Back to the grind
Rather than feel like a break the lengthy spell alongside the headlines almost had me believing Man City just plain murdered football and it had left this world.
Such a travesty won’t take place on our watch and so its back to the grind, and when I say grind I mean grind. A “testing” period lies ahead, and I’m not just talking about the boardroom/fan tussle, Celtic will be facing good sides. There are 9 games in this block before the November break, and to emerge with heads held high would take a standard of play thats yet to emerge this season.
This block of fixtures basically defines our season, really tough or not. Losing to Benfica is a given, Fir Park on Sunday is the only chance to squeeze a W in between for L’s in the recent form guide. Those at Hearts will be watching carefully because what is pulled out of the hat this weekend they face next, and supposedly the data and manager are in tune to find our gaps, gulp.
Clusters of games are often used as benchmarks, and it must be said the manager needs some type of response from the squad for them.
Whatever he has done over the last 3 weeks might be Martins last roll of the dice. If the players want him gone here’s their prime opportunity. On the flip side if ever the team needed home backing this is our prime opportunity and now we know for reasons beyond the players control instead of encouragement and songs the negative audibles with be amplified, great timing.
I’ve never known a straightforward SPL win to be so necessary and so meaningful. By hook or by crook we need to win this match but straightforward SPL wins and Celtic aren’t the best of friends recently, been on the rocks for a while actually. We need a ray of sunshine through the gathered clouds and some excitement injected back into our lives and theres only one team for the job.
On a footballing level Im happy to face Motherwell as they try to play which suits us, good surface, and the away fans in full voice. Its a pity our one and only gold medal winner (?) is injured, I wanted Yang to storm back triumphant like Caesar, and lead us to victory. Someone definitely needs to lead us to victory, Callum and the OX had a holiday then two weeks to prepare for this game, be nice to see either stepping up. I heard the left flank is very light but I still dont want Tonetki there, James if needed.
A non 3points lackluster performance will likely see the sky cave in on Celtic Park, Benfica will add to the pile in, leaving the Jambos as the ticking time bomb to derail us.
Please Sellic, deliver some respite to the masses. Bring those points home.
Up The Hoops!
By Mahe
sentinelcelts@gmail.com
Today’s performance was interesting. Some decent maybe even good individual performances. But not much sense of team.
KT, Tunetki, Baur and Hassan were the tops for me.
Baur was industrious in the middle, and looked to play forward. But we have seen that before. Players come in, look good for a period, but slowly realize Celtic play slow sideways stuff, and they fall back into playing what is now The Celtic Way. Hope it doesnt happen to Baur. But I fear for anyone playing beside Calmac, as they inevitably end up covering for him (which is no more Baur’s game than it is Calmac’s). For Europe, Ox needs to play in the middle. Again, he is not a deep mid, but at least he has some physicality so wont be as easy to run by/brush off. But, unfortunately, this seems unlikely.
if MON thinks Calmac is needed as a no 6 (although personally i think holding that view is a firable offence), Celtic were up 2 after an hour, and were never threatened. Why does the oldest player/apparently the key guy, play 90 minutes every game? If you think he is important (even if that’s only because they didnt bring in a real no. 6), he’s 33! Bring him off. Even if only to save his legs for a long season. I know he’s remarkably fit, but it’s a long season, and, again, he;s 33. And they need to try someone else. What happens if he gets injured? Cant just assume a Robson/Hartley duo will appear to save the day.
KT and Tounetki looked like they are starting to get some understanding on the left wing.. Both tounetki and Hassan hit some decent crosses, but no one was on the end of them. Again build up is slow which allowed Motherwell to pack nthe box.
Duran isnt as effective out wide. But if you move him into the middle, behind Hogh, he and Nygren will be tripping over each other (and Calmac, as his best moments today were on the front foot).
Not sure if Hogh is just short on confidence, or is needing a proper system/coaching, but he looks nothing like the player for Bodo.
so a few decent individual performances, but what was lacking was, as is often the case, a sense of the team having a plan or a common purpose.
The SPL is weak enough (and Motherwell weren’t a shade on the team from last season) that even if a few Celtic players are having a good day, that’s enough to beat most SPL teams most days. Not good enough to beat the zombies (and havent seen Hearts this season), so cant comment on them.
but know that they still need to take it up at least one level if not two to even be competitive with Benfica.
https://x.com/marianne3287/status/2109293532372681129?s=48&t=pLERKYVBy2vfK2Cym_B3Tw
PSNI need a word with this bitter witch
KT really needs to consider chucking international football, big difference today after he’s rested for 3 weeks
Martin O’Neill insisted that he did not know 32-year-old former France midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko, or keeper Sonny Inzalaco, an Australian youth cap, had been training with the club at Lennoxtown.
