Skippy the "big boned" kangaroo

Has anyone else noticed that Scott McDonald has put on a bit of weight recently?

Im not suggesting he needs a gastric band fitted or anything but Skippy has put on an extra pound or two during the summer months.

Not exactly the brightest idea when your main striking weapon is your pace..........

BazCFC
http://alternativecelticblog.blogspot.com/

Lead Balloon

Hmmmm well its fair to say that last nights game was a bit of a shambles.....

Yet again, Celtic were let down by its misfiring midfield and impotent strikeforce. Barry Robson who has rightly been praised for his committed hard-working performances this season was shockingly poor, highlighted of course by that dreadful penalty miss. It was clear for all to see at Parkhead that Robsons head had gone down after that miss and his body language was of someone who desperately wanted to hide down the nearest dark hole.

Now I do realise that I have a tendency to criticise certain players but so far I believe i've been at least 90% right in my judgements. However, praise must be given to the only two players on the pitch who actually showed some heart: Gary Caldwell and Georgios Samaras. What a shame Nakamura couldn't do the same.

Please don't be blurred by his outstanding free kick that was only stopped by a stunning save from the Danish goalkeeper. He was poor.......infact worse than poor but im going to try to not swear in this post. The problem with Naka is that he simply doesnt do enough for the team. Those moments of genius are now becoming few and far between and he causes a serious lack of pace and movement in the Celtic midfield.

Last night was yet another incredible performance by the Celtic faithful.......its just bloody typical that the teams performance went down like the proverbial lead balloon.

BazCFC
http://alternativecelticblog.blogspot.com/

'The Celtic Way'

So it's time to announce my Celtic team for tonights crunch Champions League match against Aalborg.

Boruc
Caddis, Caldwell, Loovens, Naylor
McGeady, Robson, Maloney, Brown
McDonald, Samaras

Clearly the two big talking points of this selection are the choice of Caddis and Loovens in Defence and the dropping of Stephen McManus. My views on McManus have been well documented so theres no need to repeat myself again. My choice of Paul Caddis is based on the fact that he can help move the team forward and looked a seriously good defender when faced with the challenge of the Barcelona superstars last year.

Whatever happens it's important to get behind the team and help create another piece of European history tonight. No vile hate-filled songs for us, instead we sing the songs of hope and pride in our history and who we are.

That my friends, is the Celtic way.

BazCFC
http://alternativecelticblog.blogspot.com/

Paranoia?

I'm sure you will all have read and heard about this:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7617518.stm

The real tragedy in this sorry tale is that it takes the Government of Ireland to make a complaint before anything is done about it. While I'm no fan of Jack McConnell, his attempts at highlighting the sectarian problem was a step in the right direction. What a shame Alex Salmond is too busy trying to score cheap political points than do something about the mess on his front door.

Ask yourself this, why did Setanta/Radio Scotland not pick up on this during/after the game? It could clearly be heard loud and clear by all in attendance and watching at home. Why no response from the SFA? (cause the Chief Executive was once at Rangers?) Why no pre-emptive action from Rangers instead of waiting for the inevitable negative PR?

Also......
http://http://www.followfollow.com/news/loadnews.asp?cid=TMNW&id=407264

Strange how the Ranger's Assembly Boss stands down just after the Famine controversy. An attempt to distract the negative press instead of facing up to the serious problem of Ranger's support?

Hmmmm I'm sure I'll be accused of paranoia.............

BazCFC
http://alternativecelticblog.blogspot.com/

Apology Time

Ok, so I owe an apology for the lack of new posts recently. To be honest I dont have a particuarly good excuse, I actually had the previous 'Captain Calamity' post typed up since Thursday except that I forgot to post it......

This blogging thing is still new to me!

BazCFC
http://alternativecelticblog.blogspot.com/

Captain Calamity

It was great to see a much improved Scotland performance againest Iceland last Wednesday, and its made me reassess some of my inital scepticism towards George Burley..

First of all let me make clear that I admire George Burley's commitment to attacking football. While the Walter Smith tactic of 'Waltanaccio' was undoubtably effective, it was extremely boring to watch and undermined some of the decent attacking players in the Scotland squad (Maloney, McFadden, Hutton). Burley will of course have to reconsider this tactic when facing Holland but it certainly makes it much easier to support a team which doesnt get nose bleeds every time they pass the half way line.

