Adrenaline dip, reds, wanton ruffling

1215

Cast your mind back to earlier this month.  February ended with a 100% domestic record, qualification for the League Cup Final and two merit awards for performances against Inter Milan.  We then walloped nearest challengers Aberdeen 4-0.  A small matter of a game against St Johnstone lay ahead before the Scottish and League Cup double-header against Dundee United.  Which we lost.  At home.

If a team drops even a few percentage points below its optimum the actual drop in results achieved can be enormous.  Celtic have answered all the big questions over the last seven weeks, despite the reversal in Milan; there will inevitably be a drop in adrenaline when normality returns, which is tomorrow, again against United.

We have a month to prepare for the Scottish Cup semi-final but another St Johnstone-type episode would cut the gap at the top to zero points, with Celtic having one game in hand.

I’m a great believer than a manager cannot and should not ask his players to climb the mountain every time.  If he does, he loses that special intensity he’ll need for the truly big occasions.  The players, from captain to novice, must carry the burden.

Niggles between players happen in every game.  On most occasions it will be a couple of months before you face the same opponent again, so whatever happened last time will have been replaced in the mind’s gallery of items the player feels sore about.

Since Scottish football became the Celtic-Dundee United show that’s changed.  A player who elbowed you last game will be running at you next time out.  This is the stuff red cards are made of.

There is a chance that we’ve beaten United into submission and that they’ll turn up in body, not mind, tomorrow, but if Jackie McNamara manages to convince them they are victims of wanton Celtic player’s face-on-United player’s elbow action, you can expect more reds.

Keep your cool, Celtic.  Nothing more than wanton hair ruffling.

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  1. TBJ says Wee Oscar Knox is in heaven with the angels on

    Wishing I was in the main stand tomorrow to give mcnamoaner dogs abuse

  2. Pleased that our players and management have kept their counsel and not reacted to the inflammatory and disrespectful nonsense in the media from a classless bunch of losers.

     

     

    We’ll do our ‘talking’ on the field tomorrow. 4 nil to the good ghuys.

     

     

    -3 goals is 14/1. Tempting!!

  3. 21st of may 1967….mcadam….slow as a long weekender….not a bad finisher….not in the top 20 200 2000 Celtic players…..

  4. roy croppie

     

     

    Cometh McCann

     

    ———————-

     

    Dave King the hun Fergus???? What happened to the walloper when thems were up for sale for 1p?

     

     

    Hope you and your good lhady are well buddy.hh

  5. Goodfellas…not bad…The Departed…Tremendous…Godfather 1 and 2..

     

    ..Classics..

     

    ..

  6. Dallas Dallas where the heck is Dallas on

    The lack of comment from the media with regard to both sets of fans’ round of applause for Frank’s Law at teh final , Jim Spence being the honourable exception, shows how they have no interest in any positive thing in our game.

     

     

    The constant sniping by some of the United management team and their players with no questions asked of their own behaviour by our press really sums up their no interest in balance in anything involving us, stating the obvious.

     

     

    Just saw the Hamilton red card, the follow through itself was a red card just like that clown McGowan’s follow through on Liam last Wednesday. At least Callum Murray is consistent.

  7. Tbj

     

     

    I’ll pass on your regards to anyone who wears orange or looks orange!

     

     

    HH jamesgang

  8. mike in toronto on

    petethebeat/beatbhoy…

     

     

    goodfellas versus the godfather ….thats an infamia. Dont make me come over there and sort you two out.

  9. voguepunter

     

     

    Hi mhate, not long in fae the local where she showed off her singing skills again…bloody embarrassing!

     

     

    King has no class and no plan; Fergus is on another planet thank God.

     

     

    Need to meet soon…Belfast withdrawalsCSC

  10. Jamesgang- many thx. Watching Googlebox with the wee fella and have saved that to watch afterwards. :-)

  11. beatbhoy

     

     

    21:14 on 20 March, 2015

     

     

    Petethebeat

     

     

    Goodfellas. . . .magnificent film.

     

    —————

     

    Great movie, as good as the Godfathers, and much better than the remake The Departed

  12. Vogue punter …..to be fair, with the big tax case hanging over them and the fact that it appears duff and phelps were under orders to sell to Green, nobody would have bid for thems…..they still going under…so fk thems…HH

  13. martyistheman on

    Taking my daughter to the game tomorrow. Her second game. 1st was Inter. She’s desperate to go back.

     

     

    Anyway, can anyone tell me what time I should be at the ticket office. No idea what queues to expect

     

     

    Cheers,

  14. Geordie Munro on

    “I go to my local to watch the away games now.

     

     

    They offered me a 50% discount for 6 then 12 months. ”

     

     

     

    Billy Bhoy,

     

     

    Brilliant neebs.

     

     

    My local don’t even put peanuts on the bar anymore :)

  15. Tom mclaughlan……..I dont know what your talking about….someone gave their opinion on Tom mcadam as a player…and i gave mine….nothing about a photo…..

  16. Delaneys Dunky on

    TBJ

     

     

    My sister’s season ticket is not far behind the away dug out. She will do it for you tomorrow. Believe me! Her son plays for DU. She no likey Jackie.

  17. twentyfirstofmaynineteenseventynine on

    bgx

     

     

    In fairness I wasnt mentioning him in any top whatever lists, just think he put in a good shift and scored a few vital goals

     

     

    roy croppie

     

     

    Basle game one of my favourite memories, My Son’s have been brought up with stories of Stevie Murray’s 30 yard header lol

     

     

    HH

  18. Tom McLaughlin

     

    20:50 on

     

    20 March, 2015

     

    Zbyszek –

     

     

    I love both the Bach and Mozart chorals too.

     

     

    I am a big JS Bach fan and have a large collection.

     

     

    St Matthew’s Passion is a particular favourite, especially at Easter. I saw it performed live in Brisbane. The introduction – Kommt, ihr Töchter, helft mir klagen – was outstanding, with 3 separate choirs singing simultaneously.

     

    —————————————————————

     

    Interesting programme just finished on BBC4 about JS Bach. Basic premise was that some of his most famous work was actually composed by his 2nd wife. You’ll get it on catchup.

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