Match Pictures | Matches: 2020 – 2021
Trivia
- KO: 12:30pm, Sat Game, Sky TV
- John Kennedy interim manager for Celtic, expected was his last match in this role.
- Last game of the season, which for all Celtic fans just couldn’t end soon enough. Ending with no silverware.
- Barkas‘ second clean sheet in a row!
- Celtic finish on 77 pts with +49 goal difference after 38 games.
- Celtic finish the season 25pts behind Sevco. Hibs 3rd.
- National Famine Memorial crest on the club jersey to once again recognise the tragedy of The Great Hunger.
- Scottish Cup final next weekend: St Johnstone v Hibernian. St Johnstone win final to make history, winning double of league & Scottish cups! Congratulations.
- Scott Brown’s last game for Celtic after 14 years, coincidentally being against his former club. Gifted a shield by Hibs captain.
- Ex Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester win FA Cup final.
- John Kennedy admitted no decision has been made over the future of Leigh Griffiths. The striker is in limbo with Celtic holding a contract option for a further year. However, the uncertainty of the management situation means Griffiths faces a wait to find out about his future at the club.
- Celtic Boys Club founder Jim Torbett has been arrested and charged with historic sex abuse claims. The 73-year-old is expected to appear in the dock after he was interviewed by Police Scotland officers on Tuesday morning past. Justice is all that matters. Point scoring should be parked and abandoned by all sides.
- PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year 2021 goes to: David Turnbull
- Celtic chief Peter Lawwell’s home in ‘petrol bomb’ attack after thugs targeted car in driveway. Culprits not yet known. Disgraceful. Major damage and family moved out. We stand by Lawwell.
- Edinburgh’s Josh Taylor defeats Jose Ramirez to make boxing history and become super-lightweight champion of the world. Made UK boxing history in becoming the new undisputed super lightweight champion of the world. Congrats!
Covid
- Opening of Glasgow delayed by a week. England opens up.
- Huns invade Glasgow City Centre.
Sevco havoc in city centre
- Sevco fans take over city centre to celebrate their title but just cause huge havoc, chaos, serious damage etc. Scotland’s shame. Lots of bear on bear fights! One guy lost half his hand from fireworks mishap.
- FM, media and all come out to damn the Huns included references to their anti Catholic singing etc.
- “Hope the scenes in Glasgow clarifies for those who ask? Why are fans of Sevco and Deidco called Huns, sometimes referred to as the animals, or #ScotlandsShame if you have seen the videos and you still ask that question, there is frankly no hope for you”
- “Scenes in Glasgow last night were appalling but shamefully predictable, wrecking the city, spreading fear & panic among locals, attacking police, anti-Catholic chants, not every Rangers fan is bad but as a collective they’re amongst the most violent, aggressive, racist fanbase in the UK.”
- Speaking on @BBCRadioScot re weekend scenes involving Sevco fans, deputy First Minister @JohnSwinney says behaviour of some fans was ‘absolutely reprehensible.’ Says some indulged in ‘vile anti-catholic behaviour.’
- A video put online that appears to show players of Sevco FC singing, “F* the Pope”, inside Ibrox stadium in Glasgow after their title celebrations. Post note :police said nothing here!
- Police Scotland investigating the video showing Sevco fans singing: “I’d rather be a P*ki, than a Tim”. It’s one of a number of videos circulating social media that is being probed by the force.
- Sevco incredibly & finally get hammerred across most of the media, for the large scale damage, the bigotry and mess.
- Bizarre article by Conservative counsellor John McLellan states “having stood in the Celtic end at an Old Firm cup final (I lost a bet) and heard fans talking about stabbing Protestants, don’t tell me sectarianism is a one-way street.” I’ve never ever heard this ever on the terrraces, forums or anywhere! Total nonsense of an article,and all believe made up to pander to his deluded voters. Full article below.
- “Celtic won 12 consecutive, domestic trophies – the last just before Christmas – without the need to call in police in riot gear.This is a Rangers problem.” Hugh Macdonald in the Herald. Respectable article digging into Huns. Good article. Pasted below
Summary
December 2020: “We recognise we must improve. There is a long way to go and everyone at the club is ready for the challenge.” – Peter Lawwell
May 2021: Celtic without a manager, without a captain and without a trophy.
