The Pre-Season is so exciting…

By: Matt | July 24th, 2008

Celtic have never really been a club to come out of the pre-season friendly gates roaring. Celtic lost 2-0 to the MLS All Stars (though as Julie Foudy just told me, the MLS All Stars have never trailed to its foreign opponent) and needed a super-strike from prisoner Derek Riordan to draw the Chicago Fire and Senor White’s opening day (though Celtic fans did not fight with MLS fans, something this year’s MLS All Star Opponent West Ham was not able to accomplish). Once again Celtic have come out of the gates slowly, drawing Tuesday with Middlesborough and losing to Championship side Cardiff City. While pre-season friendlies are not any type of indicator for the season, for a football starved supporter who hasn’t seen his team play in months, it is hard not to get worried about these type of results. However…

While you always want your team to win the game, a big part of these preseason friendlies is getting players into game shape and getting everyone in the game. Such was the case today. While Cardiff City put 7 of the 11 of their FA Cup Finals side into the starting lineup, Celtic…well…not so much. Andreas Hinkel, Scott Brown, Paul Hartley, and Barry Robson were the only players who played significant minutes last year in the starting line up. Aiden McGeady was not even part of the squad, first choice strikers Scott McDonald and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink were on the bench, and even captain Stephen McManus started on the bench. While no one likes boring play and no scoring (which is what Celtic fans were treated to), with injuries already piling up there is no need to go full tilt with our starting XI. Hopefully friendlies next week with Feyenoord, Tottenham, and Dortmund see more entertaining play.

A player who has been a fixture for these friendlies is recently released defender Bobo Balde. Bobo has been playing basically a bunch of televised trials for teams who might be interested in his services. The big man’s play has been mixed, with a mistake today leading to the Cardiff goal, but assisting Tuesday by sticking his huge melon up there and getting the ball to Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink. One of the teams looking at Bobo is Wolverhampton, but it seems Bobo’s £30,000 a week salary might be a problem. Apparently unlike Celtic, the Wolves have some reservations about paying a non-starter that kind of money. Any seasoned FIFA-08 player can tell you that just get Bobo’s morale high and you can cut that salary down big time!

Celtic reserves and U19’s have been participating in some friendlies as well. One was originally scheduled to be against West Belfast side Glentoran FC but apparently there was a “conflict with the dates” (riiiiiiggghhhht….) and a date with *ahem* more friendly Donegal Celtic. Well cutting out the politics shit, the Celtic XI were able to defeat Donegal Celtic 1-0 after Derek Riordan (yes, the poor bastard is still here) netted the winner in the 83rd minute. For the love of god Strachan, give Riordan his release! He has far too much talent to be mucking it up in a “Celtic XI”.

Finally, there still has been no “white smoke” when it comes to Romanian Defender Gabriel Tamas and Celtic. There have been reports saying he might be announced any day and similar talks saying the deal has fell through. Oh well, I’m off to hopefully see some West Ham fans bash some Toronto fans!