Celtic got what they deserved yesterday. Alarm bells were ringing from the opening minutes when Newco Rangers created several chances. Their goal on 16 minutes was reward for their ability to get inside the Celtic box with remarkable ease.
So much about football is down to game intelligence, something which bypassed Dedryck Boyata in the move which led to the opening goal, as he clumsily barged into the back of an opponent who was running away from goal. After Dedryck went off injured for Erik Sviatchenko midway through the first half, Craig Gordon had little to do.
This fact illuminates the only positive aspect of Celtic’s performance – the defence. Sviatchenko and Charlie Mulgrew both played well, while Kieran Tierney would have collected the Man of the Match award, had his team-mates delivered near to his level.
Sviatchenko wasn’t in the starting line-up because he’d been out injured, but with extra time, he played (well) for 95 minutes. Leaving him out, presumably over concerns he would be unable to play 90 minutes, was a miscalculation.
From midfield forward we were individually and tactically second best. Scott Brown provided more evidence that he’s not regained top form after his injury lay-off. His touch and decision-making were both off. He had an opportunity to clear at the first goal but his contact wasn’t strong enough.
This is a real concern. Scott’s 31 in the summer, young enough to have several good years at this level, but my expectation is that we need to manage the remainder of his career carefully, in light of the cumulative effect of injuries. If this concern is valid, it will have a big impact on Celtic next season.
I did a fair amount of shouting at Nir Bitton during the first half. We were regularly overloaded 3-against-2 on the wing, while Nir remained in a central position, 5 yards away from being able to effectively press. If this was down to team orders they were complicit in a dreadful first half performance. If it was a personal reluctance to press, it was inexplicable. I could believe either scenario.
It was all too much for Gary Mackay-Steven and Patrick Roberts. Gary’s form has been underwhelming this season, but when I questioned his inclusion ahead of the game the point was made that he’s chipped in with a number of goals recently. Ronny Deila turned and walked to the dug-out to instruct Gary’s substitution after one inaccurate pass too many.
In the starting line-up, only Gary, Patrick Roberts and Leigh Griffiths had scored in our previous 7 league games. I suspect we were caught asking the wrong question here – who’s going to score the goals? Instead of asking how best to win the middle of the park. With Roberts, Mackay-Steven, Griffiths and Johansen occupying the advanced four positions we were lacking in kilograms – literally lightweight.
Contrast to when Gordon Strachan plucked Charlie Mulgrew from defensive cover to play left side of midfield at Ibrox; winning a game well against the odds.
Stefan Johansen was another unable to judge the weight or accuracy to apply to a pass, he was hooked injured after 84 minutes but could have gone earlier due to performance. His replacement, Tom Rogic, brought a considerable improvement to our use of the ball. Had we started with Rogic and Sviatchenko it would have been a different result.
The plan didn’t work for Leigh Griffiths. He was unable to hold play up, get in behind or craft a proper opening. He’s been our charm this season, but he’s no miracle worker.
More on the big picture stuff later in the week.
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and progress too….
The PLC have been referred to as the POLITBURO.
They are like relics from a bygone age.
The successors of the Biscuit-Tin mob.
Time for radical change.
HH
2/3’s
And that’s a FACT :)
I have supported Ronny from his appointment. I loved the ideals of changing the playing culture, increasing fitness, relying on youth, making Celtic a modern, European club. I was excited at the vision of a fast-passing high-line pressing game.
Well, there was one team at Hampden yesterday who played that game, and it wasn’t us. And they weren’t even very good at it. They didn’t have to be. We beat ourselves yesterday.
Coming out the ground in freezing, stormy, wet Molde last October me and a couple of mhates found a bar and drank cheerlessly. We were shell-shocked. I nearly gave up then but I continued to support him, more out of hope than judgement, hoping things would click one day soon.
I said when Ronny was hired we would need patience and he would need two years. Well, two years later, here we are.
I am sad things did not work out – ‘not work out’? What an understatement for a broken dressing room, one-trick tactics, no team spirit, no heart, no fitness, fans deserting in droves, little technical ability and a general lethargic, confused, rudderless malaise I’ve not seen since the days of Liam Brady and Neuchatel Xamax.
I hope Ronny and JC have already been told that, once the league is won (once, not if), that’s that, and no hard feelings.
I hope a successor is being, or is already, lined up and is quietly working on plans to reshape the squad.
I don’t want to see Lawwell out – I want to see his currently all-pervading power reined in and confined to what he is actually good at, which is sums on the PLC balance sheet.
His role should be recast, dropping all influence over footballing affairs.
Footballing affairs, including signings, should be run by the manager, and that should be Guus Hiddink.
