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Thursday, May 1, 2008

Paris St Germain banned from next League Cup Paris St Germain have been banned from defending the League Cup next season after some of their fans unfolded an abusive banner during this season's League Cup final, the French League (LFP) said on Wednesday. (Guardian)

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McManus targets top team return McManus suffered a calf injury in last week's 3-2 victory over Rangers but is confident he can play in Celtic's final three league games. (BBC)
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Thursday, March 13, 2008
Donati and Robson should get central midfield nod

The (only) positive news is after last night is that we have the games, and I believe, the resources, to fix the problem.

I have expressed concerns about central midfield for months. Hartley, Brown, Robson, Sno and Donati, not to mention the recently departed Jarosik, or the soon to be back, Gravesen, make up a considerable head count, but the mix has never been satisfactory.

Despite an inconsistent first season, I would play Massimo Donati, who has looked back to his best in the last month. Barry Robson has been on fire all season and did what he does best playing central-mid against Barcelona, no less. For the crucial games to come, these two should play.

Scott McDonald was scoring goals and winning points single handed earlier in the season, but it has been difficult to watch him expire in recent weeks. Samaras and Vennegoor of Hesselink and scoring goals and playing well, both should play on Saturday.
Posted by Paul67 at 8:56 PM :: 

183 Comments:
  • At 13/03/08 20:58, Blogger Pete said…

    I would trade a first post for some goals and wins, easily!

     
  • At 13/03/08 20:58, Blogger stebhoy said…

    foist!

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:00, Blogger Glasgowsellick said…

    Totally agree on McDonald.

    Would love to see Samaras and VoH get a run together.

    It seems that GS tries to keep all 3 happy irrespective of how they are playing. Scott should have been withdrawn last night. He was having a nightmare and this adds to the detriment of the team -as he desperately tries to break his duck the team suffers!

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:00, Blogger Gordon_J said…

    Saturday will bew a real test, the longer it stays at 0 - 0. we need an early goal to settle us I think.

    I agree that Scott McDonald looks like he needs a rest. Samaras and JVoH for me.

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:01, Blogger Ulster-Celt said…

    donati is a liability
    robson is not a central midfielder
    i suppose darren o,dea should be played right back again?

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:02, Blogger Glasgowsellick said…

    Paul,

    See you made the Etims quotes of the week on 'Hunlines'.

    Very droll!

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:04, Blogger GM said…

    Agree.

    Herein lies another worrying sign: at such a vital time in the season we still have no idea who to partner in midfield or upfront.

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:08, Blogger thismancraig said…

    Posted my preferred midfield on the last thread, it's different but the point remains - that's where our problems lie.

    Funny that on here so much has been said about the defence, I think that misses the point - it's in the midfield where Rangers strength lies.

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:08, Blogger Michael Collins said…

    Cant agree on Donatti Paul.

    To be back to his best I would suggest he would have had to have shown consistently good form at some point in the past year. He hasnt apart from a few cameo 20 mins here and there. If we play him at Ibrox we're toast.

    I believe we have to go with a midfield four of Robson, Hartley,Brown and McGeady. We need people in there prepared to dig and fight for the right to play football. Naka doesnt fall into this category and he should be an impact substitute.

    Its also imperative now we bring back Bobo. For all his failings he's the one player we have who opposition strikers fear including der hun.

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:09, Blogger Fabrizio said…

    To those of us who are unconcerned about whether the cardigan/ hoodie and his rancid mob progress any further in Europe, it’s worth remembering the financial windfall that will accrue from further progression in the UEFA Cup. Given minty’s current financial state which has been worsened by the inability to punt Cousin before the summer, it’s vital for next season that they get a doing tonight (sorry EU!) Starving them of revenue will weaken them even further so here’s hoping the huns in the Donegal colours can do us a favour!!

    KTF

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:11, Blogger ItaliaBhoy said…

    "Dambusters" theme tune rings out from Rangers end.

    What a classy bunch.

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:12, Blogger TommyTwistsTommyTurns said…

    Sorry, Paul - can't agree about Donati, especially when it comes to playing our nearest and dearest.
    He doesn't have the courage or mental strength required to defeat TFOD.

