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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“….when many expected a red card….”
No Paul, not many, not any.
Yada, yada, yada.
Bobby Madden….zzzz
Desmond & Lawwell brought us to this point. There are no greater friends to Ibrox, including Bobby Madden.
Their ambition extends only as far as a competitive ‘Old Firm’.
Looked the other way during the EBT years, the 5WA and recent financial overspend. Actively stymied Res12.
You want understand why the next 10 years will belong to Ibrox? Look no further than those two.
Utter garbage Eduard had a shot from 10 yrds saved McGregor miskicked the follow up both should have scored, as for we were the better team, for efforts at goal yes in the first half, never looked like scoring in the second half and tired, thats why you need pace in the back line they sussed it and pulled onto Bitton who to say is slow is kind, Euro teams have had plenty joy like this as well, so the same failings with different slow players at the back. They wont blow this in my opinion, and if we are waiting or worse going to give Lawwell and Lennon more money this window to spend it will only compound the damage.
Injury dictates spending on cover for CH as clearly welsh is not going to get a run, other than this no spending for me , get the new guy to view what we have and plan for next year, get shot of the Accountant and his appointments but that require the Board to act with the agreement of Desmond.
We have wasted 8 years and accumulated domestic trophies in abundance, the first team squad, development of players staff and coaching is a total shambles, we are a mess.
I really didn’t fancy our chances with Griffiths, Turnbull & Christie all in the starting line up yesterday. Would have dropped Christie for Ntcham or Moi (our top goalscorer).
The substitutions after going 1 down really where terrible. NL isn’t a top manager/coach and JK/Strachan don’t seem to be high end coaches either. A top class coach would have managed the reshape better. The club has reaped what it sowed in May 2019.
Seems to be some in Celtic sphere including potential leader that thinks it isn’t over?
Granted it is possible if we win 19 games in a row and hope Zombies drop points against others (which they will).
But there is absolutely nothing to suggest NL is capable of winning 19/19.
Not having any argument either about the 2011/12 season where he did win 17 league games on the trot. Its that sentimental BS from PL/DD that has us in this mess this season.
Two loans I’d recall
Alofabi….send Ajeti out on loan
Hendry…….send Duffy back
We couldn’t do worse than we are now….maybe even be better
The first step in recovery is admission of a problem, sadly those that should know better are in denial including the host (based on his articles)
It’s too late to complain about officiating we should’ve done that when we were winning, it’s convenient now to cover PLC’s sins.
Sell Christie this window. A total show pony. Plays only for himself.
31003 on 3RD JANUARY 2021 12:42 PM
I don’t think the Dubai trip is supposed to be a ‘reward’ for anything.
It’s meant to help in keeping the players match fit during the winter shutdown by allowing them to train in benign conditions.
Seems a bit tokenistic now.
Never mind, the important thing is that the huns will be there next season. And where would we be without the huns?
……..and I never wanted Neil back, he did well to steady the ship but shouldn’t have had the gig permanently, certainly not after a non-existent recruitment campaign. That was nuts, and usually an admission of such at an executive level woulda / shoulda resulted in a dismissal………….. Big Peter will leave soon I expect and will own a checkered legacy,….checkered with great successes and starred with incomprehensible stupidity and that’ll be his to own forever. Changing everything now – how’s that gonna work out?
French Eddie has been off the boil for a while. Any decent manager would drop him and play either Klimalla or Ajeti. They might not be any better but it would show no one is indespensible. It’s called a good boot up the arse.
Unfortunately the bean counters want Eddie in the shop window at all times. That’s the way we run our football team
The referee did his bit, exactly.
HH ☘️
BANKIE
Changing everything now – how’s that gonna work out?
Damned if we do , damned if we don’t. Sooner we close the present chapter and open a new one, the better
C’mon Ernie
Sunny warm climes or wintry Lennoxtown?
If it’s not a reward take them to Iceland for winter training. Much more like our climate for the players to get training and acclimatised for the coming months
Ernie – What winter shutdown? There are games next weekend? Our team will spend a day alone this week in transit between Glasgow and Dubai….
HH
I doubt this group of Celtic players would see the Dubai trip as anything like a reward.
Time away from their families and extra work and travel they could do without.
The modern player does not think like the player of 40 years ago.
As far as the sending off goes?…I would have been amazed if he gave anything other than red.
There is a good case for a yellow but we were never going to get it at ibrox where we?.
