There was an unusual reaction at full time last night. Some attempted to boo, but the applause from the majority in the crowd soon drowned them out. Not all defeats are the same, this one came after one of our best performances of the season, against an undoubtedly better team.
It was important to qualify for the knockout stages of the Europa League. Bereft of domestic competition, Celtic need to test their abilities against top teams, they need to be stretched, forced to defend for long periods, parts of the game which simply never happen in Scotland.
It’s also important to see tangible signs of improvement. Those four weeks of summer, which saw defeats twice to Legia, to Maribor and Inverness, were signs of a team in crisis. They cost us Champions League football, and revenue, but finishing our Europa League group in second place behind Salzburg is the top end of where we expected to be three months ago.
I’m not happy with this morning’s line that we qualified thanks to the result in Romania; we qualified because we collected eight points from our opening four games, including a highly respectable draw in Salzburg. Win, lose or draw last night, the qualification work had been done. We can now start planning for the second half of the season.
Those three months since the summer crisis passed with only one defeat, an ultimately costless, if embarrassing, reversal at home to Hamilton. We can afford a similar episode on the next three months, but not this Sunday. The visit to Tynecastle is our most important game in the next two months, considerably more so than last night’s.
Commons and Forrest return to full fitness will be closer, while it would be good to see Denayer and Lustig available again.
It was kind of Rangers International to publish their accounts as a pick-me-up for us when we got home last night. More tomorrow, if we have time.
Shocked and stunned at the news Roy Keane has chucked it at Aston Villa. No way did I ever see his appointment as assistant to Paul Lambert looking like a pointless distraction so quickly. Next time we appoint a manager, cut the lines to Barbados and keep Martin’s mobile engaged!
Pre-orders are being accepted for the 2015 CQN Annual, which will be posted week commencing 8 December. Get your orders in now…
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TTT
XXX
How are things young yin?
From my vantage point last night, we lost to a team who were faster, quicker , better touch on the ball. Not a big physical bunch of lads but to me sharp and clever.
We need to change as we are not able to attract the quality of player we once had , mainly due to the hike in wages around Europe and down south.
Looking at the team , we were hopeless upfront , no one at the club is good enough at that level and Stefan apart our midfield is a yard slow and at least 2 touches too many on the ball.
At least , we saw effort and team spirit , as we could have got a hiding if the heads dropped. Disappointing , that KC appeared utterly bereft of thought and touch , he looks as though he knows his days are numbered here ….
In the bigger picture , from what I have seen at games over the last few years , the European , crafty continentals are moving away from us (quickly) in terms of touch, fitness and in general the Scottish game is decades behind the times.
We need to change to compete longer term, only 2 from the youths ( if you count Chas) played last night , the change will be uncomfortably longer than expected IMO.
HH
hun skelper
16:12 on
28 November, 2014
saint stivs
16:01 on 28 November, 2014
Aye your right this season has been a disaster, one we will never recover from.
Top of the league
Last 32 of Europa
Semi final league cup
Where did it all go wrong ????????
———————
in the crapness of the football ?
big deal on all the above,
when we go out of any of the cups, to one of thelower league sides, dont come running to me.
“fast offensive pressing football he said.
then he watches us interchage 3 players to take a shy.
its crap.”
St stivs,
I know. He said he wants us to play well and big virgil goes and makes a booboo.
Just whit is he like???!!??
When you think of how back in the day,…I know I know ;)…..the amount of players who came through the old reserves system to play in the first team ,to the present day Lenoxtown set up, you kind of have to sit back an say hmmmmm Barrowfield? Just a thought.
Why any outfield professional footballer is unable to take a decent corner is astounding, even some in the WC were gash.
Davidopoulos ….
D’oh! (in my best homer simpson voice) …. just read back … yes, I can see that it was discussed… read this quietly, so maybe nobody will notice I just stepped in it, okay?
Turkeybhoy at 14:46 …
why does RD get it in the neck if players cant/wont pass and move? because it is his job to get them to do that …. and if he wants them to (which, I gather he does), and they dont do what he wants, then he has to make them do it, or replace them with people who can/will…
once again, this managing a football team thing is a lark ….
i am free as a specialist corner kicker taker,
its not the hardest thing to do,
Barcabhoy
15:43 on
28 November, 2014
neil canamalar lennon hunskelper extrordinaire
15:14 on 28 November, 2014
Barca…,
Would you consider the scattergun approach to finding the next big sellable asset as the biggest factor in our downward expectation management strategy ?
