Whatever maligned Celtic during the recent dark days when they dropped points to Hamilton and Dundee has cleared up. Hearts made the very best of a chance in the opening minutes on Saturday but the response was swift and conclusive.
Patrick Roberts deservedly picked up the accolades for his goals but the contribution of Tom Rogic should not go unrecorded. In creating the second goal he demonstrated ball-winning skills and creativity, a priceless package for a midfield player. Let’s hope he’s over his head knock for tomorrow night.
Mention should also go to Stefan Johansen, who played the deep-lying midfield role until Rogic went off, when he moved into the advanced position. His blind flick onto Roberts at the third goal was sublime.
The most pertinent comment I heard on Saturday was “It’s good to have the goalkeeper making saves again”. Craig Gordon appears to have his confidence back, perhaps as a consequence of the defence performing better.
For most of the second half Celtic defended more deeply than we’ve seen throughout the league campaign. With a two goal advantage, Griffiths and Johansen were asked to run into space, while the rest of the midfield became compact. As a consequence, Hearts had plenty of the ball, and created a few half chances, but they never carved Celtic open.
Had we been that compact during the European qualifiers our season could have been different.
There’s a process I go through when we sign a new foreign player: do I add his name to the spellcheck or not? I decided long ago I wasn’t prepared to pollute my dictionary with the names of transient players. Derk Boerrigter’s name still appears with wavy lines below in my word processor three years after his arrival.
His name will go down in Celtic annuls alongside Rafael Scheidt. We spent millions on them, they both went down with innocuous injury moments after starting for Celtic and that was pretty much that. In his opening 30 minutes for Celtic, Derk produced evidence that there was a football player hiding inside his psyche, but he soon found the rigors of the professional game too challenging.
He leaves Scotland with millions in his bank account and with a lot of frustrated people at Lennoxtown.
Did you read during the week that the Association of Irish Celtic Supporters’ Clubs raised €500 for the Foundation’s Ability Counts Ireland Project? The Ability Counts Project offers children with Downs opportunities to develop motor skills and team-working through football and dance. This is one small frontline of all the fundraising, badges, buckets, zip wires and dinners Celtic fans participate in.
It’s an important part of the relationship thousands of us have as Celtic supporters.
Consider getting involved. The Foundation is holding a H.E.L.P. Pilgrimage on Bank Holiday Monday, 30 May. Participants will walk the 17 miles between St Mary’s, Calton, Barrowfield, the Jimmy Johnstone statue and gardens at Viewpark and back to Celtic Park.
A 17 mile walk is no small feat, but most feet are capable of it, so get involved here.
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Biton & brown for the mid tomorrow?
An Tearmann
Pinkster has been around for a wee while. It has a decent reputation actually as a gin and business. I am not sure what they are after funds for ? I did notice that myself today.
HT
Let me fly a kite so to speak.
Barcabhoy posted a set of stats a while back on twitter which showed the comparative average wages paid to players in the EPL and then in the English Championship.
He opined that while Celtic could not pay the money offered in the EPL, they could definitely afford to pay more than the average wage offered in the championship to at least a good number of players.
Now, bear with me here.
Guardiola is being brought to Manchester City because he is a name. City have all the money in the world, but they need a manager with a reputation to attract players that in some cases money just won’t buy.
The theory goes that Martin O’Neill, or someone else with a known footballing name, would be able to attract players that perhaps would not come to Celtic Park otherwise.
I think that there is a recognition that for the financial plan to work we have to have sustained European Football, preferably in the Champions league group stages, and for that we have to have a somewhat better class of player than we have now, and for that we have to have someone on the managerial side who has a little “awe” about them.
We also have to get the bloody European Tactics right of course.
I agree, we cannot afford to go back to the prices and money of the M’ON years, but to compete in European terms Celtic have to change tack as we are being left behind and are behind the game with the current strategy.
Of course, if you can compete in terms of wages with the Championship you can compete with some of the other leagues in Europe, but you have to be able to lure the players to sign and right now we are not necessarily doing that and risk losing ground to other European teams.
Just a theory of course.
Wimbledon CSC
May have been posted before?
