When looking back on last season I suggested we would not have won the league if we persisted with the 4-2-3-1 formation that brought us to the brink of crisis in December. Creativity was ponderous and the players looked out of ideas. We switched to three at the back after the winter break and rolled towards the title. The same players looked commanding and worthy winners.
There were many failures last night, but reverting to the tried-and-tested-and-failed formation is high on the list. If there is another reason we failed to score more with so much possession, I don’t think it had a material impact.
After the Hamilton Accies demolition, it felt churlish to gripe about the volume of chances we conceded, but I could foresee having to write today’s article. High on my mind that day was what some unknown, but infinitely better, European striker would do to us in qualifying. We are wide open to the counter attack. Ferencvaros’ winner was a dreadful goal to concede – a clearance from the middle of their own half that we failed to defend. Although Elhamed was culpable, it was a consequence of how we play.
You have seen the opening goal before this season. Accies threw a set piece into the box, which was headed to the edge of a penalty area that was a Celtic Free Zone. We have conceded three goals this season, two of them as a consequence of not getting out to the edge of the box for the second ball at set pieces.
Neil Lennon seemed more upset about the second goal – which involved a clear individual error – than the first, which was a systemic failure to defend set pieces. We do not push out with rehearsed purpose. Motherwell will know that and if we do not fix it by Sunday, they will exploit what Hamilton and Ferenvaros already profited from.
For years I have written here that suggestions players do not look interested is a naïve comment by people that do know little about football, which is usually borne out when they burst into creativity following a tactical change. Neil threw this theory (and his players) under the bus after the game. Whatever mistakes Neil Lennon made last night, we know the man well enough to be sure something significant lay behind his post-match comments about players not wanting to be at Celtic.
We have been here before, from Kelvin, to Moussa to Dedryck. Based on the manager’s comments, I have no doubt some of the current crop are up to the same tricks. This is very disappointing, but it is not why we were knocked out of Europe, again, by a team with that cost a fraction of our own, and on this occasion to a team who have played fewer games than us.
The value for money return on our wage and player investment spend has brought historical highs domestically. Money spent is the blunt weapon that’s delivered nine-in-a-row, three trebles and counting, but we are regularly out boxed by European financial minnows, and if you blame Hatem Elhamed for last night, you are missing the big picture.
On a tactical note, I am not getting into whoever wants a move until the window closes. There are very important weeks ahead. Eye on the (remaining) prize.
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From previous blog:
SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 27TH AUGUST 2020 11:48 AM
RC
Spit it out man!
What’s the coughing about?
We conceded 19 goals in 30 league matches
We conceded 1,1, and 0 in our 3 home Group ties and only 1 goal in 2 of our away group ties.
The 2:0 loss in Cluj was after we had the Group sown up.
I stand by the assertion
……………………………..
Are we going to ignore that we have been dismissed from Europe 3 times in 12 months at Celtic Park and have conceded 9 goals in the process. That’s 9 goals lost at home in 3 games.
RC on 27TH AUGUST 2020 1:32 PM
Good point
HH
so another what we need a midfielder so formation this week end 3-7-0
!!BADA BING!! on 27TH AUGUST 2020 1:31 PM
Ha! Thanks for giving me a laugh :-)
Whilst I know some of you may regard this as a strange request, please do remember to make your views known on last night’s performers. Not every player played badly ;-)
CQNPOTY@GMAIL.COM
At least Turnbull arrives match fit. 3 months on the bench and he wont be though!
HH
Paul Pogba tests positive for coronavirus
Welcome to Celtic
David Turnbull
Hail Hail
Its worth pointing out that last nights debacle will actually be in line with keeping our countries co-efficient strong.
Our last few years of miserable champions league showings and dropping to the Europa has actually enabled us to gain more points.
Along with another scottish team performing equally as well as us or better we are up to 14th place and champions league slots on offer this season.
Seems like a crazy system that rewards failure but it is what it is.
