Having rested nine players from Sunday, last night’s result and performance was inconceivably good. There were several star performers but I thought Anthony Ralston and David Turnbull put in shifts that may go below radar, but were both outstanding.
Callum McGregor made the most of his freedom to move forward to catch the County defence sleeping at a corner kick. The unlikely amount of space he had inside the box was punished with remarkable simplicity.
Giorgos Giakoumakis did what Giorgos Giakoumakis does. He was a handful for the home defence throughout, taking some industrial treatment in the process, but got his goal and could have added more.
Sead Haksabanovicat hasn’t played in 12 weeks and only signed with Celtic a week ago. I did not expect to see him until near the end of September and, during the game, was adamant his was on the subs bench only to help him integrate with the squad.
I am happy to put a caveat before what I’m going to suggest, specifically, this Celtic team could make you or I look good, but what an impressive 15 minutes we saw of him last night. He is direct, can cross and shoot, and was always available. He is a player.
You and I have been doing this stuff on deadline day for a long time. Never have we been so chilled out. Never has the Celtic squad looked so complete. Never have the “just one more player would guarantee the league” brigade been so prosaic. In that time, we have seen a lot of great Celtic teams, several sides that progressed to the knockout stages of the Champions League and completed four trebles.
For years, Callum McGregor played more football than any other player on the planet. He coped admirably, but this did his development and longevity in the game no favours.
Oliver Abildgaard is a defensive mid in the peak of his career who may become the third capture from our development club in the east. Whether he arrives or not, you have never seen as comprehensive a Celtic squad.
One more thing, as Columbo used to say. I am very familiar with the precarious finances across the city, which continue to underpin our second successive Generation of Domination. But even I’m surprised at their lack of transfer spend so far this window. Has financial realism finally reached Ibrox after 34 years of havoc?
Let’s not tempt provenance, there are hours left and all this strategic stuff will feel inappropriate if the result doesn’t go our way on Saturday (it will only feel that way), but despite A Europa final, Champions League group stage and all those player sales, this window indicates the depths of their problems.
384 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- »
BRRB
I’m 69 on Monday. Still another year before I’m old.
I am a git though 😉
🟩⬜🟧
Hello Tom Mc. Good to have another voice of football sanity back engaging.
woo hoo, welcome back your sensibilities are sorely missed on here
Denia from late yest :-)
Yup,thank god Ange is here
Your right there is a stronger depth and dynamism,I get the we never stop and the vibrancy about our club and how the squad is utilized..
maybeez am nervy from a positive p.o.v cause it is going so well.i hope we retain the belief in our football in the coming week,we will do OK. Like you I think we have a better squad,and something good is happening
:-)
HH
LAMBERT14 on 1ST SEPTEMBER 2022 6:48 PM
All 3 projects you mentioned were agreed while Lawwell was CEO.
Oh come on, they were signed after he left!
A little bitter-sweet if the Huns sign no one.
Tells its own story. The finances must be a mess.
Imagine if they hadn’t qualified for the CL?
Rubin Kazan had valued Oliver Abildgaard at £16M. Never going to get that now because of the war, but good job by Celtic getting him out on loan if the valuation could also be a buy out clause.
Bonus is he’s only one inch shorter than Nir Bitton.
Kenny signed in January!
I take it that means you’ll be giving. him the credit for sone of the other signings we made in the Summer?
BSR
Bonus is he’s only one inch shorter than Nir Bitton.
Have you been hanging around the gents toilet again?
CELTIC40ME
Frimpong was also a project bought after a development game at Lennoxtown, he’d never been near the Man City side.
Tom McLaughlin on 1st September 2022 7:17 pm
BRRB
I’m 69 on Monday. Still another year before I’m old.
I am a git though 😉
🟩⬜🟧
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Welcome back sir!
HH
Philbhoy, if you are about are you doing the Saltmarket bossa nova tomorrow?
TOM MCLAUGHLIN
1.93 metres tall
Information freely on Wiki where all the big nobs
hang out 👍
Welcome back Tom.
Good evening all from the Victoria Bar. I have fallen off the wagon in spectacular style. You can never have enough good times. 👍
Welcome back Tom.😀👍
Annoyingly, I couldn’t watch the match last night. Fire stick stream totally shredded. So had to listen on the radio, and read between the lines. Terrific that the system is so well bedded in that the personnel, in many positions, are almost of secondary importance. Sounds like Giako, Turnbull, Daizen, Ralston were particularly impressive and the Monty-Swede has real presence. Any negatives, guys? It sounded as if Bernabei was trying but wasn’t that great. Is he up to the class we expect or is it too early to judge? And – yeah, I know, I keep going on about it – do we still have serious defensive vulnerabilities given the apparently soft goal conceded?
PS I’m sure you will have seen or heard of this, but Saturday’s “impartial” referee has posted on Twitter wearing a Sevco shirt. Only in Scotland, eh? It makes us – or should – the laughing stock of European football.
Well well well Tom McLaughlin couldn’t stay away from the stink 😂 Who’d’ve thunk it lol
H.H.
CONEYBHOY on 1ST SEPTEMBER 2022 6:52 PM
“I think the difference is that Ange is directing the strategy (no DoF pish) and Nicholson is setting budgets/closing deals”
Ange wont be directing strategy, that’s for the board and the CEO to decide. He’s good but not that good and he’s not a director.
Its funny you mention DofF. The old management structure was at fault for all our problems apparently but here new are with the same structure looking with things looking very rosy. You can’t argue that its working at the moment, whether that’s down to a change in personnel or if it would have worked with PL and Ange or Nicholson and someone else is debatable but its all gone very quiet about the need for it.
