It feels like rock bottom this morning and, as far as Europe is concerned, it probably is. The ties against Legia were our worst performances in Europe. Neuchâtel has a horrible 90 minutes, Artmedia was a 20 minute collapse, and we beat Utrecht comfortably at home, but this was abject over two games.
There are unfathomables, for example, it’s hard to know why a defence which was so solid last season is suddenly inert, but it will surprise no one we didn’t make Champions League football this season. The day Neil Lennon left I suggested it would be a huge ask and it’s proven to be.
We are less than two years since the high point of recent seasons, finishing ahead of Benfica and Spartak Moscow in the Champions League, but the decline can be traced slightly further back than that.
We had an 18 month purple patch of player recruitment, starting when Fraser Forster, Gary Hooper and Emilio Izaguirre arrived in summer 2010, continuing with the arrival of Wilson and Wanyama, and ending with Mikael Lustig’s signing in January 2012. We were bringing players in for a few million who were Champions League calibre.
Since Lustig, the strategy hasn’t changed, but despite signing a raft of players, for much the same money, only van Dijk has improved the team. Most are, at best, misfits or squad fillers. Things started to go wrong with the bizarre signings of Miku and Lassad in late August 2012 and ramped up last summer with the arrival of Boerrigter, Pukki, Balde and Biton. There are more, of course. Some, like Griffiths and Johansen are hitting the modest levels expected of them, but we’ve been missing the target at an alarming rate.
Ronny Deila has so far brought in a six month loaner. He’s working pretty much with the squad Neil Lennon scraped into the Champions League with last season. He’ll now know what you and I knew about the squad months ago. Most importantly, he needs backing from the club as well as the support.
He has to refresh the squad, try to clear out the deadwood, and perhaps accept that one or two of our reliable performers in recent seasons are beyond their peak. It’s critically important that whatever has been going wrong since Lustig’s arrival is put right. Stop haemorrhaging millions of players who cannot command a starting place and start finding value.
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& well done Robbie Nielson.
training with 10 v 11 prior to Hearts visit to Ibrox.
Pressure right on the ref.
I think Hearts could win the championship.
So much negativity on here! The blokes just about sorted where he wants to put his pencil pot on his desk and most on here want him out!
Call yourself fans?
The performances haven’t been great, but what can you expect? Ronny has been here 5 minutes, it will take a long time for him to get people playing his way. He may not be the right man long term, maybe he will, but how can the man be judged based on 3/4 games?
Blaming Peter Lawell for everything is just wrong as well, yes he holds the purse strings, but shall we spend stupidly and gamble it all away? there’s never any guarantee of success then either.
snake plissken
12:42 on 7 August, 2014
He’d only be cup tied for next qualifying round but would be available for group stage should St Johnstone not qualify for them.
Trad, hmm.
Macjay, indeed.
Paul’s article fails to highlight or address that no investment was forthcoming for Neil Lennon this summer. That’s the problem. No scouting system is perfect but over the piece we’re in the black. We didn’t invest this summer, lost the management and have lost our way.
2 x centre backs
1 x left back
2 x midfielders
1 x winger
1 x GOALSCORING STRIKER
Get that and we’re sorted!!!!
itsabouttim
12:34 on 7 August, 2014
Fully agree…..!!!
Mulgrew at CB works, in what universe. He’s a decent back up CB
Livibhoy
Thought about your comments on the way home last night….about being the lonely wee soul looking out place and not knowing what to do in his unaccustomed surroundings…..couldn’t help but think that there were another 11 in the same circumstance down on the pitch!
HH jamesgang
Gary67
Can’t see Saints getting past Trnava if I am honest.
The only thing they have in their favour is the game is being played in a tiny town away from the main stadium because of bad fan behaviour and racist chanting.
The stadium holds 3000 and Spartak Trnava are not that hot in my opinion.
kevjungle is a celtic fan…not a supporter.
