Tucked in nicely behind Bayern Munich in second place in the Bundesliga, above Dortmund and comfortably ahead of Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen are in the kind of form that they have not known in 20 years. It is safe to say their trip to Glasgow this week will not cause them sleepless nights.
On returning to Germany, they have a trip to winless, 16th placed, Arminia, on Sunday. Leverkusen will doubtlessly have a sense of security about this week’s fixtures; one that few would suggest is false.
Celtic could see tomorrow’s Europa League encounter far enough. Having shipped five Premiership points in a week, domestic form is the only priority, an exhausting encounter against a top German side before Sunday’s trip to Aberdeen can only multiply Ange Postecoglou’s problems.
If anything, I could make a case for Celtic resting players ahead of Pittodrie, but that’s not how European football works. We will attempt to reestablish the form we showed early in Seville two weeks ago; that two goal lead seems a long time ago.
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Shoot
The comments to garry have been brilliant well done cqn
Goal and if we are lucky we will not get hammered tomorrow!
PRESTONPANS BHOYS on 29TH SEPTEMBER 2021 11:54 AM
Shoot
I wish Ajeti was as quick as you !
Glen,
Let’s be fair the ManCity guy last night did a Sebo too🗼🗼
Thursday will be an evening for pragmatism not idealism – I hope Ange is a little flexible
If Frimpong plays, they’ll have at least one defensive weakness.
When you can’t beat Livi and Dundee Utd, it’s difficult to have any sort of confidence for Thursday.
Sunday is all encompassing this week.
Advice to Ange’s team and the support
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcCBemm-hIo
MARKIEBHOY on 29TH SEPTEMBER 2021 12:05 PM
Thursday will be an evening for pragmatism not idealism – I hope Ange is a little flexible
————–
i signed up for a pilates class. The instructor said ‘ are you flexible?’
I said ‘ I can’t do Tuesdays’🙄
Copied over
Teuchter
After receiving permission from Garry’s son Ryan, a picture tribute will be shown on the big screen on October 19th when we host Ferencvaros to remember the great Celtic man Delaney’s Dunky. It is from all his friends at CQN and Sentinel Celts. Keep an eye out for it and remember a warm, kind hearted man – who loved his football team.☘
Could someone please repost on the new article tomorrow. Thanks
European football is very much a bonus for me this season.
That said, I’ve enjoyed it so far and it can’t do our profile much harm to be involved.
I’m sure the players enjoy being involved.
Realistically optimistic
If Sheriff Tiraspol can beat Real in the Bernabeu then we can certainly put Leverkusen to the sword.
Strongest team, foot to the floor and full focus from first whistle to last. There is a time for being fearful and pessimistic but a group stage European game at home is not that time.
LEFTCLICKTIC on 29TH SEPTEMBER 2021 12:23 PM
Good Man
JIMDOM – hear, hear!
A shining light among the many Meldrews in our midst.
I hope Ange and the bhoys go get ’em Floyd.
As George Michael told us ‘Cos ya gotta keep the faith-a-faith-a-faith!’
Disagree Paul
Expectations among the support is low. Any type of result or even performance can go a long way to restoring confidence.
PHILBHOY on 29TH SEPTEMBER 2021 9:53 AM
DAVID66
No problem and thanks for posting the article.
Hope you are good!
——
Philbhoy – From previous thread I am doing ok. Hope you are well.
D :)
Thursday……. Lets get into them.
D :)
In 2017/18 in Rodger’s second season we had 7 home draws; Dundee, Killie, St Johnstone included.
By 30 Sep we had draw twice at home to St J and Hibs
i don’t think Sat was a disaster or even unusual taken in isolation. (we had several bore draws with the temporary Lennonball in spring 2019 and quite a few the first time around)
I think the angst is because we have lost 3 games and we feel that we can’t drop any more points until New Year. Not realistic.
We need Sevcos’ luck to run out in the next few games to get us back to 2-3 points behind. I a fair world, we would have drawn with Hearts and Sevco and be 2 points behind due to an abberation at Livi.
My liver still feels like it has just got home from Glasgow last weekend and I’m flying back tomorrow! Spending the day with the folks on the positive side but i can’t muster any confidence for the game if we play Angeball.
Team and formation for me (if all fit)
Hart
Ralston Vickers Starfelt Juranovic (Bolingoli)
McCarthy (Bitton) Soro
Abada Rogic Jota
Ajeti
LEFTCLICKTIC
That’s a braw thing to have done.
I’d take a draw now and a chance to regroup before Pittodrie.
That’s where we are. Fragile and unconvincing ( a bit like my post !)
HH
0-3.
Such is the shambles of our football department, European football is a hindrance this season. We should be resting players to prioritise league games. Fans will tolerate Euro loses. Not I’m afraid many more dropped points in domestic games. If this happens the backlash is inevitable. Possibly worse than last season.
