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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We are in a difficult position,
New manager may not get us 10iar and so have to leave next summer
Interim manager may not get the loyalty of the squad and we may lose 10iar
Neil may not get us 10iar and so leave next summer.
Choices, choices
Hot Smoked
I’ve complained to the BBC – not that it’ll do much good.
Hamish MacInnes Rip
hh
Still slagging each other & cant have civil disagreements. Poor show.
BIG WAVY
Don’t disagree with that.
Enthusiasm and a great engine hasn’t yet made a Celtic player, unless I missed it in my lifetime, every team in the SPL now know the sieve is alive and well, European sides find it every random Thursday.
The gap between whatever midfield and any combination of centre backs is cavernous, in modern times the sieve destroyed Malky MacKay Stephen McManus Daniel Majstorovic Gary Caldwell Glenn Loovens Jozo Simunovic and many, many more.
The current so called back 4 still plays like 3 come 2 IMO, and doesn’t have a link to midfield for handers, it destroyed Duffy in jig time, reminds everybody that Bitton is a midfielder, and that Ajer can’t jump.
It’s the witnessing of the end of an era, bring on the next sieve.
Adi
As the pub drunk says “it’s nice to be nice” something lost on here
Celtic Dawn
agreed Celtic Dawn
its not simple eh.
hh
Celtic Dawn
I feel that with Neil we have little chance of the 10.
2 wins in 8 is stark
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 23RD NOVEMBER 2020 5:10 PM
Did we buy well?
…….
Now that is an excellent question.
Frimpong & Taylor are good players regardless of what we read on here.
Are they playing in the correct position?
In this Celtic team?
In this Celtic formation/shape?
Now we get to opinions –
For me, Frimpong is a right winger or in modern parlance – he’s an attacking wing back in the James Forrest mould. How would we feel if James Forrest was asked to play right back?
James would play where he is asked to play – but would we be surprised if he didn’t do as well as a recognized right back?
Mikael Lustig used to get pelters too for being posted missing at set pieces or when a team counter attacked. Before Taylor it was Izaguirre who was slagged off for being too far up the field or too small to deal with a far post ball. Before that it was Lee Naylor & Andreas Hinkel, then Paul Telfer, Mark Wilson etc etc.
Lee Taylor has to overcome more than just his lack of height or his final ball quotient.
The significant omission in that list of fullbacks is KT.
He was a decent player for us but a huge folk hero for fans because he was one of us.
We did very well getting 23 million or so for him from Arsenal, but even he, with all the good will that he generated from fans struggled at times in our formation.
ElHamed was exposed at the Ferencvaros winning goal his pace initially & then his tackling as the striker made to shoot.
If we keep asking players to play in a system that is not working or with other players who are not doing what they’re supposed to be doing within that system – even the best players will look poor.
Our central midfield is the area where so much of what goes wrong in our play starts.
The answer to your question though is that we very often don’t buy well & our squad is full of frustrated players who don’t even get a chance to prove themselves. Since they’r enot integrated into the first team properly, they only get a game when there are no other options or when we are losing or winning games by a large margin. Unsurprisingly, many of them look out of place or don’t make an impact & they fulfil the prophesy that they’re not good enough & return to the shadows of the bench.
We have two agenda sitting side by side with signings.
Those who are signed as investments primarily & those who are signed as first team players for NOW.
We saw how that can play out well or badly under Rodgers.
Dembele – huge success & big money sell on.
Shved – not given a chance & out on loan & likely to run his contract down.
The disconnect was very evident under Rodgers & was the main reason he became frustrated at Celtic. He wanted specific players to help Celtic male an impression in Europe. He was denied those he wanted but expected to accept those that the “board” decided were good or better profit investments.
Another reason why we are not well run & continue to be dysfunctional in the main area of our business.
Our whole player recruitment strategy & policy is flawed – imho.
HH
GENE on 23RD NOVEMBER 2020 6:08 PM
Celtic Dawn
I feel that with Neil we have little chance of the 10.
2 wins in 8 is stark
Agreed, but which of the worst case scenarios poses the least risk, glad its not my decision
ONENIGHTINLISBON on23RD NOVEMBER 2020 4:32 PM
I want Celtic to win every game we play and support the manager when we do.
_______________________________________________________________
How can you say that when on Saturday right after the game you said…..
————————————————————————————
ONENIGHTINLISBON on 21ST NOVEMBER 2020 4:52 PM
Get Lennon and his pish backroom team as far away from paradise as possible. Disgraced again.
