We know what to expect from Aberdeen tonight. They will flood (pardon the pun) central midfield, defend deeply and, let’s be clear, they will score any time we allow them the kind of space they exploited at Celtic Park this month.
Question is, what will Celtic do about it? If Stefan Johansen’s ankle knock keeps him out the central-mid triangle of Johansen, Brown and Biton will be disrupted, and surely Neil Lennon will not revert to a central two after the Scottish Cup lesson. The picture is further complicated by the injury to Emilio Izaguirre, which forced Charlie Mulgrew back at the weekend. Mulgrew would be a suitable direct replacement for Johansen.
In 10 years doing this stuff I’ve probably used no more than a few dozen words to praise emerging young talent; it’s been a rough decade in that respect. Without wanting to go overboard in any way, Darnell Fisher has looked more than comfortable at right back in the absence of Mikael Lustig and Adam Matthews. Darnell’s problem going forward will be that he has two excellent international players ahead of him in the pecking order, but for tonight, I would be tempted to bring Matthews to left back (if he can do it against Barcelona….) and restore Fisher to the right back slot. This would allow Charlie to sit alongside Scott Brown and Nir Biton in central-mid.
Well done to Frank McAvennie, who is jumping out of an aeroplane 15,000 feet in the air. You can play your part in this exercise by supporting the Quarriers run, Chavey Down residential home, in Newton Mearns, which helps young people up to the age of 16.
The need is for sensory equipment, toys and wheelchair-appropriate play areas. To contribute, go to Frank’s JustGiving page, or text FMSD 89 followed by £1, 2, 3, 5, 10 to 70070.
If you would like to read the new CQN Magazine, GO HERE to read properly, and for FREE, the graphic below is just a taster.
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Like a lot of Celtic supporters i hate getting beat.but when. that happens lets just accept it.none of this its the refs fault.thats just an excuse for some.i watched the game last night.and i thought the ref was right to send Virgil off.we were unlucky not to come away with a draw.neil Lennon made another boob.when in say 65 minutes.he should have had either pukki or balde or both at the same time.5 minutes for someone. to go and win the game is just not on.and for Lenny blaming the ref.give it a rest for god sake.we got beat move on.get fed up with him making negative comments.
How many times will these rags put life’s in danger with these nonsense headlines.
Anyone notice the other night STV showing clip of M O’Neil at ibrox with Neil ? Utter despicable
STV Jack irvine’s puppets.
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS::
They Tasered him to death for stealing two packets of biscuits.
Hen1rik – Club has a contract with one of these red tops to produce various printed media.
TinyTim10:30 on 26 February, 2014
“Aberdeen have shown than an ordinary side ,set up well and that compete with self belief,that also has a decent goalscorer,can beat us regularly”
Aye. hat’s about twice in 15 matches they’ve beaten us.
Not sure I agree that “the future is more important than the present.”
Surely it is was you do in the present that affects the future.
Steinreignedsupreme (10:40), furthermore…
Since NL took charge we have lost twice in every fifteen domestic matches. So I would conclude that, by the law of averages, Aberdeen’s results against us have been, er, average. It is just that their two wins in fifteen games occurred in the last two games of the fifteen.
The early cards (it was being at Ibrox)probably meant the defence became wary about tackling and because the team couldn`t set up with two banks of four there was a lot of space for Aberdeen at both goals. Credit to Hayes for his goal but he had so much time.
Overall though it is commendable that NL is prepared to leave attacking players on in this situation. Most of us supporters are more defensively minded! :-)
Ooops, I meant , “it was like being at Ibrox” :-/
I’d love to see Celtic win every game. I’d love to see world peace, an end to poverty and for me to win the lottery. These things ain’t gonna happen. I have to deal with it.
Last night, Celtic lost after playing a much improved Aberdeen side with 10 men for 80 mins. VVD’s tackle was a foul. No doubt. Was Pawlett denied a goal scoring opportunity? I think so. Therefore the red card was justified. It changed the game but we played well 2nd half against a packed defence.
No need for despondency but I agree with those who argue for our fringe players to show if they can contribute next season. Is the quality we need already on our books or do we need to buy in June? Can Balde, Pukki, Henderson et al hack it? Let’s find out.
To those who wish to replace NFL, who with?
timbhoy2 10:32 on 26 February, 2014
“Like a lot of Celtic supporters i hate getting beat.but when. that happens lets just accept it.none of this its the refs fault.thats just an excuse for some.i watched the game last night.and i thought the ref was right to send Virgil off.we were unlucky not to come away with a draw.neil Lennon made another boob.when in say 65 minutes.he should have had either pukki or balde or both at the same time.5 minutes for someone. to go and win the game is just not on.and for Lenny blaming the ref.give it a rest for god sake.we got beat move on.get fed up with him making negative comments.”
