Was anyone surprised at yesterday’s result? You shouldn’t have been. I don’t think I’ve ever before written two articles against taking a result for granted. Celtic are ridiculously inconsistent as Kilmarnock, Hibs, St Johnstone, Inverness and now St Mirren will testify, even Arbroath left Celtic Park with a draw. The intensity which has been self-evident on Champions League duty has been posted missing far too often.
Defeat yesterday was entirely possible as is defeat away to Raith Rovers in the Scottish Cup on Sunday. There will be entirely different tactics and attitude when Juventus call next month but right now you’re feeling sore because, against all odds, we’ve conceded a League Cup final place and we’ll find an equally brave opponent at some point in the Scottish Cup unless a solution is found.
Speaking at the funeral of Sean Fallon last week, Sir Alex Ferguson referred to need for a manager to be a hard taskmaster, generating a corresponding need for the assistant manager to be plugged into the dressing room. I’m sure this is not the only way of managing a football team but it was how Jock Stein and Sean worked, and it’s how Sir Alex has worked for the last three decades.
Millionaire players need an edge in their lives to deliver on a lesser stage.
I had to be in Paisley all morning, which did not help my mood.
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What other business ignores the wishes of its customers? Other than Scottish football of course.
And another thing, who’s bright idea was it to lend out Mo the bounce Bangura after his stunner in San Pedro?
Neil Lennon said he wasn’t thinking about bringing in any new players, but this may change after yesterday’s result. Tongue in cheek shurley, we’ve players ready to step in, – where is
Miku?
Fingers crossed…..
Juninho
Crosas
N’Geumo
The MEX ..effrain whatever
Lundberg
Keane
The only success…LUBO
Let’s hope this kid Rogic is the real deal!!!
I can see second division clubs having a problem, why should the lowest division get two bites of the lost boys pocket money
Transfer window brings nothing but grief to clubs like Celtic and it certainly showed on the park yesterday where Wanyama was concerned.
We were unlucky. Hit the bar twice, missed a penalty. How any professional footballer can miss from 12yards is beyond my comprehension. Get Boruc back to take the pens!!
Neil canamalar Lennon hunskelper extrordinaire
14:46 on 28 January, 2013
they won’t, the zombies on ff are already manning the barricades for mass boycotts of all teams
Only players to get pass marks yesterday were, Izzy, Adam and Lassad
Watching MON on SSN talking about transfers. With 3 days to go he’s probably just starting to make his list up of players he wants in on trial on Thursday!!
I think he may make a late bid for Hooper. An ideal strike partner for Fletcher.
Kayal 33-Russell would improve us,Mackay-Steven has had a few injuries but would keep tabs on him til Summer possibly.An experienced playmaker please.
We are working on a plan of signing young players and out of contract players that we dont have to pay a transfer on or if a fee is required in modern football standards ie £600,000 for Izzy its very small. So for me its not un expected that we will have bad days even the mega rich clubs like Man.City and Chelsea have bad days and they pay out a fortune in transfer fees and wages. If you are building a team you allways have to look at your weakest team member and look to improve either him or bring in a better repacement I would imagine everyone on CQN will have there opinion on who our weakest player is.I really wonder what Lassad and mixu bring to the team that Watt and McGeouch dont ? I like Lennie but he has his weak spots and one for me is that he is to close to the players a manager in my opinion must have some distance between himself and the players in order that when the hard decisions are required he cant make them and not lose respect.Thats is my opinion for what its worth.H.H.
Possibly worth a re-post after yet another dissy…..
Mother Of Sorrows
My parents have recently returned from yet another trip to Lourdes. Needless to say they remembered their firstborn in their prayers and, recalling that he had been found wanting in the Rosary Department at a recent wake (my mother thrust a rosary ring so violently into my palm that she had high hopes for my stigmata) they kindly purchased a new set of beads for me. On their return mum regaled me with hallowed tales of baths and bathos, churches and crutches, cures and curiosities, Bernadettes and missalettes. I listened enthralled-ish.
The beads weren’t blessed.
They had enjoyed the company of a Greenock-based (cures, I tell ye) priest but didn’t want to annoy him by asking him to bless my beads in case an unseemly queue formed around his raised hand and they were deemed responsible for such a burden on the hard-pressed cleric. I had to ask one of the priests from my own parish to do the needful. It gave me the excuse not to use/say the Rosary until the beads had been blessed. Every Murdo MacLeod and all that. The beads came complete with a nifty black faux-leather pouch with zips each side and an already-tarnishing gold lettered Lourdes on what I was already calling The Celtic End. I unzipped The Celtic End and noticed the brown beads, definitely not cheap. Well done maw n paw. The Sevco End seemed to be a repository for Holy Medals and the like. In there I put a key, £4.79 and a Bothwell Emerald, Member 2012-13 badge.
