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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Bada Bing
Whisper it :))
I think Tonev gave us more than McGregor last night.
Hamiltontim
Haven;t seen aneough of them all myself mate but would greet if Tonev, Wakaso and Berget were punted in January and we got derk out the door as well. We could pay Guidetti the wages saved in a 4 year deal!
LB
leftclicktic
Tonev came on when the game was stretched. He is an international from an EPL club. He was marginally better than McGregor but he should be.
He is more experienced
He has played at a higher level.
He was entering the field fresh late in the game.
He doesn’t look to be one I would keep. I suspect he may get time to prove his worth though.
We are paying a lot of players for very little return.
LB
Agree about Tonev. He got himself needlessly booked not long after he came on. Stupid player!
I do see some signs of progress. I think some on here want miracles. Transition is very rarely seamless. We are now a small club in Euro terms, but with a proud record and an amazing fan/club connection; the envy of all bar a few clubs world wide.
Alas, money trumps that these days. If we can attain last 16 in CL once every 4 years, that will be success. If we get past Christmas this year, I’d call that a success
If we agree that RD is staying for a year, GET BEHIND THE MAN!
I know that PFayr and others honestly don’t rate him. I’d say we’re commiited for a season, during which time he must be supported. The MSM are loving our support being so openly split.
I like Wakaso, he’s fast and puts in a dangerous cross he also likes to rummel it up
leftclicktic-McGregor and a few others poor from first whistle,lost confidence maybe.HH
Has anyone seen enough of Wakaso to judge him properly?
Announcement on tannoy tonight “There’s a boy lost at the front of the main stand” Punter behind me “Aye he’s in the f@#$#@! dugout!”
you’ve got to laugh…
Me, I like him :)
Livibhoy
For me that’s been a recurring problem for us and why we’ve ended up with a number of ‘projects’ as opposed to just going out and signing players who’ll do a job.
I’ll email you at some point about your ‘friend’, it may go some way to explain why he’s not getting a game mate.
An embarrassment.
Just caught up, there has been a lot of good posts today, some for RD and his tactics and some against.
My own opinion for what it is worth, is too many players were either hiding or unsure what was expected of them…just a bad day at the office? Mibees, sure, we won, but to be honest it could have went either way.
Still, a wins a win fur aw that and as has been suggested, hopefully we’ll start to gel more frequently and go on a good run watching good football being played.
Trust me if Wakaso is the answer to anything at Celtic then we’re in a far worse situation than even I thought.
I disagree, I think we need rid of the wallflowers first
Any links to Celtic’s goals last night…….TIA………..HH
Hamiltontim
14:57 on 24 October, 2014
Trust me if Wakaso is the answer to anything at Celtic then we’re in a far worse situation than even I thought.
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Even “Who was Celtic’s first Ghanaian player?”?
To be fair i don’t even know if that’s true….
Many frequently mentioning the loan deals, there was no way the club were going to spend big this season or even moderately. Two reasons last seasons disastrous window and with a brand new untried manager, fuggetaboutit..not a chance..
I hope Wakaso stays, he’s got plenty of bottle and a bit of pace and drive about him.
Tonev like Derk Bo looks like a skilful player who has lost his way in football and maybe even has settled for that his cross for the second was decent right enough.
I haven’t seen enough of any of the new players to say much about them, only Guidetti has left an impression.
HH
Hamiltontim
14:57 on 24 October, 2014
Trust me if Wakaso is the answer to anything at Celtic then we’re in a far worse situation than even I thought.
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He’s just arrived HT, give him a bit of Time. The team is, as people are saying, disjointed at the moment, not the easiest of moments for any player joining Celtic. I think he is one that will be kept on though, as I think he will respond to Ronny over Time.
Of course it was a very disappointing performance, but glad of the points.
Up one week and down the next.
As a team in transition, which will likely take all season IMO, they appear to lack confidence. This is a major contributor to a lot that went wrong last night.
Also I think most would agree that we need some different players who are suited to the new system.
We have a part to play in this act. Jump oot the windae or hang oot and cheer them on when their confidence is low, their game off. Your choice…….I know what mine is.
To be honest I don’t see any progress
Regards the rebuilding of the team,we have 5 players on loan who might/probably won’t be here next year
Throw in VVD & Kris Commons we could rebuilding on the rebuilding
why is a team who last season qualified for the CL and won the league at a canter
now a team in transition?
will we still be a team in transition at this time next season?
Paul67,
I agree with your article to an extent.
