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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Clear out at the Daily Record, I see.
Has the company been looking to save money as readership figures tumble or have the senior folk finally read the drivel they’ve been putting out for years?
While always sorry to hear of someone losing their job (and assuming the rumours turn out to be true), these DR job cuts are surely long overdue …
Apart from being institutionally biased, virtually all the Scottish MSM has found it impossible to keep up with the advance of ‘Tinternet in relation to football coverage.
The only chance the printed media has of selling papers is by competing with blogs like this (and the multitude of lesser lights) by offering informed critical analysis and respected opinion. Both of which are nigh on impossible in the disastrously incestuous world of Scottish football coverage.
Even the best resourced outfits, like the BBC and DR are chock-full of pundits with more baggage than a jumbo jet and are painfully short of talent capable of giving balanced and insightful opinion.
It has been an anachronism for some time that folk like Jabba have been able to hold on to highly paid jobs in multiple media outlets while being in a position not only to influence opinion but to be able to oversee recruitment of the next generation of sports journalists.
Wereapwhatwesow.cfc
Morning all.
I see the sun is shining and has brought to light the darker corners of Scottish football media. Does anyone know the full story about what is happening at the Record? Are changes afoot at the BBC sports department? May London has come calling at long long last.
To give you a chuckle.
From Leggoland on 2 January commenting on the Record News and Sports teams…..
“It is important to remember this and to emphasise it.
Equally, it is important to divorce the apparent mind set of some senior executives within the Daily Record news department from the highly diligent, informed, fair and balanced sports pages where all shades of football colours are employed, but where the law of journalistic fairness and judgment prevails.
Perhaps the new editor of the Daily Record should order some of his senior news staff, especially the excitable ones, to look there and learn.”
================================================
Finger still on the pulse Leggatt
Gordon_J backing Neil Lennon says:
5 January, 2012 at 10:53
The Drivel has led to the Dwindle and on to (re)Dundancy.
The tabloids (but in particulare the Mirror group) are being found out for a style of reporting/churnalism that is long past its sell by date – they need to completely reinvent themselves or face going out of business.
I wonder if Keevins will up his game now as he might be looking for work soon too!
I’ll start the campaign,
Paul 67 for chief record journo!!
Who’ll second it?
Perhaps the Record execs anticipate the huns going bust and a consequent fall off in readership.
Interesting that Jabba’s last piece mentioned the possibility of the huns’ liquidation rather than administration. I don’t recall any other mainstream media source suggesting this before.
Jim Traynor – once a good writer and journalist with the Herald.
Corrupted by succulent lamb and finest reds.
Ends his career an obese, unreadable, pitiable shadow of what a sports writer should be…
Ironically the huns going bust would provide a big story that might just boost the Record’s circulation
I would imagine, that quite apart from the massive cost savings by binning senior journalists, new editor Alan Rennie has been told in no uncertain terms he has to stop the circulation decline.
Sports editor Traynor does not have Bruce Waddell protecting him any longer, and knowing that fitba is the DR’s main raison d’etre, perhaps Rennie realises the only way forward is by getting rid of the old guard who have headed up this mess.
The fact that the weekday cover price is now 45p (up 5p, >10%) will not be help circulation pressure, but it will bring in an extra £90k per week.
Bye bye shug!
Maybe complaints to Canada Wharf after the shocking headline before our game at Ibrox in September made a difference after all.
I never even got an acknowledgement for mine, but maybe complaints about senior people at Central Quay giving the thumbs up to that ‘Who is more hated … ?’ piece of garbage resonated with the suits in London.
If Trinity Mirror were looking for an excuse to lose a few big earners in Glasgow, maybe this gave them their opportunity.
A man’s life was under threat, his family was being taken to safe houses in the middle of the night all because he was the wrong religion and managing the wrong football club for many in the audience of their flagship title in Scotland. It was international news. Not too hard to imagine that the suits, in contemplating the state of play at their Scottish titles, might have begun to question what was happening.
Where is Inky Bhoy when we need him?
Ain’t that Karma a biaaatch…
Ciao ciao boys…
Ciao——–
One more throw of the downsizing dice as the rag that called itself ” Scotland’s Newspaper ” crawls towards being nothing more than a wee regional add on to the Daily Mirror.
Lovely day, 18 degrees ,way down south.
jimmci- The staff and clientele of the former pubs around Anderston Quay- Off The Record, Copy Cat and The Montrose Bar will have plenty of tales to tell about old Leggo.
He used to be the sports editor of the Sunday Mail, believe it or not!!
…and they wonder why we are paranoid?
S.O.T.
Have you had a milder Winter than usual?? I ask as I noticed that the temp for Malaga was approx 18C over the Xmas week and that seemed higher than I would have expected.
Celtic_First says:
5 January, 2012 at 11:12
he’s about
Normally I would not find the imminent prospect of redundancy for any employee a cause for celebration.
However, I may make an exception in Jabba’s case.
Whitedog
Thanks.
Inky, your people needs you.
Any football news today lads?
Árd Macha
thomtheleedstim–
Temperatures have been fairly normal for winter . Sunny days but feels damp and cold at night. .As always ——-if it rains -it absolutely pours..
8pm tonight BBC1, ‘Earthflight’.
Best thing we’ll see on TV all year.
Apart from possibly Mo Bangura’s treble winning hat-trick in the SCF against the Horribles.
Or ole Johnny Clash winning the ole Eurovision, with one of his mandolin driven madrigals.
Job losses announced at Daily Record
Job losses announced at Daily Record
Twitter is rife with rumours over several big names being sacked from The Daily Record.
Sports editor Jim Traynor is one of the names said to be leaving the Glasgow based newspaper, as well as Bob Caldwell.
