First off, a history of Hibs? Weren’t Hibs were founded before Celtic, for the same reason that Celtic was, to help the needy Irish immigrants of the Edinburgh area.? However, it seems Hibs has attempted to move away from this past and become more “Scottish”. Why was this done, what were the effects on the fan base, and what does the current Hibs fan base think of it’s history?

There are several innacuracies with your version of events. Hibs were started before Celtic and the initial idea behind Celtic was to build a similar club to Hibernian in the West of Scotland. Unfortunately the Glasgow club was hijacked by businessmen and never managed to do any charitable work, becoming a commercial enterprise first and foremost from the very start. Amateur Hibs were still good enough to help out their Glasgow cousins start up only to be stabbed in the back by Celtic who took many of their best players with the lure of cash.

Hibs have never attempted to move away from their Irish roots, this is typical misinformation spread by bigoted Celtic fans. Hibs fans have heard this nonsense plenty over the years and The Celtic View published an apology a couple of years ago after publishing the same rubbish. Unlike Celtic fans, Hibs fans encompass and accept all faiths and beliefs equally and accept that we are a Scottish team with a proud Irish history.

Hibs always seems to be one of the “best of the rest” in the SPL, who can’t compete with the Celtic and Rangers, but always seems to be competeing for third in the SPL? Do Hibs fans ever see competing with the “Old Firm” again? What would it take to do so?

To say we can’t compete with Celtic ignores the fact that they haven’t beaten Hibs at Easter Road for 2 years. We have regularly beaten both sides of the Old Firm over the last few years. Hibs haven’t had the depth of squad to compete over a whole season. We appear to be getting closer to doing so with a strong youth policy (Hibs under 19s won an unprecedented league/cup double last season), good training facilities and strong signing policy (Anthony Stokes, Derek Riordan, Ian Murray being among the bigger names to have signed for the club recently).

Steven Fletcher was added to the list of another Hibs star who was eventually sold. Do Hibs fans ever get frustraited about this practice?

Of course. No fan wants to see their best players leave but most Hibs fans are happier to see their players show a bit of ambition in moving south rather than taking the easy option of moving west. It’s intriguing that Rangers/Celtic can’t afford Hibs’ best players these days – this is a great indication that the gap between Hibs and the Old Firm is narrowing.

While most think that the Celtic-Rangers rivalry is the most intense, Hibs and city rivals Hearts is one of the most intense derbies I’ve ever seen and can compare to a Celtic-Rangers match. What is your favorite memory from an Edinburgh Derby?

Waking up on a beach in Thailand, finding the only internet connection on the island was £1 per minute then finding out the score was 6-2 to us!!! I had to spend £20 to find out all possible details.

What is your worst memory from a Hearts game?

Seeing a player (Steve Fulton) being booked for merely being ugly. A travesty

For those that aren’t familiar with Hibs, what are some of Hibs biggest accomplishments?

First to wear the green. World Champions. First British team in Europe. A few leagues, a few cups, some great results against the biggest clubs in Europe. The greatest team the world has ever seen.

How did the off-season treat Hibs? Any new signings that the SPL should watch out for? Who left Easter Road?

The big players who left were Steven Fletcher (Burnley £3m) and our captain, Rob Jones (Scunthorpe £0.3m). We have two talented Moroccans return from loan deals (Benjeloun & Zemamma). This may not sound much but Zemamma is a huge player for the future. We also signed Anthony Stokes from Sunderland, brought through some youngsters and got a couple of decent midfield players from Falkirk.

What are your thoughts on the new season? Can Hibs compete for 3rd, or possibly even break the top 2?

3rd certainly. I’ll be disappointed with anything lower although I think Dundee United will be up there. It might be too soon for the top 2 but if the old firm continue to decline at their current rate, who knows?

Special thanks again to Rich. It’s always refreshing to see someone with as much passion for their club, even if they are a rival. Hibs have always played attacking football, instead of the usual 10 behind that most Scottish clubs try against Celtic. Once again, check out the Easter Road blog for all things Hibs.

In terms of the league, the club’s highest-ever finish has been third place in the old First Division. This was in 1970–71, when Saints finished behind Celtic and Aberdeen but ahead of Rangers. This third-placed finish led to a European adventure in the UEFA Cup, beating German giants HSV, something St. Pauli fans can appreciate, and Hungarians Vasas Budapest before finally going out in Yugoslavia to NK Zeljeznicar Sarajevo.

