The capture of Kolo Toure (35) on a free transfer following his release by Liverpool, goes a long way to addressing one of my key concerns for the coming season. In the last 12 months we’ve spent £6.5m on three central defenders: Dedryck Boyata, Jozo Simunovic and Erik Sviatchenko. They joined Efe Ambrose and Charlie Mulgrew, but the mix was far from right.
Dedryck and Jozo are both long-term injured. Jozo may yet establish himself as a top defender, but Dedryck has already caused performance concerns. Charlie is now out of contract, and with the arrival of Kolo, I don’t expect he’ll re-sign.
Efe put in an excellent performance against Leicester on Saturday (aside from his first 30 seconds) but his consistency and susceptibility to make crucial mistakes in important games, makes him unsuitable for anything more than a backup.
The manager needs someone he knows he can rely upon and who can bring an ocean of experience to help develop what is otherwise a young central defence. Kolo will do that and more, just as soon as he’s match fit.
The Pink Pound.
I’m unfamiliar with fashion blogs but if the debate on the pink shirt is a guide, maybe I’m missing out. Third strips are fashion items, the football strip equivalent of bling. They’ve been so since someone invented the need to invent a third strip every season. It was never in case your first two strips clashed with an opponent.
I remember a similar reaction when we released a third strip with tartan shorts a few years back. Despite some heavy weather on release, the shorts sold out. In it’s online coverage the pink shirt already has a higher profile than most of its predecessors. Bet it sells well.
I had a brief chat with some people at New Balance last year and the colours we use at Celtic cropped up. There’s green, white, yellow, black and silver/grey. Before the 1970s it was pretty much green and white only, then the palette boundaries were pushed. The New Balance people were all from England, so the nuances of orange, which was used as trim on a well-received black away strip, were lost on them.
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KEVJ 738
Thanks,mate. Greatly appreciated.
Can anyone recall what was on the illicit banner that got Liverpool fined for the Europa final?
If it was genuinely offensive, perhaps you could paraphrase it for me.
JAMESGANG on 26TH JULY 2016 8:51 AM
Macjay
I read the p9 exchange already.
So you’re trying to link what appears to be a lone psychopath in Japan to Isis. And then implicitly to a global refugee crisis that didn’t exist before the dodgy dossier war against Iraq.
You dinnae like yon ‘other types’ do you mate?
==============================================================
I`m married to one , mate.
The link I made was to “copycat” killing.
A well recognised criminal phenomenon.
Effe will stand up. I hope he plays a blinder. Dembele to score an away goal set up by the Griff. No reason to fear
the Kazaks. Mon the hoops. Chance for some of the young team to stake a place in the six in a row team.
MACJAY
Ah,so we voted to stop reading news,watching it on tv,hearing it on the radio.
Fantastic,we’ve voted for totalitarianism.
TBB`s was the `last post` when I asked my question . It seems a tad unnecessary now!!
Gordon,
Janko Lustig Ambrose Tierney ? Looks OK to me.
JJ
laters Timdom
Work
HH jamesgang
My New Season Resolutions are
Not making any predictions about formations or results.
Not passing on any horse tips.
End result of both is to jinx all involved.
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 26TH JULY 2016 9:13 AM
Where did I say that or suggest that ?
Morning all. Who`s Macjay fighting with today? :>)
The motivations behind the Japan attack are murky until someone gets an opportunity to speak at length with the perpetrator.
However, initial indications suggest that this has more links to Dunblane than other recent mass killings as a disturbed egotist has revenged himself on a community which had sacked or shunned him.
Regardless of motivation, the end result is that many innocents have died and there is no wall or policy that can prevent this other than vigilance.
Beware of demagogues who offer swift and easy solutions that they have no intention of implementing. Just glib and shameless electioneering on the back of tragedies.
MACJAY
“We just voted to get off the treadmill of ONE INCIDENT AFTER ANOTHER .”
Since our vote is unlikely to stop them,I assumed the vote must have been for a news blackout.
Anyway,good blethering as always. Beer time.
Macjay
Out of interest.
Do you believe ISIS, IS, DAESH, or whatever you want to call them, are also copycats or are they original in their tactics?
MWD
MWD sits back and waits on the wikiman checking his wikimacjaypedia.
Wife’s just booked a holiday tae Aruba, rui palace.
Anybody been tae this hotel, and what’s Aruba like?, any good?.
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 26th July 2016 9:16 am
My New Season Resolutions are
Not making any predictions about formations or results.
Not passing on any horse tips.
End result of both is to jinx all involved.
—————————————————–
I’ve cracked your cryptic predictions Bobby. Senteces 2, 3 and 4 resemble the shape of a 5-2-3 formation and the fact that you have chosen such a mysterious a secretive mode of communication I have deduced that you are tipping Masonic in the 13:50 at Yarmouth….
