We’ve talked about the big changes needed at the end of the season for a while now, specifically in terms of the manager’s position. I was never in favour of firing Ronny midseason. By that stage the die was cast for European football, and we were nip and tuck with Aberdeen in a fight for the league.
My guess was that Ronny could deliver the league, and I expected a cup or two as well. The cups have gone – and may have been won had we changed manager months ago, but we could also have appointed the wrong caretaker (a high probability) and reduced our title prospects. The decision then was what was the greater risk to the league title. All other things being equal, sitting tight was most probably going to deliver the league.
We’re now three wins from becoming champions. Ronny is one of only two Celtic managers never to have lost a league title, and whatever disappointments there have been, he’s applied himself honestly and openly. He’s also a title winning part of our history and we need to handle our history well, even as a project concludes. Lessons from ’78 still rankle with some.
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I have been avoiding the media since, well since the Scottish cup draw against Sevco, I knew the Orwellian meme machine would be programming the public with it’s gibberish and lies so I stayed away from it.
However I could not avoid the freakshow that was on display on Sunday, what a horror show.
Losing on penalties to a 4 year old club whose blue shambling zombie players where a match for our green shambles. I am not sure what has gone wrong with Celtic but just as that was not *angers you could equally say this is not Celtic, Erik Chas and KT where good the rest of them played like pixels in a game of fifa animated but devoid of spirit or brains, here have a look for yourself Celtic Vs Zombie highlights I am away to chop some wood.
Hail Hail.
If there was a leak in the Norweigan media that RD is leaving, is it more likely that RD would want it leaked there?
He’s likely to be going home in a few weeks and is looking for work and a bit of dignity. Is he already in the Departure Lounge?
I hope our leaders have been working on this scenerio for weeks and have something lined up.
Does lessons from 78 refer to Jock Stein’s departure and the dreadful way that was handled? Are we letting RD see out the season with everything in place for after his departure?
I’d hate to think that the expected to beat Sevco, win the league and were lining up pre season friendlies with a view to playing the Hun again and relying on the missing 10m.
PL a success or a failure as a Chief Evec – the debate is there for all but the personal nature of the attacks sickens me. I don’t give a feck if he has a heated drive or whatever. If he goes we will have to pay someone else as much and more. These personal attacks and those on certain players do the support no credit whatsoever.
Well Tiny Tim, You most certainly were on the money with Derk, I’ll be treating your observations with a lot more interest & respect from now on.
The garden beckons, don’t know why I thought it would be a good idea to put in concrete edging around the lawn, but it’s half done now so I just have to go out & keep going.
Will check in later, the tone & content of the blog much better today.
@ TinyTim
Had Simunovic been featuring regularly prior to CL qualifiers?
The fact that this blog has talked about “big changes needed at the end of the season” for so long leads me to think that maybe Ronny was told he would be leaving at the end of the season quite some time ago.
Did the Celtic board create a sitting duck situation months ago?
Good morning fellow Tims, it’s been a while.
Sunday has come and gone and personally I believe it was one of the poorest results in our history. I’m not one for going over the top about defeats I believe we have no devine right to win football matches but that was a must win match against lower league opposition and considering the resources at our disposal it was a failure on a massive scale, if we had lost to Hibernian in a similar manner the commentary above would be the same. The level of individual and team performances have not been good enough and we drew the match in normal time, drew the match in extra time and then lost on penalties. At no point in the 120 mins of open play and the resulting shoot out were we in front. That in itself is an indication of the desire and drive of the team that we could not get in front and drive the team to victory in a match with huge odds in our favour. It was a watershed moment and worse than ICT and Ross County in my opinion because we could not be accused of being complacent or not being prepared or being a victim of shock performances from our opponents, we were playing the darlings of the media. A lower league team that have had more coverage on SSN than Aberdeen and Hertz. There were no surprises or shocks. Man for man we have by far a better first team and squad. Collectively we have a vast number of European experience and international caps. These guys should not have been fazed.
From the first whistle they looked like a team dragging weights. We were slow to react, 2nd to the ball and our tenacity was muted (were players worried about yellow and red cards?). There appeared to be a lack of zip and tempo. More worryingly we looked way short on confidence. In short in my opinion the players looked afraid, afraid to lose, afraid to take chances and afraid to get on the ball and make things happen. Our formation was the usual 4-3-2-1 4-2-3-1, etc. It’s really whatever you interpret it as. I have never been a fan. Domestically I can’t understand Celtic not playing at least 2 up front, let them worry about us.
