With St Johnstone visiting Ibrox, St Mirren visiting Pittodrie and Celtic off to Rugby Park, this was an unlikely week for the champions to extend their lead over all three in the chasing pack. But, thanks to a 90th minute shot from Scott Brown that was deflected into the Killie net, that was how it played out.
This was Celtic’s first win in three league games on an artificial surface this season and there was no mistaking how unaccustomed they were to the surface. Even Kilmarnock players suffered as any forward ball on the deck ran out of play. While it is unlikely we will play on plastic again this season, we need to get a game plan for this surface.
Kirk Broadfoot was given a straight red for a studs-first challenge on Scott Brown’s calf. The Celtic captain then collected his second yellow after fans, in what looked like a tribute to Newco fans celebrations of SPFL wins, invaded the pitch to celebrate with the players. Brown did not actually approach the perimeter of the stand but was quickly engulfed by fans, and inevitably, two cards.
I heard Steven Gerrard’s harsh post match assessment of his team’s application against St Johnstone. If publicly telling players how inept their application is leads to unbridled success, Newco will do the double this year. I do, however, have a nagging suspicion that there is more to management than getting angry and telling players they are not “real Rangers”.
Gerrard is new to management and it tells. Moreover, he split the team by absolving two players of responsibility, not on account of their exceptional performances, but because others did not do enough for them. If you Play Favourites, those favourites better be exceptional.
St Johnstone looked broken at the conclusion of their recent encounters with Celtic but there was more at stake than a football game at Ibrox on Saturday. After winning in Perth in December, Steven Gerrard said, “We shouldn’t have to work that hard to win at places like this, with all due respect.”
With all due respect, that was transparently disrespectful. It was also naive and would motivate every single St Johnstone player. Well played, ‘Stevie’. Sort your own attitude out before attacking your players’ and they might do better.
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Hail Hail
Bang
Hit the post
Happy Monday’s Indeed !!
Seethen Gerrard
FB @ 12.49
Uefa competition so they set the rules.
PL fixture — “PFA” administer the fixture with their rules.
However as you note there is an issue with perceived double standards.
My main gripe is the staged nature of the spectacle.
Game within a game — Ultras looking for Ultra brownie points / bragging rights.
Things do not need to be bigger — they just need to be better.
Humour and originality will win you more friends than spectacle and volume.
Something the GB should learn — too often they resort to cliche.
And so for the second consecutive away game the hoops keep going to the end and pick up three more points at a tricky venue when it looked like it might just be one. That’s why we’re champions!
Starting the year at the top only on goal difference Celtic see themselves eight points clear and looking in the mood to keep increasing this, although the next two games will be big tests.
As the gap to the – ahem – “chasing pack” widens, how long before the MSM start saying that “Rangers” winning the league this season was never on and that it was all about “closing the gap”? Then when they realise that the gap is wider, that winning the cup is far more important!
Keep tightening the screw, Celtic.
BOURNESOUPRECIPE
The Scouse Pedro.)))
Meanwhile over on BBC Radio Scotland ‘Lets talk about the Rugby’
Paul67
If ‘the computer’ can squeeze us in, we’ll find ourselves back at Rugby Park after the split.
Late winners at Kilmarnock r us CSC
Hail Hail
I watched the ball fall from the sky yesterday and bounce three times – to about 12 ft, 10ft and 8ft – before a professional footballer could bring it under control. It says more about the surface than the players concerned. Football was meant to be played on grass.
Just a quick word for Dedryck Boyata who played like a man possessed for the last period, especially after we scored. Nothing was getting past him.
And a word for the guy that threw the coin – twat.
Does anyone remember back to Broony,s testimonial against The Republic that
Ireland brought a young black lad on during the second half
I have been wondering if it was Oko Flex
Have they not suffered enough !!!!
They will never suffer enough
2018 played 26 points 60 mind the gap 8
2019 played 26 points 60 mind the gap 8
EightInArow CSC
“This was Celtic’s first win in three league games on an artificial surface this season”
——-
One in four, Paul – we won at Hamilton. Still not great though.
Also struggled at St Mirren, so might be more to it than the surface.
Why spend more than half the article taking about the hun game?
SG shows all the signs of an exceptional Sales person appointed to Sales Manager who suddenly realises he has no clue about how to communicate to others what made him a success.
Its common among many new Managers in all walks of life to utilise ” hard work and fear” as the only tools in the box in order t get a result.However experience tells you, once you have fired those 2 bullets, you have no where left to go.
Exceptional managers never publicly criticise their team, never. Those managers who do are on a count down to being sacked.
Hugely complex game, this management malarkey.
“NEVER NEVER NEVER”
“THEY BREED LIKE rabbits and multiply like vermin.”
Wee Ian Paisley CSC
If anyone is looking for spares for Thursday, Valencia are selling tickets next to the away end for 40 Euros, my brother bought 6 yesterday after the Espanyol game. Just told them he was a tourist. No passport needed to buy them, but they wrote your name on the ticket.
Indeed, Paul – Mr Box Office is certainly showing himself to be the rookie manager he is.
“The cop-out would be to say there was no Morelos, no Arfield, no Jack”
Except you HAVE said it so it IS a cop-out!
