The international break is over and now all our thoughts return to Celtic and the trip up the road to Dundee on Sunday. I watched Liam Scales on Tuesday night playing for Ireland after missing out on the Czechia game due to suspension. Like myself he watched on as Ireland’s World Cup dreams came to an end after a penalty shoot out. Czechia went onto beat Denmark on penalties and are now off to the World Cup.

Now its time for Scales and all the Celtic players to redeem themselves for Celtic on Sunday at Dens Park in Dundee. Before the international break Celtic served up a very poor performance against Dundee United at Tannadice. The 2-0 defeat saw us slip into third in the league and ruin our Sunday. A traffic jam on the way back to Glasgow didn’t help the mood either.

Failure by the Celtic board to sign quality players in a number of transfer windows have seen the team slump to eight defeats this season in the SPFL. Celtic sit in third place going into the game which kicks off at 4:30pm on Sunday and will be shown live on Sky Sports and streamed on Celtic TV.

Before the game on Sunday league leaders Hearts will travel to Livingston and are expected to take all three points. The rangers who sit in second play on Saturday at Ibrox against Dundee United and will be favourites to beat the visitors. Pressure will be high when the Celtic players take to the pitch on Sunday and they need to deliver for the travelling Celtic support and all those tuning in on TV.

Earlier in the season back in October Dundee shocked Brendan Rodgers and Celtic when they beat us 2-0 at Dens Park. None is us knew then the management merry go round Celtic would take us on since then.

When they came to Celtic Park in December it was Martin O’Neill’s last game in charge before the arrival of Wilfried Nancy. Celtic hung on that night for 1-0 win. Maeda’s goal proved enough to separate the teams and end O’Neill’s first stint this season in charge on a win before an emotional send off from the Celtic players and fans on a cold Wednesday night at Celtic Park.

Martin O’Neill was back in the managers hotseat when Dundee returned to Celtic Park for the Scottish cup fifth round tie. Dundee were 1-0 up and the seconds were ticking down when second half substitute Adamu scored the equaliser to bring the game into extra time. Tounekti another second half sub scored the winner to see Celtic progress to the quarter final.

It’s a 50/50 game on Sunday. The Celtic players will need to show us much more at Dens Park than they did in Tannadice this is another must win game if we are to stay in the title race.

Andrew  Milne is Editor of More than 90 Minutes & Host of the Celtic Soul Podcast 

 

Football fans have all been there the highs of winning and lows of losing a penalty shoot out. Ireland’s World Cup dreams came crashing down last night in Prague. As a football fan you also want to see your team show signs of progress and under Heimir Hallgrimsson Irish football fans have witnessed a change in fortune since the arrival of the dentist from Iceland after some dark days following the international team. Every football fan needs a hero and in Troy Parrot we have found one.

Ireland started the game last night so well and sent us into dreams of queues outside the credit union for loans to take us to the US and Mexico after we went 2-0 up. Parrot’s opener was the toast of Peadar Browns Pub in the players hometown of Dublin when they gave a packed house a free pint as promised if he scored the opener.

A moment of Madness from Manning when he pulled back the player by the jersey for the penalty close to half time when there was no need. It gave the home support the lift they needed. They had been out sung by the small group of Ireland supporters up till then.

On another night the two shots that crashed against the Czechia woodwork may have gone in last night we did not get the rub of the green or the luck of the Irish. To make matters worse the linesman was conned for the freekick which resulted in the goal so late in the game.

In injury time it was stalemate and late sub Szmodics was knocked out cold shortly after coming on and taken to hospital. Then we had the drama of the penalties and the reality that we could be watching Ireland at the World Cup.

It may now be the end of the international road for Seamus Coleman who was almost in tears when he spoke to the media after the game as was Troy Parrot who will be a vital part in Ireland’s next qualification campaign for the Euros.

I don’t expect my phone to be hopping with requests for tickets or seats on the bus to the Aviva on Tuesday for the visit of North Macedonia to Dublin, but the hardcore will be there to get behind the boys in green once more.

Last night’s game will have taken a lot out of the Czechia players while their opponents in the final play off for the World Cup Denmark cruised to a 4-0 win. I think with this in mind it will be Denmark and their fans who will be favourites to reach the World Cup.

Andrew Milne is Editor of More than 90 Minutes & Host of the Celtic Soul Podcast 

 

 

This season we have witnessed some poor performances from Celtic but last Sunday at Tannadice has to be right up there with any of them. Celtic have now lost eight SPFL games after the 2-0 defeat to Dundee. This is not title winning form, the rangers have now leap frogged us into second place after beating Aberdeen. Hearts beat Dundee to move 5 points ahead of Celtic again with the rangers now 2 points ahead.

My matchday morning began with a 3:30am alarm call to get the 4am bus to the airport. I bumped into some familiar faces in the airport and the conversation was positive ahead of what every Celtic fan was saying it was a must win game. Conversations continued on the way up to Dundee on the supporters bus about the current state of play at Celtic.

We arrived in Dundee just as the pubs were opening and we settled into one for a pre-match pint before making our way to the ground. First thing my mate mentioned was the state of the pitch. It was bad it had more sand on it than grass. Thankfully Celtic manager Martin O’Neill did not use it as an excuse after a poor performance from the Celtic players.

I thought after last weeks win and no midweek game that the coaching staff would have time to work with the players and come up with a plan to beat Dundee United but seemed to have the opposite affect.

There is nothing new when the team is announced that Celtic fans question some of the selections and today was no different. Eyebrows were also raised with some of the substitutions.  Win and no one talks about it lose and then it can be the topic of post match conversations. And after that performance it was always going to be part of the chat both in person and online. A traffic jam on the way back to Glasgow just added to the frustration of what we had witnessed

Martin O’Neill has done well with the players he has had at his disposal but on Sunday it was different. Celtic’s recruitment of strikers is diabolical not one of them know where the goals are! The mismanagement of the club by Dermot Desmond and his yes men in the Celtic board room is embarrassing. You would have to go back a long way to see a poorer front line at Celtic no matter what way the manager shuffles it about.

Martin O’Neill echoed Brendan Rodgers that the squad needed quality players ready to go into the first team after his first stint in charge this season. What did we get?, loan signings and a clubless player to add to the one we already had. It is some fall from grace as those running the club bury their heads in the sand and hope Martin O’Neill can work some magic after the mess they have made this season.

Celtic now sit in third place in the league with 7 games to go. The team that finishes third in the SPFL will start their European campaign in July in the Europa Conference League while the World Cup is still going on! The winners of the Scottish Cup will have Europa League qualification summer games.

Andrew Milne is Editor of More than 90 Minutes & Host of the Celtic Soul Podcast