With Celtic a goal up midway through the second half yesterday, we tried something new. The back four became a back three, with three sitting in front of them. Adam Matthews pushed into right midfield leaving Izaguirre, Denayer and van Dijk across the back. To the left of Matthews was Scott Brown and Charlie Mulgrew. It was a useful game to experiment tactically as Inverness asked questions throughout.
The most striking feature of this three at the back with three sitters was that Matthews didn’t bomb forward when Celtic were in possession, as he usually does. He kept in line with Brown and Mulgrew. On occasion, they were 25 yards behind their nearest team-mate, which was a bit jarring to see, as it’s so rare.
This was almost certainly a dry-run for Astra on Thursday. Getting it right defensively in Romania is going to be key to the outcome. On their showing at Celtic Park, Astra are a decent passing team who enjoy being on the ball. They were less impressive in attack, as the Celtic defence and Craig Gordon did enjoy to stifle them, apart from one slip, and when we asked questions of their keeper and defence, they looked vulnerable.
I’m not sure Ronny Deila will be overly convinced that his experiments yesterday should be repeated on Thursday. Inverness carved us open several times late in the game, but at least we’ll hopefully not be trying something out there for the first time.
You can get copies of Caesar & the Assassin, Billy McNeill and Davie Hay’s accounts of managing Celtic from Jock Stein’s departure until the appointment of Liam Brady, signed by both Billy and Davie here. I’d a great chat with Billy today, he’s a man who knows how to enjoy his football.
709 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
- »
We have a multitude of games prior to a Zombie meeting.
Ignore them.
Well posting back seems a fair few are bringing it on so to speak.
Well then that’s it.
Hun meeting in the pipeline and we will deal with it when the time comes.
There will be no new club talk from Celtic so anybody thinking that should eliminate it from their thoughts immediately.
Lest anybody thinks those two posts are linked there and contradictory.Sorry.
Time for Peter Lawwell to nail down the best striker we have had since Larsson.
No excuses.
We have stacks of cash.
Tricoloured Ribbon said:
Time for Peter Lawwell to nail down the best striker we have had since Larsson.
That’s right Peter. The transfer window is closed for another 8 weeks but “no excuses”. Get him signed now.
as a newbie, can i start a poppy debate?
not that i want to start off some inhouse massacre on CQN,
ive read cqn for donkeys years and wanted to chip in with my thoughts.
for some reason or other, i couldn’t do it.
now i can..
anyway..a good few years ago, when happily married, and with 3 youngsters, the easiest holiday, and affordable one, was 2 weeks,or 10 days in a caravan in northern France.
Turns out, were a couple of miles from the WW1 battlefields.
Aisne, Compiegne, and more importantly, to me Thiepval.
as you do in French roads, you tend to get lost, but you cant escape the landscape.
rutted, scarred, bomb craters
we were on our way back to our campsite, when i got an overwhelming feeling.
I was in the middle of it all, i need to pick poppies, they were growing everywhere.
After picking the popppies, we went to the next, what we thought was, the next comfort stop.
it was the Ulster tower. dedicated to the 36th Ulster.
i still have the poppies, pressed in a book,
i dont bring them out often,but when i do..
i cant help thinking of the 16th Irish and the forbidden flag
not trolling,sharing my thoughts.
CHICHARC
Welcome to the site,mate.
The 36 Ulster won about half of all Victoria Crosses awarded in the Battle of the Somme. It was largely made up of members of the UVF.
Pretty sure that my Papa was one of the miners who tunnelled under German lines to blow them up.
Hi Bobby and thanks for your welcome..
i didnt know half the VCs from the Somme were awarded to the 36th.
when in France i visited the Lochnagar crater. the most famous i suppose is the Messines craters.
also, i went to a place, on the chemins de dames,
Cavern Du Dragon,
a great story of miners and tunnelers during the war
I notic Boydyachenco bumping his gums of in the papers this AM telling Guidetti to shut it, and that he won’t know what will hit him when the game comes up, lol,
JG will be well informed on what will hit him in that game and it will be McCluggers elbows, and of course the SLEEKIT one is calling for calm, God theyr so predictable this new club.
Site down?
The expert in games against Celtic that is Kris Boyd, with one goal against Celtic whilst playing for the team formerly known as Rangers, yes John Gudetti listen to the wisdom…..
Go and make history John, as the first Celtic player to score against this mob.
Ayrshire is Green and White
BRTH .. Many Hoopy Returns!!!
HH
Gerry
Shakes head in disbelief at Virgil, there is no relation between a meaningless wee diddy cup semi final and the champions league, for this Celtic fan…………………..
http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/latest/van-dijk-old-firm-trumps-champions-league-nights-1-3591819y
STEPHEN HALLIDAY
03 November
CELTIC defender Virgil van Dijk has welcomed the prospect of making his Old Firm debut, claiming it will be even more meaningful than playing in the Champions League.
