This is one of those hard ties to analyse. AEK were no more than a decent team. Certainly not a clear cut above, and for that reason, the tie remains alive. But despite being preseason, they defended impeccably.
They did their homework. Tom Rogic, who was immense on Saturday, was not given a yard. Celtic opened well with Callum McGregor the principle threat, most often when linking with Kieran Tierney. After those two crafted the opening goal, AEK man-marked McGregor out of the game.
James Forrest was effective when used; it was his change of direction which drew the second yellow card for Galanopoulos, but we were overtly left sided, reducing Forrest’s effectiveness. Olivier Ntcham was our creative fulcrum after McGregor was shut down, but the normally incisive balls into the box didn’t quite come off.
A few early mis-steps from Jack Hendry were not punished, but the resulting nervousness throughout the crowd was clear. Central defenders are crucial to how Celtic play. If you inhibit their willingness to step forward or show for a pass, you inhibit the entire team.
I’m not sure what Kris Ajer thought when he let a cross ball bounce inside the box a minute from the break. It was an inexplicable decision which brought AEK level and changed their game plan for the second half. Even tiring with 10 men, they defended their box flawlessly.
We regularly tried to find Odsonne Edouard with a ball over the top, but invariably found the striker dropping off to take a ball to feet. Nothing seemed to work for him.
A word on Scott Brown. Much of what Scott does is understated but I thought he raised the bar last night. He bossed all his personal challenges.
I called AEK favourites when the draw was made and they are more so now, but they are not Barcelona, circa 2010. We have been here before; no throwing of towels just yet.
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Brendan was out of order using the SMSM to put his message across. Imo he got in early and passed some of the blame for the failure last night onto PL. Brendan praised PL to high doe only six months ago. Since then we have broken our transfer record and secured Rogic for 5 years, at considerable cost. Brendan should deal with all matters in private as he is acutely aware of how the SMSM operate up here.
On the other hand PL has got it wrong with McGinn. He thought the boys head would turn and his form would fall off a cliff. As it happens he played out of his skin and Villa came in. Hibs were staring down a barrel and McGinn bailed them out. For the record I don’t believe the version of events that McGinn went to Villa for first team football. That I believe is nonsense.
What needs to happen now is Brendan and Peter need to sit down and sort this out. McGinn is gone. They need to sit down and identify who are the targets and what is the budget. Agree or disagree but for goodness sake get on the same page. Our business from here on needs to carried out efficiently and transparently to the extend that the Manager is in the loop at all times.
Brendan was out of order but Peter has a lot to answer for too. Flaffing about with transfer targets, playing power games with Hibs, yet sitting back and watching as the football authorities and the Huns piss all over us, flexing none of his muscle, is not a good combination.
on 9th August 2018 12:58 pm
‘So the board are sending out info covertly’
—
To be fair, the Board have always done that.
Otherwise this site wouldn’t exist.
It’s a wee bit different though when they use Shortbread, which is nothing but a lair of huns.
KIKINTHENAKAS on 9TH AUGUST 2018 12:49 PM
Thought Brendan made an error not playing Jozo from the beginning
——-
Big lad who sits next to me, who knows his stuff (he lurks!!!) wondered out loud if BR was making a point starting JH.
HH jg
@ GO TELL THE SPARTIM on 9TH AUGUST 2018 12:51 PM
Agreed.
@ INIQUITOUSIV on 9TH AUGUST 2018 12:46 PM
Agreed.
I know who I would rather lose and it is not BR, time will tell on this but if someone is briefing against him either that person goes or he will
SANDMAN @ 1238
Could not agree more my friend, well said
KINGLuBO
The hands cant hit,
Speculation my ass.That was the price quoted by Hibs.Stop making up stories.The went into a blind panic when only Villa came in,knowing that was it.Celtic,according to Lenny,matched that.How is there a problem here?
Mc Ginn had the choice.The diehard Tim chose Villa.End of story.Get over it.Unlike your hatred of the Board,which sadly,you are stuck with.Do Celtic give you any enjoyment?
KIKINTHENAKAS
We should sell Jozo now, him not starting last night shows to me anyway he has no future with us..
HH
Linked with Ivan Obradovic (one tweet saying he’s just been picked up from airport by Tosh McKinley haha). Left sided Serbian defender from Anderlecht. Played left back in 0-1 defeat to Anderlecht at CP
Celtic’s young defence needed a midfield sheild in front of it, Brendan thought differently.
Brendan’s old club have been to, two European finals, in the three years since Brendan left, join the dots.
@ DAVIDOPOULOS on 9TH AUGUST 2018 1:01 PM
Just trying to promote a good debate!
I do agree that the manager has to be accountable, but I just think that you can’t expect every signing to be a world beater, especially if you are buying guys from Dundee for £1m.
I would also add that on balance, Brendan’s transfers have been very successful and this is before we consider how he has improved the squad he already had.
