I like Scott Brown and Leigh Griffiths’ reactions to our recent adversity. It says a lot about them. They both personalise responsibility for what happens next, this is an important part of recovery – and success.
A week ago I wrote that the League Cup semi against Ross County was the biggest game in the rest of our season, and that it wasn’t a game I’d bet on. It provided the toxicity cup football can generate, creating a crisis mentality which rolled into Aberdeen on Wednesday.
This psychological phenomenon has to end now. Feel free to put a date in June in the diary to get back to it. We are in a genuine league title contest, something you and I talked about as a great thing for Scottish football not so long ago. We have no God given right to be miles ahead of anyone. We are here because we’ve made mistakes and an opponent stepped up. Welcome to Celtic.
If you want to open an inquest when the patient catches a cold, knock yourself out, but I’m not up for it. If we want this title, we circle the wagons and give the manager and players the encouragement they need to get the job done (and, erm, that includes you, ‘Phyllis’). You can be sure Aberdeen fans will do nothing less.
Tomorrow the focus switches to Perth, where Aberdeen take on St Johnstone. They won their first 8 league games this season, but the wheels came off the tractor immediately after their most important victory away from home – at Tynecastle. Next up was a League Cup game against Hibs, the loss of which plunged them into a five-week chasm.
They are a team who get notoriously nervous just when they begin to think they are in with a chance. We’ll see what Tommy Wright does with them tomorrow.
Enjoy your football. Enjoy this league race, the challenge and the disappointments. Enjoy that thrill when a goal goes against Aberdeen, or the downer when they score. It will make the finale all the more rewarding, I promise you.
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!!Bada Bing!!
We have a game on scenario that we all wanted, that’s what the game is about, bring it on…we are Sparta :))
The sheep will have a country behind them in operation anyone but the tims.
The cheats with whistles will be on message.
Celtic will have to vastly improve from the first half of season to win the league.
We should win it but it will be difficult.
Captain beef heart @ 2:33, very well said ..
… An extremely disappointing.
Are we interested in only the score tomorrow(assuming we win), or, is the performance important.
Perhaps all we want is to get it out of the way and move on to more pressing things.
Need to look out the sheepskin drawers – weather forecast saying cold, raw and windy – never been to this stadium before.
The bubble’s burst as Annan go 1 down at home.
2-0 sheep game over
OMG! If Aberdeen get another 24 goals in the next 67 minutes they will go top of the SPL.
Aaaarggghhhh! Sack Dermot! Sack Peter! Sack Ronny! Sack the players! Sack the fans! Sack everyone!
Leicester and Aberdeen in the champions league – who would have thought it. Just shows throwing money at club is not the be all and end all.
Mr Pastry
Someone posted last week that the Main (only?) Stand there is famously Baltic on a windy day!
Maybe better double-up.
Given the last 7 days, I’ll take a win, any win!
Why is a Celtic player out at 3 a.m. in the middle of the season, especially in a week that we have 3 critical games ?
Leave Callum McGregor alone,lads. He is probably hurting more than any abuse you or anyone else can give him.
Seems he’s screwed up,idiot if that’s the case. I doubt he was driving in a condition which rendered him incapable,only illegal-but I don’t know.
I do know it is unlikely he would be released had his reading been way over the top,that’s a long lie-in.
Remember,please,that he might have had a reading which is legal in the UK bar Scotland. Drinking and driving is not illegal. Breaching the limits are.
Stupid. Not a hanging offence.
Overseasbhoy
Active imagination, how did Aberdeen go in the Europa league qualifiers ? Fair play Leicester will go straight in but dream on with the dandy dons
22’33”
WESTIES
Ever felt the need to wind down?
As I said,he was over the limit,but not by so much that he was detained.
Depending on when he started,probably looking at four or five pints.
I agree with you. Hanging’s too good for him.
Would refusing avoiding watching a live televised game of football involving a particular club not make you more discriminatory?
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
Oh the new Rangers are sh**e CSC
BMCUP,
The 3.00am is enough, no matter how much or little he was drinking.
No player should be out to that time, unless he is driving his missus to the maternity hospital.
Tough, but he is supposed to be a professional footballer and that should require a degree of professionalism.
THOMTHETHIM
I agree with that,if he was training the next day. If his day off,not a problem.
Btw,if you are attending the DUNLIN2016 celebrations-and I hope you will-my Dad might tell you a tale of one of our early 70s heroes which would curl your hair.
He’s a good-looking 22yo,wi a day off. And minted. If I was him I would find it difficult to grab a duvet and a box set.
Ross county 1 linlithgoe Rose 1
One of Phil’s bloggers…….hope he’s right …!!!
