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Sunday, 13 May 2012, 12:30

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LENNON COOL ON TREBLE CHANCE

Celtic manager Neil Lennon isn't getting carried away by talk of a potential treble.

Last Updated: 05/02/12 at 14:02 Post Comment    Bet with SkyBet  Scottish Cup. Click here to bet.

Lennon: Not getting carried away

Lennon: Not getting carried away

Neil Lennon might wish to play it down but he watched his Celtic side take another confident step towards the treble with a 2-0 William Hill Scottish Cup fifth-round win at Inverness on Saturday.

A first-half strike from striker Georgios Samaras and a second-half spot kick from Scott Brown, which made it three goals in three games for the rejuvenated Hoops skipper, eased the cup holders into Monday's draw at Hampden.

Celtic are already in the final of the Scottish Communities League Cup final where they will play Kilmarnock at Hampden next month, and are one point above Rangers at the top of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League with a game in hand.

And having gone 15 domestic games unbeaten the Parkhead men are in fine fettle ahead of their SPL game against Hearts at Tynecastle in midweek, the scene of their last SPL defeat in October.

Lennon said: "Things can change very quickly but we are really pleased with where we are at the minute.

"It was the toughest tie we probably could have had, apart from being at Ibrox, so I'm thrilled to get through it.

"We wanted to be in all the competitions at the end of yesterday, that was the remit before the game, and we are so it's good.

"But there is a long way to go yet."

Once again the Irishman showed that he was unafraid to make changes to a winning team.

Defenders Adam Matthews and Kelvin Wilson, midfielder Kris Commons and Samaras came in for Cha Du-ri, Emilio Izaguirre, James Forrest and Anthony Stokes, the latter two starting on the bench.

The former Celtic skipper, though, appeared sensitive to the suggestion that he had changed virtually half his team.

"I didn't change half the team," he said. "I made four changes. Is that half the team?

"You keep questioning the selection but I didn't pick the team until I had a look at the pitch and the conditions.

"I felt it was the best way to go in terms of matching their pace going forward and we needed an 'out ball' at the top end of the pitch.

"I thought Samaras did that for us and I thought (Kelvin) Wilson and (Adam) Matthews did that at the other end of the pitch.

"Kris still has a bit to do to get where we want him to be but he is a very important player and he will be in the run-in."

Angry Caley Thistle boss Terry Butcher described the encounter as a training game for Celtic, who convincingly brought to an end his side's decent run of seven games unbeaten.

The former Motherwell manager now has to get his players ready for the trip to Parkhead in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League next weekend.

"In the seven-match unbeaten run we had been a difficult team to beat," he said.

"We were too easy to beat against Celtic. We made two horrendous mistakes which is unforgivable.

"It's Celtic away next week so we will pick ourselves up for that.

"In a way it's good to have that opportunity to get back at them on their patch because no one will expect us to do anything.

"It's up to us to get up to a level of performance that we are happy with."

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here has only been 3 players who made me hold my breath in dread when they picked the ball up anywhere near our penalty area...in their prime Scholes and Giggs... and always Drogba. Awesome player who on his day was the best striker in the world in my opinion.

gunner14
Farewell Big, Brutal, Big-Balled B**tard

I

remember him scoring a 25-yarder, either the season just gone or the one before, against Bolton at the Reebok. I've never seen a ball hit that hard before in my entire life. You could almost feel the shockwave from his foot contacting it 40 yards away in the stands. Didier Droga. You might not have loved him, but you just had to be in awe of him.

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Farewell Big, Brutal, Big-Balled B**tard

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den Hazard, def. - 1) that girl in a club who makes eyes at you all night, who allows you to buy her a drink and walk her home arm in arm, who then gives you a suggestive kiss on her doorstep before declaring how tired she is and how she has to be up early the next day. 2) A cock tease.

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Hazard 'terms agreed' with trio

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