On Friday, after the Sparta debacle, I predicted, “There is worse to come”, it did not take long. Losing at home by two goals to Ross County is worse than losing by three goals away to Sparta Prague. If you were surprised, you have not been paying attention, Ross County were a punter’s dream. Celtic are dysfunctional, vulnerable to anyone prepared to put their bodies in the way and take their chance at corner kicks.
The biggest concern I have is the message the players get from persistently overhauling roles and tactics; going from four at the back, to three, to four and back to three. Add to this how Christie and Elyounoussi play a variety of roles: wide, middle, off the striker, and we shuffle between one and two up front.
If you are a player, you interpret this as, “We have no faith in our plan and we don’t know what to do about it.” At least in this respect, the manager, players, you and me all believe the same thing.
When will it end? Soon, I hope. St Johnstone visit in six days and they are more potent than Ross County.
Reports of missiles being thrown at our players outside Celtic Park yesterday evening beggars belief. Across the world, on a variety of issues, you see anger whipped up in online echo chambers. This has consequences: some bring that anger into their personal interactions, some gather to demonstrate.
A smaller percentage of them have no boundaries. Fuelled by the echo chamber and the crowd around them, they resort to violent acts, which Mr Angry behind his keyboard can condemn. The violence is a consequence of entitled anger and together they make it more difficult to resolve the situation. Imagine how you would react if you were a player?
A football team has come off the rails after winning a record 11 consecutive domestic trophies. For a club that has known so many hard times, it was a pitiful bookend to this historic period.
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So many ambiguities in your prose Paul…no wonder JAMESFORREST thinks it’s all about him!
I presumed you were referring to the MSM who are lapping the green-hued ‘faithful thru and thru’ muppet-show up like cats w cream.
Incidentally, I’m a bit Mr Angry myself at the evident assholery that went way beyond the laughable concept of entitled anger and some boundary breaching.
Entitled anger: Like when yer an Afghan family assassinated or executed by some rogue Aussie SAS men?
Mibby a black community when their kid’s target practice for trigger-happy rednecks?
Or a family and husband who gets attacked in public, private and on-pitch due to his religion and club affiliation.
That kind? Naw, the kind when your sports team get mugged in games where its a 50/50 chance they could.
Somehow, I really feel for Lenny today. Bet he’s hurtin on a number of different front, not all of them deserved.
Nae wunner I take a quarter gill now and again, as the old boy used to say. HH
James,
It doesnt take much to set you off does it! How unlike you to spit the dummy! :)
For one who has some great articles you do seem a bit immature at times with your ranting and raving.
Here are some facts:
Celtic have been crap
The writing was on the wall when Rangers pounded us at Ibrox at the end of last year (then thankfully and inexplicably imploded)
I love Neil but he and his staff havent worked out how to match Rangers press and organisation.
We dont press teams and we look unfit.
Our board should have addressed this much earlier but I have some sympathy.
Neil has done very well for us overall but its over now adn I dont think there is any way back.
Our signings have been hopeless apart from Turnbull who hasnt had an opportunity yet.
We spent 18 million!
Laxalt isnt much better than Taylor
Shane Duffy is a talisman for Ireland but Ireland arent parked on the halfway line attacking teams. He has no pace and anyone who follows Irish football knows this. Great lad but not what we needed.
We kept players who would rather be somewhere else. We probably did this in case our fans rioted. (I know!) Our squad is a mixture of ageing, uninterested, over hyped, exhausted, over used, underused and untried. Very little unity showing on the pitch.
Modern footballers are self employed entities who are looking after themselves and have no real love or connection for and with their clubs.
Some football fans are a sandwich short of a picnic, one result short of a football round up.
Our club has its fair share.
The ones misbehaving last night embarrassed them selves and shamed our club.
Chairbhoy 12:20
Spot on.
JAMES FORREST
OK, I shall not reply so please don’t consider this a response. I do fear you do not understand what an echo chamber is in the context used.
You seem to think you are Cunningham, Sweeney and McGlone rolled into one.
All the best to all fellow Tims that care and are not scared to leave their echo chambers.
Off to work.
HH!
Don’t let the door hit you on the ass on the road out
—
why is there a door on a road?
that’s bad planning and can only lead to problems
Celtic have just issued a statement that it was Chelsea fans behind the trouble last night.
JIMBOB71 & LITTLE MISS JIMBOB on 30TH NOVEMBER 2020 12:49 PM
Off topic, but it reminded me of the cover of this book cover, The State its Origin and Function, the photo taken on Princess St summing up the content of the book.
https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61rF6MtBPML._SY264_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_ML2_.jpg
lets all do the huddle on 30th November 2020 12:56 pm
Don’t let the door hit you on the ass on the road out
—————–
why is there a door on a road?
that’s bad planning and can only lead to problems
——————–
Brilliant! Thanks for the pre-work chuckle.
CB @ 12.20
I will stand in no man’s shadow when it comes to hjeaping abuse at the second rate bean counter we have in PL and the low ball arbitrage merchant that we have in DD.
BR was / is 90% of the way towards our ideal manager.
There are better out there but our chances would be slim.
Consequently we had to make the most of his talents and help him add some more.
