Forged on the road

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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

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  1. itscalledthemalvinas on

    If we hear any booing at half time it will be the Rovers fans !

     

    Booooooooooooooooooooooo !

  2. GlassTwoThirdsFull on

    The Comfortable Collective 14:49

     

    Spot on. Think I did the sums a while back and got approx £250m. With CL money they shouldn’t have got then it’s over £300m.

     

    And King is speaking about £16m??? And that’s from a starting point of a Championship team!

     

    They really are deluded if they think they are anywhere near us.

  3. • Parkheadcumsalford

     

    15:37 on 8 February, 2015

     

    Big Joe,

     

    Nir Biton is THE difference. He is the lynchpin. He let’s the ball do the work. It’s great to see. Imo, because of this, the others have discovered the one essential ingredient for success: confidence. It is flowing through the team now. They know they are better than every other team in Scotland

     

     

     

    Totally agree………………….. mate…………….

     

     

    However……………………………..

     

     

    What will Ronny do when The Prodigal Son returns……………….

     

     

    from injury…………………

     

     

    BigJoelovesCharly………………..But

  4. Too much excitement …Colin Cameron will have aged 20 years…. If he is entirely capable of ageing any further.

  5. bournesouprecipe on

    Shame, if they hadn’t advised the Sevco ‘Executives’ not to attend they could have doubled the attendance.

     

     

    WorldRecords CSC

  6. Pogmathonyahun aka Laird of the Smiles on

    The half time punditry is almost as boring as the game.

     

    Away to watch some paint dry!

  7. Ibrokes yawn what I saw (about 9,000 fans seemingly)

     

     

    Elbows goes through back of Raith players neck and stamps on him on way down (sound familiar?) – gets a yellow this time !

     

     

    Black gets ‘Broonied’ again and the ref plays on :-))). Brother Madden on thin ice ??

     

     

    Streete hits the road after 43 mins, and the other guy makes Boydichenko look alike Insane Bolt – seen milk turn quicker !

  8. ....PFayr supports WeeOscar on

    Mcculloch ..the plastic hardman continues to disgrace Scottish football

     

     

    One of the new guys couldnae thole it for even one half …feigns a hammy injury

     

     

    I am a footballer …get me out of here !!!!!

  9. ExSlaemuirBhoy on

    There’s more stewards stewarding Raith fans than there are Raith fans, suspect this game will cost sevco a right few bob, also noticed at half time not many left for the oul traditional half time pie n Bovril.

  10. gerrybhoy

     

     

    15:54 on 8 February, 2015

     

    Crouch stuns horrible Rangers feeder team 1-1

     

     

    —-

     

     

    Something doesn’t look right in that game. The NU players were literally giving the ball to the Stoke players in the last 5 mins trying to let them score. Even the NU Keeper was up at that half way line to take a free kick when his team were leading with 5 mins to go, what’s that about??

  11. Hate the way Stoke play…….and they’ve just gubbed my coupon with that equaliser. Was waiting on Newcastle and a draw @ Snake Mountain.

     

    Ah well, try again next week.

  12. The Comfortable Collective on

    GlassTwoThirdsFull 15:49 on 8 February, 2015

     

     

    and that is just the figures in the public domain.

     

     

    Shudder to think what other under the counter shennanigans have still to be uncovered. . .

  13. 16 roads - Celtic über alles... on

    The monkeys would be running that game at a loss today, given the gate receipts are split with Raith.

     

     

    Luckily enough the BBC have saved the day again gifting them the television revenue.

     

     

    Never off the tv from the day and hour they were formed, almost three years now.

     

     

    The BBC and Sky are the two main reasons that they have survived this far.

     

     

    HH.

  14. Eyes Wide Open on

    Celtic scarf in Shaun of the Sheep – brilliant !!

     

     

    Our high pressing style of football is ideal for the dross of the SPL however how it fares against counter attacking masters who are technically better than us is still at the questionable stage.

     

     

    As someone who has backed Ronny from day 1 I’m not getting myself as carried away as he is and I sincerely hope he doesn’t really think we are as far down the road as he’s saying publicly.

     

     

    He spoke in the early days of building up combinations initially in twos and then professing to threes.

     

     

    When in possession we most often we see players running away from his team mate with the ball to position themselves further up the park – presumably to instruction.

     

     

    You’ll not control a game with 30-40 yard passes and whenever I watch teams who play a similar style of football to the one RD is trying to implement, team mates run toward the guy with the ball to make themselves available 10-20 Yds away.

     

     

    So in SPL terms I think we are ok – increase the quality of opposition then I think there’s still a long way to go – Europa games played so far also called as evidence.

     

     

    We need to be more disciplined vs Inter.

  15. So let me get this straight. McCulloch elbows a guy in the back of the head, and in the same movement stamps on him as he falls.

     

     

    The ref sees all this and yellow cards him.

     

     

    Truly they play by different rules…

  16. Dontbrattbakkinanger on

    ‘Dixie Chicken” on the ole wireless.

     

     

    Nearly as good as when ole Lowell and the boys played it at CP.

  17. ....PFayr supports WeeOscar on

    16 roads

     

     

    Was thinking that myself

     

     

    As p67 continually advises it’s costly to run a large stadium…particularly when it’s only 1/5 full

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