Newco won 3-0, hit the woodwork twice, had an incredible 24 shots on goal and 9 on target. Their stand-in goalkeeper’s only job of the day was the parry a shot from Reo Hatate that was hit into the ground.
Before we get into what went wrong, let’s put some boundaries on it. Cameron Carter-Vickers was outstanding. Kasper Schmeichel was faultless throughout. None of the forwards contributed anything to the game against a defence who scarcely knew each other, but Celtic so seldom got the ball into advanced areas, we need to conclude the substantive issue lies elsewhere.
Just as in the League Cup Final, and in the Champions League against Brugge and Dinamo Zagreb, Celtic were allowed plenty of the ball. In the 12 games since beating Leipzig, we have had at least 60% possession, which is both remarkable and informative, considering the battering we took yesterday.
We have been figured out. Allow Celtic possession in their own half, man-mark in the middle of the park and press when they approach halfway. Get the ball forward early and if Carter-Vickers cannot shut you down, you are in with a chance.
Brugge, Zagreb, Newco (twice), Dundee United clearly understood this. The 0-2 win at Kilmarnock and the 3-0 over Hibs were bizarre results against weaker teams who played the same tactics as Newco. Comfortable home wins over Ross County, Motherwell and St Johnstone flattered Celtic. The wins over Hearts (1-4) and Aberdeen (0-1) I’ll leave open to interpretation.
Newco’s first goal yesterday came from the same source as their second at Hampden (intercepting a Liam Scales pass). Their second yesterday and third at Hampden came from corners – the only two goals Newco have scored from corners in over 200 attempts. Their third goal yesterday was a copy of their opener at Hampden – anticipate a pass, break quickly and score with the second ball. They can successfully replicate plays against us.
It is all about the system.
Man-for-man, yesterday’s full strength Celtic are significantly stronger than Newco’s makeshift lineup. The system is making good players look bad. Watch great teams. 99% of what they do looks easy, because it is easy. It is easy because their system ensures that players in possession have a low risk/reward ratio when choosing a pass. We have substantial evidence that Celtic players’ risk/reward ratio is high. In possession, teammates offer few safe options.
This has two consequences:
1. We face a high volume of dangerous turnovers against better teams.
2. We find it difficult to progress the ball to the front line against almost everyone.
“Individual errors”, “lack of composure”, “poor passing” can happen in any game. When these things are persistent, as they now are at Celtic, and does not reflect players recent ability, the issue is systemic. “It is all about the system.”
On Tuesday I wrote that Brendan is a “master tactician” as he got the job done on tight occasions last year. His system has been exposed repeatedly over the last two months and needs urgent revision. Best of luck to those who want to have a chat to him about it.
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How about KT and Jota down the left and AJ and Kuhn down the right? Kyogo might get some decent service from that crew 😄
I think my mother once said to me, what’s seldom is wonderful, and that certainly was the case with Rangers yesterday. Playing crap for most of the season, possibly a bit better in Europe and fourteen points behind, Celtic thought they just had to turn up or looked that way to me. I just could not see us losing that match, yes COMPLACENCY. We were never iin the contest so no complaints.
Why has there been very little reference to Arne Engels collapse after being struck by a metal piece in a highly dangerous area just beside the eye, the lad was lucky to escape really serious injury but hardly getting a mention but like a lot of things pushed under the carpet and forgotten about .
Regarding Tierney ,why would Celtic sign another James McCarthy,Celtic should be looking at the Hearts left back Penrice.
Timbhoy
Agreed we should be looking at better players and not just adding to a very high wage bill.
Celtic should contact Aberdeen, if they ever feel the need to release a statement about anything.
Maybe the KT deal has been in the pipeline for a while and that’s why GT is not for signing.
I’ve heard that GT wants out of Scotland for “family reasons”
KT and GT sharing LB duties would be the dream team!
KT & AV would also be first class- with six months to either sign AV, or, find a replacement. James Penrice of Hearts could be the quick-fire back-up answer – not a dissimilar profile to GT when he was signed.
Would Arsenal let KT go on a free if Celtic cover the last six months wages and any previously agreed loyalty bonus? Total c£5m.
If Celtic paid him £50k/week over three year contract = £7.5m – so a grand total cost to Celtic of £12.5m.
Could be funded by selling Bernabei £4.5, Palma £3m – Welsh, Largerbeilke, Nawrocki and Holm moved out, a mixture of fees and wages saved – all current non-starters therefore no loss to squad.
