Old Firm games, most important for years

GreigC said:
It’s more than just the actual goal difference though

It leaves you in the position of effectively being an extra point behind and leading you into needing to push for results

I think it played a part in that 2-2 with Motherwell last season
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Feel like GD can give you a mental edge as well. Just go out and score as many goals as we can. Can only hope Celtic slip up first then we capitalise. Rangers playing on a Saturday and Celtic on a Sunday is ideal, unfortunately they won the league and got direct entry into the Champions League. Rangers need to be playing Saturdays as well.
 
linthousebear1981 said:
The financial gulf between us/them and the rest is insurmountable at the moment and if we qualify for the CL Group Stages there is just no way any team in Scotland can compete. Which means 34 games of low block, anti football home and away.

I really wish we could just join the EPL.

Hearts at this moment in terms of finishing place last season are the 3rd force in Scotland. They have spent 500k. Aberdeen who have taken in £10m in fees roughly have spent £1m.

The SPL is a busted flush with no sign of improvement in sight.

In reality I would expect us and them not to lose any game to another team in the SPL unless one of us gets a player sent off early.
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We might see a strong Hearts team next season. They're going to bank a decent amount of cash from Europe this season. First team outside us or them to do so
 
BluenoseDoug said:
See what your saying but last season we lost the league through drawing against the dross where as they put them away.
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Exactly my view given that OF games can be a lottery, winning all the other games and amassing a healthy goal difference is imperative.
 
I think it suits us that the first OF game is at the Piggery. They'll be expecting to rush all over us but I think GvB and team will have learnt a lot from last year's mess in the midweek game v them. We should be able to outsmart them over the 4 league games.

When do we expect Sky will announce when the 2 January game will ko or is a cert for midday on the 2nd?
 
Outside the game against us and (possibly) their trip to Tynecastle, I don’t see them dropping a point before the World Cup.
 
VGM said:
Outside the game against us and (possibly) their trip to Tynecastle, I don’t see them dropping a point before the World Cup.
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They don't seem to have a tough run anywhere. Our next 6 league games are potential games where we drop points but they don't have anything like that before the split.
 
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Nacho Novo said:
Goal Difference in Scottish Football is massive Bluebeard. Seen it before where it can make or break the league title. We just have to score more than Celtic. Currently we should be one goal behind them in the table, not two.
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To be fair it’s only happened a handful of times in football history, and twice in Scottish history as far as I can see. The odds of it making a difference are minuscule. But I understand why people would rather be ahead just in case the near impossible happens, but at the same time I’d rather finish 1 point ahead and 50 goals behind if that makes sense.
 
GreigC said:
It’s more than just the actual goal difference though

It leaves you in the position of effectively being an extra point behind and leading you into needing to push for results

I think it played a part in that 2-2 with Motherwell last season
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I was going to say exactly the same.Very well put.
 
Nacho Novo said:
The goal difference was fecked in the first week with Colak's goal away to Livingston getting disallowed if it comes down to it with many more onside goals being chopped off to come...
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It’s correct that refereeing decisions could easily influence this year’s championship.
We need to remember though that Colak’s goal against Livingston being ruled out is balanced by yesterday’s being allowed.
 
chilebear said:
They will only focus on the league. The league is the only thing that matters to the fat mess manager.
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Now that there's an automatic CL place up for grabs, they'll be quite happy to cash in on it, while they tank co-efficient in the process. They haven't cared about, or prioritised Europe in a long time. Where as we try to do both, even when we didn't quite have the squad depth to do it in the early seasons under Gerrard.
 
Old Firms are important, but as others have said we failed to win routine games against the rest that made us vulnerable going to Parkhead in February and we were on the back foot from that point on. Yesterday v St. Johnstone was a blueprint for how the rest of our domestic season should look against the rest of the league, because we can expect goal difference will be a factor and we just didn't compete on that front in 2021-22.
 
I think one of the things that’ll benefit us is that we’re used to European football at the highest level.
Particularly in the CL games at the piggery their mutant fans will demand they go out & play the “Celtic way” & get pumped as a result.
Fat Flange knows how to play one way & they’re going to get a doing at the highest level playing that way. He’s got the tactical nous of a badly packed kebab.
They’ll get pulled around the park something rotten by the best teams & either end up with a load of injuries or deid on their feet & I think potentially they’ll ship points after euro games as they’ll still be blowing out their arses come the weekend.
I maintain we’re the better footballing side & all being equal we’ll do them in at least 3 of the 4 games against them.
 
BluenoseDoug said:
See what your saying but last season we lost the league through drawing against the dross where as they put them away.
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Aye that, and the 14-point swing caused by the "honest mistakes" that all, miraculously, went in favour of one team!

