For you and me, it was a dead rubber, an opportunity to watch Celtic without the pressure of winning or losing. For the players and coaches, not so much. The entirely-changed 11 who took the field played like they wanted to make an impact, as did an almost-as-changed Real Betis side.
The game was competitive, the nine added minutes at the end of the second half passed excruciatingly slowly; by that stage of the evening, no one’s head was in dead rubber territory.
When Albian Ajeti pulled up lame in the first half, Ange Postecoglou had plenty to ponder. At that moment, he was left with only one fit striker, Kyogo Furuhashi, the most valuable asset in Scottish football, who was resting on the bench.
Of course Kyogo came on. Ange did not set his team out to pull their punches, he wanted and got a performance. He gave fringe players their opportunity. Would it have been right for him to pull his own punches, 30 minutes into the game, by leaving his only striker on the bench? If he expects the players to commit, he has to commit and play the game competitively.
Management is so subtle. Selecting the right players and tactics is not nearly enough. If you want players to follow you, you have to live the role. Ange knew this when he told Kyogo to get stripped.
So what did we learn? James McCarthy looks more than comfortable in a Celtic shirt every time I see him. The player he was is slowly emerging. Liam Scales can feel aggrieved he has not had a sniff of proper action before this week. Stephen Welsh continues to grow into the role of Celtic central defender, a year after breaking into the team.
We finished third in a group against the third placed teams in Germany and Spain. Collecting six points from Ferencvaros was an objective delivered, although so much more could have been achieved as we allowed comfortable positions slip in Spain and Germany.
If you are old enough, you will remember being told Celtic win trophies when they first emerge. Perhaps the Europa Conference League will have its compensations.
Motherwell on Sunday afternoon is anything but a dead rubber. The Celtic FC Foundation Bucket Collection returns for the first time in two years, those in need remain numerous. The work of the Foundation does is remarkable and literally life changing at this time of year. It is our greatest boast.
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The revisionism and hyprocacy from all the poltical posters is rife. There’s not just one bad apple. It’s all of you. And one side is not superior to the other. The hyprocacy and arrogance from all those who target the blog for political argument only emphasises why you’re doing your cause harm. The more I read the obvious tactics, the more I distrust your views as the arguments are lackluster, and heard lots of feedback similar to thus. Painting anyone who has a different opinion to you to a very narrow group of you own invention, also insulting.
Posting twitter links to stuff about Celtic doesn’t fool anyone to why you are really here.
Anyway matchday; slighly warmer which helps. Not being used to freezing temps can increase hamstring injuries i was reading the other day.
Kyogo if fit he plays, however, I wouldn’t mind mixing it up. Ange demonstrated his entire squad has bought in to the systems, which means rotation shouldn’t be a worry. Young team stepping up is what we, as a club should be aiming for.
For want of a better term the way we are making frequent chances…we are due to give some team a right good doing! 🍀
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Let’s get the headline figure on refugees in the UK straight and put an end to the abhorrent use of this subject to make snide political points.
—
…as he then goes on to make snide political points…
MARTIM1980 on 12TH DECEMBER 2021 9:27 AM
`Ange demonstrated his entire squad has bought in to the systems, which means rotation shouldn’t be a worry.
Early days I know but I agree that that is what it looks like. For that reason, players out through injury should cause us less of a problem than would otherwise be the case. Three strikers out is, of course, still a bit of a handicap :-))
https://twitter.com/nycfcnation/status/1469818214808911876?s=24
Ronny D celebrating
JHB on 12TH DECEMBER 2021 9:10 AM
Let’s get the headline figure on refugees in the UK straight and put an end to the abhorrent use of this subject to make snide political points.
You are a mess
so calling out fascist skanks who impede rnli is a snide political point is it?
And they like you are vomiting chhibheids racism on here.
It is not about your unsourced figures(we are used to that) it is about one of your inability to decry a fellow brexit poster who posted in support of the racists
REMEMBER CALLING OUT RACISM IS NOT SNIDE
THE SNIDERY COMES WHEN IT IS GUISED AS SOCIALISM LIKE the unelectable chibheid.
THE RACISM COMES WHEN YOUR IGNORE IT AS YOU ARE DOING
Take back your racism take back control of it.
Just like your fellow britnats attempt at taking back control by impeding rescue services.racist inspired vermin.
Refugees are welcome.
Ronny Was a good coach ,but the no all brigade didn’t,we got Brendan who was also a good
coach who left us to go and manage Leicester,the rest is history,is today’s match on the Pass.
Martim 1980 – are you a hun? 😉😉😉😉😉😉😉
Martim1980
There is no hypocrisy in calling out racism
Try it
Refugees are welcome
We are a club founded on refugees
I called it out and look at the reaction
It would have been spotted and chased off the cqn i started posting on years ago..but no,
instead it is denied/obfuscated,snidered out.
