I like Scott Brown and Leigh Griffiths’ reactions to our recent adversity. It says a lot about them. They both personalise responsibility for what happens next, this is an important part of recovery – and success.
A week ago I wrote that the League Cup semi against Ross County was the biggest game in the rest of our season, and that it wasn’t a game I’d bet on. It provided the toxicity cup football can generate, creating a crisis mentality which rolled into Aberdeen on Wednesday.
This psychological phenomenon has to end now. Feel free to put a date in June in the diary to get back to it. We are in a genuine league title contest, something you and I talked about as a great thing for Scottish football not so long ago. We have no God given right to be miles ahead of anyone. We are here because we’ve made mistakes and an opponent stepped up. Welcome to Celtic.
If you want to open an inquest when the patient catches a cold, knock yourself out, but I’m not up for it. If we want this title, we circle the wagons and give the manager and players the encouragement they need to get the job done (and, erm, that includes you, ‘Phyllis’). You can be sure Aberdeen fans will do nothing less.
Tomorrow the focus switches to Perth, where Aberdeen take on St Johnstone. They won their first 8 league games this season, but the wheels came off the tractor immediately after their most important victory away from home – at Tynecastle. Next up was a League Cup game against Hibs, the loss of which plunged them into a five-week chasm.
They are a team who get notoriously nervous just when they begin to think they are in with a chance. We’ll see what Tommy Wright does with them tomorrow.
Enjoy your football. Enjoy this league race, the challenge and the disappointments. Enjoy that thrill when a goal goes against Aberdeen, or the downer when they score. It will make the finale all the more rewarding, I promise you.
1,334 Comments- Pages:
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- ...
- 36
- »
I need to go now
OK!
Good morning from stormy Florida.
Dismantle Andy Walker…
Nice one,D.
PAUL67
I reckon we’ll take more points pre-split than Aberdeen. Sure hope so!
why not circle the wagons and bring the horses inside as well ?
15handshighc.s.c
Is there a soiree at the BV today?
We should just deprive Aldy Wa*ker of oxygen
2 bit pundit with 2 bob brain – reliably informed his family think the same
There’s still a long road to go through the dark days of February and March before this title race becomes clear.
My money is on injuries and the top teams taking points off each other having a say on where the league title goes.
We are allowed the luxury of squad rotation, while some the senior players who have been over this road before are just coming back from injury to stake a claim.
Celtic to win the league by 7 points. Obviously not a popular slant on things on these pages recently, but there you go :-)
Bognorbhoy, I’m hopeless with metaphor.
BMCUW, hope so.
Scott Brown and Lee Griffiths are not our problem.
This is a blog where people vent.
At the stadium the fans support the team.
The fans who attend are not the problem either.
TT
Paul 67 Et Al,
There is no doubt in my mind that Aberdeen’ s challenge will again come off the rails. Celtic will win the league because we will be more consistent over the season.
However we can’t seem to handle a game with pressure.
Maybe it’s not additional coaching we need, maybe its a physiologist.
Hail, Hail.
Well said Paul.
The Aberdeen game came at the worst possible time for us. While our opponents had 12 days to prepare for the game, we had to play three days earlier, on a quagmire of a pitch, with ten men for most of the game.
We also had three players lacking full match-fitness and our highest energy player out injured.
If they looked like they had more energy than us then it’s no wonder!
C’mon the hoops!
Paul, if we were up and running we would be enjoying the race, what we are questioning is whether basic standards and expectations are being met…. we wanted the competition to improve not for us to make the same silly mistakes match in match out /transfer window in transfer window out
And no one says we have a god given right, we have a Bhoys and Ghirls given right in that we put hard earned money and support into the club, and are in orders of magnitude bigger than any of the competition, we can all take and have bad run, but being at least borderline unprofessional in your approach to game should be questioned – supported on the day but queried after
I have no doubt Aberdeen will drop points in the run in to the end of the season and we need to get consistency and we will win the league again. In the summer we need to try and shed fringe players and get the first team squad to around 28 players that would save a lot of money on salaries and allow the purchase of better players we must also make better use of our youth squads and ensure we promote youngsters into the first team squad.I personaly think we should also look for a more experienced defensive coach with these changes I believe would improve the team.H.H.
9 games to the split, 3 points ahead and a goal difference that is uncatchable. Closer than it should be given the players we have versus the opposition but that’s where we are.
We have 4 home games and 5 away games before the split, Aberdeen have only 3 home and 6 away. They need to go to Perth, Inverness (where they’ve already lost) and Tynecastle (where they’ve already lost). We have Hamilton, PT, Dundee, Killie and Mothewell away.
