Its league cup quarter final action tonight at Celtic Park with a Glasgow derby taking place.
Championship strugglers Partick Thistle are the visitors and have new management, out went former Celtic defender Gary Caldwell at the weekend to be replaced with Ian McCall who left joint top Ayr United for a second stint as boss at Firhill.
Thistle find themselves bottom of the table, with no league wins, two defeats and four losses so far. However in the cup competitions they have done well, winning five out of six cup games played.
No doubt the Thistle fans and players will get a boost with the return of what they see as Thistle men in McCall and former manager Alan Archibald however it would be a massive shock if they were to knock out Celtic.
Neil Lennon may look to rest some of the established stars, with a busy schedule ahead. It would be good to see Calum McGregor have a rest as he has seemed a bit jaded in some matches already this season. Ntcham and Hayes could start with the latter playing for Bolingoli who had been an injury doubt for the 3-1 win over Kilmarnock, only to be included.
I can’t see anything but a Celtic win, even with personnel changes although we did struggle against Dunfermline in the past round which should serve as a warning.
Prediction Celtic 4-0 Thistle.
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.
We are delighted to announce that Alan Thompson will be joining us at Malones Glasgow for our Evening with series on Friday 22 November. Following on from our sold out shows with Chris Sutton, Tom Boyd, John Hartson and Frank McAvennie. We advice early booking as we expect this event to sell out.
Once a again our Editor Andrew Milne will host the shows this season and we are all looking forward to hearing from the former Celtic player who was magnificent in his time at Celtic. He scored some memorable goals including some crackers against Rangers, Liverpool and Barcelona
Celtic have appeared in 33 Scottish League Cup finals, won 18 and lost 15. In comparison with other competitions, we have done worse than in others, for 18 out of 72 is not great. We were slow starters. The competition started in season 1946/47 and we did not even appear in a final until season 1956/57. It is astonishingly true that by the time we lifted the trophy on October 31 1956, East Fife (yes, East Fife!) had won the trophy three times! So 10 lean years to start with, but that was as nothing compared to the 15 lean years between 1982/83 until 1997/98 when we appeared in four finals and failed to win any of them – three to Rangers, and one to Raith Rovers. These of course were the bad Kelly years, and one that last statistic in itself is enough to damn that dynasty.
GOOD DAYS
But let us talk about the good days. We won five League Cups in a row between 1965/66 until 1969/70, beating Rangers twice, then Dundee, then Hibs, then St Johnstone. And of course, there was a certain 7-1 score line on October 19 1957! We have beaten Rangers five times, Aberdeen twice, Hibs twice, Dundee United twice and Partick Thistle, St Johnstone, Dundee, Kilmarnock and Motherwell once each. Four Celtic players have scored hat-tricks in League Cup finals – Billy McPhail in 1957/58, Bobby Lennox in 1968/69, Dixie Deans in 1974/75 and Henrik Larsson in 2000/01.
Everyone has his own favourite final. Sadly I was just too young to be allowed to go in October 1957, but I will believe all that I read about it. The best football final (indeed the best football that I have ever seen Celtic play) was in April 1969 in the 6-2 final against Hibs, (for the simple reason that Hibs played well also!). The best goal was Henrik Larsson’s second one in 2001 when he was fouled repeatedly on the half way line but still managed to run half the length of the park and score with that lovely passing from one foot to another to beat Gordon Marshall. The most poignant goal was the goal scored by Dion Dublin in 2006 against Dunfermline. Here was a man who had been a great player for many clubs but had not a single medal to his name, until he came to Celtic. The most axiomatic moment (and there were two of them!) was John Hughes scoring these two penalties against Rangers in 1965/66, because we might otherwise have slipped back into the inferiority complex about Rangers.
2000
But the one that meant the most to me came in March 2000. We were on our knees. John Barnes had led us into disaster against Inverness, and we now faced Aberdeen who were even more desperate than us. The standard of play was abysmal, but Vidar Riseth and Tommy Johnson scored to see us through, and we could celebrate at least once that season when the inferiority complex was in full spate. (We lay down to Rangers the following week, for example!)
