November 30, 2004
Ah'm I Psychic or what?...
Read my post for November 26th & then click on the links below.
Juninho just wants to be one of the Bhoys
Camara wants bigger club
Camara acknowledges Vignal kick
Camara has had trouble written all over him since he joined Celtic - look at his acrimonious exit from Wolves. With Maloney back soon & Beattie hopefully fit, make his his worst nightmare come true, send him back to Wolves. Also, for the umteenth time - GIE JUNINHO A GEMME.
Hullo - can I speak to Mr O'Neill? - just tell him it's his unofficial advisor...
November 26, 2004
How do you solve a problem like juninho...
I am absolutely gutted that Juninho is not getting a game with Celtic. I have
NO DOUBT he is exactly what we need at Parkhead. So, I hear you ask, why is Martin O'Neill leaving the wee man on the bench? My take on it is this;
Our defence this season has been pure mince. With the exception of a resolute display - none the less nailbiting - in Barcelona, the defence has to be held responsible for the draws, the losses, the 10 goals against in the CL & the fact that our bitter rivals have made up an 8 point deficit & leap-frogged us in the SPL. It has looked shaky even in games we have won comfortably & some of the mistakes have had the look of a silent comedy routine - silent being the key word -
NO COMMUNICATION.
This malaise is seeping into the very backbone of the team, generating a nervousness that, at times, is visible in all positions. What starts as a few mistakes & nervy displays can culminate in a loss of belief & in-fighting between the players. look at Hartson's body language on Saturday & his general disbelief at some of Henri Camara's penalty box antics - Tired? Yep, tired of scoring enough goals to win a match only to end up drawing or getting beat.
No more talk of bad patches, there is a problem with the celtic team & that is there is a vote of no confidence in the defence. Unless we strengthen up in January, this might not be our year.
So where does Juninho's fate lie in all of this? The flowing attacking football Celtic have played over the past few seasons would suit a player like Juninho & I have no doubt he would thrive in such an environment, remembering the rock solid foundation of last seasons team was the defence. Martin O'Neill cannot risk playing the wee Bhoy from Brazil, who is hardly defence minded, knowing that his defence is leaking like the Titanic. Hardly the wee man's fault.
We all know what he can do & would like to see him do it for Celtic but I fear all of that may be out of his hands. I am guessing he is, judging by the comments by the rest of the team, showing all his skill & ability in training so he must be wondering what it's going to take to get in the first XI. Unless he knows a couple of defenders he can persuade to join Celtic on a free in January, I don't think there's much he can do about the situation. I hope he keeps his head up & keeps trying as I'd rather have Juninho on his game than Camara, who will end up being trouble - you heard it here first. We play Hibs on Saturday at Paradise & the way things are going, we better score at least 5 to guarantee a win - or at least a draw.
Gie the wee man a go...
November 25, 2004
Click on the link below & sign your name...
We Support Neil Lennon
We Shall Not Be Moved...
November 23, 2004
The ability to speak the truth & criticise your own players...
From an interview with Martin O'Neill 22/11/04
"Henri has been booked in the first instance for retaliating to a swipe back at him from one of the Rangers players (Alex Rae). I thought it was foolish of him to react and, while it's sometimes understandable if passions run high in an atmosphere such as that, he has been very fortunate, particularly with the second incident."
"There's no doubt that he has been fouled twice in the run-up to it and that Vignal has left a foot in pretty deliberately, but I can't defend Henri retaliating in the way he did. I also don't have a problem with the review panel looking at that particular incident if we're wanting thing to be fair, although the linesman has appeared to see it, so I don't know what can and cannot be done in that instance."
"But the Novo stamp on Stephen Pearson, following on from his kick at Jackie in the first half, certainly warrants looking at. I can understand people missing these incidents and have no complaint with the referee or linesman in this respect. But if it has been picked up on camera, you have to accept the consequences. And there's no doubt both incidents reflect badly on Novo."
is something that is lost on Alex Mcleish...
This just in...
Police probe Yorke 'racism' claim
they better get down to Govan with 40,000 sets of handcuffs & start making some arrests; I'm sure the Ibrox CCTV will provide them with enough evidence to charge the greater proportion of the Rangers support with Racism - and don't forget to check the boardroom.
Silly Me! - It doesn't count when it's directed at Neil Lennon, does it?...
November 22, 2004
Am I a bigot?...
I would hope not, although the way I view anything in life
is indubitably coloured by my passions & beliefs. We all
have the capacity to be bigoted; When reason is overrun
by passion; when fairplay & humanity take second place to
what we believe in, we become bigoted. Misplaced beliefs,
jingoism & hatred are all facets of bigotry that seem to
thrive in the sporting arena & from a Scottish perspective,
thrive in the matches between Celtic & Rangers.
I am a passionate Celtic supporter. I have a healthy disdain
for Rangers & always will have. There is nothing unhealthy
in this; it is repeated by sets of supporters throughout the
land. It becomes ugly with the introduction of religion and
racial vilification. These are the foundations of bigotry &
sectarianism. I have no doubt that through the years both
teams & sets of fans have been guilty of bigotry, although
with Rangers, in my opinion, it seems to permeate into the
actual fabric of the club as opposed to being something
that is relegated to the terraces .
