The truth is, football is not always exhilarating. If we were two points off the pace going into yesterday’s Premiership game, all sorts of dramas would have taken place, but with an 8 point lead and a game in hand, there was no conceivable jeopardy.
Instead of contesting for all three points with his strongest available team, Brendan Rodgers chose to rest limbs ahead of the trip to St Petersburg, where he will attempt to defend a one goal lead. This was, without shadow of a doubt, the correct course of action. There are few enough advantages of playing in a weaker league, being able to rest players before a European game is the principle benefit.
Brendan also has developmental considerations. Jack Hendry, Calvin Miller, Odsonne Edouard and Charly Musonda will all gain from game time in the first team. The expectations when playing for Celtic are uniquely onerous, these four young players will learn that from occasions like yesterday.
We came through a unique season last term. The treble was won with a procession of brilliance, but our European endeavours ended in at the Champions League group stage. If you look at the league table, you might be tempted to assume there is clear evidence that we are weaker now than a year ago, but the jury is out on that question. If we progress to the Europa League last 16 on Thursday evening, Brendan’s second season will be set to eclipse his first. This is perhaps a consequence of enduring some afternoons like yesterday.
Developing great footballers, building great teams, is not a linear process. It takes time and patience. Don’t bet against this squad delivering another treble and a European run which extends into the light nights.
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In the last six league games we have scored a total of seven goals and taken eleven points from a possible eighteen, whilst no need to panic we have to concentrate more on league games as surely this is the realistic priority and recent results and lack of goals is a bit a worry.
How many saints players did cheating Beaton book for kicking the ball away, nada not one and it must have happened at least a couple of dozen times from the first min till the last.
16 ROADS – CELTIC ÜBER ALLES… on 19TH FEBRUARY 2018 1:53 PM
Wonder if CQN could hold a vote for the supporters asking one question only – would you prefer to win the Europa League this season or the SPFL title?
Settle it once and for all.
Easy……Europa league. Automatic entry to next seasons CL so no qualifiers, guaranteed CL cash. Plus the kudos of course. As long as it was Hibs or Aberdeen and not Sevco that won the league!!
david 17
bang on.
16 Roads.
Europa for me without the slightest hesitation.
HH.
Some crazy responses to a fairly straightforward question.
Not the answers I expected anyway.
So we forsake 7IAR and the possibility of an unprecedented Double Treble for automatic qualification to next season’s CL?
Aff oot to watch The Madness of King George.
HH.
Call of Juarez
Couldn’t find those stats on the spfl site but footstat.co.uk gives some figures.
– celtic need to commit 7.19 fouls before getting a yellow card. on average this is the 2nd most lenient figure.
-only rangers commit more fouls before a player is booked, on average. 7.47.
-st johnstone were over 20 free kicks with 2 bookings before 2 yellows in injury time brought the average bookings back on trend to around 6 free kicks per booking (their av is 5.27)
-hibs opponents commit the fewest fouls before receiving a booking at 5.05, followed by rangers at 5.27 then celtic at 5.41.
-thistle opponents commit the most fouls before they ae booked at 11.24.
-hearts are the dirtiest team in the league collecting the most yellow cards (62), reds (5) and fouls (401), followed by motherwell, Aberdeen and rangers.
-celtic are the least dirty; collecting the least yellows (31), reds (0), and fouls (223)
-no league game involving celtic has produced a red card. hibs games are next lowest with 1.
-Hamilton(9), St Johnstone (9), Rangers (8), Hearts (7) are the highest.
Since Hearts showed the way, Kilmarnock and St Johnstone have followed with a higher foul committed to received ratio and a higher total foul count, respectively. Teams are beginning to find different ways of stopping Celtic with a low risk of receiving a red card.
I think this will be a big challenge, requiring a great squad effort, as Celtic try to balance Europe with domestic challenges.
VFR800 IS NOW A MONSTER 821 on 19TH FEBRUARY 2018 1:22 PM
Notwithstanding that it was a flat and poor performance, the bottom line is that Brother Beatson allowed St Johnstone players (McLean, Davidson and Foster in particular) to commit fouls with impunity.
*2 ex-huns one of who has a brother a mitb and also chose to represent the black north, the 3rd might have been of of those, probably with the other 2, that refused to applaud the champions on to the park.
We’re no paranoid enough.
16 ROADS – CELTIC ÜBER ALLES… on 19TH FEBRUARY 2018 1:53 PM
Wonder if CQN could hold a vote for the supporters asking one question only – would you prefer to win the Europa League this season or the SPFL title?
*Europa for me, Seville still haunts me. As for titles, we’ve already done NIAR once and six-in-a-row twice.
DAVID17 on 19TH FEBRUARY 2018 1:30 PM
I couldn’t agree more bud.
HH jamesgang
KC Vic
Thanks again. Interesting stuff. Poor old Thistle ?
Bada
In the first half SJ got a free kick and it was the biggest 10 yards I’ve seen . He nearly done his groin pacing it out :).
