For much of the first half, I thought Newco played well against the champions. In the opening 30 minutes Celtic only created one clear-cut chance, a crisp movement which presented Kyogo with millisecond to fire a shot at goal from 8 yards, which went straight at Butland.
In return, Fabio Silva had a shot from a tight angle which went narrowly wide and really should have got a free header on target. The much-maligned loanee was key to much of what worked for Newco during that period.
Shots peppered in from Celtic. Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate, James Forrest and, of course, Matt O’Riley all tried their luck from around the edge of the area (or further out, in the case of Reo). It was a controlled finish from O’Riley from 16 yards which burst the game into life.
James Tavernier needlessly gave away possession deep inside the Celtic half. It was an unforced mis-pass but not a culpable one. Even the greats don’t always find their target destination. What then happened explains the difference between these two closely matched teams.
Callum McGregor ran past three Newco players into space down the Celtic right. He then spun 270° to see Matt O’Riley run past the same players into an unlikely empty space inside the Newco box.
It was a lesson on the dangers of ball watching, although O’Riley in particular deserves credit. His run was tracked by Barisic, until O’Riley figured this out and checked his run. Matt had already narrowly missed the target at Butland’s left twice but on this occasion found the bottom corner of the net to give Celtic the lead.
Newco match Celtic in so many areas and even spend more on player wages, but a few seconds in a game where elite level thinking comes up against standard grade grunts is all it takes to decide the outcome of a season.
Tavernier escapes too much criticism for the first goal but he was wholly culpable for the second. Cameron Carter-Vickers epic pass to Daizen Maeda was controlled expertly. Tavernier ambled towards play, giving Daizen time to get the ball under control and get a run on the defender.
His cross was met by the unfortunate Lundstram. Like Tavernier three minutes earlier this was just an unfortunate mistake, but Lundstram was one of the four statues McGregor and O’Riley waltzed around for the opener, and his afternoon was about to get a lot worse.
That should have been that but the old adage, the most dangerous time is just after you’ve scored a goal, came true. Alistair Johnston was isolated facing Silva and Barisic on the right, the latter pitched a cross at the back post for Sterling to head back into the six-yard box. It was a well worked goal, Celtic’s mistake was allowing Johnston to be isolated.
My pre-match prediction that Silva and Cantwell would be carded missed the mark, the former behaved himself and the latter spent the afternoon getting his tints done. Spotting a vacancy, Lundstram lunged into Alistair Johnston’s shin with studs up. Referee Willie Column missed the severity of the challenge in real time but VAR interceded and the first half ended with the red card waving at Newco’s midfield enforcer.
The better teams don’t always win at football because chance conversion is relatively low and occurs randomly. This was the only real danger to Celtic in the second period. They should have increased their lead. Adam Idah shot wide and on another occasion didn’t see the ball until it was too late.
Daizen Maeda could easily have remained onside and in acres of space for the second of his two goals disallowed for offside. Nicolas Kuhn’s mazy run past two defenders deserved better and goodness, what price a reliable penalty taker!
In return, Newco threw the kitchen sink at Celtic but were unable to craft an attempt on target. Those of us who remember the 80s, with our perma-attack tactics and the memorable occasions when we lost a late equaliser chasing a goal we didn’t need, were happy to see all those green and white jerseys protecting Joe Hart’s goal. Game management won out.
The final whistle was a genuinely joyous moment. The title is not concluded yet and the consequences of what has happened this season will take years to unfold. All for another day!
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https://youtu.be/cYhiNrsmU9A?feature=shared
Excellent Celtic TV piece on POTY Awards
OONDOCK SAINT on 13TH MAY 2024 6:42 PM
it is those little heart warming tales that makes the world a better place.
brilliant.
We need to strengthen, so that we can qualify for the CL groups, 2025-26. Does anyone know if second in the league next year will have a chance to qualify for the CL or will they be in tbe Europa? We can be sure they huns will spend (whose money, god knows) to try and qualify this year.
Boondock Saint
Wonderful 👍👏
Get it right up ye ya hun canutes.
Reports in Denmark saying 2 top 6 EPL clubs, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan after O’Riley
Bada Bing
The more the better ,
The price will just rise HH
Minimum £25 million, see what they come back with
Yes, I can’t help but think Matt will be off this summer. I will be watching him during lap of honour after the final. I imagine it will be similar to Jota last year. However, I think he’ll always be a fan. We have been very good for each other…
ziggydoc,
both first and second in scotland next season HAVE TO PLAY CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUALIFIERS.
celtic, the winner will be in the playoff stage.
hearts the probable runners up, will have 3rd round qulifier then a play off.
