On his third appearance back after injury, James Forrest pulled-up in the dying moments of Saturday’s game clutching his hamstring. The player will be devastated but the mood was no better among those walking away from the stadium minutes later. Just as James was back and planning for what looked like an important season in his Celtic career, fundamental questions were being asked about his fitness viability.
We’ve seen this before. Shaun Maloney was forever breaking down, sometimes minutes after returning from injury. Shaun was a different type of player from James, he had a speed on the turn which made him a valuable asset, but likely contributed to his fragility.
The other pace player in the squad at the moment, Derk Boerrigter, has similarly fragile muscles. I hear the same about Aleks Tonev, currently injured. One of England’s greatest hopes of the last 20 years, Michael Owen was another member of the Fast and Fragile club. There seems to be a link between speed and injury.
There’s good news for James, and Derk too. After leaving so many regrets on the Celtic treatment table, Shaun’s limbs matured and stabilised. Michael Owen can tell a similar story, both players found their bodies vastly more robust from the middle part of their careers onwards.
James has to stick with it, continue to work on strengthening his muscles, and try to find what’s causing the problems, which can often be obscure. After a run of inexplicable injuries, AC Milan discovered that poor teeth were afflicting their athletes. Apparently your bite affects your running gate. Owen eventually found that his choice of cars (more specifically, sports clutches), was putting enough regular strain on the wrong muscles to leave him exposed to tears.
James’ and Derk’s bodies will continue to mature, to the benefit of the second half of their careers.
Not that Ronny is short of cover for James, having signed wide players Jo Inge Berget and Aleks Tonev we now have Ghanian Walaso Mubarak going through a medical.
The squad is becoming wing-heavy. It remains striker-light.
Greatest Irony
Do you know what would produce the greatest irony in sporting history? If Efe Ambrose came on as a late substitute tomorrow night, and we later discovered a rule deep in Uefa’s Articles that forfeit matches don’t count for suspensions. Forfeit matches are so rare no one will be familiar with the rules concerning them. Should we check? Oh yes.
James Alexander Gordon
It was the way he told them. Every week the man would uniquely intone the football results, you knew the outcome of each game, home win, away win or draw, before he read second number.
Maestro Match
Really delighted Celtic FC Foundation have nominated Unicef and War Child as their beneficiaries from the Maestro match next month, where we will “assist in their humanitarian work in a number of current Middle East countries”.
Foundation cheif exec, Tony Hamilton, said, “From our living rooms we have all witnessed some of the terrible vivid horror of conflict in recent days and the particular effects that these events have had on children.
“The work of UNICEF and War Child takes no sides but simply cares for all the innocent victims of conflict on a humanitarian level. The match in September will bring together some great names in football who want to make a difference.
“We hope as many supporters as possible can join us to assist children and their families who so desperately need our help.”
I know Celtic fans will want to support this enormously important cause. Read more and book tickets here.
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bobby murdoch’s curled-up winklepickers
12:04 on 20 August, 2014
WEETWEETWEET
Poor love,she must have been hallucinating!
Nothing rang wi a roll n spam mucker
HH ;))
Barcelona: Fifa rejects appeal against transfer ban
Barcelona will be unable to sign players until January 2016 once the current transfer window shuts, after world governing body Fifa rejected the club’s appeal against a transfer ban.
The Spaniards were given the 14-month ban after being found to have breached rules on signing international players under the age of 18.
It was suspended as they appealed, allowing them to sign Luis Suarez.
And the ban will start in the next transfer window, early next year.
It means their summer acquisitions will be unaffected and the Catalan club could, if they wanted, sign more players before the current transfer window ends on 31 August.
The Spaniards have also been ordered to pay a fine of 450,000 Swiss Francs (£305,000) and been told by Fifa “to regularise” the situation of all minor players concerned.
“FC Barcelona is to serve a transfer ban which will see the club prevented from registering any players at both national and international level for two complete and consecutive transfer periods,” read a Fifa statement.
Meanwhile, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has been told to pay a fine of 500,000 Swiss Francs (£340,000) and told to “regularise its regulatory framework and existing system concerning the international transfer of minors in football” within a year.
LB
Line up tonight?
Hmmm…
The critical requirement is that we’re still in the tie at the end of the match, if you’ll forgive me stating the bleedin’ obvious.
That means our most reliable defence, with a strong, mobile midfield ahead of them, to my mind.
So, Craig Gordon is a shoo-in.
Lustig is a better full back than Ambrose, so that one’s easy.
Izzy despite his “it’s behind you!” problem, is our only capable left back, moreover given that Matthews is defo out.
Virgil is a shoo-in.
Leaving the choice between Ambrose and Denayer. I thought the youngster did well on Saturday after a shaky first 5 minutes, but Ambrose and van Dijk know each other’s game too well to risk a new pairing in such an important game, so Efe gets the nod provided he’s slept lately.
Midfield is the bigger problem. I have great respect for the way Charlie Mulgrew has recreated a career at Celtic, but he lacks the mobility against good opposition to be effective – the same issue with him playing at left back.
