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When we cannot trust what we see with our eyes

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By on CQN BLOG & Comments

Filip Benkovic collected his 2019 Scottish Cup winner’s medal after yet another solid performance. He was viewed by many of us as the senior partner alongside Kristoffer Ajer, who erred when Hearts took the lead that day. Benkovic returned to Leicester to wither on the vine, while Ajer continued to develop at Celtic.

The failure of Filip to develop is inexplicable. He left us as a 21-year-old first choice talent, a player Brendan Rodgers took on loan to Celtic and played him whenever available. Rodgers’ Leicester should have been a great place to return to. Subsequent loans to Bristol, Cardiff and Leuven earned him a total of five 90-minute performances in two and a half years.

Something was not right. When asked last week, Brendan Rodgers said he had been “unavailable for personal reasons”. That’s one of those phrases that we have no right to query, but it is enough. It sufficiently explains the incongruence between what we saw with our eyes in season 2018-19 and what happened since.

I have no idea what Filip’s personal reasons are and hope they soon lift. The game is full of players who struggle with family, relationships, mental health and various temptations. It always has been. It also has its fair share of absolute rockets, who cannot stick to plan and will not learn. Managers drop this type, usually frustrating fans who, again, trust their eyes, but every team needs to stick to plan and every manager has to be the boss.

If he was available, I would have backed Celtic to spend £10m on Filip in 2019. A stay in Glasgow may have lifted what ailed him, or we may have splurged a lot of money down the drain. That’s how this game works. A proportion of players will simply drop off the radar for no externally apparent reason. Hopefully a stay in Italy will sort the lad out.

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  1. lets all do the huddle on

    one of my pet hates is when down market tabloids and radio stations run out of things to say so just resort to whipping up a fake debate about who is better between pele and maradona, and pish lilke that.

     

     

    utterly pointless shite

     

     

    you cant compare players from different eras like that

     

     

    but mcstay v grant?

     

     

    that isnt even open for debate

  2. BelmontBrian on

    Evening all.

     

     

    A wee bit from earlier, The Maestro vs Peter the Pointer, for me no competition, Mr McStay everyday of the week.

     

     

    Can’t remember who said that ‘what other Scottish players went on to be successful ?’

     

    Have a look at the team line ups. In the Scottish team alone you have ‘The Maestro’, John ( Jambo ) Robertson. Ally Dick ( Ex of Spurs and Ajax ) and the recently departed John Sludden (RIP)

     

     

    The guy playing at left back for Scotland that day was a one of my best pals ever.

     

     

    Austin, bags of ability, tough as old boots and brilliant in the air for such a wee short arse, (massive napper).

     

     

    We from. St Bartholomew’s, Townhead, Coatbridge, are so proud of him, Austin was advised not to take up football as a career due to a hip problem.

     

     

    He is a massive Celtic fan

     

     

    hopefully this link works.

     

     

    https://youtu.be/Ea_n1ZViGd8

     

     

    Nite all

     

     

    Brian

  3. lets all do the huddle on

    just looking at the stats for the liverpool arsenal game

     

     

    there has only been 1 shot on target in 75 minutes

     

     

    and that was by arsenal

     

     

    even though they have been down to 10 men since 25 minutes

     

     

    are either team even interested in this cup?

  5. JIMDOM on

    I sometimes wonder if Paul McStay ever regrets not taking his talent elsewhere, maybe after the centenary double season. That would obviously have been with the benefit of hindsight, as he wouldn’t have known just how bad our decline would be after that high watermark season.

     

    KT decided to move, maybe a couple of years before we thought he would, and he is cut from the same cloth as Paul. Can see KT back in the hoops at some stage though.

  7. lets all do the huddle on

    Can see KT back in the hoops at some stage though.

     

    —

     

     

    i hope not

     

     

    never been a fan of bringing players back

     

     

    we only want them back because they were so good when they were here the first time

     

     

    which usually means theres only 1 way they can go from there

  8. Turkeybhoy on

    Huddle,

     

     

    Tons of effort in the game.Liverpool huffing and puffing,Arsenal,10 man defence,who defended brilliantly.Both teams exhausted at the end.Liverpool don’t half miss Salah.

  10. NorrieM on

    The Maestro, what a player that Bhoy was

     

    Still not my No 1 though

     

    That goes to Daniel Fergus McGrain

     

     

    Peter Grant lived the dream in playing for his hero’s

     

    And Paul was ably backed for a few season with a hugely talented John Collins as well

  11. !!Bada Bing!! on

    The old saying don’t meet your heroes, doesn’t apply to The Maestro, an absolute gentleman, who loved playing for us,an unassuming Superstar.

  13. lets all do the huddle on

    Huddle,

     

     

    Tons of effort in the game.Liverpool huffing and puffing,Arsenal,10 man defence,who defended brilliantly.Both teams exhausted at the end.

     

    —

     

     

    none of which helped my first goalscorer bet

     

     

    hmmphhh

     

     

    😤😤

  14. TheLurkinTim on

    Catchin up…McGree…who? WITS…best for yer blood pressure to just ignore…I see the names of that calvalcade of clowns and jist scroll on by ;-)) Am I reading the GAA equivalent of “Coleman Balls” lol…BRRB…should see yeez there

     

     

    H.H.

  16. TheLurkinTim on

    Holee Shit…did not see that coming…can see a tragic Royal sui…erm accident happening soon ;-((

     

     

    defeatingjustice CSC

  18. TheLurkinTim on

    Stivs…the smartest meme I saw was about Epstine and Maxwell…pic of both with the caption…True Love is…finishing each other’s sentences…

     

     

    Now that she’s been convicted of most charges…go after all involved

  19. Weeroch1 on

    Re murdoch/ mcstay debate

     

     

    I am biased as Bobby Murdoch was my favourite ever player so I will always have him at top of the list.

