Photo: Vagelis Georgariou biglens.co.uk
We’ve often discussed that the difference between success and failure at Champions League level more often than comes down to which team makes mistakes. In the group stages Celtic were 31st out of 32 teams for the amount of possession they had, and for the number of chances they created, but they were immaculately drilled and progressed while more creative teams failed.
Cluj had less possession and chances than Celtic but also know the route to effective football, finishing on 10 points and being denied qualification for the knock out stage on goal difference.
Against Juventus, home and away, things changed. Defenders twice jumped for balls they couldn’t reach, instead of turning and standing their ground. Twice players were dispossessed inside their own half instead of getting rid of the ball early. These moments led to four of Juventus’ five goals and decided the tie. By contrast, Celtic enjoyed the bulk of possession and chances, home and away, against the Italian champions.
What are the lessons have been learned in our Champions League games?
Xavi has learned not to try to control a clearance from Fraser Forster at chest height. Spartak’s Insaurralde will know to keep his eye on the ball while clearing the ball when last man while Suchy will know not to clatter into strikers inside his own box.
No Celtic player made a single mistake inside his own half in either of the home games against Barcelona and Spartak and as a result, both games were won.
Our players’ normal mode of play, week-in-week-out, is the intercept passes, not cautiously move to a covering position. They also hold onto the ball and take a moment before releasing, activities which don’t often lead to a goal being conceded within seconds, but Champions League football is stunningly different than the domestic variety.
The most important lesson from our Champions League campaign is that Celtic are one of the most effective teams in Europe. We can create goals and defend successfully against the best on the Continent. We will look back on this campaign as the one which put us back on the map, and we’ll look back on the Juventus games as an important stage in our development.
The strategy is working; same again please.
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By = but for ( apologies )
Wasn’t it Kojo who wanted Celtic to sell Izzy after Season 10/11?
Hmmm. The guy may have been on to something.
Ive saw our record tonight over the last 10 years we could probably got back another 2. It would be interesting to compare us to all of the EPL clubs and especially all of them who have had to qualify for the so called champions league.
Going to be double standard here but we should not have in our financial situation and also our handicapped country situation do as well as we have but..
1 of the things that annoyed me last night was that we were being treated like we should not have been there and we done well ….
We have such a great record in Europe that very few who are in this round can match….Historically and recent… We need to take into consideration that we are handicapped in that we could have MK dons getting to 4th place in the EPL and no European record would be higher ranked than us
We should not be getting their pitty…
Starry Plough
I had heard it was gone and that there was a new school now. Shame, but I guess nothing is for ever. Seems (in fact it was) a lifetime ago. But, some good memories all the same.
estorilbhoy
And there in lies the problem.
Had we not qualified for the group stages, and then the icing on the cake of the last 16, we would have as bad a balance sheet than we would have had for some time…still better than newco I would wager, but not pretty.
Lenny is in a no win place, he has his dream job, the suits know this, he is doing his job with his hands tied behind his back imo.
He will have a couple of the more valuable assets sold this summer, and replacements will be brought in, he will just have to do his best, gone are the days of the manager calling the shots, that is now the job of the suits.
We are still in the hearts and minds of the support more than a club.
HH
Kojo
Think we would agree that you prefer an in yer face blood and guts
type midfielder to one that has more finer points to his game, like
Joe.
Joe denys space to the opposition by occupying it or covering it
and can break forward effectively throwing in a few goals for good
measure. He is an extremely good player and i think would walk
into any mid-table EPL outfit.
If this has caused any offence i apoligise :-)
Must sleep now.
Take care and god bless Timland.
I heard a very scary story the day, I heard that in a village about 10 miles away, a hun is thinking of buying a cave that is for sale, not that it will bother me, cos it will be in another valley, but ffs the sheer cheek of him, but plans are afoot, it may well not happen, I will, make sure I am about when he is next viewing, wish me luck >]]]
HH
KTF
Sipsini
Pal.. thanks fur the Nod.. It’s Much Appreciated..
Noo. Let me say this..
Ah am No Pleased wi’ Ledley. Ah Believe that he is Over Rated.
He is the Type of Player .. again..in Ma Opinon..
Who Is Never Missed . when he does not Play..
Noo..that should tell ye Something..
If it disnae.. well..
How aboot this Then..???
Ah believe that
Young Jamesie..Is A Great Asset tae the Team..
and..Furthermore..
When he is Not Playing..
He IS.. Missed.. and quite, dearly. as well..