Under different circumstances I think Ronny would have made an excellent number 2 to Hiddink but obviously that’s not an option now. I wonder if Henrik would contemplate that role for a couple of years.
We need a heavyweight at this juncture to stop the rot, and we should break the bank to get one. Hiddink is available, fits the bill and might just be persuaded IMO.
Now back to the red wine and Tramadol. HH
when is st renewal time.
In the early 60’s during the “British Invasion” a couple of bit actors ventured intae the music scene in the US as a duo ala Peter and Gordon and had a couple of hits which can still be heard on the oldies radio channels over here. One of those had the line “and that was yesterday, and yesterday’s gone”. And that’s how I look at yesterday’s game; it’s time to move on as we still have a League to win, in saying that though failure to take full points on Sunday and Ronny and co’s feet shouldnae touch the ground.
I have seen better Celtic teams with better players and managers including Jock, TB and MON lose finals, semis and championship deciders, but we just regrouped and moved on.
After the Lubo 5-1 game my brother turned tae me and said the oul Dr.outcoached advocaat, which was pretty much what Macjay said last night happened yesterday. A kid on manager and failed Sheffield boss outcoaching a title winning manager in 2 countries FFS.
First of all let’s look back 2 years, Ronny was interviewed for the Assistant Manager job as the club decided on a shift in direction from moneyball to rearing our own, a move that I and others heartily welcomed.
We also took advantage of nae deidco, especially during the financial crisis, to set our club on a firm footing, nothing wrong, and in fact a very shrewd move, with that.
This was to be a 2 year stint with a review of where we stand at the end of it, unfortunately, and similar to WTT leaving and Gerard Houlier turning us down, Lenny let the club that gave him his big chance down and we were left scrambling for a new manager after he reneged on the deal.
Why, only he can answer that but the suggestion that he wanted out of the fishbowl of Glasgow seems a bit lame now considering he’s back living and socialising up the toon. Also that he didnae like big Dolph getting the sugar lump is a bit lame tae as the big mhan upped sticks and “walked” out on Bolton.
Personally, I believe that he started tae believe his own press, especially after Barca at Parkheid but possibly forgetting the hiding we got in the Nou Camp, and thought that clubs would be lining up for him. Unfortunately for him not so as Scottish football is seen, and quite rightly so, as a backwater.
So we can forget about the Davie Moyes, Brendan Rogers and Stevie Clarke like appointments, no gonnae happen, as for former Brechin and Shamrock Rovers manager Michael O’Neill FGS the Black North only qualified for the Euros as Greece a country in disarray at the time capitulated, MON nae chance tae, that ship has sailed and he didnae exactly set the heather on fire after leaving us eventually for his first love Sunderland.
Merr chance of KevinJ’s Carolina getting the job in the Scottish manager merry-go-round although Roy Keane would be interesting especially at press conferences if he took CKR along, mibbees DD could have him on a personal services contract, if that’s allowed.
Clubs also won’t be lining up for the current bestest manager in Europe either and even should he go it will be like Lenny tae some struggling club with wooly bully mcsleekit taking over at the coup and the mullet up in the pen.
Ronny was an inspired move by the club and after last season’s double and cheated out of a treble it looked that way. But let’s put the honest mistakes notions out of our heads as some of our greatest mangers’ faced them and were still successful, this season has been dreadful, it pains me to say but Ronny just doesn’t have it.
After a successful career in Norway with a limited squad it’s my honest opinion that our club is too big for him. He has too many players to choose from and still doesn’t know, injuries notwithstanding, his best 11.
He reminds me of the “Tinkerman” who having been with a plethora of clubs including while at chelski spending £120 million on players in the summer of 2003 never achieved real success, FFS even Greece got rid of him after losing to the Faroes. Now with a smaller club on a limited budget and playing staff he has, with his vast experience, shown what can be achieved.
Ronny’s original 2 year stint is now over; however, I wouldn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater yet and would still keep him within the club as he’s a good development manager, as our development squad and youths attest to, and coach but not for the 1st team. He stood by us when a “legend” walked out on the club, just like his mentor I hasten to add, so let’s not be “Trumpeters” and cast his fate to the wind.
I always reckoned that the job was too big for TB at the time, when his time came to be terminated the Bunnet offered him a development position within the club, Tommy’s pride said no but ironically that’s where he ended up.
Finally, if I was Stewart Milne I would be looking at my own clubs managerial team and wondering why when Celtic are so urine we can’t win the League.
Moyes ………………………..not for me NO THANKS, i’d rather see big Yogi get the gig, because thats the kinda budget we have for a new manager.
