Season Review 11/12: And No More Shall We Part

This article first appeared here as a part one of two and then in full on the excellent Celtic Underground website. It's edited and posted again here in full for completion's sake.

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The entire 2011/12 Celtic season can be distilled into one crystal clear moment that will live on in the memory of everyone who witnessed it. Charlie Mulgrew planted the ball in the corner of the North Stand and Jock Stein Stand and belted a swerving, dipping cross to the back post. Joe Ledley met it with barely a leap, height unnecessary but desire required, the ball spun off his forehead and stretched the back of Alan McGregor's net. Celtic had won the league in the hearts and minds of everyone present; Neil Lennon, Ally McCoist, us, them.

Such euphoric moments can only be enjoyed with a story behind them. 124 years of traditional history and rivalry wasn't enough for this one. It was born from a five month rocky road of disappointment and frustration which almost fractured a long-established relationship between Neil Lennon and his adoring faithful, the Celtic fans. When the net bulged and the crowd roared on that cold December night everyone knew this union wouldn't be stretched as far again.

The road was smooth at first. The season started in what seemed like the middle of a pre-season. A relaxing corporate friendly tournament jaunt to Dublin was preceded by an opening day win at Easter Road.

An omen of darker days ahead arrived when Emilio Izaguirre broke his ankle at Pittodrie the next week but a victory was attained. We even thumped Dundee United 5-1 in our first home game.

Then Celtic cast their eyes to Europe. A Swiss team by the name of Sion, unknown to most of us, awaited. It was a disaster, a catastrophe, it was Utrecht and Braga all over again but worse! Yet we won 6-0 over two legs. "How could it be?" the history books will ponder. It's a quiz question waiting to be answered by some 2025 smug know it all. Fortunately Daniel Majstorovic's first minute red card away to the Swiss will not count and neither will the humiliating 3-1 defeat that followed. They fielded ringers, nobodies, illegals, Rangers players circa 2002. It sparked a long, tedious series of top brass lunches at UEFA who decreed after lots and lots of red wine and linguine that Sion should be cast asunder into the abyss of no European football sending us into the Europa League group stages by default.

We were lucky but it did a lot of damage, fan morale bottomed out, not least because St. Johnstone beat us in between the legs and a couple of weeks later Rangers cuffed us 4-2 at Ibrox. Heavens above where would we go now? At the time it seemed like Lennon was on the verge of doing a Mowbray and we needed guidance. Then Hearts beat us too and we were 9 points down in mid-October. A trip to Rugby park awaited us...

It punished us. It was half-time, we were three nil down to Kilmarnock and I was sitting, bottle of beer in hand, on Twitter like a true rogue. Fuming, upset, aghast... a thesaurus of woe in a 21st Century medium. Lennon must go was the cry of most, I dare not dig out my tweets to see if I said the same. I was thinking it. We all were and he was too and one day we will know what he said at half-time. It took 27 minutes but Anthony Stokes scored first and then again and suddenly we were on the cusp of something brilliant. Charles Mulgrew arrived next sending the stand behind the goals into a jumping roar of delight. 3-3 with ten minutes left, could we win it? Well no, but it was enough. Rangers dropped points later and it was a glimmer of hope. Many people said it would turn our season around. It didn't to my mind but only because that does a disservice to the hard graft that followed.

Later that week I took part in my first ever European away trip, heading to Rennes with my father and brother. We drew 1-1 and if not for the Smiling Assassin himself, Cha, it could've been a first away win for years.

The Europa League was a pressure release valve for the stresses Celtic's SPL campaign. We performed in every match and competed strongly against a very tough group in Udinese, Atletico Madrid and Rennes themselves. Indeed when we dropped more points to Hibernian at home on October 29th it was the next game at home to Rennes, which we won 3-1, that picked us up.

Sadly we went out of the competition before Christmas but gaining six points felt like a success, especially after the rank disappointment of the Sion debacle. The whole experience brought confidence to the squad and it allowed us to play future regulars, such as Victor Wanyama, in the first team regularly.

