Scottish fitba!

[SALTIRE]

He gives the ball away too much, is too wishy washy and overcooks his passes most of the time.

 

[Gulliball]

League Cup semi-finals this weekend. BT Sport did a wonderful job of advertising the occasion - guess which sides they want in the final?

 

[Gulliball]

Can anyone explain to me why Barry Bannan gets so much stick from Scotland fans, when shite like Scott Brown still gets a game. Funny hearing a lot of Scotland fans calling for players from the abysmal SPL to be called up ahead of him.

As a neutral, I think the issue is that he's been shite whenever he's played for Scotland.

There is also the wider issue that it's been almost impossible to get a game for Scotland unless you play in the English lower leagues. In a lot of cases the impression is that being English with a Scottish grandparent and playing in the Championship will get you a game for Scotland before being in form and playing in Scotland. That's not been helped by the turnaround in form once the 6 in form Celtic players were selected, albeit too late.

 

[Leo]

fine win by Celtic...4-2 in the end. First half was dismal but the game opened up a lot more 2nd 45 with Hibs showing a bit more determination and how they can play albeit in phases and got back into the game................On to tomorrow & hopefully Rangers can overturn Motherwell in what should be a very good game.

 

[SALTIRE]

Sounds like it was getting uncomfortable when Hibs got back to 3 - 2 before Celtic pushed on and grabbed another. Good result as Hibs are no mugs under Lennon.

 

[Super_horns]

Motherwell 2 up v Rangers.

P45 for the Rangers manager?

 

[SALTIRE]

That's another shocker there, have Rangers improved at all under this guy? Doesn't seem so.

Dundee beaten by the bottom side Partick! Lordy lordy....

 

[Super_horns]

Look who has tapped himself up for the job!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41714913

Long drive though from the South coast..

 

[Leo]

Motherwell 2 up v Rangers.

P45 for the Rangers manager?

Tbh I didn't expect that & I mean no disrespect towards Motherwell as I felt it would be a tough game. Rangers had a few really good chances to score but didn't take them....if you don't score you can't win but outwith these there was no urgency, no imagination, far too many long punts up field towards Morelos who was the sole front man and isn't the tallest. Really disappointed in how we approached the game. Tell you what though....I wish to fuck Rangers had forked out for Moult, McLean and Walker instead of the foreign rubbish the manager recruited. #notimpressedwhatsoever.

PS....the ref was fucking awful, lacking in consistency (for both teams)....allowed play to continue when it was obvious Moult the later Cardoso had face knocks and were bleeding, Cardoso especially, had his nose broken.

Deserved win for Motherwell.

 

[SALTIRE]

Look who has tapped himself up for the job!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41714913

Long drive though from the South coast..

Oh dear god no.

 

[rudebwoyben]

It would be a surrogate for the England job he never got in the end.

 

[DarkSithLord]

Jackie McNamara is the new manager at Dundee United.

 

[Super_horns]

Wasn't he there before?

 

[rudebwoyben]

Indeed he was and left on a very sour note there. I’m really surprised that he’s gone back!

 

[Gulliball]

I'm pleased for Motherwell. They absolutely battered Aberdeen in the quarter-finals and 3-0 was not an unfair scoreline in that game - against a side unbeaten in the league but barely got a kick for 90 minutes. They did the same to Rangers yesterday and thoroughly deserved the win.

From an Aberdeen perspective, what impressed me most was that they lost that game in the cup on the Thursday night, and had to go back to the same ground on Sunday morning, also live on tele, in the league. Derek McInnes made about 5 changes, changed the formation and it was an absolute battle for 90 minutes but they came away with a 1-0 win. Three days after being totally bullied and not being allowed a kick they won the physical battles, earned the right to play when they did have the ball, kept Moult quiet and picked up three points. It was the biggest transformation between two performances I think I've ever seen, and it was at the same ground, against the same side and 3 days apart.

That was the first appearance for Scott McKenna and Kari Arnason was recalled as well, and they've held the centre back positions ever since, keeping quite a few clean sheets in a row I think.

I hope Motherwell can give Celtic a game in the final. Hibs put up a very good fight in their semi, but if your keeper hands Celtic two soft goals then you're doomed, and given those circumstances it was about a good a result as they were going to get. Motherwell will have a different style of play and may be able to cause Celtic problems this way.

For Rangers, having been outclassed in a big semi-final, they need to respond in the way Aberdeen did and fix their own weaknesses. The whiny comments in the media from the manager and Alves won't help that - when the pressure was on, both of them lost their composure and lost control. Caixinha got sent to the stands and Alves deserved a red card for kicking out at Moult off the ball. He got lucky on the day and will need to be again to avoid a retrospective ban. There are problems to address internally before complaining that Motherwell gave you a spanking. After being embarassed on the pitch I bet the last thing the fans want is to be embarassed off the pitch as well.

On another track, I'm off to the Edinburgh derby tonight. The last two have been crackers and a brilliant atmosphere under the lights, so really looking forward to it.

Aberdeen vs Celtic on the tele tomorrow night as well - 1st vs 2nd and both unbeaten in the league with identical records. Having managed to win both games vs Celtic at Pittodrie in 2015/16, all 6 games vs Celtic last season were a massive disappointment for Aberdeen, not managing to win any of them and being honest never really looking close to either. Tomorrow night is a great chance to put a marker down, but I fully expect it to be Celtic that emphasise the gap between themselves and everyone else in the league once again.

