Neil Lennon accepted responsibility for the tactical decision to start yesterday’s game with three at the back, saying, “We thought the three would suit us, but that didn’t seem to be the case. We looked a little bit flat the first 10-15 minutes and I don’t know why.”
Hibernian scored during this period, which may or may not have been a result of the defensive line-up, but if anything, Celtic were even flatter after they went to four at the back. The game was a throwback to the days when Gordon Strachan’s teams worked hard but seldom inspired.
The midfield didn’t dominate enough of the ball to prevent Hibs creating several good chances and was unable to craft a clear-enough opening. With Charlie Mulgrew on the field we are always dangerous, and Kris Commons has a better sense of where the goal is than anyone at the club, but without them we grasp to Paddy McCourt, who only seems to get the call when we’re in trouble.
So where do we need to strengthen next month……………?
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Re Watt ..read my post properly
I wouldn’t have to include …give them credit …if he was a product of the youth system
However , he has vastly improved since his signing from Airdrie …thanks to the input of the youth academy
Philbhoy – It’s just the beginning!
I could agree with a lot of your comments on giving youth with potential a chance, particularly in the current climate.
I’m positive we would disagree on some of the players to be given a rest.
Even if you attends games or not – still entitled to an opinion
And to respond to a previuos comment 107 CC seat 1, and had it since we returned to the redevolped Celtic Park – 2 rows behind CRC
If people are entitled to their opinions (a view I don`t happen to share as it is meaningless) then mine is that there are a hell of a lot of folk on here who are either ignorant or arrogant.
I am referring to those whose posts are penned in such a way that the authors really do seem to believe that they know much more about the game than do the professionals who manage our Club.
JJ
While I’m on CQN
Can I thank Paul For his most excellent Celtic website, and the magazine, and the Cqn annual.
May I also wish every CQN’er a happy new year when it comes.
God bless
V
sftb
No I don’t!
The academy produces next to noithing.
Full stop.
Aiden and who else?
Forrest?
Your joking!
Watt?
Disney or canny get a start? Why not?
Mcgeough who starred against REAL MADRID?
Hardly seen him since.
Twardzic?
Who?
We are producing very, very little that turns into first team quality.
Or maybe the manager is not prepared to take a chance on the occasional youngster.
Maybe we should be asking him why our “quality youngsters” are not being given a chance.
FFS if you can’t get a game before Paddy mcCourt you should be looking to progress your career somewhere else.
Shouldn’t you?
philbhoy – it’s just the beginning!
20:25 on
30 December, 2012
Cowiebhoy goes on the same supporters bus I do.
His point, misguided as it is, is a fair assessment of a player.
It also opened a healthy discussion on here about football matters.
Why doubt a posters opinion just because it differs from yours.
Doc, missed that on big screen, but was in the posh box.
The team yesterday did not lack experience, in my opinion, and yes can accept the odd off day, these are becoming to often, and not where we should be at this time of season
Hope you have something else special then for Daughter, and have a Special new Year
Will Snoop dog get his creative midfield pal David Beckham to the hoops?
Last line should have been, why doubt a posters Celtic credentials when his opinion differs from yours.
Posh Spice walking around the Barras looking for bargains……?
Philbhoy re 87th minute subs
It is quite simple if you can place yourself in a responsible manager’s shoes.
Most teams will make their 3rd and final sub in the last 10 minutes because they do not want to risk going down to 10 men if a player becomes injured in the final quarter of a game. Many do it to slow play down if they are leading and, if they are behind, it is often to replace a player who is spent or to put a more attacking player on for a defender.
Whether it is done on 80 minutes or 85 or 87 is largely a judgement call and hardly worth dissecting. It is not a large strategic thought and not the reason for our loss. Neil would have got just as many pelters for failing to use the 3rd sub or for playing him earlier if an injury had reduced us to 10 after Dylan’s appearance.
We can only play 11 to 14 players in each game. The players selected will rarely be the same as you or I would have picked. The 14 I’d have used would not be the same as those selected by yourself and, on the rare occasion we agreed on selection, we’d find 50,000 other tims diverting from our views.
If you or I were good enough at this managerial selection game we’d be out there doing it and having someone pay us good money to do it.
Philbhoy – It’s just the beginning!
20:37 on 30 December, 2012
Wind up youth academy? We need to produce our own to compete in Europe. UEFA rules state that at least 8 of your 25 man squad for CL/EL need to have been developed in this country, at least 4 of that 8 need to have come through our own academy.