Biton hasn’t yet shown that he’s ready to pick up his form that he had prior to his injury.
Johansen has the mobility, but his passing isn’t tight enough.
I thought Kayal looked lean when he came on against Utd, but again his use of the ball isn’t good enough, and he has a habit of losing his man.
Liam Henderson appeared and then disappeared just as quickly. Don’t know the issue there, injury maybe? Maybe GG can advise?
McGregor’s been great since he returned, although beyond Legia he has never played at this level, and that tie is perhaps best forgotten. That said, the kid likes to shoot and does it to damned good effect, and a wee away goal wouldn’t hurt us.
I’d go with Mulgrew sitting behind McGregor and Johansen, three lefties in the middle. We could just as easily go with Biton behind Kayal and Johansen though. Looks like Johansen is in by default then.
Wide is important in terms of protecting the space in front of our full backs.
I didn’t see anything from Berget on Saturday to suggest he’s about to flower, and think he’s a couple of months away from his A game, whatever that is.
Boerrigter is a curate’s egg of a player. Capable technically, fragile physically and often disengaged from a game.
Forrest is injured. As is Tonev. McGeouch hasn’t figured much lately.
Commons can play there, but lacks pace. He is though pretty effective at covering his full back, as he showed v Barca, and Lustig is a great athlete behind him. That might work.
Slim pickin’s…
Up front, I’d go with Griffiths over Stokes on the basis that Griffiths is better at seeing half chances, and is a little quicker, but there’s little between them otherwise.
Looking like Boerrigter on the left, Commons on the right, and Griffiths on his own.
—————-Gordon——————
Lustig Ambrose van Dijk Izaguirre
—————Mulgrew——————
—-McGregor ——-Johansen——
Commons —————- Boerrigter
—————-Griffiths——————
Jings!
Bhoylo83
12:01 on
20 August, 2014
What if we do get through
and we are drawn against:
Barcelona
Benfica
AC Milan
B-/
———————-
Qualify for the last 16. Obviously.
Just had 2 rolls n tongue.
I love tongue.
FamousFootInMouthCSC
Train arrives.
Meeting time.
Aff oot!
HH jamesgang
WEETWEETWEET
Aye,but we’re blokes.
We’re conditioned to eating anything.
Particularly if alcohol has been taken.
Think of kebabs,and the likelihood of eating one sober.
Captain Beefheart 12:11 on 20 August, 2014
I’m relaxed about the whole thing. No rules were broken … by Celtic, that is.
Coronation Street has certainly changed direction since Hilda and Stan were in it.
THE BATTERED BUNNET
Yer first line caught my eye,I thought you had alternative entertainment planned.
new article posted.
Clearly not only addled, but wretched too!
TBB
I didn’t see anything from Berget on Saturday to suggest he’s about to flower, and think he’s a couple of months away from his A game, whatever that is.
—-
Mhate! We’ve already established you were facing the wrong on Saturday in this respect!!!
;-)
HH jamesgang
tonydonnelly67
11:34 on 20 August, 2014
Hahahahahahaha …. Chuckie
Fred C. Dobbs
11:41 on 20 August, 2014
Steinreignedsupreme,
Other than catering what has Murrayfield ever done for us? :O).
Two home wins:)
Find it interesting that folk are discussing Fletcher as a possible incomer. Steven Fletcher would be an impossibility as far as wages and transfer fee are concerned unless Sinderland are bringing in someone else and we get him on loan.
Darren Fletcher would be more realistic but even then we would be asking him to take a cut or a loan and it would be down to his health problems and Van Gaal not fancying him.
Judging by Ronnys comments on a striker though I think it could be someone coming back the way from the EPL that won’t get a game. Maybe a loan with a view to a larger than mormal transfer fee next year…Guidetti?
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS 12:15 on 20 August, 2014
WEETWEETWEET
I still remember the LC final against the dead club in the early 80s.
Teeming down for the entire match and no cover at the winners end. Some boy traipsing about shouting: “Macaroon bar, spearmint chewing gum.
“Macaroon bar, spearmint chewing gum.
“Macaroon bar, spearmint chewing gum.
“Macaroon bar … some *#%* buy one…”
ernie lynch @ 09.40
murdochbhoy
08:08 on 20 August, 2014
‘Political point …….
NHS Scotland is a separate entity but the repercussions from the recklessly fast privatisation of NHS England will surely follow.’
###
Given that health is a devolved issue, I can’t see the logic of that statement.
By the way, has the GP service not always been more or less privatised, right since the days of ‘I stuffed their mouth with gold’ ?
*************
Ernie,
Although NHS Scotland is run as a separate entity it’s current funding is tied to a percentage of government spending in England, the more services in England are privatised the less the future funding, if of course, Scotland votes no to Independence.
http://worldofstuart.excellentcontent.com/WeeBlueBookDesktopEdition.pdf
GP’s are indeed self-employed and have contracts to provide their services to the NHS which makes it all the odder that this government decided take funding decisions away from NHS employees and hand it to outsiders.
If Efe is played at R B make sure he’s RB not right wing back!!