Callum McGregor would have started the scoring on 65 seconds if he got his shot away a fraction earlier, but it was the intelligence of Patrick Roberts after 5 minutes that started the party. He laid the bait in front of Newco’s Beerman, showed him enough of the ball to convince the left back to attempt an interception.
At that moment, Patrick conjured up his version of the Missing Lady. Before Beerman could make contact, the ball was gone, replaced by Robert’s limbs. Referee John Beaton took his time before awarding the kick. Conditioned by an earlier refusal to give a stonewall penalty to Celtic, we thought the worst, but the award was made and Scott Sinclair rolled the ball into the corner of the net.
Leigh Griffiths unleashed a lethal shot for the second. Stuart Armstrong won possession off Hyndman, when he really shouldn’t have. Goalkeeper, Fotheringham, got a hand to the shot, but, in a moment symptomatic of Newco’s entire play, he didn’t have the steel to divert the shot from goal.
Scott Sinclair will be exhilarated today, but on the odd occasion he’ll ponder why he didn’t help himself to a hat-trick yesterday. He squandered two great chances, one after a Griffiths shot from 18 yards rebounded off the crossbar.
Measuring a manager is difficult as there are so many other variables go into a club’s season, but if you want to judge Brendan Rodgers, take a look at Callum McGregor. He opened Celtic’s account in the second half, six days after scoring the first against Newco at Hampden. This season, Callum has emerged as a tidy and skilful central midfielder. So much of our play is dependent on the speed of thought and movement he brings to the game.
Dedryck Boyata scored the fourth, a header from a whipped Griffiths free-kick. This act was superfluous to the big man’s imperious performance. He simply won everything that came within his considerable reach. More evidence of his manager’s ability to improve players, teams, leagues and the mood of a nation.
I doubt Dedryck’s partner, Jozo Simunovic, required a shower after the game. He strolled through the occasion. Really good defenders are not called to defend too often. They simply know where to go to inhibit or intercept. This was Jozo’s game, apart from a simply stunning tackle on Kenny Miller. He swooped like an eagle picking up a field mouse, making a surgical contact with the ball and clearing the danger.
This brought a period of utter nonsense on the Sky Sports commentary, where we were told Jozo’s “speed” should have been penalised with a foul. I can only assume parallel universes exist, in another, fast players are not allowed. We were also told that Jozo went in “with two feet”. He didn’t, one knee was bent, foot under his gluteus maximus.
We are at a stage where television is asking for fouls when Celtic bring genuine world-class football to Scotland. Make no mistake, this tackle was of Beckenbauer standard. Mr Walker, take a look at yourself.
We lost our shape around five minutes before Newco’s late consolation. The players are not robots, fatigue may well have crept in, and the occasion was getting to all of us, but fortunately Mikael Lustig had a plan.
You remember that moment in Escape to Victory, when Bobby Moore is talking tactics, and Pele picks up the chalk and says, “Give me the ball and I’ll go here, here, here and here, the score”, while meandering across the blackboard. Mikael must have watched that movie as a child, and some long dormant neurons, which were protecting the memory, sprung into life.
That’s pretty much what Mikael did.
They were absolutely brilliant, every single one of them. But let me assure you, this really is just the beginning. 12 of the 13 Celtic players who touched the ball yesterday were at the club last season. Wait until you see what Brendan does when he makes the squad his own.
Newco surrendered. They looked like they didn’t want to be there. By the end, not many of their fans were.
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Did this game mean anything?
Did it define us as a club?
!!BADA BING!! on 1ST MAY 2017 2:10 PM
Thanx for posting Bada, really enjoyed that.
very sad news……..
A young Celtic fan has been killed in the north of Germany after reportedly taking selfies in the dark on a busy motorway while drunk.
Dean Steele, 22, from Viewpark in Uddingston, was with two friends who were seen to be “running around” between two lanes of the A24 in the town of Gudow in Schleswig-Holstein.
According to local media news outlet Lübeck News Online, as traffic whizzed by in the direction of Berlin, Dean was struck by an Audi A6 at around 11.40pm on April 29.
RIP Dean Bhoy.
oops – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcbVMqisjIg
That was the worst frame of snooker I’ve ever seen by John Higgins.
C’MON JOHN….YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN THAT!
Saint Mirren
They killed Tony….
A STOR MHA CHROI
That’s the one;-)
given 2 horses for today
Both at Down Royal
3.35 Newsworthy and 4.10 Lucky Pat
If my memory is correct, Ross County’s U-20 team can win the Development League with a win today…. obviously, it would be great for Celtic to come back and nick it, but, if not, I think some credit has to go to RC … that is a pretty good accomplishment for a small club with a relatively small budget …. and having all but secured safety for next season …. a pretty good week for them. Credit where credit is due.
Well done Kenny Miller for your tactical astuteness!
On Saturday you were the captain of a team who had the WORST EVER result of any ‘entity’ playing a home match at Ibrox.
48 hours later fans of the team who wiped the floor with you are talking about a non foul.
Hmmm.
Lieutenant Sulu could learn a thing or two from you about getting deflector shields to maximum.
Hail hail.
momentum transfer…Phrase of the day. ;-) HH MM
Barney 67
Momentum Transfer
any realtion to Manhattan Transfer
Watching a rerun of Saturday. Simunovic looked really angry. Several times he was forced to put down his copy of the big bumper book of really hard crosswords to tackle kenny miller.
