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[BOTB] SongQuest III - Seven Sensational Seasons - Songs Only

Discussion in 'Competition Corner' started by Taz, Jul 28, 2018.

Discuss SongQuest III - Seven Sensational Seasons - Songs Only in the Competition Corner area at TalkCeltic.net.

  1. Taz Blind Justice Gold Member News Writer

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    2016/17

    The Invincible Treble

    [​IMG]
    The 'Invincibles' celebrate claiming the League title

    Celtic had been on a roll. Since they began the streak of league titles under Neil Lennon in 2012, five consecutive league titles were already in the cabinet. While the league had largely remained a lock in the intervening years, there was a feeling amongst Celtic fans that the team had maybe underperformed over that period, as those titles were augmented by only a pair of Cup triumphs, claiming the 2013 Scottish Cup and 2015 League Cup.

    That is not to take anything away from any of the other clubs who had deserved their days in the sun, so to speak, and really, despite the doom mongers among the Scottish press that the demise of the old R****** would spell doom and gloom for the game as a whole. In fact the opposite had proven to be the case, and the share of the spoils over that time reflected this.

    As the 2015/16 campaign neared it's conclusion, it seemed as though the Hoops were stagnating a bit under the leadership of Ronny Deila. While the Hoops remained on course to pick up the league honours once again, it was apparent that not was all well.

    In a way, we have the imposter neighbours from across the city to thank for providing the catalyst for what happened next. The 17 April, 2016 should be a date locked in the memory. Not so much for the result of the match that day, but for the reaction it stirred. It was that day in the aftermath of a lacklustre performance on the pitch had seen the match finish 2-2 after extra time had been played. It had been a far from stellar showing, but the penalty shootout loss to the newest club in Scotland, Sevco, would have profound effects.

    Had Celtic managed to get across the line that day on the back of that shootout, it perhaps would have papered over the fact that this team was looking like it was standing still. As for Deila, with a potential second League and Cup triumph in consecutive years it would have been hard for him to be dislodged going into the next campaign, even though, as likeable as he was, it was far from certain that he would be up to the task the next year.

    Perhaps even more telling is what was happening in the executive suites in Hampden that day. By various accounts, the Sevco high command had basked in the aftrglow of the penalty shootout win, perhaps a lttle too much. Or rather too much in the face of one man in particular; Dermot Desmond.

    The Irish billionaire and majority shareholder in Celtic was said to be none too pleased with the performance or with the way that the Sevco brass had chosen to rub it in his face. And a billionaire - who is a legit billionaire and not one of the 'off the radar' variety - is not someone to provoke. A lesson that Sevco has failed to learn on a number of occasions, even more recently in their troubles with Mike Ashley, but I digress.

    As the Hoops ended the 2015/16 League fixtures it was announced that Ronny Deila would be leaving the club in the summer. The hunt was now on to find his replacement. The added time would serve to be a benefit to prepare for the new boss, and even former boss, Neil Lennon was interviewed for the job. But with the backing of Desmond, there was only one man:

    Brendan Rodgers.

    [​IMG]
    The new boss: Rodgers has arrived

    The Antrim man had recently been replaced at Liverpool having guided that club to being Runners Up in the EPL, but now the Anfield club had chosen to dispense with his services. Now, just over a month after that fateful day at Hampden, he was revealed as the new boss of the club he supported as a man and boy.

    The news swept through the east end of Glasgow like a tidal wave of positivity. Season ticket sales skyrocketed, there was a real sense of this was going to be a very special season, and noone wanted to miss out on being part of it.

    Interestingly, Rodgers arrival did not co-incide with a massive turnover in the playing staff. There were a couple of new faces in the dressing room, Moussa Dembele and Scott Sinclair most notably, but by and large, the boss would be using the same players that Ronny Deila had at his disposal the previous campaign.

