SENTINELCELTS

Morning,all.

Aye,the headline? Every word true,words that you might expect from a bridge player. But heyho.

Hearts this weekend,huh? I hate playing this mob. They really despise us,go for our throats. Neither fear nor favour-even though they certainly don’t favour us.

They’ve also beaten us a few times recently,particularly at the start of the season. But usually when we have been at a low ebb. I don’t think that applies at the minute.

We might not be on the crest of a wave,but is ten goals in three games not enough to suggest that we aren’t far off it? With the goals being widely spread amongst the side,I am maybe more optimistic than I tend to be when we take them on.

I’ve had many a good day or night watching us against them. The Centenary Season springs to mind,as does Martin O’Neill’s second season on their turf,a league cup tie where he played the kids.

I’ve mentioned others on the site before,so no need to rehash them. I think we beat them 3-2 on the last time Celtic played a match on Christmas day,around 1972. I couldn’t attend that one,I had to attend Mass instead!

I won’t be in attendance at this one either,but I certainly hope that all of our fans who are there take as much pleasure from the game as possible. It will be A Beautiful Sunday to come out of it with three points,but more importantly,it will be a big hurdle cleared as we look to defend our title.

Love them or loathe them-aye,I know-they are a big danger to us. No,of course I don’t think they will be in a position to challenge us for the title,as they were in the 80s. Or even as recently as 2005/06,under George Burley. But they can take points from us-yet seem curiously unable to do the same to our city rivals these days?

It is for that reason that I rate them as the biggest danger to our title aspirations. They don’t have the likes of Naismith or Lafferty now,players who we watched go out and kick our players off the park,with a fully complicit referee looking on approvingly. 

But I’ll betcha they will find another one or six,willing to do just that. They’re a horrible team,and if we can get the game out of the way,with three points and no injuries,I will be a very satisfied lad.

And a very surprised one too.

I expect the three points. If we hope to retain our title,nothing less will do. But I fear for our players tomorrow. Then,maybe not. They are used to it now,seem to have really hardened up,having to do things that as footballers they didn’t think was a part of the game.

Players like Kyogo or Maeda,they don’t look like they have it in them. But they don’t take second prizes either-and there’s an Edinburgh expression for you. I hope they don’t take second prizes tomorrow either,just walk away with the first prize of three points.

I hate playing teams like Hearts. I hate it when it is all about the result,the points. I love football because of the beauty of it. There is rarely beauty playing them,it is everything in football which I detest.

Just take the three points,no injuries,move on. Bloody hell,is that really what football in Scotland has become? Sadly,it is. And until we get the referees sorted,it always will be.