Saturday, August 11

Falkirk 1 Celtic 4


First things first, lets forget aboot a dreadful first half, the four goals and even though he scored another shadow like performance from Hesselink, but the first test for oor support was passed wie flying colours.


Maybe it's was a get it right up ye gesture to oor neighbours and the Scottish media. They wanted us to fail but were met wie such ditties as Wullie Maley withoot add ons, Hail Hail, This Land is your land, The Fields and the dusted doon taken oot the attic all time classic Celtic that's the team for me.


1-0 to the guid guys but further tests next week after a 3 hour booze fuelled trip to Aberdeen.


On the field well in the 1st half we were poor, so poor in fact that i'm worried aboot the fact that we lacked balance, lacked the hustle, lacked bite and were oot played for spells by a 39yo and buffered around by a lump from Crewe.


It disnny matter how well we played in the second, that is also debatable as it could be put doon to Falkirk's midfield tiring, oor poor first half against a side that is not half as guid as Moscow is a cause for concern.


We lacked presence in defence and were oot muscled in the middle. The need for a cover, for Donatti, who had a decent game forced oor scrappy equaliser, and Broon who had an outstanding game, is there for all to see as we look fragile. Who gets left oot and who is that cover remains to be seen.


Half time came and went, wie Jim Jeffries, Rob McLean and Big Feck giving us their "expert views" at half time in what looked like the workies hut for the new stand that's being built, which was basically Falkirk are great Celtic are shite and r*ngers will win the league by November and as the game kicked off for the second half it wisnny difficult to argue wie them.


Then unsure what happened. We started creating chances, we were finding oor final baw but still had the annoying habit of crossing the ball early to naebody in the box or to the first Falkirk defender. Kenny Miller was terrorising the Falkirk back line and was showing his strike partner what a bit of sweat and toil could do.


One move, involving Miller, a sweeping passage of play, that went from deep inside oor half, through the middle then a perfect ball to a marauding fullback, a great baw into the middle, quick thinking from Miller to dummy the cross into the on rushing Donati's path whose shot ended up in Polmont, which was a shame as if it had went in it was the type of goal we hope to score and the type of goal that has musical scores written aboot it.


It involved pace, invention and quick thinking, something that has been missing. We got oor noses in front after a 10 min spell when we were steamrolling the Falkirk team. They were slipping deeper and their on loan impressive goalie was keeping them in the game.


Then a baw whipped in, McGeady tried the spectacular overheid kick, which hit the post and rebounded to Miller who fired a low shot by Krul. 2-1. After a dubious sending off came a trademark Naka freekick, which Naka celebrated by blowing a kiss to the support and pumping his fist on his badge. The fourth a simple tap in for Hesselink after a through baw from Miller.


The Westfield emptied, the Celtic support sang "Discoland" and GS was told to stop over celebrating. As he said in his interview afterwards it's ok for guys to shout, scream and abuse him in front of weans but then take offence at him jumping up and doon like a demented leprechaun on smarties.
Keep on winning Gordon and that will shut them up.

Forza

5 comments:

ianinjesi said...

Good report but the best thing about it was the scoreline and the fact that the goals kept coming after taking the lead.

ianinjesi said...

After the game I went out with my wife and on the way back heard Radio Clyde. A real numpty Rangers man came on talking about referees but all he was doing was moaning about Donato not being sent off and falkirk losing a player. As I predicted to Joaninjesi, Derek Johnstone agreed with him. What a pair of numpties! :-)

Keving said...

ian- never listened to any radio, watched sky sports and then liverpool.

must admit i watched motd and the full grounds, apart from boro, the buzz and atmos compared to the wet and windy surrounds of westfield got me thinking...it's nae wonder guys will go and play for a bolton or portsmouth instead of coming up here.

but the game...we still don't close doon the wide areas and allow decent crosses to get whipped in...by doing this highlights how vunerable we are in the air from these positions as nether jkf or mick are great at defending from standing starts while attackers are running onto the crosses.

we need to stop the baws going in or recall balde, which would be hard on mick and john.

all in i will put this in print or electronic notes kenny miller was ma motm....

ianinjesi said...

Kevin you have identified a problem. Both centre backs are defensive, both are lacking in real pace and both are the same type of player. Neither is a centre half! Centre halfs go to the ball, they command the centre of the defence. Bobo is the only centre half in the first team squad.
In the 80s Hansen and Lawrenson were a great partnership, both ball playing defenders but passbacks were allowed then and the game was slower. Where the opposition play a big centre forward our partnership will struggle but remember that when partnerships develop defences improve. Time is a vital element in this situation.
I suppose coaches go through stages. What`s in:
box to box rather than holding midfielders.
Zonal marking rather than man to man.
Fast forwards rather than target men! :-)
Enough!

Keving said...

The falkirk goal yesterday was Naylors fault but mick was caught flat footed standing marking space.

we could be hard on them as it was a decent cross in, which i'm more worried aboot that we give teams time to do that.

it's very difficult to defending from a standing start which zonal defending makes yer CB do 90% of the time.

oh, guess what type of defending we do?

Bit hard, Mick and JFK are better players and have more in the locker than Bobo but...Bobo is suited to the scottish game while i europe will mick and jfk face as many crosses?