12/31/2002

Lennon ready for comback.

Celtic midfielder Neil Lennon has announced that he will be ready to return to action in the Scottish Cup third round in January after a hamstring injury.

The 31-year-old has not played since the UEFA Cup third round, second leg against Celta Vigo in Spain, but maintains he will be fully fit for the first game after the winter break

12/30/2002

Police statement regarding Aberdeen game

On Thursday 2 January 2003, Aberdeen FC will entertain Celtic in an SPL fixture with a 3.00pm kick off. Due to the holiday, a large crowd is anticipated and Police are urging fans travelling to the game by car or coach to arrive early to avoid congestion.

Opposing supporters will be segregated and this will involve Park Road being closed to all Traffic from Seaforth Road northwards to Accommodation Road from 1330hrs until 1730hrs. Fans intending to park their vehicles at or near to Pittodrie are asked to approach from either King Street or Accommodation Road via Beach Esplanade.

Celtic Supporters coaches will continue to be parked on Beach Boulevard and Links Road where a one way system will be in operation. Away support walking to the match from the coaches will not be affected by the Road Closure and will be allowed access to the South Stand by the normal route on Park Road.

The barriers set up for the road closure will affect home and away supporters after the match as the travelling support will be allowed to leave the ground first. Aberdeen supporters leaving the ground intending to walk south up Park Road will thereafter be directed along Seaforth Road to King Street and this may cause a slight delay in their onward journey.

Parking restrictions will be in place from 1100 hours on the day of the match on Emergency access routes around Pittodrie and not from 1300hrs as directed on time plates . The main roads affected by the restrictions are :-

Urquhart Road Seaforth Road Park Road Golf Road Pittodrie Street Pittodrie Place Linksfield Road Merkland Road East Ardarrroch Road

Grampian Police hope that the game passes without incident and thank the public for their cooperation and support.

12/28/2002

PETROV PIPPED AT THE POST

Bayer Leverkusen forward Dimitar Berbatov has been named as Bulgaria's Footballer of the Year.

Stuttgart's Krassimir Balakov came the second with Stilian Petrov of Celtic third.

12/26/2002

Burchill put up for sale by Pompey

MARK Burchill has been put on the transfer list at Portsmouth, only 16 months after the Scotland striker left Celtic in search of first-team football.

Burchill, 22, is being allowed to leave Fratton Park at the earliest opportunity after manager Harry Redknapp made it clear the six-times capped player had no future with the Division 1 leaders.

Burchill cost Portsmouth £600,000, with the fee rising to £1 million after a certain amount of first-team appearances, but his spell on the south coast has been ruined by a knee ligament injury which put him out of action for a year.

Redknapp said: "Mark is a good lad and I have nothing against him, but he is not among my first choice of strikers.

"He has already turned down a move to Sheffield Wednesday and I hope we can fix him up somewhere else for his own benefit."

12/25/2002

Brazilian move looks dead.

Celtic manager Martin O'Neill has virtually ruled out the winter arrival of Brazilian superstar Kleberson.

The Atletico Paranaense midfielder was a loan target for the Parkhead boss before the transfer window closed in August.

12/24/2002

Petta for Charlton?

Media reports this morning are linking Celtic's Bobby Petta with a £300,000 move to English Premiership side Charlton Athletic. Petta has hardly featured in Martin O'Neill's starting line up's this season and is now well down the pecking order for inclusion in the side.

12/23/2002

BHOYCOTT THE DAILY RANGER

The Celtic supporters Association have issued a statement asking Celtic supporters to bhoycott then newspaper The Daily Record, for years this particular rag has been having a dig at our club. After last week's events at the Celtic players Christmas night out the paper went completely over the top with their reporting. We are 100% behind the Association on this one, lets kick them and their so called reporters out of Celtic Park. Surely the club must take some sort of action against this rag. We wait with baited breath on a statement being issued by our PR department.

12/20/2002

HOOPS BOSS BACK TRIO

Celtic manager Martin O'Neill insists he is 100% convinced the three players at the centre of the club's Christmas party scandal are innocent of the allegations made against them.

Joos Valgaeren, Johan Mjallby and Bobby Petta spent Tuesday night in police cells after a night out in Newcastle led to arrests amid allegations a photographer's equipment was damaged.

The trio have been bailed to reappear before magistrates in Tyneside in March.

O'Neill made it clear he felt the allegations were of a most serious nature, but he insisted his own investigations had already allowed him to conclude that the trio were innocent.

"Very serious allegations have been made," said the Irishman. "It is a police investigation and enquiry. The three players are denying strenuously these allegations.