I have seen some stats banded about regarding stats and shots at goal, regardless of the shots at goal it is mind blowing that Celtic decided whether through design or the way the game panned out to play a lower league club on the break giving them the bulk of possession allowing them to gain confidence throughout their team through possession in all areas. Good teams keep the ball and work the opposition.
Our opponents had clear directives at corners and when their keeper was in possession. Pass the ball short and keep it. I have never seen a team take so many short corners, they had done their homework and knew lumping it into the box with their personnel would produce little.
I watched the game on my own at home, usually I would meet up with friends and watch it but I had made the decision to stay home. Dunno why? Life throws up these questions to yourself afterwards. Why did I do that? In to instance I was glad I did. Not ashamed to say I was totally gutted on Sunday. After 4 years of jelly, ice cream & bragging rights that we all thought would never end we have allowed them to get a result against us. They should have been nowhere near it. Absolutely nowhere near Celtic on Sunday. The warning signs were probably there last year when we humbled them 2-0 going on 10. Let’s be clear here we should have out our foot on their neck that day and drove them into the turf and destroyed their spirit with a hammering that would have haunted them for decades, we didn’t. We should have and you have to wonder why not? When the Germans were tearing the Brazilians apart in the World Cup it was horrific viewing for those of us who love to watch the samba stars and it was a water shed moment that may take Brazilian football decades to recover from. Did the Germans care? No they drove forward in waves and waves in the first half and put a marker down to everyone that they were the best team in the world, you may not interrupt your enemy when they are making mistakes as P67 was prone to say for many months but when they are down you take advantage in the most ruthless style possible and haunt them for years to come. Drive fear into them when they next face you. Unfortunately Celtic are guilty of being too nice. Nice guys win but do not dominate.
Celtic are victims of their own failures. Failure to dominate when the rest are weak. The playing field is not yet level when looking at our nearest rivals but Aberdeen and Hertz are getting closer to us and stronger. We have gone to Aberdeen twice this season and lost twice. We have gone to Tynecastle once and drew when we should have been out of sight. Our opponents on Sunday are miles behind us but if you want to look at a benchmark for what they can do next season look at Hertz. Sevco will enter the top league with momentum. This is s big leveller in football. They will probably have 3 trophies in their cabinet as well, OK two of them are diddy trophies but to the players, the fans, everyone connected it is positive, it is momentum. We have lost our momentum. We have none. Our season is defined usually before our first league match and if CL qualification is not secured it takes us a few months to get going. Like a cloud over the club it seems to create a lull that takes a few months to get over.
At the minute it is clear that Ronny is done in the managerial role, nice fella, great ideas about the game, probably s very good coach and certainly a football man but ultimately not a football manager. He is a coach and not a manager. There are many great coaches in the game but these guys don’t always cut it in the managerial hot seat. I think Ronny is one of those. Our biggest failing in the football department I. The last two years is our lack of ruthlessness. We struggle to kill teams off and to drive teams into the turf. We let teams back into games and allow them a chance to get something when they should have been dead and buried before half time. That is our own doing. Have many teams dominated Celtic and played us doff the pitch? Not really. We appear to let teams do damage to us because we are not ruthless enough, we don’t have that drive and dare I say nasty streak to absolutely batter teams and crush their spirit.
Make no bones about it the next manager has to be as ruthless as he is smart. Get a coach to get the team trained properly, get a tactician if need be, get a statistician and a magic wand if need be but first and foremost get a proper football manager who won’t take slacking up when we should be killing teams off and who won’t talk about what we will do and need to do but what we have just done.
We were promised super fit players who played fast attracting football, haven’t really seen it once this season and for that reason Ronny goes, Europe is a bonus to me after domestic dominance you start to eye Europe, capitulation in both cups to two sides out of the top 4 clubs in Scotland is a sacking offensive into your 2nd year at a football club. Ronny has failed. The players may have failed him but he was either too weak to drop them and go with others or too scared to change the team to much. Either way I would get rid now. Get an interim in to assess the squad and hand s dossier to the incoming gaffer with an open mind and a clean slate for each player the remit would be to win the league and play for your future. I think s number of managers in Scotland would have easily won the match on Sunday and against Ross County with the squad we have. When that is the case the manager has to walk. I think the whole department needs an overhaul and I would not be against an experienced campaigner in a DoF position and a manager who will provide us with the team we expect. If we could get a man with stature as manager then that wouldn’t be required but I suspect we all know in our hearts that we are likely to see a Hughes, Hartley or similar rather than a manager with stature and a proven track record which this club deserves.
