Match 31 in Celtic’s domestic season: Motherwell at home, 29 wins, one draw and no defeats behind them. It all looks straightforward tomorrow. Right?
A reminder, if needed, that while Motherwell shipped seven goals during the week, St Mirren did the same to Gordon Strachan’s Celtic before knocking us out the Scottish Cup a week later.
It was also Motherwell, at Celtic Park, who ended Scottish football’s longest winning run of league games in 2004. Celtic had just beaten Barcelona but were held by Motherwell to halt the run at 26 consecutive victories.
Runs like this often end against teams with nothing in their locker but desperate defending. You’ll see that from the visitors tomorrow, whose players will surely have had a word with each other about collective responsibility.
Take nothing for granted. Celtic have worked hard to get into this situation in the league but they will have to work just as hard to maintain momentum.
How does Brendan do that? I suspect by shuffling the pack again. We have genuine competition across the team. The central defenders must be scared to sneeze in front of the manager in case he drops them and they don’t get another sight of the pitch for weeks.
Full backs feeling a little weary late in the game? Don’t show it, Emilio and Cristian are ready and waiting. James Forrest and Patrick Roberts are both delivering at the highest standard of their careers, otherwise they would not be considered.
While Leigh Griffiths is injured, Moussa Dembele will be confident he will get the opportunity to score three consecutive hat-tricks, surely an unprecedented achievement. It’s only Scott Brown and Scott Sinclair who can be confident of being included when fit.
The former, because he is captain and leader of the team, the latter because he has had the most profound impact on Scottish football this season, unequivocally Player of the Year.
You are looking forward to seeing these guys do their stuff tomorrow, I can tell.
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Have the scum gone burst YET HeHe
Happy Birthday to excellent CQN’er El Diego Bhoy…
Good Afternoon.
Yes looking forward to it. No slip-ups please!
Meanwhile, two new comedic pieces from Clumpany Towers.
One about the desperate search for a really cheap new Sevco manager…
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2017/02/16/a-cheap-manager-for-sevco/
And one about the transforming powers of a world class breakfast…
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2017/02/16/magic-corn-flakes/
found ye :))))))))))
HH
PAUL67
Slow News Day.
Or..
Celtic YaTease News?
Many happy returns to El Diego Bhoy
EDB…
Happy birthday and many hoopy returns.Hope you’re keeping well.
They have been bust for years, just survive with murky directors loans keeping them out of bankruptcy, administration and liquidation like their predecessors.
El Diego Bhoy
Many Happy Returns.
Hope you are fit to celebrate today.
HH
Could be a tricky one, I fancy 8-0.
As for the 2nd half, who knows…
I thought our record wins under MON was halted
by a defeat to Sheep midweek
Missed that game and blamed myself
as you do
: > (
PAUL67
“Collective responsibility”
Ah,that oul’ chestnut,taking it in turns to batter lumps out of our players.
Aye,that’s what the game needs. More collective responsibility.
Btw,not necessary against us. Just kick lumps out The Hooooooops,the ref will be on message as usual. As for instance,gerbil-featured Clancy last week and ratfink-in-chief Gollum every time.
THEEXILEDTIM is spot on. Sort the refs,sort the problem.
Sadly,as much chance of that as there is of us finding his €2 a bottle vino in Aldi UK.
“unequivocally Player of the Year.”
Sinclair probably is player of the year but not sure about unequivocally. Dembele is by far the most talented player in the league and Brown hasn’t just been back to his best, he’s been playing at a level I never thought was possible. If Tierney, Rogic and Armstrong hadn’t missed significant playing time then they would be in the conversation as well.
Agree though that when the unbeaten record does go(be it this season or next), it’s just as likely to come in a game we are not expecting it, as it is to go at places like Pittodrie or Tynecastle.
JC2
That was our unbeaten home record. 67,IIRC.
Mibbe MON just wanted that most prime number cemented into our history.
Again.
‘he has had the most profound impact on Scottish football this season, unequivocally Player of the Year’- so not Barrie Mackay, then?
BMCUWP
Fair enough
i guess you agree it was my fault
GUTTEDCSCS
‘Fat, roond, and nae longer worth a million poond’ motherwell manager Mark ‘Angry Mr.Potato Heid’ McGhee will, with certainty, send his players out to rough us up – despicable Hun urchin Lasley will have the sharpened studs on.
It will take a lot of discipline, as we now become a prize for the first SPL team to topple – cup finals every game all the way in while our records run.
Yet all this season- fittingly – we’ve won by playing the Jock Stein way, that mantra beat out like a rhythm through the dancing feet of our fowards, the tempo of our midfield and the big bass drum beat of our defensive wall.
Even their refs look onm the brink of quitting, but that’s maybe a bit hasty; we may have to come from behind to an early, opportunist award of a dubious pen as things (re; Brother Thompson, Perth) ‘even themselves out over the course of a season.’
