The Celtic soap opera season continued through the weekend. We were taken to the school of St Mirren on Saturday, then watched incredulously as a central defender we knew little about but who Sky incorrectly reported had signed a pre-contract, was instead heading for Liverpool.
Vasilis Barkas was dropped after the 2-2 draw with Livingston, he would be forgiven for being grateful as Scott Bain was given the unenviable burden of coping with a level of defending unseen at Celtic in decades. For the good of the player as well as the team, Neil Lennon has to accept Shane Duffy does not have what it takes at this level. A midweek pantomime against Hamilton went unpunished, while St Mirren fully exploited his meanderings.
In early December, I was assured Neil Lennon had the full support of the dressing room. Speaking in the heat after Saturday’s defeat, he questioned the players’ attitude and behaviour. There was no containment of the problem, no deflection of pressure off the squad and onto his more capable shoulders. Whatever goodwill exists must be under strain.
It must be difficult to find the words for so many post-match failures but throwing players under the bus is not the received wisdom. You and I are left to ponder what direction our season will plunge towards next.
Deadline Day in the ‘January’ transfer window leaves us with little to get excited about. We can hope for a central defender to fill the gap left by Christopher Jullien and a right back to allow Kristofer Ajer to move back into the middle. We cannot, though, buy confidence.
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NL
“You express disappointment at the level of performance and players have to look at themselves and say, ‘can I play better, can I get myself in better condition, can I do more for the team, can I do more for the club, can I do more for the manager?’ And the answer is yes.
“Regardless of whether they respond to me or not, they have their own personal responsibility and pride in their performances as individuals and as a collective.
“The bottom line is the players can play better. I have a lot of faith in them.
“I was really disappointed in them at the weekend, there is no point in hiding away from that.
“It is simply not up to the standards we ask of them or we believe they can produce.
“So the result and performance was really disappointing and I don’t think the players would disagree with that either.”
🙁
Bada
Perversely they must be doing something right to produce those lads
GENE
But why don’t they see their future at Celtic.
No pathway to first team.
Gene /Bada
He looks uninterested and has a stupid grin that school kids have when they think they are being clever and funny
It really is desperately annoying
Saving myself from a CQN ban
Harper off to New York Red Bulls is no loss. He’s a young American guy who wants to move home.
He’s also, based on the one game he played in, useless and unfit. A guy his age should be battering down doors to play in this current Celtic team. He showed absolutely nothing in his sixty minutes before he went off with cramp against Hibs.
St Tams
No worries I’ve had my own post which in hindsight could have been worded better
Game also might be in doubt heavy snow tomorrow.
Liverpool have reacted to a positional problem. They have injuries at CB and will bring in Davies and the guy from Schalke. They have been forced to play Jordan Henderson at CB and although they have won both games they realise that it could never be considered a permanent solution. When we asked Nir Bitton to play at CB we won the first two games. In his next 8 games at CB we have had 11 points. Think Liverpool have had the right idea.
Lenny the legend treating us all like fools. Total contempt for the club and the supporters he professes to love.
DESSYBHOY
Hope so.
Save us the torture
GENE on 1ST FEBRUARY 2021 5:26 PM
Bada
Perversely they must be doing something right to produce those lads
Absolutely, it’s a very competitive market to get them in the first place, they all want out….we need to find out why
Waiting every day to hear that NFL has done the sensible thing – still waiting.
Onenight…I doubt he could ever love you. 🤣
St Tams
It’s not as if they’re going to lesser leagues (Harper excepted) – who wouldn’t go to Bayern or Liverpool.
Hope they don’t end up like Islam Feruz
ROBINBHOY
Dismissing a young boy after 60mins.
Bit harsh
ROBINBHOY on 1ST FEBRUARY 2021 5:29 PM
Harper off to New York Red Bulls is no loss. He’s a young American guy who wants to move home.
He’s also, based on the one game he played in, useless and unfit.
Going by that,a guy with dreadlocks and wearing No7 at Easter Rd a few years ago,would have been chased.
For the life of me……….
I can’t remember seeing a few of the currant repetitive “bashers” on This Dear Green Place when we were celebrating or having the craic………….or indeed ever.
Now, clearly there’s plenty of genuine Tims hurting ………………but the one…….or two obvious trolls are just at it.
HHH.
WEEBOBBYCOLLINS on 1ST FEBRUARY 2021 5:34 PM
LOL
I wouldn’t want him to pal.
