Many of our early season concerns manifest themselves in the performances against Dundee. A 1-1 draw at Dens on the last day of the summer transfer window, followed by a 2-1 win at Celtic Park in November, told the story of a club just about getting by on the domestic front.
The Celtic Park win saw us go seven points ahead of Aberdeen on the same games played, but defeat to a Stuart Armstrong goal for Dundee United, and a home draw against bottom of the table Ross County, briefly gave us what looked like a genuine championship challenge.
Something happened at Rugby Park in the first week of the year. Kris Commons was sublime but the improvement in Celtic’s performance was due to more than just him. We’ve won six games on the bounce, without losing a goal, with convincing performances, in all but away to Ross County, who belie their lowly position to squeeze every ounce of effort out of Celtic.
Before last week’s game at Hampden it was possible to find plenty of “Celtic are rubbish as well” comments. We were rubbish, earlier in the season, but you’ve watched the team grow in recent months. So much so that it’s becoming difficult to give an honest opinion on the goalkeeper, he is so rarely troubled.
Forged on the road
On Wednesday we have the Glasgow derby against Partick Thistle, before a trip to Perth next weekend, often a difficult venue for Celtic. That will bring to end a nine game run since New Year, with only one game at Celtic Park. The growth in the team has been forged on the road, often on smaller grounds with variable surfaces.
The return to Celtic Park, on Thursday 19, against the Italians with their famous blue and black stripes, will present Ronny Deila and his players with a bigger challenge. It’s not a must-win game, but it’s an absolutely necessary test to a team who are looking more and more imperious in Scotland with each passing week.
Email me to book your tickets to the CQN11 St Patrick’s Dinner at Celtic Park on Cup Final weekend, Friday 13 March, celticquicknews@gmail.com
1,529 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- ...
- 41
- »
Need some help, and I am being selfish. Celtic site will only sell me two tickets, parent and child, for Inter match… £70? Looking for one only…..any sperrz?
CowieBhoy, on the long road to getting better.
Sore, tired, all the things you would expect.
Started nagging so must be improving:-)
Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooood Afternoon
C…………………………………
Q………………………………………
N………………………………….
BigJoeinDaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahouse.
The really sad thing, is that if murrays financial dopping of RFCRIP had not occured, then Celtic would not only be miles ahead in terms of League Championships, but also in the ‘hexed’ League cup too.
winning captains
14:11 on 8 February, 2015
All good on my iPad.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
WC,
No problems on my I pad.
Dbia,
I mentioned similar yesterday.
When was our last Scottish cup tie at home shown on the beeb?
Are they still banned?
HH
Winning Captains
Access fine on iPad here.
Geordie- it is unrequited love with a raddled ole hag that stinks of p1sh.
Hell slap it onto them.
Winning Captains
The new site looks great
Just looking at one section from New Zealand n old foto of walk on in black/white, it seems every Scarff was of the ‘walk on ‘ variety. I remember them appearing and vendors calling ‘erra walk on scarfs (for that is what they were called) 75p’
It occurred to me that I have remained a ‘walk on Scarff’ guy ever since – there are so many to choose from now, but I prefer my walk on displays with yer actual bona fide walk on Scarff
I know there will be a generation that swear by the auld green ones with wee Coronation Cups n Emprie Exhibition on them but not much good for the visual display.
Walk On Scarffs still Superb value at 15/-
Winning Captain.
Tried Safari and Chrome browsers but still getting reset to top of page. As above using Sony tab.
Dbia,
Welllll that’s one way to put it :))
Winning Captains
Fine with my I pad, using safari browser
Geordie Munro
14:24 on
8 February, 2015
It’s no coincidence our lean spell at the back comes since the return of Denayer.
—————————————————–
I totally agree Geordie, fine player i just wish he would get what the Hoops is all about, maybe then he’d understand that he wont get a move to a bigger/better club.
He might get bigger dosh but wouldn’t it be nice for someone we bring in to “Get Us”.
The comfortable collective
I’m fairly sure we were playing that night of the penalty that never was, and it was all ears to the radios, as it was looking like going to the wire that season.
I remember we had won, can’t remember the opponent, but their game was still going on. Hearts had equalised, and it was going to be an important 2 points dropped for Rangers, as was.
Then the cheat stepped in, Dallas gave the pen, and I can remember thinking that could cost us at the end of the season.
Didn’t even know what an EBT was back then.
Good grief just noticed that Scotland’s newest club is back on the BBC again!
KDC
How about a 14 team top league
Play each other twice = 26 games
Split, top 6 and bottom 8
Gives top 6 another 10 games = 36
With bottom 8 getting another 14, so 40 for them (additional 2 home games for finances)
Top 6 get a wee winter mini break – January ?
I would actually move the season slightly, to give our teams a better shot at Europe, so start season in July ? A 6 week summer break, and a 1 month winter break ?
Or top league of 16
Home and away = 30 games
Split as above top 6 and bottom 10
Top 6 = 40 games
Bottom 2 relegated with 3rd and 4 th bottom into play off with 3rd and 4th of SPFL Championship
So 3 down, 3 Up ? Competition at bottom end though to keep interest
Incidentally I would pull plug on League Cup for top 6, or they play under 21’s in this competition ?
