Let’s get the result out of the way first. We went out to a weaker team who were nonetheless very well-drilled in defence. AEK scored with their only two attempts on goal last night and with one of their two at Celtic Park. This contrasts greatly with our chance conversation rate. It hurts and is money left on the table.
Recruitment is correctly at the heart of the inquest. Not only did nine of last night’s starters play under Ronny Deila, seven of them were once the heart of Neil Lennon’s team. Only Olivier Ntcham and Jack Hendry were brought to the club by Brendan Rodgers. One of Moussa Dembele or Odsonne Eduard, both Brendan signings, would have started if fully fit, while the Belgian, a Ronny signing, would have started in other circumstances.
This is Brendan’s fifth transfer window, so why do so many remain from the Ronny/Neil eras? There are good reason and bad reasons. McGregor, Rogic and Forrest have improved significantly under Brendan. We want more like this.
We only have accounts for Brendan’s first year, which show a £13.8m spent on player registrations. Since then we have bought big ticket players like Ntcham and Edouard, and more. Total spend will not be a whisker below £30m. Profit for Brendan’s first year was £6.9m. We could spend more (always), but we are still in an expenditure territory that AEK could not dream about.
I wanted John McGinn, but he is irrelevant to last night. He would not have displaced Ntcham or Brown. Not only was John not a solution, he was yet another squad player!
I’m not saying it’s easy, in fact, it’s difficult. We did not fall to a team who necessarily had a better plan for their recruitment budget, every season there is an AEK who hit the right numbers and over perform, before reverting to the mean. These are the perils of qualification.
We do not have a viable plan to continually qualify for the Champions League, and failures like this hurt. But we have been here before.
533 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- »
When i first went along to celtic park. The defence read: Bonner McGrain Reid McAdam and Aitken. A bit like now with KT. It was one great defender in MGrain with a shedload of mediocrity.
ANGELGABRIEL
OK!
What were the facts? The absolute truth………………………or are ye readin’ the papers?
Facts only now!
Phil
Thank you for your very kind words.
I aspire to be the mature gentleman Tim which you are.
God bless you P.
YNWA
Mullet & Co,
McGinn would have got plenty of game time over the course of the season and developed into a fine Celtic player. Broony was not his usual self last night and he will need rotating to get thru the season. Ntcham can disappear for long spells and is still young in terms of game time.
Lawwell turned the signing off McGinn into a saga and we lost him. That with the other signing failures has left us exposed.
Recriminations have started due to the lack of investment. Of course Paul67 has a well known record of defending Lawwell to the point of absurdity. We have watched as successive Celtic managers have been flung under the Lawwell bus for a few snippets here and there.
There is an undertone in the leader article and previous articles of blaming Rodgers —-while silence on Lawwells failures over the years.
A few more injuries , suspensions , Loss of form will expose the lack of depth of the celtic squad and Rangers ( as we now refer to them offically ) will take the League. Of course we will blame the media, referees, and ultimately Rodgers.
Failure to deliver 8IAR will see fans desert in thousands and 30k season tickets max ; and off course Brendan will be gone. Dermot will have to sack Lawwell for gross incompetence.
It’s time for Lawwell to go before he does any more damage.
Mike you are a Lawyer, You said Celtic had a chance to kill off the Zombies. I asked you how exactly they could have done that and your response is we will never know.
You then add a few trimmings to deflect from the precise question and the precise answer.
The reality is you have no proof for your assertion that Celtic could have killed off the zombies everything else is cotton wool.
`Surely , if an give an opinion is to have validity` Should be ` … if any given opinion…`Sorry.
MiT said:
” the more interesting question for me is why so many of (mostly older ) Celtic fans get so upset at the thought of people questioning the Board.”
I wouldn`t say I become `upset` but I would say that the reason criticism of Celtic on a public forum annoys me is that the MSSM already do such a gleeful hatchet job on Celtic ( See Reporting Scotland tonight, for example) that criticism from within adds fuel to their fire.
re criticism from within ” ` so, the idea that some of our own would do us dirty is an anathema ` .
JJ
Delaneys Dunky LOOKS LIKE SHOOTERS BAR. Shooters Sports Bar Liverpool
shootersportsbar.co.uk
6 Thomas Steers Way, Liverpool L1 8LW · ~14.4 mi
0845 533 3000 .THIS IS PROBABLY YOUR BEST BET.HH.
Delaneys,
You’ve got about 30 years to practice…..?
Sorry Philbhoy. You know I love y’all. ??
DD
We have more in common than you know!
You posted about your difficult times when you told us you failed to……….well you know.
But…….you didn’t fail!
You succeeded!
To be there for your family, those who love you and………………us on here!
You are in my eyes a hero and I will always remember you in my prayers.
Football is an aside, an important aside, i must admit.
But some things are much more important.
I owe you a huge hug!
I too have a story to tell and we will have a blether next time we meet!
Take care and God bless!
DD
Let us know how you get on…………
Those gigs sound good!
HH
JNP
A fair point re Boyata but that is not the impression I took from Commons` words. I felt he was on the hammer Celtic band-wagon .
JJ
BATEEN BHOY………..
……………I’m only 29!
Well in an attempt to lift the gloom hanging over me, I’m taking my grandson to Paradise tomorrow for his first visit to Celtic Park. Secretly hoping for a wee announcement whilst there….. the last time I was in the inner sanctum was the day we signed Scott Brown. Fingers and toes crossed!
Fortitude Season 2 isn’t bad either.
