On the long walk along London Road after the game on Saturday I overhead, “Any manager playing one up front clearly doesn’t have confidence in his team”. I hear variations on this quite often. It’s not true. In fact, I watched the hot favourites for the England and Wales (see what I did there) Premier League beat their main rivals with this formation last night.
Playing one up front can be as much of an attacking formation as playing two, or even three strikers. Any formation, 4 -2-3-1, 4-4-2 or 3-5-2 is not in itself overtly attacking or defensive. Even the often ridiculed 4-6-0 can be expansive.
There are a few ways to score goals. Martin O’Neill’s Celtic mastered the set-piece. For a period, a considerable percentage of our goals came either this way, or from cross balls. There’s also the classic long ball to a ‘big one up front’ who can knock it down to a penalty box poacher. Both these plays exploit the advantages of direct play, which in itself can break packed defences.
The modern game increasingly relies on alternatives, specifically creating space and movement. Don’t crowd the box, drag defenders out to allow pacey support players to break beyond them. At the very elite level, one of the game’s greatest ever goal-scorers, Christiano Ronaldo, exploits this space magnificently from the wings. Our own top striker, Leigh Griffiths, played a similar role before being handed the No. 9 role at Celtic. I suspect his best position isn’t, in fact, as a No. 9.
We need many things at Celtic, most specifically a defensive mid (another formation story), but we don’t need to revert to a 4-4-2. We need players who understand the importance of space in the final third, and who can exploit it.
Ronny has recruited a flood of wide players since arriving 18 months ago with very little success. Which has had an acute cost.
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Hello again all you young rebels.
Got my wifi back and posting again, great, wonderful pictures of
big Billy and his grand kids at his statue on CTV and they brought
back memories of mine, Celtic had just won the big cup and as a
young lad i had just received a letter from my older sister Theresa
who had disappeared to America ( dysfunctional family ) a few
years before and never heard from her until then, she asked how
i was and what was i doing with my life etc. so i replied, and got
another letter a few weeks later saying ” Michael you have not told
me any thing about yourself only a newspaper clipping of a football
player holding some trophy or other ” well i obviously thought that
picture would have told her everything she needed to know, and
that iconic photo epitomised what a Celtic captain should be, tall,
proud, a leader and Celtic through and through.
You all remember me telling you about our clubs fundraising for the
sick kids hospital, well, the members brought some furry cuddly toys
to our bash on Sunday and they have all got a Celtic family motif sewn
onto them fair brought a wee tear to the eyes to a few of the bhoys
and our Mr and Mrs Santa will distribute them this week i’m sure the
kids will love them and all the other toys bought with the donations
and i’d like to take the opportunity to thank Hebcelt and his lovely ghirl
for the very generous donation she left with us when she gave us a visit
last week.
The CELTIC Family eh!
Wha’s like us?
H.H Mick
Auldheid
I get what you are saying ok.
Although, I still feel DD wasn’t doing himself any favours with his tribute to the dark side.
It was way off the mark.
But…I’m quite happy to accept that DD is rather annoyed at the shenanigans of the bigoted cheats.
By now….he will understand what they are all about.
Lets see how it pans out.
HH
The first rule of Sudoku Club is you’re not here to make up the numbers.
Bognorbhoy
Hows it going.
You still in the surfer’s paradise?
Hope you and the folks are well.
HH
Oglach, I meant only to compare Ronny Deilas record to that of Neil Lennon post Rangers. His record compares well with Lennons domestically post Rangers but certainly not on the European front. I am sure someone will produce the stats.
I’d like to see the stats that demonstrate that Celtic underperform in Europe and domestically when turnover is taken as the main mathematical factor.
If Celtic are now ranked 75th in Europe,how does that compare to a league table of turnover?
If people say we have no right to compete with clubs with 2, 3 or 4 times out turnover then how does that correlate with us having more than 3 times the turnover of our nearest rivals?
Melbourne Mick…
It’s always good to see your moniker, you cheer the blog up no ends.
Best wishes for Christmas and the new year to yerself, family and friends. Hail Hail
Weeminger,
Re your point regarding a significant majority before you can make a decision if the support want RD gone? Being a devil here but surely the thousands that are staying away are making a comment on the direction of the club and the football that is being played?