    Anyone watching Beeb1 where a team in green and white are all over Wattie's boys, but are struggling to break them down at the back? It's just a throw back to the 90's, where we would win corner after corner and have then hemmed in, but come up short.

    The quandry for our manager is strength versus guile. We could put out a team with Bobo and a midfield of Hartley/Sno/Brown/Robson, but would there be enough flair to overcome their defence.
    It's like the old days, where we always went into Glasgow derbies needing to win...and that was our downfall.
    It's the only way the Cardigan knows how to play.

    TTTTdepressedCSC

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:12, Blogger o1bhoy said…

    I agree with your thoughts paul...


    I have never claimed to be a tactician but i really think we need a settled midfield all this chopping and changing... I think makes the forwards and defenders inconsistent...

    I also think we should be playing 3 up front their not Larsson Sutton and Hartson but i think they could do a job especially v TFOD...


    o1bhoy


    tacticallyopinionatedCSC

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:12, Blogger radical thinker said…

    From previous thread as blogger wouldn't post it.

    Harry hood

    All good strikers miss chances. I think he should have scored that one too but thats football. He knows his way to the goal, his scoring ratio is very good and I believe he would have scored last night if on from the start, just like he did on Sunday.

    fanatic

    I am not pointing the finger at SB. Just pointing out what I think from last night. Well for a few games now. He hasn't been making enough runs with the ball. When he does it always seems to get stuck in his feet, his passing has been poor and he's not scoring enough.

    Sure he is young and has potential and I think he will go on to be a great player. I also think this of Sno. The difference between the two is £4.4 million to £90,000.

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:13, Blogger Gordon_J said…

    Bremen hit the bar from 4 yards with an open goal!

    5 minutes left.

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:14, Blogger CelticFCNumeroUno said…

    Paul Hartley is our best central midfileder by a long way.

    Donati back to his best? Hmmmmmmmmmmm.

    Can anyone honestly say,hand on heart that they beleive we would win a game against rangers with Massimo in the centre of the park.

    I for one cannot.

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:15, Blogger Paul67 said…

    Apologies for the blog failing (again).

    Pete, indeed.

    Glasgowsellick, revenue is revenue :-)

    Michael Collins, TTTT, you could be right, but I am out of conviction for anyone else.

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:15, Blogger Cubist Funk said…

    McGregor flaps & misses - 4th time he has failed to connect when under pressure


    Sanogo hits underside of bar from 3 yds with Werder's 33rd shot of the evening (14 on target)

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:18, Blogger dalgety bhoy said…

    Italiabhoy,

    re Dambusters, unsurpassed dignity.....

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:18, Blogger Gordon_J said…

    Only 2 additional minutes in Bremen! Can you believe this mob?

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:19, Blogger radical thinker said…

    I agree with Robson Paul, not Donati.

    Come on Werder some energy sapping extra time is what they need. And Werder deseve it.

    Also to knock them out re revenue as fabrizio says

    And to burst their bubble. They play like scotland!!!

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:22, Blogger Gordon_J said…

    1 - 0 Bremen FT.

    Bremen dominated but a combination of good goalkeeping, bad finishing and plain luck got them through.

    The Bremen keeper sold the jersies in the first leg.

    I can't print what I think of that Rangers performance without being deleted. Lucky doesn't begin to describe it.

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:23, Blogger o1bhoy said…

    Good result for us tonight bring on MUNCHEN...

    o1bhoy

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:23, Blogger thismancraig said…

    How can someone who has played a handful of games in 18 months be imperative?

    I genuinely think Rangers would be delighted to see Bobo in our side at Ibrox, it would be a show of weakness. They do not play a game of aerial bombardment that Bobo would enjoy.

    Our problems are elsewhere, have been all season.

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:23, Blogger ItaliaBhoy said…

    FT 1-0 in Germany. Rangers absolutely played off the park by a team that played fast slick passes out wide and through the middle.

    However, defensively they are very solid. The tend not to panic and they just soaked up the pressure, rode their luck, and ran down the clock.

    Terrible result which will boost their confidence and coffers...

