World Cup over for BBC and ITV.

We’d like to think we can do a service for our readers from time to time, so tonight, we are going to attempt to introduce a little German that you may want to use in the weeks and months ahead.

We will start with the word:

Schadenfreude

which means:

a pleasure that is derived from the misfortunes of others.

Hopefully you will have the opportunity to use this new word.

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The original is a cracking advert!

By now, you have probably watched the Nike World Cup advert where players get a glimpse of their future depending on the outcome of their games.

We think if Nike could actually see the future they would have known that Ronaldinho would not be included in the World Cup squad.

Then again, that’s a small issue and the skill in his section is exactly what you want to see in an advert;

Of course, a few teams in the SPL wear Nike kits with Celtic being the companies biggest money spinner in the country.

Therefore, we, in a fit of boredom or insanity, wondered what a Celtic themed Nike advert would look like?

It would open with the PLC boardroom with Dermott Desmond, Peter Lawell and John Reid scanning through a bunch of CVs on the table. Reid is holding them upside down to ensure no members of that pesky Green Brigade Brigade have applied for the managers post.

After narrowing down to a few candidates, the dream sequence kicks in with Roy Hodgson in the Celtic dug-out as the team runs out in Dublin for the final of the 2010/11 Europa Cup final. The stadium is awash with green and white as the almost “home” crowd cheers a goal for the hoops.

This then cuts to the forlorn figure of Ivan Golac looking rather windswept at Inverness after a Ross Tokely piledriver puts Caley two up and condemns Celtic to a place in the bottom six of the SPL. Tokely may not be able to read or write but in this worst case scenario, he could be signing the P45 of the manager and board of directors.

This should be enough to give Desmond and Lawell nightmares for weeks, and the two should bear this in mind when deciding on who to give the job to.

And Reid’s positive outcome, well, finding those weapons of mass destruction probably ranks highly.

The next scene features Neil Lennon in his usual haunt of Ashton Lane and in between ordering a round and giving some chat to some pretty girls at the bar, Lennon’s mind drifts off to what could await him if he gets a crack at the Celtic job.

The positive scenario drifts to a title run-in, post split game at Ibrox. The Ibrox scoreboard flashes up 90 minutes and the scoreline is tied at 1-1. Lennon puts on his last sub as the hoops have one final corner to turn the league in their favour. A goal-mouth scramble sees Morten Ra-Ra-Rasmussen bundle the ball home and send the Broomloan Road end of Ibrox wild. Lennon picks up the SPL trophy at the first time of asking!

The negative issue comes in the same scenario and location but on 93 minutes, Lee Naylor breaks down the left hand side and slices his cross so wide it ends up at Govan Cross. The Copland Road end erupts as three quarters of the stadium bellow in laughter and return to giving Neil Lennon the abuse he expects at Ibrox.

This snaps Lennon out of his daydream and back to the reality of having a pint in hand and a perfectly balanced midfield three of a blonde, brunette and a redhead in front of him.

For Neil, the reality is sometimes better than the daydream.

And of course, any current Celtic advert would have to feature Robbie Keane, sat at home with his model wife, discussing where to go next. The bright lights of Los Angeles and a lucrative contract with the Galaxy sits on the table and occupies the positive part of the dream. The kids are happy with the attractions, beaches and parks whilst the sunshine state provides the perfect background for Claudine’s modelling career to really kick off.

The downside for Keane comes vividly to life when the beach transforms into that luxurious bolthole in Lanarkshire called Fir Park. The sand is painted green but is no different underfoot as Keane struggles to maintain his balance and eventually tumbles after one twist and turn too many.

The scene fades out as Keane is carried off on a stretcher, cursing the decision to put the hope of a medal ahead of family happiness.

And when it comes to family happiness, who pushes the buttons better than Peter Lawell? The final scene opens with a Celtic fan reading the open letter sent by Mr Lawell to all of the Celtic family, reminding them of the importance of sending the club their money and backing the boys.

Depending on the fan, the positive scene alternates between the SPL trophy being paraded around a packed Celtic Park after a thrilling season….or the thought of countless nights out with the £450+ saving from not renewing. The negative part of that dream….well, any footage of the empty seats at the tail end of the 2009/10 season would suffice.

This summer is a massive one for Celtic and the PLC board must know they have the power to write the clubs future…for good or bad.

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Narey, Roughie and another early adios

Tonight’s episode is the final show in the series and this week’s focus falls upon the 1982 World Cup and the failure of the Scots team to progress past the group stages.

