The highlight of Steven MacLean’s six-month stint as St Johnstone manager was earning a draw at Celtic Park in August. His team defended for most of the match but had chances to snatch all three points in the second half.
It was a rare positive note for the Perth side before MacLean was emptied out five weeks ago. Since then, they beat Kilmarnock, drew with Motherwell and beat Ross County, all at home, before losing 1-0 at Tynecastle last weekend. All but the first of those results were achieved under Craig Levein, who appears to be this decade’s Mark McGhee – picking up jobs no one can quite believe.
My biggest concern last weekend was the lack of urgency we showed against Motherwell. After an initial flurry which failed to produce a goal, Celtic’s passing was too passive. We have our finest goalscorer in many years, who is growing stale on a lack of service. Get this right tomorrow or risk more dropped points. We don’t want to provide too many season highlights to St Johnstone.
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Where am I?
Saturday blog – a rare gem.
Morning bhoys.
You can be sure St Johnstone will train on the pitch and won’t roll it,or cut the grass,we need to start fast and keep the tempo high,get Oh up front with Kyogo, we need to be more physical, Levein will park 3 buses…..
Will Levein play a 5-5-0?
ALASDAIR MACLEAN on 2ND DECEMBER 2023 1:29 PM
Where am I?
—————
On a Celtic blog.
With a name like that, you could be an SFA Official.
Not accusing you btw. Just an observation.
😳😂👍
Paul 67,
Happy Saturday. Right 9n the ball for the Christmas shopping. 😀
Play to our strengths. Feed Kyogo our biggest strength. And let’s play Oh as well.
Cut out the pointing the continual back and side passing and feed our front men.
This is not boldness, it is common sense.
Hail Hail.
ALASDAIR MACLEAN- nice to see you back on…..
!!Bada Bing!! on 2nd December 2023 1:34 pm
You can be sure St Johnstone will train on the pitch and won’t roll it,or cut the grass,we need to start fast and keep the tempo high,get Oh up front with Kyogo, we need to be more physical, Levein will park 3 buses…..
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Kyogo could start on the bench and still receive as many passes as he does on the pitch.
Until the style of play changes then 1, 2 or 3 strikers won’t make much difference.
Come on Brendan, earn those big bucks, try to entertain.
Melvin Udall
You would’nt know an old school cqn poster if he jumped in front of you.lol,pipe down
Alisdair Maclean has a range and knowledge of scots and irish traditional music that is simply breathtaking,and also has always had the one moniker!
ALASDAIR MACLEAN,
So good to see you posting once again. How long is it since you were a regular on CQN?
And as promised I will be watching events unravelling during previous state control. Ie Lockdown.
Common knowledge will be exposed and make a mockery of our treatment. Especially Bolingoli.
HH.
Welcome back Alasdair, from one member of the old bhoys to another :-)
Happy Saturday friends.
Off to see Bob Dylan tonight with my oldest friend over here. Good times.
THE_HUDDLE- Kyogo’s forward runs when we turn over possession is as good as you will see,our midfielders first instinct should be to look to play him in early, it rarely happens……..
Hot Smoked / Chairbhoy – good evocative CQN type posts,
I can see why we are where we are, and don’t question, we should be better in Europe more consistently, we have had more than one elite top coach in the Brendan mould. After we lost to Kilmarnock in the cup and the window closed, I predicted a long hard season, with many dropped points and Brendan Rodgers in all of his words hasn’t wavered. I’m confident he’s coached the players inside out, and virtually every one of the nine except Nat Phillips,were already on the recruitment team’s target list
When Celtic have had a poor window it historically meant squeezing in a Willo Flood type at midnight, the summer of 2023 was rare with nine players coming in. Brendan’s stock answer of “ I have the final say “ is meaningless.
Summer signings
Tilio; no impact
Kwon; no impact
Yang: project
Holm: project
Bernardo: no impact loan
Nawrocki: no impact
Lagerbielke: no impact
Phillips: no impact loan
This arguably leaves Luis Palma (the most expensive summer signing) as the only player to have had made a contribution, we’ve got too many players and it wasn’t BR’s fault, he couldn’t halt players already in the pipeline But like a long playing record you have to win the league even if it’s a league that turns some supporters off and has only one potential rival.
All roads lead to Perth
HH
Thanks gents.
To be absolutely honest, I’d just walked the dog 4 miles in the frost and fancied some hot porridge when I got back.
I was reading my phone as I was stirring the pot and a “notification” popped up. Clicked on it and it took me to CQN. Logged on when I saw noone had posted on the new thread – and could resist dropping a note in.
No reason really for not posting.
Back in the day I was abroad or offshore so more time on my hands.
Last few years back working at home, albeit in the same industry.
But when you’re home from work, when at home, you have less time to spare.
ALASDAIR MACLEAN
Good to see your name good sir.
Alasdair MacLean
Hope you are well big chap. 👍
CELTIC40ME @ 12:42 PM
What are the chances of Austrian and Swiss teams making it to the knockouts and more games?
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CELTIC40ME – Cheers.
Genuinely in the balance.
In Champions League, Young Boys definitely & Salzburg likely to drop into EL.
In the Europa League, Servette definitely heading for Conference League
Sturm Graz and Lask could both either drop to Conference League or be eliminated.
In Conference League, Lugano are heading out.
Best case scenario for Scotland as I see it?
