Hatate, expectations and craft

145

The weight of expectation around Reo Hatate is substantial.  Our midfield fulcrum (or former fulcrum) has started only four league games this season and made another four appearances from the bench.

He returned to action yesterday, when he came through 45 minutes against St Mirren, the same side he made his last appearance for Celtic against, on 2 January.  Normal footballers need a lot of gametime before contemplating an appearance at Ibrox two weeks on Sunday.  Reo is not normal, however.

His game is not based on industry, he is all about vision and touch.  His mind operates at a speed none of his domestic contemporaries can match, comparisons to Lubomir Moravcik are valid.

Alan Thompson is one of my favourite Celtic all time midfielders.  When he played, I wrote on these pages that he was the most influential Celtic midfielder since the Lisbon Lions.

He played in a midfield with Lubo, so you can imagine the feedback I got, but love Lubo as we did, Alan was more influential.  He was hard as nails, a prodigious worker, as well as a scorer and creator of several of the most important Celtic goals of the 21st century.

For around three weeks after returning from injury, Alan was a passenger.  Fans got on his back, he once memorably cupped his ear after scoring.  When short of full fitness, his systems just didn’t work.

Question is, do Reo’s different attributes allow him control the Ibrox turf the way he has previously done so, even short of match fitness?  I’m not convinced.  Proceed with caution.

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  1. SFTB, a penchant for a pint might not be seen as weakness as such, just the penchant for too many pints at times? Certainly the ownership of the pub sadly did prove to be too much for the Wee Mhan (but not his ‘mates’).

     

     

    Ave Ave

  2. My Chicago based Celtic converts secured tickets for Notre dame. Whole CSC is attending.

  3. garygillespieshamstring on

    Aipple

     

     

    I don’t think John McStay was a brother, a cousin I think.

     

    Raymond was the wee brother who played for Celtic.

  4. GARYGILLESPIESHAMSTRING re: John and Paul

     

     

    Cheers! I have been wrong since I was a wee kid. Will not be the last time.

  5. Back to Basics - Glass Half Full on

    Good quiz question re brothers in hoops.

     

     

    Wouldn’t have got that one.

     

     

    Gordon I remember. Performances not bad for £270k from Falkirk.

     

     

    Did Scott only play one game?

     

     

    Was it THAT game?

  6. Back to Basics - Glass Half Full on

    As for other brothers?

     

     

    Whenever I hear chat about a player’s ability which presupposes he’s bound to be decent because his sibling is decent?

     

     

    I have a stock five word response.

     

     

    “Paul McStay and Willie McStay”

     

     

    No hard feelings?

     

    (Willie, in case you were wondering)

  7. Back to Basics - Glass Half Full on

    Can’t help notice how one particular slowly dying news entity has really ramped up the Sevco better than Celtic narrative recently.

     

     

    All sorts of obscure indicators trotted out.

     

     

    Should we be surprised if they report the following entity confirming Sevco’s staircase is superior to ours?

     

     

    https://www.worldofmarble.co.uk/news/

     

     

    Bad news must be coming down the pike.

  8. Back to Basics - Glass Half Full on

    If I may make a suggestion to the (genuinely) good lads who make up 67 Hail Hail.

     

     

    Running stories around what Mark Guidi “knows” might not be the best look.

     

     

    If the lads ever get a chance to speak to a certain ex-pupil of Tam Aq’s?

     

     

    Perhaps they can enquire as to why many of the classmates of that person were a year or more YOUNGER than that person?

     

     

    Hint – the classmates in question were NOT advanced a year because they were so clever.

     

     

    🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

  9. As with CCV, we must be very careful with Reo’s return. He cannot be match ready, so softly softly catchee monkey. Give him some game time by bits and pieces. No rush.

     

     

    KINGLubO

  10. Notre Dame holds 80,000

     

    Chapel Hill 63,000

     

    DC United 20,000 – that will be the most difficult to get tickets for

  11. Bhoyjoebelfast on

    BACK TO Basics… @6.24

     

    Yes, that game v hunz @ Celtic Park 1999,that saw’ them’ win the title.

     

    He ( Scott) had another outing as a sub v D’line.

