I watched Hull batter Leicester City on TV last night without putting the ball in the net. The sheer volume and quality of chances entitled Hull fans to some consolation in the valid football adage, ‘these days happen’. Those absent from Celtic Park on Saturday are likely to assume we similarly battered Ross County, but they would be wrong. County defended throughout but were never under anything close to intense pressure.
This is one of the right times of the season to have a performance like that, they are of little use in the first week in February, when the transfer window is closed. Clues abound as to where we need to strengthen, most pointing to the forward line. John Guidetti’s drop in form over the last month has dropped like a stone, but he’s still comfortably holding onto the striker position. Neither Stokes, Griffiths nor Scepovic are putting pressure on a young off-form player.
There is also the playmaker position, which appears to be on the bench. Kris Commons has been dropped before in his Celtic career, often for important games in Europe, where more industrious, but less talented, players were chosen. I spent most of Saturday’s game waiting on Kris coming on, but if his general level of fitness counts against him for a starting position, his lack of 90 minute outings since his injury earlier in the season means that his late-game cameos look even less industrious.
As I’ve been saying since July, we only have one playmaker and if he’s not playing or off form, we’ll struggle. With a match-fit Commons on from the start yesterday, we would have won comfortably. I’m happy to accept we need a playmaker who’ll cover 15k in 90 minutes, so sign one, but if we’re going to let Commons go, or wither on the bench, sign two, before we end up dependent on one man again.
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I see the creator of viagra is to receive a knighthood
i wonder how long he will stand before the queen….
Hamiltontim 10:29 on 31 December, 2014
m6bhoy
If they did it this season, would it really be as bad as it is being painted by some here and on other forums?
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In my opinion yes.
With the resources we have available we should win the league.
That’s not a sense of entitlement I’m just gutted anytime Celtic don’t win the title.
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I’m one of the original NIAR weans and was devasted when the huns stopped TIAR. It also hurt when Aberdeen won the title twice but I remember the exitement of both these campaigns and Ferguson had built a bloody good team at Pittodrie. Perhaps that would be the big difference this time round – the current Aberdeen team couldn’t hold a candle to the Fergie teams? It would certainly be bad news for us in the short-term but would be great for Scottish football longer term and we could benefit from that.
itscalledthemalvinas
09:41 on 31 December, 2014
Andy Cameron lifts the gloom in govan by being awarded an MBE.
Asked by the easdales to parade it at half time on Saturday to boost the morale of a long suffering but all deserved support.
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Dress him up in a wee para uniform from the action man website and parade him at half time and they can pretend they still have an empire!
HH jamesgang
5 Million shares (6%) bought/sold in Sevco
JAMESGANG
Comments like that must go down well when you visit NI…
Did Craig Whyte get a gong? Or Mr Green?? That would be a nice way of rewarding them for their efforts.
jamesgang
hahaha , throw in a few falklands war hero’s and jim watt and it’ll be just like the good old days down govan way
HH
blantyretim is praying for the Knox family
10:39 on
31 December, 2014
I see the creator of viagra is to receive a knighthood
i wonder how long he will stand before the queen….
——————————————————————————————————————-
Yet another example of Political Erectness!
m6bhoy
Genuine question mate. In the mid to long term how do you think it would benefit Celtic?
Now 10 million shares – who is bailing out and why now?
GORDON J
Mine too. And I’m sure the SFA will also be aware.
Problem will be proving it.
Maybe I can help with my own wee suggestion.
Balance of probabilities…
Has Andy ever abseiled afore?
HORRID HENRY
I reckon that is about how many shares Kieran Prior bought in the IPO.
Scattered tthoughts.
When the new firm done well in the eighties they were also doing well in Europe and had many players in the national squad. Presently they cannot even qualify and some of you think this is good ? Yes I agree but not for Celtic.
Congratulations on Peter Lawwells foray into ventrilioquism (Sp?).
Viagra was discovered by accident.
HH
Bobbio
I am usually very diplomatic.
;-)
Cowiebhoy
If we don’t win the league you’ll blame RD, PL and …….. Doc…… But not in that order!
HH jamesgang
Anyone on here ever been to dusseldorf ?
Mate is considering it for his stag in july.. iv been to hamburg and berlin and recommened them to him but dusseldorf also in the mix.
