Celtic surrendered another two points to fall further behind in the championship race, drawing 0-0 at home against Hibernian. It was a unorganised looking performance from the home team who gave Graham Stack little to do in the Hibernian goal.
Gary Hooper squandered Celtic’s only gilt-edged chance of the game when, after playing a one-two with Anthony Stokes, he struck the outside of the post with Ki available for the square pass. Anthony Stokes had earlier tested Stack, who failed to hold the ball but did enough to clear.
When the same teams met on Wednesday James Forrest transformed the game when he drifted inside but he spent most of today’s game adrift on the right wing. On two occasions he cut inside with purpose, once testing Stack with a blistering shot from 22 yards and later when a 25 yard pile-drive struck the crossbar, but Hibs were content to limit Celtic to such speculative efforts.
Neil Lennon was justified in his criticism of his front pairing of Stokes and Hooper today but Celtic were equally clueless in midfield. There appeared to be no cohesion and there was certainly not a productive match plan.
Motherwell’s away win in Inverness gives the Lanarkshire side a three point lead, having played a game more, going into next week’s crucial game against Celtic at Fir Park. Manager-less St Johnstone dropped three points at home this afternoon, leaving them four points behind Celtic in the fight for the last Europa League place.
This is where we are people, scrapping between Motherwell and St Johnstone. Get used to it.
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Kevin wants the return of the ‘Jungle’ ASAP! 08:44
No idea what your on about. Scatter gun approach? Our fault?
So by your reasoning you buy a brand new washing machine its faulty and goes on fire, burns yer house down, its your fault for buying it?
EN
I think that young Matthews and Forrest, together with Mulgrew and Rogne, can take some credit fro yesterday.
Ledley, Kayal and Forster were neither here nor there performance wise.
The rest, with particular focus on Ki and Hooper, were not at the required standard.
We don’t have a football team. We have a collection of ingenues with an inflated sense of their own position in the game.
Is this a function of their age, or their management?
Dunno, but it’s not very good.
Thanks to Awe Naw if you’re about for your posts yesterday morning. Some interesting stuff in there.
Way out to watch proper young players in a proper young team. Stra’ven this morning.
TBB
Moyes? Lambert? Hughes?
Forget it. No way any manager of any calibre will come to manage in SPL with little money to spend.
Would you rather Levein or Billy Davies?
There’s where we heading if Lenny is hounded out.
PFayr
To be fair….
Hooper missed an absolute sitter!
He scores that the game, the result, changes.
Players win games.
Samaras must start ahead of Hooper nowPFayr
to
Neil is making mistakes in selection ,tactics and substitutions but is it any wonder?
Being manager of Celtic is anyway one of the most difficult jobs in football.
When you’ve been subjected to all that Neil has is it any wonder that he loses focus?
feedthebhear says:
30 October, 2011 at 09:00
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Like yourself, i’m only guessing….
I think if NL walks and, I hope he dizny….
The choice, for me, would be between John Collins and, big Mark McGhee!
anybody who thinks lenny should go due to the underperforing team and cr@p results is entitled to their opinion and has a point.
However faithful laptop loyal readers who read that muck and come on here spouting how lennon is going to out underperforming players means he should be sacked should gtf and stop reading the effin papers.
he said he would speak to them individually, the lap top have changed that to outing and you suckers lap it up.
it is you who is depressing and shocking i’m afraid.
Vinibhoy – Named Neil Lennon on his birth certificate says:
30 October, 2011 at 08:51
Lenny said he’d out them The media up to their usual tricks.
The media cant believe their luck, Lazy churnalism for them, sad to say Lenny is a goldmine for the LL
Its got beyond laughable when RC panellists give advice to Celtic players and Management about shutting up at press conferences
TBB,
I would agree with your assessment of our team. I woke up thinking once again what Bamboo has just said. We need experience in the team and management. For whatever reason, big Dan doesn’t provide it on the park and there is no one in the dugout, as far as I can see.
Bobby Murdoch. Yes I know the score , I sat up till 3am watching it live
At least it was warm on my couch
Thoughts?? The fans need leadership, we never had the powerful tool that is the Internet in 1994
Over to you paul67. :). You need to think long and hard about your ties
But I honestly think you could start the stone rolling down the hill, collecting moss on the way
Without this push, yes we will just have to get used to it
The legacy that fergus left us, 56,000 season tickets, will be gone and we won’t get it back
We must act now
lionroars67 says:
30 October, 2011 at 09:05
Its got beyond laughable when RC panellists give advice to Celtic players and Management about shutting up at press conferences
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Please explain….
scotland’s shame,
Fair comment.The criticism should be extended to those who come on and quote the talk shows to promote their argument.