On Saturday I went to chapel as normal for when we’re three-o’clock-at-home. The Monsignor emerged from his confessional and I pounced like a bead-cobra; a bead-rattler would not have done me justice. I advised the priest that my mother had returned from France with a gift of unblessed beads for the fruit of her womb and, as the Lord was with he, I asked if he could do the necessary. Monsignor was happy to oblige and, as I pulled down the zip of The Celtic End, he spoke fine and inspiring words not only about the beads but also about future userS of the beads. It seemed my beads were made for sharing, The Quality Street Beads. Could I think of ten, one for each bead on a decade – Dalglish, McGrain, Davidson, Connelly, Hay, Macari……?
Following Mass I headed down to the Teser, bought an extremely poor pint of Carlsberg and decided to have a look at my newly-blessed Rosary. I discretely unzipped The Celtic End and shook the brown beads out and was immediately festooned not with decades but with what appeared to be heptades – seven strings of seven beads – Johnstone, Provan, Larsson, Junin….. This had to be an examination of my rosary knowledge credentials. My olds had cunningly purchased for me an esoteric rosary of sorts and I had to come up with an answer. What Rosary is this ? Was my Faith being tested ? Was this oneup(wo)manship on their part ? And crucifixless ! Where the cross should have been there was a big Holy Medal of Our Blessed Lady, Mother of Sorrows. The Crucifix was relegated to a wee portrait on the Sevco/Division Three side of the big Holy Medal. Lord preserve us.
I phoned my own (natural) blessed mother the next day, the day after the Hibs game.
WG :- Hi mum, it’s John
WG’sM :- Bad result for your team yesterday
WG:- How come when we don’t win they’re exclusively my team ?
WG’sM: – I’ll just get your dad, he’s in the…..
WG: ……I got the rosary beads blessed by Monsignor Conway
WG’sM : Good, son, I didn’t want to put that Greenock priest to any bother
WG: Are those special beads mum ?
WG’sM: All rosary beads are special son
WG :- It’s just that my new beads are seven-by-seven
WG’sM – What ?
WG :- They have seven ‘decades’ of seven beads each instead of the usual five-by-ten
(WG’s M shouts to long-suffering husband – John, we got our John the wrong rosary, they’re seven-by-seven
WG;s Da shouts back – Whit ?)
WG :- Mum, they’re not the WRONG rosary, they’re a DIFFERENT rosary. I thought you’d got me these ones on purpose as a….
WG’sM :- It was the gypsies
WG:- What ?
WG’sM :- I bought that rosary in the shop after The Gypsy Mass
WG;- You went to The Gypsy Mass ?
WG’sM :- No – the gypsies were in the shop stealing Holy Merchandise after The Gypsy Mass
WG:- Mum, you were at Lourdes no The Barras
WG’sM – I must have got distracted and bought you the wrong beads. It’s like Blackpool over there sometimes. I’ll get you a new pair
WG: I don’t need a new pair. I can just add on the three beads at the bottom
WG’sM:- Seven-by-seven. I’ve never heard of that kind of rosary in my life
WG :- I checked it out on the net, mum. It’s the Rosary of The Seven Sorrows. Another four and we’d have had yesterday’s team.
WG’s M:- Here’s your father
Good morning all
I know I have said this before, and it wasn’t popular in all circles, but I dont thinkt he problem is mainly with the players. We buy good players (even some with a slight attacking bent – Joe Ledley for one), but dont know how to use them/dont get the best out of them.
this team only plays (i) when in a rearguard counter-attcking game (like Barca), or (ii) when diddy teams come and try to play football, and give us space. However, when teams set out to defend and catch us on the counterattack, we dont know how to deal with it.
This team plays (i) as coached, and (ii) as Neil used to play. NFL was one of the better defensive midfielders I have seen, but couldn’t play a forward pass to save his life, and play always stultified when he was in the team. It was, much like we saw under GS, the ‘fetishization’ of possession (which, in fairness, has afflicted a lot of teams, since Barca came to the fore with their possession game).
We buy dynamic midfielders (SB at Hibs, and JL at Cardiff), but the team doesn’t use, or know how to use, their assets. At present, I would describe JL, SB, VW all as primarily defensive or holding midfielders… that is fine when playing against a team like Barca, when it is every man to the pumps, but an absolute scandal against St. Mirren on the wide open space of Hampden.
