Last night’s game at Motherwell was Callum McGregor’s 50th appearance for Celtic and Scotland this season. At this stage of an unrelenting career, I am continually looking for signs of fatigue. Instead, Callum marked his half century with a display of industry, speed, insight and a spectacular goal. On any other occasion, he would be Man of the Match.
But that award had to go to the incomparable Odsonne Edouard. Odsonne terrifies defenders. He seems to be able to attract groups of them, before weaving a way though. The free kick goal, his second in successive games, will rightly make the highlights, but he is now so much more than just a goal scorer for Celtic.
In possession at the edge of the Motherwell box in the second half, when others would shoot, he had the coolness to roll the ball in front of the advancing Olivier Ntcham. That vision is the sweet spot in football, a rare gift to cherish. Most would be overcome with tunnel vision. The finish was disappointing, but the build-up play is more evidence of what a special talent Odsonne is.
We kept a clean sheet thanks to Fraser Forster, but Motherwell were repeatedly gifted space and possession in dangerous areas in the first half. I like the shape we deployed last night and think it is crucial to the play and results we have seen since the break. More work is required if we are to avoid a potentially costly error.
Sky held their hands up and issued an apology to Celtic fans for broadcasting an accusation of racism on subtitles, where no such comments were made. The climb-down happened shortly before kick-off, meaning it had significantly less shelf-life as a news story than their unashamedly predatory video against Celtic fans.
They did not even suggest they would take any meaningful remedial action, it looks like we have been invited to ‘get over it’. After Kris Boyd going for Leigh Griffiths’ “mental strength”, they have a pattern of predatory behaviour that falls well short of necessary editorial standards.
From the outside, it looks like Sky’s Scottish football coverage is controlled by little more than a cabal of bitter losers. Only their actions can change this perception.
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BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 6TH FEBRUARY 2020 2:30 PM
Bada Bing
Celtic asking for an apology for Mr Morelos before Sevco did, was indeed a head shot.
👍
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Totally gentlemen. Class wordcraft
HH jg
Where do you start with favourite Kirk Douglas movies? Too many to choose from but choose I will and dedicate it to Michael Stewart.
Lonely Are the Brave
Gunfight at the OK Corral
Great letter today no doubt drafted for PL’s signature by Counsel or a similar high level legal operative. Don’t get the feeling that Celtic are in any mood to let this go but rather to run it down showing wee Fergus like tenacity, until we reach a satisfactory conclusion. If Traynor is involved (and I fully expect we will find out) it will be a diabolic end for someone now regarded as a bigot of the deepest dye. To think I once admired and enjoyed reading him in the Glasgow Herald when his contemporaries and influences were the excellent Ian Paul and Jim Reynolds. Changed days but he has made his choices.
Mazzy
Wow, I’d forgotten those names. Add Ian archer and the incomparable McIlvanney and weep at the loss of class. Macpherson would be a rarity now. And auld Arthur M who just loved his fitba and Morton.
HH jg
Did Big Billy lamp Traynor at the same time he did Gerry McNee?
And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin,
When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall,
Then how should I begin
To spit out all the butt-ends of my days and ways?
– extract from The Love Song Of J Alfred Traynor, by TS Eliot.
Enjoy it on the way down, Jabba.
The Nine on BBC Scotland channel tonight, has a feature on Translategate
Don’t know why we expect justice in this matter – it hasn’t happened before.
greeninbingleyinoslo
Ouch!
No translation required
“Rangers FC as we know them are dead. It’s all over. They are about to shut down for ever…They’ll slip into liquidation within the next couple of weeks with a new company emerging but 140 years of history, triumph and tears, will have ended… No matter how Charles Green attempts to dress it up, a newco equals a new club. When the CVA was thrown out Rangers as we know them died.” (Daily Record, 13 June 2012)
James Traynor…………………. telling it like it is >
CELTIC MAC
Callum MacGregor…………Ace in the hole
I’m Michael Stewart CSC
Is it possible CFC have got a deflection for Res 12 or am I typing p***
Gene on 6th February 2020 7:00 pm
I think because it will be Ofcom investigating and not the SFA or any body with Sevco sympathies. There are also issues of possible litigation against which orange sashes offer no protection.
Brilliant work by our club.
The statement hits every target.
CorkCelt nailed it earlier – ignore the noise and choose your battles.
Ultimate responsibility lies with Sky. Their platform, their problem.
The outcome?
No one can be sure but highly likely someone who doesn’t like Celtic and has more influence than he should will get it in the neck.
Farry, Dougie, Peat, Dallas, ?
Don’t fight them all at once.
Pick them off one at a time.
Old bull, young bull
Hail hail
Keep The Faith
bournesouprecipe
Brilliant bourne. Bang on the money.
A bit like Calum last night!
Gene
They’ve got away with so much for so long in Scotland that they got careless, reckless, and hubristic.
This one is a killer.
Celtic have started the process very nicely by asking the important questions: who put words into Morelos’s mouth, and why did they do it.
We all know the answers, but now Ofcom are legally bound to follow up and investigate.
And Ofcom aren’t based in Scotland, and are unlikely to be swayed by supremacist bellowings of Wee Arra Peepul, or a sad fat bloke in a cheap suit.
fourstonecoppi
Another great shout. Always liked Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster in the same movie..