Whoever comes into Celtic in the next few months they need to be strong of character, organised, motivated and ruthless because we have challengers who have momentum. Next season and we don’t need to be shooting ourselves in the foot or letting teams off the hook when we have a chance to annihilate them. We should be finished trying different things and strategies, it’s time to win football matches and win them well.
Next season is massive. Get it right Celtic
LB
DHARMA BAM on 19TH APRIL 2016 10:57 AM
Y NOT 6
And that’s exactly what you should do, as I said lets see.
The strategy hasn’t worked. The manager hasn’t worked. Time to accept that and change it now.
The trouble is we have a CEO pay structure that links financial reward only to the club’s balance sheet. Of course it is reasonable to reward good financial husbandry, but only if footballing success is also delivered, and that can’t just mean stumbling over the league finishing line when our turnover dwarves that of our competitors. We are, after all, a football club, not a factory making ball bearings. Paul talks about history; well, Sunday was a stain upon our club’s history. Don’t show me the attempts on goal stats, most of the Celtic team disgraced the jersey, and Deila is entirely culpable also. People are simply sick of watching this dross, tired of the jam tomorrow promises. I am concerned that if this remuneration structure is not altered, then PL or whoever replaces him should he go will simply adhere to the same policy.
A decade or so ago the Celtic board insisted that the club had to live within its means. There was resistance to this among much of the support, but I think that the board won the argument, especially with the hindsight that they were up against a rival which was financially doped to the gunnels. However, there is an ocean of difference between not living off debt, and the moneyball strategy which was embraced. It has led to the appointment of compliant managers, and a top-heavy playing staff. Many of the recruits have been abject failures and the scouting which brought them to the club has to be seriously reviewed. Also, having such a large playing staff, augmented by loan signings, makes for unhappy players, and a lack of focus for any manager. It is unacceptable for Celtic FC to become a stable that buys simply to sell. We should always be buying in order to put the best team possible on the pitch, nothing else. If an EPL club then comes along and happens to offer you £10million for a guy who is out of contract in a year’s time, then I think most fans accept the reality that you have to sell, but that is entirely different from buying to sell. On a positive note, I think we have some good young players still, with which to build a new team around.
The solutions are fairly simple, actually:
– the appointment of an experienced, capable manager who has complete control over all footballing aspects of the club, most notably signing policy
– a clear out of the playing staff
– A CEO reward structure that demands footballing success as well as good financial management.
– the end to the mass signing policy; only buy players to improve the playing side.
– an end to loan signings which have no option to buy or indeed no serious intention to buy. Bring on our own young players instead; even if they aren’t technically as good, they are our assets who will play for us in the long term.
– a review of our scouting network. Changes where necessary.
– a more robust defence of the club e.g. against the media and regarding Res 12
– and finally, yes, live within our means, and see how far it takes us. Leicester, Aberdeen, Hearts, and dare I say it ‘Rangers’ have shown that you can punch above your weight with the right manager making the best of the money available.
Livibhoy
Welcome back. You’ve been missed.
TINY TIM @ 11 08 .
Simunovic ? .
Italian football media linked him with Inter ..
Rumored fee ? -2 million euros .
Inter didn’t confirm , Inter didn’t deny those claims .
Italian media then claimed that Inter were no longer interested in Simunovic . The stated reason was that Inter thought the price was too high for a player they regarded as a prospect .
Inter didn’t confirm or deny those claims
Davidopoulos
Good to pop in but won’t be on as much as the past. Much busier these days but seeing Judas and Celtic lose on penalties in one day was hard to take. Couldn’t even listen to Lenny at half time with that cretin sitting there.
LB
My friends in Celtic,
While we all await the big picture, let’s not forget Sunday’s game.
This is a massive game for us and there is no doubt Ross County have a decent manager.
Do we behave like spoiled brats and vote with our feet : or do we demonstrate that we are indeed ” faithful through and through”
Collectively we all must do our wee bit to get Celtic over the line.
Repercussions must wait, make the effort and prove we have a support worth of the words above.
HH.
Paul / et al
I can’t believe the naivety on here with regards to the assumption Ronny is going to leave after winning the title.
Why the belief in a team and a Manager we have all been slating. 8 points with 5 games to go is massive if we have confidence in that.
8 points with 5 games to go is absolutely nothing in a team devoid of skill, energy, brains, desire, LEADERSHIP and confidence.
If we lose the league then many will come on here lambasting the board, RD, the players etc but will take no accountability for their own misjudgements on declaring the league a formality.
HISTORY should tell us that it is still a worrying possibility.
While on Aberdeen I’m convinced they will push us even more next year (they will definitely come higher than Sevco) and therefore our managerial appointment is crucial.
