Tangerine Time
Well folks, it looks like the footballing God’s have blessed us with another opportunity to find form ahead of the much desired Cup Final replay (what are they like?) and like last weekend this one is also away from Paradise with a pretty decent opponent who cannot be overlooked.
Thankfully the winning finalists won’t face extra time, nor penalties, and they had midweek free which resulted in some frolics and one imagines a bit of team bonding. I wonder if they will have a spring in their step. We all know what the manager got up to,,sorting out the January spend, and I wonder if this alongside a Cup will put a spring in his step.
Alas, the weather will not lend itself to a game of finesse, quite the opposite, and I wonder if that suits our opponents? United could take heart we just conceded 3, shouldn’t be able play the usual game, and there’s known injuries, AJ and James.
They could find some hope but ironically I would suggest Celtic have a lot of tools in their locker for a poor conditions/just win it tricky fixture. Ralston might have started anyway, the Canadian does need the occasional rest and the native would love an old fashioned crossing frenzy in the rain. Crossing to Adam, it’s much more his type of game than Kyogos.
We couldn’t pass well on a wet surface not long ago, I’d like to see a more direct style of play, and three midfielders who can test the keeper from range.
Callum, Luke, Reo all with license to shoot?
I’m not too bothered by the other selections, but with the annual injury to James the right wing position looks weak and we could do a lot worse than having Kuhns understudy signed. I’ve a nagging memory of Palma playing decent and scoring in the rain somewhere/sometime, perhaps he is in for a shot on the right taking over from Nicholas after he’s ran his race? Wouldn’t surprise me. Who is actually considered the backup right wing player will emerge as the German can’t play every single minute.
I like to imagine there will be no Cup hangover, team quality and good vibes will carry us through and deliver the 3 points,,and as much as I’ve banged on about form recently, I am not demanding it from this fixture. Winning ugly would be perfectly fine, it would actually reassure me.
As for the opposition, everyone involved should be delighted with their current position, not only 5th but looking like an SPL regular already. I really want to see a full-house and given the timeslot I was almost going to type there’s no excuses,,,but in reality there’s the biggest excuse of all. Christmas being three days away means any gift tickets can’t be handed out yet, means the belt must be tightened for a hell of a lot, and it’s dreich weather to boot. I know The Tims will be there and inevitably get topless belting out their own version of Merry Christmas to the supporters of last week’s eventually beaten foe. When you see that, Santa really is coming, that’s his cue.
Up The Hoops!
By Mahe
ATOB
If we are talking about loss of form and why how about Man City?
Watching them play Villa their game like ours is being countered by a hard press and quick break on transition.
Rangers deployed that tactic on Sunday but are a bit fitter than other domestic competition who drop off sooner.
That makes more sense as a reason for performance levels dropping than anything else I’ve read but depending on our central defenders as if they were Beckenbauer helps hard pressers.
2 0 Villa. I rest my case.
John McGinn’s arse playing a blinder. 🙂
Auldheid,
I said there were a myriad of reasons. Other teams playing better could definitely be one of them though Hibs are second bottom
of the league and should have scored three against us. There is a definite problem that teams are man marking the midfield and leaving CCV with the ball. It’s up to BR how he’s going to counteract that. At the moment the ball is going back and square way too often. It’s not just the naysayers on here that are pointing it out. Almost all the Celtic podcasts are too.
I am not saying we’re having a poor season. I’m not saying BR is not a good manager but I’m not going to ignore what I can see with my own eyes. I’ve already said I’m not really expecting anything different tomorrow. Conditions and out squad issues will probably see to that. I hope I’m wrong and we’ve used this free week to work things out. I’m sure BR will have a plan to counteract this current issue with the team because if we play like we did on Sunday at ibrox on 2nd January we may not get so lucky.
16 Roads,
Apologies for getting my fixtures mixed up. I thought we played Aberdeen before Leipzig.
Tuesday, I flew to Dublin to have a meeting with Dermot, me and Michael Nicholson, Chris McKay and staff, just talking about January and what we normally do
Brendan Rodgers
Auldheid,
I said there were a myriad of reasons. Other teams playing better could definitely be one of them though Hibs are second bottom.
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I know but that means sfa if Hibs form was improving and it was and they are now 9th.
