Last night’s performance was at the upper end of my expectations. We were sharper than I remember from a year ago, although not Nadir Ciftci, who is a couple of weeks behind, and looked a couple of pounds over, his team mates.
You could see how Stjarnan did so well against Lech and Motherwell last season. They defended with six along the back and have a good keeper. Celtic’s passing looked off, but I think that had as much to do with Stjarnan’s denial of space in advanced areas. The chances came when we broke forward having allowed space to open up 50 yards out, and from a set-piece for the opening goal.
Stefan Johansen was my man of the match, he was the creative fulcrum behind all that worked. And yes, Stefan, in a public spat with you, Leigh Griffiths, a man who eats Tea Cakes on the bench and cultivates a rascal persona, walked away looking the grown up. You think about that for a while.
Emilio Izaguirre had a horrible World Cup and started all over the place last season. It was months into the campaign before people started to notice his consistency was back, but the head seemed as though it was still on the beach last night. He would have been punished severely by a mainland European team.
Ronny started with his traditional 4-2-3-1 but for a while after Leigh replaced James Forrest, he played a 4-4-2, which coincided with our best period of the game. Nadir had someone to link with, instead of being isolated in a sea of blue shirts, resplendent with the old World of Sport logo.
It was great having Mikael Lustig back and although Dedryck Boyata was not challenged defensively, he was clearly on a par with Lustig as being a defender who is comfortable on the ball. No mistakes and a goal is pretty much all that could be asked of him.
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Well done BBC alba.
Moving tribute to the great man.
Almore
Sure the game is on Wednesday night
20-15 kick off
Great result for Aberdeen. I note that Considine’s goal came from a well worked corner, something they obviously work on, whereas we do not appear to do so. We invariably have 3 types of corners: one to the first defender, two into the goalie’s arms, and three- beyond the far post with no one there!
I also note in passing that St. Johnstone’s Armenian conquerors were whomped in Kazakhstan today.
Well done Aberdeen – the mood would be joyous round here if Celtic go that result.
I was in Rijeka around 30 odd years ago on Inter Rail.
I didn’t stay that long – it’s just a big port.
What I do remember was sitting waiting for a bus or something one morning.
A bloke started reversing in his van towards a newspaper and sweets kiosk – it was fairly substantial – embedded in concrete and everything.
I thought – surely he’s not going to back into it but he did. The kiosk assumed an O Level exam parallelogram shape and the windows broke followed immediately by a screaming young lady. Fortunately, she seemed ok apart from the shock.
Amazing that it probably took no more than a second yet I can see it in my mind’s eye and it seemed to last a minute.
Maybe it was National Reversing Day or something.
As an add on to last nights game
We really need to be getting the ball wide quicker, and players moving into space created with such movement.
Have to say the poor movement of some of our players, is creating some of our issues
Should have been stretching the defenders of Stjarnam much better than we did
Still 2 – 0 will do for now :-)
Hail Hail
Terrific programme on Alba on big Jock.
Still feel a wee bit ashamed the way he was “ushered” out of Celtic Park. The photo with big Billy, Desmond White and Jock needs no comment…. A sad moment.
However well done Alba. Kleenex needed tonight.
Game is live on BT Sport next week….
On another note, why do they let these people from benefit street loose on the public….
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/prince-philip/11744063/Prince-Philip-asks-women-Who-do-you-sponge-off.html
Good result for us last night , great result for the Dandy Dons (and the coefficient ) tonight. The Dons had a very good away win last season in the qualifiers against Virgil’s old team, Groningen.
Its a pity Caley couldn’t at least get a draw tonight. I know its their first Europan match and still preseason but I was hoping they could get some sort of result.
I wonder if the likes of Draper , Meekings got away with their ‘enthusiastic’ approach with a UEFA appointed ref as against the way our refs deal with the above’s ‘enthusiastic’ tackling.
