When exceptional becomes the norm

869

As this clean sheet run has continued, every time Fraser Forster has made a good save, I’ve found myself suggesting that the defence is not playing as tightly as it used to.  We quickly regard exceptional performance as the norm.

Fraser has, of course, been exceptional, again, this season.  Efe Ambrose and Virgil van Dijk are fast and commanding.  Virgil has a presence about him, like Wanyama, but bigger.  On the flanks, despite the lack of competition, Emilio Izaguirre is performing at his best, while Adam Matthews, Mikael Lustig and Darnell Fisher have shuffled through the right back position as availability dictates.

I have a notion that Scott Brown is also worth credit for the defensive performance.  He seems to have grown this season, perhaps as a consequence of fitness.  This is his best season yet.

Ultimately the game is all about tactics.  Any team can keep a clean sheet but 10-in-a-row (get used to reading that) is a consequence of team plan, which is where Neil Lennon comes in.

Tomorrow is the final day to confirm tickets for our CQteN St Patrick’s Day Dinner on 14 March at the Kerrydale Suite.  The dinner will raise funds to build a kitchen at Kholoni Primary School in Mchinji, Malawi, where 1200 kids currently attend without food facilities.  If you have lost your invoice email me, celticquicknews@gmail.com

See you there.
[calameo code=000390171bffb0dd3dc4f lang=en page=128 hidelinks=1 width=100% height=500]

Click Here for Comments >
Share.

About Author

869 Comments

  1. Bada Bing

     

     

    Agreed. 800k for a player out of contract is great business and if it pays for another incomer then it would seem sensible.

     

     

    Perhaps this explains Joe’s performance on Wednesday.

     

     

    Sami will doubtless be off as well later today.

  2. paolosboots FC before PLC on

    What about hyjacking wes hoolahans move to villa looks like he can go for 1M and Norwich put one over on villa!

  3. paolosboots fc before plc

     

     

    00:11 on 31 January, 2014

     

     

    Another midfielder ….. We are desperate for a striker so I hear !!!!!

  4. mcdowellcelt god bless wee oscar

     

     

    00:12 on 31 January, 2014

     

     

    Haha at least it was Facebook :-( HH

  5. paolosboots FC before PLC

     

     

    When I was in Ireland I knew Wes quite well, a really good bloke, he was a Shelbourne player at the time, he had dreams of making it, and I knew he would, he is a true pro, works his bollix off, anything to make himself better, would take him in a heartbeat.

     

     

    HH

  6. paolosboots FC before PLC on

    Hunskelper if we lose sammi and ledley then the norwegian and hoolahan would be a good start. Agree we need to get striker right thid will be the guy to shoot us to cl group stages no pressure then!!!

  7. paolosboots FC before PLC on

    Tet nice one I used to follow pats because my mate followed them but used to live near shels and bohs

  8. Pablo be prepared to be disappointed…..against. We are not goal congruent.

     

     

    Hun skelper you are perfectly entitle led to your opinion. Celtic DID have a choice when they moved the Killie game from a satiurduat to play that daft turkey tourney. They sowed they couldn’t gimp e a damn about the support by doing so. I work in Europe now. I can’t attend midweek games. Why should I buy a season book?

     

     

    Jude I agree. The celtic trust are excellent. But look at the demonisation that people like tonydonnely visit upon them. It’s shameful. It’s lies. It’s ethnic cleansing. It’s alien to being a celtic supporter. But sadly it’s CQN.

     

     

    Big cup winners. Surely your life hasn’t Been so dumbed down. No competition means celtic should be utterly dominant. If we weren’t we should ask questions. You aren’t daft so don’t act daft. It doesn’t become you.

  9. McDowellcelt god bless wee oscar on

    Balde goin out on loan now is the latest rumour ffs!!lol

     

    I’m away to bed not reading no more transfer stories! All will be revealed 2maro by the one and only jim white!!

  10. Long haired yin we make signings only on the prospect of making money. Not for football reasons.

     

     

    It’s a point of astonishment for me that celtic take us for granted. If we withdrew our support they are dead. But they rely on the stupidly loyal like so many on this site.

     

     

    If that annoys many of you then so be it. You are letting all of us down.

  11. paolosboots FC before PLC on

    Tet I was one of the few celtic fans who had seen karagsndy play like v pats who beat them. Great wee pitch and you cant beat summer football. Miss dublin though

  12. neganon2

     

     

    00:26 on 31 January, 2014

     

     

    Mate a work offshore and miss countless games but I’ve still got a season ticket because I choose to buy one, if you don’t want one or need one don’t buy it mate it’s that simple.

