Anyone who thinks that Rangers will arrive at Celtic Park on Wednesday evening low on confidence or strategy better think again. For all their poor recent form they are top of the league, beat Celtic comfortably earlier this season and have a squad full of players who know what it’s like to win the league.
They will revert to a familiar strategy. Pack the midfield, deny Celtic’s creative players space, take no chances at the back and wait for a seasonal gift from Celtic. I watched their recent defeat to St Mirren and I think it’s possible to question some players’ attitude to the game but things will be different at Celtic Park. Already written off by many, ironically, they will arrive with the confidence only a team with nothing to lose can muster.
Celtic’s league form over the last two months has been exceptional and their Europa League performances indicate there is a lot more to come from this squad but they still have plenty to prove. A particular concern will be the lack of a settled team in recent months. Kelvin Wilson is likely to start his first game in months and I’d not be surprised to see Emilio Izaguirre back.
The front pairing is also a concern. Georgios Samaras is back to his best form but he and Hooper have never convinced as a partnership. We have to hope that Victor Wanyama can be relieved of central defensive duties to allow him to anchor midfield alongside Beram Kayal. Neither Brown nor Ki are sufficiently imposing in the crucial central midfield area. No matter how Celtic start on Wednesday the team will have a makeshift feel to it, any win will be hard earned.
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Oops gently ……greatly of course
Hail hail to Paul et al from west Donegal
Aw naw – just read that rubbish from Jabba
Lots of Ally and lots of Lennon – sums up the fat slug’s impartial reporting……
A tough game on Wednesday….1-0 will do just fine
Hhplc
Looks like Jabba has let his mask slip again .
All Ally and Lennon ,looks like it wasn’t just Walter that had no surname .
I raelly do believe that Lenny lifting the spl title would just be too much for some of the peepil to take
hail hail
….and a gypsy reference for good measure
Hhplc
BRT&H- Class, two of my favourite Celts too.
Minceyheidman@17.45
Willie Keane still involved I think with new club Manchester Tommy Burns(have a look at their website) which operates out of O Shea’s I don’t imagine Bob and Jane would be very welcome on the premises
Brogan….
Great story my man great great story….all that this blog is……..
BRTH.
Fantastic story.There was a Madden played from 1889-1897,I hope the tale is true as it was like reading a fairy tale.
I know I’m biased but…
If there’s one player I would want to come to the boil in time for Wednesday – It’s Gorgeous Samaras..The Hun beater!
voguepunter says:
26 December, 2011 at 19:21
I know F rated work when I see it, I did enough of it at school and have continued into the workplace as my boss will confirm!
Vaultbhoy
Just read that supposed piece of journalism by Traynor. As biased as you will ever find, a disgrace.
googybhoy
Do you know a guy called Frannie who lives in Manchester and travels up for every game home and away?
well what can i say? once again another p67 negative blog!! lighten up man, 15 down to 1 dont always look on the gloomy side of life, cheer up man and enjoy the run. poor show lets savour the turn around!!
excathedra44 says:
26 December, 2011 at 17:11
You are spot on. Christmas Day was a working day. When I was a wee boy it was always spoiled a bit by my father having to work until 12 noon. He didn’t get home until about 1pm.
See Scotland. See Dark Ages.
HT
What else can you expect. Plus I only ever remember David Beckham being referred to as Golden Bollocks by anyone – certainly not the Guinness and blackcurrant drinking fop. Also, slurry??? Slurry??? If the stories are true he’s waded through it all his life. Happily.
U
Wednesday is a working day for many
why couldn`t they have the fast track meeting on Wed morning ?
PFayr
The appeal isn’t lodged yet.
They have three working days to lodge the appeal – Weds, Thu & Fri.
They will lodge it on Weds, too late to convene the panel, to allow Elbows to play against us.
I’m utterly unconcerned about him as a footballer but I am concerned, very concerned, about our player’s safety.
SwanseaBhoy
uly
Thing is that I remember when Traynor wrote for the Herald I always found his articles informative. This is speculative pro-hun pish but sadly typical of the witterings of the fat Star Wars extra.
So much for the all new, transparent SFA.
What happened to fast track appeal process.
Come on Vincent. Get it sorted
48 hours to go
Is this vic’s first old firm?
