I watched Kilmarnock previous home game against Inverness, as shambolic a defensive performance as I have seen in the SPL. Shipping six goals against the team who were, and remain, bottom of the league is the kind of result that can decimate team morale, but St Johnstone’s result at Ibrox last week offered some encouragement that you can get at this this Rangers team.
It’s worth pointing out a few things. Rangers are still four points clear at the top of the league, if we were in that position we would rightly be delighted and confident. Pascali’s goal for Kilmarnock was also only their second goal conceded in eight SPL away games and only their seventh overall in 16 games – getting on for half a season. By comparison, Celtic have conceded 14 goals, including three at Kilmarnock.
While that defensive record is commendable, the loss of Steven Naismith leaves them disproportionately dependent on Nikica Jelavic to maintain their goal-scoring threat, and Jelavic is not known for season-long durability.
When news came through that Sone Aluko had paid his transfer fee to become a Rangers player few of us expected him to make as quick an impact on the league table as he has, single-handedly playing three Kilmarnock players onside at the goal. This is an unfortunate start to the player’s Rangers career but Rangers fans have a reputation for scapegoating (among other things). For some, Aluko’s card is marked. He’ll need a lot of talent to recover from this one.
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PHILBHOY 18.58
Sorry Philbhoy, but I’ve just got to pull you up on the old grammar.
Hunfud is all one word. All huns are fuds,of course but a hunfud is much more of a fud than a hun fud.
………If you see what i mean.
celtic40me says:
27 November, 2011 at 19:10
Ernie lynch
As someone who has fist hand experience of a stress-related psychological illness I can tell you my concerns over Lenny taking over as our manager weren’t misplaced.
————————————————————————-
How do you think he has coped bearing in mind the pressure he’s been under since taking on the job ?
Gordon_J backing Neil Lennon says:
27 November, 2011 at 18:45
Gary Speed’s tragic death is perplexing – especially in the light of his TV appearance hours before. In the studio he appeared happy, relaxed and lucid.
I don’t know how true it is but I have read that some people pose most danger to themselves just as they are beginning to get better.
There’s seldom any lesson we can draw from something like this except that you never really know what others are going through.
The news of Gary Speed’s passing is truly bewildering.
Like many others I watched him on BBC yesterday with Gary McAllister and he looked like he always did, well adjusted, well balanced, sensible decent man, with film star good looks. He spoke of so many plans for the future, incredible.
Think of the pressure we all feel in our day to day occupations. Todays news, though maybe not job related, makes me think of of the relentless strain that Neil Lennon must be under. You can only hope and pray that his underlying condition is managed properly as it seems to be. We have a great manager and I hope he wins the title more than anything but I remember my feelings at the Tynecastle game last season, I felt sick. The SPL trophy suddenly became meaningless. His health and safety is more important than success.
It’s only a game, a beautiful addition to all of our lives, but it’s only a game, nothing more than that.
This news is unfathomable today and takes the shine of events in Ayrshire.
TJ
glendalystonsils
I bow to your grammatical superiority!
You obviously knew who I was referring to!
Cheers!
Barcabhoy at 18.56
LOL.
Thought there might have been a queue for that post:o)
I see rangers failed to equal an 82 year old club record for unbeaten away fixtures today.
Wonder how that fits in with the “worst Rangers team in history” rhetoric
Wait until the tax case is proven, or the fire sale starts, and we might have some justification in calling them that
glendalystonsils. Sorry to lower the tone of the blog but a Fud is a usefull thing.I dont know any usefull huns so a Funhud just doesnt work fella. H.H.
The Kilmarnock Football Supporters Associaton has a report on today’s game.
They also have a list of friends on the home page.
At the top of that list it reads “Ayrshire Masonry”
Should I assume that is a company involved with building materials? :-)
reilly1926
Incredibly well. He clearly is an incredibly strong person, no matter what he achieves as a Celtic manager I will always have huge admiration for him.
TootingTim says:
27 November, 2011 at 19:18
Is Richard Dunne getting a game at Villa?
He played today.
EDB
Now I’m in tears.
Boohoo.
celtic40me says:
27 November, 2011 at 19:10
‘As someone who has fist hand experience of a stress-related psychological illness I can tell you my concerns over Lenny taking over as our manager weren’t misplaced.’
Stress doesn’t necessarily trigger an episode of clinical depression particularly if the individual and those around him are aware of the susceptibility, which is the case here.
When stress causes a breakdown it’s normally in someone who has been unaware that they have clinical depression.
This article was alluded to earlier. I remember sitting waiting to get my hair cut and reading this nonsense.
Hateley you are a complete tube.
GUY FAWKES NIGHT falls on a Saturday this year. But the real fireworks will begin the very next day.
