Result gives platform for progress

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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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  1. The huddle lets agree to disagree…you think Brittains a great place….i would rather have an independant Scotland….we will never agree so lets as Dolly Parton said D I V O R C E….i wish you well….just leave me the Hoover…..

  2. BGX

     

     

    23:09 on 25 October, 2014

     

     

    The huddle….in how many years?

     

    ————

     

    It’s been posted many times on here, all 3 leaders at the same time.

  3. macjay1 for Neil Lennon on

    Tom McLaughlin

     

    23:01 on

     

    25 October, 2014

     

    Macjay –

     

     

    I am surprised at you drawing such a risible analogy.

     

    Under Apartheid blacks and whites were separated in every walk of life, not just schooling.

     

    Catholic schools in Scotland exist under act of Parliament because in the early 20th century, the Protestants did not want their children mixing with the “Irish beggars”. It was the Protestants who demanded separate schools.

     

    ———————————————————————————————————————

     

    Risible? It`s all a matter of principle.

     

    Division based on religion acceptable.

     

    Division based on race unacceptable.

     

     

    I think in fact it was we Catholics who wanted separate schooling.

  4. Bgx,

     

     

    Why let them walk at all?

     

     

    Even sourpuss on his arrival at ipox banned the walking, only for it to be reinstated once he left.

     

     

    Now they have don’t have it again, only for it it to be used in another format…armed forces day.

     

     

    A lot of their forefathers hid in yards, should I just get my grandfathers and great grandfathers medals melted down?

     

     

    Two that died of gas in the lungs not long after returning home.

  5. Celticrollercoaster supporting Shay,our bhoy wonder along the way on

    prestonpans bhoys

     

     

     

    23:11 on 25 October, 2014

     

     

     

    More oil found in North Sea, hohum

     

    =============================

     

     

    These are fine days for North Briton and we can share our good fortune with our Union partners.

     

     

    HH

     

     

    CRC

     

     

    ps Roll on the next revolution

  6. BGX

     

     

    23:13 on 25 October, 2014

     

     

    The huddle lets agree to disagree…you think Brittains a great place….i would rather have an independant Scotland….we will never agree so lets as Dolly Parton said D I V O R C E….i wish you well….just leave me the Hoover…

     

    ———

     

    I hate Scotland, Britain, Europe the world, and I despise all politicians, I’d love a dictatorship yet history proves me wrong every time on that one :O)

  7. BGX

     

     

    23:16 on 25 October, 2014

     

     

    The huddle…i didnt know that…name them?

     

    ——-

     

    Ian Duncan Smith is your first one

  8. SOAL

     

     

    It wasn’t seen as a dig.

     

     

    That’s why I sent you some love in return!!!

     

     

    More love…

     

     

    HH jamesgang

  9. GuyFawkesaforeverhero on

    Tom McLaughlin

     

    23:01

     

     

    Well said again, sir.

     

     

    I’m not agitating across hemispheres, haphazardly. My older boy is making his life in Christchurch, NZ.

  10. Roy Croppie

     

     

    He also claimed to have come up with the riff, but film shows GR playing it, either on piano or guitar, before he’d been approached to play, I believe.

     

     

    If I’ve got this wrong, I’ll get it right next time.

  11. Sipsini….i can only talk from my own opinion …i think all walks or parades should be allowed outside of city centres and with due permission of local councils…walk round strathclyde park be you orange .republican.gay..animal rights….i dont care….just keep it to themselves..

  12. macjay1,

     

     

    I know you love a wee debate, but as Tom said…we weren’t welcome in their schools, so we built schools onto the tail end of our churches to educate our young.

     

     

    Now they moan and why?

     

     

    Is our schools churning out more academics pro ratio than non denomination schools?

  13. BGX

     

     

    23:25 on 25 October, 2014

     

     

    The huddle ….IDS and who?…

     

    ——-

     

    I’m guessing now, but think Charles Kennedy (2 Catholic Scots potential UK leaders) please someone jump in and prove me wrong

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