I Love Celtic

Former Scotland international Kris Boyd believes James Forrest has the time on his hands to take up a bigger challenge away from Celtic. The 27-year-old has undoubtedly been the best performer in the Scottish top-flight and he contributed 11 goals and nine assists in the club’s recent Premiership triumph.

Speaking to The Scottish Sun, Boyd said that Forrest has achieved everything within reach in Scottish Football and he should now look into the prospect of pursuing a bigger challenge in the Premier League or elsewhere, he quipped: “He has probably achieved all he can achieve in Scottish football. It is similar to Scott Brown a number of years ago in terms of how good a player is Scott Brown. Can he go and play in the English Premier League? He has never done it. Could James Forrest do it? He is still young enough to go and try away from Celtic.”

Celtic manager Neil Lennon has said that the Hoops should have overcome Hibernian in the recent league meeting, although the result won’t change the fact that they will be crowned champions for the eighth-straight occasion. The holders had the opportunity to celebrate the title against Kilmarnock next weekend with a victory but they now can’t mathematically do so, unless Rangers drop points against Aberdeen.

Speaking after the 0-0 draw against Hibernian, Lennon admitted that the Hoops had plenty of chances to come up with the maximum points, but credit must go to the opposition goalkeeper, who made three sublime saves. He added that the team already have the title in the bag and it does not matter when they are crowned as the 2018/19 champions, he quipped:

Celtic’s caretaker manager Neil Lennon has admitted that he is excited with the club’s prospect of securing a treble this season. The Hoops have won each of the previous domestic titles at their disposal and they are on course to secure the Scottish Premiership with an 11-point advantage over Rangers with just five games to play.

As such, the Scottish Cup remains the only obstacle between the Hoops and a hat-trick of trebles, and Lennon is amazed with the commitment and dedication showcased from the current crop of players within the squad, he said: “It’s incredible. I can’t even believe we’re sitting here discussing it. I said to the players when we won the treble it was the first time in over 30 years. These guys are on the cusp of three. But we can’t talk the talk about it because they created it with their own play and dedication and mentality It’s phenomenal what they’ve done, absolutely phenomenal I think. The hunger to keep going, I think it’s fantastic.”

TalkSPORT pundit John Hartson believes Neil Lennon has a good chance of securing the permanent job with Celtic, should the club go on to complete the historic treble this term. The Scottish champions have won every domestic trophy within reach in the past two-and-a-half seasons but this has not assured them of managerial surety with Brendan Rodgers recently stepping down to join Leicester City in the Premier League.

Amidst this, the Hoops have opted to hire Lennon on an interim role for the rest of the season but Hartson suggests that the Hoops favourite could continue at the helm next term. Speaking to TalkSPORT, Hartson stated that Lennon has the experience at the highest level after previously managing Celtic for four seasons where they were making progress in the Champions League.

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has said that his team can forget about challenging for the Scottish Premiership crown after their goalless draw against St Johnstone in their stadium. The Glasgow giants had the opportunity to close the gap to leaders Celtic to just three points but they squandered the chance after managing a disappointing 0-0 stalemate.

Speaking after the game, the former Liverpool star admitted that his team had a lack of leadership during the clash which contributed to a disappointing outcome. He added that the club can forget about catching their cross-town rivals Celtic for the title and need to avoid dropping further points with Aberdeen and Kilmarnock breathing down their neck.

Celtic captain Scott Brown has said that he is relishing the title challenge with the Hoops this term. The Glasgow giants are currently experiencing one of their toughest league campaigns over the past eight years with Old Firm rivals Rangers offering them a strong challenge for the Premiership crown.

Speaking to reporters, the Scotland international indicated that he is enjoying the competition during the ongoing campaign with the club seeking to cope with the pressure from the trailing pack, he said: “I’m enjoying it. It’s been good to be fair for us. It shows we need to win games to stay on top.

Former Manchester City star Yaya Toure has refused to rule out a potential move to Celtic this month. The Ivory Coast international is currently a free agent after terminating his contract with Olympiacos and this has witnessed him linked with a number of high-profile European clubs including Celtic.
Speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, Toure highlighted that Celtic are a ‘great team’ but he would need to hold discussions with Brendan Rodgers first to know whether the team have a place for him, he quipped: “Celtic is a great team, but let me speak to Brendan and we will see. Who knows, maybe Kolo is arranging something for me behind the scenes. We will see. I have been playing in the Premier League and for me it’s been the most enjoyable. But we never know, maybe I can end up in Scotland or back in England. I want maybe one more year at a high level.”

Toure was initially expected to retire from the game with Olympiacos whom he joined on a multi-year deal during the summer. However, he could not make much of an impact with the Greek heavyweights and this meant that he mutually parted ways with the club during the month of December.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers said that he is happy that DedryckBoyata will be staying at the club until the end of the season at least. He said that he is an important member of the team and that it is great news for him that he has committed himself until at least the end of the season.

The Belgium defender will be out of contract at the end of the season and his agent has already informed Celtic that he will not be signing a new deal with them. The player is free to speak to foreign clubs but it appears that he will not be moving during the January transfer window.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has urged his players to improve on their performance after they just about sneaked into the round of 32 stage of the Europa League.

The Hoops appeared destined to bow out of the competition after trailing 2-0 to Salzburg at Parkhead heading into stoppage time but their blushes were saved after Rosenborg equalised dramatically in the other game at RB Leipzig.

Leicester City manager Claude Puel has said that he would prefer Filip Benkovic to stay put with Celtic for the remainder of the current season. The 21-year-old joined the Foxes from Dinamo Zagreb during the summer but he was thereafter loaned out to the Hoops for the entirety of the 2018/19 campaign.
Despite this, there have been suggestions that Benkovic could be recalled in the New Year amid his good run of form but Puel has ruled out the possibility of that happening, he said:“If there are no problems with injuries I’d like my players on loan to continue progressing and developing and to find their confidence and consistency.

“For me, it’s the right way for them and for us. I want players who are ready to play next season.It’s a great chance for Benkovic to play and come back with strength and good quality for us. He signed with Leicester to play in the Premier League. But this is a fantastic opportunity for him. If, for example, we have five or six centre backs we know it’s not possible to manage all of them.”