If you caught Leigh Griffiths’ post-match Radio Scotland interview you’ll have noticed the profuse support offered to Brendan Rodgers. We’ll discuss that in more detail tomorrow, but what was clear to Leigh and the rest of us last night, was the Celtic dug out an excellent result from a position which would likely have seen them eliminated a year earlier.
We were well on top early on against Legia, Maribor and Malmo but crumbled when the going got tough. Not anymore.
It’s hard to know what’s gotten into James Forrest, one of six Scots in the starting lineup, but I suspect the arrival of Scott Sinclair has had as big an impact on him than that of Brendan. Wide players are always subject to fluctuations in effectiveness levels, but in James and Scott we’ve a standard which is clearly higher than we’ve had for years.
There was a moment late in the game when James was easily robbed attempting a take-on in the final third, but this was a symptom of having run himself into the ground over the previous 80-odd minutes. He played a big part in the result and left nothing on the field.
One of James’ more important contributions was the dinked cross for Leigh’s header which made it 2-0. The goal was technically difficult, but was eclipsed by Leigh’s second. That free kick was in a perfect position to whip at the far post, allowing players to attack the ball, with the keeper not knowing if he should stay on his line to defend the shot, or come out to block a header.
That was the play we all expected, including the Hapoel keeper. Instead, Leigh played an incredibly difficult free kick into the top near post. Brendan Rodgers must have had no idea the player was capable of work like this when he arrived in June.
Scott Brown has been transformed from the player we watched end last season, quite probably because he’s now fully fit. His goal was a worthy acknowledgement of his best game in a year.
Brendan was right to express concern after the game that we let a halftime winning position slip so easily. There were mistakes throughout the team leading to the first Hapoel goal, but I suspect experience will tighten things up.
Kolo Toure was immense. His rampaging run setup the second goal, but when he was caught ahead of the ball on the 55th minute, the defence behind him didn’t have the organisation to prevent a goal. We’ll not see this happen often from now on.
The second half arrivals of Nir Bitton and Moussa Dembele proved decisive. Nir brought a calmness to central midfield as Callum McGregor tired, while Moussa outjumped defence and keeper to score what was a priceless goal.
Craig Gordon’s been under pressure in recent weeks. There was little he could do about Hapoel’ second, a fabulous shot which nicked between Brown and Toure, but he’ll be annoyed their first nipped in at his near post.
This tie, however, turned the moment he made a point-blank save to stop the score going to 4-3. We’ll be able to look back later this season and say that was the moment we secured our Champions League adventure.
Feeling good about last night, but if only we’d a player like Patrick Roberts, or Erik Sviatchenko to come in and take things up a notch……
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THE GREEN MAN SAYS SACK THE BOARD…
Cheers!
Acht.. I’m in good company with you and a few others, so it’s all good.
Also, since my father died, I’ve got a deficit in arguing time, so the CQN Daily Mail club fill the void. ;)
/p
ERNIE LYNCH on 18TH AUGUST 2016 12:37 PM
TONYDONNELLY67 on 18TH AUGUST 2016 12:32 PM
The type of cheeky chap who held aloft Palestinian flags last night, has, over the last decade or so added far more to Celtic’s global profile and imaging rights than you and your legion of fellow moaning auld gits.
You know that, and I think it irks you
Aye, and don’t forget the tens of thousands of ££££ it’s cost my club too, last night was a CL match entry by ticket only, not a political rally, Georges square, Holyrood, Buckingham Palace, speakers corner at Hyde park, Trafalga Square, are all place for this stuff if that your bag go there, but they won’t, they hide behind Celtic FC , and GROOM kids to do they’r dirty work, stay away from Celtic park your not wanted IMO, almost 1:00 pm and not one person who held a flag last night willing to put they’r hand up, free dome fighters? I laugh in your face, truth be known and I’ll say it, you won’t have to look further than the unpaid student loan mob from the uni, it’s got they’r cowardly paw marks all over it, along with a couple of well known fringe groups from what I’m hearing, bunch a imposters and crackpots playing at politics, GIRFUYs
Davidopoulous.
Humour….it will never catch on:)
Mr Pastry will be along in a moment
HH
free dome fighters
hahahahahahahhahaha
anyways, celtic are on BT3..
scott brown making his 69 appearance in european competition taking over the record from billy mcneill on 68
Must go now have a wonderful day.
Lurking Huns, level 5 helpers, supporters of the Unknown flag wavers grooming kids to wave them, and the SMSM, GIRFUYs
Really people should be asking why are their civil liberties being denied? Why is the flying of a Palestinian flag at Celtic park or elsewhere an ‘offence’ but the display of a Star of David flag is not, either here or anywhere else?
Why is a Palestinian flag, a flag of a FIFA affiliate country a contravention of UEFA rules? Are we even sure that it is?
This is going to rumble on and on until the reason it is an issue is addressed.
Free Palestine
One love
P8ddy
Seemingly, its all the fault of Bolsheviks with a clandestine air loom machine:)
Ask TD67.
