How Celtic lose cups: red cards and penalties

514

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.

Click Here for Comments >
Share.

About Author

514 Comments

  1. Bada

     

    All good mate.

     

     

    Thanks Bhoys heading out for a wee family doo that will no doubt be dominated by Celtic chat. Magic.

     

     

    Enjoy your night

     

     

    HH

  2. Hunderbirds are Gone on

    Roy C

     

    Brilliant tale….

     

    …… “Green and white heaven and the joy of seeing the blue end evaporate into the night was wonderful as we sang and danced.”…

     

    … Pyoor Kwalitee ?

     

    ?⚽️

  3. Roy C –

     

     

    Awesome mate – I really enjoyed reading that.

     

     

    Keep on keeping on.

  4. Well done the red lichties.

     

    I always have a soft for Arbroath as it was a holiday destination for me for several years.

     

     

    Today I saw David the best work of art I have ever seen and I will never see such perfection ever again A big lump of marble hewn into the greatest piece of art ever.

     

     

    Tonight I feel truly blessed

  5. Hunderbirds are Gone on

    Hrvatski Jim

     

    Whit ye dain wandering on here wi yer kulchur? ??

     

    HH

     

    ?⚽️

  6. Right, who is all going to the game mañana, who is going to the pub and who is watching it at home with family????

     

     

    Me, I am off to my local, had the chance of a ticket and knocked it back, SFA and all that….

     

     

    HH

     

     

    D. :)

  7. HRVATSKI JIM on 13TH APRIL 2019 6:15 PM

     

     

    Today I saw David the best work of art I have ever seen and I will never see such perfection ever again A big lump of marble hewn into the greatest piece of art ever.

     

     

     

    Tonight I feel truly blessed

     

     

    ———-

     

    HJ – thanks but I am no work of art.? unless it’s a model fir outsized swimwear?

     

     

    D. :)

  8. JMc– I think they will try, but I have a feeling that tomorrow we will click into gear under Lenny.

     

     

    We will be too good even for the Men In Black

     

     

    D. :)

  9. Hunderbirds are Gone on

    HJ

     

    I hope to immerse myself in ancient Celtic (Keltic) celebratory drinking rituals for the latter part of the day. ?????

     

    ?⚽️

  10. What is the Stars on

    Hrvatski Jim

     

     

    I have never seen the statue of David but i have seen the Pieta also by Michelangelo and that was impressive.

  11. Delaneys Dunky on

    Will forget about Celtic and my pre match nerves for tonight, to support Frankie Molinari at Augusta now.

     

    HJ

     

    Sure there are many Frankie fans where you are.

     

    Enjoy sir.

  12. DAVID66 on 13TH APRIL 2019 7:11 PM

     

     

    Refused tickets as I continue with my opposition to SFA events. However ( I didn’t know at the time ) I’m in Tenerife North. All the pubs are advertising English , Spanish and German football. Not a sign of our game.

     

    Going to gate crash pubs anyway and maybe persuade one kindly publican to show a national semi final.

     

     

    Failing that I will sit in the boozer on my phone watching the game.

     

     

    HH and COYBIG.

  13. Greenpinata – I’m so jealous, I am sure you will find somewhere or persuade someone to show it, enjoy your break. ?

     

     

    D. :)

  14. David66

     

     

    Botticelli may have been interested although he banned swimwear in his paintings. Can you confirm if you still want to be a model?

     

     

    Actually we saw many paintings of the infant Jesus who was pictured as a rather rotund child. Mrs. HJ informed me that painters had difficulty in depicting divinity in a child as they didn’t know how to show him until he was an adult.

     

     

    Looking forward to meeting a few new Celtic fans tomorrow when I go to Finnegans in Florence to watch the game. Nothing like bonding with fellow Tims.

  15. HJ- enjoy tomorrow. I do like to see a nice bit/piece of art, but some things that pass for art…. Well, I won’t go there, you are obviously very passionate and good on you.

     

     

    My pieces of art are drawings and paintings by my 7 year old grandson, for his Grannie and Grandad, and I treasure them, more than a Rafael or Constable.??

     

     

    Hail Hail

     

     

    D. :)

  16. Big Georges Fan Club - Hail, Hail, Wee Oscar on

    DAVID66 on 13TH APRIL 2019 7:11 PM

     

    Right, who is all going to the game mañana, who is going to the pub and who is watching it at home with family????

     

     

    Me, I am off to my local, had the chance of a ticket and knocked it back, SFA and all that….

     

     

    HH

     

    D. :)

     

     

    ==================================

     

     

    Hi DAVID66 – hope you are well.

     

     

    Looks like me and Wee BGFC will be the only CQN representatives at FtSFA HQ tomorrow :-))

     

     

    Totally understand and sympathise with the individual bhoycots. However – the way me and Wee BGFC look at it – if Broonie and Co. are happy to go there to ram it up them, then so are we !! :-)))

     

     

    HH to all – whether at the game, in the pub, at home or on the radio – as long as we beat the Dandy Dons, I’m sure we’ll all be happy.

     

     

    HH

     

    BGFC

  17. Big George – Absoloutley, you enjoy the game with your son and bring home a victory.

     

     

    D. :)

  18. i'vehadtochangemymind on

    I’m going tomorrow – never been to Hampden – I hear it’s full of eateries; coffee hang outs, artisanale bakeries, every seat is heated and you can plug your brain into the sfa fitbainterface by sticking a cable up yer erse!

  19. HI BHOYS just been having a discussion with some celtic minded friends, who would be the worst referees to have in charge of any celtic semi final going back, rh Davidson jim mccluskey tiny Wharton, present day bobby madden, john beaton any thoughts.hh.

  20. BP1 – present day lot have got to be the worse of the lot.

     

    They do not even try and hide the cheating now.

     

     

    D. :)