Just back from a holiday in a far-flung place with poor internet connection where you could forget trying to upload blog updates.
Of course, there was still enough bandwidth to stay abreast of results so after Hibs picked up a surprise 1-1 draw with Rangers a week ago yesterday after being a goal down for most of the match it was pretty disappointing to see us fail to take advantage and extend our lead at the top to a more or less unassailable 10 points.
Aberdeen have been in pretty sensational away form all season and have also been tough opponents for us every time we’ve faced them this term but having won three from three against them as well as having won every home domestic game this season it was a bit of a shock to see it end 0-0.
I’ll also admit I was pretty frustrated at this ongoing nonsense of playing Oli Burke up front as a lone striker when he’s clearly a winger whilst two recognised strikers in record signing Odsonne Edouard and PSG-loanee Timothy Weah languish on the bench. This started under Brendan Rodgers and has continued under Neil Lennon and it continues to mystify me. If Burke was scoring goals for fun then fair enough but he isn’t and has proven far more adept playing in his preferred wing role and setting up strikers for goals.
Lenny got the team selection wrong.
I also wasn’t too impressed with the ‘mental fatigue’ excuse which Lenny came out with during the post-match interviews. The players had a weeks rest and if they are mentally fatigued in mid-March then that doesn’t bode well for a title run in and our efforts to capture an unprecedented treble-treble.
Just accept you should have started with a recognised striker, don’t make the same mistake again and we’ll move on.
As for this weekend we, of course, visit Dundee on St.Paddy’s day. As I actually write this our nearest title challengers are currently losing 1-0 at half time at home against Kilmarnock. Of course, if things stay that way then we can potentially put ourselves in a dream position going into the next Old Firm game on March 30th. It’s already a must win game for our opponents given the current points deficit and the fact that they were eliminated once again from a cup competition by Aberdeen through the week. But it will be a potential ground zero scenario if they fall further behind and we can go 14 points clear if we beat them which with only seven games left which makes it increasingly likely we can win the title against them at Ibrox, something which the authorities will be desperate to avoid.
Reality bites for Stevie G as the honeymoon period with the press ends.
For the first time, Gerrard is under the microscope as it has become apparent that his team generally blow the big games and that most of his personnel changes have been duds. Eros Grezda anyone?
Anyway, there is still 45 mins of football to play over there and the referee Greg Aitken will most likely be getting an itchy trigger finger soon as the game draws to a conclusion.
We should win at Dens Park tomorrow but Dundee will be throwing everything at it as they fight tooth and nail to stay up and we are not the same team without Christie and McGregor who remain sidelined along with a raft of other impact players. Hopefully, Lenny sees some sense, puts a striker on and we go out and do the business making it a happy St.Paddy’s day in the process.
Below is one of my fondest memories from the Patron Saint of Eire’s day back in the day.
The infamous and glorious ‘St.Patrick’s Day Massacre’ of 1991.
Celtic cruised to a pretty routine 3-0 win over Motherwell at Celtic Park last night.
The game was all over by halftime with Celtic going for the jugular early and it was great to see young right back Anthony Ralston getting his first start in a very long time. I actually think we haven’t seen him in a Hoops jersey since way back in September 2017 truth be told.
Motherwell held out until almost the half-hour mark when Edouard played through Ralston who put it through the ‘Well keepers legs to score his first ever goal for Celtic. James Forrest was then scythed down only four mins later by a reckless Charles Dunne challenge in the box and Scott Sinclair stepped up to put us 2-0 up from the spot. That’s actually the first pen we’ve scored in four attempts so good to put an end to that unwelcome stat. Unfortunately, French Eddy had to depart the scene with an apparent groin injury but his replacement young Mikey Johnstone came on and rattled one in on the stroke of halftime and that was pretty that.
Olivier Ntcham should have done better with an effort in the second half but by then the visitors were just playing to keep the score down.
Brendan and the players take the acclaim.
I was initially really puzzled by Motherwell’s approach to the game. This was our third outing in six days and on the back of two defeats and with several key players missing you would have thought that the Lanarkshire side would have smelt the faintest trace of blood. Instead, though they decided to drop five players from their surprise away victory on Saturday against an in from St Johnstone with star men David Turnbull, Allan Campbell and strikers Curtis Main and Danny Johnson all benched.
