Tonight we were brilliant.
That’s another Ange-level number of clear-cut chances created, which continues the obvious forward momentum of recent weeks. It is a crying shame that there are no games for the 19 days, because we’re in the ascendent now and when you are playing with the confidence and assurance we are you want it to go on.
The Scottish Cup is next. Against Buckie Thistle. By then, with some new signings in the bag and players back to full fitness we’ll be in a good place to go into the second half of the campaign. The last four matches have seen things start to click back into place, and part of that has been a series of unexpected performances from unlikely heroes.
Foremost amongst them, Paolo Bernardo who is growing more into the Celtic shirt with every week that passes.
For all the stick we’ve given the scouting department, don’t forget that we have an uncanny habit for getting stuff right and although it took Brendan a while to decide where this guy fit into his team, he’s there now alright and showing us what he’s got.
I thought he was exceptional today, absolutely exceptional. There’s definitely a real footballer of quality there, and the best of it is that unlike other clubs we don’t negotiate these loan deals without an option to buy.
So, if he continues to improve, we’ll have a chance to sign him up. And if we don’t, well we can always lie and say we got £1 million for not doing the deal.
He didn’t score today, but his assist for the third was superb. He compliments both McGregor and O’Riley in the middle of the pitch; the midfield has a balance to it which we’ve lacked since Hatate got injured. He is one of the reasons we’re back to our swaggering selves again.
It was great seeing Daizen “Danger Mouse” Maeda back amongst the goals today. I really don’t like him wide right, but he’s always dangerous to the opposition. (Ask the flat-footed Ibrox spitter-in-chief who he roasted on Saturday.)
He works tirelessly, and they always have to mark him tightly which opens up the space for other people to run into.
And we did plenty of that today, and we got the rewards for it.
Those amongst our rivals who were watching in expectation of dropped points would have been turning their tellies off early; what a shame they missed what good quality attacking football looks like as opposed to the big lump up the pitch which they are currently forced to watch through gritted teeth.
Obviously they also played today, and they conceded a penalty.
We’ll have to talk about that more in the next few days, but observe the sight of their “dignified” boss squealing like a pig over it at full time and claiming not to understand the handball rule. So much for backing referees.
So much for not questioning the decisions. That lasted only as long as a few they don’t like and then the trembling petted lip shot out. What a glorious sight.
That was an important three points today.
We had to win, because otherwise the victory over Ibrox’s hapless pretenders meant nothing at all. That we’ve done so with such ease sends us into the winter break feeling pretty good … but I do wish we weren’t now facing 19 days without a game because the machine is rolling and I just want it to keep on doing so.
With some new blood in the building, we’ll be raring to go when hostilities recommence. That’s now in the hands of the manager and the board … and hopefully in that order.
The team delivered the win, and we’re now 8 points clear and +8 GD over sevco.
…it’s time for the boy Lawwell to deliver the ‘quality’ players to help ensure
we secure the title.
No complacency.
And just because Killie got a penalty at ibrox today, nothing has changed.
Our Board should now formally complain about how such a ‘statistically significant
deviation’ was possible, with regard to match officials not awarding
a penalty at ibrox.
Additionally, what is the SFA going to do – about The Scottish Referees’ Association
members – to guarantee that such a scenario can never recur in the SPL?
Poor ould Huns. By the time they reached the boozer, we were already 2-0 up. Another bubble burst. Hope you and yours had a guid new year, James.
Hail Hail.
Yip – While the players will probably welcome the break it is coming at a bad time as we were building momentum…
Anyway let’s see what happens in the transfer window now –
And Kilmarnock broke the penalty record (now just held jointly with Barcelona)…
Thankfully it’s the only company that Sevco will keep with Barcelona as they’re thankfully The Espanyol of Glasgow !
Great performance today, but I’m glad of the break James. New blood in, current players rested, and then back on the training ground, and hopefully prioritising some corner and free kick drills.
Then kick on to another cup and league double! HH
I’ve been watching Celtic since 1974. My favourite season bar none in all those years was the centenary year when we won the double. My abiding memory of that season was the way we hit the teams early (also a lot of late winners). But going to watch Celtic and being comfortable early on made a lot of games a lovely relaxing day out. That’s what I saw today and I want to see lot more of that.
Bernardo us hitting top form. I have a warm fuzzy feeling about what’s still to come from him.
I get what you say about the up coming break but I am fine with it. Brendan definitely wants it as he had mentioned fatigue a few times before today.
As for the huns conceding a pen. I can’t believe it. They were SO CLOSE to that World Record. Lolz.
Absolutely nailed it,Roonsa !
Seriously, l nearly keeled over when it was announced that Killie had pulled one back from the penalty spot.
I had to watch the highlights show,just to see what kind of horrendous/barbaric infraction they had perpetrated to have the stand alone new world record for games without conceding a 12 yard freebie so cruelly snatched from their grasp.
Imagine my disbelief when the cause was revealed.
Goldson, the goalie in the last two teams of the season would NEVER have been penalised for that as he would have put on his “come” face as he scoffed at the very suggestion by Beathun that it was a penalty !
Old Cuprinol man Thompson on Sportscene didn’t tell the viewers whether they had actually played the additional 20 minutes caused by having to explain the handball rule to “The Skull” and also to Tavpen on why he wasn’t allowed to take it as per usual.
