Three again outshines four at the back

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Celtic were at their scintillating best as they hit St Johnstone with a treble of goals in the opening 26 minutes; the home team were fortunate the score was as low as three when Leigh Griffiths volleyed Greg Taylor’s cross into the net.

The link-play between Odsonne Edouard and Griffiths, as well as the crossing from Taylor and James Forrest set the tone.  The silky pitch encouraged Callum McGregor and Olivier Ntcham to display their range of passing, but for me, the formation is the most consistent predictor of Celtic’s performance.  When we play three at the back we play better than when we have a back four.

On Saturday we play on the bumpiest acre of Lanarkshire, so Neil has my sympathies in having to decide how to approach that game, but I would make last night’s formation the default from now on.

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303 Comments

  1. Would have been happy with just a centre half before the window closed, but now with Johnston ruled out long term, you could argue we need to sign a winger too

     

     

    Unless Shved or Arzani are up to it

  2. Looking like a higher than average turnout of voters from last night’s game with almost 50 posters/lurkers/friends/family taking time to voice their opinion on our best 3 performers. Just about to start logging the numbers but, of course, there’s still nearly 5 hours left to join in. Not only is this about last night’s game but also to determine January’s Player Of The Month (will Scott Brown’s 3 month reign be at an end?).

     

    So please keep those emails heading my way –

     

    CQNPOTY@GMAIL.COM

  3. For what it’s worth …I would take a punt on the Aussie centre forward that’s currently playing with Livingston. Big, strong and looks pretty agile….Think he could do a job if anything happened to OE ?

  4. MARADOMINIC on 30TH JANUARY 2020 5:00 PM

     

    I assume.me we don’t even want to try to get through European tie

     

     

    ___

     

     

    Elyounoussi will be back in contention soon.

  5. STEBHOY on 30TH JANUARY 2020 4:59 PM

     

    Bhoys – we are a couple of injuries away from risking 9 IAR. The board should be doing everyone possible to ensure we have center half coverage, physicality in midfield and another winger (MJ injury) or striker (a target man who can hold the ball up is essential to our play).

     

    If Eduard or Jullien get injured – we will lose games.

     

    Rangers have bullied us and the two signings , per NL, do nothing to change that for the run in.

     

    If the board do not support the team and do everything they can to minimize the risk – the fans will never forgive them.

     

    WE HAVE BUILT FINANCIAL MUSCLE – NOW IS THE ONLY TIME TO DEMONSTRATE IT AND PUT THEM TO THE SWORD.

     

     

    Yeah lets just increase our wage bill by even more millions of pounds in not guaranteed new

     

    faces to clog it up with clutter of fuds/duds/& surplus to requirements we have enough

     

    strengh & depth in our Squad to win another Hammer Throwers & Physical League as

     

    for Europe if we perform the same way we played against Lazio over two matches we

     

    will get passed Copen ‘XXX Movies Capital’ hagen with the right approach to these types

     

    of European Matches frinstanc with our mind sets should be we are not playing a normal

     

    Hammer Throwing Run of The Mill Team here then we should get past them after all our

     

    coefficient is better than theirs lets moved forward on coefficiency not back the way is

     

    the motivation key here & everyone pulls their weight accordingly

  6. Mikey Johnston risked further injury by insisting he was okay when I’m sure he knew he wasn’t, he avoided Neil Lennon asking him if he was okay before the substitution could be made which held it up by two or three minutes. For his own sake and for that of the team he should have gone off earlier.

     

     

    Bad news for him that he’s out, it seems, long term.

     

     

    With Griffiths coming back into form and Klimala on board I would be less concerned if Edouard got an injury, unless it was long term but the same would be the case for the Huns if Morelos got injured.

     

     

    We could do with cover at centre half, so Benkovic would be a priority for me if that is possible.

     

     

    We need the guys who have been out for a while to get back playing Elhamed, Elyounoussi, in particular with Bitton and Frimpong hopefully being fit soon.

     

     

    Morgan was never going to make it at Celtic so he’s no miss.

  7. Somebody doing good business with green and white voodoo dolls. Our injury list in recent times is unbelievable.

  8. AKB you miss the point completely – when key defenders and Eduard are out the team we are bang average! there is not debate abbot that.

