Efe Ambrose looked a tad nervous at the start of last night’s game. He wasn’t the only one. Adam Matthews was pressed into an early return from injury, a forced change, but Celtic’s decision to deploy a more adventurous line-up than in previous encounters with Barcelona was by choice.
The result was 36% possession, heady heights compared to last season’s win and narrow defeat, but oh what a price. When Barca went 4-0 up early in the second half I suggested “This could be our record defeat”. My Dad said “Artmedia was only one more than this”. I meant THE record defeat, not the record European defeat. We were a few bounces of the ball away.
Results like this are always possible at this level if the game plan is wrong. In the minutes before kick off on Champions League nights, when the stomach knots with tension, I tell myself there is no shame in defeat, but “let’s make sure it’s not 3-0 again”. This must always be the priority. There seems to be a couple of rules:
If we defend the 18 yard line, in numbers, we have a chance of winning Champions League games, but beauty will very much be in the eye of the beholder.
If we chase vanity marks, as we did at home to Juventus and Milan, and away to Barcelona, we’ll lose heavily.
Last season’s Champions League campaign was a textbook lesson on how pot 4 teams from weak leagues should tackle the tournament. Spartak Moscow had more possession at Celtic Park than Barcelona had at the Camp Nou last night, but Celtic won both games against the Russians. There is a shout out loud lesson here.
Between now and the beginning of the next European campaign we have a great opportunity to build upon the type of football we saw in the last two domestic games. If we do this well, we can prepare for next season with a more mature model, but venues like the Camp Nou should only see our bedrock tactics for the foreseeable future.
The Celtic Graves Society are commemorating the life of Peter Scarff, who died of TB 80 years ago this week at the age of 25. Peter, a teammate of John Thomson and Jimmy McGrory, scored 54 goals in 112 games for Celtic before contracting his fatal illness at 23. A short service will be held at Peter’s grave in Kilbarchan Cemetery at 11:30 this Saturday, 14 December. You are all welcome.
There’s a Celtic shirt signed by the first team squad available for auction on ebay in aid of the Wellburn Care Home in Dundee, run by the Little Sisters of the Poor. It’s currently going for a song, so get there and fill your boots.
“The centre of Astana very much had a western feel- vibrant, affluent with a splattering of large video screens on the buildings advertising top of the range cars to luxury apartments. With skyscraper office blocks and top-end hotels with marble kerbstones, this very much is one side of Asia.
“The stadium itself looked fairly new, the shape of it reminded me of Tyncastle, thankfully we were made welcome here though!”
From a trip to Kazakhstan page 136 of the 2014 CQN Annual, available here:
Sean Fallon, Celtic’s Iron Man:
726 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- ...
- 20
- »
ryecatcher
22:29 on 12 December, 2013
Tom Minogue….
You will have my support and signature, sir.
P.s.Marvellous performance from you at Holyrood…..Watched it again the other night…they were ermmmmm…..uncomfortable to say the least,ey?
Keep on keepin’ on mate.
……………………..
Will do Ryecatcher, I updated blog this morning with a Newsflash to comment on those who have adopted Mandela.
http://www.tomminogue.com/blog7.php
H.H.
Football Memories is an excellent site where people can record their own favourite memories.
Read what Noel Gallagher thought of the famous 6-2 game.
I have known John Collins since he was a Hibs player desperate to play for Celtic – his team. Our team.
WC,
Aye, but I reckon he’s past his best.
BIGNAN…
Don’t know any of the background to any of the cases but trust you enough to sign.
I know time is of the essence….will read the detail now.
ryecatcher –
You watched Tom Minogue’s Holyrood video more than once?
No offence to Tom, but seriously?
Spot on Paul 67. Could not agree more. This team are not good enough to play in Amsterdam with two wingers never mind Barcelona. Our games in against Juve last season were the start of Neil Lennons change to adventurous tactics reminiscent of Tommy Burns. Good enough to thump Hearts and Motherwell but daft when you play Barca with their two footed players all over the park.
It started against Juve. That should have been lesson enough. It continued v Shakter and then against Milan away.
