Returning from injury profile #2: Kelvin Wilson

The second of three potentially key players this season to return after a long absence is twenty-six year old Kelvin Wilson. 2011 has surely been one of the most frustrating years in the Englishman's playing career so far. In January he agreed terms with Celtic to sign for free in the Summer from Nottingham Forest but an effort from Celtic to land him earlier for a fee fell short of Forest's wants. The player ended up frozen out at the City Ground and after agreeing terms with Celtic never played another game for the Championship side. Despite not playing a competitive match for almost eight months by the time the season started he had managed to bring himself to the fitness level required to be a first choice centre back. Unfortunately only eight games into his Celtic stay Wilson suffered a tear of his achilles tendon in the League Cup fixture away to Ross County which has kept him out of the team for almost three months. With a possibility of featuring in Celtic's do or die clash away to Udinese tonight the big defender will be looking to make the position his own going into the new year. What have Celtic been missing?

Wilson had a fairly successful start to the season on the pitch. Of the eight matches which he started five of them resulted in clean sheets. Losses at Ibrox and Estadio Vicente Calderón were the only defeats and the other goal conceded was in the 5-1 mauling of Dundee United at Celtic Park. Sadly it's the derby at Ibrox which sticks in the mind of many when they think of the player. In a team of bad performances his was one of the worst even gifting a goalscoring oppurtunity to Steven Naismith which led to them opening the scoring. It's unfortunate that his injury occurred in the next game, the only reason this performance stays fresh in the mind is because Wilson has never had a chance to prove himself again in the wake of that agony while the rest of the team has.

It's fair to say the jury is out on Wilson as a Celtic player. The main reason being that it is unwise to judge a player's ability good or bad after only eight games. Therefore we have to look elsewhere for signs of his ability. At Forest the defender was well respected by the fans. A few individual errors aside Wilson impressed first at League One level and then in the Championship. In season 2007/08 he played a big role in setting an as yet unbeaten twenty-four clean sheet record in League One, playing forty-two league games. After Forest's promotion to the Championship he continued to impress although his best form didn't come until season 2009/10 when Forest reached third position and missed out on promotion to the Premier League in the playoffs. Retaining his place as a first choice defender for the third year in a row, Forest kept nineteen clean sheets while conceding only forty goals, the second best record in the league after Newcastle. He was noted at this level to have all the components the Celtic defence seem to lack currently... pace, composure and skill on the ball. It seems obvious why Celtic would seek the services of a defender who comes with this background, especially when no fee is involved. It's the form Wilson showed at Nottingham Forest that we're all hoping to see in the second half of the season.

When a player is out for a long time fan expectation rises by the day, especially when a team is struggling for form. Celtic have been fairly woeful at times defensively this season and so it's men on the sidelines, even out on loan, that we look to put all our hopes in. It's unlikely Wilson alone is an antidote to our defensive worries this season. However with Emilio Izaguirre close to full fitness and Mikael Lustig arriving on the right from Rosenborg he will likely be a key component of a strong defensive backline, on paper at least. It's important that Celtic have a much more settled back line after Christmas because consitency in defensive selection is directly linked consistent defensive performance, more than any other area of the ptich. Whether his partnership is with Daniel Majstorovic or Charlie Mulgrew is a decision for Neil Lennon but I think, of the three, the first pick will and should be Wilson every time when fit.

If his return is indeed away to Udinese then it would be harsh to judge his performance in the event of a defeat, barring heavy disaster. Of all our games this season, apart from the trip to Madrid, this is the hardest possible return he could have. Regardless of whether he starts tonight or not Wilson should have time to sow himself back into the starting eleven without performing miracles. However a very important game is on the horizon and there's little place for bedding in at this stage of the season. Wilson needs to cope with the expectation of performance and push himself further than his match fitness might allow in less pressurised circumstances. Celtic do not play in a league which has a reputation for quality football teams these days but it has always been a winning mentality that is the making of players in green and white, something that so far may have gone untested in his stints for clubs in the lower leagues of English football. His first key task will be to help the side keep a clean sheet on the 28th December against Rangers. Completing this task would certainly go a long way towards winning the hearts and minds of the fans going into 2012. A year which I hope is much more satisfying for Kelvin Wilson.

