The signs were ominous for the first 55 seconds of yesterday’s game at Ibrox. Newco successfully pressed Celtic back and forced a corner, from which Leon Balogun struck the crossbar with a header. That was the last time the home side were able to press Celtic out of shape.
In the previous three games between these sides, Newco upset Celtic’s possession by pressing defenders out of their comfort zone. By contrast, this game was characterised by Celtic’s defenders linking with Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate and Arne Engels to play triangles around opponents.
It is worth analysing this variable in more detail than I have thus far, but Celtic’s composure on the ball made the Newco press look unstructured. My suspicion is that the press was not fundamentally different than before, but Celtic’s ability to play through was more practiced.
I only have the one witness, but when Raskin’s header hit the net midway through the first half, I immediately called it offside. Replays show the ‘scorer’ was a yard off, five attackers in total were in offside positions. Despite Celtic’s defensive line holding straight, the assistant referee failed to raise his flag. The same official would later incorrectly flag Celtic’s goal offside. Never question the value of VAR in Scottish football.
Newco are a counterattacking team and with seconds of the first half remaining they broke from a Celtic corner. Cerny’s step-over setup Dessers, who caught Liam Scales on his heels. Scales attempt to stop the striker by grabbing his jersey and lunging to block were not enough. Newco were again in front against Celtic.
This was Viljami Sinisalo’s sixth successive start for Celtic and his only real test in that time. There was nothing he could do about the goal, or the offside effort, however he more than delivered on other occasions. I counted three excellent saves by the Finn. His distirbution was also a factor in Celtic’s ability to succssfully play out from the back.
Celtic’s equaliser was all about attitude. Daizen Maeda did what he always does against Newco. Harass James Tavernier, then somehow erect a wall so wide, John Souttar was unable to clear past the on-rushing Daizen.
Adam Idah had no right to score. His back to goal with the ball heading in the wrong direction – this was a chance which called for the agility Kyogo was famous for. The Irish striker steadied, opened up space, then put his laces through the ball. It was a lesson on what happens when you get the ball into the box when playing against limited defenders. Adam should have put Celtic ahead immediately prior to the opening goal. They all miss ’em, the good players score important goals too.
In the final seconds of the game, Reo Hatate lunged to intercept a pass and divert it towards Daizen on the halfway line. There was no chance on and any other player would have held play up and waited for reinforcements. Daizen, however, channelled his inner Usain Bolt. When he next drew breath, he was inside the Newco box, but travelling so fast, he was unable to execute the killer move.
I suspect everyone left Ibrox happy. Newco held the champions and are now four games without defeat (penalties aside) against Celtic. Celtic rediscovered their ability to pass around Newco and are setup for the Cup Final.
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what is the real name and meaning of the song ?
The hun are a continual source of amusement to us. I really don’t want it to stop but it will. They will be 3rd hun in my lifetime and their criminal underclass scum followers will still be about like a fly around a keech. And that’s just the women.
Rock ‘n’ roll legend Tina Turner threatened to sue the UFF in a bid to get the loyalist gang to stop using her hit Simply the Best as a terror anthem, the Sunday World has learned.
Johnny ‘Mad Dog’ Adair revealed that the late pop queen’s representatives contacted the terror group and told them they were in breach of copyright laws by using one of Turner’s most famous songs.
The stunning revelation emerged this week after Turner died at her home in Switzerland at the age of 83.
Fanatical terror group the Ulster Freedom Fighters – an even more deadly wing of the sectarian UDA – adopted the song in a sick tribute to their hitmen who spread terror throughout Belfast for years by attacks which included spraying bookies shops and Catholic bars.
Saint Stivs
Don’t know if I can do your questions justice but here goes.
The 49ers organization I don’t know much about but they are in a very liberal city in San Francisco. I once read that the organization frowned very much upon Colin kaepernick and his views on BLM when it first started.
The picture of Trump last week met with a lot of folks upset, including the Catholic Church here in the U.S. I was more pissed at Marjorie Taylor Greene and what she said about Pope Francis passing. Politics are so bad over here, on both sides and the fact that it came down to 2 polarizing figures is the sad part. There is no young vibrant male or female around right now that could lift this place up. Living in the South I have to bite my tongue, for the sake of my kids and my wife. Freedom of speech will always come with consequences and the fact that Trump wants to re-open Alcatraz Prison, just shows you his mindset. He is setting things right on his agenda, and not the agenda of the people he is supposed to be serving.
Sorry folks, not usually political, but hey Feck the Huns and God Bless the Celtic
Sean
James Forrest, Callum McGregor, Scott Brown, Bobby Lennox, Billy Mcneill and so on a litany of great Celtic men that the hun will never match. We really are the Champions.
James Forrest
Show us yer medals Jamesie!!!!
St.Stivs
A rendition of Simply the bust i seem to recall in the last ever ol frim derby.we won 3-1
HH
I wish deeply, that Celtic would make a statement saying that unless our players and staff are guaranteed to be safe at Greyskull, we refuse to play them.