No doubt if KT/Arsenal are willing a deal can be done, but does it make good business sense for Celtic? It would certainly re-grab the headlines(and set the blogs alight) if it did HH
Being assaulted at your place of work is a breach of the Health and Safety at work Act, the Players Union need to be bringing a case due to this, although Wishart was/is the top man up here.
Think Kinglubo got it right.
Ayebrokes is a dangerous place for our players and staff never mind our supporters.
As things stand we will have to play one more game there this season.
Our Board should state now that we are not going back there this season on safety grounds. And if that means giving up three points then that is the price we have to pay. Will cost the SPL a whole lot more when the broadcasters get the news. The SFA will do nothing, the SPL will do nothing, GCC will do nothing and the John Swinney will do the sum total of nothing. Time we did something.
Celtic paying anyone 50k is delusional. 12.5m by your calculations would also kill any deal for me.
RC @ 2:42 PM,
“is LS just doing what he is instructed to do ie pass the ball to our captain even when he is surrounded by the opposition other than thinking for himself and looking further upfield for the easier pass.”
Apologies for the curt reply to your comment earlier this afternoon – it is a very reasonable observation.
Hail Hail
Celtic won’t be paying £50k per week for any player , anytime soon.
TT
If the SFA, Police Scotland & Ibrox club can guarantee the safety of our players & staff we forfeit the fixture. It’s been escalating each game.
As such no away fans will be allowed in Celtic Park.
Cannot !!
Overseas with poor internet signal in this restaurant
Tim Bhoy
KT is the finished article … the Penrice is not in the same league
I was worried Emery (Villa manager) would go for KT
Arteta is a rocket KT would start with most teams in the EPL … the arsenal fans don’t want him to leave
Penrice fae Hearts over a Scottish international
Always thought you were a bit of a plant, at least it’s football related and not the stadium
😂😂😂😂😂
Who out there that we can get is better than KT.
you better get used to the idea 🏌️♂️
Gerwin’s got the edge music wise
The White Stripes – Seven Nation Army
KINGLUBO @ 5.08.
I agree with all your points.
I didn’t watch the game but had it on ‘record’ in the event we won. We didn’t – so immediate deletion !
But just speaking to a mate who explained that Sky seemed to be working overtime in attempting to cut the extremities of their songbook. One example being ‘no Pope of Rome’ where the f-word in the last line ( f- your rosary beads) was cut out/muffled.
There should be no cutting or muffling anything out. Their songbook is what it is. Viewers in England and beyond are entitled to hear the undiluted version(s) of their songs, and then make a fully informed decision as to what they do. Their ‘European songbook’ is different as they know there are consequences. Not so in Scozia.
Given their general level of intolerance towards Fenians/RC’s, why don’t they just return to their “no RC’s” signing policy if it bothers them so much.
With reference to NPOR, I often wonder why an Argentinian with a 100% Italian bloodline should be their target. I thought it was the Irish they had a problem with, as if that somehow makes it ok.
Finally, well done to Graham Spiers for his posts in highlighting this subject so fearlessly.
RC on 3RD JANUARY 2025 2:42 PM
is LS just doing what he is instructed to do ie pass the ball to our captain even when he is surrounded by the opposition other than thinking for himself and looking further upfield for the easier pass.
————
I was thinking that myself. How much free rein do players have?
Surely at some point someone should be thinking, let’s get the ball behind their defence, or let’s skip the midfield?
*I haven’t seen the game because i was working
And cant bring myself to watch the highlights, but reading on here….
As an aside…
A friend recently retired from juniors and says a problem with some of the youngsters is that they are great with the ball but sometimes don’t have the savvy to play the game a different way to what they’ve been coached.
Could be a youngster thing, could be a Scottish thing, or may not even be a thing…
BTW celtic have a shiteload of money in the bank and will be getting a lot more before the season is out with champions league money and player sales etc…
Celtic is a football club not a bank. We should be signing the best players available to us. KT is a 27 year old outstanding leftback who has won multiple league titles with us, champions league experience, is an fa cup winner, has 120+ games in the epl, 20+ games in Spanish top flight. He could easily get a move to a richer club in a better league. The only reason he would even consider coming is cause he is one of our own. I don’t give a monkeys what anyone say, KT improves our team up a level or two. He is an excellent defender and has very good delivery, something very sorely missed down our left hand side.
HH
Whilst i agree that BR/JK etc should have seem their performance coming he has been able to change our style Im Europe so I have faith in him to sort us out again.
IBWT – as someone on here likes to say 👍🏻
Evening all.
KT, coming home, FANTASTIC.
Six months wages?