Most recently, the club has been going up and down between the top division and the first division in the last two decades. In 2002, St. Johnstone went down where they remained until this season. While the Saints remained in the First Division, they did enjoy some successes in the League Cup. In 2006, St. Johnstone beat Rangers 2–0 at Ibrox to reach the semi-finals of the League Cup. Steven Milne scored both of the goals. This was the club’s first victory at Ibrox since 1971. It was also the first time St. Johnstone beat Rangers in a cup competition, and the first time that Rangers had been eliminated from a major cup competition at home by lower-division opposition. The Saints continued to show promise in the First Division, always near the top of the table fighting for promotion, and in the 2008-2009 campaign, St. Johnstone seemed destined to return to the top flight. Finally, on May 2nd, 2009, Saints beat Greenock Morton 3-1 at McDiarmid Park to clinch the First Division title and a return to the Premier League after a seven-year absence.

There’s a little info on Celtic’s opponent this weekend, check back later for a preview of the match.

Despite being in familiar settings, Dundee have had a bad stretch against Celtic over the past few years at Tannadice. Celtic have beaten United the last nine times in Dundee, including the 1-0 last day title clinching winner last year (as if any of you need a video to remind you of that day, but here you go anyways). The Terrors’ side remains largely unchanged of that of last year, with new signing Francisco Sandaza likely to start on the bench. United will also be without Danny Swanson and Paul Sixson due to suspension. Needless to say, Craig Levein’s troops will be looking to improve on a poor performance monday night against the Accies.

Gordon Strachan will see Japanese international winger Shunsuke Nakamura fit and available for Sunday’s fixture. Hopefully this we see Barry “Robo Cop” Robson back in the middle, generally making SPL strikers and midfielders life a living hell, as he just looks clumsy on the wing, especially on the side of his weaker foot. The previously mentioned Barry Robson has been fighting a virus this week in training and Lee Naylor has suffered an unspecified knock as well, but both should be available for Sunday. The big question is, will new bhoy Glenn Loovens be available and see any playing time Sunday. Celtic have not officially announced the signings, but major media sources (besides this one…har har) have confirmed that the deal has been done. It might be safe to presume that it is just some legal tape and perhaps a physical that is preventing the release of the white smoke.

What the “Loove-ens Doctor”’s role with the team remains still speculation. Despite a slow start…and well middle of the season…Gary Caldwell has been solid in the back for Celtic, where as Captain Stephen McManus has been shaky at times recently. However, you’d have to assume that Gordon Strachan will not be sending his Captain to the bench. Caldwell might be put in his original position of defensive midfielder and partner to Barry Robson. Yet, that makes Scott Brown a very expensive benchwarmer and sends the likes of Massimo Donati further into a Riordan-hell via the reserves. More likely than not, it will continue to be a midfield by committee but even that prevents a cohesion and fluidity in the middle.

Both Celtic and Dundee will be looking for stronger performances than the week before. Dundee United will most likely come out firing and have even more motivation playing in front of the home crowd. Hopefully some more creativity will be seen by Celtic with the return of Naka and Robson to his normal position. Dundee will play Celtic tough and it will be a close game, but Celtic make it 10-in-a-row at Tannadice with a 2-1 victory with Barry Robson coming back home and netting a goal and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink reliving championship Thursday and netting home a header.

After just barely avoiding relegation their first season in the top flight, the Buddies very much played a pressure free season after the debacle that was Gretna in the SPL, and St. Mirren were able to navigate three consecutive wins at one point during the season. With safety being assured very early on, but St. Mirren still struggling for results, the Buddies mostly played for pride the second half of the season and were able to finish the season in the 10th position of the SPL, an improvement over finishing 11th in the 2006-2007 season. Last season, the Buddies never won against Celtic, lost twice and drew once. The first meeting of the season saw Celtic thump St. Mirren at Love Street 5-1. In December’s doldrums, the return trip to Celtic Park saw the Buddies get a point from Celtic. And Celtic took the last game 1-0, thanks to Shunsuke Nakamura’s late free kick masterpiece at Love Street.

