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Ange A Happy Man As Celtic Cruise And Others Scramble Just To Stay On Our Heel

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Convincing. Clinical. Ruthless.

That was Celtic yesterday at Parkhead, turning in a performance so good and polished and strong that the match was over at half-time and the second half was little more than a training exercise, albeit one in which we scored another twice.

It’s tempting to talk about individuals.

One individual above all, Reo Hatate, whose performance was like a masterclass in how to run a game. But this actually belonged to the team as a whole, the team and the coaches, who have gelled together now into something more resembling a machine than a collection of footballers, a machine that exists only to win games.

We’ve lost once during this campaign, a performance so out of character that few of us can look back and even fathom where it came from. Were St Mirren just incredibly good that day or were we just incredibly bad?

A bit of both? Or the football equivalent of a lightning strike?

For sure we have never seen anything close to it, far less a repeat performance.

This is the sort of form you want to take into a cup final, not just a team which is winning but one which is doing so in style.

Nobody at Celtic has to talk about being pleased by the football being played whilst also looking like someone casting around to make sure the police aren’t coming.

If the Mooch was really happy with a game in which they scored the first from the spot, the second from a free kick late in the game when they looked knackered and which also resulted in a red card for the home side that’s his lookout but there will not be the least mercy shown to him or his team.

Results don’t ever tell the full story of how a team is playing and I’ve said for weeks now that this is not a good Ibrox side far less one that is playing on our level.

Ibrox has been held up as the proof that they can match us; we were off-form that day and still got the point we needed, so you tell me which team got out of that one looking good? It wasn’t theirs.

The cup final will change the way people think and talk about these two teams.

I firmly believe that we’re going to burst The Mooch’s bubble.

The truth is, they are hanging onto our coat-tails but only just. Their results look good but the performances do not merit the hype, and that’s the difference between the two teams because ours do.

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25 comments

  • S Thomas says:

    James you need to maybe stop sounding a tad arrogant at times.. and show a bit more humility. When you say these things, they have a habit of coming back to bite you in the arse. You said the same at ibrox.. and we were extremely lucky to get a draw in that game. I’m quietly confident that we will retain the cup, but I’m not going to say we will do this, and do that. History in these games will tell you, it won’t be as easy as you think. By all means be quietly confident like myself, but shouting from the rooftops puts unnecessary pressure on. Beales team are grinding out results, but they are still winning. Like a said previously you said the same thing about ibrox, and wee got away with one that afternoon. I’m quietly confident , but I know full well it’s really how you perform in the day that matters. The midfield will be key.

    • Johnny Green says:

      Hmm, it’s always good to hear things from a hun’s point of view and you sound as if you are shitting yourself Sean. Enjoy the game, I know I will.

      • S Thomas says:

        Sorry for disagreeing with your boyfriend Jonny. We all know you kiss James’s arse.

        • Johnny Green says:

          Yuk, that doesn’t sound appealing at all, in fact it would be just like kissing your face, God forbid.

  • Martin says:

    A cup final is a cup final. Trying to predict it, especially with confidence, is sheer folly. Yes, Sevco are playing terribly. But this might be the only chance at a trophy they get. You better believe they’ll be war ready to fight this game, and I’m very confident that their hard tackles will be treated leniently, whilst any possible foul against us will be given.

    All things being equal we should absolutely batter them, I agree. But that’s not how football works, and going into games expecting an easy victory is suicide.

    • Brian Cavanagh says:

      Spot On Martin -we one in 1989 when no one expected us to – and they were the dominant team, we lost to them in 2002 we were were the dominant team – it is a cup final and we know that can go any way – we should leave the assumptions till 4.50 next week

  • Seppington says:

    “Were St Mirren just incredibly good that day or were we just incredibly bad?”

    Neither. It was that bloody gray strip.

    Have to agree with S above, it doesn’t matter how pish they are, it’s a cup final and they will be utterly desperate to stop us and will, assisted by the brethren in black, use whatever dark arts they feel are necessary to accomplish our downfall. We must be much much better than we were at their midden and at Hampdump last season and crush them into the dirt.

    • Johnny Green says:

      CCV was not playing in Paisley and that was the biggest difference.

