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Celtic Fans Know What This Week’s Narrative Is Because Another Call Went Our Way.

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That today was certainly not vintage Celtic. We all know we have performances like that in us, as every team does, and it was probably better that we got it out of the road. It was poor fare overall, with one of our most disjointed displays. It is not one that is going to automatically be included on anybody’s end of season highlights reel.

This team has set such high standards for such a prolonged period of time that it’s jarring to watch a performance like that. For all that, we were the better team, we created the better chances and but for an inexplicable Kyogo miss we might have tied the points up a lot sooner. It’s one of those days when you put the points in your pocket.

That said, the second goal was just magnificent … and it must have been a proper sickening moment for those who were tuning in hoping to see a shock.

Before we continue, where in God’s name did eight minutes come from? When have you ever seen a game which was pretty much stoppage free turning out eight added minutes? It was faintly ridiculous and felt an awful lot like the officials trying to compensate for giving us the decision that put us in front. Not that it will matter.

The entire week will be consumed by that decision.

We’re going to have another full chorus of “How bad are our refs?” a song which I don’t mind singing but which never gets the full backing orchestra unless the decision is one that “benefits” us. It’s a penalty, and as James McFadden says the very kind of decision VAR was introduced for … that will not stop the bitching and complaining.

Let me be perfectly honest; I’m going to take a certain amount of ironic satisfaction, perhaps even mocking glee, in the fury that will be unleashed across social media for the whole of the week leading up to Saturday.

It amuses me to think that people will trot out that old familiar line about how it “turned the game” as though the match stopped immediately after it was scored. In point of fact, Ross County made us work for that and got up the pitch enough that you never felt like it was cleanly in the bag until that superb second goal hit the back of the net.

I don’t like MacKay but he deserves a bit of credit for that. His team didn’t just put eleven men behind the ball today. He had a go, albeit we just had too much quality.

I hope, therefore, he doesn’t attempt to trot out the tired old nonsense about how it was the officials who decided the affair … he can leave that to others. There will be plenty of them, and as I said that does make me smile.

One fly in the ointment today; the injury to Greg Taylor. Although I do enjoy Bernabei and was well pleased to see him rattle that goal in today, Taylor has been so good this season that there’s no way that his absence is anything other than a loss.

So let’s hope he shakes that off and he’s back in contention for the weekend.

Nine points clear again. Eight games to go in the league. Another box crossed off, another date scored out, another day when the Green Machine did what it does. We’re almost there now folks. Not much longer to celebrate that second title under Ange.

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  • Johnny Green says:

    Not a great performance, but I’m glad we were off the boil today and not next week.
    The penalty was justified according to the new handball rules despite Andy Walkers idiotic ranting.

    To all those Celtic supporters who still think Starfelt is worthy of that jersey, get a life, he has been an accident waiting to happen since the first day I saw him. Being a Celtic defender in domestic football, against teams that very seldom attack us, should be an easy shift and he still manages to fk it up. I am dreading the Champions league if he is still in the side, I wouldn’t even have him on the bench. Even that idiot Keevins had a stopped clock moment when he said he was bang average.

    • Kev Okine says:

      I think I’d prefer big Anges judgement to yours mate. He bought him, plays him all the time so trusts him. He gets paid big dollars to make decisions and not doing bad eh? We are all entitled to our opinion but to say hes not worthy of a jersey is pathetic.

  • Darren Kerr says:

    Iwata just needs to get up to speed but we had a few dodgy performances out there today. Starfelt is feast and a bit of famine in every game. O’Reilly just not the level needed. Calmac looked a little tired but tidy. Without one or both Mooy and Hatate was can look very ordinary. Still a great result at a shithole.

  • Johnny Green says:

    You are right about the 8 minutes added on time James, where in God’s name did that come from. The good thing about time added on though, no matter the agenda, is that both teams are allowed to score during that period, and so it turned out that we were the side who took advantage of it.

    So get it right fkn up the lot of THEM!

  • Geoff says:

    A typical example of an after international performance from us.
    Pen was harsh but we have had so many similar given against us without an outcry.
    Subs brought a bit of momentum again especially down the left.
    Let’s see if Beale is confident in playing his wonderkids next week against our full strength midfield.
    All guns blazing from the first kick.

