When we think of the Quadruple Treble and those that were part of it’s success, we automatically think of the players and managers that contributed to that incredible part of our history.
Brendan Rodgers, Neil Lennon, Scott Brown, Callum McGregor. These are the guys that generally get all the credit.
But the story of who was behind it doesn’t just stop there. There are others that contributed hugely to that success and the club took steps this week to ensure that those unsung heroes got the recognition they deserved.
Received my Quadruple Treble commemorative medal from @CelticFC to mark such an incredible achievement. Great touch from the club to recognize the staff behind the scenes 🍀 pic.twitter.com/N8JyqdZ2i2
This touch of class by the club is indicative of the culture that is being built behind the scenes and small gestures like this, help to build a huge legacy for the future.
We warned Ajax to put their cheque book away and save themselves £22m (if that was even the fee they paid) and not sign Calvin Bassey.
The Dutch masters saw something in the Nigerian international that inexplicably made them think that shelling out £22m was a good idea.
Since he arrived in Amsterdam, Bassey has been pilloried for his performances and whilst I concede it can take a player some time to settle in, even I have to admit that mistakes like this are just sheer amatuerish:
Watch it again. Look at the fans in the background.
Poor Calvin. No wait, poor Ajax. In fact, eff that. They both deserve each other and I am judging the Dutch club, who are world renowned for spotting elite talent, for signing a player that was clearly overrated and under skilled for them.
As Japan are set to face Uruguay this morning in the countries next international fixture, news that Daizen Maeda missed training and will not feature in the 1030am kick off will fill the Celtic fans with worry.
But as we wait on news of Maeda, his replacement in the side is Brighton’s Mitoma Kaoru.
Described by Hochi News as a ‘super sub’, Mitoma has been in very good form for the English Premier League surprise package.
Sitting in 7th place, Mitoma has helped the seaside club maintain their EPL status this season with nine goals and six assists.
His form has caught the eye of Manchester United who are reportedly looking to take him to Old Trafford in a £35m deal. [Manchester Evening News]
Moriyasu said of Mitoma, “It is not that he did not start the World Cup because [Mitoma] was not strong, but his condition was not 100% when he entered the tournament.
“Now that they are a new team, they will start working on how to draw the power of Mitoma from the starting lineup.”
The fact that Hajime Moriyasu rates Maeda above the Brighton winger speaks volumes for out bhoy and we should really appreciate having such a talented (and underrated, in my opinion) player in our ranks.
“I used to come over to all the clubs with my dad. He had a clue about what was going on so I think he was key. I have been on a trial to a few clubs but Liverpool was the main one other than Brighton.
“I was on trial with Manchester United, Celtic, and Everton. I think from the outside it was obvious to see that pathway and most of the managers here have given chances to young players.”
At just 18 years old, Ferguson has a lot of potential but after his first goal in his first start for his country, his name will be on the lips of many scouts this summer.
And it’s the same whenever we seem to get a contentious VAR decision.
And Tam McManus typified the media with this reaction to the penalty Celtic were awarded against his former club when speaking on the PLZ Football Show.
McManus said, “I thought the penalty for Celtic was soft. I thought he went down easy, Carter-Vickers.”
A view not shared by his fellow pundit, Alan Rough, “The only one I would disagree with is the Celtic penalty.
“I thought Hanlon was trying to tug him a wee bit because he turned him [Cameron Carter-Vickers].
“So at one stage he was holding him back so I would have given a penalty for that.”
And Rough is 100% correct. It was a foul. Absolutely no question.
McManus seems to have his own green tinted specs on and is blinded by his bias for the Edinburgh side to admit the truth.
The Celtic fans are supremely confident that the title race is over.
A nine point gap and a superior goal difference means that with just nine games left to play, it would take a monumental collapse of epic proportions for Ange Postecoglou’s men not to lift the title.
Even with two games still to play against ‘them’, it is still very difficult to see where we could drop points.
But John Hartson warns against complacency in the title race.
Speaking on The Go Radio Football Show, Hartson warned, “It’s game by game. You cannot take your eye off the ball. Taking your eye off the ball is not winning on Saturday. It is drawing 1-1. That’s taking your eye off the ball.
“This team is driven on the training ground every day. They know what’s at stake and they’ve got a certain way of playing and they’ve got a certain way of getting results. They keep going. They don’t stop. They never stop.
“There’s 27 points to play for. It’s not over until it’s mathematically over.
“They have Rangers to play twice in the league. Rangers will be determined to put that performance right from the final a couple of weeks ago, the League Cup final where Rangers felt they didn’t perform as well as they should have.
“So it’s not over. Of course they [Celtic] are huge favourites, of course they are, and they should go and get the job done.
“But it’s not a foregone conclusion.“
One thing is for certain, Ange Postecoglou will not get complacent. He will have it drilled into the players that there is still plenty to play for. So will Callum McGregor.
But as fans, we can be a bit more cocky about it if we wish because we are top of the league looking, down on the Rangers.
The quality that Celtic have all over the park means that we tend to dominate every domestic game with ease.
Our style of play is set up so that whenever we have the ball, it is difficult for opponents to win it back and our possession stats go through the roof.
Our midfield, in the main, is mostly to thank for that. Players like Callum McGregor dictate the tempo and rhythm of the play and the others around him try to unlock defences to secure the three points.
