Contrast with Celtic and Newco preparations

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Celtic are two games into their preseason preparations and have another four friendlies before their first competitive game, Flag Day against Aberdeen on 31 July.  That is six games to get an entire squad fit and ready for 90 minutes football.  As you know, players are rotated during these games, with large numbers of substitutes used.  An exerting 90 minutes will only happen after a gradual build-up.

On paper, this should be enough preparation to face Aberdeen, who are going through a transformational summer that will under Jim Goodwin that will hopefully see them compete more effectively next season.

Newco are a puzzle.  They were unfortunate to have a game against Sunderland abandoned, that left them only three games before they travel to Livingston on league duty.  Even if the Sunderland game had finished as planned, they booked only four preseason games before travelling to Livingston.  This is more surprising when you consider that just days after facing Livi, they have a Champions League qualifier that could devastate their financial prospects.

There, they could face Monaco, who have already played three friendlies, Midtjylland, who also have three friendlies in the bag, Fenerbahce, who have played five, Sturm Graz, who have had an impressive seven outings this summer, or Belgian runners-up, Union Saint-Gilloise, who drew with Brighton in their fourth game in a fortnight.

By comparison, 45 minutes in the tank against Sunderland looks ill-prepared.  You and I have been there recently.  Celtic played four friendlies last summer before the visit of Midtjylland.  There were mitigating circumstances; most notably the late arrival and then isolation of our new manager.  This makes no sense.  Newco’s lack of game-time makes no sense, it cannot surely be just an oversight?

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272 Comments

  1. INIQUITOUSIV: just like to add my name to the list of posters who hope you will continue to contribute here. I don’t comment as often as I used to -too many ‘know it alls’ and trolls who abuse posters they disagree with – but I’m always interested in what you have to say and the way you say it. KTF.

  2. All the buzz around our rivals signings in the media. Ignoring the fact they need to gel things in the first week back of the season.

     

     

    None of their opponents will be as undercooked.

     

     

    Those who were in Seville will still carry the scars too.

     

     

    Our post Seville qualifiers were a fair magnitude easier than their lot have. Kaunas and MTK Budapest I recall.

     

     

    A reversal for thems will really throw the cat among the pigeons early in the season.

  3. Matthews goal the other night was, IMO, World Class.

     

     

    He passed the Ba’ into the net. Yeah its a Friendly but Yah Dancer.

  4. Coney bhoy

     

    May your dad restin peace ,and you and yours cope well with your immense loss.

     

    TT

  5. Not liking the superiority complex posts.

     

     

    We’re nowhere near ahead enough for that.

     

     

    The off season isn’t long enough to get that rusty, the problems come when you’re trying to bed in too many new players.

     

     

    When you play 50+ games in a season booking a ton of meaningless friendlies just gets in the way of real fitness work, tactical analysis and training.

  6. CONEYBHOY

     

     

    Sincere condolences on the loss if your father. Even when such a sad event is anticipated, it makes it no easier to bear.

     

     

    TOM MCLAUGHLIN

     

     

    TOM, Respectfully, you must be mixing me up with someone else. Despite my advancing years, I have a pretty good memory, and I have definitely never got ticked off at anything you posted.

     

     

    You wrote “ I have since seen you react badly to another poster who disagreed with a point you made. Again there was no malice in that poster’s disagreement. “

     

     

    There might not have been in any malice in it, but he insultingly asked if I knew anything at all about football. This from someone whose views I had never questioned. I guess that playing for Universities on 2 continents, and coaching amateur teams to league championships in Scotland and 4 American States equates to gross inadequacy and total lack of knowledge. I did get ticked off, and invited him to have congress with himself, which I immediately regretted, as that reaction is not typical for me. What irked me was that he gave no rationale or explication why his knowledge was so clearly superior to my own.

     

     

    I have no issue at all with fun being poked in my direction for my views. I disagree with posters who brook no criticism of anything remotely related to Celtic, but would never insult them. I don’t even try to argue with them, as it is a losing proposition to argue with anyone whose outlook is based on faith. I simply let them be.