      • Seppington says:

        He’s missed other games where we haven’t worn the gray abomination and we’ve had no problems. Just sayin’…

        • Johnny Green says:

          Wit no CCV to hold the hands of Starfelt and Welsh we were susceptible to their arial bombardment, oh and the grey shirts definitely did not help. 🙂

    • Michael Collins says:

      How right you are about the gray strip Seppington, when I turned the game on it was 2 mins into it, I was flabbergasted, I could hardly tell who was who. Gray is a combination of black and white, and both teams also wore black shorts.
      Celtic’s quick press game could never get used to that.

  • Scud Missile says:

    So Spew Heeviins auld pishy drawers himself is demanding an apology from our club and LIEWELL for the banner having a go at Douglas Toss last weekend..
    He has gone on a rant about integrity and scruples and principles,so tell us all Spew then exactly what happened to those 3 things above you mention when sevco had none of those in the cheating years when they avoided tax matters with side letters to pay players and cheat to win league titles and cups,what happened to all things your crying for now.
    Oh and while we are at you want our club and chairman to apologise for the banner and the 3 things yiu mention,we are 11 years from sevco getting caught out cheating playing ineligible players win trophies and there is still no apology from sevco or the team before them that got LIQUIDATED.
    An apology don’t make us ya DAFTIE.

  • Michael McCann says:

    Celtic were superb yesterday, a marvel to watch. But let us turn to the mob across the city. They have received so many penalties they are changing their name to Penalty F.C. the F. C. doesn’t stand for football club.

  • Johnny Green says:

    We have every right to be confident. Unlike other Celtic teams, this one does not get carried away, they will be fully focused on getting the victory and they will accordingly get their just rewards. It should be a straightforward victory provided we are on form, and there is nothing to suggest otherwise.

    COYBIG

  • Seppington says:

    He’s missed other games where we haven’t worn the gray abomination and we’ve had no problems. Just sayin’…

  • Johnny Green says:

    It was good to see Motherwell beating the Diets today and giving themselves a wee cushion away from the relegation zone. I am no great lover of Motherwell, far from it, but I detest Hearts and I will always be thankful to Motherwell for when they beat the huns in the play off sand chased them out of their ground and onto their buses home with their tails between their legs. Those scenes will long live in the memory and I hope Motherwell stay up.

  • Dando says:

    The ONLY reason the tribute are just 10 points (incl GD) behind is the bent officials, their decision making every single week is unbelievable.

    Looking at yesterday and Bealiola stating that they were excellent…. Livi were denied a stonewall penalty at 0-1 and the sending off was a joke….. excellent? Mmmmmm……

    HH

  • Peter cassidy says:

    In any cup final anything can happen but in Scotland things get very murky blue” bent refs strange var system.But if Celtic play as they are doing at present we have a great chance to retain the cup but it’s a cup final let’s see how it ends up.

    • Johnny Green says:

      We won the quadruple treble, 12 trophies, with those same murky blue reservations in place. I wonder just how the hell did we manage that? The answer is because we were good enough to overcome those drawbacks and that theory stands even more so now as we are a far superior team to them right now.

      COYBIG.

      • Seppington says:

        Those murky blue reservations never included VAR which the brethren can use to go back and re-interpret things to make sure we get nothing. We can be a hundred times better than them but if VAR checks every goal and can disallow based on a missed foul 20 minutes previous then they will shaft us every time. Okay, 20 minutes is clearly exaggeration but wait and see the many shaftings they will attempt…

        • Johnny Green says:

          They are under more scrutiny now with VAR than they ever were before without it. Yes they can still bend the rules, but they still know they are answerable and have to think more about what they are doing.

          • SFATHENADIROFCHIFTINESS says:

            Johnny you say that the MIBs & VAR ( Video Assist ranjurs) are under more scrutiny and are answerable.
            But ‘answerable’ to who? Week after week they’re at it and NADA, Sweet Fuck All gets done by the Broon Brogues & Blazer Brigade at the SFA.
            The whole Country can see it but silence from Hampdump.
            Even the BT SPORT Commentators on their Saturday Live Score programme are rippin the pish oot ae the set up. Big Suttie was covering the Celtic game and the news came through that the Huns had scored. When he said it was a penalty every one of them burst out laughing. Obviously Sutton has clued them in as to the state of affairs.
            The SFA don’t give fuck because none of the Clubs will complain including ours.
            We will get royally shafted next week. The MIBs are primed, Stiff Celtic and get even with the Green Brigade for their pop at wanker DRoss last week.

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