I got my haircut today. Sitting, waiting in line, usual habits were cast aside and I picked up a newspaper; what an alarming read. Neil Lennon was quoted as saying, “I’m not big on tactics. It’s about the players and they have to go out onto the pitch and apply that.”
I couldn’t disagree more. It’s all about the tactics. Players need to be sufficiently fit, fast and fearless but all the talent in the world can be ripped asunder if it’s not tactically well organised. I had been watching Celtic tactics closely for 20 years before Martin O’Neill arrived. Back in 2000, watching Celtic was like going to school. My eyes were opened to how a defence is organised, how to stage an attack that fits your strikers and how to buy with a playing strategy in mind.
We had seen plenty great players since our last great team: McStay, McClair, McGrain, McAvennie, Burns, Nicholas. We’d seen courage and directness: the Bear, MacLeod and Provan, and cameos from Moravcik and Larsson, but we were forever found out, a plucky team who would flatter to deceive. Celtic would regularly dominate Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen – who understood too well the importance of tactics – and lose 1-0, and we went 30 years without beating a team from a major European league.
Martin O’Neill clearly demonstrated that successful football teams are all about tactics, not the players, nor courage, not even an aggregate ocean of skill.
>90% of football games are won and lost before kick-off.
As for the on-going orgy that is dominating front pages (good grief). Get used to it. As I’ve said many times, positions are absolutely entrenched when it comes to the songs debate. Neil Lennon and Ian Bankier are in for a disappointment if they think they, or any of the rest of us, can “self-police” those who object to being inhibited from singing about the IRA. I’ve encouraged this so often I’m not going to waste my your time with it anymore.
Celtic are set for an extended period when its reputation will suffer, there is no avoiding this. Unfortunately, not everyone listens. My great sympathies go to the £X per hour Celtic stewards who have to put themselves in the front line of this confrontation.
If I can offer any advice on a related subject… Songs and banners affect individuals, who will often be selected randomly for exclusion. Lateral movement in the stands, which happened last weekend, will get an entire section of the stadium closed by Health & Safety. If this creeps back into Celtic Park there is a real risk of council action. I’m pretty sure Michael Davitt didn’t place the sod on Celtic Park before bouncing left to right and back again. It’s not a key part of our heritage, don’t pick fights you’re going to lose.
CQN Magazine, issue 5, will be out soon. After 4 issues online and shipping single copies from Magcloud in the US, we’ve ordered a print run locally. You can order now with credit/debit card or Paypal and buy direct from the UK for only £5 by clicking on the link below.
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Saint Stivs
“i nearly dropped a stitch in my new pink and green scarf.”
PMSL
MWD wants to be an Über Tim. Is there classes I can go to?
@Gordon64
When have i ever glorified the IRA on this site?
Good god, I post an opinion and then drive my daughter in law to her works Christmas do and on returning I am being slaughtered by JF and others.
Lets get this clear, I do not defend the the ones who flew the banner and even less so the ned that assaulted our steward or the thug who head butted one of our posters at Celtic Park.
My point is that we have enough to contend with in dealing with Traynor, Keevins and the other slimeballs who blacken our good name on a daily basis without our own manager and Chief Exec. filling their bigotted and soup taking mouths.
I very rarely post prefering to read on a daily basis. However I stand by my comment the other day, that PL should get off his middle class backside and defend the Celtic family.
A start would be to ban the laptop loyal and threaten them with court action if they continue with lies and outright bias in their reporting when compared to the other lot.
I doubt PL ever stood in the jungle or travelled to shit holes like Fir park in the winter and definately doubt if he was ever told to shut his f*****g fenian mouth by members of Strathclyde finest and that was for daring to wear a Celtic scarf or top.
Unlike PL and others I know who hate us and have no intention of sooking in or apeasing the bigoted establishment.
JimmyQuinnsBits says:
17 December, 2011 at 20:07
Ah see that, after many years of development, and millions of pounds of investment, the scientists at the Large Hadron Collider have concluded that the mass of the Universe is made up of Biggs Bosums
==============
strange that,
my universe is made up of HIGGS NOHUNS
can i say that ? sorry.
Joe Filippis Haircut says:
17 December, 2011 at 20:03
When I heard what Lenny’s spelling comment I burst out laughing. As you say the banner is not such a big deal, but a pain in the ar^e for Celtic. If we take ourselves too seriously we are in danger of becoming total bores.
Rico
JQB
Did i not tell you i’m in charge of the collider bit.
Money for old rope.
