Amid the hapless defending and general sense of frustration, we were at least able to console ourselves that Celtic were again creating chances, most effectively through the intervention of Tom Rogic.
Seven-year-olds know there is a right side and a wrong side to tackle from, some 24-year-olds, apparently, remain in the dark. Aberdeen’s first penalty was inevitable from the moment Olivier Ntcham decide to pursue Lewis Ferguson from behind. The Aberdeen player applied the brakes and Olivier obliged to knock him off his feet. A team that had created nothing until that moment had a lead to defend.
This was not the season Shane Duffy dreamed of when signing on loan for Celtic. He was in complete control of the football when he demonstrated that his decision-making skills were not up to the rigors of the Scottish Premiership. A moment later, Aberdeen restored their temporarily-denied lead. Like me, you subsequently no doubt researched Christopher Jullien’s likely return date. There isn’t one, so as you were for a while yet. And yes, I see you pining for the return of Nir Bitton.
Celtic of last season would have controlled the ball through the closing minutes with a narrow lead to deny opponents the ability to charge unhindered into the penalty box. Aberdeen, to their credit, were not up for lying down. There is work to do on the training field.
Leigh Griffiths continues to provide evidence that his fitness, attitude and ability are exactly where they need to be to score important goals. A credit to the work he has done. Despite his limited minutes, this season would look a lot bleaker without him. Tom Rogic also falls into this category. Competition for the creative central mid role is fierce, on this form, Tom will retain the jersey.
Mohamed Elyounoussi had an afternoon full of incomplete passes. This did not deter him and he supported the impressive Kristopher Ajer run to force Hoban to foul inside the penalty area. Like champions, Celtic were in front, despite of the costly mistakes.
Callum McGregor and Neil Lennon both attempted to put boundaries on hysteria in their after-match comments. In summary: it’s been a difficult week, Aberdeen are a decent side, a point is sometimes important, so let’s keep our eye on the prize. Both know this playbook, so do you and I.
176 Comments- Pages:
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CELTIC
nice one mick :)
Calmac, in the post match interview, should have put his hands up instead of saying it wasn’t a penalty.
In other words stay tuned for more of the same.
CHARLIEBHOY
It’s been a while
H.H. Mick
Duff y was in complete control of the football when he demonstrated that his decision-making skills were not up to the rigors of the Scottish Premiership.
so Paul agrees he is Duff
” Celtic of last season would have controlled the ball through the
closing minutes ”
So why are we doing the the crazy stuff this season of all seasons?
Scratches heid.
H.H. Mick
More of the same this week? You’re a ravenous lot with an unbelievable sense of entitlement. Why this absolutely hysterical desperation for 10? Is it just for the bragging rights with the huns? We’ve done 9 twice and we have won the Big One, something they will never achieve…and they know it. They will forever be in our shadow!
Of course, I too would love to win our 10th title and tell thems to girfut, but not at any cost. A wee bit of perspective required and a wee bit of humility wouldn’t go amiss…
Wee Nicola said current Central Belt restrictions, will be the equivalent on Tier 3
TurkeyBhoy.
You are ME and I claim my £5.
WeeBobbyCollins
Strange post fella.
What’s this cost you speak of?
Why is wanting to win the league now a bad thing to desire?
Confused.
HH
Happy podium Mick !!! 👍😎🍺🍷
No Scottish referee would have awarded the Lewis Ferguson penalty if that had been a Celtic player. (Not to excuse our performance.)
We’ll know whether it’s been hysteria or prescience in about 4 weeks.
big wavy @ 8:44 am
“This week’s CQN will be brought to you by the phrases “Let’s get our players back” or the time-honoured “they collpased last year, didn’t they” whilst the can keeps getting kicked down the one road, the road to god knows where.
Everything’s gonna be alright…if we keep telling ourselves that.
Deludamol csc”
————————————————
We keep getting told, whenever the likes of me trots out the old, “We’ve won 9iar and we recovered from predictions of a lost league in December 2019”, that the past is no predictor of the future.
Yet the basis for the predictions of doom are exacrly that too:-
We are SIX points behind
We have lost the last two games to them
We have been outplayed by them in three games
We are playing crap and have been , even when we are winning
We will be “almost certainly” (sic), NINE points behind after our next two away games.
All of these observations are painting a picture of – this has happened so far and there is no reason to doubt it will continue to happen. It IS a pattern but our patten of winning the past 9 leagues IS NOT; that is merely a historical blip with no bearing on the current league race.
For me, it does not matter a jot how wildly optimistic or how deeply gloomy uou are on the prospects of the 10; it is all speculation on the future based on past events:-
We are likely to win 10iar because that is what we do and have been doing
or
We are likely to lose this thing because we are currently losing it.
