Celtic v Aberdeen

[Panda]

A international break to come, but after that it's the test that Scottish football keeps saying we need.

I'm fascinated to see Jimmy Thelin's approach. In all 13 games we've been the favourites, but Thelin was the master of being the underdog in Sweden. His tactics there were very much on being comfortable giving up possession and hitting quickly on the counter.

With that, Celtic away shouldn't really faze him. In May, Elfsborg beat Malmo 3-1 with 20% possession in a 4-3-3 formation. Think fans are hopeful we'll go to Glasgow and "have a go". I don't think we will, but it's not a bad thing as long as it's not the hopeless tactics we usually deploy there.

I could see Thelin sacrificing a number 10 (Clarkson) in favour of a midfielder to form a deep three (Palaversa), but still ask him and Shinnie to break when they can. 

Duk, despite his impact v Hearts, probably starts on the bench. Sokler could have started ahead of Nisbet for his work rate and his ability to close down the Celtic defence, if only he could actually finish. Morris' speed actually lends him to a counter attacking game, but McGrath more of a goal threat.

That team will win the league.

Edited October 7 by Panda

[Jute]

Way too early to be thinking about this. Some folk are still trying to come to terms that they have paid £34 for a restricted view ticket and really don’t need a thread like this to remind me…….I mean them of that they are going to this. 

[Panda]

2 hours ago, Jute said:

Way too early to be thinking about this. 

It's our next game. It's all I think about. 

[BigAl]

Which day will the Weegie media run with the Celtic on verge of offering pre contracts to McGrath and McKenzie 

[manc_don]

8 hours ago, BigAl said:

Which day will the Weegie media run with the Celtic on verge of offering pre contracts to McGrath and McKenzie 

Final whistle of the Scotland game. That said, I’d heard the McGrath to dhims rumour pre season  

Even the BBC have done a radio show about the possibility of winning the league  

This game is one I just want us to have a good showing. Tims will be well up for this one (as will we but the gulf in resources should probably triumph). The games against the huns and the arabs are the ones we need to win. Of course I still want us to win mind. Into these soap dodging cunts.

[tlg1903]

3 hours ago, manc_don said:

Final whistle of the Scotland game. That said, I’d heard the McGrath to dhims rumour pre season  

Even the BBC have done a radio show about the possibility of winning the league  

This game is one I just want us to have a good showing. Tims will be well up for this one (as will we but the gulf in resources should probably triumph). The games against the huns and the arabs are the ones we need to win. Of course I still want us to win mind. Into these soap dodging cunts.

Exactly.  It's a free swing at the cunts as far as I'm concerned but my feeling is we won't be able to stay in touch with the tims over the course of the season.   Second is there for the taking though. 

[OrlandoDon]

Worst rangers team since they reached the top division, and certainly questions asked if they can afford to strengthen in January. I believe we can though if needed. competition for second very much on. What an atmosphere it will be against them later this month.

Celtic is an interesting one. We’ve ridden our luck, teams have missed chances against us. If Celtic are on form and we play like much of the hearts game, it could easily be a 4-0 game. At the same time, this is the exact game I want to see Thelin coach where we don’t have as much possession and counter. I expect palaversa for clarkson and sokler for nisbet, although it’s too early to speculate on a team as we’ve got a bunch away at present.

going to be brave and say 1-1. Sokler.

[RicoS321]

We'll tank the Tims this time around. 0-1, McGrath. Both them and the Huns will get over 80 points this season. That'll be more than we can hope for.

[Panda]

The last three results there were 4-0, then 5-0, then 6-0. If Robson was still in charge I'd be expecting seven this time.

We won't win the league, but it'd be cracking to go and get a result there next weekend, not only to keep this run going a bit longer, but also to keep distance between us and Rangers.

Edited October 8 by Panda

[Reekie_Red]

Agree with the point we've ridden our luck lately. The winning run we've seen is us getting the rub of the green. Teams don't get anybrub of the green against the unwashed, especially at the Tattiedome. We might squeeze 2-2, simply thru the fact our goals are coming from all over the team. But in reality, it's gonna be more like 3-1 to the bad guys 

Ruby with our goal, a header from a corner. 

[Panda]

1 hour ago, Reekie_Red said:

Agree with the point we've ridden our luck lately. The winning run we've seen is us getting the rub of the green.

I don't agree, I don't think we've been lucky. We've not been getting any decisions going our way any more than we've had ones go against us.

We've been outplayed in spells against Dundee and Hearts, but you could argue we've defended better than they've attacked and still deservedly won the games.

[RicoS321]

1 hour ago, Panda said:

I don't agree, I don't think we've been lucky. We've not been getting any decisions going our way any more than we've had ones go against us.

We've been outplayed in spells against Dundee and Hearts, but you could argue we've defended better than they've attacked and still deservedly won the games.

Strictly speaking, he didn't say we'd been lucky, but that we'd ridden our luck. I'd agree with that. We weren't lucky that Vargas is shite, but we did ride our luck by putting him through on goal for an easy finish, only for him to make a cunt of it. In both games we rode our luck by conceding more territory than was required as players were clearly spent (Nisbet against Dundee for example), but stayed on for 5-10 minutes longer than necessary. While Thelin's tactics involve conceding possession, I'm certain that they don't include players failing to get out of their own half due to breathing out of their airses and being pinned in as a result (the quick break being entirely nulled). Rub of the green is a fairly apt description of our opening goal against the Edinburgh scum too. A classic case of making your own luck, after great battling from Devlin and a decent through ball.

[scotfree]

On 09/10/2024 at 08:06, OrlandoDon said:

Worst rangers team since they reached the top division, and certainly questions asked if they can afford to strengthen in January. I believe we can though if needed. competition for second very much on. What an atmosphere it will be against them later this month.

