SENTINELCELTS

Morning,all.

Aye,I know. Neither as snappy a headline nor as good a choon as MATTYBHOY yesterday-I don’t know whether to sack my sub editor or my DJ-but heyho. It works for this article.

We are now in the final stages of the season,with five league games remaining to gather the few points necessary to complete our eighth successive title campaign,leading into the cup final on the 52nd Anniversary of Lisbon.

A day where we can be heroes-(wrong song-ed)-and achieve a magnificent Treble Treble.

Another Nine In A Row,if you like. And all of them won legitimately,without recourse to illegal payment methods and registration of players,and without sending distress signals to friends in the ludj.

I expect Neil Lennon to focus on each game in hand,but with an eye on the big picture. Which players might benefit from a short break,who needs game time to get back to match fitness? Who is nearing a suspension threshold? These are all questions he will have to consider as he mentally finalises who he would ideally like to face Hearts in the final.

Another thing he might be advised to consider for that match is who we play the previous week. We could certainly do without having a catalogue of injuries to deal with from that game,so it doesn’t help that our opponents that day are the same Hearts team we will face in the final. That day will be one for strong men,players who will refuse to be kicked up and down the park.

Players of that ilk are coming more to the fore under Neil than they did when BR was in charge. He’s been there himself,he never lay down to thuggery as a player. I think he has made it plain to his squad that he will back them up in such circumstances. I’m not advocating that Celtic stoop to the depths of our opponents,rather that I’m delighted to see us giving some back.

We won’t allow ourselves to be intimidated,that’s for sure.

During the run-in,I expect to see a token late sub appearance from Leigh Griffiths,probably against Hearts. (He can lead the singing!) He needs one more appearance for a medal,and I think he has earned it over the years. Next year,I hope to see the old Leigh back,the one who can get the adrenaline going whenever he gets the ball inside the opponents half.

He’d be like a new signing!

I also hope that there is room on the bench on Cup Final Day for Ryan Christie. This is a young man many of us had written off a year ago,despite his stellar form while on loan at Aberdeen. We were delighted that he couldn’t play for them against us,yet he would never be good enough to make a Celtic jersey his own? I could understand both arguments at the time,but to hear people expressing both opinions at the same time left me baffled.

He’s either good enough or he isn’t,make your mind up. He’s a football player,not a subatomic particle,and this season has shown that there’s plenty of life in Ryan Christie. He had bulked up in the right places,and he appeared frequently in the right places on the pitch to earn us the points as he made a starting place his own.

All through hard work and merit.

This,of course,made him a target for the bootboys of the SPL,the hammer-throwers who have never gone away. I always find it ironic that the only foreign player to speak out about this-Jan Baartram-played in the same side as Graham Roberts and Terry Hurlock. Must have been a hoot in training every day! Anyway,Ryan was no sooner back from injury when he was taken out with an act of brutality which would have led to a six match ban in most countries. We won’t see him until next season,and of course he has our best wishes for his recovery.

I hope Neil can find a place on the bench for him on Cup Final Day.

He deserves it.

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Cup Final Day. The 25th of May. I’ve got a couple of tops with that day embroidered into them,as it is in all our hearts. What a day to be in Glasgow,we will throng the bars and we will fill that disgrace of a national stadium

Except,we won’t. We can’t.

The Boolin Club Committee on the top floors have decreed a 50-50 split in the ticket allocation,so we will be lucky to get 20,000 to be balloted for tickets on the day. No heed paid to the respective semi final attendances of 21,000 and 47,000. 50-50,deal with it.

No matter. We can hold a beamback at Paradise. It’s bigger,more fun,better atmosphere. And the crowd inside can later join the crowds lining The Glasgow Celtic Way as we welcome our heroes back on an open top bus to our spiritual home,Paradise.

Except,we won’t. We can’t.

You see,The Scottish Cup Final isn’t the only big Final happening that day in Glasgow. And there’s a good chance it won’t even host the highest attendance. For only a few overhit corners away is The Grand Final of The Guinness Pro-14 Rugby Tournament. That’s a big deal in the rugby calendar,an equivalent of The Champions League in football.

See if you can guess where and when the final is being held this year?

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Above article by BMCUWP. You too can be a hero,just for one day or as often as you like. Do what MATTYBHOY did and send us an article for publication.

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