MATTHEW LINDSAY
But his scoring record against every other club, both at home and abroad, has been exceptional. He has been on target, including against Legia Warsaw, Young Boys, Porto and Feyenoord, 38 times. The 14 goals he bagged in the Europa League before Christmas this season was a UEFA record.
The 23-year-old has tried hard to overcome the disciplinary problems which saw him red-carded five times last term. He is still far from perfect and, as we saw at Celtic Park again yesterday, has work to do. The throat slit gesture? Stupid boy!
But it will be a surprise if Morelos doesn’t depart, for a considerable transfer fee and hefty profit, during 2020. His status as a Rangers great will be assured when he does leave. The Colombian is box office and no mistake. Life is never dull when “El Buffalo” is on the park. We will miss him when he goes.
TEAM CELTIC
Winning their eighth consecutive Premiership, retaining the Scottish Cup and becoming the first club to complete three consecutive domestic trebles in the second half of the 2018/19 campaign, was impressive enough. But the Parkhead men have built on those achievements in the last six months.
Their historic 2-1 victory over Lazio in Rome last month secured their place in the last 32 of the Europa League with two games to spare and their 3-1 triumph against Rennes in Glasgow saw them top their section for the first time in their 131-year history. To top it all, they robbed Rangers in the Betfred Cup final this month to lift their 10th trophy on the spin.
GOAL NTCHAM V LAZIO Odsonne Edouard’s late
Melbourne Stars - BT Sport 1 0800
Football Sky Bet Championship, Derby v Charlton - Sky Sports Football 1930
Darts PDC World Championship - Sky Sports Main Event, Sky
Sports Arena 1900.
TOMORROW Football A-League, Central Coast Mariners v Perth Glory - BT Sport 2 0800
Cricket Big Bash League, Adelaide Strikers v Sydney Thunder - BT Sport 1 0800 strike against Hearts in the Scottish Cup at Hampden in May clinched the triple treble. But Olivier Ntcham’s winner against Lazio in the Stadio Olimpico in Rome last month just topped it.
It secured the Parkhead club’s first win on Italian soil ever and sent them through to the knockout rounds as group winners.
The French midfielder, a second-half replacement for Ryan Christie, dinked the ball over Thomas Strakosha in the fifth and final minute of injury-time beautifully despite the pressure he was under.
MANAGER NEIL LENNON Steve Clarke, who led Kilmarnock to third place in the Premiership and into Europe for the first time in 17 years, and Steven Gerrard, who became the first man to take a club through four qualifying rounds and into the Europa League group stages twice and then helped Rangers book a last-32 spot, deserve honourable mentions here.
Yet, the way Lennon has 1970: Former world heavyweight boxing champion Sonny Liston died at his home. Liston beat Floyd Patterson with a first-round knockdown to take the title in 1962 before losing it to Muhammad Ali coped with taking over from Brendan Rodgers at Celtic, initially on an interim basis, in difficult circumstances in February, has been remarkable.
Those supporters who wanted a more glamorous appointment and were against his return have, almost to a man, revised their opinion.
VILLAIN BRENDAN RODGERS
Not since Mo Johnston signed for Rangers in 1989 a matter of weeks after being paraded by Celtic has one man attracted such vilification from the Parkhead faithful. The Northern Irishman went from being a deity in the East End to a defector when he joined Leicester City.
DISAPPOINTMENT ANGELO ALESSIO Kilmarnock chairman Billy Bowie described Angelo Alessio as “the best manager in Scotland” when he was appointed in June. But a calamitous defeat to Welsh minnows Connah’s Quay Nomads soon followed and the former Juventus, Italy and Chelsea assistant never convinced. He was sacked after just six months.
PUT DOWN HIBERNIAN When former Barnsley manager Daniel Stendel was appointed by Hearts this month the Tynecastle club aimed a cheeky dig at Hibernian. “Daniel led the Oakwell outfit to a secondplaced finish ahead of Jack Ross’s Sunderland,” a statement read.
After the Easter Road club had won 2-0 at Tynecastle last week the Hibs Twitter feed posted: “Jack Ross leads Hibernian to victory over Daniel Stendel’s Hearts. Purely for context, we are 13 points ahead of our noisy neighbours.”
(then Cassius Clay) two years later.
1989: Nottingham Forest beat Tottenham 3-2 at White Hart Lane in Brian Clough’s 1,000th match as a manager.
1999: Ian Wright received an MBE in the New Year’s Honours List.