Do you remember the Green and Whitewash season? In 2003-04 Celtic dominated the league. After drawing their opening game away to Dunfermline they won their next 25 consecutive league games, beating every team in the league home and away. Across all competitions, they beat Rangers five times in four league and a Scottish Cup meeting.
This was as dominant as a team could get but there were vulnerabilities. Not only was Henrik Larsson out of contract, much of that team were in the twilight of their careers. Paul Lambert, Neil Lennon, Alan Thompson and Chris Sutton would never command the same on-field fear again.
The team that completed nine league wins in a row on Wednesday night could not be more different from the 03-04 vintage in one important aspect; only four are older than 23-years-old and none of them are veterans: Brown, 26, Samaras, 26, Mulgrew, 25 and Ledley, 24.
With an average age of just over 22 years this team will continue to improve for years; we can see evidence of progress. James Forrest has made a huge step up in form from last season. Victor Wanyama is almost unrecognisable from the player who arrived in the summer. Big Fraser, 23, still young for a keeper, inspires a lot more confidence than he did last season, and the baby of the team, Adam Matthews, is a scarcely believable 19-years-old. He’s so new to this environment you have to wonder if even the lad’s father knew he had a performance like Wednesday night’s in him.
Ki, 22, Stokes, 23, Izaguirre, 25, Kelvin Wilson, 26 and Mikael Lustig, 25 all fit the same profile. They are a squad full of improving players with the appetite you only get when your career is in front of you.
Rangers, and the rest, should be very afraid. Wednesday night might be as close as they get to the coattails of the young Celts.
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Let’s win the league before the last derby game so we can concentrate our efforts on ensuring Elbows doesn’t finish the 90 mins unscathed
Every time that big girls blouse got tackled on Wednesday he jumped about 4 foot in the air
Let’s raise the bar and make sure a tackle or 3 does indeed do that
I find the on-going debate in the press regarding Elbow’s challenge on Kayal and how a player, who should not have been playing, has put one of our players out the game for a month a bit tiresome now. I wish they’d stop.
Bill Leckie in particular must have been seething.
Grave financial difficulty
Cathal says:
31 December, 2011 at 08:56
surely
Walk On has to be the pick of the day
whitedoghunch says:
31 December, 2011 at 09:25
Couldn’t possibly go wrong with that tip. Tip of today and every other day.
Cathal.
Good morning from a wet Manchester.
Feels like a Sunday.
ßjmac ♥ Kano 1000 °¿° says:
31 December, 2011 at 01:16
‘Chic Dung was out of order with his Lenny in a dark room comment at the end of that piece, is that mental illness now fair game to these bassas….’
Calm down. Dung’s an idiot, and can be crass, but he’s not malicious.
The darkened room comment was a reference to what Neil Lennon had said himself.
‘Neil Lennon tells listeners that he won’t enjoy the Old Firm match and that, win, lose or draw, he will sit in a dark room with his headphones on later tonight.’
Just had a swatch at the Herald.
McCoist “will remind” Whyte that, “you get what you pay for”.
How much did he pay for Rangers?
gallagher says:
31 December, 2011 at 08:38
Mate I’ve watched the incident twenty times andI have a screen shot that shows the hun making contact with the ball first and it is Beram Kayal’s second contact that forces elbows foot to come high.
Elbow’s on that occasion went for the ball one hundred percent, every thing else was incidental. I don’t like Elbow’s but on this occasion I’ll give him his dues. It was not a foul far less a booking, far less a sending off. IMO of course.
Sydney Tim- The man who said our players were- and I quote him- “bricking it” at the prospect of visiting Inverness.
Says it all.
Michael Lustig loves the fans
Cathal says:
31 December, 2011 at 08:56
Che says:
Not seen any post from Fleagle but on the off chance
Mister Green 3.45 Lingfield
I prob wont get back on today so could you oblige me by re posting if need be
cheers
All the best lhads
Celtic – Rangers Elbow’s v Beram
Step it forward until 30:10 seconds and you will see that Elbow’s played the ball and not the man. It happens quite quickly, a wee bit like the huns header off the post.
.
G’Day CQN fae a Absolouter Magniphiqe Sunset @ Brighton Beach.. My Line in the Sand has Been drawn for New Year..
All the Best to All when it Comes.. 3hrs for Us..
Keep The Faith..
Sammi 4 Player of the Year..
Summa
You learn something every day.