12:44 on 7 August, 2014
Hear you spouting the same old shoite, though ….. Hahahahahahaha
I cannot believe the happy clappers on this site…truly deluded.
Now….we have a CEO tinpot dictator who thinks he owns Celtic, raking in huge wages and bonuses galore….gravy train.
A man, who is happy to bask in the glory when things are good, but wont accept responsibility for his obvious failings.
Like I said, a tinpot dictator.
And once the fans tell you to GTF, its bye bye.
Anybody who is stupid enough to think they can lord it over the Celtic fans, needs a rude awakening.
Time is up Peter….You should do the honest thing, and resign.
Sack the Board
HH
Silver City 1888
12:44 on
7 August, 2014
Bloomin’ Happy Clappers. They were on here after the Ross County humiliation saying Neil Lennon should be given more time. See how that panned out. Bunch of know nothings.
==============================================================
Panned out beautifully.
Huns gone.
Jelly and ice cream.
Not great for we Tims right now,but jeez,thank god I`m not a hun.
We have a future.Tell us about the latest garden fete fund raiser.
:-)
Rouge. I saw the evidence a long while back and wanted to change things before it got to this state
I agree with you that tom is on something with that statement
Not good Tom :(
KevJungle is a Celtic fan…not a supporter.
12:42 on 7 August, 2014
NatKnow
12:37 on 7 August, 2014
____________________
Would PL still be at CP just now if, Neil had come out and told the fans that, he was refusing the Celtic job coz, he found that he was unable to liv PL’s lie?
In fact, don’t even bother answering cos, I don’t intend being here till 8 o’clock the night, playing out a compendium on mind-games with yo so, scroll on past. Thanks.
————————————————————————
Yes, PL would still be there. Why would he quit because of something Neil said? Not sure why you’re asking this question though – the point I was making in my last post was that IF Neil has signed a confidentiality clause then he will stick to it. Not because he is a coward as you imply but because there is a personal financial imperative for him to keep it zipped.
BTW – mind games? No idea what you mean…
Robert88,
Be gone with you and your sensible posts.
Today is designated pitchforks and torches day. To the car park burning effigies of the CEO !
“People shouting”
Brick Tamland csc
We are absolutely rotten. Worst Celtic team in 20 years (with possible exception of Barnes season). The strategy is bankrupt and the club and team are rudderless. Football economics make it impossible for us to compete with the biggest clubs, but there is no mitigation for being so comprehensively humped by Legia Warsaw. There is no heart in the team and our best players know they are leaving and play accordingly. If I was Aberdeen I would fancy my chances this year. They have a better manager, hungry players and are on an upward trajectory as against our steep decline. Lawwell has had his moments and should take his share of the credit for the ultimate defeat of Rangers. However, everyone has their shelf life and his time has come and gone. Time for some new thinking and ideas at the top. If, as seems likely, we continue down this path of sharp decline the support will turn ugly and Peter’s hard earned legacy will be put at risk. As for Ronny, he has been dealt an impossible hand, but even then he has played it deplorably. More time needed for him, but he’s already lost a lot of ground in a short time.
Traditionalist88
I left the game after the second goal,not because of that,but because of the Bile round about me,in supporting Celtic for 50 + years I have never left a game like that,but I really believed that there could be serious trouble.Sort the scum within out.
Congrats to Sydneytim on writing the best synopsis of Celtic. PL had me fooled also.
I quit smoking, my golf game has gone from low 80’s to 102 yesterday, and Celtic !!!!
Things must improve
traditionalist88
12:36 on 7 August, 2014
Came on to post similar. My son and I ended up in South 3 last night, just to the left of GB and it was the only good experience I took away with me. I never heard anything other than fantastic vocal backing for a team that was letting us down on the park. There were a few eejits in the vicinity but no more than you’d expect from a crowd that size. Given that there are idiots among us, a Polish fan in the home end cheering when they scored was always likely to provoke a reaction and I think it reflects well on the Celtic support that it was only a small amount of our supporters that reacted this way. If it would have been on of our supporters over there, they might have got more than shouted at.