Who would have thought we could get a combined £16m for Boyata and Armstrong two years ago? Staggering work by Rodgers.
INIQUITOUSIV on 9TH AUGUST 2018 12:46 PM
Spot on.
No way should we have been in the position where we’re having to play two very inexperienced central defenders in games of such importance. What was I thought a good performance was completely undermined by basic defensive errors. Recruiting at the back is now our sole priority in what remains of this window.
On McGinn, I’m not bothered by losing him. We’ve better at the club already. However, our gaffer wanted him and Celtic should have delivered. Seeing him go to Villa for less than 3 million is an insult to Brendan Rodgers.
starry plough on 9th August 2018 1:11 pm
agree re.Jozo. hasn’t looked interested, and has steadily got worse, since his alleged refusal to playon plastic pitch in European tie last season. Pity, he looked the part for a short period in BRs first season.
Emile Legault is 1.91 metres
St DBBIA
All about opinions…
Boyata, Lustig and Gamboa
Are they
a) rubbish ( as we often hear!)
b) a world cup international defender suitable for the Hoops
c) a rubbish world cup international defender?
IMO. We lost a goal and a potential 1-0 victory, last night, due to inexperience and a slip by one of our young centre halves. This could be costly. Would it have been better to play Jozo and/or Boyata? I would say yes ( hindsight a wonderful gift). I wonder what was Brendan’s thinking behind playing Ajer and Hendry?
Re: McGinn; Whilst I do not want to be held to ransom, I think we were caught with our pants down, so I can understand Brendan’s frustration.
So SPLoB, I now formerly rename you, Sir Peter Pantsdown.
Is Willo Flood available?
HH
CRC
Lennybhoy, if you’re on
Any new information on the Anderlecht defender, see we are linked with one of them today on twitter?
The plain truth of the matter is, no matter what side of the fence you sit, whether you covet the balance sheet and PL or have limitless ambition for the FOOTBALL club, that we resigned players we already had or have had on trial and no one else, we havent addressed anything defensively, which i think we can all agree on is our achilles heel, the buck stops with player recruitment (my understanding is that targets are identified and then passed on to them) someone tell me it aint so. (thats a straight forward request no obfuscation just a plain answer)
Any thoughts on the back 4 in Athens ?
Hearing reports that Halifax Town have been on to Mark McGhees agent with an 11th hour offer which may scupper Peters plan to unveil him tomorrow at Parkhead
Feckin Biscuit Tin again
Owen Coyle on standby so all not lost yet
When Kieran got tired from his constant running and crossing we pushed him back to give him a rest and try Sinclair. Last season we would have brought on Armstrong to support either winger on the corner of the box. We didn’t have that option or the option to bring off Forrest for Roberts.
How much would the two centre backs from AEK cost?
For those saying Brendan has had 5 windows to improve the team – Brendan identifies the targets and Lawwell tries to get them. How do you know Brendan hasn’t asked to get perhaps 5 players for CB and not one has been secured?
Brendan identifies say the Swiss centre half that went to Newcastle and Peter says can I get him – you can get McKenna for eg. McKenna may not have originally been on Brendan’s list but if he gets McKenna on £15k per week plus a £3m transfer fee it beats Schar on £40k and this leaves more money in the pot for another player.
You would need to sit Brendan down and ask him who he has wanted and who has then been delivered to him to understand how far apart the targets from the deliverables are.
From Brendan’s perspective you could understand his frustration at the great financial position that he has delivered – cash at the bank, a great squad value etc.
Parallels are there between the position that Jose Mourinho finds himself in ad Rodgers. Thing is Brendan has delivered in spite of being hamstrung by not getting who he wants when he wants them.
When you think abooot it, it’s hardly strange what motivates sum peepil, eh?
Whatever it’s called, it sounds like hunned-up sleekitry.
United we stand, divided we fall…are we now falling? Really? Is ten in a row disappearing to the horizon? Do we believe that?
If that is the case, then who’s to blame? (after all we live in a blame culture)…Lawwell? Bankier? (hmmm) Brendan? the media? Hard to believe it’s the manager. The board have repeatedly let us down as they worry more about income than they do supporters. We have spent the last few years laughing at the huns but all of a sudden it seems the ice cream is melting and the jelly is wobbling to the edge of the plate, whilst there is an audible sniggering coming now from over Govan way….Thrash the jambos, do the business in Athens and hopefully all this negative shite can be put to bed…
I don’t like Bankier…I don’t trust him…I don’t know what influence he has…I don’t believe he’s a Celtic man…and that is enough for me….
I honestly cannot believe some of the nonsense I’ve read on this site today.
So our board is to be congratulated for doing the bare minimum now, is that it? Keeping players here who were here last season IS the bare minimum, and that’s all they’ve done. Brendan’s comments of the other day were not a surprise. I flagged his obvious concerns last month, when he urged the board to get transfers across the line, only to read that I was seeing things that weren’t there … even some accusing me of having an agenda.
