How frustrating is it that we could control the game against Newco for 90 minutes yet still put our finger on the self-destruction button? It is equally frustrating that this level of control has been absent against so many lesser opponents. Why that is, is a question that will asked around these parts for years.
I liked the balance of our play: controlled, with sufficient cover that the defence was never stretched. Ryan Christie stuck to his role, without trying to win the jackpot every time in possession.
Mohamed Elyounoussi scored with a glorious diving header, should have added a second and was a constant threat when linking with his strike partner, Odsonne Edouard. Odsonne created the goal and would have doubled the advantage, but for his shot hitting the undercarriage of McGregor in the Newco goal.
When is a trip in the box not a penalty? We both know the answer to that. VAR has not removed controversy from the English game so I do not anticipate it will solve our problems here, but surely, surely, the trip on Odsonne would have resulted in a penalty awarded under video review.
VAR would also have seen that Alfredo Morelos was red carded for his attack on Stephen Welsh, we await to see if the SFA video review panel is sufficiently motivated to act.
Season 2020-21 will not be remembered fondly for our goalkeeper performances, however, Scott Bain’s save from a Kent volley yesterday might just count as the first impressive save of the campaign. I cannot remember another.
I have praised Jonjo Kenny here but it was clear from early on yesterday he did not enjoy the step up in expectation. Years from now you will be reminded that he conceded a corner that led to the Newco goal while in possession around the halfway line and a familiar pain will emerge. What on earth?
The stat of this Celtic team: four of Newco’s last five goals against us were from set-pieces; three corners and a free kick into the box. Martin O’Neill, who added analysis for Sky TV, must have had been dismayed. His teams were seldom known for their passing game but they all understood how important it was to attack a set-piece.
Newco were no more than ordinary. They had an exerting European tie on Thursday and could easily have conceded three or four goals, but they left with a point, surprising no one.
And for anyone living in the west of Scotland, this whole over-celebrating a point thing defines them to a T.
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Armadale yesterday evening:
https://twitter.com/chrismartin_01/status/1373654117063745540?s=24
Jamesgang,
The wife and I have to get our jabs next week. I’m just wondering which jab you got.
Thanks and HH.
Yogi
AZ. In Stirling.
I think most will get AZ, given the ease of transportation and storage temperatures. And cost and supply (to date)
I’m 51 with no underlying conditions – I understand that Forth Valley have been in the middle of the pack in terms of pace of roll out.
HH jg
THEORIGINALSADIESBHOY on 22ND MARCH 2021 3:42 PM
Armadale yesterday evening
This one shows the reaction of our brave boys in blue…
https://www.facebook.com/1145606152/posts/10219602453228992/?d=n
post split fixtures
hh
https://twitter.com/CelticFC/status/1374028696936402944?s=19
Jamesgang,
Thanks. We’ll be getting Pfizer with four weeks between the two jabs. I have a heart condition. My wife is 79.
HH
Whoever invented the phrase “the pen is mightier than the sword” was way off the mark. It was Otis Redding who sang ” Actions speak louder than words and I’m a man with a great experience”. Through all their endeavours Celtic are the most successful club in the history of scottish football. If that means anything to anyone then Celtic should support and if necessary defend scottish football. Roofe’s challenge on the Slavia Prague goalkeeper is indefensible and should have been the only action that deserved comment in the following days. The Ibrox spin doctors put paid to that with yet another racism allegation after doing the same with their Colombian striker. The Roofe action is sidelined. The racism card gets the green light from the media in Scotland and England. Celtic captain Scott Brown takes a supporting role in the proceedings. So do Celtic have a responsibilty to Ondrej Kolar? Have Celtic condemned Ondrej Kudela already for his alleged whisper? I have been watching football for 50 years now and I have never seen such a dangerous challenge in Scotland in all that time. Studs in the air, studs In the face, studs on the head. Some people now consider it seems , that a whisper is mightier than a boot. Tell that to the people in Prague in 1968, an issue that Sir Robert Kelly felt so strongly about that he spoke of being in support of the Czech people, so Celtic has/ had a very special link to Czechs, maybe the Slavia Prague players today had grandparents who went through that. Reason suffice for Celtic to have been more even- handed in their interpretation of events last Thursday night in Glasgow. However Celtic have another, more compelling reason to have been very concerned about the media immunity that Roofe enjoys and to have expressed concern at the brutal challenge on the most vulnerable player on the field, the goalkeeper. Celtic and Scotland lost, during a match, a fantastic goalkeeper called John Thomson nearly 90 years ago someone who is remembered by the faithful and in his memory we should always have a soft spot for the goalkeepers and the dangers they face.
