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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LR @ 5.54
HMcD = Pen for hire.
The whole story is a pre-pack setting out PL’s excuse framework.
Utter tripe from start to finish.
Excuse after excuse after excuse.
One issue that never made it was the going rate for £75mill, sorry £50mill, sorry make that £30mill T/O football clubs.
Everything is now fair game to justify PL’s ruination of the club.
Scottish football is now to go part time …
Cheers for that
Mad Mitch
Agreed
Wonder how much McDonald was paid for that patronising crap
Madmitch I couldnt agree more – just more excuses.
Who is PL trying to kid with all this?
The glorious balance sheet @ 00;48
Good work fella, exactly the kind of list we need to present to the fans.
We need more lists like this so its there in black and white.the board quite simply have been rip off merchants for too long.
.
Kitalba..
I doubt Very Much if I have Ever called anyone a Traitor never mind You..
Remeber I never asked for a Boycott as Such I just said Wait and see..
Big Difference..
From someone saying I won’t be back till You sign a Bluechip or Sack Lawwell Etc..
I Suggested we En Masse tell Celtic PLC we will wait and see..
If they Speculate to Accumulate the Support will Follow on Mass..
As I Mentioned before.. We were always Told you pay ST upfront in May/June for the Transfer budget Etc..
Now spending Low and Buying Prospects is One thing..
But Buying Not one and Going into the Third Qualifing round of The Champions League with Not one Experienced CL campaigner in our Entire Squad is something Else..
Hope Yir Guid..
001Bhoy
Its all just an excuse for making the huns competitve next season.
Meanwhile, on the dark side:
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/hmrc-to-appeal-rangers-tax-ruling.25167974
Observations
Club – Our strength has always been that connection between club, players and supporters in a common cause. That is broken and needs to be bridged soon as. The club has got to open up channels and show they are listening
Manager – Talks a good deal almost Mowbrayish. Mistake in team selection at ICT affected European outcome, no doubt. Tactically wrong in a big way. Said Maribor would play as they did in the first leg and set up team accordingly. They didn’t, they pressed up the pitch and we had no plan B. Time is not on his side.
Players – The club HAVE invested in players, but the wrong ones! Does the manager recruit or the “football department” ? – Not sure Neil had full say never mind Ronnie.Let the manager manage. He probably didn’t even chose his assistant!
Last year the 3 goals we scored in the champions league was a penalty, an og and a 90th minute consolation after conceding 6 to barca.
For the Celtic board not to spend any money on a striker before these qualifiers was criminal. Then after we get lucky against Legia to still not get a striker in is just downright disgusting. We are being taking for fools.
There’s no doubt the EL is our level but still doesn’t ease the pain or anger at how badly we have fucked up this summer. In fact looking at some of the teams in the EL we probably will finish 3rd or 4th in the group aswel.
3 things will happen now before end of transfer window. VVD and commons will be sold and we will sign a striker. Depressing times.
got my happy head back on. So I can expect some flak… No matter.
Watch thevgame again
We were poor in the first half. We got the tactics wrong. We gave Maribor too.much respect and I think the legia Games did that to us.
The start of the first half proved that.
Even though the heart went out of the team after they scored both ambrose and VVD should have scored.
We are a striker of physical prowess, a better midfielder and never allowing berget in the team ever again away from being a capable team.
I’d be looking to build from there. A ruthless spell of smashing spfl opponents needs to follow to build confidence
Jobo
A damp start in dunblane, with little apparent prospect of improvement in the foreseeable future.
HH jamesgang
Morning all.
Getting brighter down here at the moment. Is the mood getting brighter on CQN?
My own mood was certainly not made brighter this morning by Radio Scotland’s Sports Department. Which bright spark on their editorial team thought it a good idea to give air time to the President of Legia Warsaw? He was allowed unchallenged to insinuate that we were culpable in his team being thrown out of the CL and that there was bad feeling between both clubs now. Have we no redress against such calumny? BBC Scotland’s sport’s department have been given free reign to perpetuate such distortions for years and always to our detriment.
I awoke this morning, as I do every morning, invigorated by the fact that I am a Celtic fan.
Sure, we lose matches we should win and our board seem to view buying decent players as a bad thing, but being a Celtic fan is better than…not bring a Celtic fan.
It’ll be ok…in the end.
N.B. Waking up invigorated is not a euphemism for something else that I may or may not have awoke with.
Has there been even the tiniest bit of contrition or admission of failure from Lawwell sines he burnt the golden ticket?
….thought not ! …Sheer arrogance!!!!
Summa of Sammi….22:46
Agree, I had an issue paying my Celtic TV 19.99 subscription, its not getting re-newed. Im not investing any more in Peter Lawwell.
EN
One direct consequence of the CL fiasco is that bad language, OK swearing, is now readily accepted on here, another step closer to becoming a hun like FF type forum. Typing in swear words, clever stuff.
Rock tree bhoy
If ur referring to me I just realised I used one after I posted. Hard to keep emotions in check after what I see happening to my club. Not the end of the world. Il ensure it doesn’t happen again.
Rock Tree Bhoy
08:15 on 28 August, 2014
Swear words are filtered on FF. However trying to score points on child abuse and besmirching the name of great people is perfectly acceptable.
Swearing is ‘readily accepted here?’
Thats the Lawwell effect, he makes normally polite people swear.
Lawwell Get to funk.
SFTB – I’ve only just read your post of 11.01 yesterday. My managerial nonpareil is Jock Stein, so at times like this I always ask “what would Jock do?”. I believe that he didn’t have a “system” like Wenger or Guardiola, but that he looked at his players and made sure that the collective unit played to everyone’s individual strengths. He never asked big Billy to run the ball out of defence, he never asked Bobby to make box-to-box gut-busting runs, but if you needed a last minute headed goal from a set piece, or you needed a midfielder to make a killer pass you knew who you had to get the ball to.
