Celtic midfielder Joe Ledley is hoping his Wales international team-mate Craig Bellamy will return to Parkhead this summer.

Bellamy scored nine goals in 15 appearances during a loan spell at Celtic in 2005 and is expected to leave Manchester Citybefore the start of the new season.

He is wanted back at home-town club Cardiff City, where he spent last term on loan, while reports claim Stoke City are ready to enter the race for his signature.

The Bhoys are also rumoured to be keen on the 31-year-old and Ledley would relish the opportunity to see Bellamy in Neil Lennon's squad.

"Craig Bellamy would be a great signing," said Ledley.

"Craig has been here before and he enjoyed his time here. On his day he can be one of the greatest.

"I remember the derby game a couple of years ago away to Manchester United where he was totally fantastic for City.

"I spoke to him at the end of the season and he has some big decisions to make, but I think he would like to come back.

"I asked the question about Celtic, of course I did.

"He loved his time here and if a deal can be done hopefully he can come back. It would be nice to have him here again, but we also have great players here already."

Celtic have been told to forget about hijacking Hoffenheim's move for Kaizer Chiefs striker Knowledge Musona.

The Bhoys have expressed an interest in the 21-year-old Zimbabwean but he is due to travel to Germany for a trial after he receives a visa on Monday.

And his club manager, Bobby Motaung, insists the forward will not be derailed from his German trip even if Celtic step up their interest.

Motaung told kickoff.com: "We know there is Celtic's deal coming into play, but firstly Musona is not on auction. Secondly, we are not going to play a pick and choose game or money game.

Act ethically

"There has been an invitation for the player from Hoffenheim and we are going to follow through that process and we will exhaust that process before we consider any other offer.

"For now we will park the proposal that has come through. It is only fair for us to act ethically.

"We will respond accordingly to Celtic and acknowledge their interest, but Musona is not on auction."

Meanwhile, Celtic have distanced themselves from a bid for Maccabi Petah Tikvah forward Omer Damari, with the Israeli club demanding a 30 per cent of any sell on fee.

Celtic have agreed a fee of £2million to sign Israel striker Omar Damari from Maccabi Petah Tikva.

Celtic are reportedly set to make another bid for Norway striker Erik Huseklepp after losing out on his signature to Bari in January.

The 26-year-old, who has 19 caps for his country, chose to join the Italian club from SK Brann for an undisclosed fee at the beginning of the year.

However, Bari were relegated to Serie B and there are concerns that they have not paid the full fee for the forward to his former Norwegian club.

Huseklepp's agent Luca Pensi said: "This morning I met with Bari sporting director Guido Angelozzi in Milan, and with it we are trying to find a solution that satisfies both the player and Bari, who have said they are keen to sell.

"Regarding the news of Celtic, it is reliable. They have reported to us their interest in the player.

"Of course then you have to find an agreement that satisfies all parties, with the Scottish club in this case still having to make a concrete offer to Bari.

"For now, I want to reiterate, however, that there is still nothing concrete. Between an interest and a real negotiation, there is a big difference."

Why do Celtic even need an Away shirt? How many sides are they likely to play that wear green?

Neil Lennon has branded Celtic's display in a 1-0 defeat to Central Coast Mariners as 'remarkable'.

The Hoops came unstuck in their first outing on a pre-season tour of Australia, with an 86th-minute effort from Troy Hearfield proving to be their undoing.

There were, however, plenty of positives for the Scottish Premier League outfit to take from the game.

Given the amount of travelling they have done in recent days, and their lack of match sharpness, Lennon was delighted with the effort put in by his charges.

The Hoops boss left out Thomas Rogne, Kris Commons and Charlie Mulgrew as a precaution after they reported muscle fatigue but he was happy with the response of those who played - including debutants Kelvin Wilson and Adam Matthews.

He told the Sydney Morning Herald: "The players' condition and the quality, particularly second half, it was a remarkable performance when you consider the week they've been through.

"They've been travelling all the way over on Tuesday and Wednesday and then one day's training, played very, very well second half and controlled the game.

"I thought they scored with their one shot on target but overall I'm delighted with the performance."

Rusty

Lennon praised Mariners left-back Josh Rose and centre-back Patrick Zwaanswijk for their displays, but he was denied the chance to see potential transfer target Mustafa Amini after the teenage midfielder missed out with a groin injury.

Central Coast head coach Graham Arnold was overjoyed with claiming the scalp of the Scottish Cup winners.

"I thought our defensive structure was again good, although we were rusty in our execution in the final third," Arnold told his club's official website.

"Overall I thought we played well. It's the first time the boys have played in this stadium, and to play a powerhouse side like Celtic was fantastic for them.

"They don't have their history for no reason. They're a top side, with some outstanding players. It's their first game, so we played them at the best time in their tour.

"It was a great chance to see Australian players test themselves against that type of opposition."

Bhoys Rebuffed In Musona Bid

Celtic have been told to forget about hijacking Hoffenheim's move for Kaizer Chiefs striker Knowledge Musona.

The Bhoys have expressed an interest in the 21-year-old Zimbabwean but he is due to travel to Germany for a trial after he receives a visa on Monday.

And his club manager, Bobby Motaung, insists the forward will not be derailed from his German trip even if Celtic step up their interest.

Motaung told kickoff.com: "We know there is Celtic's deal coming into play, but firstly Musona is not on auction. Secondly, we are not going to play a pick and choose game or money game.

