Celtic faced a familiar problem yesterday. Hearts packed the midfield, which sat close to their defensive line, making it difficult for Celtic to get through, over or wide. Their best chance in the first half actually came from a Hearts corner kick, one of the few occasions the visitors ventured forward.
Sure, we need to beat Rangers, but dealing with the challenge of teams sitting tight and packing midfield will be key to winning the SPL, and that starts at Perth on Sunday. St Johnstone will not be in confident mood after their 0-3 pasting at home yesterday, so you can expect them to sit three central midfielders in front of the defence.
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Morning all from gay Paree, pleasant enough morning, 10C max today.
Two easy questions and one to ponder:
Is the away support at teh Easter Rd martch to be pulled up by the SPL for illicit chanting?
Is Comical Ally to be pulled up before the SFA for his ranting and raging last Friday?
Is Victor better in defense or midfield?
Bjmac nice one
Jhilday click on you’re details just above comments box
Scroll down to bottom of the page where it says you’re logged into facebook
Click remove :>)
Remember to save changes.
Ps hope youre well,
V
Jhilday ,
click on your name and when the ‘profile’ page opens , go to the bottom of the page. near the Facebook and twitter icons there’s a sentence that tells you “To disconnect form Facebook , click here “
PS. Hope you’re feeling chipper today . Hope you’re taking your situation to the powers that be at Celtic .
HH
As usual , I’m too slow for the Vmhan – morning !
Vmhan, Kano 1000 – Supporting Lenny & the Green Brigada! says
Thanks, Vmhan.
Has it worked, or did I forget to save changes?
I’m fine. Thanks for asking!
Sannabhoy – there’s only 1 Kano 1000 says
Thanks to you too!
I emailed yesterday morning. We’ll see what happens today.
I’m ok. I’ll get over it. It was just so sudden, I’d no idea it was coming and no chance even to get my hands out of my pockets. A “sucker butt”.
Interesting stories in the papers.
Palermo to pay 2M for Samaras (allegedly)
UEFA verdict expected today over Strathclyde Police driven agenda
And the Laptop Loyal want scott Brown in the SFA dock.
If Palermo pay that I’d be interested to see if all parties would agree to it. Watch this space.
UEFA’s verdict is in the lap of the God’s
Scott Brown getting cited was something I expected after the furore raised by the Fat Quiz show captain. Hopefully it is a non-story.
sixtaeseven
The answer to the first part is -likely to be no -they wont be pulled up.
Victor should be in mid-field with Ki added to the mix at the expense of anyone from Stokes-Hooper-Forrest-Samaras.
I believe we are making life hard for ourselves with our over-offensive team selections and thereby conceding midfield control.
We scraped the last 2 results and I wont feel so confident for the huns if we stick with this formation.
67 you’re questions
No shhhhhhh
No it’ll blow over, don’t bring any attention to it
Midfield, he’s much more effective there AND it’s his preferred position, he said that post match on Sat.
Paul67 perhaps a wee article about the Orcs continued illegal singing!
V
Morning one and all from yet another wild, wet and windy day in North Ayrshire. Seems worse in on the way.
Still, we beat herts. So, we move on.
apologies if you have received a spam email from me…
I have reset my account hopefully no more will be sent.
No worries BT
Happy Monday :>(
V
BT:
You have my sympathies.
Had the same problems with a hotmail account.
After I had reset the password the hacker continuously tried the old one with the net result Hotmail locked me out of my own account. Even after hours of trying to convince them I was me I was never given access again and list loads of personal information.
I advice you forward any important stuff asap just in case…
BT
Did you go to the Club yesterday? Couldn’t make it, was working during the day, then back out at 5 last night…
HH
Giggs
Good Morning,
from a wet Stirlingshire — where children refuse to get out of their beds as usual, the rain is relentless although the mood is upbeat and the cup runneth over!
Heard a wee story yesterday that big Tam Gemmell ( who put the score a level ) is not particularly well– so thoughts go to him.
Also heard a view as to what the MBB is all about, which if true, will cause the brow to furrow, the jaw to drop and if you are the follower of a team down Ibrox way … will result in the head being voluntarily stuck to down the lavvy pan in the hope that life and all its woes are simply flushed away!!!!!!!!!!!
Just the view of one educated Gers fan right enough but gave me pause for thought…………
cheers bhoys…
I have reset my password, hope that helps.. o))
giggs never made it either..
I’ll speak to the auld yin today and see how it went…
sixtaeseven
No doubt in my mind that Victor is a midfield player, albeit one who can help our defence. I hope he is not being moved backwards because despite making some progress lately we are likely to go backwards with him. Don’t forget that Neil stated early doors that he could be a centre back, but I took that as a smokescreen. I understand Kelvin Wilson is fit so let us see a bit more of him if Loovens is injured.
