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Found 14 results

  1. Rudderless Caley Jags sunk at Parkhead With a new manager still not in place, John Docherty and Charlie Christie took control of the side and they sent out the same team that took a point the previous Saturday at East End Park. Mark Brown was fit enough to play and Celtic welcomed back Chris Sutton into the side as they eased the pain of their midweek CIS Cup defeat to Rangers with a comfortable win over Inverness. ICT found themselves a goal down after three minutes when Aiden McGeady curled in a cross from the left and Chris Sutton rose high to head into the net. It was not looking good at that stage as the home side pressed to increase their lead but it was ICT who gradually clawed their way back into the game and had a good amount of possession, especially in the midfield area. Graham Bayne was once again a tireless worker and he neatly set up Barry Wilson but a good tackle by Neil Lennon thwarted the danger. The play swung to the other end and Mark Brown pulled off a tremendous save from Henri Camara before Juanjo was fouled and Roy McBain's kick went inches over the bar. Half Time: 1-0 The home side increased their lead in 52 minutes with the first of a double from John Hartson. Jackie McNamara swung over a low cross from the right and Hartson swept the ball into the net. ICT rallied well and Magnus Hedman produced an excellent save from a 30 yard effort by Barry Wilson. Hedman later denied ICT skipper Stuart Golabek by turning his fierce effort round the post. Liam Fox replaced Juanjo and he was immediately involved in some fine passing with Russell Duncan and Roy McBain. ICT were then given a great chance to get back into the game in 73 minutes when Stanislav Varga brought Richie Hart crashing to the ground. A stonewall penalty but Wilson's weak effort was easily saved by Hedman. To rub salt into the wound, Celtic increased their lead five minutes later with another effort from Hartson. McGeady passed to Jackie McNamara who moved in on goal. Mark Brown narrowed the angle but McNamara managed to squeeze the ball goalwards and it was eventually put into the net by Hartson. Full Time: 3-0 A double substitution by both teams was made but by that time the game was lost for Caley Thistle and Celtic ran out easy winners. The goals... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Celtic: 3 (Sutton 3, Hartson 53, 77) Team: Hedman; McNamara, Varga, Balde, Valgaeren, McGeady, Lennon, Sutton (Pearson 80), Thompson, Camara (Juninho 80), Hartson. Subs not used: Marshall, Sylla, Lawson, Quinn - Booked: McNamara (26), Varga (74). Inverness CT: 0 Team: Brown; Tokely, Dods, Golabek, Munro, McBain, Hart (Keogh 80), Duncan, Wilson (Prunty 80) Juanjo (Fox 67), Bayne. Subs not used: Fraser; McCaffrey, Thomson, Black. Referee:- Hugh Dallas. Attendance: 56594
  2. Caley Thistle could not end their winless streak that now stretches to seven games, but on the plus side, this was not a capitulation in the same manner as the last two games. Unlike previous games where certain players appeared to just be going through the motions, the Caley Jags fought hard to get back into this game and almost succeeded. After holding out for most of the first half, the Caley Jags went in at the break down by a goal after Scott McDonald scored on the stroke of half-time. On the hour mark, Samaras extended the Celtic lead but Caley Thistle fought back with a goal from Marius Niculae with 20 minutes to go. Despite several good chances, the equaliser wouldn't come but it was a far better performance than recent games. 27/02/08 Celtic Park, Glasgow CELTIC 2 McDonald (45), Samaras (61) Team: Boruc, Hinkel, Caldwell, McManus, Naylor, Nakamura, Donati, S. Brown, McGeady, McDonald (Killen 83), Samaras Subs: Hartley, Riordan, Sno, Robson, O'Dea, M. Brown INVERNESS CT 1 Niculae (70) Team: Fraser, Tokely, Munro, McGuire, Hastings, Cowie, Black (McBain 78), Duncan, Imrie, Paatelainen (Wyness 78), Niculae Subs: Vigurs, Kerr, Proctor, Gillespie, Malkowski Referee William Collum Attendance 56787 Ian Black made his 100th appearance for Caley Thistle in this game but Craig Brewster did have an enforced change with Graham Bayne dropping out through injury and he was replaced by Markus Paatelainen. Former Caley Thistle and Dundee United midfielder Barry Robson was on the bench for Celtic. Caley Thistle started with a 4-5-1 formation that has become familiar throughout parts of this season and were forced to soak up enormous amounts of pressure in the first half as Mike Fraser performed heroics in the ICT box. Donati was the first with a shot from the edge of the box in 8 minutes that Fraser held well, then Samaras twice went close either side of the 20 minute mark with a 15 then a 20 yard drive and in 28 minutes McGeady came close with an effort that Fraser caught at the second attempt with McDonald nearby. A minute later and it was Nakamura who shot wide of the post. All this before Caley Thistle had even had a sniff of a chance. However, as the half wore on, Caley Thistle did manage to get a little further forward. In 31 minutes Niculae made a break, found Paatelainen who in turn found Imrie but the recent signing could only put it wide. Imrie had another chance just before the break when an Ian Black free kick was headed back across the box but his volley went over the bar. Right on the stroke of half-time Celtic took the lead. Hinkel was fouled on the right by Paatelainen and from the resultant free-kick, Nakamura fired in a dangerous ball. His kick was met by the head of McDonald on the six yard line and Fraser had no chance at stopping him scoring his 25th goal of the season. Half Time: 1-0 Into the second half and Celtic went looking for the goal that would kill the game off. The first effort came in 51 minutes when Samaras hit the post but it was the same player who would extend the lead on the hour mark courtesy of some good work by Aiden McGeady. He beat a couple of players on the left then curled a cross into the box. Samaras was there to bullet the header past Fraser. 2-0 Caley Thistle got back into the game in the 70th minute through Marius Niculae with an assist from the Celtic defence. Scott Brown made a poor pass across his box that was pounced on by Niculae and he curled an excellent effort past Boruc. 2-1 From then on in, Caley Thistle tried hard to get an equaliser but it just wouldn't come. In 87 minutes Wyness came agonisingly close when his curling effort just went past the post and despite a late flurry of corners and free-kicks for ICT the ball didn't find its way into the net. Full Time: 2-1 A disappointing defeat but a lot of heart to be taken from this match as the Caley Jags once again looked like a team who were giving 100%. Lets hope that continues.
