Financial reports, transfer talk and injuries all fight for attention

There are going to be plenty of potential headlines about Celtic in the newspapers on Tuesday morning but then again, if they are as spot on as the Monday headlines, they are not even worth wrapping your chips in.

As we stand, Craig Bellamy is yet to sign for Cardiff City, regardless of the stories being served up by the media. That’s not to say he won’t eventually sign for the club he supported as a boy and the city where his family is but it is by no means a done deal.

This means some Celtic fans should step back from the ledge for a bit and the Rangers fans should keep their celebratory champagne as Celtic fail to sign a big player again for a little bit longer.

Then again, tomorrow is another day.

The major off-field development for Celtic today was the announcement of the financial figures for year end June 2010 and as you would expect, there is plenty to dig your teeth into. What you take from the figures will very much depend on your viewpoint of Celtic or the PLC board but the most eye-catching element is the rise in the level of club’s debt.

The club announced they had a year end bank debt of £5.85m, a rise from £1.51m from the previous year. Celtic’s turnover also reduced by 15% to £61.72m.

These figures have to be considered a negative factor and if the trend continues, many will believe that Celtic will see their debt spiral.

However, it has to be considered that the year passed was a fairly traumatic on the field for Celtic, with turnover and outgoings greatly affected by the failure of Tony Mowbray and his team.

The current co-efficient points for Scotland means that the champions of the SPL will not be guaranteed entry to the Champions League so there is not the opportunity to rely on that money. Then again, the sale of Aiden McGeady to Spartak Moscow for a fee of around £10m gives the club the opportunity to reduce this debt.

So…not good at the moment but there is no way anyone can say what the financial state of the club will be in a year’s time.

Of course, in order to build a winning team, new players have to be brought in (at varying degrees of cost) and the latest confirmed signing for Celtic comes in the shape of Swedish centre half, Daniel Majstorovic.

In an interview with his new club’s website, Majstorovic said; “I am a winner.” “I want to be a part of the team to take back the title this year. I am very, very hungry.”

Talk can sometimes be cheap but Daniel sounds to be the type of player Celtic need at centre half.

That’s the confirmed signing but the rumour mill (excluding the Craig Bellamy stuff) has been spinning wildly for Celtic today.

There is still a suggestion that Honduran left back Emilio Izaguirre will sign for Celtic tomorrow after the player has been in talks with the club today. If Izaguirre does sign, this will be two of the major areas identified as needing strengthening by the Glasgow club.

Most Celtic fans feel they also need a first-choice goalkeeper to strengthen their backline and the number one choice for many fans will be Shay Given. There hasn’t been much further developments with regards to Given coming to Glasgow but the keeper has been linked to Arsenal.

Arsenal appear close to signing Mark Schwarzer from Fulham, which may give Celtic a clearer run at the Irish internationalist. Whether Manchester City will want to offer Given to a league rival is one thing that may work in Celtic’s favour but the rules of loan deals between clubs from different football associations may work against Celtic.

The Telegraph was running with the idea that City would be looking to include a 24 hour recall clause in Given’s loan contract, which stands at odds with the rules of loan deals between clubs from different associations.

Celtic have also been linked with Danish goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard, who has played in Scotland this summer for his club Aalesunds against Motherwell.

And if all that wasn’t enough, the name of Sunderland midfielder Andy Reid has also been linked with the Parkhead side.

When most people think of Andy Reid, they instinctively think of a talented yet overweight midfielder but the Reid of last season was a far slimmer model of previous seasons. Then again, Celtic are hardly light in midfield numbers.

So many rumours….and that’s without mentioning James McFadden!

There has also been further talk about Marc Antoine Fortune being wanted by West Bromwich Albion. The Baggies took a sever beating at Stamford Bridge on Saturday and many will think there was head damage to the club with rumours of a £5m bid being in the offing.

Fortune is nowhere near as bad a player as some of his critics would claim but even his biggest supporters would have to say that is a price that could not be ignored for the striker.

The other issue for Celtic fans to contend with ahead of the Europa League play-off game against Utrecht is injuries. A quick breakdown of the injury list suggests the following problems for Neil Lennon:

Paddy McCourt – still being monitored on a daily basis after picking up an injury in the goal celebrations from Saturday’s match
Thomas Rogne – is likely to be out for a further two to three weeks after picking up a thigh injury on international duty
Mark Wilson – likely to be out of contention for a fortnight
Niall McGinn – the Northern Irish internationalist is close to recovering from a pre-season injury but again, is likely to need two weeks to return to first team contention.
Paul Slade – the youngster picked up a cruciate injury in the pre-season and is likely to be out for around 9 months.

