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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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  3. Wishaw tim on

    Forstergrant ! give me a clue , you are right about jimmy, me mum and sister also pro independence, me and two brothers not ! up early as going to catch a flight to dubrovnik 6am ! thanks for your kind words about my dad

  10. Melbourne Mick on

    Hello again all you young rebels.

     

     

    DRAMBOWIECELT, DAVID 66, and others.

     

    Thank you for showing concern about my well-being on reading back.

     

    Hope you are feeling better David.

     

    Everything fine here, apart from earthquakes, COVID lockdowns and

     

    Riots in the streets with cokeheads and meatheads being led by

     

    Deadheads who don’t want a vaccine.

     

    I know QUADROFENIAN has done a good job updating you all on news

     

    from down under,s rebel peninsula.

     

    The earth tremor was a 5.9 a wee bit scary but no real damage, but it

     

    Certainly had the coos and the Roos running about with wobbly legs .

     

    I was still in bed watching a rerun of the boys against Raith on CTV

     

    When the pictures started falling of the walls, my wee princess came

     

    running in “ what the hell is that Mick “

     

    “ Celtic have just scored darling “😀

     

    Not been able to get down to our CSC because of the virus and PADDYMACOZ

     

    has had to cancel numerous plans, trips, etc because of it, and a few weeks to

     

    Go yet, very frustrating.

     

    I keep myself sane by going down to our local soccer club to watch our youths

     

    Getting their two hours exercise with a baw, I’m sure my grandson lets them

     

    know the days I’m coming as there seems to be more hoops tops they days lol.

     

    Delighted Calmac has signed a new deal, it restored my faith that there are still

     

    real Celtic bhoys out there who really only want to play for Celtic.

     

    Hope to post a bit more but sometimes it’s good to step back and take a wee

     

    Break.

     

    H.H. Mick

  11. An Tearmann on

    Melbourne Mick

     

     

    Good to see you here Mick.

     

    Hope all good down under

     

     

    HH

     

     

    Morning Celts.

     

    :-)

  13. Melbourne Mick on

    AN TEARMANN

     

     

    All good mhate, great to read you’re posts and keeping up the

     

    good fight.

     

    Reading back now a see Delaney’s is poorly, get well soon pal

     

    H.H MICK

  15. Big Jimmy on

    SQUIRE DANAHER on 24TH SEPTEMBER 2021 9:33 PM

     

    DAVID66 on 24TH SEPTEMBER 2021 5:32 PM

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Our last posts crossed earlier.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Best wishes regarding your health

     

    ………………

     

    FAO SQUIRE DANAHER…

     

    Ive read back on this Thread this Saturday morning and I was disappointed to read you crossing swords with DAVID66.

     

    Firstly, let me state that DAVID66 does NOT need me to defend him or speak up for him ( He does NOT KNOW that I am writing this !), as he can easily speak up for himself and in any case hes bigger than me.

     

    DAVID66 is also one of the most compassionate and kind GENTLE MAN, that I have ever came across, and as a result of him and his good lady answering my call for HELP at the beginning of the Covid Pandemic around March 2020 on these Pages, he and I have became good friends, and we always will be.

     

    Others like AN TEARMANN ALSO offered to help me with my Food Supply at the same time, but I asked DAVID66 to help simply because he had a Car, and as far as I knew AN TEARMANN didnt have a Car ?

     

    I ” opted” for DAVID66 in March 2020, because my weekly shopping can be quite large as I buy food for myself and then I ALSO buy lots of Cat Food and Cat Litter etc….so because DAVID66 had a car, I thought it best to ask him for help as I couldnt get my usual Tesco deliveries due to folk ” Panic Buying”, and I was unable to get a ” Delivery Slot” Online with my usual Tesco Orders…Again due to Folk Panic Buying.

     

     

    Which brings me to DAVID66’s original Post, in which he mentioned those people who maybe ” Cheat the System” via Benefit Fraud etc ?

     

    DAVID66 was 100% correct, and I should know because Ive experienced those who are ” WORKSHY” for one reason or another a number of times thru the years.