Scottish Government statistics on banning orders proof existing laws work

In a week when the topic of behaviour at football grounds has been dominating the headlines of organisations such as the BBC, STV, The Daily Record and The Scottish Sun... I stumbled upon an article in the 13th November edition of the Scotland on Sunday which has strangely gone unnoticed by the majority of the mainstream media. The headlines of these four organisations have focused mainly on Celtic and its fans, with a police force employee never far away from explaining that new laws are necessary to tackle the problem of offensive chanting at the club. The article in the Scotland on Sunday reported new statistics released which show that more than double the amount of Football Banning Orders (FBOs) have been issued to Rangers fans in comparison to Celtic fans. FBOs are used in the fight against criminal behaviour relating to football with most being issued for violent and sectarian offences. Let me be clear, I'm not trying to paint Rangers in a bad light but it's curious that in the wake of these statistics being released that Strathclyde Police have gone on an week long offensive against The Green Brigade and the rest of the Celtic support when this group of people only face punishment of sporting consequence in relation to the alleged singing. Why not focus on their own hard work in bringing supporters from all clubs to task for behaviour which goes over the line of existing legislation?

One hundred and seventy seven football banning orders have been issued since 2006 with fifty alone coming between April and October of 2011. Police forces nationwide are clearly applying existing laws in their crackdown against the problems which blight Scottish football. A question has to be asked that if FBOs are shown to be working in conjunction with convictions for violent and sectarian crimes across Scotland, what is the aim of the proposed Offensive Behaviour Bill? A Scottish Government evaluation of the FBOs concluded that the implementation of them is improving over time. Speaking to the Scotland on Sunday, Scottish Labour MSP and former police match commander Graeme Pearson said, "The biggest threat to a fan is not imprisonment, it is not being able to go and see his team. While everyone wants an end to the evils of sectarianism that is no excuse for poor legislation and there are huge concerns about the potential unintended negative consequences of the SNP’s plans. We must fully use the powers in place to deal with sectarianism before deciding whether there is need for further measures.” This common sense has been absent from most of the debate dominating the headlines recently.

It seems that the club and the fans themselves are now embroiled in a high stakes political dogfight which has relevance only in the corridors of Holyrood but has consequences for us all. The bill can't be seen to fail no matter how ugly it is turning out to be. The SNP and Strathclyde Police have set the tone in the media all week in pursuit of attaining credibility for the bill. Joe O'Rourke of the Celtic Supporters Association has stated tonight that statistics released tomorrow will show that most sectarian offences in Scotland relating to football happen at Celtic Park. Whether or not this is an attempt to further emphasise the need for new legislation through carefully placed spokesmen in the press remains to be seen. These statistics will appear only weeks after it emerged that records on sectarian crime in the period 2005 to 2009 have been destroyed. A previous study published taking some of these statistics into account showed around two-thirds of offences were directed against Catholics, with 80% of offences committed in Glasgow or Lanarkshire. The majority of these took place away from footballing activities. This week has been a masterclass demonstration from the Scottish Government in how to shape popular public opinion. It would be interesting to see other media organisations report on the FBOs in conjunction with these new statistics tomorrow and ask for comment on those opposed to the bill. Surely only then can the wider Scottish public form a balanced view on what is trying to be pushed through by the SNP? The language from all sides of this affair seems to be escalating by the day and the varying positions are only becoming deeper entrenched. It's time to have a grown up debate on the issues and not shower the influential mainstream media with one side of the argument. This only provokes defensive response from those you are claiming to try to engage.