Crikey, there was that many injuries we nearly forgot about Gary Hooper, with the new striker said to be out for up to 6 weeks. With the amount of chances Celtic made but never took in Inverness on Saturday, his absence may be felt by Neil Lennon in this period.

Which just about covers the news in and out of Celtic Park – all of that for a Monday…..some people never stop!

Celtic fans, whats been your biggest news of the day?

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Loovens and Fortune do the damage in a minute

Although Celtic were the stronger team in the first half, it was all about the second 45 at Celtic Park.

From the start of the second period, Celtic seemed brighter and very quickly had the game wrapped up.

Hearts were always likely to struggle to pack a punch up front and you know that Celtic will waste chances so the 0-0 at half-time was no surprise.

The opening goal came from a set-piece but its origins were possible a bit fortunate. Braafhied was trotting across to take the kick but the left back was carrying an injury and Glenn Loovens pointed out that it may be wise for him to hang back.

The kick was taken by Diomansy Kamara instead and his scuffed near-post ball found its way to Loovens, who after seeming a bit startled to be afforded so much time and space in the box eventually volleyed home to relieve the pressure at Celtic Park.

Celtic took the lead at East End Park on Sunday but were pegged back almost immediately. This game saw another quick fire goal after Celtic’s opener but this time it was 2-0 to the hoops as Marc Antoine Fortune broke down the left, drew the goalkeeper and poked the ball home.

The off the ball movement from Robbie Keane has been very impressive but his shooting in the box is probably still a bit too eager. It is obvious that Robbie is trying very hard to impress the fans and inspire his team-mates but a bit more composure in front of goal will bring the Irish striker even greater rewards.

It was easy to lose count of the amount of chances Keane missed but the fact that he was creating them and keeping the linesman happy with a number of tight offside decisions would have went some way to earning Keane’s wages this week.

All in all, and finally after the past two horrible midweek’s, Celtic fans had something to smile about on a weeknight. They only clawed back the two points on Rangers and the game is now 8 points but any step in the right direction will be gladly accepted by the hoops faithful.

Can Celtic cut the gap to 5 points by Saturday night?

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Will Lady Luck be a Jambo at Celtic Park?

Tony Mowbray has insisted that Marc Antoine Fortune sits at the top of his queue for strikers, so it will be interesting to see how Celtic line up tonight. In fact, the Celtic fans will probably be able to argue over the selection for every position of the field.

Apart from the Robbie Keane role which has been earmarked for Robbie Keane.

It looks as though Georgios Samaras will definitely drop out, the Greek strikers fragile head looks to have dipped even further in recent weeks but sleecting the rest from Fortune, Rasmussen and Kamara will be a tough task for any manager.

Rasmussen has given Celtic fans hope that he can be in the box when they need him and Kamara impressed on Sunday, albeit against Dunfermline and in a wide position.

The match against Hearts may see Celtic turn to Fortune but they will need an element of good fortune to overcome the Jambos.

The two sides have met three times this season and the Edinburgh side are ahead 2-1. Funnily enough, the two games Celtic lost they were completely dominant but the only Hoops victory was a tighter affair, although Celtic probably edged it.

What has separated the teams has been Celtic’s wasteful finishing and the Jambo’s ability to put the ball in the net with the limited chances they have. Okay, two of the four goals Hearts have got against Celtic have been from the spot but the other two goals were tremendous from an attacking point of view.

Terrible from a defending point of view, which is of course, Celtic’s other problem.

Jim Jefferies will be in charge for his third game at Hearts, second time around tonight, and his team have yet to score. The manager has also not won against Celtic since 2000. All of which, in the strange world of football, probably adds up to an away win tonight.

If that occurs, some Celtic fans may just reach breaking point but there will be no excuses for Celtic not having the firepower to down Hearts at Parkhead this evening.

How do you think this match will go tonight?

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Convincing in the end

Celtic went into this match knowing that all three points would see them close the gap on Rangers to seven points with a game in hand but no one was expecting an easy match at McDiarmid Park. St Johnstone have battled well all season and the Celtic backline, not convincing at the best of times, has weakened even further today.

Celtic started nervously at the back and within 10 minutes, they were 1-0 down. It is hard to say if the foul was given for a Loovens foul or an O’Dea clip but on first viewing, there didn’t appear to be any argument that it was a penalty. With refereeing decisions these days, it is hard to know what equates to a penalty but it looked a foul, it was in the box, correct decision.

