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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Celticrollercoaster, hey mate, I’m good, thanks for asking, that is kind of you. My family are good too, they are well fed and warm and safe, thank my good God I work for an employer who pays the living wage. But I don’t care for the other whose employers don’t pay the living wage, let his family be cold, let his family go hungry, let him live every day in shame… not my problem. Not my problem at all, after all…
I am a Celtic supporter.
Weefra …..
If stop smoking = put on weight…… does it work the other way ’round?
Having just joined the CQN weightwatchers competition, I was thinking about taking up smoking after 50 years of non-smoking….. it seems to keep those supermodels thin! I’ll quit after I win the slimmer’s competition! :)
Like the sound of our new signing.
Mick TT….
Is that blonde of yours letting you cross the water in March, not for the marching season I may add?
Players come and go.
Hello!
Good bye!
Nice to have known you.
And our ethos dies.
Like grape vines without water or sunshine.
Our ethos dies.
But I am a modern Celtic Supporter.
Our ethos deserves to die.
Dividends are our heartbeat, our pulse, the sparkle in our eyes.
Our ethos is dead.
Our ethos has not a single breath left to inflate the heart.
Please be decent and fill in the grave.
And stop pretending.
weefra
U2 , all good here.
Celtic on top and picking off signing targets, two sleeps @ Mr Baldie
I am a Celtic supporter @ Kitalba
MIT@7.15
Lol, aye very good. I happen to look like one of those models, unfortunately it’s a model “T” Ford. How are you keeping my friend, I’ve been away too long. :-)))) HH.
BSR
:-))))))). HH
Kitalba
Every time there is a Celtic game, I just canny no go and miss it. Inbred habit. :)
Leigh Griffiths has averaged a goal or an assist every 84 minutes played for Celtic across all competitions since signing in 2014.
@statsCSC
BSR
Get rid of him!!!!
Warning;
Reading back on CQN
Philbhoy
I think he’s beating Gary Hooper………..but need to check
Weefra …. ha!
true story … my pal’s dad is a famous hockey player (in the Hockey Hall of Fame, so a very good player) …. even at his age now (he is now in his 80’s) he is fit like a bull …. not a behemoth like the players today, but tough in that old school way …. I dont think half the young players today would throw down with him … I know I wouldn’t!
he kept himself in good shape, so when he retired, the first thing he did was have a cigarette! he said that he had always wanted to try it..at least, that is what he told me over dinner one evening.
And all hail and trumpet the return of the bigot pound…
for we are saved
Listen to the music. Listen to the songs.
Listen to the sound of cash tills collecting the sectarian coin.
And Jock Stein weeps.
And Tommy too.
And Bobby looks to Bobby and asks where did we go wrong.
And Johnny Thompson rolls over and wraps his shroud around his face so the worms don’t see his tears and the modern Celtic supporter does not be contaminated with his shame; and he cries, and he cries, he gave it all for nothing and he cries.
Oh what a club Belfast Celtic were.
The battle of the Catalans v the Basques about to commence. Nice. :)
Welcome to the Celtic family Erik, may your days with us be blessed & trophy laden,
Leftclick
How you doing amigo. We need a blether soon.
Hail Hail
Paul67 et al
Welcome to Celtic Eric!
Looking ahead I think Dedryck will play right back, may be a good position for him, quite good in the air, quite quick on the ground, not a bad tackler out wide. Back four sorted!
DD
all good here bud, aye need to catch up soon,pass on my regards to Albhoy
Glad we’ve signed what I hope to be a quality defender and hopefully a leader too . Went to the match on Friday and fair enjoyed it apart from the Ira chants which I found embarrassing , especially as I had invited along a work mate from Dublin .
MIT
I know your smoking comments are in jest but really don’t.
Well done WeeFra. I have stopped now for 18 months after 40 years on the horrible addictive things. Got a “warning” in the shape of a subarachnoid brain haemorrhage, that nearly done for me.
People who know me, that I haven’t seen for a while, are always stunned to hear I have given up, and ask how the hell I managed that, as I was well known as a smoker. I retort that an induced medical coma is a great way to dodge cravings, if a bit severe. It’s been a brutal 18 months recovery so far, and I had to give up my work, but the really great thing through it all is that I have given up smoking.