We miss his Drive..and Penetrative Sallies to the Byline..and his Subsequent.
Most Dangerous , subsequent Cross.
Ah Am in favour of the Type of Player that Jamsie Is..
Here… in an Eggshell.. Is the sum and substance of Ma Criteria,when it comes tae Judging The Worth
of A Particular Player to the Celtic Cause..
“If He Disnae Play.. Wull He Be MISSED?”
And Like Ah said.. Ledley .. wull soitenly No be Missed..if he disnae Evah Play.. AGAIN.
Using that simple Criteria.. thur ur a Whole Loata Present Celtic Player’s who..
wull soitenly No be missed..if they nevah play again ,futr us..
But.. Sadly.. It is a Fact
Noo.. tae further emphasize my point..
WE miss .. Henryk
We miss.. Sutton.
We miss.. Jinky..
Ye get the Idea. of where Ah am Coming Frum
And the Demands which Ah Hiv.. when it comes tae Judging Merits o’ A Player.???
Nice chatting..
Kojo
Still… Laughin’
Kojo.
Hope your mate agreed with the rest of Bob crows points.
TET,
“We are still in the hearts and minds of the support more than a club.”
Yes but now it appears to be only the support that believes this and not the custodians of the club. That is the concern, we need to guard against this or it will creep ( as I believe it is already doing ) into he supports ethos.
Hail! Hail!
estorilbhoy
They haven’t believed that for some time.
That is why I believe that they are activly wanting the huns back asap.
They care not for the support, this will be borne out, and the support will waken up to it, eventually.
Only my opinion, I hope I am way way off the mark, but I doubt it.
A Celts for Change is needed again IMO.
Do you know what I’m sick of hearing?I’ll tell you,I;m sick of hearing guys calling up radio clyde to complain that they are sick of hearing about the LNS verdict,how many times can the huns hear the word guilty,and consider that a victory?,as far as i’m concerned,last week was when rangers were convicted of systematic and wilful CHEATING,and,whilst the punishment may have been inappropriate,the judgement remains forever in the record books.As for the Celtic fans who wants them fastracked back into the SPL,have they forgotten how that club treated our fans for DECADES?.
jackie mac
21:38 on
7 March, 2013
is it ok to be 43 semi pished and listening to kate bush ?
~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~
Absolutely!
In fact,I envy you on all three counts,haha!
Kojo,
I’ve not read back yet, I’m unlikely to either but from the jist of this page you thought Joe Ledley didn’t have a good game. I thought he had a very good game for most of it but you are definitely entitled to your opinion.
HH
The TImRieper
You know damn well..that whit ye jist Writ tae Me.
wid cause no OFFENSE,tae li’l auld Me.
Ah only get Offended when . Ah Am Insulted..
Which is A Perfectly Sensible and Sound Reaction, oan Ma Part..
Naebuddy, likes tae suffer a Take Doon..
And Ah am Nae Different..
Na,Pal…
Ah kin readily accept that yer opinion of Joe.
Even ,although it is Diametrically Opposed tae the wan which Ah hold, regarding the fitba’ Prowess o.wan Joseph Ledley, Esq.
You are Entitled ..No tae Agree wi me..
That wullnae turn me intae a Raving Lunatic…
Ah kin calmly and readily accept the fact ,that ither folk’s kin Haud a Differing Opinion . tae the wan that Ah Hold..
Nice Chatting..
Kojo
Still.. Laughin’
What if its back to the good old days with a crap team, 2nd rate players, no Europe and god forbid no Lenny. How will the bored pay for their big noo hooses, noo driveways, noo cars and keep the donut’s hobby ticking over as he waits to become the emerald providing genie ass of the EPL? I’ll tell you how..
Hunfunding subsidies.
Maybe the donut can subsidize ferrys full to the hun games and we can all watch Celtic get cheated and bitch what a hun country Scotland is?
Wouldn’t that be great?
Sounds like ma kind of vision.
http://forum.ea.com/uk/posts/list/2318518.page
From the FIFA Ultimate Team forums.
You just know the orcs are what they are. Clueless. They try to denigrate us at every possible moment, those forums are not confined to UK residents.
Well Done that Hamilton fan anyway.
the exiled tim
23:56 on
7 March, 2013
estorilbhoy
They haven’t believed that for some time.
That is why I believe that they are activly wanting the huns back asap.
They care not for the support, this will be borne out, and the support will waken up to it, eventually.