Liam Craig kept a cool head and put the home side 1-0 up.

Celtic then suffered another defensive set-back when Glen Loovens was forced out of action with a head injury. Paul Caddis came on and this required a further restructuring of the Celtic back line. Hinkel, Thompson, O’Dea and Caddis was the back four and many Celtic fans were fearing the worst.

Kenny Duechar was winning challenges in the air but St Johnstone were unable to create any more chances in the first half. The Perth side certainly battled very well, with Jody Morris impressive again in the middle of the park, and on the goal line when he scooped Zheng Zhi’s effort away just in time, but any chances that were created from that point were Celtic’s to squander.

Celtic were definitely disjointed but Niall McGinn could have levelled before half-time but Smith in goals for St Johnstone was showing some impressive form.

You wonder what Tony Mowbray said to his team at half-time but straight from the kick-off, Celtic powered through the middle of the park and Marc Antoine Fortune was hauled down at the edge of the box.

A red card was immediately flashed for the professional foul, and again, it is hard to argue with this decision.

Of course, there will always be some arguments about a sending off but those moaning should remember that Graham Gartland had already been booked. This means the player would have been off the park, even if the ref felt a yellow card was sufficient punishment.

Celtic made nothing of the free-kick but as you would expect, the tide started to turn in Celtic’s favour. The forward play was relentless but St Johnstone held firm for a while. Smith was in fine form, repelling Celtic with arms and legs and it was looking as though something special would be required to beat him. Marc Antoine Fortune delivered it.

He may not be a great goal-scorer but Fortune is a scorer of great goals.

It seemed likely that Celtic would go on from here but a bad miss from Darren O’Dea and another superb Smith save from a McCourt shot had some Celtic fans worrying about dropping points.

A lead was finally taken when Josh Thompson nodded down for Georgios Samaras to volley home and St Johnstone must have felt their spirits drop.

Fortune grabbed another goal to give some breathing space to the Celtic defence, Artur Boruc had a brainwave which nearly let St Johnstone back in before Paddy McCourt finished the game in fine style by cutting inside and finishing into the top corner.

Depending on where your loyalties lie, the story of the game will go two ways.

The sending off was definitely a factor but it was the correct decision and Celtic had forced the matter by pressing straight from kick-off.

Tony Mowbray will be pleased with three points and 4 goals but will have defensive concerns and will also know that 4 goals from 29 chances and 11 corners is still very wasteful.

If St Johnstone can take the work ethic and spirit from the first half into other games, they will be booking their place in next seasons SPL with a bit to spare.

Both teams face another big test on Wednesday, will they be up for it?

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Anything else would have been a shock

You can’t have a big refereeing decision happen in a game without hearing the opinions of former refs in the aftermath. The best refs are the ones that you don’t notice during a game but it seems as though the opposite applies to former refs.

You wonder if **** (okay, we’ll not mention the city centre firm Dougal works for) are struggling to keep all of their employees busy because Stuart Dougal seems unable to keep his opinions out of the newspapers.

With regards to the Fortune “goal”, Stuart Dougal said this;

“Steve made the Fortune decision as he felt there was illegal contact made and I can live with that.” “If he had allowed the goal to stand I can live with that also but it’s a clear case of being damned if you do and damned if you don’t.”

Stuart Dougal then turned his attention to the Celtic players;

“There’s no doubt it was a key moment in the game but Celtic still had 70 minutes left to claim a victory. Look at the amount of opportunities they squandered before pointing the finger at the referee. Samaras and McGeady missed glaring chances so we must be fair and weigh everything up before making a scapegoat of the match official.”

Kenny Clark had this to say about the decision to merely book Kyle Lafferty;

“Stevie got it wrong when he gave Kyle Lafferty a yellow card.” “If people are honest I bet a lot of folk thought it was a booking first time around.”
“I changed my mind after seeing it again but I can understand why at the time Stevie thought Lafferty was going in to block the ball.”

With the next clash of the Glasgow big two coming at the end of February, it won’t be long until the ex-members of the SFA get to defend their former colleagues and get themselves in the public eye yet again.

Should ex-refs be giving opinions on the performance of players?

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Great fightback from the slow starting Bumblebees

It doesn’t seem to matter who the manager is, who the opposition is or even what the tournament is, Celtic have a terrible habit of starting badly away in Europe. The club’s home form in the Champions League has masked their dismal away form and you wonder what they can do to change it?

