Last night’s performance was at the upper end of my expectations. We were sharper than I remember from a year ago, although not Nadir Ciftci, who is a couple of weeks behind, and looked a couple of pounds over, his team mates.
You could see how Stjarnan did so well against Lech and Motherwell last season. They defended with six along the back and have a good keeper. Celtic’s passing looked off, but I think that had as much to do with Stjarnan’s denial of space in advanced areas. The chances came when we broke forward having allowed space to open up 50 yards out, and from a set-piece for the opening goal.
Stefan Johansen was my man of the match, he was the creative fulcrum behind all that worked. And yes, Stefan, in a public spat with you, Leigh Griffiths, a man who eats Tea Cakes on the bench and cultivates a rascal persona, walked away looking the grown up. You think about that for a while.
Emilio Izaguirre had a horrible World Cup and started all over the place last season. It was months into the campaign before people started to notice his consistency was back, but the head seemed as though it was still on the beach last night. He would have been punished severely by a mainland European team.
Ronny started with his traditional 4-2-3-1 but for a while after Leigh replaced James Forrest, he played a 4-4-2, which coincided with our best period of the game. Nadir had someone to link with, instead of being isolated in a sea of blue shirts, resplendent with the old World of Sport logo.
It was great having Mikael Lustig back and although Dedryck Boyata was not challenged defensively, he was clearly on a par with Lustig as being a defender who is comfortable on the ball. No mistakes and a goal is pretty much all that could be asked of him.
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Any CQN at luton airport got fecking hours to kill before my flight
seen MON here this morning gave him a big Hail Hail.
on last nights game easy street that mob are a pub team
HH
The dropping to edge of box and forming two lines style that Starjan played last night is becoming the norm.
The higher line stops the long shots and compresses the space between defensive line making it very difficult to pass through.
First time i saw this on bigger stage was when Man utd beat barcelona over 2 legs in champions league 2008.
Modern coaches possession driven style also aids this tactic.
It is a system that can be defeated if you are more direct when they are setting up but risk aversion passing allows them time to do so.
The Jupp Heynckes Bayern team that won the champions league did so with a more direct,powerful and positive approach.
The Guardiola Bayern have struggled when faced with the compacted 2 line defense as they have no areas to play through.
If we had continued our fluid movement into the final third last night we would have won more easily.
Hope Ronnie see’s film of last night and works on better forward movement and passing.
Just saw the Evening Times online. No surprise that three Zombie headlines dominate before you get to the CL qualifier. The crowd of over 48000 will possibly not be beaten anywhere in Europe till the Charity Shield game at Wembley. Not a mention.
The Scottish press are well beyond the point of no return for Celtic fans. Colours well and truly nailed to the mast of HMS Sevco and sod the rest of Scottish Football. They’re welcome to each other.
Hebcelt
———–
I don’t come on here to ‘pee hee’ and make pen pals.
I give an honest and unadulterated view on whatever takes my fancy, whether you and/or the clique like me, or not, is totally immaterial to me.
Marrakesh
Real football on and the ET run a non story about Sevco
Thought Stefan was pretty poor last night.Ithink it took to about the 25th min before he found a Celtic shirt with the ball.Broony for me was man of the match by quite some distance.The cobwebs have been blown off now and its onwards and upwards.
the 48,000 crowd is just magnificent.
school holidays, glasgow fair, many people heading off,
but still 48,000 turn up.
remarkable.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, opinions are like guns; there are too many of them about and not everyone can be trusted with one…
But they are awfully good fun (joke, guns are not fun)
Pfayr
How you doing big guy?
I reckon only Man United, Bayern, Dortmund and the Spanish two would have got 48k. Scottish football is run down first and foremost by it’s own inferiority complex driven powers that be. It kills them that CFC alone can shine some positive light on this European backwater, just as it did in 67.
Davidopoulos
17:42 on
16 July, 2015
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, opinions are like guns; there are too many of them about and not everyone can be trusted with one…
But they are awfully good fun (joke, guns are not fun)
:-)))
HH
Saint Stivs
school holidays, glasgow fair, many people heading off,
Not to mention us poooooooor traveling support who cant get ferries back so have to pick our games as it means a stop over (have I mliked it enough)
great crowd last night ………….just cant get enough
HH
A lot of our passing last night in the final third was poor. No coincidence that this was related to James Forrest having yet another poor game out wide. Because he couldn’t get hold of the ball and beat his man, much of our play was forced through the middle into a packed defence with the expected outcome. Armstrong was the one guy who had the skill/intelligence to find a way through and was justified in winning the MOTM on both Celtic TV and in the stadium.
