Culpable defence, but that’s not all

824

The most pleasing aspect about last night was the manager’s reaction afterwards: “Yet another soft goal”. “We don’t defend a basic ball into the box”.  But, before Cristian Gamboa and Craig Gordon pick up the tab for a bad night in Lithuania, more went wrong.  Much more.

Goals change games and you can be sure games will change when Celtic are defending the way they are right now.  Gamboa losing his man for the goal was in keeping with what we should expect.  Cristian is good going forward but is not the most diligent at the back.  We need a backup, backup, right back.  Right?

Despite all that’s going wrong in defence, I am just as concerned about how the midfield is operating.  Our passing was again poor.  Olivier Ntcham opened the scoring after two minutes and opened the Suduva defence late in the game for Moussa Dembele to shoot wide, but for the rest of the game his passing was as inaccurate as it was against AEK and Rosenborg away.

Callum McGregor, so often a key to unlock packed defences, was ineffective.  I would like to see him play the deep lying playmaker roll over our next three games.  There he can dictate the pace and accuracy of our passing, leaving space for Rogic to play in front of him.

Moussa Dembele is our best striker, but the shape of the team left him isolated and looking just as out of sorts as Odsonne Edouard did at home to AEK.  We have potent strikers who see little of the ball.

On the positive side, Suduva were as poor a team as I can remember playing in recent seasons – and I include the Gibraltareños (as they will be known after March) in that.  We will reach the Europa League group stage.  How effectively we compete there will be determined by the arrivals over the next seven days.

Dinner for four at the Walfrid at Hamilton game on Sunday!

Courtesy of Intelligent Car Leasing, we are raffling a table for four at Sunday’s game against Hamilton Accies in aid of your Foundation.  If like me, you watch football in the bitter cold and wind, even in July and August, this will be a fantastic day our for you and three friends!

It’s a free bar.  And you get the chance to support the Celtic FC Foundation.

To win, contribute to this MyDonate page.  Suggest a minimum of £5 donation, but donate less if you cannot afford that.  Your money does straight to the Foundation as they prepare for the difficult winter period ahead.

Then, please forward your confirmation email to celticquicknews@gmail.com with the words “Central defender” in the SUBJECT line. Competition closes at 11.00 Saturday.  Winner will be informed on Saturday afternoon – so include a phone number if there’s any chance of missing your email (it’s happened).

Good luck, and remember: Central defender.

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824 Comments

  1. Splits in the dressing room,Brendan leaving,Dembele offski,Ntcham,offski,no confidence,PL,offski.This one is rubbish.That one is rubbish.

     

    Some of the quotes today from on here.Some a lot more regular than others.SMSM Quick News.Who needs enemies.

  2. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    DELANEYSDUNKY

     

     

    Most memorable part of that day was getting the scorecast up-and in the company of my hun mate!

     

     

    Which was nice…

  3. Conspiracies????

     

     

    1975

     

    1979

     

    1986???

     

    1988

     

    1998 (Mmmm?)

     

    2003

     

    2005

     

    2008 (Ask HT, I explained how we would win the League after the Motherwell defeat at CP)

     

    Then The Cheating Years till they went belly up, or did they? ….

     

     

    Can you see what it is next????

     

     

    But, getting pished on away trips was worth it, so it was…

     

     

    SCUNNEREDCSC

  4. Turkeybhoy @ 11:02 pm,

     

     

    I thought it was an interesting and imformative debate today and for the most part fairly civil…

     

     

    Goes to showw I guess.

     

     

    Hail Hail

  5. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    CALTONTONGUES

     

     

    Scunnered is a word I’m hearing more often from Celtic supporters. Little wonder,either.

  6. BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 25TH AUGUST 2018 11:09 PM,

     

     

    M, I’m not scunnered I know how it works.

     

     

    I thought after LIQUIDATION we, well we did, let other teams win baubles, FFS we’d be on 7/8 Trebles in a row if we hadn’t. Good for they teams winning something. They knew what we were up to but, support from them when it mattered, ZILCH, so F’ them especially Inverness & Kilmarnock who we let win….?????

  7. succulentlambstinks on

    Do not sell BoyRATa.

     

    Forget 9mill.. Itl only go in the biscuit tin.

     

    Forget even 4/5mill… still biscuit tin bound.

     

    So f@ck the biscuit tin.

     

    Send that greedy selfish bombscare BoyRATa to train with the kids till next May.

     

    Send a message out to other would be BoyRATa’s.

     

    Played 3 games at a World Cup and thinks he’s a star.

     

    Bastar’ that’s all he is.

     

    Rant over.