Seven Days in May
Great work by the Celtic board.
I mentioned Ofcom the other day as this issue was always much more than the usual MSM noise up of Celtic. Sky have fecked up badly here.
A thorough investigation and genuine steps taken to ensure no recurrence is needed.
I can only see another apology being the outcome – they’ll assure ofcom that they’ve made the necessary changes ,- no-one will be held to account.
Hope I’m wrong
Well these statements from the board are unexpected but welcomed. Would guess whoever dreamt this up thought our board would do the usual and say nothing, now it looks like a dog with a bone, woof woof get them Celtic👏👍👏👍
What happened this week will never be forgotten
It’s still hard to believe it happened
Scottish football is mental man
*STOP PRESS* I can exclusively reveal that I’ve just received and logged the 68th email following last night’s game. This makes Game #33 of the competition the 2nd highest in terms of participation numbers. The only game that has so far attracted more interest was our 2-0 win against Cluj on 3 October 2019 when voter turnout was 75! I’m sure there at least 8 folk out there who can help us better that total…. CQNPOTY@GMAIL.COM by 10pm tonight please. And no more updates from me until the results come out shortly after 10. Apparently I have some uncompleted chores….
I read Sidney Tim’s relentless criticism of James Forrest the other night and there were a couple of occasions last night when James was uncharacteristically slack with passes.
However the technique he displayed to angle the pass from NtCham to Christie, his excellent chest control of the return pass, followed by his pass to McGregor when the ball was still in motion off the ground, had me thinking, “I’ll take that any day”
Its what football, for me anyway, is all about.
Gene @ 7.30 Yeah we have seen them wriggle off the hook time and time again over the years , Im like you , not getting too far ahead of myself here but it would be so sweet if we could really damage Sky Sports Scotland and / or Traynor
fingerscrossed cfc
Mikey Stewart bombed by RS. Ah hope he remembers it.
Their is definitely an agenda against Celtic with Sky.The Morelos interview would have to be okayed by sports editors and news editors before being aired so heads will roll.Personally hope Jim White is involved somehow and gets pumped as he took great pleasure, earlier on in the week on his talksport show, in having a phone-in on racism in Scottish football.Obviously the alleged incident at CP took centre stage.
We cannot let these clowns treat us like this, as if we are the racists bigots and the club who really are are all welcoming ffs.So go for it Pedro(Peter)😎
Hail Hail brothers
Sportscene not RS…
Agree Auldeiid, I think wee james is on a bit of bad form at the moment but his part in that goal was class, a genuine joy watching the build up and finish of that goal…..think he deserves to be cut a wee bit of slack. More of a concern for me is big Kris’s form , he seems very erratic at the moment , his “header” at knee height against Accies on Sunday was a genuine wtf lol moment …but it was nt funny
Adi Dassler.
Imagine what it would be like if the BBC was not having an ongoing dispute with Sevco ?
I am guessing that dispute is being orchestrated from BBC HQ in London.
Good to read a strong challenge to wrong doing with its probable source connected to Ibrox from Celtic within a week or so of it occurring.
Perhaps after 6 years of waiting Celtic will take the same approach with the SFA, although they, as a possible party to said wrongdoing , might be reluctant to name names as that would admitting culpability.
You all do realize by now that no hands are clean.
A wee eddi montage
https://twitter.com/i/status/1225340153729818625
HH
This whole Jabbagate/Alfredogate/Michael Stewartgate business is connected. Jabba is a reptile and now he has managed to get Sky to do his bidding. Not a distasteful task as distortion is the Murdoch media’s stock in trade. It was so bad that even they were shamed into shutting down one of their titles.
BBC Scotland’s role is the more sinister. It would appear now that the reptile known as Jabba has some kind of veto over the BBC’s choice of pundit. For all we know the Jabba thing may even script the lines spoken by McCann, Boyd, Rae and ‘Coisty’. (Boyd had to refer to notes during his attack on Leigh.)
Celtic FC’s handling of Alfredogate has been admirable to date. They haven’t wasted their time on issues beyond their control. This is a battle they can win. And I know of one other major victory which never saw the light of day.
Auldheid on 6th February 2020 7:36 pm
James Forrest is only human . A very gifted human.
Odsonne , on the other hand , is superhuman:-)))
I would like to pass on my best wishes to a great Celt and the hardest player I saw playing for us , Davie Hay.
Davie underwent a kidney transplant last week and is now recovering at home. I hope his body accepts his new kidney.
Davie would be in my all time Celtic 11 of players I have see play for us.
The Hun media will continue whatever Celtic manage to get from the complaint to OFCOM.
Ron Bacardi on 6th February 2020 8:34 pm
The Hun media will continue whatever Celtic manage to get from the complaint to OFCOM
############
Probably , because haters hate , it’s what they do.
They won’t cross the line by deliberately setting out to damage Celtic again though.
HANKRAY on 6TH FEBRUARY 2020 5:40 PM
Bournesouprecipe………..Paths Of Glory my favourite Kirk Douglas film. was he in Gunfight At The OK Corral ?
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Paths of Glory my favourite too….though I have a soft spot for the brill ‘SPARTACUS’ remember trying not to greet in front of my pals in the Ruglen Odeon……fekn Roman bassas! sniff :O(
p.s Tho Odeon greet was in the sixties when I was a wean.