Celtic bounced back into action last night with an invigorating 6-0 win over FR Reykjavik , re-enforcing hopes that the performance against Kilmarnock was just a glitch, and for once, it seemed everyone was happy.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Except Kris Ajer and Jeremie Frimpong, who were relegated to the bench for tactical reasons, as their positional sense had been somewhat out of kilter recently when they moved from the positions they were told to be in and took up residence somewhere they were not supposed to be residing.<\/p>\n
Neil Lennon praised their replacements, with words that won’t go unnoticed by the two, who have seen their own positions become Israeli occupied…<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cNir had a good game alongside Chris.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s been knocking on the door. He\u2019s had a really good couple of weeks in training. I think he is a good player and he deserved the opportunity.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cIt was the same for Hatem. Kris Ajer and Jeremie Frimpong haven\u2019t done a lot wrong, but it\u2019s good to rotate it and also give those boys some game time.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cOtherwise, they get discouraged if they keep showing up well in training and don\u2019t get the opportunity.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n For Frimpong, that could yet turn out to be a costly mistake as if Hatem Abd Elhamed keeps himself safe, he will be first choice right back this season.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Although Reykjavik were not a great side, the combined surreal environment of an empty ground and the recent lay off meant Celtic had to hit the ground running, and keep the pace high.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n They did just that, and can now look forward to a trip to Tannadice on Sunday with of not relish, then certainly confidence.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Highlight of the night was Oddsone Edouard’s solo effort, when he picked the ball up amongst a crowd of opposition players and jinked his way through to score, but in truth the performance was what counted, and we can’t be disappointed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The manager wasn’t disappointed….<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It was a good night\u2019s work. It was really important to get 90 minutes work into the legs and obviously to negotiate the tie, as well.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cTo score six goals and keep a clean sheet is very good. I\u2019m pleased with a lot of what I saw.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cAny lethargy or lack of match practice, they need to get through it. I\u2019ve been there myself.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cSo, it\u2019s important to try and increase the intensity and get the games into their legs.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll see how they are on Thursday but they should get a benefit from that.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got a big couple of weeks coming up now, so it\u2019s important we keep our focus.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ferencvaros and Djuurgarden play tonight, and from that game will come our next opponents. One fly in the ointment is that travel restrictions may come into play, and although the game is due to be played in Glasgow, the ever increasing list of countries that Westminster wants to blame for the approaching wave of covid infections already has Sweden on it, meaning that Djugarden cannot play in Glasgow should they win.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ferencvaros, up until this morning, would be allowed in as Hungary is on the government list of\u00a0 countries exempt from quarantine or isolation regulations.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We’ll have to wait and see.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Elsewhere, it seems that Shane Duffy might yet still come in, if reports from Derry are to be believed, which will allow Kris Ajer to move on.<\/p>\n Aaron Hickey of Hearts has apparently made up his mind where he wants to go, but won’t tell anyone yet. In fairness, he’s probably going to pick Bayern Munich, as that kind of opportunity doesn’t come along very often.<\/p>\n Still, if he does, we can always blame Peter Lawwell for not splashing the cash, something that some supporters seem to think will solve all of our problems.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Olivier Ntcham and Tom Rogic could also be on their way out, with neither holding down a first team place, but there is a whisper that Ntcham will be given more game time, as the manager sees him and….David Turnbull of Motherwell as the future.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Someone who it seems isn’t going to be a part of that future is Karamoke Dembele, who we hear has become the second Dembele to ask away. There is still time to talk him out of it, but he wasn;t in the squad last night, and that could be ominous.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Meanwhile, Tom English, the Irishman who writes for the Scotsman and talks for the British Broadcasting Corporation let us into a little secret last night…well, not really a secret, but you know what I mean…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Following a real piece of thought provoking commentary from RTE 2, and have a listen to this, it’s as good a summary of the way the game is as any….<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Irish football pundits are a cut above pic.twitter.com\/ieE8YLMpJx<\/a><\/p>\n — Andrew Haigh \uea00 (@AndrewHaigh) August 18, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n