Several incidents in the last few years ranging from
epithet 'FTP' - fuck the pope, the controversial
loyalist terrorist Billy Wright was killed,
Gascoignemimicking a loyalist flute player while warming up, etc.
I'm going on a bit but you get the idea. The Ibrox club
seems to be loath to criticise or suitably discipline the
offenders. In the enlightened PC world in which Celtic &
Rangers now operate, I would have thought the incident
with Bob Malcolm was serious enough for him to have his
contract torn up - anything less is nothing short of a pat on
the back - a fine that amounts to a fraction of his weekly
wage is not an acceptable punishment.
What has brought on this vitriolic attack on Rangers?
I was absolutely disgusted with the treatment dished
out to Neil Lennon in Saturdays Old Firm match. In a
week that has brought outrage at the racist displays
by the Spanish fans, would it not be in keeping with
this deserved outrage to remind everyone that being
Anti-Irish is also racist & equally abhorrent?
'Irish Bashing' is too readily accepted in Scotland
& has been for Centuries. Not a joke. The abuse that
Lennon takes is so out of proportion that anybody who
tries to apportion the blame on the player himself is,
unwittingly or otherwise, part of the malaise that has
been prevalent in Scottish culture for so long that the
perpetrators are amazed when such accusations are
levelled at them.
When the actions of Martin O'Neill are soundly comdemned
by the press & have the rest of the general populus reaching
for pen & paper or the nearest telephone, but the fact that
convicted bigot Malcolm in a moment of sectarian hatred
jumps up & gives the finger to the Celtic fans is trivialised as
'Silly Laddie' stuff, then I believe we have a problem. It
belies the idea that is firmly planted in the heads of the
Scottish people; anything Irish is subversive. As long as
Malcolm stays on the payroll at ibrox, the Rangers hierarchy
are not only condoning sectarianism - they are nurturing it.
In a week where racial villefication on the football field has
been headline news worldwide, maybe it's time for the SFA to
look seriously at the treatment Neil Lennon receives all over
Scotland - but don't hold your breath - just ask Bertie Vogts.
I can support my team in a non-sectarian manner - can you?...
November 18, 2004
Absolutely unacceptable...
Fifa probes Spanish racist chants
The powers that be need to sort this out & take severe action against Spain; it was only a couple of weeks ago that the Spanish coach, Luis Aragones, was caught making racist remarks about Thierry Henry & tried to trivialise it as a joke. he should have been sacked. In any other walk of life he would have been - and possibly charged. The Spanish players themselves should try & do something about it - surely it is abhorrent to them? You can be charged at an Old Firm game for singing sectarian songs - and quite rightly so - but the national coach of Spain gives a half hearted apology & it's OK? Naw! With the publicity that this has been given, if the governing bodies of football do nothing about it, it will become de
rigeur on the terraces throughout Europe.
Franco's legacy...
November 15, 2004
Something for the Sunday School picnic...
Virgin Mary In Grilled Cheese
Monkey See - Monkey Do
Don't knock it - in 4 years it could be president...
November 14, 2004
The Mother of the Monster...
Mary Shelley
I wonder how she would view her creation's fame?...
November 11, 2004
Rangers beat Celtic - Shock Horror Probe...
Photo of Neil Lennon for all the Currant Buns
Ok - here we go. At the risk of being labelled a paranoid Tim - who? Moi? - and bearing in mind the game was played less than 24 hours ago - and, this is a big AND, I have yet to see the Daily Rangers reports - I cannot believe the reaction to the Rangers win in all online papers. You would think they had won the league. In fact, there has been more fuss made about this win there there was about the fact celtic had beat them in the last 7 meetings.
Rangers certainly played with determination & Celtic will soon be able to field 'The Royal Infirmary XI' but no excuses - Celtic have to lift their game. Why MON replaced Juninho after 60mins I don't know, but I guess that's why he's the manager of Celtic & I am but a disappointed fan. I think he will have to look more & more to the wee man as Camara might be exposed as a one dimensional player with pace. The defence on the left side is a joke - needs sorting out with new blood, hopefully in january. Marshall kept Celtic in the game again & again - neither of the goals seemed his fault.
Nuff said - C'mon the Hoops...
November 09, 2004
Crazy Horse Joins Gods XI...
Obituary: Emlyn Hughes
What a fucking team that must be...
November 03, 2004
Can't believe Bush won the US election...
I was listening to a British journalist, a foreign correspondent, being interviewed about the Bush victory on TV & he summed up how stupid Bush is by saying
'He (Bush) is only on nodding terms with the english language' - sad but true.
The 'anti Terrorist' stance that has kept the worlds most mediochre
politicians in power is the oldest ploy in existence - keep everybody shit scared & promise to protect them from the bogey men. Through the ages
'Bogey men' have been Fascists, Communists, foreigners, Muslims, pacifists, foreigners, dictators, Royalty, foreigners - get the drift? Time for the proles to pull out their long forgotten copies of 1984 and start reading. Pay particular attention to the
'wars' between Eastasia, Eurasia & Oceania.
Sound familiar? Hey - wait a minute...
