I never really understood what was so special about Roy Keane as a player until he came to Celtic, where he opened my eyes for 11 games (his first two performances, against Clyde and Kilmarnock, were awful).
He’s right up there in terms of great footballers I’ve seen play for Celtic, but he’s difficult to feel affection for. Today’s comments are a case in point:
“When [Celtic] qualified [for the Champions League]the celebrations were way over the top.
“I thought they’d won the competition. People were hugging each other, the manager, the coaches, the players.”
And the fans, Roy, Celtic fans were celebrating every bit as much as anyone you watched on television. No one thought we’d won the competition, but we are all aware of the transformational impact group qualification has on our football club. That’s worth celebrating. Fans all did, even if some former players found it difficult.
Brendan Rodgers qualified for the group stage with what was largely the same squad which disintegrated in Europe last season. He became the first Celtic manager to reach this level in his first season.
This challenge, coming a few weeks into your time as manager, is viewed as hugely difficult objective by the club. New managers seldom takeover successful gigs, with an upward trajectory and a list of targets ready to sign up.
The significant achievement in Europe this season, which has largely gone below the radar, is beating last season’s Champions League group stage participants, Astana, 2-1 at Celtic Park, with 11 starters who were all at the club before Brendan took over (one Rodgers signing started the away leg).
By any measure, Astana should have considered their chances that night and concluded, “We were better than them last season, and they’ve not added a player to the team”. (Two of Brendan’s signing came on as second half subs).
Going into this season we turned-over around 10% of what one of Roy’s other former clubs, or Barcelona received. If we had around £450m extra to spend, every season, there would be less celebration at reaching the group stage, as it would no longer be transformational. Maybe we’d be like football fans in Manchester, and only fill half our stadium against a Bundesliga team.
Or maybe we’ve not lost the joy in supporting our team. Neither have the manager, coaches and players.
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Turkeybhoy on 15th September 2016 1:49 pm
A Turkish Delight.
DAVIDOPOULOS on 15TH SEPTEMBER 2016 12:56 PM
NatKnow
You should be surprised by DH. He gives Jim Traynor a glowing reference on the Level 5 website.
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I am disappointed to hear that. Perhaps he is unaware of the damage L5 is there to do. I recall that the press weren;t too fair to DH in the past..
Celtic is Majestical.
6/1
RC – I’m on that.
The Great Contributour to this Site – Jar
Roy is still a Celtic fan and would have some concern for the club no doubt. Not sure if Roy was part of the Manchester Utd team that took a four goal drubbing from Barcelona in Wembley a few years ago.
THE GREEN MAN SAYS SACK THE BOARD on 15TH SEPTEMBER 2016 1:44 PM
Raberto67,
Just how have we not invested in better players?
Dembele,Sinclair,Toure.A loan deal for Roberts.
Another window in January,and again next summer.Who knows who BR can get in.I dont,and neither do you.Sometimes you just bump your gums .
The PLC need to break the cycle of taking punts on players, in the hope they can sell on for huge profit.
Try building a decent team ffs, how about that.
Its the constant quest for profit out of nothing, that is undermining the structure of the team.
They only want to buy players…they can sell, rather than constructing a team that can compete.
Its the businessman agenda that comes first….the team come second.
That is the problem.
Football and the team should be the priority….not the bonus culture.
