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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Stoke/Villa was one of the worst games of football i have ever seen
In future i will only watch games involving the top 5 (Liverpool will only be included if they are playing any of the top 5, as Dalglish has them playing the most boring football seen at Anfield for a long time)
CT
You been on the sauce today?
Hadn’t read Traynors article. Just went back and saw it was Awe Naw’d.
Hilarious. Canny beelieve yeez were fawin for an Awe Naw.
Liked Mr Z’s Awe Naw tae. Hilarious.
MWD :-)))))
Partizan
Again with all due respect to some of the posters on rtc, imo some of them think they above the likes of CQN, and again imo, there are only a couple of handfulls of posters there worth reading, the rest just hang on to the coat tails of the decent posters, they have nothing original to say, they only regurgitate what has already been said by the good posters.
Blogs are like that, they are anonamous in the main, there are many posters on here who I don’t agree with, and I’m sure many posters don’t agree with what I have to say, tis the nature of a blog, it’s what makes for a good blog.
Awe Naw is Awe Naw, it’s what he does.
As for the posters on rtc thinking that CQN is made up drivel, the blog will be better off without them, their heads are so far up their own posteriors they couldn’t contribute anything worthwhile, again only my opinion.
So we should agree to disagree :>)
Happy Christmas folks,
I can feel the excitement coming from the laptop screen, nothing like it.
Brogan Rogan Trevino and Hogan, that was an inspired piece of prose earlier. Truly magnificent, a credit to a sensational site.
Thinking ahead to Wednesday, there is no doubt we will see some of this:
Bartley’s assault on Scott Brown after three minutes, Bougherra’s studs down the calf of Gary Hooper, Craig Moore’s cowardly lunge on Henrik Larsson at the touchline, Lafferty’s attempted leg breaker on Andreas Hinkel, Naismith waist high challenge on Mark Wilson, Whittakers two fOted tackle on Emilio Izzaguirre, any tackle by Alan McLaren, John Greig booting Jimmy Johnstone on to the track three times in succession, Ian Ferguson repeatedly fouling Paolo Di Canio before bottling a square go in the tunnel, Weir’s disgraceful over the top tackle on Scott McDonald, Miller’s disgraceful over the top tackle on Darren O’Dea, Mel Sterlan on Paul McStay in the 1989 final, Bougherra on Commons on the touchline, Bougherra unpunished x7 on Robbie Keane, Hurlock tearing the material on Gerry Creaney’s shorts in the St Patrick’s day massacre, Cousin on Stephen McManus, any tackle by the beast Souness.
Just beat them Celtic.
Hail hail brothers and sisters
TJ
This place wouldn’t be this place without Aw_Naw
Anyone who didn’t catch on will the next time
:-))
TET
Fair play.
hamiltontim says:
26 December, 2011 at 21:48
CT
You been on the sauce today?
Eh? no, why?
????
HT
He has been on the Cranberry sauce all day
Anyone know the identity of the Sportscene stooge who will tell us all that Elbows and Goian were hard done to tonight?
Rob (I can hear sectarian singing and my boss said I’ve to say it live on air to millions) McLean is a given but who will be his co-pilot?
T
CT
Cause youre talking pish :-)))
No I was just wondering if you’d been in the pub that’s all.
SOAL
Too exotic, CT is more of a bread and butter man….
The Spirit of Arthur Lee says:
26 December, 2011 at 21:54,
Ha, unfortunately it was sugar free IRN BRU.
Had to go down and do the bus totes.
HT, Auld Neilly won.
BrilliantCSC
HT
Aye is auld BRL days
CT
Brilliant how much?
Evening bhoys
How are we all?
HH
hamiltontim says:
26 December, 2011 at 22:01,
Will text ye in-case the Lanarkshire mob try tapping :-))
Bundoran
Alright buddy. Have you seen jabba’s latest piece? Someone posted it near the bottom of the last page, shocking!!
hamiltontim says:
26 December, 2011 at 22:05
Alright buddy
Hows things?
HH
THE EXILED TIM Kojo once said to me that everyone who posts on CQN is an Egotist and I suppose to a certain extent he was correct we all like to see our words in print but it is only a small part of it.We are Celtic people we believe in leading our lives in a certain way we believe in the poor being triumphent over the rich, The weak over coming the strong, the underdog riseing and winning the day,We can be called romantics even airheads.However,deep within our being there is a truth an honesty a feeling we cannot and will not ignore.They can try and subvert us and ridicule us but they cannot beat us.As we will rise like a cork in water to confront them with there sins. Our fore fathers have installed within us an honesty and a truth and a decency which we all carry around in our core we Celtic supporters support more than a mere football club we suport each other and we support Brother Walfreds ideals. H.H.