DD I suspect will cover that. After that It’s up to KT’s team.
Noticed that when Taylor was subbed yesterday he was not a happy Bhoy, maybe he knows what’s coming.
HH
I am probably be the least well qualified to diagnose the source of Celtic’s collapse at Ibrox yesterday. But there were aspects of the team’s play which were unusual. On a number of occasions when Rangers won the ball in midfield they were then practically through on goal. (Shades of the 4 v 1 situation in the LCF.). Both Kuhn and Maeda had the most miserable of afternoons. Liam has so often been a hero but his passing game deserted him when most needed. A word on the manager: last season BR salvaged a double when some had lost faith. The chances are he will do likewise or better this season.
BELMONTBRIAN @ 8:48 PM,
Noticed that…
GT’s on the pitch petulance has certainly diminished, but that attitude isn’t going to get him the bumper new contract he wants at Celtic
Of course if he goes, it will leave us with Valle for the UCL games later this month.
On KT.
His six months wages, any compo to Arsenal can be dealt with during the signing on negotiations.
He is still a eight figure player, £5mn layout to cover that is still a bargain in my book.
Hail Hail
Belmont Brian 8.48pm
I got introduced to your good lady just before Christmas in her workplace… that’s MissGFTB now got a permanent weekend job next her mum and your better half (obviously school comes first) but we are delighted she has been applying for jobs as soon as she turned 16 :-)
Chairboy
Either you don’t go to any of the games or you don’t watch them objectively.
The last 12 weeks has shown a worrying decline in our performance against inferior opposition in terms of squad values and pedigree.
This reached a new and all too predictable low on Thursday against a team and club who were on their uppers and who have a squad value significantly lower than ours.
Dress it up how you want but there was no one who could not see how rangers were going to play and the only man who mattered seemed to not have considered a plan B or C to meet and best this eventuality with our vastly stronger resources.
Clearly you did not watch any of these recent games and see this particular train wreck coming. Just as you seem to think a better squad means a squad which costs us more than the others. That to me is the basic David Murray and Dick Advocaat school of football stewardship. An ego driven strategy which led them over the precipice.
Brendan will ruin KT just like he ruined £10 million on 2 centre halfs Nawrocky and Lagerbiekle.
The manager is supposed to put the foot down if someone else is has gone rogue with his budget.
That’s 2 CH’s ruined at a cost of £10 million wages etc. Just like he ruined £11 million on the misfit Engels, and another £10 million on square peg in a round hole, Idah, who is now as useless as Kyogo and Maeda have become under BR.
At a real and serious club BR would have been sacked when he started his whining pish “Ah didny buy they players” and his wee behind the couch drip feed games.
BR immediately started his childish breadcrumbs trail games saying he didny buy the players in one of his 5D chess games, instead of speaking in a straight line and telling fans that the Lawwell’s spaffed your money up a wall.
In a club run by crooked, deceptive, multi £millionaire, and £billionaire liars, only a fool would have faith.
Of course Johnny Kenny and Dane Murray returning to Celtic…
Be interesting if they can ruffle a few first team feathers.
Hail Hail
Any sign of anyone from our management group highlighting the brutality dished out to our star player yesterday? And asking why it was ignored by ref and var ?
You highlight this stuff when we win.
Unfortunately we don’t do it often enough.
Jefte had 3 attempts on Khun.
He missed with a kick, but eventually got him with a forearm.
It’s just a constant bashing from you regarding our management team. Paul has certainly got you on board
BURNLEY78 @ 9:04 PM,
Yesterday I watched the match with half a dozen top bhoys and a proper Evertonian
Thanks for your concern but most of these ghuys I’ve been watching Celtic with for twenty odd years…
Actually I’ve watched every minute of all of our recent games…
You will have had a better view being at Ibrox, but it still doesn’t mean I can’t figure out the woods from the trees.
Brendan Rodgers is a very good manager, with a squad that is a work in progress, I expected a blip and not only that predicted a blip…
It looks like Brendan Rodgers has secured the services of a top quality left back, our recruitment has been top notch, yet we need time and coaching to get our consistency right.
The team that played Leipzig off the park and held firm in Bergamo has not become a bad team in the last few months.
Improvement is needed – Improvement will come.
Watching a Glasgow Derby with real Celtic supporters… priceless.
Hail Hail
BURNLEY78 @ 9:07 PM,
Just googled Celtic Chairman and no, nothing.
Maybe we get Lord Reid back…
Hail Hail
KT,nah,dont want him.
Jota.Apart from myself, and a few others,apathy.