Also being reduced to 10 men does not mean we had to lose the match.
It may have made it difficult to win …but not an excuse to start defending like muppets for the first time in the match.
We only have ourselves to blame and we are where we deserve to be.
PETERLATCHFORDSBELLY- I would sell anyone who wants to go asap.
GlenD
I ‘d agree……………..
I just have no idea :)
I just have no idea………… what will work in the fitba’ environment, in Scotland.
If embdy’s sure, I’m awe ears……
;)
HH.
Bada,
Or conversely, give them a manager they can respect and who can grow and develop them? How the feck do Turnbull and Soro feel sitting on the sidelines unable to break into a failing team.
Works everywhere else in life.
HH
The time to object to Referee appointments,using precedent,is before the game,in Maddens case plenty of previous,the Clint Hill tackle,even the penalty vs Morton some time ago when Efe penalised as ball driven at his hand as he was getting up from ground,result penalty,were out.
Bankier and Lawwell are weak when it comes to taking a stand,as I believe other matters compromise them,perhaps the 5 way agreement ? that is no use when we are being openly dis-advantaged.
Too many non Celtic fans on Board for my liking I mean.proper fans,not the tourists.
£35m wasted,by marginalising offers and looking at sell on potential,add to that all our fragile huffy,french dainties and it no wonder Neil Lennon.is struggling .
On that topic,I would ship the lot of them out,not worth the bother waiting for them to turn up,be fit,or put in a shift,no interest in us mugs so off they go, SAP.
This moment should have been planned 2 years ago,BR leaving a blow,but also a wake up call to all,but our Board,a conceited know it all bunch of soon to be failures.
When NL returned almost 2 years ago, I lauded the appointment as I thought we would be getting a more experienced manager who would learn from his journey.
Being sacked is an occupational hazard for anyone in a prominent position, so I looked at his time at Bolton and Hibs and hoped we would be getting a guy with 10 years experience rather than a rookie.
Sadly it hasn’t worked and we need to start the preparation for next season now.
I am not saying we give up and concede, it’s a pragmatic choice of regroup and prepare for next year, versus potentially delaying the inevitable and missing out on next season whilst new incumbent finds his feet.
Big W- Young Dembele has dropped off the radar as well.
Hhmm.
Not bad Pablo.
Agree there is work to do for both.
Right now though all that matters is the work we do.
With that in mind, I’m fine with the trip to Dubai.
Irrespective of who is to blame, these guys (IMHO) could do with a break to re-group.
As for the remainder of the season?
All my opinion of course.
Before yesterday the likelihood of us winning the league was LOW.
If we had won I would have put the likelihood to MEDIUM.
We lost. Chances now are VERY LOW.
Ideally, I’d prefer a new manager in place for next season.
But that’s a hard thing to get right and an easy thing to get wrong. (Most clubs do)
If it is Neil for the rest of this season so be it.
Even though he does things I don’t like I’ll do my best to support him.
Totally understand others Celts not feeling that way.
Part of the rollercoaster of supporting your team I suppose?
Hail hail
Keep The Faith
Always amazes me that some posters lambast young french boys, locked in a city far from home, yet still able to be match fit rather than lambast our local tunnock-eating forward who can’t be arsed with the basics of fitness.
Leave the kids alone.
HH
Bada,
Aye Dembele. Years of worrying about his development too.
Made all the more ridiculous when we were shoehorning Christie and Moi into wide positions !!!
HH
QUADROPHENIAN
I have criticised Bitton for months.
I blame whoever gave this clown a 4 year contract in 2019 and the guy picked him yesterday
Dembele, has developed enough, according to NL.
He was deemed ok to play against Hearts last game of the season in 2019 and on the bench for Cup final the following week.
Strange that
Yesterday I said we’d be going for a league 1 defender.
Today we’re apparently going for an Exeter City League 2 winger.
Just sayin like
On the red card, just have to ask if it was the other way round, would the card be flashed at all; certainly not in an instant. And yes, Morelos should have off in 5 minutes; all the more galling.
That being said, getting it right in the first half was excellent to see, but the mark of good management is what you do to either keep things going or fix something wrong; the second half was more even that the first, down to 2 things; they made a tweak and it worked, and we started to get a bit sloppy in passing.
No shots on target by the opposition and losing is really hard to take. The most galling thing of all in a disappointing day.
