Our very own Gladiator’s return to Celtic Park having conquered the Roman hordes, Lazio.
Coming back down to earth has not been easy since the last minute winner hit the back of the net in the Stadio Olimpico. This writer has watched highlights of the game about ten times and seeing the fans, players and staff celebrate as one was a joy to behold.
However we have to get back to league action on Sunday and focus our energies on pushing the team towards 9 in a row.
Motherwell are the visitors and have been having a good season, currently sitting in third before this weekend’s round of matches, a point ahead of Aberdeen. The Steelmen have a record of W7, D1, L4. Having won their last two league matches against Kilmarnock and Livingston they will travel the short journey to Celtic Park with some hope of getting a result.
After beating Lazio at Celtic Park a couple of weeks ago, we had a difficult away match to Aberdeen to play, we came through that with flying colours and if we get anywhere near the performance from that game then we should win comfortably.
Leigh Griffiths might feature at some point having been back in training, it would be a welcome sight to see the striker get some action. Elhamed, Rogic and Bolingoli may miss out. Expect Frimpong to slot in at right back, with Hayes or Taylor at left back.
We could be in a position where Rangers are ahead of us in the table with them having an early kick off away to Livingston so imperative we have as strong a team out as possible to get the three points.
Celtic should prove too strong for a decent Motherwell team, especially with the fans likely to be right behind the hoops after the midweek heroics.
Scroll down for Neil Lennon’s press conference ahead of Motherwell clash.
Mick Kane hails from Glasgow. He has been hooked on Celtic since he went to his first game when he was 7. Celtic beat Hamilton 8-3 at Celtic Park on the 3rd of January 1987. His favourite player at the time, Brian McClair scored four goals.
He started going regular as a 16 year old when Celtic played at Hampden for the season, being a Southsider it meant a short train journey to get to Hampden. From then he has had a season ticket travelled around Europe for games as Celtic became the dominant force in Scottish football again. A nice change from growing up during Rangers run to 9 in a row.
Home sweet home after one of the sweetest victories away from home following Celtic. Too many times we have gone to far away cities and came away with nothing only the good reputation of the Celtic fans. In Rome the Celtic players stood up to the challenge and conquered Rome like true gladiators.
Last night will indeed live long in the memory of the 10,000 Celtic fans who made the journey to the ancient city of Rome and to the tens of thousands of fans watching on TV throughout the World. We did not start too brightly and when Lazio went 1-0 up I thought to myself “here we go again” another disappointing night in Europe following Celtic. How wrong was I?
After enjoying a few quiet beers with a few mates off the beaten track in the winter sunshine, you know the usual when you get into a session “Sure we’ll have one more and then make our way to get the free shuttle bus from the recommended location” Well one became two and then three etc. and it was now 2 hours to kick off so we opted to get a taxi out to the ground after quickly flagging one down, we were on route with a Roma fan as our driver who informed us he hated his local rivals Lazio and their fascist fans. For his attitude he would be rewarded with a tip.
As he pulled up to drop us off a plain clothes Policeman approached the car and asked if we were Celtic fans, yes we replied and he directed the taxi down the road further. After two Police check points we were sitting outside the stadium enjoying a few more beers before kick off and everybody was in agreement that we would be happy with a share of the points. I bumped into fans who had travelled all the way from Perth and Sydney in Australia for the match who agreed that a point would be well worth the long journey.
Everybody was in fine form and a quick check on social media which was now in Celtic overdrive with fans posting videos and photos including Rod Steward with the Airdrie Bhoys, Neil Lennon at the Vatican with St. Margaret’s Bhoys and the fans from Glasgow and Belfast who bumped into Dermot Desmond doing a tour of the Vatican. Everybody connected with Celtic seemed to be in Rome for this one and it was destination Olympic stadium for everybody.
With kick off approaching fast I made my way up the splendid walk way which houses a tennis club and some impressive statues of ancient Romans, on closer inspection the ancient Romans were carrying modern guns. Not sure what they symbolised but by now my thoughts had turned to the game and the noise that the Celtic fans inside the stadium were creating. As expected I had to produce my photo ID twice and then I was inside with about 10 minutes to kill and I could not believe how poorly supported Lazio were and the gaps and empty seats throughout the stadium out with the section that was closed because of their fascist fans recent behaviour.
