Kilmarnock 1-0 Celtic, SPL, 2 February 2010

So depressed after thye high of last night.

home alone

bad night

Really, really, really torn tonight.

I have read with incredulity over the last few weeks as person after person has said Mowbray should be sacked. I have resisted all those calls and insisted he is the man. Faith is wearing thin. I am not going to join the chorus demanding his head, because I still think he has the right idea ......

..... but if I woke up tomorrow morning and heard he'd be fired I would, with great regret and with enormous sadness, accept it and get on with supporting the team.

I am scunnered. Some of those decisions tonight cannot be justified at all, not by anyone who knows even the smallest thing about football. I have no idea - none - what the strategy was tonight by putting Brown at left back when his presence would have added the required drive to the middle of the park.

Tonight, I just cannot reconcile how I feel. Part of me thinks we should see this through, but I really am concerned at where we might be headed if we do. I personally do not think we possess anyone in the boardroom with the will to do the dirty deed .... if we did, I really do think our Tony Mowbray would be in a world of trouble, and in my heart of hearts I couldn't argue .....

Beyond sick.

Oh Dear! :-(

tbh i have nothing left to say....

Oh dear oh dear oh dear, better re shuffle the jigsaw puzzle again.

leadership

Well it took Mr Demotivator all of 90mins to completly undo all of the good work done yesterday.

It looked like he named the starting 11 and then told them to just go out and play. The team was shapeless and as a result the passing was poor and there was too much space in midfield for Killie to pick up the loose balls.

You cannot play with 3 mobile strikers and 1 winger and expect to score anything. No focal point when we have a Danish focal point sitting on the bench. Ridiculous line up. Appaling tactics.

The Scott Brown substitution was inexplicable.

The board backed him. Nobody can now say that was not his team tonight and on the crest of the wave we have been on he has masterminded the worst result of the season.

There is no way back for him. Go now Tony. You are finished.

Sunday could be BTM's ICT moment........

shocker

stunned. totally stunned.

Outfought tonight, Paul. Not enough in midfield, and missing chances yet again.

The injuries didn't help, but that's no excuse.

The manager's biggest thoughts tonight should be if he still has a future as Celtic's manager.

A right scunnered Martin42

Paul67

I like TM,nice big guy,but he is not for Celtic.
Someone has to end this.
Bob.

Mowbray curt a forlorn figure in that interview, he looks scared of the job.

It's not the end of the world, lets keep this in perspective..

However, we are quite rightly being laughed at.

Our present manager is a lovely, honest and honourable man. He is also clearly out of his depth. He has, at no point, shown anything that would suggest he can manager our club.

I am concerned about saturday, we will be third in the league soon, how long we are third depends on how long Big Tony remains as manager.

Sad but true.

This is a low. The 90s many of us talk about were bad but somehow manageable because we were so ineptly run, we were still respected as an ailing giant, thus just feels like humiliation. Nobodys died and it's just a game but this club of ours dint half put you through it.

Tony.......nice guys finish last.......shocking change near the end when required.....thanks but goodbye!!!

I said last night that after hearing Lawwell's comments it was clear that Keane was a Lawwell, not a Mowbray signing. The Kamara and Rasmussen deals lend weight to that theory.

It wouldn't surprise me if Tony walked.

Keane early on did look class but faded and looked the most likely to be removed for Rasmussen. Can we sub him?

Ki won't tackle and N'Guemo obviously back to thinking he's too good for the SPL.

Aiden? Anyone still want to make a case for him? Bring back Maloney asap.

Too angry \ gutted \ drained to have a rant.

Tony could probably manage us for 2 seasons and we'd end up fighting for a top 4 spot.

After the euphoria of yesterday HIS side has handed the huns the title wrapped in a bow.

Can't see Tony being sacked but I have zero faith in his managerial ability. I'd rather he left now prior to the inevitable unsavoury chants that will probably be voiced as the results get poorer and poorer.

the huns must think Mowbray is a gift that just keeps on giving.

just feel let down and EMBARRASSED

Fight for every point and we can still do this.

I think that is the closest we'll get from Paul to 'sack Mowbray'

I'm afraid he looks lost.

It might be the kindest in the long run to end his misery.

I've tried really hard to feel comfortable with Mowbray but I always keep coming back to my original feelings on his appointment; why have we signed someone who came last?

2 million bucks for the three stooges.

Time for the grim reaper to make a visit to these clowns.

The Keane Jinx continues

No tacklers, no aggression in midfield and no one to come in that might help in that department.

No scorers in midfield.

Aiden - I could not even begin to tell you what I think. It's unrepeatable. A law unto himself. Should have been sorted out ages ago. Continues to make bad decisions and never learns.

Tonight is as low as last nights was high.

Absolutely sick. We couldn't even get the score right at the top of this page.

caldwell up to his old tricks

OG against Notts County

A victory tonight would not have won us the league, likewise a defeat, no matter how hard it is to take, should not see the manager lose his job.
Those who want the manager sacked should take a reality check. After making so many changes to the squad in January I'd suggest there is little or no chance of the manager being sacked. In the unlikely event he was to be sacked who would you replace him with?
Rather than questioning the manager people might be better questioning the attitude (and adulation) of certain players starting with the much lauded Aidean McGeady, who once again tonight was the equivalent of a man short. Rarely, if ever, in over 40 years suporting Celtic have I seen a Celtic player so hyped by so many yet consistently deliver so little.
Win every game between now and the end of the season and I think we will win the league.
Has one defeat really crushed all the optimism of the last 24 hours.
KTF - Alba Bhoy

We do not dominate teams - thats because we play with a midfield of 2.

McGeady has to be told he doesnt have to worry about playing the way he did under strachan - whoever is on the opposite wing the same.

We have powderpuff central midfielders, who might be able to pass, but can not retrieve a pass, and if closed down and still in possession - will be pushed off the ball.

I repeat this, because Hibs was quite a shocker too, for a passing team, an attacking team - we do not dominate games, territorial or otherwise.

I know he started telling the central mids to sit when we had the shocking partnerships which 2 of the 3 have been sold on - but why now?

You can not have all creativity coming from the 2 wings - its too easy to play against. Teams pack the central midfield positions and have as much of a go at dominating as we do.

Paul67..."The manager has lots to think about tonight, not least of all whether he has any more tools in his locker to arrest the rapid decline in Celtic's fortunes."

Should that decision really be his and his alone? The board have a big decision to make.....and soon.

We need more fight in midfield. Brown should give us that.

its got to be over
too many want him out
mowbrays time is now up
you always know when something
isnt working and its not goin
to change. tonight was it.

2 midfielders against five.
a striker out wide
brown at left back

nah...call it.
and get lambert in now

Paul67

do you think discussions about Tony's future may held as a result of our stuttering form and generally woeful performances.

It's like watching a car crash in slow motion and I'm numb seeing my team being mauled by Falkirk, Killie and basically most teams we play against.

I'm a football coach at school level...not because I'm devoted to youth dvelopment but because that's my level...really you only have to have a son at the right age and do a few SFA courses. I sometimes help out a boy's club level...

My approach when we are getting beat is to get all my forwards on and tell them to shoot...sometimes it works..sometimes it doesn't.

I think Mowbury should give school football a go - he's got very similar tactics and at the end of the day - results don't really matter at that level.

A very thin silver lining...most of the new guys are loan signings..credit to Peter Lawwell...If BTM gets the boot..the new manager isn't landed with expensive players of his predecessor's choosing.

I can cancel my order for humble pie.

Scunnered!

even if we'd have won tonight - the league was still gonna be tough. I've given Mowbry every chance to be a success but tonight was his chance to show leadership and he doesn't have it.

Keano must have been exhausted by all the euphoria - did he have the mental energy to start the game tonight? TM shoul have had him on the bench.

Rasmuss should have been given a vote of confidence - what must he be thinking?

Kamara decision was outrageous - no continuity , no clue.

Tony , now you are not the only one not enjoying the job - we are not enjoying this either.

Time for a change NOW!! let the new manager see the team and plan for summer additions - who's the money on?

hail hail

By timjim on February 2, 2010 10:05 PM
This will be my last post for a while and to honest Iam sick and bewildered.I was willing to give TM the benefit of the doubt but watching that tonight with the quality of players he had at his disposal has convinced me he has not got it.We did not look like a team.We really had to win tonight and we failed.I however will not chuck in the towel just yet but I fell the board must be bold again and get rid of Mowbray or all is really lost.

Alba Bhoy...

I'd take Mark Hughes or to a lesser extent Paul Lambert in a flash....

Unfortunately a Celtic player, who should be a legend is now being described as 'McGreedy'.

He is just one example of a complete lack of coaching, man management or authority.

But to be honest we could go through the whole new and old squad and talk about how players have not improved under Tony.

I really feel for BTM. A lovely guy who has suffered tragedy in his short life.

I hate the vindictive way the Scottish media deal with him

But, for the first time this season, big man, I think its time to go

I repeat, Sunday could be ICT all over again

Thanks Tony, you tried, but its not good enough

Well that was short and sweet, JB fits less into 24 hours than a BTM led CFC.

What next?
Point out what was staring me in the face at 6.55 tonight.
Wrong team, wrong tactics, wrong attitude?

Asset Management -- BTM, I salute you.
Team selection / tactics -- Need to get real.

Missing a bruiser in the MF, BR was more than that but he always gave the impression that the opposition were one tackle away from a fore arm smash.

At times that attitude meant that "That tackle" never came.
We are not going to get any protection from the MIB consequently so having the potential for some on field "vigilante'ism" should always be on the agenda.

BTM -- You got it wrong tonight, please learn.

Why change the back 4?
Why denude the MF away from home.
ZZ struggled at times on Saturday but he offered direct support in the MF.
Tonight LNG and Ki couldn't cope with numbers they were up against.

No more 4-2-4.
No more AMcG "Headless Chicken / Wee boy in a man's world" performances.
I take it MGP didn't fancy a shot at the SPL?
How we would have benefitted tonight if he had.

Why SB with 15 minutes to go?

Why, oh why, oh why?

Tonight summed up our season in a nutshell.

I am/was firmly in the " give BTM TIme " camp, but with each performance like tonight it becomes harder and harder to defend him.

I fear the worse.

Gutted.

After this hope for the best selection Mowbray better do some serious thinking about his formation and tactics, if he's capable that is?? personally I now doubt it very much he's worse than John Barnes.

Euphoria gone inside 24 hours of the great unveiling, and the introduction of Kamara and Keane changed nothing when chasing the round ball about Ayrshire, against a team of plodders
fully charged up, and primed how to nobble the now easy beats under Mowbray

At the sixteenth attempt another record falls under Tony Mowbray whose team do not know how to defend and never will know how to defend, regardless of who he signs. Kilmarnock won the midfield from there it was easy, get a chance and take it.

Ngemo and Ki lost the midfield hands down and were out numbered by mere runners, a coach
would have changed it at halftime Mowbray didn't, Kamara was nothing more than Nial McGinn,
just a much bigger salary.

No change since July, nothing to see just different players, Tony Mowbray's very own players, playing the wrong game.

Hail Hail

Life is a rollercoaster . . . and I've just vomitted after a double loop the loop.

Crosas must play

Was he injured? Dropped?

When he plays we play.

CrosasmustplayCSC

I'm telling you guys, the board will NOT make this decision for him. There is no-one on the board who wants responsibility for doing this. Peter Lawwell has never HAD to sack a manager at this football club; there is NO WAY he sacks Tony Mowbray.

John Reid .... it's not in his makeup to make the kill either.

Dermott Desmond, I believe, is ruthless enough. But would he interfere to that degree? It's Reid and Lawwell who are involved in the day to day running of this thing.

The league race LOOKS done. I say looks. That's not the same as conceding it. There's a lot of ground to make up, but I saw things tonight which worry me greatly. Tony Mowbray and Mark Venus standing on the touchline looking like men way, way, way over their heads was only the least of them.

But stop looking for Tony Mowbray to be sacked. Until this season is over, it ain't going to happen. If we end up in a neck-and-neck, to the wire, dogfight for second spot, it MUST happen .... even a Tony Mowbray supporter like me knows that, but I just don't think there's anyone upstairs who'll do it.

Clear to see that we were too short in midfield. Often Ki and Nguemo having to cover huge amounts of ground. This was our problem.

They were pulled so far apart that they couldn't close down effectively and were slow to the second ball because of it. Ultimately we were losing control of the game.

Four or five CQNers mentioned it very early on. It was very obvious. It was very obvious. It was very obvious.

Nothing was done to change it throughout the entire 90 minutes.

I'm so deflated. I feel like a mug.

I now have no desire to go at the weekend. The feelgood idea re Keane to sell tickets has been lost. We are lost.

RB - Caddis
LB - Brown
CB - Thompson
CB - Loovens

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?

Football is all about balance
You cannot have 4 defenders and 6 attackers - especially in SPHell where refs allow assault to go unpunished
TM needs to learn that skill is not enough on it's own unless it is backed by heart and commitment

When MON lost 5-1 at Ibrox - he went out and brought in Vega and Lenny - we were never turned over aggain
WGS after Artmedia and M'well constructed a side that was certainly not pretty but was functional
As you say Paul - currently we are a joke
How many times do we have to lose out to teams struggling in even our poor league before his superiors call him in and ask serious questions

For all the really good signings we made in January - there was one big glaring ommission and that was a killer in the middle of the park
Games are won and lost in the middle - tonight we were just overrun
N'Guemo being asked to do far far too much
Ki - like Crosas is a lovely player but too often rendered irrelevant in the hurly burley of Scottish football
Since we signed 8 players and none of them was a midfield enforcer I can only assume that TM does not want such a player at the club
If true he will win nothing and we are in for a long year until the board eventually decide to bin him
When that happens a more pragmatic manager wil be able to glavanise our squad by the addition of one or two less flamboyant but more physical "Dogs of war" - unless of course our morale is totally wiped out by TM's addiction to style over substance

It does not help that you bring in 2 players and the first time they get to say hello to their team mates is as they get on the team bus. These guys should have been given a little time to get to know the their team mates before being on the field. Sunday is when they should have started.

That being said, and even with all the euphoria around them being signed, neither of them should have started the game. We should have started with Fortune and Rassmusen (or even Sammy) up front. These two should have been there to come on as subs.

Nothing could have been done about the injuries, these things happen and so we were left with one available sub. Tony, like he had done in Moscow, went with throwing on Brown. It worked that day, but not this day and was more questionable when we had a out and out striker sitting on his rear end.

I like BTM, but I especially like some of his signings...but the guy is struggling to make sensible team choices.

I was told by a hibs fan, at the start of the season, that BTM would bring in good players...but would never make a good team out of them....sad to say, he is being proven right.

We started in a 4-4-2 but that changed when we were chasing the game. Caddis moved to a midfield position with Aiden in front of him. Brown came on to give energy on the left playing behind Kamara. We were effectively playing two at the back at that point. It may not have been the final substitution I would have made but I do understand it.

Thought Fortun'e had a very good second half, holding the ball up and turning defenders. If only we could get someone to read what he does.

Keane and Kamara showed some good touches, but understandably ran out of steam a bit. I would imagine that the plan was for one or both to come off eventually but injuries took hat option away from them manager.

McGeady was poor again tonight and needs a rest.

Changes for Sunday I'm sure. Tony Mowbray needs to work out how to turn a bunch of decent individuals into a team - and very quickly.

LE GRANDE MISTAKE

Biggest mistake of transfer window - NOT selling McGeady.

Gave the wee man the benefit but tonight showed him up to be nothing more than a championship-level sand-dancer.

Unable to release a killer ball if his life depended on it, and tonight ours did.

No Ra-Ra when we needed him and too much shuffling around to accomodate Keane, who held the fate of the match in his feet and didn't deliver on the 65K when we needed. Two great chances, two saves.

But remember - that was Killie we played. Ayrshire Killie. Lumpen, leaden, SECOND-BOTTON Killie.

Something amis in paradise. That team we sent out should have ran over then, full stop.

Now the Hibees are close rto the Huns if they win their game in hand. On tonight's evidence they'll be hoping it's against us.

No excuses. P*iss poor effort. We ain't got time to muck about Celtic. So get yer highlypaid arses in gear, pronto.

TONY MOWBRAY

I was thinking, back then, in the midst of the misery with 25 min to go and 2 subs used up due to injury, what's the next move.

I shot left to change it. Ra-Ra, Broon, Sami?

You're losing in a must-win game.

Surely the in-form striker? No-brainer.

Nope. Midfield barnstormer.

Okay, let him chrge through the middle and put their central defence under enormous physical and psychological presure for the last 20 minutes, go 3 at the back cos we'v enotihng to lose and everythign to gain.

Left back?

I've always gone 50-50 on TM, giving him til the season's end to prov ehe knows what he's up to.

BUT, that CRUCIAL decision...

Hmm, maybe he's just jumped the shark tonight.

Can we still win it? Course we can. As long as Hibs blow up we'll pip them for it...

Martin42

Well said. I watch Celtic with no that extra emotions and said the same after the game against Hibs. I repeated it last Friday.
Stand Up For Celtic (sory for stealing it). Get new man for this job now.
I heard from my fried Avram Grant will be free. Get him untill the end of this season.

PjDali, I don’t know what to do or write about this tomorrow. I agree with your perceptive assessment, we are watching a car crash in slow motion.

Tonight team selection was strange, nguemo I thought did ok in the first half but ki seems not to know where he is meant to play, the manger will IMO get to the end of the season and rightly so but the repeated failings to turn possession into any sort of sustained pressure will spell his end as will having one rule fir some and another for Aiden. He's out of form so is sammi why is he not subject to the same rules. Glen loovens is possibly the worst ch we gave had in many's a year. Players need to stand up or this could become a feeding frenzy.

Paul, can he survive?

Theoretically we could still win it, the huns will drop points and they are so average that a decent celtic team could beat them home and away. unfortunately i cant see this team doing it, on paper it looks great but as someone has already said some of the selections are incredible.
Kamara and keane should have been impact players tonight, starting places should have gone to Ra Ra and josh, how can we possibly negotiate a tricky away fixture with two guys who met their team mates this morning.
It just smacks of desperation and some woeful tactics, we could see they were up for it and ki should have been scarificed early in the second half for brown. The glaring gap between our sitting midfield and attack was terrible, at one point Keane was dropping back as far as the centre circle to get things going.
Well pissed off and having major difficulty supporting mowbray.

Is this the most tragic event anywhere in the world,... EVER ?
Looks that way.
Of course I know about Haiti,.......& Afghanistan...& Iraq.
I know about war & tsunami & earthquake.
But they happen to other people.
Listen to me, would you ?
Celtic lost a football game tonight. Even worse, they might not be champions of SCOTLAND this year.
That is a lot of tragedy for one human being to endure.
I only hope we can keep going.
Somehow I know we will.

A wise man called Paul ( Naw, no' Paul 67 ) once told people he cared about...
'When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man I put away my childish things.' [I Corinthians]
They couldnae hear him.
Seems neither can we.

Getagrip CSC.

not looked forward to a game as much as this in a long time , but should have forseen the kick in the guts that was to come.
totally inept , spineless performance from a shower of individuals.
we have to get back to basics , play 4 midfielders in the midfield , if one of the strikers isn't good enough to play up front then dont make room for him in midfield and never play your attacking midfielder at left back under any circumstances.
think it was a case of too much too soon tonight with some serious questions to be asked.
1. why was josh dropped.
2. where was crosas (first name on teamsheet)
3. when will mcgreedy learn that its not all about him.
4. naylor ,why
5. loovens captain , then not captain ,why
6. no rasmussen ,why

all in all a very strange , disapointing night which should leave the manager with some serious sole searching to do.

the moral is if it dosn't fit dont use it.

hmmm...we could offer mark hughes a six month sabaticle to see if he can win us the league...

Hi Fellow Celtic Fans!

Lets hope that our new arrivals will start to show real character, a tremendous work ethic, and a BELIEF in themselves. Last night I BELIEVED that we could and would still win this league, but I didn't believe that we wouldn't drop any more points before the end of the season... Nothing has changed in that respect, though we are fast running out of chances... (Reminds me of the saying that 'Life is like a Toilet Roll; the nearer you get to the end the quicker it runs out...)

One sobering thought I did have today was that if I was a Rangers Fan or player (shudder), I would be doing EVERYTHING possible to stop my team from going the way of Third Lanark. To win the League this year, our BELIEF and DESIRE has got to be STRONGER THAN THEIRS! Tonights loss may be a small blessing and wake-up call for the new Bhoys as they will now have no illusions about exactly what they are up against. Are you up for the Fight Celtic?

Yours in Celtic,

TB&F.

KeepTheFaithStillBELIEVINGCSC

Paul67

Ur last line just sums it up!

Tomorrow we will go into work and hold our heads up high and take it on the chin!

TAR(from last blog)-take a look in the mirror mate!

SSM-time for tough decisions!

CRC

That was always on the cards tonight. we took our eye off the ball, and we've become very easy to play against.
i get the feeling that it wouldn't take much to turn this round, but it's probably too late for this season ( and it's only the 2nd of February ).
we now need to win every game, and hope that the huns lose 4 - they've only lost one league game all season - can anyone honestly see that happening ?

we can only take some many "on the chin" Mr Mowbray, before the referee will stop the fight.

The biggest disappointment for me tonight was the performance, not the result - I always had a feeling that, after yesterday, fate would bite us on the backside. Unfortunately, it wasn't one of those fluke defeats with the ball rattling-off the bar and post all the time. It was just the usual turgid performance and failure to put a lesser team to the sword.

Before yesterday, I thought this season was heading towards utter disaster (based on the lack of any sustained improvement under the manager). Now, despite the result tonight, I still see a great chance of us taking the double BUT its now likely that every game is a cup final and Mowbray must make sure that he and the players perform accordingly.

Just an opinion, but maybe its time to go 4-3-3, drop McGeady, and play Keane and either Kamara or Fortune supporting Rasmussen who surely should be the spearhead if he's the only out-and-out penalty-box player.

