Games come thick and fast when you remain in all competitions in late October. The Allianz Arena got your heart beating on Wednesday, but much more is on the line at Hampden Park tomorrow: the first trophy of the season.
While our unbeaten domestic run goes on the line every game we play in Scotland, I wish we were not facing an occasion as important as a cup semi-final immediately after such a huge Champions League occasion. The timing of this game contributes towards Hibernian’s chances of success.
Neil Lennon’s Hibs have already won at Ibrox and drawn at Celtic Park this season. They genuinely have no fears about making the trip along the M8 to face Celtic at the national stadium. While Celtic players were draining every muscle of energy on Wednesday, Hibs players were resting in front of the television. They would have been tucked up in bed before Scott Brown and his team-mates got to Munich Airport and have enjoyed the benefit of a week’s uninterrupted training.
For Brendan Rodgers, the challenge is to pick a team with sufficient energy and ability to ensure a cup final appearance next month. He is able to make changes, which I expect to happen.
Moussa Dembele and Tom Rogic should start. Callum McGregor enjoys the Hamden stage and I would give him the nod ahead of Olivier Ntcham or Stuart Armstrong in the central mid berth, although Brendan will think otherwise.
We are the champions and treble winners for a reason: that we have unerringly raised our standards to meet every challenge presented. Tomorrow is another occasion when our deep reserved will be called upon.
Enjoy your day at Hampden.
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Big Packy … looking forward to it … a few years ago, my pals did the CN Tower run (up 2500 steps) … but, if you dont mind, I think we will take the elevator!
:)
yeah bd, can you imagine if another club was qualifying from the spfl, getting £28 mil, getting money back to all the other teams and contributing more money to all the other teams than the league sponsor does, how they’d be talked up.
JIMMYNOTPAUL on 20TH OCTOBER 2017 8:35 PM
Cheers mate, it was a long trip back.
DD can probably update you on the Drummy bhoys as I’m sure it he mentioned on the way home.
Bada Bing…
Thanks again for sorting my boy out, he’s over the moon.
I fancy us big time tomorrow.
TTR
-2 goals tomorrow, fancy it strongly.
MIKE IN TORONTO. too bloody true mate.ktf
look lets not get too cocky. neil knows how we play. although he loves us he will wont to get one over on his fellow countryman.
Jimmynotpaul, it was a brilliant trip to Dortmund.
Gutenberg , four of us travelled to Dortmund from Heraghty’s on Brian ‘Bif’ Connor’s John Colraine CSC.
We went Dover Ostende on a Belgian ferry which sold real Stella not the stuff brewed under licence in England.
We all got our supplies of Stella for the journey between Ostende to Dortmund.
We arrived on the outskirts of Dortmund about 8am . One of the guys on the bus was pouring blue label vodka into a can of real Stella, ental.
BIG PACKY on 20TH OCTOBER 2017 10:28 PM
Lets not forget Brendan knows how they play, he will have them sussed after the last game. They are a poor side. Whittaker is slow as a week in Bar-L, he should be targeted, he got a free ride off Johnny Hayes last time out, it wont happen this time. And Efe is a calamity waiting to happen as we all know, we should target him with the high press. Hibs are there for the taking.
Ron_ to be fair to the idea of coaching different positions, the week Henrik trained with, I think, Hooper n Stokes we scored 9 against Aberdeen….so I’m not saying it’s a bad idea.
HH
THETIMREAPER hope so ktf.
Broonie’s presence tomorrow is so important for us .
His leadership, ability and drive , to state the obvious, is vital.
Moussa will lead our line tomorrow.
I would prefer Calum to not play in as advanced a position as he did against Dundee. He is more effective coming from a deeper position and looking towards our opposition’s goal. Last week he played with his back to Dundee’s , which does not his style of play.
This is for Douglas Ross/Ross Douglas, the Tory assistant-ref at tomorrow’s game…I understand he doesn’t like travellers…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwcJ5WQSamQ
Ron67, three friends of mine went to Madrid for the second leg of the Real game in 1980.
The result was the least of their worries. They told me some of the Real fans were vicious towards them before during and after the game.
Two of them went to Turin the following year to see the second leg against Rubentus. They said that was even worse than Madrid.
Dallas
We went on the Motherwell 9-in-a-row, took us at least 24hrs to get there.
Between 6 of us we had finished off 3 bottles of vodka, disguised in big bottles of coke, by the time we got to Carlisle.
Being young we never booked accommodation in Dortmund and when we arrived realised that hotels were hard to find.
Ended up in a shit-hole with no hot water, damp beds and 3 to a room.
