This time last year the league was in the bag, as it is today, but we had Champions League football to look forward to in the coming days, and would ultimately go on to win the Scottish Cup. The Champions League is always going to be a hard place to measure progress for a club seeded in pot 4, last season it was hard enough to Benfica, a pot 2 team who were eliminated by Celtic but still progressed to the Europa League final.
Domestic cup performances for Celtic is a more accessible measuring tool. After home defeats to Morton (good grief) and now Aberdeen we may well ask, what went wrong?
It was evident from early in the second half that whatever match plan we had was not effective, and despite the introduction of fresh faces, the performance didn’t improve. Aberdeen defended outside their box very effectively, making it difficult for Celtic to play the kind of passes which Samaras released Stokes with to score early in the game. Forrest found red shirts blocking his path whenever he got going. Commons had a day when nothing sparked. Possession was cheaply conceded throughout as Celtic continued to ask the same question of the Aberdeen defence.
While we are playing in in impoverished Scottish football Aberdeen represent the strongest possible opponents. They are second in the league and were the last team to score against us on merit. Yesterday wasn’t a fluke result, it was deserved and marked the progress of Derek McInnes’ team.
So where does this leave us? Celtic remain imperious in the Premiership, the fact that they’ve not tasted defeat against a weaker team there, or conceded in 11 games, is historically impressive, but against the best of the rest, there are question marks, as there will be for Champions League qualifiers.
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Having ran a business of my own for 25 years I have some sympathy with the Celtic board. When the extent of Rangers’ cheating came to light they were torn between their commercial interests in wanting the OF games back ASAP for the glorious balance sheet and doing the right thing for their fans.
If they leaned towards the former they risked alienating some fans who would walk away from a corrupt game.
If the favoured the latter and demanded justice and the cheats to be punished they risked being seen as vindictive and inciting sectarianism.
The board chose the former course and just for good measure decided to further alienate their own fans by purging Celtic Park of the GB and, well, just about anything green. Madness.
I am no anti-board angry young man, but the actions of our board defy logical defence.
They have become our biggest problem not the Green Brigade, which I accept can be problematical, but they are of us, the board aint.
arranmorebhoylxv11
I Think honestly some folks stay away cos the stench of corruption in scots footi is too much AND of course financially it’s an expensive , time consuming commitment..
————————————————–
I was a season ticket holder for 10 years, a regular attendee for many years before that, going back to the 80’s through the turgid times of the 90’s. 12 years ago I think my season ticket cost £330, and we were graced with some great players then including Henrik. But I gave my ticket up after the Tony Mowbray season as I hadn’t been enjoying the football for about 2 years. At that point my ticket cost £430 plus cup games and European games not to mention the match day costs. All in all I think I was spending about £700 to £800 per season give or take. It might not seem like a lot if money to some but at that time I wasn’t earning much. Now my financial situation has changed but also my family situation has changed. One child and one on the way. The pricing for league games for someone like myself is too high. £26 for an spfl game is rediculous. Especially when the too tier is being closed and other clubs can’t fill their grounds.
I would like to eventually get another season ticket but what price will it be for myself and 2 children in about 6 or 7 years?
Good afternoon everybody.
It is difficult to disagree with Kev J, Big Nan and others who feel that Celtic blundered by attending that summit. Having been at that game against Rangers, I didn’t feel that Celtic supporters or players did anything wrong. I can only guess that Celtic felt that they had to be a part of that meeting as otherwise the media would have destroyed us for not wishing to end bigotry.
MWD
Tell the truth
You are not allowed to go to the fitba anymore
Underthethump csc
LOVE
SOAL
Too right and just the way it should be! ;-)))
MWD
John O’Neil
10:16 on 10 February, 2014
Good afternoon everybody.
It is difficult to disagree with Kev J, Big Nan and others who feel that Celtic blundered by attending that summit. Having been at that game against Rangers, I didn’t feel that Celtic supporters or players did anything wrong. I can only guess that Celtic felt that they had to be a part of that meeting as otherwise the media would have destroyed us for not wishing to end bigotry.
…………………………………..
But surely we expect more nous from our directors. To do what the DR or the Glasgow Police wants us to do is hardly in our interests is it.
As another poster has noted it would have been an ideal opportunity to say NO and explain just why we were not prepared to keep on with the embarrassing role of being the other side of the Old Firm one’s as bad as the other coin.
Tin hat on with this one but here goes.
Apathy setting in so action has to be taken. I’ve read and listened to all sorts this weekend.