There was no MoreLoss because his manager has been saying he doesn’t need to change, rather than curbing the hot-headed tendencies he has been displaying all season.
Oh, and if it’s the players who are not good enough – who actually signed them? Who is coaching them?
Any other club who had a manager bringing in 20+ new players and still moaning that they are not good enough would be under serious scrutiny.
Perhaps a more apt description of the coin culprit……….tosser.
Paul67
It was only inevitable if you were Scott Brown or any Celtic player it seems?
Broonie never made it to Chadwick Stand, the Celtic youngsters ran to him before he got there, somewhat
unfornutate to be booked IMHO.
Pitch invasions and mobbing of players are treated differently in the SPFL , Tim Weah was also treated differently to Jordan Jones for the same reaction.
“Anybody but Celtic .”
Contrary to reports, Boyd didn’t have a coin thrown at him. As he was walking along the track close to us, his gravitational pull dragged a coin out of the guy next to me’s pocket. If you don’t believe me watch the footage of the game after the incident and you can just about make out said coin orbiting the fat o****e b******’s gut. True story.
The pitch was truly dreadful and resembled a well worn carpet in places but our tactics did us no favours.
Our constant passing behind the man slowed us down and conceded possession constantly and on a surface that makes it difficult to change direction it was also dangerous.
That we struggle on these surfaces is understandable to a degree but it’s not the first time we have played on them and continued with the same tactics.
Why?
We now have a bigger and more varied squad so why not try something different?
They caused us problems all day with simple balls behind our full backs.
Our coaches seemed to not recognize such as there was no adjustment .
They could have maybe tried the same with the speedy JF and SS but we continued playing balls to their feet or behind them so we could continue our backwards and sideways play.
Time for coaches to recognize and develop a plan for playing on such surfaces.
We do have a 3g at Lennoxtown.
Do we use it in preparation before playing opponents with plastic pitches?
Plastic pitches – don’t let the ball bounce and don’t select timid players such as Forrest, Christie and Sinclair.
How many points is Killie’s “porridge-pitch” worth to them a season?
Paul
“I do, however, have a nagging suspicion that there is more to management than getting angry and telling players they are not “real Rangers”. ”
From what I heard at the time that is pretty much exactly how a certain Mr McCoist thought management should work…
Regards
Peter.
” You’re no Rangers anymore ”
Seethen Gerrard
Do we use it in preparation before playing opponents with plastic pitches?
frankiebhoy on 18th February 2019 1:48 pm
Plastic pitches – don’t let the ball bounce and don’t select timid players such as Forrest, Christie and Sinclair.
===============
FB
I don’t blame them TBH – their professional career and only livelihood can disappear in a heartbeat on those pitches.
The club should be doing all in it’s power to have them banned.
They’re a disgrace and a liability.
Kilmarnock have a 1st team squad of 24. I dont know how many are injured but SC obviously has a far smaller pool of players at his disposal. In some ways it might help as there are less selection headaches but I think he wouldn’t mind a few of them. He has done a remarkable job. we celebrated yesterday as if we had beaten Barcelona, a fact he mentioned as a wee backhanded compliment after the game. Sevco worry more about facing Killie than Aberdeen and will not be too confident about being in the hat for the next round of the Scottish Cup.
The plastic pitch helps them as they are used to it but it still takes a good manager to get the best out of what he has available. Good luck to them and SC on Wednesday night.
When Killie play Livingston or Hamilton who has the advantage?
Still on a high after yesterday but the fact that we came so close to dropping 2 points should serve as a reminder that the SPFL is more competitive this year and no game is a given. The Mothers at home and Hertz away will not be easy either but that Golden goal yesterday has given us a little bit of breathing space in the event of any slip up.
This is the business end of season so lets get over the Spanish distraction & get back to work against a decent ‘Well team. Don’t give the Huns a sniff of hope, just be relentless Celtic, churn out a win game after game, & sicken them.
Those of you who would like to debate our performance yesterday should pop over to this web forum where you can critique the team’s performance at Rugby Park: Yesterday’s Game
Those who wish to have a more positive match discussion and look forward to what the rest of the season holds for us should maybe stay on here and look forward to the next game(s)
Hail! Hail! PMTYH ??????????
JEEZ_I_THOUGHT_BLINKER_WAS_PANTS ,
are all his tickets accounted for . travelling over on thurs and currently ticket-less
could do a bank transfer or PayPal – whatever suits .
can me contacted on sannabhoy@gmail.com
Sanna
When Killie play Livingston or Hamilton who has the advantage?
F.U.B.A.R. Bhoy
It depends on whose plastic carpet they’re playing on….
POGMATHONYAHUN AKA LAIRD OF THE SMILES on 18TH FEBRUARY 2019 2:07 PM
In my mind those games will forever now be known as The Axeminster Derby.
F.U.B.A.R.BHOY on 18TH FEBRUARY 2019 2:01 PM
When Killie play Livingston or Hamilton who has the advantage?
………………………………………..
The advantage is with the home team.
Plastic pitches are not all the same. They do not last forever, they age and have their own charachteristics.
The only constant with plastic pitches is that they are all worse than the worst grass pitch.
The Onlooker