A look at the fixture list will not provide immediate comfort, we have away trips to Sparta and Milan ahead in the next 10 days, both of whom won comfortably at Celtic Park earlier in the campaign. The principle positive is that after the team arrive home in the early hours of 4 December, the farthest we travel from Glasgow for the rest of the month is the 10 miles to Hamilton.
We have a meaningless home game against Lille on 10 December and the Scottish Cup Final 10 days later, but that Hamilton game is the only league match in five away from Celtic Park. This will be our least taxing month of the league campaign. It is an opportunity to get things right ahead of the Ibrox visit on 2 January, but as we saw with Newco last season, even easy looking games can result in defeats when the heads are down.
If arrive at Ibrox solid in defence, controlling I midfield with an additional 15 points and a fourth consecutive Scottish Cup win, it is game on again, but I doubt any of us are complacent about those 15 points.
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Happy Monday from a cold and dark Louisville that is barely above freezing.
Speaking of dropping points again…… play the B team this Thursday and cross our fingers from a new first 11 this coming Sunday.
MON and Keane, offered as a stop gap, is not for me.
HH!
“I doubt any of us are complacent about those 15 points”….you’re damn right Sunshine !
GIven how we have performed in the 21 games this season I don’t see how we could arrive at Ibrox solid in defence and controlling midfield. We are not a well drilled or coached side and do not have a cohesive style of play. We struggle to break sides down as Lennon’s side are not drilled with patterns in how to unpick defences and our players don’t make the right runs or open up passing angles for team-mates. We are also completely disorganised defensively both in open play and at set pieces. That is a damning indictment of NL and the entire coaching staff and does not even touch the apparent fitness and professionalism concerns. That is why we are cannon fodder for an average but well organised Rangers side & any competent European team
When you add that to the fact Lennon is now unable to motivate an expensively assembled and extremely talented squad of players there doesn’t seem to be any other option than changing manager with immediate effect.
P67 — Not sure you are up to speed with how bad the siituation is at the moment.
Total shambles on Saturday — I fear the whole squad has now chucked it rather than just the usual suspects.
Change is needed — the only issue now is how much?
NL doing the media work and a couple of grade A coaches to sort out the team?
If we lose the league this year we will be worse than Betamax.
We’ve seen absolutely nothing in 4 months to suggest Lennon is the man to take us to Ibrox.
Instead the fixtures provide an opportunity for an easy start for a replacement and precious time to prepare a competent defensive shape for Ibrox.
The ten is lost. Lennon is untouchable. The fans don’t count.
Meaningless home game??….then give a start to players who have not had a chance to shine or,impress.
I take that back — we are not Betamax.
We are VCR’s in general.
Huige market position thrown away down to stupidity / greed / laziness.
And that is just PL on a good day.
opposition teams and officials have us sussed we are easily bullied , accept every decision without even a whimper , allow opposition players to push/ kick/dive about without any reaction from our players or management/coaches , we are the softest team in the league and we are going to lose the league this year if we don’t toughen up big time
Solid defence and controlling midfield?
How about a new manager?
Mon & Keane will rejuvenate us imho
P67 is that meant to be serious or are you at the wind up
We’ve not been solid in defence this season.
The harsh truth is we’ve become addicted to losing cheap goals, while struggling big time to break down opposition defences .
If our board decides to stick rather than twist with Neil Lennon , and we do win the league games before going to Ibrox, what will change ?
Team shape ? Tactics ? Personnel ?
He had 10 months to prepare for the last one and we were abysmal.
Finding it difficult to keep the faith.
Cheers Bada Bing.
(previous article)
Ulysses McGhee
“At half time it was apparent that a sole striker wasn’t working. After we conspired to lose 2 goals – Our coaching staff thought it correct to swap like for like – meaning until the next subs our coaching staff thought the formation we had was good for 3 goals.
Let that sink in…”
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I am in agreement with you that two up front was needed vs Hibs defence and it eventually arrived in the 72nd minute when Griff joined Eddy.
However you are wrong in asserting that the management team waited till we were 2:0 down to replace Ajeti with Eddie as we were only 1:0 down when Eddie came on; we went 2:0 down a minute after the sub.
I think your point still holds about too much respect being paid BUT….. we had been on top of this game till they scored the opener via a “bought” penalty ( I am not blaming the ref for the dropped points but Boyle jumped into Broony and collapsed; his (Boyle’s) movement was just as much a deviation from the ball as Bitton’s had been for the immediate foul before.
GREENPINATA on 23RD NOVEMBER 2020 11:38 AM
I’m sure Gordon Strachan is still the technical director of Dundee. He also has a media career.
Why would he come to Celtic, ?
Don’t think he needs the money, but Dundee money would be minimal, and possibly terminated in current climate, He gets the odd gig with Celtic TV, but Sky/ BT binned him after questionable comments re Adam Johnson….HH
Seen an interview with one of their players after the game yesterday.
He said all the players put 100% in at training and are striving to get better.
