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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Rupert that is – not Bobby :)))
Gary67
11:40 on
31 December, 2014
!!bada bing!!
11:38 on 31 December, 2014
We’ve gone from mid table EPL to play offs challenging Championship standard team over last two years. IMO.
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Sadly we have players in our over-bloated squad who are League 1 standard one of which plays every week – Adam Matthews.
awe_naw_no_annoni_oan_anaw_noo
11:49 on 31 December, 2014
–
I’ll give it a good go.
Cheers
Kev j
Nothin new with you then…..making false accusations, with no proof, then insinuating people are telling lies..
I hope you get your wee 70/80’s dream world back.
Oh aye
An I’m aff oot.
Has Douglas Park just spent £2m on a banger?
laxleyescapethechaosCSC
BOOK AN AD
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13million+ shares in Rangers change hands
A mystery buyer today snapped up more than 13 million shares in Rangers.
Rebecca Gray
Rebecca Gray
Crime Reporter
Just love who is reporting on it.LOL.
Kevster
You didn’t answer yesterday about how Celtic could end up in the scrappy like Park the Bus Walter’s dead club did……..
TIMMALONEWILLTELL
I was jesting,bud. Play on words,having to watch themselves.
I binned Sky ages ago,coughed for Virgin due to flatmate pressure 15 months ago.
My telly is on about once a month,if that. Hers is never off.
But that may be why Sky and the like prosper. Blokes may happily dump it. Women,not so. A few mates have backed this,btw. Keeps their wives happy quiet and out the way!
kevjungle – murdo macleod’s title winning boots 4-2 legend
11:55 on 31 December, 2014
!!Bada Bing!!
11:51 on 31 December, 2014
________________________
Tough!
Peter Lawwell is a – liar.
Are you trying to say thats not true?
As I said, I have issues with PL, which are posted on here, but I use his name properly, not the way huns portray it, as you do.Is he a liar? He is very smart in answering questions/ issues which suits the Club’s needs, as he sees fit.
Anyone recommend any good docus that are on youtube ?
Any genre
Watched peter taylors who won the was last night about ireland. Was well put together.
Natknow
Scouting has to be aligned to the football strategy, otherwise it’s simply a card collecting exercise.
Lenny had been in and around the first team for 3 years before he got the job. He knew what he had, and he knew what he wanted. His first transfer window was remarkably successful principally because he had the scouts focussed on the type of players he knew he needed, and they’d been working to order since March.
“I want a ‘Wayne Rooney’ type” was the instruction that delivered Gary Hooper. Ledley, Kayal, Izaguirre and umpteen others arrived that summer, all to Lenny’s new brief.
Perhaps more instructive is the long list of players sold that summer. While McGeady’s sale provided the bank roll for the players bought, there were a further 8 first team players Lenny let go. My view is he didn’t see them fitting into his plan. Ronny did not have that luxury, his was a make do and mend introduction.
Of course it took Lenny a full 2 years to equip and train the team the way he wanted it, with the likes of Wilson, Wanayama Matthews and Lustig signed in his second season.
Point being, when Lenny took over from Mowbray, the scouting brief changed simultaneously. With Ronny taking over from Lenny, the same change has occurred but the timing was all wrong.
Scouting reacts to the new circumstances. Ronny came into the club mid June without having the benefit of Lenny’s knowledge of the squad or a recruitment plan. Beyond a pretty comprehensive database and video library, Ronny had zip to work with.
My view is that the transition was badly managed by the club. With the entire first team coaching staff skying the par at once, there was no one on the ground floor to offer reliable advice.
The result is what we see today. I expect that the scouting brief has been changed markedly in the past 6 months, and we should see the impact of that come September, hopefully with a few examples of what to expect lobbed in during January.
We’ll see.
Over 13 Million The Rangers shares have changed hands this morning giving who ever bought them a 16% share in the Ibrokes club it is unknown at the moment who the seller and the buyer are.It looks like things are happening to the deid team. H.H.
pedrocaravanachio67
11:59 on 31 December, 2014
________________________
Well, the evidence is on pages 25 / 26 of this thread.
Maybe its only ‘cliquey’ denialists that canny see it?
Oh, and the 70’s & 80’s were better times to be a Tim than the present p#sh with a Celtic Park that is so soul-less that fans canny even give complimentary tickets away and yet, ye canny get eaticket for the away games?
The 70’s & 80’s were better coz, the Jungle, Murdo, Maestro, Tommy Burns, Danny McGrain, Big Roy Aitken, Big Mark McGhee and U2 were there.
What more could ye ask for?
HH
KevJ…..
If you are happy to call Peter Lawwell a liar, please leave your name, address and other contact details at the end of your post.
