You and I will miss our football this weekend but the winter break came at an excellent time for Celtic. They get to rest after an arduous nine game December on the back of handing Newco a lesson on their own pitch. Having to sit for three weeks, unable to get a defeat out your system, would have been torture.
Celtic have already played 36 competitive games this season (only one against lower league opposition). That’s close to a full league programme concertinaed into a little over five months. Add in the fact that almost the entire squad is involved in some form of international football and you realise the players have been on match duty twice a week since preseason.
This is exceptional and not conducive to delivering top performances. By comparison, Aberdeen have played 30 games (two against lower league teams) and Newco have played 28 (five against lower league sides). That’s eight and 10 times we’ve played two challenging games a week more than our direct opponents – neither of whom are particularly burdened by international football.
The second half of the season will be more balanced. We only have three midweek games scheduled, including our game in hand – so you can be reasonably confident our “slump” will end soon………..
We all remember the days when someone talking about putting in a £20m offer for a Celtic player would be held in a locked room until a deal was signed. We’ve been on a long road since, but the financial stability we’ve earned through many tough years affords us the ability to keep players who have several years to run on their contracts.
As for Moussa, I hear if we can arrange for him to play against the Target Practice Torags every week, he’d extend his contract until 2027.
Really enjoying the dissonance in some places over the anticipated approval of Kouassi Eboue’s work permit. Play by the rules, work inside areas you are allowed to and pay your dues. It’s not difficult.
By now you should be aware of The Road to Lisbon project. 28 cyclists will set off from Celtic Park on 11 May, arriving in Lisbon in time for the 50th anniversary of the Lions’ triumph. It is an immense project which is expected to raise tens of thousands for Celtic FC Foundation, Solving Kids Cancer and Children in Crossfire.
An opportunity exists for corporate sponsorship of the project. If you would like more information, look here, or email, theroadtolisbonmay2017@gmail.com
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Ffs how bad is that, jinky is on alba u know the rest
JIM PAYNE
I just skimmed past the singing dick. Did ma nut in if I read
Oh for the days when I could carry off the tutu and flounce like Barashnikov. Now I don’t have the legs any more.
Still got a cute tushie according to the missus but that’s a different story all together.
GFTB- I think SA has bn our best player so far,I know broony is the the main man, but SA has been outstanding since he got his chance:-))
In other news.
Whilst watch BT sport score earlier this afternoon the host asked Chris Sutton “what is it about you ex Celtic players, you started the Huddle and ow everybody does it?” Sutton replies ” a lot of teams have been trying to emulate Celtic’s success ”
Didn’t agree with his treatment of Ronny Deila but he does get us.
Owen- I’ve never ever heard him or strachen do nothing but say good things about Celtic :-))
Fairhill Bhoy 9.40
I don’t disagree but my question was from Brendan took over not since November unless you think from June to October every other Celt has been average :-)
Fairhill Bhoy.
He has always been a fair minded commentator but I feel he took umbrage against Ronny and never let go, even after he announced his leaving Chris was still on his back.
No harm to either of them but they both had their place in Celtic history.
Owen
I mostly prefer Sutty as a player to a pundit – a bit too Alan Hansen meets Simon Cowell at times for my taste- but he said a lot of what I was thinking about Ronny and when RD was getting it right – Jan to April 2015- he praised him. Compare and contrast with any number of exHuns who would rather bitten their own tongues out than offer any even mild criticism of Rangers or Sevco.
Jimbo67
GFTB-hey mister don’t put words in ma mouth:-))
Jim payne
I would rather have Chris Sutton telling it how he feels it is than BFSDJ anytime.
Personally I feel that any Celtic manager who wins three trophies in two years is a success.
Owen-I agree, Sutton does go on an on an on:-))
Fairhill Bhoy
Are you his Co commentator?
Owen
I thought Ronny was very good on his first year but last season he just got worse and worse as it wore on. He may have been undermined from within but looking back fron the point we did not , inexplicably, get awarded a penalty agaunst ICT in the semi-final ( sure you remember it!) things began to unravel. A failure ? Not exactly. But not a success either.
Jimbo67
Only asking because they said the same during the last match whilst he was off camera *-:-)
Owen-anybody before bfdj
My list
1) Sinclair
2) Armstrong
3) Broon
In that order…….. I think.
Fairhill Bhoy 9.56
No way I could type words for you still waiting on your top 3 players since Brendan started (June ’16 ish) not last 8 weeks :-)
Jim payne
His so called “senior” players left him out to dry.
It is very noticeable that every one of those “senior” players were shown the door over time.
I have worked with many bosses I didn’t like but they never made me do a bad job. I had too much pride in my work.
FAIRHILL BHOY
There is a Fourboys there still in St Leonard’s. How they let lowlife fae Hamilton into that posh bit of EK I will never know. :-)
Hunderbirds
From June’16 not Nivenber’16 :-)
GFTB-whose been better than SA over the whole season so far?and you cany say broony:-))
I loved Chris Sutton as a player, didn’t like his atracks on Ronny (he was correct I wasn’t) but a wee bit like our own WITS for a spell during Ronnys Reign both Chris Sutton & our very own WITS praised Ronny, they might have been correct in the long run but don’t let them forget we are all just as daft as each other ….
Ronny D 4&5 :-)
Watching the Bowie programme on Beeb2.
Not an actual fan, but always accepted he was a great performer, and liked a clutch of his songs.
I have to say though, that he was uniquely talented and original. Probably a cliched thing to say, but there were many facets and levels to his work. Perhaps to his personality.
