Dorus de Vries

Distribution was excellent tonight.

 

one really important save in the first half and that was all he had to do, maybe he gives our backline a bit more confidence than Gordon does especially playing the ball back

 

If he doesn’t make that save it’s a very different story tonight.

 

Distribution was excellent and did what he needed to do when he had to.

In a strange way I felt far more comfortable with him in net than I did when Gordon was playing.

 

Think only 1 kickout missed its target. Was qaulity. I felt the difference with his distribution was he knew when to go long. Gordon has it in his head he must play out no matter what putting us under unneeded pressure.

 

I’m a fan of Gordon but I felt a lot more at ease when the ball was played back to him. Calm with good distribution but also not afraid of going route 1 which I feel Gordon tries to avoid.

 

Think Gordon avoids route 1 because he invariably punts it straight to the other team or out the park. De Vries actually seems able to pick out a player.

 

I'm the same. I think its probably that, while Gordon is a far superior shot stopper, he invites pressure onto our defence with his distribution, whereas when DDV plays it out, it sticks more often than now and allows us to keep the ball in their half of the pitch

 

DORUS de Vries has sat on the bench at Celtic Park and marvelled at the famous atmosphere and the roar of the crowd on more occasions than he cares to recall. Nagging away at the back of the 37-year-old’s mind, was that his chance to savour it as a player would never come.

Such is the nature of the goalkeeper’s position though, that one man’s misfortune is another’s opportunity, and the long-term injury sustained by Celtic’s regular No 1 Craig Gordon meant on Thursday evening, the Dutchman’s moment finally arrived. And he didn’t waste it.

As he walked out into the deafening din to face Zenit St Petersburg in the Europa League, he made sure to soak it all in, but once the whistle blew, everything but the task at hand melted away. And with assured handling throughout as well as one crucial and outstanding save in the first half from Zenit striker Anton Zabolotny, he felt he not only proved to be an able deputy, but vindicated in his choice of sticking it out at the club despite his long spells on the sidelines.

“It means a lot, a lot, because the atmosphere here is amazing, especially on European nights,” De Vries said.

“From the first minute on with the crowd behind us like that, it gives us a great boost and a great lift. It pushes everyone’s level up, simple as.

“I’m 37, but I still enjoy it like a little kid. Once you walk out on to the pitch and see the full stadium, everybody is singing, what more can you ask for as a football player?

“These are the stages you want to be involved in and these are the games you want to be involved in, and especially with the players in front of me because it’s a joy to play with them.

“With this crowd as well, what do I have to complain about?

“Of course [you think your chance won’t come], because you are sitting on the bench. It might be that your chance has been, and that’s it.

“But I’m the type of guy that wants to stay as professional as I’ve ever been, and especially as you get older, you try to maintain your body and your

physical shape as best as you can.

“I’m really fortunate with my

discipline as well, trying to stay on top of my game, and that’s what you’ve got to do.”

Celtic turned in an impressive perform-

ance to carve out a deserved first-leg advantage over their Russian opponents, with the single goal from Callum McGregor scant reward for their dominance.

De Vries is certain they can finish the job on Thursday in St Petersburg, but he knows it will again take an almighty team effort to see them over the line. He has no worries on that score though. A moment he shared last Thursday with the man he normally plays understudy to seemed to exemplify the spirit of the Celtic dressing room.

“Craig wished me good luck and wished everyone good luck, and that is key as well for us,” he said. “We’re a team, it’s not only 11 guys that win it, because throughout the season we play 60-odd games including all the qualifying games for the Champions League and all the cup games domestically.

“It’s a lot of games, you need more than just 11 players, you need everybody out there. You need more than 20 players. Whether you only have an impact in one or two games, that can result in good points or good victories, so that all counts and every player counts, no matter how long you might be involved. “Charly [Musonda] comes on and is involved in the goal [for

example], so it is about how big is your impact? It’s the same for me as a goalie. You might only have one moment, but you are going to be judged on that moment, so you’ve got to be ready.

“You have to make sure you are there for your team-mates. My team-mates help me out, and I help them out as well, simple as.”

If de Vries was to pick one particular thing out from Wednesday’s performance that will have to be replicated in Russia for Celtic to advance in the Europa League, it would be their defensive discipline. The much-maligned central defensive area had been pinpointed as a potential weakness for Zenit to exploit, but de Vries was struck by the maturity of the displays turned in by 23-year-old Jozo Simunovic and 19-year-old Kristoffer Ajer.

“When you look at the opposition, they are a great team, and they have a serious threat from set-plays,” he said.“We knew exactly what they had to offer, but the guys in front of me played really, really well. They kept their concentration at high levels, they were mature, so for me it was very enjoyable to play with those guys in front of me.

“In the second leg, it’s going to be important to keep those concentration levels as high as possible, and make sure that we put in the same performance again, because it will be a tough game.

“Everyone will have to be at the top of their game, that’s the stage we are at now in Europe against great opposition, so you have to be wary of everything that can happen.”

 

Hes a credit to the younger guys should keep and eye on him at final whistle first to congratulate ajer etc he has a lot of passion

 

Gordon doesn’t avoid it, he knows he’s * and does it anyway.

 

Guy on the carroty floof forum said he reminds him of Patrick Kielty in one of those charity games

 

One shaky clearance on the volly but another clean sheet to up his confidence going into next thursday.

 

It's not up,for debate, he's *

 

That was * shocking, mad flapper.

 

Up there with the worst I’ve saw playing for us.

 

I genuinely believe that I would have saved the second goal - * pathetic.

 

Opposition tactics - kick the ball at DDV

 

You know it’s bad when even DDV’s biggest fan on here calls it pathetic.

As useful at goalkeeping as David Murray is at moonwalking.