     

    Over many of MY working years, I would go into my local Pub after a hard day at work, and I could look around the Pub and identify the SAME Faces that would be unemployed, but happy to sit and drink all day in those Pubs. I have moved around Glasgow over the years, so Ive had MANY ” Local Pubs” for a few years before moving on to my next location and ” NEW” Local Pub…and I can tell you that EVERY Pub was the SAME.

     

    Many times BEFORE Ive even finished my 1st Pint of Beer after a hard days work, at least ONE of these people would approach me and ask ME for Money. This was clearly just to buy even MORE Drink and more often than not, I would have to ” Chase them Up” over a few weeks to TRY and get MY Money back. Obviously, there were times when I simply told these Guys to ” Feck Off”.

     

     

    I KNEW that some of these Guys would sometimes find a ” Cash in Hand Job”…or as we called it…” Working on the Grip”, while at the very SAME time receiving DWP Benefit including getting their RENT Paid every month by the Housing Benefit.

     

    So lets be clear of ONE thing…I am SURE that many of us have came across guys like that in our local Pubs etc, who ALSO BOAST and BRAG about their Benefit Exploits while in the Pub to their mates etc…Be ASSURED SQUIRE…I KNOW ALL of this from first hand experience since the 1980’s.

     

    Many of these Guys would ONLY get a ” Cash in hand Job” due to being in their local Pubs EVERY Day. Many wouldnt IF they sat in the hoose all day with the wife and weans. So they SIMPLY HAD to be in the Pub to have ANY hope of getting Cash under the Table…Simples !

     

     

    Finally, allow me to assure you SQUIRE, that I KNOW what I am talking about as from the early 1980’s onwards into the Mid 1990’s I was made REDUNDANT from at least THREE Full Time, Taxpaying Jobs, and left to fend for myself on £40 odd quid a week from ” The Social”.

     

    I was lucky as I didnt have any wife nor weans to feed etc, but whenever I was out of work ( Through NO Fault of my own)…I would make myself available for just about ANY ” Cash in Hand Job” that I could get, mainly from ” Knowing” Guys that drank in my local Pub.

     

    For a while in the mid 1980’s I had become a ” Benefit Cheat”, and any money that I made usually went on the Beer and the Burds.

     

    Eventually, I was ” Caught” by The DWP, but because at the time I was ” caught2, I was working Full Time again and NOT claiming Benefits, and because I was in Full Time Employment, The DWP did NOT prosecute me, but I had to Pay back any Benefit that I had received from earlier.

     

    I was one of those ” Benefit Cheats”, but the MAIN Difference between ME and many others, was that I WANTED to work Full Time and Pay Tax etc…many of those that I knew of…did NOT ! That it a FACT….They were happy to to get Cash in Hand periods while STILL claiming Benefits, and NOT interested any Full Time Job and having to pay Tax etc.

     

    Some of those Benefit Cheats were NOT interested in Full Time employment, as maybe they had kids and a wife etc, and were getting MORE Money in Benefits than they would get while working and paying tax etc.

     

    That is a FACT !

     

    I believe that you misread/Misunderstood DAVID66’s original Post as I can also ASSURE you that DAVID66 would help out ANYONE who found themselves in difficult circumstances thru NO Fault of their own, and as long as that person was indeed GENUNINE.

     

     

    I will forever be grateful to DAVID66 and his wife for their fantastic help, and dont forget…that I was a Complete STRANGER to DAVID66 and his wife, likewise the kind offers of help from AN TEARMANN and some others…who at that time ( March/April 2020), I had NEVER MET !

     

     

    HH.

  21. Melbourne Mick on

    FRIESDORFER

     

     

    And likewise mhate, hope you make it over here again would

     

    love a beer with you.WEE BOBBY COLLINS what a player i was

     

    lucky enough to watch and a great poster lol.

     

    BIG JIMMY

     

    How did I know you would stand up for the good guys and your

     

    Mhate David, that’s who you are.

     

    H.H. MICK

  24. forstergrant on

    Wishaw Tim – I’m from the Tyre and remember your da well…he was cousins (distant?) with my da and played golf with him too back in the day

  25. Melbourne Mick on

    Hi Norrie

     

     

    That’s two kids Laura has now , you must be one happy papa.

     

    PADDYMACOZ just became one the other day, and I still can’t get a drink

     

    From him because of COVID haaarummph.

