http://blogs.soccernet.com/celtic/ en Copyright 2012 Sat, 28 Jul 2012 17:36:55 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss This summer saw football fans across Scotland rise up and force not only their clubs, but also the governing bodies into an action that they did not want to take - send the Rangers newco into the Third Division. The SPL and the SFA wanted to keep a tight grip of their unsigned £80 million TV deal, why it was left unsigned is a mystery, but when Neil Doncaster was in control of things one could start to look in that direction. With Rangers now plying their trade in the fourth tier of Scottish football, Celtic in my opinion will have a free run to the title this coming season. http://blogs.soccernet.com/celtic/archives/2012/07/the_summer_of_discontent_follo.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/celtic/archives/2012/07/the_summer_of_discontent_follo.php Opinion celtic fans kilmarnock new season rangers spl Sat, 28 Jul 2012 17:36:55 +0000 All talk in the media over the past few weeks have been aimed at those clubs who are in millions of pounds worth of debt in Scottish Football, with the notion that if Rangers are not welcomed back into the SPL that these clubs will go out of business. That these clubs need a Rangers Football Club. Dundee United are reportedly in £4 million of debt, Hearts have £24 million of debt and Kilmarnock are in £11 million worth of debt. This financial strangulation, especially on clubs like Kilmarnock, are now hitting sporting integrity. It seems that when rules are broken by other clubs then they should be punished, but when it is the 140-year-old institution Rangers Football Club then some club chairmen and mainstream media journos state that they should be treated differently to stave off other clubs heading the same way. http://blogs.soccernet.com/celtic/archives/2012/05/sporting_integrity_not_when_th.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/celtic/archives/2012/05/sporting_integrity_not_when_th.php Opinion celtic commercial benefits kilmarnock michael johnston rangers spl sporting integrity Sat, 05 May 2012 15:51:06 +0000 Last weekend Celtic secured their first championship title in four years at Rugby Park with a 6-0 demolition of the side that beat them in the League Cup Final just a few weeks earlier. Sunday saw Celtic face Hearts for a place in the Scottish Cup Final, with Hibernian waiting in the wings. However, Hearts secured a 2-1 victory to set up an all-Edinburgh final, which is now being dubbed the Salt 'n' Sauce final. But, rather than seeing the failings of his own side, manager Neil Lennon rounded on the referee at the final whistle. The Northern Irishman stormed onto the pitch at full time and confronted Euan Norris, after he awarded a penalty to Hearts in the dying minutes of the game and then rejected a similar penalty decision for Celtic soon after at the other end. Later Lennon described the decision to award a penalty against Celtic and not one for them, as 'personal'. http://blogs.soccernet.com/celtic/archives/2012/04/is_it_personal_or_is_lennon_pa.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/celtic/archives/2012/04/is_it_personal_or_is_lennon_pa.php Opinion celtic hearts neil lennon officials referee Sun, 15 Apr 2012 19:40:04 +0000 Headlines of 'Celtic manager Neil Lennon will not gloat if they win the title at rivals Rangers on Sunday' were splashed across the newspapers yesterday. The pundits claim that he will be on his 'best behaviour' and that he will act professionally on the day if his side win the SPL title at the home of their greatest rivals. That he won't rub salt into the wounds of a dying animal. Why not? Why should Neil Lennon not gloat, why should he not celebrate wildly, why should he not go towards his own supporters and pump his fist in the air with glee, why should he not take to the field at full time and hug everyone of his players? Celebrating and winding up your rivals when you win is part and parcel of sport. http://blogs.soccernet.com/celtic/archives/2012/03/why_shouldnt_celtic_gloat_over.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/celtic/archives/2012/03/why_shouldnt_celtic_gloat_over.php Opinion celtic derby ibrox neil lennon old firm rangers spl title decider Fri, 23 Mar 2012 23:44:05 +0000 Daily Record, Jim Traynor and Keith Jackson claim that Celtic's failure to hand over a £300,000 advance on ticket sales for the Old Firm derby could force the Ibrox club into more job cuts. Are the duo really trying to pin the blame on Celtic for issues that are down to Rangers' own financial mismanagement?]]