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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I am struggling with my guilt………….as well as a big cheesy undeserved grin!!
HH
Who takes the decisions in Glasgow District Council. …… Firstly, they decide to show the flats being blown up ….. Now they have decided to fly the Palestinian flag …. Jewish children are dying also …… A tragic conflict
Wee Hun at work apoplectic. Oh my aching sides.
Thankfully for Legia they are seeded in EL and get one of the sides we could have faced – they should go through
Sign Radovic now please
last week when rory mclroy hit a huge drive left left left into a tree it rebounded back into the fairway and he made a birdie on his way to another win….im sorry but it did not see him perplexed with guilt …thats the way things go in football…for every hard luck story ‘athletico madrid 74,rapid vienna 85 there is a good luck story sion 2012 and now legia warsaw 2014.!!!!!
Peter Lawwell’s strategy a triumph once more…I’ll get my Coat…lol…:)
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Ludogorets .
Watched both legs of their Europa League last 32 v Lazio .
They beat Lazio and were then humped by Valencia in the last 16 ..
No mugs . !
Some of their Ultras caused a lot of bother in Rome . Some of their Ultras had pre arranged fights with some Lazio Ultras
Any bookie experts on? Had money on a 3-0 Celtic win….. will they pay out?
couldbeacarlingfriday csc
Ludogrets would be a good draw for us..Basel went down there and beat them 4-2…..
sack the board.
UEFA needs us in so they can fines us and pay for xmas night oot
I am of the opinion that we don’t deserve to go through BUT !!
Anything that RANKERS with the a Rotten mob must be enjoyed YES ?
Going by the Servomian reaction the last 24 hrs is some sort of Fenian conspiracy oh dear do I suspect a spot of PARANOIA ;) Roon Yeez !’
Squire,
Another CL night to look forward to at Celtic Park and Euro footy till Christmas so its all good if a little embarrassing,the fact that the huns are in turmoil as a result does ease the embarrassment somewhat……….:-)
Booking at Guys for 8 at 5:30???? :-)
South Of Tunis
They must have got better since I saw them!!!
FunnyCSC
Big Wavy
Im stunned, wow that was nerve wracking
Hope we can move on.
HH
At least we’ll have one 60000 sell out at Paradise this year….
Champions League music and all
We are now on the Seeded section of the Draw, Calsberg don’t do Fridays but if they did !!!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QvMQWte5pik
BT – you’ve got a point. I bet us in-play @5/1 when trailing 1-0!
Does the 3-0 result not count? :-)
The BHOYS are back in town just been re- released.
E-Tims speculating that Peter Lawwell will appeal as he’s already sold half of the team!
:-0))))
mullet and co 2
10:28 on
8 August, 2014
We should seriously look at doing something for Legia though. Maybe something as fans?
========
Their own club owes them big time.
We are merely innocent bystanders here. Nothing we can do will compensate them for loss of potential CL football, which I believe they havent experienced since 1995.
HH
Great news bhoys!
Paul67
Hope the server stands up to the volume of posts.
Wooohooooo!
macjay1 for neil lennon
10:04 on 8 August, 2014,
HaHaHa, the old ones are the best.HH
I was there when we were cheated by Rapid player feigning hit by bottle. There when cheated by Atletico in ’74. There when cheated by Farry & SFA. There when cheated by Deidco EBT’s ( inc H Berg). There when cheated by Porto in Seville, timewasting/play acting. The list could go on.
Our day has come. Every dog has their day. What goes around comes around.
Embarresed, NO. Berg should be though, he had no reason to play the guy.
As Jamie Redknap said
” Celtic don’t need the Champions League, the Champions League need Celtic”.
3-0 Mulgrew Hattrick?
Is the draw on live ?
GlassTwoThirdsFull
10:26 on
8 August, 2014
Headless chooks running round in circles.
Hope somebody puts them out of their misery.
Don’t really deserve it in football terms but it’s good to be on the up side of a football ruling.
Just hope we don’t draw Ludogorets from Bulgaria as they are now back to being unseeded and a possible opponent. They would have been delighted that Legia won through and will have no love lost towards us now.
One to be avoided, but I suppose it’s all a bonus now. Let’s hope we see some positive reaction both on and off the park
Big wavy…
http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/season=2015/draws/index.html
Glass
But not yet.
will fraser forsters. virgil van dykes agents be smiling at this news?
I can hear the Champions League theme tune now!
big wavy
Many thanks.
Doc
I hear all that you say, I honestly do.
And I am for backing Ronnie Deila and any team he puts on the park wearing a Celtic jersey.
However, the two competitive games against Legia saw the worst performances I have ever seen from a Celtic side and after the first game in Poland I opined that any 11 professional footballers coached by a manager with an ability to set up a team will defeat a Celtic side playing like that.
Murrayfield did nothing to change that opinion.
In fact it only reinforced the opinion.
Now, if Ronnie can galvanise the existing squad and we get a better performance then great- I will be as happy as a pig in shit.
However, as I said the other day, I am far from sure that he can do that.
What I would not want is some madcap rushing around just to get some new player in who this team have never played with and now throw him into this tie.
We need to go with who we have on the books and unless Ronnie can change the attitude and skill set of the entire team who played on Wednesday then we are in the Europa League.
That is the reality unfortunately and it will not do the club or the fans any good to overlook the awful performances against Legia Warsaw for whom I have great sympathy especially our own MR Z.
Big PIERRE says it can get to number one…..he wouldn’t say where all royalties from the hit single would go to.
Reinstated – hardly feels like a victory but I’ll take it!
Draw begins in 30 minutes