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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Mike In Toronto,
Good post. I think the PLC board need to have a wee think about things, probably once this latest fiasco is out of the way. I would like to see PL or DD explicitly re-emphasise the social dimension of Celtic, and challenge the media in this country to condemn this (when they all fawn over clubs like Barca and Ajax, who also represent distinct communities).
I would also like our leaders to re-emphasise just how successful Celtic have been as a force for social integration in this country. For years Catholics and Protestants came together in support of a fine football club, at a time when other clubs and businesses in Scotland (the BBC, Herald, shipyards, etc) practised open discrimination.
If we are going to talk about sectarianism and Celtic, the wider context MUST be addressed. Unfortunately I don’t think our board want to do this, which leaves us fighting unwinnable little wars stirred up by a disgraceful mainstream media – wars which, as Paul67 says, we simply cannot win.
PFAyr
The chief steward is the worst of the lot. A more petty minded individual you could never meet. Just doing his job though
huns 1 up
Summa of Sammi….
Other way around mate (we’re an hour behind you guys) but yes I am waiting up to get the score, the game is on on the telly in my front room but the missus is watching a concert so I can’t get to see it.
I believe I posted earlier that we were set a trap regards the irish connection and that there would be another coming up .Hey presto they invite judas back 11 days before the derby .Well bhoys they will ramp this up for the next 11 days .Time to make your minds up
IMO they know the peepil will not be able to behave themselves so all they can do is try to ensure we don’t either .
The polis ,snp and the sfa might be waiting for you bhoys ,so what is it going to be .beat them or join them
hail hail
I am sure i read in a fanzine about 3 yr ago,aftr the huns were once again warned(or fined) by UEFA,warnin Celtic fans that that because the “establishment”club wer gettin hammered we better beware.we were told SFA/MEDIA not happy all at Celtic was ok,so we were goin to be attacked,not need to mention all the crap last yr.even mogga got it tite.now that the huns owner is not liked we are getting it tite,wud Celtic be teated the way huns are if not payin bills?we all no the answer! i love the songs,but give it a break for a cuple of months,then see wot they will think of next to attak us?KEEP THE FAITH! HAIL HAIL!
lafferty boots ict player off the ball ..no action by ref
one for the review panel ..
aye richt
.
Bed..
James F, 1 up front, with Papac as CM. The inmates on a “rangers forum” were going nuts and calling for mccoist to f*** off!
SffS
Kitalba,
maybe I did jump the gun a tad, maybe not, but I would ask you why Paul 67 would wish to talk for anyone else.
The club have their own PR Dept and mouthpieces. If they have something to say as they have in the last couple of days, they say it.
Paul67 talks and writes for himself.
I hope you have a happy Christmas, and a better New Year, than this one has been for you and yours.
Nice talking to you again and apologies for not writing to you a few months ago.
Cheers,
Martin42
Martin42, I’m sure Kitalba had the best intentions with the question.
martybhoy59, yes, especially after such a tactically astute performance.
Clashcitybhoy, probably.
Kitalba, aye, I know.
saltires en sevilla, no need to read anymore into the comment that was said, but not in my wildest dreams would I make that comment. The importance of tactics are an article of faith for me.
EKBhoy, modesty is rubbish. If Neil is a tactical genius he should say so. I’ll back him.
Greenwells Glory, many thanks and an early season’s greetings to you.
KevJungle, Murdo and Provan were both great players.
Mike in Toronto, 16:08, ‘what Celtic is and what it’s role today should be’ are a couple of huge questions. I don’t have time to get stuck into this at the moment (one for CQN Magazine maybe….? Let me know if you fancy it) but will read you in more time tomorrow.
Italia Bhoy
Thanks for the reply.
I dont disagree that, by `their`standards, we probably can`t win. This fight wouldn`t be easy (swimming upstream against rampant commercialism everywhere, and sectartianism in Scotland) , but we cant let `them`dictate the agenda or the terms of debate. And I think the people that lead our club, are smart enought to fight our corner effectively …. if they have the will to do so. Maybe it is up to the fans to make our voices heard, once again, like we have done in the past…. And I guess, even if they dont hear us, if staying quiet means Celtic losing what I see as its core identity, then, I think that I`d rather be on the side of the (good) losers….
Hail hail
Mystic moment.
Terry Butcher will be asked about the non-penalties and will bring Celtic into his response.
Paul 67
“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 like the quote and I think, as a qualified coach in 3 different sports (for what that’s worth), that tactics are over-rated and over-emphasised.
Why do the top coaches solve problems in the transfer market rather than on the training ground. Football’s 90 minutes drama is not a puppet theatre with a puppet master. It is more of a play directed by the director of a rep company. He can help the players practice their lines and can cue a bit of stage movement on the day but the actor/player has to know his part and contribute a high percentage of the creativity we see.