Celtic win match 6
Aberdeen win match 6
Sevco drop to Conference League and go a few rounds
Sturm Graz and Lask eliminated after match day 6 (unlikely)
Young Boys, Servette & Salzburg eliminated in first knock out rounds (unlikely)
Damage has been done basically.
BOURNESOUPRECIPE @ 2:21 PM,
Yes, very good points, hopefully it will go down as a one off type window, with the quick transition re: Manager’s as the main reason.
Still hopefully some of those players will be a success, not quite a baptism of fire for them but no chance to ease into the squad.
Reducing the size of this squad seems a priority, it’s not being something we’ve excelled at, so we’ll see how that works out in January.
Looking forward to game tomorrow, a few bhoys with something to prove.
Hail Hail
get that north curve filled up with the GB driving the team on or …………..
Expecting to see a more direct and courageous approach from our wide men tomorrow. Last week we were severely hampered in opening the game up because Palma and Yang checked their runs and played the ball laterally or backwards.
Vital that tomorrow we see our wide men getting to the by line or it will be much the same as we’ve seen recently.
greenpinata
who could forget this…
https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11788/12136381/rangers-duo-jordan-jones-and-george-edmundson-given-seven-game-bans-for-covid-rules-break
where 2 clowns took the fall for attending arfields 30th
or this…
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-9419001/Five-Rangers-players-given-FOUR-game-bans-flouting-lockdown-rules-attending-house-party.html
when those guilty were still allowed to play out the season..
or this…
https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/sport/football/5847276/rangers-sfa-probe-nine-players-testing/
Tough stretch through December for Lawwell’s Babes. Be pleasantly surprised if we don’t drop a good few points.
If the cheap project punts can’t get a game when Hatate, Abada and Maeda are long-term injured why did we buy them? You ain’t making a profit from guys not good enough to play in those circumstances.
Fortunately the huns are also pish. Ever the Lawwell calculation. Aim to be marginally less pish than the huns. Bean Counting FC.
BACK TO BASICS – GLASS HALF FULL on 2ND DECEMBER 2023 2:52 PM
Thanks, more anxiety awaits.
I dread the return of qualifiers, they’re absolutely deadly.
Spikeysauldman,
Oh yes, I remember. However i felt we were unjustly treated on a number of occasions. I also felt Bolingoli was made an escape goat to appease those who made the rules.
Now imagine if those who made the rules and were blatantly flaunting them were preaching to us.
As for Dubai. It was wrong and I stated that at the very time even although we were due to play the huns.
However I have also wondered why we never produced the E Mails that gave us permission to go.
Karma I say. Bring it on.
HH.
CELTIC40ME @ 3:43 PM
I dread the return of qualifiers, they’re absolutely deadly.
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Yip.
Particularly when team (not country) coefficient determines seeded or unseeded.
Long way off / lots of things can happen
But highly likely the Play Off would see Celtic unseeded playing a seeded champion.
GREENPINATA on 2ND DECEMBER 2023 2:06 PM
And as promised I will be watching events unravelling during previous state control. Ie Lockdown.
Common knowledge will be exposed and make a mockery of our treatment. Especially Bolingoli
HH.
Unsuprisingly incorrect thinking on your part Greenpinata.
Hindsight eh
And what is your common knowledge Gp?
Do share.
Bolingoli comprimised himself
-going outwith his travel area for no reason
Bolingoli comprimised Celtic
a.by travellin unauthorised outwith his own area breaking UK law
b.travelling outwith his employers ‘bubble’ endangering everyone else at Celtic.scottish law
c.By not informing Celtic of his plans,(the name Bolingoli kinda sticks out on a flight list)
coming back he left Celtic open to Sanction when taking the field at Stranraer by
i.endangering all who were there on pitch and off it.
ii)Breaking both uk and scots law
No meeja conspiracy,and Celtic not being any picked on victim in this case
One source for the stupidity and arrogance and that was Bolingoli himself.Tf he is away.
HH
Welcome back Alasdair one of the leading lights on here with no spoofin either just an honest assessment on how you see it .
Give wee Bernabei a run out tomorrow. Taylor needs to be given a rest.
RIMTIMTIM on 2ND DECEMBER 2023 5:04 PM
Give wee Bernabei a run out tomorrow. Taylor needs to be given a rest.
*mibbees meeting his paisano gives him some much need inspiration
Maybe Bolingoli realised that he had landed at a bent and duplicitous club that sucked the corrupt KILTED Krankie Govts Covid 19 grift stunt and thought to himself I-eye even the dogs on the street know that the Plandemic is a scam fk that am away for the weekend with ma burd!
If the daft Tims believe Krankie then that isny Bolingoli`s fault is it?
Euro Draw now on BBC2
Does anyone know offhand if the National Co-Efficient affects UEFA club co-efficients in any way shape or form?
Is ‘Oppenheimer’ worth buying on Sky?
Yeh 418
Fly yir fleg unionist
Little wonder your chaotic one sided view of history needs a fleg.
If i remember correctly at the time kevi you and jhb/cloud9 and other galloway trolls/pollutants were blowing hard bout a wuruld record roll out on these pages.as long as your med wasnt affected kevi alls ok
Is ‘Oppenheimer’ worth buying on Sky?
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it is described as being ‘loosely” based on those events.
there is a much better 2 hour drama/documentary thats gets shown on one of the cable channels now and again.
depends on whether you want facts or just a good film!
Germany hungary Scotland