The players would have had a light training session at Lennoxtown today as muscles continue to refill after Wednesday night’s exertions. Expectations of Celtic in the Champions League are not high, and were exceptionally low when this group was drawn, but even so, these games have a huge financial, physical and even emotional impact on every area of the club.
One argument suggests the last thing we need is a cup semi-final four days after a Champions League outing. An alternative thought is that this is the perfect game for Celtic right now. Memories linger of sitting stressfully at Fir Park days after Celtic beat the reigning European Champions, Milan, as (subsequently liquidated) Grenta held onto a lead until the 87th minute.
While playing (subsequently liquidated) Rangers away 64 hours after winning a Uefa Cup semi-final 1200 miles from home in 2003 proved to be the perfect game to instil steel into the legs.
With what passes as a fully fit squad, Brendan has choices to make for Sunday. Did Patrick Roberts do enough off the bench against Borussia to justify a start? Perhaps. He’s a player who owes us one at Hamden too.
Callum McGregor will also fancy his chances ahead of Nir Bitton, who didn’t have a great Scottish Cup semi-final against the same opponents in April.
It would be a huge surprise if Moussa Dembele didn’t start as the lone forward, despite Leigh Griffiths itching to get on alongside him. Brendan will not change formation for this game, while Moussa will fancy his chances against a defence he punished to ruthlessly last month.
For me, our two most important players on Sunday will be Scott Sinclair and Tom Rogic. They are the epitome of the modern footballer, strong, skilful, intelligent and difficult to defend against. If we can get them on the ball often enough we’ll score a lot of goals.
Pretty much every Celtic fan I know expects Mark Warburton to have learned a lesson from his Celtic Park whipping and for him to deploy a more defensively-minded team this time. My Newco pals don’t expect this to happen. Warburton hasn’t varied his game-plan since arriving at the club and is apparently reluctant to start experimenting now.
He took his team to Hampden to face Celtic against similarly long odds last season. Within minutes we knew we were in a game, and despite the clear chasm between the teams, it was Newco who faced Hibs in the Scottish Cup final.
A repeat of the 5-1 win at Celtic Park is possible, but you’ve seen enough football to know that nothing can be taken for granted on Sunday. Remember that Newco came close to levelling that 5-1 game at 2-2 early in the second half, and the latter part of their collapse came after going down to 10 men.
I’m off later to meet those from the Tyneside No. 1 and friends, who have walked (yes, WALKED), from Merthyr Tydfil and will reach Doherty’s Bar in Hamilton this afternoon. They’ve pretty much walked a marathon a day for 13 days and will make the final journey to Celtic Park tomorrow.
This herculean effort has been made to mark the memory of Jonathan Thomas, who aged 30 lost his biggest fight one year ago tomorrow.
We’re lucky as Celtic fans that we get to meet and read about people who do these things in our name. It’ll take you 2 minutes to let them know how inspiring they are here.
It’s also worth marking the events in Aberfan, the village a few miles from Merthyr Tydfil which was visited by unimaginable tragedy 50 years ago today.
John Humphrys: What we owe the people of Aberfan 50 years after tragedy struck the village, and why it shows authority must be challenged. pic.twitter.com/OdjyaAGTsQ
— BBC Radio 4 Today (@BBCr4today) October 21, 2016
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BOURNESOUPRECIPE
Don’t you know the big man was only signed as he is a good pal of Brendan’s? Along with Scott Sinclair and others? Rampant cronyism at Celtic Park!
BMCUW
On that basis bring on the Cronies!!
Cronies come all ye!
Only worry is about the deliberate appointment of a cheat as the ref,
He has consistently made wrong or harsh decisions against Celtic with tacit approval by the football authorities and mssm.
A truly odious and amoral wretch who will be consistent today.
onenightinlisbon
Mon the cronies CSC
BOURNESOUPRECIPE
100% agree!
Why can’t some people just support the manager? He has hardly put a foot wrong so far but when he does we should give him our full backing.. rant over..
STARRY
All good this side sir.
DOC…
Thoughts and best wishes for your dad fhella.
°•°•°•°•°•°•°
Could someone please point me in the direction of a Celtic player,now or in our history,who never made/makes a mistake?Pffft.
Come on Celtic,into thems.
Off to watch the match with family.
I want us to win but I also want this match to be over.
I don’t care about the margin of the win or the superiority of our performance, I just want the O** F*** itch to be scratched and then we can get back to more pertinent matters.
Wait a minute, wait a minute…..
Are ye trying to say that,….
Henrik
Neil
Lubo
Bertie
….only got into the Cellic team coz they were the gaffers pals ?
Are ye seriously trying to say that that was the premise for the above mentioned players to get into the Celtic team ?
It had nothing to do with the brilliance that they possessed ?
Seriously ?
Now, Kolo, at 35 years of age, canny, seriously be described as being in at the same stage of brilliance as the players mentioned above, seriously ?
Now, I know that you’ll be cheap and point out that Lubo was 33 coz, that’s cheap and, that’s what ‘you’ are – cheap.
