St Johnstone v Celtic

[Flybhoy]

The home side seem to have improved from a bit of a shitfest of a season last time out, we have a pretty good record up here in fairness but defensively we have looked a bit suspect of late, hopefully at least one of CCV and Starfelt is back for this. 

Interesting to see who Ange brings in for our suspended and indispensable skipper Calmac, most likely be Arron Mooy but wonder if he will throw in a wee curveball and put in Abildgard, the big Dane for a first start?

 

3-1 to Celtic, Kyogo, O'Riley and Abada to get on the scoresheet. 

[Jinky67]

Need to be more clinical, would like to see big Abildgard start and see what he has to offer

[PauloPerth]

If we weren’t busy playing at Kilmarnock on Wednesday night then we’d probably win this fixture.

I have a wee bit of faith that we have a team of veterans who have all played against the oF plenty of times, so there shouldn’t be any rabbit in the headlights stuff. I think we are capable of keeping it tight and making it a close game, especially when you look at Celtic’s last two league results.

On the other hand, we are slow and Celtic are a quick attacking team, which could be a an issue.  McGowan getting sent off is a concern for me as he loves a foul and a few of the Celtic players love a wee roll around.

2-1 Saints.  Murphy and Considine scoring with some random overpaid foreigner that nobody will remember in 5 years time scoring for Celtic.

[PSJ.84]

First game I’ll miss this season - god curse Sky. I’ve never been at a game in which we’ve beat Celtic though, so every cloud…

[Radford]

Saints to score in the last minute to make it 3-3 and @Flybhoy to cry like he did in 1994.

[PauloPerth]

Was thinking back to matches I’ve seen us beat them in.  The first time they ever visited McDiarmid around the christmas time we beat them 3-2 in a classic. Saw us beat them 2-1 the day before Liam Brady got sacked, and a 1-0 win where Keith O’Halloran scored and Henrik Larsson got in trouble for spitting at the saints fans in the late 90’s.

Missed the more recent wins under Lomas and where Cummins scored 5 years ago or so near the end of the season, but was at the 3-3 in 2014 just before the cup final when May missed a penalty for us.

 

[Jimmain]

I mind being at that Liam Brady game as well...bunch of us came up to Perth to visit a mate and the lot of us went to the game. Sat in the Main Stand with our one Tic fan mate, who sat ashen faced throughout Somebody scored a belter for Saints that night. 

[Zamora Fan]

Was thinking back to matches I’ve seen us beat them in.  The first time they ever visited McDiarmid around the christmas time we beat them 3-2 in a classic. Saw us beat them 2-1 the day before Liam Brady got sacked, and a 1-0 win where Keith O’Halloran scored and Henrik Larsson got in trouble for spitting at the saints fans in the late 90’s.
Missed the more recent wins under Lomas and where Cummins scored 5 years ago or so near the end of the season, but was at the 3-3 in 2014 just before the cup final when May missed a penalty for us.
 

I was at both of the recent-ish wins over them at McDiarmid, fun times. Think my favourite game against them that I was at was actually the 0-0 draw towards the end of one of Wright’s earlier seasons (can’t remember which one), which was actually a thrilling game that should really have been something like 4-4. The moment when James Forrest rounded Mannus then put it wide from a few yards out in injury time is one of my fondest McDiarmid Park memories.

[Zamora Fan]

I was at both of the recent-ish wins over them at McDiarmid, fun times. Think my favourite game against them that I was at was actually the 0-0 draw towards the end of one of Wright’s earlier seasons (can’t remember which one), which was actually a thrilling game that should really have been something like 4-4. The moment when James Forrest rounded Mannus then put it wide from a few yards out in injury time is one of my fondest McDiarmid Park memories.

14/15. Loved the end to that season with the Kane winner at Aberdeen to clinch 4th.

[PSJ.84]

1 hour ago, PauloPerth said:

Missed the more recent wins under Lomas and where Cummins scored 5 years ago or so near the end of the season, but was at the 3-3 in 2014 just before the cup final when May missed a penalty for us.

 

What a mad season the Cummins one was - knocked out of Europe by Alashkert, beat Rangers at Ibrox, won 5-1 at Pittodrie, set a club record for consecutive away wins in the top flight, went 7 games without a win (which ended up being 1 win in 11), then got 13 points from 15 post split having only just made the top six. Bring it back. 
 

The performance in the 3-3 was phenomenal, first half in particular. O’Halloran was excellent. 

[PauloPerth]

58 minutes ago, Zamora Fan said:

 

14/15. Loved the end to that season with the Kane winner at Aberdeen to clinch 4th.

