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Beat Spurs and Ange becomes available. Just saying...

That team looks equipped to do the business. Bench is getting stronger. Glad to see the pitchforks against Clement returning to their cupboards. Aberdeen well within range. Spurs and Celtic are on a different level but whatever happens, patience should prevail.

The best way to approach this Cup Final is one of humility and respect. Pile all the expectation on Celtic. If we go into it bumping our gums about how good we are and that we expect to lift the cup, etc. .... It will almost certainly end badly.

At least you're not moaning about being 9 points behind Aberdeen now. Two points behind with a game in hand. Told you we'd comfortably get into second place.

That's also 9 points. 10 goals. 3 clean sheets.

3 points, 3 goals, a clean sheet and no injuries. Good days work, some excellent flowing football.

Maybe he can explain why we can’t beat the likes of Aberdeen, Killie and Dundee united then. Embarrassing comments from someone who should know better. It smacks of loser mentality and comes across as an expectation of defeat.

I'm fully behind Clemente; I think it's revealing how he has gradually changed the style of play and has been willing - albeit belatedly - to drop certain players. I disagree with Cammy about the Spurs game being less important than today's v Rossco: beat Spurs and our stock in Europe rises and it becomes easier to recruit players. We have already lost the league but we can still regain some kudos by beating Spurs and the Keltic. I'm more optimistic now than a couple of months ago.

Match frequency is too heavy for fragile players in a squad without depth.

Yeah we have to score first I agree on that

but who would you want? I got that desperate about six weeks ago I would have taken McInnes!

Yeah I get that and you and I were probably as scunnered as anyone after the SCF but we arguably should have won that game....... and we can beat them

I think its because Ange is there mate. I would love to beat them and then his old team. I've got the positive hat back on. I didn't like PC comments either but he cant win tbh at the moment

Enjoyed today. Despite the manager comments I am now quite looking forward to Thursday and Sunday. Sunday is definitely winnable and can see us getting something on Thursday.... maybe even sneak a win and get Big Ange his jotters

Absolutely. This has annoyed me for years.

Exactly what I thought when I heard those comments. Setting the narrative before a ball is kicked.

Although it didn't reach Wednesdays levels, the front 4 is looking lively and fluid. The opposing teams look like they are struggling to cope which is good to see.

??

He's not wrong.

Obstruction. No player should be allowed to shepherd the ball, players must play the football.

Now, steady on.. we speak of the latter two in hushed tones.

Every time I see or hear the name Jim Forrest I wonder just how many he would have scored if our gutless manager had told his chairman to keep to building houses and out of football matters.

Premiership very unpredictable this season. Liverpool's title to throw away.

@der Berliner posts the winter transfer thread, Shankland starts scoring. COINCIDENCE?!

Given the already farcical nature of VAR ,..players should have to wear clown shoes to take penalties.

A VAR dheck when a player claims an injury to the head when the an opponrnt has clearly contacted him somewgere alse,

All for it. What is more tedious than the ‘keeper standing like a statue as tall as he can manage, clutching the ball shoulder height and looking about him like Queen Victoria then making a few gestures as if to throw the ball out and eventually strolling to the other side of his goal and repeating. Instead of a corner, how about an indirect free kick from the penalty spot?

Diving - if a player is subsequently found to have dived and there is no contact, or where the player throws his leg out to make contact, they get a one-game ban and a weeks wages fine. For a second offence it doubles. A panel (with no connection to celtic) sits and reviews games on the Monday. Stopping the game for non-head injuries. The game is only stopped for head injuries while the ball is in play. None of this time-wasting where the players go down with cramp and the game gets stopped. If a player requires treatment from a non-contact injury they have to go off for a minute. If they dont require treatment the game continues immediately. The game can only be stopped by the referee, the players cant just kick the ball out to stop the game when someone goes down with cramp or a tight hammy. A clock for restarting play that counts down, 15 seconds to take a goal kick from the time the goal kick is awarded. It can take almost a minute to restart play sometimes and in this multi-ball era that should never be allowed to happen. And my own personal favourite, rolling subs allowed. Players can enter and leave the pitch only when the ball is out of play and at the halfway line but there is no limit to the number of subs and players can go off and back on later.

Oscar Cortes and Rabbi Matondo both back in full training

Thats like saying you'd rather be knocked down and killed by a bus than a train.

It's an interesting and difficult question but the starting XI condition is somewhat of a fallacy since most teams rotate fairly significantly nowadays. I'd suggest Lyall Cameron would be an obvious target and there are a few more worthy of consideration such as Clarkson, Penrice, Shankland and Mitov who could definitely become a factor over the next three windows. There are various others that we could argue we should have picked up earlier in the last 3-5 years. Generally though, right now, there aren't many who would immediately come in and improve the first XI per se. Improving the squad is a fairer consideration and Luke McCowan at Celtic has shown a player need not be young to be a decent addition either. We are struggling financially as a club so are going to have to be a lot cleverer in the market going forward. I'm quite pleased at the signing of Jefte and Igamane and there's no doubt as much as we need to explore other continents, we need to have our finger on the pulse domestically too.

If we sign Shankland (either in January or summer), it will show exactly just how little ambition the club has.