It is great having big game players, those who can raise the tempo to match greater challenges, Moussa was a classic of this genre, but watching the first half on Friday, the flip side of that mentality appeared evident. St Mirren were in a big game, and showed it, Celtic were going through the motions. I expect normal service to resume for Rosenborg on Thursday, but we better resolve this symptom before travelling to Perth on League Cup duty.
Hearts boss, Ann Budge, must have taken the weekend off to celebrate her team being top of the league, as she has allowed video of sectarian chanting by Hearts fans leaving Fir Park on Saturday to pass without comment. Never slow to shine a light elsewhere, if she would rather not address this festering feature when things are going so well, you can be sure it is there to stay.
On John McGinn choosing Aston Villa over Celtic……… When he made his decision I wrote that after speaking to both teams, he went to Villa because he wanted to play first team football. Unlike reports elsewhere, he didn’t move south because Celtic would not meet his wage demands (thinking in particular of Scott McDonald flogging this on Radio Scotland).
The player gave newspaper interviews to several Scottish Sundays confirming, “Playing regularly was the biggest factor in choosing Aston Villa over Celtic, says John McGinn”, as The Herald put it. But that doesn’t fit the narrative, so will soon be forgotten.
Don’t blame it on the football.
Don’t blame it on the career advice.
Don’t blame it on the reality.
Blame it on the Celtic. Lots of others do.
What’s the point of Celtic?
Winter is approaching, the time when the Celtic FC Foundation does some of its most important work. It is also the time of greatest need. I know the challenge ahead for those who work through the Foundation. There is enormous poverty in our own communities.
I signed up for the Great Scottish Run, which takes place in Glasgow on 30 September, in aid of the Foundation. I have not run as far as a Half Marathon in over a year, I ran a few miles short on Saturday before giving up. But I know what those who will be helped by the Foundation will be like in December. Some things are worth the work.
We need to do something, otherwise what’s the point of Celtic? We both know it’s not just about football. Work on the big winter projects is already underway, if you can help by sponsoring me, please do so here.
Thank you.
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Every game is a big game for whomever we are playing. It’s a cup final for them. Our players need to know going through the motions could see them losing to much less able teams.
Armstrong, Dembele and Roberts gone. £27m banked and neither replaced. Inexplicable and unacceptable.
SFA in a mess… shock! Celtic at the back of the bus as usual. Regan praised ✅Doncaster praised ✅ Maxwell praised ✅
Sack the Board.
DAVID17
Seems some suits are concerned that by supporting BR’s ambitions,they are undermining the viability of the balance sheet.
This clearly will not do.
There will be no speculation nor accumulation on their watch,no nay never.
Humiliation,aye,they can cope with that. Cos they don’t really GAF.
So last season we focused on our rubbish defence with individually rubbish defenders. This season we are defensively tighter than a sparrows chuff, and still complaining. Blame the heated driveway man-surely?
Does McGinn say that Rodgers/Celtic couldn’t promise him a starting position and that’s why he chose Villa? It doesn’t seem so. The relevant quote is:
“I was so used to playing at St Mirren and then Hibs all the time, so it was really important that the next place I was going I was going to play,” he said. “Thankfully, the manager so far has shown faith in me to go and play. It’s a massive club with great aspirations.”
From this we are to infer that Celtic couldn’t offer him playing time?
BADA BING,I think you are obsessed with the weather girl, getting boring actually.
The ole NegaNon Drive
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 17TH SEPTEMBER 2018 1:53 PM
DAVID17
Seems some suits are concerned that by supporting BR’s ambitions,they are undermining the viability of the balance sheet.
This clearly will not do.
———
Yeah, better to undermine the Manager instead. Might even get his £2.5m salary off the wage bill. Brendan has done his job, the Huns are back and the cheating has passed without action. No longer need him as a distraction so start the process of shoving him out the door.
‘Blame it on the Celtic’
Damn right I do.
King Lubo
Blame is the refuge of the immature. It is refusal to take personal responsibility and blaming being taken for mugs is something each of us in our own way is responsible for. We, through devotion to an ideal we think exists, but are having increasing doubts over, allow ourselves to be taken as mugs.
One of the dangers arising from the Res12 process is increasing doubts Celtic believe in the same ideal, part of which is doing the right thing.
The coming months will be testing times for that idea.
With regard to being better informed that will only work if Celtic, personified in The Board and PL were to trust us and we in turn were to trust them And each other.
That mistrust immediately manifested itself in the comments after yours relating to McGinn.
