Brendan the man-manager, Leigh – smarter than you may think

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It’s really refreshing to hear the positivity towards the manager from senior players at the club. He has the squad pulling in his direction like no one has since Martin O’Neill. This hasn’t come about by chance. When a player asked Brendan if he could arrive late one day this week to see his child start school, training was changed for the entire first team squad.

With term starting across several days at the start of this week, training at Lennoxtown started at 11:30 Monday and Tuesday (we’d a game on Wednesday, in case you forgot). The fathers all got to see their kids start, or return to, school, while the others fell into line.

This kind of family support is credit in the bank for Brendan (a lot more than some entire clubs have). Players want to him.

I watched highlights of the Hapoel game and caught things I’d missed on the night. Leigh Griffiths’ delayed run for his first goal being the most striking. As Scott Sinclair pushed the ball right to James Forrest, Leigh stopped his forward run, waiting at the left edge of the box.

This created space. With that space, he built-up sufficient momentum to out-jump a defender and power a header into the net. It was a stunningly intelligent thing to do.

I had a word with a Celtic coach a while back on how intelligent you need to be to be a modern footballer. It turns out footballers need to be smarter than you probably think. There are outstanding talents in football, and we’ve had more than a few at Celtic, who are just not clever enough to understand how and when to use an abstract entity like space.

Today’s great teams deploy very complicated tactical systems in defence and in possession. It doesn’t matter how good you are with the ball at your feet, if you can’t keep up with the tactical demands of the game, you’ll bounce around clubs never quite fulfilling your early promise.

Some big decisions for Brendan about the line-up tomorrow. McDiarmid has often been a tricky place to go, so resting players could result in points being dropped. We’re three days away from the >£20m game in Israel, which I’d be reluctant to take risks with, despite the three goal advantage.

It’s probably a good opportunity for us to have a look at Dorus de Vries but I’d be reluctant to tamper too much. Only the two big Glasgow clubs haven’t dropped points yet, and I’d like us to be the last man standing in that race. A win for us in Perth and a draw at Pittodrie tomorrow would do nicely.

Sorry to see Scott Brown retire from international duty but it’s unquestionably the right decision. It’s also an acknowledgement that he needs to manage his fitness and recovery cycles carefully.

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1,083 Comments

  1. Cosy Corner Bhoy on

    Happy Birthday Leigh Griffiths! I thought he would be a reasonable player for us when he was signed though too greedy to be anything more. Certainly proving me wrong :) Down to No1 daughter’s house for the game and I have good news for her and bad news for me. Clash of date against Aberdeen means no match for me and a ticket for her . Evening out with my wife and friends and CCB doesn’t do two things in one day!!

  2. Greenpinta 8.09.

     

    Great post. The vast majority on here are Celtic fans and should be shown civility. However I refuse to show any to Mats Nilloc, Mr Pastry, Horrid Henry and all the guises he has used. He is trolling us and everytime the blog has harmony, he launches another grenade. He is a fudd of the highest order and should be called out every time.

     

    Art Of War.

     

    Great positive post about your Mum. May her health continue to improve.

     

    Delaneys. Very interesting post about Villareal.

     

    H.T. Have a blast at the game.

     

    Right I’m off to Costa with my family. That’s my limit:-)))

  3. No issue with anyone wishing to protest as long as it doesn’t infringe on the ‘human right’ of others. The GB seem to have zero concern for their fellow Celtic supporters views & act as if their word is the only one worthy of airing. This attitude reminds me of the professional protesters who have grown out of American college campuses over the past decade or so. Militant socialists, anti capitalist the oppressors of free speech. It’s funny as these groups profess to be tolerant yet actively attempt to shut down opposing views. You’ve seen the occupy Wall Street crowed & similar protests migrate over here to the UK. What did Celtic as a club do before this similar element decided to attach itself to our club? Apparently we have always been anti capitalist, for the ‘oppressed’ & against the ‘Zionist’ scum. I’m just wondering where this message or indeed the Palestinian flag has been at Celtic Park since 1948 or more accurately since it was adopted in 1964?

