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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SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 1ST JANUARY 2017 9:46 PM
Phyllis D
If a joke needs explained – it always loses but….
Myrrh = Am ur (in Glaswegian) = I am (in Received Pronunciation)
================================================================================
As opposed to :
Am urnae
Mickbhoy1888
I’m actually very surprised, and extremely disappointed, that you’re suggesting that the silence be broken by a retort of any sort.
A minute’s silence should be respected by anyone who chooses to participate in it is my belief.
Skoosh Broon and the Billboard shot
© Croly67
Gerry, ACGR is 1/10 odds on favourite for first deleted post:-)
Regarding the silence, they are always broken, it’s a choice from the broadcaster whether microphones are on or off. Absolute silence in a stadium of 50,000 people is almost impossible.
People will still be coming in through turnstiles, at a kiosk, getting to their seat.
Some bam, from anywhere in the stadium can break the silence, but broadcasters can turn the mics down, or up in different areas.
Am I paranoid?
Or are they out to get us?
BSR 10.24
That must have been photo shopped because “the muppets” are raging on twitter as they have been masqueraded as Huns :-)
Doc 10.29
Me & Roy C were on the blog posting nonsense last night and your name might have been mentioned
Hope all is good in the Doc household ……. and again I have enjoyed every single post of your father he obviously done a good job and was Celtic to the core :-)
The very fact there is a debate [ in the media ] about where the silence was broken from tells you all you need to know, that mi amigos is a stone cold fact.
Had the Celtic support broken it, they wouldn’t be slow in hanging us.
TET 10.35
Let the bampots try and point score, my good lady told me about the Celtic fans leaving scented candles in the toilets……. I don’t think we need to be better but it comes naturally to us :-)
Honestly guys some of you still seem to be looking to the Lap-top-Loyal for fairness and impartilaity.
The set up was identified days ago. What did Celtic, Celtic supporters leaders do when this was realised.
Some of you seem surprised at the realisation of their plans now it’s being rolled out.
Ignore the cretins.
Important to learn new things every day,
so tonight courtesy of RM i am delighted to learn
that Barrie McKay is the best player in Scotland
EverydaysaschooldayCSC
Gerry
Aye, the very fact they are point scoring with the souls of 66 innocent supporters sadly no longer with us tells you everything you need to know, sick scummy bastards, I actually read sevco media a while back that it was a Timmy conspiracy that caused their deaths, noiw I would be all for a good con theory, but dearie me, they arny right, a lot has to be said for compulsary neutering :-)
Saw the pics of the bogs, class, sheer class.
It’scutertoneuterCSC
https://youtu.be/GEL73qgQ6tI
Now 20k views. I guarantee with zero views this would be front pages in the rags tomorrow if it was us.
While I’m at it, is the billy Boys legal again? 40k singing it and plod standing idly by.
Gerry, good things I’m sure:-)
And yes he was Celtic to the core.
In his eulogy the priest described going into his room for the first time and being astounded by just how much memorabilia was on show, his room was green and white.
Faith, Family and Football Fanatic was how he was described.
Now the priest was being politically correct, he was a Celtic fanatic.
He did hope for a pleasing result though:-)
All is good here.
TET
Hope 2017 is good to you and all of yours, moral high ground for that mob doesn’t even reach the kerb, they then break out into their fenian blood song, one day they might realise we all bleed the same, I think more of us think of the people who passed, that mob are more interested in the team somebody supports
Anyway Cqn keep being Cqn
Good night & God bless
Surely I can’t get moderated so far
Oft to bed -still smiling. Happy New Year to and especially to the Whitburn and Bathgate CSC
Just on RTE there Shane Mc Gowans mother killed in car crash in Tipp.
HH
Doc
I know you and yours. Your Dad did the best job in raising Bhoys to be men.
Class. The lot of yous.
HH brother. Jamesgang
ROY CROPPIE on 1ST JANUARY 2017 2:44 AM
https://youtu.be/yaS3vaNUYgs
The Foggy Dew
Sinead O’Connor
for DOC and his DA
HH
——————————————————————————————————
For that mhate, thank you, one of his favourites.
