On Friday we spoke about the mental energy deficit Celtic players would have after coming through the previous week’s upsets and triumphs. Neil Lennon picked up on the theme after the Aberdeen game, giving his players due credit for coming through a difficult week in rude shape.
Credit to Aberdeen, who scarcely crossed the halfway line during the opening period, but had the better of the second half at Celtic Park on Saturday. It is easy to point to the missing McGregor, Christie and Rogic, and to a lesser extent, Ntcham, and realise why Celtic were so lacking in creativity, putting things right in the short term is a different challenge.
I am grateful for the return of Nir Bitton after such a lengthy absence, but he is not the player we need or are missing. Changes were required at halftime, but the last thing we should have done was to remove Ewan Henderson, our creative mid, leaving Bitton and Scott Brown playing holding roles. This only served to invite Aberdeen forward.
Neil is still figuring out how to use his forward players. We tried various combinations of Oliver Burke (central then right), James Forrest (right then central), Scott Sinclair and Mikey Johnston, with Odsonne Eduard and Timo Weah making second half appearances. We appeared to be throwing players on to see what would happen. The result was as disjointed as it sounds.
Odsonne Eduard always improves the team when he comes on from the bench, but his impact is not as easy to measure when he is on from kick-off. I expect he will start at Dundee and against Newco.
James Forrest is 27 years old and whatever else you can say about him, he is a winger, not a central defender or a full back, and not a No. 10. We have a solid partnership of Kieran Tierney and Sinclair on the left. Jeremy Toljan, our new right back, should be developing a relationship with Forrest, not Forrest, then Burke, then Weah, or as it transpired, no one at all.
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First?
Couldnt agree more Paul
The 2 subs at Half time actually weakened the team. It was playing to the galleries.
I think I’ll go out for a walk.
opiumd … ?
Did you know that if you gave a monkey 3 bricks showing the letter B, U and M, and asked it to use the bricks to spell out the word B-U-M, it would only have a 50% chance of success … ?
Something similar would appear to happen when one chops and changes the Celtic mid-field, like ‘we’ did on Saturday …
NOTTHEBUS@12-11
Nail on head!
Re the recent spate of pitch invasions…
‘Everyone needs to sit down together – the game’s governing bodies, the players’ union, supporters’ groups and the authorities – and accept things have to change‘ .
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/47519794
——————————————
Sound , common sense approach involving a multitude of people connected to the game suggested by Phil Neville .
Seems like it has escalated in the last few weeks , has it peaked or is worse to come ?
I personally fear the latter is only a matter of time , when someone is injured by one of these clowns.
HH
In 1948 Linfield Fans Invaded the field and among other assaults broke the legs of Jimmy James of Belfast Celtic and knocked him unconscious. Windsor park stewards and RUC done nothing.
Nothing happened after that.
Stewards and Police need to deal with the issue arrest the culprits. Not staring into space when the bottle just missed Sinclair. CCTV should be used. The bottle which Willie Collum lifted was ignored by the Police and was evidence in any prosecution.
I don’t know how many times we have to play teams with players not turning up . Happened again on Saturday. (Tin hat on here ) when we play teams like aberdeen , we need everyone picked to perform , unfortunately we have too many who have no stomach for the battle , and stay out the road as much as they can ,weve all seen this . We and I’m sorry to say this ,have a few players who imho don’t want to be here . We are in a position to make it 8 in a row , we could possibly be in the position to make it a treble treble , but to attain that, this team needs to improve , needs everyone to show up , and needs everyone to toughen up . Next season we could be without mikael , dedryk , berkovic , Burke , Weah, ntcham , joso, and possibly a few others . Add possibly a new manager . Really is a state to be in , I only hope if we have a scouting team ,that they are already active in bringing in the much needed QUALITY we so obviously require .
Ps widny mind a hardman destroyer for midfield , to combat the hammer throwers we will soon be facing , as unfortunately l Think it is all to much for broonie now , and It gives me no pleasure to say that .HH
P67 – mostly yes and a wee bit no.
It’s true that the less dynamic duo of Broony and Nir sat deeper and seemed to slow our distribution down.
But not so convinced that NL is still figuring out the forwards dilemma.
If, as we’re told, he’s not gunna change much then it could be that the forwards themselves are still struggling to find out how to play together; which was often the case with Brendan directing operations.
V Dundee, I’d ‘rummel them up’ a bit, and pair Bayo and Eddie (with Oli floating wider).
Also embdy, what’s the return dates of Ralston and Ntcham??
Paul67
Neil Lennon brings it all on himself
BIGBHOY
Stewards and Police need to deal with the issue arrest the culprits. Not staring into space when the bottle just missed Sinclair.
Not fair tv clearly shows the bright green fatties and polis having a discussion after the bottle was thrown.
They were probably conversing wether to issue a summons to the cretin for missing.
The coin that was also thrown caused them utter confusion as they couldn’t believe an Edinburgh tightwad would do such a thing.
They were hoping to arrest him when he came back down to get it back when he realized the folly of his action.
One comfort for us is the w#nkers been in therapy since due to the trauma of losing money.
Usual man-marking tactics from McInnes, so it shouldn’t have been a surprise for us. Did we train for this? Needed to be dragging their players out of position and moving into the gaps.