THE GREEN MAN
Yes still here enjoying the slow life .
did you get the photo i sent ? A.M. has quite a few that i’d not seen for years ,
will bring them back .
all well here hope you all have a great Christmas .
They say football is a funny old game and how right they are I believe had we gone to Perth and lost 2-1 to St.Johnstone the on form team in Scotland at the time and then we had won 3-0 at home against Motherwell.Very little would have been said there would not have been this furore but because it was the opposite way around there is a knee jerk reaction to sack the manager and the team are rubbish what ever happened to faithful through and through ? H.H.
Giggsy
I know loads of Celtic fans, not one,, not one single one , thinks Ronny has it. May be it’s a East coast thing :-0
Bognorbhoy
Got that pic.
Hope you all have a great Christmas.
A result against the wee huns would round off the week:)
Hail Hail
NEGANON2 on 22ND DECEMBER 2015 6:52 PM
My god Auldheid you really are stretching the bounds of reason aren’t you. Firstly you are basically trying to invent an angry DD despite every bit of evidence to the contrary. The only people DD criticises are Celtic supporters.
Then you bizarrely suggest we could reduce our spend to dampen European expectations before then claiming that settled teams are better (it seems conveniently forgetting about Celtic never having a settled team cos we just sell everyone on).
Now what is the reason for all this desperate conjecture to try and paint the board in a good light?
Perhaps the chairman calling the Celtic support criminal racists was actually a sign of endearment?
Or maybe Scotlands racism should be embraced by us Celtic supporters cos,eerrrrr, cos. Well I dunno but no doubt you will try and find an angle, however implausible.
So tell us Auldheid. Why the desperation to prop up a failed board?
Got a bit too close?
– See more at: http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/in-defence-of-the-4-2-3-1/comment-page-5/#comment-2742105
========
I remember in a discussion with another of the Res12 guys saying that if we were successful in what we were trying to achieve (calling SFA to account) that when how it was done came out, certain CQNers were going to find their world turning upside down. ( not that that was an aim btw just an unexpected consequence.
Feeling dizzy are we?
You might see my totally independent input as propping up a failed Board. You can give it any meaning you like but it’s wrong to attribute to me the meaning that you have, so do yourself (and me) a favour and stop it.
There is a lot Celtic could do to be more open and transparent with supporters but when I argue the case with them they point out how folk then misuse that information or twist it to suit their own agendas.
So I make a couple of valid points about the interdependent nature of football which are valid and factual as a reason why Celtic acted as they did in 2012/13 to protect other clubs from the impact of the loss of TV money and then I say that I find it credible as a human being DD was as angry as the rest of the Celtic Board are reported to have been as the realisation of extent of skullduggery rose and you give that the meaning that I and Paul are trying to prop up a Celtic Board?
Geeze peace.
You only make the task of selling transparency to Celtic a more difficult one than it already is because of your attitude.
Maybe you have good personal reason for your attitude to explain it, but whilst changing the world is nigh impossible, changing our attitudes to the world is a matter of choice under our control.
Things are never as they seem.
I found The Fully Alive Experience by John Powell SJ very helpful in attitude changing. I commend it to you.
auldheid …
no problem….. as I said, I might not see things the way you do, but I know your intentions are good ….as, I believe, are those of the Neganon ……
my rule for CQN is to try to (i) have a bit of fun talking about Celtic, and (ii) if there is a disagreement, (which is inevitable), criticize the argument, not the person making it….
If you felt that I was criticizing you personally, … I hope you would accept that that was never my intention., and if it came across that way, you have my apology. You may not believe it, but yours are one of the posts I do look for …. Even though I have my doubts, I do hope that you will be proven right in the end, and until we get there, I am hoping that if I read enough of your posts, some of your optimism will rub off on me!
HH
Faithful through and through is reserved for the cheating of the SFA and Rangers. I have no faith in a strategy that has been shown to be failing. Why should I show any faith in a absent billionaire his disparate hangers on and the estate agent that manages their affairs much less a manager who has failed any test in Europe.
There is no hope where none exists.
My faith is in myself and my fellow man not some collection of folk using Celtic.