Criminal, absolutely criminal!

Mowbray made a HUGE error not starting with Rasmussen!

What was he thinking going with two players who had never played together and who both play their football outside the box? This was always going to be a scruffy game - what type of a manager expects his team to go out and click instantly and play free-flowing football, at Kilmarnock no less - and it needed a scruffy striker.

Stupidity.

Clueless
Leaderless
Seemingly unconcerned with defeat
Easily shoved aside, brushed off the ball
Totally lacking direction

We all called for the Board & DD to spend. They did-perhaps too late judging by the points lost since Christmas- but the did spend.
We wanted rid of the deadwood who bottled it last year- BTM has, largely, done so(Loovens & Naylor apart).

Unfortunately,
he seems to lack the required tactical and motivational know how required to use the talent we have effectively.

We all know that Rome wasn't built in a day but today was a must win game. They all were/are for us and he can't deliver a team with any direction or purpose. And it's still one with a leaky defence so we lose or draw game we should win easily against relegation candidates.

I'm afraid BTM hasn't got it. We have a squad of players that should skoosh that league and look at us!

Bloody hellish. It's worse than embarrassing.

Ghod help us.

Good post Alba Bhoy

I liked Fortune and Kamara tonight, and Ki is a player. This game is not going to break us or lose the league. It would be a delight to win it now with all the glee heading our way from the dark side regarding our current league position.

Kilmarnock played well, and the other teams in the SPL do not get the credit they are due from alot of Celtic fans.

I rate every side we play against. They are professional football players after all. If any positive can be taken from tonight then it is the Rangers will struggle as much as we have done against the so called lesser lights. I have not forgotten their early 0-0 run of form.

Their point difference is also misleading. The referees have been bad this year, a blind man could see it. Celtic players were pushed off the ball tonight with impunity. The last game which we won thanks to Rasmussen, who I feel will go on to make his name at Celtic park, from the off the referee clearly indicated to our team the way the play was going to be run.

We are down but not out.

Paul, aren't you being a little hopeful with the heading? we wish 0-1

After all the highs of yesterday what a let down tonight is.
I have said before Tony Mowbray can spot good players but he cannot
mould them into a team his decisions are baffling, Brown at left back?!!
We played as individuals again, McGeady is the case in point, dreadful passing and decision making.
Tony will be lucky to see the season out,he looks lost, just like the team.

Paul67-take a look at the score u published as a strapline!

"Kilmarnock 0-1 Celtic, SPL, 2 February 2010"

Wishful thinking!!

CRC

The last thing we need is to start looking for a new manager.

Give Mowbray the season to rebuild. We all know he has brought in some good players so give him a chance to get them to gel.

If we win next week and the hun lose we're back where we should've been tonight.

JF

you stated on the previous thread that you thought that TM had the right idea

i`m not having a go , but what positives do you see ...i see none whatsoever ...this team have garnered 11 points out of 24

we have scored 1 goal or less in 6 of our last 8 games and won only 3 games from 8 ..btw the majority of these games were against teams from the bottom 6

The score at the top of the page says we won 1-0. Did TM post the story?

LuxCelt on February 2, 2010 9:43 PM

Good coaches can 'coach' results in big games either through tactics, motivation, game-plan, system, or a combination of all. Mowbray clearly can't - certainly not i the SPL anyway, and that is where we live. Even if we somehow fluke the title, he must still go. He isn't up to it. Sorry.

I agree posting same as you for months

No defensive planning whatsoever, no matter the standard of opposition they are guaranteed chances against Celtic, Mcguire tonight, the time and space given to him is unacceptable.

Tonight was all about fighting for a win, a scrappy battling win! a clever coach would not have launched Keane and Kamara in tonight, thereby knocking Calderwoods pre match talk meaningless.

Lee naylor at left back? then he is subbed for Scott Brown? who despite months out goes and takes the arm band of Loovens?????????? what kind of manager sanctions that kind of ego massaging? a player whose has been out for months and has not turned in a performance this season.

opposition are playing 5 men midfield's against us, tonight he plays new central partnership with new forward players was it a 4-4-2 or 4-2-4 tonight? who knows, Ki and N'Guemo with to many opposition players against them with no defensive assistance from Kamara and McGeady, a baffling team set up, baffling team selection, spine of the team weak, throwing flair players at an away match in January in the SPL is just naive idealistic nonsense! Mowbray is not the answer, far to many questions about Mowbray like:

leadership
winner
motivator
tactician
personality

He has none of these qualities.

Sorry but I actually thought we were on the right track in the last couple of games, and then big TM throws in Kamara and Keane and leaves out Sammy and Ra Ra to the utter detriment of the team, no wonder Aiden looks bewildered. Its wrong to criticse Ki as he is undoubtedly class butunfortunately or Manager does not have a Clueabout building rapport ............ why oh why were Keane and Kamara playing tonight.

God knows where this leaves us - all we had to do was win tonight and get the caravan rolling but it's just not destined to happen.

Somehow I don't think we'll see those half-season tickets being snapped up will we? So DD's calculated gamble falls on it's face at the first hurdle.

Could we really go from blue chip euphoria to sacked manager in 24 hours?
Somehow I don't think so - but I wish this bloody season would end.

P.S.
I actually dread Celtic playing any game these days - is it only me that feels like this?

"We are being laughed at"

Thats a polite way of saying it.

We have some really , really tough decisions ahead of us.

We let Tony Mowbray lead us into battle in The Champions League - he lost and failed to meet our aspirations

We let Tony Mowbray lead us into battle in The UEFA Cup - he lost and failed to meet our aspirations

We let Tony Mowbray lead us into battle in The League Cup League - he lost and failed to meet our aspirations

We let Tony Mowbray lead us into battle in The SPL - we shouldn't concede, but realistically its a long haul to the shore and he is failing to meet our aspirations .

We now have cup game on Sunday and we have to ask, is TM the right man to lead us ?

We have 3 failed campaigns , another looks bad. Why should he get a 5th ?

Personally , I saw his post match interview and he had the look of someone who was considering his options.

My big concern is our finances - Paul 67 perhaps you can enlighten us , but my gut instinct was that we signed Keane on the basis of more bums on seats. This isn't going to happen.

I am really concerned that we have gone into debt to sign Keane and the harsh reality is we are fighting for 2nd place.

Would I give Mowbray more time - YES ...the 45 mins it takes to drive from Kilmarnock to Celtic Park

I thought we would have line up 4 3 3.Bench McGeady reinstate Crosas with N'Guemo and Brown in the centre.

Play Rasmussen up top with Kamara and Keane playing off him either side.

Central midfield was non existent. Ki and N'Guemo looked lost and over run. Nobody was sitting protecting the back 4??????

League has gone for me. Falkirk, Hibs and now this has killed it for me. Too much tinkering. How the feck Loovens got re instated is beyond me.

We suspended reality last night. Most of us were taken in (I know I was).

Most of us now know what needs to happen.

In some ways we deserve this. The club have taken our eye off the objective - winning matches.

We as a support have sunk gleefully, and in many cases without resistence, into a mud bath of asset management, structural advantage, generations of domination and jam tomorrow.

Time to make the big call Peter.

Good managers take control of everything - players, fans, directors, the media, refs, timekeepers - everything

Bad managers praise refs who chalk off goals for no reason & let hun leg breakers off lightly

Good managers take tape recorders into press conferences to let the gathered scum know who is on top of everything being said

Bad managers say things like "I'm glad you enjoyed the game Chick"

Good managers build teams who are greater than the sum of their parts

Bad managers dream of nothing except bringing in better players

Good managers make poor players ordinary, ordinary players good, good players great and great players into Gods

Bad managers make everyone in the team look lost

Good managers foster team spirit and jump into the trenches with their players

Bad managers wince & turn away when one of theirs is clattered

Good managers emphasise that playing for Celtic is an honour to be treasured and respected

Bad managers pass the captain's armband around like a cheap toy from a happy meal

Good managers inspire with every word that comes from their mouthes

Bad managers lower their heads and mumble cliches

Tony Mowbray is a nice man but a troubled one. His pain and ours needs to be ended now.

Hail Hail

Hope we kept the receipts.

Lose the cup game and the manager is gone.

Hooiveld now fecked as well.

It is times like these, when I am glad to be living in the US and not going in to work tomorrow with a bunch of Huns going to give me an earful.

I feel for you guys.

Paul67

Nice bit of spin on the score but I don't think you'll get away with it as I THINK too many posters watched the game. :-D

MOWBURY IS AN EMBARRASMENT TO CELTIC AND THE FANS. HE HAS ABOUT 5 CENTRE HALVES AND NO MIDFIELD. N'GUEMO RUNS ABOUT LIKE A HEADLESS CHICKEN LOSSES THE BALL IN VITAL AREAS CANT TACKLE AND CONTRIBUTES NOTHING!! SCOTT BROWN ON AT LEFT BACK WHEN WE NEED A GOAL?? WHAT WAS THAT ALL ABOUT?? HE SHOULD RESIGN OR BE SACKED. GET PAUL LAMBERT UP HERE A S A P!!!

JOHN COATBRIDGE

No-one gets pleasure sacking a manager but it's past the funny stage......this has become a nightmare scenario for the board and in the space of 24 hours the whole mood around parkhead he flipped on it's head.

Danny Gall @ 1013

Beautifully put. Very reluctantly I agree with you.

Tony. Enjoy your life; enjoy your family; you owe us nothing; let Celtic go now and you'll always be welcome here in the future.

Hail! Hail!

Guys BTM just does not get the fact that at places like Rugby Park you have to win the battle first and then you can play.Tonight was like groundhog day ,almost any year from the 90s.I posted last week that it was feasible that Rangers could do the treble giving them 7 from 9 domestic trophies in 3 years,an absolute disgrace given how poor they are. If this comes to pass heads must roll. THERE ARE NO EXCUSES

it was just a great big mess. that the team with the best players doesnt always win if the tactics are wrong has been proven time and again this season. he has learned nothing about what it takes to be a celtic manager in the spl, his selection and tactics tonight proved that. loads of chances and yet we didnt look like scoring, same old same old.

TM seems like an honourable man and I think he will walk after Sunday.

I REITERATE.....MOWBRAY IS A BUFFOON!!

After 5 mins I felt I'd stepped into a back to the mid 90s time machine.

I can't explain why our game winner on Sat was benched...starting him would have said "I believe in you."

Starting Keane was a poor decision because no matter how bad Keane played it would be impossible for him to be subbed on his Celtic début. And that's how it turned out.

Saying that teams just now seem to be raising their game against us for some reason...throwing bodies in the way, keepers having best games ever...are we just unlucky?

Ive been reasonably sanguine about BTM and prepared to give him time but , for me , a line was crossed tonight.

Not just for BTM but for his whole coaching team on the sidelines.

Its not just the lack of cajoling / butt kicking / animation but tonight convinced me that hes not capable of making critical game changing decisions in the heat of the battle.

Sure we lost two defenders but with 30 minutes to go we didnt need four at the back.

In his interview he said we needed width to stretch the game - fair enough - but SB to left back?

Why not put Mc Geady and Caddis on opposite wings and run Brown thru the middle? Has he forgotten that Brown changed the game away to Moscow in the CL qualifier doing that?

Or put on Rasmussen for Naylor , go three at the back and play Keane just in behind the strikers where he could make runs to the box.Hes a far better player coming on to the ball.

Or - well just about anything else apart from what we did when it clearly wasnt working.

The ability to make effective , important decisions in the middle of a game with a clear head is essential in a successful manager and , whatever his other qualities as a man and a manager, Im afraid thats missing in BTM. And his staff.

I said earlier today , half joking, that all the work in the transfer window might not have been done to win us the league but to secure second place. Thats no joke now.

I'll never throw in the towel until its mathematically impossible to win the league but at this rate if you offered me the uncertainty of carrying on like this against a guaranteed second place I probably wouldnt have to think about it too hard.

THE LONG WAIT

Anyone else had enough? Joke joke joke tb out now we are a laughing stock on way home past hun pubs will be slated sickened

Viewfaethewindae, it’s looking less and less likely.

Celticrollercoaster, too true.

Belfastbhoy0, well spotted.

Truth_Beauty_&_Freedom (TB&F):

Commendable ..... as ever. But you're not picking the team and the tactics at this moment in time, and what we're watching instead is, as the guys have pointed out, a car crash in slow motion. Another analogy for you, to match my "burning house" story of earlier in the day; our manager looks like the proverbial animal caught in the headlights, and these headlights don't belong to an old man on a bike ..... they are the front burners of a Mack semi.

He has cleared out the dressing room. I thought that was a show of force, and maybe it was .... but if I was spinning this for the other side, I might be tempted to say it was panic, it was re-arranging the seating order of the lifeboats on the Titanic.

I am scared for our football club tonight, and I am scared for the man in charge of the playing squad.

At this point, anything could happen here. He could resign. At times this season he's looked on the verge of that. I think it would be the end of his career, for years anyway. But I also think it would do him good, because he looks terribly unhappy.

I am looking for something positive, but I believe in the evidence of my eyes, and on that basis we have big problems, and big decisions to make on and off the field.

PAUL67,TOMORROWS ARTICLE,STICK IT TO THE MASK,WOULD YOU WANT TM REPLACED NOW...?

this is what Celtic have been doing to me all my life - incredible highs followed by inexplicable lows. Tonight was one of those occasions when I start to think we have been cursed.

I thought we should have brought on Rasmussen, withdrawn McGeady and moved fortune out wide. I am no tactical genius as you all know, but what value Brown brought to left back I don't know. I thought he was coming on to play in a five man midfield or in behind the front two. I am baffled.

Where the hell is Crosas BTW? Our best form, since he arrived, has always coincided with his presence in the team.

I concur with James Forrest on this one. I want Mowbray to succeed. I have, after certain performances praised him to the hilt but he is making too many basic errors.

I think he should be given the rest of the season to prove himself but if there are any more defeats like that one tonight then I would have to consider his position. With the squad we have we should be blazing the trail in Scotland.

I don't often blame the manager and Keane, Loovens and Ki all missed great chances which would have won us the game, so I am torn about this but there is no room for sentiment.

Celtic are usually a bright spot in what has been a very troubled existence for me over the last year or two and when we were at least in the race I could always cling to the thought that the next performance might be the turn around, I have plenty of other things to worry about, Celtic's failure at present just puts the tin lid on it.

I am utterly, utterly fed up.

Mowbray is a man of integrity.

N'Guemo is one of our best players.

Scott Brown was not played at left back but brought on to bring some aggression on the left side of the field.

And the use of capitals is entirely unnecessary.

WGS

He should have. He has to for the rest of the season. Complete joke tonight was.

If TM stays Celtic will not finish in the top two.

Love

Jinky....

Why should he get a whole season to rebuild when people like Hughes at Hibs and Smith at Rangers had INSTANT impacts? Even Strachan only took a couple of months to get over the Artmedia debacle and there were signs of progress as we rose to the top of the league.

This is different. We are getting worse. There are no signs of potential or improvement. I'm all for giving managers time if it's clear you can see the direction the side is starting to go in. However, our record this season, considering how bad the league is and how big our financial advantage is is quite frankly disgusting.

Celtic managers in the past have been sacked for less and as Paul67 rightly says - people are laughing at us.

This season is a write-off. If we don't act soon, next season will also be and three-in-a-row for Rangers amounts to around £40m of CL money....almost enough to get them out of trouble and as it's been said, if they can dominate us in times of poverty, what the hell will happen when they do finally get their house in order.

Time is the one commodity you don't get in Glasgow and I'm afraid Tony has had his...

With great disappointment, I say the manager has to be sacked. Tonight.

The results leave no other conclusion.

But, as far as the title is concerned, we keep going.

We never give up. Never. No matter what.

Never has the Billy Boys been sung with such gusto by so few to mock so many. After yesterday's high, to end today with the Celtic goalkeeper in the Kilmarnock penalty box in search of a last second equaliser was the ultimate humiliation. Tony Mowbray may realise quite soon that that the transfer window for managers is always open. But who would take on Celtic?

IRON BALLS MCGINTY

shhhhhh

Does anyone feel like they did after black Sunday!? I think TM has been really unlucky this season particularly in old firm matches. The team has made some marvellous signings BUT did anyone expect them to gel immediately?! Make no mistake this season ain't over yet. Keeping the faith...only just!

We can't sack the man yet. We need to give him the opportunity to turn things around albeit, in the knowledge that the league has gone. He has, without doubt, signed some very good players and certainly miles better than the ones who have left. He must be given time to get them to gel, ideally, the end of the season. However, if he does not show signs of improving the team within the next month or two then maybe time to go then.

For starters, he needs to start making big decisions (as big as the decisions to get rid of some of the guys who let us down so badly last season and the start of this season). Of all the players to take off near the end, Naylor wouldn't have been high on my list. Aiden was woefully poor. Kamara looked unfit. I'd give Kamara the benefit of the doubt, but Aiden must be rested/dropped.

Of all the players to bring on, Scott Brown would have been behind Rasmussen and Sammy. Even if there were logic behind bring Scott on ahead of the other two, why the hell was he played at left-back?????????

Dreadful performance on the pitch (although defence did reasonably well). Equally poor off the pitch: BTM/Pointer/Venus need to have a serious look in the mirror :-(

No more enough is enough calderwood parting no more

Alba Bhoy

Well said, but you forget one thing - Aiden will never be dropped by this manager, more's the pity.

Quote Paul67

"not least of all whether he has any more tools in his locker to arrest the rapid decline in Celtic's fortunes"

Interesting statement Paul, looks like you're having your doubts, just like the vast majority of us........

TM has managed our club for 30+ games, can anyone say with all honesty that we have improved in any respects since last season. I've had my doubts since as far back as last Sep (not on this blog) but amongst my mates and anyone who's willing to listen to the ramblings of a depressed hoop, that TM is way out of his depth, tonight has really put the tin lid on it.

We can all point to various issues, there's plenty of them, but for me the Scott Brown substitution just about sums TM up, he's got a match winning striker on the bench and he puts on Brown, a player just back from injury and to make matters worse he plays him at left back (he has substantiated this at the post match interview) and to further the humiliation Brown grabbed the captain's armband from a player still on the park (there's no way Brown would have done this off his own back), totally beyond belief and it makes us a laughing stock.

I don't know where we go from this, we have definitely got enough decent players to make a good team, but I dont think we have the management to take us forward...........

he cant beat the bottom two teams in the spl.
no run of wins.

i read an insane comment earlier.
"...win every game till the end of the season..."
someones having a laugh.
mowbray cant win two games back to back.

Slinking off to the pit.

A manager leaving tomorrow would be far less of a shock than Robbie Keane arriving yesterday.

Take a deep breath, think hard and ask yourself can Tony get it right?

... thought so ...

Did somebody say Mark Hughes? What does it matter. My faith in the footballing gods is so low I think we could put the best eleven players in the world out in the hoops and they'd capitulate. I'm not looking forward to eight hours of insomnia.

I'm really, really disgusted by the way we gave up on the league tonight. In my opinion, that's what this result has done - made it near impossible for Celtic to win the title.

I like Tony as a guy. As celtic manager, I'm far from convinced by him. He will not be sacked though, not before the end of the season. Nor do I see him throwing in the towel.

The players must take a large chunk of the responsibilty for our awful situation. McGeady tonight carried on where he left of the previous few weeks (since £14m was mentioned). Loovens showed he's still not learned to attack the ball before it bounces. Naylor doesn't realise that if he stands off the player that let's him pick a pass, oh and can someone tell him he's not a dead ball specialist.

As the banner said before kick off - I will keep the faith although any sense would point to another conclusion. The night is darkest just before the dawn? It's bloody pitch black over here...

Please Celtic, give us reason to rekindle the togetherness from last night. I enjoyed that but it didn't last long. Let's make history...

Peter grant is a jonah

Hoopythehound

I know exactly what u mean. numbness and just abject disbelief at what is happening.

I really hope Tony reflects on the situation and comes to an amicable agreement with the board and leaves before the weekend.

Paul67

Happy with our extensive foreign scouting system now?

You know feck all!

Resign Tony

I see someone says Mowbray is a "man if integrity". If he genuinely is, that will have been his last game as Celtic manager. The fat lady is clearing her throat and we are two days into February.

McGeady needs dropped ASAP. His performance have been woeful of late. Great players are consitent and step up when the chips are down. Fortune wasn't up for it tonight. Why????? Feck knows but he wasn't up for the fight.

The midfield was non existent, it was terrible. N'Guemo and Ki were lost. Drop Loovens and if Hooiveld is in jured, just go with Josh and Darren. Loovens is killin me now.

Gary67,

Looks like not getting that extra guy at the back may have cost us.

Keane and Rasmussen on Sunday. No if's no buts get them played. Have amidfield 3 in Crosas sitting with Brown, N'Guemo and Diomansy in front.

Bench Aiden and Fortune.

Our shape cost us there tonight

Gee whiz!

Sometimes bhoys, you just got to take yer medicine. Hold your nose, squeeze your eyes shut tight, and swallow.

Yeuch.

The league wasn't lost tonight. If it has been lost, and my towel is still on the rail, it was a month ago. Tonight is what you get when you get everything you want and find out you don't have what you need.

We just wanted for a little consistency to go with the new signings. You might say we have maintained our consistentcy from previous games, but what I mean is, the players needed to know where each other were on the park, and unfortunately, they didn't.

Too many changes: Of personnel; Of shape; Of positions. The temptation to play with all of his new toys at once was Tony's undoing.

Keane, fair enough. Or Kamara. Not both. Not at the same time, and not with Scott Brown trying out a new suit from the unlikely department. Having lost our right back and our centre half, I can't fathom the decision to replace the left back with a right sided midfielder.

Personally, I tought Rasmussen was worth a start, or at least a finish. But hey, there you go.

Opportunity missed. Some introspection on its way for a day or two that will do us no harm following yesterday's hysteria, and a new page of Celtic history ready to written come saturday.

