We sacrificed Scott Sinclair at half-time to pack central mid, but this left Kieran Tierney covering two men at the opening goal, meaning Salzburg had time to deliver a cross. A consequence of this is that Celtic had an extra man in the middle, to help the already surplus defender count. No Salzburg player should have gotten near the cross ball.
Olivier Ntcham was lost in no man’s land, not helping Kieran Tierney and nowhere near a Salzburg player. Think back to the Gold Standard of Celtic packing a defence, Barcelona 2012. Just as we did in the second half last night, we sacrificed space on the wings, allowing the opposition possession there, but everyone in the box knew their job and stuck to it – and that was a defence with Kelvin Wilson, Efe Ambrose and Adam Matthews playing out of position on the left.
Losing the first goal due to a lack of concentration when a cross came into the box with a surplus of defenders in position, was the same trait that saw us leave the Champions League in August. I’m more inclined to forgive Craig Gordon’s lapse at the second goal – a freak mistake that will not be repeated – than shrug off the fact that we switch off at crosses at a rate not known under Efe Ambrose and Kelvin Wilson, two defenders who would not get near this team!
Salzburg were superb; the significantly better team. In these circumstances, we have to make life difficult for them. Try to ensure that if they get a goal, they have to do something exceptional to earn it. Had we been at our best and done this, we would have left with the point we would have needed, if unanticipated events did not take place elsewhere.
If I’m getting everything off my chest at once: missing three consecutive penalties! Really? Practice, practice, practice.
The uptick in our threat level increased when Filip Benkovic was moved forward into a striker’s position. We struggled to get the ball forward before this, it was just not sticking to Odsonne Edouard. Odsonne is playing the role Dembele fulfilled before his flounce, but he is a different player to Moussa. I don’t think he will flourish in a solitary role with his back to goal.
So much of our transformation in recent weeks has been down to the impact of Ryan Christie. If he is out for an extended period, which looks likely, this will have a negative impact. The return of Kristoffer (Alfredo) Ajer was welcome, although our resident Norwegian must have hoped for an easier game to feel his way back into.
The outstanding player in a Celtic shirt was James Forrest, he was the only player who could live with Salzburg’s speed of thought, never mind speed of foot. We think of Kieran Tierney as our MVP, but James is the one opposition scouts will leave talking about.
And what of Rosenborg? At Celtic Park they did what we should have done last night: stick to task, don’t make mistakes and hope for a break, which almost got them a point. I was surprised they came back from a goal down in Leipzig, but, without seeing the game, I am sure they deployed the same game plan there as in Glasgow.
Nine points is a fabulous return from that group. Eliminating Leipzig, a team who reached the quarterfinals of this tournament last season, knocking out Zenit and Napoli, before losing to eventual finalists, Marseille, is an exceptional achievement.
We got the break when we needed it, but we earned the right to be waiting on the break for performances across the six games. Napoleon (translated) said, “I’d rather have lucky generals than good ones.” He should have added, “But don’t talk about luck if you win having battled on all fronts for weeks.” We are into the knock out rounds on merit.
Bring on the Hibernians.
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Be Thou My Vision
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihJAJA4ibEs
GFTB
Danny McGrain was the best right back in the world for about 10 years in my mind.
Ask JR Dallas. He will agree wi me. ?????????????????????
YNWA
Big Packy,
For you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7uiqRCW6I8
DD 12.09am
Unsure how I missed how good Danny was, my first “old firm” game in 1980 Danny scored in my mind. Dallas is of the same opinion of your good self.. growing up Chris Morris then Jackie McNamara were my right backs … remember you & Dallas are a bit older than me :-)
GFTB
Daniel Fergus McGrain
Celtic Legend
YNWA
Just in from a night out and read the sad news about the passing of BT’s mother.
May she rest in peace.
KevJ , my ol friend, love your posts bro, no matter what mate you keep posting what you believe, never ever back down, true Tim in my book, a wait incoming snide mate , from the WANs who Shote it from them who answer back ????
The Blantur Brothers fae Wishy & New Stevy … fair play agreeing with everything any thoughts on the fitba last night ?
