Our recent record vs Celtic

We often lose the first goal which impacts us as well

Last time we went to Parkhead and weren't one down after 30 minutes was the 2-0 win in October 2020

Lost the first goal in 11 of our last 14 visits there as well I think, albeit we should have scored first there in defeat in April 2023 when Morelos goal was incorrectly ruled out
 
Play the game in their half. That means long goal kicks, balls down the channels and getting their defenders on the turn for our pacier players to get in behind. High pressing is a must, man for man, with Souttar dropping in to replace Lundstram on the press. Force Hart to kick it long to their small forwards. Especially for the first 60 minutes. If they beat the front press, then they are still 60 yards from our goal, which is better than them turning it over on the edge of our box. They will be flying out the traps as they usually do against us, and we can’t keep doing the same brain farts trying to play out.

The ball gets turned over quickly in OF games, and we are not good enough to play through them for the entire game, as they are capable of turning it over, one pass then goal. Once the game stretches out, then we can go and play a bit and get better possession . Until then, play practically, and keep the ball away from our box, and hopefully we can take advantage of any slip ups in their defence, which will happen with a bit of pressure applied.

Any other tactic than the above is madness, and the last few seasons of OF games proves that. Get to the hour mark still in the game, and we can go and win it.
 
TerrySilverLoyal said:
We’ve had players in this squad that have completely shat their pants against them

By same context the same set had a hold over them at one point too

Gerrard treated them with utter contempt at one point never felt as confident. Plain to see though we need key players in key areas for this
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Sad but true, If no one of ours can look fecking McGregor & co in the eyes and say I’m going to get the better of you today, then we have no chance, Cantwell appears to have it, but has failed to show it thus far.
 
The game at the piggery was always going to be the biggest spanner in the works in the run in. Even more so now it’s a “must win”.

I can see us going toe to toe with them from the 1st minute a Hampden. A one off off game. Winner takes all. What happened the week before or might happen the week after has no bearing.

The game at the piggery is a different matter. The over arching pattern for these games over the last 2-3 years is the vast majority of our squad looking terrified and playing like they are. Looking and playing like they’re hoping and praying to come away with a draw despite many of these games being must wins to keep a title challenge alive. Being on the back foot from the first minute and allowing them to charge at us at will. Getting the crowd onside and growing their confidence with every passing minute. Not getting our own game going until 50-60 minutes have past and by that time we’ve given ourselves too much to do.

Clement has proven himself in several key games this season. Hopefully he can do it again at their place and have us confidently playing to win, not timidly trying to hold out for a point.
 
It’s shocking, the idea we will do anything in their dump is fanciful! In my view a lot of the longer term players have them in their head! Clement has quite a job in making them believe.
 
Given our injury update, Clement is going to have to pull a Walter at the piggery. 4-5-1. Flood the midfield, try and nick one on the break or from a set piece.
 
SG 8 said:
Match them up in the middle of the park for a start. Keep giving the midfield away.
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That's how Gerrard did it and he was unbeaten in 7 against them. He always had three centre mids in there and sometimes Aribo or Arfield on the right. We have been far more open since then and consistently lose the midfield battle. We did however seem to find the answer in the second half of the last game but it needs to happen over 90 mins to have a chance of actually beating them.
 
ferguson said:
That's how Gerrard did it and he was unbeaten in 7 against them. He always had three centre mids in there and sometimes Aribo or Arfield on the right. We have been far more open since then and consistently lose the midfield battle. We did however seem to find the answer in the second half of the last game but it needs to happen over 90 mins to have a chance of actually beating them.
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Yip. I would have Diomande, Lundstram and Sterling in there at Parkhead and match them 3 for 3.
 
If we stop the ridiculous playground level individual errors, be at it from the first minute, stay switched on and get a fair crack of the whip from officials, that would all help massively. Many of our issues are self inflicted, but if that lot had been on the end of 3 potentially game changing decisions (both Dessers goals being pulled back for earlier 'infringements' at Ibrox and the ignored hand ball at the Piggery), leaving them with 1 point out of 9, there would have been questions asked in the House and we'd have it cast up for years to come. But it's us, so it's all been quietly forgotten. In short, sort our own shit out and hope for the best from the ref / VAR.
 