There has even been rumours from one Tweeter that managing director Tom Hamilton is among the list of those who have lost their jobs.
The Trinity Mirror press office was unavailable at time of writing.
More information as we receive it.
Ard Macha – not strictly football related, but it is my birthday.
“Inky Bhoy – that’s a name I’ve not heard for a very long time”
benkenobicsc
S.O.T.
Jammy bugger.
Last I knew Tom Hamilton was assustant editor. Bob Caldwell was the Exec Ed. He texted a pal the details of Cuellar going to Villla before publication and it ended up on FF before paper was out. Suspended for a week. Kept his job.
Happy Birthday Dontbrattbakkinanger, por cierto
A happy birthday to ol’ Dontbrattbackinanger. Have a great day, sir
Burnside Harp, that sounds like an interesting precedent.
Dontbrattbakkinanger
PS
Enjoy seeing Blowing Out the Candles at the Old Burns Howf tonight
.
Neil Lennon hails Emilio Izaguirre’s return
The Celtic manager says the defender will make a big contribution after returning from a broken leg.
05 January 2012 11:07 GMT
Comment
Emilio Izaguirre (right) Pic: © SNS Group
Neil Lennon has said that Emilio Izaguirre will be a boost to his squad after the Honduran defender made a long-awaited return from injury.
Izaguirre played the final 15 minutes of Celtic’s 3-0 win at Dunfermline on Monday and received rapturous applause when he was introduced from the bench. It was his first appearance since breaking his leg against Aberdeen on August 7.
Lennon said the player would have been given a lift by the reception and was delighted to be able to call on his services again.
“Emilio knows what the fans think of him and what we think of him,” Lennon told the Celtic View. “It’s been a hard time for him but he’s almost through it now.
“He gives us good balance and a different dimension going forward and obviously he is a very good defender.
The Celtic manager said that Izaguirre would have a part to play as the team aim to win three domestic trophies this season.
“Having him for the second-half of the season is a huge boost to us,” he said. “The reception he got should mean a lot to him and I think it does.
“He knows what we think of him and you can see what the club means to him.”
Izaguirre joined Celtic from Motagua in the summer of 2010 and was named as Player of the Year at the end of his first season.
Summa
.
Kano Foundation brings 1,000th child to Celtic Park
By: Newsroom Staff on 05 Jan, 2012 09:47
A CHRISTMAS visitor to Inverclyde was a match-winner last week as she became the 1,000th child to go free to Celtic Park as guests of charity, The Kano Foundation.
Kira Knox, who was staying with relatives in Port Glasgow, joined over 40 other children from Kilsyth Athletic Boys´ Club as well as some from ‘Get Up and Go´ youth club in Clydebank to enjoy a Christmas Eve outing to remember, watching the Hoops beat Kilmarnock 2-1.
And Kira was also able to visit the club´s Training Centre at Lennoxtown, where she and Declan Gibson met new Celtic signing, Mikael Lustig (pictured above).
The Kano Foundation, run wholly by volunteers and funded by fans, has grown from little-known beginnings just 18 months ago to a well-known and well-loved part of the Celtic support today.
Through a variety of fundraising activities, the Kano Foundation buy 50 season tickets at Celtic Park, enabling them to offer just over 40 child places and seven adult places at each home game.
Kano Foundation trustee John Paul Gilmartin said: “This marks a really special day for us – reaching our 1,000th child truly is a fantastic achievement. You can see the delight on the kids´ faces at each and every game and this is a momentous day.
“We are really proud of what we do here at The Kano Foundation. Many of the kids we work with just don´t have access to days out like this for a variety of reasons.
“We hope by giving them a positive experience we can encourage them to become involved in sport and to enjoy social activity.”
Celtic Chief Executive Peter Lawwell said: “The Kano Foundation has been a tremendous success in giving young people the chance to visit Celtic Park and the Club has been delighted to support the Foundation in this initiative.
“It is a perfect example of the strong charitable ethos within the Celtic support, something we are very proud of.
“Everyone involved in the Kano Foundation deserve enormous praise for all their efforts in reaching this fantastic milestone.”
Kira´s mother, Susan Knox said: “Kira is absolutely thrilled to be the 1000th Kano kid, what a surprise! We can´t thank the guys here enough for taking her along, she had a fantastic day out and this has made it all the more special.
“A lot of work goes on behind the scenes to organise something like this and the Kano should get the recognition they deserve – well done everyone.”
The Kano Foundation fundraises to buy its allocation of season books through events and fans´ donations.
It also recently hosted a kids´ Christmas party for children from Yorkhill, the Unity Centre, Wacky Wednesdays and other groups which was funded through online fans´ group MaleysBhoys having a memorabilia collection some of which they then auctioned to raise almost £1,000.
John Paul Gilmartin explained: “Without the support of the fans we would simply cease to exist – the online communities and other supporters’ organisations are particularly dedicated to us.
”We plan to go from strength to strength by forging links with other clubs and we are already in the early stages of arranging reciprocal visits to Wigan FC.
“We look forward to continuing our work and we hope we can inspire other clubs to do the same as win, lose or draw it´s all about the kids.”
For more information about the Kano Foundation or to apply to bring your group, you can visit their webpage at http://www.thekanofoundation.com
Summa
DBBIA- Many Happy Returns, Love Subo & Pebbles.
Burnside Harp
Thanks.
DBBIA – Hoopy Burfday!
Gie’s a bit o cake.
Happy Birthday to DBBIA, and many happy returns of the day.
DBBIA ——–
Buon compleanno ———– Auguri———
Use your Record Tokens to get these—-
Rustie ——Glass Swords
Warped Glaswegian dance music—– some of it sounds like Prog.
Michael Chapman——-The Resurrection and Revenge of The Clayton Peacock.
Fabulous guitar .