One week tomorrow we are in Europa League action at home to Zenit St Petersburg , the Russians first competitive game since going into winter shutdown on 11 December.
Zenit have played five friendlies in the last three weeks, conformably beating Danish, Czech and Chinese opposition, all of who were also on a winter break, before drawing 0-0 with Slovan Bratislava on Sunday. The Slovaks are two weeks away from returning to competitive action.
Zenit manager, Roberto Mancini, did very little squad rotation during his five warm-up games, clearly with an eye on getting his starting 11 ready to face Celtic. He also stuck to a narrow 4-2-2-1-1 system in each game.
Zenit use this formation semi-regularly, but its repetition in each of the friendly games suggest Mancini sees winning control of the middle of the park against Celtic as a priority. This will present Celtic with problems and opportunities. We are unlikely to control as much of the ball as you would expect at home in Europe, but our strength in the wings presents Brendan Rodgers with a clear strategy.
I don’t believe in reading too much into the results of friendly games, but I hope Celtic scouts took in the Slovan game. Zenit scored 15 goals in their three proceeding games, so how Slovan stopped their attack will be of interest.
Mancini and his players are now back in Russia having left their summer training bases. They play our old pals Maribor in St Petersburg on Saturday in their final preparation before the game in Glasgow. Brendan will be occupied with thoughts of two hugely important cup games in the coming week, but if he gets through the Partick Thistle test on Saturday, he may be glad of the competitive experience. This is a time Game Face, not friendlies.
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Favourite uncle
No wonder he gets leg strains
Jamesgang
” JJ – when you want to quit Scoddish fitba, the game’s kinda a bogey.”
I certainly wouldn`t be quitting in a flouncy sort of way. It would be more along the lines of the inevitablity of gradualism and would have to be because I no longer enjoyed it rather than to make a point.
I hope all is well in your new life and I hope to meet up with you ( before the Zenit game? ) sometime soon.
JJ
Bada
From that article:
” The charity’s Campaign Director Dave Scott said: “These are the latest in the long line of incidents of sectarian graffiti with pathetic abuse towards Catholics and Protestants being daubed on walls and shopfronts in prominent parts of the city.”
The apparent need to mention anti-Protestant graffiti does not fill me with confidence that the Nil By Mouth Group will achieve anything. Besides, of course, the problem lies much deeper than simply believing in `pathetic abuse`.
Cheerio for now,
JJ
JJ
I know you don’t do ‘flouncing away’, hence the still greater strength of your sentiment.
HH jamesgang
JJ- note to self- read the whole article….
Bada
Instead of just dealing with the story they can’t help themselves
I don’t understand that some folk don’t like Champions League, it’s the highest level in the game. The best teams and players in the world come to Celtic Park. Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar(dick) Kaka etc have all played against us. We get to compete against the best, not Kilmarnock or Ross County. We pay high ticket prices and the payout for 1 seasons group games covers a decade of money from Scotland.
I look forward to playing City, Barca, PSG, Bayern, Juventus, Milan, Inter, sometimes we have even beaten them. If I was a Celtic player I would love to be on the same park as these legends.
If we can afford to sign good players and we can offer them Champions League then they will come and not join Burnley for bigger wages.
Awe_Naw_No_ETIMS_At_It_Anaw_Noo
Gene- i was surprised at the detail, but should have read the NBM disclaimer
Sevco adamant WATP add on means We Are Third Place
anyone fancy a little debate, ive got a couple of subjects ill call this one the ones that got away, thats tims who probably would have loved to have played for us, ive got a couple of names to start eddie gray, frank mclintock, billy bremner, alan brazil, steve clark, peter marinello, pat quinn. not sure about ian st john feel free to add.hh.
anybody know how to get 17 year old male kin to eat one vegetable?
Zenit 1 -Red Star Belgrade 0
A superior team to Red Star.Same shape /same tactics as per the previous Friendlies I’ve watched.Not an exciting team to watch..Seem to lack a creative spark.