Only my opinion, I hope I am way way off the mark, but I doubt it.
A Celts for Change is needed again IMO.
—–
Perhaps.
But if our host, P67, supports this strategy, I am not so sure the stomach is there for a campaign of such ilk. As long as the financials are there and we have a ‘taste’ of success then things are Rosie. Me? I want to improve year on year, on both fronts, current strategy focuses too much on the financial front.
Need a strong football voice on the board. Expected Neil to force that through but from his comments las night that does not appear to be the case
Hail! Hail!
up Over Goal
Ah plead Guilty ,as charged..
Yep. A said that aboot.. Izzy.. and
I STILL SAY IT..
Izzy, is a Winger..No.. a Defender…
Ma Opinion…
Izzy wull Soitenly NOT BE MISSED..
If he goes..
Kojo
Still,Laughin’
TET,
Can you not flood the valley before he gets there…..or after?
estorilbhoy
CQN is but a small selection of the support, CQN would be on the higher echilons [sp]of the Celtic supporting world, I know of many who have never heard of CQN, they do now, but trust me, I would wager more than 50% have never heard of CQN.
I would aslo wager that a fair % still buy into the rags every day.
The suits give not a toss for us, as I said that will be bourn out, they will stake everything on a few walking away, and the extra from the huns back and the OF games again, feck the intrgrity.
TET,
Agreed, what I have found since stumbling on this excellent blog is how ignorant some of our fellow Tims can be about what is going on around them.
Are we the paranoid ones ??? :))))
TET @ 23:48
Naw !!!… Can you not take one for the bhoys and do your best to encourage the whole stinking lot of them, big hoose and all, to move over there asap??
What amazes me no end on this Celtic blog and a few others is the DC Thompson drivel espoused as if it was Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane.
I fart most copiously in your general directions.
My dear,dear,dear,friend.. Petec
Hiya,palomine.??
Nice tae Greet..
Ah am in the minority.. regarding the Low Opinion, and of which Ah clutch steadfastly, tae Ma Bosom…
which Ah retain.. concerning, the worth to the Celtic Cause, which Ledley Brings.
Ah am pleased tae read that You do not Hold My Judgmental Talent in awe things Soccer…in Deep Disdain..
Because.. My Judgment,of Ledley’s Worth, differs greatly from your Very Own..
That tells me a loata aboot You,pal..
You are a Gentleman and a Biblical Scholar.
Nice Chatting
Kojo
yer pal..who likes ye,aloater.
Still.Laughin’
Good Night..
See You Folks..
thomthethim
Different valley, thank feck >}
I actually met the bloke about 4 years ago, from Belfast, lives in Leeds I think, has done for 30 odd years, but a hun, a proper hun, a hun with very little brains mind you, a hun who is willing to contribute to a Catholic countries economy is as thick as sh1t imo, but there you go, he thought if I recall, that they would carry on from their manchester party and win the CL within a few seasons, and it was all the fault of the manchester polis.
“Paralysis by analysis” – miles completed, passes completed.
Retreating into what can be measured. Rather than the difficult managerial task of making a judgement call.
David Beckham was known for running around like a headless chicken in the last 10 mins. Upping his mileage and his pass completion rate. Back passes.
Do stats tell us if the recipient of the completed pass is handed responsibility and left stranded?
Neil Lennon as a player was always there to receive the pass that put him in trouble. Never avoided it. He could fight his way out of trouble. Chris Sutton was the same.
Chris smiled and Neil frowned. I laughed because I knew they both loved that part of the game.
Joe Calzaghe was often derided by the Americans on the basis of punches thrown. He connected with most of them. In terms of punches received he scored very poorly.
Criticised as not having a boxer’s face for a veteran of so many world title fights his answer was quite disarming “That’s because I don’t let people hit me.”
Kelvin Wilson doesn’t shirk it. He is late and obvious in making the pass. If he were more mobile or to become so, and improve his reading of the game, he’d be a top class sweeper.
I wonder how Lubo would have scored in miles covered. Bottom of the class probably. But even half fit, we loved him.
My memories of Bobby Murdoch are of a player with both feet firmly on the ground, passing with venom and purpose, making the ball, and the hapless opposition, clock up the mileage.
THE EXILED TIM
00:11 on 8 March, 2013
estorilbhoy
CQN is but a small selection of the support, CQN would be on the higher echilons [sp]of the Celtic supporting world, I know of many who have never heard of CQN, they do now, but trust me, I would wager more than 50% have never heard of CQN.
