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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Dylan McGeouch looked ok on Saturday and is at least prepared to go at players and take them on.
With back up around him he could cause the Poles problems.
In and around the penalty area he could have the best effect for free kicks and even the odd pen.
So the died zombie huns have found the dossier?!
MWD says AYE
Legia was a really bad result.
One really bad result.
I have a problem in seeing so many people reach so many conclusions about (a) the playing squad and (b) the management team based on this very poor performance.
On that basis none of you would have let Neil Lennon take one more game after the Sion debacle, or Ross County (I have to include myself in that one……), or shall I go on?
It feels like a month since that last game in Warsaw. CQN after a defeat is mental……
BTW – calls for Henderson, McGeouch atc to be included on Weds are well intentioned but wrong IMO.
The team is on a hiding to nothing on Weds. If we fail then seasoned pros might recover, but it can damage a young guys confidence. Better to put them in on the back of a run of league wins, give them a run of games.
McGregor having started already, played well and played competitive football last year I would make an exception for.
Two or three young guys in the team is very very risky for this game.
Right, stuff to do. CQN is eating in to my time again.
Pot 1 coef. Pot 2 coef.
———————— — —————- ———————— — —————-
Sevilla (TH) Esp 71.042 FC København @4 Den 45.260
Olympique Lyon *3 Fra 97.300 Viktoria Plzen *3 Cze 40.870
Internazionale *4 Ita 95.387 Standard Liège @4 Bel 38.260
Tottenham Hotspur *4 Eng 75.949 PAOK Thessaloniki *4 Gre 37.720
PSV Eindhoven *3 Ned 64.862 Besiktas @4 Tur 32.840
Dinamo Kiev Ukr 56.193 VfL Wolfsburg Ger 32.328
Athletic Bilbao @4 Esp 54.542 Club Brugge *3 Bel 32.260
Villarreal *4 Esp 53.542 Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk @3 Ukr 32.193
FC Twente Enschede *4 Ned 50.862 Trabzonspor *4 Tur 31.340
Fiorentina Ita 49.387 Panathinaikos @3 Gre 30.220
Metalist Kharkiv *4 Ukr 45.693 Sparta Praha @4 Cze 28.870
Lille OSC @4 Fra 45.300 CFR Cluj ** Rom 25.451
Pot 3 coef. Pot 4 coef.
———————— — —————- ———————— — —————-
Bor. Mönchengladbach *4 Ger 25.328 Lech Poznan ** Pol 17.275
Everton Eng 24.949 Sheriff Tiraspol @4 Mol 17.075
Real Sociedad *3 Esp 24.542 Hull City *3 Eng 16.949
Young Boys *3 Sui 24.145 Slovan Liberec ** Cze 16.870
Dinamo Zagreb @4 Cro 23.925 NK Maribor @3 Slo 16.200
Lokomotiv Moscow *4 Rus 20.899 Chernomorets Odesa *3 Ukr 16.193
Rapid Wien *4 Aut 19.185 Estoril Praia Por 15.459
FC Zürich *4 Sui 18.645 Legia Warsaw @3 Pol 15.275
Ludogorets Razgrad @4 Bul 18.125 Partizan Belgrade @3 Srb 14.825
Nacional Funchal *4 Por 17.959 Torino *3 Ita 13.387
Maccabi Tel-Aviv @4 Isr 17.875 Feyenoord @3 Ned 13.362
FSV Mainz 05 *3 Ger 17.328 En Avant Guingamp Fra 12.800
Big Cup Winners Nobody can answer your question. I would say 3 000 is maximum, including 1 000 in visitors sector. TinyTim Polish press said nothing about attacks. Clashcity confirmed there was something but added it was nothing serious. I understand nothing where you need police, otherwise the press would report it here for sure.
**Lunchtime Quiz***
So far we have:
Hannah (David)
Reiper (Marc)
Stokes (Anthony)
Stubbs (Alan)
Samaras (Georgios)
McAdam (Tom)
I have one more on my list. A wee sneaky one as he only played one senior game with the Hoops.
Sorry, I was trying to format that last post it and inadvertantly hit “enter”.
It was supposed to be showing the potential “pots” for the Europa League, where we are likely to end up after Wednesday. Assuming we get past the final qualifier, we would be in Pot 2. Some good teams involved, and admittedly more like our level at the moment. Hopefully a good run beckons a la Seville.
KTF!
after the closing ceremony (lulu and deacon blue FFS !!!) there was an “advert” for the return of scottish football to bbc – showed aberdeen and st johnstone cup wins only – looks like nobody won the league last season ;-(
IGC – would the letter be too much of a give away?
