Official TC End of Season Review: The Season Overview

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The following will take a look at just how the last season went for Celtic from the disastrous Champions League defeat to Braga in July up to last weekend's victorious Scottish Cup win. It has been an interesting and exciting season in Paradise in which, despite the league ultimately being lost, there were the introductions of some quality signings, a hungry and determined young manager taking the helm and the thunder being well and truly brought back to Parkhead.​

After a promising pre-season in which Celtic came within a missed penalty of winning Arsenal's Emirates Cup, the season started off in the summer in Portugal when Celtic seemed to have gained a favourable Champions League tie against Braga. Some shocking defending was to cost the Hoops as they went down 3-0 and a 2-1 win at home was not enough to stop them dropping into the Europa League. It wasn't all gloom and doom though as some big signings were brought in during the summer.​

The Israeli signed on a four year deal and would become a fan's favourite​

The likes of Beram Kayal (pictured), Gary Hooper, Emilio Izaguirre, Efrain Juarez, Joe Ledley, Anthony Stokes, Charlie Mulgrew, Daniel Majstorovic, Cha Du Ri, Fraser Forster and Daryl Murphy were all brought in to help Lennon's Celtic Park revolution. Some of the more notable players who went the other way included the disappointing Marc-Antoine Fortune, Morten Rasmussen (on loan), talismanic goalkeeper Artur Boruc and Irish winger Aiden McGeady who would go on to have an excellent season with Spartak Moscow. ​

Unfortunately, many of these changes did not come about in time to save Celtic tumbling out of Europe prematurely. It seemed as though the Bhoys had done enough to see off FC Utrecht in the Europa League play-off as they led 2-0 at home through goals from Efrain Juarez and Georgios Samaras as Beram Kayal put in an outstanding performance on his Celtic debut (the midfielder was then to be ruled out for three months in what was to be a big blow to the club with striker Gary Hooper also facing a lengthy lay-off). However, the club's mysterious European away form struck once more as a 4-0 defeat in the Netherlands meant the Bhoys would have to concentrate on domestic adventures in the coming season.​

Celtic's season gets off to the best possible start​

A Paddy McCourt strike on the opening day of the season against newly-promoted Inverness Caledonian Thistle was enough to give the Bhoys all three points although the midfielder was, rather amusingly, forced off the pitch with whiplash after clashing with Shaun Maloney while celebrating his strike. St Mirren were also disposed of at home in league duty with a fine 4-0 win that saw Joe Ledley score his first goal for the club before a win away at Motherwell at the end of the month ensured Celtic had gained maximum points by the end of August.​

An outstanding September then saw the Hoops win every game that month, including three in the league and victory over Inverness in the League Cup. Hearts were soundly beaten 3-0 at Parkhead in the first game of the month, then Anthony Stokes and Daryl Murphy scored the goals at Rugby Park which kept the pressure on Rangers at the top of the table. A Samaras hatrick stole the headlines as the Hoops hammered Caley Thistle 6-0, which set up a meeting with St Johnstone in the quarter finals. Hibs were then disposed of at the end of the month in a 2-1 win as the top two continued their fine 100% starts to the season.​

Glenn Loovens with the all-important winner against Hibs​

October saw the Celts continue their fine run of form as Hamilton visited Celtic Park and were easily beaten by a Celtic side who were quickly finding top gear so early in the season. The following weekend Neil Lennon's men travelled to Tannadice to take on Dundee United in a game that sparked the events of the disgraceful scandal now known as 'Dougiegate'. The incident that brought about the fury of Celtic and the supporters was referee Dougie McDonald's decision to award the visitors a penalty before changing his mind and reversing the decision. McDonald later said he did so on the advice of his linesman Stephen Craven when he had done no such thing before lying to Lennon about what had taken place. The referee was not even sacked for his gross incompetence and was backed by referee chief Hugh Dallas but later resigned from his post. Celtic would go on to win the game 2-1 courtesy of a last-gasp goal from Gary Hooper.​

The first Glasgow derby of the year was next up for Celtic at Parkhead and, with both sides on maximum points, something had to give. Celtic took the lead through Hooper before calamitous individual errors allowed the away side to sneak into a 2-1 lead after the break. Kirk Broadfoot then went down under absolutely no contact from Daniel Majstorovic in the penalty area to win his side a penalty which Kenny Miller dispatched as Rangers went on to a 3-1 win. TV footage later showed that referee Willie Collum had his back to the two players at the time and didn't see what happened. A strange call then to award a penalty and it would not be the last 'strange call' Celtic would suffer this season.​