Sometimes you just have to think,Just WTF is wrong with some fans.
Despite KT’s physical frailties, he is a top-drawer player so that can only be a good thing for squad quality.
But speaking systemically, is he able/practiced at playing the inverted and foraging roles our current FB are encouraged to play? I haven’t seen him at Arsenal but recall him as more a pacey, up-the-line forager.
PS: Watch this for a dying seconds bicycle kick goal, which also got the young player sent aff:
https://aleagues.com.au/videos/id/incredible-goal-jordan-lautons-95th-minute-bicycle-kick-wins-it-for-western-united/6366649469112/
DESSYBHOY on 3RD JANUARY 2025 7:49 PM
Celtic paying anyone 50k is delusional. 12.5m by your calculations would also kill any deal for me.
————-
Callum is reputedly on £35k. is that so very far away?
Apparently KT is on c£100k at Arsenal, average for an EPL top six club – if, as reported, talks are ongoing, what weekly wage do you think might be being discussed?
Paying GT £20k/week would cost us £3m over a three year period. Looks like that’s not on the cards. Would KT drop to that?
As I said earlier, moving on 4/5 of the squad would free-up the required c£12.5m. So if we forget about the headline figure and think of best use of resources then maybe a deal will be done.
I can understand you being unsure if Celtic will pay £50k/week, apart from anything else it may have an inflationary effect on squad wages and could cause unrest.
How much do you think we are paying £10m+ Engels & Idah? How much for £6m+ CCV & Trusty? How much for new contracts for AJ & Kühn? Wages have increased at Celtic Park – is £50k a step too far?
How much do we want KT? How much does KT want us? We wait and see HH.
BURNLEY78 @ 9:04 PM,
…“That to me is the basic David Murray and Dick Advocaat school of football stewardship. An ego driven strategy which led them over the precipice.”
If you think that Celtic PLC are going to go down the route of SDM, Dick Advocaat football club management, you know very little of the way Celtic have been run over the last thirty years.
There is no way our Principal Shareholder is going to allow that to happen.
Hail Hail
For a boy of 17 ,to go on that stage and do that is unbelievable
Jobo Baldie
January 3, 2025 9:37 pm
*SENTINEL CELTS PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2024-25*
*RESULTS FROM GAME #29 SEVCO 3 CELTIC 0*
Good evening, friends.
In my opinion we have just watched the worst performance of Brendan 2.0’s reign, even eclipsing Dortmund. In my head I was ticking off each individual player making unforced errors and about 30 minutes in I was able to shout ‘full house’. Despite thinking we couldn’t play as bad in the second half we gave that our best shot! When the highlights are 1 brilliant tackle and 1 real moment of genius that was from an offside position then we truly didn’t deserve anything from the game. It could have been worse than 3-0.
The total votes shown below don’t reconcile arithmetically with the number who emailed their nominations. Many voters only suggested 2 names, several just nominated 1 and a few more just wanted me to know that they always try to vote but simply couldn’t offer any names for this game. And thanks to the voter who made me smile by nominating ‘Trusty, Palma and Ralston’.
We have now played 29 games this season, winning 21, drawing 6 and losing 2. We have scored 79 and conceded 23 (domestically it’s 69-13 and in Europe it’s 10-10).
Thanks this time round to the 49 who voted. The total votes cast for each player are as follows, with my own nominations asterisked.
Schmeichel: 34
Johnston: 6
Carter-Vickers*: 46
Scales: 0
Taylor*: 16
McGregor: 5
Bernardo: 4
Hatate: 0
Kuhn: 1
Kyogo*: 7
Maeda: 0
Idah: 0
McCowan: 2
Valle: 9
Engels: 0
And so, the players receiving POINTS for the game against Triggers Broom FC are –
Carter-Vickers – 5 Points
Schmeichel – 4 points
Taylor – 3 points
Valle – 2 points
Kyogo – 1 point
And the overall positions after 29 games played are –
47 points – Kuhn
41 points – Bernardo, Scales
36 points – Hatate, Schmeichel
34 points – Maeda
33 points – McGregor
28 points – Engels
22 points – Carter-Vickers, Trusty
21 points – Johnston A
17 points – Valle
16 points – McCowan
14 points – Kyogo, Taylor
7 points – O’Riley
5 points – Idah
4 points – Forrest
3 points – Welsh
1 point – Yang
0 points – Holm, Johnston M., Nawrocki, Palma, Ralston, Turley
Next up is a home league game against St Mirren this Sunday with a 3.00pm kick off.
Hail Hail!