HH
Am I alone in thinking Keane has a point? Not his biggest fan, and glad he never got the job as manager but I think he is saying the same as Scott Brown basically, Tuesday night was unacceptable, Barca didnt have to work very hard for their goals, thats the problem
As for RK’s comments, in particular about the players having to understand that we’re Celtic, not Altringham, I think he has a point. I’m generally happy with our progress so far under BR, but recognise that there’s a fair way to go before we can confidently approach a CL group with hopes of at least finishing 3rd. One of the main issues is the mentality of our players and this is what he said, albeit in his own frothing style. I’m not sure BR got the system correct, although I’m sure he expected far more from his players. So many of them looked nervous and crumbled after the penalty miss (not blaming MD btw, he’s young and hopefully he can learn from it). Broony might be limited in the technical side of the game – passing, shooting, etc – but his value to the team in big games was evident the other night as he was the only one who looked unfazed and who seemed to be trying to take some control of the game. I said during the game that we seemed far too intent on keeping shape as opposed to marking men and it cost us time after time. I understand comments about the difficulty in man-marking Messi, but having someone stick to him like glue would surely slow him down at the very least by ensuring he’s not free to receive the ball at all times. Man-marking doesn’t mean you need to win the ball every time it comes near, simply forcing other players to choose another pass would help a great deal. We were all over the place at times, but my biggest criticism has to be for the goalie. I’m no huge CG fan, but I haven’t seen anything yet to convince me that DDV is better than him at anything. He hasn’t shown anything special on the deck which I thought was supposedly his biggest attribute over CG, but more worryingly he isn’t much of a shot-stopper which imo should be the first tick on a goalie’s checklist. Messi’s first and the one where Suarez took it on his chest and turned (I think he should have been out quicker to narrow the angle) both went straight over his head without his hands reaching shoulder height, and the free-kick from Neymar was very saveable yet he didn’t even get close. It was a disaster of a night, but I’m hopeful that we can learn lessons and as some have mentioned perhaps BR will realise that a more tactically defensive set-up beyond ‘5 at the back’ is sometimes required in the CL. Still happy overall, as I always considered this season would be too early to make a real impact in the CL. Qualifying and using the money to improve for next year was the best I thought we could realistically hope for this year. Drawing a tough CL group in which our weaknesses will be exposed is no more than bad luck which we must suffer for now.
HH
MALONE BHOY on 15TH SEPTEMBER 2016 1:27 PM
‘Not Keane’s biggest fan but I took from his rant that he was hurting, not that he was deriding the club.’
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I think what disgusts him is the poverty of expectation that seems to have permeated the Club over the last few years and which was highlighted by the attitude and performance in Barcelona.
Turkeybhoy
Forget Toure…Forget Roberts, he is not our player.
Demebele….cost next to nothing, but will be punted for millions
Sinclair was a very good signing.
So…..we need more than two, dont you think?
I dont want to see us humped 7-0….are you happy with that?
HH
BlantyreTim, you’ve got mail.
When do Barca ever look as if they are working hard for their goals?.
They are the hardest working team on this planet.A fact acknowledged by anyone who watches football.
KINGLUBO on 15th September 2016 1:44 pm
Roy Keane – great player, that’s it. Rubbish manager, no a very nice person I feel.
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Its great to have someone on the blog who knows Roy Keane all the same, can’t wait for more insightful nuggets like this!
Please just give it a rest about Tuesday night.
All that was lost was 3 points in a group where we are expected to be whipping boys (that’s the purpose of the Pot 4 team, btw). This season was not about how well we did in the group stage – it was about qualifying for the group stage…to you know…get the money we keep on saying we need to invest in better players so that we can be better equiped for the next time.
The journey of a thousand of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Qualification for the group stage this season was that first step.
ernie lynch on 15th September 2016 1:59 pm
MALONE BHOY on 15TH SEPTEMBER 2016 1:27 PM
‘Not Keane’s biggest fan but I took from his rant that he was hurting, not that he was deriding the club.’
###
I think what disgusts him is the poverty of expectation that seems to have permeated the Club over the last few years and which was highlighted by the attitude and performance in Barcelona.
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ernie, could you expand what you are saying?
I always remember you sticking up for Joey.
Here’s a wee suggestion.
Sack half the board, scrap the bonus culture.
And use the money for the team.
A huge salary should be enough….why do they need a bonus as well….for what exactly?
HH
Turkeybhoy
If that was us at (or even near) our best then I fear for the rest of the games in the group.
Personally I believe we can do a lot better. Even just by getting the basics right I think would translate into better performances. And hopefully results!
Quite agree Quite agree!
:-)
THE GREEN MAN SAYS SACK THE BOARD on 15TH SEPTEMBER 2016 2:01 PM,
Its not possible to argue with you.We buy Dembele.To you its just a money making venture !!!!!.Who says?.And even if he is a big success and gets punted for 15 million pound,is that bad?.
