The Offical Glasgow Celtic thread

[JimStynes]

I'd take a draw at present. We're improving but still need to make much more progress. A win would be great and gives us a real shot in the arm.

I do think the huns are vulnerable though and we know the gap was 19 points at one point, if that then narrows to single digit figures, the pressure is gradually growing and growing on them. In many ways the weight of expectation has now moved on Sevco and it's now them that have to handle it and we know their track record under Gerrard in the second half of the season. The St Mirren loss really added some doubts there.

If we can win on Saturday, then the pressure is absolutely huge on them. Should Celtic lose, it's looking like the final nail in the coffin. A draw keeps us there but is an opportunity missed.

This is a new rangers team. They're not going to buckle under pressure and go on a 3/4 game losing streak. They've played 21 and won 19. The pressure is on Celtic to win the games in hand.

[Angelo]

I'd take a draw at present. We're improving but still need to make much more progress. A win would be great and gives us a real shot in the arm.

I do think the huns are vulnerable though and we know the gap was 19 points at one point, if that then narrows to single digit figures, the pressure is gradually growing and growing on them. In many ways the weight of expectation has now moved on Sevco and it's now them that have to handle it and we know their track record under Gerrard in the second half of the season. The St Mirren loss really added some doubts there.

If we can win on Saturday, then the pressure is absolutely huge on them. Should Celtic lose, it's looking like the final nail in the coffin. A draw keeps us there but is an opportunity missed.

This is a new rangers team. They're not going to buckle under pressure and go on a 3/4 game losing streak. They've played 21 and won 19. The pressure is on Celtic to win the games in hand.

How is it a new Rangers team?

Bar Roofe, it's pretty much the same XI as last season that bottled it after Xmas when the expectation shifted to them. I think there are serious bottle questions over Gerrard's Rangers. Look at the League Cup a few weeks ago. The big issue is Celtic who have gifted Rangers every opportunity to not feel the pressure.

[marty34]

Celtic had 7 wingers last season-
Forrest - injured as u say,
Johnston - injured as u say,
Sinclair - couldn't get a starting place,
Hayes - played more as a left wing back due to injuries,
Morgan - not good enough for Celtic,
shved - has potential but was told by his current manager to go get a job in a factory or change your attitude
arzani - Injured and was not our player anyway

The point i was making was that we should've kept one or 2 of those players for cover or bought cover. As it was with the injuries to forrest and johnston we were left without wingers. Sinclair or Hayes would've been very good options for us this year.

Fair enough but i'm sure no one could have predicted two long term injuries at that time. There was a time we'd that many wingers we didn't know what to do with them and now we're lost without the only two we have.

Whose fault is that?

[Angelo]

Celtic had 7 wingers last season-
Forrest - injured as u say,
Johnston - injured as u say,
Sinclair - couldn't get a starting place,
Hayes - played more as a left wing back due to injuries,
Morgan - not good enough for Celtic,
shved - has potential but was told by his current manager to go get a job in a factory or change your attitude
arzani - Injured and was not our player anyway

The point i was making was that we should've kept one or 2 of those players for cover or bought cover. As it was with the injuries to forrest and johnston we were left without wingers. Sinclair or Hayes would've been very good options for us this year.

Fair enough but i'm sure no one could have predicted two long term injuries at that time. There was a time we'd that many wingers we didn't know what to do with them and now we're lost without the only two we have.

Ehhhhh Johnston has been a long term injury absentee since last season, he has been out for 10 months. His injury status was well known. We did not have an alternative to Forrest once we let Shved go so it's clearly a failure by management and the board.

Lennon decided he was going to go 3-5-2 in any case but then had to abandon that when the players he had were not comfortable with it.

[thebar]

I'd take a draw at present. We're improving but still need to make much more progress. A win would be great and gives us a real shot in the arm.

I do think the huns are vulnerable though and we know the gap was 19 points at one point, if that then narrows to single digit figures, the pressure is gradually growing and growing on them. In many ways the weight of expectation has now moved on Sevco and it's now them that have to handle it and we know their track record under Gerrard in the second half of the season. The St Mirren loss really added some doubts there.