     

    HH

  7. Problemo solved with regard to holiday v Champions League! I notice there is a window of opporchancity. There are no games scheduled for week beginning Mon 19 September. Yeehah! That means that I have from the previous Thursday (15th) to the end of the following week to get something sorted. I’ll only be away for the league game in Paisley against St. Mirren which I can watch on Celtic TV.

     

     

    Sorted!

     

     

    The stars are in alignment.

     

     

    God is in His heaven – All’s right with the world!

  8. petec

     

     

    The world is in good hands

     

    Glasgow Green was in good hands,

     

    Louis’ and Paulo hands

     

    The dear green place

     

    Is greener than ever

  9. Celtic Mac.

     

     

    If you can, go and Visit Downpatrick. 16 Roads (Jamesie) showed me the Wonderful River when I was a wee bit worse for wear. Jamesie missed out on an early session that day with Danny. TCR. He caught up howevaaaaaaaah.

  10. Sláinte Ange on

    BELMONTBRIAN on 11TH JULY 2022 9:40 PM

     

    Nite all.

     

    If you are that way inclined, a wee ‘Beatles’ watch.

     

    IMHO, brilliant.

     

    Brian

     

    https://youtu.be/nAXZhSZc7ik

     

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     

    Thank you Brian ~ it is indeed brilliant

     

    HH

  11. What is the Starz on

    Coneybhoy

     

    Very sorry to hear of the sad passing of your Dad.

     

    May he rest in peace.

     

    Hope you and your family are as well as can be expected in the circumstances

  12. It was mad.

     

     

    James asked for………. from the smallest Ice Cream van I have ever seen ….. 3 packets of Wourcester Sauce crisps. I was trying to get a lift in quickly to see TCR. Aye and 3 cream eggs too.

     

     

    T’was either 3 or 4 of the grub.

     

     

    I just Know me and Danny backed a winner that Davie Hay.

     

     

    It’d be good to hear frae TCR if he’s still wae us.

     

     

    Its fair to say we had a mad wan on the Friday.

  13. You are talking at least an hour when trying to get a taxi in MAGICAL DOwnpatrick.

     

     

    Danny was coming all the way frae Derry too.

  14. quadrophenian on

    MITCH hours ago…

     

    ‘Consequently I think that they are now becoming very good at a particular level — although you still get the WTF moments with some of their transfers.’

     

     

    EPL clubs are like Hollywood producers; as William Goldman reminded us: “Nobody knows anything…… Not one person in the entire [motion picture/football] field knows for a certainty what’s going to work. Every time out it’s a guess and, if you’re lucky, an educated one.”

     

     

    Crystal Palace – 105Mill for mid-table

     

    Everton – 346Mill to keep head above water

     

    Fulham – 190Mill to get relegated

     

    Leeds Utd – 115M to narrowly avoid relegation

     

    Man U – 500Mill for a glamorous shambles

     

    Sheff United….

     

     

    The science of transfer dealings is very sketchy except if – like Citeh or Chelski – oil money or oligarch money knows no bounds.

     

     

    Playing a much smaller money game, we get a lot right.

     

    As BSR intimated, picking CBs is an absolute lottery. And as you say on CV, he’s at 24 what others are at 28 – so we have a consistent, unflashy, robust player who will likely only get better. My fave player of last year for his reliability alone.

  15. Back to Basics - Glass Half Full on

    Thought the recent comment about us having depth at CB was a reasonable one.

     

    (Apologies – can’t recall who).

     

     

    One thing I’d say about the comparison with Sevco in similar position ..

     

     

    There’s a difference between having depth and strength in depth

     

     

    🤔

  16. Me sober as its Lent, “Paddy if you hudnae have left we would never have heard of Bobby Murdoch”, Pat, “don’t be daft son if I hudnae have left you would never have heard of me, Booby was that good”.

     

     

    The “wee barra” was one of the first Celts I can remember along with the juggler, smiler and Charles Patrick, when he left I was disappointed until my da told me Celtic don’t keep unhappy players, Wednesdays Thursday Friday, of course the juggler followed soon after, the Luftwaffe needed some guidance.

