Drawing Clyde away in the next round of the Scottish Cup means eight of Celtic’s first 10 games after the winter break are away from home. Three of those games are on plastic pitches, which often results in a tactical change – and prohibits Jozo Simunovic from playing. Jozo was drafted into action on Saturday due to injuries to Ajer and Bitton.
Away fixtures piling up is a significant burden, there is no margin for error. I cannot find a similar run of games in our history, this is an unprecedented period.
I’m sure Neil Lennon was as delighted as Leigh Griffiths at the opening goal at Firhill. The manager showed faith and support to Leigh that was missing in some quarters. The player is one of the most natural goal scorers we have had in years. The space he found inside the penalty box for the goal is typical of his game-intelligence. There is more to come from our No. 9.
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oh Dear………..
No Klicks please We’re Celtic!
;)
John’s goal at Anfield.
Wow.
Incredible.
Love is the Law.
Celtic are going far in Europe this Season.
SID on 20TH JANUARY 2020 7:00 PM
“I can exactly say Arzani, Shved, Bayo are not up to it, the biggest clue is the games they have played, very little. Do you not realise we have a big squad and in order to play you have to be producing in training and small sided games or bounce games to play?”
Unfair on Arzani as he hasn’t been fit to play since the 31st of October 2018. That’s a long long wait for the lad.
Neil Lennon has said that Shved’s been training well and just needs time to adapt.
“Here’s how I would differentiate between Roberts and Arzani, one played his football in the English Championship the other the joke that is the A league. One cost 12M the other 350K, its just a pure quincidence that the player who played at a good level and cost a big amount is the one capable of producing, honestly just a quincidence.”
Patrick Roberts had barely played professional football when he came to Celtic. At Fulham he made 17 appearances. All from the bench. Averaging about 20 mins an appearance.
Arzani was much cheaper because City picked him up before he had signed a professional deal and only had to pay compensation.
Either way, City will be lucky to get half that 12 million back for Roberts.
I agree with Bankie Bhoy`s ` No Klicks` so here it is for those, like me, who couldn`t resist taking a peek:
“John Hartson insists Rangers and Steven Gerrard should be ashamed of defending striker Alfredo Morelos for his gesture against Celtic.
The Ibrox striker made a now notorious ‘game over’ sign as he was walking off the pitch after his red card in the New Year derby.
Rangers insisted Morelos’ reaction was a commonly used gesture in South America, meaning the match was over as the Light Blues claimed a 2-1 victory at Parkhead.”
However, Celtic fans have been critical of his actions with many claiming he was making a ‘throat cutting’ gesture instead.
Morelos was not retrospectively punished for his actions but the Ibrox club were hit with an SFA rap for their coaching staff’s behaviour in the game, as well as another flashpoint against Hibs at Easter Road.
Rangers said they were ‘astounded’ by the charges and claimed they are being judged by a different set of rules.
Former Celtic striker Hartson went to Twitter this weekend to show his disapproval with Rangers’ response, saying it was ‘morally dreadful’.
And asked if he stands by his comments, he told BBC Sportsound: “Yes. One million per cent. I am astounded that they are astounded by these charges.
“I have never liked that cut-throat reaction, I have never liked it.
“I think we all know what it means. It does not mean the game is finished alright, let me just put that one thing straight.
“What I would say is that there are people defending this person doing this gesture. Now I know you want to defend your player and I know you have to be seen backing your player.
“But I have always said, and I continue to say it, that gesture for me is a lot worse.
“Do you want kids in Scottish football, the under-11s and under-12s who idolise Morelos, do you want them coming off their games in a Sunday afternoon doing that gesture?
“I think the SFA are so inconsistent with their decision making and who gets banned.”
(Image: SNS Group)
Ex-Rangers player Derek Ferguson clashedwith Hartson on air and issued a strong defence for Morelos’s actions.
He said: “A different culture, we talk about different languages from different cultures. Different gestures mean different things.
“So basically what John is saying Morelos is a liar and Rangers are lying.
“For me I believe the young man. There is a witch hunt, this is three weeks ago and it’s still going on.
“If Morelos says that gesture means ‘time up’ then you’ve got to take it as that.
