By Alex Gordon.
A DREADFUL penalty-kick miss by Bahrudin Atajic condemned Ronny Deila to his first defeat as Celtic manager.
The Bosnian striker had the ideal opportunity to level the scores four minutes from time after substitute Paul McMullan had been downed in the box.
Unfortunately, Atajic blazed his spot-kick over the bar into the Hamburg crowd much to the annoyance of the new Hoops gaffer.
It was a largely experimental Celtic line-up with Deila taking no risks ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League qualifier against Legia Warsaw in the Polish capital.
Alas, appalling defending by Filip Twardzik gifted the Germans the winning goal before the interval.
The left-back made a mess of trying to control a long and hopeful punt into the Celtic penalty box. The ball broke clear and was immediately presented to Christopher Nothe who could hardly believe his good fortune.
Nothe struck his effort first time from eight yards and Craig Gordon had no chance as the low drive zipped past his right hand in the 39th minute.
Twardzik toiled in the opening 45 minutes and was also booked in the 33rd minute after a lunging tackle after once again giving the ball away with a slack pass.
Celtic started at whirlwind pace and had three excellent opportunities inside the opening 10 minutes.
Atajic fizzed in a low shot from just outside the box, but keeper Philipp Tschauner got down swiftly to hold the ball at his right hand post.
Five minutes later, Tony Watt, looking lively on the left wing, tried his luck from a tight angle.
His shot totally bamboozled Tschauner, but carried over the crossbar and out to safety.
Amido Balde should have got the game’s opening goal in the 10th minute when he was through on goal after some neat play outside the box.
However, the Portuguese Under-21 international lacked composure at the vital moment and allowed the keeper to block his hurried parting shot.
Gordon, making his second appearance for the Hoops, showed he was still rusty after being out for over two years with a slack goal-kick to Nir Biton.
The Israeli midfielder, captain for the day, was taken unawares and St Pauli broke forward, but made a mess of the opportunity.
Stuart Findlay, partnering Eoghan O’Connell in the middle of the inexperienced back four, was also sloppy with some wayward passes, but the Hoops escaped punishment.
The game was billed as a friendly – and the clubs have an affiliation – but the home players weren’t slow to put in some punishing challenges.
Skipper Soren Gonther was yellow-carded for a rugby tackle on McGeouch that wouldn’t have looked out of place in Celtic’s current home at Murrayfield.
Liam Henderson tried to set up Balde with a neat chip into the danger zone, but the ball carried over the giant frontman’s head.
It looked like being a stalemate at the interval until Twardzik’s lapse in concentration and control allowed St Pauli to snatch the lead.
Deila put on Lukasz Zaluska for Gordon at half-time and replaced the ineffective Balde with Paul McMullan.
Henderson brought the St Pauli keeper into action with a long-range free-kick in the 65th minute. The idea was good, but, unfortunately, the execution didn’t quite match the ambition.
Zaluska produced one memorable moment when he pushed a raging effort from Sebastian Mhyre over the crossbar 10 minutes from time.
Then came Atajic’s dreadful spot-kick blunder which was followed in the last minute by an effort from Watt which swept just wide of the target.
As an exercise, it was worthwhile and the Celtic youngsters will expect to do better when presented with the opportunity to impress the new manager.
CELTIC: Gordon (sub: Zaluska 46); Herron, Findlay, O’Connell, Twardzik; Biton, Henderson, McGeouch; Atajic, Balde (sub: McMullan 46) and Watt.
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BIG-CUP-WINNERS
08:37 on 28 July, 2014
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Accounts presented by a ‘bored’ who are trying to get the huns back into the league and, trying to get Celtic fans / supporters the ‘jail’ for singing and the sychophants all fall for it year in, year out?
After Brian Dempsey was, stabbed in the back and removed fom the ‘bored’ by the old ‘bored’, before we played the huns in a Cup Final, BD said when asked if he would return to the ‘bored’…”Shame on them for what they did to me, shame on me if, I let them do it again.”
Ye get what ye deserve – CSC
Awe Naw
It’s a risk analysis. £1.2M for a player with his ability is a bargain at face value.
On the toss side, if he can’t cut the professional mustard he’s worthless to Celtic.
What side’s your bread buttered?
KEV J
Pretty good response. One minor quibble would be that we got less than £2m for Berkovic and about £600k for Burchill but apart from that,your figures are pretty much as I remember too.
But we were still around £35m in debt in 2003 and Barnes didn’t spend it all. £5m for Berkovic,same for Scheidt,£1.5m for Tebily and £2m for Stan.
I don’t think we paid anything for Stephan Bonnes,but we still got done!
The outcome though is still as you stated. Life in the slow lane.
Still canny get used to it.
The lane was so slow after MON left that we had to make do with successive qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League, including the snore-fest that was beating Man Utd at Celtic Park.