BAD DAYS
Returning to the bad days – the repeated failures in League Cup finals in the 1970s (a great deal of bad luck, but also a certain amount of not taking things seriously enough against what was perceived as inferior opposition),the dreadful finishing in 1976/77 against Aberdeen and the awful refereeing of David Sime in 1985/86 which lost us five minutes of an opportunity to equalise all spring to mind, but the Scottish League Cup final against Raith Rovers in 1994/95 (the penalty shoot-out) was the day that I honestly thought that Celtic were finished, for I doubted whether the support could take any more. But they did, and we bounced back.
41AR?
We have won four of the last five League Cup finals. (Not a lot of people could tell you that the fourth was won by Ross County!) We are now going for four in a row. I hear a lot about 10 in a row these days. Four in a row in the Scottish League Cup will be enough to be going on with.
Born in 1948, David Potter first saw Celtic at Dens Park, Dundee in March 29. It was a 3-5 defeat, which equipped him admirably for the horrors of the early 1960’s. He had “followed” Celtic for a few years before that and recalls having been called upon to impersonate Jock Stein and receive the family silver teapot which had to do for the Scottish Cup as it was presented on April 24 1954, after he and his father had spent a nerve wracking afternoon listening to the radio! Since then, he has “followed” every Celtic game with bated breath, and has written extensively about the club in magazines and books. His favorite team was that of 1969 (which he rates marginally better than 1967) and his favorite player was Henrik Larsson.
His ambition for Celtic is for them to keep on winning silver in Scotland and to be something in Europe once again. His other interests are cricket and drama. He is 70, a retired teacher of Classical Languages, married with three children and five grandchildren. He now travels on the Joseph Rafferty bus from Kirkcaldy. He also loves Forfar Athletic.
After what seems like an eternity the football is back at Paradise on Sunday with Kilmarnock the visitors.
Fresh from a great performance in France against Rennes, where Celtic fans could have been disappointed that we only came away with a 1-1 draw, such was the level of performance shown from the team, Celtic should go into the game on a high.
Killie on the other hand have had a mixed start to the season. Having enjoyed their best season for many years, the call from Scotland was too much for manager Steve Clarke to turn down. Replacing him was Angelo Alessio who had been Antonio Conte’s assistant at Siena, Juventus, Italy and Chelsea. The Italian did not find it an easy start.
Having suffered a shock defeat at home to Connah’s Quay in the Europa League qualifiers, Killie would then lose at home to Rangers and then away to Hamilton. Things have turned round in recent weeks and they have reached the quarter final of the league cup as well as beating Hibs and St Johnstone.
Alessio has visited Celtic Park in the past with Juventus, when the Turin giants won 3-0. He praised the atmosphere during his press conference on Thursday.
“It was a great atmosphere in the stadium,” Alessio said. “It was a tough game. We played very well in that game and Celtic played very well. They had opportunities to score.”
Celtic will expect plenty of opportunities to score come Sunday.
Leigh Griffiths may be back in the squad after missing out in France due to a dead leg, while Boli Bolingoli is not expected to play after suffering an injury in Rennes. This could lead to a debut for Greg Taylor, the deadline day signing, against his former club.
Celtic should prove too strong for Kilmarnock and a 3-0 win is not out of the question.
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.
I’m sitting here writing this on the train on route to Paris as I start my journey home from another away days in Europe with Celtic. There were more than a few Celtic fans crashed out in the train station this morning after kipping there overnight before travelling home nursing hangovers but everyone seemed happy with a point on the road. This was the day when we drew away.