This tale is passed on, solely in the hope that it may encourage anyone on here who still smokes, to consider quitting. Trust me, it really is worth it. Don’t wait for “a warning”‘ trust me, that really is not worth it ;-)
Hail Hail
Game over in Barcelona. Athletic keeper red carded and penalty converted by Leo.
Good Evening fholks
Week 6 has now come and gone and taken with it 7 LMS bhoys
So it is a goodbye (until LMS7) to
AndyF Leicester
CM67 St Johnstone
Danny Mac St Johnstone
Cowiebhoy St Johnstone
bognorbhoy St Johnstone
Cosy Corner Bhoy St Johnstone
Lennonspassion Jnr Leicester
This leaves us with 22 LMS bhoys battling it out
Big Al Celtic
Timabhouy Tottenham
Thoms Sellick Manchester City
Celtic Rose Tottenham
Hamiltontim Tottenham
Lennybhoy Tottenham
The Token Tim Manchester City
Celtic Soul Brother Tottenham
delaneys dunky Tottenham
gerryfaethebrig Tottenham
jamabhoy Tottenham
The Good Ship Celtica Tottenham
Doc Tottenham
Bobby Evans Superstar Tottenham
GuyFawkesaforeverhero Tottenham
Praecepta Tottenham
The Exiled Tim Tottenham
Celticrollercoaster Tottenham
MikeinToronto Tottenham
The Lurker Manchester City
StevieBhoy Tottenham
Setting Free The Bears Tottenham
Congrats to Martybhoy59 and CM67 who both won a set of CQN badges as a consolation prize for getting knocked out in Round 5 and 6 respectively
Good luck to all for the magnificent week of 7 :-)
HH
CRC
And on my wall hangs a painting
a painting oh so bold
Eleven men walked out in Lisbon
but my painting its soul has been sold.
Bring back my club…. please.
Bring back that which stood us apart.
Bring back the glory of the heart of that painting.
Eleven Glasgow men (almost) walked out in Lisbon.
They set the world on fire.
Even the English felt the heat.
Welcome to Celtic Erik.
Well done Pedro
Bilbao keeper red card for drawing down Suarez after 3 mins – Messi scores penalty 1-0
Leftclick
He has been up in Aberdeenshire for a fortnight trying to save the flooded astroturf pitches he laid.
When I die I’m going to donate my heart to Celtic Football Club.
As in an organ donation.
Jimmynotpaul 5.29
It was Jim Delahunt that put up CueCard for the triple crown, I just jumped on his bandwagon, I love getting a wee run for my cash
16roads
I jumped off the couch the day of the King George and was jumping about like an eijit, my good lady knows I like a wee gamble and seeing I was pretty excited she thought I had won a few bob she says “how much have WE won” as I was so animated, I said heehaw but we might might win a right few bob on the 18th March……she looked at me as if I was stupid, she isn’t far wrong
Could any of you nice gentlemen inform me about the Kodi or similar boxes that allow you to pick up Sky etc. ?Have recently bought a smart tv and was wondering how to set it up. Thanks in advance, if anyone replies.
Good Evening.
If I may, here’s my latest. All about the media simply not being prepared to present basic facts
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2016/01/17/basket-case-journalism/
And here’s the previous blog about taking the p*ss in the transfer market…
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2016/01/15/paying-a-dave-kings-ransom/
Sure i read on here there is step by step guides to kodi boxes on you tube,but im often wrong :))))))
Not got one myself so dont know about them.
Welcome to Celtic , Erik.
You are the second player with a Ukranian surname to play in Scotland.
Kilmarnock have the first, Kris Boydiechenko.
All my jaikets are on as I get out the door and not just because its cauld outside.
Kodi comes already stored on a goopi android box . Costs around 45 quid and can be bought from Amazon or eBay . I tried to download kodi straight to my TV but was unsuccessful .
BILLYBEAR on 17TH JANUARY 2016 7:53 PM
Could any of you nice gentlemen inform me about the Kodi or similar boxes that allow you to pick up Sky etc. ?Have recently bought a smart tv and was wondering how to set it up. Thanks in advance, if anyone replies.
——————————————
Haven’t tried it myself on a Smart TV but here’s a tutorial from YouTube :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrqJ89M7hxg
Once you have Kodi on, you need to install TVAddons (Google it). Once that is done you will have a list of stream sources from which to select – including live sport.
Neymar 2-0
Plunkett ,Pierce and Tone….n Kitalba?
Dallas
Chicken Kiev George?? :)