2014 saw Celtic win their third consecutive league title, but we didn’t reach either cup final. A period of significant change got underway during the summer when we said farewell to Neil Lennon.
Neil took over from Tony Mowbray, his first managerial appointment after working with the Youths at Lennoxtown. His first season was the one that got away. Defeat at Inverness with the title within their grasp, Walter Smith’s Rangers took their third successive title against the third difference Celtic manager.
Three months into the next season, Celtic were 10 points behind a Whyte-McCoist inspired Rangers, but that was overcome, with interest, by Christmas. Celtic went on to win the league by 20 points, although 10 of them were as a penalty for Rangers incurring an insolvency event.
Thereafter it was plan sailing for Neil. He never looked back in the league and reached the Champions League group stage twice, progressing to the knock-out stage on the first occasion. He learned the managerial ropes at Celtic and did enough in his four years here to establish himself as a European-class manager. He was our third unqualified success in four appointments.
By this summer it was evidence to all, including Neil, that significant rebuilding was needed. The job was handed to Ronny Deila.
Ronny’s first challenge came in the Champions League qualifiers in the form of Legia Warsaw. Despite the record books showing Celtic progressed after a 3-0 default home win, Legia wiped the floor with Celtic home and away. Celtic looked like a team of strangers, unfamiliar with the system they were asked to play.
That was, of course, true, the system was unfamiliar, but it’s execution was miscalculated, the on-field results were deserved. The Champions League playoff round against Maribor was unusual inasmuch as Celtic dominated the away first leg and deserved more than the 1-1 draw, but the Slovenians arrived in Glasgow with their game face on. Celtic were outplayed and out of the Champions League.
Things slowly got better, although home performances against Motherwell (by my measure the worst) and Hamilton Accies (who were impressive), and latterly Ross County indicated there is still a long way to go.
Ronny’s Celtic found their feet in the Europa League, where they finished second behind a very accomplished Salzburg. The away performances against Salzburg and Astra gave an insight into how things could be for this Celtic team.
It was, to say the least, disappointing not to qualify for the Champions League. It denied the club millions of pounds and shaded our trump card in to be used in attracting players, but in reality we’re not a Champions League team this season. The Europa’ gave us an opportunity to play European football on our level, pick up coefficient points and extended interest after Christmas (if you’re young this won’t mean much, if you’re my age, you’ll recall this being our Holy Grail).
Inter Milan await in the next round. They are also going through a rebuilding exercise and are as vulnerable to lesser-resourced teams as Celtic – so unlike Juventus two years ago – we have a sporting chance.
The tactical direction of the club is visibly distinct from what went before Ronny. Is this a good thing? Probably. Neil Lennon and his players over-achieved in their first Champions League season on a scale it’s difficult to measure. That squad had no right to reach the levels they did; theirs was a herculean effort. Play Matthews at left back, alongside a central pair of Wilson and Ambrose. Put Miku up front, with Mulgrew and Ledley in the middle – then go beat Barcelona. It was beyond impossible.
Barca, Ajax and Milan were prepared for Celtic last season; we finished bottom, out of ideas and direction on that stage. We needed to change, same again wasn’t going to wash.
Ronny’s played a high-pressing game, mostly with players who are unaccustomed to the demands of this game-plan. This has been a mistake on several occasions, most notably against Legia and Maribor. He’s working on player fitness, but in all likelihood it will take the next two transfer windows before he can craft the squad into the shape he wants it to be.
We’re halfway through the season and, with Aberdeen playing before us tomorrow, there’s a chance they could go top of the table, for a couple of hours, anyway. That’s not good enough, by any measure. Notwithstanding the revamp, we should have done better in the Champions League qualifiers and we should be further ahead in the league, but the fundamentals remain intact:
We needed to start post-Neil Lennon with a new tactical strategy.
Trying hard not to be disrespectful to Aberdeen, but we’re going to win the league.
We’re in both cup competitions.
We remain in the Europa League.
I was happy with the direction we took in appointing Ronny Deila and remain so. The problems of the last six months could be classified as First World Problems. We’ll get over them, while others watch on from the Other Worlds.
Have a Happy Celtic New Year, strap in and enjoy the ride, I promise it’ll be a great one.
Sale on at CQNBookstore, fill your stockings.
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Robert
As the wee priest at St Michael’s park head.
PL told him he wanted them back..
It wasn’t during confession so he can tell you without breaking his vows. 8))
robert88
20:16 on 1 January, 2015
blantyretim is praying for the Knox family
Your’e missing the point, no matter what you or i say or the board, you cannot change the minds of people who think and feel they are still Rangers. Its futile and pointless for PL to sit there smugly and say you arent the same, cheats liars etc.
