I’m reliably informed Legia will not ‘park the bus’ on Wednesday. Instead, with a three goal lead, they have enough legroom to play their normal game, attempt to compete in the middle of the park, and expose holes at the back, as they did last week. What’s more, they’re unsure they would be able to park the bus successfully for an extended period.
Set aside the debacle what was our defensive performance for a moment. The period of last week’s match Ronny Deila should initially concern himself with is the opening 25 minutes, when Celtic largely bossed the game. We then have to consider the 40 minutes we looked comfortable with 10 men; not an insignificant achievement away from home in Europe.
In short, Legia are a team which for large periods of the game we looked to have the measure of, despite the anomalies of playing a debutant, an inexperienced youth and with a left back who was left out. We should do far better at Murrayfield.
Legia believe they are going through. They unquestionably have the upper hand but the Celtic collapse in the final minutes, when we appeared to be too busy picking fights than sticking to plan, distorted the perceived difference between the teams. Celtic didn’t just underachieve, they did so on an epic scale. What Legia don’t know, is what a highly-functional Celtic team looks like.
We need to transform that epic failure into the kind of performance we are capable of in Europe. The defence needs to find the form which broke so many records last season. Ronny needs to find some of his awesomeness.
The reality is, despite last week’s debacle, we’re still in this tie – and should plan to go through.
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crc
BTW
I still don’t see the analogy.
How come, in an article, where I am critical of PL, you both seem to see me peddling excuses for him. I have just re-read what I wrote and the only thing that jumped out was was the bit about the OBaF Act. Did you think I was excusing him when I suggested he was somewhat duped?
SFTB
Couldn’t resist :-)
You know I love you really.
HH
CRC
I think the only real positive I saw last week’s overall team performance was some nice, slick, passing moves through the MF. Too few & far between with no end product though, and rarely looked like winning it back any time we lost it. The defence looked shaky from the start, although it wasn’t helped by this. We looked a lot more balanced when Izzy came on and AM was switched to the right, I worry that it took so long to make that change.
I was as dissapointed as anyone with how it went last week, but do feel that it was a ‘perfect storm’ scenario that is unlikely to happen again. Poor team selection & tactics by management (I think we were set up too cavalier), and so many players had ‘off’ days.
My head says the tie is over, but will go to Murrayfield full of hope. Ever since we turned over Cologne 3-0 at Paradise in 1992-3 to overcome a 2-0 first leg defeat in Germany I’ve never given up hope of these things repeating. The margin may be slightly greater this week, but I believe the gap in quality between the teams was even greater all those years ago.
Also, for all those saying Ronnie out, you’re entitled to your opinion, but the guy’s in the job 2 minutes, let’s give him some real support for a while at least eh?
HH
Tiny Tim
Turning this result around will be long odds against, as it was with Artmedia.
We nearly did it then. I fear it will be a near thing again but, like you, I hope I am wrong.
crc
I never take any of the jibes seriously.
But I didn’t understand the point being made. I still don’t.
SFTB
I think you posts are very balanced and always look to see both sides and indeed their best intentions.
I am sure that is what MWD meant as well, but if not he will soon let us know.
HH
CRC
SFTB
I’m just pulling your sheilds! lol
MWD says AYE you silly BritNat Loyalist Unionist Republican
SydneyTim
This is what I was told. May be wide of the mark but had to be serious cash for Celtic to use Murrayfield for our two biggest games of the season.
LB
If we score 5 and they score 2 we’re out. Thats how big a task we have on Wed. The flip side of course is 3 to their 0 and we go thru. All in all taking into account the new management team, the players we have, the unpredictable team selection, team moral, Murrayfield etc, we need a miracle to get thru.
Hi TinyTim,
what’s the story on the management team? I remember that a few days ago BRHT (Brogan etc) alluded that you had some inside info on the manager. Maybe you got it on a golf course? Aberdour?
I’m a bit pissed that so many have turned on Deila. Have we not seen this all before with other new managers in Europe?
Team for Wednesday:
FF
Lustig VD Chas Emilio
Bitton
Henderson (or Kayal) Johansen
McGregor Kris Stokes
Tight midfield with goals upfront
Yeah .
We had the measure of Legia.
Dear God.
In addition to the four goals they scored and the TWO missed penalties ,plus the quality saves that Forster made.we sure had their measure.
The problem was we couldn’t measure up to them ourselves.
On the back of the premature self congratulation about the improvement in the standard of Scottish football just before Celtic ,Aberdeen,Motherwell and StJohnstone are all pumped out of Europe .
To clubs who will struggle in European competition themselves.
With the possible exception of Aberdeen opponents.
The standard of perspective is drug induced.
What’s going on?
TT
Livibhoy. Of course we had to pay rent for murrayfield , but if this is added to the battered bunnets “cash in the bank”. We have to wonder what the devil is going on
Just Another Tim
I agree. I don’t think Henderson will feature but apparently showed up well in the controversial bounce game at the weekend. I’m being harsh on McGregor too as he’s doing alright for a young fella.