  8. Sun 08th April 2018

     

    Celtic Squad v Hamilton Accies

     

    10 Games 5 Shut Outs Craig Gordon

     

    01 Games 0 Shut Outs Scott Bain

     

    17 Games 0 Goals Scott Brown

     

    10 Games 8 Goals Leigh Griffiths

     

    09 Games 2 Goals James Forrest

     

    09 Games 1 Goals Nir Bitton

     

    08 Games 2 Goals Stuart Armstrong

     

    08 Games 2 Goals Callum McGregor

     

    06 Games 1 Goals Mikael Lustig

     

    05 Games 3 Goals Scott Sinclair

     

    05 Games 1 Goals Dedryck Boyata

     

    04 Games 3 Goals Moussa Dembele

     

    04 Games 0 Goals Patrick Roberts

     

    04 Games 0 Goals Jozo Simunovic

     

    04 Games 0 Goals Erik Sviatchenko

     

    04 Games 0 Goals Kieran Tierney

     

    03 Games 1 Goals Odsonne Edouard

     

    03 Games 1 Goals Olivier Ntcham

     

    03 Games 1 Goals Tom Rogic

     

    02 Games 0 Goals Kristoffer Ajer

     

    02 Games 0 Goals Scott Allan

     

    02 Games 0 Goals Cristian Gamboa

     

    02 Games 0 Goals Jonny Hayes

     

    01 Games 0 Goals Ryan Christie

     

    01 Games 0 Goals Jack Hendry

     

    01 Games 0 Goals Charly Musonda

     

    No Celtic App v Hamilton Accies

     

    Jack Aitchison

     

    Kundai Benyu

     

    Nadir Ciftci

     

    Marvin Compper

     

    Dorus De Vries

     

    Kouassi Eboue

     

    Michael Johnston

     

    Jamie McCart

     

    Calvin Miller

     

    Anthony Ralston

     

    Joe Thomson .

  9. oh how i wish all those who forecast 6-0 etc would give it a bye wishful fantasy thinking i presume .

  10. why would you be thinking of resting players we have to get the mentality go constant winning matches and a consistency of selection , pick the best 11 every week.

  11. ron67 on 26th August 2018 12:31 am

     

     

    oh how i wish all those who forecast 6-0 etc would give it a bye wishful fantasy thinking i presume .

     

    —————–

     

    The bigger the predicted Win the bigger the Tim everyone knows that ;O)

  12. THE_HUDDLE on 26TH AUGUST 2018 12:46

     

    The bigger the predicted Win the bigger the Tim everyone knows that ;O)

     

     

    oh is that how it works .

  13. ron67 on 26th August 2018 12:54 am

     

    The bigger the predicted Win the bigger the Tim everyone knows that ;O)

     

    ——————

     

    oh is that how it works .

     

    —————————

     

    In the good ol days of MON you’d have the 10 nil predications, it will happen this week :O)

     

     

    Shows how far we’ve fallen with only 6 nil win prediction (love how it’s always nil, and with our defence)

  14. THE_HUDDLE on 26TH AUGUST 2018 1:00 AM

     

     

    oh how times have changed , we can all but hope.

     

    HH

  15. The Downpatrick rave is about to start.

     

     

    What a place. Wonderful.

     

     

    The hun is coming with bigger players. Celtic have the new pitch and I know if we click next week and have the 3 French lads starting. Then they are in for a seriously rude awakening.

  16. Evening gents.

     

    I hate losing.

     

    I have been highly critical this week.

     

    However

     

    As my old Grandads schooled me – we are Celtic – come hail, rain or shine.

     

    Let this moment linger.

     

    Up Celtic, Up Brendan an Up the Boys

  17. Morning All… Definitely cooler in the chillederns… Even a slight Autumnal feel…

     

     

    It was good to hear French Eddie will be back early next week.

     

     

    In a bizarre summer injuries to Mousse and Odsonne have been very damaging.

     

     

    If we can have those two together, even for part of the game I’m sure we can win against Suduva and Steven Gerrard’s Sevco Rangers.

     

     

    As for today – tuff team selection…

     

     

    We really need to rest Broonie but don’t have a replacement, I’m sure Kouassi will do a good job but him and Ntcham together seem inexperienced – The Accies will get the decisions that’s for sure.

     

     

    Wonder if Brendan will give Mikey Johnston another start.

     

     

    Hope Leigh starts banging them in again…

     

     

    TitaniumMetalsCSC

     

     

    Hail Hail

  18. COYBIG.

     

     

    Winning is a confidence booster. Entertainment would be a most welcome bonus.

     

     

    HH.

  19. blantyretim is praying for the Knox family on

    I think it was Ron Bacardi who mentioned that only 400 voted on a Billy McNeill vote re Cesar/Ceaser

     

     

    If like me others find CQN so hard to navigate they won’t read anything other than Paul’s latest post and the comments below

     

     

    Adblocker does a great job of blocking the annoying pop ups on Cqn..

  20. BT, Ron,

     

     

    I never saw the vote. I would bet the majority on CQN did not see it either.

     

     

    A more accurate reflection on CQN numbers would be the good causes it has contributed to.

     

     

    HH. KTF.

  21. Good morning CQN from a damp Garngad

     

    4-0 to the good ghuys today.

     

     

    COYBIG

     

     

    D. :)

  22. Raining in Sunny Aberdeen. Had to wash off my wellies ?

     

    On the bus about to depart for Paradise.

     

    9-0 to the Hoops ?

  23. Three home games, three wins, three new players. A week’s a long time in football. Support the team on the park. They need us. We need us.