“Rangers will only fail properly when their guardian angels at the SFA are no longer able to protect them. That day is coming – maybe not fast – but it is coming. Ashley’s QC made the SFA look very weak today – regardless of the Judge’s findings to come. The King Fit and Proper judicial review will leave them looking very weak. Once BDO are denied the right to appeal the EBT decision, UEFA will need to become involved and the purity and depth of the SFA’s corruption will become legend. Maybe some outsiders will even ask how such corruption could continue for so long under the noses of non-corrupt politicians, non-corrupt police, non-corrupt churchmen, non-corrupt judiciary etc etc
Rangers will unravel the SFA and the SFA will unravel much of the Scottish establishment – it’s just a matter of time and pressure.”
Not going to criticize McGregor he will have many waiting to have a go at him. Severely annoys me why people out drinking can’t just get a taxi. Next morning is a lottery sometimes.
Gers stop Premiership giants and earn money spinning replay.
Not too concerne with the dons just yet. Long way to go.
McGregor has brought disgrace upon the club if the allegations of drink driving is true. Putting peoples lives at risk seems that much more serious than other players sending tweets.
A muppet if it’s true.
quite excellent read on etims today.
sack the board,
lawell and co time to go.
http://etims.net/?p=8610
Every neutral in England wants Leicester to win the league ( that includes fans from their own division who are outside the top 6).
It is natural, I assume most on this blog also wish them well.
How come when we look at out own division so many Tims interpret ‘ neutral’ support for Aberdeen’s challenge as an anti Celtic Masonic conspiracy?
Is there such a thing as a football neutral in Scotland?
Are we just a week bit too sensitive?
Hugely disappointed in McGregor. Drink driving destroys lives, and in this day and age there really is no excuse.
St Stivs and then what??
Congratulations to Lurgan Celtic into the last eight of the Irish Cup. Commitment and determation to the cause from a team off part timers.
L57
“Lord Livingston of Parkhead – how’s that for an oversized ego?”
@ ETIMS
Bobby,
I’m sorry, but no matter whether it is a player’s day off, not to personalise it, midweek, during the season is not the time to “break training” to the extent of being arrested st that time in the morning.
In today’s game, you cannot pick up and lay down your fitness. It has to be regulated and constant.
He appears to have exceeded the ” couple of beers after a match” rule.
What chance has a manager got in trying to instil a positive, professional attitude in his players, if this incident is tolerated.
These guys are not ordinary young men, with a talent, like our heroes of bygone days.
They are highly paid specialists, who have a responsibility to their profession, their team mates, their club and, their fans.
Normal rules don’t apply to today’s players.
On the bright side, if Calum doesn’t appreciate his first team position, maybe we will get a chance to see what Allan / Christie can do in the role.
Fan a tic 2:55
Further to your post re % possession.
Todays Half time stats from Sky
Liverpool 82% possession against Sunderland 1 shot on target ,no goals
Everton 30% possession away to Stoke, 3 shots on target, 3 goals.
# Geoff Sterling
St J pull 1 back ooohhhh
BMCUWP on 6th…
A worldly man putting a bit of perspective on it for the tap dancers.
The bhoy is high profile, leeches out to put him in that probably take the same chances.
I’m not saying it is right what he did, but I won’t throw stones at him!
I’ll leave that to the high and mighty.
BMCUWP
I am well aware of drinking culture amongst Scottish players. The Lions had a few guys who liked the bevvy (personally witnessed), but they were the senior, established players. On the other hand, the young reserve players did not indulge (personally witnessed)……and it would not have been tolerated by team management. Callum is still establishing himself, and I really hope he does well.
Team management will not be impressed.
Keep The Faith
Will the SFA need to change their rules now that Sevco have an away game in the Scottish cup, it wasn’t allowed befor.
The Celts in Toronto in 1970.
Any other CQNers spend time with the players during their 1970 visit to Toronto ?
Onlooker
Not surprised.
Until a lot of these so called modern possession obsessed coaches learn to break it down to three separate types they will continue to fail.
There is positive zone possession which gives you the chance to score.
Non threatening game possession which is usually a series of backwards and sideways set of play going nowhere.
Then there is tempo possession which is used to set flow of game and create openings.
There are so many midfielders out there with incredible possession stats because they always take the easy pass three or four yards backwards and add nothing creatively.
The game needs Bobby Murdoch.
Egg ball time, probably get pumped as usual.
WESTIES
Look,I’m not condoning it. But it happened. And if he had a reading of say 120 I’ll say he has disappointed me.
And he deserves what he gets.
If it’s about 65 then he needs his baws booted. The law is the law.
But being above the legal limit for driving does not make you incapable of driving a vehicle. Nor does it make you a potential murderer.
Most accidents are caused by people who are sober. Including the fatal ones.