I was disappointed for St Johnstone at their exit from the Europa League last night but not for Scottish football, or our coefficient points. Saints are a provincial club in a very rural part of Scotland. You only have to travel through the hills to Perth to realise that pocket of Scotland, with its tractors, knitwear and wellie boot shops, has no God given right to beat a team from any municipality anywhere.
They have done very well for the last couple of seasons, from a tiny catchment area, but managed to reach Europe by pipping Dundee United, who ironically were good enough to have key players poached midseason.
St Johnstone don’t have potential superstars, they are also the oldest team in the league, which gets you through a long campaign but they are never going to sparkle. Or earn Scottish football a hatful of coefficient points.
Dundee United were decimated by the loss of those two players midseason, and were done no favours with the shadow of uncertainty which enveloped backroom and boardroom for months, but they, Aberdeen and Celtic are the only Scottish clubs capable of getting their act together to the extent required to reach European group stages. For everyone else, Europe is strictly a July pursuit, so don’t stress about it, and Tommy Wright is well within his rights to talk up his own club.
If Scottish football wants to get all introspective about last night, we should concern ourselves with concentrating resources on clubs who are independently financially viable: Dundee United, Aberdeen, Hearts, Celtic, Hibs and maybe Dundee. If more of our sponsorship and TV money went to Aberdeen and United and less to the thirty-or-so hangers on, they would be better placed to consolidate their development work and compete in Europe.
Celtic are five days away from their opening competitive game of the season, so I would think tonight’s friendly against Davie Moyes’ Real Sociedad will be the last strenuous exercise the players go through after what will have been a taxing first few weeks of preseason. After this workout it should all be about recovery before the visit of Stjarnan on Wednesday. The usual caveats apply to Nadir Ciftci, if he looks like he couldn’t run upstairs, he’s about where I’d expect him to be right now.
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Graffiti
He’s at the game. Sitting behind John Collins in the dugout. Lol
WHATISTHESTARS
CORKCELT
Thanks,fellas. Utterly appalling and unsurprising.
Get in power and reap the rewards,that’s the world we live in.
Macew, thanks, from Clydebank and got train to Dalreoch to go to St Pats in early sixties
Slack defending from Boyata
Having we just stopped pressing?
This is poor.
Scott fouled on edge of box. FK.
Pfayr yeah just had a late invite :-). Do you think there’s any chance of the resident tipsters giving us some pointers? HH
off the wall by Stefan
Poor free kick from Johansen.
They play as a unit in a pressing style.
Izzy cut back
LG shot deflected corner
Far better
Starting to get into this game now
Last 10 minutes have been much better for Celtic
Celtic now getting used to the warm climate
I say this every year. Very few football tops in Benidorm what with every English and Welsh team stagged up. But not the Hun. 90 degrees and sticking to them with sweat, they do a watp from the grave, in putting up a sad euro-defiance, thinking no one (apart from me anyway) will notice their desperation.
HH
Brown just unable to get into box. Passes finding players at last.
To play a pressing game you have to move as a complete unit.
If you don’t there are gaps to allow opponents to escape.
This is an issue.
We are starting to play a little better.
Celtic playin some nice stuff against Rayal Sotheyadad
celtictvspanishlessionscsc
GMS back Corner Real
Are the Real Sociopaths at full strength or is this a second string team… anyone know?
I’d love to see na gcaorach thrive in Europe, as to los hunos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bB_99TDwCVk
quonno
19:22 on
10 July, 2015
Ron Bacardi
19:05 on
10 July, 2015
Peter, take it you are son of the Rock. What happened to Dumbarton Harp?. From memory their ground was visible from train between Dumbarton East and Dumbarton Central.
Believe that Harp may have gone out of existence an late 1930s or early 1940s.
*Mrs. TT’s grampa and uncle played for them. The former was a Buddie tae.
Although probably visible from Dumbarton Central I doubt if its groungcould be seen from between Central and East.stations.
*that’s probably St James Park he’s thinking about.
Until sometime in the early 1960s, sometimes simply known as the Meadow, the ground was used by St. Patrick’s Boys Guild and St. Patrick’s McClean Place School.
*bite yer tongue that was McLean Place, my da’s alma mater. Scored a cracker against St Pats for St Kessog’s one drab Saturday. We were in blue and they in the hoops. My da loved it that I had come back tae haunt his ould team.
About 5 or 6 years later a young Mrs. TT was working there as it had become an industrial estate.
HT. 0-0
We conceded lots,of space and possession first 25 minutes.
Big improvement at end of half. Are Real tiring or are we firing?
Problem for me is, we look like it’s our first game back for most of the first half
Can we stop the stupid references to our Basque Friends.
0-0 at HT
Our passing and ball control was erratic, and we didn’t always make the right decisions, but came more into it in the last 15 minutes. Still very rusty though.
RS comfortable in possession for the early part of the game.This team beat Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in La Liga last season so they are no mugs.
Better this quality opposition before Wednesday rather than strolling about against a lesser team I think.
Last 15 was a lot better there
PFAyr – we have European players and a European coach so I see no reason we cannot match these teams.
In the last 2 games and indeed in the last few games of the season we stopped pressing.
When we pressed we caused Sociedad problems but we are not doing it enough.
We need Armstrong, GMS and Johansen to make more of their possession.
I don’t think Armstrong is a wide player and GMS is exactly what he was at DU, moments of quality but often on the periphery. Still wee James for me.
Most of the play was just what I would expect in a friendly. Even so, when we introduced occasional urgency, we looked promising. Are Sociedad a top tier side in Spain?
JJ
First 30 minutes- Sociedad were very tidy and not bothered by our pressing. However, the final 15 minutes saw an improvement in our play, mostly from the captain grabbing the game by the scruff and some fine touches by Bitton, Lustig and Izzy. Some others need to step up though.
You can learn a lot listening to George McCluskey
Ron Bacardi
19:54 on
10 July, 2015
Quonno, Petec, think you are right, was the Meadows. On left as train went from East to Central
*hate tae be pedantic but it was on the right, the oul St Pats church where we changed was to the left.
Talking of top tiers, if ACGR is about: As you are in the mood for pie throwing, do you think you could throw some Dumfries sausages in the direction of 106?
JJ
CaltonTongues
20:33 on
10 July, 2015
Can we stop the stupid references to our Basque Friends. :-))
embramike says “the Huns are Deid”
Better this quality opposition before Wednesday rather than strolling about against a lesser team I think.
Agree :-))
HH
BMCUW – Question to
CORKCELT
What is that about,not heard of it?
Still as nosey as ever boaby: that’s the Kilwinkie in ye
I never knew the Basques were my friends. Well there you go.
Real finished 7th in La Liga.
I believe they reached the semi final of the Europa.
I have had occasion to watch Sevco TV. The difference in the commentary when compared with Celtic TV is astonishing. Our commentators, whilst obviously Celtic supporters are fair enough to say that Sociedad were the better side and called some incidents in favour of the Spaniards. On those odd Sevco occasions I mentioned, I have heard nothing remotely resembling a balanced commentary.
JJ
`GG
Thanks. Again, I know it is a friendly but they do not look any better than us. Different style but not really any more effective as a team.
JJ
dena28,
That annoyed…..
We’re over in August, hopefully see you then.