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:24, Blogger Quentin said…

    Just caught the last 25 mins of the Rangers game on some random german channel. How Rangers survived that, I will never know. Reminded me a bit of Celtic pummeling an SPL team's defence but not making the breakthrough.

    Great save from McGregor, though.

    Happy they went through, though: we need them to take their eye off the league.

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:25, Blogger Fabrizio said…

    Their luck has to run out at some stage. Paul67, how much do you think the result tonight is wirth to them?

    KTF

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:25, Blogger Ulster-Celt said…

    scott brown and barry robson shone in a middle 3

    4-5-1 would accomadate this and would give us the defensive cover we require

    maybe the manager could cosider playing people in there correct positions - just for a change

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:26, Blogger roybainestache said…

    Could anyone see us standing up to that pressure for 90 minutes?
    We would have lost 3 by half time.

    Football to stun pigs with, but effective.

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:29, Blogger ItaliaBhoy said…

    roybainestache,

    You're right, there is a resolve there which we seem to lack. Also Ferguson and Davies look several times better than any midfielder we currently have on our books...

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:30, Blogger The Fighting Irish said…

    Donati & Robson as our midfield duo???

    Not buying into that one.

    You'll be telling me next that Scott Brown is worth £4.5m

    Donati is possibly one of the worse players I've seen at CP in a long time.

    With the exception of his goal against Shaktar, he's been extremely disappointing.

    Ok, he can maybe make a few 40 yard passes in a match but he cant tackle and make a simple 10 yard pass

    Donati & Robson - I DESPAIR!!

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:31, Blogger ItaliaBhoy said…

    In fact, when you think about it, the best midfielder on our books is probably Tommy Gravesen...

    Go figure.

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:32, Blogger radical thinker said…

    They were extremely lucky tonight. When I said they played like Scotland earlier, I meant under Wattie and Eck. Hard to beat and got themselves into good positions with the odd lucky goal. In the end though, they failed at the last because they didn't have enough class and the luck ran out.

    The same will happen to them. When we play at death star we have to get an early goal and their game plan will be in disarray.

    I’m off to bed now GNGB my fellow Tims.

    HAIL HAIL

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:32, Blogger Viewfromthewindae said…

    Pual,
    You're having a laugh, or maybe you have shares in Donati.com.
    Boruc
    Henkile Balde McMannus Wilson
    Heartly Brown Robson
    McGeadie JVOH Riorden

    4-3-3 might win the leauge, but WGS has fallen out with too many players. If only the Celtic directors had the same will to win as the their Rangers conterparts.

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:34, Blogger o1bhoy said…

    Fabrizio...

    If you want our club to be more financial than them...

    It's better to lose the league and play a qualifier to get to the CL group stages...

    Me thinks not...

    Panicus Noticus...

    3 in a row we run the show...

    o1bhoy

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:35, Blogger HHBhoy said…

    That’s about the first time I’ve seen the Fod in action for nearly a whole game, and what they did was pack their penalty box, and made it very frustrating for Werder. Indeed, this is negative football, but it has produced a result. Ok, they were gifted the goals in Glasgow, and they got lucky that Werder couldn’t convert their chances tonight; they had 17 corners and couldn’t score. The Fod were 80 mins under pressure and survived. McGregor was their best man. It will be interesting to see what Dundee United do to beat them.

    HHBhoy

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:36, Blogger glasgowdave said…

    Guys
    Forget about them..

    We still have it in our own hands.
    It's about what we can do, and I have to agree 7 months into a season, and we do not have a recognised or settled midfield.

    It is crucial that Gordon gets it right over the next few week, for it is here that the Championship will be won or lost.

    Wednesday night dented our confidence a bit. Therefore, we need a couple of decent wins against Motherwell and Aberdeen, to build us up again.

    I'm sure we'll get them

    Stand up for the Champions

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:36, Blogger jimtim said…

    my god paul.

    "Celtic must find the capability to fight for 90 minutes in each game"
    and your wanting to play donati. he is 6ft 2 inch and he couldnt take a ball off my grandson. you see him as much as me. what in the name of god made you write that, as i posted in the last thread .imho one of our big problems lies in the fact we are too soft. i am not going to say anymore. 29th march will tell us who is right and who is wrong .
    donati dear oh dear .

