THE HOWE & THE WHY Hotline
Hartley: Celts need to pull in a big-name boss like Eddie to win back the fans after 10-in-a-row disaster
ALFREDO MORELOS doesn’t have much left to prove at Rangers as he’s top of the scoring charts and setting new records in Europe.
Celtic fans, however, continue to hold it against the Colombian that he has yet to net against the Hoops.
But Ian McKendrick said: “Morelos is still playing in Europe and scoring against class teams. He will score the winner at Parkhead to win the league.”
Chris Lowe, Yoker, said: “Morelos hit 29 goals last season, 30 the season before, has scored a recordbreaking 23 Europa League goals and even netted more group goals in one campaign than Odsonne Edouard has in three combined. The French penaltytaker would love to have Morelos’ European pedigree and come to think of it his domestic record too – Morelos’ record is made up of no penalty kicks.”
George Wilson, West Sussex, said: “Morelos no longer plays as an out-and-out striker. He contributes overall to the team including being involved in eight of the nine goals against Antwerp. Nobody cares how many he’s scored against Celtic as someone else will.”
David Adam said: “All these comments about Morelos not scoring against Celtic. I don’t think too many Rangers fans would lose much sleep if he scores or not as long as somebody does.”
Thoughts are turning to the individual awards as well. Alan McGaw, Alloa, said: “Allan McGregor is my choice for Player of the Year with Steven Davis and James Tavernier just behind. McGregor’s been worth at least 30 points this season with incredible saves when it mattered.”
Celtic’s boss search is underway but Jim Molloy, Kilsyth, said: “It was with horror that I read Jeremie Frimpong recommending Scott Brown and John Kennedy as possible replacements. Please, please no.
IT is the scene of the finest goal ever scored in a Champions League Final, a Zinedine Zidane strike which left a continent open-mouthed in wonder.
Its slopes bore witness to a 10-goal masterpiece in 1960 still described as the greatest clincher in the history of Europe’s premier club competition.
It holds the record attendance for any UEFA club competition with a crowd of 136,505 gathering for Celtic’s 1970 triumph over Leeds United. Two years prior to that, it drew a crowd of 134,461 for a European qualifier between Scotland and England, which still stands as a record for the competition.
Every so often, you have to remind yourself that Hampden stands among world football’s cathedrals, a place where records and reputations have been made and broken.
This summer, in 100 days’ time, the national stadium will open another significant chapter in its 118-year history, joining a select band of stadiums to host a major finals as one of 12 UEFA Euro 2020 host venues.
Three group games will be played in Glasgow’s southside between May 14 and June 22 this summer, as well as one of the round-of-16 eliminators on June 29. The shadow of Covid-19 still hangs over this edition of the finals, halted for 12 months due to the pandemic.
How many, if any, fans will be able to attend the games at Hampden is still shrouded in doubt. The Euros remain one of international football’s greatest stages and Hampden is perfectly set for another defining moment of brilliance or high drama.
More than mere hosts, we are central players on the main stage and able to write our own story. Scotland play their Group D opener on June 14 at Hampden against the Czechs.
It’s a chance to get points on the board before travelling down to London, one of the other 11 host cities, for a meeting with England before the Scots are back at Hampden for the final group match against Croatia.
The stage is set, will this generation deliver? Who will be the next player to write their name in Hampden history?