Stop setting out our stall by being shit scared of them would be a start. Almost every game we seem to lay off them and hope to hit on the break. It hasn't worked yet we continually do it. And it doesn't help when your defence can be relied on to make at least one mammoth error every game.
 
Stop playing the old men and players with all this Celtic defeat baggage. We need fearless youth, energy, pace, and power!!
 
SG 8 said:
Match them up in the middle of the park for a start. Keep giving the midfield away.
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I am an old bore but since my first old firm game, the 73 Cup final, I am convinced the majority of Old Firm games are won and lost in the middle of the park. I have no idea if my opinion is backed up by statistics and analysis. It is just an opinion I have formed from the eye test. Do many other Bears have the same thoughts??
 
LoyalRanger_72 said:
2 wins out of 13, 1 being a total dead rubber under Michael Beale and the other being in extra time under Giovanni Van Bronckhorst at Hampden.

How do we change this especially heading to the piggery on May 11th and of course that massive Scottish Cup Final on May 25th? It’s clearly a massive mental block. Does it require personnel change? An extra man in midfield? Maybe even both? Tav looks genuinely petrified at the thought of a headless chicken like Maeda coming at him especially off the ball and that seems to set the tone in these games just now.
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Its an abomination of a statistic in all honesty.
 
This season:

1st Game Ibrox - Celtic weakened. We were not quite there but showing signs. Didn't turn up.
2nd Game Parkhead - We were showing form and growing in confidence, manager fining his feet. Didn't turn up.
3rd Game Ibrox - In a winning position in the league. Feelgood factor running through all aspects of the team/club. Didn't turn up.

It's a pattern than needs to stop and will need wholesale changes to do so. Personnel, style approach...
 
It’s absolutely pathetic. Not won in 4 years at their ground either. Yet some want to keep the players and reward them? There is not a single player in that squad that I’m adverse to losing. Could not care less if any of them left. Need a reset and the only way to reset is cull the players that simply cannot and have not been able to beat them.
 
HammerT said:
It doesn’t help starting at -1 in 3 of the last 5 or so, due to compliant officials.
Having said that the logical prediction is that we will be overrun by half time at the piggery.
I would want Diomande and Sterling in the middle for tthat one. Turn it around and get in their faces.
Hopefully we go there no further behind.
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Christ even the Sheep did it last week and our players should be made watch last weeks semi.
I fed up of us constantly sitting back against that shower.
 
EIAFF said:
Did Cantwell not start in the 3-0 win under Beale?
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Yes my mistake, got him mixed up with Tillman’s record

Cantwell 5 starts 4 defeats 1 win.

Tillman 5 starts 4 defeats 1 draw.

Just shows you need a solid backbone behind to allow the creative players to do their stuff as they sure as hell aren’t putting a shift in in and around our box.
 
adidasler said:
This season:

1st Game Ibrox - Celtic weakened. We were not quite there but showing signs. Didn't turn up.
2nd Game Parkhead - We were showing form and growing in confidence, manager fining his feet. Didn't turn up.
3rd Game Ibrox - In a winning position in the league. Feelgood factor running through all aspects of the team/club. Didn't turn up.

It's a pattern than needs to stop and will need wholesale changes to do so. Personnel, style approach...
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We could argue, first game at Ibrox our perfectly good goal should have stood. The momentum was with us. Going by free kicks and penalties given to celtic VAR should have at least asked for a review of the Maeda barge on Cantwell.

The game at the piggery, we had the Johnston handball fiasco.

The draw at Ibrox, another goal wrongly ruled out.

There is a real pattern emerging of decisions all going one way, and a serious lack of yellow/red cards for Johnston (who seems to be involved in more penalty controversy than anyone else in Scotland).
 
