There are some interesting stats behind Celtic’s meteoric rise to the top of the league and Rangers equally spectacular collapse.
Prior to the 5th November Celtic had played 12 games, scoring 23 and conceding 12. Since then they have played and won 10 games, scoring 21 and conceding just 3 times. So there hasn’t really been a significant increase in goals scored per game, but there has been a massive improvement in the defensive figures. Nine different players have scored during this time with Hooper, Samaras and (despite injury) Stokes scoring three or more during this time.
By comparison, Rangers have scored 15 goals in their last 10 SPL games with the goals coming from six different sources. Nikica Jelavic is their only player to have scored more than twice but he needed penalty kicks to achieve this. This period corresponds to Steven Naismith’s absence from the team.
Incredibly, seven of Rangers 15 goals in these games have been either own goals or penalties. Dundee United, Dunfermline and Motherwell players have all scored for Rangers while Rangers have benefited from four penalties. In total these seven goals have earned Rangers six points. Only one of Rangers 25 goals prior to this period was a penalty and none were o.g.s, so their period of good fortune coincided with their period of greatest need, a recurrent theme in the Scottish game.
None of Celtic’s 44 SPL goals this season have been scored by opponents and only one has come from the penalty spot, not that we seem to keen to score penalties.
The figures demonstrate the importance of having a variety of players who can contribute goals on a consistent basis as key strikers are always liable to injury or loss of form. Hooper and Stokes have already missed chunks of this season and Georgios Samaras started the season in barren form.
Celtic’s figures are all the more stark considering their most prolific midfielder, Kris Commons, has failed to launch his season due to a frustrating few months of injuries. Goal-scoring midfielders are a precious breed.
I was surprised at how little appetite Nikica Jelavic appeared to have for the contest at Celtic Park last week but a return of 2 goals from 10 games indicates the problem may be well established. He spoke to a Croatian newspaper this week and – unlike his manager when asked about the player being sold this month – informed them he had no intentions of leaving Rangers and that he was “focussed on playing in Scotland”, although he did reference Rangers financial problems.
If Rangers are budgeting on selling Jelavic they may well find the player wants a piece of the action before agreeing to move on.
Thanks to BigchipsUK for the research on the SPL goal stats.
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RC
I’m working on it, as i get older it seems less worrying.
Bhoys r us 0316
I just saw a pigeon flying backwards.
Not kidding,it finally gave up and landed.
bhoys r us
You know I can help with that, or is that scarier than flying?
BOBBY
Did it have a tax dodgers top on .
My father in law told me before a flight’ “the back of the planes the safest”
Me ” how come ”
he says, “you never here of a plane reversing into a mountain”.
He never was that humourous.
RC
I have been thinking about calling upon your good self recently.
Not sure where you’d begin. lol
Bhoys r us
Probably in Tennants in Byres Road :O)
RC
What i’d give for a pint in tennants right now !
My body and mind crave 24 hr licensing laws.
It’s not until closing time that i feel ready for a booze up. lol
RC
Calling it a night !
Got to walk the dog now, have you a spare dram for a Drouthy neebor ?
bhoys r us
I have only half a mug of wine left.
Tis better thus.
Heading to bed soon.
RC
next time :0
.
Ten-in-a-row for Celtic, but Samaras wants more..
Georgios Samaras has called on Celtic to extend their ten-match winning run to enhance their Clydesdale Bank Premier League title claims.
Celtic defeated title rivals Rangers in the Old Firm derby last week and on Monday won 3-0 at Dunfermline to take a two-point lead at the top of the SPL table. Neil Lennon’s men, who take a break from league duty when they play at Irn-Bru Third Division Peterhead in the William Hill Scottish Cup on Sunday, trailed Rangers by 15 points earlier this season and forward Samaras has told his team-mates to continue the fine form which has seen them overturn that deficit. He told the Celtic View: “So many people were saying the league was over – they thought 15 points was too big a gap to pull back. But we put in some great performances, won some important games and have now won 10 in a row.
“The important thing now is to build on this. We can’t sit back and get complacent, we’ve done the hard part of closing the gap, but keeping up our form will be even harder. We have to win all of our games and January will be a very important month for us.” The 1-0 defeat of Rangers at Parkhead last week provided an added fillip for Celtic. “It was a massive confidence boost beating Rangers, more so than any other club in the league,” Samaras continued. “Everyone in the dressing room felt good about it. We all felt good about ourselves and each other and it was a massive lift for everyone.”
Celtic last dropped points in the SPL at home to Hibs in October. Samaras added: “I couldn’t pick out one game that turned things around for us but if you look back to the game we drew 0-0 with Hibs, we were all very low after that.