It would appear manager Stephen Robinson had written the game off with Saturday’s home tie against lowly St.Mirren prioritised. Fair enough and to be honest with you pretty welcome considering our recent exhausting schedule which clearly showed at Easter Road on Sunday.
What can’t be ignored though is the number of absences we now have. With Leigh Griffiths out for an unspecified period of time and Edouard’s departure early doors last night, we are now literally left with no recognised striker. The big question is how long will the Frenchman be out for?
Kieran Tierney and Tom Rogic were rested last night as they were on Sunday and Ryan Christie, Dedryk Boyata and Mikel Lustig are also being given as much time as is required to make full recoveries. There’s a good chance we’ll see them all back over the coming nine days as we face three league matches.
But news has just come down that the Australian FA has selected Rogic along with three players from Hibs for the Asia Cup next month which means they may not be allowed to be involved in their respective clubs derbies on December 29th. Hopefully, that can be resolved in our favour as I would feel much better about our chances of turning over Rangers once again in their own stadium with Tom with us, as opposed to being without him.
Talking of the men in blue they were held to a 0-0 draw by Hibs at Easter Road last night. Hibs were in our faces all day on Sunday but were rather standoffish last night in a game which generally saw them under siege and on another day Morelos could have scored a hattrick. Alas, a combination of Hibs keeper Adam Bogdan as well as the Colombian’s poor finishing saw the Leith men hold out for a draw and in doing so our victory propelled us back to the top by one point over our city rivals with a game in hand.
So back to the top we go and even with a slightly weakened side you’d think we’ll be too strong at home on Saturday against a struggling Dundee side who were hammered 5-1 at Pittodrie on Tuesday night by Aberdeen leading manager Jim McIntyre to promise a major squad overhaul in January. So it won’t be a very Merry Christmas for some of the Dens Park men this festive period as they look for employment elsewhere it would seem.
On Thursday night Celtic will travel to Trondheim for the third time in nearly 16 months and the second time in less than four months to take on Norwegian Champions Rosenborg.
I’ve used this title before but it really is apt. It most definitely is ‘do or die’ as anything but a win on Thursday will see us relying on results elsewhere and no longer having our destiny in our own hands in regards to qualifying for the Europa League knockout stages and seeing European football post-Christmas.
There are various permutations to going through but I’ll look at those later on in the article. For now, I’m going to concentrate on our opposition.
As stated, in the beginning, we know them well. Almost too well. Indeed when I heard we’d been drawn with them in the group stages I was, to say the least, a little underwhelmed considering how many times we’ve played them recently. We do of course have a pretty good record against them having not lost one of our last five encounters with them which have seen us beat them three times and draw twice. One of those wins was also at their home ground in Trondheim when James Forrest smashed in a solitary winner against them in August of 2017. Overall we have a 5-1 lead in terms of goals as well with the two draws both ending goalless.
They have just wrapped up their fourth consecutive Norwegian title – which is a record 26th overall – after completing the season with 19 wins from 30 games with seven draws and only four defeats.
Champions of Norway again.
Since playing us last on the 20th of September they have played 10 domestic matches – eight in the league and two in the cup – and have lost only one which was a 1-0 defeat in the league to eventual runners-up Molde. They have however also drawn three games, have only scored 15 goals and have conceded seven in that time.
Their main goal scoring threats are veteran strike pair Alexander Søderlund and the mercurial Nicklas Bendtner. They have scored 24 goals between them this season though only four in Europe. Bendtner though hasn’t seen much football in recent weeks which is something he’ll have to get used to as he’s just been convicted of assaulting a taxi driver. He’s due to return to his native Denmark to serve a 50-day jail term at an as of yet undetermined date. In recent months their veteran midfielder Mike Jensen and young Nigerian forward Samuel Adegbenro have stepped up to the plate with some important goals though neither are in double figures.
Bad boy Nicky outside court.
In the Europa League groups stages this term, their record has been pretty woeful having lost all four matches thus far conceding 12 and scoring only three. Last time out they entrained Red Bull Salzburg and were ripped apart 5-2, scoring both of their goals when already down 4-0. This came on the back of a 3-0 hiding in Salzburg and to be honest their record in the Europa League group stages full stop pretty awful as they have only recorded three wins in their last 22 and haven’t played in Europe beyond Christmas this century.
