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Some Perspective

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By on CQN BLOG & Comments

Negatives out of the way first: we’re not good enough, this is a low achievement by a Celtic team who have reached a group stage. There’s no disputing that, but amid the predictable ‘Throw them all overboard’ reaction, I know I’m not the only one who is not panicking right now.

When I heard we were playing three wingers (Forrest, Mackay-Steven, McGregor) I anticipated a thrashing. Gordon Strachan would often drop all his craft players for the more industrial types in European football, with good reason.

As it turned out, we had the majority of the chances, and all the better ones, as we spent most of the second half pushing for a winner.

No arguments with Leigh Griffiths assessment immediately after the game, that was his worst performance in a Celtic shirt. Nor is there dispute in Ronny Deila’s retort that he’s scored plenty for us before and will continue to do so. Even the greats have days like that, including the Swede.

The midfield formation was fluid throughout the game. Tom Rogic initially played as a defensive mid, before moving in front of Stuart Armstrong (who moved everywhere) and Callum McGregor. The defensive mid role Rogic played isn’t one carried out by either Nir Bitton or Scott Brown. We’ve not had anyone in this role since the departure of Victor Wanyama (still pining) and it remains a large gap in the offering.

Lesson: we need a defensive mid. The deep lying playmaker + box-to-box player isn’t robust enough in Europe.

Callum McGregor carried possibly the lowest expectations of everyone in a Celtic shirt but he put in an excellent shift. His goal was outstanding, losing possession immediately before Ajax equalised took the shine off things a bit, but it was still a strong performance.

Do you know the last time McGregor started a game? October 2014. Under those circumstances that was a remarkable performance.

General consensus is that the defence played well. Kieran Tierney is as good a left back as we’ve had in years. Had he not gone off with an injury the result might have been different.

Jozo Simunovic is clearly out best central defender. I know I’m not setting the bar too high with that statement, but he’s a move in the right direction. He’s also young, still working on his fitness, and will continue to progress.

A week ago Celtic Underground’s Harry Brady suggested Dedryck Boyata plays better alongside Simunovic than without him. Dedryck still has a long way to go but the evidence suggests partnered with a game-reader like Jozo has helped him. Let’s see where he is at the end of the season.

And Craig Gordon? He could have stopped both Ajax goals. That’s not to say he was to blame for either, he wasn’t, but these were the kind of stops he was making in last season’s Europa League.

Ronny is 18 months into the job and has contributed to the situation we find ourselves in (tactical mistakes in both Molde games), but this is not the time to lurch off plan. We’re not good enough largely because we’ve recruited too few players since 2012 who have improved the team.

We need to continue to develop players like Tierney and we need to recruit better. Get this right in January, and again in the summer, and we will be vastly better. The alternative is likely to be to pick up a best from the SPFL pool, or someone from the English circuit who cannot get a better paid gig. And then it would take until November 2017 before we could assess them properly.

Return of the Bampots

Tonight, for one night onlyt, Phil Mac Giolla Bháin, John Fallon and myself are in the Hibs Club, Carfin, for a Q&A in aid of Mary’s Meals, with Phil Agnew hosting. The event starts at 7:30, £5 entry, can pay at the door.

Looking forward to seeing you there.
Windstrailer4

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  1. Canamalar on

    Anyroadup,

     

    Finding out today our more than a club is using zero hour contracts for low paid staff scunnered me, what a saving that must be, another KPI achieved, money saved goes towards the bonus.

     

    Night night n hail hail

  2. iki on

    Some perspective.

     

    ===============

     

     

    I have waited until some of the justified anger has died down.

     

     

    There were bout 20 or so Ajax fans on 61 bus from Argyle St to Janefield St.

     

     

    One or two were a bit tipsy and certainly 1 was pissed.

     

     

    There was no trouble.

     

    In fact, they engaged with Celtic fans in a friendly way.

     

    They showed off their command of English and we gave them directions to the away end.

