Of course, the priority is nine-in-a-row, even more than Champions League lucre, but I see a bit of chat about prioritising the league and player development, at the potential cost of the domestic cups.
I don’t think this will work. Along with Queens Park, Vale of Leven, Rangers and Aberdeen, Celtic have now won the Scottish Cup three successive seasons. None of the other did four-in-a-row. Celtic fans, if nothing else, cherish making history, we cannot just shrug at the opportunity to set a new Scottish Cup record.
The League Cup is the only trophy we do not have a historical precedent to chase or eclipse next season. Jock Stein won his first five League Cups as Celtic manager (although went spectacularly off plan in subsequent finals).
For teams competing in Europe, the League Cup is a four game competition. A home or away match in August and September, a November semi-final and December final. Games take place between European qualifiers or group stage games, when demands on the players will be greatest.
Last season, Brendan Rodgers prioritised the Heats semi-final at Murrayfield over Leipzig away, three days earlier. Had the Leipzig game been at home, it would almost certainly have been the priority. Squad management worked well.
If we do our job right in strengthening the squad, there will be plenty of opportunity to rest players during the league campaign, but I suspect we will feel precious about the domestic cups.
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prestonpans bhoy
More Eurovision than Champions League! Hope all is well with you and yours.
Saw my name mentioned a propos throw ins but it’s a case of msitaken identity.
I will weigh in on throw ins now though..
I completely agree with the original poster (The Onloker?)
Under BR we were so determined to keep possession of the ball that our goalies were forbidden to punt the ball up field out of their hands – based on the simple logic that we were in fact actually punting – in US football terms. We were giving the ball back to the opposition. Fair enough except & until the opposition cottoned on to the predictability of that & pressurized our back line when they had the ball. Cue panic stations as everyone dumped the ball off too soon so as not to be caught in possession….
Yet with throw ins under the same manager, we seemed to have a cavalier attitude – no discernable plan, no primary aim at retention of the ball & no clever movement that had been worked out on the training gorund. It was a lottery just as if we had punted the ball as far away from our own goal as possible.
Yet – dedicated throw in coaches?
Hardly rocket science & hardly a unique & non-transferable skill to any competent professional football coach. Even a goal keeping coach could combine that with coaching clever distribution & movement by players when the goal keeper has possession.
I see the same howler committed by professionals and schoolkids.
The thrower takes the shy & tends to stand for a few seconds to see if the recipient will do/has done anything with the ball. That means there is no plan either to pass it back to the thrower or for the thrower to move into a better position to get the return ball.
Watch for yourself when throws are taken how long the thrower is actually out of things after he throws in.
Applications now being condsidered…:o)
HH
Creepy so it is…the thought of men in suits entering the shower room together with big smiles on their faces…
Game Of Throw-Ins………………
MADMITCH on 30TH MAY 2019 6:24 PM
GDT @ 6.06
Hertz throw in tactic — saw that at the start of the second half.
We really must be in a hole if the rocket scientist that is CL has got us sussed to that level.
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Anno. He has us sussed so much, that he’s never won anything in his life. It’s a pure rid neck so it is.
And here’s us wi’ the embarrassment of having to go into work on Monday wi’ only 3 trebles to show for our efferts….
BANKIEBHOY1 on 30TH MAY 2019 6:44 PM
Game Of Throw-Ins………………
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Kwality – top punning, Bankiebhoy..!
Jamesgang: Concern is an excellent organization carrying out work that governments should be doing. It is Ireland’s largest Overseas Development Agency and is very well regarded here in Ireland and by similar NGOs.
I encourage my own students to raise money for Trócaire which is the ODA of the Catholic Church. The reason I do so, as opposed to Concern, is that Trócaire’s programmes are developed and delivered by local agencies whereas Concern send out volunteers to carry out programmes.
SCIAF in Scotland (Tommy Burns fundraised for them) and ChristianAid would have similar values to Trócaire.
At the end of the day though, they are all worthy organizations helping people that governments don’t and in many cases there is a lot of co-funding of development projects by these organizations.
Celtic By Numbers
Thank you again for a fine article on the cup final win against Hertz.
Loved the Horseshoe of Futility…
HH
Looking for assistance, I’m trying to fill in a couple of blanks on my collection of Celtic handbooks (wee green books) I’m needing 1971/72, 1975/76 and 1976/77. Can anyone help. ☘ Thanks in advance.
HH
Mea Culpa for mixing up FOOL TIME WHISTLE with ONLOOKER. It is obvious that many contributors have noted our sheer wastefulness in retaining possession at throw ins. However, I would comment that things have marginally improved since the time of Lee Naylor, who consistently hurled it up the line as far as he could, regardless of lack of success. I watched him do that against Barca for two legs of a tie, and I do not remember a Celtic player collecting the ball once.
Glendalystonsils at 6.06pm
Hearts do this every single game, teams should prepare for it.