(jbcity of thecelticwiki)
Finishing the season in little different shape to much of this shambolic season. Scott Brown deserved a better send off for his last match.
Kennedy received a lot of flak for the team as it was perceived that up to 7 of the team are not expected to be here next season. He only let some youth on late.
A drab performance where even complaints about the referee are mostly pointless. Not a good advert for the game or the incoming manager.
The only good note is that this is the end of the season for Celtic, but good luck to Hibs & St Johnstone playing in the Scottish Cup final next Saturday.
(thecelticwiki on twitter)
A fittingly listless conclusion to the season. Despite being gifted an unprecedented sporting & financial advantage the final game of the Lawwell era finishes with Celtic managerless, trophyless and, despite the multi-million pound pay packet of the CEO, hopeless & rudderless.
(journo Phil Gordon on twitter)
Watching first half of Hibs v Celtic on tv and only Willie Collum will know why he denied Odsonne Edouard a goal when he scores from the free-kick? Appalling refereeing. #CelticFC
(John Kennedy)
John Kennedy admitted no decision has been made over the future of Leigh Griffiths. The striker is in limbo with Celtic holding a contract option for a further year. However, the uncertainty of the management situation means Griffiths faces a wait to find out about his future at the club. Kennedy said: “It’s uncertain times. You’d always rather have clarity and know what your next step is. But it’s a difficult situation we’re in, it’s one we’ve not really faced before in terms of the time that has gone by now with the uncertainty that’s going on with a lot of situations and a lot of personnel.”
Teams
Celtic:
- 1Barkas
- 16KennyBooked at 10mins
- 57WelshBooked at 51mins
- 35Ajer
- 3Taylor Substituted forMontgomeryat 81’minutes
- 8Brown
- 42McGregor
- 17 Christie Substituted forForrestat 61’minutes
- 14Turnbull
- 27 Elyounoussi Substituted forDembeleat 81’minutes
- 22Edouard Substituted forGriffithsat 61’minutes
Substitutes
- 9Griffiths
- 10Ajeti
- 12Soro
- 47Murray
- 49Forrest
- 54Montgomery
- 56Ralston
- 65Hazard
- 77Dembele
Goals:
Assists:
Hibernian
- 1Marciano
- 2Gray Substituted forMcGinnat 77’minutes
- 24McGregor
- 5Porteous
- 16Stevenson
- 13GogicBooked at 58mins
- 11Newell
- 7Magennis
- 20Hallberg Substituted forDoidgeat 71’minutes
- 18Murphy Substituted forIrvineat 71’minutes
- 8Wright Substituted forDoigat 77’minutes
Substitutes
- 4Hanlon
- 6McGinn
- 9Doidge
- 10Boyle
- 15Nisbet
- 21Dabrowski
- 25Doig
- 33Macey
- 36Irvine
Goals:
Assists:
Ref: Willie Collum
Att: none – covid
Articles
- Match Report (see below)
Pictures
Match Links
- Prior
- Match https://kerrydalestreet.co.uk/hibs-v-celtic-pish-match-thread-ft-0-0-t138098.html
- Post
- MoTM
Stats
Hibernian
Celtic
Possession
Home27%
Away73%
Shots
Home6
Away17
Shots on Target
Home0
Away9
Corners
Home1
Away6
Fouls
Home13
Away9
Articles
Scott Brown and Ofir Marciano take their bows but it is Hibs goalkeeper who has more to celebrate against Celtic
Before the game everything had been about Scott Brown and his Celtic curtain call.
By Moira Gordon
Saturday, 15th May 2021, 5:34 pm
Fifteen years on from his final game for Hibs, against Celtic, the Parkhead club’s once trophy-laden captain returned to Easter Road to make another goodbye.
And, in a stadium devoid of crowds, and the kind of atmosphere he thrives on, there wasn’t a final bow, as such. In a low key game, with nothing at stake, it felt as though things just petered out.
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A 0-0 stalemate, it was a result that will mean more to Ofir Marciano, a man who has been linked with a future at Celtic after deciding to draw his time in Leith to a close.