Pf Ayr
I think the actions of the banks just towards small businesses will make the PPI misselling look like small beer in comparison .. Young new inexperienced ” relationship ” managers trying to look like billy big baws .. And failing miserably hh
Cowiebhoy,
The esteemed TW saw it, as did a fair few from school and her football team, she was chuffed.
Away for a pie and bovril at half time;-)
Yesterday’s team was good enough to win, without doubt experienced enough, but the current climate has changed how teams approach games v us.
We have dropped more points at this point in the season than we have for a very long time, why? If I knew the answer to that…….
I still have absolute faith in the direction the club is going, if you assess the season so far, not too bad, we could be further ahead in the league, other than that, can’t grumble.
Sftb
When you are 1-0 down to a poor SPL team we should be making substitutions that will give us a chance of changing the result in our favour.
3 minutes to go does not really do that, imo.
Make up your own minds from this list compiled from Wiki does the youth system really produce long term prospects for the first team squad
Celtic Under 20 Squad
No. Position Player
GK Leonardo Fasan
GK Jordan Hart
DF Michael Miller
DF Mark Barrowman
DF Calum Waters
DF Glenn Eadie
DF Paddy McNally
DF Eoghan O’Connell
DF Fiacre Kelleher
No. Position Player
MF Liam Henderson
65 MF Lewis Kidd
MF Jamie Lindsay
MF Timothy Mjallby
MF Luke Donnelly
MF Connor McManus
FW Jack Kirwan
FW Denny Johnstone
FW Paul McMullan
Celtic Development Squad
No. Position Player
31 MF John Herron
35 GK Robbie Thomson
36 MF Jackson Irvine
37 FW Bahrudin Atajić
41 FW Darnell Fisher
42 MF Callum McGregor
43 DF Joe Chalmers
No. Position Player
44 DF Marcus Fraser
46 MF Dylan McGeouch
50 MF Paul George
51 DF Stuart Findley
53 MF Patrik Twardzik
56 MF Filip Twardzik
GK Glenn Daniels
Former Youth Squad Players
Brian T.O’Connell
Marc Anthony
Gary Arbuckle
Craig Beattie
Teddy Bjarnason
Mark Burchill
Paul Caddis
Graham Carey
Marc Cocozza
Ryan Conroy
Stephen Crainey
Scott Cuthbert
Simon Donnelly
Michael Doyle
Kjartan Finnbogason
Mark Fotheringham
Michael Gardyne
Jim Goodwin
Ross Harris
Chris Hay
Colin Healy
Gary Holt
Gary Irvine
John Kennedy
Paul Lawson
Simon Lynch
John Paul McBride
Kevin McBride
Ryan McCann
Brian McColligan
Aiden McGeady
Michael McGlinchey
Jon-Paul McGovern
Michael McGovern
Paul McGowan
Brian McLaughlin
Stephen McManus
Anthony McParland
Jamie McQuilken
Shaun Maloney
David Marshall
Liam Miller
Allan Morrison
Charlie Mulgrew
Jim O’Brien
Diarmuid O’Carroll
Darren O’Dea
Tomislav Pavlov
John Potter
Bryan Prunty
Rocco Quinn
Craig Reid
Cillian Sheridan
Barry Smith
Jamie Smith
Andrew Traub
Ross Wallace
David van Zanten
[edit]
Kayal
uefa rules?
aye right.. ask city,utd etc..
Doc/cowiebhoy
I agree, everyone’s opinion is entitled to be aired on a football blog.
However I believe I am entitled to ask anyone on here if they are Celtic supporters.
After all, we do get huns posting on here in various guises.
We should always be alert to that, I feel.
So i do.
In time I believe Efe will be an outstanding midfielder.
The guy oozes class, yes he is still a bit green, but will mature.
His ability to wrong-foot opponents is amazing IMO.
Wont mention that miss though…D’oh!
can I another Irish manager to lenny’s defeat list..
least this time he is from South although he did play for Linfield… o))
Mickybhoy1888 @ 17.59
Wish I’d read your post before going out. Deid oot here!.
Ok guys, no boundaries tonight.
Well………negotiable!
mickybhoy
I rest my case!