  3. Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC travelled to Celtic Park with the tough task of looking to take the seasons first points against the on form Celtic. In a match where Caley Thistle played well in large spells they were, again, unfortunate not to get more for their efforts. Those first points continue to elude us and the 5-0 defeat looks worse than it was. The team, manager and fans should take some comfort that the performances of the last 2 weeks have been good and against lesser opponents we could have witnessed a reversal of fortunes. 15/09/07 Celtic Park, Glasgow CELTIC 5 - Vennegoor of Hesselink (15, 59), Donati (41), Nakamura (56), McGuire (70 og) Team: Boruc, Wilson, Caldwell, McManus, Naylor, Nakamura, Brown (Sno 63), Donati, McGeady, McDonald (McGowan 72), Vennegoor of Hesselink (Killen 66) Subs: Brown, McGowan, Hartley, Killen, Riordan, Sno, O'Dea INVERNESS CT 0 Team: Fraser, Tokely, Munro, Duncan, McGuire, Wilson (Rankin 77), Niculae, McBain, Black, Cowie (Proctor 85), Wyness (MacDonald 86) Subs: Malkowski, McCaffrey, McDonald, MacDonald, Vigurs, Proctor, Rankin Referee Craig Thomson Attendance 56,020 Man of the Match . Brewster made 2 changes to the starting eleven used at Easter Road a fortnight ago. McGuire got a start ahead of McCaffrey and he also dropped himself from the squad choosing to start with Wyness and leave room on the bench for more defensive options. Strachan had also chosen to freshen things up as he rested players who had been on International Duty and kept this weeks coming fixture at Shakthar Donetsk in mind. Caley Thistle took to the field in the new away strip and started the brighter of the two teams. Dennis Wyness had a 20yard shot saved on the 2 minute mark and that was followed in 8 minutes by what looked almost certain to be the opening goal of the game - Celtic were struggling to clear a ball from the goalmouth when it fell at the feet of Dennis Wyness who somehow managed to shoot over the bar. The first goal came 7 minutes later when Scott Browns shot deflected off Vennegoor of Hesselink to beat Fraser in the ICT goal. This wasn’t to put a dampener on the fighting spirit of the Caley Thistle lads as they then proceeded to take the game by the scruff of the neck. McGuire was unfortunate not to get a little more on his header from a corner, Niculae shot narrowly wide, Wilson had a 20 yard shot saved and Cowie made Boruc work hard to tip his shot round the post all within the next 20 minutes. Ian Black was to be the first in the book on 36 minutes for a foul on McGeady and Celtic were to stretch the lead to two shortly after as Scott McDonald slid a pass to Donati who stuck the ball into the corner for a tight angle. HT – Celtic 2 v 0 Inverness CT Neither team were proving to be to much of a danger to the oppositions goal for the first 10 minutes of the second half, but that was to change very quickly and very dramatically as Nakamura drilled a 30 yard shot beyond the reach of Michael Fraser and in to the top corner. The fans had barely sat down when Scott McDonald played another inch perfect ball in to the area, this time finding the head of Vennegoor of Hesselink. Ian Black tried his best to imitate that shooting prowess of Nakamura but sent his shot over the bar on 65 minutes. Duncan was next up to try and get ICT on the score sheet. His right-footed drive from 12 yards hit the post and then the ball broke to him again on 18 yards but the on form Boruc denied him with a save. One of Caley Thistles new boys was to get on the score sheet on 70 minutes, but unfortunately it was in the wrong end. His attempts to clear the ball backfired and he was to close the days scoring making it 5 – 0 to Celtic. Full Time: 5-0 Caley Thistle fought till the last minutes for a goal which nobody would have denied them given the performance they put on. Black, Cowie and Niculae all had shots in the last 10 minutes but it was to no avail. I said it after the Hibs again and I’ll say it again now. If Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC continues to play like this, we will not be relegated this season. Our time will come and someone is about to get a hiding…here’s hoping for a result against Hearts at home next week.
  4. CELTIC 3-0 ICT Caley Thistle were soundly beaten by Celtic but in truth didnt play at all badly. Mike Fraser, replacing the suspended Mark Brown in goal had a good game and made several crucial saves especially in the first half, and ICT had plenty of chances at the other end before the game was lost. Club historian Ian Broadfoot reports from Celtic Park. 18th November 2006 Celtic Park, Glasgow CELTIC 3 (Dods og43, Vennegoor of Hesselink 71, Jarosik 85) Team: Boruc, Telfer, Caldwell (O'Dea 60), McManus, Naylor, Nakamura, Lennon, Graveson (Jarosik 76), Maloney (McGeady 87), Vennegoor of Hesselink, Zurawski SUBS: Riordan, Sno, Wilson, Marshall INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE FC 0 Team: Fraser, Tokely, Munro, Dods, Hastings, Wilson (Wyness 69), Duncan, Rankin McBain, Bayne, Dargo SUBS: Sutherland, McSwegan, Soane, Black, McCaffrey, Smith Referee Kenny Clark Attendance 56637 Man of the Match A disappointing afternoon in Paradise for Caley Thistle but a good performance – particularly in the first half. It took until close to half time before Celtic broke down the resolute defence but it was not all about defending. There were good moves going forward and chances created. With Mark Brown suspended Mike Fraser came in for only his second start and he had an excellent game – early stops gave him confidence and he had no chance with any of the goals. Teenage keeper Jonathon Smith took Fraser’s usual bench spot. Russell Duncan was captain for the day to mark his 200th appearance since joining the club in the summer of 2001. The August 1-1 draw between the teams in Inverness was the last SPL point dropped by Celtic and they went into this game looking for a clean sweep over the other eleven teams. They succeeded but victory was only assured when the second goal went in. The visitors pushed hard from the kick-off and nearly gave Celtic a fright in the second minute. Ross Tokely crossed from the right and Roy McBain had two shots blocked with Graham Bayne and Barry Wilson fighting hard to latch onto the rebounds – eventually it went over for a corner. Mike Fraser was called into action in the fifth minute when Maciej Zurawski raced down the left and shot – the keeper parried it for a corner. Five minutes later Fraser dived to take a header from Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink. A long Fraser clearance in 14 minutes was headed down by Bayne for John Rankin but the midfielder was fouled 23 yards out. The free kick by Wilson was touched back to him by Rankin but his shot was held by Artur Boruc. Bayne headed a Shunsuke Nakamura corner off the line in 21 minutes then a break upfield led to a cross from McBain which just eluded Craig Dargo. In 25 minutes there was an old fashioned stramash in the Caley Thistle goal following a header from Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink. It took Fraser plus two defenders to clear the danger at the third attempt. A minute later a Wilson corner from the left at the other end was headed back across goal by Grant Munro and a Bayne diving header looked in – in the event it slid just wide. Fraser saved from Maloney and Boruc from Rankin before the opening goal came in 43 minutes. A Nakamura corner from the left was touched on by Zurawski and Darren Dods went for it along with Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink – it skidded past Fraser and was credited as a Dods own goal. Half Time: 1-0 This was a blow from which ICT really never recovered. Straight after the break Dods blocked a Maloney cross and the home fans claimed a hand was used. Kenny Clark was having none of it. Caley Thistle continued to give as good as they got until the 72nd minute when a second goal put the game beyond them. Paul Telfer played a clever one-two with Nakamura then crossed from the right - Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink slid in to net from eight yards out. With ten minutes left Maloney tried one of his trademark free kicks from 25 yards out. It went over the wall and dropped just above the bar as Fraser could only watch. Goal number three came with five minutes left when Maloney sent a corner from the right and substitute Jiri Jarosik rose high to head into the top left corner. In added time Fraser held a Nakamura low shot and time was up. Full Time: 3-0 The defeat took ICT back to seventh place with Celtic streets ahead at the top.
