The Wrong Car

Am I right in thinking he's a CM? if so I can't see it given we've got Omeonga, Holt, Pittman, Shinnie, Kelly, Bitsindou and Obileye who can play there

As much as I'd agree with the idea that loan players can disrupt the squads, Sibbald's lack of game time last year probably came down to his own fitness and the arrival of Shinnie. Given how little Chuwuemeka and Soto contributed, we'd have been as well recalling/keeping Hamilton and Mullin with Nouble back in January Can't say I'd be too upset at Stryjek leaving and I don't think having McCrorie/Stryjek rotation situation again would help any CB pairing. He's a decent lower half Premiership keeper, however it's clear he won't coach the mistakes out his game

Glad to see Montano getting a chance now Bailey and Forrest are away. I'd say keeping him and Mullin allows us to play a flat midfield 4, which is always a good option

I thought Hamilton looked good any time I saw him on TV. Better workrate and good link up play. I think this season he came into a covid-ridden, out of form team in games we were chasing. Hamilton in a team with Nouble and a winger, with Pittman as well, deserves a shot.

If Stryjek and Longridge leave as expected then we basically need a keeper as back-up/challenge and 2/3 wingers of starting quality. Maybe a CF as backup however that really depends on if Hamilton and Poplatnik stay. Not a bad position to be in by mid-May

I'd imagine Partick Thistle is a shout, better chance of regular games as Foster's away and he seemed to impress previously. Possibly Raith if Tumilty moves

Similar situation applies to Longridge, with Kelly, Boyes and Penrice ahead of him With Mullin also likely to leave this summer feels like a second breakup of the Playoff team

Agreed, as much as McMillan has never let us down this is his 5th season with the club and he's got the 28 year old captain ahead of him in his preferred position Not an easy thing to overcome

I'd imagine this confirms McMillan is away given he's now 3rd choice RB, 3rd choice LB and Sean Kelly has taken his role in midfield

Thinking of heading along to this. Where would be the best place to park?

Yeah with Soto, Chuckwuemenka, Forrest, and Bailey away I'd say we need more options I'd like Sibbald and McMillan to stay, however can't blame either if they'd prefer regular game time. Shinnie and Kelly seemed to have replaced both. I'd also like Montano to stay as I think he's a good rotation option for Nouble as a wide target man and he can play LWB in games where we go 3-5-2 In terms of loan returns, I can't see Mullin being part of the front three as he's not mobile enough and I don't think Kabia's spell at Falkirk has improved his flaws that much to justify a return to a Premiership team. He still looks like a (talented) player who is tactically indiscipline and focused on winning fouls. Poplatnik may be a good sub for Anderson, however I can't blame either side if they want a clean slate, and Reilly isn't Premiership standard. I'd imagine only Hamilton will get a run of games, with Schwake being loaned to a League 1/Championship side - possibly Edinburgh City again if they win the playoffs. Clark will probably go on loan to League One

Yeah with hindsight Montano at LWB and Lewis into the middle would've made more sense. If Lewis wasn't getting outjumped by Mugabi, he was getting outpaced by Shields. I don't think he was helped by Obileye, who's inexperience and decision-making on when to cover showed. If Fitzwater does stay I suspect a Fitzwater-Boyes may be used In terms of next year, I'd like to keep Sibbald & McMillan - two squad players who have shown quality in the past. Between them they cover every position excluding GK and CF. I suspect Kelly may get an extra year as LB/CM cover, with Longridge and Parkes away With Forrest (and Bailey) away I suspect we need another winger. I'd like to see Montano - Anderson - Nouble up top at some time, however there's not many goals in there. Martindale has a decision to make about Poplatnik and Reilly, both of whom could be seen as back-ups to Anderson if Soto doesn't return, and I suspect Montano is seen as a rotation option to Nouble.

