At 6’ 4” and built like the Free Derry Wall in the town he knows so well, Shane Duffy brings experience and assurance to the middle of the Celtic defence. What would have happened had he been at the club eight days earlier is imponderable.
I don’t know Shane well enough to comment on that question but I am assured by Irish friends he has been an impenetrable leader in their national team for years. He is at Celtic because his time as first choice at Brighton is over, but he is still only 28, which is the middle of the peak years for many central defenders. We have recruited a player who will be influential in the chase for 10.
The most pleasing aspect of his signature is the tactical shift another central defender gives us towards three at the back. Surely Shane, Kristoffer and Christopher will all play when fit? That being the case, I would like to see us add one more central def.: space for ‘a project’.
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THE INTERNATIONAL BREAK (BORE)
The Scotland SFA team illustrates only prejudice & perpetual failure to me.
Great Celtic players over the years ignored for inferior counterparts, many from Ibrox. Celtic players routinely booed when on the ball, or, coming on as a substitute. Nowadays when nothing of quality comes through the Ibrox system, they can’t get enough of our players for their squad.
Perennial Scottish failures – like many other things including Covid & in the last ten years, Education.
The national team is the worst performing in the UK. No international tournament qualification for over twenty-years. Even in the days when it did qualify, it never ever got out out of the group-stage at any World Cup, or, European Championship – Wales & Northern Ireland with much smaller populations have a much more illustrious record.
With two, or, three, home games per year, attracting around the same attendance as St Mirren’s total home gates – that’s the so-called National Team….and be in no doubt about it, a nationalist team is just what it is today, followed by the risible Tartan Army, or, the SNP at play, if you will. Like the SNP, doing anything right is of no consequence to these people, just as long as they can wave their saltires, shout “wha’s like us” (the tartan version of (WATP) & sing the dirge that is :Flower of Scotland”….and of course get pissed at every opportunity.
When we get this latest embarrassing distraction out of the way, we must all have fears about any proper football season in Scotland.
Covid is on the move in Scotland with infections seemingly rising exponentially – but of course they are not really – they have only been portrayed as low because this incompetent SNP have been testing low to produce low results in their misguided ‘pissing game’ against England and the rUK – the consequences are now coming ‘back to bite’ them. The fact that their quarantine policy was at first non-existent & lied about by Yumsa to a Holyrood committee, with a little false anecdote about the “police being happy with the figures”, to make it sound more plausible, and is now am utter shambles, is a major contributory factor.
* Incompetence & cover-up on the Nike outbreak.
* The wholesale shipping of the elderly, some already infected, to a petri-dish care homes environment.
* Testing & PPE completely mishandled, with UKGOV & the British Army stepping-in.
* The manipulation of death rates by latterly excluding the National Register for Scotland figures.
*Compare everything with England to ‘muddy the water
*Worst deaths per million in UK.
* Second worse d/pm in Europe
* Worst in all aspects of any country in the world with a similar population.
This is the real SNP performance – they are viewed with withering contempt by the majority in Scotland.
A catalogue of failure supported blindly with bravado, propaganda & a compliant media, just like the football team –
UKGOV have supported almost a million jobs & thousands of Scottish businesses with the furlough & Eat Out to Help Out schemes….what have SNP done?Well….approaching two hundred Sturgeon daily party political broadcasts, and in the face of this rising tide of infections announces a commitment to an indyref2 to her followers – not even the pretence at governing for all people in Scotland – the majority arrogantly ignored.
SORE ALBA indeed!!!!
ERNIE
Usually with Celtic the other team break away to score.
THE INTERNATIONAL BREAK (BORE)
I’m glad we were warned before hand saved me the time reading it.
TIMMY
BJH (BORE) ?
Just seen/heard the biggest Celtic name ever, and would you
believe it belonged to a cop.
Aussie news reporting on the Covid situation and top cop
Commander TIM TULLY… feck me, wouldn’t see that in Bunny
Scudland.
H.H. Mick
Ron, yes as predictable as he has been since he started his misinformation campaign.
Last night he was telling us that all Celtic supporters should be reciting the rosary during matches.
Not very inclusive that troll.
ERNIE LYNCH on 4TH SEPTEMBER 2020 9:06 AM
SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 3RD SEPTEMBER 2020 10:59 PM
Thank you for that detailed exposition on the arcane art of the corner kick.
But I wonder if you’ve maybe over analysed and over complicated what is a simple facet of a simple game.
Just take corners like the one that Duffy scored from last night. Simple and straightforward. What’s the worst that can happen?
It gets overhit, and goes out for a bye kick?…🙄
RON BACARDI on 4TH SEPTEMBER 2020 9:16 AM
ERNIE
Usually with Celtic the other team break away to score.
