21:00 GMT - will be on TFK through the live sport link for registered members.
Carchetmo Blanco makes his debut for Fire tonight.
Meanwhile Strachan has said we still have vacancies at full back and right wing in our squad. Mendy may be one of those - I suppose Capone could be the other but it’s possible we’re still looking elsewhere.
What channel’s this going to be on in Live Sport, rocko?
Quite incredibly I managed to get it up and running here in Wexford.
Is Blanco the guy that does that trick with the ball or is it a different guy?
Pressley better not be playing.
That’s Blanco alright. Trying to sort out coverage as we speak.
Bandage - it’s supposed to be on 14391 but that’s not available at the moment and I’m not sure it will be so I think I’m going to buy it for a fiver from the official site.
Story now rocko, have you paid for it on sopcast.com?
What’s the feed like? Just about to take the plunge.
The Live Sport link is beginning to work but it’s very slow.
I’ve paid for it on www.celticfc.net
Pressley is playing!
Sorry the Channel 67 link is working fine at the moment by the way.
Remember last year in pre-season where he experimented in most positions but played Caldwell and McManus together in nearly every game so they could build up a partnership? That’s what he seems to be doing here with that greasy hun tramp and McManus.
It’s really starting to get on my (ample sized) tits.
Balde is better than Pressley.
Kennedy is better than Pressley.
O’Dea is better than Pressley.
Caldwell is better than Pressley.
Christ, Virgo’s even better than Pressley.
Have to say that despite everything Pressley is playing well. Good first 25 minutes. They’ve had a couple of half chances but we’ve controlled much of the play and kept the ball well.
Commentator’s curse. Blanco picks the ball up 40 yards out, strolls past Pressley without a care in the world and rounds Boruc, knocks it home. 1-0 Fire.
Got it going on sopcast but it was ridiculously slow and jumpy and then went completely.
Can’t be arsed paying for coverage so keep me updated.
Quick update - Pressley is shit.
Is Strachan taking the pi$$ here or what?
As someone who wasn’t overly enthused by his appointment but then stuck by him through Artmedia, Motherwell, Clyde, Alan Shearer’s testimonial!, last year’s pre-season defeat by Manchester United, Copenhagen away and defeat at Falkirk after we won the league he’s really testing me here.
Pressley was a poor player in his prime. Now he’s past it, his legs, power and stamina have gone and he’s first choice Celtic centre half?
A fooking joke. If this clown is playing in the CL qualifier next month then I’d worry about our chances of advancing.
Post edited by: Bandage, at: 2007/07/22 21:52
Half time and it’s one nil fire. Ratings:
Boruc - 7 two good saves from Blanco and no chance with the goal
Wilson - 6 defended well but giving it away too much
Pressley - 3 started well but appalling for their goal. Then Carr ran past him and he just grabbed onto him with both hands and tried to fling him to the ground. He wouldn’t last 90 minutes in the CL
McManus - 6 wouldn’t mind seeing the goal again to see if he had a role but I don’t think he was responsible in any way because his man was way offside. Dealt with most things well
Naylor - 6 quiet enough but tidy on the ball and one or two decent challenges
McGeady - 5 giving it away too often. Getting on the ball a bit though and he has been fouled 3 or 4 times by the same guy. Improving as it went on
Brown - 6 quiet enough again. Put in a couple of lively challenges and he’s been fine with it at his feet but not spectacular
Hartley - 5 a yard too slow on the ball. Getting into decent posititions but it’s taking him an age to do anything with it
Capone - 5 started very brightly but he’s run out of steam. Looks jaded now. Decent touches though and two or three passes might have created goals if there was a yard less on the pass
Magic - 5 needs to take his opportunity in the team and he’s been largely invisible.
Jan - 6 held it up reasonably, though their defence looks shoddy. Scored a cracking goal but he was a yard off.
Mine is buffering an awful lot and the picture’s freezing most of the time. Any time the action comes back Pressley seems to be getting skinned. Would you give Capone a contract?
I don’t think we could afford him for TFK Bandage but he’s better than Cooney anyway.
It’s hard to tell whether he’s up to it or not from what I’ve seen. He doesn’t seem particularly dynamic on the ball and I’d prefer a winger with blistering pace then a guy with nice touches but who does everything a bit slow.
One thing I would say so far is that I think Brown benefits from having either Sno or Donati alongside him. He bombs up and down the park which means that sometimes when our full backs have the ball he’s bursting forward to get in support of Jan for a flick or whatever. Not all the time but he does it quite a bit and it’s very effective. It really means that the guy beside him must hold a bit to offer a short, simple ball for the defenders though. This is what Sno and Donati do. Hartley plays too much like Brown for them to work together.
I think we should be phasing Hartley out of the picture too. The MLS game was his first of pre-season so Strachan’s probably given him these two games for fitness purposes - then he can revert to the bench.
Re centre half, Kennedy has an ankle knock. Do you know what Caldwell’s injury is? Balde should come on at half time for the useless beardy tramp.
Yeah I was just about to post that about Kennedy being injured - so Kennedy, O’Dea and Caldwell are all out which hopefully explains Pressley.
Audio link here Bandage: mms://audio.wm.celticfc.servecast.net/celticfc_wmlz_audio
Mark Brown and Massimo Donati on for Capone and Boruc irrespectively.
Their right back has just launched a long ball forward from back at his own goalline. And the ball ended up at the feet of Chad Barrett in acres of space at the edge of our box. He just ran and Pressley finished up 20 yards behind him.