Danger in Dingwall
‘Be careful what you wish for’ is often said in regards to football, well this weekend affords the opportunity for the old saying to come true again.
Brendan’s team formation has truly came under the microscope since the team stopped firing on all cylinders and suffered a humiliating defeat.
Well, that formation is going out the window today up in Dingwall, something different must emerge as we cannot fall back on the usual.
Can’t play a style geared towards wing players if you don’t have them fit and available.
The situation is incredible, 4 wingers unavailable at the same time, I cannot recall such a thing. Ross County must be rubbing their hands with glee, but for Celtic change also brings opportunity.
There’s 3 options,
Yang and a youngster wide and try to play 4-3-3 as normal as possible.
Kyogo on the left with Adam upfront.
Switch to 4-5-1 with 4 central midfielders plus Yang or just a plain old 4-4-2 with 4 central midfielders across the park.
Option 1, a kid gets his dream chance and so does Yang, again.
Option 2 offers the opportunity (at last) of getting a partnership between Adam and Kyogo.
Option 3, if a forced tactical switch results in a good team performance, Brendan gets a free lesson.
Change also brings the chance of not adapting sufficiently, I recall an earlier game when several new faces were brought into the starting lineup and the result was disappointing.
It was already going to be a tough game in the freezing cold, only two days rest and recovery after the Tangerines, and it would be easy to say the footballing God’s haven’t been kind through our numerous injuries,,we will soon find out.
There’s a (good) chance events like this kickstart some player acquisitions, given the gulf in class from Maeda to Palma, Kuhn to Yang, another wide man was always on the agenda, and now the sales and loans have genuinely started there’s funds and room available. One for each flank would be nice if not sensible.
So while there’s definitely danger in Dingwall, Celtic are fortunate these particular 3 points aren’t absolutely critical as others shot themselves in the foot. I’d love nothing better than come tonight, posters are demanding we stick to that style, the formation which brought about a positive change of play.
Up The Hoops!
By Mahe
Mike in Toronto
January 12, 2025 6:22 pm
Tierney got a few minutes for the Gunners today.
##
He put in a peach of a cross which the Arsenal forwards stood and admired.
He needs to get away from that club. He’s wasted there.
Good evening, friends.
We appear to be on course for an average-ish turnout for yesterday’s Ross County game but there are still over 100 minutes left to cast your 3 votes. I’ll do my best to get the results out by 9.15pm.
SENCELPOTY@GMAIL.COM
Big Packy
That would be the lovely Joan Sims.
Sportscene might miss that ….
Big Packy
Found this photo of you when you were Very Wee Packy, on an outing to the Botanic Gardens with your nanny. Love the pram.
SOL, just knew you would get that😎😎😎👍
SOL still got that pram😎😎👍
Jobo
Well remembered, votes in….
Seems the Union bears have backed themselves into a cul-de-sac. Imagine being so stupid as to demand a walkout when the team is playing the worst side in the country-and therefore likely to be winning.
Arseholes.
Evening all.
BMCUWP
Bang on
*SENTINEL CELTS PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2024-25*
*RESULTS FROM GAME #32 ROSS COUNTY 1 CELTIC 4 (KYOGO(2), ENGELS, McCOWAN)*
Good evening, friends.
Firstly, please not the information at the end of this report concerning the voting and results for our next game in midweek.
When the team lines came out yesterday there was some debate about whether Kyogo would be one of the wingers or whether it’d be a different set up in midfield. Half an hour into the game I still had no firm idea of what our actual formation was but I did appreciate that it was working! It looked as if we were playing 3 at the back – 2 central and a left back and not worrying about the right hand side! Engels appeared to be lying far deeper allowing Short Sleeved Johnston to almost become the right winger. And switching Yang over to the left also seemed to work better.
The Ross County goalkeeper played very well and denied us 2 or 3 decent chances in the first half. Our opening goal finally came 5 minutes before half time. Kyogo came deep to the centre circle to kick off the move with a pass to Idah who backheeled it to McGregor. Out right to Johnston who delivered a perfect low cross into the 6 yard box, met by Kyogo and dispatched into the net. Half time, playing well and a goal to the good.
The second half was a really good watch as Ross County finally started to be a bit braver and came more into the game. And on 57 minutes they drew level. Johnston gave away a stonewall penalty after being caught on the wrong side of the attacker and Kasper guessed wrongly for the spot kick.
Unusually for Brendan, he waited until the 72nd minute before making any changes, with Hatate and Idah making way for McCowan and debutant Johnny Kenny. Both substitutes played well and the early signs from Kenny were very positive.
Celtic finally regained the lead on the 80th minute. Good work on the left hand side saw the recently consistent Engels curl a lovely right footed cross into the box. Kyogo’s run was timed to perfection and his bullet header was too much for the keeper.
