Very pleased we appear to be on the verge of signing a central defender, especially one who at 24 (Erik Sviatchenko), should be very much in his prime. The previous two seasons each brought excellent defensive performance records but things fell apart from the very start of this season – way before Virgil van Dijk left.
The reasons for the are varied. Jason Denayer left to be replaced by Dedryck Boyata. Dedryck is more settled now but he was well short of Jason’s standards early on. Still is. We have also regressed in the full back positions. Emilio Izaguirre’s decline has been gradual but clear. 18-year-old Kieran Tierney makes fewer mistakes and (I think) poses a greater physical challenge.
Then we have Mikael Lustig. Mikael has always been a favourite of mine; as recently as September I regarded him as our best defender, but I think he’s been well off his best for most of the season. He has been regularly caught in the wrong position and his distribution is often a possession-losing lump upfield.
Craig Gordon would be first to admit his form is nowhere near where it was last season, when he almost single-handedly was responsible for us reaching the Europa League knockout stage. The questions for Craig are what’s going wrong and can it be fixed?
Think back to the latter days of Artur Boruc’s time at Celtic. Artur has gone from having Bayern Munich scouts at Celtic Park to watch him to a guy we sold without fuss as a backup for Fiorentina for £1.2m. Whatever it was he had, had gone. I thought he was finished. Six years later he’s at something approaching his best at Bournemouth.
Craig Gordon has the best part of 4 years on Artur. He has time to get back on form.
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JFH.
Wrong, in your opinion.
Mike in Toronto posted that he was reporting the post to Paul to have it removed.
If he hadn’t said this then the same poster TD would have accused him of telling on him behind his back. I don’t see why MIT should hang around the blog to see if TD logs on or not. Incidentally I’ve personally never had any issues when debating with TD he’s always been polite and courteous in his dealings with me.
Canamalar
You drag this blog down every bit as much as anyone on here.
Many,
That’s your opinion and your welcome to it
JIMMYNOTPAUL. Fella like you I have never had any bother with the poster.However if a poster and I could clearly not get along with one and other I wouldnt spend my time moaning to others when the poster wasnt on line I would simply scroll by any posts from the said poster. I feel that we should stick to issues on CQN and not be having a go at the poster play the ball not the man. H.H.
Masty even
Gerryfaethebrig.
That’s a good bet to look forward to for the next 8 weeks or so.
The gold cup this year should be a cracker. It’s a pity Coneygree is injured and can’t December his crown. I bet Djakadam in the race last year, but he’s a bit of a short price this year, so I will wait until nearer the time.
Incidentally I reckon the Wullie Mullins accy will be on again on day one, Min, Douvan, Faugheen and either Annie Power or Vroom Vroom Mag which ever one he runs in the Mares Hurdle. I will be on that. Guy in the work is on Min at 14/1 but doesn’t have it single.
CANAMALAR. Answer a question did you not poke fun of TD67 for living with his mother ? How exactly do you expect the poster to respond to you after that ? H.H.
Canamalar
Tony posted earlier that he should maybe have said what he said differently , he’s a big bhoy and can stick up for himself, he most probably will when he reads back, but very often your first post on here is a direct goad at Tony and I’m afraid you are just showing a bull a red rag, you in my opinion don’t like the fact he won’t back down to your goading only my take of course
Hopefully the Arsenal game will continue in the dire manner of the first 30 minutes and my draw forecast will pay out.
After a couple of great mid week games the EPL has reverted to dull over coached bollocks. The SPL game today was a cracking contest by comparison, great to see a young lad who I know well doing well for RC.
Evening Timland from a cold hun free mountain valley.
I see our resident troll is hogging the blog again, well done Tony, top trolling.
And I read his post this morning, it was disgraceful, and just as bad imo was those who stuck up for him, says more about them.
There is a common denominator for the problems on here.
…………………………..
JFH
” I feel that we should stick to issues on CQN and not be having a go at the poster play the ball not the man.”
Maybes you should tell that to your pal
HH
Gerryfaethebrig.
Obviously should have read defend his crown.
Celtic excepted – this is the greatest game on earth :
https://youtu.be/wbwHOTKhyTQ
Listen to the roar from 3 fences out.
People sitting watching that Super Sunday nonsense, bored out of their minds, pretending to themselves that it’s good.
Nah.
Soccer is well down the list these days.
HH.
JFH,
I think if you read back you’ll find I was dragged into this with false accusations but you know that because you read it all and still decided I am in the wrong as you usually do regardless of the evidence, you remind me of one of those commentators that tells everyone the penalty wasn’t a penalty because the hand to ball only deflected the ball from goal a wee bit.
I find you rather disingenuous, your apparently reasonable arguments are always loaded with inaccurate assertions.