"I have absolute and utter confidence that all three are innocent of the allegations which have been made against them.

"I have asked them individually and I believe them," added O'Neill.

Meanwhile, club skipper Paul Lambert apologised for any hurt these allegations may have caused fans of the Scottish champions.

The Scotland star read from a prepared statement that had been written on behalf of Mjallby, Valgaeren and Petta.

"We went out to Newcastle on Tuesday evening for the players to have a social night out in much the same way as groups of colleagues do across Scotland at Christmas time," he said.

"It was never our wish to cause any upset or embarrassment to anyone, whether in Newcastle or back in Scotland.

"We appreciate the press reports may have caused upset and embarrassment to both the club and the supporters.

"The players take their own reputations and that of the club very seriously and, without in any way commenting on the accuracy of the press reports, the players wish to apologise for the fact that a perfectly innocent club night out has caused the club and its fans to be disappointed," he added.

12/19/2002

AT LAST A BIT OF GOOD NEWS NOT INVOLVING THE POLICE.

Celtic manager Martin O'Neill has been named as the Bank of Scotland Manager of the Month for November. The defending champions won all their matches last month, including their Uefa Cup second leg triumph at Blackburn and their first leg victory over Celta Vigo, which set up progress to the fourth round.

12/18/2002

SLOVAKIAN MAGICIAN VOTED PLAYER OF THE DECADE

Ex Celt Lubo Moravcik has been voted Slovakia's Player of the Decade. He got more than half of the votes.

12/18/2002

Celtic players arrested after night out

Three Celtic first-team players spent the night in custody after being arrested during a club night out, police said today.

The three - Bobby Petta, Johan Mjallby, and Joos Valgaeren, according to sources - were arrested outside a Newcastle nightclub last night by police probing the alleged theft of a press photographer's camera.

The club had been staging its Christmas party at the American-themed bar, Buffalo Joe's, where bikini-clad waitresses serve customers.

A Northumbria Police spokeswoman said: "The players were with the group from the club who were in Buffalo Joe's on the Gateshead side of the river, as were a number of photographers.

"There was an incident of some sort. The players left the premises, then one of the photographers reported the theft of his camera to police.

"After investigations on the quayside of the river, a number of Celtic players were arrested for questioning and three remain in custody and will be questioned later."

A Celtic spokeswoman said the club was still investigating what had happened and had no comment to make.

12/18/2002

12/17/2002

Corinthians Send Scheidt Back To Celtic

Corinthians are sending Brazilian defender Rafael Scheidt back to Celtic after two and a half years on loan.

The player was loaned to the club until December 31st, but the Brazilian Championship runners-up are no longer interested in his services.

Scheidt was considered one of the main reason for Corinthians' weak defence during the Brasileirão, and the supporters have been getting on his back. Corinthians are already looking for a replacement.

The player's contract with Celtic runs until 2004 and he will return to Parkhead as no offers from Brazilian clubs were made.

12/17/2002

Healy on the move?

Celtic's Colin Healy is set for a cut price move to Everton when the transfer window reopens next month. Healy has not featured in any of Martin O'Neill's recent starting eleven's and Celtic now look as if they are about to offload the Republic of Ireland internationlist.

12/16/2002

Guests spoil Wolfsburg party

Celtic's next opponents in the UEFA Cup VfB Stuttgart secured a 2-1 away win at the opening of VfL Wolfsburg's new €50m stadium.

12/16/2002

DUNDEE UNITED CHASE KENNEDY

Dundee United are keen on signing Celtic youngster John Kennedy. Tannadice boss Paul Hegarty admitted he has made enquiries for the Scotland Under-21 international, but has been rebuffed by Celtic manager Martin O'Neill.

"I can confirm I have inquired about John in the past," said Hegarty.

"He is a good player but the situation is that Martin O'Neill has said he is not available."

Kennedy has failed to establish himself at Parkhead and the 19-year-old is behind Bobo Balde, Joos Valgaeren, Johan Mjallby and Ulrik Laursen in the pecking order at Parkhead and has only had a few outings in the CIS Cup.

Kennedy is highly rated within the corridors of Parkhead and it is unlikely that they will let him leave.

12/14/2002

Celtic fans' row: Airline defends pilot's mayday call

The airline at the centre of an alert involving Celtic football fans today stood by its pilot’s decision to divert the flight.

Six men were arrested yesterday for allegedly carrying out public order offences on the Boeing 737, travelling from Santiago to Glasgow with 148 people on board.

