The most frustrating thing about last night’s meek exist from the Europa League is just how self-inflicted it was. After previous European defeats I criticised Brendan Rodgers tactics, but no tactics in the world will help a team which cannot defend a corner kick or stop a shot from 24 yards into the middle of the goal.
I saw the Hamilton Accies keeper recently concede a similar goal to the second Dorus de Vries failed to keep out of the net last night. At any level of the game, it was an unforgiveable error. For years Celtic were imperious at defending corner kicks. Now, also for years, it has been a persistent weakness.
Celtic have been far too weak at the back this season – not just in Europe. After the game Brendan suggested we lacked the experience necessary to play in such environments – certainly one of our issues. Hopefully the addition of Marvin Compper will bring sufficient authority to allow our youthful defenders to progress.
By contrast, Zenit were a study in the art of defence, even at home against a team from Scotland. We were unable to land a glove on them until the contest was effectively over. Substitutes Tom Rogic and Scott Sinclair both made things happen, but it is difficult to isolate their effect from Zenit’s own tiredness.
This was a European tie which got away. Sure, Zenit are better resourced than us, but on the showing over both legs, I’m not convinced they are significantly better than Anderlecht – who played us off Celtic Park but had their own troubles when we visited Belgium in September.
Lots of excuses, Celtic, but we really should have done better.
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Barney67 on 24th February 2018 12:10 pm
All women shout a lot if you know what your doing :-)
KEEP THE FAITH
OLD GREY WHISTLE TEST-
https://youtu.be/Zq9OpJYck7Y
Dodgy
Celtic is GOOD.
Just a thought. I read on here that if League positions remain the same and the other top 5 teams have already been to Ibrox twice then, after the split, Sevco will have two extra home games, giving them 21 home games and 17 away games instead of the 19/19 split. What happens to the money for these two extra League games? Do Sevco get to keep the gates or will the two clubs who have to play an extra away game get any share of it?
Gene…thumbs up ;-)
———————–
Tonyrome.. Thumbs up …;-)
TOSB. That is not the case all teams play 19 home & away.
The problem is that to achieve that 2 teams who have already played twice in Ibrox will have to travel there again.j
Hi Bhoys
My best memory of TOGWT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgKdDrHmwbc
KEEP THE FAITH
it’s teams in the bottom 6 that will only have been to ipox once
anyway – son’s mate can’t make the game today so its Vale park for me – desperately need a win
THEORIGINALSADIESBHOY
but it shows the flawed system
CORKCELT on 24TH FEBRUARY 2018 1:22 PM
TOSB. That is not the case all teams play 19 home & away.
The problem is that to achieve that 2 teams who have already played twice in Ibrox will have to travel there again.j
…………….
Then surely if two teams play three times at Ibrox, they will not have played 19 home and 19 away.
BEATBHOY 1229
Aye,pretty much. “Back in the day” of sheet music,a piece would be played in the foyer,where the piano was.
If “The Greys” who manned the reception were whistling a merry tune afterwards,it passed the Old Greys Whistle Test,and was signed.
Apparently.
Hibs no injuries yet? Imagine that.
SANDMAN Definitive Ratings. (From Thursday. Late, but some got to work…)
‘Like,WTF? MF’er? Ben a righteous MF’n span ‘o the great beyond since Russia with no love.” O.Ntcham.
‘Good, need these because I have no idea how to beat the hoops.’ D.McIness.
‘Only thing missing from a Sandman analysis is the directions I need for the undergound toilets in Buchanan St.’ R.Gough.
‘Bet he lets Rodgers off lightly.’ R.Deila.
Let the Grimness Begin:
DORIS – 2/10 :
Played like a Doris. Day. Flapping in mid air like a dishcloth on a washing-line. Sunday morning keeping. Set feet quick, swallow up long-rangers comfortably. 3 seconds of space the boy got to hit the shot. An eternity at that level. A gift for a keeper who might have been concentrating and anticipating.
I can only imagine Doris was still frothing from his intake of St.petersburg’s rich cultural history and musing upon the relationship of Peter to his matriarchal mother Catherine, the real ‘Great’ in the family. Or maybe not.
Whoosh! 2-0! Damn. And the Anti-Craig Gordon Glee club down their balloons and whistles, paper hats sit crooked atop faces writ large with bemusement.
Lustig – 4/10 :
The Great Mad Swede inexplicably let the third goal slip past him. All the way he saw the cross, knew the movement behind him, knew he needed to get there first. Unusual for him; I oppose the lazy ‘past it, lack of fitness’ tropes thorwn at him – this was a mental error completely against his defensive instincts. Rare, and costly.
