“Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change.”
Celtic 5: 2 Falkirk
On last weeks podcast, we looked ahead to the Falkirk game and wondered just how many changes would Brendan Rodgers make to the side that had gubbed Bratislava. The general consensus was 2 or 3, maybe even 4 at a push depending on any niggles, but no great shake-ups. How wrong we were.
When the team was announced, it was a shock.
Maybe not so much for the forward line of Palma, Idah and Forrest but for the decision to field a totally brand new defence compromising of 2 newbies in Valle and Trusty and with Stephen Welsh returning and Anthony Ralston starting.
I swear you could immediately hear 1000000 people logging on to their Betting accounts to see the odds on Falkirk scoring.
Sure enough, despite a decent start with James Forrest and Bernardo showing some classy touches, those defence fears were justified in the 11th minute when Falkirk took the lead. Targeting their attacks towards our left channel, saw Falkirk send a diagonal which saw a Valle header lead to a stray ball on the edge of the Celtic box. The Falkirk number 9 McIver strode up with ease and slammed into the back of the net with aplomb from the edge of the box. Questions could be asked about a foul on Valle but more of a worry was Reo ball watching and letting the guy get the shot with no semblance of a challenge.
Falkirk then had another great chance when another ball was played down the left side which saw them race clear and outpace the Celtic defence but no finish thankfully. This was similar to Bratislava break midweek and something we need to ensure we cut out moving forward.
Celtic looked to find their way into the game but the regulars were leggy and off it and the newbies and wannabe benchwarmers were like rabbits in the headlights. Passes were going behind players and there was no cohesion or composure, until the 21st minute. Taking a ball out on the Celtic left hand side, Reo chipped a lovely ball into the racing Valle who nodded the ball down to Paulo Bernardo. The Portuguese U21 captain said “Obrigado!” and volleyed home for a beautiful goal.
1:1 and surely it would be plain sailing now thought Celtic fans.
Sadly not.
Falkirk didn’t retreat but instead grew even more into the game and indeed took the game to Celtic and had some half chances and then a good shot from ex-Celt Calvin Miller saved by the Celtic keeper. They got their rewards just before half time when, again down the Celtic left, Valle appeared to be fouled but Falkirk didn’t hang around and took advantage. A soft lob into the box saw Yeats rise and easily head into the bottom corner with Schmeichel rooted to the spot and the Celtic centre halves all at sea.
The half time whistle went and the question of just how many changes would Brendan be making resurfaced.
Amazingly the answer was none, with the same poor XI starting the second half.
Celtic tried to move out of 1st gear but attempts were being nullified or the crosses just not being met. Adam Idah, understandably, began to shown some frustration at the lack of action. The wingers were failing to beat their men and generate even half a chance for him to get onto. Falkirk were more than happy at this as the Celtic Nbr 9 came deeper and deeper. . The question was would he get the service needed up at the business end of the park before he got hooked for Kyogo on the bench.
Thankfully, Brendan finally saw sense on the hour mark and made wholesale changes.
Engels swapped for a tired Hatate, Yang replaced the frustrating Palma, Kuhn came on for a ineffective Forrest and Taylor replaced the exposed Valle.
Engels and Yang would have an impact but this game would turn into the Kuhn and Idah show.
Within half an hour, the game would be wrapped up in a pretty bow.
Nicholas Kuhn has been a revelation so far this season and continued his great form with a dynamic half hour display.
On 69 minutes, Taylor played the ball to Ralston who slid a lovely through ball to Kuhn racing into the box down the Celtic left. The German winger slid a lovely ball across for Idah to slot home for the equaliser, despite a long VAR check.
Within a minute, the game was effectively over. Kuhn won the ball on the Celtic right this time. Kuhn found Idah in the middle facing 2 Falkirk defenders. The Irish international showed lovely composure to play the ball through the gap and stride on through to slot the ball home. A lovely goal and great to see the big forward get his rewards for what had been a long day for both him and the fans.
10 minutes later we would see Kuhn get his first of the day when he ran through to meet a lovely Engels ball. With only the keeper to beat, Kuhn took his time and deftly lifted the ball over the Falkirk stopper and into the next for the Celtic fourth. It would only a few minutes until he got his second and Celtics 5th when he hit a great shot from just outside the box after a bit of a stramash and a lovely double backheel from Adam Idah.
Kaspar Schmeichel made a nice save just before Falkirk had a man sent off for a thigh high tackle on Ralston and the game duly finished.
On reflection 5:2 was a more than generous score-line given all that Falkirk had contributed. They showed why they were a team with the longest unbeaten record before coming to Celtic Park and ex Celt Head Scout John McGlynn and his side could leave Parkhead with their heads held high and their confidence undented.
Celtic’s class eventually ran out the winners but a few lessons were harshly learnt.
Its a semi-final versus a reborn Aberdeen next. We can expect a full strength starting XI!
