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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Doyle’s in ;)
Jerry
I could never leave the Maestro though.
tallybhoy
I remember the year Bawheed Greig won the POTY and Dalglish was outstanding that year, in Kenny never won it up here either, and won it twice in England , I think he won it his first season in England, but I’m not sure of that, paranoid? No I’m right.
Right Bhoys im in pub now
TBB
Cascarino another one that brings bac bad memories. Was in Neuchetal when he was one on one on numerous occasions and we knew he wasnt going to score. He did however score that thirty yarder against the huns haha
HH
Tim Malone
We all have our favourites :¬)
Ian suffered from the joint disadvantage of, on the one hand, being the number 2 No. 1 to Packie Bonner in his prime, and being simply hopeless on the other.
There was a time at Celtic when we couldn’t afford players with ridiculous skill, so it seemed we bought players with ridiculous names instead. Wayne Biggins and Carl Muggleton fit the bill.
As number 1s go, Ian was veritably number 2… but Carl beats him on the ridiculous name tie breaker.
tallybhoy I remember him, not a bad player, same team as Byrne, Fernie, Evans, Kenneddy, McKay, Haffy? Round about that time?
Looking forward to today’s game! Dry and bright in Edinburgh great day for football, hope it’s the same at Celtic park.
Folks was thinking of heading into kerrydale suite before game. Anyone know what time opens and is it ok to get in at any time or does it fill up quickly? Cheers in advance hail! Hail!
BBC Update:
10 minutes before kick off the BBC have realised there’s a top flight game about to start and have updated their site.
How’s that for promoting the game in Scotland.
cv
Bit unfair on Muggleton.We have had worse keepers…….a lot worse
twentyfirstofmaynineteenseventynine
Only good thing about Cascarino was the Tom Boyde deal.
Today will be the first time Stuart and Gary have faced their former teammates.
Confident of a resounding victory, to be viewed from 107 courtesy of the wonderful Mr CRC. Both of my Bhoys can therefore witness the spectacle from FS2. Keep a wee eye out for them TBB ;-)
Sausage time!
Dundee to nick a point today and the Celts to march on…
Melbourne Mick
Only Bob Carrol I remember had Spit the Dug :-)
Now Bhoys team for today ?
Gordon
Mathews, Denayer, VVD, Izzy
Brown, Bitton
Forrest, Johansen, Commons
Griffiths
Canny find a space for Armstrong or GMS, will need to come on as subs
3 – 0 the day as well
Jobo,
You only 2 rows in front of me there, so behave :-)
Remember being in Ibiza with the lads in the summer of 88.The bhoys in one of the apartments beside us were Leicester fans and they weren’t too disgruntled at loosing Andrews.
Tonydonnelly67
Good point mate, forgot about that
HH
Carl Muggleton played just 13 games for us.
Remarkably, he had 6 consecutive clean sheets in his first 6 matches, a Celtic shut-out record that stood for 10 years.
In his next 7 games he conceded 9.
Probably fair to say he was a better keeper than memory recalls, and he’s probably unfairly maligned by his association with one of the worst Celtic squads of all time, but still, he’s in the team, and I won’t hear any further debate on the matter.
We should start today with our strongest available 11
Gordon
Matthews Denayer VVD Izzy
Brown Bitton
GMS Johansen Armstrong
Griffiths
With a strong bench including Guidetti, Commons, Forrest, Henderson, Efe
Melbourne Mick, Bobby Carroll lives in East Kilbride. One of his grandsons is in my son’s year. His grandson goes to as many of our games as possible.
According his grandson, Big Billy occasionally visits Bobby after visting one of his daughters, who also lives in East Kilbride.
Gary67
Could handle that :-)
Good luck this week-end to Scott Brown, Ronny Deila, Celtic, Kevin Clancy and my LMS4 pick Hull City.
On we go to 4IAR, especially on one of the rare Saturdays we’re gathering at Celtic Park for a 3 o’clock kick-off.
Thanks CQN for the package of Archie’s book and winter-warmer I received this week. I’m enjoying the read and my uncle passes on his cheers to you all for the dram+.
Every player I’ve seen wear the hoops has my thanks.
Edinburgh’s green and white. Must be something on!
Cowiebhoy –
even more excited now!
The Battered Bunnet
Bloody hell, those stats on Muggleton are unreal, seems he’s guilty by association . It was a very poor team
HH
Twenty first of May, Dowie was not the best we have had.
The Glasgow Celtic Way, Holt done very well for Norwich after leaving Killie. I believe he’s now on the Norwich coaching staff.
Whittle I’m sure played for Sheffield Utd at one point.
Right game time
Note to self dont waste a lungfy of breath booing Dundee pub players, Keep yer energy for cheering on the Famous Glasgow Celtic.
Turn volume up to 11 :)))
Let the People Sing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&feature=related&v=zhkdy0AOpaM
Weefra hope to see you at the corner
Remember Boyd playing a blinder in one of his early games,beat Oldco 0-2 at Ibrox,Nicholas and Creaney scored. HT and myself had to toss a coin for the only ticket we could get, paid well over the price for it too.Think HT got a ” See you in the Traders” when I was about 500 yards away from him.
Dallas Dallas
I think i dissed the wrong person there , i just checked wiki
and seen that Bobby’s record with Celtic was very respectable
and he scored the first ever goals for Celtic in Europe.
Old timers disease, i’m sure who i was thinking of will eventually
come to the fore.
H.H Mick
Sitting on the bus casually doing sums.
We have averaged 2.33 points per game over 27 games this season. If we do the same over remaining 11 we will end the season with 89 pts.
Aberdeen are on 60 with 10 games to go so would need to win all 10. Not going to happen, fly the flag!
Right am off ti the Brazen……it’s been a slice HH.
Melbourne Mick, haha. I hope you remember who it is. I can’t think of any players other than Bobby with the surname Carroll and most of the players called Bobby we have had, were good for us.
kano , pablo , celticlover , stjohndoyle – cqn in heaven must be mental
11:48 on 21 March, 2015
like no other , you attending Radisson tonight ?
If so , look out for me – i’ll be the fish out of water that disnae know anybody .
Sanna
———————————————–/
Will do Sanna. The nephew has the gig as MC and the daughter and sisters will be under the table. In the best possible taste, of course.
HH
twentyfirstofmaynineteenseventynine
10:51 on
21 March, 2015
PFayr Beatbhoy
Thanks for info re Broto, always wondered what happened there. I personally think Douglas cost us in Seville and in the League that season.
*IMHO we only signed him as the huns were sniffing about at the time.
tonydonnelly67 I met an English bhoy from Sheffield who had travelled up on Wed and is coming up today again ,sure he said he would be in Brazen today.
A good lad .
off now Cmon the HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPS
Run them intae the ground and shut them up.
Rubicon
11:17 on
21 March, 2015
Tallybhoy, my first match was also in 1962; St Patrick’s Day, away to Airdrie. Lost!
*I believe that Bobby Carroll was hit in the head with a pie that day.
Tontine Tim
Pity we couldnt have held on to him
HH
I’ve just seen the highlights from Wed.
How on earth did that keeper get a yellow??
Oh wait, it’s Callum Murray. He’d probably say that Griff never felt threatened at any point that he might be getting stretchered off!