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……

The Bhoys at Celtic Fanzone would like to apologise to all our regulars for the two week absense of the site.

The loss of service was due to an outdated email address and bi-annual domain registration. It just so happens it occured at holiday time!

Unfortunately we missed a lot of good and bad from Celtic Park.

We’ll try and get back on track with everything for this Saturday’s SPL match with Hertz!

Hail! Hail!

When The Saints from Paisley coming calling to Paradise today our very own Saint Neil of Lurgan has disregarded all the media talk of The Bhoys looking to exact revenge for the 4-0 humbling we suffered in Paisley which ultimately cost Big Mogga his job and ironically got Lenny his.

Lenny has instead deflected all talk away from that and said he is now “only looking forward with Celtic” and also to gathering another three points to add to the first three of the season we picked up away to Inverness.

We do have some selection worries today especially in the full back positions which could even result in young Irishman Richie Towell making his competitive debut but no mater who is selected I am sure that The New Celtic Management Team will have the Bhoys firing on all cylinders and that our New Bhoys will fire us onto a good win.

Here’s to another happy day in Paradise……Let’s get right behind The Bhoy’s from start to finish!!!!!!!

Hail Hail….The FRP…..22nd August

In order to keep our European hopes alive Celtic will be looking to take at least a two goal lead to Holland for the second leg of the Europa league qualifiers.

Although many may have put FC Utrecht in the ‘easy category‘, their early season form in the Eredivise dispels that belief, something that was confirmed by Pierre Van Hooijdonk on Radio Clyde last night.

Pierre was quick to point out that the Dutch outfit have been together for a couple of years while Lenny is still in the process of rebuilding Celtic.

When pushed he did however tip the Bhoys to get through to the group stages.

The rest is down to us, the fans and of course the players. For a couple this will be their first big European night at Celtic Park. A lot will depend on how they handle the expectation.

Lenny will give new Bhoy Daniel Majstorovic hos debut with the instruction to get through the game without conceding.

Hopefully, the big man, along with the rest of the defence can come up with the goods.

Good luck Celtic!

P.S. Do you think big Dan will get the same abuse dished out to Aiden? Or is he just too big for that!

Playing for Celtic makes you a target in Glasgow City Centre. That’s a fact.

If you happen to be born in Scotland and choose to play for the Republic of Ireland then in the small minds of Scotland’s Shame that makes you public enemy number one.

Aiden McGeady was the best player in Scottish football for the last three maybe four seasons. The type of player you would pay to watch.

Unfortunately, away from the football ground Aiden’s life was that of victimisation.

Sure he openly admits that he should have behaved differently when out in Glasgow, but who amongst us would turn the other cheek time and again when subject to hateful and racist abuse?

I thought this Scotland ‘one country, many cultures‘ was the place we could live and let live.

Unless your a Catholic, that is.

And before I get the ‘paranoia brigade‘ on at me, just think what goes on around us.

Darren O’Dea threatened while out in the city, Martin O’Neill’s house had a Union Flag stuck in his front garden after a derby match, while his wife and daughters were inside, current manager Neil Lennon viciously attacked, not once but twice in Glasgow.

A Gaelic football team’s new minibus and equipment firebombed, Scared Heart Church in Bridgeton constantly vandalised.

Even at the recent Albion Rovers and Airdrie match the game was spoiled by constant vile sectarian abuse from the Airdrie support.

All the while the Orange Order exercise  their ‘right’ to march down our High Street at nine in the morning, six at night or any other time they see fit, but we can’t walk the streets in safety.

For any of the apologists who may claim that it’s not as bad as it used to be, then I’m sorry, you must be living on a different planet.

Aiden McGeady was forced out of Scottish Football, plain and simple.

Good luck Aiden, you might get peace in Moscow.

Who’d a thought that would be the case?

Everyone connected with the Celtic Fanzone would like to wish our friend, colleague and Lisbon Lion John Fallon a very Happy 70th Birthday today.

I’m sure the big man will be in a great mood this Monday after the Bhoys’ 1-0 away win at Inverness last weekend.

John truly is someone who lived the dream spending 14 years as a player at Celtic Park.

People speak often about supporting Celtic as a boy then being lucky enough to play for the club.

Well John has done all that, and more.

In fact you’ll still see him outside the Celtic Superstore on match days, waxing lyrically about the club he loves.

John Fallon is one of the nicest men you will ever have the pleasure of meeting. He is a geniune man. He is a great ambassador for Celtic.

Happy Birthday John, have a hoopy day!

P.S. It would be nice for Celtic Football Club to honour their former player as a thanks for the fantastic service he gave and still gives the club.

Happy Birthday John!

