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Dropping Gordon was ballsy, now manager has other decisions to make

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By on CQN BLOG & Comments

After the defeat at Ibrox on 29 December, we anticipated changes, but the most significant decision Brendan Rodgers made was the most unexpected.  Celtic’s man of the match that day was goalkeeper, Craig Gordon, without whom the score would have been significantly worse than the 1-0 defeat.  Remarkably, he was dropped and has not played since.

The reason for this has nothing to do with Craig’s ability between the sticks, it gets to the reason we lost control of the game: how quickly and accurately we move the ball.  Despite a man of the match performance, Craig was dropped because Brendan realised our game plan can be easily dismantled if we are pedestrian in possession.

While Scott Bain is better with the ball at his feet than Craig, and Craig’s liability in this area is limited, central midfield was significantly more culpable for what went wrong at Ibrox.

Since then Callum McGregor has been restored to his normal midfield berth, Scott Brown has retained his place and Olivier Ntcham has been absent through injury, so the manager has had no major selection choices to make in this area.  Olivier is now fit and in with a chance of making his first appearance of the year in Sunday’s Scottish Cup tie, while just as we were at Ibrox, we are short at left back, where McGregor moved to fill in.

Brendan has some big decisions to make this week.  A central mid of Brown and Ntcham is not right for the football we play.  In taking the least expected decision, to drop Gordon for Bain, I hope we saw a sign that Brendan values the velocity with which we circulate the ball.

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  7. macjay1 for Neil Lennon on

    In the recent ten men 3-2 win at Ibrox , my heart was in my mooth at the prospect of newly signed Bain between the posts .

     

     

    He performed magnificently .

     

     

    Subsequently I heard about his joy at being signed by Celtic after being discarded at Dundee under fractious circumstances , and the distress of the Motherwell keeper who was desperate to sign for us but was baulked by his club.

     

     

    Bain came with a point to prove. Motivated and determined. Great mentality for a player.

     

     

    Nice one , son .

     

     

    https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/47187256

     

     

     

     

     

    https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/47187256

  11. petec on

    SS, keep looking for the Ki poetry that transcends.

     

     

    The very Best wishes from me with your endeavour.

     

     

    You faced Death and you are still here – Rocking like a Rhino.

     

     

    M A G I C A L

  12. Saint Stivs on

    PETEC on 10TH FEBRUARY 2019 1:16 AM

     

     

    time for bed for me, my across the bridge comrade, do me a favour, take yourself to bed, give yourself a break, go try switch off, have a nightshift off.

     

     

    Finbar Furey – The Last Great Love Song | RTÉ The Hit

     

     

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNFiD1ZQZLU

  16. petec on

    I hope the Bhoys beat St J, Today.

     

     

    No doubt the “Star of the Show” will want to take Centre Stage, getting in the way just ootside the 18 yard box – Nope its not on Premium watched channels.

     

     

    Anger is indeedi an Energy,

     

     

    Mr C called it bang on the MONEY.

     

     

    The Referee is first and foremost a Health & Safety Officer.

  23. An Tearmann on

    Good post from Tontine Tim

     

     

    Hope you don’t mind repost

     

     

    TONTINE TIM on 9TH FEBRUARY 2019 4:16 PM

     

     

    Thanks for compliments re my article about us, the sfa and the mitb. I didn’t mean to make it so long but once I started the words just kept flowing, a bit like Robert Plant when he penned “Stairway to Heaven”, BTW not a fan of Plant or Led Z although I do like his favourite team.

     

     

    Since I posted it the merde continued to flow and I wasn’t in the least surprised about the events of Wednesday night, another example of why they don’t care, and they really think they are the “untouchables”.

     

     

    Like recent events we have in our history been subjected tae disputed penalties, testicle interference, kicking and stamping, agricultural tackling and outright lying, not fibbing or spoofing but lying.

     

     

    I have mentioned often that the sfa have despised us since we along with Renton FC orchestrated the formation of the Scottish Football League thereby removing both theirs and Queens Parks power.

     

     

    Twelve years after that one of the other defecting clubs by virtue of their chairman the repulsive former Lord Provost of the dear green place, ure primrose, pledged them to the craft. They immediately started to recruit from the goatshaggin ludges.

     

     

    This also occurred around the same time of Harland and Wolff, as a result of the increasing political instability in Ireland, acquired and amalgamated 2 shipyards in Govan bringing their toxic workforce with them and so they were also recruited from.

     

     

    It wasn’t just players and officials but also supporters, business associates, tradesmen, clerks, accountants, police, officers of the court, and most importantly the smsm. Their run of success happened almost immediately.

