Before this Europa League group got underway the trips to Istanbul and Amsterdam looked daunting. Those games produced two credible draws, but things went wildly wrong elsewhere.
Our goal last night was a peach. Dedryck Boyata split the Fenerbahce defence to open up space for Mikael Lustig to cross for Kris Commons, who peeled off his marker to create the space to head home. Unfortunately only one point was collected as we lost another Keystone Cops goal.
Craig Gordon seems to be struck by a lack of conviction this season. His was not the only failing at our repeated corner kick fiascos but letting a ball trickle through his legs as he appeared caught in two minds is indicative of a player who is doubting himself.
You know Kris Commons scores and creates huge goals for Celtic, we’ve discussed it often enough here. Despite his veteran status and apparent ill-fitting to our system he remains by far our most effective player.
For Ronny, it didn’t go wrong in Europe this season against Fenerbahce or Ajax (I’m absolving him of blame for Efe’s error or a last minute breakaway goal at Celtic Park), it went wrong home and away to Molde and Malmo. We appeared to underestimate both. Did the manager have something to prove against fellow Norwegian managers?
Celtic dominated possession stats in all four games against Molde and Malmo but the Scandinavians exploited the acres of space which simply didn’t exist in our games against Ajax, Fenerbahce or Qarabag, for that matter. Ajax, Fenerbahce and Qarabag got the respect they deserved, not so Molde and Malmo.
The failure is, of course, more complicated than that. Jozo missed the bulk of the campaign, while Dedryck is only just beginning to look like a footballer (lovely pass for the goal last night). Scott Allan looks promising, but we’ve not seen enough of him either due to injury.
Curiously, Ronny’s big 2015 No. 1 striker target, Nadir, looks less like a Ronny Deila player than anyone we’ve bought in years. Knowing we were interested in him, I watched his performances against Celtic last season, and made the same observation at the time.
What happens if your keeper’s form falls off a cliff, one of your new defenders doesn’t settle quickly, two other new players miss months through injury, and your new striker doesn’t morph into a different player? You finish bottom of the Europa League group.
Celtic must now consider their strategy for January. Successive transfer windows have left us weaker, not stronger. Identify the reasons, remediate and we can build on the away performances which bookended this Europa League campaign.
Check out the CQNBookstore. There’s 15 great Celtic books and 10 DVDs, you’ll love them.
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Morning Bhoys from a dry Central Scotland Cowiebhoy its great how we all watch the same games but view them differently I really believe that Ronny has us on the right track.I know Europe could have been better but it was good to see us get draws in Holland and Turkey at home we have only lost one game to date and we will good crack at getting the treble and that is after winning two trophies last season.We are playing more young Scots than before and seem to be rid of our hang over after European games I think a lot of stuff about Ronny is generated by the MSM to unsettle our club.I really think Ronny will go on to big things in football I only hope he is given the time in order that it is at Celtic. H.H.
Canamalar
I suppose we need to wait and see, the wishes of a supporter and a plc conflicting perhaps , but he did say Celtic Football Club, I’m sure he is well aware of what the grass root support think or perhaps the feelings of CQN are in the minority, you may need a different cause at the weekend in the future. Need to go.
Winning Captains
The hints worked, as I caught a glimpse of the cover as I helped ‘er outdoors with her post-shopping trip bags.
“I’ll have some of that when she’s out with her sister later,”I thought.
’98, MO’N’s 2001 miracle. . .
I know her planking places.
But, no hiding place needed. There it was at the side of the wardrobe, untouchable.
Yes, she had wrapped it in that mysterious perfectly-fitting, perfectly-folded, invisibly sellotaped way of hers, in the full knowledge that I’m incapabable of un-and then re-wrapping without getting caught, my attempts at the art being the source of great mirth on the 25th, as I’m asked if I in fact have opposable thumbs.
It’s gonna be a long month for a fortnight!
TBJ,
I remember one of they walks when I was a wee bhoy. They walked out from Parkhead Cross along Westmuir Street to Tollcross Park and back. On the way back, thon big drum had a BIG (and I mean BIG) hole in the middle. Someone obviously didn’t take kindly to their sectarian bile. (If you’re wondering how I saw both stages, I used to play in the spare ground between the old School and the Prince Charlie.)
Dessybhoy,
I suspect they have started including the interests of Scottish Football so they can claim they never lied and as far as they are concerned keeping some form of hun team playing is in the interests of Scottish Football from a financial angle which is the only angle they consider relevant.
EMERALDBEE\O/ STILL PROUD TO BE AN INTERNET BAMPOT on 12TH DECEMBER 2015 9:25 AM
Off topic but one for cyclists everywhere (and even those that don’t ike cyclists). Ouch!
————————————————–
Wow, lucky escape.
What is it that makes relatively normal people turn into complete bawbags when they don the Lycra gear and stick the half mushroom c/w Gopro camera on their napper.
Why do they immediately become colour blind and can’t differentiate between red and green.?
I would ban them all and confiscate their toys. ( unless it’s me of course )
HH to all fellow Celts, and to emulate Lance, carry on peddling.