Meanwhile over at the East end, we have at least 7 players who’s attitude is:
Can’t be bothered
I want away
Don’t really give a toss about the result
Have lost all motivation
NL is now a very , very diffuicult dilemma
He is apparently a motivator and not a tactician
If you have a team full of good players who have lost interest and a team full of mediocre players who give 100% …9 times out of 10 the team that try’s the hardest will get a result.
I think it is now too late to change this attitude, our only hope now is to get to January , get rid of anyone who wants away and try to bring in players who will hit the ground running.
As I say, think it’s now too late but what do I know !
Gordon Strachan…..Martin O’neil…dearie me
What’s Dr Jo up to these days?
WGS comments as mentioned above.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/apr/07/gordon-strachan-will-not-appear-on-sky-again-after-adam-johnson-remarks
Paul’s leader doesn’t sound optimistic for December so I’ll assume he expects Lennon to remain in place.
but Boyle jumped into Broony and collapsed;
dearie dearie our captain was at fault big time.
Jimbob’s post earlier was food for thought……added to it….
Strachan till the end of the season might work,we need a change, gives us 6 months to sort the place out,and identity a new long term manager,with Strachan becoming a Director of Football type.If we appointed a new manager now and lost the league, he would be tarnished with this,ideally a new manager could use January Window to get some of his own players in. With Lennon, we feel like we’ve not hit the bottom yet,but we know it’s coming .This league can still be won,but the squad needs a kick up the arse,and a new voice.
NOTTHEBUS on 23RD NOVEMBER 2020 12:30 PM
Gordon Strachan…..Martin O’neil…dearie me
What’s Dr Jo up to these days?
—————-
Fling in Roy Keane as well. Surprised we haven’t mentioned Kenny Dalglish & John Barnes.
If ( And it’s a big if ) we are looking for a new manager then let’s move forward and not backwards.
HH
Once upon a time a SC final was something to get excited about. It could cap a great season or provide the hope of something to celebrate in a season without a title.
A game against a lowly Hearts is all that stands between us and a quadruple treble but it has become, unbelievably, little more than an afterthought. On current form, Hearts must hope NL is still in his job when the game come around. They have more than a puncher’s chance of K.O ing us as things stand. I had a suspicion that DD and PL were hoping we could at least hang on in the league until January, allowing Neil to bow out with another trophy.
Would anyone really be that surprised if Neil is still here for it and we were to lose?
Desperately difficult times in which to think with a clear head.
Could it be a case of getting the job in the showers and getting the sack in the same place?
BB,
Thanks,I never knew WGS had ” issues ” with Sky.
Paul67
BBC spouting the newclub having best start in 50 years – this is what happens when our directors don’t call out the continuity lie.
Just how bad does it need to get before any decisive action is taken?
The board have until the end of this week to have. new management team in place.
Any later and it will be too late.
SFTB
Teams are happy for us to have possession – quite happy in the knowledge we’re not threatening with it.
That possession doesn’t translate into control for me. Even in the Motherwell game they had chances in the second half that superior teams would have taken. I can’t admit to Hibs being any great shakes either.
We’re limping from poor result to poor result – it’s been obvious for weeks (to some) that something is wrong and that change was/is required.
‘And, like a man to double business bound, I stand in pause where I shall first begin, And both neglect’
U
DENIABHOY
Not an after thought for me, A momentous piece of history awaits, arguably our greatest ever achievement since Lisbon.
RC
“but Boyle jumped into Broony and collapsed;
dearie dearie our captain was at fault big time”
You’re very fond of a “dearie dearie”, aren’t you?
You do realise that both statements can be true, don’t you?
Oh Dear!
Has Hampden moved?
I like to paraphrase the lead article for myself.
Today’s seems to be-
“Here are our upcoming fixtures. Hopefully, we do better than we have recently”
not the forensic analysis I’d expect.
NOTTHEBUS – Fair play. That is how it undoubtedly should be looked upon, and would have been if it had been played and won in May. Now I don’t know anyone who is genuinely excited about it.
Everyone that I know, me included, is too busy worrying about losing 10 iar and stopping the slide into apparent mediocrity.
Paul
Interested in your comments regarding the December fixture list.
How would you respond in the admittedly hypothetical – but what I see as distinctly possible – situation that the manager plays what he recognises as his strongest team in what are already basically dead Europa League games?
I think you’re either very optimistic or being blinkered regarding us keeping a challenge going in the current circumstances and the visit to G51 still being meaningful
Lenny must stay
So that’s it then Paul. Pedro had told you his shower cap signing is going nowhere ? Ah well
Let’s be crystal clear the manager needs to go now and the CEO in the summer. Nothing else will be acceptable.
P67- so let’s batten down the hatches,regroup, galvanise,etc ,etc………until we lose another goal from a set piece (probably Sunday),i have written off Europe again,and then have the same discussion from 5pm on Sunday? We know we haven’t hit the bottom yet, but we know it’s happening soon…..talk about fiddling while Rome burns…