Let’s be clear, Morton are not a good football team, nor are Hibernian, but the former’s 0-3 win at Easter Road last night demonstrates the uncertainty principle of any game. Turn up with less than 100% hunger and you will find yourself out of the cup.
Celtic cannot afford to field anything less than their top team a week on Sunday in the Scottish Cup quarter final. Morton are a better team now than they were three years ago when they last won at Celtic Park – and we’re everyone’s favourite soft spot.
I watched Manchester City win comfortably away to Dynamo Kiev last night. It finished 1-3 but 1-5 would have been a more accurate reflection on the chances made. The result and performances didn’t reflect the relative merits of each team. Dynamo are not that bad, City not that good.
City are horrible away from home this season. They have scored 13 goals in 12 away league games, winning only five. More curious is that they also won 1-3 away to Sevilla and 2-4 away to Borussia Monchengladbach. That’s 10 goals in 4 (in total) Champions League away games, not far shy of their 13 goals in 12 Premier League games, most of which were against inferior opponents.
Here’s the thing, Dynamo, Borussia, Sevilla all fancied their chances against City. They pushed high up-field and were shredded as a consequence. Premier League teams don’t make that mistake.
Cup competitions are different from the league, success is all about getting to the next round, and to do that you need to pose a threat, but all three of City’s opponents failed to comprehend the consequences of pressing forward.
All I could think of was our efforts in Molde and Malmo. We took both games to our opponents and were skelped as a result. Away to Ajax we defended deeply and gained a credible draw, at home the open spaces of Celtic Park behind us were exploited by Ajax to our cost.
Dynamo, Borussia, Sevilla and Celtic didn’t know when it would have been wiser to prioritise defending their own 18 yard box. It’s a big lesson, one which has been evident since Warsaw.
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Afternoon Timland from a cold and damp hun free mountain valley.
If we don’t reach the CL group stages next time, it’s a stick on that one or more of our saleable assets are sold, to think otherwise is deluding yourself.
MrPastry,
I thought any appeal needs to be granted by the presiding judge, and from what I’ve read so far, appeals have been turned down when requested.
Mr pastry,
Morton might very well repeat their feat of 3 or 4 years ago.
What I will say is in the 2 recent cup defeats we played most of the games a man down.
Even the previous Morton game you mention was bordering on the freaky.
The chances and corners we made was unbelievable.
The only thing more unbelievable was the crazy penalty gifted against us for ambrose handling as he fell.
HH
Geordie
Savage. . the tormentor of the follically challenged.
Whit a waste.
Topkat
Away you go son for a lay down. Deila is a temporary embarrassment to the glory of our club.
Mr Pastry
I sense a nervousness which i understand, all things considered.
Surely we have enough nous to beat Morton.
Hope so:)
HH
The guy who in recent weeks has slagged off Killie’s pitch, Alloa’s pitch, told us the development league is a waste of time etc etc now accusing RD of being (his favourite word) disrespectful….
Mark Warburton has accused Ronny Deila of being disrespectful after the Celtic manager claimed his Ibrox counterpart’s criticism of artificial pitches is “very old fashioned”.
Last week the Rangers boss called on artificial pitches to be banned in Scotland’s top flight following an injury to his top scorer Martyn Waghorn at Kilmarnock’s Rugby Park.
Deila disagrees with the Light Blues boss, saying he would welcome more 3G surfaces as long as they’re up to standard.
The Norwegian said he would be happy to have an artificial pitch at Celtic Park if it was as good as the surface at the Lennoxtown training base.
He said “I would say yes, I wouldn’t have a problem with it. It has to be perfect, with a perfect watering system, but yes. A very good grass pitch is number one and a very good artificial pitch is number two.”
However, today Warburton defended his position, adding: “If Ronny did say that then I think that’s disrespectful because you are entitled to your own opinion.
“I think the one line for me that jumped out from that interview is number one, there’s a good grass pitch and number two there’s a good artificial pitch.
“If you’re happy to accept second best then go for the artificial pitch, if you want to set the higher standards then you go for the best quality of grass pitch. That for me was the one sentence that summed it up.”
Warburton claimed the Rugby Park surface caused the knee injury to Waghorn which has left the striker facing the prospect of missing the remainder of the season.