> http://blogs.soccernet.com/celtic/archives/2012/02/are_celtic_really_being_blamed.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/celtic/archives/2012/02/are_celtic_really_being_blamed.php Opinion 000 administration £300 celtic daily record debt derby money old firm rangers Tue, 28 Feb 2012 09:11:12 +0000 It is a question that has been asked over and over again in recent weeks and months, even more so given the announcement that Rangers have gone into administration. Do Celtic really need Rangers? Yes. But more importantly Scottish football needs them. http://blogs.soccernet.com/celtic/archives/2012/02/do_celtic_really_need_a_ranger.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/celtic/archives/2012/02/do_celtic_really_need_a_ranger.php Opinion administration celtic rangers Tue, 14 Feb 2012 23:18:04 +0000 The transfer window closed at 11pm on the 31st January and in all honesty not many Celtic fans were complaining about the club's failure to do any business in the final day, as Celtic's wheeling and dealing had been done over the previous few weeks. Okay there was a late bid to bring Leon Best from Newcastle on loan, but ultimately Celtic have ended the transfer window stronger than when the window opened. Celtic are in fine form of late, while rivals Rangers are looking a shadow of their former selves with Steven Naismith out for the rest of the season and top scorer Nikica Jelavic sold to Everton, really only one club can go from strength to strength, only one club is still in the hunt for the treble – Celtic. Even the Celtic fans are in the mood to party, unlike their rivals who seem to be lethargic throughout. http://blogs.soccernet.com/celtic/archives/2012/02/the_celtic_squad_a_review.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/celtic/archives/2012/02/the_celtic_squad_a_review.php Opinion celtic review squad Sun, 05 Feb 2012 01:53:51 +0000 Facebook and Twitter, and it's been a long time coming. Celtic have had their facebook page for a while now and they are sitting pretty on 144,249 likes, however this pales in comparison to the likes of Manchester City who sit at 1,733,219, Liverpool at 8,052,963 and Manchester United on 22,047,580. Celtic finally launched their twitter account, in my opinion at least a year behind when they should have really delved into the social network site. With 12532 twitter followers currently, they sit far behind the likes of Barcelona who have 3,013,583 for example. Now it is fully understandable that Celtic will be far behind given the start the other clubs have on such social network sites, coupled with the worldwide appeal that such clubs have given the leagues that they play in and the marketing they employ. But they should at least equal if not surpass that of rivals Rangers, who sit at 28,638 followers on twitter and 229,355 likes on Facebook.]]> http://blogs.soccernet.com/celtic/archives/2012/02/celtic_and_the_social_media.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/celtic/archives/2012/02/celtic_and_the_social_media.php News celtic facebook social network twitter Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:32:09 +0000 In this afternoon's press conference, Celtic manager Neil Lennon has hit out at The Scottish Sun, following what Lennon deemed as trying to 'stir up some sort of controversy that isn't really there'. The Scottish Sun reported on its front page that Celtic first team coach Alan Thompson and Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor went for drinks at a pub in the West end of Glasgow on Wednesday night. But Lennon labelled the article a 'nothing story' and that the paper's attempts to stir up controversy was 'disgusting'. http://blogs.soccernet.com/celtic/archives/2012/02/neil_lennon_media_stirring_up.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/celtic/archives/2012/02/neil_lennon_media_stirring_up.php Opinion alan thompson allan mcgregor article celtic controversy neil lennon newspaper rangers scottish sun Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:14:18 +0000 Celtic are sitting pretty at the top of the Scottish Premier League, four points clear of rivals Rangers after the Ibrox side were held to a 1-1 draw at Ibrox. It has been a massive turn around in the fortunes of Celtic Football Club since the beginning of November when they were 12 points behind their rivals, with many writing off Neil Lennon's side. Lennon has overseen Celtic's 12 match unbeaten run, while Ally McCoist's side stagger, stumble and falter against teams they really should be beating. Proving that they were heavily reliant on the form of the want-away Nikica Jelavic and Steven Naismith, the latter being out for the season through injury. While Neil Lennon, his management team and the players must all share the credit for the great turn around, former Celtic team mate Bobby Petta points to the influence of Martin O'Neill. http://blogs.soccernet.com/celtic/archives/2012/01/the_influence_of_martin_oneill.