MWD
you know my thoughts about the PLC…
they do no good to CelticFC in…
C40me… my opinion mate… o))
I always want to impart my knowledge of food.
BUT
A discretionary donation to http://www.thekanofoundation.com/
will be required for future reccomendations/information
Includes you JP.
James
That’s more like ye buddy :)
I get the circumstances, I get the frustration, I get the desire to shove the microphone I understand all of that I really do. As I’ve said I wouldn’t even have minded Lenny saying that he disagreed with the banner, that would have been him sticking to his convictions. However, I will never understand why he used the words he did.
When he lifts the Championship trophy come May I will still ne delighted for him as the manager of Celtic.
64
was the lager still crap in the Vogue ?
HT
Every man is entitled to hold the view he holds, and no man has the right to take away his view, we can talk and talk, but if a mans view is resolute, fair enough.
All men are different, different managers would react in differing ways to any given situation, but there is not a manager on the planet that has gone through what Lenny has gone through, just the other week there was a debate about depression and the like, and Lenny has on more than a few ocassions talked about this, these events are taking their toll on him.
Not being an expert in psycology I thought Lenny was a distraught figure in the video, he looked drained to me, like he was done, had had enough.
Under those extreem circumstances I can see where he was coming from.
As others have said, the support has elements who don’t hold the views of the majority, some are not good people, some attack other Tims for no good reason, these could be the people who Lenny is talking about.
The last time I was at CP, jan this year, I saw a bloke stick the head on another bloke for standing on his foot in the Q for a half time pie, maybe he is who Lenny was talking about.
Whatever, we are all different, we all support the team in our own way.
*don scouser wigs and ‘taches*
calm down, calm down, calm down *fist fight* :)
Moonbeams WD. \o/ Supporting Neil Lennon 100%. says:
17 December, 2011 at 20:11
hahhaha,
i havnt had a chance to post much lately, but was lurking the other day when you posted the Pink and Green scarf comment and i really did laugh out loud,
it was too good to leave as a stand alone comment, so i had to use it first chance i got ……
knit one , pearl one.
Croppybhoy
I assume you are blaming the GB for the banner.
Based on what exactly.
Feck Über Tims.
MWD still wants to be one though.
Ghuys im hving an argument with 1 of the great unwashed who i have th misfortune of working with he says goalbwas 2 yards nside ive not seen it yet and he said penswud a bn very soft thanks in advance ghuys
HH
BT
VP stuck a ton on the bar today
so i couldnae complain.
Saint Stivs
You seem to know way too much about knitting for a big rough Bhoy faw Gods country?
Glad you enjoyed it.
MWD
tractorbhoy:
Mate, my disappointment was with your comments about our manager. Read what I just posted to hamiltontim. This is the guy we must keep faith with.
I understand your frustration and anger; it is shared by all of us, and in this country, where the Enemy is known to us and is coming after us with everything, we will be side by side in the fight, even if it means taking it right to his door. We have no choice. Maybe it’s just watching this World at War thing, but I feel the need to quote a very evil man who otherwise I never would … but even evil men have uttered eloquent phrases; how do you think they were so succesful in convincing millions to join them?
“In this fight there is but one certainty; either we pass over our enemies bodies, or they will pass over ours.”
I am not advocating violent insurrection here – haha, of course not – I am just saying the stakes are sky high, and I do believe our survival as an institution is as stake. To win, not only do we need to be strong but we also need to be smart. We need to give them nothing.
This was a mistake in every sense. It should not be repeated. We need to outhink these people. If we don’t do that we will never be in a position to outgun them. We will be divided and broken at the very moment we would have won had we been strong.
Ten men. Douglas came in at a cost and he did make a few gaffs, but was miles better than anything we had in a while, remember his saves at anfield
Twin bhoy. Dan is another in a long line of non ball winning center halfs and is prone to mistake after mistake
Cha dont go there a pub player at best
Paul67 comments about it’s tactics and not players and quoting oneils team is laughable
It was big physical players that ensured his tactics of pressing and dominating worked
Without those players, tactics go out the window
We have been waiting to fill a number of weak links for 4 years now
Thwarted by a CEO who puts his own high salary in front of strengthing these weak links
ST
Saint Stivs,
is that the God particle?
G64,
thought so… its actually being run from the Drum isn’t it?
64..
VG from VP…. o))
Twinbhoy
Wasn’t what i meant but no probs pal.
BT
Is the rioja box still in one piece ?
