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Saturday 8 December 2012, Premier Division, Glentoran v Belfast Celtic, The Oval

Celtic faced their city rivals Glentoran once more that Saturday, and were red hot favourites to win this derby. Glens were bottom of the League and most pundits feared their third season back in the top flight would be their last for a while. Glentoran were among a very small band of clubs whose attendances had come down hard even before the war, had lost their star players, no money in the bank and were without a shirt sponsor this season. Kevin Hodges had been promised a lot better when the Glens board persuaded him to come to Ireland in the wake of his sacking at St.Johnstone...

He knew neither outplaying nor outfighting Celtic was a realistic option, which just left outsmarting them. For that, they relied on their forward line, led by experienced support man Brian Power. If nothing else, he had an appropriate name for an outsmarting mission. Losing him to injury, just 13 minutes into the clash, probably was a token then. Then again, the two goals Celtic had notched up before that took away the need for any tokens. The visitors were going to win this, and by a comfortable margin at that.

At the end of the night, David Healy had scored once and Glen Keddy's name was on the scoresheet twice, as Celtic won 3-0, taking home all three points and top spot in the process. St.Pat's losing at home to Linfield ensured the latter achievement, in a very tight Premier Division. Just three points separated the top six teams, and at the bottom, Galway in 7th had the same advantage over bottom side Glentoran.

Glens 0
Celtic 3 (Healy 8, Keddy 11, 80)
Attendance: 3,865

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Irish Tables as at 8 December 2012

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">Irish Premier Division 1.Belfast Celtic 16 11 2 3 28 - 13 +15 35 2.Cork City 19 11 2 6 28 - 13 +15 35 3.St. Pat's Athletic 19 11 2 6 26 - 20 +6 35 4.Linfield 19 10 5 4 23 - 17 +6 35 5.Shelbourne 19 11 1 7 33 - 27 +6 34 6.Shamrock Rovers 18 9 5 4 21 - 14 +7 32 7.Galway Utd 18 3 6 9 26 - 33 -7 15 8.Kilkenny City 19 3 4 12 17 - 31 -14 13 9.Athlone Town 18 3 4 11 17 - 32 -15 1310.Glentoran 19 3 3 13 16 - 35 -19 12Irish First Division 1.Bray Wanderers 16 8 5 3 25 - 18 +7 29 2.Dundalk 16 7 7 2 18 - 12 +6 28 3.Portadown 17 7 4 6 27 - 23 +4 25 4.Sligo Rovers 16 6 6 4 26 - 17 +9 24 5.Coleraine 17 7 3 7 25 - 26 -1 24 6.Derry City 17 7 3 7 25 - 29 -4 24 7.Bohemians 17 7 3 7 23 - 27 -4 24 8.Limerick 16 6 2 8 27 - 22 +5 20 9.Waterford Utd 16 3 9 4 17 - 16 +1 1810.Cliftonville 16 4 6 6 18 - 24 -6 1811.Carrick Rangers 16 3 2 11 12 - 29 -17 11</pre>

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FAI HQ, Tuesday morning

The three members of the TV deal negotiating panel have appointments with all remaining candidates, in the last talks before Christmas. An hour before they meet RTE officials, they talk over their strategy again...

JB ... So that's why I say we shouldn't accept anything less than £35m...

NF Well, that'd be the very minimum in your theory yes.

MF A theory relying heavily on further European breakthroughs by Irish clubs Noel...

NF Well, Celtic are leading the way.

MF No one is following the lead though, and I can't blame TV companies for not wanting to bid more than an already staggering £26m a year. They made serious losses on their broadcasts in the past few years.

JB Thanks to the war yes. That's over now, and the League can build itself up again. Do well in Europe, attract higher caliber players as a result... All that will mean TV companies will be delighted to be able to sign up for four years against today's prices!

NF I think Jonathan is right Mark.

MF I think you place too much faith in further European success. No one else has looked capable of surviving beyond Christmas. In fact, Celtic's current success in Europe means they have the funds to build an even bigger empire. Ten-in-a-row is not unthinkable. TV companies will know that, and play that card. Who would pay that much money for a League where one club is so much richer than the others, and clear title favourites year after year?

JB Well, it hasn't exactly given Celtic a 20-point lead at the top now has it?

MF Lots of games in hand though. Can you seriously see beyond Celtic for the title this year, or the next?

NF I can. Fixture congestion is a bìtch and will cost the club a lot of points. Their squad is not big enough.

MF Nothing money can't solve. In fact, who's gonna stop Arena from buying key players from other teams?

NF Because it'd be bad for the League and that would ultimately damage Celtic too.

MF The current regime don't care about that. And why should they?

JB Nice two-faced statement Frost.

NF I told you two not to start this again.

MF Even putting all that aside, I still don't know why Ronaldo ever decided to come to Ireland, but apart from him, how many starts has the League managed to attract? And how many do you think will join in the next four years, which is the timespan we're talking about?

JB It will work, I am sure of that.