And i reckon Yogi would turn it doooooon !!!!!!
Paul67 et al
In recent seasons, including last, I believed that with the addition of three or so experienced players, we could go on to being a half decent football team. Unfortunately, we have focused on selling our most marketable ones and stuck with the ones who contributed little or nothing, a scenario that could easily have been achieved by taking hard earned (in some cases at least) money off the supporters and promptly throwin it up the air and down the London Road. Worked for some, but not for the team. We need a new strategy, nothing original there I know, where the priority for the club is developing/bringing in the personnel we need as and when we need them. You want a use for a spare scatter gun? Blast that moneyball out of the park!
Uly
Hope your well .. As can be
Never a fan … Should have been bagged after the CL nightmare on 2014… In fact shouldn’t ever have got the gig
Mowbray.., Anton Mor …. Remember that BS
Despondent!!!!
it’s not that yesterday was shocking (though I wasn’t there – must have been horrendous) it is that it has been coming for a year and I’ve been kidding myself that we’re going somewhere
David Bernstein and Melvyn king resign from the Aston villa board. Seems like chaos there and until Lerner finds a buyer things will get worse. No doubt he’s keeping his options open but moyes would be crazy to go there now.
I really wanted Deila to succeed. I’m fed up hearing the excuses – he has not learned a thing about managing celtic to the standards expected. His stubbornness and blindness is staggering. We have players at Celtic who would have won that match even of playing below par. The problem with the team yesterday was format and fitness. Brown is clearly not match fit therefore should not be on the pitch. Biton is the laziest player I’ve ever seen in a celtic shirt and johansen is all effort and no brain. GMS is excused as the occasion got the better of him.
I’d have started with forrest mainly for his experience and obviously for his pace. I’d have started with Kazim for his physicality and ability to hold the ball up and bring the midfield into play – this is a skill he has which has been underestimated.
We hit the woodwork three times yesterday and with a bit of luck may have won the game – despite that , it would have been a hollow victory given the high standards we expect.
We need to bring someone in who gets the meaning of celtic – someone who will stand up and say these performances are unacceptable for this jersey and be ruthless with the players!
The experiment have failed – we didn’t lose any leagues – still have significant financial advantage – have a crop of young exciting players coming through – now we need leadership and celtic know how.
Tony Donnelly, as Auldheid pointed out, breaching confidentiality (which you seen to be encouraging the Res 12 guys to do) would be incredibly irresponsible. They deserve support and encouragement at this time – believe me.
The PLC Board?
I have absolutely no idea what most of them do, or how they contribute.
I asked someone recently what Ian Bankier was doing at the club. The answer? Pissing off the supporters, pissing off the manager, pissing off the CEO, pissing off the Foundation.
Why is he still here then?
The answer? He wouldn’t be if the Trust hadn’t tried to get him fired last year.
Seems to me that Dermot acts as a shadow Executive Chairman, directing the CEO. Tom Allison is a safe pair of hands for the City and that’s about it.
After that, I’m struggling. Brian Wilson? Ian Livingston? We used to collect these guys like so many porcelain dolls. They have about as much functional purpose.
We’ve had 2 senior politicians, and zero political support for the big issues – primarily relocated playing environment.
We’ve had the CEO of the largest telecoms provider in the country during the time of the greatest revolution in communications, and zero impact, nada.
Not even the bloke at Ralph Lauren could come up with decent suit, or a golf shirt for the CQN Open for that.
And not a football man amongst them.
As far as I am concerned, Motherwell last week were/are a much better team than Sevco. Why the not play the same team with two strikers – if we had been beaten it could not have been any worse – when we were getting pressed high-up in the first half, a long ball up to CKR maybe would have worked – certainly he would have got more in the mix.
What effect did the ‘man sent off’ figure in our psyche?
Was that the reason CKR was left out?
Was it the reason that we sat off them and never ‘got stuck in’
If fear of going down to ten-men was drummed into players in the lead up to the game – then it was unforgivable on the part of the management.
If you approach any task with fear at the top of your agenda – YOU WILL FAIL
BTW – I think Yogi Hughes is a great shout for Manager. He takes no nonsense from the media, knows glasgow celtic and his teams play great football AND their work rate is outstanding! why not?
Only positive thing I can say is that there is just over 3 weeks until the end of our disastrous season, after that we can consign it to History and start to look forward again. Ronny simply has to go, yes see out the Season hopefully get over the line in the League and even if we do it’s likely to be one of the most muted victory parties ever.
Ronny nice guy but just kept getting it wrong his back up team not up to much either, a major clear out is needed. Only positive this season Kieran Tierney.
