As we discussed a few days ago, the margins between success and failure at this level are tight. Two rash tackles inside the box was enough to see Celtic into the playoff round. On another day, the story could have been different.
For me, Kolo Toure’s 30 minutes was eye-opening. His touch was assured, which gave him time on the ball. He was confident enough to hold possession while being closed down, and can carry the ball out of defence.
He talked throughout, often while gesticulating to team-mates to calm down or to push out in a line. It’s not that we had problems in central defence before he arrived, we didn’t, but he gave the entire team an authority we’ve missed. Without him, the game may have ended differently.
This is what a top player looks like in a Celtic shirt.
Craig Gordon had a big decision to make: come out of his box to head the ball, or stay and allow Kieran Tierney to manage the situation. Yes, it was a good finish, but the keeper made the wrong decision. If you head the ball while 25 yards off your line it needs to go safe or you shouldn’t there.
Did you notice Moussa Dembele’s penalty technique? There were two important elements: the pause and the number of steps.
Most players take a penalty as soon as the referee blows his whistle. Moussa didn’t. He waited. Players who wait until a moment of their choosing score a higher percentage of times than players who move on the whistle.
The delay empowers them. They are in charge, they decide when things start. The two step run up further denies the goalkeeper reaction time: “I’m the boss, you don’t know when we start and you’ll have no time to throw yourself about”.
Squeezing the pips
None of the 11 starters were Brendan Rodgers’ players, four joined until Ronny, while seven have been at the club since Neil Lennon’s days. It’s remarkable that we managed to eliminate a team who qualified for last season’s Champions League with players who were caught so short in Europe in recent seasons.
Last night we squeezed the last pips out of the squad. The addition of Kolo and the return of Erik and Jozo will give the defence a formidable look, but we are not right in central midfield, and I know every one of you held your breath when Leigh went down injured.
I left the ground feeling Brendan got a break in getting that squad past Astana (you could argue Ronny could have done with a couple of rash challenges inside the box in similar circumstances). Sometimes you need the breaks to achieve great things.
Oh, and if football was like that every time, every other leisure industry would close. I’m pretty sure no one in the North Stand knew two Astana players were sent off, such was the Festival of Drama.
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TD67
Different experience from me then Tony, as my brother’s long-term partner and her family are as lovely a set of people as you could meet, and you’ll have to be quick to get to the bar before any of them.
Not that anyone has ever had much trouble beating me, right enough!
People still demanding Celtic take action against various rags for their anti-Celtic reporting bias. Celtic should only act when damaging lies are printed by these people, and they have sued in the past. We will only make ourselves look stupid for acting against silly opinion pieces. They have been anti-Celtic as long as I can remember, so it won’t change. We should continue our boycott of these papers and hit them where it hurts, in the pockets.
In any case, when Celtic got their draw in Astana, the media asked Brendan Rodgers for his thoughts. He said he was delighted, especially since the Scottish press had been “telling the world we had no chance.”
Isn’t that in itself an example of the club hitting back at the media, or does it only count if it’s Peter Lawwell who does it?
Obviously, from Burr-ming ‘am.
WBGFC: Enjoy your day. Will you be wearing a ‘special’ hoodie:-)
The only reason I would hope to get Dundalk in today’s draw is because it would provide a fantastic occasion in the Aviva in Dublin. I don’t think they are the easiest team to beat of the five possible opponents we might face.
They are on a very good run in the League of Ireland, Stephen Kenny has them well organised as a team and the players themselves are very focussed and reasonably confident of what they can achieve.
I find it farcical that Kilmarnock are able, under existing rules, to drastically change the dimensions of their pitch.
It seems there is no such thing as ‘a level playing field’ anymore.
We have all types of plastic surfaces and now it seems all different sizes of pitches – what next, a tilting pitch that can be reversed at half-time to suit the home team?
I know there are valid economic reasons for some clubs to favour artificial surfaces – however surely all dimensions should be constant, like for example: cricket wickets, tennis courts, and the like.
LIONROARS67 on 5TH AUGUST 2016 9:21 AM
I like this brummie, hes not strange is he ? he likes us
Wow,! I wouldent get my knickers in a granny knot mate, as I said in my experience, and you went all the way back to 2014 just to make your point! My question is, why? You may find some things that are strange that I don’t, but I wouldent be putting up anything about it, it’s your opinion, was it something I said previously that’s got yer knickers in a knot,? And yes strange indeed?
BEATBHOY on 5TH AUGUST 2016 9:30 AM
TD67
Different experience from me then Tony, as my brother’s long-term partner and her family are as lovely a set of people as you could meet, and you’ll have to be quick to get to the bar before any of them.
Not that anyone has ever had much trouble beating me, right enough!
Yes I’m sure they are,but not the ones I’v met, as I said different opinions, no big deal.
Theres a mob of even stranger peepul in Glesga:)
They like to wear wee tin soldier uniforms and love swigging bucky in a public park, before they assault each other, and any kaffliks in the vicinity.
They even get money aff the cooncil for marching aboot….seemingly its got something to do with culture:)
HH
Mats –
There are rules dictating the minimum and maximum dimensions of a football pitch in a professional game. A club can change the size of the pitch as often as they wish, so long as it is within the minimum and maximum dimensions.
AULDTAM@9:21
Your point is well made.
The ‘shoot from the hip’ on every occasion approach advocated by some on here is self-defeating and totally unprofessional.
They over-simplify and exaggerate – we would be labelled as the club that “always cries wolf” and ridiculed for it.