I bumped into Brendan McCann who had flown in from Dubai and the famous Scooter Squad from Belfast before settling into my viewing point with my old pal Hilly. We are veterans of these nights and have shared the highs and lows that comes with following Celtic over the decades.
As I mentioned above I thought we were in for a rough night when Lazio went 1-0 up but I was proved wrong. Scott Brown was the midfield general leading by example with his trusty side kick Callum McGregor keeping cool under pressure. Forster was outstanding after a shaky start. The central pairing of Ajer and Julien stood tall, ElHamed comfortable throughout, Johnny Hayes never lets you down, an attitude that young players should aspire to and Ryan Christies close ball control had to be put to use to get us out of a few tricky situations.
James Forest (here for ten in a row) the man oozes quality and coolness and his equaliser summed up his qualities. The goal scored into an empty stand sent both sections housing the Celtic fans into wild celebrations. Young and Old hugging, kissing and dancing. Jamesy you beauty! Mo El has been outstanding since signing for Celtic and he gets better with every 90 minutes he turned in and last night he turned in another Man of the Match performance.
Big Eddie proved to be a handful for the home sides defence. He was a nuisance and after wasting a few good chances to win the game he slotted the ball into super sub Ntcham who showed his quality by slotting the ball past the keeper in the dying minutes of the game, lightning had struck twice against Lazio and this time the goal was scored in front of the Celtic faithful.
I didn’t see Ntcham celebratory flip as I was caught up in the celebrations high up in the Olympic stadium. The noise of the celebrations would have woken ancient Roman Gods from thousands of years of sleeping in the heavens.
Football can be emotional at times and after the goal celebration I looked to my mate Hilly and he was tearful, I haven’t seen the tough guy shed a tear since we beat Boavista in the semi-finals of the Uefa cup on the road to Seville.
It was nail-biting stuff for every second as the clock counted down till the referee blew the final whistle and the scoreboard read Lazio 1 Celtic 2. Now it was time to celebrate as we had an hour to kill before we would be allowed to leave the stadium. The time waiting to get out flew by as we sang, danced and clapped the team who were celebrating in front of us. The bhoys had qualified for the knockout stages of the competition with two games to spare. 10 points from 4 and unbeaten.
Lazio then played a Celtic video of famous goals and wins on the big screens as we waited to be allowed leave the stadium and we relived those famous moments and enjoyed the one we had just witnessed.
The night air had cooled as we made our way back into the city for a celebratory pint and a pizza. The pint soon turned into many more pints and a few half ones as we chatted about what we had witnessed and replayed the winning goal back on our phones over and over again.
With an early flight to catch I left the bhoys to go and party some more while back at my hotel I couldn’t resist opening the laptop and reliving the highlights of the game where I got to see Neil Lennon and his back room staff celebrating on the famous Olympic running track. I also watched Lenny’s post match press conference. He was absolutely buzzing and so proud of his team.
As I left Rome this morning the heavens opened and the rain poured down as if the ancient Roman Gods were crying giant tears as once again the Roman Empire had crumpled like the ruins of it’s famous Colosseum
Andrew started More than 90 Minutes in 2001. He has written for numerous publications and online about Celtic. One of his essays featured in Celtic Minded 2 and he is a former newspaper columnist with the Daily Ireland and the man behind celticfanzine.com. He is host of Celtic AM pre-match events at Malone’s in Glasgow on match days and follows Celtic Home & Away. He is a season ticket holder for Celtic FC and the Republic of Ireland. He is also P.R.O. of St. Margaret’s CSC, a member of the Celtic Trust and the Celtic Graves Association
I arrived in Rome yesterday and as it was my first time in the city went to see the famous sights. I only bumping into small pockets of Celtic fans on my travels. The city is large and full of historical interest and many fans are not missing the opportunity to embrace the culture, food and hospitality.
Paul the Tim and many other fans were down the Vatican for the Popes regular Wednesday gig. I am not a religious person but its always good to see the Pope adding another Celtic top to the Wardrobe, fair play Paul don’t mind the begrudgers.
