After so much slow build-up play this season, and so many misplaced passes, the sight of Roberts, Christie, Allan and Griffiths pinging the ball around the field was a revelation. I know the game was won before the three substitutes grabbed hold of things, and that there are vastly more challenging scenarios than Inverness at home, but the new blood have asked a big question of the incumbent three attacking midfielders.
The comfort on the ball the three substitutes brought was also contagious, Lustig looked less like a panicked fawn as he confidently back-heeled the ball into space.
The balance in the team has shifted damagingly in favour of players who can run, or perhaps jump, but who are unconvincing with the ball at their feet. So much so, Craig Gordon clears the ball up the field, instead of playing-in Bitton or a central defender, more than we’ve seen from a Celtic keeper in decades.
Christie, Roberts and Allan will not change this overnight (the latter’s misplaced pass against Ajax was costly), but they are doing enough to justify some faith in their selection. New Douglas Park should be an ideal opportunity to strut their stuff.
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BMCUWP
Did you get that mail?
HH
THE GREEN MAN
Aye,but at 42 you had the answer to everything!
TGM
Phone is a useless pile of minerals. I’ll find out when I go home,bud.
BMCUWP
Rockness, Fatbhoy Slim, A Mini-Bus, Raw Pharma……Bust my leg on a fence:)
Never the same after that:)
Hh
https://mobile.twitter.com/Oldfirmfacts1/status/701745917561536512
:)
Ernie Lynch
I know you will have some insight into the the wee debate the bhoys are having.
Id be interested to hear your views.
HH
On Derk – we did NOT pay “top €” for him – we took a gamble that he was over his injuries, after a strict medical, and cut a ‘staged payment’ deal based on seasonal appearances – hence the reason he has not featured.
Excluding his wages – the outlay will be less than €1.2 million – FACT!!!
Sandman
fwiw I’ve always thought Forrest was overrated but to suggest his issue was that his da, and by extension JF is a hun is a reason why he underperformed is an insult to any professional fitba player and family of such.
The clue is in the name, successful professional fitba players are professional first and fitba comes a bad second.
Every player worth any notion of themselves would prefer to maximise themselves above anything and everything else.
The same goes for any and every sport.
Interesting little chat with two Polish women,about my age,today.
They will vote Out in the referendum.
Ok.
Then said that they couldn’t believe the racism they suffered over here! Apparently I was practically unique in not bad-mouthing them,telling them to GTF,etc,when they sat down.
I believe them,actually. Because they were very reprehensibe about my simple question,if they were Polish.
I had the recent edition of Time in front of me. It has a letters page,a reaction to articles two weeks previous.
From a worldwide readership.
The one on immigration and Europe provoked two responses,both disgraceful in their content.
Both from SE England. None from elsewhere.
This is not the Britain that I know anymore. We have become a parochial backwater,parading our prejudices for all to see.
The French-Vive le diference!
The UK-GTF,you’re not me.
BMCUWP
Bobby, if you’re around, did you get the choons on your gmail account?
IniquitousIV
Thomthetim 12:47
Celtic offered Forrest a contract beyond what it would appear a large percentage of the support feel he is actually worth.
He (or his agent in his name) tells them he thinks he can get better elsewhere.
So you think Celtic withdrawing the offer is tantamount to constructive dismissal and unworthy of Celtic?
I would say that Forrest and his advisors have played RD like a fiddle throughout this entire carryon and I congratulate RD for finally taking a stand here.
AngelGabriel
While you may have info to say Jamesey may have taken a cortisone injection in order to play on one occasion, the number of other games he missed over the past 6 years would suggest that on many other occasions he was, shall we say, less minded to “take one for the team” – and I am not talking cortisone injections.
If he was a race horse he would have a Timeform squiggle beside his name. It indicates an ungenuine performer who cannot be relied upon to deliver on ability.
I do not believe – based on both his sickness record and his persistent failure to deliver on his supposed potential – it would have been a good use of our resources to offer him a 4-year deal.
