Hampden Gallery

Hampden was a glorious sight for Celtic fans this afternoon as they watched their side clinch a return trip for the final of the Scottish Cup. Treble bustin' had been the topic of the week as all sorts of claims were made about the impact of the fifth best coach in Qatar on Celtic's trophy target. Brendan Rodgers sat quietly in the background concentrating on his players with the added motivation of last week's horrendous decisions away to Ross County. In the opening minutes Andy Halliday committed an x-rated foul on Patrick Roberts but Celtic weren't intimidated. If anything it showed the fear that the Ibrox side had for the champions. Celtic were relentless as they pushed forward for the opening goal which came from the feet of Callum McGregor as he completed a great move by passing the ball into the net. The loss of Moussa Dembele through injury didn't interrupt Celtic's style, substitute Leigh Griffiths earned a penalty early in the second half which Scott Sinclair converted with ease. At the final whistle there were no over the top celebrations, work has still to be done with the final against Aberdeen offering a chance for this crop of hoops to put their names in history as the first treble winners in 16 years. A TALE OF TWO CAPTAINS For every winner there is always a loser. He ran about impressively but deep down Kenny Miller knows that his ship has sailed. Being voted Player of the Year won't cut him any sympathy when it comes to contract time, there won't be any more Hampden days out for the former Vancouver Whitecaps ace. In Scott Brown Celtic have a leader in every aspect of the game, in his tenth season with the club he is one match away from leading the club to a treble, no one deserves it more. CAL'S THE BHOY What a player, what a goal, what a season. It certainly hasn't been handed to him on a plate but the bhoy from Springburn has worked hard and earned his place on merit. There's been a growing awareness of the job that he is doing for the side, it'll be an exceptional player that takes his jersey. McGregor is getting better and better, if he had a more foreign sounding name folk would be drooling over him but he won't mind as long as he has Brendan Rodgers' support. SHOCKING THE WAY SKILL WAS TARGETED It wasn't clever or subtle, sadly Patrick Roberts was offered no protection by Willie Collum from the hammer throwers in Scottish football. Kieran Tierney and Scott Sinclair have been singled out recently, today it was Roberts turn with the clear message of 'have a go it'll only be yellow'. Roberts never hid, he took it on the chin, ankles and knees and played a massive part in Celtic's success. Don't doubt the bravery of the week guy, this was his cup final and no one deserves a medal more. LUSTIG FANCIES A FEW MORE SSSThe Swedish party bhoy likes a celebration and seems to have his eye on a few more titles. He put in a solid display today, backing up Patrick Roberts down the right and doing what was needed at the back. When the final whistle blew he knew what it meant to the supporters, over a five year journey he's become one of our own. With just the one Scottish Cup winners medal to his name he'll not come up short on May 27 if only for the chance to enjoy another party. IN SHE GOES The third goal against Sevco this season for Scotty- wonderful. There was no fervour of excitement when he signed from Aston Villa on the eve of the new season but from his match winning intervention at Tynecastle he has barely put a foot wrong. He was well marked today but used that well creating space for Kieran Tierney which was fully exploited. Sinclair and Tierney missed the Betfred Cup Final win over Aberdeen earlier in the season, they'll both be chasing winners medals at Hampden next month. JOB WELL DONE SFrom his first day at the club Brendan Rodgers has always stressed that it's all about the team, or the collective as likes to call it. Since winning the title at Tynecastle the Irishman has used his squad wisely and it all came right for him on the day. It wasn't a spectacular or dynamic displat but any coach would be pleased with the way his side dominated the match and tucked away a couple of chances that came their way. Celtic maintained their discipline at all times, some brutal challenges barely went punished, the final against Aberdeen will be a big step up in opposition, Brendan will have his bhoys ready for it. PEACE BE WITH YOU A touching moment as the fifth best coach in Qatar gets to meet a giant of management. As he toiled away under the dessert sun at the turn of the year Brother Pedro could hardly have guessed the good fortune that his career would take. Away from the spoonfed sounbites he is fed before media briefings Pedro is probably a half decent football coach, maybe a decent youth coach at some point in the future. There's a reason why he's not been in mainstream management in his late forties, all the talking, analysis and whatever else is no compensation for that loney 90 minutes when your shortcomings are exposed. LOVE IS IN THE AIR A year ago they were feeling the pain, tonight they'll be celebrating and savouring a telling performance. Roberts was incredibly brave as defenders lined up to boot lumps out of him while KT charged down the other flank at every opportunity. There might not be too many Hampden moments for them in the future but if he's not got his boots on Patrick will almost certainly be back to cheer on his best pal. Both players have got incredible natural ability but it takes a manager of Rodgers' calibre to bring something extra to their game.

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A TALE OF TWO CAPTAINS

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