NOT FOR the first time, and probably not for the last, I find myself shaking my head in disbelief at Neil Lennon's thinking. No sooner has the dust settled on his attempted defence of the indefensible - Scott Brown's stupid red card against Barcelona - than he is yelping about Hibs' tactics in holding Celtic to a draw at Easter Road on Saturday.
Come on Neil - you cannot defend your captain reverting to a type we hoped he had grown out of one week, then complain about manly, old-fashioned Scottish "rummel-em-up" fitba the next.
But, that's Lenny for you. I suppose, given his upbringing, we ought not to be surprised when that Giant's Causeway-sized chip on his shoulder itches and causes him to howl occasionally. If he could only remember, there are two teams in Scotland whose players have long prospered, and continue to prosper on the back of Scottish referees deciding that what is so-often a foul, when perpertrated on a Celtic or Rangers player by a man from another Scottish club, isn't a foul when perpertrated by a man in green and white hoops or royal blue shirt.
To quote the great Ivan Golac: "All over the world it was a penalty - not at Ibrox".
I haven't seen the game, but, IF Hibs were guilty of over-vigorous play, then it's up to Celtic to overcome that; and the best way is to punish them with goals, something they failed to do. Now, I cannot give a reason for this: maybe Lenny's precious charges had one eye on Ajax tomorrow night, in which case - he has a problem with a lack of professionalism.
Might it be - there is a "soft" centre to this Celtic squad? I certainly feel they lack a "Celtic-minded" midfield enforcer, a Roy Aitken, or Peter Grant for instance. Not that I am inferring this abot the above two admirable players, but, Celtic (and the other lot for that matter), in domestic games, need "a fan on the park". Such a player will earn his corn in the SPFL, but, just might be a wee bit of a liability in Europe.
Until the day we bring back skill into the Scottish game, and cast "character" and "gerrintaerum" from our domestic coaching lexicon, there will be a place for such a man. Maybe Lenny could have done with one on Saturday.
NOW, what can I say about that other lot. I had thought the whole Edmiston Drive plot lines and script had gone beyond parody, then, in yesterday's Scotland on Sunday my splendid old pal Tom English came up with a cracker.
His back of the sports section "exclusive interview" with the Easdales is just about the funniest thing I've read on Scottish football for years. Chapeaux Tom.
Meanwhile, spivvery thrives. By the way, last weekend, spending a few days with "Management" in an upmarket British resort, where the principal industry is "financial services", I noticed that brown brogues are very popular in the sort of gentleman's outfitters patronised by financial services spivs aspiring to a veneer of gentlemanly class - clearly, in Ibrox terms, the "wrong" sorts are wearing the approved footwear.
FINALLY - well done to Allan Johnston and his Killie team, for getting that elusive win at the weekend. About time too.
In a nutshell... Lenny was correct in his assumption of the way in which the poor opposition kicked great lumps out of his players right beneath the nose of probably the 2nd worst ref in the entire Scottish game. Enough said about this merdivorous character, the powers that be have already marked him down as a complete tube and his career continues to hang by a thread.
ReplyDeleteHowever... NL should have voiced his opinions quietly, not announced them to the press and world at large, he played right into the laptop loyal's hands, but that's NL. Passionate, fierce and tenacious. Personally, I would change very little about the man. Except maybe his gob.
As for the Hoops having a soft centre, yep! You have me there. Hopefully this can be changed very quickly. It's a mans game, we can never forget that.
As for the other mob you speak of, I've given up berating them, their hierarchy and the fools and the shoes that follow them. To me, they no longer exist. Amen.