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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  1. Thanks Bhoys and Ghirls. I get fun out of this too. Possibly only going to be a one season wonder. Might replace it with the (hopefully!) ‘Going For 10: Escaped Goat of the Season”…..

     

    3 more sleeps ;-)

  2. Back to Basics - Glass Half Full on

    Pannysbhoy – I too think there may be a player lurking inside Kouassi.

     

     

    He’s on loan. He might get games and come back and make a difference next year.

     

     

    You just never know.

     

     

    Perhaps worth considering …

     

     

    Kouassi signed when he was 19.

     

     

    Ryan Christie signed when he was 20.

     

     

    Calum McGregor came back from Notts County when he was 20.

     

     

    Kouassi is just turned 22 and has made 22 appearances for us.

     

     

    When Ryan C was just turned 22 he had made 13 appearances and his Celtic career was going nowhere.

     

     

    When Calum McGregor was just turned 22 he had made 30 appearances and the jury was out.

     

     

    Who knows?

     

     

    Hail hail

     

     

    Keep The Faith

  3. glendalystonsils on

    Thanks for your efforts Jobo. You’ve added an extra interest to the blog (and it’s a welcome distraction from all the transfer windae angst!)

  4. Back to Basics - Glass Half Full on

    Prestonpans Bhoy.

     

     

    Report has been filed ……

     

     

    along with reports regarding Hateley’s medals, Beasley’s car, the team coach and the racist abuse last month.

     

     

    All reports double folded and placed in a spare pair of brogues down the lodge, er, station.

  5. I had a peek at the from pages today on BBC Sport site because of some of the comments above.

     

     

    Is that a joke? All that is going on in our country and the world but the rotten rags have to splash a story about a man that makes throat slitting gestures to 60,000 getting his catalytic converter nicked?

     

     

    In Columbia laying under somebodies car is a sign of deference. Either that or he was snorting his pipe.

  6. Aipple, have you seen the amount of clearance under a Lamborghini’s chassis?

     

     

    Lucky to get your arm under it.

     

     

    He probably knocked the poor bassa down.

     

     

    Either that or the guy knew where he kept his stash. 🥴

  7. Anyhow back to the game

     

     

    BT Spurt thru the medium of Craigan highlighted big Kris studs up follow thru on St Jon’s defender.

     

     

    This was after French Eddie was cleaned out man and ball by another defender. Trailing leg of defender (right leg) goes right thru him. Which is a free on 18 yard line. Cheatin Beaton ignored it .

     

     

    It was described as a great tackle. It was no such thing. But we never got the slo-mo replay. Like they did with Kriss.

     

     

    Selective highlighting.

     

     

    We wonder why we have so many injuries?

  8. The two upfront is a joy to watch It brings our whole play forward and indeed brings James Forrest into a more dangerous area

     

    I cheered very loud and might have woken the neighbours when he scored

     

    Playing James or Johnston with one up front isolates them and makes them invisible

     

    James indeed. Is a talented player and when a winger supports two strikers it makes then contribute more over 90 mins Pleasure to see

     

     

    Window shuts a midnight uk time

     

    Even I thought that peter L would support Neil with at least one 1st 11 player. But alas no

     

    We are hindered with a severe lack of investment CL qualifying starts in 7 months and this is the transfer window we should be flexing our financial muscles over the smaller teams we face in qualifying.

  9. Melbourne Mick on

    Hello again all you young rebels.

     

     

    Is nae biddy up yet ower ther?

     

    Hope the happy clappers get up early while i’m still sober for a good

     

    bit of blog reading today.

     

    Don’t think i’ve ever seen so much negativity after a Celtic win, but hey

     

    ho we’ve all got a point of view, but honestly thank god we didn’t have

     

    this great blog back in the early sixties, the place would have combusted.

     

    Had a really great wee trip into the beautiful city of Melbourne today, a

     

    blistering 43 degs but great excuse to visit some new pubs on Southbank

     

    wharf.

     

    Walking along thinking about our next game when the princess said ” there’s

     

    a Celtic fan with a hoops top on ” obviously knowing i’ll give him the COYBIG, but

     

    this bhoy was huge, Chinese, maybe Du Wei, but more like Du Big, so a hail..hail

     

    and he looked at me as if i was a assailant or a hun, as his family crowded round

     

    him in protection mode.

     

    The next few moments were awkward until i pointed to my Perth Celtic

     

    Supporters top badge and thumbed up his Celtic badge and the world was

     

    o.k again, no English spoken but the universal language of Celtica pulled us

     

    through.. again lol.