All that being said we struggled to break them down in the home leg 10 weeks ago and it took a late Leigh Griffiths header to gain the victory. We also really struggled away against them in Trondheim back on August 1st in a stale 0-0 game where we only created one real chance.
But let’s also put our last two encounters against them into context. Backing August that was the second leg of a tie in which we were already 3-1 up from the home leg so it was natural that we would defend what we had and in the end we got the job done. The Norwegians were the better team on the night but they really didn’t create much and on reflection at least it was a nervy but ultimately pretty professional job.
In the September game, we still dominated and us struggling to break them down was a general issue at the time. Indeed the following weekend we lost 2-1 at Kilmarnock and as the talk of crisis loomed we began to get our arses into gear and subsequently have gone on a nine-game unbeaten domestic run with eight wins scoring 28 goals in the process and conceding only two. Europe has of course been a different story but after disappointing away performances to Salzburg and Leipzig we produced a stunning 2-1 win against the Germans on matchday four to keep our hopes of qualification well and truly alive.
The last time we went to Trondheim needing to win was in August 2017 during a Champions League qualifier. Having drawn the first leg 0-0 at home the pressure was all on us to produce and produce we did as we dominated the game with 63% possession of the ball. As mentioned earlier James Forrest scored on 69 minutes and not long after raced through on goal to score number two but fluffed his lines. It was one of the most comfortable nights I can remember Celtic having on the road against good opposition in Europe and we simply have to replicate it tomorrow evening.
Tom Rogic will be back and Filipe Benkovic will hopefully make a rare European away start for us also. We missed both badly the last time we ventured abroad and having them back in is a huge plus point.
Benkovic needs to bring the power tomorrow night.
Interestingly both clubs have major cup finals on the Sunday following the match. For Celtic, it’s a chance to win seven consecutive major trophies in the League Cup final against Aberdeen whereas for Rosenborg it’s a chance to a secure a rare domestic treble as they go up against Strømsgodset– the team that Ronny Deila came from – in the Norwegian Football Cup final.
I wonder how much that will play into their thinking? Winger Pål André Helland is already in a buoyant mood comparing their title victory to a penis extension and manager Rini Coolen admitted that despite the upcoming tie against Celtic he allowed his players to go out and party after receiving the league trophy on Sunday.
Despite losing all four matches thus far in the group stages incredibly they still could technically make it to the last 32. They would need to beat us by two goals or more and then hope Leipzig succumbed to Salzburg before then going to Germany on matchday six requiring to beat their hosts by three goals or more whilst hoping that Salzburg defeated us. So it’s to say the very least a long shot and perhaps with that in mind players may be more focused on the big domestic cup match three days later. Some online Celtic sources seem to believe that they could even rest half of their usual starting eleven but what the actual basis for this claim outside of sheer conjecture is anyone’s guess.
Of course our own cup final is pretty important too but I’d say it’s trumped by staying in Europe beyond Christmas.
As for the rest of the permutations we basically need Salzburg to beat Leipzig which would see them qualify as group winners with a game to spare and if we beat Rosenborg we’d only require a point against the Austrians at home in the final group match to secure qualification.
A draw between the two Red Bull sides would also be pretty good news as we’d then face a likely depleted Salzburg side – owing to them having already won the group – in the final match requiring a win unless Leipzig somehow drew or lost against Rosenborg.
Defeat for us and Leipzig win then it’s over. A draw and Leipzig win and it’s as good as over. In fact, a draw for Leipzig and we lose and you’re still clutching at straws. So really we need to win and that’s all there is to it.
But here comes the back down to earth with a bump bit and it’s our away form in Europe. I know it sounds like a broken record pointing it out but it is awful. We haven’t won any of our last five which indeed includes trips to face Rosenborg as well as away to Suduva in the footballing hotbed that is Lithuania. We’ve also only won two of our last 11 away. I could extend the record even further back under Brendan and it shows only four wins in 19. Do you want to hear the goals for and against on the road in Europe too? Na. Me neither. Safe to say it’s eye-watering stuff.
There’s no doubt we struggle badly on the road but maybe on Brendan’s 20th sojourn to the continent we can get arguably his biggest win yet. And a hungover weakened Rosenborg team with one eye on their national cup final on Sunday would definitely help.