MF You didn't see the reservations Real Madrid had about coming to Belfast then? It'll be a while before people believe the country to be safe enough to build a career in. Quite simply, asking £35m+ on the basis that the League is going to improve rapidly in the very near future is bollocks, and you won't get away with it. You might get £35m eventually, but not using these arguments.

JB We'll see... You got any better points then?

MF Apart from claiming the old £26m was too little, no. Maybe a performance related contract would work.

NF Whose side are you on actually? We can't budget on such a contract!

JB Indeed, that'd be stupid.

MF Well, you're welcome to try your way if you two insist, but I can't see it happen. How will you explain everyone withdrawing their interest to the ILCA then?

NF It won't be that bad. Even if it's a total failure, we should still be able to get the same £26m we have now again.

MF That's what you think. That amount was based on an improving League, not one torn apart by the war. But meanwhile, you two all but promised an improvement on that £26m figure already. Good luck guys, cos I'm not playing this game anymore.

NF What do you mean?

MF What does it look like?

JB Simple Noel, Frost here is getting cold feet and wants to quit.

MF Doesn't "want" to quit, is forced to quit because his supposed partners lost track of reality.

JB Like I said, we'll see about that. If you don't want to be part of this, then leave it to us.

MF I most certainly will. I will inform the ILCA about my reasons for this as well.

JB You better make sure they stay inside these four walls. If the press hear about this it will undermine our position, and there are always leaks in a group the size of the ILCA.

MF It's in their own interests to keep this to themselves. Simple as that.

NF At least wait until after today's talks before you announce your decision.

MF Fine, I'll give you today to put your silly demands across. For your sake, I hope they don't laugh in your face.

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Wednesday 12 December 2012, Premier Division, Athlone Town v Belfast Celtic, Saint Mel's Park

On the pitch, Celtic finally had the chance to break clear from the championship chasing pack, when they played one of their games in hand, down in Athlone, where they'd stay until the weekend as they were up against the same side again on Saturday.

This first encounter took a while to spring to life, 80 long minutes to be precise. Then, Andrew Rees made his marker look like a fool by playing through his legs twice, before passing into the inside left channel, straight into the path of Glen Keddy. The marksman made no mistake, and Celtic were leading.

Just when that seemed to have done the trick, however, Danny Milosevic made a terrible mistake. Having come on for first choice goalkeeper John Dodds in the final five minutes, after the Scot suffered a wrist injury, Milosevic underhit a clearance and presented Liam Kerr with an un-missable opportunity. Three minutes into stoppage time, Athlone snatched a vital point in their battle against relegation.

Athlone 1 (Kerr 90)
Celtic 1 (Keddy 80)
Attendance: 3,555

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MJ handing Stevie a report Our agents report that Frost is working with that fool from the Rangers on the new TV deal, it doesn't bode well for Celtic. I have a feeling he is also the one behind the fixture congestion that we are facing too.

SO'M Frost? No Frost isn't that petty. Plus you've seen him at all the matches, he is a bigger fan than is his a fool, singing all those club songs with his gaggle of kids. I don't see how he can handle all of them, I have one and I believe she might be the end of me yet. No, Frost is probably our biggest ally on in the FAI now.

MJ What do you mean? I would mark him as an enemy.

SO'M He might not care for us in the short run, but he will be looking out for the club's long term interest, a lot better than we are doing too. So with him looking out for the club in the long run, it is our job to lookout for it in the short run.

MJ I get it. He doesn't want to seriously injure the club in case he gets his foot back in the door.

SO'M You got it and with the speed that he got a job at the FAI, I wouldn't be surprised to see our pink slips coming in the mail any day.

MJ Have you seen Anna? I want to go over some reports with her.

SO'M Knowing bull***** when he heard it Yeah, she went to a business lunch with that reporter. What's his name again, Stanley? Stucco? Stonehead?

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Saturday 15 December 2012, Premier Division, Athlone Town v Belfast Celtic, Saint Mel's Park

"Ever since Wednesday I told the team to stay fücking focused after taking a lead, but it seems they just won't get the fücking message!" Bruce Arena was mad. Very mad, uncharacteristically mad even. At least, it was the first time the Irish press caught him in this bad a mood.

Who could blame him though? With the top six teams separated by only a handful of points, every draw was expensive, and drawing a bottom two side was unacceptable. Drawing them twice was a disgrace, but throwing away a lead four times in 180 minutes was downright shocking.

The second meeting between the two teams in half a week saw Celtic go 2-0 up in just over half an hour, then 3-1 just after half time despite conceding a goal from the third kick of the second half. The champions' defence might as well have stayed behind in the dressing room during the first ten minutes of the second period. At least they'd have stayed warm and dry. Whatever it was they were doing on the pitch, concentrating, staying focused, wasn't on their to-do list.

In that brief period after the restart, Athlone managed to score three times, and earn a priceless point in their battle to avoid the playoffs. Few teams at the wrong end of the table were likely to pick up points against the big guns, yet the home side had done it twice in four days...

Athlone 3 (Fitzpatrick 46, McLaughlin 51, Foley 53)
Celtic 3 (Rees 17, Keddy 32, Healy 49)
Attendance: 3,538

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The Frost's residence, Tuesday evening

Patrick returns home at an ungodly hour, but has the broadest smile on his face when he finally does...