“But only a few days later we played in Europe and beat Rennes at home. Then we went away to Motherwell and that was a massive game for us because they were challenging our position in the table. We beat them, and that gave us a lot of confidence. And a few weeks later we beat St Mirren 5-0 at home – that was a really good afternoon. We had just started a run at that time and that pushed us on and helped us a lot.
“There were a few big results for us around that time, and even though I didn’t play against Kilmarnock, coming back from 3-0 down to get a point (on October 15) helped the guys who played. Their confidence grew. We don’t want to be in that position again, though, and hopefully now we will continue this form and not look back.”
Meanwhile, Emilio Izaguirre, Kelvin Wilson and Paddy McCourt all played the full 90 minutes as a Celtic XI were beaten 3-1 by Kilmarnock at the SPL leaders’ Lennoxtown training base. Izaguirre was continuing his recovery from a broken leg, having made his first appearance since August against Dunfermline on Monday.
Summa
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McGeady: ‘Forrest will be essential to Celtic and will become the best player in the side .
AIDEN McGEADY believes James Forrest can become the best player at Celtic and stay at Parkhead to lead the club to success in the future.
James Forrest . . . ‘I always felt he would make it,’ says McGeady
The 20-year-old winger has become a fixture in the Celtic side and McGeady, the Republic of Ireland winger who left Parkhead in a £10m move to Spartak Moscow in 2010, has been impressed with the progress of the Prestwick youngster.
”I was at the Old Firm game last week and I thought he was excellent,” said McGeady, who is back in Scotland as the Russian league takes a winter break. “I watch most Celtic games on the internet and have been following the team closely. I believe James has come on massively this season. He can play on either flank, he is quick and has scored goals. It would be difficult not to be impressed.”
McGeady, 25, has experience of breaking into the Celtic first team as a youngster and shouldering the burden of being a creative force for the side. He knows Forrest has the character to revel in this role.
”James was training with the first team squad before I left and I always felt he would make it. When players come into contact with the first team they can be quite diffident, not sure of themselves. But James was different. He was confident but without any arrogance.”
McGeady has followed the progress of his successor with interest and has been pleasantly surprised by Forrest’s sudden emergence as a potent force for the first team.
”He has kicked on massively,” he said. ”He has been handled well, too. He played and then was maybe left out the team to protect him. James has rewarded that patience.”
Forrest has already been selected for the Scotland team and McGeady has no doubts about his potential to become the main player at Celtic.
”He will be essential to the team and he will be the best player in the side over the next two to three years,” he said.
There has already been speculation linking Forrest with a move to the English Premier League but McGeady said: ”James never struck me as the sort of guy who would have a good season in the first team and want to leave.
“He is a Celtic fan and my impression and hope is that he will stay for a few years. I do not want to tell him how to work out his career, but it would be no bad thing for his progress to stay at Celtic and play regularly.”
McGeady is one of the first names on the Spartak Moscow team sheet and is looking forward to a spectacular 2012. The winger, whose first child Kaia was born in Moscow in September, returns to the city next week to prepare for Spartak’s bid to win the title when the league restarts in March.
His side are eight points behind Zenit St Petersburg but McGeady believes the race is far from over.
”We lost just one game in 16 and Zenit have stumbled. We can make a challenge,” said the winger who missed much of the early season because of ankle ligament damage.
He is similarly hopeful of an exciting Euro 2012 as his Republic of Ireland side bids to break out of a section that includes Spain, Italy and Croatia.
”We are in a tough group. But do not expect us to lie down. We have good players in every area of the team and we believe in ourselves,’ he said.
Summa
Rangers midfielder Lee McCulloch will be the subject of a disciplinary hearing at Hampden Park on Thursday as the Scottish Football Association’s fast-track tribunal consider an appeal over his sending off against St Mirren.
McCulloch was shown a straight red card by referee Steve McLean for violent conduct after catching Saints’ Graham Carey with an elbow during Rangers 2-1 Clydesdale Bank Premier League loss on December 24.
The decision to appeal was controversial as it allowed the midfielder to feature in the Old Firm derby with Celtic on December 28 as the appeal process was delayed due to the holiday period.
Meanwhile, the SFA’s compliance officer Vincent Lunny is yet to confirm if any punishments will be imposed on Celtic’s Emilio Izaguirre or Hearts duo Ian Black and Ryan McGowan.
McGowan’s altercation with Ivan Sproule – in which the Hearts defender appeared to motion towards the Hibs winger with his head – in the second half of the Edinburgh derby could prompt disciplinary action.
Black could also be punished for wearing a T-shirt stating ‘I’ll paint this place maroon’ at Easter Road.
