{"id":13771,"date":"2018-12-23T10:37:05","date_gmt":"2018-12-23T10:37:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/etims.net\/?p=13771"},"modified":"2018-12-23T10:37:05","modified_gmt":"2018-12-23T10:37:05","slug":"celtic-diary-sunday-december-23-celts-start-to-pull-ahead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/etims.net\/?p=13771","title":{"rendered":"Celtic Diary Sunday December 23: Celts Start to Pull Ahead"},"content":{"rendered":"

Celtic swept to a 3-0 win over a lacklustre Dundee to put a wee bit of daylight between the club and second placed Aberdeen.<\/p>\n

Its taken until Christmas, but the league table now has a more familiar look about it, and we can now look ahead to a St Stephens Day cracker up at Pittodrie between the leagues two best teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
1<\/td>\n\"Celtic\"<\/span>Celtic<\/td>\n18<\/td>\n12<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n42<\/td>\n10<\/td>\n32<\/td>\n39<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/td>\n\"Aberdeen\"<\/span>Aberdeen<\/td>\n19<\/td>\n11<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n29<\/td>\n19<\/td>\n10<\/td>\n36<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/td>\n\"Rangers\"<\/span>Rangers<\/td>\n18<\/td>\n10<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n39<\/td>\n14<\/td>\n25<\/td>\n35<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/td>\n\"Kilmarnock\"<\/span>Kilmarnock<\/td>\n19<\/td>\n10<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n29<\/td>\n19<\/td>\n10<\/td>\n35<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5<\/td>\n\"Heart<\/span>Heart of Midlothian<\/td>\n19<\/td>\n9<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n7<\/td>\n23<\/td>\n26<\/td>\n-3<\/td>\n30<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6<\/td>\n\"Livingston\"<\/span>Livingston<\/td>\n19<\/td>\n8<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n6<\/td>\n25<\/td>\n17<\/td>\n8<\/td>\n29<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
7<\/td>\n\"Hibernian\"<\/span>Hibernian<\/td>\n19<\/td>\n7<\/td>\n7<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n29<\/td>\n20<\/td>\n9<\/td>\n28<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
8<\/td>\n\"St.<\/span>St. Johnstone<\/td>\n17<\/td>\n8<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n21<\/td>\n22<\/td>\n-1<\/td>\n28<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
9<\/td>\n\"Motherwell\"<\/span>Motherwell<\/td>\n19<\/td>\n5<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n11<\/td>\n18<\/td>\n31<\/td>\n-13<\/td>\n18<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
10<\/td>\n\"Hamilton<\/span>Hamilton Academical<\/td>\n19<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n13<\/td>\n13<\/td>\n39<\/td>\n-26<\/td>\n14<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
11<\/td>\n\"St.<\/span>St. Mirren<\/td>\n19<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n13<\/td>\n14<\/td>\n36<\/td>\n-22<\/td>\n12<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
12<\/td>\n\"Dundee\"<\/span>Dundee<\/td>\n19<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n3<\/td>\n14<\/td>\n15<\/td>\n44<\/td>\n-29<\/td>\n9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The next two fixtures, Aberdeen and “rangers ” won’t be easy, as one side has finally found its form and also a goalscorer in Sam Cosgrove, a great lump of enthusiasm that has now scored six in four games, and the other team ?<\/p>\n

Well, for them it will be the defining moment of the season.<\/p>\n

It could see the end of the current management team, should they fail to improve on recent drubbings at Ibrox from the team they love the most.<\/p>\n

I listened to yesterdays game on the radio, and perhaps the most bizarre comment from comedy commentating team Liam MacLoed and Pat Bonnar was that Brendan Rodgers might well leave his big players out at Pittodrie to focus on the big game next weekend.<\/p>\n

Clearly reality is something that is given little encouragement in the BBC Scotland radio studios…<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mikey Johnstone. Three goals in two games after he stepped in to cover for Oddsone Edoaurd and Leigh Griffiths.<\/p>\n

As I said, listening to it on the radio I won’t pretend there wasn’t a hint of nostalgia hearing that Johnstone had scored for Celtic. That Johnstone was quick, and skilful, and had won the man of the match award…<\/p>\n

Just when the media were rubbing their hands at the prospect of a strikerless Celtic going into two crucial away matches, the manager simply popped along to the factory shop and ordered one we’d made ourselves…<\/p>\n

Another one that we’ve made oursleves is full back Tony Ralston, who looked to have blown his chance a while ago when he laughed at little Brazilian shit Neymar, which may have been hilarious, but Neymar had kind of wn the battle on the pitch, leaving Ralston looking a little foolish.<\/p>\n

However, with Mikael Lustig injured and Christian Gamboa useless, a right back is needed, and Ralston has been offered first dibs on the position.<\/p>\n

He’s grabbed it with both hands, and may well make the position his own, if he continues to perform as he has in the last two games.<\/p>\n

Like Johnstone, all he has to do is listen, learn and put in a shift when asked.<\/p>\n

The presence of Tierney, MacGregor and Forrest as first team regulars in the squad is a massive incentive to those coming through that they , too, will be given opportunities, and that they,too, will be judged purely on merit.<\/p>\n

An all Scottish team succeeding in Europe again ? Don’t bet against it…<\/p>\n

Well, if we can find a couple of centre halves at Lennoxtown, that is…<\/p>\n

As it stands, though, there was perhaps more to the managers post match comments, who, as we know, prefers to develop a player rather than buy one..<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was probably one of the most enjoyable games I\u2019ve been involved in in the two-and-a-half-years that I\u2019ve been here,\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAt this time of year sometimes the team can be a bit leggy and the intensity hasn\u2019t been quite to the level that we would have wanted.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI really enjoyed watching us today. We kept the pitch nice and tight and pressed the game in numbers. I thought we were really fresh and dynamic in how we won the ball. Dundee have shown they have some good players who can give you a problem.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe really stopped them playing and were good in our defensive organisation to press the game. That allowed us to play in their half for large parts of the game. When we were in there, I thought some of our combinations, the speed and movement was excellent. The only downside was that we only got three goals.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Efforts to convince the Australians to allow Tom Rogic to play at Ibrox on the 29th continue, despite it looking like a bit of a lost cause…<\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/span><\/span>@sc32ie<\/b><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
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