So my way of getting the crowds back, and the thunder is this.
End of season I think NL will walk for reasons be covered.
1. Get Roy Keane in with two good and proven coaches. He’d handle the press in the manner they deserve. Ok he’d attract controversy, but any Celtic manager does anyway, no matter how they behave. We need someone who can put these people in their place, like MON and WGS to a lesser extent did.
2. Give him the money to buy two blue chip players, striker and midfielder. Push the boat out for a change.
3. Bring back the GB to a standing area.
Send out the proper message. Watch the season books sell.
My opinion only. I await the backlash.
Mwd.
Hope you enjoy the games you choose to go to next season and hopefully there will be enough seats in the bottom tier for those games.
Hh
Marrakech express.
Have you followed Roy keanes managerial career so far?
Moonbeams 0953,
How would Brother Walfrid feel about JF’s admiration for Soviet lunatics who hated priests and believers?
As someone who has some respect for the Celtic Trust and the GB, it would be interesting to know if they have ever discussed some of their radical/offensive(you choose) aspects with the wider Celtic support – some of whom may not like such aspects. Has there ever been such a discussion between different branches of the support? Have JF and friends ever asked people outside of their group why they don’t want certain political movements inside our football ground?
Unfortunately those who are in some way critical of the CT or GB are usually denounced in unflattering terms. Can we have an open discussion about this? We often hear about Celtic PLC’s lack of dialogue but have JF and others listened with respect to those who don’t agree with some of their antics? Perhaps they have. Can other posters tell me if they have entered such dialogue?
Just passing through on my way back home…..
I’d like to be specific with what I tried to convey, earlier this morn.
Ye see, the theory that I have arrived at is that, there is one body
and, one body alone…who could squash the corruption which, allows
the cheating of mainly and, historically the Celtic football club ie: US!!!
That one body is – The Celtic ‘bored’ – if it actually was a – Sellic Board.
But, it isny.
If, the Sellic board was made up of Sellic supporters and, not a collection
of sharp suited men who will tell you they’re Sellic supporters – just before
they take awe yer money aff ye.
To cut a long story short….
A Sellic board would have – stuffed the summit – demanded that Dallas be sacked, instead of him being allowed to sneak away and, secret himself at UEFA – for revenge – this was done right under the ‘boreds’ nose. Was it Dallas that didny like the banners ?
Would a Sellic board have, sat back and, allowed LNS to be ‘duped’ by Sandy Bryson when, the evidence to the contrary was already ‘out-there’ – on here especially ?
Would the huns have been allowed a licence for ‘any’ league if there was a Sellic board ?
Would Neil Lennon have been left to fight the corrupt referee’s on his own if, there was a Sellic board ?
Would Neil Lennon have been allowed to appoint his own Thommo replacement for the dug-oot if there was a Sellic board ?
Would PC / MIB Eddie Smith have been allowed to walk away with his ‘accusations’ unchallenged if there was a Sellic board ?
Would Nevin and McLean have gotten away with their rubbishing of the Celtic fans reputation during the SCF v’s Motherwell if, there was a Sellic board ?
So, on conclusion….the key is – get rid of the ‘bored’ and mke it
a board. A Sellic board.
Until ‘that’ happens….apathy n corruption will rule. imho
Btw – thanks for all the fanfare earlier – much appreciated :)
Better get Off oot while the goings ghood – CSC
Hail Hail Tims – Off oot.
Hendrix67
A parent + child deal is pretty good value.
Ignoring the current £100 discount as this won’t be maintained long term, the Parent portion costs £370, while the Child portion is determined by the age of the kid, starting at £50 for under 12s, rising to £120 for under 16s.
Big Nan. Celtic directors didn’t have that nous. We fell into the usual Old Firm trap. One party was to blame that night. They were wearing blue and white. The onfield thuggery was a mirror of the violence off the pitch.
Thanks to everyone for their considered responses. Appreciated.
If I can just pick out one.
MWD
You were one of the first CQN’ers I met. If I recall, I sponsored you on a charity cycle, then we met at the Kano fundraiser, and then a few times after that.
At a few of those get togethers, PF Ayr was there. At the risk of upsetting one or both of you, you were two of a kind in my eyes. Passionate Celtic men, good in your heart, charitable souls and a very fair representation of good Celtic supporters who attended most matches.
It’s concerning that you should both find yourselves in the same boat again. Only this time you are both good Celtic bhoys who have decided to go to fewer games.