Fairhill Bhoy
Better than SA (who got in the team around November) I like SA but he is way down my list, still waiting on your top 3 from Brendan’s first game against Red Imps
To answer your question Scott Sinclair & Craig Gordon
Dembelle & the Griff
That’s was to Fairhill Bhoy
SA is around 5th or 6th
In terms of influence, who knows what kind of influence Kolo Toure is having behind the scenes. The young lads will really look up to him, I suspect he is a big calming influence. We have seen a big improvement in fitness too. Chris Davies, John Kennedy, John Currie and others are doing well with the coaching and fitness side of things. There are plenty of cogs in the wheel.
GFTB
OK I will swap Broon and Stretch.
But I think Stretch’s contribution has been so huge in the last dozen or so games, that he has been influential for the whole season, so far.
HH
jp
‘Compare and contrast with any number of exHuns who would rather bitten their own tongues out than offer any even mild criticism of Rangers or Sevco.’
really good point that – isn’t it strange – there’s a clear cultural censorship
greenbingleyinoslo- you went to my primary school. What year did you leave?
gftb- can you pay jobo for me and I’ll give you the money £15 on Monday? :-)
My PayPal is fecked, can’t get into the bugger!!!!
HUNDREDS ARE GONE
Pula is a working port so not not the prettiest place but it has the 5th biggest Roman Amphitheatre in existence and several Roman ruins and a preserved temple within the town.
Worth a day to look round but best used as a base for seeing more of the Istrian peninsula.
Just about 15km north is the Brijuni island where Tito used as a retreat to govern Jugoslavia . It is only 10 minutes off the coast from Fasanja. This is well worth a visit.
Further up (about 30 km) is Rovinj which is a promentary with a beautiful Basilica on the top of the hill and stunning views. Rovinj has a marina and lots of nooks and crannies to explore, full of craft artists.
About 45 km north is my town of Porec which is a place where the Romans went on holiday. The Austro-Hungarian even built the Parezano railway line to Porec so that they could holiday there. It still retains many Roman streets and edifices and has a UNESCO World Heritage Basilica which is my favourite place of worship in the world.
The colours of Pula are green and yellow and I now attend Celtic Park wearing a scarf of the local team Istra 1961 which play in these colours.
Feel free to email me at hrvatskijim@gmail.com if you would like any more information.
A LiGHT INSANITY-10:09pm-you and me are gony have words:-))they moved up to ellan which a think is just out side Aberdeen:-))
Some Lisbon trivia…
“It’s the finest ground I ever played on” was a headline in the sports section of the News of the World on 21 May 1967.
“Celtic’s European Cup Final date with Inter Milan at Lisbon on Thursday brings back nostalgic memories of the finest ground I ever played on.
And for the benefit of the many Celtic fans who obviously cannot make the trip I can offer a pen picture of the magnificent National Stadium where the great game will take place.
Twenty years ago I played there for ********** against Benfica and returned several years later in a Scotland jersey against the Portugal international side.
Situated on a hillside, the National Stadium is unique among football grounds. It is three-sided and shaped like a horseshoe with accommodation for 65000 spectators, all of them seated.
A full width cinder track skirts the playing arena and I may add as a word of warning to any over-exuberant Celtic fans – there is a four feet deep moat encircling the lot.
The dressing room accommodation is the last word in comfort with heated marble floors, 11 lockers and 11 pairs of wooden sandals for the players to use to and from the 11 individual showers.
A long tunnel separates the dressing rooms from the pitch and the players emerge into the sunlight from the underground to a deafening roar when the real business of the day is about to start.
For all the world it is like the entrance of the gladiators in ancient Rome.
But the Portuguese haven’t forgotten to provide a playing pitch to match the splendour of its surroundings. Indeed, they actually imported turf from Cumberland and employed a British groundsman to nurse the field into first class shape”.
The article’s author ? … Willie Woodburn of Rangers (1872/3 – 2012) who played for them at the Estadio Nacional v Benfica in 1948 in a 3-0 win. Also, as referred to in the article, he played there for Scotland v Portugal (in 1950) in a 2-2 draw – the only Celt in the team was Bobby Evans.
The moat wasn’t effective obviously !
HRVATSKI JIM
Great, thanks for that Jim, much appreciated. I may get back to you.
GFTB-10:18pm-no sure you want a player from the red imps:-))
Hello again all you young rebels.
GERRYFAETHEBRIG
Hi Gerry ,you’ve enticed me back posting this morning in
Oz even though i’m well hung over, even an Askit wouldn’t
help much:-((
Three top players in my lifetime.
Jinky
Bobby M.
Henke.
Probably as you would expect.
Amazed that you liked fry’s cream on a roll, away back in
the day a big labourer who worked with us used to eat a
piece with sliced fry’s cream on it and another with sliced
orange for afters, everybody thought he was weird but he
was the go to guy for answers to crosswords and anything
we read in the papers and couldn’t understand, i thought
with my vivid imagination he was a millionaire genius just
doing a bit of slumming, hey ho takes all sorts.
Back to rummaging through the cupboards now to see if
the princess has planked any refreshments :-)))
H.H Mick
GFTB- jinky on
Help me out please, all this talk of retro sweets has triggered my OCD.
I remember in early 60’s Ardrossan buying Mojos, Blackjacks, flying saucers, choc spanners. Bazooka Joes etc.
But can anyone remember a sweet in a mini plastic cocktail glass? Been google image searching for ages without result, am I going gaga?
Not a good subject to be fixated on as I’m just about to weigh myself before starting with the ‘I’mjustbigbonedbhoysslim’ group
Floatin