These players are bigger, faster, fitter and stronger than most of the players they face each week in the SPL… but we give up that advantage by the way we play. Passes are made to stationary players with their back to the goal…. our players stand still to receive the ball…. to take advantage of our superior speed, fitness and skill, they should always be moving, and taking the ball while moving … otherwise, we give up the advantage that our players possess… sure our possession and passing stats will go down, but we will score more and win more games.
Play SB, VW and JL together, but give two of them the license to bomb forward at every opportuntiy… play two of them further up the field… I know we like our full backs to bomb forward, but it isn’t working in the day to day SPL games. Teams know we dont play through the middle, and set up to counter our only style of play. NFL has to recognize this and adjust. Even the players (see Kelvin Wilson) know nothing goes through the middle, so every time he gets the ball, he punts it long.
We get the ball, push forward to the oppositions end, then get bogged down… partly because we play too slowly, and let teams set up (10 men behind the ball)… and we play everything to the wings (if GS is on his game, it works, but if not. we have no alternative)….
Sure a great no. 10 would be nice, but I dont think that is the problem. A no. 10 still requires teammates to move and to pass to.
As much as I hate to say it, I dont think the problem is the players’ attitude … it is the poor coaching they are getting. I have all the time in the world for our manager (as a person, and as an eye for talent), but he is a poor coach. Make him director of football, but bring in a new first team coach, who can get the best out of the great players that NFL is brining in.
Okay… rant over.
Sorry… I couldn’t log in on the weekend, so that was festering….
!!Bada Bing!!
14:51 on 28 January, 2013
Celtic don’t do playmakers. The only one we’ve had in recent years, Naka, was stuck out on the wing. Lubo is the last playmaker we’ve had who played through the middle.
Kayal33
He will be waiting for a last minute bid for Dwight Yorke
Ode to goldstar10’s Beamer – and to take your mind off Football
I passed my driving test a long time ago in a VW Beetle, it had every body panel unoriginal, and 9 previous owners. The two, laughingly described as, doors would only shut when NOT raining, and when WAS raining the headlights also came on full beam. I used a bungee arrangement to hold the doors shut at first spit of rain however, they would swing open alarmingly when cornering at speeds in excess of 12 mph. It could do 50 mph, on a slight downward incline with a following wind, but with the intermittant brakes, such speeds were only when feeling ‘reel confident’ usually after a trip to the pub in Main St. MPG was quite good as most journeys involved some pushing and free-wheeling. Indication was mostly hand signals to indignant drivers and screaming ‘get out of the way’ and when the brakes decided to have a ‘rest’………..the hand-brake was firm, except on the times it regularly left the mountings.
Oh yes, and the windows did not fit in to the body work for some reason. The car used to fill up with water at every opportunity, strangely, even when it wasn’t raining? Still the the head mechanic at the ole Volksway Garage in Rug’len told me to drill holes in the floor panels behind the front seats. Perfect with all the holes in the floor it soon drained away in no time. He was innovative and ahead of his time, was this an early attempt at air conditioning?
But, here’s the best bit, if the engine decided to ‘play up’ it could easily be rectified, with a well placed tap from a wooden tent mallet and a re-spray of WD40. It was reliable though………….you could always depend on it never over heating as there wasn’t any heat inside the entire body shell, and in winter if the traffic lights were at red, it would ice up with your breath. Not a problem, as you could soon boil hot water bottles inside the engine compartment and enjoy a rest, whilst waiting for them to heat up. Actually, I quite enjoyed the enforced rest from the tiresome effort of driving!
Spares were not a problem as any old bits could be made to fit with a hacksaw and lump hammer.The other good thing about it was you could always tell when I was in the vicinity by the fumes cloud and terrified screaming of the locals, and the neds never tried to steal it, not least that I know of because they knew it wouldn’t start.
It was particularly good for parking, by impact; excellent for small spaces?
Still I miss that car as it had character (mostly bad), every journey was an adventure and she was called, rather originally I thought, Avril.One day on the way to work Mrs B decided she would not get into Avril again, ever, and she made me get rid of it…..I sold it to a one legged man with a squint and nervous tic……………………I still often wonder what happened to him?
Mrs B has a car now with hot air, a magic tree and a wing mirror on each wing, me I prefer the train or subway!
WG
I thought you had changed your Washing Powder yesterday with the amount of scratching that you were doing in the pocket department.
thank goodness for the RB
ht
Spot on!
About time some posters on hear entered the real world and not the magic one they live in.
Perhaps Neilly is not the Messiah!