Not sure about the two substitutions at half time. Maybe Henderson could have stayed on and even moved back to Bitton’s position later on with Weah moving to Henderson’s position.
Disappointing to lose the 100% home record and the winning run this year, but not a disastrous result in itself and kept the gap as it was on Friday morning.
STAN COLLYMORE has donated £100 to Celtic fans’ Irish famine memorial fund.
The An Gorta Mor Glasgow campaign raised funds outside Parkhead on Saturday prior to the Hoops’ match against Aberdeen.
Since the inception of Sevco in 2012, their hordes threatened to take their revenge of their “enemies”.
This has created an anger within the game, that has bubbled and fomented under the surface,
This has broken out, into the acts of blatant thuggery in recent times.
England now is experiencing the same behaviour, borne possibly from the divided Brexit chaos.
Right wing aggression manifesting itself.
Steven Gerrard has revealed he would be willing to remove his players from the pitch if any are attacked by supporters.
Brassneck/blowtorch stuff,from the Klub with the worst record in Scotland, pitch invasions at every away game,seats and bottles thrown regularly, LG with an industrial size battery thrown at him,Broonie confronted by a halfwit (remind me,what punishment did they get?),.These stupid peepil,live in a total bubble.
https://twitter.com/CelticFCAcademy/status/1105091101638180865?s=08
Dembele and Bayo start for Academy team
Said at the game – and not with hindsight – that putting 2 subs on at HT seemed impulsive, over-reactive and ran the risk of ‘cashing your chips in’ too quickly with only 1 x sub left. Talking to my son-in-law Hibee he says that was a thing with Lenny at Easter Road – can’t remember him doing so with us previously.
Putting 2 x subs on at HT would normally happen in drastic circu,stances – e.g. if you were 2-0 or more down, or if it was clear the game was well out of your grasp – neither of which were the case.
TTT @ 1.10
Totally agree.
It wasn’t so long ago the entire Sevco team got attacked and assaulted at Hampden.
They let their club die, we know and they know that we know.
There were a multitude of reasons for Neil Lennon leaving Celtic when he did, and not all were off the park concerns. The product on the park was a not insignificant factor, and I fear a return to those dark dismal times of inflexibility, no plan B and randomly pointless substitutions.
Taking him back on permanently is a huge step backwards and I fear that we are heading that way. We are extremely lucky that he was available to fill the void until May, particularly when you consider how poorly he was treated when last in the job. We have no God-given right to win the league, or 10IAR, but we have the right to expect that the club appoints the best man possible for the role.
Neil Lennon is definitely not that man.
TULLY57 – he’s no yer son-in-law yet.
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 11TH MARCH 2019 1:22 PM
‘They let their club die, we know and they know that we know.’
*******
‘O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?’
HAIRLIKESPAGHETTI on 11TH MARCH 2019 1:24 PM
‘dark dismal times of inflexibility, no plan B’
***
Unlike the BR regime then?
Jambalaya, crawfish pie and fillet gumbo
For tonight, I’m-a gonna see my ma cher a mi-o
Pick guitar, fill fruit jar and be gay-o
Son of a gun, we’ll have big fun
…………………………………on the Bayo
Ernie
From the same lesson The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 11TH MARCH 2019 1:40 PM
What do the official record books show?
The official record books say we’ve to play along with the jolly jape, and constantly say in our head …………” the Rainjurz are comin “
There or thereabouts CentenaryBhoy!
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 11TH MARCH 2019 1:47 PM
Why would any half way sensible person be prepared to financially support, or give any credence whatsoever, to a game that is determined by ‘jolly japes’?
ERNIE LYNCH on 11TH MARCH 2019 1:54 PM
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 11TH MARCH 2019 1:47 PM
Why would any half way sensible person be prepared to financially support, or give any credence whatsoever, to a game that is determined by ‘jolly japes’?
*****
Because, unfortunately, it’s the only game in town and it’s not our ball.
There are only two choices,
Play or Don’t Play.
Ernie
Celtic can’t alter Rainjurz history, and never could, Scottish football supporters are unanimous that the original club died. I still don’t need Celtic to tell me what happened.
Their punishment is that they’ve to pretend it was all a dream.
Celtic’s compensation for having endured the Rangers fraud, is Sevco for as long as they exist.
Took young Bhoys just six minutes to score. Pin point set piece from Karamoko, headed down at back post by Marvelous Marvin Compper and swept in by Wallace Duffy.
I reckon we really need a real creative midfielder, a David Silva type,or my hero dear old Lubo. but I know they are hard to find and harder to get one with our budget, but, I reckon the young guy Jota of Birmingham City could be the answer. I’ve watched him closely recently and while he is a bit lightweight, he’s a class act. No idea how much he would cost us mind you, but you can live in hope.
KINGLuBO
Who would win in a fight between a full Scottish or a full English?
A different , but brilliant wee choon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY3JTRPFIWY
KINGLuBO
Commper scores from an Oxo-Flex corner…..shurely shum mishtake..
And after 14 minutes Marvelous Marvin Compper heads a powerful goal direct from a CORNER by Armstrong OKO-Flex . 2 up.
Bring on Marvin for the 10 in a row.
Try this out blues bhoyz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71Gt46aX9Z4
KINGLuBO