Industrial football after tactical treat

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Celtic have a great opportunity to move five points ahead of Aberdeen after the same number of games with a win over Ross County tomorrow.  The Dons visit Tynecastle on Sunday after dropping five points from their last six.  With Celtic due to visit Pittodrie on Wednesday, Aberdeen’s challenge for the title depends on them digging results out over the next week.

Our previous game against Ross County this season was an atrocious battle, where late goals from Alistair Johnston and Nicolas Kuhn rescued the points.  County’s penalty that day was the first league goal Kasper Schmeichel conceded for Celtic, who remain one of only three teams to score Premiership goals against the champions this term.

Ross County’s win over Motherwell last week provided evidence that they may yet again be likely to defy expectations and survive another season in the Premiership.  They sit six points ahead of Hearts, who have a higher budget and better players.  There is nothing precious about County, they are an industrial unit who know how to get results.

Brendan Rodgers will take nothing for granted, but he will hope to establish an early lead and rest some legs ahead of a hectic December.

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  1. I would go out tonight

     

    But I haven’t got a stitch to wear

     

     

    so I’ll stay in in me jammies with a bottle of cote du rhone from le coop

  2. I suppose BR’s selection for a match, for the next 3 or 4 months is not so much who are we playing but who are we playing after that – tomorrow ross county, Wednesday the dons, Sat the hibees

  3. Terrific couple of hours with the Shipwreckers, always good to talk Celtic and everything else .. no petty arguements, no snidey remarks and definitely no Huns 🍀🍀

  4. Not even the end of November and we are playing Ross County again having played them last month. Play them again in January, and who knows might draw them again in the Scottish Cup 4th round Monday. Probably wont play them after the break in April. Think we played Killie five or six times a few seasons back. Half the clubs in the SPL are no bigger or better than the Falkirks or the Ayr Uniteds, or the Partick’s or the Pars of this world, but as long as we (Celtic FC and many of its’ supporters) are hung up in being part of the Old Firm, and to play them 4-5 times a season we will never change the structure of the top league, in what could be for the better. As in giving more young players, (including ours out on loan) a chance to play more games at a higher level. And nobody has ever given a proper explanation for the creation of the SPFL at or around the liquidation of RFC, and the 5WA, but I am sure they are all connected. And make no mistake, we are part of the problem, we will not sacrifice even one Old Firm game for the sake of change. And that is why we are playing Ross County tomorrow. And so it goes…

     

     

    OldFirmrUsCSC

  5. Turkeybhoy………….I read this morning on Newsnow Celtic that according to EUFA stats that the Ibroxians rank 24th in European results table as against Celtic in 67th position. Is it fake news ?

  6. Wholesale changes and when to make them? Some say never but of course there are times when they are unavoidable, e.g. injuries and suspensions. I have never been one for implementing them willy-nilly, however as tomorrow looms, I have changed my mind and I posted a much-changed starting eleven a few days ago.

     

     

    “When the facts/circumstances change, I change my mind – what do you do sir? – A famous quote which I believe is appropriate to the immediate set of conditions that present.

     

     

    a) We have, as far as I know, a fully-fit squad available for selection.

     

    b) We had a difficult game on Wednesday and another expected next Wednesday.

     

    c) Ross County at home is sandwiched between.

     

    d) We are two points ahead of Aberdeen with a game in hand.

     

    e) We are eleven points ahead of Ibrox – from where any meaningful challenge is bound to come.

     

    f) We have seven crucial games encompassing three competitions coming thick and fast in the month of December.

     

    g) Some of the squad needs meaningful time on the pitch, if only for their morale.

     

     

    We can’t always wait for a Buckie Thistle, or, the like in the Scottish Cup in January. We can make significant changes tomorrow with the luxury of having a bench full of ‘usual starters’ ready and waiting if things are tight in the second-half.

     

     

    This is could be unique opportunity that may not repeat any time soon – I say we make the most of it. HH

     

     

    nb: Yes, lay off Arne!!!!

  7. I imagine Liam Scales will get a run out on Saturday in a rotated central defence position……..probably glad he was an observer from the bench and was not involved in that catastrophic defensive mixup that lead to the Brugge opening goal on Wednesday night.

     

     

    Brendan will probably make another three or four changes possibly Jamsie, the Barca kid, Paulo and Adam for the game on Saturday

  8. bournesouprecipe on

    I remember Willy Nilly and the Wholesale Changes back in the days of the ole Burnssss Howffffff 👍

  9. Just a final thought before I get ready to go out.

     

     

    Good to hear at his presser that Brendan’s conception of the running of the club is “immaculate”. He’s under no obligation to say this, but does so when asked, time and time again……….and it’s still ten days till the 8th of December HH

  10. A small but interesting point re Europa League status this season vs last and same applies to Conference only even more so.

     

     

    Last season Europa League could in theory be won by a team from the Champions League which had dropped down. A team who in theory was 17th best in the CL. So only the top 16 teams in Europe could not have won it.

     

     

    This season the top 36 teams in Europe cannot win it as they are all fully engaged in the CL and there are none who will drop down as previous.