Highlights will no doubt include:
Alan Rough looking a pillock
Willie Miller and Alan Hansen looking like pillocks
David Narey scoring a belter of a toe-poke against Brazil
Jimmy Hill winding up the Tartan Army
A poor defensive show against New Zealand

All in all, a Tartan Army trip to the World Cup which promised much but delivered little. Oh the Scottish fans would pray for the chance to do so again. Never mind, the draw for Euro 2012 has handed a return trip to Spain, which is sure to end better than the 1982 journey!

After all, Buckfast beats sangria and Jack Vettriano is far better than Pablo Picasso!

Now that the series has ran its course, what did you make of it?

1967
2002/03
1979/80
1998/99
1971/72
1982

So that’s the six best years of Scottish football?

Wow….every club could chip in with their own monumental seasons; here are some of our suggestions, which would have been worth a watching.

The mid to late Seventies
Rangers two trebles in three years under Jock Wallace

The 1978 World Cup
C’mon, the ’82 side is worth a programme, surely the 78 era would have been worth watching? The pre-tournament highs were akin to the ones felt by Willie Johnston, the during and post-tournament lows were akin to the ones felt by Willie Johnston and we’ll always have Gemmill in MENDOZA!

1978/79
Ten men win the league. Celtic’s monumental 4-2 triumph over Rangers at Celtic Park seals the title for Billy McNeill

1985/86
Heart-breaking for the Jambos.
A final day capitulation at the hands of Albert Kidd saw Celtic clinch the league with a final day massacre of St Mirren whilst Aberdeen trounce Hearts in the Scottish Cup final a week later. Don’t forget, Hearts were aptly sponsored that season because they MITA won the league and they MITA won the cup!

1982/83
Aberdeen win the Cup Winners Cup

1986/87
St Mirren win the Scottish Cup

1994/95
Celtic lose on penalties to Raith Rovers in the League Cup final but end their trophy drought against Airdrie at Hampden.

1996/97
Rangers clinch their 9 in a row

1997/98
The battle for ten

And that is overlooking:
Rangers first Champions League Campaign
Motherwell’s 1991 cup win
Dundee United breaking their Scottish Cup hoodoo
The Gretna years
Helicopter Sunday
The week of Manchester, mayhem and Tommy Burns of 2008

Okay, everyone will have moments that they feel should have been included…but for time, just wouldn’t be possible.

Scottish football has its detractors…and a lot of them are on the money…but it’s not half exciting at times.

What did you think of the series?

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Will Craig Moore team up with ex-team mate

The lure of the World Cup will drive on many players in the next few months and it means many could be on the move in the January transfer window.

If a player is not going to be playing regularly in the next few months, they will be keen to move on and keep themselves in contention for the major tournament.

With the Australian season ending soon, the players earning a living down under will be keen to find a new club to keep them in good shape for the World Cup.

One such player is Craig Moore and the ex-Rangers defender may get a helping hand from ex-team mate Derek McInnes.

That said, it is not as though McInnes is only doing it as a favour to his pal. A fit Craig Moore will add some steel to the Perth side’s backline, which could make all the difference in the battle against relegation.

McInnes is definitely looking to add to his defence with Roman Konecny on trial at the club. The Perth boss was hoping to run the rule over the Slovakian defender in a closed door match but the wintry weather has prevented that from happening.

It has also affected the training methods for the players, which led McInnes to make a rather cute and endearing statement about his club;

“Even the diesel had frozen in the club’s tractor so we couldn’t get the road into the stadium cleared. The temperature was minus 12 coming into the city.”

It is maybe stereotypical to think of the Perth side as a bunch of farmers but the mention of a club tractor is only going to reinforce this idea.

Would Craig Moore be a good signing for St Johnstone?

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Like for like in the Rangers midfield.

It is hard to keep Kevin Thomson out of the headlines or the back pages of the papers. Sadly for the player, his most recent inclusion has come about because of yet another injury.

If there is any benefit or silver lining to the player, it is not the knee injury that has blighted him for the past few years. This time, it was a calf strain that has sidelined the player.

Rangers boss Walter Smith announced;

“He’ll probably struggle for all of our games next week. I’m still not sure of how severe his strain is but I’d think he will be a doubt.”

With Pedro Mendes out injured, Rangers are starting to become stretched in the middle of the park which means the return to first team action of Maurice Edu is a relief for Rangers fans and staff alike.