——————————————-
Celtic’s results in player recruitment over the last 4 years have been very good. It’s nonsensical to make a judgement on one window , whilst ignoring previous windows..
The club are adapting to the circumstances we find ourselves in, through no fault of our own. They have also taken the , in my view, sensible approach to long term sustainability by recruiting a manager who is a believer in maximising all aspects of player development and potential.
That change will take a period to achieve, and there will be speed bumps along the way. We need to get away from being held hostage by average players who’s sense of entitlement outweighs their onfield contribution.
Almost every club has finding sellable assets as part of their strategy. Players won’t stay at Everton if Man City come calling, they won’t stay at Spurs if Real Madrid are intereted and they won’t stay at Valencia when Barca put in an offer.
Should Everton, Spurs and Valencia just give up trying to find new players who will be much more valuable in future ? Are they guilty of lack of ambition because they sell at a profit to wealthier clubs. Or are they just realistic ?
Lack of realism and an unchecked sense of entitlement and ego was the start of Murray’s downfall at Rangers. He preached totally unrealistic goals and when it became obvious they couldnt be achieved within the rules, he set about breaking them , cheating and tax evading……..and still failed miserably.
I’ll stick to being realistic about whats achievable.
================
Are you trying to manage my expectations? :)
“Unfortunately anyone taking a corner at Celtic Park ( especially out swingers) only has two feet of grass to work with
If he steps back any further than a few feet there is a 3inch drop to the ash track
Don’t trip on the cables, or the ball boy or stewards sitting on stools , or the hand held camera man .
I’m amazed he gets any on target”
The onlooker,
Wouldn’t harm to replicate conditions but our opponents never seem to have much trouble.
Zagreb (I think) had bluddy marvellous delivery.
Former Rangers owner Craig Whyte released on bail
mike in toronto
16:25 on 28 November, 2014
Davidopoulos ….
D’oh! (in my best homer simpson voice) …. just read back … yes, I can see that it was discussed… read this quietly, so maybe nobody will notice I just stepped in it, okay?
Turkeybhoy at 14:46 …
why does RD get it in the neck if players cant/wont pass and move? because it is his job to get them to do that …. and if he wants them to (which, I gather he does), and they dont do what he wants, then he has to make them do it, or replace them with people who can/will…
once again, this managing a football team thing is a lark ….
———————————————————————-
No, no, that was great. Those of us who thought that the corners were crap were assured that they were in fact belters :)
Saint Stivs – Correct. When you remove all of the emotion, Celtic are no closer to playing fast flowing and pressing football now than we were at the end of last season. Many of us would say we have regressed rather than progressed.
RD and JC were hailed as fitness fanatics who would ensure our players were capable of playing the game at a higher intensity than before and that the players, by shedding the kilos, would be lighter and faster.
So why is there so little evidence of any of this? On the fitness front, 4 months is ample time to really boost performance levels if they are somehow lacking to begin with. An elite athlete in the off season can get back to full fitness in that period of time e.g. a cyclist doing base training in January can be at his absolute peak for the Giro in May. On the dietary front, any athlete that is 4-5 kilos overweight would be expected to drop, on average, 2 kilos per month to reach ideal weight. So, again, by now al of the players should be lean and mean if they are seriously being measured in this respect.
Of all the variables involved in playing the game, diet and fitness are two that the coaching staff have most control over. The one that they can supervise every day and punish those that don’t follow the rules. Put on weight? Dropped. Not doing the gym sessions? Dropped.Not hitting the sprint numbers due to lack of effort? Dropped.
I know it is a cliché, but Scottish footballers just don’t train long or hard enough compared to our European counterparts, who regularly train twice (and sometimes thrice) a day.
I would love to know age range of posters comments to see if it is based on an era
Just inquisitive – not looking for debate as such
Davidopoulos
Dont you think I can get in enough trouble on here without your help?!
mike in toronto
Hehe, sorry dude. I’ll go sit in the corner and think about what I’ve done. No! Not corners!
a ceiler gonof rust
15:37 on 28 November, 2014
Craig Whyte when asked to state his name in court earlier.
“My name is Craigimus Timothy Whtyeius, commander of the wee Runkers of the South, General of the Poppy thieving Legions, disloyal servant to the true emperoress, Queenus Elizibus”
——
Lol-ed on a train at that one.