Today’s lesson is the collective noun for a football managers and scouts. So we have a pride of lins, a gaggle of geese and, it would seem, a RAFT of managers and scouts. It was in the paper, so it must be true……
“A raft of managers and scouts from England and beyond took in Wednesday night’s Old Firm match at Celtic Park, with the likes of James Forrest, Gary Hooper and Ki Sung-Yueng thought to be attracting attention”
Wonderful.
Actually if you step it forward to 30:11/30:12 you will see that Beram Kayal appears to do his own ankle.
Lins are lions in my world today.
God bless my iPad, and the Lisbon Lins.
Kitalba
Every week I’m watching here in Poland “Liga Plus Extra” with all controversial decisions made on pitches here by our referees. FIFA expert gives his views on decisions, sometimes blames his collegues , sometimes tells that expects long vacations for referee X or Y.
You are comlepletly wrong with your view on McCullough foul. It does not matter he tried to get the ball or not. It does not matter he hit Kayal through the ball. It was straight leg tacle ( does not matter, to get the ball”. Another rule is : not more power in tackle / contact that I enough to get the ball.
I’m 100 percent sure it was straight red. I have no dubts, any.
Che says:
31 December, 2011 at 09:54
will do … have a good day.
Cathal.
An odour of journalists
A riot of Huns
A myopia of referees
A dishonesty of officials
I should lay aff the drink.
Quiet monrning on CQN
Kitalba you must have been fair pissed to post that version of Walk on :) . Tho I have been searching unsuccessfully for a version of JCGE sung by 3 young French females somone posted on here that was strange in a good way.
Anyway I was woken by the postie delivering my train tickets for Jan 14th Dun Utd match so that was a good start to the day.
Former Scunthorpe striker Gary Hooper looks set to reject QPR and Sunderland to stay at Celtic.
Full story: Metro
Kitalba
After Elbows makes the ‘tackle’, watch his right leg. He leaves it straight up studs showing, intent on doing harm with a follow through
He has history on this type of challenge going back years
He meant to cause harm. Make no mistake on that
BBC Scotland reporting that a 17-year old Cowdenbeath footballer has been arrested by police for alleged sectarian remarks posted on twitter. Player is apparently Michael Fleming. While his tweets indicate that he is as dim as a Tok H lamp, the offence is either in his use of the word “hun” or this tweet: “@jack_wilshere you sitting wearing your huns top whistling the sash tonight ya wee orange b******?”
Apparently arrested by police after having been reported by Vanguard Bears.
Stringer Bell says:
31 December, 2011 at 10:09
An odour of journalists
A pound of Billionaires
BT
an afternoon aperitif ?
Zbyszek says:
31 December, 2011 at 10:08
Mate watch the video at 30:11, Beram Kayal goes into the tackle with studs up and a straight leg, does that mean he should have been sent off too?
Talking about being afraid, I wonder if Sally is aware of his date with destiny John Barnes style next Sunday morning?
Nah, I’m sure Jelavic, Bocanegra and Aluko will be well up for a game at Arbroath.
Monaghan1900 says:
31 December, 2011 at 10:19
Then maybe somebody should reciprocate against the RangersMedia for running a thread headed F*** the Pope.
Monaghan.
Hun isn’t sectarian. Calling people orange b’s is by letter of the law sectarian. Celtic fans have been arrested and charged for singing cheer up Walter smith.
Ten Men Won The League says:
31 December, 2011 at 10:18
As I said I’ve watched the tackle again and again and in my opinion there was nothing wrong with the tackle from Elbow’s point of view. I can only pass opinionon what I see and ask you to watch the video again andthen watch the slow motion replays, I don’t see anything wrong with the tackle at all. Healy’s tackle, now that is another matter altogether.
click on Votar please
Kitalba.
They are sick in the head. I bet you the same people that posted on that thread complained to the police about the young boy.
Margaret McGill says:
31 December, 2011 at 05:47
ST…Not even a Celtic CSC in India…FFS!… I will remedy that some day
************************
I went to India a few years ago, not long after the Nike deal. Didn’t even see one top in the shop in Connaght Circus and could not find the Celtic v Rangers game on in any of the pubs.
Didn’t let it spoil my trip though and left a a dozen celtic tops scattered across India and Nepal. (Well 11, I gave one to a really nice french girl I met.)
The Honest Mistake loves being first
The one who started the thread wanted all Tims dead.
The Honest Mistake
I appreciate that “hun” is not sectarian. Why should the phrase “Orange b******” be considered sectarian?
BK
Would make for some lovely creative headlines.
Good morning fellow Celtic supporters que pasa amigos?
In 20 mins it’s happy NY in New Zealand .
HH to all of ye!
V