WEEBOBBYCOLLINS on 13TH MAY 2024 7:01 PM
Yes, I can’t help but think Matt will be off this summer. I will be watching him during lap of honour after the final. I imagine it will be similar to Jota last year. However, I think he’ll always be a fan. We have been very good for each other…
Aye and hes handsome…..
🎶 Have you seen a handsome Hun?
No No
Have you seen a handsome Hun?
No No
Have you seen a handsome Hun?
Haven’t seen a single one
no oh oh oh oh!
‘Cos they’re so fekin ugly
so fekin ugly
so fekin ugly
‘Cos they’re so fekin ugly🎶
A wee bit of politics from Joe Stiglitz
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/05/13/stiglitz-captialism-economics-democracy-book/?utm_campaign=wp_post_most&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_most&carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F3db3c26%2F66423df336320572dc0c5d28%2F65994a6f8f3aa37b81060cf8%2F12%2F45%2F66423df336320572dc0c5d28
I may celebrate. 🍺🍺
This is so trooo LMFAO
https://twitter.com/yogijunior3/status/1790080256444977419?t=alfq_HqEo-qz0G2qGxpc_g&s=07
BOONDOCK SAINT on 13TH MAY 2024 6:42 PM
Sounds like a perfect day for you and your team – will done
TIMBHOY163 on
Over to our own club Celtic ,a few months Chris Mckay said on Celtic TV that everyone knows Celtic Park needs a lot of renovations, so what’s to be done,is it inside or outside, or is just pie in the sky?
……………………..
The biggest and best renovations would be to remove at least 40,000 of the unnecessary seats which were brought into being by the Psyop [psychological operation] carried out by Thatchers goons at Hillsborough 1989 were fans were deliberately crushed by deliberate bad policing on the day, 97 Liverpool fans lost souls sacrificed to make the point about unsafe terraces, 97 RIP.
Problem – Reaction – Solution, courtesy of the Government Masonic Sleekitry.
Look at the past 4 years and point to the bit that wasn’t a Psyop…
Some folk just watched too much BBC bs and The Guardian’s planted pish.
https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1789968466025279488/pu/vid/avc1/268×480/BMbwLCGgCBladu8m.mp4?tag=12
Channel 4 News is the broadcast version of The Guardian’s pish…carefully worded, punch pulling pish.
In 1980’s Thatcher Government could not control the English football hooliganism problem, especially by English International fans, so Thatcher brought in a `security state` through footballs back door with all seating, all ticket, then all season ticket were fans have to declare their full name, address, bank account number, phone number, email address, etc, and the security forces will join that info onto whatever else they need to get the full picture about everybody who attends a football game.
Standing on terraces was never unsafe apart from when the bottles and cans were thrown down to the front of the terrace to mainly younger fans who had to break onto the pitch sometimes to get away from the missiles but thankfully terraces allowed fans to escape the missiles.
Thatcher Government made it unsafe in 1989 specifically to push their agenda focused security state…and made football stadiums more unsafe and boring than ever.
A Celtic fan had his head set on fire only recently in an away game at Motherwell, because were are you supposed to move to to get out of the way of a stray bit of Pyro flame that goes onto the guys head because he could not get out of the way?
All seating has been used to brainwash fans that they are safe…a seat for life is not worth the paper its written on, if you are a Tim with a “Not The View” outlook on things and you find yourself sat next to 6 or 8 etc “Celtic View” brainwashed anoraks who engage in non stop Psickophantic chatter for 2 hours…and all of a sudden your seat for life becomes the biggest pain in the ass of your life…what are the options?
You can no longer move along 4 or 5 yards to let your head get some peace and quiet with some sanity restored and better stress levels without 6 or 8 constant yapping, constant licking the “Celtic View” boring dreamers stuck in each ear for the whole game ffs!
Safe standing is anything but safe, boring yes, but not safe..we need real standing like when fitba was real etc…and men were not discriminated against for being men…
https://x.com/BGatesIsaPyscho/status/1789566478305366250
…and women were real and not an androgynous wolf in sheep clothing.
Matty.
Stadium upgrades should include the main entrance. That red brick facade is incredibly dated and naff. I’ve always thought it looks like a council office building. It needs demolished and replaced with a modern glass/steel structure, something more befitting the stadium and our name.
HH.
Is that 420!
==========
https://twitter.com/Celticcurio/status/1790046201053577289?s=19
Social media has some fun ones
HH
Those banners they put up round the stadium are crap,can barely make out what’s on them
SAINT STIVS on 13TH MAY 2024 7:02 PM
_____
Thanks for the info. It’s really imperative that we recruit really well this summer. If O’riley does go, he’ll leave a massive gap. A really likeable boy too, who’s not your average footballer type.