You can find the full Scotland on Sunday article here: http://www.scotsman.com/scotland-on-sunday/politics/probe_into_celtic_fans_as_rangers_top_ban_league_1_1963278

You can find Joe O'Rourke's statement here: http://www.thecsa.co.uk/showthread.php?t=497

You can find a PDF document of a July 2011 Scottish Government evaluation of FBOs here: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/354566/0119713.pdf

Returning from injury profile #1: Scott Brown

The Celtic first team squad this season has suffered from a number of long term injuries. While not the sole reason for poor results by any means it has no doubt had a detrimental effect on the team in the league campaign. As the squad returns to what would be considered full strength in the coming weeks I thought it would be a good time to look at the players who've been absent and how they fit into the Celtic first eleven. First up is the club captain Scott Brown.

Brown joined Celtic from Hibernian in 2007 for a record domestic transfer fee of £4.4m. It would only take two and a half years for a manager to name him captain of the club. Due to the large fee and reported high wages, in the region of £20-25k a week, Brown has always been under scrutiny from the Celtic support. It's fair to say that opinion is often divided on whether he should be starting nevermind be the captain. When Brown played for Hibernian he caught the eye as part of the talented team which included the likes of Steven Fletcher, Derek Riordan, Kevin Thomson and Gary O'Connor. He was a direct, attacking midfielder and while this didn't always result in goals for the player he brought urgency to a successful team, landing Hibs their first trophy in sixteen years.

When Gordon Strachan signed Brown this is what Celtic fans thought they were going to see. Instead Strachan utilised him as more of an athletic ball winner while the creativity and attacking urgency from Celtic came through the wide areas from players like Aiden McGeady and Shunsuke Nakamura. At times he would still try to burst forward but his attacking form was patchy throughout the year. Nevertheless his first season could be considered a success as Celtic won their third title in a row and qualified from the group stages in the Champions League for only the second time. Brown played a large part in that with forty-eight appearances in all competitions though many fans felt short changed when weighing up his performances with the large transfer fee. There are even some who argue that had Brown not been suspended and subsequently dropped for Paul Hartley and Barry Robson in April 2008 then the storming Celtic comeback which produced three in a row would never had happened. I've always felt this was a harsh assessment. It later emerged when she passed away in May 2008 that his sister had suffered from skin cancer throughout the season and it shows his strength of character that he managed to continue to play for Celtic at the highest club level without letting it effect his performances.

His second season saw Celtic lose their tight grip on the title to Rangers on the last day of the season. The grumblings from the fans continued regarding his ability, specifically in terms of passing the ball. This is obviously a key requisite for any footballer and especially in midfield. It's true to say that Brown doesn't possess the largest passing range of a player we've seen at Celtic. His energy in the middle of the park did win him fans though; his desire to be involved in every game and cover every blade of grass on a football pitch had to be admired. This energy was at times vital to a team which had become fairly ponderous and predictable. While Celtic didn't have as successful a season they had hoped for Brown certainly improved as a player, chipping in with some vital goals and a man of the match performance in the 2009 League Cup Final victory over Rangers. His improvement and contribution was acknowledged in the end of season awards when he won the 2009 Players' Player Of The Year; a recognition from his fellow professional that he was as tough an opponent as anyone they faced that season. It was also in 2009 that the first signs of his re-occuring ankle injury started to emerge when playing for Celtic with the player having to receive injections to see through the tail end of the season.

The opening months of Brown's season under Tony Mowbray were plagued by the ankle injury and he eventually required a long lay off between October and February to receive his second operation in six months on the joint. He returned as Celtic club captain and a month later when Neil Lennon took control of the shambles Mowbray had left behind this was about the only thing he didn't change. It's my opinion that this was the making of Scott Brown as a Celtic player. He clearly thrives on the responsibility and watching Celtic in the last eighteen months have convinced me he is as important a player for us as anyone in the squad.