Bring it on.

The most damning verdict on tonight is that it was as if we didn't sign anyone in the transfer window. It feels like I've watched that performance, those same mistakes, the same failings of our team; a hundred times already this season.

Mowbray's ability to break unfortunate records is uncanny. 15 consecutive victories at Rugby Park before tonight, Kilmarnock's last win against Celtic nearly 9 years ago.

This is nothing to do with luck.

By James Forrest on February 2, 2010 10:01 PM

I am a very patient guy and I never expected it to be easy tonight. I know football and I know Scottish football and knew Killie would be up for it. I did caution those with unrealstic expectations.

However that was a shocking performance and whist TM's options to fix things were reduced by the injuries (is he maybe just not lucky?) I never expected to be outplayed and out fought to the degree we were and thought Killie totally deserved to win.

It is ATTITUDE that is missing. BAD attitude and we need to develop it fast. For the first time I'm wondering about TM and that I do not like. The fact I'm wondering bothers me.

There is a note on the cover of Terry Pratchett's latest book Unseen Academicals where it says

"the thing about football is its NOT about football"

Somehow TM needs to get that message across to his players. FAST!

I cannot go to bed on a downer like this. Here's how it is. Give TM the rest of the season. get behind the team and manager.

The first slip up by the hun and we're back in it. Next Weds could be a turning point. We have the players, we need a midfield balance and we'll be OK.

Hail Hail and goodnight.

Heads up Bhoys.

Robbie Keane go home

you have stepped into the worst Celtic team since the eearly 90's and you have now been bought for nothing becuase the league is over

nor your fault but your just a drain on the resources now.

Tony Mowbray must go NOW. guy is a joke and his decision to play Brown at left back was shocking

Loovens must be shocked at having the armband taken from him.

we ARE a lughing stock tonight people

Please dont praise the board for signing Keane,

we paid for this by selling our top goalscorer.

we have returned to the dark days.

thanks very much Celtic

I have refrained from postng the last couple of days, but have to say the misplaced euphoria over our signings had me worried.

Agreed, we are definitely stronger as a squad after the ins/outs, and Keane is a great addition on and off the field (and also to the SPL as a whole, though you wouldn't think it after reading Traynor).

However: I protested loudly that Mowbray has shown an ineptitude so far that tells us he isn't up to the job. Our european games have been an embarassment. our derby matches have both seen points dropped (advantage Smith) and the only 'big game' he has won, was moscow. Tonight was a big game, and again he came up short. He clearly has problems motivating a squqd to perform at a level we have come to expect of Glasgow Celtic.

I therefore reiterate - he should go. OK - he has brought in a larg squad of 'his' players, but end of season, he should be gone. Can anyone seriously see this guy getting us into the last 16 of the CL? (which must be our minimum aim to avoid regressing as a club)

I can't. Good coaches can 'coach' results in big games either through tactics, motivation, gameplan, system, or a combination of all. Mowbray clearly can't - certainly not i the SPL anyway, and that is where we live. Even if we somehow fluke the title, he must still go. He isn't up to it. Sorry.

The thing that's getting to me now is that I'd hate to see these players wasted at Celtic.

We haven't had players of Kamara, Ki and Keane's quality for while. What if all they see is this dismal Tony Mowbray Celtic with gutted fans and empty stadiums?

I think we'll see Super Sammy before too long. He wasn't too far wrong.

Unfortunately in October, when it was becoming obvious that Big Tony was not upto the job, most posters quite rightly argued that our manager should be given time.

For someone who never called for 'Gordon' to be sacked, it was perhaps strange that I should have called for the manager to be sacked so early in his career.

I'm no footballing expert, but I could see a worrying pattern emerging and could not see any of the improvements others seemed to notice.

For me the 3 each game with Falkirk game had the writing on the wall. A shambolic performance, this has now become the norm.

Life goes on, obviously, but such mismanagement of the footballing side is shameful.

EVERY team in the league can take points off us, home and away.

We will go third in the league if he stays manager.

Team is there. Players are there. There is quality in that team of players we have assembled. Need played right.

Just back from Kilmarnock and, whisper it, I thought Killie deserved at least a point. They tackled hard, got in our faces and disheartened us.

We ended up with lots of attackers but little team shape and in the end, the team we resembled was John Hughes" Falkirk, attempting to play neat triangles and getting cut off once a pass was not perfect, or bumped out of our stride by defenders who were allowed to be physical.

Robbie dropped deep, Diamansy And Marc-Antoine ran the channels, but when Aiden or Paul dinked a ball in, even when we had 6 attacking players on, no-one challenged at the front post.

We changed our captain for no good reason. We played Kamara wide left in a 4:4:2, where he looked uncomfortable and unfit. We persevered with an out of form Aiden, who never hid. We had Ki tiring in the final 15 minutes but others were subbed. We had no outstanding players. MAF and Paul Caddis were the best of a bad lot.

I think we need a more pragmatic team shape. Crosas and Nguemo played together gave us our best period of defence protection. If we are going to play our big signing channel runners then Rasmussen might become a "must play" choice because someone needs to stay near the danger areas.

It's a bit gloomy tonight because we have so quickly deflated from last night's high. I don't want dream football; I want football that wins in reality. Toughen up and pull together.

SCOTT BROWN ...LEFT BACK...WTF IS GOING ON?

Can someone please clarify what right did Diomansy Kamara have in our team tonight, what was TM thinking about.

Right.......ah've got it.........When things go wrong get rid of the manager....ala Gordon Strachan.....its his fault.......New man in....ala Tony Mowbray........whit? things still goin wrong......get rid of the team.......get a new wan in.......okay, okay done that........whit?.....still gaun wrang......right lets get rid of the manager again......n if that goes wrang.....well......we can always replace the team again.

I'd give big Tony at least a full season

SCOTT BROWN..LEFT BACK..WTF IS GOING ON??

RogueL ...

The board did not back BTM.
They just allowed him to sweat the existing squad.

The summer brought a £40-50K pw reduction in the wage bill.
The summer spend was £5mill max, with the MAF transfer heavily calendarised by all reports. That is 50% up front and 50% later in instalments.

We then got £1.5mill back with MD heading for Italy.
OC's ma was right on the "money" with all the gossip of only having £2mill cash to spend.

Next up the Jan deal fest.
BTM finds the blowtorch and things begin to happen.
But if you are looking for the board to have opened up the coffers to support real investment in the squad then you are going to be disappointed.

Sales = £8mill max + £75-80K pw off the wage bill.
Also SMcM loan means another chunk saved in wages for a few months.

Buys = £5.5mill possibly £6mill max + £50K pw max in wages.
Two loan players to fund plus RK where the wages would come from extra ticket sales. Well that was the plan up until 9.20 tonight.

Even if you include the IR money, BTM has funded the Jan buying spree not the club / DD.

Where next is the un-answered question?

roberttressell

I'll be surprised if we win 3 of our next 5 games let alone trying to keep in touch with Der Hun.

Sometimes it does not work out for a manager and sadly for Tony it aint working out.

To disapointed to have a rant, why was McGeady left on? why was Rasmusson (sp) not on? why were we so light in midfield? but throw in the towel no way.

Keep the faith.

James Forrest @ 10:27 PM

Thanks James. I tried to be careful to not slip into the reactionary 'Sack Tony Mowbray' mentality. I still think that it is the PLAYERS who can do this, they are the ones on the field after all. I of course do concede that picking the wrong players and/or not man-managing them makes it just so much harder.

Yours in Celtic,

TB&F.

KeepTheFaithStillBELIEVEINGCSC

Robbie Keane go home

you have stepped into the worst Celtic team since the eearly 90's and you have now been bought for nothing becuase the league is over

nor your fault but your just a drain on the resources now.

Tony Mowbray must go NOW. guy is a joke and his decision to play Brown at left back was shocking

Loovens must be shocked at having the armband taken from him.

we ARE a lughing stock tonight people

Please dont praise the board for signing Keane,

we paid for this by selling our top goalscorer.

we have returned to the dark days.

thanks very much Celtic

Saw Celtic in the old Burns county in the latest part of their 'lets make poor teams look decent' tour...

What a waste of time and money that was.

Most of our team are talented players and I guess the over all value of our team is probably more than total value of the 5 SPL teams who have beaten us so far.

The manager has been given the very best tools available and plenty of spares.

He cannot do the job with them, if it was any other work place you would be asking for him for proof of his certificates and credentials.

Man management and tactics, two of the basics of football management are severely lacking. Off form players should be dropped for their own good and the good of the team.

Scott Brown coming on for a left back after being out for months and actually playing left back when we needed a goal and had a goal scorer on the bench?

Even the wee alchopop a.holes behind me saw that as being nonsensical, when wee stupid boys can see this what chance have we got?

Has Tony Mowbray bought property in Scotland? Is he settled?

Im starting to think he is getting home sick....

Time to calm down, this is the one defeat that is 100% down to the manager. Wrong formation simple as that.

Not looking good but a long way to go to May, keep the faith :)

its over
we're finished
half a season wasted on one mans vision of playing without winning the midfield battles
a team of individuals who have no idea of what they are meant to be doing
either he walks or the plc have to make the decision for him(and us)
the man is clueless on modern football
in the name of everything thats holy go !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
things wont get better falkkirk, kilmarnock dunfermline next to humiliate us
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH THE THIRD CHOICE HAS SHOWN WHAT YOU GET FOR ACCEPTING THIRD CHOICE.
how we laughed at the huns and their second place banner, well i'm certainly not confident of second place while this dreamer is in charge

Ki?

Sorry, but looks far too light weight to replace Crosas.

This time last night I was monitoring SSN for the coming. Tonight I watched a bunch of sandancers from 1 to 11 who struggled to find a teamate with a pass.

Am I the only Tim who is embarrassed.

Too much for you Tony. Time Out.

Will give it two more games and the season tickets and shares will be available at mega cut price. I am getting to the end of my tether.

Not a new age fan. 53 years old and followed since I was three but getting to the stage where I cannot wilfully watch a bunch of chancers rip the pish out of my bank book.

Tony just admit , It's too big for you.

When the camera pans to the dugout I see an ineffectual Bambi caught in the headlights impersonating Tommy Cooper. At least he could do magic.

Grant, Venus doing nothing.

Where is Neil Lennon who should be snarling etc at the team to tell them who they are.

TRANSFER WINDOW....... NOW LOOKS LIKE A PLAYSCHOOL WINDOW BEING MANAGED BY BUNGLE FROM RAINBOW.

Rant over

paul67

Your criticism of WGS because he 'buys his pals' could also be levelled at TM, Fortune and Kamara for a start, throw in Fortune's pal Nguemo and the same pattern is there.

Not happy tonight and not comforted that I have been consistent from July, that it's a cavalry charge, and nothing else.

The persistence in taking off full backs is a classic sign of, a manager in deep turmoil, not helped that the left back became a right sided midfielder whom he "wanted to stretch the pitch".

It doesn't look good for Tony Mowbray, but for his detractors that want change, it's not going to happen any time soon, even if only for the compensation aspects.

Who oiled the Blog?

HH

Forgive me,

I have not posted in ages and have not even read the thread but have to vent at someone.

Tonight has been one of the lowest points in supporting Celtic. I have already fell out with the wife...she hates me. I have tried to support Mowbray but I am finding it increasingly hard to justify. I like the big man and I know he has the club at heart but can he turn this around...I reluctantly say I doubt it.

The Huns, with one of the worst teams in their history, are walking away with the title whilst we implode. I hold on to the notion that we are building for the future, that we will produce a fantastic team, yady, yady, yada...But just where do we go from here???

I think the title has gone, I hope I'm wrong. Believe me I do. However, there is no way we are winning the title with this rudderless ship we are sailing on right now.

We now live in hope more than ever, with a team that lacks leadership, no dig or conception of what Celtic means to so many. If only we could convey what Celtic meant to us to the players on the park. This is not about money, this is not about prestige...this is about Celtic. Celtic will be around while these players are collecting their pensions. Please, please, please, some professional pride in not being pumped by Rankers.

Sorry, I am rambling on here and my fingers can not keep up with my feelings. I hope we can, at least, make a fist of this title from here on in but I fear a humiliation.

Anyway...fck rankers and all their minions of darkness. We shall be a rising giant and dominate the '10s of this century. They may win the odd title but fck them. We will have more good days than bad.

Hail Hail
The fkn Outlaw Raparee!!!!

And remember, I am England's foe, I am Ireland's friend...I'm an Outlaw Raparee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sack Mowbray....and his two equally ineffective stooges..

Let the fightback start thereafter...

Build a respectable unbeaten run under a proper interim coach til seasons end and start again next season.

That's it in a nutshell really for me....

Big Wavy

Rt Rev David Hay....

if it's my comment you're quoting, do me the courtesy of not taking it totally out of the context of the post.
do you write for the Daily Ranger ?

Well i have to say i was dreading that scoreline tonight. As WGS said i expected a 433 set up with Aiden rested. I cannot understand Tony,our defence was fairly settled and he changes it, then the icing on the cake is Naylor taking free kicks!!!!!!! i also have to say since Crossas being dropped we have nobody who can play the killer pass. The midfield was the problem tonight,no doubt about it. Please Tony get a grip of the situation, there should be no pressure on you now as the league has gone but for crying out loud get a system working. Go for it we have nothing to lose.

Dulce et decorum est....

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares2 we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest3 began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots4
Of tired, outstripped5 Five-Nines6 that dropped behind.

Gas!7 Gas! Quick, boys! – An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets8 just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling,
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime9 . . .
Dim, through the misty panes10 and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering,11 choking, drowning.

If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud12
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest13
To children ardent14 for some desperate glory,
The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est
Pro patria mori.15

8 October 1917 - March, 1918- ( Let the people learn )

PjDali - to be honest, with every passing minute I am changing my mind about the situation, one way and then the other. I am utterly, utterly baffled. I have taken not a drop to drink yet my head is swimming. I fear you are right. I console myself with the belief that we have the players. I cannot give in. I will not but I cannot blame anybody else for doing so - except the players. And it has to be said that some heads were visibly down with a whole 10 minutes to go.

I'm off for some shut eye.

Time will tell I suppose...

Ye of little faith

The league is lost, Mowbray should be sacked, Celtic are dire.

Never in a million years, back the team, back big Tony, watch in amazement as Celtic prove to be Celtic and the gloating of the Gers will choke in their throats. This league is there to be won and it would be a sweeter win than the joy I felt when the quad was off. Rangers are not the team they think they are and they are going to trip up. Injuries and a decline in confidence will take their toll on the Copeland Road.

The Celtic team lacked aggression tonight, in playing the ball, not in attitude. We had players booked, mobbing the referee, and kicking in frustration after decisions went against us. Robbie Keane, welcome to Scotland, and the fairness of the game here.

Our players are angry, mark my words, we are the famous Glasgow Celtic and Europe here we come.

And listen to this.

Especially for you

as sick as everyone, but think a bit of perspective is required, and perhaps look at some facts;

TM inherited a poor squad. No question. He's now succeeded in adding (what we all agreed before this game was) some real quality.

Some of these players met for the first time today. Consider that. You could argue that he was a fool to play them... but I'm sure we all thought at 7:30 this evening it was a gamble worth taking.

Unfortunately, in the first week of Feb, we should be in a position where a defeat is not fatal... but we're not. Even top class new additions need at least a game or two to gel. A luxury we don't have.

I (have to) believe that we have a vastly superior squad than them, and that it will tell in the end. Whether or not we have enough games left to catch them, well, that's the big question.

One thing that does worry me though is the lack of 'heart' in midfield. Classy Italians, Koreans and Chinese are all very well, but although I've never been a Brown fan, we may well need his dig now.

"He should go" but there has to be a (better) replacement. Where is the management talent queuing up to manage Celtic? Csaba Laszlo?

The other thing that really hurts is the commentators saying the last time Kilmarnock beat us was 2001. If I remember correctly this was after we had won the treble and gave up on the last few games (we also lost to Dundee 0-2 at home).

madmitch:

No-one on this site has criticised the board more than me. No-one. I've done it here, on E-Tims, on MonTheHoops and I've done it in more pub conversations than I can count on the fingers and toes of everyone in my last year at University.

They delivered in this case BIG TIME. Net spend? Right now, I could not care about net spend. The team that started that game should have won it OUT THE PARK.

The captains armband was given to Glen Loovens when EVERYONE in the whole of the country thought Keane would get it. It troubled me, not that Keane didn't but that Loovens did, as it just seemed so ... left field. What REALLY worried me was taking it OFF him to give to Scott Brown as he came on.

Looking at the state of the midfield, I thought Brown would change things ... that Mowbray had spotted the GLARING problem area in the game, aside from Mr Tippy Tappy McGeady's performance on the right hand side of the pitch. I though Brown would be plugged right into the middle and encouraged to get forward ......

Scott Brown at LEFT BACK???? BEYOND THE PALE. INEXCUSABLE.

A decision which DISGUSTS ME. Frankly, absolutely, shocked and appalled by it, it is a decision which STINKS.

No-one has slagged the board more than me. No-one has been so full of praise for Tony. Tonight I know EXACTLY who I hold responsible for that shameful surrender of three points.

Celtic manager Tony Mowbray:
"It's not the result we wanted. We needed to hit the ground running with the new signings, but it didn't quite happen tonight.

"We didn't put the ball in the net. We had enough of the ball in their final third, but we didn't put the ball way and they defended really well.

"But that's football - we had enough opportunities to win the game, we didn't take them and we lost the game ultimately.

"But you take it on the chin and move on.

"We have a game at the weekend and we keep going.

"We're trying to build a team that can win football matches week in week out and be successful both domestically and in Europe.

"We have enough talent on the pitch to do that."

Mowbray out. As usual unable to organise, unable to have a tactical plan, never mind a "cunning plan," unable to motivate, unable to pick an in form striker, unable to do pretty much anything.

Lovely man, awful manager.

Let's not persist with this any longer. If craig brown and jimmy calderwood can make instant impacts at such provincial clubs, lets get a man who can do likewise here.

The directors "balls have dropped off" (to quote the joker in the dark knight, appropriate as we are a bunch of jokers) and need reattached.

SACK BTM (SBTM)

Mowbray looked shell shocked. Where was the leadership, motivation and burning drive from manager and players and WHY was loovens given the captains armband!? Some talented players on display, some of them have played at the highest level, none them could be bothered taking the game by the scruff of the neck!? Another thing, not once did I see Mowbray shout encouragement, support from the sidelines. He just looked resigned to defeat. Which bring me to Venus and Grant... What exactly are they offering. Get lenny back on the sidelines! This Celtic team look bewildered out on the field and they crave leadership...

Just in from the game and still trying to thaw out, it was freezing out there tonight.
A few thoughts, while disappointing, it was perhaps understandable, difficult as it is we have to put some trust in the manager and give him the chance to build and shape the team the way that he wants it. The man has been under enormous pressure to deliver from the day he joined us and I can't see the logic in letting him go now.
A wee word about killie, that was by far the best they have played against us in years, they were up for every tackle and defended as if there lives depended on it, they were also unlucky not to score a second.
I was also really surprised at the thousands of empty seats, what's happened, have we got out of the habit of going to games, even ones with the profile of tonight's?
As the banners said tonight 'night is darkest just before the dawn' 'keep the faith'
Barassiebhoy.

I said earlier I though the manager jumped the shark with that final substitution.

But on reflection I think he was as stunned as the rest of us that a team filled with so much quality failed to deliver.

You, me, or anyone else on this blog and their friends/family/ weans should have been able to stand in that dressing room tonight, say a few words and expect that team to beat Kilmarnock, most of whom's players we couldn't name.

Should they need more motivation than the money they get, the level they play at, the fame they court?

Where were the armchair-managers before kick-off?

Sure, many including myself had reservations about the team selection, Keane's inclusion, Kamara, BUT you could hardly look at that as a team sent out to play Killie and have any reservations about its ability to win with goals to spare?

Maybe the result will give the manager licence to resort to his own preferred selection. But will that involve dropping Keane for his OWN signing, Rasmussen?

Like said, it's time for Aiden to warm the bench until he learns when to deliver. Kamara with his lightning pace wide or through the middle, Ra-Ra a certainty possibly with Keane/Fortune.

Just give us a settled side for the run who can win games - as WAS shown on Saturday - for the run in without the razamataz.

Paul67 First of all thanks for the site.The best anywhere.Question for you ,is anyone atCeltic Park on or off the park displaying real leadership real management?

What is the Glaring Difference between us and the sides we play?

Quite simply as we've seen so many other times this season the glaring difference is the fact that Tinkerman Tony continues to field a collection of strangers against a team.

Just ask yourself how long Jimmy Calderwood has been manager of Kilmarnock or Eddie May manager of Falkirk or John Hughes manager of Hibs? What do each of their sides resemble when they play us. That's right - a team. We continue to be a collection of individuals with no apparent plan as to how we are to play.

Sorry Tony. Do the honourable thing.

nguemo and crosas back in the centre of midfield please. with the flux of players in and out we need consistency and reliability at the heart of the team and they're a proven partnership.

Im glad i reserved all my comments from yesterday as they are now redundant. Tony Mowbray has let us down, i say mowbray as the buck has to stop somewhere, he had the perfect opportunity to set out to the players tonight that this is a must win game, a game which would channel all the excitement of last night into the rest of the season....he was incapable of doing this. Its not a question of tactics, that can come afterwards....Its a question of motivation and heart, Mowbray gives us none of that. A charismatic fan with no tactical nouse would be better in the changing room on match days...The players would get a sense of what it means and what is needed....

Scott McDonald is laughin somewhere tonight thinking "id have grabbed a couple there tonight, especially those 2 that Keane fella missed....they got rid of me to fund him?????"