Swanseabhoy
as i commented earlier Mcculloch is a bully …he won`t fancy taking on Brown,Kayal or Vic …he`d happily kick Forrest and other smaller players
we could play round him …and i`m not sure that he will be allowed to foul with impunity …Collum must retain some integrity with his fellow refs ..
i pray that their blatant manipulation of the appeal process comes back to haunt them ……McCulloch to be sent off on Wed for similar …
PFayr
Aye, I think Brown, Kayal and Wanyama should all take a turn at letting McCulloch know they’re not going to be messed with, early in the game.
McCulloch’s a terrible footballer. I’ve just been reading FF and even they are about 65% to 35% that the appeal and subsequent inclusion of McCulloch is a bad thing. But, he is a danger to the health of every opposition player.
Nothing can ever be taken for granted in Glasgow derby games but I said the other day, if we play to our very best and Rangers play to their very best and the referee applies the rules fairly then we will win 7-2.
Let it be so.
SwanseaBhoy
Forcing myself to be just quietly confident for
Wednesday,have a recurring thought….
big Sammi is going to be sent off.
If played wide big mhan will run amok.
Cue ,ref sending him off early .
Hope the new regime at sfa/spl
have missed this weeks lodge meeting.
hail hail
So it is Lennon against Ally? Over and over again……
Me thinks the fat turd has done it on purpose, he is looking for the reaction.
Best ignored.
Is this how far the daily record has fallen? This clown has an editors chair?
Must be some amount of Timposters on Follow Follow tonight going by the number of people saying McCulloch’s sending off was justified and appealing is embarrassing.
Swansea
I’m 100% certain I WANT Elbows reinstated…
SwanseaBhoy says:
26 December, 2011 at 20:30
SB ,do me a favour could you pick a few comments
out of tawdry berrs website,hawdin my sides in
anticipation.
hail hail
Talking to a pal today and he reckons that if several thousand tims put £1 bet on the hun getting their pen, and the inevitible happens, then serious questions would then be asked.
Awe_Naw_No_Annoni_Oan_Anaw_Noo says:
26 December, 2011 at 18:58
How Ally can beat Celtic but will he listen ?
By jim Traynor on Dec 26, 11 08:39 AM in old firm
An appalling article by Jim Traynor. He refers to ‘Ally’ throughout and never once uses Neil’s Christian name even alongside his surname. From first mention he calls him “Lennon”. And then giving Fatman advice on how to play against Celtic. It beggars belief!
Why he thinks Neil would be facing almost immediate dismissal if we were to lose just baffles me.
Cults
If we had the security of an impartial official then I’d agree with you. Sadly we have rat face officiating which could permit elbows to live up to his name.
His ability, or lack of it, doesn’t concern me but his thuggish nature does.
Mr Stimpson
quite possibly
Traynor?
Who cares what a fat bigoted cretin scrawls on used toilet paper. His pen is not filled with ink, it is filled with keech.
His head is not filled with brains it is filled with keech.
Frantic, desperate, panicking keech. Just like his team.
hamiltontim
on ething we learned about the refs is they try to stick together
given that Elbows sending off was reasonable i`d be surprised if the ref allowed him a free reign on Wed given that he shouldn`t be playing in the first place
I’ve said it before but..
Russel Anderson should be on Celtic’s radar. I saw him on Friday, despite his injury woes – he’s looking fit and bulked up. The training and regime at Sunderland and Derby clearly had an effect.
He’s free and ‘married’ in to a very Celtic minded family..
Trust me – he would be our best CB option if signed…
PFayr
That’s a fair poin,t their fraternal nature may mean that he would be suitably penalised for any misdemeanors but I worry the about damage he could cause in the process.
Surely if there was an award for the poster of the year on CQN surely that award would go to BRTH his stories are terriffic and the latest one about Dr.Jo and Lubo is truly amazing.Well done that man im your number one fan.H.H.
Brogan Rogan Trevino and Hogan supports Kano 1000 says:
26 December, 2011 at 18:12
Great story, I really enjoy reading your posts. Thank you.
Being Lubo, I can confirm that every word of the story is in fact true.
Lubo :-)
Awe_naw, I think, is having a laugh.
Even Traynor would not write Davis was playing like a diddy so I went and read the original article.
Others should too!