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.
Celtic FC Foundation dementia work
Your Foundation deliver projects in Glasgow and Edinburgh in partnership with Alzheimer Scotland and The Eric Liddell Centre and need to raise fresh funds to ensure the work continues. To this end, the Hail, Hail Trail takes place between 12 April and 25 May. To participate, you are asked to do get sponsorship for walking a total of 130 miles (around 3 miles per day).
I do a lot or reading about running, but the literature continually says that walking is the best thing we can do for ourselves. It has health benefits that are difficult to get any other way.
So if you need an excuse to get off the couch, or if you are already walking a dog and could incorporate a good deed into your routine, sign up here.
Thank you.
215 Comments- Pages:
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HAIRLIKESPAGHETTI on 11TH MARCH 2019 2:48 PM
Ernie, I agree with you 100% re the inflexibility of Brandon Ravers regime at times, but at least domestically, there appeared some semblance of a plan B.
NFL seems to be stuck with a mid-table mindset, and I defy anyone on here to justify the thinking behind Saturday’s substitutions…
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Both J.F. and S.S. were performing poorly .
ConeyBhoy
Au contraire McGregor was banned for misbehavior whilst abroad with Scotland and then the follow up ‘ V’ sign to Scotland live on TV. He was re invited by a new Scotland manager and now he’s retired a week or two after more misbehavior at his club.
Au revoir, and good riddance unfortunately we’ll still have to suffer his cat like qualities and downright thuggery at Sevco.
HAMILTONTIM @ 8:00 PM,
£20,100!!!!!!
Wonderful Effort From All Involved – Well Done!!
CELTIC MAC @ 8:21 PM,
Maintaining our home record is a must… we have made Hampden our second home in recent Seasons, long may that continue…
Hail Hail
Fan-just to be clear,who has the grudge,makes things up and misspelled
EUROCHAMPS67 on 11TH MARCH 2019 5:34 PM
Well said.
TET-yes weebaw called me an alkey and last week it was the plastered plasterer.
BSR called me a jakey last year.
All a great laugh and only banter eh?
Neil was the only choice, in my opinion, to take over considering the position our former manager left us in. I just hope that after leading us to the end of the season and hopefully winning the last two trophies on offer, we say thanks and appoint a coach that will take us forward. Neil is not the man for the job.
https://johnjamessite.com/
Lenny is on the proverbial hiding to nothing.
Thank you , Brendan.
Lenny has stepped into the breach at what appears to be very short notice .
Thank you , Lenny and all the best .
You`ll need all the positivity you can get from our loyal support .
Celtic Mac
“Getting a bit worried reading that Lenny made good decisions back in the Ross County semi-final.”
I did not say it was a good decision; just a quick one.
To my untrained eye, N’guemo was no worse than the rest in that first half. I have a strong memory of Andy Hinkel almost refusing to cross the half way line as if he was under instruction. So much so that, at one point, someone passed it in front of him and it went into Ross’s half of the field; Andy collected it and vrought it back into our half all the time looking towards the dug out. We played with some fear that day, I recall- although we got cheated too.
Lurkin-you think that equates ??
Scott Bain Scotland no1, surely. Quite a year for him.
And I apologise to jobo if he was offended by my ‘snide comment ‘,it’s only banter ?
DAVID17 @ 9:04 PM,
True…
He owes a lot to the Management approach of Neil McCann!!
Hail Hail
A man who only had his own interest at heart has been replaced (at least for now) by a man who has Celtic’s interests at heart. We should be glad of that for now and support Lenny. Beyond this season I would prefer to explore whatever options are available.
Fairhill Bhoy – Apology accepted.
“The cream always rises to the crop”
Kris Commons SKY Pundit
Jobo…noticed you neglected to name the manager and had Burke extending his loan/being bought…is that a forecast ;-))
FB…that’s whataboutary….but I’ll leave it at that
Jobo-good man?
good point paul67 – Toljan needs the support of knowing what’s ahead of him
Clarke making an un-Lenny like late double substitution.
McGregor the shameful goalkeeper is a disgrace to his profession and try’s to maim his fellow professionals at every turn. If I remember correctly he does not conduct himself well in his private life either, but that aside he is a disgrace of a footballer.
He is a thug, cheat and liar. All in my opinion of course
D. :)
THELURKINTIM – I don’t do forecasts ;-) I think getting Burke to extend his stay woukld be a great move. Anyway, aff oot noo….
To be honest FB…I’m not on every day and dependent on mood…don’t always read back….but I would condemn any attack on a fellow poster if I read it on here
DAVID66 on 11TH MARCH 2019 9:22 PM
Don’t beat about the bush! -))
Hello again all you young rebels.
Big weekend coming up for the rebel peninsula bhoys and ghirls.
St Patricks Sunday in the Re-Publican Main St Mornington will be mega
judging by how many people have told me are coming down to
celebrate.
And if all those lovely ghirls from the St Kilda Celts s.c turn up like they said
it’s sure to be mayhem.
As usual big Ritchie will start at 2 o’clock with the rebs and then it’s party
into the night.
Any visitors looking for the pub just spot the giant tricolour hanging outside
the building, you can’t miss it as it covers the whole exterior lol.
Morningtons green and white.
H.H Mick
P.S regarding Celtic’s smallest player, did wee Bobby Craig not have that title?
THELURKINTIM-fair play.I don’t come on every day either,but reading back on last night wasn’t the best,and still waiting on some to explain
MM..sounds like it’s gonna be a green and white blast…am gonna see if I can astral project to be there in real spirit ;-))
FB…am pretty sure, once upon a time, I called him Weebaws…noo I jist scroll on by him….mibbe best if you do it the same…scroll by him that is ;-))
H.H.
THE LURKIN TIM
O.K then i’ll stick an astral spirit on the bar for your arrival 8-))
Forgot to mention First Guinness free for all our CSC members.
Yahoooo.
H.H Mick
THELURKINTIM-good advice I know,but he keeps dragging me back in?
And I probably keep him relevant ?
Kris Commons…’it’s not diving , but it’s a form of diving’………….??
Just a wee anecdote from last weeks ladies tournament at our
soccer ground.
Standing waiting for all the teams buses to arrive, with Guinness
in my hand as usual, then , there it was, the St Kilda S.C bus.
Single file they marched up to the park with the hoops gleaming
in the sun, a big blonde ghirl leading them off and with my auld
eyes i swear it was like big Billy and the lions in Lisbon.
So had to give them a ” c’mon the hoops ”
Maybe i’m drinking too much Guinness.
H.H Mick
TET-regarding my getting called a alkey :-))
You still think that’s banter
Night night
MM…mibbe it’s gregory pecks you need ;-))
H.H.
Well done to all An Gorta Mór collectors on Saturday.
Is this a lifetime retirement from McGregor?
Will Douglas Ross cast his Brexit vote early tomorrow, so he can take up his regular place at Poundland tomorrow night? The amount of games he gets involving us and thems,is well worth keeping an eye on.