The mistake wasn’t made in 2005. It was, in my view, December 2008, when wee Gordon decided to leave. We waited 6 months to act and got Tony Mowbray. Set us back 3 years.
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS
09:19 on 28 July, 2014
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Not like winklepickers to be a – nitpicker, eh?
£35 million, eh?
That’s a new one on me.
But then again….Celtic Football Club must be the only club in history that, went to a European final and then said that they had made a loss?
I’ve ‘never’ heard the likes of it.
The Battered Bunnet
09:23 on 28 July, 2014
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Did WGS make up for the £10 million that he lost in his 1st game v’s Artmedia by, getting to the last 16 twice?
Did MO’N make up for the Basle defeat by giving the fans – Seville?
TBB
1.2 m for a player that cant hold down a first team place. I think its excellent value. I cant help but think that there is something unseen here. I do not think the Belgians are mugs far from it. A sale that will come back to haunt us ? Maybe but I am happy with that sale.
HH
“Celtic Football Club must be the only club in history that, went to a European final and then said that they had made a loss”
The contrary is true. Particularly during that decade, pretty much every finalist was losing money hand over fist. Man Utd and Arsenal were probably the exceptions in that time, 2 clubs from 40 finalists.
But let’s not allow the facts to get I the way of some good old gum bumping.
…it’s the bitterness of the Kurious Kove that gives the………… gemme… away……….
that, …..and the studied application and perseverance.
Reads a bit like an expanded ‘hotline’………..
KEV J
Blinkin’ flip,even when I’m agreeing with you,you still go off on one.
Yer some banana.
ernie lynch
08:39 on 28 July, 2014
Aren’t you the subtle one ….. Hahahahahahaha
“2 clubs from 40 finalists.”
kev might be `aff oot for some time ` pondering over a response to that piece of information 0:-)
JJ
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS
09:35 on 28 July, 2014
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:)
Morning awe
The. Lack of ambition of this bored is shocking
No new signings
NAE wonder Lenny left
Watt off
Forster going
Eve maybe
Virgil maybe off
I fear for us
If we get through to the group stage
We will get hammered
This team needs 15-20 millnspent on it
At least 4 new players
And that’s with retaining the current squad
Accounts
I can’t get excited about this
I’m a football fan not an accountant
Get the finger out law well
Or play to an empty Celtic park
Jungle Jim = Bought & paid for.
…good to see BIG Joe
back on the CQN Boat.
The Battered Bunnet
09:23 on 28 July, 2014
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Gordon Strachan should have been sacked for blowing 4 in a row. imho
WGS started to ’empty’ CP and, his protege Neil would have finished the job for him if he wasn’t sacked / removed / mutually consented / confidentiallity-claused or, whatever happened to him. imho
Awe_Naw_No_Annoni_Oan_Anaw_Noo
08:48 on 28 July, 2014
Big Joe
08:45 on
28 July, 2014
Absolutely as you have just proved :-)
HH
HaHa……………………………..
No I didnt…………………….
Joethephilosopher…………………….
Urgent call for Sigmund Freud.
Lifes too short, bye.
KevJ @9:42
Excuse my ignorance but what does that mean?
JJ
Here’s a thing. I am happy to support Celtic. I have no interest in running Celtic. Others are paid to do this, and they do ok in my view considering the limitations of our situation.
I can’t get over to Poland but looking forward to Murrayfield (maybe not logistically!)
Mon the Hoops!
FIRST TIME POSTER
Extremely disappointed to read the stories re TW. All the time since Barca he has been victim to an internal smear campaign and yet AS LG and others have had factual stories in the media which has embarrassed the club. And yet they are not subjected to anything like what TW has been receiving. No surprise Guidi broke it who is his insider.
What was the reaction when AS snubbed the manager in Iceland?
There are many strikers that should be off before TW so is Ronny using him as an example.
Maybe one day we will hear the truth of all his terrible actions [Belgium was not his doing and NL should have brought him home.
Morning all.
Gutted that Tony Watt appears to be leaving.
We are not being told why, however.
Certainly not because of a lack of talent ‘tho.
HH!!
Good Morning to all CQNrs If it is true that Tony Watt is being sold for 1.2 million it is good business for Celtic Tony has hardly played for the first team next up Balde and Derk. H.H.
WHY TONY
Good start,bud-welcome aboard.
Off for a beer,lovely day for it.
And another thing…the right-wing despots are bad enough, but it would seem that most of the Celtic discussion on here is unrelenting whinging based on mostly made up shit and conjecture.
Last week was an oasis and thoroughly enjoyable.
Ah well.
why tony
Welcome.
Are you Tony Watt?
HH!!
Have Celtic got a big gemme comin’ up?
