Manager looks for an instant response

THE disappointment at Fir Park after Sunday’s 2-0 defeat was nowhere more apparent than in the reaction of the Celtic manager.

In the space of seven days, Neil Lennon has experienced the highs and lows of football – from a 3-0 victory over Rangers to a 2-0 defeat against Motherwell.

And while the Hoops boss was less than pleased with his side’s performance at Fir Park, he’s hoping that his players will respond in the same manner they have done in the past when they’ve suffered a setback and return to winning ways.

“The performance was nowhere near where we’ve been the past couple of months,” he said. “But I’m not going to be over-critical of the players and I’m not going to single out individuals. It was a team effort, but a poor team effort.

“We gifted Motherwell two goals. Anthony Stokes had a couple of decent chances just before half-time which would have changed the psychology of the game.

“But we were poor, though, so that’s something we’ll have to address very quickly.

“To be fair to the players, every time we’ve had a poor result or performance they’ve reacted very well so we’ll be looking for the same this week.”

The chance to get back to winning ways arrive this Wednesday evening, when the Hoops face Rangers in the Scottish Cup fifth round replay at Celtic Park.

And the manager will be looking for a similar performance to the one his side produced in the most recent derby match, when they won so comprehensively.

“Every game is a tough game from here on in,” said the manager. “We’ll see what kind of reaction we get against Rangers, but I’m sure we’ll put in a better performance.”

Hooperman hits a double as Celts cruise to derby victory

Scottish Premier League
Celtic Park, Glasgow
Sunday, February 20, 2011

CELTIC…3
(Hooper 17, 28, Commons 70)
RANGERS…0

CELTIC extended their lead over Rangers at the top of the SPL to eight points after destroying their city rivals 3-0 in Paradise.

Gary Hooper struck a double in the first-half as Neil Lennon’s side dominated from the off. The Hoops comfortably soaked up any pressure exerted by the Ibrox side after the break before Kris Commons sealed the victory with a swerving strike 20 minutes from time.

With Celtic going into the match on a 16-game unbeaten run it was little surprise that there was only one change to the Hoops’ starting XI from the team that beat Dundee United last weekend.

Perhaps mindful of his match-winning contribution when the city rivals met at the New Year, Lennon opted to select Georgios Samaras in attack at the expense of Anthony Stokes.

It was a typically frenetic opening to the match with both teams eager to deny one another space, leading to a congested midfield and few chances.

Scott Brown was soon involved in the thick of the action, bursting through the middle, only to be felled by a reckless lunge by derby debutant Kyle Bartley, resulting in the first booking of the afternoon going the way of the on-loan Arsenal youngster.

When Celtic did manage to string some passes together, though, they looked the more threatening, particularly when Hooper got on the ball.

And a piece of individual brilliance from the striker broke the deadlock in the 17th minute. Latching on to a powerful Kris Commons pass, he left David Weir standing with a sublime first-touch, before firing the ball past McGregor.

The Hoops threatened to double their tally with several dangerous forays forward before Rangers replied with their first shot of the game, Nikica Jelavic firing over from the edge of the area.

Just over 10 minutes later Celtic doubled their advantage. A fine sweeping move saw Samaras slide a pass through to the rampaging Emilo Izaguirre.

The Honduran beat the offside trap and picked out the outstretched Hooper at the back-post, who did brilliantly to steer the ball home.

Rangers were reeling and Commons should have done better when Ledley set him up at the edge of the area, the winger not connecting cleanly and dragging his effort wide.

For the remainder of the half, the Hoops looked content to protect their lead and utilise Hooper’s pace on the break. Accordingly, the visitors enjoyed more possession but did little with it. The best they could muster were tame efforts from distance from Steven Naismith and Jelavic.

Rangers came out after the break desperately looking for a way back into the match. From Davis’ cross, Jelavic should perhaps have done better than glance a header wide of the far post.