CELTIC MAC on 22ND MARCH 2021 7:43 AM
Oh and another thing, in a post match interview, Stephen Welsh referred to our in situ manager as “Kendo”, acceptable maybe if your last name is Nagasaki, but a sign perhaps that John Kennedy has not been seen as a serious professional, even by our younger players.
*when the beast bailed oot tae anfield and was replaced as acting manager by naesurname the players collectively said they hoped “wattie” got the job.
LIONROARS67 on 22ND MARCH 2021 8:25 AM
Fully concur with all you say just want tae add that Eddy no being interested might be as a result of the agricultural fitba he has tae face week in week out.
As for Griff, I posetd a few weeks back the comparison, including age of him, and Dixie, one of the most loved and sung about players in my lifetime, and how the latter seemed tae have hit his plateau and Jock who took a chance on signing him let him go.
the problem with analysing the defending at set pieces when we concede is that we don’t analyse all the set pieces where we cleared the ball for comparison and to level set. Need Celticbynumbers back!
Yogi
I’m sure it’ll work just fine for you both.
My Dad is 84. Got his AZ a while back. No reaction at all.
All worth it
HH jg
Jamesgang,
Thanks
🙏❤️
The curious case of Odsonne Edouard.
I think from memory he sclaffed one in, away at Hamilton on his debut, during the intitial loan period. He then spent some time very much in the shadow of his compatriot Moussa Dembele. When we went back to PSG to buy, Brendan Rodgers was a happy bhoy who had completed his main business in that window.
With Eddy the top man, he went on to become a star at Celtic, but he seemed ‘disrespectful penalties’ aside to lose his way, despite retaining the class is permanent tag. Sometimes wanted that touch too many, but lately his dribbling through queuing defenders is verges on the ridiculous. His role model according to a recent interview is Ronaldo the first, and he loves the way he takes on defenders? Someone has to have a word in the mercurial Frenchman’s shell like.
His assist yesterday was marred by soft misses and his reluctance to shoot first and think later, has cost Celtic dearly. We’ll probably never know how much money or illness affected him, but he’s almost certain to be the third of the musketeers with no future interest in playing for Celtic.
The rebuild at Celtic might be long and painful and who knows when we’ll return to the halcyon days, but new heroes are desperately needed, a club of our stature and history shouldn’t need loans with no future at their parent club. The signing hierarchy must change along with the manager and CEO
Take your time but get it right CSC
https://twitter.com/BBCJamesCook/status/1374036694677258245?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1374036694677258245%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fs9e.github.io%2Fiframe%2Ftwitter.min.html1374036694677258245
Sturgeon not guilty
RIMTIMTIM
Nailed it.
BSR…again, you are correct. Odsonne has gone from favourite player to frustrating player. Playing mostly for himself these days. He is now so easy to read for defenders. He needs a coach whom he genuinely respects, even fears a little, someone like BR…
Ryan Christie stuck to his role? If that standard is acceptable at celtic football club we are in deep trouble. He is an attacking midfielder. We expect him to be linking up play and offering a threat on their goal. He did neither and hasn’t done so in months. Losing possession in vital areas and countless poor decision making.
