You will be told by some that an invincible season holds less than it would have before Rangers liquidation in 2012, but that assertion overlooks the clear facts. Martin O’Neill’s then-record points hauling treble winners lost to Kilmarnock. The Lions lost to Dundee United, twice. We always lost games to someone other than Rangers. If invincibility was achieved by stopping only one opponent there would be nothing special to report from yesterday.
This is an astonishing achievement. Invincibility over an entire season is unlikely, no matter what your comparative strengths in relation to the rest of your league are, for mathematical reasons.
Football teams convert a small percentage of their attempts at goal. There will be occasions when a team scored three from three chances, but there will also be times when a team has 20 attempts and fails to score.
Over the course of a season, the random distribution of chances converted is likely to match one of Celtic’s highly unproductive striking days, with an opponent who happen to score with perhaps their only attempt at goal. This phenomenon explains most results when poor teams beat significantly better rivals.
Strong teams are also commonly drop points away from home to top half of the table opposition. Here, Celtic have been truly imperious. We won twice away to each team in the top half of the table, scoring 6 at Aberdeen, 7 at Newco, 9 at St Johnstone, 7 at Hearts and 9 at Patrick.
It would also be lax not to mention the style of football. This is not a brutal domination of the ball and physical area of the pitch, Celtic play a stylish, flowing, game, which entertains and succeeds in equal measure.
One more bridge to cross before the job is complete.
Thanks for all the encouragement, and especially the donations to Celtic FC Foundation, for the Stirling Marathon yesterday. Before going to bed on Saturday night I read through all the donations and couldn’t wait to get started.
It was an unforgettable experience. We’ll wait and see if it’s also unrepeatable.
Our good pals at Intelligent Car Leasing have offered two (£100 each) tickets for the Lisbon Lions night at The Hydro, on Thursday. You can win them by raffle in aid of Mary’s Meals.
The raffle is open less than 12 hours, closes at midnight tonight, so mathematics also suggests your chances are none too shabby. To enter, make a minimum of £5 here, then email me, celticquicknews@gmail.com with the word “Hydro” in the subject line to confirm your entry.
Good luck!
ORDER TODAY AND WE WILL POST STRAIGHT AWAY FIRST CLASS POST SO YOU WILL HAVE FOR THIS WEEK’S CELEBRATIONS AND THE SCOTTISH CUP FINAL!
338 Comments- Pages:
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- »
Pun up Bhoys
Infrangipane
This is how it feels to be Celtic
Inviolables
Acid it before and i’ll say it again,weed be better off not discussing drugs on here.It smacks of desperation and can cause a lot of downers when talking such junk.Snort really appropriate.Should just stick to the ecstasy our team deal us up at the moment.Charlie Nicholas. ;)
“scoring 6 at Aberdeen”
Fake news.
Great article Paul, our achievement was being undermined before a ball was kicked in some quarters..
Curses, new article appears whilst I am drafting this….
HUNDERBIRDS ARE GONE on 22ND MAY 2017 12:14 PM
Meanwhile at The High Court in Glasgow….
1h
James Doleman @jamesdoleman
Newlands says he met Whyte through a Peter Shakeshaft.O
Peter Shakeshaft?…….. ooh err Missus :)
Apologies for repost.
BABASONICOS71
Charlie made a hash of that.
BABASONICOS71
Spike Island:)))
No Callum McGregor in the Scotland squad…which is just fine by me…
Morning after a fantastic historical day for Celtic (Well done bhoys) yet there are small minority who post on here, almost immediately after the final whistle yesterday in one instance and yet again today, having a go at the ‘young teams’ choice of songs. Makes you wonder, interested in our club making history (again) no they rather gripe about a few political songs. Give it a rest FFS.
Also, why did Strachan choose 4 goalkeepers???
“Winning was important, aye, but it was the way that we won that has filled me with satisfaction. We did it by playing football; pure, beautiful, inventive football. ”
I usually don’t care much for the cups, the League cup is played during the middle of the European campaign, and the Scottish Cup final removes a week of rest for the players ahead of the far more important European qualifiers. But there has been so much emphasis put on Celtic to do this since Rangers were liquidated, that I would be gutted if we don’t finally put it to bed on Saturday.
The invincible season is the bigger achievement for me, but an invincible treble has a very nice ring to it. For next season, winning the league and CL qualification is all I’m concerned with.
As big Kolo Toure says “thanks Allah”
Open to all
Aff oot to pick up the granddaughter from nursery (ciders are chilling not opened yet)
Young Kieran Tierney doesn’t know what age he was in 2001, at least he knows how to play fitba, his celebrations with the “north curve” brilliant
All this posting about drugs, reminds me of the Metro (Saltcoats – Petec :-)
The drugs don’t work
Jellies & ice cream ?
HASHtag
“this is how it feels to be Celtic”
” It is a stunning stunning achievement”
Tom Boyd
Just brilliant
HH
Reggie
It’s ironic that you moan about others looking to close down debate on the issue that has you pulling at your colon while you wish to close down the Celtic support for singing songs that has your colon doing a twist.
I think you will also find that most of us who have commented seriously and\or facetiously on this topic just want the chance to celebrate a historic season and maybe get back to the mundane debates at a later date.
I am sorry however that your day and season was spoiled yesterday with a small group of fans singing songs you don’t want them to sing. I feel your pain. Honestly!
MWD pump up the Rebs.
Paul67
Good shout, but nice of Sevco to finish on 67′ points.
LOL CSC
Good Morning All
I have a spare ticket for sale for the hydro on Thursday night if anyone is looking for one. Face value £80 if anyone is interested. Happy to swap for 2 tickets to the final of course ha ha (well u don’t ask…..)