     

    We shouldn’t have cancelled the killie game or the st mirren game for that matter but money talks these days I’m afraid HH

  13. Guys lost the plot,

     

     

    ——————————

     

     

    Jude I agree. The celtic trust are excellent. But look at the demonisation that people like tonydonnely visit upon them. It’s shameful. It’s lies. It’s ethnic cleansing. It’s alien to being a celtic supporter. But sadly it’s CQN.

  14. Crazy bet for tomorrow’s football. There’s a fair chance none will come off, but, there’s a fair chance going by form and stats that some/all could come off. 10p a line X 57 bets equals £5.70 outlay. The accy is 4499/1 which I always put a £1 on aswell. If three out of the 6 come in there’s small profit. If it all comes off I’ll eat my hat. Betting is for mugs, but I enjoy it;-)

     

    Heinz To Win

     

     

    Dordrecht @ 13/5Match Result and Both Teams To ScoreOpen

     

    MVV Maastricht v Dordrecht

     

    Feyenoord @ 21/10Match Result and Both Teams To ScoreOpen

     

    Feyenoord v Vitesse

     

    Avellino @ 4/1Match Result and Both Teams To ScoreOpen

     

    Avellino v Latina Calcio

     

    Southend @ 16/5Match Result and Both Teams To ScoreOpen

     

    Southend v Newport

     

    Besiktas @ 11/5Match Result and Both Teams To ScoreOpen

     

    Besiktas v Erciyesspor

     

    Tours @ 5/1Match Result and Both Teams To ScoreOpen

     

    Nimes v Tours

  15. NegAnon2

     

    23:50 on

     

    30 January, 2014

     

     

    Do you have proof for your statement that all our details have been passed to the police?

     

     

    My recollection of all the to-ing and fro-ing when this was a hot topic was that Celtic are unable to with-hold details from the police if they are requested in relation to a criminal act or if they have reasonable suspicion that somebody will commit a crime.

     

     

    What transpired was that they had set-up a system for reducing the red-tape (which I absolutely do not agree with) basically the Police ask, I would guess with reduced paper-work rather than none at all and the info is given. It requires a level of trust but I doubt either side wants to be on the end of a breach of the DPA. However it’s still far too cosy for my liking.

     

     

    There’s an existing process, it’s there for a reason and it should be followed.

  16. paolosboots FC before PLC on

    Neganon2 its a dangerous gsme to take your cash cows for granted. If it blows up in pl s face then we are looking at very barren parkhead next season with knock on effects

  17. 16 roads - Wee Oscar the Celtic warrior. on

    Good luck and best wishes to Joe Ledley, and thanks for the success that he helped Celtic to achieve during his time with the club.

     

     

    He has been an absolute credit to the green & white.

  18. eddieinkirkmichael on

    Take it the deal for Griff is a done deal and also looks like joe is off?

     

    Oh well, wish Joe well as he’s gave us some memorable goals and if Griff signs he’ll have my support when he wears the Hoops.

     

     

    On a totally unrelated topic I was at Airdrie tonight to hear Jim Sillars speak about his vision for a Socialist Scotland in an Independant Scotland, a quick summary would be that he is living in cloud cookoo land, I kid you not guys. I travelled from Helensburgh on the train, that’s how much I was looking forward to this, and expected a detailed case for a socialist Scotland to be put forward. What did I get? The ramblings of a deluded and frankly ill informed 70’s politician, I wanted to scream “we’re in the new millenium” at him. His idea’s were from a form of politics that are well out of date and it seemed as if he was speaking about some kind of socialist Utopia that he was taugh about at school.

     

    I really found it hard to understand, his arguments for full employment just didn’t add up, lets just build houses and create apprentiships, part nationise the oil and then at some later date fully nationise it.

     

    Bring decommishioning of the oilfields into goverment control and creat 1000’s of jobs, phew it was hard keeping up but the most ludicrous suggestion was to take 1 of the air craft carrier’s that are currently being built on the clyde and make it a hospital ship, fill it with the best docters and nurses then call it the Robert Burns and send it to Africa to perform operations on the poor so that the world can see how good we scots are.

     

     

    There was so much more, Alex Neil the SNP health minister spoke and he was worse, he kept quoting statistics from reports and he misquoted them. God I was pulling my hair out and at the end I almost began to question why I’m voting yes. I’ve just opened a bottle of red to relax, I feel as if I was in some kind of alternate reality.