No account is being taken of the vagaries of form; the fact that teams that “click” can suddenly have a bad run or that teams on a bad rn can “get it together.”
Bobby Lennox told me once that a Terracing expert had told him that “he would never make it as a player”
CQNrs told Virgil Van Dijk he wasn’t as good as he thought he was, that Teemu Pukki was never a goal scorer, that Scott Brown and Callum Mcgregor were boyhood huns and not for the trusting etc;
More tellingly- go back to the blog on the last 3 days of December 2019 and the first 3 weeks of 2020.
There were just as many confident predictions that we had just lost out on 9iar, that we only had a chance if we won both our remaining games against them because they will drop points to no-one, that Scott Brown’s legs had gone, and that the Celtic Board were happy for Sevco to win the title.
Then come March, everyone was out celebrating another League title and 2 games away from a quadruple treble.
Now, it is legitimate to point out that they do not and will not keep on winning against all other Scottish teams.
It is legitimate to point out that , in acturial or betting terms, we are in a much less perilous position in being 6, 4 or 3 points behind in late October, in league race, than we were in being behind in mid-January, 2020.
We clicked and we stunk at various points in all of our last 9 league campaigns. We will click and stink at various points in the LONG LONG run-in (Covid permitting) to this year’s campaign. And so will that mob at Ibrox.
The winner of the 2020/21 league campaign will, as always, be the team that clicks more often and stinks less often.
We can be that team
And so can they
We might be that team
and so might they
But we will be thatteam or they will be that team is beyond the powers of prophecy of any of us.
Now, strap in for the ride!
PARK ROAD 67
Think getting our freedom back has sharpened my wits up. 8-))
H.H. Mick
“ There is work to do on the training ground “
Agreed.
Part of the problem, ( apart from,Covid , injuries and a lack of discipline) is a perceived lack of work on the training ground.
My perception is based on numerous times witnessing us being wide open at the back when we lose possession.
That was before this season, where we now look totally disjointed defensively.
Going forward seems to be lacking fluency, but Cal Macs goal showed how good we can be .
If only Griffiths had a professional attitude that matched his ability.
I hope Neil Lennon turns this around.
I have my doubts, but still keeping the faith. HH
79CAPS- said same mate,a yellow card for diving more likely
It feels like Ronny’s last season. Consecutive failures in Europe and the odd good performance domestically interwoven into a series of distinctly average or poor performances.
The Board probably know Lenny will not be here next season – even they must appreciate we can’t afford to give Neil another crack at the CL qualifiers.
So like Ronny, it’s a case of sitting tight and allowing him to move on when the league has been delivered.
The problem with that is that we’ve a credible title challenge this year that we didn’t under Ronny. As inconsistent and poor as we were under Ronny, we knew Aberdeen weren’t going to beat us to the prize.
We’re pursuing a very high risk strategy which will result in a scorched earth Celtic FC at the end of this season should this reckless gamble not pay off.
Duffy had control of the football then made an arse of it by not putting it out , then Ajer made an arse of it by inexplicably moving 5 yards off Cosgrove , then Bain made an arse of it by blocking a not too difficult shot back out to the striker , then Callum made an arse of it by a rash tackle . That’s the anatomy of one of the most inept, arse-ups you will ever see from a professional football team .
WEEBOBBYCOLLINS on 26TH OCTOBER 2020 12:23 PM
dearie dearie , don’t agree with you’re summery of the 10
GLENDALYTONSILS
Maybe we should support ARSEnal.
8-))
H.H. Mick
Forrest injured. No problem we have Frimpong. Based on perceived form at the time, that was an upgrade. And anyway, we have El Hamed for the right back position.
Ntcham is class. Why is he not in the starting eleven? Get Brown rested.
Julienne gets bullied by the heffers of Scottish football. Duffy will sort them out.
Not all of the above are my thoughts, but they are what was being said.
The balance of the team has been compromised by the players who are not available being replaced by decent players played in the wrong positions and formation. And also be a loss of form in key areas.
For example, Christie. He’s been a centre forward, a left wing / mid and a right wing / mid. But his most effective position is in the heart of the midfield. Probably the inside right position where he and Forrest made a good tag team. Something that Frimpong and Ntcham have not emulated.
Even yesterday we had CalMac playing the Broonie role, when that is what Ntcham should be doing. Or Soro.
On the left hand side, Taylor and Moi had a good thing going. Until Moi got injured (on international duty I think) and Taylor is now replaced by an effervescent Laxalt. But the combo is not yet working. Mostly because Moi is off colour, playing half support striker and half wide left.
A stable back line has not been possible. Each time we’ve looked like a settled 3 or 4, key personnel become unavailable.
Someone on CQN has wisely pointed out that the team from Ibrox play a certain formation and players are swapped in and out without changing formation.
