Against a side who started 8 points adrift at the bottom of the table, the champions-elect were miles short of what is required and deserved nothing from the game. St Johnstone gave warning of the danger they could be from a free kick just a minute before they scored. The warning went unheeded as Celtic conceded the only goal of the game inside four minutes.
After the game, Brendan Rodgers suggested the players were timid and too comfortable. It is true they are in a comfortable position, without any domestic challenger worthy of the name. The manager excused only Callum McGregor from this criticism. It is a weighty accusation to level at a group you have coached into a second season.
For most of us, the consequences of yesterday’s defeat is that we will not be there when the title is won. Players (and managers) often don’t get the importance of this. They are always there; the ordinary fans less so. Now, it is just as likely that the title will be won after Aberdeen face Newco on Sunday. You might learn about it by text message.
If the players are too comfortable they will not win the treble. You are the manager, Brendan. Fix it. At least it’s not a continuation of the malaise which was evident during last season…..
147 Comments- Pages:
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- »
Happy Monday all.
Well, not quite so happy as many of us over on this side of the pond are watching our retirement savings tank daily.
Saw the rags saying R2ngers might try for Greg Taylor! Aye, right ye are.
Show me your medals, Brendan ! Oh wait…
The full moon will meet the blue giant star Spica on 12 April, making for a pleasing pairing in the evening sky.
While the light reflecting off the moon’s surface takes just 1.3 seconds to reach Earth, the light emitted from Spica has been travelling through space for about 250 years. There will be a subtle colour difference between the two: the moon’s light has a silvery hue while Spica’s is tinged with blue.
Brendan Rodgers ate my medals.
many of us over on this side of the pond are watching our retirement savings tank daily.
—
We’re not fairing too well on this side, either.
The real world consequences of electing a tv celebrity will perhaps dawn on many in the weeks ahead.
Another pop.
Completely disagree that we deserved nothing – completely dominated every aspect of the game. So if the keeper doesn’t make 2 of those saves we would have robbed STJ ? Nonsense
“At least it’s not a continuation of the malaise which was evident during last season…..”
Which was?
(Genuine ask)
Brendan the Navigator.
Arrogance and stubborness is a trait of all great managers, if you’ve got to lose, then do it when you’re 13 points clear. Full forensic post mortems are unlikely to be carried out by a manager that has Rodger’s same old Brendan, always winning status.
The January window opened and closed without a freshening that had been needed before the ‘dire draw’ at Tannadice. The gamble of selling a ‘talisman’ is still in the balance, Rodgers wanted a replacement he didn’t get, and Kuhn, Maeda, Jota starting ahead of an always ‘lightweight midfield’, isn’t working. Summertime ‘spoiled brats’ and ‘bed wetters’ were gradually replaced by expert analysis, despite BR’s only apparent crime of winning the League Cup, then winning the League ‘too early’ ?
Somebody somewhere always has a ‘tactical upgrade’ easy to say impossible to test, except whilst lying in your bed at night dreaming. Playing all five subs is fine when you’re winning but a red flag yesterday when the very obvious best team starting eleven are now in a recurring pattern.
If you didn’t see Greg Taylor 200 plus, coming you weren’t paying attention as Jeff Schlupp was a stop gap during paternity leave . BR has a management situation to sort, all of his best players have been testing his ‘elite essentials’ since Philipe Clement ( mind him? ) broke his derby day duck.
When ‘winning the treble’ becomes just a side issue, maybe we could all do with a change in direction.
STJ deliberately presented a poor surface yesterday. Pitch was bone dry and uneven – no unless there is no water of grass cutting/rolling equipment in Perth this was a tactic.
Our players are more skilful and better than theirs but by doing this they took a good part of that advantage. Instead of fast one and two touch football which would normally slice them open it was 2,3, and 4 touches to control if at all. Shots blazed miles over by good player is not bad technique it’s the lottery of the bounce.
They reduced the game to 11v11 based on strength and fitness and with a huge dose of luck and inspired goalie they got away with it. Could we have been better – of course but the he’s shite, he’ll no do, new defence, new manager talk is complete BS. Play that game 10 times we win 9 of them and we will batter them at Hampden (assuming the cut and roll the grass.
An Dun
You seem happy with the current trajectory. Thats your prerogative. I am glad for you. Genuinely so as following Celtic should be a really good thing.
Personally I am concerned.
A lifetime of supporting Celtic (60 plus years), including travelling up from London Our trophy haul is really good but I have this concern that I really am not enjoying it anymore.
