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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My only doubt about Matts Pillock is who he writes for. So I’m going to open it up to the floor. What do you think:
BBC
Evening Times
Daily Record
Scottish Sun
L5 PR
A.n other – please specify
My money is on the ET
A cancer indeed
Craig Thomson ref tomorrow – hearts sinks.
Brother Madden gets a home coming at Poundland.
TRADITIONALIST88
Cops being cops will pull the safety card all the time, and cops being cops won’t be able to pull it when (hopefully I’m wrong) something serious happens at Celtic Park when they have all fecked off before they’r shift is finished, 35 mins to go in the Motherwell game I nipped down to wring out the lizard, there wasent a cop to be seen anywhere, I came out and had a look around the stadium, not one cop to be seen, not one, I said to a security guy where’s all the cops? He said ehhhhh, a don’t know mate, can I help you, l said no it just seems strange that there are none around, he said I’ll go and get you one, I said, you’ll be busy finding one, needless to say he never came back.
RobertTressell on 19th August 2016 10:40 am
Yeah, take your pick. You’d think he’d try to hide it, but like morons such as Gordon Waddell they just can’t hide it no matter how hard they try,
HH
TonyD, we were destroying the Well and you’re looking for police, wits wrong with ye?
tonydonnelly67 on 19th August 2016 10:41 am
Yep, a badly managed situation, possibly costing St Johnstone a decent sum, but another example of fans literally being turned away from the game.
HH
Davidopoulos on 19th August 2016 8:03 am
The Green Man says SACK THE Board
Villa are paying up 1 year of the contract. The Sevco deal is allegedly for 2 years. Is G&SL’s plan to not be around come year 2, freeing themselves from such “onerous” contracts?
The Great Ibrox Cash Burn continues apace…
———-
Have to say I found it a bit odd that the Garner fee is being paid in two installments – you know, when there is a £30m warchest!
Can’t believe Preston are going for that, mind you. More fool them!
RobertTressell
Im thinking, maybe rogue freelance bigot, no longer employed because of unacceptable conduct(Probably grassing up his fellow bigot trolls)
Or Level5 in some capacity, probably tea-boy:)
He should be red-carded….for good.
HH
I caught a wee bit of the ch 5 prog on trolling last night and just had a wee scroll back to see if anyone caught it.
Oft my poor eyes. A hard read last night it seems.
Wee Jay appeared in it. Anybody else see any of it?
HH
If I were to choose a top class side to face in the Champions League, I’d prefer Real Madrid. We have played Barcelona a few times already and haven’t faced Real for over 30 years.
Celtic v Real Madrid would be an awesome footballing occasion for every Celtic fan.
If we have to face an English side, let’s hope it’s Manchester City.
All assuming we dispose of Hapoel of course.
GlassTwoThirdsFull
As ever something fishy is going on at Ibrox…the Glib & Shameless Flyer???
THETIMREAPER on 19TH AUGUST 2016 10:44 AM
TonyD, we were destroying the Well and you’re looking for police, wits wrong with ye
At my age, when you got ta go, Yi go, trust me, :))
Brendan says he looks at the refs last 35 matches, he’ll get a fright when he see Thomson’s stats.
TET…thanks again for the ‘game’ link…there were things that passed me by on Wed. so it’s good to get a re-run. Many times at the game I have to ask, who scored? Was that Broony? Who’s coming on? Eyesight is not what it used to be and I won’t wear glasses…
Also, it’s funny how the Spanish commentators always refer to us as the Catholic team…
Saludos amigo…
Geordie Munro
Saw that prog.
Why the F…would anybody be so cruel to wee jay.
Felt bad for wee jay’s dad.
Shocking stuff.
Maybe Mr Pastry was in there somewhere
HH
Just looking at the seeding pots for the CL. I think Pot 1 is now set in stone and is made up of the defending champions and the champions of the top 7 leagues
1st Pot: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Leicester City, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain, CSKA Moscow
2nd Pot: Atlético Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal, Sevilla, Napoli, Bayer Leverkusen
Seeding pot 2 or 3
Basel
Tottenham Hotspur
Seeding pot 3
Dynamo Kyiv
Lyon
PSV Eindhoven
Sporting CP
Seeding pot 3 or 4 (TBD)
Club Brugge
Seeding pot 4
Beşiktaş
The worst possible draw Celtic could get would be Bayern Munich, Athletico Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur
Best draw? CSKA Moscow, Napoli and Club Brugge
ROBERTTRESSELL
Times or Herald. Reeks of it.
So that’ll be Broony nice and fresh for the upcoming hun game.
Might just give him the edge over Barton who will have just had a busy international week.
HH
WeeBobbyCollins
Can i ask.
Why wont you wear glasses?
HH
Green man – a very real possibility.
Plymtim @10.30hrs.
Totally agree, civility costs nothing.
HH.
TOSB @ 9.41…
Spot on re the GB, yes, they are young and a bit foolhardy but the colour, noise and imagination they bring to Celtic park/ parkheid for us older ones can’t be washed away.
