Last night’s convincing win was exactly what was needed. Hearts were subjugated by three goals and an avalanche of chances, John Guidetti got off the mark and we kept a clean sheet after eight games without one.
We are a lot more potent up front than we were a month ago and the return of Scott Brown in central mid has tightened things up but that defensive record remains a concern. Hearts were utterly outplayed and failed to score, but that wasn’t for the lack of hospitality from their hosts.
It’s not clear what the difference is between last season’s record-breaking run of domestic clean sheets and our current porous look. Jason Denayer is partnering Virgil instead of Efe Ambrose, while Efe has been shunted right to cover for injured Adam Matthews and Mikael Lustig, but this wasn’t the case for some of our European nightmares last month.
Apart from last night’s pass between two statues, Emilio has overcome his early season jitters and Craig Gordon has been impeccable in goal.
It’s more likely that whatever changes have happened to the shape of the team, specifically, what is happening in front of the defence. Emilio’s back-pass last night occurred when he was under pressure and his midfield options were busy looking for a forward pass. Anthony Stokes’ error on Sunday led to Motherwell’s goal, but it happened on the halfway line. Against Motherwell! Who were able to exploit a lack of defensive cover.
Ronny’s Celtic press quickly and high up the field. I like this plan. As he navigates the squad into a position where this is their natural state there will be transitional damage, but the basis of every successful team is keeping the back door shut.
It will be some time before the manager gets a chance to finalise his defence as he awaits the return of Matthews and Lustig, and he decides on whether to partner van Dijk with Ambrose or Denayer (or Lustig), while Emilio could benefit from being pushed on the left by Charlie Mulgrew. In the meantime, Brown and Johansen, together with whoever plays wide, will need to practice their reverse gears.
St Mirren have failed to score in five of their last eight games, so as well as three points, and a clean sheet, we should be looking for whoever plays in goals to have a trouble-free afternoon.
Thanks to everyone who donated to the Great Scottish Run fund in aid of the Celtic Foundation, and to those who signed up for the race to do their bit. I know our gas has been at a peep recently but the flame of why we are Celtic fans burns as brightly as ever.
You can sign up for the race through the Foundation here, or if you’ve misplaced your trainers, you can help me hit my target here.
[calameo code=0003901718cdc4362fa2e? lang=en page=4 hidelinks=1 width=100% height=500]Many thanks.
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One swallow does not make a summer
Delighted with last night – its how I think Celtic should be dealing with teams in Scotland – I accept Europe is different
My curiosity is asking how we would have dealt with Hearts scoring in the first half from Emilio and or the penalty
I have a sense we would have carried on and won the game convincingly
So well done The Consultant RD
After last night I think we will be top of the league before the end of November
(My measurement on how long we give RD)
Looking forward to more of the same this weekend
67ECW
philvisreturns 15:49 on 25 September, 2014
“Peter Grant was the best player in Coatbridge.”
He’s from Chapelhall. Went to school in Coatbridge right enough.
He wasn’t even the best player named Peter in Coatbridge…….
Silky Hetherston was a far better player than our midfield pointing traffic manager
Rogic-remember him-out til January after groin operation
Good evening friends and Happy Ryder Cup Eve.
. Taken a day’s leave tomorrow to sit in front of the TV for hours and first wee trixie placed – Europe to win 3 of the 4 morning ties with only Bjorn and Kaymer to struggle. Can’t beat a 7.35am kick off – the live updates article should dovetail nicely with my weather report. If God spares me…
Jobo
Stein reigned supreme…..
First listen to them…..
Yep…..sound oh kay doh kay……
Wee bit similar to some Patti Smith guitar riffs?
► 2:42► 2:42
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvbdh_RA9ew
3 Oct 2013 – Uploaded by Honeyblood
Honeyblood’s debut single ‘Bud’, released November 4th on FatCat. Pre-order the limited …
jobo
Martin Kaymer’s caddy, Craig Connelly from Clydebank, is a mad Tim.
A few Tims in the European side.
Forza Europa!
Intae thum!
HH!!
Tallybhoy,
never realised Craig Connelly was caddying for Kaymer,
know his younger brother,though not seen him for a while,
Craig had loads of success with Paul Casey before it went pear shaped
What price would I get for a USA Ryder Cup win?
7/4 USA
starry plough
Sorry…..had went away to make my dinner!
I actually have no idea!
He has played his part in our midfield along with other players over the years but i cannot think of anyone that he had a particularly good understanding with.
