Consider this: with Celtic certainties to win the league, they have now been given three consecutive home Scottish Cup games, against Brechin, Partick and Morton, on the road to perhaps becoming the first club to retain the treble in Scottish football history. For so many years home cup draws were as elusive as the outcome to SFA review results into Rangers Uefa licence in 2011, but here we are.
The big picture from the weekend: Despite things still being far from flowing on the park, I’m delighted with the win over Partick Thistle. Of the two cup games this week, the Thistle game was the most important. An aggregate win over Zenit would flood more euros into the Celtic Park coffers, but progress of (perhaps only) one more round in the Europa League will be forgotten long before the outcome of this season’s Scottish Cup.
In his first five seasons in charge, Jock Stein won five league titles and five League Cups, losing three Scottish Cup games during that period. This is the standard we now dare aspire to.
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AULDHEID on 12TH FEBRUARY 2018 12:28 PM
Risk can be mitigated by planning but next season we could face PSV in a qualifier, who plan to mitigate risk too, and have more at their disposal than us.
Thats all I was asking for of NegAnon, whose risk management posts makes sense on paper but when applied to Celtic needs to take into account several industry specific factors, which he didn’t.
In terms of the biggest risk being loss of CL money, possibly, but we don’t budget for that anyway?
HH
Pretty sure ‘the Rod Stewart draw-‘ is online…;)
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 12TH FEBRUARY 2018 1:13 PM
Last season was a one off, an outlier. Almost impossible;e to improve upon.
Another treble will, in some ways, be just as successful as last season.
A better European run was well!
KTF
We also dropped 2 points against sevco and had we won then we would still be top. If’s and buts don’t win anything.
Points make prizes!
IMO lack of rest time, and poor pitches inc CP haven’t helped this season
Cheers fot the info guys.
That’s what I was looking for….reassurance it couldn’t have been fixed.
Sevco must be happy with the luck of the draw in this campaign.
Just sour grapes on my behalf.
Interesting article on young Mazis, the Australian lad, with mention of Tom Rogic.
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/sport/act-sport/canberra-footballer-leo-mazis-tracks-tom-rogic-course-and-signs-with-celtic-fc-20171213-h03q5l.html
ZENIT ‘
I’m really dissonant about them .I watched all of their Winter Break Friendlies .
Look physically strong and very fit . Good technique . Play pragmatic football . Play cautious football. Same shape /same tactics irrespective of team selection and opposition . Set up is defensive , they play keep ball and constantly seek to work an overlap on either wing . Not packed with flair players . Look like a Mancini team — fit , technically good and rigidly following his instructions . . Mancini has always been a- his way or you don’t play Manager .. .. Streets ahead of Celtic’s Scottish opposition but I don’t think any of the serious European big Boys would lose much sleep over playing them – We’ll see !!!
Well couldn’t find any video of the draw anywhere. I did however find some highlights of the Aberdeen game. Ryan Christie was superb as was Gary MS. We need to get Christie back some of his play was better than anything I’ve seen from us lately. Its a shame we cant have him back until the end of the season.
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 12th February 2018 1:25 pm
The fans,and many posters on here too,have been calling out for replacements across most of the back four.
We signed two centre halfs and loaned out one. We now have 6, how many more do we need?
We have three right backs, two of them current internationalists going to the World Cup. We wont sign another until one of them leaves.
A back up left back should have been signed.
Reckon there must be some sort of power struggle going on in the authorities.
Don’t read the Radar, but noticed a headline on the BBC site – looks like Radar Jackson is eulogising Doncaster.
Makes you wonder why would he be doing that? Is Doncaster going to be the top dog in a combined association? Does he want to “move on”?
This won’t just have came from nowhere anyway. Something is going on.
B67- given injuries, Christie would have had a few games this season, hindsight and all that, but i think he will be in first team squad next season
!!BADA BING!!
I was thinking that myself. He has flourished by being given regular first team football, something he may not have had with us. He is definitely the finished article now though.
GARY67
Bomb scares,almost to a man. That’s why we need proper,first-choice,centre-halfs.
That’s why we’ve been calling for replacements.