Roberts is a loan,forget him?.Why would you want to forget him,we are getting a 12 million player for a fraction of his wages for 18 months,maybe longer,who knows.It seems you will only be happy if we go out and spend fortunes we cant afford,on players who would probably not be good enough to make a difference.
BR has started off well.Leave it up to him to see who he can bring in.Never mind how much they cost.
For what my Opinion is Worth. I’d rather not say. ;))
Why get offended by Roy Keane
Firstly he is from Cork and as you all know spends his entire life being angry because he wasn’t born in Dublin.
Seriously though
That’s what Keane does.He is a hard man to please and maybe rightly so
Losing 7 nil the other was an awful humiliation,yes it was against Barcelona and yes they have resources both on and off the pitch that we cant even dream about right now.
I wouldn’t be over critical of our team and manager because of what they were up against but I would hope our results improve.
Many on here are too easily upset when someone says something “bad” about Celtic.
Last year Chris Sutton was the devil incarnate,soup taker supreme because he rightly told any one who would listen that the King had no clothes.
This year Chris is loved by all because he rightly calls out the refs for ” Honest mistakes”
get over it lads,its only a game
Now if Dembele had scored that penalty !!!!
Raberto67
PL’s bonus extravaganza, wasnt the man thrust of my point.
Im on about how we should be properly prepared, in terms of players.
We cannot compete for the superstars, but we can be spending more on better players.
If we want to be CL regulars….we cannot do it with a Ronny D team,…that much should be obvious by now.
Im saying that if the PLC dont want to invest in better players for the CL…..we are going to get mauled repeatedly….and i dont want to see that.
So the PLC need to change their thinking, so that we can compete….or its a total waste of time, and an embarrassment as well.
We shouldnt be cannon-fodder….to anybody.
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Sorry, but you’re not getting it mate. How do you propose they change their thinking? How do you propose for example that we prepare better than we did this year? I think you need to face the reality of where we are in terms of being attractive to players. We can’t pay very much (relative to far smaller clubs) in wages and qualification for the CL is far from guaranteed. Unless there is a significant change in the financial set-up of the game or CL qualifying then we’re more likely to go backwards than forwards imo. If you have some other suggestion as to how we can better prepare for CL groups then let’s hear it.
HH
HH
This CL draw came probably a couple of years to soon for Brendan’s Revolution.
Assuming he is here for the long haul.
So be patient and lets move on to the next game.
C’MON THE CELTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Davidopoulos on 15th September 2016 2:03 pm
Please just give it a rest about Tuesday night.
All that was lost was 3 points in a group where we are expected to be whipping boys (that’s the purpose of the Pot 4 team, btw). This season was not about how well we did in the group stage – it was about qualifying for the group stage…to you know…get the money we keep on saying we need to invest in better players so that we can be better equiped for the next time.
The journey of a thousand of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Qualification for the group stage this season was that first step.
Ramp it up…..
5
Didn’t really appreciate the performance of Barcelona at the Nou Camp the other night,too much time spent on la Ramblas in the afternoon and too far away from the play in the evening. Watched it again on returning home and have to say that on that performance they could have taken four or five off of any of their nearest competitors for the trophy. Ah didn’t think that Celtic played that badly and we’re just a tad unfortunate that Barcelona chose to have one of their more sublime evenings. Peter Lawell could have sanctioned the spending the whole £30 odd million on signings but we could have spent a right few million more and still not matched them on the night. A whole different footballing culture and thought process exists in that city,one I imagine that won’t be bettered elsewhere
ps If its any consolation the your regular Barcelona absolutely love us and would welcome us in their city anytime, The fields of Athenry sung in Catalonian certainly sounded different
Turkeybhoy
THE GREEN MAN SAYS SACK THE BOARD on 15TH SEPTEMBER 2016 1:44 PM
Raberto67,
Just how have we not invested in better players?
Dembele,Sinclair,Toure.A loan deal for Roberts.
