There’s a good half dozen players I would expect to be agitating for a move than Olivier Ntcham. His interview in L’Equipe, where he regrets he did not move to Porto last summer and explains how he would blossom at Marseille, and generally, how he is too good for the other teams in Scotland.
The latter assertion may solicit some sympathy, although his timing is off. We are days away from Champions League qualification and need those who are fit and experience to have their head on the job.
But this is the modern footballer. They are not here because their Irish grannie told them tales about Charlie Tully. Celtic provides lots of glory and money, but there are bigger paydays and all but the very few will chase the money, or, if we are being generous, test themselves in a tougher environment.
That’s football, Olivier is only explaining the facts.
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Hello OldTim67 from me and WeeBGFC. Great to read your post.
Sorry we can’t make Saturday – we are up in Banff at my wee grand-nephew’s 1st birthday party (is that the term for a nephew’s wean?).
Anyway – I’m sure you and all the guys will have a great time – me and the wee man will catch you the next time for a sing-song!!!
Mind and let someone else buy a drink for a change :-))
HH
BGFC and WeeBGFC
TT, re Dubai, I can only say that Dubliners was great craic last time I watched a game there. Lots of Bhoys in from Dubai CSC.
And Ghirls sorry.
The tims in the sports dept at the bbc are good people but they are too softly spoken…
Hot Smoked no I don’t think BBC Scotland’s football reporting is unbiased, the ones who make the decisions are biased towards Sevco no doubt about that. There does’nt seem to be a Celtic supporter among the pundits – I discount Packy but there are some good Tims in there – honest H H Hebcelt
Celtic minded BBC reporters
https://youtu.be/Oq3cGgqbWG8
WEEBOBBYCOLLINS exactly got it in one. H H Hebcelt
Btw…most of the huns at the beeb sports dept are good people too, it´s just the fact they are huns that lets them down…
Sorry sweary words warning
Gene…too late…I watched it, heard the sweary words…and I am traumatised. Haven´t heard language like that since the last game of the season…
Part of the problem is, unlike Ajax or Barca, who have a defined style of play, and develop/recruit coaches and players who can fit into that style ..,..Celtic dont have a particular style or culture of their own ….
like many clubs, we have used the 4231 formation for the last few seasons, but it seemed more like how we set up, as opposed to how we played …. not sure we ever really got to grip with how it is supposed to be used, or that we had the coaches or players to get the best out of that system …
and, SB has been a problem…. CalMac is, arguably, the best scottish midfielder in some time, but we dont seem to know how to get the best out of him (punting him to various positions all over the park ), plus, when SB is in the team, he seems to fade out ….
and agree on playing OE as a de facto target man … not his strength … but, we seem to buy players, and then try to force our best players into the team, rather than (i) developintg a strategy, and then finding the best players for each role
I am hopeful that NFL will have his own thoughts on how the team is to set up, and play … not confident, but hopeful ….
My sincere apologies – didn’t mean to offend
That’s an interesting lead article – Paul67,
Managing a modern footballer outside;_ the coaching, tactics, fitness and game time has got to be fraught.
You tend to think of Brendan Rodgers as being a “modern” manager and yet he commented on the changes he’d seen to the attitude of footballers since he’d been in the game.
That’s why, my belief is, you need specialist managers to handle them and their agents.
A specialist COO or DofF whose role it is to manage this aspect of modern football, the executive has more important things to worry themselves about as does the team manager and coaches.
It seems, as you alluded too, the Celtic 1rst Team dressing room was ripped asunder last summer.
Hail Hail
Gene…I forgot the :o)
“Sawyers and Smith not good enough for Celtic”.There endeth the lesson from all the blowhards who would not know any of these players,if they walked up,and kicked them in the stones.
