to face County, making a point that tonight was a must win game as the team looked to progress further in the Scottish Communities League Cup. Anthony Stokes' partnership with Gary Hooper was given priority again. Kris Commons was completely absent, Charlie Mulgrew took up the berth at left midfield. Daniel Majstorovic returned to the centre back position while Adam Matthews again started on the right of defence.

The rain was lashing down in Dingwall as the game kicked off. Ross County made a bright start getting in the faces of the Celtic midfield, managing to use their energy to mark their men, making it difficult for Celtic to build from the back. However, it didn't take long for Celtic to make the breakthrough; from two yards Hooper tapped in Joe Ledley's downward header in the fourteenth minute. The chance came from a corner whipped in by Charlie Mulgrew; as the ball went deep to the far post Stokes managed to keep it in play and lob the ball back across the face of goal to set up Ledley.

Only a few minutes later the ball bounced from the Celtic penalty area, it sat up for Michael Gardyne who volleyed it onto Fraser Forster's post. The only other chance in first half came through Ledley who had a low shot saved smartly by County keeper Michael Fraser after Hooper poked a through ball into his path. Celtic dominated possession for most of the first half but the majority of play was ponderous. The defence, Kelvin Wilson in particular, looked nervous with the ball and they struggled to find men in midfield throughout. Most of Celtic's good play came from Beram Kayal who did well to ping crossfield passes into the wide areas where the likes of James Forrest and Badr El Kaddouri could probe the County penalty area.

At half-time Victor Wanyama replaced Kelvin Wilson; the Kenyan slotted into central midfield with Ledley moving left and Mulgrew moving into defence. Celtic started with purpose and it took only six minutes for the second goal to come. Michael Fraser made another good save from Hooper at his near post but the Celtic striker regained possession and shifted the ball out to the far right where Stokes pushed into the box and fired the ball low across the six yard box. Scott Boyd was caught in two minds as the ball came to him and he turned the ball into his own net.

The goal deflated Ross County who showed none of the determination or spirit we saw at Hampden eighteen months ago. The game petered out and became a mere runabout for the Celtic team, most of whom played within themselves. Any possession did not find it's way to threaten the County goal. Forrest continued to run at the defence and at points linked well with Hooper, demonstrating again one of the best combination of players we've seen in games so far this season. Kayal continued to be strong in midfield with Wanyama; the two ensured there was no meaningful late push for a goal from Ross County.

With Ross County offering no threat, Neil Lennon managed to give Mohamaed Bangura a little more game time when the Sierra Leone player replaced Anthony Stokes in the seventy-seventh minute. Bangura showed a glimpse of quality when he skillfully cut inside from the wide right and played a delightful ball through the County defence which Hooper should have done better with. It was a proud night too for young Irishman Paul George who made his Celtic first team debut coming on in the eighty-ninth minute for Hooper. It was nearly a dream start when he almost converted a late chance to make it 3-0 but Michael Fraser made another fantastic save to keep the score respectable for Ross County.

The result puts Celtic into the League Cup Quarter Final draw tomorrow with Dundee United, St.Mirren, Kilmarnock, Hibernian and rather remarkably three SFL teams. East Fife, Falkirk and Ayr United all managed to knock out SPL teams on Tuesday and Wednesday night with Aberdeen, Rangers and Hearts being their scalps. Celtic now look to complete a Highland double bill when they face Inverness Caledonian Thistle on Saturday at Parkhead. Neil Lennon will be as relieved as the Celtic fans to avoid a slip up which would've put further pressure on the club moving into a series of crucial league games before another international break in October. It's never easy going away in a cup competition, especially in midweek and in poor weather conditions. The job was done and done professionally. This is all we can ask as the team looks to rebuild consistency and confident performances.