Will continue to kick every ball as always, but the most important kick could be Mowbray getting a kick n the arse to get some heart

I was up late last night with excitement now I will be up all night with depression I feel like a yoyo. One feeling that hasn't changed since the summer and that is Tony is the wrong choice for the job. Who else buys a manager that just got his team relegated, complete madness in my opinion. Somebody mentioned Mark Hughes I'd go for that.

We are taking TOO DAMNED MUCH "on the chin."

Really, Tony Mowbray, take a big goddamned look at yourself tonight. It was shameful. And it was down to you, pure and simple.

Take THAT on the damned chin.

Bobby Lennox can beat them

WELL SAID THAT MAN

Reasons why Celtic made January box office running

AYE WE MADE THE RUNNING ALRIGHT BUT IT WAS MAINLY DIARRHEA

LURGAN57

gc bhoy

nope wasnt u kiddo.
i got what you were saying
even if you dont get what im saying

Here is a wee bit of sound advice,from a guy
who has a ton of it.

You poor Slobs who compound your frustration
and sorrow that is being rained up you,by this footless and stuttering Mowbray Team,by worrying as
to how our failures oan the Park will enhance oor Bitter Rival's Chances getting past Go..and Collecting
15 Million Pounds... Listen up.. for I am talking tae You!

As Faur as the G.A. is Concerned..

Try and treat them the same way as I.

Fur

Tae me..

They dinna.. EXIST!

I have NO INTEREST in them..

I Never speak aboot them oan here.. except when they happen to be the Team which we are Playing,that day.

To Me..

They are just another Team that we Play during the Season.

Landsakes...Guys..Give yersel a shake..

We should Not be least concerned whether our present Team Troubles only further Strengthen the Grip of the G.A., in Holding the lead in this Championship Race..

For that is only Piling More Unnecessary Misery, oan toap o' one's sore disappointment at the way that oor Beloved Celtic are struggling.

Ye Hiv tae

Fugggggggggetttttaboot wit the G.A. are daeing..

and Concentrate oan whit the Celtic ur!

Maks sense tae me!

Kojo.

We have a squad bursting with talent, and we have the goal scorer in Morten Rasmussen.
Play the goal scorer and with this squad and we win a game of football.
Do it from now till the end of the season and we might just win this league by the skin of our teeth.

I’m as gutted as we all are atm, but it’s not finished.
Unfortunately we can really make no more mistakes.
From now on in its 3 points from every game, no matter against whom or where.

My big concern is not going in at half time with a lead, it’s quite extraordinary.

Dear Tony please play our new striker, we must play our new striker, the guy that came, scored, and got put on the bench for it.

Rasmussen is what we want. He looks like a no nonsense, no thrills type. He’s just a goal scorer.

I’m too fed up to say what I want to. Tonight was a big game against a wee team and we actually lost. (AGAIN)

Help ma Boab

Sandman:

Nope, not going to accept that at all. I like your loyalty my friend, but it is sadly misplaced. Your intial assesment was correct; it was an appalling decision, and the manager has a lot to answer for having made it. Honestly, it hurts me to say it, but it's the truth and if we're going to put this club right again the truth, as they say, is non-negotiable.

Tonight was a disaster, and the captain of our ship was directly to blame for it. No excuses, mate. It's fact.

I said in my earlier post that we had no aggressive players who could tackle in midfield and we had none waiting to come into the side.

Some posters are shouting now for Crosas.

Don't you get it. He is another who couldnae tackle the proverbial fish supper.

Do you know what McCulloch is going to do with this lot? Why? Because there's nothing to stop him. Simple.

A fit Maloney is a miles better player than Aiden but he's another small, light non tackler.

Lads, it all about blends and we don't have a blend.

Bertie Auld could play but he could also leave his boot in. Ask Johnny Giles.

Oh for a Davie Hay

The Battered Bunnet on February 2, 2010 10:35 PM
Gee whiz!

Sometimes bhoys, you just got to take yer medicine. Hold your nose, squeeze your eyes shut tight, and swallow.

Yeuch.

The league wasn't lost tonight. If it has been lost, and my towel is still on the rail, it was a month ago. Tonight is what you get when you get everything you want and find out you don't have what you need.

We have overdosed on this medicine, unfortnately our consultant doesnt have a track record in applying treatments, he tries experimental idealistic theories which dont deal with the reality of the malaise that aflicts us, i say time to get a new consultant in, one who knows which medicine to give us and get us back to a full recovery, as the present chancer will continue to fly on a wing and a prayer.

anymore tools in his locker?
he has two 'tools' beside him in the dugout.
The man is clueless.
Get rid.

Celtic were offered 8 mill for Mc Geady yesterday we should have grabbed it with both hands. We'd be lucky to get 4 today. Does he not watch re-runs of the game? John Hartson and Craig Bellamy tell him every week. When he has 3 men round him he should pass it to a team mate. A lot of those players who played tonight thought it would be a walk in the park. Welcome to the S P L ya bunch of big money chancers!! Robbie Keane I exempt from that statement. Glad we dont play Falkirk for a while.

John Coatbridge.

off to bed

i'm still backing tony mowbray but a trophy at the end of the season and a siginificant improvement in performances (not just results) is the only way he'll survive the season for me

i cant see dd or anyone else for that matter agreeing to the big outlay in wages that we're seeing until the end of the season and accepting substandard fayre. he has just completely blown the chances of full houses on the back of the robbie keane signing, a get out of jail card for the board and a chance for celtic fans to see a world class player at celtic making a difference. what an opportunity and he's blown it tonight. his employers will not be happy

enough now, i'm working myself up again.

I don't think we should sack TM now. I am worried about where are headed and we will need to see a drastic improvement in the next 2/3 games with his new team a bit more settled.

I will reconsider the situation then.

Árd Macha

Rt Rev David Hay.
sincere apologies then. i guess i'm a little sensitive tonight.

James Forrest at 10:15

I think Desmond is the man who will tell Tony to go. Perhaps not directly but the message will find its target. He is a ruthless businessman. He may prefer rugby and the gee-gees to football but it takes no expert to realise that Tony Mowbray will not turn into Sir Alex over the next 3 or 30 months.
He still lacks the basic understanding of how to line up his team taking into account who his opponents are. His tactics always leave an already vulnerable defence even more exposed.
Look folks, none of this is news. Big Tony flopped big time in the premiership. And when everyone was telling him that his style of football was pretty but it didn't put points on the board, he DID NOT change things. Perhaps he can't, perhaps he lacks the ability to, dare I say it, think outside the box. Either way if track records are an indicator of future success, then he may as well walk now. And please, no-one give me any horse"£$% about Hibs under TM. Surely we have learned our lesson about that season, yes one season, through the 'inspired' signings of Riordan, Brown and Caldwell. You know Yogi Hughes is doing a great job at Hibs at the moment but I don't for a second advocate that we should be making him an offer he can't refuse.
The only transfer news to top Keane was the news that TM favourite Shelton Martis had signed for Doncaster and not us.
I agree with all that Keane is not a TM signing. Keane is intended to fulfil a certain purpose - to fill Celtic Park again. That is the brainchild of the Board. They know the significance of the revolt at the inertia of the past 2/3 seasons. Mowbray has immediately pulled the rug from under their dancing feet.

I predict he will be gone very shortly.

Had enough of Celtic for tonight, gutted, absolutely gutted and if Mowbray feels half as bad as I do about how poor we've become under his stewardship he'll consider his own position and move on.....

To say I am feeling lost is an understatement. Given the euphoria of the new signings I had expected that Tony would have utilised as a tactic the tried and tested players before using his "new toys".
This safer strategy is always more successsful. Today Samaras should have been played instead of Kamara.

Tony was fooled by a temptation of riches today which is not in a smart way the best tactical use of his resources. Not smart management in my opinion. If he left now I would not be disappointed!

Right this it.

Drop Boruc, he was down installments for that goal. Although for me it was KI fault, He stopped and let the guy shoot

From Saturday, it should be:

-------------Zaluska------------

Hinkel- Thompson - Hooiveld(injured O'Dea)- Braffheid

---Brown----Crosas-------N'Guemo

------------Kamara--------------

--------Keane - Rasmussen

Can't be ar$ed listing the stats but our record with Crosas in the team is so much better than without him.

He may not tackle much but he reads the game and seldom gives the ball away. We badly missed that tonight.

A central midfield 2 doesn't work, especially Ki (who knows nothing about Scottish football) and N'Guemo (who looks knackered after the ACN). Midfield should be Crosas/N'Guemo/ and 1 other.

Fortune was one of the few I would give pass marks to tonight, hardly a standout performance but was better than his cohorts.

McGeady badly needs a rest. The rest of the season ought to do. Complete mince tonight, same old stuff. 1 decent cross all night. Caddis and Fortune put in far more decent balls than he did.

Rasmussen should have started.

With all the changes, and the formation, it is obvious TM underestimated the opposition. Shocking lack of judgement. Any more results like that and I am officially off the bandwagon.

What a load of old sh!t.

John Hughes could turn this around - Mowbray is never gonna do it.

All these guys yesterday saying "all we need to do is win home and away against the huns" and we cant beat the bottom 2 of the spl.

There is not a chance in hell of tony turning this around. Get a change done now. All that we need is a motivator to put some fight in the bellies of the current team and make them more direct and we could do it.

As for big torn face tony - no chance. you are the worst manager in last 20 years - for god sake go now.

gc bhoy
cool. its been a tough nite.

ard macha
we dont have 2/3 games
to give him the chance to
put the final nail in the coffin
of our league campaign

TM baffling. Some weeks we have 4 wingers on the park. Tonight we dont even have one on the bench and the one we do have on the park is as good as being a man down. McGeady needs to be dropped. And well as for the Scott Brown substitution pure genius Tony. fedupwiththisshit.com

I give up. I wavered a month ago, going with heart over head to support a a guy who I thought had all the right intentions. I am beginning to doubt whether this ill-fated union with Tony and Celtic will ever work out.

You chose the defence as an easy scapegoat for your problems, sent Caldwell and McManus packing, and brought in new defenders. Result - plus ca change...

You decided that Aiden Mcgeady is our best player and is undroppable - Aiden Mcgeady, who can't cross, can't shoot, and whose greed and hogging of the ball has cost us many a point this season.

Your lack of respect for Scottish football led you to sell our real best player - Barry Robson - for a paltry £1m to Middlesborough. This was a player who showed grit, guts and determination - qualities now seemingly absent from the squad.

Today's game was like a concentrated version of the entire season so far - players picked on reputation, form players dropped, baffling substitutions, and a dismal post match interview to top it all off.

Gordon Strachan is a manager who wants to play beautiful football (don't they all?), but he is also a pragmatist who knows how to play with the hand he is dealt. With these insipid displays based on romantic ideals, you are showing us what we are missing in Strachan.

God knows where we go from here.

Nearly half that team were bought by Mowbray. Would a change of manager be the answer?

It's starting to feel like it to me.

Lambert, Lennon, or both. They can't be any worse.

Sick and embarrassed by what's going on.

If ..... and it's a BIG IF ..... Robbie Keane was not signed by Tony Mowbray but by the board it tells me two things;

1) Mowbray should have walked - AT ONCE. No manager can tolerate that. Whatever next? Are we going to discover Keane has a clause in the deal which says he CAN'T BE DROPPED? If Mowbray tolerated the board making a signing without his say-so, that's his authority DONE.

2) Mowbray has, in ONE NIGHT, undone every single benefit the board had hoped to take from that deal.

If .... and it's a BIG IF .... what you assert is true, he really isn't going to be here much longer, and that is proper and it is right, and the new man, whoever he is, must do the RIGHT THING .. and send Robbie Keane home as his FIRST ACT ......

If it's true. And I hope to God it's not, or we really are heading into a dark, dark time.

I said last night that the romantic in me was excited. The rational part of me me was cynical and concerned by a player who has often been sought by others but seldom retained. I said that What we have is a 6 month loan for a player we cannot afford and who will not be here at the start of next season.

It was exactly as I feared

The man bought to score goals was left on the bench whilst the Keane produced nothing. Well you all got what you deserved. Hope you're happy now.

James Forrest

I enjoyed your article in Mon The Hoops.

You are clearly an emotional, intelligent, articulate and passionate man.

Your posts on here ring many bells, your political beliefs reflect those held by many fans. How you find the time to pen your articles is beyond me, and your credentials as a Celtic supporter, in my opinion, are beyond question.

Take a step back man, you are clearly hurting, remember the Celtic family will be here next season.

And I will tell you for one, mate, I still think we can do it this year, and I hope to God, for your sake and mine, that we do.

Rasmussen is going to be a gem.

how long are we going to spend "building a team" mowbray? he knows only one way to play and it's not cutting it.....you have reduced the celtic team and name to a laughing stock, not just rangers laughing but the UK.....TIME TO MOVE ON, IT'S NOT WORKING.

Management (n)
- the control and organization of something - Cambridge online dictionary
- the act or manner of managing; handling, direction, or control - the dictionary.com

Lionroared67 on February 2, 2010 10:56 PM

Good post.

"Tonight is what you get when you get everything you want and find out you don't have what you need."

Exactly the feeling.

I got a bit sick of the metaphor though.;)

No rant from me either.

You were all told months ago.

I deliberately kept out of the Mowbray love in
from last week when 7 out of 8 cats supported the
manager.

Enough is enough. The board supported him when some on
here were vilified for pointing out his numerous failings.

Bring Paul Lambert home. He is a WINNER.

James F

Your comments are misplaced.
I was replying to a poster who said that the board had done their job and supported the manager.

They have not supported the manager in the last mont.
Any changes were funded by BTM sweating the squad.
For that I salute him, he made the most of a bad job.

On the specifics of tonights performance, well I am one of those who want BTM to walk.
The Falkirk + Hibs games were the turning point for me.
Good coach, works the resources he has well.
However he is not a leader and I think he is a hopeless ideaist.

He plays precise, fast tempo, all action football.
When it works it looks great but there seems to be little room for error.

Every time we had the ball we worked to a cadence, 30 seconds and the ball was in the box. Quick passes followed by a bit of skill to make space for the delivery.

Killie were soon working to that schedule and it showed.
It looked at times like a traing exercise, you could time the delivery to the second.
To me that made it repetitive and easy to defend.
Nothing was tried to change things, try and get the opposition miss a beat or get them out of their stride.

We are now BTM's Hibs on much higher wages.
He has done a lot of good but he has failed on the park.
Time to go.

WGS

Ki needed the shout from big Hooivelt. Hooivelt went to the orthodox position, but didn't pass his man on. Result, free shot at goal. The fact the big chap was hamstrung I'm sure contributed, but he didn't give Ki the shout, and for want of a shout....

Over reaction yesterday. Over reaction tonight. What hope some sanguinity tomorrow?

After reading a few hundred posts of relentless ill feeling, I'm for hitting my scratcher. Night all.

TBB

I'm away bed now. Agree TM shape or whatever he tried to do cost us tonight, but some of the crap like McDonald better than Keane etc.. too much coffee for some people i think.

McGeady aint a youngster any more. He has to be stand up and be counted in these games. When the games are like this he has to stand up and be counted.

I am very critical of Aiden and have been for a while, but a lot of the blame must go to his team mates. I, and everyone else, can see that he is double-teamed every time he gets the ball. Not sometimes, always. Despite this, very rarely do his team mates give him an easy option. I don't recall one time tonight when either Hinkel or Caddis went passed him on the outside to take one of these men away.

Aiden has never matured as a player - he is not a young boy any more, he should be almost the finished article. Instead, he repeatedly tried the same thing and repeatedly fails to get past his man or runs out of space - they say the sign of madness is trying the same thing and expecting a different result: that is Aiden. However, his team mates must take a lot of the blame.

For his own good, and that of his team mates and supporters, he must be dropped. I wouldn't play him again until he develops an awareness of his team mates and a recognition that the ball can go faster than he can - if this means he is out for months, so be it.

Same applies for some of his teammates. No point in having a big squad if some players are undroppable.

derbyshirebhoy

Put your petted lip away and grow a pair

We went from 5/1 to 2/1 after yesterdays activities for the title so presumably after tonight we are back to 5s? Ish?
Playing this 11 was too much too soon, and Billmarnock fought well but I still like those odds...
TM won't walk or be sacked before the seasons out and rightly so.
It will work out and we will come good. Hard as the result is to swallow I'm keeping the Faith.
Still, hope, despair and a 2nd consecutive night with no sleep!
Such is our blessing/curse. Over and over. Night all.

James, Peter Lawwell has been trying to sign Robbie Keane for two years or more. I can't fault the idea, the effort, or the outcome.

Hey! Didn't I just say I was heading off to bed?

TBB

WE BEAT THEM TWICE.

THEY DRAW THREE GAMES.

It can still be done. If we expect failure we will get it.

We signed good footballers. Our manager has his faults, but he needs OUR backing if we are to achieve our potential.

If we form the lynch mob and head to each game with pitchforks and flaming torches then the pressure will kill the creativity.

Lay of Aiden - he's having a bad time. 4,000 Ayrshire huns abused him horribly all night, we are the only people on his side, so wise up. Ask anyone who watched wee Jinky play on a regualr basis about dips in form. Cheer him louder, breed confidence.

Our anger and frustration will transfer to the team if we are not 2-0 up in the first 10 minutes of every game. Then we truly have no chance.

When we won the league in the Tommy Burns game, this blog chucked it with 8 weeks left. One guy kept posting saying he was "standing up".

We all need a bit of that now, whether you think TM is the the man, or not.

SIng louder, smile wider. WE CANNOT LET OURSELVES BECOME A SELF FULFILLING PROPHECY.

Having the best squad of players doesn't determine who the best manager is.

Player by player, Fergie hasn't had the best individuals but how many teams and managers has he seen off in the last 15 years?

While I accept that Fergie is the greatest living manager bar none, the same rule applies. When you are given a budget and a set of players, its down to the manager's strategy and motivation.

Yeah, I'm really down after the high of last night, but let's be honest, can we really see any strategy from BTM? Motivation wise, unless he's a different guy in the dressing room, I really don't see it, ever.. We're easy beat by anybody. Any team who gets a sniff near our box scores. That ranges from Eduardo to some teenager from Hibs on his debut.

I thought Tony really was a good move last July but now I see a man who doesn't really know what to do next. Its not one bad result but no real evidence throughout the year that he knows how to win games, not least SPL games on crap pitches against physical opponents.

With a very heavy heart, as a guy who really respects TM as a man, I think its time the SSM had a chat, then phoned Lambo to save what he can of our season.

31003

I kinda like you

j77

Good on ye

"We are being laughed at."

Last night I didn't ask for my towel back and for the one reason, that despite all the quality brought in, the underlying problem remains the manager.

It's a good job that managers are not included in transfer windows. If TM had any feelings of moral obligation to Celtic FC he would walk tonight.

We ARE being laughed at.......if I didn't, I'd cry!

James Forrest

Your suggestion that it was the board that decided to sign Keane rather than Tony is not a new idea of course. Our board have form for that do they not. Roy Keane and Graveson were both signed like that. That's why WGS never bothered to persevere with Graveson as soon as he dint follow his orders on the pitch.

Aw feck here we go, last night everybody 5 thousand outside the park, robbie this robbie that, now after one where he made two chances for himself and nearly scored he's getting it in the neck now as he wasn't a TM signing etc.. we sacarificed mcdonald for him etc..

TURN IT UP!!

I'll gurantee you both Rasmussen and Keane will turn out much better players.

We are losing games and drawing games to the dross of the SPL. It's happening in away games and its happening on our own patch. Calderwood is a decent but average manager but he has already given Kilmarnock more heart, organisation and purpose than Mowbray has given our team. Given the "tools" as Paul puts it, at Mowbrays disposal, he has got to be the most ineffective manager in the SPL.
Usually when a new manager comes in it has a galvanising effect on the team and on the whole club but not in Mowbrays case. I'm usually a glass half full kind of person but I can see no glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel....not after tonight.

The generation of domination's in the past. I propose we are a year and a half into the generation of capitulation.

Just in from the game and not read much, but with hindsight (I know I know)maybe we should have started with our 3 new signings on the bench and brought them on later in the game. I think it would have felt more professional , as it kinda had the feeling of a stage managed event. Roll up roll up see the all new Celtic.

I am still 100% behind our manager,but Tony has to be strong and change it gradually, not in one fell swoop. I believe the team that finished against Hamilton would have been good enough to beat Killie, but so many changes disrupted us. IMO. Still not given up on this League.

Hail Hail.

let him see out the season. his luck is bound to turn soon. the Huns will slip up.

if we loose the league and there is no improvement by May, then obviously a decision will be required then. lets see out the last few months.

UC

geebee1978

Did he actually, "We take it on the chin..." AGAIN! FFS! We been punched stupid since he took over. When do we hit someone on the f'n chin?

The Board & DD must be raging after yesterday. Malceye is right these signing were from above to get the fans back on track and BTM has blown that away.

One interesting point should be considered. With all the comings and goings, (forgetting Keane for a moment) how much have we actually spent? What are the changes in the wage bill? Are we up or down in terms of transfer fees and wages?

I as this because I haven't actually seen any figures, obviously, but some people on here have some insight into these matters.

Yes lets all have a go at Aiden. Such an easy target after all. Lets ignore the manager who refuses to rest him even though he's off form or decides to play a right sided midfielder at left back when we are chasing a goal. Oh and leaves the last striker to score for him on the bench.

Dunno if anybody else has had the horrible experience of taking a new girlfriend home to meet the in-laws, only to have her barff all over the Sunday roast?

Why do I feel like that right now?

Keep the (sorely tested) Faith

Is it a degeneration of domination?

Just back from Rugby Park. Utterly dejected.

No idea what TM was playing at tonight. It would have been easier to try and break the enigma code at times than to figure out his tactics. We're losing 1-0. We need to win. Losing 2-0 matters not a jot. Get a bl**dy striker on rather than a midfielder who hasn't kicked a ball in anger for four months!!

I suppose the writing was on the wall before the match kicked off when we had Glenda as captain. I'm struggling to remember the last time someone with less leadership qualities wore the captains armband.