7-1.
In November 1946 wee Jack Balmer of Liverpool scored successive hattricks against Portsmouth , Derby [he scored 4 that day], and Arsenal.
I don’t think it’s been done in Britain since.
DBBIA/JohnMotsonCSC
So, Dave King couldn’t have been clearer:
“Our realistic expectation was to come second”
Pretty clear, eh? So who said:
“We would start next season with the intention of winning the Premiership, we understand the gap against Celtic but the ambition is not to come second. We’d go in believing we can win the league.”
Are there TWO Dave Kings????
Drop Scott Sinclair
Just for the hell of it
After the overwhelming success of my Ronny Out campaign I might just be tempted to start another one
SEEN CLAARE WE DONT NEED NO STEEKING SEEN CLAIRES
Kismet footware….
better half just arrived home… will mail tkt in a few days.
Will include a reminder for the oxygen cylinder and binoculars.
GLASSTWOTHIRDSFULL on 17TH FEBRUARY 2017 1:02 PM…
depends which angle you’re looking from…
ClarenceCSC
Zombie Volunteers
I’m beginning to seriously concerned about the safety of our players & them being lost to the team due to injury
It looks as if other teams have been given carte blanche to kick, foul there way through games against us with impunity without any repercussions from the Ref
This I think could cost us the treble after Inverness Caley thugs last week were P67 player of the year Scot Sinclair was nearly scythed in 2
No doubt the Mothers will adopt similar tactics this wekend
GLASSTWOTHIRDSFULL
I know, I know, BUT, expectation and intention are 2 very different words.
HH EnnisBhoy
Always remember Brendan talking about Sinclair after his full debut at Celtic Park. He said with his introduction the team would ‘go up a level’. That much was evident in the match against Beer Sheeva, whilst he didn’t score, he was sensational. That left wing position has always been a bit of a graveyard shift over the years but he plays it so well. Aside from the obvious goal scoring and creating chances, he presses the game so well and his movement is really clever, he often drifts into pockets of space in the central area leaving pace for KT to raid down the wing. A fantastic addition and Player of the year for me, so far.
Watch “Scott Sinclair vs Newco (Away) – 31/12/2016” on YouTube
https://youtu.be/pepGkBqZe70
GLASSTWOTHIRDSFULL on 17TH FEBRUARY 2017 1:02 PM
So, Dave King couldn’t have been clearer:
“Our realistic expectation was to come second”
Pretty clear, eh? So who said:
“We would start next season with the intention of winning the Premiership, we understand the gap against Celtic but the ambition is not to come second. We’d go in believing we can win the league.”
Are there TWO Dave Kings????
…………………
Yep there are 2………..and one is a glib and shameless liar
One’s called Glib,One’s called Shameless:))
Hun urchin two words that just fit together perfectly, Sandman yer a poet:))
Bring on the Well tae wee see “Big” Mark McGhees greeting boat race once more:)
DESERTBHOY
Cheers,old bean!
HH
JC2 100pm
Naw,hardly your fault that the players didnae want to score till they made sure you were in your seat(!)
On the plus side if you missed that game-how long did YOUR 100% record last?
El Diego Bhoy hoopy birthday laddie,have a braw day and Gute Besserung…
Braw.
I suspect there’ll be the usual hackathon from the opposition tomorrow,been that way since the get go.Lasley will feature prominently and be enabled by the mib.Thing is,it will be in vain.The same ‘tactics’ have been (ab)used all season against us and we have overcome them by being faster,stronger,fitter,more skillful,and just plain better.Someone will need to come up with a different set of tactics to stop us.A defeat will come at some point,whether this season or next,but can’t see it being tomorrow.Baked tottie heid hasn’t got the nous or players to get the better of Brendan.Our biggest opponent just now is complacency and I just don’t believe our manager would allow it so it’s another win for me tomorrow.
I’d agree that Scott has been player of the year.He has a fantastic footballing brain,as anyone who watches him when not in possession can testify.A true footballer.
Kieran will win it another year.
COYBIG
Talking of Lasley, etc. Who is the MIB tomorrow anyway?
Though that reminds me of an earlier game this season, caught up in traffic we just got to our seats before ko. “Who’s the MIB?” I asked my neebor, not recognising that day’s sleekit version. “Does it matter?” came the rather caustic reply. Fair point, thought I.
Happy Birthday El Diego Bhoy, have a great day.
HH
Scott Sinclair POTY for me.
Best ‘finished article’ we’ve signed since the wee Jap.
Scott Sinclair has that thing that all great players have, he’s hard as nails, Henrick had it, as did Naka.
Never get tired of watching how Scott Sinclair plays and approaches the game.
Top drawer signing…
Koussia Eboue to make his Celtic debut today in the SFA youth Cup away to Hibs