Yet, minutes later, the Hoops were agonisingly close to grabbing a third.  Samaras did well to spin past Weir and dig out a cross to the far post. McGregor could only get a fingertip to it, allowing Scott Brown to loop a header towards the unguarded net, only for Papac to head off the line.

At the other end, El-Hadji Diouf then passed up the visitors’ best chance of the match. The on-loan forward found space on the box from Kyle Lafferty’s pass but his chip was pushed away from danger by Fraser Forster.

After that, however, Rangers struggled to make any impression as an attacking force whatsoever and Celtic sealed the points with another spectacular strike from Commons.

Collecting Hooper’s pass, he cut inside Madjid Bougherra before unleashing a swerving drive which deceived McGregor and found the net.

With Celtic Park bouncing in celebration, Ki, who had replaced the injured Beram Kayal nearly added number four with a fizzing shot which McGregor could only push over.

It would be the final effort of the match as Lennon’s side coasted to a vital victory in the title race. 

CELTIC (4-4-2) Forster; Wilson, Majstorovic, Mulgrew, Izaguirre; Brown, Kayal (Ki 60), Ledley, Commons (Forrest 80); Samaras, Hooper (Stokes 85)
Not Used: Zaluska, Juarez, McCourt, Rogne, Forrest

RANGERS (4-5-1) McGregor; Whittaker, Bougherra, Weir, Papac; Diouf (Healy 75) Davis, Bartley, Edu, Naismith (Lafferty 46), Jelavic
Not Used: Alexander, Fleck, Foster, Weiss, Hutton
Website Man of the Match: Gary Hooper

Marc Crosas bids farewell to Celtic

MIDFIELDER Marc Crosas has joined newly promoted Russian side FC Volga, subject to completion of final paperwork.

The 23-year-old signed for Celtic from Barcelona in 2008, and made 52 appearances for the Hoops, scoring one goal – a spectacular effort in a 7-0 victory over St Mirren at Celtic Park.

A popular player with everyone at the club and, indeed, the wider Celtic Family, Marc Crosas moves to Russia with everyone’s best wishes for his future career.

And playing for Celtic has made a deep impact on Marc. He contacted the official Celtic website and asked that we publish the following farewell letter to his friends, team-mates and the Celtic support.

Dear All,
After three years in Glasgow it's time to say goodbye. And it's hard. As a football player, all I want is to play and now it's time for me to move to another club and another league. Everything here at Celtic is fantastic, but another club is calling me with the possibility to have the minutes that I need. My job is to play football, and as much as I love this club, I need to play.

Over the last three years I have learnt a lot of things. Now I can say that I’m one of the lucky Bhoys to have played at Paradise in the green and white shirt. Being a part of the Celtic family has been great and Celtic will always remain in my heart.
After my time here I have came to understand why the Celtic supporters are well known all around the world and why this club is so special. There will always be a big space for all my fantastic memories here, the good moments when I was playing and even the bad ones. Marc Crosas is moving to another place, but a big part of his heart will remain here.

I would love to thank everyone who made me feel at home here – the staff, players and fans. I leave a lot of friends here. Real friends! I believe in this team, I believe in this club and I wish that at the end of the season every Celtic fan on earth will be proud of Lenny, Thommo, Johan, Garry and all my team-mates.

Hail! Hail!
Marc

Police warning on smoke bombs and flares

AHEAD of this Sunday’s SPL match between Celtic and Rangers, Strathclyde Police is offering the following guidance regarding smoke bombs and flares

It is illegal to attempt to enter or be within the relevant area of a designated sports ground in possession of a flare or a smoke bomb during the designated period of a match.

It is also, contrary to the Ground Regulations of the Scottish Football Association, Scottish Football League and Scottish Premier League, to be in possession of such a smoke bomb or flare.

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s match between Celtic and Rangers at Celtic Park, Chief Superintendent Wayne Mawson, Match Commander, said:
“In recent weeks, there has been an increase in the number of flares and smoke bombs being set off at football matches. 