Hibs manager Jack Ross, and Celtic captain Scott Brown after the sides settled on a 0-0 at Easter Road in their final league game of the season. Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group
Hibs manager Jack Ross, and Celtic captain Scott Brown after the sides settled on a 0-0 at Easter Road in their final league game of the season. Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group
His 14th clean sheet in the season, with Matt Macey expected to take on cup duties next weekend, it was a fitting end to a five-year association that has proved mutually-beneficial.
The game served as a bookmark in the careers of several players on the pitch. With a handful of Celtic players expected to move on in the summer following the arrival of a new manager, it was also interim boss John Kennedy’s last match at the helm, as they look to rebuild quickly and get themselves in a position to apply pressure to champions Rangers next term.
Unlike their guests, Hibs are not finished with this season, though, and while some of the fringe players who were given a run-out may be mulling over the merits of staying put, when every indication is that the squad will be strengthened as the club look to build on this season and take even bigger strides forward, certain short-term matters are taking precedence.
With third place in the league secured thanks to his side’s midweek efforts, manager Jack Ross had the luxury of changing up his starting line up as he sought to manage the squad ahead of next weekend’s Scottish Cup final.
Making eight changes to the team that bettered Aberdeen, only two or three of the men who will be given the nod at Hampden next week were included in the team. Ryan Porteous and Joe Newell – who were rested at Pittodrie after picking up knocks in the semi final – slotted back into the starting ranks and Alex Gogic will also feel hopeful of starting. Yet another quality performance will have bolstered those ambitions, while veterans Darren McGregor and Lewis Stevenson proved they can still do a job, if that suits.
In reality, for the majority, the run-out against Celtic was a chance to remind their boss what they could bring to the side from the substitute bench, with the men they were deputising primed to resume their usual slots.
On the back of the resolute display on Wednesday, Hibs again shone in defence, defying Celtic, who will have been desperate to end a disappointing season on a high note. But, as they have done too many times this term, they failed to translate that intent and left points out on the pitch to lodge their lowest league tally for over two decades, since the days of John Barnes and Kenny Dalglish.
If it has been a season to forget for the nine-in-a-row outfit, Hibs are hoping it will prove one that is not readily dismissed.
Already assured third and their highest league finish in 16 years, and in Europe, the League Cup semi-finalists are not done. They are still focused on lifting the Scottish Cup by defeating St Johnstone on Saturday.
The fact they have been in such stubborn mood in the last two league matches bodes well.
Celtic had the better chances and should have found a way to win this one but Hibs provided answers to all the questions posed.
Mohamed Elyounoussi had the best openings but in another extended defending drill, the combined efforts of the Hibs backline, and Marciano thwarted him.
The first half was almost all Celtic. On the front foot, they tried to prise open the home rearguard but both Calum McGregor and David Turnbull were forced to take their shots from distance.
Their Norwegian team-mate came close in the early stages we he got through but, with Marciano beaten, his attempt was cleared off the line by the dogged Darren McGregor, who having said that Porteous deserves to play in the final, produced yet another superb performance worthy of giving his gaffer pause for thought.
As part of a hard-working midfield, Newell did well to sense danger soon after, nipping in to nick the ball away from league top scorer Odsonne Edouard as he prepared to strike.
Marciano was next to repel the Celtic attack, ushering Elyounoussi wide and staying big so that he was able to block the shot when it eventually came at him from the narrowed angle.
The keeper was busy in that first 45 minutes as Edouard and Ryan Christie sent in efforts and Elyounoussi lashed another shot at him but the men in front of him did a better job of reading the danger and clearing the lines after the interval and, with a few of the regulars joining the fray, Hibs even managed to have a few chances of their own as they looked to snatch victory late on.
Jackson Irvine and Christian Doidge had digs but neither goalkeeper had much to do as the game ended all square.
It was a game that summed up Celtic’s season as they dominated possession but were left to rue missed chances. It also reflected much of the grit, belief and capacity Hibs have shown to grind out games. More streetwise than the team that started the season, they will go into next week’s cup showdown determined to make the most of the opportunity in front of them.
Defiant John Kennedy reveals Celtic’s ‘ultimate goal’ at the end of an era, and the start of another
Celtic interim manager John Kennedy conceded it was not just Scott Brown’s final appearance for the club that gave the mundane scoreless draw at Hibs a sense of being the “end of an era”.