  19. Margaret McGill on

    So that’s 5 years in a row Celtic’s chief Asian scout Kobayashi has tried to sign Keyser Söze

  20. The Bhoy Saffron67 on

    I think we can all agree that the board ain’t perfect but the bottom line is we are in a losing situation. We don’t need to spend millions to win the league and spending it won’t make much difference in the champions league.

  21. eddieinkirkmichael on

    hun skelper

     

     

    00:32 on

     

     

    What;s the job situation off shore these days? I work in construction and am self employed, general foreman, was thinking of doing my survival course as the cost is now down to about £700. I know I’d need to start at the bottom but the construction game is dead and likely to stay that way for a few years at least.

  22. Ah luv Amido..n Ah dinnae care who knows it!

     

     

    The Guy is a Winnah!

     

     

    He hiz it awe.

     

     

    He is Big, He is Strong..

     

     

    and..

     

     

    He it Gentle!

     

     

    Awe of his goals.. Hiv come fae a WELL PLACED Shot..

     

     

    He diz not wanna rip the cover afff the Fitba’

     

     

    He carefully.. Gently… n Accurately..

     

     

    Aims at PLACIN the Ba’.. where the Oppo Goalie… AIN’T!

     

     

    Ah hid noticed this .. afore..and , in fact.. Made Comment.

     

     

    Also..

     

     

    Like Ah hiv,also . stated… oan here..

     

     

     

    PASS the Ba’ tae Amido.. In the clear..

     

     

    n..

     

     

    ALANG THE GRUN… nevah, by air-mail..

     

     

    N..

     

     

    He wull…Skillfully, Collect it..

     

     

    n in the run tae the goal..

     

     

    He is Awfy Hard tae Stoap…

     

     

    n.. in a wan n wan Situation wi the Oppo Goalie..

     

     

    Amido, very seldom…

     

     

    MISSES… pitting his Chance Away..

     

     

    By.. Gently, evah so Gently..

     

     

    Placing the Ba’.. in the Net..

     

     

    Like Ah said..

     

     

    He believes ,like Ah dae..

     

     

    The Best Way tae Score a Goal..is No tae Rip aff the Cover, with a MIGHTY Swipe.

     

     

     

    Na..

     

     

    Amido, elects tae tak the route

     

    that is..

     

     

    The very best n EASIEST way tae Score that Goal…

     

     

    Which Is tae

     

     

    Place the Ba’ where the Goal – Keeper..

     

     

    AIN’T!…

     

     

    With Care, and Gentleness.

     

     

    Yep, Amido is Ma Kinda Guy..

     

     

    Strong oan the Ba’ ..and His a Towerin Presence.. which Ah jist Luv ta see

     

    in a Celtic Striker.

     

     

    He is a Tough Guy tae get the Ba’ affy. wance he gets it uner control.

     

     

     

    Kojo

     

    Still,Laughin

  23. paolosboots FC before PLC on

    Eddie u hit it on the head the aircraft carrier one is cloud cukoo land. I read it kast week in the herald what a walloper!!! I am sad we dont have the political talent to pull off independence properly I fear we will end up a basket case like Ireland

  24. Great times to be a Celtic supporter anyone that tells you different ain’t livin in the real world.

     

     

    Probably in their own dark little bubble.

     

     

    £800K for Ledley someone is getting a bargain.

  25. paolosboots FC before PLC

     

     

    Don’t miss Dublin at all, never liked the place if the truth be known, miss the village I lived in, Rathcoole about 10 miles south of the city, crackin wee place.

     

     

    Mrs TET would never go into Dublin unless she needed a kidney or the like, she really didny like the place either.

     

     

    I worked there for many years, I enjoyed working there, but for socialising, no for me, the village was a ways better.

     

     

    HH

  26. eddieinkirkmichael on

    paolosboots FC before PLC

     

     

    00:44 on

     

     

    Yeah that was just 1 of the crazy ideas mate, you’ll laugh but I bought his book “In Place of Fear”, apparently there is a chapter on the air craft carrier idea.

     

     

    I have to disagree with you on the talent thing though, I have met so many great people who would make brilliant politicians but are to scared to come forward as they don’t have a uni degree or come from a poor background.

     

    This is Scotlands real shame, we put ourselves down to much.

  27. Weeminger I have read all of the statements from celtic. They changed their story. They lied. I look forward to celtic taking me to court. I think celtic behaved appallingly and they know it.

     

     

    Hun skelper errr how have I let myself down?

     

     

    Pablo. Get used to the thought. Never mind how the board lie to us how Great at propping up the Hun have they been. They are laughing at us.