Shields ?
Anyone know if there are any plans to sell tickets in Edinburgh tomorrow for the game.
Thanks in advance.
Who do we get in the 3rd qualifying round?
OptimismCSC!!’
HH jamesgang
TBB @ 14.45
If the important time to develop a squad for the CL qualifiers is the previous August then last season was an “annus horibilis” like no other.
I think the transition and the last 6/8 weeks could have been handled a lot better.
PL et al continued to push for a management team of a “Name + RD” we’ll after the point that everybody else could see they were flogging a dead horse —
NL — Too lipped about the EPL in The Irish Raj’s company if the rumours are true.
Currently this is three sources and counting.
HL — The prodigal son and all that even if he knew he was bit undercooked for the job just now.
RK — Interesting mix of DD’s poster boy plus lippy and chippy management hand grenade.
He really would have put “bums on seats” either through the turnstile or through a right hook.
No matter what the situation was going to be for this season surely we should have had a long list of possibles / deals waiting to go — surely that is the right way to do things.
Instead we are seeking GK miracles — CG stays fit.
Plus “Try before you Buy” EPL squad filler.
All this time GS leaves with a heavy heart, DJ runs away to the Championship, TW is shown the door for serious money and two of our best players are out injured at a critical time.
How much worse could the last 6 weeks turned out?
Defeat in Iceland?
Spurs into double figures?
LW practice penalties!
Congratulations South of Tunis.
That made up for your earlier O.G.
Paul Shields was the sneaky one.
Coconuts all round for the excellent team work.
Reminds me of a team I once knew….
Madmitch
Dark gloomy laughter in response to the last few lines of your post!
HH jamesgang
Robert tressell
if this was a one off I’d agree witjh you.
Problem for me is that season on season our PLC gamble and reduce the likelihood of our entry into to the CL group stages by not properly investing in the team.
last season we were lucky. this season i hope we are again however slim the chances are. but how far will this PLC take us down before they will realise that sometimes you have to invest to accumulate. And i am not talking about going to the epic state of Zombie nation on the South Side.
PL may just be actioning DD’s instructions. If so and they keep on this track then personally I hope DD decided’s to sell soon.
MWD says AYE
RT @ 15.00
Don’t agree with you.
DMcG is all the man he ever will be — he either performs for us now at the level his excellent level of talent will support or it 10 years a journeyman taking a un fancied team to a cup quarter final in his 30’s.
LH is a difficult on for me as I am not a fan but he is young and a bit of hot housing now to find out his strengths will save 4 years wages and his sanity getting limited game time as he follows the well trodden path of next great thing to 3 lines on the web site as he leaves for pastures new.
McGregor — I agree with you.
Man in possession and has delivered so he has to play.
MadMitch
On last August, I agree, the outcomes are pretty hopeless Excl Van Dijk.
There’s your problem.
Balde and Boeriggter have contributed nothing.
Pukki much the same.
Biton hasn’t yet, but I hold out some hope that he’ll flourish here. But for his injury in the spring I think he would be prominent just now.
Johansen’s been given a good write up, but I have yet to see much beyond a more mobile Ledley. I suppose if that’s what we’ve got, we shouldn’t grumble.
Griffiths is an interesting one. Loads of attributes to be a very, very good footballer, but his heid’s full of broken bottles, or so it would seem.
Point being, we bought 6 players last year who should be making a serious contribution to this season’s qualifiers, but who are not.
That’s a failure at any level, and most likely, at every level. No point in scapegoating* (insert patsy of choice). It’s a system wide failure.
roberttressell
14:57 on 4 August, 2014
Tell you one thing about NL mate. He would have been hurting as bad as me and you on Thursday morning.
Just back from Clonmel Solidarity with Gaza march. Great turnout. Proud to see 3 generations of my family march plus my youngest grandchild in her pram.
If Ronnie falls flat on his face again on Wednesday, and the results following continue to give cause for alarm, then the guy who hired Ronnie should be sacked. No point in sacking Ronnie and leaving the guy who hired him in place to go and repeat the same mistake again. He got away scot free with the Tony Mowbray blunder and lets be honest, he got lucky with Neil. No way should the same guy be given another chance, he would have to go.
Anyone else missing Joe Ledley?
We missed him big time last week IMO
Come back super Joe..!
TBB @ 15.28
Just how wide is the failure?
I think we are looking at a squad management “Amazon”.
