I remember a situation several years ago when we had five full backs and converted-full backs out injured at the same time. The injured count for central defenders is not currently as high but the situation is just as critical.
Erik Sviatchenko joins Jozo Simunovic, Dedryck Boyata and Kristoffer Ajer on the injured list. Kolo Toure is certain to be added to the Uefa squad before tonight’s deadline but will be pushed to be match fit for next week.
Fortunately, the man who has spent more time injured over the last two seasons than anyone else, Mikael Lustig, is fit and able to move from full back into the middle, with Saidy Janko able to deputise on the right.
More words have been written about Efe Ambrose than any other Celtic player this month. It’s quite possible he’ll move on towards the end of the transfer window but he’s set to be given an opportunity to make good his error in Gibraltar by leading an unfamiliar defensive line-up in Astana tomorrow.
If I had a choice, I would prefer Celtic in adversity than Celtic over-confident. We know we will have to protect the defence tomorrow so the match plan should be straightforward.
Astana are not without their concerns either. Kazak media are concerned Astana are weaker than a year ago, due to the departure of Georgi Zhukov the likely absence of captain and top scorer, Tanant Nuserbayev, added to the turmoil at the club this week, caused by Lyon’s bid for midfielder, Nemanja Maksimovic. They will battle tomorrow, but their preparations are far from ideal.
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Foxy
I love Efe the big hearted Bhoy
But there would have to be some amount of hyper inflation for that happen.
Or you feel gloomy about the market value of the forthcoming Scottish pound!!
;-)
HH jamesgang
Saint Stivs,
May make you feel a bit better knowing worse can happen, had a mate who booked his flight from London and hotel……….for the wrong weekend. The Hoops were not even playing that weekend, went out on the pish regardless!
GLENDALYSTONSILS
You were in line bud!
HH jamesgang
JAMESGANG on 26TH JULY 2016 9:03 PM
had his back turned to me anaw!
(Might have been wee Wullie Collum, I think)
NATKNOW @ 8:11 PM,
Very True… It’s not about the cash flow, its about the cash.
That also brings to mind the VVD money, he went too late to spend it…
Couldn’t we’ve just stuck it in the biscuit tin for the next window;)
Hail Hail
FAN-A-TIC on 26TH JULY 2016 7:29 PM
GARY67
I take your point about Izzy bombing forward but unfortunately once the gets there the only person liable to get on end of his cross is the far side linesman.
——————————–
Lol bit harsh although aye a few of his crosses go awry.
Like Efe, Izzy played exceptionally well on sat v leceister
NegAnon2 on 26th July 2016 8:42 pm
Neg, you get no joy out of Celtic. I’ve felt like that at times but only for a couple of hours. Honestly, why keep torturing yourself? Would you not consider another team? Your link with Celtic isn’t doing you any good.
GLENDALYSTONSILS
;-)
HH jamesgang
Foxy
My point about Efe was that I thought he played really well on Saturday.
And I hope he does every time he dons the Hoops. For his sake and ours.
Love the Bhoy. But he’s got a combo of bad luck and bad judgement that worries many of us.
HH jamesgang
JAMESGANG on 26TH JULY 2016 9:02 PM
He’s worth 20m somewhere in the world :-)
Scotland has a great opportunity to make the most of being strategically and economically important to Euroe in the light of Brexit.
Not saying the Brits might not come up with a better offer but let’s see.
Little Englander has played her hand, we can keep ours to the chest for now.
win win :-)
Dd,
Aye Defo. I’m looking forward to it. :)
We always go to the same wee club before games but I’m looking to mix it up a bit this season. Only problem being is my drinking buddy is taking his boy this season so it’ll have to be a child friendly boozer.
Either that or we’ll send him in early to his seat with a sausage roll and capri sun :)
HH
Foxy
Yes
Yes
Yes
MegRyanCSc
HH jamesgang
Isn’t there an inevitable “chicken and egg” aspect to Celtics transfer business every season?