  5. Ian Broadfoot reports on the match between Celtic and Caley Thistle at Celtic Park, Glasgow. Dennis Wyness equalled the all-time scoring record for the club, but his goal wasn't enough to take the points home. Saturday 24th September 2005 Celtic Park, Glasgow CELTIC (Gordon Strachan) 2 (Beattie 57 & 67) Team: Boruc, Telfer, Balde, McManus (Virgo 48), Camara, Maloney, Petrov, Sutton, Nakamura (Agathe 86), Beattie, Hartson Subs - McGeady, Lawson, Wallace, Pearson & Marshall INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE 1 (Wyness 51) Brown, Tokely, Dods, Munro, Morgan, Proctor, Duncan, Fox (Hart 74), Wilson (McAllister 87), Brewster (Dargo 60), Wyness Subs - Parratt, Finnigan, Black & Fraser Referee S Conroy Attendance 57247 Man of the Match A narrow defeat, a good away run ended, a club record equalled and another created. With Craig Dargo injured, Dennis Wyness made his first SPL start and partnered Craig Brewster up front. Stuart Golabek pulled out during the warm-up and Alan Morgan took his place on the left side of the back four. A fine midweek display against Dundee United in the CIS Cup brought Russell Duncan back into the side and Ross Tokely returned from injury. Celtic had Neil Lennon missing due to his much-publicised suspension but Chris Sutton returned from a two month absence due to a fractured cheekbone. After sustained Celtic pressure Dennis Wyness gave Caley Thistle the lead and his goal equalled Iain Stewart's career total of 82. A Craig Beattie double earned Celtic the points in front of a new ICT record crowd. Caley Thistle had been undefeated in the SPL since 15 January but continuing this superb run at Celtic Park was always going to be a massive challenge. An excellent display by the ICT defence (and Mark Brown in particular) kept them in the game for nearly an hour but, after Beattie's two goals, there was no way back. In the early minutes Liam Fox sliced high and wide then Barry Wilson hit just over Artur Boruc's crossbar. Stephen McManus headed off-target for Celtic in nine minutes then Beattie forced a diving save from Brown. The ICT 'keeper saved a Beattie header in 21 minutes then the young striker shot right at Brown a minute later. Brown's busy spell continued as he saved headers from Chris Sutton and John Hartson. In 37 minutes a McManus header hit the bar and, just before half time, Maloney shot wide. Half Time: 0-1 It was not all one-way and Wyness sent in a curling shot in 39 minutes which Boruc punched clear. In 51 minutes Caley Thistle took an unexpected lead. David Proctor headed on a Tokely throw and Wyness nipped in to shoot low under Boruc from six yards. It could have been 2-0 seconds later when a Wyness dummy set up Brewster 16 yards out but the player/manager failed to connect. Maloney set up an equaliser from Beattie in 57 minutes despite Brown getting a touch on his 12 yard shot. The home side had two penalty claims just after the equaliser - Sutton went down then a Nakamura cross struck Duncan's arm. On both occasions the referee waved play on. The winner came in 67 minutes when Shunsuke Nakamura set up Beattie and he ran 40 yards before steering the ball past the advancing Brown. Celtic could have conceded a late penalty when the ball seemed to strike Adam Virgo's hand five minutes from time but the referee saw nothing wrong. Full Time: 1-2 A good ICT performance but, in the end, disappointment.
  6. Hooped Celtic swamped Inverness to race into a four goal lead before they took the foot off the gas and Inverness made the score more respectable by scoring a brace in the last twenty minutes through subs Ryan Christie and Dani Lopez, who notched his first goal for the club with a crisp strike from twenty yards. Christie and Lopez were benched with Iain Vigurs and Carl Tremarco in the starting X1. Celtic had captain Scott Brown fit enough to start but there was no place for Kris Commons as Celtic celebrated 100 years of hoops. And the hoops got off to a flier with two headers before the thirteenth minute as Mikael Lustig and Leigh Griffiths punished the rattled makeshift Inverness defence who were unable to cope in a frenetic opening spell. Celtic tore the struggling visitors apart time and time again and it was a relief to go in at half time only two goals down. Mutombo provided the only spark from Inverness as he turned brilliantly on the edge of the box just on the break and forced Craig Gordon to tip over his fierce effort. The only other effort of note had come earlier when Vigurs surged forward but elected to shoot from outside the box and his shot whistled wide. That was however, the only moment of respite for the injury ravaged Highlanders in a torrid first half. Stefan Johansen had smashed a shot off the bar and Ross Draper cleared the rebounded shot from Stuart Armstrong off the line as Celtic piled on the pressure. Griffiths was being a constant threat and could have notched a hat-trick in the first half but at 2-0 down there was still a glimmer of hope, albeit a very faint one. Half-Time:- 2-0 Inverness started the second period brighter, but with ten minutes gone, Inverness loon Stuart Armstrong scored an impressive goal firing high beyond Fon Williams from a cut back supplied by Griffiths. Super stuff from Celtic and game over for Inverness. Armstrong grabbed his second of the game when Devine's attempted clearance found the former Arab and he duly knocked the ball home to put Celtic four up and Inverness could have no complaints. Hughes introduced Ryan Christie at the start of the half and Nat Wedderburn and Dani Lopez had replaced Vigurs and Tremarco just before the fourth goal. Christie scored what looked to be a consolation goal after Wedderburn set him through and Dani Lopez scored a cracking goal from around twenty yards to get the fans heads up. Inverness were enjoying a good spell and Draper almost got a header on target as the home defence began to look more vulnerable as Inverness gained in confidence. Full-Time 4-2 In the end it was too little too late, a recurring theme from Inverness, but they will get a boost given the late revival that made the last quarter a bit tetchy for the hoops. Overall, Inverness were chasing the game at the break and were lucky to be only two adrift. At four behind we were fearing the worst, but a determined finish gave us some respectability given our injury situation and good for Lopez to get off the mark with a quality goal. Celtic:- 4 Lustig (8), Griffiths (12), Armstrong (55), Armstrong (69) Team:- Gordon, Izaguirre, van Dijk, Bitton, Brown, (Mulgrew 62), Griffiths, Armstrong (McGregor 69), Mackay-Steven, Boyata, Lustig (Janko 62), Johansen. Subs not used:- Bailly, Stokes, Rogic, Forrest. Inverness CT:- 2 Christie (71), Lopez (78) Team:- Fon Williams, Raven, Tremarco, (Wedderburn 67), Draper, Devine, Tansey, Horner, Williams, Polworth (Christie 48), Vigurs (Lopez 67), Mbuyi-Mutombo. Subs not used:- Esson, Brown, Sutherland. Referee:- Craig Thomson. Crowd:- 42,727