BRTH ,
ok. I’ll bite . Spill please
Sanna
I see the BBC managed to get every Hertz venture over halfway into their highlights.
I thought I had been at a different game.
Goodness we must have been awfy lucky on Saturday right enough!
EC67
couple of guys coming down at 9 to flush my heating system- does it hurt ?
BT
I’m feart to phone him, I’ll get abuse for not making it!
HH
Giggs
BRTH
our lion has been poorly for a while.
Brogan Rogan Trevino and Hogan supports Kano 1000: 12 December, 2011 at 08:34
Does this story end with a man (imagine the Eli Wallach character in The Good, The Bad And The Ugly but without the charisma) riding off into the sunset with all of the money?
From the Daily Mail
Marittimo president Carlos Pereira last night admitted that talks with Celtic over a deal for £3million-rated striker Baba Diawara are back on.
The Parkhead club were one of a number of top sides who watched the Portuguese league’s top scorer in action against Benfica on Sunday night.
And despite growing competition from Spain and Italy, the Scottish Cup holders still hope to conclude a January deal for the 23-year-old Senegalese goalscorer.
Celtic manager Neil Lennon watched Diawara in action before the close of the last transfer window, with work permit issues blamed for the breakdown of the move.
Despite the capture of Mohamed Bangura in a £2m deal, Lennon remains in the market for a new forward.
The Maritimo star has never been far from the top of a list also known to feature Huddersfield’s newly-capped Scotland international Jordan Rhodes.
‘I have spoken again with the Scots recently and we are ready to resume talks,’ said Maritimo chief Pereira on Sunday.
‘We failed to reach an agreement before, but anything is possible now. It’s a matter of sitting down and talking through our requirements.
‘This weekend, there were a lot of clubs — including Celtic — watching, not only Baba, but also other players from our team and some from Benfica.
‘We cannot rule out selling our best assets. If we did, we could run the risk of upsetting the players because of the huge leap in salary they could make by moving.
‘Baba is very mature and trusts me to do what is best for him and for Maritimo.’
BRTH
If lurkers lurk, what do lurchers do?
GREETINGS GENTLEMEN.
Celtic T-shirt idea:
“Victor Wanyama’s Kenyan Army”
All royalties to buy a Christmas dinner for the unpaid employees of Wonga FC. (thumbsup)
whitedoghunch says:
12 December, 2011 at 08:44
……………
No mate you’ll just feel a warm glow all over, ohhhh and you’ll be much lighter (in pocket)
:>)
V
How has the partnership of Hooper/Stokes fared recently?
It MUST be Sammi as lone striker on Thursday.
The country’s top tax official is to retire next summer.
Dave Hartnett, head of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), was forced into an apology to 1.4 million people facing surprise tax bills in September last year. The HMRC permanent secretary said he was “deeply sorry” that taxpayers were being asked to pay back an average £1,428. His apology was issued after he caused fury by initially insisting the authorities were not to blame and declaring: “I’m not sure I see a need to apologise.”
Meanwhile HMRC was accused of giving Goldman Sachs a deal that waived £10 million of interest on a £30 million bill from a failed tax avoidance scheme on bankers’ bonuses. Mr Hartnett, 60, is said to have personally sealed the agreement with a Goldman executive last November, after being advised by an official that there was a “legal impediment” to charging interest.
He told the powerful Commons Public Accounts Committee that a HMRC official lost their bonus following the blunder.
Craig Whyte meets the tax inspectors (in his £5m castle):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lS_V5BJgdZk (thumbsup)
A useful run out at the weekend, as this what we will face versus Dignity. Nothing really coming from the full back positions so looked to me like we lost momentum, and with Hearts playing a compliant ref to the limit, we got a stop / start game.
Our young pups need a few hard cases in the team, and we need to play the refs to the limit. I would play 5 in the middle against Dignity , with jamsey and sammi swapping wings… we need a stronger defence than we fielded on Sat against Dignity…. still a couple of wins will set us up nicely.
Rollontheholscfc
http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/2180/flavaflavbhoy.jpg (thumbsup)
Won’t pay? Don’t play!
By Bill Leckie
COME Friday, they will trudge to the cashline to check if they have been paid.
But they will punch in their pin numbers with all the confidence of Old Mother Hubbard looking in the kitchen for dog biscuits.
Because in reality, it will be a Christmas miracle if the machine doesn’t swallow their cards.
The season to be jolly? Not if you play for Hearts, it’s not.
The players have still not had November’s wages.
There’s about as much chance of getting December’s as of them getting to retake the penalty they missed at Parkhead on Saturday. Word is it might be MARCH before they see another penny.
Yet what do the people who run the game do about it? Nothing. Zilch. Hee-haw.
The SFA and the EssPeeEll shrug and say there’s nothing they can do.
PFA Scotland demands the authorities step in, but offer nothing positive themselves to their marooned members.
