Having a high-speed broadband connection is probably more essential to watch football than any satellite TV subscription these days. Every weekend games from across the world can be accessed…
Now this is real treat. In 1997 the following three programmes were shown over the Easter weekend. Narrated the legendary Hugh McIlvanney the three episodes take us through the…
It's Friday 28th July 2000 and Joos Valgaeren is just about to be unveiled to the waiting press pack. The Rev Al Green was there to watch it unfold...…
Having a high-speed broadband connection is probably more essential to watch football than any satellite TV subscription these days. Every weekend games from across the world can be accessed for free online.
Many Celtic fans will have noticed that shortly before Christmas when we played St. Johnstone in Perth, it was possible to watch the game online, despite it not being televised live. That same weekend it was possible to watch the Rangers game online (which was also untelevised), the World Club Cup final between Barça and Santos, any English Premiership fixture as well as games from countless leagues throughout Europe and the rest of the world.
For instance, if for whatever reason you had wanted to watch the finale to the Paraguayan championship that took place on the same weekend, you could even have found that online.
I’m saying all this as a prelude to a disclaimer. Although in the rest of the article I’m going to pontificate about whom Celtic should be monitoring down in South America, I’m not actually there anymore!
Like when the Independent’s Middle East correspondent Robert Fisk mocks the British and American journalists who report from a comfortable hotel in the ‘Green Zone’ in Baghdad, I will be the Celtic Underground equivalent of a duplicitous CNN reporter; I’ll give my opinion without actually seeing anything in the flesh.
Alternatively, if you guys reading this want to have a quick whip-round to send me out to Rio de Janeiro or Buenos Aires to cover some games over there and give a bit more authenticity to my reports, feel free. I’d reluctantly do that…for the good of the site, of course.
Now this is real treat. In 1997 the following three programmes were shown over the Easter weekend. Narrated the legendary Hugh McIlvanney the three episodes take us through the lives and times of these giants of the game. I've been wanting to see these again for a long time and thanks to a fella called WOODDDDDDDYA on youtube now I can. If you've never seen these before you are in for a treat. Even if you have, like me, you'll be desperate to see them again.
It's Friday 28th July 2000 and Joos Valgaeren is just about to be unveiled to the waiting press pack. The Rev Al Green was there to watch it unfold...
Firstly, I must admit to not taking as many notes as usual today. There are two reasons for that; Martin O'Neill rattles off words and phrases at a rate way beyond that at which I can write, and also he's too damned interesting to miss. I'll break the event down into the main subjects.
Joos Valgaeren
He's a big lad, I'll tell you that. I had taken up what I thought was an unobtrusive position, on the assumption that MON and JV would come out of the door behind the table which had been set up (the same arrangement as when MON was unveiled), but instead they appeared from the back of the room and muggins here was blocking their path. I took a look at the Belgian and moved. Fast.
As he introduced the new man, MON advised the assembled meeja bodies that the correct pronunciation is not "Joos" but "Yoss". Everyone was polite enough to remember that. MON explained that the deal had taken a while, but that's just the way of things these days. The package is costing Celtic £3.8m.
Fraser Forster came in for a lot of criticism in his first season at Celtic. I was one of many who said that at 6ft 7in he was not commanding enough over his penalty area, he didn't use his large frame to intimidate strikers and that he never put in enough (if any) performances that got Celtic the points. Some said this criticism was unfair given that he had managed 21 of a record breaking 23 clean sheets in the SPL. However, in the season of 2010-2011 there were very few saves which Forster made which could be described as outstanding, possibly the only being a save made from a deflected Nikica Jelavic free kick in extra time of an ultimately doomed league cup final.
At the end of the season Forster returned to Newcastle. It was expected that he would not return after Alan Pardew doubted the quality of the SPL, and said he wanted to see all of his goalkeepers in action before coming to a decision on who he wanted to keep and then turning down a £1.5 million pounds bid from Celtic. A large section of the Celtic support were pleased at this and did not want Forster returning, instead stated they would prefer someone more experienced with the inevitably unattainable Shay Given top of many lists.
This week Lachiemor joins Eddie and together they take a look back at the recent Dundee United game. They discuss the team Neil Lennon selected and the nervous atmosphere that seemed to overpower the stands as the second half wore on. They discuss the form of the players and welcome the return of Kris Commons to the side. Next they take a look at the transfer window and discuss whether the squad needs to be reduced. The best way to run a football club is commented on and it looks like Celtic might not be that far off from being spot on. They finish by looking ahead to the St Mirren game and ask whether we can go one better than Rangers by winning at New St Mirren Park.
Krys joins us again with another of his excellent reports from the most recent Celtic Graves event - this time celebrating the life of Neil McCallum, the scorer of the first Celtic goal.
The feed for the podcast can be found here . Remember you can subscribe via itunes here .