This season will see St. Mirren move from Love Street into their new ground on Greenhill Road during the season. The big transfer move of the offseason for the Buddies were South Americans Francisco Miranda and Antonio Guerae Mayoral. Former MLSer Andy Dorman performed well in his first SPL season and the midfielder netted 5 goals in 23 games last season and will look to improve on that, but a major problem for St. Mirren is their lack of scoring ability. St. Mirren will probably pack the back against Celtic and hope for a draw or a goal stolen on the counter attack.

For Celtic, Captain Stephen McManus will be back in the first team after picking up a knock during a pre-season friendly. Shunsuke Nakamura is more likely to miss the first game as he is still recovering from a groin injury. Gordon Strachan has put forth many candidates to fill in for Nakamura on the wing while he recovers, such as Barry Robson, Paul Caddis, and Paddy McCourt. Robson is not a natural winger and has disappeared from pre-season games when he has played on the wing, as apposed to be an integral part of play on both sides when he is in his natural position in the center of play. Paddy McCourt got his first run out with the first team against Manchester City and looked nervous, but who wouldn’t be during the first game with your boyhood team. Paul Caddis looked good and made good decisions and some good passes on the wing during his play there and might be a good candidate for Naka’s fill-in.

Despite playing a couple of different formations in Celtic’s various pre-season travels, Gordon Strachan has announced that for the most part Celtic will play a 4-4-2 with Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Scott McDonald playing up top, including Sunday against St. Mirren. The two scored 50 goals in the SPL season and are looking for another top striking year. Strachan hinted at a possibility of seeing some new formations in Celtic’s Champions League games, but would not commit to anything.

Celtic have never been a team to blow people away on opening day during Gordon Strachan’s reign. Losses to Hearts and draws to Falkirk come to mind and certainly Celtic will want to change that. Look for Celtic to come out attacking and St. Mirren to batten down the hatches in the back. Celtic will win, but on a narrow margin, my guess would be 2-0 with a late second goal to finalize things and start the season off right.

As I mentioned in my preview of the match, the time seems right for McGeady to make that step up, and become the player that most of British football thought he would become when he was identified as a prodigy, signing a boot deal with adidas at the age of thirteen.

There is no doubt that McGeady has had his ups and downs since he debuted for the Celtic first team in 2004. Besides having to deal with comparisons to Celtic legend Jinky Johnstone and Brazilian master Ronaldinho, McGeady was brutally condemned for his decision to play his international football for the Republic of Ireland rather than Scotland. He was born in Glasgow to a family steeped in Irish culture, making the decision on which country to play for an easy one.

More recently, criticisms of his crosses into the box, failure to pass when he’s trapped, and unwillingness to quickly transition to defense after one of his trademark marauding runs have been levied. Pundits have claimed that he’s all style and no substance.

This season has been different though.

While McGeady has been maturing physically, Celtic’s hiring of French sports science guru Gregory DuPont has greatly contributed to that extra burst of pace that we’ve witnessed of late. McGeady’s become more of a team player, with the ball and without. He’s more complete all around, and its obvious that he’s matured personally as well.

Can he be better than Pretty Cris? That’s a high bar to set, but he can certainly dominate Celtic matches the way that Ronaldo dominates for ManU. The scary part is that he’s only 21 years old. He’s gone through the ringer as a footballer already, and come through it unscathed. As he eliminates the unnecessary parts of his game, and becomes a modern day wide midfielder, the sky really is the limit for McGeady as a Celt and for the Republic.

Check out some of his outrageous skill:

Keepers

Artur Boruc is the undisputed #1, and one of the top dozen keepers in Europe. He’s out injured for the first few matches of the season, and should be ready to return for the second leg of the Champions League qualifying tie. His deputy is former Caley Thistle stopper Mark Brown who’ll be in net until The King is fit. Brown should get a good run in the cup competitions, which could prime him for top billing should Boruc depart Parkhead for a richer club in the near future as is expected. Overall, this is an outstanding combo and one of the strengths of the squad.

Defenders

Mark Wilson is an injury concern for the opener, and if he can’t go, 18 year-old Paul Caddis will take his place. PSG’s Bernard Mendy is a rumored transfer target. You’d have to say this right back is Celtic’s weakest position at the moment.