Frankly I am astounded that so many think he is hard done by and can only assume it’s misplaced sentimentality.
INIQUITOUSIV
I did,mate. And grateful thanks.
That Clapton/Stones combo just wisnae right!
Reason for delay in reply is trying to get a few choons in response.
Manana,for sure.
MR PASTRY
Not entirely convinced,but let’s put the 1.2 plus wages into the pot.
Who would you prefer-a basket-case or the proven quality class and loyalty of Joe Ledley?
Another fail from yer heroes.
Joe Ledley? Loyalty?
Why didn’t he sign a new deal?
Good Afternoon (again)!
Here is another short piece. This one is about the genius of Mark Warburton…
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2016/02/22/albert-warbstein/
James Forrest has been playing first team football for the best part of 6 seasons now while he has shown flashes of potential the simple fact is that he has generally been poor. In over a hundred games I don’t even know if he has reached double figures in terms of great performances. I appreciate wingers and particularly young wingers are erratic but he is much more miss than hit.
I don’t think he has been helped of late by being played on the left when he is so predominately right footed but he’s never been that great on the right either. He also seems to lack the heart and desire to be a top player and gives up easily when things are going against him with opposition defenders and is only too keen to pass the buck. When you couple that with him being injury prone and lacking in fitness I don’t think he will be any great loss to Celtic. My only regret is that we won’t get a transfer fee for him.
Mr Pastry,
You’ll be able to provide evidence to support your FACT ?
Angelgabriel,
How many times did JF take cortisone injections ?
Did he only take it for Europe ?
Why wouldn’t he take it for domestic games, no important enough for his career per chance ?
You seem to be in the know, enlighten us please
CANAMALAR IT LOOKS LIKE OCD OBSESSION on 22ND FEBRUARY 2016 1:43 PM
Mr Pastry,
You’ll be able to provide evidence to support your FACT ?
_______________
Dear dear me.
Do you expect him to send you a copy of the contract? Do you want it in hardcopy?
Face it mate, its the internet and everybody is talking out of their hole when it comes to transfers and contracts. The fans don’t know and the press don’t know.
If you don’t want to take his word for it then that’s your prerogative.
Mr Pastry
If it is indeed a fact that the deal was 1.2 mill euros Ex. wages, and I believe he is one of the highest paid at the club, a total waste of resources that could and should have been better deployed elsewhere, wouldn’t you say.
HH
“We Shall Not………
……….We Shall Not Be Moved…………..”
Timaloy 1:39
While J Ledley left the club under confidentiality clause as seems to be the case with most these days, a friend of a friend was told by a wee birdy that JL did not want to leave but was told by the CEO that he was leaving.
timaloy29
More dough down south plus a big signing on fee as wound down his contract.
Stats Time!
In terms of minutes played (which always flatter the players)
JF has 1 goal in 4 and 1 assist in 4 from his time at Celtic.
Shaun Maloney by way of contrast had 1 in 3 goals and 1 in 3 assists from his 2 periods with us. Which is actually a much bigger difference than it sounds.
Timaloy29,
Deary deary me, Facts should always be supported, when declared, it is our duty to demand that evidence.
We used to laugh at the huns making such statements of FACT as if stating it meant it was unquestionable, it appears for people like yourself it’s enough.
Mr Pastry enjoys telling us we don’t know enough to make informed judgements on certain aspects of running the club and is one of those who demands evidence when someone offers an opinion that he does not agree with, it’s his turn. Sauce for the goose and all that, no ?
No luck Donald..
The vice president of Argentine football club San Lorenzo, whose rabid fans include Pope Francis, scoffed Friday at a report that American presidential hopeful Donald Trump wants to buy the team, saying he would rather get a bid from Donald Duck.
“Poor Donald. I’ll take the Duck any day. He’s more serious,” Tweeted popular TV host and sports businessman Marcelo Tinelli, after the New York Post reported that the Republican candidate and a business partner had sent a statement of interest to San Lorenzo.