     

     

    We need players who can go into the team NOW – Lennon has said so himself (experience and physicality)

     

     

    Simo and Biton are made of chocolate , we cannot depend on them. El Hamed has had injury issues too.

     

     

    we need players who can affect the team. I get it , there are no guarantees and January is difficult for these player types. I think we should spend more if it means supporting the team.

  9. Far from being TGFITW, seems to me that many Celtic supporters are becoming somewhat Hun-like in their sense of entitlement. We are good enough to beat evert team in Scotland but our players are human and, as such , can display the frailties associated with that. Also, the opposition are professional footballers. To reach that level, one has to be pretty darn good.

  10. benkovic not for me , too similar to what we got , more of a bobo baldie style of centre half require imo.

  11. lets all do the huddle on

    “becoming somewhat Hun-like in their sense of entitlement.”

     

    —–

     

     

    ahh, the old ‘hun like’ patter aimed at other posters

     

     

    a meaningless retort and usually a sign that the poster cant produce an arguement so just wants to abuse a fellow poster and compare them to a hun because they know they wont like that

     

     

    as i said – totally meaningless and should be banned as unsubstantiated abuse

  12. Despite the curious lopsided fixture list, it was an excellent team performance from Celtic last night and the team has been playing better away from home of late.

     

     

    Leigh Griffiths on last night’s form is back to his very best and could easily have scored a hatrick in the first half. He was at his lethal best and played some great one touch combinations with French Eddy. Ollie is one helluva a powerhouse when on form, more of the same please Ollie – fix your shooting boots. Young Taylor also did well.

     

     

    Pity we had more injuries with bad news about Mikey and Jozo still with delicate knees although he did play well – could a trip to an American specialist get him sorted as was the case with Broony.

  13. We need to sign XXX in case we have an injury to ZZZ

     

    Why do we have YYY sitting on the bench costing wages and not playing?

     

    Ah the balancing act a manager has to perform to please the fans, continue winning and keep the squad happy.

     

    Not to mention the financial inquisition.Nobody expects the Financial Inquisition.

  14. Rock Tree Bhoy on

    Why don’t we sign Scottish International player Lawrence Shankland I wonder, can’t see a downside, we have the cash, we are a big team, we could easily afford him, what exactly is the downside here I wonder, 4 Strikers, what a great option to have, I mean we sign wingers and midfielders like there is no limit to how many we can sign, but we are way over cautious when it comes to Strikers, sure for a while there it was French Eddy on his tod and that was it, well we all know how important it is to win the (9) League this year so why not?

     

     

    Maybe we are waiting on Sevco signing him, so he can come back to haunt us, the one that got away, now that sounds just like us.

  15. We are entitled to a sense of entitlement. We have over £40m in the bank and they are impecunious.

  16. STEBHOY on 30TH JANUARY 2020 5:25 PM

     

    AKB you miss the point completely – when key defenders and Eduard are out the team we are bang average! there is not debate abbot that.

     

    We need players who can go into the team NOW – Lennon has said so himself (experience and physicality)

     

    Simo and Biton are made of chocolate , we cannot depend on them. El Hamed has had injury issues too.

     

    we need players who can affect the team. I get it , there are no guarantees and January is difficult for these player types. I think we should spend more if it means supporting the team.

     

     

    No Stebhoy I don’t miss the point you miss the reality point if only the footy auction transfer

     

    market was that simple which it’s not so which players would you suggest we go out & sign?

     

    Yeah Who? & How Much For? & What’s There Wage Demands? & Will They Come To Coldland?

     

    & Leave Their Family? & Are They Going To Be A Success? & How Long Will It Take For These

     

    New Additions To Bed In To Our Style of Play? & How Much Will Their Lawyer Cost To Draw

     

    Up A Contract ? Will the player settle in Coldland? Does the Player have under lining issues?

     

    & No doubt us Suppoerter’s like myself Season Card Cost will Increase to cover the additional

     

    Cost. Nah Stebhoy you don’t see the over-all “Picture” of what said matter includes the

     

    attention should focus on the details in other words the Devil is in the details that’s for

     

    sure?

  17. Back to Basics - Glass Half Full on

    Stephbhoy67 @ 3:27pm

     

     

    Bada Bing @ 3:30pm.