  7. He scores when he wants. Unfortunately it's not Billy Mckay but Moussa Dembele as the Celtic striker scored back to back hat-tricks to add to goals from Mikael Lustig, Kieran Tierney and Scott Brown. A not unexpected result and Richie Foran has enough on his plate to worry about after this crushing defeat. As expected, Owain Fon Williams returned to the sticks and Brad Mckay moved into central defence as Foran made two changes from the side that started against Dundee last week. Patrick Roberts missed out as Liam Henderson started for the Scottish Champions who were without Leigh Griffiths and Stuart Armstrong at a less than packed Parkhead. Tremendous start by Inverness inside the first minute as David Raven almost slipped Mckay in after Billy had made good ground down the left and at the other end Liam Henderson fired wide. The opening exchanges were sprightly with both sides having a go and Inverness looking composed on the ball. Ten minutes in and Celtic gradually began to impose themselves on the possession stats with the visitors content to keep them at bay and look for the counter opportunity. Neither keeper had been asked to work in the first fifteen although there was plenty of enterprising play on show, mostly from the hosts as Inverness struggled to hold on to the ball. Twenty minutes gone and Mikael Lustig opened the scoring from close range, brilliantly controlling a through ball from Nir Bitton and slipping it behind Fon Williams. A bit harsh on Inverness who had coped well up to that point. The free kicks were flowing now for Celtic as Inverness tried to stem the flow and the Bhoys were taking full advantage of this causing the Inverness defence plenty of problems but unable to make Fon Williams work. It was constant Celtic pressure now as Inverness failed to link play to the forwards. Ross Draper picked up a booking after a couple of robust challenges as Inverness forced a corner down the left and another as the defence cleared. Warren was adjudged to foul from the second set piece. Iain Vigurs was rightly booked for a clumsy tackle on Dembele to be the third naughtyboy, Carl Tremarco being the first, and as the interval approached we were coming out of our shell and entered the Celtic half a couple of times before the already booked Vigurs offended again. Warren became the fourth villain for upending Dembele who was causing all sorts of problems as he drove at the defence time and time again. A minute before the break Dembele squeezed the ball over the line, Fon Williams failing to keep out his low shot as it crept over the line after James Forrest had skinned Tremarco down the right flank. Fon Williams was on the bench last week for exactly that and it was a disappointing goal to lose. If the plan was to give Celtic total dominance, it was working well as we approached the interval, but with two goals in it, the Caley Jags still had some interest in the cup, albeit very faint. Despite their superiority, Fon Williams had little to do other than pick the ball out of the net twice. Half Time 1-1 Game over just after the break when Dembele slotted home with composure from ten yards. Super save from Fon Williams soon after as Celtic threaten a cricket score and Billy King leaves the pitch through injury with Jake Mulraney entering the field. No fairytale this time for Inverness as Celtic turned the screw and memories of Feb 8th 2000 were quickly erased as Dembele easily notched his hat-track after being set up by Forrest. Forrest was the provider again as he teed one up for Kieran Tierney to nod home and the icing was on the cake when Scott Brown lifted the net off the rigging with a thunderous shot to end the scoring. Full Time 6-0 Oh dear, that went well! A thrashing for Inverness but we have bigger fish to fry with a relegation battle to be won. Nothing we could do about this with Celtic rampant and Dembele in fine form. James Forrest was the architect of most things as Inverness were done by his pace time and time again. It was always on the cards and the killer blow was the soft goal on the stroke of half time that OFW will not want to see again. In fairness he was maybe partially sighted and he just could not get down quick enouh as the ball agonisingly crept under him and over the line. Inverness MotM. Jake Mulraney who looked like he should have been on from the start. The rest need to take a long hard look at themselves. Iain Vigurs was lucky to stay on the park as he pushed the boundaries a few times after being booked. If he wonders why the fans are giving him a hard time, then look no further than his contribution today. It's not a day for criticism though as Celtic were simply too good. All the best players on the park were in green and white hoops. Don't watch if you're easily upset Date: 11/02/17 Venue: Celtic Park, Glasgow Attendance: 25577 Referee: Kevin Clancy Celtic: 6 Lineup: Gordon, Lustig, Boyata (Toure 88), Sviatchenko, Tierney, Bitton, Brown, Forrest, Henderson (McGregor 65), Sinclair, Dembele (Ciftci 81) Subs (not used): De Vries, Izaguirre, Gamboa, Mackay-Steven Scorers: Lustig (20), Dembele (44, 50, 59), Tierney (86), Brown (91) Booked: Lustig (72) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 0 Lineup: Fon Williams, Raven, Warren, Brad McKay, Tremarco, Draper (Cole 63), Tansey, Vigurs, King (Mulraney 53), Anier, Billy Mckay (Ebbe 63) Subs (not used): Hoban, Polworth, Fisher, Boden Scorers: none Booked: Tremarco (29), Draper (35), Vigurs (37), Warren (42) Sent Off: none a