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:36, Blogger celticlover said…

    Paul,

    I can't disagree more with re Donati. If we were drawing up a list of the most talented midfielder amongst Sno, Donati, Brown, Hartley, Robson, I think Donati would be at the top but that is not the important question (imo).

    To retain the Championship, Celtic are going to have to show as much fight as they do skill. If the crucial games are the ones against Rangers then a study of Werder Bremen to-night would only highlight what I mean.

    The best midfield performance that I have seen this season was the one produced by Brown & Hartley against Aberdeen. They deserves a run before Robson & Donati.

    Take care.

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:37, Blogger Glasgowsellick said…

    To say that I am 'glad' that the Huns won through tonight would be to lie.

    However, I can see the positives.

    They do not have a hope in hell of winning it and the more games the better.

    Although they are a better team that some on here give them credit for, they have also enjoyed enormous good fortune to date.

    There is a long, long way to go.

    Pick a Central midfield pairing and stick with it GS!! KEEP THE FAITH!

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:42, Blogger Cubist Funk said…

    21:26, roybainestache - Werder had 37 shots on goal tonight - 15 on target. They missed 3 sitters in the first half and another couple in the second - including hitting the crossbar from 3 yds.

    RFC 'standing up to the pressure' - don't think so - RFC went through because Werder's keeper blew it at Ibrox and tonight Werder's finishing was woeful.

    21:29, ItaliaBhoy - 'Ferguson and Davies look several times better than any midfielder we currently have on our books...' - I'll take Naka & Aiden any day.

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:43, Blogger Zbyszek said…

    I’m sorry to hear that this year championship is much difficult to achieve for Celtic. I’m also very sorry to see my Legia worse play this year. Last week we lost against the poorest team. We are third now.
    I say about that, because I wanted to tell you what Artur said about Legia.
    “There are to many foreigners playing for the club. They don’t have emotional relations to Legia. For many of them Legia is only the stop on their way to the bigger club. They don’t know the club they are playing for. Legia will always be Legia. It will always be the club which is fighting for the greatest results. Due to the lack of the proper relations, the magic name of the club has been devaluated.”

    We have good players, good coach but poor results.I don't say Celtic has poor results. I needed to tell you that because I see some similarities between our clubs now. I don’t want to blame somebody for that in Celtic or Legia. It’s really difficult to arrange good team. If we talk about Celtic, the specific one, THE SPECIFIC ONE…well, you know it better. There’s no Lennon, no Hartson. You can name the players who are really emotionally related to Celtic. In my opinion they are not enough to enliven the spirit.
    Finally I would say: it is not the club that must salute (honor ) to the players, the players must salute to the club Celtic. They must work hard to keep up the fame of Celtic.They must know the club they are playing for. Money have not to much to do with that.

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:44, Blogger Fabrizio said…

    o1bhoy,
    My comment about the huns losing tonight was simply in response to those who were unconcerned about whether the huns won or lost tonight. Personally, I want them to be starved of every possible penny of revenue which could be used to strengthen their squad.

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:45, Blogger BHOYDELL said…

    Donati Paul, your on something. He won't even go for a 60/40 yet alone a 50/50. Also, can't belive there are still some who think this guy Sno could be a Celtic class player.

    On Rangers, they defended exceptionaly well tonight, in Papac and Quelar they have two very good defenders, and their keeper aint bad. We can't score against average defences, what chance against a good one. As Kojo say's the party's over, hopefully so is the managers time.

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:46, Blogger pfayr said…

    Donati is a proven spineless, lackadaisical under achiever

    if we play him from the start again then we can forget it

    back to basics

    play

    Balde
    M Wilson
    Hartley
    Robson

    drop

    Caldwell/Mick
    Naylor
    Brown
    Sno

    never play

    Donati
    Killen
    M Brown

    our life in your hands WGS

    failure will not be tolerated , especially to a shower of hammer throwers whose only advantage is to try harder

    ps

    i was in sorrento on holiday and was chatting to the hotel manager about Donati just as we were signing him he said ...talent but no heart ,,,,,,,,,,,,,how right he was

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:47, Blogger ItaliaBhoy said…

    Cubist,

    OK, central midfielder...

    this is where the OF games, and hence the league, will be won.

