In different times, it would be difficult not to consider a run of 18 wins and a draw in our most recent 19 fixtures across all competitions as anything other than a performance highpoint. But we were made to fight to hold onto our advantage late in the game against Dundee yesterday, while Newco snatched a late equaliser a week earlier – a goal which had been on the cards for some minutes.
Tiredness looks to have crept in.
Like Aberdeen, Celtic had six European games to contend with over the summer, although the intensity of five of Celtic’s games was of a higher level than that of Aberdeen’s. Then there is the matter of the Champions League group stage; six nights of the most acute energy sapping football available, and that’s just for the fans.
There is also the matter of the new regime to factor in. Training changed when Brendan Rodgers arrived, new levels of fitness were required and reached.
Talk to any athlete and they’ll tell you their fitness varies in a planned manner across the year. There is a recovery period, a time when they lay down base fitness, a time for improvement, then peak fitness is reached. But peak fitness doesn’t last forever, you have a window before burn-out, then often a cliff-edge.
Body and mind become tired as the athlete approaches the recovery period. The January break will have helped, but that wasn’t long enough to go through the cycle of recovery-to-peak. Evidence for this is most readily available in our current star performer, Stuart Armstrong, who has played 36% fewer minutes than club captain, Scott Brown.
While many Scottish clubs will look ahead to the international break in anticipation their players will get some time off, Celtic will lose the vast majority of their squad to full and youth international sides. The playing surface at Celtic Park might get a rest during international weeks, but the players don’t.
Despite this, I expect we’ll cling on to top spot and take the title. If we get the win at Tynecastle next time out, I also expect Brendan to prioritise the Scottish Cup, and rest significant numbers for the games against Partick, Kilmarnock and Ross County.
We’ll pounce onto the Hampden surface with renewed purpose.
In different times (#2), news that Rangers’ QC, Andrew Thornill, who led their defence against HMRC for their use of EBTs, has been made bankrupt by HMRC would be too ridiculous to be true. But for that lot, it’s just a minor footnote in the final chapters of their ridiculous history.
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Thoughts and prayers for your mum Tony
RIP
FAO Tony Donelly67,
Sad news about your wee mammy.
RIP Mrs Donnelly.
HOT SMOKED on 20TH MARCH 2017 4:48 PM
JJ I’ve ordered mine via the North Curve so I didn’t realise the cost for postage!
HEARTLESS crooks broke in to a city centre pub and stole cash for charity.
The thieves are thought to have got in to O’Neill’s pub in Merchant City this morning and made off with four donation tins collecting cash for the Celtic FC foundation.
The venue was also damaged during the raid but nobody was injured.
The money, which was in tins secured to the bar, had been donated by hundreds of kind-hearted pub goers celebrating Patrick’s Day over the weekend.
Pub owners estimate hundreds of pounds could have been taken in the four containers, and are appealing directly for help to catch the culprits.
To the O”Neill blaggers……….your just feckin scum !
JIMMYNOTPAUL on 20TH MARCH 2017 5:30 PM
In that case they will have to play one club away an extra time. The can’t have 4 home games so I wonder who it will be. By rights it should be us.
KTF
Tony Donnelly
May your mammy rest in peace Tony
Look after yourself.
God Bless
VFR. 5.56.
I agree.
I’m sure they will sort something out though, to make sure they don’t have to.
Can you imagine them losing 7,500/8,000 x 49 quid.
It won’t happen, but it should!!!
DB-BB
Thanks
Every time you scratch the surface the more you uncover, corrupt cheating scum the lot of them.
HH
http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2017/0320/861013-tributes-pour-in-for-derry-skipper-mcbride/
‘They said to wear green’: West Allis mayor Dan Devine goes viral after wearing Celtic top in American court for St Patrick’s Day
‘They said to wear green’: American mayor goes viral after wearing Celtic top in court
Bobby M and VFR
Thanks for your replies regarding the ‘Trophy Day’ date query. Sorry for tardy reply myself, but grand-wean duties in Stirling took precedence.
Bobby, the Scottish Cup final is a week later this year than it was last season, don’t know why and don’t know if it will influence final league games/Trophy Day.
VFR, commonsense advice to just await the post-split fixtures – one of my grand daughters’ birthday is on Sunday 21st. May which COULD be Trophy Day and therefore could cause me a wee problem. That was the reason for my original query.