However that is all gone and we now have the worst situation at CP in 27 years.
BR was the future if we had syupported himcorrectly.
We are now looking at survival instead of Ajax style progress.
As someone mentioned earlier — we are now in CFC / The Tarpaulin Years.
If things don’t change soon it will be the Tarpaulin decade.
Cant blame anyone for the Ned like behaviour apart from the neds themselves.
Won’t miss JF’s link to his site. In my opinion, a number of the headlines over the last few weeks have been out of order.
We do need change. Not, however, an excuse for violent behaviour.
James Forrest
remember James your insights are no more no less than that of ordinary fans.we can interpret a statement.
thanks
hh
Is Paul really saying saying last night was the fault of the keyboard warriors for whipping up rent-a-mob? The mob protest existed long before social media. With the stadium closed, an utpouring of anger was inevitable. It was only a question of when. It was driven by four months of crap performances on the field and the PR bullshit we are being fed to try to cover up the board and mngmt failures.
Ugly? Yes. The fault of social media? Give me a break.
The bloggers arent responsible for the scenes in the car park last night, only those who turned up and caused problems are, senior Celtic sources running to Jim White is I suppose is part of the boards PR strategy to deflect any attention from them at the issues at the club, no luck hasnt worked with me , the manager his coaches and the board are clueless.
Paul 67
if you see Peter
ask him to ask Dermot
with each passing minute,your golf club interview about a club with great fans and traditions,is coming home to roost.its what you wanted.
hh
Paul 67
It’ll get worse before it gets better, that old Scottish one? getting beaten at CP by Ross County, is a new low. If you saw that scoreline coming on Friday, you’re the world’s first telepathic Blogger.
Good to see they finally managed to get the big ‘Nine’ seat coverings in, before Neil’s exit, a game where Barkas picked the ball out the net twice, the second time if he’d been placed properly, he wouldn’t have had to. There’s sometimes lots to be said when Celtic get beaten but not about yesterday, I doubt there’s a supporter alive that envisaged 2-0 at home coming against a club that had never won there, and it puts Ferencvaros, Sparta and Milan in new perspective.
Leaving out MOI, Ntcham, and MacGregor didn’t make a blind bit of difference our fate was sealed from the minute Chris Jullien not for the first time in his career gave away a clumsy penalty that Celtic players not for the first time this season barely contested. Playing across the pitch from the frontstand to the northstand and back ensued till the inevitable second time Ross County tried to score, and did. I missed the reason why Shane Duffy came on as a sub, due to rubbing my eyes in disbelief, maybe it was a protest substitution or maybe just because he scored in Neil’s 5-0 away win against the same outfit.
Rock and a hard place now after the uneccessary headlines die down, caretaker or permanent neither of whom can guarantee anything, not even the League Cup. Rescue a title, that’s been in doubt in varying waves since Boli Bolingoli robbed the club of the chance of six points and opening a gap that might have been closer and more doable. I read the WGS, MON rumours, not convinced either of them would like to follow in Neil’s two times footsteps. Where, and quickly you get the calibre of manager to take over Celtic in the present circumstances is the board’s problem, so what could possibly go wrong?
We’re about to find out our fate, but I have my doubts that the shower bhoys, can pull anybody other than big John Kennedy out of the hat. Having blown the not insubstantial for Celtic budget, we didn’t get great value, or change. A fair few of Brendan Rodger’s legacy players didn’t seem to want to prolong the party without the pyro. So with the proverbial writing on the wall for Neil since after he let that particular cat out of the bag after Ferencvaros, some others just haven’t come out from under the bus.
Supposing they find a new Pep or Jose how can they can restart the party pre Christmas or New Year, what happens if Pep or Jose is a Pedro? If he’s a permanent appointment I agree with the question posed what happens if he loses the ten Neil Lennon lost already? and how does he proceed in year eleven?
Ironic, that the protesters might have intervened in the process instead of creating one.
M.O.M Diego Laxalt ( as ever )
BSR
Good read and also agree re: Laxalt.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EoBUC4_XEAIWoIN?format=jpg&name=medium
I wondered out loud the other day if PL’s response was ‘let them eat cake’
The board really do seem that wholly out of touch
HH jg
MADMITCH @ 12:59 PM,
Totally agree…
His experience in Academies, his experience in youth and senior player development, his experience with provincial Clubs, his experience with large iconic Clubs.
His track record, his record at Celtic Park…
90% is about right
Okay so he may have had a ways to go in Europe…
He may have been up himself but I could live with that. Any decent CEO could have made that work…
We could have been Ajax 2020, we are now Rangers 2007…
Hail Hail
P67- your prediction of things were going to get worse, was not to do with yesterday’s game, so what were you saying?
Never mind about sevco , why are fans so worried about them,Ok last nights incidents outside celtic park are not welcome, but the fans are fed up with Dermot Desmond and Peter Lawells real contempt towards the oridanry fans . who pump millions into the club ,for what medicore players and coaches . enough is enough ,
Good afternoon,
Been following this blog for about 10 years, used to post regularly and then lurking most days. Been lurking less and less these last few years as sadly it’s been obvious Paul has been sympathetic to the views of the CEO. Turning point for me was when Paul stopped backing resolution 12, and this was subsequently highlighted by Auldheid. It’s been obvious for a few weeks now that Lenny has done all he can with the team and in my humble opinion it’s time for him to go. But with Neil leaving, in my opinion the man who hired him should also go. The focus should now be on the CEO and what his plan is to save 10 in a row. (A huge task, but still not impossible).
