On the long walk along London Road after the game on Saturday I overhead, “Any manager playing one up front clearly doesn’t have confidence in his team”. I hear variations on this quite often. It’s not true. In fact, I watched the hot favourites for the England and Wales (see what I did there) Premier League beat their main rivals with this formation last night.
Playing one up front can be as much of an attacking formation as playing two, or even three strikers. Any formation, 4 -2-3-1, 4-4-2 or 3-5-2 is not in itself overtly attacking or defensive. Even the often ridiculed 4-6-0 can be expansive.
There are a few ways to score goals. Martin O’Neill’s Celtic mastered the set-piece. For a period, a considerable percentage of our goals came either this way, or from cross balls. There’s also the classic long ball to a ‘big one up front’ who can knock it down to a penalty box poacher. Both these plays exploit the advantages of direct play, which in itself can break packed defences.
The modern game increasingly relies on alternatives, specifically creating space and movement. Don’t crowd the box, drag defenders out to allow pacey support players to break beyond them. At the very elite level, one of the game’s greatest ever goal-scorers, Christiano Ronaldo, exploits this space magnificently from the wings. Our own top striker, Leigh Griffiths, played a similar role before being handed the No. 9 role at Celtic. I suspect his best position isn’t, in fact, as a No. 9.
We need many things at Celtic, most specifically a defensive mid (another formation story), but we don’t need to revert to a 4-4-2. We need players who understand the importance of space in the final third, and who can exploit it.
Ronny has recruited a flood of wide players since arriving 18 months ago with very little success. Which has had an acute cost.
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BIG-CUP-WINNERS (10:18 pm), one supports the players and the club through the good times and the bad times, and more so during the bad times when that support is really needed. The other goes into a fanatical frenzy of irrational ranting every time a result goes against the team, which serves only to undermine (not support) the team or players.
Auldheid…
There was a rumour flying around John James maybe be an ex rangers director that was known to sing certain songs!
BigChipsUK – 10 in a row (2001-2010)
That’s right interesting read BC, thanks for taking the time to research it and post it for too lazy to google bassas like me:))
¨
HH
Andy Walker’s comments today came from an expert in dull and uninspiring , going by his comments in the media before during and after games. Its funny how no such comments were forthcomimg about the legned at Ibrox for example, who was the king of anti- football.
Talking of sky, sky sevco news had a bit tonight about how Alan Stubbs is trying to provoke Warburton. More pro sevco mince from the alleged impartial channel.
It was after an interview they had with Ronny. Ronnny came over quite well but now and for the forseeable future just do the bare minimum in dealing with the media. and getting a cliche in ,do their talking on the pitch.
Any talk of a treble from the media to the management and players , my preferential reply would
be the the standard one game at a time comment, hee haw else.
And with my heid nipping, I will wish you all a very goodnight. HH
Aiden Bhoy
Sorry was making myself a wee cup of tea :-)
I believe he is in/on the FTSFA licensing ludge
Auldheid, now that was a pertinent question “I do wonder where he gets his info from and hope it does not prejudice the upcoming trials”. You all realise that this site is a fix, not CQN, Johnjames I mean.
Tell me one person in Scotland who has an interest in Football that hasn’t read it?
We have the second highest percentage of our population that attend football games on a weekly basis in the whole of Europe, probably the world and do any of you think that at the end of this fiasco someone wont ask a juror “did you read the Johnjames blog?”
I’m not a particular fan of Neganon but he is right about this country and it’s not to secret shame.
My friends in Celtic,
A blog is only as good as its participants,; maybe we should all try to up our game in the posting caliber. I read numerous posts stating the standard has gone down, it’s negativity is driving us away or its positivity is beyond belief.
In my opinion the more who post the better. All posts should be evaluated on the content rather than the poster and all who post deserve respect. Respect is earned and in my opinion any Celtic supporter who dares to put his head over the parapet and posts deserves respect.
Don’t walk away. Don’t flonce. Post and get your voice heard.. Rest assured that there are many lurking who may value your post, although you may not get a reply.
Hail, Hail to all who post while observing the blogs simple protocol.
Ps : Big chipsUK. Wow again, your posts of late have been superb.
Really don’t observe Hun sites, but is Loaf getting the same level of abuse that RD is getting on here.
Hail, Hail.
Greenpinata,
I honestly don’t believe the RD abusers on here are real Tims.Take note and remember their names.
BIGCHIPSUK…
My point is that all of those teams are playing in a more competitive environment than Celtic. They all play teams who are closer to or above their own level on a more regular basis than do Celtic, and so they are better equipped to play teams with a keener competitive edge or of superior quality, in UEFA competitions.
So, now our position is that the Scottish league is inferior to the *Austrian* league, the Swedish league and the Norwegian leagues – Leagues comprised of plenty of part time players? If you simply mean more competitive, then should we just jettison some players so we’re pushed harder each week? Regress to improve? Or do you genuinely mean that these leagues and teams are better than ours and we shouldn’t expect to do better? Am I to conclude that you’re satisfied with where we’re at as a club?