In between these performances we started winning consistently in the SPL. It wasn't easy, every game was a must win fixture due to the lather we had built ourselves up in over the points difference between us and Rangers. Every week seemed like progress though as we pushed aside in form teams like Motherwell and St.Mirren.

A pivotal moment in these early months was a certain Charlie Mulgrew goal against Aberdeen at Parkhead, it was 1-1, pouring with rain and nothing was working. In the 72nd minute a fifty pence header from Majstorovic fell into the path of Mulgrew who fired it into the roof of the net. He ran towards the fans and planted his knees, sliding across the slick surface. It was the first moment I believed.

The points gap was closing all the while and we were only four points behind when Hearts came calling on one of those dark 3pm kick-offs you get in Winter. Like the Aberdeen game we were locked in a draw heading into the closing stages of the match. Again in the 72nd salvation arrived, again it was a central defender on the day. Victor Wanyama staked his claim for goal of the season with fierce, incredibly accurate hit into the top right hand corner of the goal at the Jock Stein end.

The story of the day wouldn't end there as Hearts pushed to equalise. In the last moments of the game they were awarded a penalty and Celtic Park to a man was crestfallen. We deliberately delayed the kick looking for it to be placed on the spot correctly and Samaras in particular indulged in some gamesmanship before Eggert Jonsson stepped up. Heart fluttering, I watched from Section 440 as he hit it low to Forster's left. The Englishman stretched his frame across the goal and tipped it wide. Pandemonium. We held on and by Christmas Day we had closed the gap to two points.

It was through hard work we got there, those moments barely scratch the surface of game after game of consistency. It was a solid team unit that ticked along with the help of outstanding performers such as Charlie Mulgrew and James Forrest, who shone at times when we needed them most. Kneeslides in the rain and stretching penalty saves at our lowest moments.

It was this determination as much as the skill or ability of the players that brought us from nine points down to two and it was Neil Lennon's doing. His team embodied who he was as a man; passionate, strong, immovable. This rocky road from the brink of resignation and another failed Celtic project to within touching distance of salvation and resurrection was the making of where we stand today. Rangers arrived next, on the 28th December, the crisp festive night when Joe Ledley planted the header. The night we all knew that, as Celtic climbed above Rangers, the title was heading home to Paradise. And no more shall we part.

Of course in playing terms the season went on and the sham of Rangers being a competitive force continued well into January despite constant rumours they would have to sell their star striker Nikica Jelavic. The rumours were an on the field reminder that throughout the season there had been a backdrop of gossip and innuendo about the Govan team's imminent financial implosion. While attuned to this I have always been of the opinion never to write Rangers off, they are a stubborn bunch. It was with great delight then that Jelavic left in as cut price a deal as possible to serial penny pinchers Everton in the English Premier League. The bears weren't happy and in a game three days later less then 20,000 turned out to Ibrox to see them get put out of the Scottish Cup by the backhand of Dundee United. This was just the beginning.

Fourteen days later on Valentine's Day Rangers were handed a note from their biggest love, Her Majesty the Queen. It read: "Roses are red, your strips are blue, you're going into Admin, taxes are due". It burns being broke and it hurts to be heartbroken but always being both must be a drag. I toasted their new relationship that night after a frantic day of news ingestion with a whisky that is only opened on special occasions and deaths. It was the death of Rangers as we'd known them, as I had known them as a boy, winners, nine in a row achievers. All of it was their own fault as became apparent in the following months, even to this day new revelations come to light damning their twenty five year long dream of destroying Celtic.

All of this meant for Celtic that any pressure going into the latter part of the season would be put upon ourselves. It was time for the treble. A treble is a magnificent achievement in football, no matter what league you play in or who the opposition is. Celtic in their history have only won a treble (or more) three times; 66-67, 68-69 and 00-01. Despite this the hype went into overdrive. Lennon's team were showing a consitency that hadn't been seen since Martin O'Neill's achievers in the early noughties. The squad and the manager himself were trying to downplay this scenario perhaps reminded of how fragile things seemed in October.

