A Football Report

By Anthony Lopopolo

Sitting there in the dugout was hard enough. He’d rather be running with his players, doing anything but sitting. So Neil Lennon got up. But standing wasn’t helpful, either.  “I was up and down and up and down,” he told reporters. “I was trying to stay calm, but inside my stomach was churning.”

He was living the final defining moments and seconds of his managerial career, and they were horrible. The type of minutes you want to hasten, not savour. Five minutes of stoppage time stood in the way of his Celtic — and it is increasingly becoming his, the imprint of his success becoming more and more indelible in this most historical year, its 125th, for the club, and the next round of the Champions League.

So Lennon chewed his gum. “It’s taking a pounding,” said one commentator. But he needn’t have worried. Georgios Samaras did such a good job possessing the ball – hording it, really, as he had all game, in the farthest corner of the field that time ticked off harmlessly. And then the whistle blew. Lennon threw his arms in the air, but, being one of the most effusive managers in the game, he did not bellow or run rampantly or bawl. He was stoic.

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By Allan Edgar

Barcelona in 14 competitive matches under new coach Tito Vilanova: 13 wins and a single home draw to Real Madrid. The Catalan giants arrived in Glasgow on the back of a victory over Celta Vigo which equalled the record points haul after ten matches in La Liga. Suffice to say, 125th anniversary or not, hosts Celtic were given little hope going into the match.

As a Celtic fan, I wasn’t nervous going into the match - I soaked up the atmosphere in the ‘fanzone’ in Glasgow in the afternoon looking forward to a festival of football later in the evening. When the draw was made, I bargained for nothing from two ties against a side whom I’ve been fortunate enough to see a handful of times home and away - they truly are a footballing phenomenon.

Just over two weeks ago, Celtic were tantalisingly close to a point at the catherdal of football, the famous Camp Nou. Jordi Alba’s scruffy late goal gave Barcelona what was, in hindsight, a deserved win for a team who not only dominated possession but created a number of clear-cut chances to be denied by Fraser Forster.

Barcelona had won the last two of their visits to Parkhead in recent years and as if the task didn’t seem tough enough; Celtic were missing three key players including captain Scott Brown and talisman Gary Hooper.

Like any good film script worth its salt; the occasion had all the necessary pre-requisites.

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Aiden McGeady, the pride of Celtic Park for so many years, has completed a reported £9.5-10m move to Spartak Moscow. Celtic fans will clearly be disappointed by this, as no one wants to lose a club hero like that. However, having personally spoken to Celtic manager Neil Lennon when Celtic were in Boston to play Sporting Lisbon, I think this is great news. Why? Well quite simply because Celtic need the money to rebuild their squad.

After losing 4-2 on aggregate in Champions League qualifying to Braga, it became clear that the runner-ups in the Scottish Premier League did not possess the class to compete with Europe’s elite. And though McGeady arguably was Celtic’s best player, £10m, if well-spent, can purchase 4, 5, or even 6 really solid professionals. The relatively recent £2.1 signing of young South Korean international Ki Sung-Yong is a prime example of the type of player Lennon should look for. Lennon told me that he wanted to add at least two more players to his squad before the SPL kicked off, and the Hoops desperately need to replace the lost Artuc Boruc, and quickly because their goalkeeper situation is in a fairly dire condition. So as one legend leaves, a new generation emerges?

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By Eric and Jordan Beard, writing from Boston

After the highly anticipated “Football at Fenway” match at the Boston Red Sox’s Fenway Park between Celtic FC and Sporting Clube de Portugal, which Celtic won on penalties after regulation finished 1-1, Celtic manager Neil Lennon talked about the everything from the match to playing in a baseball stadium. We were able to ask him what he thought about the strong support shown by the Irish Celtic supporters in Boston and about the current situation of his squad, which he admitted needs a few more players. He was adamant that he needed a goalkeeper to replace Artuc Boruc, who has gone to Fiorentina. He also told us how this particular friendly against Sporting was a perfect warm-up for his side’s Champions League qualifying match against SC Braga on July 29th.

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By Eric & Jordan Beard

The day before Celtic is set to take on Sporting Lisbon in the first football match at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts in over 45 years, we were able to take in training sessions and a special presentation from the Red Sox organization involving both storied European clubs. This is undoubtedly a rather historic match for Red Sox fans, but it is worth noting that the Portuguese and Scottish players were certainly still in preseason mode Tuesday evening. Celtic were joking around on the pitch, kicking the ball against Fenway’s famous “Green Monster”. Sporting Lisbon were content practicing absurd flicks and skills. Though there was a relaxed atmosphere on the pitch, there were many important men and women supporting the event. From UK Consulate Generals to State Senators, all eyes in the area have been fixated on this novelty match that has already sold over 30,000 tickets. Though the players were not available for formal interview, we captured quite a bit of footage from the pre-match gathering.

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By Ryan Morrison

Is it possible that in the not so distant future the Scottish national team could consist entirely of players born outside of the country?

The chief executive of the Scottish Football Association Gordon Smith had been lobbying FIFA to utilise the new eligibility rule, agreed by the home nations, allows a player who was born in one country but spends at least five years of his education in another country to opt to be eligible for the latter.

With new manager Craig Levein compiling a definitive dossier of every player who may be eligible and stating he will be contacting every agent in the United Kingdom in a bid to assess who could be a future star for the country.

On 13 October 2009, Islam Feruz became the first player to use the new FIFA rule that meant despite being born in Somalia he could play for the Scotland Football team as he had been schooled in Scotland for the required five years.

Feruz, 15, came to Glasgow seven years ago with his mother and two younger sisters, seeking asylum because of violence between rival warlords.

While only 13 in 2008 he made his debut for Celtic under 19s and just under a year later he made his first team debut in the Tommy Burns Tribute Match. International honours soon followed and on 20 October 2009 Feruz made his international debut for Scotland’s national under-17 football team against Cyprus U17s.

Feruz has been described as the best player of his generation by his youth coaches at Celtic and Scotland and he says “I have been very proud to live in Scotland. It’s a great country which is now my home and I will be proud to wear the Scotland jersey.”