With the 90 minutes almost up, Kyogo had one final important contribution. From the half way line on the right hand side he fired a bullet of a pass into the path of the onrushing Yang inside the Ross County box. The defender’s clumsy attempt at a tackle was nowhere near the ball and impeded Yang in the act of shooting. A clear penalty on first viewing for me but it took a 4 minute VAR intervention before the award was eventually made. Engels dispatched the 2nd attempt at the penalty after his first go was saved by the encroaching keeper – how did the linesman not notice as that is all he has to look at??
Deep into stoppage time and Celtic had our 4th goal. A good run by Kenny saw him pass up a couple of opportunities to shoot. But the ball broke kindly to McCowan in the box and Luke dispatched it from 12 yards.
A very good performance and victory on a surface that wasn’t the best as we move closer and closer to our 120th major honour
We have now played 32 games this season, winning 24, drawing 6 and losing 2. We have scored 88 and conceded 24 (domestically it’s 78-14 and in Europe it’s 10-10). We have won the League Cup and sit 15 points clear (and 30 goals ahead) at the top of the league with 16 games remaining. We remain very well placed to progress to the last 24 of this season’s Champions League. And arguably, we are only 5 games away from yet another Treble! Yes, indeed, I am focussing on the positives!
Thank you so much to the 71 who voted this time around, bang on the average turnout for the season to date. The total votes cast for each player are as follows, with my own nominations asterisked. Interesting that only 1 voter didn’t nominate Kyogo!!!
Schmeichel: 0
Johnston: 18
Carter-Vickers: 4
Trusty: 0
Valle*: 20
McGregor: 12
Engels*: 67
Hatate: 0
Kyogo: 70
Idah: 0
Yang*: 22
McCowan: 0
Kenny: 0
Scales: 0
And so, the players receiving POINTS for the game against Ross County are –
Kyogo – 5 points
Engels – 4 points
Yang – 3 points
Valle – 2 points
Johnston – 1 point
And the overall positions after 32 games played are –
52 points – Kuhn
41 points – Bernardo, Engels, Scales
36 points – Hatate, Schmeichel
38 points – Maeda
33 points – McGregor
29 points – Trusty
22 points – Carter-Vickers, Johnston A
19 points – Kyogo, McCowan, Valle
16 points – Taylor
7 points – O’Riley
5 points – Idah
4 points – Forrest, Yang
3 points – Welsh
0 points – Holm, Johnston M., Kenny, Nawrocki, Palma, Ralston, Turley
The extra info this time around is a list of this season’s Men of the Match winners:
*TOTAL MAN OF THE MATCH AWARDS*
5 – Engels: Hearts (H) 2-0, Slovan Bratislava (H) 5-1, Motherwell (H) 4-0, St Johnstone (H) 4-0, Dundee United (H) 2-0
5 – Kuhn: Falkirk (H) 5-2, Ross Co (A) 2-1, RB Leipzig (H) 3-1, Hearts (A) 4-1, St Mirren (H) 3-0
5 – Maeda: Hibs (H) 3-1, St Johnstone (A) 6-0, Aberdeen (N) 6-0, Club Brugge (H) 1-1, Sevco (N) 3-3
4 – Scales: Borussia Dortmund (A) 1-7, Aberdeen 2-2, Dundee United 0-0, Motherwell (H) 4-0
2 – Bernardo: Sevco (H) 3-0, Dinamo Zagreb (A) 0-0
2 – Carter-Vickers: Aberdeen (A) 1-0, Sevco (A) 0-3
2 – Hatate: Kilmarnock (H) 4-0, St Mirren (A) 3-0
2 – Johnston: Motherwell (A) 3-0, Dundee (H) 2-0
2 – Schmeichel: Kilmarnock (A) 2-0, Hibs (H) 3-0
1 – Kyogo: Ross County (A) 4-1
1 – McCowan: Ross County (H) 5-0
1 – McGregor: Hibs (A) 2-0
1 – Trusty: Atalanta (A) 0-0
(If I entertained half points then Engels and Scales would be on 4½ and 3½ respectively. They tied for first in the game against Motherwell on 26th December.)
Next up it’s another away league game on Tuesday night when we face Dundee. Kick off is 8.00pm and it’s live on Sky Sports. It’s likely that me and Mrs Baldie are having a wee winter break, a couple of nights (Tuesday and Wednesday) in a secret Scottish location. So the voting for our next game will remain open until 3pm on Thursday and I’ll try to get the results out around 6pm.
Hail Hail!
The Nabbla
If your about, a brilliant Welsh bass player.
Pino Palladino
John Mayer – Who Did You Think I Was
https://youtu.be/s7KzzospHVY?si=EC6Wz6ZOA_StqV4O
HH
Many many Irish migrants also fought for the confederacy during the American Civil war. 24th Georgia volunteer infantry and The Charleston Irish Volunteers being but 2 of the Confederate regiments filled with Irishmen. Famous Irish nationalist hero John Mitchell who wrote one of the great books of Irish nationalism ‘Jail Journal’ sentenced to life in penal servitude in Australia by the British, escaped to the US where he became an ardent supporter of the both the confederacy and slavery, he lost 2 sons who died fighting for the confederate states.