A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest from The Boxer is apt for the Celtic support (and not confined to them) but our inability to trust each other in pursuit of private or group agendas is very apparent.
Any poor sod elected to the Board would quickly succumb to mistrust because it appears to be part of the Celtic nature with a hard C.
kinglubo
yes a few fans on the board would be a good start and better pr for sure.
i am up there in age and celtic have never changed it is time for a change or they will lose there fan base.
that will hurt big time in the wallet.
ron67 said @ 12:59 pm
‘it didn’t come as any surprise when the latest stat shows that this is our lowest goals ‘ for ‘ in 25 years , when you consider our pace of play , formation , when your centre forward is taking all the corner kicks etc.’
On corners (for and against us):
I’m not sure if Celticbynumbers or anyone else will have stats on our efficiency at corners …
My impression is that we’re currently pretty shocking at both defending and attacking these set plays.
On attacking corners in particular, I’m astonished at our sheer lack of anyone (other, perhaps, than Griff) who can hit a consistently decent dead ball. I often wonder if we actually practice taking corners (and dead-ball crosses from around the attacking penalty box).
In some games, we seem so bad at these things that I’d say that if I were defending against Celtic, I would absolutely no hesitation in giving away a corner: we are so consistently poor at delivering dangerous crosses and so utterly predictable in the type of cross we try to deliver. We seem to have almost no alternative to the hopeful high ball into the box (although even that can’t be relied upon, since in some games we seem to struggle (embarrassingly) to get the ball beyond the first defender.
Of course, the aforementioned ‘hopeful high balls’ require that the taker waits patiently for the arrival of the ‘big men’ from the back, meaning that when the delivery predictably fails, we are prone to a counter attack.
Another of my pet irritations is the infrequency with which we vary our delivery: the scarcity of short corners and the almost total lack of the quickly taken corner, offering – as it would – the possibility of catching opposition defences before they have had time to set themselves up.
It beggars belief that Brendan can be satisfied with our corner kicks; at either end of the park …
Grumpyoldmen.CSC
how often have we heard”from a position of strength etc”.
Timbhoy2 – if the measure of boring posts is repetition – where do we start with that – I think we would all be guilty
2 goals conceded in 5 SPL games- we must be rubbish at defending corners! Thats what happens when a notion suddenly becomes a fact
KINGLUBO on 17TH SEPTEMBER 2018 1:05 PM
You were on a roll, it was yes, yes, yes; then you go and mention the ” moonlandings ” and for me all credibility disappeared just like the ” weapons of mass destruction ”
However, nothwithstanding that good post my friend and why you shouldn’t even think of walking away.
HH.
We are always told that the board members are Celtic Supporters – so there you have it
Grandad duties call – school run beckons
Have Scott Brown’s legs gone yet ?
Now for something completely different.
Isac Asimov a science fiction legendary writer of the 50s to 70s created a set of rules for a universe populated by robots and human beings.
They were:
A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harmp.
A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
Isaac Asimov’s “Three Laws of Robotics”
That got me wonder how Asimov would define The Three Laws of Rangeotics.
1. If a football law can be interpreted to arrive at a decision that, no matter the evidence to the contrary, favours Rangers, then that interpretation is the law.
2. If the law does not cover events at Ibrox that took place, then whatever did take place was within the non existent law.
3. If law 1 however reaches a descision that does not favour Rangers then the big boy that wiz Rangers up to Feb 2012 did it and ran away.
FRED COLON
No, but big PC Mikael Lustig’s went some quite considerable time ago ?
Allegedly CSC
Is there a mathematical formula, or equation that would explain the phenomenon where a poster posts more on this site after he flounces than he did before he flounced?
That’s good to know, Stairheed.
Got any fig’s for attacking corners … ?
Can think of a more appropriate ‘disco classic’ metaphor for today’s leader.
Hint – its by Dead or Alive ;-)
UNGLE VIP
‘it didn’t come as any surprise when the latest stat shows that this is our lowest goals ‘ for ‘ in 25 years , when you consider our pace of play , formation , when your centre forward is taking all the corner kickerss etc.’
On corners (for and against us):
I’m not sure if Celticbynumbers or anyone else will have stats on our efficiency at corners …
we have scored 1 goal from 92 ‘at the last count’ from corners mostly taken by our centre forward and i agree with your previous post.
no i don’t mean 1992 although sometimes it seems that long ago.