I am in the uk at the minute and my young son is flying over from Canada on wed night to join me for the concert and in the hope that we can somehow scrape tickets from somewhere.
If anyone is interested leave a note on here and ill check back through the day.
HH
“On the field in spite of conceding a penalty after only seven minutes and providing Inter Milan with a lead that was the perfect context for their smothering negativity, Celtic didn’t let belief in their superiority waver even momentarily and they applied ceaseless aggression, disconcerting switches in tempo and an unnerving variety of skills to play the Italians to the brink of helplessness “
Hugh McIlvanney Sunday Times 21/05/17
We should not forget that we also had 12 CL games to play in midweek.Never lost a goal in the League Cup,squeezed in midweeks as well,in that time.Its an incredible achievement.
I am delighted to see that Alex McLeish is on my level with regards to how we can make this league a fairer league in future. Just read a wee article that he did recently.
Istill go for ankle weights over shin pad weights though.
MWD :-@))))
DAVIDOPOULOS on 22ND MAY 2017 12:23 PM
Also, why did Strachan choose 4 goalkeepers???
Going by the amount of Duffers,and Free transfers he has picked,I think he will need to play two at a time.
MOONBEAMSWD on 22ND MAY 2017 12:33 PM
Do you mean these shenanigans?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeOJyMpJb00
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZNWHmoKLOI
KTF
Celtic mean many different things to many people and for me the top priority is playing high quality entertaining football and this season we got that by the barrow load.
The goal of the season was iconic in terms of reflecting the team spirit. All for all one and one for all (although LG might have forgotten D’Artangan v Thistle, but as somebody who wanted to play football morning noon and night I know the feeling of being subbed or injured)
There have also been moments of indivual “did ye see that?” skill, paricularly from Roberts, although Tierney gets you checkling his age he plays with so much maturity.
I/we were lucky to have witnessed some sublime footballing moments this season and I’m thankful for all who made that possible.
Turkeybhoy
winning a trophy without losing a single goal is an achievement in it’s own right.
I think we have only lost 1 goal in the Scottish Cup, to St Mirren, so far.
MWD
anyone else agree than when big Kolo Toure came on yesterday that our defence came under a wee bit of self inflicted pressure?
Paul 67,
Totally agree. Its the style of football we play to achieve such a magnificent feat. Its the Celtic way.
Supporting Celtic this season has been enjoyment,entertainment and happiness. I’ve said it for donkey’s; We are the most entertaining team on these Islands. Ultimately, that should be what football is all about
And the journey will go on.
HH.
So hearts are rumoured to be looking at safe standing at the Edinburgh bernabeau fair enough
Any chance of making it safe for our players and management first while they’re at it
This season alone we’ve had some try and punch Sinclair with no coverage whatsoever in the SMSM and that incident with lustig trying to take a throw in
MOONBEAMSWD
I am sorry however that your day and season was spoiled yesterday with a small group of fans singing songs you don’t want them to sing. I feel your pain. Honestly!
————-
I didn’t post yesterday as I was out celebrating an invincible season. I never mentioned my day or season being spoiled. I was responding today to a line about ‘appeasement’, which in my opinion is nonsense.
It was a terminology I found constantly thrown around in many comments sections of newspapers from the Brexiteers during the EU referendum debates as well. It’s as if to say ‘Look how appeasement turned out for Chamberlain, is that what you want? No? Then keep your mouth shut’
It means nothing. No one answered my question whether it is ‘appeasement’ for the English press to go after their own fans for singing ’10 german bombers’. But if you want to keep making it personal then be my guest. No individual, or section of the support small or large, detracts from my enjoyment of watching Celtic on the pitch. And no amount of abuse from people on this site will change that.
What a day yesterday and I watched it on the telly…..
On the train from Glasgow to Swindon which is why I missed it
Looking forward to meeting old and new faces in Lisbon
BRTH.. Hope you are recovering No show without Punch
COYBIG
Note — I will come to the Blane Valley with T shirts from around 2:15 till 3:30pm if it helps folk.
Reggie
I replied to your comment asking if you noted the Irony in your post with regards your point re. others stifling debate and you looking to stifle Cetic fans singing songs you don’t like. What is the difference in both positions?
Delighted to hear that your day was not spoiled afterall and that these dreadful unwelcome fans singing their songs did not interfere with your enjoyment, obviously until it did.
MWD
Reggie
You will also find that no one really cares about what England and their fans do and whether it is appeasement or not. Especially in this week of reflection of the efforts of Brendan and our team. Who cares? Seriously.
MWD
Starry
He’s in ma house right now!
Got a nice wee message from my neighbour as well!!
Who said it was a good idea after an all day sesh celebrating an invincible league campaign to eat pakora cheese n biscuits and red wine n watch the game again…rough as toast but a happy bhoy preparing for Lisbon…”this is what is like to be Celtic…”
Kikinthenakas
Watched Leigh Griffiths press conference yesterday; he was excellent and apologised to the whole club for his petulance on Thursday night stating that in no way was he being disrespectful, to the manager, staff, players or fans.
Well worth a wee watch.
KTF
Reggie
IMO you are the one talking nonsense.
You keep mentioning england and the english media, which as far as I can see have done nothing to further the Celtic cause, nor will they.
We are a scottish club, born of Irish blood the last time I looked and the scottish media hate us with a passion, they are the mouthpiece for the anti Irish-Catholic bigots.
Where does it stop, the wearing of the green ?
If you can’t see that we are appeasing them, you know them that would see us gone in a heartbeat, you are a bigger idiot than I thought you were.