Summertime and the Livin' is Easy

Article by e-Celtic Correspondent Jim Payne

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I don't know whether the fish are jumping or the cotton is high but outside in G20 the sun is shining, inside the beer is cold and Holland and Australia are playing. As the World Cup carries on it's hard to remember that Celtic will be playing Champions League Qualifiers in a few weeks. The SPFL announced the league features this morning. Can winter be far away?

None of the four Celts who are in World Cup squads team won its opening fixture. Big Fraser Forster didn't play - not surprisingly - but Emilio Izaguirre, Efe Ambrose and Georgios Samaras (nominally at least still a Celt) did play and neither the players nor their teams covered themselves in glory - indeed Izzy's Honduras and Sammi's Greece have been just about the two worst teams I've seen. Better luck to all four of the Celts teams next time round.

Celtic appointed John Collins to be number 2 to Ronny Deila in the new coaching set up. That Collins was returning to the club he supported as a boy and played for with great distinction for 6 seasons has been well trailed - welcome back John.

Collins managed Hibs and Belgian side Charleroi with some success - though he did not last long at either club. Rumours abounded that many of the Hibs players had been unimpressed with Collins approach - rumours that ranged from Collins being too strict to being a rampant narcissist. It was all rather odd and few of the Edinburgh sides fans whom I knew were sorry to see him go - but Hibs have been really good since he left haven't they? Collins seems an intelligent man with strong views on how the game should be played. Appointing such a self confident man to work as an assistant undoubtedly carries potential risks - but as a great fan of the man as a player I'm glad he's back.

As readers will know Australia lost 3-2 to Holland in what so far has been a brilliant World Cup and it's easy to forget about the club game in a country now considered to be in football's slow lane when served up with such sumptuous fare. But Celtic are working away and things are taking shape. The opening salvos of next season are but weeks away and it could all go horribly and quickly wrong. But Celtic's changes are intriguing and much as I'll enjoy the rest of this World Cup but I'm looking forward to the return to the real world.

But for now let's continue with the fantasy stuff.

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