All three bodies should be ashamed. Their lack of action over a situation this scandalous, this damaging to the game’s reputation, is embarrassing.
Oh sure, the SFA would be in like a shot if one of those players took a dive or slagged off a ref.
Just don’t ask them to budge if the same player can’t pay the mortgage or put presents under the tree for his kids.
It’s an utter nonsense for them to claim they can’t get involved, because they ARE involved, right up to their blazer collars.
It´s also nonsense for any Sun readers to suggest that we should be speaking up for the tax man as far as Rangers not paying their dues.
Yes Romanov has paid his tax and Rangers have not but they have paid the only people that really matter the stars.
The owner of one of their most senior clubs is refusing to honour the contracts of his stars, how much more basic could their responsibility to step in be?
And that responsibility could not be simpler to discharge.
If Romanov doesn’t pay his players on Friday, then Hearts shouldn’t be allowed to play Dunfermline on Saturday.
Paying your staff especially your playing staff is far more important than paying your other obligations like the tax man or the health service or even the man who put the roof over your house.
Call it a 3-0 defeat. And do the same with every other game until every Tynecastle player is squared up in full.
They should act with the full co-operation of the league and PFA Scotland and Strathclyde police and BBC Scotland. Everyone should be singing off the same Scottish carol sheet on this.
Instead, they are staring at their shoes and giving it Silent Night. Why ? because Rangers may lose a tax case that they are sure to win ?
It’s a horrible situation for the Jambos squad. Whatever they do, they can’t win.
If they man up, play for pride and produce results, Romanov’s laughing.
If they cross the white line demotivated and get a doing, the fans turn against them.
And if they down tools like the Scottish referees done last winter? then well, it’s the perfect get-out for Mad Vlad — he’ll have them sacked and shipped off to footballing Siberia before you can say salt mine. Not that I think that should have happened to Scotland’s brave whistlers
That’s why they need the SFA to get their fingers out.
That’s why they need the EssPeeEll to beak cover and get on Romanov’s case.
That’s why it’s time the union stopped blaming others for not acting and gave their workers a lot more support.
Believe me, the dressing room is NOT happy with the backing they have had so far.
We are not talking about millionaires here, though even if we were, the principle of contracts being honoured would remain the same.
We’re talking about two or three guys earning around £7,000-a-week down to quite a few on £500 and most of the rest on a thousand or so.
Now, 50 grand a year’s not to be sniffed at.
But it doesn’t mean the people earning it are not toiling when the direct debit doesn’t land in their account on the 16th of the month.
Footballers are like most of us, they live to the maximum of what they earn.
They get a new deal, they buy a new car or a bigger house. They want to give their kids the best Christmas possible.
So they wouldn’t be human if this situation wasn’t eating away at them.
Put it this way, could you keep giving your all at work if the wages didn’t turn up month after month?
No matter how exemplary an employee you are, how long would it be before your loyalty turned to resentment?
And don’t kid yourself this won’t be dividing the camp.
Again, they wouldn’t be human if the low-end earners didn’t envy the big-hitters for having enough in the bank to cushion them against a long, hard winter.
And let’s fast forward to Easter Road on January 2. Who among them can guarantee they won’t have a split-second’s doubt about going in where it hurts, when there’s every chance they could be offloaded any day?
Who is going to risk a broken leg for a club that expects them to work for free?
The whole thing stinks. It’s all wrong. And with every day that those in charge of our game dither due to Rangers FC being possibly financially hamstrung , with every day they let Romanov off the hook, they look weaker and weaker.
If Hearts don’t pay, then they don’t play. Let’s see how far they need to slide towards relegation before the chancer coughs up.
Because if the powers that be don’t accept that Rangers will in all likelihood win their tax case and start to do something that drastic against Romanov they will be letting those players down every bit as badly as the Lithuanian himself is.
Dearie me, wee Murdo excels himself today in toadying up to his Hun paymasters by devoting his article today to a full blast at Celtic supporters for “illicit” chanting. note not alleged chanting but chanting; all this before the verdict is known too!
Coming especially after listening to the Rangers support in full, bigotted song, at Hibs on Staurday- no comment there Murdo or anywhere else that I have seen – this column defies belief.
Murdo, I admired you enormously as a player; I cannot stand the way you’ve taken the dirty media shilling and write what they want in your name. Disgraceful!
Awe_Naw – You Awe_Nawed it I see.
The unpaid Wonga FC players should go on strike.
All deadbeat clubs that don’t pay their dues should be put on notice that they’ll be punished severely.
That’d ginger things up a bit. (thumbsup)
Good Morning CQN
That awkward moment when you waken up and realise its definitely a Monday, and not a Saturday.
up_over_goal says:
12 December, 2011 at 09:16
It MUST be Sammi as lone striker on Thursday..
I think it will be if Ledley is fit.
If not, I think it’ll be Stokesy on his tod.
brimmer
philvis
not guilty !