Really struggle to understand what James brings to the team in Ronnie’s style and formation. The only thing he is (sometimes) good at is getting to the bye-line and crossing the ball. That’s not what I see adding value in Ronnie’s game plan. Just as well we have people a lot smarter than me picking the team.
paul67
13:27 on 16 July, 2015
“…Without Johansen, that was a 0-0 draw last night.”
Without his manhood my brother would be my sister.
Forrest was the week link last night – have possession away too easily – never produced on regular basis and importantly is reluctant to trawl back and cover – time for him to try his luck elsewhere as far as I am concerned – we have better
Weak
Marrakesh, I had a similar rant earlier about the Herald. Top 2 stories about a 3 year old lower league team the morning after the Scottish champions played in the Champions League in front of nearly 50,000 people
Will never buy a Scottish newspaper ever again
Will never click their sites
Time for the club to act.
A few observations on last night at CP
1) 48k is a superb crowd – i havent looked at the crowds in other games, but wouldnt be surprised if ours exceeded all other CL qualifiers combined ….across Tues & Wed
2) Does anyone ever get the CP wifi to work – I get about 30 secs at best then it just doesnt work ?
3) Boyata looks like a defender – he has similar build to Kelvin Wilson, whom I though latterly was a good player. I prefer defenders who can defend first and foremost, if they can also spray passes around, even better, but the Italian ethos of pride in defending & keeping a clean sheet is my preferred option
4) On the Johansen debate, I think he has found his level with us.
He is a very good player in our team and league, although maybe not as good as thinks he is In the current formation of 4231, he has excelled. His challenge is that not many teams play that way, and those that do, have absolute top quality Spanish , German, italian players in those positions who are better then SJ
Let’s enjoy him whilst he is here & hope he learns from last night’s mistake
Sorry for posting items from this particular blog, but I love the internecine banter between someone who appers to have sussed out the GASL, and the gullible who still believe in their Messiah!
https://rangerssupportersloyal.wordpress.com/2015/07/03/rsl-statement-on-lies/comment-page-1/#comment-2007
HH
Marrakesh Express and PFayr
You’ve got to see why the smsm run sevco stories first?
We huvnae got any starlets and secco have gunners of them.
Modern fitba is all aboot starlets
Agent Green
17:58 on 16 July, 2015
We can’t force the press to report on us but we can change the dynamic – if they want to report on us let them buy a season ticket to see the game instead of being pampered by Celtic
Some people are easily pleased , terrible performance agains a team that would struggle in the English lower leagues, we were hopeless at murrayfield last year but last night was worse,we humped a better team in Rekyavik last season,we are so poor now , people accept third rate performances ,and a fourth rate manager,we spend a fortune on new ticket scanners and huge big posters that were totally unnecessary ,the money should go towards playing staff .we are a total shambles now in europe,time for change
Sheep are playing on premier sports. Good luck to them.
Breakfast table in the Brennan household.
Editorial conference.
Present: Paul, Paul’s alter ego AE.
Paul: we need to get blog to stop the political bickering.
AE: Aye it has driven away our only sane poster.
Paul: We have one?
AF: aye, Estadio.
Paul: I’ll lock you up in my mind.
Paul: I think we need something that will get them talking about Celtic.
AG: that rules out Dave King, always good for an easy jab, and amortisation then.
Paul: An easy way to kick off a barny about the board. The Neganon clique will have a field day.
AH-AH: we could pen something about the crowd, season ticket sales compared with Sevco?
Paul: Been done to death. Besides that’s the field of Auldheid, Barca etc
AI-AI-O: just as an aside I thought Broony had a great game last night. MOTM for me.
Paul: pure rubbish. Joe Hansen was a standout.
AJ: You must have forgot your bi focals last night.
Meeting ends with better half serving a lightly poached egg, orange juice and a slice of whole grain toast, to be shared by all attendees.
If Celtic were to win the CL, hypothetical I know, the only people enjoying it in this country would be the Celtic support, and perhaps some patriotic fair minded provincial.