Would say that we have had tougher training sessions than that match this evening, but really due to the blistering start that has been missing on to many occasions to date this season so far.
Only mystery remains, as to how we only ended up scoring 3 in the end, and easily could have been double figures, if we were at our clinical best also?
Delighted to see our right hand side functioning much better in an attacking sense tonight.
Not to many times we have been able to say that so far this season, and outdoing the left side mainly due to Palma having a stinker tonight imo.
This squad is beginning to gel together nicely at present, and great to see the competition for starting positions starting to increase now, which I believe will be a massive added bonus to ourselves in the 2nd half of the season imo.
Agreed James that I still believe Maeda looks better on the left than the right, but that also seems to be the case with yang also currently.
Maybe this unbalanced feature within the front 3 needs to be addressed during January also, with the possible bonus of a player capable of playing through the centre also imo?
Rocki looking solid enough also, and comfortable and decent enough with his passing out from the back, so good signs within him also as a player for ourselves.
Paulo getting better by the game and growing hugely in confidence and quality now, that suggest it would be money well spent to make him a permanent player for ourselves imo?
Decent enough 1st half of the season, even if plenty more work required from the team to make it another fairly successful campaign, but nothing to suggest it can’t be achieved either?
Happy new year to all Tim’s worldwide
Excellent win and it allows us a wee break until it all resumes later in the month. Very important we get the requisite signings in early. Loved our win v Sevco and their post match moans are fairly predictable. Till we get an independent refereeing system in place, it will never change !
Well done Celtic tonight good display and 3 points the rest will do the whole team good they will get some rest and get ready for the run in just keep playing the way they have over the last 4 matches and if we could add a good goal scorer even better let’s see how things turn out.
There won’t be any new blood.
Off ye go with your negativity,we will strengthen
What is going on in Scottish football just now James ?
Sevco Scotland had balogun sent off on Saturday then a penalty against them on Tuesday.
Are the officials finally doing their jobs properly or are they just doing this to stop an investigation into their corrupt practices.
Methinks it’s the latter and after the winter break it will be back to normal as far as favouring sevco goes.
I’ve had a bit of a liking of St Mirren going back to the days of success in the Anglo Scottish Cup and youngsters such as Stark, Peter Weir, Fitzpatrick, Abercrombie, there’s a name, and the magnificent Frank McGarvey, God rest his soul. At times they played a brand of football that could trouble any opposition and produce banana skin fixtures and that’s how I seen this one tonight. So I was pleased that O’Hara was missing, there’s potential in that boy, but more so in the way we turned up and performed and so easily brushed aside.
Football’s a funny old game. Two weeks ago I couldn’t wait for the winter break, team performance linked coupled with a bit of a personal wobble, and now we’re hitting some form again I’m regretting that it’s happening. Bernardo is starting to impress and the midfield looks a pretty good unit with him in it. Where that leaves the likes of Turnbull and an unfit as yet Hatate, Asia Cup bound somehow, is another interesting quandary to be resolved in the January sales.
The transfer market is now upon us and if we can’t buy quality, 1st team ready upfront, LB and CB quality, then I’d still rather a couple of top notch loans than spend for the sake of it.
We must win this league, the importance can not be overstated. Not simply for this season’s one-upmanship or guaranteed CL group stage entry for next season but more significantly to get ever nearer to the 56 and the overtaking of the combined effort of the 2 hun clubs. This more than any Glasgow derby result is what’s gonna truly break them. HH
100% agree with your closing remark,bud.
Once we overtake their combined trophy tallies and especially their contrived 55 their collective heads will explode.
We desperately need a new goalkeeper because, much as l love him,The Sacred Hart is no longer capable of eradicating the clangers he drops into the mix .
We also need a proven goalscorer in the Robbie Keane/ Craig Bellamy mould,even if it’s on a 6 month loan.
A fit and raring to go Jamie Vardy might be the answer to our prayers.
We might just get by without the rest of the required upgrades until the summer.
There are 2 things l worry about more than the Huns on the subject of winning the title and they are
1: Our chairman, CEO and board of charlatans
2 The Masons in the VAR studio and the others with their miniature flutes,sorry, whistles.
I thought it was a good performance, but not a great one, a relaxed, focused effort, but without hitting the actual heights. I still feel something is missing, that added ingredient, the ‘x’ factor, whatever. We are close to top form but not quite there yet. That extra quality that Brendan talks about is still missing and hopefully he can make the signings that will improve our overall output. I’m sure everyone will appreciate a well earned rest and I am looking forward to a resumption of the league campaign with a freshness and added fizz that will hopefully lift us to greater football levels.
Back to free-flowing football what a difference when Taylor isn’t held back let him have a free reign.
Aye…..and then get pumped in Europe next season because he has no idea how to defend properly.
I thought the recent criticism of ‘Recruitment’ was going a bit overboard, these signings need to play to be appreciated. As for acquiring ‘experience’, that’s exactly what they’ll do, given selection.
That’s a good point John S but I appreciate the 3pts more, something they weren’t providing or weren’t yet ready too.
The acquisition of a decent goalie would be useful even a loan to buy deal. Hart’s still good but not great anymore and if an injury hits we’re weak in the wrong place. I agree Johnny something is still missing. Larsson? HH
The article seems to be making a pretty big presumption about Celtic making ‘some new signings’.