And that’s why,as they prove,he’ll do won’t do. It’s no way to build a team,not on a hope and a prayer.
Bobby
Last summer was the time to invest in a couple of good defenders prior to CL final qualifiers and group games. With a couple of fenders we would not have suffered the humiliating defeats in CL. Likely would have saw defeats but the players would have bedded in in time for this seasons qualifiers and substantially improved our domestic form this season.
I wonder if Brendan still believes we are in a position to break our record purchase or break our record bank balance, hording cash.
Maybe the cash is keeping the powder dry.
MWD
BMCUW
I know where you’re coming from. No one was shouting louder than me about the case for sorting out the central defensive positions.
However, no one is putting any names forward when they say we should be taking bigger risks.
When you think about it, just how big is the pool of potential signings that:
*Are better than what we have already in a position we need
*Are good enough for CL football but at the same time not quite good enough for the teams with the big bucks
*Want to sign for Celtic
*Want to play in Scotland
*Won’t demand wages that will shatter our wage bill causing jealousy and unrest
*Won’t demand unrealistic contract length/clauses/agent fees
*Doesn’t have an agent touting him around every medium-large club in Europes top leagues
*Is available at the precise moment we want him notwithstanding his current club delaying until they sign a replacement
We went toe to toe with a lot of clubs for Musonda, and got him. Then we get slated by some for not buying him outright! But it shows the competition for these guys.
HH
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 12th February 2018 1:41 pm
Bomb scares,almost to a man. That’s why we need proper,first-choice,centre-halfs
In your opinion.
The manager is obviously happy with what he has. Compper injury hasn’t helped, I think the plan was to partner him with Ajer. Our biggest problem in central defence is the continuing run of injuries, we haven’t had a settled pairing, or three, all season.
We play a risky game at the back and will inevitably get caught out on occasion. That is how BR wants us to play, that is how his Swansea team played, that’s how his Liverpool team played. Its risk and reward. Four trophies out of four would suggest it works despite the occasional errors like Saturday.
Ajer, Hendry and Bitton are all very comfortable on the ball and playing out, Simunovic and Boyata less so but they’ll be gone in the summer IMO. Another experienced CH in the summer will probably be required.
Kristopher Ajer, our main CB in the absence of Dedrick, is 19, nin nin nin nin nineteen.
PaulhardcastleCSC
I suggest the following, not through entitlement, but with a realistic appraisal of our huge resource advantages in the domestic context…….
We should be playing well enough to win the league by a 20+ point margin and win both cups (unless Mibbery of ICT handball proportions intervenes) this season and every season for the foreseeable future.
I hope Brendan and Broonie’s team talks for Thursday contain rather less negative expectation management than today’s article.
HH jamesgang
With the defence weakened through injury I’d like to see Brown coming deeper collecting from the defence, then distributing the ball around the midfield or direct to the forward, maybe with Kouassi alongside or just ahead. We definitely need to take pressure off the back four. IMHO.
Traditionalist88
Just excuses as far as I’m concerned.
We all see our defensive deficiencies.
From fan up to manager up to directors.
We as fans see them and with this being a blog discuss them.
Me being a fan and a poster on CQN does not though give me any great knowledge of defenders out there who may enhance our team. I watch Celtic and rarely other games involving teams I have no interest or passion for. I don’t have time to trawl British, European or World football to id those who may improve our team not the authority to contact them or their agents to determine their thoughts or willingness to come to Celtic or their wage demands.
You see. Celtic employ people to perform that particular role and they are paid well.
I could list a 100 names if I cared to or had the time Outwith my own job and family life to stay up 24/7 and give you them. But other than names everything else you note (excuses) is not and never will be within my reach.
I doubt many if any at all of the posters on here will have the authority to engage and garner the info to suite your excuse matrix.
MWD
Barney67
Wise suggestion.
Roberto Mancini .
Manager of Inter when they won 3 Serie A Titles in a Row ( the mid 2000s )
Arrigo Sacchi said this –
” If you switched on your television and up popped an Inter game — if you didn’t know the score -you wouldn’t be able to tell if they were 5 up or 5 down . They always play the same way .”
I think the same can be said about Mancini’s Zenit team .
