Once Partick Thistle equalised, it was clear Celtic had plenty of spare gears to move through. The game went to plan for the champions, even down to the manner in which the Thistle goal was lost. Both central defenders left themselves open to criticism, highlighting the glaring deficiency in the team right now. Whether the Belgian will play little or any part in the solution remains to be seen.
In five weeks, we face St Johnstone in the League Cup quarter final. Cup games away from home are never the easiest, but by then we will have had a chance to flex our muscles in the title race, wetting the appetite for a challenge in the cups.
Artificial pitches are disliked by footballers for various reasons, so I have sympathy for the Newco manager, who yesterday called for them to be kept from top flight games, as they are in England and formerly were in Scotland. They are cheap to maintain and provide an income for clubs, who hire them out, but the technology is still not up to the job.
How long before Motherwell, St Mirren, St Johnstone and others make the move?
What was it got Kenny Millar sacked by Livingston after two league games? Results, tactical competency? Or, judging by his mannerisms at Celtic Park two weeks ago, maybe a publicly overbearing attitude towards his players.
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ZIGGYDOC1 on 20TH AUGUST 2018 1:58 PM
£9m yes I would have taken it too – BUT – only if we had someone to replace him and obviously we did not
I think this was Brendans position
67ECW
Does Brendan suffer from Kevin Keegan syndrome? Knows how to play good attacking football but hasn’t a clue about defence. Had Keegan spent his £6.7 million on two half decent central defenders in ‘96 instead of that dumpling Asprilla then Man Utd would have one league title less.
As I said earlier sort out the spine of the team!
Our team is not good enough and big upgrade is needed. Wee look at the massive money wasted below kinda highlights that.
Of all the player whose contracts end this season only Forrest, brown and izzy would be kept if up to me. Lustig, gamboa, Millar, Allan, Christie, Boyato and Ddv would be gone.
I would be comfortable with comperr, hendry, ralston, bitton and hayes being moved on.
Would let johnson, kuissia and benyu be loaned out for season.
That is 12 player who are easily collecting a compined wage of 130k a week for doing nothing much, yet We are told we cant afford better player, sorry but better squad management could improve our lot
HH
Pogmathonyahun,
It certainly made for exciting football. Perhaps the best non-Celtic game I’ve ever seen was their 3-4 against Liverpool.
What’s the plan if Broonie gets injured?
I don’t see what’s wrong with selling players moving into their last year of contract. If the manager wants to keep them then we need to tie them up on a new contract. It is poor Player Management to allow a valuable player to leave for nothing.
While we don’t know whats going on behind the scenes, this is what must have had Brendan state that Boyata was staying. Due to him not having a replacement. Brendan didn’t discuss the matter with the player who didn’t want to stay. The result being a total mess during which we got knocked out of Champions League.
We need better recruitment and need to consider again how we recruit as it is not working.
we seem to be having the exact same issue with BR as he had at when he was at Liverpool, great team going forward but woeful at the back .
To be fair to BR. We have a least two defensive coaches. That is their total remit.
Not a fan of zonal marking as played by NFL at Paradise, but at least it was a plan.
HH.
GALLAGHER on 20TH AUGUST 2018 2:15 PM
What’s the plan if Broonie gets injured
——
It seems he is injured.
Therefore the plan – such as it is – is that he plays injured!?
HH jg
The rich are getting richer
Super teams are effectively monopolising who gets the best young emerging players by signing them up with little prospect of them making their first teams, then deciding who they play for. e.g. Paddy Roberts, Odsonne Edouard, Daniel Arzani.
It’s changed the transfer business for a lot of clubs who can’t fork out huge sums on players.
Celtic are down the food chain and still searching for the ole diamonds in the midden.
Latest……………………Marvin Compper……………….. still injured
@DENIABHOY on 20TH AUGUST 2018 1:53 PM
I would take your point if Brendan had spent heavily this summer without addressing the defence, but he hasn’t. We have spent £1m net.
It’s more an issue of not releasing sufficient funds than funds being directed incorrectly.
As usual, I seem to see things a bit differently from most ….
I am not sure that I see BR as a great attacking coach, and a poor defensive coach… I think neither is clearly the case.
At ‘pool, he had one Stellar year, 13/14 when Suarez coudnt stop scoring, and the team socred 101 goals and finished second … but, as soon as Suarex left, the production (not surprisingly) dropped … by almost 50%!
