We played at Hampden on League Cup duty for the game after the death of Bertie Auld’s great pal, Jimmy Johnstone, Celtic players wore a number 7 on their shorts to mark his passing. There was so much emotion around the club that week, Gordon Strachan later said that winning his first trophy as Celtic manager that day was second on his thoughts, they simply could not lose with emotions among the community already so raw.
There is a symmetry with tomorrow’s game. It’s a League Cup semi-final, not the final itself, but Ange Postecoglou is also chasing his first trophy as Celtic manager and Celtic will wear Bertie’s number 10 on their shorts. If they play with a fraction of the guile and fight that Bertie showed when he pulled on those white shorts, St Johnstone are wasting their time showing up.
Celtic have won 12 successive games at Hampden, St Johnstone won on their four visit last season. The Perth side have struggled to score goals this season but remain a formidable defensive outfit who know how to win cup games, albeit against lesser opponents than Celtic.
That record of Celtic’s will count for little as for many who will play for Celtic tomorrow, this will be their first visit to the national stadium. It is a big game for the captain, too. Hampden has provided Callum McGregor with fond memories for years, he knows every inch of that pitch and can own it tomorrow. This League Cup offers him his first opportunity to climb the steps to collect a trophy as captain. I cannot see past Celtic tomorrow.
Newco provided their fans with a recognised name, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who starred for Rangers before heading to Arsenal then Barcelona. Earlier this week, I suggested a manager should be, “tactically gifted, an effective communicator of ideas and instructions, as well as a working knowledge of a value market to strengthen your squad”.
van Bronckhorst was manager of Feyenoord for four years before a year in China. His first act as manager was to sign a loanee already at Feyenoord, Colin Kazim-Richards. Hmmm. He won the Dutch League, the latter by a point from Ajax, who played 19 European games that season, 13 more than Feyenoord. He resigned from Feyenoord having subsequently lost the league by 17 and then 21 points, without leaving evidence of being tactically talented. An 11th place finish in China left no one stressing about his departure. The Netherlands in not a value market, it is the most monitored country on the planet, every time a kid there bounces a ball, three scouts turn round and take a notebook out their pockets.
It continues to amaze me how appointing a famous player as manager turns otherwise sensible people into adherents of superstitious gambling. Evidence van Bronckhorst will succeed at Newco does not exist, this is a huge gamble, all the man has is name recognition and a title eked out against an exhausted Ajax team. Newco remain at their natural territory, the roulette wheel.
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Considering we paid £4m for Starfelt,
Soutar is a no brained for £500k.
12 games to negotiate over the next 44 days. Quite a schedule and it will take a heavy dose of good fortune to keep everyone fit and healthy. We don’t yet have that depth in quality to do a bit of squad rotation.
Time for JF, MJ, JMcC, and CJ to step up to the plate if called upon. Have pretty much given up on Ajeti and Soro.
When a club loses a manager and backroom the result is a weak point in the fabric of the club. The longer that it takes to remedy the more likely that the weakness becomes a tear that starts to spread. Tension in the hierarchy of the club can be exposed, the squad of players can be unsettled and the fan base can become disenchanted. If a repair is not effected quickly a rip can develop and spread through the club due to these tensions.
No one knows how GVB will perform, however he is a choice accepted by the fans because of his reputation as a top-level player, similar to Gerrard, and steps into the job with real managerial experience unlike his predecessor.
Ibrox has moved to effect a seamless changeover, all the more efficient as it happened during an International break and no club matches were missed. That is impressive and looks very professional.
So let’s not be churlish, yes the Ibrox club can lose the title, domestic cups and miss out on EL progress this season, however it will be down to the performance of its management & players on the field of play(and what kind of challenge we make) – not machinations & prevarication off it.
Over the last number of years our bookkeeping has been shown to be superior to Ibrox, what we must ask now is, are we trailing them in everything else.
Shortbread’s sports bulletin this morning announced that Gio had won 4 titles in Holland before heading to China, cant recall now but think the they said he won another title in China before being derailed by Covid. Sports journalism at its very worst, still bet it pleased most of their audience.
..and how lucky were therangers to find that their very top target, the man they had head hunted even before Slippy slipped out of town (DR) was unemployed, what a stroke of good fortune.
nothing against the man but sincerely hope he falls flat on his face👍
Brendan Rodgers was out of work when we brought him to Parkhead, what a stroke of good fortune that was for us, before football nature took its course and he left us to join a bigger league, like most of our good employees have done, and he left us a £9 million gift.
hh ✌
ROCK TREE BHOY,
I heard that bulletin this morning. I thought I had misheard. The character who was delivering it has to be a follow follower. He has gone into overdrive in his reporting of us and them recently; lost any pretence at even handedness.
ROCK TREE BHOY on 19TH NOVEMBER 2021 4:20 PM
I heard that on Radio Scotland this morning.
In the real world, he won 4 trophies in the Netherlands – 1 title and 3 cups but not 4 titles,
JHB on 19TH NOVEMBER 2021 4:06 PM
When a club loses a manager and backroom the result is a weak point in the fabric of the club. The longer that it takes to remedy the more likely that the weakness becomes a tear that starts to spread. Tension in the hierarchy of the club can be exposed, the squad of players can be unsettled and the fan base can become disenchanted. If a repair is not effected quickly a rip can develop and spread through the club due to these tensions.
