The learning period and experimentation is over. Neil Lennon will play a more familiar looking line-up on Sunday, with James Forrest on the right, Ryan Christie in the middle. Neither are as effective in other positions.
Odsonne Eduard will be given every chance. He, Boli Bolingoli, Jonny Hayes and Mohamed Elyounoussi have all been allowed to recuperate from various strains in recent weeks. Even if they all pass fitness tests, due to their common injury type, Neil has to consider the high possibility of a relapse in their first outing. This could force early substitutions in a game that could go to extra-time.
These permutations make a lottery out of guessing our left flank. Bolingoli or Hayes at left back, with Elyounoussi or Mikey Johnston at left-mid. Johnston is back from injury and in sparkling form. He played a crucial role in the win at Ibrox in September when these two teams last met but Neil Lennon may prefer Elyounoussi to add a greater physical presence.
Jeremie Frimpong will almost certainly get the nod ahead of Moritz Bauer, with Hatem Elhamed still injured (from yet another strain). The regular core of the side: Kristoffer Ajer, Christopher Jullien, Scott Brown, Callum McGregor and Fraser Forster, will all play.
This is not an occasion for an inexperienced winger to play centre forward. Lewis Morgan is at the very early stages of learning this role, if Eduard is not fit, Leigh Griffiths should start.
Whoever loses on Sunday will leave Hampden knowing they have bigger fish to fry this season, but the victory will make anything and everything seem possible for the winners.
In Celtic’s favour, they have players who have regularly been through challenges like this and come away with the win. Players like McGregor, Forrest and Brown could write a manual on how to win at Hampden. We can also expect a match-winning performance from James Forrest.
After recovering from a two-goal deficit against Newco on Wednesday, Aberdeen manager, Derek McInnes, spoke about the aggression his team showed to get back into the game. On Sunday, both teams will be hyped up and ready for the battle, managing that aggression, however, will be important. Celtic are clear favourites but a careless red card would change that.
Tom Rogic signed shirt raffle for Celtic FC Foundation
The Celtic squad wore a special shirt for last month’s league game against Motherwell, bearing the Celtic FC Foundation Christmas Appeal logo instead of the normal Dafabet logo on the front, and the words “Christmas Appeal” on the back, instead of the Magners logo.
Tom Rogic’s signed shirt from that day is available for raffle. Each donation of £10 or more will be entered into a draw, which will take place on Friday 13 December. The shirt will be posted on Monday 16th (or available for collection at the Hibs game on Sunday 15th).
The Celtic FC Foundation do incredible work throughout the world all year round, but their work with those most in need in the winter months, and for children and families coping with chronic poverty, can give warmth, nourishment, self-respect and human compassion that some people struggle to find. All donations go straight to the Foundation.
This is why Celtic exists. You can enter here at JustGiving. Good luck and thank you!!
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Come on the Hoops !!
Roll on Sunday hope big Eddy makes it !!
Support RES 12
Ooops i.ve done it again.
H.H . Mick
No cigar
Where’s Gerry when i need him? shirley the technifobes could
devise a way for all the posts on the last page to be transferred
to the new blog.
Or is that an aul fart trying to be clever? no answers needed,
thank you.
H.H . Mick
Where Have All –
https://youtu.be/lNk228x_0_c
South of Tunis
Very good, same guy below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kRIqwLbb6w
KINGLuBO
PAUL67,This is not an occasion for an inexperienced winger to play centre forward. Lewis Morgan is at the very early stages of learning this role.
Why would he need to learn this role…., we have young Aitchison a ready made striker and Afolabi is a young up and coming striker , we have Bayo and Griffiths to fill in till we buy a quality striker to help Eddy.
To all the lads at the christmas gathering today have a great dayoot .
KING LUBO –
Been busy sorting out the Christmas choons .
Gave this a twirl .. bought at the Barras many many many moons ago .
Off oot to buy a fish for tonight’s dinner.
https://youtu.be/easTOPaNBHI
Extra time Paul!?
Not on yer nelly . 3-1 Celtic in 90 minutes.
https://www.snsgroup.co.uk/06-12-19-celtic-training
Credit to Bayo. The only lad who was willing to brave it in shorts today alongside our captain!
Totally agree about Morgan.He is never a striker,although,I think he can do a job for us coming in from the wings.I think if Hayes is fit,he will play,especially if Frimps gets the nod,can’t have everyone attacking.
Hopefully Lenny will give us good news shortly,as they all trained today.If Frimps does play,looks like will be up against a dirty bassa,Flanagan,or the Uber Hun.Got to be a penalty there,Clancy would never ignore it,would he,???????.
South of Tunis .12.11
That’s a tune. Never heard it before . HH
Marspapa
How you doin pal ? Hope all is well .