When I was coaching rugby we used to do the same once a game – watch in the warmup what foot their full back kicked with, not a euphemism by the way, then kick the ball from kickoff deep to the corner where he would be forced to clear it with his weaker foot. Ok it’s not subtle but it won us points every season and I dare say the tactic works for Hearts from time to time. Other teams, mainly bottom six teams, do it as well.
So can we put paddy,Charlie and Gary to bed now?
Eden Hazard is five foot seven. Celtic passed on left back Andy Robertson and it took an ex celt Jackie MacNamara to save him for the game. Just been reading an article from the Beeb on the Maryhill lad and some dude from Hull claims he discovered him….aye for 3 million. Jackie McNamara hardly mentioned in the article. Jackie Mac Celtic legend.
Paul67
” If we do our job right in strengthening the squad ”
WatchThisSpace CSC
I think this song mentions the agency Concern in verse 2
celtic by numbers is great on twitter – does it have an ‘8’ in its has tag?
Alex Thompson on Channel 4 News just did a great piece on The Paras in Ballymurphy.
General Mike Jackson made to look like an incompetent liar.
Deflecting ?
setting free the bears for Res. 12 & Oscar Knox on 30th May 2019 7:26 pm
Possibly prompted by this article.
‘The lack of coverage of the Ballymurphy inquest is a scandal’
Roy Greenslade
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/commentisfree/2019/may/26/the-lack-of-coverage-of-the-ballymurphy-inquest-is-a-scandal
Good to see bhoys calling a throw in what it should be called a shy. A shy is a shy is a shy?
Nostalgic.csc
EL @ 7.43
TH should have stood trial in the Hague for what he authorised.
Uncanny link to the situation with the Maybot today — he needed the UU in 1970 to beef up his majority.
Consequently control of the army in NI moved closer to Stormont where local agendas could be indulged — I think this started with the attack on the Short Strand and the rest is a very bloody history.
The willy wavers in the military got their chance to make a name for themselves.
As noted by the brass on show today a “good” tour in NI got you noticed.
ernie
Did you see if it was covered on the other news programmes? Channel 4 was the only one I caught.
I have to say Alex Thompson’s neutral and professional presentation will have the EDL and Little Englanders foaming at the mouth.
The spokesmen for the families were given an unedited platform, albeit brief.
Hissy fit ?
Tell you what, I’d much rather have loads of words rather than having to tackle the enigma code. Harrruumph!!
Oot…
setting free the bears for Res. 12 & Oscar Knox on 30th May 2019 8:11 pm
I haven’t seen any TV news today so couldn’t say.
Jobo- it’s all about limiting the expertise in the area,I think ?
Bedtime and oot
HI BHOYS, as regards paddy Roberts, bums on seats, love the ghuy but can anyone blame him for pending a new deal with city and going on loan to Norwich rather than being kicked to death here in the spl.hh.
Jobo @ 8.13…..Indeed! :-)
Fairhill Bhoy
Yir a great man for harden the jackets :-)
haudin
!!bada bing!! et al
Is it possible to play your whole football career out on loan?
Patrick Roberts certainly making a good effort at doing so.
Sftb-kinda lost its ummph there?
Almore.
Thank you my Fhriend
HH jg
PR getting a new deal will no doubt be used to circumvent FFP Rules,player rental is huge business, Man City and Chelsea been at it for years.
Has NFL signed his contract yet asking for a friend ? HH
For completeness — CM offers some hope.
EK = Enigma given his ZSP performance / Thrown under a bus at Hertz by BR.
ON = Even after a poor season he is still worth more than £15mill / currently no focus and no desire but huge talent.
And then there is DA who currently answers to Lucky White Heather.
Another who deserves some support and a bit of encouragement — here’s hoping.
FRANNYB67 on 30TH MAY 2019 9:25 PM
Has NFL signed his contract yet asking for a friend ? HH
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Neil was in Marbella earlier this week enjoying rioja with Kris Commons and others.
So, I jump back on after an hour of watching Episode 1 of Mad Men to find our own MM maintaining his CBB attitude regarding PsNs and instead using as many TLAs as humanly possible. The thing is there are probably a lot of GPs in MMs posts but it really is HW trying to decipher ETHWs, the result being that more often than not I just SOB.
Admittedly, it’s probably just my own OCD kicking in as even when I send texts I tend to use real words and punctuation rather than NP, LOL, CUL8R M8 and all the other new fangled 21st century nonsense!
As a few have already mentioned there have been some really well constructed arguments on the blog these last few days. I’m QS that MMs are EV but just QI to fathom out and FTMLHW for an OG like me.
So apologies MM but I’ll read and hopefully appreciate your posts when you take an extra 30 seconds and avoid playing ‘give us a clue’.
PS – EKFC have already signed 3 new players for next season, a striker, a midfielder and a central defender, the one and only Darren O’Dea. Hopefully Celtic are as quick of the blocks when the transfer window opens (whenever that is – whatever happened to the 1st of June??)