AGM robust defence of strategy

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After a competitive first half Celtic stepped up a gear in the second to swamp Kilmarnock.  The back four, aided by the protection of Ismaila Soro, contributed to our first clean sheet in nine outings.  David Turnbull picked up where he left off on Thursday with another assist from a corner kick, this time converted by the renewed Shane Duffy.

Celtic’s run of form extends to only two games but if any innocuous effort encapsulated it more it was the run Patryk Klimala made deep into his own half to pick up a throw-in that ultimately led to the second goal.  The movement of Turnbull, Soro and Klimala (when he replaced Odsonne Edouard) has transformed Celtic into a team easy to play against into a solid operation that looks confident.

I never expected our play to right itself by moving Kristofer Ajer to right back and adding Soro and Turnbull to the midfield.  After St Johnstone, I didn’t expect Neil Lennon to find a workable formula so quickly, I doubt he did either.

After demonstrations against Neil, the players and the running of the club (which I assumed was a metaphor for not sacking Neil), the appetite to demonstrate against Neil and the players has dissipated, although I am unsure if the lack of a sacking still counts as a demonstrate-able event.

I did not back Neil Lennon to get the job in 2010 or in 2019 and as recently as a week ago, I didn’t think he had a hope of getting a decent 90 minutes out of this squad.  It would have been easier to have a bloodletting than for the board to tell us their man has the best chance of turning things around.

I still don’t think we will win the league this season, but it would be a Celtic fans with a heart of stone, or at least a tendancy to overreaction, who would campaign to tear our infrastructure asunder right now.  Get results for the next three weeks and see what happens next.

Our Annual General Meeting was held by videoconference this afternoon.  The highlight, not for the first time, was Celtic FC Foundation’s chief exec, Tony Hamilton, who explained that the Christmas Appeal in 2019 was our best ever and that our Football for Good campaing this year now topped the £1m mark.

Peter Lawwell gave a robust defence of strategy.  The year between summer 2019 and summer 2020 saw the largest spend in the club’s history, £35m across the transfer windows.  He affirmed his manager’s credentials and made it clear the board remain committed to the title fight this season.  It is difficult to do rallying calls by recorded AGM videolink, but this was as close as we are likely to see.

Some of us have juices flowing at the prospect of a fourth consecutive treble.  We won the fourth treble in our history in 2017.  Yes, this clearly is pitchfork time.

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  1. Ooops,came on for a read,forgetting it was the AGM.H,mmm,I will leave it to the experts.Boardroom matters have never concerned me.Supporting the team is stressful enough.

  2. Kev Jungle

     

    A wee bit od divergence there, must be inflation: £49 has now become £52 😉

     

     

    Keep well.

  3. Re interpretation of the Board’s (Chairman) statement on Res11/12, what I took from it is that he stated that “they will continue to monitor the situation and review from time to time if, IF, any further action is required in the best interests of the company”. To me, that says they will do SFA…

     

    HH

  4. DanDan, Have been reading a bit about your Bhoy & seen his pics, a handsome Bhoy as you say with a Hollywood Smile.

     

    He will always be your handsome Bhoy, God Bless him & God give you & your family the strength & courage to cope with your devastating loss.

  5. The teams with the most money wins football games.

     

     

    Sevco have a better squad because the yare now closed the gap and are spending more on their football team. Where the moneys coming from is another story

     

     

    So this “not a penny more” tact..what’s the end game with that?

  6. To a great Tim, Hot Smoked.

     

    A great Golfer, Intelligent & Handsome and also knows his whiskey, or whisky as ACGR would insist.

     

    Happy Birthday Jim , Hope you have a great day & finish it off with a nice dram.

  7. I fully expect us to win the quadrebeltreble on Sunday; despite everything that has gone on since mid Oct, it would be truly careless to lose to a Championship team

     

     

    I think we should all try to forget everything else on Sunday and allow ourselves to enjoy it.

     

     

    After that, we really need the huns to drop 2 or 3 points more than us before Hogmanay game. If we get the confidence up from a run of wins and performances, there is every chance we can take them in that game. Then the league race is back on

     

     

    Have I lost my mind? Well here’s my thinking

     

    1. they have harder games on paper

     

    2. they have a LC game

     

    3. they have not had a team having a right go at them for a while

     

     

    Strangely, despite our rank performance at CP, we really could have drawn that game (MOI chance, the softness of the goals conceded).

