Shakhter Karagandy covered 5k more ground than Celtic last night, 500m per outfield player. That’s 5.5m per minute, per player, or an extra meter every 10 seconds or so. That kind of advantage means that when the ball breaks loose in and around the danger area, the more active team are in space – which happened at both goals.
Conversely, when Celtic were in advanced positions Shakhter players were there in numbers. The difference was not caused by exceptional exertion by Shakhter, in their match with Maribor last night, Viktoria Plzen covered 11k more than Celtic, or a clear 2 meters every 10 seconds per outfield player.
Despite enjoying the vast majority of possession the Celtic players were lacking in movement and ideas. Being short of ideas is one thing but lack of movement is altogether unacceptable. We have to prepare fitness levels ahead of the second leg meticulously; Inverness on Saturday is only relevant for those who need game time ahead of Wednesday.
The Mouhokolo-van Dijk novice partnership was a surprise; a lot of faith was shown in players few of us know much about. Could we have held Kelvin for another few weeks? Would it have been less of a risk to play Ambrose and/or Mulgrew in defence? Yes to both, I suspect.
We learned Georgios is not a striker in 2009. He is one of our most effective players when away from home but not as a striker. Anthony Stokes is a striker but his style is just as unsuited to the formation we played last night as Georgios’. We seemed to pick a team to combat Shakhter’s strengths which didn’t play to our own.
I’m not convinced signing a player one week before an important game is an ideal preparation but taking the money early for Hooper, weeks before Amido Balde (or anyone else) has settled and considered a viable starter, is a calculated risk which is now in sharp focus.
We should also show some respect to Shakhter. The club are miles out of their depth at this stage of European football but they left with all the credit. After the game, manager Kumykov played down his chances, “we are not the favourites”. He’s a clever man who knows what he is doing.
It is possible Celtic will play as badly next week but it’s more likely that we will put on a vastly better performance. Between now and then we have plenty of opportunity to wallow in an embarrassing defeat, so knock yourself out, but I’ll hold fire until the tie is decided, which I expect to be in Celtic’s favour. Bring it on.
You got to love European football.
Penalty kick practice, please……
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This is not an exclusive list, but it’s all expressions CQNers use in addressing one another in place of ‘sorry, old bhoy, I simply can’t agree’ (SOBISCA).
“That is garbage. FACT” = SOBISCA
“You are a ****** ” = SOBISCA
“Bunkum and balderdash” = SOBISCA
“You talk *****” = SOBISCA
“What colour is the sky on your planet?” = SOBISCA
et cetera.
Just say SOBISCA instead. There is no need for sensational put-downs and shock-jock expressions of astonishment. I blame the tabloids.
Sydney Tim what a load of rubbish you talk, 8,000 crowds at Celtic Park were never the norm! Nothing like it!
Blantyrekev
I loved your last line :
” In amongst all that I think we do, occasionally, need to stop panning for gold and just go retail!”
Classic!
Marti
See Big Mike at11:58.
What the honourable Tim gentleman meant to say, was: “Sydney Tim, SOBISCA.”
#SOBISCA.
glendalystonsils
I believe his boy is a near scratch golfer and he himself is pretty good. If I see him at the Dunhill I’ll pass on some of today’s thoughts :-)
big mike
11:58 on 22 August, 2013Sydney Tim what a load of rubbish you talk, 8,000 crowds at Celtic Park were never the norm! Nothing like it!
SOBISCA
HH
TET,
You cant deny some posts on here after the game were outrageous,more than a few calling it the worst performance they had ever seen,they cant have been watching for long,believe me I will be one of the first on here if we get put out on Wednesday,but I think we will win 3 or 4 nil,and I am one of the few who thought we had played not too bad the other night
fanadpatriot
I would 2nd you for a scouting job under Lenny.
LB
celtic_first
11:59 on 22 August, 2013See Big Mike at11:58.What the honourable Tim gentleman meant to say, was: “Sydney Tim, SOBISCA.”#SOBISCA.
Ye beat me…
HH
Big mike well I was there and during the winter months at home to Hamilton etc that was the norm
If we got a crowd of 18k it was a big crowd maybe 22 v hearts or Aberdeen and 50 v Huns
Celtic First
SOBISCA…. I blame the schools :-)
MickTT
12:02
SOBISCA. It’s not a question of who says it first.
LiviBhoy – God bless wee Oscar
Thank you for your vote of faith HH
Is SOBISCA a rude word in Romanian?
I think we should be told.
I will stick by my previous post! PS I was there!
Over the coming days there will calls from various sources inside Celtic Park, Board members included, for the fans to turn out in large numbers next Wednesday and vociferously support the team in time of great need.
I would humbly suggest that as in other walks of life Celtic related support and encouragement has to be a two way street.
Can anyone honestly say that in matters of player recruitment and allowing itself to appear to be in collusion with TFOD and other unsavoury elements of Scottish Football, the current Board is offering the fans much in the line of support and encouragement?
Celtic_first
I’m peeved. ‘Bunkum and balderdash’ was one of my put downs. SOBISCA.
Hey if we get put out on Wednesday, we’ll moan and rage, but still go back.