Forrest has been a great player for Livi for about 8 month over the past two years, the rest of the time - meh He's got the worst case of tunnel vision I've seen in a while in a Livi shirt. When it's good (Hibs away, Ross County away) it makes him the decisive finisher he can be. When it's bad it sees him take shots from any angle with teammates waiting. Unless that can be coached out of him I can't see him moving to play consistently at a traditional top 6 club

Gallagher's "attack" wasn't even a foul - two players going for a 50/50 challenge Penrice was lucky to stay on, granted.

The big question of the day - what has Nadir Cifti done to wrong Danny Griffin, and will Danny every forgive him?

These commentators realise that they're not mic'd up to the players. yeah?

Overall it was a fairly comfortable victory for Celtic. I thought Shinnie, in the first half, didn't work and I'd have liked to see Montano come in for Anderson with Forrest through the middle. Holt and Omeonga were poor in possession, meaning that we never really got going. I can't remember the last time I saw so many Livi players pass straight to the opposition. In terms of the referee, the inconsistencies are always going to wind fans up. As much as he may have impacted on the goals, it felt like Celtic were going to score a few today anyway. Stryjek made a couple of big saves, especially in the second half. Soto and Sibbald done well when they came on, and the Kelly sub showed how we need a different option in midfield next year. Anderson didn't look fit at all.

Aye, I thought it weird that Bartley - a part of the management team that subbed Chukwuemeka on and off - took offence at some pointing out the reasons why. For what it's worth his performance was like playing a man light, he literally refused to press the defenders In an age when Sky Sports and the BBC still call us "Livingstone" on a regular basis it's probably not a good idea to go after one of the few reporters that seems to actually report on us. The podcasts comments were bizarre as well, plenty of players have seen that response over the years. Ryan Hardie's last game away to Motherwell springs to mind. It's not that complex - loan and fringe players tend to not be given as much leeway as established players owning to their previous performances.

Emmanuel-Thomas and Chukwuemeka as subs really didn't match the tempo of the game I thought Livi played fairly well, however it would have been nice to see us take the game to Aberdeen more. It's clear that this Aberdeen team isn't particularly suited to these sorts of bottom 6 games, as they have nobody who can create chances through the middle. Ramirez and JET were fairly comfortable to counter in the end

One thing that seemed clear is that, despite trying to play a certain way, the players Maloney has brought it don't seem to fit it. Rocky Bushiri looked terrified of the ball at time, and it still leaves Porteous as the only one that can play out from the back. Cadden looked good however lacked the pace to exploit space in the second half. I thought Nisbet done ok, but it says a lot when he's dropping into a defensive mid position to get the ball. In terms of Livi, the Montano sub changed the game. Going from Bailly as a RWB at times to Bailly and Montano on the wings with Forrest, Nouble and Pittman in the middle was a brave decision from Martindale, and it's paid off. Longridge had a bit of a mare, so I'd imagine Penrice will come back in for Tuesday.

I don't think the subs worked that well today, as we seemed to lose a lot of our good play in the second half. With hindsight, Forrest for Anderson through the middle and Shinnie for Omeonga (with Pittman dropping next to Holt) would have kept things similar

A free agent Alan Forrest could easily be picked up by any of the bottom 6 teams in the summer, and he's certainly not out of the picture here, so I'd imagine it would have to be a fairly good offer to move immediately.

Aye John Hughes is possibly my least favourite Livi managers. Plenty of other weren't up to the job or had to deal with boardroom shenanigans, however his personality and refusal to adapt tactically put him in last place. The sight of Andy McNeil chipping the ball to Callum Booth (who had two markers) for 90 minutes against Dunfermline will haunt me for the rest of my life

2 clean sheets in the last 4 game, and 3 goals conceded overall, fair play to Fitzwater and Obileye. I don't think most folk had much faith in them after the start of the season but they've developed a fine partnership. Now all they need to do is not slap opponents in the 92nd minute and we'll be laughing

Yeah, I was referring to this game specifically. "The good all round CB he's looked" is a bit of a clue