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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Joe F = member of the poorest defence in a football generation.
Living proof of how far we had fallen in 5 years.
ryecatcher
i been in rooms full of man u, chelsea, liverpool, blackburn, everton, middlesboro, arsenal, newcastle, norwich etc fans…. u get the picture
it seems an over exagerated hatred to try and make a futile point
I didn’t write the above, it was being handed out to fans at the game yesterday.
F.A.C. Still has my backing.
awe_naw_no_annoni_oan_anaw_noo
18:21 on 9 February, 2014
theoriginalsadiesbhoy
Van Dijk too and Sammi if he signs on again.
HH
………………………………
I had mentioned Virgil and Izzy earlier but I had forgotten about Forster. I don’t think Sammi will be here next season. I know lot’s of people love him but he hasn’t signed a contract and his last couple of performances have been awful. If Neil Lennon plays him again it will be totally wrong while the status quo continues.
Awe_Naw
Did you read the subsequent ‘draw paranoia’ posts
HH
ernie lynch
17:40 on 9 February, 2014
I don’t understand the hatred of Man Utd from some Celtic fans.
——–
Forget Man Utd.
Some Celtic fans seem to hate Celtic………l
ernie lynch @ 17:40,
I don’t understand the hatred of Man Utd from some Celtic fans
…………………………………………………………………………………………..
I don’t know about anywhere else,but here in Derry the bad mouthing of Celtic and their fans and pig ignorance comes from so called Man Utd on the bandwagon mouthpieces.
They are a–holes each and every one of them and I for one am loving their predicament at the moment.Loving it.
Been reading,catching up with the last blog and Im disgusted by the Winalot attitude of ghuys who I know are goog Celtic mhen.
This idea that Celtic under Neil Lennon without huns in our league should be winning everything is disgusting.
Its cup competition where thankfully for the sanity of the game,everybody has a chance,the best about it is Aberdeen are a cheeky wee side,we humiliated them 9 nil btw,have they just to forget that ffs!
Neil Lennon is doing a great job,under pressure like you wouldnt believe and taking us to the champions league,some of you dont know yer born,fuck the Scottish cup and their masonic blazered flagship,fuck trebles and winalot mentality,give me the league please Neil,your a star that deserves worship,were all men with faults but somehow you always deliver what really matters.
I love CQN. Where else within the space of a few days would you read such great phrases?
Ferret faced f&&&er
One bracket short of a full parenthesis
Crossed the Rubicon of stupidity
Keep it up ghuys!
David Peter Deans @ 17.58
Seriously you want rid of Neil because Aberdeen knocked us out the Cup? I agree entirely that he got his team selection wrong for the game yesterday but one mistake and you’re out – bit harsh mate dont you think? Or are you still bitter about Morton knocking us out the league Cup?
The team is clearly in a transition period and whilst that is happening we will misfire now and again – inevitable.
Neil has a great track record in the league and at the end of the day thats the acid test. And I dont agree that any manager would win us the league, I can think of a few that would muck it up given half a chance.
Hoopy-do,
If I took you into a pub in Derry if Man U were playing Celtic you would change you mind about them.Trust me buddy.The night Nakamura scored the winner against them was one of the best nights for me ever.
Shuggiebhoy,
I think that we who began supporting in the mid 50s will always be there. We grew up knowing no success and then enjoyed success beyond our wildest dreams.
Mad Mitch
Oh Jeez that JF? I thought McWilliams, Kay and Frank Munro were even worse- and the midfielder Dowie worse still – but he was not very good I’ll give you that. He appears in some of the photos of the team celebrations after the 4-2 game
Jimbo67 supporting Oscar Knox
The likely players to move on next summer are Fraser Forster, Izzy, VanDyke, Efe,Matthews which means we will need to use our youth players as there is no way in a short period of time you can replace those five in my opinion.Others will go but not make the club any cash Sammi,Kayal are two who spring to mind. H.H.
tricoloured ribbon
me too
my point is that english football fans dont give a toss about us
save your hatred for real enemies
bournesouprecipe
18:26 on
9 February, 2014
No I never saw them. So It has been noticed by others. MMhhhhhhhhhhhh…………..
Somebody should tell phil Mc G he has been frothing at the mouth on this one for years.
Parkhead trashed by the Sevconians in a sunny day in May ..
We will desrvedly get the blame.
HH.
So let me get this clear.
Stephen Gallacher, a pro golfer in the world top 50 players,who has
stated he is a fan of Celtic is now complicit with the corruption
within Scottish football.
The zombies got lucky.