Completely inconsistent and a crap ref.
GFTB , thanks for the birthday wishes for the boss,not till April though , me definitely a europa league for me
There are some v strong sides still in the Europa league, any talk of winning it is fanciful to say the least. We will do well to get through on Thursday. One game at a time. Winning the league is much more likely. The forces of darkness will be going all out to stop us winning the Treble, Beatons performance yesterday is nothing compared to what we are likely to see in order to stop us.
Weebawbabbity 3.03pm
As per usual I get things wrong :-)
My bettter half is 50 in August and we will be celebrating it in Tenerife all I need to do now is pay for it !
?? Mon the Slump
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 19TH FEBRUARY 2018 1:49 PM
We were 8 points clear before the game yesterday; we are now 9 points clear. Not a great performance but still further ahead.
KTF
“We were 8 points clear before the game yesterday; we are now 9 points clear. Not a great performance but still further ahead.”
The problem is that the expectation after Dons result was to be 11 points ahead – not an entitlement just a reasonable expectation
TONTINE TIM on 19TH FEBRUARY 2018 2:40 PM
It was as
poorbiased a performance I have seem from a MIB all season!KTF
Big game in Glasgow starting. My sons u16 school team(Cults Academy) from Aberdeen have travelled to play St Peter’s in Glasgow in last 16 of Scottish Schools Sheila..
May the best team win!
Pedantic I know but 10 yards doesn’t necessarily involve 10 paces. Just Google “Average Step Length”. Actually suggests the UK average is 32 inches. So, 10 yards = 360 inches; And 360 ÷ 32 = 11 and a quarter paces!
Shield
It’s not the number of a man’s steps that count.
It is the length of those steps that matter . #Confusedius
anybody who thinks we are gonna win the europa league is living in cloud cukoo land, we aint that good, we need to concentrate on our own league, and if we manage to get through a few rounds in the europa league thats fine, incidentally i also thought david 17s post was bang on as well.hh.
One small step for man one giant step for mankind
DavidO- VG
walk a mile in (someone’s) shoes
To spend time trying to consider or understand another person’s perspectives, experiences, or motivations before making a judgment about them.
idioms csc
GENE on 19TH FEBRUARY 2018 3:32 PM
The expectation is, in reality, that we will win every domestic game. It disnae always work like that.
The stickies play the mini-stickies on Saturday and may very well slip up before we start at Pittodrie on Sunday. We will have a strong (but maybe tired) team out on Sunday; however their legs will be fresher with having rested yesterday so I still
expecthope we will take 3 points from Aberdeen and keep the gap at at least 9.What’s interesting is that now our lead at the top is only 9 points it seems everyone thinks we have a title race on our hands. We will need to lose at least 3 games and draw at least 1 in the last 11 whereas either Aberdeen or Deidco will have to win all of theirs to win the title. That means the potential winner will need to beat us twice – home and away – before the end of the season. If we win 1 game against both of them, we would need to lose at 4 or more and draw 1 of the remaining 9 games to lose the league.
We are still (easily) the best team in the league and I doubt if we will win 11 from 11 so I cannot see the 2nd or 3rd best team winning all their games before the end of the season.
KTF
“I have a Dream.”
Celtic most definitely can win the Europa.
Thursday may well be the toughest test.
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 19TH FEBRUARY 2018 3:53 PM
walk a mile in (someone’s) shoes
To spend time trying to consider or understand another person’s perspectives, experiences, or motivations before making a judgment about them.
idioms csc
*****
No one can tell where another mn’s shoes are nipping.
~anotheridiomcsc
unseen fenian ?️
bored csc
Our trump card v Aberdeen is Christie is no’ playing!
10 yards is 10 yards. If he is a proper ref he would know what his step lengths are and measure it accordingly. He’s still P**h .
HH
the sevco are coming be afraid very afraid ha ha ha ha
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 19TH FEBRUARY 2018 3:53 PM
walk a mile in (someone’s) shoes
To spend time trying to consider or understand another person’s perspectives, experiences, or motivations before making a judgment about them.
idioms csc
———————————————
I always say never judge a man til you’ve walked a mile in his shoes….
then you can say what you like…cos you’re a mile away..and you’ve got his shoes.;-)
How much is moreorless worth today????
A double treble all day long, knocking Zenit out would be fabulous too but then I always was a greedy B:)))
This group has a ways too go to be contenders for Euro glory in my humble opinion, huge potential in the squad so let’s see..
Bring on the Zenitskis
Stephbhoy 1.39pm
Brendan did say when he arrived at CP that our squad was too big and that he intended to trim it. We have 35 players, 12 of whom are injured. Had the squad been cut to 20, as you said was your ideal, who would have been available to play the cluggers yesterday? Top quality players attract more rough treatment from our opponents and less protection from the MIBS.
Do you still think a squad of 20 or so is enough? Did Brendan say that he thought 25 was the ideal?