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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EUROCHAMPS67 on 18TH FEBRUARY 2019 3:45 PM
When we played in the Holy Cross playground you had to have a fantastic first touch,as playing 25 a side at interval, you were only likely to get one chance at getting a touch.
On the side of hill outside the old science block CSC
Eurochamps67
*******
……and we still beat you in the 1958 Glasgow Schools u-14 Semi Final!!
Obviously Stevie G didn´t learn about respect for St Johnstone from brother Souey. Delighted for Broonie and the supporters yesterday, the killjoys and the amateurs are seeing red more than Scott today.
My friends in Celtic,
No rest for the wicked. Our thoughts now turn to Thursday’s game, and fans are already commencing the journey.
General consensus is that we are out. Even our most optimistic fan would find it hard to logically disagree with that.
However we are taking a mega load of fans. Let’s have a real go at them, we have nothing to lose. I hope BR puts his rule book in the back pocket and instructs our team to give it our best shot; no holes barred.
Worse case scenario, we get hammered. Big deal. Such is the esteem of BR it wouldn’t matter a jot.
HH to all.
Afternoon all might be a bit premature with this question, provided we keep winning when is the earliest we can clinch title No. 8? or when would it be more likely? Hail Hail Hebcelt
https://twitter.com/CelticTV/status/1097530400954634242?s=08
Brendan saying KT back for Motherwell at the weekend
HEBCELT on 18TH FEBRUARY 2019 4:27 PM
Afternoon all might be a bit premature with this question, provided we keep winning when is the earliest we can clinch title No. 8? or when would it be more likely? Hail Hail Hebcelt
___________________________________________________________________________
12 games to go – 36 points up for grabs and we are 8 clear.
If we win our next 7 to the split and the huns only drop 3 points to us, we will be 11 clear with 5 to play. Unless the first post split game is against them and we beat them (14 points clear with 3 to play), we would need a win and a draw in the first 2 post spilt games to wrap it up.
Of course we will wrap it up before the split I think.
KTF
Sorry, that would be 14 points clear with 4 to play.
KTF
Evening, all.
Still on a high after yesterday. So important a result.
Could those who have any influence on the eejits who let off the flares persuade them to stop NOW? I don’t know anyone who approves of their stupidity.
As for whoever threw the coin at Boyd. he should be barred from Celtic Park, if he can be identified.
Did anything of note happen at Kilmarnock on Sunday?
I mean……anything other than Boydy Bunter have a coin bounce harmlessly off his arm ?
It’s just that I can’t seem to find anything other than those headlines.
Tickets selling well today for Celtic v Motherwell Sunday 24/02/19
TicketOffice CSC
I hope the idiot who threw the coin is caught. I also hope that anyone wilfully damaged seats is caught.
TTT,
……and we still beat you in the 1958 Glasgow Schools u-14 Semi Final!!
To be fair I was only 2 then.
Cleaning up Mytv there, I watched the Motherwell away game, where Benkovic has a goal disallowed for he haw. We pumped them (but were cheated) just like we have pumped everyone else bar the debacle at the Bigotdome.
I cannot envisage us not winning this league.
MIBs have a chance to affect cup outcome!
Eurochamps67
Interest in the game from a Celtic perspective was huge yesterday, both Celtic ends were jam packed and it was noticeably busier on the streets than normal down at Rugby park. Throw in a 4pm kick off and the obvious more time for drinking and whatever else they get up to these days and you have a recipe for a more rowdy occasion than normal. I could sense the tension in the air as the game wore on and commented to the guy beside me that a pitch invasion was likely if we scored. He laughed and said he’d just said the same thing to the guy beside him.
There is no getting away from the fact that there has been a deterioration in behaviour at away matches and we have more than our share of idiots now. What Celtic do about it, i haven’t a clue. The authorities and the Clubs are in between a rock and a hard place because the game is thriving in Scotland in terms or attendances and the commercial benefits that come with it. The game up here is a bit of a freak show at times and that generates a lot of conversation, some positive and some negative but as they say there is no such thing as bad publicity. Maybe this is the new normal.
St Patrick’s High School, Dumbarton had a football pitch, which had a wicked slope and was sparse of grass and was notoriously known as “The Rockies”.
Despite the pitch, the school had a remarkable reputation for producing top-class footballers, the most famous of whom were John Divers, Evan Williams and Steve Murray, of Celtic, and John O’Hare, of Sunderland and Nottingham Forest, who was capped eight times for Scotland and won two European Championship medals with Clough’s Forest team, Stevie Murray also captained Dundee and Aberdeen.
St Patrick’s were much feared by their opponents, including Govan High School in Glasgow, one of whose notable players, Manure manager Sir Furious said: “St Patrick’s in Dumbarton was the one team we didn’t want to be drawn against in any competition”
BTW this was before my time as when i arrived there it was a red blaze pitch, oh the joys and the sore knees.
Just catching up on today news and it seems the behavioural issues extend beyond the border,
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47237474
I think the seats at Rugby Park were so surprised to have someone actually sitting on them that they just collapsed in shock.
NoexcuseforvandalismCSC
paul67 shhhhhhh sssssshhhhhhhh
stevie b is doing a great job, he has obviously motivated the players and has taken them to the next level ready to challenge in europe next year, win the cup this year and the league next year. We are just shining the trophies for him.