OK Milan away we were good enough for at least a draw but then other failings crept in. Lack of belief going forward and our Captain again getting sucked in by what they call professionalism these days. Repeated again versus Barca. A big big mistake for Scott. I wonder if he realises he might never get another shot at the Champions League.
Barca we were a little more cagey but then again I think Barca were out of sorts as they expected us to sit in more. A could have been draw was perhaps undone by Scott Brown. We will never know. Ajax at home was a banker win regardless of the teams shape.
Then to got to Ajax and do what we did! I was tearing my hair out. Neil always puts it down to a lack of effort from his players when we suffer a defeat like that. Thing is it may look like a lack of effort at times but players getting played out of position and pushed on with loads of space behind them will always look like monkeys (pardon the pun).
Milan at home and jees louise we played exactly the same as I thought. Open no control. Same players played out of position. Same players criticised.
I thought the Europa league was realistic this year. It could have been done. With some more control and a bit less of the unjustified confidence. We would have continued to win more friends, filled the stadium, enjoyed some different opponents in the latter months of the season. As it is we need to start again from scratch and have lost vital income. The qualifiers next year will be worse than this year. I am not looking forward to more nail biting games against second rate opposition.
I hope to God we make our signings in January and have them in and scoring goals before the summer.
Tom
22:40 on 12 December, 2013
ryecatcher –
You watched Tom Minogue’s Holyrood video more than once?
No offence to Tom, but seriously?
………………………………..
I only watch it once a day myself.
Song for Tom Minogue…..a feckin inspiration for all us CQN’ers
► 3:31► 3:31
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbhEsiGurEQ
21 May 2006 – Uploaded by Redskins001
http://www.cdbaby.com/redskins Redskins – Keep On Keepin’ On. Live on The Tube from 1984.
Big Nan, petition signed.
Talksport? Ignore it, don’t listen to it. It’s The Sun on radio.
Big Nan –
I can understand that :-)
tom….
I think I was looking for Kylie pouting in her video ‘All The Lovers’ and got BIGNAN at Holyrood instead haha
Serious point here. I was at the 4-1 Hampden Humiliation back in the day and later on knew the Thistle captain of the day, Alex Rae.
Alex now lives in Kirkcaldy and watches the Rovers and I mentioned to him about the League Cup Final win and someone it may have been me said I don’t suppose you have seen the game since. “Seen it!” he said, “when my weeks work is over I sit down every Friday night and watch a recording of the whole game.”
Nice bloke Alex, a big Rangers fan from Glasgow originally but with a sense of humour. He was assistant who sent on Albert Kidd at Dundee v Hearts too IIRC.
The Red Telephone
22:47 on 12 December, 2013
Big Nan, petition signed.
Talksport? Ignore it, don’t listen to it. It’s The Sun on radio.
……………………………………
Cheers TRT
ryecatcher –
I can understand that :-)
Seriously guys…..Tom Minogue is an inspiration to us all, in his efforts for common decency and natural law.Support his petition please….not much time left to do it.
http://www.footballmemories.org.uk/memories/clubs/60-chelsea/82-pat-nevin/
Hi, big shout out to Jan in the Brazen Head, for his wonderful day for us old guys, very, very, mutch appreciateate, and it’s was , he was always a good guy.
Big Nan –
Apparently at half-time that day, Big Jock stormed into the dressing room and said, “What’s the $%&#@&$ score here?”
To which big Tam Gemmell replied, “Four nothin tae Thistle.”
The big man was less than happy and Gemmell was dropped for the next game.
Big Nan
Nice meeting you to , Bucketeers sounds like a pub for pirates !
ryecatcher
21:56 on
12 December, 2013
Did anyone ever actually buy a macaroon bar or spearmint chewing gum in the Jungle?
Was ELD better than Lanliq?
You beat me to it.I used to buy the roll and chopped pork.Every game.WTF was I thinking?.
Tom
22:59 on 12 December, 2013
Big Nan –
Apparently at half-time that day, Big Jock stormed into the dressing room and said, “What’s the $%&#@&$ score here?”
To which big Tam Gemmell replied, “Four nothin tae Thistle.”
The big man was less than happy and Gemmell was dropped for the next game.
…………………….
I could see the funny side of it myself but a mate I was with didn’t and didn’s speak the rest of the day.