And the facilities for away fans at their stadium is an absolute disgrace.

Finally, drop the undropable!! Before it's too late.

What to say? The cold facts are absolutely dreadful.

We Have not put a run of 3 SPL wins together all season ! what the hell is that?

TM now has a very very very bad record as Celtic manager. Way worst than Barnes.

Hibs have a game in hand to go second. (3rd in the league is an immediate sacking offence. no questions, no excuses. gone).

Both Hibs and Dundee Utd have lost less games than us in the SPL this season.

Hibs and Aberdeen have both conceded less goals.

I like Mogga, he has the biggest Kahunas we have ever had in charge. Selling and buying a new team in 6months take real guts. But we now need to go on an immediate 10game winning run (including eyepox) to have a chance.

As for the players, For weeks people come on here banging on about how McGeady is our best player. Absolute tosh. Caddis put in better crosses. McGeady disrupts the attack, loses the ball, stalls momentum, and generally gets in the way.

I dont know how many times Ive said this, MON sussed him right away, it took WGS 2 years, but the penny has to drop very soon with TM b4 its too late. There is no place for McGeady.

What are the odds of us going on a 10 game SPL winning run, when we havent put 3 wins together all season?

I think we know the answer to that one.

A few things bothered me about tonight outwith the poor performance. Firstly TM seems to have no appreciation of form. ie. The defence did well in the last game so why change it ? How he could play Loovens never mind make him captain astounds me. Also everyone could see Aiden needs a rest, except TM. Resting Aiden would have allowed a more solid midfield with Kamara having some freedom.

Secondly he doesn't seem to give them a system. Half the team were trying to beat 4 players, yet he never came out and pulled them up. We were at our most dangerous when we played the ball around quickly with one or two touches. It's like he tells them what position to play before the game then just lets them get on with it. The freedom Aiden revelled in initially under TM is now holding him back as he wants to beat the whole team.

I could sort of understand the Brown for Naylor sub as we needed some drive but then Brown plays as a left back. Crazy. At times TM comes over as someone who bluffed his way into the job just seeing how long it is until he is found out.

I was pretty much resigned to losing the league before, as the referee's will make sure we won't get 2 wins against Rangers.

At this rate the refs won't need to do a thing.

The Battered Bunnet

Not in bed yet:-)

HH

Alex fergusson couldn't turn round this mess...I don't think he'd apply in any case..

Which makes me wonder/worry about what lies ahead. Who is going to come in?

If the loan signings were designed to fill parkhead again...then it doesn't look like it's going to work. Would sacking Tony buy the support back? i guess that depends on who we get in...John Hughes? JEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESus H Christ - give me a break!

Peter Lawwell has enough savvy to have given Tony ok to bring in loans and tuppence h'penny purchaeses..so when Tony walks the plank we're not left with any expensive players. Did we make a profit this window?

I hate to reiterate but the damage was done last January..so in my ideal world - Peter and Tony leave hand in hand...I wonder if Dermott thinking likewise..or if he's even interested enough to notice?

not that shocked to be honest.

I knew killie would be up for it tonight, after all the hype of last night and today about robbie keane etc they would be going out tonight as if it was a cup final.

plus the celtic team are completely unfamiliar with eachother, nguemo must think hes in the wrong club he goes away for a few weeks and comes back to a new squad. 4 of the starting players were signed this month, 2 yday! and 6 since the summer. the team hasnt geld together yet they were all over the place tonight.

Fergie said yesterday on skysports news he wakes up a better manager after a defeat the day before, TM will wake up tomorrow morning with a decent team to go and coach. This is like preseason with a new team.

celtic can only go up from here, because they can not get any worse.

it will be interesting and exciting the rest of the season, we will not fail this time round im sure of it. rangers dont have the team and will surely drop more than 10 points from now til the end of the season.

James Forrest

it is an 'if' but I doubt it is as big as you say.
Any manager in this league knows that the signing of a player such as Keane means 'Keane plays'. Having tied up Kamara and Rasmussen along with Fortune (and lets not forget about Giorgio), how could the manager ever guarantee that Keane would play til the end of the season? Certainly none of the other aforementioned players will be under any illusion that they are immune from the chop.

This club is failing on the pitch but more importantly, it is floundering off it. The crowd is shrinking and what's left is sucking on Werners. The legendary Celtic Park atmosphere is just that, legend. It does not take an accountant to know that revenues must be falling. How to counter that? To reverse fortunes on and off the park in fail swoop? A businessman would opt for the golden goose that is Keane. He'll reverse the trend off the park and (fingers crossed) inspire on the park. In fact, he's been parachuted into an ill-thought out team with no direction. On the park it has fallen flat. Our league hopes are hanging by the merest thread.
Tony Mowbray will pull that darn thread in the next 2 weeks.
We need someone in now who knows how to sew.

Knee-Jerk reaction from me, thankfully wasn't able to witness the game first-hand tonight.

Saddened, sickened and deflated. Tonight has set us further back than we were collectively before yesterday. Feel-good factor dissipated totally.

It strikes me now that we do have the right players but the wrong manager. Tony should but wont walk.

If we are to die the death of a thousand cuts lets go down fighting, bold moves required by the board now.

I've no idea who would want to take over the team.

The fact that we are being laughed at makes me angrier than I like to acknowledge.

A little question for the onion eaters...

What formation was that ??

He changed from 2 Central Defenders, 2 Central Midfielders, Everyone else on the wings ( choose between yourselves)

To

2 Central Defenders, 1 Central Midfielder, 1 Central Striker, Everyone else on the wings (choose between yourselves)

Bringing on Broon, instead of Morten, itself was a sacking offence.

Trying to score points against the press by making the dud captain is unforgiveable.

Untenable

Thank you Bourne

As much as it pains me to say so,Tony has done enough damage,he is a very decent man,I have no wish to see him villified further,yet,his action today,when he brought on Scott Brown,was utterly mystifying,and,IMO,confirmed what I had hoped,were unfounded fears,he is indeed,out of his depth.I have never seen any coach,at any level,when needing two goals to keep his season alive,decide to ignore two proven goalscorers,one of whom scored the winner as recently as our last match,and bring on a man who has not kicked a ball for at least three months.

By James Forrest on February 2, 2010 11:04 PM

Remember the bigger the "IF" the darker and wider the shadow it casts.
Stay out of the deep gloom, its dark enough.

Rioskorrie, you have very liberal minded in-laws if you can take your new girlfriend home to meet them over Sunday roast. Not many people would get away with that. My in-laws would kill me, so would my other half.

The Battered Bunnet

|^^^^^^^^^^^^^^| ||
|…Czech Beer ..........| ||'|";, ___.
|_..._..._______===|=||_|__|..., ] -
"(@)'(@)"""''"**|(@)(@)*****''(@)

HH

rt rev david hay (preaching pure football)Author Profile Page on February 2, 2010 11:01 PM,

Fair point, but do you think if we changed the manager now we could/would win the league?

If I genuinely believed that I would be supporting the call for him to go. I just don't believe that is the case. In my head the league is gone already and I want to see over the next 2/3 games evidence that we are going to mount a serious challenge for Champions' League play-offs/win next year's title.

If by some bizarre chance a drastic improvement was to come about and they started to drop points then all bets are off.

Árd Macha

By johnnyquest on February 2, 2010 11:17 PM

What bothers most about that kind of decision is that he makes a rod for others to beat his back with. If it works - genious. If it does not -fool.
Why take the chance?

During the day people were posting in different teams for tonights game.

I'll tell you this, I couldn't put a team down in paper that had any balance at all.

That was with every player fit and at our disposal. Go on, give it a try.

This is why good football managers like Stein, Ferguson, O'Neill et al have their Davie Hays, Edvalldsens, Neil Simpsons, Darren Fletchers, Neil Lennons etc. etc. AC Milan had Gattusso, Feyenoord had Wim Jansen.

It's called blend and balance. You don't just go out and pick the 11 best players in the street. That's schoolboy stuff.

I'm livid. Sick.

Can't possibly see how he can go having just brought in a bunch of players - guys he will have talked to about his plans commitment and vision. How can we expect any player to perform if the guy who employed him yesterday under a fanfare of trumpets is suddenly sacked?

For good or bad, I think he must stay till the end of the season and then we think about building again. Hopefully the core of a decent squad will remain in place but I suspect that all the loanees will be on their way.

It would make sense to me if the board used the next 4 months to quietly line up a committed replacement without going through another fiasco this summer.

We have the quality players, no denying that....it's the manager that's not got it...nothing is going to change from now on.Keep the faith??? i'm a positive person but a i know when something requires changing.If BTM can play a different way, quicker passing, more movemnet,midfield with drive and guts then fair enough but i've not seen any of that this season i can't see it happening.I'm not against BTM i just want the best for my team, celtic.

bandwagonesque

Credit to you mate

I was once in a pub full of the Boyne verminous tramps, alone against the lot of them, but the pub filled up with bhoys like yourself in sunglasses, click on the spanner to hear the jukebox, this blog is filling up with Tims. Negativeanon whatever, hate mail to Paul67, and acolytes of his who revel in slaggin the famous Glasgow Celtic, their days are numbered, the Celtic family will back the Celtic.

There is a lot of good Tims here now.

im just back in from the game and its minus 6 outside.

Tonight was supposed to be a moment of joyous bonding.

Infact as I collected my ticket outside from our usual source his exact words where "so where have all these glory hunters come from"

New faces on the terraces and on the pitch but the same old story.
No fight, no leadership and no tactics. Loovens and Naylor I never want to see you in hoops /bumblebee ever again. As for Ki could not fight sleep. We had no midfield or even the semblance of a plan tonight.

Sadly Anton mor is a nice man but he must be sacked now or an old head used to take him aside and say go now for all our sakes.

Willie mcstay with Danny mcgrain and Davie hay until the end of the season and reflect on who should lead us forward.

We will soon be third.

Under Anton mor we could go fourth we are that rudderless.

We have also seen a great opportunity to get bums on seats blown away by frankly inept managerial decisions.

I will say again with no malice Anton mor you are a nice man walk away now.

Hail Hail

We live to fight another day, no one has been hurt and life goes on.

Good night and God bless.

(I rather suspect I will not be the only one struggling to go to sleep and also will have a wife furious with my behaviour/language tonight).

Today was Groundhog Day and did it the feel like it. Lack of goal scoring, the most lightweight Celtic midfield in my 50 years of watching Celtic and a manager that does not show passion, encouragement our tactical nous. Same old Same old. Bill Murray would be better in the dugout than Tony.

Puxatawny Phil with mince CSC

bandwagonesque

How long of a dip in form must McGeady have before we drop him. Him and Jinky are worlds apart.

He isnt producing the goods plain and simple. Now I would love for him to show us what we know he has got but until that happens I dont think he is deserving of a place in the team.

Any thoughts on the positioning of the ref in the second half?

Every time we were pushing forward in the centre of the park, advancing in the opposition half, if we wanted to pass left to right the MIB was always in the way.

Happened quite a few times
Accident or design?

Also does anyone have any thoughts on the concept of "Differential Effort" when comparing a SPL team performance against us / the TFOD / the rest of the SPL?

I think there is but I can't think why?

Individual private / external bonuses on offer or do some players try harder against a particular team on the basis of personal conviction?

I have one point to make to those in the "beat them twice, they draw thrice" camp.

Ask yourself, with the door closed and no-one watching you, ask yourself in the mirror, "do I believe that this Celtic team can win all their games between now and the end of the season?"

Your reflection will tell you to stop being ridiculous.

Tactics, direction, leadership, formation. How many games do you need before you begin to get them right?

James, (ps. Did you get my earlier post regarding The Hurt Locker on the previous thread? lol, seems a looong time ago) in the case of the board saying enough is enough, what is the solution?

Mark Hughes, Yogi Hughes? Emlyn...

There seems no gain in bumping TM right now - I still stand by my reflection that those players had enough to beat Killie without any management intervention and they failed, miserably, to live up to their own biulling. They owe us and the management.

But the Broon over Ra-ra decision still rankles and puts him about one more bad one for being unforgivable, BUT he shouldn't have been in the position in the first place. Game should have ben won by then. Comfortably.

Still...

Lighter stuff, if you can call it that - just read 'The Road' by Cormac McCarthy then watched the movie. Tremendous, both. Grim, grim, grim, but full of, at times, wonderful humanity - a bit like our season.

15 to go. 13 wins and 2 draws (not against the Horribles) and the league's ours. If there's a God...

why after 5 months do we not have a Captain (Loovens come on )

BTM is taking us backwards we are now glasgow hibs

madmitch,
Aye, the ref had a good game tonight.

It Celtic's positioning I'd bring in to question.

Bobby Lennox:

Thank you my friend for those very nice comments.

It's doable. Of course it is. This Rangers team has not become any better, as I argued with their emissary earlier today. They will still drop points, as predicted.

I am losing faith in our manager. Rapidly. What I saw tonight worried me to a degree I've not seen since midway through Gordon's third season, when things people had been saying for months - and I had been steadfastly not failing to see but IGNORING - started to break through my complete snow-blindness to one appalling truth; we were not going to win the title playing as we were.

Then Tommy Burns died. The whole of our club deflated, we gained a sense of perspective .... and the pressure seemed to lift as we all realised that losing a few football games was not the end of the world as we know it. I think that lifting of pressure helped us, or maybe it was just that Tommy's spirit shone through and raised us up to carry us home. I like that idea.

Come the following season, all those flaws were back ... in technicolour, and they were impossible to ignore. I prayed the board would strengthen the managers hand, as clearly we would not win the title with what he had to work with. Wilo Flood was, I thought, the proof of their lack of ambition.

Let me tell you, I have revised that view this week, for two very important reasons. First, Gordon's acquisition of half of our playing squad. He fundamentally lacks imagination. I can well believe he thought Wilo Flood would be enough to get the job done. Secondly, the way we pushed out the boat and brought in these calibre players. Tony has been supported. I now have no real reason to believe Gordon would have been denied support.

Yep, that's a full-scale about face.

Let me be even more frank. I had my end-of-transfer-window article written already, or at least planned. I had it planned all the way up to the middle of last week, when we signed Rasmussen. It was going to read slightly less forceful than Osama Bin Laden's Declaration of Jihad Against The United States. I even scoured that document for inspiration .... I kid you not. I had it researched, I had it footnoted for anyone who wanted the info, all the way back to a meeting in the Ukraine. My anger with our board has never been higher, coming as it did in the week we all heard we had entered into a grubby deal with Tennants.

My questions were all answered on Monday morning, when we so swiftly secured the signings of Kamara and Braafheid. The Keane signing put me on Cloud 9, as it did everyone else.

Tonight I am starting afresh, and from the premise that we might as well send Robbie Keane home right now. The job he was brought here to do is now utterly beyond his abilities. We are relying on scraps, on favours from others, on a miracle, in a league where 75% of the other managers would gladly see us dead and gone.

If that's not dawned on some of you, by the way, it has now.

I think we need to examine where we are. This isn't a failure of ambition anymore, but a failure of ability. I asked for signs of life in the boardroom, and we got them. Unfortunately there are no clear signs that Tony Mowbray has it in him for this fight.

"We'll just take it on the chin ....." Again. Again. Again.

I have had time to compose my thoughts. I am perfectly calm, and thinking surprisingly clearly for a night like this. I am no longer angry, just frustrated and very concerned.

The writing is on the wall. I think he should probably go. I don't want to see him sacked, because that would be an appalling end to a love affair with our club that goes back years. He would probably never recover professionally.

Reluctantly, I would agree with the verdict if he was.

I hate writing all this. I am just sickened for the guy, who we all admire and respect as a man, but the writing is on the wall and the firestorm which is about to engulf him, in the press, in the stands, the pressure on him for the cup game .... he won't survive. I really don't think he can. He's in over his head.

vale bhoy....

Yeah...just taken from the BBC

Kojo on February 2, 2010 10:54 PM

wise words

it's not going to happen overnight but tony needs to remember that a team needs solid foundations, a spine.
forget playing 3-4 forwards.
get a balanced midfield, n'guemo, brown, ki at least, maybe crosas too
then add rasmussen and keane/kamara/fortune

keep it simple tony or bye bye

SPL till end of month, Hibs currently 2 behind Celtic now with game in hand

Celtic

Hearts h) 10/2
Aberdeen a) 13/2
Dundee U h) 20/2
Orcs a) 28/2

Hibs

Aberdeen h) 10/2
Orcs a) 14/2
St Johnstone a) 17/2 (GAME IN HAND OVER CELTIC)
M'Well a) 20/2
St J h) 27/2

Will we be third by the end of the month?

madmitch

tumilty is no MIB - lets say clergy in the family...

EVERYBODY wanted Robbie so stop the nonsense Bhoys. Broonie took the captains armband because i think he IS the new captain. Tony got it wrong tonight,very wrong and he knows it,my own feeling is that he will not last much longer. When it comes to Aiden he really does need to rest but it could also be that he is getting fed up. The laddie has been at Celtic since he was a pup and it could be that all these new faces are unsettling him, don't forget he was on fire just a few games ago. Tony needs the season out but i'm afraid he might not get feb. out.

Oh well
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHPOzQzk9Qo

This is as much a Hibs conspiracy as it is a MIB conspiracy.
Don't use excuses to cover up the weakness.

Tin hat on - Loovens has had some howlers in the past but exactly what (other than wear the armband) did he do wrong tonight?

Easy target.

The goal we lost was due to poor defending by Ki who just stood and watched the guy shoot.

The midfield of Ki/N'Guemo and McGeady were a complete let down. I have no idea where Kamara was playing.

Sandman

I started to type a long winded reply but stopped. Cannae be bothered it's pointless.

13 wins? not a snowballs chance in hell if Tony persists with his current game plan (that is assuming he has one). I admire your faith but I see nothing in Mowbray that suggests his team will go forth and conquer. we're now easy pickings for any team we play against.

malceye @ 11.23 - Your reflection will, most likely, give you a slap.

Is it time for him to go? Could well be. Why? Well, he is a 'bottler'

Bottled it on black sunday
Bottled it in the premiership
Bottling it right now.

I actually thought that he had grown a set last month with the fall-out with the press and the cull of the squad but wrong. Still a bottler.

As for the game itself I dont really feel qualified to comment as we were three rows from the front and all we could see were legs running around. Keano picked the ball up just over the half way line and we were shouting SHOOT SHOOT as it looked 12 yards out FFS...

Let Me make one thing clear..

Ah.. know.. Knowing my rep.

That is Asking a Loat!

Anyhow..

Once again..

Let me mak One thing Clear..

I AM NOT DEMANDING THE HEAD OF Mr. Mowbray!

Ah am determinedly resolved tae

Retaining the Services of Our Present Manager!

We must steel oorsels..and get

BEHIND HIM!

He is the Only Hope that we hiv.. in turning this thing arooon!

Naeboady else, kin!

So..

I say...

Everyboady, get Behind Mr. Mowbray..,

Hey..

Look at me!

I hiv jist CLIMBED oaf o' His Back!

Yes.. Guys...

He is oor Manager...

and we must let him finish whit he his Started.

The End of the Season is the PROPER Time fur.
eethur.... Recriminations or Laudations.

Circumstances.. Do Change!

Keep that in Mind!

Meanwhile, I shall continue to monitor and report
how I believe Mr.Mowbray is Progressing..

Those Reports should be viewed as only opinions
that I have newly formed, during that Particular game..ONLY!!!!

I remind all ye, fellows..

That ..

All Opinions osn Anything... are Transient..

and subject to change.

They are all subject to the over riding circumstances
that is extant at the time ..when..well.. they are Formed.

Look-- we ur doon at the mooth , after Tonight's
little Fiasco..

Howeveahhhh...

Mebbe, after the Next Game..

We may be Praising our Waffling Warriors to the Sky!

Fur Awe o' Us have chosen tae Live the Life..
o' a Celtic Fan..

and Naeboady hiz said that everything wid ayeways be
Cosy and Rosy,if ye chose tae follow that Life!

Ye must .. be able tae take the Heat..if he want
tae Stey in the Kitchen!

Maks sense tae Me!

Kojo.

Well there goes the 3pts we had in reserve to win this league.

Now we MUST win every single fixture from now till the end of the season.

My faith in Tony Mowbary fell somewhat tonight.

Scott Brown for Lee Naylor?????????

Why not drop Keane to mid-field and bring on Ra Ra up front with Fortune.

Was Naylor injured? Even then why put Brown at left back.

Tony that has to be the most stupid decision I have ever witnessed in my life from a football manager at any level whatsoever and I many any level from under 5 up to pro.

Unbelievable!

Desperado!

45 points Celtic. No less is acceptable for me.

I amdangling on the fence as to whether TM should be sacked. I was one of the first to back him but that tonight was a decision beyond stupidity.

MWD

Time for Tony to go.

JF says so.

The fact that the results have been p1sh all season is just an irrelevance.

I enjoyed your posts at first and the way they were well written, as many people stated but you're now beginning to believe your own hype.

You are now becoming a bore.

You are not the voice of Celtic fans but one who likes the sound of his own voice.

I could go on but I won't. It's not my blog.

Che's1

twittifeckinwoo

gutted

i will be there on sunday

i will also be still be there
after this manager is gone

im away for some confort eating
as the chinese has arrived

tbo

the barber of samaras

kevin kyle made loovens look like the donkey he is.

we have not had a less worthy captain in many a year.

For the life of me i can't fathom why loovens gets a game

I suppose he is better than naylor who is a complete disgrace.

Hail Hail

Lets put our thinking hats on folks and lets's debate!!

I put this on the last thread by mistake... here goes an i mad??

Who signed Christian Daley from Derby for more than everyone knew he was worth? And many others besides.

Who has managed WHU (financial difficulties), Southampton (financial difficulties) and Portsmouth (financial difficulties)?

Who was accused of and sacked for paying more to agents than the rest of the EPL clubs put together.