Celtic…You have broken my Heart.
Tough day on the blog?
Lots of good stuff but interspersed with dollops of cog diss and unsubstantiated opinion presented as fact.
I shudder to think what the reaction will be WHEN (not if) we chase a big target and don’t get him.
Ben Davies? I know only one salient fact about the gentleman.
He will not be signing for Celtic.
Him and the majority of the estimated 50,000 professional footballers worldwide.
A trawl through posts starting from a couple of weeks ago (when Davies’ signing was first mooted) would be interesting.
For those who can’t recall – many of the initial comments focussed on his historical fitness issues.
Have Liverpool panicked over the absence of Virgil & Joe and signed a low cost, low risk pup?
Have Celtic dodged a bullet?
Don’t know. Don’t care.
Hail hail
Keep The Faith
Neil Lennon, seems clear that he’s not leaving the club anytime soon.
“Why would it be my intention to go?” Lennon said, when asked if he had considered following chief executive Peter Lawwell out of the club at the end of the season.
“Peter’s decision has got nothing to do with my position at all, or my coaches or any of the players. So I don’t understand the context of the question at all.”
why would you not want to be pals with a Celtic Legend ?
hhhmmmm
LAZYDYNAMITE on 1ST FEBRUARY 2021 4:57 PM
Hard to say because if we’d put a decent run together and run them close, they’d be feeling different pressures and I’d argue the pressure to stop the ten was greater than ours to achieve it. After the way they imploded last season, it would have been nice to see how they’d react if we were breathing down their necks.
Our ineptitude has allowed them to play with a freedom that they should never have been afforded.
GET LENNON OUT NOW!
STEBHOY @ 4.44pm
NOW? caught between a rock…………
Was that a typo or intentional?
If the latter it’s hilarious.
Given all the gloom surrounding the hoops you’ve cheered me up. :)
HH
Thought I’d start a list
This ones being floating around, and sent to me
Signings since 2010 season
Juarez
Bangura
Brozek
Balde
Boerrigter
Pukki
Scepovic
Ciftci
Allan
Cole
Kazim-Richards
Gamboa
Kouassi
Compper
Hendry
Malumbu
Bayo
Shved
Bolingoli
Klimala
Duffy
I also then come up with he following
Cha Du-Ri
Kapo
Kaddouri
Rasmussen
Blackman
Ibrahim
Cervi
Gershon
Miku
Lassad
Murphy
Atajic
Friojonsonn
Mouyokolo
Guidetti
Bailly
Janko
De Vries
Benyu
Musonda
Toljan
Arzani
Morgan
Burke
Bauer
Quite sure we could add more
Yip, our scouting and policy of finding hidden gems is working
I’m with Squire Danahar on this.
A club of our size should have a dossier of players for each position. Planning for the future and emergencies. Knowledge of 3 players for each position would allow us to move quickly for what’s required.
To say the players hold all the aces is only true if you allow them to. When proposing the terms to Davies, as soon as he stalled, we should be time lifting the offer, ie, you have 1week to consider, if no affirmative answer we move on to no 2 on the list.
As far as I can see we were trying to save money
Oh, feel free to add to this fine list ofor all you talent spotters
Imagine signing 2 first team players every season, to keep us ticking over
NORRIEM
You only need two a season if a) you want to improve what you have already, or b) replace those who have moved on
…..oh…and c) to help with long term injuries
31003
How many do we need for season 2021/22 ?
We will need 40 + to get some potentials
Ntcham loan to Marseille, £4.5 million agreed if successful
So we lose Ntcham……the window just gets better
Neil is waiting for an offer from the board which he is entitled to do. Every manager in his position would do the same. Maybe this has already been agreed and he is waiting for the season to end.
Lawwell will no doubt receive a handsome pay off courtesy of the celtic support.
31003 on 1ST FEBRUARY 2021 5:57 PM
We were negotiating pre contract deal starting July 1st.
It made no difference when he signed it to us.
We were trying to sign him for the summer, any sooner was a bonus
NORRIEM on 1ST FEBRUARY 2021 6:07 PM
31003
How many do we need for season 2021/22 ?
We will need 40 + to get some potentials
No….that’s when you refer to your ongoing dossier. That way there’s no last minute guessing
Good riddance
If anyone considering signing for our club read this site they would be appalled at the abuse our manager and players receive.