“They represent a significant risk to the safety of those attending the match which is why the law regarding them clearly states that possession of these articles while trying to enter or within the stadium is an offence.

“On Sunday, we will have specially trained police dogs at Celtic Park. Anyone found in possession of a flare or a smoke bomb will be arrested.

“My message is absolutely clear – There is no place for smoke bombs or flares at stadiums and football matches”

Samaras relishing another derby clash

CELTIC are preparing for the fourth derby meeting of the season, with another three clashes still to follow before the end of the campaign.

Georgios Samaras has already made his mark on the fixture this season, scoring both goals in Celtic’s impressive 2-0 victory over Rangers at Ibrox at the start of January.

But the Greek striker, along with his team-mates, is not looking back at any past glory. Their focus is solely on the task in hand, which is to win Sunday’s SPL fixture and gain another three points.

“The derby is great, and the atmosphere and the supporters are also always great,” Samaras said in an exclusive interview with the official Celtic website.

“I was glad to score the two goals at Ibrox but that was one game. We must focus on the rest of our games and put more pressure on Rangers and show we are good enough to win the league trophy.”

Samaras was denied another Ibrox goal in the last encounter – a 2-2 Scottish Cup draw – after Allan McGregor saved his goal-bound header.

But the 25-year-old believes the Celtic team can take great confidence from that game, which saw them play for over half the match with 10 men after Fraser Forster was red-carded.

“We were 2-1 down and had 10 men, but in the second half we had most of the possession, kept creating scoring chances, and after we equalised we had one or two more chances to go on and win the game,” said Samaras.

“That showed to people we are a good team that will always work really hard on the pitch to try and win our games.

“We are a big squad, we are working together every day and we push each other for the extra yard.”

John Kennedy Testimonial weekend in Donegal

THE John Kennedy Testimonial weekend in Donegal, which was originally postponed back at the end of November because of bad weather, has been re-scheduled for March, with events, including a first-team match against Finn Harps, taking place on the weekend of Saturday, March 5.

The game between a Celtic first-team squad and Finn Harps on Sunday, March 6 is the centre-piece of the weekend's events, with a packed crowd expected at Finn Park, Ballybofey.

And all tickets already bought for the original match in November are valid for this game.

On the Saturday night, a Supporters’ Rally at Jackson’s Hotel organised by the Twin Towns CSC will see the Celtic manager, Neil Lennon, the Celtic players and, of course, John Kennedy himself attending.

The following day there will be the game at Finn Park, which now has a 2pm kick-off. Then everyone will convene to the Ostan Gweedore Hotel for the Testimonial Dinner with many auction and raffle prizes.

The events are being sponsored by Donegal Airport, Doherty Coaches, Tennent’s, Bord Failte Ireland, Ostan Gweedore and Jackson’s hotels.

Tickets for the John Kennedy Testimonial match on Sunday, March 6 are available at the Ticket Office at Celtic Park. Tickets are priced £20 adults and £10 concessions (65+, u12’s and students).

For further information on the Testimonial match, you can also email foy1888@yahoo.ie or telephone (00 353) 863629443

Remembering Reamonn Gormley

REAMONN Gormley, aged 19, from Blantyre, was a popular and hard-working university student, who had spent the evening of Tuesday, February 1 watching Celtic’s match against Aberdeen in a local pub. Tragically, he was attacked on his way home and died later in hospital.

Reamonn was also a talented footballer who had spent two years with the Celtic Youth Academy, from Under-13 to Under-15 level, and his death has shocked everyone who knew and worked with him.

During his gap year between school and university, Reamonn taught English to children in Thailand at the Good Child Foundation.

The charity has challenged traditional thoughts on inclusive education and is the only school offering placements to children of all ages and abilities, including pupils with Down’s Syndrome, at its school in the Chanthaburi province of Thailand.

