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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BMCUW
You could try Stevie the IT guy. But he might be a bit busy discovering the new Messi….
Sandman 13:33
100% agree with you.
Anybody not doing anything tonight and fancy joining the CQN Table at Sean’s Trust night at the People’s Palace please e-mail me, we’ve had a call off lennybhoycfc@gmail.com
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
GLASSTWOTHIRDSFULL
I reckon that might be easier!
Never had a mail problem with it until yesterday.
I might have to go nuclear on this-and switch on the lappy!
For the Killie Game, i’d go with this :
4-4-2
——————–C.Gordon——————
Lustig Denayer Van Dijk Izzy
Matthews Brown Johansen Wakaso
————–Gudetti Scepovic ————
Nice wan steph
DAVIDOPOLOUS
Do you work for Sky’s tech dept?
I believe that is their default answer to every problem!
13:50 Doncaster
Full result
emdy back this???emdy tip it????
1st 12 Star Of Seville 10/3
2nd 5 Dreamlike 11/2
3rd 11 Speedy Boarding 20/1
Winning Trainer
J Gosden
Winning Jockey
W Buick
Runners
13 ran
Unpl. Fav
Yarrow (IRE) 2/1 F
Result
Scepovic
Is that 1 Goal in 1 European start
Almost Boydesque like figures there
Well it will be if he adds another two European
goals in the next 6 seasons.
Philbhoy,
Much better argument but still a bit extreme, you don’t need to get angry or bhoycott, simply support those active in trying to get the board to accept the change, you don’t even need to support everything the Trust want just that one cause.
Better still the Trust are looking for volunteers to collect signatures an hour before the game at the weekend, turn up an hour earlier and give them a hand.
Another thing that would be even easier would be to stop having a go at people who are arguing in favour of the living wage as if it’s an attack on the club, it’s not an attack on the club, it’s simply showing dissatisfaction with those who milk the charitable and family ethos of the club yet are more than happy in fact are instrumental in making sure people remain poor.
I find it extremely funny that those most vociferous in their condemnation of Peter Lawwel’s bonus are the ones who want him to sign more players on similar or great salaries and bonus packages.
Philbhoy
13:50 on
24 October, 2014
Well that is up to you and of course you are entitled to your opinion. In my opinion we are not making any progress. Its a bit like two steps forward, three steps back. I am not saying RD should be sacked right now, but if he was it would not bother me. I hope I am wrong and he sorts it out but I have not much faith he will. I was happy we won last night, of course I was. I however would not put money on us winning over there, would you.
The mysterious Deila system which makes the opposition look as if they have twice as many players as us.
Maybe its playing two men out wide on each side while leaving the mid-field seriously undermanned.
petec,
Stoksey’s movement and availability at all times was excellent in my expert opinion :)
I really think this diet is working for him.
I don’t like all this talk about adding a fiver or whatever to the price of a ticket to cover the additional cost of Celtic FC paying its employees a living wage.
Celtic, like any other business, has annual budgets, one of which will be ‘Employee Wages’ or a similar description.
The cost of implementing a living wage policy should come out of that budget. We have no need to offer the club incentives to do what is right. The Celtic support should not need to finance the cost of paying a living wage. It is not our responsibility. Get it done Celtic.
BMCUW
Might be the option. Maybe reset your password on the laptop, then re-create the account on your iphone. Good luck!
TimJim
I only bet on the horsey tips on here that Lose!
I never seem to back the one’s that win.
Ah well.
I am delighted with the win last night, that was the important thing. As for the performance well it was weird, lots of inexplicable decision making by the players causing consternation on and off the field, you can’t really legislate when Chas is playing brain fart passes across the back four, it kind of creates a hesitancy going forward for the team, and you can understand why.
I was listening to the commentators slating Scepovic again and again for his misses in the game ” Take him off” . The Bhoy done good, he could have scored 5, given the chance to play regularly his ratio will improve.
Hail Hail.
Owen,
Suggested correction to your irony trip, not more players but decent players, that way we won’t need as many which would probably save money in the long run.
All this talk on sacking this one or the board is getting a boring. I cannot disagree that the team is not performing that well but it is work in progress. It will take a full season for the manager to get the team to play his way, and during that season, some players will not “get it”, that is the RD way and will subsequently be leaving the club whilst other who RD thinks will suit his style will be bought. I really think I can see what he is trying to do here and it calls for us all to get behind the man and give him our total support..
Look at Chelsea as a good example. It has taken a season to get the players in who JM wants to play his style and it is working well.