The player is a cult hero for the Rangers fans even if his popularity is slightly strange in comparison to how other players are greeted.

A few goals and whole-hearted performances should be enough to get the fans on board but his outspoken attitude will also appeal to the fan base.

The American player featured in a reserve match against Glasgow side Partick Thistle and will likely make his return to the first team squad against Hibernian at the weekend.

Edu has watched on in recent weeks as fellow American DaMarcus Beasley has rocketed back to the forefront of Rangers play. With the World Cup looming, both players will be keen to grab attention and force their way into the squad.

Rangers fans, do you think Edu will make up for the absence of Kevin Thomson?

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Player’s comments hint at summer transfer

The player’s future at Rangers has been the attention of intense scrutiny and latest comments from the player are sure to signify a parting of the ways will come at some point.

I have plenty of options from among the English, Spanish and French leagues, but my wish is to return to England and play for a good Premier League club.

I have already had a taste of the Premier League with Charlton, and my dream is to make a return now I am at the top of my game. I am happy at Rangers, and I don’t want to leave them during the January transfer window.

Besides, it would be tricky to change clubs just while the African Nations Cup is under way.

I have no doubt that the best time for me to leave will be next summer, just after the World Cup finals.

Of course, this could bring benefit to Rangers. If the player goes to the African Cup of Nations and then the World Cup and plays well, his price could rise even further as demand grows. Two major tournaments give players the opportunity to stand out and Bougherra is more than capable of catching the eye.

Add in the fact that staying at Ibrox means he will have a settled time between February and May to prepare himself for the World Cup could see his best performances in the blue jersey.

Then again, that is all hypothetical, the player could get injured, suffer a loss of form or anything but at the moment, you would believe the player has more to gain by staying at Ibrox until summer. The club can also benefit, it just depends on any bid coming in and how the club and bank views its debt.

It was reiterated once again that Rangers do not need to sell in January.

This is not a promise that they will not sell in January but there is definitely hope that the main core of the Ibrox squad will stay around.

The bank have to consider that keeping the squad together until summer will give the club the best chance of winning the league and gaining Champions League qualification. Rangers struggled in this seasons Champions League but the money earned from participation has been of great use to the club.

Would you be happy to see Bougherra stay until summer?

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US star admits he is looking to move from Rangers



It wasn’t the hardest thing to predict but WeKnowSFA predicted that DaMarcus Beasley would be seeking to leave Ibrox in the January transfer window.

It is nothing to do with the financial problems at the club that appear to be causing the need for the US star to leave but the fact that America are involved at the World Cup.

Beasley knows that he needs to be playing regular first team football if he is to secure his place in South Africa.

Playing for your club is important but for many players, national pride is something else. Okay, a club pays the wages that put the roof over a players head but try telling the US boys to put anything but the Stars and Stripes first.

“My current situation is not ideal – it’s been frustrating,”
“I’m looking to move because I want to play. It’s not that I’m not happy with the club, I just want to play.”

This is a very natural reaction and although the message emanating from the Ranges AGM on Monday was that RANGERS DON’T NEED TO SELL, this is a very different story from the club won’t sell.

If Rangers were to announce that all of their players were up for grabs, the chances of getting value for money would be next to nothing. Playing their cards close to their chest may enable Rangers to pull in some extra cash for the players they are happy to offload.

If Beasley stays, the Rangers backroom staff will be reasonably happy, he is a decent squad option but equally, they wont be too upset if he goes. It is hard to think of many games where he has turned the tide in favour of Rangers.

The nature and pace of the SPL may be a bit too frenetic for DaMarcus Beasley to have fully impacted on the game but he has European domestic experience and a good spell before the summer could see him back in contention.


Rangers fans, do you mind if Beasley wishes to chase his World Cup dream?

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Samaras and McDonald have something to aim for.

3 home wins in a week will please any fan but are there signs that Celtic are picking up a head of steam? The Europa League win over Hapoel Tel Aviv featured some good work from the front two but this was continued against Aberdeen.

Many will say that Aberdeen were not at their best, Rangers fans will say that Aberdeen and/or McGhee had no intention of leaving Celtic Park with anything but it was a good performance by the Hoops.

It is about time the East End of Glasgow club pulled things around but the World Cup draw may have added an extra spring in the step of some of the players. Everyone knows who has qualified for the World Cup but the draw for fixtures makes it all seem a bit more real.

