Aberdeen, progress and truths of competition

445

Winning the league is hard, or at least it should be.  Aberdeen are finding that out as they unnecessarily dropped points on Saturday.  Celtic have had it easy for so long we’ve forgotten a few truths of competition.

Sitting 6 points clear, and (again) confident of winning the league, we can constructively appreciate the job Derek McInnes has done at Pittodrie.  They are very likely to come up short this season, but the gap between them and Celtic is not the chasm it used to be.

For years we discussed that what Scottish football really needs is teams like Aberdeen and Dundee United comfortably outperforming Motherwell and Inverness.  No disrespect intended for the latter two, but Aberdeen have hugely better resources, if we are to receive a genuine challenge, it will come from there.
I was also delighted to see the 15k attendance at Pittodrie on Saturday, reflecting the bounce that has occurred at Tynestle this season.  Figures like that will help Aberdeen (and Hearts) solidify.  Both can make a profit at that level.

Progress isn’t linear, so don’t be surprised if Aberdeen or Hearts don’t leap forward next season, but the chances of them being overhauled by a smaller club is slight.  The future looks healthier than the past.

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  1. Joe Filippis Haircut on

    BIG PEAT OF ISLAY. Like many others I believe Ronny will be given until the end of the season and if we win the double he is likely to be our manager next season. It is hard for me to judge Ronny as he is rebuilding the whole playing staff from the ground up and introducing younger players into first team contention which is good but he also signs to many average players and to many midfielders.I also think he talks to much to the MSM and leaves himself and the club open to criticsm . H.H.

  2. SOUTH OF TUNIS on 1ST MARCH 2016 9:38 AM

     

     

    To be fair to Napoli, Juve are going like a freight train. They have the bigger resources, the better squad and aren’t dropping points.

     

     

    KEVJUNGLE on 1ST MARCH 2016 9:40 AM

     

     

    Maybe your right about Collins

     

     

    The Molde incident is overblown by those trying to hurt the club. I wouldn’t expect anybody to be happy with what happened and a little temper tantrum will have been forgotten easily.

  3. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    BIG PEAT OF ISLAY

     

     

    A fish rots from the head down.

     

     

    Pointless getting rid of a victim of the hiring strategy,yet keeping the hiring strategist.

  4. Big Peat of Islay on

    Joe

     

     

    I think he has tried to build and recognises that he has made a hash of it and is pulling the wall down and looking to start again. I expect him to be gone after our next defeat.

  5. Ronny isny the answer but, neither is he the problem or rather, the cos of the Celtic demise in terms of, 40,000 fans have left the park.

     

    Lawwell is the rock upon which….Celtic will perish.

     

    Will the fans allow it ?

     

    Will the fans put the financial tools away and, freeze out Lawwell and his ilk ?

     

    Hmmmmmm…..

  6. Sunday 1st

     

     

    I am standing on the threshold of another trembling world. May God have mercy on my soul.

     

     

    My heart is very sore because I know that I have broken my poor mother’s heart, and my home is struck with unbearable anxiety. But I have considered all the arguments and tried every means to avoid what has become the unavoidable: it has been forced upon me and my comrades by four-and-a-half years of stark inhumanity.

     

     

    I am a political prisoner. I am a political prisoner because I am a casualty of a perennial war that is being fought between the oppressed Irish people and an alien, oppressive, unwanted regime that refuses to withdraw from our land.

     

     

    I believe and stand by the God-given right of the Irish nation to sovereign independence, and the right of any Irishman or woman to assert this right in armed revolution. That is why I am incarcerated, naked and tortured.

     

     

    Foremost in my tortured mind is the thought that there can never be peace in Ireland until the foreign, oppressive British presence is removed, leaving all the Irish people as a unit to control their own affairs and determine their own destinies as a sovereign people, free in mind and body, separate and distinct physically, culturally and economically.

     

     

    I believe I am but another of those wretched Irishmen born of a risen generation with a deeply rooted and unquenchable desire for freedom. I am dying not just to attempt to end the barbarity of H-Block, or to gain the rightful recognition of a political prisoner, but primarily because what is lost in here is lost for the Republic and those wretched oppressed whom I am deeply proud to know as the ‘risen people’.

     

     

    There is no sensation today, no novelty that October 27th brought. (The starting date of the original seven man hunger-strike) The usual Screws were not working. The slobbers and would-be despots no doubt will be back again tomorrow, bright and early.

