Events in the final international break of the season went in our favour. Callum McGregor, Greg Taylor and Josip Juranovic were all rested. Reo Hatate played his first 45 minutes football in a stress-free match against Vietnam, while Matt O’Riley had 20 minutes action for Denmark U21s. Celtic players will return from international duty injury-free and sufficiently rested ahead of Sunday.
By comparison, Newco’s three Nigerian internationals were involved in an exhausting home draw with Ghana which was not enough to see them eliminated from the World Cup. You and I know that these things can be overcome, but we also know Newco like an excuse to fail. Now they have one readymade.
Whether they play Alfredo Morelos, who is carrying an injury, or leave him out, the Columbian’s condition gives them an additional excuse to fail. This comes a week after they accused a group of fans of undermining their domestic and European challenges. Give a team an excuse to fail and they will take it. Maybe Newco know what to expect on Sunday.
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How we cope with the first 20 minutes will be a good indicator of how the game will pan out. All their fans animosity towards the board will be put to one side for the afternoon. They know what is at stake just as much as we do. All the hatred will be focused on the pitch.
We have had plenty of ragged and timid performances at Ibrox over the years, even under Rodgers, so the key for me is to get them on the back foot, and keep them there. Also need to win first header from their corners and free kicks. Also, …………………………….nah.
Anyway, why am I faffing about on a keyboard telling Ange whats what ? Need to trust Mr P to do that.
As regards O`Riley or Rogic.
I think O`Riley oozes class and inspires confidence in the support. Rogic is much less predictable and still has many detractors — although they are diminishing in number –. Even so, I would go with Big Tom as his unpredictable brilliance is more likely to produce a goal. However, if Matt plays and scores a hat-trick I won`t be too disappointed .
Newco crapped it at our place. We can’t allow that to happen. I don’t believe Ange will allow it.
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I don’t think anyone can allow, or, forbid, “crapping” – it is what happens on the day, in the arena.
The Ibrox team must be made to feel uncomfortable. They are at home with a full-house ‘comfort-blanket’ wrapped around them. That has stood them in good stead this season, especially in Europe when they play better teams. Those teams were unable to knock them out of their comfort-zone – that’s what we must do to get a result.
Intent from the start – take the game to them, just like we did on the day Edouard ‘kicked for touch’ at the kick-off, and of course as we did at Celtic Park earlier in the season.
If we do that, we can win….and if we do it and we fail, there can be no recriminations.
Jimdom:
“Anyway, why am I faffing about on a keyboard telling Ange whats what ? Need to trust Mr P to do that.”
I think we do trust Ange but faffing about on a keyboard helps keep our tension in check!
JHB on 30TH MARCH 2022 2:17 PM
Prepare for some stick and accusations for daring to use the word `fail` !!
HOT SMOKED
I think we do trust Ange but faffing about on a keyboard helps keep our tension in check!
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Not mine it doesn’t HS. I play these games out in my head but tend to only focus on the potential bad stuff. Always a relief when the game is over, to be honest.
We’ve spoke about our lineup , here’s how i think they’ll lineup.
McGregor
Tavernier
Goldson
Helander
Bassey
Kent
Kamara
Jack
Lundstrom
Aribo
Morelos.
With Kent and Aribo pushing up to make a front three ……Should be some game if we dont freeze .
Marspapa,
I think they’ll go for Balogun over Helander. Faster and they are worried about the pace of our front 3.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Ramsey start in a ‘here we go Joey Barton kinda way’ and then get hooked in 65 minutes to a chorus of boos.
HH
How nice is it to have genuine options for the starting eleven! For me it’s a front three of Maeda Giakoumakis and Jota (on the right). Maeda should help negate Tav/Pen and as others have said will put pressure on McGregor which won’t end well for him! O’Riley over Rogic for me but again that’s just a gut call. The fact that you could have a bench that includes Kyogo, Turnbull, Abada, Forrest, Rogic means that however the first hour plays out we have genuine game changing options.
BIG WAVY on 30TH MARCH 2022 2:42 PM
Marspapa,
I think they’ll go for Balogun over Helander. Faster and they are worried about the pace of our front 3.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Ramsey start in a ‘here we go Joey Barton kinda way’ and then get hooked in 65 minutes to a chorus of boos
HH
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I hope youre right about the chorus of Boos…… due to them being Skelped😂😂😂👍
Good afternoon all from Jamaica Street. A chilly day in old Glasgow Town.