Praise must also go to Kirk Broadfoot (yes im aware that sounds strange coming from a Celtic fan). His performance proved that he can do a decent job at international level and his after match comments in which he denied he has "limited ability" showed a sense of determination that many other footballers are lacking. I would also echo the praise given to Broadfoots performance a Centre Half after Stephen McManus' attempt at basketball.

Its fair to say that the stand-In Scotland Captain didnt have the best of Birthdays on Wednesday. An indecisive and mistake prone performance was followed by a foollish red card and his attempts at blaming the handball on a push from behind were laughable. In my view McManus isnt good enough for Celtic let alone Scotland. His promotion to captian was due to there being no obvious candidate once Neil Lennon left Celtic and serious consideration should now be given to removing the captaincy from him. Hopefully removing the burden and pressure of wearing the armband will result in an upturn in his performances.

BazCFC
http://alternativecelticblog.blogspot.com/

Lunatics are running the asylum

Tonight, Scotland will face the might of Iceland, a country more famous for Herring and Geezers (and not the Cockney kind) than football. While I'm not suggesting that Iceland will be mere pushovers its a sign of how bad Scottish football has become when a draw would seem a good result. While I've already stated my belief that the Macedonia shambles was caused by Celtics under performing midfield, the foundations of the defeat can also be contributed to George Burley and the SFA chief Executive Gordon Smith.

The Celtic blogs are all full of attacks on Gordon Smith and so far I've tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. Just because he was an ex Rangers player is no valid reason to question his decision making, but legitimate questions can be raised regarding the decision to employ George Burley and the continual lack of sponsorship for the Scottish Cup. Burley's after match interview in which he praised the teams second half performance as "superb" was jaw dropping (jaw dropping = fucking atrocious) and I'm beginning to wonder if Smith has employed Berti Vogts Mark II. For over a year Smith has been waiting for a sponsorship offer that matches his valuation of the Scottish Cup. The sad reality is that the oldest Cup competition in Britain is worthless to any of the big corporations and 'The Scottish Cup brought to you by Poundstretchers' would seem a more reasonable valuation.

Sticking to matters on the field, if Scotland are to give themselves any chance of a win then they have to drop Scott Brown. The harsh reality is that Brown just isn't good enough for International football and his continual presence in the Scotland team will result in more damage to our already fragile qualification hopes. Even though I may be a Celtic fan, nothing would be make me more happier than seeing Scotland finally qualify for a major tournament, and if that means dropping Celtic players then so be it.

Difficult decisions need to be made in the mad-house of the SFA but don't expect them to happen anytime soon while the lunatics are running the asylum.

BazCFC
http://alternativecelticblog.blogspot.com/

Misfiring Midfielders

The Old Firm defeat followed by Scotlands loss to Macedonia has resulted in a pretty depressing week and lets face facts, Celtics midfielders have been a main cause in both these humiliations.

Its bad enough being out played by a Mendes inspired Rangers team but to be so comprehensively beaten by Macedonia is totally unacceptable. Our midfield trio of Paul Hartley, Scott Brown and Bary Robson combined to cause a critical lack of bite in the heart of the Scotland team. While Robson was undoubtedly the best of the Celtic players it pains me to admit that Scotland desperately missed Barry Ferguson and questions must surely be raised regarding Browns continual inability to justify his £4 million price tag. Sadly, on current form, Brown isn't good enough to wear the hoops, let alone represent his Country.

Hopefully Strachan will use these usual continual below par performances to freshen the midfield with some new faces. But I wouldn't count on it.....

BazCFC
http://alternativecelticblog.blogspot.com/

The Donkey That Done Good

"It's great to see someone with limited ability progress so well"

That's George Burley's view on Kirk Broadfoot after his surprise drafting for Scotland's crunch match against Macedonia.

A year ago there would have been laughter throughout Scotland at the prospect of Broadfoot representing his country and, lets be honest, Celtic fans would have been laughing the loudest. However, Celtic's under performing squad would do well to follow the example of this hard working yet limited defender.

Broadfoot is not the new Maldini but his performance on Sunday demonstrated that hard working professionalism can earn rewards. Aiden McGeady, who last season looked unstoppable, found a hard tackling, no nonsense defender a significant road block in his attempts to tear open the Rangers defence. The call-up to the national team is a well earned achievement for a player who last season was criticised by even his own supporters.

