Two weeks ago we spoke about the fine margins which determine results in the Champions League. Last night’s share of the points was a great example. While Borussia Monchengladbach were the better team at Celtic Park last month, they relied on two defensive errors to settle the game. Had Celtic stayed error free they may have won.
Last night we were error free (you could nit-pick about the Gladbach goal) and got a better result. A result which surprises on the upside or downside has the potential to overshadow an actual performance, but our point was deserved.
It didn’t look that way early on. Although Celtic defended comfortably for the first 15 minutes, we were unable to hold the ball. The abiding memory of that period is Tom Rogic with three black shirts around him the moment the ball arrived at his feet. Even long balls to the later-impressive Moussa Dembele were offering no relief.
We didn’t create anything the first time we got possession inside the Gladbach box, but this was the most important passage of play in the game. We retained possession for more than 20 passes, allowing players to settle, and perhaps giving Borussia more defensive duties to consider. At no point thereafter were we pinned back inside our own half.
Dembele had no right to get around the defender and into a shooting position at the penalty. He knocked the ball to the defender’s left and ran past him on his right, in the middle of the box. It took craft and strength. It’s been a while since we’ve had a striker who would have been capable of this kind of move.
Honourable mentions to Scotts Sinclair and Brown. Sinclair clearly worried the Gladbach defenders, who could only outnumber him when he drove deep into their half with the ball tied to his feet.
The most striking aspect of the performance was how we performed defensively. With squad players Emilio Izaguirre and Cristian Gamboa at full back and Mikael Lustig partnering Erik Sviatchenko in the middle you would be forgiven for worrying we might see the kind of disorganisation witnessed at the Camp Nou on match day one.
Instead we looked well-rehearsed, while Craig Gordon was back at his best.
Callum McGregor’s should have won all three points with a gilt-edged chance near the end. That could have made the difference between third and fourth in the group, but a win would have flattered us.
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This sums up my current interest in English football
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACMcjbmniC8
Hunderbirds.
White Hart lane bring renovated.
Reduced capacity this season.
Macjay
Union flags? :-)
So the OBAF act looks like it will be repealed and outlawed as it should be.
There has been no law as discriminatory against catholics as i can remember.
Did they lose data that meant that it proved that catholics were much more likely to be involved ina sectarian attack when they were debating this law?
What scares me more is the police have not objected to the mighty hoops playing the zombies at 3pm on hogmanay.
I am not a criminal psychologist or a social engineer but i can guarantee that the reason the police have not objected to this game (despite being asked to) is to let the blood flow (as it surely will)
There will be another law to replace this shite, surely as Neil Lennon, Tynecastle and not proven……on national TV with sky and Gary Neville watching Thommo grab the hun just in time from 10 different angles
HAMILTONTIM on 2ND NOVEMBER 2016 9:41 PM
Why is Legia’s stadium empty?
__
OBAF has just kicked in their mate, or their fans went overboard with flares and riots???
Surely this poppy on the shirts for the auld enemy game sparks off a debate here…..
HAMILTONTIM on 2ND NOVEMBER 2016 9:45 PM
Macjay
Union flags? :-)
==========================================================
Aye.
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
Bye the bye.
Kudos for your work on the FAC attack.
Particularly the behind the scenes work.
It was flares and banners.
You know, supporting your team in a flamboyant and engaged way.
UEFA don’t like that kinda thing. Might scare off some Corporate money and that wouldn’t do. Sponsorship money is required. Brown envelopes need filling dontcha know.
VFR
Ah you scoundrel :-)
Take a bow F for your continued efforts to highlight the need to complete the consultation paper.
MIT
Trust you Mike!! :-)
I think you’re right though.
A wee special mention regarding efforts to repeal the act.
Two of our own Lionroars67 and Eddieinkirkmichael were two of those who really put themselves out there when the Act was first introduced. We’re in your debt lads.
JNP
Thanks. Didn’t hear that.
HH
Good Evening!
Two new quick-fire pieces. One about Resolution 12 and the Celtic Board:
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2016/11/02/resolution-12-the-line-in-the-sand/
And one about the SFA’s poppy shenanigans with England:
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2016/11/02/poppycock-from-the-sfa/
HT ….
http://www.espnfc.us/uefa-champions-league/story/2961884/legia-warsaw-handed-full-stadium-closure-for-real-madrid-clash-by-uefa
And here’s the earlier piece where we get to find out who is best: Scott Brown or Joey Barton…
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2016/11/02/joey-bartons-passing-statistics/
Goood evening CQN
Where is, oooops, what is, ooops, what team do
Auchenhowie Management team run ?
Just curious, never heard of them, and
Do they have a licence to play in the Scottish Leagues. ?
Come to think of where is or what is this Auchenhowie club ?
Hail Hail
MIT
To be honest the behaviour of a section of their supporters has been awful in European games.
Hamiltontim
MIKE IN TORONTO
Regarding empty Legia stadium and article in ESPN. There was no racist behavour. Fifty hooligans who caused troubles on the stand near Dortmund fans, flares and busy evacuation ways.