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16 roads
January 12, 2025 2:51 pm
ernie lynch
January 12, 2025 2:41 pm
16 roads
January 12, 2025 2:13 pm
Would you be old enough to remember Bernadette Devlin’s first speaking tour in the US?
The one where the Irish American organizers refused entry to African Americans.
————————————–
Shocking,if true.
They should have been reminded that their forefathers fought and died in the fields of Fredericksburg and Gettysburg for the emancipation of slaves.
JFK and RFK would have been appalled.
Óglach – I am well aware of this fact, however the numbers pale into insignificance compared to the sheer volume who fought for the Union side.
Gods and Generals was epic, amazing movie.
Thanks for posting.
I’m reading about the Boer War at the minute – Irish soldiers fought for both sides.
Did you know that the Boers were in South Africa before the Zulus were?
Good to see wee Yang getting a fair few votes in the player of the year competition.
Thought he had a terrific game.
Engels has been flying in recent weeks which is also good to see.
HH.🍀
JOBO
“Short Sleeved Johnston”
I bet he played ice hockey in his underpants!
Thanks as always for your sterling work. I was surprised that Idah got no votes for his display-he was fourth on my list. Maybe I wasn’t alone,but definitely his best performance for a while. I hope yourself and your better half have a lovely time.
16R
A significant number of Irish who fought with the Union army were conscripted, more like press ganged’ straight off of the coffin ships and into the union army whereas those who fought for the confederacy were mainly volunteers.
History written by the victors CSC
PS
The Boers or Dutch were European Invaders whereas the Zulu were indigenous Africans who ‘migrated’ into Kwazulu natal. A few Irishmen fought with the Boers against the British led by Major John McBride. They upheld a fine legacy started by the Irish Brigades, AKA the wild Geese, in the service of Catholic European powers of Irishmen fighting the Brits at every given opportunity. The brits had their revenge on John McBride executing him for his minor role in the Ester rising 1916.
Can we run a sweep for where Jobo is going for his wee Scottish winter break?
My guess is The Lauriston Hotel in Ardrossan 😂😂
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS
January 12, 2025 8:47 pm
Seems the Union bears have backed themselves into a cul-de-sac. Imagine being so stupid as to demand a walkout when the team is playing the worst side in the country-and therefore likely to be winning.
Arseholes.
They are a confused bunch of pseudo blackshirts BMCUW,a lot of internecine venom vented among the neanderthals,the singing of follow follow as they walked away,fighting,v-signs,gtf from their kind,its out there on twitter.
Lets keep focussed on us and what we do.
HH
Óglach
January 12, 2025 9:35 pm
16R
A significant number of Irish who fought with the Union army were conscripted, more like press ganged’ straight off of the coffin ships and into the union army whereas those who fought for the confederacy were mainly volunteers.
History written by the victors CSC
—————————————
Very true.
Straight off the coffin ships and on to the fields of Gettysburg.
Prestonpans bhoys
January 12, 2025 4:43 pm
No idea what the onion bears are trying to achieve, at least those on their board poured money into the club to keep the lights on £20m?
The wee arseholes buy a ST 🙃
/===
They are the kind of ” supporter’s” the Board will want rid of if R2ngers are to become a club proper investors would want to buy.
Good of them to provide an estimate of cost, if they get isolated, for a potential buyer.
Not the brightest playing into CEO”s hands if he wants to point that out to those who booed them.
SOLKITTS
Skinny-dipping at midnight? What’s not to like?
Highlights from what looked like a fun Spanish Super Coppa
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=z53n7jV-QKk
Morning MIT sorry I didn’t reply earlier if you can get TT number or email that would be great cheers POZ
Mike in Toronto
January 12, 2025 10:09 pm
Highlights from what looked like a fun Spanish Super Coppa
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=z53n7jV-QKk
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Hi Mike:
Watched the whole game. Stunning football from both teams, especially Barca. Their team speed is simply phenomenal. And when players like Raphina head the ball, they don’t just let it bounce off their nappers, they put all their neck muscles into it.
Rodrygo’s free kick – what can you say? Like an arrow into the net. I can’t even remember the last time we scored from a free kick, we are so pitiful at them. Maybe Turnbull 2 seasons ago?
I just hope we don’t draw either of them, if we get past Young Boys.
I can just imagine Valle watching his team play in the heat of Saudi Arabia, while he is thawing out from Dingwall, and wondering if he took the right decision.🤔
HH
Iniquitous IV😊
First sentence of Onion Bears Statement:
“Our club is being destroyed by incompetence, and a board that has lost all respect for the supporters who built this legacy.”
———————————————
They clearly omitted to parse this sentence, or were simply incapable of doing so. As written, it literally means, “A board that has lost all respect for the supporters who built this legacy of incompetence.”
The Onion Bears certainly added a few more building blocks to it today.
Poz
Im home tomorrow, so I’ll dig it up.
For UK viewers,Real v Barca.
New article posted
https://sentinelcelts.com/2025/01/13/cream-rises-2/
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