Last night’s performance was a vast improvement on the horrible displays against Legia and gave us our second insight (after United) into how Ronny Deila is changing the way Celtic play football.
Key to the performance was the movement of his two Norwegians, Stefan Johansen and Jo Inge Berget, Callum McGregor and Beram Kayal. Johansen, who closed down space high up the field, pressurising defenders, played his best game for Celtic. Less said about his clearance of a Virgil van Dijk header the better.
Watching Kayal was like meeting an old friend again. The player, who in 2011 kept Victor Wanyama out of the team, has been a shadow of his former self since returning from injury two years ago. He is another player who enjoys closing space.
I’m an acknowledged cynic when it comes to even remotely hyped young players breaking through the ranks, but Callum McGregor has now delivered repeatedly. There is a long hard season ahead of him, and let’s remember, form fluctuates, but he has looked like one of the best players in the team so far. I doubt any Celtic player has opened the scoring in three consecutive European away games.
The first 35 minutes saw Maribor sit deep, which allowed Celtic to build patiently. Movement was good during this period, players in possession always had options, so we were able to switch play, force opponents to chase the ball, and penetrate with purpose.
Play was bound to change when Maribor started to close down higher up field, but Celtic reacted by playing low-percentage balls forward, which invariably resulted in possession being lost. I would like to see us look for less-ambitious passes more often.
There were several concerns, not least of all at the back. A defence which was impregnable for much of last season is now being cut open with regularity. I don’t subscribe to the view that players suddenly lose instinct and awareness over the summer, so it’s likely that a change in the midfield shape is exposing frailties in defence.
Maribor players found themselves clean through on a couple of occasions last night, echoing what happened in Warsaw and at Murrayfield. Ronny needs to find a fix.
Despite clearly being the better team, there is still a big job ahead for Celtic next week, better teams don’t always win, but a disciplined performance, no red cards, no mistakes at the back, should see us through.
Take no chances at Inverness on Saturday, make sure players are rested and fit.
[calameo code=000390171ae033f39a0c4 lang=en page=120 hidelinks=1 width=100% height=500]
1,177 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 23
- 24
- 25
- 26
- 27
- 28
- 29
- 30
- 31
- »
Maribor at home is not Inverness away.
Imo, Ronny will pick his best team with the opponents de jour in mind.
big wavy
I agree regarding Gazza. The football people who had Gazza working under them should hang their heads in shame. The guy has mental issues and nobody got him the help he needed earlier because they were too busy milking him for his football ability and his ability to shift newspapers.
I feel sorry for the guy.
I don;t care what he did in the past or who he played for. I fear the guy is now beyond help. It’s a travesty the state he is in.
LB
iki.
Thanks for your help re Hotels,very kind of you,but, I’m leaving for Glasgow in about half an hour to meet up with two of the most Exalted bloggers from the start of CQN, Kitalba,& Estadio, so can’t be late for that,I’ll have a look later on tonight.
Bye.
Tony Donnelly –
That is a truly awful comment about a man who is very sick.
Why did you feel the need to comment at all? If you don’t care, fine. You could have left it.
Shame on you.
prestonpans bhoys dam justice for the 5
If that is his position he should be tried there.
He is an able right back and more than able at centre back but playing players outwith their natural position will always be alien to them.
The guy is a natural athlete and is one of the most dedicated professionals at the club. He has never moaned once about playing out of position. I hope Ronny gives him a chance in the midfield because he has power pace and can dribble with the ball. He also had a very high pass completion rate at the world cup. Efe is a player. A very good player. He deserves a chance to prove it.
LB
Bawsman
Good post. I often make the mental leap as I try to understand human behaviour beyond ‘they are all pure evil’ that the board are 1) trying relentlessly to facilitate our involvement in a football environment with greater returns / exposure, etc and 2) in preparation for that need ECL exposure, the european nights’ ‘experience’ to market and then a zero tolerance approach to anything that might undermine our charm offensive supporter wise – the Green Brigade carefully managed, ultra environments, spats with UEFA, etc.
The above is in no way an endorsement of heavy handiness but just a thought on what is a risk averse board following some type of rationale ./ pattern beyond ‘they hate us’.
I feel instinctive sympathy for Gascoige, disgust for the likes of McCoist, and his ilk, who manipulated him but that sympathy is tempered by the fact he is a (convicted) wife beater.
Hey! What I posted on on the Ibrox alky I is my opinion, he has had more chances than any one, I know plenty who don’t, and didn’t get that luxury, some are gone and some are still here, even before the drink he was a crack pot,
Oh and Kev jungle, has the nurse gave you yer meds yet today? PL and the board? Wtf have they got to do with my post? Wow what an agenda you have, your as daft as Gaza.
goldstar10
08:19 on 22 August, 2014
sheik Yerbouti- Just want to tell you I have put my back out laughing at that Charlie Nic compilation, it’s maybe not everyone’s idea of humour but it’s certainly mine.