Similarly, he had a great first season here, but then last season, goals dried up (an almost 30% drop from 106 to 73..) … and the fluency we were starting to develop stopped, and that slide has continued this year … injuries cant account for some of that …
meanwhile, our goals against in the leauge has been pretty consistent …. 25 against in both seasons….
last season we scored considerably less goals than we did in both of RD’s seasons (while the goals against was comparable to both of RD’s seqasons – 17 and 31, and the same as NFL’s last season
Now, I realize that numbers dont tell the whole story for the defence… but I dont think they tell the whole story for the offcence either …
the three parts of the team seem to me to be more isolated and discrete … their is no movement in the middle or the front (except when the three french bhoys are on song… then we look a bit different)…
SB is not the player he was the last 2 seasons.. is he injured or just 34? OE is better going forward than back … but the midfield is not protecting the backs enough, and is not moving the ball forward quick enough to the forwards…
So… long and short … I dont think it is necessarily correct to say Brendan is great offensively, but poor defensively … I think there is a lack of movment from the back to the front at the moment…
THE HANDS CANT HIT WHAT THE EYES CANT SEE
Other than JM, and rumours in the media, there is no evidence of funds not being released to BR over the last two seasons for identified targets (and the JM one has layer upon layer of politics beyond the norm). He himself is on record last season as saying the board would break the club transfer record for players if that was necessary, that the money was there.
Maybe since then, the board have not been impressed by the targets identified by BR and his scouting team or his signing record?
BR also said last season that he had enough CHs and did not need to buy any more. That was when we were getting humped in the CL on a regular basis. He now sings the praises of JH and Ajer, neither of whom are commanding CHs, they don’t even look comfortable playing CH.
He also plays Lustig whenever he can yet almost all Celtic fans know he is no longer the player he was and needs replacing.
The huns have built a new defence and, with McGregor in goal, they look a lot more solid than us. Early days I know, but only KT looks superior to what they have.
For the first time in three seasons, I am not confident that the League is a formality, something that would have been impossible to envisage in May.
I should clarify, I am referring to our defence vs the huns defence when I say KT is the only one who currently looks better than what the Huns have.
All done in the worst possible taste
what happened to the mantra – we defend as a team and attack as a team – individuals will always make mistakes – look at the multi-million manure defence on Sunday – a few bombscares there
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 20TH AUGUST 2018 2:34 PM
The rich are getting richer
Super teams are effectively monopolising who gets the best young emerging players by signing them up with little prospect of them making their first teams, then deciding who they play for. e.g. Paddy Roberts, Odsonne Edouard, Daniel Arzani.
It’s changed the transfer business for a lot of clubs who can’t fork out huge sums on players.
Celtic are down the food chain and still searching for the ole diamonds in the midden.
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Well the organisations that can put a stop to that by limiting the number of young players a team can sign are UEFA and FIFA but they are corrupt to the core. Also time to introduce a salary cap. How much money does any footballer need to live on. We, for a long time, have been witnessing a sport that is driven by greed rather than sporting fairness and ability.
Diego Antonio Reyes
Reports going around that we are going to offer Aberdeen £2.5m for McKenna. This is a guy, who only signed a five year contract last March. If he signed such a contract, does it not suggest that he sees playing for Aberdeen as being at the top end of his own standard.
If the player, and his agent, see Aberdeen as his level, does this fact not cast doubts over the wisdom of Celtic’s pursuit of the player.
For me, the very fact that we see this player as the answer to our defensive weaknesses is very worrying.
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Pogma
For me, a salary cap (particularly a hard cap) only serves to make the owners richer… which in my experience, only makes them greedier…
the whole labour discussion is predicated upon onwers and players …. but foregts the key partiy… the fans who pay the money to the owners that allows them to pay ridiculous salaries to the players…
if revenues are to be capped, then expenses (ticket prices, for example) should also be capped….
Previous post is of course predicated on the McKenna stories being true…
… Not a given I accept
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I would go and sign the two AEK Centre Half’s they were solid against us HH
No reason why the criminal tackle on Broonie be upgraded to a red card, and the MIB banished to Div 2 for a few weeks
Bada – no chance – yellow means incident was seen by the ref.