Won an ol’ Cup at Golf today (team event) and even that couldn’t lift the depressing gloom that has engulfed me.
I wonder if PL has had the banner outside CP,blaming him for the current shambles removed yet?
After the Strachan Strachan GTF game wee Gordon made a very brave and astute decision, he replaced Broonie and Donnato with Zico and Barry Robson. That move won us the League on Tommy Burns Thursday, we also beat the huns twice in the run in, does Ronny have the bottle tae make a similar decision.
THE RESOLUTE MR PASTRY on 18TH APRIL 2016 5:44 PM
As far as I am concerned, Motherwell last week were/are a much better team than Sevco. Why the not play the same team with two strikers – if we had been beaten it could not have been any worse – when we were getting pressed high-up in the first half, a long ball up to CKR maybe would have worked – certainly he would have got more in the mix.
couldn’t agree more, watching the game against motherwell i thought we would hammer newco…………….
what do i know!
TBB
Are you suggesting that the board would be so petty as to keep Bankier in place purely because the Trust sought his removal?
Surely not :-)
Mr. Pastry
After the first 2 or 3 long balls had been belted up to Griffiths and possession promptly lost, I said to my son
‘we need to get CKR on, that’s HIS game, and Leigh would feed off him.’
By the 6 or 7th time, I realised that Ronny was unable or unwilling to address the bleedin’ obvious.
Two sets of people want RD to stay. Newco fans and the company that makes the tarpaulins which will cover the empty seats.
Shouts for yogi show the extent of our clubs ambition
If we continue to down size hughes might be the best option and he might as well bring big ross draper with him as he takes no prisoners in the midfield.
Downsized celtic could also sign the big hearts centre half and striker .
And go the whole hog and sign the out of contract right back shay logan. Popular choice indeed
HT
Think about it.
See all you so called Celtic supporters who are thinking of not renewing, or going to watch the hoops,you are all saying it like spoilt brats,when things do go the way you lot want it,you all take the easy option,and chuck it,its about supporting the team win lose or draw, me I’m renewing you lot that are not,good riddance,bunch of cowards,
I expected us to play a similar side to the Motherwell game dominating and eventually overpowering. We played almost the same side as the hearts game,without Rogic starting and received the same treatment hearts gave us for most of the first half.
One thing is still missing – leadership. Prior to the match The Rangers had focus and with that motivation. Their whole club top to bottom. Contrast that with our club, we’ve been leaderless and confused for quite some time now. No direction, other than the rocks.
Do nothing again, that’s what the club will do, nothing. Leaderless. The support must drive our turnaround. We were silent for too long and watched fiction become fact, lie become truth. Time to find a voice.
Most of the serious Scots names mentioned already would make decent assistants, backroom bhoys……the Club now requires a seasoned leader and I’d say Dermot and Peter realise this.
Agree with TBB. Most of the club’s income comes from the fans. The suits in the boardroom seem to bring very little to the club.
I am usually an optimistic wee soul but I cannot see us coming back for this.
The thought of Ronny taking a team to Ibrox next season is scary.
BCW
Your wrong… the leaders of our club will cross their fingers . That’s the calibre of our leaders .
just watched BIG CM crap himself and duck and turn his back at their 2 goal.
TONTINE TIM @ 5 33.
Yesterday’s Gone
Chad and Jeremy .
My crate digging days in the US and the UK mean I have seen that choon hundreds of times..I managed to resist buying it – even at 10 cents.
Big yogi with Peter Houston is what we will probably get
And what have the Baird said and done today. Ah nothing as usual.
And Paul is still on jam tomorrow.
What a farce.
TheTimreaper 12.29
I can tell you categorically that Scott Brown is 100% supportive of Ronnie Deila and that he dislikes John Collins, but puts up with him and responds to his directions positively.
TT
Rarely post on here now mostly lurk, only popped on to doff my cap to Tiny Tim, who has been right on the money all those years ago regarding the hun demise then there zombiefication and on the PLCs inaction and finally on the dud that is Delia, fair play i take no pleasure in saying you called it right all those years ago.
There will always be a version of the hun playing out of ibrox.
With plenty of people so interested in the ibrox shambles nobody looked at the shambles that is Celtic from the PLC to the dugout in the past 4 years.
The next few weeks will be a watershed for many, renewals out soon, in the current climate any rise in prices is unthinkable.
Yesterday was simply an embarrassment most of the players should be ashamed.
Peters project has been an abject failure but still he is handsomely rewarded, the absentee Irish Raj is not interested, yesterday a lot of chickens came home to roost.
We are back at the level we were post Mowbray, sickening!
gebhoy
Twists n Turns 12.44
Bang On .
TT