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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Punders!!!!???
Aw man. Not heard that for yeeeeears. :)))
If Nir Biton is the answer then you are asking the wrong questions.
gordon_j backing neil lennon
16:43 on 28 November, 2014
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?
——-
His Learjet’s conked out cos he filled it with red diesel!
HH jamesgang
It’s Friday it’s five to five……….it’s ………….
Oops………
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.
That is how far we’ve fallen. Yet many of us clapped the team off the park last night not only because we’re Celtic supporters and that’s what we do but also because we are delighted to be in Europe after Christmas. That fact detracted from last night’s performance and
I ain’t no lawyer, but if I coulden get my client away with every charge in that sheet is, chuck, all the charges seem to be made to cover Murray that he was duped, just to clear his name, pathetic actually.
HT
Wholly agree about the Legia game.
Didn’t think the Hamilton performance was anywhere near our worst.
Overall, we are not much of a team yet. By November I was expecting and hoping to see better. Results have improved but we are not seeing clear and consistent signs of RD’s philosophy appearing in the team.
At the moment, we are, perhaps, becoming a bit harder to beat as a team, but we are not looking like a team that dishes out beatings yet.
HT
You’re right in what you say.
My only caveat is this, ‘that’ Barca night was exceptional. A moment of magic. It’s wrong to use it as a benchmark of what was normality then or now.
Reckon?
HH jamesgang
tonydonnelly67
16:47 on 28 November, 2014
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
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Hi, it is to do with you are not allowed to takeover a company with its own money , that’s why Whitey’s lawyer moved (allegedly) the money from a holding account to Whiteys account to “prove” to the Rangers Board the he Whitey had his own money.
Whitey claims they all knew , SDM claims he was duped.
If Whitey has this taped then it’s back to DM
HH
Wee Craigy Bhoy frantically googling Salman Rushdie’s phone number…
Beeb reporting that Whyte bought the CLUB and it went into administration. But it was the holding company that was liquidated?
Confused…..
Mike in Toronto
1st goal was a wee bit freakish.
2nd. Ugly. Seriously.
HH jamesgang
setting free the bears for Res. 12 & Oscar Knox
16:48 on 28 November, 2014
“Craig Whyte’s lawyer, Paul Kavanagh,….”
A suspiciously Timmy name??
Just how far does the UFH spread?
————————————————————
Kavanagh? Kavanagh QC? This guy?:
http://www.tvsa.co.za/images/uploads/thumbs/0018625.jpeg
A dapper wee moustache to conceal the otherwise obvious Gringo look:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B3iuJCKCUAEYVBx.jpg
tonydonnelly67. Surely you didnt expect anymore it has been a cover up since the start. H.H.
Whyte has a beard and a gringo moustache at court today,clearly trying to disguise himself.True.
HT – how many months is it since Barca hammered us at the Camp Nou? How many months difference between our victory over them and our hammering by them?
Much as I loved Neil Lennon as manager he was not without his flaws – playing a game that suited Italian opponents, made us look good for 60 minutes but ultimately saw us humped twice by them, then making the same mistake against Barca. He also gave us several cup exits at the hands of lower league teams, Utrecht and others. I also remember his first few months in charge up until half time at Kilmarnock thinking he was out of his depth. Despite this he has to rank as a successful manager.
Ronnie’s alright. But we have to be patient. Fortunately he’s had a bit of luck to buy him time. Last 32, treble still on. I’m happy with that
!!Bada Bing!!
16:56 on 28 November, 2014
Whyte has a beard and a gringo moustache at court today,clearly trying to disguise himself.True.
——————————————-
Nah, nah, nah. He’s doing Movember…for a quid…
M1900-back to FF
…..:))
glasstwothirdsfull
16:53 on 28 November, 2014
Beeb reporting that Whyte bought the CLUB and it went into administration.
::::::::::::::::::::
I heard Bbc report that it was ‘forced’ into administration
I’ve had my fill of glorious failures in Europe.
I’ll take a few shitty wins for the next season or two ta.
Blinkin’ flip, twice now it’s posted accidentally!!!
I give up.
Basically, Ronny, I don’t see much improvement. I think you have ideas about football that are commendable but you persist in trying to play formations and tactics without taking into account the abilities of the players at your disposal.