How is that even possible at any serious football club?
I like Hogh .. at the LASK home game thought he got us up the pitch a lot .. the difference being he got fouls when fouled .. like Almaty last season the whole club went on a downer but being at both games they were so much different .. loved Tounekti & Hassan going by their men today makes such a difference, KT excellent, Baur & Callum good but still need help, Nygren will get us goals but leaves our midfield vulnerable … anyhow delighted with the 3pts and Jota back …. could push our other wide players … again a great 3pts
Hogh will come good … take that to the bank 🙂 ☘️
Bada
Events on Garvaghy have reminded me of events here (well, America) from a few decades ago.
I dont know if you will remember it (not sure how much coverage it got over your way), but in 1999, the KKK wanted to march and have a rally in New York.
The then mayor of NYC – a certain Rudolph Giuliani before he went crazy – banned the March. It went to court, and the KKK’s right to hold their march/protest was surprisingly supported by not only the ACLU, but also the influential black minister, the Reverend Al Sharpton, both of whom said their KKK’s message was reprehensible, but their right to say it was protected by the Constitution. The Courts there permitted the March/rally, but said it was illegal for the marchers to wear hoods that covered their faces (the KKK claimed that their masks were a religious garb, like a Jewish yarmulke, which claim the Court rejected)
As a result, only 50 or so KKKers showed up and were met by thousands of counter protestors. Not surprisingly, violence ensued.
prior to that, there were rumors that the KKK had initially wanted the event to go through Harlem. To which, it was rumored that the Harlem community response was basically, ‘if they come in here, they ain’t getting out…’. Suffice it to say, they didnot try to go into Harlem.
It’s good to log in and read all the expert opinions before and after the game! However did Martin O’Neill and his players manage to get jobs with a team such as ours without consulting us!! 🤣🤣🤣
MIT- Very interesting, didn’t know that,did I recommend The Westies to watch? It’s VG
Bada
If you mentioned it, I have forgotten. I wasnt aware of it (there are so many channels now it is impossible to keep up with them all). But just had a quick look. Interesting. And JK Simmons is in it. Great actor! anything with him in it is usually worth a look. Thanks.
MIT- it’s about an Irish gang clashing with the Mafia,in Hells kitchen, late 1980s
Reading posts it’s interesting that MIT has a permanent angst about MON….”Brian Clough lite”… as he often describes him…..I wonder if he ever saw MON’s team of 2003. They were fantastic and entertaining. I concur that MON is a guy of the past, and being 3 years older, I recognize it. FFS…..he’s all we’ve got right now.
Iniquitous IV 8.07pm
in this day n age no managers know who the club are in talks with… especially when the transfer window is closed .. they are there to manage the employees not pick them .. (these days) 🙂
(am posting early since your in the same time zone)
Bada Bing & Mike In Toronto.
The TV series is loosely based on a book called also called The Westies (by T.J. English) and is an enjoyable read.
I’m looking forward to the next generation of Artificial intelligence as it beats natural stupidity any day. Just think AI will be able to tell MON who is in his squad so that he can pick a team. It can be used to referee fitba games instead of the worthless fucks we have today. It could tell you years in advance who is financially doping, physically doping and dopes in general. Might not be so good when all your bank accounts are emptied though. In the football world I’d take the risk
Mags
I will be fine .., they can take my overdraft any day of the week
GFTB
I see you’re an auld yin.
Generation alpha see an overdraft as a negative net worth with room for growth. You may recognize it as the hun business model for the last 15 years
Well, that was a much better afternoon than I was anticipating.
Has normal service been resumed? Let’s hope so.
I’ve just watched Sportscene and I have to say that the penalty we DIDN’T get for the Calmac shot was a stonewaller compared to the penalty that St Johnstone DID get at Pittodrie!
It does look like from the weekends highlights that we are still easily the best football team in the country.
I’ve also just read that the hun hierarchy have informed the fans at a meeting (wow!) that there will be no further money spent in January. Let’s hope OUR hierarchy read, digest and act on this info.
Those watching The Westies – I’ve yet to catch it- but from the spiel I read it sounds a bit like the old Ed Harris, Gary Oldman and Sean Penn movie – State of Grace.