Maybe players who will get us into the Champions League will only sign for us once we’ve actually qualified – otherwise they are faced with a seasons worth of Partick Thisfle and Sevco to stick on their CV.
It’s quite complicated for Celtic when we’re in this annual twilight zone of will we or won’t we. It’s a hell of a lot simpler if you’re Sevco and know that you signed up for Brexit in 2012 – and then cut your cloth accordingly.
Jamesgang,
Said before on here, Efe reminds me of Lorenzo Amoruso, if you give him time to think he suffers from mental paralysis!
I see it bud!
HH jamesgang
JAMESGANG on 26TH JULY 2016 9:08 PM
Yes I agree, and dont like to dwell on his blunders either. Still sore.
However he has everything in his locker to be a great player for us and I know from experience he’ll improve with age. Some players dont but he will. I can see that much in him plus his physique and strength are up there with grade A centre halves.
Celtic dont get grade A players anymore.
any summer reading tips bhoys /last cqn tip I got was Philip Kerr berlin trilogy – fantastic !
GLENDALYSTONSILS@9-01pm
That would be even funnier if it wasn’t true.
Think you memories playing tricks though as you had to be at least 10 rows back.
GM
Mountblow Tim is a Fiveways pre match drinker. Sure the youngster would be fine there. Lookin forward to a blether and beer wi you soon neebs.
HH
physique and speed doh
I’VEHADTOCHANGEMYNAME @ 9:18 PM,
I got “On Anarchism” by Noam Chomsky for Father’s Day…
No a bad little read…
Hail Hail
A forward line that’s needing time to build an understanding as well as fitness levels.
A defence that will be cobbled together from the remainder of players without injury and who are also trying to get their match fitness levels up as well as needing to try to gel as a unit almost immediately.
Then there is that midfield of ours that has been a large percentage of our problem over the last few seasons.
Throw in the travelling, another synthetic surface and all the other aspects that need to be overcome on European duty, never mind the tactics and its all quite a conundrum for BR!
Theres a bit of me thinking that its on nights like these that teams are made and IF Brendan can get them organised enough, motivated enough(i know he shouldnt even need to) and willing to run, work and fight for each other and put in a shift then they will be in with a shout.
There’s so much uncertainty right now with our defence and midfield, but 1 thing we do know, is that we have a great striker who can get us a goal or 2 if the ball is at his end of the park.
So taking into consideration the surface and how awkward it can be to play on, i wonder if it may be better to go long whenever its needed to keep the ball in amongst their defence as much as possible and away from ours!
That’s a hard shift for just 1 man so i say put 3 of them up there on a mission to cause as much havoc as possible and bully whatever defence they face, so im going with this lineup…….
Gordon
Lustig Ambrose O’Connell Tierney
Fisher Brown Armstrong
Ciftci Armstrong Dembele
Hopefully those forwards can not only get us a goal or 2 and at least keep some of the possession/play in and around Astana’s box for spells to give the midfield and defence breathers, and time to reorganise if needs be, but for them to be willing to drop back and work defensively against Astanas full backs whenever they venture forward as well.
Those 2 big lads would be a help at set pieces at either end of the park as well.
Get a good hour out of 1, 70 mins out of another and the 3rd may just have to soldier on depending the state of the midfielders and defence!
Id be inclined to keep whatever midfield we have sitting right in front of whatever defence we have to allow them to save any energy for their defensive duties and to help simplify their task considering there will be some inexperienced players in that mix, never mind the fact that it will be one of only a few games that some will have played together, just leave the attacking for the attackers and let the defenders sit back with the sole purpose of protecting that penalty area.
Bring on McGregor as the game wears on and we are 1-0 up to sit in that midfield when needed or as an attacking threat from deeper on breaks and Roberts as well as an out ball to either take the ball on a run as fresh legs to perhaps get that away goal if my strike force haven’t done the biz!