In the center of defense, the new captain Stephen McManus is the man. John Kennedy, back from three years of injury hell, looks set to be his partner. Bobo Balde and Steven Pressley will be kept around, though Balde is the more likely to be shipped out before the transfer window closes. Darren O’Dea is getting fit, but word is Strachan is reluctant to play him with McManus because they are both best suited to the left side of the center. Gary Caldwell provides experienced cover at both right back and in the center.

Last year’s runner-up as SPL Player of the Year was left-back Lee Naylor. He’s an ever present in the first team, and if he went down O’Dea would be his replacement.

What the defense lacks in pace it makes up for in guile and determination. There is the danger of a speedy strike duo exposing the Celts here, and it would not be a surprise if WGS brought in some new faces this August.

Midfielders

Any discussion of the midfield starts with the reigning SPL Player of the Year, Shunsuke Nakamura. He’s the creative force behind the Bhoys’ attack, deadly at set pieces, and undoubtedly the key to any success Celtic has this campaign. New Bhoys Massimo Donati and Scott Brown form the new look central midfield. Donati, who arrived from AC Milan, is just getting acclimatized to the Scottish game and looks a great buy. Brown, who joined from Hibernian, is all action, all energy, all the time. He’s going to be a legend at Celtic and a huge favorite of the supporters. Aiden McGeady is like a little bug buzzing around annoying the hell out of the defense. This is going to be his year to really break through, in my opinion.

Paul Hartley and Evander Sno are the next in line in the center, as Jiri Jarosik and Thomas Gravesen look to be on the way out. The sooner the better, I say. Teddy Bjarnason appeared to be part of the plan in the early preseason matches, but he got less and less playing time as the season got closer. Hopefully he’ll get a run sometime, because he’s a talent.

Once this midfield gets some time together, they are going to be awesome. Believe it. The regular quartet have everything you could ask for.

Attackers

Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink is the number one guy up front. He’s a prototype, big #9. Chris Killen is the backup for Jan, and is struggling to gain full fitness after his transfer from Hibs.

The battle to be JVoH’s partner is complex, and no one has really stepped up. Kenny Miller is willing, but not able. Maciej Zurawski is a good player, but he and Jan the Man just don’t seem to mesh quite right on the pitch. Scott McDonald, of Motherwell fame, is the best bet here. His energy and pace should complement Jan well.

Shaun Maloney will return to Celtic or Stephen Naismith will transfer in from Kilmarnock within the next week to ten days. That should mean the end of Derek Riordan’s grouchy stint in the green and white.

The strikers as a group need to work hard and find a way to consistently create chances. There is potential within this group, especially if Maloney comes home, but until the onion bag bulges from week to week, there remains serious questions about Celtic’s firepower up front.

Gaffer

As I’ve stated many times, this will be the defining year of Wee Gordon Strachan’s tenure at Celtic and probably his career as a manager. No Celtic manager has won three titles in a row since the legendary Jock Stein. WGS’s stamp is authoritatively on this team. All the players are either from the academy or guys that he’s brought in except for Bobo Balde. Its time for him to lead the way to another title and another knockout round appearance in the Champions League.

The League

Celtic are the class of the Scottish Premier League. Rangers have closed the gap, and there is no doubt that the competition will be tighter this year. As ever, it comes down to away draws. Taking only one point out of three against inferior teams is what could keep Rangers closer than they should be. Last year, Celtic had the knack for finding a goal when they needed it, and that’s the sign of a championship team. Hopefully this season won’t be so nerve wracking, and we get back to the days where the Bhoys routinely handled the likes of St. Mirren and Falkirk 5-1. This year’s race will not be over by Christmas, but the Hoops will still prevail by a good 8-12 points.

Champions League

After the Artmedia Bratislava debacle of two years ago, I’m not going to be making any predictions. Qualifying for the group stages has to be all that’s on the Bhoys’ minds at the moment, and then we can talk about how that stage shapes up. With AEK Athens, Fenerbahce, and Spartak Moscow among other strong clubs as potential opponents, nothing is guaranteed. The Celts find out who they’ll line up against tomorrow.