By Andrew Smith
Saturday, 15th May 2021, 4:12 pm
Celtic interim manager John Kennedy during the Scottish Premiership match https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/defiant-john-kennedy-reveals-celtics-ultimate-goal-at-the-end-of-an-era-and-the-start-of-another-3238280
Yet he refused to see the final Premiership game for Celtic as being an ominous sign of what lies ahead for the now displaced Parkhead powerhouse.
The events at Easter Road may have left Celtic left 25-points adrift of a title-winning Rangers that negotiated the entire league campaign without defeat. It may have been the product of a performance that could have featured at least half a dozen players turning out for the Parkhead side for the final time. It may have been the last game Kennedy took the helm, his record of four wins in 10 matches ensuring a first barren season for the club in 11 years and lowest points tally in 21 years.
Celtic: Get the latest team news, match previews and reports
But, with Eddie Howe expected to be appointed Celtic manager imminently and a mighty summer player churn expected under the Englishman and new chief executive Dominic Mckay, the outgoing interim maintained that Celtic’s secondary status need not assume permanence – as it did not when they were last so inept; the John Barnes-Kenny Dalglish season of 2000-01 giving way to Martin O’Neill leading the club to a treble 12 months later.
“Football changes too quickly,” Kennedy said, who stated he had “no idea” what lies ahead for him. “That is the thing, people look at things in isolation and judge purely on things like points totals. Ultimately football can change very quickly. We could have picked up more points this season if things had fallen for us. We weren’t quite in our groove but I have been here long enough to know how football operates. You go into next season, start positively and it can take you anywhere. That is the ultimate goal for the club, stabilise, get everybody in place we need to get in place. Get a good squad and go out and become champions again.
“For me it almost feels like the end of an era. I have been here through some really good times, successful times when we have been on the crest of a wave. This year unfortunately it has not worked out as we would have wished. The club captain is leaving, there will be changes in management and at board level. There will be a number of players leaving, loan players or whatever it might be. You look back and you reflect on what we have achieved over the years. You draw that line then it is time to rebuild and then you move on.”
Brown’s flat farewell, and sorry final season for Celtic, will fade in assessing the impact of the 22-honour claiming Celtic captain, said Kennedy. “I don’t think Scott ever set out to create a legacy, but how you behave, what you do, what you deliver, how you treat people and the mark you leave becomes a legacy and certainly he will have a legacy at Celtic and for the players who worked with him. The players have been talking all week about how much of an impact he had on their careers. It is just not in a football sense, it is also how he is a man.”
BBC
By Andrew SouthwickBBC Scotland
Last updated on
15 May 202115 May 2021.From the section Scottish Premiership
Hibernian’s Jamie Murphy and Celtic’s Jonjoe Kenny
Hibernian and Celtic played out a final day stalemate.
Celtic were unable to make their dominance pay as they finished their Scottish Premiership campaign with a goalless draw at Hibernian.
In what is likely to be John Kennedy’s final game in charge, Celtic suffered a frustrating 90 minutes.
Instead, Hibs completed the season unbeaten at home to Celtic, the first time they have done so since their return to the Premiership.
And they now prepare for next week’s Scottish Cup final with St Johnstone.
Reaction & as it happened
With Hibs having secured third in midweek, they had an eye on next week’s Hampden showpiece with manager Jack Ross making eight changes. But Celtic were very much in the mood.
Hibs defender Darren McGregor headed over from a corner kick, but it was a rare chance amidst one-way traffic from the visitors.
Callum McGregor and David Turnbull peppered the goal from distance, and Mohamed Elyounoussi had an early chance cleared off the line, as well as another tipped away after rounding the goalkeeper.
And Elyounoussi again went close when he spun away from David Gray but goalkeeper Ofir Marciano – playing his last game at Easter Road for Hibs – tipped his low shot past a post.
Further efforts from Ryan Christie and Odsonne Edouard kept Marciano busy, but still they could not find the breakthrough.
Elyounoussi was lively for the visitors and hammered a shot on target which the goalkeeper got behind, but the second 45 was a quieter affair in both boxes.
James Forrest had the best of the late chances for Celtic when he stole into the box, but Marciano was quick to save at his feet.