FriendsreunitedCSC :-)
Weebawbabbity
You were a gentleman in McChuills but still a lack of fitba posts on these pages …. and our Kev giving you a “mention “ ✔️
Is a bit cringe…. but each to their own
GFTB , ah !! You missed the shud! Not respond but you will EXCEPT IF It’s canamalar which you will SHITE IT ??, anyway my pub bud , wan thing about the the Blantar bro !! He won’t be on here after BIG time savageing BEGGING FOR SUPPORT ,, HH hope you and family have a good Xmas
Catchphrase
See what you see :-)
On Monday at 12pm I would take anybody in a home or away …
Baku ??? Who knows
Ps Gerry would have a pint ANYTIME with you in real life , and a hope you feel the same, just sticking up for a friend, know you would do the same , a Celtic post , every one of us is better than that scum HH
Weebaebabbity
My daughter bought me & her two cracking deserts fae a place called “Conny nae dae that” your tenner cost me £4 as the bill was obviously £14 much appreciated and I can assure you she knew it was you lol :-)
GFTB, me and you have had a few disagreements on here, we met and had a beer together, as you brilliantly put it’s hard to type a argument we had a good time together, to the next time friend
Reallifecfc
Hi ghuys,
I thought since it’s quiet on here this morning, I would like to congratulate our wonderful team for their succession in the EUFA league. Hope I didn’t upset anyone, if so, apologies. HH and bye.
Weebawbabbity
Hopefully my disagreements on here are minimal … I have met you in person and I can assure you i would engage in a round in the future … posts are less personal …and remember witnout knowing me your trolling (your own words) … I take it as a compliment :-) me and the wee blade might not go to games bit she is a pure wee Tim ….
Weefra
Quiet or not get posting
Our team are in good places :-)
Top o the league & last 32
Good times
Sincere condolences to BT and the Fallon family.
God Bless you all at this difficult time.
Petec
BT is in our thoughts Celtic is our jigsaw ,,,, we all have a wee tiny piece of the big jigsaw
God bless our wee Leigh, I think a lot have walked in our Leigh’s shoes ?
GFTB,
It’s a fine line between Genius and Madness. More so now in this totally Weirded out Social Media panopticon type World.
Leigh still has a chance now to become a top top Player. He has the right Manager there, that if he can get this sorted.. then… I can see him coming back with an Almighty Bang.
Get the distractions oot the way Leigh and take it from there. Stay away from the limelight, uninstall all Social Media and do it – be the Celtic Numero UNO.
Petec
I finished up work on Thursday at 6.30pm … go back on Christmas Eve, sometimes we need a focus… I love Leigh the footballer and I can assure you more than everybody knows has had those same thoughts … you have to grasp the ones you have
WITS … on very low volume Sean South is now playing .. every week is a school week …
GFTB,
We were poor on Thursday night. The focus wasn’t quite there. I blame the only need a draw syndrome.
The Support was not Great on the Night – way too many moans and groans (I had a few myself). The Salzburg team outmuscled us overall.
Wee Jamesie is the absolute Key for Celtic @ this level.
Petec 4.05pm
We can’t be magic all the time, our bread n butter SPL never in my time here even the the negatons I live beside didn’t have one bad word to say :-)
Europe is a quandry some want to be a club of the people and slag the board but want the riches of the rich :-) the irony is lost …. am pretty happy at Celtic winning but they don’t have to win all the time … probably because am not a real fan :-)
Bedtime … Celtic getting to the last 32 is massive, a few games left in December have a rest in January and then we go again
Griff will never walk alone ?
Blantyre Tim
Sorry to hear your very sad news.
Deepest sympathy from all here .
Blantyre Tim,
Sincere condolences on the loss of your mum.
Eurochamps67
KINGLUBO on 14TH DECEMBER 2018 2:36 PM
Sorry, off topic , I know, but I have to get this off my chest.
Does our government have no self respect at all, grovelling to those bastards in Europe, for goodness sake, have we lost all self respect. Tell the to foxtrot oscar, and go for a no deal brexit , otherwise we will be at their beck and call for ever and a day. We are Britain, not some little backwater , does my head in, really does.
Cars have been a huge part of my life, from owning, racing and rallying, i love cars. Now look at our car industry here in the UK. No Triumph, Riley, Standard, Rover, Morris , the list is endless. Apart from a few bespoke brands like TVR and Aston Martin we don’t have a car industry. Successive governments have deprived our car industry for decades ( other European countries give backing to theirs) , now we give billions of handouts to Japanese and Ameriacn car giants to build their bloody cars here, a disgrace.
Napoleon was right, shopkeepers indeed.
That’s better.
KINGLuBO
====================================================================
Can identify .
Linwood workers advised me never to buy one of their products.
Wee Carty. The workers friend.
Aye . I know.
Thank God for an informed Tim.
Well . Apart from the Corsican reference.
A good Irishman saw him off.
No deal ?
Watch the unelected EU star chamber comedy duo , Tusk and Barnier , cringe and then grovel , while looking for alternative funding for their gravy train.
Look West , Britain.
Donald is with us .
