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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Sipsini….
Take nothing light’ly….. We’re pish !
Ruggy
You for real?
Gies peace Sevco fan.
What’s happening ?l posted an hour ago and it’s (see above)
Am l Peter Cappaldi ?
macanbheatha oscar abú,
I moved it ! :))
DD – I’ll take care of everything this side of the water chieftain.. such as the crew look after me.
Some day Valentine’s day though lol
Bribery DD, I’ll work it out some way or another.
HH.
TCR
Will you make Belfast on St Valentine’s day? Scottish Tim invasion planned.
Was up watching Glasnevin in the Castle bar in Derry tonight.
Gorbals,Clydebank,Plains,Belfast,Newtongrange,Randalstown,Coleraine,Dumbarton,
Paisley..
tricoloured ribbon
Feck is that where ca
Delaneys dunkey…..
The worrying thing is, if they beat St Johnstone…… Is there really any of us that confident that we would beat them comfortably…… Cos, I’m in the real world……and currently I ain’t confident we’re gona beat anybody….. With any comfort.
Oops,
Has my cat crossed the water?
Look after him, he hails to Ceasar. HH
16roads
If you don’t have a partner like I don’t, St Valentines day is Saturday in Belfast next year. I love your City. :)
TCR – I know that the war is over and all that there and all… but ye could make yerself good money obliterating those terrible magpie things.
Blast the hings.
Grrrrrrrrr.
HH.
DD,
The oul 16 roads has made his way to Glasgow on how many times?
I think he was there before I even knew him.
I’ll be there kid.
No sweat.
I’ll tell ye what there are some Rebs on here the noo..
Ruggy
Relax. It took Borussìa Dortmund and Germany a few years to perfect the system that Ronny is implementing at Celtic.
TIOCHFAIDH AR LA
DD – I’ve got a woman who loves me believe it or not , only God knows why though.
Bribery is the key. I can get away with near enough anything.
It’s a big ask though, to expect all yousins to travel here.
If it happens, it happens.
I won’t let yous down,regardless.
HH.
Living wage…… Yawn yawn yawn…… Another subject please.
Respect the poppy ! It started with the Great War and many of our forefather relatives fought and died for Ireland and
the United Kingdom. The poppy has nothing to do with Irish Independence. I am very pro Irish……but not bloody stupid.
16,
I’m a bit of a sad bassa?
Have about 5 feeders in the garden and a bird table.
Some rare wee birds.
It’s a mad game.And it’s nature.
Sparrowhawk got lucky once.Bang with a direct flight and caught a chaffinch.
I have outfoxed them them though.
Put the bird grub under the washing line and it can’t get a direct hit..
TCR
The Belfast Hootenanny is for 16roads & Dena. Two special Irish Tims.
Sevco, sevco, sevco…
Poppy, poppy, poppy….
Yawn, yawn, yawn…..
How many other topics can the people talk about, other than our team… Celtic….
Let’s talk Celtic, on this page, if possible.
Gimps
BGX,
A wee scenario for you:
MSM editor asks young reporter to get the views of former Celtic players re the referendum. Young reporter comes back and says “I’ve spoken to 20 ex-Celts, 17 yes’s and 3 no’s”
Which 3 will the editor print?…
Get Leigh Griffiths in the firing line for Celtic.
A proven goalscorer with a bucket team like Hibs,
And get Liam Henderson in.
A driving force in midfield who can score.
There,that’s talking Celtic
TCR – The last time I was over, best times.
There’s no soul on earth that can protect me from myself though.
This is between you and me mo chara.
Got a McDonald’s, went to my humble abode, everything was brilliant…
Then I walked straight into a glass door, spilled the coke all over the place, blood pishin’ from ma nose – honestly thought the nose was broken again.
To make matters worse – the coke had saturated the bag of food – when a tried to lift it up – the thing just came apart.
Nightmare.
Swipe.
Swipe the stupid card, then it let’s you in.
They should have had stickers over the glass anyway – tunts are lucky I didn’t put in for a claim anyway.
:(
HH.
Get a decent manager in……. That’s talking Celtic
westies
01:51 on 26 October, 2014
Respect the poppy ! It started with the Great War and many of our forefather relatives fought and died for Ireland and
the United Kingdom. The poppy has nothing to do with Irish Independence. I am very pro Irish……but not bloody stupid.
…….
Who mentioned poppies?
WTF are you on about?
TCR – The sparrowhawk is a magnificent creature.
A magpie is a completely different kettle of fish altogether – evil,unlucky bird.
Hate the things I do, honestly.
HH.
16roads
I told Petec tònight about my magpie phobia. Horrible creature & horrible team fae Newcastle.
The Ronny Deila Anthem
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7dq6w9klDg
16 roads – celtic über alles…
02:09 on 26 October, 2014
TCR – The sparrowhawk is a magnificent creature.
A magpie is a completely different kettle of fish altogether – evil,unlucky bird.
Hate the things I do, honestly.
HH.
___
Caesar has cleared our wee enclave of magpies & foxes.
Witnessed him up a tree, claws out and chased the Maggies off.
Not heard a peep since….if anyone else has a problem with magpies he’s up a for a week, free of charge. Cost you a fortune feeding him though.
16,
I only have a small garden
I heard the screeching from other birds,they wire the others to the sparrowhawk’s appearance.
Bang.Caught the wee bird.
But,and it’s a big but if you can feed the birds under the washing line,
Chaffinches,robins,then the hawk is fecked
Noooooo……say it isn’t so.
@ScottishSun: And here’s a look at Sunday’s back page.. http://t.co/dSXSVCvnkV
Allymuststay
HH
DD – them magpies melt my scone mo chara.
I couldn’t hardly kill a fly, but may God strike me dead, I would vanish those things from the earth.
They remind me of huns in a way.
Yap,yap, yap, cackle, cackle, cackle… blah, blah, blah…
Fak away aff da fak.
Menaces.
HH.
Ruggygman
Starting to post like Kevin J
Come on the Tic
JAT
We all wanna be adored. What a track.
http://youtu.be/tqT3Jlhn40A
16 roads – celtic über alles…,
If you’ve not got a cat like mine….the only answer is a slug gun.
Night mate…bedtime for me. The hun bassas collaborated not to give me a Sunday.
Ach well, they reap what they sow ;))
Tricoloured ribbon
Much earlier post…..sorry if I lost the current thread. I had a Grandfather killed in WW1, and the other grandfather who took part in the “smashing of the van” at Duke Street Jail. Proud Irish, like me (but Scottish born)…….who had different opinions.. Not much has changed..
It was on a dreary New Years Day when ……you know the rest.
Best regards