We, as a group, should agree (or at least discuss) on what the CV requirements are prior to the appointment as too many make judgements afterwards (either making it fit so its all good or not accepting no matter what).
For me, CV requirements;
Essentials
– has experience in Managing more than one club at a decent level (English Championship accepted). One hit wonders are no guarantee someone can manage.
– has experienced failure (the ability to deal with adversity is a pre-requisite for the job as there is failure every few weeks with us)
– has managed a team going for a title and therefore draws are viewed in the same vein as defeats (and done well with that team – ruling out Moyes with Man Utd)
Desirables
– Celtic minded (to clarify for any lurking journo’s that includes protestants)
– Plays a style of football that is easy on the eye
– A name that excites the fans (fan buy in is really important – Henrik does not have the credentials but would be given time and support from the fans and this is very important. He’d also unusually get support from the media). Not for me though. Roy Keane wouldn’t get universal approval initially however his straight talking would win the fans over quickly. The players wouldn’t disrespect him like they did RD. He’s tasted the failure however unfortunately I don’t believe he has tasted much success.
– has managed players at the top level and managed against teams at the top level
Any more for the Essentials/Desirables?
My choice is Brendan Rodgers.
I don’t want Moyes. One club success is no guarantee. I definitely don’t want Coyle. I don’t want Mark McGhee but I believe he fits the criteria more than most that have been mentioned (can’t believe how unambitious we are now that I wouldn’t be overly disappointed with McGhee).
Brendan Rodgers for me.
Latest betting;
Moyes Evs (not for me please)
Lennon 3/1 (preferably not but would accept)
Roy Keane 4/1 (preferably not but would accept)
Coyle 5/1 (definitely not for me)
Stubbs 10/1 (don’t even go there)
Michael O’Neill 12/1 (not for me – could potentially be good but another risk)
Henrik 12/1 (preferably not)
Rodgers 10/1 (yep)
MacKay12/1 (not for me)
Hartley 20/1 (nope)
MON 33/1 (nice but won’t happen – maybe in 2 years time)
Clarke, McNamara 50/1 (nope)
McCarthy 40/1 (I can think of worse)
Paul – a question for you re previous article. Ronny is coming to the end of his one year rolling contract. Please explain!!
Regards
Tonybhoy
I hope we don’t regret waiting until the summer.
If I was told that I was losing my job in the summer I wouldn’t be trying 100%.
Why should Ronny and co?
LiviBhoy
Yes, it was a sore one. It will continue to be sore for a while. The outcome is that we are all hearing asking questions that won’t be answered for a while. The questions need to be asked but the lack of answers is like a form of cruel and unusual punishment.
Time will tell how we come out of this, we can only hope and pray that next season is much better.
Tonybhoy
Good post, however I respectfully disagree on one point, Even the KoK’s would not be allowed time.
HH.
If Dermot Desmond is not furious that he got handed his arse on a plate by a two bit, boss eyed crook from Castlemilk on Sunday then nothing will change. The sight of those crooks celebrating in the stands on Sunday was more than this Tim can stand, guys who should never have been near football again in their puffs shoving it up us whilst our players trudged off after one of the most heartless surrenders I’ve ever seen will never leave me.
Sort it out Dermot or move over and let someone who will…
The next choice of manager will tell us exactly where we are heading.
Big Up The Resolution 12 Bhoys and thank you for your efforts.
So that people (or idiots, as someone else called them) who aren’t directly involved may entirely inadvertently damage the successful execution of what is trying to be done.
Does your moment of insight now mean you’re going to be quiet on the issue and let the people who are in the know do the tallking?
Indeed paul67. When is the big article coming ??!?
What are your views on Peter Lawell a man who in 2012 earned over 1.6m from celtic fc Yes 1.6m. A long term incentive payment of over 600k on top of his 400k bonus
Shocking shocking. Rewarded for closing down stands and failure on the park. Shocking
Livibhoy – spot on
Our history has losing to lower league teams in amongst our worst ever results.
The fact that the lower league team was a new club and a club that loathe us just as much as their dead cousins makes it all the more significant.
For me I agree the worst result in our history.
The club should have shown strong leadership and sacked the Manager the following morning – sending the message that the result was not acceptable.
LIVIBHOY on 19TH APRIL 2016 11:19 AM
===============================================================
Damn right, and well said!
HH
Greenpinata
I agree however he would be given more time than his managerial record deserves and he would be given more time than others such as Coyle etc
tonybhoy
I would be devastated if Mark McGhee was even linked.
The best thing our abscent majority shareholder should do, is hand the reigns over to his son.