We humped them five or so a few weeks later. It was just one of those games where everything went wrong for us and right for them. A bit like last night.
Big Nan ,after viewing your ‘admit your a mason’ cause, whatever you put in front of me, I’ll sign. Duly done.
Yogiy Thanks mate.
H.H.
Ryecatcher,
Eldorado was a bit more refined on the nose.Lanliq used to stick to your gums,but both were an excellent aperitif,for the rolls and chopped pork .
With 1 hour to go 1,101 supporting PE01501
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/GettingInvolved/Petitions/thevictimslastright …
Many thanks to everyone who signed support for worthy cause.
Now time for some Test Match cricket.
H.H.
mighty tim supporting wee oscar
14:27 on 12 December, 2013,
Sorry about the delay MT, email sent mate.HH
Signed also
Big Nan –
Another memory from that day was when walking down Aitkenhead road after the game, the entire road was packed with disappointed Celtic supporters. There was a line of traffic, about half a dozen cars, sitting motionless as the crowd streamed past. At the front of the queue was a little old lady in a mini. She was obviously not accustomed to the etiquette of driving in the midst of a football crowd as she inched forward and impatiently tooted her horn, much to the annoyance of all around her.
This went on for a minute or two until 4 Celtic supporters decided enough was enough. They unceremoniously picked up the mini and literally turned it round to face the other way and left it there. The look on the woman’s face was something that will live with me forever.
Priceless.
Hi Celts,
Read with interest all the “support” for the team after the heavy defeat from Barca. We made mistakes during the close season….. No …… The plc made mistakes and some if us were slagged off on Cqn for highlighting it. The seeds were sown during the close season as we sold 3 first teamers and bought as it happened 1 first teamer. I don’t blame NFL for that I blame the plc strategy of profit before football success, that’s my opinion.
I think regarding Lenny’s tactics, the team was set out wrong and when it was failing big time the changes were too late, yes our manager should be to blame but the players should AT least match the opposition for fitness, strength and concentration…….
As always Celts I’d say watch out for the splitters on here, easy to spot and hunlike in nature.
Away for a cuppa ☕️ rosy lea.
HH
Signed, earlier today.
I wonder if they have a radio station in Germany who advocated that German teams should not be allowed into the CL,after Barca humped one of their teams 7-0 a couple of years ago in the CL?.
Must find out.
do you think Durham ran the same poll last season when Barca got gubbed 7-0 on aggr.by Bayern,and didn`t Man City suffer likewise when they couldn`t even get out the group stages last season?…back on the bike on Saturday against Hibs.
HH
Nigh All.
BIGNAN….
As discussed a few weeks ago.
Will forward you some stories from bygone days of yore….regarding some feckwits I worked with…..the Craft boys couldn’t even spell meritocracy.
Hmmmmm……I think their influence is diminishing rapidly with the advent of t’internet
Re Talksport, Durham is a wind up merchant and acts like a Hun whether he is or not.
Danny Kelly though is well worth a listen, different class altogether and a definite good guy. Ktf
Big Nan
I know Bobby Lawrie who scored for the Jags that day. I asked him what it felt like at half time being 4-0 up against one of the best teams in Europe. He said the dressing room was hushed. They couldn’t believe it. The manager Davie McParland, a good tim btw, gave them all a wee hauf and told them to keep it going. Thistle had just been promoted from the old 2nd division a few months previously.
Was that worse than last night? I don’t recall anyone calling for Big Jock’s head then; at least not in public.
Comparisons to other teams v Barca mean nothing.
It’s how you set your team according to opponents.
Do you set up to counter opponents style.
Or do you set up in a more positive fashion.
Last nights team looked on paper to be more proactive.
But Lennon admits after game the 2 wide men were to stop them getting down the flanks.
Wrong guys or wrong tactic?
Would only have been effective if whole team pressed higher.
If the 2 wide guys pressed higher alone then acres of space was left behind them to exploit.
We look compartmentalised rather than a complete team.
Not really sure what we played as it was poorly implemented.
Our coach and playing system are to reactive putting a higher burden on players.
Neil needs to work on a more proactive style and give our opponents food for thought and allowing our talent to develop and flourish.