Hindsight and all that, but looking back, Celtic’s form slipped in mid-April this year. We were imperious until that point, but even wins, like the Scottish Cup semi-final win over Newco, were not as impressive than the League Cup Final win over the same opponents a few weeks earlier.
The season petered out amid home draws against Motherwell and St Mirren and heavy defeats at Ibrox and Easter Road. The Scottish Cup Final win over Inverness was laboured compared to the League Cup Final performance.
Potency was lost when Aaron Mooy was injured in the second week of March. He returned for the odd cameo – one start and three substitute appearances, but the sharpness was gone. Adding to the issue, Cameron Carter-Vickers dropped out of the team after the Scottish Cup semi-final win in April. Aaron is now gone and it has been Cameron’s turn to put in cameo appearances this season.
Watching our midfield this season, it should be clear to all that the other big absence from the side is Reo Hatate. Callum McGregor has been partnered with two from Matt O’Riley, David Turnbull and Odin Holm. Stacks of potential there but we are missing the laser-like craft of Reo, nor have we replaced the strength of Aaron. Until this is addressed, nothing will change.
This is your timely reminder that Carter-Vickers and Jota didn’t join Celtic until deadline day two years ago. Without that day’s business, Tottenham fans would not be able to pronounce the name Postecoglou right now. We are not witnessing a managerial issue, just the normal process of rebuilding a team, while targeting valued players in demand with others fill their trollies with frees and journeymen.
Our own Mouldy67 has suffered injury in recent years, which stopped him participating in the recent Road to Seville cycle event from Celtic Park to the city we descended upon 20 years ago. I spoke to him last week for the video below and asked about his extraordinary work on behalf of the Celtic FC Foundation and the enormous challenge he is about undertake.
He will complete a virtual cycle of over 1,000 miles, including gradients, to raise money for our Foundation. For a man carrying an injury, it is a magnificent commitment, one that is an example to a few in the modern game. It was a moving insight into where we have been as a community in recent years, and Mouldy67’s take on being a Celtic supporter. I recommend it to you.
You can read more about his story, support his cycling and the work of the Foundation by donating here. Thank you.
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BIG WAVY on 28TH AUGUST 2023 4:41 PM
EKBHOY on 28TH AUGUST 2023 4:26 PM
…….
Agreed Angeball was in the rear view mirror for a good while.
Given that effort is a given , we need focus from mgt and players over the next couple of months to get us to a better place. It is possible and can be achieved.
HH
EK Bhoy @4.26
Yip. As a friend said to me this morning, maybe Ange knew before us, he had a sell by date, like most managers. Do it once fine, do it twice great, but three times with the same level of player he’d assembled made Spurs a “no brainer”not least for personal economical reasons. I read that his agent was banned from Parkhead in March, so we had plenty of notice of what might be coming down the pyke.
I think Brendan thought it would be seemless given his warranted faith in his own abilities. Dead easy, you carry on with the £1Mplus deals, I’ll prepare the traffic cones bibs and team talks at Lennoxtown. A pause for assessment saw his consummate professional public personna, reach the point of being slightly shaken if not stirred in his inertviews where he more than a few times said ‘Quality’
He’s could only have lost his “ world class manager’s “ crown till the weekend.
Only one game to be played before the International break.
Both Taylor and Ralston “snubbed” (proof positive that Steve Clarke reads CQN) leaving CalMac as our only player in the Scotland squad. We have two in the South Korean squad though with both Oh and Yang in Klinnsman’s squad for games in Wales and Newcastle so no long trips there. Could be good timing for Oh, and for us if it helps fitness wise.
Well said lambert.your spot on in everything hh
Remember, Brendan, has had plenty of practice, this season and more so last, in dealing with interviews when his team has played badly, :)) por cierto
That awkward moment when Brian F agrees with you….
that did make me laugh
On the150th anniversary of Sacred Heart Bridgeton a repost of the Shamrocks essay
https://the-shamrock.net/2016/09/18/glengarry/
Well done all at the parish,what an influence on Celtic,the east end and the faith
HH
It’s been correctly pointed out that we lack physicality in midfield and that it’s a bit pedestrian.