Celtic will play on Hamilton Accies’ artificial pitch when they travel to New Douglas Park for the Scottish Premiership clash on Friday evening.
GARY67
RD should tell Warbs to feck right off.
Disrespectful….Thats a laugh, coming from the biggest cheats and bigots in football.
Planet Sevco….morons.
HH
St Stivs
Unfortunately the Mail doesn’t mention the organiser of the q and a session, the wonderfully named former boxer Ryan Brawley.
Looks like the meeja and some PR mob are trying to drag Ronny into a wee war attrition so they can talk about old firm mangers.
So Ronny is allowed his opinion but his opinion is disrespectful, the blu moulded loaf seems to be under orders initiate an old firm war of words, with the hope of the next game becoming a war of attrition with bad blood being quoted.
Honestly who gives a monkeys what the blu moulded loaf says and when did he manage any team in any top flight ?
“The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach … Now, for a moment, his own fate, and even his master’s, ceased to trouble him. He crawled back into the brambles and laid himself by Frodo’s side, and putting away all fear he cast himself into a deep and untroubled sleep.”
If he’s asked again, Ronny should simply reply that the surface is secondary, good players should be able to handle any surface, that’s what professionalism demands.
Players can be injured on the best surfaces and the worst.
We know how respectful Warbiola is about the development of young players, while worrying in a very dignified manner about those dangerous plastic pitches.
Funny that he’s got young players out on loan at clubs with, erm, plastic pitches.
Anybody asked him about that?
Green Man – Gordon Strachan was given a rough-ride by a portion of our support, partly for the stupid “Celtic-minded” attitude, and also for his pragmatic approach to team management and tactics – some branded his style boring.
Well I think we could do with a bit of his pragmatism in the dugout and on the training ground at the moment.
Ronny, I feel, has got slightly carried away with ‘playing the Celtic way’ , no matter the opposition – very noble of him, however, at times, as we all know, naive and foolhardy.
I am backing Ronny until our next ‘stab’at the CL – that’s fair – but we must see progress, better game management and above all a settled tight-knit squad.
Big Peat of Islay on 25th February 2016 1:14 pm – I remember finishing 5th in the league one year, you seriously saying this team is worst than that? Absolute rubbish mate, don’t know what you’ve been watching this season but it isn’t the same team I’ve been watching.
Some of our performances have been dire but I’ve never seen a Celtic team win every game or even 75% of their games in the style you are alluding to and I include some of the best teams I’ve ever seen at Celtic Park in that statement. The centenary double winning team played some howlers that season and were fortunate to win a fair few of their games. We actually drew 10 of our games and lost 3 that season. The next season we finished in 3rd place in the league after losing 11 and drawing 4 of our games. According to you that was better than what you see now?
Why is it that only Ronny has to win 100% of his games in the “Celtic Way” yet no other manager we have had has had to put up with this unreasonable expectation from certain sections of our fans?
Just had a wee look on as I cant be bothered with the whingeing mob who post here.3 pages,hardly a whiff of any support for the team.Nothing changes.
Big Pete Of Islay even doing a Kev and becoming dewy eyed as he looks back at a past that I dont remember.You know the one that Celtic always played well,and never gave up.
Good grief.
An Tearman
Celtic Football Club @celticfc 1m1 minute ago
FULL-TIME: Celtic 1 – 0 Hearts. McCart’s first-half header gives the Bhoys another win and preserves their unbeaten run.
I like the idea that the Celtic way is winning
It leaves scope to play attacking and defensive football
Knowing when to play the rquired strategy is Ronny’s problem.
I heard the conversation on shortbread the other night when they were discussing plastic pitches. They were playing rugby at Kilmarnock that night on the plastic pitch, Peter Wright I think it was said that rugby players loved it. A few of the panelists didn’t think football should be played on it as they were storing up injury problems for later life. Fair play to Willie Miller who ran through the list of injuries he’s got today, needs new hips, knees etc and mentioned the many players from his era that is in the same position even though it was grass they played on. Tom English wasn’t having it though and said that the pitches back in the day were bogs with little or no grass. Miller wasn’t for backing down though and said he’d prefer to play on today’s plastic pitches than the threadbare grass pitches from the 70s/80s.