On the pitch last night the team performed very well and could have won the game if it wasn’t for some dodgy decisions from the 3 blind mice officiating the game. The effort that was put in on the pitch was very much appreciated in the stands when the final whistle sounded. First Lenny came onto the pitch to salute the fans with a pumped fist in the air. Then it was the players turn as they applauded the Celtic traveling support to a chorus of “We Love You Celtic We Do”
Going in at half time 1-0 down, the players could have dropped the heads but came out for the second half and stuck the chest out and delivered. When that penalty equaliser hit the back of the net it felt like I jumped six foot high. How can a small ball hitting the back of the net bring so much joy to so many both in the stadium and watching around the World in different time zones?
The craic travelling over on Wednesday was brilliant especially in the bar cart on the train from Paris to Rennes. I had the pleasure of sharing drinks and exchanging stories with fans from Dublin, Cork and Glasgow before champagne corks were popped during the singsong as we arrived into Rennes train station.
Match day was spent basking in the Sun drinking cool cider with the St. Margaret’s Bhoys in the impressive city square outside McConnell’s Bar, I also bumped into some old friends from the midlands and Brian McAvoy all the way from Australia and fair play to all those who travelled on buses. I think I’m getting too long in the tooth for those overnight party buses.
The walk to the ground was brilliant with the locals out filming it all on their smart phones.
The people of Rennes were welcoming and both sets of fans mixed in the bars around the stadium before and after the match. It makes you wonder why the Scottish Police spotters or football unit or what ever they call themselves can justify the expense to the tax payers for these free midweek breaks. The stood watching us in the square before enjoying the game pitch side.
When I got back to the hotel last night I checked out the after match interviews with goal scorer Ryan Christie and Neil Lennon both were happy with the result but not the referee. I think they expressed how we all felt.
Happy Friday folks enjoy the weekend and lets get the 3 points secured on Sunday when Kilmarnock come to Paradise. You can read the full Away Days feature in issue 106 (November Edition)
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 the start of what could be an exciting Europa League group, as Celtic travel to Brittany to face Rennes.
The French team had started the season well, beating PSG however they could only draw at the weekend against fellow Bretons Brest 0-0, the week before they were defeated by Nice at home, 2-1. Rennes are currently second in Ligue 1, two points behind PSG.
They made the quarter finals of the Europa League last season going out to Arsenal. They travelled to London with a 3-1 lead only to succumb to ‘The Gunners’ 3-0 at The Emirates. In the round previous they won 3-1 away to Real Betis.
Both teams faced each other in the Europa League in 2011 with Celtic coming out undefeated against them, drawing 1-1 in France and winning 3-1 at Celtic Park. Similar scoreline’s would be welcome this time around.
When the draw was made, Rennes were seen as a real dark horse. However their last two league matches should give Celtic confidence in achieving a favourable result. After our last away performance at Ibrox where a make shift back four performed admirably, and with the obvious talent up front from Edouard, I’m feeling quietly optimistic.
Celtic came through the one nil victory at Hamilton relatively unscathed, no real injury concerns from the game, Elyounoussi got a run out and James Forrest continued his recent good goalscoring form.
I really fancy Celtic to score in France and possibly get at least a draw.
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 got back into the groove with a 1-0 win over Hamilton on Saturday ahead of Thursday nights trip to Rennes. James Forest continued his fine form with the opening goal after only 4 minutes. Mohamed Elyounoussi made an instant impact on his Celtic debut as the Norwegian winger, on loan from Southampton, squared for Forrest to tap home his seventh goal in nine games.
You could have been forgiven if you thought there was going to be a goal rush with so much pressure on the home sides plastic pitch. Forest could have added a second when the home keeper made a good save to push the ball onto the cross bar.
Although Hamilton gave it a go after the break. Celtic were always in command and Neil Lennon seemed happy after the game when he gave his post match interview, he would have been happy with another clean sheet and a man of the match performance from the ever improving Bolingoli. The fans were also happy and we now look forward to a French adventure.
Rennes away will prove a tougher nut to crack than the Accies. They sit second in the table 2 points behind PSG in Ligue 1 after taking a point on the road against Brest. After winning their first 3 games they then lost to Nice at home.