We’ve taken too long to determine the best formation for the personnel we have. And we haven’t brought in players with a specific formation in mind.
However, I am of the opinion that we have been really unlucky with players availability and with the rub of the green / refereeing decisions so far. Whereas they are the opposite.
And yet we are only a game in had away from a one win difference. So I remain hopeful and cautiously confident that we will win the league.
Corkcelt
Setting Free The Bears
Two excellent posts amid all the gloom and panic.
Not intended as a comparison of the 2 managers
I watched the Arsenal Leicester match last night, Leicester score with 10 minutes left. Immediately went into a rigid 4-5-1, sitting deep and starved Arsenal of any space around the box. Arsenal never had an attempt in goal in this period.
Not the Celtic way but it is what professional sides do when they need to see out a game.
Poor game management from both manager & players
SFTB – “it is all speculation on the future based on past events…”
It really isn’t fella. It’s about context today. It’s about a changed landscape to react to, It’s about those in the past not having what it takes in the moment. It’s about what the opposition does. It’s about repeating patterns in the here and now.
You’re another poster leaving it only open to chance. “These things happen” kind of philosophy.
I’d like to see us reduce risk massively by the quality of our management, the selection and deployment of players, the tactics, the transition of old past heroes who no longer deliver, etc etc. We can reduce the risk, increase our chances of winning and thus take the title. We keep repeating our systemic failures and they improve upon theirs and chances of success swings in their favour.
Come on man. We can’t be going back to Bobby Lennox’s titbits for validation of a game today that requires personnnel, fitness, diet, analytics, tactics, coaching, leadership, etc to produce a winning season?
I’ve been strapped in since the start hoping our talented fellas outgun the better team system at Ibrox. Now the talent has fallen away we are just naked to the world.
HH fella.
Pining for Nir Bitton at centre half is an absolutely brutal assessment of Shane Duffy.
AD- excellent post, agree.
WeeBobby @ 12.23 👍
Two Milan players who played on Thursday tested positive for Covid on Sunday evening.
I’m assuming as nothing was said about rangers players having to isolate after Liege players were positive that we will hear anymore of this.
Also, Milan players test was 3 days after our game, I’d assume they were negative before they left Glasgow.
Mind you, I’m not sure how often players are tested after games.
WBC and Corkcelt…Two excellent posts…Thanks.
HH
Big Wavy
Heading out and won’t be back till evening
2 quick points
“It’s about context today” – I would change to “It’s about speculating on the context today just as we did 10 months ago in December 2019”
“We can’t be going back to Bobby Lennox’s titbits for validation of a game today that requires personnnel, fitness, diet, analytics, tactics, coaching, leadership, etc to produce a winning season?”
Bobby’s point is timeless; it should be read as “everyone has an opinion; some of them are wrong”. The same wee terracing pundit probably told some other Celtic reserve, who did not make it, the exact same thing he told Bobby Lennox, and he still believes he was a good judge of a football prospect.
Another questionable Intetrnational jaunt resumes shortly, we already were badly hit last time losing four first choice players from the squad, God knows how many more knowing our recent luck awaits in the next one. Rangers’ with Komara and Barisic have considerably less than us in that departement.
Elyounoussi is a strange one. A player of talent and an athlete and yet I have no idea what his role is in our team.he’s not a winger, he’s not a forward, he’s not a midfielder. He was a passenger for large parts of the same yesterday.
And another thing…dropping Brown when playing with a fragile back four was strange. Ntchams attempts at laying the Brown role cost us dearly.
As for Duffy, no more. If he was a forgein close season signing (Bolingolli for example) there wouldn’t even be a debate, I cant remember a bigger unmitigated disaster,
The worst aspect of yesterday for me was losing our 2-3 advantage. Why bring on Turnbull when Welsh was on the bench. Right side of the defence was where we lost the 3rd goal. Heidscratchers CSC
https://thecelticblog.com/2020/10/blogs/if-the-mainstream-amongst-the-support-turns-on-the-manager-then-celtic-will-be-forced-to-act/
SFTB,
Sorry fella. Way down a rabbit hole again.
My eyes, our form, our displays, our lack of tactics, our lack of creativity, our underperforming players, the analysis, the league table, the repeated failure in the ECL, the goals for column, the goals against column, the inability to address longstanding issues, the lack of coaching, the huns increase in form, the huns correcting their systemic issues, their points total, their goals for and against, their ability to school us in games against us, our failure to do liekwise, etc etc.
Here, on this day in October 2020, leads me to conclude we are donald ducked unless we correct that path.
Last year we had a chance to correct it by learning from 2 december games against them. I’m still waiting, just to compound things. Looks like we don’t have an answer.
Waiting for us to correct the big 20/21 issues rather than hoping for the return of the post-Dubai Hun collapse this year and a COVID19 early closure, ain’t my bag.
HH