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Neilson, Skovdahl, Starfelt, Rogic, Celtic deliver

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By on CQN BLOG & Comments

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. IniquitousIV on

    SAINTSTIVS

     

     

    “whats the problem ?”

     

     

    The problem, my dear Watson, is that the team in green and white is a threat to Sevco’s get out of financial jail aspirations.

  2. timhorton on

    EXCATHEDRA4

     

     

    IN the replay on JF first miss you can see Gordon at full stretch tipping the ball up to about his ankle.

     

    The second should have burst the net or put the ball up high.

  3. IniquitousIV on

    TIMHORTON

     

     

    “The second should have burst the net or put the ball up high.”

     

     

    Correctimundo! Great players like Larsson, Ronaldo, Messi and Salah et al. dink the ball over the keeper as soon as the keeper goes to ground.

  7. park the bus>blootir it>goal on

    SAINT STIVS on 3RD DECEMBER 2021 8:16 PM

     

    whats the problem ?

     

    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FFpDVb9XsAADk1C?format=jpg&name=small

     

    ~~~~~

     

    Cracking pic, what did Ange say about it?

     

    I’ve gave up listening to him because he has fallen into the trap of, feeling that he has to explain himself to corrupt, conflicted, snake oil propagandists, STV/SNP news presented a stitch up of last nights goal, making Kyogo look yards offside.

     

    The 100% of Scottish media should be banned from Parkheid.

     

    Any legal grounds for cooperation should be met with a sheet of A4 paper pinned onto Lennoxtown gates, outlining Celtic’s views, don’t allow the scumbags onto Celtic property.

     

    Not one of these media winkers showed any solidarity with big Sutton, that should be redline.

     

    They don’t want to talk about, Same Club, HMRC heist, Murray’s Knighthood removal, no stolen trophies stripped, King fit and proper person, Celtic fan who had his throat slit in Easterhouse after a Brendan Rodgers old firm thrashing, two hun invasions of Glasgow city centre during a pandemic lockdown, Scottish Govt’s ant-Celtic covid rules application, Ibrox operating whilst insolvent needed £11 million to see out last season who gave them the money? Etc, etc.

     

    100% ban, or spend the rest of your life on your knees giving credence to these creatures.

  8. park the bus>blootir it>goal on

    Green Brigade should be banned if yon Unfairhill eejit is in it!

     

     

    Tickets removed NOW!!!! CSC 🙅

  9. Hot Smoked on

    I know I have made comment on it as well but for me the offside/onside argument is almost irrelevant. Celtic were clearly the better side and fully deserved the victory.

  10. Gene on

    Can you imagine the hun support beating themselves up on a possible offside decision – me neither.

  11. IniquitousIV on

    In a clearly rehearsed and practiced sequence, Bournemouth score within 10 seconds of kicking off the second half. A wonderful goal by Dominic Solanke. Take a peek at it, if you have the chance, when it is available. Well worth the watch.

  12. IniquitousIV on

    8 European Clubs sanctioned by UEFA for FPP breaches. Begs the question – How does the Bigotdome consistently escape scrutiny?

  13. park the bus>blootir it>goal on

    HOT SMOKED on 3RD DECEMBER 2021 8:50 PM

     

    I know I have made comment on it as well but for me the offside/onside argument is almost irrelevant. Celtic were clearly the better side and fully deserved the victory.

     

    ~~~~~~~~~~

     

    But it is an argument. Celtic manager feels the need to conform to media guidelines, and their burning issue right now is, “Celtic cheated Hearts with an offside goal!”

     

    So irrelevant doesn’t work if Ange plays by the media’s rules, and he does.

     

    If you’re a Celtic employee and you go on the media, and agree to communicate within their rigged perimeters, then the media win!

     

    But if you go on media, and go off script deliberately to check out of the confines of their trap, say things they didn’t expect, just start a confrontation with media, on your terms, not theirs, keep your cool, but win!

  14. prestonpans bhoys on

    INIQUITOUSIV on 3RD DECEMBER 2021 9:01 PM

     

    8 European Clubs sanctioned by UEFA

     

     

    Who were they and what was the sanctions. Or give me a link, looks interesting

  18. celtic40me on

    INIQUITOUSIV on 3RD DECEMBER 2021 9:01 PM

     

     

    They don’t. It was for overdue payables not accumulated losses

     

     

    They’ll get their punishment

  22. rimtimtim on

    Recently professionalised Queen’s Park have recruited Netherlander Marijn Beuker to become their director of football. The Spiders describe him as ” a long-term innovative thinker and disrupter “, Beuker himself says he is ” ready to put a new dent in the universe”. Meanwhile, according to what was gleaned from the Celtic AGM, Celtic are looking to Postecoglou to help them in their search for a director of football. I don’t think that was on Ange’s job plan, or was it?

  23. prestonpans bhoys on

    Greenock

     

     

    Thanks for that, don’t think those level of fines will frightened the hun, was hoping banned from European competitions

  25. bournesouprecipe on

    Glendalys

     

     

    Thumbs up👍

     

     

    Mohammed ‘Abdul’ Salim, the first footballer from the Indian sub-continent to play for a European club, Celtic FC

     

     

    Born in Calcutta in 1904, Abdul’s life-story reads like something from the pen of Rudyard Kipling (the famed chronicler of the Raj, not the one who makes exceedingly good cakes).

     

     

    Abdul was a born footballer and, as with most British exports, the Indian locals – playing in their bare feet – were soon so good at the game that they were regularly thrashing the football-boot-wearing white incomers.

     

     

    Abdul helped Calcutta’s Mohammedan Sporting Club to five consecutive Indian League titles in the 1930s before setting sail for Europe.

     

     

    He arrived at Celtic Park in 1936, still playing in bare feet, and stunned club boss Willie Maley with his ball skills.

     

     

    He played in just a few matches – earning the nickname ‘The Indian Juggler’ – before he felt homesick for India.

     

     

    Celtic pleaded with him to remain in Scotland for a season, even offering to organise a charity match on his behalf and promising him five percent of the total gate money.

     

     

    HH

  26. !!Bada Bing!! on

    IniquitousIV on 3rd December 2021 9:01 pm

     

     

    8 European Clubs sanctioned by UEFA for FPP breaches. Begs the question – How does the Bigotdome consistently escape scrutiny?

     

     

    Freemasonry

  29. !!Bada Bing!! on

    Embdae know how James McFadden is the go to pundit for BBC Scotland and Sky Sports? An absolute boton,you would think he would have got his Sugar Puffs teeth would have been sorted before now…

  30. JHB on

    31003 on 3RD DECEMBER 2021 7:34 PM

     

    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.

     

    ——-

     

    Yes indeed – another very apt example!

  31. An Tearmann on

    Park the bus and do what the shatoot mob done

     

     

    Activism all for one hundred pence.

     

     

    Na.neglect that was.

     

     

    Timeless

  32. JHB on

    BADA BING!! @ 10:04

     

    —–

     

    It’s all about context….and the context is that pundits must not appear more intelligent than the host. With Sutherland & Thompson in the chair, the bar has to be set particularly low. Mind you they have slipped up with Richard Forster – honest, erudite & intelligent.

  33. glendalystonsils on

    BSR

     

     

    I must admit to googling as I couldn’t remember the name , but I’d seen that photo before and recognised him as the Indian fella that played in bare feet!

  36. Big Georges Fan Club - Hail, Hail, Wee Oscar on

    BSR

     

    What a fekin picture !!!!! That is bloody brilliant – WeeBGFC is buzzin 👍👌✌️

     

     

    HH

     

    BGFC

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