RRC: Kano 1000 & Counting! says:
26 December, 2011 at 21:51
They might………then again?
….PFayr says:
26 December, 2011 at 21:05
You’re absolutely tight. I didn’t engage my brain when reading Awe Naw’s post and was caught out hook, line and sinker. However, in mitigation, I don’t buy or read the Daily Record but it has a very bad reputation on here and one of the writers most commonly criticised on here for bias is James Traynor so it was believeable.
I would like to apologise to James Traynor for my post as I am generally a fair minded person.
Awe Naw
Posting misleading articles that are deliberately designed to portray an individual in a bad light diminishes you and not them. We need truth, not propaganda. I’ve always enjoyed your postings but I’ll now be wary in future.
Bundoran
Good mate been nursing a few curers as my 2 neighbours decided to gate crash last night resulting in quite a session.
Joe Fillipi, tremendous contribution, cheers
TJ
With regards to my post at 21.51 where I highlighted some outrageous Rangers tackles on Celtic men, I should have mentioned that (Rangers v Celtic biased referee 04-10-09) is worth a google. Truly Shameful.
Apologies I will learn to post links one day.
TJ
Tommy Joad. Thank you for your kind words.H.H.
Celtic have played 17 times on Christmas Day, the last of which was in 1971 when the Hoops defeated Hearts 3-2, at Celtic Park in front of 35,000.
*celtic christmas cracker fact*
O.K. Awe Naw I was well and truly had. I’ve re-read the article and should have known better. I’m a diddy. I withdraw my apology to Jabba but I’ll still be bloody well careful when I read your posts in future! :-)
TheOriginalSadiesBhoy says:
26 December, 2011 at 22:10,
Sorry, you’ve been on here long enough and, I’ve enjoyed a hell of a lot of your posts.
But, see when you see the name Awe Naw etc, especially on a Monday afternoon or when baboon erse Hately, writes in the DR. Do a triple take…
Sometimes, he’s even funny:-)))
The CQN betting community are making the huns look financially prudent….Every £1 we spend we will lose you 13p…. We keep the bookies in business
Success Winnings £
AWATR 11/19 -2.26
BT 8/13 0.51
EN 9/20 -4.2
JOBO 7/18 -5.86
GL2 10/20 0.7
PFAYR 6/15 -4.87
TTT 11/20 0.45
LB 7/19 -5.36
hamiltontim says:
26 December, 2011 at 22:11
I had a few Guinness last night n was at family do today so had a few beers lol
Cant beat Christmas ;-)
HH
It just shows how bad the mainstream media in Scotland are that Aw Naw’s posts can pass for the real thing. It’s just a bit of fun on his part I’m sure, so no need for anyone to get their noses out of joint should they get taken in by them. I did (once) ….
Goodnight to one and all.
I’m trying to keep my feet on the ground regarding Wednesday and not give in to my eternal optimism. We need to keep the head. Someone posted earlier about the need for us as supporters to play our part and he hit the nail right on the head.
UTLR if you’re lurking, I would appeal for the Green Brigade to do the ‘Celtic …………….. Come On You Bhoys In Green ……………. 5 Stars Green and White” early on in the game to get the rest of the stadium involved. You’ll set the tone for the game and frighten the lives out of them.
Joe Filippis Haircut
Aye Kojo has had a go at me before, tis his right, attention seekers he called it, and I concur 100%.
What I don’t understand is why you directed your post to me.
Good evening bhoys,
hope you all had a fantastic christmas, hope you have a great new year and hope we can get 3 points on Wednesday to start the new year celebrations early! I’ll be going up on the Preston bus, looking forward to it but I won’t try and predict the score!
All the best for the rest of 2011 and all the best for the new year!
Hail Hail
Blackpool Bhoy
Compulsive Celtic Audio
CaltonTongues says:
26 December, 2011 at 22:20
Please see my post. You’re right. I was totally baited, bagged, hoisted, conned and flim-flammed by Awe Naw.I’m still going to be careful when I read the bugger’s posts in future.
I was a bit pompous before but I still have the ability to laugh at myself.
Some possibilites for Rob McLean’s co-pilot tonight:
Naibalance
Butcher
Craig Brown
Keith Lasley
Ian Murray
Craig Brown
Stuart McCall
Durranty
McDowelly
Coisty
Findlay
Pat Nevin
Craig Paterson
TJ