Since Ronny Deila became manager I’ve met a Norwegian journo a few times who has been keen to discuss our manager’s progress. One of the points he’s continually made is about Stefan Johansen, who he insists is known as a creative midfielder in Norway, someone who regularly makes defence-splitting passes.
Until recently, we’ve not seen this, Stefan has played as a box-to-box midfielder. Something changed against Hamilton Accies two weeks ago. Celtic were inept in many areas but Stefan seemed particularly exasperated at the lack of penetration. He ran and harried, pushed and prodded. It was as though the general malaise around him afforded him the authority to take control of the situation.
Late in the game against Accies he bent double with his hands on his knees, the outward sign of exhaustion anyone over 40 who’s played fives is familiar with, but which you seldom see from professionals, as it’s a sign your batteries are empty. When fans see this in a player the natural reaction is to berate him but Stefan’s knees deserved to be held, he’d put more effort in over the 90 minutes than anyone I’d seen all season.
Saturday’s performance from Celtic seemed to come from nowhere; suddenly we looked like a team. Stefan’s newly acquired authority, which I think he acquired two weeks earlier, goes some way towards explaining why.
I’m loving the love being shown to the glib and shameless one today, especially the accompanying commentary, “are you a fan who is staying away from Rangers matches?”, “this Rangers support is already dangerously close to a full-scale rebellion”. Framing the debate like this is an explicit call to Newco Rangers fans to ditch their hard-up club.
I would like to echo this sentiment. Go find another sport, or take up a higher education class instead.
That’s easy for me to say, I care nothing for Newco, but at least I’m being honest about it. There are those prepared to drive the club into the Clyde in their attempts to grab control on the cheap – i.e. instead of buying shares on the open market.
Good luck to them. I’m sure Mike Ashley and the Easdales will be easily bullied.
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Jude
Congratulations to you and your good lady.
Hope Josh and Lukasz make speedy recoveries.
If you get a chance, try to catch Johan Cruyff doing his bit of punditry during the coverage of Barcelona v Ajax tonight.
I once read a collection of interviews he had done for a Dutch football magazine,spread over his career, and I’ve never read or heard a former player or manager with so much knowledge of the game, and who provides such great insights into the sport.
When you think of the former players and managers who,as pundits, add nothing original to the comments we hear week in and week out, I’m looking forward to his analysis of how Barcelona are playing at the moment, his thoughts on the Great One, and an assessment of why EPL teams are,in the main, struggling to even reach the final of the CL these days, far less win it. Hell, he might even mention us at some point!
One of the things that has stuck with me from those aforementioned interviews is his typically lacking in false modesty answer to the question of what made him such a great player. His reply was that he made other players better players when playing alongside them.
He gave the example of a winger at Ajax, Piet Keizer, I think, whose first touch was lacking. Cruyff made sure that he never played the ball to his feet, rather he played it for him to run onto, knowing that, if his first touch was heavy, he had the speed on the run to make up for it by outpacing the defender, and getting his cross in.
There were many other examples of him explaining how important it was for the better players to help their teammates, and not just concentrate on their own individual contributions, and explaining the best formations for doing this.
I’m looking forward to some new insights into the modern game tonight from the Dutch Master.
jude2005
Congrats to you both!
HH jamesgang
That moment when a NO better Together England Thistle supporter moans at you about WM\David Cameron\labour\Tories\UKIP
Priceless… If only Carlsberg did politics.
…
…
…
…
I cannot put into words on blog my reply.
MWD said AYE
Bsr,
I have a mac thank you very much.
I prefer ma cagoule though ;p
“If you want to play quicker, you can run faster, but it’s the ball that decides the speed of the game.” JC (no, not that one!)
DR Zaluska story updated a little
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/celtic-goalkeeper-lukasz-zaluska-knocked-4472108
MWD said AYE
Links to the tawdry anti-Celtic rag!?
Lhads, please…………
If you really must refer to the ailing blatt…………c+p.
Don’t encourage hits.
I’m Lukasz Zaluska
bournesouprecipe
12:14 on 21 October, 2014
I’m Lukasz Zaluska
——————————–
How’s the head, mate?
Beatbhoy
A brilliant footballer
imo up there with the maradona and pele
In terms of his legacy in the game his leaves them standing.
Reared in the Ajax philosophy, played in the worlds best team,the dutch football philosophy taken to Barca.
His impact on football and how its played is massive worldwide,
:-)
HH
Totally agree. I hope they show some clips of his Dream Team with Romario, Stoykovich et al.
Though I remember them being given a lesson by a team with 3 Dutch greats in a CL final back then.
Sorry, meant to add your moniker, AT.
Been having a look on some Man U sites this morning,with my Man U mate.After spending £150 million,to add to RVP,Rooney,and a few others,being 11 points behind Chelsea,humiliated in the league cup by MK Dons,you would think that there might be at least a few having a moan about Van Gaal.Not a bit of it.”Guy needs time””Players will take time to adapt to his methods””New players will need time to settle”and so it goes on.
Then I read what our mob are saying about RD.I will say again,heads should be hanged in shame.TGFITW,maybe used to be.
bournesouprecipe, who did it?
AnT, nae danger, my Anabelle screensaver is on an encrypted backup in a safe deposit box in Zurich. They keep it cool by flooding it with liquid nitrogen twice a day. It really is that hot.
Thanks for all the tech advice. Virus now seems to have vacated the acgr lappy.
Back to work:-(
Turkeybhoy
They didn’t afford Moyes the same patience last year on those sites, though.
They’ve no choice now, after that spending, and having so recently sacked DM.
Wonder who the ‘fellow pro’s’ who will be found not proven to have assaulted LZ are……..
new article posted.
I lived in Holland when Cruijff began to be recognised as a great footballer (a mate told me when I arrived he would be one of the best). I was there when Ajax hammered us in Amsterdam. Piet Keizer was one of those who had a great game that night. Ajax played football, like Jock Stein in his prime had Celtic playing: play to the strengths of each member of the team. It wasn’t just Johan who had that awareness, great player that he was.
Turkeybhoy
Man Utd playing in a league where 5 teams have untold resources to draw upon. We are playing in a league where no other team has paid a transfer fee for 2 years… Big difference.
Lawwell, JC and RD need to hang their heads in shame ….