Maribor next .
BP- Frank McDougall…
I’ve had – deep fry it
BP
me
!!BADA BING!!, never heard of him is this a wind up.lol.
GENE, come on bhoys take this seriously.lol.
I’ve I’d go with Gene make a tempura batter with ice cold lite beer and high heat clean oil
healthiest batter, no the beer bit but may entice a 17 year old
geneius- that’s the answer, finally
BIG PACKY on 7TH FEBRUARY 2018 6:30 PM
!!BADA BING!!, never heard of him is this a wind up.lol.
Seriously, never heard of Frank McDougall? St Mirren, Aberdeen, haunted us for years…
Aberdeen signed McDougall in 1984 from St Mirren for a transfer fee of £100,000.[5] His 22 league goals in his first season made him the top scorer in the Scottish Premier Division, and helped The Dons win the league championship.[5][6] His second season saw fewer goals, but did include a four-goal haul in a 4–1 over Celtic in November 1985.[5][6] At Aberdeen, McDougall was troubled by a persistent back injury, diagnosed as traumatic spondylitis, and played his last game for Aberdeen in August 1986 against Hibernian. Six months later, as his condition did not improve, he was forced to retire on medical advice around the time of his 29th birthday.
Chick Hun rabbits some amount of $#!/#,and has done for years
!!BADA BING!!,,apologies remember him now, didnt know he was a tim.hh.
in beer whitedog ; I’ll have some too.
BP
I was being serious
Henry Hall
Jozo Simunovic returns to the Celtic squad for the weekend after injury
Jozo Simunovic returns to the Celtic squad for the weekend after injury
Jozo Simunovic returns to the Celtic squad for the weekend after injury
Jozo Simunovic returns to the Celtic squad for the weekend after injury
Zzzzzzz CSC
KINGLUBO
A wee story re Andrew Strong.
I can’t be exact with the details here but here goes.
I think it was called GIG ON THE GREEN. A music festival on Glasgow Green.
Andrew Strong had just made his breakthrough after starring in The Commitments.
There was a main stage and a small stage. He was headlining the main stage and second top of the bill on that stage was Del Amitri.
Headlining on the small stage was a Glasgow band, The Kevin Mc Dermott Orchestra.
We were watching Del Amitri at a mobbed main stage as their set was finishing and we couldn’t make up our mind which stage to watch for the closing artist. Justin Currie who is a good friend of Kevin’s finishes his last song pulls off his guitar and announces” I’m off to the other stage to see Kevin”.
It was like the stampede as just about everyone legged it to the other stage.
I don’t know to this day how many people stayed to watch Andrew Strong. I bet it was a lot less than he expected when he came on stage.
Mc Dermott’s show was magical.
I saw Kevin live umpteen times and I don’t know how he never made it big time.
Sorry for the flashback but it brought a smile to my face.
KEEP THE FAITH
I’ve a wee splash of Invincible gin for me and you as well
Away for my tea
night
GENE, is that the ex st johnstone player, by the way just thought of another, eddie mcreadie.
BP
Yes
Pat Nevin , Jim mccalliog
Famous Saint
GENE. forgot about those 2. any info on, ian st john.
BSR
Not the most handsome but a nice wee player
Frank McDougall
My Aberdeen supporting Pal has long claimed that Frank McDougall chinned “Fergie ” during one of Fergie’s hairdryer moments..
Kevin Gallacher
HH
WEET WEET WEET, forgot about him too, bloomin heck this might be a cast of thousands.lol.
Not been on so much lately, life gets in the way so it does, I see that the sfa are drifting torwards appointing huns to both vacant posts, they have filled Regan’s in the meantime with a hun, so my threat of walking away from the game is looking more certain.
To cap it all, wtf are ETims about today ? shocking piece imo.
As for injuries, I recall during Lenny’s time then Ronnie’s the blog was full of critical stuff about Lennoxtown or whatever blaming whatever for the injuries, it happens, as TTT said earlier, to many games etc take their toll.