Celtic have a strategic problem. The great Neil Lennon European campaign of 2019 is slipping from our coefficient status, and we have done little of note since. Neil’s team are the only Celtic side to win a European group, finishing above Lazio, Rennes and Cluj. Four wins, a draw and defeat in a dead rubber in Romania required some breathtaking performances.
If we are to continue at the Continent’s top table, we need to get back to winning games in Europe. This is remarkably difficult in the Champions League, although Neil and Gordon Strachan had a formula. Thier teams defended, played to their strengths and gave us some of the most memorable Celtic games in the last 50 years.
Brendan Rodgers and Ange Postecoglou changed all that. Pragmatism was sacrificed for purity as record heavy defeats arrived in droves. It remains to be seen what learning has been achieved.
The threats and opportunities within this afternoon’s pots are not evenly distributed. We could get Manchester City or Feyenoord from Pot 1, Inter or Porto from Pot 2, Milan or Red Star from Pot 3. There are five current or previous European Champions in Pots 1 and 2, three in Pot 3 and we are the only one in Pot 4. Liverpool, Juventus and Ajax didn’t make the cut.
If it’s Feyenoord and Porto, fair enough, let’s see what we can do, but for me, the draw is all about Pot 3. That is where we are most likely to find a team with comparable resources and challenges, and therefore collect some points.
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I think Miovski could do a turn for us, would take him
And does that exclude him from TV coverage???
TURKEYBHOY on 31ST AUGUST 2023 9:19 PM
I dont think thats fair on Big Wavy. I might disagree with him but theres no doubt he wants whats best for Celtic and he thinks about how we should go about it.
I apologise if I’m coming across aggressively.
I enjoy Big Wavy’s posts. I might argue with him but he brings plenty of positive, interesting stuff to the blog and I think he can take it. If not I apogise and I’ll stop
Aberdeen now 3-1 down. Exciting game full of missed chances for Aberdeen.
🐏 oot 1:3 down
CELTIC40ME….
Yes, it is a nonsensical business approach to football
What I call the Maslow’s hammer approach
If you have guys who are running a Football Club and know little about football but lots about business, they will run it as a business
We need football guys, it makes a huge difference
We saved a million buying Ajeti instead of Toney
We saved 3.5 mn getting Mulumbu on a free instead of signing John McGinn
That 4.5 mn saved, cost uscthe services of two very good players and huge profits in the transfer market
In football terms they know the price of everything and the value of nothing.
That’s why they make so many mistakes, football is about quality not quantity
It has wasted valuable resources and cost us on the pitch and on the balance sheet
Hail Hail
I’m going to lie low until Sunday 2pm. I’m cutting the legs aff ma bed.
The maddening thing is,when these guys the Brass Section have been constantly moaning about,come good,you won’t hear a bloody word out of them.They will just fade into the crowd,and applaud.
Until the next window.
Continuously talk about how much money we have,then complain about the guys who got us to that position.How they are doing it wrong !!.
“Aw ur they,Aye,aye,well enjoy the rest of your night mate” whilst moving as far away as possible.
BIGRAILROADBLUES on 31ST AUGUST 2023 9:31 PM
I’m going to lie low until Sunday 2pm. I’m cutting the legs aff ma bed.
————-
Is that the one in the spare room ? :O)
Chairbhoy,
Just a couple of points on your example.Both players mentioned had the chance to come,and didn’t.
No amount of Hun like behaviour,rewriting facts,changes that.
Vogue Punter
The one one the landing. 😄
On ffs 😒
CHAIRBHOY on 31ST AUGUST 2023 9:30 PM
They know enough about running a football club to have won 5 trebles in 7 seasons. Bigger picture stuff than missing out on a couple of players.
We won two trebles the two seasons after McGinn signed for Villa. I think history might not look on that mistake quite as harshly as you do.
brrb 😄
God bless yir Sainted wife.hh
He’s co-commentating on the game.