Act ethically

"There has been an invitation for the player from Hoffenheim and we are going to follow through that process and we will exhaust that process before we consider any other offer.

"For now we will park the proposal that has come through. It is only fair for us to act ethically.

"We will respond accordingly to Celtic and acknowledge their interest, but Musona is not on auction."

Meanwhile, Celtic have distanced themselves from a bid for Maccabi Petah Tikvah forward Omer Damari, with the Israeli club demanding a 30 per cent of any sell on fee.

Just finished at their training. It was very good. Lennon put them through their paces a bit at the end, they were rooted.

Met everyone but the two I really wanted to lol, Paddy and Brown. Every player was happy to sign and have a photo which was good. Going to Lennon's 40th birthday tonight, I think Brown will be there also so hopefully meet him there.

So if you get the chance to go to a training in Melbourne or Perth make sure you do, they made it worth it for the fans.

Any rough time for today? I'm just around the corner.

Open training session in Sydney confirmed

CELTIC'S first open training session of the Australian pre-season tour has been confirmed.

It will be held on Friday, July 1, at the ANZ Stadium, Sydney, and will start at 11am. All Celtic supporters are welcome.

Information on open training sessions in Perth and Melbourne will be announced on the official website over the coming days.

For anyone in Sydney heading to Macquarie Uni today for their training. It has been called off. Training tomorrow is on though.

Victor Wanyama joins Celtic subject to work permit

CELTIC Football Club is delighted to announce they have agreed a fee with Germinal Beerschot for the transfer of Victor Wanyama, who has also agreed personal terms.

Victor will join the club in the summer subject to a work permit and medical.

Celtic have agreed a fee of £2million to sign Israel striker Omar Damari from Maccabi Petah Tikva.

Dunno if it's been mentioned in AF, but Samaras will be given the armband against Victory.

[size=6]SPL let Hearts off on Lennon attack [/size]

The SPL have confirmed that no action will be taken against Hearts despite the attack on Neil Lennon at Tynecastle.

Straight after the incident SPL Chief Neil Doncaster and SFA counterpart Stewart Regan took to the airwaves to condemn the attack amid promises of enquires as they voiced their horror at the incident.

Showing a complete lack of judgement the SPL have checked that Hearts’ security arrangements were followed and allowed the Edinburgh side of scot free.

It seems that the safety of opposition managers isn’t an issue for the SPL as today’s statement highlights.

The statement read: “The SPL Board also noted that Heart of Midlothian’s stewarding arrangements were entirely consistent with both their Safety Certificate and the requirements of Lothian and Borders Police.

“In accordance with these requirements, a steward was deployed to each gate at half time and full time, but not during the match. The Heart of Midlothian Safety Certificate is provided by the Safety Committee of City of Edinburgh Council.”

It appears that following procedures is the priority for the SPL rather than dealing with the reality of an attack on a manager that brought worldwide shame on the Scottish game.

The SPL’s conclusions from the incident are almost as worrying as the attack on Lennon with the organisation showing a disregard for the seriousness of the incident.

Failure to punish a club for the attack on an opposition manager will again hold Scottish football upto ridicule with outsiders wondering just what has to happen before the authorities take action.

Hearts were recently fined £100,000 by the SFA for their disciplinary record but the SPL have body-swerved taking action against the club on a more serious matter.



The SPL Board recently received a report following the Heart of Midlothian v Celtic match on Wednesday 11 May 2011. The Board also considered the reports from the SPL Match Delegate and the Match Referee.

The SPL Board noted that Heart of Midlothian identified the fixture as a high risk game and in addition to the usual pre-operations meeting between the clubs, Lothian and Borders Police and G4S, Heart of Midlothian had arranged an earlier meeting with Lothian and Borders Police to specifically discuss safety and security aspects of the game.

The SPL Board also noted that Heart of Midlothian’s stewarding arrangements were entirely consistent with both their Safety Certificate and the requirements of Lothian and Borders Police. In accordance with these requirements, a steward was deployed to each gate at half time and full time, but not during the match. The Heart of Midlothian Safety Certificate is provided by the Safety Committee of City of Edinburgh Council.

The individual alleged to have assaulted Celtic Manager Neil Lennon is being dealt with by the justice system and has been give a life ban from Tynecastle Stadium by Hearts.

G4S stewards, employed by Heart of Midlothian, sought to challenge offensive singing amongst both sets of fans when it occurred and correctly challenged other incidents of disorder.

The SPL Board noted that both clubs implemented fully the Guidance for Clubs on Unacceptable Conduct issued by the SPL in 2007 to aid full compliance with SPL Regulations in this area.

The SPL Board decided that no action should be taken against either club as the action taken by each club before, during and since the match was reasonable in all the circumstances.
http://videocelts.com/2011/06/blogs/spl-let-hearts-off-on-lennon-attack

Skysports.com understands Celtic have had a bid accepted for midfielder Victor Wanyama.

It was revealed on Monday that the 20-year-old had agreed personal terms with the Parkhead club and a deal is now close to completion.

Celtic's bitter Old Firm rivals, Rangers, had also been linked with a move for Wanyama, while Aston Villa were understood to be interested.

But Neil Lennon is set to win the race and it is believed that the signing will be worth £1million for Wanyama's current club, Germinal Beerschot.

The Kenyan is the brother of Inter Milan's McDonald Mariga and made his international debut aged just 15 in an unofficial friendly against Nigeria.