Another window in January,and again next summer.Who knows who BR can get in.I dont,and neither do you.Sometimes you just bump your gums .
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Not sure why you think I said this, maybe read my post again bud.
gumbumperscsc
GLASSTWOTHIRDSFULL on 15TH SEPTEMBER 2016 2:07 PM
Turkeybhoy
I hope so too,but Barca can make any team look poor on the night.We are far too far out of our depth at the moment.A good performance at home against City,and hopefully a win at home to the Germans would give us a chance for 3rd,get out of this nightmare group and into the EL.A win and draw would see us through I think.Cand see the Germans getting anything from the top two.
Still a massive ask,but maybe doable.
Barca didn’t have to work very hard for their goals???The ease with which they score goals is the result of fanastic talent working tirelessly.Running about like Peter Grant isn’t the only way of demonstrating hard work.Thinking about when/where to run is also work.
Turkeybhoy
What i said, was that the board are more interested in profit, than in building a team.
Roberts is not our player, he will be gone at the end of the season.
Dembele…imo, was bought, with future profit in mind…..just like VVD, or VW.
Profit should not be the first consideration, and that kind of thinking, is the problem.
HH
RABERTO67 on 15TH SEPTEMBER 2016 2:14 PM
Did not say you said it mate.It was an answer the The Green Man.
Get your specs on,
HH
Man City could have easily doubled their four goal tally against the Germans last night but for the excellence of their goalkeeper who pulled of a string of brilliant saves.
Turkeybhoy
Fair enough, although given that my name was also on your post it looks like a reply to both.
contactsinthedaycsc
HH
Green Brigade Again
Right enough Greenock has another bus company
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-37372223
Hello everybody first time poster but long time reading the blog or lurking as you call it.
Just wanted to post regarding Roy Keane and his comments, I think you can only take Roy’s comments seriously if Celtic were in the EPL and were earning the revenues of the top teams down there. His old team will again be in the Europa league this year but have posted record turnover figures of half a billion pounds for the last financial year. We operate on a fraction of that turnover so it like comparing apples and oranges no pun intended. The reason a lot of players and supporters were celebrating reaching the group stages is that they realise how important the extra revenue will be to Celtic. As the ever expanding egos of epl teams and their quality v transfer fees ratio floats past one of sky’s satellites, teams such as those listed earlier ie Ajax Celtic etc will have to try and hang onto the coat tails and scrap for everything we get.
Keane is good for a stare down with a journalist or a controversial comment or two regarding fitness of players etc etc but I don’t think he really understands the disparity between spfl and the epl.
roy keane, great player, not a great pundit
Raberto67
Read my last post……the quest for profit cannot come before the team.
And btw, im not mistaken about anything, i know exactly what is going on.
Maybe YOU should read my posts again.
I posted on Tuesday morning that we were a work in progress and that we should not kid ourselves that we had a chance of even a draw against Barca.
That assertion was made on the back of some terrible away European performances this season and the fact we had not strengthened in the defensive midfield department.
Brendan has given everyone a lift – most importantly the players – and he is way above our managerial expectations when it was announced that we were parting company with Ronny. (The oft-maligned board deserve enormous credit for this appointment).
I hope he learns from this – and not a token, lip-service learning….I hope he reviews his thoughts on how to play a system that is difficult to beat away from home in Europe when you do not have the same quality as the opposition.
Alex Ferguson was on the wrong end of a serious thrashing in the Nou Camp in November 1994 (4-0) and they were very lucky it was only 4. Roy Keane was in the team. So were Irwin, Bruce, Hughes, Scholes & Giggs – fantastic players.
Ferguson learned from the Barca thrashing and 3 and half years later won the CL.
Brendan will not win the CL any time soon, but I hope he learns about defending (as a team) away from home.
You better BELIEVE, the Right and the Treble Cleft.
5-0 first half.
Now about Aliens….
A Priest talking about Aliens ? Save everyone.
Yes he gave his Blood to make .
Carroll.CSC I am never Anything. nothing at all.