  8. Mission Impossible? Seventeen years on and the result that shocked Scottish Football still sends a shiver down the spine of Caley Thistle fans. Supercaleygoballistic...... you know how it goes, gets an airing every time these two clubs meet, especially in the Scottish Cup. At the time nobody thought it was possible. Inverness were being dismissed with contempt borne through ignorance. How could a mid-table first division side knock the mighty Celtic out of the Scottish Cup on their own patch. Well, they did, and they did it in style. Celtic were no longer invincible and Inverness wrote themselves into the history books. The damage was far reaching at Parkhead and heads would roll in the aftermath of that game. Feb 8th 2000 is etched on the minds of Inverness Caledonian Thistle fans, just as the Lisbon Lions are for the Celtic faithful. Is it possible for the current crop of Caley Jags players to emulate their predecessors and cause what would be a major upset, considering Celtic's dominance in the domestic game this season and given the transformation made by manager Brendan Rodgers? The simple answer has to be NO and there are a number of reasons for that. Not least the current form of Celtic, sweeping all before them and 27 points clear in the Premiership. The present squad have overtaken the run by the famous Lisbon Lions. The Celtic squad is littered with International players. Brendan Rodgers has moulded his own style into the Celtic team and has brought some excellent quality to the team like Moussa Dembele and Scott Sinclair. They have scored a phenomenal 65 goals in 24 league games whilst conceding only 16. That's 2.7 goals scored per game and a meagre 0.666 against per game. Is that a sign of the devil? But it's not what Celtic have to offer that concerns me. It's what Inverness don't have to offer that is the greater worry. We are bottom of the Premiership on merit alone. We fail to keep clean sheets on a regular basis, only 2 from 24 games. We are scoring goals at a rate of 1.16 per game. We have no current International players on our books, other than a couple of squad reserves in Owain Fon Williams and Billy Mckay and crocked Kevin McNaughton. Our manager is a newcomer to the job, unlike his counterpart who has a proven track record at the highest level. We no longer have the element of surprise on our side. Playing each other three or four times a season has scuppered that. Man for man, our current team could not lace the boots of our Feb 8th 2000 squad. We no longer possess players that play for the jersey, willing to lay it all on the line for ninety minutes and go through the pain barrier just to pull on the famous Inverness Caledonian Thistle strip. All over the park we could replace present players with golden oldies. Jimmy Calder was somewhat unorthodox as a keeper, but he could keep the ball out of the net and saved around 50% of penalties he faced. Ross Tokely was maybe not the most gifted, but was a difficult man to get beyond and solid in the air and worked well going forward. Stuart Golabeck: Toughest tackling full back I have ever seen. Scared of nothing and had enough pace to cover for big Bobby. Richard Hastings, a young fit Canadian International with plenty of energy. Bobby Mann was an absolute colossus. Calmness personified in the face of adversity and on his day the best centre back in the country. Mike Teasdale, always there when you needed him and skillful for a big lad. Mark McCulloch, no nonsense tough tackling midfielder who never shirked a challenge. Barry Wilson, how we could do with him now, a tremendous pacey winger with skill in abundance and a goal threat. Paul Sheerin was able to keep a cool head and fitted the Caley Jags ethics. Charlie Christie was one of the most talented players to come from the Highland League, twinkle toed and dedicated to the cause. Dennis Wyness, legend and goal scorer extraordinaire. Kevin Byers, Martin Glancy and Martin Bavidge all did their bit as well. Every one of them would not look out of place in today's side and most would be certain of a start every week. Let's not forget Pele. His philosophy was score more than the opposition. It worked well most of the time and entertainment value was top drawer. Back to the present day though and we have got to rise to the challenge, albeit a daunting one. Current form shows that Celtic are bullet proof and we are favourites for the drop. The Bhoys brushed aside St Johnstone in their last game thanks to a dubious penalty going their way and ran out big winners, scoring five after coming from 2-1 behind, Moussa Dembele scoring a hat-trick after coming on around the hour mark and bagging a hat-trick in 24 minutes. However, this is cup football and we are forever optimistic. We have to believe that the impossible is possible. Richie Foran never shirked a challenge as a player and this is one challenge he will relish. Let's not forget that we have dumped favourites Celtic out of the Scottish Cup on three occasions now, so maybe it's not such a big deal any more. Thought it might be worth mentioning that Celtic have only dropped one point this season. Now who could that have been against? Tom Rogic will miss another few months of action after an ankle operation ruled him out for the forseeable future. Stuart Armstrong and Leigh Griffiths look set to sit this game out as they near fitness but won't be risked. Why should they be when Dembele and Sinclair are on the books along with a squad of full international players. Josh Meekings will be missing for at least another couple of months. That's a blow as we have struggled defensively from the start of the season. Kevin McNaughton and Lewis Horner are other long term casualties. David Raven played the ninety minutes against Dundee as did Jamie McCart, but he will be unavailable to face his parent club in the cup. Brad Mckay could step in and Ross Draper has been known to drop deep to play in the back line when we have no other options available. Billy Mckay has had two games to get to know the current incumbents and that will benefit him greatly. Billy King came back against Dundee and showed up well. tm4tj prediction:- If I'm being realistic then we should have no chance whatsoever and this could be a rout. But as I said, it's cup football and away from the pressure of gaining league points. It's a difficult place to go and get any sort of result but that's what we have to do. We were not given a scooby in 2000 and it's the same now. Here's hoping we can get stuck in and emulate the class of Feb 8th 2000. However, I'm not holding my breath on that as wins at Parkhead are as scarce as an Iceberg Lettuce. Celtic to be in the hat for the next round leaving Inverness to concentrate on avoiding relegation. Nostalgia is making a comeback. Here's the respective sides that played that famous game 17 years ago. Celtic 1 (Burchill) Jonathan Gould, Tom Boyd, Olivier Tebily, Stephane Mahe, Vidar Riseth, Colin Healy, Regi Blinker, Lubomir Moravcik, Eyal Berkovic, Mark Viduka and Mark Burchill. Ian Wright replaced Viduka at half-time after the Aussie took the huff. It mattered not a jot. Key players such as Henrik Larsson and Paul Lambert were unavailable through injury. Shame! Inverness CT 3 (Wilson, Mann, how dare they say that Moravcik scored it, Sheerin pen) Jim Calder, Mike Teasdale, Stuart Golabeck, Bobby Mann, Mark McCulloch, Richard Hastings, Paul Sheerin, Ross Tokely, Barry Wilson, Charlie Christie and Dennis Wyness. Kevin Byers, Martin Glancy and Martin Bavidge all made late appearances in the game. Key players such as....................erm, they were all on the park beating Celtic.
