Celtic got what they deserved at Rugby Park yesterday. An inspired early goal by Ryan Christie limited the damage to two dropped points but that aside, Kilmarnock coped easily with everything Celtic could muster. After being caught out by Christie, Danny Rogers in the Killie goal did not have a save to make for the rest of the game. Who would have thought?
Post-match, Neil Lennon referred to Christopher Jullien’s slow start to last season. After a poor performance at Fir Park he was dropped for the infamous defeat to Cluj at Celtic Park. Chris got better then and he will do so again, but he lost Nicke Kabamba in dangerous positions three times in the first half.
He does not have problems with big stirkers, as was alleged on TV commentary; the significance of that goal by Lyndon Dykes at Livingston could not be more overstated. But he is a big lad who clearly needs a better preseason.
Crossing was poor, control cumbersome and the physical battle was often too much. The lack of physicality is a concern; we are small and light in several areas. One of the hottest strikers in Europe spent much of the game a spectator, despite our most valued creatives playing. It really was a team dropping points together.
The manager changed the shape of the team on 65 minutes but to no effect. Olivier Ntcham had the last 10 minutes but by then Killie were settled and Celtic, increasingly desperate. You know me and Olivier, I would have introduced him earlier. Or, had him on from the start.
Neil has dropped points at Rugby Park before and he knows how to build a response. No one was “thrown under the bus”, as he said later. Until then, we have to live like others, not at the top of the table, for a change.
We are going to face a lot of packed defences this season and play on a few plastic pitches. There can be no complaints, let’s just get better at overcoming both.
Given a choice of winning yesterday, or facing two away draws in Champions League qualification, I would take the draw with Killie and home times against Reykjavik, then either Ferencvaros or Djurdargens, the prospect we face after different types of draws yesterday and today.
Home ties until we are well into our season is a huge bonus. There is still work to do, but the prospect of a Lincoln Red Imps rerun is receding. Wish we could attend these games.
Sweden is Europe’s Covid herd immunity test case and the test has not gone well. It remains to be seen what travel restrictions visitors from Sweden are in place when the second round takes place on 15 and 26 August.
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NFL appears to say he gave the players 2 days off. At what point did he think that it was ok for Bolingoli to not appear for 4 days and still merit a place on the bench?
This does not look good whatever way you look at it. I’d imagine those further up the food chain will be expecting answers from its management team.
I suspect the FM will read the riot act today and say enough is enough and shut football down. 🙁
Furthermore, Peter Lawwell has been pushing hard to get fans back to football, this makes him look really bad considering he can’t keep his house in order. Bolingoli is unlikely to survive this. Termination of his contract may be the minimum needed to appease the Scottish Government.
Paul 67 gave us this last week
“Football players have been granted ‘sports bubble’ special status, when they abuse that privilege by hitting busy pubs, they have let us all down.”
today’s article should be a doozy…
Unbelievable situation with Boli and he needs to be shown the door. Of more concern to me though is the fact that he was able to do this without anybody at the club knowing. I was one of the many on here who didn’t want Lenny to replace BR as I felt that it was a retrograde step and that there was a risk that standards would slip at the club. I think this incident combined with a couple of others over the last few months (Griffiths weight gain and Lenny telling young Mikey publicly to F off) point to that. One of the main reasons we stopped the old Huns doing 10IAR was the unprofessional culture that had set in at Ibrox and we need to treat this as a wake up call and an opportunity to press the reset button. Any investigation into Boli’s conduct must look at the management/coaching staff and theIr relationships/communications with the players. This season, more than any other, needs everyone at the club to be committed to the same goal and to the highest standards of professionalism in order to achieve it. Anything less is simply unacceptable and a slap in the face to the support. C’mon Celtic sort yourselves out!
We have made ourselves a bit of a target by being the most vocal regarding fans returning. I think the Government will not miss us and hit the wall with this fiasco
Sorry about this further Post, especially as I said that words fail me….BUT….
I have woken up to the news about Boli etc….and I still find it difficult to believe how any player can go awol for maybe Four Days….IF Neil Lennon only gave the players Two days off ?
Did Boli phone up Celtic and “Lie” ?
Did he phone up on the 3rd day and tell Celtic that he was feeling unwell and/or that he had an injury etc….while all the time he was abroad ?
IF Boli DID advise Celtic that he was unwell and/or injured, why wasnt he ordered to either…” Stay at home until examined and/or tested by Celtics Medical Team….OR ordered to get his arse to Lenntown to get “Examined and/or Tested straight away by Celtics Medical Team ?
If this had been a Hun player ( or any other player from any other club) we would be demanding to know how any player can go missing for Days, and then be selected for the squad for the very next game ?
If you are Peter Lawwell, you would be demanding answers to a number of questions ?
This episode isnt going to end well, and I dont expect the SMSM and/or the Govt to give us an easy ride over this ?
What an “Own Goal” this may prove to be ?
HH
How the hell can anyone take 4 days off work and not be noticed? Did Bolingolli fly from Glasgow and no one seen him at the airport,when did he return?