Last night Celtic fans packed out Irish Bars and a sold out gig organised by Leftwing Badges and enjoyed the bands and musicians who had traveled from Glasgow and Ireland.
I was out and about again myself last night seeing the sights and bumped into more Celtic fans, many choosing not to wear colours. There is a real international feel to this game with Celtic fans not only travelling from Scotland and Ireland but I’ve bumped into fans who have travelled from Germany, England, USA, Australia, Japan and Russia.
After a chance encounter in a café with Dennis a Russian national who follows Celtic around Europe, I did an interview with him which will appear in issue 106 but the bottom line is he can travel around Europe following Celtic but has never been to see them in Celtic Park because of British visa issues. The bhoy has been everywhere to see Celtic so hopefully we will see him in Glasgow soon as he hopes to get a visa sorted in January.
This morning Celtic fans attended a special mass in the Vatican and we also woke to the news that 2 Celtic fans had been attacked and stabbed outside an Irish pub by masked Lazio fans but now the word is that they are not critical, and one may have been stabbed in the leg. Thank god for that I hear you say. The quick action of the staff at Flann O’Briens pub made sure that the Celtic fans enjoying a drink inside were not assaulted.
Today is the big day, Celtic have issued all fans who have travelled with safety guidelines, so lets hope we can all stay safe, enjoy the occasion and get a famous away victory although I’d be delighted travelling home with a point in the morning.
Andrew started More than 90 Minutes in 2001. He has written for numerous publications and online about Celtic. One of his essays featured in Celtic Minded 2 and he is a former newspaper columnist with the Daily Ireland and the man behind celticfanzine.com. He is host of Celtic AM pre-match events at Malone’s in Glasgow on match days and follows Celtic Home & Away. He is a season ticket holder for Celtic FC and the Republic of Ireland. He is also P.R.O. of St. Margaret’s CSC, a member of the Celtic Trust and the Celtic Graves Association.
The Eternal City beckons for Celtic as the hoops travel to Rome to face Lazio in the Europa League.
After securing a 2-1 win at Celtic Park a fortnight ago, Celtic could all but qualify for the knock out stages by beating Lazio and at the same time knock the Serie A side out.
It’s a tall order, Celtic have never won in Italy on 12 occasions, Three draws being the best we have left with. Lazio showed they were a decent team at Celtic Park and will want to reverse the result in Glasgow.
In the pre match press conference Celtic boss Neil Lennon echoed the difficulties facing Celtic.
“Realistically it is going to be very difficult to win here. Records are there to be broken.” Lennon said. “We are going to have to play very well and take our chances if and when they should arise.
“We know we probably won’t dominate possession the way we would do normally in home games, and we are going to have to show a huge amount of concentration and quality.
“In the context of the group it is such an important game, and there is so much quality on show. It is my first time in Rome taking a team, so it’s a game we are very excited about and very motivated for.”
Lazio travelled to the San Siro on Sunday and beat AC Milan 2-1 and have actually won the three games they have played since losing to Celtic. They beat Fiorentina away 2-1 and won 4-0 at home against Torino.
“Lazio’s form of late has been really good.” Lennon continued. “They had another great victory in the San Siro on Sunday, so we are under no illusions how big the job is, to come here and try to get a result.
“But the players are also on great form, they have played very well domestically and obviously top the group. We know that can change very quickly, but we are here to try to get a positive result and there is good belief amongst us to do that.”
Boli Bolingoli and Tom Rogic are set to miss out due to injury so Greg Taylor or Johnny Hayes will step in at left back, while Ryan Christie will take over from Rogic.
There was also some good news with Calum McGregor signing a five year contract which should boost the club ahead of the tie in Rome.
Mick Kane hails from Glasgow. He has been hooked on Celtic since he went to his first game when he was 7. Celtic beat Hamilton 8-3 at Celtic Park on the 3rd of January 1987. His favourite player at the time, Brian McClair scored four goals.
He started going regular as a 16 year old when Celtic played at Hampden for the season, being a Southsider it meant a short train journey to get to Hampden. From then he has had a season ticket travelled around Europe for games as Celtic became the dominant force in Scottish football again. A nice change from growing up during Rangers run to 9 in a row.