Who has been investigated by the fraud office and is under suspicion from the inland revenue?

Who broke the news of the keane deal to SSN and was on the phone to Jim white within minutes?

Who could buy and sell the SSM without the SSM even knowing it?

Who has lined his pockets by saying well those irish bhoys love celtic?

Who has lined their pockets by saying I'm a lifelong liverpool oh shit celtic fan.

Anyone starting to feel violated?

Who wishes we were back three years ago complaining about how strachan had not been attacking enough at home against milan and we had only managed a 0 - 0 at parkhead (we'd be happy with that now against kilmarnock)

Who's happy that you season ticket money has been bunged in someones back pocket without any improvement in results?

Time to wake up celtic fans!!

There are people out there more clever than you using the irish thing to fleece you!!

malceye on February 2, 2010 11:23 PM

I agree compltely with your sentiments...the trouble is - the reflections of those who belive we can win..willprobably still tell them to 'keep the faith'...

Like you I don't really understand what it is that makes these fans believe it can happen. I sometimes think they are just stupid and have been conditioned through their experience to be brainwashed in to this never failing dogma...but most of them are too articulate to be so stupid.

So... I'm left wondering what is it they have seen that I haven't that allows them to honestly believe the situation is retrievable?

Can someone let me share in this vision..what has happened underneath my nose at Celtic or Rangers that leads some people to believe we are about to on an unbeaten run and that the Huns are about to loose 4 games?

Enough is enough. If Tony Mowbray has the gumption to stay the LEAST he should do is bring Neil Lennon into a LEADING role with the first team. Its embarassing to think that he has yet to come out and say his team didnt merit the shirt.

I think we will hear the phrase 'by mutual consent' sometime next week.

Hi W G S You want Crosas and Egwemo in the team? Have you no been watchin them 2 on the park or are you like me and canny see them. They could could give John Clark (bowin ma head) a break as kit men. Crosas you cant see on the park and the other wan he's that bad you cant take yours eyes off him. The Grouse is kickin now and listening to the Rolling Stones on Deezer to cheer me up.

John Coatbridge.

Just back from the game tonight, a lot of very unhappy supporters tonight leaving the ground.
Haven't read through the blog but Paul67 you are correct , we are being laughed at,i dont know where we go from here. I said after the hibs game TM days were numbered, the board backed him but patience is running out amongst the support now.

malceye

Then he must just be poor at his job.
He / we went through a phase in the second half when he always seemed to be in the way.

I thought he was over theatrical in his dealings with the players.
Also he seemed to let a lot of "energetic" tackles pass without comment. Most were to the benefit of the opposition but he let a couple of ours go as well.

Regarding LNG's booking, it was good to see GL so animated as well as other fighting our corner. The ref let two heavy challenges on LNG go before LNG took the law into his own hands.

We are asking too much of LNG.
BTM made a point by giving GL the captaincy.
I think he wanted to cool down the RK hysteria.
Also I think SB is his "long term" captain, so when he is on the park he would get the armband no matter how we started.
The irony of such planning does not escape me at the moment.

the barber of samaras,

Re-Kamara,

Judging by his performance, I don't think he did either.

madmitch 11.23

That is a load of drivel.

We have nobody to blame but ourselves.

patnevinspen

why wait till next week, what's wrong with tomorrow?

Kojo @ 11.32 Agree whole heartedly get behind our manager and see this season out. What will be will be ,

James Forrest

James I do not think he will survive the week.
I posted to you a couple of nights ago.How many games have we played and how many have we won?
There is no chance this team can go on a winning run of 10 games.

We now need to move forward and make sure we get it right with the next manager.
Bob.

The same lines we are hearing now from Tonyabout team building and judge me in a year are the same ones trotted out by John Barnes before he was sacked 6 months into the job when it became clear things were going horribly wrong.

We are approaching that situation now. Lose at Dunfermline on Sunday and he is gone.

And dont give me any of this guff about the board backing him. We were net sellers during the transfer window even factoring in RK's wages.

The board have landed us in this position by appointing a poor manager in the first place.

I kinda get the feeling people who are defending TM on here are doing so in the hope that after one good or maybe two good performances they can come on and say "where are all the Tony knockers now" and if he turns it round you can say, "see always said he was a good manager". I say that because anyone who knows anything and I mean anything about football can see from that performance, shape, tactics tonight that he has clearly not got a clue. I am prepared to be shot down in flames by some but at least the facts back me up, they done back up any other theory.

Now first things first he was dealt an unfortunate hand tonight in having to make two unnecessary substitutions through injury and maybe he might have been able to make other changes that might have changed the course of the match however good managers deal with situations like that. Why did he continue to play to the end with 4-4-2? What did he see in the first 80 minutes that made him think no, no if we keep plugging away with this it will come?

I am prepared to excuse Keane and Kamara as it was their first outing in a Celtic jersey however only Fortune in the 2nd half would get pass marks from me tonight. Ki was simply pathetic, unless the ball is at his feet he's not interested as shown by his lack of reaction at the goal, can you imagine Lee McCulloch or Steven Davis doing the same thing?

Rangers have players who are prepared to step up to the plate when the chips are down, we dont we have players who make the wrong decisions, overplay the ball (because they are told to), run into blind alleys, play the same poor and predictable balls into the box (because they are told to) and who have no appetite for a fight.

TM wont get the sack not because he is deserving of a stay of execution but because there is no one else we can simply go and pick off a shelf. He has single handedly wrecked every proud record we had in recent years because he refuses to accept what he is doing is not the correct horse for that particular course he is on. I want to believe in him I really do but I am afraid the facts dont stack up to let me, there's no chink of light, there's no positives, its just the same thing match after match after match.

This League is gone now barring a miracle and the fans are back where they were before 5.00pm yesterday, the plaudits received today are consigned to the buckets and we are effectively 3rd in the League at this stage of the Season for the first time in how many years? For me this is the worst Celtic team in 17 years and there is no excuse for it.

Although Loovens has been gash all season, he wasn't tonight, he did fine. He misplaced a couple of passes but otherwise did fine. When he had to, he attacked the ball well. He stood off Kyle a lot but he is a massive man and Loovens had obviusly decided that, rather than commit himself, he would allow Kyle to knock the ball back the way - it was the midfield's total inability to read this and challenge for the 2nd ball that was the problem.

That said, there is no way that Loovens should be starting a game, far less being captain of a great club. By the same token, nor should Scott Brown - in his time with Celtic, he has shown nothing to suggest he is captain material. He neither inspires by his performance or his demeanour on or off the pitch. Joss for me.

I have a different view of BTM.

I think his role at the club might be that of Gerneral Manager or Director of Football.

I think that his vision for the team is actually not far away ,however his motivational skills are not the best and his decision making in the trenches scare the hell out of me.

He drops the best players - Crosas.

Doesn't reward getting the job done - Zaluska / Rassmussen.

He plays players out of position.

However he wants to play the right way.

I also like the squad he has assembled but I fear that he will not get the squad to deliver. He is certainly missing an enforcer but that apart the thought process is OK.

Seville67

dont think theres anybody on here
who dident want tony to win tonight,
but he lost.
so what do we do now,limp on until
the end of season,with a man who looks
finished,or do we make that big decision.
myself i dont now

By bandwagonesque on February 2, 2010 11:10 PM

After every game we give the result a meaning. The meaning given to a result after one game is of course meaningless but over 4 games the brief flicker of hope that was lit against St Johnstone has been extinguished.

It is simple: we need to start winning games and if that means playing ugly and making US difficult to beat and US nicking the vital goal as opposed to missing more chances in a game than some teams make in a season, then that is what we must do. Toughen up and tighten up. GS understood that but got stuck in it as a way of being rather than a way of improving.

Results breed confidence and we have about three weeks to build enough confidence before we face Rangers at Ibrox. I want to see a midfield flooded with players with only 1 up front.

Unless TM takes some tough decisions about the shape of his team over the next three matches we will be lucky to enter Ibrox only 10 points adrift.

He needs to sit down with his squad, explain what he intends to do over those weeks, who he will use and why. If there is any good to come out of tonight it will be to change everyone's ideas of what we are up against and how we need to beat the other teams rather than deride or disrespect them.

Just in from pub, haven't read back, some green-tinted positivism might change this Guinness-marinated reaction, but:

That was utterly ridiculous. We've signed new players in problem positions, and stuck them in a team with more problems that just positions. I'll accept that two subs were lost to injuries, but you have one game-changer left. The game was crying out for midfield back up. You have a right-sided attacking midfielder playing utter mince for the umpteenth game in a row. You have an attacking right-sided midfielder coming on. WHY ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH DO YOU PLAY HIM AT LEFT BACK* AND LET HIM STEAL TEAM THUNDER BY GAZUMPING THE CAPTAIN** FOR THE ARMBAND?

It's things like that that make me remember all the reservations I was keeping in check when the new broom was sweeping out the memories of a team that couldn't beat Falkirk at home.

I have faith in the new players. But when they are stuck into that team? Jury's out (and I bet there's only a minority trying to sway the verdict).

* it's not like Naylor was having a Naylor or anything? I thought Diomansy (looks like a good replacement for Zheng, fwiw) was letting Naylor have the escape route that he needed to stop him trying hail mary crosses into the far right of the stand! Best game I've seen Nayls in for a while (wasn't at Cappielow)

** Glenda's 50th game, nice touch with the armband when we all thought Keano had it for sure

Che's 1:

Frustrated tonight? Course you are, like the rest of us.

Am I to deduce from your post - the part of it that's not a personal attack on me - that you don't think the manager should remain? If so, we're not far apart in terms of where we stand. I am worried that the time has come to make a tough decision.

As to the rest of your post, I'm afraid it's nonsense. This is an open forum, where people can come on and vent, and state their views, and get things out there. I don't know what "hype" you refer to, and at no time - NONE - have I ever believed myself to be anyone more or less important, with more or less important views, than anyone else on this blog or elsewhere.

If I articulate my views well, so be it. But Hell, I'm an unemployed former social care worker, so believe me, there are NO delusions of granduer here my friend. I am an opinionated SOB, that's a certainty, but I don't kid myself on about how others see me. If I entertain some, I'm glad. If I peeve off others ... I'm not unhappy with that, as it's often the point.

But I know how far my influence reaches. About the same length as is between my fingers and the keyboard when I type.

We're still on the same side, by the way. No offence taken.

This league is now on the very outer edge of being winnable. Rangers WILL drop points and lose games - their squad is thin and weak. The team who wins the SPL usually loses between three and six matches a season and draws a similar number. We have lost five and drawn five so far this season. Only if we win every single game can it be done and on the evidence to date this is highly unlikely. The Keane 'effect' has been lost and its time to plan for 2010/11 - with a new manager.

Vale boy 23:18,

..meant to say "...her prospective in-laws...." but I guess you already knew that.
:-P

Oddly enough, tonight, my mind slipped back to something I said about two weeks prior to WGS leaving. "....fair enough if he goes, he goes but would his replacement (assuming we can get find one) fare any better..."

Still Keeping the (Sorely Tested) Faith

theyhaveneverwonitandneverwill

I do not think this is the poorest celtic side in 17 years, but it is possibly the poorest organised Celtic side.

I reckon a half decent manager could get our side into shape given a chance.

For anyone in any doubt whatsoever about the direction our club is taking, take a long hard look at the table from the end of last season below

1 Rangers 38 26 8 4 77 28 +49 86
2 Celtic 38 24 10 4 80 33 +47 82
3 Hearts 38 16 11 11 40 37 + 3 59

Gordon Strachan may have lost the league but by 4 points (two of those were only dropped on the last day of the season) and with a goal deficit of 2.

Third placed hearts were 23 points and 44 goals behind us...

I know that there are 15 games to go, but nothing I have seen so far makes me believe that we will turn this around.

I hope that I am very wrong.

The record of the manager is appalling. His tactics and substituitions have been baffling far too many times this season. The league is gone this year, however, probably no point in sacking him now.

The people who appointed him have to accept they made a massive mistake and start planning now to sort it out in the summer.

Hibs being ahead of us if they win their game in hand says it all.

Auldheid

What tough decisions do you think TM needs to take about his team?

Why has it taken him six months to face those decisions?

Has he not shifted the centre backs that were causing all the grief, according to some?

Same thing happening is it, or maybe getting worse.

HH

the comments all look the same...

we are celtic fans, other fans at bigger clubs look up to us, we have set an example to world football as to how to support your club.

can we not even back our manager through a hard period?

look at liverpool fans, rafa is havin a horrid season down ther and those fans are still behind their manager.

celtic fans have become inpaitent.

strachen won the league when he was in a worse position with a worse team. im sure TM can do it with a better team and more time to do it in.

give the guy a chance.

As we spiral out of control, the only way we can prevent Hibs from taking 2nd place in the SPL is to remove their manager and ours.

We could also kill 2 birds with 1 stone in doing it.

Oh my God ........

Well, there you go, I never even looked at the position of Hibs in relation to us in the league table.

If they win their game in hand, they're second. It's true, and it's not dependant on us slipping up further.

Third after 23 SPL games. It's just not on, is it?

I think that's made the decision for us, frankly.

I cannot believe I never realised that. That's how much attention I have been paying to the rest of the league. We are sinking without a trace, and there's no excuse which will wash.

oceallaigh

Away back to your ivory tower.
Self loathing will only get you so far.

hinki1888

the other managers proved they could put a side out which could win a number of games on a winning streak and come through crunch games as winners.

Mowbrays has failed in both points.

Nice bloke but it's been a failed experiment.

Not surprisingly lots of angst on the blog. When the final whistle went I texted my friends “I am past caring” – normally I am vociferous but…………

Anyhow, I am maintaining my artificial state of emotional comatose and its allowed me to look at things dispassionately. Here are my thoughts, don’t care if your not interested :-) ………..

Stop overstating the Brown and the left back thing…….it wasn’t such a big deal or made an appreciable difference to the result. He didn’t play him at left back he played him left midfield or wingback whatever the f…..the point is its not the main issue!

The bigger picture which I don’t believe has been pinpointed is there is no emerging shape or style of play in TM’s team since he came. If you accept the road is rocky on the way, (which I am prepared to accept for the longer term) you can also expect that emerging is a style, a philosophy trying to break through eg, one touch, sharp movement, quick ball or perhaps a long ball, direct approach, wattenacio anyone?..…maybe an approach based on a dogged defence and quick break……. whatever your preference……the point is you can see what they are trying to do…its not rocket science.

MON and WGS had an approach, a philosophy, whatever you want to call it, like it or not, you seen it emerge and reflect their personality and their vision.

I thought, if TM could explain what this is and what he is trying to achieve, I will buy into it, I will give him time; But then I thought he will only be ridiculed by the media, therefore its up to me to see the signs. And that’s where I struggle!

Can anyone see anything emerging from this? Has anyone seen the green shoots of recovery?

Can you deduce from the type of player we are buying the grand vision? Can you see a shape and style emerging?

WGS team played better football and achieved more with, I believe poorer players in the first year of his tenure.

That’s where my faith is starting to weaken.!

emdy no a good divorce lawyer...?

if Mrs BT tells me it's only a game and that their keeper and defence played well one more time...

I am sick and tired of this....

I have said all year that we lack a winner....

on and off the park......

pig sick.........

they are mince yet we trail them by 10 points....

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh

On Saturday we had our 1st clean sheet in the league in 2010. So the defence is changed .

Rasmussen came on and won the game, so the team is changed to accommodate two new LOAN signings.

Aiden McGeady needed a rest, despite that he was picked tonight and kept on when he was the most obvious candidate for substitution except to our manager.

I wasn't convinced Tony Mowbray was the best man for the job when he was appointed but I have tried to remain positive, I convinced myself it wasn't his fault , it was the board's or the players or even Gordon Strachan's. He was unlucky, it was the ref's.

Tonight the ref was fine, he gave a foul to us every time Kyle made a challenge, ones we would have moaned if he'd given against us. McGeady and Nguemo both got deserved yellow cards. We didn't have a penalty turned down or an offside decision against us.

We were outplayed by Kilmarnock, the tactical geniuses that are the 2 Jimmies outsmarted our expensively assembled management team.

How long do we give it before we take the decision ? I read nonsense here about how Tony is a man of integrity , a man who's team lay down to hand Rangers the title on Black Sunday ? No one mentions integrity when they talk about Ferguson or Mourinho, but they are winners, that's what we need in the dugout not a nice big guy.

Time for Paul Lambert to get a phone call asking him to come home, make Lennon his assistant and let's get some fire in our bellies and get our title back.

Auldheid

it just ain't gonna happen.
His track record tells you so.
At WBA, he was constantly advised to change the way they played, to survive in the EPL. The call was unanimous. What did he do? He stuck to his guns and the rest is history.
TM will not change his game plan or tactics (whatever these might be) and at the moment, Hibs are a better bet to finish third than we are to overhaul the 10 point deficit.

My uncle was found dead in his flat this morning, a life long Celtic fan. I was really looking forward to the game tonight and to see us give that shower a doing.

I'm annoyed as anyone with the result tonight but there are greater things to worry about.

Suaimhneas síoraí go raibh aige.

Oiche mhaith

Árd Macha

''theyhaveneverwonitandneverwill
anyone who knows anything and I mean anything about football can see from that performance, shape, tactics tonight that he has clearly not got a clue.''

anyone who knows anything about football doesn't
- play two players lacking in fitness (hoiveld , kamara)
- sign 2 guys who are unfit ( hoiveld, braafheid)
- fail to practice set pieces
- play right sided midfielder at left back
- let a guy who has been out for 4 months take the armband off another guy who is still in the pitch.

As Bhoyfromcults implied earlier, this is basic level 1 boys club coaching badge stuff.

You are watching the last throws of the dice, and its our club he is playing with.

Played 23 games:
Home - won6 drawn 4 lost1
Away - won7 drawn 1 lost4

Giving us 44 points from a possible 69.

out of 23 games we have lost 5 and drawn 5

Nuff said?

A truly bizarre couple of days. Robbie Keane signs(admittedly only on lone)Same day as others including a Dutch bloke from Munich that Van Gaal says is an excellent defender just been unlucky at Bayern.Then before the match I was sure the BBC news reporter in Afghanistan was a bloke. Turns out her names Caroline Wyatt and she's a transsexual.Fair play to her but it did make me laugh.
Then a Celtic team with so many players who hadn't played together before. We seem to have tens of thousands of talented players. Seems such a pity that we might not get the best out of them under TM.

I don't know why we have so many players. WGS liked signing thousands of midfielders but this seems even stranger
John Hughes and Paul Lambert are doing well at the moment.

hinki1888

Oh for a boring, well organised, winning strachan team. What can you see from mowbray that suggests he has any idea of how to manage players, manage adversity, manage conflict or manage tactics.

I did of course mean "finish second"

I flip flop far too much on this for my own liking but I cannot go on watching this. It is losing me sleep and causing me great angst that I never felt in the 90's (other than closure threats).

We now have a manager with the worst record in living memory and certainly since the turn of the century. We can argue that we were spoiled but we now have nothing to look forward to apart from a possible Cup final and that is it.

I believe firmly that the other mob will drop points but I also believe firmly that we cannot trust this manager to gel a team that will win every game from a position of financial dominance over the whole country. That is shocking and that is damning.

Tony Mowbray gutted that dressing room and I was of the opinion that it was a necessary evil and most people are not sad to see those players leave who left. He has consistently been found wanting in many if not most matches this season. When we exited 3 cups by November and blew a 4 point lead, the warning signs were on the wall and no one heeded them.

The board should have bit the bullet before then, sacked him and got someone else. I cannot believe that people still defend this man. From Celtic park to Tel Aviv, from Dundee to Falkirk we toiled and failed. Many have used the excuses of the referee, the heat, the players not doing their bit for the manager - all true to some extent BUT there comes a time when you have to say enough is enough.

Tony Mowbray has destroyed our home record at home and in Europe.
He has made substitutions more baffling than his predecessor ever did which have resulted in 4 Wingers being on the park.
He has a worse record than Barnes who was sacked for a similar record ( I fear for Sunday and it will be the first game I will miss in years - personal reasons).
He cannot organise a team with any shape.
He cannot inspire team spirit
He cannot beat the journeymen of the SPL who outmanouever us at every turn.
He has no tactical nouse whatsoever that I can see.
He is uninspiring and cuts a negative picture for supporters who want managers to show passion as our previous 2 did and even Barnes showed more on that touchline.

We are now looking into the Abyss of a 3rd placed finish having spent a fortune compared with the rest. - UNACCEPTABLE

We are THROWING A TREBLE AT RANGERS - UNACCEPTABLE

We are giving them the financial foundations to recover - UNACCEPTABLE

We are taking it on the chin every week - UNACCEPTABLE

We are hearing the same pre and post match soundbites - UNACCEPTABLE

We are allowing our hatred of the media to see the wood from the trees - YES they want to twist the knife but Keevins and co do not play and buy strikers who run to the corner flags and do not go into the box.

He signs a big Dane who stays in the box and then drops him? Form? Momentum?

He finds a good partnership in midfield that corresponds with our best run of results in the season - dropped! Why?

He finds a back four that keeps our first clean sheet in the league since Aberdeen - Changed - Why?

He plays a midfield of 5 ft-ers who get knocked off the ball while 2 wingers run up blind alleys, lose possession and let the opposition break on us every week - WHY?

Was it any coincidence that we got our best run with Crosas, NGuemo and Robson in the team?

I could go on all night but this is point blank UNACCEPTABLE.

He is the poorest manager since Barnes and has more resources than the rest of the league arguably and certainly more than Kilmarnock, Falkirk and Hibs.

He must go. No more flip floping and buying into the impossible dream - go now.

My dear,dear,dear,dear,friend... When Bobby Murdoch is fit..

I am glad to find that you and I are in Lock Step,in
what I have proposed.

That makes..well..

Two of Us.

Bettah than Wan?

Ya Bettcha..!