Can’t believe I’ve completely forgotten about that one, we really went for it. Maclean, Swanson, O’Halloran, Spoony, Davidson and McFadden all piling forward.  Bizarre as it should really stand out when you consider the number of performances against them in the last few years where we’re celebrating winning a throw in!

O’Halloran looked really positive there, I think one of his best games for Saints was also against Celtic; the 3-3 the week before our first cup win:

 

[PauloPerth]

5 minutes ago, PSJ.84 said:

The performance in the 3-3 was phenomenal, first half in particular. O’Halloran was excellent. 

Uncanny, I just posted that before I’d seen your comment!

[SJFCtheTeamForMe]

3 hours ago, Zamora Fan said:

 

14/15. Loved the end to that season with the Kane winner at Aberdeen to clinch 4th.

Was Kane's first goal for Saints as well. 

[PauloPerth]

4 hours ago, Jimmain said:

I mind being at that Liam Brady game as well...bunch of us came up to Perth to visit a mate and the lot of us went to the game. Sat in the Main Stand with our one Tic fan mate, who sat ashen faced throughout Somebody scored a belter for Saints that night. 

I’m sure that’s the game John Davies (Billy Davies’ brother) scored the winner (possibly both goals?). He’d been getting a lot of stick from Saints fans, having signed for £165,000 and not delivering much up til then.  Unless I’m thinking of a completely different game!!

[Flybhoy]

3 hours ago, PauloPerth said:

I’m sure that’s the game John Davies (Billy Davies’ brother) scored the winner (possibly both goals?). He’d been getting a lot of stick from Saints fans, having signed for £165,000 and not delivering much up til then.  Unless I’m thinking of a completely different game!!

Was a midweek game I seem to recall, Brady was gone on the Thursday, resulting in Frank Connor taking temporary charge for a few games as the Celtic board of that era searched the highways and byways of Stoke in their extensive search for a new manager. 

Under Frank Connor we inexplicably beat Sporting Lisbon at Celtic Park followed even more inexplicably by a win at Ibrox, the players by all accounts wanted Connor to get the job full time but, the man later referred to as Luigi Macari was indeed given the gig, his first game in charge saw Sporting Lisbon overturn the defeat in Glasgow as two goals from a guy called Jorge Cadete (whatever happened to him?) knocked us out in Portugal. 

So committed to the Celtic job was Macari that, when there was no midweek match scheduled he would return to his family home in Stoke on a Sunday and not return to the training ground until Thursday or Friday the following week, something that, unsurprisingly did not impress the new owner of the club a few months later, do not piss off exiled Scottish men in Canada who wear bunnets. 

[Costanza]

10 hours ago, PauloPerth said:

I’m sure that’s the game John Davies (Billy Davies’ brother) scored the winner (possibly both goals?). He’d been getting a lot of stick from Saints fans, having signed for £165,000 and not delivering much up til then.  Unless I’m thinking of a completely different game!!

That's the game exactly @PauloPerth He was a difficult player to take to but had a few big moments like that in his time with us. Midweek game.

[Radford]

We had the better of Celtic in our first decade at McDiarmid, six wins to their four in the league. That despite Hugh Dallas routinely trying his best to help them out. They were games to really look forward to though as you always felt we could compete.

Just 2 wins in 30 games since then though, the same number we've won at Celtic Park. The very recent home record is actually embarrassing, 9 straight defeats with 31 goals conceded.

[gannonball]

19 minutes ago, Radford said:

We had the better of Celtic in our first decade at McDiarmid, six wins to their four in the league. That despite Hugh Dallas routinely trying his best to help them out. They were games to really look forward to though as you always felt we could compete.

Just 2 wins in 30 games since then though, the same number we've won at Celtic Park. The very recent home record is actually embarrassing, 9 straight defeats with 31 goals conceded.

Good Lord.

[Clown Job]

1 hour ago, Radford said:

That despite Hugh Dallas routinely trying his best to help them out.

Thanks I enjoy a good chuckle to begin the day with 

[PauloPerth]

1 hour ago, Radford said:

We had the better of Celtic in our first decade at McDiarmid, six wins to their four in the league. That despite Hugh Dallas routinely trying his best to help them out. They were games to really look forward to though as you always felt we could compete.

Just 2 wins in 30 games since then though, the same number we've won at Celtic Park. The very recent home record is actually embarrassing, 9 straight defeats with 31 goals conceded.

Rumour at the time was that the old Celtic club beside Christie’s had a signed photo of Dallas on their wall to wind up Saints fans, such was Dallas’ favourable performances for them.

Believe they took it down when the relationship went downhill in an OF game when Celtic fans threw coins at him and afterwards put his home windows in.