buster.

His 30 minutes at the w/e point to someone who has regained sharpness that given the chance may mean goals.

Thanks for reminding me. I was organising the day thinking it an evening KO !! ______ I posted this earlier this morning, but given this is now the ra offiiiiiiicial matchday thread, it's better here. As far as SG&Co are concerned they'll have to weigh-up the players available, the loading and current physical state of each, the requirements for the two games in a spell of 4 days and the subsequent week free from a game. The main question or risk is in the midfield where if we are to be without Arfield and Jack, then we can do without an injury tonight but it looks like we'll need to start the same three in both games. The focus being on if Steve Davis will be able to maintain a physical level to be able to play at someone near his best come Saturday. He is already coming off three games in 8 days where he completed 90, 77 and 90 minutes. The last time Davis started on the bench was at Paisley in the League Cup. Zungu is the other main option and he started that game. Unless carrying some slight knock/niggle, I'd imagine Davis will start tonight and SG will hope to be able to get him off the park at some pint in the second half. Whilst on the midfield, I have always liked the look of the young lad Dickson, from that Alkass Cup win to his debut at Falkirk recently. All around Europe we are seeing very young players coming through quickly at big clubs. If you are good enough, you are old enough. Another question arises about Alfredo Morelos and for tonight, it's a positive one. He played his best half hour for months against Hibs. Does Roofe get offloaded, does he get shifted out wide or does Morelos start on the bench ? My guess is Morelos for Hagi will be the only change from Saturday.

No longer pay much attention to the EPL but a glance at the scorelines is suffice to see some crazy results and a degree of unpredictability coming back into it this season. Maybe, it is worthy of a little time although it'll have to wait until the title is decided in Scotland.

moved to match thread.

I repeat points win prizes and Celtic, under Lennon or anyone else have a squad capable of going on a long winning run against provincial opposition. If you add that to three points at Ibrox, it becomes ominous. Now is the time.....We really need to go out and look for the win that would put further daylight between us and them. I think they'll turn up (performance wise) on Saturday and that we'll need to be at our best. Can see both teams scoring more than one goal.

The return of Ryan Jack doesn't sound like being anytime soon. Zungu is very much going to have to play his part this season.

Perhaps I'm not a man of modern times but more often than not, struggle to see the Com part of the modern SitCom. I once heard Cosgrove say a programme called Two Doors Down was Scotlands best ever comedy. I hadn't seen it but made a point of looking it out and it reminded me of Off the Ball, in that every episode/programme is very, very similar. Cowan and Cosgrove explain the repetitiive conversations away as a feature, tropes of the show. Then BBC Scotland gave them an extra hour and a half after Saturday Sportsound to let them repeat the repetitions, this being to replace what was a much more interesting hour hosted by Kenny MacIntrye that often got into the nitty gritty of issues. In the week that Jim McLean passed on after suffering with dementia. Could BBC Scotland look to lessen the repetition and stimulate the mind? ps. I look forward to reading the scripts #"A Life of Slice"

Cheap or expensive,...... the important aspect for me is consistency in awarding them. Never has been, never will be.......perhaps the 22nd version of VAR might get closer.

I'm struggling to see any positive spin from a defeat. We are in the territory where Ponts win Prizes, the rest is decoration.

I fully agree but has been and what can happen when the stakes seem to get higher, can differ. Our discipline has been very much the understated improvement that I think helps reflect the concentrated focus the management team and players have employed this season. As you say, it's up to us, don't give them a decision to make.

Nowt much left to say about Jim McLean after what was an excellent read and tribute from JMc. I was based up in Arbroath for a few years in the 80's and along with some of the lads nipped down to Dundee to watch quite a few European ties that included some on the way to that European Cup semi-final. Great atmospheres and excellent football, a time when some provincial clubs could play a bit. Ferguson (Aberdeen) and McLean (Dundee Utd) demonstrated where exceptional management could take a football club. Their teams did more in Europe over several seasons than Rangers or Celtic did in two decades from 73 to 92. I'll certainly raise a glass to Jim McLean and what he brought to the party.

and -red cards to Rangers' players. IIRC an in-form Kenny Miller missed a New Year OF fixture after a midweek red card against Peter Houston's Dundee Utd side (we won the match 7-1). In the previous OF fixture that season, Miller had scored both Rangers goal in a 2-1 victory at Ibrox. This was a decade or so ago and the OF fixture played on the 3rd of January finished 1-1, with two goals deep into the second half (79 and 81 mins). For some, Lee McCulloch's headed equaliser may have felt like a tribute to the 66. IMO, that season was to shape many things that were to come down the line but that is another story and nowt to do with odds.