Mags
the huns were never overdrawn having an overdraft means the money comes in covers your bills …
thankfully they never paid their bills and their creative accounting caught up with them
Man City should just tell the FA it’s not a “sham contract” we just registered our players “improperly” and ask Nimmo Smith to adjudicate… easy peasy
GFTB
Nah!
Dont need Nimmo Smith or video or accounts. Just keep lying and lying and perjuring and perjuring like he did.
Nobody gives a fuck
You’ll see
Mags
you could be right
wonder if Liverpool question big Erling scoring today or maybe his £hundreds of pounds @ week contract is still ok 🙂
Watching the goals over again, it’s patently obvious there’s been a mahoosive falling-out between MON and Shaun. After man-from-nowhere Nygren found the roof of the net, just watch Maloney jump for joy, giving old prickly MON the body swerve before making a beeline for Fozzie and some bear hugs.
This was something the pair had obviously worked on at Lennoxtown during the international break, whilst the old legend was safely in Menorca, downing pints of the black stuff after his four shock humpings. Pure speculation, of course. But once you’ve watched it, you can’t stop watching it. A bit OTT, too, was KT’s MOTM award, played well, but not as well as Colby Donovan or Mika Baur.
With a fully fit Alistair Johnston, MON will have serious competition, at least on the right flank. Mibbees the youngster will get deployed more in midfield, where “we’re light” ©️ BR — still, crazily, after all these transfer years.
A surprise selection, too, was Dane Murray,who went untested ( after CCV’s ahem injury ) against a ’Well side that evidently peaked during Askou’s brief sojourn.
Duran is wasted wide right, but, as per the opener, it does give him the Celtic tactic of coming inside onto his good foot. Something Tounekti is still trying to learn, preferably with an end product attached. Kasper Høgh will hopefully score soon, preferably before Christmas, by which time we trust he’ll have found his confidence rather than still asking where it’s been left.
The scoreline didn’t reflect the gap between the clubs.
And so to Estádio da Luz and the heat of Lisbon.
MOTM: Colby Donovan
Why is the Ox not getting any game time. Played very well earlier in season before his lack of European games and since then nothing.
Bourne
Agree Colby n Baur were the main but not only the positive contributors to a good performance.
Without wishing to micturate on anyone’s chips but be honest Motherwell let us play. They made it the easiest game we have played all season.
They were open from back to front.
Harder challenges await.
Ex Machina
agree with all of that 👍
🇨🇮 🇨🇮 🇨🇮 🇨🇮 🇨🇮
Micturate?! Learn something new on here every day
Bourne
respect
M I T
Never too old to learn 😀
I had a birthday today! 5 mins left!
our team made it all the better 👍🏻
EM
Hope you had a great birthday, and have a great next year (But I know its not polite to ask a fella how old he is, so I wont).
M I T
Just read back, your synopsis at 7.44 is spot on.
We can hit the target when invited to do so- like today.
We are a long way short of being the wrecking ball we should be.( c Bruce Springsteen).
M I T
A glorious year – 67
Thank you, appreciated.
By the way, following chats over the years Clare Grogan was a pals girlfriend many moons ago 😉
He was a good mate of Johnny McElhone.
I was a classmate of his older brother.
EM
I thought I had left those old Ms. Grogan stories behind on the other blog… it was bad enough 20 years ago being a 40 year old love struck swain … but its even worse being one at 60!😂
Ha!
The trail was set.
Not stalking just remembering.
Struck an age! old chord 🎶
Memories are made of this.
EM
as you noted, Motherwell today were nothing like the team of last year. Didnt press, but neither did they pack the defence.
I havent heard much about how Toulouse is playing under Askou, and whether he just looked good in a poor league last year, or whether he was the real deal and someone Celtic should have considered.
Motherwell were very open allowing us to play.
We won’t get that v Hearts and didn’t v Huns.
They are more physical teams, will bully our footballers like Baur n Nygren, who are good but lightweight against less talented but aggressive opponents.
As others have said we need strength, combativeness- we can’t match those teams that possess that.
We will prevail against the worst of the rest but I doubt we have the mindset and minerals to go toe to toe with the brutalists.
I hope for the best but fear we flatter to deceive, like today, where we should have been out of sight against poor opponents.
Good morning friends, posters and lurkers – lend me your votes! sencelpoty@gmail.com
New article.
https://sentinelcelts.com/2026/10/12/jota-on-the-wing/