For the 8th season in a row, the final home game of the season will see the presentation of the SPFL trophy to Celtic, the Champions.
Much like the title clincher where Celtic average 4.5 goals over the last 8 seasons, Celtic usually enjoy Trophy Day.
Last season saw a 0-1 reverse to Aberdeen, their only defeat in seven Trophy Days.
Otherwise Celtic have racked up 6 wins and 26 goals.
Sunday’s opponents, Heart of Midlothian, have provided the opposition for three of eight Trophy Days. The first encounter in 11/12 was famous for Hooper scoring 5 goals, the only time I have seen that feat by a Celt.
14/15 saw the rare sight of two goals from Scepovic (remember him?).
And Deila’s last match is best remembered for Aitchison becoming Celtic’s youngest scorer with his first touch at just over 16 years old. It is also noticeable that attendance rose 10k between that match and least season.
With a Cup Final to come, an injury decimated squad, and over 60 matches in the tank, there may be other youngsters afforded game time this Sunday.
Enjoy your Trophy Day!
(And never tire of it.)
No Need for a helicopter sunday then lol
Perhaps the day for some experimentation.
Let’s try three at the back: Benkovic, Simunovic & Ajer.
Wing backs: Ralston & Hayes.
Midfield: Johnstone, McGregor, Henderson & Ntcham
Upfront: Sinclair
Subs: Forrest, Dembele, Oko-Flex, Hendry, Burke, Toljan.
Forrest, Hendry, Burke & Toljan for injury cover, with Dembele and/or Oko-Flex getting a chance if all is going well.
Tierney, Brown, Rogic and Eduard rested for next week.
Ralston, Benkovic, Johnston & Henderson, with a chance to ‘stake a claim’
Having only one striker – one style of striker, limits the way we play. In my opinion Hooper would not be a backward step for next season.
Your analysis and extrapolations are fascinating and compelling because they are based on facts – breaking down all the elements that make up a particular game, or, a series thereof.
Celtic fans are being told by some that they are being negative and entitled in their response to our club’s recent wonderful domestic record, that will hopefully deliver the Treble treble next week.
I too am apprehensive, whilst enjoying our success. Apprehensive because I can see the demise of the current crop of players gradually happening before my eyes, and I can see us being overtaken by a much poorer club with a rookie-manager, next season.
How can this be?
We have had unbroken success for eight years – the ability to plan ahead with no financial impediments, or, multiple court cases hanging over our heads….and yet the stricken Ibrox club with all their ills, with a majority of free-transfer and loanee recruits which have had to be replaced almost in their entirety each year for the past three years, have now shown that they are the better team, with much more appetite than us – it beggars belief.
I am always optimistic, but even I can see a distinct pattern emerging and a dropping-off of performance over the past year.
The good times are coming to an end unless we do something drastic to turn things around – I shall hopefully enjoy the Treble treble in the next two weeks, but with the future in mind.
The drop off started last Season we were not that great in many of the games just doing enough to win them and get by.
I think this comes down to one major flaw in Rodgers approach.
He stuck all his eggs in one basket much like a Deila had before him deploying 4-2-3-1 most weeks.
We have been playing this setup now for nearly 5 years and although it has brought success Domestically it has not served us so well against better opponents in Europe.
Some Managers had it worked out most notably Lennon and Clarke who gave us issues by pressing us high and putting pressure on our back 4.
NO surprise the Hearts goal came by much the same way yesterday.
Brendan highlighted a need to deploy more systems and options before he dropped us like a hot Raphael Sheidt down the lavvy for Leicester.
It only took him 3 years to work that out.
Genius eh?
Neil Lennon if he gets the gig will be far more pragmatic and will use different systems depending on who we face.
It served us well in Europe previously and I don’t see (with proper backing in the Transfer Market) why he won’t again.
I know that concept might not sit too well with some who read this Site but Lenny is a far better Manager then some within our Support seem to think.
His record in Europe at Celtic backs that up.
Got further than Rodgers with 40% less Budget at Celtic and 600% less Budget than when he was at Liverpool.
I agree with all your well-made points.
No matter who we play, if they press high as a team, we struggle.
It has happened twice at Ibrox and in tbe second-half agaunst ‘them’ at Celtic Park.
Also at Hearts, Kilmarnock, Hibs and in a modified version against Livingston.
Why we don’t apply a counter-press astounds me – rest assured it will used, de rigeur, by most next season.
The reason it works is that we have players who can pass, but apperently none who can take on and beat an opponent.
Let’s get Roberts back and together with Shved, Johnston and Dembele, we might get our ‘mojo’ back.
Aye Johnny it would also have nee helpful to mix it up a bit by going long now and then this way it keeps them worried about a quick counter.
You can also ply quick ball to Midfield as McGregor has shown in the Regista role he can drop deep pick it up and get it going forward quickly.
Brown has a tendency to slow it up.
Brendan’s obsession with playing every ball out from the back might be great in theory but you need quality defenders who are comfortable in possession even under pressure.
Decent forward players will eventually find you out at that game.