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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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  8. the_huddle on

    BGX

     

     

    23:33 on 25 October, 2014

     

     

    The huddle…cmon …one more…and you can keep the hoover…

     

    ———–

     

    I’ll give you the 3rd if you admit you were wrong and Catholics can reach the highest positions in UK politics

  10. greenyin on

    some good sounds tonight, ah’m oan ma phone, and watchin is a real drain oan ma battery. if ye like some good rockabilly check oot the shiverin’ sheiks. sound and name is kinda shakin’ pyramids but they do it really well n their frontman is a groovy cat. if ye like that sort of thing you’ll no’ be dissappointed

  13. macjay1 for Neil Lennon on

    sipsini

     

    23:24 on

     

    25 October, 2014

     

    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.

     

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

     

     

    I don`t think that`s a fact.I think that we Catholics pushed for separate education to prevent conversions to protestantism,in the same way that there was an insistence that children brought up in “mixed marriages” had to be brought up as Catholics.

     

    Defensive Catholicism.

     

     

    It`s not debate for it`s own sake.

     

    Bigotry is confronted through education.

     

    Integrated education.imho.

     

     

    Viz. Bussing to “Old Miss.”

  16. The Spirit of Arthur Lee on

    Lindsay was my first love she was in my class

     

    I would have loved to take her out but I was too shy to ask

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

    Cultsbhoy

     

     

    Have you been to Sunderland and if so, would you really buy a house?

     

     

    HH

     

     

    CRC

  21. Cowiebhoy on

    Roy C

     

     

    I’m in that photie somewhere :-)

     

     

    The joys of following the hoops

     

     

    Hail Hail

  24. the_huddle on

    BGX

     

     

    23:37 on 25 October, 2014

     

     

    The huddle..

     

    ..cmon give me Tony Blair….im waiting….

     

    And im laughing…

     

    ———-

     

    Admit you were wrong about Catholics?

  25. beatbhoy on

    Jamesgang

     

     

    I meant me, not you!

     

     

    In other words, I keep trying,and eventually get lucky.

     

     

    But nice of you to comment.

     

     

    You don’t lack generosity of spirit, that’s for sure.

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

    The Spirit of Arthur Lee

     

     

    23:38 on 25 October, 2014

     

     

    Looks like you need a bang on the ear!

     

     

    HH

     

     

    CRC

  32. the_huddle on

    BGX

     

     

    23:45 on 25 October, 2014

     

     

    The huddle….im laughing….lets debate the same subject when we have an independant Scotland…

     

    —–

     

    When do you think the first Catholic PM of Scotland would happen? Nah, lets step back and look at the current Scottish cabinet

  33. Kevtic on

    CRC

     

     

    Just back from Sunderland

     

     

    Like every city has it’s good parts and not so good but wouldn’t buy a home there – too far from Paradise

  34. jamesgang on

    beatbhoy

     

     

    Aaaahhh.

     

     

    It’s clear to me now. I’m such a dumbo palumbo! Mibbee Ernie lynch was right all along!

     

     

    Bed time for this little jungle.

     

    Soon I get to see the Hoops!

     

     

    1moreSleepCSC

     

    Or

     

    1moreStrollAroundTheGorbalsIfYou’reMorrissey23rdCSC

     

     

    HH jamesgang

  35. The Spirit of Arthur Lee on

    Anyway

     

     

    CRC

     

     

    I hope you are not cheating and joining Movember early in June

     

     

    xxx

  41. GuyFawkesaforeverhero on

    macjay1 for Neil Lennon

     

    23:37

     

     

    Junk, but of course, you know that.

     

     

    Both paragraphs.

     

     

    Isn’t it great we(?) have Celtic in common?

     

     

    COYBIG

  42. sipsini on

    macjay1,

     

     

    You have a point with the no mixed marriages, but don’t you think both sides had the same opinion?

     

     

    After all, were we not the the the ones that was treated like second class citizens back then?

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