So where did it all go wrong for Ronny Delia? First of all, it didn’t all go wrong. He won two leagues, and if you think it was impossible to lose those, just think back to a team in last season’s Championship, who enjoyed an equally superior income over their competitors, but lost the league to Hearts by the length of the M8.
It was just as possible for Aberdeen to win the league this season or last, as it was Hearts (reeling only months after going into administration) to win the Championship last season. Ronny delivered the primary requirement each season – the league title, but he failed on the second tier requirement – qualify for the Champions League.
Soon after the Legia Warsaw debacles Ronny reflected on the question about whether it was right to ask his new team to adopt his tactics, instead of waiting until he’d recruited players to fit his system.
Two years on we are still remarkably short of players to play his system. Innumerable wide midfield players have come and gone, with many still lingering in the stands. We have an enviable list of creative mids in the squad, yet none have been able to dislodge Stefan Johansen, who by his own admission is having a disappointing season.
Then there’s the striker roles. Leigh Griffiths has been a significant reason why we’ll be crowned champions again over the next few weeks, but he’s pretty much on his own. No one has been able to put pressure on him. For a while Leigh had to wait until John Guidetti and Stefan Scepovic dropped out of the picture, but you’ll struggle to recall this season’s striker arrivals, Carlton Cole and Colin Kazim-Richards, three years from now.
For these reasons, we can say recruitment is where it all went wrong for Ronny. It’s not about 4-2-3-1, half the top teams in Europe play with that formation, nor is it (the now abandoned) zonal marking system, also the dominant top-level defensive system.
We’ve simply recruited the wrong players for creative midfield and striker positions. It’s also subtler than to just say we’ve not recruited good enough players. Some who have escaped Celtic Park after arriving in the last 22 months have done pretty well elsewhere. Guidetti and Scepovic are La Liga strikers, while Jo Inge Berget also made it to the Bernabeu this season.
None of them are great, but I suspect we made them look poorer than they are. Kazim-Richards is unlikely to trouble Sergio Ramos next season, but there’s more to him that what we’ve seen, or will see. We’ve been a place careers diminish disproportionately.
On the positive side, Ronny brought the best out of Leigh Griffiths. He moved the disintegrating Emilio Izaguirre aside for 18-year-old sensation, Kieran Tierney, (the biggest winner on Sunday). And he finally resolved some of the least-organised set-piece defending known to man with the recruitment of Erik Sviatchenko (on this point, you cannot over-estimate the value of adding one good player to a team).
One thought crossed my mind several times this season: If he hadn’t spent so much money fruitlessly trying to make one system work, would he have acknowledge he was on the wrong road and changed tactics?
He backed himself into a corner so stuck with the same faltering policy at Celtic, but surely, surely, if he walks into another job soon, unhindered by that wasteful use of budget, he’d not follow the same tactical strategy which failed him?
624 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- »
The green man@9:32
If he said that then I’m confused because I thought the lack of a budget was the reason he left.
Hoping KPI’s are being changed
Hello again all you young rebels.
It’s taken me ages to get over that defeat from an inferior side, we
know very well these things happen now and again but this was
happening too regular and we have all had our say on here as to
why, this time the board must get it right or face the consequences.
Celtic are a massive club especially over here in Oz and even though
we are not competing at the highest level in Europe people are still
amazed we’ve let our standards drop so alarmingly.
The hoops top is recognised worldwide it’s so distinctive ,vibrant, and
a symbol of everything good about attacking football, the wee mhan
and his pal at training the other night, need to stop calling them that,
as both are bigger than me now and playing for the under 12’s ( must
be the Aussie sunshine ) strutting about with the full Celtic strips on
it’s dark now and under the floodlights they really looked amazing, as
they ambled over to play keepie uppy where the girls under 12’s were
doing their routines , and of course their coach was not best pleased
when they stopped to admire our lhads and have a chat.
I said to him ” what were the girls asking?
” Oh! it was jist, wer did we get wur football toaps ?
So all is not doom and gloom but our leaders must start getting things
right and not just in the manager position but throughout our whole
structure ie:- marketing , fan communication, looking after ex celts like
the Lisbon Lions and many many more little things which are dividing
us all at the moment, who will step forward to take that challenge? he’s
out there somewhere, get looking.
H.H Mick
Does anyone know if Frankie Boyle the comedian is a Celtic supporter.
TT
PPBhoys
Saw an interview today…..NL was basically pitching for the job.
NL quotes, here, there, and everywhere.
He is not for me.