I won’t make the bash today either. Dodgy back and the lurgy ain’t a good combination. Yon PF guy is questioning my masculinity ;-))
If we play to a level we’re capable of on Sunday, we win . No MiB or sticky will prevent it . KTF .
MELBOURNE MICK on 6TH DECEMBER 2019 11:36 AM
Hello again all you young rebels.
Well apparently there is a sniff of Oranje supremacy in the air
and the blue ordure think their time is nigh.
Now me being an aul timer who knows, just like big Jock used
to tell us” only a fool would predict a Celtic and ragers result ”
Because Jock knew the man with the whistle was the difference.
I’ve seen so many unpredictable scorelines in my time, at the end
of the day quality and passion for a cause will always overcome
sleekit duplicity from a subservient whistler.
But .. and i mean… but.. we need to turn up, thats the only way that
shower of keech will harm us, and in case any of you are wavering?
what are the bookies offering?
H.H . Mick
Paul67
Agree, re fitness doubts bearing in mind there’s fitand match fit, which doesn’t seem to apply so much these days, gone are the reserve matches.
Even if Eddy starts doubts might linger during the game but only till he opens our account.
I also think NFL has saved Jeremy Frimpong for unleashing on Sevco.
Good afternoon, friends. I hope you don’t mind this we re-post from last night when I unsuccesfully tried to interrupt an ongoing debate.
*** CQN PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2019-20 ***
RESULTS FROM GAME #20 – CELTIC 2 HAMILTON 1 (CHRISTIE, BROWN)
Any of you who know me personally will hopefully testify to my honesty and trustworthiness and for this latest competition I always do my best to send in my own vote first, so that I can’t be accused of being influenced once I see other opinions coming in. Last night at half time I had my own draft email with 3 names ready to go, having struggled to decide who had played really well – it was more along the lines of who had made fewest mistakes. As a rule, I do tend to note my ‘draft’ 3 choices at half time as if I wait until the final whistle, I’m in danger of giving more credit to our last 15 minutes and forgetting about what happened an hour earlier. Anyway, in the 90th minute when Hamilton scored, I took out my anger on my smartphone by simply pressing ‘send’. I now see that out of the total votes cast of 141, my own 3 choices received the combined total of 9!! Was I watching a different game? Or, as I now realise, did I not take account of Fraser’s saves or Broonie’s late winner. My only consolation is that 4 other players received less votes than my own 3 picks!
After the Ross County game, I drew attention to the fact that 95% of voters had included Ryan Christie as one of their picks. That score was topped last night when 45 out of 47 voters (95.7%) went for our Capitano as one of their choices. And, yes, I was one of the 2 who didn’t! Not that Broonie needs the votes or points at the moment 😉
So, thank you to the 47 who voted. The votes for the 14 players who took to the field are as follows (my own choices are asterisked) –
Forster: 26
Bauer*: 2
Bitton: 1
Ajer: 8
Taylor: 5
Brown: 45
McGregor: 7
Christie: 36
Ntcham: 0
Forrest*: 2
Morgan*: 5
Johnston: 3
Griffiths: 1
Frimpong: 0
Unused subs – Gordon, Jullien, Sinclair, Rogic
Therefore, the players receiving points for the Hamilton game are –
Brown – 5 points
Christie – 4 points
Forster – 3 points
Ajer – 2 points
McGregor – 1 point
That leaves the overall table reading as follows –
Brown – 45 points
Christie – 36 points
Edouard – 32 points
Forrest – 26 points
Elyounoussi – 22 points
Frimpong – 22 points
McGregor – 21 points
Jullien – 20 points
Forster – 15 points
Bolingoli-Mbombo – 13 points
Bauer – 11 points
Ajer – 9 points
Ntcham – 9 points
Elhamed – 8 points
Hayes – 7 points
Taylor – 5 points
Bitton – 3 points
Bayo – 3 points
Morgan – 2 points
Rogic – 1 point
And so our thoughts can now turn to Sunday. If the game happens to include extra time and/or penalties then, of course, the players’ performances during those can feature in your decisions. Voting opens as soon as the cup has been won/lost and will remain open until 10pm on Sunday. Try to vote BEFORE starting any celebrations!
Hail Hail
Could Bauer play LB? Very worried that LB has become an issue this week after us having 3 players vying for the position.
Their RB is one of their main threats.
we of course know who SHOULD not play LB!
If Neil opts to go with Hayes and Frimpers.. I wonder if he will opt to go with 3 at the back?
