The winning scoreline may have been narrow but the Celtic performance against Kilmarnock was far better than in recent games. Kyogo, Hatate and Maeda each had their head in their hands after glaring misses, however, conversion rates even themselves out. All three will improve in the weeks ahead.
It is of slightly greater concern that we conceded for the third successive match against Scottish opposition for the first time this season. Celtic were defensively imperious for much of the season; that claim can no longer be made. The Kilmarnock goal was a typically scrappy event, where defenders seemed to switch off.
There is an argument that Saturday’s Scottish Cup game was our most important this month. Defeat at Ibrox stung, but scarcely moved the dial in the league title odds. Wednesday’s game against Young Boys has drawn attention for months. It is likely to determine which round we are eliminated in the Champions League, but the second half of the season is all about the Scottish Cup.
With the League Cup back at Celtic Park and a 13 point lead in the Premiership, the Scottish Cup is the only realistic lifeline available for those looking for a platform to build upon. Winning another treble would be an incredible achievement, and would be a serious blow to those who aim to stop the Celtic juggernaut. The more Celtic win, the more important each cup competition becomes. Great champions are good box office for everyone.
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Morning y’all from a frigid TX. Minus 3 with minus 8 wind chill.
“If global warming is real, then how come my feet are cold?” Said in my best red neck voice 🥶❄️
Interesting article,not very ambitious
Other team scores a goal…..SHOCK
Has anyone ever seen Paul 67, B78 and Peter Lawwell in the same room?
I appreciate B78 has spent his hard earned cash following Celtic but I wonder if others spend far more relative to their incomes.B78 has ofter berated Celtic fans for “compaining” and now he is Mr.Negative after the team winning 3 trophies in 2024 and in with a good shout of qualifying for the ECL play offs.All very strange.
Ball strikes killie arm and is deflected to a fellow player who scores.
Nothing like aiming low, who knows what this team is capable of until it’s pushed, 6 points are up for grabs in the CL that is exciting for me and I’m sure the players coaches and Manager are similarly energised by that, we might get none so what if we have done our best, we could get a tricky draw or bad referee call and it puts us out of the Cup, who knows 1 game at a time, this week has no association with Sevco or Newco as P67 likes to call them, still some people struggle with that.
I mean come to feck. We can’t take that attitude to European football or we’d be happy bouncing out of the qualifying rounds !
The CL is by far the most important tournament we’re still in. I’d very, very happily swap the SC for a last 16 tie in the CL.
Gene 12.29
Did you see the Arsenal goal that was disallowed,similar
HH
It is likely to determine which round we are eliminated in the Champions League, but the second half of the season is all about the Scottish Cup.
——————-
many have pit forward an argument that real progress can only be measured by advancement and competative participation in the champions league latter stages.
having spent big and are now needing a win for feb/march ecl games and the richest game in our history 11m euros we are to believe a treble ismore important.
dearie me, what is it to be ?
AnT,
There’s a slight difference in that the player who handled scored the goal.
I know it’s still absolutely bonkers.
They’re actually saying that you can handle the ball as long as you are not the scorer!!!
If this is boardroom thinking and I’ve no reason to think otherwise, we are stuffed in expecting signings that give us a chance now and in the Qualifiers for next season’s CL
the cheer leading for a sevco cup win on shorty was off the scale.
win it and by beating celtic would give them a platform to compete next season.
get celtic at ibrox in the draw being their favoured scenario.
given they havnt done the segregation works for a celtic away support, it would force the issue.
now to go work out the cl permatations
dessybhoy on 20th January 2025 12:46 pm
the financial payouts for cl progress this season and play off next season are huge, the boardroom, imho know they have tipped the scales in favour of investment.
brendan/dermo are the drivers. not pl or a conservative ceo.