Ruggyman-7.07pm
Can we have an in depth player analyses of your own team so far?
Sipsini
Best wishes to you and the family and everybody else on
CQN .
The wee mhan has just asked me to tell you all, him and his wee Celtic
pal have been asked to play a bounce game at half time during
the Melbourne Victory game this Sunday in front of thousands
of fans ,he’s asked the princess to wash his Celtic top to wear under
his strip and if he scores he will lift it to show the hoops, don’t know
who’s more hyper about it me or him?
H.H Mick
The Green Man.
Yup let’s wait and see.
Mike in Toronto
The thought you were criticising me never crossed my mind.
It’s a barren desert for such thoughts to cross (or I try to make it so. )
Auldheid
I don’t know why you bother.
But I’m glad you do!
Melbourne Mick
I hope you and family and fellow Ausie Bhoys and Ghirls have a fantastic , happy and Holy Christmas
Me I’ll be praying that the Bhoy manages a goal at half time :-)
Hail Hail to you all
glad to hear it.
HH
Cowiebhoy
Yes fingers crossed.
Best wishes to you and all the family, esp L.
H.H Mick
Auldheid
You have the patience of a saint, I wish I had an enth of it :-)
What I can’t get the head around is those that attack you don’t do feck all but bitch on a blog, at least you are fighting the corruption, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you are doing.
We see the world through different eyes, but we have one thing that unites us, or a few really, the love of Celtic, the desire to bring the cheating bassas down, the love of a good woman, you get the drift :-)
We have had our disagreements over the years, you can see more good it the suits than I can, but we haven’t fallen out over it.
As for you having an agenda, aye you have one alright, and it’s all about justice and fairness.
Keep on keeping on mi amigo.
HH
Nwganon,
I believe yourdiisparaging remark against Auldheid is uncalled for. Resolution 12 is our obsessive compulsive disorders poster anyway.and I am very happy aboot it. The disorder and ownership.
Nae excuses :-)
HH
Toronto’s Finest…
https://youtu.be/ug_NpT5Io8g
Auldheid
Sure there’s nothing new in the from mr James or is it John :-)
The Real Narrative
In my previous article I drew a parallel between the SFA’s Tribunal rulings on Craig Whyte and the charges he will face in January. The tribunal’s determinations and sanctions were hard-hitting in regard to Whyte and inordinately lenient to Rangers. They chose a technicality, a previous disqualification for seven years, which expired in June 2007, as the central plank of their Wicker Man. The SFA hoped that the flames, fanned by the SMSM, would obscure the complicity of Andrew Dickson in Whyte’s registration at the SFA.
Mr Dickson, who received a £33,000 EBT, in his remit as Head of Administration, implemented the illegal DOS tax avoidance scheme and its successor the EBT scheme. When side letters were issued, the EBT scheme was no longer a legitimate tax avoidance vehicle. When Mr Dickson’s department wrote to HMRC denying the existence of side-letters, tax avoidance became tax evasion. Mr Dickson was aided and abetted by Campbell Ogilvie until the latter’s departure with a £95,000 EBT golden parachute in 2005. The fact that the SFA employed Mr Ogilvie and subsequently Mr Dickson, followed a long tradition of a revolving door policy where an exit from Argyle House led seamlessly to an appointment at Park Gardens and later Hampden. The SFA employed the architects and beneficiaries of two illegal tax avoidance schemes.
However the SFA went further than that. They allowed Whyte’s Rangers to participate in UEFA competitions, when they were in default of social taxes arising from the illegal DOS scheme that ran from 1999-2004. Regan was minded to issue a press release in an attempt to exonerate the SFA, but when he submitted it for approval to Whyte, he was informed in no uncertain terms to spike it. The documentary evidence led by Vincent Lunny at the Tribunal ensured the SFA’s fingerprints were removed from the crime scene.