A clubs position in the league is less of a guide than their most recent results which reflect performance.
Another factor was the pairing of Trusty and Scales who had not played together on a regular basis (and I’m not that keen on Trusty).
I hate to go back to LIT but I don’t recall him suggesting these as a strong part of the myriad reasons rather than speculating and so focusing on individual’s as the cause.
A philosophical thought “Nothing exist until we focus on it”
Man City’s confidence looks shot, but Villa have played superbly. We need to find a way to release Kyogo the way Tielemans did Rogers for the first goal.
Var review shows new angle of non-penalty
AFTERNOON ALL AND JIM AND MAGUA quiz question, celtic won the coronation cup the year that I was born, name the year and name the maternity hospital I was born in ,give you a clue it was in God’s county lanarkshire, who came from lanarkshire how about billy McNeil, bobby murdoch, tam gemmel, john clark, jimmy Johnstone, the brogan brothers, peter grant the list is endless 😎😎👍BTW went to ayrshire once it was closed ,but hey kilwinning was open but never went in😎👍❤only joking you ayrshire tims ❤ cyber bottle of Irn bru for the answer👍
Afternoon all!
Earlier in the season I felt we had a great mix of Ange and Brendan. We kept the ball well but moved fast and with real intent and purpose when the opportunities came. We’re still keeping the ball well (mostly) but the pace in our game has dropped. I think our reliance on the centre backs is the right way to play, and a feature of most teams’ play in the current game. The issue is our game us too predictable when it’s slowed down. Lift the pace and we’ll see an upturn in our performance levels.
No charge for that one, Brendan! You’re welcome!! 😉
feck me mcaff is on, bet you he has never been to gods county in his life 😎😎😎❤you stick to govan mcaff BTW went there once it was closed😎😎😎
From yesterday…Big Jim Packy, nice wee touch to have remembered Padre Pio, nowadays Saint Pio. My mum in her long illness put so much faith in Padre Pio and insisted her survival against the odds, on several occasions, were all down to his interventions!
I truly hope he has been a force for good with Wee Joan.
Love and hugs to you both! 💚💚💚
Just heading out Big Jim Packy! But had a wee catch up with my lunch!
Third place team in the league lose their goalkeeper in the warm up.
MCAFF ill always remember your e-mail to me regarding padre pio, ive been praying to him ever since and that is a true story❤👍🙏
MCAFF you get back here quick, you have a quiz question to answer😎😎❤
bp I’d say 1953 for the Coronation cup, and hospital I was going to say Carstairs but that’s just cruel, 😜 so I’ll go for Bellshill maternity
Baldemorte says all of Europe is discussing the non-penalty to R2ngers. So is the United States Congress and Senate.
Both Republican and Democratic senators insisted that a League Cup Final Replay be included in a Bill to keep the U.S. Government running and increase the National debt limit, but it is a certainty that Joe Biden, a Fenian bassa if ever there was one, will veto the Bill.
McCaff
“The issue is our game is too predictable when it’s slowed down. Lift the pace and we’ll see an upturn in our performance levels.”
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Absolutely spot on, mate! Unusual for you, as well.🤣😂😅
Kidding aside, that was one big difference between Villa and Man City today.
HH
Iniquitous IV😊
INIIV forget all of Europe.. NASA have picked up transmissions of outrage of the non-penalty from The Borgs, Mork, The Wraith and the Klingons.
NanunanuCSC
ASWGL carstairs you brute😎😎😎yes 1953 coronation cup and bellshill maternity what a lovely bhoy was born there in February 1953😎😎❤ Jimthe tim53 eat your heart out😎😎😎❤❤
ATOB @ 2.08
CV left with the ball — then we need to work this bit harder.
He needs intense coaching on what to do — starting with taking the space if they retreat.
As he moves forward the passes get shorter and the angles open up.
Plan B is him shooting from 35/30 yards
Plan C is him shaping to shoot and taking the easy forward pass.
If the opposition is facing up to him then they are showing their numbers to the people they should be marking.
Memories of the SPFL snyder comments 10 years ago about VW and how he could not make a pass — comments about giving him the ball because he would do nothing with it and the like.
So if CCV has the ball and is trying to walk it out of defence then we need to try much harder top give him options — it is what good teams do.