###
Not if it works though. Ball comes into box, ball connects with head of Celtic player, ball heads in general direction of goal.
!!BADA BING!! on 4TH SEPTEMBER 2020 9:45 AM
And how is that worse than what happens already?
keich
AN TEARMAN (sometime early morning), yes I was that mhan, still think Melbourne Mick’s shies/throw-ins are easy to maintain possession. Looks like that view is not shared widely behind the scenes at Lennoxtown.
Ernie- you and others are right to question our corners, it’s a great chance to get an effort on goal.Much more practice is required, going by our stats,I used to take corners, would always strike the ball hard to around the penalty spot,takes the GK out of it,and big guys could try and attack it. We’ve really not been a consistent threat from corners, since MON days.
Liverpool have a throw in coach….
!!BADA BING!!
Did you get to Portugal?
Celtic have a parks of Hamilton coach 😜
The only caveat about with practising corners is the understandable reluctance to be repeatedly heading the ball.
AN TEARMANN
Yes, I’m in Letterkenny, not a Burma Apache though as they’re affectionately known here. Nor a ‘townie’ I’ll always be a ‘blow in’ even though I’m here 26 years. Unless you came to Letterkenny with Colmcille from Gartan on his way to Iona then you’ll always be a ‘blow in’. Letterkenny has changed beyond recognition in my time; for years it was pretty much the main street, cathedral area, Glencar and old town now it spreads out in every direction, as far as Ramelton in one direction, out to Manorcunningham on the Derry direction etc. As you come in from the Derry roundabout there at night when it’s all lit up (including the Cathedral) you get a sense of how much it spreads along the Swilly and beyond.
Yoons are getting desperate ,back to lurking
The 93rd minute the “The Brighton Bomber” bullets a header intae the back of the net, gaun yersel big man! A taste of things to come…🇮🇪
JHB
What an angry, bitter, twisted character you are.
Such hatred and vitriol against the Scottish nation and people.
Are you a Boris Johnson clone?
Saor Alba
‘Brighton Bomber’ is so last year – ‘Parkheid Piledriver’ is more like it.
PHILBHOY on 4TH SEPTEMBER 2020 10:05 AM
!!BADA BING!!
Did you get to Portugal?
No mate,we decided on Tuesday it was too risky, unfortunately proved right….we cancelled hotel and got our money back, we’re trying Jet2 for a voucher refund, but as we didn’t fly when there was no quarantine order,I think we have lost that money, what a shambles it’s turned out to be. HH
Trolls up and about early doors. That means following the rule book.
One, who previously claimed to be Irish, (trust me he isn’t) has adopted more than a few personas over the years, but none, as far as I know who, up until now have managed to condemn Polish forces fighting for and with the British Army as having been anti-Semitic to the Korps, while being an expert at corner kicks and the other, paid for his efforts, with a classic Irish Granny, but who claims to have attended Scotland games in the past and experienced er terrible things. Scots Wae Hae indeed.
JHB, did you go to St Aloysius and All Saints thereafter?
CELTIC MAC on 4TH SEPTEMBER 2020 10:35 AM
How long have you been posting on here?
Last night MAJESTIC HARTSON @ 12:12 AM provided a link from Washington Post
(What is a corner kick worth in soccer?)
which showed the success rate at less than 2%.
It reminded me of the time when I received the video of Henrik’s first 100 goals.
If memory serves me ,Henrik scored two direct free kicks whilst reaching his first 100.
I was surprised that the return was so low.
His average was 34 goals per season.
Henrik took most free kicks from around the box ( average 2-3 per game )
So if Henrik took approx 3 years (150 games) to score 100 goals, and scored 2 of them directly from free kicks , this gives a return of 2 goals from 300-400 attempts.
It makes you wonder why any player (who does not have the skill of Nakamura), is allowed to go for goal.
Bringing the topic back to corners…..
Henrik is still the best header of a ball that I have seen in the Hoops.
I’m off to play golf,( probably taking 100 shots and losing 4 or 5 balls) so I’m beginning to wonder if a similar statistical assessment of my game would advise me to take up bowls.
HH
The Onlooker
bognor bhoy
Maybe time to park that bus
Long enough.
Met and know more than a few on here.
You?
“”BADA BING!!
That’s a shame!
I know how important holidays are.
Was in Hays Travel in the Gyle (Edinburgh) yesterday and was amazed how much cheaper they were than Jet2, who we always holiday with.
The only problem is, are we still going to be up to our necks in this shit next June.
Decisions.
THE ONLOOKER
I’m off to play golf,( probably taking 100 shots and losing 4 or 5 balls)
…………………………
What about the back nine?
;-)
CELTIC MAC on 4TH SEPTEMBER 2020 10:44 AM
I reckon I’ve been posting on here a good deal longer than you. So the accusation of being a troll is a bit silly.
