Celtic are well behind the position they should be at this stage of the football cycle which started in the summer of 2014. This week’s two defeats are a symptom of that. A year ago, then-new signings Armstrong and Mackay-Stevens contributed to two highly credible performances against Inter Milan, which indicated we were on a positive trajectory, but pretty much every available indication since has pointed south.
Aberdeen were poor in the first half last night, but shortly before their opening goal om 31 minutes I noted that they were defending comfortably, despite our dominance. We had not made a chance which tested them. We often need a lot of possession before the goals flow.
There is a flip side to that ratio. We often lose a lot of goals compared to the possession we allow opponents. All teams take a direct approach to attacking Celtic – get it forward and shoot. Better still, win a corner. Football games are about two things: scoring goals and not conceding goals. Some work is being done on the former but I’m concerned our shape does not accommodate the achievement of the latter.
We’ve kept 4 clean sheets (Kilmarnock, St Johnstone, Partick, Stranraer ) in the 18 games since beating Dundee United 5-0 in October. Only Thistle (1-0), Dundee (6-0) and Dundee United (5-0) have lost at Celtic Park without scoring since…………… Ross County on 1 August.
Records will show that yet again we lost a crucial goal at a corner kick. What will be lost in time is the sheer panic caused by the Aberdeen corners which didn’t result in a goal. I’ve never seen a team defend set pieces so poorly over such an extended period.
There could be many reasons why we’re not in the Champions League knock out stages right now, but I’m sure the reasons we’re not comfortably ahead in the league is that defensively, our shape and organisation is not good enough. We concede too much space in dangerous areas. This is why we’re not miles ahead of a team with vastly weaker resources.
On the way forward:
It’s of the upmost importance we win the league. As it stands, we will achieve this. Colin Kazim-Richards, despite being of journeyman-pro stock, gave us a dimension we’ve not had in 18 months. He, Kris Commons, Ryan Christie, Patrick Roberts and Erik Sviatchenko will all have a positive impact on the remainder of the season.
Ronny has got a lot wrong, but he was right about one thing after the game last night, “The players need the fans’ support”. Those who suggest that anytime is a good time for recriminations probably don’t have a good grasp on the complexities of any given situation. There will be plenty of time for recrimination in June, right now, we need to keep our eye on the prize.
Win the league, then we’ll talk.
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eddieinkirkmichael @ 10.05
Celtic fan.
STEBHOY
You really have to give this one up, there’s no comparison
BMCUW
God love poor Mrs Pastry. On a more serious point, Brown is supposed to be one of our more physical players, where was he for their first goal last night ? He’s a defensive midfielder who was yet again caught well out of position, not the first time
HH
Evening Eddie
What would constitute the end for you?
HH
CRC
Moravcik
Copies were sent to both clubs in advance by Herald on advice from their lawyers and after they sought our approval.
Celtic did not comment. Sevco leaked it to FF ( breaking a confidence).
I was in the ground shortly after – re organising CQN 11 at Kerrydale and on several other occasions. The feedback I received, from senior personnel, was extremely positive especially in the immediate aftermath.
Another point worth mentioning. If anyone has a copy of our latest book, The Winds of Change, go to the last page and read what it says.
I got Paul to write this early November and he was cautious as it could mean Celtic not stocking the book. Indeed it probably wouldn’t have been approved at the highest level.
RAYMAC
You should post more,mate.
the club’s treatment of TM is a shameful episode. He needed support,he got none.
As for those behind the campaign,they’re damned anyway.
31003 on 4TH FEBRUARY 2016 10:10 PM
Worlds Greatest Mysteries #9
Who told Keanu Reeves he could act?
– See more at: http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/where-we-are-and-the-way-forward/comment-page-12/#comment-2769906
I have refused to watch anything he is in for years,lump of wood HH
GORDYBHOY64 on 4TH FEBRUARY 2016 10:16 PM
Eddieinkirkmichael,
whats up with your boiler anyway :-))
——
She willnae let him oot after his antics with DD and Almore in Stranraer :-)
HH
CRC
Sorry, to clarify – it wouldn’t have sold had it not been approved at the highest level.
