After a home defeat to St Mirren in November precipitated Gary Holt’s resignation as Livingston manager, the West Lothian club have won all eight games played, by any measure, they are the form team in Scotland right now. They were 13 points behind fourth placed Hibernian after that St Mirren defeat. Hibs have played three games more than Livingston since then but the gap has shrunk to 7 points.
That should illustrate how Livi will be a more difficult opponent than Hibs were this week. New manager, David Martindale, will fancy his chances of making a name for himself at Celtic Park tomorrow.
Celtic are still without their 13 isolating players, as well as the long-term injured, although Nir Bitton returns from suspension and will likely replace Stephen Welsh. I expect David Turnbull to move into the middle at the expense of Tom Rogic, with Ewan Henderson starting on the right as he finished against Hibs.
Neil Lennon might be thinking long and hard about Diego Laxalt, who conceded the late foul Hibs equalised from on Monday, and did the same at Ibrox, preceding the corner kick Newco scored from. It is not totally Diego’s fault that we cannot defend set-pieces satisfactorily, but we need to find a way to stop him conceding them. Replacement by Greg Taylor is an option.
I have no suggestions as to what we do up front but would not be surprised if Mikey Johnston moved inside. On the positive side, Livingston will not know what to expect from us.
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Were Raith Rovers in Dubai – if not from where have all the covid cases come.
I would go – Hazard
Ralston Welsh Duffy Taylor
Frimpong Soro Laxalt
Johnston Turnbull McGregor
GLASSTWOTHIRDSFULL 👏
I would go – Hazard
Ralston Welsh Duffy Taylor
Soro
Frimpong Laxalt
Turnbull
Johnston Harper
Gene
They met CJ in Tesco St Rollox and got a selfie :)
I’m disappointed to read the Green Brigade statement today. Previous to now they’ve articulated their views intelligently. This one misses by a mile.
I’m one of the 60,000 and I don’t care a stuff about structural change through the Celtic Trust. I expect a change at Lennoxtown and on the pitch at Celtic Park. Tout de suite.
Today’s a Celtic state of mind worth a listen
https://play.acast.com/s/acelticstateofmind
Total boycott of merchandise and season tickets is absolutely necessary. Nothing else will work. Most players have been truly atrocious this season, in terms of effort and performance levels. This reflects absolutely incompetent performance off the pitch with truly sickening defensive coaching, goalie coaching, and lenny simply and totally clueless. Actually he’s like the goalie and defensive coaches too. Also he’s like the board, who have simply shown their true colours, chasing the blue £ to the almost destruction of our once-great club. They
Celtic CEO Alan McDonald January 2000
Celtic chief executive Allan MacDonald faces action by the Scottish Football Association over his reported comments about top referee Hugh Dallas.
A London-based psychologist was commissioned by the Parkhead club to study the performance of Dallas during the fiery Old Firm game on 2 May last year.
In a newspaper interview, MacDonald said of Dallas: “The study of his body language came to the conclusion he was capable of provoking the kind of reaction we don’t want to see at Celtic Park.”
Allan MacDonald Allan MacDonald: Commissioned report
The matter has now been referred to the SFA’s General Purposes Committee which next meets on 8 February after which MacDonald could be charged with bringing the game into disrepute.
The SFA has confirmed that Dallas has not requested a meeting at its Glasgow offices to discuss the matter.
The game saw Celtic beaten 3-0 by Rangers to lift the league championship. Dallas was struck on the head by a coin and was immersed in controversy over his sending off of three players.
Fans also tried to attack him on the pitch and more than 100 supporters were arrested.
The report commissioned by the Celtic chief executive concluded that Dallas sparked the trouble when he patted Rangers midfielder Giovanni Van Bronckhorst on the bottom during the first half.
Fans on pitch Fans ran onto the pitch
There have been suggestions that unless the SFA is seen to clamp down on the Parkhead club there will be wholesale resignations from their top referees.
Referees’ superviser George Cumming said the rumours were exaggerating the situation.
“I have been involved in football administration for 12 years and I cannot remember anything like this happening before,” said Cumming.
‘Pressure comes with job’
“The SFA must decide whether they are going to enforce disciplinary procedures against Celtic because obviously it was the club who decided to take this action.
“For referees, pressure comes with the job and there are many external examples of that, not just what happens on the pitch.
George Cumming George Cumming: “Hard to attract referees”
“This incident is one of these and so far I haven’t received any resignations.”
Cumming is responsible for recruiting new officials to the profession and his task will not be made any easier by Celtic going public with their report.
There has been a long-held belief by the Parkhead fans that referees are biased against them and MacDonald – seen by most outsiders as a wholly progressive figure – has only fuelled that view.
“Any refereeing controversy makes recruitment more difficult” said Cumming.
“It is not a case of one particular incident, it is a worldwide trend. Hugh Dallas is at the top of his profession and his ability as a referee is beyond question, but it is a very unusual situation.”
