It was all so promising. 35 minutes in, eight Celtic attempts on goal, zero for Valencia. Even when Jeremy Toljan left the field for a second yellow card, there were still positives. We both know that last night’s game was never really about qualification for the next round, so too did Valencia, but it was a useful yardstick for where we are now and where we can hope to be in the summer.
Scott Bain was already established as first choice ‘keeper, but, without seeing much of him before joining Celtic, I think we can say this was the best performance of his career to date. He can play at this level and has been an excellent acquisition to the team.
Brendan Rodgers felt sore about Jeremy Toljan’s second yellow. The full back was pushed before falling into Guedes. It was harsh and the referee probably failed to spot the push, but Toljan was caught in the wrong position and his fall was unnecessary. Jeremy is undoubtedly an upgrade on Mikael Lustig, but small lapses like this is why he’s not at Dortmund right now.
The three central defenders were stand-out successes. Kristoffer Ajer will replay in his head, the header from the free kick and volley from the corner. They were chances to open the scoring but his all round play came close to Man of the Match levels.
I had written off Jozo Simunovic’s usefulness, largely, but not exclusively, on the basis of his fitful availability. However, he showed again last night that he can contribute to the team and deserves a place in the squad. Like Scott Bain, Jonny Hayes had the game of his life. He looked intent to make his mark at the Mestalla and did so.
Callum McGregor was my pick of the midfield players. He was forever tidy under pressure, operating with calm in very tight spaces. Scott Brown was at his best, although a rash tackle brougth an early booking that looked ominous. We got little from the more creative mids, James Forrest and Ryan Christie.
The entire Oliver Burke story was there to see. Great pace and strength, clumsy touch. There is an inverse relationship between speed and control.
Odsonne Eduard made a quick impact when he came on but was eventually subdued. The occasion looked too high a step for Mikey Johnston.
In his post-match interview, Brendan addressed suggestions that he should change his style of play for these matches, citing Leipzig and this game as certification that it can work. Last night had the concession of a third central defender, at the cost of an attack-minded player. We should also caveat that Valencia were two goals up from the game in Glasgow, with little to prove.
The manager is not for changing his high press game, so devastatingly successful domestically, but so open to debate in Europe.
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Corkcelt
I’m always in good company when you’re here Sir!
Funny thing is, I’d have readily converted had my status as a divorcee not counted so much against me!
HH jg
Oof!
BT sport score program discussing Scotalnd referees on the back of a red card offence, as agreed by everyone in the studio and their consultant ref, which Don Robertson didn’t even produce a yellow.
Chris Sutton laying down the facts about Morelos’ red card being rescinded as the green light for players to believe they can get away with thuggery.
Here’s the kicker… Jermaine Jenas asked, “is this corruption?” To which Sutton hesitated but said no it was incompetence. Jenas responded by saying that incompetence is a one off thing so it must be something else.
Sutton just said it was consistent incompetence.
After reading about the ref at the Valencia match on here and Pochettino even getting narked today perhaps the ref malaise is not exclusive to Scotland. The only way forward is for managers and through them the clubs in Scotland to work together to demand professional refereeing or break away to form their own league. As a big player in the game today Celtic can play its part.
Dbhoy
If you are around, Apologies for missing/not replying to your post last night.. I fell asleep.
I have seen Leon Bridges a few times. In fact, the first time was at a small club, where, co-incidentally, I am seeing mr. Ondara in a few weeks. Think this might be the concert of the year in TO.
Just read English’s diatribe against the proposal of employing foreign referees. No attempt whatsoever to deal with the reason for the proposal or how otherwise to combat it. Obviously the Establishment (and BBC Scotland is part) do not wish to address Scotland’s Shame. The matter simply gets worse and worse as long as it is ignored.
Just read that McGinn starts a 2 match ban for picking up his 10th booking of the season.
How many of those bookings would have been red cards if he played for us?
No thanks.
PARKHEADCUMSALFORD
Ajer is a good shout but i think Hayes should be allowed to stake his claim in the left back area.
He needs a run of games and is tough.