I think Ange has done an incredible job for the club, but he’s only human and there are only so ,many hours in a day. He can’t be the sort of first team coach he is, scout all his signings and devise and execute transfer strategy.
I think because he’s signed players from Japan on his recommendation we assume that he has total control over all transfers. Its not possible that having lived in Japan right up until he came and looking at players for Japanese teams that he’ll have the range of knowledge to be able to sign players from teams from Russia, Israel, Poland, England, the Netherlands, Portugal and Ireland in his first couple of months.
I think the structures were already in place, even if they weren’t functioning as efficiently as they might,
Like I said, he’s obviously a very intelligent man who thinks deeply and strategically but its always tempting to assign super powers to someone who’s given us as much success as he has.
CELTIC40ME on 1ST SEPTEMBER 2022 7:18 PM
LAMBERT14 on 1ST SEPTEMBER 2022 6:48 PM
All 3 projects you mentioned were agreed while Lawwell was CEO.
Oh come on, they were signed after he left!
==================
They were Bosmans who signed as soon as the window opened.
We didn’t have a manager at the time.
Who do you think signed them?
Ange has brought an end to the lowering the sash anxiety we experienced in former days.
Brisk business has been done in an orderly fashion ensuring targets met his philosophy.
No more crowds in the car park to see the latest unknown arrival.
No more dissatisfied hand wringing on public forums and private meeting corners.
Instead a steady stream of players with add on value and exciting potential.
The future’s bright. It’s green and white.
Superannuated fenIan.
I’m sure you will have seen or heard of this, but Saturday’s “impartial” referee has posted on Twitter wearing a Sevco shirt. Only in Scotland, eh? It makes us – or should – the laughing stock of European football.
If you have the photo can you post it .
The fact that some are still looking back and arguing about Peter Lawwell instead of appreciating the now and looking forward to the future is telling. Do you get no joy from Celtic?
comparmentalisationCSC
H.H.
Off topic
A horrendous day driving on the roads today.
Traffic throughput Scotland is getting busier and busier every day.
As a tribute to the many female drivers I was caught behind today, I have decided to drive, just like them tomorrow.
This will include, but not be limited to the following:
1) Slowing down at traffic lights even though the lights are green in your favour
2) Braking intermittently, often, for no apparent reason
3) Waiting at least 10 seconds before driving off when the lights have changed to green
4) Slowing down to 5 mph on EVERY bend no matter how sharp the bend is
5) Sitting through an entire green light to fix my make up
There is more
*t
LAMBERT14 on 1ST SEPTEMBER 2022 7:47 PM
Kenny signed in January this year. Who do you think signed him?
CELTIC40ME on 1ST SEPTEMBER 2022 8:00 PM
LAMBERT14 on 1ST SEPTEMBER 2022 7:47 PM
Kenny signed in January this year. Who do you think signed him?
—————-
1 project signed by Ange.
What a difference from the Lawwell years
THELURKINTIM on 1ST SEPTEMBER 2022 7:58 PM
The fact that some are still looking back and arguing about Peter Lawwell instead of appreciating the now and looking forward to the future is telling. Do you get no joy from Celtic?
————————-
The best way to describe it is regret for the wasted years when the club was ran at the behest of an accountant.
I’m absolutely enjoying what we see now, but shudder at the Lawwell years as it didn’t have to be that way.
Just watched the “Unique Angle” footage of the 9-0 game at the weekend.
In the words of the great Gordon Strachen, Juranovic looks “a right good team-mate”.
LAMBERT14 on 1ST SEPTEMBER 2022 8:02 PM
Ange doesn’t decide transfer strategy – that’s the job of the board
He also doesn’t scout players from the Irish league – that’s the job of the scouting department.
Kenny wasn’t an “Ange signing.” Its a very simplistic take on a reasonably complicated process
TLT, early night for you lad. There are serious matters to deal with tomorrow.
…..6) Slamming on the brakes at a junction,….then indicating a right turn 5 seconds later, resulting in about 10 cars caught in that lane waiting on traffic from the opposite direction to pass
Celtic40me
I waa probably being a bit ‘worky’ when I mentioned strategy
Football clubs are small businesses who are fortunate to have high turnover to staff ratio
I am in a similar job now
Strategy is always someone’s title but in the end it is about deals ; strategy is about medium to ling term funding
That’s what i mean about Ange and Nicholson. Get the prospect in , analyse and execute
Lennon was in charge of Ops, delegated and took the resources given by a pal
All pretty easy with professionals involved. Disaster without. I’ve seen Lawells and Lennons; walk away rich but add nothing to the franchise
BRRB
Sorry J but can’t make that soiree (is that a word?)
Staying the other side of Edinburgh tomorrow night at inlaws so will be driving,
Hopefully be at the next one!
Enjoy and tell the bhoys I was asking for them.
LAMBERT14
By your thinking Ange signed a project in the first window that he had total control over the signing of projects. Does that not worry you?
Jimtim –
https://twitter.com/Celtic67Fins72/status/1564546204905644032
Pretty sure it’s a fake, Walsh’s body is a little more….rotund than that. That’s not to say he isn’t biased or conflicted. Videocelts have been running an article reporting he works as a PE teacher at an academy which has recently become a partner in sevco’s youth structure. To quote, only in Scotland.
7) Slowing down for a magpie pecking on road kill
Tam ya Bam…….
Keep it lit……………………..
HH