When I heard of Liverpool’s freak 3-0 defeat to Watford on Saturday, their first in the league this season, it portended to how Celtic are vulnerable to a cup upset. Football is not a sport where winning all the time is possible.
Even great teams score with a small percentage of their chances and sometimes will miss all chances in a game. Conversely, underdogs will sometimes score with their only chance(s) in a game; cup upsets are a statistical certainty.
As a consequence, this impossibly long run of domestic cup success simply has to end sometime and Perth on Sunday had all the hallmarks of the classic upset. St Johnstone are on form, the pitch was rutted and sodden; the weather, inclement. St Johnstone players were watching television on Thursday, while Celtic’s were exhausting limbs in a failed attempt to remain in Europe.
You will have noted that the only time any of our 33 previous cup games finished level after 90 minutes was at home to Dunfermline this season – immediately after our Champions League qualification defeat to Cluj. That European result hovered ominously over the domestic cup game; players are only human, full of human emotions. Perhaps that Dunfermline game put steel in the legs yesterday.
It takes more than good form, a horrible pitch, a sore European defeat and awful weather to knock this Celtic team out of a cup. The sheer determination to win, which was evident at Hampden in December’s League Cup Final, decided the outcome of yesterday’s Scottish Cup quarterfinal.
We are watching a dressing room united and with common purpose, unlike others I could mention. 34 consecutive cup wins is nothing short of miraculous, but the more miracles you perform, the more real estate you occupy in the minds of your opponents. Does anyone really expect to knock Celtic out of a cup these days?
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Kris Ajer should not be risked if not 100% recovered from his thigh strain, neither James Forrest from his attempted leg breaker.
Elhamed is a capable centre half on the right of a three and Frimpong can take James place.
Yes
Livingston is huge, from a ploughed field to a carpet, set peices are crucial on Weds, get the taller players out there.
Indeed Paul67….the ‘Aberdeen always bow down to Celtic..’ narrative seems to have already set the tone for the semi-final amongst those who watch on elsehwere. The lack of Dons fans who will make the trip (some already bought into this) all gets into the minds. Never a gimme but that psychology certainly helps us start on the front foot.
I’d never banked another treble this season at the start of August. Surely not (for consistency reasons and not because ‘they’ were coming) but now getting desperately greedy for it…as we head towards 180 minutes of cup action to make it hqppen.
Paul67
1. LC – 10/08/16 – Celtic 5 Motherwell 0
2. LC – 21/09/16 – Celtic 2 Alloa 0
3. LC – 23/10/16 – Zombies 0 Celtic 1
4. LC – 27/11/16 – Aberdeen 0 Celtic 3
5. SC – 22/01/17 – Albion Rovers 0 Celtic 3
6. SC – 11/02/17 – Celtic 6 ICT 0
7. SC – 05/03/17 – Celtic 4 St Mirren 1
8. SC – 23/04/17 – Celtic 2 Zombies 0
9. SC – 27/05/17 – Celtic 2 Aberdeen 1
10. LC – 08/08/17 – Celtic 5 Kilmarnock 0
11. LC – 20/09/17 – Dundee 0 Celtic 4
12. LC – 21/10/17 – Hibernian 2 Celtic 4
13. LC – 26/11/17 – Motherwell 0 Celtic 2
14. SC – 20/01/18 – Celtic 5 Brechin 0
15. SC – 10/02/18 – Celtic 3 Partick 2
16. SC – 03/03/18 – Celtic 3 Morton 0
17. SC – 15/04/18 – Celtic 4 Zombies 0
18. SC – 19/05/18 – Celtic 2 Motherwell 0
19. LC – 18/08/18 – Partick 1 Celtic 3
20. LC – 26/09/18 – St Johnstone 0 Celtic 1
21. LC – 28/10/18 – Hearts 0 Celtic 3
22. LC – 02/12/18 – Celtic 1 Aberdeen 0
23. SC – 19/01/19 – Celtic 3 Airdrie 0
24. SC – 10/02/19 – Celtic 5 St Johnstone 0
25. SC – 03/03/19 – Hibernian 0 Celtic 2
26. SC – 14/04/19 – Aberdeen 0 Celtic 3
27. SC – 25/05/19 – Hearts 1 Celtic 2
28. LC – 17/08/19 – Celtic 2 Dunfermline 1
29. LC – 25/09/19 – Celtic 5 Partick Thistle 0
30. LC – 03/10/19 – Hibs 2 Celtic 5
31. LC – 08/12/19 – Zombies 0 Celtic 1
32. SC – 18/01/20 – Partick 1 Celtic 2
33. SC – 09/02/20 – Clyde 0 Celtic 3
34. SC – 01/03/20 – St Johnstone 0 Celtic 1
Unique CSC
@peelmaster HB
I’ll take a stab at the following starting line-up
———————–Forster————————-
——K.A or Walsh Jullien Bitton———–
Elhamed Broony Calmac Hayes
—————-Christie——————————–
———–Edouard Griffiths—————-
I’ve a feeling Hayes will get the nod ahead of Taylor
Seethen ( from day one) Gerrard could have merely taken the Sevco job two seasons ago, he didn’t he picked up the bigot baton added it to his attitude, lack of attention or respect to detail, and did it in the same old way, only to be inevitably swotted in the same old way.
