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Cup powerhouses face each other, spotting patterns to develop

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By on CQN BLOG & Comments

Scotland’s cup duopolists, Celtic and St Johnstone, face each other in the League Cup semi-final.  They are the two most successful Scottish clubs over the last decade, having won the previous 10 domestic cups between them.  St Johnstone have won on their last four visits to Hampden, whereas Celtic have incredibly won their last sixteen successive visits to the national stadium.  Something has got to give but the winner of this tie will surely fancy their chances for the trophy.

Hibs, who are the last team to win a cup apart from Celtic and St Johnstone, face Newco in the other semi.  The latter hoping to reach their third major final having lost the previous two.  Hibs last won the League Cup 15 years ago.

Celtic comfortably got the job done against Raith Rovers last night without ever hitting the heights they reached in the previous round, when Hearts were battered before leaving with a flattering 3-2 deficit.  We await a return of that blistering football.

Goals change games and win trophies and it is vital that those occupying the supporting forward roles contribute.  Jota got his first goal for the club as he controlled a pass from James McCarthy before beating the keeper at his near post.  The Portuguese then turned creator for the second.  Raith keeper Jamie MacDonald only parried his shot into the path of Liel Abada, who headed into the net.

Abada has an incredible knack for finding space inside the box and arriving to occupy it at exactly the right moment.  20 years ago, I remember a Rangers fan complain to me that his team continually fail to mark Henrik Larsson inside the box.  All he saw was Larsson, in acres of space, despatching the ball into the net.

An innate understanding of space and time, and being able to anticipate what others will do, makes the attackers’ job look easy.  It is easy, if you are gifted enough to find the right place at the right time.  I know better than to burden Liel with unattainable comparisons, but this ability to find space inside the box has been so rare for Celtic recently, you wonder if he could follow the path others have walked from wing to centre.

If Celtic are to fulfil their potential, they need to be able to spot patterns like this and know what to do about them.

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  9. squire danaher on

    DAVID66 on 24TH SEPTEMBER 2021 5:32 PM

     

     

    Our last posts crossed earlier.

     

     

    Best wishes regarding your health 👍

  11. petec on

    Delighted our Capitano has committed his whole career to Celtic. LEGEND already anyway. Plenty more to come IMO.

     

     

    As for the game last night, compared to our other games @ home, we were very static in the first half. It was noticeable after the break that everyone was controlling the ball and moving it very quickly and moving more.

     

     

    As others have mentioned Liam had a very assured debut from the bench and looks to be another good signing.

  16. BelmontBrian on

    AN TEARMANN on 24TH SEPTEMBER 2021 9:48 PM

     

     

    Cheers my friend. cracking tune, apols for not chatting after this post, a wee early rise,

     

     

    A bit wee bit of a segway, I hope you like this version :)

     

     

    AN TEARMANN on 24TH SEPTEMBER 2021 9:48 PM

     

     

    Night

     

     

    Brian

  21. Tom McLaughlin on

    ITSCALLEDTHEMALVINAS

     

     

    If you’re lurking, Drouthy Neebors CSC bus leaves outside Costa Coffee (Pierhead) at 12:30pm Sunday. Spoke to Allan Wright. He said you’re on. Just mention him.

     

     

    HH

  22. forstergrant on

    Wishaw Tim, your da James was a lovely man…I think he’d disagree with you on Scottish independence though

  26. !!Bada Bing!! on

    Never thought that McIlroy could play a narrow, straight hitting course……surprised he was picked for afternoon session

  27. Matt Stewart on

    So re that pic

     

     

    https://enematic.wordpress.com/2021/09/24/aganmars-r-us/

     

     

     

    Now we are undoubtedly wary/paranoid/suspicious of the powers that be!

     

     

    But so are so many of them who think that the pic justifies to them all that the Fix was truly in last night.

     

     

    I mean….really? RAI?

     

     

    Surely an obvious anagram or what?

     

     

    And not only that the numbers before it…1 and 0…

     

     

    Obviously an allusion to 10 …and rearrange RAI and you get 10 IAR! Ten in a row! Albeit that we will have to wait till 2515!

     

     

    Naw…surely you didn’t think I meant that other anagram…IR*.

     

     

    Anyway, right another serving of mince anyone?

     

     

    Hail Hail

     

     

    Leverndale Matt

  31. !!Bada Bing!! on

    some of the clowns should take a look at Nicklaus conceding Jacklin’s putt….as great a sporting moment you will see

  32. itscalledthemalvinas on

    Tom McLaughlin.

     

    Thanks Tom,appreciate you helping me out with giving Allan a call. I will be there at 1230.

     

    Owe you a favour. HH.