DAVIDOPOULOS
My formative years in Kilwinnining weren’t wasted,you know.
Sean Thornton
Would probably have been better to ask those questions before she booked? Youre now looking for reassurance rather than advice! Oh and never been so I’m neutral. ;-)
Apols if posted already, Sviatchenko out of Astana game.
If we can come back with a draw it will be a heroic result.
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 26TH JULY 2016 9:25 AM
No.
The vote,imho , was in part to allow U.K. to decide who to permit to enter the country.
Whether it stops those who hate us , our culture and our freedoms , remains to be seen.
Tomorrow could be a chance for O’ Connell to do a David Marshall( in the Nou Camp.)
(Not in goals, obviously) :-))
Looks like Lawell’s parsimony means we will have a fairly unrecogniseable defence in Kazakhstan.
For me, it’s Janko, Lustig, O’Connell and Tierney. Efe and Izzy on bench and fingers crossed for no more injuries.
I really think we could regret letting Aussie Tam go. Would have him over Bitton or SJ every time
so…on BR’s wish list over 3 weeks ago was 2 centre halfs.
Toure and Duffy.
where do we find ourselves on the eve of another CL qualifier?
yep. PL still running the shop.
I think BR will go with lustig and O’Connell tomorrow along with Janko and Tierney.
Efe may get a place on the bench, but only because it’s an emergency!
BR is not a man to make the same mistake twice.
Dexter, snap.
Has TR gone?
Jobo, hop the train goes well.
If you are stuck at Terminal 5 on Wednesday, there is a large Wetherspoons there with. Sky Sports being screened, they ,any also have Premier Sports and it will be worth asking.
Cheers
SFTB
THAT SIDE WILL STRUGGLE.
TT
Glendalystonsils, David Marshall was the star in that Barca game closely followed by John Kennedy.
John’s tackle on Ronaldinho early in that game along withDavid getting the ball at Gerard’s feet in the first few minutes , set the tone.
I had hoped both would become our defensive stalwarts for years to come but never materialised due to that animal, Ganea and David’s form slipping.
Gordon
Janko Lustig O’Connell Tierney
Roberts SB McGregor Armstrong Izzy
Griffiths
Tiny Tim
“SFTB
THAT SIDE WILL STRUGGLE.”
I think Celtic face a struggle anyway – no matter how we patch our squad up.
Astana are 8/5 favourites- we are 28/13 against. The draw is 9/4.
I think all those odds are realistic and based on recent Euro results and performances.
I will be happy with a 1:0 defeat.
I will be delighted with a 2:1 defeat.
Aff oot now but how would you line up with what we have available?
Great speech by Michelle Obama in support of Hillary – who knows she may fancy following her back to the White House, with Barack as her ‘right hand man’
JMCCORMICK
Thanks. Plane scheduled for 4.15 so hope to catch most of the first half if its on. Meanwhile, just leaving Broad Green station. A good sigh, literally.
The patched up/inexperienced defence we will have to field, on a night when defence will be key, shows that we have not equipped ourselves for CL qualification.
That’s not to say we can’t get a result, but it would be in spite of our inaction.
Lustig oconnell efe tierney
AsItypecsc:-)
Am worried bout the pitch anr heat too.
Bmcuw
Cheers for earlier post from gaurdian.
AR aye hes a good ladd :-)
HH
Good morning CQN
Doesn’t take a tactical genius to see how Brendan with a bad injury list will go tomorrow night, he has used a defensive formation of 3 at the back recently, im sure he will again, i hope Brendan for the first hour goes with defensive spoiling tactics, kill the game when we can, limit set pieces to a minimum, the 5-4-1 would be my preference
Gordon in goal, 3 central def of Ambrose and O’connell to mark opposition forwards/attack every ball with Lustig as Libero using his experience to organise and control the defence. add in Janko and Tierney as wing backs young legs on the flanks, this will give us a back 5 to hopefully deny space and opportunity to Astana
Central midfield Brown with either Bitton or Johansen, my pref would be Bitton, we need his height to help defend the Astana strength at set pieces, to assist our def mids i would have McGregor and Armstrong for their energy, athleticism and maybe a goal from Mcgregor
Grifiths to do what does best sole striker up front
Just my view, Brendan will do it his way hopefully coming home with the right result
Mats
Or mibbe Mrs Trump will copy the speech to her own advantage…
DALLAS DALLAS WHERE THE HECK IS DALLAS on 26TH JULY 2016 10:03 AM
I would have liked us to persevere with David but it wasn’t to be. The assault on John was a travesty.
Will Bill Clinton be the first lady?