Memories of the L/pool team of 40 years ago — established FB’s were on the slide.
Not a problem as they scouted replacements — the team just gave them more support.
We need to do the same.
Plus practice free kicks / throw ins / corners …
ASWGL remember my history teacher at st augustines mr kane, when we were leaving we used to go round with a big envelope to get the teacher to sign it ,mr kane put good luck in hartwood ,never forget that, is it still going ??
It seems Rangers don’t get much support with decisions like that, and for the referee not to see both barges by McKenna on Morelos, THE PROVOCTION 😂 – Steven Gerrard showing that private schooling was money well spent by his parents.
I’m convinced their managers get handed a script when they go up the marble staircase.
Taking over from the world’s most successful club bollox
0 0 half time at Ibrox. Dundee deploying same tactics as R2ngers did against us?
Best stadium in the world – Well, it you ignore the fading paint work, the cracks in the walls, the water running down the stairs and the broken toilets it’s a bloody belter of a stadium!
Some would say 5 🌟
Fails to mention they have only had 2 shots on target
One-way traffic at Ibroxpublished at 15:56 Greenwich Mean Time15:56 GMTHT: Rangers 0-0 Dundee
Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland at Ibrox
The amount of possession Rangers are having against Dundee has been ridiculous – 81% to be exact.
It’s completely one-way traffic on their home turf. Rangers are playing some lovely stuff, they’re passing the ball around really well and showing some real intent in their play.
The only thing they’ve not managed yet is to score a goal. Dundee are having to do a job here defensively. So far they are coping but it must be draining.
LIT,
As regards CCV bring left with the ball, BR doesn’t need you or I to tell him how tp counteract this. He’ll have a plan I’m sure.
As for Victor Wanyama, I cannot agree he could not pass the ball. To my mind he was a very good player in all aspects of the game, he could shoot, pass, header and tackle. All the attributes for a top midfielder and when he was asked to fill in at Centre Half he was perfectly good there too. Mind you my memory is shit. I can’t remember we played Aberdeen before we played Leipzig so maybe I’m not the best judge😂😂
McCaff,
Its slowed down because the passed to
midfield are not as available with teams man marking. Factor in changes to the starting 11 every week too and you can see we don’t have the same rhythm we had since the start of the season.
didn’t know the Infamous glesga rainjurs were playing, hope they get beat 7-1, now where have I heard that scoreline before😎😎😎😎😎
ATOB / Part 2
Strange where you fnd the nuggets / first green shoots …
CL game vs Atalanta — Best structured performance of the season at times.
We seemed to be playing and achieving passing sequences that we had been practicing.
Seemed like the first time the new bloke coach had got the message across.
Quite a few passages of play looked very rehearsed plus they came off and Atalanta were struggling to keep up. More of that and we will have moved up a gear.
Atalanta game — fine margins as always.
We gave up some great chances for them — but they missed.
But in contrast some of our play worked them around the park chasing shadows and generated some great positions and opportunities — just not enough of them to crowd out our brain farts and schoolboy howler mistakes.
SPFL — single piece of talent usually gets us a chance.
Some interplay gets us a great chance.
CL — we need to work an opening for our talent to deliver a great chance.
If we play at SPFL intensity we look lost and lose the ball on the halfway line.
More intensity — good.
More passing movements — better.
The progress on show vs Atalanta plus the other good results is probably why I am so sharp regarding our recent games.
We seemed to have taken a couple of steps forward and now it is back to mid season 2023/24 stodge.
oops sorry, meant to add think cosy corner bhoy was at the game the 7-1 game I mean❤❤❤😎👍🍺
Lost in Translation
December 21, 2024 3:32 pm
I think the problem lies in CCV having far too much of the ball and I doubt he can be coached into being a Beckenbauer.
Is the reason he gets more possession not down to McGregor being man marked along with other mid fielders with only Hatate trying to take the ball on the turn, which is why he does not get subbed?
Should Bernardo, Engles and McCowan not be coached to resist the press and turn the opposition defenders?
Haji never offside.
Well they started it. LOL
ATOB @ 4.12
VW snyder chat came from the SPFL coaching brains trust — I am only the messenger.
Mentioned many times — how much we miss his abilities.
One man improvement for the team.
