Players and manager with common purpose

803

Could someone remind me the last time we heard rumours that Ronny Deila had players rebelling against him?  I heard it often, and put it to the club, but was told the players had bought-into the changes, then underway and largely unproductive.  I think we got our answer after the full-time whistle yesterday.  This is a group of players and manager with a common purpose.

Celtic are now top of the league, a point away from qualifying from the Europa League knock-out stages, and are beginning to look like a team, but the results are largely secondary to the transformation.  Even if Virgil’s 90th minute winner hadn’t arrived at Pittodrie, progress is evident.  The fragility and lack of cohesion which marked so many of our performances until early last month has gone.

Success has many fathers so it’s difficult to know exactly what’s behind the improvement.  Scott Brown’s return from injury helped enormously, as did the return of Mikael Lustig and Adam Matthews (although I thought Adam had a torrid time with Niall McGinn yesterday).

The blossoming of Stefan Johansen has to be the most striking element.  He has without doubt been the most improved player this season and an early contender for end of season awards.  By any measure, he had no right to score his goal yesterday.

The return of James Forrest, who yesterday played his fourth game in eight months, will give the squad an extra boost before the final two Europa League group games.  If he has fully recuperated from the problems which blighted him throughout this year, he’ll give fresh impetus to the pacey product Ronny is trying to hone.

You can get copies of Caesar & the Assassin, Billy McNeill and Davie Hay’s accounts of managing Celtic from Jock Stein’s departure until the appointment of Liam Brady, signed by both Billy and Davie here.

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  1. Living_in_the_Love_of_the_Commons_People on

    burghbhoy

     

     

    18:28 on 10 November, 2014

     

    Evening all , anyone know where I can buy a poppy?

     

     

    ————–

     

     

    Apparently these days there is an abundance in Afghanistan…

  2. Living_in_the_Love_of_the_Commons_People on

    hamiltontim

     

     

    18:29 on 10 November, 2014

     

     

    My attempt at poor Scots vernacular might give you a clue as to which esteemed contributor it was…

  3. BIG-CUP-WINNERS on

    Hamiltontim

     

     

    You know they are actually killing the game. I’m nearing a stage were I’d probably start following Celtic at away games again. At the moment I seldom travel and I’ve been to the Nou-camp more times than Pittodrie in the last 10 years or so.

     

     

    Hell mend them.

  4. Sandman.

     

     

    Thanks fur the Reply..pally… Appreciated.

     

     

    n.. Thanks fur the Suggested Berth.. fur .. “Darlin’ Charlie.”.. tae.

     

     

    Ah am in Agreement with it.

     

     

    Yes, Charlie, Is more than a “Fair “… C.B.

     

     

    As you Observe.. It is Almost a Foregone.. well.. Forgone..

     

     

    that .. The Exceptional Young Belgian will Return tae his Manchester Masters.

     

     

    n.. as you say..

     

     

    Darlin’ Charlee, could fill the then vacant C.B. spot.. when he diz.

     

     

    May Ah add This…??

     

     

    Dalrin’ Charlie, is No A Left Back, eethur..

     

     

    He is Far toe Slow of Limb fur that Position..

     

     

    Howevahhhhhhh…

     

     

    Ah hiv Noticed that.. the C.B. Position..kin be Ably Filled with a Slow n Cumbersome Fellow.. n.. Charlie, although, He is No Cumbersome.. He IS…indubitably… Slow..

     

     

    So.. Wan oota Two.. Is No a bad return..

     

     

    It Could be Charlie, fur the Joab( or as a Back Up Performer)… That is..

     

     

    If We we do not hiv anither mair Suitable Candidate…when the time comes.

     

     

    Nice Chatting.

     

     

    Kojo

     

    Still,Laughin.

  5. BIG-CUP-WINNERS on

    oops missed a wee bit:

     

     

     

    Hamiltontim

     

     

    You know they are actually killing the game. I’m nearing a stage were I’d probably start following Celtic at away games again. At the moment I seldom travel and I’ve been to the Nou-camp more times than Pittodrie in the last 10 years or so. The hassle and grief, aimed at Celtic supporters just ain’t worth it here.