     

     

    I wrote some more notes to the girls in Armagh today. There is so much I would like to say about them, about their courage, determination and unquenchable spirit of resistance. They are to be what Countess Markievicz, Anne Devlin, Mary Ann McCracken, Marie MacSwiney, Betsy Gray, and those other Irish heroines are to us all. And, of course, I think of Ann Parker, Laura Crawford, Rosemary Bleakeley, and I’m ashamed to say I cannot remember all their sacred names.

     

     

    Mass was solemn, the lads as ever brilliant. I ate the statutory weekly bit of fruit last night. As fate had it, it was an orange, and the final irony, it was bitter. The food is being left at the door. My portions, as expected, are quite larger than usual, or those which my cell-mate Malachy is getting.

  7. Fourgreenfields/BMCWPs,

     

     

    I was talking to the Naomh Padraig CSC. They are delighted that you are all coming over. They have live music on in their base, The Bad Ass Cafe, Temple Bar all Easter weekend. You will all be made very welcome there.

     

     

    It’s around the corner from where CATBs are playing on the Sunday.

     

     

    The Garda were talking about the Easter weekend on RTE last night. They are planning for the busiest weekend on the streets of Dublin ever. Over 500,000 expected. Special trains, buses etc laid on to bring people into the city.

     

     

    Thankfully we have a venue for the Saturday at GAA prices!!

  8. Kevjungle

     

     

    To guage our predicament….it’s like a mini-version of Nazi Germany in the 1930’s. God Bless all Jews and Tims….apart from Lord Livingstone.

     

     

    What a monumentally stupid thing to say.

  9. FourGreenFields on

    clogher celt

     

     

    Thanks for all your hard work mate , I’m sure Saturday night and indeed the whole weekend will be amazing .

  10. RE Penalty misses unfortunately its nothing new for Celtic to miss too many penalties. I always think Leigh Griffiths is going to miss. When Martin O`Neill was manager John Robertson an excellent penalty taker in his day was assistant and still penalties were missed.

     

    ps I remember Robertson slotting home a penalty in a 1-0 win at Wembley in the 1980s and John Collins slotting one in against Brazil in the World Cup

  11. Big Peat of Islay on

    I know we have cultural bonds with Ireland but do we have to have all the Provo stuff on here?

     

    And that is not a judgement either way on that stuff.

     

    I’m just saying is this the right place?

  12. !!Bada Bing!! on

    BIG PEAT OF ISLAY on 1ST MARCH 2016 10:05 AM

     

    Brendan Sweeney, Colin Duncan, Matt McGlone, David Cunningham, John Thompson

     

     

    – At least 1 top CQN poster in that group of Celts

  13. South Of Tunis on

    TIMALOY29@ 9.59..

     

     

    The freight train has won 16 of its’ last 17 Serie A games .The exception was a 0-0 at Bologna after their team bus was bombarded with paving stones , bottles and fireworks outside the stadium .. Currently on a Serie A run of 8 clean sheets in a row . Buffon hasn’t conceded a Serie A goal in 746 minutes . A new record for him . He had next to nothing to do in last weekend’s easy win over Inter -but – when he had to -one fabulous save . Like a freight train in Italy but Bayern made them look very ordinary in Turin..It looks likely Bayern will eliminate them from the Champions League . That elimination will virtually ensure that they win Serie A one more time.

  14. Celtic40me on 1st March 2016 10:12 am

     

    _________________________________________

     

    How so ?

     

    HH

  15. GlassTwoThirdsFull on

    eddieinkirkmichael on 1st March 2016 12:13 am

     

    ——-

     

    Excellent post. Very well put.

  16. Maybe I’ve got it wrong ?

     

    But, did Lord Livingstone not join the board roon aboot the time that, Lawwell flew to London to negotiate a TV-deal to keep the huns alive ?

     

    Is he no the BT guy ?

     

    Collusive Old Firm board.com

  17. !!Bada Bing!! on

    On the fast train to London,a pal got us upgraded to First Class …. Which is nice….

  18. kevjungle

     

     

    In several different ways

     

     

    You are comparing the life of Irish descendants in Scotland, which according to the article you are referring to is now no different in terms of upward mobility to the rest of the population, to that of a race of people living in a country who’s leadership wanted to exterminate them and killed 6 million Jews. You are belittling the holicaust by comparison

     

     

    The holocaust was about discrimination, you are asking that God discriminate against a singe person because of his perceived beliefs. It’s borderline fascism

     

     

    God Bless all Jews and Tims….apart from Lord Livingstone.