Tell me something though (and be honest), until you read my post last night were you aware of the problem with anti Antisemitism among the free polish forces?
ernie lynch
And how long is that Ernie?
And who do you know on here.
ernie
“But I wonder if you’ve maybe over analysed and over complicated what is a simple facet of a simple game.
Just take corners like the one that Duffy scored from last night. Simple and straightforward. What’s the worst that can happen?”
A wee bit of a departure from you, ernie.
Analysis is a good thing. Opposition coaches are using it and if you don’t, they’ll outwit you.
If anything, I’ve under-analyzed the topic and the links posted by others around the same time (which I hope you read) goes into far more detail. Certainly, the professional footballer can give you chapter and verse about why they do the things they do, with far more insight than I can offer, as an amateur student of the game.
Have a look at the last couple of Celtic corners that led to dissatisfaction. I was not making a detailed study of this aspect of our last game but i do recall what happened with 2 early corners against Well (they may even have been our first two). Ryan’s first delivery landed smack dab, right in the middle of prime goal scoring territory……….. it was met unchallenged by a Motherwell defender and the next 2 nearest players in this prime territory were Well players too. The fault was not Ryan’s and the fault was not delivery but it still failed and Well cleared. In his second he delivered succesfully to a beyond hte back post Celtic player (I think, Jullien) who tried to head it back across goal but it was fractionally high and skimmed off his head.
Now, these are undoubtedly failures as corners but are they egregious faults that even more corner practice would fix. (BT W I am just dismissing as uninformed anybody who thinks that we do not practice these skills or drills or that we d not do them enough).
There are 3 aspects to a successul corner:-
1) it is delivered to a good area from where attacking damage can be done. Primarily that is between the goal posts and away from the keeper but you can also do damage from a flick on at near post delivery and from a head back at far post delivery.
2) It is delivered to an area where your best heading attackers will be (or alternatively and rarely to an area undefended by the opposition)
3) It needs to give your attacker a fighting chance of making a header either unhindered by opposition defenders, or minimally so. Given that there will always be more dfenders than atackers it is rare that this is achieved.
So you need, a delivery to a good area, a connection with one of your own players , and an unsuccessful intervention by a defence that outnumbers you.
Apart from all that, you are right, it is a simple art.
————————————-
Now, for part two of your question- why don’t we score goals like Shane’s last night?
The short answer, as you well know , is we do. Jozo scored a real beauty to give Big Billy an extra smile on his send off. It was memorable because it was so rare. Big Jullien is one of the specialists in this skill (unfortunately big Ajer is not) and regularly scores headed goals for us- just check out his highlights reel.
But Celtic are subject to the same conditions as all other teams. I do not have the stats for it but I am sure that someone does (Celtic By Numbers- are you there?). The only way we can judge Celtic weak on this aspect is if our scoring ratio from corners is less than the average for teams, or more scientifically, for teams that get as many corners as we force. Unless we know the answer to that question, neither you nor I know if I am providing a rational explanation or offering an excuse for failure.
Posters have already answered your final question- breakaway goals- they are becoing more prevalent and Celtic, themselves are quite good at scoring after defending an opposition corner.
But, in general, corners do not produce goals often for any team but I am not advocating – doing nothing about them. I am saying that expectations that we will get back to the 60s style anytime soon, should be tempered with a dose of that unpleasant medicine, reality.
Philbhoy on 4th September 2020 10:46 am
Like most people my Summer was not as expected, I did get three weeks in the Algarve and had to quarantine when I returned but my wife and I had planned a lot of travelling this year everything else was cancelled.
Going into next year I think all we can do is assume all will be well and move forward, many of the travel companies are allowing cancellations due to Covid if you book in advance. So I guess its whether you are a half full or half empty person.
I’m still hoping, probably in vain, to get a week somewhere warm in October. I have not booked anything yet though.
Forgot to add I’m normally an independent traveller but maybe in the current situation booking a package is the safest option.
Don’t think we need a shy coach.
We need someone who is assertive.
Sorry all. Couldn’t resist.
Hail hail
Keep The Faith
CELTIC MAC on 4TH SEPTEMBER 2020 10:55 AM
ernie lynch
And how long is that Ernie?
And who do you know on here.
####
Don’t recall.
No idea who I may know i know on here in real life, though there’s bound to be some. There ‘s one who no longer posts who I knew (whether he knew who I was on here I couldn’t say). And there was a guy living in Japan who I sorted out with tickets for a couple of games (one against the huns) who I met. That was probably before you started posting on here though.
So, about the Polish anti Semitism thing? No response?
Classic tune by the son of a Celtic player.
https://g.co/kgs/pHytCc