That’s why yer alone – apart from yer clique – maybe ‘you’ should think about that ?
” If you’re good enough, the referee doesn’t matter.”
Jock Stein
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 23RD OCTOBER 2016 12:48 PM
Disappointed that Kolo Toure is unfit, having been a superb signing from the summer window hope he’s fit
again soon, tough as nails in the tackle, and a great reader of the back line.
Time for Jozo Simunovic to step up to the plate and justify his transfer fee.
===========================================================================
Crucial decision for next season .
Our coming of age season.
Is Jozo the man?
Today is merely one step in that road .
Only an opportunity for Jozo to show us what he`s made of in the face of Hundom and its adherents.
I`m confident he`ll be up to this wee challenge.
KEV
A personal tirade because I pointed out an obvious flaw or four in your argument?
Tut,tut.
KEVJUNGLE
Managers, a you may know, often go for players they have worked with before. This is not “cronyism” but makes perfect sense. You don’t like Toure and that’s your opinion and I respect that. Your suggestion that Brendan bought him simply to give him something to do and extra cash to do it is insulting to our manager.
And I would love KEVJUNGLE to put that point personally to Brendan. Wonder what response he would get back?
Celtic starting line up v Huns – 2:15 pm ko BT Sport 1
Gordon; Lustig, Simunovic, Sviatchenko, Tierney; Bitton, Brown; Forrest, Rogic, Sinclair; Dembele.
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 23RD OCTOBER 2016 1:07 PM
The devil`s advocate has his place.
I won`t tell you where that is.
Come on our Celtic.
Create some kudos for Brendan the cool .
Goood afternoon CQN
Big Kolo was struggling with an injury last 10-15 mins of game on Wed night, we had used all our subs so he had the courage to stay on and see the game out
Doc – what ward is the Auld Yin in ? Tell him to get wheeled round to A 32, room 32, my Auld Da will have an iPad with the game oan, as he continues his fight in recovery, they could hopefully enjoy a win, helping them along
Hail Hail
ONENIGHTINLISBON
______________________
Maybe if ye take yer blinkers off for just one minute and ask yerself this…..
If, Brendan is so good…..why’s he at Celtic ?
If, Kolo is so good….why’s he at Celtic ?
Sumdy said earlier that Kolo has been magnificent this season – against who ?
Kolo is the new Efe and, Brendan will fail because – he canny be cynical.
Idealists don’t work.
I hope I’m wrong……
HH
Celtic cheat by putting the ball where the Sevco keeper can’t reach it.
Tomorrows Record CSC
My friends in Celtic,
Although Kevjungle can be infuriating at times , he is a long term valued contributor of this blog , and the blog is better for having him.
I for one appreciate and welcome his rants despite very seldom agreeing with them.
Kev,
Hope you are well.
COYBIG.
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 23RD OCTOBER 2016 1:07 PM
________________________________________________________________________________________
Bobby, ye didny point out a flaw – ye added a twist – as ‘you’ do.
And, ‘you’ know that, only one of us here – isny being two-faced.
Consider yerself scratched.
If Marc McGhee was any good, why isn’t he at Celtic?
Squirrels abound.
Enjoy the game!
Both the one at Hampden and the one KevJ is playing.
Aff oot
GREENPINATA
_______________
LOL ;)
HH
SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 23RD OCTOBER 2016 1:17 PM
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Big Mark McGhee isny a PLC-Puppet like his wee pal Gordon
That’s why he’ll not be at Celtic Park.
Oh, and he dizny do confidentiality clauses either.
Enjoy the game – laters…..
Cowiebhoy, Doc
Best wishes to yer fathers.
TBB
If Hugh Keevans is any good why is he barred from Celtic?
Hello again all you young rebels.
Amazingly i’m still sober here in Melbourne 11.15 pm and ready
for the chanty wrasslers, bidet botherers, lavvy levellers, or bog
bashers take your pick they’re going down the toilet. :-))
H.H Mick
Just received a text message from daughter no1
Dad, Just entering the ham dump
Everyone, and I mean everyone is being fully searched
………………..’mon the good ghuys!!!!!
HH.
Jozo in for Kolo.
No Surrenderos!!!!!!!!!!
Pity CSC
Mr Melbourne…………..
;)
It would seem that we have bog-bashers an’ blog bashers cut from the same cloth.
HH
COWIEBHOY on 23RD OCTOBER 2016 1:13 PM
Love it:-)))))
hope your Dads recovery is good
C.O.Y.B.I.G.
HH
Clint Hill ( some late stretches )
SUBS: De Vries, Toure, Griffiths, Gamboa, Armstrong, Roberts, McGregor
Cowiebhoy on 23rd October 2016 1:21 pm
Just received a text message from daughter no1
Dad, Just entering the ham dump
Everyone, and I mean everyone is being fully searched
——————————————————————————————————————————————————-
What are the Police looking for and did this happen with the Morton and Aberdeen fans yesterday?
SETTINGFREETHEBEARS
Squirrels,is it?
https://abload.de/img/unnamedtuo1n.jpg
Come on The Celts..