Everyone would love a real Number 10 but such a player would be aware find
Footballing artists are unlikely to want to play in a league that still allows challenges that anywhere else would result in yellow or red cards
To be consistently successful in Scotland we need two types of player not currently on the books
1. A CB capable of physically dominating the opposition
2. A CF capable of playing with his back to goal
If and when we lose big Victor these deficiencies will be shown up big time
HH
Subs should have been on much earlier IMO,Watt for Lassad at half time for me.
Philbhoy, fair enough mate.
HWatt for Lassad at ther bl*ddy start!
Doc – I do agree on space and particularly in Europe.
In games like yesterday, a creative player, should be doing just that, and creating own space.
All games and points dropped this season, the opposition has adopted the exact same tactics, stiffle us by sitting behind ball (as we done to the world finest), we need to learn how to create around this – with Sammi offering more (misguided – Ha Ha)
Phillbhoy on tactics – I would like to know why when the opposition have a corner, we pull our 10 outfield players back into the 18 yard box ? remember Iavn Golic – 2 players on touchline of halfway line, meaning opposotion had 4 of their own players in their half, with 1 taking the corner resulting in 6 opposition against 9, worked for me
Doc…..
I love you pal!
No harm or offence meant!
Take care.
Pfayr
I haven’t seen that much from Tony Watt this season that convinces me that he will be a future Celtic great but that’s only my opinion
Dylan McGeouch on the other hand would have been in my starting line up yesterday at the expense of lassad with Samaras moving in beside Hooper but it is really all about opinions
blantyretim
21:28 on 30 December, 2012
utd – giggs, scholes, fletcher, evans, welbeck all through their own youth set up, smalling, jones, young, rooney, carrick, ferdinand all through youth football in england
city – can only think of hart & richards through own youth set up (must add a couple of youngsters to make up numbers) but they have milner, barry, rodwell, lescott, sinclair as homegrown through english set up
phil
which year/malt is it this evening? 0))
cowiebhoy
I wish you had mentioned that to me 10 years ago.
Memory aint what it used to be!
Cowiebhoy
21:37 on
30 December, 2012
“I would like to know why when the opposition have a corner, we pull our 10 outfield players back into the 18 yard box ?”
Been asking that all season!
kayal
I’m thinking more of money fair play when it comes to uefa rules…
Good tv programme on hence the reason for a quiet night on Cqn
Love
V
Cowiebhoy, misguided was a bit cheeky, but the point was right;-)
Sammy is going to do it in some games, he will always be a threat, a frustrating one albeit.
We need a time machine to bring in Lubo at 26 years old, you know what I mean, the American Agudelo is very highly thought of I hear.
philbhoy at 21.17
I could not disagree more.
James Forrest is a 21 year old with over 60 first team starts, has scored 13 goals, 7 Senior caps and is rated at £10m. All very well that you do not fancy him but you would be harming our club, by depriving us of a good player or a big transfer fee, if you punted him.
Tony Watt, who turned 19 yesterday has scored 7 in 17 appearances including a goal against Barca. Yet he must be a failure because he does not always get a start?? We had barely heard of him a year ago but he’s already past it at Celtic??
Dylan McGeouch, also 19, did indeed star against Real Madrid, just 5 months back. That is a tremendous achievement and it is testimony to the quality of our senior pros that they have been able to keep Dylan and Tony out of the team despite their great promise. They will soon replace those senior pros.
Filip Twardzik, also 19, has had bad luck with injury and is a slight figure. I won’t gamble everything on Filip definitely making it at Celtic, but, if it is not him it will be Paul George or Lewis Kidd or Jackson Irvine.
Very few senior successful teams are stowed out with 19 year olds making regular appearances. I believe you are old enough to have seen Jimmy Johnstone break through to the first team. There were many games where the Celtic judgementalists said that wee red haired boy will never make a Celtic player. Bobby Lennox told me himself that an elderly fan told him he’ll never make it at Celtic. He remembers that assessment to this day.
Fans get it wrong more often than we get it right. That’s why the money men tend to leave selection to the hardened pros rather than just polling the fans and playing the top 11 names picked, 8 of whom would be forwards and none of them would be a goalkeeper.
COWIEBHOY
Re corners.
I’ve long advocated two up front,one out wide for the clearance and another nearside halfway forward.
We defend with seven against four,and are primed for the counter-attack.
Mind,it takes balls to do it,and Mourinho is one of the only ones I’ve seen to do so.