  • harold shand says:

    Every Celtic hating sp*nk bubble media monkey out in the next few days crying even though if it went for them they’d be defending the decision to the hilt

    Daily Record taking it pretty bad , even doing articles on how Jordan White’s dad is raging

    Let’s pump these maggots next week

    • Frankie says:

      Johnny green stop talking pish, and slagging one of our players that very rarely puts a foot wrong.

      • Johnny Green says:

        Frankie, I bet you thought Effie, despite his lapses was a great player too? It’s all about opinions, you are welcome to yours.

  • Johnno says:

    Very rusty performance today with the biggest feature of the game for us, was the amount of cheap ball given away with so many uncharacteristic stray passing throughout the team today, very unlike this celtic team.
    Of course the peno decision will be classed as the defining moment within the game, yet overlooking hitting the woodwork twice, sitter miss from kyogo, few decent saves from the keeper and very wayward shooting when in some very decent positions, and all the while we weren’t even at our best?
    As regards the peno, a definite peno as the guidelines are, never a peno if common sense is used.
    Until this is resolved between guidelines or common sense the favourite subject within Scottish football and the nonsense that exists will continue to ramble on without any resolution in sight either which in turn allows the pricks a platform to continue with the shite talk still, that’s become so tedious at this stage

  • Hugh Reilly says:

    Awful performance, especially second half. Starfelt was shocking. Bernabei was arguably worse than him. His goal was great but he’s a liability. We need Taylor, Mooy and Hatate next week. O’Riley looks short of creativity. I don’t understand why Haksbvanovic doesn’t get a start. Rant over

    • Voice of Reason says:

      If u thot we were bad 2nd haf u OBVIOUSLY never watched the 1st! Agree about Haksa but Ange OBVIOUSLY sees him as an IMPACT player & I’d rather have him coming on than MAEDA! I believe we’ll run the FILTH intae the GRUN nxt Sat as they’re STUPID enuf tae think they can come at us!! Whilst Starfelt is CLEARLY Dodgy their ENTIRE Defence is UTTER SHITE!! Wae NAE SCUM at the game we’ll FUKIN DESTROY THEM.. ROLL ON SAT!! HH!

  • SSMPM says:

    Starfelt’s worth every penny of the £68.5m we hope to get for him, if we can sell him for £4/5 I’ll that anyway. Otherwise he’s a bag o’ kunts. I’m for fattening him up wi praise so as he’s fresh for the summer transfer market as the rankers done wi Shirley. He’s like an auld lucky bag – sometimes a surprise but most times full o’ scary movie moments. It frightens the life out of me what one we’re gonna get for our penny. Not consistent and not CL quality.
    I would like to see more of Yuki Kobayashi once the league’s won, unfortunately Ange sees something in Starfelt and is gonna stick with him until then. Agree we should have kept Jenz until the end of the season as Ange may have been more likely to switch Starfelt with him atm. Prefer Taylor to Bernabau all day long so I hope he’s on the fitness table right now in preparation for next week, though well done to the little pocket man Berna with what sounds like a glory goal. As for the blob/press/bbc moaning minnies ahh.
    It’s a goodnight none the less 3 more points gathered in, dodgy pen or not – haven’t seen it yet, and it’s a goodnight from Rodgers too. HH

  • Martin says:

    Is Kobayashi not meant to be a left CB? Don’t understand why he’s not getting a game, unless he’s worse than Starfelt

  • Kevan McKeown says:

    Saw how much we missed hetate and mooy there today. No much creativity and too wasteful Still, result was the important thing and the scoreline couldve been even higher. Ontae the next game.

  • John says:

    Any player pulling on shirt is there for a reason, the manager has faith in him and it’s his decision we should respect.
    Not a great display of football from us but u adopt to conditions and other teams negative tactics of spoiling the game & booting ball up the pitch at every opportunity, this can cause any team’s defence problems at times, support the team, not find faults with individual players who as a team have been overall this season relentless.

  • lordmac says:

    starfelt is the problem now then what about jota not supplying the forward line with telling passes just jota going for goal all the time ,what about turnbull, playing nothing up in midfeild, and taylor does not add a great lot either in defence

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