     

     

    This was nothing short of match fixing until they were caught red handed (pun intended) by detectives from the City of London police, it would have been swept under the checkered floor if the Glasgow polis had been involved.

     

     

    With the sfa controlling the mitb and the huns the smsm it’s surprising how well we have done as a club but that can be put down to our founders who were by-products of “Black 47” and weren’t going tae allow any bowling club members to tell them how tae run their business.

     

     

    We also have tae consider when we were at our strongest was when we had strong mhen, Wullie Maley, Jock and MON, at the helm, and even then they tried and sometimes succeeded at cheating us. Great but nice Celtic mhen such as James Edward and TB were nae match for the sleekit scot symons and naesurnames.

     

     

    The feeling was not so much take it on the chin but that’s just the way it is, in fact on being hired Sir Bob said something similar tae Jock who according tae the late and great Hugh McIlvanney allegedly replied “aye that’ll be right”

     

     

    However, we now live in different and exciting times, the last 2 years have been a revelation with the “Me Too Movement” and “Black Lives Matter”, no more sitting at the back of the bus, didn’t Baron Reid of Cardowan suggest this before departing 7 year ago, unfortunately we also live in a lying culture.

     

     

    Our support includes children of a fighting race as well as descendants of the Highland Clearances’, let’s not forget who orchestrated the “Massacre of Glencoe”, aye the same wee dykeplugger that is still heralded on the streets of Scotland by the trailer trash that follow follows them.

     

     

    The population of the UK is approx 66.6 million, with around 5.3 million in Scotland. It is estimated there are roughly 200,000 goatshaggers in England and Wales, a drop of 150,000 in the last 20 years which is why they now have an open door policy, around 0.3% of the population.

     

     

    Ludges are closing at a rate of 100 a year and just 2% of trooser lifters are under the age of 30. There are no figures for the craft in Scotland, it’s a secret lol or mibbees they’re drappin and don’t want it known.

     

     

    I wonder if the mersey mooth is a member of annfield ludge 2215, his former club were founded by craftsmen.

     

     

    So given there weakening outside the borders, and probably inside, of the best wee bigoted country in the world why does this antiquated boys club hold so much power in the land of my birth, a power that has as indicated above dissipated elsewhere, in fact in capitalist America the last President craft member was leslie lynch king aka gerald ford, enough said there.

     

     

    In saying that we’re talking about a country where for some it’s like the land that time forgot and are still stuck in the 17th century.

     

     

    It looks on the face of it that last night justice has been done although the sheep’s nose must be out of joint, they still lost 3 points. Has the worm turned, are our leaders jumping all over the former cove huns and queens park players, let’s not forget that although PL left the sfa he is still involved with the spfl and we are once again in a powerful position in the Scottish game after years of suffering from the tin pot rag and bone man’s dictatorship. Let’s wait until Sunday night to see if we are in the hat for the next round.

  24. Matt Stewart on

    I dont come here very often…Who cares anyway..I’ve freed up enough time to stare at a blank tv screen and shout “feck off”

     

     

    A biilion years ago, inspired by the likes of Kano, Kitalba, Rioskorrie, TinyTim, WinningGemmell, BlantyreKev and a thousand others I scrawled the following…weve allowed money to spoil the simplest greatest passtime in the world…and it seems that now the only thing that matters is how much money weve got….time to remember why we never want to be there.

     

     

    Echoes of Famine

     

     

    Through mists of sleep my mind’s eye wanders, and forms a shadow of a glorious past,

     

    I surge through clouds that veil my vision, to take my place in the supporting cast!

     

    In hovels dark and damp with ills, where the coin of life had the face of death,

     

    We sought not comforts, gold or wealth, our only wish…. a coughless breath.

     

    But hopes and dreams are nought but tears when no-one ventures to wipe them dry,

     

    Concealing lands of fertile promise, where a smile replaces the forlorn cry.

     

     

    And you …Yes you…You ‘landed gentry’, your wealth built on the East-end dead,

     

    With barbed wire souls, repelling conscience, you closed your eyes and went to bed!

     

     

    And did you dream your evil burdens, would stoke the flames of tyrranic fire,

     

    And keep us humbled ‘neath your heels, fearing ambition to aspire?

     

    Did you really think your wells of money could douse the covert blaze of slaves,

     

    Were you so blind you couldn’t see, the unity built on mounting graves?

     

    Or did you think your ways were just, bestowed on you by an enlightened God,

     

    Chosen by the spoon of birth, to be our betters and spare no rod?