The longest article on BBC Scotland lunchtime news was………
Jobo
Strange but true, what was weird about last night was at no point did I think we were going to lose the game
We actually played quite well for the majority of the game
Christie – good, scored a goal
Ntcham – very good, hit the bar
Elyounoussi – very good, scored (wrongly offside)
Frimpong – good when he came on
McGregor- good – usual self
I will have a think and get back to you
B-)
Turnbull signed is a little chink of light in an otherwise depressing day.
Won’t get over last night anytime soon and I’m not trying to airbrush it away but we have to be right for Motherwell on Sunday, International Break after that means a long time for naval gazing.
Eddie will go now and Ntcham, Ajer or both will probably follow. That will keep the bean counters happy as a financial loss can not be tolerated.
Our recruiting over the next few weeks to replace these losses will dictate our season.
Turnbull is a good start but more will be needed.
I’ve serious doubts about our management team. We got schooled twice by Sevco last December and have repeatedly made the same mistakes over the last year in Europe – again, again and again.
Lenny deserves som time but there’s little faith or patience now among an exasperated support. Last night felt like a ground zero event.
LAZYDYNAMITE excellent point about accruing more coefficient points in the EL than CL, but we still have a lot of work and a har draw now to get to the EL groups. We need 2 defenders, 1 winger an maybe even 1 new striker if eddy leaves, but I think the QR3 game of EL is in 4 weeks time, so hopefully we can have made some progress on our team structure and squad deficiencies by then. HH
Bhoylo
Thanks for the reply.
I’m just mightily concerned at the off hand way we are told that players are injured/ not match fit. Every week, there is another player or 3
To me this raises loads of questions.
Why? He’s been here 7 months
Does he train well?
Follow dietary instruction?
Enjoy permitted leisure activities?
All is not well in our training set up if we have so many recent signings unfit.
i have been a neil lennon supporter since he took the managers job. Always Get behind your team.
Below are all the points i think are uncontested from the debacle last night
team selection-play without recognised striker – we got it simply wrong
ferencevaros, well known and catalogued as a counter attacking with good pace-first thing is to make sure you have a defensive shield against their main tactic- their “punt up the park” was a tactic to put in area where they could use their speed, and did so. we had 1 defender at halfway line – we got it simply wrong.
from the first whistle their coaching staff were shouting instructions and contesting every foul , shy, anything they could.
contrast that with the slouching presence of neil and staff, more like a home game for the hungarians.
i agree that this is a sport and we do not have any divine right to win games but not to win games we should (in europe) is becoming very very wearing.
we have struggled in some games to score more than one goal when in the ascendency. every team in scotland and europe wil play us the same way. no sign of a plan B
we have the biggest full time and best paid squad in scotland. honestly why? only a third get used.
Neil says some players do not want to be there, so why on earth would you play them?
every manager makes mistakes but to keep making the same mistakes is the sign of learning nothing.
Neil lennon should not and will not resign but he must learn and quickly.
I think the 10 is a red herring. what good is it to win every league if constantly getting beat by teams in europe with less resources, less money, and less league titles.
Im sorry but to me that is incomprehensible.
I think it is generally accepted that Ajer is the one pushing to go and also talk of Christie & to a lesser extent Ntcham ;
I haven’t heard anything about Eddie, you can never rule anything out but I am hopeful we might hold on to Eddie,
Turnbull signed – great news on this bleakest of mornings. Will the clueless one have any idea where to play him…left back?
Corkcelt
Exactly my thoughts on it, wouldn’t be surprised if C McG was wanting to go too
Transfer window is open till October, nothing to worry about lads
Neil Lennon can win titles and now has to be given the resources to win this campaign.
Eyes will be on us now up until after the Sevco match to assess how we’re going. If performances haven’t picked up then Neil will have to go.
I think they will pick up and I think we will win this league, possibly a cup alongside completing last year’s quadruple treble.
A satisfying season is still there for us but no way does Lenny survive into next season.
We need a better manager to succeed in these CL qualifiers – we done it with Ronny and we’ll need to do it with Neil at the end of this season.
We looked excellent for 45 mins against Hibs in pre season. Luca Connell has a lovely left peg on him; nothing to worry about lads
We have to find a jersey for Frimpong, only guy who has a spark about him just now
Hungary has a bigger population than Scotland. We really can’t compete.