Brendan won’t even need to do anything tomorrow now after this post……its all sorted……..easy peasy!
TR
You have convinced me!
I believe! :)
It’s clear Lawwell interfered regarding Ins/Outs at Celtic Park for a number of years. I have heard this directly from agents who have dealt with Lawwell in both directions. In some cases he decided a player had to leave ; the player being informed before his agent or manager.
All the time his mantra was to deliver his financial KPIs and pick up his £1M ; his downsizing went to extremes with the Norwegian project. His objectives are not linked to success on the park or the ambitions of the supporters.
Even with BR given in/out responsibility he is still dependent on Lawwell closing deals. The time taken to close Toure deal does not augur well. Scott Sinclair deal will have Lawwell breaking out in a cold sweat that his bonus could be at risk without CL qualification. It is no surprise to me it has dragged on. A bad result in Astana may give Lawwell the opportunity to kill the deal.
As I predicted some weeks ago Lawwell and BR will cross swords as BR will become upset that Lawwell is playing with him.
The articles from Paul67 have already started to point the finger of blame at Efe —-which to blame a player trying his level best is wrong. The culprit is further up the food chain —-however a light will never be shone upon him.
The overhaul of Celtics playing squad can only begin by dismissing the tactical beancounter who has seriously damaged the club. A new CEO with objectives tied to BR is required.
Lawwell time to go !
Efetobore “Efe” Ambrose Emuobo:
I sincerely hope (pray) that, tomorrow afternoon, you will repel of all of Astana’s attacks, and score a hat-trick for the Hoops, by battering a header in-off the bar, in each of Celtic’s only three forays over the halfway-line!
Let’s hope that your three goals will allow the watching Fans to forget the sclaff-off-the-laces from your first touch of the game!
HH
Foxy
He’s some athlete.
And a lovely guy
Hope he has a great game if he plays.
HH jamesgang
RUMMYBHOY on 26TH JULY 2016 8:51 PM
I too hope and believe Henderson can be a great mid fielder for us.
He could be the Johansen we originally signed.
I’VEHADTOCHANGEMYNAME –
Love Philip Kerr’s books, especially his detective, whose name escapes me. Gunther something.
I would recommend Hans Fallada, especially “Little Man, What Now?” and “Every Man Dies Alone”.
Fallada writes brilliantly about ordinary Germans standing up against the Nazis.
Ive had tochangemyname
Philip Kerr ‘s Berlin Noir triology…Glad you enjoyed that,think it might have been my recommendation
Have you read read any Daniel Woodrell
American writer ,writes very well,A lot set in the Ozark mountains,rural white poor ( a completely forgotten american underclass)
Winters Bone is probably his best known work,but he also has a detective triology
DD
Easiest teamtalk ever!
Spelling it was the hard bit!
A lot of depressing posts the past couple of days, let’s just see how we get on tomorrow and then discuss where we are.
Auld Tam
Hans Fallada…excellent
Have you read Alone in Berlin
As I continue to find too many negative posts on CQN , I scroll past a great deal of them so I might have missed something but I got the impression that PL is taking stick because Erik is injured. Not for the injury itself, of course but because we don`t have back up for central defence. Is that right?
Mulgrew, Boyatta, Simunovich, Ajer, Ambrose,O`Connell, Toure and Lustig.
Foxy-we agree to differ my friend HH
Starry
BR obviously did, but that wasn’t my point as you well know :-)
HH
On Efe I’ve never seen a player to make so many mistakes & just let them wash off his shoulders. A lesser character would have ran and hid long before now. We could do with more players with his attitude, I’m rooting for a MOM performance from him tomorrow. H.H.
WITS –
Alone In Berlin.
Loved it.
HOT SMOKED
In order…
not our player
injured
injured
just joined,injured
lost confidence
untried youngster
just joined,not on trip
not injured yet
Not too inspiring,if I’m honest.
Still,that’s our team.