Sounds disgusting but just added to the enjoyment at the time.
Missed the transfer to the game because we were having such a good time in the bars so didn’t know where the bus was parked. Got the tram instead.
Just found the bus after the game with minutes to spare or we’d have been goosed. All our money was just about gone so no idea how we’d have got home.
We still have a right good laugh about it now.
Hilary Clinton on Graham Norton show with injured foot says to him the “Irishman ” Thank god for the English health service ! FFS!
Park Road…..
What’s wrong with that?
Genuine question
HH
park road
Graham Norton is from Cork….that explains it.
Strange lot they are.
Sure some of them hadnt even heard of Heidi Klum until last night
PARK ROAD 67 on 20TH OCTOBER 2017 10:51 PM
It’s NHS England mate. Not that she used it.
Big Tam Waits…Hold On…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P5jV4lHHR0
Gutenberg, we found a hotel called the Bender, a German family name , before all the innuendo starts.
We drank for over 8 hours the night before the game and were in some knick . Two of my pals crashed our in their room , not locking the door. They woke up the following morning to sound of the shower in their room .
It turns out other Celtic fans in the Hotel did not have en suite rooms and used the shower in my pals’ room.
DAB , Dortmunder Actien Bier , became one of my favourite beers after that trip.
Other friends of mine who travelled to Germany a few days before us, went to the Bayer Eurdigan match the night before ours. Robert Ptytz ex of the now defunct club played for Bayer . He came over to take a shy in front of my frends . They started shouting ya fat useless hun at him . He turned round with a WTF look on his coupon.
Dallas Dallas 10:43
Completely agree re Callum.
I always think he is better playing slightly deeper where he has more space in front of him to operate in.
Gets the ball moving forward quicker than anyone else we have.
Dallas
There’s loads of great wee stories like that from European trips, some of which you couldn’t post…
Alabama Shakes…Hold On…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW0ZjNl-QW0
Glasstwothirdsfull, Calum’s performance last week was his least effective I can remember since Brendan took over.
This is not a criticism of Calum by any means, just an observation.
Most if not all Calum’s goals for us have come from him running onto the ball or taking a shot , like his goal against Ajax nearly two years ago.
THIRDS63
My point was like most American’s she thinks that we all stay in England !!
Dallas dallas- agree about Calmac. He is better receiving ball from Broonie or Big Mick.
Anyhoo. I was looking at my tattered Celtic scarf and thought -as ah do sometimes- who wore the first scarf to a game of football?
I reckon it was early 1900’s.
Thinking of that time, the average football supporter appeared to wear the same clothing and a cloth cap.
I reckon that some wifey knitted one in the team colours after her man came back freezing one mid-winter game. Other wifies joined in and some bugger saw potential and mass marketed them.
Does anyone know?
My first scarf was bought for me by my mates dad. I still remember him saying “ye canny go in like that son!” That was 1975 vs Motherwell, main stand anaw.
I have probably only owned about 8 scarfs max but bought about the same for others on match days.
Interested to hear others scarf stories and if anyone can shed light on “who was the first?”
Think tomorrow’s game is set up for Rogic in front of Broonie and Calum. McGinn won’t have the same impact as last time.
We just need to make sure Stokesy doesn’t get any space. He is a talent and will want to prove a point.
Gutenberg, certainly . Mine are very tame compared to those told to me by other Celtic supporters I know.
My son is going to Paris for our game there , no tickets or accommodation yet , which doesn’t seem to bother him as much it does to his mum and I .
God night all and sleep well.
Art of War, how is your dad, more importantly?
My first scarf was Green with a huge Celtic crest on it.
WITS & TIMREAPER
What do you think of Gerard Butler’s Scottish accent , without upsetting THIRDS63 ?
Saint Stivs,
you are having a joke there?
Park Road, ditto.
What Becomes of the Brokkenhearted…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA0GcXV2njY
sticky k
Brendan son, the morra isny about you
or, yer philosophy…..
its about, gittin the Cellic intea a cup final.
It could prove to be tricky….like last time.
NFL knows yer players were chasing shadows the ither night.
Moaning about ko times is a sign of weakness.
Hmmmmmm….?
Anyway,…..
……oot.
Dallas still early days mate. Emotional rollercoaster. Some progress. His pal Barney comes in and sings a few Irish songs…Tell me ma…Black Velvet Band..etc…and the ward enjoys it, joins in. PP visits and he gets communion which calms him. Long term, we’ll see.
Thx for askin’
DALLASDALLAS
Aye Gerard Butler what a d*ck !!