I spent a lot of time last season defending Stefan Johansen. His goals, goals created and interceptions stats were incredible. He needed defending because apart from when he was scoring or creating goals, lots of his work was done off the ball. Those who take note of off the ball work, his direct opponents, voted him Player of the Year (those who follow the ball, or action on TV, miss lots).
This season’s been different, none of the markers he put down a year earlier have been met. I don’t have enough information to explain why this is, so I’m not going to absolve the player from responsibility, but what we got from him on his return to Norway on international duty was the talking part of a good game:
“I am dissatisfied with the way I was playing”
“But in recent months I have felt my rhythm is better and that my body is good”
Perhaps more importantly:
“We are going to get those two trophies [league and Scottish Cup]. We have decided to do that.”
You very occasionally hear players talk in those terms – “deciding” to win. I remember writing up that Fraser Forster “decided” to make the England World Cup squad. He made his mind up, put the vagaries of form and fortune out of his head.
The commitment from Fraser in the year-or-so before the 2014 World Cup was enormous. He worked harder than any Celtic player. Enormously harder than some. That’s how you decide something which isn’t actually your decision.
Stefan has a lot of work to do to get back to where he was a year ago. Only he can decide if the time for talking off the park is over.
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Lumineers “Stubborn Love”
https://youtu.be/3zQWWjoYrzA
BMCUWP has sent me this coded message
I think its a cry for help to any scottish visitors to the emerald isle this weekend
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgRfxTG1Rg8
I always felt that the Dutch were cheated in both the 1974 and 1978 world cup finals.
Yeah….dutch penalty first few minutes in 1974 but in both finals the referees gave them nothing really. In 1978 Cruyff fell out with someone or whatever and didnt play but he was a pundit on BBC or ITV in 1978. He said something at the 1978 World cup final half time discussion that has never left me as a kid. Lives with me today. In his imitable dutch accent he predicted what the referee would do in the 2nd half. Not only was he 100% correct but it then dawned on me “thats’ what those f****** MIB C**ts! do in Scotland”. I call it the Cruyff revelation.
“Watch the referee”. he said ……. “All Hollands free kicks will be in their own half..the same half as Argentina get all theirs”. Bingo!
To this day I have never looked at an Old Firm game the same way.
Or New Firm…yeah …whatever.. for the adeisarsts..
WITs,
Yes, I saw your post last night and looked it up today. It looks not too far from the M1. I haven’t been in Santry for a while but it’s the better side of the city for me (driving wise, not wanting to spark a northside v southside debate).
TBJ – thanks. Went there tonight and it was a really great mass (Ted) despite there being about 25 mins added on time…… ;-)
Clogher Good stuff amigo. The scary thing is bmcuwp is our cqn leader ! Btw the heavy battalion is arriving on Saturday. HH
““an orange rug of Iranian provenance”Is that no what Donald Trump is wearing?
quote of the week from SFTB! :)
hen1rik on 24th March 2016 7:47 am
Anyone know what Paul 67’s thoughts are on why the Club are asking shareholders to do their dirty work & write to UEFA ?
and question of the week.
Any answers?
Clogher
You driving down the the M1
get on to the “Old Airport Road” /swords Road heading towards city centre,when you pass Omni Shopping Centre on your right it will be the next turn right,couple of hundred of yards up that road (shanowen Road) the pitch is on left hand side
https://www.google.ie/maps/place/Shanowen+Rd,+Dublin+9/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x48670e181fe82ef3:0x8066082374b9fe55?sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjn6uHGuNrLAhVFJw8KHeRPB1MQ8gEIGzAA
BRTH
Well said indeed. He was a truly magnificent ambassador for the beautiful game.
HH
Clogher
Magic. Glad the advance guard have warmed up the locals for the Scottish invasion. Bus of 50 leave Clydebank for Dublin on Saturday early ferry.
HH
Turkeyboy
Not moaning, just pointing out the facts, I will leave the moaning to you and your compadres.
My mission here is to out the twats & the trolls and bring CQN back to what it was intended for.
Remember and stay out of the sun.
Gordon64,
See you on Saturday 12 noon at the GPO if you can make it.
HH
Delaneys
50 BANKIES
Jaysus
Circle the wagons
I remember driving down the M7 and M8 (naw no thee M8) in Ireland in 2010 between Cork an Dublin.
I noticed something funny
Blue yellow starred EEC sign: This stretch of Highway funded by the EEC-80mph ..ya beauty
..awe naw ..whats this?
Blue yellow starred EEC sign: “End of EEC funding” ..Horse drawn carts, bangers, queues for 5 miles, farm traffic… 20 mph max.
