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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italiabhoy
09:25 on 2 January, 2015
Think ‘wings over Scotland’ may have been alluding to the political agenda favouring the NO vote….
So Doncaster returns to centre stage with his usual misguided, dangerous, incompetent not fit for purpose Fantasy Island rambling and the questions are; why now and who put him up to it??
It’s all in the timing eh Neil…
ItaliaBhoy
09:25 on
2 January, 2015
The “Wings Over Scotland” article is good in skewering the breath-taking nonsense that Doncaster has served up, and the pitiful dereliction of duty from the BBC’s man.
But the comparison with September 18 are false. I’d suggest the biggest whoppers in the referendum campaign came from the Yes side.
* The UK will agree to a currency union
* Independence doesn’t mean a break in EU membership (curiously similar to all the Old Club New Club nonsense!)
and, the biggest of the lot…
* Scotland can expect a second oil boom. (The crude oil price has halved in 4 months).
==============================
Spot on IB, muchos revisionism from the separatists since they lost the vote.
The article was very good until the flawed analogy
joe filippis haircut
09:43 on 2 January, 2015
Happy New Year, my Mhan…..it would not be in the best interest of Board to remain silent on this revelation ……the governing body are telling porkies again, and we’re not accepting all their shoite any longer……. and if I’m thinking of packing it all in, then there must be a good few others of similar mind ……. I will not attend football matches governed by corruption…
bawsman
09:53 on 2 January, 2015
Did you, by any chance, vote no..?
Celtic FC, as part of the SPFL, must be asked if they agree with the statement made by Neil Doncaster, head of the SPFL, no ifs no buts do you agree or not? por cierto
lilys grandpa,
Thank you.
HH jamesgang
starry plough
09:52 on 2 January, 2015
James Forrest feels it could be a ‘positioning’ statement in anticipation of sevco being liquidated shortly …..
Hello this is WEE BGFC. What I am asking is: is there any word on the reschedule of the partick game?
Does anyone have JP’s email address…?
Weet weet nice one !!
Pod I
Apology accepted.
Unreservedly.
I was just a bit perplexed by your response to be honest.
HH jamesgang
67Heaven … I am Neil Lennon ….The angels are with Wee Oscar in Heaven.. Ibrox belongs to the creditors
Just read James’s article there, doing my wee catch up:))
Any word yet if Doncaster was speaking for himself or for the member clubs, jotters if he was speaking for himself surely?
STARRY PLOUGH
IMO,it’s curtains for him if he did not have approval of the SPFL to say what he did. Especially in his official capacity.
Worth noting that he levered the statement into the interview,not by answering a question about it.
Quick quiz question.
Who wrote this?
‘Rangers (and Celtic) supporters are collaborators with an occupying army, and the sooner they and their flags are banished the sooner my country can hold its head high in the world.’
Of course,maybe Doncaster has ‘gone native’
It was New Years Day. Mibbe he was just pished…
Who would liquidate The Rangers? Whose interests would it be in? Who would make money out of it – and who would lose money? Those are the key questions.
ERNIE LYNCH
Wings Over Scotland.
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS
10:12 on 2 January, 2015
ERNIE LYNCH
Wings Over Scotland.
###
We have a winner.
quantum
09:09 on 2 January, 2015
Excellent post
ERNIE LYNCH
Been reading that site for quite a while. Always good for a laugh.
It’s like Dave MacSpart.
Cracking match in Dundee yesterday, tell you what I’d swap Forest plus cash for Mackay-Stevens in an instant. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Cvp8Ew_Vjs
67 Heaven. Happy New Year to you and your family and friends I think you have hit on part of the reason crowds are down at Parkhead.I fully agree with you why pay good money to watch football when you know your team are being cheated and the custodians appear by there silence to be implicated.This has been going on for years and then we get the chance to sort out the corruption once and for all what happens the Celtic Board sit on there hands, H.H.
Gedhed7
The Sydney City CSC meet in Cheers Bar, 561 George St, Sydney. The president is Jim Reilly, more details here: http://www.sydneycitycsc.com
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS
Too many Babychams:))
The fact that this guy holds a CEO position in our national game shows us how far the standing of the game has fallen.
Root&Branchclearoot CSC
sorry – went on the DR site looking for the Doncaster thing – so funny. Aberdeen go top – a massive story, it’s huge, Rangers go into liquidation , clubs are trying to recover from trying to compete with their irrational overspending and lo – recovery , Aberdeen , once a great club are top of the SPL in January – huge story.
What is the DR top story in the football section
IAN BLACK EATS CAKE AT HALF TIME
hahahahahahah !
sorry shouldn’t read it, anybody got the Doncaster thing ?
STARRY PLOUGH
Aye,mate. If Hercules can do it…
Wee BGFC –
no news on the rescheduled date but I don’t imagine it’ll be anytime soon ;-)
sdstim
Wonder how many times he has been played out on the right to come inside onto his left?
Dundee certainly couldn’t deal with it.
Apparently he is available as a bosman.
That might make us interested.
He is Scottish though so then again.
Ah! No change for 2015.
Blog still full of brown brogued and nosed loyalist unionists.
God save your Queen.
MWD said AYE bendy banana brained trumpets
Every one knows they died, Doncaster is just peddling the myth it’s his job that’s what he does talks sh!t
PL will not get involved he has already said where he stands on it with the Rory Bremner remark so it will be left for them who want to believe it and no one can stop some one from what they believe.
I wouldent get to worked up about it, it’s obvious some thing is coming down the line and if it’s administration? Then the points deduction for the what ever the fuxk theyr called should be very interesting indeed after that statement this morning, .
Just saying like, oh and happy new year to all the Tims.
Lurking HUNS GIRFUYs
jobo baldie
10:38 on 2 January, 2015
Wee BGFC –
no news on the rescheduled date but I don’t imagine it’ll be anytime soon ;-)
________________________________________
Hello this is WEE BGFC. Cheers Jobo. :)
Hail Hail
WEE BGFC
So we are back off the top of the league, albeit due to a postponed match, but back off the top.
Project RD is really a big gamble.
WorriedCSC
HH
CRC
Mackay Stevens, would get murderd in a celtic Jersey, it’s different rules when you put that top on in this country Ffs you should all know that.
celticrollercoaster supporting shay,our bhoy wonder along the way
Oh ye of little faith. :)
The Wings over Scotland article highlights the failure of the msm to ask the correct questions, when they have the clear opportunity to do so and bring to task the ramblings of Doncaster.
I’ve read back and pretty much, everybody on here, are looking for the same answers.
Seems though, one poster on here wants to rake up a statement from the past, yes, that does involve our club, but clearly has nothing to do with the current issue, for his own wee anti independence agenda.
Get with the programme Ernie.
Oh and by the way did u enjoy the hootenanny in mcchuills?
I think u where there.
IngocnitoCSC
TD67
Maybe, but it is concerning that we are in this position.
Hope I am wrong but reckon it will go to the wire.
HH
CRC
Afternoon Timland from a freezing hun free mountain valley
I would take GMS on a bosman, doubt he would be injured as much as wee James, then again, he wouldn’t be afforded the protection in a Celtic shirt.
HH