ORIGINAL+EVEN MORE OFFICIAL: Cup Semi v Sheepies, Sat 20-Apr-24 @ 12:30. MIB=D Robertson, VAR=G Aitken

Bridie Bhoy

Bridie Bhoy

Well-known member
The Cup holders continue our defence of the Scottish Cup as we face Aberdeen in the semi final at Hampden in the Saturday lunchtime game live on BBC 1 Scotland, BBC iPlayer & Premier Sports 2.

The Mutton Molesters have surprisingly struggled this season as the Ewe Camp is in turmoil, but they can never be taken for granted. So our players will have to be up for the game to avoid any chance of an upset.

Hunbelievably, Don Robertson has been assigned to referee us again for the third time in a matter of weeks which started with his pathetic horror show against us at Tynecastle.

No doubt the winners of our semi will face sevco in the final as their Edinburgh cousins always seem to lie down against them and they have their ex-mascot, Steve McLean MIBbing with neutered Gollum VARring to make sure the Belgian waffle merchant doesn't feck this game up.

I'm hoping we manage to put in a 90 minute performance this week.

Hart
AJ CCV Nawrocki Taylor
O'Riley CalMac (or Iwata) Hatate
Kuhn Kyogo Forrest
​
It is out on the wings that I am not sure about. Maeda is out. Kuhn struggled last week after finding his form at last, Yang was poor, Palma is just returning & lost his form before his injury and Forrest is better on the right wing & is better playing the last 25-30 minutes these days.

If CalMac is fit enough then he will start to get his match fitness up for the important league run in. But no risks, Iwata can start there if needed.

I'd love to see Kyogo & Idah be tried out together, but this won't happen I'm afraid. Oh has simply disappeared these days and I doubt we'll see much more of him in the Hoops.

I'm going for a 3-1 win to the Celts. We will dominate possession but I can see Robertson showing us he is the man and awarding a soft Sheep-pen against us. COYBIG! 🍀☘️🍀
 
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Have to agree with you on the scoreline Bridie.

The sheepies have had a bloody poor season but that's the very reason why they'll give their all in this game. They need to give their supporters something, and the thought of a place in the final will give them a boost that a league game can't.

We shouldn't underestimate them and presume the game is in the bag before we kick a ball.
 
It's fair to say our wing play all of a sudden seems diluted with the loss of the crazy performances of Daizen.
Unfortunately I think we will get confirmation his season is over and with that a number of players need to step up.
I think Daizen inspires Kuhn on the other side and makes Taylor's game so much easier with his runs in behind and his incredible closing down and we have no one to match that.
However AJ showed he can step up despite Kuhn not being totally on it and we need the same from Taylor.
It's a toss up between Yang and Palmer as neither are consistent ...personally I'd move Kuhn over to the left and Jamsey on the right for these last six games and have the other two as back up.
The Dandies still have a threat with Miovski very capable. So nothing taken for granted we will need to be completely focused to get over the line not withstanding any mib/var attempted influence.
 
Magnificent 7 said:
It's fair to say our wing play all of a sudden seems diluted with the loss of the crazy performances of Daizen.
Unfortunately I think we will get confirmation his season is over and with that a number of players need to step up.
I think Daizen inspires Kuhn on the other side and makes Taylor's game so much easier with his runs in behind and his incredible closing down and we have no one to match that.
However AJ showed he can step up despite Kuhn not being totally on it and we need the same from Taylor.
It's a toss up between Yang and Palmer as neither are consistent ...personally I'd move Kuhn over to the left and Jamsey on the right for these last six games and have the other two as back up.
The Dandies still have a threat with Miovski very capable. So nothing taken for granted we will need to be completely focused to get over the line not withstanding any mib/var attempted influence.
Click to expand...
Is that Arnold or Cole Palmer on the wing??😂
Personally would stick with Yang with Jamesie as the super sub.
Think we win this by a good 3 goal margin.
Be watching in Brighton with my youngest bhoy.
HH
 
Magnificent 7 said:
It's fair to say our wing play all of a sudden seems diluted with the loss of the crazy performances of Daizen.
Unfortunately I think we will get confirmation his season is over and with that a number of players need to step up.
I think Daizen inspires Kuhn on the other side and makes Taylor's game so much easier with his runs in behind and his incredible closing down and we have no one to match that.
However AJ showed he can step up despite Kuhn not being totally on it and we need the same from Taylor.
It's a toss up between Yang and Palmer as neither are consistent ...personally I'd move Kuhn over to the left and Jamsey on the right for these last six games and have the other two as back up.
The Dandies still have a threat with Miovski very capable. So nothing taken for granted we will need to be completely focused to get over the line not withstanding any mib/var attempted influence.
Click to expand...