So it’s OK to miss a few sitters but woe betide the defense for losing a goal
SS
Agree, so why this leader today from a guy who often gets the call from BBC Scotland to discuss all things Celtic, if it was them Sevco in our postion with a home game on Wednesday to take us onto 12 points the media coverage blowing sunshine up their jacksie would be off the scale, yet on Celtic fan media here saying the Scottish Cup is more important because it means Sevco have missed out, maybe the CL is a nuisance and we shouldnt enter.
To be clear I view the 3 CL last 16 qualifications as the pinnacles of the past 54 years of my Celtic supporting life.
These have been incredible high spots achieved by modestly funded teams who had been competing with cheating domestic opposition for a significant period of time.
To say that qualifying for the 24 this year with the new format is not quite as good an achievement is factually correct but hopefully Brendan can go a step further and get us to the last 16 and maybe beyond.
For now all I did say is that we should be qualifying on Wednesday night given the position we are in currently and given the advantages we have. I really hope so and I really don’t see that as negative or attacking anyone.
Paul 67,
Respectfully i disagree with two of your comments.
Scoring goals wins games. If you score more goals than the opposition you win games.
Subsequently, if we had taken our gilt edged chances then losing a goal would not have mattered.
The fact that we normally get away with it in our domestic game should not be overlooked.
The second thing I am sceptical about is the statement:-
“The more Celtic win, the more important each cup competition becomes”
Our domestic cups should be an opportunity to try our fringe players not an escalator for heaping more pressure on our manager.
Planned introductions and game time for our young and fringe players is natural development.
If not during domestic cup competitions, then when ?
This also raises questions about the viability of plowing money into our academy.
What parent would advise their developing son to stay with Celtic?
HH.
AT
I agree with Philcool
It is of slightly greater concern that we conceded for the third successive match against Scottish opposition for the first time this season. Celtic were defensively imperious for much of the season; that claim can no longer be made. The Kilmarnock goal was a typically scrappy event, where defenders seemed to switch off.
Wednesday’s game against Young Boys has drawn attention for months. It is likely to determine which round we are eliminated in the Champions League,
the results simulator is fascinating.
a 1-0 celtic takes us to 12 points.
we want clubs clusstered around us on 7,8,9 to get beat.
if those on less ahan 6 could get a win against a higher placed opponent then good for us also.
one intriguing game, psg 7 points, v city on 8. both below us currently, something has to give, and i bet neither of them thought they could be eliminated by match day 7.
try it.
https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/simulator/
Hand of God
Paul is only being realistic in saying the Kilmarnock game was so important to us.
Consider if we had lost and there is no treble to go for and just a league championship which fortunately but ridiculously seems to be only ‘ours to lose’ in the eyes of many. The likelihood is that the Scottish Cup assumes the status of the CL in the yes of the pro rangers media and our CL potential progress to a qualifier is emphasised to a similar level as the govan lots likely last 16 or better in their weakened and devalued (you won’t hear that in our media) 2nd tier euro event.
We would be heading into Wednesdays game on a downer and with real negativity prevailing.
That didn’t happen and for that reason it was a critical win for our season as it keeps a treble hope alive, it saw us overcoming adversity and digging deep, it sees us continue a great home set of results and gave our first pick eleven a chance to miss plenty of chances and get that out of their system before Wednesday. Hopefully we can build on it come Wednesday.
Hopefully we now have a platform which can allow the manager to perhaps achieve the level of greatness we have in the past and go deeper into this competition than we have done this past 12 years. Maybe even do as WGS did and go to being extra time in the San siro and a dodgy penalty call away from the quarter finals.
No negativity in that at all.
It’s seems to be back to the ” stay slightly ahead of r2ngers” scenario. Not may people buying into it.
Saint Stivs
Perhaps the very positive could be looking at the scenario for us to be top 8 without needing snookers.
Brest and Lille losing and Villa losing or ideally drawing at Monaco would give us a punchers chance if we stole a result at Villa and of course we win by a rugby score v Young Boys.
I tried it we finished 17th and unfortunately would play Atletico Madrid in 16th, so 4 or 6 points for me from the 2 games would hopefully change that.
