Down and most certainly out.

Neil Lennon took a gigantic risk tonight.

There is no denying that Efe Ambrose has been a rock for Celtic during our Champions League campaign, but choosing to start a defender who has just returned from a three week tournament in Africa mere hours before one of the biggest matches in the history of the club was a costly mistake.

The referee was gutless on a number of occasions tonight. Hooper gave as good as he got, and a case can be made for his booking when rising to Lichsteiner’s callous tactics, but for the majority of the match the Celtic players were manhandled in the box or deliberately aggravated behind the referee’s back. That, however, is the perfect example of Juventus’ experience winning out against a young and, at times, naive Celtic squad.

When you consider the age and experience of our squad, we played some impressive, controlled and top-class football, at times dominating one of the best midfields in world football for large spells of the match. You only have to look at how many times Juventus, uncharacteristically, gave the ball away under pressure in their own half.

Yet despite all this, experience and established talent won out in the end in what a lot of people have failed to recognise was a professional, well-orchestrated, efficient and all round clinical performance from the Turin giants. They had complete confidence in their defence, taking the risk of playing deep, sitting back and inviting Celtic to attack (and the statistics show that if Celtic turned even a fifth of their efforts on goal in to proper chances it could have been an entirely different game) but it was a risk that ultimately paid off as we ran ourselves ragged. The astonishing pace and energy of the first half just couldn’t be sustained and as tiredness creeped in, Juventus took full advantage of such inevitable weakness. It should also be noted that we sorely missed the height and tenacity on the big stage of Georgios Samaras. Something which most Celtic fans will now agree with, but would once have choked on their cold-in-the-centre pies at the mere thought of.

It can be looked upon as an opportunity missed by Celtic, but the reality is that was Juventus at their cold and calculating best; they let you think you’re in control of the match before they hurt you when it hurts the most.

We can be proud of our performances in Europe this season and take encouragement from our young and ambitious team, we can even take heart from tonight’s gutsy performance in what was essentially a ruthless defeat, but most of all we can look forward to what looks to be a strong and secure future of Celtic Football Club.

In the end, that’s all that really matters.

When I hear that music and sit back, with a cold Bud, and watch eleven confident, young players in green and white hoops walk out the tunnel of the Camp Nou I’ll have a wee tear in my eye.

Yes, I’ve no doubt we’ll get taught a footballing lesson tonight but it’s a lesson we’ve earned the privilege to be taught. That’s what makes me prouder than ever.

The only way I can even see us getting a sniff at goal is from crosses and using our aerial threat, as that’s the weakest part of Barcelona’s game. But to do so, we need a touch of the ball and let’s be realistic here, I wouldn’t hold my breath on that happening too often. What I do believe however is that they won’t run up a cricket score and I’m confident we’ll put in a performance we can be proud of. Although with that said, if we get hammered 7-0 I won’t be at all surprised.

Fans of other teams can be bitter all they want, but we’ve earned the right to be where we are and let’s face it, we’re the only thing stopping Scottish football from being a worldwide laughing stock, at least more so than it already is.

Regardless of the score tonight, I’m going to sit back and enjoy the occasion and pray that we knock in a header from a set-piece. But like Neil Lennon said, “that’s if we get a fucking set-piece”.

UEFA investigate ‘offensive’ Celtic songs.

I’m going to keep this short. I’ve made many a post about ‘sectarianism’ and it always seems to split the people of tumblr right down the middle so I’ll not get in to the intricate details as you’re probably sick of hearing my opinion on the subject.

However, I would like to say that this new investigation is highly suspicious if not wholly ridiculous. We could get caught up in a heated debate about the history of republicanism and the IRA and what songs are deemed acceptable and what songs aren’t but the long and short of it is this - they may be offensive but they aren’t illegal. Showing support (whether intentionally or just for the sake of an ignorant singsong) for a legitimate military organisation is perfectly legal. Singing (albeit very few) songs about a proscribed terrorist group may be in bad taste and may have no place at football games, but again it’s not illegal.