Is Iwata not worth a few games? Japanese POTY. Works hard and is physical. Certainly seems to offer more than DT
DEXTER P. BAMPOT
What play a midfielder in midfield?
GREENPINATA on 28TH AUGUST 2023 2:19 PM
Hot Smoked,
Thank you for your reply.
You are welcome and I agree, of course, that creating chances is almost pointless if we don`t take them but I would still argue that the fact that we did create them means St J did not `negate` our attacking force.
I don`t think St J`s tactics caused us to miss those many chances. Something else did but what, I am not sure.
Vuelta to watch later and things to do in the interim so
Cheerio for now.
PS We won`t lose on Sunday.
To me the problem Ange had was that he had a great philosophy about how football should be played.
Like – the amount of tome the ball is on the park, get ball bhoys and get ball back quickly (multi ball). Nullified by away teams.
Attack fast and powerful and when you loose ball get it back quickly. Nullified by managers telling players to fall down and time waste and interupt our style.
VAR slowing game up.
In other words no forward thinking in this KKK backward midden.
He got fed up and decided to walk.
I do not blame him our game is the most corrupt its ever been in the authorities quest to help sevco.
All my opinion of course
D :)
Another day and still no quality signings ah well there is always tomorrow.
Must be haggling over something.
Haggle with me Liewell Monty Python
D :)
I really think Iwata could help Calmac
We have no physical presence in MF
Quotes
“The latter gentleman [Rev. Brother Walfrid], who took a deep interest in the origin of the club, has every reason to flatter himself as to the success of the Celtic. Long may it flourish in our midst.”
(The Scottish Umpire (magazine) 5 June 1888)
Weren’t Yokohama in second place in the J League when Ange left them? They finished second and won the league next time round playing in a very similar way
Far from Ange checking out, or the players running out of steam I thought the opposite was true.
I thought Ange was preparing his squad for this season. Giving starts to Oh over Kyogo, Bernabei, Haksabanovic, Bain Iwata all suggested he was giving them meaningful minutes, keeping them interested and helping their development. We didn’t run out of steam, we had inferior players being prepared for next season imo while the big players could take a bit of a breather. Up until that point out results we’re record-breaking.
The biggest hint for me was starting Oh and Bernabei at ibrox. He was basically sacrificing a result for the sake of the squad development.
A man on his way out, or with a reputation to protect wouldn’t have wanted his last derby to be a doing
Iwata, like Scales and countless others before him, seem to get better the longer they are out of the team.
If Ange and then Brendan haven’t quite seen it at LXT, then maybe he just ain’t that good.
We seem to have a lot of these. Many held together by a system for 2 years but now coming to the conclusion (or Brendan’s) that the sum of that team was far greater than its individual parts.
My kingdom for a big, athletic midfielder with a bit of dig and grit….
HH
good common sense post paul67
no ccv, mooy, hatate, jota and we’re not as good as we were
A new moderator hass descended from the heavens
Please welcome MODERATOR67
Onto the blog
And be nice!!
Celtic bench vs Hibs
1
Joe Hart GK
57
Stephen Welsh CB
3
Greg Taylor LB
33
Matt O’Riley CM
14
David Turnbull CM
38
Daizen Maeda LW
17
Jota LW
49
James Forrest RW
8
Kyogo Furuhashi
velcome mod67 – good luck
Very early on with Ange we saw some very strange line ups. Everyone was getting a game, he played every single player in the squad at some point
He’s doing the same at Spurs at the moment. Different starting lineups, full backs scoring and then getting left out, heavy rotation of squad players
He did it in the preseason friendliest, starting players who have hardly got a game yet
It’s to get them used to playing in his system, meaningful minutes so if they need to be called on they can fit in without too much disruption.
It’s what he was doing at the end of last season imo. Giving as much time to the fringe players as possible. Or maybe he was giving them a really good chance to prove they were good enough
The starting line up at Hibs included a second choice keeper, left back, centre half and right back, center mid and our second string front 3. Only Macgregor, Starfelt and Hatate from our first choice 11
That team couldnt have run out of steam, they hadn’t played enough games by then.
