Co-op Insurance Cup Final - Rangers v Celtic 3pm

redout

Celtic manager Gordon Strachan:
"Rangers and ourselves have a responsibility to try to entertain.

"The two teams at the moment want to win it but probably fear getting beaten more. But the opportunity is there to play.

"We have all been to finals when you think it's going to be a walkover and it's an excellent game.

"So I really can't tell you how it's going to go. The players on the day usually determine who is going to win it.

"If the two sets of players go for it, it's going to be an excellent game.
"So we're hoping good players will decide the competition and some good goals, to make it exciting, something to talk about."

Rangers manager Walter Smith:
"Rangers and Celtic games always bring a bit of nervousness, which is great.

"Even at this stage of my career, I still get nervous, but it's welcome and I like it.

"I like the pressure of Old Firm games. I've had quite a few of them and I look forward to it.

"We will enjoy the build-up this year. We never really got that opportunity last year - we had a big European game against Werder Bremen the Thursday night before the final against Dundee United.

"So, while I wish we had a bit of that, I can look forward to the final more than I did last time."

Rangers (from): McGregor, Broadfoot, Whittaker, Bougherra, Edu, Weir, Papac, Davis, Mendes, McCulloch, Ferguson, Niguez, Lafferty, Miller, Boyd, Novo, Alexander, Beasley, Fleck.
Celtic (from): Boruc, Hinkel, O'Dea, McManus, Caldwell, Crosas, Hartley, S Brown, McGeady, Nakamura, McDonald, Vennegoor of Hesselink, Samaras, Loovens, Wilson, M Brown.

eZe^

Come on Crosas!!!

Eirebear

Not confident today. Especially with the news that Bougherra is unavailable.

However i am hoping that given the relative unimportance of the cup itself (there is no such thing as an unimportant final...especially an old firm one) that both teams can go out and throw off the shackles of league football and go toe to toe with each other giving us an entertaining...if not technically fantastic...football match.

Both managers first Old Firm final too, should be interesting.

Roar

what tv channel is this on?

ziggy

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redout

Celtic: Boruc, Hinkel, Loovens, McManus, O'Dea, Caldwell, Nakamura, Scott Brown, Hartley, McGeady, McDonald. Subs: Mark Brown, Vennegoor of Hesselink, Samaras, Crosas, Wilson.

Rangers: McGregor, Whittaker, Weir, Broadfoot, Papac, Davis, McCulloch, Ferguson, Mendes, Miller, Lafferty. Subs: Alexander, Edu, Boyd, Novo, Dailly.

redout

Close there from Brown.

eagle eye

Oh what a surprise Celtic and Rangers in a Scottish cup final.:)
I think Celtic have enough to take care of this. Its just become too boring for me nowadays as its just the same thing over and over with these two teams always on top.

ziggy

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eagle eye

ziggy wrote: »

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Thank you for showing your deep knowledge of the facts, I hadn't a clue until you told me.:rolleyes:

ziggy

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bmcgov86

samaras coming on....if he scores i will forgive him for everything.

anyone know why darren o'dea got booked? didnt show the incident on setanta

redout

Extra-time Looming here.

eagle eye

ziggy wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Show me the fault in my original statement. I said that its just boring with the same two teams on top year after year. How many times in the last ten years has the league finished with the two of them outside the top two?
How many times has the league cup been won by any team other than those two?
How many times has the SFA Cup been won by any team other than those two?
Lets see now thats 30 tournaments, and maybe we are talking in total three cup wins outside of that and one time that they have not been top two over that period.
Ergo no surprise to see both of them in a final. The fact that they havent appeared in a final together in a couple of years is irrelevant. Its still a case of them being the two strongest teams by miles every year so its a toss of a coin as to who is going to win those cups and league titles.

redout

Goal............

1 - 0

Bhoys one up

O'Dea the Dub.

ziggy

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bmcgov86

BEAUTY!!!!

many a time darren scored like that playing in school!!

redout

FFS Samaras that was rubbish.

ziggy

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well done Celtic, great to see a few Irish lads score the goals too:)

Broxi_Bear_Eire

Much as it pains me you lot deserved it WS had his tatics wrong from the start and as soon as he brought on Dailly we should have just given you the cup then :(:(

Broxi_Bear_Eire

rarnes1 wrote: »

well done Celtic, great to see a few Irish lads score the goals too:)

And exactly how does that make such a big difference

Broxi_Bear_Eire

eagle eye wrote: »

Show me the fault in my original statement. I said that its just boring with the same two teams on top year after year. How many times in the last ten years has the league finished with the two of them outside the top two?
How many times has the league cup been won by any team other than those two?
How many times has the SFA Cup been won by any team other than those two?
Lets see now thats 30 tournaments, and maybe we are talking in total three cup wins outside of that and one time that they have not been top two over that period.
Ergo no surprise to see both of them in a final. The fact that they havent appeared in a final together in a couple of years is irrelevant. Its still a case of them being the two strongest teams by miles every year so its a toss of a coin as to who is going to win those cups and league titles.

Show me a league In europe where the same top 2,3 or at the most 4 teams are not winning the title year after year

Broxi_Bear_Eire

Broxi_Bear_Eire wrote: »

And exactly how does that make such a big difference

It doesnt make any difference, Im just happy to see a few of the irish lads scoring.

eagle eye

Broxi_Bear_Eire wrote: »

Show me a league In europe where the same top 2,3 or at the most 4 teams are not winning the title year after year

Serie A.

redout

eagle eye wrote: »

Serie A.