I’m sure some of our creative Bhoys could do “Gordon Dalziel- At this moment in time”. Would only need 1 show to get enough material
IbuprofenCSC
——————–
Sitting there thinking
We’ve got the same humour
still pishing masell mate
Kev Jungle 0941
That sign off made me laugh!
Hail hail
One of the stable girls was talking to one of the lads from……………ach………apparently Glen Moss holds a good each way chance today in the 3 05 York. 22/1. Tak it or leave it……
weeminger
09:38 on 22 August, 2014
ernie lynch
09:22 on
22 August, 2014
Yes, but we all know he’s mental.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Or had an unshakable belief in God, I know nothing of Artur but I’d rather have a team of players fearful of God than atheists.
St.Ninians.csc
tonydonnelly67
That’s doubly disappointing mate. Sometimes courting the need to be the blog jester needs a bit of reflection. I truly admired you and your wee maw’s winning battle against the evil of cigarettes. My da tried and failed to do the same and it ultimately killed him. Mental toughness against those sorts of demons are tough and no matter the riches it’s a lonely old battle. I agree with others, we were happy at the time to milk the manifestation of his lunacy and care nothing for what it was doing to him – I think that’s a shame.
My last on it.
tom mclaughlin
09:49 on 22 August, 2014
Tony Donnelly –
That is a truly awful comment about a man who is very sick.
Why did you feel the need to comment at all? If you don’t care, fine. You could have left it.
Shame on you.
_________________________
Hey Tom, I’ve seen many I let go here and you commented on here, that’s up to you, you comment on what you like, it’s not for me to tell you what to comment on and what not to, so please don’t you try and tell me what posts I should comment on, and what ones I shouldn’t, it’s an open blog, you don’t like my comment fine, make yours but don’t tell me what to do, HH
Off to get my well fired rolls now for my square sausages.
Big wavy
My last on it to, I care about him as much as the kit man who never applauded wee Jinkies minute silence, that’s the way I roll.
big wavy
09:51 on
22 August, 2014
================
I feel the board are apt to knee jerk reaction with respect to the support.
We have a following second to none yet on countless occasions the ‘board’ have jumped in with both feet to castigate the support at the behest of the poisonous SMSM.
Dundee
Fir Park
Kettling on the Gallowgate
Amsterdam
In all of the above the club weighed in against the support, only to backpedal once the truth emerged.
I personally feel the board, for whatever reason(s), are suspicious of the support……..or maybe they are simply avid Daily Record/Sun readers.
Dixieboy.
The ex steward you mentioned is now assistant to John Clark.
Hx2
petec
09:57 on
22 August, 2014
A relationship based on fear is a tyranny.
While I’d rather we had the best team available regardless of belief in their God, or belief in a God. If they have such beliefs it seems healthier to me that they’re based on love. I’ll say no more on the matter.
Tony Donnelly67
Who appointed you bouncer of the blog? I personally am scunnered with you calling Celtic fans Huns and telling people right left and centre to “GIRFUY”.
If the average blog post on here has 700 posts about 100 of them must be given over to you dishing out insults and GIRFUYs.
As for your claim that Gascoigne was a “crackpot” before he started drinking – gascoigne’s problems stem from the fact that as an 11 year old boy he was left in charge of a younger kid in the neighbourhood who got hit and killed by a vehicle while Gascoigne was looking after him.
Throw in the guilt from that incident and an awful family background then you have the reason why Gascoigne is the way he is.
He may have been a former Rangers player but he is just a tortured individual who just wanted to be liked by everyone and was easily manipulated by the Huns.
You might want to reflect that not everyone comes on here to have your ill informed opinions, incoherently stated as they are, rammed down their throats.
Tony – Fair enough fella.
Bawsman – I agree but I was trying to understand why they do it. I think it’s a bit parent : child relationship with Celtic taking the parent role and wading in when their fear of schmoozing a higher power is under threat.
Could be cobblers but just a thought.
On the BBC’s promotion of the EPL to the detriment of Scottish football …
I’ve long found it hugely frustrating that we (Scottish-based viewers) are seeing the game up here effectively (and I mean effectively) throttled by the inability (or refusal) of the BBC to screen Scottish games’ highlights (shown late on a Sunday night) ahead of the EPL’s (which – in programmes very obviously blessed with vastly superior production resources – are broadcast twice in Scotland, before our own highlights: on Saturday evening and again on Sunday mornings).
Over any period of time you care to consider, such scheduling can only damage the game in Scotland: to the sole benefit of the bloated giant of a league on our doorstep.
Is there any meaningful way of campaigning to change this state of affairs … ?