  9. Tough day at the office. Ten man Inverness went down 3-0 in Glasgow as Celtic eventually wore us down and dominated from the time they took the lead. Nothing surprising about the result, but disappointing to have a man sent off and Liam Polworth crocked. A tight first half saw Inverness go in at the break level. A couple of great chances for Celtic, a superb save from Owain Fon Williams and a half chance for Doumbouya produced no goals. Just after the break Scott Sinclair raced between the centre backs to knock the ball behind Fon Williams to open the scoring. Leigh Griffiths scored a tap-in after slack play from Inverness, and Greg Tansey was red carded in the move that led to the goal, having been booked in the first half. The third goal was scored by sub Tom Rogic with a deflected shot to complete our misery. Inverness were missing David Raven, Carl Tremarco and Aaron Doran with Lewis Horner, Billy King and Owain Fon Williams coming back into the starting XI. Celtic had a pretty potent strike force on from the start with Leigh Griffiths, Scott Sinclair, Patrick Roberts and man of the moment Moussa Dembele all lining up. The first half might have been level in score, but Celtic were mostly on the front foot, that means that we were mostly on the back foot. Best chance of the half went to Leigh Griffiths who saw his close range effort brilliantly turned onto the bar by Owain Fon Williams. For Inverness, Lonsana Doumbouya wasted a half chance and Ross Draper headed straight into Craig Gordon. Celtic squandered a handful of chances which would not have impressed Brendan Rodgers as we kept them at bay. Half Time 0-0 The second half was only a couple of minutes old when Scott Sinclair nipped into the box to get on the end of a smart Callum McGregor pass and he duly dispatched the ball behind the keeper. Just after the hour, Sott Brown came off injured being replaced by Nir Bitton. A double Inverness replacement saw Jake Mulraney and Alex Fisher replace Billy King and Lonsana Doumbouya. Celtic had replaced Mikael Lustig with Emilio Isaguirre in the first half. Moments later Griffiths got a tap-in after Fon Williams stopped Dembele from scoring, the ball breaking kindly for the Celtic striker. Greg Tansey was sent off for his involvement in that goal and there was no way back for the visitors. The Bhoys final change saw Tom Rogic take over from Moussa Dembele with around twenty minutes left. Last change of the match had Larnell Cole coming on for the final fifteen minutes as Liam Polworth was crunched and left the field in pain. With Inverness down to ten men, the final whistle can't come soon enough as Celtic's domination increased. It was no surprise when Rogic added a third after eighty three minutes, the away defence ran ragged by this time. Full Time 3-0 Inverness were seldom seen as an attacking force in the second half. The same could not be said of Celtic who surged forward at every opportunity. No disgrace going down to a rampant Celtic, especially having to play for around half an hour with a man short. There's little point going through every event on the park, suffice to say, we were second best and got away with some missed opportunities for Brendan Rodgers' side, but that's what you get at Parkhead. Tough shift for Inverness. Although it was a bad day at the office, the overall results were favourable and we retained our top-six status for now. As is the case for most teams visiting Parkhead, damage limitation is the first choice and I don't think we can be too vexed at going down 3-0. A couple of observations from RIG who was at the game. "The closest we came to a chance on goal was a free kick from Vigurs after Mulraney had been bundled over as he looked to break clear but I can barely remember us getting out of our half in the second 45". RIG picked out "Mckay as probably our best player (again) and I thought Polworth did well until his injury. Tansey and Vigurs were both poor in terms of their passing with Tansey especially slack at times. All in all, disappointing result but we can't realistically expect to complete with Celtic when they can start players like Dembele, Griffiths, Roberts and Sinclair". Fair enough RIG. Anyway, nothing to see here, big team beats wee team, move along please......... Date: 05/11/16 Venue: Celtic Park, Glasgow Attendance: 54152 Referee: Crawford Allan Celtic: 3 Lineup: Gordon; Lustig (Izaguirre 14), Simunovic, Sviatchenko, Armstrong, Brown (Bitton 61), McGregor, Griffiths, Roberts, Dembele (Rogic 69), Sinclair Subs (not used): De Vries, Gamboa, Christie, Forrest Scorers: Sinclair (48), Griffiths (63), Rogic (83) Booked: none Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 0 Lineup: Fon Williams, Horner, Warren, Meekings, McKay, Draper, Tansey, King (Mulraney 61), Vigurs, Polworth (Cole 77), Doumbouya (Fisher 61) Subs (not used): Mackay, Boden, Sutherland Scorers: none Booked: Tansey (43) Sent Off: Tansey (65)
  10. Bhoys Zone Tough task this weekend as Foran takes his side down to the Bhoys Zone, Parkhead, to face domestically dominant Celtic, still the only side to take a point off Brendan Rodgers' side. I'm sure that's a statistic not lost on the Celtic manager, and he will be out to make sure they don't slip up this time. Last midweek game was away to Motherwell and we surprised many by coming away with our first clean sheet and a 3-0 win. Goals from Carl Tremarco, Lonsana Doumbouya and Liam Polworth made the difference as we strolled through the second half. We followed up our tremendous result at Fir Park with a 3-3 thriller against Hearts in the Highlands. We suffered a few setbacks before and during the game, but we still managed to get a point. Cammy Mackay replaced Welsh international Owain Fon Williams prior to kick off. Ten minutes into the game and Carl Tremarco was next to leave the park feeling his hamstring. His replacement was not too shabby though, and David Raven finished a brilliant team move to add to the drama. Great to see Lonsana Doumbouya continue his scoring run with his third goal in as many games, he seems to be growing into the role and his efforts have not gone unnoticed. He has been called into the Guinea national squad. Another plus was Aaron Doran scoring his first goal since returning from serious injury. All things considered, a decent point against a side that spanked us 5-1 a few weeks ago. Celtic came North a week and a half ago and burst Ross County 4-0. That score flattered them somewhat with County unfortunate not to score and as the game wore on Celtic bagged three late goals to give them a win they scarcely merited. They went to Pittodrie at the weekend and came away with a narrow 1-0 victory to keep them firmly on track to retain the Premiership title, thanks to a superb Tom Rogic improvised strike. The goals are still coming from Dembele and Sinclair, both subs against County, and as they showed in Dingwall, not a bad pair to have sitting around waiting for a game. Patrick Roberts and Stuart Armstrong started at the Global Energy Stadium and they notched the first two goals. With players of that standard uncertain of a start, it's a daunting task for the rest of the league. It's not a game many Caley Jags fans relish with expectation not high given Celtic's monetary dominance in the Scottish game and restricted viewing arrangements for visiting fans. Celtic fans bemoan the difference when they play the likes of Barcelona in European games. Welcome to our world! It's heartbreaking watching the likes of Ryan Christie warming the bench at Celtic when he could have had his pick of any other club in Scotland and regular football to boot. In fact, he sometimes can't even get on the bench. What a waste of fine Scottish talent. Mind you, I don't suppose