Foresight CSC
Celtic 2021 are the identikit of our CEO. We are exactly as he made us. His ambition is to be one step ahead of the Huns, no more no less. He failed, big time and any half pea brained CEO would have guided the Club to the summit of Scottish fitba in their absence. He deserves no credit for this at all.
He chased the only decent Manager he ever hired away as quick as he got him and sold just about every sellable asset he could.
The cost has been damaging and we are no marks in Europe and lagging domestically.
I used to maintain the club is not about 1 man or individual, sadly, that’s exactly what we have become and as such, I will not renew my ST till he is gone.
TBB @1.37pm
Completely agree. Personally I am always down back in time to that fateful strategic decision of the Celtic Board but particularly Peter Lawwell to ensure that the death of the old Rangers would not spell the end of Scottish football and seriously impact Celtic. It’s clear that panic set in and that any alternative viable strategy was not seriously considered. Actually what transpired was the public claim that we had a standalone strategy which clouded the reality of supporting the re-emergence of a new club called Rangers. One that would maintain the rivalry ( and hence the cash flowing ) but would be too weak to seriously challenge a dominant and resourced Celtic ( generation of domination anyone). Now that was a high risk strategy and although the alternative was not a walk in the park the opportunity to build an untouchable Celtic was clearly possible. It was this localised, Old Firm thinking which has proved our downfall.
Peter Lawwell has enriched himself and his family from his years at Celtic and, in my opinion, has run out of ideas and completely lost support amongst Celtic minded people.
Complacency, incompetence, greed, self regard and hubris are all combined in one package. Time to go Peter- or be driven out of town!
The rebuild, new strategy, new manager and the rebuilding of a financial base will take time. Feels like life in the slow lane again.
The Board’s modus operandi when dealing with problematic and contentious issues or unrest among the fans is to delay and prevaricate and hope people get bored and give up.
That’s how they played the huns going bust and their (the Board’s) refusal to call it for what it was.
That’s how they played Res 12.
Kick the can down the road in the hope that any challenge runs out of steam or new events occur which will serve as a distraction.
In the current circumstances, where the only effective measure open to fans to regain some agency is to refuse to renew their season book, The Trust’s campaign for structural change, and the Green Brigade’s endorsement of it, must be regarded by the Board as the answer to their prayers, a deux ex machina.
IL PADRINO
Glad someone agrees with me re. Bitton.
Whoever sanctioned a new 4year contract in 2019, showed be sacked
Good Lord ,Livingston will be our toughest opponent,does anyone look at their squad of players.
Walsall ,Gillingham ,Raith Rovers ,Eastleigh ,Falkirk,how far have we fallen under our present regime That we fear Livingston.
If Martindale can out think our coaches they should pack in now .
Nir Bitton is a decent squad filler who looks the part when playing against SPFL cannon fodder.
Anything above that and with small margins in play, he’s a mistake a game, too slow and defensively unaware.
Play him ‘horses for courses’.
HH
!!BADA BING!! on 15TH JANUARY 2021 12:09 PM
Welsh was excellent v Hibs,leave him there,why not play Bitton in midfield, as he is a midfielder…..
—–
100% gets my vote.
We’re thin in midfield.
Unique and unacceptable circumstances and lots of pressure being placed on available players.
I am of my mind (like many on here) that youngsters might struggle but that is understandable. (Harper was poor on Monday)
Whereas players with ANY kind of first team experience (irrespective of their match fitness) have to step up.
In that regard, I was very disappointed in Tom Rogic and Mikey Johnston against Hibs.
Tomorrow, irrespective of their tactical preparation, the players have to be ready to collapse at full time and crawl off the pitch.
Hail hail
Keep The Faith
In ither news…………
rainjurz could offer a player for the Dandy Don……….
!!!!????
Now, that’s guid PR….scooddish style……………………
They don’t have the cash obvs!
Now, had that been US and we’d attemted the same tactic
It would have been
Penny-pinchin East End club, Celtic hold Aberdeen hit-kid to ransom” etc etc etc………
…that’s the Headline and PR cover we’d have been hit with had we attempted the same.
scoddish PR? – a whole ither Level of sleekit , hunned-up bias.
HHH.
Welsh was my mom on Monday.
My back 4 for tomorrow.
Ralston, Welsh , Duffy and Taylor
SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 14TH JANUARY 2021 7:05 PM
Lambert14
“Is that the best you can do?
After reports of the new strain I said on another site that it was a crazy thing to consider.
So f@@@ you, board apologist.”
————————————————-
What site? Under what posting name? On what date? And why not express the view on here then?—————————————————–
Huddleboard, when it was confirmed that we would be going.
No idea what hour, minute, second and millisecond I posted it.
Why should I have made the comments on Smithers too?
I go on different sites on different day.
I’m not going to answer to board apologists like you though.
St Tams
I think a lot of people agree with that back 4 myself included.