There was also the audacious claim that there were no tax irregularities as of May 6th 2011, when Whyte acquired 85% of Rangers. HMRC, who were pursuing Rangers, instructed bailiffs in July and August and would take serious issue with this preferred narrative. HMRC were all over Rangers. Despite this they were waived through by the SFA. Andrew Dickson filed the UEFA registration documents and these were not questioned by his SFA associate Sandy Bryson. Mr Bryson would be a central character in the SFA’s most notable stitch-up, the independent commission, aided and abetted by Topping and Doncaster at the SPFL. As was the case with the Judicial Tribunal hearing, Rangers escaped with a fine. Twelve years of subverting tax laws merited only £90,000 more than £160,000 imposed for offences that included paying no tax whatsoever. A cynic might conclude that Scottish football governance will do everything in its power to support and promote Rangers. The SFA’s articles of association are just guidelines for Rangers. There may be hard and fast rules for other clubs, but not for Rangers.
The SFA and SPL were fully aware that Whyte’s Rangers were heading for administration. Whyte met with Topping and Doncaster in London to apprise them of his predicament. Whyte predicted that Rangers would not gain a CVA and that liquidation would follow. He also met with the SFA to ensure that they would transfer the licence held by Rangers to a new corporate vehicle when the CVA was rejected. Whyte knew that HMRC would not cut him any slack. The SFA and SPFL took the view that it was preferable that Whyte drove Rangers off a cliff, than intervene prior to his execution of administration on 14 February 2012. This may have come as a shock to Rangers supporters, but not to Topping, Doncaster and Regan.
Whyte’s tenure as owner and chairman of Rangers lasted a mere nine months. He financed his acquisition with funds raised via Ticketus and Merchant Turnaround. His solicitor at Collyer Bristow, Gary Withey, joined him on the board. There is a parallel between Whyte and Withey and the two charlatans masquerading as accountants at Micromega Holdings Group, namely Dave King and Ian Gregory Morris. The latter in his position as FD at Umgeni Water, influenced their board to transfer their pension fund to Dave King’s Specialist Outsourcing. With the ink on the contract barely dry. Morris was appointed as FD at King’s company and given 21% of the equity.
Withey’s conduct came under much closer scrutiny than was the case in the developing democracy of post-apartheid South Africa. A claim against his former employer Collyer Bristow was originally initiated by administrators Duff & Phelps, and then continued by BDO interim liquidators Malcolm Cohen and James Stephen. A professional negligence claim was listed at the Chancery Division of the Royal Courts of Justice with damages sought of £50m plus costs. Prior to going to trial, the litigious liquidators confirmed that a £24m settlement had been paid by Collyer Bristow in regard to fees they had received in relation to the club’s controversial 2011 takeover.
During his tenure at Collyer Bristow, corporate finance partner Gary Withey had acted for Craig Whyte when he bought the club in 2011. Withey was subsequently arrested and indicted on charges and will face trial with three former employees of Duff & Phelps, namely David Grier, David Whitehouse and Paul Clark; and Mr Green and Mr Whyte.
Prosecutors allege that these five men joined Gary Withey, to embark on a course of criminal conduct during their time at the club. Gary Withey and Whyte obtained a total of £28,262,094 from ticket company Ticketus and a business called Merchant Turnaround plc. They also claim Mr Whyte, Mr Whitehouse, Mr Clark and Mr Green conspired with each other to break the law after Rangers went into administration in 2012.
It is claimed they took part in a scheme to acquire the trading assets for a sum less than their true market value.The Crown was also hoping to bring another man, Imran Ahmad,to trial. However, as we have noted in the Daily Record, Mr Ahmad is in Pakistan, has not been indicted and cannot be extradited
Let’s follow the money. We know that £18m went to Lloyds Bank and £1m to Whyte’s Rangers in two payments from Collyer Bristow of £200,000 and £800,000. We also know that Ticketus successfully sued Whyte for £17.2m and costs. We can therefore deduce that Merchant Turnaround provided £11,062,094.
After disbursements to Lloyds and Rangers, we are left with £9,262,094 in an account in Wavetower’s name at Collyer Bristow. The solicitors fees were deducted from this sum, with Gary Withey almost certainly receiving a performance bonus. The solicitors fees, and the subsequent professional negligence claim, were predicated on the acquisition of Murray’s equity. The part played by Gary Withey in raising the principal sum will be divulged in the forthcoming trial.
