Are we far behind them?

[cooponthewing 1,139]

After watching their feeble performance last night my expectations have risen greatly! Their defence is abysmal too. How they managed to get through last night is a mystery and a travesty. I'm convinced they will be well and truly humbled/horsed in the group stages.

 

I take back everything I said about our visit to the piggery. They are nothing to be apprehensive about and I genuinely hope the sheep have a go at them this weekend. If they do I fancy there to be some livestock festivities up there after! Sales of wellies will be on a high for August??lol

[Tannochsidebear 2,406]

I didnt watch them last night, I just cant unless they are getting thumped, and last night didnt count as that as they were never behind in the tie.

 

I dont usually worry about how well they are playing IF we are playing well ourselves. A good Rangers team will always beat a good tim team IMO, simply because I am biased that way. That is partly why I get so frustrated about our lack of transfer activity in the two areas that needed it most last season, and still do. Centre defence and centre forward. With Garner's arrival at last along with Dodoo we are to hope we are better equipped up front, but we have done nothing but bring in a different sub (Hill) for the two calamity twins at the back. I cannot hold out much hope for a victory at the piggery if we go into it with those two. They simply make far too many mistakes every single week for us to be confident.

 

It so happens that whatever strength the tims do have seems to be up front as well, with Griffiths Sinclair Dembele etc all supposedly playing well and scoring goals.

 

And so for all that the two clubs have changed enormously since April, the result will be dependant on who can outscore the other, just as it was back then. If we get in one or two centre backs, our task would be made that much easier.

[cooponthewing 1,139]

Good points tb! If we can even get one CH, Senderos for example, I wouldn't put it past us to win at the piggery. Would put money on in fact.

[Rousseau 10,607]

I read the OP as asking how far we are away from them in general. In that sense I believe we are still quite a bit behind. Their resources far exceed our own.

 

If it's asking can we beat them next time we play, then yes, of course. In the same way any team can beat another in a one-off game.

[Blinkyman 0]

Ah well, wee are shite and they are going to hump us off the park:)

 

This ............................................................

[Anchorman 0]

I read the OP as asking how far we are away from them in general. In that sense I believe we are still quite a bit behind. Their resources far exceed our own. If it's asking can we beat them next time we play, then yes, of course. In the same way any team can beat another in a one-off game.

 

"I must admit to have been feeling a bit doom and gloom about us going to the San Giro. Then I watched that tonight...................." I think its pretty clear what I was saying. I know fine any team can win a one off game. As clearly stated i was merely expressing how my state of mind about the game had changed. Nothing more, nothing less.

[BlackSocksRedTops 3,751]

I watched their match last night and assume they were at full strength.

They were pitiful. They have the look of eleven guys all playing for themselves with no plan at work. That's hardly surprising Brenda always struck me as one of those guys who just happened to get lucky. He'll stagger around from club to club leaving wreckage in his wake for as long as he's a manager.

Celtic were garbage last night there is no other word for it.

My expectations have risen after seeing that defence.

 

I rate Rodgers to a point. He got lucky at Liverpool with Saurez and a fully fit Sturiddge for a one off wonder season but as soon as Saurez left and Sturridge got injured, Liverpool dropped from potential Champions to the 7th/8th in the table

[JFK-1 1,693]

Wonder what will happen if we have the Racist being man-marked by Rossiter?

 

I would absolutely love to see that because though I haven't seen every minute of every match in what I have seen Rossiter has proven himself to be a little terrier. I still don't recall seeing him losing out when he goes in on an opponent who has the ball and that would be mightily frustrating to whoever might be the target of his attention in their own midden. Bettered by a teenager.

 

Prior to the season starting the majority opinion around here is that there was no way Rossiter would be a regular starter but rather that he was back up and 'one for the future'

 

Yet there he is becoming a regular starter and quietly earning rave reviews arguably more so than any of the more experienced and illustrious names recently signed. Whoever is targeted as being subject to his attention in the match with them is going to be harassed non stop run into the ground by a teenager who can run all day and that alone could become key.

 

And as has been mentioned if we can just start taking our chances then we will be right in there. Hopefully Joe Garner is the answer and given that Mr Warburton who must have had the last say on making such an outlay for him obviously thinks he can do a job i'm greatly encouraged.

 

We also may still get a new CB before this match and when you consider that just a couple of men can make a vast difference to a side i'm remaining positive and even more so after watching them being played off the park last night when they came within an inch of total humiliation. Imagine the scenario today if that penalty had gone in.

 

That's how close they came to an outcome which would have seen a meltdown of epic proportions this morning. The wailing and screaming if we beat them on their own territory would also reach impressive levels whereas if we lose then that's only what they and the media expect to see.

 

We have nothing to lose and they have everything to lose. Let's go into it with a positive outlook and understand that no matter what happens we are still on course for the major priority of European football next season.

 

On an aside i'm just irritated than at a time when we want matches in quick succession for the purpose of achieving optimal match fitness and gelling that there will be a 15 day break with no competitive matches after Friday before facing them. We need to take what he has in mind as his starting 11 to Linfield on September 3rd to maintain their fitness and sharpness as much as possible.

[JohnMc 2,750]

By my reckoning only three of our likely starting line-up will have played at Parkhead for us before, that's a big disadvantage. A hostile, full Parkhead gives them an advantage and I worry some of our players might freeze. I expect Celtic will come at us from the first whistle, close us down and put us on the back foot, if we can weather that and keep moving the ball we'll silence their support. But if a few of our players freeze and Celtic get an early goal I expect a long, difficult afternoon. They're a momentum team, geared up to attack and if we let them it might be horrible.

I also don't think they're that much better than us, but home advantage really helps them and our form has been patchy, but the match is still a few weeks away and a lot can happen between now and then.

Rodgers sides were never good defensively and his player recruitment was patchy at best, but he can motivate players and he can get the best out of attacking players, so we'll need to be careful.

Edited August 24, 2016 by JohnMc

[JFK-1 1,693]

Despite it being an away match we will still have a vocal support in there who will be even more vocal if we get into our rhythm and go at them which would also silence their own hordes.

 

The atmosphere wont be a million miles away from that the team experienced at Hampden and we have solid pros such as Barton in there who have played in front of many a large hostile crowd and some people are actually motivated by that kind of thing. I want to see Garner up to speed and starting in it because he's the type who can really noise up both their players and their support and I think he may revel in it.

 

We need a referee like the one at Ibrox on Saturday who was turning a blind eye to many Motherwell transgressions because Garner in particular is apparently an extremely physical guy who will be getting right in about them in a big way and we don;t want a large part of his game negated by an early card.

 

And on that topic many have stated that we have been lacking a physical presence like that up front. Well Garner has been labeled by people who have played with and against him as a "human battering ram"