Now and the last 10 years.
CCV vs BR vs New coaching bloke — they will have multitudes of plans.
It could be suggested that one of our issues — AP and BR — is that they give out too many.
However — no matter their plans CCV looks lost and in need of some coaching basics.
He is currently fighting a 4 sided battle royale — the game he sees / the game he has been told to play / his current lack of confidence / natural reticence as a playmaker.
Oh for a KA / CJ style 2019 footballing CB combo.
I wonder if we could afford KA’s wages now?
McInnes talking about not getting a penalty against Motherwell:
“If the referee gives a penalty, as he should, then we win the game, no doubt about it. ”
This is the same logic as the huns, if you get a penalty you will definitely score 🙄. Moreover on the huns did they not fail to win the cup because of a penalty shoot oot 🫣
Someone would need to educate me on what I’m missing with CCV? Starts about 70% of our moves, never gives the ball away and is, by some distance, the best defender in the league. What I see is oft repeated opinion about him becoming accepted fact.
Really think Brendan would just keep repeating something that wasn’t working? That wasn’t his instructions being carried out? I’ll trust that Brendan and CCV know their business much more than a section of our fans do.
Atob
I am not saying we’re having a poor season. I’m not saying BR is not a good manager but I’m not going to ignore what I can see with my own eyes.
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Indeed you are not and I see the same problems and am beginning to think Trusty not CCV is the problem.
Fine when its backs to the wall (as is Scales) but afraid to make a telling pass – hence being replaced at half time last Sunday
Big Audio Dynamite
December 21, 2024 4:44 pm
Someone would need to educate me on what I’m missing with CCV? Starts about 70% of our moves, never gives the ball away and is, by some distance, the best defender in the league. What I see is oft repeated opinion about him becoming accepted fact.
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Exactly! Which is why I challenge the oft repeating opinion maker who has nothing positive to say regarding Celtic, which is to stop that opinion becoming a fact in the minds of others.
Squeaky bum time at Ibrox at the end but R2ngers hold on.
I’m thinking Celtic should set themselves up for game at Ibrox as other teams do.
ATOB
I don’t want you to think I’m rubbing it in but Hibs improvement is continuing.
Don’s collapsing too. That semi final defeat might be responsible.
Just made wee Joan some mince and tatties, got the recipe from my late mum, cook the mince slow then add some finely chopped onions, when the tatties are done add a knob of butter and half a glass of milk then mash it up until soft and creamy boy she whhooft it down ,gordon ramsay where are you😎😎😎probably at Ibrox watching his heroes👍
Auldheid,
Think you need to head over to the other Channel.
A lot of people hoping you get better soon?
Think it’s probably (Dave) Auld Tim who’s not well.
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Off out to get BRRB’d seeing as I’ve not had a drink since we won No 119.
HH
Auldheid, 4.49
I was never a fan of just saying things for affect all the time.
I’ve seen nothing that would have me believe I’m conversing with another Celtic fan.
Before you know it Carter-Vickers will be a big haddy whos suffering from a complete lack of confidence.
Been reading all this stuff for years now ..it’s both boring and predictable.
BP
I love mince & tatties, ever considered putting baked beans in it……
Look out here comes BAD 👀
PRESTONPANSBHOYS funnily enough I used to put cold heinz beans, straight out the can on top of it ,much to my mothers disgust😎😎😎😎
Mashed potatoes with mince and baked beans … a riff on shepherd’s pie … brilliant
BP
I’ve done that too but the beans were hot 🔥
From yesterday’s stovies chat, worse stovies was done my wife. Made it without sausages but corn beef however she forgot to heat the beef 🫣
That was 34 years ago and I haven’t recovered 🙃
CaltonTongues
December 21, 2024 5:09 pm
Auldheid,
Think you need to head over to the other Channel.
A lot of people hoping you get better soon?
Think it’s probably (Dave) Auld Tim who’s not well.
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Funny enough I just did that.
Thanks.
Bada Bing
?fit=300%2C146&ssl=1
December 21, 2024 3:44 pm
Taking over from the world’s most successful club bollox
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Bada – where was the game played. It doesn’t say. Have they started renting another stadium.
Arsenal with yet another goal from a corner, and Jesus with his 5 goal in 4 days.