Andy Walker on Celtic

Yeah I agree with most of it too. The one thing that does annoy me about Walker though is that he likes to give the impression he was a big fantastic player for celtic, he was decent nothing more

 

The huns rally round their team and are critical when they should be.

Walker, Provan are scumbags.

Walker thinks he is a major journalist, he could not hack it as a commentator (boring listening to him). We need to stop pandering to this fecking idiots, Tosh McKinlay got sick of them all bad mouthing the Tic and quit the hun radio shows.

Lenny stick it right into them son!!!!

 

same!centenary hero who also suffered the bad times-when the other team had MORE MONEY and always WON the league!

 

celtic manager answers critics

Paul Cuddihy
IN an exclusive interview with Channel 67, Celtic manager Neil Lennon has answered the criticism which has been levelled at him and his team in the wake of the midweek match against Sporting Braga.

Celtic won the match 2-1 thanks to goals from home debut Bhoys Gary Hooper and Efrain Juarez, though they lost the tie 4-2 on aggregate.

And the Celtic boss was dismayed at some of the negative reaction which has followed the game, in particular from former players.

TO WATCH THE FULL CHANNEL 67 INTERVIEW WITH CELTIC MANAGER NEIL LENNON, CLICK HERE

“I was pleased with the performance on Wednesday night,” he said. “I got the reaction that I wanted from the players after going a goal down, which was difficult for them. Their spirit, quality and intensity of their play was very good.

“We had five or six players making their debuts for Celtic in a very high-pressured situation. So it wasn’t ideal obviously, under the circumstances, but we had to do it and I was very pleased with the new boys.

“I thought Juarez was everywhere on the park, and scored a goal which has matched the total from midfield for the whole of last season.

“Joe Ledley was asked to play in one position then another and fitted in very nicely. Gary Hooper scored his goal and Cha was up and down the pitch all day putting in cross after cross.

“So I can understand the disappointment of going out of the tournament as we are all feeling it, but I have to look at the bigger picture here and I can see signs that the players are bedding together.

“They are scoring goals which is pleasing. Obviously we need to keep the back door shut which we will work on over the coming weeks. But there are glimpses that things are taking place.

“However I am not surprised at the criticism that has come but I am surprised at the areas where it has come from.

“I picked up a tabloid today and it was ex-players who were wearing a Celtic shirt at a promotional event for Tennent’s and getting paid good money for it and then going ahead and putting the boot into the team, the club, the board and myself.

“I can’t have that and will not accept that. One particular player criticised my signing policy. I said I was trying to bring British and Irish players into the club which I have done - Joe Ledley, Charlie Mulgrew, Daryl Murphy and Gary Hooper.

“I did try to go after Bullard, James and Campbell but I was unsuccessful with that. But all he could think about were the Israelis, South Koreans and Mexicans, who I think will enhance and improve the club anyway. So he is a bit economical with the truth there.

“He said we went out of the competition with a whimper. That’s his opinion … and he also said we didn’t have a sustained amount of pressure and there was a lack of crosses against Braga, which was, again, a falsehood.

“We put 37 crosses in. We scored from two and had 65 per cent possession. I am not big on stats, but I have to use these to back up what I said after the game.”

The Celtic manager also defended his captain, saying that Scott Brown had a tremendous game and highlighted a piece of determined defensive play in the first-half which prevented Braga possibly scoring a second goal.

“He was prompting attack after attack, winning the ball back and covering the ground,” said Neil Lennon. “I couldn’t have asked any more of him.”

The Celtic manager also gave his reaction to the Europa League play-off draw. The Irishman knows that the Hoops face a tough tie against Dutch side FC Utrecht, but he is confident that his side can progress to the group stage of the competition.

The first leg of the tie takes place at Celtic Park on Thursday, August 19, with the return in Holland a week later. And the Hoops boss will be looking for another big crowd at Paradise to get behind the team just as they did last week against SC Braga.

“Whenever a Dutch team comes they will always try and play football and technically they are very good,” the Celtic manager said. “We are familiar with one or two of Utrecht’s players but we will be doing our homework between now and the first leg.

“We want to put on a good performance against Utrecht and take a lead over there and hopefully get into the group stages and anything can happen after that.

“One of the reasons why the players come here is for the Europeans nights and to sample the atmosphere, to play European football, and there is a lot to look forward to this season.”

lennys view!

 

Yep, was on my dad's shoulders as a wee nipper when he scored a double in the 3-0 win over Dundee to clinch the title in the centenary season.

I just remember being dumbstruck by the colour and noise of it all, including an incredible YNWA near the end, thousand of fans were locked outside the ground.

Who could've known the barren years that lay ahead.

 

Here here...brilliant interview by Lenny and let's hope he mullers the press if they get out of order - Mogga gave them a very easy ride.

I agree Provan, Nicholas, Walker and Burley are all anti-Celtic...their massive egos have been bruised by Celtic and they are abusing their privilaged position to as Lenny says "put the boot into the club". Shame on them and well done Neil.

 

we started in the celtic end,had to climb into the main stand cos the crush,and ended up bein sheperded into the jungle that game!must have been 80 000 that day!

 

We were in the Dundee end, he knew a trick or 2 my old man

There were only about 100 Dundee fans there, so many fans like us just covered up their scarves until we got in.

That section ended up with thousands of Celtic fans in it. I remember my Dad blethering with a couple of Dundee fans, one of them even took a shot of puttin me up on ther shoulders as my dad was in agony from carryin me. :icon_mrgreen:

Different times.

 

Andy Walker was a completely average player at least people like Charlie Nic and Provan had real class, he should shut the * up. *

 

Andy Walker was 100% bang on with his opinion ...... anyone who disagrees is either deluded or thick, or 12 years old

 

different times indeed-football was a pleasure those days-seems more a chore now

 

Andy Walker was dead on with that article and obviously he is getting fed up with how we have lacked to move forward from the successes of 3-4 years ago. Not every ex-Celt just attacks Celtic because they don't like th club, its because they dont like being a a second fiddle, european inept club.

But........ Charlie Nick is a *.

 

I don't have a problem with ex players saying what they feel aslong as it's a true reflection of the current situation.all he was really saying is the board have missed there chance to bury the Huns with lenny and Mowbray

 

I agree, well worded!

 

walker is correct...totally!

 

I don't like Andy Walker, I remember getting in my car after Barca at CP when we got beat 3 v 1 and he said we were an embarassment, that day we had the best team in Europe rattled for 30 minutes and looked like we might get something and that * said we got embarassed, and he has made many silly statements regarding our team over the years, that said, as long as Lenny is willing to come out and answer the critics, let them talk, it's refreshing to see our manager sticking up for the team publicly!

 

nearly 4yrs ago and this * is still talking *!

 

*Threads Merged *

 

andy walker said everything ive said(and been slatedfor)on this forum for ages now-give neil lennon a season tho-then we storm the gates!

 

I said last season why have all the media came out and suporter NL, now they have just started, so beware greeks bearing gifts, the trojans found that out to their cost, bit of history, but apt, will Celtic fans never follow the Liverpool fans and block all these *, don't know one media pundit who speaks up for us even ex players but said again he has spoken the truth hear maybe you don't want to hear it.