Whenever Leigh Griffiths and Patrick Roberts were on the ball last night, Lincoln Red Imps sensed danger. Both could control instantly, control with little space and disorientate defenders. Leigh and Patrick aside, the rest had an excellent first half. Passing was crisp, accurate and fast.
The shape of the team, with variously Lustig, Brown, Tierney and Shevchenko operating in a moveable back three, allowed players to find space between Red Imps’ 5-4-1.
These games are not about impressing anyone, they are about getting into the next round, but the tie was over by halftime, allowing Celtic to step the pace down, and Red Imps to show that they were more than they appeared to be in the first half.
Stiffer tests lie ahead, when more will need to perform at the levels of Patrick and Leigh.
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DAVIDOPOULOS:
Not a bad suggestion :)
BTW, you have a very unusual blog, but it’s a good read :)
I recall a couple of years ago that we were told that we would be doing our business in the Jan window so we could get players bedded in for the CL qualifiers.
How did that work out then ?
Celt55
Erik slow, and short for a Centre Back?
I watched the astana game yesterday it took Vilnius till the 2nd half to get into their stride. Astana had them pinned in their own half for most of the 1st half. The pitch definitely favours the home side who are used to it. Defensively both teams looked dodgy. But astana are dangerous from set plays and on the break.
They are far from unbeatable though, and I think we will go through easily.
Wee Jamesie posting today?
James Forrest
What’s unusual about a blog about sausages? Oh right…the sausage part… :)
Barney67
Yeah, looks like Astana’s biggest threat will be crosses into the box. Which is fine, because we have 2 settled centre backs ;)
bournesouprecipe on 21st July 2016 3:44 pm
Aye, but he’s a good player and I think would make a good midfielder. He’s the type of guy you want in your team.
Erik and Broonie as the sitting middys, that would allow Efe a start as CB
EfeCSC
BSR,
Thanks for that.
No doubt there is/was a player there but we are potentially buying from a inflated market.
In an ideal world, given his record and how we have been burnt before I’d prefer a loan with an option to buy (wishful thinking).
His reported salary is £2.8m p.a. If correct that’s £54k per week, over a 52 week year.
He is under contract until the 30/6/2019; how does that work on relegation? Is there an early exit clause? Has his salary dropped on relegation?
Add to that dealing with the new owner at Villa Tony Xia (there’s already question marks there).
Villa have been notorious to deal with, has that changed?
I wouldn’t push the boat out here unless BR is very sure and we can get a very good deal. imo
eltic: Boruc, Wilson, McManus, O’Dea, Naylor, Nakamura, Sno, Lennon (Gravesen 81), McGeady, Vennegoor of Hesselink, Miller (Jarosik 62).
Subs Not Used: Brown, Telfer, Riordan, Perrier Doumbe, Kennedy.
The team that drew 0-0 on aggregate with eventual winners ac milan in the last 16, the same milan team that destroyed man utd in the quarters. Wonder how many would be automatic picks in todays squad. We clearly need to strengthen but lets not underestimate the importance of the manager. As an earlier poster daid look what big jock did with mcgrorys squad
THE EXILED TIM;
We get told SO MUCH crap by the people running the club, and always this “have faith” garbage that lessons have been learned, that things will work out … every single Celtic fan, even those complaining about those of us who are complaining, knew it was a colossal mistake to be relying on Efe Ambrose as our backup central defender. Only the belief that even HE couldn’t screw up too badly against amateur players let the board off the hook … and it was still a near-catastrophe.
The manager has so little faith in him that he played Keiran at central defence in a three last night.
If Sviatchenko gets injured at the weekend and we’re only able to make one signing before the window closes clubs are going to jack up their prices accordingly (which is why Blackburn won’t budge at the moment, and why we should have gone elsewhere already) and even in the event we do sign one it’ll be Unknown New Guy and AN Other, probably Ambrose himself.
It’s shocking. It’s inexcusable. Yet I already know excuses will be, and are being, made.
Other clubs don’t seem to have problems bringing players in.
Sevco have signed nine. I’ve slagged nearly all of them, but NINE signings? Someone there clearly knows how to work a phone and fax machine.
Aberdeen have signed seven. I’ve barely heard of any of them, but again, someone has and someone knows how to get them over the line.