     

     

    My da was first generation Scottish, mother fae Connemara where he spent his schoolboy summers and his da a culchie fae Fermanagh where his teenage years were spent, so he had a foot in both camps.

     

     

    The Free State as he called them didnae have a good team although he luved tae tell me about Johnny Carey who in 1947 captained a Europe XI which played a GB XI at Hampden and in 1949 was voted the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year as well as captaining the FAI XI that defeated the outlanders 2–0 at Goodison Park, becoming the first non-UK team to beat them at home.

     

     

    He also luved the “black north” again his name for them and cheered them on in the 1958 WC in Sweden and rated their manager Peter Doherty the greatest player he ever saw aye even better than Charles Patrick

  17. TOM MCLAUGHLIN on 11TH JULY 2022

     

     

    Tom do they serve ice cream in No7 lounge?

     

     

    HH

     

     

    Double Nugget school

  18. My friends in Celtic,

     

     

    I’ve posted before, but I’ll mention it again.

     

     

    There is no hierarchy of posters on CQN. Elitism is for others.

     

     

    All posters are equal and their points are as valid as the most SME in English language.

     

     

    HH to all on CQN.

  19. Thanks for even more nice comments lhads.

     

     

    My dad liked a debate as i do. Bhoys on here shouldn’t stop posting cos a few bucks are bashing horns

     

     

    I reckon most of the folks who used to post are still lurking. I took a break a few times but it would be great if a few lurkers posted in the new season. It will be a rollercoaster!!

  20. On the 2 players competing theory, i think we need another right mid, 2 centre backs an we are ok

  21. Top of the world.

     

    Paulo,Lewis,Celtic.

     

    Glasgow really is Green and White.

     

    Another amazing set from Lewis Capaldi following on from Paulo.

  22. Tom McLaughlin on

    INIQUITOUSIV

     

     

    Thanks for your response. I looked back and found the post I was referring to and you are right. I was confusing you with another poster. I was working from memory and admit I should have checked back before posting. Happy to clear that up.

     

     

    Beyond all that, you make a valuable contribution to CQN and would be a big loss. Keep posting.

  23. Hard enough to get one class CH in,never mind two.In my mind,I think Ange likes Big Carl.

     

    Said before,how many games would an expensive defensive mid play for us?.

     

    Mooy would seem an ideal choice.Can defend,and go forward.Free transfer,wife from Glasgow,stays there.Must have a chance there.

     

    Unless Mrs Mooy is pals with Billy Gilmours Maw.

  24. My friends in Celtic,

     

     

    Love the vibe of Transmit. Great music festival and mostly great people. Great for Glasgow City.

     

     

    I am merely stating an observation. The levels of drunkenness and vandalism I personally witnessed were way of the scale that we have seen at Celtic events

     

     

    HH.

  25. GP

     

    This time last year i was on my way to Drover’s for the first post lockdown game. I was heading for 11am opening to be fair but I watched a young guy heading for transmt puke up 5 times in a row while still walking. I reckon it was 7 pints worth

     

     

    Too many neds at that gig. Same as gerry cinnamon gigs. Loads of mental north Irish at the gig in the point in Dublin i was at

     

     

    The recent outdoor one in Malahide, Dublin; they ripped up every flower bed

     

     

    Not his fault but he attracts nutters

  26. For the love of me I cannot think of the Celtic song with “over and over” in the lyrics, but I know there is one out there. There is certainly one from the mighty Neil Young with Crazy Horse from Ragged Glory, and there is surely one from Paoli, thirty seven minutes in on his set from Glasgow Green at the weekend.

     

    Anyways let us get back to winning the league, over and over,…..

     

    Again

  27. Drambowiecelt on

    @Quad your attention to detail astonishng mate….A real eyeopener as regards.costs.chasing rainbows.

     

    @Celtic Mac my fav song on that album…closely followed by Feckin up lol,

     

     

     

     

     

     

    H.H

  28. Tom McLaughlin on

    ANITA MCNITA

     

     

    Are you seriously suggesting that both the USA and Australia introduced a ban on entry to their countries of people who are not Covid vaccinated, just to stop Novak Djokovic playing tennis?

     

     

    Pure fantasy.