During the second half of last season, right back Alistair Johnston eclipsed the form of left back Greg Taylor. That scenario has flipped so far this season, in part due to Greg’s resurgence, but it is fair to say Alistair has yet to hit top form.
Livingston on Saturday was only Alistair’s third full 90 minutes this season, coming days after a full game in Rotterdam. By any measure, his fitness is still at a preseason level. We have three games before the next international break, which should be enough to see the player back to his best.
Witnessing such an outstanding athlete parachuting into a fully fit team while he is still working to get there, should be informative for what we can expect when our injured central defenders return to the fold.
Nat Phillips, who has played 45 minutes football this season, will be first. He will be miles short of pace but with the Champions League suspension of Gustaf Lagerbielke, Nat will face Lazio, fit enough or not.
By the end of the international break, Cameron Carter-Vickers will hopefully be available for selection, over two months since his last outing, which was only his second game of the season. He will need at least a month before we can look for anything like his best.
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Shirley Nutt ?
Toofer ?
Oh, a third
I’m hoping Nat will do a CCV and discover his best form when on loan with us.
His career options at Liverpool are surely slight.
Of course, Ange always insisted the ability to defend also starts further up the park. Daizen’s hassling is an inspirational feat of athletic endurance too.
Nursing a bugger of a lurgy here; wheezing dry cough that makes sleep near impossible. HH
“Nat Phillips, who has played 45 minutes football this season, will be first. He will be miles short of pace but with the Champions League suspension of Gustaf Lagerbielke, Nat will face Lazio, fit enough or not.”
No chance of playing AJ at CB and Ralston at RB?
Did AJ not say he has played at CB before or was this only on the right of a back 3?
We could always just go 2-3-5 and see if the best form of defence is to just attack attack attack! :)
QB
Very pertinent point…
We talk of season defining matches
Season defining injuries
This year, season defining recoveries
As our defence gets players back towards “fully fit”, the speed in which that happens and the the quality of performance will be key to our season.
By Christmas the available first team picks will be different however, the season will already be defined, so the performances during the match fitness curve for these players will be crucial.
Hail Hail
Is Match Fitness a fact?
Good to see the injuries clearing up,just as the scum across the City are hit with a wee raft of them.
Wee Greg back to his best at Livi.His stats were astonishing in the first half.Maeda gets praised,rightly so,for his work rate,but his deficiences a tad overlooked.The exact opposite of Taylor.
For me personally,I think Maeda is totally wasted stuck out on the wing.Japan play him through the middle for a reason..A nightmare for both central defenders,when he can play on the shoulder and run them on both sides into space.Can’t be that difficult to use him and Kyoto up front in a 4-4-2,when games require it.
Thats Kyogo,of course.before a certain poster comments.
The prospect of five central defenders unavailable for selection for the Lazio tie is almost unbelievable.
Welsh, Nawrocki, CCV & Elliot injured and Lagerbielke suspended is catastrophic and diminishes drastically our chance of a positive result. It further adds to the frustration in seeing Starfelt settling-in and doing well at Celta Vigo.
Let’s hope that this defensive black-hole is not added to by injuries at Motherwell – what a nightmare if one, or, all, of MOR, Hatate & Kyoto gets crocked.
They say things even themselves out over the season – if that’s the case, we deserve lashings of good fortune in the second half of the season.
Sun headline today –
ONE of the world’s most famous football stadiums is completely unrecognisable after being demolished.
Well it would wouldnt it ?
they say things even themselves out over a season –
the most inaccurate saying attached to the sport of football.
If you start rubbish you can get worse.
If you start well you can get better.
On injuries two players might have the same injury but recover at different rates, or maybe not at all.
Leave it to the medical staff, and the experts
Bobs quite clever.
We are in Good hands ,IMHO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vE8ExuuNZQ&t=128s
Hot Smoked ,
next time we have a match I can tell you how best to access VIPLEAGUE
The first 3-4 links will usually lead to a betting site,
You just have to be patient and find a link in the list that will go directly to the site (everything opens pop ups, they just need to be closed down.
Eventually you will find a link that will have the “play arrow” with a countdown 30-1, then close out the RED X.
Then hopefully you see the game in the background and can hit play.
Takes a couple of minutes, but recently the streams have been really really good.
Flockie ~ ar~la
Keep Warm.
Hot Smoked
26TH SEPTEMBER 2023 12:40 PM
Is Match Fitness a fact?
______
I suspect, rather than just fitness it’s getting up to speed, the pressure and playing in front of 60,000..