With so many forms of media available to consume these days at the touch of a button its refreshing that ordinary Celtic fans are still keeping Celtic fanzines alive and kicking after many had written them off years ago.
We at Mt90M HQ are delighted to play an active part as we released issue 105 earlier this month and celebrated 18 years of producing the fanzine in style in City North by hosting a charity dinner in keeping with the traditions of Celtic FC and our founder Brother Walfrid.
Celtic supporters can boast 4 fanzines still in print and on sale at Celtic Park on match days, More than 90 Minutes, Not the View, Alternative View and the Shamrock. Not bad when you consider we were told that print was dead but we are still here.
You can pick up issue 105 outside Celtic Park on match days, outside away stadiums, in shops and selected outlets or by visiting our online store where you can also download the digital edition, buy merchandise and tickets for our events.
Issue 105 delivers again with 48 pages packed with Celtic FC and Celtic Fan related articles and interviews. Inside you can read the Editors thoughts on all things Celtic, I wanna be Edouard, the story behind our latest cover, the player, the song the band. Colm Kennedy from St. Margaret’s CSC appears in our Fan Focus
Lisbon Lion, John Fallon is back once again to give us his take on all things Celtic. Boxer Jordy McCorry and MMA fighter Chris Bungard are in Conversation with Glasgow journalist Mick Kane. Lee Casciaro who scored against us for Red Imps talks Celtic with author Scott Alcroft about that infamous night when I witnessed the backlash from some fans as Brendan Rodgers lost his first competitive game in charge from inside a shocked stadium.
Dubliner Ciaran Kenny looks back at Brendan Rodgers and his Paradise Lost on a Grand Scale. Mick Kane looks back at the summers transfer window along with Dubliner Eoin Coyne. Derry’s Vincent Doherty is critical of Kieran Tierney as he says Goodbye to All that.
London based but Glasgow born, Scott Crystal Away Days looks back at Celtic in Sarajevo and Estonia. Glasgow’s Martin Donaldson looks back at his first visit to Paradise in 1983 and Paddy McMenamin looks back to the summer of 69 following Celtic from the mayhem of the North of Ireland.
Celtic Historian David Potter looks back at some disastrous transfers of players who departed Celtic much to the disappointment of the Celtic fans. He also reviews Tangled in Blue the latest book from Stephen O’Donnell.
18 years on still going strong thanks to the support of our fellow Celtic fans. Subscribe today and never miss a copy.
Andrew started More than 90 Minutes in 2001. He has written for numerous publications and online about Celtic. One of his essays featured in Celtic Minded 2 and he is a former newspaper columnist with the Daily Ireland and the man behind celticfanzine.com. He is host of Celtic AM pre-match events at Malone’s in Glasgow on match days and follows Celtic Home & Away. He is a season ticket holder for Celtic FC and the Republic of Ireland. He is also P.R.O. of St. Margaret’s CSC, a member of the Celtic Trust and the Celtic Graves Association.
Scott Brown was a doubt before the game but led out the team and he was instrumental in brushing Hibs aside with 2 second half goals and a leaders performance. Ryan Christie was on the bench ( as Neil Lennon looks ahead to Lazio) which handed Tom Rogic a starting place ( Christie replaced Rogic late in the game).
Celtic fans on social media had debated if Hatem El Hamed or Jeremie Frimpong should get the nod to start but in the end the manager picked youth over experience and Frimpong got his start. While Boli Bolingoli came back in after Moritz Bauer started against St. Mirren in midweek.
The Celtic fans were in full voice for the 90 minutes and we were denied a stone wall penalty just before Mo Elyounoussi pin point header opened the scoring. Callum McGregor slotted home the second after Odsonne Edouard set him up. Claims of offside were ignored by the officials and we got a bit of justice for the penalty denied.
Hibs got back into the game to make it 2-1 when Hallberg put one past Frazer Forster and it seemed to bring the Hibs fans to life and for the first time they could be heard loudly getting behind their team. Celtic continued to push forward and both Mo and James Forest were denied by the post before Mo struck his second on the stroke of half-time.
