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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I know that this probably doesn’t matter a jot to anyone and perhaps it shouldn’t, especially if size truly doesn’t matter, but I am absolutely fascinated by two simple facts….The Sun is comprises over 98% of the matter in the solar system..and our own wee world fits into the sun 1.3 million times.
Hail hail
Matt
Parkheid / Chapel for me.
MATT STEWART on 21ST OCTOBER 2016 7:31 PM
…….and yet, people want to ban the Sun!
Paul67 et al
For all you Holy Rollers who claim to have always called it Celtic Park why don’t you call it by its’ proper name?
Celtic Park II
SAINT STIVS SAYS SACK THE BOARD on 21ST OCTOBER 2016 6:46 PM
Apparently we owe £900 billion and all our firstborn for the next 40 years, and we have to go 3 seasons with the players wearing clown shoes, because we are tax cheats.
I mean, REAL tax cheats, putting every other tax cheat into perspective.
FACT. (It was in the Daily Record.)
AN TEACH SOLAIS,
That “bru” is the only one I signed on in about 1967. Can’t picture the railway station.
I know there was a station roughly between Springfield Road and Helenvale Street. Would that have been the Parkhead Stadium one?
From my youth. Parkheid & Church
Nowadays. Paradise / Celtic Park & Church.
Tomthetim.
Interesting observation about Chapel being foisted upon us. Certainly fits the description from “protesters” in Ayrshire.
A sadly departed close friend also spoke of the Chapel. When we were accompanied by any of thems on the golf course. Any time my mate got a lucky bounce he would tell thems ” that’s the good luck ye get when you attend the Chapel”. Always brought a response,sometimes not complimentary which made us laugh louder.
Not fussed about Brendans team selection on Sunday. I suppose it’s called trusting the manager.
Good read back on the blog today.HH
That 98% figure for the sun’s mass ( how often do you get the words Sun and Mass in the same phrase?)…obviously excluded Dark Matter …which is itself only a theoretical concept which is needed to explain the continued accelerating expansion of the universe against the attractive influence of gravity.
Seriously does my head in.
Hail hail
Matt
Forgive me if this comes across as self indulgent, but I would like to post a link to a piece that my son wrote on the Munster Rugby legend, Anthony Foley, who tragically died last week .
bit.ly/2eecHbJ
Paradise makes smiling eyes, as they sing songs so vile
The holy ground in raptured song defeats their chants of bile
Celtic Park in the dark, beats Ibrox in the light
Parkheid feeds the souls that need, while they are watchin shite.
Hail hail
Matt
Perhaps this will work.
http://www.the42.ie/tommy-martin-column-anthony-foley-3038328-Oct2016/?utm_source=twitter_self
Matt Stewart on 21st October 2016 7:44 pm
That 98% figure for the sun’s mass ( how often do you get the words Sun and Mass in the same phrase?)…obviously excluded Dark Matter …which is itself only a theoretical concept which is needed to explain the continued accelerating expansion of the universe against the attractive influence of gravity.
Seriously does my head in.
———-
https://youtu.be/1Eh5BpSnBBw
TTT
Your son has a special talent. Words sometimes dissolve and disappear like most in a fog.
But those that match words, subject and virtue shine forever.
Hail hail
Matt
evening folks, for me Nir needs replacing for Sunday, whats everyone’s thoughts on Kolo and Jozo as our CB pairing and Eric in front of them as a defensive midfielder allowing Broony to push forward more knowing Eric will provide better defensive cover than Nir?
========== Gordon
Lustig = Kolo = Jozo = Tierney
====== Eric = Broony
Roberts = Rogic = Sinclair
===== Dembele
My old man called it Parkhead all his life, and he started going in 1932.
Celtic Park, Parkhead, Paradise – who cares? People can call it what they want, we all know what we’re talking about. It’s where Celtic play, and where we go to support them, is all.
TRY
Mist..ffs
Hail hail
Matt
TTT
Very moving piece by your son.