They won’t of course, nae backbone
KINGLuBO
Nothing mentioned about the events at Ibrox yesterday on BBC Scotland news , it was headline news on STV with John Mackay, how can 2 news organisations be so far appart on local news events, Colin Mackay attempted to grill John Swinney on what he is going to do about the events, he obfuscated.
iit is snake mountain
more morons
The video showed some Aberdeen fans chanting abuse at a St Mirren fan with additional support needs. BBC Sport
dessybhoy on 5th May 2025 7:19 pm
Swinney came out with the usual guff ‘one or two individuals…. vast majority are decent fans blah blah . Interviewer pointed out that it would take more than one or two to make and hold up that tifo .
Hopefully it will cost him at least a few votes .
GDT
Yes the interviewer wasn’t having that and said the banner covered about the full stand, 7000 seats.
Sean, MGT is nothing but a female dug, she is a born and bred Catholic, Baptised, First Holy Communion, Confirmation and Matrimony yet in an effort to win over the evangelicals dumped it all for a wee bit of glory, and glory hunter is what she is, as she also threw the last speaker Kevin McCarthy under the bus prior to fully endorsing and helpin him win the vote, now it is no secret that the evangelicals absolutely despise the one true holy and apostolic faith, and she epitomises all of that.
Mrs. TT watches the View and they were all up in arms this morning about tangerine heids AI picture of him as the leader of our faith, and they are not all RC, it was seen as in bad faith, no pun needed, unfortunately some down there just love him as do some in my own parish and its all about his alleged pro life stance, I say alleged as he wanted to put his late sister on the Supreme Court until he was advised that she was more left wing then RBG and a huge pro choice follower.
Celtic are doing their damnest to keep the Old Firm show on the road.
Opposing any change that would or could reduce the number of Old Firm matches, welcoming the bigotry and sectarianism back to our dear green place, and exposing out players, staff and supporters to a real risk at an Ayebrokes where buckfast is a currency and bitcoin is a two pence piece with toothmarks in it.
Ye get whit ye pay for……
night night champions
Hot Smoked – Was trying to find that link for you and realised the song was a video that my sister sent me from the game. Not sure how to upload it
Boondock – Right or wrong, I think you’ll find Trump is delivering on the agenda that the population voted for.
What interested me about the difference between theSTV and BBC Scotland coverage on that dire tiffo is that John MacKay who introduced the item on STV is a supporter of the deid team. BBC Scotland’s sports department quite blatantly detest us. Quite possibly their news department do too.
It’s always funny to listen to Allan McManus at the snooker, slagging guys about match fixing……allegedly….
Politicians are self serving which often times leads to action to preserve positions and power over what is right and correct. Last week the first minister took it upon himself to try to cancel kneecap for their views, lyrics and for saying kill torys. Yet on scottiah soil (his patch) at ibrox, 50k supporters engage fully in songs about killing Irish catholics, sending us home, calling us pheodo etc etc… and no condemnation, the tifo was in poor taste, their fans choice of songs were once again racist and discriminatory bile. Many of our people have been injuried and killed as a result of their protected charactoristic in scotland and further afield. The first ministers hypocrisy is in full view for all to see.
MNCELT,
That is too true.
Sean
Ps if you replaced fenian with Jews ibrox would be closed down and rightly so.
Apart not appart
https://www.songfacts.com/facts/tina-turner/the-best
The Song was also played at Old Trafford until the team advised Fergie they weren’t happy with this so Brian McClair being the main music man influenced them to bin it and it was replaced with The Stone Roses “this is the one”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-13188463/Brian-McClair-Man-United-gary-neville.html
It’s a hard life being an elderly Tim. Trophy after Trophy. I love it and I always will. Hail Hail Brendan Rodgers, you are one helluva man.
https://x.com/CelticGossip/status/1919433538014785877?t=8nTOURgrV7rjyXCCCFIVTg&s=19
*SENTINEL CELTS PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2024-25*
*RESULTS FROM GAME #53 SEVCO 1 CELTIC 1 (IDAH)*
Good evening, friends.
Honours shared in the Dead Rubber Derby but on chances missed Celtic certainly passed up the best 2, one at the end of each half.
As usual it was the Tribute Act who started better, winning a corner after just 30 seconds. Accompanied by a rousing rendition of The Billy Boys (further offensive hits were soon to follow) the corner was met by Balogun whose effort came off the bar. Celtic then came more into the game and looked the more comfortable on the ball, but without creating any clear chances. But it was the home team who were first to put the ball in the net when that giant of a man Raskin got on the end of a free kick to head into the goal. The VAR intervened and correctly disallowed the goal for offside.
With the first half drawing to a close, a through ball found Adam Idah bearing down on the goalkeeper. Adam tried to chip the already diving keeper, but the goalie’s left shoulder deflected the ball clear. And we paid for that miss pretty quickly as less than a minute later Dessers had legitimately opened the scoring after some slack play in Celtic’s defence.