Say Hello wave Goodbye
Canalamar
Chins up…. Ur on the bad bhoy list.
Still, you are not alone. It’s a fairly extensive list.
THE EXILED TIM Fella I do not know TD67 and I have never met him so we are not pals.However as a Celtic supporter and this includes your goodself I believe we should discuss issues not personalities.H.H.
CANALAMAR. As usual you shirk answering the question ? you did indeed mock the poster for living with his elderly mother which in my opinion was totaly out of order.You have a problem that you can see all our sins but your own. H.H.
Masty,
I prefer not to talk to or even discuss him, if you go back you’ll see I responded to an accusation made to invite sympathy for him through a lie he propagated, I was correct in that I was the accused of that lie and made my statement.
You’ll note I’ve no even commented on his latest because I expect no better from him.
FFS… Get a a grip, bitching and he said this,Tony D can be an arse the way he comes cross and many a time I’ll cringe at what he says but he speaks from the heart, no matter how misguided it comes across.
To be honest, he keeps the blog ticking at times.
Ps… Did you get that pint I left for you, ya auld mixer? :))
JFH
You are telling posters to play the ball not the man, and I said you should tell that to the poster in question, Maybes pal was the wrong word, but he seems to be your pal on here the amount of times you stick up for him.
He always plays the man, never the ball.
He abuses posters for their point of view, and when challenged he slinks away refusing to play, his words, some addition to the blog, aye right.
So maybes you should reflect on that.
HH
SIPSINI.5.47. Fella a good post. H.H.
What does the living wage mean to you?
JFh,
Ha ha ha you really are the witchfinder general eh
Now you remember that so clearly, maybe you can remember how we got to such a state of affairs ?
No ?
No ? really ?
Threat of physical assault, no ? really ? You don’t remember ?
Come on now, go back and read the whole conversation and not just the wee bits you want to cherry pick that you can use to defend your pal, your no really getting any change out of your sad attempt to load the discussion. Your failing which is why you are trying to force the agenda, I don’t need to answer your or anyone else’s question, the conversation is still there for all to see if they are that interested in it, you have no place in setting yourself up as any kind of adjudicator if you can’t read objectively then you will never be able to make any worthy observations never mind demands for answered to your loaded questions.
THE EXILED TIM. We obviously see things differently but I believe some on CQN enjoy Tony baiting and when he bites as he is apt to do these posters lay into him and that is my view. I dont expect the posters who do that to admit if you look back over the previous months it is clear to see.Now fun is fun but I think it gets taken to far we are suppose to have a common interest on this blog but sometimes you would wonder. H.H.
You guys need to get a life….
JFH
You mi amigo have a problem.
If you do as Canman says, and actually read what is posted rather than the bits you want to see, you would come to the conclusion that the poster in question starts 99% of the problems.
But you keep sticking up for him, and I will keep at him for it, he is a troll, end of.
HH
Udinese 0 – Rubentus 4.
10th win in a row .65 minutes of genius from the wondrous Paolo Dybala..An absolute delight to watch.Heard a pundit on the radio earlier , claiming that tv watching figures for Rube games have significantly increased.The assumed reason ? – Paolo Dybala..Player !
CANALAMAR Fella you are wrong but if I got pesronal with you and brought up a member of your family I would expect and rightly so a reaction from your good self.So I still say you were out of order what your argueing is two wrongs make a right and you know that is nonsense.H.H.
JFH,
You just need to go back through the history, you’ll rarely and I mean very rarely find I have opened discussion with TD, I expect you’ll find 99.99% of the time I respond to his abuse, fire with fire is how I see it. And I have absolutely no doubt you know that.
Kit..,
Yer bang on,
I’m offski
Night night n hail hail.
THE EXILED TIM.Fine by but I sill think like CANALAMAR your argueing that two wrongs make a right.H.H.
JFH,
If I threatened to boot you in the baws I’d expect everything was fair game from then on.
Nytol
CANALAMR. Sticks and stones your better than that fella.H.H.
JFH…
Cheers, I just say it as I see it. HH
Roll on the treble and the new hun format going bust.
Ps… I keep having to drop the capital from hun, anyone else have this problem?
Super Sunday, my erchie, fell asleep during the first game and did a washing and housework during the second.
Think I’ll need to get a missus..:)
Sips
Hun with a capital H sounds right to me.
Ladbroke shares plummet as my treble stoats in…..I wish. Nice end to the weekend right enough. Millwall, Man Utd and a Stoke draw . Even got the ironing done during the EPL snooze fest.
Well im off to watch the second half of the Stoke Arsenal match thanks for the chat Bhoys. H.H.
sipsini on 17th January 2016 6:09 pm
Is that for the washing and the housework? :-)
HH
CRC