The work of the Good Child Foundation was initially introduced to the Celtic support through fan Paul Lennon, whose son Berni was born with Down's Syndrome in February 2003. 

Berni was the first child of Paul and his wife Pun and the news that he had Down’s had a dramatic impact on their lives. A key worry they faced was where Berni would be educated. 

After a long search and rejections from schools, Paul and Pun found a mainstream school that would take Berni, if they volunteered to help teach English to the pupils at the school. 

Through their work, the school is willing to offer a place to all children with Down’s Syndrome in the surrounding area – there are currently six children with Down’s attending the school.

Paul welcomed Reamonn with open arms and the children loved him instantly. His love, care, compassion and laughter made a huge impression on each and every person he came into contact with, during his time at the Good Child Foundation. They are all devastated by his tragic death.

Celtic Charity Fund was approached by two members of the Celtic Quick News community who, along with their fellow supporters, felt really strongly about honouring Reamonn’s memory in some way. 

The original idea was to raise enough funds to buy a memorial wreath but the depth of support was so vast, they quickly realised something even greater was required. 

Together, the Bhoys decided the best way to honour Reamonn was through raising money for the Good Child Foundation, as the charity was so close to his heart.

A fundraising page under the banner of 'Remembering Reamonn Gormley', has now been established. 

Charity Fund Manager Jane Maguire said: “It was our privilege to get involved in such a wonderful initiative led by the Celtic support, so Celtic Charity Fund provided the vehicle through which the funds could be raised. 

“All monies will be collated by ourselves and then donated to the Good Child Foundation, in memory of Reamonn and on behalf of the fans. The Good Child Foundation is also a previous beneficiary of Celtic Charity Fund, with £2,000 awarded in August last year to help purchase teaching aids, educational materials and sports equipment.

"The spirit and compassion of the Celtic Family is quite incredible and this fundraising initiative is a perfect example of that.”

The response has been utterly incredible from the Celtic Family, with nearly £12,000 already raised. To make a donation, please click here – www.everyclick.com/rememberingreamonngormley

And to watch a moving and uplifting video of the children of the Good Child Foundation, click HERE

Development squad beat Dunfermline

CELTIC’S development side fought back to beat Dunfermline 2-1 at Lennoxtown on Wednesday afternoon.

Despite dominating the match and creating a raft of chances, a youthful Hoops side went behind to their more experienced opponents late in the game.

However, Patrik Twardzik restored parity, before an own goal – following some good work from the Czech youngster – in the final minutes of the match handed Danny McGrain’s side the spoils.

Speaking to the official Celtic website after the match, the coach said: “They scored with around 10-15 minutes to go totally against the run of play. But that’s football.

“Credit to the boys, they dug in and got a goal within three or four minutes of them scoring and always looked like we could threaten and get the winner which we did.”

“They had some half chances but we showed more pace and ability and should have won the game by a greater margin. It was a very young team that was out and they did very well."

CELTIC (4-4-2) Cervi; McGinn (O'Donnell 60), Toshney, Hughes, Brennan; McGregor (Gormley 70), Lowdon, F. Twardzik, Carey; P. Twardzik, Murphy (Atajic 60)

Scottish Cup tickets to go on general sale

TICKETS for Celtic's Scottish Cup fifth round replay against Rangers will go on general sale from 11am tomorrow, Wednesday, February 16. The match will take place at Celtic Park on Wednesday, March 2 (kick-off: 7.45pm).

Tickets are priced £40 for adults and £30 for under-16s. The details of all individuals using the tickets must be provided at the time of booking.

You can buy tickets online, by calling 0871 226 1888* (Option 1 | Option 1) or by visiting the Celtic Ticket Office. The Ticket Office is open Monday to Friday, from 9am - 5pm.

* Calls cost up to 10p per minute, telecoms provider dependent. Mobile and other provider charges may vary.