Wouldn’t that fuel your line of assaults, knife attacks even more?
I cant remember PL ever saying we need them back, suggesting there is a 10m shortfall without them is merely stating facts. you can read into that all you want.
__________________
If our board made a statement to call out Doncaster on his p**h it wouldn’t change anything that the hun hoarders will commit.
As for the 10 million down…if thems are allowed to slinger back and get into a position of the CL doesn’t that wipe out that benefit? HH
!!Bada Bing!!
The 10m shortfall I’ve mentioned above, merely stating facts, the DD statement ill read or listen to, wording may have been twisted, didn’t say they were for example?
Who is it then?
Celtic shrinking for a reason, I don’t know what it is yet.
Celtic isnae like any other.
One thing howevaaaaah, Celtic is growing in fertile lands that need help, because of sites like CQN.
A Great crowd had gathered…..
Awe naw
Capello is correct
We dont have the same player/wow factor we used to have
I just want us out of this setup
BRTH @ 18:50,
My nap over, clear & concise as always, can’t believe we’re on the same page so to speak…..100% agreed…..however cue the SMSM overdrive pushing Dungcaster’s agenda, unless there’s a heavy-hitting journalist that smells the obvious dead rat & calls him on it…..or maybe, just maybe Santa does exist and has answered my letter, and the Celtic bored will call him out…..
dreamersCSC
H.H.
robert88-DD was interviewed on STV News about 18 months ago,while he was golfing at St Andrews (or Carnoustie), might be on youtube.We have different opinions mate,but the longer Doncaster and his media cohorts,spin the lie,the more bhoys are thinking the same as me.HH
Jim Traynor back in circulation
An unprompted evangelisation from Doncaster.
Coincidence?
Nah…….
If in doubt
Just dinnae expect an immediate response, like this instant World now.
Test Cricket is a lot more interesting to me than 20 overs, no Time taken over anything now.
Brth.
Earlier summation regarding Doncaster proclamation. Quite excellent ta.
I had to laugh when others suggested we needed some legal eyes to review the scripts of the advert.
Obviously not knowing your former occupation. On that point could you oblige please by getting key jungle to scan over it please.
-)))
Stringer…………..
agreed.
Murdoch McGrain Larsson:
Yes your dad is correct: http://www.thecelticwiki.com/page/Gallacher%2C+Patsy
!!Bada Bing!!
I am more suspicious than most and look for facts rather than opinion a hunch to then go on and condemn someone especially our board and in most cases PL.
Aw naw
AW NAW
You know when the questions get tough. i.e to dind answers playing the man or smearing him is very unbecoming of a true tim. I am not saying that you are but it is a trait if the happy clapper mo
hahaha you don’t do irony then………..
Robert
Fact is PL told the pp at St Michael’s he wanted them back..
Some of the replies to the author of the article by Rev Cambell are surreal
this guy describes himself as journalist
Steven Turdson
@TurdsonNews
Freelance British sports journalist. . Motherwell FC supporter. stevetnews@wordpress.com
Steven Turdson @TurdsonNews 2m2 minutes ago
@WingsScotland Rangers FC is more than a club. It’s a tradition of Britishness and Protestantism. Thus, #RFC will never die.
Details
Steven Turdson @TurdsonNews 4m4 minutes ago
@WingsScotland you cannot liquidate a heritage, a brethren, a way of life. The company died, the history remains undefeated.
adi_dasler
20:31 on 1 January, 2015
Awe naw
Capello is correct
We dont have the same player/wow factor we used to have
I just want us out of this setup
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I want us to stay and rebuild Scottish Fitba. I know we need to get the Aberdeens and Dundee Utds in and competing in the Europa League for this to be a real revival.
I want both those teams to hammer the tribute club just as much as Celtic, arguably they have just as big a grievance as every Celtic supporter, in my Lifetime.
blantyretim is praying for the Knox family
I’m sure that’s 100% correct!
robert88-your defence of PL is admirable,and is your right.I think the support is being $#@$/# over.HH
http://www.thefootballlife.co.uk/post/106823874941/parity-booking-how-to-perceive-a-scottish
On what some may call a “title race” that’s really just a title race.
The Glorious Balance Sheet 18.59
I don`t agree with statements that “it has nothing to do with us.” There is no deterrent to stop clubs from racking up huge debts and building up teams that are way beyond their means to unfairly win trophies and prize money
========================================
What enables this same club nonsense and the possibility of the financial doping scenario you painted above repeating itself is a divergence between the principles that UEFA have enshrined in their FFP and SFA/SPFL rules.