Something like:
———————-Forster
————-Bitton—Julien—Ajer
Frimpong—————————Hayes
—————Brown–McGregor
——-Christie———————–Forrest
——————–Edouard
A team of:
Forster, Frimpong, Ajer, Julien, Hayes, Brown, McGregor, Johnston, Christie, Forrest, Edouard
Is very attacking. Could blow the manky mob away within 45 mins
I think Hayes will play as his injury was a shoulder which with the right strapping and some Pain killers shouldn’t affect him that much. Frimpong to start with Bauer on the bench.
Up front, I think Edouard will start
Team
Forster
Frimpong Julien Ajer Hayes
Brown McGregor
Forrest Christie Johnston
Edouard
Subs
Gordan, Bauer, Biton, N’tcham Rogic, Sinclair, Griffiths
Macjay said:
`Is it really conceivable that the British people could be stupid enough to vote for Corbyn ?
Surely not .`
Is it really conceivable that a man capable of putting a sentence together would think that people ( millions) are stupid because they don`t share his political viewpoint?
Surely not?
ANGELGABRIEL
We’re all plodding away pal ,thanks for asking . Aye todays gathering should be the start of a fantasTIC weekend.
We will need to get another game of golf organised with KICKINTHENAKAS and ACGR , maybe down your way this time .
ps…. a widnae question yon PF’s masculinity….. a like the teef a huv left :))))
You and the missus take care and have a happy festive period.
Timaloy29
if we go 3 at the back, i will literally shit ma pants!
Our weak point when conceding goals this season has been the spacing between the CHs and sometimes the FBs to the CHs.
3 at the back would be a godsend to the hun midfield runners/divers.
got to be 4 at the back for me – whoever is fittest plays LB
South of Tunis
Yeah, that is a brilliant example of “de blues”, thanks.
Hope you bought the fish as opposed to sitting for hours waiting to catch one!!!
All the best to you
KINGLubO
If EDDY and The Griff don’t make it on Sunday i would prefer to put out this team
FOSTER
FRIMPONG ,AJER , JULIEN , HAYES.
BROWN , BITTON , MCGREGOR, MORGAN.
ELYANOUSSI.
FORREST.
Will be interesting to see if LENNYis playing mind games with the msm and SG .
CONEYBHOY on 6TH DECEMBER 2019 2:05 PM
if we go 3 at the back, i will literally shit ma pants!
Our weak point when conceding goals this season has been the spacing between the CHs and sometimes the FBs to the CHs.
3 at the back would be a godsend to the hun midfield runners/divers.
got to be 4 at the back for me – whoever is fittest plays LB
___
I would prefer 4 at the back but there are a few benefits to three. It would add another physically strong player to the team. They will have license to kick us off the park on Sunday. We have to stand up to it. Boli & Elhamed had no issue with that sort of thing. Hayes and Frimpong are not as physically strong.
We haven’t played it much this season. I can only recall Sarejevo away.
MARSPAPA
No Ryan in that team. Surely a typo.
HOT SMOKED on 6TH DECEMBER 2019 2:02 PM
Macjay said:
`Is it really conceivable that the British people could be stupid enough to vote for Corbyn ?
Surely not .`
Is it really conceivable that a man capable of putting a sentence together would think that people ( millions) are stupid because they don`t share his political viewpoint?
Surely not?
==================================================================================
Didn`t suggest that at all .
Wasn`t referring to people who don`t share my political viewpoint or suggest that they are stupid.
I was speaking about people who may be tempted to vote for Corbyn.
People with a social conscience who want to eradicate child poverty, those people macjay is that who you mean
Marspapa
No Christie-ano?
BORGO67 on 6TH DECEMBER 2019 2:53 PM
MARSPAPA
No Ryan in that team. Surely a typo.
:)))) CHRISTIE instead of MORGAN DOH!!!
Marspapa
If your going to the game, make sure you pick the right end.🤣
BHOYLO83 on 6TH DECEMBER 2019 3:24 PM
Marspapa
No Christie-ano?
Sorry, I was still stunned by the fact that Morgan is learning the striker role 😅
Neil Lennon: “very good chance Odsonne Edouard will start v Rangers”
TEUCHTER ÁR LÁ on 6TH DECEMBER 2019 3:38 PM
Marspapa
If your going to the game, make sure you pick the right end.🤣
Unfortunately this will be a Marspapa and clan free final for as long as I can remember.
Even last minute, I’ve been lucky enough over the last few years with tickets from Cqnrs / aquiantances.
I thought I had 2 for me and Kelly….with it being Rangers in the final I had no chance, so it looks like a dodgy stream or out to the pub to watch it.
Had my WHITE shorts dry cleaned anaw!!
I’d play Callum McGregor at left back.
Do you know what grinds m gears
Watching CTV interviews on youtube before the are posted on CTV
Timaloy29
i agree it is an option but as you say we rarely play it so i would be against it for a final.
we’ll hump them anyway if we keep the ball
hail hail