___________________________________________________________
Do you mean you only support a winning Celtic team?
Apologies Big Jimmy, hadn’t seen you had already asked that question.
Celtic Dawn
Add to those stats failure in the last 2 CL qualifications the evidence is there to make a change.
Zlatan out for Thursday…
Bada
He’s in talks with PL for player manager.
TURKEYBHOY on 23RD NOVEMBER 2020 3:08 PM
Head in the sand won’t get you anywhere.
I wonder if you are a hun as no caring tim would be as indifferent as you.
Let me in…..let me in…..
CELTIC DAWN on 23RD NOVEMBER 2020 5:51 PM
I agree but in my opinion, if we change manager we might not win the 10.
If we continue as we are we definitely won’t win the ten.
Word of the Day
My nomination is
Ratiocionate:
To form judgements by a process of logic.
To reason.
HH
ROCK TREE BHOY on 23RD NOVEMBER 2020 6:20 PM
When Celtic play any game I want them to win, end of.
Does that mean I cannot at any point in time criticise the manager?
Have you asked the same question of others on here who have criticised him?
Hot Smoked used to post, from time, a raised quizzzical eyebrow when Posters denied that they could ever possibly be influenced and swayed by an anti-Celtic position from the tabloids and the shock jock call-in programmes.
It always struck me that peple are quick to accuse Paul67 of having his pieces either influenced, dictated or written by Peter Lawwell but would, quite rightly, reat with venom if they were accused of taking their opinions straight from the Daily Record, just because their views align.
So why is it ok to say that Paul 67 isn’t speaking his own truth but every word written by the rest of us is our own and arrived at without influence or bias?
Double standards?
or , merely, rudeness?
Celtic Dawn
well Neil is in the seat at moment.
now if i were DD😊
if staying.
1.restructure support for Neil.
– full coaching staff in with Neil
– PR restructure Neil to only comment on team.etc football
– no questions answered on covid.
– no questions governance./non football
to be done by appropriate director.
review of salaries/year end bonus
(there is loads imo that could be done but the tsunami of opinion may sway.maybe if done last summer is a miss in setting us for this season 10 etc)
if he goes?
change of manager is difficult at the best of times,especially with the figure of Neil Lennon involved.it risks 10 too
so with Neil we bust 10
with noo manager in and then we bust 10 with him
what then(Time for my as DD exit strategy?)
No 10 means no legacy board.do listen and hear?
hh
jobo is in tha hoos 😊😊
hh
PictureThis Scotland
@74frankfurt
Celtic fans arrive in Leeds ahead of Leeds Utd v Celtic in the European Cup semi-final at Elland Road. (1970)
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Enfpqi9XcAEFNi1?format=jpg&name=small
ONENIGHTINLISBON on 23RD NOVEMBER 2020 7:07 PM
When Celtic play any game I want them to win, end of
Does that mean I cannot at any point in time criticise the man
_____________________________________________________________-
You call this criticism?
____________________________
“Get Lennon and his pish backroom team as far away from paradise as possible. Disgraced again.”
________________________________________________________________________________________
To me thats more like plain old abuse.
the wheels of our season were put in motion by major player disruption – many players were up for the 10 , the board and staff were up for the 10 and some players couldn’t care one way or the other.
How do we deal with that situation – By trying to convince players who “didn’t want to be there” to stay and play for someone else’s dream – MASSIVE MISTAKE.
Not only have those players been tired, fatigued and lazy on the field – they spread their negative energy around the dressing room. Lennon is afraid to speak his mind in fear of losing the dressing room. He is hanging on by a thread as a result of poor pre season planning.
I don’t blame any player who wants to move away – I lose respect for them if they don’t play 100% for the club paying their wages.
How do we deal with that situation now? We are losing grip of the title and need to stop the rot. Choices;-
Keep calm and hope the team suddenly starts playing like a team and working for each other ?
Bring in O’Neil and Keane (or similar) to give the squad a lift and new impetus?
Wait until Jan window and clear out problem players ?
what an awful situation – Its a season like no other, therefore we can’t afford to be tentative! If the players have downed tools for Lennon , then Lawell needs to be speaking to Brown for the lowdown.
I can’t see Lennon turning it around unless he hangs close until Jan and is able to clear out and bolster the squad.
10iar opportunity is here NOW and we need to act NOW
Cornelius @ 6.18
The definition of a good player, a good buy? and opinions, opinions.