But im sure….the back to future agenda will kick in shortly.
HH
TT
Yes he is.
Going by what other sites are saying, it seems that Pedro is getting the blame for the problems.
The green man,
I’m with you, no back to the future stuff please…..
Evening All.
Hopefully Ronnie will leave as a two time title winner but never count the chickens ………..
Reading Paul’s opener I am nervous about his early proclamation of two championships in a row.
I am reminded of the tale of Cardinal Meffeo Barberini who became Pope Urban VIII on 6th August 1623.
Urban spent the papal money with wreckless abandon and over a period of twenty years the papal debt rose from 16 Million Scudi to 28 Million Scudi and it was only by pure chance and coincidence that during his reign his already wealthy family amassed a personal fortune of over 105 Million Scudi!
He made many of his brothers and nephews Cardinal Priests of the Church and he summoned Galileo to Rome to recant on his theories on Heliocentrism and the theories of Copernicus – and when the man of science refused he had him tried and convicted of heresy and sentenced him to be placed under house arrest for decades.
Pope Urban was so hated that a number of Cardinals unsuccessfully plotted to have him killed!
Anyway, Maffeo was to show a shocking lack of respect for the legend of the City of Rome which has a habit of biting people in the arse when they least expect it. This is even true of Popes.
Urban commissioned a commemorative fountain which was to be sculpted by Rome’s greatest living smart arse of the time — Gian Lorenzo Bernini— in April 1644.
Bernini promptly knocked up the fountain which was to be called the fountain of the bees and had it placed at the corner of the Piazza Barberini and the Via Veneto.
Despite being advised not to tempt fate and the wrath of the ancient city of Rome, Oul Pope Urban insisted on having an inscription written on the shell of the fountain which read, “Urban VIII Pont. Max., having built a fountain for the public ornamentation of the City, also built this little fountain to be of service to private citizens. In the year 1644, XXI of his pontificate.”
Alas, Rome then bit Urban on the bum as he promptly kicked the bucket on 29th July 1644 — precisely one week before the start of the twenty first year of his pontificate.
He was succeeded by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Pamphili who was elected at the Papal Conclave of 1644 and who took the name of Innocent X.
Innocent hated the Bareberini clan and hounded them out of Rome — he was a bad tempered man and was given the nickname “Innocent the Screamer” and he was the subject of a masterful portait by Diego Velazquez which in turn inspired the series of paintings by Francis Bacon which are known as The Screaming Popes!
Fate can be a right Bar Steward!
How’s tricks big chap
TT- yes,he tells stories of his time in Seville too,never shy to tell the Huns some home truths.
If the PLC choose to turn the clock back and rejuvenate the corpse of the old firm.
Who better than NL?
If i was a gambler…id be having a sizeable bet.
You know how they operate…you know the drill.
Pay up or shut up.
HH
Frankie Boyle
I remember hearing a qoute from him where he said something like his heros growing up were Wolfe Tone and Murdo McLeod
Are you out tomorrow night, or next Friday?
in general – the standard of player we have brought to the club is alarming. I’m not talking about young players who have shown potential which can be developed. We must have specific requirements which must exist for all positions. E.g a winger must have pace, a midfielder must have x% pass success, a defender must have tackling ability and areal power (not the washing powder).
Cifti – Has no pace, is not a proven goal scorer, is not a threat at corners – why did w bring him in?
Cole – I’m totally lost on this one – we bought him because of his name and past honors?
Scepovic – I thought is off the ball movement was different class, he had some pace but was light weight. I’d have kept him and developed him physically. Should not have been sent on loan
Janko – Pace, technique , good physically – Did he get injured? I liked what i saw of him
Who sanctioned players and what is our strategy – If you look all over the walls inside and outside Celtic park, there are statements of standards – the jersey does not shrink etc. Why is the scouting system ignoring this?
No player should wear that jersey unless they first and foremost give 100% in every game from 1st min to last.
No player should wear that jersey unless they have technical ability , pace and general competencies fitting of their role.
No player should wear that jersey if mentally they cannot cope with the need to win every week regardless of who we play.
Our standards have been allowed to drop and it has nothing to do with $$
pope urbans,
they start off as little village churches and next thing you know they are joined up cities
NEGANON2 – 9:25 PM
“The performance of the Celtic board has been nothing short of disasterous and has allowed all of us to be utterly humiliated.”
On the cusp of winning 5 League Titles in a row and I’m supposed to be feeling ‘utterly humiliated’?
