Footballers often play two games a week but their peak fitness levels are achieved when the play once a week. More often than that and the muscles don’t recover quickly enough. Top players’ muscles are finely tuned to deliver 90 minutes of exertion. To reach this peak, they NEED games as well as training. It appears to be beyond the ken of sports scientists to create a training routine which matches actual matches.
Apart from a 25 minute run-out against Hearts two weeks ago, newco’s players will not have played a football game in 22 days when they line-up against the champions on Sunday. If the boot was on the other foot, I would be concerned.
Celtic watchers will note that they score more goals late in games than early. Ronny’s team try to win the battle for territory, the ball and energy before running over the top of opponents. Whatever happens in the opening 20 minutes on Sunday I would expect Celtic to be far more effective in the final 20 minutes of the game, when their superiority will be most effective. There’s a chance newco will crumble early on, but I don’t expect many chances at either end until later in the first half.
While we all know how Celtic will play, it’s harder to figure out how Kenny McDowell will line-up tactically. If he was Ross County manager he would defend his 18 yard line for 90 minutes and hope for a breakaway, but I’m not sure that’s a viable strategy for Sunday. Lose an early goal and he would be caught between damage limitation and attempting to get back into the game. It could get very messy.
My hunch is that he’ll play a conventional 4-5-1 and attempt to find space out wide behind Celtic’s full-backs for Kenny Miller to run into. The full-backs will play forward, there will be space, we’ve just got to be faster than the 35-year-old ex-Celt now plying his trade in the lower leagues.
Despite their form against Hibs and Hearts this season, newco have an excellent record against Premiership competition in the cups. Three wins, against Inverness (only one point behind Aberdeen on same games played), St Johnstone and Kilmarnock, without a goal conceded, is a measure of what they are capable of, when they put their minds to it.
The wins against Kilmarnock and Inverness are particularly noteworthy, as both Premiership clubs enjoyed the majority of possession, but were frustrated in attack and hit with sucker-punches. This is what McDowell will seek to do at Hampden.
Ronny, get the job done. Very, very, very, thoroughly.
A reminder for North American readers that the Annual Celtic Supporter’s Féile is on in Philadelphia this weekend. The events include live music each day, the US premier of The Asterisk Years, with a Q&A with Paul Larkin and Graham Wilson of Beyond the Waves podcast, as well as live coverage the semi-final. You can find out more, including how to book, here.
Have you booked for the CQN11 Str Patrick’s Dinner on Friday, 13 March? We’re hoping to raise enough money to build Mary’s Meals a school kitchen in Malawi. Mary’s meals emailed an hour ago with a report on one of the kitchens we built last year, in Kholoni, where they are now feeding 1245 children each day, a considerable increase in the roll-call since the availability of kitchen facilities, see the photo above.
Email me for tickets, celticquicknews@gmail.com (to the Dinner, not Malawi).
2,618 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- ...
- 69
- »
bournesouprecipe
17:28 on 30 January, 2015
If he’s from Armagh he won’t miss :-) HH
Guernica…great link to the bhoy mcginns twitter…gonna follow him…he is good…
masty,
keep sayin it like it is!
The_huddle, and how many games when we were the overwhelming favourites did we not only win, but scud them???
Be scared and pessimisstic if you wish….but not in my (or Masty’s) name!!
I have no time for all that negative crap!
I dont even really care if we only win by one. we will have won and that is all that matters…….but for the record i think we will win by 3!
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
GetitrightFeckinUpThem CSC
BGX
the bhoy will need to watch himself..the scumbags will think nothing of reporting him for the least wee thing
The Token Tim
I second that emotion..
The Token Tim
20:16 on 30 January, 2015
masty,
keep sayin it like it is!
The_huddle, and how many games when we were the overwhelming favourites did we not only win, but scud them???
Be scared and pessimisstic if you wish….but not in my (or Masty’s) name!!
I have no time for all that negative crap!
I dont even really care if we only win by one. we will have won and that is all that matters…….but for the record i think we will win by 3!
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
GetitrightFeckinUpThem CSC
————
Put your curlers back in love, no ones saying anything in your name just highlighting the many times we’ve been favourites against lower leagues teams and still came up short.
Even in your rousing post to the masses you still bottle it and say you’ll be happy with a 1 nil win :O)
This must be the technology they used to arrest the young fans going on holiday
Taking it to far now
http://issuu.com/regennewspapers/docs/the_genn_issue_147
HH
I think I will take this onto the rangers chat sites to see if they agree with me.
The main problem I think rangers and their successor, Sevco have, is the are too fixated in copying the Vatican.
The last seven Popes have alternated between safe, conservative choices (Pius, Paul, JP 2 and Benedict) and reactionary left field choices (John, JP1, Francis).