The fans were having none of that though, opting for the "treble or bust!" Wild West style of thinking. The press too had decided that anything short of a treble for this Celtic team would be a failure. A cup was in immediate reach having already disposed of Falkirk in the League Cup Semi Final at the end of January. All that remained was Kilmarnock in a March final and a Rangers-less Scottish Cup to navigate through. It seemed easy and when things seem easy they rarely are, so it goes...

I must say first of all I hate Hampden. Hampden is a dream factory for fans of most other teams. For Celtic it is a place where on the greatest days minimum expectations are met and on the worst days we are being humiliated in front of the nation. As a Scottish football fan I can't begrudge teams in provincial towns winning trophies at our expense because frankly honours aren't competed for enough. As a Celtic fan I hate them for it. It enrages me in a way I can't quite pin down, in a way seperate from being horsed by Rangers or losing a league title.

It was with trepidation that I took my seat for the League Cup Final. The glory of a treble seemed so real and yet in my stomach there was a knot of... uh oh. The Killie fans were belting out the Killie Boys. When you're used to seeing them either 50-strong in a corner at Celtic Park or outnumbered at their own ground the buoyant, arrogant chanting in your face sticks a bit. The worst thing was we didn't play terribly, certainly not as bad as in the semi-final against Falkirk. Chances were numerous but we couldn't stick it away, even for a team with a supposed winning mentality a neutral venue can be a downfall. Then they scored.The tiny silent pause at Hampden between a goal going in and hearing the roar of opposition fans is possibly the worst feeling in football. Again they're the Killie boys, my heart is bursting out my chest, my hand is shaking and we go away despondent, cursing the lost chance of treble immortality. There's always a double.

The Scottish Cup is possibly my favourite tournament in all of sports. Certainly for me it's the most nostalgic. The first trophy I saw Celtic win was this one in the final against Airdrie. When I close my eyes I can still see Pierre as a rising giant and the angle of the ball going into the net. Hampden was a dream factory for me then. Our Cup campaign was going so well in conjunction with our form in the other two domestic competitions. It was three away wins to Peterhead, well reminded old foes Inverness Caledonian Thistle and finally Dundee United in the Quarter Finals. We were going to Hampden again and Hearts awaited.

Again it wasn't the worst display from a Celtic team I've seen. Frustrated, mostly dominating possession and having the majority of chances. Rudi Skacel fired high past Fraser Forster first. For the rest of the game we huffed and we puffed and in the last minute Gary Hooper blew the house down. The wolf in black had the last laugh though, giving a penalty moments later for an accidental Victor Wanyama handball. The only pig that day was Craig Beattie, a pink skinned foil to our double chance, blasting the ball past Forster and making a show of himself. You know the feeling, heart bursting out of the chest, the hand is shaking and you go away despondent.

Those dreams were over but Neil Lennon started the season aiming to deliver the SPL trophy. Even had Rangers been at the top of their form he'd have fulfilled that promise. From the 6th November to 3rd March we didn't drop a single point. We went to Ibrox on the 25th March with a chance of winning the league, the early date showing not only the fact Rangers were in administration but also how dominant our form had been for months and months. The machine faltered there but no-one was left in any doubt about who the best team in Scotland were when we went to Rugby Park to pay Kilmarnock a visit.

Our friend Charles Patrick Mulgrew wrote himself into Celtic history with a phenomenal display in front of three stands of Celtic supporters. Goal after goal rained in, after a disappointing March it was cathartic and special and wow, Charlie Mulgrew. It sealed the first league win in four years. We were finally doing it right again after years of false starts, false hopes and false promises. All that was left to do was tour the massive party until the day we picked up the trophy... and we did.