TT
With Ireland he has the opportunity to manage good/very good talent.
I get what you’re saying about Wycome and Leicester but from what I saw the football was basic and not dissimilar from the Wimbledon team that was slated by all self respecting football fans.
I know from speaking to you that we’re agreed on Ronny but personally I don’t think MON is the way forward. That is, unless, our spending policy changes.
Reading back –regarding boyota
I think we have possibly a very good centre half , he is young and come through a lot of injuries so I decided long time ago I would judge him after a full season injury free.. Expecting really good performances from him next season.
And we need to be realistic .. We paid £1.5m for him.. Anyone who thinks we are going to get a centre half at that price who isn’t going to make some bad mistakes is living in cloud cookoo. Back the player and his undoubted potential may just appear.
BRTH
I hope that the powers that be at Celtic share your theory.
For it is imperative that Celtic get back into the CL group stages soon.
TT
I have also heard about an O’Neil coming to CP, but not Martin, Michael.
Purely a rumour from an uninformed drunk.(No iI wasn’t talking to myself)
Pub talk.
The rumour seemed to start after an interview with MO on Radio Scotland where he said he would love to get back into club management, when his stint an NI was over, but he loved living in Edinburgh, ergo he had to manage a Scottish team and being a Tim, we were the club.
As I said someone putting 2+2 together and coming up with E=MC2.
I did listen to the interview, sounding like an intelligent chap, new the game, and how to play the Scottish hacks.
I’d have no objections, if and when Ronny decided to leave.
BRTH
Benfica probably have a lesser wage bill than us but shop in the South American market which Celtic cant due to visa implications, in my opinion the championship might pay wages but it’s mince…..
I have a wee sneaky feeling Ronny will get us through the CL qualifiers, by the way when you dissect his actual results in Europe they are not the worst, not a stats man but MON had a pretty dismal way record
TT
When Henrik and Harald stopped ten in a row, my immediate thought had nothing to do with the number of titles the other lot had or might have had.
I immediately thought that we were back where MY Celtic belong – I the European Hat with all the big names and in the knowledge that one by one they woud have to come to Celtic Park.
Prepare properly for Europe and the best and the rest will take care of itself.
HT
If I’m being honest ,I think MON coming back would be a signal that the strategy on our spending policy was going to change.
Along the lines of what BRTH has just posted.
I think a short term overspend may be required over the next few seasons to help keep the Hun in their place.
TT
BRTH
I completely understand, and to an extent, agree with all of that.
Sadly though, we operate in the contemporary football market where pound and euros are king.
MON is indeed a name and would have a pulling power that other managers don’t have but he doesn’t have the money that, in my opinion, he’d require.
Guardiola will have the pulling power, the ability, but most importantly, the finances to attract the best.
Right, I am away back to my Netflix viewing — not done a stroke of work all night but not starting now either.
Doc
It’s bad enough on here posting about Celtic now you want to fling in another equation
Onlooker / GFTB
Re scaling football ground walls …
As a nipper back in the 60s, I often went to watch the ol’ Hanky Pankies (that’s Clydebank FC, before you get any funny ideas) at Kilbowie Park.
If a lift-over wasn’t found, my pals and I would resort to scaling the wall at one of three favourite perimeter ‘weak spots’.
The top of the was liberally impregnated with broken glass, topped off with barbed wire.
The barbed wire was a dawdle, since a carefully draped anorak or duffle-coat was usually enough protection, but the broken glass was a barsteward for the unskilled or unwary.
Anyway, on one painful occasion, we couldn’t get a lift or get access to our usual weak spots. We therefore decided to risk the only other scalable point for kids our age, a relatively low point of the wall which, though the top of the wall could be reached, we could only negotiate the whole by squeezing gingerly just above the broken glass, yet under the barbed wire, before dreeping quickly and quietly down on the inside.
A bit like a scene from the great escape, we each boldly took our turn and disappeared over the wall … Only to discover 2 stewards waiting for us, holding our pals by the scruffs of their necks.
Thinking we were now in deep trouble which would include either the Polis and/or our parents, we were surprised to be offers the lesser evil of leaving the ground by the same way we came in. Unaided, of course, by our sadistic captors.
