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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Chris Graham @ChrisGraham76 4m
Appears UEFA rules require Celtic to have filed a protest in order for Legia to be kicked out. Any other team would have been embarrassed…
Oh the hurt!
Wish we were as good at signing players as we are at reading the fine print in admin docs.
Celtic should commiserate with Legia but not apologise. This is not our doing, we’ve got nothing to apologise for.
Italiabhoy- shhhhh
Eufa is in Switzerland – popes guard is Swiss guard – join the dots :) hh
twists n turns
10:06 on 8 August, 2014
FF hilarious right now………brilliant.
Got any copy??
Legia?
Last ten mins. of the game in Warsaw………
No sympathy from me.
Tom McLaughlin
10:07 on
8 August, 2014
There is no right of appeal in this sort of offence.
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According to STV they can appeal but surely it would be futile anyway. The rules are clear as day in these cases.
HH
Long Wait iOS Over
It’s on the Beeb too
italiabhoy
10:07 on 8 August, 2014
Absolutely SPOT ON….HH
I hear PL was in the dressing room before kick off he said “Listen minions I’ve a wee secret. The tie is already ours 3-0. I want you to go out there and get cuffed. It’ll really wind the Orcs up when we get through on a technicality. It’ll be even funnier than the time I said they were getting player bids from outer space!”.
Just heard the news
Brilliant
Trifc fan at work not too happy probably as disappointed as a Legia fan
Is it fair no
But its the rules and we have been on the wrong end of them
To this extent I doubt it
Chris Graham’s wrong on that one…and clearly in great pain!
Ludogorets of Bulgaria won’t be happy as they now lose their seeded status.
CLARIFICATION: Legia chairman Bogusław Leśnodorski (@BL_1916): “The Champions League not for us this year… I LET YOU DOWN.”
@RobertBlaszczak
Do we have time to get a new manager ? Or 11 new players who want to play for the current manager.
macjay1 for Neil Lennon
10:04 on
8 August, 2014
sipsini
09:58 on
8 August, 2014
ya beauty, telly’s, radios, phones and I pads flying oot of hun windows.
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Oh I hope it`s multi-storeys when they jump.
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Green multi storeys (thumbs up)
Hx2
I’m waiting for something more trustworthy than stv.
Chris Graham needs to point out where in the rules it states Celtic needed to protest. 21.2 and 21.4 dealing with suspensions makes no reference to it.
It could be argued that Celtic’s purchase of the UEFA Rule Book was our best ever signing.
Chris Graham talking shoite…
Rules are that if the guy played no need for Celtic to step forward. Huns and facts eh ?
SSN breaking news…
On sky now
What makes this even better is the thought of the hun.Can you imagine them?.
The appeal will of course be mandatory,but will not be upheld.Banned player,and a precedent from 2 years ago.The team then also appealed and lost.Again,precedent.UEFA are very big on this with smaller nations.
Cant be bothered with all this sympathy for Legia.Just what are they to us?.Their fans would be partying in Warsaw if the boot was on the other foot.Zybzek also.Tough.
Made it on SSN on now fellas
Ya beauty !!!!!
Those posts between 9.55 am and 10.05 am had me on an emotional rollercoaster.
Twitter says were in the EL . Immediate downer
Twitter has been known to be wrong. Hope returns
BRTH -Sources say were in EL . Big downer BRTH should know
Twitter now says were in . Hope returns
Were out were in . What a 10 min spell that was.
Malarkey
10:03 on
8 August, 2014
I’m not sure this will stand on appeal. The guy only played 4 mins when we were beat 2-0. Very likely to be amended to a Fine surely? Don’t get carries away yet.
If it stands then frankly — Im embarrassed. I would apologise to Legia – send them our best wishes and admit they were superior in both legs.
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Dry your eyes we have been getting cheated for years.
Chri Graham is used to following a team that don’t bother much with the rules.
Says a lot that.
Got some stick from hun mate via facebook after game.
Totally uncalled for as I gave him no grief whatsoever over their 3 year laughathon.
So my immediate thoughts on this decision goes out to hurting sevcodgers.
Hello this is WEE BGFC. Sky Sports Charles paterson is sick!! :D
Charles Patterson reporting outside Celtic Park for SSN is as sick as a parrot. Utterly! !!
SSN – WE HAVE BEEN RE-Instated. 3-0 victory to is and we are through on away goals. We are in the draw. Legia in Europa League. Yeehah!
Re Chris Graham.
My understanding is that if a player is ineligible then it’s up to the other team to complain.
However,if the player was banned from playing then the other team do not need to complain.
Can oor wee Chris get anything right?
In sporting terms and in terms of the match itself it is the wrong decision.
However in terms of the wider need to protect the integrity of the sport as a whole UEFA really have no alternative but to abide by their rules.
Given that the SFA have absolutely failed to recognise their wider responsibility to protect the integrity of Scottish football and Celtic have paid a price for that as the full Res12 narrative will demonstrate then there is a bit of karma at play.
That we do not deserve to qualify based on the showing of two games is a given but life does not always deliver what is deserved.
In football terms we will probably exit next round, in fact certainly will exit next round if current playing attitudes are not addressed and end up in the EL but we now are where we are.
I feel sorry for Legia and whoever made the error it’s huge for them.
Finally I seem to remember Denmark being allowed into a European Nations Cup competition a good few years ago because You Go slave had fallen apart and Denmark going on to win it.
Football is a funny old game. 3 down to Killie and falling way behind Rangers and manager heading for the door. 3 each time at time up on our way to the title.
Mind you some players stepped up to the plate that day. We need all players and their managers to do the same now.
Patrick27:CLARIFICATION: Legia chairman Bogusław Leśnodorski (@BL_1916): “The Champions League not for us this year… I LET YOU DOWN.”
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1916…
The unseen Fenian hand eh…
HH
Well done to Henderson for scoring the goal that put us through!
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Delia Doth Bake Exceedingly Fine Cakes..
And A ‘Mean’ Boiled-Egg Too..!
Viva KevJungle.. & The Dressing-Room Rhebels..!
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‘Sky sports history’ now playing catch up on the story
Vmhan – YNWA Wee Oscar
10:10 on
8 August, 2014
Hopehill Rd.boy.
A wee tad euphoric right now.
As I said before,we surely can`t pay as badly again.
Just trying to imagine Broony`s face right now.