The last Glasgow derby, potentially ever, will be remembered as the day Celtic as a club, as a support revelled in the demise of a morally and financially bankrupt football club. The Green Brigade unveiled a banner before kick off which set the tone for a day. It read "Your Day Will Come" and portrayed the four horsemen of the apocalypse as Neil Lennon, Craig Whyte, Hector the Taxman and The Green Brigade. The visual impact of this display put the visting support firmly in their place as they withdrew into their shells despite proclaiming they are the people. They weren't even defiant until well into the second half, they said that day that they must hang. The psychological damage had already been done to them and to Ally McCoist's team.

We thumped them three nil at a canter. Sounding visibly upset in his radio interview after the game McCoist was asked whether he thought the support and the occasion had an adverse effect on his team, "without a doubt" was the reply. Job done, league won, Rangers humiliated. Long may it continue.

The triumph of the season wasn't winning the trophy but in the way we won it. Neil Lennon has knitted together a team of young, hungry football players who want to prove themselves and want to do it with Celtic. Flaws remain in the team but for the first time in a while we are in a strong enough position to try and achieve perfection relative to our goals of winning championships and competing in Europe.

The machine like winning mentality is now a fabric in the minds of the squad, an important step towards dominating your immediate rivals. A constructive Summer is required but the foundations have been laid for a period of Lennon inspired celebration and the rise of Celtic as a credible club on football's grandest stages. The SPL may look radically different next year and it may not. With or without Rangers, Celtic will always be looking to improve their status and achieve their ambitions writing new stories into the tapestry that Brother Walfrid started way back when.

I'll be there and so will you and that's all that matters. Here's to us.

Lennon 100 Not Out: Ride On

This article, written by me, was first published on the fantastic website CelticUnderground.net , it appears here for completion's sake.

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On Saturday Neil Lennon reached the milestone of managing Celtic for the one-hundredth time in all competitions. The manager was quick to dismiss any significance of this in his pre-match interview with Radio Scotland. He explained that as a player he had never kept track of the number of games he might have played for different clubs and that it is something you do at the end of your playing career to reflect. When Lennon reflects upon his first one hundred games as Celtic boss he will be digesting one of the most dramatic periods not only in his career but in the entire history of the 124 year old football he represents.

Battling to the finish in a nervy one-nil victory, in many ways yesterday's performance against Inverness Caledonian Thistle showcased all the attributes of Lennon's Celtic team as it stands today. It is a Celtic team that stands proudly as an embodiment of the traits that Neil Lennon is known for as a man and a professional; bags of passion, courage, determination and a desire to win at all costs. The jigsaw pieces are beginning to fall into place but how did we get here? We didn't ease down the road.

When I left Hampden after we were stung by Ross County I felt dejected and empty. It was the last chance to salvage some pride from a disastrous season and yet the cloud of the Mowbray 'reign' had lingered even after he had gone, did our problems lie deeper? Could a new manager, anyone, turn the club around? Retreating to the car we switched on the radio and listened as the vultures picked over the carcass. Neil Lennon gave his post-match interview, speaking passionately and eloquently. When asked if he envisaged a clear-out of personnel at the club he said, "I would imagine so. I would be recommending it to the board. This season has been nowhere near good enough. That's why Tony lost his job - the players we thought would be good enough ultimately were not. If I'm not here, I'm pretty certain that some of them won't be either." By the time Neil Lennon had finished his interview I wanted him to be our manager even more than before we were humiliated, he had pitched himself as a revolutionary. I of course had misgivings about his lack of experience but ultimately knew that if he was ever going to be a success he needed full backing from the support in a way we hadn't got behind a manager since Martin O'Neill.