Yes we need to rebuild but what happened to ” seamless transition” from Peter Lawwell. He could not have lost sight of tbat surely ? He and DD are the only people who have been at Celtic Park that long.
So how can he be hitting his 1m pound recompense ?
And this is where I have a problem with your article. It is a thumbnail sketch of where we are as a club.
I genuinely believe that you believe it. Utterly deluded as far as I am concerned. A more cynical poster would suggest trying to pull the wool over the supporters eyes. As the unaccountable accountants residency will testify.
It is not as simple as saying, rebuilding or adapting or rebranding as you may prefer. It is doing so while having to remain in profit so that Million pound wages can be paid to those who cannot remember seamless transition.
We are performing well financially as PLs bonus testifies too. Sadly only due to vicious cost cutting. It would seem to me at the moment that only a select few are getting bang for buck at Celtic.
What was the attendance last night ?
I think the wool has been pulled down to the ankles by the PLC and their Acolytes of which there used to be many.
They get this one wrong , and I dont think they have but they need to back him and preferably with their own wages like every other Celtic fan.
Not me naturally andI wont until this Old Firm loving board hold that many on here hold so dear to their hearts has gone.
You along with the PLC need to stop treating us like morons.
I predict that the ST price freeze is what they will eventually cling onto.
Will you also ?
HH
I feel caught in a quandary.
I’m over the moon we won last night, but the way we played and have been playing under RD just leaves me bemused.
I hope it works out, it’s just that my spider senses say it’s not going to happen.
If it pans out that it doesn’t, my anger will be directed at our board, ach, think that Kev j is wearing me down :))
look at how much we have taken in income from player sales over the last 24 months
then look at our new signings/loan deals over the past 24 months
how much have we spent on them?
how many would we judge as a success
Transition is an album of music by jazz saxophonist John Coltrane, recorded in 1965 but released posthumously only in 1970.
Oh God…. I really do wish people would take the time to read posts before flying in, however that level of impatience is another manifestation of some of the issues surrounding supporting Celtic these days. I was asked if I am P Lawwell because of my quote…..what I related was that at last year’s AGM it was suggested by some of the (Fan) proposers of the resolution in support of the Living wage that given the board’s opposition this was one way of financing it. In the best traditions of Celtic, this was a proposal that showed once again that the fans were more attuned to the traditional Celtic ethos than those on the board.
i am not lurking anymore
15:10 on 24 October, 2014
To be honest I don’t see any progress
Regards the rebuilding of the team,we have 5 players on loan who might/probably won’t be here next year
Throw in VVD & Kris Commons we could rebuilding on the rebuilding
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Hi,bud.
Have you changed your moniker from THELURKINTIM?
If so,how come you couldnae take the hint when you were ignored last night?
Only kidding-on the last part. I hope your points get more reaction today. They deserve to.
It is high time we saw a settled team for a few seasons,and projects and loans won’t do that for us.
starry plough,
Agreed, athough listening to some there is another reason….a reincarnation in the spfl next season and the spend budget being held back for then.
Personally, I don’t buy into that in any form. HH
DAVIDOPOULOS
Well,he was certainly in a state of transition-how did that work out for him?
Hamiltontim
Please do. I half suspected you may have some comments on him.
Sad stuff.
LB
SIPSINI
Gordon Strachan was charged with changing the team,getting rid of the high earners and bringing down the wage bill.
He increased it. And regardless of the three titles etc,it was clear he got the first two parts correct.
Since then,it has been downhill.
The bottom of this hill is not an attractive prospect.
BBC reporting as follows:
15:24: Ashley’s loan offer to Rangers Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley has tabled a counter offer to former Rangers director Dave King in the battle for control of the Ibrox club.
King returned to his South African base on Thursday after he and his allies failed to come to an agreement with the board over a £16m funding package.
Ashley, who already owns 8.29% of Rangers shares, has now offered an emergency funding loan.
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For some unknown reason, I thought of Little Red Riding Hood when I viewed this.
tamrabam-we will be starting from a worse position next season,VVD away,Denayer away possibly Guidetti,and PL would punt Craig Gordon if he could.HH
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS
Hang on, I need to go back on to his Wikipedia page. Be right back…
HRVATSKI JIM
Or this…
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ztA6zUoqUcc
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS
The bottom of this hill is not an attractive prospect.
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Is it a flabby and saggy bottom?
bada bing
my own thoughts entirely
plus RD may be gone too
and sevco may be around as well
planning is not celtics strong points
I’m convinced Ronny is a good assistant manager!
MWD said AYE