I’ll be watchin’ the Leverkusen game from behind the couch…….in my neighbours house ( who doesn’t own a telly)
Let’s have a wee bit of pragmatism – 3 pts at Pittodrie should be the priority.
In ither news………
See Clarke’s been goat at.
Aye………….
He’s getting very kind coverage from the meeja and doing all the right things getting hun posterboys like Nasty “involved” in the national team.
Compromised boring plamph.
I never took to the phrase “Angeball”……………….I just saw it as us playing “the Glasgow Celtic Way”,
Horses for courses tho’ CSC.
DOWNFORSAM on 29TH SEPTEMBER 2021 1:10 PM
‘If this happens the backlash is inevitable.’
###
Backlash?
The season book money is in the bank.
TGD is most likely on a golf course in the Caribbean.
They’ll do what they want regardless.
ERNIE LYNCH on 29TH SEPTEMBER 2021 1:47 PM
Unfortunately you are 100% right. What I will say is, if this season goes pear shaped and I fear it might. There will be a backlash. In what form? Who knows.
DOWNFORSAM on 29TH SEPTEMBER 2021 1:54 PM
Any backlash will culminate in sufficient season books being sold to allow the board to carry on regardless.
PETERLATCHFORDSBELLY on 29TH SEPTEMBER 2021 1:05 PM
0-3.
That’s the spirit 👍
Watched PSG v Man City last night and apart from some individual moments of skills especially the goals found the match pretty mundane
Commentary ranting and raving how good it was maybe i’ve lost the plot wouldn’t surprise me [or others]
HH
If Kyogo and McGregor trained today, should be ok for Sunday hopefully
Bring on the Bayer
I don’t think Ange will “right off” thursday, he will pick his best team. He will also play attacking Angeball. If the motivation is high then the crowd will get behind the team. If we revert to “Kennedyball” with slow build up passing it across the back line the the crowd will be flat. This keep possession at all costs is not what we want to see.
Reading up on “Angeball”, it involves a quick high pressing and winning the ball back quickly. The first pass is always forward. We did this in Seville but not in the last two games. I don’t think it was just because McGregor was out but McCarthy was not playing this way. Rogic was carrying the ball and holding on to it too long, not shooting. Turnball similar and the pressing wasn’t happening.
What caused this change? As I declared above, it was so similar to last season that I suspected that it was the coaches from last season involved.
Whatever the cause , it is important that we return to the high tempo attacking football which is both attractive and successful
We have 73 players between first team and B team, If the players playing last week cannot play as instructed then play a youngster instead
Bada – I just hope they aren’t rushed back and have a relapse.
One for our new scientist hopefully.
HH
ERNIE LYNCH on 29TH SEPTEMBER 2021 2:04 PM
DOWNFORSAM on 29TH SEPTEMBER 2021 1:54 PM
Any backlash will culminate in sufficient season books being sold to allow the board to carry on regardless.
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At some point in the future, change will obviously happen. Probably not anytime soon as the board, with the recent internal promotions, have circled the wagons. Probably, again, under instruction from DD. There will be no attempt to recruit a new CEO this season.
If, as is widely speculated, DD requires Celtic to be in a new (non-Scottish) league, before he sells up, then he might need to live until he is 103 before that happens.
If any of the current directors, executive or non-executive, decide enough is enough and decide to side with the support, then a tangible shift in policy would be a possibility. A bit like James Farrell and Tom Grant did in early 1994.
Yesterday, the Greek Giorgos Athanasiadis had a superb game in goal for Sheriff Tiraspol against the Galacticos in Madrid. He was exceptionally brave, preventing goals going in with all parts of his body, even stopping rocket shots at short range with his head.
How on earth anyone could scout Barkas ahead of this lad is beyond me.
So a Moldovan team have beaten Shakhtar Donetsk and Real Madrid at their first attempt. Meanwhile, a previous European Champion club who appeared in 5 finals or semi finals in the late 60s-early 70s, and who appeared in a Europa League final in 2003, continues their deliberate long slow decline and disintegration into utterly irrelevant European cannon fodder.
Just tragic, sad, and so preventable.
Sad news of the passing of Delaneys Dunky of this parish.
Never met him myself but know some that knew him in person.
Will be missed on here.
Condolences to family and friends.
RIP Garry Duncan
This early what we need in every game at the moment is the players becoming more used to Ange’s system.
We need to undergo a sea change in mentality and tactics from previous seasons, it won’t happen if we’re changing every other week because of the opposition or the importance of the game.
Change takes time but it also takes repetition in match situations.
It might not work in the long run, but it definitely won’t work if we don’t commit to it fully
INIQUITOUSIV on 29TH SEPTEMBER 2021 2:49 PM
There was nothing more predictable than you talking about Sheriff FC today in comparison to Celtic