On a final note, I’ve just seen the odds for the Salzburg vs Leipzig game. The Austrians despite being group leaders with four wins out of four as well as being undefeated in all competitions this season which has seen them record 22 wins and four draws are somehow underdogs for a home tie against a team they beat 3-2 away in the group stage opener. RB Leipzig start as 4/5 favourites with the home team as 3/1 outsiders. Mmmmmm. That does seem a bit iffy. Is a possible carve up in the offing between two teams with almost identical names and badges? Surely not.
Anyway, we have our destiny in our own hands. Let’s hope we take it with both.
As predicted Celtic got it pretty tough at the Tony Macaroni Arena out in Livingston on Sunday.
The rain was pouring down in Glasgow as I took my place with seven other hardy souls at an otherwise deserted Crow Tavern to take in the proceedings whilst Remembrance Sunday memorials were taking place at the cenotaph across the road that afternoon and the minute’s silence before the game was impeccably observed much to everyone’s relief.
Let’s be honest the artificial surface that has been installed out at what used to be called Almondvale is not fit for purpose and everyone knows that but fair play to Livingston who with their meagre resources have found a way to put 19 points on the board so far this season and are really well coached under ex-Celtic Gary Holt.
Holt & Rodgers. Sounds like it could be a new Netflix series.
To the game itself and the men in Hoops looked a little tired which is no surprise given their exertions on Thursday night against a top-class Red Bull Leipzig team who incidentally hammed VfB Stuttgart 3-0 at home on Sunday to leapfrog Bayern Munich into third spot in the Bundesliga.
Indeed the team was unchanged from then apart from Kristofer Ajer replacing Filipe Benkovic beside Boyata in central defence and in the first 45 mins Ryan Christie – who has really stepped up to the plate in the last three weeks and set up Edouard for the winner against the German three days previously – should have scored but his point-blank effort was saved by Liam Kelly in the Livi goal.
In the second half, Celtic created several chances in the last 15 mins with the best of them seeing Rogic crack in a seemingly goal-bound effort from the edge of the box only for that men Kelly again to somehow touch over.
The wonderfully named Dolly Menga should have walked for the home side in the first half for a clear headbutt on Christie at a corner but it went undetected and it’s likely he’ll now receive a retrospective ban for his efforts.
Livingston ran themselves into the ground and threw themselves in front of every ball and it’s difficult to begrudge them a point. Let’s not forget they have only conceded seven goals all season with the second best defensive record in the league only one behind us.
Sadly Kristofer Ajer suffered a broken cheekbone during events and will likely be out for some time as the injury list piles up at Lennoxtown with Scott Brown, Olivier Ntcham, Eboue Kouassi, Leight Griffiths and Daniel Arzani already out.
Pretty much the story of the match.
The result sees Celtic back to the top of the league on 26 points even with Hearts but ahead on goal difference with a game in hand.
The Jam Tarts were the latest team to fall victim to the incredible spell Steve Clark has cast over Kilmarnock as the Ayrshire club left Tynecastle with a 1-0 victory thanks to a solitary strike from the previously unheard of Ross Millen. That means Clark now has a 54% win ratio after well over 50 games in charge with a team that were serial relegation candidates season upon season before his arrival. Quite incredible.
Aberdeen kept their recent strong momentum going as they defeated Hibs at Pittodrie to climb into the top six via a winning first-half strike from ex-Celtic Gary Mackay-Steven whilst elsewhere St.Johnstone also continued their stunning run of form which started when we massacred them 6-0 a month ago – by hammering Hamilton Accies 4-0.
Basement dwellers Dundee and St.Mirren battled out a 1-1 draw as respective managers Jim McIntyre and Oran Kearney still seek out their first wins in charge of their new-ish clubs.
The Donegal man sees red as Morelos endears himself to no one.
Oh and over at Ibrox Rangers thumped Motherwell 7-1 as the boys in blue bounced back spectacularly from their keystone cops performance over in Moscow on Thursday evening. The match was actually pretty even until Donegal man Carl McHugh was harshly red-carded for two yellows the first of which saw him dare to go within two yards of loveable rogue Alfredo Morelos. The Columbian then appeared to take great delight in McHugh’s second yellow for handball as he clapped in his face. Thereafter the Steelman folded like a cheap suit and the Govan side remain within touching distance of ourselves at the top of the league on 24 points as next month’s Ibrox encounter begins to really start to heat-up.
Anyway, that was the weekend that was. Top of the league so not all bad by any means. Now into the dreaded international break, we go.
....Always A Tim! 