Something is not right. After Ange for me was always going to be tough. Hopefully I will get over it but I really do fear an underlying sense we are not going in the right direction.
Last season we won a double. What malaise was it ?
Jesse oh. What drivel
The bottom two win. The top two lose. That will be the bottom two “we all” want to drop cos they bring nothing to the league and therefore it would be better if we’re a ten.
Did I say “we all”
Sorry I meant Peter and Paul
Perhaps the likes of CCV and Hatate believe that they’ve done all they can with Celtic. And they’re probably right.
CL knock out stages and domestic trebles is as good as it gets for Celtic. After 4 years maybe these lads believe it’s time to move on and that may account for a certain slackness which has crept in.
Kuhn does a very good impression of a player who can’t wait to get out of Scottish Football.
So it may be a summer of change.
Or perhaps it’s just a canter to the title with the slippers on – we’ll see.
Either way, I’m glad the man who has won 10/11 trophies is steering the good ship Celtic.
Bad day at the office yesterday – great goalkeeping from Saints.
I’m more concerned about set play defending and Schlupp has now shown a pattern of allowing free headers in our box – looks like targeting our LB has not gone out of fashion.
Otherwise just waiting for our big day but sorry that it’s unlikely to be in front of home fans.
You seem happy with the current trajectory.
—-
That would be the trajectory leading us to another treble ?
Is this a p*ss take ?
Bad day at the office. Loving the doom and gloom from the knee jerkers. Tres jolie!
4 years ago today due to complications from Covid, John Prine passed away in a Nashville hospital. Here’s one of his last great tunes.
https://youtu.be/l0EiV423j0M?feature=shared
T
Good afternoon all from the Brazen Head.
We can’t win every game and we will have off days. But the Brendan fella has given me so many great times supporting the Celtic. 👍
When we lose games like this, there is always a justified post mortem and usually we end up with:
1 can’t do plan B
2. heart isn’t in it due to the lead
3. players/manager in a huff
We always have several games in a season where the symptoms of yesterday’s defeat are there but the opposition miss their big chance and we notch a few late on due to our forward line generally being good for 2 at least.
Some people highlight these issues but mostly it’s ‘we won so stop moaning’.
Over a season, this has been quite brilliant in terms of results and perf , inc CL.
I have been worried about the Cup since before the Hibs tie but strangely yesterday has made me more confident as the team needs to respond.
Hail Hail
20 shots at goal yesterday.
9 saved by the keeper.
st Johnstone expected goals 1.12
Celtic expected goals 3.04
At least when we get the super duper new Sevco-friendly expanded league we won’t have to worry about un-rolled, uneven surfaces, what with all those lovely plastic pitches we’ll be playing on…..
Can the stock markets worldwide be suspended until some stability and agreement is brought to these markets? The White House is at the root of this, he Trump wants anything consumed in America to be made in America, instead of taxing the population he wants the income from Taxes on imports to pay for spending, this cannot continue,it is lunacy, he is now demanding the Federal reserve cut interest rates.
I wouldn’t play Hatate, Kuhn Schlupp or CCV from the start again, I would get a solid working 3 mids of McGregor Engels and Bernardo, we are over reliant on wide players creating chances it need varied,go at teams through the middle and that will create space for the wide men, play Nawrocki on the right of defence with either Scales or Trusty. Changes need to be made to how we are playing doing the same thing over and over with different players isn’t clever, chances are again being missed that should have been scored and that puts the whole team under pressure.
What nonsense again Peter 67. Brendan’s still clearing up the complete Horlicks of the Mark Lawell era – so give the cheap digs a rest.
Paul67
Never heard this kind of chat before, totally eye opening.
13 points clear CSC
The league will be won, whether its this week, 2 weeks etc. The SC, we will undoubtedly better St J in the semi, especially after yesterdays horror show. However the Final is an entirely different matter. Aberdeen/Hearts will certainly fancy their chances, especially seeing as our defence fall to pieces at set plays. And rest assured, the ref on the day will allow plenty of free kick opportunities to do so. The real talking point is next season. The other lot are not going to lose twice to St Mirren, and also to Motherwell & Hibs at home again. That will be a 12 point gain, plus they have BR’s number at the moment in derby games. The current game is moving away from the ‘possession at all costs’ set up, to a more pragmatic style. Tactical flexibility is a requirement going forward, but is the manager too stubborn to change?
It is a weighty accusation to level at a group you have coached into a second season…..You are the manager, Brendan. Fix it.