Weebobby
I realised that but I should have been more diligent
BBC Scotland Sports Department
I don’t want fawning coverage for Celtic, or even ‘Celtic minded’ reporting just a fair crack. Could you imagine ever a sports reporter on BBC England or in a newspaper giving anything other than 100% support for a club or the English national side? Again, not that I’m looking for that gushing type of reporting either but just once an acknowledgement that Celtic are the only standard bearers for Scottish clubs in Europe and have been for years, the only other exception being Aberdeen and very briefly Dundee Utd.
McPhail Bhoy
Absolutely
The BBC.Had their colours naled to the mast,long before Captain Jack Sparrow was a twinkle in his fathers eye.
McPhail Bhoy
Absolutely they should be the Bastian’s of impartiality – calling out the same club lie would be a start
I realise of course our own board are equally guilty on that subject
Unless I am logged -in when I refresh it doesn’t show recent posts
Anyone else got this issue – didn’t use to happen
MIKE IN TORONTO @ 3:55 PM,
Yes – Actually, it’s been over 5 years since we decided to go 4-2-3-1, throughout the teams, includung the first team.
Ronny was initially brought in to be a specialist Coach it is said, though i’ve no idea how true it is, that it was one of the reasons Lenny left.
We should have made huge progress in that time, we haven’t.
We have lost a small fortune on this, luckily due to manager, coaches, player transfers and our success in Europe, we have managed to mitigate those losses and then some.
It doesn’t change the fact however that we are back to where we were when Rangers died.
Football has moved forward and we’ve moved back.
I’ve a huge respect for Lenny as a Celtic icon but let’s face it, if he manages to keep the status quo, he’ll be doing very well.
Hail Hail
OldTim
I’m lying by the poolside in Lake Garda. I’ve just gone onto CQN and your post was the first one I’ve read. Can I say it was absolutely brilliant and uplifting. You’re right, Supporting Celtic is more than just attending the game and going back home. It’s about the fellow fans you meet and talk to. You have obviously gained a lot from CQN and some of the names you mentioned, Pablo, El Diego Bhoy and Zbyscek bring back some happy memories of CQN in times gone by. It’s still a great blog and I drop in every day. Thanks to Paul 67 for the blog and thanks to you for your brilliant post.
Hail! Hail!
TINYTIM
I understand that the Dubai CSC have moved from Dubliners at The Meridien and are now frequenting McGettigans…..not sure which one, as there are a few. I seem to remember it being the one beside the new Rixos, which is at The Walk.
I can check with my source on the ground and post back later.
OLDTIM
would love to have joined you and the others in celebrating your Birthday on Saturday but will be heading to Inverness to collect #1 son who will just have completed walking the West Highland Way – so, from Mrs Bateen Bhoy ( who you inist on kissing everytime we meet you ) and myself, we wish you a very Happy Birthday, and look forward to the next time you want to snog my wife…😂😂😂
CHAIRBHOY on 8TH JULY 2019 4:23 PM
“We should have made huge progress in that time, we haven’t.
We have lost a small fortune on this, luckily due to manager, coaches, player transfers and our success in Europe, we have managed to mitigate those losses and then some.
It doesn’t change the fact however that we are back to where we were when Rangers died.
Football has moved forward and we’ve moved back.”
__
Don’t know if you have noticed but Celtic went on to win a treble without losing a single game, eight league titles on the bounce and three trebles.
It’s terrible that the club is going backwards isn’t it?
Tinytim
Mcgettigans will have it.
Although Fibber Mcghee’s does an all all day Irish breakfast with real bacon.
Possibly worth calling to see if they have the game.
https://www.footballwhispers.com/blog/romaine-sawyers-celtic-brentford?utm_medium=affiliates&utm_source=news-now
The lad ranks highly.
5th Highest ranked midfielder in English Championship last season for completed passes.
6th best for completed forward passes.
In a Championship that probably consists of 100 + Midfielders.
He ranks high
VOGUEPUNTER on 8TH JULY 2019 11:34 AM
OLDTIM67
Absolutely outstanding…. post of the millennium Sir….