Maybe that is down to my lack of understanding of what is going on or just my dodgy memory!
Is there someone that you are thinking of that Brown had a good understanding with?
I was aware when i was posting that, that i was going against the grain a bit with my own preference of 3 players in the midfield with Brown on the right of those 3 but right now, i think if we can get a few partnerships working, it will go a long way to making us….perhaps not the best team that we can be, but just better and more effective in each area of the pitch…..if that makes sense?
justafan – usa will win by at least 3 points!
justafan,
7-4 is widely available,not a bad price I think
Keegan Bradley has a Celtic cover on his driver back in the ole U S of A
Honeyblood?
Echoes of Chateau de lait’s finest?
Cosmic Rough Riders.
HH!!
Watched what I could’ve through the very average Celtic TV here in the middle of the night in Oz, pretty average effort given that Hearts hit the bar and missed a place kick from 12 yards, still not seeing any signs of improvement from last season, Guidetti looks promising, hope there’s more to come, rhetoric is good but delivery makes the man. Hope abounds as always.
Some interesting snippets on the BBC website tonight.
RBS Chairman to join GlaxoSmithKline ( That’s the guys who just got fined squillions in China)
Monarch staff agree to 30% wage cut (Oh Dear)
BP cannot recoup ‘excessive’ claims (No laughing at the back there Ernie)
Imagine how much worse it would have been in an independent Scotland!
AR
gordybhoy
Craig did caddy for Paul Casey for a while before returning to Kaymer last year(?).
HH!!
Edwyn Collins on The One Show BBC1 @7 PM
MWD
Why .. Oh why .. Do you continue to argue with Elmers on here .
Our day WILL come ;)
Scott Brown’s best partner?
Barry Robson – when he replaced
SB to partner Paul Hartley or…..WGS
wouldn’t have got us to 3 in a row. imho
P.S. Broon should be made to watch some
Murdo MacLeod DVD’s and then he’d be more
clued-up about disciplined structures. imho
Murdo MacLeod = a battler who knew how to tackle
without fouling – that’s the secret.
Anyway……..bye.
croppybhoy
IF there’s 2 strikers and they KNOW the ball is going to get played into the box……making runs and attacking that ball is what they thrive on.
Give them what they want!
This management lark is sooooo easy btw :)
Tallybhoy –
To be honest I think Europe might win all 4 but something unexpected always seems to happen so had to drop one of the ties.
I also have Ian Poulter to score most points over the 3 days. I generally dislike him in tournaments but in the ole Ryder Cup he seems to have the perfect make up for the intensity that ensues.
Can’t wait. The only break I’m planning over the 3 days of coverage is when I switch channels for a couple of hours on early Saturday afternoon ;-)
Thunder Road
Scott has many qualities that he brings to the team I see this when he comes back, I’ve never liked him at centre mid and felt that many players suffered from playing centre mid with him and I think for us improve as a team we need a centre mid who is a centre mid, Henderson for instance looks like a centre mid to me and so does Biton, Kayal is getting better again but obviously not trusted to start in there.
3 in the middle is definitely my preferred option with Scott marauding and doing what he does best and a passer for our two new intelligent strikers and one of the others even SJ who has come in for a lot of criticism this year would benefit from being one of three.
Whether the man with the plan goes for that or not remains to be seen…
Last night was decent but no more after some serious stuttering, Saturday and Thursday will tell us if we are moving in the right direction.
Mon the Hoops
gordybhoy
Also meant to say that Craig was Kaymer’s caddy when he won his two Majors.
The USPGA in 2010 and the US Open this year.
HH!!
Serious question….
When Sevco get promoted to the SPFL…..they will eventually!!
If anyone gets offered a ticket for the Broomloan Road end when the Hoops play them at Ibrox……Will you darken their doorstep or refuse to have anything to do with it?
Just asking like….
jobo
Very much looking forward to the Ryder Cup.
Sky Italia have uninterupted live coverage tomorrow from 0830 to 1930.
Smashin!
HH!!
Bawsman
Thanks for the response. Didnt really help me really other than as it is a UK wide party then policy must come from Central Office..
Thought as it would primarily effect Scots then they might have sounded them out first.
As I said I think you can be a Labour man whether you vote yes or no. Bit like whether you support the death penalty.
The risk of dividing the party in Scotland must be obvious
HH
Leigh Griffiths, why move him on when our strikers are still firing blanks? OK, the Man City guy looked the part last night but we’ve only got him for this season, LG signed a 4 year deal and our intrepid management duo should be looking to develop him into an asset for the club, not ship him out on loan so we can save money and they can have an easy life.