MOTM – Adam Idah
Brendan may have a few thoughts on his Squad players after this poor display. Palma just never really got going in a game, a game perfectly set up for him to remind us what he could possibly offer. James Forrest looks more of a “last 30 minutes” player these days rather than a starter. At the back, Valle had a tough opening game but he stuck in and helped create the Celtic opener. It will have been a harsh lesson for the young guy but a baptism of fire might just be what he needs as an introduction to Scottish Football. In the centre Auston Trusty didn’t show anything on his full match debut and he and Welsh amazingly looked like 2 players who had never played together, whats the chances of that I wonder?
Stephen Welsh looked miles off it sadly, passes going behind players and just a general lack of confidence.
As for the subs, they all showed exactly why they are first team regulars or regulars on the bench. Taylor didnt have much to do in fairness, Engels helped set up at least 1 goal, Yang showed great application ( Take note Mr Palma!) and had some great direct runs and one lovely move where his shot was saved by the Falkirk keeper but the star was undoubtedly Kuhn. 2 goals and 2 assists in 30 minutes. Very impressive indeed.
Given he was only on 30 minutes, we wont give him the MOTM award though.
The two starting players who did show up were Paulo Bernardo and Adam Idah.
Bernardo was the main man in Midfield and he kept going right to the end and also scored a wonderful goal.
Idah had to endure the game being played elsewhere for long periods but the big man bided his time and got his rewards with some great finishing and positional play. Idah scored 2 so we will give the award to him for his goals and perseverance. Strikers always get the glory in football.
Thanks Desi – great summary!
It was a League Cup game he did the right thing, giving regulars a break. You always knew the outcome of the game, so much so, put £50.00 on the Bhoys at half time, nice we earner. Falkirk were good but tired dramatically in the latter stages. As for the newbies, give the, a chance, good game to break them in. As for Palma, Welsh really poor. Hatate looked out on his feet, but Bernardo was classy.
There will be ups and downs, but overall the difference in Celtic is strong closing.
Totally agree and extra pleasing that he didn’t change it all up at HT. He gave them to the hour mark to turn it around and only when they still couldn’t do it, did he turn to the cavalry. Of course, with the quality on the bench, it was easier to do that.
Agree that Valle was probably fouled for 1st and 2nd goals and, at one stage when clearly fouled from the back, he stopped and threw up his hands in exasperation in not been given for an obvious foul.
Hopefully he now understands the way we’re reffed domestically and he adapts to that rather than what he’s used to previously.
Similarly, not writing any of the other new bhoys off, who hopefully will get better for this rude introduction to Scottish football. Not just the officiating but also the surprise, to them, of a lower league side’s quality.
Tend to agree with Carrvale. I believe Brendan had to make changes, try out Valle, see if Trusty offers more than CCV or Scales, haven’t but he could be a good giver. Nawrocki was not in long but looked very effective. He had his insurance policy, Taylor really made a difference in pushing the team on, Engels and Khun are elite. Valle may well develop, very similar to Bernabei and like the latter with Maeda Valle occupied Palma’s space more than Taylor ever goes.
All it took was 3 players of change. Bang, 4 goals.
I wonder if Michael Stewart even noticed the change in score? No, because he is still scrapping his Falkirk FC jocks off. He was a disgrace in the calling of the game.
An opportunity to experiment and get some views of squad players. Brendan trying to find out what type of team he can field post European games. That said Falkirk were actually better than most premier sides we have played. I think Brendan has some more thinking to do on a second string side.
So, if you try to comment here and the dreaded “Awaiting for Moderation” comes up, is that the comment binned or is there just no moderator, giving the same outcome?
Ha, I replied but got Awaiting for approval.
This
It’s killing the site. No wonder people have drifted away.
It is indeed, Owen.
Coupled with the fact there’s hardly ever any articles, even getting access can also be difficult, with a regular Service Unavailable notice popping up instead.
All this and the comments closing after 7 days means the sense of a once tight community has been completely annihilated, which is a real shame.
Whats the point even clicking on a site we can’t access, can’t comment on and when we do get past these barriers, we then must face the dreaded ‘Awaiting For Approval’ of our thoughts, and this over the most innocuous words and phrases?
Not to mention Ralph’s ridiculous patronising of the readers with his outrageous defending of the board.
A real shame as this was once the best Tim sites on Earth for insights, banter and laughs.
Now we don’t even get a caption competition.
To be fair, I believe Ralph is entitled to his opinion and he has serious family matters to attend to which often means the diary goes into cold storage. But the moderation problem is long standing and ongoing – it surely can’t be beyond the wit of man to find a solution. I fear for the future of etims at this rate.
Of course he’s entitled to his opinion but he doesn’t have to insult us as hubristic incompetents while expressing it.
