Neilson, Skovdahl, Starfelt, Rogic, Celtic deliver

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Like you, for the most part, the football I have watched is mundane.  It is a necessary process towards an objective.  Last night was so different, I loved the game.

If you sit anywhere near me, there is a mantra you will hear whenever Celtic are well on top but not in the lead, “We need to score when are this dominant.”  You have seen the movie, good play is not always rewarded, and right now, we cannot afford to be on the end of a hard luck story.

By the time of Kyogo’s 33 minute goal, Celtic could have been well out of sight, but Hearts clung on.  Craig Gordon, the post and a multitude of faces and bodies got in the way of shots from dangerous positions.  Despite being behind, Hearts wasted time until 70 minutes, we mocked them, imagine wasting time when you are losing!

Credit to Robbie Neilson.  He knew his team could not cope with Celtic for any sustained period so sent them out to slow the game down, irrespective of the score, and wait to see if events would conspire to help them.  They did.

Tom Rogic and Carl Starfelt made their first appearance for over a month and James Forrest made his first league start in as long.  Rogic and Forrest were scheduled to be hooked when they tired.  Then events, dear bhoy, happened.  First Anthony Ralston limped off a few minutes after creating the goal.  Stephen Welsh put his leg in to block and took a blow with 20 minutes remaining, he left soon thereafter, but not before Jota pulled up with a hamstring injury.

Celtic’s subs were all used, Rogic, Forrest and Starfelt needed to find the energy to finish the game.  At this, Hearts stopped wasting time and started to look like a football team.  They dominated play until the closing minutes of the game.  In that time, they created good chances that could have seen them leave with a point, throwing our title campaign into more turmoil, but the defence held firm, Joe Hart was not called on to make a save worthy of the name.

Neilson could contemplate the words of the late Ebbe Skovdahl, who after a visit to Celtic Park with Aberdeen, with enormous clarity, quoted from a 40s Western, “The operation was a success but the patient died.”  Neilson did as well as he could, despite the loss.

Starfelt was a star.  A diving header 8 yards from goal, at an angle it was easy to get wrong and truly test Hart, was illustrative of his imperious performance.  That night at Tynecastle seems a long time ago.  Stephen Welsh continues to grow into the role of first team regular.  Anthony Ralston did what Anthony Ralston does – sends in crosses the like of which we have not seen from full backs in years.

Josip Juranovic got to play almost an hour at his natural right back position.  He is a player who will continue to flourish.

Although Carl won Man of the Match, my vote went to Tom Rogic.  Celtic have been particularly left sided in recent weeks.  Play went through Jota, by some margin our most creative force.  This is problematic, as opponents plan for this.  With Tom on the field, we could pivot away from our Portuguese, causing disarray in the Hearts defence.

All of that is a moot point for the games ahead, let’s hope Jota’s hamstring is better for the Cup Final.

I’m not one for writing about referees, as you know, but will touch on this tomorrow.

 

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  1. park the bus>blootir it>goal on

    Celtic managers shouldn’t view a media interview, as an interview, because its a Celtic manager putting himself forward to be judged, by the propagandists of the corrupt bile flowing country that we live in.

     

    They’re not journalists, they’re propagandists.

     

    Sports propagandists should be ruthlessly torn to ribbons by a Celtic manager, all the time, every time, end of!

     

    Ange should turn the tables and question the propagandists, about when their going properly critique the latest mibbery that always favors one team? And keep mentioning how pathetic they are at they’re jobs!

     

    Make the propagandists cower in fear at the thought of interviewing a Celtic manager who’ll delight in handing the propagandists their corrupt erses!

     

    Or be a PLC puppet and get the odd mumble in, as the propagandists queue up to make you look like a toothless PLC puppet!

     

    The club chain of command is only in place because, Celtic’s customers think that standing in the car park for six months holding up bits of cardboard constitutes rebellion.

     

    How long to suffer the snowflake generation?

  2. spikeysauldman on

    Mursheen

     

     

    Ban the entire Green Brigade for the actions of 1 or 2 eejits in the Standing Section ?

     

    Aye right.