KT 7/10 :
Engine in gear as always, committed as always, just let himself down in the final third when he hesitated too often to cross against a quality defence. Throw one in there son, shake ’em up.
Jozo 5/10 :
Put on foot wrong, crucially. Suckered by a brilliant Ivanovic move, but should have been aware of it. Will be now – that was pure man-on-man defending and he lost the contest he HAD to win and we lost a vital goal. Them’s the breaks if you don’t cut it in the moment.
Ajer 7/10 :
Good composure for a young bhoy in that environment, heeded his instruction, controlled his movement, was capable. Did not look out of place or flustered at any point. Could be moulded into a winner.
Broon 8/10 :
Excellent. Combative, aggressive, leading from the front. In their faces, took control of the middle, did everything required of him. Sweetened up the mentalist Ref. Captain’s performance.
Kouassi 6/10 :
More on him under BR. Functioned as well as he did in the first leg, poor decision to sub him at half time as he was part of our well-drilled midfield trio they had no answer to. He brings the added hustle Broon needs to dominate the mid.
Ntcham/Jackson 7/10 :
Another quality show from Son of Sam. Held onto the centre mid like a MF’r clutching his biggest score. He works really well as a fulcrum with Broon and Kouassi around him.
Forrest 6/10 :
Frustration for the Prestwick Pele as he looked time and again to be on the crest of burning up the wing only for the service/break of the ball to fail him. A nearly night.
McGregor 4/10 :
Callum might have surprised them last week but they snuffed him like a 70s runaway in an illuminati Swedish porn dungeon. Impossible to find space between their defensive lines, he floated around with no sting.
Moussa 5/10 :
Still can’t regain the spark of last serason but no lack of bustle and movement – hard solo shift with zero service makes it a tough ask to shine. Coralled by 6 defending players at one point in second half; the ‘Maradona 86’. Sadly, there was only one Diego.
Subs:
Rogic 3/10 :
Given a half but too lightweight. Looks more like a luxury at that level .We can’t afford to let him wander around in the hope he finds a moment. We ned him on it, sharp.
Sincy & Charly: Utilised too late to show their ability. A shame, because a lashing of real quality for a longer period might just have gotten us through.
BR 4/10 :
Lazy, I thought. Kept that same team in hope rather than deliberation. Mancini slipped up at Celtic Park but Zenit were on their A-game defensively at home. No more McGregor surprises for them.
Disasterous decision by BR to swap Kouassi for Rogic at Half-time, IMO.
The only working part of our team was the midfield 3 – borne out by the stats, they had a good – great at times, I thought – hold on the middle of the park for an away match against such decent quality.
We were let down by poor choices in the final 3rd and at the back. But the midfield had won their battle.
Taking off Kouassi left us flimsy and less dominant second half, more space and time for them in the middle – perfect for their counter-attacking game.
That 3 was the last part of the team that needed tinkering with – build on them.
OVERALL :
Meh. A match I’m sure the players would like to replay, knowing they were on the right track but failing at crucial times to get it right. I never felt we were heading for a PSG/Barca nightmare humping – we had so much of the ball and dominated the middle; individual errors broke our spirit. And like I opined – that midfield 3 gives us a great platform to build on. I hope BR sees this in hindsight and utilises it in future.
We’re experiencing the ‘difficult second album’ season following on last years big hit. Anything that happenns is compared back to the near-perfection (domestically) of 16-17.
The players need to see it out, rip up the SPL and retain the cup; the double-treble refreshes minds and spirits.
Next season will be different, mindset-wise; comparisons with the relatively underwhelming memories of this season will be easier to bear. With Euro-letdowns comes experience. Young squad, many good years ahead. Cut some deadwood, some disinterested and some impostors and forge ahead.
THEORIGINALSADIESBHOY
Rangers,cough,will play 19 hoe and away. The imbalance will be playing two teams at home three times.
It’s a throwback to them going bust. They inherited the about-turn fixture list of team 12 when they got promoted,then the unexpected success of Kilmarnock and Hibs.
Seriously,not a conspiracy this one. But it would be interesting to see how it would be dealt with were the roles reversed.
SANDMAN
Love your stuff.
Keep it to “When we were good” games.
We al know when wur shite,but we like to be reminded of when wur good
Oh McGinn was near the ball, both of them.
Nippy sweeries lose in curling.
sweeties, obv
Kili score. 2-1
If any team is denied their full quota of home games would they have to refund season ticket holders (1 game) as the stipulated number of games has not been met in the T&C ??
Recourse to SPFL for compensation?
Pen Killi, saved Boyd scores on the rebound 2-2
Lenny loses it, sent off.