If we can win on Saturday, then the pressure is absolutely huge on them. Should Celtic lose, it's looking like the final nail in the coffin. A draw keeps us there but is an opportunity missed.

Take a draw? Wise up fella draw no good at this stage if we want to assert any pressure on Rangers.

[JimStynes]

I'd take a draw at present. We're improving but still need to make much more progress. A win would be great and gives us a real shot in the arm.

I do think the huns are vulnerable though and we know the gap was 19 points at one point, if that then narrows to single digit figures, the pressure is gradually growing and growing on them. In many ways the weight of expectation has now moved on Sevco and it's now them that have to handle it and we know their track record under Gerrard in the second half of the season. The St Mirren loss really added some doubts there.

If we can win on Saturday, then the pressure is absolutely huge on them. Should Celtic lose, it's looking like the final nail in the coffin. A draw keeps us there but is an opportunity missed.

How is it a new Rangers team?

Bar Roofe, it's pretty much the same XI as last season that bottled it after Xmas when the expectation shifted to them. I think there are serious bottle questions over Gerrard's Rangers. Look at the League Cup a few weeks ago. The big issue is Celtic who have gifted Rangers every opportunity to not feel the pressure.

This is a new rangers team. They're not going to buckle under pressure and go on a 3/4 game losing streak. They've played 21 and won 19. The pressure is on Celtic to win the games in hand.

I'm not talking about new players. I'm talking about their mentality. They've dropped 4 points all year, had a brilliant run in Europe. Players like Kamara and Airbo are playing brilliant for them and they look hard to beat. The pressure is certainly on Celtic. If Celtic beat them on Sunday and they drop points away to Aberdeen we will soon see if they can't handle the pressure. The biggest problem for me is that I can't see Celtic winning all their games in hand. I hope French Eddie is playing himself into a bit of form at the minute. If he is playing well then we could go on a good run. He's the best player in the league by a mile.

[marty34]

I'd take a draw at present. We're improving but still need to make much more progress. A win would be great and gives us a real shot in the arm.

I do think the huns are vulnerable though and we know the gap was 19 points at one point, if that then narrows to single digit figures, the pressure is gradually growing and growing on them. In many ways the weight of expectation has now moved on Sevco and it's now them that have to handle it and we know their track record under Gerrard in the second half of the season. The St Mirren loss really added some doubts there.

If we can win on Saturday, then the pressure is absolutely huge on them. Should Celtic lose, it's looking like the final nail in the coffin. A draw keeps us there but is an opportunity missed.

This is a new rangers team. They're not going to buckle under pressure and go on a 3/4 game losing streak. They've played 21 and won 19. The pressure is on Celtic to win the games in hand.

I agree Jim.

Pressure is all on Celtic. Rangers will be happy with a draw but Celtic need the win.

It's a chance for Celtic to cut the gap.  Otherwise, they are waiting for Rangers to slip up, while at the same time Celtic must win their game.  This is the chance Celtic are waiting on!

In my opinion, I think Celtic need to watch a rerun of the last few derby games, where Rangers have completely dominated Celtic, and get about 10 Celtic supporters, between old and young, on a Zoom meeting with the full panel and management on Friday and tell them how they need a stronger performance (they can use their own language). Let them cut loose on the players as they need a rocket up them.  His and Kennedy's half time team talk must be poor also.

Lennon's team talk before these games must be sh%te as they are so passive in the first 10 mins...and it gets gradually worse as the game goes on. Let the supporters loose on them and get them fired up, especially with no supporters there.

For all, this is the game of the season, the 10 in a row is on the line. 

All or nothing.

[Angelo]

I'd take a draw at present. We're improving but still need to make much more progress. A win would be great and gives us a real shot in the arm.

