We really shouldn’t be surprised at the fixture list released today.

Hibs away, then Aberdeen away after our free week (spent in Dublin) isn’t what you could call a disaster with our recent record at both venues.

It’s only when you look further that the hypocrisy of the SPL kicks in. Here’s what I mean. Please tell me if I’m wrong here, but didn’t the SPL bring forward the start of the season to help clubs who are competing in Europe get some serious game time?

Correct?

Well what’s the point of showing support on one hand, then sending one of the teams competing away from home in the games after their European ties on five out of six occasions?

Does that not defeat the purpose?

Unless your Celtic….

Knowing that they’ve already shifted our first derby match of the season to midweek, be prepared for more surprises when the fixtures are released.

Call me paranoid but I can’t see the difference between playing a game at Celtic Park and a game at the Bigotdome, logistically.

Are they telling us that there is only trouble when we meet at Paradise?

Would they not be better coming out with the truth, there is usually only trouble when Celtic WIN. Therefore it doesn’t really matter where we play.

I hope the Celtic board are listening to how the fans feel, because NOW is the time to stand up for our cause. John Reid told the CSA that we would no longer be treated like ‘second class citizens’. Well it sure as hell feels that way.

All that’s left is an away day to Inverness some Wednesday night in December when the roads are impassable and probably an early kick -off at the Bigotdome following a Thursday night away Europa League tie.

Hope I’m wrong but…..

Sidebar:

I noticed that new SFA supremo Campbell Ogilvie told the press that the SFA weren’t at war with Celtic or any other club for that matter. He then went on to mention Celtic three times. So if there’s no gripe why only mention Celtic, is it because we are the only club who stick up for our principles?

For once Sky reporter and ex-Celt Andy Walker told it exactly how it is.

He summed up after the game by letting everyone who’s listening know the attack on Lenny is part of a sectarian problem. Previously it appeared Andy would skirt round the issue like so many other mainstream journos.

However, his colleagues in the studio didn’t exactly help matters.

Before a ball was kicked Lenny and Jim Jefferies were holding what appeared to be an amicable conversation. The his sidekick Billy Brown came on the scene and looked to have shared a joke with Lenny before they took their respective places in the dug out.

Yet the studio team somehow managed to come to the conclusion that there was ‘no love lost’ between the pair!

This only days after the print media took great pleasure in misquoting Lenny about Hertz and Murderwell’s inability to put in a performance against the Govan mob.

At no time during his interview did Neil say either team didn’t try, he just implied they weren’t good enough. Which is a fact.

The media in this country like to stoke things up then walk away. Maybe Alex Salmond should ask them to show a bit more responsibility.

Anybody seen Kenny MacAskill?

Anybody Seen Kenny?

I always thought, wrongly as it turns out, that the TV and radio presenters were supposed to be impartial when commentating on football matches.

You can argue that the ‘pundits’ will show favouritism when their old clubs are in action, unless you’re Craig Burley. So why did ‘neutral’ Rob McLean go so ‘quiet’ when Celtic were awarded a penalty at Ipox yesterday.

The silence was deafening.

It was almost as if there was a death in the family. His first reaction of course was that it was ‘never a penalty’, or if it was, it was ‘soft’. His tone was almost heartbreaking. Almost sombre….

Then….Sammy decides to half-hit the penalty and McGregor pulls of a decent save to keep the scores level.

Well, the relief in Rob’s voice was tangible. He was ecstatic, and followed his joy with the comment, “if Rangers win the league, then Allan McGregor should get a special medal for that penalty save!”  No kidding.

And here was me thinking Rob was a neutral!

Anyway, that was Rob in the afternoon.  On radio. At night he switched to his other media, TV.

Sitting in the studio with Pat Nevin and Billy ‘Taxi Doors’ Dodds, the bold Rob gushed over the save again, and McGregor’s finger tip stop from big Dan’s header.

And as if that wasn’t enough, he then ‘warned’ Celtic to watch themselves when we play Dundee United next week, because they’re a team in form and ‘remember what they did at Ibrox’.

Unfortunately, Rob forgot to mention the four goals they lost to the Govan Mob last week or the fact the Murderwell came back from three goals down at Swinecastle to grab a draw.

Surely the Establishment team should watch what they’re doing on Saturday, or will Stuart McCall’s men have their minds on the Cup Final?

Watch next weeks Sportscene to see how disappointed Rob copes with Celtic winning against the Arabs and moving closer to the SPL title….

All eyes will be on Tannadice tonight in the hope that Dundee United can at least draw against the Govan mob. Although I wouldn’t rule out a home win.

