Boiler Suits v Armani Suits And Has The Celtic Park Big Cup Myth Now Just A PR Ticket?

It's been one of those weeks. A week that has seen the world landscape change for the greater good, hopefully. Much to "Millwall Mobster" Steven Patrick Morrissey's delight American voted correctly and much to oor delight Celtic scored a goal in the Big Cup. Hurrah!!!!!

Matchday 4 produced some strange results. Roma beating The Chelsea Chavs, Bordeaux beating the richmans plaything FC Cluj, Anorthosis drawing wie Internazionale and FC Basel drawing wie Barca. It gave us hope for the visit of Team USA Utd. For us to get a result we had to tear ladyboy C-Ron limb from limb and feed him to the 'He-Wolf's' that roam the Campsies. We had to make El Paradiso hell for them.

It made the meeja's joab easier. They talk up the mythical Celtic Park atmosphere every single home game we play in the Big Cup. Tickets are sold on the back of this hype. People come from all over the globe to visit the beast of CP in the Big Cup. Yesterday, Celtic Park was turned into Euro Disney for fitba' fans.

The stage-managed product that Celtic put on is 2nd to none. Last night, we had some skinny bloke singing opera and I could hear the 'Auld Jungle' turning in it's grave when he started belting oot his dirge. The 'Auld Jungle' would have been also turning in his grave at the sight of 'Celtic fans' down the front of the stand trying to get autographs and taking pictures of Man Utd players.

I know this is just Murdochism at play. But.....we should have been making the Man Utd players feeling as unwelcome as a Hun in Manchester. The amount of half and half Celtic/Man Utd scarfs round necks also was a sickening sight.

If you want to see Ronaldo and Co go to the Trafford Ball Park. If you want to see them get brought doon a peg or two come to Celtic Park and shout and scream at the Bhoys in The Hoops as they do it.

Still, the banners are a joy. Only Liverpool in this country can match us on that front. The stage-managed PA tells us when and what to sing, new favourite is "Let The People Sing", a bastardised version from some chancers called The Malleys.

Once the PA goes quiet so does the crowd for long spells wieoot a tour guide like PA prompt to tell us when to sing. Last night, the off the cuff "Let The People Sing" after 82mins, which inspired Man Utd to score was the only time the spirit of the 'Auld Jungle" was alive and well. But Celtic by this time had another perfect Big Cup night to bum aboot and promote as the must have experience when trying to punt tickets.

Still, I can wonder what the stadium would be like if we had 60,000 singing instead of the usual 30,000 wie the other 30,000 too busy filming and taking pictures. Roll on Villarreal. We might get a few thousand who are interested in Celtic as some who were there last night will be Sky Tv upped watching Man Utd against Aalborg BK.

A 1-1 Humping.

You can't fault the effort, the energy, the pride or the sheer guts of the players last night. Oor manager quite rightly said: "You cannot play like that if you are not men". True, we dragged Man Utd down to oor level in the first half and they did not fancy it one little bit. They had to bring on the big guns to salvage a point but by that time we had run oor race.

"I tried to keep Scott McDonald, our most experienced striker on, but that wasn't possible so I had to go with my 7th choice striker and play 3 centre backs" huffed oor manager when trying to explain the 9-1-0 formation employed in the second half, a formation last seen scaring half decent mobs roond Govan way. The Strachan-naccio hopefully got it's one and only airing.

The manager while being happy wie the performance hit the nail on the heid. The nail that will bug Celtic fans from now to the end of time. "Trust me, if we had our full team, it would have been a far better game". Yes, we would have been able to make the changes that maybe would have seen us threaten the half way line in the second half and wouldn't have made oor performance in that period the most cringeworthy and frought in oor Big Cup history. I don't think I have EVER seen a mair one-sided second period. Oor players played wie guts but we can play wie more style.

So, if yer oot from behind the couch here is the stats. Celtic has 33% possession and 3 shots on goal and 3 shots wide. Man Utd had 8 shots on goal and 10 shots off, which is better than the 26 off target figure the big screen gave last night. They almost had double the possession as well and only the most bitter man would say they didnae deserve their point at least.

It is gutting to lose a goal as late in the game. After taking the lead through a cracking goal from Scott McDonald, an Artur Boruc gaff allowed Ryan Giggs, who forgot that we paid for his retirement, to score an equaliser. The most disappointing thing is the feeling that if we didnae have 7 first team players suffering from Hessellinkitis then we might have got all 3 points.

Bottomline? The boiler suits of the group will battle it oot for a UEFA Vase place while Man Utd get measured for an Armani get up for a possible trip to Rome in May. Point was decent right enough then.

A Motherwell Hangover.

We will suffer one. Motherwell arrive at CP on Saturday looking to make it 2 wins in a row in Glesga's East End.

They are on a decent run of form that has seen them win 4 out of the last 5. Chris Porter seems to be on-fire wie 3 goals in his last 2 games. Celtic are unbeaten domestically in 7 and are scoring and creating chances, which is at odds wie oor European form and also at odds wie oor injury crisis.

Who plays is dependant on who is not suffering from 'Running-after-better-players-ouch'. Oor midfield worked their wee hoopy socks off and up front Cillian Sheridan and Scott McDonald chased and harried all night wie not much success. How we lift oorselves after Man Utd is the major problem in this game.

The managers golden notebook might be thinking changes. Massimo Donati might be looking to his first league start this season alongside Scott Brown. Paul Hartley will maybe get the chance to wear a warm tracksuit but how a couple of the unmagnificent 7 recover from their respective Hessellinkisms will surely shape the managers thinking.

Will Naka be seen after his Killie-Ouch episode? Is it true the Holy Goalie is now oot for a month wie dodgy-keeper-knee-ouch? Remember, remember the last time he was oot for a length of time?

Ex-Playerism? Skippy. 2 goals against his former club since he made a move to the guid guys. Jim O'Brien has struggled for games and form since his move to the junior darkside.

Shaun Maloney has 3 Celtic career goals against Motherwell including one already this season. What makes this game hard to predict is oor injuries and how up for it we are. Motherwell on a decent run are a decent side but us fully focused and wie a full team are also a very decent side.

Ok, 2-1 victory. Scott Brown will score and, again, we will score from a set play just like we have done in the last 4 games.

Forza

Thanks to the Green Brigade and Number 7 from KDS for the pics.