For every pound Celtic pay in fines, I’m sure they have made plenty more from the GB.
As for some dissing the Celtic trust, the charity work they oversee and get involved in is the reason Celtic began.
Some should get a grip and get off their rocking chairs :)
Popped my auld git (but never moaning) heid out of my carapace to see if all the overnight squabbling had died down and Petec was back in his bed.
Really enjoying “That Season in Paradise” and I’m only at the Prologue – the Man U game. I think we were first through the doors that day. Being islanders we tended to make a day of our trips to the Holy Ground, but that day we skipped our homage to the Barras and other Glasgow delights as it was the first time we had saved enough money to get into the main stand. Previously we had alternated between the Celtic End and the old enclosure under the main stand. Alex Gordon, bless him, states that ” Those in attendance that day could never in their wildest dreams have imagined how the following ten months would develop” – Rubbish, Alex. These two daft bhoys were never in doubt we would sweep the floor with all ‘n’ sundry. Mr Stein would make sure of that.
backtoreading csc
Tgm,
Scum the lot of them.
I did think “oh oh, we’re gonna see sumbdy off cqn now” When wee frankie said she’s heading to Scotland and the camera showed Paradise :)
HH
Seems it was Robert Grieve who asked totally inane questions to BR I dont think we will be seeing any more of these type of questions at press conferences in the future
Good analysis of our game on Wednesday here for anyone who has not read it
https://boxtoboxcentreback.wordpress.com/2016/08/18/celtic-5-2-hapoel-beer-sheva/
Tony –
There has long been a policy that inside the stadia, the police will assume a low profile and leave stewarding to the club stewards. If any incident occurs that requires police action, rest assured they won’t be far away.
I have always thought that was a positive initiative. Why have uniformed police doing what are basically stewarding duties? Surely it looks better if there is no visible police presence.
Personally, when I am bored with the game, I tend to look around me and try and estimate the attendance. Hunting for men in uniform, especially in the environs of the gents toilet never occured to me.
Hmmmmm.
Have to say I found it a bit odd that the Garner fee is being paid in two installments – you know, when there is a £30m warchest!
Can’t believe Preston are going for that,
Now I understand Prestons motto: Proud, Papel, and Poor.
Geordie Munro
Seriously…That Pastry/Alfie/ThompsonTwin/Horrid Henry/Mats….is a prime candidate.
What he has been saying recently is bad….his posts yesterday and today….not acceptable on CQN imo
We might squabble and wind each other up….but Pastry is sinister indeed.
He needs therapy.
HH
CQN, in the aftermath of a good result, is a great read for Celtic fans. The debate over the Palestinian Flags issue is a legitimate one; the nub of the matter seems to be whether a demonstration of support for an oppressed people should happen in our stadium when the UEFA sword of a swingeing fine is threatened. The consensus seems to be that we support the cause and we can afford the fine.
Matts Pastry, or whoever the feck he is this week, is a hun troll. He is out to sow discord on the blog to deflect from a great result. He and his fellow hun monkeys are sick with fright at what Brendan and the Bhoys could achieve this year. Paul 67 has been so patient with him.
Tiny Tim, I also think you worry too much. The huns are not good side. Their charity shop purchases will struggle against the top 6 in the SPFL. If Jolyon Lescott still had it, his experience would be invaluable to a Prem or Championship side. He’s past it and that’s why the huns are able to sign him. I acknowledge that you always have our beloved Hoops at heart.
HH
AULD TAM on 19TH AUGUST 2016 11:00 AM
Well they where no where to be seen, anywhere, even after the game on wed. Traffic jams all over the place, no cops at Brigton X nothing, skivers the lot of them, and if anything happend at the Motherwell game they would have no chance of stoping it, you a cop?
Geordie Munro
Pastry’s Therapy….should be conducted by B.F. Skinner, Ewan Cameron, and Timothy Leary….even though they are all dead….makes it more interesting:)
And dont forget Wilhelm Reich:)
HH
Auld Tam on 19th August 2016 11:00 am
Early doors but that last paragraph should win best comment of the day :o)
WEEBOBBYCOLLINS –
You mention the Spanish commentator referring to Celtic as the “Catholic team”.
In the early 70s I had a pen-pal in Barcelona. A couple of days after Rangers won the Cup Winners Cup, she sent me newspaper clippings of the game and the rioting.
One headline read:
PROTESTANTINOS 3 MOSCOW DYNAMO 2
Tony –
Am I a cop?
Certainly not. In any case, I am spoken for.
https://johnjamessite.com/author/sitonfence/
GER57…
Ye never one for mincing your words G :))
AULD TAM on 19TH AUGUST 2016 11:13 AM
Tony –
Am I a cop?
Certainly not. In any case, I am spoken for.
Awe shucks.
In circumstances where Uefa intend to take disciplinary action, is it unusual for them not to make a statement to this effect the day following the game or incident in question?
HH