Has Kev j….been on yet ;…)
DBBIA
THE NOWHERE MEN .
Indeed !
A great book .
Seen this crap?
http://www.celticnewsnow.com/news/celtics-champions-league-exit-to-legia-warsaw-means-season-over-with-ronny-delias-future-uncertain/97965?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=TwitterFeed
67Heaven … I am Neil Lennon ….The angels are with Wee Oscar in Heaven.. Ibrox belongs to the creditors
12:50 on 7 August, 2014
___________________
Well, I would say that the evidence of last night is indicitve that the ‘shoite’ that, I’ve been spouting has in fact been much more accurate than the ‘shoite’ that you and yer ahem, happy kindreds have been accepting as gospel from the carefully planted ‘lackeys’ on here and, elsewhere some where in the Donegal region, eh?
Don’t worry, all will be well when the died huns are back screwing us again, eh?
Hail Hail
Perhaps we all also need to acknowledge another flaw in our strategy.
Kiss a few frogs and hope to find a prince – in foreign markets.
The duds cost you a fortune across transfer fees and often 3-4 year contracts.
The gems have their heads turned within months of joining with persistent interest from the EPL – some stay focussed for 1, maybe 2 years – others lose it.
The undercurrent to this is we will be continually building and rebuilding.
Should we focus more on the Snodgrasses, Goulds of this world?
The scots or Irish guy is much more likely to stay for 4+ years…
sipsini
______
Hi.
I stayed to the bitter end last night. As I made my way back to the car, I caught up with my nephew, a ST holder for twenty years, who informed me that if things continue like what we had experienced he would chose his games carefully this season.
There must be many on here of a similar mind. We have paid up for the season, but have a feeling that we will get little in return.
Most serious in all of this state of affairs is the strong message coming across at the moment that the majority of us feel totally disconnected from the Board and worse still that the Board does not appear to wish to dialogue with the supporters.
It is sad that as we await the arrival of Fergus, we are back at the start of his time with us. Then we had a Board that mismanaged the affairs of the club and nearly had us liquidated. The present Board have financial success to boast about, but still appear to treat the supporters with same attitude…we know best, you just keep paying.
The trouble with our current strategy is it all happens around August. We get a new manager, we recruit/ sell, we try and get through CL qualifiers to help recruitment, there’s nothing to say it has to work and it hasn’t worked. We should be in a downward spiral for a while, hope it’s just one season. As always, we are beside the epl and I’ve no idea how much we need to spend to make our way out of trouble. MAF was ordinary at best and we haven’t spent that much on a player for ages. Tough times ahead. I hope Legia do well. I’d hate to be trounced by absolute shi*.
We have failed to get there. Disaster! We are not going to be fodder for Europe’s super-rich clubs this season. We won’t be able to entertain foolish illusions that we are one of Europe’s best football teams.
Yes, it’s a disaster. We will not be taking part in a competition that we have no chance of winning, a competition that no more than 8 clubs have a realistic chance of winning.
It’s the Champions League. We must be there. To earn big bucks, so that the next season we can qualify again, so that we can again earn big bucks that will enable us to qualify the following season.
Yes, the atmosphere at Celtic Park is great on CL nights. But the results? We can’t win it. We know that before a ball is kicked. If we reach the last 16 it’s an extraordinary achievement.
Why can’t we win it? Indeed, why can’t we win the Europa League even?
We all know the answer. We play in the SPL. A huge financial disadvantage, a huge disadvantage in football terms.
The other Scottish teams perform woefully in Europe (though well done, Aberdeen and St Johnstone for better results this season, even though they won’t get through to the group stage of the Europa League) and therefore Scottish teams have a low co-efficient and therefore we have to play 3 qualifying rounds of the CL.