Ange was looking at the bigger picture than a result against Hibs
MODERATOR67
Are you a hun?!?
Prestonpans
Thats a damn good question
Well MODERATOR67???
CELTIC40ME on 28TH AUGUST 2023 5:54 PM
“I thought” doing a lot of heavy lifting there.
Celtic’s XG decreased after the league cup final to the end of the season. Couple of outliers (that 30 mins at Rugby Park and when the Dons turned up in their bechwear for trophy day)
Injuries started piling up – Mooy, Abada, Taylor, Hatate, Maeda, etc.
Postecoglou was in the Spurs process since April and was fixed firmly on leaving us, if he could.
Unlike us, he wasn’t losing sleep over a glasgow derby defeat. Winning the treble and leaving us in good shape was how he wanted to be remembered. Lots to be thankful for maybe we should have done what Marinos done ultimately and appointed Muscat to stay true to Angeball, a system dependent on the sum being better than the parts.
HH
Robbie Williams loves Ange
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/66638393
Thank you for the Welcomes
No,
This is a Celtic Site copyright Paul67
🎶He used to be a hun but he’s all right now, Moderator 67🎶
I think it was last weeks presser when Brendan laid it out for all to see, saying exactly what I have for years and ridiculed for it, that the club sign the players and the coach coaches them, unless he was telling porkies but me thinks not, now I have always said this is the way to go, so I have no complaints, other than putting the PLC first and foremost to the detriment of the football team, we have gone from getting players in sooner rather than later if at all by the looks of things, we will be down on our knees begging for loans from the brits, hopefully I am totally wrong, but I doubt I will be.
PerdosrevengeCSC
Been trying to get Paul67 to introduce a like/unlike button under each post
Thought it might help people show their dislike for posts without going off on one
And generally be a nice change to see on the blog
Anyone got other ideas that I can chin him for?
Jeezo, there’s two of them…..arghhhhh
Mod88
A facility to edit posts would be brilliant
Like a subscription thing for the blog to reduce adverts……..
What would you get for that tho and how much??
Also being a graphic designer
Am “hinging oot” to create t shirts, beanies and the like for the blog
TET
Agreed matey
fascinating interview with Paul Muldoon, the sacrifices some people will make for good causes is mind boggling. Listening to the sheer physical effort involved has my hamstrings hurting.
Saw the highlights of the game on Saturday, Celtic created plethora of chances and the bombardment was met with the Saints goalkeeper playing like a man possessed. Possibly the Hoops could be criticised for failing to to find the net and should have won the match comfortably. The loss of Jotta to the attack is huge and his ability always to create something special is sorely missed. Football these days in a strange place when the sheikhs in Salti can spend 25 million on a player one week and release Jotta a short time later for free?
Early days yet and confident when all our players are back for duty and the new guys in we’ll be a force to be reckoned with. Pity Carl Starfelt could not have been persuaded to remain in situ until the January window , a bad mistake. Going to Ibrox with fingers crossed we can get a result.
BIG WAVY on 28TH AUGUST 2023 6:23 PM
Celtic’s XG decreased after the league cup final to the end of the season.
Of course it did. We played some of those games with our front 3 on the bench.
But, from the league cup final to the game we won the league there was no drop off in form. We played 11 league and cup games, we won ten, drew one. We scored 30 goals in those games which is just short of our seasons average.
We beat the Huns twice in that time as well, once in a semi.
Absolutely no continuation of that this season.
Our poor form started when we won the league and it was because Ange started playing second string players. The team that won the league suffered no drop in form
Injuries started piling up – Mooy, Abada, Taylor, Hatate, Maeda, etc.
That wasn’t the reason for our poor results. They were all fit for the games we dropped points in.
maybe we should have done what Marinos done ultimately and appointed Muscat to stay true to Angeball, a system dependent on the sum being better than the parts.
Isn’t that what every system should be? Otherwise it’s failing