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.
If you would like to read the new CQN Magazine, GO HERE to read properly, and for FREE, the graphic below is just a taster.
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Joe filippi
So talk us through this cunning strategy that our board have to run the club into the ground and wipe out the major shareholders investment ?
Sounds like pure genius to me mate. Why did I not think of that ???
Lets disengage our consumer base is a marketing strategy which will really fool everyone.
Why would they do that then ?
we was beat
Joe Filippis haircut
I have no faith in the scouting network.
leftclicktic We are all Neil Lennon @ 19:45
;)
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152602236279348&set=a.267024629347.183053.654304347&type=1&theater
Kayal33 19:48
The 3 stoogies that stand on the sidelines, one with a clipboard, one with a steam bake and one with a kebab have no idea what they are doing.
—————————————————————————————
The one with the clipboard is probably taking the takeaway orders for the other two.
For me we should be resting any players who are involved in international duty for a few weeks now and 3 weeks to a month off for the World Cup guys.
We need our strongest squad straight up for the qualifiers so no break for those guys.
Also loan top non 1st team squad players to our championship next year. 3 per club to the biggest Sevco rivals. Say Hearts Falkirk and Hamilton or Dundee
Morrissey the 23rd Viva Resolution 12!
19:24 on 9 February, 2014
If resolution 12 is not parked can we at least release it from the pound (as in holding pen not currency in case PL gets any ideas )
Kayal 33.You say they have lost a large section of the support .Why is that in your opinion ? Know there has been the stuff with the Green Brigade and OB act but in my opinion the biggest issue for attendances has been because thousands can’t be bothered turning up every week .Apart from champions league nights the stadium won’t be full until the Huns are back .We wanted them gone ,but in my opinion the fans have not stepped up to the plate.We beat Barcelona last year Celtic Park packed great night come the Sunday against St.Johnstone you were lucky if the stadium was half full and the Green Brigade were there at that stage.Tell’s a story I think.
Well done , Jenny Jones. A bronze in the ladies ‘ snowboarding. Helped remove my hurt at losing to the sheep. Not so good Andreas Wank of Germany. Had him each way in the men’s downhill….fekkin5th. Couldn’t even make the frame. …tosser.
Burnley78. The board have more than one contingency plan for falling crowds closing the top tier is only the first step.It seems to me you should be asking the board why the gates are falling and we can no longer fill the stadium.I would suggest to you we have already disengaged many as you call them the consumer base just ask the stay aways. H.H.
Bournesouprecipe
No answer to my question I see. Thought so.
Sevilla v Barca or Monaco v PSG, both about to start, which one to watch, tough choice
Kayal33
Im goin for barca
B-
Kayal33
19:48 on 9 February, 2014
What’s orange, 2 miles long and smells of kebab?
This week I was given a copy of the second edition of the Scottish football magazine FREE KICK, which was published in October 1998 and was dedicated to the Tartan Army.
The BIG interview in this short-lived and unsuccessful magazine was with Liam Brady as he looked back on his time as Celtic manager. I was given permission by the author to run parts of this interview in a feature on Brady in the next edition of CQN Magazine. However it might be worthwhile placing this on the blog this evening. Scroll past please if not interested.
Brady’s final game as Celtic manager was on 6th October 1993 when we lost 2-1 at St Johnstone. This was the last ever game I ever went to with my late dad and I had never seen him so angry with a Celtic team. Awful does not describe how bad we were that night.
Brady describes Glasgow as an “intense and aggressive place – unless you are prepared for it, it can overwhelm you.”
Looking back at his time at Celtic he admits he made mistakes. “Yes I admit I made mistakes. I was new to football management and Celtic were one heck of a club to start off with. There were things that didn’t go right immediately and I made an error of judgement in the transfer market.
“I bought Tony Cascarino for £1.1 million and unfortunately, he couldn’t cope with the pressure that is always on Celtic players.”
Brady maintained that he was trying to play football the Glasgow Celtic way, aiming to maintain the Celtic tradition of performing with exciting excellence!
“Yes, that was my ambition. The Celtic support deserved that sort of team, that is what I wanted to give them. I’ll never forget my first game in charge – we won 4-3 against Dundee United at Tannadice. Scorelines like that would have kept those wonderful fans happy, I’m sure.”
So what went wrong? Brady had this to say:
“There were so many divisions at Parkhead and, of course, it was a well known fact that the old board didn’t have a lot of money to spend in the transfer market.
“There was friction around the place and that gets through to the players – of course it does. Anyone who says it doesn’t has got it wrong. You name me one club who has performed well out on the park when there has been trouble at boardroom level.
“It was all so frustrating. The Celtic fans were so unhappy and disillusioned with the old board that they refused to back the team. That affected us too.
“In my days, money was tight and I had to get it right with every player. There was no room for manoeuvre, no way of going out and buying another player if one purchase didn’t work out.
“Stuart Slater was like Cascarino. There can be no doubting his class, anyone at West Ham would tell you how good he was when he played at Upton Park. He was a born entertainer, a typical Celtic player, if you like. However, it just didn’t work for him on Glasgow.
“Once more the strain showed and he never displayed the talents we all knew he possessed and that was a pity. But Glasgow and playing for Celtic can do that to you.
“I’ve got to hold up my hands and say the pressure, without doubt, got to me too. Of course it did. You’ve got to ride the storm and, sadly, I couldn’t manage it. That was why I had to resign.”
Brady, speaking in 1998, had some sympathy with Wim Jansen in his dealing with Fergus McCann the previous season. He remembers his experiences dealing with a Celtic Chief Executive.
