We hoped that Celtic’s anaemic 57 minutes against St Mirren last week would serve as an indication that performance levels needed to improve ahead of yesterday’s game against Newco, but many of the same facets were in evidence.
Anytime I have seen Newco this season they seem to start brightly. By contrast, Celtic tend to feel their way into games in a low-energy manner. This was evident yesterday. The game was moments old when Erik Sviatchenko was pressurised into a mistake, which brought Newco deep into Celtic territory. It was 3 minutes before we crossed the halfway line again.
Erik’s next two touches were also unassured, which interrupted the flow of the ball. It looked like Newco had decided he was the Celtic player to press. His central defensive partner was caught flat when a touch by Miller saw the ball pass through him, allowing Waghorn the first of his great opportunities to score.
Passing was clearly ineffective. Celtic simply didn’t keep possession throughout the game. The pitch seemed fast, how many times did you see a through ball run out of play? I wondered if Brendan decided to pull back groundsmen on watering duties?
Scott Brown opened in an advanced central midfield position, often ahead of Stewart Armstrong, with Nir Bitton the only one of the midfield three consistently playing his regular role. While the objective was clearly to pressurise the Newco defence, it came at a cost of ball retention.
Callum McGregor brought composure to Celtic’s play when he replaced Bitton at halftime. He was prepared to hold the ball, draw opponents in, and pass or move. This served to underline how poorly we were in this respect during the first half.
Stewart Armstrong created and scored a goal out of nothing. When he went off we not only missed his edge around the Newco penalty area, we became porous in midfield. Ball retention then took a further downturn and we lacked tightness.
Newco deserved their goal and, at that point, I thought deserved their point. They neutered the left flank threat of Sinclair and Tierney, which isolated Dembele. With Celtic unable to circulate the ball to any effect, which was the crucial tactical element of the game.
The psychology of refereeing is a weighty subject. Bobby Madden booked four Newco players before cautioning Scott Brown, but the real test isn’t applying a player’s first yellow card. After his booking, Waghorn twice tumbled theatrically inside the box in a blatant attempt to win a penalty. Both should have resulted in a second caution, but having booked so many Newco players, Madden froze.
Pointing to the penalty spot in added time of a tied game is a big decision for a referee. For whatever reason, Madden didn’t want to do this when Hill took Leigh Griffiths down with a waist-high challenge.
I could debate the reasons why he didn’t want to do this with you all week, but we both know why. At least the manager and players know what to expect in the semi-final.
Our raffle for Alzheimer Scotland to win this magnificent canvas (above) ends at 14:00 TODAY, so you’ve less than two hours to enter.
We ask for a minimum donation of £5.
You can enter through this MyDonate page, with the money going straight to Alzheimer Scotland.
Please make sure I have contact details from you (email me at celticquicknews@gmail.com with the word “Canvas” in the subject, just in case) to make sure I can get in touch if you win.
I can deliver in central Scotland, at Celtic Park, or by collection in Lanarkshire.
Good luck!
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MARGARET MCGILL on 14TH MARCH 2017 3:04 AM
macjay1 for Neil Lennon on 14th March 2017 12:15 am
Nobody likes a kiss ass
===============================
You really think I`m on here to be liked ?
Who wants a laugh with their breakfast?
http://tinypic.com/r/2yoq3bq/9
:)))))))
*REMINDER – CQN CHELTENHAM Naps Competition
Lads (and/or lassies) – for anyone who wants to take part in the CQN Cheltenham Naps competition, please post your Tuesday (day one) selections at the end of this article :
http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/superior-fitness-and-mental-fortitude-will-deliver-for-celtic/comment-page-31/#comments
Good luck… fleagle1888
DBHOY
Plenty comments on their songbook on here,and on other Celtic sites.
Good morning all, I was reading back and I saw that our chairman Bankier seems to have done something silly at the end of the game. I did not see what this was, so, what did he do, anyone….
DBHOY
JohnJamesSite also gave it a mention yesterday.
Btw,you should read his latest re King and The Takeover Panel judgement.
Are King’s dangly bits in a vice and getting squeezed?
Oh,I really hope so…
MONTREALBHOY
Brown-nosing the blue-noses. Handshakes of a certain type may or may not have been in evidence.
Thanks Bobby.
I suppose the real surprise there is it was done in view of the support!
HH
MONTREALBHOY
Aye,indeed. Or maybe another sign of his contempt for us.
I may be in a minority on here, but I see no issue with our directors showing a courteous front to any of our opponents.
In fact I would expect it.
The fixture on Sunday was problematic enough in many ways.It did not need simplistic gestures to appease some of our more fickle fans.
Our current custodians get numerous things wrong, but this was not one of them.
We are so far ahead of the domestic pack both on and off the park that we can afford to be magnanimous.
HH.
Test
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS.
Hopefully JohnJames is calling this one correctly and that King’s deceitful ways have him banged to rights.
A final decision at the Court in favour of HMRC should have important consequences. HH
BMCW
Cheers,I must’ve missed them.
Re King – The longer he stays there over investing,the better I say :)
The joys of the early flight to Gatwick on a mild but windy morning. Off to Brighton for a bit of work, take care everyone and if you are not wishing to be woulnd up, avoid the rags today. Guy opposite me reading the Sun and the exposed back page was an Orcs love in. No surprises there and I assume the others will toe the line. HH
Good morning friends from a dry, mostly clear skied, chilly and very breezy East Kilbride.
Thoughts and prayers for the crew and their families of the Irish Coast Guard helicopter missing after going to the aid of a fishing boat in the Atlantic this morning.
Puts a bit of perspective on things. HH
Good morning CQN from an overcast but mild East Devon.
Will I get a vote in the referendum this time?