In the likelihood that there was a significant balance after fees, and that this was disbursed to Craig Whyte, then the decision by Collyer Bristow to settle out of court was astute. Craig Whyte claimed he did not benefit, which would lead to the preposterous suggestion that equity bought for £1 was underpinned by costs north of £9m.
It will be relatively simple to prove this in court by calling executives from Collyer Bristow as witnesses.
We know that Whyte and Green colluded, with the latter and Imran Ahmad deciding to buy the trading assets via Sevco Scotland when the CVA was not accepted. As the club could not be bought as a going concern Whyte’s 85% equity was rendered redundant. The fact that Whyte cut a deal with Brian Kennedy of the Blue Knights consortium to provide this equity would not have been lost on Green and Ahmad. He had betrayed them so they reneged on the Sevco 5088 deal.
The only questions that remain unanswered is whether there was collusion by Gary Withey, acting with or on the instructions of White, with Grier, Clark and Whitehouse to devalue the assets for the prospective purchase of Sevco 5088. I would be surprised if the additional indictment of Green is not related in some way to an allegation that the IPO prospectus was a fraudulent instrument.
Aw Naw 9.14
That is no way to speak of your sibling ( who was excellent company on Saturday btw )
Neganon2
I am as a sceptical as you but what good does it do to attack a fellow Tim for their opinion?
Auldheid is offering his view nothing more & it’s as valid as anyone else’s.. We have little reason to disbelieve his account of DD’s anger.
There’s a quote that comes to mind here – “A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing” & in relation to this, I guess it works both ways.
Ultimately though, we all have the same goal in wanting to clean up our game. So no matter if we are sceptical or not. It’s important to remember this important fact, before firing accusations.
HH!
Auldheid
That previous post was in relation to Dickson’s part
Meant to add
Cowiebhoy
The more you read the more bent it gets:((
Dickson has to go down all the way down..
Melbourne Mick on 22nd December 2015 8:52 pm
When he scores, and he`d better :-) , see if you can post it on you tube and I`ll make sure it gets all the exposure it deserves.
Pass on Happy Christmas to all the Tims doonthere.
Affoot tae checkoot Brissy.
Aberdeens best chance of winning the league is if we change our manager. Loads of things can make any manager get off to a bad start. However thankfully PL isn’t a panic merchant.
Ronnie has my 100% backing fwiw.
However I think he knows he needs to get ALL the players on side. There’s been a problem this season in attitude with some players that I noticed at firsr inthe malmo away game. I think we’ll be in for a shock at the players that leave and come in, in early January.
The press and ex players in the media are desperate for this man to fail so they raise the bar higher and higher. If we had qualified for the CL they would still be saying all the hunspeak- tactics- subs- naive-couldn’t keep weans oot a close, one-up front bla bla bla.
It’s absolute pash.
Winning the league to me is EVERYTHING. So spending £40m on McGeady Rhodes mccormick snodgrass or the like to ‘guarantee’ ( people actually believe this ) CL football is fekin madness. And see if we did do this you can guarantee that all the big shareholders and PL would sell there shares and the only people buying would be big mike and his ilk. So again fwiw I’m quite happy and I would think the majority are.
COYBIG
Cowiebhoy on 22nd December 2015 9:18 pm
Auldheid
Sure there’s nothing new in the from mr James or is it John :-)
– See more at: http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/in-defence-of-the-4-2-3-1/comment-page-6/#comment-2742162
I do wonder where he gets his info from and hope it does not prejudice the upcoming trials…….
The general thrust on UEFA Licence and ebts is correct but not totally accurate in detail.
Ogilvie instigated the original DOS ebts in 1999.
MIH responded to HMRC not RFC or Dickson in 2005, but Dickson held the personnel files of players containing contracts from 2004 that MIH told HMRC did not contain side letters.
Dickson may have submitted the paperwork to the SFA in June 2011 but Ken Olverman as FD will have signed the statement to UEFA.
Ken Sharpe was the guy at the SFA handling UEFA compliance so not sure if Bryson involved.
Although HMRC were all over Rangers they were not blind to their chances of getting paid if RFC, having got a licence, qualified for the CL.
RFC were waived through in that the SFA failed to ask for proof of what Olverman declared (which was false.)
