Surprised? Well, yes. This was a no-contest early-on in Maribor last week. Even though Celtic didn’t come home with the win, the chances, balance of possession and play, were well in their favour. A defeat last night was never out of the question, but it was the nature of the defeat that was most concerning. We were second best in defence, midfield and attack.
Pre-match, Ronny told us he expected Maribor to sit in and counter-attack. They didn’t, forcing Celtic into disarray. We were fortunate to go in level at halftime; I was screaming out for a tactical change from 20 minutes in.
Kris Commons proved his value. From the moment he arrived, we had an out-ball for the first time in the night, but it was not enough.
Celtic tried to qualify for the Champions League without a target man, or a striker able to play the kind of football Ronny Deila requires to play his kind of football. Stokes, Griffiths, Pukki and Balde are not an appropriate Champions League strike force, by some distance.
We have plenty of midfielders who are happy to pass and run but no one with the composure to hold the ball. Brown, Forrest and Tonev were all missing, but none will occupy the holding roles given to Kayal and Mulgrew last night. Or to Wanyama two years ago.
The defensive collapse since last season is unfathomable. Virgil van Dijk was clearly a class above, whether in defence or attack, and Mikal Lustig was also assured – it is perhaps no coincidence that we lost the goal moments after he was replaced, but Efe Ambrose and Emilio Izaguirre have returned from the World Cup in alarmingly poor form.
This is where we are. We knew this at the end of last season, perhaps Neil Lennon did too. Ronny Deila has a significant rebuilding job on his hands.
Will we make a significant moves forward this week? This season? The Europa League isn’t the cash-cow of the premier tournament, and it carries none of the glamour, but it is a competition we need to be ready for. Perhaps more importantly, qualification planning for next season’s Champions League starts now.
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Three things I dont understand
Why DD is so desperate to have the tribute act back in the top division.
Where all the stockpiling money has gone
How the tribute act have survived this long.
Bada
If Scepovic doesn’t sign …the support has been played again
I’ve had enough …..how many are like me ??
Spidey101
Agree with much of what you say.
What we need to do imo is raise the wage ceiling, bring in a couple of top quality players, weed out the ones who are draining the club of hard earned wages, buy them out if needs be, reduce the squad size big time.
A couple is really 4 or 5, let them help bringing on the kids, who better to learn from than top quality pros.
I have seen a few posters, whom I have much respect for, they would be in the happy…ish clapper dept, saying we can afford to spend a serious amount presently, I doubt we will do it mind you.
Flexibility is the key, we are fixated on spending little to make a killing, all the while the product on the park is dwindling week in week out.
Get a few quality pros in, pay them a decent wage, build the team around them, bring on the kids, and yes, we can still scout a future Vic, cos we will still be competing at a higher level than we are today.
HH
Still not seen a post with the person too take over Peter Lawwel’s position, apart from the ludicrous Cultsbhoy, who posted his ‘interesting’ CV’ it was tantamount to an employee of McDonalds. I may have missed it but I asked one of the wunderkinds on here if they had written to Lawwel for a face to face meeting,; anyone?
I am entertained by the utter despair that Sydney Tim and NegAnon constantly post is there any joy in their lives?
I can imagine these to chaps meeting in a lift, they are both feeling down ( I know hard to believe)up and struggling to make conversation one of them decides to break the awkward silence by saying, ‘so have you been to any funerals this week?
TET
That’ll affect the bonus paid …steady !!
I’ve been cynical on the scepovic deal done hearing about because, quite simply, we heard about it.
We rarely if ever hear of transfers before they happen, haven’t for years now (because we finally got wise to the SMSM shenanigans). So how come we got wind of this one?
Auld Bertie
So we just carry on …
I’ll do it …for half the wage
I’m sure I can sell our best players and buy rubbish like the best of them….I’ll get the Mrs in to do the hoarding cash bit …RESULT!!!
The squad we have now with the exception of Virgil, will have to do us till Christmas. PL is getting his excuses in earlier than usual so at least we can do is thank him for not wasting our weekend expecting players to be signed
Kdc- agree mate, a player to build a midfield round.
kdc-
I`m not sure if Biton has the right temperament for big European games. Only basing that on the idiotic red card he picked up v Ajax last season. The thing is though neither Neil Lennon nor Ronny Deila have really given him a run in the team so maybe they both have/ had reservations about him.
Was unlucky with his shot up at Inverness mind you.
Bitton is moderate …despite his eulogising on here at the end of last season ..He remains moderate
Pfayr- the ST deadline is a con act, give us all your money and we will…….bring in 4 guys on loan. ?….
Preparation for next years qualification starts now !
The preparation for last night was negligent.
On many levels but none more so than not having a forward who
can lead the line.
We had a year. We failed to give the new manager what was obvious.
He may be out his depth but it did not need a new manager, a chief
scout or a CEO to recognise this.
Excuses from Paul , PL, or DD don’t wash.
Bottom line is we did’nt prepare.
How some can defend this is beyond me.
Basics.
Sleep well.HH
Bada
CFC at the moment is a con act
How to feck up a club in two years ….P Lawwell ..2014
Auld Bertie
So you have the inside info on what Cultsbhoy does then ?
Pray tell the blog, most interested in your views on him.
…………………………
PF Ayr
Jeezo, what am I thinking about, soreeee >}
HH
PFayr
I have many a time. It was just a wee story of a Bhoy who is hurting!!!
Pfayr- I agree with the glorious balance sheet, he needs a good run in the team, a couple of injuries haven’t helped him
corkcelt
20:05 on
27 August, 2014
Chatting a few minutes ago to a good football man and a good Tim. He pointed out Callum hitting the bar, Ambrose putting a header wide from 4 yards with keeper beaten and 9 times out of 10 Virgil would have put that last chance away. He accepts we didn’t play well and didn’t deserve to be in Champions League but for very small margins we could have squeesed through.