The Dutch defender’s reaction to the League Cup semi-final draw against Rangers, which prompted cheers in the Celtic dressing room on Saturday when it was made shortly after their 1-0 Premiership win over Inverness, typified the predictably frenzied hype already surrounding a tie which is still three months away.
Van Dijk has experienced Champions League group stage football with Celtic since joining the club, helping to enhance his reputation and earn him a call into the senior Dutch international squad. But the 23-year-old believes taking part in the resumption of one of world football’s most famous derby fixtures will carry even greater significance.
“I have heard a lot of stories about the game,” said van Dijk. “It is something very special – even more special than the Champions League nights. So it is going to be amazing.
“I’ve heard the whole stadium goes mental. It’s going to be a little bit different with the game at Hampden and the same number of fans for both teams, but it will still be crazy.
“The semi-final is going to be an amazing game. I wasn’t really expecting to play games against Rangers when I signed for Celtic. I knew we could always meet them in a cup, but I didn’t think about it a lot.
Happy birthday to ole BRTH.
Chicharc failte
Good morning friends from a damp undefoot but currently dry overhead and still relatively mild East Kilbride.
Jobo
http://mobro.co/jobobaldie
All the very best on your birthday BRTH…
Fae the Valley Tims..
Bring on The Astra…
Many happy returns to one of the best, BRTH.
Have a great day auld yin.
Good evening from Oz, Melbourne cup here
tomorrow and the whole country comes to a
halt, crazy stuff and just when i was getting
rid of this hangover.
H.H Mick
The dreaded Monday morning is with us again.
Happy Birthday BRTH
HH
CRC
BRTH – have a very hoopy birthday.
Celtic FC, you have a clear choice:
1. Speak the truth, make an emphatic statement that the semifinal tie is nothing to do with the Old Firm which died the day RFC were put into liquidation, run the risk of upsetting Sevco fans, SFA and MSM alike.
OR
2. Say nothing or play along with the Same Club myth and alienate your own fans.
You cannot sit on the fence any more.
The day you have been trying to avoid has arrived.
Stand up and be counted.
Sevco FC and all their followers, in the guise of SFA officials, the MSM, police, judges etc… are nothing but bullies trying to impose their mythical beliefs on the rest of Scottish football, most especially Celtic.
There is only 1 way to deal with bullies, stand up to them.
Dundee United had the balls to do so. Show that the biggest club in the land has some too.
Too many fans on here quite happy to go along with the big lie, that our semi final is a Old Firm game.
Why shouldn’t Celtic tell the truth ?
Rangers died, this is Scotland’s newest club we are facing, this is NOT an Old Firm game.
Tell the truth Celtic, one simple statement, one simple sentence on the club’s website
That’s all it takes, and nail this lie once and forever.
Since when were Celtic afraid to tell the truth
So we play a new team in January for the first time. (C) Donald findlay.
That is not the big issue for me.
The three lines celtic and fans should be banging on about from now to the game before we play 15 men is:
“We need a strong referee. ..”
“Let’s hope the officials aren’t the story. …”
“Consider a foreign referee as this is going to be going to be highly charged.. ”
Get the message out here and abroad ahead of ‘honest mistakes’ or just call it cheating
Chicharc:
Welcome…
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
BRTH:
Hoopy Birthday…
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Happy Birthday, BRTH.
Time to start work, until we meet again…
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
lionroars67
Virgil wont be wanting a transfer down south anytime soon then! Didn’t he say about being dumped out of the champions league and not wanting to be at Celtic without it?
Celtic wont make a statement, this game will be televised worldwide and theres a huge amount of cash at stake for a future TV deal etc etc, when sevco I assume get promoted through the playoffs!
A very Hoopy Birthday to the Bard of CQN!
HH jamesgang
robert88,
Exactly it’s that simple, money is far more important to the Plc than the customers opinion
BRTH,
Happy birthday
Neil canamalar Lennon hunskelper extrordinaire
They know as we do and many people about the truth, but a TV deal is free money, its easy, I can see why they wouldn’t scupper that opportunity.
Robert88
08:05 on
3 November, 2014
lionroars67
Virgil wont be wanting a transfer down south anytime soon then! Didn’t he say about being dumped out of the champions league and not wanting to be at Celtic without it?
Yes Rangers in the league next season should convince Virgil to stay
PS Just whisper this but since the draw we are now an old firm club again, with old firm supporters who cant wait for the fixture
Or safety for that matter, they know fine well this fixture will bring violence and possibly death to its customers, collateral damage and acceptable losses, platitudes and insincerity will be offered but they know exactly what is going to happen and they support it fully.
FFS Is this going to go on for 3 months. Hello, Goodbye, will check again in 5 or 6 hours.