Burnley78 on 20th January 2025 1:00 pm
“For now all I did say is that we should be qualifying on Wednesday night given the position we are in currently and given the advantages we have. I really hope so and I really don’t see that as negative or attacking anyone.”
I don’t read that as attacking anyone when you word it that way.
The original post however… didn’t read as well.
Greenpinata on 20th January 2025 1:00 pm
“Planned introductions and game time for our young and fringe players is natural development.
If not during domestic cup competitions, then when ?”
Every home game when 2/3 up with 30 to go for me.
Cup games against lower league opposition (with bench backup).
Games once we league is done (hopefully before the split this season!) – with core players still rotating to keep up to speed for a cup final if we get there.
Regarding the concern at losing the odd goal I think when our work rate drops we are more vulnerable. Understandable given the games coming thick and fast. Chopping the team has to impact this also. I think for YB, if we in the stadium give the players backing as per other home CL games, then that hopefully will take care of itself. We may be more prone to losing a goal from set pieces against YB, especially if our defending is weak as pish.
Hopefully the “big game” mentality of the players will help focus and improve the chance conversion also!
Can’t wait for Wednesday. COYBIG.
QB
Good afternoon all from Blackpool. Fooking freezing and pishing down. Whose idea was this?🤔
“Yours ya eejit” says Mrs BRRB. 🙄
Nay, nay and thrice nay.
You can’t be indifferent to qualifying for next round of the CL.
The tangible (cash) and intangible (prestige and a platform that attracts talent to Celtic) benefits are way more important than the Scottish Cup.
I am a great fan of Paul and this blog and usually agree with most of what he writes, however I have noticed a hint of cynicism recently – a sort of glass half empty approach.
For example: “It is of slightly greater concern that we conceded for the third successive match against Scottish opposition for the first time this season. Celtic were defensively imperious for much of the season; that claim can no longer be made. The Kilmarnock goal was a typically scrappy event, where defenders seemed to switch off.”
The statement is true but is sadly lacking in contextual balance. I hate to state the obvious, but we play our football in Scotland and therefore must expect opponents to score against us now and again.
Since July at Ayr, we have played 42 games this season over four competitions and friendlies in Scotland, USA, Germany, Italy and Croatia. A third of those games(14) have been squeezed into the last 50 days. A toll must surely have been taken but nonetheless our record stands at: Won 33/Drawn7/Lost 2. The League Cup is won – we have an almost unassailable lead in the League – we advance towards another treble with progression in the Scottish Cup…. and are on the threshhold of CL qualification. What more do some people want? Perfection? It doesn’t exist.
On the CL Paul says – “Wednesday’s game against Young Boys has drawn attention for months. It is likely to determine which round we are eliminated in the Champions League,”
“determine which round we are eliminated” Again a statement bordering on fact, but how negative can you get? Wednesday’s tie can be a joyous occasion like Leipzig and lead to another last 24 tie at Celtic Park – it is not just a filler and signpost to imminent failure. HH
🎶 obdurate bast@rds………..obdurate bast@rds🎶
When we don’t put chances away,it puts the whole team under pressure, some team will get a doing soon,hopefully Wednesday
Afternoon all.
BRRB
I’m sure will find shelter from the inclement weather at a local hostelry.🍻
An Tearmann
Help appreciated .
TT
https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/simulator/
another wee predictor facility try BRACKETVIEW which gives you the playoff rounds in the knockout format.
currently CELTIC V MAN CITY.
for a bit of fun i kep my predictor scorelines very realistic, beating YB 6-0 AND BEATING VILLA 3-0
Yeah – forget Europe. Focus on the old firm…..
I will be there on Wednesday 100% behind Brendan and the squad , hopefully win that and then worry about the Scottish cup another day as we are already in that next round.
BelmontBrian
Haven’t left the hotel bar yet. Heading to town and restaurants and pubs we know. Watching all the European matches in a few pubs. Blackpool Catholic club on Queen Street is usually good.