    Paul, I'm sorry Donati is just another poor poor Strachan signing. I know you always want to talk up the decisions of the board and manager, but really if we are relying on Donati to win us the league then we really ar ein trouble...

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:48, Blogger Viewfromthewindae said…

    Paul,
    Donati,explain ?

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:51, Blogger Bunbury said…

    Watching the Bremen game, it occured to me that the FOD are a team of zombies- devoid of skill, nuance and brain.

    But like zombies, they are relentless. Get too close and you lose.

    But if you keep calm (in defence especially), and force them wide, force them to try skillful play, they are rapidly exposed.

    If we are to win the league (and we are), beating Them 3 times is required. We must slow the game down, move intelligently off the ball, and above all play calmly.

    We play two different games, us and them- Let's not attempt to beat them at theirs.

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:53, Blogger jimtim said…

    glasgowsellick .21.37 how you doing m8. as you can see still hooked up .

    agree, they are a better team than we give them credit for.and yes they rode their luck on many occassions tonight, and in other rounds as well.but they are still there .still top of the league.still in the scottish cup and in sundays cup final. still pulling in money haw raw some guy walter eh !

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:55, Blogger Danny Gall said…

    No No Massimo

    there is no urgency in the guy. He doesnt get the time & space that he needs in the SPL

    THERE IS NO URGENCY ABOUT THE GUY

    If we persevered with Massimo I truly think we will throw away the league

    The midfield must be Robson(left), PH, SB and Aiden with Naka benched

    We will win the league

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:55, Blogger o1bhoy said…

    I hope WGS and others were watching that tonight because that is exactly how they will play/line up against us...

    Even at the thunderdome...

    And in Donati what he has got is composure under pressure... Take note Brown gun ho,mcgeady back chat,McDonald his little tissy/kick at the start at ipox really got them ''up for it''...

    As i say we will need composure to beat them...

    panicus noticus



    o1bhoy

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:57, Blogger Gordon_J said…

    There are two components to beating this Rangers team.

    Get the first goal and force them to come out.

    Play calm, intelligent, passing football with quality low balls into the box and midfielders coming on to the second balls if the strikers don't get there first.

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:57, Blogger ianinjesi said…

    Unusually, I watched the Bremen v Rangers match.
    Rangers kept their shape and held on. Bremen only have themselves to blame. It`s no use saying words like, `jammy` they are in the last eight on merit. `Bit of a scunner!

    Donati has good qualities but is leadership one of them? We need a midfield leader. Bring in Lambert or Lennon to coach our midfielders.
    Keep the faith.

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:57, Blogger BHOYDELL said…

    I was thinking about Murray tonight. While we all know he has faults, one of the things he does is gamble. He gambled in the summer with £10m that Ranger's didn't have, but it paid off as he has it back and some, and look like doing very well this season. Our board decided not to gamble with money we did have.! We could have finished them for a long time, instead they are back.........

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:58, Blogger newsletter said…

    Paul67 - Have to disagree regarding the midfield.

    It is the system that is the problem, not the personnel.

    Many here have listed the quality of midfielder we have bought and how well they played at previous clubs.

    At Celtic, midfielders are asked to do an impossible job - carry out their midfield duties and protect (to the Nth degree) our two centre backs.

    Given that remit any midfielder in the world would struggle.

    For the midfield to function, our defence has to take more responsibilty in both defending AND starting the build up of play.

    Hail Hail.

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:58, Blogger mcgrory-for-arsenal said…

    rankers are mince.
    strachan's brill.
    we will win all 3 games against the rankers this season.
    (the 3 strach lost against wattie didnae count for anything)
    celtic will win the league this year.
    i am strachan (?)
    we should play caldwell not balde.

    its not strachs fault , its mccurry's.


    anyone that disnae agree is a fud and a hun and a mineshafter.

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:58, Blogger Cubist Funk said…

    I think we may have a conflict between the mental state required for control (Gordon's preference) and that required to take the game to the opposition.