The Ozzy Alf Garnett posting a load of kangaroo keech as usual. Hh
Macjay
Hope you “enjoyed” us not winning against Salzburg, we live to win another day :-)
So much for being “off” overtime calls for this minimum(ish) wager
Snow has fallen in ML5
You could almost taste the bitterness and resentment oozing out of Scotia’s MSM at our qualification for the EL last 32. What should have been heralded as a great achievement has been met with snyde and back handed compliments. What a sad wee country. HH
GFTB , hope you aren’t driving to work bud!! Celtic to win 2-1 tomorrow huns 1-1 , fiver dble
morning bhoys from an absolutely freezing Cheshire, if your going out wrap up well.hh.
Weebawbabbity
Started working in the toon in 1988 so after 2 lessons the driving nonsense got ditched …. sitting in front of a computer for 30yrs does heehaw for the street cred or bank balance but it nearly pays the bills
EvenIcandoit CSC
BT,
My condolences on the loss of your mother,
may she rest in peace
GORDON64 on 15TH DECEMBER 2018 7:14 AM
The Ozzy Alf Garnett posting a load of kangaroo keech as usual. Hh
=====================================================================
Is that not a bit inappropriate under these circumstances ?
=====================================================================
MACJAY1 FOR NEIL LENNON on 15TH DECEMBER 2018 4:50 AM
GERRYFAETHEBRIG on 15TH DECEMBER 2018 7:18 AM
” Hope you “enjoyed” us not winning against Salzburg, we live to win another day :-) ”
—————————————————————————————————————————————
Hi , Gerry.
Called my mate as he was coming out of Celtic Park after the game .
As he said …………… ” We never get these breaks ”
Brendan`s magic strikes again .
Hissing down in Sydney :-) :-)
Good morning, friends, from a lightly snow dusted, chilly East KIlbride.
KINGLUBO on 14TH DECEMBER 2018 2:36 PM
“Does our government have no self respect at all, grovelling to those bastards in Europe, for goodness sake, have we lost all self respect. Tell the to foxtrot oscar, and go for a no deal brexit , otherwise we will be at their beck and call for ever and a day. We are Britain, not some little backwater , does my head in, really does.”
I know, there’s 66 million of us and only 448 million of them so we’re definitely in the driving seat here.
“Cars have been a huge part of my life, from owning, racing and rallying, i love cars. Now look at our car industry here in the UK. No Triumph, Riley, Standard, Rover, Morris , the list is endless. Apart from a few bespoke brands like TVR and Aston Martin we don’t have a car industry. Successive governments have deprived our car industry for decades ( other European countries give backing to theirs) , now we give billions of handouts to Japanese and American car giants to build their bloody cars here, a disgrace.”
And us losing our car industry is all the dastardly EUs fault, er, obviously. Anyways, no to worry, once we get our No Deal Brexit and lose access to the single market, rest assured we won’t have to give a single penny to any Japaneses or American car giants as they’ll have cleared off to where the single market is.
MACJAY1 – 5:59 AM
“Watch the unelected EU star chamber comedy duo , Tusk and Barnier , cringe and then grovel , while looking for alternative funding for their gravy train.
Look West , Britain.
Donald is with us .”
Do we not have our own unelected star chamber in the House of Lords and rest assured, all your favourite Brexiteers like, arise Lords Rees-Mogg and Farage, will end up in First Class in that gravy train in a totally unelected capacity eventually too.
Also, If you look carefully, you might notice that it’s our very own Theresa May who’s gone cringing and grovelling to the EU and NOT the other way aboot!
And as for Donald, he’s not with us as he’s too busy grovelling to his murderous pal Putin who got him corruptly elected to bother with us.
And as an aside, have you noticed how, when a mass shooter has brown skin, which has been thankfully seldom, he’s all over the media hollering Terrorism and ranting about Immigration, but when it’s yet another home grown, right wing, racist, white supremacist nut-job Donald supporter, which has been sadly all too frequent, there’s not a peep of condemnation?
Really good guy is Donald, as he panders in a cringing and grovelling way to the racist, gun toting, murderous, racist, white neo-nazi supremacists is he.
Jesus said; “Love one another as I have loved you”, He did not add, “but not if they have brown skin like me, or follow another religion or none, or have well dodgy foreign accents, or are immigrants, as my parents and I were in the land of Egypt.
“You are to love the foreigner, because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 10:19)
Cars have been a huge part of my life, from owning, racing and rallying, i love cars. Now look at our car industry here in the UK. No Triumph, Riley, Standard, Rover, Morris , the list is endless. Apart from a few bespoke brands like TVR and Aston Martin we don’t have a car industry. Successive governments have deprived our car industry for decades ( other European countries give backing to theirs) , now we give billions of handouts to Japanese and Ameriacn car giants to build their bloody cars here, a disgrace.