Sally selling up I see. For the sake of his sanity naturally
HH
I watched Daryl Murphy on Boxing Day against Brentford and he was a handful – a lot quicker than I thought he was and physically strong.
Not sure whether it’s systems, expectation etc. that seems to do for strikers at CP. I do suspect though that some gain confidence at lesser clubs by knowing they are first pick and that the system and tactics will revolve around them rather than the other way around…
My friends in Celtic,
Nearly another year over.
Best wishes : Health, happiness and peace to all associated with CQN for 2015.
Until next year.
HH. Mark
As it’s past midnight in New Zealand, Happy New Year to my sons Ryan and Jonathan in Auckland and also taurangabhoy darn south.
All the very best to all Celts for 2015.
V
awe_naw_no_annoni_oan_anaw_noo
10:59 on 31 December, 2014
Sally selling up I see. For the sake of his sanity naturally
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Or someone’s telt him you can’t eat shares?
They might cost the same as penny sweets but they don’t taste as good…..
HH jamesgang
Big J
You trying to start a Hug many list :-)
Hail Hail, goat the butchers to go too now
proudbhoy
Duesseldorf is perfect for a stag weekend. You want to go to the altstadt. Better cheaper and more contained than Hamburg or Berlin.
HH
Vmhan
Well said, very happy New Year to those over there
Not heard from my own daughter now for 3 days, no idea where she is, although I know she will be with Great Bhoy in Melbourne Mick come the 5th
Vmhan – Connaire12 also trying to get a hold of you
Hail Hail
tim malone will tell
10:59 on 31 December, 2014
I watched Daryl Murphy on Boxing Day against Brentford and he was a handful – a lot quicker than I thought he was and physically strong.
Not sure whether it’s systems, expectation etc. that seems to do for strikers at CP. I do suspect though that some gain confidence at lesser clubs by knowing they are first pick and that the system and tactics will revolve around them rather than the other way around…
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Having half a dozen of them on our books can’t help either.
Lack of game time, continuity, partnerships, etcetera
See it with Scepovic right now.
And for eg the most time big Balde got on the pitch was at half time with Danny McGrain trying to learn him how to trap a ball…… Hmmmm come to think of it, maybe that explains it in his case. ;-)
HH jamesgang
There was a twitter link to The Tower Bar yesterday,saying they had some tickets left
Cowiebhoy
I see what you did there!
‘Goat to go to the butchers’ – ACGR will be after you crying ‘leave yon goats alone!’
HH jamesgang
Looking like Laxey have just checked out of Sevco. That’ll be a £6.5M bath they’ve taken. Expensive bath.
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS
10:55 on
31 December, 2014
HORRID HENRY
I reckon that is about how many shares Kieran Prior bought in the IPO.
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Cheezy Peeps! I’d forgotten all about him. I better watch if I ever lend you money. ;-)
HH
Laxey Partners
The Championship in England is miles ahead of the SPFL,the current Celtic team wouldn’t get promoted out it IMO
RobertTressell
09:37 on 31 December, 2014
Happy New Year Timdom.
Looks like we are back in to must win league games for the first time in ages.
Good.
Hope Aberdeen can keep it going. It will be good for Celtic to have to fight for the league.
If they give us a challenge watch the attendances creeping up. As football fans we want excitement. We should be glad when we get it.
You’ll be seeing less of me on the blog in 2015 – I’m resolved to spend more time in the real world.
Be nice to each other.
Hail hail.
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I want every team as Strong as possible in Scotland for when that Tribute act make it into the top League.
I’d much rather see Aberdeen and Dundee Utd get into the Europa League, proper, and give a few bloody noses there, hopefully they will next season.
Celtic will win this League comfortably.
proudbhoy
10:58 on
31 December, 2014
Anyone on here ever been to dusseldorf ?
Mate is considering it for his stag in july.. iv been to hamburg and berlin and recommened them to him but dusseldorf also in the mix.
—————————————–
I’ve been. Was great. Avoid the Blood Sausage in the pub though – bit rubbery…
If the lil bo peep won the league this season it would only highlight how far we have fallen. they are mincer than mince meat minced in a mincer for mince pies sold at parkehead often cold and undercooked.
