There are good ways and bad ways to win the League Cup; yesterday was perfect. The atmosphere reminded me of the 1997 final at Ibrox, where a similar result was achieved against Dundee United. That was our first League Cup in 15 years, but there was a more substantial reason to be optimistic then. At that moment, we began to believe that this could be the start of something significant.
Contrast that with the sentiment two seasons later, as we left Hampden having beaten Aberdeen in the same final. We’d won a trophy but celebrations were muted. We were miles behind in the league and that season had splurged significant resources on players who failed to deliver.
Celtic’s performance yesterday was imperious. It was controlled, oozed competence throughout the team and subjugated the second best team in the land with little fuss. Dare we start to believe we are at the start of something significant?
We dare.
The “start” of something significant is an unusual phrase to describe five-in-a-row champions, but having plateaued as merely champions in recent seasons, the Celtic Movement is on the march again.
These are exciting time – enjoy them.
What did you like most about the win yesterday? I’m really pleased at how effective and important our central defenders are becoming. They helped deliver a trophy without the loss of a goal in any round, but, more importantly, Jozo Simunovic and Erik Sviatchenko regularly morph into deep-lying playmakers.
At the opening goal, Simunovic wasn’t so deep-lying. Having carried the ball into the opposition half, he won a tackle 30 yards from goal before feeding Tom Rogic. Can you imagine how disruptive it is for opponents to have to deal with a central defender that high up the field? Who picks him up and what are the subsequent consequences?
Those of you old enough to swoon at the great No. 14 will remember when the world first discovered Total Football. As I watched Scott Brown drop behind his own defensive line to create space for others to move into it all came flooding back. The concept which ‘did for us’ a couple of times in the 70s echoes in what you’re now watching. This is Total Celtic. It’s difficult to get right but if you achieve it, it’s very difficult to play against.
This is why we’ve won a cup without conceding. This is why we plucked a guy from Fulham who appears to have geometrically appreciated in value. This is why a guy who didn’t get a lot of football at Aston Villa last season was given special treatment by Barcelona and Borussia Monchengladbach in the Champions League. This is why Stuart Armstrong and James Forrest are looking like new, better, players. They’re not, they are just working in a vastly better system.
437 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- ...
- 12
- »
Hebcelt-I agree that there certainly looks like there’s a bond between the players,on the pitch at least
Bada
Sorry you are wrong James Forrest did not support Lustig for 90 minutes, nigh on impossible seeing as he started the match playing on the left in front of Emilio and did so for the first 45 minutes. Me personally I thought that Big Rogic was Celtics best player overall yesterday
I thought Paddy had a good game yesterday. worked very hard and did track back.
THE EXILED TIM on 28TH NOVEMBER 2016 3:37 PM
I can’t believe some posters are even contemplating feeling sorry for McCoist, even remotely in the slightest, he is a sleekit turd and like the rest of them knuckledraging scumbags, see them two red lights disappearing in the distance, that’s us, never to be seen again hun scum, so suck it up.
I 100 % agree with you TET feel sorry for a dirty stinking hun never ever in my household everyone of them to the core they all want to try and score points with the peado references they are all scum to the core and I don’t care what anyone says on here there are no good Huns when they get amongst there own the bitterness and bigotry shine through
Mickybhoy- correct, i named wrong FB
E44- thanks for reply
Patrick Roberts is not for me a good investment. I have said on here before he cost us the semi final last year not giving our full back any cover and yesterday it was more of the same. I just cannot see why Man City paid the fee for him. He is lightweight.
I am afraid bye bye paddy!
I do agree out centre back pairing yesterday could go a long way, and I don’t mean sell them!
HH
Just back in from the superstore at Paradise…jeez its dear..£200 lighter!
What a great performance on and off the park. We were immense. Feel for Griff but he has to work hard and he’ll get his chance again. Smashing guy to talk to.
As for Paddy Roberts..he is a real talent..some posters writing him off..I just wonder if these are the guys who wrote off James. Give the bhoy a break..Brendan can make him a better player. Thought the pitch was poor yesterday.
57 in 57 for me. Always great being a Tim but more fun when the going is good.
UTLR
Kikinthenakas
From memory but haven’t watched it back yet I think Big John mentioned at some point “the old club rangers” or words to that effect!
HH
My humble opinion is that anyone who doesn’t rate Paddy Roberts knows less about football than the Magic Pratt, the Fat Gardener and BFDJ.
A deal to bring him to Celtic Park would be fantastic and I reckon no more than £4M to £5M.
Just my thoughts on it!
KTF
If this is not appropriate mods, please delete.
The Mrs has been nipping my head so I said I would post this.
