Good teams can score anywhere. Great teams can defend anywhere. Celtic have set a modern time record for lowest goals conceded in a league campaign of 17, beating the record jointly held by Martin O’Neill’s Celtic 13 years ago, and by Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen in the 80s, by a single goal.
This is a remarkable achievement but the bald fact hides another story. We conceded 12 times in their first 17 league games of the campaign, but conceded only five in the remaining 21 games:
St Johnstone scored with a rebound after Gordon saved.
St Johnstone scored when Danny Swanson fired unstoppable shot.
Inverness scored with a rebound after Johansen blocked on line.
Kilmarnock scored a deflection from shot from outside box.
Dundee scored from a move which opened Celtic defence.
Unstoppable shots, or deflections, from outside the box are, from a defensive organisation perspective, irrelevant. If someone ‘buys a lottery ticket’ with a low percentage shot and it ends up in the net, you’ve no remedial action to worry about.
Two rebounds ended up in the net. We don’t make many goal-line clearances, by keeper or defender, so reacting to the second ball is worth doing when opponents get inside the Celtic box. Dundee scored an 87th minute consolation in a game they were completely out-thought. Perhaps a momentary lapse from a Celtic team who thought their work was done for the day.
That 17 goal tally, a record which stretches back 96 years, is largely a story of the last six months, but it’s been a different story in cup games over the same period, where we’ve conceded eight in eight games.
The roof fell in over in the first half against Inter Milan at Celtic Park. While the three goals could be put down to bizarre mistakes I suspect the real story is that we didn’t have the game-plan right for an opponent of that standard. The remaining game and a half against Inter was different, where we conceded only a single ‘lottery ticket’ goal.
Dundee United scored with a disputed penalty (let’s not get started) and Inverness scored three against 10 man Celtic. Those three Inverness goals contrast so sharply with the rest of the season that you could conclude that we don’t have a robust game-plan for playing with 10 men against domestic opposition. The earlier 10-man performance at the San Siro was a different (much better) story, but tactics for Inter Milan and for Inverness will always be so different they are not worth comparing.
The loss of Jason Denayer and potential loss of Virgil van Dijk provides Ronny with a real challenge to maintain or improve the defence next season, but as you will know if you’ve been paying attention for the last 10 months, it’s all about systems, not players, so there’s a lot to be hopeful about going forward…….. apart from the fact that the only goals we’ve conceded since the middle of December in all competitions were to players wearing blue or orange!
Happy Lisbon Lions Day!
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bournesouprecipe
17:20 on 25 May, 201525/05/67
If you buy a giftcard from the Celtic Shop,that pic of Billy leading the team out is on it.We should have that pic on the new Teamcards.
I’m probably in the minority but I wouldn’t want to see us bringing Hooper back. Good striker in his four years with us but wouldn’t fit into this current team. Would rather have Griffiths.
Sorry 67.
Our defence was superb in Europe and we have fine competition domestically.
To be positive, we have shown intelligence in the transfer market. More will be required though.
Does anyone know who the Irish summariser is in the Roma v Lazio game?
Oops, should have said that was the strip that my school team wore.
Dallas
We now have practically two generations of MSM who either worked directly for the Hun on the Hun Weekly or whatever it was called or owe their employment to SDM giving them the nod and handshake!
He wined and dined not only the reporters but also the editors and MDs. They all see themselves as being on the same side!
In all the time the BoS were sponsoring the league – when we won – I think the Lord McFarlane only turned up once to present it. When the Huns won he was at the bigotdome every time!
Fergus did many great things for us – one of which was transferring our business to the Co-op right away!
HH
South of Tunis at 17.02, sorry for my late reply.
Cassano apears to be one of these players who thinks his ability is enough and expects his team mates to be on the same wavelength as him.
Plus his ego seems to be more important than his tally of medals.
Cassano is/was a great talent but like many before him has not utilised it as much as he should have.
“I agree with tinytim. Our defence is nothing special. We are playing against rubbish every week.”
Beefy,
As opposed to last season when we were playing against world class spfl opponents.
(Tongueincheeksmiley);)
Croppybhoy, Murray is a horror as are all those who he has in his pocket.
Murray would probably be chuffed if he was cast as the main baddie in a James Bond film.
He is the perfect example of how greed can be the cause of a big fall. .
His family have picked up property and some profitable businesses previously owned by MIH at greatly reduced prices. Surprisingly enough no media outcry.
3 Roma fans stabbed before tonight’s Roma / Lazio game.
Media reporting the presence in the stadium of some 50 Wisla Krakow Ultras . Fraternal pals of one of the loony right Lazio Crews.. Fascist salutes and anti Jewish chanting a specialty.