Dessybhoy
IMO CQN is most likely more conservative / less trigger happy than the general Celtic support.
Paul67 is a very patient guy and very ( overly) slow to criticise – even he is now hinting at the need to reconsider ..
I’d say the support is 90% united on A change.
Re comments on Ronny. His time is up. Lawwell doing temperature checks. Even PL does not believe the RD is unfairly judged as he is from overseas.
That said PL did not help RD. Appointing his no 2 , 3 ; rushing to sell best players ; spending some CL Virgil money after CL exit ; no striker bought ( Ciftci wouldn’t get a game for Partick Thistle ) ; panic buy Carlton Cole.
RD improved the diets not much else. We will play with one up against Stranraer in the Cup. A one dimensional team where the opposition can sit in and usually get a result. Complete novices in Europe.
Apart from the football Lawwells mismanagement has a huge apathy and malaise around the club. We have seen revenue swings from £50M to £70M and the constant of PL taking his bonus every year with his tenure to date warning him £8M ( numbers are detailed elsewhere ).
The noise about Nir Bitton being happy to stay and he is not for sale is PL preparing the buyers for the summer sale and the continued weakening of the Team.
RD will go …possibly even in January. PL will be working on bringing in another puppet he can control and continue his Director of Football role.
Lawwell look at the mess you have made of our club.
Ha ha
CultsBhoy can not relate to Celtic Board ambitions on or off the park
The support are 90% behind a change of manager???
Ronny is my manager so gets my full support till that changes
Whit next
Ronny Ronny GTF and repeat one of my darkest days as a Tim when some of our own turned on WGS.
Hail Hail
My friends in Celtic,
CQN can be wrong. John Collins still has his P45 and Thankfully Roy Keane was not a ” dead cert” to become our manager.
Speculation and debate is oxygen for a blog, indeed necessary, but don’t allow the facts to cloud our judgement.
Realistically who could we bring in to give us instant CL success.? Do we now demand instant success ? Are we entitled to instant success. ?
Always questions, never realistic answers. If Man Utd are struggling to emulate past success while ” upsizing” their manager and playing staff by 100’s of millions why should we feel we can do what they cannot ?
imo RD & JC are the way forward. To bring out our younger players and install a sense of professionalism on and off the park. Any players not playing by their rules must be shown the door.
Yes P45′ s should be in the post, but not RD or JC’s. Not yet
We are Celtic, unlike some teams we don’t sack managers when we top the league and are still in with a shout of a domestic clean sweep.
Don’t do the MSM’ s job for them. Don’t bite with their warped agenda. Don’t be a sheep.
Think.
Hail, Hail to all Celts.
Morning Timland from a warm hun free mountain valley.
JFH
Yip, been saying the same for some time now, seems we are in the minority, but you really can’t legislate for the power of the media and their disruptive influence, well you can, but it’s working on the Celtic support sad to say.
Ronny is da man.
HH
For the lucky Lhady who 25 yrs ago won a watch when she married me:))))))))))))))
and has been keeping my big stupid feet on the ground every day since .
HumilityCSC
Something In The Way She Moves – James Taylor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAzgwSLiMUc
leftclicktic
Happy Silver Anniversary Lefty..
Right enough of the bs…..im sick of posters making out, that because some fans want change, we are mentally deficient.
Feck right off with the snobbery
RD has not got a clue in Europe, that’s the reality.
I wish posters would stop pretending that RD is some kind of revolutionary genius coach.
He isn’t….he is the cheap option.
IMO….He should go and take PL with him.
PL is destroying Celtic.
HH
“We will play with one up against Stranraer in the Cup.”
Latchford,
Silly eh? Best to go with 3 up in the cup and leave 3 v 5 in the midfield like we did against ross county.
That turned out well.
Entitlement is a form of snobbery!
HH.
Even better was when Mowbray lumped on players to play up front at love Street with no control of the middle.
That was a hoot.
One up front is not one up front.
If people really new anything about how the game is played, they would be telling all the top teams that one up front disny work, Oh Wait :-)
4-2-3-1 is anything but a rigid formation. That’s simply not true.
Also, Latchford says we are predictable and teams can sit in and get a result. Our domestic form suggests otherwise.
Ronny has not delivered what I hoped he would but some of the criticism is way over the top.
I have seen people suggest that WGS, Lenny or MON would have qualified from this Europa group. I’m sorry but I doubt that.
We have a very inexperienced and, if I am honest, limited squad. Some of that is Ronnys fault but I’d wager the majority of the blame for recruitment lies elsewhere.
From Ledley, Brown, Ki, Wanyama, Samaras, Hooper to Bitton, Johansen, McGregor, Armstrong, Allan, Ciftci.
I actually think Ronny has shown signs of getting greater than the sum of this teams parts. But limited and inexperienced squads will suffer from individual errors.
Anyone can say that the results are not good enough but you must look at the root cause of these results.
Efe’s errors saw him out the team. Izzys saw him out the team. Craig has made several but I don’t think Ronny fully trusts Bailly. Dedryck has made some but recently looks much better – some of the criticism thrown his way will come to look very rash I’d wager.
