It says a lot about the Celtic season

Celtic had their Player of the Year Awards in the Thistle Hotel on Sunday 18th of April and there was a definite lack of enthusiasm for the event amongst many Celtic fans. The form of the team has been so inconsistent this year that it has been hard to select anyone who has been deserving of the top award.

Robbie Keane has been very good in his short spell at Celtic but his selection as Player of the Year indicates how poor the club has been this season. Well, that or their fans are a sucker for an Irishman.

There are probably one or two fans that have been so delighted at seeing Keane in the hoops that they would have voted for him regardless but it can be seen it was a reasonable choice.

All of the other candidates have had serious flaws in their season as well, even though some players were undoubtedly closer to the top than others.

Artur Boruc, Aiden McGeady, Landry N’Guemo and Marc Antoine Fortune could all consider themselves to be in the running for the top performances by a Celtic player but that probably tells why you the club is off the pace.

The nominations for the Scottish Players of the Year contain no Celtic players with Rangers dominating.

Three Rangers players and a Dundee United player, on loan from Rangers, make up the short-list and again, it would be hard to argue the inclusion of any of these 4 players.

That said, Kris Boyd has not kicked a ball since before Robbie Keane arrived in Scotland but the strikers goal-scoring form up until January sees his inclusion justified.

Sadly for Hoops fans, this award signifies the biggest trophy Keane will lift in his time in Glasgow but you wonder how bad the season would have been without Keane, who certainly carried the team on a number of occasions since his arrival.

Celtic fans, can you argue with Robbie’s award?

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And the class of that man Keane

It is hard to say what impact Neil Lennon will have had on the team in his one full day with him but there was a noticeably improved atmosphere at Celtic Park. Considering the home team was kicking off 13 points behind their rivals, that is not a bad outcome.

Celtic came flying out of the blocks but found Cammy Bell in good form, not for the first time against Celtic and some poor finishing was also responsible for keeping the score level.

It was no surprise that it was Robbie Keane who broke the deadlock and his opening goal again emphasised the class of the player. Getting in behind the Kilmarnock backline, the striker was quick enough to nip in front of Bell and dink the ball into the back of the net.

The second goal was also all about Robbie Keane, twisting and turning before firing into the far corner and giving Celtic the two goal lead they craved.

There were a number of positive performances on the Celtic team today, with both fullbacks putting in a good shift and supplemented the attack quite well. This was possible because Kilmarnock offered little threat down the flanks but Naylor and Hinkel can consider themselves happy with a good days work.

Georgios Samaras had a good performance, outshining Marc Antoine Fortune and Scott Brown had a very strong second half. He capped it with Celtic’s third goal, following in an Aiden McGeady shot to tap home.

Aiden McGeady will be cursing his luck as twice he rattled the woodwork and there were a few times when the Irish internationalist was close to slipping in a team-mate.

Killie pulled a goal back when a cross-cum-shot from Bryson deceived Artur Boruc and gave Killie fans a bit of hope.

Moments later, Killie rattled the bar but that was about their lot.

With the split looming, Jimmy Calderwood knows Kilmarnock have still got a job to do to ensure their safety but with Falkirk dropping points, it wasn’t a disastrous day at the office for the Ayrshire club.

For Neil Lennon though, three points and a bit of feel good factor at the club. If Lennon and Keane can keep this going, the Celtic fans may have some silverware to celebrate at the end of the season.

Hoops fans, was that an enjoyable game?

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Hoops into the 6th Round of the Cup

The fragility of the Celtic backline was once again exposed at East End Park but Celtic fans can breathe a sigh of relief as their forward line was up to the task of firing them through. Yes, Dunfermline are lower league opposition but in the Cup, it is just about getting through and Celtic will be in the draw on Wednesday for the 6th round of the Active Nation Scottish Cup.

The opening period of the game was scrappy but controlled by Celtic and the hoops opened the scoring in twenty minutes. Georgios Samaras struck the bar and after the ball bobbled in the box a bit, Diomansy Kamara was on hand to fire home his first goal for Celtic.

It was a powerful shot from the Senegalese player but Celtic’s lead was to be short-lived.