AB = OK for a cheap punt.
Unfortunately we paid good money for a “cheap” punt.
DB = Just what were we thinking taking an Ajax reject for good money?
All he has going football wise is that he looks like CR.
TP = Had “loan punt” written all over him.
Another mis-fit brought in at great expense to fill a gap we didn’t have.
Talented bloke in many ways but he will never lead the line in my lifetime.
NB = His deal looks a bit agent friendly for my liking.
However he has shown some form and should have had his game-time earlier last season.
What makes this sorry collection even worse is the talent we ignored because it was seemingly too expensive.
Has the PL never learned the hard lesson that the most expensive player is the one you pay money for but don’t use — even in an injury crisis.
Corkcelt
Fair Play…
U think Cork were ‘done’ a little by the ref yesterday?
Corkcelt
Genuine question.
Since there are many more civilian deaths in Syria, Iraq and Nigeria, at the hands of the military and terrorists, including women & children, why are there no marches or condemnation?
Hope you & yours are all well.
Yep Bhoylo83, He gave us nothing. However being philosophical about it, we were never going to win the Football All Ireland, now that we are out and our dual players can concentrate on the hurling, we might have a better chance there.
TinyTim
13:26 on
4 August, 2014
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.
*hmm I remember 1 quality save and the poorly taken second penalty that he spilled…..if the taker hadn’t thrown himself to the ground in despair and stood up he would have had an easy tap in…..As for FF IMHO he was at fault for 3 of the 4 goals…..si it could have been 1-1 or at worse 1-3 which includes his quality and penalty saves.
TBB
no point scapegoating?!
What the hell do we do then? Oh wait!
Someone soewhere is getting highly paid for making very expensive mistakes? That person or persons have to go!
I will scapegoat away and suggest the bl;ame lies at the foot of John Park’s who has the faith of Peter Lawell.
John Park’s reputation as a coach was born from the fruit of a group of players who were already employed within the hibernian youth system prior to his arrival. He managed to get on that gravy train and has bled it for all it’s worth ever since!
MWD says AYE
Corkcelt
Good way to look at it I suppose…
Hard to see past Dublin in the football in any case
Any CQNers at Cropredy Festival this year?
RWE There is a difference or there should be a difference between fanatical factions who listen to nobody or are answerable to nobody and a so called civilised nation. What makes Gaza so terrible is that its an official Army of the State of Israel, with munitions supplied by the USA and Britain who are shelling civilian targets, refugee shelters & hospitals. These are plain and simple war crimes. The more people who come out and protest, the more people boycott Israeli goods, the sooner this terrible slaughter will stop.
Celtic invested heavily last season in Biton, Balde, Boeriggter and Pukki, all of whom earn gazillions per week by comparison to their counterparts in the relatively bankrupt SPL, as do all of their team mates. These players were signed on the basis they might or more likely won’t get opportunity to get mauled in the group stages of the CL, whilst Celtic cash in.
From before, and especially as soon as the ST base continued it’s rapid dwindling, the relative spend from windfall Wanyama’s would be proportionate and the money becomes more needed to pay for what we have. NFL may or may not have said “Can I have some more? “ I reckon if he did, the answer was “No”
RD’s spend remains to be seen but especially if you’ve already given up, don’t hold your breath as the kerching from sales is needed to sustain, speculation is not an option, check no further CL failure, and the subsequent Aiden McGeady fetch.
Why buy again when it guarantees nothing? – The Co-op dividend will not be risked, anytime soon, but Deila won’t have taken the job to play exclusively with NFL’s legacy.
MWD
I guess John Park is the name in your frame.
Personally, I have very little idea what his remit is. Can you tell me?
Moonbeams WD. Wee Oscar’s our Bhoy and Kano’s our mhan.
15:52 on
4 August, 2014
John Park’s reputation as a coach was born from the fruit of a group of players who were already employed within the hibernian youth system prior to his arrival. He managed to get on that gravy train and has bled it for all it’s worth ever since!
*I said the same thing yesterday……..he was probably also instrumental on Mogga being given the managers job.
Prior to the January windae when the question was posed to Lenny about buying players that would be ready post WC for the qualifiers he stated that they were already in place having been bought the previous August.
BTW what happened to the Fridge wasn’t he supposed to be the finished article.
It’s not PL that should be questioned but JP.
Fair play Mr Naismith, fair play.
Naismith buys tickets to give to the unemployed
There is a reason for everything that happens ; cause and effect. Blame is a very unproductive strategy to pursue..
JJ