I do think the huns are vulnerable though and we know the gap was 19 points at one point, if that then narrows to single digit figures, the pressure is gradually growing and growing on them. In many ways the weight of expectation has now moved on Sevco and it's now them that have to handle it and we know their track record under Gerrard in the second half of the season. The St Mirren loss really added some doubts there.

If we can win on Saturday, then the pressure is absolutely huge on them. Should Celtic lose, it's looking like the final nail in the coffin. A draw keeps us there but is an opportunity missed.

Take a draw? Wise up fella draw no good at this stage if we want to assert any pressure on Rangers.

But a defeat is detrimental.

As long as we don't lose ground now I am confident of the huns crumbling. I think they are very mentally brittle when the pressure comes on. If we lose the league is over.

[From the Bunker]

Hammer the hammer. You have to be getting all three points. A draw is only pussy-footing about your intention to win the League. Get the three points, put the pressure on Gerrard. He was in a similar position last year and waned to the pressure.

[Angelo]

Hammer the hammer. You have to be getting all three points. A draw is only pussy-footing about your intention to win the League. Get the three points, put the pressure on Gerrard. He was in a similar position last year and waned to the pressure.

I want a win but I'd take a draw now if offered.

I still think we can get them back if we draw, I think it's over if we lose.

[thebar]

Hammer the hammer. You have to be getting all three points. A draw is only pussy-footing about your intention to win the League. Get the three points, put the pressure on Gerrard. He was in a similar position last year and waned to the pressure.

I want a win but I'd take a draw now if offered.

I still think we can get them back if we draw, I think it's over if we lose.

Draw is as good as defeat does nothing to to bring the gap down and put a little pressure on...anything less than a win and its over for Celtic.

[Angelo]

Hammer the hammer. You have to be getting all three points. A draw is only pussy-footing about your intention to win the League. Get the three points, put the pressure on Gerrard. He was in a similar position last year and waned to the pressure.

I want a win but I'd take a draw now if offered.

I still think we can get them back if we draw, I think it's over if we lose.

Draw is as good as defeat does nothing to to bring the gap down and put a little pressure on...anything less than a win and its over for Celtic.

Draw is not as good as a defeat. A draw puts us 19 points behind a minimum of 10 points behind even if we win all our games in hand. We need to win but it's curtains if we draw.

Turning a 7 point gap around can happen quite quickly, we have chased that kind of gap down before. After we lost at CP last year we went 1 point behind with Rangers having a game in hand, a 4 point gap if Rangers win their game in hand. If we draw on Saturday, it's a 7 point gap if Celtic win their games in hand.

Celtic have the advantage of the league now being the their sole focus. Sevco have the Europa League to deal with it too. You'd fancy that they will beat Antwerp so Celtic should catch up on those games by the end of February. One thing this Rangers team have not done well under Gerrard is handle pressure. They shat it last season when the going got tough, they shat it in St Mirren in the League Cup when the pressure mounted.

We need to get a run of wins going, I think we still have a chance with a draw Saturday as they are brittle, they just haven't been pressured yet. If we get a draw and win all our games after until we meet them again, I think they'd start to wobble.

[Main Street]

It's a team that looks to be on the way to being settled, confident  and capable of beating Rangers, the only negative is a fear that this game is a few games too soon.
I'd say win this game and considering Rangers have 2 tough away games, Celtic's  title challenge could be resurrected.  A draw would only prolong the agony.

[general_lee]

The season hinges on a win. Psychologically as well as putting points on the table. A draw would prolong the inevitable and a defeat would spell disaster.

[illdecide]

Getting nervous now for tomorrow, don't think i can cope if we lose with Slippy G smiling afterwards giving his interview. NL has a few big calls tomorrow...If Jullien doesn't make it will he play Bitton or Duffy. Laxalt or Taylor and he's made is clear he's playing Barkas in goals...

I suppose/expect the team to be...

Barkas
Frimpong
Bitton/Jullien
Ajer
Laxalt
Soro
McGregor
Christie
Turnbull
Griffiths
Edouard

Bench is strong TBH but just hope we're not chasing it depending on 3-4 from the bench trying to get us out of a hole...