And Jackson Irvine could have snatched the three points for Hibs, but shot over inside the box in the final minutes.
Man of the match – Mohamed Elyounoussi
Celtic’s Mohamed Elyounoussi
Celtic’s Elyounoussi was a handful for the Hibs defence
What did we learn?
Hibs’ makeshift team was always going to be up against it. Goalkeeper Marciano at least made a strong claim to be in the starting line-up for the Scottish Cup final.
Celtic appeared determined to finish the season on a high note and created more than enough chances to win the game. But in what has been a disappointing season for the Parkhead men, there was to be no happy ending.
What did they say?
Hibernian manager Jack Ross: “Of course we want to try and win the game, but we had a lot of players running on fumes in the latter stages of that game because they’ve not had a lot of game time.
“We had to be hard working and defensively sound and we were.”
Celtic interim manager John Kennedy: “We had loads of control of the game, Vasilis Barkas hasn’t had a save to make, so that’s really positive.
“Lots of positives but we’ve dropped a couple of points ion the back of not being clinical enough.”
What’s next?
While Celtic’s season is over, Hibernian have a Scottish Cup final to look forward to next Saturday against St Johnstone at Hampden (14:00 BST).
Match ends, Hibernian 0, Celtic 0.
90’+3′
Full Time
Second Half ends, Hibernian 0, Celtic 0.
90’+2′
Post update
Attempt missed. Jackson Irvine (Hibernian) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Christian Doidge with a headed pass.
90’+1′
Post update
Foul by Jonjoe Kenny (Celtic).
90’+1′
Post update
Ryan Porteous (Hibernian) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
89′
Post update
Attempt saved. James Forrest (Celtic) right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Leigh Griffiths.
88′
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Attempt blocked. Christian Doidge (Hibernian) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Alexander Gogic.
85′
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Kristoffer Ajer (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
85′
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Foul by Kyle Magennis (Hibernian).
83′
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Foul by Adam Montgomery (Celtic).
83′
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Josh Doig (Hibernian) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
83′
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Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Ryan Porteous.
83′
Post update
Attempt blocked. David Turnbull (Celtic) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Leigh Griffiths.
81′
Substitution
Substitution, Celtic. Karamoko Dembele replaces Mohamed Elyounoussi.
81′
Substitution
Substitution, Celtic. Adam Montgomery replaces Greg Taylor.
80′
Post update
Attempt missed. Scott Brown (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Kristoffer Ajer.
78′
Post update
Stephen Welsh (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
78′
Post update
Foul by Christian Doidge (Hibernian).
77′
Substitution
Substitution, Hibernian. Josh Doig replaces Drey Wright.
77′
Substitution
Substitution, Hibernian. Paul McGinn replaces David Gray.
74′
Post update
Foul by Callum McGregor (Celtic).
74′
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Darren McGregor (Hibernian) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
72′
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Foul by Scott Brown (Celtic).
72′
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Jackson Irvine (Hibernian) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
71′
Substitution
Substitution, Hibernian. Jackson Irvine replaces Jamie Murphy.
71′
Substitution
Substitution, Hibernian. Christian Doidge replaces Melker Hallberg.
68′
Post update
Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Kyle Magennis.
65′
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Attempt blocked. Alexander Gogic (Hibernian) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Jamie Murphy.
62′
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Attempt blocked. Leigh Griffiths (Celtic) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by David Turnbull.
61′
Substitution
Substitution, Celtic. Leigh Griffiths replaces Odsonne Edouard.
61′
Substitution
Substitution, Celtic. James Forrest replaces Ryan Christie.
59′
Post update
Greg Taylor (Celtic) wins a free kick on the left wing.
59′
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Foul by Kyle Magennis (Hibernian).
58′
Booking
Alexander Gogic (Hibernian) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
58′
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Greg Taylor (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
58′
Post update
Foul by Alexander Gogic (Hibernian).
55′
Post update
Attempt saved. Mohamed Elyounoussi (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Greg Taylor.
51′
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Attempt missed. Melker Hallberg (Hibernian) right footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Ryan Porteous with a headed pass following a set piece situation.
51′
Booking
Stephen Welsh (Celtic) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
51′
Post update
Foul by Stephen Welsh (Celtic).
