No excuses before a game

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41 goals scored in 12 games since Christmas Eve is great form.  We conceded five in that time, two of which were penalties.  That’s a non-penalty goal every 360 minutes, not quite the Scottish defence record but significant, all the same.  If you were planning a way to score against Celtic, what would you do?

You would get into the box, wait for a defender to approach from behind, then slam on the brakes.  Or you would flick the ball towards an opponent in the box, just to see if he can get his arm out the way.  Perhaps you would go down the Classic Penalty route of knocking the ball on and tumbling over a leg.

These things will happen on Sunday and we know what to expect.  I have a real aversion to making excuses before a game.  Leave complaints about referees until Monday (if at all).  We know how the system works here and we know penalty kicks are the most likely way to relieve Celtic of a trophy.  Nonetheless, we have to plan a way to win.

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  1. Where we all watching the game on Sunday?

     

     

    I’ll be in Fitzgerald’s on Slater Street in Liverpool. Absolutely cracking Celtic bar. Has taken over from Molly Malone’s as the best Celtic pub in Liverpool. Show the home games, rebs on before and at half time then live singers after the game. Cracking pub!

  2. AIPPLE on 23RD FEBRUARY 2023 12:03 PM

     

    MELVIN UDALL

     

     

     

    Fully caffeinated over here good sir!

     

     

    —————————

     

    Nice one! ☕️ 😃👍🏻

  3. Melvin

     

     

    North Stand at Hampden for me.

     

     

    Unlike many on here I really enjoy seeing us play and especially beat any team wearing blue from Govan.

     

     

    Luckily despite their cheating years it has happened more times than not in my lifetime.

     

     

    Hopefully that continues on Sunday.

  4. Melvin

     

     

    Celtic End, way over at the main stand side

     

     

    My first Cup Final vs the huns – hope I’m not a Jonah as i was at the semi last year

  5. Important to stay on our feet, hold play up and wait for the reinforcements should we find ourselves back peddling near or in the box. Nothing rash.

     

     

    The handballs aren’t so much of a worry now given what we’ve seen for the last few months.

     

     

    Stay on our feet and play our game. They’re not particularly good. This is a game we win 8 from 10, at least.

  6. CONEYBHOY

     

     

    Enjoy your first cup final against thems.

     

     

    3-1 to the good guys.

     

     

    Or perhaps, a major spanking for them.

     

     

    5-1 and bury them there.

  7. BURNLEY78 on 23RD FEBRUARY 2023 12:08 PM

     

    Melvin

     

     

    North Stand at Hampden for me.

     

     

    Unlike many on here I really enjoy seeing us play and especially beat any team wearing blue from Govan.

     

     

    Luckily despite their cheating years it has happened more times than not in my lifetime.

     

     

    Hopefully that continues on Sunday.

     

    ——————

     

    Nice one bud.

     

    We should smash them into the turf on Sunday. However, like most Tim’s I know, our biggest worry is how far the officials will go to get them the win.

     

     

    If we can keep 11 players on the pitch and not give them the chance to award a dodgy penalty or two, we will win comfortably.

     

     

    I hate them and what the game up here has come to with their new version of Rangers and have tried to stop watching or reading about Scottish football a few times, but still love to see us put them in their place and Sunday is no different.

  8. AIPPLE on 23RD FEBRUARY 2023 12:09 PM

     

    MELVIN UDALL re: where you watching game

     

     

    I’ll be off in a cabin in Eastern(ish) Kentucky.

     

    ——————

     

    Sounds like a plan. Hope we do them and top off the weekend on a high. 😃

  9. CONEYBHOY on 23RD FEBRUARY 2023 12:10 PM

     

    Melvin

     

     

    Celtic End, way over at the main stand side

     

     

    My first Cup Final vs the huns – hope I’m not a Jonah as i was at the semi last year

     

    ——————

     

    No such thing as a jinx bud. My first 4 games were against the financially doped Huns and we lost 3 and drew 1. Been to a few since and only lost one, which was the league cup final quite a few years back.

     

     

    I’m sure Ange and the Bhoys will give you a day to enjoy. 😃👍🏻

  10. TEUCHTER ÁR LÁ on 23RD FEBRUARY 2023 12:22 PM

     

    Toronto CSC for me – if we can dig our way in.🌨☃️❄

     

     

    ——————-

     

    I gather you won’t be in a hurry to dig your way out once you’re in? 😂👍🏻

  11. The only way they will win is with the referee and VAR operator colluding, looking at the personnel chosen for both they will get decisions, we need to score several to be certain of lifting the cup. This wont have been missed by the manager and coaches.

