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The loss of service was due to an outdated email address and bi-annual domain registration.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!

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!

Amid all the mudslinging that’s going on between the media and the club one fact has been conveniently forgotten.

When Neil Lennon takes the Bhoys up to Inverness for Saturdays early kick-off he will do so as an unbeaten manager.

You see since Lenny took the reigns of the club his record in SPL matches is played eight won eight.

Quite impressive don’t you think?

Sure he was only in charge on a temporary basis at the time but he was IN CHARGE! Some could argue that Tony Mowbray was only in charge temporarily!

And that means come Saturday he’ll be looking for 9 wins on the trot.

Not bad for someone who’s been pillared so much in such a short time!

Lenny’s appointment was always going to make him a target of the press and some of our own boo boys. So what. Let him get on with the job.

He knows what’s required.

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……

Manager Neil Lennon is no fool…..and neither are the Celtic support.

Both know that we need a good centre back, a ‘real’ left back and another goalkeeper.

The only problem is where do we get them?

Losing out to Sporting Braga may not come as too much of a surprise given the fact that we were 3-0 down from the first leg. But conceding the first goal meant that any faint hope we had of getting back into the tie were done before we gave ourselves a chance.

Of course if Sammy takes his chance after three minutes then we could have had an entirely different game altogether. (Where have we heard that before?)

However, it’s not all doom and gloom.

The 2-1 win provided Lenny with a few pluses.

New Bhoys Efrain Jaurez and Gary Hooper both hit the net on their home debut and Celtic did make enough chances to win by more goals.

We all knew it would take a bit of time for the team to gel. We were always hoping it would be sooner rather than later, but sometimes it’s just not to be.

The drop into the final qualifying round of the Europa League might not have the same appeal as the Champions League but does give the club European football.

And that is something that manager Neil Lennon can use to persuade the players we badly need to join the club.

With Aiden expected to give a decision on his move to Moscow soon, Lenny might just have the funds to get that coveted prestige signing we all want.

Otherwise he’ll have to stick with what we’ve got and if that means a defence with Glenda Loovens in it heaven help us!

Preseason for Celtic always seems to throw us a bit of a mixed bag.

By that I mean we have some good results and some….not so good.

But really preseason is all about players gaining fitness and getting to know the club and the style of their new teammates.

And of course if your Celtic winning!

Unfortunately, we didn’t get too many wins per se, but we did get an insight to what we should expect this season.

The things that stuck out for me, and I know it’s early doors are;

i) we need another goalkeeper, now!

ii) we also need a ‘leader’, preferably at the back (Loovens makes Mick look like Baresi)

iii) Ki will be a real player for Celtic this season

iv) Gary Hooper will score plenty goals in the Hoops (forgive the pun!)

v) we never know when we’re beaten, no Celtic side should!

and last but not least,

Georgios Samaras is STILL an enigma!

Many scoffed at manager Neil Lennon’s assessment of our Champions League chances when he said we were still in with a chance following the 3-0 defeat to Braga.

But what they failed to realise was Lenny is instilling in this group of players that playing for Celtic means you NEVER give up the cause.

Yesterday’s come back against a quality Lyon side in the Emirates Cup in London was a great example of his ethos.

When you pull on the Hoops the first thing you HAVE to get into your head is this;

‘Defeat is NEVER an option’

And if you think it is……find another club!

I find it amazing that tonight’s Champions League qualifier isn’t being broadcast on the BBC.

What’s equally amazing if the BEEB are to be beleived, is that Braga won’t sell the rights the game….anywhere.

Are the Portuguese so well off that they don’t need the money that broadcasting rights would bring, or is it a convenience for the BBC to hide behind.

Our public sevice broadcasting corporation has a history of this nonsense, going way back to 1967 when they refused to cover the World Club Championship game between Celtic and Racing Club of Argentina.

The same corporation that showed every one of the MM’s Scottish Cup matches last season, shoving money down Govan way like some sort of charity case.

Something tells me that if the MM were involved tonight the game would have been shown….or maybe I’m just paranoid.

When Celtic’s newest signing Mexican Efrain Juarez pulled up outside Celtic Park this afternoon for the scheduled press conference, little did he know he’d recieve a Glasgow welcome, in his native tongue.

As Juarez stepped from the club car that brought him, a little lady started conversing with the Mexican, welcoming him to Paradise.

She also pointed to her medal of Our Lady of Guadalope, something Efrain recognised immediately. You see this lady had previously worked in Mexico doing voluntery work, and now she was back in her native Glasgow.

The suprised Juarez continued to pose for photos before the club staff ushered him into the stadium.

Then, the club’s PR department asked everyone outside if they wanted to go into the stadium to watch Juarez being unveiled to the press.

A superb gesture from the club.

Once inside the stadium the player took his time to meet the fans and had plenty of pics taken with the Faithful after his obligatory press duties.

Looking over the Holy Ground, Celtic Park looked absolutely fantastic, ready for the big season ahead.

Below are some pics from the players first day in Paradise!

Juarez Arrives At Celtic Park

Juarez With The Hoops

P.S. Gary Hooper was at Ross Hall completing his medical before joining up with his new team mates on their way to Portugal.