HH
Gerrybhoy…
Let me get this clear… You agree with me on freedom of expression, but only in approved venues?
Doesn’t sound very free to me.
Please quote me where I’ve patronised you. I’ve treated you with respect and refrained from ad hominem attacks and sarcasm. If you can’t do likewise, ‘prattle’ somewhere else. I left primary school a long time ago. I’ve no appetite for going back.
/p
DAVIDOPOULOS on 18TH AUGUST 2016 1:02 PM
Couldn’t agree more. Moving on to football issues on CQN might be a “progressive” idea ;)
The Green Man says SACK THE Board
With another puff piece no doubt ;)
Davidopoulous
The architect of the whole shebang no less.
19th century Russian anarchists havent got a look in:)
Pastry is like Fu Manchu….in a bad mood.
HH
fringe groups ?
the beatles ?
TD @ 1.03
Is it cold living underneath a bridge?
At least I hope you live underneath a bridge.
GerryBhoy
DAVIDOPOULOS on 18TH AUGUST 2016 1:02 PM
Couldn’t agree more. Moving on to football issues on CQN might be a “progressive” idea ;)
—————————————————————————–
Don’t you dare subvert the purpose of this blog! Politics only….and sometimes puns…but mostly politics (with puns).
;)
Saint Stivs
Dont mention ‘Fringe Groups’….He will go doolally:)
Shhhh
HH
GB @ 1.08
Regarding your request — any thoughts on ScS performance?
I thought the game was just too much for him and he was very quiet for long stretches of the game.
Also any idea on the odds on offer last night for a 5 – 2 score line?
P8DDY
The courage and bravery of Rosa Parks was, and is, commendable and a defining momen in the African American people’s fight for Civil Rights.
However, my point remains valid. She took action where the injustice was being perpetrated.
The injustices against oppressed Palestinians was not being perpetrated withn Celtic Park. An Israeli team not linked to the Netanyahu government except insofar as they are domiciled in Israel was our guests. If I did not want to be in the presence of a guest at a function I was due to attend then, simply, I would not appear.
Rosa Parks was willing to face the penalty for defying an absurd and unjust law. She did not try to hide behind others.
Yes, our Board is out of kilter with the views of many supporters and sit back when many of us feel that they should be exposing and combating the corruption. But, not withstanding their faults and failings, do we or do we not want to play in European games. If so, until the rules are changed we have to play by EUFA rules. Let’s by all means, a legitimate campaign to alter the rules but if we dont like them as they stand, we should not play UEFA matches, IMHO. HH
The failings and failures of the Celtic Board notwithstanding
Saint Stivs says SACK THE BOARD
No, The Bang[le]s
Kolo brings a calmness to the defence.
Slightly worrying that the two goals conceded had a bit of a ” last year” look about them, but we recovered well.
Maybe with hindsight Bitton for Rogic at half time might have been the way to go, but I don’t think too many of us would have been shouting for that at the time!
Need to improve our game management though.
Anyway, much more positives than negatives.
TGM
All well bud. We looked like a proper fitba team last night.
We proved we are more than just a club by the actions of our support last night.
Proud of the bhoys on and off the pitch.
Cant wait to see the next Palestinian flag protest or are we just doing just causes on a game by game basis
DD
Me too…Celtic supporters at their finest.
Rebels aplenty:)
HH
P8DDY on 18TH AUGUST 2016 1:08 PM
Gerrybhoy…
Let me get this clear… You agree with me on freedom of expression, but only in approved venues?
Only in disapproved venues and these are stipulated by UEFA. It is their tournament by the way. Boring, boring I know but they make the rules and Celtic FC suffer if some of our “supporters” intentionally put the club in line for more sanctions. Simple stuff really. Someone, maybe TD, posted that there are LOADS of places to protest that guarantee face time, screen time etc; so maybe, just maybe, they should avail themselves of these easy opportunities to express their views. Celtic Park is our football stadium. It is not Speakers Corner.
Macjay The Celtic Trust get all the blame from them Pesky Right Winger’s that follow Celtic,
Anyway flags, 99% of the support last night were there too watch Celtic hopefully enhance their chances of progressing to the group stages of the Champions league.Israeli and Palestinian conflicts of the past were not too the foremost in their minds. A small corner of the stadium ,all easily identifiable, chose to use the occasion to employ Celtic as a vehicle to bring attention to themselves. I am sure that the vast majority of those waving Palestinian flags last night won’t even give another thought to Palestine until we draw another Israeli club in competition. I would even hazard a guess that the majority of them,no matter how intelligent they are, are able to point out Ibizia on a map before they could point out what territories are occupied by Israel
Last nights protest was more,Look at us radicals, than address the problems of the Palestinians
Regarding RP and her stand for human rights.
I fear that if the GB had gotten involved they would have burned Lynyrd Skynyrd records outside Buchanan Street Bus station when the Harlem Globetrotters were in town.