BTW I would be absolutely astounded if the SPFL applied their general rule that the ‘new’ team in the league has an additional away fixture after the split if there is an imbalance. Imagine Dungchucker telling the Lying King his mob have to wreck our toilets for a third time this season!
http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/six-nations/eddie-jones-makes-bizarre-claim-while-reflecting-on-englands-defeat-to-ireland-at-the-aviva-35548348.html
Dan Devine tweet
@MayorDanDevine: @celticfc They said to wear green at City Hall today! #StPatricksDay https://t.co/z3h6lbeScl
MWD
Imagine if the SFA dealt with cheating “MADHUN” refs the same way as FIFA, there would be one left.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39327805
TET
Two things.
Castril: Frightening as the trip over the mountains is especially with the wife and her sister in the car, the journey is an experience in itself and the destination worth that experience.
RTC and S36. One would imagine that HMRC would have approached the SPL as well as the SFA and some record would exist in administration files or minutes to the SPL Board whom again one would imagine were notified of any approach.
Tony D
They mean so much to us. Condolences
Hail Hail
May Tony Donnellys mother R.I.P. and may perpetual light shine upon her.
TD67.
Condolences to you and your family at this sad time mate.
RIP Annie.
Auldheid
Aye, you sure need a head for heights, but as you say the place is well worth it, spectacular scenery.
So are we to take it that the sfa and spl knew fine well that the huns were cheating and were going bust, of course they did, yet nothing was done, why am I not surprised, the sooner the walls come crumbling down the better, but it won’t happen.
HH
VFR800 – ages ago
Sorry, that should have included delivery for the whopping £7.00.
Takes me all my time and effort to view and thole Sevco under my season ticket let alone acknowledging them and the SFA with their hiked up prices.
Celtic should let our fans see them free, never mind charging top dollar.
Wee statement there for when we got cheated for years by their predecessors?
TD67
Sorry to read of the loss of your Mother.My sincere condolences. May she Rest In Peace.
With regards to the comments re young Kouassi , I have an issue with his positional sense. The way he fell off the seat in the dugout shows we may have wasted our cash. You never saw Mo Bangura do that!
TD67- condolences on the loss of your mum.
Condolences to Tony D and family for the loss of their mother. RIP.
In passing – we looked nervous yesterday after Dundee scored, and I’m thinking why are we nervous, the league is in the bag, its just a question of when’s the party. Then I remember the unbeaten run. They are trying to get thru the season undefeated domestically, and the players must think we are so close we can almost touch it. Guess we will see a lot more of the nerves we saw yesterday before the season’s done. Brendan needs to calm them down but its not going to be easy, particularly if he’s also getting nervous.
ROCK TREE BHOY on 20TH MARCH 2017 6:41 PM
No need for nerves just play the form players,and rest those off the boil.
Tony D , may your mum’s soul rest in peace .
Tony D thoughts with you and your family.
TET
EBTS
http://etims.net/?p=11004
Condolences TD67 on the sad loss of your mum. May she rest in peace.
Yorkbhoy
Thanks, I am normally on top of what is happening but have been lacking in the past week or so, Mrs TET has me under the thumb doing stuff for her.
Ach, everything will be fine, a smsm journo will ask them all the searching questions and they will be exposed for the corrupt winkers that they are :-)
HH
“The final chapters of their ridiculous history ”
………… what does that mean?
They are doomed but there’s more to go?
Are we talking about sevco? Newco? Or Rangers?
Or in the big scheme of things is it another 140 year final chapter?
Another sluggish performance yesterday. We’re in a great position, but seem to be visibly tiring – which is a bit worrying considering the games coming up.
Sinclair, Dembele, Kieran, Lustig, all look tired.
But more worrying is this was the third game in a row where Boyatta was forced to be our playmaker. He’s not a bad passer, but he’s no VVD.
JohnJames’ latest piece “Personna Non Gratis” and Phil Mac’ blog of earlier seem to be pointing to no way out for King and this time round he is well and truly scuppered. HH
Where has Phil gone ?
Tony Donnelly, Sincere condolences on the loss of your mum.
67 HEAVEN
Phil’s new site up and working though his latest mentioning King’s triumphal visit on Wednesday. He also seems to have revised his opinion that Parks et al might be prepared to loan King money to prepare a bid to purchase shares, if I have read his article correctly. Strange and stranger. HH
“Top Scientist Confirms The ‘Old Firm’ Is Dead”
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2017/03/20/top-scientist-confirms-the-old-firm-is-dead/