Raymac
We were flying under TM till the game at the bigot dome, and as you say were were kicked off the park, honest mistakes were born at that game IIRC, big TM just kept taking it on the chin after that.
HH
Sleep well Timland
HH
KTF
Lily livered quislings buckle under pressure. Present day, we have more than our fair share among the assimilated tims that masquerade as Celtic fans. That’s the assimilation process for you, especially in Scotland.
I trust in Lawwell and in our board of directors to do the right thing. They have Celtic’s best interests at heart and the ear closest to the ground. Deiila has my faith til they decide otherwise. Good luck with your best endeavours.
HH, win, lose or draw.
RAYMAC on 4TH FEBRUARY 2016 10:16 PM
Tony Mowbray gets a lot of stick. In the season he was with Celtic they played some great football.But—they were kicked off the park, especially against Sevco.That was the season the legned that was Walter told the hun troops,referees,media and the lot,the they needed help.By feck he got it.The papers and the rest of them destroyed a decent man in Mowbray.I think he threw the towel in because nothing was getting in the way of the Deid club.Go back and watch some of the matches and the treatment Celtic especially were getting.The likes of Lafferty knew they could get away with anything.NL put the fight back into the side.Look at the way he was treated in Scotland.Even Kilmarnock got the treatment.Erimenko was kicked unmercifully anytime they played the Norwegian Blues.
Johnjames on his site has called it right .Celtic should have gone for the SFA and the referees after last year’s semi final.He calls the Celtic board gutless–and he’s right.
– See more at: http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/where-we-are-and-the-way-forward/comment-page-12/#comments
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Very good post, RAYMAC.
Big TM got many un-deserved pelters from all sides. His eventual demise, after the debacle at Love Street, was probably a blessing for him.
However, no-one came out smelling of roses after that!!!!
HH
TWENTYFIRSTOFMAY1979
Brown is a ball-winner,more than most of our players,I’ll give you that. But what we need is a player in a position solely to do that.
A Lennon,Deschamps,Makelele. Someone who is there to attack the ball as they break forward.
Not someone who needs to track back from a forward position. We’ve got enough players moving forward,we need someone with the discipline to cover.
P67 Win the league,then we”ll talk? Shaking ma heid here!
Don’t try and rewrite history…. Tony Mowbray was a massive disaster whatever way you want to look at it, people can use stars for whatever, but comparing Ronny to big Tony, by the way maybe that Peter Lawell should have got the bullet back then the Tonny Mowbray project buying Tony’s contact and signing Marc Antony Fortunate. Approx …. Millions ! But hey-ho don’t let the facts get in the way, and if it doesn’t suit your post just erase it from history….. That works in this country we live in
I still think we will win a few more leagues……. iF we ditch the entitlement 10@row song
The Celtic Board is not gutless…they are naive.
Lawwell convinced them to do nothing about last seasons SC semi final apart from send a letter.
This allowed Lawwelll to continue his siphoning operation unmolested to the tune of £1M / year and reaching £9.6M at the end of this tax year.
Lawwell is sitting back , cigar in hand with a calvados amusing himself that Ronnie is taking the heat. He looks at the players he has offloaded to secure the bonus and the dross he has replaced them with on an unsuspecting , naive , honest Norwegian.
Lawwell has the cheek to sound out some “Celtic people” for their opinion on Ronnie and uses the Berti Vogts comparison. It’s because he is a foreigner he is not accepted. Lawwell has been digging tunnels under Ronnie since the Europa Cup exit.
If Lawwell had an ounce of decency as a person he would resign for what he has done to Ronnie. He has stitched him up every way possible to ensure he has his £1M wedge. Ronnie is a nice guy and just a sideshow for Lawwell.
Lawwell has done more damage to Celtic than the combined forces of David Murray’s cheating, SFA referees and the media. Lawwell has taken Celtic on a journey where the direction of travel is downwards towards Sevco.