Still, I hear he got it finished before the end of the game. What a walk in the park it was for him.
Oh naw! Garner Fud, Walker Fud, Whyte Fud
good point mits – great achievement -hope they’ll move up to the first team and be decent in the spfl
WHAT IS THE STARS on 1ST MAY 2017 3:21 PM
Barney 67
Momentum Transfer
any realtion to Manhattan Transfer
*************************************
Miller thought he been hit by a train, so yeh, maybe.
Miss Hunderbirds was working on Saturday and asked me to keep her up to date. Don’t think she expected the twenty plus texts I sent her during the game. Well there were a lot of incidents to report. She works part time in a store in the city centre and must have been busy as I had only had one reply, until near the end. I wasn’t even sure we was getting my excited ramblings.
My last text to her whilst the game was on read, “Brendan taking the p**s now. Eboui on for Brown”
Her reply came straight back, “Ahhhh bl***y brilliant! Thanks for bringing me up a Tim ;) Ily xxxx”
Right there, in that moment, I thought, life is good. Really good.
:)
Hail Hail
An update on the tragic circumstances of young Dean Steele,
Celtic fan killed in German autobahn ‘selfie’ accident was trying to catch a bus after St Pauli game
German police claim Dean Steele and pals were trying to take selfies on the motorway but friends of the family say the lads were just trying to get to other side to get a bus.
RIP young Dean so very sad.
Big Jimmy
Very sad for Dean and his family
WHAT IS THE STARS on 1ST MAY 2017 3:21 PM
Barney 67
Momentum Transfer
any realtion to Manhattan Transfer
*****
Could be.
Anything goes, nowadays.
RIP Dean Steele, very sad news.
Thoughts with his friends and family.
James Forrest at his best today with 3 cracking blogs.The one on Miller is terrific.
Pedros transfer target list??????????.12 players.Where is the money coming from?.End of that story.
Jackass banned from Auchenhowie.Deary me.Anything to save a breakfast.
Great times to be a Tim.There was never a bad time,but you knew that.
Love these
https://twitter.com/cartujakds/status/858341915049291778
MWD
Was in Santa Ponsa many moons ago and in the same Hotel were Kenny Miller and Mark Burchill with their partners.Miller with Hibs at the time.Believe me,Miller is no Hun.Spoke to them every day.Mark is a 100% rebel.Saw them down the Irish centre most nights.Miller was a Hibee through and through.
I think he has an agenda at the Huns.James Forrest talks about it today on his blog.
Big Jimmy ….. ta …!!!!!!!!!!
PHILBHOY on 30TH APRIL 2017 7:34 PM
TALLYBHOY & BMCUWP
Good advice and many thanks!
Went to the lounge bar in the Lonsdale and had a great time!
Met and made some new friends so many thanks to Jim, Brian and Stuart if you are lurking!
Oh, and the Ice Cream Factory was a bit special too!
Thanks again!
C’MON THE CELTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Just catching up and have come across your post from last night.
Glad you were able to watch the ‘slaughter’ in the ‘Lonsdale’. Sent you a mail yesterday which you will be able to view tomorrow I believe.
Watched the game in a pal’s house and came down to the Lonsdale later that day, but you were probably away by then.
You are obviously a lucky charm, and should come down to Troon more often when Celtic have an important game on!
HH!!
A stor mha chroi
Cheers for the media c&p’s
HH
TALLYBHOY
Had a fantastic day!
We left about 15 minutes after the game and headed to Scott’s Bar at the harbour.
As if I needed another drink!
I’ll see your email tomorrow and thanks again!
BRTH .
Badge duty for the foundation ? If this is outside the stadium , I can find you as I’m planning on being early , as I need to visit the ticket office . If posting the shirt is easier , then no problem . HH
sa/tr for the midfield next sat against st j?
Kouassi should get some game time….
!!BADA BING!! on 1ST MAY 2017 4:43 PM
Kouassi should get some game time.
@@@@@@@
Agree with that he got 20 seconds on Saturday and still done more than Haliday .
H.H
sa tr cmcg
and kouassi?
Hi Bhoys
A song for the tweet pic by MWD at 4.19
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sovVYInjHjw
Simon & Garfunkel – Bookends
KEEP THE FAITH
TURKEYBHOY:
This one’s for you matey :)
https://thecelticblog.com/2017/05/blogs/pedros-targeting-twelve-new-signings-theyre-gonna-need-a-bigger-bus/
Re-watching the game and in the context of on line orcs pronouncing Kenny Miller the only player that showed up for them, I can confirm that he was utterly useless. He was a bit less worse than the rest of them. He tried a bit harder and obviously has a bit more ‘game intelligence’ than his team mates. But he is mince.
And he’s turned in to a hateful individual too. It’s what being embraced by the Klan and embracing them back does to you. See Goram, A etc.
Lie down with dogs ……
James Forrest
Thankfully the orcs belive all the spin, the SMSM has done some amount of damage to their lost cause.
Was taking the wee out of one of them this morning and suggested Ashley (a real billionaire) would do a turn for them .
He was aghast “he’s no a R*ng*rs man”
stupid stupid huns .
Just watching the snooker and and wondering after that comeback is there any professional sport that involves large money being spent on the betting markets is really above and beyond match fixing