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/celtic/archives/2012/01/the_influence_of_martin_oneill.php Interview bobby petta celtic martin o'neill neil lennon Sun, 22 Jan 2012 21:58:00 +0000 The captain's position at any football club is an honour for any footballer to hold, it is a position that commands respect and is one of the most important roles within a club - unless you are Paul Le Guen. In recent years, Celtic have seen two captains of inferior quality in the guise of Stephen McManus and presently Scott Brown. Neither should have been handed the captain's armband at the Parkhead club for various reasons, but with Scott Brown in the process of re-negotiating a new deal, stalling only due to his agent's demands, maybe its time the club took a step back and decided to cash in on the 26 year old. http://blogs.soccernet.com/celtic/archives/2011/11/scott_brown_is_surplus_to_requ.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/celtic/archives/2011/11/scott_brown_is_surplus_to_requ.php Opinion celtic newcastle united scott brown transfer Wed, 23 Nov 2011 23:01:29 +0000 Sunday is a major test of Neil Lennon's credentials as Celtic manager. Forget the game against Rennes at Celtic Park on Thursday night, what matters most is the Scottish Premier League. With Rangers playing host to Dundee United on Saturday, Celtic's game against Motherwell at Fir Park could be the moment Lennon is either pushed out of the door or walks out of it. http://blogs.soccernet.com/celtic/archives/2011/11/neil_lennon_should_walk_if_he.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/celtic/archives/2011/11/neil_lennon_should_walk_if_he.php Opinion celtic manager neil lennon spl Wed, 02 Nov 2011 10:43:11 +0000 With international week in full swing, Celtic manager Neil Lennon should be using the time to dissect where the team is failing from front to back and finalise what his starting eleven, week in week out is. Otherwise he can kiss goodbye to the SPL title and his job as manager of Celtic. http://blogs.soccernet.com/celtic/archives/2011/10/lennon_must_get_back_to_basics.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/celtic/archives/2011/10/lennon_must_get_back_to_basics.php Opinion celtic defence manager neil lennon players tactics Mon, 10 Oct 2011 07:48:06 +0000 Celtic's debt was reduced once more to under £1 million, despite little or no European football revenue from the past three seasons. But after spending a mere £1 million this season, fans are becoming frustrated that the 'auld biscuit tin mentality' has reared its ugly head once more at Celtic Park.]]> http://blogs.soccernet.com/celtic/archives/2011/08/the_board_must_dig_deep_or_fac.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/celtic/archives/2011/08/the_board_must_dig_deep_or_fac.php Opinion board celtic dermot desmond neil lennon peter lawwell spl transfers Mon, 22 Aug 2011 09:41:21 +0000 Irish Politics has been ingrained in the Scottish game for half a century if not longer, but with Ireland trying to put the past where it belongs, the glorification of the troubles continues in the West of Scotland. Celtic fans sing ditties celebrating not only the Irish War of Independence, but also the troubles in Northern Ireland. They sing about the hunger strikers, particularly Bobby Sands as well as Aiden McAnespie - an Irish Catholic - killed by a British soldier in 1988. Likewise across the city Rangers fans sing The Billy Boys, Build My Gallows High, the racist Famine Song and a few other ditties with add-ons such as F**k the Pope and the IRA. While both sides have fans who march alongside republican and orange marches up and down Scotland's streets. But in 21st Century Scotland, what have such things go to do with our society let alone Scottish Football? http://blogs.soccernet.com/celtic/archives/2011/08/time_celtic_fans_ended_their_i.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/celtic/archives/2011/08/time_celtic_fans_ended_their_i.php Opinion celtic IRA jock stein loyalism Rangers scottish football songs Thu, 18 Aug 2011 13:15:38 +0000