Mats Nilloc
Table at bottom of page shows Dundee United’s final points tally as 28, yet they won 31 points.
No asterisk with an explanation now of the 30k fine and deduction of 3 points for this one-time offence.
Don’t want any questions about applying the rules without fear or favour maybe.
Not that anyone wants to ask.
Mats Nilloc
There has been a minimum and maximum length and width of a football pitch in the rule books for a long time. The constants are the height and width of the goals, the length and width of a penalty area and the distance of the penalty spot from the goals. So in that respect exactly the same as cricket since the dimensions of the whole pitch vary but the wicket is constant in size.
Oops. . .
http://spfl.co.uk/premiership/archive/2015-2016
AULDTAM@9:42
I know of the rule – would rather all clubs adhered to the same size pitch.
Watched a rerun of the Maribor v Aberdeen game this morning. Surely all commentators and co-commentators can be expected to familiarise themselves with rule changes before picking up a microphone.
The Dons had zero luck and I was impressed by them. They surely will be our closest challengers this season.
AULD TAM
I normally just laugh at their impotence and incoherence,but there’s no denying their malice can do damage occasionally.
For instance,Wednesday morning before an important qualifier-one with the potential to greatly benefit ALL of Scottish football
The Record leads with an article asking how long it will take flop Dembele to score his first goal.
The youngster had played less than five halves for us at that stage.
That is the kind of stuff the club can do little about officially-it can be classed as fair comment-but the article was one of the worst I’ve seen in years.
TD67
Correct. No big deal at all.
But a bit of balance doesn’t hurt.
new article posted.
the evil genius part of LNS was that the SFA managed to convince him that players were properly registered. If you get someone registered by telling lies that’s ok they are registered. unbelievable I know.
I don’t know but would assume that with United the registration never actually got processed. Is that the case? So SFA would say apples and pears – different things.
BMCUW –
You’re spot on. I am often astounded of forehead at some of the crap they write. It has ever been thus. We as supporters can continue to boycott them, and laugh at them.
And of course, when we win, it makes it all the sweeter to GIRUT.
Saw that one coming.
http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/brendan-to-reduce-head-count-again/
Just in case you don’t.
http://celtsarehere.com/champions-league-play-off-draw-what-you-need-to-know/
1998-99 1st* 14 games played with a player in receipt of unlawful DOS tax avoidance payments
1999-2000 1st* 39 games played with a player in receipt of unlawful DOS tax avoidance payments
2000-01 2nd* 55 games player appearances by those in receipt of unlawful DOS tax avoidance payment and side letters
2001-02 2nd* 178 games player appearances by those in receipt of unlawful DOS tax avoidance payment + EBT recipients and side letters
2002-03 1st* 569 games player appearances by those in receipt of unlawful DOS tax avoidance +EBT recipients and side letters
2003-04 2nd* 596 games player appearances by those in receipt of unlawful DOS tax avoidance payment + EBT recipients and side letters
2004-05 1st* 535 games player appearances by those in receipt of unlawful DOS tax avoidance payment + EBT recipients and side letters
2005-06 3rd* 501 games player appearances by those in receipt of unlawful EBT tax avoidance payment and side letters
2006-07 2nd 273 games player appearances by those in receipt of unlawful EBT tax avoidance payment and side letters
2007-08 2nd* Every single game featured players with side letters and unlawful EBT payments, In total 284 player appearances by EBT recipients
2008-09 1st* Every single game featured players with side letters and unlawful EBT payments. In total 194 player appearances by EBT recipients
2009-10 1st* Every single game featured players with side letters and unlawful EBT payments. In total 146 player appearances by EBT recipients
2010-11 1st* Every single game featured players with side letters and unlawful EBT payments. In total 99 player appearances by EBT recipients
13 year total
3,483 player appearances by DOS & EBT side letter recipients
operating losses of £124.8 million
EBT payments of £48.35 million
games played over 13 years 663
% of games played with EBT or DOS recipients 92%
Thanks to all the internet bampots we know it all, so do Celtic and all the other clubs
BMWP & BB
Hello from Albueira.
Weather at 10am was 32! Not a cloud in the sky, it’ll not be like this back at paradise.
Heading for the old town this morning, with the troops.
Green team on tour.
Hail hail.
NEW ARTICLE POSTED!!
Very true, I don’t think we are in a position to wish for anyone, just take it as it comes.
http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/be-careful-for-who-we-wish-for/
TANTANIUM@9:43
Fair point – however the cricket outfield is sparsely populated and is usually determined by the overall size of the arena – the aim of clubs reducing the pitch size is to overcrowd and therefore restrict the quality of the spectacle by denying space for talented players to perform – this is the “get in their faces” mentality that pervades Scottish football and ensures that all the clubs that persue these tactics, make extremely quick exits from European competitions.
Hehehehe
https://ntvceltic.wordpress.com/2016/08/05/gentlemen-v-players/
QF
Bryson didn’t say the side-letters mob were properly registered.
He spouted the falsehood that they were imperfectly registered, though eligible!
A crime’s not a crime if you didn’t know about it at the time, seemed to be his ‘argument’.
Bet serial killers would love to have that defence!
And LNS bought it, though he did have to run his report past a panel chaired by Regan before publishing, remember.
Plenty there to merit a stronger response than our club’s ‘surprised’.
Genesis
Am with MIT, even if he’s changed his mind, Living Wage…..LNS……Old Firm….55….
What a Scottish Football farce we live in ;-((
FTSFA
HH.