Mulgrew relishing another derby day

DUE to the tide of emotions whipped up during the Glasgow derby, some supporters will probably be looking forward to a short period of respite following the recent encounter at Ibrox. However, Charlie Mulgrew will never tire of lining up against his city rivals.

Remarkably, this weekend will be the third time Celtic and Rangers have faced each other since the turn of the year. They will also meet in the Scottish Cup fifth round replay and the Co-operative Insurance Cup final over the next few weeks - exciting, yet nerve-wracking.

The argument that this amount of derbies detracts from the significance of the occasion does not find favour with Mulgrew. He relishes being out there in the heat of the battle and knows fans will forever desire victory over their greatest rivals, no matter the frequency of the fixture.

And given he could make his Paradise bow in this clash – having only appeared at Ibrox previously – Mulgrew is eagerly anticipating his next taste of Scotland’s biggest game. 

“These are the games you want to play in,” he told the Celtic View. “Every one will be as big as the last one. They are great games to be involved in and it’s even better when you win. They are brilliant.

“Those are the games you want to play in as a player – the bigger the better – so these games coming up should be good.

“It is a bit strange playing so many, but it’s brilliant. I don’t think there could be enough Glasgow derby games this season as the fans treat every one the same as the one before, so we will just look forward to the next one and hopefully we can win them.

“It would be great if I could play out here against Rangers as I haven’t done that before but we are only looking forward to the next game.”

Read the full and exclusive interview with Charlie Mulgrew ONLY in this week’s Celtic View. On sale now.

To subscribe to the Celtic View click HERE

Scottish Cup tickets to go on general sale

TICKETS for Celtic's Scottish Cup fifth round replay against Rangers will go on general sale from 11am tomorrow, Wednesday, February 16. The match will take place at Celtic Park on Wednesday, March 2 (kick-off: 7.45pm).

Tickets are priced £40 for adults and £30 for under-16s. The details of all individuals using the tickets must be provided at the time of booking.

You can buy tickets online, by calling 0871 226 1888* (Option 1 | Option 1) or by visiting the Celtic Ticket Office. The Ticket Office is open Monday to Friday, from 9am - 5pm.

* Calls cost up to 10p per minute, telecoms provider dependent. Mobile and other provider charges may vary.

Cha injury latest

CELTIC received a boost today with the news that Cha Du Ri will be out of action for no more than up to one month.

The defender picked up an ankle injury at training on his return from the Asia Cup.

But after seeking further opinion in relation to Cha's injury, the Club is pleased to report he will be out of action for no more than up to one month.

Chief Executive: Everyone's working hard to bring success

CELTIC’S season continues to focus on the bid to bring silverware back to the club. Neil Lennon’s side, currently leading the SPL by five points, are still in the hunt for all three domestic trophies, and are entering a crucial phase of the campaign, with a number of important league and cup games on the horizon.

Ahead of the first of those – a home SPL match against second-place Rangers – the club’s interim results for the six months to December 2010 were published on Monday.

The results show a profit, before tax, of £7.06million, compared to a figure of £1.27m the previous year.

Chief Executive Peter Lawwell said: “Overall, we are satisfied with the results. Every penny that has come in has been reinvested in transfers and players’ wages and running costs of the club, and that will be reflected in the year-end results.”

And the Chief Executive reiterated the point made by Chairman John Reid in his statement that accompanied the results regarding the club’s debt, which currently stands at £9.09m, explaining that “it will come back down to normal levels. This is just a temporary spike.”

In the statement, the Chairman said: “Since 31 December 2010 substantial transfer payments have been received, which has reduced our debt.

“Assuming season ticket revenue receipts for season 2011/12 to be similar to this year and that other commitments to us are honoured when due, we currently anticipate year end net bank debt will be significantly lower than at the half-year.”

There has been considerable investment in the Celtic squad at the start of this campaign, with the likes of Joe Ledley, Beram Kayal, Efrain Juarez, Gary Hooper, Cha Du Ri, Daniel Majstorovic and Emilio Izaguirre all arriving at the club.

