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Biggest test since Crawford Allan re-refereeing games regime

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By on CQN BLOG & Comments

Sunday’s League Cup final comes just one day shy of a year since Celtic last won a trophy, the Scottish Cup, season 2019-20.  That day we celebrated the Quadruple Treble, in the knowledge that the run would end there, as we were eliminated from a domestic cup competition for the first time since 2016 earlier that month.

We celebrated that penalty kick decider against Hearts at home, with the Hampden stands empty.  It is two years and two weeks since you and I have seen Celtic win a trophy in the flesh: that memorable League Cup win over Newco in season 2019-20.  Celtic were poor that day but we had the fortitude to go the extra distance and get the job done.

Celtic eliminated our main rivals in recent seasons, St Johnstone, in the semi-final.  This leaves the field open for Hibernian to become the third most successful Scottish club over the last decade, behind Celtic and St Johnstone – if they win on Sunday.  We should not take that motivation lightly.

Hibs sacked manager Jack Ross after the club dropped into the bottom half of the table.  A home win last time out over Dundee sees them remain in 7th spot, a point behind Aberdeen and 2 off both Motherwell and Dundee United.  The latter sit fourth, in a European spot, giving Ross scope to believe he was hard done by.

Celtic pummelled Hibs 1-3 at Easter Road in October but that was the last time the Edinburgh side have lost more than one goal –they have played 8 games since.  They are nothing if not strong at the back.  During that run the humbled Newco in their semi-final at Hampden and only lost to the same team due to a late penalty.  Most concerning of all, this is the biggest test since Referee Head Crawford Allan’s post-re-refereeing Celtic games regime started.  It demeans our game that we have to hope referee Don Robertson is not influenced by his boss.

There is a truism: if you are good enough to get to a cup final, you are good enough to win it.  Despite all the positivity around Celtic right now, we face a team who have genuine credentials to win the cup.  But with Tom Rogic on the field, what chance do they really have?

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  1. quadrophenian on

    Abso cracking Melbourne derby just then – finished 2-2 and passionate, niggly affair.

     

    Young Nat Atkinson of Melb City a great young attacking fullback warrior. Marco Tillio the next Dan Arzani.

     

     

    Last nite went to see West Utd V Adelaide.

     

    As well as usual 100% performance from Japanese FB Tomi Imai, ex-Swiss cap Leo Lacroix looks and plays like Chris Jullien’s smarter big brother – 6′ 7″ of calm class; one missed by our scouts ? Lacroix was former 7.5mill target of Everton; god how they need him now!

     

     

    TET; seems things are on the improve with your love – nice news and may it continue. HH

  2. Greenpinata on

    St Tams,

     

     

    For me the most important game tomorrow is the Cup final.

     

    For Ange and the team I would wager the same.

     

     

    We don’t even know if the game will go ahead on Wednesday night.

     

    Imagine we play a weakened team and lose a national Cup final , then the league game on Wednesday gets cancelled

     

    How stupid would that look. We would be a laughing stock and rightly so.

     

     

    It’s not going to happen.

     

    Top team and calculated risk all day long tomorrow.

     

     

    HH.

  4. JHB on

    HOT SMOKED @ 9:41

     

    —-

     

    None of us know for sure what went on with Celtic, Eddie Howe, Michael Nicholson, the Board & Ange.

     

     

    We know that Ange is here, Howe is not, and neither is Dom. We also know that Dom left for ‘personal reasons’ and Ian Bankier at the time described the new CEO, Michael Nicholson as a “team player”, the inference being that Dom was not. Plenty of circumstantial evidence there.

     

     

    Now some would have it that the board ‘cocked-up’ on Howe and that Ange was a rushed appointment – that is one view, but he wasn’t Dom’s appointment – Ange has confirmed as much. So if this were the case, where does Dom figure?

     

     

    Another plausible explanation can be inferred from what is known.