Definitely need some changes
Hail Hail
PRESTONPANS BHOY
Embdy checked if they’ve paid their licence fee?
kdc – Tully’s corner
Repost from last artcle:
Had a wee read at your article there, good read but last night I watched A.Madrid v R.Madrid 6th game between them this season already I’m sure. My biggest a main gripe about the game in Scotland is down to the price, compared to all other leagues in Europe bar 1 we pay waaaay over the odds for entry to a single game ( excluding season books here) . Getting the standing area at Celtic Park is a must as soon as possible to generate a bit of atmosphere. Been to most away games this season and the difference is superb . Celtic Park to quiet imho.
Paul67.
Something happened at Rugby Park in the first week of the year. Kris Commons was sublime but the improvement in Celtic’s performance was due to more than just him.
—————-
Something did happen but your timing is off. It wasn’t Rugby Park that was the catalyst. It was Fir Park in the first week of December. Since then we have been playing terrific football, even in the defeat at United, save for 2 games against County who had zero ambition to score in either of them.
Commons was sublime at Rugby Park, but he didn’t start that day at Fir Park, and while you say the improvement wasn’t solely down to him, you imply that he has been a major factor. Commons has played well the last month, but the team was starting to click before he made an impact, and will continue to click if he has to miss a few games to this injury.
It has been an entire team improvement, but if you are going to highlight one man, that man should be Ronny Deila. It was Ronny who took all the stick from fans and media. It is Ronny who is starting to deliver the most exciting style of play since the late, great, Tommy Burns. It is Ronny that deserves the plaudits. No one should be in any doubt about that.
burgas hoops/Geordie Munro
I agree would love him to stay but I fear his ambitions lie elsewhere, Celtic may rock his boat but unfortunately the general standard of our league does not.
Lots is different thoughts and views on you we have turned the corner………………
My 2’ps worth…………………….
Bitton…………………………………………
Nir’s passing and time on the ball is the KEY……….
Been saying this since day 1………………..
BuildAteamaroundBitton
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS
Embdy checked if they’ve paid their licence fee?
——————
Do you get a fuzzy picture o’er there if you’ve no got one -))
Jonnyrambo67
14:41
Well said
Ronny is changing the thinking …slowly but surely
The comfortable collective
We were playing Dundee, I think, and had won 2 or 3 nil.
Any draw was a bit of a disaster, it being so tight, and I reckon they’d have lost a bit of momentum that night, as well as 2 points. Disnae matter anyway, they were still cheating, as were their MIB fans.
Light grey Sunday, I now call it.
Big Joe….
I like Bitton as a player.
Similarly Denayer, and Van Dijk……the Inter ties will however be a good gauge / test, to see exactly how good these individuals are.
Winning Captains,
No problem using I pad. Congratulations on the new format.
HH.
Fancy dress at ibrokes today by the looks of it ……. Strange they all dressed as blue seats
beatbhoy 14:29 on 8 February, 2015
True, very true.
the thing I always try to remember was that between 1998 and 2012 when murray was
~ Burning through the £20m (or was it £40m) of ENIC money
~ Spending ‘Honest’ Dave King’s £20m
~ Pumping in the best part of £60m through two underwritten share offers via MIH (Really taxpayers money via loans from RBOS)
~ Countless Champions League bonanzas (circa £12m each season)
~ Saving £24m through EBT’s (whether legal or illegal, in terms of how much money he didn’t need to spend)
During the period 1998 – 2012 Murray required to spend an average of £10m EACH and EVERY year more than rangers were taking in. (even in the champions league)
Now during those 14 years Celtic won the league 7 times and rangers won the league 7 times.
We will never get justice for the near two decades of financial dopping which gave rangers an unfair advantage over everyone else in Scottish football.
But moving forward, just remember this.
In order to win the same number of league titles as Celtic, rangers had to con one group or other out of an average of £10m EACH YEAR, EVERY YEAR for 14 years.
Now that was back when they had gasgoines, laudrops and scott nisbets in their teams – world class players.
The new club does not have anyone near the calibre of scott nisbet, they will not be able to con £10m EVERY YEAR out of gullible rainbow chasers and they have onerous contracts and a crumbling ibroke to content with.
The deid team will never be held to account for their actions. I am now convinced of that.
But at least I can take some solace from the fact their tribute act will never be in a position to do the same.
BURGAS HOOPS
My telly works fine without one,haha!
Last I checked,at least.
Keep the Faith Rovers in emerald green at Blaydon Arena
Another interesting stat…………………………
The last player to score against the Champions ………………
Is now playing for us…………………………………..
# StuartArmstrong
We were 6 behind with 2 games in hand the night the linesman gave the mysterious penalty at tynecastle
HH
9,000 have turned up to watch it bein’ lumped up to the big man of whom 50 are in the shortbread studio]
This must be a new world record.
Burgas Hoops
14:43 on
8 February, 2015
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS
Embdy checked if they’ve paid their licence fee?
——————
Do you get a fuzzy picture o’er there if you’ve no got one -))
________
the huns thought having a picture o libby above the oul marble stair case exempted them from paying any tax or bills like tv liscence
25,000 at Hampden last week, less than 10,000 at ibrokes this week….
Yip it’s all about the sevCo right enough :-) HH
This Daly guy is pure comedy gold, they are only a few players away from matching Celtic! Ha ha
cowiebhoy
14:40 on 8 February, 2015
Banded those kind of numbers about but I keep coming back to thinking that playing the same teams four times a season is the root cause of malaise