I think the fact that the CEO has delayed the decision to let Lenny go, has angered a lot of people and yesterdays result was just another example of how bad things are heading.
Turning back to Paul, I remember the days when he quite rightly went after Rangers and the SFA for their cheating. Is it asking too much of you to scrutinise our current board for the abject failure that is happening now!
HH Dan
Scanning multiple twitterati accounts and a fair amount of stirring it up to protest at celtic park was going out through the week.
I am looking at pictures and clips, and it really does make me sad.
On the Celtic Way, with the memorial pave stones, in the shadow of Walfrid, with Jinky , Jock and Billy watching, Tommys plaque on the wall, a group protest turns to violence against out own, the chants are disgusting, the comments on the web are as bad.
Has the mob made it easier to get another manager ?
Why would you come ?
You could win the next 11 trophies but always have the nagging doubt that when a down turn comes the fans will turn against you.
I feel quite ashamed actually.
Dan
Your kidding, your own post gives you the answers.
No arguments with any of that Pablo.
Last three sentences are significant.
The players are in a bad place.
Last night’s show of anger and aggression makes things worse. (BTW – let’s give the crowd the benefit of the doubt and assume no missiles thrown)
What do angry crowds deliver?
Anger, noise, rage
What don’t they deliver ?
Solutions and outcomes
As for the end of an era? “Pitiful” is just about right.
.. but then again these things always end badly.
I’ve now reconciled myself to the end of this era.
We’ll now experience what has been reality for the supporters of 97.6% of senior Scottish clubs over the last four years.
“That trophy? – we’re not gonna win it”.
How we all react as a club is, obviously, crucial.
Hail hail
Keep The Faith
I have a video on WhatsApp which shows missiles being thrown though not necessarily at the players. I can’t seem to copy it though to share on CQN.
” I’ve never seen a situation so dismal that a policeman couldn’t make it worse ”
Brendan Behan
Results are results in sport you cannot win all the time, but when the main source of income is treated as mugs and there is zero communication from anyone other than the manager then it is a volatile situation.
The board have copped out of communicating with the season ticket holders the people who generate the most income for the club year on year, the board are supposed to be custodians of the club, you do not treat your main income source the way they are doing, they are supposed to know about customer care, well it couldnt be worse, why should anyone give them any more money now or in the future without big changes. These changes are not in the pipeline the board members who are required to have put themselves forward for re-election, what have any of them done to deserve re -election?
SS- sums it up for me ,ugly scenes,but very avoidable. If DD wants to dig in and back his men,we will be in the car park in greater numbers, and better organised, very soon.
SAINT STIVS on 30TH NOVEMBER 2020 1:18 PM
‘a group protest turns to violence against out own’
Do you have evidence of that? If you do please link it as I’ve seen none.
#####
‘Has the mob made it easier to get another manager ?
Why would you come ?’
Any prospective manager deterred by that minor skirmish last night would be incapable of dealing with the demands placed on managers in most major European leagues.
Gordon Strachan was in the shower this morning.
Turned round to reach for the shampoo and Peter Lawwell and Dermot Desmond were stood there.
Sadie’s Bhoy, I’ve seen the same videos, some guys doing a Trump ,and refusing to believe that’s what happened, we have a scum element in our support.
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 30TH NOVEMBER 2020 1:24 PM
“I have no particular love for the idealized “worker” as he appears in the bourgeois Communist’s mind, but when I see an actual flesh-and-blood worker in conflict with his natural enemy, the policeman, I do not have to ask myself which side I am on.”
George Orwell
Corrib04.. 1255… Exactly!!…. The esteemed blogger had the temerity to call me immature on Friday night after I recounted a disagreement on social media with a fool who said this was the worst celtic team in 60 years!!… Yes we are pish just now…. But obviously nowhere near the worst in 60 years…. As I gave the guy both barrels…. The esteemed blogger jumped in and called me immature 😂😂😂😂…. A belter as they say down gerry cinnamon way.
Celtic reportedly paid Rodgers £2.3m per year basic.
Only Conte at Inter in Serie A, 6 managers in the Bundesliga and 7 in Ligue 1 get paid more than that.
The hysterical, flagellating nonsense that we couldn’t attract a modern coach who could build a modern footballing infrastructure is utter pish. No Celtic-minded bias and like the players he can leave in 3 years with a grounded legacy in place.
However, at this point I’d just be happy with competent rather than visionary such is the nonsense served up this season.
HH
AIPPLE @ 1.07
Always a pleasure 👍
Another thing the academy shouldnt only produce players it should produce coaches capable of stepping up to first team duties when the time comes, we fail miserably at that, is it development of our people that is at fault or something else?
EL @ 1.33
Trumped it.
HH
p.s. SS – SNP?