I’m not going to say I saw this coming, I didn’t see defeat, but when I wrote a couple of days ago that you and I have seen a lot more games like Celtic’s away to Lincoln Red Imps than Brendan Rodgers, and about European football in July, I knew this one was never going to play out in a triumphant manner.
On the first day he was appointed I asked one of you to compile Brendan an Efe highlights video – I assume we were all busy. God love Efe, he’s a fine man by all accounts, but he’s three years into a slump which is not going to end at Celtic. Brendan must now be aware. It’s no longer Efe’s fault if he costs us again.
I also made the point previewing this game that we can’t expect a squad comprising only one addition to last season’s group to perform remarkably different in qualification than a year ago. In this sense, Celtic performed as expected, this one had all the hallmarks of our recent Icelandic ventures.
The manager may not be embarrassed at the result (I suspect he might sound different privately) but many supporters are. Gibraltar has a population similar to Bellshill, but without the football heritage and support mechanism. Would defeat to Bellshill Athletic be embarrassing? You bet. Yesterday’s result was too.
We are woefully slow in build-up and have only one player in the squad who can create the 7 or 8 chances per game needed to get a result, and he’s 33 next month and currently injured.
We remain strong favourites to qualify for the next round but there is an enormous amount of work to be done in the next month. This is not a Champions League squad.
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Fanatic – 100% correct. as a very slow ex centre half with poor footballing technique and not much more than my height and a wee bit of a football brain going for me, it was the very basic fundamental of defending in the middle – if the balls coming in one of you goes and one of you drops off a yard or two to cover the space. If either ambrose or the other fella had done so we’d be bemoaning a 0- 0 draw.
Timaly agree 100%
AULD TAM@1:36 PM
I sincerely hope you’re right (whispers) – this time HH.
Timaloy29
Comparing Bitton to Lennon is laughable.
One was positionally excellent had game sense and won tackles the other is Bitton.
Rogic and Bitton in centre together.
So let’s expose an already fragile defense by putting in front of them two guys incapable of tackling?
Plus Rogic should not play again unless he renews contract.
Only guys with commitment should play.
I can remember Lennon getting stick off the fans for sideways passing, I could never understand it, he was a better player than some gave him credit for.
Trad-true, we also turned goal scoring MFs Hartley and Robson into defensive types……strange
Traditionalist88
It’s all about opinions but I’ve seen GMS up close and the bhoy has a bag of tricks. I actually believe with a push he could develop the heart. He’s possibly too nice at the moment.
I’m going to stick my nevk out here ( asI did with Griffiths) and predict that GMS will be a solid player under BR …
Let’s catch up at Easter for bragging rights
HH
CB
Cultsbhoy
You may be right on GMS.
Thought he and Griff played well together towards end of season.
Anybody know anything about this supposed pink celtic strip coming out this season? my brother swears blind its happening.
Antonio Conte on his coaching philosophy decision to leave Italy:
‘The coach is a tailor who must make best dress for team’
‘I want to breathe the grass day by day.’
(no mention of the millions in salary)
Unfortunately for us, Ronny was buying ‘off the peg’ in Primark and ‘pining for the fjords’
Plymtim
True apparently.
http://www.thesportbible.com/football/kit-news-celtics-new-third-kit-is-bright-pink-20160424
CultsBhoy – likes Brendan Rodgers level of ambition
Certainly hope you are right!
A lot of players are great up close and in training but on a Saturday its a different story.
I just see very little end product and game awareness with him. A winger that isn’t the best crosser defeats the purpose at times too. He got a lot of praise for the cross at Firhill for Griffiths toward the end of last season but to be honest Griffiths made that a good ball with an exquisite touch.
I don’t see a long term future at CP for him – the aim is to raise the bar and that means the cull will include some popular guys as well as the unpopular ones, but GMS isn;t a player who can take us up a level or two.
HH
Jeepers just scrolled back Timalloy, starts with a list of players who need to be punted, and then lists his team that should be played and includes 2 of the guys that he has already said should be punted. FFS this place can be bad for your mental health at times.
Still Gutted from Wednesday, Good to see some more sensible posters. But really its all down to BR and what he does next, we can write lists of whats wrong and how to fix it but its up to him. I Think and have done so for a long time that we have never had a really good team to watch since Scott Brown has been our captain and I think there in lies the biggest decision for BR to make. If Brown stays Cap we are in for more of the same if not big big changes are coming. I like the guy and his effort but not just this season or last he has been the poorest footballer in our side.
We lack leaders is all I have heard all week but tbh its been a long time since we had a leader, I remember before we got beat 1-0 by St Johnstone at parkhead watching the bhoys take the huddle with so much hesitancy and no direction, no one wanted to start the huddle or do the talk. Lustig was the Cap that game i think. Erik looked like Cap last season. Think back to MON team and wgs team both were filled with leaders some not the best but gave you what they had, Big Mick, Calderbauer to name two. Blood and thunder.
we have no heart until we do we will struggle ti come from behind and frighten teams.
The thugs across the water will be rubbing their hands at our soft team.
