The Official Celtic Thread

[RebelBhoy]

Clement coming across as a pig last few weeks.

If you talk about the mentality of your team when you get gifted a draw against the best team in the league, you absolutely cannot make a cunt of it in your next two league games.

That way you have drawn peoples attention to the mentality of your team..... and people will talk about that.

He's a bluffer in the same mould as Beale.

 

[SoundMan]

If you talk about the mentality of your team when you get gifted a draw against the best team in the league, you absolutely cannot make a cunt of it in your next two league games.

That way you have drawn peoples attention to the mentality of your team..... and people will talk about that.

He's a bluffer in the same mould as Beale.

To be fair to Clement I think he's less of a bluffer than Beale - though Clement's league record over the first however many league games they've played since his arrival is worse than Beale's over the same period. Clement had periods of success managing in Belgium and did OK in France too - Beale had never managed anyone before he got the TRFC gig.

Clement galvanised a squad of players that were underperforming under Beale but, as is the case in Scotland, the Main Stream Sports Media over there, hyped him up to more than he actually is. It should be noted that the media there have a vested interest in bigging up the huns because without a rivalry between roughly equals they don't get to sell as much copy or advertising.

Clement got them to win the League Cup (after Killie had knocked out Celtic) so that got him a lot of goodwill and boosted their confidence. They've a huge squad financed beyond their income though surviving on soft loans in the hope of making it to the BIG payouts. That's what put paid to Leeds United in the top flight and it's only now they're clawing their way back. It saw Rangers go out of business and it's pretty clear that lessons haven't been learnt in the corridors of power at ibrox.

The league itself I think only guarantees 3M in SPL prize money, but the CL money it opens the door to is HUGE.

Celtic are now in the box seat though - 3 points ahead with 5 games left - but we've blown it previously from such a position so I won't be counting my chickens (hi Earl) just yet.

There's a big weekend now - Aberdeen will get a lift from news that they've lined up a successful young manager from Sweden for next season, so I expect they'll have a bit of pep in their step. Celtic need to win this weekend and not pick up any injuries to critical players. The other semi-final on Sunday I think is a must win for Clement - Hearts usually don't trouble the huns much, but with a chance of a Cup Final awaiting I'd expect them to put up at least some fight and the hun's mindset must be very fragile after last night and Sunday. If Clement's side loses the cup semi and Celtic win theirs, then the knives will be well and truly out for Clement.

 

[Minstrel]

The remaining fixtures for both are as follows Celtic: Dundee (a), Hearts (h), Huns (h), Killie (a), St. Mirren (h) Huns: St. Mirren (a), Killie (h), Celtic (a), Dundee (h), Hearts (a) All to play for. Obviously a win against them at home would be the big one. The fact that we have three home games left might be the telling factor. Win those 3 and we are champions. But both teams capable of dropping points so as soundy said we can't be counting any chickens. Am I right in saying if we win next two titles we go ahead in the roll of honour? ?

 

[RebelBhoy]

The remaining fixtures for both are as follows Celtic: Dundee (a), Hearts (h), Huns (h), Killie (a), St. Mirren (h) Huns: St. Mirren (a), Killie (h), Celtic (a), Dundee (h), Hearts (a) All to play for. Obviously a win against them at home would be the big one. The fact that we have three home games left might be the telling factor. Win those 3 and we are champions. But both teams capable of dropping poinYts so as soundy said we can't be counting any chickens. Am I right in saying if we win next two titles we go ahead in the roll of honour? ?

Yip, win the next 2 and we go ahead of the old Rangers tally of 54.

No chickens counted yet but the last 2 games for them has really put us in the box seat.

As ever, i'm greedy and don't want to be in this position again. Yes, they have gotten some serious assistance and we have been seriously hindered... but to go life and death while having tens of millions in the bank against such a badly ran club is something I never want to see again. If we get over the line. it's a bullet dodged.

 

[SoundMan]

Yip, win the next 2 and we go ahead of the old Rangers tally of 54.