Tony Mowbray got the sack for playing Scott Brown at left back.
I posted briefly this morning that we should remember that prior to Sunday we had two impending games that could see us a step closer to the treble and nine points clear in the title race. In 4 days things have gone awry but I said that we shouldn’t lose sight that the players and management team had got us to that position in the first place.
In all likelihood I was probably just trying to cheer myself up.
Twenty four hours later I’m still angry at what we witnessed at Pittodrie last night. This isn’t about a sense of entitlement, this is about an honest, personal assessment.
I’ve seen worse Celtic teams and I’ve seen players in the Hoops with less desire and fight than I saw last night and I’m sure in my lifetime I’ll see worse again. God willing I’ll still be there to watch it in the flesh.
What I find galling is the manner in which some of this current side find areas of a football pitch to hide that NASA would struggle to locate! In the last two games we’ve come up against opposition who are acutely aware of this and, to give them credit, they’ve bullied and intimidated us into submission.
Last night I thought we were by far the better team up until their first goal. What we witnessed after that wasn’t something we haven’t seen before under Ronny’s tenure. I spoke to a Tim I know at half time at Aberdeen. He pointed out a trip there a couple of years ago and a Celtic team that contained Wanyama and Ladley. Last night we had McGregor and GMS.
The contrast is stark.
In many areas of the team we’re poorer in quality now than we have been in quite some time. It’s no wonder Aberdeen have got themselves to within 3 points.
Downsizing?
Call it as you will but Wanyama/Ledley v McGregor/GMS?
I wanted someone like Ronny when Lenny left. I wanted someone with a different approach to tactics, formations, recruitment etc and like every Tim, I’m desperate for him to succeed. Let’s be clear, anyone who doesn’t want Tonny Delia to win tropheys, and lots of them, at Celtic, isn’t a Tim.
I’ve doubted his abilities from Murrayfield last season but I was also very mindful that he needed, and deserved, time to sign and shape his own team. To an extent, success would be progress.
Have we really progressed since July/August last year?
I don’t believe we have.
Ronny’s had 3 proper transfer windows and in my opinion, in that time the standard of player we’re watching has deteriorated.
I see him as a ‘manual manager’. The theories and philosophies look fantastic in a book but putting them into practice is completely different.
I commented earlier in the season about our lack of organisation away to Hamilton where I could hear Commons and Griffiths screaming at the defence because of their starting positions when defending corners and free kicks.
Last night at Aberdeen we were defending a free kick towards the end of the game. Now, bare in mind that we were 2-0 down at this point. As usual 11 Celts took up their positions in our own penalty area. Why? Why on earth are we inviting the entire opposition team on top of us by withdrawing our whole side into the 18 yard box?
Just before the kick was taken one of the Aberdeen players moved about 5 paces and stood just outside the corner of the area. No Celtic player went with him. Invariably, the ball went to him, he crossed it, and mayhem ensued with us almost conceding another goal.
This would have been easily prevented had a guy in Hoops walked the same 5 yards.
This is basic, rudimentary stuff guys.
This is the stuff that should be drilled day in, day out on the training pitch. Despite this our lack of simple organisation and structure is at increasingly worrying levels.
People often mention that Ronny isn’t capable of changing things. That’s not strictly true. Last night we finished the game 3-5-2. The issue I have is that it was miles too late and it was evident how uncomfortable the players were with it. Does Ronny have the players experimenting with different formations in training? It doesn’t look like it.
Anyways, onwards to the title eh :-)
Latchford Pete is following the script. DD is using us.
Tony Mowbray’s Coventry trail Burton Albion by nine points.
LATCHFORD
PL’s remit when hired was to constrain our costs and reduce our borrowings. Our new Financial Officer.
He then gradually assumed different roles,acting as our Press Officer,Commercial Manager,Operations Manager,Director of Football and eventually CEO. He is effectively the Chairman too,as no-one on the board utters a word by way of checks and balance,as is a requirement of a board of directors.
Doing all of the above,I think he’s underpaid(!)
