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Result gives platform for progress

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By on CQN BLOG & Comments

Last night’s win didn’t look on the cards until the opening goal; Astra were passing the ball better and creating as many chances as Celtic.  It looked like the game we expected – without Commons or Guidetti. However, we find ourselves top of the group with 7 points from 9 at the halfway point, having recorded a draw away to top seed Salzburg.

There’s still a lot of work to do, a win away at Astra next time out in no way guarantees qualification, but we stand an excellent chance of progressing and a decent chance of topping the group.

Having thumped Ross County at the weekend there was a notion we’d turned a corner, which fed some of the frustration last night, despite the result.  What we saw was very poor passing from a disjointed team.  Players were receiving the ball in too little space, where options were already closed.  This impacted the effectiveness on Callum McGregor and Mikael Lustig in particular, but it seemed when every Celtic player looked up there wasn’t a good pass on.

This is all a consequence of change.  We look disjointed because we are disjointed.  We’re disjointed because we’re rebuilding.

The relevant questions are:

Do we need to rebuild?
Are we making progress?

Yes, we need to rebuild.  The squad, tactics, training and other processes are all going through change.  For so long we watched Celtic squads remain constant and grow old (under Martin O’Neill), or out tactics become rigid (under Martin and Gordon Strachan), to the point that we were crying out for some experimentation.

The above is seldom disputed but the question of progress is more important.  Right now Celtic need results.  They need to survive in the Europa League long enough to test and improve their passing, movement, instincts and, where necessary, squad.

Last night’s win wasn’t pretty but it was vitally important.  The next challenge for this team is also important; we need to go to Romania and put on the kind of performance we did in Salzburg.  If we can do that, we’ll have earned a platform to build on.

Caesar & the Assassin, the accounts of Billy McNeill and Davie Hay as Celtic managers, is available below.

Billy and Davie will both sign the early orders we get to them, more here.

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  5. Delaneys Dunky on

    ME

     

     

    Well licked! The huns who bullied me when I was young and vastly outnumbered, know it too. :))))

  8. Henke's Flowing Locks on

    Sandman

     

    21:22 on

     

    24 October, 2014

     

     

    And IT’S NOT Us. It’s the historically scurrilous, white-supremacist, imperial-stormtrooping, jackbooting, hatemongering, cheating, tax-dodging, ludge-luving, pinkie-pulling, knuckle-frigging, windae-licking, Maccy-Ds-super-sizing, grunting, munter-humping, mordor-rampaging, manchester-wrecking, zenophobic, worthless, compassionless, loveless, hopeless, soulless, heartless, bitter HUN bigots. So Carry On Laughing

     

     

    Think you may have been a little vague there mate, could you be slightly more specific as to who you could be referring to?! haha

     

     

    Brilliant depiction, doubt this could ever be topped!! :-)

     

     

    HH

  10. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    GORDYBHOY64

     

     

    Love that song,mate. Dodgy middle bit,mind.

     

     

    I’ll save it for later. Duty calls.

  13. Keeping The Faith on

    Since its Friday night and I’m just in from a great concert at ABC I’ll share (if link works never done this yet) a wee bit of Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, the closest you’ll get to a genuine 6T’s Soul show without a time machine. Any Soul Bhoys out there make sure you catch her next time they’re in town . KTF ✊

     

     

    http://youtu.be/aw3FERP5djE

  14. Hrvatski Jim on

    God bless Magnus and Fergus McFarlane Barrow and everyone at May’s Meals.

     

     

    I cannot think of a greater achievement than this.

     

     

    Born from their shock at the Bosnian conflict and how it affected Medjugorje they got involved in delivering aid and it grew from there.

     

     

    For anyone who is interested Medjugorje comes from 2 words: “medju” meaning “between” and “gori” meaning “hill” in Slavonic There end endeth the language lesson for tonight.

  15. BGX on

    This More Than A Club nonsense does my head…we were once ..not now…the club should be taking the lead on collections for foodbanks..supporting a living wage..giving tickets to school kids so they can go to games with their parents who maybe cant afford it…and more and more and more…maybe then we can take the high ground…until then..well…we got Reid Auld McNeil McAvennie all supporting illegal wars..foodbanks…lies about the oil…shameful..MORE THAN A CLUB….we were once….

  19. Gordon64 on

    We won last night albeit in an unconvincing manner.

     

    Imo the jury remains out on our manager.

     

    Our board need to step up and pay the Living the wage.

     

    It’s not too late too turn this around however it’s getting close to it.

  22. marspapa on

    guys

     

     

    i would not like to leave any posters out !! so to generalize….. (spelling ) grammartarians , semanticarians& pedantarians +

     

    bmcump xx love

     

     

    no harm meant xxx

     

    myohmy….

     

     

    DD , distanced myself from the blog for a wee while now , so dissallusioned with everyrhing celtic now .

     

    for me no organisation on and off the park ,

     

    in short …fkn depressed big time in ma heed ..

     

     

    Btw DD , Don’t let that charmer

     

    SOAL …..anywhere near any new wummin in yir life , ma missus never stoaps goan oan aboot him …lol

  23. Kevtic on

    Marrakesh Express

     

     

    Yes I agree with that. After ’86 I thought if Celtic and the old Ibrox club were equal on the field then because of the nature of Scotland they would be bigger because they would get more local sponsorship and probably able to out sell matchday hospitality etc

     

     

    But Fergus and Desmond together changed all that.

     

     

    Fergus built a bigger stadium and more importantly filled it.

     

    In 2000 Desmond upped the stakes and invested in a manager he believed in.

     

     

    Since then they have gone out of business trying to keep up with us.

     

     

    Without doubt we are bigger than they are but we must not take anything for granted. Even a weakened rangers can be too strong for all other clubs in Scotland.

  27. Delaneys Dunky on

    Marspapa

     

     

    True Tims like your good self, have earned the right to a sabbatical fae Celtic.

     

    Think you are wrong and I miss you.

  31. Marrakesh Express on

    Bgx

     

     

    For a start, the msm would have dug the dirt on Whyte and Green coming into CP, to sell papers. So they would not have got in the door. Prior to that we would have got pulled up for the side letters by Ogilvie, so basically the cheating nipped in the bud and therefore no big and wee tax bills. I could go on.

  33. Delaneys Dunky on

    Gordy

     

     

    He is at the Paolo gig in Newcastle now. They have blagged tickets for Ed Sheerin tomorrow at the same venue. Glasgow Tims on tour. :)

     

    Will post his review tomorrow.

  37. Caberfeigh on

    VWD will not get any tranfer to top English teams playing like last night he was rotten as was daynor .

  38. marspapa on

    Before i go to my bed

     

     

    my “YESvote ” tune ringing in my head

     

     

    fkn ” No numpties ” ruined it lol ;))

     

     

    Paloma Faith & Sigma

     

     

    Everything is changing…….

     

     

    fantastic song snd words

     

    pity i always back the loser ;(((

     

     

    goodniteoneandall ;))))

  40. BGX on

    Marrakesh express…ok…never thought of that i must admit…you are right 100%….so all my thoughts of “what would we do if we were in their position” ..well that has now become irrelivent in my mind….i really do thank you for that

     

    ..honestly…

  41. Gordon64 on

    Our club stands at a crossroads.

     

    For many of us supporters the club we love is going in the wrong direction.

     

    Our board now needs to listen to the supporters.

     

    Failure to do so will lead to further fractures

     

    and an eventual irreversible breakdown in trust.

     

    Our supporters will always be our greatest asset

     

    without which we are nothing.

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