It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what was different from last night’s performance to our previous outing against Ross County, and so many this season. Kris Commons was on from the start, but our tone of play was different, even as Kris limped on the side-lines during the opening minutes.
How that tone was set is worth examining. Celtic were denied an opportunity to train on Kilmarnock’s new artificial pitch, in a move demonstrating the hosts legendary welcome and sportsmanship, but when Ronny Deila spoke pre-match he made his position clear, “The pitch is great”.
One of my pet hates is hearing a player or manager establish a reason for failure before kick-off. Record your complaints about the pitch, or even being denied the chance to become accustomed to it, and you’re subliminally setting yourself up for a fall. It didn’t matter if a pitch is great or not, the manager and players have minutes to convince themselves it’s good enough for them to put on a show. Nothing got in the way of Celtic’s can-do attitude yesterday.
Kris was phenomenal. He got a hat-trick at Rugby Park last season and deserved no less this time, only the crossbar, twice, and some fine goalkeeping denied him. In a team short of goals, his focus on the target is unceasing. There were important Champions League games when he didn’t make the team under Neil Lennon, and there will be occasions when the game doesn’t suit him, but he’s the required fulcrum against a packed SPFL defence.
We’ve touched on this theme a couple of times but it doesn’t seem to be getting traction. For two years shareholders now newco Rangers have been advised to step aside, or as now, sell control for £18m, in the best interests of the club. No deal will be done until the best interests of the controlling shareholders are considered, any approach which doesn’t recognise this is no more than a distraction.
Newco have four directors, two non-execs, who do not work in the business on a daily basis, and two executives, who do. The latter, chief executive Derek Llambias, and yesterday’s appointment of Barry Leach as financial director, both came from the Sports Direct stable. They are the men working on fixing the funding gap. It is inconceivable they will overlook the interests of investors.
On 27th of this month newco will face an SFA disciplinary hearing over an alleged breach of a written agreement not to allow Ashley influence at the club, in place before they appointed two former Sports Direct staff to the board. I would be very surprised if the Sports Direct owner didn’t have the club’s short-term funding and his long-term security secured prior to that date.
[calameo code=0003901718eccc6101c78 lang=en page=1 hidelinks=1 width=100% height=500]
760 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- ...
- 20
- »
Just home to watch the Celtic TV coverage of last night’s match.
Impressed by Henderson, Kris, Bitton and Izzy. Broonie is always very good.
First thoughts are that Ole Ronny bhoy has got the team thinking more on triangles that are more isosceles and acute than our former 2014 angles, which tended to be more of an obtuse or scalene nature, therefore lacking in forward moving penetration.
Only laterly, when the game was won, did we revert to that 2014 type, as we no longer required to create, merely to maintain what we had.
It is a lot easier to play the old style, much harder to try inventive, penetrative passing like we did last night. It requires skill, thought and confidence in your team mates running off the ball.
Encouraging signs.
EC67
PythagorastheoryCSC
Alfie Noakes
Naw nobody is surprised mate, family bereavement…
Winning Captains
CQN beanie doffed to all involved.
HH jamesgang
Alfie Noakes
Seeing as we are on a wee betting thingy, I will bet £10 that Kris will still be with us next season.
I would suggest James Forrest`s Fields of Green sit or Phil Mac`s site as being the recipient should the bet be waged.
JJ
adi_dasler.
No team info at present..
Hard to see anything but a Rube win.Inter have been dire this season but have showed signs of improvement in their last 2 games.They should be a lot better than they currently are but appear to be lacking team spirit , confidence and grit. Rube will be seriously up for it – be interesting to see if Inter are.
Weeminger
Would it not have been better to assume Alfie was not aware of that?
JJ
eurochamps67
16:42 on 6 January, 2015
Aw
Are you a maths teacher by any chance ?…. Hahahahahaha
jim hot smoked
16:47 on 6 January, 2015
Good point, well put….!!
TTT
15.39
Yer on .
£25 to a charity of our choice.
TT
SOT
Cheers
Sir Paul
Let’s furget aboot.. Commons.. he is oan hiz wey oot..
Let’s Talk aboot..
Young Henderson..
Ah thought that hie Grade A performance,which he turned in Last eve..
widdae Bin The Subject of Today’s Headliner..fae you..
No Commons..who really didnae Contribute.. a Nickel tae oor Victoreee.
Noo.. This Youngster.. showed me.. That he has..
‘
ARRIVED…
Yessiree Boab.. He wiz in his element last night.. as a Mid Fielder cum LEFT WINGER.
He is a Confident Youngster..n He Showed Everybuddy that He should be
a Permanent Fixture..
‘
Frum Here tae Eternity..in oor Mid Field/Left Wing..Spot.