Interesting to see how Sunday’s game plays out.
What TFOD2.1 team will turn up — SPL lazy mob vs EuL Playing for a move?
Plus what version of us that turns up — low energy / wasteful vs focused / up for it?
Then you have the crowd angle — bigger issue for them than us.
We played OK last time out but too many were not fully engaged.
Better this time with AP / new players having more experience.
I think that we are the better team but we have a glass jaw.
Plus we are still not right regarding our MF — NB is our only DM but is prone to brain burps.
However we have more than enough talent to put them under pressure plus we have increased our effort and energy levels — step forward CCV / JJ / DM / GG.
Biggest issue is that we can’t lose the league on Sunday they can.
Pressure — will it impact them positively or negatively?
Finally AP is a better manager than GVB.
I’d also go with O’Riley over Rogic. I think we need as much energy as possible to start the game – if we can over run them like we did at Celtic Park (or even get close to that) I think we’ll do alright.
Bring Rogic on later in the game when the energy levels are lower – to score our 4th 👍🏼
Where are you today BRRB?
HOT SMOKED on 30TH MARCH 2022 2:22 PM
JHB on 30TH MARCH 2022 2:17 PM
Prepare for some stick and accusations for daring to use the word `fail` !!
—–
Yes indeed!! – I am impervious to “stick” now…..”that which does not………etc:😏
Modern life / society — the Welsh MP in the news — the “youth” of today.
Can’t quite fully understand the situation — huge number of alarm bells ringing in my head about his past history and yet he is now being bigg’ed up as the political equivalent of Bambi’s mother?
How come?
Comes across as a complete snider — always on the take / make trying to turn a trick by whatever means necessary to make some money.
Claims agency / cold calling / dodgy websites.
Gets a PHD in astro bum-fluffery — while all this seems to be going on..
Has a go at politics and flounces out here / there / everywhere — dog ate his resignation letter allegedly.
And then you have the situation that even with that past / back story he is selected as a GE candidate and gets elected as an MP — the Welsh / don’t you love them?
Then they goes all in regarding interweb dating and catches a right cracker who tries the old blackmail angle — Russian roulette must be a bit too boring for a person of this level of high wire act without the safety net attitude.
Sexual assault allegations are then thrown out willy nilly — the sentence his blackmailer got would suggest that it was not taken to court but he can spout off anyway.
If sexual assault was proven then what does that say about our legal system?
Then there is a road traffic accident and they do a runner.
Slap on the wrist regarding being unfit to drive — unfit by what measure?
How many social workers are going to be needed to sort this mess out?
Huge amount of work needed to turnaround a back story of this complexity.
But come out as some sort of trans person and everything is seemingly OK?
Not sure I can join in — attention seeking / chancer / no-mark would be the best I could offer.
JHB…yes, you had to mention ‘fail’. I do believe you are used to failure in your life.
Don’t worry though, we’ll win on Sunday, nae bother.
Majestic Hartson, in Crystal Palace, Jamaica Street. May move on to the Bon Accord or Scotia. Decisions, decisions. 🤔
HOT SMOKED on 30TH MARCH 2022 2:22 PM
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WEEBOBBYCOLLINS on 30TH MARCH 2022 3:39 PM
JHB…yes, you had to mention ‘fail’. I do believe you are used to failure in your life.
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“Cometh the hour, cometh the man”. The bait is apparently irresistible as well as obsessional.
For the record — Welsh MP story.
There were two events — I conflated them into one.
2020 = Blackmail / 2.5 years in jail for the blackmailer.
2021 = Sexual assault allegations against an interweb date.
My team for Sunday.
Hart
Jura CCV Carl GT
Hatate Cal Mc
O’Riley
Maeda Giaka Jota
Subs:
Bain
Ralston
Julienne
Turnbull
Idegucci
Koyogo
Rogic – if fit
Abada
Forrest
Bitton
McCarthy
Go for the jugular Ange.
D :)
Common sense tells us there are no guarantees in Football.
They are at home, have showed very well in European games and if they bring that European type intensity to the game they will be difficult to beat.