Remember, remember the sixth of November, folks, because it might just be the most important day in the fledgling careers of Neil Lennon and Alistair McCoist.
As things stand, my old Ibrox team-mate can be satisfied with the start he has made to his first campaign in charge.
He has suffered massive setbacks in Europe and the League Cup but has reacted well to these difficult situations and now, with the SPL going into shutdown for a while, he’s sitting pretty at the top of the table.
He’s more than a quarter of the way through his first campaign and has already opened up a 10-point gap on his nemesis from across the city. Alistair could not have wished to be better placed at the moment.
The question now is where do we go from here? And every time I look at the next raft of fixtures my mind races forward to November 6 at Fir Park because by then the whole direction of this year’s title fight will have become a lot clearer.
Motherwell away. This might be the game that makes or breaks the rest of Celtic’s season – and, for that matter, Lennon’s reputation as a manager.
By the time this one is over I suggest we’ll either have a genuine two-way battle for supremacy or Lennon will be facing up to the kind of crisis which even Old Firm managers of far greater experience generally find very difficult to survive.
Yes, there are games to be played before then. Rangers start back with St Mirren at home and also face difficult trips to Pittodrie and Tynecastle later this month. Then, on bonfire night, they entertain Dundee United.
I predict right now that Rangers will take 12 points from these four games. I’d even go as far as to say I wouldn’t be surprised if they even rattled off another four clean sheets because right now they have one of the best defensive records in all of European football.
They might not be playing as expansively as Alistair would like at the moment – it’s almost coming in fits and starts – but we know these Rangers players can find another couple of gears.
And when they do, as has been proved in the past, they are capable of doing teams by five or six goals.
To that end, I think Rangers will be looking forward to the next few games.
McCoist will see these fixtures as a chance for his side to really start to build some serious momentum and get back towards top form.
But for Lennon? I’m not sure if he’ll be relishing the prospect or dreading it.
He will spend the next few days worried sick about the level of performances he has been getting from his side.
Lennon has been in charge for over a year but he’ll have to ask himself what has he learned about his players in that time? Because they are tripping up thanks to the same old failings and that does not reflect well on the man at the top. Whatever he has learned during his time in charge he is not using it to his team’s advantage. It’s a manager’s job to correct the faults as you find them and to take the good parts and make them better. But Celtic’s boss appears to be doing neither.
His players lack fight, spirit and cohesion, his defence is a disaster zone and in Daniel Majstorovic he has a player who simply cannot be trusted to take any kind of personal responsibility. For anything.
Every time he makes a mistake and it costs his side a goal the big Swede can be found shouting and bawling at his team-mates and trying to blame them for his blunder. That tells you everything about the guy’s character and I’ve seen more than enough.
If I were Lennon, I’d chase him out.
Donkey But there is every chance Majstorovic will be back in the thick of it when Celtic resume at Kilmarnock and if he is, then I’m not sure Lennon will get out of Rugby Park with a win.
The 10-point gap could quickly become a 12 or 13-point deficit and the pressure will crank up accordingly.
But if Lennon has the good sense to drop this dead donkey then I can see Celtic edging it in Ayrshire and then going on a bit of a run.
I’d certainly fancy them to win their next two matches after Killie at home to Aberdeen and Hibs.
The question then is, what happens when they head to Motherwell on November 6? And what if Stuart McCall’s side – in second place right now – are still up there in the mix when Lennon and his players come to town? The nightmare scenario for Celtic would be leaving Fir Park not only as a beaten side but also trailing Motherwell in third place with Rangers disappearing over the horizon, having opened up a gap of between 13 to 16 points.
I’m not sure Lennon could survive something as brutal as that.
But, by the same token, if Celtic go to Motherwell and churn out a third or fourth consecutive win then it’s very much a case of game on.
Even if they have not cut the gap they will still have sent out a message that they are through the worst of it and that their manager has them back on track and ready to go the distance again.
Yes, remember, remember the sixth of November. On that day all of Scottish football can light the blue and green touch paper and stand well back.
As told to Keith Jackson
Joe Fillippi-I think a Jason Roberts type up front, and an experienced defensive CM,we still need captains in our team IMO.HH
Perhaps a picture of a big-boned, corn-fed, red haired American gal would change the tack……?
It usually works.
Can’t do that clever link thingy…..
JoeFilippis haircut
Joe, I’m trawling through the dictionary as I type, to find a word that means absolutely useless, ugly and smelly
instead!
googybhoy hearts Celtic
Just read that Eck has restored him to the team
SFTB
Just saw that myself! For the avoidance of doubt, eh?
