Yesterday, the Ibrox club needed a penalty kick and a set-piece goal to knock a second tier side out of the Scottish Cup. In the aftermath of the game the talk was all about what a good guy The Mooch was simply because he understood the basic precepts of sportsmanship; if you screw other teams over, don’t expect them to be kind when you’re on the other side.
Between that and the decisions in the match, where the media was happy to dispute the penalty they conceded so that they didn’t have to discuss the one they actually got – another example of framing the narrative, which I talked about yesterday – there wasn’t a whole lot of talking about the actual football being played in the match.
Oh there was praise for Tillman, and a growing imperative for the Ibrox club to find the money in the mattress to sign that guy on a permanent deal, but aside from that I thought their team was absolutely dire.
Their football is chronic. Compared to ours it is virtually unwatchable. I have not seen them turn in a single classy performance since this guy took over. For all the praise he gets on Ibrox social media, theirs is the kind of football that has people switching the telly to something else. His results look much better on paper than they do when you watch them play.
As I’ve said already, fans instinctively know when their team is on the brink of something bad. You can see it in the way they play, in the way they approach games, in the manner in which they are getting the points on the board.
This is a team which is only a bad result away from a downward spiral, and it will come and you wait and see; on the forums over there they will say what is blatantly obvious “this has been coming for a while now.” Because it has.
Other clubs have already sussed that they are vulnerable at the back. Whomever wants to have a go will give them a game. A good side, which we are, could very well give them a right good going over. I am looking forward to Hampden as a result.
At the moment they are getting results, and as long as a manager is getting results fans don’t’ really care if the football being played makes you want to gouge out your eyeballs, but nobody amongst that fan-base is kidding themselves that this team is all that much better than Van Bronckhorst’s side, or playing anywhere near as well as we are.
If I were in his shoes I would want to keep the conversation on anything else. This might be why he courts controversy so much, because if people had to focus on the way they are actually playing some of them might conclude that they’re just not that good.
It is not for nothing, on the other hand, that people wax lyrical about Celtic and our performances all the live long day. It’s not just that we are getting the results but the manner in which we’re doing it is extremely pleasing on the eye.
We don’t look vulnerable the way they do. We don’t look like dropping points at all. We’re flexing our muscle right now on and off the pitch. If we win at Hampden that club will have gone from a place where all seems right in the world to one where all the old self-doubts and loathing come flooding back.
Those doubts are already all there, in embryonic form. Their fans, the ones who have to watch that every week, know it.
We just need to turn the heat up on them.
The usual ‘ Weren’t at their best’ ! and ‘ A bit sloppy’ ! denial explanations we’ve been gettin from the media, tryin tae cover over another dire performance. If we get the right players on from the start in the final, ah’ll be fairly confident. ( not Forrest, O’reilly or Turnbull, would keep them on the bench) Tho don’t want tae hear all this, ‘we’re gonnae dae this and that’, in the final, from our support either. Keep that shit for the other lot.
If we pick the right players and they perform we will obliterate the ibrox mob.
The importance of the word “if” there is not to be downplayed.
Especially not abadda
@ Saul. Disagree mate. Know he’s no been firin so well lately, tho Abada’s one ah would play from the start. Ah def think he could step up for this.Their defence has never been comfortable wi him and he’s frightened the life out of them. As we know, can score against them tae. Would def still put him in, tae run right at them and torment them. Mooy in mid is a must from the off tae.
hear hear!!
Keep signing. Cantwell is a schoolboy chasing a ball all over the playground. Hooked at halftime.. Scrawny and limp. will be devoured in the final, if he plays hopefully.
sevco really are pish. Only cheating from officials will stop us pumping them.
Agree the decisions from officials could be a major concern and everybodys entitled tae their own opinion how it’ll pan out, tho let’s no get over confident eh ! Ye predict like that at yer peril. Look how ott the confidence got before the 2-2 game. Just somethin ah’m never comfy with.
A bad team they may be but, they get forward fast and if we play that slow ponderous build-up stuff wich is so obvious, they will be all over us like the proverbial rash.
We need to stop this glacial out play from the back. Stop the continual back passing, we actually made more passes into out half and our box than St Mirren did.
Sevco might be crap but they are not stupid. They will be praying that we play our slow predictable way so they can take full advantage.
Other than that and various what could go wrong.
Think the real prob in that last game, was we didnae have any real match tae their strength in mid, until Mooy came on. Forrest ineffective against them as usual and O’reilly too lightweight. For me, Mooy and Abada from the start would make a difference in this one.
Var not various
My biggest concern is cheatin beatin and the rest of his like minded mates.
Midfield 3 has to be McGregor, mooy and Hatatae.
@ BJM. Startin cup final 11 imo (if fit). Hart, Taylor, CCV, Starfelt, Johnston, Abada, McGregor, Mooy, Hetate, Jota, kyogo. Tho he’ll prob go for Maeda over Abada. Yep, would be quite happy wi that side.
The nastiness that emanates from them in games is utterly venomous.
They have no concept of fair play and everything they do is tainted and false.
Hatred and bigotry is the distraction from knowing that they are useless as a club, as a team, as peepul and their hatred extends to everyone and everything that is not part of their totally warped institution. All who join become tainted with their evil disposition.
Operation of stopping Celtic doing another treble at all costs is already in full flow within Scotland, with the actual football now just a sideshow with the scandalous use of VAR taking centre stage.
We can’t take anything for granted still, with such a cheating agenda in play still, to the shame of what Scottish football wants to remain itself in.
Celtic have to win this treble for the sake of Scottish football to show actual quality football can still win over blatant cheating and the disgraceful use of VAR.
Scotlands shame has grown far further than just the scum setting the tone, we have to put that right in the final in 2 weeks, as when it’s just a football match it remains a non contest with Celtic far to superior
Another penalty that wasn’t (foul outside the box) and which defied proper use of VAR.
@Kevan mckeown , would be happy with either Abada or Maeda . Think they would target Abada for a bit of roughhouse and get away with it mib ,I think technically Abada is better but maeda will give their defence no time on the ball with his better work rate .
It’s a great position for ange to be in both are quality .