Bye bye jamesy … jamesy bye bye
I don’t think he will pass a medical at any decent club …. good Luck and good riddance to him
THE GREEN MAN
Got it,and grateful thanks. A few points to ponder indeed!
Offski,cot. I’ll reply tomorrow if that’s ok.
Cheers and
HH
Her we go again.
Over estimating recently signed players.
It has happened for years .
We are told not to judge a player until we have seen them in. Celtic shirt .( if you have a negative view of the player)
But if you have a positive view we can say he is the new messiah.
We had it recently with Stuart Armstrong,GMS,and Cifti.
Am I the only person who thinks that Christie is just another lightweight ,we boy.
I was disappointed in what I saw of him on Saturday.
Time will tell .
But we have far too many Wee lightweight players.
As for ICT playing great football on Saturday.
Give me peace.
We were bullied from back to midfield.
Our saving grace was that their forwards are mince.
The likes of Christie will not get Celtic into the CL group stages ,indeed they may even fail to get us into the EL group stages.
But hey ho ,we are 6 points clear in one of the poorest leagues in Europe,and the quality street gang are about to take us to a new Stein era.
What a lot of crap.
The attendances don’t lie.
If we continue down this route ,we with be left with gates that are at pre Fergus McCann levels.
We are already close to it.
Shrinking gates ,shrinking income ,shrinking players.
TT
Any thoughts on Paul hartleys response if asked about Gary harkins comments
I couldn’t care less what Gary Harkins thinks or says.
I know their club died.
In saying that the old club new club argument has no end.
The Harkins’ piece just demonstrates the complete dross that is the Scottish MSM.
The hun has been their staple diet for decades and they’ll try anything in order to keep them relevant.
Árd Macha
TIMALOY29
He was told that the club had accepted an offer,and that any new deal would reflect his refusal to leave,rather than his desire to stay.
Quite an unbelievable scenario,when you think about it. After all,our CEO has no previous record of trying to push players out the door for a quick buck.
CANAMALAR IT LOOKS LIKE OCD OBSESSION on 22ND FEBRUARY 2016 2:02 PM
Deary deary me, Facts should always be supported, when declared, it is our duty to demand that evidence.
We used to laugh at the huns making such statements of FACT as if stating it meant it was unquestionable, it appears for people like yourself it’s enough.
Mr Pastry enjoys telling us we don’t know enough to make informed judgements on certain aspects of running the club and is one of those who demands evidence when someone offers an opinion that he does not agree with, it’s his turn. Sauce for the goose and all that, no ?
____________________________
When it comes to the running of the club we have audited accounts, a supporters representative and an AGM as means to challenge the club hierarchy. Celtic will always have people invested enough in the club to do so.
When it comes to discussing transfer fees on an internet message board I don’t believe that it would be appropriate to reveal commercially sensitive contracts.
I’m not saying you should take Mr Pastry at his word. That’s up to you. Demanding hard proof for every statement is just a waste of time. I’d say the same to him, if as you say, he demands proof for every comment made by a fan on a blog.
Comments on CQN, generally, are as informed as it can be considering the information shared by club.
My abiding memory of James Forrest will be the missed penalty in the 2015 League Cup Final. James, if you are going to refuse to let one of your strikers take the penalty when offered, make sure you stick it in the net son. Yet another poor decision.
TBJ SAYS WEE OSCAR KNOX IS IN HEAVEN WITH THE ANGELS on 22ND FEBRUARY 2016 2:07 PM
Any thoughts on Paul hartleys response if asked about Gary harkins comments
________
If I was Paul Hartley, I’d take a step back from the puerile debate.
Everybody knows what they are. The only ones who disagree aren’t likely to change their opinion.
Timaloy29,
Who is this fans representative you speak of ?
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 22nd February 2016 2:14 pm
Is that what he was actually told. Or somebody else’s interpretation of it?
Squire D,
Read my reply to Cultsbhoy again.
He was advocating “managing” JF and I presume any other player some fans ” want rid”, out of the club, by banishing them to train with the youths for 18 months, thereby forcing them into accepting a transfer.
Is that also your view?