That’s £1000 lost to Celtic next season, plus spend inside the stadium.
In an environment where every penny is a prisoner, Celtic should want to get to the bottom of this.
Instead of simply sending a season book renewal next year, they should send a questionnaire to all season ticket holders and ask, if they are not renewing, why not?
In business, I remain in constant contact with key customers, whether it be by flying out to see them, calling them, or a simple e-mail to assess their well being. I can’t afford to lose tens of thousands of pounds on lost sales.
Neither, I would suggest, can Celtic.
Kev J,
Sydney Tim, Neganon and you get a lot of hassle on this site but some of your points are fair. I still disagree with most of them though! Have a good day.
Marrakesh Express
10:25 on
10 February, 2014
For what it’s worth, I am not convinced Roy Keane would be my choice of manager to replace Neil Lennon, however, with regard to your points 2 and 3, I am in full agreement.
As for a tin hat, I hope anyone who disagrees with you , attacks your points with counter arguments, not simply attack you, as the poster.
There is far too much of that on CQN nowadays. Posters being attacked personally, rather than their viewpoint being the subject of debate.
It’s getting like FF on here. (ok, an exaggeration:-)
Big Nan
10:08 on
10 February, 2014
Won’t argue on any of post.
As a former businessman you are well aware that any board’s first responsibilty is to their shareholders. The problem at Celtic Park is that the priorities of the majority of shareholders differ from those of the holders of the majority of shares.
Apart from your mention of Brian Wilson, I despair of a Celtic Board that has in its ranks a signatory to a letter public supporting Tory attacks on the country’s poorest.
Also at the present time, apart from an absentee landlord, we have a low profile figurehead leader who would not be recognised by the average Celtic Fan.
In the past I have made it abundantly clear that I was no fan of Johtn Reid, but for good or bad we knew who he was.
On the shame game. Although NL once promised to tell us exactly what MCoist said, hev never has.
Being charitable, he was possibly muzzled by DD and PL.
One point of contention with Kev’s latest,
Why should the board have demanded Dallas’ resignation? The matter had technically nothing to do with Celtic. Kev, I assume that you are referencing Dallas’ email but if I am mistaken then apologies.
Brighten up your Monday morning in the completely empty local supermarket, by walking briskly backwards down the aisles.
Celtic on the way to winning 4 in a row and there is hardly a poster on the blog happy. I include myself amongst the miserable, Normally I’m down after a bad defeat but the mood starts picking up next day. This time the opposite is happening I’m feeling worse day by day. I believe that following Celtic is more than about the football, its a celebration of who we are, of our history and our traditions. Our forefathers always faced oppression and never flinched. Today its a different type of oppression, less dramatic but its there all the same. Either by accident or design the sanitisation process is sucking the life out of the Celtic support. The only ones who stood up against the process were The Green Brigade and they now have been effectively sidelined. The Green Brigade were not perfect, they did make mistakes which left them vulnerable but their hearts were in the right place. The only hope now is that the empty terraces will bring a realisation amongst those in charge of the Clubs fortunes of exactly what they have done and might prompt a re-think.
Honest mistake.
We’re only going to get a manager who is either has a chequered career to date (Coyle) or another up and coming ‘project’ (McKay). Unless we look abroad to Spain or Germany , which I’m in favour of, I’f say Keane ticks more positive boxes than negative. The romantic in me also thinks he’d have more influence with his fellow billionaire Corkonian. I think Keane would be on a mission to succeed at CP in the way Martin O’Neil was.
corkcelt- SUPPORTING THE DAM 5
10:56 on
10 February, 2014
One wonders at what point will DD and others question PL as to how under his stewardship Celtic have gone from a situation of season ticket waiting lists to a half empty stadium. Mind you as PL is only following orders noone is likely to ask the question.
Quick heads up: There’s a nutter in Tesco Burnside just now. He’s wearing a wizard cloak and walking backwards while uttering random shouts of “Accio Milk!” and “Accio Wing Mirror!”.
Approach only with caution.
Marrakech express.
The alternative is to persevere with the current manager who is well on his way to 10 in a row. That’s my hopes.
Neil Lennon is fulfilling his side of the deal; he is delivering CL football through winning the League while having to deal with all kinds of distractions [some of them very unpleasant] both at work and at home.
Remind me who was also on the s/list when he was appointed- Jose? Fabio? Pep?
He took the job when no one wanted it.