     

    We often, when comparing players from different eras, say more modern day players have the edge re fitness etc but imagine if Bobby had had the benefit of modern techniques he could have been an even better player🙂

     

     

    As an aside re Peter grant i always felt he helped Paul mcstay to play better.

     

    When he didn’t play it seemed that mcstay could be “got at” ina sense without his minder.

     

     

    I acknowledge that paul mcstay was a very fine player indeed . One of the best.

  20. TheLurkinTim on

    Favourite Uncle…a Happy Hoopy birthday to you 🎂🍷🍻…if it’s not a blame Almore ;-))

     

     

    H.H.

  24. TheLurkinTim on

    The Maestro should have taken his talents to Italy when he had the chance…am convinced he would have shone in that league at the time

     

     

    H.H.

  25. lets all do the huddle on

    its a good job the only arithmetic sums that snooker refs need to do.is addition to keep a tally of the breaks because some of them these days dont look old enough to have learned their multiplication tables

     

     

    or maybe im just getting old

     

     

    bring back.len ganley, hes definitely older than.me

  30. IniquitousIV on

    EMERALDBEE.

     

    Thank you. I asked because I went to school with Joe ( Josie ) Wark. He is also, sadly, not with us. He and I played in the same team for Bellahouston Academy. He was fast, strong, athletic and a quite incredible gymnast. For example, in competitive races to climb ropes in the gym, Joe would reach the ceiling before anyone else was halfway up. That always stuck in my mind.

  31. TheLurkinTim on

    INIQITOUSIV

     

     

    Another example of who knows what…I was in Belarmine for onlyt 1 year…but it opened my eyes about prey and prayer lol ;-))

     

     

    And yep…take yer trolley back missus/mr was 20p + bonus mibbe ;-))

     

     

    H.H.

  32. IniquitousIV on

    So how do we refer to Randy Andy in future? Possibly HNTRH (His Not The Royal Highness) perhaps? His humiliation in front of his peers must be overwhelming right now, and will be at stratospheric levels if he loses in court, which is looking increasingly likely. It is a pity that Epstein is not around to share it.

     

     

    Pure speculation on my part, but I believe some powerful and well known figures are shaking in their boots, fearing Ms. Maxwell may turn State’s evidence in an endeavour to reduce her sentence, assuming she loses her appeal. If she does, I don’t think her life will be worth a plugged nickel, so powerful are these figures. People forget that Epstein was initially placed in a cell with a murderous lifer who utterly terrorized him, then was mysteriously withdrawn. My theory is that the lifer informed Epstein what was going to be done to him if he didn’t take his life, and Epstein believed it.

  33. JHB on

    Ange is a really impressive guy – he is exactly the type of manager we want on & off the park. He is fast becoming the ‘voice of Celtic’, and doesn’t he sound good. He has the confidence, wit & intelligence to take on the media. The ‘fifth estate’ in Scotland has always been a snide detractor when it comes to Celtic and all its kind.

     

     

    Ange “gets Celtic’, and has obviously started the way he means to go on. In him and Michael Nicholson, we have two powerful voices & two formidable characters front & centre at Celtic – I say “Hail Hail” to that!

  36. Greenpinata on

    Not that it matters, but to a west of Scotland bhoy it is nevertheless interesting

     

     

    Carrie is a practicing Catholic and seemingly BJ is too. The first baptised Catholic in No 10.

     

    JRM is a devout Catholic.

     

     

    Very Peculiar.

     

    Apologies for non directly related footie thoughts.

  37. JHB on

    GREENPINTA @ 5:47

     

    —–

     

    Yes indeed, but not surprising. In England & Wales overwhelmingly in daily life, business, sport & politics, one’s religion is an irrelevance and no impediment to acceptance and/or advancement.

     

     

    In Scotland & Northern Ireland, by habit and repute, that has never been the case.

     

     

    We know this to our cost and although in Scotland the impression pushed by those in positions of power in the aforementioned sectors is one of operating a ‘level playing-field’, there is latent resentment, bigotry & sectarianism. A wafer-thin veneer, under constant pressure, is all that separates.

  38. Greenpinata on

    13TH JANUARY 2022 10:20 PM

     

    Midget Gems the latest victim of the Snowflakes

     

    ————,

     

    I’m offended by:-

     

     

    Wispa. : perceived derogatory to hard of hearing.

     

    Jelly Tots: Encourages youngsters to eat sugary sweets.

     

    Smarties : Not inclusive to those of us less smart.

     

    Minstrels: Needs to go, reminds of a banned show.

     

    Yorke: Sexist.

     

    Jelly Babies : Encourages babies to eat sugary sweets.

     

    Munchies : Drug overtones.

     

    Lion Bar : Vegetarians are offended.

     

    Love Hearts : Sexist and misogyny.

     

    Double Decker : promotes fossil fuels, state Hydrogen

     

    Ben And Jerry’s: Not inclusive enough.

     

     

    Watch this space, never mind we can cheer ourselves up by watching Chewing the fat .

     

    Oh no we can’t, that’s also being censored.

  41. FrankTerry on

    THELURKINTIM on 14TH JANUARY 2022 2:59 AM

     

    Since we’re moonhowling I ask Frankterry about CCC

     

     

    Sorry pal, I don’t quite understand you?

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