These are the same songs that have been sung long before I took a seat at Parkhead, these are the same songs that have been sung on our travels all over the world, these are the same songs that were sung when the supporters were awarded the FIFA Fair Play award. But now all of a sudden Strathclyde police bypass Celtic Football Club and alert Uefa to “offensive” songs sang at the Rennes game which just so happens to be around the same time that the government want to deem any song about republicanism or the IRA (PIRA or otherwise) as bad as songs celebrating the denunciation, oppression and even murder of Catholics.

If Celtic were to be punished by UEFA for singing political songs then they would have to punish the majority of European clubs too.

“We will not be criminalised. We will not be silenced.”

Let’s hope that rings true.

Lazy, ignorant and overpaid.

Exactly how I would describe the vast majority of football pundits, summarisers and ‘experts’. They may disguise it well during Match of the Day, throughout various coverage of live English Premier League matches or on a number of Talksport programmes but when they venture in to the big, bad world of European football their ignorance is as obvious as the boozed up, beer-bellied Londoner you’ll find staggering along the boardwalk of Benidorm.


pun·dit/ˈpəndit/

Noun: An expert in a particular subject or field who is frequently called on to give opinions about it to the public

In order to justify the large pay packets of these pundits, surely (according at least to the above definition) they should be ‘experts’ in their field? In other words, vastly knowledgeable about a wide range of details, facts and figures regarding clubs, leagues and players of all levels from all over the world. You would think so but alas, for the most part, this isn’t the case.

These particular so called ‘pundits’ tend to view the world of football in a completely different manner from the rest of the world, blinded by the glaringly obvious bias that the English Premier League is the ‘best’ and essentially the only football league that really matters. This is still the view of most despite only two English clubs (Manchester United on two occasions) having ever lifted the Champions League trophy in eighteen years.

This ignorance was further proved during tonight’s Bayern Munich v Manchester City match when their lack of knowledge and interest in foreign football along with their patriotic bias led both commentators to continuously express their disappointment with regards to City’s performance rather than focusing on the fact that they were being taught a masterclass in football from a stronger, more passionate, more hungry group of players with a great sense of unity. After all, this is a team who are currently sitting top of one of the most competitive and well supported leagues in the world having yet to concede a single goal in their last ten league games and who have been a dominant force in football for a number of decades, never mind years. Manchester City on the other hand were a below average team who became one of the richest clubs in the world overnight, spent excessively on one too many high profile players, have a massive problem with team spirit, far too many egos fighting with each other and have a muppet for a manager. They’ve yet to learn that ruthlessness and sense of togetherness which leads to a burning hunger and passion needed to grind out victories and ultimately clinch trophies.

Their ignorance at times even extends to their own backyard, when week in and week out they demean ‘lesser’ teams by insisting that the team on paper should blow them out of the water and being surprised when teams such as Stoke City get hard earned and well deserved results against Manchester United.

Football isn’t won on paper, far from it, and it’s about time these ‘pundits’ realised that too.

Neil Lennon.

I’m going to keep this short.

You don’t have to like Neil Lennon, you don’t have to respect him, you don’t even have to show any form of solidarity (although I would hope your morals would suggest otherwise) but the fact of the matter is, whatever you may think, he does not bring this on himself.

Yes he’s opinionated, yes he might open his mouth when he should probably keep it shut, yes he’s passionate and fiery but for anyone who thinks that’s deserved of physical or threatening action is a despicable human being. He makes comments that you might not like but at the end of the day, they’re only comments. He hasn’t murdered anyone or broken the law in any way.

Let’s not beat around the bush with “Oh, but he provokes the Rangers fans”, “He only makes things worse for himself”, “If he kept his mouth shut this wouldn’t be happening”. This is based on religion and it has been for the past ten years.

As Lennon has said on many occasion, he can handle the abuse. If he taunts fans or makes outspoken comments that offend or upset the easily offended, he can take any abuse that comes his way. But to make threats on his life, his family’s life and attempt to physically attack someone over their beliefs and differing of opinions is simply unacceptable.

The quicker people realise this the better and the quicker we can be begin to be proud of our country, not hang our heads in humiliation and be ashamed of the bigoted, sectarian knuckle-draggers that continue to blight this country with their hatred.

It is, after all, only a game.