“In my opinion, there is a witch hunt.”
(Image: Action Images via Reuters)
Hartson responded: “Time up?! Time up?! That gesture is horrific, what are you talking about.
“The owners, the people who are paying his wages and backing him should be absolutely ashamed of themselves.”
Hartson was then asked if Gerrard should also be ‘ashamed’ for defending the attacker.
He added: “Absolutely, if you are backing a player for that gesture. One million per cent.
“I can’t believe anybody in the right frame of mind would defend somebody for that throat cut gesture.”
I listened to Shortie last night, and was dismayed at Kenny McIntyre’s attitude. His role as presenter of the show is to chair the discussion, but his inclination is to dominate the narrative.
Casting up Hartson’s incident with Berkovic from 25 years ago in an attempt to counter Hartson’s argument was wholly distasteful and entirely self-serving.
I rather got the impression that poor Kenny simply can’t help himself. Dyed in the wool.
TBB:
`I rather got the impression …` to put it very mildly !!!!!
See that “influence” thing…………..funny the way it works, eh!?
….a skripted line there…….a wee laff on BT……..a whole programme of Shortie hunguffery………… and.. Boom!………………..there goes the reasonable argument
…..ooooot the winda.
Aye.
Lets keep the guid guys in oaffice who allow the Beautiful Game to be played on lumpy linoleum……………….
Aye
“BANKIEBHOY1 on 21ST JANUARY 2020 9:47 AM
See that “influence” thing…………..funny the way it works, eh!?”
Again I agree…..and there is evidence aplenty on here that it is successful.
Not sure what the team will be like for Killie. I certainly hadn’t predicted a diamond midfield for the Partick game.
Bitton is out and Jozo doesn’t play on plastic. That means Kris Ajer will start most likely.
Question is, will we see Mikey Johnston or James Forrest return to the lineup? If so is that at the expense of Rogic, Griff or Ntcham?
It’s a simple formula . One hun pundit , one Tim pundit and one hun presenter . Bingo! Tim pundit will always be outnumbered and hun presenter will always control the discussion .
It worked fro their faithers and their faithers before them,
Francie , Begg et al.
Hot Smokie……….
Yep. All pervasive if done right, sadly.
HH
Timaloy29
Wouldn’t see much of a change from Partick tbh. Ajer for Bitton / Jozo.
For all of our pantywetting, we have more than enough to beat Killie on their plastic fantastic. No amount of shoehorned loanee galacticos will change that. Get back to winning and let’s go on a run. We are more than capable.
Ross County at home should see more returnees stretch their legs.
Glen D,
Yep, the Tims are there for “sport”…….always in the minority, always positioned as the fly in the ointment……..
The fact that such a topic and incident was obskured and obfuskated is sad enough.
HH
Have you noticed when it’s our fans that are attacked…….suddenly its referred to as a “brawl”….ie both parties to blame……..
The opinion of a Colombian news outlet , not sport outlet , as to what the gesture means in Colombia would be interesting .
Fk how much I would take from breaking Charlie Nicholas’s Nashers. To talk of online trolls, that horrible wee bstard is an on air troll. Absolute filth. Moreloss has more class
MacJay
https://twitter.com/TEnglishSport/status/1211696657412304901?s=19
Tam English linked to a major colimbian sports news site that called it a stain on his career
I don’t listen to shortie any more . I’d rather pay the money to listen to Celtic tv on audio . I stopped listening when David Begg couldn’t actually bring himself to utter the words ‘Celtic have scored’. I think we got a late winner at CP in a tight game.
Why the swearies?????
Is the angst no’ enough!?
C’mon!
;)
Hotsmoked…thanks for that…never want to click on those links. Agree totally with big Hartson. ‘Game over’ my bahooky…I have an almost 50 year connection with Colombia’s neighbour…that gesture means ‘what it says on the tin’…”you’re getting it!” No mistake! Horrendous gesture…and kids seeing it…and huns defending it. Disgusting, morally bankrupt scum…
btw kenny mcintyre is not a hun…but plays for his hun masters…his father would not have been happy with him…
Glen D………
Begg was a shocker, he literally could stomach the words ” Celtic Goal”………
as a lover of the wireless I was addicted but you’d feel the dead air from him when we’d done something good. It might take him a full 5 mins to regain composure and be physically able to inform the listeners of our good fortune. I relished his pain!