But really for Celtic, tomorrow’s game at Kilmarnock will be far more important regardless of tonight’s result.

The bottom line is this.

Win ALL our remaining fixtures and Celtic will be crowned SPL Champions and Scottish Cup Winners.

Now that may seem like a big ask, and it probably is. BUT this time last year in the capacity of ‘temporary manager’ Neil Lennon got a far inferior side to go from March until the end of the season undefeated in league games. (including a ‘meaningless’ Derby match!)

Fast forward to this season, the current team have already gone on a few good unbeaten runs themselves, so they know they are capable, it’s just getting down to the task in hand.

Nearly all of the players are fit,  a couple of niggles here and there, so Lenny will be able to select the men required to to the job for each particular game.

And with it deliver the league and cup double.

Whenever there’s a dispute regarding the SFA or SPL be it league reconstruction, lying referees or just bad officiating in common, we keep hearing those words…..well Celtic are a ‘member club’ too!

As if we’re part of the problem.

Well, if we’re a ‘member club’, why haven’t the authorities made it clear to whoever is responsible for sending bullets to a Celtic manager and Celtic players that the whole organisation is behind the club.

If the authorities want to stand back while one of it’s ‘member clubs’ is openly being intimidated where is the credibility of the organisation and it’s competitions?

Scottish Football, not just Celtic, is under attack from these morons.

EVERYONE, clubs, authorities, journalists, fans MUST make it known that intimidation of this sort not only endangers the lives of the victims but totally discredits the whole of Scottish Football.

Or will they be too afraid to speak?

It’s understandable that the media attention if focusing on the arrival of Swede Freddie Ljungberg but the Bhoys have a job to do before Freddie pulls on the famous green and white hoops.

That is beat Murderwell tonight at Paradise and go top of the SPL.

Nothing else matters.

Whoever Lenny wants to bring in to help us win the SPL can wait until the weekend. We HAVE to get all three points tonight and show once and for all that we’ve got the bottle to get to the top of the pile…….and stay there!

Something that seems to have been swept under the carpet from the recent Derby match was the incessant singing of bigoted tripe emanating from the away section at Celtic Park.

From start to finish there was not a ‘football song’ to be heard.

Last night in Valencia, the exact same. Loud and clear, every anti-catholic, anti-Irish and anti-human song they have in their ‘repetoire’ was belted out so that the whole of Europe could hear.

Obviously they couldn’t give a monkeys.

What happened to the warnings of future conduct from the SFA, SPL and UEFA? The supposed impending points deduction or banning.

As we’ve seen on countless occasions, be it on the park or off the park, there’s one rule for them…..and one for us.

Until Scotland’s Shame are brought to task, we can look forward to more bile from the ‘knuckle dragging hordes‘ that follow Glasgow’s anti-football team.

I can’t wait……

Wattie in Dougie plea!

Help......Dougie!

When Hibs got a goal back at Celtic Park yesterday, the Bhoys made a point of seeing the game out and ensuring we came away with all three points. In fact we had the chances to make the win more convincing.

Rewind to this time last season when the Hoops under Tony Mowbray’s stewardship we went from a one goal lead to end up losing all three points. We gave up as soon as we lost a goal.

If there’s one thing that Neil Lennon has instilled in the current Celtic team it’s this…….

we never give up, we fight for EVERY ball, we help our team mates and……

we defend as a team.

All of this means that Celtic are beginning top look quite a formidable side.

Sure we’re still putting the final pieces of the jigsaw together, but who can honestly say that we’d be sitting on full points after six SPL games?

# Celtic Fanzone would like to offer our sincere condolences to the Sweeney family following the sad passing of Paddy.

Most of the recent headlines around the club have centred on the comings and goings upfront, MAF departing to WBA and Anthony Stokes ‘eventually’ getting to Paradise.

But the ‘dodgy’ defence that has been so often criticised has still managed to keep three domestic clean sheets.

Which isn’t bad going when you consider two games have been away from Celtic Park and that most of the defence are ‘new arrivals’ so to speak.

I know critics will quite rightly point to the FC Utrecht debacle, there is no excuse for that.

However, we’ve got to move on and get the game way out of our system, something I think we did at Murderwell.

Hopefully, the visit of the Embra Huns this weekend will give the Bhoys another ninety minutes without conceding while Stokesy and Hoops get themselves among the goals.

Not only would that keep us top of the SPL, but it would keep manager Neil Lennon’s amazing unbeaten league run intact.

If Carlsberg made Saturday afternoons……