    Gordon's preference is perfect for away games - quiten the crowd - draw the opponents' sting etc

    However, at home it's holding us back - all this composure is counter productive, it's quietening OUR crowd and allowing our opponenets to warm to the game. We should burst out of the blocks at home - have them gasping for air - crowd wound up. Man Utd do it to great effect - we should shock our opponenets in the first 15 mins at Parkhead. Plenty of time for composure when we are 2-0 up at HT.

     
  • At 13/03/08 21:59, Blogger pfayr said…

    a king`s ransom for Cuellar

    he was derided as a Spanish dud who no one wanted

    a defender who can defend , is not shy , not too fancy, doesn`t think he can hit a 40 yard pass and can put the boot in when required

    i can`t remember when we last had a defender like that

     
  • At 13/03/08 22:01, Blogger bournesouprecipe said…

    paul67

    on the midfield, permutation are we
    rearranging the deckchairs on the titanic?

    your call for donati and robson is yet
    another untried permutation, and wgs has tried a few.

    i was at the game last night and thought sno a much better bet than hartley, warts and all, but the one constant has been scott brown who after last night underperformed once to often for me.

    if the season ended tomorrow and we got a big english bid to recoup, i think we should take it.

    if wgs does try another shuffle he should rest mcgeady or naka keep one of them till the second half.

    i agree with someone who said wgs got the subs wrong last night he should haven taken skippy off
    and left sundays winning combination of voh and samaras.

    sadly i also think we could be undercoached and rely far too much on aidens trickery.

     
  • At 13/03/08 22:01, Blogger Han Solo said…

    The modern day Helenio Hererra-

    aka Wattie Smith-


    his version of "Wattanachio" held out tonight to grab an amazing 1-0 gubbing despite setting out his stall in a 10-0-0 formation.


    Surely this "anti- football"(copyright Leonel Messi)

    has to be the way ahead ?

     
  • At 13/03/08 22:04, Blogger newsletter said…

    Tontine Tim - from last thread - I missed your earlier post which covered most of what I was trying to say.

    Hail Hail

     
  • At 13/03/08 22:05, Blogger radical thinker said…

    This blog is extremely addictive!

    This really is my last post before bed - I will read the rest of the comments tomorrow.

    Zybzsek - well said.

    When we play Naka and Aiden we need ball winners in the middle of the park. I thought Scott Brown would be the man but he hasn't shown it so far. Therefore I would go with Hartley and Robson. Both of them can play, defend, win the ball, have dig, are proven in the league AND can score goals. They also both have an affinity with the club and are both determined and hungry for success. I think that’s enough reasons…. Why not give them a try?

    I am sure the rest would do SB good too and maybe give him a kick up the backside. Was I the only one who was annoyed at yet another needless booking late on in the game? One more now and he's missing the 29th anyway.

    Bhoydell and kojo

    I've tried hard but nope - I can't hear that fat lady singing.

    KEEP THE FAITH

    REMEMBER LOVE STREET

     
  • At 13/03/08 22:06, Blogger jimtim said…

    bhoydell 21.57

    that is what scunners me as well. we had them on their knees . but let them back up .really beginning to make me wonder what the script is at celtic HQ. could it possibly be that our biggest problems are OFF the park.

     
  • At 13/03/08 22:09, Blogger Glasgowsellick said…

    Jimtim,

    Good to see you still online. Hows the Audio problem??

    A war on 4 fronts- the only positives I take from this is that we will need all the help we can get to retain our title this year.

    I really believe we can do it and I think Paul Hartley is the key. He is one player who can and will step up to the plate.

     
  • At 13/03/08 22:10, Blogger pfayr said…

    bourne

    if Samaras was not on the field on Sunday we would not have saved the match

    if the ball had been passed to SMcD then he would have shot, and most probably not scored

    the subbing of Samaras last night was crass supidity......imo Samaras` footballing ability is well above the other two...he has also showed some tenacity to come back from the mare he had at St Mirren

    the huns camaraderie carried them tonight ...a bit like us in the famous Barca 0-0 ....high time we started showing some of it now ..

    HAIL HAIL

     
  • At 13/03/08 22:10, Blogger TheGreenTrumpet said…

    I was sick after last night's match, and it hasn't got any better today. The rallying cries on here are nice to read, but I'd feel a lot more secure & confident if I thought that the same emotion was on display in the dressing room. Gordon Strachan has received a season-long demonstration on just how hated Celtic are by the powers-that-be in this league - they have gunned for him and his players in a personal and cynical way. The determination must be there - surely he can transmit it to his players?