Celtic must discipline him by hitting him in the pocket and make him train on his own for two weeks away from any of our players. Football authorities cannot seem to control their members i.e. Sevco playing friendlies without test results, Aberdeen players going to the boozers and now Bolo going to Spain. We Nicola’s clicky pen will be going like feqq today and who can blame her
My initial reaction to Boli is that he has to go. No excuse possible.
I have a few questions about the situation: when did he go? How was he missed? When did Celtic learn of it? Why did he go?
Dreadful.
If Celtic/Neil Lennon DID give the players TWO Days off, but Boli took a longer period off, then Celtic themselves may be “Off the Hook” to a certain extent, although we may need to prove that all the players were indeed given the Two days off, and it was ONE Player…who abused that situation, it would all be down to Boli himself ?
However, the question remains ” How did Boli get more than Two days off….IF that is True ?”
Did he LIE to his employers via the phone etc ?
How did Celtic discover that Boil had been abroad…and did they know this BEFORE the game on Sunday ?
This is not just a Celtic “OWN GOAL”….it is a MASSIVE Own Goal , no matter how we care to look at it.
Im very angry and pissed off…especially when us mere mortals were Self Isolating for feckin 18 weeks…and all the while so called professional fitba players think that they can do what ever they want !
I had planned to go to feckin Blackpool in the next couple of weeks, but Ive been putting it off due to concerns about leaving Scotland…and this CHUMP Boli swans aff to feckin Spain !
HH
More than a club?
Didn’t realise it meant Club 18-30!!!!!
Scunnered CFC
CELTIC40ME
no need for the long response to try to explain your understanding , whatever way you try to explain
loan striker = target man.
I’m not privy to what Celtic players’ contract terms specifically say but it’s inconceivable that they don’t contain a clause allowing termination for gross misconduct.
If what Bolingoli has done (which jeopardises our ten in a row aspirations and our Champions league qualification let alone his fellow employees’ health, maybe even lives) isn’t gross misconduct then I don’t know what is.
He simply has to go.
The Boli thing certainly wouldn’t have affected the teams performance Sunday ,would it ? Naw surely not ? I mean it’s only a pandemic , and they wouldn’t have been worried about infection or nothing like that. He should have been binned immediately ,put down the marker .
In my opinion ..
Bognorbhoy,
The fact that the players might have known about his actions – even if the club didn’t could easily have affected the team. Worries about their health and also the fallout once it became public would be quite a distraction I would have thought.
He’s got to go.
What reality do these footballers live in – Boli is a disgrace and to be honest Griff isn’t far behind.
Good morning from the Chilterns during heatwave…
Lot’s of fholk at Parkhead hotter under the collar though…
BOGNORBHOY @ 8:56 AM,
In order for the players performance to be affected by Bolingoli going to Spain, the players would have needed to know about it, surely!?
If the players did know about it and didn’t inform the manager then the gross negligence falls on all who knew and were prepared to let Boli play.
If they did escalate it and nothing was done, then we are in a huge world of pain… expulsion for the season!?
No. We must believe and hope Bolingoli’s inexplicable lapse was unknown until after the game.
A detailed investigation should reveal all, we must pray it is just one individual within that knew before kick-off at Rugby Park. Or else!!!
Hail Hail
100% in agreement. With this
Who approved a 2 or 4 day break, we area professional football club, at the very start of our season, why do players and management team need a break ?
Can we not just rotate players around a couple of days off ?
Fuming with this at this time
Totally unprofessional
SID1888 on 11TH AUGUST 2020 7:34 AM
Unbelievable situation with Boli and he needs to be shown the door. Of more concern to me though is the fact that he was able to do this without anybody at the club knowing. I was one of the many on here who didn’t want Lenny to replace BR as I felt that it was a retrograde step and that there was a risk that standards would slip at the club. I think this incident combined with a couple of others over the last few months (Griffiths weight gain and Lenny telling young Mikey publicly to F off) point to that. One of the main reasons we stopped the old Huns doing 10IAR was the unprofessional culture that had set in at Ibrox and we need to treat this as a wake up call and an opportunity to press the reset button. Any investigation into Boli’s conduct must look at the management/coaching staff and theIr relationships/communications with the players. This season, more than any other, needs everyone at the club to be committed to the same goal and to the highest standards of professionalism in order to achieve it. Anything less is simply unacceptable and a slap in the face to the support. C’mon Celtic sort yourselves out!
Any Celtic player contract will be under scots law and the employee will have protection of disciplinary procedures
Celtic can only follow the law and I am Sure an employment lawyer will be consulted 1st so club can follow due process
I imagine they will announce a paid suspension with an investigation to follow with results to be published
Indeed lost for words that a player of Celtic fc can put our club and ten in a row in jeopardy :(((
The Bolingoli Affair.
Obviously people are speculating and seeking answers as to exactly what occurred however the fact that the player has publicly admitted what he did then I am in the camp which concludes that he should be sacked. No question of any other outcome.
