Tormusk1872
Well-Known Member
One that I agree with for a change....
BY the time Lady Luck had finished kissing the face off Neil Lennon last Sunday, the Celtic gaffer must have looked around Hampden and pinched himself.
Normally a duff performance is enough to cost you a cup final, but on a day Celtic were miles off it, they somehow got the job done again.
If that old nonsense about decisions evening themselves out is true, Lenny will be an OAP when he gets his next break.
Listen, I know this is a cruel business, but the football gods gave Steven Gerrard a kick in the cojones at Hampden.
But, tell you what, if Rangers get out of Fir Park with three points, Gerrard will put this down as a good week.
Had Gers lost against Young Boys on Thursday, it would have been a different story. A collapse would have been on the cards.
Days earlier he was left devastated after losing to Celtic in the Betfred Cup final.
Instead, they will head to Motherwell with their tails up.
The point against Young Boys got Gers into the Europa League last 32, but you could argue Sunday's game is more important.
With the best will in the world, Gers aren’t going to win the Europa League.
But their Betfred Cup final performance proved they’re good enough to take the Premiership title to the wire.
Gerrard would have been pig sick watching his team mugged at Hampden. But he’ll feel the 90 minutes proved Rangers have closed the gap on Celtic.
Sure, you could argue he got the champions on an off day and still took second best. But this was the best Rangers have looked in an Old Firm game for years.
After the Ibrox battering the Light Blues took in September, this was the reaction Gerrard needed.
Put it this way, when was the last time Celtic were totally dominated in a cup final? It doesn’t happen.
Jullien grabbed a lucky winner for Celtic. Bottom line is Lennon had the amateurism of the SPFL to thank for the result.
Had referee Willie Collum been supported by VAR at Hampden, the result could have been totally different.
But, hey, cup finals are about watching the opposition going up first for their runners-up medals.
You’re always better stealing the trophy than losing having played out of your skin.
At the end of the day, Celtic’s resilience got them over the line. While a lot of teams would have folded when down to ten men, Celtic’s defending was heroic.
Rangers should have Fwather Forthter’s hands measured to make sure they’re legal. I’ve never seen a better cup final performance from a keeper. But while Lennon could be proud of his players’ mentality, he’s savvy enough to have clocked the bigger picture.
He knows where this ninth title is concerned, it’s game on. When Celts won the 2011-12 title, it was by 20 points from an imploding Gers.
Since then, the winning margin has been 16, 29, 17, 15, 30, nine and nine. Unlike most of the last eight, this season’s title is no gimme.
Lennon will need backing in January:
And if the suits in the Celtic Park boardroom know anything about this game, they’ll recognise Lennon needs help. If Odsonne Edouard were to get injured, Celts would be in bother.
While it was good to see Leigh Griffiths make his first start since August against Cluj, Lenny can’t gamble on the wee man getting back to his best. Celtic have to sign another centre forward in January.
There are plenty of strikers warming the bench in the EPL who would bite your hand off for a loan spell in Glasgow.
No disrespect to Mikey Johnson and Lewis Morgan, who have been asked to play through the middle in recent derbies, but it hasn’t worked. Under Lennon, Celtic have ditched a slow build-up in favour of quicker forward passes. It’s a hell of a lot easier to get up the pitch if you’ve a proper striker taking the ball in.
With the league looking tight, signing another No 9 could make the difference for Lennon. Either way, he’ll know the days of Celts coasting to the title are over.
BY the time Lady Luck had finished kissing the face off Neil Lennon last Sunday, the Celtic gaffer must have looked around Hampden and pinched himself.
Normally a duff performance is enough to cost you a cup final, but on a day Celtic were miles off it, they somehow got the job done again.
If that old nonsense about decisions evening themselves out is true, Lenny will be an OAP when he gets his next break.
Listen, I know this is a cruel business, but the football gods gave Steven Gerrard a kick in the cojones at Hampden.
But, tell you what, if Rangers get out of Fir Park with three points, Gerrard will put this down as a good week.
Had Gers lost against Young Boys on Thursday, it would have been a different story. A collapse would have been on the cards.
Days earlier he was left devastated after losing to Celtic in the Betfred Cup final.
Instead, they will head to Motherwell with their tails up.
The point against Young Boys got Gers into the Europa League last 32, but you could argue Sunday's game is more important.
With the best will in the world, Gers aren’t going to win the Europa League.
But their Betfred Cup final performance proved they’re good enough to take the Premiership title to the wire.
Gerrard would have been pig sick watching his team mugged at Hampden. But he’ll feel the 90 minutes proved Rangers have closed the gap on Celtic.
Sure, you could argue he got the champions on an off day and still took second best. But this was the best Rangers have looked in an Old Firm game for years.
After the Ibrox battering the Light Blues took in September, this was the reaction Gerrard needed.
Put it this way, when was the last time Celtic were totally dominated in a cup final? It doesn’t happen.
Jullien grabbed a lucky winner for Celtic. Bottom line is Lennon had the amateurism of the SPFL to thank for the result.
Had referee Willie Collum been supported by VAR at Hampden, the result could have been totally different.
But, hey, cup finals are about watching the opposition going up first for their runners-up medals.
You’re always better stealing the trophy than losing having played out of your skin.
At the end of the day, Celtic’s resilience got them over the line. While a lot of teams would have folded when down to ten men, Celtic’s defending was heroic.
Rangers should have Fwather Forthter’s hands measured to make sure they’re legal. I’ve never seen a better cup final performance from a keeper. But while Lennon could be proud of his players’ mentality, he’s savvy enough to have clocked the bigger picture.
He knows where this ninth title is concerned, it’s game on. When Celts won the 2011-12 title, it was by 20 points from an imploding Gers.
Since then, the winning margin has been 16, 29, 17, 15, 30, nine and nine. Unlike most of the last eight, this season’s title is no gimme.
Lennon will need backing in January:
And if the suits in the Celtic Park boardroom know anything about this game, they’ll recognise Lennon needs help. If Odsonne Edouard were to get injured, Celts would be in bother.
While it was good to see Leigh Griffiths make his first start since August against Cluj, Lenny can’t gamble on the wee man getting back to his best. Celtic have to sign another centre forward in January.
There are plenty of strikers warming the bench in the EPL who would bite your hand off for a loan spell in Glasgow.
No disrespect to Mikey Johnson and Lewis Morgan, who have been asked to play through the middle in recent derbies, but it hasn’t worked. Under Lennon, Celtic have ditched a slow build-up in favour of quicker forward passes. It’s a hell of a lot easier to get up the pitch if you’ve a proper striker taking the ball in.
With the league looking tight, signing another No 9 could make the difference for Lennon. Either way, he’ll know the days of Celts coasting to the title are over.