The moment that started the 'Dougigate' disgrace​

Celtic bounced back from that defeat in the best possible way though as St Johnstone were twice beaten before the end of October away from home in both league and cup to keep the Bhoys in touch at the top. A 3-2 win in the League Cup was enough to help them advance before Niall McGinn struck twice along with Emilio Izaguirre to give the Celtic fans a Happy Halloween weekend.​

At the start of November came the biggest win in SPL history courtesy of Celtic's 9-0 thrashing of Aberdeen at Celtic Park in front of some illustrious guests. Whether the team were spurred or not by the presence of Celtic greats such as Chris Sutton and Henrik Larsson, it doesn't matter as Hooper and Stokes both hit hatricks while Joe Ledley, Paddy McCourt and an own goal wrapped up a sensational victory. Unfortunately, this excellent football would not be continued in midweek in Edinburgh as Joe Ledley was given a harsh red card for his sliding tackle against Hearts and the Hoops went down to a 2-0 loss.​

The strikers hit three apiece in their side's demolition of Aberdeen​

An injury-time strike from Gary Hooper was enough to give Celtic a narrow 1-0 win away to St Mirren before a sequence of three seemingly 'comfortable' home games arrived. These would in the end prove costly as the hosts could not manage a win in any of them. Sean Dillon equalised in stoppage time for Dundee United first of all before Inverness fought back to earn a 2-2 draw the following week.​

Celtic played only three games at home in December and, four days before Christmas, they could not send their fans into the holiday period with much festive cheer as Kilmarnock left Glasgow with an important point. Then, on St Stephen's Day came the massive win that the Hoops needed so badly. South Koreans Cha Du Ri and Ki Sung Yueng both scored last minute goals as Celtic finally stopped the rot at home. Paddy McCourt's deflected strike was enough to beat Motherwell days later. Celtic were not winning pretty anymore but it didn't matter as long as they were now winning games. By the way around this time you may have blinked and missed him but Frenchman Olivier Kapo did play two games for Celtic before leaving under strange circumstances before the end of the year.​

Compatriots combine for a priceless win​

The New Year arrived and with it the traditional derby at this time of year. In the build-up to the clash at Ibrox, Celtic signed former Arsenal midfielder Freddie Ljungberg in a deal until the end of the season in another signing that was not to prove one of Neil Lennon's most astute. Going by some of the quality he has signed though, it is fair to say he can be forgiven for a few errors here and there.​

Georgios Samaras put in his finest performance in a Celtic jersey to date in the derby as he ran Rangers ragged constantly throughout and capped off his performance with two goals to leave the Broomloan Road end dancing long after the final whistle. The other Rangers, Berwick, were then knocked out in the Scottish Cup away from home before the refereeing issue once more reared its head away to Hamilton. James Forrest was given a suspect sending off as the home side scored a blatantly offside goal to go ahead. Anthony Stokes scored a last minute penalty to salvage a point for the Bhoys.​

Celtic take the lead in the derby​

Celtic then put in a terrific performance at Easter Road against a faltering Hibs side as Hooper scored once and Stokes hit the net twice, one being a beautiful overhead volley that rightly ranks as one of the goals of the season. In the first of three games against them in the coming weeks, Aberdeen were beaten courtesy of a Stokes strike at Parkhead before an incredible display against Hearts put paid to any title aspirations they mave had with Izaguirre and Kayal showing why they were quickly becoming indispensible to the squad.​

Before the Co-operative Cup semi-final against the Dons at Hampden, another important signing arrived as Kris Commons joined from Derby County. He would end the season with an astonishing 13 goals from midfield since his signing at the end of January. He would even have an immediate impact on his debut with an exquisite chip in the opening minute helping the Hoops on their way to a 4-1 win and set up a Final meeting with Rangers. Unfortunately this month will also be remembered for the shameful and upsetting incidents off the field which saw letters with bullets addressed to Celtic's Catholic contingent from the North of Ireland in Neil Lennon, Paddy McCourt and Niall McGinn.​

A truly superb signing at just £300,000​

February arrived and duly brought with it two more derbies which were to be the third and fourth of seven that would take place this year. First though Celtic travelled to Pittodrie and would not allow Aberdeen to gain revenge for their cup elimination with a 3-0 win, cheered on by a magnificent away support. This support then followed the team to Ibrox in the Scottish Cup as Commons and Scott Brown scored the goals that earned Celtic a Parkhead replay. Brown is now more famous for that celebration than the outstanding goal that preceded it but he put in a fine shift as a 10-man Celtic clawed their way back from 2-1 down and dominated their rivals like few had ever seen before in a game at Ibrox.​