Its time that Celtics defence learned some lessons from the donkey that done good.

BazCFC
http://alternativecelticblog.blogspot.com/

My TV Heaven Is A Telly Hell

It's confession time....

I am a CelticTV viewer.

Sad I know, but unfortunately its true.

If you havent watched the unique viewer experience that is CelticTV then count yourself lucky. Im not sure what it is that attracts me to the channel. Maybe its the awful presenters, sycophantic interviews, falling down backgrounds or Tosh McKinley.......I really don't know.

And lets not forget Alex "Wooden" O'Henley.

It's the way that those blank expressionless eyes gawp at the camera like a scared rabbit or his complete inability to ask one semi-challenging question to Tom Boyd that mark him out as a true broadcasting legend in every sense of the word. But regardless of this I keep watching.

A man who will do anything to follow his club or someone who needs to see his doctor?

I'll go book an appointment........

BazCFC
http://alternativecelticblog.blogspot.com/

Awkward Questions

Last Sunday ex Celtic Captain, and current team coach, Neil Lennon was attacked and knocked unconscious in the West end of Glasgow. There is no excuse for a brutal attack like this but it does raise a few awkward questions.

An ordinary Celtic fan would realise that it might not be the best idea to walk through Glasgow wearing a Celtic strip at night. So its not unreasonable to think that someone with a previous history of attacks, and such a large public profile, would think the same.

Lennon is, of course, no stranger to sectarian abuse, he's been attacked several times now and was forced to retire from international football after receiving death threats. So its not unreasonable to expect that he would understand the dangers of drinking in Glasgow on Old Firm Derby night.

I'm not claiming that Lennon should be a prisoner in his own home but there is legitimate questions to be asked of his decision making and I note with interest that Billy McNeill echoed this in his Sun newspaper column.

The attack itself should be condemned and the perpetrator brought to justice, but should a member of the Celtic management team be seen partying after his team had been humiliated in the biggest game of the year?

Management bring responsibility. It seems as if Neil Lennon is yet to understand this.

BazCFC
http://alternativecelticblog.blogspot.com/

The Return Of The Biscuit Tin

Earlier this summer (yes apparently all that wind and rain is called Summer) there was a huge amount of praise for Celtic's Chief Executive Peter Lawell.

Off the field, Celtic have never been in better financial health. Progressing into the Champions League knockout stages in consecutive years has boosted the clubs income, while the elimination of the dark side of the force by Kaunas resulted in a unexpected but gratefully received TV money bonus.

For the past few years we've grown accustomed to at least one big transfer at Celtic Park during the Summer Window. While, Juninho, Keane, Nakamura, Gravesen etc were undoubtedly a mixed bag of successes and failures it at least showed a sign of intent from the board that they were prepared to splash the cash.

But where was the big knockout transfer this year?

While Rangers seem desperate to sell anything of value (Hutton, Cuellar, Cousin, Merchandising Rights,) and Murray openly admits that the club is for sale this should be Celtics time to show which is the dominant side of the Old Firm.

But can we honestly say Celtic are stronger than last year?

Lawell should be rightly praised for increasing the clubs financial strength, but he has to take some of the criticism for not investing in a underperforming squad. We could be facing a very uncomfortable 2009 unless there is some significant transfers in January

The phrase 'biscuit tin' sends a shiver down the back of every Celtic fan, but it looks like it may be making a very unwelcome return.

BazCFC
http://alternativecelticblog.blogspot.com/

Me, Myself and I

I thought I would stop for moment of reflection and talk about myself (hmmm that sounds big headed). Although my reasons for starting this blog have already been stated, I thought it would be useful to explain a bit more about myself.

So in the style of 'This Is Your Life' here goes

I was born in Glasgow in 1986. My Dad is a Celtic fan who missed going to Lisbon due to being too young but was in Feeynoord two years later to witness Celtics second European cup final. So i suppose you could say he was used to glorious failure from a young age. As for my Mum, well she isn't interested in football so theres not much point discussing her in this post. Except to say she makes brilliant Gingerbread.

My childhood was pretty normal to be honest, i haven't grown up to be a mass murderer or fundamental Christian so i can't really complain. I do still miss Thomas The Tank though.........