See that ship that sailed over the horizon out of sight? Well John McGinn was on board. So, why are we talking about him still? He was not our player and now never will be, unless of course he comes back in ten years time to finally play for his boyhood heroes…good luck to the boy! Too much dilly dallying from Celtic, so he boarded the ship and sailed off into the Midlands sunset. I don’t blame him…
So much chatter about money and finances…I don’t really understand that world and I don’t particularly want to either. It is what has screwed the game for me…that and the corruption…
Stadium Tour Thingy…….braw
Things to do.
Cheerio for now.
JJ
AngelGabriel
We are all scunnered. Saw the real Hertz and a team similar in quality to Hertz defeat us in 4 days.
Scunnered MacScunnered me the noo.
YNWA
‘GG on 15TH AUGUST 2018 2:34 AM
Wee reminder September 1967, we went three games in a row without a win, losing to Rangers in the league, losing to Dinamo Kiev at Celtic Park in the European Cup, before drawing at home to St Johnstone. We survived.
*Another wee reminder August 1994 deico 0-2 and 0-1 AEK, us 0-2 and falkirk 1-2 both at hades. Why do I remember this, I was hame on holiday at the time.
They won the League by 16 points over ‘well while we lingered in 4th place 18 points behind.
We did win our first trophy in 6 years and it would have been a double if larry marshall hadn’t contrived tae palm an easy shot out tae wancell 4 minutes fae time and 2 minutes after we’d taken the lead following that up with diving over all the penalties in the shoot out.
Hot Smoked 9.09.
Thanks for reply.
I didn’t see/hear interview, my educated guess is you would be correct.
I think K.C has his own agenda with Brendan.
Does anyone know what’s happening with Arzani?
Is there a story there?
Hail Hail
BBC’s lackies and rent a gob (KC in particular) are trying to set the rhetoric, as is our host
Predicted as much last week what happens next will determine my contributory future, it’s def a rigged game and I’m beginning to think it’s from within our walls
Still standing up for Peter Lawwell
PHILBHOY. add another 60 onto that.lol.
Poor defensively from Godin, giving away a penalty to Real.
One of the best defenders in the world, and he’s already made as many mistakes as Hendry did in 95 minutes last night.
Shockingly bad ?????
JNP
There were half a dozen Bankie diehards in the Celtic pub last night. All supporting us. Including wee Ricky who played in the same Clydebank team as Bankie legends like, Jim Gallacher,Jimmy Lumsden, Mick Larnach, Davie Cooper and Frank McDougall.
What a team they were then.
YNWA
Tictaewin…we could be doing with a Roy Aitken character now…someone who has leadership qualities, sadly lacking at present. At the moment we have no one organising on the park. Broonie’s the captain, he leads by example but we need someone in defence who organises those around him. Ajer, I think, has those qualities but he is still so young and learning his trade. By the time he matures he will be playing his football elsewhere.
Shame Peter Lawwell can’t play centre back…
BIG PACKY1
40, mibbe!
Nite all!
@ CORKCELT on 15TH AUGUST 2018 9:03 PM
Whether Celtic could have killed off the zombies is an unknown. I’m not sure how they could prevent them coming back in some guise.
What could and should have been done was to challenge the findings of LNS and the general narrative pervading Scottish football around their demise. The continuation myth should have been knocked on its head and the ill-gotten titles should have been removed.
Had Celtic been more vocal and exerted their not insignificant influence at this juncture, then the latest iteration of the bigoted mob would not have either of these pillars to fall back on. Presently they claim to be the same club, that they are on “going for 55” and that they are the victims. Our inaction has allowed these untruths to be circulated far and wide and accepted without question.
Corkcelt …
I am all for giving people the benefit of the doubt … but at a point that faith becomes blind faith, and that becomes willful blindness.
Willful blindness is not a virtue… in fact, in many jurisidctions, it is a crime.
DD told us he wanted Rangers back. PL answers to DD. Celtic appear to have known (through Mr. Reilly) about the 5WA. Their conduct concerning same and the LNS made no legal or business sense.
In law, if a party fails to call as a witness a person who would have knowledge about the incident in question, a court can and usually will conclude that the witness’ evidence would not support its employers position.
Why will PL not speak about these issues?
So, our Board refuse to answer questions to the shareholders, and you blame the shareholders for that?
What about that scares you so much?
Corkcelt…good to see you posting again…
Bateen Bhoy 9.22.
Was it not Juanfran, who gave away pen?
D.D.
Some very good players there.
Night all.
Hail Hail
Delaneys
My Everton supporting pal is going to that game on Saturday.
He recommended these for watching Celtic game….this is his message
O Neill’s in town
Good few Irish Bars on Lime St
Riley’s near Lime St
I think O Neill’s is the best known it’s right near Mathew St, all within walking distance
Long live Peter Lawwell
Evening Times reporting Rangers rejecting a £3.75m bid for Morelos.
https://twitter.com/djnando1981/status/1029677653253652480?s=08
Boyata to Seville?
BP
Thanks for that info pal.
My son has always had Everton as his second team after his mum bought him a blue Everton strip to confuse the hun neighbours.
He will be supporting the Toffees. I will be neutral but silently rooting for Stuart Armstrong.
YNWA
Phil
A blether wi you is long overdue sir. Soon hopefully.
YNWA
Bankie
My Bhoy is into Everton and Liam Gallagher. I prefer Richard Ashcroft but I know Liam will be mental at Old Trafford. Good weekend ahead thanks.