Last year they drew Dundee Utd away. Oot.
The draw was live on TV.
Hot balls my a**e
Rock tree Bhoy.
Thanks for the feed back. I dont want rid of Neil Lennon because of the Aberdeen result. There is the games against Ross county, Morton and the tactics employed at games v AC Milan Juventus Barcelona 6-1. he never learns the lessons. Same mistakes and team selections are poor and it would seem a lot of fans on here would agree.
A more experienced Manager is needed against teams with more quality. I will say again i love the fact lenny is a Celtic man but for me that is not enough. Maybe we should look at getting that experienced man to work alongside him and advice him on these matters.
parkheadcumsalford @18.34
Spot on
ernie lynch @ 17:40,
I don’t understand the hatred of Man Utd from some Celtic fans
Hoopydo.
I hate them because of their sectarian chants at Celtic park the last time we played them. Do you recall several hundred of them singing FTP ? Supports who do that earn revulsion and animosity.
Awe_Naw
The draw is ‘plan b’ because Celtic were down for the semi final at Ibrokes.
Who is this experienced man thats going to lead Celtic to doubles and trebles every season?
Hoopy-do,
I know of a Man Utd fan,and he went to a good few games,who sat with a Sevco strip on
and cheered Deidco on against Celtic in a pub in Creggan!
He hated Celtic.Incidentally,he is deceased now.
Angelgabriel at 18:44
Correct. The accusations of rigging the draw are embarrassing. Some folk really need to grow up.
Jock Stein signed local Blantyre hero John Dowie after tracking him from Calder St School all the way to Fulham.
It didn’t work out.
NFL plus ca change
David Peter Deans,
Fair enough, you are entitled to your opinion and I can see where you’re coming from. I’ll stick with Neil as long as he keeps winning the league and has us competing in Europe. Thats the 2 I really want, the cups if they happen are a bonus but I get it that others think we should be doing clean sweeps whilst Deedco aren’t about.
I would like Gus Hiddink. He is available i beleive. Anyway guys must go and start work in a short while si i will say goodnight and Godbless to all fellow Celts.
If Celtic simply rolled all the other teams in Scotland over and won treble after treble we would be in the middle of Armageddon for Scottish football.
The fact there is competition and we can loose is a good thing for the game.
That doesn’t mean I like getting beat!
South Of Tunis
18:06 on 9 February, 2014
My thoughts exactly….. Nothing wrong with asking perfectly valid questions of the management and in particular the manager. Doesn’t mean yr chucking it, or deserve to be told to no bother coming back……
Blind faith will get us nowhere and is manna from heaven for the PLC.
For you conspiracy theorists regarding the the cup draw……..surely the ideal scenario for those who some assume wish to see us destroyed would for us,the richest club in Scotland, to progress to a final hosted in our own stadium then meet Scotland’s newest club,already on the brink of administration, and be roundly beaten
Surely that romantic scenario orchestrated by the Scottish establishment would have the secretive Illuminati organisation digging into their pockets to fund Scotland’s new fairy tale team
iPaddy
I know next thing you know they’ll be sending Pope emails, going on strike,
granting dodgy licences, giving non penalties, and lying to the Celtic manager.
MadMitch
17:44 on
9 February, 2014
The question now has to be what happens next — that is next season?
==============
Que sera, sera
Enjoy or endure the choice is yours.
bournesouprecipe
Agree 100% the SFA are now blemish free and transparent. They cleaned their act up after that wee administrative error by the late Jim Farry last century. How quickly a century goes by eh ?
Those days when secret societies held sway in officialdom are long gone.
Parkheadcumsalford who is supporting the Amsterdam 5
18:34 on
9 February, 2014
Shuggiebhoy,
I think that we who began supporting in the mid 50s will always be there. We grew up knowing no success and then enjoyed success beyond our wildest dreams.
==================
It is called a sense of perspective. It comes with age, which is a pity. I think things would be much better were it the other way round.
At least when I start dribbling out the side of my mouth it would be expected of a baby.
Didn’t Andy Goram do a cup draw for the SFA?
BSR
do you think this is why Celtic players seem uninterested ?
Great for the Scottish game. Celtic get what they want by bolstering the Scottish game and the Old Firm as does the SFA all under one big happy umbrella.
Commensalism, Parasitism, Synnecrosis
Certainly not Amensalism unless your a believer in the Old Firm.
HH
Time for the Sunday night pints.
Take care lads.
bournesouprecipe
And what’s a “non-penalty” ? Do you mean a “Rangers penalty” ?