Please read, This is the wife’s latest project-It’s all relevant.
‘The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.’ – Mahatma Gandhi
She’s raised more than half the money herself to get this poor beggar and her pups off the street. (Breakdown of costs in the link.)
https://www.gofundme.com/help-for-hanna
Maybe the wife helped me write this bit!
The Hun in the next Valley- who the wife, (if I do say so myself,) does a great impersonation of (Though her moustache is not as droopy. ) Told her to drown the pups, no one would donate to such a scabby dog. And then offered to shoot it for her.
The wife just smiled, but I could see her filing what he said away in the back of her mind for later. And there laying on the table when I got in last night was a wee doll complete with tiny bowler hat and sash with a big pin stuck through its arse.
Now! Alec -Billy- Boyne- McSevo- Orange is the new tw*t and his Hunette- Shenga *We’ve changed her name for legal reasons) It’s actually Karen- Kiss me Hunny Hunny! Were spotted by the wife during the summer months teaching the baby Gran-Huns how to march.Billy-Bob. Orange-Billy . Billy -Goat and the wee girl Dolly Part-Hun.
The next part is best read in a west Belfast accent.
Alec -Grand-hun’March ya feckers March- Dolly!- C’ mere to me, (Slap) when I say march you march, girl. AYE! March to that green post and back. NO!! Come back, the BLUE door- I meant that blue door.’
Wee Dolly Part-Hun-‘Grand-hun, why do we have to March so much?’
Grand-hun. It’s what we do-it’s tradition-we come from a long line of marchers.
Wee Dolly Part-Hun- ‘Gran-hun, can I have a poke with sprinkles on it?’
Grand-hun- Aye after the Marching-How many times do I have to tell ye- A march a day keep the Fenians away!
Wee Dolly Part-Hun- ‘Oh look at that ladies dogs can I pat them Grand’hun.’
Grand-hun-‘On ye go, don’t be long, we’ve still got Marching round corners to do, then we’ll have a cup of tae.’
Laters….
Wee Dolly Part-Hun-Oh Grand-hun, them dogs are just pure gorgeous their names are Eireann and Soarsie.- ((THUMP)) Grand-Hun wake up, why are you foaming at the mouth?’
And you can see what’s she up against- Please give what you can.
https://www.gofundme.com/help-for-hanna
https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=RTJOibVsKuAgX6E75bobtIzwgCSNyZhJ1cD8qqLgn-H40_fDNjbGAcXrEJ0&dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8d333dc9aadeed3fe0b5b299d55fd35542
https://www.facebook.com/Just-another-street-dog-1514903192156773/
DESSYBHOY on 28TH NOVEMBER 2016 1:34 PM
Can someone tell me what John Hartson said that had EBT McLeish squirming
BBJ was talking about how bad Aberdeen do against the big teams like Celtic and the old Rangers classic by big bad John I nearly choked on my bottle of millers
HH
Hun official site confirmed their Resolution 11 failed.
Also interesting to note that GASL only got reelected with 73% of the vote but all other directors got 87.5% of the vote.
Lack of confidence in the chair by over 25% of the shareholders. Seems 1 in 4 ain’t so gullible!
KTF
Champs Elect
I don’t think Tommy Burns or his family ever seen it the way you do
VFR800
“Seems 1 in 4 ain’t so gullible!”
Or it could be, given the history of the new club, that 3 in 4 are terrified of what might follow change. Better the devil you know…
VFR800 I think referred to the age of total football and that Celtic were in at the beginning of it all. This reminded me of seeing two games of the 1966 tour in New Jersey. The Big Mhan was trying out things as far back as that. In one came at Kearney High School park, he played Big Tam at centre forward. During the course of the second game one of my American cousins turned to me and ‘I cannot believe how fast these guys can move with a football at their feet.’
Incidentally, as a 77 year old I had seen or lived through a good number of cup wins though I was not present at all of them being out of the country for seven years. I still feel the emotion that welled up inside me when I was told we beat Oldco 7-1.
Did anyone notice the lack of appreciation shown by those stand in the presentation area? Appears they were not too happy that we had won 100 trophies, not counting the rest.
Had SSN on for the last couple of hours . Not a dickie bird about us winning a Major Trophy yesterday .
Now if Sevco had won it ….
channelislandcelt- i wouldn’t be surprised if Level 5 liars are on the Sky payroll
Bada Bing .
I despise them . Stink of Hun propaganda .
It’s on in the boozer btw ,, I wouldn’t give them a razoo !!