Och.. Ah used tae be a Prisoner of MA..AIN Emotions, until Ah foond oot.. the The Door tae Ma Cell.. wisnae Loaked!

So anytime, Ah Ah awe worried and Despondent with wit Ma Emotions are Telling Me..

Ah simply.. Open the door.. and walk oot.. a Free Man!

And...

Fuggettaboootit!

Hey!

Whowever, said..

"Apples Wull Grow Again.. Sure, Knew His Onions!"

( Whit!...ed)( Ah know...that disnae sound quite right.. but, it is the Best that Ah kin come up wi',at sucg Shoart Notice!)

Kojo.
yer pal.. who likes ye , already.

I take it that's wee factor nil Jimmy booked his place at the S P L championship party at Ibrox after that result tonight. Did you see that dugout tonight? I think they are all joined at the apron!!

John Coatbridge

James Forrest

Kamara had a better game than Keane.

Robbie Keane was trumpeted like the second coming yesterday.

He is a good player, but what a ton to dump on a man's shoulders.

There was a couple of good articles on Mowbray posted a couple of weeks back on here, I wish I had stolen the links, so I could post them and remind us of his value.

Mowbray is the man, have no doubt, if Celtic lose him, then who?

Paul Lambert, they are having a laugh, the fella and his auntie, Coyle or Martinez, no. Just no.

Criticising Mowbray, thats easy, I could do it, you play the form players, the hungry players, Rasmussen on the bench? I could go on.

But then Tony knows more about the squad than we do.

And Brown never came on to play left back like everybody seems to think, he came on to add aggression to the left side, an aggression in the play we were sadly lacking, for now, that is.

The season is not over, not while I got a breath in my body and Celtic to support.

Not by a long shot.

Hail Hail

Oh by the way, order a chinese, Microwave burgers?

syllawhowasmince on February 2, 2010 11:26 PM

"it's not going to happen overnight but tony needs to remember that a team needs solid foundations, a spine.
forget playing 3-4 forwards.
get a balanced midfield, n'guemo, brown, ki at least, maybe crosas too"

long time lurker here and I have to agree 1000% here, our midfield has been dreadful for the last two years, for SPL football you need steel as well as flair, it seems we are way far light in midfield, not strong enough to defend and not good enough to support our attack

Paul67,
"The manager has lots to think about tonight, not least of all whether he has any more tools in his locker to arrest the rapid decline in Celtic's fortunes."

The biggest tool at Celtic is TM....take it and walk.

What is it with Keanes and debuts?

That was bad tonight, but not as bad as Broadwood.

We can still win the league. The huns will drop points. These players will gel and come on to a roll of form.

TAL.

QF

WE lack winners...........

have said it all season, myself and PF(not a divorce lawyer btw) have moaned about the management team...

somebody told me the TB won a cup with Celtic...aye....

did Fergie not show us last night what a winner was...every time I get beat I become a better manager because it hurts..(not vb) but the gist is there...

PjDali,

You might be right there, it may just be that but until we see more of these players, Hooveld, Kamara, Ki, others and even Keane we cant be sure that its just the organisation.

Quality as well as tactics and organisation done us again tonight, quality of passing, quality of decision making, quality of shooting, quality of awareness and lastly quality of nerve to not do the predictable. Martin O'Neil played the best part of his 5 years at CP playing 3-5-2, largely because he had the personnel to do it, we should be able to do that 34 games of the year in our League without fear, he cant even do it when we are 10 minutes away from defeat against a Team that have not beaten us for 9 years.

That's one "we can still win the league, the huns will drop points" too far for me.

Goodnight.

for those who believe Mowbray will turn it around, what have you seen in the last two seasons to suggest that Rangers will collapse and what have you seen to suggest Mowbrays team is showing signs of potential?

Did you think that sacking Barnes was a knee-jerk reaction and should have been given time?

How low in the table do we fall before action is taken?

Mark Hughes or Paul Lambert for me.

Bobby Lennox can beat them:

Mate, you're asking me to take it on the chin. Big Tony has done the same tonight, but let's not mess about here. I can just about take being ten points behind the Huns .... just about, but in a transitional year that's something we might just have had to live with. They, after all, are a settled squad.

But tell me, honestly, if someone had told you at the start of the season that come February - 23 games into the season - that we would be on the verge of being THIRD, behind Hibs .....

..... let's face it, it's just unacceptable. No matter how lacking in quality to win this title, we have enough to be out of sight of the third placed team.

Right now, but for a quirk in the fixtures, we ARE the third placed team. I just can't defend that, I'm sorry to say.

jude2005

I hate comments like that. As a 15 year old i was called a dirty orange B________ when i played against celtic boys club. It really made an impact and since then i've always hated cheap bigoted comments made by celtic fans against players/officials celebrating success aginst us.

I think it shameful - but then that's just me.

Just back,really dis-appointing,this was a must win game to maintain the feel good factor instead it has been removed by a Kilmarnock team no better than workmanlike.
Irrespective of the newness of our players they seemed to lack organisation and were over run in mid field.

Someone mentioned the Centre backs,well sorry but I do not see any of tonights pairings any better than those departed.

BED...........SICK.

goodnight all........

Just hope some harsh decisions are made at paradise tomorrow and we move on from the Mowbray experiment.....dire season so far and we all expected so much more.

Cau for now.

Going to bed and still mad and ranting.

Sick of everybody.

In order - McGeady, McGeady (I'm twice as sick of him as everyone else),

Mowbray, his assistant whoever the hell he is, every fairy in the midfield,

Loovens for missing a snip, Naylor for being hopeless,

Artur for nae having any pride in himself, the Mallorca centre half because he wouldn't come to us and

James Forrest for corresponding with a hun for half the day.

I am not joking, I am boiling.

Árd Macha, God bless and RIP your uncle.

QF

did i let them away with that,?

we know what we are, same as young maguire tonight

rise above it...

BT

James

it wasn't an attack on your character as I get the feeling from your posts you as passionate as you write. I was just stating that oer the last few days you have been very vocal on many sites and your opinions carry much weight but people on here and elsewhere have stated for weeks that BTM is not up to scratch and have debated accordingly over it. Tonight your style of post has differed from previous and just seems IMO to be a tad leaning to the lecture/ mywayorthehighway type posts.

I enjoy your take on the state of Celtics affairs and appreciate the time you put in to the well written pieces and belive it or not I do agree with you on this also, I just believed it a month or so ago.

Anyway I'm off to my bed now but, no kidding here, I look forward to your next article on whatever site yir on. Just as long as it's not too bullish.

The people do not need liberators, the people liberate themselves.

Goodnight Companero

Ah goat ma nat the night. So at least that's something.

Banners

Its going to be dark for a while and I can only see one wee obvious sign of light...

oceallaigh:

Believe me, I ain't too happy about me either right now.

Hail Hail.

Ard Macha

I don't have the spirit to comment on the game tonight, but your post puts it into it's proper perspective - may he rest in peace. Im away to my bed

He has showed he can organise the team when he knew what he was working with.

how can you organise a team when 4 of the starting 11 have signed in the past 3 weeks, and 2 signed yesterday?

i agree he has made a few mad decisions with subs and that but so did strachen!

we are missing goals and we just signed 3 strikers, 1 of which is the 10th top goalscorer in the EPL of all time and the other who was Denmarks top goalscorer this season.

goals will come, wins will come, stability will come, success will come, he will build it and they will come lol.

feb is a big month...

Ard Macha,

Deep sympathies

Are you an ML2 man ?

Ard Macha

haven't read back..(but as per oneanton)

another good soul in paradise, i will light a candle tomorrow..

god bless...

BT

Ard Macha:

You have my sympathies mate.

YNWA

Bobby Lennox....

'And Brown never came on to play left back like everybody seems to think'

Ok then how about he played as a deep lying left midfielder. Will we compromise with that? Either way,one substitute left and that's the one you make WTF? really,WTF???

I repeat. This man is a bottler...2005,premiership and now!

Árd Macha

Sorry to hear that, thought with you and your family.

GA

James Forrest,

Apologies if I was party to the 3rd place shock.

BT and others who know me on this site will be well aware that I have retreated into a near silence as this season has progressed.

I'm afraid I just can't stay silent any longer.

I'd rather get it off my chest on this site than resort to giving all and sundry pelters at Celtic Park. An opportunity to turn next Wednesday into a 60,000 party night has just slipped through our fingers.

I've got nothing to say except that I wish Aiden left the club and played in England as it would prevent all those people who trot out the excuse that the only reason he doesn't play well is because people call him a traitor.

Aiden wouldn't have that excuse in England and he'd finally have to stand on his own two feet rather than blaming opposition fans for him not playing well.

Pardon me, but that is what opposition fans are supposed to do!

Are they supposed to bow and kneel whenever McGeady gets the ball?

How the great god has given us the chance to watch a genius, err no, and certainly nothing like that this season.

malceye

The team plan

Would it be two lightweights in midfield, surrounded by wingers, or low scoring strikers?

Would it be take off the full backs and always use three subs, to try and get a goal back?

It's the only plan I can see, same as the 'glimmer of hope' when we beat St Johnstone.

It's still called a cavalry charge, Calderwood, Hughes, Gannon, Smith, Levein, May, Lazlo etc

they can all see it coming, and know what to do.

HH

Bobby Lennox...

one of us is daft...which one?

I think it's you...because I'm seeing things you aint...what are you seeing that I'm not?

Maybe it's me who's daft...enlighten me

i said last week that Goals win Prizes and that we dont have a goal scoring midfield player and we have only one 6 yard box striker.

one week on, we still dont have a Goal scoring midfield player and we have no 6 yard box striker.

Its wonderfull to have player of Robbie Keane standard here and before the game i said he must play with Morten( as he could turn out to be a 6 yard box striker).

i was, i admit, dismayed when i saw the team.

2 Midfield players in landry and Ki

4 forwards ( all 4 of them naturally wide)

Noooooooo, what on earth was BTM thinking in a game we needed to win.

He surrendered the middle of the park and we had no target man!!

one shot on target in each half sums up the formation

If hibs win their game in hand, then we are third.

ps what exactly is peter grant doing at celtic park
( i said the same question to myself 20 years ago)

i see someone mention paul Lambert, its too early for paul, who i thought was the most complete midfield player i have ever seen.
he was player who scored goals and got infront of striker

you wont ever see landry doing that as he has as much chance of scoring as i have smiling on a monday morning.

what now?
Bring wille mcstay back to steady the ship and give us some tactics.

basics.
1. Target man
2. find target man
3. score
4. Midfield players, surge in the box
5. score or set up a goal.

those 5 basics are what our team is mising

ps

pick sick

pps

as another Bhoy who i spoke to this morning pointed out, our club have made a nice profit in that transfer window and the Board did not back TM with extra funds as the spin says
so remember that when the tranfer window opens again and the board say "nae money"

ST

Ard Macha

That's much needed bit of perspective.

Thoughts and prayers for your uncle. RIP

And I'll hit my bed now as there is nothing further to say. I will be there again on Sunday where we will have to emerge from our mourning and get on with life again.

Hail Hail

Clash City Bhoy,

I agree, I said to my brother earlier, its his philosophy but its our Club.

Week after week we are banging on a door that will not be opened. I want to believe that what he is doing will bear fruit in the long term but at the moment we need to be picking the low hanging fruit and tactics to suit that.

Some performances tonight were unnaceptable, McGeady in particular, he's played well against Rangers and in the run up to the window then low and behold he's guff again, blind alley's, rotten cross balls, sorry "dinks", constant refusal to see that he cannot get passed 2 players time after time and go back the way instead, sclaffed shots, shots off target, trundlers into the goalkeepers arms, petulant tackles, greeting wee face. And that's our best player? Joe Miller played more good games in a season than he is at the moment.

SPL till end of month, Hibs currently 2 behind Celtic now with game in hand

1 Rangers 23 9 3 0 36 8 7 3 1 18 6 40 54
2 Celtic 23 6 4 1 22 9 7 1 4 22 15 20 44
3 Hibernian 22 8 2 2 22 10 4 4 2 13 9 16 42

Celtic

Hearts h) 10/2
Aberdeen a) 13/2
Dundee U h) 20/2
Orcs a) 28/2

Hibs

Aberdeen h) 10/2
Orcs a) 14/2
St Johnstone a) 17/2 (GAME IN HAND OVER CELTIC)
M'Well a) 20/2
St J h) 27/2

Suaimhneas síoraí go raibh aige.

Oiche mhaith

Árd Macha

Are TMs utterances 'building for the future' and 'it didn't quite happen tonight' a PLG to anyone else?

pggtips2

'Aiden wouldn't have that excuse in England and he'd finally have to stand on his own two feet rather than blaming opposition fans for him not playing well.'

Can you direct me to the quotes where he blames opposition fans for him not playing well? Thanks.

MARK VENUS - WHATS HE ABOUT?

whats his role, what does he do? what value does he add?

I'm sure Henke (and a lot of other Celtic legends) have been called a lot worse throughout their careers than McGeady ever has and affected them far less.

kingoh

check the comments tonight and every other week McGeady plays like the biggest diddy in Scottish football.

Ard Macha

Thoughts, and a special prayer.

HH

As much by accident as design,my hun-supporting mates vastly outnumber my fellow-Celts,and as you might imagine,my phone has been getting a bit of a kicking tonight.

AND,YES,PAUL67,YOU ARE RIGHT-THEY'RE LAUGHING AT US(they don't do magnanimity).

But let them have their fun;we will come good. But we HAVE to realise that we have to WIN a game before we get 3pts from it. From the manager down,we have to toughen up mentally.

It's either that,or my annual pilgrimage to Kilwinning is cancelled for another bloody year!

Ard Macha,

You have my deepest sympathies.

EN,

Thanks for the banner pick. Had no idea what it said at the time as we were standing behind it. I'm the guy in the grey just above the 'N'in DAWN.

pggtips2

I never asked you that. So he himself has never blamed opposition fans. Agreed?

Tony. Gonny tell me summitt? I know you gave a "reason" in your after match interview. But why did you put Scott Brown on at left back when you had Rassmoosen sittin on the bench and we were needin a goal? Then Brown takes the captains armband off Loovens. T T G Tony!! Whats that all about?

John Coatbridge

squire danaher:

Frightening reading, and not just for me.

A loss in ANY of those games, with corresponding Hibs wins .....

FIVE POINTS behind Hibs? In third???

Hell, if we were all on here earlier talking about form and what might, could, maybe happen, then surely Hibs, with better form over the course than ours, should be viewed with extreme disquiet. Where's the evidence THEY will slip up?

CSIAL

night is darkest just before the dawn....

BT

Sydneytim

Not sure what the net ££ position was after the window but I reckon both in terms of assets and revenue we will be better off.

We sold more than we spent and even in terms of wages (allowing for RK £70K/week) we must be better off.

What has been overlloked in the euphoria is that we have a lot of LOANS...we are not committed to anything long term...expensive players or Manager...indeed the fact that the bulk of the banner signings are loans is in my view an indication that the Board do not have faith in BTM...

bournesouprecipe@12:11

The team plan

Would it be two lightweights in midfield, surrounded by wingers, or low scoring strikers?

you have got it, i have got it, the above is just not tactically correct.

ps i have never been convinced about Landry
i am now, he is weak and useless

ST

Just read through the blog after coming back from the game with my two bhoys, bloody freezing it was as well.

I had actually turned away and never saw the build up to their goal, only saw the finish but \i'm surprised to see Ki come in for so much criticism. Is it just me who thinks we have a really classy player on our hands and if used the right way will turn out a superstar for us?

I'm really starting to lose the faith. What is really bothering me just now is how normal it feels to walk away from a football stadium with us having dropped points.

A note also to big Tony, i don't want to hear 'we have to take it on the chin' ever again. Every week we are hearing this, we've taken more hits to the chin lately than Sheryl Gascoigne ever took. Let's start dishing out some metaphorical sore chins ourselves.

The kind of team and formation we had on that field tonight is the kind that gets managers their P45. A complete and utter shambles of a team with no shape, no organisation and no heart.

I'm prepared to see how the next month pans out before deciding the big mans fate. It seems hard to believe but things might well be much worse by then, but then again it might be a whole lot brighter.

kingoh

why his dip?

that's a much more pertinent question

why can't he be arsed?

Árd Macha

sorry for your loss

hail hail

I said last night we could afford to drop no more than 3 points from then until the end of the season.

15 game winning run required.

Looks a bit tricky to be honest.

Just to repeat what I said in the updates thread. To me the board have accepted that we're unlikely to win the league. Robbie Keane is a PR stunt (that will pay for itself I think), designed to lift some pressure off the rest of the team so they can settle and be ready for what's likely to be a very early start to the season. I don't think he's a Tony Mowbray signing. Tony Mowbray never thought he would get the chance at him. If you'd asked at the start of the window if he'd like him, I'm sure he wouldn't have said no.

Remember Tony Mowbray saying he needed 3 or 4 windows to change the team? At that point he knew he had two seasons. I can't see that changing unless he does actually take us to third.

There's to things Tony Mowbray can do that might help turn around the increasingly negative view of him. Beat Rangers twice and make it a fight for the top again. I don't think he necessarily has to win, just put some real pressure on.

Can anyone tell me when they last witnessed a player enter the field,and take the armband from the captain?,no matter how poorly TM thought GL was playing,that is just beyond the pale,i'm not sure i could condemn GL if he put down his tools for the rest of the season,i thought,when MON,on two seperate occasions,brought on Craig Beattie,only to sub him,somethings are just not right,today was the worst example yet of such unfair treatment.

pggtips2

So you just made it up...nae bother!

Here's something more pertinent...Get rid of this bottler... 2005.premiership and now!

You never know maybe the next manager will see right through him and grant you your wish.

weeminger:

Horribly, third place is now a MORE likely scenario than us winning the title. I cannot concieve of how that can have happened, but I know that it cannot be tolerated.

By bournesouprecipe on February 2, 2010 11:47 PM

Well he got rid of two of them and if Ramis had stuck to what he agreed I doubt Loovens would get a start. I am assuming O Dea was injured tonight. Hoovield looks solid enough but of course pulls a hammy and, this in NOT making excuses, but TM has been really unlucky with injuries.

On tough decisions one has to be the shape of the team. Two wide men leaving two in midfield to be overrun as happened tonight is not going to work. Particularly when the wide men could not tackle a fish supper.

I would stick with Boruc as I think Zaluska is as capable of the odd ricket as Artur but cannot make Artur at his best saves.

Hinkel/Caddis Hoovield O Dea and Braahheid at the back

Fortune Brown Crosas Nguemo Sammy midfield

You can swap Fortune and Sammy for Kamara or McGeady or Ki but not both the latter playing at the same time

Keene or Ramudsen up front.

The SPL is a physical league and we need our strongest and toughest out there,especialy during February when pitches are potato patches. Did you see the number of 50/50 and loose balls Killie won tonight? That is where the game was lost.

P67,

I know it's easier after the event but why oh why didn't BTM play 4 3 3 ?? The game was set up for that and .... anyway

Spoke to the missus at half time (on the mobbie from the boozer) - we're losing it in midfield said she we need to change it - WHY can my missus see it and BTM can't????

Anyway - BTM nice man, never a Celtic Manager - end of season end of contract.

I made my mind up in October - not being clever - just common sense - I trawled back and found this from the Jambos cup defeat -

The moment I saw the team I was nervous - Killen up front, with TWO holding midfielders AT HOME - bonkers! That said we did more than enough to win the game - and if Mowbury had played his strongest team from the start we'd not be having this debate.

The fault for having the worst start at home in the history of Celtic DOES lie with the board -for selecting a manager who doesn't posess the mental acumen to manage a Club the size of Celtic. His decision making defies belief - if he had 10 subs he'd use them every week - and his motivational skills are - well demotivational!

Get rid asap or HBOS FC will rise from the ashes and that will be a mistake of historic proportions.

Another thing - Aiden did all he could to win us that game and still gets slagged - Paddy misses a sitter when he should've squared to Skippy and he's a hero - FFS!!

Hail! Hail!

DavieL

James Forrest

I have taken it on the chin for the best part of a decade in the past.

We outplayed them in the nineties, I know, I watched.

I love Tommy Burns all the more for what he could have been as a Celtic manager and was never allowed to be, and of course for what he was as a man.

We are not beat. This team, and Tony Mowbray, allowed time, will be something really special.

In our darkest hour, when the men in black are breaking our hearts, when the players are striving and failing, when we are the nobodies they always said we were, when they are laughing at our expectations and in the media in their gross hubris and ignorance, pontificating, in their rubbing of palms, and their salivating over lamb, how Celtic are done. That is where our joy will be born, for in our greatest sadness, in our lowest spirits our triumph begins.

It is not so much who is the manager, or who even plays for the team, it is who we are.

We have the players, we have the management team in place, all we need is patience.

Roy Hodgeson on SSnews saying he regrets letting Kamarra go to Celtic... I thought clubs could recall loans at any point?

Does anyone know if the reverse is true - we can return loan players early?

Not sure if anyone has suggested this above as a reason for Brown taking the armband but I assume the Brown is the new Club Captain and like most Captains when they come on the pitch they take the armband?

Possibly one of the best and maybe last decisions TM has made in his tenure if it will get the best out of him.

why would any manager bring on a player who hasn't played for a number of weeks,
make him captain and leave the match winner from our last match on the bench?

WHY?

BhoyfromCults

I dont think you can recall them when its from one Association to another. Loans within the same Country can be recalled, I think.

Went to bed after my last post but could not sleep. Still seething.

One thing that did occur to me was the pre match build up on ESPN. Lets be honest we all thought that tonight was the stepping stone to the title.

Watching the players leave the bus I was heartened that they were all smiling with conversations with each other, no I Pods or anything.

Then the camera pans to a big lump of wood sitting at the front of the bus staring into space with no words of encouragement being forwarded to his players.

Tony Mowbary...... Tommy Cooper... Glass bottle...bottle glass.

Bottle has gone. Do something magic.