Neil Lennon also shifted Brown from the middle two of a 4-4-2 formation to a slightly wider role on the right hand side. This gives Brown a little bit more freedom to make forward runs and play himself into the box. Arguably this is the role Brown should have had for Celtic ever since Strachan signed him in 2007. With his energy and stamina he can play this position for 90 minutes without tiring and can tuck in to a more central position when Celtic do not have possession, being the third man in a defensive midfield set-up. This means Celtic get the best of both sides of Scott Brown, the harassing interceptor and the pacy attacking midfielder. When Brown is in the middle he is hindered with positional responsibility and this is one of the biggest weaknesses of his game. He has also a great motivator on the pitch for Neil Lennon. This was memorably highlighted in the opening Rangers game of the 2011-12 season. With Celtic finding themselves 1-0 down it was Brown, playing with injury, who dragged Celtic into a winning position. A position they ultimately conceded in the second half as the visibily injured Brown deteriorated and had to be substituted. This has resulted in another period out of the team for the captain, who has had to have a third operation on his ankle. He's due to return in a couple of weeks and I'm positive he will continue progressing as a Celtic player and play an important role in clawing back the points deficit on Rangers. It's this type of player the team needs to win games by any means necessary.

As it stands any club can open contract negotiations with the player in six weeks time. He would be able to sign a pre-contract with a club to move in the Summer of 2012. It's claimed by Neil Lennon that the reason he has not yet signed an extension to the contract he signed with Celtic in 2007 is merely down to negotiation of his agent's fee. Brown has been in the press himself claiming he is desperate to stay at Celtic and sign a new contract. However, as time rolls on it becomes more and more of a worry that no contract has been signed. It would be madness to let Scott Brown leave for free regardless of your opinion on his ability. He was signed for £4.4m and to not see any return for that would be gross mismangement from the man in charge of contracts and recruitment at Celtic, Peter Lawwell. My only concern in handing him a new contract is the state of his ankle. Three operations in 2 years on one joint without any sign it won't flare up again could be viewed as bad news. Can it hold up playing two or three games a week going forward? Saying this, I am hoping Brown signs a new contract and stays for a long time. I believe the following years will see the best football of his career. Having shelled out so much to guarantee we get a shot at seeing this at Celtic Park it makes no sense for the club not to put their faith in him now, when we need him most.

Supporters' "illicit chanting" enters sporting context for Celtic

Over the weekend reports surfaced in the media that Celtic could face possible charges over chants coming from Celtic supporters in the game against Stade Rennais FC on 3rd November at Celtic Park. According to the reports it was a member or members of Strathclyde Police who had alerted the UEFA match delegate to the chants. The match delegate then filed a report with UEFA which would be damaging to the club and ensure a meeting took place to decide whether or not the Celtic fans had acted in a way which could bring sporting or financial penalties to the club. Today this was confirmed both by UEFA and Strathclyde Police. It then emerged in the Daily Record that the Strathclyde Police officer involved in the reporting to UEFA was former SPL referee Eddie Smith.

There are three distinct areas to explore in this whole matter all of which should be spoken seperately of each other. Firstly there is the matter of the behaviour of the fans at the game. Secondly there is the timing of Strathclyde Police suddenly taking the time to involve themselves in sporting matters when they have never done so before. Thirdly there is the inconsistency of UEFA in dealing with matters such as these and the implications should Celtic be found guilty of the charges. As the story has developed over the weekend there's been a tendency from some I've seen, from fans to media outlets, of focusing on one aspect of this affair and painting the whole picture around that element only. For example, completely ignoring the chants to focus on how the media has reported it or focusing only on the chants with absurd broad brushstrokes about the Celtic support.

It is believed that the song at the centre of UEFA's investigation is "The Celtic Symphony".  The song, written by The Wolfe Tones, is a staple of the support. It builds through a verse and chorus to a chant of "Ooh ahh up the 'Ra", the context in the song is of the writer seeing this as graffiti sprawled on a wall somewhere. In the song this is the only reference to Irish Republicanism. In recent years, especially at Celtic Park, the chorus has by and large started to fall away and by the time the chant comes around it is much quieter, with only a minority remaining to chant the line with gusto.