Dundee have signed six. Dundee Utd have signed seven. Hearts have signed six, Inverness four, Motherwell five … Kilmarnock have signed ELEVEN PLAYERS …
Why is it easy for these clubs to find footballers and sign them up and it’s so difficult for us?
BOURNESOUPRECIPE:
Who, me? :)
I was on looking for transfer rumours, then I saw I was getting some stick.
Decided to hang around a while.
Hope you’re well brother :)
From what I’ve seen of Astana and the dodgy pitch, I think a back 5 would be a good shout. Which would mean the unthinkable – playing Efe.
how about:
Gordon
Janko Lustig Amrose Sviatchenko Tierney
Brown McGregor Bitton
Griffiths Dembele
I think two strikers might be needed to help alleviate pressure and provide out balls.
Don’t think Brendan will go for anything like this but it’s an idea.
DAVIDOPOULOS:
Hehe. It’s enjoyable reading, actually. Especially if you like sausages!
An interesting article on FC Astana’s resources. It’s a shame that Michel Platini didn’t look at the pitch when he opened the stadium…
“FC Astana, as part of the country’s drive towards becoming a legitimate sports nation, was given sufficient state resources to guarantee the club’s success. As part of this agenda the club has access to the country’s most modern stadium, the Astana Arena. Opened in 2009, the stadium cost $185 million to construct, and was described by UEFA president Michel Platini as the “the most beautiful stadium in Europe.”
http://futbolgrad.com/fc-astana-reaching-for-the-stars-in-kazakhstan/
financialfairplaycfc
Lawwell and Park are starting a Simon and Garfunkle tribute act….
First 2 releases are:
Sound of Silence and Bridge over troubled waters…
Lawwell also covering ‘I am a cock’ as a soloist….
The highlight will be The Boxer which has particular ironic resonance to Celtic fans…
‘ am just a poor boy.
Though my story’s seldom told,
I have squandered my resistance
For a pocketful of mumbles,
Such are promises
All lies and jest
Still, a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest…’
‘
We urgently need another wide left winger to play inside right, and a wide right winger to play inside left, a deep lying defensive middy to partner Griffalo ‘up top’, and a Hooped up young Xavi to help ole Broonie.
James Forrest
Thank you very much, very kind of you.
CLOGHER CELT:
That’s a really interesting piece mate, thanks for sharing that.
Their average attendance is around 6000 then. Doesn’t sound like a bear pit, does it?
Wee Jamesie
You’re still in fine form
Hail Hail
ron67 on 21st July 2016 3:20 pm Aye alright he was pish then, opposition were pish, Celtic are pish, only good thing Celtic has going for them is Peter Lawwell has a heated drive…can I join the clique now ? Feck me, imagine wanting to praise a Celtic player on a Celtic blog. This blog should be renamed the Samaritans for Celtic fans…
BOURNESOUPRECIPE:
Haha!
And how are you mate? Hanging in there, I hope?
James
I never have wanted signings for the sake of it, look where that has got us the past couple of years !!!
As punters we can see that europe is awash with decent quality, players who would give their right arm to play for us cos they know that they have a chance of a move to the epl riches, so I don’t buy the they won’t come to scotland pish, that’s just another excuse.
We pay very good money, hence we can’t shift many on the books who we want to shift, so money is not an excuse either, the excuses are drying up rather quickly.
I heard from someone at the club that a bloke called Neill McGuinness was responsible for the VvD and VW signings and not John Park, he was an IT bloke who got a job as a scout and all he did was video analysis of players, he did good with them right enough.
Whatever, we need players in certain positions, have done for many moons and we are still waiting, as I said earlier, I hope we don’t go out due to the lack of defenders.
HH
Can’t understand all the moaning about lack of signings.
Why should anything be different this year?
It’s a while ago, I know, but! Amazing how everything is clear until Jabba opens his big Hun gub, what a Ritchard, honestly, I’d never seen or heard this one, it’s a great listen, makes you wonder why everything now is not as clear as it was then?
https://youtu.be/6cw4TUcsDpo
THE EXILED TIM:
Neither do I mate. We had over 20 incoming deals in two years under Ronny, few of them up to much cop, few of them of any discernible quality, including loans. That’s part of the reason we’re in this mess, two years of utter, utter waste.