I’m not sure if it was my first game, or just my earliest memory, but in 1991 my Dad took me to Parkhead to watch Celtic Vs. Neuchatel Xamax. A 1-0 victory on the night wasn’t enough to overcome a 5-1 first leg defeat! I don’t particularly remember the goal, but I do remember Charlie Nicholas missing a penalty not long after kick off. In the car on the way home, my Dad was raging that we were out of Europe but I was probably too young to understand the significance of an aggregate result and was just buzzing that Celtic had won.
It was a difficult time to be a Celtic fan. Most of the boys I played football with were Rangers supporters and used to give us all sorts of abuse for racking up consecutive 3rd, 4thand 5thplace finishes in the league. As my brother got to an age where he could start coming to the games, they became more and more frequent, culminating in the purchase of our season tickets for 95/96 in our first season back at Celtic Park.
FAVOURITE GAME
My favourite game until recent times was the day we stopped the 10. We had an opportunity to seal the deal up at Dunfermline the week before and bottled it, so it all hinged on the last day of the season at home to St Johnstone. I’m sure I don’t need to tell anyone what went down that day but the feeling of relief when Harald put the ball in the net was something I’ll never forget. When the final whistle went, I ran down to the front and used one of the wheelchairs as a springboard to get over the barrier and onto the pitch. I was running around with my hands in the air as if I’d scored that goal myself.
I’ve had some incredible moments over the years, but that exact feeling was not emulated until the Scottish Cup Final 2017 when I temporarily took the form of my 14 year old self in the 93rdminute, vaulting 5 rows of Celtic fans as I made my way to the barrier to celebrate the invincible treble with the Celtic team.
Kevin Miles is a singer songwriter from Glasgow who wrote and recorded Celtic, My Heart My Soul. A regular at Celtic games with his Dad, Brother and Mates. He was front man with Metalcore band Yashin, which saw him play throughout Europe and the band were nominated for new band of the year by Kerrang magazine.
Celtic fans will get their first chance to have a look at Mohamad Elyounoussi when he makes his debut today at New Douglas Park when Celtic take on Hamilton Accies.
The Norwegian winger gets his chance in the absence of the injured Mikey Johnstone. Big Kris Ajer returns after injury and replaces Nir Bitton in central defence. French Eddie will once again lead the line after a successful international break with his country’s under 21’s. Ibrox hero Johnny Hayes takes his place back in the bench alongside Griff who must be gnashing on his teeth to get his chance to shine.
Kick Off 12:00 Live on BT3. Chris Sutton will be part of the BT Team and will be joining us at Malones on Fri. 27 Sept. There are only 15 tickets left click into link below to secure tickets.
It’s a welcome return to domestic action this weekend as Celtic make the short trip along the M74 to face Hamilton.
With a disappointing international break for Scotland fans now over for another while the focus returns to Celtic and maintaining our lead at the top of the table.
New Douglas Park despite having an artificial surface has been kind to Celtic in recent years. Celtic have won nine in a row against Hamilton and look for a tenth win in the early Saturday kick off. Last season Celtic scored 7 goals to the Accies none in the three games between the sides.
The Lanarkshire side have not had a good start to the season. Knocked out of the League Cup to Kilmarnock in the second round and have so far only won one game in the league against, Kilmarnock. Last time out they recorded a 2-2 draw away to Hearts.
Celtic on the other hand have had a great start to the season, the only blip being the second half performance against Cluj. Last time out, as we all know, Celtic put on a great display to win at Ibrox.
We could see a similar back four to the one that lined up at Ibrox as Ajer and Simunovic appear to still be on the injured list. Bitton may have to miss out after leaving the field early. Which would mean Elhamed slotting in beside Jullien with Bauer playing right back. Despite signing Greg Taylor on deadline day I expect Bolingoli to keep his place after a fine showing at Ibrox.
With Mikey Johnstone having pulled out of the Scotland U21 team we could also see a debut for Elyounoussi on the left wing.
Celtic should have too much for a struggling Hamilton side.
Prediction Hamilton 0-3 Celtic.
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.