Don;’t know enough about Ronny and his ‘pragmatism’. Playing Berget again would be ‘brave/stupid’ but doing the basics right with the same team as last week would certainly reap a winning outcome.
TinyTim
I tend to agree and think the tie is gone myself. I would settle for winning on the night and not conceding. Short progress and be ready for the EL play off match which is now vital to keep the fans upbeat for the season.
I really don’t like saying that but I believe this tie is beyond us. Hope the team prove me wrong tho.
LB
If Celtic turn this around there will still be a need for major surgery to the current policy of employing prospective profit over experience.
There needs to be a balance employed at the club with regards signings between prospective profit realisation and current team requirements.
We need root and branch change of our scouting system. If our cheif scout is going to have as much say as it is becoming apparent that John Park’s has had then why not just give him the managers job.
I’m pissed.
MWD says AYE
SydneyTim
I believe the CW games paid for that too. The money Celtic made from hosting the opening ceremony is clear profit.
This information could be rubbish of course. £5.5m strikes me as being a lot of dough but in saying that the CW games had really no choice. It was their only option.
LB
crc & MWD
Thanks for clarifying. I thought i was losing it as I could not understand how a post that was critical of PL could be construed as a defence, especially since weeminger’s response shows he was not in on your joke.
Tiny Tim
Our performance, apart from the opening 20 minutes last week, was very worrying and poor. The only hope I have is that we are unlikely to be as poor again. Therefore, if we can get a win, which I think you believe we can, the only question remains over whether our margin of victory will suffice. It is, indeed, the hope that kills you.
Been enjoying reading RobertTressel’s posts today. Some great stuff.
Dr Ramesh
I have no special insight on the manager or management team other than my own opinion.
I don’t play golf either.
It is my personal opinion that Deila and Collins are out of their depth.
Theorists who will fail when tasked with ensuring that. Celtic remain a CL club.
We are cutting costs .Simple as that.
With that ,standards will drop.
Results will go backwards.
Whilst we remain in Scottish football that is our future.
Ever decreasing circles.
When a team backed by ravenous Rangers supporters return to our league only then will our support rise out of the malaise of managed expectation .
Which allows so many just to meekly accept the drop in standards.
The board and our majority shareholder have no plan to take us to a level whee our support is matched by TV revenues which would allow us to reach our full potential.
TT
setting free the bears for Res. 12 & Oscar Knox but saying no to CQN racists
12:57 on
4 August, 2014
AM = Ally McCoist – it was just a comment on the suggestion that with his wages being spun for the masses perhaps Mr Lawwell’s were too.
SFTB 13.32
I hope that we can win the match on Wednesday .
I hope that we can overcome the deficit completely and go through.
I expect only one of these two hopes to be achieved.
The standard of player that we are watching ,and the level of experience of the management team ,added to their naïveté .
Does not fill me with optimism.
Blind hope will just have to do.
It rarely works.
(:-)
TT
I admire your confidence Paul, but your recollection of the game and mine differ!
For the first 25mins, yes, we were reasonably OK. But their second goal came after a period when we had gifted them possession in the midfield on several occasions. It was, as they say, “coming”.
After the sending off we simply clung on for dear life, with only Foster and their inability to take a penalty kick saving us from an absolute doing.
Depsite all that, you are correct to say we nearly made it out of there with a recoverable scoreline (1-2 or 1-3). But we would have been incredibly fortunate to escape only a goal down.
At no point after the first 25 (or even 8) minutes was I “comfortable” watching that match, and I don’t think the players were either.
On the commonwealth games money.
Think of a number and then double it.
Or if youre talking to an orc. Triple it.
Celtic 5 Legia 1
.
Onwards and upwards
CQN makes for very bleak depressing reading these days. I too think the tie is beyond us but hope for a morale boosting performance and a win on the night. If we do get a handy draw in the Europa Qualifiers, hopefully we will be well settled before the Group stages and you never know we might have some fun in Europe yet. Remember how our Seville year started.Anyways I’m off to take part in a Gaza protest march at 2pm. Check in later to see if we have signed anyone.
If we win the game then we will have earned that victory over the tie.
If we lose the game and the tie…then
Life goes on.
I will still support Celtic with the same passion.
I will still exercise my right to be critical of players, coaches and even other fans
But I do not walk away after a poor performance and a bad result.
I regroup, breath deep and look to those who have to produce the goods to improve.
I have no delusions about where Celtic are in the food chain
I am just very happy that they are my club and that I share that with friends and family
I hope that those who can attend, get there on Wednesday and support the team.
More than that though, the players and coaches have a point to prove.
Get on with it.
HH
That famous last bastion of truth and enlightenment ‘Vanguard Bams’ have posted this on their homepage yesterday. Was on Swallow Swallow earlier and needless to say, they are in somewhat of a lather at the thought of the ‘Unseen Fenian Hand’ being exposed. Silly, silly billys…..
‘Vanguard Bears have come into possession of some potentially explosive documents concerning the SFA’s integrity and impartiality over the handling of Rangers FC’s “punishment” upon entering administration.