Ianbhoy929 – you might if you quickly relocate to dry, mostly clear skied, chilly and very breezy East Kilbride ;-)
Work calling………
When is the Supreme Court Case to be delivered/ announced?
JJ
Sandman @ 3:55
I can just imagine the press Conference briefing.
” Look, Pedro. We have to get the hordes onside. Your religion and your Celtic Connections (!) might cause a problem or two. So, make sure you say we are 144 years old and have 54 titles. That should do the trick. ”
JJ
HOT SMOKED at 7.28 am
As I understand the situation : Court might decide immediately that one or other party’s case has no merit but morely likely if it proceeds to a full hearing no judgement will be announced until October since Court is in recess during August and September. Again, only my understanding and, as has been the case before, I could be wrong. HH
Hot Smoked.
Being heard this week.
Phil says he doesn’t expect decision to be announced until late autumn.
ATS & JNP
Thank you both. The Saga continues ( except Saga is for entities much older than Sevco ).
JJ
THE GREEN MAN SAYS SACK THE BOARD on 13TH MARCH 2017 10:48 PM
Apologies dude, my post was also an attempt at humour, albeit a bad one.
Word of The Day (Inspired by Mibbery)
Veracious /vɛˈreɪʃəs/
adjective
1. habitually speaking the truth; truthful; honest:
2. characterized by truthfulness; true, accurate, or honest in content:
3. accurate; precise
4. Not Dave King
Derived Forms
veraciously, adverb
veraciousness, noun
Word Origin
C17: from Latin v ē rax, from v ē rus true
Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
Word Origin and History for veracious
adj.
1670s, from Latin verac-, stem of verax “according to truth, truthful,” from verus “true” (see very ) + -ous.
KTF
Good Morning.
The oul takeover panel decision is an interesting one is it not.
It slates King for blatant dishonesty in relation to his interest in and control of off shore trusts – a strangely familiar situation for those involved at Ibrox and it finds that he acted in concert with Park, Letham and others.
But King is not the chairman of any SFA regulated body — Paul Murray is!
However, the immaculately quiffed Murray does get many a mention in the decision and it is clear that he too was an integral part of the officially declared “concert party”!
Does anyone remember that this same Murray had to give some undertakings and promises to the SFA to pass the “fit and proper” tests?
Hmmmm – yes you might very well think that …….. but I couldn’t possibly comment!!
I said many months ago that March 2017 would see the start of some very interesting things and disclosures.
topkat on 13th March 2017 11:26 pm
Because he was their best player and kept Dembele very quite. To me, Clint Hill is an honest pro playing for a club I despise; it doesn’t make me despise the man; seems Brendan Rodgers feels the same.
KTF
BRT & H
No doubting that you are a `veracious` chap but there has been a multitude of `interesting disclosures` about to be revealed and The Establishment Team is still deemed to be with us. I won`t be happy until I read about Sevco in the past tense.
JJ
KEVJUNGLE on 14TH MARCH 2017 1:47 AM
Spot on kevjungle .
Strong winds blowing. This is going to be a tough bike ride this morning. If I feel myself flagging, I will take inspiration by thinking of The Lisbon Wheelers Epic Journey.
Cheerio for now,
JJ
Hot Smoked on 14th March 2017 8:41 am
JJ, it’s very windy; I live in a cul-de-sac and, as usual got on the Ducati at 7:30; by 7:32 I realized I’d have been far safer taking the car.
Down Duke St and Abercromby St was blowy; round the Green was not to bad; down to Polmadie and onto the M74 it got worse. It was then a sphincter tightening Journey on the Motorway to Braehead!
I’ll leave a wee bit earlier tonight to miss the traffic!
KTF
Any of the horsey punters struggling to post on Fleagles naps competition, for some reason there is no comment box for me to register my donkeys …..
Probably not a bad thing :-)
Bartin Main @TheBartinMain
Glad this was announced today tbh otherwise I’d have been disconsolate after our unbeaten run was ended on Sunday when the Huns won 1-1
thought i would share .who is bartin main.????
GERRYFAETHEBRIG
Just checked it. Yer right!
Very strange as some people have managed to post their selections.
I’ll mail FLEAGLE with an alternative suggestion,and post it on here when I think of one.
Gimme a minute!
Can I ask about the latest article from Jim Craig, why it is a” problem” for Brendan Rodgers that Celtic at present enjoy a financial advantage over everyone in Scotland, surely this if spent and used wisely can only be a good situation to be in, his prediction that Celtic could win 15 in a row is seriously getting ahead of himself, as we saw on Saturday a cheat of a ref will hamper any close title races.
BMCUWP
Cheers, I panicked thought P67 had eventually blocked me, I quickly read back in case I was posting more rubbish than usual last night :-)
Last nights talk of the 60’s era got me looking again at a couple utube videos of Celtic finals.
Hampden was an absolutly awesome stadium in those days. The attendences were massive – 120,000
and the atmosphere was electrifying. Was it the second biggest in the world after the Maracana?
Todays Hampden is crap in comparison. Try watching from the front rows.
There was an well-advanced plan in the 80’s to bulldozer it and rebuild from scratch ,which is what was needed .
I understand this was blocked at the last minute by some shadowy underhand skullduggery with the purpose of getting internationals played at the all-seater Ibrox.
GERRYFAETHEBRIG and all other CHELTENHAM NAPS ENTRANTS.
I’m not trying to hijack the Naps compy,but time is of the essence. Given the time difference,there’s no guarantee that FLEAGLE1888 will read my mail to him in time.
I’ve suggested we move the compy to the end of the Live Updates page.
http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/celtic-v-rangers-live-updates-2/comment-page-32/#comments
I’ll repost the entrants from the original page onto there,if Fleagle decides otherwise at least the entries will be there in black and white.