Maybe, Lenny should just take it on the chin like Mowbray did.
The referee had a poor game, although the sending-off was the right decision, his liberal use of yellow cards to our players while allowing Aberdeen players to go unpunished for bookable offences was clear.
Then twice in the last 10 minutes Aberdeen players kicked the ball away to waste time and Thomson did nothing.
Our manager has every right to criticise the referee.
I was busy last night and didn’t see the Virgil incident till now.
I have to say that it looked like typical mibbery to me.
Not a red, yellow at worst.
Efe was BEHIND Virgil, who wasn’t the last man.
Thomson could hardly wait to brandish the red. Willo Flood also fouled with impunity all night and didn’t get a yellow until it was too late in the match to make a difference.
11 mins in, the die was cast and the game ruined. Big Roy in SC Final 1984 all over.
Cheating barstewards the lot of them.
Interesting to see the Sun have ‘outed’ Wee Raymie, his judgeship in the Tax Case for the deid yins, as one of the good ghuys.
Does this sudden conversion to openness and transparency mean they support the declaration by all judicial appointees of membership of outside agencies? Who’d have thunk Big Nan had such influence with Rupie.
winning captains
10:34 on 26 February, 2014
Hen1rik – Club has a contract with one of these red tops to produce various printed media.
Disgusting mate.
ianinascoli (10:44)… and how many yellow/red card offences (in Celtic terms) did Peralta commit last night before he was finally booked, then instantly hooked?
Rangers committed 18 fouls and had one player booked (for his fourth bookable offence). Stranraer committed 12 fouls and had three players booked.
That’s one card per 18 fouls for Rangers and one card per FOUR fouls for their opponents. Strange.
Do you know what since the Huns died it has opened my eyes to the corruption in this country from the SFA, MSM, the government in helping that corrupt scum.
KITALBA 1026
Bloody hell!
I read/viewed some of the options offered,some right eejits in uniform over there. Tasering a woman in the eye,or killing-!-a petty thief!
Too often,someone given a new toy can’t wait to use it,unfortunately.
Don’t get me wrong,I wouldn’t fancy their job. But that is why I don’t do it. They do,and should heed their responsibilities.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Beto_Laudisio
Sevco GK Cammy Bell MOTM in last 2 games v Stenny and Stranraer.
For anyone who missed this.
Have a look at the CV of this guy the original judge who stepped down from Taxcase http://t.co/4uc2wqr11i
Now google Judge Doherty
hen1rick
couldnt agree more
these cowards who sit at their desks and
spew out spin and lies will never accept
responsibility for thier actions
i for one cant understand anyone who is
celtic minded buying this rubbish
Morning CQN,
Many thanks to Hamilton Tim and Calton Tongues for last night :)
‘Hoops judge is Gers fan’ wouldn’t make it onto a front page cos it’s Dog Bites Man.
Other way round? Now that’s a story :)
HH!
Watched the Virgil incident over and over again. First impressions were that it”looked” wild but on closer inspection he definitely got the ball and the sheep over reacted massively and should have been yellow carded.
So, VVD, yellow at worst but hey – ho we live to fight another day.
One more cynical note, does anyone really think that we would have been allowed to create another record or two!!!!! Thought so.
KINGLuBO
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS:
You can bring down elephants and lions by shooting them with sedatives, and it works almost instantly. Or you can torture humans with pepper sprays, batons, tasers and bullets. I can’t figure.
Not sure if this has been mentioned before.
Celtic were denied another stonewall penalty last night.
Early on,shot from Brown,Stokes following in.After the first touch by both players,the Aberdeen player clearly fouls Stokes almost on the line,both legs bringing him down.Clear penalty and red card.Very surprised not more made of it.
Don’t have the video of it but have seen it elsewhere.
Check it out if you can find it.
TT 10.30
McInnes may have bought wisely but I would credit him with little more. Aberdeen will not beat Celtic regularly and in fact they got lucky last night. Knowing the result I sat down late last night to watch the Alba transmission and I have to say that Celtic surprised me with their play; nice crisp passing, much more of the play and more chances created…all with 10 men. In fact I would go as far as say it was quite a continental style of play with most of the passing played on the ground, all of which will stand them in good stead for next season’s CL qualifiers.