I’ll be gutted if we move him on, a natural proven SPFL goal scorer, and we cant fit him in, Something seriously wrong with our set up if that comes to pass.
Now know heart is on the mend. Cried my eyes out reading Wee Kay’s replies. What a great example to us all.
This morning read Michael Grant ‘s piece in which he refers to something called the OF. Is this something new in Scottish football that I have not heard about?
Last night i was impressed by the link up down the left with Stokes and Izzy…
That said without being picky, our final delivery / ball in to the box was wasteful the majority of time. I include Izzy in this.
I watched Scepovic closely when he came on, and although he doesnt have same attributes as Guidetti, Scepovic’s movement in the box is good. He got a half chance and nearly scored, if it wasnt for Tonev turning it in, from an offside position, would have got his goal.
I think if we cross the ball better, and create the chances, i also think Scepovic will serve us well.
Saw the highlights of the hibs game the other night. 2 cracking headed goals from open play. When was the last time we scored a goal like that?
Thanks to all…
I’m not much of a betting man (my son normally puts the odd bet on, then later tells me what I owe him, seems I never win lol. He’s working abroad now.)…
7/4 … a good price for a two horse race I’d say???
Price for USA to win by 2 or more points?
Tallybhoy (and others),
I watched a BBC2 programme today where Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy spoke quite openly about their lives. Rory and Graeme said they were Man Utd supporters and Darren supports Liverpool. Their choice but it made me think about how poor that aspect of Scotland is that personalities, in general, would not feel comfortable saying that they were supporters of either Celtic or Sevco. I know we learn who is but I don`t feel it is revealed in a relaxed manner. That is why we have St Mirren, Airdrie and Motherwell fans working on our National Airwaves !
JJ
Justafan…..
All the odds for any eventuality at your fingertips…..
The Ryder Cup Betting Odds – Paddy Power
http://www.paddypower.com › Home › Golf
2014 Ryder Cup betting – back Europe to retain the trophy once more! … Blog: Roller Coaster Ryde – A session-by-session stats guide to the last 10 Ryder Cups …
I thought we were poor yesterday.
We should be pounding at team like that.
Really bad defending by hearts led to our first goal. A penalty and an og made the rest.
We have definitely gone backwards the last few seasons.
Not good enough.
jungle jim
Quite!
McIlroy, McDowell and Clarke may profess to support English clubs – but I have my doubts.
A marriage of convenience perhaps?
I know you know what I mean!
Liam Neeson is a Liverpool/Crystal Palace
fan.
Allegedly.
HH!!
Funny how concerns over the squad change so quickly.
Last year we were concerned about striking options, now we are ‘threadbare’ at the back.
We also used to be concerned at having too many midfielders now we think we are short.
All within 2 years!
Back in the 80s we had a settled team for years bar a few additions.
MON era held a squad but with huge wages, not a long term solution.
Wonder if we will see continuity again or keep shipping in and out.
PS funny how we may see low crowds for the EL vs CL.
In 83 and 84, the UEFA and CWC were the place to be with 72,000 in the gaff.
Modern supporters is rubbidge
Jungle Jim
18:36
I met Sam Torrance in the comfy section of the JS a few ago at a game against deidco, he was in fine form telling wee stories about his life as a top golfer. I asked him why I never knew he was a Tim and he laughed and said no Scottish sportsman or woman at the beggining or in prime would ever disclose they were tims as it would result in negative stories. He was very candid when speaking about who runs golf in Scotland as well.
starry plough
What Brown brings to our team has never been as clear as it has been since he came back from his injury.
He has his flaws and he will probably never get rid of them now but he has his qualities too.
Perhaps now……with so much recognition of what he can bring to the team…..he may really grow into this skipper role and begin to live up to the expectations of him.
As for the rest of our midfield?
Biton, Kayal, Mulgrew, and Johansen are the obvious candidates to pick from…..so it is either Mulgrew or Johansen on the left of a 3, with either Biton or Kayal in the centre.
Biton and Mulgrew are the best passers of those 4 but Kayal and Johansen have a better workrate.
Johansen and Brown had a lot of ground to cover last night…..which is something that better teams than Hearts will exploit.
Right now….if i had to pick……i would go with Johansen, Kayal and Brown as my 3.
I think Biton is a cultured footballer but right now…..i think a lot of hard graft is what is required in the engine room.
Last night was something to build from though and it has probably got the confidence levels of a few players higher.