Jamesgang, cheers squire, will see you soon.
Re minutes silence
Doesn’t matter who breaks it first anyone breaking it is a knob Imo..
With 50000hyped supporters almost impossible for 100% adherence from first second… That said I thought it was very well observed apart from a few k observations from both sides in the initial second or two.. Thereafter it was well respected.
I no more hold the entire Hun support accountable for one bam than I expect the entire Celtic support to be held accountable for one bam.
The real story here is that under the circumstances this was a well respected minute silence.
H
Doc – as a stranger to most on here I don’t always feel it right to butt in to people’s grief and hard times. I’ve read the comments in the run up to your dads funeral and just noticed your post – ‘faith, family and football’. It resonates with me very strongly and I’m sure plenty of others on here too. I have often referred to those three things as the anchors in my life. Maybe though the final F should read ‘C’ – it’s a Celtic thing and in my experience the other two often go hand in hand with good Celtic people.
Sometimes the ‘faith’ differs – religious, belief in the decency and goodness of people, hope for a better world and so on – but for me I think a life well lived is one where you can be described as a person of faith, family and, for all of us at least, as good Celtic people.
All the best to you and yours at this very difficult time and forgive my intrusion.
Yours in Celtic, RobertT
RobertTressell, a welcome intrusion and appreciated.
Faith, Family and Celtic really summed up my Dad, as I said at his funeral, the sad part is behind, we have a life which now is to be celebrated.
SFTB – thanks for the explanation – every day is an education.
Right that’s the man flu all gone,happy new year every body;-)))
Hamiltontim
Where in my previous post did I suggest breaking any silence unless your interpretation of the word conclusion differs greatly from mine
but we will agree on one thing Brendan Rodgers has progressed Celtic further in his few months in charge than the previous incumbent,who was trumpeted by many on here, would have been able to do in the next five years
Mickbhoy1888-always looking for a wee bit of a confrontation,happy new year pal:-))
Hoopy New Year everyone……especially paul67 who gives us this fantastic place to share our feelings etc……38 mins of highlights from yesterday
https://youtu.be/RjU9CeEmvzY
HH
P.S Some music……The Wakes
https://youtu.be/_AE4j5TBWGc
Remember who you are!
Media complaince.
I’m currently abroad and was searching for a stream for yesterday’s match, unsuccessfully.
I then had to resort to Clyde 1.
First reports from the Bigotdome, team sheets etc, were interrupted by sustained, extremely loud, chants of the Billy boys.
After a few seconds, when BFDJ, in the studio, was talking, the background noise disappeared.
The feed from the Bigotdome was cut.
Just before the minutes silence, they returned live to the bigotdome to listen to Dalzeil.
Up to our knees frenzy, full pelt, but coz it was a live feed, Clyde couldn’t turn it off.
Not a word mentioned about the vast majority of the sevco support singing a banned sectarian song.
That is what we live with.
LYMMBHOY-your a star pal,you n your loved ones have good new year:-))
EUROCHAMPS67-makes it aw the more sweeter:-))
Challenging exercise to get players out..firstly we don’t desperately need the money but possibly most difficulty will be selling the idea of leaving the Rodgers roadshow…even 40 goals/ season players are prepared to accept the bench.
I’m still convinced defenders are the priority….
Be happy with YAYa and a few surplus to requirements going out
Cults
I would be happy wi Gallowgate Bhoy Snoddy and Jordan Rhodes.
No player who has been regularly involved this season will be thinking of leaving this month. Only Moussa will possibly go in the summer imo. The trick is to build a team and structure so strong that we can absorb the odd departure. Brendan will do it.
Hull just activated a one year extension to Snoddys deal taking him to 18. Even with one year remaining he would go for crazy money down there. Can’t see it happening unless he absolutely insists on coming to Celtic.
JAMESGANG-a long time lurker,along with GFTB, you where someone else I liked to read,happy new year to you and family:-)
All of Brendan’s signings have come from England so far. With all that money down there it’s a tough market to crack but there are a lot of good players drifting, so some opportunity there. Who would put it past Brendan unearthing another gem or two.