Eventually appointed as manager on a full time basis, Lennon was true to his word. Summer 2010 was the busiest transfer window at the club since the concept was introduced. Twenty-four players on the club's books left between June and August in a mixture of contracts expiring, loan deals and full transfers. The departures, a number of whom first picks in previous seasons (chiefly Aiden McGeady, Marc-Antoine Fortuné, Stephen McManus & Artur Boruc), funded the arrival of eleven new players signed with the intention to wrestle back control of Scottish football from Rangers. Initially the policy seemed to be signing experienced professionals who had plied their trade at the top level in England. It wasn't paper tosh either, Lennon admitted recently when working as a pundit on Sky Sports that it was a policy he had pursued as he felt there was no winning mentality at Celtic at the time to push us on to a title bid. Ultimately Celtic were unsuccessful in attracting the likes of Jimmy Bullard, Sol Campbell and David James to the club. They slipped into the twilight of their careers without much fanfare, their form seemingly disappearing with them. What came in their place was young, hungry footballers looking to make a name for themselves in British football.

Initially life was sweet for Neil Lennon and this new look Celtic despite early exits from both European competitions. The team stormed their way to eight league victories in a row, extending the winning run from the last eight league games of the previous season to sixteen. Rangers came to town in October on a similar winning run and ran over us in the second half. Despite a scandalous refereeing decision which saw a penalty given to Rangers, Lennon conceded in a post-match interview that "our mentality to see the game out was poor from players that should know better". This wasn't the first refereeing scandal of the season and it wouldn't be the last as Celtic Football Club went to war with the SFA. This defeat kick started a period of the 2010-11 season in which the Celtic team were unsure of themselves. Bad results, mostly draws, in the drudgery of Autumn & Winter conditions saw us fall behind Rangers until the new year.

It's forgotten outwith the Celtic support that no-one felt the effects of Celtic's spat with the SFA more than Neil Lennon himself. After a defeat to Hearts at Tynecastle which saw more unarguable decisions go against Celtic, Lennon implied that the referee's integrity as an impartial referee might be in question. Exploiting the media furore, the referees voted to down tools and follow through with strike action to highlight their 'plight' as honourable men in black.  Despite referees receiving criticism from a number of managers and commentators throughout this whole period, Lennon was portrayed as an angry and unstable villain trying to bully the authorities into giving Celtic the upper hand as they fell behind in the title race. The truth of the matter was that Lennon said less about the situation than almost anyone else connected to Scottish football at the time. Helpfully though, footage and photos of Lennon letting his emotions get the better of him at Tynecastle were reproduced multiple times to remind everyone who's fault it was. The mainstream media ignited a fire that burned fierce within a section of society which hated Lennon for who he is, an Irishman with a Catholic background living and working in Scotland.

On the pitch Lennon stopped the wheels falling off the season early with the inspired selection of Georgios Samaras in a 2-0 victory at Ibrox. It sparked a Celtic revival and the good times largely returned. The team were playing some wonderful stuff and the arrival of a rampant Kris Commons revitalised the side and saw them regain the early season form so lauded within the support and beyond. There were three memorable performances against Rangers within a month. Along with Commons, some of those young and hungry players Lennon signed in the Summer were impressing, particularly Beram Kayal, Emilio Izaguirre and Gary Hooper. It seemed nothing could stop us. It was Rangers themselves who burst our bubble with a defiant victory against us at Hampden in the League Cup final. A reminder that when it comes to the blue team in Govan, you can never write them off. Lessons were not learned, mistakes were made and despite leading the title race for the majority of the remainder of the season we crumbled in Inverness. It allowed the advantage to return to Rangers. They had been keeping pace with us for months, to their credit they had been digging out result after result despite playing poorly. It seemed a formality that on the last day of the season they would conquer Scottish football again and so it was. However, no-one inside Celtic park seemed to care the day as we saw our dreams of Lennon holding aloft the SPL trophy vanish within ten minutes.

