Celtic have played in three competitions since Livingston’s last match. That’s 11 days our opponents have had to work on stamina, then rest, as well as fine-tuning technique defending against the specific threat of Celtic. All of that time will have been spent on the pitch we play on tonight. It is unlikely we have faced a more prepared team all season.
By contrast, Celtic players’ preparation for tonight’s match will have started yesterday. The artificial surface, which caused so many problems earlier in the season, is the principle challenge to overcome. Since then we have won on artificial surfaces at Kilmarnock and twice at Hamilton, although both visits to Lanarkshire were tense affairs.
With five games before the split, Livingston are six points ahead of seventh place Kilmarnock. Lose tonight, and that gap could close to three points, with the teams due to meet next month. We can expect as much of a battle as we faced against St Johnstone or Copenhagen.
108 Comments- Pages:
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CELTIC
The rebels have won !!!
Damn you Siempre….
2nd is nothing to me….:)
Let’s hope we have been training on artificial surface at Lennoxtown.
BIG WAVY on 4TH MARCH 2020 12:12 PM
Thanks, yes hopefully back soon.
HH
BIG WAVY on 4TH MARCH 2020 12:22 PM
Damn you Siempre….
2nd is nothing to me….:)
======================
I’d be lying if I disagreed ;)
HH
A quite astonishing piece in The Sun today (I know I know) quoted in the previous blog about how the SFA “might” go to CAS with regard to rangers fc cheating on an industrial scale,aided and abetted by the SFA re the UEFA Licence in 2011.
So,we face the quite absurd prospect of a national association having surrendered their disciplinary responsibilities to an external body whose suitability to answer such cases is questionable but,not to worry,even if there is a case to answer “it’s too dear to go there” and,even if we do,we’ll remove the most vital period from the charges.
Not forgetting the fact that it was Charles Green who apparently insisted that CAS was to be the body any cases were referred to and that it was rangers fc reps who told the SFA judicial panel they had no jurisdiction over them,to which the SFA agreed.
If someone put this forward as a script for Monty Python it would be thrown out for being too ridiculous
Lets just keep 11 on the park tonight
that will be enough
If we defend well I fancy us to score at least 1. Definitely a night were you’d take 0-1 before kick off.
Let’s not give Sevco a chink of light, Celtic.
Thanks for killing my optimism Paul!
For all the talk about pitches, fine tuning and stamina, we are a far better team than they are.
Livingston will need a lot of things to align for them to beat us again.
Play to our strengths, keep 11 on the park and we will win the game.
HH
I’m going behind the couch, again.
Chris and Kris need to let that Livi CF know what a brick wall feels like.
Just watched the David Turnball story….feel for the young fella.
Anybody know how it was left with him ? We all on the ‘nod and the wink’ that we go back for him in the summer or has the boat sailed?
Paul 67
Sound like you are getting your excuses in early, I’m sure you are wrong. We are a far better side in all respects although the nonsense that is artificial pitch is a major factor.
It is simple ridiculous that these clubs are allowed to get away with it, talk about a level playing field.
3 – 0 the good guys
KINGLuBO
Watched a bit of Chelski/Liverpool and noted how well young Billy Gilmour played, age 17!!!
Is it not about time we gave some of our “bright young things” a fair chance??
KINGLubO
BIG WAVY on 4TH MARCH 2020 1:44 PM
Just watched the David Turnball story….feel for the young fella.
Anybody know how it was left with him ? We all on the ‘nod and the wink’ that we go back for him in the summer or has the boat sailed?
___
Probably not. Let’s not forget he chose to go to Norwich City first. Clearly failed his medical.
Came back up to Celtic. Was sold as a change of heart. Failed his medical.
He might end up at Celtic next season. But it will depend on who’s in for him (if anybody)
Not sure it’s worth the risk given our experience with Jozo.
I’d put the perma-injured Elyounoussi in that category too.
Timaloy29
Wow. That answer escalated quickly :)
Thanks though…
Not trying to worry people but Livingston have only lost twice at home in 13 home League games in contrast they have only won twice away in 15 League games.
They are mighty tough to beat on their own patch.
Tonight will be as hard a game as we are likely to get anywhere this season,
Another big issue is if they beat us tonight, they are almost certain to make the top 6 which would mean we are almost certain to have to travel up there for the 3rd time after the split.
The stakes couldn’t be higher, win tonight & we will extinguish all hope in the Hun, lose or draw and we will just give them a glimmer of hope.