Palma is a player who plays for himself most of the time imo and doesn’t track back enough for me. I wouldn’t play him before James Forrest or Yang for those reasons.

I think Brendan will persevere with Yang and hopefully impress on him that he has to be awake to his defensive duties and not like when he went missing at the end at the crumbledome. That can’t be allowed to happen again.

We’re going to have to be at the top of our game from now until season’s end as I’m betting the cheating and corruption is only going to get worse. One game at a time, one win at a time…
 
50 Shades of Green said:
Hope Rocco Vata makes the bench... But if he's not staying then there is no point in playing him...

My preference on the wings atm with Daizen oot would be Kuhn and Palma... With Jamsie as the impact sub later on..
Click to expand...
The Vata situation is disappointing. I wish we had brought more of these youngsters on in their development - something that should be easier with the 5 from 9 substitutes. Now, because of those dropped points in winter we are in a must-win situation for every game and goal difference is something we have to be aware of (just in case), so that opportunity is less forthcoming now. I doubt he'll remain a Celtic player now so little point in developing him at this late stage.

Kuhn & Palma have both done well for us in patches, but for various reasons they have not both hit form at the same time. Bernardo & Yang are another pair who fall into that category. They all really need to put in the hard graft now to justify their signings (and Holm seems to have disappeared completely).

If these players hit form then we can destroy our domestic opponents, but if they don't pass/cross/dribble well or help out with the graft needed, then they become passengers who can cost us points. I hope that they all contribute more in the last few weeks of the season.

I do wonder how much of a negative impact Harry Kewell's departure has had on our wide players? Could Damien Duff be enticed back into our coaching staff as he was also highly liked - maybe our Irish friends can tell us how he is getting on at Shelbourne?
 
50 Shades of Green said:
Hope Rocco Vata makes the bench... But if he's not staying then there is no point in playing him...

My preference on the wings atm with Daizen oot would be Kuhn and Palma... With Jamsie as the impact sub later on..
Click to expand...

I really don’t have faith in Palma. He plays too much for himself and we need players to be team focused rather than self focused imo. Balls in Brendan’s court. We shall see…
 
Bridie Bhoy said:
The Vata situation is disappointing. I wish we had brought more of these youngsters on in their development - something that should be easier with the 5 from 9 substitutes. Now, because of those dropped points in winter we are in a must-win situation for every game and goal difference is something we have to be aware of (just in case), so that opportunity is less forthcoming now. I doubt he'll remain a Celtic player now so little point in developing him at this late stage.

Kuhn & Palma have both done well for us in patches, but for various reasons they have not both hit form at the same time. Bernardo & Yang are another pair who fall into that category. They all really need to put in the hard graft now to justify their signings (and Holm seems to have disappeared completely).

If these players hit form then we can destroy our domestic opponents, but if they don't pass/cross/dribble well or help out with the graft needed, then they become passengers who can cost us points. I hope that they all contribute more in the last few weeks of the season.

I do wonder how much of a negative impact Harry Kewell's departure has had on our wide players? Could Damien Duff be enticed back into our coaching staff as he was also highly liked - maybe our Irish friends can tell us how he is getting on at Shelbourne?
Click to expand...
Shelbourne are 5 points clear at the top of the league of Ireland after 10 games
 
Bridie Bhoy said:
The Cup holders continue our defence of the Scottish Cup as we face Aberdeen in the semi final at Hampden in the Saturday lunchtime game live on BBC 1 Scotland, BBC iPlayer & Premier Sports 2.

The Mutton Molesters have surprisingly struggled this season as the Ewe Camp is in turmoil, but they can never be taken for granted. So our players will have to be up for the game to avoid any chance of an upset.

Hunbelievably, Don Robertson has been assigned to referee us again for the third time in a matter of weeks which started with his pathetic horror show against us at Tynecastle.

No doubt the winners of our semi will face sevco in the final as their Edinburgh cousins always seem to lie down against them and they have their ex-mascot, Steve McLean MIBbing with neutered Gollum VARring to make sure the Belgian waffle merchant doesn't feck this game up.

I'm hoping we manage to put in a 90 minute performance this week.

Hart
AJ CCV Nawrocki Taylor
O'Riley CalMac (or Iwata) Hatate
Kuhn Kyogo Forrest
​
It is out on the wings that I am not sure about. Maeda is out. Kuhn struggled last week after finding his form at last, Yang was poor, Palma is just returning & lost his form before his injury and Forrest is better on the right wing & is better playing the last 25-30 minutes these days.