I’m proud of the Celtic support, there are lots of tributes to us on the Free Palestine page that I read on Facebook. And on the official Celtic page on Facebook there are lots of messages of thanks from Palestinians – the Celtic board must be really proud;)
Our two away performances in the qualifiers this season make me worry a bit about the return leg, though we should get through.
I wish Chris Sutton would stop disrespecting Ronny. We all know we failed in Europe last season but it might have been different if we had got a few bits of luck like last night (handballs, handball in Malmo). Anyway Ronny won the league by 15 points against a strong challenge from Aberdeen and against a lot of mibbery. A “clueless manager”? I think those words would better suit Chris Sutton’s own attempt at football management. Ronny is also a first-class person. I’m fast losing my respect for Chris.
What an atmosphere last night. Best night since our Nakamaura destruction of Manure.
Great game but could do without the squeaky bum added drama bit.
My son and I are in Section 110 in the standing section above the Green Brigade and the noise was almost constant.
I see some here calling for the banning of those who held aloft Palestinian Flags. Well most of them were in The GB section and Section 110 and Section 111. That happens and it goes from the cauldron of noise back to the Parkhead library.
When a rule and application of it is manifestly unjust it needs to be opposed. UEFA are not architects of internation law.
A peaceful demonstration of support and solidarity with Palestinians and support of UN resolutions should in no way be considered a crime apart from some who seem to have been on Mossad Quick News for lines to take.
BABASONICOS71 on 18TH AUGUST 2016 1:01 PM
DELANEYS DUNKY on 18TH AUGUST 2016 12:56 PM
“… Though SS could have killed the tie in injury time.”
You a nazi? ;)))
———————-
Now that was funny:))
Babasonico
:-))) Oh dear. Unfortunate phrase.
Gerrybhoy…
Just to be clear then – you do NOT believe in freedom of expression.
The protestors are not the problem. The problem are the fascists running UEFA. Blaming the victims of oppression won’t bring change. Making demands of the chancers in our boardroom might. And making demands of UEFA certainly will.
/p
mickbhoy1888 on 18th August 2016 1:19 pm…………..
Aye OK, so we’ll just ask Mr Black Cab for directions to ‘The West Bank’……(apologies VP, need a lift on Friday p.m.)
Any good PLO tunes for the punters then mickbhoy???
TBM
The Green Man…
Those ‘Celtic supporters at their finest’—‘rebels aplenty’ (and I’m passing no judgement on them here)
How will you describe them if they attend the ‘bigotfest’…
Dick Nixon and J. Edgar Hoover would have loved CQN
Winston Churchill and good old Bomber Harris as well.
Chocks Away.
MACJAY1 FOR NEIL LENNON on 18TH AUGUST 2016 11:03 AM
HAMILTONTIM on 18TH AUGUST 2016 10:50 AM
MACJAY1 FOR NEIL LENNON on 18TH AUGUST 2016 10:44 AM
TONYDONNELLY67 on 18TH AUGUST 2016 10:39 AM
Hey , pal.
It has been my opinion for years that the Celtic Trust are the puppeteers of the G.B.
——
And I’ve addressed this several times before, long before I became involved in the Trust, that this was absolute nonsense.
You’ve never presented one solitary piece of evidence to support what really is an utterly ridiculous claim.
========================================================================
Evidence.
Jeanette Findlay spoke at a rally in George Sq. shortly after the kettling of G.B. members.
Are you suggesting that there was absolutely no connection between these two events ?
Can you vouch for the fact that there is absolutely no tactical relationship between the Celtic trust and the G.B. in any way , shape or form ?
Is it a coincidence that they have virtually the same political agenda ?
——
Seriously, that’s your evidence?!?! :-))))
The George Sq demo had nothing to do with the Trust. Jeannette spoke as a representative of FAC and that was it!
The demo was about the criminalisation of football fans in general and that explains the presence of supporters of Hamilton, Motherwell, Hibs and Dundee Utd.
Respectfully, you’re talking nonsense to support a rather transparent agenda here.
‘they would have burned Lynyrd Skynyrd records outside Buchanan Street Bus station’-
-what, even the ones where the small Freebirds fly?
DBBIA/CassieGainesCSC
WeeBobbyCollins
Different scenario entirely.
Ive made my views clear on that…I think Celtic fans should boycott that match.
Ive no interest in it…..cant speak for other people, can only give my opinion.
Its greed for money with bigotry as the vehicle.
HH
Brendan is creating something very special, you can feel everywhere. His signings have been excellent and the new life has breathed into the turgid squad he inherited is incredible. Every game has seen a marked improvement over the last and I can’t wait to see what this team will be like once everyone is fully fit and understand what Brendan wants. I expect we will start seeing exactly what we can expect around October time.
Our Captain has been excellent but we need somebody else with stature an authority in the central midfield area beside him.
As for the flags….if you are going to break the rules and risk sanctions to highlight an issue on a global level, then I think if that issue is ethnic cleansing, I don’t have much problem with that.