The documents and information we will present will leave the footballing authorities with many questions to answer regarding their professionalism and integrity whilst dealing with our club.
While we believe the source of these documents to be extremely credible, the information is being scrutinised at the moment and we hope to be able to publish them as soon as possible.’
Sorry but with this Norwegian nobody in charge we have no chance,We may even struggle in the league,if we go out Lawwell has to sack him and start again,the guy has only managed a small diddy club and is totally out of his depth at Celtic,if things don,t change the CEO SHOULD RESIGN OR BE SACKED AS HE,S BEEN NO GOOD TO THE PLAYING SIDE OF THE CLUB
i can see the no of season books next season going down massivley
Corkcelt13.43
In our Seville season .
We had MON.
Larsson,Sutton,Hartson,Lenny,Lambert,Petrov,Thomson,etc,etc.
There is NO CHANCE of Celtic remotely achieving what we did in our Seville season.
Enjoy your march .
It is for a much more important issue than Celtic.
TT
RWE
GOOD POST.
TT
weeminger
Thanks for clarifying.
My point was not about the public(PL) or private(A McC) nature of the remuneration but about the issue of presenting a deferred bonus or payment as a sacrifice. WHy is it deferred? It is either due or not due? It is either earned or not earned. I am not impressed by any sacrifice involved in accepting an unearned bonus in October rather than May if it is still unearned and unwarranted.
setting free the bears for Res. 12 & Oscar Knox but saying no to CQN racists
13:59 on
4 August, 2014
Certainly wouldn’t be doing it for the good of the club, I don’t think. Probably tax reasons.
***LUNCHTIME QUIZ***
“What’s in a name” – Billy Shakespeare
How many former Celtic players can you name, since the 1980s, whose surname begins and ends with the same letter? I have 7 (seven) so far.
***The rules of the game are always the same.
No search engines please, you’re only cheating yourself***
darwinsbeautifulidea
13:48 on
4 August, 2014
———-
Deila’s barely in the door and you’re wanting him out after ONE competitive game? “A Norwegian nobody”? “A small diddy club”. Totally disrespectful to both Ronnie and Stromsgodset, who I’m sure will be a very well run club.
As with any new coach coming to a club, they have their own ideas to impart on the playing staff, who will have the previous coachs methods ingrained in their philosophy. It takes time. (ref Swalex at Man U.).
Your attitude puts me in mind of how a deid clubs fans used to react to such a scenario.
Keep The Faith mate!
Syd
Cash…
Here’s our position from the end of Gordon Strachan’s tenure. WGS had a £3.5M cash surplus over his 4 years in charge, starting at MON’s £19.5M debt, reducing to £1.5M debt at the end of WGS’s time, netted off against the £14.5M share issue.
June 2009 £1.5M debt – Exit WGS
2010 £5.8M debt – The financial consequences of the Mowbray Disaster
2011 £0.5M debt – Rebalancing the squad and the business with Aiden out and Lenny’s ingénues in.
2012 £2.7M debt – Heavy losses as the Europa League delivers little income
2013 £3.7 Million net Cash – The Champions League delivers big time, plus a nice wee earner on Ki.
2014 £Pick a number north of £10M cash. We had £5M in the bank at end December, and while we’ve spent some money on the Celtic Park footprint, there have been no other material (untypical) expenses, and there’s about £10M of receivables due from last August’s player sales which may or may not have fallen before end June.
Over the period from WGS leaving, we are in considerable cash surplus despite some poor years, accountable by UCL and player sales.
Set against that is the unprofitable domestic environment, the remarkable and fraught period following the demise of Rangers, and the binary impact on finance that is the Champions League.
In essence, if we are playing in the Champions League we turn over around £75M, and are strongly cash positive on the current model.
If we are not, we turnover closer to £50M, are loss making, and burn cash.
That makes planning a bit of a lottery. Failure to qualify this year will burn much of our cash at bank, and we will end up back at the 2009 figure if we have consecutive years without UCL.
It’s the old stick or twist judgement call. My sense is that we’ll buy regardless of the result on Wednesday. We have a habit of giving our managers a lot of rope at the start of their tenure.
The pity is that the squad’s so thin on quality at the very time we need it. Too many average players were bought last summer who are unable to make a contribution at the Champions League level. Whether you blame John Park for that, or Peter Lawwell or Neil Lennon, fact is the squad needs quality, and the club has the wherewithal to acquire it.
Whether we succeed in our pursuit of better players is an entirely different matter.
Zbyszek
how many fans do you think Legia will bring? Some rumours in my place of work that 10000 plus have been sold.
Stubbs,Samaras, Ledley ,Stokes
£5.5M
wrong.
Rangers got £150,000 for Ibrox for 2 days for the rugby sevens and they got they’re American tour funded.
Celtic would be recompensed for 1 CL qualifier and a home friendly + rental of the ground + a new playing surface being laid. Money in the bank = no more than rangers got.
Big-Cup-Winners
I’m sure they will have a big and noisey support. Hundreds if not thousands of UK based Poles will be there as well as a sizable travelling support.