Inter sacked Mancini — domestic success was very welcome but European failure didn’t go down well . A common thread of criticism was the perception that he was reluctant to change his tactics when and where required
GLASSTWOTHIRDSFULL on 12TH FEBRUARY 2018 1:35 PM
Reckon there must be some sort of power struggle going on in the authorities.
Don’t read the Radar, but noticed a headline on the BBC site – looks like Radar Jackson is eulogising Doncaster.
Makes you wonder why would he be doing that? Is Doncaster going to be the top dog in a combined association? Does he want to “move on”?
This won’t just have came from nowhere anyway. Something is going on.
Tom English said to PL in the interview,that he was close to Doncaster,and suggested he could be Regan’s replacement,PL then went on to praise Doncaster…….
JAMESGANG on 12TH FEBRUARY 2018 1:54 PM
I agree. The gap between us and the rest is not as great as our resources suggest it could and should be.
We will have a clearer idea this time next year, whether the gap between us and Europe’s big guns has been eaten into in any way.
i.e.The gap between us and the rest in Scotland.
MOONBEAMSWD on 12TH FEBRUARY 2018 2:04 PM
I’m sure you can acknowledge at least that the factors listed(which are not exhaustive, btw) reduces the potential pool of players available to Celtic at any given time. Its not really up for debate that some players don’t want to come to Scotland or use us to drum up interest elsewhere, demand 50/60k+ without being able to justify it etc)
But hey… why think when you can shout that we should be spending more money!
If you can’t handle the specifics of scouting (give us ONE name at least…ONE!) how can we trust you with the budget?!
Surely the concept of risk management when applied to football has to take into account several industry specific factors.
In addition to the list above we now need to find player/players the total outlay on whom meets an average of the value in MWD’s and NegAnons heads ( numbers which they have not divulged!), a player who is willing to sign for Celtic and will make us better, but not so much better than teams with the big bucks don’t notice him, and all the while be available for sale and not demanding anything ridiculous in his contract or have an agent touting him to all and sundry. ps. And we’d better hope its not a loan deal!
The funeral of Liam Miller is taking place just now. Very somber pictures include Shaun Maloney, Martin O’Neill, Roy Keane and Aiden McGeady
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-5381157/Roy-Keane-Martin-ONeill-attend-Liam-Miller-funeral.html
Development game is off,so no run out for Rogic…….
Doncaster, no matter what we think of him, would be a useful ally in restructuring the SFA.
He represents the senior clubs and, on behalf of those clubs, called for a review, that Regan vetoed.
We need the support of the clubs if we want to clean up the game.
Anything less would just be self defeating bravado, from whoever may be calling for an unilateral approach.
HJ-Celtic chartered a private plane,for our party to attend the funeral,desperately sad.
!!Bada Bing!! on 12th February 2018 2:28 pm
Development game is off,so no run out for Rogic…….
Straight into the starting 11 on Thursday, hopefully get an hour from him
G67-can’s see him starting mate,I think 5 in MF will be,Brown,Ntcham,Kouassi,McGregor,with Forrest supporting Dembele from the right…….
!!Bada Bing!! on 12th February 2018 2:10 pm
My understanding of the PL interview was that he didn’t want a combined organisation. He seems to think that the two organisations should remain separate but work a lot more closely. The indication was that this isn’t possible due to SFA structure and some of the individuals within it (ie McCrae and Petrie)
!!Bada Bing!! on 12th February 2018 2:40 pm
Thinks he may go three at the back, similar formation to Pittodrie where we can pack the middle then Forrest and Tierney break at pace from the wide areas in behind their full backs who apparently like to attack at every opportunity.
I’m hoping that Thursday night is incredible.
Need a performance from the front foot.
Wee Jamesie will take care of the away leg.
G67- agree re PL interview, Petrie next in line, he’s going nowhere, unless voted out, him and Dempster played the hun card a few weeks ago….
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 12th February 2018 12:11 pm
PAUL67
Btw,a home cup draw against Morton brings back really bad memories.
But also one very good one,involving HAMILTONTIM and MINX1988.
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I sincerely hope that didn’t involve The Krankies, too…