A CELTIC F C spokesperson claimed no knowledge of CELTIC FC paying Aluko’s transfer fee. There is just no eveidence for such a thought he said.
Aluoko’s priest , Father Murphy said, such utterings were the work of the devil.
Hail Hail
KINGLuBO
Very pleased with the killie result today , a nice wee surprise.
Celtic need to keep the pressure on , forget about them , keep winning our own games .
It will be interesting to see if they can cope with a bit of pressure being exerted.
Well done the management for getting a grip , keeping the heid and pulling this around.
They have worked too hard to hard to let it slip away again.
celtic40me says:
I’m glad you said that. Just goes to prove that people who have had previous mental health issues don’t have to be discarded in society.
I am a great NL supporter and have defended his name from the newspaper stand in Morrisons to my neighbours house last night (Celtic supporter too but one of the “He brings it on himself” brigade) Wife still not talking to me for my stance.
!!Bada Bing!! says:
27 November, 2011 at 19:31
Joe Fillippi-I think a Jason Roberts type up front, and an experienced defensive CM,we still need captains in our team IMO.HH
…….+—————–
Good call with Jason Roberts. He is a big Celtic fan too.
Seen it all now – Serie ‘A’ Siena player gets 2nd yellow (in the 90th minute) and a red card…………… his bookable offence – kicking a corner flag and breaking it!
He was upset cause he lost the ball – what next?
Great day for the Celtic. A sad day for football with the death of Gary Speed.
Go ndeanfaidh Dia trcocaire air.
Árd Macha
Getting back to the football, I was surprised, and delighted obviously, to hear the result from Rugby Park.
The huns have now gone two games without scoring a goal. Is this partially down to the loss of Diver #1 and his ability to “create” set pieces? Is Jelavic dreaming of a January move away? Are the players wondering who will be left when the big axe falls?
Whatever the reasons, we have had a fine week. But we have two difficult games coming up in Dundee Utd and Hearts and we must keep the pressure on. We cannot afford to let all our good work go to waste.
The league over? There’s a long way to go yet. Bring it on.
right i want a wee argument,
i think scott brown is a good player,
ki is inconsistent but i would play him,
against the teams who try to play the game,
instead of the teams that kick him off the park,
and in europe,
i don’t prefer forster or zaluska,
but zaluska in nets against utrecht was horiffic,
i want to sell samaras in january,
i would give bangura a chance,
and finally i think mccourt should be playing most games.
Som mes que un club
If you’ve ever met Hateley you’d be well aware that he couldn’t possibly put that piece together. Well he might get his name spelled correctly.
http://i894.photobucket.com/albums/ac145/PeelCeltic/SPL11-12/Stmirren/amazingbanner.jpg
Eyes Wide Open @16:08
Why don’t you call our manager Neil Lennon?
BBC highlights from yesterdays victory over St Mirren , available now to those outwith the UK
Celtic 5-0 St Mirren
ElDiego
I’ve met Hatley a few times through work.
The kids I took with me were brighter than him. They were 11.
11pm & Day over for Me.
R.I.P. Gary Speed. YNWA
Gordon J
I was thinking along same lines myself Naisy out no freekicks(though bentfoot tried to compensate today)
On FF common consensus is
Davies is not captain material and looks disintrested
Jelly off form(and taking long throw ins)
Edu and Elbows not worth a stating place in central midfield
MBB needs to get check book out in Jan
ps Wanting arrests over Killie fans singing “go home ya huns” at FT
………………………………………….
Getting back to the football, I was surprised, and delighted obviously, to hear the result from Rugby Park.
The huns have now gone two games without scoring a goal. Is this partially down to the loss of Diver #1 and his ability to “create” set pieces? Is Jelavic dreaming of a January move away? Are the players wondering who will be left when the big axe falls?
donegalbhoy67, happy to oblige…..
Ki is world class, a playmaker in the mould of Xabi Alonso. He is also a goalscorer.
The SPL will never be the best platform for his talents.
The same is true of a Sammi, except the world class bit. In a more open league, his strong running would be rewarded as games can be stretched, teams actually attack.
Forster will be an outstanding Celtic goalkeeper. His stats for us are outstanding and that is the bottom line.
HH
notthebus says:
27 November, 2011 at 19:47
i might be daft but can you explain what the picture means
thanks
Just this moment heard of the untimely death of Gary Speed. RIP. Who knows the torment he has endured.
A good guy
KINGLuBO
ELDIEGOBHOY ARE YOU A SEASON TICKET HOLDER OR ONE OF THE ARMCHAIR SUPPORTERS.W—-R
Ernie lynch
Thanks for the insight into my condition. You should read Marcus trescothics autobiography if you want to know what stress can do to an international sportsman with a history of psychological illness and the best help money can buy