Juve 7 serie A, 5 Runner-up going back to 92

AC Milan 6 Serie A, 2 Runner-up going back to 92

13 of 15 Titles went to those two from 1992 - 2006.

Most likely the last couple would have also if not for the Calciopoli football scandal of 2006.

eagle eye

redout wrote: »

I am no expert but that a lot of AC Milan and Juve going back 17 years no ?

---

Champion

---

Runner-up
1992AC MilanJuventus Turin1993AC MilanInternazionale Milan1994AC MilanJuventus Turin1995Juventus TurinLazio Rome1996AC MilanJuventus Turin1997Juventus TurinParma1998Juventus TurinInternazionale Milan1999AC MilanLazio Rome2000Lazio RomeJuventus Turin2001AS RomaJuventus Turin2002Juventus TurinAS Roma2003Juventus TurinInternazionale Milan2004AC MilanAS Roma2005Juventus TurinAC Milan2006Juventus TurinAC Milan

Five different champions in the last ten years.

PauloMN

eagle eye wrote: »

Oh what a surprise Celtic and Rangers in a Scottish cup final.:)
I think Celtic have enough to take care of this. Its just become too boring for me nowadays as its just the same thing over and over with these two teams always on top.

If it's too boring for you, why bother posting about it?

Anyway, here's my take on today (I posted this in the Celtic thread not knowing this one was here):

2-0. Delighted with that win. Delighted for O'Dea as well. Thought Celtic deserved it overall, although Boruc had a couple of decent saves to make.

I thought Naka was exceptional today along with Scott Brown. They played really well. Caldwell was a surprise in midfield, and I which Strachan would quit with that experiment as I thought he was dodgy in there. Was like watching the old Caldwell again, was parping it everytime he had the ball. Hinkel was ok, but struggled a bit and seemed to slip half the time.

Samaras just doesn't work with McDonald. Would have preferred JVoH on instead. Samaras and McDonald seemed to just refuse to pass the ball to each other when one of them had it and the other was in a good spot.

Anyway, we can focus on the league now. Here's hoping today will be a confidence boost for the team. Still no goals from Samaras though.

eagle eye

PauloMN wrote: »

If it's too boring for you, why bother posting about it?

Because I would like it to be more interesting. Like a lot of Irish people I do like Celtic and they were going places when Martin O'Neill was there. I'd personally like to see them in a competitive league, they are a huge club and I really believe that if they could somehow get into the English system they would become one of the biggest clubs on the planet if not the very biggest.

eagle eye

eagle eye wrote: »

Because I would like it to be more interesting. Like a lot of Irish people I do like Celtic and they were going places when Martin O'Neill was there. I'd personally like to see them in a competitive league, they are a huge club and I really believe that if they could somehow get into the English system they would become one of the biggest clubs on the planet if not the very biggest.

They have won 3 in a row under strackan and going for 4 in a row along with some credible runs in the CL. He doesnt seem to get the same credit as O Neill despite winning the same amount of league titles.


I doubt they or rangers will ever get into the english system, the scottish league would fall apart without the 2 of them in it

Eirebear

eagle eye wrote: »

Show me the fault in my original statement. I said that its just boring with the same two teams on top year after year. How many times in the last ten years has the league finished with the two of them outside the top two?
How many times has the league cup been won by any team other than those two?
How many times has the SFA Cup been won by any team other than those two?
Lets see now thats 30 tournaments, and maybe we are talking in total three cup wins outside of that and one time that they have not been top two over that period.
Ergo no surprise to see both of them in a final. The fact that they havent appeared in a final together in a couple of years is irrelevant. Its still a case of them being the two strongest teams by miles every year so its a toss of a coin as to who is going to win those cups and league titles.

If this isnt trolling then i am a monkeys uncle....in fact ill take my ban for this.
You are nothing but an ignorant **** eagle eye. If you know nothing of a subject, then do not speak of it. Better to be silent and though a fool, than say something and remove all doubt.

Well done Celtic today, you deserved every bit of it, how it was 0-0 at full time i will never understand.
Walter's tactics where out of order today, so much for my hopes of toe to toe eh?

Dad mentioned Dailly being on the pitch, **** the pitch, why he was on the bench killed me today. Absolute joke.

x in the city

Eirebear wrote: »

If this isnt trolling then i am a monkeys uncle....in fact ill take my ban for this.
You are nothing but an ignorant **** eagle eye. If you know nothing of a subject, then do not speak of it. Better to be silent and though a fool, than say something and remove all doubt.

Well done Celtic today, you deserved every bit of it, how it was 0-0 at full time i will never understand.
Walter's tactics where out of order today, so much for my hopes of toe to toe eh?

Dad mentioned Dailly being on the pitch, **** the pitch, why he was on the bench killed me today. Absolute joke.

#
ummmm!

surely to god you can't deny that celtic and rangers have made up nearly all the major finals in the last god how many years, that be league, and cups...

Eirebear

x in the city wrote: »

#
ummmm!

surely to god you can't deny that celtic and rangers have made up nearly all the major finals in the last god how many years, that be league, and cups...

ummmm yes i can!

This was Walter Smith's first old firm final, strachans too!

The last league cup final that was old firm was 6 years ago. the last scottish cup final was 7 years ago.