If CalMac is fit enough then he will start to get his match fitness up for the important league run in. But no risks, Iwata can start there if needed.

I'd love to see Kyogo & Idah be tried out together, but this won't happen I'm afraid. Oh has simply disappeared these days and I doubt we'll see much more of him in the Hoops.

I'm going for a 3-1 win to the Celts. We will dominate possession but I can see Robertson showing us he is the man and awarding a soft Sheep-pen against us. COYBIG! 🍀☘️🍀
Click to expand...
Good team BB but think Iwata stays in Calmac needs nurturing back with decent second half minutes. Also think we need a bit off oomph upfront so agree Kyogo and Celticdah with either Kuhn or Yang with super pensioner Jamsie. 💚💚💚💚

3/4-1 (Miovski)brace each for Kyogo and Idah
Mon the Hoops✅

HH🍀
 
Steviebhoy67 said:
I totally agree, however his stats show he has contributed.
Like you say, he could contribute more if he lifted his head more.
Click to expand...

I've watched him closely. There's too many times he goes for glory instead of playing a simple ball to a player unmarked who would have a relatively simple tap in.

In the big games this can be the difference between winning and losing. It also frustrates the hell out of team mates as you well know Stevie.

I noticed Idah did the same thing at the weekend when he blasted the ball over the top instead of playing a square ball for a tap in. If I was BR I'd be all over them for this, and for me Palma does this way too much.

Composure and accuracy, the 2 things you need to have when going through on goal. It shouldn't be too much to expect from a professional striker at the level we're talking about. It should be preached to them religiously (pardon the pun)

Good teams in my view should play collectively as much as possible and individually as much as necessary. Unless of course you have a player the likes of wee Jinky, Maradona or Messi, and they are few and far between. Anyway enough of that, Pep signing off lol...
 
Thought I'd start the match thread since it's only a few days away.
Really looking forward to this game.
Yes it's a one off knock out and the sheep have run us close here before though we always have had that final kick in us , Usain Bolt style to get us over the line and I'm hoping for more of the same.
This is a fantastic opportunity for the bhoys to lay down a marker and show we are the form side in Scotland despite what SMSM outlets would have folk believe.

Starting xi for this game is a tough one to call for as quickly as we get players returning from injury so too do we lose players to injury such has been the story of our season.
I must say how proud I've been with the bhoys attitude and endeavour in the face of adversity in recent weeks , without our captain Calmac at the rudder but we've been great despite the fact we have had so much rotation in the team you'd be forgiven for thinking Ange was still selecting the side come matchday.

No , we've had our very own Brendan Rodgers plugging holes and instilling confidence into the players and its been great to see him fighting our corner against the MIBs and all comers.
His credibility has gone up a notch in my eyes in recent weeks.
Calling out cheatin Beaton then lavishing him with praise was a masterstroke.
However different tournament , and we look to book our place in the final as we aim to retain our Scottish Cup trophy at Hampden.

I've got the side correct all of twice I think all season so that's an improvement of 200% on last season for me.
For the semi final it is possibly still to early to risk calmac from the start with the vital post split games to come, as we're by no means home and dried in the title race just yet so I'm thinking

Hart.
AJ CCV Nawrocki Taylor
Iwata Oriley Hatate
Palma Kyogo Kuhn

Subs :
Welsh, Bernardo, Calmac, Yang, Forrest, Idah ( only giving Calmac minutes under his belt if we're well comfortable or we require his services)

A strong line up for what could be a tough match as it is a semi final after all despite Aberdeen enduring one of the worst league seasons for them in recent times , they only sit 5pts&4pts clear of on a high Ross County and St Johnstone respectively but league form goes out the window in the cup and Aberdeen have done well to make it to Hampden at all so have nothing to lose and that can be dangerous.
They did beat Kilmarnock to get to Hampden so this game will require the proper due diligence and attention such a high profile game deserves.

All of that said , I'm going for a convincing result on the day ,a game that will be screened live on our friendly national television channel BBC Scotland, BBC Iplayer, BBC sport website and Premier Sport 1 , yes ! , you did read that correctly, the BBC WILL be showing a Celtic match live on Saturday. Shockaroonie!

Dandy Don's 1 (var assisted penalty) - Celtic ( good guys in green and white hoops) 3,
that's,
3-1 to the 'Tic

Aberdeen 1 Celtic 3

COYBIG YNWA HH 🍀

" here we go again" 🎶
" We're on the road again" 💪
 
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