Would also prefer Weah to take Sinclair slot to start game.
So pleased that Bain has earned the number one spot.Tough for Gordon but Scott fits our playing style better and has given us more momentum in recent games
Motherwell are a physical team so want battlers in there.
RIMTIMTIM
Have a look at the penalty that Cardiff were denied against Watford last night.
I can see no excuse for a referee not to award that. It beggars belief. And yet no religious or cultural bias was involved.
SFTB
Just maybe the ref was an Englishman who disnae like the Welsh?
Jamesgang
Are you familiar with Ralph Glasser? A Jewish fella who grew up in the gorbals, and later won a scholarship to Oxford, and became an economist of some renowned. He later wrote several good books about his life, and talks about the difficulty he faced as a boy. ‘Are you a Bill or a Dan?’ The kids would ask. He would answer ‘I’m an Isaac’ so he got it from everyone!
You may be familiar with him already, but if not, I think you and some others on here might enjoy his books.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1854694.Growing_Up_in_the_Gorbals
I’m not Mike, so thanks for the heads up big mhan.
HH jg
Apologies in advance for the long post.
Was reading an old interview with Billy Bragg about, among other things, football and violence, and his comments about the lack of English identity (compared to Scottish or Irish identity) and its connection to football violence was interesting.
Intuitively, I think his thoughts can be applied on a smaller level, in part to explain the triumphalist and violent tendencies fron the WATP’ers… it needs more thought from me, but would be happy to hear others thoughts on the issue:
Do you think that the football authorities have been burdened unnecessarily with having to come up with the solutions to the hooligan problem?
I think that football is the location of it rather than the cause of It. I spend a lot of time explaining to friends from America that football is just the venue and that the problems are something that society as a whole has to tackle, It’s a kind of tribalism, like when we were playing the first shows on this tour outside London which was in Nottingham the other night where I got that shirt, I happened to say ‘West Ham United on stage, and all these geezers started shouting me down and I said “see girls I only have to say three words and they feel they have to shout me down” – it’s some kind of tribal instinct, it’s phenomenally pathetic isn’t it?.
There was an article In The Guardian the other day about that this was all part of the English character and not any other nationality’s character, just the English. And I think it was Alan Bleasdale that said that he stopped going to football matches after a Liverpool – Newcastle game where a group of Newcastle supporters went into the Liverpool end and sang ‘The Blaydon Races’ they knew what was going to happen to them but they had to do it to prove a point. Would you say that these were fair points to make?
I think from someone whose nation came to Wembley and took the goalposts away (laughs)… I think we’re talking about a thing in young men rather than a thing about England. I’ll tell you what I do think is different about England compared to Ireland, Scotland and Wales It’s that if you’re a Scottish person there are a number of ways to show your “Scottishness” – I don’t just mean singing ‘Auld Lang Syne’ and reciting Burns – there’s a strong ‘identity’ in what being Scottish means. It’s clear to us down in London, I don’t know if it’s clear up here, that there is a strong pride in there. Perhaps it’s because there’s England to play off against, for us there aren’t many ways to express yourself as being English because so many of the things that are used to express that national identity are tied up in the ‘British’ thing, like the monarchy and stuff like that.
It occurred to me during the last European Championship when England were playing the Republic of Ireland and they needed riot squads to curtail the Engllsh supporters but not the Irish. The Irish have a much clearer idea of a cultural identity than the English supporters do. The young English men are so confused about what theirs is that it manifests itself in this purely territorial sort of ‘wrap yourself In the flag’ and go and literally prove yourself in a physical way rather than having a defined culture to fall back on, even if it is only singing ‘Flower of Scotland’. We don’t have anything llke that – and I’m not saying ‘poor old England’ or anything like that, I think it’s important to note that for all the terrible things the British Empire did, before the English Merchant Class could go around the world and do that they had to first destroy their own peoples culture and submerge that before they could go on and start on the Scots, the Irish and throughout the world.
Do you think that a British national league is around the corner?