You say your for balance and justice,
The only hypocrisy on show is not calling it out.
Racism is racism is racism
Those impeding rnli are brexit racist scum.
John Kelly in his book Irish talks of the ‘boats of faces’coming up the clyde in late 1840s,its what came into my head immediately racism was posted here
Match day now enjoy
Enjoy the game for sure.i will
HH
BADA @10.15, Excellent. So pleased for Ronnie, a very decent man who started us on the road to a ‘modern’ approach to football.
And ….. not too many coaches can claim to have won the top league championship in three different countries.
(And that brings us to the old conundrum, name the three ex-Celtic managers who won the top league in another country as manager!)
Martim 1980
Great post , this once great blog now stinks of politocos all trying their worst to point score , if in doubt read the banner at the top ,Celtic Quick News .
Ticketbus, sorry for late reply. What AT posted, Finlays is hun, Georgic is mixed. The Quaich on Coustenhome Road is quite good. Sweeneys for GAA and football. Avoid the Regent near Heraghtys, a stinking rat infested hole populated by smelly huns and their husbands.
Thanks BRB , will pass on info , cheers.
Ticketbus
What BRRB says.☝
He has more up to date experience 👌
BRRB
No wrong bout the new regent.recall their bus coming back from lyngby years ago stopped and searched and a drug haul stopped.
HH
David Hay – Norway
Ronny – Norway
Ange – Australia & Japan
Dr Jo – Czechslovakia.
AT, remember it well. Was me who grassed them up.😂
Has there been a red card or penalty at shitecastle yet?🤔
Clunk 11.03 am yesterday
Thanks for sharing. Even although it is a major concern. Very good to see some balance from the MSM and government view. It would be even better for all if full debate were allowed.
BRB 11:47
give it an hour.
Kent is offside, jumps over the ball on the goal line impeding the defender who is trying to clear the ball. Both are beyond the keeper. So should be offside.
1-0 Sevco . If Hearts had defended like this against us we would have scored 4 or 5 .
Mini huns collapse
Now 2-0 game over . looks like the head to heads with us are going to be crucial when even the so-called form teams like Hearts are folding against Sevco . Until then , let’s make sure we win our games between now and Jan 2nd.
hearts could have been 2 up before rangers offside goal – and it was offside. As I’ve been saying , rangers are DESPERATE to win the league since they desperately need the money!
Refs know this – we don’t stand a chance this season and watch how covid plays a part.
I don’t think Hearts have played too badly. Couple of chances which they simply had to score – especially at 0-0. Sevco more clinical and it’s probably game over now.
BRRB
Oh wah :-)))
Off to game
👍
HH
GVB seems to be getting more out of Morelos than SG could manage. Many of us thought there would be some kind of crisis when Gerard took all the back room staff with him. Not looking likely now. I also thought they would drop points today. Damn.
DENIABHOY on 12TH DECEMBER 2021 12:26 PM
GVB is probably a better manager. I’d rather they kept Slippy to be honest – they were stuttering until then.
I wonder if there will be any complaints from Leslie Deans today about the offside goal and disgrace of an official showing blatant bias.
did van bronckhurts get an ebt?
hearts could easily have 3-4 – if they score the next one it will be interesting!
Stebhoy. 100% right about the refs. We will need to beat them in the 3 remaining games to win the league.
GEEBEE1978 – I suspect so and said so at the time though was shot down in flames for it. GVB is a step up in quality for them. To be fair, Gerard is not the mug we portrayed him as either, he is doing ok so far at AV. Seems like they both have good backroom staff around them too. Something few on here would argue that Ange has.
Ange may like JK and young Strachan, think he has said so, but they are not his picks and I doubt they are the best we could employ if we really tried.
4 minutes of defensive madness from Hearts,the difference.They are playing well.Hun defence all over the place at times.Hearts should have scored at least once.Hope Ange watches this game.Liam Boyce causing havoc with Hun defence,and not the quickest.Hun goal,on seeing it again,WAS onside,much as I hate to say it.Halkett playing them on.We must watch Aribo,when we play them.Very good player.
If Hearts can score,it’s game on.
Nice impartial pundits in the sky studio.
Hearts the better side and the stats agree.
McGregor keeping thems in the lead.
A goal for Hearts will give us quite a second half but they look vulnerable to the counter attack.
GVB falling into the typical anti-football model that they practice – points look gone for Hearts but I’d love to see an early goal…
Liam Boyce would be a good addition to our squad. He has really slimmed down since his Cliftonville days and would love to be a Celt.
Without Aribo and Kent they are nothing.
Hearts equal to them in most areas but poor finishing from them.
If they were to score next the huns may well crumble. Big if though….