I don’t know anyone who was confident Olivier Ntcham would score with his penalty against St Mirren earlier this month. Our stats have been awful this season. Ryan Christie scored his only attempt in a comfortable win over Hearts. Moussa Dembele also scored his solitary attempt, against Alashkert, but Olivier and Scott Sinclair have each missed two, while Leigh Griffiths missed against Motherwell. Seven out of 12 have been converted.
Those of you who are old enough to remember the last time Celtic did not win a domestic trophy will recall we went out of that particular Scottish Cup semi-final on penalties.
If you were Derek McInnes, you would have spent all week planning for this eventuality. Hopefully, the point is not lost on Neil Lennon. Celtic will take the game to Aberdeen, but if the tie is level in the latter stages of the initial 90 minute period, Aberdeen will sit every-deeper and play for penalties – which they will have a decent chance to win.
That reversal in the 2016 Scottish Cup semi-final aside, Celtic have only exited a cup tournament since Neil Lennon’s first tenure as manager after being reduced to 10 men. Efe Ambrose conceded a penalty and was sent off in the 2016 League Cup semi-final against Ross County, and Craig Gordon was sent off in the 2016 Scottish Cup semi-final against Inverness. The latter remains an infamous refereeing performance for the failure to award a penalty and red card Inverness’s Josh Meekings for punching a goal-bound header off the line.
Objectively, if Celtic are going to be stopped from collecting a treble treble, it is most likely to happen on Sunday, as a result of either a red card or a penalty kick competition. We can plan for both.
Expect Aberdeen to wind up whomever they think is vulnerable to some referee attention – I’m looking at you, Scott. The script has been written on this one. Do not get drawn in, play the game on our terms, if anyone loses composure, let it be their daft full back (again).
None of us have confidence in our penalty takers, but practice helps (despite luddite beliefs). Training will be light tomorrow. It should consist exclusively of penalty kick practice.
514 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- ...
- 14
- »
Penalties ??
I know at the highest level you can talk about nerves (this also effects any level when it comes to spot kicks to decide a semi/final :-) but I can never understand when any footballer especially a striker would run all day long to try and score a goal then be under pressure to take a free shot at goal from 12yds, think there were even well known players who didn’t want/like taking them, hope this penalty talk has no effect come Sunday, am pretty sure it won’t
We’re gonna win the league
david17 on 12th April 2019 1:53 pm
‘BR was the best Manager we’ve had since Stein’
*****
I assume you mean best dressed.
Certainly not best at his job. Not by the only valid criteria ie success in Europe.
O’Neil, Strachan and Lennon are way ahead of him.
The holy goalie never missed a penalty ? HH
ERNIE LYNCH
Best tan? Best teeth? Best Jaikets?
ERNIE LYNCH on 12TH APRIL 2019 5:18 PM
On second thoughts you’re probably right, NL, WGS and MON are ‘way’ ahead of BR. It’s funny though, i was listening to Harry McGuire yesterday saying how good BR is and what an impact he had made down there. MON is doing ok at Forrest and WGS does a decent job for Sky TV to be fair.
If the treble treble comes off, this song might be adaptable?
David Bowie – Rebel Rebel
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=U16Xg_rQZkA
Apologies if mooted already.
*Forest
South Of Tunis@1:25
Never ceases to amaze me the effort Tims make to get to matches!
Had a couple of bad experiences myself with ’70s Cup Finals. 1972 v Hibs, maybe our greatest performance in a Cup Final, my dad wouldn’t take me or my brother in due to the crush at the turnstiles after we had arrived late. Heard the roar for Caesar’s early goal as we headed for Rutherglen station. Got home, first (and last) time a Celtic victory left me feeling unhappy, because of what I’d missed. Epic huff taken with my dad too!
Couldn’t wait for the next one to douse the unhappy memory, my dad’s less anxious mate took me, but, of course, I felt ten times worse as we lost out to Deidclub in front of Hampden’s last 100,000 plus crowd.
So would 1974 be third time lucky?
Damn right, stroll v Dundee Utd, not the most exciting final, 3-0, (Harry, Stevie M, and Dixie) but bhoy did I savour every minute of it!
That70sshowCSC
Nobody said, “Like I say…”…like Brenda…
WEEBOBBY
Or Browny?
Was Brenda taller than slithery Jonathan Sutherland?
BSR…to be very honest, Kris Commons runs him very close…
Chocolate Brownie or Chocolate Broonie?
It is highly unlikely to happen but I’d go with Callum deep, Ryan and either Tom or Olivier ahead of him – depending on Match fitness of Tom.
Maks sense to me. ;)
WEEBOBBY
BR is 1.7M, but this was kept a very close secret till the day he announced he was going to the
Power Stadium.