his wallet is complaining£££ As usual, I would expect Richie Foran to set his stall out to give little away and hit on the break. That's standard practice for most clubs at Parkhead, but it's a dangerous game to play when Celtic are in the mood and can and has led to some doings in Glasgow. It's all very well saying why give them too much respect, but in all honesty there's little other option. It will be a stern test for not only the team, but of Foran's ability to absorb the pressure and hype surrounding a game at Parkhead. Celtic had the minor irritation of a Champions League game to contend with on Tuesday night in Germany. The played Borussia Mönchengladbach in the return leg after losing the first encounter 0-2 in Glasgow. That could mean that Brendan Rodgers might tinker with his squad for our visit although the size and wealth of talent available to him should be sufficient to take care of domestic games. Maybe Ryan will get a rare run out against his old buddies. That game ended with Celtic gaining a credible 1-1 draw in Germany with Moussa Dembele stroking home a penalty with the confidence and calmness of a veteran. One or two concerns for Richie Foran coming in to this game. Carl Tremarco looks as though he will miss out as the club investigate his hamstring injury. Better news for Larnell Cole and Alex Fisher who are both back in contention although Fisher is touch and go and, it might be a game too early for match saver Fisher who scored that late equaliser last time the sides met. Aaron Doran looks like missing this game out, but Billy King is eligible once more. Things are looking up in the goal keeping stakes with Owain Fon Williams set to return having missed last weeks game with back spasms during the warm-up. Ryan Esson has returned to full training as well, and Cammy Mackay will have learnt from his enforced appearance against Hearts. Bad news for Scotland and Celtic supporters is that Kieran Tierney will be out for a couple of months with ankle ligament damage picked up in training. Nineteen year old Tierney has been in sensational form for Celtic and will be a big miss. I suppose they will just have to use some international reserve, in this case, Honduran Emilio Izaguirre. Leigh Griffiths and Jozo Suminovic will return but Kolo Toure is out. tm4tj prediction:- I suppose as it's on the 5th November, we should be expecting some fireworks from Celtic. It's a tough game this one, probably the most difficult on the calendar, but usually the easiest to predict. It depends who Brendan believes will be sufficient to dismiss us whilst his team leave the rest behind. We have shown some tremendous resilience this season after a slow start and Celtic will need to be aware of this, however, they should have enough strength in depth to be able to win the points. In Liam Polworth, we have a lad that can set off a few rockets of his own and he has already scored a couple of bangers. We can always hope. Let the fireworks begin.
  11. Tremendous Performance All In Vain Inverness went down 3-0 at Parkhead after dominating the first half. The Caley Jags could have been three ahead before Gary Mackay-Steven opened the scoring after 54 minutes. Leigh Griffiths added a second soon after and the final goal came in stoppage time from the same player, his 32nd of the season. Inverness were strutting their stuff in the first 45, moving the ball around incisively, a bit like watching Barcelona, but the missed chances proved costly and once Celtic scored the two quick goals, alas, it was game over for Inverness. It's the fixture the Inverness fans are not too keen on. Given the statistic that the aggregate over the last six visits to Parkhead is 24-2 in favour of Celtic, then that's hardly surprising. Gary Mackay-Steven was first to have a swipe at the ball, but his shot fron outside the box took a deflection as it sliced wide. Miles Storey was similar at the other end, his shot slicing high and wide. The first big event of the game came after 17 minutes as Inverness began to get a stranglehold on the game. A tremendous free kick by Iain Vigurs from deep left curled over everyone including keeper Craig Gordon and into the box. It was met perfectly by Gary Warren six yards out in line with the back post. Unfortunately Warren must have had on his thrupenny bit head and missed what can only be described as a sitter, the ball flashing wide back across the unguarded net and well off target. Miss of the season for us. Griffiths fired in a snapshot that Owain Fon Williams made a meal of, but he kept the ball out and Inverness continued their domination of proceedings. Ross Draper was unfortunate as he saw his shot deflected agonisingly wide as Inverness turned the screw. His chance was set up by Ian Vigurs with a deft ball slipped to him on he edge of the box after determined work by Miles Storey. Celtic were merely spectating by this point in the game Armstrong and Tansey exchanged attempts, both missing the target and Sviatchenko was booked as he brought down Storey who looked to be getting away from him as he broke over the half way line, but the half drew to a close with the scoreline unchanged, and that would be our downfall. Half Time 0-0 Celtic came out after the break and looked to have upped their energy levels, Mackay-Stevens and Stuart Armstrong having attempts blocked and missed, but it was Inverness that almost opened the scoring three minutes in. Celtic had pushed forward but the visiting defence broke down another attack. Greg Tansey played a precision ball forward and Jordan Roberts showed Sviatchenko a clean pair of heels. As he got to the eighteen yard line he released his shot but Craig Gordon had stood tall and spread himself well, Roberts shot striking the keeper in the chest and bouncing to safety. Celtic opened the scoring through Gary Mackay-Steven after they played the ball along the edge of the Inverness box, the final touch before Mackay-Steven looked to have struck a Celtic arm but he whipped a shot into the net with the aid of a deflection. A few minutes later and Inverness went two down. Dylan Tierney played a crossfield ball from deep in the visitors half. The ball found it's way to Griffiths and he wasted no time getting his shot away after a short dribble to his right, and from the right corner of the box found the bottom of the net. The pinpoint accuracy beet the keeper as his low shot went across Fon Williams and into the net off the far post. An absolute hammer blow to Inverness who had been so far on top prior to this quick one-two. Celtic had their tails up now and Inverness started to look despondent. Stefan Johansen met a cut back from twelve yards out but Fon Williams smothered the ball low to his left. Inverness were not done yet though and after a header from close range was blocked, the ball was taken down by Lewis Horner outside the box. He neatly turned his man before shooting just wide, a slight deflection earning him a corner. Ryan Christie had come on by this time, unfortunately wearing a Celtic strip. Tansey whipped a free kick in from thirty yards but it was all too comfortable for Gordon in the Celtic goal as he plucked the ball out of the air with ease. Substitute Andrea Mutombo caused some consternation in the home box after the ball had been smuggled away from the defender, but it was cleared at the expense of a corner. The ball falling to Vigurs eventually, but there was to be no repeat of his Motherwell volley as he hit the ball well over the bar. Griffiths competed the scoring in time added on after a slick seven man move involving a bit of showboating before Griffiths embedded the ball in the back of the net from the edge of the box, fantastic goal to finish the game. Full Time 3-0 You would