Anyway, there are mitigating circumstances re Ronny in Europe. I hope the club look at the big picture when making a decision – much of that picture is not visible to us.
67HEAVEN .. CHALLENGING THE LIE ..I AM WEE OSCAR…… IPOX BELONGS TO THE CREDITORS on 12TH DECEMBER 2015 9:02 AM
“I’m beginning to wonder if truth and justice WILL prevail…..”
——
Unlikely when we see the judge at yesterday’s hearing declare, ex proprio motu:
” I have never been a Mason but it would have been an honour to be nominated by a legend like John Greig”
Talking of Orc Walks. A few years ago my hack driver mate picked one of them in Duke Street.
The geezer pleaded with Joe to get him up to the Royal pronto as he had severe chest pains. Anyway as is the walks rules, you can’t break through the March, but this guy was lying in the back of a taxi in agony, dying.
Joe tried everything to get through, tooting his horn, flashing lights, shouting, but all he was getting was the FB treatment. Even the coppers didn’t want to know but eventually one of them realised and made a clearance for the taxi to shoot up a side street. He reached the hospital 20 minutes after picking the guy up less than a mile away. The paramedics ran out and applied jump leads to the by now unconscious casualty, saving his life with not a minute to spare, they told Joe.
Half an hour later he’s back in amongst them, window shut, music up loud to drown out the anti Catholic hymns of hate coming from a mob, one of who’s brother’s life had just been saved by a decent, caring Catholic taxi driver.
To this day I still kid my mate on that he probably rifled the hun’s pockets for his fare.
Greenpinata
Ive never thought myself entitled to anything.
Lets be straight here….Celtic are not very good at the moment, ask Molde.
Now…you may want to see a RD inspired defeat….I don’t.
Simple as that.
HH
Tet,
I’m no so sure you are in the minority. I’m not saying a change wouldn’t improve us but it’s far easier to criticise than compliment.
Like after Thursday. At work all I heard was the red changed the game. Easy quick answer is aye.
But that’s not the truth. The subs did.
Anyways if we do change I’d go for Warburton. I hear every day how great he is.
Dripfedmediabollix csc
The Green Man,
I don’t want to see a RD inspired defeat. why would I , I’m a Celtic supporter.
I want to see a RD inspired victory. do you ?
HH.
Well time to get ready and go up to Perth have a nice b&b booked then the game tomorrow.
It’s a strange place in cqn land, certainly the only place where I met Celtic fans still supporting RD :0)
It strikes me that the courts here need to listen to courts in SA, when GASL says X, he should be called to show evidence to support his statements.
If anybody thinks winning a crap league, or playing one up front against Stranraer, is progress.
That’s your problem right there.
So now, we have to play the RD way to beat the likes of Stranraer or Ross Co.
Aye Right.
HH
And as Ronny says, these teams we are playing in Europe are training, scouting and buying players too. They are trying to get better. Nowadays, unless you are Barca, Man City, Bayern, PSG or Real Madrid etc then you will be in a game more often than not in Europe.
The gap between Fenerbahce, who spend hundreds of thousand a week on wages, and the likes of Qarabag and Molde is shorter than it’s ever been. It hard for these teams to get genuine quality as the very top teams stockpile it.
As a result, it oftens comes down to luck. Luck in the pitch and like when scouting.
Very few of the teams around our level have sustained success in Europe for that very reason
The Green Man
Economics are the storm that Celtic have to navigate their way through.
History will judge PL’S time in charge as it has done Fergus who was vilified during his time.
You can stand on the prow of a ship in a storm and rant at it all you like.
The storm cgaf.
HAPPY HOOOOOOOPY ANNIVERSARY to
LEFTCLICKTIC and R!!!!!!
Going for gold already,big fella!
Greenpinata.
As far as I’m concerned….Celtic should not be doing so badly in Europe, and RD will have to take responsibility for it….Instead of the “give me another year” bs.
He should man up ffs.
If RD cant hack it… he should move over and give someone else a chance.
That’s what happens in football.
HH
Leftclick – why the obsession with 2 up front?
I’m baffled by these repeated shouts for 2 upfront. Hardly anyone plays that way. There is a reason for that.
If you won’t be happy until you get a manager who plays 2 up front in the SPFL then reverts to a ‘park the bus’ 451 in Europe then fair enough but not for me.
The Green Man,
I agree its a crap league. Have we played Stranraer yet or are we assuming and playing the MSM game.
We can only play who’s in front of us and that was the case long before RD managed us.
HH.
Auldheid
Listen….im entitled to my opinion, and its just as valid as anybody’s on this blog, including yours.
What I have seen in Europe from Celtic this season has been pathetic.
What is the point of being a well run club….if you cant play football on the park?
Have the supporters just to suffer because PL thinks RD was a good choice.
I don’t think so.
HH
Just can’t imagine a statue of PL in 10-15 years time at CP.
HH
CRC
If Ronny was on his way out or if Lawell had any doubt he should let him go now.. Give a new manager 2/3games to asses squad and some money to rebuild in January.
But no doubt at Celtic if Ronny is going it will be half way thru January and new manager will have no time to sign players until summer transfer window.