You persist in playing a young player who has offered practically nothing for months (I also think he’s handicapping the boy by playing him on the right).
Our best player is Commons. If he’s fit play him. It’s that simple. Not 30 minutes here and there, but consistently every week. Our football this season has been shite, most of the time, because we have a manager who’s more interested in fitness and diligence than craft, ability and skill.
hamiltontim
16:51 on 28 November, 2014
Oops………
——–
Neil had a very settled approach to the game, steady as she goes , free kicks and corners and make the most of things, against European opposition.
Ronny is attempting a switch of style with largely the same group of players and sometimes it looks as though we are not sure what we are doing, other days it clicks.
Ronny will be given time but I’m guessing it will take 18 months from now to see a consistent step change in style, substance and results.
HH
!!Bada Bing!!
16:57 on
28 November, 2014
M1900-back to FF
…..:))
On my way!
SSN showed the CW clip in silence due to ‘horrific abuse’….
HT,
Are you kris commons? ;p
SFTB
I’ve listened to Ronny, I’ve read what he’s said. I don’t see much improvement and I think we’ve been very lucky in qualifying for Europe.
Too many things he advocates as the way he wants to play aren’t being followed up on the park.
HT- in effect ,a fantasist
HT 16.59
Bang on
TT
Jamesgang
That was my sense of both goals … but, I have to give credit to Salzburg, they seemed to be moving and/or in the right place at the right time for both, while our guys looked like they were standing still.
I have to say I was fairly impressed with some of the football that RBS played last night. some really nice passing and movement … although there was one bit in the first half, where their guy (cant remember who is was, and I think he was taking on AM) did a McGeady on him! Nearly choked…. that’s not fair, you cant use our own move against us!
Craigy bhoy says he is delighted to be back in Glasgow and is looking forward to watching the game on Sunday.He thinks his appearance will help to boost the crowd.
joe filippis haircut
Awe aye, I knew that, but Ffs it’s just blatent, it’s nothing to do with the club/ company it’s all about Sir.
These charges against Whyte and the others are a joke.
Theyve surely got to get Murray into the dock to face the music.
Its as plain as day that everything goes back to him .
This stinks of an establishment(masonic) smokescreen to protect him.
Hopefully as the story unfurls in court his involvement will become so obvious that they will be left with no option but to pull him in.
HT
I think every manager that has tried to play either a pressing game or a pasing-out-from-the-back game Like Kenny Sheils and John Hughes at Killie and Falkirk has taxed the abilities of the players involved. They are being challenged to be braver, cooler and more confident in their team mates.
Barca’s style, Wenger’s style and even RBS and Leverkusen’s style did not happen overnight. There were many tears and disappointing performances along the way.
It is difficult to tell whether there is progress at all or whether the players are on the point of giving up on ever being able to do it. It took Alex Ferguson several seasons and a few re-builds before any Man U fan felt they had not promoted a Scottish diddy beyond his ability level.
Of course, Ronny might be a Norwegian diddy but I think it is unlikely that he speaks so much sense by accident. He may, however, be dealing with a group of players who have not wholly bought into him as yet. Sacking the manager does not resolve that, if that, indeed. is the issue.
Just in from visiting at the Victoria, where the Father In Law continues to astound the nursing staff and the doctors.
If he continues the rapid improvement he’ll be up front against Hearts on Sunday.
Amazing turnaround.
Thanks again to all of you.
mike in toronto
17:07 on 28 November, 2014JamesgangThat was my sense of both goals … but, I have to give credit to Salzburg, they seemed to be moving and/or in the right place at the right time for both, while our guys looked like they were standing still.
Also known as coaching……HH
Hamiltontime
always enjoy your posts, but have to disagree…. I like KC …. but (i) he aint getting any younger, and (ii) he is a bit of a flat track bully (american term, I think, for guys who do it at lower level, but cant replicate form at higher level) … and dont think KC’s skill is good enough for Europe.
Increasingly, I’m not sure RD is the guy to lead us into tomorrow (I also would have expected more improvement by now), but not sure that looking backwards (and KC is looking backwards – his fitness and skill is not comparable to what we see in other countries) is the way to take us forward.
Craig’s new look is interesting – like some sort of demented Ronan Keating.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-30242028