He could, after all, be just a naughty bhoy!
Bada listen to kayal regarding the DU job ;-)!! I managed to get paddypower to suspend betting earlier after I backed Elvis ……. Anyone know of any other bookies still offering odds? HH
Apologise all, the hearing starts tomorrow.
This is serious and cheating cannot be tolerated in our game, a few on twitter are already planning what to do if they are found guilty if the appropriate punishment isn’t handed out.
Every ordinary fan is sick of the corruption and rule bending to help that lot, they have made Scottish football a laughing stock and they must be severely punished, if not then the ball is completely burst.
I will ask everyone to take a look back at everything the SFA have done to help that lot, enough is enough and we must be ready to take the fight to this corrupt organisation.
This will change the game in our country forever, if a guilty verdict arrives and they have found to have cheated every team out of honours then its time for us to act.
See we have signed a “payne” during the transfer window! Get it? Ah well
Anybody tell me what Neil means by intensity. It’s a word he uses all the time, particularly when we lose. It cant be about running about aimlessly or like a headless chicken? Intense to me is about restiction . Anyway I dont think anyone can say we were not “up for it”, there was plent of endeavour but I have never ever seen this team play with such bad technical ability. The ball bounced off player’s feet, passes went awry or to the opposition. Sammys almighty “clearance” for them was a case in point. It was also clear that we had no player who could dribble past the opposite player and take them out. Seems clear to me that Lassad wont do, we need to get another substitute goalkeeper as Zaluska is a nightmare. Russell will give us aggression and finishing, but I would love to see an Agathe type winger to go past people and feed the strikers. On the plus side I thought Stokes looked to have freal appetite for the game and is due his chance , albeit may be the last one
Hail Hail
I was surprised yesterday.
Am I the only one?
But the fact I was only expressed just how high my expectations of this side are. Then they showed human failings.
A totally committed St.Mirren won it fair and square – tell that to all the chuckling Zombies you know; they wouldn’t be where they are if they could match such integrity..
Still, my club which was seemingly going nowhere just 2-3 short years ago is now living it large among Europe’s top 16, producing outstanding talent and operating on a sound financial footing which facilitates future transfer activity.
And at an average squad age of 24 that’s a decent return for my belief and support.
Sure, they are prone to dips and the occassional domestic calamity (Barcelona were beaten 3-2 by Sociedad the other week, mineshafters…sack the ‘bored’…) but overall they’ve put me in footy dreamland this past year as it all clicked.
Don’t stop. Onwards and upwards.
So Hooper and Wanyama are worth Millions? Really, okay, sell them for millions, Hoopers first touch is fecking awful and Wanyama is slow, lazy and only interested in his route to United or someone similar. I’d also find the clown that said ” Okay Charlie, you take it…” and hunt them as far as possible from Parkhead
This Celtic team takes its self as better than it is and its supporters for granted, what an absolute shambles they were, think about this guys, these clowns who pull more in a week than most of us do in a year, they are paid to play football, they are the best of the best that we can attract to Scotland
What a joke !
bouresouprecipe
In the 70’s I had a car which was the love of my life.
A Ford Cortina 1600E. Silver. Rostyle Wheels. Cibie Oscar Head Lamps. Pure Gallus.
I remember in Glasgow city centre I noticed the temperature gauge going into the red area and stopped the car.
After a quick check under the bonnet I established that the radiator had burst.
I went into a hotel in Bath St, canny remember the name, and asked for akettle of boiling water.
The manager asked what was wrong and disappeared into the hotel.
He eventually came out to my car with the kettle, but before filling the radiator he he cracked an egg into it!
After a couple of kettles the cooked egg had sealed the radiator.
And it remained sealed by that egg until i sold it (the car) two years later.
So always carry an eggin yer car. Ye just never know.
talking about being out of touch with fans, how much is our own
leaders out of touch with our own fans by accepting anything from doncaster, reagan, ballantyne? all this is doing is rearranging not reconstructing, for true reconstructing the sfa,spl,and sfl, cabal must go and complete new open and transparent people and rules brought in and enforced no matter who it affects without fear and especially favour, anything else
means the same old system dressed up like a whore at a hockey match serving the same bigots and their agenda of whats best for them ultimately.
I’ve written a piece about what I think the reasons were for yesterday’s not unexpected damp squib. Basically, I think the players are paralysed with fear at the thought of losing a one-off game against teams we’re expected to beat . It becomes self-fulfilling.
Winning when you’re expected to requires a different mentality from punching above your weight.