The fans had forged a bond with Neil Lennon over the previous ten or eleven years that ran deeper than winning trophies and being successful on the pitch. This was strengthened to an almost unprecedented level when our manager began putting his personal safety at risk just to coach and pick eleven players to play what is supposed to be a game. Parcel bombs, death threats, men attacking him on the pitch. Lennon and Ally McCoist, then assistant manager to Walter Smith, squared up to each other in an episode of handbags at the end of a Scottish Cup victory over Rangers in March. This again after the refereeing farce was an opportunity for the mainstream media to become repulsive and wallow in their self-indulgent moral superiority. Lennon was the villain again, an unchecked tabloid press able to whip up a frenzy where none really existed. The end products were disgusting actions designed to intimidate a variety of notable Celtic supporting individuals including Lennon. No-one would've blamed Lennon if he had walked away. He fought to the bitter end of the season and received a hair raising and slightly surreal semi-religious adoration within Celtic Park, an experience and atmosphere I have never felt before and one I am unlikely to ever feel again. Something inside so strong. He went on to lift a Scottish Cup a week later in front of a jubilant crowd at Hampden which saw good times ahead with a man they saw themselves in. We were all Neil Lennon.

And we still are. Where the team is now is a culmination of all these events. The mistakes in Inverness. The slips against Rangers. The determination of Lennon to stick by the club and the club likewise sticking by Lennon. The players running to defend the manager after he was attacked at Tynecastle. Celtic are in a position to deliver one of the sweetest title victories of all time. It is overdue. Despite what is going on behind the scenes in Govan this is about us and it always has been. At one point this season we were fifteen points behind, without last season this team and its manager would not have recovered. Rallying from three nil down at Rugby Park was defining of Neil Lennon's Celtic as it stands today. More so than the slump at Inverness and League Cup Final in 2011. This season has seen an incredible amount of matches won by us by only one goal. We are a machine designed to get ourselves ahead and stay there no matter what. On Saturday versus Inverness Joe Ledley and Scott Brown were living, breathing proof that Neil Lennon is stamped all over this team. They ran everything down and made sure the team continued its fine winning streak. Georgios Samaras continues to repay the faith Lennon showed in him. When he ran after the seemingly dead ball going out for a throw in he was doing it for Lennon and by proxy, for us. Gary Hooper seems to work harder every week. The club had done the correct thing in attracting young, untainted and talented to footballers to the club. The club has the right man to mould them into playing for the cause.

The relationship between the fans and Lennon was stretched to breaking point earlier in the season, but despite all the message board and online grumbling, the fans were phenomenal in that second half versus Kilmarnock. It's a marriage this thing between Lennon and us. Tumultuous at times but strong and enduring. Our fears, our insecurities of his team remain and they will not go away until he can deliver a title. Perhaps time is running out on that one, divorce would certainly be on the cards should it not come to pass soon. Before the huffing and puffing either way in May there is one thing I know for sure. One hundred games down the line it is a Celtic team that I've enjoyed following possibly more than any other. It gets my blood pumping and my passion rising to places it hasn't been before, even under O'Neill. This is because of one man and one man only. Ride on.

Another Monday of watching the watchmen.

The relationship between Celtic fans and the media is one of Scotland's well established football rivalries. We don't like them and for the most part it is our perception that they don't particularly like us. They need us of course and along with Rangers we are by far the most reported on side in Scotland, much to the ire of fans of the provincial teams. Media organisations, BBC aside, have no requirement to be impartial when reporting on the national game aside from what's written within their own personal journalistic moral code. I am not here to bleat about the imbalance of it all. The coverage of Scottish football is in fact very interesting to follow. As I am a fan of writing and reporting in general I would not like to tarnish everyone reporting within Scottish football with the same brush. It is because there are good journalists out there that I can see how abysmal the rest are even when there's no apparent agenda.

