Few Celtic players have glided through four seasons with scarcely a critical comment directed his way but Adam Matthews can make this claim. I didn’t expect him to make it as a first team player as a 19-year-old when he arrived from Cardiff City, but he so comprehensively made the position his own, you’ll struggle to name the two right backs at the club when Adam arrived………….?
The limiting factor in his Celtic career arrived in the form of a tall Swede. Mikael Lustig has had plenty of injury problems but when fit, he’s first choice, with Adam playing backup.
Adam’s most memorable performance came against Barcelona in that game. With Lustig at right back and Emilio Izaguirre unavailable, Adam was asked to play left back. Tony Watt and Victor grabbed the headlines that night but Adam’s performance was remarkable.
He didn’t miss an angle all night, no matter how fast Barca pinged the ball, Adam was there. We faced so many balls on the wing that night but the discipline in defence was remarkable. He was clearly asked to give the Barca players space outside the box and drop to the 18 yard line, I remember yelling “Close him down” all night, but Neil Lennon had done his homework, the tactics were sound. That game is recalled so often, for so many great reasons, but while the tactical discipline deployed was not as sexy as the goals or the atmosphere, it was genuinely world class. We analyse games through different perspectives: when Celtic win like that all you hear about is the atmosphere, but if a German team had won that way, UK pundits would wax lyrical about their discipline. Adam was a big part of that success, and if he goes to Sunderland, he’ll flourish.
Those two right backs were Mark Wilson and shampoo hero Cha Du-Ri, b.t.w. But you knew that anyway, didn’t you? If you can remember the left back we signed that summer you’re doing very well. So many miss the target for every Adam Matthews.
Well done to Celtic, who have improved the look of two stadiums this week.
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kev j
great news.
bobby murdoch’s curled-up winklepickers
Sony not much better!
Hello again all you young rebels.
Looks like we have a few new posters over the last few blogs, so who
needs the msm with all the info that brings to our Celtic world.
Apart from the stickie trolls , but we can all spot them, can’t we?
Well maybe not.
Talking about stickies, well saw my first zombie top in 4 years today
it was the old 1990’s one with the moth eaten pattern on it, i thought
maybe the king had opened up the warchest but then reality kicked
in, probably somebody had smashed open the doors of the crypt.
The wee mhan wanted to go and see Real Madrid v AS Roma at the
MCG Melbourne, so i said why do you want to go to that game.
” I want to see if Ronaldo is as good as Jinky ” no chance said i.
He’s watching old vids of the greatest ever Celt constantly and can’t
believe the abuse and violent tackles he overcame to become a legend
The game i’m talking about is a pre season tournament between
Real Madrid, Man City, and AS Roma which kicks off in a couple
of weeks, now i know these type of tourneys cause consternation
among us because of our need to qualify for the CL but when these
multi million backed teams come to Oz theres obviously a lot of
money involved and with thousands if not millions of new immigrants
reaching these shores each year and itching to find a team or cause
to support why can we not find anywhere to buy Celtic merchandise?
O.K rant over.
H.H Mick
SIPSINI
That was a pun of mince…
MELBOURNEMICK
The Aussie supporters deserve a wee trip now and again,and I hope it will be the case.
As you point out,not possible at the moment but maybe one day when we are straight back into the group stages.
Sadly,that won’t be tomorrow.
corkcelt
12:54 on 3 July, 2015
Is billy bear really bada bing. mmmmm
Happy Birthday to fellow couponeer Jobo, have a great day.
Kev J, glad to hear you’re on the mend.
Scorching over here again today going up to 38*C tomorrow, mama Mia
Sorry to hear Adam is going; good luck young mhan, but you know you’ll never ever play for another club anything like the one and only Glasgow Celtic.
Kev J….
Brilliant news!
Keep well!
HT thanks, have mailed it to my buddy and asked him to post on his blog.
Graffitionthewall, you have hail hail mail.
Jobo ya auld bass, hoopy burfday:_)
SIPSINI
Doubt it. Can you imagine anyone lifting !BADA BING! over the turnstiles?
Thirteenth labour of Hercules,that one.
HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPY Birthday
Tae ooooor Jobo
Good luck to Adam; he’s been a good player for us. I’m shocked Paul that you’ve let this go by without a mention of asset management. Tomorrow’s sermon?
Kev J….
I had to dig back to read about your wonderful news, keep on keeping on bud. HH
Afternoon Timland from a seriously hot hun free mountain valley.
Feliz Cumpleanos Jobo.
Good to hear you are on the mend Kev.
Aff oot to Alicante, no looking forward to it, Mrs TET is no happy, it’s 43 deg and I still haven’t got the air con fixed.
HH
Enjoy you day bhoys.
Clink’ BMCUW,
I have no desire or intention to revisit the contentious debates of the last few days. I also make no comparisons.
However the bombing of Nazi Germany will always be a controversial subject in the cold light of day.
The evil that was fascism had to be beaten and at the time this was the only way of taking the war to them, the alternative was unthinkable. Do you have any alternatives ?
How complicit were the civilians of Nazi Germany? Did they really think the Jews et al. who didn’t fit the racial or ideology of the regime were being rounded up and going for a holiday.?