Aston Howler
Real shame for the thoroughly likeable goalkeeper Martinez
BADA BING
Celtic players and Celtic managers of the past. I guess that would explain your predicament.
Tower Bar, Main Street. Lovely folks here in Elphin. Very welcoming and just as I remember it from nearly 50 years ago.
RIMTIMTIM on 13TH MAY 2024 3:56 PM
As EKBHOY @ 12:23 put it , we were playing against “‘ Big lads that run about “, ie brawn. And as Paul67 says we had the brains to win the game in our management of events. Brawn cannot be kept in a bottle too long and Lundstrum had a shocking tackle even worse than Souness against Billy Stark at Celtic Park. Thank you for the wage packet info HRVATSKI JIM , Incredible salaries for seven of those players! All or bust economics as Paul67 has oft told us. We need to do everything to keep Matt O’Riley, he can be Celtic’s next captain, maybe we need to get him a nice burd in Glasgow, whatever, he is a wonderful player. And yes a shout out to Coatbridge’s very own Tony Ralston, like Willie O’Neill’s goal line clearance in the League Cup Final of 1966 his intervention was vital. We are a team.
————————————————————————————————————-
Matt has already got a very very attractive burd. my daughter in law knows her very well and has shown me some pictures of them when out for a meal together. I believe she’s of italian descent.
KEEP THE FAITH
Tom @ 8:07
Touché
lol
what a palaver to login again
The small doll gave me a smoking jacket a few years ago. She set my suit on fire. I was still wearing it.
Regarding O’Riley (and all our highly rated players who may be interesting buying clubs)
I wouldn’t get too excited about the number of clubs interested in a player. I very much doubt that a bidding war will commence.
Said player will likely have a buy-out clause in their contract…with amount easily identified by interested clubs. All clubs would offer Celtic said sum. It would then be up to the player which offer he accepts. The only bidding war will be on financial terms for the player (imo)
HH
Loved the piece on the POTY awards. Thanks Bada.
Very emotional seeing the KOK up there.
Tom- check out the ones facing London Rd ,up from where the old school was,the old banners were far better looking
Love the English version of var
Pretty opaque with offsides
ie you can see how they manipulate the camera angles to get the decision
Up in scotland
Its like watching 2 drunk uncles in 1972 playing rock, scissors, stone for the first bite of a fish supper
Neither are perfect
Down south they invest more of their/sky money in camera’s etc
But its night and day
In this summer transfer window ,would Ben Doak be a good acquisition either buy or on loan,his first team playing for Liverpool have been limited, and would he come back to Celtic.
Quite a few emotive comments made earlier about Diomande’s challenge on Hatate. Some suggesting an elbow striking the head/face of Hatate.
In real time, I thought it looked like a shove in the back and a foul with no card was the right decision. On replay, it looks more naughty. Looks like he slams his forearm onto Hatate’s shoulder (rather than an elbow to the head).
I can see why it could be viewed either way, and I’m not sure there is enough of a clear and obvious error to allow VAR to get involved.
Just my opinion.
HH
Hopefully Celtic Park eventually will get a fresh outlook ,which hasn’t had one since the redevelopment of the stadium.
I loved the previous CELTIC LEGENDS cover banners for the stadium, used until this season.
You could see the celtic end from the kingston bridge, and the coatbrig end and main stand corners from the M74.
Todays efforts are rubbish in comparison. really poor.
Made In Paradise magazine pays tribute to stadium banner legends
10 Jun 2016
General
https://www.celticfc.com/news/10680
NO BOBBY DOES IT PETTA on 13TH MAY 2024 7:40 PM
Stadium upgrades should include the main entrance. That red brick façade is incredibly dated and naff. I’ve always thought it looks like a council office building. It needs demolished and replaced with a modern glass/steel structure, something more befitting the stadium and our name.
*I always preferred the original structure which I believe is still there beneath the current façade
https://www.thecelticwiki.com/celtic-park/celtic-park-stadium-banners/
Whilst I wouldn’t bet on us not winning the league, I think it’s important to remember we still need to do just that…ie play well enough to earn at least a point.
Neither Killie or St Mirren are going to lie down and let us stroll either game. We will need to go out and earn our rewards.
Remember, Killie have beaten us twice this season on their plastic surface. It’s not a gimme on Wed.
And despite how poor we think Sevco are, I fully expect them to win both their remaining games. Yes, their squad looks stretched tomorrow night. But I’d be very surprised if they don’t win comfortably at home to Dundee.
BR will need to focus our players on the job at hand at Killie. No complacency.
HH