So are we surprised at last nights’ defeat? There’s some surprise that we scored three goals away from home, which if we count Moscow, is becoming a habit, if an incredibly lax one, but I’m less surprised we shipped four, again. Even at full strength, we are several players short of being able to play Ronny Deila’s high-energy pressing game, so when the squad is further depleted by rest, injury and the like, we cannot expect to play an expansive game and come away with a result.
Fortunately the outcome didn’t matter, but it will next time out in this competition. I’m very supportive of Ronny and think we have not even begun to see the real benefits of his work, but he got it wrong when he opened up a game which did matter in Warsaw. We’ll need to see if he decides to play this way, with many of these players, in the Round of 32. For then we either need to add appropriate players or change tactics.
There’s been a bit of chat on how attendance figures are reported. Football clubs report paid seat sales, which baselines attendance at season ticket sales, but the ‘bums on seats’ figure is usually far lower.
The showbiz side of the game will always want to report the higher figure: see – our fans are faithful through and through, and all that. Only Manchester United and Arsenal report higher average league attendance figures than Celtic in British football. This claim maybe reliant on ticket sales, but it is an important indicator of the size, and therefore potential of our club in the right environment. Not to mention the efforts many thousands go to in order to financially support the club, in sunshine or in shadow.
It was still somewhat refreshing to hear the new newco director inform the media that his club attracted less than 16,000 people for a recent home game. The cynic would point out that if newco fall into insolvency, the excuses are already established – fans are not as loyal as they claim, blame then, not their unfortunate execs.
Many thanks for all the feedback on the 2015 CQN Annual. You can order yours here, or get a special Annual-DVD bundle here.
As a special offer, everyone who buys an Annual, or bundle, before Christmas will be entered into a prize draw for a VIP Meal of 4 at a Celtic Park restaurant on a match day. One entry for each Annual bought; pile in.
Our friends Magners, who I increasingly think get what this club is all about, have offered us another pair of Premium Tickets for the Jock Stein Stand on Sunday. It’s a great way to watch football, especially on a winter’s day. To enter the competition, email me celticquicknews@gmail.com with the name of the team Celtic play on Sunday in the subject line of your message. Competition closes at 22:00 tonight, winners will be informed by email tomorrow, so check your inbox!
The deal I have with Magners is that when we make this offer, we ask you to consider making a £1 (or more) donation to our Mary’s Meals Appeal. We are working towards building a kitchen at Chibwata Priimary School in Dowa, Malawi, which has 909 pupils and does not have food preparation facilities.
With a kitchen – and Mary’s Meals providing food – they will be able to provide primary school kids with what is often their only square meal of the day. This work cuts infant mortality, improves school attendance by an average of 30%, and increases life chances exponentially.
No matter what you do today, this £1 will do things you cannot imagine. It will make your day worthwhile.
I’ll be out with my boys on the bucket collection for the Foundation before kick off on Sunday. If I’ve not coaxed your last £1 out of you, bring another one along to the game. The spirit of Celtic needs to take care of those in our own community, as well as in one of the world’s poorest countries.
Sorry for all the calls to action todaym in summary:
The Annual, with a VIP Meal for 4 competition.
The Magners’ competition, email celticquicknews@gmail.com
The Mary’s Meals £1.
See you at the bucket collection on Sunday!
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Shoot
Yes goal
Baaaaaa humbug
sign Commons’ wife
We’re no good without Scott Brown to lead the side …
Paul 67
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Hi Paul, I watched you on the telly before we appointed RD as manager saying that…
…”I would like to see us employing a student of the game.”
Is that not a bit like, employing a manager who still wears ‘L’ plates?
Hail Hail
KevJungle – Walk-on in the Jungle is magic, just magic
Would you back Ronny if Murdo did?
LB
Previous page
Mcgregor.. give the bhoy a break.
Id like to see him in more central role behind a striker.. he has the potential to be a ready made replacement for commons.
Im sure lawell has noticed that.
LiviBhoy
12:29 on 12 December, 2014
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Is that not a bit vain?
Right away Murdo opined that – “All RD has to do is buy 2 quality players – not change the whole team!”
In other words….”what is this ‘pillock’ all about?”