CLOGHER CELT
Fascinating reading that, loads of place names like Meath and
further up the peninsula lots of Scots named towns streets etc.
no wonder our Oz clubs do so well.
My own family have links to Sligo and Donegal.
H.H Mick
The Honest Assesment on 24th March 2016 11:14 pm
Turkeyboy
Not moaning, just pointing out the facts, I will leave the moaning to you and your compadres.
My mission here is to out the twats & the trolls and bring CQN back to what it was intended for.
——————
Turkeybhoys post was about the moaning of certain posters, your post was pulling TB up for moaning about the moaners, and your mission is to bring CQN back to what it was intended for??
Are we all clear now?
Mags
Now Now
Behave
Clogher. God and Ryanair willing I will be at the PO at high noon on Saturday with the rest of the cqn eedjits. Will you have a carry out ready for the bhoys ? HH
DD,
There will be plenty of Scots/Irish in town. I read a report the other day from an academic. He believes that the Scottish lads who came over in 1916 were initially stationed at the bottom of O’Connell Street in a cordon. This caused even more confusion with the locals because they were wearing Irish Volunteer uniforms but had Scottish accents.
See you both tomorrow.
Clogher, Almore, Tomthetim
Hope to meet up with you tomorrow and buy the tickets for Sat. There will be at least 5 coming and some locals will also attend. I am meeting someone in Regency between 1.15- to 2pm business. Guy used to play for Kevins, but just back form Lithuania.
Parkheadcumsalford
The passing of Johann Cruyff brought back memories of you and my bro trying to get the message back to Celtic about Dutch football not to underestimate them, when we were taking on Feyenoord . Hope you are well and agree with your comments about Charlie Gallagher, a St. Johns boy.
KTF GLF
The Huddle
Do we have to ask your permission now before we post ? Just to be clear.
The Honest Assesment on 24th March 2016 11:26 pm
Do we have to ask your permission now before we post ? Just to be clear.
——————-
Yes
WITS
That is just a bus from my small Irish scheme of Dalmuir West. There will be nearer 500 Bankies in Dublin this weekend. Badge of honour among Clydebank Republicans to retrace the steps of our Grandfathers of the Clydebank IRB.
WITS
No Worries mate! :)
Gordon64,
I will if I survive tomorrow.
Melbourne Mick,
There must be a Pub Quiz question there with the Mornington connection.
The Huddle
Ok, I can live with that.
Can I post that Turkeyboy is a moaning pain in the erse and really needs to stay out of the sun ?
The Honest Assesment on 24th March 2016 11:31 pm
The Huddle
Ok, I can live with that.
Can I post that Turkeyboy is a moaning pain in the erse and really needs to stay out of the sun ?
——————–
Sure, as long as you also post that the rest of them are moaning faced arses
Delaneys
Dont forget to stop outside 25 Northumberland Road tomorrow and pause for a moments reflection at the spot where Michael Malone died
There were 17 of them in all in 3 or 4 houses around the locality holding off hundreds of British Army.
In 25 Nortumberland Road there were 2,Mick Malone who died and Seamus Grace who managed to escape.
Thermopylae CSC
My sincerest congratulations by proxy to WITS for being such a wonderful host to all the Celtic supporters in Dublin this weekend. I hope all you guys get plastered in a Celtic way. :)
The Huddle
Who are the rest of them ?
Names, I need names.
We may have a slight disagreement here, but names are imperative.
Maggie
Arra shure be gob wont I just be heading up the old boreen on me horse and cart towards the place where the big iron birds land to collect a few aul weegies
Cathach,
Great to see you back on.
I will see you tomorrow, Saturday will be great craic. We had another CSC e mail looking for tickets this evening. They are coming over by bus in the morning.
The Honest Assesment on 24th March 2016 11:37 pm
Who are the rest of them ?
Names, I need names.
We may have a slight disagreement here, but names are imperative.
———————–
All the ones TB referenced, and the worm eats its tail :O)
WITS
Thanks for the heads up. I would have strolled by oblivious otherwise.
Will pay attention now. :-)
HH
Delaneys
25 Northumberland Road at the corner of Haddington Road
Not too far from your hotel on the way into town
JoBo
Father morton is a great priest .. does a fantastic live gig ;)
A few years ago he laid the cross against the altar during good Friday mass . As he got to the other side of the altar the cross began to slip and he ran round and caught it but his momentum took him down the steps. .. heading into the front row of parishioners. But at the last moment he managed to stop and casually walked back to place the cross against the altar again.
At the end of mass he said ” you didn’t know your parish preist was a top goalkeeper ”
As I left the church I said ” Paul the cat – you handed the crosses well today “
WITS
Bookmarked for tomorrow. Thank you.
HH