Disappear

Árd Macha

Sorry for your loss.

May God's perpetual light shine on your uncle.

HC

I have yet to read ONE good reason in favour of him rememaining in the job other than the money he got to spend.

Examine this big spend.

IN

Rasmussen - 1.8
Hooiveld - 1.9
Rogne - 0.5
Slane - Free
Keane - Loan
Graafheid - Loan
Kamara - Loan
Ki - 2

Even if my estimates are wrong that is around 6.2 Million
That is discounting wages for the loans (correct me if I am wrong but I don't think any fees changed hands)

OUT

Caldwell - 1
Robson - 1
McDonald - 3.5
Flood - free
Killen - free
Brown - Nominal fee
McManus - 0.5
Fox - Undisclosed but maybe 2

If my calculations are correct - 6 - 8 million.

I am not one of the net spend people but it would appear that the board are less willing to finance Tony Mowbray than we first thought. It is a balancing act and from a football perspective that is an indication that he may not be trusted completely.

I agree with Pat Nevin's Pen

the words mutual consent may appear next week.

10 points eh?? Level on games eh??

Something needs to change!

I do not post much, I don't know if this post will be read but however, I'll bite the bullet and give my two pennies worth. Hopefully, while being controversial, I hope I am also thought provoking.

The formation of 4-4-2 simply will not work under TM's regime. It will not work with the type of footballers he has in his side. For me, the problem does not lie entirely with our Defense, Forwards, or our Goalkeeper. For me, the problem lies with the Midfielders and shape of our Midfield.

Landry N'Guemo, for all his bite and tackling, is still an attacking midfielder. The same attacking midfielder who played for Nancy in France. He is not a defensive midfielder. We can talk about him having tackling ability and being agressive, which are attributes for a defensive midfielder, Landry also needs the attributes of adaptability and positional awareness for this role in a two-man central midfield. People have been championing him on this site, for his loan to be made permanent, I agree with them - but he is no defensive midfielder. He is more like Scott Brown. A fiesty midfielder, energetic box to box player, only with better control and passing.

Ki Sung-Yeoung is a great prospect. Asian player of the year, and great vision and control. His passing looks great too. A great engine like his partner tonight, Landry N'Guemo. His driving runs from Midfield against his Hibs last week had shades of Steven Gerrard, who he aspires to be like. A lot of people on this site have included him in their first 11 teams due to his "ability at delivering set-pieces". Sorry, I have seen him do it on youtube, but not at Celtic. And that is where it matters for US! Also, not a defensive midfielder.

Marc Crosas, the great enigma. I only say that because, what has he ever did to Tony Mowbray? Now, this is a guy with positional awareness. Awareness of where his team-mates are. His passes find his team-mates. So why is he always first to be omitted or first to be subbed? Granted, he is weak in the tackle but I don't have Xavi and Andrea Pirlo down as great tacklers. Maybe even Paul Scholes, his tackles are shocking when he gets in but like Marc Crosas, positives outweigh the negatives. Also, we seem to win alot more with Crosas in the side - do we not?

Scott Brown. Great Engine. Tenacious in the tackle. Drives forward. All good? Not quite! Control lets him down, every second touch is a tackle. His passing at most times is woeful. I'm sorry but last year I didn't see him as Player of the Year. Scott is hit and miss too much. Too much of a gamble to take on which Scott Brown shows up. People relate to his poor form in his first season with us due to his sister passing away. That is understandable. Although, I dont think he was much better last year!

The way I see our Midfield set up in games, we seem to be playing to counteract our opponents. Who are we? A third division side in hope for a cup tie shock? Rubbish, We Are Celtic! 4-4-2 does not benefit us. It is a woeful system for our Central Midfielders to be playing. Craig Burley pointed out on ESPN tonight that Celtic have no one making late runs from midfield. Agreed? I'm sure you are, I hate to admit that I agree with that idiot also. Our two central midfielders sit too deep but N'Guemo and Ki are attack minded players. They are too worried about covering our defense. There is a leash on them. It does not work.

Therefore, I think, we should be playing 4-3-3. Mark Crosas sitting deep. Ki and N'Guemo using their engines to bomb forward, box to box. If the ball gets crossed in and gets knocked back out of the opponents box, Marc is there to distribute it well. When on the defensive footing, N'Guemo and Ki have the engines to get back. We seem too defensive in the central midfield at the moment, like we are protecting a result against a bigger side. We are Celtic, we have the best players in Scotland. We should be going for the throats of the opposition. Too much emphasis is being put on our wingers and full backs to put crosses in, which are aimed at two forwards and the opposite winger. When the ball is cleared to the edge of the box, no one is there. It hasn't worked and will not work.

I am growing tired of the same old tricks, while the opposing teams in Scotland are praying we do not change.

I hope this has made some sense out there because it has taken me an hour to write.

I will keep believing till it is impossible, and I hope the contributors to this blog will also keep believing. Although, I cannot bite my lip and think that our luck will change and that decisions will even themselves out. We need to change also, not just personnel, but the system we play.

Hail Hail!

Irony or Self Awareness?

hooiveld hammy??? we are now well short of quality in the centre half department.

WeKnowSFA - Looking back at last night's debacle.

http://footballsfootball.com/WeknowSFA/resolute-killie-teach-celtic-lesson/

SydneyTim

We can see it, he can't. It's hard to believe but true he cannot see it.

He took a team down with the same philosophy, his team changes were so wrong

tonight, and he even robbed us of the Keane signing euphoria, by playing him from the start.

Six months later, we have a selection of strangers, and no team. Didn't see it working before

and still don't.

HH

Bhoyfromcults @ 12.11am

Bobby Lennox...

one of us is daft...which one?

I think it's you...because I'm seeing things you aint...what are you seeing that I'm not?

Maybe it's me who's daft...enlighten me

ok It's you that's daft. Enlightened?

James Forrest@12.22 - seems that way now but only Hearts have managed it in recent times and that was a one-off result of massive over-investment.

I think it will be pretty clear if Tony Mowbray's position becomes untenable, and I don't think he's quite there yet. He's creeping up to the edge though.

As I say two victories against them and getting it back to within 3 will probably turn his season around. Finishing third will end him. Anything in between that and it's 50:50, he'll need at least one or two hammerings of the opposition to keep it in his favour.

My mind is finally made up. Mowbray has to go now and we have to bring in someone who really appreciates the size of this job. We were up against the 2nd bottom team in the league whose entire squad cost less than our inept left back. A manager worthy of the Celtic job would've won tonight. There will always be nights where things don't go your way but under a good manager these are exceptions. Tonight is the norm for Mowbray.

We have had some appalling decisions go against us this season and our manager's reaction has been spineless. The ref was in no way to blame tonight. We had very few injuries to contend with. Mowbray spent £5m in the summer (regardless of how it was raised) and has now signed 8 players including the most high profile signing I can remember. Lack of board backing is no excuse but that could hardly ever be an excuse for failing to beat Killie. Rangers have a weaker squad and haven't signed anyone for 18 months so there's no excuses there. The reason we are 2nd is that Mowbray is our manager and Smith is theirs.

We are now in real danger of losing 2nd place to a Hibs side that are no more than average. Getting rid of Mowbray is the sensible thing to do as we need the Ch Lg cash next season.

Absolutely gutted at that performance tonight and that is an all too familiar feeling this season.

Craiginho

For those who don't think Brown came on as a left back watch the managers interview at 1 minute in.

Brown left back...basically!!

Watching the players leave the bus I was heartened that they were all smiling with conversations with each other, no I Pods or anything.

Then the camera pans to a big lump of wood sitting at the front of the bus staring into space

I also was similarly struck with the same point, a manager with an attacking idealistic philosophy who has just been given an array of attacking options, happy days at least some kind of smile? got what i wanted, know what to do now, get into the dressing room and get to work? but as you say sat on the bus looking like something out of one flew over the cuckoos nest, as if he was watching Jack Nicholson arrange a fishing trip.

Can i ask those who want to keep TM on, WHY?

Bobby Lennox:

What if we have the WRONG management team in place? It's become a question deserving of SERIOUS debate. We aren't talking anymore about storming to the title, over-taking Rangers. This might be a race to finish third. In the SPL.

When Rangers did it we called it what it was. Laughable. A disgrace. A sign of a club in total freefall. Why are we any different? Because we have money in the bank?

I don't care WHO the manager is, or what the playing squad looks like. We are 23 games into the season, and if Hibs played tomorrow and won we would be third. That is unacceptable, no matter what the scenario, no matter what the circumstances, and it's sackable at this club.

We haven't been third in the SPL at this stage in the league since 1995. Fifteen years mate; we were still building the modern Celtic Park at the time, and playing at Hampden.

This is beyond inexcusable. The press is talking about John Barnes. Forget John Barnes. That was nothing.

The anniversary is coming up you know; February 10th, one week from now. We play Hearts at Parkhead.

That's Waterloo, right there.

James Forrest on February 3, 2010 12:17 AM - Indeed.

johnnyquest on February 3, 2010 12:22 AM

talking of Craig Beattie (God love him) who was the idiot manager who bought/was mugged for Beattie to the tune of £ 1.25m?

Jack Regan on February 3, 2010 12:26 AM

I don't know whether to laugh or cry at that. Irrespective, we do indeed have our 2010 Vintage lumpawood.

Night, all

I was not expecting much from this season. The damage was done in the summer with our average appointment.

The most important person at a football club is a manager.

For Celtic to come up with a shortleet of Mowbray, McGhee, Coyle and Martinez is poor.

If we tried we could have had Eriksson in the summer with possibly Lambert or Larsson. I can't say they would have been any better than Tony but at least in would have shown ambition.

I have tried to understand the Brown substitution and I just cannot. How can anyone chasing a game replace a left back with a midfielder (who then plays as a left back) while we have a penalty box goal-scorer on the bench ??

Possibly the worst substitution of all time...

Just finished watching the game there

Not seen it mentioned here but in the post match interview TM was asked about the Naylor/Brown subsitution with Brown going to left back.

Word for word.

"He was playing at left back, we wanted to stretch the game and in an ideal world you would be bringing on two centre forwards on yet two defenders went off early on and we were restricted to who we could bring on.
It was about giving the team some width against a team who are going to sit back and defend, you need to get some width on the pitch, and we got Scott out wide there to try and drive on and give us some width.'

It must be bed time as I do not understand any of that.

Chris sutton is a legend 12:16am

Knew that was you.....

I didnt notice much about the facilities but eventually had one of their pies, what a bunch of stuck up proud of pies pies they are.

"A pie please"

"What kind of pie? Do you want a 'Kille' pie?"

"Eh just a mince pie"

"Aye a Killie pie"

'Aye ok' you overly excited by a pastry and grease combo clown.

Pie was rubbish.

They are easily excited if they make a big deal out of freakin pies.

EN

Kojo

What ever happen to your golden rule three strikes and you're out, Tony has more striker than my local post office! Another Mighty Casey at the bat. Maybe we should go for Yogi as manager as it would mean Hibs would slip up and guarantee us second place. Only kidding. Can't see Tony turning this around nothing in his record or this season says it. I keep saying that I know a lot of Baggie fans around here and to a man they were happy to see him leave and right now Celtic look and play like the WBA team that was relegated, leaderless, no goals, no bite and not enough wins. Tony won't change the way his team plays. On the plus side the football is pretty, pretty depressing. How did we get here especially with them in a financial meltdown. We are making the man with no last name and a comfy cardigan look like a miracle worker genius.

Drastic Measures are needed if we are going to salvage anything from the season and restore some pride.

snake plissken@12.28 - it's not necessarily the money spent that might keep Mowbray in the job, but the number of players changed.

Any new manager always has new players he wants to bring in. If Mowbray's to go it needs to be in time for a new manager to see the players playing and change them properly. Not what happened last closed window. If Mowbray had been in charge in April, he'd hopefully have made some of the changes in time for it to make a difference. As it is there might not be time now.

Two derby wins and getting within 3 points is for me what required for him to end the season positively (from a board point of view, not mine).

Two weeks ago following the media witchhunt of BTM Celtic fans, myself included, started back him more than before-despite the results. We hoped we could all unite and pull through. The we had Falkirk & Hibs are that newfound support/backing was gone.

Yesterday, without too much expence, the Board, PL & DD sent us into raptures with the new signings. Then, at Kilmarnock, the manager destroyed all optimism and left us facing NOT SECOND BUT THIRD PLACE to the worst FOD team in living memory. He's got to go.

I agree with the posters who ask about Venus & Grant. WTF do they do? Preside over failure? All three must be sent packing and soon. I know it won't happen but I can hope.

The more I sit here the anger, disappointment and depression deepens. Why did we get stuck with that trio of mismanagers?

One final thought. Do posters really think this team with no direction, leadeship, bottle or purpose can win 15 points let alone 15 games? Get f'n real, lhads.

Forgot to add

Lee Naylor played as more of an attacking left back than Brown did, Brown was the most defensive of the back 3 when he came on.

kingoh

Your link doesn't work for me.

James Forrest

This season isn't over mate. I understand your alarm but I don't think this season has resonance with the past. Rangers may or may not collapse this season, but collapse they will. Changing the management team, for me, is not a realistic option, especially when we are in the middle of changing the playing staff. And I reiterate we can still win this title, of that there is no doubt.

James Forrest

Dunfermline could be Waterloo.
He could not survive that.

I suggested a few weeks ago that had he lost to Morton he would be sacked. We scraped by there and now Dunfermline IS OUR SEASON.

The league has gone ( I will be delighted to be proved wrong but after that how many more humiliations?).

I am going to say something EXTREMELY controversial especially on here and I want everyone to know that it pains me to my stomach to say this and even think it BUT

If we were to lose on Sunday, would it be worth it if it got rid of the manager?

ICT was the straw that broke the camel's back with Barnes (it is spookily a tie around that 10 year aniversary) and it eventually brought us MON and success not seen since the great days of Stein.

It looks like it is a write off regardless.

We will be without Hooiveld by the looks of things and we will probably not have some onf the new signings because of cup registration rules (watch for that appearing from nowhere).

It will be difficult as any team that is organised can get something from us.

PLease do not vilify me for this suggestion but it is looking increasingly bad and the only release is no more Tony Mowbray.

Last post.

Another baffling one.

Why did Brown take the 'captains' arm band off Loovens when he came on, Loovens wasnt being taken off and didnt come off.

Was the swapping of a hoop of material going to help us in any way?

Bye.

Bobby Lennox...
Read Estadio Nacional at 12.41. He gives the quote I refer to.

Auldheid

Never seen a Kilmarnock team so good, they were more than just up for it.

I think TM was shocked, and he has underestimated the opposition in many games since July.

With the players he had available that we gleefully picked for him earlier on the Blog, there is no
excuse other than tactical failure, to have lost all three points. The centre halves didn't matter before and they didn't matter tonight, Loovens or Ramis, the game was lost in the midfield, and tactically.

We even threw in two EPL players in and still he fails, Kilmarnocks organisation and team work was better than Celtic.

If it's a cause of tough decisions and changing shape - How come it takes you to go
ten points behind before you do it?

It's not going to happen, not in good time, and I suspect you and a lot of supporters know it.

HH

Too many changes are being made from one game to the next.

The players must be confused, score the winning goal and you don't play the next game!!!

Man management at its best!

Who here can honestly say they know what our next team will be ?

There has been opposing views on CQN but we are all united by two things.Most obviously we are all Celtic Fans.....
Surely we are all of a mind that for the first time in years we are holding all of the aces?
I can hardly recall a time when we had so many advantages over the huns...and that is what has us frothing at the mouth?
Despite having more money, Nae debt, better players, paying better wages, etc we are still playing 2nd (3rd) fiddle?

tried to go to sleep but can't

had a big arguement in the pub tonight with a know it all(mate), I know nothing as you all know..

Lawells signed Loovens, naw he didnae,Strachen said he did...I know nothing...

Lawell signed Ki,naw he didnae, I know nothing..

Lawell signed Keane, naw he didnae, I know nothing...

obviously I know nothing because no manager would work if the ceo was buying the players....

I know nothing...

Tell you what
I know 2 things...

I am sick and fed up of failure and I will be at Celtic park next week...

maybe I do know nothing ;o(

kingoh

I got the link to work

And I see what you mean

The reporter presses Mowbray about Brown playing left back

And Mowbray responds, He was basically.

That does not mean Mowbray was putting Brown on to tighten the defence. If the question was why was Brown put on the park. Do you seriously think it was for any other reason than I suggested, especially when Celtic were chasing the game, they needed more aggression on that side of the park.

In my opinion it is just another stick to beat the manager with.

Poor substitutions, etcetera.

The Chief

An hour well-spent! But don't expect Mowbray to be taking notes. Your midfield is similar to what I saw from Hibs last midweek, and its worth noting that Miller, McBride and Rankin seemed to be organised and play as a unit despite only having been brought together in the last few months.

Estadio Nacional 12.04am

Thanks for sticking the photo up of our message banners from tonight.

UTLR

Back to sick bed. Night.

BT

Hope you asked your mate why a manager would take the huff at being gifted Ki and Keane (I'll coveniently ignore our 2nd-latest captain)!

By Snake Plissken on February 3, 2010 12:28 AM

Look it was the football that was wrong tonight not the expletive deleted "net spend".

Those that run Celtic have given the go ahead to change the fare on offer, maybe they gave the go ahead to the wrong man and can be criticised for that but to hear the old chestnut about net spend from folk who know nothing about the nature or responsibility of running football as a business, strikes me as a reluctance to give up the idea that, whatever happens, it is the Board's fault.

An idea that took a hit last night but obviously was only stunned and not killed off.

Fine if by the end of the season we bought duds, then criticise the Board for not spending more to buy better players than we did but until the fat lady sings lets stop making bullets to shoot at ourselves.

BTW

it was me...

Westmuir Kev

I left it at that...')

Bobby Lennox..

Let's accept he was misquoted(although he obviously wasn't).

With one substitution left in the game how many people thought that was the right one to make?Did you?

I know it's a dangerous question to ask as somebody on her will start one of those ridiculous lists that I have to keep scrolling by every day!!

It's one o'clock in the morning and I have got to rise tomorrow to earn the bread.

Apologies if I miss any of your responses, the result tonight was a kick in the solar plexus, but I for one know I will wake tomorrow backing the famous Glasgow Celtic and telling the huns they are doomed, it is only a matter of time.

Hail Hail

Well done Machman!! What you gonnae dae the rest of the year? Tee Hee

bjaffers10, I can see some sort of rationale for putting on Scott Brown. His best games this season have been out wide on the right this season. For Scotland, right enough, but, y'know, it's what he's good at. Even swallowing the laughable idea you've made him captain and telling him to go out there and grab it. Why then don't you take off your actual real life ineffective right sided midfielder that even Clueless Craig Burley can see is the one needed hooked to make a game of it? I thought MAF, Keane and DioK might have had a goal in them if they had someone (else - I thought DioK was doing OK at hassling forward) in the midfield to push forward and help create. Don't know losing one of them for Morten, no matter what he did at the weekend, would have made the difference, but Aiden was needed removed, and Skoosh was the obvious answer.

THAT was the really baffling thing, no?

Auldheid

I was not talking about net spend, I was merely trying to say that he has not been given such large amounts of money that would make it unthinkable to sack him. Perhaps I did not articulate that very well but that was my point.

More of a cut your losses thing. I do not buy the argument that we could start all this manager search in the summer and rejig the squad again.

Sorry - get him out now and either appoint a caretaker and pursue another manager who is either out of work or one who would be interested in ther job.

Alternatively - get someone else in as the full time manager (Mark Hughes for example but not as a definate choice) and get him his honeymoon period NOW and then rebuild in the summer.

davidmurrayspushbike, kids read this site!

The Chief,

feckin SPOT on !!

Hail! Hail!

DavieL

night bhoys and ghirls..

hail hail..

BT

oneantonrogan

Your post reminds me of a text I once received:

How do you get the best out of Scott Brown?

Answer. Put a Scotland shirt on him.

Where it can get worse for Tony Mowbray and his Celtic team I think it has reached rock-bottom tonight on CQN. I've never read so much ill-informed comment with so many people declaring how it would be sensible to fire our Manager after he has just totally reshaped his squad. Many of you may be be right in suggesting that Tony is a dead man walking but please don't anyone tell me that it would be a good move to pull the trigger on him right now. If we did that people really would be laughing at us!

We're not in great shape or form and yes, we're now in a scrap for 2nd place. That means that, more than ever, we need to get behind the team and the management - they are in desperate need our support. I know what the greatest supporters in the world would do but are they still turning up at Celtic matches?

UTLR,

Thanks for pointing that Banner link out, I'm getting one made for Sunday;

“Some say there’s light at the end of the Tunnel, pity we can’t see the Tunnel”

By Bhoyfromcults on February 3, 2010 12:51 AM

That is probably what drives us nuts. Logic suggests that we should be much closer to them than we are.

We are not because they have a manager who knows how to organise his resources and get the best out of them

and

We play in Scotland where the normal rules of fair play do not apply. Even after years of financial cheating to buy players they could not afford aided by their Scottish Bankering buddies they are prevented from the full consequences of their behaviour because they are who they are and they are in Scotland.

It is like the suspension of reality and we all keep waiting for their reality to come crashing down and be replaced by our reality the one where you go out of business if you owe £5M.....

Ian_in_Budapest

I presume you are indeed in Budapest and slightly detached from it all because if you were here.....well let's just say it's hard to take!

Snake Plissken

Even if we do lose to Dunfermline, I wouldn't use that as a catalyst to dump Mowbray. The priority is the league, and we may still be in that, albeit by the skin of our teeth. A dismissal on Sunday or Monday maybe wouldn't help us get an SPL victory on the Wednesday. Drop another 4 or 5 points in the rest of the month, however, the game would be a bogey and I'd not be confident on the evidence so far that next season would be much better. Then I'd see it as time to go.

I wonder if this is irrelevant anyway. Maybe it was just my