On way home from Wembley, Spurs were awful. Wanyama the only player to emerge with credit. Out thought and out worked by a decent German team, although not as good as BMG imo. The Spurs fans are a strange bunch. Left early en mass around 80 mins with the score at 1-0. Shocking abuse and critiscm of own players. I’ve never heard the word c*** used so much. Stadium was really lacking in atmosphere apart from the circa 3k Germans in the corner. Their CL experience and fans are nothing compared to us. I left that place feeling very proud to be a Tim.
Cheers Macjay hopefully it will all be worth it.
TTR.
Interested in why you went to watch Spurs.
HAMILTONTIM on 2ND NOVEMBER 2016 9:58 PM
MIT
Legia V Borussia
A legacy of the war years .
Lots of analogies.
Mr Z
I hope that you’re well my friend.
Some of the footage I’ve seen of a small section of Legia fans recently has been shocking.
Evening Celts
Hamilton Tim…VFR.
Congrats.
Good work you have put in.
A Social Revolution might be a bit harder though…but im on the case:)
HH
HT
Down in London working. CL match at Wembley seemed appealing as something to do. I’m not a fan in particular. Thought they were a better side than that.
Re: Barton …. the story I heard was that he was promised a playing/coaching gig (by Weir, whom he knew from before), but Warburton was apparently not told of this, and when he found out, he said no chance …. MW was not happy that this was done without his knowledge, and JB was pissed as he felt he was lied to …. bad blood all round …
Are Sevco changing their name?……..
……….to the Auchenhowie Doppelgängers :)))
Mr. Z … I have no knowledge about it, except what I read in the papers at the time …. no offence intended, pal.
HAMILTONTIM
Thank you I’m well. I hope you and all yours are well.
Those you are talking about are not fans.They are bandits whose place is jail and I hope they will be there soon.Everybody in here is in shock. No one understands why, for what reason they do that?
Hello again all you young rebels
A spring in my step this lovely Melbourne morning after a good
result yesterday, with all this energy i feel the wee mhan and his
fellow rebels getting a severe workout at tonights training.
He’s still looking for a hero since J.Guidetti left and is jumping
between Sincy and Griff but i know he fancies himself as a
Ibrahimovic type so it was good to hear him say big Moussa was
immense, think a change of name on his hoops top is coming.
Problem is how long will we keep MD.
H.H Mick
TTR
How easy was it to get a ticket?
MIKE IN TORONTO
I did not take it that way,my friend. My intention was make it clear.
Zbyszek.
Tremendous performance from your team tonight.
Perhaps you should now play all games at home behind closed doors :-)))
Hrvatski Jim on 2nd November 2016 9:45 pm
I’m glad you posted that. PMAO.!!
Mr Z
Is The hooligan problem getting worse?
Muderrator Mudderator who’se got the ball?
Can we put Mike in Toronto’s stuff back up?
Congratulations to James Kelly, the main force, in achieving the success of today’s vote on the OBaF Act.
This is a guy who was vilified on a major Celtic fan site, a site that urged its readers to vote for his SNP opponent at the last election- They did and James only made it to Holyrood via the List system. The MSP who replaced him duly trooped through the lobby today like a faithful apparatchik to vote for the continuation of OBaF.
Even on CQN, the party loyalists predicted that the opposition parties were just showboating- it would never happen- it was all just to embarrass the SNP- a bigger crime than vilifying Celtic and football fans, it seemed.
Well it did happen. James Kelly and his supporters delivered what they said they would try to do. We’ll wait a long time for some of the party loyalists to admit they got it wrong. And I mean the party loyalists only- there were many Independence supporters who were prominent and active in their opposition- but not one major active figure within the SNP hierarchy would even venture a mildly sceptical viewpoint that OBaF might not be the way to go. They listened, quiet as sheep, as MSPs Mason and Dornan vilified the world of football, our major sport, sport with a very good record of fan behaviour compared with most European states.
Today’s vote is only a battle won. The war itself is still going badly. The SNP, through their imbecilic and insulting attack dog, James Dornan, signalled early on that we better drop our opposition to OBaF or they will impose strict liability on our game.
That is the next phase of their attack on football. The collection of Hearts fans and rugby supporters that form their MSPs will, even now, be planning their revenge via an equally botched bill to introduce Strict Liability. Again it will be directed to football and football only because their douce, curtain twitching, Holy Willie, Sunday Post vision of Scotland stems from a deep Scottish Cringe and a lack of confidence in any Scottish identity that does not come wrapped in a flag and coated with tartan kitsch.
Well done James Kelly, FAC and all those who supported the opposition to this snobbish, illiberal law.
HT – easy only 30 notes.
setting free the bears for Res. 12 & Oscar Knox on 2nd November 2016 10:20 pm
WOW!
Just saw this.
Excellent
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-37835502
Dont you just hate it when the huns release a level 5 job about their most hated player coming back into the fold.
Just as Celtic play their best away Champions League game in years.
Not unlike the huns releasing their financials that late on a friday night that the financial community has went home.
Should we kick the SMSM out of our shareholders meeting as has been suggested?
Fecking great idea. Alsmost worth swearing about