;)
Re Celtic TV, we had a presenter called Ally Begg, who I thought very good – he’s no relation is he?
HH
I suppose if you are not a hun but do the huns’ bidding that makes you a hun by proxy…and it gets you up the ladder as well…
BANKIEBHOY
Not that I know of. Ally Begg was not like David Begg as a commentator . Tom Boyd is the tops.
TIMALOY29 on 21ST JANUARY 2020 10:16 AM
Thanks for that.
The attempted obfuscation surrounding the meaning of the gesture is shameful.
It`s meaning is universal.
Obfuskation o’ that kalibre kosts a lot o’ money………………
scoddland seems happy enough to put up with it, tho’ eh!?
Anything from the boys in bloo? Any judicial intervention?
Naw.
Any moral outrage from wee Nicola and Co?
Naw.
Nae votes in it – Why spoil the party and “great atmosphere” of a hun win…….
Perhaps anither version of the hun McNugget will appear to talk realistically about our share price or the gloomy predictions concerning one of our most potent playing threats………..
I’ll bet something else is in the pipeline!
Aye.
We will never be Defeated, while Ireland has such Sons.
It is yer Time Lenny.
Good morning CQN from a mostly bright, dry +7 degrees Central Highlands. Unseasonably mild.
A wee thing I noticed from the game on Saturday that I meant to mention earlier. We were actually able to retain possession from our own throw-ins on numerous occasions. I wonder if we actually spent some time working on this in Dubai. Long overdue if that is the case, although I still thought our receivers were a bit static.
Another plus point was having Griff available for free kicks and corners. He has a far better delivery than Christie, N’tcham or MacGregor. I think his role, moving forward, could be as an impact Sub. He can either come on as a second striker, or as a replacement for Eddie.
My other cause for optimism, is the impending return to fitness of El Hamed and Ely. They were both big players during our period of impressive early season form. They will be welcome returnees.
🍀⚽️
I wonder how you would have got on, back in the day, if you had made the “Throat slashing” gesture towards Señor Pablo Escobar? I am absolutely certain that he wouldn’t have said, “Oh, is that the game over? How’d we do?”
🍀⚽️
To be fair, the sportsound program does give the likes of Michael Stewart and John Hartson an opportunity to question the narrative out of Ibrox
That’s more than you’d get out of Sky Sports or Clyde SSB
I lived in Venezuela for several years,went to many Libertadores Cup games with Caracas FC, and never once saw a cut throat gesture.
On the street, it means the same in South America as here- a threat of violence, you’re in for it etc.
Can it be taken out of context? Sure it can, all hand gestures can mean different things depending on the situation. In this case, Morelos is angry, probably feels victimised, so uses the gesture to show it, to lash out at his “persecutors”. Does he literally mean he intends to slash anyone’s throat? Of course not. But he knows what it means, he knows it is an offensive gesture. He means to offend, nothing more,nothing less.
For how sport should deal with it, look at how the NFL dealt with it in the USA:
https://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/23/sports/pro-football-throat-gesture-faces-ban-by-nfl.html
On Radio Two Ken Bruce show right now, Deacon Blue unplugged singing Dignity :9
If Morelas makes that gesture , it means game over. If Scott Brown was to make that gesture it means , I’m gonnae kill all of yeez , eat yer children and roast all yer relatives on a spit before bulldozing yer hooses and daein a shite in yer dinner.
And he would be dealt with accordingly.
Kudos to John Hartson who refuses to accept the guff spewed out by the pro hun media outlets and calls it out for precisely what we all know it to be ………
BS.
Dinnae hold Bach GlenD. 🇮🇪
I reckon ye are right btw.
macjay1, yo m8ty.
You still in touch with Kitalba?
Pete
No. I`m afraid not. Sadly .
macjay1,
The pressure this Season means we aint likely to see as much of Dembele as we should.
Something inside so Strong.
NFL.CSC
Well , Pete.
We have a challenge now.
Are we up for it ?
For sure.