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Celtic subjugate Ibrox

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By on CQN BLOG & Comments

The manager got the big calls right. Moussa Dembele’s form has shaded recently, while Leigh Griffiths has been scoring freely, so the latter was the form horse. Not only did Moussa score the equaliser, Newco found it impossible to deal with him throughout.

His circumference of control with the ball at his feet is considerable. I’m not going to burden him with the ‘new Dalglish’ tag, but that ability to shield the ball in tight areas takes me back to my early days watching Celtic. Kenny did this to great effect, creating space for others as he used his strength and close-control to create havoc.

Kenny Millar’s opening goal had been in the post from the first minute as Newco pressurised Celtic off their game. They were the team forcing mistakes of nervous looking defenders (I’m looking at you, Erik). Celtic just didn’t get going early on as the home team controlled midfield with Barrie McKay in particular causing problems.

The turning point came around the time Scott Brown picked up his yellow card (deservedly). It was a typically-calculated Brown intervention.

Moussa’s goal was quite unbelievable. The corner came from a breakaway chance when Scott Sinclair seemed to lose the opportunity by standing on the ball, but recovered to run at the Newco defence before firing a shot which was deflected onto the inside of the post before being knocked behind by a defender for a corner.

Dembele was standing 8 yards out when a high corner fell to his feet. Unchallenged. The ball bounced head-height but Moussa still had time to wait on it falling before finishing into the top corner.

Danny Wilson was marking him when the corner was taken but for reasons all too evident to those who have followed the player’s recent form, he left Celtic’s striker to challenge players already marked. It was an unfathomable mistake.

From that moment on, there was only going to be one result. Celtic should have gone ahead three times in the opening nine minutes of the second half. Their passing was now crisp and fast. Sinclair and Armstrong’s movement made defenders look statuesque.

One stat I’d like to see is the number of touches we had inside the opposition box. We spent a lot of time in there, pinging tight passes, which opened up the home defence. Dembele, Forrest, Sinclair and Armstrong should all have added to the score but Foderingham made himself big throughout and stopped the result from being as embarrassing as the performance.

Forrest made way for Patrick Roberts, who, at his first involvement, released Armstrong with a reverse pass into the box. Celtic had been in this position many times in the minutes beforehand. Their format was to cut the ball back, which is what we were all expecting Armstrong to do, but he released the ball a fraction of a second early across the face of goal for Sinclair to side-foot into the net at the far post.

Craig Gordon had a few comfortable saves, which he dealt with assuredly. Sviatchenko made up for two early poor touches by making the tackle of the game to deny Forrester. Emilio Izaguirre put in his best 45 minutes of the season in the second half; he looked like the player who arrived six years ago.

Mikael Lustig sprinted 40 yards across field to cut-out a breakaway inside the box. Big Jozo Simunovic must be wondering when kick-off is, he didn’t break sweat.

Off-piste mention to Leigh Griffiths, who was warming up behind the goal when the guy who kept him out the team picked himself up off the turf after a fruitless effort. Leigh stepped forward and patted his team-competitor on the back three times while shouting encouragement.

Great team-mates make great teams.

Have a Happy New Year, everyone.

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  3. Gerryfaethebrig on

    Roy C

     

     

    Hope you and all the family have a great 2017

     

     

    P67 has brought a lot of Celtic fans together that actually have walked the same path

     

     

    By the way St Joseph’s is the nicest cemetery in the world :-)

     

     

    God bless

     

     

    Fellow Celtic fans we live in good times………. Hail Hail

  7. clunks on

    And its at this time of year those of us that have no one to snuggle with realise…………

     

     

    we won’t get any shit for being a dick tomorrow morning

     

     

    #smallmercies

  15. A Ceiler Gonof Rust on

    Roy C, happy new year bruv. Love the Foggy Dew link you post.

     

     

    Great end to the game with the Izzy and Griff taking wee Jay over to the Celtic support.

     

     

     

    We have mastered those dirty orange bandstands once again and no amount of their black propaganda can deflect from the fact that they are pretty shite at this game.

     

     

     

    HH and good night Joseph Garner.

  24. Croftcelt on

    Best wishes to all on CQN, especially the Fab-four. those that brought Resolution 12 to the final stage. Bliadhna mhath ur. Make mine a TREBLE.

  29. Art of War on

    Happy New Year all.

     

     

    God bless each and everyone of ye!

     

     

    That wiz magic today.

     

     

    Moussa owned them.

  30. Delaneys Dunky on

    AoW

     

     

    Happy New Year Amigo.

     

    Brendan’s Celtic bossed that shower of monkeys today. Easy!

     

    HH

  31. Art of War on

    DD- forgot to say that a candle was lit for your maw today at St Ninians. God bless ye pal.

     

     

    Happy New year bud.

  33. macjay1 for Neil Lennon on

    Watching the game again in a less fevered environment.

     

     

    How much we owed to Craig Gordon in that first half hour.

     

     

    During which time there was a succession of inexplicable decisions .

     

    Including six minutes extra ?

     

    Two and a half minutes for Garner ? Yes.

     

    Six minutes ? Virtually unheard of .

  34. Delaneys Dunky on

    AoW

     

     

    My ma got married in Saint Ninians, Knightswood. She will be so happy to hear your story when I go over to the hospital today. Thanks pal

  35. Delaneys Dunky on

    Macjay

     

     

    McLean and his main stand linesman cheated us in the first half. No official could have stemmed the Celtic tide that second half.

  36. Art of War on

    DD- ask her if she knows Willie Doogan.

     

    My da.

     

    Irelands best export.

     

    Night bruv.

  38. jinkyredstar on

    Just bedding down on the beautiful Isle of Bute – you would think I should be in bed earlier at my age. Watched the game with the bhoys of the Rothesay Glen Daly Csc and then passed the Bells with great friends – came home and had a large glass of Old Pulteny to set me up for a wee sleep before another we social ra Korea.

     

    The bhoys today have set me up for 2017 and the image of Broonie surveying his fiefdom from the hoarding will become an icon.

     

    All the very best to those on CQN – Happy New Year

  40. macjay1 for Neil Lennon on

    DELANEYS DUNKY on 1ST JANUARY 2017 4:17 AM

     

    Macjay

     

     

    There was one bewildering decision by the linesman to award a throw to Rangers which Izzy unsuccessfully challenged.

     

    The commentators barely gave it a mention.

  41. Dontbrattbakkinanger on

    Whither the cash strapped scrofulous hillbillies the day?

     

     

    …and a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year to you all

  42. IanBhoy929 on

    Good morning and a happy new year to all CQN ers from a cool and cloudy East Devon.

     

    Great result yesterday, should have been a heavier defeat.

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