Andrew Dickson sat on 3 of 4 Licensesing Committeee meetings in 2011 and was consulted by Regan in December 2011 before Regan sent the draft to Rangers to comment.
Apart from the detail its roughly on track
Cowie Boy
Starry Plough
Be in no doubt Dickson was a key player.
As I said prejudice to the court cases are all that separates him from being called to account.
p8ddy (6:40 pm):
“Look at Ajax, Red Bull etc
Lets look at them – all doing better than us. Alongside Molde, Malmo and those European giants NK Maribor at al…
We are *awful*. Utterly and undeniably *awful*.”
Further to my lunchtime post, and to throw a little considered context into the mix, I would point out the situations prior to this last weekend regarding each of the teams you mentioned:
Celtic had failed to win just two of their last 12 domestic games (a run which included back to back wins over both of their nearest “challengers”) and sat 4 points clear at the top of the league with a game in hand over the second placed team.
Ajax had failed to win four of their previous 12 domestic games and were sitting at the top of the Dutch League, just two points ahead of Feyenoord and three ahead of PSV. They had however just lost against 8th place Utrecht (remember them?!).
(Red Bull) Salzburg had failed to win five of their previous 12 domestic games and were 2nd in the Austrian League, ahead of Rapid Vienna on goal difference, but a point behind Austria Vienna. They had just drawn with Mattersburg, having won just once in six league games.
Molde failed to win four of the final 12 games of their domestic season, which saw them finish 6th in the Norwegian League. They only won half of their 30 league matches and finished some 17 points adrift of champions Rosenborg.
Malmo failed to win five of the final 12 games of their domestic season, which saw them finish 5th in the Norwegian League. They too only won half of their 30 league matches and finished some 12 points adrift of champions Norrkoping.
Maribor had failed to win four of their last 12 domestic games, and were in 2nd place in the Slovenian league, just three points behind champions Ljubljana, in spite of winning just 12 of their 22 league matches to date.
My point is that all of those teams are playing in a more competitive environment than Celtic. They all play teams who are closer to or above their own level on a more regular basis than do Celtic, and so they are better equipped to play teams with a keener competitive edge or of superior quality, in UEFA competitions.
We need at least three or four SPL teams to be pushing us right to the end of the season, every season. Winning leagues by 10, 15, or more points and having no tangible pressure beyond Easter does us no favours when it we have to attempt to qualify for Europe’s prestige tournament after cruising to the title and playing a few pre-season friendlies.
I thought the re-structured League Cup may have done us a favour by enabling our players to improve their competitive match sharpness in July, ahead of any European qualifiers… but the teams that are in the Euro qualifiers (and need that competitive sharpness) are excluded from this stage of the League Cup!
We need more competition in Scotland to improve our chances of European progress, but that same improved domestic competition (were it to materialise) would potentially mean that we failed to qualify to play in European competition (in at least some seasons).
Would we rather have results like last weekend 6, 7, or 8 times a season and finish 2nd, 3rd or 4th more often than winning the league… but get into the CL group stages on the one year in three or four that we actually win the league? Or would we rather win the league (almost) every year, regularly topped up with one or both of the domestic cups, but struggle to have one “decent” European campaign every four years?
Given that for us a decent European campaign is to get to the CL group stage and finish 3rd in our group, with perhaps 6 points. We’d get a couple of games against an “A-lister” such as Bayern Munich, and two or four against mid-range teams like Benfica and Salzburg, having dealt with “scraps” of the like of Stjarnan, Qarabag and Malmo first.
For me, winning maybe 6 or 7 of those 12 matches, and potentially getting humped home and away by Bayern, doesn’t make up for the glorious feeling of once again beating the best of the rest in the SPL, in spite of whatever cheating, skulduggery and honest mistakes are thrown in our way. We may follow Celtic win, lose or draw, but let’s face it, the feeling after winning far outstrips what has been witnessed on this and other blogs over the last week!
There are far too many on here and elsewhere who are Celtic fans (as in fanatics), and not enough true Celtic supporters.
Did Dickson not recently get appointed onto one of the SFA commitees ?
Petition is pathetic. As others have said, Hun like in its mentality.
Big chipsUK 10 inarow
Care to define what you perceive the difference between a Celtic supporter and a Celtic fan is ?