     

     

    Again I have no issue with anyone wishing to display their political point of view but have some respect & don’t force them down the throats of others in their home. This is in essence what the GB did on Wednesday night & it wasn’t just disrespectful to our guests but also to many thousands within our own support.

     

     

    Celtic Park is my home & just as in any home their are rules to follow or there’s a consequence. The difference here is when you break those rules as the GB like to do it doesn’t just affect a small family home but all of us.

     

     

    That to me is unacceptable & I hope the club acts strongly against any further disruption. We thrived as a club long before the GB appeared & we will do so again long after they disappear.

     

     

    HH.

  4. Paul 67

     

     

    I’m not sure how long I’ve been attached to CQN but it’s been a number of years. This was a great place that stood out from most other forums as it was tolerant, respectful & hosted intelligent comment. Sadly it seems to have now descended into a cesspit for the intolerant.

     

     

    For this reason I respectfully ask to be removed from your site.

     

     

    Thank you for giving us this once fine platform it’s a shame to see it being hijacked.

     

     

    Wishing you all the best for the future H.H.

  5. Dallas Dallas where the heck is Dallas on

    Art of war, i hope your mum’s recovery continues.

     

     

    The new ‘southern’ has had its critics but the good done by staff is not publicised.

     

     

    I was just thinking , your post must have been the only positive mentioning of Queen Elizabeth on here. Lol

  6. COSY CORNER BHOY

     

     

    You got to learn to multi task….got gym, two lots of football, parents visit and vigil mass all by 5 tonight and I made the wife’s breakfast.

     

    SmugbarstewardCSC

  7. Gooooood Morning CQN

     

    Now COYBIG

     

     

    From last night at 10.57 – HT , your comments to TTR ” ya wallpaper” best spellcheck failure I’ve seen on here, even beats that BT fhellla’s :-))))))

     

     

    Now I’ve no interest in politics, but just for clarity Mcjay – there have been protests against Jacob Zuma in SA, and he has been investigated more than once by his ruling party, so you need to do some more digging on SA politics

     

     

    Anyway back to the Celtic

     

    Brendan can afford to give Christie and Henderson a run out today, they would not let us down, with the freedom of expression Brendan has allowed the players

     

     

    Hail Hail

  8. Morning Bhoys, Dull Saturday in ML6

     

     

    Happy Birthday our Leigh. He will leave a legend one day.

     

     

    Looking forward to the game, Early bird gets the early points. ;)

     

     

    I think we will see some movement with tranfers this week. Get the squad trimmed and get one or two in.

     

     

    Mon the Hoops.

     

     

     

    KLV

  9. The Green Man says SACK THE Board on

    Morning Celts

     

     

    Mats Pastry Noakes….You are nothing but a bigot hun troll

     

    Take your poison elsewhere Hitler

  10. ART OF WAR

     

     

    Great news about your Mum.

     

     

    I’m a lapsed catholic too, but my belief in God is massive.

     

     

    Too many times in my life when I needed help and got it.

     

     

    Stay strong.

  11. Kevlasvegas

     

    Hopefully this time next week we have a wee £28m additional revenue to look at spending ( not all of it PL:-)) on a player of Brendan’s choice ?

     

     

    Winning Captains if about

     

    Can you look at that Nowtv add on the screen, takes over 2 sides of the iPad, covering the blog notes, I cannot remove when on that page

     

    Thanks Bhud, will drop you a screen shot

     

     

    Hail Hail

  12. The Green Man says SACK THE Board on

    Ignore the bigot troll

     

    Dont respond to the dirty hun who calls Celtic supporters ‘Parasites’ and a ‘Cancer’

     

    Get him red-carded…..that should not be acceptable on CQN.

     

    Taking bs like that from a fecking moron….is not on.

     

     

    HH

  13. AuroraBorealis79 on

    (H)ELLBOY

     

     

    I was wondering when one of resident Hasbara trolls would weigh in with their 2 bobs worth of vomit.

     

     

    Exactly, when did the green Brigade encroach on your views?