     

    Oz Celts

     

    Our Big Celtic muzicmeister wil now be playing in the Dubliner on Friday evenings

     

    over the next few months, get down early doors if you need a good dose of the

     

    rebs to finish your working week.

     

    New CSC registrations are now being taken and enables you to buy alchohol at

     

    reduced prices on our Celtic Sundays.

     

    H.H . Mick

  10. Melbourne Mick on

    Jeezo Sydney, you been on the rid biddy? i think you

     

    gave wee Jamesy a compliment there lol.

     

    How’s the weather up there? melting here.

     

    H.H . Mick

  11. Gooooood morning CQN from a dark, windy and cauld Garngad

     

     

    So it’s transfer deadline day, let’s see if we can get 1 or 2 more in to help Lenny, I think we are short of cover at CB.

     

     

    So onto Sunday we go and the cluggers if Hamilton on a dodgy surface, I am sure we will prevail, 3-1 to the bhoys.

     

     

    HH

     

     

    D. :)

  12. Melbourne Mick on

    Morning David, yes, would like an experienced pro like

     

    Sinky was, but i think from experience and recent comments

     

    from Neil, thats it.

     

    Hope i’m surprised.

     

    H.h . mICK.

  13. Good morning, friends and a Big Happy Friday/Payday/DeadlineDay from a damp and very grey looking EK

  14. MM – hope you are well.

     

     

    I know Mick, I am living in hope, I do think when everyone is fit we have a large squad with plenty of quality in it, you add in 5-6 injuries and our quality choices diminish drastically. That’s why I bleat on about another couple coming in but only if they are quality that can fill the void.

     

     

    HH

     

     

    D. :)

  15. Melbourne Mick on

    Morning Jobo,

     

    Loving our top 3 thingy, it’s amazing how long it takes me to

     

    make my mind up and sometimes my 3 changes completely

     

    from my first pick.

     

    Great little thing i look forward to, hope you can keep it going.

     

    H.H Mick

  16. SYDNEYTIM on 31ST JANUARY 2020 6:18 AM

     

     

    A very reasoned post that most of us can agree with.

     

     

    Cheers and HH.

  17. Melbourne mick. 28 and sunny

     

     

    I call it how it is. James usually invisible when we play one striker.

  18. SYDNEYTIM

     

    Melbourne mick. 28 and sunny

     

     

    I call it how it is. James usually invisible when we play one striker.

     

     

    You call it how YOU SEE IT

     

    James isn’t actually invisible ,I see him all the time 😵 and he plays as instructed by Neil I assume ?😜

     

    Nice that you gave him some praise for Wednesday .

     

    😀😄😄😄

     

    Up the hoops

  19. Siempre Celtic (formerly Traditionalist88) on

    Not sure we could have handled the Sinclair situation any worse. Extended his contract to essentially pay him for 6 months to warm the bench or sit in the stand then we sell him with 17 weeks to go in the season and with Morgan gone, Elyanoussi and Johnston injured and Arzani and Shved unfancied by the manager who seems them day in, day out.

     

     

    Having paid Sinclair till now it really may have been best just to paid him for the last few months of the season or at the very least held on to him until the last day of the window to assess the situation.

     

     

    Hopefully we don’t come to regret this too much.

     

     

    HH

  20. It would appear that I am in the minority who are concerned that we haven’t bought a big strong striker.

     

    We have cover for Griff in the wee Pole .

     

     

    But .

     

     

    We don’t have any cover for Eddy .

     

     

    Without Eddy we lose a player who can hold the ball up and allow the team to get up the park.

     

     

    Plus his goals.

     

     

    He will most likely be sold in the summer , leaving us missing him for vital Euro qualifiers.

     

     

    TT

  21. Siempre Celtic (formerly Traditionalist88) on

    TINYTIM on 31ST JANUARY 2020 8:39 AM

     

     

    Agreed, especially if we’re going to be going with 2 up top more regularly, I think you need 4 recognised strikers in the squad.

     

     

    HH

  22. Siempre Celtic (formerly Traditionalist88) on

    Not counting Bayo, but it appears he is staying, so theres 4 in number but how many can we rely on… definitely 2 at the moment which I suppose is an improvement on December…

     

     

    HH

  23. Business to be done, Forward and Defender. Benkovic meant to be one. No names on the forward.

     

    Until we meet again…

     

    Keep the Faith!

     

    Hail Hail!

  24. Last day of the transfer window, stick radio 2 on just now and Tina is on blaring out Simply the Best.

     

    Ominous.

     

    😆

  25. Lennybhoy

     

     

    Great to see you fella and my man Benkovic hopefully back. Lovely jubbly. I’ll have that. I like him. A lot.