Liked the link about Clermont asking their fans to wear Munster colours to their own game as well.
That 98% figure for the sun’s mass ( how often do you get the words Sun and Mass in the same phrase?)…obviously excluded Dark Matter …which is itself only a theoretical concept which is needed to explain the continued accelerating expansion of the universe against the attractive influence of gravity.
——-
i think you are getting confused with dark energy that is used to explain the increasing acceleration of the expansion of the universe
dark matter is used to explain why individual galaxys dont break apart since on the face of it there isnt enough matter in them to keep them together and the stars in place etc
Brian Cox
BBC News
Andromeda
TTT
Very, very good stuff from your son.
Whats the speed of dark?
CQN speed on a Friday :)
The huddle
As years and resigned acceptance surpassed youthful imagination and dreams, a poster like that appeared on my bedroom wall replacing one of Angelina Jolie.
I heard that she also put the same one up in place of me.
But we’ve both still got our mirrored engraving of the Lions in our ceiling.
Hail hail
Matt
it takes 10000 years for a photon of light to get from the centre of the sun where it originates to the outer layer
then 8 minutes to reach us
Coming out of retirement to make one post coz I’m amazed there was no reaction so far to Bada Bing.
Am I reading you right Bada, was Johnny Doyle your father?,
Back to retirement, to be embarrassed all alone if I’ve read Bada’s post wrong.
GreeninbingleyinOslo on 21st October 2016 7:52 pm
My old man called it Parkhead all his life, and he started going in 1932.
Celtic Park, Parkhead, Paradise – who cares? People can call it what they want, we all know what we’re talking about. It’s where Celtic play, and where we go to support them, is all.
*******************************************************************************
Agree with that……….just be thankful it wasn’t called RUGBY PARK,
good grief, now how sad would that be.
Foghorn Leghorn
I liked Brian Cox in the Bourne Supremacy and Shetland.
However He knows zilch about quantum mechanics…mind you I accept the dark matter/energy feck up I just fell into.
We all know that different opinions are the engine of progress and more importantly listening is the fuel that makes it run.
Hail hail
Matt
I was always a Parkhead or heed if you like, and for the life of me I can only ever remember going to Mass. Never Church or Chapel.
So its Parkheed and Mass.
O and I should have added that was then now its.
Paradise and Pub. :-)
Gents,
Thank you for the generous comments on the link that I posted.
Notwithstanding my bias, I thought that it struck the correct tone on a very difficult subject.
Respected sportsmen assume the status of gods when they leave us too soon.#johnnydoyle.
Margaret McGill on 21st October 2016 7:58 pm
Whats the speed of dark?
*****************************************
A lot quicker this time of year. Arrives just after
works finished.
CORKCELT on 21ST OCTOBER 2016 8:03 PM
I thought Bada was posting a piece by Johnny’s daughter.
Bada Bing, good posts about the late and great Johnny Doyle.
Celtic Underground have an article, first published on their site 5 years ago, in honour of John.
It can be accessed on news now Celtic.
I don’t know how true this is but did John knock back a transfer to Hearts as he felt he would not be accepted by their fans?
His daughter’s idea to celebrate her dad’s memory is a good one. Let’s hope It happens.
Mate
What’s the speed of dark?
Bleedin fast….it got there before light ….still Jinky left it flailin on its erse.
Hail hail
Matt
Good Evening.
Here is a new piece. The Truth About ‘The Journey’…
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2016/10/21/the-truth-about-the-journey/
OK VFR, Thanks back to retirement suitably embarrassed.
Corkcelt.
I’m plagiarizing SOAL. Love! Don’t be a stranger. How am I ever going to meet you, if you flounder permanently?
I don’t know Bada Bing, my take was he posted it on behalf on Johnnys daughter.
I could be wrong though, certainly wouldn’t be a first.
Right Guinness which darkly is not to be taken lightly is effectively affecting. So time to consider if bubblewrap is really the threat to civilisation that I think it is.
Hail hail
Matt
Corkcelt.
Flounder?????, should read flounce.