Eddie will be the lad the bids come in for – I’d be surprised if this Board knock back CL type money to hold on to him.
Clubs won’t be kicking the door in for Ajer or Christie.
Pogba positive for coronavirus, hearing he was round at Bolingoli’s playing Call of Duty last weekend
Bada, At this moment it’s Forrest’s jersey is the most likely one.
I can’t resist it but … the Hungarian team were just hungrier than we were
Aribo apparently been on a boli-esque Spain trip
We really need to be selling some midfielders.
Where is Turnbull going to play?
Hopefully he hits the ground running making himself a first pick however I’ll be surprised if he starts 15 league games this season.
I don’t blame Neil Lennon for going for 4231 last night
Ajeti isn’t fit enough to start. I’d personally have gone with the same midfield that started at Tannadice with Klimala upfront.
It’s disappointed that Griffiths lets the team down as he would have been ideal for last night.
MURSHEEN on 27TH AUGUST 2020 1:55 PM
I agree.
I said it last night but when we are European no -hopers there is hardly any glory in ’10 in a row’.
Historical things like that need to be backed up by some kind of European football respectability.
’10 in a row legends ‘ will not go down in folklore if they routinely get pumped at home in Europe against completely modest teams.
Our standing in Europe means everything.
AN DUN Lennon needs time what for to F—K up again ,no his time is up,he maybe a nice man ,but for all his sake Lawell needs to seek out Steve Clarke Eddie Howe or young German,Spanish ,Italian coaches.
Welcome to the Celtic family David Turnbull.
It’s not easy at times but worth it. May your days with us be trophy laden.HH
Ten in a row means everything. I think most supporters would agree with that statement.
It would be great to have a long and successful run in Europe but would that really be remembered against the year we won the ten?
the next game will determine if Lennon should be sacked – he has exposed a bunch of players for not wanting to be there and potentially affected the confidence of strikers who should have started. He and the coaching staff gambled in the wrong competition against the wrong team. again!!
Certain players have been wanting away for months – why are they still here?
The board have been negligent entering the biggest season in our history. While rangers go about their business bringing in players that provide depth and competition, our board are playing subbuteo with the team.
We NEED (not want) a center back , left back and striker – FOR MONTHS NOW!!!!
The clean up should be done – now we need to take drastic measures and perhaps spend more than we wanted.
Lets see you Mr Lawell
Neil Lennon 100% to blame for last night …..again . He refuses to learn from his mistakes and I felt that his comments about players wanting away was total deflection . Quite telling that Scott Brown apparantely said that whether a player wants to be here or not does nt matter a jot because once the game kicks off every player gives 100% . You have made a bad night so much worse Neil by throwing that grenade in after the match. I for one will be glad when this season is over and the whole 10 IAR is gone , one way or another. 10 IAR just gives DD and PL an excuse to try and be a little better than Rangers and keep the major share holders happy , that is all modern Celtic is about nowadays . First Priority is making money for the already Rich people who control Celtic , the actual team come in a poor second . We as a club have very little ambition and having Rangers as our partners play right into DD and PL s hands and we the fans have been sucked into it all. We should be qualifying a helluva lot more for the champs league than we currently do . The club needs an overhaul, starting from the very top . Our transfer policy and huge squad size is flawed. Our promising youngsters are leaving us because they have no Chance of game time . Our buy cheap and sell high is never gonna work because only the odd player will bring the huge fees that Lawell desperately craves . We sold Tierney for £25m and tried to replace him with Bolingoli then Taylor …..says it all really. Its incredible the huge number of duds that have come in, contributed nowt and leave. . The way I see it is Smaller squad , higher quality of player and give promising younsters a chance . I would imagine this would make the managing of the squad a lot easier too. PL is a huge problem as he appears to have a finger in every pie at the club but at the end of the day he is only carrying out his orders from DD. Until DD leaves the premises I cant see any dramatic changes ……depressing thought . PS if we werent playing PL and DDs 10 IAR game I think Neil Lennon would be a goner after last night
Welcome to Celtic David Turnbull, pity you arrived on this inauspicious day.
May you have a long, healthy and trophy laden career at Celtic.