No one knows how GVB will perform, however he is a choice accepted by the fans because of his reputation as a top-level player, similar to Gerrard, and steps into the job with real managerial experience unlike his predecessor.
Ibrox has moved to effect a seamless changeover, all the more efficient as it happened during an International break and no club matches were missed. That is impressive and looks very professional.
So let’s not be churlish, yes the Ibrox club can lose the title, domestic cups and miss out on EL progress this season, however it will be down to the performance of its management & players on the field of play(and what kind of challenge we make) – not machinations & prevarication off it.
Over the last number of years our bookkeeping has been shown to be superior to Ibrox, what we must ask now is, are we trailing them in everything else.
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JHB, That was an utterly superb post. Like so many of you’re previous contributions.
Thank you so much for this post and for 99% of you’re previous posts.
You’re writing is a such a joy and a breath of fresh air.
Keep on keeping on, and being the observant and, and thoroughly impressive poster that you are.
👏👏👏👏 ✌
More Shortbread revisionism, apparently we were made to work for our three two victory over hearts, does the unfortunately named Jack Ferral mean in this years competition
So that’s what dumbing down the education system is all about!!!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEhbdB6WQAM97i_?format=jpg&name=small
Imagine that. 😶
Nick Walsh again ffs
Another 15k fine by UEFA
Looking forward to the game tomorrow where hopefully we put on a show for the famous number 10.
As for the new gaffer south of the Clyde – I’ll be very honest and say I haven’t taken any notice. GVB could be a superb manager or he could be a former player who was out of work.
It doesn’t matter if we do our jobs. It’s all there for us.
PARKHEADCUMSALFORD on 19TH NOVEMBER 2021 4:36 PM
HRVATSKI JIM on 19TH NOVEMBER 2021 4:40 PM
they do the sports bulletin 2 or 3 times in the morning, so the opportunity to correct their mistake is there,
but of course no chance, they see it as another opportunity to spread more BS about how great everything is at Ibrox,
they have zero credibility, thankfully most of us are aware.
!!BADA BING!! on 19TH NOVEMBER 2021 4:57 PM
Another 15k fine by UEFA
—-
It’s gone beyond ridiculous at this point.
!!BADA BING!! on 19TH NOVEMBER 2021 4:57 PM
‘Another 15k fine by UEFA’
####
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saC13RJ8CUs
imo far too much focus on thems latest addition on this blog.
If only this message could be absorbed by Celtic fans before renewing tickets to support the OF system that is Scottish football, and then whining about MIBs etc.
hh ✌
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FEReYbJXIAEbzjl?format=jpg&name=small
RC on 19TH NOVEMBER 2021 5:10 PM
‘imo far too much focus on thems latest addition on this blog.
######
Agreed.
Celtic v St. Johnstone
20/11/2021 5:15pm Hampden Park
Referee:Nick Walsh
AR1
Frank Connor
AR2
David Doig
Fourth Official
David Munro
Another fine from UEFA. The GB seem set on reaching the €1m Euro mark – 75% there already.
These so-called supporters will of course hijack & own the memory of Bertie Auld at Hampden for their own purpose of gratification & camouflage as they have done time & time again when tarnishing our reputation, jeopardising our participation and costing us money in Europe.
They are as transparent as they are corrosive – give them enough rope and they will eventually hang us!
thems are our number one challenger, we have got to get past thems if we are going to be successful again, it’s inevitable we will get posts about them. Ange has to focus on Celtic, but we don’t, we can have a good look around and pass comment on how we see things as they relate to Celtic.
Mind you, like most cant stand them and wish they were irrelevant to us.
Thanks for all the kind comments regarding the Squire, I had to say goodbye to the big fella this morning. I’ll miss him terribly.
He would have had a lot to say about the right wing nutters on here today and the constant political trolling and lack of Celtic comments from the trolls.
Friday night snap quiz-
who had the first hit with this classic?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYrKe8K9lEY&list=RDyYrKe8K9lEY&start_radio=1
Agreed, not me.
Smokey Robinson and the emotions?
and the miracles :)
worthingbhoy, you got it. Great song
People on here need to get grip of themselves John souttar for celtic..you having a fecking laugh.guys a total carthorse.no pace and can’t tackle.great signing he wid be eh ffs 💩🙈
Timmy7
Tough day for you,laying your mate to rest.
Take it easy
He was held in high regard by all
God bless Squire Danaher rip
HH
not sure what the fine was for
provocative? who was it provoking? if uefa are provoked by it then im sure they can dry their tears on their crooked cash
there were no swear words on the banner – the swear worde were only in the heads of those reading it which is their issue
the CQN Brit Klan all siding with Uefa, and on here praising the huns for their managerial appointment
smell it a mile away
Time will tell if Van Bronckhorst is a good appointment for us.
We thought that Gerrard was a good appointment for us.
Aston Villa FC have reported that the compensation paid to Sevco for Steven Gerrard and his backroom team amounted to £2.3M.
Less than half of SMSM’s reported figure.
Even their lies are lies CSC
Mind you, like most cant stand them and wish they were irrelevant to us.
thems are irrelevant , but if you want thems to be, carry on posting comments.
regarding the jam tarts centre half , tbh he is better some some on our books.
too many some’s
From page one 😂
I say, bring back KoJo