Tonight is bigger than Copenhagen match for me.
Provisional squad according to the Record. Suprised to see Elyounoussi on there considering Neil told us he had a hamstring strain 2 days ago.
No Ntcham.
Forster
Frimpong
Bauer
Hayes
Ajer
Bolingoli
Taylor
Jullien
Bitton
Brown
McGregor
Rogic
Christie
Forrest
Elyounoussi
Edouard
Klimala
Griffiths
Elhamed
Bayo
Bain
Team I got has Elyounoussi starting….
KingLubo, Win the League as soon as possible & then give the bright young things a run, tonight is for battle hardened warriors.
What’s yer team Bada Bing?
Please, chaps – no 3, 4,5 nil humpin’ predictions………….
:)
;)
:0
HH
0 to 6 for the Tic ….
smiley bankies rule thing
Braw
These days Lenny rarely tells the world what the story is with his players and their injuries, which is how it should be.
Afternoon all – would have been ‘Mornin’ but kept being logged Oot!
Anyway – used to be one of Paul’s mantras not to give players an excuse in advance – concerned noo!
The referee tonight is important. If he lets Livingston away with rough play then that’s what we will get all night. Early yellow may temper knee high challenges.
We area little short in the enforcers area with only Brown in the frame
I suspect clubs carry out medicals looking at current fitness and any underlying healrh issues that may be problematic in the future.
If football took the Moneyball approach a players previous career would be assessed to see how many times he was injured in the past that resulted in missed games. If he missed loads of games in the past, why would we be able to get anything better out of him.
Andy Carroll is a great player, but his salary to game ratio must be phenomenal. Radio on Saturday mentioned that at age of 31 he has just over 230 senior appearances !!
The shining example of a player being always available was Henrik ‘Golden Child’ Larsson.
Henrik had played 221 games by the time he joined us. He coincidentally played a further 221 for us.
If my memory serves me right he had a broken leg ( away in Lyon) and a broken cheekbone ( courtesy of a deliberate headbut v. Livingston)
He missed one game due to arriving back from international duty late Friday night ( travelling back from Azerbaijan?, Sweden, London ,Glasgow). He was available if required , but we chose to rest him ( home game against ‘minnow’ possibly Dunfermline?
On the other hand we had great players like Andreas Thom and Phil O’Donnell who were regularly missing due to recurring hamstring groin tears and strains etc.
Paul Lambert who was regularly injured because he put crocked by opponents by sacrificing his personal well-being by holding the ball until he could play the right pass at the right time. We used to have little side bets on when he would receive treatment in each game.
If David Turnbull is a risk, let some other team take that risk.
The Onlooker
#AlwaysavailabletowatchthegameCSC
!!BADA BING!! on 4TH MARCH 2020 2:02 PM
Team I got has Elyounoussi starting….
___
It could be right.
CELTIC40ME on 4TH MARCH 2020 2:32 PM
These days Lenny rarely tells the world what the story is with his players and their injuries, which is how it should be.
___
Seems to be the case.
In his 7 year senior career before joining Celtic Mohamed Elyounoussi missed three games through injury
Good to see him back in the squad, he has an excellent record for Celtic when he plays
CELTIC40ME on 4TH MARCH 2020 2:32 PM
These days Lenny rarely tells the world what the story is with his players and their injuries, which is how it should be.
—–
I’m struggling to remember a time when he has done that….seems pretty straight when it comes to absences from what I can recall.
hopefully none of the management/team read the header , is it alright to come out from behind the couch right enough , dearie dearie.
https://www.rte.ie/archives/category/sports/2020/0204/1113075-celtic-football-club/
came across this video today giving interviews with Bobby Lennox, Tommy Burns and
Johny Doyle
Does anyone remember Johny Doyle’s daughter asking if anyone knew of any videos
with her dad talking in it
This video does so hopefully she knows about it or can someone put her onto it
Johny Doyle speaks about the 8 minute mark
Livingston v Celtic
Ladbrokes Premiership
04/03/2020 7:45pm Tony Macaroni Arena
Referee:William Collum
AR1
Graeme Stewart
AR2
Stuart Stevenson
Fourth Official
Colin Steven
Livi have lost 6 goals all season at home.
That’s better than ourselves at Celtic Park (7).
Bite yer hand off for any sort of win right now.
Timaloy29 @ 1.50
Clearly failed a medical at Norwich
Did you just make that up?