The Offical Glasgow Celtic thread

[Myles Na G.]

Good win, the better team won. Pity Strachan had to try and play 'anti-soccer' with 'anti-soccer' in the first half in a 451 formation - but credit to him ,it worked (though imo caldwell in midfield is a disaster.
huns apart from mendes dont have a 'footballer' on their squad it seems !
a load of hatchet men and a couple of athletes !

Superb play by scott brown and mcgeady !

Thought O'Dea was Celtic's best. Very tidy on the ball, loads of composure for a young lad.

[Over the Bar]

I didnt think there was much between the sides before today and even  up until 70 mins it was hard to call a winner.   After that it could have been 4 or 5 to Celitc. The difference in class was obvious and while Cetic are no world beaters it would be a pity if a team as shite as Rangers won a league. 

Samaras is pants tho.  I know fellas who play sunday football would be better finishers. I am being serious btw.

Interstingly FIFA.com list 13 players as "ones to watch".  Brown and Ramsey for Arsenal are the only british players. Brown played v well today & dominated midfield and Ferguson, who isnt bad either it has to be said, knew he'd been roasted by look on his face. 

Scott Brown, 23, midfielder, Celtic (Scotland)
2009 begins with this dynamic box-to-box midfielder widely regarded Celtic and Scotland's most important and valuable player. Direct, athletic and combative, Brown has thrived after successfully curbing a reckless streak that blighted last season, his first at Celtic since winnig a £4.5 million move from Hibernian. So influential has the 23-year-old become, in fact, that the Scottish champions have reportedly turned down a £9 million bid from Portsmouth to take their midfield general south of the border during the January transfer window.

[Clown]

celtic had to go 4-5-1 today as hesslink and samaras are not worthy of starting in this team let alone in an old firm cup final

brown and mcgeady got forward well to support mcdonald, my only problem with the team selection was dropping crosas for hartley

celtic were always in control, they kept the ball well throughout, were solid defensively and eventually got wot they deserved and cud hav won by 4 or 5 nil
strachan got the tactics right with every celtic starting player putting in a decent performance, roll on the double

[Main Street]

It was my first Scottish game in ages, jaysus the standard is gone very poor, it was a feat of endurance to watch this on tv. and then they had extra time.
I would have to go back further than I can remember to recall Celtic playing worse football.

Good steady game by O'Dea, Ireland can do with a player like him at lb, a good honest game from McGeady.

I was impressed by Loovens, he would have been my MOTM along with Brown but Naka is in another class when it comes to finding the space, keeping possession, the vision to finding the sublime pass, I lost count of the number of times he showed for the ball only for his teammate to regard him as invisible.
He stayed a season too long, he is a diamond lost in that rough.
What has happened to Samaras? I know he was never blessed with a first touch but at least he had some confidence and ability. Now he has nothing, stripped to bone, bereft.
And Caldwell??

[T Fearon]

Good win and an absorbing if devoid of quality game.

Caldwell cannot play in midfield and it was distrubing to see a balloon like Lafferty cause Celtic's defence so many problems.

Still a win to savour but if Celtic were to lose Brown and Mc Geady to other clubs they would be in big trouble alright.

Mc Geady sprinting away from old Clubfoot before being taken down for the penalty was reminiscent of Bobby Lennox in his hey day

[Roger]

What does ORCS mean? 

[bennydorano]

The state of the pitch ahd a lot to do with the crapness of the game, it was a dead (hardly knitted) sod.  Tight until ET, but Celtic could have had 5 or 6 in the first 10 mins of ET alone.

[StGallsGAA]

What does ORCS mean? 

They are the hideous foot-soldiers of Mordor.

[Galwaybhoy]

Good win for Celtic over a very good Gers team.

It wouldnt suprise me if both Celtic and Rangers take a good stab at the Champions League next season.  Man Utd, Barca etc beware...

[Main Street]

Galwegian sarcasm?

[Gaoth Dobhair Abu]

If I'd been served the first 90 mins up as a meal, I would have sent it back, but over all was expecting a cagey performance from both teams, especially when I seen uncle Wallys 4-5-1 and Strachan following suit!
When Samaras (who I thought had a terrible game) did come on and the bhoys reverted to 4-4-2 they started taking over the game.
MOTM for me was a toss up between Aidaniho and Brown, O'Dea also had a good game, thought we were poor defensively AGAIN!

Anyway well done Celtic, hopefully this will set the scene for the rest of the season and 4-in-a-row.

Hail Hail

[Galwaybhoy]

Galwegian sarcasm?

Not at all.

And now to join McGeedy in the Irish first team, Trapattoni should introduce another world beater in Darren O'Dea.  I can just see the Italian national team shaking in their boots.

Fair play to the Bhoys, another cup in the bag, and Parkhead I'm sure would be an exciting attraction for some of the top footballers in the world, it will be time for the board to get their chequebook out come the summer!

[lynchbhoy]

Galwegian sarcasm?

Not at all.

And now to join McGeedy in the Irish first team, Trapattoni should introduce another world beater in Darren O'Dea.  I can just see the Italian national team shaking in their boots.

Fair play to the Bhoys, another cup in the bag, and Parkhead I'm sure would be an exciting attraction for some of the top footballers in the world, it will be time for the board to get their chequebook out come the summer!

O'Dea is a centre half, a better one imo than McManus and caldwell, but a makeshift LB is all he is. You need naturals in these positions, and O'dea is just verver going tobe the wing raiding full back that is seemingly missing from most teams these days.
However the young lad is a great centre half and imo is not far off getting a call up for Ireland, certainly better than McShane and obrien for centre and is understudy to dunne and o'shea imo.

Strachan HAS money to spend, its just he prefers to buy cheap scots players rather than splash out on decent internationally proven guys.

[Roger]

What does ORCS mean? 

They are the hideous foot-soldiers of Mordor.

I presumed he doesn't like Rangers but what does ORCS actually stand for?

[lfdown2]

reference to lord of the rings as is mordor ie govan, nothing for you to get excited about no sectarian referencing or such like...