The pilot issued a Mayday distress call, an RAF Sea King helicopter was alerted and armed police, firefighters and ambulance teams were sent to Cardiff Airport, where the plane landed at about 3.30pm yesterday.

Angry Celtic football fans, returning home to Glasgow today, hit out at claims that there had a been a “riot” on board the passenger plane.

They said yesterday’s events had been blown out of proportion.

However, the Gatwick-based charter airline Astraeus, which operated the flight, said it now had a clear picture of the events that caused the pilot to divert to Cardiff.

Its spokesman, Iain Macauley, said there had been two disturbances on the aircraft.

The first, at the front, involved a passenger smoking, he said.

Mr Macauley added: “A senior cabin crew member pointed out that it was against air travel regulations to smoke on the aircraft.

“This passenger objected to being asked to extinguish his cigarette.”

He said the second incident occurred at the rear of the aircraft cabin, after the captain made a public address announcement stating that the behaviour encountered at the front of the aircraft would not be tolerated.

Mr Macauley said: “A number of passengers at the rear of the aircraft objected strongly and loudly, one female passenger becoming particularly agitated, and at least 10 other passengers became involved.

“In the ensuing fracas the cabin crew member was struck on the arm.”

He said she had been examined by paramedics on arrival at Cardiff, but no hospital treatment was required.

“It has become apparent from our debriefing of cabin crew that passengers in the forward and centre sections of the cabin may not have been aware of the second disturbance,” said Mr Macauley.

At that stage, a cabin crew member contacted the pilot, making it clear that the cabin crew felt matters were threatening the safety of the aircraft and the pilot made the decision to divert to Cardiff.

12/10/2002

LATEST TRANSFER RUMOUR

Tranfer rumour surrounding Motherwell youngster James McFadden is that the he will sign for Celtic when the transfer window opens.

Celtic manager Martin O'Neill is rumoured to be ready with a offer of £1 million when the transfer window opens in January.

12/10/2002

EX CELTS IN THE NEWS

Vidar Riseth, former Celtic defender, is set to return to his native Norway to sign for Rosenborg after falling out of favour with TSV 1860 Munich.

Meanwhile, the former Celtic defender Brian O'Neil is training at Kilmarnock as he considers resuming his career in Scotland.

The Scotland international, who was released by Derby County last month, will spend the week at Rugby Park and manager Jim Jefferies has refused to rule out a move for the versatile O'Neil, 30.

"In football you never say never," Jefferies said. "Brian has sorted out his situation with Derby and it is an opportunity for him to train for a week and keep himself fit."

12/10/2002

Mjällby leads Celtic victory charge

Celtic U21 3 - Rangers U21 1

In contrast to the elders the Celtic under 21 side enjoyed a reasonably comfortable win over their Old Firm rivals.

Johan Mjällby started his second recovery outing and marshalled the defence with his striking blond mane the most distinguishing feature on the park. Tom Boyd partnered him in an experienced defence to give Celtic a good balance of youth and experience.

Booby Petta, Stephen Crainey, Shaun Maloney and Colin Healy completed the first team fringe contingent.

Rangers, in contrast, fielded an entirely reserve side, although Stephen Hughes has proved a worthy utility in Alex McLeish's first-team options manual.

The Rangers side looked to continue, like their senior counterparts, a rich vein of goal scoring form with 14 in their previous two games away at Partick Thistle and at home to Aberdeen, but Simon Lynch breached the visitors' rearguard with a little help from comic Rangers defending in 15 minutes.

A healthy, if shivering, crowd of roughly 500 then enjoyed some good measured Rangers probing, and Stephen Dobbie should have levelled with a header on 20 minutes.

A rare sight in the senior set up and more reminiscent of the erstwhile German playboy Berndt Schuster, Mjällby surged forward and skipped past two Rangers defenders before his shot was well saved by McGregor at the near post.

It is intriguing to analyse the conduct of the senior fringe players and Mjällby led by example, looking untroubled by his troublesome knee, whereas Petta was content to try and beat the entire Rangers back division single-handedly whenever he got the ball.

Mjällby then scrambled a second goal for Celtic in 43 minutes after a Petta corner led to some six-yard box pinball.

The stadium announcer was obviously taken with Mjällby's blond corona and attributed the goal to the striking Swede with all the enthusiasm of a red-neck preacher.

The big Swede then vacated the scene in 62 minutes and some of the Rangers faithful advised him it was time for a visit to the Parkhead barbers.