GLENDALYSTONSILS on 17TH SEPTEMBER 2018 1:27 PM
FATHER JACK on 17TH SEPTEMBER 2018 1:14 PM
I think that’s the first time (as far as I’m aware anyway) that anyone has made that very obvious and valid point.
I cannot imagine a manager anywhere signing a player with a promise they will be a first team regular unless it’s a Messi , Ronaldo or Hazard.
If McGinn loses his place is he going to slap in a transfer request? Nonsense.
*early on in his Celtic management career Jock bid for a Scottish international playing down south, I believe he was a former Hibbee who had played for him, it was accepted but the player turned us down as Jock widnae guarantee him a first choice pick every week.
Jock went live with this saying “no one is guaranteed a place at Celtic”, he was right, even the wee mhan and Billy were dropped at various times in their career.
Les Miserables
bournesouprecipe
Or, as it was known in the USA when it first came out in the 1860s…
‘Lee’s Miserables’
AULDHEID on 17TH SEPTEMBER 2018 2:11 PM
The preceding lyrics in The Boxer said;
” I have squandered my res12tance
For a pocket full of mumbles, such are promises
All lies and jests…”
I do hope the SFA take time to reflect on their unsustainable position relating to RES12
PersistencebeatsresistanceCSC
Kinglubo from earlier
I fully undertstand that Celtic is a business, we all know that, and we know we should live within our means, common sense really. But, my worry is and yet to be substantiated, is there collusion beteween our board and all the other Celtic haters. If there is, then why?
As you say your worry is yet to be substantiated…..So fair enough you are entitled to ponder if this could be happening ( the Celtic Board conspiring with persons or entities unknown to bring about circumstances unknown that would be detrimental to Celtic) …But ask yourself honestly as a rational being why would they do that…Why ..For profit ? extra TV money to be made from a competitive “Old firm ” derby???
Its a possibility of course but the downside of this is running the risk on losing out on much more lucrative TV money that comes from getting THE ONE AND ONLY champions league place thats available.
My answer to your as yet unsubstantiated fear is a simple and resounding No..No there is no collusion between the Celtic Board and “Celtic Haters”
But of course thats just my as yet to be substantiated belief
No-one is guaranteed a starting spot throughout their career. They begin by joining first team squad, then the bench, then getting on as a Sub, then starting spot, then in and out due to injuries and suspensions, then saving of legs and getting the odd rest, then starting important games to an end of career odd game.
The length of time at each stage depends on the players and their performances. Messi and Ronaldo are still at starting spot probably first name on the sheet. But if they don’t take early retirement then the will eventually play less as age takes its place.
So no-one can be guaranteed a start as performances affect the managers selection.
Celtic Mac
Who would win in a fight between the multi flouncers and the multi monikers?
HALF-TIME: Daniel Arzani’s 33rd minute free-kick the difference between the sides at the break!
If we had agreed a fee with Hibs and McGinn came up to sign in say July – do you think he would have sat there pen in hand with Brendan Rodgers only saying then that he wouldn’t be a first pick?
So why wait until Aston Villa had him down for a slap up meal and a look at the superior training facilities before we said come to Celtic we won’t play you? Some sales pitch that.
McGinn must surely have been aware of Celtics intentions for him to be a squad player who may well play a good number of games and become an eventual replacement for Scott Brown. Your telling me there was no discussion with agents or intermediateries before August? Even the reported meeting between McGinn and Rodgers?
We waited too long and Aston Villa sold him the deal.
For anyone wondering what CorkCelt is doing these days
Have a look at this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHxVq9MHo7o
Up The rebels
BigBhoy
You posted links earlier to newspaper articles which you hoped reinforced your belief, and to try and discredit the poster who you post was aimed at, that John McGinn would be guaranteed first team football at Villa.
Paul wrote about this on another blog, where he stated
“Celtic were honest with the player, who was told he would not be first choice, but would get a chance when others were rested or injured. Steve Bruce, however, told McGinn he would be first choice every week and the core of the new Villa midfield.”
I find that an incredible statement, unless Paul has a hotline to Steve Bruce at Villa and Steve Bruce lost all of his faculties no way would he offer any player a guaranteed first team spot .
Spin away all you wish, it will wash with some, it’s not washing with me and a few others no doubt.
TIMBHOY2 on 17TH SEPTEMBER 2018 2:01 PM
BADA BING,I think you are obsessed with the weather girl, getting boring actually.
I couldn’t care less, scroll on by,to be called boring by yourself, proves that you do actually have a sense of humour.
More on Corkcelts heroics
https://www.rte.ie/news/munster/2018/0917/994306-bookmaker/