 

[Leo]

I'm pleased for Motherwell. They absolutely battered Aberdeen in the quarter-finals and 3-0 was not an unfair scoreline in that game - against a side unbeaten in the league but barely got a kick for 90 minutes. They did the same to Rangers yesterday and thoroughly deserved the win.

From an Aberdeen perspective, what impressed me most was that they lost that game in the cup on the Thursday night, and had to go back to the same ground on Sunday morning, also live on tele, in the league. Derek McInnes made about 5 changes, changed the formation and it was an absolute battle for 90 minutes but they came away with a 1-0 win. Three days after being totally bullied and not being allowed a kick they won the physical battles, earned the right to play when they did have the ball, kept Moult quiet and picked up three points. It was the biggest transformation between two performances I think I've ever seen, and it was at the same ground, against the same side and 3 days apart.

That was the first appearance for Scott McKenna and Kari Arnason was recalled as well, and they've held the centre back positions ever since, keeping quite a few clean sheets in a row I think.

I hope Motherwell can give Celtic a game in the final. Hibs put up a very good fight in their semi, but if your keeper hands Celtic two soft goals then you're doomed, and given those circumstances it was about a good a result as they were going to get. Motherwell will have a different style of play and may be able to cause Celtic problems this way.

For Rangers, having been outclassed in a big semi-final, they need to respond in the way Aberdeen did and fix their own weaknesses. The whiny comments in the media from the manager and Alves won't help that - when the pressure was on, both of them lost their composure and lost control. Caixinha got sent to the stands and Alves deserved a red card for kicking out at Moult off the ball. He got lucky on the day and will need to be again to avoid a retrospective ban. There are problems to address internally before complaining that Motherwell gave you a spanking. After being embarassed on the pitch I bet the last thing the fans want is to be embarassed off the pitch as well.

On another track, I'm off to the Edinburgh derby tonight. The last two have been crackers and a brilliant atmosphere under the lights, so really looking forward to it.

Aberdeen vs Celtic on the tele tomorrow night as well - 1st vs 2nd and both unbeaten in the league with identical records. Having managed to win both games vs Celtic at Pittodrie in 2015/16, all 6 games vs Celtic last season were a massive disappointment for Aberdeen, not managing to win any of them and being honest never really looking close to either. Tomorrow night is a great chance to put a marker down, but I fully expect it to be Celtic that emphasise the gap between themselves and everyone else in the league once again.

Wouldn't disagree with your comments re the game on Sunday but being neutral I thought you may have mentioned that with Alves deserving a red card....so should Moult as he kicked out in retaliation at that incident....also no mention of the forearm smash from Bowman that burst Cardoso's nose open & broke it....which should have at least resulted in a 2nd yellow?

 

[Gulliball]

I didn't go into every detail of the game. Only because both Caixinha and Alves both made comments in the media - and Alves especially hypocritical to call the other side dirty when you got away with an off the ball red having completely lost your control and kicked out.

Bowman I think definitely deserved a red - his eyes were on the ball but it was a clear second yellow at least for how dangerous it was. Moult I don't agree with - would give him the benefit of the doubt as he was tangled up as a result of Alves and his kick out.

 

[Leo]

I didn't go into every detail of the game. Only because both Caixinha and Alves both made comments in the media - and Alves especially hypocritical to call the other side dirty when you got away with an off the ball red having completely lost your control and kicked out.

Bowman I think definitely deserved a red - his eyes were on the ball but it was a clear second yellow at least for how dangerous it was. Moult I don't agree with - would give him the benefit of the doubt as he was tangled up as a result of Alves and his kick out.

Well you you could say Robinson was hypocritical when he said Motherwell were physical but not dirty in the media when you consider Bowman's smash on Cardoso. Moult, who I actually like as a target man, should also have been red carded for his kick out.....retaliation is no defence.

 

[SALTIRE]

Celtic making easy work of Aberdeen so far, 2 - 0 and its not even half-time.

Dundee going a goal down at home after 5 mins

 

[rudebwoyben]

That was very impressive from Celtic, no other team in the SPL could score goals of the quality of their first two. Rogic, Dembele and Tierney really stood out and Tierney is surely going to go onto bigger things outside Scotland at some point.
I just wonder whether McInnes got his team selection wrong, Mackay-Steven just didn't rise to the occasion and the Dons were not able to keep hold of the ball in the Celtic half for any sustained period until it was too late.

 

[Leo]

Rangers were shite.....that's all.

 

[Leo]

No surprise here....the bullfighter is away....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41762385

 

[SALTIRE]

Lol from the off it looked a strange appointment that never remotely looked like it was going to work. And he had 'the best squad in Scotland' as well!

 

[Super_horns]

Falling out with fans favourites was never going to work and Rangers spent quite a lot of money on a few players relatively unknown apart from Alves.

 

[DarkSithLord]

Not before time,

 

[SALTIRE]

Ally McCoist throwing his hat into the ring wanting to come back to Rangers...

 

[Leo]

Ally McCoist throwing his hat into the ring wanting to come back to Rangers...

NO,NO and thrice NO............................where did you see/hear that Salty ? That most definitely will be a non starter....newspaper shite ?

 

[DarkSithLord]

A rare poor Result for Celtic today.

 

[SALTIRE]

NO,NO and thrice NO............................where did you see/hear that Salty ? That most definitely will be a non starter....newspaper shite ?

He got interviewed on it and seemed very keen.

 

[Leo]

He got interviewed on it and seemed very keen.

He was on the glue.....