While Celtic totally controlled the first half at Ibrox yesterday, Newco’s defence held firm and largely limited the visitors to shots from the edge of the area. Leigh Griffiths’ effort from that distance was touched onto the post but over the 90 minutes there was not a single chance where an attacker from either team should have scored.
Steven Gerrard made changes at halftime that made marginally reduced Celtic’s advantage, but not so much as to permit his side an attempt on target, even after Celtic were reduced to 10 men.
Nir Bitton played well until his red card. He and the impeccable Kristoffer Ajer brought authority and control to the game as they circulated the ball for Celtic. A momentary lapse that allowed Alfredo Morelos to collect goal-side of him saw Bitton grapple his opponent to the ground. Referee Bobby Madden waved his red card in a flash.
Morelos was in a wide position, Ajer, who had already demonstrated his pace by catching and overtaking Newco’s fastest player, Ryan Kent, was covering in a central position. The Laws of the Game ask referees to make a judgement on whether he thinks the covering defender would be able to make up the ground, Madden decided to show Morelos the advantage.
Madden also showed Morelos the advantage five minutes into the game, when the Columbian stamped on Jeremie Frimpong’s Achilles in an off the ball incident. Madden awarded Celtic a foul, but used his discretion to keep both cards in his pocket when many expected a red card. The referee determined the outcome.
Celtic conceded fewer chances yesterday than in any game in months but the goal came from a familiar failing – corner kicks. A ricochet struck Callum McGregor and flew past Vasilis Barkas, who had little else to do all afternoon.
The game was lost for a few reasons: despite our control of play, Newco’s defence stood firm, we did not get into the box or hit the bye-line often enough. Bobby Madden had two decisions to make and you could bet your mortgage he was not making them in Celtic’s favour. Despite the unfortunate nature of the own goal, we again conceded from a corner.
Had we lost and played in the manner we had in our previous three games against Newco the verdict would be straightforward: the better team won and is firm favourite to take the title. I don’t think that is the case, instead, it has taken us until now to make the correct selection and formation decisions against them.
A must-win game was lost, leaving Celtic 19 points clear with three games in hand. Newco are a club who find it difficult to get trophies over the line. They are defensively solid, but I think their league position flatters them. There is work to do for both teams.
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Were there any arrests after the game yesterday?
The referee certainly should have been.
Still beating the drum Paul.
Sevco’s league position has been earned and it’s disingenuous to suggest otherwise.
Work to do?
Work that should have been done by the board in May 2019.
Paul 67,
” There is work to do for both teams ”
Don’t know about the huns, but there is certainly work to do for us.
We need a fresh start.
HH.
The dead horse still getting flogged….Plan B was make Plan A better…….how’s that worked out?
Big W- I doubt it the way Blojo was talking this morning
I think we have more work to do than them.
I feel the article completely misses the big picture. To focus primarily on the ref performance is a smokescreen.
We were by far the better team in the 1st half. However, we failed to score. Similar to the cup final v hearts, the opposition made a change at half time.
As the opposition improved, our mgt team again could not make an in game change to compensate.
We really didn’t have many goal scoring opportunities. An excellent shot from Leigh.
Signings
That we had Nir Bitton at the back, is not a ringing endorsement of our signing policy, nor our coaches ability to set up defensively.
An interesting article would be to review the first 6 months at the club for each of the following signings
Soro
Turnbull
Klimala
Ajeti
We are not 19 points behind sevco due to Madden brandishing a questionable red card yesterday.
To the Celtic board- you did this
The Club won’t move forward until Lawwell goes,no decent manager will let him force his signings on him,Eddie Howe is a realistic shout,his 1st call will be to Rodgers, and he will mark his card,eat,sleep, repeat.
The Celtic players need to wise up. Bitton’s challenge yesterday. Brown’s challenge against Hibs. Jullien’s challenge against Kilmarnock. The two challenges against Aberdeen. Ayer’s challenge in the first game against sevco. All unnecessary challenges and all led to points being dropped. We all know that the referees in this country are waiting for an excuse to help sevco. Everyone seems to know this except the Celtic players.
Even in Europe. Christie’s challenge against A.C Milan, which changed the game.
Lennon’s staying then.
Is there anything to be said about another Mass, Ted ?
Paul
Correct, the referee done his bit.
HH.
Think what Paul is saying is that we are stuck with Lennon until it becomes even more embarrassing than it is now
Gallagher.
I am with you m8ty.
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They’ve done their work Paul67 over a sustained period and are reaping the rewards for it now.
We, on the other hand, haven’t lifted a finger for several years, choosing instead to get lazy and complacent, hiding behind the ‘In Neil we trust’ and ‘it’s the points that matter’ mantra to shut down any call for work to be done at the club to make 10IAR a reality.
We’ve reaped what we’ve sewn.
Let’s work to kearn from it and move on. This season is a dead duck now.
HH
I think that it I clear that the people who run sevco wanted to stop 10 in a row more than the people who run celtic wanted to win it.
Our first 9 in a row ended because we fell below the standard of rangers not because we were overtaken by them. Likewise with what has happened now.
Thing is, Hibs should have taken points off them and the ref made thur 3 points safe – outcome klear bloo water at the top of the table…….
It’s a sleekit thing.
Madhun had a choice but he’s a hun and couldn’t help himsel’.
We played better ( apparently ) while I’m glad about that, the sleekitry will be used to the full if they need to get over the wavy line………that is the scoddish fitba’ handicap hurdles.
HHH.
Deflection Quick News
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CELTICROLLERCOASTER SUPPORTING THE WALK WITH SHAY LEGACY FUND on 3RD JANUARY 2021 12:16 PM
ST TAMS on 3RD JANUARY 2021 10:14 AM
“Posters on here are supposed to pick a replacement manager and if you can’t name one , your an idiot.