Cap well and truly doffed.
RIP Pablo… Hail Hail 💚🍀
Gene on 8th July 2019 4:21 pm
Unless I am logged -in when I refresh it doesn’t show recent posts
Anyone else got this issue – didn’t use to happen
——–
Happens here too, something is not clearing the cache, might be a wordpress plugin, such as Total Cache as it looks like the Paul runs Apache on Debian (likely)
OldTim absolute gem of a post Sir
HH
Paul67
There’s a glitsch on the site Paul.
I had to sign in this morning but after logging on got kicked out 3 times.
Also, even before i logged on the black bar at the top of the page showed the message “Hi, Fool Time Whistle” which isn’t normally there if i haven;t logged on.
Getting logged off accidentally occurs when I log on & then attempt to get to the last page of comments.
When I do that & scroll down to the bottom of the page where the comment box should be I find that I’m logged out and being asked to register or log in.
Thanks
GARYGILLESPIESHAMSTRING on 8TH JULY 2019 4:56 PM
Tinytim
Mcgettigans will have it.
Although Fibber Mcghee’s does an all all day Irish breakfast with real bacon.
Possibly worth calling to see if they’re have the game
_____________
I think it’s mcgettigans at JLT. I’m sure a local will confirm.
TIMALOY29 @ 4:53 PM,
“Don’t know if you have noticed but Celtic went on to win a treble without losing a single game, eight league titles on the bounce and three trebles.
It’s terrible that the club is going backwards isn’t it?”
Yes, well I’m specifically talking about the last five seasons but I take your point.
We tried to change our football culture, our coahing methodology and our tactics, it was to be a change throughout every level at Celtic Football Club. U16 to first team. It has in some ways been slow progress but we improved hugely.
Yet for me, we seem to be back to where we were in 2014 when this plan was introduced. The problem is, ambitious football clubs (no Scottish Club comes to mind here) have continued to advance.
Now, if we continue to totally dominate Scottish Clubs and win trebles we are at status quo, if we improve in Europe and many feel Lenny is better in Europe than BR, we have made progress.
My point is, I can’t see us continuing to win trebles for the next three years nor improve in Europe.
Add to that, if we abandon the 4-2-3-1 as a failed experiment and don’t develop it into some sort of style and culture that MIKE IN TORONTO @ 3:55 PM, refers too, we have wasted 5 years, of course not in terms of trophies won or money earned but in terms of our medium and long term strategic planning.
This success of this plan was crucial if Celtic were to remain relevant in Europe.
Hail Hail
Oldtim
Davie I’ll be londonshire this weekend so Apols I’ll miss your ceilidh.
Like you, my love of Celtic was total but largely individual and isolated till I found this place. So I loved reading your post.
And finding people like you make it so worthwhile and reinforce how blessed I feel to be part of the greatest family in the world.
Happy 70th you auld bassa you!
🕺🏾🍀🥇🍀
HH jg
See all this nonsense about formations etc
That is what it is – nonsense.
Fitba is a simple game.
Pass and move
Move and pass
Win your tackles
Win your headers and…
Pass and move
Generation of domination.
I love it
Hail Hail
💚🍀
MIKE IN TORONTO on 8TH JULY 2019 3:55 PM
Mike, I think this is very valid comment and touches upon the continuity issue.
Managers come and go and want the team to play to their style, and while Rodgers style may have been a variant of the version preferred by Deila, and NFL’s a further variant again – we are prisoners of the revolving door of managers.
A Director of Football should be responsible for the longer term strategy of how we as a club play and individual managers merely have to refine or tweak.
HH
TINYTIM, Ziggy, GGH,
CSC now use McGettigans at the World Trade Centre. Metro or taxi will get you there ( or a combination of the two, maybe )
6.45pm UK kick-off time
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48913144
No longer fishing in the Jack Hendry / Marvin Compper pond
Asupporter
Thanks