Fraid not but I’m sure you can manage it for both of us.
And what’s more I don’t give a monkeys bout PL’s bonus as long as we keep winning them. Be nice to do well in Europe too but, since for most of my life we haven’t been, heck, I can keep living with it, but when we do, it’s a nice bonus (see what I did there?) :o)
TT,
I believe he is neebs. But he’s a professional comedian and will have a few gags at our expense too on occasion.
HH
TET-the guns being trained on Lawwell is the best thing to come out of Sunday’s game for me. The puppet managers,the interference in the football department,the chief scout pal,who wouldn’t know a striker if Henrik chapped his front door,the unhealthy connection with agent Dudu Duhan,where most of his players are actually Dudu The fire being lit under him is of his own making,he must realise the next manager has to be a guy with a good pedigree,no more projects. HH
TT,
Also, see what happens when you ask a question on a blog that isn’t 9 hours deid…
Plenty answers ;P
HH
Frankie Boyle
He had a gig the day Rangers ( deceased) won the CIS Cup and as it came to the Q & A section where the audience were encouraged to ask questions someone shouted: “Who won the Cup today?”
FB replied: “Why would I Francis Patrick Boyle give a f*** about that?
Thanks Bhoys.
Geordie Munro (:-)
TT
TBB@ 11.35
The notion that we oughtn’t appoint anyone who might use the job as a springboard to some better/ more attractive/ more lucrative role misses three important points:
The post was the second of two and I posted the first the previous evening. My point was not that we should not appoint them as much as it was a plea for continuity and building. The initial posy stressed how short the life of a football manager with a single club is. It becomes even shorter, on average, when you bring in a stepping stone manager. The EPL usually has 3 to 6 managers sacked by Xmas. If our “stepping stone” manager generates any success with us, and that would have to mean in Euro matches (wins over Aberdeen or Sevco impress nobody down south), then they will be in the running for one of those vacant by Xmas EPL posts because they are known figures who had previously “cut it” down there before they experienced failure at their last EPL club. In contrast, had Ronny Deila or a Scottish manager experienced some good Euro results, it would be noted but, until they had replicated that success for 2 or 3 years running, they would not start to appear on the EPL headhunter’s radar. They are that insular. Look at Lenny, where his performances against Barca only attracted the interest of basket case Bolton.
I want a period of stability at our club. I don’t want us sacrificing a manager every 18 to 36 months or less, because it is a recipe for wasteful chopping and changing. It is what every diddy club in the lower leagues does and the chance for decent football men to learn and progress from setbacks and poor seasons is never given because we fall for that old chestnut, “Sack ’em, the next guys couldn’t be any worse, could they?”
1) So what? Are Celtic managers not permitted to see a career beyond the club? 4 seasons is the average tenure for ‘successful’ managers at Celtic in recent times, set aganst a career of around 25 years. Those achieving less than ‘success’ get considerably shorter time in the job. Is there an unwritten prohibition on considering the possibility of life beyond Celtic?
None at all. It was a plea for maintaining that notional 4 seasons or more that was being made and avoiding it becoming 4 months. There is absolutely nothing wrong with hiring an ambitious guy: I’d just like a reasonable amount of time spent using his ambition at CP.
2) Is there any evidence that ‘successful’ Celtic managers in recent times have indeed ‘springboarded’ to such better roles? Is Celtic a springboard career move at all? MON took a year out following 4 years of being touted for every top job in England and ended up at Villa, then Sunderland. WGS went to Middlesbrough in the Championship having left, like MON, of his own accord. Lenny, well, that didn’t work out too well at all, and provides no evidence of any sort of springboard. Is there even a single instance of it that might give encouragement to budding EPL managers to use Celtic so?
MON was headhunted, as you well know, by EPL clubs during his tenure at CP (despite the libel case he won against a paper that could not provide the proof of this in court). But it was a different time. It was a time of Celtic buying 3 players for £6m each in the course of a year or so. It was the time of serious lobbying for a change of playing environment to Englandand MON believed in that vision until he realised the chances of this happening were receding fast. He left us with his jibe about “slow lane”, what a climb down it would be for him (and NFL) to come back to that slow lane or “sold my best players” land (in Neil’s case).
You are correct that neither MON or WGS had great offers when they left Celtic but both left on the back of a lost league. The EPL clubs were more likely to head hunt Alex McLeish and Walter Smith who were the Scottish top dogs when MON and WGS left, respectively. If they’d both left Celtic a year earlier their stock would have been higher and they’d have landed a better club.