Celtic is an interesting one. We’ve ridden our luck, teams have missed chances against us. If Celtic are on form and we play like much of the hearts game, it could easily be a 4-0 game. At the same time, this is the exact game I want to see Thelin coach where we don’t have as much possession and counter. I expect palaversa for clarkson and sokler for nisbet, although it’s too early to speculate on a team as we’ve got a bunch away at present.

going to be brave and say 1-1. Sokler.

How you going with Hurricane Milton, mate? I've been through a few cyclones here and I know that they are not much fun... Stay safe, mate.

[OrlandoDon]

9 minutes ago, scotfree said:

How you going with Hurricane Milton, mate? I've been through a few cyclones here and I know that they are not much fun... Stay safe, mate.

Ha! Thanks for asking! Pissing down and pretty strong winds at present, Milton will make landfall on the gulf coast any time now so the next few hours will be pretty shitty. Not the category 4 or 5 we thought it may be but still pretty hairy. Still have power for now which certainly helps, but I expect to lose that any time.

[BigAl]

Couple of arse wipe rags have fired the first unsettling shots reporting that Jimmy is being lined up to succeed O'Neil @ Wolves.

Surprisingly not a single quote or anything substantive to back it up

Didn't name them, but sure you're all going to be able to guess who they might be 

[manc_don]

Was painfully predictable, Al! Just like clockwork, although unusual for it to be this far in advance, they must be worried

[Panda]

To be fair, the story originated in the English media, and has just been picked up by the Scottish press.

[manc_don]

Right, proper stuff is back on. No idea why I’m pumped for this

[tlg1903]

3 hours ago, manc_don said:

Right, proper stuff is back on. No idea why I’m pumped for this

Because we are joint top of the league with the opportunity, however unlikely, to go three points clear and ultimately we are dreamers deep down regardless of what our rational mind says? 

[OxfordDon]

6 hours ago, tlg1903 said:

Because we are joint top of the league with the opportunity, however unlikely, to go three points clear and ultimately we are dreamers deep down regardless of what our rational mind says? 

that or the medication

[manc_don]

30 minutes ago, OxfordDon said:

that or the medication

The air does wonderful things around my ways

[Jute]

Hoping that everyone comes back from international break fit. Think I would like to see us swap Clarkson for Palaversa from team that started against Hearts. Think we will see very little of the ball in this one and need to be very tight defensively. If I am honest cannot see us getting anything from this. In fact I can see Celtic wanting to put us firmly back in our box and this could be a bit of a doing. 
 

In

Train then pub

Away end probably behind pillar. 

Train back to capital 

3-0 no dons scorer. 

 

 

[tlg1903]

2 hours ago, Jute said:

Hoping that everyone comes back from international break fit. Think I would like to see us swap Clarkson for Palaversa from team that started against Hearts. Think we will see very little of the ball in this one and need to be very tight defensively. If I am honest cannot see us getting anything from this. In fact I can see Celtic wanting to put us firmly back in our box and this could be a bit of a doing. 
 

In

Train then pub

Away end probably behind pillar. 

Train back to capital 

3-0 no dons scorer. 

 

 

As far as I'm concerned it's a free swing at the cunts Jute.  What excites me is I think this team will actually try and take one at them. I fully expect us to lose as well 2bh but I keep thinking back to that first Elfsborg game I watched after Thelin was announced.  They were playing Malmo and the game ended 3-1 to Elfsborg. Over the 90 though they only had about 17-18% possession if memory serves  but somehow looked in complete control of the game.  I said at the time and I'll say again that I've never seen anything quite like it before.  So I expect us to set up like that Elfsborg team did 2bh and that's defo going to be a bit different to what we have seen so far. 

 

I think we will change shape to a more conventional 433/4141, Palaversa will defo be in for Clarkie and  I think we should go with a front 3 of Keskinen, mcgrath and Duk. It would be a bold move but this isn't a game for a not fully match fit Nisbet to start and whilst Sokler is defo a more mobile and physical option I think we would get more joy out of Mr Lopes.  He's unpredictable, strong on the ball, good finisher and quick....  Add in we seem to put a lot of on the deck crosses/cutbacks when wingers are getting to the byline these days I think our best chance at getting something from this game is with him in the team. 

So much will depend on keeping a good shape and not conceding soft goals like we did against hearts, particularly early on.  I think you're right that they will want to slap us down and will be going for it from the off.  If we can manage that though I think we can cause them problems going forward. Also, for the first time this season, keskinen is going to have space to run into and if we can get the ball to him he could get us off our feet I think. 

[OrlandoDon]

Re duk, I think he’s most effective off the bench in the second half when opponents are tiring. He’s also not a natural 9 for the way we’ll want to play, and sokler has done that role for JT already this year. 

think we see palaversa and sivert together and a pressuring shinnie ahead of them. That actually suits Shinnie and him pressing their deeper midfielders will be needed, plus he’s got the engine to push on and get back.

if we make mistakes or gift chances as we’ve done in recent weeks (which haven’t been taken) we could lose 3 or 4, but part of these chances have occurred when we’ve been pushing up. I suspect we’ll give away less chances as we’ll not be as forward thinking.

still going with heart over head, 1-1 with sokler getting it for us.

[Jute]

As much as I am dreading the game it will be intriguing to see how we will approach it. Do we start on the front foot or do we stand off and try and contain for first 20. Can’t see us playing a high press for 90 minutes and think we might stand off at times. Looking forward to see which approach we go with. 
 

Agree with Orlando that I would expect Duk to be an impact sub rather than start. Would expect it still to be Nisbet who will start.