Quonno the phrase about a PLC’s first interest being to their shareholders is often used out of context and in this case the primary interest of the board was not a financial one but one of reputation which if left undefended would have dire consequences on the share value. As we will see shortly if the stands keep emptying at an alarming rate.
Our reputation was tarnished through no fault of our own. It was the other half of the so called Old Firm that had a problem with their players and fans behaviour and we should have given this as one of the reasons for not attending the charade that was put on IMHO to facilitate House’s application for the job of Chief of the unified Police Scotland force or some other future job application.
I think that House is trying to emulate Percy Sillitoe who smashed the 1930s Glasgow razor gangs and then went on to boss MI5 and great fame. The only thing that spoils this plan is that the GB are a non violent group of intelligent and articulate young people who are more likely to be giving groceries to an old man than slashing them. IMHO of course.
Chairbhoy
10:05 on 10 February, 2014
Was the Thames Barrier not manufactured on Merseyside?
A bit of help here, please. I said to a Dundee Utd friend of mine that Neil Lennon has often praised the opposition and particularly Utd. Does anyone have links to any quotes proving my point? Be very grateful if you could and any help in correcting the wrongs visited on our manager would be a step forward.
JJ
I think a lot of what twist’n’turns said today will resonate with a lot of our support. It is basically the position that blantyre tim outlined fairly early on in an exchange we had on CQN during the WGS era, that is, we used to have a connect with the players but we do not now.
I think twisty over-egged his point when he extended that connect beyond the players of the 60s and said it was still there in the 80s and beyond.
I accept BT’s point more readily as he restricted it to the Lions era when our players were being paid just a bit above what the working man could earn. Players then were still using public transport and going to the same pubs as we were.
However if you start to add the late 70s and the 80s then you are stretching it more than a bit. That was the “superstar” era of “King Kenny”, “Champagne Charlie”, “Super-model McAvennie”. It was an era where our players openly espoused Tory voting and values- “Thanks for lowering the tax, maam” (Macca) and “I could be a better manager if you paid me more” (Murdo).
Twisty is right though those Tory voting superstars were worshipped because they did it for Celtic on the pitch. Macca and Murdo were both Celtic playing heroes and we connected with them just as we did for more modest men like Paul McStay. But Tories or not, these guys were driving Jags not using public transport and were earning vast multiples of what the working man was earning.
I am not disputing that we had a connection with these superstars, because I know I cheered them to the rafters through successful and unsuccessful years, just that the connect was not due to them being guys who came from and stayed connected to their communities. We willingly gave our “connect” regardless of whether the Board were paying enough to keep Macca or McStay, and we cheered the guys who left (Dalglish, Nicholas, McLeod, Collins and Macca) just as loudly as the ones who stayed (McGrain, McStay and Boyd). Hell, we even cheered those who returned after leaving, as Macca and Charlie did.
Having a connect was a two way process. We still retained a connect with 70s and 80s superstars because they delivered for us on the field. We had more of a connect with them than we had with the more modest team of the 90s when success was a stranger. We may have retained a connection with Paul McStay for his loyalty, John Collins for his talent and Tom Boyd because he stayed on until the success of 98 but where was the connect with Pat McGinlay, Mike Galloway and Willie Falconer, regular players during our success starved era.
There is no doubt that they tried their best but they were modest talents in a team struggling to afford modest talents. A squad eventually reduced to trying to pass off Whittle & Holt as quality recruits.
The connect between fans and clubs is a two way process. You choose to give it as much as they command you to give it. We are reluctant to give it to modest or failing talents, no matter how loyal they are.
I fully understand the agonies of a poster like MWD, who feels betrayed by our club’s handling of the off-field matters, the demise of Rangers, the GB issue, the OBaF Act, the Living Wage proposals and the Board’s distancing of themselves from defence of the Amsterdam fans. The Celtic Board has often seen the “respectable” route of espousing staunch right wing values as a cause of distance between them and our fans. It was there in Mr. Bankier’s encouragement to “be more like the Tartan Army”. It suggested that it was a long time since some of them had spoken to a paying-in follower of Celtic.
I can accept that disconnect and, like MWD, I too, am on record as being able and willing to walk away, if the ‘right’ outcome on the Rangers liquidation affair is not reached.
Where I part company from the “walkers away” is when they cite on-field matters as a source of anger. Complaining about a failure to buy a £5m or £6m player seems a tawdry betrayal of the Jock Weir spirit. A Sutton and a Hartson would, in any case, be £12m plus purchases now, given the football market inflation. And we had players of the quality of Roy Keane when we surrendered to Clyde and Robbie Keane when we shipped 4 to St. Mirren. They guarantee nothing.