Johnny Hayes replaced Boli at the start of the second half and Scott Brown scored number 4 before the hour mark and some Hibs fans had seen enough and headed for an early exit, those who stayed were rewarded with a fight back after Kamberi hit the target to make it 4-2. Neill Lennon changed to 3 at the back with the introduction of El Hamed and the withdrawal of Forest.
Hibs pushed on and made a game of it but Scott Brown had the last word on 90 minutes scoring number 5 with a little help from Man of the Match Mo Elyounoussi.
5-2 – Happy Hoops and Cup Final to look forward to before Christmas
Andrew started More than 90 Minutes in 2001. He has written for numerous publications and online about Celtic. One of his essays featured in Celtic Minded 2 and he is a former newspaper columnist with the Daily Ireland and the man behind celticfanzine.com. He is host of Celtic AM pre-match events at Malone’s in Glasgow on match days and follows Celtic Home & Away. He is a season ticket holder for Celtic FC and the Republic of Ireland. He is also P.R.O. of St. Margaret’s CSC, a member of the Celtic Trust and the Celtic Graves Association.
It’s a break from the league action today with the semi final of the League Cup at Hampden taking place. It’s a 5.30 kick off on Saturday.
Hibs make the journey through from Edinburgh and will be hoping to somewhat replicate the result last month when they held Celtic to a draw at Easter Road.
Celtic have regained form with a 6-0 thanking of Ross County, a 2-1 win against Lazio, an emphatic 4-0 away win to Aberdeen and a 2-0 victory over St Mirren in midweek.
Hibs on the other hand have not had a great season, their last win was back in the last round of the league cup, going through on penalties after a 0-0 against Kilmarnock. Since that game they have drawn the five games they have played including last weekend at home to Livingston coming back from 2-0 down to get the 2-2 draw. They are currently 9th in the league a point off bottom place. Manager Paul Heckingbottom is under pressure to start winning and with Edinburgh rival Craig Levein having left Hearts the other day, it may not be long until Hibs are on the look out for a new manager too
Celtic boss Lennon told the gathered media on Friday that captain Scott Brown may miss out.
“Browny is struggling,” Lennon said. “We have to assess him in the morning. It is too early to say but you have to say he is doubtful.
“It would be huge. He is playing brilliantly, he is the captain and he knows how important these games are, so we have to see how he is.”
Celtic should prove to strong for Hibs and should have the warning from last month when we left Easter Road with only a point. The wide Hampden pitch should play to our advantage.
Mick Kane hails from Glasgow. He has been hooked on Celtic since he went to his first game when he was 7. Celtic beat Hamilton 8-3 at Celtic Park on the 3rd of January 1987. His favourite player at the time, Brian McClair scored four goals.
He started going regular as a 16 year old when Celtic played at Hampden for the season, being a Southsider it meant a short train journey to get to Hampden. From then he has had a season ticket travelled around Europe for games as Celtic became the dominant force in Scottish football again. A nice change from growing up during Rangers run to 9 in a row.
Another midweek and another game for Celtic, a home match against St Mirren in the league.
The Bhoys come into the game on the back of some great results, Lazio at Celtic Park last midweek and the weekend demolition of Aberdeen. So confidence should be high as we take on the buddies.
Ryan Christie returns after his suspension, while Bayo and Rogic may miss out. In other good news, Mikey Johnston and Leigh Griffiths are expected back in training this week.
The Paisley side sit 10th in the table with 8 points, one more than bottom club St Johnstone. They have a record of W2, D2, L6. So anything they get from Celtic Park would be a welcome bonus. There only wins were an early season win at home against Aberdeen and they beat fellow strugglers St Johnstone a couple of weeks ago, again in Paisley.
Celtic will be overwhelming favourites and with the likes of Elyanoussi, Forrest, Christie and Edouard on the pitch, understandably so.
“The way the team’s playing, we are in a great place at the minute psychologically so I would imagine they want to get back out on the pitch as soon as possible. Fantastic performance at the weekend which capped off a great week and now we go again.” Celtic boss Neil lennon said at the pre match press conference.
Lennon continued, “We want that momentum that we’ve picked up the last few games to carry on tomorrow night. We expect the game to be difficult. We expect St Mirren to fight and we have to ready for it.”
If Celtic play anywhere near the level they played in the first half against Aberdeen then St Mirren are in for a long night.
