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Saturday 19th October 2024 - kick-off 3pm

Scottish Premiership: Celtic v Aberdeen

Dons - Dims - SAT - 12:30


manc_don

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COSZOQEWUAAcbWw.jpg

 

Club have announced Merkland is sold out and less than 1,000 tickets left.

Edit: 349 - RDU and 368 - Section Y.

 

So, arguably the first big game of the league campaign (Dundee United are shite and don't count).  Heading for a league sell out for the first time since 2007 against der Hun.  Game is live on Sky Sports unfortunately (not BT).  Can't say the previous fixtures have been great for us, but they are definitely beatable.

 

Aberdeen 0 - 1 Celtic  

Aberdeen 1 - 2 Celtic  

Aberdeen 2 - 1 Celtic  

Aberdeen  0 - 2 Celtic  

Aberdeen 0 - 2 Celtic

Aberdeen 1 - 1 Celtic  

 

I can see us playing with 5 at the back for this one to provide a bit more protection when we go forward.  More like a European fixture than domestic.

 

Ward

 

Logan / Taylor / Quinn / Considine / Shinnie

Hayes / Jack / McLean / McGinn

Rooney

 

In / out: Out :(

Pre matcher: Flat

Match: Flat

Post matcher: Pub somewhere hopefully celebrating

Prediction: 2-2, McGinn and Rooney.

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Sober game for me am the taxi driver my turn two cars heading up from Larbert/Falkirk .

 

In or Out -In  ;D

 

Furryboots- RDU section K

 

Prematcher- soft drink as am the driver ,think the golf club nearest to ground.

 

Postmatcher - As above

 

Prediction- 2-1 Rooney and Big Ash

 

 

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Looking forward to this one.  There are big question marks at how Celtic are going to line up which you really don't need when travelling to your closest rivals.  The Celtic back line is now in a transition period having finally lost both its CB's from last season and it's possible that they could line up with 4 players that have never played with the man next to him.  E.g Ambrose Simunovic Boyata Blacket.  They probably won't but it many ways it's as good as any other option they have.

 

You have to think Simunovic  will  start as they haven't spent this kinda coin on a player in a while now.  We obviously know little about him but I'm sure I heard it mentioned  he was available at half the price at the start of the window.  Zagreb knew Celtic were desperate at the 11'th hour and also knew what they were getting in from Southampton so bumped up the price.  Can't say for certain how true his initial value was but all the rest fits.  5.5 mill for a 21 year old with 50 odd appearances for Zagreb and not yet even a full International?  I'm not saying the boy isn't a player, I know virtually nothing about him, but the whole deal reeks of Celtic hitting the big red gamble button if you ask me. 

 

Blacket could also be considered a serious option to  play at Lb because surely even RD can see that McGinn and Hayes would enjoy playing against EI far more. You do wonder if he might drop Boyata for Mulgrew otherwise its  a really inexperienced pair of CB's (in general game time and with each other) against a front line that is highly adept at counter attacking.  If you add into the mix that Brown and Johansen's form has dipped to add to their defensive difficulty's I think there's plenty of reasons  to be confident we can dominate large spells of the game. 

 

A month ago I would have been pretty certain that DM would use his euro tactics but now I'm not so sure.  Taylor and Considine have looked pretty settled and as useful as Shinnie is at cm he's better and more effective at fb.  Another decision for DM is whether to drop the recently underperforming Logan now there is what seems to be a capable and hungry replacement.  I'm not saying he will as DM is hard to predict but he has been known to be ruthless about such things before.  I hope he keeps Maclean and Jack in the centre as they would match up quite nicely against Brown and Bitton....  it would also keep Flood out of the side.  It will also be interesting to see whether he keeps both DG and AR in the team and if he doesn't which one he drops and who for. 

 

Regardless though I think we have more than enough to take the three points. 

 

In

Bus through then golf club

Main

Bus home

A reasonably comfortable 2-0 with with Shinnie and Goodwillie (he's so due a goal) scoring. 