  3. A player is in an offside position if:

     

    any part of the head, body or feet is in the opponents’ half (excluding the halfway line) and

     

    any part of the head, body or feet is nearer to the opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent

     

    The hands and arms of all players, including the goalkeepers, are not considered. For the purposes of determining offside, the upper boundary of the arm is in line with the bottom of the armpit.

     

     

    A player is not in an offside position if level with the:

     

    second-last opponent or

     

    last two opponents

     

     

     

    —————–

     

     

    the problem is they dont know the rules.

     

    Kyogo CAN BE AHEAD of the two players as long as he is still NOT AHEAD OF THE BALL, so even in line with Ralston, he is NOT OFFSIDE.

  4. park the bus>blootir it>goal on

    SAINT STIVS on 3RD DECEMBER 2021 5:28 PM

     

    anyone charged ever for the invasions at ibrox and the bottles, batteries, coins and drinks thrown at brown and griff ?

     

    any outrage from the press ?

     

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     

    Seriously? You want the Scottish press to fight Celtic’s battles?

     

    Celtic’s employees safety put at risk, and you wonder what the press are doing about it?

     

    What did Celtic do about it?

     

    If your mindset is representative of the majority of Celtic fans, then is it any wonder why Celtic fc is no more than an old firm prostitute, bathing in the toxic Scottish swamp flashing its drawers to keep the old firm alive?

     

    F me man!

  5. Now the end of the day is nearing having said our last goodbyes, as the legend wee 10.30 auld reaches for the skies. A Celtic man through n through adored by one and all, is off to join his lion mates to have another ball. Wee jinky approached the big man saying please god let him in, cause we’re related through the drink, im his next of kin. God he’s the 2nd best footballer you will ever see, and if you want to know who’s first, well big man that was me. He’ll keep us all amused by telling all his tales, and I will wet my troosers, oh god it never fails. He’s got me into trouble more than words can say, but he’s still our wee Bertie at the end of everyday. With his witty sense of humour he loves to entertain, so big man if you let him in, another friend you’ll gain. So through those gates Bertie walks looking so excited, and to a standing ovation from his lion mates, they are re-United. So into their arms he falls, cause he’s back where he belongs, as jinky shouts right Bertie, start those Celtic songs.

  6. Rock Tree Bhoy on

    EXCATHEDRA44 on 3RD DECEMBER 2021 4:36 PM

     

     

    I am trying hard to be positive but Young James is at this time a luxury we cannot afford,2 misses last night and not a lot of gut busting contributions.

     

     

    Of course he has in the past contributed but I feel he is always careful when chasing back or confronting opposition.

     

     

    Never tackles,avoids physical contact,now I realise that’s not his game but you can’t always be selected on your terms.

     

     

    _____________________________________________

     

     

    yeah I share your concerns but remember he’s not long back from injury and he scored the goal that got us in to the League Cup Final, that was a huge goal that kept the positive ambience around the team alive, if we had lost the semi we would have been slaughtered by our friends in the media,

     

     

    hopefully Abada will find some form which in turn will gee up wee Jamesy.

  7. park the bus>blootir it>goal on

    SPIKEYSAULDMAN on 3RD DECEMBER 2021 5:51 PM

     

    Park The Bus

     

    keen to know about your own activism and your vision for the future.

     

    ~~~~~~~~~~~

     

    Do you fancy your chances as a judge?

     

    First step in my activism, deny the corrupt Celtic PLC any of my money which they’ll use to lie, cheat, deceive, and throw Celtic supporters under the bus at every turn, etc.

     

    I’d rather sleep in my own bed thanks.

  8. park the bus>blootir it>goal on

    CHARLIEBHOY on 3RD DECEMBER 2021 5:57 PM

     

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~

     

    Superb!!!! 👏👏👏👏

  9. St Stivs

     

     

    Agreed

     

     

    There’s hardly an away game goes by without noticing our corner kick takers being hit by some sort of projectile…..yet never a word mentioned in the press.