51′
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Jamie Murphy (Hibernian) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
48′
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Greg Taylor (Celtic) wins a free kick on the left wing.
48′
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Foul by Kyle Magennis (Hibernian).
47′
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Callum McGregor (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
47′
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Foul by Kyle Magennis (Hibernian).
Second Half
Second Half begins Hibernian 0, Celtic 0.
45’+1′
Half Time
First Half ends, Hibernian 0, Celtic 0.
45′
Post update
Attempt missed. Drey Wright (Hibernian) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Lewis Stevenson.
44′
Post update
Offside, Hibernian. Darren McGregor tries a through ball, but Melker Hallberg is caught offside.
42′
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Attempt saved. Odsonne Edouard (Celtic) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top right corner. Assisted by Mohamed Elyounoussi.
42′
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Greg Taylor (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
42′
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Foul by Drey Wright (Hibernian).
42′
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Foul by Scott Brown (Celtic).
42′
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Jamie Murphy (Hibernian) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
38′
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Callum McGregor (Celtic) wins a free kick on the left wing.
38′
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Foul by Alexander Gogic (Hibernian).
35′
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Offside, Hibernian. Ryan Porteous tries a through ball, but Melker Hallberg is caught offside.
34′
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Attempt blocked. Odsonne Edouard (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
32′
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Kristoffer Ajer (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
32′
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Foul by Alexander Gogic (Hibernian).
30′
Post update
Offside, Hibernian. Darren McGregor tries a through ball, but Melker Hallberg is caught offside.
28′
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Callum McGregor (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
28′
Post update
Foul by Drey Wright (Hibernian).
26′
Post update
Attempt missed. Ryan Christie (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Callum McGregor with a headed pass following a set piece situation.
26′
Post update
Hand ball by Kyle Magennis (Hibernian).
25′
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Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Ofir Marciano.
25′
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Attempt saved. Mohamed Elyounoussi (Celtic) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Callum McGregor.
23′
Post update
Foul by Mohamed Elyounoussi (Celtic).
23′
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Drey Wright (Hibernian) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
22′
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Greg Taylor (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
22′
Post update
Foul by Alexander Gogic (Hibernian).
21′
Post update
Attempt saved. Callum McGregor (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Mohamed Elyounoussi.
15′
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Attempt saved. Ryan Christie (Celtic) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
15′
Post update
Attempt missed. Ryan Christie (Celtic) left footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the right.
15′
Post update
Attempt saved. David Turnbull (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Mohamed Elyounoussi.
13′
Post update
Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Ofir Marciano.
13′
Post update
Attempt saved. Mohamed Elyounoussi (Celtic) left footed shot from a difficult angle on the left is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Odsonne Edouard.
11′
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Kristoffer Ajer (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
11′
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Foul by Alexander Gogic (Hibernian).
10′
Booking
Jonjoe Kenny (Celtic) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
g
10′
Post update
Foul by Jonjoe Kenny (Celtic).
10′
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Jamie Murphy (Hibernian) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
8′
Post update
Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Joe Newell.
7′
Post update
Attempt missed. Darren McGregor (Hibernian) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Melker Hallberg with a cross following a corner.
7′
Post update
Corner, Hibernian. Conceded by Callum McGregor.
6′
Post update
Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Darren McGregor.
6′
Post update
Attempt blocked. Mohamed Elyounoussi (Celtic) right footed shot from the left side of the six yard box is blocked. Assisted by Greg Taylor.
4′
Post update
Attempt blocked. David Turnbull (Celtic) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Greg Taylor with a cross.
4′
Post update
Attempt blocked. Odsonne Edouard (Celtic) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Mohamed Elyounoussi.
2′
Post update
Foul by Odsonne Edouard (Celtic).
2′
Post update
Darren McGregor (Hibernian) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Kick Off
First Half begins.
Posted at 13:42 15 May13:42 15 May
Post update
Lineups are announced and players are warming up.
Bizarre article below by Tory counsellor John McLellan in the Scotsman, claims Celtic fans talking about stabbing Rangers fans on the terraces! What?????
Rangers: Campaign to turn club and its fans into social pariahs ignores plight of young working-class white males – John McLellan
My cousin Iain and his family left Scotland 24 years ago for a new life in New Zealand and never a week went by without him phoning home to catch up and check his mum was fine.