I fear we will get Welsh Bitton Duffy Laxalt
Should say Smithers site
Paul 67,
Would be interesting to evaluate the renumeration of our ” depleted” squad with the Livingston squad.
HH.
Greenpinata
I’m sure the valuation of the Livingston squad is below most of the spl – definitely punching above their weight.
Who knows the rules of snooker?
Suppose I’m 10 points behind, blue, pink and black still on table. Opponent pots blue but the cue ball rolls into another pocket.
Is opponent given 5 for blue and I get 5 for the foul? Is opponent 0 and I get 5? Is the blue re-spotted? Do I have the option to make opponent play the next shot from the D? If I was 10 points ahead before the foul, does opponent now require a snooker to win the frame?
C’mon Maguire and Higgins.
Surely you get 5 points and the blue is re spotted as is the white don’t think you can make them play from the D
You get 5 they get 0 so you’re 5 behind – blue is re – spotted and you play white from within the D.
You wouldn’t want to give your opponent a shot from that position
When a player commits a foul and the cue ball remains on the table, the opponent may either play from the resulting position or, if he/she considers it to be disadvantageous, request that the offender play again. If the cue ball is potted or leaves the table, the opponent receives it “in-hand” and may then place it anywhere within the “D” for the next shot.
Go tell the Spartim on 15th January 2021 4:01PM
Ok thanks. I wondered maybe cue ball, blue and either of the other two which moved would go back to the position each had before the foul.
By the by, I don’t know the rules of snooker.
The Zombies going nuts on twitter on suggestion of ‘null & void’ happening this season.
I’m feeling numb to it all.
One thing for sure, we haven’t played as worthy champions this season.
If we are short in right side of midfield and Ralston is in contention then why not move Frimpon up to midfield rather than shoehorn someone in
I watched Tony while he was at St Johnstone when they were on the TV, he looked very slow dont know what has happened with him, shame.
Blantyretim
It seems the obvious thing to do so that’s why it won’t happen
Dessybhoy
He might have a lot to prove to himself and the manager if he plays. Might be a good call. It must be pretty difficult if you feel you have no chance of getting a game. Pretty difficult to motivate yourself. Imagine watching some of this seasons performances at right back and thinking ” they think that is better than I could do”…
Think these days they all arrive confident, fewer and fewer teams are parking the bus, mind you when they do park the bus we normally struggle to break them down, thankfully big Dykes is away, we should have bought him.
DESSYBHOY
Maybe he would have support from Frimpon leaving him less exposed ?
Just trying to play players in natural positions and tbh not seen enough of Ralston and don’t know how Livi play
TBB,
If you are about, what is your view of the statements below.? ( Taken from social media)
Your input is most valued.
If I get vaccinated:
1. Can I stop wearing the mask?
Government Response – No
2. Can they reopen restaurants, pubs, bars, etc and everyone work normally?
Government Response – No
3. Will I be resistant to covid?
Government Response – Maybe, but we don’t know exactly, it probably won’t stop you getting it.
4. At least I won’t be contagious to others anymore?
Government Response – No you can still pass it on, possibly, nobody knows.
5. If we vaccinate all children, will school resume normally?
Government Response – No
6. If I am vaccinated, can I stop social distancing?
Government Response – No
7. If I am vaccinated, can I stop disinfecting my hands?
Government Response – No
8. If I vaccinate myself and my grandfather, can we hug each other?
Government Response – No
9. Will cinemas, theatres and stadiums be reopened thanks to vaccines?
Government Response – No
10. Will the vaccinated be able to gather?
Government Response – No
11. What is the real benefit of vaccination?
Government Response – The virus won’t kill you.
12. Are you sure it won’t kill me?
Government Response – No
13. If statistically the virus won’t kill me anyway … Why would I get vaccinated?”
Government Response – To protect others.
14. So if I get vaccinated, the others are 100% sure I’m not infecting them?
Government Response – No
So to summarise, the Covid19 vaccine:
Does not give immunity.
Does not eliminate the virus.
Does not prevent death.
Does not guarantee you won’t get it.
Does not prevent you from getting it.
Does not stop you passing it on.
Does not eliminate the need for travel bans.
Does not eliminate the need for business closures.
Does not eliminate the need for lockdowns.
Does not eliminate the need for masking.
So… what the hell is it actually doing?
Rightly or wrongly it is certainly food for thought.
HH to all.
Gene on 15th January 2021 4:08PM
Thanks. From what you typed, I’m thinking blue re-spotted even if original position was elsewhere on table.
Say, scenario was pink and black only. Would a professional attempt to pot pink from its spot from the D? Challenge opponent to try his luck instead? Could depend on where black is I suppose.
From memory, the first shot on a re-spotted black finale is normally safety.
MB BT
Yes if you do have to change a player at least replace him where you can with someone familiar with the position, one of the problems with Celtic is we pick players not a team, you hear people called all sorts of things technicians, being one, we lack dig and graft in Scotland its essential, moving midfielders into defence leads to what we have because they cannot adapt .