Both exploit your imagination.

I'd imagine the next few days will see the odds on Celtic shortening as many neutrals, as well as their support, see value in that price. ie. next Friday might well show a truer reflection of the here and now. Personally I think it's more 11/10 for us and 15/8 them. This season has saw us being favourites to win away in Europe against the likes of Liege and Lech. Unusual, but the bookies were proven to be right, so when they make us odds-on after conceding one goal at Ibrox in 10/10 league victories, there is obvious reason to why. Thereafter, the money put down may alter odds.

The audacity in that appointment was only matched in our inability to bring wider public attention to why it was unsuitable.

Wide areas have tended to be our source of joy, whether it be in creation or defence but I think you are spot-on with how things are developing, defensively. I'd add that opposition seem to be tentatively developing counter measures against the freedoms enjoyed by Tav and Borna in the first half of the season. If we look at league fixtures, Ryan Jack last played on the 22nd of November against Aberdeen. For me, there is no doubt that he and Connor Goldson are the most important parts of our defensive efforts when you take into account the way we play as a whole. In other words, I think Jacks continued absence can be illustrated with your cumulative point on cross balls into our box. The last two league games have produced clean sheets but we could easily have conceded and dropped points against Hibs. We didn't, and that is in itself an encouraging sign but as you say, you don't want to keep crossing your fingers and looking to defy the law of averages.

Whilst others did fairly well, I didn't think there was a stand-out but for me, the most noteworthy performance was provided by Alfredo. It was the best I have seen him this calendar year and we can count the days left in it, on one hand. I think he deserves a start in Paisley.

Heart in mouth time at the corner 5min 20 secs into this video. Doig, the 18 year old down the left might be worth keeping tabs on or a cash offer, if the price was right. Some of his cross balls reminded me of Barisic.

The SG brand doesn't half get us the attention !! PQ must be beeling ! If DK was behind this appointment, kudos in so many different ways !

They had limited options on the bench but I thought they'd end up putting McGregor on as a centre forward. He was the one who scored the late equaliser two years ago.

We rode our luck in the second half and it was a bit like the corresponding game two years ago today but without the bad ending. When we went a goal up it reminded me of the don't whether to stick or twist approach we ended up paying for in Paisley. Win is a win, not complaining !! 12 on the bounce, we move on or back to Paisley.

Must dash but will read later....... Wonder if FatEck thinks Haribo will be a matchwinner today ?

I'll take the full four minutes with Irving Welsh extolling the virtures of Hibs expansive game to a backing of The Proclaimers rendering an instrumental Sunshine on Leith, if we can get a repeat 6-1 victory.

Hibs have been a thorn in our side for a number of years now. We need to show them why this Rangers side is now a couple of levels above, especially winning mental strength. Doidge is suspended but I think their offensive game depends a lot more on Martin Boyle. If he plays well, our defence will have more work to do than is the norm. They are missing a few players but I think it will only impact the strength they can sit on the bench. Middle to front, it's an interesting team selection for SG&Co, with plenty of options. That said, we need to get the starting XI right and not have to chase things from the bench.

I'm usually as cautious as they come about predicting the winning of football matches but I kind of share your optimism regards a relative wallop. I'd obviously take any kind of win but I think title winning sides tend to send out markers at certain stages of the season, with the festive season being one of the most traditional and important. What we can't do is drop points and allow doubt and talk of momentum shifts to dominate next week. The last time Celtic were going for 10IAR, I was with my Dad on a train that we boarded at Leuchars, going to Edinburgh and with a tiny transistor radio held close to the window for a signal, we listened to David Francey commentating on the New Year OF fixture at Ibrox. That day was a marker, 3-0 win. I didn't realise the relevance at the time but I hoped we scored as we passed Markinch.