Mick Kane hails from Glasgow. He has been hooked on Celtic since he went to his first game when he was 7. Celtic beat Hamilton 8-3 at Celtic Park on the 3rd of January 1987. His favourite player at the time, Brian McClair scored four goals.
He started going regular as a 16 year old when Celtic played at Hampden for the season, being a Southsider it meant a short train journey to get to Hampden. From then he has had a season ticket travelled around Europe for games as Celtic became the dominant force in Scottish football again. A nice change from growing up during Rangers run to 9 in a row.
Celtic Fans Set For South East Asia Celtic Supporters Festival 2020
Celtic Fans from around the World are heading for Pattaya in Thailand for the first ever South East Asia Celtic Supporters Festival. The Festival kicks off on Saturday 14 March and the Party is set to continue for a week at a number of venues in the Party City. The festival is in aid of two charities Father Ray and Hand to Hand.
Former Celtic Players George McCluskey, Alan Thompson and Paul Byrne will be the organisers special guests for the week and will take part in a special pre-match Glasgow Derby Day Celtic AM ahead of Celtic’s visit to Ibrox and A Special Tales from the Dressing Room Evening.
Musicians from Ireland and Scotland are travelling to perform alongside local musicians at indoor and outdoor venues and CFC TV will broadcast interviews with the players, artists and fans throughout the week.
Highlights of the week will see Celtic Fans join the St. Patricks Day Parade, enjoy the Gig Rig Pool Party and raise money for the the charities throughout the week culminating at a Gala Charity Dinner held at the Mercure Hotel.
Points dropped away to Hibs and Livingston have now been banished from the mind. After the international break Celtic have come storming back and are showing the signs of true Champions. The last 3 performances have been outstanding ,the Bhoys have scored 12 goals and only conceded 1.
Celtic fans left Pittodrie today at full time singing and happy to tuck into a carry out on the way down the road to Glasgow while the Aberdeen fans failed to turn up with plenty of empty seats throughout the ground and only their hardcore fans stayed till full time with some leaving at half time with the score 0-4 to the mighty Celts. Maybe it’s time for Aberdeen to make more tickets available to Celtic so they can get a financial boost which their own fans are not prepared to put into their club.
Half time couldn’t come quick enough for the home side. Celtic failed to add to the tally in the second half but everybody will have enjoyed the 90 minutes with Aberdeen unable to find a way to answer the Celtic’s dominance. French Eddie was once again Man of the Match, Youngster Frimpong came back into the starting 11 and repaid the managers faith with his first goal for the club and he seems to be enjoying his time in the first team. The every reliant James Forest was also on hand to slot one in while Mo Elyounouss cool finish was enough to send some of the Aberdeen fans home before other fans could get in the queue for a half time Pie and Bovril.
There was no Europa hangover after Thursday’s night heroics against Lazio. It was another night to remember under lights. Character was shown to come back against a team with more quality in their ranks than we normally face in Scotland. The pass from Eddie was sublime and Ryan Christie slotted the equaliser home comfortably to get us level.
The atmosphere in the a sold out Paradise was brilliant from start to finish but the noise levels were raised to higher levels when the ball hit the back of the net for a second time when big Chris Jullien rose in the air to guide the ball into the back of the net late in the game but the drama did not end there with Fraser Forster called into action to save the day and secure the 3 points. What a night.
Next up St. Mirren at home on Wednesday night which is not as glamourous as the visit of the Italians but the game is more important. A run in Europe is a bonus, 3 points against St. Mirren is a must as we head for 9IAR, then its Hibs in the League Cup semi on Saturday before the famous Glasgow Celtic go to Rome to see the Pope.
Andrew started More than 90 Minutes in 2001. He has written for numerous publications and online about Celtic. One of his essays featured in Celtic Minded 2 and he is a former newspaper columnist with the Daily Ireland and the man behind celticfanzine.com. He is host of Celtic AM pre-match events at Malone’s in Glasgow on match days and follows Celtic Home & Away. He is a season ticket holder for Celtic FC and the Republic of Ireland. He is also P.R.O. of St. Margaret’s CSC, a member of the Celtic Trust and the Celtic Graves Association.