Skippy and Sammy need to impress

Scott McDonald was not included in the latest Australian national team squad so he really needs to grab goals and positive press to force his way back in.

Opening the scoring is one such was to do it and the Aussie hitman was on the end of a great move featuring Marc Crosas and Andy Hinkel. Hinkel himself will be dreaming of a World Cup place and his attacking style is one thing he has in his favour.

Playing for Celtic is the dream of many fans but for the foreign players who come to Scotland to ply their trade, it is only natural that they will be focused on representing their country. If Celtic can get the benefit from increased hard work, then their fans wont mind too much and it will give Hoops fans players to cheer on next summer.

Goals are what strikers are measured in but in the past few games; McDonald has been pulling his weight in all areas of the pitch. There can be a few jokes made about the expanse of the strikers waistline but this sort of performance will go a long way to dampening down the doubters.

And what Skippy could do, Sammy could do better in the second half. A simple header and lobbing finish showcased two different types of finishes the Greek striker has in his locker and the sort of thing that could illuminate the World Cup in South Africa.

With two away games coming up, a true test of the form of the striking duo will be found at Fir Park and Tynecastle. If Skippy and Sammy can earn six points from these two games for their clubs, the mood and optimism at Celtic Park will be sky high.

Hoops fans, which of your players will make the biggest impact in South Africa?

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Madjid won’t lose his passport in the Summer.

It has been hard to keep the Rangers stopper Madjid Bougherra out of the news of late.

He may have been missing in action for Rangers but he has been in at the deep end for his nation Algeria.

Bougherra played a key role in Algeria winning their play-off tie against Egypt and the centre half has earned the right to look forward to the World Cup.

Of course, Bougherra may not be a Rangers player by the time the tournament kicks off but there is some good news for the Ibrox club. If Bougherra is selected, Rangers will be due a payment from Fifa for one of their players being involved at the World Cup.

The full World Cup draw can be found at WorldCup2010

Bougherra and his Algerian team-mates will be lining up against England, Slovenia and United States of America, with team mates Edu and Beasley involved!

Playing at a World Cup is the pinnacle for all footballers and you can bet that Bougherra will be fully focused on making the final squad.

Whether this brings benefit to Rangers or a new club after January, no one knows yet but the player will be bursting at the seams to play week in, week out for his club.

Bougherra is not the only SPL player in the running to be in the Algerian squad, Hearts join Rangers in possibly filling the African nation’s squad.

Ismael Bouzid is another player dreaming of World Cup glory and for him, the dream is simple, to avenge the 1982 Algerian World Cup squad.

A shock win over West Germany left Algeria on the brink of qualification from the Group stages only for West Germany and Austria to carve out a 1-0 German triumph which put both teams through.

Bouzid said:

“If I could choose who we could play I would like France and Germany.
“France because I was born there and Germany so we could get revenge for 1982.
“I don’t know what happened at the time because I was born in 1983!

Will Bougherra and Bouzid do the SPL proud?

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The Bhoys know the groups for next Summer

Chris Killen and Giorgos Samaras played a key role in the deciding matches which got New Zealand and Greece to the World Cup. Fellow striker Scott McDonald may have been dropped from the most recent squad but he too will believe his World Cup dream is alive.

The full World Cup draw can be found at WorldCup2010

Killen may be unfancied by the Celtic support and boss Tony Mowbray but he is an integral part of the All Whites team which has qualified for only their second World Cup.

Killen caused a splash last summer with two goals against Italy and a repeat performance in 2010 against the Italians, Paraguay and Slovakia could raise interest in the player.

Samaras will be feeling confident after his Celtic goal against Hapoel Tel-Aviv on Wednesday and the chance to strut his stuff at the World Cup in South Africa will surely make the striker up his game.

Samaras could be involved against Argentina, South Korea and Nigeria.

Scott McDonald has never quite captured the imagination in the Australian national team but there is a lot of football to be played before South Africa. If he is selected, he could face Germany, Serbia and Ghana.

Celtic fans will be hoping that the World Cup will act as motivation for their players and that they will be keen to impress. If this happens, Celtic may be bringing the SPL title back.

Don’t forget that Ki Sung-Yong is likely to be a Celtic player by the turn of the year and the South Korean player could well be involved in South Africa.

If selected for the squad, he could line up against Argentina, Nigeria and Greece, where team-mate Samaras will lie in wait!.

Do you think the World Cup will motivate Celtic’s forward line?

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