I know by now that any news relevant to my interests will no doubt be picked up on Twitter or the Celtic website. If I'm looking for opinion and discussion there's an ever growing number of interesting and well written Celtic blogs. This doesn't stop me from checking all the big newspapers' websites regularly to get the latest 'news'. I would say rather than be outraged by some of the content on offer that it should amuse you as it does me. It is in this spirit that we have a look at what is being served up by Scotland's 'finest' and peer at Scottish football through their eyes. After all if you don't embrace a differing viewpoint how do you know you're right? No doubt inconsistencies and bizarro reporting litters coverage of most teams but this blog will of course be looking at things strictly through green and white eyes (with natural deviations into reporting on the blue side of Glasgow). Hugh Keevins, if you're reading, this is just for me and my pals on the internet

 
To begin, it was interesting to note one person's particular viewpoint of James Forrest's breakthrough in the game at St.Mirren. The goal was lauded by most of the broadcast media over the weekend with most ex-professionals agreeing that the skill of striking a ball that is rolling on the turf across your body with any sort of effect requires good technique. The shot, from outside the the box, was arrowed through a number of bodies into the bottom right hand corner of the net giving St.Mirren keeper Craig Samson no chance at all. This didn't stop our friend Ewing Grahame of The Telegraph describing the goal in his match report as a "mis-hit shot". Well that's one way of looking at it Ewing. Perhaps next time the Telegraph would be better served sending Bobby Ewing to fill us in on what really happened. Was it all a dream?

Help ma boab! In The Sunday Post we found an intriguing take on Rangers' tax troubles and the sporting consequences of any extinction event taking place in the near future. The article, not online, explained that the SPL will look to precedent from around Europe in their efforts to deal with any club facing such issues as fairly as they can. SPL chief Neil Doncaster, keen to stress there was 'no panic' at SPL HQ, specifically referenced cases like Parma and Leeds as examples of football associations metering out punishment to financially bankrupt entities. The Sunday Post helpfully expanded on the quotes by explaining that "the italian case was remarkable in terms of the leniency shown by the authorities" and going on to list the comparisons between Parma's recent past and Rangers' possible future of liquidation and phoenix resurrection. Like their Wullie, definitely a case being made for 'oor Rangers, ahbody's Rangers'. Unfortunately for them the article was torn apart by the ever impressive Paul Brennan of Celtic Quick News who was keen to point out that there was definite continuation of football operations when Parma hit trouble in 2004. In fact with a further twist of the knife into The Sunday Post he informed us that when an "ex-Parma" was liquidated in 1968 they had to build from scratch and start in Serie D. That doesn't sound very remarkable in its leniency.

 
What's Jim Traynor eating? Sorry, my keyboard slipped... what's eating Jim Traynor? He's appearing very glum these days. When he's not found absent on Radio Scotland's Your Call he's on his knees begging for Scottish football to do the right thing and stand by his Scotland's beloved Rangers FC. In his pleading blog post Jim holds back the tears as he stands tall, puffs out his chest and finally declares what all of our pals on the internet have known for years... Rangers are rooked. Yes, there's no denying it now according to Jim who inists "calling in an administrator could be this club's best option". That's best option... not worst case doomsday scenario as has been the official line since we first got wind of Hector the Inspector. Traynor thinks the best thing for Scottish football is to let Rangers take some Calpol (10 points) and start again afresh after years of financial doping at the expense of every other club in Scotland. This, he says, would ensure his worst case scenario would not happen. Rangers need to be successful "not only for themselves but for the entire game". For Jim it's unthinkable that "Celtic would have a clear run to three or four titles and the door to Champions League football would remain shut and bolted against Rangers". Sounds exquisite to me Jim, Celtic do a right good meal in the lounges at Parkhead before European matches, so it sounds pretty good for you too.

While we're with The Daily Record I'd like to point out that when taking posts from the Follow Follow messageboard explaining that an incident was "the worst football violence they've ever seen" (presumably this bear didn't make to Barcelona or er, Manchester) to flesh out a story on Aberdeen 'casuals' attacking Rangers 'supporters', it's probably wise to the check the rest of the thread. You know, the thread where the majority of the posts are congratulating the notorious Rangers football hooligan organisation "ICF" for knocking the Aberdeen fans all over Govan. Kind of puts a different slant on your reported set of events. Mark Dingwall does have a lot of contacts in the media of course, who contacted who about this story?

Onwards and upwards. Always let yourself be heard over and above the din of the Scottish football media because it's likely you are a better servant to the game. Until next time...

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.