     

     

    Our confidence nosedived and theirs went through the roof. I genuinely thought they were scared going into the game and were stunned at how easy it was. They will be confident next time which is why i think we can hit them hard and blow that confidence

     

     

    I wouldn’t be me if I was always that upbeat so of course if the gap doesn’t narrow and we don’t win at Ibrox, it’s game over. That is a normal league challenge and the stress it brings.

     

     

    It shouldn’t be seen as unusual if we look back to pre liquidation

     

     

    Hai Hail and get intae thum

  8. DanDan – Think8ng about you and your family.

     

     

    Cowie and CRC Very thoughtful and so kind.

     

     

    D :)

  9. ALMORE on 14TH DECEMBER 2020 8:07 PM

     

    Hot Smoked: Breithlá sona duit.

     

    ————————

     

    No, not snowing where i am😎

  10. HOT SMOKED

     

    Happy Birthday hope you’ve had a great day and a few birthday drams ! 🥃🥃🥃

  11. VINNIETHEDOG on 14TH DECEMBER 2020 4:03 PM

     

     

    Dermot Desmond for all his faults got MON and Brendan Rodgers… A personal choice…… Suits me

     

     

    *and, if you read his interview, every manager since he went over Alan McDonald’s head who wanted Guus Hiddink.

     

     

    That includes WGS who was MON’s pick, Mogga, Da Doo Ron Ron and NFL twice.

  12. 67 European Cup Winners on

    PL has spent £35m – we are currently the second best team in Scotland, we are out of the LC

     

    We got humiliated in Europe, and the last 2 games apart, have been playing absolute rubbish football

     

     

    Peter you spent £35m and we are still rubbish it’s for exactly that reason you need to consider your position and that of the senior management team

     

     

    Note to those about to have a go – PL has made it clear NL stays (not my choice) but knowing we have what we have I am all in with my support for one and all

     

    But lets not have an orgasim because we beat a team who had already qualified for the last 16 and a bog standard win against Killie

     

     

    Our last 2 games have been outstanding – only because we compare them to the previous 10

     

    Did we see an inspirational Celtic team like we saw under BR ??

     

    No not really

     

     

    I am right behind our team and hope/pray we can get to Jan 4 winning every game

     

     

    Only then will we have a realistic chance of winning 10

     

     

    67ECW

  13. So Boris has told the Brit supermarket bosses this weekend to stock up on food, funny how the MSM haven’t reported it, not a word, but he sure told them, also there are prospects of food shortages in Nordie land in the next few months, both the first and deputy ministers from NI have been pleading with the UK government to sort it out, their response, silence, again feck all in the MSM, I wonder why….not.

  14. KevJ

     

     

     

    “Since 1999 and McCann’s stab in the back, a plan in which Low was one of the main architects, and there he is again, wheeled and dealed his way to the top of the tree, in the Trust!”

     

     

    ——-

     

     

    The previous Chairman of The Celtic Trust posted on these very pages. He was one of the most decent and honest men I’ve ever met. Sadly, he passed away and we were left with a vacancy in his position on the committee.

     

     

    David Lowe didn’t wheel and deal anything, he merely filled the roll of a good, good man.

     

     

    You really should think before you post Kev, I found your comment despicable to be honest.

  15. Celticrollercoaster supporting The Walk With Shay Legacy Fund on

    HAMILTONTIM on 14TH DECEMBER 2020 9:26 PM

     

     

    “The previous Chairman of The Celtic Trust posted on these very pages. He was one of the most decent and honest men I’ve ever met. Sadly, he passed away and we were left with a vacancy in his position on the committee.”

     

     

    I concur with those words. I also had the honour of befriending Sparkx and also carried his coffin when he passed away. Always asking about my family wellbeing, even during his own suffering. Sadly missed amongst others.

     

     

    Hope you are ok, HT?

     

     

    HH

     

     

    CRC

  16. Patryk Klimala is an honest committed player who deserves to be our back up striker.

     

     

    Odsonne Edouard is our best player, while we have his talent we should build our play around him, give him the tools to perform.

     

     

    This talk of him being the problem is a nonsense.

  17. CELTICROLLERCOASTER SUPPORTING THE WALK WITH SHAY LEGACY FUND on 14TH DECEMBER 2020 9:49 PM

     

    HAMILTONTIM on 14TH DECEMBER 2020 9:26 PM

     

     

    the pair of you, and with regard to Dan Dan,

     

     

    in the hardest of a time for that bhoy and you HT, your ability to keep on going,

     

     

    keep it lit.