Found my socks.
Thought my mouth was a bit drier than usual.
Hail Hail
Estadio
Just read the comments attributed to Lenny bout outing the players who haven’t performed,
Mmm is that really such a good idea? (if true)
Who benefits from a public slanging?
The Manager
The Players
The Support
The Media
The opposition
We know were under performing, the players know theyre under performing,
just as an addition the Management Team aint exactly leading by example.
Big Respect to all who made it to the Demo yesterday, and once again to the GB at Celtic Park, dont let the b******* hound you out
Che says:
30 October, 2011 at 09:12
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When you say that, NL will be ‘outing’ the players…..
does that mean…
1) Name-ing the players ?
2) Booting the players out the team ?
Kevin
Read my post again.
I never said Neil would be outing anyone.
I must be missing something..
I think James Forrest needs resting….
blantyretim says:
30 October, 2011 at 09:18
Its a different colour of boots the bhoy needs.
Che says:
30 October, 2011 at 09:12
Just read the comments attributed to Lenny bout outing the players who haven’t performed,
Mmm is that really such a good idea? (if true)
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I apologise unreservedly Amigo!
Hail! Hail!
Snake Plissken ———-
As requested ——-
Hamsik ———
He only played the last 30 minutes . I thought he was poor ..
Today’s Football Pink awarded him 5/10 and said ” he was on the field but nobody noticed “.
Catania were excellent . Napoli were poor . Catania won —— Catania’s centre forward -Bergessio , will go on to play for a much bigger team than Catania . He looks to be a player !
Bhoys
PLEASE read lennon’s comments about outing the players
The media have only ran with half the story
he said he would out them individually and in private
in other words some home truths directly to them
Morning from a rather hungover G72.
Yesterday was a nightmare.
Don’t know if i’m up to reading the papers.
Lennondinho18 (@CelticNewsAtTen) says:
30 October, 2011 at 09:25
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Looks to me like the wheels have come off the wagon……
Quotes from Neil on BBC website
“A few have been consistent like Ki [Sung-Yueng] and Joe Ledley. But there are others who are happy to go along, riding on their backs,”
“I am really angry. They let the game drift away from them and that is not acceptable.”
Lennon added: “I am not happy with some of them at the minute. I don’t think they are giving enough in terms of the quality of their play or effort and I will speak to them individually and tell them what I think and I am looking for a response from them.
“But you ask them questions at times and you don’t get answers.”
“The only way I would leave the job this season is if I decide I am not taking the club forward or I am not getting the performances that the fans merit.
“Today, I am not hugely concerned about my position, it’s more of a question of why I can’t get these players to be as consistent as last season.”
Lennon admitted that the form of Gary Hooper was a concern, the striker having failed to match last season’s level following a spell out through injury.
“I don’t know if it is a fitness thing,” he said. “He keeps telling us he is all right, but at the minute he is not as bright or sharp as he should be.
“I don’t know if it is an after-the-fact from the injury, but he looks short of what he should be.
“We were poor going forward. The ironic thing is we keep a clean sheet and we can’t win the game.
“Our play in the final third was nowhere near good enough.”
A Mark Wilson quote i thought is revealing
“It is harsh words but that’s what he thinks,” he said.
“I don’t like slagging my team-mates off but we have to do better.
You don’t have to answer every question
Neil Lennon is (and always will be) a Celtforlife (*O*) says:
30 October, 2011 at 09:01
I agree, and also with much of what you said during the nightshift.
Lots of talk about membership schemes, fans ownership etc.- if Hooper scores that goal none of this would have been discussed.
The players are to blame for yesterday- the same players who won so handsomely against the same opponents on Wednesday.
The problem is their inconsistency, and lack of inspiration and leadership, when we are up against a well organised team we have no clue how to break them down.
Some players are sorely needing benched, starting as you say with Hooper, G.
blantryretim
James Forrest is a rare talent who should be nutured carefully . He shouldnt be played in every game just yet.
He has alot of work to do on his off-the-ball part of his game.
He shouldnt have to shoulder too greater burden at present .