And the Youth Academy, which the club has invested heavily in over a number of years, is continuing to pay dividends, with James Forrest the latest player to make the breakthrough into the first-team, while another former Academy graduate, Charlie Mulgrew, returned to the club in the summer and is playing his part in the team’s bid for trophy success.

“It’s very early days and we haven’t won anything yet,” said Peter Lawwell, “but hopefully all the hard work that is going on behind the scenes will bear fruit.”

Stokes: Dublin will be cheering on the Bhoys

GROWING up on the Emerald Isle, Anthony Stokes can remember Glasgow derby days vividly. As a Celtic supporter, it was always a big occasion for him. He never missed it on TV.  

But when he saw the throngs of people decked out in green-and-white and packing into pubs, the Dubliner rapidly realised the significance of the game, like so many other of his countrymen.

At Paradise on Sunday, the city rivals will do battle for the fourth time this season, this time in a vital league clash. While Stokes is now involved in the action for his boyhood heroes, he knows the match’s importance means most of Ireland will be watching, some crammed into his own Dublin pub.

“I watched all the Glasgow derby games as a kid,” he told this week’s Celtic View in an exclusive interview. “They showed most of the games at home back in pubs in Dublin, but the Celtic and Rangers games would always pack them out.

“It would be like Ireland playing. Everyone comes out and they are all in their strips and their colours. It’s a massive day out every time.

“This one will be huge. Every Glasgow derby game back home is a big game. With the league title being so tight at the minute every derby will be massive, so I am sure we will be getting the backing of the support from 90 per cent of the people in the Ireland.

“We have a pub back in Dublin and my Dad runs it, so we have a few of the Celtic supporters’ clubs in there as well, so I'm sure they will pack out the place and be supporting us over there.

“The pub tends to be full to the rafters on a Glasgow derby day, so I don’t know if my dad will be able to get time off and come over.

“Speaking to people at home, they are very confident in the way we are playing and the style we are playing in at the minute. Things are looking up but we just have to take each game as it comes and try and get the points on the board.”

Despite his tender age of 22, Stokes has already sampled several other derby matches in his career, including those on Tyneside and Edinburgh. Yet he insists nothing compares to the frenzy when Glasgow’s big two collide.

“It’s just the atmosphere and the rivalry between the two clubs,” he explained. “I think it’s a completely different game – the pace is more frantic and the tackles are harder. It’s probably the atmosphere that changes everything about it.

“I think the first 10-15 minutes are always hectic. It can be a bit scrappy at times, there are always tackles flying in. I think you just need to try and settle into the game and then after 15-20 minutes, when everyone gets a second breath, it tends to settle down a bit. For 90 minutes, they are normally hectic anyway.

“In all these big games form goes out of the window. It will be a very tough game, but we have gone to Ibrox and played very well against them, so if we can do that at home with the crowd behind us, I think we should be confident of getting a good result.”

Read the full and exclusive interview with Anthony Stokes ONLY in this week’s Celtic View. On sale from Wednesday, February 16.

To subscribe to the Celtic View click HERE

Fantastic Scottish Cup offer for season book holders

THERE'S a great offer to season book holders ahead of the fifth round Scottish Cup replay between Celtic and Rangers, which will take place at Celtic Park on Wednesday, March 2 (kick-off: 7.45pm).

From today, Monday, February 14 until 5pm on Tuesday, February 15, season ticket holders can buy a maximum of six tickets per client code, tickets will be priced £40 and can be purchased by calling 0871 226 1888* (Option 1 | Option 1) or by visiting the Ticket Office.
To purchase online, click HERE

For those on the Home Cup Ticket Scheme by credit card/direct debit, payment will be taken on Friday, February 18.

*Calls cost up to 10p per minute, telecoms provider dependent. Mobile and other provider charges may vary.