64
yeh just about..
had a couple of hours in the gang hut waiting on Mrs BT returning home… o))
seems I had too much to drink…
Gordon64 says:
17 December, 2011 at 20:17
Big Bucks
re the GB
I sit in the JSS and love it when the bhoys in 111 sing Celtic songs old and new ,in fact the new songs they have brought to CP are great .
I have watched as they have sung throughout the game regardless the score .
IMO these bhoys would thrive in a terracing setting .I have watch a you tube clip called junior kapo where a young bhoy orchestrates the whole section (Na the whole stadium )it brings a lump to my throat watching it .To me that is Celtic and all they stand for right there .
No malice ,no offence and magnificent support for the team .
IMO wee fergus was no mug in fact minty could not tie the wee mans laces .
He built CP to house 60,000 times .10,000 more than our rivals ,that’s a possible 5m per season more than our rivals in ST alone ,Remember Minty struggling to lower the pitch and remove the screens (in fact did he not build the club deck with a loan to be repaid )to attempt to keep up .
The GB can be either book a place in our clubs history or be something the club would rather forget .
I hope and play the bhoys in the GB do the former ,can you imagine telling your grandkids that the atmosphere they see at CP in the spl is because you made it happen .
That would do me
hail hail
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS says:
17 December, 2011 at 20:10
If my boss say’s to me if you swear at me once more you’re ar^e will have friction burns on the way to HR, I’d stop swearing at him.
If he told me I’d be working Sunday unpaid, I’d swear at him.
The precipice you are talking about is is about 20cm tall and ends on a football pitch.
Rico
James forrest
Aye the same UEFA which HAS to trust its national associations or it would be up to its neck in paperwork looking for things that don’t fit.
Aye the same uefa who have received tip offs from countless fans amongst them card carrying journalists.
The same UEFA which had to back the national referees association when they voted, like any trade union, to go on strike.
Aye the same uefa whose member constituents luxemburg provided officials being the only member to ignore the intervention of uefa employees.
The same UEFA which let us back into the competition in the first place, after we were beaten. aye the same uefa that had no choice for fear of legal action and the collapse of one of it’s tournaments.
On you go James you know you want to call me paranoid. Go for it.
Aye the same one. And if you think UEFA are part of the Great Masonic Conspiracy of 2011 you are barking.
anyone read World War Z – great book – the film they did down Geaorge sq- a total war against the undead, ravenous horde and their friends (< INSERT RANGERS FC HERE) – another stocking (tremble) filler x
Bit off topic,,,but exactly why is tomorrows game not being shown live on TV???
Hail hail
TET
Hail Hail for that mate.
BTW picked up some lovely bottles of red for Christmas at LIDL earlier today, yummy…
What is happening at our club?
Paul67 et al
I am still not convinced that the Celtic support traduced and tarnished the image of Celtic FC during the match against Rennes, although they may have tarnished the image of Celtic PLC. As such I cannot accept the decision made by a Uefa committee, and based largely, if not solely on a Glasgow Police Officer with his bosses agenda, (that is you Strathclyde Police if you are looking in). Now, I may be wrong of course, but it follows that I do not agree with the Celtic Board’s decision not to appeal said decision and meekly accept the sanction. I have stated earlier that it would lead to accusations of “illicit behaviour” from all and sundry. I assume that those waving the banners similarly oppose the decision by Uefa. The Celtic Board rubber stamped it, they protested against it during a match. Back in 1986, in Mexico, the late great Socrates supported the Sandanistas whilst wearing the strip of Brazil, these guys did it wearing the green and white. Would I have protested in the same way, probably not, have I protested in a similar way, absolutely. One of those protesting is also accused of assaulting a steward representing Celtic FC, accused that is. Before even so much as an appearance in a Court, he will, our Chief Executive assures us, be banned from Celtic Park “for life”. And that is without a trial. Is not Ross Connolly (bit of a Scots/Irish name if you ask me) entitled to a fair hearing? I think he is.
Ibleed…
Sky/ESPN only have the rights to a specified number of games. We’re playing Sunday because of the game on Thursday night.
hamiltontim says:
17 December, 2011 at 20:28
Ibleed…
Sky/ESPN only have the rights to a specified number of games. We’re playing Sunday because of the game on Thursday night.
___________________________________________________________________________
AAArghh,,,,i cannae handle listening to radio commentary!!!!
Hail hail
WDH
VP won the tote last week.
The most generous man you will ever meet in your life.
A true friend and Cetic supporter.
HT
Enjoy them mi amigo.
hamiltontim
You going tomorrow mate?