  12. BACK TO BASICS – GLASS HALF FULL on 21ST MARCH 2024 6:24 PM

     

     

    Good quiz question re brothers in hoops. Wouldn’t have got that one. Gordon I remember.

     

    *I saw the da playing for us in a Dryboroughs Cup game at Firhill. He wisnae a bad keeper.

     

     

    Performances not bad for £270k from Falkirk.

     

     

    *aye ok if you can forget the “they’ll be dancing in the streets of Raith” game where he palmed the ball oot tae dalziel for the equaliser and dived over ever penalty in the shoot out, he also gave his winners medal in the final against airdrie away tae Brian O’Neil that same season, oh how benevolent he was or did he just no want it anyway.

     

     

    And lets no forget him celebrating losing 0-4 when in goal for kilmasonics as his favourites clinched the league on the last day of the season at hame to the pars managed by calderwood whose da was a guest of honour in the hun directors box while his assistant, the same manager at the horrible lc final, had said while we were in Seville, at the rock bowling club in Dumbarton that if the huns needed goals then the huns would get them.

  13. See the Huns are playing Man U at Murrayfield in a pre-season on 20th July.

     

     

    Got an email from Ticketmaster and that was one of the ads on it.

     

     

    God help Edinburgh that day. They’ll just be sobering up from their hate fest the previous weekend.

  14. MELVIN UDALL on 21ST MARCH 2024 7:53 PM

     

     

    Was thinking the same,someone in Edinburgh council going to get their arse kicked🥹

  15. Should we be looking at Josh Doig for LB position? U21 captain and has played a lot of games in serie A now.

     

     

    The counter to that is so did Diego Laxalt…

  16. !!BADA BING!! on 

     

    Parliament Channel, I think everyone has emptied as Galloway is speaking…

     

    Aye the Legendary Mr George Galloway must have thought that he had walked into the Vogue on Hampden riot day 1980. 👀️ 💣️ 💥️

     

     

    Awe the fake fearties hiding under the seats because Mr Truth right up ye has arrived.

     

     

    No dodgy lobbyist puppet strings on the GG fellow…just truths that will bring Governments and Countries down…just watch and learn how to front up….instead of always bowing down…because there are no more leaders any more…just aged Legendary Heroes who’s truth is not for sale to any lobbyist…unlike wee Krankie…for whom most Tims voted for twice2 instead of the Legendary Mr Jeremy Corbyn who was offering what was probably the last hope in any of our life times of a United Ireland.

     

     

    All thrown under the bus coz Krankie told you all to ignore the anti-semitic [ joke ] called Jeremy Corbyn…and wee feartie Timmy’s fell into line behind the odious and hun-ugly Krankie…and look at the state ae the place! 👀️

     

     

    Dim Tims can leave a fair trail of carnage in their wake and like Huns will admit to none of it…from their stupid ass unthinking and easily conscripted into any and every sweetie wife clique…weak and empty heads have led to virtual population decrease because these clique mongers stand for nothing and fall for everything that the fake media tells them to…and they do fall for all of the bs…x 60,000…who can’t even conjure up Donkeys to lead them. 👀️

     

     

    “Sad are the homes around Kerrydale street…since they lost their giant pride..and Lawwell dicky disco lights ruined the Walk-on and now there is only plastic seats filled by 60,000 everybodies mugs…and their empty know nothing heads….”

     

     

     

    oot.

  17. Weebobbycollins on

    *aye ok if you can forget the “they’ll be dancing in the streets of Raith” game where he palmed the ball oot tae dalziel for the equaliser and dived over ever penalty in the shoot out, he also gave his winners medal in the final against airdrie away tae Brian O’Neil that same season, oh how benevolent he was or did he just no want it anyway.

     

     

    Ridiculous!

  18. same as it ever was

     

    same as it ever was

     

    same as it ever was

     

    same as it ever was

  19. I see one of James Forrest,spin off Blogs,has today written a piece on the scum delaying the Dundee game,which could have been copied and pasted from my post on here,a couple of days ago.Really.

     

    Does this make me famous?.I have never craved it.To my Parents who sacrificed so much for me,to my backroom staff,you all know who you are,I thank you all,too many to list.

     

     

    :-))))). :-))))

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