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.
1,194 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- ...
- 29
- »
According to Chick Young on tv it was a fine goal for ICT and well deserved.
Good on Allan Preston on Shortbread………….
He’s backing up ICT’s decision not to kick ball out to allow treatment to Jellylegs and go up the park to score themselves.
Laughatme had the chance to put ball out before ICT won it back.
Miraculously, Jellylegs is now ok after ICT scored.
C’mon Caley, these mugs are here for the taking.
UF
Penalty due for Huns???????
saltires en sevilla says:
17 December, 2011 at 16:31
Yep…Looked OK to me…
Canny wait for big Butchers ramblings….
Cheers Paul
Living so far away, and not being directly involved, I am usually wary about putting in my two cents worth (for the reason that it seems a bit unfair to stir up stuff when I dont live there and dont have to deal directly with the consequences) ….
But, if this debate can be had anywhere, CQN is one of the few places where it is possible. Your hard work in providing such a forum is greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
skysports goal onside ….hunbelievable !
Paul67 et al
I will give you a good example of good tactics, Neil Lennon’s set-up for the first half against Udinese. You want another example, the Udinese coach changing the shape of his side in the second half, countering Celtic’s first half approach.
I might go along with on lateral movement at Celtic Park, but only if you crack down on lateral thinking on here. There is too much of it going on!
jimmci
that commy to which you refer can`t even diguise his hunnishness
saltires en sevilla (and others)
Someone on here a while ago pointed out that it was a common Orc tactic for a forward to take a dive as if shot if the opposition broke up the park (in the hope of getting the game stopped), delighted to hear it failed on this occasion!
ict miss open goal ..jeezo
setting free the bears says:
17 December, 2011 at 16:26
————————-
Good post, the weaker team needs tactics but the team with the better players should usually win the game. Barca don’t have tactics they have a style of play that they force on the game and make the opposition, no matter who they are, deploy tactics to stop them.
Celtic in the SPL don’t need tactics they just need their superior players to perform and win. In Europe against much better teams then tactics come into play.
Missed a sitter (ICT)
.
Right..I’ve woke up Again..1-1..
Yesssssss…
Summa..
PS..How long too Go..?
ICT miss open goal albeit from an acute angle
So that’s two penalty decisions & a disallowed goal the Huns have had go in their favour today………..honest mistakes???
It’s utterly sickening, it really is.
ICT hit post
UF
Yoda
You go for a poo (can I say that without mock offence) and in that time a new article is posted, the Huns (is that legal) score, ICT score, ICT hit the post.
Don’t worry. I washed my hands.
MWD
Jimmci & PFayr.
BBC comm’ Liam Mcleod is no hun. Big Aberdeen fan and always very fair if a bit excitable.
The Prince..
yep ..backfired big time coz they went to sleep waiting for the ball going out
it was a great move and finish…happy to say ;-)
ICT have the mid now
pen any minute now
MWD
did you poo in your hands ya rocket?
UC
Just listening in to the radio with richard gordon and derek ferguson and chick young on bbc radio scotland, and derek ferguson has asked a poser of a question, which player has played in 5 uk derbies and 1 overseas, there has been a number of answers, as you can imagine, all sorts of names banded about, but someone mentioned aiden mcgeady and I dont know if it was ferguson or young, but whoever it was said a good scotsman, now dont call me paranoid, but I dont think there was any need for that comment whatsover. It reeks of Aiden choosing the republic before scotland, ffs yer man isnt even living in scotland and he is still getting these types of comments thrown at him. To me its a racist comment. however small a comment!!!! its a racist comment.
Another hattrick – Rhodes for Huddersfield
Jordan Rhodes with a hat trick for Sheffield Wednesday. Were we not linked with a move for him?
Another hat-trick for Huddersfield’s Jordan Rhodes. His transfer price will be rocketing.
Ulster-Celt
Without going into detail the paper popped.
MWD
Off the line (ICT)
embdy else think the poundland playing surface is shrinking in size faster than the polar ice-cap?
what is going on at the Hunderdome, madness on the wireless
UC
ICT had one cleared off the line. Massive let off for Rangers according to LM.
El madrigal
your perception is very different from mine
he maybe no hun ..but to suggest that he is “always very fair” is a ridiculous statement
At 0-0 in the Hun game, I went on to William Hills to put £20 on Rangers (I have my reasons). Before the bet was accepted, der Hun scored. Went back on to CQN . After reading a few posts, I discover that ICT have equalised. Go back on to WH to put on the original £ 20 bet and WH has it showing as 1-2 to ICT ! Was a good ICT goal chopped off or something?
JJ
FFS, goal to the Orcs.
2 1 thems
Fu@c……….
achhh 2-1 currants
Scunnered Huns score against run of play, robbery.
By day I’m ‘Mike in Toronto’ but on Sunday ‘I’m Neil Lennon’ at 17 December, 2011 at 16:08
Very good post (a wee bit long winded for me, as I only have very low concentration level…).
Maybe it would be great to have a “consensus of the club’s identity in today’s society”. I don’t know.
I do know, however, that such a consensus would be impossible (hence the popularity and heathly exchanges of CQN and others).
At the end of the day, Celtic is a football club.
Currently, Celtic – titles wise – are not a very successful a football club.
I do know, however, that if we had been VERY successful in recent years – something we would have been very capable as a club of doing – we would not be soul searching to extent that we are doing now.
Sons of Scum have the luck of the Devil.
The luck of the Devil. Surely it has to run out sometime? I say it over and over again … and it continues.
Barstewards.
Right canny take thisz
One man and his dug oan BBC2.
MWD