3) Moyes. Different from every other candidate mentioned. A long-termer. Any offer to Moyes is bound up in the opportunity for him to establish career legacy rather than career progress. The freedom to operate, being trusted to do his job well, and the chance to shape a football club of significance is considerably more important to Moyes than the salary and the future career prospects.
Give him the football club, and let him get on with running it. He’ll retire from Celtic in 10 years time having written a wonderful story here.
All of which drawing unreliably on inference and imagination…”
That’s a hell of an imagination you’ve got there. Moyes first act on hearing that he’d been installed as favourite for the Celtic job was to get his agent on the phone with a “come and get me plea” to Aston Villa in the Championship. He did not sound like a guy keen to have a tilt at legacy building at CP.
Now, we are fans of a great club called Celtic. A club with a great historical name from the 1960s and 70s and a moderate name as a football club since 2000 but we are mostly famed for our fans than our football. We rate our club highly. That opinion is rarely shared by other football folk and I don’t mean just the sniffy superior English. Most pros, especially most that have played for the club, with the notable exception of Craig Burley, will speak nice words about us. Mourinho did. Ibrahimovic did etc; etc:
I would never mistake that for a burning desire to manage us and/or legacy build with us.
I will put a charity bet on with you that, in the event of Moyes being appointed at CP, he will be gone within 12-15 months.
Bada
We can only wait and see what transpires, if DD has decreed that change is needed, change we will get, if not, it’s same old, and if it’s same old, then it’s up to the support to stick or twist.
There are still lots out there who are still on Pedros bus, but like what happened with Ronny, once the tipping point reaches it’s no return level, there is nothing that can stop it and Pedros tipping point has reached that level me thinks, he is toast.
HH
Did someone mention the future?
welcome back Mr Titor.
havent seen you on since this time next month
In reference to my post last night about the myth of how rutheless private industry is with failure- some evidence
Private Industry Failure Phobia Myth
No logic in any aspiring manager of any capability thinking of taking the celtic job.
A job you simply cannot win at.
Credit to Warburton for his comments re Ronnies treatment by the media.
Any mention any where of Thompsons game changing over rule on Sunday. I watched it for the first time today. That was a disgrace. That type of performance should be disciplined.
Interesting to here the pond life that is Andy walker supping soup on Sunday sgain. Pathetic individual.
Sad to hearing Lennons pathetic anti celtic shite as well on TV. i expected better of him. I guess he is about as good as we will get mind you.
I have one query for all of those who are decrying Paul 67 for considering the 2nd RD title to be already won, can I ask
a) Did you sing along with “Here we go- 10 in a row”?
b) Back Aberdeen at their current odds of 33/1 (we are 100 to 1 on)?
David Murray is treated better by rangers fans than some celtic fans treat PL. Maybe PL should liquidate celtic and start a fresh! Before doing so we can sign players we can’t afford, neglect the stadium maintenance, name a training complex PL park, present moonbeam stadium plans, right off share issue, take advice from porn lawyers , sell the famous crest for a quid and bail to a chateau in France.
careful what you wish for bhoys – we are the envy of Europe and cannot expect to quality for top tournaments when we play in scotland and competing in a financially skewed environment. See Ajax, Benfica, Rotterdam, other massive clubs all over Europe with same struggles!!
After Motherwell Black Sunday I will never again
assume Celtic have won a league until its mathematically done ..
Hope the players have enough desire, pride and professionalism
to get the job done ..
Anything else and its not just bye bye Peter but it would also
be bye bye Dermot ..
J Titor –
Back with my transporter at last?
SFTB
I wouldn’t dare decry Paul, or any Celtic supporter, for holding that opinion but I do think it’s being extremely presumptuous.
HT
Do you sing “Here we go- 10 iar”?
SFTB- 33-1, having some of that :-)
I have lost a lot of respect for our players.
Paid £x k per week to stay fit and be professional…. but our bhoys want to have their cake… and eat it, washed down by copious amounts of alcohol.
Meanwhile our fans are paid £x k per annum and contribute a significant amount toward their wage but can’t trust them to keep their end of the contract. I. E. look after yourself and give 100% on match day! They need to look at themselves and ask why they aren’t the players they could be.
AOW
You know that i hope your Dons bet goes down the swanee.
I also strongly believe it will lose
Celtic have not lost a match in regulation in the last 12 matches. Last time we lost that way was on 3rd Feb- nearly 3 months ago.
J Titor
SFTB
I have done but that’s as much for football banter as genuine belief.