     

     

    I am a bit uneasy when a whole support is condemned when it happens to us and I just want to remind us that we should not do it to others.

  3. Gordon64 on

    Corkcelt my apols for my tone. But many of us are deply frustrated at where we are. To deny that reality is playing into the boards hands. A good bit of rebellion is always a good thing. HH amigo.

  4. the_huddle on

    Gordon64 on 28th November 2015 12:51 am

     

     

    The Huddle with all due respect I’m sure Corkcelt can post for himself.

     

    ————–

     

    No offence but I’ll reply to any post on here if I want

  7. BGX on

    The Huddle

     

    RD was brought in to IMPROVE things

     

    As Dianna Ross said” STILL WAITING”.

     

    and on That..Ms Diamond is Calling..HH

  8. Canamalar on

    Fred C…,

     

    Honestly, you really can’t work it out ?

     

    I gave up caring what the meeja has to say about Celtic a long time ago, though I do sometimes get a bit surprise when people like yourself still put so much store by it.

     

    Maybe you need to stop reading and relying on their opinions.

  9. corkcelt on

    I agree Herbo, our European exploits for last 2 years has been dreadful. Most of the time it was down to stupid tactics. We were better organised last night with a greatly weakened team, didn’t play too badly and were very unlucky to lose.

     

    I’m not saying we are great because patently we are not but the pessimism at the moment is being overdone.

  10. emusanorphan on

    SFTB

     

     

    I wouldn’t judge CQN as a barometer of a players ability. I don’t particularly recall too many advocating Ciftci.

     

    Anyway if “The duds, like the poor, have always been with us” , then why are ours concentrated in one particular area?

     

    Rassmussen

     

    Bangura

     

    Murphy

     

    Balde

     

    Miku

     

    Pukki

     

    Scepovic (who I liked)

     

    Ciftci

     

     

    CQN LIST

     

     

    Good night, Need to sleep. HH

  13. setting free the bears for Res. 12 & Oscar Knox on

    Herbo

     

     

    Most modern coaches have to share their signing targets with a financially savvy Director of Football (or CEO in our case) and an influential Head Scout.

     

     

    There are very few powerful enough managers who get to scout and have final say on all of their targets. WGS and NFL both worked under this condition and both achieved last 16 CL qualification. It can be made to work but our signing failure rate has been too high in recent years.

     

     

    I don’t believe that all the dud signings are down to Park and Lawwell and all the good ones are RD’s nor do I believe that he has no say in the signings made. There are compromises all round and, at least the dud signings were willing to come to CP- many will not, some even go to more familiar leagues for less than we are offering in wages.

     

     

    I have to go to my bed now. We will have a football hangover for some time to come with just the cold porridge of league fixtures to keep us going until the Cup competitions get to the latter stages.

     

     

    Europe is a big miss- Maribor, Malmo, Molde, & Ajax were all beatable but we failed to beat them- that’s why we’re out

  14. petec on

    weeminger on 27th November 2015 11:09 am

     

     

    the glorious balance sheet on 27th November 2015 10:53 am

     

     

    You’d accept though that if that was identified as the aim from the point RD joined that it wouldn’t be achievable within 2 seasons and have total success on the pitch.

     

     

    I’ve always maintained that in terms of youth coming through Lennoxtown only those that were around 12 or younger when it opened would really be products of it, and that’s when to start judging it. So that would be players around 19-20 now. If we’d had more youth orientated managers in the past we may have seen more of them in the 1st team by now.

     

     

    I thought our best players last night were the one’s we’d developed ourselves.

     

     

    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

     

     

    Patience is needed now more than Ever, IMO.

     

     

    Europe has been poor but we hit the Ceiling on our 125th anniversary, with the old style.

     

     

    I wouldn't blame the senior players for now THINKING they know more than Ronny, I would seriously hope they didn't think like that, group thinking is terrible but it is inevitable.