If Man United win the CL the whole of England will be spewing, apart from the United fans of course, the English Msm and the powers at Lancaster gate.
Thats the difference.
I spoke in person to Berti Vogts when he was Scotland manager. He told me he was astonished the night of Seville, when he was at Largs with the Scotland squad watching the game, to see half the audience jump up out their seats in delight when Porto got the winner. He asked me why this was the case when their were few Rangers rivals there (two or three I think) , and mostly Anglo Scots. Berti also told me he couldn’t get his head round the bigotry in Scotland.
Flying visit,think oor Paul has a wee candle fur SJ,I thought
he was poor last night,it always amazes me how we watch
the same game and yet see it so differently.
One of us is a scholar of the game and the other one is
desperate for a hero…….wonder which one I am.
Catch yees all laters,ffs be nice.
Re earlier debate about Antony Stokes If I was a manager I would pick stokes over Forrest every time far more guile and football brain in my opinion, Forrest has the potential to be messiesque with his low centre of gravity and outstanding pace but great players work their socks off ( our henrik prime example) I can’t see James doing that his head goes down very quickly hopefully Ronny can get the best out of him. H.H
ThompsonTwin
17:16 on
16 July, 2015
natknow – sorry you’ve changed your tune, and you NATknow it.
I have been called a fenian bastard, face to face, many times – I have no redress without CORROBORATION.
Do you support CORROBORATION?
———————————————————
You appear to have misunderstood my original post – my opinion has not changed. For your benefit here’s a cut & paste of our exchange :
ThompsonTwin
16:26 on
16 July, 2015
So McKay and Moody are acquitted although there is clear evidence – because there was the expectation of privacy.
Tonev conevicted with no evidence, because of probability.
Even if Tonev did call Logan a.”black cnut”, it was private and intended for ‘his ears only”
———————————————————————————
I believe that Tonev was treated unfairly by the SFA – that’s their M.O.
However, if he had used the language suggested, then it would have been racist whether it was heard by only the 2 people involved or evryone in the stadium. Other people not hearing it doesn’t mean it’s not racist language.
——————————————————————–
As you can see, I clearly state that I believe that Tonev was treated unfairly. My reason for that opinion is that there was not enough evidence (IMHO) for the SFA to reach their judgement. I’m not saying anything different in my 2nd response. Pretty straightforward.
When you say : “Even if Tonev did call Logan a.”black cnut”, it was private and intended for ‘his ears only”
That suggests that you believe that if a conversation is private then there then that’s OK and there’s no issue. Is that what you mean? I may have misunderstood.
Rather than lead with debut bhoy Dedrycks goal – STV choose to lead with the penalty squabble…………….
hurtin’……….
Sheep up 1-0 7/1 Yer doe aswel.
Hope you’re paying attention Ronnie
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/watch-celtic-superfan-jay-beatty-6077207
Thompson Twin I concur
Feck…2-0
Not a good night for Celtic last night:
https://raillydecord.wordpress.com/2015/07/16/infighting-casts-shadow-over-celtic-win/
themaestro72…
I’m watching an old game hahaha.
sipsini
8 o’clock kick-off off mate.
That’s last weeks game.
bankiebhoy 1,
Almost their whole report of our game was taken up with that. Ghod help them. Anything to do us down. Worse than pathetic.
Content enough with last night. They are rotten. We can build momentum. However, our squad needs strengthened.
Alfie, hopefully you will keep posting despite the abuse which you receive. More new posters please.
Thompson Twin @ 16.41
I know that there are real windfalls from qualifying for the Champions League but if we lose to Sjarnan I doubt many supporters will be worried about that – they were rank and to get knocked out by them would be a humiliation . It wont happen though.
Dena @ 16.47
Here is a rule. If for example I say ‘I’d be happy with a 2-2 draw ‘ against Aberdeen at Pittodrie it means we will play brilliantly and then let 2 in the last five minutes to draw. Last night we should have taken 5 off them at least of course and the penalty was annoying but I mind drawing 0-0 with St Pats a few years back in July so a 2-0 seems ok the day after.
Sorry for late replies to both – was working til back of 6
Jimbo67
themaestro72…
I tend not to keep up to date with other teams :)
Hope they do well even if some of their support were an embarrassment last season. HH