This and playing in the SPL makes it hard to bring good players to the club from outside Scotland. When we do, they soon want to move up to a better league and a better salary. Does anyone seriously think we could have held on to Wanyama? That we can hold on to Forster?
But we are easily good enough to win the SPL. We have super-stars like Kris Commons. Unfortunately he is strangely ineffective when he plays against a team that is anywhere close to CL standard. And we are always surprised by this.
So on we go. A season or two of “success” in the CL followed by a season of disappointment when we are excluded from the elite competition that we have no chance of winning. This will continue until there is a big change. Over to you, DD.
Eyes Wide Open,
I’ve seen this reaction a few times. The answer is the world should be our oyster in terms of finding talent, whether it’s the back of a club in Belgium for a Kenyan or a true scottish gem who can grow and develop with us. We shouldn’t limit our talent strategy.
Problem being it’s been a poor one for too long. I don’t see any messiahs in Scotland / Ireland worth pursuing. Two markets that don’t produce quality on a constant basis.
a few thoughts
– Toothless up front. I can recall the times when I was on here bemoaning the boring uninventive MON style of lumping the ball up the park to Hartson for a knock down to another. How young and naive I was !!
– Ball passing sideways – can everyone watching Barcelona just watch it and take nothing from it ! Our kids are not brought up to play football as in Spain/Catalunya and its a joke to start trying to do so now.
– Fitness – if you train hard 4/5 days a week and play twice a week, you do not look like KC
– Attacking – our best moments lastnight involved hitting the byline. Our worst were when trying intricate one twos to pierce th centre of their midfield/defence. Again, stop watching Spanish football.
Captain Beefheart
12:47 on
7 August, 2014
Trad, hmm.
====
If an idiot in section 104 at Celtic Park shouts some racist bile do you hold the entire section responsible?
Don’t be ridiculous. As Fanadpatriot and Gorbalstam have pointed out there were more issues in other pockets of the stadium last night.
No matter what you think of them the GB are vehemently anti-sectarian/anti-racist and its guaranteed any of that garbage is not tolerated in their section.
HH
Paul67
so we are finally agreed then.
NO MORE CHASING THE WANYAMA!!!
pleased you caught up.
MWD says AYE
The way things are being driven / directed by, the ‘bored’ PL / DD and any other of the faceless wonders that I’ve missed, we’ll be lucky to sell enough SB’s to fill the seats marked – ‘CELTIC’ in the lower North Stand.
Effff this, bye.
We’ve been used to ‘relative’ success, we’ve enjoyed the sporadic trips to Europe this century where we’ve punched above our weight and we behave like true customers (and not fans) when that is taken away – bought my ticket but will choose not to attend now as circumstances have changed.
I think it’s a natural reaction from some sections of our fan base redrawing what good looks like when things don’t go to plan.
Kevin
Your post about technique on previous blog is spot on.
If there is one thing that gets me shouting at a player and throwing hands in despair it’s poor first touch.
A good first touch is what separates the average from the best.
Strength and athleticism make up for it a bit but a good first touch is the mark of a player.
big wavy
13:01 on 7 August, 2014
Could that be because we are so focussed on those markets and then making the subsequent signings work?
For example, is a young Biton so much better than a young Henderson?
Are Matthews and Lustig so much better than Fisher?
Balde and Pukki so much better than Watt?
We give the foreign player both time to adapt to our style of play and time to settle in to the country for all the off field stuff – all the while the guy who doesnt need the above but just needs games is kicking his heels.
I get why we do it, because there is a Boruc, Wanyama, Van Dyke still out there – and we should continue to explore those markets of course, however I think it should be more diverse.
I think RD has probably been brought in with developing from within as part of his remit – I do wonder about the purchasing of other home born players from scotland and Ireland though..
no having to go far for Huntertainment today…………….
win, lose or draw …..Celtic to the core …….braw