Neil Lennon promoted Jeremie to the CL squad after his first few training sessions, but he was bought at 19, and a prospect. To say he went into reverse (and regularly gets kicked upside down), after he started getting a game is an understatement. Good Celtic side would have carried him probably from the bench, maybe as an impact sub? in place of James Forrest. It was clear in early games both couldn’t thrive on the wide right at the same time.
It hasn’t taken long for the SPL to figure out that Jeremie Frimpong is a weakness in defence, its happened since he got sent off in the League Cup final a full year ago.
Without wishing to get into individual players and criticisms Greg Taylor was a tidy wee full back at Kilmarnock, problem was, he was to be super Mario wing back at Celtic with a dodgy back three, that particular experiment produced Diego Laxalt.
Why not buy full backs for full back? – to me it looks like we’re trying to be modern for the sake of it, instead of building from the back, and putting the building blocks in place.
With regard to flawed signing ‘policy’ I’m surprised you don’t seem to get it.
The last time I checked Maryan Shved had played for 24 minutes about 10 games into the Belgian league?
Every single player that signs for Celtic is a punt, that is the nature of the modern game, not a cat in hell’s chance of a game at Manchester City? – but we’ll let you go to Celtic and into the mix you go, some fail some pass. A mere 15K a week and they want to go to the EPL for more mega bucks, few if any sign for Celtic without an eye on real super wealth.
We buy, and we sell. we play in an impoverished league with no income other than VST’s and some home jerseys and t – shirts
I personally think we do quite well
HH
An Tearmann – took me several chaps at the door and rings of the bell to get past security! But hopefully that’s me logged in for another few days.
And that’s all I have to say about that ;-)
gumpCSC
With us, genuinely there’s usually just love or hurt…………
Such vitriol and gloating hatred is just sleekitry.
We are in trouble and our enemies are everywhere.
HHH.
Yes, we have been sold down the river, with ease.
I don’t see any evidence of gloating or hatred or is that what we are now calling criticism?
Jobo – @ 7.36 pm now that funny
D :)
Cornelius
Two excellent posts from your good self on this thread and impossible to argue with imho. Only thing I would add is that in terms of responsibility for our current plight which has occurred through acts of self-sabotage, the buck stops firmly with PL. The sooner he is off the premises the better. As for today’s blog, I feel for P67 as he is either towing what he must surely know is a ridiculous party line or he really has lost touch with reality. Neither are a particularly great place to be but I hope for the sake of his own self respect it’s the latter. HH
I posted earlier that I would assume Paul67 is expecting NL to remain in place based on today’s article. I expect this is the position of the PL camp. But until I see a public declaration of support for NL from within the club, then I think there is a chance the Desmond family may push to change. Enquiries to other managers could well have been made indirectly already (though I would ignore sources from Phil the fantasist). We do know Dermot Desmond speaks to NL twice a week so he can’t be accused of not keeping club close to him. It could be a case that DD can’t get his preferred choice of replacement or perhaps he is giving NL time to try and fix this based upon their relationship and loyalty for NL for stepping up in March ‘18.
Regards to the zombies…remember slippy G was talking of considering his position end of Feb after losing to Hamilton at home. They were in free fall after the winter break. Slippy was publicly calling out players and throwing them under the bus. Chances are he would have been gone before end of last season had there been no pandemic. So how did the zombies end up turning it around? They are well coached with structure and recruited well, no doubt but that wasn’t evident last Jan/Feb just like us these past few months. But covid gave them chance to reassess and correct their errors. PL/DD could be betting on team correcting tactical issues and motivating players in the December fixtures mini recess to hopefully salvage this situation. Paul67 is saying similar in my opinion….time will tell but the PL camp themselves are probably waiting to see whether DD makes a decision and taking position of NL staying in meantime.
SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 23RD NOVEMBER 2020 7:12 PM
Very good post.
The abuse PAUL67 gets on his own Blog is hunbelievable.
And it’s the same old crowd giving him dogs.
Why don’t they start their own blogs and talk about subjects of their choice?
Oh and good riddance to them.
Sid 1888
What precisely has Paul67 said in his article that shows he is toeing the Party line or has lost touch with reality?
Lennon – What is to be Done?
Well nothing really.
But we can always hope for the best
PictureThis Scotland
@74frankfurt
·
Nov 22
Stars of Scottish Football: McGarvey, Nicholas and McCluskey – Celtic strike-force in the 1980s.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Enaj2pzW8AItPu1?format=jpg&name=medium