………………………………………………………….
One. I think I heard Brendan start his remarks by saying he would look at himself first. If so, not a simple shifting of blame, as is being implied. Am I wrong in that?
Two. I have said this before. The thing that disturbs me about the comments here about our manager is not the criticism itself – we are all entitled to opinions – but the tone. I find them at times uncomfortably disrespectful.
Certainly a missed opportunity, based on a series of missed opportunities, to win the League in front of our own supporters with five games still to play. Might still get chance that though depending how results go. And anyway how many times 1966-74 did Celtic FC win the win the League at Home?
Answers on a postcard….
I was bored at work there so decided to see how we faired against rangers during their nine in a row , before EBT’s but almost certainly other dodgy stuff going on.
We played them 43 times in all competitions winning 10, draws 9 , losses 24.
Didn’t double check but I think it’s accurate.
What’s the point you may ask. We weren’t very good then especially in those middle years , they had every advantage available yet we were still able to give them a bloody nose .
Sure we’ve had some disappointing performances and results of late but the league is in the bag another treble in sight. Maybe cut the manager and players a bit of slack.
agree with earlier post some of our performances since the turn of the year when we have lost 4 leagues games have been down to being very poor defensively and our midfield not liking the ‘dirty ‘ side of the game.
this season is done its going forward with this group is the concern imo.
Aipple (12:03pm) and others.
Pensions are a (very) long game and as such big market fluctuations have a much smaller overall effect on long term growth. If you look at the FTSE and DOW charts over the past 2 or 3 decades they are still up significantly in spite of 2008, Covid and other blips. And as you get close to retirement age your own pension is generally more weighted to safer and less volatile investments such as government bonds, limiting downside risk.
Don’t panic. And enjoy the market recovery when it comes, hopefully restoring your confidence a bit.
If we win on Saturday, here’s hoping Baza does us a favour and picks up a point against Aberdeen. I just had a flashback, we were competing with Aberdeen for the title (many moons ago) and they had to beat the Huns by quite a few, to have a chance. Think they scored three goals in the first half, but they never got a big enough margin and we won. 1980s, of course.
Too timid is certainly my fear in the team , as many posters have noted I have mentioned this fault on many many occasions . Our midfield consists of too many players of the same type . Average height guys who when a bit of fight is required Are somewhat lacking . Bernardo, mccowan , Engels ,and our magnificent captain are all in that Bracket . Brendan has mentioned that fault in the team on a number of occasions too , but he did nothing about it in the January window , a younger wanyama ,or a Roy Aitken size and build these are the types we need and the two mentioned had quality to go with the physic . This may well sound ungrateful for the team wee have , 13 points clear what’s to grumble about , its certainly not my intention , but they may well be better next season and mount a stronger challenge ,we need to fill the gaps that need filled in the team , a pure quality centre half a must .KT will improve a weak link but we have a few others . if we weren’t cash rich we would probably have to go with it .but we have progress in Europe to head for .match that aim and up here will look after itself HH
As I stated yesterday, I found the manager’s comments concerning.
He watches the players at training and picks the team accordingly.
Some players are “switched off” or “comfortable”. Does he not get that impression when watching them train or are they pulling the wool over his eyes?
Surely this is concerning?
B78: ‘Something is not right. After Ange for me was always going to be tough.’
The (mystic) Mrs Quad also says something’s weird behind the scenes. When you mention Ange, do you really think he was better for us than Brendan, cos I don’t see that at all. I remember we had a few quite worrying performance spells when Angelos hadn’t yet fluttered his eyelashes at St Totteringham.
Also…
When you have an avaricious grifter effectively putting himself in charge of the capitalist world’s monetary policy with the unvarnished pronouncement that “This is a great time to get rich, richer than ever before”, the world is effectively endorsing a form of insider trading the markets have experienced in yonks.
You can bet Trump’s cronies are making a motzah somehow and the ones that hurt are the lower middle class and working schmoes whose attempted 401s are getting a doing.
And in a land with over 500million privately held guns, no-one’s actually thought to…
I don’t think it’s just a case of a weak midfield, more like no one, and I mean no one, in the team knows HOW to tackle. Goal yesterday prime example, absolutely no need for that tackle. This happens a lot during games hence the high fouls against.
One thing players should be told, never put your hands out indicating you’ve not touched the player as refs automatically give a foul even with no obvious contact. We’ve all seen players collapsing as soon as a Celtic player goes near.
HH