I do believe he very rarely misses a home match, and let’s see what he makes of it all ie: Lawwell/the mason Bankier etc etc.
I still reckon big Yogi is in with a shout for the dugout, simply because the cash to spend on a new man fits a guy like Yogi.
are we still on course for the ole Generation of Domination?
TONYBHOY on 19TH APRIL 2016 11:44 AM
His managerial record deserves that he gets absolutely nowhere near the job.
KJAM
I didn’t look.
I was just surprised that this supposedly great player didn’t play in the most important matches in their recent history.
As I say ,there are many flaws in my rational ,but my instinct was correct.
When Stve Bruce retired from Man U.
Sir Alex Ferguson sent his a copy of the scouts report,that pointed out what he couldn’t do,and basically suggested that he should not be signed.
SAF went with his instinct and signed him.
I think MON did the same with John Hartson and Didier Agathe.
The person who judges who you sign is one of the most important roles at a football club.
If it is the manager is is the most important role.
TT
Sack the manager in the morning? And who takes the team on to win the league, never heard so much rubbish in my life, another five games could kill it for us if the replacement gets it wrong, we go with RD to the end, any other such talk is Hun media ridden, or people who live on the same street as the green man, dafties.
South of Tunis
The lad may yet be a good player for us.
I haven’t seen enough of him to make up my mind.
But his injury record is a major concern.
£4m wasted so far.
TT
Tonybhoy at 11.32
Your question to Paul67 about Ronny’s 12 month rolling contract; do you think it’s possible Ronny/Celtic decided on his departure this time last year?
Burgas Hoops
I think Yogi is the most likely replacement for Ronny too.
I do think that if we go for Yogi that we will see committed players who play decent football BUT Yogi would need a DoF to help him attract players. My worry with Yogi is his career so far draws parallels with Mogga. I hope we get a strong willed experienced manager in who is up for a fight because we have a battle on our hands domestically next season from a few challengers.
LB
Paul 67 and Bournessouprecipe
Respectfully (copyright M. Warburton) I find myself disagreeing with both of you.
Unless it it near the end of the season with only a few games to go, I think it is wrong to leave a failing manager in place until the end of the season. This only allows him more time to make matters worse- as he has done. There have been a number of occasions when a change could have been made – post Europe, January, post Dundee home match 0-0 draw when the blog went into meltdown.
It is part of Peter Lawell’s job to manage this Club. When he sees a deteriorating situation continue to deteriorate it is his job to manage it. There is no guarantee that his Plan A will succeed so he must prepare a Plan B. I don’t want to bore everyone by going into all the key games in Europe or domestically where the manager’s decision making has cost us victory but suffice it to say there have been a number of them. So how many is too much? They have been spread over the course of the whole season. At what point does his losing a vital game become “one too many”?
In the League, we have squandered a comfortable points lead on a number of occasions over our nearest rivals. Only the inability of Aberdeen to take advantage has left us still in charge of where the title will go at the end of the season. Four games left and 3 wins needed. After Sunday’s performance it doesn’t quite look that straightforward. Negotiating our way to three wins looks to me to be a bit of a challenge given our catastrophic performance on Sunday. These players are not responding to this manager. He should have already been replaced and we should not be worrying over the destination of the League title.
Ok ronny … you interviewed for a job as assistant manager… we really liked you and your ideas and as it turned out our manager walked away we decided to give you a shot at the big job .
Statistically you have done well .. 2 titles.. 1 cup .. beaten semi finalists in the other 3 with dodgy decisions and a penalty shoot out . Sounds like success to many but not at celtict at this time.
European campaigns were terrible… and if we had told you 2 years ago that at this point in your celtic management you would face a new club with a new manager and almost all new players bought for under a million quid … you would have put your job on a decisive victory .
So ronny… thanks for your efforts but you really are the weakest link so goodbye
Oh ronny wait … I made a mistake there – John collins you are the weakest link so fekn do one
Y not 67,
RD has already been sacked. He may have been told weeks ago. He’s gone. He’s planning his next job. Packing up.
Do they have a replacement?
A long time poster on here has posted on my Facebook ,that he has it on good authority that it will Henrik.
I hope not .
He has no managerial track record to suggest he is up to the job.
It would be an appointment to appease the unthinking masses and try and boost season ticket sales.
You can see how that worked for The Rangers and Super Sally.
TT
What Starry Plough said.
Why is Ronny still here
I have been asking that question since August 2014
Wont be long now thank God.
Be aware though
He is capable of inflicting more damage
The man is a fantasist who will never have a serious job in professional football again
In ronny we trust….Jaysus