Domestic Cups

It really is impossible to make any intelligent predictions here. So much depends to the draw, and the strength of the squad that WGS puts out there. An under strength side against a full Premiership side that’s motivated to take an Old Firm scalp is always a dangerous proposition. One of the cups will end up at Celtic Park, but I couldn’t tell you which one.

Final Analysis

This squad has the potential to be great. If the kinks can be worked out of the defense, and the strikers get with the program, this team will virtually be impossible to beat in the league and will be able to give any rich club in Europe a real run for its money. Overall, this is a relatively young team with a few veteran players, and there is promise across the board. Celtic will be fun to watch during the campaign and they may well end up with three titles and trip to the CL quarterfinals. That would be extraordinary. The prediction here though, is the league and one of the cups. I’m not touching the CL with a ten foot pole.

• Artur Boruc is indisputably world class. There is no doubt about that anymore. I sometimes cringe when I see him make another amazing save, because I think “Well, its really just a matter of time till he’s off”. You could see a club like Spurs coming in for him because their keeper sucks, and a commanding figure between the sticks for them could make a world of difference. Mark Brown is an adequate backup, but I’d prefer he not be needed for long stretches. So any move for Boruc this season will have to be for crazy money.

• Mark Wilson is decent (at best) at right back right now. We need some cover there soon, though. The overall speed of the MLS players made Steven Pressley look old and slow. McManus surprised me when he caught that dude with the headband from the Fire with ease. He’s getting better all the time. With Kennedy still getting fit and O’Dea injured, Bobo Balde is going nowhere. Strachan needs to find the right mix there…..Paging Gary Caldwell…..Lee Naylor is the man, period. I think I’d cry if he went down for a long period. He does like to act like he’s been shot, wriggle around on the ground every once and a while and then get up though. Its what we Eagles fans call “Jevon Kearse Syndrome”.

• With Nakamura taking nice long geranium baths at the Asian Cup, the Bhoys suffer from a SERIOUS lack of creativity in the midfield. Some of the passing was incredibly bad, especially the weight on medium distance ones. Scott Brown has sealed an automatic starting spot, as has McGeady, who looked frustrated at times with a lack of movement from the guys up front. Donati’s getting a feel for things, and showed his class with that insane 30 yard cross-field bomb to the foot of Deek Riordan for the trip’s lone goal. Riordan must play more, period. Hartley gives his all, but he needs a shave and is a squad player. The jury is out on Andrea Capone. He has two friendlies left to show what he’s all about. Bjarnason should see some more time as the season progresses. Where’s Evander Sno? Gravesen is on the way out, and Jiri might be too. I’d bet on him being around till at least January though.

• It was obvious that Jan the Man was pissed with the quality of his strike partners. Not that he did anything special, but the finish on the goal that should have been against the Fire was pretty damn good. He’s a lock for the first team. Zurawski had his moments against Chicago. McDonald runs a lot, but doesn’t do much else. Killen is currently out of his depth. Kenny Miller looked OK against the MLS team, and if he was on the pitch against the Fire I don’t remember him doing anything. In the end, the strikers just didn’t get the service required from the midfield during these matches. They’ll look better as the midfield gels and gets used to each other.

• WGS (that picture looks like him, right? Weird) obviously runs a tough preseason. Results and performances the last two years show that. He knows there is work to do both on the field and in the market. For all the criticism lobbed at a manager who has brought home four trophies and a round of 16 date with Milan in two years, this will likely be the defining season of his tenure, if not his managerial career. These guys are all his, not Martin O’Neill’s, and Rangers won’t be easy prey like last year. **** UPDATE: I must be doing something right, because Tommy Gemmill, of Lisbon Lions fame, agrees that Rangers will be a tough nut to crack this year. ****

This week sees friendlies at Newcastle and at home against Parma. Top notch competition, indeed. It should be fun.

Kenny Miller (Scotland)—Kenny’s never been a fan favorite, and the influx of new strikers does not bode well for him. He’s certainly a serviceable player, but if he’s looking for more first team opportunities, he’ll likely have to go elsewhere.

Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink (Netherlands)—When healthy, he’s Celtic’s #1 striker and clearly has the coolest name. He’s recently said he wants a long stay at Parkhead, and he’s rapidly becoming a cult hero, both because of his goals and a name thats really fun to sing.