Maloney then had the best two chances of a scrappy and subdued second half when once clean through and also from a close-range free header but spurned both chances, before Steven McLean rifled in a great goal from a Stephen Hughes pass in 80 minutes. However, the Rangers comeback was quelled when Maloney made up for his earlier misses with a trademark free kick on 84 minutes.

So as for the balance of power in the second string, it's pretty much status quo.

Celtic (4-3-3) Marshall; Boyd (McBride 45), Crainey, Mjällby (Beattie 62), Kennedy; Healey, Smith (Wallace 41), Fotheringham; Lynch, Maloney, Petta

Rangers (4-3-3) McGregor; Hutton, Reid, Dowie, Gibson; Hughes, Adam (Brighton 65), McHale (Walker 79); McLean, Dobbie, Burke

Referee Eddie Smith

12/9/2002

Manchester United to Face Celtic, Barcelona, Juventus in U.S.

Manchester United will face Juventus, Barcelona and Glasgow Celtic on a four-match soccer tour of the U.S. in July and August.

United is scheduled to play Celtic July 22 in Seattle before taking on Club America of Mexico in Los Angeles five days later, the English Premiership team said.

United, which won the English title seven times in the past 10 years, will meet Juventus at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 31. It will conclude Aug. 3 against Barcelona in Philadelphia.

``We'll be taking over our top players, and the quality of the opposition means American fans will get the chance to watch some world-class football,'' Peter Kenyon, chief executive of Manchester United, said in an emailed statement.

United, whose roster includes the likes of David Beckham, Ruud van Nistelrooij and Ryan Giggs, closed within three points of Premiership leader Arsenal with a 2-0 victory against the defending champion on Saturday.

12/9/2002

Five-star Madrid help Celta

RC Celta de Vigo moved into third place in the Primera División after RCD Mallorca's unbeaten run ended at home to Real Madrid CF. Celta defeated Alaves by 2 goals to 1.

12/8/2002

CELTA VIGO TWO AFTER 23 MINS.

Celta Vigo 2 CD Alaves 0 Edu 21 Luccin pen 23

12/5/2002

BOSS BANNED FOR TWO GAMES

UEFA this afternoon handed Martin O'Neill a two-match touchline ban in punishment for his sending off against Celta Vigo last Thursday. The Celtic boss had attempted to contest Claude Calumbo's decision to dismiss him from the dugout, but UEFA's Control and Disciplinary Body were clearly unmoved by his protestations. O'Neill will now decide on whether to lodge an appeal before the deadline of midnight on Sunday December 8, knowing that, if unsuccessful, he will be sitting in the stands for next Thursday's return leg at Celta's Balaídos stadium.

12/3/2002

Ref for Saturday.

Kenny Clark has been confirmed as the match referee for Saturday's Old Firm clash at Ibrox, which will also be shown live on BBC television with a 12.30pm kick off.

12/3/2002

MJALLBY: NO CHANCE OF OLD FIRM RETURN

Celtic defender Johan Mjallby admits he has no chance of being fit for the Old Firm derby on Saturday.

The Swedish international returned to action in an Under-21 game against Motherwell on Monday afternoon after surgery on a knee injury which has kept him on the sidelines since August.

But Mjallby said: "I struggled a little bit with my timing and everything, because I've only had four or five training sessions before this game.

"But the knee felt all right, there was no pain and that was the most important thing.

"It will probably take two to three weeks. The Celta Vigo game will be just too early, but there is no reason to rush it with the side playing so well at the moment.

"I am desperate to return and look forward to getting 90 minutes next time."

12/2/2002

Celtic to face Feyenoord in tribute match

Celtic will play Feyenoord on Wednesday January 22 in a 'tribute' match for the 1967 European Cup-winning side.

The Hoops played the Dutch side in the 1970 European Cup final, three years after lifting the trophy.

Celtic became the first British side to win the cup by beating Inter Milan in Lisbon.

12/2/2002

Celta Vigo move up La Liga

RC Celta de Vigo claimed fourth place as they won 2-0 at Real Valladolid. Catanha and Edu scored to keep Celta a point ahead of Real Betis Balompié, who beat Athletic Club Bilbao 1-0 with a goal from Marcos Assunção

12/1/2002

KHARINE SEES RED IN DEBUT

Former Celtic goalkeeper Dmitri Kharine was dramatically sent off on his debut in non-league football.

The 34-year-old Russian, who only signed for little Essex outfit Hornchurch last week, was given a red card for head butting.

Kharine clashed with Berkhamsted Town striker John Richardson near the end of their Ryman League North Division One match which ended 1-1.

Kharine reacted angrily after Richardson challenged heavily for the ball just as he was about to pick it up.