@DENIABHOY on 20TH AUGUST 2018 3:10 PM
Re the point concerning funds. While the latest accounts are not out yet, Brendan’s net spend over the last 3 seasons appears negligible.
He spent £5.2m net in his first season and for that the return was a treble and CL qualification.
Given the VVD money, the sale of Izzi, Armstrong and Sviatchenko, it’s likely that the net spend over the last year (3 windows) is at most an additional couple of million (and that’s treating Edouard’s transfer as £9m upfront- which is highly doubtful).
The point I’m building towards here is that Brendan’s net spend is very modest and I don’t believe that he has spent vast amounts of the team while neglecting the defence. You could make the argument that he has not prioritised the defence, but if he had, we would have had to presumably forgo one or more of Sinclair, Ntcham or Edouard.
I take your point that Sevco’s defenders look better than ours, however Sevco’s new LB and two centre halves cost more individually than either Hendry or Compper. Is it surprising that they are better?
In addition to that, outwith Simunovic, do we have a defender on our books that cost more than circa £1m? No one breaches the £2m mark. Is it therefore surprising that there is a clear discrepancy between the quality of the defence and the quality of the rest of the team?
MIKE IN TORONTO on 20TH AUGUST 2018 3:37 PM
Agreed or should that say A greed ?
GENE on 20TH AUGUST 2018 4:01 PM
Bada – no chance – yellow means incident was seen by the ref.
I know mate, but clearly a wrong decision which the like of needs correcting.HH
!!BADA BING!! on 20TH AUGUST 2018 4:23 PM
GENE on 20TH AUGUST 2018 4:01 PM
Bada – no chance – yellow means incident was seen by the ref.
I know mate, but clearly a wrong decision which the like of needs correcting.HH
The system is at fault then. Either change it or bring in VAR
Looking at the Ess Pee Eff Hell table, I reckon that the teams have already split into the end of season top six, and bottom six, after only 2 games. Now, if we can just reverse the order of the top six…
https://spfl.co.uk/league/premiership/table
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Two things
The PLC board not happy at quality of signings, so they are interfering in the football side then
Name one club that hasnt bought its fair share of duds
Carefulwhatyouwishfor CSC
Tully57,
You must have been reading my emails!
Whether it has any bearing on the matter or not, but Brendan has often stated his admiration for the late Tommy Burns.
I’m afraid he shares the same fatal flaw in his football philosophy.
He doesn’t believe in, or is incapable of building, the defensive side of the team.
For him to ignore this vital aspect of football is an arrogance and will bring his reign at Celtic Park maybe sooner than he would wish.
As has been said, it done for him at Anfield.
Even Suarez couldn’t save him.
If celtic have lost 2 goals in the league and servo have lost 2 goals in the league how is it we are now told then are better then our.
We have lost more goals in european compitition but then We have played better teams. the champions of norway and greece are better then anything then have faced.
We played a far more expansive game so possibly expose our defenders more then any teams in the league.
Think a true reflection will only become clear once we are will into the season. The idea that sevco have a better defence does not stand up at this stage. It may in the future, but right now it does not.
Ps even so, i dont want upgrades to our defence as i amnot judgimg on sevco standards.
HH
Deniabhoy,
What I have been saying,but too many take this as a jibe at the manager.He is great for our club,but he has a serious flaw here.Finding defenders.Ask any Liverpool fan.
Too many people wsnt to take the bog standard easy way out and blame PL.Does not help us any.
In contrast, I am really happy for the bottom six to remain in their current order. The two teams I would most like to end the season at the bottom are currently occupying the bottom two berths. Both on “nul point”. ???
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THEHANDSCANTHITWHATHEEYESCANTSEE
You’ll get flung out. Toe the line or GTF.
Btw,for those who keep bringing up BR’s failure at Liverpool,he didn’t just lose Suarez in 2014,he lost Sturridge too. Believe it or not,he scored over thirty goals the previous season.
Christ,queuing up wi reasons to diss the fella. Unbelievable.
Attendance in opening home league match this season…
Celtic: 58,778
Man City: 54,021
Liverpool: 53,235
Barcelona: 52,356
Real Madrid: 48,466
PSG: 47,289
Stephhoy
I suppose we have to consider how the goals were conceded before making a comparison of the two defenses.
JJ