“I had to cope with Terry Cassidy during my time and that was not a very pleasant experience, I can assure you. The trouble with Cassidy was that he was not a football man and, as such, did not understand football people.
“We had some stand up rows, Cassidy and I. It did little for the morale of the place with things like that going on. I wanted to manage the team and do my level best to put out a team that deserved to wear the green and white hoops. Simple as that, but there was interference from every corner.
“When Cassidy eventually left, Celtic put in Michael Kelly to handle the club’s Press Relations department and things didn’t get any better. It all became a bit intense and it got to the stage that you had to continually look over your shoulder. So much for team harmony and pulling together! Yes it was quite an experience managing Celtic Football Club!”
Brady reckoned that the luck of the Irish deserted him while managing Celtic.
“We didn’’t get much luck when I was there. We seemed to keep tripping over when it came to important hurdles. We played three semi finals in my time and lost them all.
“I’m not going to start making excuses at this late stage, but a rub of the green would have helped us on all three occasions. We didn’t get it and the results – all 1-0 defeats – are now in the history books.
I would dearly have loved to have given the Celtic fans a trophy in my time there. The reason I moved out was to give someone else a crack at providing the goods. When it got near the end for me it was a very, very difficult time. I was aware of what the Celtic fans wanted. I knew about their desires for the club because they matched my own. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out.”
Brady had had enough after that dreadful night in Perth – two weeks earlier Celtic had lost to Rangers in one of those semi finals he lost as manager. As the team made its way back from Perth in the driving rain, Brady made up his mind. That night probably was second in terms of my all time low, watching Celtic. Yesterday was bad, but it can get a lot worse.
Margaret McGill
19:59 on 9 February, 2014
What’s orange, 2 miles long and smells of kebab?
I don’t know, what is orange, 2 miles long and smells of kebab?
The Monday morning queue for the morning after pill at Larkhall Boots
ok yes I know ….aff oot!
Sky commentator “Seville is the hottest city in mainland europe”
I never knew that
Margaret McGill @ 19:56
http://www.philmacgiollabhain.ie/update-to-the-resolution-12-statement-of-19th-november-2013/
Have a list with you and hand it to the sales man. Dont settle for any less than 70% of the list. Mind them mats too.!!
Start with road tax and fuel.
iPaddy
You missed it?
tricoloured ribbon
18:50 on 9 February, 2014
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.
*********
TR
Having been to the Creggan, I’m surprised he wisnae deceased there and then!
HH jamesgang
before i go what happened to the twatterazzi list?
We may need a new manager but what we don’t need is projects, works in progress signings and an apprentice manager who gets to learn on the job at Celtic. We have been bitten too many times in that respect. As others have said we need a tactically astute manager, experienced, who can alter the game plan as and when, has a options B C D E rather than just plan A in his pocket or as seems to be the norm these days in his diagram book. Oh and it would help if he could put a substitute on within a minute or so rather than have him standing around for 5. Not asking for much really.
Kayal33
19:48 on
9 February, 2014
To those who are worrying about Sevco winning the cup, have you seen them play this season. They are garbage. They play caveman football which relies on launching the ball up to a big lump, they have evolved zero in their ‘journey’ from the team that died. The 3 stoogies that stand on the sidelines, one with a clipboard, one with a steam bake and one with a kebab have no idea what they are doing. To compensate having these clowns they need a budget of about a hundred times their opponents in their league to ensure they get promotion.
Aberdeen, Dundee United, St Johnstone & ICT will all beat them should they meet in semis.
———————————————————————————————————————
Q. Mistakes and Honest. Re-arrange these words and what do you get?
A. A third rate team of zombies winning the scottish cup at CP.
Brady signed on as a player,and played one reserve game
This was to keep the tradition of playing and managing Celtic
HH
The better team won on and off the park yesterday, sorry to say. Our team lacked a lot on the day, including the fans. I don’t think displacing the fans, who did bother to attend,from their normal seats helps either. If you’re a fan … support the team!
Bigshuggy, I watched that a little while ago. I think the occaision was simply too much for Andreas Wank, he just couldnt pull it off. The commentator said he’d shot his bolt in the practice run.
These winter games are the biz.
maleys bhoy
19:48 on 9 February, 2014
If its a
They offered £500.00 discount on 8 month old car
Morrissey the 23rd Viva Resolution 12!
20:02 on 9 February, 2014
Morrissey ..yes but any news in the last 3 months?
1-0 Sevilla & PSG
winning captains
6th October 1993?
Remember that day well – I got married.
…and Celtic lost.
Whit a day!
HH!!
Anyone at a loose end on the 8th March if Celtic have no game then why not pop down to see the Celtic Nation vs Team Northumberland.
Bournesouprecipe
Ah right, so the draw is only rigged for Sevco when things are really, really bad. As opposed to just quite bad. And they’re so cunning about it that they get a famous golfer who supports Celtic to do it for them on live TV.
OKaaaaaayyy….
Margaret McGill @ 20:13
There will be an update statement next month.
Winning Captains 20.00.
Thanks for posting the Liam Brady interview.
Yesterday hurts because a season that promised much is
now over in a sense, but compared to where the club was
during LB’s tenure we are still in a far better place.HH
Angelgabriel
Apologies – been away and missed your reply
Just musing- Before a ball is kicked what odds do you think the bookies would give on the following semi final line up
Aberdeen v Dundee Utd or Inverness
Rankers v St Johnstone
What were the likely odds on Rankers not getting a team from the 2 leagues above them in the last 2 draws?
I am genuinely curios
Ta