     

     

    If Ronny had Victor Wanyama last night, yeah, we would have Won. Ultimately though, we wouldn't have went through. The Greenprint is to get as many of our own HomeSchooled and trained, and they should be coming along soon, into the Celtic First Team.

     

     

    Go and watch that Sporting Lisbon performance.

     

     

    A lot better than most of the tripe served up, down South or anywhere, in that specific game.

     

     

    Take our medicine whilst we build another Full Team of Scots and Irish players.

  16. Herbo on

    STFB

     

     

    I’ve got a few mates in the game trying no to blow a trumpet. I kinda know that Ronny has nouch say in recruitment. Although he did with Berget. :-0

     

     

    Anyway. Sleep tight mucker. Tomorrows another day

     

     

    Tal

  19. corkcelt on

    I’m off to my leaba, Thank God there is a game coming up,

     

    P.S. If Inverness turn us over, I’ll be out sick for a week.

     

    Good Night & God Bless.

     

    I still love that Club that was born from Famine & Oppression, Win Lose or Draw,

     

    UTLR

  20. Herbo on

    CorkCelt

     

     

    I get what Yer saying. It seems to me that most of the disillusionment is to do with how things are run and not the actual individual players or Ronny. I may be wrong.

     

     

    Fk it. We go again on Sunday

  23. Gordon64 on

    Thie dichotomy will always exist between being successful domestically and being successful in Europe. What would big Jock say was his greatest achievement. Wnning nine in a row or the EC.. What is Celtic famous for and will always be membered for ? I would suggest the European cup triumph defines us as a club.

  24. Alasdair MacLean on

    Wanted to say something but realised it’s all been said.

     

    A hundred times.

     

    It’s no Celtic’s fault…..where we are….Scottish football.

     

     

    Celtic’s doing, and as far as I’m concerned, always has done.. good for Scottish football.

     

     

    Case closed for me.

     

     

    Ross County forever.

  29. the_huddle on

    Gordon64 on 28th November 2015 1:23 am

     

     

    Thie dichotomy will always exist between being successful domestically and being successful in Europe. What would big Jock say was his greatest achievement. Wnning nine in a row or the EC.. What is Celtic famous for and will always be membered for ? I would suggest the European cup triumph defines us as a club.

     

    —————–

     

    Was MON successful at Celtic?

     

    Was WGS successful at Celtic?

     

    Was Billy McNeill successful at Celtic?

     

    Was Wim Jansen successful at Celtic?

  32. Gordon64 on

    Fred c Dobbs Absolute qualty. Dino, Ricky Nelson and the best looking of them all the fantastic Walter Brennan. HH

  33. Saint Stivs on

    i was only 13, but i forgot how much the celtic supporters won the fight on the pitch.

     

    the huns invaded, and got their arses kicked

     

     

    the red head centre circle hoops on. what a tough tough bhoy.

     

     

    then the horses come on, and go to the celtic end.

     

     

    hahahahha

  36. Herbo on

    St Stivs

     

     

    It’s maybe an urban legend in these parts but it’s said a Drum Bhoy threw the first punch :-)

  42. petec on

    Gordon64 on 28th November 2015 1:23 am

     

     

    Thie dichotomy will always exist between being successful domestically and being successful in Europe. What would big Jock say was his greatest achievement. Wnning nine in a row or the EC.. What is Celtic famous for and will always be membered for ? I would suggest the European cup triumph defines us as a club.

     

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     

     

    I think Everyone knows we got cheated out of a Treble last Season.

     

     

    I saw Softness in this Celtic old guard.

     

     

    Ronny is determined to Win everything at home. The Bread and Butter, whilst implementing changes, on Thursday, I saw Low Pressure on the opposition, that disappointed me but I think it was a mentality thing.

     

     

    I said to 16 Roads we have a lot of Hard Work ahead of us. I’m up 04:54 when going to work, sometimes not getting home until 20:00ish.

     

     

    The theory of Relativity

     

     

    Wim Dancin.csc

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