The bigger question than why Celtic were so poor on Sunday is how to reshape the team or squad to address the issue? There is a clear deficit. We have three full backs at the club, two went off injured, leaving Anthony Ralston, a more than suitable backup at right back, playing on the left, while Stephen Welsh parachuted in from relative obscurity to try-out as a right back.
With Boli Bolingoli no longer part of the plans, we only have one left back: Greg Taylor. Greg has suffered numerous absences this season, forcing Josip Juranovic to the left, where he never played before making his Celtic debut there.
Liam Scales, primarily a central defender, has covered on the left, but did not even make the 11-man bench. A left back on the bench would have allowed Ralston to remain on the right and prevented Welsh being thrown into a position he has never played on such a major occasion.
Even with Taylor and Juranovic on the field, Celtic did not have the ability to pass from defence to midfield without regularly giving up possession. We looked easy to mark up against. Think back two weeks to Ibrox, when Daizan Maeda dropped deep to give his midfield an option (or cover in defence).
That vision of perpetual motion was absent on Sunday. It is not Tom Rogic’s game and neither Jota nor Liel Abada looked to have the energy to put in a similar shift. Both were noticable fatiged later in the game. On the few occasions when Celtic were able to quickly transition, they looked dangerous, but just as we did against Bodo/Glimt, we were unable to find the space to pass confidently out of defence.
Notwithstanding the fact that Giorgos Giakoumakis was absent, Celtic are a comparatively small side. The days of tall full backs being able to dominate high balls out of defence are gone. We are assembling a squad on its ability to find space, pass and move. What happens when a central defender makes a forward pass against an opponent marking man-to- man in the middle of the park determines the outcome of Celtic games. The inquest into Sunday should focus on little else.
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Hun Captain Fraser scores 4:4
wee tom with a subtle seethin bigot comment
“rocco vata, eligable to play for scotland, albania andrepublic of ireland ……….. guess which one he picked”
4-4 miss us
Ben Wylie takes the 5th pen and it is saved after he was made to replace his ball after it moved
4-5
Huns win 5:4- McCann- they go thru to final
Old firm win it
Ah Bollix, nae luck this week,
Some comment on Rocco Vata (by the rangers commentary team)
“He can play for Albania, Scotland or Ireland
Guess which one he picked…….”
WTF??
BOGNORBHOY & SFTB
Thanks for updates
St Tams 3.19pm
I would love both of them to great for us … I just think none of them are good defenders
Would be over the moon if both proved me wrong
April 11 1970 I took a young Mrs TT to her one and only Celtic game, we were heading for another quadruple and all was well in the Celtic camp.
That was also the first day she ever heard me swear, so incensed as I at the performance of the mitb I forgot where and who I was with.
So incensed also was the Big Mhan at full time that he also gave the mitb, R ight H un davidshun, a mouthful and was subsequently fined £10 by the Scottish Freemason Association, quite ironic tae as Jock was a 3rd degree member of the craft.
Several years later sheep boss Eddie Turnbull was asked about davidshun’s performance that day, to which he replied
“Put it this way, if I had been in big Jock’s shoes, I’d have had 20 quids’ worth!”
Didnae notice wee tattoo castigating madhun.
Remember the name derek mckay, he played a total of 15 games for the sheep scoring the winner in the quarter and semis before grabbing 2 against us in the final.
Because of that dubious honour as well as big baw face and parlane there’s a host of middle aged men called Derek now.
Sheep’s first goal was a penalty after the ball struck Chopper’s arm while at his side, big Tam was booked for throwing the ball at the mitb while “harpers a barrel of scheitd” scored from the spot.
Within minutes clark while clearing the ball from his hands suddenly dropped it and the ever alert buzz bomb pounced on it and scored.
With memories of Bobby scoring from a similar situation greetin face protested and the goal was disallowed with the wee mhan now being booked.
Around 10 minutes later sheep captain buchan brought the buzz bomb down in full flight, decision much to the consternation of almost everyone in the stadium, play on
mckay on a breakaway scored a second and while wee Bobby brought us back intae the game McKay clinched it for them with a third.
Although most of our support stayed to the end to rebuke davidshun they also sportingly applauded sheep captain buchan when he received the trophy.
As for the teuchter cup hero, moved tae Selhurst Park where he never played a game in earnest then had 18 starts for Barrow who by that time was in the National Conference.
Before short spells back in the Highland League finally ending up working in the mail room at a hospital in Perth Oz.
As for us although we did manage to bounce back and return to hunden 4 days later to clinch a spot in the Big Cup final, IMHO that defeat was possibly the catalyst for us losing in Milan.
We did end the season though League an League Cup Winners so let’s hope Ange emulates Jock and 28 years later WTT.
Sunday’s blatant cheating by madhun by far exceeded the former Airdrie sick office manager who incidentally prevented Danny McGrain from getting his home town’s managers position.