     

     

    Dom had been dealing with the Howe thing and assuring the board that he would ‘get it over the line’. The board trusted him but told him that there was another candidate (Ange) and that time was getting on. As it happened Dom couldn’t deliver Howe and his credibility was ‘shot’ in the eyes of DD and the board. Michael Nicholson, aided by Peter Lawwell, then moved quickly with Ange, who has confirmed that he had had previous contact with MN.

     

     

    There was no way back for Dom and a form of words was used to dress up his sacking.

     

     

    If, as everyone seems to believe, Ange is doing a great job and is the ‘right man’, then the Board can be justly satisfied that they made the right choice.

  7. bournesouprecipe on

    Bada Bing

     

     

    BBC weather presenter Judith Ralston writes exclusively in The Scottish Catholic about Faith, family and all things in between.

     

     

    One of the things I love about living in Scotland is the clear cut four seasons we usually see, occasionally in one day.

     

     

    This autumn however has been unseasonably mild, with the temperature occasionally hitting heights we’d be delighted within the summer months.

     

     

    But the seasons have shifted and it’s got much colder as the end of autumn approached. Then, of course, Storm Arwen made its appearance, bringing chaos to Scotland, and as this bad boy cleared to the south, we saw a true arctic blast with snow and ice and all the hazards that brought.

     

     

    I was on shift that night, watching a weather situation like that develop is always fascinating – the Met office pushed out a serious Red Warning for disruptive and dangerous winds.

     

     

    This doesn’t happen very often but the gusts of 80 to 90mph in the east certainly warranted it.

     

     

    My children still say ‘how do you know’ when I tell them which coat, fleece or jacket they will need for their walk to school or to go out to play and, of course, mama is always right. they seem to forget I was on the telly the night before at 10.30pmtelling the good folks of Scotland!

     

     

    With the winter comes the long dark nights. It’s also the start of advent, a time of hope, of preparation and happiness for us Catholics as we head towards celebrating and recognising the birth of Jesus.

     

     

    I’ve been thinking back to the advents of my childhood, the coveted advent calendar my granny used to give me — I had all the wee chocolates eaten within a few days.

     

     

    In fact, the run up to Christmas evokes all sorts of happy memories, even though we didn’t have much. One thing I loved was making the Blue Peter advent crown — some of you must remember.

     

     

    Made from four coat hangers, wire as far as I remember, four jam jar lids, four candles and a lot of tinsel.

     

     

    I’ve just checked the first Blue Peter ‘advent crown’ was made 57 years ago — 57 years ago! Surely not possible — the 1970s was surely only 30 years ago!

     

     

    So naturally, this captured my imagination and the advent crown was constructed. In my opinion it was pretty good.

     

     

    The only thing was the candles were white and not red, and that irked me being the ten year old perfectionist that I was.

     

     

    I wasn’t allowed to light the candles, but of course that didn’t stop me from having a go. One day after school, I found the matches, Scottish Bluebell I’m sure, and I set about lighting the candles.

     

     

    I managed to light one, but as I was trying to light another I singed my hair on the already lit candle.

     

     

    My mum came running into my screams, she cottoned onto what had happened and quickly popped my singed hair under the kitchen tap.

     

     

    I don’t remember getting into trouble for this but I do remember the reproving looks and words from my mum. and I didn’t do it again.

     

     

    It’s funny that now I’m exactly the same with my kids, they don’t need a row as often as a look or a few words. Something to ponder as we head towards the Christmas madness!

  8. JHB on

    Taxpayers have forked out £40m over the Crown Office’s botched prosecutions relating to Rangers, including compensation claims by the club’s former administrators David Whitehouse and Paul Clark and former chief executive Charles Green, according to figures buried in Scottish Government accounts published this week.

     

     

    Un*******believable.

  9. Clinko on

    The idea that any team who have fought their way through every qualifying round, should then field an understrength side in the final, is bonkers.

     

    What is the point in entering the competition in the first place if when you reach the final game, you couldn’t be arsed if you won it or not. Hardly a way of breeding a winning mentality in the squad.