I don’t know about a British League but I’d very much like to see a European League. I think a British league would be on too small a scale. I mean how many Scottish teams would be in a British League or how many Northern Irish teams, or Welsh teams who aren’t already In the English Second or Third Divisions. You’re only really talking about ‘super clubs’ and I think that really, there’s only one super club up here in the Manchester United, Arsenal sense. I mean I would be disappointed as it would mean less London clubs, obviously there would only be Arsenal and probably Tottenham… It would be the same In a European league but I feel that the input to British football if our clubs were to regularly play teams from Italian, French and German football.
Would this be at the expense of the present domestic league set-ups?
No, I think that you would have to keep the English and Scottish leagues going. I think you could only have one European league, a super league into which you could get from winning the First Division or whatever. But you know, sitting here talking about it, and how it’s a good idea, you just know that it would end up being the Marseilles, Milans and Bayern Munichs, I mean it would be those teams, the rich teams. I mean there’s no way a team like West Ham United could survive in a super league. Maybe in the Premier League, or a British league but never a European league.
BIG GEORGES FAN CLUB
Not saying it will work, but try turning your device off completely for a few minutes, ie, no power.
Hail hail,
C’mon the,
???
MiT
A good deal of the Brexit vote can be attributed to the inability to accept their post imperial (lack of) status….Britannia rules the waves….but has aircraft carriers with no planes…..and more rear admirals than shops!!!
Whole nation’s like Germany were forced to face the realities of their actions, Britain never has.
The disenfranchised poor whites duped by the rich and powerful, a la trumps America.
Other people voted for Brexit for other reasons, but they were largely racists and bigots.
HH jg
Jamesgang
Saw this in yon amazing place. Seems good value.
https://www.amazon.com/Gorbals-Trilogy-Ralph-Glasser/dp/0330348906/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=ralph+glasser&qid=1550940585&s=gateway&sr=8-6
Ships even!
No shops, post Brexit!!
TonyRome
It’s just that you don’t post enough.
:o]]
Fool Time Whistle – thank you!
MIKE IN TORONTO on 23RD 4:35
Brings back memories of a letter to the Belfast Telegraph early 1970’s .
The writer was stopped by a group of teenagers approx 14 /15 yrs old in North Belfast and asked if he was Protestant or Catholic. ( the wrong answer would result in a kicking or worse)
He replied that he was Jewish…as he was …
this stumped them for a few seconds….
They then came back with….
“Are you a Protestant Jew or a Catholic Jew ?”
They must have been Huns… I blame the schools ?
The Onlooker
I’ll always remember a Muslim taxi driver in the States lamenting the fact that Muslims, Jews and Christians were in conflict.
We’re all children of Jacob, he told me.
(He’d definitely be a Tim!?)
HH jg
Killie now lost 3 in a row.
An unhappy manager.
Down to fourth.
Steve Clarke sat beside BMCUWP at school in Saltcoats (literally in the next seat)
But Mr C is scanning SitVacs column for EPL/Championship
Jamesgang
There is no god but Brendan, and Peter is his messenger.
Brendanu Akhbar
A true story from 1980’s
My sister was on a bus in Belfast , she was wearing a plain gold cross , kids in the back not realising she could hear them were discussing her.
Young lad ” Shes a Fenian, she’s got a cross”
Young girl argued “Not necessarily, some Prorestarts wear crosses too”
” Right enough , the Fenians have somebody on their crosses”
Somebody !!
My sister nearly burst out laughing at the fact that they didnt know “who we have on our Cross ” .
I blame their schools
The Onlooker
Oops
Should be
There is no god but Dermot, and Peter is his messenger.
Gees … this is how schisms begin!
Not quite the Gallowgate/Galilee typo …
MiT
?????
JAMESGANG on 23RD FEBRUARY 2019 4:51 PM
but they were largely racists and bigots.
Yes, I think you are absolutely right in your thinking,
Hail hail,
C’mon the hoops,
???
Fan a tic
Motherwell are a physical team so want battlers in there.
######
Totally agree pal .where are we going to get them.
We are as soft as the brown stuff .
The Onlooker
Very funny.