At the moment I'm 21 (22 in October so I'm happy to received cash or cheques) and work in Edinburgh for a Insurance Company, its not the most exciting job in the world but the wage is reasonable and it helps fund my alcohol consumption. On Saturday's you'll find me at Celtic Park and on Sunday's you'll find me nursing a hangover.

To sum up, I'm basically a failed English student who spent a year at University before realising that the parties and drinking are more interesting than doing actual studying. So i guess this blog is an outlet for my frustrated inner Shakespeare.

And errr that's it.

Ok, not the most exciting of life stories but i thought id tell you anyways. I apologise that the writing may be slightly dodgy but i promise it will improve over time!

BazCFC
http://alternativecelticblog.blogspot.com/

The Three Amigo's

Yesterday i made reference to Gordon Strachan's 'Can't do no wrong Club'. I thought i would expand a bit further on this topic....

Every manager has his favourites. Look at Martin O'Neill with Lennon, Sutton, Thompson etc. But the difference between O'Neill and Strachans 'chosen few' is that Strachans gang don't deserve this blessed position.

Gary Caldwell, Artur Boruc and Jan Venegoor Of Hesselink are the Three Amigos than I'm alluding too. Strachan never criticises them but heaps praise on them whenever he can, regardless of their performance.

Even my half mad granny can tell you that Caldwell isn't good enough for Celtic. While id agree that on current form he's better than Stephen McManus, I always have the impression that he causes anxiety at the back. Usually this is caused by his 'Beckenbauer' moments in which he steams up the middle of the pitch, barking orders to everyone, before giving a backwards pass to a bemused Paul Hartley.

As for Boruc, see yesterdays post. He needs a kick up the backside but Strachan won't do it.

And as for JVH, i think he suffers from Kenny Miller syndrome; continually praised for his workload but lacking the killer edge that we desperately need upfront.

If Strachan wants classroom pets then at least have players who do their best for the club, Robson is the shining example.

BazCFC
http://alternativecelticblog.blogspot.com/

He's not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy

Ok.let me first make clear some very important points.

1. Artur Boruc has saved us from defeat countless times now
2. He's one of the best goalkeepers in Europe.
3. He one of the best goalkeepers we've had for about 30 years

However...

He's a bit of an idiot.

Yes harsh i know. But this isn't some outpouring of anger after the dismal performance on Sunday.

Boruc is a man who loves to be the centre of attention and idolised by the fans. He's hated by the opposition (and of course by Rangers) and he revels in it. However, Sundays events show that the 'Holy Goalie' isn't as fantastic as he'd like to think he is.

In my view Boruc can be blamed for three of the goals. Both the Cousin and 1st Miller goals resulted in Boruc being beaten at his near post. Ask yourself this.....would another goalkeeper of Boruc's much talked about class (Buffon, Cech etc) be beaten like that?

As for the third, only god knows what he was doing. If you watch the replay from behind the goal you can see Boruc lazily wander across to the near side before his attempt at a beached walrus impression.

There can be no excuses for a performance like that. Strachan needs to give him a bollocking, but sadly he won't. Boruc appears to be in the 'Can't do no wrong Club' with Caldwell, Hesselink etc.


Don't get me wrong. Boruc is a great keeper but he's not the messiah.....


BazCFC
http://alternativecelticblog.blogspot.com/

It has begun.....

Hello, and thanks for checking out my blog.

I thought I should use this first 'historic' post to explain the purpose of this blog.

First of all, if your not a Celtic fan then your probably not going to like this Blog. But unlike other Celtic sites I'm happy to have other fans leave comments.

Please be aware that while 'banter' between clubs is allowed, any sectarian or offensive abuse will result in your comments being removed.

Anyways, now that the admin is of the way, let me continue...

If your a Celtic fan then the place you go to discuss the Club is usually either Kerrydale Street or Celtic Quick News. Sadly Kerrydale is full of thinly veiled sectarian/offensive abuse while CQN is (in my view anyway) a blog that doesn't like to criticise its friends in the Celtic boardroom.

Well my blog is not going to be like either of these sites! My purpose is to provide a genuine and realistic view of the latest goings on at Celtic.

If at any time you think I've not done this then please let me know.

Hope you enjoy the blog.

BazCFC
http://alternativecelticblog.blogspot.com/