It is not going to be welcome tonight, but the absence of Callum McGregor, in anticipation he appears at Pittodrie on Sunday, could be vitally important to our season. Three weeks out resting a hamstring, there is no way he can be fit to play two games in three days. We need Callum for Pittodrie, so cannot play him tonight, irrespective of the consequences. The Leverkusen game is not our priority this week.
There was some creative thinking when Jeremie Frimpong discussed his desire, or otherwise, to leave Celtic earlier this year. He told the media, “I was not looking to leave Celtic. When the chance came to join Leverkusen, it was not something I was actively looking to do.”
Well, he was not looking to leave Celtic, until Bayer Leverkusen came calling. Celtic were not looking to sell him either. Not unreasonably, the player was clear on his desire to play in the Bundesliga from the moment he was aware of the possibility.
I liked his energy and character if not his deliveries. Best of luck to him, after tonight.
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Wot? No posts yet?
I wish we still had him .
Agree. I’d choose a win on Sunday over tonight any day.
Frimpong transfer was a win-win. No hard feel
COYBIG
D :)
Celtic
Celtic.
Celtic..
His lack of positional awareness may give Jota some space to work tonight.
Be interesting to see his development since he left us.
The Frimpong deal was a good bit of business for all parties.
Not often that happens.
To paraphrase Big Jock, only a sadist would predict the outcome of the game this evening.
My hope tonight is a decent show and we sneak a draw . My prayers foucs on o more injuries
The old saying Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst is where I am regarding tonight. This is a good team in great form and we could be on the wrong end of a doing. I expect us to start strongly but if we lose an early goal and go chasing an equalizer, they will pick us off for fun.
I would be delighted with a 2-2 kind of game and no further injuries. Kyogo or Gio gettinng on the score sheet would be a morale-boosting bonus.
“No more “
My hope is they vastly underrate us and start in second gear, then unable to move up the gears, yes I know, but I live in hope, por cierto.
Time for AP’s game 2, plan B, of which so far we’ve seen no signs.
Hart
Ralston, Starfelt, Carter-Vickers, Scales/Montgomery
Turnbull, McCarthy, Rogic
Abada, Ajeti, Jota
Nir Bitton could be a key substitute in, or in front of the sieve.
Agree re Nir Bitton. Just don’t wait until it’s too late for him to contribute. Glad to see there’s at least one other poster who thinks he can do a job!
Never been a fan of prioritising games so would play strongest available team tonight and ditto Sunday.
A win tonight banks £525k and a draw around £175k. A win on Sunday banks 3pts. Let’s be greedy and reach for that £525k and those 3pts.
Heard a good – in the circumstances – plan B from a chap on Radio Clyde yesterday (yes, it has got to that stage of life when I have time on my hands sitting in the car outside the Student Union waiting for WeeBGFC and his merrily-tipsy pal)
Centred around both our left wing and the central striking position – the fundamental point being that Ajeti is currently contributing not much more than an empty jersey (I really wish it were otherwise – definitely for him personally, and for everyone interested in Celtic doing well).
Hart
Ralston, Starfelt, Carter-Vickers, Scales
Turnbull, McCarthy, Rogic
Jota, Abada, Montgomery
Thought about it last night, and I think it is a good plan – at least in the circumstances we are in squad-wise.
Scales has some European experience and looked comfortable in the little time he was on the park – and it his natural position. Montgomery I think is decent on the left wing, Both him and Scales can interchange too – both can play forward or back.
Doing that means moving Jota to the right – he looked really good on the right away to Betis.
The main point is it allows wee Abada to play through the middle, in place of Ajeti. Now I’m not saying he is as good as Kyogo, but he’s certainly more of a danger than Ajeti.
Much more akin to Kyogo in terms of pace, willingness to make runs in behind, stretching the back line – and he’s already shown that he’s a good finisher.
Thoughts?
HH
BGFC
Hart
Ralston, Starfelt, Carter-Vickers, Scales/Montgomery
Turnbull, McCarthy, Rogic
Abada, Ajeti, Jota
Nir Bitton could be a key substitute in, or in front of the sieve.
“he made it clear quite a while ago that his ambition was to leave”
Hmmmmmm…………..
————
Frimpong’s crosses certainly weren’t the best, which made it all the more puzzling to have him doing that, rather than utilising his strength which was taking players on, getting to the byline and cutting back.
Don’t think you can prioritise Aberdeen over tonight. A good performance will feed through.
Ignore the C&P disaster at the bottom of that….
MAJESTIC HARTSON
Hope you don,t mind me asking , did you or your mum and dad stay at Marshall grove in Hamilton .
Wild rumour — take 2 …
KDS — I know / I know — is full of chat that AP is going tomorrow.
Same Friday night drop as DMcK four weeks ago.
Same mad whatsapp messages in the preceding 48 hours.
Would explain our recent lack of effort to actually win games if this was Act 2 of the Board Strikes Back.
Tonight’s team.
Joe Hart,
10 others.
That’s my contribution to the possible line up tonight I’m afraid.
I’ll take my seat and support whoever wears the Hoops tonight.
I’m reading the same fears and dread that appeared on the day of our home tie v AZ Alkmaar before we put them to the sword.
I decided this morning not to go to the game as I still haven’t sufficiently recovered, and after checking out the weather. A very happy and excited friend is taking my seat.
I’m going for 2-1 Celtic, with apologies to JHB.
Hail Hail
MADMITCH
What lack of effort to win games?
Are you telling me Turnbull, Jota and Rogic are that good, they deliberately hit the bar v Dundee United?
Turnbull deserves special mention as his 25 yard thunderbolt came off the underside of the bar. The bhoy’s a genius.