HH
CHANNELISLANDCELT
I really enjoyed the BT sports coverage yesterday, I usually watched Celtic TV over here but my subs lapsed and tuned into BBJ and CS yesterday, they’ve left Sky way behind in my limited opinion:))
great post paul67
br has obviously done something to the players and the play . I know I might get flak for this but I would say he’s nearly as good as the manager at that new club- rangers.
No income tax
No VAT
No new diluted share issue
No banking facility
No revenue stream
No credit
No assets
No signed off accounts
No investment
No ‘over’ investment
Sevco semper in excretum CSC
Starry Plough
I agree mate .
I know SKY didn’t cover the game yesterday . Still a joke they not even commenting on the game .
They don’t have the rights to the FA cup but I am pretty sure they will be talking about the final the following day .
Bada Bing on the money when he says Level 5 at work .
HH
CONNAIRE12 on 28TH NOVEMBER 2016 4:56 PM
VFR800 I think referred to the age of total football and that Celtic were in at the beginning of it all. This reminded me of seeing two games of the 1966 tour in New Jersey. The Big Mhan was trying out things as far back as that. In one came at Kearney High School park, he played Big Tam at centre forward. During the course of the second game one of my American cousins turned to me and ‘I cannot believe how fast these guys can move with a football at their feet.’
Incidentally, as a 77 year old I had seen or lived through a good number of cup wins though I was not present at all of them being out of the country for seven years. I still feel the emotion that welled up inside me when I was told we beat Oldco 7-1.
Did anyone notice the lack of appreciation shown by those stand in the presentation area? Appears they were not too happy that we had won 100 trophies, not counting the rest.
——————
you sparked a childhood memory there, uncle paddy higgins had a set of photos of that game,
Fk Sky. I sincerely hope BT Sport take on the full rights to Scottish football and we can say bye bye to that wee rat McCann.
I say again Paddy Robert’s if he is that good,why isn’t he starting in the first team,if Griffith’s was fit yesterday,he Paddy would have been on the sub bench,and I’m not a Pratt,or a B F J.im timbhoy who says that Robert’s is not for me.
Frank A63
Cheers, wish he would have a word with Phil Neville ,on Football Focus Saturday he said RFC 1872 got demoted, still plenty need to know the truth it would seem, Big John can help with that.
That same programme had a slot where Rob Maclean BBC Scotland was telling McInness they can beat Celtic, impartial interview not.
CHANNELISLANDCELT
Horrible manky mob mate…
PATMCGRATH I think they are the shareholders who are in it for the money.
CONNAIRE12 it was me. I grew up watching the Lions play and remember the 67 cup final well.
I also recall the emergence of Dutch football and thought it was just how Celtic played. Feynoord were a great example of this in the 70 cup final. They were similar to use and had players who could play many positions when required.
I’ve Kindvall, for example, could have played anywhere across the front positions including inside right and inside left.
KTF
I’VE is Ove
It’s ok to say Roberts had a poor game without writing him off.
bournesouprecipe – you may have been right going with McGregor, but Aberdeen were so pathetic it didn’t matter. Poor Derek McInnes did a good job of looking like he was in charge/shouting a lot, so no doubt they’ll keep him on.
Roberts and Armstrong weren’t much cop, and Lustig could do with a good game soon.
Forrest outstanding, and Simchenko look a solid pairing at the back.
PS Izzy iz great.
BBC excuse for not covering the CL is that they have no access rights too film footage etc. STV claiming the same for the ‘League Cup’ – they’ll both be majoring in the Sevco home draw tonight.
BTSport deserve credit for covering games properly with ex Celts involved the way it always should have been.
Chris “Sloppy” Sutton
I think Paddy will be a football star.
He has struggled a little this season but all youngsters go through such periods.
perhaps his remit from Brendan has stifled his play?
He seemed to rarely be in a position yesterday to score or create.
Not all players are able to fit into a coaches desired system.
if he stays and shows his obvious talent i will be delighted.
TIMBHOY3 Roberts isn’t starting because of the form of Sinclair and Forrest. He’s also very young and a loan player so is still developing (a la Dembele).
If Griffiths wasn’t fit he wouldn’t have been playing at all. So he was fit and was benched in preference to Roberts. All IMHO of course.
KTF
up_over
Simchenko? – I see why you did there
HH
BOURNESOUPRECIPE
Sevco v Galafairydean obviously the tie of the round:)
I have to agree with the bloggers who feel Sparky deserves to be treated better he is a 40 goal striker after all we want to keep him and not have him asking for a move. Dembele is for me far from the finished article and Brendan should be trying to ensure both our strikers are getting game time with Sparky being the first choice. H.H.
simchenko – genius
bournesouprecipe
I spliced them – it’s what the cool kids do.
“But what if it had my looks and your brain?” – Jozo Simunovic