There’s a CEO paid millions for that. But rather than scour Europe for BR replacement.
He appointed a guy sacked by Hibs.”
=======
Good morning St Tams
That’s what does it for me. We went from a manager of BR to Lenny, a sacked manager of Hibs ( and Bolton), and never interviewed any other candidates by our own CEO’s admission. Whilst I love Lenny and he was the right short term choice to get us over the line when BR departed, he was never going to be the right choice long term. This seasons results both domestically and in the Europe prove it.
Barring some minor miracle and an incredible run of form from Celtic post Dubai, we will lose the league and perhaps by a good margin. We now have CBs available to us to guide us through the next 19 games of Ajer, Bitton, Welsh and Duffy. Bitton and Duffy, I do not trust and is it fair to throw Welsh in?
Need to start praying for that miracle, starting next weekend and a new CB as well.
HH
CRC
I have watched just about every Celtic game this season.
Blaming referees for our failings is just a smokescreen.
HH.
…and they want us to concede – so that wur beat before we get on the pitch………..
Aye.
Rolling out the big, bad referees is just victimhood now.
Fix our own house and make the referees irrelevant, like we did when collecting all those trophies beforehand.
Suck it up. Lawwell stays and manages the decline.
Ps Madden did cheat yesterday —- however that is not the reason for the mess we are in. The entire Celtic support knows the damage one executive has done to the club whilst making 20Mil in the process.
We had work to do last season,it never happened,and won’t happen this year.
…an’ anither thing………….
when we make legitimate queries of how bent the scoddish game is bent…… thems skream that we’re paranoid……
…when considered reflection and observation suggests that TIMS………..were GENUINELY no’ paranoid enough.
Aye……..
HHH.
Perhaps the we can dig out and blow off the dust on the referee’s dossier?
“Fix fitba’ : empty Hampden.”
or referees’ dossier even
In England referees are not allowed to take charge of a game that involves the team they support or supported. That needs to be implemented here. Of course it would mean no-one officiates a hun match. There are probably a Celtic referee out there somewhere but I’m buggered if I can find him. Yesterday was reminiscent of a game from the 90s. Dominate them, their keeper plays well and we get sucker punched. I haven’t seen the red card incident yet but did not think it should have been one at the time, as Ajer was there. However we gave Madhun the chance to be a hero and he took it.
We proved yesterday that we have a good core of players, even after we lose those who are likely to go. I doubt we’ll see any structural change on the board or management any time soon. As for the Dubai trip, well if we’d won yesterday then most of us would be lauding it.
This isn’t a random mind fart by Bitton, he’s got previous the fact that we use this midfielder as one of our CB is damning.
Lennon needs replaced now failure to do so results in a significant loss or revenue for next year, let that sink in PL
It’s the Refs
It’s Sevco being Lucky
It’s Covid 19
It’s Bolingoli
It’s having no fans
it’s total bollocks……
Things I’d personally forgotten about but are now coming to the front of my mind.
1) Signing a professional manager and back room team who had presence and tactical awareness
2) Our own players trumpeting the fact that how professional the set up was
3) Our own players fitness levels going through the roof
4) Players treading water who became all in
5) Players who were deemed mediocre who became undroppable
6) An insistence for a proper pitch, duly delivered and now resembling a ploughed field
7) A manager who ate, slept and breathed football
8) A manager that refused to become someone else’s stooge
9) A manager who’s idea of a night out was with family at a nice restaurant
Those were the days
ONIL,
Can all be summarized into: “It’s NOT Neil Lennon”….
The elephant in the room.
HH
” it has taken us until now to make the correct selection and formation decisions against them.”
There’s Neil Lennon & co P45’s right there .
The bigger issue of lack of football ambition/planning is PL’s P45
Sophisticated version of a big boy/bully did it – we wuz innocent.
As much as I believed and hoped we’d get win, spook them and get back on track yesterday, I’m gutted that the 10 is all but gone yet the powers-that-be are tootling out a message that ‘the fix was in’.
Sorry, a new broom’s needed to sweep clean and start the critical rebuild – auld blind Barr can see that much!
Any new manager worth their salt can hardly fail to see us achieve 2nd place at least. A great one could reignite a proper challenge. I love legend Lenny, but we simply need to reframe how we manage and marshall our resource advantages.
While we’ll be looking at Clarke and Ross etc, we should aim higher towards…
Bruno Lage
Ange Postecoglu
Jurgen Klinsmann
A solid pick would be Aussie, Postecoglu. Repeat managerial winner albeit in Asian forums. No bullshit. Ready for first Euro gig; maybe a bit too prickly under criticism, but knows how to arrange teams, develop youth and get wins. Probably wouldnt take any Board shite so, hey ho, it’s all just hot air and pipe dreams innit. HH
PS: really surprised that barmy Bitton isn’t getting more stick – his amateurism is causing Lenny huge new pain!
From a human perspective, gutted for The Bhoys who played better and still lost………
the rekord books will immediately forget the many “incidents”……………
……I hope the team continues to bond and the players gel further in Dubai……………….
A win would have had a multiplier effect.
ZIGGYDOC1
I’d be lauding the Dubai trip had we won. But we never.
Reward success not failure
I’d have the team up at Lennoxtown today pouring over videos of every defeat/draw this season. Might take a few days. I’d instruct them to bring sleeping bags
ONENIGHTINLISBON on 3RD JANUARY 2021 12:37 PM
It’s the Refs
It’s Sevco being Lucky
It’s Covid 19
It’s Bolingoli
It’s having no fans
it’s total bollocks……
You forgot Wee Nicola mate…..
31003- what a monumental waste of money, how much of our season ticket money will get refunded? 50%…..?