Celtic v HJK Helsinki, Live updates
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Reasonably satisfied with the performance and can only hope that away goal is not costly.
We could easily have won 4-1 there tonight and it would have been a fairer reflection
I’ve seen far too many away European performances by Celtic to be confident about getting any result on our travels but I have a feeling we’ll get through this tie.
On the formation comments, it was 4-4-2, unquestionably. Commons played up alongside Hooper for half an hour, then Sammy went up top, Forrest switched to the left and Commons right. Sammy went back to wide left in 2nd half and stayed there after Stokes came on. Both Hooper and Commons dropped off at times but it was 4-4-2.
Sammy got out of jail with a wonderful pass for the goal. How do you improve decision making? He needs to, and would be some player. Please stop the experiment with Victor at the back, it’s heart in mouth stuff all the time, he wins less than 50% of headers and will lose more chases than he wins. At DM he’s dynamite. Simple.
Our players get caught on the ball because the movement off of it is shocking.
When we went a goal down Scott Brown suddenly appeared and was excellent from then on, a real driving force. Their wee number 7 (their best player no doubt) was beginning to dictate. Brown wrestled the midfield back.
We can definitely progress but we need to stop shoe-horning the best players into positions just to give them a game. Aberdeen on Saturday will up the match sharpness again then next Wednesday will be yet another mark of where we are. No excuses.
Good Evening all,
We can beat this team in Iceland, especially when we play at Pace as Kayal has said up above.
I thought when we upped the tempo we looked a miles better team than them.
They made a lot of nice triangular passes in midfield in areas that would never hurt you– and we were correct not to waste valuable energy wneh they had the ball in non dangerous areas.
However they will have to come out in the second leg leaving more room for our wide players to exploit behind. Their No 6 looked to me like a panic merchant at times, and without sunbstantial covering numbers he looks like a weak link in defence.
Couple of onservations:
Big Jock always used to say that when a team defends in numbers as they did tonight you have to constantly make them turn. Young Forrest has to learn to cut the ball back, so turning the defence– far more feective than a ball into a crowded box.
Further, there was far more movement off the ball among our front players when Stokes came on. That would not necessarily have been the case a couple of years ago– but runs across the 18 yard line and diagonally from the D onwards knackers a defence through time– and is very effective if we can find the killer pass in that area.
Gorgeous pass from Sammi across the box for Hoopers goal and Charlie’s header was a carbon copy of one from last year.
Nice to see a training ground move for the Free Kick to– it nearly came off—- as I don’t believe you can shoot from such areas every time.
No doubt we are ring rusty and finding our pace and rhythm.
Has Izzy ever fully recovered from his injury– he seems to have lost some pace– anyone else agree?
We can beat this mob in Iceland– they will be concerned about an away goal– we just have to make sure of no silly away mistakes and make them play to the beat of our drum.
Two more things– going back to Spiers this morning and comments on the radio tonight that someone was expecting a crowd of 45,000— I am told that season ticket sales are in fact up on last year and the call to arms is precisely that– a call for all the support we can get. Also I tried to get an extra ticket for the game tonight for my youngest son and was told by the ticket office that the only ones left were restricted view seats on the upper tier.
Clearly some folk are on holiday etc– but it was obvious that the crowd was going to be well in excess of 45,000 so someone wasn’t checking the facts– as usual.
Lastly, with the greatest respect for–and every best wish to— Alan Thompson— If what I am told is correct- and I have no reason to doubt it– Then there is no doubt that there had to be a parting of the ways for the good of the club and probably for Alan Thompson himself.
If I had been in charge of the club and faced with the same circumstances I would have reached the conclusion that, despite all his efforts in the past, there was no option but to ask Alan to leave.
Eyes Wide Open.
Spot on re the square passing….its almost like the players have a built in mindset which dictates it to be the only option. Much of it is unnecessary and slows play especially on the counter-attack. We need another option where there is more movement thru the middle with quick incisive passing. Ideally suited for Paddy McCourt I would contend.
Stringer/Doc
If you consider that some people will still be on holiday etc it makes the number of Tim’s there tonight all the more remarkable.
The four seats directly in front of us weren’t filled for example because the family flew out to Spain immediately after the Inter game on Saturday.
Fantastic to see.
If there is such a thing as a disappointing win then only beating Helsinki 2-1 is it.
We started very well and responded great to going behind but for some reason probably because it was our first game we couldn’t keep the tempo up for the full match.
Teams like Sion, Braga and Utrecht were all better then SPL standard but Helsinki are no better than Aberdeen so we should still go through.