Those principles must be adopted, embraced AND policed by the SFA (for as time will tell the SFA are poor at policing). The same club myth can be killed off by introducing FFP Article 12 into our rules.
Chapter 2: Licence Applicant and Licence
Article 12 – Definition of licence applicant
1 A licence applicant may only be a football club, i.e. a legal entity fully responsible for a football team participating in national and international competitions which
either:
a) is a registered member of a UEFA member association and/or its affiliated league (hereinafter: registered member); or
b) has a contractual relationship with a registered member (hereinafter: football company).
2 The membership and the contractual relationship (if any) must have lasted – at the start of the licence season – for at least three consecutive years. Any alteration to the club’s legal form or company structure (including, for example,
changing its headquarters, name or club colours, or transferring stakeholdings between different clubs) during this period in order to facilitate its qualification on
sporting merit and/or its receipt of a licence to the detriment of the integrity of a competition is deemed as an interruption of membership or contractual relationship (if any ) within the meaning of this provision.
—————–
My thinking for what it is worth, is that all football supporters in Scotland are 4 or 5 months away from ST renewal. If we had an objective, like making purchase of STs conditional on the introduction of Article 12 in particular and the financial fair play principles regarding income to spend, tailored for the domestic game (which I understand from a post on TSFM by Barcabhoy is being resisted in some parts of the game) then we will have the same leverage that caused the SPL to act properly the last time they and SFA attempted to swerve integrity.
I was encouraged by an e mail to Hearts on TSFM
http://www.tsfm.scot/a-sanity-clause-for-xmas/comment-page-15/#comment-40519
because whilst I think Celtic as the club with most supporters should be showing more leadership, other clubs need to get behind whoever does take the lead in order to change the culture that wishes to anchor Scottish football to the past.
Only the provenance of certain documentation is keeping the public lid on what happened behind the scenes at the SFA in 2011 and 2012, but if the story that documentation tells gets articulated and more widely disseminated in the coming months, then a number of supporters, including those of TRFC who will be protected by the introduction FFP (if they can stand what that also means in football success terms), will not want to renew STS without some commitment and timetable to bring in FFP domestically.
This is not a cry to boycott to be clear, it just means that if nothing is done to refute the case that LNS was misled (and SPFL lawyers failed to do that and have dumped it on the SFA) and the SPFL do not declare the LNS Decision meaningless because it was misled and contrived by the omission and clubs do not support a demand for the urgent introduction of FFP Article 12 AND break even rules tailored to the domestic game THEN those supporters for whom loyalty to their club is more important than fair play will buy STs and those for whom an honest game is paramount will not.
It is simply giving supporters of all clubs the chance to make up their own minds based on the information provided if they are paying to watch a fair game.
BCW
I certainly dont feel that I do. If you can highlight where I have. I will try and desist. If you cant, Is that the end of our debate ?
HH
blantyretim is praying for the knox family
20:05 on 1 January, 2015
Absolutely spot ….. they would shame all the devil’s in hell…
on, even
67heaven
Good start to the new year, we agree on something 8))
!!Bada Bing!!
Its a shame you feel that way like many others, I don’t feel statements left right and centre will realign disenchanted fans t come back.
Neil Doncaster’s comments today bring the whole of Scottish football into disrepute. Was he speaking for himself … or is this the official position of the rest of the member clubs?
http://www.onfieldsofgreen.com/a-moment-of-clarity/
Roberttressel,
You are a plain speaker, every bit as Awesome as philvis.
I hope to see more of you, I know you have avowed to spend less time, on CQN.
Interesting the Awesome philvisreturns was also on fleetingly.
Both you guys made CQN for moi personally.
HNY and the Very best wishes to both of you, and familys.
Craigy Whyte on film4 now
Slumdog millionaire
BT
Have you got your Showaddywaddy shirt on
Soal
That was sooooo last year….
robert88-I agree mate,a definitive
statement from Scotland’s biggest Club,could and would have let us all know their stance.That horse has bolted,as Cowiebhoy has said,a simple ‘welcome to Scottish Football paragraph on the Club website,before their first game v Brechin would have sufficed.HH
Awe_Naw
Dunno if you are being serious “highlight where”……….read your paragraph.
Your reference to “slandered”, apologies if you feel so, can you help me with how you arrived at that one ?
Incidentally, you seem quick to ask questions but don’t answer.
Foggy Dew
Not much done today, so busy day tomorrow. Night Night Timland.
Weefra HH praying to Wee Oscar.
off subject looking for a bit of advice, Im getting pop ups when using Firefox,i have run my mcaffee security scan , not identifying any problems, I have just had a suspicious looking survey offering me £85 to complete about CQN, anyone know what I should do