TMcL @ 1.56
What about all the other poor finishes — over the bar — or the wasted crosses and corners?
On Sunday we played a very leisurely paced game for too much of the time.
Surprised at the lack of desire and focus to win the game in the second half.
Poor passes when we were breaking with a man over.
Dancing outside the 18 yard line with no cutting edge.
Playing hide and seek behind their teenage CH.
All on display on Sunday.
Aye, he was p!sh, £10 Million worth of p!sh.
BIG JIMMY on 30TH SEPTEMBER 2021 1:39 PM
I received a Text this morning from my Health Centre/Nurse advising em to phone and make an appointment to visit the nurse and receive a ” PNEUMOCCCEL VACCINE”.
It also stated in the text ” NOT Flu Jab”…which I had already assumed it to be ?
I phoned and spoke to the Receptionist, and asked her ” What is this Pneumoccel Vaccine” …is it The BOOSTER to the Covid Jags ? and ?
I was told it was NOT.
I dont remember ever having this ” Pnuemoccel Vaccine ” before, does anyone have any idea why I need to have one now ?
I DO intend getting this further Jab, and I have an appointment next week.
HH.
Ok it’s politics but funny.
First Minister Questions at Holyrood this morning.
Jamie Green (CON) :
I have received a letter from a hotelier in the Highlands who is hosting a large wedding tomorrow with music and dancing and understands that all guests will require to show a vaccine certificate. A number of the family are flying in from China for the occasion. Can the First Minister explain how these visitors will be allowed to attend the wedding?
First Minister:
As I have clearly stated previously, weddings are exempt from vaccine certificate regulations.
BHOY FROM THE BOYNE on 30TH SEPTEMBER 2021 2:06 PM
LionRoar67 @ 1:42pm,
No argument for me here. The entire football operations dept is not fit for purpose IMO. The recruitment, lack of DOF. Problems also go right down to the youth system.
Likes of Morrison, Hepburn too have left over the years. If you read a lot of the interviews with these young boys, they talk about being smitten by the Bayern’s of this world who sit them down and present them with their vision for their career path to first team football. Some have said they did not get the same at Celtic and therefore it was a ‘no brainer’ to leave. We are losing too much potential. Something is wrong.
BGFC
I’ve heard a few people pushing for Abada in the middle. I wouldn’t be against it for the odd game, but I think he would be less effective there. For me his strength is coming off the right into the middle when the play is developing down the left. If his starting position was in the middle I’m not sure he would find the same space.
BIG JIMMY
The pneumococcal vaccine protects against serious and potentially fatal pneumococcal infections. It’s also known as the pneumonia vaccine. Pneumococcal infections are caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae and can lead to pneumonia, blood poisoning (sepsis) and meningitis.
BFTB @ 1.50
AP rumours — no idea what is happening just now.
The rumours could be a wind up but like the DMcK stuff there has been other elements in play.
The team / squad looks a bit lost with little energy or desire.
Sunday was very poor with too many phoning it in.
If AP goes then hopefully he walks.
If the board get rid of him then who takes the blame?
They got us into this situation by being second rate.
Who will back them when the new guy comes in?
The big rumour from the weekend in the free pie seats was that the board want / need the TFOD2.1 to survive — at all costs.
The current PL inspired business model is based on them being in the SPL.
We need that to sell season tickets and big up the next TV deal.
For the TFOD2.1 to survive — they need next season’s CL money.
For next season’s CL money — they need to win the league.
Consequently this season is a free hit for them.
AP is the patsy brought in at the last minute.
He takes the flack and then the board do the needful.
I sit in the investors section, never heard anyone saying that on Sunday Madmitch?
Bma
BIG JIMMY
Some health authorities give the pneumonia vaccine in addition to the flu vaccine for over 65s, particularly as Covid-19 often induces pneumonia in older patients.
My wife and I were given both flu and pneumonia vaccines in October 2020 as a precaution against Coronavirus.
MADMITCH
The master of fantasy.
Dear oh dear.
Madmitch @ 2:14pm.
Nothing would surprise me about this club anymore but here is hoping Ange doesn’t walk.
We haven’t got the results recently but the metrics/data suggests that our expected goals and expected points do not merit our actual points. I am expecting an uplift in results soon.
That doesn’t excuse the utter shambles in the planning and management of our football dept for past number of years.
On DD, of course he wants the Rangers/Sevco entity to exist. Anything less losses him money.
BMA @ 2.18
You obviously don’t have the contacts that I have …
I was surprised at the normally very sober people who now are all in regarding the DD inspired effort to keep the TFOD2.1 in the game and breathing.
The EPL adventure as a double act has now seemingly gone.
The focus was on our revenues if the TFOD2.1 becomes the TFOD3 and head for Div2.
PL has convinced DD that the season ticket sales will collapse and the next TV deal will be buttons — so we now have Operation Life in Govan.
All pub chat but from people who in the past were not active board malcontents.
Plus it fits with DD’s plan for us — sit tight and don’t spend any money.
GLASSTWOTHIRDSFULL on 30TH SEPTEMBER 2021 2:11 PM
BGFC
I’ve heard a few people pushing for Abada in the middle. I wouldn’t be against it for the odd game, but I think he would be less effective there. For me his strength is coming off the right into the middle when the play is developing down the left. If his starting position was in the middle I’m not sure he would find the same space.
=========
Yup – agree it shouldn’t be his default position.
I was meaning it more as a short-term response to an acute situation – i.e., tonight, maybe Sunday depending on whether anyone returns from injury.
After that , we should get some of the squad back in contention.
HH
BGFC