Great crowd tonight hopefully we keep it high
Incidentally we would be screaming the house down if what happened to them for the 2nd goal was reversed. They made a sub, lanky centre forward came on, he only just crossed the touchline on half way and Celtic took the corner and scored. Mulgrew, unmarked, as his marker had just gone off and new player had not reached the penalty box. Very bad refereeing, we would be raging.
new article posted.
Brogan Rogan Trevino and Hogan supports Kano 1000 on 1 August, 2012 at 23:50 said
have you been on the sauce?? Iceland? :-)
For all us bhoys goin on Friday
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jvf0MZt1KZA&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Suuuuuuuperb!!!
Brogan Rogan Trevino and Hogan supports Kano 1000 on 1 August, 2012 at 23:50 said:
If you go to the away leg in Iceland you’ll miss the Celtic game, they’re playing in Finland;-)
hamiltontim on 1 August, 2012 at 23:50 said:
It was a very encouraging attendance tonight. Some will go out and get season tickets after that.
does anyone know why the Fire Brigade were outside the main stand after the game?
Brogan Rogan Trevino and Hogan supports Kano 1000 on 1 August, 2012 at 23:50 said:
far be it for me to correct you, of all people, but…we’ll be going to Finland not Iceland next week :)
Hail hail
I was just saying Iceland to check that you are all awake!
Anyway their support was pretty FIN on the ground
Coat on and half way oot the door…………
Looks like tonight’s performance was déjà vu all over again.
That covers the early home game in Europe …
… And the mental 4-2-4 tactics that fail on a regular basis.
Confident that things will pick up for the away leg.
We are far ahead in the raw talent and wages front.
Just a pity we are a bit harum scarum in the tactics, team selection and onfield attitude stakes. As I said at the start – deja vu all over again.
Couple of points on the crowd.
Where did the tweeted rubbish that the game was a sell out come from?
What is the correct situation regarding season ticket sales?
I fear we are struggling on numbers.
However anyone who gives up their ticket because the TFOD are not now in our league is not much of a supporter in my opinion, more a 90 minute bigot who isn’t allowed to swear where he / she / it lives.
Finally the MSM tripe regarding the TV deal is illuminating.
We seem to have a deal that is very close to the existing deal.
Consequently anyone claiming that the sky is falling down is straight from a children’s tale. Any club that has spent money that they don’t have signatures for deserves all they get financially.
Still wonder why Sky are now in pole position?
Where does the new deal leave ESPN?
BT Vision – if they didn’t get involved then they are still the public service backwater they have been for the last 30 years.
Wonder if the highlights package will get better?
The team showed good spirit & desire to come back from a goal down,we should have enough to get the required result next week,my biggest worry is the astroturf
pitch. The lack of competetive match sharpness was apparent throughout.
Yet again some of the shouts/ comments directed at our players from where I
sit in the north stand lower defy belief.
Big mate said to me on way to the game, when was the last time we started a new season with NO new signings? Seriously!
I appreciate that FF is a signing, but he’s been our keeper for the last two seasons!
This is a young squad and we expect too much of them sometimes. Two auld heids at CB and maybe CF could help them develop. They should have been in place by now instead of waiting to see if we get past HJK and the next qualifier.
I’m really bored with the same old summer transfer window BS !
T4
67Heaven ..
Sammi was brilliant at times tonight but he was infuriating as well, I don’t think it’s his head that goes down TBH I just think he was losing concentration later on. In the first few minutes he done a fantastic feint that totally bamboozled the defender and I just knew he was going to have a good game.
Overall a lot of the players looked rusty but tonights game will have done them all the world of good. James had a sublime piece of skill to beat a defender in the second half, one foot to the other rapid and by the defender but there were other times when his control wasn’t quite what it should have been.
Disappointed we are not going over there with more goals as we should have had more than 2 goals tonight.
Saturday is a very important game for me now, we need to get in amongst the goals and be a lot sharper in the last third.
Well I think even if we get through to the next round we´re gonna have to be a lot better.
Quite pleased with the comeback.
Showed alot o´Celtic spirit.
HH
Will summarise and cut out the in between commentary.
We won the match – tic, objective achieved.
They scored an away goal – cross, not desired
We were the better team – tic
We were stronger team – tic
We finished stronger team – tic
We had better players – tic
We were fitter than them – tic ( despite them being 15 games into season )
We will get through to next round – tic
Hail! Hail!
one things for sure vic aint a centre half,and to be truthful if any club comes in with a 6 million bid take it