Had we done so all the histrionics of last 24 hours would not have happened.
You cannot legislate for a ball either hitting the bar or being a few inches lower and going in. Whether an individual ball is a few inches higher or lower doesn’t make a team good or bad, yet it transforms perception.
If we had scraped through, we would have soon forgot how poorly we played and we would all be gung ho for rest of season
A couple of good League wins an impressive display by Wakaso and we will all be dreaming of Europa success.
—–
Just been scrolling back and this post, for me, hits the nail on the head.
Football is a game of very fine margins, agonisingly so at times, as witnessed last night.
It is a very “results orientated” business where the fans are concerned.
If we had taken our chances last night, (not saying we deserved to win) the thoughts would have been turned to who we were getting in the groups, we didn’t though, we lost by a goal, it happens.
Let’s see what Ronny can do to improve the team, give the guy a chance, he at least deserves that much.
Am I the only person on here who thinks we may struggle to win the league this year
angelgabriel
That would be the same preperation that Lenny talked about a couple of years ago.
Sadly it’s all talk, not gonna happen I’m afraid, we are being taken for a ride.
Sure is a rollercoaster being a Tim.
HH
More crap about Rangers.
More crap about decent Celtic men being ‘huns’ for being critical.
PL has done a good job overall. The strategy is sensible. However the lack of investment has caught up.
Some were critical of those of us at Celtic Park last night. The atmosphere was crap but a new striker would have galvanised us. Instead we got nobody. Celtic support has been terrific for those qualifiers.
Wanting Ronny to go is nuts.
So we were unlucky
FFS …who ran over the black cat
Reality check required
WITS
The panic on evidence from all, would suggest that’s a possible.
….pfayr supports weeoscar
23:29 on 27 August, 2014
Bada
CFC at the moment is a con act
How to feck up a club in two years ….P Lawwell ..2014
Rod Petrie could have done it for a quarter of PL’s salary
Apparently we tried to unsettle Maribors No10 before our ties, how desperate are we becoming to get the champions league money with no investment
Stars
No
And I honestly never thot without the hun I would ever say that.
Still don’t blame the coach tho >}
HH
What is,
My £100 charity bet says we will win. Want to agree to the bet?
We will skoosh it. 15 points plus I would expect.
John Oneil
Lawwell has taken us to where we are now …good job ..not for me
Deila is hopeless ..empirically hopeless ..your opinion is your ken
Were we really as good as many of us thought last week at Maribor?
Don’t get me wrong we were all the same, delighted with the result and the resulting optimism which sadly crashed round about us last night.
However, was the performance as good as many of us claimed?
For nigh on 45 minutes Maribor actually let us have the ball. They retreated into their own half and calmly waited for us to concede possession. They were patient and disciplined, knowing that eventually they’d have control of the ball in a short time.
Stokes was praised for his effort and selfless running for the team. I did it myself.
Think about that. Praised for trying.
Dear God, that’s the bare minimum we should be expecting from any Celtic player!
Contrast Maribor’s first leg tactics with what was witnessed at Parkhead last night.
A world of difference.
They pressed us high up the pitch invariably forcing our defence and midfield into mistakes. It wasn’t accidental, it was by design.
It was the result of a coach knowing, observing, learning and adapting in the space of only 6 days.
We were out fought and out thought on the park but really the battle was won and lost on the training ground in the period between the two legs.
Ps this analysis does not take into account the multitude of other factors which have resulted in our current state.
the exiled tim
23:20 on 27 August, 2014
Spidey101
Agree with much of what you say.
What we need to do imo is raise the wage ceiling, bring in a couple of top quality players, weed out the ones who are draining the club of hard earned wages, buy them out if needs be, reduce the squad size big time.
A couple is really 4 or 5, let them help bringing on the kids, who better to learn from than top quality pros.
I have seen a few posters, whom I have much respect for, they would be in the happy…ish clapper dept, saying we can afford to spend a serious amount presently, I doubt we will do it mind you.
Flexibility is the key, we are fixated on spending little to make a killing, all the while the product on the park is dwindling week in week out.
Get a few quality pros in, pay them a decent wage, build the team around them, bring on the kids, and yes, we can still scout a future Vic, cos we will still be competing at a higher level than we are today.
HH
____________
That sounds far too sensible, what happens when the team excels?
Suppose we can sell them in a job lot…are you listening PL?
Bada
He took longer than two years
what is the stars- Dundee on Sunday could put down a marker for the months ahead
TGBS
Was on the train home last night and met two auld Tims fae Clydebank. They both thought that our CL exit was a blessing in disguise as humiliation from any German, Spanish or English team would await us. Sad how low we’ve fallen.
Stars
Yes
What is the stars-
I don`t think we will struggle to win the league. Not because we`re great but because too many of the other teams will cut each others throat. Aberdeen have already dropped points, Motherwell have started very slowly, we leathered Dundee United who I think are the second best team in the country.
It will be much tighter than in recent years. And it will be interesting to see how we deal with league games before and after the Europa League group games. There is a real opportunity for teams to take points from us then; the last 2 games have shown that our A team isn`t up to much and that our strength in depth is non-existent. Dealing with Motherwell after a horrible trip to Zagreb or Belgrade – definite scope there for points to be lost.
What is the Stars
No.
Big cup winners. I said after legia we should dump ronny as he wasn’t up to it and we wouldn’t win the league with him in charge, no one agreed, even those who accepted ronny was a poor manager thought we would win the league easily. I am not so sure
Van Dijk working his ticket via Dutch media, chase him if he doesn’t want to stay