     

     

    Because he’s a Tory? There’s a lot of Jewish Tories out there you know, some far more militant than Lord Livingstone, Thatchers cabinets were full of them

     

     

    What about Oona King, black, Jewish and Tory

     

     

    What about Tory supporting Celtic supporters? A few of them out there as well – hell mend them all?

     

     

    Jewish oppressors in the Middle East?

     

     

    Hard line anti Zionist Muslim Tims?

     

     

    Or to bring it down to a level you’ll probably understand, john terry, Celtic supporter but suspended for racist comments?

     

     

    What about me, Celtic supporter, non believer, socialism denier, agree with some Tory policies, part free market liberal? Do I get any love in your gods blessing league?

  19. traditionalist88 on

    South Of Tunis on 1st March 2016 10:21 am

     

     

    I hear Milan are moving to a new stadium , whats the situation there? Are Inter intending to stay at the San Siro?

     

     

    I’ve heard it needs a bit of modernisation but the CL final is to be held there, can’t be that bad!

     

     

    Perhaps Milan have seen the success of the new Juve stadium and are following suit…if you build it they will come? Assume its going to be more accessible than the San Siro and that was a major factor…

     

     

    HH

  20. SOUTH OF TUNIS on 1ST MARCH 2016 10:21 AM

     

     

    Juventus have been excellent domestically yes. I understand that the poor start was triggered by changes to the pre-season preparation. They weren’t physically prepared and paid the price in the first ten or so games. Same problem Chelsea had.

     

     

    However, I believe they have more of a chance against Bayern than you think. They were ordinary for 45 minutes against Bayern but were exceptional for another 45.

     

     

    Bayern have a maskeshift backline with no fit CB’s. They started in Turin with a youth player and a fullback at CB.

     

     

    They are underdogs but I think Juventus can do it

  21. Ronny gets it all the time on here wether it’s win,lose or draw from day one he has never been the fans choice, not his fault the mob that run our club are the main culprits apart from our club being financially sound, is good,but picking managers, no, So fans stop labelling Ronny as a dude,look to our board and you will see plenty of Duds as for that young guy that’s on the board, Mcdonald, what does he actually do.

  22. maybe noted already,19 sports stories in the evening times on line, 16 of them about a 2nd tier side. what the f#$k

  23. KEVJUNGLE on 1ST MARCH 2016 10:30 AM

     

    Maybe I’ve got it wrong ?

     

     

    Right for once

  24. Trad88

     

     

    Not to bad going to the San siro

     

     

    It’s getting back after the game that’s murder

  25. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    BIG PEAT OF ISLAY

     

     

    Dunno,mate. The only way of forcing change will damage our club,IMO

     

     

    Rock and a hard place,I’m afraid.

  26. See when Celtic fans sing all this…..

     

    TROH and, other Irish lullabies…do the team on the pitch play better ?

     

    Do the team play better when they hear, Celtic ‘chants’ as opposed to, long winded 5 verses Irish stuff ?

     

    No disrespect to the Irish in any way.

     

    Celtic teams – I’d imagine – respond better to….

     

    Celtic! Celtic! Celtic! Celtic! Celtic! Celtic!.

     

    Short, sharp, loud, witty, Cellic chants.

     

    Certainly gave me more energy in the Jungle days….keep the rebel-book for the bus on the way home.

     

    And, no…..not the back of the bus….the whole bus.

  27. thomthethim for Oscar OK on

    I would like to see Tierney step up to left midfield, if we can bring in another left back.

     

     

    His strength in the tackle and ability to get to the goal line would be a great asset in that position.

     

     

    He also has the pace and game intelligence to cover at the back, when needed.

  28. Big Peat of Islay on

    I would like to see and hear less Provo stuff at CP. Big changes in the last few years for the better.

  29. Celtic40me on 1st March 2016 10:42 am

     

    _________________________________________

     

    Mind n frame that post…..

     

    ….post it daily…….

     

    HH

  30. Big peat

     

     

    Totally and wholeheartedly agree,

     

     

    I thought you meant on here,

     

     

    Like myself there are many many republicans that frequent this blog, many of which will be on the Emerald Isle before the months out

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