Dundee United were first beaten 3-1 away from home before Rangers arrived in the East End on league duty. Another commanding derby performance was put in from the home side as Gary Hooper struck twice in the first half to send the home fans wild. However, their jubilance would only increase in the second half when Commons swerving effort flew past Allan McGregor to give Celtic a fully-deserved 3-0 victory over Walter Smith's side. Unfortunately, the month was to end on a sour note for Celtic when they went to a practically unplayable pitch at Fir Park the following week and went down to a 2-0 defeat.​

'The Broony'​

March proved to be another month in which off the field issues marred events on it. Neil Lennon was sent death threats as well as a parcel bomb which was intercepted before it could reach the manager as the police struggled to gain control of the situation. To his eternal credit, the manager focused instead on events on the pitch as his side beat Rangers in an ugly match in the Scottish Cup replay in which Lennon clashed with Ally McCoist on the touchline, three Rangers players were sent off, parts of Parkhead were destroyed by the away fans and unlikely hero Mark Wilson scored the goal which put the Hoops through.​

Kris Commons and Joe Ledley then both scored doubles to help Celtic on their way in the league and cup. Commons bagged a brace at home to Hamilton in the SPL before Ledley struck twice in the Highlands in the Scottish Cup quarter-final to put Celtic through at the expense of Inverness. Rangers would then gain a measure of revenge for their cup defeat as Nikica Jelavic's extra-time strike in the League Cup final ensured the trophy would end up at Ibrox.​

Boyhood Celtic fan Mark Wilson scores a dream winner​

Celtic were then to go through a hectic April period unbeaten as the season began to take shape. Stokes and Hooper both scored as Lennon's side beat Hibs at home in the first game of the month before a lone Commons goal late on against St Mirren was enough for all three points days later. Beram Kayal then scored his first goal in Celtic colours in a narrow win in Perth over St Johnstone. ​

Aberdeen's poor luck against the Hoops this season continued when the sides met in the Scottish Cup semi-final. Despite a missed penalty, Celtic would go on to a comfortable 4-0 victory to advance to the final where Motherwell were waiting. Kilmarnock were then beaten by the same scoreline in the league in midweek with Celtic looking impressive before the final Glasgow derby of the season. The game at Ibrox was to finish all square with Celtic being left to rue a missed chance after Samaras late penalty was well saved by McGregor.​

Celtic reach the Scottish Cup final​

A 4-1 thumping of Dundee United got the final month of the season of to the best possible start with Kayal and Daryl Murphy both scoring fine strikes to help the Hoops to victory. The spirits around Celtic Park were also lifted further when it was announced that the marvellous Emilio Izaguirre had won the Scottish PFA Player of the Year award. It was an extremely desrving honour for the Honduran international. However, the following Wednesday it was all to go very wrong for the Glasgow giants away to Inverness. In one of the team's poorest displays of the season, Celtic were beaten 3-2 in a game that was to prove extremely costly.​

The initiative had now been handed back to Rangers and Celtic were hoping for a massive favour in the final few games to have any chance at regaining the title. Despite excellent performances in high-scoring victories over Kilmarnock, Hearts (which was to be tainted by the incident in which Neil Lennon was assaulted by a home supporter during the game) and Motherwell, it would not be enough and Rangers won the title in the end.​

Celtic bow out in style with a 4-0 victory over Motherwell​

In the end, Celtic finished with a points tally of 92, just a solitary point behind Rangers. In each of the previous five seasons this would have been enough to be crowned champions. There was also no shame in losing to this Rangers side who, despite what you may believe, were not built on a shoestring budget. The likes of Nikica Jelavic, Kyle Lafferty, Steven Davis, Madjid Bougherra and Steven Naismith did not arrive on the cheap. Celtic also ended the season having kept a record number of clean sheets and having lost just once to their rivals in the league all season. In any other year it could have been so very different.​

Celtic were to win a trophy that their terrific performances deserved though with Scottish Cup victory over Motherwell in the final game of the season. Ki Sung Yueng became the first South Korean to score in a Scottish Cup final with a superb strike which was followed up by goals from slightly more local lads Mark Wilson and Charlie Mulgrew. Celtic finished the game as 3-0 winners and it was fitting that, for a season which had threatened to tear the club apart but instead only unified the bond between everyone at the club, Celtic would end it on a high at Hampden.​

Celtic FC: Scottish Cup winners 2011​

P.W.
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