I know the scoreline only reads Inverness Caley Thistle 0 Celtic 1 but let’s be honest here, Celtic absolutely pummelled the Highlanders for the best part of seventy minutes.

In fact I can’t remember the Bhoys having so many chances up there.

As expected Butchers’ team came out all guns a blazing and closed Celtic down at every turn. In particular they seemed to think that Charlie Mulgrew was the player to exploit. Everything seemed to go down his side.

And they did get some joy in the early stages before Charlie gained a bit composure and got to grips with the game.

The first twenty minutes saw Caley give it their all, but after that it was all Celtic.

Wee Shaun should have scored when one on one with keeper Ryan Essen but hit the post, then Sammy had a header cleared off the line before Joe ledley’s goal bound shot was deflected over the bar as the Celts turned the screw.

However, the home side’s goal lead a charmed life to keep the scores even at half-time.

That was about to change early in the second half.

Lenny decided against making changes at half-time and it was one of the first half’s less effective players who did the damage.

Paddy McCourt doesn’t do shitty goals. Full stop.

Every time this Bhoys hits the net it’s sheer class, and the goal that proved to be the match winner was no different.

Cutting in from the left Paddy waltzed round three tackles before sliding the ball past the helpless Caley keeper. 1-0 Celtic. Unfortunately, Paddy then injured his neck colliding with Shaun Maloney as he tried to get back up and had to be replaced with James Forrest.

Effectively the game was over. Celtic had wave after wave of attacks on the Inverness goal, with Maloney, Sammy, Ledley, and MAF the main culprits for not increasing Celtic’s lead.

The closest we came to making it two was a piledriver from young Forrest that hit the bar with minutes to spare.

At that point you wonder if Caley would sneak an equaliser as they’ve done before but in all honesty Celtic never looked troubled at the back after the initial flurry.

So, Lenny’s unbeaten run in the SPL continues. Three points, a clean sheet and some really good performances made for a good afternoon’s work.

Well done Bhoys!

Ever since he left Celtic Park at the end of his loan deal in 2005 Craig Bellamy has been linked with a return to Paradise.

In most cases the outright buying of the player has never been on the cards but the possibility of a further loan deal has.

And this week Manchester City made what could be a costly mistake by leaving the Welshman out of their preferred 25 players, therefore pissing the player off so much he threatened to quit football altogether!

Now you and me don’t think that will happen.

Or should I say hope it doesn’t happen.

It’s times like this that a player needs an arm round his shoulder and made to feel wanted. And that’s exactly what Celtic manager Neil Lennon has offered his friend.

That and the opportunity to renew his assocciation with the club, a place where he was treated as a star by The Faithful.

But will Bellamy come North again?

Well, he did recommend the club to a certain young Welshman during the close season, and Joe Ledley took his advice. Maybe now is the time for Craig to join him in the Hoops and wear the coveted number seven shirt!

The new season is barely underway and already we’ve had a barrage of stupid criticism from the media pundits, most notably at this point Andy Walker.

Instead of dealing with the facts before he goes on the ‘look at me, I’m wonderful’ rant for his Sky paymasters, he let’s rip about Lenny’s signing policy, performance, and criticises players individually after the Braga game.

This sort of thing can’t do unanswered, and manager Neil Lennon quite rightly did retort to this uncalled for nonsense. (Although the tabloids had a field day with their sensational headline ‘Lies’)

Walker has even used his column to stand by what he said in today’s Sunday Mason. A platform Lenny can’t get access to without his words being distorted.

Interestingly, Walker has stated that Lenny is in for a ‘torrid’ season if he was to answer all the criticism that will fly Celtic’s way. Hm. Does that mean we are to be subject to a preconceived agenda before the season gets underway properly?

Wouldn’t be the first time, probably won’t be the last.

Anyway, the bold Mr Walker who at one time was quite happy to attend charity functions now decline’s such events as he’s now ‘mainstream media‘, his words not mine.

In other words, Andy Walker has joined Craig Burley and Charlie Nicholas in the 30 peices of silver gang.

Funny how all three once took Celtic’s money but now take their media paymasters’ coin, and NONE of the three have put their heads on the chopping block and managed a senior football club.

That would be too dangerous for this cosy clan.

If they did manage a football club, they might even be criticised for their signing policy, and they wouldn’t like that, would they?

Judas’ every one of them!

P.S. And if any of these three are not available to have a go at the Hoops….there’s always Frank McGarvey!

The Hoops have been handed a difficult passage into the Europa League group stages by drawing Dutch side FC Utrecht.

However, if they defend like our Dutch players defend we’ll be in with a chance!

Dates now confirmed as…First Leg Home at Paradise on Thursday 19th August…then Second Leg Away in Holland on Thursday 26th August……