    It didn't take long for Rodgers to get the Hoops on track. Even with a rocky start in Gibraltar, the European qualifying campaign was overcome, which only served to boost the anticipation for the season, now with those Champions League nights coming back to Paradise as well, although there was some scares along the way. After dishing out a 5-2 pasting to Hapoel Beer Sheva at Parkhead, the Bhoys perhaps with one eye already on the Group stages managd to lose 2-0 away in Israel, which gave som nervous moments until the final whistle was sounded.
    Domestically, the Bhoys were starting to shift through the gears also. August saw the league campaign get underway with a 2-1 win away at Tynecastle over Hearts, followed by 5-0 win over Motherwell and 4-2 away win over St Johnstone, and 4-1 win over Aberdeen, with the aforemenioned 5-2 win over Beer Sheva in between.

    This team had goals in them and it was delivering!

    New boys Sinclair and Dembele were making their presence known, but it was the players on the books already that took most by surprised. Tom Rogic had been in inspired form, youngster Kieran Tierney was earning rave reviews and even the skipper, Scott Brown, seemed to be winding back the clock at a time when some were questioning how long he could keep going on for. As it turned out, he had a lot still in the tank, as he was now playing some of the best football of his entire career!

    As September rolled in, the Hoops were riding high on a crest of condidence and performances to match. 22 goals had been scored on Scottish soil in the previous month as the international break took place, everyone lookd forward to the much anticipated visit of Sevco to Parkhead for the first time in their history. It was a day work remembering. A Moussa Dembele hatrick ensured that a 5-1 thrashing was handed out to the visitors, who finished the game with 10 men. Joey Barton, who had been mouthing off since his arrival in Scotland had been completed schoold by Scott Brown, and would soon be sent on his way back down to England with his tail between his legs.



    Rodgers had re-invigorated the entire club and the feelgood factor was through the roof around Paradise. There had been a few scares through qualifying, but the Group Stages of the Champions League are another entity entirely. If there was, and remains a criticism of Rodgers, it is the lack of pragmatism that characterized the continental success of O'Neill and Strachan.

    Barcelona put on a 7-0 masterclass of attacking football, underlinging the gulf between the Bhoys and the likes of Iniesta, Xavi and Messi. Although just a few weeks later, Celtic made a much more impressive showing in a 3-3 thriller wil Manchester City, with Rogic and Man City's own on-loan Bhoy, Paddy Roberts among many outstanding performers on the night. A match that many across European football was highlt praised and rightly so by fans, pundits and the press alike glowing in their platitiudes, some going so far as to call it a 'perfect game of football'.

    In matters domestic however, the Hoops were peerless. As September rolled into October and then November, not only were they continuing to fire the goals in, the defence was comng together also, racking up 9 consecutive clean sheets in domestic matches, culminating in a 3-0 League Cup Final victory over Aberdeen.

    One down! Two to Go!

    Just a week later, would see the Hoops take part in one of the undoubted games of the season. A 4-3 thriller with Motherwell, which had seen the Hoops trailing 2-0 at the break and again falling behind, 3-2. The Steelmen really impressed as the Hoops were being put under pressure for the first time. The Hoops rallied however, with another stellar showing from Paddy Roberts, and it all set the stage for a stunning Rogic strike in the 90th minute, worthy of winning any game!



    This team had fight. Thy could com back from any situation, to not just get something from the game, but knew how to win when it seemed almost impossible!

    December saw another challenge overcome. as the Hoops had 9 matches to play. By the time the Hoops travelled to Ipox on the 31st, they had won all 8 of their league fixtures and had secured another credible draw with Man City in the Champions League. Even fatigue could not hold the Celts back, and despite going down 1-0 early on which gave the home support fleeting hope it was soon dashed as he Bhoys in Green ran out comfortable 2-1 winners, with Dembele once again toying and terrifying the defence and putting on a show.

    As the new year rolled in, it was more of the same. Celtic winning, ever extending their lead at the top of the table. Even without the travels across Europe post Christmas, theur dominance only continued, with the league business was still being done with absolutely clinical fashion, tying up the league with a thumping 5-0 away win at Hearts, where the season had gotten underway, with 9 games still to be played!

    Two Down. One to Go!

    If anyone thought that now that the title had been secured that the Hoops would ease off had not been paying attention. This was a special season, and history was within their fingertips, to not only go through a league season undefeated but also the prize of the Scottish Cup still up for grabs. A comprehensive 2-0 win at Hampden over Sevco really understated the gulf in class on display, and if there was any delusions about this, it was completely put to bed the next week, when the Celts battered Sevco with a 5-1 hammering on their own turf. The second time in the season that they had inflicted this scoreline on the blue pretenders.