  12. From Previous Thread…some tunes that you may enjoy ?

     

     

    BELMONTBRIAN on 23RD FEBRUARY 2023 11:27 AM

     

    Some choons before noon,

     

     

     

     

     

     

    DJ BIG J

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Jim Gilstrap – Swing Your Daddy

     

     

     

     

     

     

    https://youtu.be/LUQHiq3DE7Y

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Barenaked Ladies – ‘If I Had a Million Dollars’ (Live at WE Day Vancouver 2010)

     

     

     

     

     

     

    https://youtu.be/UTK57dJc_pU

     

     

     

     

     

     

    The Ronettes – Be My Baby

     

     

     

     

     

     

    https://youtu.be/AhzZIXvspI4

     

     

     

     

     

     

    BIG JIMMY

     

    HH.

  13. TEUCHTER ÁR LÁ on 23RD FEBRUARY 2023 12:22 PM

     

    Toronto CSC for me – if we can dig our way in.🌨☃️❄

     

     

    Is EUGENE CAIRNEY in your club. I lost touch a few years ago.

  14. They’ll give us possession, pressure us into turnovers and hit long diagonal balls to Kent and Sakala, with the hope that they can force a 2 v 2 as we have our inverted full backs scrambling back.

     

     

    They will also target our relatively weaker left hand side of Hatate, Taylor and Starfelt again as a tactic.

     

     

    I expect them to have someone with a job to sit on Calmac too.

     

     

    Our 3 creatives need to be brave and accurate, threading the ball through to our front 3. Do that well and do that often and be clinical in the box, and the game’s over at half time.

     

     

    Nearly there. I suspect Beale is playing that fake news game all week and suspect to see Tillman, Lundstrum and Roofe declared fit.

     

     

    Bring it on and bury them csc

     

     

    HH

  15. GlassTwoThirdsFull on

    The only way I could see us losing this game is if we get sucked into the old firmery of it and I certainly don’t see that happening under Ange. I don’t even have any real concerns about this group of players falling into that trap.

     

    Always encouraging to hear them talking about improvement and not the “title race”, “rivals”, “the gap” or any of that kind of guff.

  16. These negative waves about Celtic in the run up to the game are reaching a level of satirical self parody.

     

     

    A sportsite called Glasgow World has the following headline on one of their stories:-

     

     

    “Celtic ‘rejected’ by Premier League midfielder as Rangers ‘eye up’ to five new signings”

  17. Although I will be at the game on Sunday sitting in South stand lower.

     

    I would be happy to never have to play them ever again.

     

     

    If our decision making in the final 3rd is good and we take our chances ,we will win the game , even with refereeing decisions.

  18. BIGRAILROADBLUES on 23RD FEBRUARY 2023 1:18 PM

     

    My nerves are shredded already and it’s only Thursday. Just win Celtic.

     

    ———————

     

    😂 Same here. Not been this excited and nervous about a game for a while. My biggest worry is the officials. Other than that we’re too good for them.

  19. Back to Basics - Glass Half Full on

    Am feeling fine but not complacent about Sunday.

     

     

    We have a good manager and team.

     

     

    If the team perform to recent standards they have a decent 60/40 chance of winning.

     

     

    Nothing more.

  20. Back to Basics - Glass Half Full on

    Assuming your penalty stats are accurate Pablo ….

     

     

    … what could we do to ever so slightly influence rather than excessively worry about penalty decisions on Sunday?

     

     

    One small thing we could do.

     

     

    Over the next 72 hours paste Nick Walsh’s statistically improbable “Penalty to Sevco” numbers ALL over the interweb.

     

     

    Share, tweet, rinse and repeat until you are sick of seeing them coming right back at you.

     

     

    Do it often enough, the message will drift into other areas of online conscience out with the Celtic web.

     

     

    Someone posted them on here a while back.

     

     

    Can’t remember the exact figure but was something ridiculous like 0.76 penalties awarded per game refereed.

     

     

    Not quite a penalty every time but close enough.

     

     

    Ridiculous.

     

     

    We should stay away from emotion, obvious bias we all have and even debate or discussion.

     

     

    Spit it out in a few words only.

     

     

    Example

     

     

    “Nick Walsh awards Sevco 0.76 penalties per match he referees them.

     

     

    Statistical improbability not matched anywhere else in European football”

  21. Big Jimmy

     

    You’re the man in the know about odds etc. what are the bookies odds on Sevco getting a penalty and also the odds for Celtic? The bookies are no mugs

  22. BACK TO BASICS – GLASS HALF FULL on 23RD FEBRUARY 2023 2:06 PM

     

     

     

    If one of our more statistically aware chaps can do the business and show us Walsh`s “Penalty for `Rangers` stats” , I will gladly do my bit in promoting it in conversation and on the Internet as much as possible.

     

     

     

    Very Important:

     

     

    IF one of our posters provides the stats, they MUST be absolutely accurate.

  23. If we look at the last game against them we started brightly and deserved to be ahead. The injury to GT certainly affected us and they went on to dominate for a decent spell. They could just as easily got a third as our equaliser.

     

    Most hopeful of a win, we have better players and play much better football however they have experienced players who will make it difficult for us. It’ll be tight .

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