It’s Spankin New Position.. ( iT is ..Tae Me.. but.. Did Boabby Lennox no Play a
Role Somewhit similar tae that?.. Ah am Guessin’.. Never did see.. Lennox ,in the Flesh..actually..)
Ah expect Ronny must hiv Bin Impressed wi the Youngster, an awe..
So..
C’mon.. Ronny..
Hand Liam His Spurs..He has earned Them..
He is the Architect that Ye hiv bin Waiting tae turn up
The Kid Has Malam..
Nice chatting, Pal..
Kojo
Still,Laughin’
Sis in law selling 2 Peter Kay tickets for 7th February in Manchester
If anyone daft enough to want go and see him give me a shout
Blantyretim@aol.co.uk
Junglejim hot smoked
16:46 on 6 January, 2015
I’ll take that bet up with you…. :)
proudbhoy.
Yes – relative new boys in Serie A .Good manager, good mixture of seasoned pros and real thing prospects .
Yes – No 9 is Zaza.
Yes -AC Milan are poor / so are Inter.The AC Milan team that beat Celtic 5- 0 over 2 CL games were no great shakes .
As someone who does not own , nor do I ever borrow, a pair of rose coloured spectacles, let me say that I am enjoying some of the football we are playing more than I have done in the seven years since my return. I believe RD will create a Celtic team which will be as good as it possibly can be in a football world where EPL money distorts and influences so much.
The Inter will be very Inter-esting to see how much we have improved because, in truth, we did not look very good in any of the CL/EL games I attended. I believe we will perform well against Inter.
JJ
Caltontongues
If your heading to New Lodge, pass on my regards to TBL been too long since I heard the mandolin player. Hopefully get over for Easter.
True they weren’t and no doubt inter will be favs against us but as usual id never back against us at home.
Italian football has really gone backwards. Frightening. Wonder if EPL will ever go the same.
Anyway bedtime lone ago down under
67 Heaven
First of all you set me up with a compliment then slide in a bet acceptance 0:-)
The bet, nevertheless, is on. Imagine a virtual handshake.
JJ
Any of these games in caneries going to be on celtic tv ?
Proudbhoy
Premier sports showing them
Much better performance from the Celts last night, good to see Stefan Scepovic score, and Liam Henderson provide a previously overlooked option, with a fine game. Each year we see Rugby Park, it gets emptier with a mere few dozen in the main stand, it’s difficult to see how like their new Glasgow cousins, they remain solvent?
The excellent new plastic pitches are bound to suit a passing side and Celtic took full advantage with a whirlwind start, in a game that was a league apart from Kilmarnock.
Every Celtic player played well, just some more than others, and if Kris Commons plays till he’s forty he won’t have as many shots at goal in a single game, without scoring.
In a remarkable performance the player that ‘doesn’t fit RD’s system’ seemed to have re- invented it, with a vintage reminder of his record breaking 32 goals stint last year. It’s an A, B, or C scenario for KC and only he and Celtic know the real reason, he’s not been selected more often, and last night’s M.O.M show, merely reaffirmed it’s got
little to do with systems.
Roll on the Accies and their plastic pitch.
Hail Hail
Jungle Jim Hot Smoked
16:47 on
6 January, 2015
Perhaps, but it’s been in the public domain for several hours now. I also can’t keep track of those that constantly seek the negative angle.
If it’s a genuine mistake I apologise.
Italian football has really gone backwards. Frightening. Wonder if EPL will ever go the same.
==========
Proudbhoy
Most of the EPL is cannon fodder local clubs making up the numbers. Their best sides regularly get the runaround from the cream of the crop in Spain and Germany.
The only difference is the EPL haven’t been dogged by blatant corruption(that we know of) but the financial disparities between the clubs at the top and the rest will come home to roost sooner or later, and the sugar daddies won’t be around forever.
The current rate of inflation of wages/transfer fees is unsustainable anyway so yes, the EPL will crash more spectacularly than anywhere I’d say.
Wonder how they’ll have to show for it at the end?!!
HH
jungle jim hot smoked
16:58 on 6 January, 2015
Good Mhan…!!
weeminger
An apology is invariably a fine thing.
Cheerio ,
JJ
Jungle Jim – I am not a betting man – but I hope that you are right in what you say about Kris.
I was not aware of his bereavement and I am sorry if I have inadvertently caused any offence.
TT @1649,
:-)
Excellent!
I wont even wish ye Good Luck on this one ;-)
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
Respect to WC and those who arranged the ad.
Personally, I wouldn’t support it. The Herald is a curious choice:
It has a tiny readership.
It employed the likes of Wilson and Dodds.
Finally, some Celtic men will surely be uncomfortable giving money to a Scottish newspaper, especially one which has printed numerous anti Catholic views.
Good luck anyway.