I still have nightmares about Madden's view of the most blatant penalty you will ever see, when Sakala was hauled back at Tannadice, and I am delighted he is now off to England.
 
TinyRick said:
It isn't massive at all.

It's only decided things 11 times across every professional league ever, yet every year we hear the same pish.
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It wasn't pish when I seen us beat Dunfermline to the win the league on GD, in fact it was brilliant.
Psychologically it can pray on a teams mind when, due to a large gap in GD they are effectively 1 point behind more than the actual points totals shows and running out of games.
 
ronadamus_prime said:
Now that there's an automatic CL place up for grabs, they'll be quite happy to cash in on it, while they tank co-efficient in the process. They haven't cared about, or prioritised Europe in a long time. Where as we try to do both, even when we didn't quite have the squad depth to do it in the early seasons under Gerrard.
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My point exactly. They'll talk about being CL club while pampering to the deluded.
If we win the league the sharks will be out in force.
Liewell will get it in the neck if we win the league this season
 
kdy_bear said:
It wasn't pish when I seen us beat Dunfermline to the win the league on GD, in fact it was brilliant.
Psychologically it can pray on a teams mind when, due to a large gap in GD they are effectively 1 point behind more than the actual points totals shows and running out of games.
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The overstated importance is pish.

11 times in history across all professional football leagues makes it a freak occurrence - like a team winning every single game in the league (6 times in history across all leagues, and not happened since the 40s, since you were wondering).

Can you evidence it preying on teams minds?
 
Every league game is important. No point in thrashing them one week, only to drop stupid points the following week.
 
TinyRick said:
The overstated importance is pish.

11 times in history across all professional football leagues makes it a freak occurrence - like a team winning every single game in the league (6 times in history across all leagues, and not happened since the 40s, since you were wondering).

Can you evidence it preying on teams minds?
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Glad I witnessed that 'freak' event,unfortunately I'm not a mind reader but as with other subjects I can, (and am allowed to) form an opinion. Give it a rest a mate, you've made your opinion known, let others do the same
 
The next OF game is very important imo because sellick believe their press right now. We need to put serious doubts in their minds. That plus another hopeful shambolic European run will have them think more about their gung ho approach in Scotland that seems to spook most teams.
 
kdy_bear said:
Glad I witnessed that 'freak' event,unfortunately I'm not a mind reader but as with other subjects I can, (and am allowed to) form an opinion. Give it a rest a mate, you've made your opinion known, let others do the same
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I'm not stopping anyone from posting their opinion. You don't like what I said and are telling me to stop posting. I'm posting the facts around goal difference and it's overstated importance.

Perhaps take your own advice?
 
linthousebear1981 said:
The financial gulf between us/them and the rest is insurmountable at the moment and if we qualify for the CL Group Stages there is just no way any team in Scotland can compete. Which means 34 games of low block, anti football home and away.

I really wish we could just join the EPL.

Hearts at this moment in terms of finishing place last season are the 3rd force in Scotland. They have spent 500k. Aberdeen who have taken in £10m in fees roughly have spent £1m.

The SPL is a busted flush with no sign of improvement in sight.

In reality I would expect us and them not to lose any game to another team in the SPL unless one of us gets a player sent off early.
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Well those f ucks will not get anyone sent off ffs they dont even get bookings
 
struth 1872 said:
Decent team will play right through them and it needs to start with us
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High press, controlled aggression and pass through. Do not invite them on to us, keep the offside trap tight and make sure we appeal everytime as they intentionally have Furuhashi or Maeda standing in an offside position then coming back on.

VAR should actually cause them a few problems tactically if used properly.
 
Laudrup1 said:
People said last season that it was our dropped points in games versus Motherwell, Aberdeen and Ross County that cost us dearly.

While they did, one single OF defeat turned to a victory would have been enough of a swing to win us the league. Its vital we take at least 6 points from the four games.
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I'd say we'd be better with 9 or 10.

Folk can mock me if they want, but it's proven Celtic players get double the fouls to yellows, I've seen the stats on here, I've seen it watching matches. When we play SPFL jobbers we get played to the rule by referees, our opponents seem to get to foul wày more than us and it's a huge advantage for our rivals. My opinion, but watch the games and the truth rears it's head.

I'm hoping VAR will get us more penalties as our high press and good attacks will always get us more than anyone else, but we need VAR over poor officiating that's cost us spot-kicks, and a few certain goals last season(and already in 22/23).
 
That Kilmarnock result is disgraceful! An utter capitulation! We will need to win all 4 games against them to win this league!
 
It’s the points dropped on a dreich, dark mid winter Wednesday night that decide the league.

Based on zero evidence and loads of experience
 
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