A bit depressed at the football news,well more than a bit.Where are we going?.At the moment we are a bit of a shambles,morale wise.All the talk is of our best players leaving,we lose one of our “Bright young things”,our captain and inspiration is out along with our best,indeed only winger.We have a support,well some,quaking at the thought of playing Legia.We have to face a vitally important match,40 miles away from our beloved Celtic Park.
We aint got a lot going for us at the moment.
God help us all if we do not get a decent result on Wednesday.
Ach,I am going down to the Marina to potter about,probably get pissed.
We should not be like this.Somebody is to blame.
Pogmathonyahun I can’t buy you a ticket for Celtic stand. According to the agreement between two clubs, Celtic got quote of seats and supporters can get vouchers in Glasgow, only through Celtic ticket sale system. Vouchers will be exchanged to tickets in Warsaw. For those who come from Europe, have no chance to get vouchers, Legia prepared section 225 at the stadium. The question is if someone who is coming over could bring voucher, or I buy you a ticket for section 225.
• bankiebhoy1
09:43 on 28 July, 2014
…good to see BIG Joe
back on the CQN Boat.
Iv been quiet for much 2 long mate……….
The keyboard warrior has returned……………..
H…………………………….H
BigJoeNOTontehBoat2day
My guess is section 225 will be for both, Legia and Celtic supporters.
Turkeybhoy. We have a new manager and we are in a transitional period so talk of changes players leaving etc will be rife in this period.The new management team will want to reshape the squad and get it to play there way there will players they want to keep and players they will be happy to move on.We also have to accept that we are in the transfer window and if big money offers come in for any of our players they will be considered dont lose heart or faith with our great club the rebuilding will happen. H.H.
Morning all
Rather sad to learn of Tony Watt’s departure – I have no doubt our CE will be telling himself and others that it is a job well done to get money for a player who has not played very much football. It is a lit of money for a completely unproven player and I expect many will tell us (and many will agree ) that we are ‘well rid’
Maybe we are but that night I knew he’d score against Barca and I would not have had the same confidence in our other strikers of that era. Were the chance to fall to our current strikers in a match of similar significance I would expect them to miss.
I find myself unexpectedly pessimistic about the coming weeks – Legia will be better than we have faced in the qualifiers since Braga. With Ledley, Hooper, Samaras, Wanyama gone and Brown unavailable it is hard to argue that we are stronger. Van Dijk is a far better player than Wilson but that is it.
I fear that the pessimists are right and that ‘downsizing’ is actually our raison d’être. I fear that Ronny Deila has been landed not because he is a visionary coach but because he will be cheaper to fire than Tony Mowbray should he turn out to be a dud. And I fear that he will turn out to be as rotten as the likes of Pat Fenlon and Ebbe Skovdahl did and they came with impressive CVs and in the Dane’s case from a league that was better than ours or Norway’s.
Obviously I hope I am wrong but my gut feeling at least is that we are in for a very rude awakening and a very troubled season.
Jimbo67 praying to Oscar Knox and for Thomas Worth
Why Tony
Using him as an example of what??
Does the internal smear campaign stretch to his club in Belgium where his manager sent him to the reserves..
Should’ve, would’ve could’ve, maybe Tony’s enemy is himself or maybe even the player thought his future was in Belgium..
Starry
Interesting thing about Tony is one day Ronny is saying that he will give him a chance in CL qualifiers , then next thing he is not cup tied by playing against KR at murrayfield when we have nothing to lose. Not even on the bench
You can read into that what you like
I read it as lawell has made it clear he can’t be cuptied
This season would have been ideal for him to be in the squad every week
This week hard CL qualifier game and we have a squad that needed to be strengthened and has not been
Looking forward to the accounts
Could this be the gamble that PL could lose his cash cow , he of course should be sacked if we don’t reach CL
1.2 million for a boy who has a better pedigree than the two that Dundee United have just sold for twice as much.
I get the feeling Tony Watts talent will outweigh his attitude problems and he will go on to better. I hope we have a big sell on clause. He must have really peed someone off.
I don’t suppose it harms our chances this week as we managed without Watt last season but the apparent lack of players to play Ronnys preferred set up means an injury to a forward/ winger leaves us short.
At an extreme, there is a small gamble that Watt could have played a part against Legia and made a difference leading to an income that outweighs his transfer fee.
We are taking a small risk but I think we have sold under value to a club who know why they got him so cheap.
It will be interesting to see if we bring in a striker. Amido Balde clearly isn’t fit for purpose and it remains to be seen if Pukki, Griffiths, Stokes will cut the mustard under Ronny. Griffiths being moved out to the wing, Stokes not exactly saying or doing the right things and Pukki missing sitters despite scoring more often. Kris Commons still not been offered or signed a new contract. Maybe the ball being on the slates will provide the motivation for some of the 4 to make the forward positions their own… If they are allowed to stay long enough.