Here’s my problem with it – We *were* a pot 3 champions league team. But now our position regressed so badly in the last 20 months that we shouldn’t expect to beat even NK Maribor? In 20 months the European footballing landscape has changed so fundamentally?
More to the point – Your position also utterly negates and denies the role of budget in football. Should the Champions League games not have warmed up players earning 10 times as much as their Malmo counterparts? And if Malmo’s budget, being similar to Aberdeen’s grants them such a comprehensively superior league, I’d suggest that Celtic are complicit in our position given the paucity of challenge in our league. Why have Celtic, with all our resources failed to find a better environment to develop our football.
Wait – I know why the last point is true. Unbridled greed masquerading as capitalism. Celtic have opposed every measure to even out the earning structure of our league, so if your point *is* valid, we’re *still* the architects of our own demise. And we’re still awful. Utterly awful.
Whilst I take your point, when logic is applied to it, it falls apart on every substantive measure.
We need at least three or four SPL teams to be pushing us right to the end of the season, every season. Winning leagues by 10, 15, or more points and having no tangible pressure beyond Easter does us no favours when it we have to attempt to qualify for Europe’s prestige tournament after cruising to the title and playing a few pre-season friendlies.
Why didn’t we need them before Ronny Deila’s employment? Why was Neil Lennon so much better at countering the structural difficulties?
Are you pro Rangers-lite being parachuted into the league? Surely that will increase competition? Are you pro measures to level out the earnings of teams and the employment of a flatter earnings structure in the game? For the god of Celtic, of course.
I thought the re-structured League Cup may have done us a favour by enabling our players to improve their competitive match sharpness in July, ahead of any European qualifiers… but the teams that are in the Euro qualifiers (and need that competitive sharpness) are excluded from this stage of the League Cup!
The Europa league was after the qualifying stages of the Champions league. Surely those matches would serve as a warm up? Also – given the challenge, shouldn’t our form have improved over the course of the league games? As far as I saw, we remained the same comedically error strewn, static, dull and blunt team that we were at the start of the competition.
Also – if the above was the case, surely Paul67’s judgement on the prematch reporting must come in for some serious questioning given the reportage all pointed to us competing and being superior?
Why also was the noise from Ronny so positive?
We need more competition in Scotland to improve our chances of European progress, but that same improved domestic competition (were it to materialise) would potentially mean that we failed to qualify to play in European competition (in at least some seasons).
Whilst I agree that increased competition would be a good thing it requires Celtic to acquiesce to a fairer split of league monies. Further, nothing in Scotland has changed, Neil Lennon performed better. More to the point, before the matches, before we could try and bargain away the utter mince we’re being served up the message was clear – it won’t be like last year. We’ll do really well. In doubt? Lets take a walk through Paul67’s articles before the games.
And if that’s just winalot journalism what makes CQN better than Pravda? Why are we complaining about the comics masquerading as the media in Scotland if all we actually want is on-message journos.
Sorry, the revisionism is simply a weapon of mass distraction. A distraction from the abject failure of Celtic’s recruitment policy, the abject failure of the football team, and the abject failure of the board to board to engage with fans and have a harmonious club. What we actually have is a fractured and dysfunctional club.
The above said – I appreciate both the reply and the spirit of the reply. There seems to be a lot of personal digs on the blog tonight. I’m glad we’re both mindful that we share the same ultimate goal – a successful Celtic. We’re on the same side, and it’s nice to be able to disagree whilst bearing that in mind. :)
/p
Would we rather have results like last weekend 6, 7, or 8 times a season and finish 2nd, 3rd or 4th more often than winning the league… but get into the CL group stages on the one year in three or four that we actually win the league? Or would we rather win the league (almost) every year, regularly topped up with one or both of the domestic cups, but struggle to have one “decent” European campaign every four years?
Given that for us a decent European campaign is to get to the CL group stage and finish 3rd in our group, with perhaps 6 points. We’d get a couple of games against an “A-lister” such as Bayern Munich, and two or four against mid-range teams like Benfica and Salzburg, having dealt with “scraps” of the like of Stjarnan, Qarabag and Malmo first.
For me, winning maybe 6 or 7 of those 12 matches, and potentially getting humped home and away by Bayern, doesn’t make up for the glorious feeling of once again beating the best of the rest in the SPL, in spite of whatever cheating, skulduggery and honest mistakes are thrown in our way. We may follow Celtic win, lose or draw, but let’s face it, the feeling after winning far outstrips what has been witnessed on this and other blogs over the last week!
There are far too many on here and elsewhere who are Celtic fans (as in fanatics), and not enough true Celtic supporters.
– See more at: http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/in-defence-of-the-4-2-3-1/comment-page-6/#comments
Bigchips
We have few supporters then……
You see my experience is that when the chips are down we are left with a hardcore of ranters. I suspect you’d refer to many of them as fanatics and not supporters.