One can only hope that Lenny will now give youth and other recent bench warmers a greater chance to show their worth than hitherto has been possible.
hen1rik 10:54 on 26 February, 2014
Don’t take this the wrong way mate, but you are criticising the Sun for publishing stuff about a judge and then you are sticking up links for people to look into the background of other judges.
What’s the difference?
HH
If you don’t already have one booked you should, will you be able to walk around the Kerrydale Suit on the evening of the CQteN bash without one, while everyone else compares theirs?
Or will you have to leave, shamed?
They are selling fast.
CQN Badges, order them here….
cqnbadges@gmail.com
You can choose the green one here…..
http://twitpic.com/dug9xl
:-)
SRS 10.40
I thought about that before I posted.
The Dons since signing Rooney,have a new edge to them.
I predicted defeat to them in the cup and last night.
When it matters ,in a one of match they are very capable of beating us ,as has been proven.
We are not improving as a side on a European level.
Xavi of Barca said this season that Celtic were weaker and that if they want to compete well in the CL ,then no side can do this selling their best players ,and not replacing them with players of equal quality or better.
With the exception of VVD ,Celtic have failed to do that.
In fact we are still doing it .
Ledley ( who I was not a huge fan of) is a better player than Johannsen ,from what I have seen of him.
Ledley scored a modest amount of goals per season,we seem to have lost a goal threat from midfield in replacing him with Johannsen .
Time will tell.
Each season we are getting weaker in a European context.
With the financial advantage that we have Neil Lennon is meeting our minimum target for a season of winning the SPFL.
His next target was to get us into the CL .
He achieved that.
Going out of two domestic cups at home was failure,with the defeat to a bottom of the league Morton being a shocking result.
Our home CL form was the worst campaign ever,two 0-3 defeats .
A 6-1 thrashing in Barca,a 1-0 defeat to Ajax ,and defeat to the weakest AC Milan side in decades.
Left us bottom of the group and with only 3 points.
Peter Lawell is on record saying that we want to come out of each transfer window stronger.
We have been weaker after the last two.
There is much room for improvement.
TT
Thompson the ref………..still the same referee who was in charge of the game at ibrox a few years back…where Robbie Keane was hacked and tripped by bogerra for full 90 mins……still the same guy…….forget the inconsistent stuff…the guy knows what hees up to………
The above article from The Indepenendent reads as if it was written by a school kid .. “Bad foul” … Wtf is that supposed to mean ??
KINGLUBO (10:59): “Watched the Virgil incident over and over again. First impressions were that it”looked” wild but on closer inspection he definitely got the ball”
KingLubo (and others)… last night the ref did not have the benefit of slo-mo replays from multiple angles, repeated viewings or closer inspection. He saw it once, in real time, from the one angle at which he was located relative to the incident. He made a decision that he was entitled to make, harsh or otherwise. He was given the opportunity to do so by VVD, and he did.
Had VVD (and Efe) simply presented as much nuisance value as possible by getting as much in the way of Hayes as possible (without actually making a tackle), making his execution of a shot at goal as difficult as possible, then the referee wouldn’t have had a decision to make, and Forster would likely have saved any shot in any case.
It’s done now… shxx happens.
No clean sheet, no undefeated record, no cup finals………time to blood the youngsters
play the weans!
Correction .
We were only beaten 1-0 by Barca.
In a gallant performance that could have been a win ,if it were not for Scott Browns sending off.
TT
I would also like to amend my comment that ” each season we are getting weaker.”
To this season we are weaker than last ,and my fear is that we will sell our better players ,and be even further weakened for this seasons CL campaign.
TT
TINYTIM
I agree. Ferguson had to rebuild his teams every five years or so,and probably didn’t have the energy left to do it anymore,hence he left.
Neil has to do it every year. It is demanding too much of any manager.
medtim
11:01 on 26 February, 2014
Not sure if this has been mentioned before.
Celtic were denied another stonewall penalty last night.
Early on,shot from Brown,Stokes following in.After the first touch by both players,the Aberdeen player clearly fouls Stokes almost on the line,both legs bringing him down.Clear penalty and red card.Very surprised not more made of it.
Don’t have the video of it but have seen it elsewhere.
Check it out if you can find it.
————————————————————
I noticed it. I thought Anto was fouled. I’m guessing the ref didn’t see it.
topkat
The ref in the game you mentioned was DougieDougie.
TT
My thoughts exactly
Thanks for the help yesterday
HH
ger57
10:46 on 26 February, 2014
Only bhuns want NEIL replaced (even hunlurkers on here)……however, no need to worry, NEIL’s here to stay …..10 in a row…!!!