GARY HOLT, the former Celtic and Scotland star, now the impressive manager of today’s opponents Livingston, recognises that there is little be be gained from sitting in and defending deep against a side like Celtic.
Usually, from bitter experience, that ends badly so he will be geeing up his journeyman playing squad to have the confidence to take the game to the Champions and try to pull off a remarkable Glasgow double in West Lothian this lunchtime – his side of course already beat Steven Gerrard’s outfit last month.
“I’ve been in many games where I’ve had my backside skelped by sitting off teams because they were far better than us,” Holt said at his pre-match media briefing.
“Arsenal were the best I faced during my time with Norwich City. I was unfortunate enough to play against The Invincibles during season 2003-04.
“For the first 25 minutes, we were the better side. They could have had Lauren sent off in a last-man-type scenario. He was booked.
“I actually looked up at the clock and thought: ‘We’re doing alright here, we’re in the game’. Then we came in at half-time 3-0 down.
“That is the difference when you switch off for a split second, they’re away and you’re done because they were exceptional players.
“They’d had their Invincible season and we could have been the team to stop them, but we weren’t!
“Thierry Henry was the difference. In one of the goals, he kicked the ball and ran past four of us.
“He wouldn’t have to try to beat you with skill. If you gave him a big gap he’d just kick it through and go.
“We were actually shouting: ‘Somebody bring him down’. But nobody did. He just kicked it, ran to the byline, crossed it and Pires tapped it in. It was simplicity,” Holt recalled.
“That’s why it’s about people taking responsibility and accepting a booking. It’s not going to be a red card. I’m not talking about chopping him down.
“Grab his shirt and pull him down. We were too honest that day,” the Livi boss noted, and there were more memories that he was happy to discuss.
“I remember going to Chelsea with Forest in the League Cup, when we were a League One team, and our plan was just to sit in, and sit in.
“We never got out, never laid a glove on them. And Chelsea weren’t the team they are now, although they were good.
“We were 3-0 down at half-time and they hadn’t created much. It was just that we were so ensconced in Plan A of sitting-in that we couldn’t get Plan B into action. It was gone.
“So I’ve said to the players that we’ll give it a shot against Celtic. If we get beaten, we get beaten.
“It’s not having a go that’s the problem. If we don’t have a go, we sit in and they get a 90th-minute winner and lose 1-0, we’ve still lost the game.
“We’re going to get toe-to-toe, play our style of football and get in their faces.
“We’ll try to upset them and attempt to win the game.”
A prayer for the Celtic FC WW1 war dead
????Tom Clifford????
????Robt Craig????
????Peter Johnstone????
????Frank Kelly????
????John McLaughlin????
????Donnie McLeod????
????Archie McMillan????
????Leigh Roose????
????Pat Slavin????
????Willie Strang????
????John Young????????Also the 1000s of Celtic supporters killed????
— The Glasgow Irish (@55McCallum) November 10, 2018
Also on The Celtic Star…
Celtic v Livingston: ‘Everybody’s buzzing,’ says Celtic Star…
See HERE.
Jim Craig – A young man from Blantyre called John Fallon signed for Celtic…See HERE.
All Quiet on the West Lothian Front…See HERE.
Celtic’s Victoria Cross war hero, my great-grand-parents lost two sons fighting the Nazis…See HERE.
Remember Celtic legend Peter Johnstone, killed in action. Silence is green, white and Golden…See HERE.