Auldheid. Making up stories and excuses. And all because of his board exposure.
I am calling it on you Auldheid.
Any semblance of your previous independence is well gone.
Now part of the problem.
NegAnon2 on 23rd December 2015 12:57 am
Auldheid. Making up stories and excuses. And all because of his board exposure.
I am calling it on you Auldheid.
Any semblance of your previous independence is well gone.
Now part of the problem.
– See more at: http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/in-defence-of-the-4-2-3-1/comment-
page-7/#comments
I’m leaving that mad idea in your head where it appears to have plenty of good company Neganaon2.
Enjoy Christmas.
NEGANON
Just canny see that,bud.
I’m sure you want. Everyone to believe it’s a mad idea Auldheid.
auldie
A prophet in his own land.
Can you keep your head when some around are losing their`s and blaming it on you?
The smart money says yes.
Happy Christmas,pal.
Neganon2
Mibbeez aye, mibeez naw.
Actually your idea is not real but if I argue the point and try to justify myself, I give it life.
So I’m leaving it in your head and for the sake of the blog I hope others do too.
“Ronny has recruited a flood of wide players since arriving 18 months ago with very little success. Which has had an acute cost.”
Well there’s only one thing left to do… Add wide player choices to Lawwells list of things in charge of.
You know why Celtic supporters (the ones that are left anyway) are sounding more and more like Huns?
Is because those green remnants actually want the animals back!
Maybe old news,but its new to me.
http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/14162062.Neil_Lennon_to_remain_in_charge_at_Bolton_after_investigation/?ref=mr&lp=18
Neganon2
Like yourself I am skeptical of our illustrious board and their protagonists. Since 2009 I have been waiting on my comeuppance regarding my well documented criticisms of the board. It’s all documented on CQN.
Since then we have had Craig Whyte, the liquidation of Rangers, proof beyond a shadow that the SFA and hunnery have been cheating on an unimaginable scale, LNS, 5 way agreement, Celtics acquiescence of Hun cheating, Res 12.
Have I had my comeuppance???
Ha ha ha ha ha ha
Ha ha ha ha ha ha
Keep it up
You are right!
MACJAY
How’s Brisbane? You planning a trip up the coast to the fleshpots?
What’s the difference between the moderators of CQN like winning captains and the moderator of the general assembly of the Church of Scotland?????
……err
Nothing!
MAGS
Does that mean that Winning Captains gets to take part in the coronation of the King Charles?
Ee,his mum will be dead proud…
Bobby
Hoping to do that very thing…….hire car and 60 K radius.
Don`t know how your brother copes,but can`t quite find the appropriate simile……..
Humid as…………You can guess the rest.
Great town…….bouncing around pre-Xmas.
In fact much more appealing to me than Sydney at this time of year.
See ye later…………..bit of a drouth on me.
MACJAY
It’s my brother-in-law who’s from Brisbane. And I dunno how he copes either-in Kilwinning!
But yer right,the heat and humidity are outrageous over there. Anything above 70f and I’m fair wabbit!!
Slake yer drouth,mate. Have one for me…
Sack Ronnie petition from Celtic fans ! Wtf. Sad day for the worst fans in the world. Long long way from Seville. What have we become. No hail hail from me.
TAURANGABHOY
Agreed,mate. Totally the wrong way to do things.
Hanging out the dirty linen in public,that.
BMCUWP I understand that some want a change now. I would be happy to assess at the end of the season. They must be laughing their heads of watching us implode, giving them company when we should be distancing ourselves from them instead of behaving like them. What next asking for Ronnies address. What will happen if we had three domestic defeats. MON and NFL , even WGS got more slack after a defeat. Shame. Good to see you back on here mate. Need some level heads.
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 23RD DECEMBER 2015 5:41 AM
MACJAY
It’s my brother-in-law who’s from Brisbane. And I dunno how he copes either-in Kilwinning!
-==========================================================
As Tauranga says.
Yer a “huftae” for CQN.
TAURANGABHOY
I’ve been called some things in my time,but a level head is a new one!
Time to get the show back on the road. Two good away victories before the New Year and we have a good foundation back again.
Celtic fans tend to have one thing in common,bud. We all want the best for the club. But as you know,put four of us together and you’ll get ten different opinions!
Hope you,L,and the girls have a smashing time over Christmas.
HH
MACJAY
Put it all on ten. A lot of us are!
Have fun,bud. Well-deserved wee break,I reckon.
Deila is hopeless ……petition for his sacking ….classless hunnery
First day of my holidays. And I get woken up at just after six anyways.
Feck in windy.
PF AYR
You know my opinions about RD,good ideas but not sure he has the nous,players,time,to implement them.
Classless hunnery? Darn tootin’!
HAPPY HOOOOOOPY CHRISTMAS from
Jose Goncalves.
Great stuff from the fella.
(And here’s the link!)
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/ex-hearts-defender-jose-goncalves-7059646