HAIL HAIL
KevJungle – Walk-on in the Jungle is magic, just magic
Hahahahaha
Only messing. I respect that we differ in opinion.
LB
Proudbhoy
is he now the manager?
starry plough
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I don’t want sleekits team to put us out – I fear it.
There’s a wee difference there.
Baaaaaaaaaa yerself:)
We are rotten with our best players never mind without. Time to move Kris on, one and a half good seasons in 4 not enough. At 31 he’s not the most athletic anyway, so it’s a thanks and goodbye for me.
Funniest post in ages,the great blinkered one who thinks Hugh Keevins gives a feck about Celtic accuses Celtic fans of being blindfolded…….Belter!!
Give me blindfolded fans who support the team at games any day of the week.
proudbhoy
12:31 on 12 December, 2014
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Ryan Gauld should be playing behind the strikers – imho
RD /JC / JK wanted RG – PL didny.
Why did PL not want him?
Too risky?
No foreign agent?
Trying to kid us on wi McGregor?
What?
Hail Hail
Would also add that we are liable to lose more goals when Mcgregor plays as he offers no protection in terms of tracking runs and his positional play is poor. The boy is not offering anything at the moment.
timmy7_noted
12:38 on 12 December, 2014
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What ye will get is, plenty of blidfolded sheep.
Joost look roon aboot ye :)
HH
blidfolded = blindfolded
ye knew that, eh? :)
Schoolboy defending last night e.g. every single defender watched the ball as it broke to the edge of the box just prior to the 1st goal……..couldn’t believe what I was watching.
( correction – of course I could believe it …..have seen it many times this season).
It’s ok though VVD says they will learn from it. How many lessons will it take before they do!
VVD still not proven beyond SPFL standard!
blantyretim is praying for the knox family
12:35 on 12 December, 2014
–
Nope but he hands out the contracts and to be honest if I was him commons wouldnt get more than a 1year deal either.
sounds harsh after all he has done on and off the field but our squad badly needs freshened up.
Count me in Kev,supporting the team at games rather than bitching from the sidelines.
I really despair at the player bashing going on.
When a full back gets no support from the player ahead of him, he’ll look like he is having a bad game.
When a midfielder is told to push up with the forwards as some part of a ‘high energy pressing game’, he’ll look like he’s not doing much for us in midfield.
When 2 midfielders are told to compete with 5, they will get outnumbered and they’ll look like they are having a bad game.
And so on…..
Our players are being told to play a system that doesn’t suit their skill set.
That system isn’t working. Either because we don’t have the players to implement it effectively – or it is just a plan dumb idea.
Celtic supporters should look beyond ‘so-and-so is having a stinker’.
I’ll leave you with 2 questions:
1. Who would have thought that Chris Commons should/could play a ‘high energy pressing game’?
2. How do you think Jinky would do at centre half?
KevJungle – Walk-on in the Jungle is magic, just magic
Aye there is a difference but that wisnae the question Your Sheepness!
Running scared face the big bad huns and you accuse the club of not being “streetwise”
Ya big girls blouse…
Blan’ur get yourself up tae Hamilton wi’ the real Tims:)))
Nothing worse than scalding the back of your hand and having blisters on the roof of your mouth I’d take Stoksey any day of the week
Aye,well…..Off oot tae the real world, bye.
starry plough
12:43 on 12 December, 2014
________________________
:))))
Aye, we’ll see…take care, bye.
We have to look at our tactics the full backs bombing up the park leaves space when they lose the ball for our opponents to exploit add to that the Centre Backs wondering up the park also leaving space behind them.If you are going to play that way you must have two midfielders to fill the vacated space.However, in our case no one covers the spaces and of course against a half decent team we lose goals.I think we need to look at playing a little more cautiously away from home in Europe. H.H.
Starry
behave yerself. 8-)
blantyretim is praying for the Knox family
Thought that would get you out of lurking mode:))
I can’t claim to be a Hamilton Bhoy as Carfin was my place of origin:))
Are we going to replace tinfoil hats with woolly hats?
Can we stop LAMBasting each other?
See this nonsense about the system not working?
How is it not working? Cause to me, we are top of the league, in all cups and have qualified from a group which, will not the strongest, was also far from the weakest in the competition.