     

     

    Hell mend them.

  6. The Comfortable Collective on

    Kojo at 17:52

     

     

    “Ah am No in the Least Bothered if Ah am Being Watched.

     

     

    Why?

     

     

    Well.. Because. Ah am A Law Abiding Citizen..n.. Ah Care not ..if Somebuddy is

     

     

    Trackin Me.. Watchin Me.. Takin Notes aboot Me..

     

     

    fur they wull Find oot .. That Ah am Exactly jist whit Ah hiv Described..

     

     

    That Ah niv nothing tae Hide..or tae be daeing Anything for which Ah wid be Ashamed o’.”

     

     

    —————————————–

     

     

    Do you have curtains up in your windaes?

  7. bournesouprecipe

     

     

    18:36 on 10 November, 2014

     

    Tom McLaughlin

     

     

    So even you, were once a ‘feartie’? ( ͡o ͜ʖ ͡o)

     

     

    _____________

     

     

    Magic…..:))

  8. living_in_the_love_of_the_commons_people

     

     

    Ah, that’ll be why I missed it!! :-)

     

     

    BCW

     

     

    How you doing big man?

  9. lennon's passion on

    hamiltontim

     

     

    18:07 on 10 November, 2014

     

     

    Spotted myself in the picture. Helped I was standing on top of seat.

  10. 7 or 8 polis. Half a dozen stewards.

     

     

    Not nearly enough polis for 2000 upstarts who had already been abusive and brawling amongst themselves :)

  11. HT-To me and a lot of other Celtic supporters,the Club seem happy to be party to this ongoing harassment ,home and away,{IMO}.Maybe next time you are meeting with JPT or someone within CP,you could ask them mate ?HH

  12. BIG-CUP-WINNERS on

    HT

     

     

    Fine, thanks for asking. You enjoyed yesterday then :-)!

     

     

    Like a return to Celtic teams of the past. Maybe not in quality (yet) but a last minute winner, when reduced to 10 men and after a midweek trip to Roumanian, find that hard to grumble with.

  13. A Ceiler Gonof Rust on

    Winning Captains advert is front page news on hunmedia. They’ve even got a wee cut and paste from cqn.

     

     

    Wun dum hun says “we,ll just sit back and decide who we,re going to buy with the money we get from suing them”.

     

     

    Ha ha, rocket

  14. Bada

     

     

    I have mate, it’s consistently denied. I wouldn’t blame JP who I think is genuinely trying his best in difficult circumstances. However, I’ve had dealings with 2 of the 3 heads of security and on some issues the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing.

  15. BSR@18.27

     

    Interesting stats. They are on their way out and playing to what they feel is their demographic, which is very much anti everything which we stand for as a club.

     

    I have said on here often enough I seriously cannot understand why Celtic supporters subscribe to those whose primary aim is the rubbishing and ultimate destruction of our club.

     

    ReclassifythesunanddrascomicsCSC

  16. BT

     

     

    Yes indeed, a cracking day. You walking without that stick yet? Hope so. :-))

     

     

    Weefra HH praying to Wee Oscar.

  17. BCW

     

     

    I don’t think anyone can really argue with yesterday.

     

     

    A last minute winner, with 10 men, against possibly our most difficult domestic opponents and after an away European trip?

     

     

    I’ll take that.

  18. Minx

     

    Glad the four of you had a blast.

     

    Paddy has told me some of the stories, had a good laugh listening to them.

     

    Thank you for your comments about Mrs JNP, she is delighted starts on Dec 9th.

  19. bournesouprecipe on

    gearoid1998

     

     

    Apparently it’s the first time the ole D.Record has gone below 200K.

     

     

    It’ll be gone before our 10 in a row.

  20. HT

     

     

    All the insides done, waiting for you to come up and do the outsides. It will maybe keep you out of trouble.:-) I promise I’ll have a film crew available so as to keep your “film star” status intact. And of course, makeup artists will be available. Hahahahaha.

     

     

    How you doing kiddo? Brilliant, I presume, after yesterday’s result.

     

     

    Weefra HH praying to Wee Oscar.

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