MF I know that smile... It's the "I got what I'm looking for smile" isn't it?

PO'K Close... It's the "Fücking yes we'll finally nail those b@stards who stole our club cos we're back in fücking business baby smile!"

KF My god! What did you find then Patrick?

MF Have you been sneaking around the club's offices?

PO'K No... I've been sneaking around Johnson's home... It's Tuesday night, after all...

MF Johnson's Secret Ho Night. Or not-so-secret if you shadow him long enough. I knew it'd pay off sooner or later.

KF So while he was out, what did you find?

Patrick throws a dossier on the table...

PO'K Conclusive evidence of fraud at Belfast Celtic. Money listed as having gone to charity that in reality went to Mr. M. Johnson himself!

MF Show me that will you?

Mark, having drawn up these figures for the club in the years before, instantly knows what to look for, and can only conclude Patrick's right. What they have here are the REAL accounts of Belfast Celtic FC, and a couple of documents marked "confidential" give a far better insight into where expenditure listed as "charity" really went...

MF Fantastic! Katie my love, we'll be spending a lot more time at the club again soon... Patrick, you're the best!

KF Knowing Stevie, I don't think it'll be that easy Mark. But Patrick sure as hell dug up some pure dirt there. Well done brother...

PO'K Thanks sis. I can't wait till the police kick in Johnson's and O'Mao's door and lift them off their beds... The b@stards will finally get what they deserve!

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As Stevie O'Mao skimmed over the script that was just faxed to him, he was starting to get worried. He knew Frost was up to something, because he hadn't heard from him in weeks, nor had he had any visits from Frost's Neandertal brother-in-law. But rather everything was quiet. **** in, the club was doing good in both Europe and domestically, money was flowing into the coffers, and his car hadn't been egged by Frost's kids in weeks. He started to think that everything was going too good for nothing bad to happen.

So reluctantly Stevie read on...

"Ho Night...

Ho Night, HaHa Ha Stevie laughed. Stevie had told Johnson he had better be careful with his Ho Nights, but a man did need to have a little fun every now and then...

Sneaking around Johnson's home...

Now this was serious, Stevie pondered. Patrick wasn't smart enough to come up with this on his own, somebody had to give him a hint. Maybe it was Johnson's secretary, but then Stevie remembered that the girl was here for one reason and Johnson didn't select her for her typing skills. There must be an insider in the organization.

"Conclusive evidence of fraud...

Stevie stopped reading for a second, trying to think of anything that he had done recently that could be construed as 'conclusive evidence of fraud'. Well there was... no, he thought, that was more like libel. What about... no, that would probably classified as bribery. Oh I remember Prague, he thought, then changed his mind, no Prague would probably be considered Blackmail. After about 15 minutes of hard thought, Stevie couldn't think of a single case of fraud he had committed in the past five or six years. Maybe I am getting soft, he thought, shaking his head.

Money listed as having gone to charity that in reality went to Mr. M. Johnson himself...

Well one could argue that Marcus Johnson was in reality a charity, or at least a charity case, Stevie thought, already preparing a defense. Johnson did little work, was always on the phone to some needy woman, and his personal expenses were always higher than one should expect. Heck even his accountant agreed that Johnson was actually worse than a charity, because there was no write off when it came to him.

I can't wait till the police kick in Johnson's and O'Mao's door and lift them off their beds...

The POLITSI!!! I am too good looking to go to jail, Stevie cringed at the thought. He set down the script, refusing to read anymore of the hardship that was surely contained inside and resolved to say one nice thing a day about Mark Frost until this situation resolved itself.

That and ask his personal secretary for Johnnie Cochrane's home phone number...

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Wednesday 19 December 2012, Premier Division, Shamrock Rovers v Belfast Celtic, Glenmalure Park

In midweek, Celtic faced Rovers, an important game in hand for both sides. Rovers were in sixth, but a win for them would see them close the gap to leaders Linfield to just two points, leaving the top-6 clubs within three points of each other. A Celtic win, on the other hand, would see the reigning champions go top by a couple of points and still have another game in hand.

A cold night and poor pitch conspired to serve up a poor game in terms of quality, but the tension was almost unbearable. Celtic's nerves were eased early on when Barry Burns was brought down by Patrick Bucic, the Rovers keeper lucky to espace with just a booking. The resulting penalty was cooly slotted underneath the former Celtic goaltender though, and saw Glen Keddy notch up his 21st of the season before Christmas. That saw the forward equal last season's tally, with half the campaign still to come!

Both keepers were put to the test on a few occasions after the goal, but neither had to collect the ball from the back of the net, even if post and crossbar helped out twice. And so, the Belfast side secured three priceless points, to regain first place ahead of a run of four home games.

Rovers 0
Celtic 1 (Keddy, pen 6)
Attendance: 12,465

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Yeah, there's still a lot of life left in this one, it's just that I don't have time to update it frequently.

Perhaps when things finally settle down a bit.