“…Nat will face Lazio, fit enough or not”
Flashback for a moment to Neil Lennon’s view of how to get James Forrest back on the park, get the needles out, and to hell with the serious injury, surgery and longer term consequences for the player. No, lets hope Nat Philips is fit enough to play against Motherwell on their grass pitch at the weekend and take it from there. And dont we have Iwati on our books? Hasn’t really had much opportunity to play, I have a vague memory of him playing right back, though that might have been some other Iwati.
As for who will play against Lazio, maybe better leave that to Brendan, that’s what he’s qualified and paid for.
Elliot injured Anaw Noo?
Motherwell before Lazio, of course. More progress, AJ and Hatate fitter, another full week of Brendan working with the squad.
Meanwhile Lazio have bigger problems than our cb selection issues. A terrible start to their domestic season, rest days cancelled, the President demanding training camps. New signings looking out of their depth, they seem to have forgotten how to play Sarriball. They have two big games between now and their arrival at CP, things could get worse yet.
Working on our favour is that there’s talk of Immobile, the Lazio poacher looking finished, he’s slowed down.
Should help a cb partnership which isn’t the quickest or fittest
They are struggling to do what we did since the St Johnston game and sort out some fundamental issues with their form.
I think it’s easy to forget how things looked for us before the trip to Ibrox. Other teams aren’t able to turn things around so quickly. You only have to look at whats happening with the Huns to see what can happen when you dont
Tony Ralston has signed a new deal to 2027.
Celtic manager, Brendan Rodgers, said: “I’m absolutely delighted for Anthony. He was a young player who showed a lot of promise when I was first here.
“He came into the team and played some good games, and obviously he really kicked on when Ange came in and had that early spell where he played quite a lot, and you could see him grow from that.
“So, for me and the squad, I’m absolutely delighted. He’s a Celtic guy who’s come through the system here and I just think that when you have guys like that in your squad, you always get that extra wee bit out of them.
“When I spoke to him a little while back, he’s so happy to commit himself to Celtic.
“He loves being here, he loves being a part of the club and he loves being here and ready to contribute, and I’m very happy he’s decided to sign on.”
Great news about Tony
Players like him, who’ll step up and do a job but happily take their place back on the bench when the first team pick is available again are hard to find. Especially a local boy with Celtic in his veins.
Congratulations to Tony Ralston
Hail Hail
Good news about Tony Ralston, a real Celtic supporter living the dream.
Cloud 9……………….Karl did all his maturing at Celtic under Ange and at just 28 years of age was near the finished article when the Spanish picked him up for buttons with all their wealth, being one of the richest leagues in Europe. A solid central defender, for a bargain.
SAINT STIVS on 26TH SEPTEMBER 2023 1:38 PM · EDIT
Hot Smoked ,
next time we have a match I can tell you how best to access VIPLEAGUE
The first 3-4 links will usually lead to a betting site,
You just have to be patient and find a link in the list that will go directly to the site (everything opens pop ups, they just need to be closed down.
Eventually you will find a link that will have the “play arrow” with a countdown 30-1, then close out the RED X.
Then hopefully you see the game in the background and can hit play.
Takes a couple of minutes, but recently the streams have been really really good.
==================
Do not use streaming sites on a laptop or pc without using some form of adblocker
They are notorious for downloading malware and viruses
I use a chrome extension called uBlock Origin which stops all that
Good evening all from the Clockwork, Mount Florida. Not the pub it was. Sad.
SAINT STIVS on 26TH SEPTEMBER 2023 1:38 PM
Thanks very much for that . Very kind.
MODERATOR1888 on 26TH SEPTEMBER 2023 5:13 PM
…and thank you, too.
In Florida Park onwards to Armstrongs. Brian M not impressed. Huns to wind up, mind you.
Killie v Hearts on Viaplay 7.45 ko
who do you choose there BD? f hell
UNHCR response to Bravermans b.s
https://twitter.com/UNHCRUK/status/1706712292593725632?s=19
Refugees are welcome.
HH
Good evening again from the Victoria Bar via the Queens Park Cafe. This celebrating malarkey is hard work. 😆
My pal from ML5 is an avid Rovers fan and raved about 18 year old ,Joe Bevan.I watched their match v Stirling Uni last night and young Bevan was outstanding, scoring a grest goal. Worth a watch on youtube if you haven’t seen it.
Think he has a great future, maybe in the Hoops !
petec et al
Rise like Lions after slumber
In unvanquishable number
Shake your chains to earth like dew
Which in sleep had fallen on you –
Ye are many – they are few
(Paul Foot – Tombstone – Highgate Cemetary)
PercyShelleyCSC
link to killie v hearts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7xglzekKVc