Within a minute, Dunfermline broke down their right hand side with the Celtic backline all out of position and the cross was turned home by David Graham, who wasted no time in turning to the Celtic crowd and making the shushing motion.

Worse was to follow for those Celtic fans before the half hour mark when Dunfermline were awarded a penalty.

On first viewing, and without television evidence, it appeared that Paul Caddis put a slight shove in the back of the jumping Dunfermline player. On that basis, a penalty looked correct. However, these incidents happen every game and go unpunished.

Also, when you examine it in the context of penalties that Celtic have not been given this season, it is easy to see why some Celtic fans have it in for refs.

As said, if television evidence stated otherwise we’ll be happy to alter our stance but at the time, it looked like a weak penalty but a penalty nonetheless. Artur Boruc was yet again sent the wrong way with spot kick and Dunfermline held a shock 2-1 lead.

You got the feeling that the Pars needed to get to half-time with their lead intact but Morten Rasmussen grabbed his second Celtic goal on 43 minutes. The Danish striker may be giving Celtic the penalty box presence they require to turn chances into goals and the striker is becoming a firm favourite with the hoops fans.

2-2 at half-time and having the ability to bring on Robbie Keane is a boost for any team.

Keane’s movement is immense, this shone through even in the defeat at Kilmarnock and his 45 minute cameo here.

Whether his team-mates will be on his wavelength is a different matter and Celtic are still fine-tuning their forward play.

There was a piece of close control that saw a Dunfermline defender dumped on his backside due to Keane’s quick feet but the Irish striker should have cut the ball back as opposed to having his shot rifle against Dunfermline keeper’s Fleming legs.

Keane also fired a hard cross which Fleming parried out and Rasmussen was quickly on it but failed to lift it sufficiently and Fleming pulled off a strong save but the feeling that a goal was coming was getting stronger.

Celtic regained the lead just before the hour mark and although it will probably go down as a Callum Woods own goal, it owes a great deal to a tremendous cross form Kamara and the penalty box presence from Rasmussen. Much like the second Celtic goal, the mere presence of a poacher puts defences under pressure and Dunfermline had to bounce back once again.

They were unable to and it was Celtic who grabbed the clincher, and this time, it was all about Robbie Keane. The Irish striker was in the box and looking to shoot when he was taken out of play by Austin McCann.

The forward picked himself up, ran, paused and slotted the ball home to open his Celtic account and give the hoops a 4-2 lead. Robbie scored the goal and did a forward roll as the player maintained his customary goal celebration.

After this, the game fizzled out slightly and although the ball raged from one end to another, no real chances were created.

Both teams will probably walk relatively satisfied but knowing that there is a lot to work on. Next up for Celtic are Hearts at Celtic Park on Wednesday and they will need to be a lot tighter if they want to get their league campaign back on track.

Celtic fans, happy to see Robbie off the mark?

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Glasgow Airport, Ross Hall or Celtic Park?

It must be a hard decision for some Celtic fans, where do they go to get the best view of transfer target Robbie Keane?

It is the 1st of February but for some fans it may well feel like the 1st of April as the transfer that gets talked about every window may just come off. Okay, it is certainly not a done deal but the indications are that the deal has every chance of coming off.

So, the player is flying up from London and should be touching down at Glasgow Airport.

From there, he is expected to undergo a medical at Ross Hall Hospital.

And from there, who knows, if the medical provides no problems, Celtic Park is likely to be the destination for the signing of the deal which Celtic fans will hope will propel their team back into the title race.

There is no doubt that Keane has the quality to score frequently in the SPL and he will bring an excitement back to the crowd that has been missing. With Scott McDonald leaving for £3.5m, the club can probably cover his wages from now until the end of the season.

It’s a gamble but it is a gamble that looks well worth taking.

Celtic have a new home kit for next season and are currently offering their present home top for £24.99. If the Irish striker signs up, you can expect them to be shifting a lot of units with Keane and his squad number on the back of it.

That is all financial chat and would go a long way to paying for the player if he comes but for Celtic fans, the real impact will be on the park.

Celtic fans, did you dare to dream your club would seriously be in for Robbie Keane?

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