     

     

    Thank you both.

     

     

    Before noon today how many on here even knew Gheorge Hagi had a son?

     

     

    Dearie me.

     

     

    Hail hail

     

     

    Keep The Faith

  18. Back to Basics - Glass Half Full on

    I’m old enough to remember Thomas Madigage.

     

     

    He was “the new Pelé”.

     

     

    Genuine quote at the time.

  19. Rock Tree Bhoy on

    “becoming somewhat hun like in their sense of entitlement”

     

     

    Nice one, most clubs have fans like that unfortunately, some (ahem) more than others, sure the Aberdeen team got booed off the pitch at the weekend, there fans think they deserve much better than Derek McInnes, battling it out for 3rd place and getting booed off because they could only draw away from home.

     

     

    Yeah they are entitled to so much more.

  20. At the moment there is intense curiosity among us all to actually see what Polish Patryk and Shved are capable of on a football pitch. Regarding Shved, football in Ukraine is of a high standard and the lad from all accounts was a very decent player when scouted , so what has happened since he came to Celtic Park, the mystery remains unsolved?

  21. I see Sevco are bringing in on Loan a Turkish born football player who plays

     

    for the Belguim Club Genk he is a midfield player & his Father is the Romanian

     

    past famous player Hadji however he was a surplus to requirements player

     

    with Genk in other words he was not getting regular games with Genk he

     

    has been put out on loan last Season & Sevco have the option of signing

     

    him for five million Euros this story is all Hype

  22. HANKRAY on 30TH JANUARY 2020 6:29 PM

     

    At the moment there is intense curiosity among us all to actually see what Polish Patryk and Shved are capable of on a football pitch. Regarding Shved, football in Ukraine is of a high standard and the lad from all accounts was a very decent player when scouted , so what has happened since he came to Celtic Park, the mystery remains unsolved?

     

     

    As I mentioned yesterday Marian Shved is a problem here either Lenny does not like him

     

    their is a rumour going around saying he is unsettled or has a psychological problem

     

    whet ever here there is a serious problem that needs to be addressed asap

  23. !!BADA BING!!

     

     

    Am I, as a shareholder, entitled to an explanation for the huge waste of money Shved has been?

  24. Philbhoy- Shved, Comperr etc,there’s plenty mate,it’s a good question, but I’m sure Lee Congerton would get blamed……

  25. The BT Sport pundits are so Sevco apart from Chris Sutton the other pundits

     

    are so bias & pathetic firstly you have Daryl Hannah what a wee ugly Hun

     

    who tries to noise up Chris Sutton then you have Ally McCoist who moans

     

    his head off if other Teams don’t perform well against Us & it’s all superbatives

     

    in his comments about Sevco when he is covering their matches on BT Sport

     

    & There is that other fanny the “Ex'” Steel Hackers Player what a frickin pathetic

     

    joke he is in every Bhoys match covered by BT Sport in his commentry he moans

     

    his head off if any opposition player loses the ball against the Bhoys yet as soon

     

    as his favourites are playing (Sevco) he can’t praised them enough if I was you all

     

    cancel down your subscription explaining to BT Sport have they ever heard of

     

    Neutral Presenter/Pundit/& Pundit Commentaitor instead of Bias towards one

     

    Particular Club

  26. AKBW1888

     

    Don’t worry next season we’ll be in the unbiased and fair handed SKY with wall to wall Boydino

  27. PHILBHOY on 30TH JANUARY 2020 6:58 PM

     

    !!BADA BING!!

     

    Am I, as a shareholder, entitled to an explanation for the huge waste of money Shved has been?

     

     

    Philbhoy Marian Shved has not been given a run out nor a proper chance

     

    Shved was brought on as a sub in an away match in a CL Quelifier last year

     

    in July he scored a good goal in said match then after that match we don’t

     

    see him again nah their is a underlining problem there as I’ve mentioned

     

    before

  28. Said it last night. Mikey’s injury looked like a knee into the side of his knee. Not usually the cause of ligament damage.

     

     

    The physio checked him out and cleared him to play on. So, I absolve Mikey from any blame here – apart from the way he attempted to tackle that led to the injury.

     

     

    I’m hopeful that it will not be as bad as is currently being reported.