Partizan Belgrade, Raith Rovers to name but two of my biggest disappointment’s, there’s loads more before and after.
But ye know ye just can’t get enough…!
HH
TheOriginalSadiesBhoy
12:06
SOB.
In the spirit of Jimmy Sanderson, that can go back in in the repechage.
PFayr I think you,ll find the main reason was Wim knew about the £650,000 buy out clause in his contract allied with his obvious potential. Any name you think we should go for? Hail Hail Hebcelt name=names
Is SOBISCA a better retort than BAZINGA? Discuss.
celtic_first
12:04 on 22 August, 2013MickTT12:02SOBISCA. It’s not a question of who says it first.
I hear ye..
HH
Kev Jungle – why not just ‘come out’ as a Rangers fan? I honestly don’t think anyone would object as long as you were reasonable. The game is up – you may think you are waging a long term war to undermine the fabric of the club etc. No one agrees with you, partly because everyone knows you are a gers fan. I would imagine you are quite a lonely individual – that’s ok though – life can be like that. Just ‘come out’ and have a laugh- life’s too short.
I thought SOBISCA was a film about Spiderman discovering a hitherto unknown talent for being a jockey and winning the Arc de Triomphe against all the odds.
Celtic_first
Excellent.
Having problems with my laptop since the SK game – when I press the refresh button it sticks on the same page with the same opposing views but some of the names change.
Could be worse. KevJ’s laptop has been stuck on the same page for 6 years!
SOBISCA.
Only 6 days till the 2nd half!
KTF
new article posted.
Gordybhoy64
Have to agree with you on comments saying it was the worst ever Celtic performance. Thought that these guys must be 5 years of age :-)
Rightly or wrongly we are where we are in relation to buying a striker
So (imho) unless we are going to bring in a game changer for next week then with the names being thrown about would we not be better giving Tony Watt & the young Bhoys George & McMullen the opportunity in the Europa and Scotland if we dont make it next week.
Keep the £2m unless we make the CL group stages which i am comfident we will.
The mistake of not replacing Gary has been made and I dont think those being touted would change anything even if they were given a chance next week.
I think what I am trying to say is I hope we dont panic buy just for the sake of it:))(ITHINK)
Re the supposed duff striker signings, my take has always been, we have goalkeeping coaches Stevie Woods, midfield Thommo Parker Lenny, physios, dieticians, psychologists, but no striking coaches…maybe one of these guys with the proper coach would have been a diamond, why spend money on the most important part of the game and not have a specialist coach….makes sense tae me
Kikinthenakas
Tick, tock…
Aren’t these transfer windows a wonderful time to be a Tim?
Fed on the one hand by media garbage which we seem to collectively lap up (“Celtic in swoop for. X…”) and by PLC PR tripe on the other that “we are doing all (sic) we can”, “we have a number of players under consideration”, “there’s no point in bringing in players who won’t improve on what we have”, “disrespectful to the current squad” blah blah blah…
We continually and repeatedly hang on the PLC and management’s latest pronouncements which equate to nothing.
There was an analysis posted last night on this blog of Celtic’s transfer window activity over each of the recent seasons. By and large, we have been utterly pathetic.
Every season, we, as fans, even as shareholders, warn of the dangers of leaving things too late, of being held as hostages to fortune and of ultimately bringing in dross at the £2m level of useless loans. This is particularly true of our strikers in recent seasons.
We are potentially squandering our best opportunity of FIVE YEARS CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FOOTBALL because of Lawwell and the beancounters’ short sightedness. It’s not advanced economics to demonstrate that a break even strategy is inferior to a Champions League income boost funded by modest investments early in the transfer window. The current strategy is actually doing the all important shareholders a disservice.
I still await any criticism, even constructive criticism, of this failing and unnecessarily risky strategy by Paul and those utterly supportive of the PLC board.
Celtic’s strategy has been wholly unnecessary and may yet prove a huge failure aswell as a golden opportunity squandered.
HH for the GB
83/84. Average attendance 18k
Min 5000
Amazing how people can forget those years
Definition of a supporter ?
It’s obviously a very personal thing which is going to be different in each of us according to our diverse natures.
In my own case, I think of Celtic in the same way I think about any one of my own family.
Mostly they bring me nothing but pleasure & I let them know that that is the case.
If I am ever disappointed with them, & being human beings that sometimes has to happen, then I keep that to myself. I will NEVER criticise them to anybody other than themselves. I know that they had not intended to cause me concern.
We all get it wrong sometimes. That’s life.
In the same way, I NEVER publicly criticise the club which has given me so much pleasure. It is part of my family.
Childishly simplistic ?
Probably………
So if we were unprepared against SK, I take it next week we’ll be Aye, Ready?
gallowgate mad squad
in fairness i think you may find that the number of folks who agree with Kev is increasing the nearer we get to the end of the window without a signing
or the more we ban the green brigade
or the less we speak out against the sfa shennanigans
or the less likely our chances of CL qualification
the question is
Why would you expect celtic fans to think any differently
look at how the gullible huns have swallowed every word that CG or CW have spoken
should we also be as gullible too?