New club clean, not triggers broom is the only method under which a new club can sweep. Not mired in more new debt and a sickly self entitlement stemmed from decades of football fraud, which shackles the bowler hatted laptop racists to the ‘f&ck the Pope’ mentality, heard all over Europe.
They’ve created a new monster and Gerrard is merely a daftie in a line of dafties © irn bru, that didn’t attempt something new and ambitious like respect for fellow man, be it in Perth, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, or Kilmarnock.
Handcuffed by bigots the millions borrowed for punts, are proven punts inside record time, and the new club is riddled with a mediocrity that’ll get you nothing but second best in Scotland.
It will always be like this, when Brian Dempsey stood on the steps at Celtic Park and said ‘the game is over, ‘the rebels have won’ even he didn’t know, what he really meant.
Celtic on a nearly level playing field that old Rainjurz never, ever faced is galaxies beyond anything concocted in Govan in 2012. Momentum, continuity, and history it will always be like this, enjoy the ride.
Hail Hail
Bayo due a run for me, Taylor Boli and Hayes shots each at being KT is a tough gig, Jullien and Ajer best double act in the SPL by far.
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 2ND MARCH 2020 12:21 PM
Cap doffed fella. Cracking post.
Incredible dominance of domestic football
Sunday showed just how resilient we are.
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 2ND MARCH 2020 12:28 PM
I don’t think Bayo has earned a start and therefore won’t get one.
Leigh links up well with Eddy AND has the ability and willingness to shoot from distance, a crucial weapon on a pitch not conducive to patient build up.
HH
Eddy has been off it for a couple of weeks, I think he’s carrying an injury, maybe start with Bayo and Griff,on that pitch we need to get the ball forward quicker, and avoid too much side to side passes.
…….any wurd oan stevie yit?
Naw?
:)
SIEMPRE CELTIC (FORMERLY TRADITIONALIST88) on 2ND MARCH 2020 11:29 AM
Yes, I’ve noticed before he tends to hold off with the subs and it does surprise me. 20 mins to go flies in if you’re desperate for a goal. Possibly even giving Copenhagen too much respect, Griff and Eddy have been linking up so well I thought he’d have brought Leigh on earlier given our predicament and the fact Eddy was struggling to make an impact.
We just weren’t anywhere near our best which is the most frustrating thing.
I note Copenhagen had a 3-2 home win yesterday against the side in 6th, their defence is leaky if you get at them and I just feel we let them off the hook.
Still, I believe we will learn our lesson.
___
I hope you are right. It cannot be considered anything but a disaster and a massive missed opportunity.
I hope lessons are learned but I have my doubts.
I’d question the decision to give a new deal to Nir Bitton if he cannot be trusted to even play 30 mins in Brown’s place.
SIEMPRE
We need to see what Bayo can do IMO , more game time required not convinced Leigh is doing enough to keep us from seeing what else is in the squad be it Bayo or Klimala
Just my opinion CSC
Stevie, Stevie, Stevie as Winstons would say😂😂😂
Wouldn’t it be great if Slippy went awol (doing an Alfredo as it’s now known) and didn’t come back up the road to Tuesday or Wednesday 😂
Bring on the Livvy
D. :)
Winston even from still game
D. :)
in ither news……………..
” The Scoddish Sun”
;)
on many Levels, a contradiction in terms.
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 2ND MARCH 2020 12:53 PM
We need to see what Bayo can do IMO , more game time required not convinced Leigh is doing enough to keep us from seeing what else is in the squad be it Bayo or Klimala
Just my opinion CSC
========
I don’t think we, supporters, need to see what he can do as such.
If the player is not doing it in training Lenny will have seen enough and pick the team accordingly.
HH
BBC news reporting Boris has a plan on how to deal with the virus outbreak.
Wonder if he has been taking lessons from the Chinese?
TIMALOY29 on 2ND MARCH 2020 12:50 PM
Absolutely, massive missed opportunity and just as we were looking like we could make CP a ‘fortress’ in Europe again.
HH
THE HANDS CANT HIT WHAT THE EYES CANT SEE on 2ND MARCH 2020 11:31 AM
Neil Lennon has publicly said Boli has simply lost form and needs to earn his place in the team. There was a strong rumour that he threw the toys out of the pram when dropped. Allegedly made his own way home from Rugby Park without watching the game when it was clear he would sit in the stand instead of the bench. Who’s to say that’s true or not?
I agree with you on Rogic. No way he should have started in the same team alongside Brown, Forrest and Elyounoussi. He had a good 45 mins but faded. We’d be better off trusting Griff from the start.
Brown will at least get a rest during the short international break this month. I don’t expect him to be rested otherwise.
It’s clear Neil has no faith in either Bayo or Klimala. Don’t expect them to start a game until they absolutely have to or the league is won early.