If you want to read more, my piece is at this link.
http://henryclarson.wordpress.com/2013/01/28/heads_you_win/
The players that played yesterday were good enough to win the game.
Why they collectively failed to apply themselves and turn up and do their job is my concern.
I think it was TET who pointed out last night that in the games we have played poorly in ,it has not been one or two individual mistakes, but that the full team has underperformed at the same time.
I hope to see a change in attitude on wed.
izzy
10:13 on
28 January, 2013
Someone pointed out earlier that Vic was possibly playing with an injury or perhaps a virus. I noticed his face was ripping with sweat after 30mins or so.
~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
IZZY.
a long time ago,I went to a testimonial match-Kilmarnock v Celtic.
About five minutes in,I turned to my Dad-I was about 6yo-and asked “Who’s that wee fair haired fella,he canny be fit,Dad. Five minutes into the game,he’s sweating buckets and red in the face”
Answer-Kenny Dalglish,we won 6-1 and he scored the six of them!
I still know sod all……
Was “scunnered” at yesterday’s performance, another Hampden let down from a team which had been doing well. NL said all the right things afterwards but will he be ruthless and make the changes, bring in the young boys who have some spirit? I don’t think so it is just the same old platitude. Why CM decided to side foot that penalty I do not know. We are so lethargic at times it is unbelievable. One thing about MON and GS teams was that when the chips were down they threw in everything, even the kitchen sink, Nl teams just seem to carry on at the same pace with little sense of urgency.
TBB/BSR- The parking ticket and the pie were indeed the highlights of the day.
I now know that since the Olympic football last year GCC have designated certain streets to be permit only during Hampden events- they just don’t bother to make it obvious, I parked in the same spot as usual. Plenty of Tims stung yesterday.
Still, the saving on the LC final ticket will pay for the fine.
Hutchybhoy-try oddschecker.com ,good luck.
thomthethim 13:45 on 28 January, 2013
Did you read my post @ 13.02 on the last thread?
Did anybody?
>>>>>
Yes.
HH!
Sunday wasnt a surprise to me
Too many games this season were of similiar standards
We dont have enough flair or individual brilliance to change games like Sunday
I for one wlcome the fact that we now have big strong physical side ala MON’s team However they had Sutton and Hartson to score against packed defences Henrik would score out of nothing Agathe would turn defence into attack in 2 secs and then Lubo or Thommo would thread a pass to open up defences
Commons on form can play a pass
Forrest occassionally goes past people but we have no one else
We have nobody who can bully defenders when across comes into the box see Sammi weak header in first half both Sutton and Hartson would have scored
Solution?
Too many of our midfielders are similiar None of them can drift pass people or play killer passes consistently
Imho we need a ball playing playmaker to play between 2 of our existing m/field players We need a direct speedy left sided forward going player and we need an out and out physical striker when we fail to break down packed defences
I would get rid of Miku Lassad McCourt and at least one out of our current Midfielders to fund it
We have i believe made about £5m in Lenny’s dealings so far and with money earned this year surely it isnt too much to ask for the board to supplement project signings ( rogic) that we can buy 2 experienced players @ £2 m to really take us to next level
Think one of the reasons for yesterday lethargy was, the team always thinks they will make enough chances and there will be enough time to make it, problem being when we do need to step up a gear we sometime get stuck with the clutch, I think we should maybe be looking for an automatic.
Philbhoy – It’s just the beginning!
15:11 on
28 January, 2013
Interesting story of your 1600E radiator leak and the egg solution.
You should contact NL and insist Wilson has 6 raw eggs before playing.
Gordon Strachan told the assembled meeja and us for four years, tactics don’t win games, players do.
never saw the game…and didn’t follow it on here…was playing in our weekly poker tourney…(yes i won)…..first i knew was a txt fi the hun i spent all yesterday ripping…..so what…shyte happens….if it didn’t…we wouldn’t have stuck 1 on barcas chin…and we would be writing ourselves off against juve….as it stands….that was st mirrens barca game…and well done too them……if i was offered the league cup or last 8 of the champs league….hell…thats no contest…..the eufa cup final is my personal favourite season following the tic…..and what did we win that year…..the st mirren game won’t be what we remember in seasons to come…..our finest hour and a half has still to grace us this season…….hail hail….and cmon the hoops.
David Prowse
14:46 on 28 January, 2013
‘Hit the bar twice, missed a penalty. How any professional footballer can miss from 12yards is beyond my comprehension.’
It was a save, not a miss.
The penalty was no worse than St Mirren’s, but their keeper guessed the right way to go.
kabul celt slowly puts on his kevlar flack jacket and helmet……….backs out of the room