I absolutely DO NOT want to see six or seven players signed just to make up numbers, which is clearly what other clubs (Sevco included) are doing.
But my point is that those other clubs can obviously do business quickly, which we can’t seem to, not even when there’s a ticking clock in our ears.
It makes me wonder if there isn’t a breakdown in communications somewhere.
James Forrest,
They had 23,650 against Maribor in the CL Qualifiers.
Seems the local attend for European games and little interest in domestic matches.
During RD term we signed 23 players. Can’t remember exactly what it was under NFL, 45 or so.
It would be interesting to analyse what the other SPFL clubs have spent in all those transfers? Are they loans?
Are we in that market or should we be?
Sevco are operating in a different market too. They have no money so it’s frees/Bosman’s with something to prove, to be paid off income (they hope, :) )
They might have ditched the debt or so they think, but things just keep on coming back to haunt them like the roof above their heads:))
Offski
praise when praise is due
I would expect that BR will stick with his three at the back formation for Astrana away next week.
Lustig Sviatchenko ???????
Hopefully a new centre half can come in and hit the ground running. That would allow KT to play left wing back. If new centre half isn’t signed, and it looks unlikely, then KT to drop back to play in the three with Izzy coming in at left wing back. Janko can play right wing back, the same middle three as last night and I would play Dembele with Roberts playing off him.
Wee Jamesie
All good, at present on a beach with WiFi still reading all your stuff ☺️
HH
CLOGHER CELT:
Agree on all counts mate, as I was saying to Exiled Tim.
Yeah Neil brought in a lot of dross as well. For a club that’s supposed to have a “strategy” it sure hasn’t looked like it at times, and yes, in point of fact I would rather we took our time and got good players in rather than the dross we’ve signed in recent years …
But the manager has made his targets known; we’re all pretty much agreed on that. How long does it take to find out what a club wants, where the middle ground is, and whether we can agree terms with players? How can this take weeks upon weeks to do?
Don’t we have alternative targets? I would hope we do.
TET,
Neil McGuinness,
I looked a few weeks ago at Aspire in Qatar I couldn’t see him at the time. The site may have been updated.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/34673447
http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11787/10270243/celtic-recruitment-issues-discussed-by-former-scout-neil-mcguinness
Till later
JAMES FORREST on 21ST JULY 2016 4:08 PM
But my point is that those other clubs can obviously do business quickly, which we can’t seem to, not even when there’s a ticking clock in our ears.
Simple.
PL is a beancounter and his every instinct dictates that he either spends as little as possible or screws every penny out of a deal that he can.
I had, it seems forlornly, hoped that the fiasco of the last couple of years would somehow have tilted the balance between running a football club and a plc. it would appear that the plc still reigns supreme.
CLOGHER CELT:
By the way, that’s also a cracking – and eye opening – article.
If we do not sign a defender before champions league deadline?
As we are unceremoniously dumped out of Europe early again can we at least have DD and PL do a lap of honor at our next home game waving bonus cheques and profit and loss sheets while giving the greatest fans in the world a hearty two fingered salute.
This site often reminds me of Only an excuse.
The custodians may be excellent on the business side but their footballing side the same mistakes season after season is baffling?
The football side dealings are amateurish but consistent.
To repeat the same behavior season after season is either stupid or an indication that the footballing team is not as important as the profit side.
Whilst all the pretend “alpha males” have their “my pram is bigger than your pram” diatribes
i think the consensus amongst bedwetters, (not sure what followed mineshafters), happy clappers, all factions of the Celtic support etc is that the most important games to us, not only financially (but thats the most important) but proper European exposure happen at the start of our season and year in year out we fail to prepare for these properly, be it recruiting at the right times, be it January before or in the early parts of the transfer window, or being not up to speed in games. It smacks of arrogance or blind stupidity, which one i think it is changes day to day.
James
In a way I understand why Ronny was brought in, he obviously impressed at his interview, I saw some of the presentations he did and was impressed masel, problem was he couldn’t deliver, he was too weak and some of the players too the piss imo, this should have been seen from above and sorted, it was left to go on far too long and no way can RD be blamed for that.
But we are where we are and will just have to suck it up come what may :-)
HH