Izaguirre also unveiled a T-shirt as a display of thanks after making his comeback at Dunfermline on Monday from a broken leg sustained in August.
Celtic are set to renew their interest in Jay Bothroyd by offering the forward the chance to move to Glasgow on loan from Queens Park Rangers.
The Celtic manager, Neil Lennon, had hoped to coax Bothroyd north from Cardiff City at the end of last season. Instead, the 29-year-old signed a two-year deal, thought to be worth close to £30,000 a week, at Loftus Road.
Bothroyd has since started only 10 Premier League matches for Neil Warnock’s team, scoring two goals in the process. He made a surprise return to the QPR lineup in the loss at Arsenal on New Year’s Eve but lasted 64 minutes and was not part of Warnock’s squad for the home defeat by Norwich City three days later.
That situation has alerted Celtic, who are keen to add a target-man striker with an aerial presence during the transfer window.
Bothroyd’s position at QPR could be further harmed by the signing of forwards this month. Warnock has already taken Manchester United’s Federico Macheda on loan and has been linked with a move for Nikica Jelavic of Rangers
Hibs have today been linked with a move for Celtic full back Andre Blackman.
The 21-year-old full back hasn’t made an appearance for the Parkhead club, after signing for them following a trial in October last year, he has however, appeared on the bench a couple of times.
Blackman was very highly thought of during his youth career, he spent 4 years with Arsenal, before moving to Tottenham Hotspur. He also spent time with Chelsea and Portsmouth.
London born Blackman finally started his senior career with Bristol City, but only managed one appearance, in a Carling Cup game against Brentford.
The 6ft 1in defender then left Bristol in 2010 and signed for AFC Wimbledon, making 15 appearances in total.
He left Wimbledon in January this year, and had trials with Oldham Athletic and Leicester City, before impressing in a trial with Celtic, that landed him a deal.
What’s not clear is wether any move to Easter Road would be permanent or a loan deal.
If Blackman did arrive at Easter Road, it would call into question the future of fellow Celtic youngster Ritchie Towell, currently on loan with the Hibees, who has fallen out-of-favour as of late.
CELTIC legend Tommy Burns’ life story has been included in a book of famous dead people who helped to shape British history.
The former Hoops star and manager features in the new edition of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
He joins a list of 217 new entries including legendary sci-fi writer Arthur C Clarke, top playwright Harold Pinter — and Britain’s first supergrass Bertie Smalls.
Tommy — who died of skin cancer in 2008 aged just 51 — played over 500 times for Celtic, scoring 82 goals and winning eight caps for Scotland.
He also played for and managed SPL rivals Kilmarnock.
His requiem mass was celebrated by 41 priests, including two bishops. Rangers icons Walter Smith and Ally McCoist openly wept at the service.
Last night a spokesman for the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography said: “The dictionary is a collection of more than 58,000 men and women from all walks of life who shaped British history worldwide, from the 4th century BC.
Morning All,
Nice to see Jelly on the same page as his masters…….
Nikica Jelavic is flattered by reported interest from Liverpool but has stressed his commitment to Rangers.
Speculation that Jelavic was poised to move from Rangers heightened when the Croatian striker missed Monday’s Premier League win at Motherwell with a groin injury. However, Jelavic maintains his focus is on succeeding at Ibrox after netting 12 SPL goals this term.
He was quoted as saying in Croatian newspaper Slobodna Dalmacija: “Of course it [the link to Liverpool] is impressive to me, but I do not know how much truth there is.
“My task is to play. Liverpool is a great name, but I say the question is: are they really interested? Every day in the paper a new club appears that wants me, and it is a little ridiculous. I do not know anything.
“That’s why I just do not read newspapers. I want to concentrate on Rangers. I’ve got two and a half years on my contract and if the club decides to sell me, because they are in a difficult financial situation, then fine.”
Don’t think we will be seeing Baba if the following is in any way accurate….
CELTIC have been told they must substantially increase their £3.25m offer if they want to land priority target Baba Diawara.
The Hoops have been trailing the Maritimo striker for months now and hoped to secure the services of the Senegalese ace during the current tranfer window.
But last night it emerged that Bundeliga giants Stuttgart had already tabled a £5m deal for the hit-man who bagged another double in the Portuguese Cup last weekend to take his goals tally to an impressive 13 for the season.
And with wealthy Chinese outfit Beijing Guoan also entering the bidding war and set to offer mega wages the Germans have told Diawara’s Portuguese club that they are ready to up their original offer this weekend in face to face talks !
“The more goals Baba scores the higher his valuation ” said a Maritimo director.
