Lawwell ready to talk ten
Peter Lawwell insists Celtic have proved they are miles ahead of Rangers – and warned they have 10-in-a-row in their sights.
The Hoops chi e f executive admits he feels free at last to talk about the next step after sealing a history- equaling ninth consecutive title.
The SPFL cal led the league last
Zaluska, M Wilson, K Wilson, Loovens, Izaguirre, Sung-yueng, Ledley, Kayal, Commons (Forrest), Stokes (Samaras), Hooper (Maloney)
Which Hoops player scored the first of the 800 league goals in the landmarkequalling nine-in-a-row run?
And if Parkhead punters are at a loss then the plight of the man who is the answer is just as head-scratching to one former manager and mentor.
Anthony Stokes got Celtic and Neil Lennon off and running on their long road to history with the opening goal in a 2- 0 win over old club Hibs at Easter Road in July 2011.
But with social- distancing celebrations in full swing last week following the decision to call the league and crown Cel t ic champions , the Irishman could hardly be further from the picture.
Yet John Hughes insists a talent like Stokes could still have been at the heart of it all as a key part of Lennon’s squad.
Instead, a bust-up with Ronny Deila ended his Celtic dream fol lowing six years at his boyhood heroes after Hughes sold him from Hibs.
Stokes might now be a f o r g o t ten ma n but he contributed more goals than the likes of Moussa Dembele during the nine- in- a- row years after playing his part in the first four Premiership victories.
And he’s credited with saving Lennon’s job at Celtic first time around when hi s double sparked an incredible three-goal second-half comeback aga inst Killie to salvage a draw at Rugby Park in October 2011. He was last in the news when Iranian side Persepolis cancelled his contract for refusing to return to Tehran after an AFC Champions League clash in Dubai due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
It was Stokes’ second stint in Iran after turning out for Tractor which sandwiched a spell in Turkey after moving to Greece following a fallout with Lennon at Hibs.
The story is all too familiar but at 31 – the same age as Hughes when he moved to Celtic from Falkirk in 1995 – his old boss reckons Stokes could have been at the centre of it all this week.
Yogi told MailSport: “I could never have told you Stokesy scored the first goal of the nine-in-a-row run but it just goes to show how time flies.
“He’s only 31 and could still have been at Celtic. I went to Celtic myself at 31, I was just hitting my prime.
“He will maybe say himself if he had more d i rect ion and dedication in his life then he would still have been at Celtic.
“He should have got more out of his career but like all geniuses he’s got that flaw, that bit of George Best in him.
“I kept in touch with him but even I’ve lost track of his movementsinthelastyearmovementsinthelastyear. ThereTherealwaysalways seems to be a bit of baggage that follows him and that will disappoint him.
“He should have played at Celtic longer and had more caps but he’s one of the most talented players I’ve worked with.
“He’s a great lad, a lovable rogue, and I’d work with them all day. As long as the ball was out then he’d be on that training pitch all day.
“I never had trouble with him. I told him a couple of times to watch himself and he’d say: ‘Come on gaffer, I’m a young boy...’.
“You have to look after them as long as the other boys accept them because they know they’re matchwinners.”
As well as scoring the first goal of nine-in-a-row, there was another reminder of Stokes’ ability with the recent anniversary of Hibs’ historic Scottish Cup Final win over Rangers in 2016.
He was on loan from Celtic at that time and Hughes marvelled at his man-of-thematch performance that day.
Hughes said: “I first got him on loan at Falkirk when he was 17. He was just a kid but scored 16 goals in 18 games for me, including three hat-tricks.
“He was the second top scorer in the Premiership that season. “Joining Celtic was a dream for him, coming from Ireland and being a fan of the club. “Hibs were never going to stand in his way and it was good business to get him to sell him on for about £1.2million.”