SENTINELCELTS

Morning,all.

I had intended discussing the latest tweaks suggested by the IFAB,the body responsible for the laws of the game,and how they are applied. But there is an international break shortly,and it can wait for then.

I’d like instead to discuss the milestones that some of our heroes have recently achieved,and the likelihood of those even being likely at times long gone. Ange himself has recently pointed out that few gave him much if any chance of being around for 100 matches in charge. Yet not only has he defied those early odds-and his many critics-he has done so with some style and much success. 

Much to the chagrin of those critics!

Of course,they will say that it wasn’t personal,that it was not meant as an attack on the man himself. Which is as close as they will ever come to telling the truth,I suppose. For in fact,for once,they were correct. It wasn’t personal,they weren’t attacking the man. What they were attacking was the position that he held,and the club that appointed him. 

That has always been their way,though you will never get them to admit it. Most of them don’t even have the courage to own up to the team that they support! At least in the days of John Fairgrieve,he wore his Heart of Midlothian on his sleeve-and he was a far superior journalist too. His weekly column in the Sunday Mail was a must read. 

Who have we got now,which of the pitiful crew employed by that floundering publication,would any of us make an effort not to miss? I genuinely can’t think of one. Not for many years either. Keevins comes close,but only for his shock-jock comedy antics as he continually ties himself in knots trying to justify his salary. 

He does come in handy though. Fortunes have been made by backing against his predictions over the years. 

Ange didn’t take long to find out the difficulties he would face from the press. In fact,he was given that very advice at his first fans forum. By the time September 2021 came round,he was being asked if he agreed that the league was over for another season? His reply was priceless,that Scotland must be the only league on the planet where prizes are handed out in September!

Ever since,the journos have gone out of their way to trip him up,to undermine him. Ever since,he has handed them their dinner. You would think that by now they would crawl into a corner to lick their wounds,but they are too thick-skinned for that. Or just downright thick. They keep coming back for more,and Ange just keeps swatting them aside. Usually with a casual disdain,other times with a weary irritation. 

Wednesday was his 100th match in charge,a big milestone for him. And I hope as we all do that he will be around for a good few tons to come. 

One of his first signings when he arrived was as unknown to us as Ange himself had been,bar a swift check via Google. Kyogo Furuhashi arrived on these shores as a 26yo Japanese forward with a handful of caps to his name. We soon came to trust his manager’s judgement! Although he struggled with injury in his first season,he soon endeared himself to the fans,and to his team-mates too. 

He barely played in half of our games last season,but still managed to hit the twenty goal mark. Contrast that record with Edouard the previous season,two goals more but playing most weeks. I know which I prefer,and Kyogo also won us the league cup in his first season,scoring both goals in the final against Hibs. And he repeated the trick this season against the huns too!

This season,the players around him have become more attuned to his runs,clearly a source of frustration for him in his first season. And the goals have come for him. Wednesday was his 20th league goal,always an important milestone for a striker. And it brought up another one too,his 25th of the season. 

It is never fair to compare players,but I venture that our Smiling Assassin is our most popular striker since Henrik Larsson. That is a tribute in itself. 

There have been two other milestones achieved recently,both without much fanfare. I suppose that is down to our perception that they have been around forever,but it only seems that way!

CalMac wouldn’t have thought that he would pass the 400 game mark for us when he was out of the picture under Neil Lennon Mk I. Sent down to play a season for Notts County as a 20yo before he had even made his debut for us,he was a forgotten man. He was virtually ever-present in a relegation battle,and finished as top scorer for the club. It was then that he got lucky-for NL walked out and was replaced by Ronny Deila. Deila recognised his talent and gave him his shot,and Callum responded by scoring on his debut!

He was appointed club captain when Broonie left,and passed that 400 game milestone two months ago. He will also get his 50th international cap on his next appearance,which isn’t bad going for someone who we hadn’t heard of nine years ago!

Last but not least on this is our current longest serving player,James Forrest. His time under NL Mk I was the opposite of Callum’s,making his debut under him shortly after he arrived. He too duly scored! As a winger,he can be inconsistent. And as a Celtic winger,he was often injured at the hands-or flying boots and elbows!-of the thugs he faced. 

It was under Brendan Rodgers that he found his most consistent years both in terms of matches played and goals scored,but he had shown us before and since that he is a player to be reckoned with. Capable on both wings,he can also play through the middle. He has been a tremendous servant to the club,and he and Callum have 20 and 17 major domestic medals to prove it. 

Add his appearances for Scotland to those he has made at Celtic,and he achieved the milestone of 500 games for club and country last month. 

The latter two mentioned have achieved their milestones in over a decade each at the club. And they are to be commended for that. The first two have achieved theirs in just over eighteen months each,and they too are to be commended. We can be proud of the four of them.

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Above article by BMCUWP