I know we say this every year but the summer is a big window for Celtic. It looks like we need depth at CB, depth up front, depth at RB & a LB to compete for a starting place. Add to that permanent deals for Forster & Elyounoussi (or replacements if that doesn’t happen)
That’s the bare minimum not even taking into account departures (Edouard, Ajer etc.)
THEWEEGREENMAN on 2ND MARCH 2020 1:04 PM
BBC news reporting Boris has a plan on how to deal with the virus outbreak.
Wonder if he has been taking lessons from the Chinese?
=================================================================
God forbid.
Closed doors at Ibrox in 2 weeks a real possibility given the spread of coronavirus, there may be no restrictions until then in terms of our matches and only one case in Scotland so far, but hard to tell…
HH
SIEMPRE
We’ll see what NFL thinks, you can’t prevent supporters wanting to see what the club have bought?
Supporters wanted Taylor when we had Boli and Hayes when we have Taylor, it’s opinion that won’t always be the same as the manager, all hot air in the end.
I don’t generally agree with Chris Sutton, but I bow his superior knowledge on the striking roles, when he offered yesterday that Leigh and Eddy we’re playing too far apart.
MACJAY1 FOR NEIL LENNON on 2ND MARCH 2020 1:15 PM
THEWEEGREENMAN on 2ND MARCH 2020 1:04 PM
BBC news reporting Boris has a plan on how to deal with the virus outbreak.
Wonder if he has been taking lessons from the Chinese?
=================================================================
God forbid
===============
Haven’t their extremely strict quarantine measures been very successful in contributing to a reduction in new cases for several days?
Whatever about blame for the origin of the coronavirus it was my understanding they reacted well to contain it, and that Italy and South Korea could have done a lot better in that regard?
HH
Timaloy2 – It’s clear Neil has no faith in either Bayo or Klimala.
—
Is it? Both appeared on the bench yesterday and 1 came on. Ergo, it’s not clear. At all. At all.
Siempre
The way the Chinese dealt with it was rather brutal to be honest.
Door to door checks. If you are infected you are dragged out your house and taken to a hospital/detention centre.
Scary stuff.
Theweegreenman
Where did you hear that shite?
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 2ND MARCH 2020 1:16 PM
Yeah, if we get 3 points he can do what he likes ;)
But clearly thats not a given and in our tightest matches this season I think we have seen that Lenny just doesnt trust Bayo to deliver. Either hes not a big game player, or hes not a player, full stop.
If Bayo is selected that will signal to me he does have a future at the club but if I was a betting man I wouldn’t touch it.
Leighs shooting from distance wins it for me – if it doesnt directly lead to a goal it creates confusion, can win you corners, you can get rebounds for others to follow in on. I think he also brings more out of Eddy and their linkup has generally been excellent so far.
HH
SIEMPRE CELTIC (FORMERLY TRADITIONALIST88) on 2ND MARCH 2020 1:17 PM
If you really want to know about how China has” handled ” the Covid -19 outbreak , watch this and hold on to your hat .
For ABC Australia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycrqXJYf1SU
Watched a documentary on my it. Four corners On ABC news.
Worth a watch if you have a spare 45 mins.
THEWEEGREENMAN on 2ND MARCH 2020 1:23 PM
Same advice as to siempre.
FROM ABC , Australia .
THEWEEGREENMAN on 2ND MARCH 2020 1:27 PM
Sorry , mate.
Preaching to the converted .
TIMALOY29 on 2ND MARCH 2020 12:50 PM
Kopenhagrn don’t have a leaky defense, they had the joint third best defensive record in the Europa League.
They conceded both goals late in the game after an away trip on a Thursday night
We had enough chances over the two legs, the whole tie could have been over after 45 minutes.
No chance of game at Poundland, behind closed doors IMO,they are desperate for any cash that they can get.
BIG WAVY on 2ND MARCH 2020 1:21 PM
Is it? Both appeared on the bench yesterday and 1 came on. Ergo, it’s not clear. At all. At all.
___
That’s not the whole truth though is it?
St Johnston –
When the game was still in the balance he opted to bring Rogic on for Griffiths. The system was tweaked instead of bringing on either.
Bayo arrived when Celtic were ahead. Most likely to run the clock down in the last couple of minutes. Not sure what he was being trusted with for 2 minutes!
Copenhagen home –
Neil Lennon opted to finish the game only making a single sub. That’s damning.
Copenhagen away –
Leigh Griffiths is unavailable. Does he bring either in? No, he switches the system again.
Neil Lennon has only given Bayo an opportunity when the game was in the balance a couple of times. Hearts at home at the start of the season & the Livi away game when we lost 2-0. I don’t count games against lower league opposition.
Klimala has had two cameos off the bench. 6 & 7 minute spells in games that were well won.
CELTIC40ME on 2ND MARCH 2020 1:32 PM
“Copenhagen don’t have a leaky defense”
“We had enough chances over the two legs, the whole tie could have been over after 45 minutes.”
How do you marry the two?