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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ight
dessybhoy
21:15 on 1 January, 2015
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
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Spybot search and destroy will get it.
An amazing program, still free as well. ;)
Goodnight Weefrathetim
HH
Robert88
I think our support is split and this may get worse. The club could and should have welded us together. Instead we are left to make assumptions, argument and in-fighting.
In short they could have set the agenda.
Silence will not do.
dessybhoy
21:15 on 1 January, 2015
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
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Run spybot
Then install NoScript and Adblock in Firefox addons.
Freedom is taken for granted.
All these Free Google apps are not free at all. ;))
Bcw
Exactly!
If Doncaster is speaking for the SPFL clubs including Celtic I won’t be back. If he is speaking for himself he should be sacked. Personally I think he knows what is coming ie Rangers 3 the events of last couple of weeks Ashley getting blocked SPFL chasing them for oldco fine convince me of this.
BCW
if you read back I popped out before your last posting to me this afternoon. My post before that to you I am still waiting on my answers. The post that I missed. Thanks for putting it up again contained not even an attempt at any of my questions. It was completely wrong. I have subsequently explained that your punt assertion was a gamble. You seem to think I was using it as a “barb”
So back to the very iriginal question that you never answered due to your propebsity for personalities rather than points raised.
Do you consider this “punt” as good custodianship ?
I feel I deserve more than a one word answer or another attempt by you to tplay the nan rather than the ball. It was a sinple enough question.
HH
Great wee poem and song about Scotlands greatest freedom fighter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYH5h-5Dz40
NotMad
Hi-diddle-dee-dee(tis an actors life for me)
19:12 on 1 January, 2015
The game was up when, Aberdeen fans came to Celtic Park and waved a banner stating – “Your Silence is Deafening!”
This was after the LNS verdict.
If I was an Aberdeen fan at that time, I would have thought that with Celtic FC’s silence that, the O## F### was alive and well and that, one side was as corrupt as the other.
Would I have been wrong to think that?
Not been on for a while – Happy New Year to all on CQN.
=============================================
Happy new Year to you.
And yes, you have been WRONG to think that.
By making any proclamation on the fortunes of the Penny Dreadful, Celtic PLC would associate themselves with that murder of eternal losers across the city.
The financial markets, whose mercy any PLC is at, wouldn’t react well to Celtic couching themselve in some petty, parochial points-scoring exrecise to pander to the particular egotistical needs of a few needy supporters.
Better that Celtic act like the grown-up professional organistation they need to be, and give NO recognition to the festering comic-tragedy in Govan.
The same supporters who demand a statement of irrelevance from Celtic about the current Zombie incarnation are the same supporters who bleat long and loud about Celtic even mentioning them in ticketing/fixtures; if only they could do irony…
The case against celtic per, and those who operate it, is being built day by day, largely be the club’ s refusal to speak out against the lies and corruption. I understand that there are times silence and reflection are called for. But at a certain point, silence becomes acquiescence.
We are well pst that point.
We knew that, at some point, the league, Sevco’s and those who support them, would come out with this sort of statement.
This is a watershed moment for celtic. Which side are we on?
Rangers’ history and their integrity are clearly for sale to anyone for a few shillings. I always thought that was what made us different from them.
Personally, unless the board comes out now and strongly rejects ND’s statement, I think this board will, in the long run be seen as quizlings whose conduct (putting money over what is right) disgraces the memory of brother walfrid, and the many good celtic fans who stood up for something more than money.
!!Bada Bing!!
21:07 on
1 January, 2015
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
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There was no need at that time as everyone thought it was a new club.
The same club notion came about a good few weeks later.
dena29
Night “G”. :-)))
Weefra HH praying to Wee Oscar.
Sandman
When the CEO of the SPFL is saying you can ditch millions of debt and carry on as the same club should not go unchallenged. If Celtic are comfortable with this statement it is a slap in the face to guy’s like me that have paid money into a bent game for years.
auldheid-it would have saved all this nonsense mateHH
Auldheid :
Crucial point and well made mate. At that time the media, Green himself and the other clubs had all made the position crystal clear.
There was NO ambiguity about this at the time.
Doncaster’s comments today are crawling right out on the limb. It’s long overdue for someone to saw the branch off.
auldheid-would be interesting to find out if Annan, were given a welcome message on the Club website?
Awe_Naw
“Completely wrong”………..in your opinion of course. Yhere’s no pint in debating with you on that matter.
As stated you ain’t too good at answering things so don’t expect the same courtesy back.
Propensity of personalities” mmmmmmm, as mentioned you don’t do irony……
Play the man rather than the ball……….lets’ not wriggle out of that one again here it is:
“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”
“True Tim”……..jeez.
Peter lawwell has just came out and said Doncaster talks a lot of shite and the Huns are deid.
What does it change ??????
James, Auldhied,
Surely there is a case here that Doncasters position is untenable.
If he has made these statements without consultation with his Board?
Or has he? Were these statements made with the blessing of the SPFL Board?
I know you won’t know the answer to that, but I hope you see the point I’m making.
dessybhoy
Survey has nothing to do with CQN – ignore it.
WeefratheTim
:-))
KTF even though its difficult
HH
Hun Skelper, it would give me confidence in the integrity of my Club, if not the organisations that run our sport in this country.
hun skelper
The club would be telling the truth.
That’s against the lies, distortion et-al that is being perpetrated.
Doc:
Yeah 100%. If his statement wasn’t cleared with the board and the member clubs first then I think his goose ought to be cooked.
Then again, we’re way down the line on that one … and he’s still standing.
BCW
look up the definition of punt. The word that you chose not me.
I think we will end this debate here for the sake of the blog.
Have a nice evening and a happy new year to you.
HH
Doc
If he made these comments with board approval including Celtic the games up for me. If he made these comments off his own back he should be sacked.
Seem to recognise all those typos………..
James Forrest @ 21:02
As usual, an articulate, graphic and scathing indictment of the perjurious utterances of the CEO of the SPFL.
I just trust this finds its way to the CEOs / Chairmen of all SPFL clubs and has the desired effect.
Keep up the good work HH
James, he ain’t the only one that should have been long gone.
Campbell, yer teas oot!!!!!
Good article btw.
Awe_Naw
Run off then…………like I
AidenBhoy, that really is what I was getting at.
If he has spoken out of turn, he has to go, when this first broke earlier I said his position has to be untenable.
If this has been done with the backing of the clubs, all of them, not singling Celtic out, then the games a bogey.
Hun skelper
The CEO the SPFL has just said you can ditch millions of debt and carry on as the same club . Mark my words insolvency event at Sevco shortly punishment at discretion of SPFL board as per the new rules. Rangers 3 in championship at worst.
Modern Celtic are rubbish
Awe_Naw
Run off then …………like I mentioned you have plenty of questions and few answers……you still haven’t stated were you were “slandered” ? Ain’t you going to oblige ?
Remember you brought the issue on, after I posted about the Record attacking the Celtic, nothing more, nothing less.
Goodnight to you.
Modern Celtic PLC are Old Firm
Old firm lovers
Old firm supporters
Old firm scum