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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twentyfirstofmaynineteenseventynine
Oddly enough mate, a similar thought actually crossed my mind too, unbelievable just how low some folk can go…
HH
unbelievable indeed, truly sickening
HH
Estadio
I too remember that Bayern moment, I was peed off we hadn’t won?
I have been off this blog for a while, been finding new employment after falling victim to the age police and a vindictive campaign. I have learned a lot recently about people recently.
I do not want to get too far into this living wge debate however as it is now clear we will never be a leading club on the park in Europe for many years now, we have an opportunity to lead the moral path.
it is up to us as a club to lead the way and set an example to the bloated EPL and the obscenity of the rigged CL. More than a club? We used to be and could be again.
Brian Kennedy in for the rotting corpse again, surprised Challs has left some behind, Kennedy was one of the rabble rousers, with the typical hun gang mentality, threatening retribution blah, blah, blah.Quite animated for a Hibs fan.
The one I feel sorry for in this Rangers saga is
Poor sleekit.
He has just announced he would like a wee cup of tea
With Mike Ashley before announcing.
“Yes I know I can work with him”
******Note see previous in the “I can work with him” series
David Murray
Craig Whyte
Pol Pot
Charles Green
Dixon of Dock Green
Chairman mao
Brian Kennedy
Malcolm Murray
Incubator man with pick up trucks
Paul Murray
Andy Murray
Bill Murray
Chic Murray
Any Malaysian business man who turns up on door step
Franco
David Somers
Dave King
Philip Nash
Sandy Easdale
Mr Grimsdale
And many more
Till later all.
croppybhoy @ 18.14hrs.
Much of what you say is hard to argue against, however RD was not the cheapest option.
Assuming a football managers expected stay is approximately 4 years then the likes of Owen Coyle would have been the cheaper option.
RD cost the club around £500,000 in compensation.
HH.
jc2-VG
Paterson is such a tube. The fans want King so it will be King!
Does BFSDJ actually know anything about anything?
BFDJ is comedy gold
!!Bada Bing!!
I would seriously doubt it! Dog whistling???
Paterson in oaf-like bfdj mode.
‘Juggernaut, a huge global business’.
He actually wasnt talking about Microsoft of California, it was Sevco of Govan.
Badabing
Hun on phonein rumouring via hunmedia a well known scottish chef is involved in kennedy consortium.haha
I laughed, it just keeps on giving:-)
HH
marrakesh express- made me laugh there…..
Greenpinta
RD took the job on the understanding that he would work with the players he was given -that makes him the cheapest option by far!
PL has far too much influence on who we sign and the link up with MCFC should be looked at very carefully
If we are playing someone just because it was arranged that we would give guaranteed game time to a MCFC reserve -then that is a deal that we should never have opted in to!
HH
Don’t think DJ should be employed by Clyde but they’ve made the offer so why would he say no?
And on that theme my great amigo was driving to the game last night with me co-pilot and it was his choice to listen to Talksport. What a programme! And I don’t say that in a kind way. Utter and complete pish from most of those clowns.
an tearmann
18:39 on 24 October, 2014
Badabing
Hun on phonein rumouring via hunmedia a well known scottish chef is involved in kennedy consortium.haha
I laughed, it just keeps on giving:-)
HH
Images of the mad chef with zero patience fae Chewin the Fat……….
An Tearmann
It’s got to be Ma Broon…
havanalaugh
17:50 on 24 October, 2014
Done some rough figures.£500000 seems very high,but our board wouldn’t lie would they :-)
Re Living wage, can the bemoaners tell us what Celtic pay there permanent staff.
Croppybhoy
does PL’s son not work with citeh?
Tonev done more in his 20 min than magregor in the 70 up to then. At least he got stuck in.
Magregor not really one for games where hard graft required imo. The sooner James forrest is back the better. 10xs the player of either of Tonev or magregor.
Magregor is being vastly over rated. He’s done well, nothing more.
Re Living wage, can the bemoaners tell us what Celtic pay their permanent full time staff.
Margaret McGill 18:10
Why look at the positives when you can just type shite about your club all the feckin time?
How did you survive the ’90’s???
DD best thing to happen to Celtic worst thing to happen to poor old RFC
If you know the history.
Pants .
No , I’m not talking about Celtic’s performance last night .
I’m talking about my trousers which got soaked walking from the car to the stadium .
I was going to ask Peter Lawwell to hang them over a radiator but I didn’t want the pockets rifled .
Also , I didn’t want to embarrass any ghirls by sitting watching the game in my boxers .
Anyway , I escaped unscathed , unlike an ignominious Scottish cup semi-final at Hampden v Motherwell .
My memory is going so I can’t remember if I got soaked at the first game or the replay .
Regardless , I ended up in bed ill for a week afterwards .
Which reminds me , why did we meekly accept the uncovered end at Hampden in those days , leaving the covered end for thems ?
Talk about back of the bus ?
Hunbelievable .
tearmann
So Hughie from Crossroads is a Gers fan.
marspapa
18:51 on
24 October, 2014
Could never have guessed you’d had a few from that post too…!
:-)
HH
Marspapa
welcome back, missed you down club last night.
See you are still unhappy with the club
Croppynhoy. I couldn’t agree more. Well said, meanwhile the ostriches are happy to laugh at storys about a club that doesn’t exist any more.
What is the Stars
You incapable of worrying about Celtic and laughing at the huns, does it hurt yer wee heid?
Ashley loan to Deidco cancelled.
“Call me Dave” got in first.
Oran mor Scott mathews anyone?
Tonyg
Alas wee shughie macphee passed away this year
Badabing
I got impession it was ramsey.ach it adds to the rumour fun ha
:-)
HH
Starry plough, what’s your point. The official line on here among the righteous ones is that rangers are dead and we never want to see or hear of them again ( let alone Play them) and yet all we do is talk about them. Meanwhile celtic are going nowhere fast with a clueless manager, but don’t mention that
Good evening Friends.
Or is it?
Jobo. Every evening is a good evening
What is the Stars been talking about Celtic all day, the BFSDJ thing just came on a few of us had a laugh about it, so fecking what, you come on with yer first post calling us ostriches, be careful you’re not falling in love with the wee bit of attention ye got for your Ronny oot patter…
That’s my point..
The Righteous Ones WTF are you on about, another divisive poster disappearing up his own hole!
That’s my second point..