Stephen Fry (I think) was in Spain & went down to the local square one Sunday for his morning coffee & croissants. As usual the market stalls had an array of holy things for the church clientele, statues, cards etc.
Then a tour bus came into the square and out tumbled a bunch of English(British?) tourists with cameras, shorts and loud voices. They immediately approached the market stalls. Amongst the chatter Fry heard one man exclaim with a laugh while holding up a crucifix.
“Oh look this one even has a little man on it.”
Schools CSC
Be interesting to see who Big Dan goes with tomorrow. Lot of tired legs after Thursday night.
KT should be back. Toljan didn’t play 90 so he should be fine. Boyata almost certain to start. Probably go with Ajer, although he seemed to have a bit of cramp and Jozo had one of his best games for us.
The likes of Edouard, Weah and Sinclair could come back into contention. Midfield might be more of an issue. Duracell McGregor will almost certainly play. Probably Christie too, assuming Ntcham is still out?. Might rest Brown to keep him fresh for Tynecastle.
Anyway, tough task ahead. Motherwell are on a great run, Hastie looks a real threat coming inside. Will need to be near our best and attitude correct.
Have a feeling we might concede our first goal of the year. Hopefully should have enough to get two or three at the other end.
So would it be sectarian to call an OO member a bigoted bstrd?
JAMESGANG on 23RD FEBRUARY 2019 4:51 PM.
Other people voted for Brexit for other reasons, but they were largely racists and bigots.
—————
Sweeping statement with an opinion based as fact. I think most people, ( certainly based on many that I work with ) voted Brexit as they felt disenfranchised. Fed up with the establishment not listening to them and nowhere to turn. Are they being proven right ?
I would assume that your analysis of Brexit voters being bigots and racists would apply to the referendum in 2014 also by swapping the word Brexit.
I did not vote in the Brexit referendum as I thought the issues were too complicated, but to categorise >17 m voters including > 1m Scots as bigots and racists is absurd.
HH.
THE ONLOOKER on 23RD FEBRUARY 2019 5:16 PM
A true story from 1980’s
My sister was on a bus in Belfast , she was wearing a plain gold cross , kids in the back not realising she could hear them were discussing her.
Young lad ” Shes a Fenian, she’s got a cross”
Young girl argued “Not necessarily, some Prorestarts wear crosses too”
” Right enough , the Fenians have somebody on their crosses”
Somebody !!
My sister nearly burst out laughing at the fact that they didnt know “who we have on our Cross ” .
I blame their schools
The Onlooker
########
There are a lot of genuine, faithful folk who wear the cross, there are a lot of sleazy folk who wear the cross as well, but there are a lot of folk who wear the cross to carry out an act of deciet, like, Madonna for example.
Madonna, and a lot of celebrities, wear the cross, so that when they look down at the cross, they will see an upside down satanic cross because that is what they worship at, whatever secret society that they may be affiliated to. The same principal applies to those who wear a star on a chain around their neck’s, so that when they look down at it, they’ll see an upside down star, the eastern star secret society symbol, same idea with tattoos when they look down at them, also the witches symbol of the thin red ribbon tied around their wrists.
More later, hail! hail! ✊
Glasstwothirdsfull
Broonie is suspended for tomorrow, back for Tynecastle.
Celtic just win, ignore the media agenda.
FOOL TIME WHISTLE
When you’re life is as boring as mine there’s not much to post about?. But I do love The Celtic and their winning ways. Long may it continue.
KEEP THE FAITH
Greenpinata
Two significant caveats I inserted that you ignored or edited out.
Firstly I was speaking specifically about England. Secondly, I said ‘largely’ not exclusively.
If your colleagues believed that to empower Jacob Rees Mogg et al. was a vote against the establishment then they fall into the trump voting category I also referenced.
Good people can do stupid things. Decent people sometimes elect indecent people. Hence Hitler, Trump and … I would contend … Brexit
HH jg
Brittania waives the rules
Anyone on android, there is a good football app called – “Navixsport” best way to locate this app is through the app store called – “APK Time” good luck.
HH