The manager oversees the coaching programme (training practice, diet, tactical instruction, fitness etc;) , liaises with the Board on team building (aquisitions, development squad and overall club tactical style), motivates the players, and, on top of that, has to do a bit of PR and media work.
If you listen to ex-pros, they will tell you how many myths there are about sport. I am no longer amazed as to how often a losing coach is told that he has got his tactics wrong whilst a winning coach, unless he is WGS at Celtic, will be awarded undue credit for a win engineered largely by player effort.
Tactical coaching is the last stage introduced on most football coaching programmes, not because it is particularly complicated, though it can be made so, but, because so many amateurs entering coaching programees overestimate its importance and have visions of themselves as tactical masterminds.
In my view and experience, a good training ground coach develops better teams than an imaginative tactician. Tactics are not unimportant but technique development is more significant. That is why managers buy good players.
1 1 yes
1-1 goal ict
1-1 huns
iki,
“You don’t get those against the o** f***.”
YOU BEAUTY!!!!!
“Oooooh this is controversial ….”
Hahahaha. How’s THIS for controversial?
“GET IT ROUND YEHS!”
yesssssssssssssss, cmon ICT
Mike in Toronto,
The biggest threat to Celtic’s core identity comes, without a shadow of a doubt, from Alex Salmond’s administration.
The irony of a “Scottish nationalist” administration effectively allowing individual British police officers to criminalise expressions of Irish nationalism is profound.
I do hope the RC community in Scotland, who care about Celtic and who understand that beneath the “wha’s like us” facade Scotland has never had an easy relationship with RCatholicism, – I do hope these people seriously think twice about giving their vote to the SNP next time round.
Without the SNP and this legislation, we are fine, with it, anything could happen.
orcs claiming goal should not count because jellylegs was down injured and ict never put ball out..
well that’s a wee shame innit
Jellylegs down ICT fail to show corinthinan spirit and put ball out and score Ya Beauty
martin42:
I know Paul is his own man but the way the article was written I read too much between the lines that was not there. I asked Paul what I asked him, I was not trying to undermine him.
I appreciate you well wishes mate and it goes without saying I wish only the best and more for you and yours. I have had a bad year in terms of lots of loved ones passing on but I’ve had a great year remembering the lifetime I spent with them.
You know me mate, my glass is never half full, it is only a moment away from the next one. I truely believe in carpe diem and I fully intend to enjoy my Christmas with my family here. All the ones that have gone won’t ever be forgotten but callous as it sounds, life is for the living.
In all aspects of life I pray that all our efforts return us no less than that that which we are due. I ask no more.
the ref for the hun game today ..Madden
was that eejit who ref`d our game gainst Dunfermline and is the incompetent who cancelled the Dunfermline game last week because of fog (which was completely clear by 14-30 hrs)
HaHaHa…
i put the radio on and the hun scored. ICT have scored butas I dont want to jinx them the radio will remain off.
‘mon the tcheuchters!
odds on a pen for orcs just got shorter ;-)
Paul67,
Regardless of what Neil says publicly, I think we have seen more tactical variation in his short spell as manager that in Gordon Strachan’s 4 years at the helm (4-4-2 and the odd 4-5-1, and that’s no criticism of Gordon, just the way I see it).
Neil has at various times in his short career played 4-4-2, 4-2-4, 4-4-1-1, 4-2-3-1 as well as the very bold 4-3-3 against Udinese on Thursday, That’s just for starters (I may have missed some out!).
Where I think he can improve is in changing the course of a game as it progresses, but I’m sure this will come as he gains further experience.
EFF THEM,if it wasn’t a head injury,the rules are clear. Play to the whistle.
martybhoy59 says:
17 December, 2011 at 16:29
Jellylegs down ICT fail to show corinthinan spirit and put ball out and score Ya Beauty
Only after Ragers refused to do so themselves and only after they lost the ball to ICT.
ict goal… affside …oohhh like to see that gain
close as you would imagine
Goal ICT…….
Bobby Madden – Works next to Bro-in-law, dyed in the wool hun. To think him and that chancer column got a least a couple of Grand each to ref/4th official the last Barca champions league game the other week.
ICT looking pretty composed
iki
Are you saying the reporting is one sided surely not
Martin42,
sorry, I meant to add, I know the club have their own communication department but along with all the other Celtic Supporters I’m still waiting for our club to advise us as to what is acceptable and what is not.
The beauty of the ICT goal is, and to be fair the commentators are not missing it, that the Rangers players had the chance to kick the ball out but chose not to so how can they blame ICT for playing in.
The wee BBC commentator is really hurting – a wee Heilan Hun – none more so than when ICT “goal” disallowed.
Looking forward to hearing Butcher after this. A rant and you can be sure he will be up before the review panel.