That’s it, off out for 9 holes
KINGLuBO
In all honesty I think most supporters have trouble identifying with Ronny Deila.
He doesn’t appear to show passion on the sidelines and is not very animated in interviews.
Ronny didn;t play for Celtic.
Ronny is not a self confessed supporter of Celtic.
The Celtic support took to Neil Lennon for all the reasons above.
Therein is your first problem with Ronny. Ultimately he is not Neil Lennon.
The other issue was that Ronny criticised some of the players early doors. It looked like he may have been talking about some of our best performers last season. That didn;t sit well with some fans.
Ronny has criticised the fitness of the players. That looks like a dig at our former much loved gaffer. Some fans will not like that.
Ronny promised fast, attacking football by fit players. Celtic look less fit than they did last season. The players look lethargic and tired in some games and it seems to take a while for them to get going. In contrast to MON’s tenure certainly the first two seasons we killed teams in the first 25 mins. Sometimes we would be 2 or 3 up.
The fitness thing is a real issue. He claimed less than 2 weeks ago the players are still not fit. I was amazed at this because he was basically shooting himself in the foot. If he is in the job with his team for over 3 months and the team is not fit then it appears he is to blame for that as much as the players.
The diet thing is something I can;t see many fans having an issue with as is the drinking. None of us want our players out on the sauce half the week eating kebabs and fish suppers.
What Ronny does have is a confidence in himself bordering on arrogance. I quite like that personally but other fans will want to see results and his vision to take shape on the field of play where it matters most.
Ronny has now started to settle the team down and we are getting results with the odd blip. I’m not sure he feels comfortable at Paradise yet and I am not sure the players do either and haven;t for over 1 year now. We look a far better team away from home most of the time. Can;t put my finger on why that is but it’s a personal view.
Ronny’s biggest accusation is that he is a yes man. Debateable. When he came in he said he didn’t like loan deals because he didn;t want to develop other teams players. Fair point. He then got a few loan to buys in – A move that Jock Brown would have been proud of but a sensible option after the disaster purchases of Balde, Pukki & Derk (yes- he is still around).
Denayer is a class act no doubt and he is an explainable loan move as is Guidetti who may yet be convinced to stay in January when he becomes a free agent but of the others only Wakaso has shown the desire and application to be a permanent Celtic player and even then he has not had a run of games to prove it. Tonev, Berget & Wakaso can return in January to their parent clubs at the minute. Maybe they can prove more than they have shown but I doubt it. A buyer or a loan must be found for Derk and Griffiths. Both are costing us a fortune sitting in the stand and bench. Commons either signs a new deal or he goes in January. Players running down their deal is no good to you. They won;t be there the next season and I would rather replace and get players up to speed for the CL assault by giving them 6 months to bed in. 90% of our transfer work should be done in the january window and a star/blue chip/etc or injury induced signings brought in during the summer.
Ronny needs to win first and get the style later. Most people understand that. I think some of the people close to him including senior players and John Collins need to get him mixing with the fans and showing a bit more passion for the club. If he produces what he promises the fans will love him. The more he keeps talking a good game and producing up and down performances then the more he will be compared to Barnes and Mowbray. We have a few games in the space of a 2 week period and the majority are at home. If we win all those games and a couple with some style then maybe Ronny will win over his doubters. I suspect a trophy would help and it is important we get the League Cup wrapped up early.
It’s mid year. We are a quarter of the way through the season and I think Ronny gets a B- at the minute.
I still think he should go 2 up front but what do I know?
LB
BMCUW
Try clearing the cache mate, what model of iphone is it?
Folks
if the huns make a couple of free transfer deals in the summer of old experienced pros who know how to stick the boot in, they will be more than a match for us. there is no fight in this manager or this group of players. will everyone please wake up. delia has had 4 months to show…………something and he hasnt.
delia doesnt need time……..he needs a taxi
Agree on Scepovic, he got himself into positions to get chances that’s half the battle
Mr C,
I hope so, that bit of magic was, and I’m not talking about the skill, but the speed of thought would’ve had Ronny and Johnny purring like Cheshire Cats, IMO of course.
I must say, I’d given up on Stokesie becoming what he should be – I like being wrong, hopefully I am, it is early days though, late however. ;))
Owen-
I don`t want us to sign more players on inflated transfer fees, salaries and bonuses.