But then some would stil be clapping on the happy waggon about just how good it was for something or other that our downsizing is coming along perfectly to plan in the grand ole scheme of fings of fingamyjiggerypokerywhateverabooterystuff’n’that!
MWD said AYE
What will a large investor dropping The Rangers’ shares have on the price? Will a large amount available make it drop?
rummybhoy
10:32 on 31 December, 2014
Deila is becoming increasingly irritating with each passing day. Wish he would stop talking garbage and get a decent effective team on the park. Most managers with the players at his disposal would be streets ahead in the league just now.
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He is ahead and robbed of at least one point in recent weeks
Anyway, the problem is the inability of highly paid professionals to trap a ball and pass it in one movement, or at least find a teammate with a pass 9 times out of ten.
Players not moving into space to open up a passing option and failing continually to close down opponents identified as being ‘poor on the ball’
Johanson is being made to look like a headless chicken trying to play the pressing game, when his teammates are not getting into that mindset. They still want to sit in a line and narrow the game.
Someone is responsible for the poor quality of player in hoops. I’m not on about money spent but ‘bang for buck!’ Whoever hired these players, and I doubt it has been any of our managers is to blame, needs hunted out the club. The supporters can see it, and over the last 6-8 years have become disillusioned with guys in hoops unable to achieve the basics.
The new manager is trying to make changes but is hamstrung. I feel enough investment in players – just wasted on a string of not very competent players. The good players have become lazy, coz why should they bother when others don’t even prepare properly for their chosen profession?
This season has been just as frustrating as recent years. There have been flashes of what can happen when we get it right. Not enough, but it gives me hope that there is a method that can work and RD deserves the chance to make it happen.
The alternatives are few, and most of us should have Sussed that by now.
Happy New Year to all fellow Celts. Yes even the greeting faced whining wans ;-) Be very careful what you wish for in 2015
HH
Sky Sports News just doing an interview with Neil Doncaster and David Tanner about the state of Scottish Football and manage to completely ignore the champions Celtic. Dundee, Hamilton St Johnstone and Aberdeen all mentioned and rightly so, but nothing about the champions. How strange?
Horrid Henry 10.33-
The choice isn`t a binary one of:-
1. Pay EPL wages OR
2. Sign Cifti-type players as its the only way we can live within our means.
Legia Warsaw and Basel, for example, will not spend anywhere near EPL levels on wages. Both are doing much better than us in Europe this season (in Basel`s case they have steadily performed really well in Europe on a consistent basis over the last 10-12 years). Much of their success has been built on identifying good upcoming young players in their home and neighbouring countries and signing them allied to renewing the contracts of more experienced mainstay players (e.g. the 30 year old Radovic signed a new three year contract at Legia this summer and gave us a torrid time in our games with Legia).
In contrast, we tend to let our experienced players run their contracts down without getting replacements in for them. (Brown is the exception). We have also missed out on a lot of the brightest young talent emerging from Scotland in recent years.
We are signing too many players on transfer deadline day. A rushed decision is being made by both the player coming in (do they really want to be here/ did other moves fall through? – I have my doubts that both Pukki and Scepovic ever ideally wanted to be anywhere near Celtic Park) and people don`t tend to make their best decisions when they are being rushed. We have signed at least 2 players on deadline day in the last 3 summer transfer windows – Miku, Lassad, Ambrose, Pukki, Bitton, Guidetti, Scepovic – and there`s more miss than hit in that lot. Who out of those signings has delivered value for money against the wages, loan and transfer fees spent on them to date?
Also too many signings/ contract renewal decisions are being made through the prism of “resale value.” Our transfer activity should be planned more carefully with a focus on maximising the possibilities of success in the CL qualifiers rather than with a view to how much money a project being signed from Israel or wherever might get us in 12, 18 or 24 months. I`d rather take my chances with the guaranteed annual £20 million cash from CL qualification rather than living in hope that we can somehow transform someone from Dudu Dahan`s roster of Israeli and Belgian league punts into another Victor Wanyama.
The focus at Celtic must always be CL qualification – its a far more secure and straightforward route to revenue for us than transfer sales. We have never taken in as much money in one year from transfer fees as we have from CL qualification. If the club is going to follow the money, it might as well follow the greatest and most accessible revenue stream.