After the Aberdeen affair we are on record stating that players understood that they only left their domestic set up to train and that they had to operate to higher standards than the general public because they were role models. All sounds so. Dry hollow now.
The implications for the club will become clear but this one player’s actions could very well close football . The First Minister was rightly apoplectic about the behaviour of the eight Aberdeen players having dinner together then attending a busy pub. Can you imagine the reaction on hearing that a Celtic player actually boarded a plane, went off to a country in the news every day for having 14 day quarantine rules applied to it then returning home,mixing with colleagues and staff then playing football and potentially infecting Kilmarnock players. It is off the scale irresponsible and there can only be one outcome from a Celtic disciplinary investigation.
Quite what it all holds in store for us in this critical season has yet to unfold.
To win the league this year – on the assumption that football continues – will require very high levels of discipline, professionalism and very good man management. This business reflects very poorly on the latter and my fervent hope is that it is not a reflection on a wider malaise. We simply cannot afford that if we believe that 10- in – a – row matters.
Why did NL think it was a good idea at this time to give them 2 days off. Unbelievable
Are we to assume that Boli didn’t mention to any of his team mates or anyone in the squad or the backroom staff that he’d been in Spain for four days?
Not even in casual conversation?
Hard to believe, but if it’s true then it’s hard to see how he can possibly remain at Celtic.
The alternative though, is worse, that others in the squad knew where he’d been but said and did nothing about it.
And how on earth did he think no one would ever find out?
Was floated on here, and elsewhere, that only Celtic can prevent Celtic from winning the league this season.
We’re certainly giving it a go!
BBs baffling stupidity (not error) aside, I’m annoyed he’s effectively zero’ed his market worth; if we bin him, we cant sell him on (who’d take a chance with BB now) so he cost us 3mill plus the wages he’s been siphoning.
From a commercial stance, can’t we just mothball him; least til the Eng Championship starts up again. BB is surely worth 3-5mill to a mid-table Champs side. After all he’s more technically gifted than cousin Lukaku ;)
PS I still and all feel sorry for the daft bugger.
Am I right that since 25th travellers returning from Spain had to self isolate for 14 days ????
If so why is boli boli not in jail ?
CHAIRBHOY on 11TH AUGUST 2020 9:13 AM
‘If the players did know about it and didn’t inform the manager then the gross negligence falls on all who knew and were prepared to let Boli play.
If they did escalate it and nothing was done, then we are in a huge world of pain…’
###
That is the problem. If others knew then the repercussions don’t bear thinking about.
ST TAMS on 11TH AUGUST 2020 9:29 AM
Why did NL think it was a good idea at this time to give them 2 days off. Unbelievable
___
Players get a rest day anyway. I imagine they were given an extra day because it was one of the few times they’d get a chance to.
With qualifiers and domestic cup games coming up we’re going to be playing twice a week all season with no winter break.
It’s hardly excessive.
Rumour midweek card and weekend games will be cancelled
I actually believe the Spain travel rules are a complete nonsense and a disgrace.
However it would not matter if the isolation period was in place IF you visited the fish and chip shop.
Those rules were clearly in place and everybody knew about it.
What this player has done is almost self destruction on himself and potentially our club and Scottish football in general.
Some things can be forgiven but this certainly can not.
Elite athlete?…I think not.
If French Eddy did the same I would be calling for him to punished exactly the same.
Boli should be banished from the first team until we find a buyer and fined the maximum amount of wages allowed under his contract.
No need to make it easy for him and release him from his contract.He is comfortably worth still 1-2 million.Why should Celtic lose that also?
Devlin from The Athletic confirms the club gave the players 2 days off.
Hasn’t had clarification yet how long Boli was away
ERNIE LYNCH @ 9:36 AM,
Absolutely!!
If we grasp this straw to excuse a bad performance then we end up with others asking the questions:
Who knew and when?
We must stop naval gazing and look at the bigger picture. What of Kilmarnock, surely they may have to isolate!?
A full and comprehensive explaination professionally delivered is what’s needed, no excuses.
Our schadenfreude at Aberdeen and calls for them to lose games 0-3 looks ridiculous now.
We can just hope it’s only Bolingoli and ALL others have been consummate professionals.
Hail Hail
Sigh.
Love is the Law.
Ok so we don’t really know the ins and outs of the situation ,who where and why ,what we can be sure of is , it will harm Celtic more than it will boli
!!BADA BING!! on 11TH AUGUST 2020 9:44 AM
Rumour midweek card and weekend games will be cancelled
—
That was a given to be honest.
Season’s just kicked off and we give the players a couple of days off. 😠
Unless we told them to practice on the living room carpet in preparation for Sunday
I know things are Bad….. this Bad, so quickly.
So be it.
Like a Proverbial thief in the Night.
Love is Eternal howevaaaah.
Bangles.csc
Neil Lennon is the coach and it will be his call to give players a chance to rest mentally and physically.
I’m skeptical that having players train 365 days a year is beneficial.