We have placed a £6m figure on his head and expect to get it within the next few days
A Maritimo director
Diawara meanwhile is leaving it up to the club to determine his future saying : ” I know there is a lot of interest in me but I have confidence in the club president to make a good choice “
.
“The more goals Baba scores the higher his valuation ” said a Maritimo director.
.
“The more penalties the MIB give Jelly the Higher his Valuation” said a Rangers Creditor.
Summa
Good morning all from a wet and very blustery East Kilbride.
Jobo
Hamilton Tim 20.49……..Great post………I’ve been going to Celtic Park since 1956 (stopped going to away games when I was early 20’s…allowed the venom / hatred from away supporters to get to me)…..
I have a different view of the current Board…..basically, they saw this major recession coming (thanks to Brian Quinn) and were determined to ensure their / our beloved Club survived (and it’s going to get worse…..)
(Power cut last night, so just sending this now……LOL…!!!)
Looks like the winds are still pure crazy out there! Just seen Craig Whytes empty warchest fly right past my window.
(stolen from mini-Baldie [credit where credit’s due])
Right, hi ho time…
Jobo
back at work today after a 2 bus journey lasting over an hour..
Thanks Scotrail…. o((
Disappointing if true about Diawara.
.
BlantyreTim..
Now that You are in.. Get Some work Done..;b(
Summa
Boak worthy effort from Keech Jackson in the DR this morning….his take on the Jelly transfer is “NIKICA JELAVIC last night denied he has set his heart on quitting Rangers – but insisted he will agree to leave if his sale helps fix the club’s financial crisis.”
Morning all from gay Paree, temps du jour: pluie comme vaches qui pissent (mild though, 13Cmax)
lionroars67 at 06:19
That’s an amazing testimony for Tommy Burns: his family must be very proud, righty so.
Hail Hail
So. Two days after Jelavic gave interview to Slobodna Dalmacja and one day after Paul wrote about it in his article, Daily Record finds link and says: Jelavic told Daily Record. Well done DR.
Good morning Sixtaeseven,
a wee break in the weather here in Old Kilpatrick with a clear bright sky.
I was wondering if Commons and Loovens started training this week.
Italiabhoy. A typical Peter lawell transfer debacle
Chance to sign him on summer for 4m, but to save money we buy bang bang
Now 4 months later price up
Sorry Peter if Neil wants him as jus final piece then find the money
You stuck 5m of aidens money in the bank, plus you have been paid well
If Neil wants this one player find the money
ST
Zbyszek 5 January, 2012 at 08:49:
You are becoming very sceptical of the old Scottish media.
You are slowly but surely turning into a true Celtic man.
God bless you and yours.
Hail hail.
celticrumoursCeltic Underground
Bangura to AIK on loan?
55 minutes ago
do they have a bounce game league in Sweden?
ST
I wonder how that new boss you have stands for the constant barrage of unsolicited advice you must give him about how he should run his business….:-)
Kayal33. We dont have much money, we pay2.5m on an untried striker then we give him back on loan
Peter lawell. Best CEO in world
Burns out money on rubbish then says we can’t afford a goalie or striker
ST
Magnus if my CEO ran my company in the same way as Peter lawell
We would be all out of a job
Good morning fellow Celts from windswept North Hampshire
Paul67 – Some interesting stats there and good to see the impact a strong defense can have on relative performance of both Celts and currants.
Things are really looking up but we must guard against complacency
I am still not happy about ‘goals for’ column and none of our strikers are exactly setting the heather on fire…you rightly identify we have goals coming from a variety of sources and always a good indicator of success
However, the vital ingredient is still missing!
Our strikers simply do not score enough goals and at least one of them gets peed off when the ball does not come to his feet often enough….he’s not the only one getting peed off about that.. let me tell ye!!
We need a ‘haud the ba’ up/stick the crosses in the pokey wi’the heid’ striker
succesful teams need that option (unless you are Barca)
Everyone knows it, yet we are still waiting on the right player (we might even need two if Mr Bangura cannot be trusted to change the game)
We risk all those odd goal victories being sabotaged draws or defeats by mibbery in the 2nd half of the season if we don’t act now….we are not killing teams off and that will haunt us in the run in
Nothing surer
HH
M
SydneyTim says:
5 January, 2012 at 09:36
Don’t think we paid the full £2.2m quoted, probably half that or less, the full amount will be if certain criteria are met.
If Bangura is going out on loan then I think its a good thing. Means that we are definitely bringing someone else in this month. Would rather Bangura went to a British club on loan to get him games and up to speed on game in this country ahead of his return for next season.
What is this about Derek Rirodan returning