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
- ...
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- »
BobbyM
The Hootenanny flag is on tour btw, here for a week or so >}
HH
Vmhan – YNWA Wee Oscar
00:23 on
13 December, 2013
Lol– Vinny I just talk the same pish as everyone else but use slightly poetic language when doing so.
I potentially see a story in everything– why does that we wummin do that and how did this or that ever happen? — just the way I am I suppose.
Ryecatcher — aye well that was then– when we stuck to a system where we played to ours strengths and there was a significance to the game that could be measured in terms of progress.
For me, at the moment, the biggest change since that defeat last year is the absence of the “we” element– and I mean the players, the coaching staff, the boardroom and the fans!
Celtic right now have lost some of the “we” factor as there is an awful lot of in fighting about this and that — I don’t need to go into the specifics.
The greatest thing about our club is when “we” show the world what it truly means to be a “club”– not in the sense of a legal definition or in terms of a football rule or judgement — but in terms of “we” turn out in our own inimitable way to smile, laugh, sing, cheer, and support our team in every way win lose or draw.
But right now we are not united in any way. Our sense of camaraderie is missing — our sense of being more than a football club to use that hackneyed phrase has gone.
Some demand more and better from the manager and players — and there is nothing wrong with that — but it is done in such a vitriolic way with demands and anger and disgust and argumentative negativity that it banishes at least temporarily all that I find endearing about Celtic Football Club and what I believe it stands for– what we stand for.
We have taken a step backwards on the performance front– of that there is no doubt. However the issue is have we taken a step backwards to take two going forward– not in terms of the balance sheet as that is important but is not the raison d’etre — but in terms of the whole Celtic Footballing offer– facilities, matchday experience and yes players and football on the park.
Whether anyone else likes it or not, a huge part of the Celtic experience for me is the fans — football is nothing without the fans– and I believe that to be so.
However fans are always happier with a team that performs well– as against Hearts and Motherwell — but immediately turn hostile and apparently bitter when things do not go right at a higher level.
I get that, I understand it, I see the argument but in truth I don’t like it much.
We could put out a great team and have the most fantastic of balance sheets and all that jazz — but if that camaraderie from the fans is absent, that sense of togetherness through thick and thin, during ups and downs, with a sense of humour and a smile no matter what — then for me that would not be Celtic — at least not the one I know and love anyway.
Carl Craig.
The hour is late.
Time, it is?
Respecting my LAST POST.
BRTH
Ooft, could not have put that better. Yip, you have that knack of putting into words what the majority of us supporters desire. Keep the keyboard clattering, you know I read every word you write. :))
Weefra HH supporting Wee Oscar.
FFM 00:49
I love the way God Works.
Uefa say they urnae Political.
All the ISMs, as I said to yer fine self, were constructed in the Temples. The Temples are the Secretive MANY, controlled by the few.
WeefratheTim
01:14 on
13 December, 2013
…..and you know I am just a bozo wi a keyboard ! lol
Hope you are well.
Night Night Timland. The good news, ( not that some would believe) is, we will still be Celtic supporters in the morning. The Greatest footballing family on the planet.
Weefra HH supporting Wee Oscar.
BRTH
You know I am just as well as any supporter can be. Just you keep that ole keyboard going, and I’ll not get too bored in my dotage. :))
Weefra HH supporting Wee Oscar.
BRTH 01:00
I think yer just trying to say something like this….
Thunder.
You know mair than maist, is History going to Keep repeating?
Pedro,
:)) indeed. Hope you’re well amigo. Am in Oberdeen past few weeks. All good now, but excuse my lack of chat. Email me how things are if you can.
Fantastic Fabulous Madster – I’ve got you doon for a mad swallie session in January. The Olde 16 roads session is February.
The talk will be intimate, about the deepest fears and what happens when you have opened up a DOOR?
emailed earlier.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V10wk61kGlI
BRTH.csc
Pedro,
:)) love it. May have to give up the booze up! God works in mysterious ways amigo.