By John McLellan
Saturday, 22nd May 2021, 4:55 am
A quiet, hard-working, family man he never came back; tragically, he died this month from complications following heart surgery, aged just 60.
We watched his funeral on Monday night, a full Scottish send-off, with bagpipes and his coffin draped with a Saltire as befits a proud Scot. It also carried a familiar-looking red, white and blue scarf because, as a former Ibrox season ticket holder, he remained a proud Rangers supporter.
Like thousands of the club’s followers, he would have been thrilled by the unbeaten league season he didn’t quite live to see, he’d have chuckled at the “Bouncy Bouncy” celebration on the Squinty Bridge over the Clyde, and he’d have been utterly aghast at the violence and vandalism ─ and appalling reports of intimidation of church-goers the following day ─ which besmirched the celebrations and the club’s reputation.
But as the anti-Rangers rhetoric ramped up ─ one prominent Edinburgh commentator claimed no intelligent person could support Rangers ─ he’d have been infuriated by what became a widespread demonisation of an institution he held dear.
Nothing excuses causing fear and alarm amongst shoppers and church-goers, the assaults on police or the wanton destruction, and Rangers do not help themselves by having possibly the worst media relations in Scotland but, in the rush to pile the blame for last Saturday’s dreadful scenes on the club and to isolate it and its supporters as social pariahs, there was little reflection on the underlying causes.
It is as if the liberal-left commentariat decided that if years of anti-bigotry campaigns still results in hundreds singing the Billy Boys, then the only recourse is to shame supporters into abandoning their club and either force it into a corner or out of existence.
I don’t follow football closely, but Rangers has been my team ever since my dad took me to see them most Saturdays when I was small, and on the admittedly few occasions I’ve seen them recently, the aggression of some supporters is undoubted. But having stood in the Celtic end at an Old Firm cup final (I lost a bet) and heard fans talking about stabbing Protestants, don’t tell me sectarianism is a one-way street.
While intimidation is far from rare at big football clubs, whitabootery can’t excuse sectarianism and violence, but it won’t be tackled by reinforcing a siege mentality amongst all supporters which gives extremists under the influence of alcohol and drugs – or as a friend put it, “a bunch of bigoted neds out their skulls on electric soup” – the excuse to plumb the depths of anti-social behaviour.
There is a broader context, most obviously the association with unionism, and although there are SNP-supporting Rangers fans, the Queen’s portrait in the home dressing room spells out the club’s traditions.
Rightly or wrongly, Rangers is about more than football and for 14 years the Scottish government has been run by a party which traduces the symbols and denigrates the country in which most supporters have been brought up to believe. The First Minister, remember, decreed the Union flag must not fly from Scottish government buildings other than on Remembrance Day.
This season represented the full return from a collapse many supporters believe was driven by an establishment hostile to everything they represent. They recall a crippling and inflated tax demand which sent the club into liquidation in 2012, the malicious 2014 prosecution of its administrators David Whitehouse and Paul Clark, which could yet cost the Scottish government £100m, and the trial and acquittal of the ex-owner Craig Whyte of fraud charges in 2017. Now the police blame manager Steven Gerrard for waving at fans through a window.
Nor is the alienation of a whole class of people a figment of anyone’s imagination, and it is being felt in communities across Britain and beyond. It would be wrong to paint young working-class white males, such as those who make up a large chunk of the Rangers support and the majority of those on the streets last weekend, as being entirely homogenous, but the fact they are less likely to go on to higher education than any other demographic group except travellers and Roma is now the subject of a parliamentary inquiry.
Lower education standards, limited job opportunities and Third World life expectancy in Glasgow are as much an influence as anything football clubs do or don’t say.
Former Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said strict liability for supporter behaviour for all clubs should be considered, but it’s Rangers he had in his sights.
But where is the liability for the failure of an education system to ensure values of tolerance are understood and adhered to by all? Where is the liability for condemning thousands to live in grim estates with few amenities and scant attention to proper maintenance which destroys community pride?
Where is the liability for allowing a drugs epidemic and demoralising, low-level crime to flourish? After last Thursday’s mass protest in Pollokshields, where is the liability for condoning some gatherings while condemning others? Where is the liability for rejecting the club’s sensible suggestion to permit a limited gathering?