Happy days.
I think …
VIP
Proudbhoy
I am with you in the Boyata camp….there are no defenders who make no mistakes, I like the fact he has a wee bit of pace and even more important he left the EPL to come to us, most fans complain when it’s the other way about…..
Our strikers could make mistakes in every game, they get forgiven when they score, Dedreyck & co don’t have that luxury
I still don’t know what 2 out of Simonuvic, Erik, Boyata and steady Eddie Mulgrew
What I do know is KT should be to the left of any of them
Proudbhoy.
vipsports is normally good for our games.
HH
TT
I don’t think there’s a chance in hell of us making any alterations to our current spending policy hence no MON.
A couple of right good Tims were on looking for spares for tomorrow if you have any?
Like I said Gerry, uninformed nonsense.
But I could see it happening at sometime.
I’m not running Ronny out of town, and still hope he can get us clicking week in week out.
I can still see that happening, but have had doubt’s recently, Saturday did a lot to assuage those doubts.
PMSL, I had to have a second look at the date
There was an interesting satirical, but true, take on Pep going to Man City on the front cover of a recent When Saturday Comes. It basically said that Pep’s blueprint is to ensure that he always joins the richest club in whatever country he chooses to work in.
Rte 2 Ireland
League of Ireland highlights on soccer republic now.
JUNGLE VIP on 4TH APRIL 2016 10:56 PM
Onlooker / GFTB
================================================
The Bankies had a star player at that time lateish `60 ,perhaps captain , who was the local Geoge Best or Peter Marinello.
Bit of a cult hero.
You wouldn`t happen to remember his name ?
Gerryfaethebrig on 4th April 2016 10:48 pm
Good Evening and I hope you’re well?
Unfortunately Ronny’s home European record is as bad as MON’s away record and unless Ronny has a change of mind on how we play these games my feeling is that this will not improve.
Hope I am proved wrong
HH
CRC
Dixideans
Haven’t noticed that one on it but I’ll have a look..sports devil and firstrowsports seem to be decent for me.
Burnley78
Thanks for reply.I read of it today and found it interesting, Scottish gin I think my head is more honed to our more famous output.hope they get it ;-)
HH
Doc, Michael O’Neill recently signed a new contract with Norn Iron. A wage north of £500,000 a year and a nice compensation clause. Not happening his price is worth more than his record now. For that money you could get the other O’Neill.
Jungle VIP
I enjoyed that. As a wean I stayed near Hampden and our ‘break in’ was always to the national stadium.
We would scale the walls at the Celtic end and make our way to the enclosure opposite the main stand. This was while they still had the elevated area above the terracing.
We would spend hours playing ‘long bangers’ in the echoing surroundings and singing Celtic songs that we’d heard at school.
Great days.
Macjay
I know this name is more late 70s, but might you be thinking of Gerry McCabe … ?
Doc
I was talking about your E=MCblinking squared !
Hope you are enjoying your wee sabbatical
Jungle VP
Brilliant, thankfully the Rovers didn’t employ stewards, we got threatened with the children’s panel (which was next to ground) but it actually showed us an easier way in, there is a pub across from Albion Rovers called “Big Owneys” many a team from the lower leagues would frequent it before the game, mostly cheering us on if our game was the early kick off
Giggsy, like I say, uninformed rumour.
I would still think it a possibility at some point in the future.
He fits our club, and I think we could, depending on circumstances fit his ambition.
Just my take on a rumour I heard.
Proudbhoy.
vipsports is good for me.A right good few of the mods are Tims.
HH
CRC
Stop inserting facts into my nonsense post !
Gutted to read about what happened a few weeks back hope you and the family have a magic holiday……
JUNGLE VIP on 4TH APRIL 2016 11:08 PM
Macjay
I know this name is more late 70s, but might you be thinking of Gerry McCabe … ?
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Not him,mate.
Thanks anyway.
This particular guy married a lady I knew.Hence my interest.
Gerry, try good:-)
Having a nice quiet break, thanks.
Talking of which, early night.
Test.
Mmmmm
It’s now thinking in that I won’t be in Dundee tomorrow night.
Eh sinking.