Derek Riordan (Scotland)—Riordan’s first year at Celtic Park was not a good one. After few appearances, often not even making the subs bench, he aired his grievances publicly. He’s got the talent. He should just shut up and work harder.

Cillian Sheridan (Ireland)—The young striker is progressing rapidly through the ranks, and has already made his first team debut. Looks to be in the mix for some substitute’s minutes in the fall.

Scott McDonald (Australia)—The man who stunned Celtic with two late strikes to give Rangers the title in 2005 is now a Bhoy. It will be interesting to see how he is received by the Parkhead faithful.

Chris Killen (New Zealand)—Another former Hib, Killen’s signing has baffled Celtic supporters, and I can’t explain it either.

Craig Beattie (Scotland)—Another oft-injured striker, he’s had some big games in big matches for Celtic. He’s got great pace and can change the look of a match in an instant. It seems like he’s been around forever, but he’s still far from a finished product.

Paul Hartley (Scotland)—Lifelong Celtic supporter who happened to be involved in some incidents in matches against Celtic, he moved from Hearts in January. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of Hartley, but he’ll definitely be in the mix for playing time in the center of the park.

Evander Sno (Netherlands)—A holding midfielder, he’s set to see some more playing time now that Neil Lennon has departed. He has a tremendous future ahead of him both for Celtic and for Holland.

Thomas Gravesen (Denmark)—Gravesen started his career at Celtic Park in fantastic fashion with a hat trick against St. Mirren and two goals in two matches against Rangers. His playing time tapered off as the season went along, and there may be a rift with Strachan. He’s quit international football, so hopefully he’ll come in ready to regain his place in the first team, because he could be instrumental in the campaign if he’s right.

Neil Lennon (Northern Ireland)—The Captain departs after seven successful seasons at Celtic Park. The face of the Bhoys for so many reasons, he looks set for a move to Sunderland as a player/coach. He will be missed.

Aiden McGeady (Ireland)—A true match-winner, with all the skills and tricks you can think of, although sometimes his crosses are not quite what you’d like them to be. Already over 100 appearances for Celtic, he’ll be patrolling the left for many years to come.

Jiri Jarosik (Czech Republic)—Jiri says the Scottish game is too physical for him. That’s cool, he can go, Celtic’s fine in the midfield. Could Spurs really be interested?

Shunsuke Nakamura (Japan)—Naka won all the awards this year, for his flair, creativity, and superb free kicks. He does have a frustrating tendency to disappear from matches for long spells. The Chairman says the club can resist any approach from the big boys, and let’s hope thats the case. Here’s Naka’s unstoppable free kick against Man Utd, and what I presume is the Japanese commentary “Chimeetaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”:

Gary Caldwell (Scotland)—The former Hibs captain is a versatile defender and defensive midfielder whose introduction helped breathe some life into Celtic in the Scottish Cup Final. He’s a good squad player for the Bhoys who wee Gordon will always be able to find a use for.

Bobo Balde (Guinea)—A great servant of the club, he suffered a broken leg on Boxing Day and never returned. Many feel that Balde is on the way out the door at Parkhead this summer.

Mark Wilson (Scotland)—Wilson is a fantastic young talent, and equally adept on the right or left. If he can stay healthy, I’d like to see him make the right back spot his own.

Steven Pressley (Scotland)—May have been Celtic quality a few years ago but isn’t now. He’s only signed through 2008, so he’ll be around for cover this term, but I hope never to see him in a European match.

Jean-Joel Perrier-Doumbe (Cameroon)—Never earned a run in the first team, scored one big goal, and doesn’t like the contract he’s been offered. Bye.

John Kennedy (Scotland)—A fine central defender, Kennedy has fought back from a devastating knee injury, which kept him out of action for three years. He looks set to challenge for a spot in the first XI next year.

Stephen McManus (Scotland)—Mick’s a big, physical central defender and the likely new captain. With some polish, he could be one of the greats, and will be the face of the club for years to come. 9 goals in 73 appearances ain’t too bad either.

Darren O’Dea (Ireland)—O’Dea’s another athletic, uncompromising center half. He and Kennedy should vie for the spot next to McManus in the first team.

Scott Cuthbert (Scotland)—Captain of Scotland’s U-20’s, the talented defender should start to see some first team action in the upcoming campaign.