I`d much prefer a review of our transfer policies that looks seriously at how we assess players as being good enough for the club and considers how we can get better value for money from our signings in terms of the whole package; transfer and agents fees paid and wages paid to the players.
What I`d like to see is less Pukkis for £2 million, less Amido Baldes and Banguras for £1.5 million a piece plus the wasted wages they picked up. Less Bergets, Wakasos, Tonevs, drawing wages probably in the combined region of £40,000 per week for an average of 20 minutes football per week between them.
Maybe if we get better value for money in the transfer market then we`ll actually be able to afford permanent signings. After all, we are all hearing lots about the players need to “buy into Ronny`s vision”; how can they be expected to do so when they`re here for 9 months at most?
And when you look at all that money wasted in the examples above then I think its worth querying that the CEO who has presided over such wastage is drawing £1 million per year from the club.
3 Questions
1) can embdae see any improvement from June?
2)Would we beat Legia Warsaw over 2 legs now.?
3)Tonev?
TOM McLAUGHLIN
The fiver on a ticket,as you refer,is on an annual season ticket.
Not a match-day basis.
Just for clarification.
Equally,that is a red herring anyway. The cost to Celtic of increasing wages to all to living wage is nowhere near the £500k the board stated at the AGM.
FOR THAT BLATANT LIE ALONE,THEY SHOULD BE RUN OUT OF TOWN.
!!bada bing!!
14:14 on 24 October, 2014
1. No, still as inconsistent as we’ve been all season
2. No, not at the moment but we can’t play them again until February so hopefully by then…
3. No, another stroke of genius from the super scout. The manager had never seen him play before he turned up to sign
canamalar
You have an e-mail
gary67-Excellent CQN’r Mr Z,said we dodged a bullet when he went to Villa,as bad a player i’ve seen in the Hoops for a few years.HH
Livibhoy,
Individuals need to find the correct diet for their metabolism that can take a while to get right.
A wee reminder of how things panned out under WGS when it came to performances, it was very similar, great away from home and average at home, this was and is down to the support, I said then and I’ll say it again, Celtic park support is like a man down.
Bada Bing 1414:-
1. No. We are still painfully short on players who can create, who can dribble past players, and we still struggle to create chances against moderate opposition.
2. No, we would not beat Legia Warsaw now. In fact some of our players are still replicating mistakes that they made in the Warsaw games. Mulgrew`s crazy pass across the back four last night was near identical to the pass he played in Warsaw that got Efe Ambrose sent off. Van Dijk last night was playing in the same manner that he did v Warsaw at Murrayfield.
3. Tonev`s sole function is to make the fans feel more involved in the game by giving those in row Z a chance to get a touch of the ball after he has had one of his useless 30 yard shots on goal.
!!bada bing!!
14:21 on 24 October, 2014
If you add Wakaso and Boerrigter to Tonev it’s obvious our super scout is as clueless at identifying wingers as he is strikers.
Mulgrew in central midfield works in away games where the home team attacks us and leaves us space to break forward quickly. He is no good there at CP when the opposition is sitting in and we need to break them down. Hopefully Ronny realises this and plays a more attacking, creative player in beside Brown and Johansen on Sunday. I’d like to see Henderson given a chance, or move McGregor into the middle which is his more natural position.
Livibhoy
Good post. It might be a while before Ronny’s methods really show through at the club. It may well be that the younger players are the most receptive. It gives me hope seeing a 15-year-old from his old club playing a full international game.
!! Bada Bing !!.
1——————- No .
2———— Doubt it .
3————- Tonev once scored a screamer v Malta. . Seems to have been one of those Monkeys,,typewriters and the works of Shakespeare things.. Remember Roberto Donadoni having a flakey when a journo linked Tonev with Parma ————–
” That is agent talk .I would pick myself before I picked him “
I honestly want RD to succeed for all of us,but i cannot see the shape of a team there bhoys.Every game is an adventure,i will be there on Sunday as usual,supporting the team.Boo boys can take a hike.
Bada
Tonev is very poor. I actually think that Wakaso is worse.
Oh and No and No to your first two questions.
Neil canamalar Lennon hunskelper extrordinaire
I’m behind Ronny but looked at why some fans may be getting on his back early doors.
GlassTwoThirdsFull
I think that is the long term objective. I struggle to see why loans were brought in at the minute. Get the young Bhoys in the first team squad and play them. McGregor although jaded a bit has been one of the big successes this season. I would prefer to see more than loan deals and foreign duffers. Scepovic also needs starts. If he goes back to the bench I will be slightly confused.
LB