He could be damaged by being over-played just now ,that goes for Levin as well.
goldstar10 says:
30 October, 2011 at 09:27
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If Hooper scored it would just delay the inevitable! IMO!
Any new manager appointment would need to be done in parallel with a business plan designed to get us not only restored as Scotland’s champions, but see us return to at least the top 32 in Europe on a consistent basis. Any board worth their salaries should be able to achieve this, as a minimum, considering they have a regular attendance of 50,000 and potential of another 10,000 minimum, allied to a worldwide support ensuring merchandising is a level probably within the top 10 in Europe.
The current income is being eroded year on year due to lack of European involvement. Winning the SPL in isolation won’t change that since the co-efficient is now at the level it deserves to be due to pathetic results from the leading two, and beyond pathetic by any other Scottish participants for some years now.
Had we maintained, not even improved upon, but maintained the levels reached by O’Neill and subsequently Strachan, we would have seen additional income of up to £50m over the past 3 seasons alone. The reason we lost that £50m is because the suits decided to gamble with OUR team by spending minimal amounts on poor players and unproven managers. I have no doubt some of this was done with one eye being cast across the city and instead of seeing a wounded animal and putting it to sleep, decided it was better to leave it gasping for breath and stay one step ahead of it.
It has proven flawed logic and has left us chronically ill ourselves.
So before we go looking for another patsy to try and breath new life into us, it had better be done with a view to the medium and longer terms. There is no point in another fire fighting approach to the current situation. Replacing Lenny with the likes of McGee/Coyle, for example, would see an initial upturn, followed by more of the same of what we have now.
As I said at the outset, let’s see a business plan that is at least…..well….a plan.
Appointing the likes of Mark Hughes under the current conditions would be like buying a Merc and not handing over the money for the fuel. Pointless, and would leave us stuck exactly where we are.
South of Tunis
Napoli scouting Chief is announced for the game today to watch Michal Zyro. He was on their radar for one year. Many scouts announced for that game.
Woke up shaking my head like ‘Churchill Dog’ but its certainly not ‘oh yes’ I am saying. Cannot defend the management on this one. Fighting for 2nd place was not my idea of moving forward
Kevin
Sadly they sure have bud
hh
Lenondinho. If Celtic do nothing to protect Neil Lennon against these attacks then we will lose the league, Lenny and a lot of fans. They need to support the manager And allow him to do his job.
This is a dirty war, a very dirty war and Lenny is being demonized, misquoted and targeted in a way that would shame the devils in hell.
I’m being hypothetical….
what happens if, we come unstuck at Murderwell next sunday ?
Didn’t see yesterday’s game at all so can’t comment directly on the performance, other than through what I’ve read.
We lack two things at the moment to turn a collection of decent young players into a team. And bear in mind we are without several first choice players.
Firstly an experienced pro on the park to show leadership when things are not going well. When we are on top we can look good – the second half on Wednesday showed that. But when it isn’t quite working we don’t have the composure to grind out a result.
Secondly, we lack a plan b. We are becoming predictable. And we rely too much on James Forrest to be a creative outlet. He is a talented young player, but is still making his way in the game. If we are not careful we will end up playing the same as we did with Aiden – just give him the ball and expect him to win the game on his own.
The big question is how do we change things?
I don’t see a change of manager at this stage as a good option. It would mean more upheaval, more rebuilding, more change in the transfer window to come. This team will look different when Izaguirre, Commons and co come back. I’m still behind Neil Lennnon – we appointed a rookie and we must give him the time to get it right.
Another thing that worrys me is the general fitness of the team. Were we a bit sluggish ? Low on energy and drive.
Hibs had the same recovery time as us after mid-week but they seemed sharper and stronger in the challenge.
Maybe it stems from the lack of confidence………
Let’s try Peter Grant for a season he seems just to waltz in to various coaching jobs in England and I think he knows all the words to TBOTOB
Rangers Euro Ban for 3 years.
If this articles is true then losing tax case will be a huge blow to Rangers who will be unable to keep or sign reasonable players.
http://www.scotsman.com/sport/rangers_run_risk_of_three_year_euro_exile_if_they_lose_tax_case_1_1938625
The Honest Mistake (Sickened) says:
30 October, 2011 at 09:32
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Why does NL no take a leaf out of CW’s book and, go a step further by banning the media in its entirity from CP ?
No publicity is better than the publicity the Murray media give us! IMO!