England win test by 124runs, great game, for all five days, had everything.
Happy Lisbon Lions day one and all.
YNWA
SoT
Saw several pictures on Twitter of the Wisla Ultras outside the stadium. They almost make huns look handsome and civilised.
Brilliant!
Guy on ‘pointless’ Glasgow Rangers fan calls them ‘NEWCO’ don’t think he will be welcome
down the ole ipox way :O)
Sadiesbhoy
Paul Mcvey ?
Lol lol lol lol
Guy on Pointless just said he supports ‘Glasgow Rangers….or thats what they used to be called, now Newco Rangers”
And hes a trainee solicitor!
B-)
Paul Francis McVey to give him his Sunday name
Bhoylo83
You may be younger than moi…..but you’re hell of a slow :O)
Hope yir well my friend.hh
Just found myself singing cheerio to a hun who just when out first on pointless. Thought my pettiness had reached its lowpoint but evidently i still have some way to go lol
VP
I only hope I’m as good lookin as you when I’m your age
Georgeclooneycsc
Watching Pointless with my good lady in charge of the control,
And there are a couple of Scotlandshire folk on the show,
One confesses to being a supporter of Glasgow Rangers, then he goes on to tell the world about them being newco,
Fekin class,
He will be on all sort of hit lists,
Happy Celticing
European governments, as well as the US, could always round up their machismo, right wing fanatical groups who want to fight Muslims, arm them to the teeth, give them basic training and send them into the Middle East for a square go with ISIS. That ought to help solve a few problems at the same time.
England have beaten New Zealand in the first Test. Been a truly great Test Match ..Would have loved to have been there..
Cricket , lovely Cricket CSC – way down south.
Blantyretim
Thanks for that. Haven’t heard him on before.
Bhoylo83
18:09 on
25 May, 2015
VP
I only hope I’m as good lookin as you when I’m your age
—————————————
Of course you will….yir a Tim :O) hh
Tell big Aiden I was asking for him.
Sadiesbhoy
Read up on him as didn’t know much about him either
“Who are the people who make decisions at IFA level and can they really say that it is a good thing for football in Northern Ireland to have the English anthem played before games?
“I cannot understand why it is played. Fifty per cent of the people in Northern Ireland do not recognise it as their anthem and among that 50 per cent, quality footballers will emerge.
“By the time they do come through, they most likely will have had their minds made up for them by the IFA.
“When Wales and Scotland can play their own national anthems at sports events, why can’t Northern Ireland? What is the reason? What justifies the national anthem of England being played for Northern Ireland’s football team?
South of Tunis, sounds like a traditional Rome derby.
I work with a guy who has been to a few. He goes in with the Roma Irish clan group.
Going back to 2003 in Seville. I was relieved Nazio never got through in the semi final. Some of their ‘more enthusiastic’ fans could have caused a lot of bother.
Antonio Cassano.
Has a habit of falling out with people.
Fell out with sergeant-major Fabio Capello at Real Madrid and the Sampdoria President after unleashing a foulmouthed tirade against the auld fella.
Allegedly.
Brought out an ‘autobiography’ a couple(?) of years ago where, among other things, he claimed to have slept with 700 women!
But not all at once.
Talented player.
But an erse.
HH!!
Zombie on Pointless puttin’ some ae yeez tae shame!!
Ha ha. Newco Rangers’ll do me!
Vive La Difference!
dallas dallas .
I got 3 tickets for Seville from a Lazio fan who no longer wanted the tickets.
Pointless
https://twitter.com/kraljski/status/602882802628042753
SOAL
You got a licence for that telly?
voguepunter
Aye a Black and White wan
Shhhhhhhhhh
SOAL
Everything in Wishy is black n white …you should be ok.hh
voguepunter
A lot better than the usual purple and orange
Love
Shrug Keevins just says
“Gary Hopper would not entertain a return to Celtic Park”
I am now confident Gary H might return
Plenty of black n white tvs in North Korea apparently.
You are entitled to one if you denounce a relative/friend/neighbour/complete stranger as a capitalist stooge.
HH!!
1 nil Roma
Gary67
17:43 on 25 May, 2015
I’m probably in the minority but I wouldn’t want to see us bringing Hooper back. Good striker in his four years with us but wouldn’t fit into this current team. Would rather have Griffiths
————
I’d agree with that. Would also probably be on 2-3 times the wages of the lads who did the business for us this season.
Could see Neil trying to get him to Bolton.