    The games continued to come, and the Hoops continued to dominate, winning their last 5 consecutive league games, and were heading back to Hampden for another date with destiny, once again against Aberdeen. The Dons had been the second best team in Scotland once again this season, reaching the Final in both Cups and had finished Runner Up in the league. So it was only fitting that the Cup Final would see the best two teams in the country go toe to toe. Could the Dons prove to be a spoiler?

    The Final was a real battle, with Aberdeen playing exceptionally well, and the loss of Tierney in the first half only further demonstrated how much of a fight the Hoops had on their hands. As the minutes ticked down and it seemed that extra time would be required, it was that man, Rogic, who had come on as a replacement for Tierney, who provided that moment of magic, driving into the box with sublime close control before applying the killer finish from a tight angle to secure the Cup and this team's place in history.

    [​IMG]

    The treble was complete!

    In all domestic League and Cup games, Celtic had played 47 matches, winning 43 and drawing the other 4. In so doing, the Bhoys had scored 149 goals, with Dembele leading rhw way with 32 across all competitions, but ably aided by Sinclair (25, including 21 in the league), Leigh Griffiths (18), Stuart Armstrong (17) , Tom Rogic (12) and Paddy Roberts (11), while Craig Gordon had managed to keep 27 clean sheets. The Hoops had amassed a record 106 league points, a whopping 30 points clear of second placed Aberdeen and 39 points clear of third placed Sevco.

    The season had seen the revival of Scott Brown, with one of the best and most consistantly dominant years of his career as the undisputed midfield general of the Scottish game. It had seen Tierney emerge as one of the best fullbacks in all of British Football. Moussa Dembele's finishing and power had fans and pundits alike wondering just how good he could be, and Paddy Roberts, due to head back to his parent club, a fond farewell with a string of stunning performances to look back on. While injury did curtail some player's seasons, such as Roberts and Rogic, this was a real revival year in Scott Sinclair's career, earning him numerous well deserved Player of the Year awards.

    Rodgers had inherited a largely functional team, even if it was far from perfect, and had fine tuned it, adding some quality and the results speaks for itself: a season of absolute dominance. Not just in the results but in the style that Rodgers had introduced and the players delivered. It would set a very high benchmark for all seasons after to live up to, but it was a truly magical - and invincible - season!

    [​IMG]

    Round 4

    So, even though this comp began back in the 70's and have been moving progressively forward since, now that we are at the Knock Out Phase. it's time to reverse the order, and begin with the most recent season to be featured in this Comp.

    For those that have reached this point, you need to submit a song that was released in 2016 or 2017.

    When all 10 songs have been submitted they will be posted into 2 Groups of 5.

    The entrant who finishes last in each of the 2 Groups will be eliminated and join the Jury.​
     
    Last edited: Aug 26, 2018
  2. Taz Blind Justice Gold Member News Writer

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    Group A







     
  3. Taz Blind Justice Gold Member News Writer

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    Lilac Wine likes this.
  4. Taz Blind Justice Gold Member News Writer

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  5. Taz Blind Justice Gold Member News Writer

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  6. Taz Blind Justice Gold Member News Writer

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    Voting

    As previously noted, this will be the last Round where if you are still in the Competition you will be required to vote.

    After this it is all to the Jury.

    For this Round there are 2 Groups of 5.

    Rank the Songs

    Most Liked 1 - 5 Least Liked

    If you are still in the Comp, vote for the Group you are NOT in.

    Jury

    This is the split of the Jury for the voting purposes this Round:

    Group A:

    @Idioteque @Drakhan @Pinstripe @Keano88

    Group B:

    @Officer Doofy @The GOAT @Vinnie BBQ @Big els

    As per random.org​
     
  7. Taz Blind Justice Gold Member News Writer

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  8. Taz Blind Justice Gold Member News Writer

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  9. Taz Blind Justice Gold Member News Writer

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  19. Taz Blind Justice Gold Member News Writer

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