But-his ego long ago outgrew his ability. He is now a liability,and his replacement will carry the can for his years of mismanagement.
Transfer News Site @TransferSite · 3h3 hours ago
BREAKING: Jose Mourinho has signed an agreement to become Manchester United’s next manager. #MUFC (El Confidencial)
HT – I’m with you!
Something has got to give! Bye Bye RD! :-(
Still backing Ronny you want a challenge and we get one now you want him sacked he can still win a double it’s time to get behind the team the pundits all want the fans to walk away but that only harms Celtic I was brought up during the Kelly and White years you don’t know how lucky we are to have a well run club
HT
Hard to even argue with your post, when you posted at 15.03pm on Wednesday “Celtic time” I was sitting at my rat race desk with a jealous smile…. But surely you have seen worse performances at Pittodrie (I know I have) surely being top of the league, you have been at Pittodrie when we haven’t, I know it’s not the best just now but surely it’s not the worst….. You have had your misconceptions about Ronny, especially in Europe from the early days but I just dislike the over reaction to a few defeats…… Fair play if you think these defeats merit that reaction……
Anyway hope you enjoy Airdrie on Sunday …… As a coatbrig bhoy who lived in Whinhall for 7yrs I have never enjoyed Airdrie (& never will)
Bobby Murdoch
Lawwell is 100% ungoverned by the Board ….
I’m astonished the ease with which he can manipulate the terms of his contract to ensure he exceeds the personal gain he is entitled to. That can’t be right in a Plc …..?
Bobbie Murdoch watchword
When players does go I think it will cost the club millions in deferred bonuses and the ltip
HT If we had the Robson/Hartley types in our team on Sun and Wed,would we be in this position tonight?
Gerryfaethebrig
Many a good person lived in Whinhall, attending St Andrew’s.
Last season Ronny and the coaching team sorted our defence domestically after Europe and we went on a great run that should have seen a treble.
This season we have had good attacking displays intermittently and Griff has been on fire… but the defence and defensive midfield has been soft even domestically.
If he can stitch together what he did last year with the defence with what we do in attack this year, making it last more than one half out of two, this can still lead to a better team being built.
Even if we do get a good run from now to May, it will not tell us how prepared we are for the next Euro campaign because a) We will lose some good players in the summer and b) Aberdeen are a weaker team than the likes of Molde, Maribor or Qarabag.
Sorry about predictive text
Pl is player and it was also addressed to latchford
HAMILTONTIM
Everyone back has l-o-n-g been a bugbear of mine. If we leave two up at a corner,with one out wide at halfway,they can only put five into the box against our eight.
I wouldn’t panic so much then…
HT
Could the bhoy you were talking too not just asked Wanyama & Joe to stay ???
Wanyama – £800.000 & Joe Ledley -heehaw
Southampton ? Crystal Palace ?
Am afraid that’s the way the business world works, if we live in the past I wouldn’t mind Dalgleish if Liverpool didn’t buy him
NORTH CYPRUS (FORMERLY BAKU) BHOY on 4TH FEBRUARY 2016 10:47 PM
I do still think we’ll win the league.
Gerryfaethebrig
In all honesty, after 31 minutes last night, I can’t remember a Celtic performance at Pittodrie as insipid as I saw last night mate.
Aburntoutcase
I very much doubt it. But that’s only my opinion.
DESSYBHOY
Could be wrong-I know!-but I thought he took all his deferred bonuses within six months.
Shocked at Paul67 header here. Must have come directly from PL
Fans must understand that Peter Lawell makes a lot money for a relitive easy CEO role. Easy heading to retirement in a few years
Tells the believers can’t compete with England blah blah
He will not give up his pension plan
DD won’t sack him as doesn’t care
Up to fans. If you want more of same keep attending and buying tops
If you want change boycott
Worked before and will work again
Only then will DD do something
GG
In my years there I attended St Andrews on any given Sunday, actually was a brilliant wee school/parish…. Whinhaw.. Gets a bad press
Gerry
Wanyama/Ledley or McGregor/GMS?
That’s, in part, why we are where we are.