Vogue Punter
She definitely is Sainted. I’ve been walloped by a cross Mrs BRRB many times. 🤣
CELTIC40ME @ 9:40 PM,
Our CEO got a 2.3 mn bonus and we lost the ten in a row.
Brendan Rodgers and Ange Postecoglou had more to do with those trebles than anyone on the Board
It was good football men who won us the trebles not businessmen
Hail Hail
How does James McFadden get anywhere near a microphone
Ah widnae trust him wi a kazoo
TURKEYBHOY @ 9:36 PM,
That’s not the case, both players wanted to come to Celtic
Both selling Clubs had told Celtic the price
Celtic lo-balled the deals and lost out on the players
Hail Hail
test
Will Scottish football clubs finally wake up to the fact that to compete in Europe they have to play with craft, skill and guile rather than the blood and snotters approach they play week in and week out in Bonnie Scodland?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rrJucb4yB0
10 years ago!
Scotland has a team in each of the 3 UEFA competition group stages.
There’s a first.
Surely, Toney killed this crap just last week. Read his own words:
“We went to Celtic, we spoke to Celtic and I think it was the same there. I’m one of three strikers or something like this. I think at the time when I was moving, I wanted to be the main guy. The crucial thing for me is playing games.
Likewise, read what John McGinn said:
“It was important to weigh up everything and not just go with my heart because I had basically made up my mind I wanted to join Celtic.
“But I also had to weigh up in my mind how strong Celtic’s midfield had been for a long time.
“I remember speaking to Brendan Rodgers and he said the important thing I would take from it was I would play games.
“But Steve Bruce said I would play every game.
“I was used to playing week in week out at Hibs and it was so important to me that that carried on.”
https://icdn.thecelticstar.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/IMG_3621.jpeg
A tough draw and looking at our current form, it’s beyond us.
A huge improvement required.
Scullybhoy
Football transfers 101…
A Club makes a bid for a player
Once the bid is accepted by the player’s Club, they can transfer
Celtic’s bid for McGinn was rejected as too low
Celtic’s bid for Tiney was rejected as too low
Aston Villa offered the money Hibs wanted
Brentford offered the money Peterborough United wanted
It’s really that simple
Hail Hail
Toney was found guilty of betting 13 times on his own team. He would have done that at Celtic.
Chairbhoy on 31st August 2023 10:10 pm
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
All I can see is what the players involved said.
HH
CHAIRBHOY
You go on and on about a players we missed out on 5 and 3 years ago like its what defines success at a football club
You’ve got it all wrong – what matters is success on the pitch. 5 trebles in 7 years means more than missing out on McGinn or Toney, or successful player trading models, or PL this or BR that.
Its all an means to an end. 5 trebles in 7 years is that end
SCULLYBHOY @ 10:13 PM,
If you know what the players involved wanted, you know that John McGinn was expecting to join Celtic in June 2018
You know that Toney went up to Celtic Park and agreed terms with Celtic, that Nick Hammond went to Peterborough to close the deal but “didn’t bring any money”.
If Celtic had a bid accepted by the selling Club you mat have an argument but that is not the case
Until the selling Club accepts the bid then nothing counts
Both John McGinn and Ivan Toney are on record as saying they wanted to come to Celtic
Hail Hail
Toney bets on his own team losing. He did it on 13 different games he played for Brentford
CHAIRBHOY
How would you feel about a Celtic player who bet on his own team losing?
Or a player filmed saying “f*ck Celtic” on holiday while he’s still playing for us.
CELTIC40ME @ 10:18 PM,
Our recruitment is fundamentally flawed, that’s what we are talking about, no shoal of red herons will change that
It cost us the historical ten in a row
We were a UCL pot 3 team back in 2018
Now we are a UCL pot 4 team, because we fail to build on strength.
Hail Hail
Toney’s just another player. He wouldn’t have been with us for long anyway.