IniquitousIV – Eh, did we not score our first goal from a corner last night ??….
PFayr: thanks for correction, I thought it was Tuesday.
Dena29: See you there (with my Kano Foundation bucket). Did you go to Dundalk races? Not watching the news much because I have family home from Canada but I saw a piece on the BBC ni News earlier about Orange Culture rearing its ugly head last night in Belfast. I’m not sure which is worse(really I do), living with those bigots or living amongst West Brits.
Listened to the game on audio last night and was struck by the number of times we broke quickly and slickly from our own half ,only to hit the pause button when we reach the opposition box. Sometimes when you hear it happen without pictures,it makes it even more obvious.
Steady start last night to our Euro campaign, we will continue to improve as the season develops and i’m sure RD will have a few shuffles before he settles for a favoured line up for the season’s challenges.
Link to SF events for next year.
https://www.sinnfein.ie/files/2015/SinnFein2016BrochureWeb.pdf
HH
West End….
That’s a bit rich coming from the biggest spongers in the country.
HH
Almore
what’s wrong with the aul West brits
Cowiebhoy at 22.09, very good point.
We had a couple of counter attacks last night that could have been played better.
I hope your ankle is on the mend and Shug the Dug has some better luck with his health.
Sorry for mentioning politics. Good luck to the 74 Glasgow City Council caseworkers for the homeless in their so far, 15 week strike.
I do believe our least favourite red top had a story about it today but the media have basically ignored this for whatever reason.
TINYTIM
Re CQN Magazine and iPad problems.
Try opening in a new tab,only way I could get it to work.
I’m not sure Griffiths walked away the grown up – he might have walked away the bigger person however he allowed the spat to get into his head because let’s be honest it was the classic worst place in the entire goal to place a penalty (unless the keeper goes the other way).
Agreed it was great watching Lustig at right back again, by far our most accomplished full back.
He could have done with a little more / or any support from James Forrest and I’m sure also having to play 90 minutes he will be about as sore today as I am playing 7 a side for an hour compounded by currently chasing after a Cliftonville 1st team player (at near 35 yrs of age).
disagreed with the decision to play Cifti from the start
What message does it send out to a confident striker, fresh after finishing the season as no.1 striker after being 4th and just about to start the new one with having got his hands on his cherished no.9 Jersey – with a new guy you admit is half fit, out of shape and has only trained with his new team mates a few times.
I could understand the logic if it was away – midfield further back, hold the ball up waiting for support, ruffling defenders but none of that should apply at home, against a team a fraction of our size and supposed ability.
West end of east end:
I wondered who would be first back with that! Touché!
Howevva –
How many corners did we have? How many were punched by the keeper? How many sailed past the far post? And how many did we have last season that were totally wasted? Watch Considine the next time we play Aberdeen. Lurks way beyond the far post, then has the option of heading it back across the goal.
Sure, we got one last night, but productivity from corners in the past few years has been deplorable.
Just saying like.
If Johansen hadn’t put LG off last night, our wee no.9 WOULD have tucked the pen away and we would have been taking a 3-0 lead to Iceland.
I’d put my house on it (one of the wee plastic ones out of the weans monopoly set).
WITS: They know everything courtesy of Section 31 of the Broadcasting Act.
Great result of the dons hopefully they finish of the job next week alongside ourselves. Would like to see both teams in group stages. Scottish football needs as much positivity as possible.
Aberdeen have done ok for a team that’s regularly unseeded, a string of good results would boost their seeding, time for the other city clubs to be counted and do an Aberdeen, if you like!!!
HH
Almore
There was a time that was true.
Section 31 is long gone thank gone. Amazing the amount of old” West brits” that became born again chuckie men after the peace process. Or in my case vice versa
Sunday Mail being the Hunday Mail……it’s what they do, bless them
https://twitter.com/rhebelrhebel/status/621785065694076928
Eyes Wide Open
re: message sent by Ciftci starting … I am hoping the message it sends it that no one is guaranteed a starting spot, and they have to (i) earn it, and (ii) put the team before their own individual interests.