10 minutes into the second half and Celtic drew level. Good work down the left by Maeda saw the cross ball eventually reach Idah who drilled a shot home off Raskin’s elbow. The far side linesman flagged for offside but after a lengthy check that decision was overruled and the Celts were level.
In 62 minutes we withdrew Forrest and Engels for Yang and Bernardo and both replacements had a good, positive half hour. Subsequently Schlupp replaced Taylor. Idah also departed on 83 minutes and we were treated to a very rare sighting of Johnny Kenny, who also played well in the short time that he was on the park.
With the various VAR checks and injury stoppages we were rewarded with 7 minutes of additional time. And after about 6m 52s of these Celtic really should have won the game. Great work by Hatate sent Maeda clear down the left, bearing down on goal. But for once Daizen was caught in 3 minds over the good choices available – curl it round the keeper, take it round the keeper, pass it to Kenny or Yang. A wasted opportunity that was greeted by the final whistle.
Our gap at the top remains 17 points. We have now played 53 games this season. In Europe we played 10, won 3, drew 4 and lost 3 scoring 15 goals and conceding 17. Domestically we have now played 43, winning 34, drawing 5 and losing 4, scoring 134 goals and conceding 30.
Our total league goals scored now sits at 103. The record, held by Celtic under Ange in season 2022-23 is 114 so we’d need another 12 from our 3 remaining games to beat that. A very tall ask but we’ll see…….
Thank you so much to the 57 who voted this time around, again well below the season average. The total votes cast for each player are as follows, with my own nominations asterisked.
Sinisalo*: 41
Ralston*: 9
Carter-Vickers: 22
Scales: 0
Taylor: 0
McGregor: 17
Engels: 12
Hatate*: 28
Forrest: 20
Idah: 14
Maeda: 2
Yang: 0
Bernardo: 6
Schlupp: 0
Kenny: 0
And so, the players receiving POINTS for the game against Triggers Broom FC are –
Sinisalo – 5 points
Hatate – 4 points
Carter-Vickers – 3 points
Forrest – 2 points
McGregor – 1 point
And the overall positions after 53 games played are –
105 points – Maeda
71 points – McGregor
64 points – Hatate, Kuhn
61 points – Engels
52 points – Schmeichel
41 points – Bernardo, Scales
39 points – Johnston A
32 points – Trusty
30 points – Carter-Vickers, McCowan
26 points – Taylor
24 points – Kyogo
22 points – Jota
19 points – Schlupp, Valle
18 points – Yang
16 points – Idah
11 points – Forrest
8 points – Sinisalo
7 points – Nawrocki, O’Riley
3 points – Welsh
2 points – Murray
0 points – Bonnar, Cummings, Holm, Johnston M., Kenny, Palma, Ralston, Turley
Our next match is our final 3pm-on-a-Saturday-at-home game when Hibs visit the East End of Glasgow.
Hail Hail!
https://images.gc.celticfc.com/fit-in/1400×1400/e2b67880-297f-11f0-b79e-af11d8ed1106.jpg
Men’s Player of the Year: Daizen Maeda
mncelt on 5th May 2025 8:21 pm – This might be the video. https://video.twimg.com/amplify_video/1919022139656577024/vid/avc1/540×720/GP_ZHyY5LOnj4hFA.mp4?tag=14
watched the game twice now and heard Brendan comments after the game. Bottom line, considering we are so far ahead on points – we should be blowing them off the park. They have been better than us in the last 3 matches. Maybe we are so far ahead that we dont give it the full 100% but I think it’s deeper.
Our midfield is not physical enough.
Greg Taylor is not good enough defensively for Celtic – if you dont have physicality at least have speed to recover. He has neither. He takes up decent positions and can link the play going forward – but his priority is defending and we are continually exposed. Been saying this all season long.
Center backs not winning headers and rarely threaten at attacking corners.
We have a fantastic manager but if he thinks we played well on Sunday , he’s way off it (probably communicates this narrative since we have upcoming final and recognizing players carrying niggles).
We have tons of work to do in the next couple of months. 4-5 top players
The Kneecap beat up is a media squirrel.
Vilify a rap band for being outrageous, while ignoring that a state-sanctioned and military industrial complex backed ethnic cleansing is being given an editorial light-touch. The West’s ethical and moral collapse write large.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJI8kjp1cl8
Good Morning from a sunny but chilly North Staffs
https://www.celticnewsnow.com/hoople/
Got it in 4
Guy at work telling me rhat the Sheepies sold all their cup final tickets yesterday.
Marjorie Taylor Greene
No wonder when some were allowed to buy four tickets.
An absolute joke!.
HH.
Around the 15-minute mark on Sunday we were given a rousing rendition of NPOR. This was not the onion bears and a few others but rather – no doubt recognising the topicality – a large majority. The next point has been well made on this and other blogs. Had any other religious group been the target of offensive sectarian singing/chanting our mealy-mouthed politicians would be jumping up and down.
Swinney (no doubt briefed by his political advisors, civil servants and PR people) referred to ‘a minority’ and that the ‘overwhelming majority’ had to put up with this. Aye right.
The new article will be up at noon.