     

     

    Thus a whole 20 top teams fewer than last season can win that cup this year.

     

     

    It seems just how devalued this competition is has escaped many football commentators.

     

     

    The CL really is the only show in town.

  11. bournesouprecipe on 29th November 2024 6:26 pm

     

    I remember Willy Nilly and the Wholesale Changes back in the days of the ole Burnssss Howffffff 👍

     

    ——————————-

     

    Good stuff!!!! – John @ a young Paul behind the bar and some great music upstairs – too many to list, however Kim, Freddy & David from Nicholson made some great sounds, and went on to bigger things. HH

  12. Burnley78 on 29th November 2024 6:30 pm

     

    A small but interesting point re Europa League status this season vs last and same applies to Conference only even more so.

     

     

    Last season Europa League could in theory be won by a team from the Champions League which had dropped down. A team who in theory was 17th best in the CL. So only the top 16 teams in Europe could not have won it.

     

     

    This season the top 36 teams in Europe cannot win it as they are all fully engaged in the CL and there are none who will drop down as previous.

     

     

    Thus a whole 20 top teams fewer than last season can win that cup this year.

     

     

    It seems just how devalued this competition is has escaped many football commentators.

     

     

    The CL really is the only show in town.

     

    ———————————————

     

     

    Top analysis and perceptiveness in the same post – cheers!! A development, as you say, overlooked by many. It shows a chasm between the two competitions that hitherto never existed. HH

  13. We have had “Assisted dying” for a while.I remember,David Murray in2012.Up to his neck in it.

  14. BIGBHOY @ 4:11 PM,

     

     

    Keep your powder dry sir, BR&CO are going yo make worse “mistakes” before the season ends.

     

     

    The good news, you will have an opportunity to seek your pound of flesh

     

     

    The bad news, you ain’t going to get it.

     

     

    Peter Houston and his team check out Celtic’s opposition and create a report on them.

     

     

    Brendan Rodgers has already praised there sterling work – before the Aberdeen semi-final.

     

     

    He’s also stated that Hearts had surprised them at Tynecastle and they had to regig at half-time.

     

     

    It’s going to happen, especially at UCL level – Brugge needs to be given some credit for the way they set up and implemented their strategy in the first half – Celtic likewise in the second.

     

     

    The Brugge Manager has already said a draw was a fair result.

     

     

    Hail Hail

  15. On a different topic, I always thought Friday was Friday. Silly me.

     

    Black Friday has gone on for a fucking month now, geezabreak, ffs

     

     

    kinglubo

  16. The returnof weeron on

    I’m a big BR fan. We are lucky to have him. However….

     

     

    That is 2 games on the trot that he has said that opposition surprised us in how they went about pressing us. In both cases, we had to wait till HT to get it sorted.

     

     

    We need to have the tools to recognize and reorganize in game.

     

     

    Just my 2cents…

     

     

    Weeron.

  17. bournesouprecipe on 29th November 2024 6:26 pm

     

    I remember Willy Nilly and the Wholesale Changes back in the days of the ole Burnssss Howffffff 👍

     

    ——————-

     

     

    BSR

     

     

    Respect ! you have some memory despite being aye pished in the ole Burns howf 😁🍀hh

  18. The returnof weeron on 29th November 2024 7:39 pm

     

     

    Considering the multitude of possible formations, gameplans and strategies, is it not reasonable to be occasionally `surprised` by the opposition?

  19. The Blogger Formerly Known As GM on

    Shortie cherry pick quotes every week from our manager’s presser to create/perpetuate a narrative.

     

     

    Today it was Engels. Their entire article was about him (article is being kind, it was mostly quotes verbatim).

     

     

    Shorties article is not representative because Engels was not the only topic discussed in that presser.

     

     

    Indeed, the entire presser is available for free to anyone who wants to watch it.

     

     

    As I’ve said many times before, the DR, Sun et. al. can write what they want about Celtic. The market will ultimately decide if it has any value.

     

     

    However you have to ask if Shorties selective cherry picking of stuff from pressers that are freely available to all is good use of tax payers money.

  20. bournesouprecipe on

    Rory Gallagher’s 1961 Fender Stratocaster guitar sold for £889,400 at a Bonham’s auction house in London on October 17, 2024.

  21. Valle should play in all games until GT makes a decision.I like Greg,but he has had a long time to think and not sure if its affecting his game.

     

    Valle is a smashing young fella.Wonder if Barca would be up to extending the loan.All reports say they are delighted with his progress.

  22. Mc Cann and Mc Coist getting pelters on FF for continuously saying bad Nice were.Seems Mc Cann was actually laughing regularly at them on Shorty.Amid the hate posts,one poster said,

     

    ” Did not need them to tell us,we could all see how bad they were”

  23. Rotation, Rotation, Rotation.

     

     

    We have a large fully fit squad. Utilise this undoubted advantage and play smart in domestic games, starting with Ross County tomorrow.

     

    The Aberdeen game will take care of itself.

     

     

    The Champions League refreshes the parts domestic football cannot. On the 10th of December we must be ready with an eye on the prize. Dinamo Zagreb is the gate to the prize.

     

     

    HH. IBWT.

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