have put your mortgage on Inverness winning this one at half time. However hard luck stories don't win games and Celtic showed why they are on top of the league with a clinical display of finishing, something we could have done with. Our ball retention and passing were first class and deserved a better fate. No real failures in this team performance and it would probably have been enough to see off anyone else. Special mention for Lewis Horner who took a bit of stick a few weeks ago but has come back well and answered his critics with a decent display in his last two outings. MotM will be going to an Inverness born and bred lad. Ryan Christie for coming back well after his serious injury this season. Inverness players all acquitted themselves very well and had we taken our chances we could have been out of sight before Celtic scored, but that's life. Date: 20/02/16 Venue: Celtic Park, Glasgow Attendance: 43600 Referee: Don Robertson Celtic: 3 Lineup: Gordon, Lustig, Boyata, Sviatchenko, Tierney, Bitton, Brown, Armstrong (Allan 63), Johansen (Christie 67), Mackay-Steven (Roberts 82), Griffiths Subs (not used): Bailly, Mulgrew, Commons, Kazim-Richards Scorers: Mackay-Steven (54), Griffiths (59, 93) Booked: Sviatchenko (45) Sent Off: none Inverness CT: 0 Lineup: Fon Williams, Horner (Hughes 78), Devine, Warren, Tremarco, Draper, Tansey (R. Williams 88), Vigurs, Roberts (Mbuyi-Mutombo 72), Polworth, Storey Subs (not used): Esson, Wedderburn, Brown, Maclennan Scorers: none Booked: Warren (52) Sent Off: none
  12. Champions v Cup Winners. Toughest game on the calendar I suppose as Inverness head West to the East end of Glasgow to face Champions Celtic at Parkhead. It's not worth dwelling too much on this game, and if I'm honest anything we can get from Parkhead is a bonus. It's as difficult as they come with Celtic still looking for points to keep their noses in front of Aberdeen, who were last weeks victims at the hands of Willie Collum, if you listen to Derek McInnes' bleatings. Baaaa, baaaa........... We have shipped seven goals against Celtic this season, going down 4-2 in Glasgow and 3-1 in the Highlands. We have recovered somewhat from our early season demise and should provide stiffer opposition for the leaders. However, should the lackadaisical side that saw off the mighty East Kilbride 2-0 in the cup turn up, then we have a chance of upsetting the bookies. Celtic's last outing saw them defeat our good neighbours Ross County 2-0 in Glasgow, Leigh Griffiths scoring his 30th goal of the season in that one.Dedryck Boyata scored the other. County put up some stern resistance until just on half time, that's the same determination we will need to show if we harbour any thoughts of taking something from this game. I doubt it will be pretty, let's hope it is effective though. Our last game was the 3-1 win against Aberdeen where we fought back from a goal down to win comfortably. Three goals from Willie Collum did the damage, thankfully he is not in charge today. Ronny Deila should have an unchanged squad to call upon, plus a few million pounds worth of talent just sitting around, some spare Arabs and some new foreign imports. The usual suspects are out long term, and Alex Fisher, James Vincent, Josh Meekings and possibly Davis Raven are also out. tm4tj prediction:- It's always an uncomfortable fixture for us and I would expect Celtic to be strong enough to win this game. But should they display any of the qualities that they showed in their last two Cup games, then they will find us eager to take advantage. Miles Storey has been tremendous recently without scoring and Jordan Roberts continued on from where he left off against Motherwell. The focus will be on our defence though and Gary Warren and Danny Devine will be bust lads today. Celtic have the countries top scorer in Leigh Griffiths and he will be a big danger. I would like to predict a win, but we will do well to take a point, although that is looking on the bright side. ps, I wonder if we will get a glimpse of our own superloon Ryan Christie. A fantastically gifted player and one we would have liked to have kept at Inverness.
  13. Damage Limitation? After an inauspicious start to the new campaign, Inverness travel to Glasgow to face Celtic in the faint hope that we can get our season kick-started. I won't be holding my breath on that one given our inability to create sufficient opportunities for our front players, and their inability to convince the fans that they have the necessary credentials to fill the vacant strikers roll. There is no denying it has been a poor beginning for Yogi's men, although closer inspection will show that we have had a tougher than normal start to the season for various reasons. The major issues are obvious. No replacement striker since Billy Mckay left and multiple injuries to key players. With our budget, a wafer thin squad is easily exposed with a handful of injuries. We almost had enough injured players to field a team of crocks. There is also the millstone of expectation hanging round the players necks. In all honesty, some folk need to re-adjust their sights and get back to reality. Yes we won the Cup last season, got into Europe by finishing third and had players and manager of the year accolades etc. But, all that is history. We need to get back to business, and get back to it quickly, or this season will pass us by. You don't get a tougher place than Parkhead to try and get your first win of the season. Unfortunately, that's where our makeshift side will have to try and do the business. The back line in front of Fon Williams will most likely be Raven-Draper-Devine-Williams or Tremarco. Now, a lot has happened since the start of the season and midfield is anyone's guess, but with the return of Iain Vigurs, we will at least have someone who can spread the play and take free kicks in the vicinity of the goal area. So possibly Vigurs and Tansey in the holding and dispatching slots with Mutombo, the much wanted Christie and Williams or a fit again Doran foraying forward with last chance Lopez needing to up the pace. What better stadium than Parkhead to do this. Jordan Roberts is hoping to be fit and Vincent is another option if he is repaired, and the same for Meekings, who I'm sure will get a wonderful reception from the Celtic faithful. Celtic have signed Scott Allan from Hibernian overnight. What a surprise that was not. A bonus for us though is that Scott Brown is injured. Kris Commons is ready to go and that is a negative for us as he is usually a problem for our A defence, never mind our thrown together rearguard. tm4tj prediction:- Our least favourite away day is coming along at the wrong time for us and I can't see anything other than damage limitation today. Celtic in full swing is a dangerous beast. Their pace and movement in attack could prove too much for our deputies. Our best hope is that Josh Meekings recovers in time and takes Ross Draper out of the centre back position. Nothing against Ross, but he might get turned too easily and that would leave Fon Williams exposed. It's all ifs and buts at the moment, however, we can cling to our memories of the Scottish Cup semi-final and keep dreaming along that lines. That just leaves me with a prediction to do, and it irks me to say we are on a hiding to nothing.
  14. http://caleythistleonline.com/page/index.html/_/previews-2013-14/aberdeen-v-inverness-ct-league-cup-final-r1141 :ictscarf: "Aberdeen fans are well known for their familiarity with sheep, allegedly. Well, I say don't knock it till you've tried it. With Dingwall fans named after Stags, there does seem to be an unsavoury aspect behind the names. I like fluffy sheep myself..........
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