Kebab! The red chilli sauce stained fingers that serve as a reminder of a Bhoy on the lash!
As I’m about the only person in the world who loves a kebab while sober, I salute you Sir!!!
HH jamesgang
adi_dasler
I would love to know age range of posters comments to see if it is based on an era
Just inquisitive – not looking for debate as such
——————————————————–
Harvesting personal data? ;)
But to your point, I think perspective varies greatly between the generations represented in our support (in my experience, of course).
SOAL
:-)
Im doing ok thanks auld yin, hows you?
How was the gig last night?
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
adi-dasler,
i have no probs with telling you im 44.
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
Jeeze…
Saying this quietly…
some of Jinky’s corners were awful!
HH
I’m taking it all the negativity mob who’ve not been around for a few weeks will all be gone again when we go on another winning streak, .
Lurking Huns GIRFUYs
Davidopoulos…
That’s right… you go to the corner. I’d have Stokes come over and give you a kick, but not sure he’d hit you either!
hail hail
wee craigs rap sheet
http://www.clyde1.com/localnews/craig-whyte-in-court-over-rangers-purchase/
hh
Jamesgang, Mrs Acgr wisnae saluting much when I got back from Glasgow this morning:-)
Anyway, she’s now heading on the train to Glasgow with her pals for the weekend. Yeeehaaaaa!!
I’m looking forward to a whole weekend of slobbing aboot in ma punders watching the footie and dramming. And that my friend, starts right now:_)
HH
Mike in Toronto
Creased myself at your innocent stroll across the minefield of Stokesie and corners!
What about his role in the most important one of all? Their 2nd bliddy goal!
Discuss.
PS Efe too on that one.
HH jamesgang
TT
Eh … Thanks but not aimed at anyone I just think the CFC journey in my time spans across different eras ( eh nae probl -im 54))
HH
Everyone! Stop what you are doing…
New Star Wars trailer:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/star-wars/11258854/Star-Wars-The-Force-Awakens-trailer-as-it-happens.html
Apolgies to those with excitement induced incontinence and those who think Star Wars is pants…incontinence pants…
I see that the former owner of the former company that owned the former football club that formerly played at Ibrox got bail.
Not a flight risk then?
TTT
I think it was the reference to your younger self wanting to punch me, that gave me the idea that you might be in disagreement with me.
Probably only me that noticed last night but stokes shooting from the corner was poor at best. He only hit the crossbar once out of a load of efforts. He should give up shooting from the corner flag and put in a cross instead.
jamesgang …
how ya’ doing?
still cleaning the stuff of my shoes!
I will confess, I was in court yesterday, so didn’t see the game live … and had it on later when I was cooking dinner …. at the time, I questioned how the big hole opened up right down the middle, but I would have to go back and look at it again to give a fair/proper answer…
Canalmar,
Signing players is an art not a science. Kissing a few frogs is unavoidable , even when you have much greater resources than we do.
I’ve seen a few failures at the Nou Camp who were purchased for significant amounts.
Gordon_J backing Neil Lennon
Not a flight risk then?
————————————————-
Jeez, we know he is a bit of a spiv, but doubting his ability as a pilot? Not on.
Hahahahahah, seriously, this is a charge?
These included claims he funded a controlling share in Rangers by selling off season tickets – after pretending to then chairman Sir David Murray he had cash of his own.
ACGR
Sláinte big stuff.
That’ll kill aff the kebab germs!!!
HH jamesgang
By and large our performances have been pretty pish this season.
Legia at Murrayfield was as poor a home European performance as I can remember and Hamilton at Parkhead ranks alongside our poorest domestic displays at home for years.
We can dress this up as much as we want but the performances speak for themselves. Currently we are a poor side, certainly much poorer than we’ve been since Tony Mowbray.
Most of the team from last night were players available to Lenny last season. So what’s happened? How can a side which performed to a far higher standard last season suddenly become so poor?
Let’s be real here. Strasbourg are neat, hardworking and comfortable on the ball but they’re no Barca, Real Madrid or dare I say it Chelsea.
Yet for 20 minutes last night they battered us, really made us look lost, disjointed, ponderous and very, very poor.
It’s incredible to think it’s only 2 years since we beat Barcelona at Parkhead. A side who at the time were widely being hailed as one of the best domestic sides ever.
“Craig Whyte’s lawyer, Paul Kavanagh,….”
A suspiciously Timmy name??
Just how far does the UFH spread?