Ronny doesn’t seem to think like that – he has his system, but the problem is he doesn’t have the players to play it – the problem for the board is whether they will finance his vision. The only players from the other night I would retain are Gordon, Lustig, VVD, Johanssen, McGregor. I would also keep Denayer and possibly Kayal. With Brown and Forrest to come back that means we need only the front players that have been the subject of signing speculation, and a left back.
I’ve been told this morning that a potential Europa group could see us in with Inter Milan, Everton and Feyenoord. If we go into that group with the starting eleven from the other night then it really could get messy.
Neganon, do you ever produce any evidence of why you think we could do better? Is there something I can read somewhere that gives an alternative view on how we should spend our money?
As an example…I have been looking at our transfers out. My next step will be to look at who we could have got for the same transfer fee. I also looked at the sheer quantity of players we have brought in. The list itself highlights lots of players being brought in and without having to name them you can easily see the lack of quality.
I’m interested in other areas where you feel there is an issue. Managerial appointments for example – any evidence you have on what we should have done?
James Forrest put forward Brian McClair as CEO last night. Not ideal but at least he was prepared to offer some sort of solution and move the debate forward.
What are your solutions? What is realistic.
Summa of Sammi….
I’m good.
Don’t think you’ll ever find a single post of mine – ever – calling for Peter Lawwell, or any other employee of Celtic, to be sacked.
But you did call me a traitor for doing what you advocate. I suppose with you, like with many others, you’ve reached the point where you believe enough is enough. I just got there about eighteen months before you.
We’re on the one road… only some carry a heavier burden.
We could buy that big black striker from Hearts, that would be a start.
Rather than threaten to do it… I’d rather just get it over and done with – and do it.
Macjay
Let’s bang this GB boycott thing on the head.
I know several members who were in attendance on Tuesday night. Were they all there? I don’t know but neither do you.
The GB didn’t attend as a group for one simple reason, Celtic didn’t issue them with season tickets.
I’d bet after Tuesday’s result that they’ll be in the post pretty quickly though.
2 Ladies and a Gentleman on BBC breakfast discussing how investment in a striker earned arsenal multi £Ms through CL qualification.
Rocket science it ain’t.
I read earlier someone making the point that pretty much anyone could see we needed a big, fast, string striker. Didn’t need to wait for Ronny to arrive to tell us that.
Few of is are in a position to make decisions that cost our organisations tens of millions of pounds.
Say what you want that’s one reason I would never want pl’s job. Doesn’t mean I’m presently impressed with his results.
HH jamesgang
.
Kit..
I doubt Very much I Actually called You a Traitor..
Because I have a Funny Feeling You would have mentioned it..
And I never mentioned You in my Original Post so obviously never said You asked for Lawwell to be Sacked I was Summarizing my general point in the First post..
Summa
Hamiltontim
08:37 on 28 August, 2014
Perhaps the GB could confirm that their members were at the game and that there was no boycott.
Kit- it was good to meet [albeit briefly] at last.
Youngest has arrived in Brisbane safely, ready to start work in Hervey Bay next week.
I plan to go over early in 2015, D.V., will keep you in the loop.
I don’t kno about the ole GB bhoycott.
Half the team on the park could be posted missing.
Legia Warsaw, who beat Celtic 6-1 over two legs in the the Champions League qualifiers and were then thrown out for fielding an ineligible player, were happy to see the Bhoys bow out of the competition after a 2-0 defeat on Tuesday,
tweeting: “#footballwon”.
BBC again.that guy from SPORTING, who was a forward but they said he was a defender will no doubt be a forward again now that he isnae comin.begs the question “whit skool did ye go tae son” when applying for a job .
Summa of Sammi….
You did but I didn’t take it to heart. It was about 14 months ago. It was around the time when the father and son were asking when we were going to get a striker. Some mocked way back then, some mock today, the way things are going the same people will be mocking in a years time and father and son will still be asking… where’s our striker?
How long since Hooper handed in his notice?
DBBIA:
Likewise. I enjoyed those couple of hours in the Blane Valley.
Phyllis Dietrichson
08:30 on
I agree with what you are saying. Ronny is trying to put round pegs in square holes to suit his system. He needs to take account of player’s individual strengths and weaknesses before trying to make everyone blindly conform without regard to ability.
Marti
.
DIBBA..
There was a Lovely couple from Edinburgh ran a Quaint Little ‘Backpackers’ in Hervey Bay called ‘The Friendly Backpackers’ they will be in there late 60’s early 70’s now But.. it would be worth anyone asking if they were still around as they were well know in the community and could book you anything up the East Coast of Australia at great rates..
Fraser Island is the most Beautiful place I have ever been to..
Summa
The new manager has also received backing from the club’s board who are determinedly sticking to the long-term project they begun when hiring the Norwegian coach. It is understood that the board will prove Deila with the investment to completely reshape the Celtic squad. (The Herald)
Ha ha ha ha,to “Completely reshape the squad”.From a board that have negotiated wages for 4 days with the managers “Supposed”choice of striker,who was desperately needed for the Maribor game.So much negotiating,it now looks as though they have waited too long,and he wont be coming.
Summa- thanks for the tip.
I’m looking forward to going very much.
New culture. New home. New employer. New employees. New assistant manager. New philosophy. Family back at home. Tell me anyone, if they were in those shoes, who wouldn’t take a fair bit of time to find his way in such a daunting environment.
Extend the hand of welcome Bhoys, or hang your spoilt, mean-spirited heads in shame.
You’ll never walk alone?