We need to change the mentality of the team. They have multiple medal winners (McGregor, O'Riley & Hatate) plus Maeda, who does the work of two people) strolling around and bossing the midfield. From the second they enter the park, they believe that they're going to win. We have a team of serial losers, with one or two medals in the cabinet. We need to think like winners, play like winners and fight like winners. As Sterling noted the other day - he's not even sure if the belief is there?!
 
BlueArmada said:
Ah forgot about those goals. Morelos was a strange player in OF games, definitely didn't score as many as he should have though he could occupy their whole defence by himself at times.
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Took him about 14 games to score his first goal against them - despite numerous chances.

Kyogo, on the other hand, has had 2 shots against us in 2 games, and bagged them both.
 
Nothing will change until we replace half the squad with players equal to Celtic's best.

That record is totally self inflicted, we have wasted so much money and time.

The club has been a total mess for ages and nobody running the club seems intent on changing it.

Last summer was supposed to be that change and response, it's set us back years with the same mistakes.
 
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All three games this season have followed a similar pattern. A poor half performance sees us go behind before we rally back over the last 30 mins or so.

We can’t afford to give them a free pass for half the game again. We need to be on it from the w first whilst and we need to be agressive and trying to force the issue. If we grab the first goal their support will turn on then very quickly .
 
We need pace, energy and dynamism in midfield

Clement made a huge blunder playing Sterling at LB for the last game, given he absolutely dominated the midfield at the Piggery in the December fixture

Midfield three should be:

Sterling - Jack - Diomande
 
SG 8 said:
Match them up in the middle of the park for a start. Keep giving the midfield away.
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This and it’s end of thread

If you don’t win the midfield then you do not win these games and we have been non existent in midfield.

We have created plenty of chances and missed them but been totally dominated especially in the first half, i genuinely belive it’s a lack of balls followed up by a massive finding of them, but thankfully the current crop wont be here for more than 2 more against them
 
To be fair they haven't been in a nail biter of a league title finish for many years themselves so I think previous results are meaningless this time round.

We are behind but there is massive pressure on them as well as us for the next OF.

Just have to make sure we win our next two (BTW I think we will).
 
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JC85 said:
The simple answer I'm afraid is better players, especially in midfield. It's no coincidence we've hardly beaten them since Gerrard had Jack, Davis and Kamara in there and playing at their best. Now it's them who have the superior players in that area.

It's got to be a 3 man midfield at the piggery and 2 of them need to be Sterling and Diomande. 4-2-3-1 won't work.
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Totally agree with this. We need to be more solid first and foremost and shore the middle of the park up. On my wish list as well - let’s get an early goal and actually keep that lead for a bit. Let’s put THEM under pressure for change.
 
The People said:
A win at the knew camp is a huge ask
But possible if as said above, we play a proper midfield
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Hearts went there and won easily. Livi were holding them and then pushed the self destruct button. Livi! They are poor. We need to get this mentality shifted asap with a convincing win there. Stop gifting goals and match the intensity. Taking the lead will be a test for us… and them.
 
SG 8 said:
Yip. I would have Diomande, Lundstram and Sterling in there at Parkhead and match them 3 for 3.
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That's the right thing to do. We don't have the quality for 4-2-3-1 against them.

4-3-3 is the way to go
Tav - Goldson - Balogun - Yilmaz
Lundstram - Diomande - Sterling
McCausland - Dessers - Silva
 
BlueArmada said:
Ah forgot about those goals. Morelos was a strange player in OF games, definitely didn't score as many as he should have though he could occupy their whole defence by himself at times.
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Alfie was our secret weapon. They fell for the trap that all they had to do was focus on getting close to him, noising him up, provoking a reaction and he’d lose the rag. The whole time he opened up space for Kent and whoever we had right, and Tav and Borna playing higher.
 
Real good chance to beat them at the piggery, with regards to their form, can we do it though.
Hopefully whoever plays dig in and get it done.
 
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