The wind will make it uncomfortable to be out and about in the Glasgow night but it will have a big impact on this evening’s game. Any team hoping to prosper from playing long-ball football is likely to flounder but it will be equally difficult for defenders facing balls that drop into their penalty areas.
Goalkeepers in particular face a difficult challenge. Rangers will not expect to have a great deal of possession around our penalty area so you can expect them to shoot early and from distance in the hope of exploiting the wind. There is probably a distance Celtic will be happy to see them shoot from but any space sub-30 yards from goal must be closed down.
Perhaps the most important preparation Celtic can do today would be to send Ki out with a bag of balls to get his shooting eye in. He has the ability to score from outside the box against any keeper in the world. Rangers’ McGregor doesn’t cope with a bit of movement in the ball, just ask Kris Commons, so will not look forward to seeing the ball fall to Ki in a shooting position.
Celtic’s most effective out-ball in recent weeks, high to the left wing for Georgios Samaras, will be difficult to make effective. The short passing game will be more profitable; Ki and Scott Brown in particular will need to fancy the game today. If we get a top performance out of both the result is not in doubt.
James Forrest is an fitness concern for Neil Lennon but he is a player who will worry Rangers manager, Ally McCoist, so I expect him to start, even if he’s not 100%. He has the kind of pace no defence in the league can cope with, he creates and scores goals. When he gets the ball, look out for how alert Rangers become. This is panic. Forrest will make it easier for others to find space, look for runs into the box from midfielders when he’s on the ball.
It would be a huge gamble to bring Emilio Izaguirre back into the starting line-up for this game after a four month injury lay-off but he is such an important player to how Neil Lennon wants Celtic to play I wouldn’t be surprised to see him. Celtic need to control the ball in midfield and Emilio’s composure is a huge advantage in this respect. 60 minutes from him might be enough to give us the edge.
Gary Hooper will score.
The most important question for tonight is who will be able to maintain discipline. Celtic’s recent narrow home wins against Kilmarnock, Hearts and Dunfermline should have been more comfortable but the visitors maintained composure throughout and gave themselves a good chance as a result. Rangers are a better team than any of these three but discipline and composure are not words you would use to describe today’s visitors. The most important thing for Celtic could be to frustrate Rangers and have the patience to wait for the opportunity to take advantage.
Get ready for a classic Glasgow night.
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Big night for Thomas Rogne
….only a fool would predict the result in this game, eh Shug!?
Wee Tanner on Sky wearing a lovely blue tie!!!
Fu**ing wee tit!!!
Hail hail
Kittens, butterflies, all you proverbial nervey things, go away. Pretty pls. :-(
Come on you Bhoys in Green \o/
Insides going bhoys let’s get intae them.
1st bud going down now let’s do this Celtic.
Just put on another bet – Celtic to score at least 4!!
Celtic’s young Lions come of age with a hunskelping and by going top of the league after being at one point 15 points behind..
They’re coming for a draw and they will get skelped instead..
Intae them Celts..
A wee appeal before the thread changes. The match thread on Saturday was great, thanks to the usual people in the US and Australia. It was shockingly let down by some abysmal language from people whom I’ve never seen post before (page nine, if anyone wants to check back).
If it’s a great game and a great result (DV) a lot of people will be looking in. As Paul67 is fond of saying, this is a Celtic site and that makes a big difference, so please everyone, play by Paul’s rules.
Nerves are choking me already, this is abnormal behaviour for a man of my age.
Take it easy Celtic……
Take it easy.
Tick tock…………………..
notthebus says:
28 December, 2011 at 19:01
Big night for Thomas Rogne
This could be he making of the bhoy..Man of the match…the rest is history
Nice Chianti opened,stomach doing somersaults,cmon Celtic finish it quick,another MON night will do just fine,6-2 to the Bhoys.Hail hail.Slan
I think the reason a lot of us are so nervous is that we intuit that this could be the last time we ever play them. I hope it is. And I hope we give them a farewell doing.
Come on the Hoops.
Come on Celtic, Lucky top on, old campaign scarf at the ready, bottle of Connemara opened, one glass already quaffed to calm the nerves, wife banished to another room.
The scene is set for a memorable night/
Come on Celtic – Come on!!
My boss is Peter Principle
Cometh the hour……
New article guys :)
Certainly is a big night for Rogne seem to remember Jelavic giving him a hard time in the League Cup Final.
Is Kojo on holiday, havent seen any of his posts is ages guys
Baby Starry in bed, red wine opened, tricolour in place, Hoops on…Celtic TV…
Enjoy the game where ever you are in the world tonight…
Celtic there’s is no substitute..
Very positive team from Celtic.
Looks like the huns will be going for long balls to Jelavic and Lafferty, looking to, erm, “draw” fouls…
Hail Hail from a windy and as yet sparsely populated Paradise. Rangers’ line up shows us their plan tonight – launch them high balls and run after them as fast as you can. Let’s hope Rogne has wised-up a bit since the LC Final.
But if they’re playing two up front, that could leave us all the space we need to exploit our technical superiority. My one concern is the central defence. Laugherty and Jellyfish will be looking to alternately rough them up and collapse like a sack of spuds looking for freekicks around the box.
FAO SHANESTEETH
from my bruv:
na, it’s not on regular telly, which surprises me, as doesn’t ESPN hold the rights? Send the guy to Rosie McCaffrey’s, on Camelback Road and 7th St – just west of the 51.
That’s the official CSC for Phoenix
Hope you get this on time.
Nerves jangling! Bit concered about the inclusion of Rogne afer he was given the run around by Jellylegs last time. Really hope he makes amends for that one and then some! The stage is all his. Best of luck to everyone wearing green and white tonight… let’s do this rotten mob!
Nice to see wee Gordon there tonight, C’Mon the bhoys
What a crowd make’s you proud to hear them
Bouncing in O’Sheas in Manchester…..
Ha Ha the Huns got battered and beat? poor souls – representing the most bigoted, fascist institution in Scotland.. erm HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA
i’ll get my coat
In the end well beat but what would worry me, not obviously yourselfs, that time is up for this current Rangers team. The constant downsizing is taking its toll, we are such an ordinary team. There is not one creative player in our team and there is no quick fix.
By the way thought your right back Matthews was outstanding.
Done deal….table toppers!
Yooooooooo…. Hooooo
Ma Bhoy & his Burd jist got back tae me aboot the HUMONGUST Atmosphere in the stadium…..top stuff,
… Well done awe the HOOPS!!!
Wiz heart rending enough oan the Tele.
HH Gerry
Magnificent team performance tonight.
One thing we have to remember is that They are ALWAYS a hard team to beat.
It was always thus.
We had no under par performances. Everyone put in a shift.
RFC had will a plenty, which we more than matched.
What we had, which they couldn’t match, was superior skill.
I thought that the ref was doing well. the wallace “goal” was out of his hands, as was Hooper’s “offside”.
That was the Assistants call.
However, for the Mc.Culloch, Lafferty and Healy tackles, he bottled the decisions.
To think that we may be deprived of Kayal’s availability, due to Regan’s shambles of a fast track process, is worthy of litigation.
Tonight, gentlemen and ladies, we broke the will of RFC.