I would aslo wager that a fair % still buy into the rags every day.
The suits give not a toss for us, as I said that will be bourn out, they will stake everything on a few walking away, and the extra from the huns back and the OF games again, feck the intrgrity.
________________________________________________________________________
Celtic are a lot more progressive as fans than others but there is still a few years to go before people don’t like the feel of a newspaper to read/buy for work. There will be few upwards of 40 guys (Celtic supporters) who will be tech savvy but in the main most are not proficient enough in the techno arena. My Dad will not even try to turn on a computer and he still buys the Record and the Herald, what can I say to him? Don’t buy those papers (I have actually said that to him but realised I was wrong in doing so).
It is a gradual thing and we have the most amazing future.
THE EXILED TIM
Take your dogs for a wee walk in his garden.
After some strong laxatives.
(For the dogs-preferably!)
PETEC
Hide his blinkin’ glasses till he promises not to buy them anymore!
Ntassoolla,
Bobby covered the yards, too.
One of the memorable things about him was his majestic stride, head up, weighing up his passing options and delivering the accurate pass, five yards or fifty.
Sigh!!!
BobbyM
He will be far enough away no to bother my idealic little life, but you have given me an idea or two……
HH
Kojo
00:16 on 8 March, 2013
My dear,dear,dear,friend.. Petec
Hiya,palomine.??
Nice tae Greet..
Ah am in the minority.. regarding the Low Opinion, and of which Ah clutch steadfastly, tae Ma Bosom…
which Ah retain.. concerning, the worth to the Celtic Cause, which Ledley Brings.
Ah am pleased tae read that You do not Hold My Judgmental Talent in awe things Soccer…in Deep Disdain..
Because.. My Judgment,of Ledley’s Worth, differs greatly from your Very Own..
That tells me a loata aboot You,pal..
You are a Gentleman and a Biblical Scholar.
Nice Chatting
Kojo
yer pal..who likes ye,aloater.
Still.Laughin’
Good Night..
See You Folks..
_____________________________________________________
Kojo,
I like the way you watch games intently, you are watching from the best seat in the house, the TV.
I also like the way you are brutally honest in your summaries of players.
Every Celtic player is paid an incredible amount of money to wear that jersey, that is probably the problem.
I have no qualms in saying that I’d much rather watch My Son playing Football than watching any professional Club. Celtic are the finest team and IMO they have the very best values but the game is way too professional now, that means human nature infects things with cheating and all sorts of shenanigans.
I consider the Celtic Board to be to the right wing side of Politics and I consider the Amazing Green Brigade to be pretty much left wing.
The Celtic Board have been sensational with their revised strategy, it is the envy of Europe.
The Green Brigade are the envy of Europe.
This one is for you Kojo!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okR_DHGKqvo
Haw Maggie……Doll..
Whaur Hiv Ye Been Awe Ma Life…?
Yer The Ying Tae Ma Yang…
Anyways…..Here’s A Wee Tune That Puts Me In Mind O’ You..
Al Bowlly & The Lew Stone Orchestra..
“You Couldn’t Be Cuter (Than You Are)”
http://m.youtube.com/watch?hl=en-GB&gl=US&client=mv-tmobile-uk&v=i_PBpM4nnyM
petec
Aye, the older generation are just that, and that is coming from someone who will be 60 this year.
I really can’t give the answer, I wish I could, as do many of us.
I only know what I see, I can only say what going by what I have seen before, say wht I think will happen.
As a support, they are craping on us, and as a support, unless we get our act together, they will destroy us.
Times have changed since the Celts for Changed days, football is not what it used to be, te internet has taken over, football has to fight for the kids, and they have to fight hard for them.
Our suits have mistaken the mood, they have fecked up big time imo, if they stand up to the cheating and the downright corruption, maybes the kids will look up to them ,and think, yea, that is where I want to be, I want to be part of something that is good, I wan to be part of everything that is good…..but I think they have missed the boat.
HH
thomthethim @00:25 I agree 100%. Never rushed. Never harried. Never hurried. He He was a byword for accuracy.
My granda used to say if they made them wear tackety boots, Bobby would play no different.
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS
He is an ornothologist and IMO has excellent vision STILL, not seen him using binoculars or his telescope to read the “Hotline”. He is as deaf as a doorknob in one ear though now. :D
The wee mans favourite atm…..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1swaZbPZL-g
I hope ye ur doing guid.
Oh what big eyes you have
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_K5b-JNc7E