FFM,
A coffee meet, We will always make it an Irish Drink. ;))
I AM (not the New age Guru) Fun Bob.
I am always going to challenge everything. I emailed a link to BSR about a Nashville interview about the real goals of AA, not sure the Beezer even listened to it.
PETEC,THE EXILED TIM,FORTUNES FAVOUR MIBBES.
Joooooost missing a few of the happy crew,like CANAMALAR and A CEILER GONOF RUST (currently in a BARCA gutter wondering where his hotel is!) and maybe a wee MAGS or 16 ROADS,and we could have a right good MOONHOWLERS REUNION!!!!
I miss the happy days of having the early morning squad choking over their Friday morning cornflakes…..
Jings,we could talk some utter tripe. And God willing,will do so again!
Ah well. Back to work for a bit.
Guid start by the ENGLISH.
After the historic barca molagization yesterday an amazing thing happened to me. Well. I went for a walk in the nearby forest and after a few mins a huge true fell right in front of me. Get this. It never made a sound. Get this. No one believes me that it didnt make a sound. Oh thee of little faith
MARGARET McGILL
Ah,right on cue!
We’re waiting to see if the huns think it made a sound before we act…..
Before I go,anyone seen this?
Sorry its from The Mail,I saw it on CCF but couldnt get a link.
FOX News at it again…..
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2522863/Fox-News-anchor-Megyn-Kelly-declares-Jesus-Santa-verifiably-white.html
BMCUWP
FOX is becoming a joke even in the US. It started when FOX advocated arming all american schoolchildren with handguns after sandy Hook.
Margaret McGill,
Thank Feck the Americans still have guns.
petec – Oscar BraveO – God Bless.
03:05 on 13 December, 2013
Aye
Feck is dead cocky so he is
The occult roots of AA? ;))
Alcoholics Anonymous
Demons are real, they may not be brutally obvious, especially as……..
Watch out for the Third Temple being built in the next 4 years, watch out for the unblemished COO, if that happens there is nae doubt at all, at awe, that Celtic WILL defy all odds and beat the very best and defy all the MONEY MONSTERS. Yeshua will probably come back not long after. I am usually wrong.
Margaret McGill
What do you think of the Swiss?
Swish?
Psychotropic drugs had My Sons Mum considering Suicide, she didn’t do it because of her Catholic Faith.
petec – Oscar BraveO – God Bless.
02:41 on
13 December, 2013
Guid start by the ENGLISH.
Restoration of the natural order of things.
Aus…1/52
She has a younger and an older Son from Mine.
England getting a 2nd wicket. The Series is back on?
BMCUW,
Miss that myself! And all you mention! The main mhen! Could only look in past few months, but miss you all! Gaycsc :))
Bugger
2 fer.
Guid Luck to the 100 up player, a remarkable achievement.
I hope the other 100 up is smiling mair after this weekend,
The freezing cold here (0 degrees f, with wind chill) has either cleared my brain or frozen it while I took the dog for a walk. I was wondering who, if anyone, lost on Wed night.
Was it :
the football team,
the football club,
the football team and football management club,
the football company,
the football board of administrators,
the bored (sic),
the directors of the football board,
the non executive board members of another board,
the prospective board members, who have not yet purchased any shares,
the Green Brigade,
the players,
the people who didn’t turn up for the games,
the people who won’t turn up after that result,
the shareholders.
ChristmaswillcomeagaininApril CSC
macjay1 for Neil Lennon
03:26 on 13 December, 2013
Bugger
2 fer.
_________________________
Ye wanting the Aussies to win Mac?
Pete
No mate.
It was just that I spoke too soon:-)…Hubris.
I want the Series to go to the final arvo of the final day.
And then Oz to win.
I like the underdog, England are mega underdogs but they have the potential to win 2-2.
I just like Cricket a loata.
macjay1 for Neil Lennon
03:31,
I misunderstood ye, I’m like yer guid self, love GREAT sporting occasions and try hard to not think of them being the Roman Circus to keep the populace distracted.