     

    Even those of a Sevco persuasion can be subjected to this while on the road, particularly at Aiberdeen ken

  10. Jota is the only consistently good wide player this season. Forrest looked off again last night and should have scored . If he had converted even one of his chances his incredible stats, which mask a lot of poor performances, would have been maintained. Leil Abada has turned 20, and he has to rediscover the form he showed when James wasn’t around. Mikey Johnston can’t buy a break never mind a goal, but we’ll see a lot of them in December’s very heavy schedule.

  11. park the bus>blootir it>goal on

    Mikey Johnstone needs to stop looking up the screen after every attempt on goal.

  12. and park the bus, could someone tell MJ to beat one player and pass , beat one player and pass, beat one player and pass

     

     

    I have hope for him

  13. “Beware those who stab you in the back and tell the world that they are the ones bleeding”.

     

     

    The GB take narcissism & hypocrisy to new levels. Celtic Park is its platform and the Celtic name its camouflage.

  14. stopped at exactly 30 sec. ralston connecting with the ball, both he and the defender trying to block the cross are marginally ahead of jyogo, so it is not about being in front of the centre backs,

     

     

    he is played onside by the defender tyring to block.

     

     

    they are scunnered, lol

     

     

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/59514037

  15. JHB on 3RD DECEMBER 2021 7:09 PM

     

    “Beware those who stab you in the back and tell the world that they are the ones bleeding”.

     

     

    Sounds like David Murray when he put Airdrie FC out of business for having the cheek to owe him a few thousand quid, while at the same time he owed the tax man and various creditors millions

  16. SAINT STIVS on 3RD DECEMBER 2021 7:17 PM

     

    stopped at exactly 30 sec. ralston connecting with the ball, both he and the defender trying to block the cross are marginally ahead of jyogo, so it is not about being in front of the centre backs,

     

     

    Hi actually it is about being in front of the centre backs. If you are ahead of them you cannot be offside as per the rules! So great spot!

  17. BIGRAILROADBLUES on 3RD DECEMBER 2021 7:04 PM

     

    In the Vogue. Where is the dastardly VP? 🤔

     

    ——————–

     

    Sorry to miss you mhate ,in the hoose with a beer tonight. hh

  18. There’s posters on here who hate the Green Brigade even more than the SNP do.

     

     

    Fortunately, unlike the SNP, they’re not in a position to do anything about it.

  19. SAINT STIVS on 3RD DECEMBER 2021 7:17 PM

     

     

    For me, Kyogo is in an offside position relative to anh Hearts player. He MIGHT be level with Ralston at the moment the ball is kicked. I am not sure and I don`t think anyone really can be unless we see one of those lines across the pitch to show us for sure.It is certainly very close but one would not think so judging by the response, as far as I can gather, in the MSSM ,

     

    Regardless, we were clearly the better side and deserved the three points.

  20. park the bus>blootir it>goal on

    Without the GB, Parkheid would be a library, courtesy of 50,000 silent bores, who don’t even rustle sweetie papers!

  21. ernie

     

    I think those who `hate` the GB base that on the media representation of said GB .I feel , also, that some of the criticism directed towards them is misplaced inasmuch as there are quite a few `hangers on` in area 111.

  22. Watching the Top of the Championship table Fulham – Bournemouth clash. A Bournemouth player fouls a Fulham player with a tackle nowhere near as bad as Devlin’s assault on Kyogo last night.

     

     

    The difference? The referee was instantly surrounded by Fulham players demanding retribution while others got in the face of the defender. Result? Yellow card, which was the correct decision. Last night, no one protested to Madhun, as far as I could see. We really need to be a lot more assertive, and protective of our own players. If nothing else, it will make it more difficult for the cheating MIB to glide over every bad decision.

     

     

    Other observations – Ryan Christie totally anonymous do far, and Fulham’s Mitrovic is a player ( 21 goals this season ) although he did miss that penalty for Serbia against Scotland.

  23. park the bus>blootir it>goal on

    Unite the union leader, Sharon Graham said that,

     

     

    “Labour Party doesn’t speak for working class people, or the communities that these people come from, so why should the Labour Party get funding from these communities?”

     

     

    Straight forward, straight talking.

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