    The topic of controversy this evening seems to be our Italian friend. Donati's first season in Paradise has been hit & miss: some of his passing is lovely, some has been woeful; he drifts in and out of games in a way we simply cannot afford from a central midfielder; he has sometimes seemed taken aback by the ferocity of the spl, and the shocking conditions he's expected to play in. It may all come good for him yet in season 2, and I would hope we retain him.

    But. Next up is Fir Park, and we know what that means. It's a tattie field, it's hostile, they'll be in our faces. We desperately need to impose ourselves from the kick-off, and win. We need to win in such a manner that we're not searching for a late goal, or clinging on in the face of a late onslaught.

    I'd go with the midfield suggested by Michael Collins @ 21:08...

    Robson, Hartley, Brown, McGeady.

    The importance of this game can't be overstated. And now that we've stumbled, and shown weakness, what's the betting the game goes ahead - regardless of the weather & pitch conditions?

     
  • At 13/03/08 22:13, Blogger yoshimisgreenandwhiterobot said…

    How about going 3-5-2

    Lambert Lennon and Petrov in the mid, and maybe Larson and Sutton up front?

    Then we might have a chance.

    Yoshimisgreenandwhite, living in 2003

     
  • At 13/03/08 22:14, Blogger fan-a-tic said…

    Would make no difference what central mid pairings.Our tactics and shape are fundamentally flawed.There is to great a burden on the centre mids and comes as no surprise that under GS no central midfielder has played to his potential.
    Until our coach learns that the whole team has to be a cohesive fluid unit we will always struggle.To frustrate us you only have to doubleteam our wide players.The centre mids have to big an area to cover to support forwards properly and even then they are reluctant to go full tilt knowing if they lose possession there is acres of space behind them for opponents to exploit.As soon as posssession is surrendered GC and AMcM retreat deep into our half and give our opponents half the field to exploit.
    We are not a team but a talented fragmented bunch of individuals.
    Our coach needs to learn that positive possession is what matters,20 nice passes in your own half will not worry opposition as it just allows them to set defensively.To force opponents to play you need to attack from all areas not just in the wide areas.

     
  • At 13/03/08 22:14, Blogger fan-a-tic said…

    This post has been removed by the author.

     
  • At 13/03/08 22:15, Blogger pfayr said…

    RADICAL THINKER

    At Love St we had true ,die for the jersey ,celtic players

    in our squad one of the few is hartley and he never gets played

    BTW Lenny is as old as me , playing in the English 4th Div( cannae go this new brand name guff) but wouls waltz it the malaise that is our midfield

     
  • At 13/03/08 22:17, Blogger bournesouprecipe said…

    pfayr

    agreed, i was being reserved

    strangely skippy has lost his confidence and your dead right he would have shot at pittodrie.

    conversely voh will never be a good sub because he takes to long to get his big stiff self to get going, two sitters last night, as a sub.

    to me, he is a law of averages striker i.e. he'll score eventually.

    but then again you and i want balde but we ain't
    gonna get him.

     
  • At 13/03/08 22:22, Blogger Ulster-Celt said…

    :(

    craigbeattieforrightbackcsc

     
  • At 13/03/08 22:24, Blogger bournesouprecipe said…

    Ulster-Celt

    he's injured

     
  • At 13/03/08 22:27, Blogger Paul67 said…

    Fabrizio, net of vat the result will be worth £1m + TV money. If they get Bayern, that will be another £1m, less if it is a lesser team.

    Viewfrom, celticlover, (everyone else on the blog, it seems) I have been critical of Massimo, more so than most on here, but I think he has turned a corner.

    Jimtim, I am not your god. :-) just another guy desperately seeking a central midfield combination that will work.

     
  • At 13/03/08 22:29, Blogger x said…

    Paul
    Hopefully that corner leads directly to the departures lounge at Glasgow Airport.