We do not have a divine right to qualify. Zagreb have 3 or 4 players in the 5-10 million pound bracket. Try and sign Brozovic, Soudani or the young boy who scored a ha-trick and see what you are told!
If we go to Croatia with a weakened team and you lot expect us to win then you are in cloud cuckoo land!
Ronnie is trying to change the way the team plays. That can only happen over time. Basel and Red Bull will have taken time to get to where they are.
We cannot go out with a blank chequebook and sign boys who can immediately adapt. You have 2 million to sign a midfielder or winger? Good luck cos so does 20-40 other teams in Europe alone. Then you have the Arab states.
I must stop trying to get so frustrated at posts on here!
The idiot of a manager that pirate pete got on the cheap,just is not up to the job,same mistakes as in Warsaw ,six months and were still a shadow of the team we were last season,and his it,s no ma fault it,s the players comments are getting boring,mostly it,s his fault,Get rid keep commons,play 2 up front get rid of Mcgreggor and give the far superior henderson a chance
From BBC
John Hartson expects to fight addiction until his 70s
Former Celtic and Wales footballer John Hartson has said he expects to be going to meetings of Gamblers Anonymous until he is 70.
The 39-year-old from Swansea began tackling his addiction three years ago.
Hartson has told a BBC Alba documentary that a warning from his wife Sarah that she and their children would leave him was his wake up call.
He has also spoken of his recovery from testicular cancer, his love of the Highlands and climbing Ben Nevis.
In the programme called Big John to be shown next week, he talks frankly about his addiction which started when he was a young player at Luton Town.
Hartson said: “One morning Sarah got up quite early and said that she was leaving me if I carried on gambling.
“She could no longer sit back and watch me put myself through what I was putting myself through.
“She told me in no uncertain terms, ‘I am going this afternoon and I am leaving you and I’m taking these girls with me’.
“That was just an incredible moment for me, a sad moment and a very serious moment in my life. That was rock bottom for me. I would just as well not be here because what am I without my family? I am nothing.”
Hartson, who attends Gamblers Anonymous meetings in Swansea, said he has been inspired by other former addicts who have managed to avoid gambling for 20 years or more.
He said: “I’ll be going to meetings until I’m 70 years of age, if I’m lucky enough to live till I’m 70 because what is two hours out of my week. It’s nothing if it’s keeping me clean.”
‘Chill out’
The Highlands have played an important role in his recovery from addiction and cancer surgery five years ago.
His wife’s parents live in Fort William in Lochaber. Just months after having surgery, Hartson walked to the summit of Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest mountain.
He said: “The Highlands hold a special place in my heart in terms of my recovery and just me as a person.
“The children love coming up here, I love coming up here and we call this place The Cave because I can come here and just turn my phone off, switch off and just have a nice chill out time here.
“If I just want to relax and take myself away from the limelight this is a unique place for me. I love the Highlands.”
Big John, which was produced by Avanti Media for BBC Alba, will be shown on 18 December at 21:00 with a repeat showing on 20 December at 23:00.
interesting that Zagreb fielded a full squad last night and were really up for this game which reminded me somewhat of the match some years also in the Europa against Rapid Vienna which eventually ended in a 4-4 draw and was also a dead rubber,, the difference on this occasion was that Celtic had already qualified for the next phase, the crossbar denying us of another 4-4 result.
It was some consolation that all the gang from the EPL who had already qualified were also beaten. Celtic players must have got too comfortable in the heated dressing room and were all over the place for ten minutes when they emerged again for the second half in that sub zero weather. People who compare Biton with the great George Connelly are miles off the mark. Biton has some nice touches but is far too casual in his play, making little effort to stop the Zagreb player after young Matthews had floundered. Is Virgil is good as he thinks? Young Matthews is no longer the same player that played Messi off the park o couple of years ago and injuries have taken their toll.
KevJungle – Walk-on in the Jungle is magic, just magic.
You seem to have some penned up frustration.
HH to ewe.
Greenpinata
Understatement of the century, he’s a dyed in the wool frustratormachine
Can’t Beleive the carry on on here about what was no more than a £200,000 friendly. I would gladly lose these games and win the ones that mattered, as I said last night drama queens