I abhore innocents deaths of all conflict.
I somehow don’t think that the evil that was Nazi Germany would have partial to discussions over tea.
Sorry to be blunt but we were dealing with the most evil elected dictatorship that ever walked our planet. So evil that in Germany today denial of the holocaust is a criminal offence.
Do you really think the Jews would have been the last peoples identified for extermination and air brushed from history.
HH to you both.
BMCUWP….
I just hope he’s no lurking, then again, it will hopefully get him hitting the keyboard again.
arranmorebhoylxv11
COWIEBHOY
A friend sent that to me, asking me how I managed to take a selfie from that distance…
Good news, KevJ.
On Matthews – really sorry to see him go.
He could be a little inconsistent when getting back up to fitness but was superb for us most of the time.
Kev J
Don’t know what your wonderful news is, but that’s great….!!!! …..now, away oot, ya wee eejit :)
Kevjungle
Glad to hear your news, stay fit
Bada bing – billybear ? Not a chance, wouldn’t even kid on. I told him I was billbear for two days and he didn’t like it.
TET, looking to be heading in your direction first or second week in Oct.
Prepare to be sclaffbawed.
Hope you, Mrs T and the dugs are well
HH bruv
Kev J … great news!
Is Billy Bear maybe Kojo in disguise?
Sipsini, I sent you a ZTP ringtone for our forthcoming CL campaign and to wind up them numbnut huns you work with. Hope you got it and can load.
I’ve only got 4 million left, get them free, as ever at acgr@hotmail.co.uk
Drive the hun in you life even mair demented every time you take a call:_)
Given the inflated transfer fees normally paid by EPL clubs, £1.5 – £2M for Matthews feels like we’ve just been mugged.
Kev J – absolutely fantastic news indeed.
BMCUW
Hullo again mate, as you know i’m tub thumping again, but i’m
sure you know what i’m getting at, the Celtic brand is immense
but if there is nowhere to buy it in a city like Melbourne with a
population of 6 mllion and rising by roughly 10% each year thats
why these teams come here, to sell merchandise.
Celtic are massive here but they are being pushed aside and it’s
so obvious when you don’t see any tops except epl in the sports
shops and now they barely get a mention in the papers even when
they win a cup final.
Big difference to when i first arrived down under,but maybe the
other Oz bloggers will differ.
H.H Mick
GREENPINATA
At no time did I suggest that WWII was an unjust war. The reasons and provocations made it unavoidable.
No-one who could do anything about it could view the actions of Nazi Germany and allow it to continue.
Although to be fair,the US and USSR did.
Equally,the Nationalists in NI were subjected to violations not permitted elsewhere in the UK.
Peaceful protests were tried and met with the violence of Ballytollet and Bombay Street. And many others.
What do you do when no-one cares for you?
You turn your back on the appeasers who affect to protect you and fight back.
Because no-one cared or did anything about it.
In 1939,our country cared about people in Poland-though not so much about Czechoslovakia. In 1969 it didnae give a damn.
ACGR…
Just opened it, feck, if I’m not the devil incarnate already to the huns in work :)
@hendrix67
He only has a year left.
ACEILERGONOFRUST
Haw you!
10/10. Dayoooooot/hoot.
Ffs…
Some players are able to develop and flourish whilst playing within the general dross of domestic football – others are not.
Sometimes there can be no blame apportioned in any direction when it is a case of not.
Personally I dont think Matthews improved whilst playing for us and that was disappointing because after the Barca game I think we were all quite literally buzzing about a potential superstar and versatile full back we had on our hands tied to a long term contract.
As good as the Barca performance was that night – it was equalled by how poor he was this time last year when we played Legia Warsaw away from home and for whatever reason Izaguirre was on the bench and Matthews deployed as left back for he didnt prevent a single cross or stop a man from cutting inside him the entire time he was on the pitch.
Good bye Adam, thanks for being a consumate professional and for showing off your guns to all the girls on the way in the tunnel after we pumped the new huns and I genuinely hope that you find whatever it is going to take, to help you progress to another level.
SIPSINI
Belter,innit?
BMCUWP…
Yep, it will have it’s first airing on Sunday in work, with a…that’ll be that Fenian bassa PJ :))
BobM, sorry bud, have to fit in round about the size 22’s holiday’s.
Nothing booked yet so still scope for change.
Get yer free Zadok ringtone and dement that demented zombie doon the pub, club or brothel. You ken it maks sense:_)
acgr@hotmail.co.uk millions must go.
Paul,
Was the left back at the time the left back and Celtic legend Mo Camara?
ACEILERGONOFRUST
Brothel?
I don’t earn as much as you,bud.
Sipsini, when kikinthenakas was in for surgery he left his phone locked in his locked bedside cupboard. He told me there was a zombie in the next bed. I phoned every five minutes for about two hours.
The zombie ended up being removed to the secure mental unit by the time the big chap was back on the ward:_)
It’s the most subtle way to give them a big GIRFUY short of painting them green and white:_)
ACEILERGONOFRUST
I thought it was singing along to their marching choons,but changing the words.
The Stash My Chairman Stole.