Given the squad and systems have changed over the years, it is hard to pinpoint the reason why Celtic so often shoot themselves in the foot.

One frequent reason is Stephen McManus.

The club captain was restored the starting line-up and he was largely responsible for the opening goal inside the opening minute. Two more followed before 18 minutes and things looked the stuff of nightmares for Celtic.

Two goals for Marc Antoine Fortune sees the player carrying on from his wonder winner at Fir Park and Tony Mowbray now looks to have three forwards in a reasonable vein of form. It can go as quickly as it comes so no one will be getting carried away but if Samaras, McDonald and Fortune can maintain their scoring rate, Celtic will be in with a shout.

With 15 minutes to go and 3-2 down, if you were taking the game seriously, you don’t take off your best player, Niall McGinn. One thought may have been that he was being preserved for SPL action but if the player has picked up an injury, it would be a cruel blow to the club.

With Shaun Maloney injured and Paddy McCourt missing in action again, Celtic are relying heavily on Aiden McGeady for creativity and heaven help the Glasgow side if the Irish internationalist gets injured or suspended.

The final hour saw Celtic being the far better team but if you are going to throw cheap goals away so easily, you will find it nigh on impossible to claw it back.

In a way, it shows the gulf in class between Champions League and Europa League football.

In the main European tournament, when Celtic do their early disappearing act, the opposition manages to shut the game down with no scares.

In the Europa League, Celtic still give their opponents the early helping hand but are able to strike back with some potency.

And the comeback was complete when Paul McGowan controlled the ball in the box and smashed the ball home to tie the game at 3-3. This point ensured Rapid Vienna would be bottom of the table. Given the Rapid player’s history of hitting the deck for no need, it was an apt and just place for them to finish the group.

Celtic will be thinking what might have been? If they had started the game stronger, they would have won the match. If they had started the group stronger, they’d still be in the Europa League in February.

Still, Celtic fans, what do you focus on? The bad start of the great finish?

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Wonder goal settles Fir Park thriller

Scottish football has its critics but the Motherwell v Celtic match had it all. Great goals, a missed penalty, teams coming from behind, terrible defending and awful refereeing. This is what makes Scottish football so exciting.

It may not always be technically excellent but when you have a goal like this, you can only sit back and marvel.

Marc Antoine Fortune had barely dirtied his boots after coming on as a sub but he fairly put his right foot behind the ball to send it soaring beyond John Ruddy.

Things started well for Celtic, the forward play was looking inventive and they took a deserved lead when Samaras fired the ball home after neat play. At this stage, it was looking as though the Hoops would progress but all credit to Motherwell, they came back strongly.

The passing and movement of Motherwell was effective and enjoyable to watch, with the Steelmen’s midfield able to find space at will.

Depending on your viewpoint, the two Motherwell goals were well worked or poorly defended. Artur Boruc and Gary Caldwell were culpable as Lukas Jutkiewicz back-heeled an equaliser. Worse was to follow for the Glasgow side as Glen Loovens and Andreas Hinkel were posted missing as Mark Reynolds finished cooly on the stroke of half-time.

The home fans were in jubilant mood at half-time, celebrating early with their usual repertoire of “party” songs when Celtic come to visit but within 7 minutes of the second half, Celtic were back on level terms.

There had already been a period of dominance when McGeady was fed in by Samaras and the Irish internationalist cut inside and curled a superb strike into the far corner of Ruddy’s net.

Celtic then had a period of exhilarating play, all funnelling through McGeady but wasteful finishing and good goalkeeping kept the score at 2-2. Ruddy then pulled off an excellent stop when Barry Robson missed a penalty. Even Charlie Richmond had no option but to point to the spot when Samaras was hauled down in the act of shooting.

This miss saw Celtic’s head drop and the game was looking as though it could go either. Then Tony Mowbray made the substitution that earned the Hoops all three points and saw them secure at the top of the table.

There has been a lot of talk about referees and this game was no different. Referee Charlie Richmond couldn’t help but get himself some attention by a shocking decision to blow full-time when Fortune was running through on goal. If it was Motherwell who were breaking in that situation with the scoreline as it was, Richmond would not have blown for time in that matter.

Yes, a penalty for Celtic isn’t a guarantee of any success but that doesn’t mean it is right for a referee to deny them two other stonewall penalties. It is funny how Jim Gannon didn’t make any post match remarks about the referee but Celtic fans don’t need to rally too hard about the referees as their team did just enough.

All in all though, it was a shot of good Fortune that decided the match in Celtic’s favour.

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