Sure, the SNP can be voted out, but accept liability for failure? Not in a month of Saturdays and no wonder thousands of supporters stuck up two fingers.
The condemnation of Rangers as a club was in full flow after the vandalism which followed the league clincher in March. I thought it would make matters worse and it didn’t take long to prove that right. The club’s song is Follow, Follow and my dad and cousin did so to their graves, and no mindless hooligans, partial politicians or sanctimonious commentators will stop its supporters doing the same.
John McLellan is a Conservative councillor in Edinburgh
George Square was a howl of rage but it may also have been a cry for help
Hugh MacDonald article :-
https://t.co/XDz5sOT38C
The herald may 2021
It was instructive to be an unwitting attender at the Rangers celebrations last week. Heading for the Clyde tunnel on the way home after a holiday on Arran, my car gently eased its way among supporters at Ibrox more than two hours after the match and presentation of the Scottish Premiership trophy.
My passenger, who knows as much about football as I do about astrophysics, asked for an explanation of the scenes. Her reply was pointed. “If they are celebrating, why does everyone seem so angry?”
Why, indeed.
I have watched Scottish football in eight different decades. The biggest most dramatic switch in this time has been the role and perception of Rangers in the national game.
Once it was an institution viewed, with resentment or awe, as the establishment club. Once, with varying degrees of accuracy, it was viewed as the second club for those fans of Falkirk, Kilmarnock, Hearts or whoever. A friend once opined to me many decades ago: “There are two supports in Scotland: the Celtic support and the anti-Celtic support.”
No more. Rangers have become isolated. The club and the fans have become the targets of contempt, vilification and wounding humour. This all coalesced around the liquidation of the Rangers Football Club plc which was started in 2012.The anger of the Rangers fans, though, has deeper causes than the economic meltdown of their club and the perceived injustices that ensued.
There is disillusion even disenfranchisement at the heart of a substantial section of the Ibrox support. It is ironically expressed in the slogan that is plastered on club property and routinely expressed by the support. It proclaims: We Are The People. Except, of course, they are not. They are some of The People but increasingly at odds with a changing Scotland.
There were once certainties in Scotland. I lived through them as a child of the sixties. It was a country of largely full-employment. What was dubbed the white, Protestant working-class were ensured a job, perhaps even a trade. There was a simple monoculture, Scottish nationalism was largely a fringe belief that flared up occasionally at by-elections.
The routine question of what school you attended, asked in interviews and placed on forms, served as protection to the Protestant, or more accurately non-Catholic, status quo.
No more. Scotland is a multi-cultural society, however fragile and incomplete that state may be. Scotland is a country where the Union is under threat. Scotland is no longer a country of full employment. Scotland is a country where the working-class can now be crudely lumped as the non-working class.
This has all impacted heavily on a constituency who believed they were The People. Historic certainties have disappeared. They have been replaced by a reality that is unpalatable. Once seemingly in tune with prevailing orthodoxy, they are now loudlu discordant as the world moves on and they are marooned in a present and future that offers only a threat to beliefs they hold but cannot fully articulate.
Human beings crave certainty. The first reaction to change is often to stimulate our fight or flight response. There can be an added layer of resentment that those who were once viewed as intrinsically and irredeemably inferior are now patently in positions of power and influence. There can be a feeling that one is cast aside, forgotten, no longer part of the imperatives or drift of society at large.
All this was reflected in the chants and songs over last week. But it was most obviously demonstrated in behaviour. The violence was explained by some as a “football thing”. It was labelled by others as a “drink thing”. But other football fans do not “celebrate” this way. When Rangers fans discovered there was no one to fight with, they fought with Rangers fans.
Celtic won 12 consecutive, domestic trophies – the last just before Christmas – without the need to call in police in riot gear. St Johnstone won the league cup this season and the idea of fan disorder in Perth is absurd to the point of producing a guffaw.
This is a Rangers problem. This is a problem that permeates the Rangers support. It flared up gaudily and violently last week. It occurred in March after the league was won. It happened in Manchester at the UEFA Cup final in 2008. It happens with a weary regularity.There is deep, unaddressed anger in all of this. The events at George Square can be described as a howl of rage.But it may also be a cry for help.
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