I also reject the revisionism of Kojo and KevJ as die-hard Celtic men who defended our manager. Kojo went only as far as to say that we should keep “Lennon the corner boy”, after Kilmarnock, because we could not get anyone else good to replace him; some defence. Kev J called Neil a coward because he did not do a Murdo on our Board and club. There is no way I am going to accept a rehabilitation from those people with butterfly opinions and tabloid minds.
We must all make our minds up about our relationship with our club. Many have already walked away. Some because of financial pressure, some because of the disappointment with our Board for off-field issues, and some because of some dissatisfaction that we are not winning leagues by 30 points instead of 20 and because our midfielder is outscoring our centre forward and other bizarre reasons.
I feel we are often singing songs to ourselves to make ourselves feel better. Outside of CQN, as Mickbhoy1888 so invaluably reminds us, there are some fans, and they are not a small minority, that actually miss the edge that Rangers brought to our league competition. We have all heard the view increasingly held and expressed. I do not share it, in fact I oppose it, but I recognise it as valid. Hold a public vote and you will not see many raise their hands in support of it. Hold a secret ballot, though….
I think it is a mistaken view but I recognise the human nature behind it.
Someone posted earlier about the Ajax fan phenomenon, about how they stuck with their club and increased attendances, even though they risked losing leagues and Euro success capabilities by rigidly pursuing their “raise their own, sell and trade up” policy. Well Ajax still have league title uncertainty with Feyenoord, PSV, Twente and AZ all challenging. Though they have a deep hatred of the fans and clubs that provide that competition, they seem to prefer having the competition to being in a boring predictable league, if you judge by attendance issues.
As I say, this is an unpalatable message to face up to and not one I agree with. It is doubly unpalatable as, if or when a team from Ibrox is in our league, they will not provide that competitive edge, though they may in a one-off cup tie. Some of our fans will, nevertheless, be happy to have them back just to rub their faces in it and to re-visit the early 90s on them.
I don’t want this but I know some fans that do.
P.S. For the avoidance of doubt, I have not labelled any specific poster here as being dissatisfied because they want Rangers back. I hope my point is less simplistic than that. If not, I have failed to make myself clear.
quonno
11:00 on 10 February, 2014
Try recession, and demise of arch enemy…….I take it you have noticed half-empty stadiums across Europe…..
Offensive Behaviour at Football:
Songs about Jimmy Saville and pedophiles; constant abuse of NFL and a song about we are in the wrong country…
No sign of Focus, no cameras, no arrests and the Aberdeen support are roundly praised.
We were targeted through the GB as they were the obvious way in for some. Young fans are being banned and driven away from C.P. Yes they have made mistakes but using a hammer to crack a nut doesn’t even begin to cover it. I’ll tell you how to connect with your support-Stand up for them!
HH
Roy Keane. Your having a laugh a managerial record shows his lack of ability for the position keep the faith and keep Lennie.Mind you I think the club should stop players spouting to newspapers such as Efe I want to play in the EPL or Matthews Joe Ledley didnt want to leave or Stokes I think we should just forget Saturday.When I read these quotes I think all is not well in the dressing room the manager should put an end to this talking to the press just my opinion mind.H.H.
I felt sorry for the Celtic Supporter in the Celtic end on Saturday, than tried till he was hoarse to start ‘ Glasgow’s Green n White ‘. If there had been a nurse somebody would have sent her.
Disconnected CSC
Joe Filippis Haircut
Agree about Efe. No sooner has he opened his mouth than the stories appear linking him with ‘big’ clubs like West Brom FFS.
bournesouprecipe. The Green Brigade are sadly missed for there vibrancy I think the board made a great mistake in there dealings with the GB. We are going to have a standing area next season the Board should ensure there are places in the new area for the GB. H.H.
The Battered Bunnet holds the world record for the fastest egress from Celtic Park to lower East Kilbride, in his 3.2 litre, weekend Nightrider. He even tops Eurochamps67 who doesn’t care about going right through give ways, especially when Celtic get beaten.
Jungle Jim,
Neil Lennon usually praises the opposition in his pre match interviews.
In post match interviews it would be unusual. I never listen to opposition managers post match anyway. :-)
Efe is decent but id take decent money for him in a heartbeat.
Came on for catch up, not in great form and even worse now.
Cant believe how split our support is and how badly the board has run things .
Im sure the people of the calton are glad for the green brigade anyway.