I think loyalty to a player is admirable, and, as you say, you want players happy and lloyal, and they wont be if they feel it is a one-way street…
but, to my mind, Ciftci is probably a better fit for RD’s system … he showed a bit of rustiness/lack of fitness last night, but I thought he did well in holding play up for the 3 forwards ….
Last season, LG realized that he had to get his head down and work hard, and get fit, if he wanted to play. To his credit, I think he did, and he was one of our better players last year as a result.
And I hope he shows the same maturity and drive again this year, and puts his head down, continues to work hard, and make himself undroppable (in my mind, ideally, beside Ciftci,… as I think the two of them together would be a great combination).
I still have some reservations about RD (that he is maybe too wedded to his system), but (i) I will give him some time on that one, and (ii) to be fair to him, he seems to be very strong at managing players, so I trust that he will know how to deal with LG farily and effectively.
Stephboy, if Aberdeen get through this qualifying round, there is less chance of them getting Dortmund or Bilbao, for example, for the next qualifier. I believe the team they played tonight are seeded and if they go out,the seeding status for Aberdeen changes in their favour.
I’m being told what to write here by my granddaughter ….and it’s not good enough…..I should be allowed to write what I want…..but she’ll no let me….bwaaaaaaaaahhhhh
Hahahahahahahahaha
Great result for the mint sauce brigade
Parkheadcumsalford
17:13 on
16 July, 2015
Auldheid,
you put me in mind of an essay I wrote the best part of 50 years ago. It included the sentence “Their realities differed”. The teacher claimed that could not be so; there is only one reality. I still wonder if that can be either subjectively or objectively true.
Anyway, I still think Charlie Mulgrew was dire last night. I dread if he plays against a better European team; Izzie was even more dire, imo.
=======================================
If your teacher is right and there is only one reality, then we must all be part of it (unless we are not in fact real ).
If there is only one reality that we are part of and not apart from, then something must be stopping each of us seeing that reality for what it is and possibly that reality that we each find wanting could be Paradise if we did not judge it otherwise.
Now Paradise and its loss is a part of the Genesis story, but I doubt many really Adam and Eve it.
Oh and I bet you don’t get that on The Huddleboard :)
Cana (earlier),
Always appreciate being corrected when I make a boo boo. If Stokes has scored more than 2 goals in four years, I apologise for getting it wrong. No witch hunt. For sentimental reasons, I would love us to have an Irish striker scoring for us domestically and in Europe.
Hi I am 67heavens granddaughter and I would just like to say I m FREEZING !!!!!!!!!!!
WITS: No fan of Bertie Aherne, but he said earlier today at a Dáil cmte. meeting that if hindsight was foresight he would be a billionaire. When I see see people commenting here on various political issues I wonder how informed they are, where they get their information from. I grew up during the conflict but sought as much information/ opinions/ experiences as I could to form my own opinion. I’m comfortable with the path I took, supporting the oppressed while working for a long term peaceful solution based on equality and justice. Ireland is a decent place to live in now for many people but there are still many issues that need to be tackled.
I hope you haven’t paid the water charges:-)
67 heaven grand daughter
Go to bed or I will get canamalar after you
He is a grumpy old ogre who patrols this blog and snarls at people, he is very scary but I am not afraid of him. I would fight him with one hand tied behind my back
Question..Is VVD available for the leg in Iceland?
Almore
Ireland is and always has been a decent place to live.
Ah Bertie the man of the people. Jaysus don’t get me started
Remember the old close seasons when we had the summer off? This will bring back memories…
The Queen, King Kenny & long summer breaks from Scottish football…http://www.cqnmagazine.com/?p=6421
Almore
Re water charges
My Butler mentioned an invoice from Evian had arrived. Is that the one to which you refer
BGX Yes