     

     

    Is it not you & the many others (UEFA included) who are trying to dictate upon how any individual can express themselves within a football ground?

     

     

    Anti-ExpressionismCSC

  14. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    ELLBHOY

     

     

    Please reconsider. Who wins when the good guys chuck it?

  15. The Green Man says SACK THE Board on

    CQN open to all…fair enough.

     

    But surely not open for bigots to call Celtic fans ‘Parasites’ and a ‘Cancer’

     

     

     

    HH

  16. AuroraBorealis79 on

    ELLBOY on 20TH AUGUST 2016 8:59 AM

     

     

    You don’t do irony, do ye?

     

     

    You are one of the most intolerant cretins CQN has ever been graced the presence of.

     

     

    I wonder if you even have a reflection when you look in the mirror.

  17. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    ARTOFWAR

     

     

    168 bpm? That would have clubbers struggling to keep up!

     

     

    I hope yer wee Mammy’s recovery continues for a long time to come!!

  18. COWIEBHOY on 20TH AUGUST 2016 9:12 AM

     

     

    Gooooood Morning CQN

     

     

    Now COYBIG

     

     

    From last night at 10.57 – HT , your comments to TTR ” ya wallpaper” best spellcheck failure I’ve seen on here, even beats that BT fhellla’s :-))))))

     

    ————————————-

     

    I read that last night and went off to bed very confused trying to imagine what kind of wallpaper could be used as a term of mild abuse. Thanks for explaining. :-))))))

  19. Dallas Dallas where the heck is Dallas on

    Clunks, that ‘s really good news about your brother in law .

     

     

    I wish him a speedy recovery.

  20. THE GREEN MAN SAYS SACK THE BOARD on 20TH AUGUST 2016 9:24 AM

     

    Ignore the bigot troll

     

    —————————-

     

    Can you not take your own advice and ignore him? For every one post of his you post about 10 in response

  21. The best way to get rid of the hun/troll posters is to ignore them.

     

     

    They’ll soon take their agenda’s somewhere else.

  22. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    HAPPY HOOOOOPY BIRTHDAY to

     

     

    LEIGH GRIFFITHS!!!!!!

     

     

    Scoring machine,keep it up-ooooooer missus…

     

     

    (Good spot,WEEFRATHETIM)

  23. Most times we play at McDiarmid Park, I still see Fergus McCann and Brian Dempsey in the stand , through my mind’s eye.

     

     

    A good but tough fixture for us in the past , and with the Celtic ends sold out

     

    thanks to the BR effect, it’ll be interesting to see how many he can afford to rest

     

    rest up.

     

     

    Erik Sviatchenko Nir Bitton and Stefan Johanssen must be in with a shout of the starting line up, and as others have posted it might be time to unleash Paddy.

     

     

    With one eye on Israel, I still expect goals.

     

     

    Saints 1 Celtic 4

  24. Cowiebhoy

     

     

    The best bit was HT told me I made no sense but called me a wallpaper in the same sentence.

  25. morning bhoys everywhere.

     

    since my son moved to Edinburgh I don’t get to see enough of him. so meeting him in the pub to watch the game today is something I’m really looking forward to.

     

    Also approaching games expecting to see some special football has really brought back the excitement.

     

    I hope SJ give us a good test that we pass with style.

     

    QF

  26. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    CLUNKS

     

     

    Best wishes to your brother-in-law.

     

     

    Tell him to keep up the good fight.

  27. JIMMYNOTPAUL on 20TH AUGUST 2016 8:40 AM

     

     

    Good to see you up and well pal.

     

     

    Be good and keep in touch with the good Guys TBM.

     

     

    Off to see the Celts.

     

     

    HH

  28. AuroraBorealis79 on

    BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 20TH AUGUST 2016 9:30 AM

     

    ARTOFWAR

     

     

     

    168 bpm? That would have clubbers struggling to keep up

     

     

    _______________

     

     

    Lenny D would disagree

  29. Morning Tim’s

     

     

    Just been on e tims for a wee read and a laugh…..

     

     

    Got ” this account has been suspended “