     

    ICTTM

  34. petec on

    . Greenpinata on 24th September 2021 12:47 pm

     

     

    A lorry drivers perspective:

     

     

    So, you are running out of food on the shelves, fuel in the garages, you can’t buy things you need, because the shops can’t get their supplies.

     

     

    Why is that?

     

     

    A shortage of goods? No

     

     

    A shortage of money? No

     

     

    A shortage of drivers to deliver the goods? Well, sort of.

     

     

    There isn’t actually a shortage of drivers, what we have, is a shortage of people who can drive, that are willing to drive any more. You might wonder why that is. I can’t answer for all drivers, but I can give you the reason I no longer drive. Driving was something I always yearned to do as a young boy, and as soon as I could, I managed to get my driving licence, I even joined the army to get my HGV licence faster, I held my licence at the age of 17. It was all I ever wanted to do, drive trucks, I had that vision of being a knight of the roads, bringing the goods to everyone, providing a service everyone needed. What I didn’t take into account was the absolute abuse my profession would get over the years.

     

     

    I have seen a massive decline in the respect this trade has, first, it was the erosion of truck parking and transport café’s, then it was the massive increase in restricting where I could stop, timed weight limits in just about every city and town, but not all the time, you can get there to do your delivery, but you can’t stay there, nobody wants an empty truck, nobody wants you there once they have what they did want.

     

     

    Compare France to the UK. I can park in nearly every town or village, they have marked truck parking bays, and somewhere nearby, will be a small routier, where I can get a meal and a shower, the locals respect me, and have no problems with me or my truck being there for the night.

     

     

    Go out onto the motorway services, and I can park for no cost, go into the service area, and get a shower for a minimal cost, and have freshly cooked food, I even get to jump the queues, because others know that my time is limited, and respect I am there because it is my job. Add to that, I even get a 20% discount of all I purchase. Compare that to the UK £25-£40 just to park overnight, dirty showers, and expensive, dried (under heat lamps) food that is overpriced, and I have no choice but to park there, because you don’t want me in your towns and cities.

     

     

    Ask yourself how you would feel, if doing your job actually cost you money at the end of the day, just so you could rest.

     

     

    But that isn’t the half of it. Not only have we been rejected from our towns and cities, but we have also suffered massive pay cuts, because of the influx of foreign drivers willing to work for a wage that is high where they come from, companies eagerly recruited from the eastern bloc, who can blame them, why pay good money when you can get cheap labour, and a never ending supply of it as well. Never mind that their own countries would suffer from a shortage themselves, that was never our problem, they could always get people from further afield if they needed drivers.

     

     

    We were once seen as knights of the road, now we are seen as the lepers of society. Why would anyone want to go back to that?

     

     

    If you are worried about not getting supplies on your supermarket shelves, ask your local council just how well they cater for trucks in your district.

     

     

    I know Canterbury has the grand total of zero truck parking facilities, but does have a lot of restrictions, making it difficult for trucks to stop anywhere.

     

     

    Do you want me to go back to driving trucks? Give me a good reason to do so. Give anyone a good reason to take it up as a profession.

     

     

    Perhaps once you work out why you can’t, you will understand why your shelves are not as full as they could be.

     

     

    I tried it for over 30 years, but will never go back, you just couldn’t pay me enough.

     

     

    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

     

     

    Greenpinata,

     

     

    Dude, I had no idea of all these things. Thank You for highlighting them. Driving home early Morning frae Barrow and all it was on the M6, was Lorrys for the populace.

     

     

    Things are mos def F*cked up. And sorry Big Jimmy it isnae because of Brexit.

     

     

     

    Have You Heard About the Big Reset…….. :P

  35. Sionnaigh on

    It’s now been five years since Muhammad Ali’s passing.

     

    There’s a new documentary on the legend’s life.

     

    Three part series.

     

    Best five hours I’ve spent since a night in Koh Samui.

  36. petec on

    An Tearmann on 24th September 2021 11:29 pm

     

     

    Ange is getting us through rough waters, hopefully, Callum signing on is Mega.

     

     

    We are as weak as we can possibly be. Helped Gerrard knows the Newco cannae drop points @ Dundee Today.

     

     

    It’s the Big Man’s Amazing Story.

  40. An Tearmann on

    !BADA BING!! on 25TH SEPTEMBER 2021 12:08 AM

     

    AT- no,5.5 US v 1.5 Europe, 1 match left ,all square going to 18th

     

     

    Enjoy 👍

     

     

    HH

  42. Sionnaigh on

    MUHAMMAD ALI, a new four-part documentary directed by acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns. The new series, which was in development for six years, was also written and co-directed by Sarah Burns and David McMahon.

     

    What a watch this is.

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