Hard man in MD and CB Brendan for starters. Then the likes of Allan and GMS can play a bit, Hard guys make the more delicate players try harder and feel protected, just now there is none of either happening.
KLV
As evidenced by the recent Euro 2016 tournament -Conte’s coaching technique includes shouting – “I’ll kill you-I’ll kill you” at a player who has just made the mistake of giving the ball to the opposition.
Lets simplify the issue.
Think about the players you would be gutted to lose from the club. If they’re not on that list the chances are they will either:
a) have ~6 months to impress the boss, or
b) form part of the clearout over the next 3/4 transfer windows.
Some will already be on list a), some will definitely be on list b).
I’d be gutted to lose Tierney, Griffiths, Sviatchenko, Roberts, Dembele (tbc!).
Its not a lot, is it! But it reflects the size of the rebuild required, which is not unusual for a new manager to have to do, and which should have happened 2 years ago(a fact which has only made the problem bigger).
HH
Barney67 on 14th July 2016 3:03 pm Plymtim
True apparently.
http://www.thesportbible.com/football/kit-news-celtics-new-third-kit-is-bright-pink-20160424
Barney67 – sweet baby jeebus n the orphans! but i’ll take a look when its released – who knows it could be okay! and after the result the other night, we need something to laugh at.
These wee away games are worth vital co-efficient points
Points that will make a significant difference to Brendan’s future CL ambitions at Celtic
Any suggestion he wanted to gain leverage on existing regulars by pointing to their ineptitude against Red Imps, is getting close to barking crazy mental thinking!!
Anyway Le Tour is heading up Mt. Ventoux ….
See yeez later!
PLMTYM
Saw that Pink strip the other day….Argyll St.
Its a mess:)
Shocker.
HH
PLYMTIM on 14TH JULY 2016 2:56 PM
Anybody know anything about this supposed pink celtic strip coming out this season? my brother swears blind its happening.
—————————–
Yes, it’s a reality. Maybe appropriate at the moment.
HH.
I commented the other night that Bitton should have been gone as soon as we realised that he had two T’s in his name.
But. Seriously.
His taxi should have been dialled when he feigned injury in our defeat to Sevco last season. Questionable application and attitude.
But.
He deserved another shot. Like many of them that have talent but didnae shoot for the stars last year.
But. It’s failed,
Him and Brown are no longer the rhythm section keeping it tight and driving the beat. Brown is like the cleaned up bass player who can no longer keep time and Bit(t)on is the drummer with tendonitis.
All rhythm sections are replaceable.
Unless, it’s The Stone Roses rhythm section.
Mani CSC.
A load of cobblers being spoken about Biton,and I have noticed a lot from serial Biton dislikers.His job is to take the ball,pass it on,exactly like Busqets does at Barca.The difference being,at Barca he is passing to Superstars.Biton will pass the ball,the guy getting it will have no clue what to do with it,and give him it back.The guy plays a more attacking role with Israel,and he is their main player.Team built around him.Put him in a good Spanish,Italian team,and see the difference.Somebody mentioned Wales earlier.Wales passed it along the back more times than any other team I watched.Joe Allen hardly put a pass forward.
Dont know why I am bothering the experts on here know everything.
Carry on .
Giggsy,
As maybe the only fluent hebrew speaker on here, one slight correction:
Bitton, doesn’t actually have any “T’s. It’s a transliteration from the hebrew and no english spelling is right or wrong.
But no matter the spelling his recent performances have been awful and we should accept any reasonable offer.
I keep reading sevco ‘beat’ us in last season’s SC. They didn’t. It was 2-2. We lost a penalty shootout.
‘Dont know why i am bothering the experts on here know everything’
Yeah, its difficult when these posters give their mad opinions,…if only they were all like you eh:)
HH
That one was for Turkeybhoy(The Expert):)
HH
Bitton would be better suited to Spanish/English football,not as frenetic as here IMO
Corkcelt,
You mentioned earlier that this place can be bad for your health at times, I agree.
But, you spoke of the game the other night, we had a perfectly good goal disallowed and we hit the bar twice.
In the modern game, if you get close to the goalkeeper, particularly in Europe, it is a foul 99% of times so no great surprise and not many complaints from the players during the game. As for hitting the bar, you may as well hit the corner flag, there are no extra points for hitting the bar. France hit the inside of the post during the Euro final, A pretty average Portugal side put the ball in the net and are now European Champions.
We were red rotten on Tuesday night and our team of chancers were badly exposed by a team of journeymen. In fact we were very lucky not to go two down shortly after they got their goal. It’s time for big changes at Celtic both on and off the field. We have a group of underachievers on the park matched only by a group in the boardroom who make the same errors year after year in respect of qualifying for the Champions League. For the past several years we have regressed and followed whatever strategy they have on recruitment. It has failed drastically and as things stand, well I don’t think I need to explain any further. If it was any other business, heads would have rolled long before now.
Mr Pastry
I noticed your wee barb earlier.
Get on here so we can duke it out.