Whether or not you're still into the song by the time the chant comes round and giving it the "Ooh ahh's" is in my opinion, a personal choice. A personal choice like anything in life you wish to express within the boundaries of the law. I'm one of those supporters who gets into the song but falls away when it comes to the chorus, I have my own reasons for that. Perhaps I'm a laid back sort of chap but I'd wager the majority of people upon being exposed to the song wouldn't care about it's content and at the very most would think it's idiotic and in poor taste. Would they be offended? Unlikely. It's my opinion that society is far too desensitised to care about this song beyond mock outrage. It's not sectarian, it's not illegal, it's not even specific. You or others might think someone is morally wrong for singing it but are they really impacting on your life in such a way that you are offended it is sung? You have to think about that too as a Celtic fan when Rangers fans sing songs such as "A Father's Advice", a song which isn't racist or sectarian. I don't like it, I don't agree with it's content but I'm not offended. It's still widely heard at Rangers games. Both of these songs in my opinion are wildly different to other songs that have been censured by UEFA in the past, like The Billy Boys, which is illegal within the current remit of the law. It's perhaps your opinion that this kind of song doesn't belong at a football ground full stop. It's OK to think this and pontificate this thought and debate it. It's when you're trying to stop people from doing so with force and punishment that it's completely the wrong road to go down. What you'd essentially be doing is stopping someone from singing something which has no consequence at all beyond expressing a political ideal. Is that a reasonable thing to do? In my mind, it isn't.

The question you have to ask yourself when it comes to Strathclyde Police is... why now? "The Celtic Symphony" was written in 1987. Celtic have played around seventy European home games in that time. Why would you involve yourself in reporting a football club to a parent organisation when you've never done so before? Is it politically motivated? Well of course it is. The Scottish Government and the police forces themselves are desperate to rush the controversial Offensive Behaviour Bill through parliament so it becomes a reality sooner rather than later. Strathclyde Police like all police forces are also desperate to justify their funding and new measures brought in nationwide like the Football Policing Unit. It all seems to be an effort to control your average football fan in an age when policing is actually becoming more and more obsolete within sporting arenas. What better way to invigorate the 'need' for policing at football than to construct a scenario such as this? All that's needed to light the media fire is the slightest of hints that one of the big two football clubs in Scotland might be in trouble with UEFA over fans chanting. It won't even matter if UEFA throw this issue out at the disciplinary hearing, it's a job done for Strathclyde Police.

UEFA need to find a way of dealing with this that doesn't have consequences for themselves in the future. Truly if they wish to end political chanting at football games they will have to treat every football team in Europe with supporters who have political affiliations the same as they do Celtic. This seems an impossible task given the tendency of many fans of the sport to air politically diverse views in terraces around the continent. UEFA have targeted the club on the other side of the city before and even though it was, in my opinion, correct to do so, it would also be correct to target the fans of Chelsea... the fans of Real Madrid... the fans of Barcelona. All of these clubs have been guilty of racist chanting within the last 12 months. Is it easier to pinpoint Scotland because our issues are unique? If they target racism in Spain, they would need to do it in Russia and they would need to do it in France. When they tackled Rangers sectarian issue they only needed to do it in Scotland. The language within the rules and regulations does, strictly speaking, give scope to find Celtic fans guilty of infringement. However, they will think carefully before dealing with this issue as, in my opinion, the outcome should set a precedent in how clubs and supporters are treated by the governing body when expressing political ideology at football matches.

If, and I'll admit it's a big if, UEFA find Celtic fans guilty and impose a financial or sporting sanction upon Celtic it would undoubtedly divide the support further with regards to pro-Irish Republican chanting and singing in football grounds. In fact, I think it would be time to re-evaluate the songs that are sung and how we can move forward without hurting the sporting aspect of the club. As I've said, it's currently my opinion that singing the songs has no consequence beyond those that are made within the media or made by those pushing a political agenda. If UEFA deem the songs unacceptable and we wish to continue to play their game then there would be a direct sporting consequence. The club would need to be frank with fans' groups and open discussion about what's going on in the stands, finding out where people are coming from and what they would or would not be willing to stop singing. Self-regulation and making personal choices is a massively different proposition to police and government dictating what we can and can't do. With fair prior warning and elements eager to urge UEFA to use their powers it would be an own goal not to address the issue.

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'.