In fact, can we we swap BR fo him!
Good Evening. Long time no see..
Gerrard’s bus… https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2019/02/18/gerrards-bus/
TONTINE TIM
Remember beating St Pats in front of a large crowd in a boys guild game on that slope.
Team had to sprint for our lives afterwards down to train station as the home crowd were not to enamored by the fact it was a dirty game and their hometown heroes lost.
I believe Celtic fans are the best in the world mind you we do have some idiots amongst us those who throw coins and those who wreck seats. Lets find out who they are and get them banned there is no place for them in the Celtic support.H.H.
I consider myself a kind, caring and compassionate person.
Having said this I took great pleasure in the absolute cruelty of the dying seconds winner yesterday.
Inflicting great and beautiful pain on sevco/rangers.
The biggest cheats in the entire history of sport.
I would urge the celtic board to spend every spare penny on the team to ensure we win everything from now until forever.
10 in a row is not ambitious enough.
FANATIC AND TONTINE, the joes boys guild team in glenboig were the bees knees when I was a nipper, or am I being romantic,hh.
CORKCELT on 18TH FEBRUARY 2019 2:05 PM
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Totally agree.
This isn’t an easy league. More than enough shrewd and astute managers with opposition players whom are tough and uncompromising.
Credit due to Brendan Rodgers and his Celtic team for putting a bit of daylight between us and the rest of them.
9 more victories.
HH. ?
BIG PACKY 1
All Celtic supporters are romantic.
HH
JOE FILIPPIS HAIRCUT on 18TH FEBRUARY 2019 5:34 PM
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Etims stated earlier those couple of seats weren’t broken deliberately.
To break one of those seats you just snap the thing.
If you look at the photograph you can see that the damaged ones were pushed forward, as if there was a surge of people against them.
Killie shouldn’t really be complaining about a half dozen broken seats anyway, considering the revenue given to them by the magnificent Celtic away support.
I thought they were exceptional yesterday, funny watching the young team go radio rental when we scored – best days.
Nothing wrong with a little over exuberance on a day like that.
Fair play to them.
HH. ?
FANATIC, cheers pal ??.
The coin throwing has made Boyd into a martyr, I hope the person responsible reflects on that and I hope the peron responsible is caught.
Hurting huns on Shortbread, majoring on coin thrown…..fuds
Good evening CQN
I hope Kilmasonic, look at their security measures as pitch invasions aren’t good, but I am sure they will learn their lessons and move on.
Damage by our support and coin throwing not acceptable.
What a result though.
D. :)
DESSYBHOY
Celtic fans are lauded everywhere in the world but Scotland for their charitable efforts.
But in the best wee country some socially conscious Celtic fan trying to donate to the KeepKrisFatFund has it twisted into a serious assault.
The mssm know how Krissy has been suffering financial hardship due to alack of win bonuses ,suspension and not being selected.
That they fail to acknowledge a charitable donation by a Celtic fan comes as no surprise.
They have plenty previous of such behavior ;-)
fan-a-tic on 18th February 2019 6:08 pm
DESSYBHOY
Celtic fans are lauded everywhere in the world but Scotland for their charitable efforts.
But in the best wee country some socially conscious Celtic fan trying to donate to the KeepKrisFatFund has it twisted into a serious assault.
The mssm know how Krissy has been suffering financial hardship due to alack of win bonuses ,suspension and not being selected.
That they fail to acknowledge a charitable donation by a Celtic fan comes as no surprise.
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Stupid response.
Scullyboy
Thank you.
I was being facetious and alluding to the mssm’s deafening silence on 3 previous pitch invasions and a linesman being cut by a coin thrown.
You also should note i refrained from blaming kris who continually spouts drivel and untruths about Celtic as bringing it on himself.
I certainly don’t condone what happened but the usual reaction and double standards towards Celtic from the best wee country get’s the derision it deserves.
Re the Broony second yellow for celebrating a goal.
The rules in Scotland, certainly where Celtic are concerned, mean celebration close to the fans is an ” automatic” yellow with the SMSM telling us the ref had no option but to book him.
If that’s the case how did Scott Wright who went into the crowd to celebrate then not get booked? The fan came to Broony; the Dundee player actually went directly to the fans yet escaped punishment.
I am all for all incidents of coin throwing, sectarian chanting and the like to be highlighted when it happens, not when it is only Celtic supporters , anything else is hypocrisy, but this country is famous for it.
Celtic can when our fans and players are the victims of the above highlight it, it will very soon be clear how often this is happening.
Really enjoying Clyde1 this evening. Hurting Huns by the orange box. It’s about to ignite as Alex Rae states they need a Scott Brown type to inspire them and get them going when it’s not going well “even if it’s just smashing someone” were words he used. Brilliant.
That’s not going to please them.
KTF
PS according to the rules he deserved the booking. He jumped the hoarding and went to the fans. Did he care? Did Brendan care? Did I care? Not at all. The joy and the reaction was worth it. The same passion also shows with Tim O’Weah as well.
This is how it feels to be Celtic …….
KTF
Theyr’e hurting badly on Shortbread tonight !!??
PR 67
Good, maybe they are beginning to realise something.
…..Hurting as well on Clyde.Some citizen phoned up complaining about Celtic fans taking selfies with Celtic players at Rugby park yesterday.Sad,sad people.