The last seven rangers managers have alternated between safe, conservative choices (Wallace, Smith, McLeish, Smith) and reactionary left field choices (Souness, Advocatt, Le Guen).
Now Sevco have copied this Vatican fixation.
A few years after the Pope retired, and a new Pope was elected, to give us the unique position of having two ‘Popes’ on the go at the same time, what do we have. . .
McCoist has handed in his notice and a new manager selected, but we still have the unique position of having two sevco ‘managers’ on the go at the same time.
Love this Wolfsburg strip BTW.
South of Tunis – Best Swedish band is Abba?
Sir, I give you the mighty Goat!
http://youtu.be/alwA5KVCJro
jmccormick
20:20 on
30 January, 2015
Love this Wolfsburg strip BTW.
——————————————————–
is that the green and white saltire strip?.if so I agree its a cracker..
BSR
Just been reading back .
We used to play Japs and marines … how non pc was that ?
Also , the dugs in our street took the family surname eg Patch Garsythe , Kim Begbie etc
Different times .
the_huddle,
“put your curlers in” hahahaha well seing you dont know me!
as for the “many” times we have come in short against lower league opposition…..aye very good, all those hunners of times…..against the “few” times we have beaten them easily.
you sit and watch the game behind the couch and through your fingers and maybe, just maybe we will manage not to lose to the mighty Sevco.
Oh and I never said Id be happy with a one-nil, i said i dont even really care…..but then went on to say I think we’ll win by 3!
Either way Im looking forward in full expectation to a victory on Sunday. Defeat not even a consideration.
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
Weeman67 and Dublinbhoy
Cheers for your help. Hopefully get it in hotel.
In the middle of panic packing!
HH
masty
Oh, aye. A belter.
Masty – think back to the games against them during Mowbray’s tenure….the honest mistakes! All of them in glorious technicolor going out to the UK and beyond…they’re feckin shameless!
If it’s the same old on Sunday, then we can safely assume that the boards tactic of softly softly with the SFA has been a monumental failure!
HH
TTTT
Chas Bhoy Market near station is a favourite hostelry for watching the Tic of a number of Ayrshire Tims on here.
T3 – Lenny predicted 3-1 on STV earlier, that’ll do for me on Sunday!
TTTT
T4,
Lenny always was a pessimist
;-)
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
The Comfortable Collective
20:20
Hahahahahahahaha!
Fantastic!
tommytwiststommyturns
20:38 on
30 January, 2015
Masty – think back to the games against them during Mowbray’s tenure….the honest mistakes! All of them in glorious technicolor going out to the UK and beyond…they’re feckin shameless!
If it’s the same old on Sunday, then we can safely assume that the boards tactic of softly softly with the SFA has been a monumental failure!
HH
TTTT
=================================
again I hear ye, but with all that’s happened since then more are paying attention..and I don’t think pistol pete was at humpdump then either…wont say he wont for definite, but the refs knows he is under more scrutiny this time around.
3 -0 wolfsburg. Bayern still on holiday.
All I can say is this……
when’s the quiz start ??
tommytwiststommyturns
He said 3-0 or 3-1, I’m going -2 with Betfair, 11/5. Guess what score I’m going for.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Just spent the last few hours with some right good Tims. And SOAL !
HH jamesgang.
jamesgang,
with SOAL????
You have my sympathy mate.
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
Anyone know if it’s possible to leave the car in or around Prestwick airport for a week?
Gordon 19.50
Interesting quote that from Jerry Kerr…’the world’s greatest team’
I’ve discussed this with mates over the years and tried to be as objective as possible.
I’d certainly say we were after the Lisbon performance. We were better than Racing club, who hacked their way to the official title.
From 67-70 Celtic were probably always top 5 at least. From 70-74 top 10.
Its difficult to say categorically but we’ve been at the pinnacle of world football on two or three occasions I reckon.
For what it’s worth, Celtic have only been favourites twice for the European Cup (UK bookies).
Before the Feyenoord final, and also at the quarter finals after a first leg 0-0 draw in Milan.
Weste End of East End
If you are on Ref your pal who is in Raleigh, NC this weekend
Can you email me at rweinvisible@gmail.com
My pal might be able to help out.
HH
the comfortable collective
20:20 on 30 January, 2015
Absolutely brilliant analogy.
Fekin skud intae the FOD
Big time
Stop at 7.
Mibbee.
HH jamesgang
Milan 68-69 that was.
That’s without paying for the parking….
I’m skint.
Big Cup Winners
Use Watsons Air parks.
Tokentim
To be fair he just sat there and said nowt.
AyeRightCSC!
HH jamesgang
jamesgang
He sat and slagged me the last time we met in the BV. You remember to take your phone this time?
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
jamesgang,
aye hes the shy retiring type is oor SOAL!!
HAIL! HAIL!
Token