Efe Ambrose keeps on Efe Ambrosin’
Kevin Clancy keeps on Kevin Clancyin’
Neil Lennon keeps on Neil Lennonininin’
And Scottish plastic football pitches keep on producing dreadful kick and rush football matches
Sandman –
Regarding your comments on the half time substitution has it been confirmed (or not) whether this was caused by the 45th minute tackle that left Kouassi hobbling off at half time? If he was fine and so the substitution was tactical rather than enforced then I share your opinion of that decision.
halftimeinthepaintingCSC
Beginning to wonder the job Stevie Clarke could do for us with a decent spend. Sort out a goalkeeper & RB for starts.
Marciano makes wonder save to make me eat my words, twice.
Marciano makes a wonder save.
jack buttcheeks makes an arse of it to score an og in the leicester stoke game
thats him off my new keeper list
Jobo Baldie,
I know nothing but I’d suggest Kouassi getting booked just before HT really influenced the substitution.
Aiberdeen away will be tough but I hope to watch (recording it) an awesome display by the Bhoys.
That Referee was very mouthy. Officiating badly IMO.
Killi battering Hibs now.
“OVERSEASBHOY on 24TH FEBRUARY 2018 1:56 PM
Beginning to wonder the job Stevie Clarke could do for us with a decent spend. Sort out a goalkeeper & RB for starts.”
…and do you think Real Madrid are wondering the job Brendan could do with them? Or is managing Celtic in the Scottish league not a reliable indicator of his ability as a manager? Just like doing well with Killie is not a reliable indicator of how well Stevie Clarke would do with us?
JJ
Someone (sorry I didn’t see the name) asked earlier about players who might be available to Celtic in the £3-5 million bracket and available in our wage budget. Clearly I have no knowledge of individual player wages, so I turned to Football Manager (I know, but there isn’t anything else I am aware of) as a proxy.
Using that, the highest paid players are Scott Brown, Dembele, and Sinclair on £25k a week. Lustig is next on £24k then the Griff on £18k. So I took £20k as an upper limit.
Suggested players:
Fabio Cacitiori of Chievo: a 31 year old right back with good experience in Serie A. Can fill a gap for a few years until Ralston is ready or we need to find a replacement. Can also play left back, meaning we can rest KT. FM suggests he is paid £9.5k per week so, even if we had to double his wages to entice him to Scotland, within the £20k wage ceiling.
Next up a younger player: Francesco Vicari of SPAL. A centre back aged 23. He’s apparently on £11k per week. Would probably cost £5m minimum, but young and fits the develop and sell model. He and Ajer would be the partnership of the future, should we be able to keep them!
That’s the defence sorted, so behind them in goal Josip Posavec of Palermo. 21 year old, good experience, would be expensive but again sell on value. Currently on £8k per week.
We need to protect the defence better than we do and Brown needs help while Eboue is too inconsistent yet. Two options here:
Phillip Bargfrede of Werder Bremen. Probably hasn’t had the career he should have had due to injuries but solid enough. On £14.5k per week at the age of 28. Chance of trophies, regular first team football and Europe may be enough to entice him.
The second option is a bit unusual. Alex Song (former Arsenal and Barca) is available on a free as out of contract. At his last club in Russia was on £50k, so we’d need to be creative. Offer the £20k per week max and, as there is no fee, an additional £3m to cover the shortfall over a two year contract. He’s 30-31 now so two years would be the max.
And a bonus suggestion: Phillip Wollscheid, former Stoke, available on a free. Was on £13k at his last club Metz, so within budget. He’s still only 28, so he and Commper would buy time for Ajer and Vicari to settle in…
That would be c£20m for 6 players who would improve us…wages would be tough though – £120k per week equates to around £6.2m per year, so there goes the £30m in the bank…
Davidopolous @1:54.
Kick and rush football? Got to disagree mate. Great game of football with two teams very direct. Makes a change from watching Celtic’s constant pussyfooting at the back with their ‘ knock you to sleep” slow build ups. BTW , you’re right about Clancy though. He’s booking Hibs players for fun now. No way will they be advancing closer to the Masonic 11.
Tell you what, Steve Clarke as Celtic manager sure would satisfy all those folks who want Celtic to “get the ball up the park”. He may even over deliver in that regard…
The Neil Lennon vendetta continues
BLUEGRASS CELT
No offence but it is that sort of style of play that results in people wondering why Scottish teams have fallen so far behind in Europe. The reason why the St Johnstones of the world stumble against the F.K. Trakais (who? Exactly) of the world
BLUEGRASS CELT on 24TH FEBRUARY 2018 2:10 PM
I agree, havn’t seen one team pass it back to the keeper from the halfway line yet.