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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Davidopolous read that too. 10% sell on fee would be handy to fund Paddy’s transfer from citeh.
Bmcuw
popped into the Greyhound in Streatham the odd time in early 90s before coming back up here.Swan at the
Oval was a good pub too.
On saturday I could not help but think of those years, when I came back up guys who I thought were rugger types were all decked out in hunregalia and taking great delight in suggesting plans to get Celtic back to being second….then snigger
They took great joy in their hubris.
Scottish football (them in their eyes)
Was great.other clubs know your place.we are cheating(even then) but your sniders bout the most driven entrepreneur in Scotland,are timmy sour grapes.
(Lovely to read this post amid the public faecal blowout the court is giving everyone)
I digress bmcuw but on Sat I wanted to score everytime.for all who followed faithfully before and after Fergus takeover, all who watched the hampden year
All who queried the offshore accounts of
Hateley, stevens, steven, Gascoigne and many more history will prove like father, like son once a tax cheat always a tax cheat.
Hope alls good wi ccb, yourself and sisters.
HH
Taurangabhoy on 2nd May 2017 11:12 am
Davidopolous read that too. 10% sell on fee would be handy to fund Paddy’s transfer from citeh.
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I think making Paddy permanent is an absolute must for us!
An Tearmann Swan Stockwell was our local Sunday nights, is this the same pub, met a whole bunch of London Irish girls there , my mate married one still lives in London. Our whole group went to Sydney and I ended up in NZ. Reunion this year 30 years on and the Swan will be busy that Sunday. Hail hail
I do think we are going a bit overboard with Paddy… He is a good player but no where near the finished product. I do think to keep up our good relations with Man City we should offer to take him off their hands just out of the kindness of our hearts. So we give give City £5m for him and maybe he’ll be a good squad player for us in the future….
Wonder whats Lloyds would have done with Ibrokes if thems had defaulted on the loan.
Taurangabhoy
The very pub :-) smiling here Taurangabhoy as(especially after Saturdays win) I went there to watch Celtic and cheats and the cheats frauded a victory everytime.so the journey home to west Norwood was a downer.
My mate was from oz and his gf from dunedin.
Lol great times bein a tim
HH to you and yours
TTR
Presumably they would own the assets covered by the floating agreement, to dispose of in a way to raise as much for the debts owed, this is getting to the point of who owned what, was it MIH, LLoyds or ultimately Wavetower on the repayment of the bank debt
HETIMREAPER on 2ND MAY 2017 11:32 AM
Wonder whats Lloyds would have done with Ibrokes if thems had defaulted on the loan.
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We can only imagine. Personally I think they would have kept it in it’s current use as a Victorian Toilet. The Spend A Penny Arcade. Provided the huns didn’t wreck it of course…
https://philmacgiollabhain.ie/2017/05/02/proof-and-pain/
An Tearmann right back at you hail hail to you and yours. It is indeed a great time to be a Tim, it always has been.
Huns react to the pitch invader…
http://www.scotzine.com/2017/05/rangers-v-celtic-the-ibrox-pitch-invader/
AN TEARMANN on 2ND MAY 2017 11:40 AM
Taurangabhoy
The very pub :-) smiling here Taurangabhoy as(especially after Saturdays win) I went there to watch Celtic and cheats and the cheats frauded a victory everytime.so the journey home to west Norwood was a downer.
My mate was from oz and his gf from dunedin.
Lol great times bein a tim
HH to you and yours
_______________________________________
Getting a cab home from the Swan at closing was always a good craic – I lived in Norwood but often drank in the Brockwell Tavern – watched a few Celtic matches in there – Red Lion in Camberwell
Quick question.
If VVD goes to Chelsea for £50m Celtic gets 10% of £50m
If VVD goes to Chelsea for £20m plus a Chelsea first team regular…
What is Celtic then entitled to??
Interesting that the original Whyte proposal included a provision for £4m outstanding to Ticketus. Latterly the £4m was cut from the deal. Witness this morning confirms there was no proposal to repay that as part of the takeover. So it looks as though Whyte took over with a £4 liability. Shortly after Ticketus handed over another lump sum, £17m or there abouts.
new article posted.
Interesting that those nice chaps at Lloyds ( BoS/Halifax) considered ‘forgiving’ £4m (million pounds!!) of debt for oldco in 2009
Meanwhile back at the ranch they had taken a slightly different view of events unfolding at CP in 1994
http://www.thecelticwiki.com/m/page/Bank+defends+handling+of+Celtic+account
Anyone still got a BOS Account?
Want one…?
AN TEARMANN
Aye,you got the same as me,mate.
Couldnae walk down a street in Scotland for tripping over a paving stone that a previously-unadorned hun had crawled out from once Souness arrived.
Dodgy contracts? Who knows,I doubt the truth will ever come out.
But…
Hateley left a gloriously beautiful tax haven to sign for them.
I’ll leave you-an accomplished accountant-to figure that one out!
BFJ BASICALLY CALLED BROONIE A “THUG” on SSB LAST NIGHT,