  18. *CQN PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2020-21*

     

    RESULTS FROM GAME #27 – CELTIC 2 KILMARNOCK 0 (ELYOUNOUSSI, DUFFY)

     

     

    Back to back wins for the first time since 4 October and our first clean sheet since the Scottish Cup semi final meant that it was a more pleasurable Sunday than of late. Delighted that most of the team remained unchanged from the Lille game and many of last Thursday’s stars also shone brightly yesterday.

     

    David Turnbull’s delivery from free kicks and corners has been really pleasing to see. And even though Ryan Christie came on as a 2nd half substitute I was relieved to see that David retained his role as dead ball deliverer.

     

    Again, good performances all over the park made for an interesting plethora of emails. Not quite as many as the Lille game but healthy nonetheless. So, a big thank you to the 65 who voted.

     

    The votes cast for each player (with my own choices asterisked) are as follows –

     

    Hazard: 2

     

    Ajer*: 58

     

    Jullien: 3

     

    Duffy*: 27

     

    Taylor: 12

     

    Frimpong: 0

     

    Soro: 35

     

    Turnbull*: 45

     

    McGregor: 6

     

    Elyounoussi: 6

     

    Edouard: 0

     

    Christie: 0

     

    Klimala: 0

     

    Laxalt: 1

     

    Rogic: 0

     

    Johnston: 0

     

     

    So, the players receiving points for the Kilmarnock game are –

     

    Ajer – 5 points [his first Man Of The Match award of this season]

     

    Turnbull – 4 points

     

    Soro – 3 points

     

    Duffy – 2 points

     

    Taylor – 1 point

     

     

    And the overall table is now –

     

    1st – Laxalt – 49 points

     

    2nd – Christie – 44 points

     

    3rd – McGregor – 42 points

     

    4th – Frimpong – 35 points

     

    5th – Ajer – 32 points

     

    6th – Brown – 25 points

     

    7th – Elyounoussi – 23 points

     

    8th – Rogic – 19 points

     

    9th – Duffy – 17 points

     

    10th – Ntcham – 16 points

     

    11th – Bitton and Griffiths – 12 points

     

    13th – Edouard and Turnbull – 13 points

     

    14th – Taylor – 11 points

     

    15th – Barkas – 9 points

     

    17th – Ajeti – 8 points

     

    18th – Elhamed and Soro – 7 points

     

    19th – Klimala – 6 points

     

    20th – Forrest and Jullien – 5 points

     

    22nd – Bain and Welsh – 4 points

     

    25th – Bolingoli, Dembele, Hazard and Henderson – 0 points

     

     

    And so, we now arrive at a potentially very special point in our club’s history. On Sunday 20 December at 2,15pm we kick off against Hearts in the Scottish Cup Final where a victory would see us crowned QUADROFENIANS!! Make it happen, Celtic.

     

    Hail Hail!

  19. Hello again all you young rebels.

     

     

    Can finally get my typing fingers working again, tried a post

     

    last night when I arrived home from the rebel peninsula.

     

    Ffs, they were dancing all over the place, getting too old trying

     

    to outdrink those bhoys and ghirls.

     

    Reading back now, and a tear in my eye at DANDAN’s post.

     

    RIP Daniel.

     

    Great work by Marc/Norrie that’s the Celtic family I know and

     

    love.

     

    H.H. Mick

     

    P.S BIG JIMMY hope your better, Paddymac sends best wishes.

  20. CRC

     

     

    Thank you ma pal, an absolutely horrendous weekend but I am getting there, slowly!

     

     

    I pray that you’re all well.

  21. DanDan

     

     

    Good to see you posting.

     

     

    Look after yourself and your family.

     

     

    God bless.

     

     

    Sid

  22. DanDan

     

     

    I don’t have a clue whether I’ll be able to help, grief is such a personal and individual experience, however, having gone through my own recent loss, please, please don’t hesitate to get in touch pal if you think there’s the slightest thing I can do. Most importantly DO NOT feel that you need to contact me, it can be completely overwhelming at times but you you feel out of decency that you must reply. Don’t!

     

     

    hamiltontim88@yahoo.co.uk

  23. Celticrollercoaster supporting The Walk With Shay Legacy Fund on

    A very happy birthday Hot Smoked!

     

     

    HH

     

     

    CRC

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