We are on an absolutely fabulous Domestic run, our form wobbled a bit a few weeks back but last 3 outings we had our Mojo back, Gio stepped up & gave us a new dimension up front, if we can keep form of last 3 games we will be very difficult to beat,
We are 3 ahead with a much superior goal difference so no matter what unfolds we will be leading the League Sunday night with 6 games left, 4 of them at Celtic Park,
A win and we will have one hand on the trophy, I believe we can & will win but to quote the old saying, if someone offered me a draw right now I’d take the hand and all off him.
DAVID66 on 30TH MARCH 2022 4:42 PM
That’s the team! Run them ragged for sixty minutes then send on the fresh legs.
Collum has been banned from their games for a while this season. Back for a reason A pen and/or red card in first 20 mins. Ref is always the biggest danger
in the past I’ve felt very confident about the outcome of the game when playing them – and we’ve got beat, equally I’ve felt we’re going to get hammered here and we’ve won, so now I know that no matter how I feel it will have zero impact on the outcome of the game,
Think we can all see them getting a penalty, mainly due to who the ref is, equally our guys are bang on form and I can’t see them not scoring, so the outcome will probably depend on who gets the first goal, if we get it their toast, if they get it probably a draw,
Team Selection – i like the idea of Maeda keeping Tavernier in check, and would definitely play big double GG.
Watched the Shane Warne Memorial from MCG…..fantastic event,what a superstar of a man.
CORKCELT @ 4:42
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Must say, I agree with your analysis – well-balanced.
Some say we shouldn’t even contemplate failing – however it is well known in psychology, that the fear of failure can be just as strong a motivator as a the desire to succeed. Let’s hope we can combine both and leave with “one hand on the trophy”
MARADOMINIC
Let’s see if I’ve git this right.
Rangers protested about Collum’s biased refereeing at their games and got him banned from refereeing their games. But now he’s been brought back to referee a Rangers v Celtic game to help them get a result.
Sorry but that makes no sense.
But don’t worry. None of the moans and groans about the referees before games make much sense. You’re in good company.
Just reading an article by Paul from 2014, on a away European match – at the end he writes this: “The one obvious question is, how did we pick Craig Gordon up for free?”.
Looking at last season & recent displays by CG, the one obvious question is, how did we contrive to lose him and ‘fritter away’ c£5 plus wages on Barkas?
One of life’s great mysteries!
Another call for anyone wanting to join The Pub spy (BRRB), Leggy, TLT, Big Jimmy and myself for an afternoon tea party on Friday afternoon at The Shipbank.
All welcome.
D :)
JHB, I think we all have thought the same about Craig Gordon.
Ages ago! What’s next how we should have sealed the John McGinn move.
HH 🍀
JHB, I think we all have thought the same about Craig Gordon.
Ages ago! What’s next how we should have sealed the John McGinn move.
HH 🍀
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I don’t know the full background to what led us to lose CG, and, why we didn’t sign McGinn – nor does anyone on the outside looking in, I’d wager.
All I can say is that going by subsequent form, both could have done, and could still be doing, a top-class job for us.
Paul’s article brought it to mind, and last night was yet more confirmation – so in that respect, I think topical & relevant.
What’s next? Well that remains to be seen and is all part of the magic of CQN.
Pressure will be on both teams as is almost always the case for derbies.
They’re favourites to win on Sunday while at the same time, we’re even stronger favourites to go on and win the league.
This is a game they need to win and as we approach the game, the pressure will very much build on them. Let’s see how they handle it.
coybig
From past experience, they will come flying out the blocks att the start, when of course that leaves then open, after 10/15 minutes they will die off
Easy peasy
KINGLuBO
5 2 for barca babes
Excellent BRRB,
Where did you choose? I think I’d have opted for the Scotia.
Or the Bon Accord and make my way onto Chinaskis 👍🏼
“BIGRAILROADBLUES on 30TH MARCH 2022 3:55 PM
Majestic Hartson, in Crystal Palace, Jamaica Street. May move on to the Bon Accord”
I LOVE the Bon Accord and have two of their glasses ( not stolen) for my Saturday evening halfs with Sweet Caroline ( My partner).
Ps I know the plural of `half` is `halves` but I think the plural of `half ` when referring to whisky in Glasgow is ` halfs`. Am I correct?