[FT] Celtic 2 - 0 Rangers

[SteveC 150]

i don't think the anger is at the result but the performance

 

team selection was a joke and the performance atrocious

 

Yes, the lack of fight was awful. I think though that there is a connection. When players know that their opponents are far better players, it can inspire defiance but it can, at other times lead to a depressive slump. We are playing them too often for it not to happen in some games.

 

 

PS Our big danger is it becoming just an accepted thing. Today was bizarre for an OF (or "Glasgow derby" as the Beeb now call it, under instruction) semi-final. It was like a training match at times.

Edited April 23, 2017 by SteveC
Added PS

[SteveC 150]

I do. I wouldn't have played Halliday - Toral would have been in the starting line up for me.

 

Agreed and I wouldn't have played Garner or Waghorn either. I said this pre-kick off, btw, it's not hindsight speaking but we don't see training, Toral apparently wasn't considered 100% (so why have him on the bench one wonders) .

 

Will be - to say the least - intriguing to see who starts on Saturday.

Edited April 23, 2017 by SteveC

[pj_1872 0]

Garner in the starting line up instead of Toral was the first mistake. Most frustrating for me was Waghorn. He was all over the shop, absolutely no composure on the ball or in front of goal.

 

I thought Tavernier played quite well. Him and Foderingham were the only ones that looked anywhere near their level. Midfield battle was lost and that was the main problem.

 

Start Dodoo and Toral next week and we're in with a chance.

[Uilleam 5,966]

I presume that the tabloids will be full of "strong referee" tomorrow ?

 

Possibly not; despite William Collum being a Religious Inquisitor at St Superstitia's Bigot Factory, Bellshill, he is hated and despised by rasellik support and its hangers on.

He may well be pilloried for allowing us to finish with a full complement of players, which happened, although, confusingly, we looked, for much of the game, like we were at least a man down.

Edited April 23, 2017 by Uilleam

[limeburner 0]

I do. I wouldn't have played Halliday - Toral would have been in the starting line up for me.

With hindsight,youre probably right,would he have made that big a difference though?Its a No from me.

[craig 5,199]

With hindsight,youre probably right,would he have made that big a difference though?Its a No from me.

 

We lost the midfield by all accounts, so you never know if it would have made a big difference. He may have prevented the 1st goal which in itself changes the dynamics of the game.

 

We will never know and, sadly, it simply doesn't matter anyway.

[SteveC 150]

Possibly not; despite William Collum being a Religious Inquisitor at St Superstitia's Bigot Factory, Bellshill, he is hated and despised by rasellik support and its hangers on.

He may well be pilloried for allowing us to finish with a full complement of players, which happened, although, confusingly, we looked, for much of the game, like we were at least a man down.

 

Yes indeed. Tom English for BBCeltic: "This was a difficult day for Rangers, but one can only speculate as to how much sorer it might have been had Andy Halliday been sent off after lunging in on Patrick Roberts early on. The Rangers midfielder took Roberts out and was fortunate to see yellow instead of red.

 

 

Rangers had been fortunate to escape a dismissal earlier with Halliday and were lucky again when Myles Beerman, already on a yellow for fouling Roberts, impeded him again a minute later."

[BrahimHemdani 1]

We were effectively playing a 4-3-3 were we not (from the last 15 of the 1st half that I saw - only piece of the game I did see) - and with them playing 5 in midfield as a 4-2-3-1 that was always going to be difficult. They found acres of space in midfield from the 15 minute spell I saw because their midfield 5 gave them tons of width whilst our 3, if we tried to match that width, resulted in chasms through the middle.

 

We did indeed play 4-3-3 in the first half and were overrun because we were short in midfield and didn't press them at all. In the second half we went 4-4-2 almost 4-2-4 and made some inroads attacking them on the wings. But our first shot on target was Miller's header after what 70 or 75 minutes.

 

Celtic dominated this match for all but a brief period towards the end when it didn't really matter. As has been remarked numerous times not one of our players would get close to being in their team so the only way to beat them was to get in their faces with a dominant team performance from the start and we failed miserably.

 

Brown was imperious in midfield. It must have felt like stealing candy from a baby for him. Quite possibly the easiest afternoon he's ever had in an old firm match.

 

Sorry to say this was men against boys.

[Oleg_Mcnoleg 50]

Midfield in the first half was just embarrassing and I'll be disappointed if I see Garner start another game. Waghorm worked hard but his inability to finish has gone beyond a joke.

[limeburner 0]

We lost the midfield by all accounts, so you never know if it would have made a big difference. He may have prevented the 1st goal which in itself changes the dynamics of the game.

 

We will never know and, sadly, it simply doesn't matter anyway.

It will matter for next week though!!Lets see if PC will change things.Its important that he takes performances like this on board.