But it wasn’t difficult to spot that the manager was growing frustrated. It isn’t difficult to understand why. The manager has been clear on the need to improve this squad. The Champions League qualification path has been getting tougher every year. He knew we needed more in the armoury to navigate these games … every single one of us knows that.
To pretend that he doesn’t have a case because we’ve given Tom Rogic a new deal is nonsense. To claim that Odsonne Edouard cost us £9 million when Brendan himself has refuted that claim requires wilful ignorance. It gives people at Celtic Park an alibi they do not deserve.
The lack of backing for the manager in this window has been disgraceful.
Look at the way our team plays the game at the moment; this should be the most exciting time to be a Celtic fan in years. Decades. You can see what this team will become under this manager, if he’s supported, if he feels valued, if he feels he can do the job he so clearly wants to.
And we’re going to blow it. You can see it. You can hear it when he talks. People on here almost seem as if they are preparing the groundwork for his departure, by analysing his performance in a negative light; six trophies out of six domestically, an Invincible campaign, the obvious way he has made decent players into good players and good ones into great ones is my answer to that.
Brendan Rodgers has done nothing more than articulate the growing concerns of a lot of the fans, and it worries me because he, of course, has a front row seat. We can speculate all we want about reasons why we’re in this position, weaker than this time last year … but the manager knows exactly why and he’s let us know exactly why.
People are entitled to say he was wrong to have done it; I believe the opposite. I think the fans deserve to know what’s holding us back. I think we deserve to know what’s happening behind the scenes, and I am pleased that he’s tried to level with us.
Equally, if the board isn’t happy with him I’m glad we know that too and that’s why I wrote the piece last night on what McLaughlin said and why I followed it up this morning. This club needs to get its shit together and let us all get back to following the football again.
Right now Brendan Rodgers is an unhappy man. We have no way of knowing how much damage has been done behind the scenes in the last few days, but I refuse to pretend its not happening. You need to be wilfully dense to see that something serious is wrong here.
GARY67
I think the Bhoy has the tools, he played very well in some games but his head seems not to be where it needs to be a rock for us, we need players who are 100% committed to what Brendan is trying to do, that being said I would have played him last night:))
Fickle CSC
I would have thought the boards succession plan would include Stevie Clarke by now. Especially since he can play Park the bus.
Ticks all the plc boxes.
awe_naw_no_ernie_lynch_oan_anaw_noo
I’VEHADTOCHANGEMYMIND on 9TH AUGUST 2018 1:18 PM
Probably be a back three, looks like that’ll be the default formation for this season.
Lustig Boyata Hendry most likely.
David 17,
I agree with your last points on PL not dealing with the authorities,or the Huns,at 1.04 pm,but not on the Mc Ginn transfer.Again I ask.Did anyone on here disagree with our stance,and valuation of Mc Ginn.We knew Hibs were at it.His job is to get the best deal he can for Celtic in the market.He could do no more than he did by matching Villas offer.The person who made the decision was Mc Ginn.The faux outrage on here at failing to land a guy,we did not need is breathtaking.Fek Mc Ginn.Another who will never reach any heights apart from mediocrity.
Mullet
Steve Clarke is too expensive
He wants 2 grand a week
Mark McGhee has agreed to do it for 490 per week or ten old firm tickets
Halifax have offered McGhee 500 so we could be in trouble
Owen Coyle anyone
@ TURKEYBHOY on 9TH AUGUST 2018 1:11 PM
It’s precisely because I care about Celtic that I get so animated about the board’s inaction.
I see us making similar mistakes to before and I’m unable to decipher what our plan or policy is here? We have money and the best manager since MON (if not better) but are resting on our laurels. I just can’t understand the policy. We are reactive as opposed to proactive. We wait until things go wrong and then react.
CQN,Phil,Johnjames,James Forrest=give us this day our daily bread. Body of Christ. Amen
Was never fussed about McGinn, and certainly not at £4m. Don’t see him as a replacement for either Brown or Armstrong.
Maybe he wanted to move to the English Championship to enhance his international prospects.
Wouldn’t take Denayer back. Need an experienced CB.
My Celtic crested towel is most certainly thrown, AEK are no more than a decent team on the road but they will be a different beast at home. Unfortunately being at home first has worked against us this time, if we can overturn this one it will be one of our best results in Europe in recent times.
James F great post and great points
Hail Hail
D. :)
Mullet you may have something there………………………….
STARRY PLOUGH on 9TH AUGUST 2018 1:20 PM
If, as looks likely, we’re going to play three at the back this season, Jozo is only comfortable in the central role. On the right, and especially on the left, he doesn’t look confident. Ajer is going to be number one choice with Lustig on his right and Boyata (or a replacement) on his left.
Looks like the SMSM were right about the McGinn fiasco.
James Forrest
Transfer window is wide open?
Surprised at you of all people joining forces with SMSM and jumping on their bandwagon of made up leaks and body language expertise.
Hail Hail