No chickens counted yet but the last 2 games for them has really put us in the box seat.

As ever, i'm greedy and don't want to be in this position again. Yes, they have gotten some serious assistance and we have been seriously hindered... but to go life and death while having tens of millions in the bank against such a badly ran club is something I never want to see again. If we get over the line. it's a bullet dodged.

Agreed our board are cutting it so fine with tens of millions in the bank, that their "just enough to stay ahead of the rangers" policy could still come back and bite us.

I'm not suggesting we do like the huns and spend money we don't have but even with the likely compensation payouts to victims of Torbett and co at Celtic Boys Club likely to cost Celtic FC tens of millions (and I wouldn't begrudge those victims a thin dime of it) we should still be spending much of the remaining funds on boosting the squad.


There's a Celtic fan on Twitter called Lint who's usually bang on with the football stats. He says that the huns conceded another 13 fouls last night, even more than in the Celtic game, and guess what, not a single booking with three of their starters walking the suspension tightrope. Funny that in the last three games they've only had a single booking and that was for a guy trying to pretend he headed the ball when he punched it into the net.

 

[RebelBhoy]

Seen a few tweets like that. 33 Fouls in 3 games with 1 yellow card.

Games in which they were chasing.... Doesn't seem plausible. Mainly because it isn't.

 

[SoundMan]

Seen a few tweets like that. 33 Fouls in 3 games with 1 yellow card.

Games in which they were chasing.... Doesn't seem plausible. Mainly because it isn't.

Alas, it's more than plausible in Scotland when refs get to ref their favourite team.

The ironic thing is most huns I know want Goldson dropped and replaced with Balogun. Think Goldson is one card away from a 2 match suspension and given his propensity to handle the ball they may get their wish. They're not to enamoured with Hall of Famer Tavernier or Lundstrom either.

Still a bit to go in the league though and I've no doubt Celtic will drop points between now and the end of the season.

 

[PROCNA2018]

Hart was simply awful. 2 crosses 2 back post headers and he finishes back in the net. 2 pens he dived over for, 2 he fell over for. His own pen - dear God.

Aberdeen deserved to take it to pens.
They kept going and going.

Incredible drama - haunted to make it through.

 

[SoundMan]

Hart was simply awful. 2 crosses 2 back post headers and he finishes back in the net. 2 pens he dived over for, 2 he fell over for. His own pen - dear God.

Aberdeen deserved to take it to pens.
They kept going and going.

Incredible drama - haunted to make it through.

I wouldn't blame Hart for those goals. Think part of the problem was our midfield was outplayed and the Dons had time to pick some great passes or crosses. Scales was caught under the ball twice but on both occasions I think Taylor left his man run through unchallenged at the header. Sickening.

We were blessed to make it through. Scales handball in the first half was very touch and go as to whether it was in or just outside imho, and even CCV thought he had conceded a penalty later on - think it was the right call for the foul by Hoylet on Johnston but why the ref didn't blow there and then is a mystery rather than letting play continue on and drag in VAR subsequently.

All goes to show though that we are VERY fragile at the back when our midfield are being dominated, and it's pretty clear that CalMac and even Hatate aren't back to full fitness yet. I think Jamesy is still the best winger in the club though Khun isn't bad at times.

We need to get a proper left back to put pressure on Taylor who has a tendency to coast - a decent player there at times but he doesn't turn up with his game head on often enough imho.

 

[SoundMan]

Celtic away to Dundee up next. The Dees showed against the huns that they can't be taken for granted. If we can sort out our midfield and bring a hopefully fully recovered CalMac more into it, and Hatate can last the 90 minutes I think we should have enough to get over them but there should be no room for complacency. They'd like nothing better than putting one over on us.
There's talk that the season-ending prognosis on Maeda was premature and that he's actually back running at training. Hopefully it's true and he's as right as rain for the match on the 18th having played before then. Fingers crossed because he could be giving their hall-of-famer nightmares