     

    Play our best available team and bring the Cup home

  11. Coneybhoy on

    BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 18TH DECEMBER 2021 11:46 AM

     

    —————-

     

     

    Re: the looks from parents

     

     

    My daughter told me when she was about 9 I think that she didn’t mind her mammy shouting at her but she couldn’t handle the ‘dark look of disappointment’ in my face. made her feel guilty as hell.

     

     

    My dad and mum were the same; ignored my mum shouting/hitting but never wanted to let my dad down as he made you feel so guilty

  13. An Tearmann on

    AN TEARMANN on 17TH DECEMBER 2021 4:01 PM

     

    You implore nothing you are attempting to impede my free thought and speech.Am here for all things Celtic.

     

     

    We are from refugees.

     

     

    Let’s stick to the subject,it is not about the topic u imply/infer talk about to much of,its racism,the hatred and irrational behaviour that ferments in people to impede rescue services,

     

     

    Its was racist

     

     

    Call it out? Is that 31 times I have asked you?

     

     

    You are on this Celtic blog for politics.solely.

     

     

    You stated it after your chat with Paul

     

     

    Nothing else.your part of what Chomsky calls the virulent left,generally the disillusioned socialists with an establishment ties seeking identity,trumpian/bannonite over there your hero and unelected ex socialist has his union to fight for here, so fits that bill.has a site full of same ‘indigineous’ nonsense.its now thro the multi moniker team here as scroll by.

     

     

    And what a brilliant irony the source is the verse cited by gp births that podium.Think of that.

     

     

    AN TEARMANN on 17TH DECEMBER 2021 11:49 AM

     

     

    GREENPINATA on 17TH DECEMBER 2021 11:12 AM

     

     

    First they came for the Jews

     

     

    and I did not speak out

     

     

    because I was not a Jew.

     

     

    Then they came for the Communists

     

     

    and I did not speak out

     

     

    because I was not a Communist.

     

     

    Then they came for the trode unionists

     

     

    and I did not speak out

     

     

    because I was not a trade unionist.

     

     

    Then they came for the “anti vac nut jobs”

     

     

    And I did not speak out.

     

     

    Because I was not an anti vaccine person.

     

     

    Then they came for me

     

     

    and there was no one left

     

     

    to speak out for me..

     

    ==================

     

    Gp.

     

     

    The blog has been riddled with racism of the kind inspiring your famous verse.

     

     

    By jhb and the merry band of galloway racists.

     

     

    Did you casually ignore a poster being asked to call out racism during last weekends shennanigans?

     

     

    Do you recall?

     

     

    We had multi posters who have no interest in our club vomiting posts in support of those harassing rnli rescue services as they went to save life of refugees.

     

     

    The chibheids,jhb and his crowd of multimonikers forwarded a loo roll of unsourced drivel when asked to call it out.

     

     

    And the racist vermin post freely on what was the finest Celtic blog.they are crippled inside.

     

     

    Racism is racism.regardless of political hue.

     

     

    It is not my type or your type my friend

     

     

    It is racism.

     

     

    Catch a beer sometime.

     

     

    Refugees are welcome,170 years ago our forefathers had rocks thrown at them coming up the Clyde on what John Kelly calls “the boats of faces”,boats tightly packed with human cargo.Those throwing the stones,are on this blog,be it in a crass,stupid and with layered repitition(the opposite of how they perceive their erudite racism). We continue to go on and and get better.

     

     

    Racism has no place at Celtic

     

     

    Refugees are welcome

     

     

    HH

     

     

    God bless Celtic

     

     

    Is Calvin awaiting your condemnation of racism too?

     

    Shall we count that as 32 asked and 32 defamation orders attempted, for asking you to decry the rancid racism dished out to rescue services as rnli attempted to save life.not a word.all v quiet

     

    ================

     

     

    Thank you Wits

     

    the rancid british ‘indigineous’ population shoite posted by multimonikers is racist.it has no place on a Celtic blog ,never mind this one.hh

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