I am pleased to announce I won’t be reading any of your pish for the next 3 or 4 days at least.
proudbhoy-BBC 3 or 4 had a 2 part fly on the wall documentary on Ajax about 4 years ago.Was brilliant, showing the training from U 7s right through to first team.Also went to their training academy in Africa . I’ve never seen it repeated since mate, youtube a possibility. HH
!!Bada Bing!!
12:02 on 31 December, 2014
________________________
We’ll have to agree to – disagree on this.
I will counsell myself with the ‘fact’ that I know its not me he is ripping the piss out of.
HH
Just spoke to sevconian neighbour.
He tells me that his brother’s bus, brigton loyal, has cancelled snake mountain for the time being.
Said they ‘cant take no more’.
I’m sure thats the line of a song.
Philbhoy
12:07 on 31 December, 2014
________________________
Oh, another sucker!
Who’da funk it?
Proudbhoy
If you havn’t seen it, watch ‘The Imposter’
It will blow your mind
B-)
skyisalandfill,
Yep,pro footballers aged 22-upwards who have not yet learned how to pass a ball in their careers.It has to be the coaching they are getting now.
Dear God in heaven.
Kev j
Nope, canny see it, is it too much to ask when you’re casting aspersions to be more specific….like the poster and the time.
Or maybe it’s just another one of your fantasies.
Joe Filippis Haircut
12:04 on
31 December, 2014
Over 13 Million The Rangers shares have changed hands this morning giving who ever bought them a 16% share in the Ibrokes club it is unknown at the moment who the seller and the buyer are.It looks like things are happening to the deid team. H.H.
Bought in two lots of 5 million and other smaller lots, so may or may not be the same person or persons (3 maybe) and by coincidence the amount sold equalled the Laxey holding
BIG-CUP-WINNERS
12:00 on 31 December, 2014
Kevster
You didn’t answer yesterday about how Celtic could end up in the scrappy like Park the Bus Walter’s dead club did……..
___________________________
Ye’ve lost me?
PROUDBHOY
Or,watch this. Pilot for The Sweeney.
Use the sidebar for all the following episodes.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=A1d1-8Y8QCM
philbhoy
12:07 on 31 December, 2014
Only 3 or 4 days, he talks shit constantly better just to by pass him forever HH
Do Sevco need to make a declaration of who is buying such a significant percentage?
Is this Ashleys proxy plan being put in place?
I suppose we will find out soon enough one way or another…
pedrocaravanachio67
12:13 on 31 December, 2014
________________________
As I said earlier – I’m not a grass or, a denialist.
If ye canny see it – you’ve answered my point.
proudbhoy
12:02 on 31 December, 2014
Anyone recommend any good docus that are on youtube ?
Any genre
Watched peter taylors who won the was last night about ireland. Was well put together.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Secret architecture of Washington DC – Riddles in Stone…. is always worth checking out.
hun skelper
12:15 on 31 December, 2014
________________________
Well, I’m trying to out-do you so, looks like I’ll be here for the long haul.
BT
I haven’t .
It can only be an old quote.
Johan Murdoch and myself have written to the club expressing our concerns.
We still await a response to a face to face meeting.
If my previous quote helps Celtic sell tickets I am all for it.
I want us to sell out the stadium and have more income to buy better players.
Have a guid new year.
TT
The Battered Bunnet
Seldom have I read such guff.
Things need to click, and must happen overnight at Celtic. We have more money and, well that’s enough evidence for just now.
If we don’t win every game and by a margin, then that’s it we’re doomed, DOOMED I tell ye.
If that outfit, Inter Milan beat us, that’ll be it for me…….no season ticket or purchases, until we sack PL and RD. The guy that keeps the pitch should be issued with a formal warning too.
====================================
On a serious note though, your idea that the transition was badly managed would support the suggestion that the plans went off the rails in some (major) part.
Sky reporting/speculating that Laxey have sold their 13 million shares in Sevco
turkeybhoy
12:12 on 31 December, 2014
If you can’t pass the ball at 15 you shouldn’t be playing football professionally at 22, passing a football is a basic requirement surely HH
KEVJ
Surprisingly,I’m the kinda guy who derives little pleasure from being proved right.
But then,a little matters a lot.
So-thanks a lot!
KevJungle
Good……….why you still here then ?
Roy croppie
Has laxeys baled?
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.
Probably deserved for his fantastic charity work.A great patron of St Josephs.
Can remember a huns AGM when the hordes were wanting to string him up for his outspoken stance against their signing policy.
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS
12:19 on 31 December, 2014
________________________
Not going to waste my time trying to be reasonable with someone so, unreasonable.