As soon as he did, he was subsequently referred to as the wee gobshite.
Petec
Interesting, because he played all the ‘midfielders’ against Livi, and we know how that turned out.
When you have Rogic, Ntcham on the bench its a reminder that great players don’t always make the
Celtic starting eleven.
David17
“WGS does a decent job for Sky TV to be fair”
Err. . . . . .
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47845680
Oh, and by the way, Fraudgers sneaked away still 3 short of MO’N’s 5-in-a-row, never mind getting a slight whiff of the latter stages of European Competition.
Martin the Miracle Mhan for me.
BSR…1.7m? He must have been standing on slithery Jonathan Sutherland’s shoulders…
Sky Sports pathetic attempt (below) at reporting on the stabbings in Glasgow, after the derby. Disgraceful journalism. Another who no longer tries to hide their bias. I can only imagine the outrage, within the headline, if it were the second time this year that an opposing fan(s) had been stabbed by a “Scottish football fan”.
“Five people are to appear in court over a brawl in Glasgow after an Old Firm game that left three men in hospital.
The men were seriously injured in the city centre on March 31, with one of the cases being treated as attempted murder.
Police Scotland said on Friday four men aged 27, 25, 23 and 20 and a 24-year-old woman have been arrested and charged in connection with the disturbance in Blackfriars Street.
The violence in the Merchant City area followed Celtic’s 2-1 win over Rangers at Celtic Park, which moved them a step closer to an eighth successive Scottish Premiership title.”
5 of the best celtic penalty kick takers imho, in no particular order, tommy gemmel, willie Wallace, bobby Murdoch, Charlie Gallagher, pierre van hojhdoink,hh.
WEEBOBBY @ 6.05
LOL
AURORABOREALIS79
A national scandal.
Did they get the ‘Scottish fans’ that stabbed the Croats?
BSR,
Get ahead of Aberdeen in the game and we should have another trip to Hampden to look forward to.
Sunday will be a psychological battle between the Managers. If Celtic get that first goal I can see that then becoming 2 goals with a very mobile midfield (Ryan and Callum first picks) and Ideally Tom (takes time to get back to optimus prime) or Olivier who is still a classy operator.
2-0 ahead close the game out with Broonie.
There is also the heat that is on Broonie @ the moment. Scott has made bookings tackles a good few times lately and that is because he is actually slowing down.
Wee Mark Reid could take a penalty…..
I have said twice already on here that I would have our captain on the bench on Sunday. We played our best football when Callum played in his role. He moves the ball much quicker and better, with Ryan and Oliver Ntcham supporting him. If needed (in a battle) bring on Scott Brown and give Tom Rogic the last 20 minutes.
PCS
Scott Brown would be the first name on my team sheet for Sunday. We need his leadership I feel.
My main concern for the game is our centre defence, and how they deal with Cosgrove’s elbows and aggression. Hopefully big Kris can handle him.
Tommy Smith RIP
Penalties. Schmenalties.
We will win in 90 minutes. Comfortably.
We have better players in every position.
We have an inspirational captai. Who has seen it all before.
One who doesn’t like losing.
Aberdeen will have previous defeats at Hampden haunting them.
The wide open wings will allow James, Ryan, Calum and Eddy to run in behind their defenders.
Even a bent ref will be unable to prevent us from winning.
Comfortably.
To win on Sunday we must improve. If we put in a performance like we did against Livingston we will lose, and deservedly so.
It’s that simple.
HH
A question for the older generation (60+).
In the 1960s, if you didn’t go to the games on a Saturday, and you didn’t have a TV at home, how and when did you learn of the result?
Any info/stories much appreciated.
what does mcinnes do sunday ? he must taste blood – we have not been playing great lately but he knows the play makers could be about – RC, KT , TR – maybe not full games. Does he go for it or sit in ?
Good evening, friends. Anyone on with a soft spot for Ayr Utd? Just askin’ before I start expressing my hope that Dundee Utd win tonight. 12 minutes gone, no goals.
no bobby does it better
Most homes would have a radio at least, many cars and some buses too. Transistor radios too were around by those days but many would still get their results from the Saturday night (evening) paper, the green or the pink of the Citizen or Times, which had both football and racing results rolled on to them at distribution offices away from Glasgow. Great days to be a paper bhoy, and not just in Glasgow, at least up to the early 70s. As in the decade that is!
Dundee Utd 0 Ayr Utd 1 (24 mins)
NOBODY DOES IT PETTA, listened on the radio or the evening times or the green citizen.hh.
Fowler, Rahm, Poulter, DeChambeau main men on first day at Masters.
Don’t fancy Koepka much though!
NDIP
In the NE we used to get the Green final early sat evening.
HH