NOT based on his ben affleck name as he obviously knew that Danny was a ken dodd but solely on his association with us.
Not all bigots are scruffy buckie drinkers, the middle/upper class ones are just as bad if not worse.
So for those Tims that are scathing in Ange’s team selection and tactics and players allegedly chucking it, get a grip and no the 3rd knuckle one either, didnae help Jock much.
I advocated for a group of Celtic supporters to carry out a class action suit against the SFA, so where oh where are our much vaunted Celtic Trust in this or is it only the board/club they like to attack.
JHB
“in fact winning anything was not really on the agenda of a massive rebuild season”
Yeah right! You got it wrong- badly wrong. You were the most prominent proponent of the “we’ll win nothing” this season. Lucky to be top 6 was your prediction as an early towel thrower. You were not the only pessimist but you were the most bumptious of their representatives who called anyone who thought differently- deluded.
Thankfully, the majority of posters on here were “deluded” and look likely to have been justified in their assessment that the Huns were not all that.
I am counting no chickens but I am glad to be in the 6 point clear position with 5 to play. Winning a tighter league is all the more pleasurable when it comes
Madmitch
Deleted, you are dominating the blog with political ideology that can be done elsewhere
Please stop doing it here
well done, at last,
can you remove his anti irish crap from last night as well
See see that you posted there you could have just said …replied last thread …
motherwell v rangers moved back 24 hours saturday, dont know that it makes any difference to us as they were playing beofre us on the sunday anyways.
SFTB @ 4:11
—–
“What is right is not always popular. What is popular is not always right.” You court popularity!
“The greatest mistake of all is to believe you are always right”. You are always right🤣
“emphasis”
SAINT STIVS on 19TH APRIL 2022 4:22 PM
Anything to help the huns eh…..
Hopefully their minds will be on Leipzig not Motherwell….
Hun GK miles off his line for the missed penalty
ONENIGHTINLISBON on 19TH APRIL 2022 4:33 PM
SAINT STIVS on 19TH APRIL 2022 4:22 PM
Anything to help the huns eh…..
Hopefully their minds will be on Leipzig not Motherwell….
—————–
thier blogs are full off helicopter sunday dreams,
lets just get county pumped sunday.
SAINT STIVS on 19TH APRIL 2022 4:37 PM
100%.
Although would love next week to be the opposite of last week for them…..
Seen a video of Lundstram’s tackles today.
How the feck did he stay on the park on Sunday?
In my eyes Aribo and Bassey were lucky as well to stay on the park and you could add in Roofe to that.
I think as a club we should definitely be calling out bad Refereeing.
It would take 5 mins to compile a video off all the issues about Madhuns performance. If you accept mediocrisy or cheating then that’s what you get.
Then again our incompetent board of Hun apologist’s will say nothing.
Shame on them
D :)
Off = of
D :)
DAVID66 on 19TH APRIL 2022 4:41 PM
It would take 5 mins to compile a video off all the issues about Madhuns performance. If you accept mediocrity or cheating then that’s what you get.
Then again our incompetent board of Hun apologist’s will say nothing.
*That’s why we as a support have to take charge now
I think the Spl or whoever should help any Scottish club in Europe … as long as all clubs are treated the same way … Madden yesterday booked Callum in his first challenge but let Lundstram & Jack foul with impunity… we don’t want favours just a level playing ground
Madden is actually (in my opinion) the best referee in Scotland … but he doesn’t referee each team the same
So he is either a blatant cheat or his conscious bias helps him “manage” a football match
Mod 1888 @ 4’ish
You have set your standard — I hope you keep to it.
Paul is only repeating what many have been saying for a while , we have a far to small and timid group of players when the opposition get in our faces and we shrink further mentally and physically , we are devoid of ideas when we are pressed into hurried actions by the opposition ,we are far too soft.
in my opinion madden is a cheat and not incompetent
i have been watching him for too long to think otherwise
however, i think we are well past the stage where that question is relevant
the only question that matters is –
“is madden capable of refereeing a match involving celtic or a match involving sevco with impartiality and integrity?”
the obvious answer is “no”, and has been for a number of years and so he should be prevented from doing so
it no longer matters why
Kennedy in the running for the Hibs job
Madden has the game at Dens at the weekend, Walsh gets the Motherwell game
Andy Halliday said yesterday that Angie had spent 30ml in two transfer windows anyone conform.
conform should be confirm.
i can confirm…
…that Andy Halliday is a bawbag
LETS ALL DO THE HUDDLE 5-07
NAIL RIGHT ON HEAD
HH
Aye Maduns a cheat I was trying to be diplomatic about it.
D :)
Can anyone come up with any viable explanation as to why madden stopped play at the quick free kick to jota on 117 mins
He clearly sets off running g as we take the kick and then as he looks up and sees it’s going straight to jota and the dangerous position he is in he simply stops play for no apparent reason.
I have only seen a clip but I will be checking to see what he blew for
HH