     

    PARK ROAD 67

     

    Great to hear from you, was watching the news yesterday and outside

     

    our Young and Jackson pub hundreds of polis battering anti Vaxers

     

    How times have changed.

     

    H.H. MICK

  26. An Dún on

    Just catching up on Ange’s interview yesterday. I’m both shocked and not surprised that Mikey Johnson has picked up an injury after playing a grand total of 24 minutes.

     

     

    Mikey needs to be moved on when the time comes and it’s coming rather fast.

  29. squire danaher on

    BIG JIMMY on 25TH SEPTEMBER 2021 8:26 AM

     

     

    I don’t want to let your lengthy comment go without the courtesy of a response.

     

     

    The personal experiences of David66 and you are your own, they’re real to you both and you are entitled to hold them. I don’t want to deny them to you.

     

     

    I don’t want to relive the debate as anyone who wants to read it can double back. You repeat many of his original comments.

     

     

    I don’t deny personal kindnesses done for you by D66, that he is a “good egg”, and that I have mainly had a laugh on here with you.

     

     

    My initial comment to D66 was that I don’t think judgemental comments like ‘benefit fraud’ have a place on a Celtic site for historical reasons. I think E Lynch touched on some of the Thatcher-induced factors in a response.

     

     

    I stand by that.

     

     

    Have a nice day – no hard feelings or grudges at my end m8, life’s too short. 👍

  31. dessybhoy on

    Are these injuries due to the training regime ,unlikely as there have been similar levels of these under previous managers or is it the training playing surfaces at Lennoxtown, the amount of these the hse might take an interest , the club need to sort this out pronto it is way too frequent, coupled with players breaking down or not recovering, doesn’t look we are good at looking after people

  32. squire danaher on

    DESSYBHOY on 25TH SEPTEMBER 2021 10:16 AM

     

     

    By all accounts last year’s training regime was hardly demanding

     

     

    There may be an issue re some coping with the changes demanded by AP.

     

     

    Although MJ has never been the most robust of individuals to begin with.

  33. glendalystonsils on

    Such a shame about Mikey Johnson . A very talented player but with a body not cut out for the rigours of top level football .

  34. Greenpinata on

    I don’t believe in continuous bad luck.

     

    Coincidence, bad luck, paranoia or karma. Or more likely, we’re doing something not quite right.

     

     

    Interesting listening to Patrick Vieira talking about Odsonne Edouard and his level of fitness.

     

    Put simply we have sold them a fit player.

     

     

    Some of our purchases should be looked at under the Trade Description act.

     

     

    HH.

  35. Drambowiecelt on

    @M.M 6.59 Great to read your still cooking wae Sellic Gas Mick lol.

     

    Love reading your updates on the young team ……And Aussie Rebel life..

     

    Glad everyone safe down your end…..Crazy World just noo…….

     

    Enjoy us pumpin the Hbeeeeeees tomorrow..

     

     

     

     

    H.H.

  36. Drambowiecelt on

    Reading back…Big J..8.29…

     

    Nice post mate straight from the heart wae nae malice…

     

    Hope your in top form mate and wee Rockstars keeping you busy lol.

     

     

     

     

     

    H.H.

  37. mazzy on

    I’m neither an advocate or apologist for Leigh Griffiths. Vardy, for example, is about 5 years older but still fit enough to influence top level football. If only LG had that level of professionalism.

     

     

    However, having seen Boyd’s outrageous attack on Griffiths ahead of today’s game I really do wonder about that follically challenged bigot. I nearly brought my breakfast up when he inferred that Griffiths lacked a brain. Subject to argument, yes, but I doubt if he is any more unintelligent than Boyd. By working up a group of hate filled fans even more, he has to take responsibility if any of them step over the line today . His comments are wholly irresponsible Anything is possible if your heart is filled with so much hatred as is the case with many Sevco fans.

     

     

    With hard financial times around the corner I think I’ll be reviewing my 24 year association with Sky (albeit my primary provider was NTL then Virgin) if they continue to employ and give such a high profile to that useless mutton head.

     

     

    Frankly I’d ban him from Parkhead and just live with the consequences. He makes eejits look like PhD’s.

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