Must admit, I was surprised that the rugby guys liked it. If they can throw themselves about in it I don’t see why footballers can’t…
Mr Pastry
I agree.
RD is too rigid in his style of play for my liking.
Try different approaches…it cant hurt.
I want RD to do well….but im genuinely not sure what the upshot will be.
I do know however, that we need to up our game….or we will be total fodder in Europe next season.
Hopefully we can win the CL next year:)
No pressure eh.
HH
West End
I heard that on SSB, obviously it was on Shortie as well.
Anyways, it’s in the players heads, Arsenal play on a semi synthetic pitch, never heard any complaints from anyone about it, a bit like telling the same lie over and over :-)
HH
Eddie…,
I’m lucky, I watched the 67 team and they won more than 75%
I also watched MON’s team and he won 75% over his tenure so there must have been a couple of seasons he won more than 75%.
So I’ll tell you for the millionth time, stop exaggerating :)
If Sevcolona had won at home (yes, they were drawn to play at home first) they wouldn’t have had to go to Kilmarnock and Waguero wouldn’t have got injured.
EddieinKirkmichael
“Why is it that only Ronny has to win 100% of his games in the “Celtic Way”
I think you know the answer to that.
Clue: Say something often enough……
JJ
It’s the lacerations a tell ye!
The lacerations!
Help ma boab.
From the description of Waggy’s injury as described by Doctor Warbs, his knee ligaments will have healed before his knee lacerations.
Man, how deep are they?
Bless.
TurkeyBhoy
I thought Big Pete of Islay was being seriously tongue in cheek. You know, highlighting some of the ridiculous statements made on here……..maybe I was wrong.
JJ
Am a talkin’ tae masel?
Big Isla from Pete needs to take up a more relaxing hobby, like knitting, or perhaps some charity work.
Flounces off tae the pub.
Flounces off tae the pub
Does ` flounces ` mean `happily departs`?
JJ
JJ
Actually I am not going to the pub.
I don’t drink during the week, usually, but sometimes this place gives me a good excuse to have one (or two)
I should come on more often!
C’MON THE CELTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mr Pastry, hello. If Ronny fails to win a CL qualifier for the fourth time against smaller teams, do you think he should be retained for the rest of next season?
I looked yesterday at our Europa results: bottom of the league, 3 points from 18. His European record really is utterly appalling.
It’s hard to judge because we have had years of austerity now which has made the Strachan era seem like a spending frenzy. I’d like to see Ronny with better players. Unfortunately all the evidence so far points to his inability at Celtic to create a sum equal or greater than its parts.
A flounce to the pub for a 20 fl ounces :))
HH
South of Tunis
I was at the Morton v Chelsea game stood behind the goal at the port end
Chelsea won 4-3 cracking game.
Tallybhoy & South of Tunis
Could one of you signori order a supply of party liners for CQN emergency use.
A couple of posters may need them over the next 10 days in the lead up to the Morton game.
Ciao
South Of Tunis on 25th February 2016 10:17 am
Champions League .
Dinamo Kiev 1 —–Manchester City 3.
City are a strange team. Periods of brilliance and periods of switching off, losing concentration and making stupid errors.
*I’ve always had a soft spot for City; it goes back to being a wee bhoy in primary and collecting bubble gum cards with teams on them.
My mother was in awe over the former POW goalie who won a medal in the cup final playing with a broken neck, while my da would enthuse over former Famous Five player Bobby Johnstone.
One of the mainstays of that great City team though was a deep lying centre called Don Revie, a great pal of Jock. They played what was known as the Revie Plan back then.
This feeling about City carried on intae the 60’s/70s with such great luminaries as Collin Bell, Mike Summerbee and fat Frannie Lee.
Living here for a spell in the late 60’s I recall Joe Mercer being congratulated by one of the Toronto dailies on winning the FA Cup, the same day as the George Connolly Cup Final, as he landed at the former Malton Airport, his response was thank God we weren’t playing that great team Celtic. Joe was another great pal of the Big Mhan.
They did last night catch Kiev after their winter break, the 3rd goal should be the clincher but it could have been more interesting in 3 weeks time at 1-2, a bit like us with Ujpest Dozsa back in ‘72.
Has anyone asked Warbiola,why there is no Reserve League?