Bhoys & Ghirls,
I think we will move leagues. I think it is inevitable in the longer term.
In light of recent events, I especially hope we move leagues and leave the corruption behind.
We may have to operate two teams to maintain a presence in Scottish football, similar to the old reserve team we had for so long. Yes we could do this, and Lennoxtown could then prove its worth.
What I do not know is, if we have tried wholeheartedly before, and if we are still trying.
Even before the advance of global communications we knew what Bob Kelly and Fergus to a lesser extent wanted and the direction of our club would take.
We just do not know what our current custodians think or want but our ambition both morally and footballing suggest a move may be best for all parties.
Market forces will eventually prevail for big ambitious European teams playing in small ponds, we just require leaders of substance to make it happen.
HH.
Wanted Tony Watt to do well at Celtic , but it didnt ,anyway Tony good luck at Charlton
captain beefheart
17:08 on 6 January, 2015
Hahahaha …..”apart from that ……….”
timbhoy2
17:09 on 6 January, 2015
Any idea what happened with Tony Watt …. !!!!
Not had a chance to post recently, very busy with the holidays. Back to a semblance of normality at lady.
What I saw on the pitch yesterday was still a team in transition, and if Ronny can weather the storm of inevitable and further inconsistent results, we will emerge with a supremely fit youthful team terrifying and exhausting Scottish defenses with their relentless pass and move. This is what he did in Norway, winning the league with his last club. Logic will tell you this successful template is being applied to Celtic right now and hence growing pains will continue during this season at least.
The general tone I get from you Paul in your mention of the Ashley involvement, is that you are resigned now to them surviving and limping their way back into Celtic Park, accompanied by their usual bile and aggression. They may be limping their way through the league getting humped along the way at times, but contenders none the less.
Captain Beefheart the Herald is probably the best of a bad bunch out of the Daily Ranger, the Hun and the Hootsmon. Where would you have gone to? H H Hebcelt
MOTM yesterday was for me was Johanssen by some stretch.
He is still a kid himself and improving exponentially. Stick, or twist, good for us either way.
proudbhoy
16:58 on
6 January, 2015
Any of these games in caneries going to be on celtic tv ?
CTV are negotiating for the TV rights to screen both matches.
The boardroom strikes back
Leave a reply
Well the last few days have been eventful.
Not only does Planet Fitba have award winning stenographers, but they can produce quality scriptwriters in much the same way that they once cultivated world class players.
The thing that stuck out for me was the £500k interest free loan to provide working capital “…over the next few days…” this was a remarkable admission.
“The facility will be used by the company for general working capital purposes over the next few days.
“The directors of Rangers, having taken advice from their nominated adviser, WH Ireland PLC, believe that the terms of the facility are fair and reasonable as far as shareholders are concerned.”
One more time:
“…for general working capital purposes over the next few days.”
However once more Sandy Easdale stepped up.
Just like last February when the company was again on the brink of insolvency these Greenock guys didn’t hide.
As regular readers will know I have been consistently baffled by the opprobrium that these two working class blokes receive from a large section of the Ibrox clientele.
There is nothing nasty and unsavoury about it.
I tried to work out just what the issue is, is some kind of classism by the klan.
The very idea that any of The People would indulge in snobbery really put them beyond any medical help.
Firstly, the Easdales are the only guys inside the Big House with an emotional attachment to the light blue cause.
For the voidance of doubt Mr Easdale’s £500k interest free loan almost certainly prevented a fairly rapid insolvency event at Sevco.
The response to this from Mr David Cunningham thing, I thought, lacked class.
Unlike him Mr Easadle has actually addressed the cash flow crisis rather than helping to create it.
At time of writing Mr Ashley controls the Ibrox boardroom.
He will wish to retain control to preserve his commercial interests there.
If those contracts, the advertising and the retail, are secured, then he would be happy to see someone else deal with the heartache of running that shambles.
Indeed Big Mike might even come up with some new novated agreements.
The new regime would then have to agree to a fresh round of Onerous Contracts in favour of Mr Ashley.
Once more, and for the avoidance of doubt, Big Mike does not want to own or run a football club in Scotland.
He just wants to take money out in the way of profits and he will leave all of the emotional stuff to someone else.
In rejecting the overtures of Mr Sarvar the RIFC board stated that they would be seeking more finance from existing shareholders.
However lends the next trance of much needed finance will control events at Ibrox going forward.
For the moment thought he has his two guys on the bridge controlling the good ship Sevco.
I noticed that Mr Barry Leach was once a director of a company called “Heaven or Hell Limited” until he resigned on 24 October 2014.
With his appointment yesterday he has obviously decided to give up on heaven!
Italian media say Celtic one of the clubs interested in midfielder Ahmad Benali. The 22-year-old currently plays for Brescia.