FF
I take the view that Gazza is a fellow human who grew into a mans body with a childs mind where ever he went he was manipulated for his football skills and he had a very poor choice of friends.I feel sorry for the guy he is in a really bad place and finding any help is difficult.I tend to think there but for the grace of God go I. H.H.
Twists 09:56
FYI….
Cheltenham2014@CheltenhamFNews·
Top Notch Tonto and Windfast both non-runners in York’s 3.05 race reducing the field to 14
big wavy
10:07 on
22 August, 2014
====================
Tend to agree on your take but only a really bad parent doesn’t learn from their mistakes, or become a wee bit defensive of the child when it is OFT maligned?
MoTD is it?
The BBC has been the perfect marketing partner for the EPL, matching the ‘best league in the world’ with the best paid panellists and highest production costs.
With £60M paid for broadcasting rights, and production costs in excess of £250,000 per hour produced, the total budget for MoTD exceeds the budget for BBC Scotland’s entire output.
To be clear, BBC Scotland’s entire output includes all television and radio produced in Scotland, being some 818 hours of English language television production, plus 649 hours of Gaelic television production, plus 8070 hours of Radio Scotland and 3600 hours of Radio nan Gaidheal.
Oh, and some website content too.
MoTD gobbles up the cost of that and then some to deliver around 95 hours of television each year.
MoTD is funded form the BBC’s central Sports budget, managed from London. This budget is spent on what the BC considers to be its “Crown Jewels” and includes World Cup, Formula One, Rugby League and Wimbledon.
By contrast, the cost of TV broadcasting rights for Scottish football must be found from the BBC Scotland budget, hence why we are all grateful that BBC Scotland managed to increase the price it pays for SPFL football by 15% last summer, to a breathtaking £1.5M per season.
Numbers aside, the BBC is not a commercial broadcaster with a profit imperative. It is a public service broadcaster whose remit is authorised in its Charter.
It’s public purposes – the reason it is funded by the public – include:
Representing the UK, its nations regions and communities;
And
Bringing the UK to the world and the world to the UK.
MoTD is broadcast nationally at primetime each Saturday night with a further MoTD2 programme on a Sunday or Monday night depending on the fixture list for any given weekend.
In contrast, Sportscene – BBC Scotland’s SPFL show – is broadcast on a Sunday night only, and restricted to the Scottish broadcasting area.
To rub a little salt in, on a Saturday night MoTD is immediately followed by national broadcasting of the English League show.
The BBC is clearly adept at representing, via its football output, the regions and communities of England to its audience in Scotland, but singularly fails to represent Scotland to the rest of the UK. The same applies to Welsh and Northern Irish football.
The effect is a reinforcement of the ‘mickey mouse’ epithet, as financial exclusion combines with broadcasting exclusion to diminish the economic, cultural and reputational value of the National football competition in Scotland.
It is, at every level, quite scandalous.
TBB
PS The first person to state that it’s an issue of “quality” and “audience” will be Auto-Flounced. It’s not. It’s an issue of misapplication of public purposes.
the glorious balance sheet. Fella you are doing to Tony Donnelly exactly what you are criticising him for doing to others.The blog has many posters all with there views on life and that makes CQN the interesting blog it is.If we dont like what a certain poster or posters write in my opinion it is best not to criticise but to scroll past there posts if we choose to read them we must surely accept they are entitled to there point of view no matter how different it is to ours. H.H.
Thanks for that cracking post, TBB.
Do you think there any meaningful way of campaigning to change this state of affairs … ?
Back in the day, it used to take ages to read the blog and the comments. Now there’s so many posters to scroll past, it takes no time at all.
OldFirmitis is a terrible disease..
Its symptoms include demonstrating how much you love one half by demonstrating how much you hate the other half .
Joe Filippis Haircut
There but for the grace of God go many of us Joe, well said mate.
compassion
/kəmˈpæʃən/
noun
1.
a feeling of distress and pity for the suffering or misfortune of another, often including the desire to alleviate it
Donny Toadily
You seem to have become emboldened of late
Got over your telling off for your rude obnoxious behaviour
It appears the auld Donny is back
It’s not welcome mate
joe filippi
Posting differing opinions is fine, repeatedly telling people to get it right up them or insulting them is out of order.
Hail hail
Tom McLaughlin
Cheers
TGBS
I didn’t know that about Gazza….survivorship guilt is a dreadful burden
the glorious balance sheet. It happens a lot on CQN and it is not my style but sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me a childrens ditty that can still be applied. H.H.
TGBS
Watch out …you’re talking about JFH haunners fae last night
PF Ayr
Yes I read an article about it. Due to the trauma of that incident Gascoigne developed an addictive personality.
He has been diagnosed with OCD and when not drinking he simply does other things to excess instead such as gambling.
Going to RFC was the worst thing such a mentally disturbed person could do. The drinking culture there did not help.