    Frank

     
  • At 13/03/08 22:31, Blogger pfayr said…

    paul67

    Donati has turned that many corners he`s on a roundabout

    i don`t usualy disagree with you about team selection other than our BB

    but the remainder of the season is about passion and heart niether of which Donati posesses

     
  • At 13/03/08 22:31, Blogger pfayr said…

    This post has been removed by the author.

     
  • At 13/03/08 22:32, Blogger VertWolf said…

    Good result for Celtic tonight - at least two more games to add to our city rival's tally - I make that 6 more then Celtic they will have played going into the split - the extra 12% or so played should take it's toll in the last 5 games

    VertWolf

     
  • At 13/03/08 22:34, Blogger The Original Danny said…

    no no no Paul.

    If you go with that central midfield pairing, i assume you are dropping either Naka??

    Because by playing Naka we need a central midfielder who can hold back and cover the right side of central midfield to cover for what Naka doesnt do, retrieve the ball.

    A midfield of Robson and Donati would leave us hopelessly exposed on either flank, and with our shocking marking at cross balls in the centre of our defence we could be crucified (see Dundee Utd's only cross ball in the 1st half)

    Cant got along with that.

    Anyway, we seen how we can batter a very poor, but extremely well organised and disiplined (positionally and tactically!) Rangers team....

    play at a fast tempo...
    (only thing is, the last time we did that was under a different manager!)

     
  • At 13/03/08 22:34, Blogger vintim said…

    Paul67,

    You havin a laugh? Robson and Jerome would be a better central midfield pairing than Robson and Donati.

    If that's our best combination to take on der hun then we may as well join Kojo in raising the white flag.

    Donati is spineless and not up for the battle. Give the jersey to someone who is. Robson is much more effective played wide and IMO should be played in place of Naka at Ipox.

    Bobo in and Caldwell out.

     
  • At 13/03/08 22:35, Blogger Ulster-Celt said…

    donati has been subbed 13 times from a starting position

    we need a five in there

    taxifor........csc

     
  • At 13/03/08 22:38, Blogger bri said…

    Let's not kid ourselves our city rivals could be eyeing up Manchester if this draw is kind to them on Friday. Hope its B Munich.

     
  • At 13/03/08 22:42, Blogger ElDiegoBhoy said…

    disarray.

    Not sure about the spelling.


    Nobody on here agrees on what our select eleven should be.

    Why is that?

    I almost said that this is the poorest managerial team I've witnessed in recent years.

    Darn, I just said it.

     
  • At 13/03/08 22:46, Blogger pfayr said…

    EDB

    Well i`ve seen it all

    we must be in trouble

    the most indefatigable of Celtic fans

    hells teeth


    who`s next WG

    he`ll be having a go at St Jude right now

     
  • At 13/03/08 22:47, Blogger whitedoghunch said…

    EDB

    disarray - Donati.

     
  • At 13/03/08 22:47, Blogger Declan1 said…

    we possibly do need a 5 in there ...we certainly don't need Robson and Donati as our main 2 midfielders - we'll get roasted. How do you qualify such a statement? Let me answer that! You can't!
    Certainly need Brown, certainly need Hartley, certainly need Aiden, possibly need BRobson, maybe need Naka.
    Play the off-colour McDonald up front!

     
  • At 13/03/08 22:48, Blogger Ulster-Celt said…

    edb

    the nemesis of the mineshafter?

    rankers to win by 13 points indeed

     
  • At 13/03/08 22:51, Blogger whitedoghunch said…

    I'm St Jude and so's my wife.

     
  • At 13/03/08 22:52, Blogger pfayr said…

    WDH

    donuti

     
  • At 13/03/08 22:52, Blogger Declan1 said…

    the head honcho in the razor-blade brigade? Ulster Celt!

    Positive thinking necessary.

     
  • At 13/03/08 22:53, Blogger ElDiegoBhoy said…

    WDH

    Trust you!

    How was your trip?

     
  • At 13/03/08 22:53, Blogger setting free the bears said…

    Guys,

    I agree with EDB.

    This is the worst managerial team in recent times.


    I mean the "CQN selectorial/ Champ Managing/ I could have got us the first 2 titles Strachan got us" managerial team.

    Thank god, WGS is in charge instead of us.

     
  • At