The same argument for replacing the manager remains after yesterday; I don’t think it makes the case stronger but I can’t see it happening now; the league is gone, time to face up to that and the severe implications and act accordingly, but I’m not holding my breath with the current board running things.
If Neil Lennon has any credibility left he should do the right thing and leave ,yesterday’s result is just a smokescreen,the damage was done in October and November ,after them performances he Lennon should have had the guts to resign,and if he is not out the door come March ,Celtic will see the damage that the supporters will do when thousands don’t renew there season tickets,but I forgot there is a waiting list ,aye that’ll be right,no we need big changes starting with Peter Lawell and Neil Lennon,and hopefully Dermot Desmond,
ST TAMS – I hear you.
Just the majority are slating Lenny, the Board, the ref etc… too few saying Bitton’s was a total dick move.
Inexplicably unprofessional judgement call.
But Nir’s (a guy I viewed as a decent midfielder btw) amateurish decision-making to rugby tackle an avowed cheating diver to the deck instead of trusting fat Chatlie to miss or Barkas to save torpedoed our chances.
At 11 v 11, we’da def got a draw. But on that shoite decision alone, he’s plummeted in the reliability stakes.
Thing is, under this management he’ll prob get a recall.
Come back Jozo; all is forgiven.
ST TAMS on 3RD JANUARY 2021 1:13 PM
QUADROPHENIAN
I have criticised Bitton for months. I blame whoever gave this clown a 4 year contract in 2019 and the guy picked him yesterday.
—-
I like Bitton as a midfield player, but he’s never a defender. Same with Big Ajer. Both can run forward through midfield, Bitton has a great pass in him – both are being played as defenders for no reason other than they are big. That’s pathetic management, but I don’t blame the players for being put into positions that they aren’t suited for.
If you looked at McGregor’s performance at left back that saw us out of Europe you’d criticise him in the same way. Or MJ playing up-front as a lone striker. Or Lewis Morgan up front on his own. All good players, all utterly hung out to dry by hopeless, non-sensical management decisions.
HH
BGFC
It’s in our hands as fans. The board cannot posswbe celtic fans or they would not have tolerated so many, many errors on and off the pitch, continuing game after game, eh poor set piece delivery from the worst set piece taker in Scotland, Christie, to playing the Greek goalie whose shots-on-target to goals ratio is easily the worst in Scotland. Also how many goals we concede from crosses and corners- it’s almost impossible to keep doing this without fixing it, and yet lenny does! Also consider that truly appalling crosses we put in, laxalt, crimping, taylor – it’s actually impossible to let it continue without fixing it, but lenny does. Oh, and playing Duffy. What possible reason could anyone have for puking him on the pitch? He’s truly horrific, his form is so bad, his performances actually embarrassing for a footballer. Yesterday he should have been sent off, doing a jones/ healy trying to hurt an opponent. I hope he’s ashamed of his foul.
If fans buy season tickets then the club is done. They are cheats and don’t care how they win, as they proved in the 90s. Our board are frandsters who only care about the blue £ and their own bonuses. Start a campaign to withhold merchandise and season ticket purchases or else it’s gers until they get bored of winning…
cqnpoty@gmail.com …. even if you’ve never joined in before, one email, 3 names of your best performers* from yesterday please.
* – must be Celtic players who took to the field ;-)
Sry some typos
Darn fat fingers
Big Wavy.
The tunnock eating forward,whilst never condoning,had more seripus attempts on goal than our poor homesick millionaire,(s)who has all his pals for company.
HH
Sorry.
Serious attempts.
BGFC
Agree that it’s more amateur operating stuff; put him down back/in goal cos he’s a big guy. Aye caramba!
I actually think Ajer is a superstar in the making; once he gets into a structure that knows how to develop him properly, we’ll be shocked how much he develops and how much we’ll miss this really great young pro.
Nir’s real calm and composed; sometimes to the point of lackadaisical which is what got him in the SH1T yesterday.
It’s January and the biggest season in a generation is over. A decade of near domination, both sporting and financial lays in absolute tatters. Barriers are up to prevent fans protesting too close to the club and there will soon be a call in about 12 weeks for season book money. We are looking at utter ruin. All of it self inflicted, all of it predicted by a good many as soon as NL was announced manager in the showers.
However, replacing the manager immediately, announcing Lawwell going and introducing a forward thinking, progressive coaching staff would satisfy most folk. Yet, the longer they leave it the more likely fans, already used to their home routines, will vote with their feet and withdraw their cash support.
Over to you DD.