Aberdeen will drop points before the split, we shouldn’t (no matter who’s in charge) but if the gap hasn’t increased, or been cut, by the split then we are massively underachieving.
What we really need is Neil Lennon MKII on the field.
Spot on Paul67. Support the team and appreciate that we are now tuning into the tranny to hear of Aberdeen’s score come through.
There will be endless numbers of people wheeled out in the MSM to try and keep the undue pressure up. Let’s get behind the bhoys.
And that’s not the same as a balanced debate on where to next ?
It’s a double for me.
GREENPINATA on 5TH FEBRUARY 2016 12:24 PM
I think the points simpler than that
We can’t defend set pieces and struggle to keep our shape
We aren’t beyond solving these issues and it won’t stop us winning the league. My hope is that we will actually have a consistent selection over the next couple of months.
Gordon, Lustig, Boyata, Sviat, Tierney, Broony, Biton and Griff need to play every week.
We also need to a make a decision over the wingers and number 10.
A week ago, the East Kilbride cup tie was little more than a note in the fixture list for most and a unique event for some of us.
It was inconceivable that Celtic wouldn’t win the tie comfortably at the very least.
Now, it’s not inconceivable. It’s just highly unlikely that there will be any other outcome than a Celtic win, but folk are considering the possibilities, and an uncomfortable afternoon is not entirely unexpected.
Is an East Kilbride win against Celtic an outcome that would happen once in 18 matches as one Bookie places it, or once in 30 matches as most others see it? The thing about remote possibilities is that they’re possible, it’s simply a matter of chance.
The consequences of a defeat would be profound for Celtic. In such circumstances, how will the players be approaching the game?
I can tell you the EKFC manager “would love to play against the team that played Ross County”. Whether Derek McInnes, Jim McIntyre or Billy Ogilvie, football managers in Scotland think Celtic are “get at-able”.
Get at-able. That’s where we are right now.
I think it’s a shame we can’t win every game.
Sack the lotta rum.
Big Peat , from last thread, sorry remind me what number Ronny wears.
All about opinions, mine is statements like that are counter productive to Celtic. He’s still our manager and till I hear differently he gets my support
HH
gsu
Confucius he say……………………….
Circling the wagons is fine
As long as you’re shooting outwards.
Ray, we seem to be able to organise defensive circles just fine – at least one that has a nice big round hole in the middle
I can tell you the EKFC manager “would love to play against the team that played Ross County”
===========
TBB
No wonder – there was only 10 of us;)
I wonder what the pitch at New Broomfield is like, another possible factor is the comfortableness of our afternoon.
On a good pitch I think we’ll score a minimum of 5.
I’ve been wrong before!
HH
Traditionalist
It’s a 3G. Like the one at K Park.
TRADITIONALIST88 @ 12:10 PM,
From last post…
So BRT&H saying the templates for the European League and the transatlantic League are at an advanced state and negos have already started. Yet like you say he has always struck me as being Optimistic about European League reconstruction and new media being a positive for Celtic. His post re big Clubs from smaller leagues is alarming.
Still, we have a double to win!
Monklands needs a strong Albion Rovers
Hail Hail
So.
Celtic win the league.
Then what ?
I can feel a half day coming on.
MACJAY
A wee clue-Groundhog Day earlier this week.
yep..its all the supporters fault.
ross cty
Aberdeen
malmo
molde
motherwell….
claptrap and smoke n mirrors
The Battered Bunnet on 5th February 2016 12:41 pm
Traditionalist
It’s a 3G. Like the one at K Park.
=====
Thanks, wasn’t aware of that.
If we can score early I think a few of our players will be hoping to take recent frustrations out but if we don’t it could be uncomfortable alright.
HH
MACJAY1 FOR NEIL LENNON on 5TH FEBRUARY 2016 12:42 PM
So.
Celtic win the league.
Then what ?
—————————————————-
Then we celebrate:-)
HH.
P67 – thanks for the name check, not sure what I did to deserve it though. (If indeed it was me you were referring to).
Paul.
I’d take a league title win on goal difference today. Don’t care how or by how many points, as long as we’re champions.
Also, what do you make of Hearts team building? I think Huns job of challenging for title over the next number of years is getting slowly harder. Never all other obstacles that have to be cleared by them.
Chairbhoy
Thats essentially it.
Concerning – but then, everything is concerning at the moment. Everything!
HH
If we win the league I think Ronny still needs to go. Shown nothing to say he can get into CL or EL. Really don’t see the point in keeping him until end of season either. Change now. Just my opinion but that’s how I feel at this moment.
HH
How many of the bedwetters are actually “supporting” I suspect it would rival Andy Walkers IQ