I didn’t know about his family matters as I read it was the fault of one of the more garrulous posters that had him back off from writing but this ‘Awaiting For Approval’ business is a relatively straightforward matter to fix.
I hope all’s well with him and the site finds its footing once again as Desi is doing a fine job and it would be a real shame to see such a once thriving blog fail due to simple negligence.
HH
I know the poster you refer to and he certainly disrupts the site on a regular basis in his various ‘personas’ but eventually he gets banned and the site can return to normal for a while. I believe other issues are behind the site’s intermittent appearance in recent months but even when it came back recently it was noticeable how many familiar names had disappeared from the comments section. I’m sure the arbitrary nature of moderation doesn’t help in that regard.
See above Cha.
COYBIG.
It’s a complete nonsense and a shame for all concerned as (in this case) Desi has taken some time to provide his match report and many have spent time writing a reply.
I tried reading yours Cha but even taking a pic and magnifying it, it broke up too much to read!
Just posted Cha’s reply verbatim and, what do you know, it’s been blocked!
Cheers Cha and Owen, but it’s (“Awaiting for Approval”) a very poor show.
I’m glad to say I got to read Cha’s comment this time but it’s all very frustrating.
“So the definitive answer is, it depends.” HaHaHa, Brilliant!
The naughtier side of me thinks, for a wee laugh, the next Diary, whenever it may be, read it and EVERYONE who reads it comment “Awaiting for approval”.
good for the goose and all that. 🙂
If you click on it, it should be legible but it maybe different on different devices.
Keeping up with the neighbours leaves Gilligan craving moonbeams and miracles.
sevco impoverished spent FC.
If Valle is the (only) designated backup to Taylor then we need to stress test him to see if he’s up to the job.
If we simple wait until Taylor’s unavailable, this might coincide with an important European game, when he’s not going to be up to speed.
Sure, Sunday was a mixed bag but there was rustiness there and hopefully that’s been shaken from him.
Provded there’s been no adverse reaction, I would play him from the start against St Johnstone who, at the moment, are no better than Falkirk and maybe worse.
Taylor will, obviously, be back for Dortmund when he and his team-mates will probably have a busy time, so the fittest and freshest he is, the better.
A complication is that CCV may be missing, so Rodgers may not want to make any other changes to the back-line, given the problems this caused last weekend.
Pretty much spot on re Valle – I think the boy’s definitely got technical ability in abundance but needs to work a lot harder on the defensive side of his game. He also has to become a lot more battle-hardened and streetwise in order to deal more effectively with the rigours of the Scottish game so, as you say, the best way for him to develop those necessary attributes is through more game time. The doubts as regards CCV’s avaliability for next week’s big game are a serious worry and I desperately hope that Trusty doesn’t turn out to be another Nat Philips or Shane Duffy, especially given what we’ve shelled out for him. He’s certainly got enough experience under his belt so hopefully he can kick on from his mediocre debut and improve quickly.
I share your apprehension regarding Trusty and, I hope, its not the lazy recruitment of the past, of players that hadn’t done very well and were available but unwanted by others.
Its also concerning that CCV seems to becoming quite injury prone, so we do need top quality ready replacements.
It’s great that Scales is going through a purple patch at the moment but in his mid 20s and his history its unlikely to be sustained, so top quality alternatives are required.
I’m sure we didn’t spend £6m on Trusty, just to be Scales’ backup.
Rubbish and balderdash
Fuss, bother and itch.
Fabulous show the lads have put on for us this evening and St Johnstone got off pretty lightly here. Most pleasing aspect for me is that Trusty really does look like a player so my worries about CCV not playing on Tuesday are now considerably lessened. Should be a hell of a game anyway.
Trusty did look very good, albeit against weak oppo, and totally ridiculous that goal was chalked off after he may a strong run and Saints player tried to block but simply bounced off him.
Also great that Valle got all of the 2nd half plus the first and last assists for the winning goal.
Its good to see that we don’t let up and continue to go for it until the final whistle.
I’ll boldly predict we’re not going to loas the league on goal difference. 🙂
Without trying to get too carried away Cha and not wishing to make direct comparisons with specific eras from the past, all I can say is that this is the most exciting, entertaining and effective Celtic side I’ve seen for a long, long time. There were early signs of this coming about during the pre-season tour of the USA but the best part of all is that there are clear indications that this will only get better as the season unfolds. I don’t want to make any bold predictions for our upcoming European ties either but it might be interesting to take a wee punt on a double figure scoreline some time this season in the SPFL. We’ve witnessed a couple of 9-0 pumpings in recent times and I believe our all-time record is 11-1 against Dundee back in prehistoric times of football but on one given day, if we bury a high percentage of those half chances we are constantly creating, some team will really suffer. I just wonder which one it’ll be. Yesterday’s stroll served up top entertainment, especially in that scintillating second half, with players, technical staff and fans hungry for even more goals.
sevco hokey pokey FC.