Its do frustrating that he is rarely substituted. I suspect its because his work rate is high – if workrate is the requirement we could replace with Hamilton players!
He should have been hooked at half time and replaced with forrest or rogic or klimala or griff – anyone!
We didn’t win yesterday because we didn’t take our chances – Media is critical of our defense at set pieces , interestingly Celtic had more headers from corners and could easily have scored through Eduard, Welsh, Moi and Ajer headers against their dominant defense!
We were guilty of lacking conviction – Eduard lay minded and casual, Mcgregor greedy when he could lay it on a plate for Eduard, great goalkeeping and poor shooting from non strikers.
We should have won 6-1 but lacked that wee bit of gallus arrogance – new coach will bring that!
You pick the judge — you pick your justice.
Another failure to add to the growing list of Scottish legal failures.
Just another Edinburgh jury shambles.
!!Bada Bing!! , That’s your opinion ;))
A fair reflection on the game yesterday.
The control we had for almost the entire game was in contrast to the terrible or schizophrenic performances against them recently. Much to the confusion of the experts in the sky commentary box we sat back initially and let them play in front of us. Their usual fast start to the game lasted 20 minutes after which they offered almost nothing from open play. We pressed them high up the pitch, stopped them playing, and while it’s difficult to say for sure from watching on the Telly it looked like we didnt play with such a high line at the back. Our midfield was more disciplined, less frantic, didn’t leave our defense exposed, held their positions.
Given what’s gone before easy to give into the temptation to see it as more if the same – dismiss it all and put it all down to their poor performance and fatigue. They definitely played their part but it looked to me like Kennedy had learned from both their performances against us and other teams and what we’d done wrong against them in the past and found tactics that worked. If we’d had players playing with confidence we would have won comfortably.
Tim H- the vaccine programme and furlough are the only things, they’ve got right over here,AZ I got.
RPMCELTICFAN on 22ND MARCH 2021 4:48 PM
!!Bada Bing!! , That’s your opinion ;))
Not my verdict, the ones who matter have made their choice
STEBHOY
I said at half time yesterday, that we should replace Christie with Forrest and play him on the left against the dumpling at right back
Re Eddy, I was as annoyed as anyone with him during the game but we shouldn’t forget the only goal from open play came from a moment of real quality from him
The story of the game on the bbc website today is about fatty scoring his first goal in loads of games against us, but I can’t imagine him being capable of the run and cross that led to our goal.
Eddy is an excellent footballer but he isn’t a killer in front of goal.
!!Bada Bing!! I Know mate it was my attempt at humor :)
Re Sturgeon…if nothing else, it is a GIRUY to Red Card, Red Card Ross and wee Ruth, the Sugar Plum Fairy…
I am going to make a wild prediction here, pretty soon a few Pro Unionists will be on to dominate the blog with something or other.
oops, it started already.
RP- apologies, the political stuff on here,rips ma knitting…but I thought folk would be interested in the story.As you see the genie is out the bottle…🙈
what he says!
………………………………………
WINNINGEMMELL on 22ND MARCH 2021 12:31 PM
We have been subserviently dragged into their most recent agendas. It sickens me.
If Gaslighting was in the Olympics, Sevco would be the world record holders.
no contact, so willie collum got it right, arseholes, our license fee paying for “expertise” that dont even know the laws of the game
it was reckless but no contact, wtf does that even mean ,
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/56485116
!!Bada Bing!! No apols necessary mate , I just thought it read funny , I agree the political stuff is mind numbing , the age demografic on this blog is such that no one is ever going to go “oh yeah ” I ve been wrong for all these years . :))
RIMTIMTIM on 22ND MARCH 2021 4:21 PM
Great post.
Thanks for the political commentary. Light bulb came on today, I’ve been wrong all these years in my thinking.
same for me, i was wrong in my politics and i got the insights on here, well that and i finally understood how undervalued Jim Melrose was as a striker.
Aipple See you …. yer a bad man :))