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Looking forward to this one.  There are big question marks at how Celtic are going to line up which you really don't need when travelling to your closest rivals.  The Celtic back line is now in a transition period having finally lost both its CB's from last season and it's possible that they could line up with 4 players that have never played with the man next to him.  E.g Ambrose Simunovic Boyata Blacket.  They probably won't but it many ways it's as good as any other option they have.

 

You have to think Simunovic  will  start as they haven't spent this kinda coin on a player in a while now.  We obviously know little about him but I'm sure I heard it mentioned  he was available at half the price at the start of the window.  Zagreb knew Celtic were desperate at the 11'th hour and also knew what they were getting in from Southampton so bumped up the price.  Can't say for certain how true his initial value was but all the rest fits.  5.5 mill for a 21 year old with 50 odd appearances for Zagreb and not yet even a full International?  I'm not saying the boy isn't a player, I know virtually nothing about him, but the whole deal reeks of Celtic hitting the big red gamble button if you ask me. 

 

Blacket could also be considered a serious option to  play at Lb because surely even RD can see that McGinn and Hayes would enjoy playing against EI far more. You do wonder if he might drop Boyata for Mulgrew otherwise its  a really inexperienced pair of CB's (in general game time and with each other) against a front line that is highly adept at counter attacking.  If you add into the mix that Brown and Johansen's form has dipped to add to their defensive difficulty's I think there's plenty of reasons  to be confident we can dominate large spells of the game. 

 

A month ago I would have been pretty certain that DM would use his euro tactics but now I'm not so sure.  Taylor and Considine have looked pretty settled and as useful as Shinnie is at cm he's better and more effective at fb.  Another decision for DM is whether to drop the recently underperforming Logan now there is what seems to be a capable and hungry replacement.  I'm not saying he will as DM is hard to predict but he has been known to be ruthless about such things before.  I hope he keeps Maclean and Jack in the centre as they would match up quite nicely against Brown and Bitton....  it would also keep Flood out of the side.  It will also be interesting to see whether he keeps both DG and AR in the team and if he doesn't which one he drops and who for. 

 

Regardless though I think we have more than enough to take the three points. 

 

In

Bus through then golf club

Main

Bus home

A reasonably comfortable 2-0 with with Shinnie and Goodwillie (he's so due a goal) scoring.

 

Agree with a lot of this, the fact that the Celtic defence will be unsettled has the potential to be a huge positive for us, fingers crossed that's the case.

 

I'd also love McInnes to stick to his best team and play to our strengths rather than set up to nullify Celtic. Whether this is the right thing to do or not is anyone's guess, but to set up to suit us and beat them would be a huge statement of intent.

 

In

Pub

Section Y

Pub

A frenzied 2-1 win, Taylor & McLean

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I started to get that pre match sense of anticipation this morning, really can't wait for the game tomorrow.  It could all go wrong of course, we all know the trauma that is AFC choking at the crucial moment in a game that matters especially when sold out.  Tomorrow feels different however.  I've never known an AFC team to have such determination to win and belief that they will do so in all my years.

 

I was thinking about the McInnes era today at work and a thought occurred.  All historically memorable teams have a game that marks their coming of age, the result outsiders pay most attention as it's the first one where they think "Aww shit!  They are actually really good now".  A good example from the Fergie era (and I'm guessing a little here as I was only 1 at the time) would be the rinsing of Hibs at Easter road in 1980.  Off course all the work was done prior but given the nature of the game and the subsequent mauling (i.e. not totally bottling it) handed out that's the one that always get's referenced in the Fergie story. 

 

Now obviously teams don't come of age in one game but grow into it over many months.  Key to it are consistent team selection, squad unity, being well drilled and tactically aware, players being confident of their ability and, most importantly, having a steely  determination to win.  Bar the 2 new additions, which have slotted in seamlessly anyway, our team has been playing together for months and they really know each others game. All the other requirements seem to have a tick in the box too so it surely can't be long before this team becomes greater than the sum of it's parts 

 

If we win tomorrow it's possible this will be the Hibs at Easter road of the Derek McInnes era.  If we were then to follow it up with a win at home to Hamilton on Tuesday there's gonna be a few people in the celtic boardroom sweating a little I think.

 

 

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