     

     

    And you …Yes you…You ‘landed gentry’, your wealth built on the East-end dead,

     

    With barbed wire souls, repelling conscience, you closed your eyes and went to bed!

     

     

    And when you strolled to church on Sunday, Catholics, Protestants, Mormons, Jews,

     

    Whose ten commandments formed your bible, which god endowed your bitter views?

     

    Love thy neighbour (if he has money), thou shalt not steal (unless needs must),

     

    Bear no false witness (but in mammon’s service), thou shalt not covet (except in lust),

     

    Did you pray for those that wanted or salve your conscience of satanic greed,

     

    False use of power enriches power, true use of power leads those who need!

     

     

    And you …Yes you…You ‘landed gentry’, your wealth built on the East-end dead,

     

    With barbed wire souls, repelling conscience, you closed your eyes and went to bed!

     

     

    But in those middens, fed by honour, the flower of justice spread its roots,

     

    As winters’ frosts and black snow melted, the springtime nurtured rebellion’s shoots,

     

    Despairing chains cast off forever, those prison walls were laid to waste,

     

    Restored to us our fruits of labour, no more again we’ll have to taste,

     

    Those bitter salts of hopeless weeping, those cast off crumbs of mocking bread,

     

    Subserviance’s grime washed from our labours, on dignity we dine instead.

     

     

    And you …Yes you…You ‘landed gentry’, your wealth built on the East-end dead,

     

    With barbed wire souls, repelling conscience, you closed your eyes and went to bed!

     

     

    Hail hail

     

     

    Matt

  25. _CFC_ on

    SAINT STIVS on 10TH FEBRUARY 2019 12:54 AM

     

    i wrote a poem about it, but i gave up.

     

    a song which nearly broke my heart, a tramp lay dying in a park.

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpFHffUPQho

     

    …………

     

    Thank you.

     

    The homeless Mary and Joseph, brought the King of the “tramp’s” into this world.

     

    They may not realize it at this moment, but, the homeless and the “tramp’s” will have the best seat’s in paradise, the real Paradise.

     

    Thank you again.

     

    HH

     

     

    Sleep time, for the game later.

     

    Stay safe Celts.

  30. 16 roads. on

    FOOL TIME WHISTLE on 9TH FEBRUARY 2019 10:24 PM

     

     

    ——————————————

     

     

    The wee zombie took a dive.

     

     

    You can continue to present the wee zombie as paragon of virtue on here, however you can’t change the fact that he is a dirty cheat.

  32. big packy 1 on

    morning bhoys from a mild but rainy Cheshire,, like reading fool time whistles posts, but having watched it now about a dozen times,, its definitely a dive for me.hh.

  33. David66 on

    Good morning CQN from a very mild and dry Garngad

     

     

    Not read back yet, but seen a few posts about Defoe,without a doubt he dived to con the referee.

     

    His get out is he gets up and says to defender I never claimed, he thinks that makes it ok, the same as Sleekit said in his defence at the bigotdome when Defoe dived again.

     

     

    So he probably tells his players dive like fuck in the box and if we get it great, if you don’t then get up and say to opposing player you never asked for a penalty, then we can say to TV pundits but we never claimed. Cheating bar stewards the lot of them.

     

     

    Same as Alex Ray “McGregor was defending himself” wtf, this muppet is allowed to spout this pish on radio to the listening zombies, who then think football is about nearly snapping people’s shins in 2 whist defending yourself. A lot of utter pish.

     

     

    The pundits now are looking for examples to come up with, because they are raging about the goonie monsters failed appeal and McGregor the cheating RAT getting a ban.

     

     

    They have no morals.

     

     

    COYBIG. Let’s get through this tie and move onto the spaniards.

     

     

    D. :)

  37. NorrieM on

    Incidentally good of the RBC,to show the handball in the visitors box last night on highlights

     

    Oh, they missed the penalty takers handball,

     

    so couldn’t show it on highlights

     

    Oh well suppose it didn’t happen, and not worth talking about

  38. Jobo Baldie on

    Good morning friends from a dry and bright East Kilbride. And it’s a Matchday, always exciting even when it is just the telly for me.

  40. connaire12 on

    St Stivs is the answer to your question at 12.44a.m. not given in the photo? See the advert at the right corner of the photo…it is for the Oak Mall in Greenock.

  41. Jobo Baldie on

    Oh and a big shout out to The Huddle for his musical links from Saturday evening. Quite a few crackers in there that I hadn’t seen for a while.

     

    Back to football and does anyone know who our ref is today?

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