BBC reporter Kheredine Idessane was looking at the teams impressive goalscoring stats and highlighted the important contribution of two Celtic stars that have gone under the radar.
Writing on the BBC website, Kheredine said, “Since the World Cup break, Celtic have played 19 matches, in which Mooy and Hatate have contributed 13 goals and 12 assists between them.
“That’s 25 goal involvements from the middle of the park.
“Quite a return, and a big driver of Celtic’s surge through all competitions since the festive season.”
The Celtic fans recognise the contribution of Aaron Mooy since his return from the World Cup and how the big Aussie has improved not only his game, but the first team. And Reo Hatate?
He does was Reo Hatate does. Always consistent, the Japanese midfielder is turning into top quality midfielder.
Check out the news from all the Celtic blogs across the webHERE
This is something I believe all Celtic fans can get on board with.
Just prior to the League Cup final, we had to endure the unending nonsense from the Ibrox players and manager in the press where Michael Beale spoke about Ange being lucky and Fashion Sakala referring to us as ‘the other mob’ and how they are the better team.
Sakala’s was clearly comments that were scripted that someone in Ibrox told him to say and Beale? Well, Beale just lets his mouth run away with him.
Check out the news from all the Celtic blogs across the webHERE
And another player that has let his mouth run away with him was James Tavernier.
The Rangers skipper flapped his gums in the media by claiming that Celtic will meet the ‘real’ Rangers in the next Hampden showdown in an interview that tells me one thing.
These guys have learned nothing.
And John Hartson has brilliantly called them out on it.
Speaking on The Go Radio Football Show, Hartson said, “I’ve spoken about this before. It doesn’t concern me.
“Because in life there’s doers as there’s sayers. Don’t be a sayer, be a doer.
“Make sure that if you’re in the team for Rangers you make sure that when you cross that line, whether it’s at Celtic Park, Ibrox or Hampden that you are at your very, very best.
“And you’ve got to hope that every other player around you is at their very, very best and then you might, you just might, catch Celtic on a bit of an off day or you might play better than Celtic on the day, and then you’ll win the game.
“There was there was a few quotes coming out of the Rangers dressing room before and I said the same it doesn’t make one bit of difference.
“You do your talking on the pitch and then by doing that, that’s when you’re gonna win the respect of the supporters.
“In my life too many people say a lot but do nothing. BE A DOER, don’t say it, go do it.”
This is bang on by Hartson but I fear that come the end of April, Tavernier is just going to be labelled as another sayer and will be adding another two failures to his long list of failures since becoming the Ibrox captain.
As Celtic fans, we are all under no illusion as to just how good a manager Ange Postecoglou is.
The Australian came to Scotland in a blaze of publicity and the appointment was derided by sections of the media and the fans.
The media targeted the manager, the fans targeted the board simply because most of us hadn’t heard of him.
Fast forward almost two years and, by God, the media certainly know him now and the fans love him. Every single one of us.
He has brought a style of play suited to the Celtic Way and this thread by EBL 2017 highlights the incredible work Ange has done in perfecting his tactics:
Ange Postecoglou's Celtic play a style which resembles the best teams and coaches in world football such as Pep's City, Arteta's Arsenal, & De Zerbi's Brighton.
His Celtic team invert the fullbacks, attack with flawless positional play, & counterpress relentlessly.
If you get the opportunity, you must read it. It is fascinating.
But it was the last three tweets that will give Celtic fans great encouragement for next season, “All in all, though, there absolutely is potential for Celtic to succeed in Europe with Ange in charge. He really is a phenomenal coach.
“Ange’s on-ball structure is nothing short of flawless, the counterpress is elite, and although the settled press may be flawed on occasion, that’s likely down to the fact that little emphasis is put on it for domestic games, with superior pressing displays evident in Europe.
“This entire thread has primarily focused on Ange and his tactics, and that’s without considering some of the individual player development and transfer market work he has carried out at the club.
“His transfer market work has been nothing short of special.“
I’ve said repeatedly on this blog that I cannot wait to see what Ange does with this team next season.
We have a settled squad with a years worth of Ange’s tactics and style in them. I genuinely think we can achieve something special in Europe with the big man at the helm.
Right, I know I’m a Celtic fan and I know I’m going to biased here but surely to Christ no-one actually thinks this apart from this guy?
Right off the bat, Celtic’s victory in Lisbon in 1967 goes down as Scottish football’s greatest ever achievement.
Absolutely no question about it. Unless you are Aberdeen legend John McMaster.
McMaster was part of the Aberdeen side that won the European Cup winners Cup against Real Madrid back in 1983.
An outstanding achievement. No question about it. And it’s an achievement he believes that eclipses the Lisbon Lions.
As reported by the Aberdeen Live, McMaster said, “In Scotland we’re not supposed to win European trophies. And with the resources Aberdeen had, we shouldn’t have won ours.
“But we did. I’m not being biased, with the resources Celtic and Rangers had, 60,000 fans every week, but for us to lift European silverware outwith our country that should be lauded way above Celtic and Rangers.
“Don’t get me wrong, I was a Celtic fan that night (Lisbon) and I became a Rangers fan that night (Barcelona).
“I was always a Morton fan and then I was an Aberdeen man, but that, for me, has got to be the biggest achievement out of the three. In a financial sense, we were punching above our weight.“
Anyone else having that? Good so it’s not just me that thinks he’s talking absolute sh*te then?