Come on you windbag,…lets hear you:)
HH
Bitton – when he hesitated in a 50/50 towards the end of last season, opposing player got the ball and Bitton ‘fouled’ him, I;d seen enough.
Would you want him beside you when things are not going well?
Sure we already have the answer to that and still some want to stick him in the engine room.
If we can;t be more ruthless with under performing players or players who just aren’t good enough, then things will never improve.
HH
Chris Froome is running up Ventoux without a bike!!
Mental his bike was on a crash with motorbike and ge is waiting on his teammate or neutral bike to complete the stage
Nuts !!!!
SALTIRES EN SEVILLA on 14TH JULY 2016 3:59 PM
It’s a total farce. Umpteenth time this year that motorbikes have caused an issue in a race.
Turkey
i hat like your expert prediction that the bhoys would pump the impsthe other night.
Seriously man. You are supposed to remove the giblets.
MWD
tonydonnelly67 on 14th July 2016 11:35 am
Guy nails it, IMO
http://theceltsarehere.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/not-fit-for-purpose-only-victory-would.html
=============================
You are of course entitled to your opinion but like the author’s it is ill informed. I agree with the author that The SFA need reformed but I do not agree that the Update on CQN Magazine depicted a victory. In fact it made the position absolutely clear and the author failed to take it into account as I recall you did when you first offered an opinion.
I have made him aware of this in the following Twitter Exchange. I am puzzled why any attempt at improving SFA Governance should be presented in the manner it was in the intro to the article but perhaps the explanation provided to the author on Twitter covers it.
One Star Means More: theceltsarehere
New Blog Post:
“Not fit for purpose: The only victory for Resolution 12 would be to disband the SFA “
Auldheid · theceltsarehere ScottishFA
“Apart from totally misrepresenting what Res12 was & still is about (you did read the update?) you are spot on.”
One Star Means More theceltsarehere · Auldheid ScottishFA
“I did. I must be one of the ignorant few who hasn’t accepted this “victory” line. Thanks.”
Auldheid theceltsarehere ScottishFA
“Well it’s not a line Res12 promoted. The update makes that clear.”
One Star Means More theceltsarehere · Auldheid ScottishFA
“I’d hazard a guess you didn’t read half of the piece before your pithy put-down. You’re not the only show in town.”
Auldheid theceltsarehere ScottishFA
“No I read it all and I agree totally and have been pursuing better governance since 2011 so I agree with you.”
the celtsarehere:
“Actually, could you just state your aims and objectives in simple terms?”
Auldheid
“It’s in the Res. To have CFCB investigate the UEFA licence process in 2011.”
celtsarehere:
“To what end? Have you succeeded? Do you think you can claim a victory at this point?”
Auldheid:
“We never claimed a victory. Had we been satisfied we would not be going back to UEFA. JF explained his position in a subsequent blog. but it’s important Res12 is not about the club but the SFA. That’s why I’m tetchy.” (Two tweets joined up)
The author seems to have taken the article by James Forrest, which James subsequently clarified, as Res12 claiming a victory. The Res12 guys had no input to that article, the interpretation as James later said was all his.
If there was a “victory” it was in UEFA volunteering how they viewed TRFC but that was never an aim of Res12 but obviously something many Celtic supporters have strong views on.
What you should know TD in the interests of informing opinion is that Celtic themselves were most wary of the SFA turning the matter of SFA governance into a club issue ie TRFC v Celtic.
To that end I understand the STV guy, accompanied by a cameraman, pursued the Celtic Company Secretary along the street after the SFA AGM to find out if Celtic had been in touch with UEFA. The same guy failed to mention how UEFA viewed TRFC in a subsequent attempt to declare Res12 dead. We don’t know what he was told and by whom, so he either did not know or chose not to mention the “new” factor.
Had he done so there would have been no need for that new club/company information to appear in the Update but it was information that could not be withheld as it formed part of the UEFA justification for not investigating.
It is a pity you have not seen matters from Celtic’s perspective unless of course you were unaware of it until now but depicting Res12 as a club matter rather than governance is playing the SFA’s game.
Spent a day in Gibraltar a few years ago. Reminded me of the Whifflet area of my hometown, ML5,though with less monkeys. Has a population of 32,000 which make our result more unpalatable. The Imps were better organised than us. Conditions were grim, but no excuse for a spineless performance. Some selections, like Griff wide right and Jamsie instead of Paddy Roberts were baffling. The Impse lost 5 -2 away to Faroe Islands two years ago, so we should be looking for a convincing win. Hearts are in Malta tonight v Birkikara who were pipped by West Ham last year. A few years ago, you would be looking at a cakewalk for the Jamtarts, but some of these smaller clubs have a few full time pros and are quite well organised. Having a small wager on the Malts at 3/1.
Weeminger
Yeah.. The motirbike seems to have stopped suddenly due to crowd closing in.
Some of thoses bawbags deserve a wee caress from Madam Guillotine
After it she comes back from shoet loan period to Monsieur Rodgers :-)
SALTIRES EN SEVILLA on 14TH JULY 2016 4:07 PM
I expect today’s result to be nullified.