Tense ? Nervous ? Headache ?
Must be a big game on tonight.
Well, not a big game as such, but certainly an important one. With the hoops recording just one win in seven outings, and the one game only knockout format of tonights League Cup clash with Hearts, then sim[ply nothing less than a win will do.
A small crowd is expected, which means the already fragile players will be able to hear each and every shout of encouragement or derision from the stands won’t help, and neither will being able to hear Ronny and Jonny spurring them on either.
The management duo have developed a knack of telling the players where they are going wrong, rather than when they do something right, which in part is understandable because there seems to be a hell of a lot going wrong just lately.
Why not just play to the players strengths ? Then introduce all his ideas slowly but surely so that people can get used to them ?
Horses for courses tonight. For example , during the recent UN convention on global warming, Leonardo di Caprio spoke quite well on the issue, and lets be honest, he’s the man when it comes to the dangers of icebergs melting.
Therefore, using the same reasoning, based entirely on the destruction of Hearts at Tynecastle last season with arguable the best performance of last season, why not just go out and play the same way ?
The line up for that 7-0 win back in December last year was;
Celtic
- 01 Forster
- 23 Lustig (Fisher – 73′ )
- 03 Izaguirre
- 06 Biton
- 04 Ambrose
- 05 van Dijk
- 08 Brown
- 16 Ledley
- 10 Stokes
- 15 Commons (Boerrigter – 77′ )
- 21 Mulgrew Booked (Pukki – 59′ )
Commons scored three, Brown two and Ledley and Lustig got one apiece. But the game is remembered for the diamond midfield and the speed and accuracy Celtic moved the ball about with.
Of course, Fraser Forster and Joe Ledley have moved to foreign climes ( what are foreign climes ? A packet of foreign climes please, and twenty Bensons ), and for tonights game Charlie Mulgrew and Mikael Lustig are injured, but why not go with this, in a 4-4-2 diamond ?
Gordon, Ambrose, van Dijk, Denayer, Izaguerre, Bitton, Brown, Johansen, Commons , Griffiths , Guidetti.
( Griffiths hates Hearts. He’ll bag a hat trick at least. ) Forget this idea of playing the ball wide all the time. Play straight into them, releasing the ball wide only if there is no other option. Its not like the crosses end up where they are wanted anyway.
However, Deila has added one thing to the match day experience, and thats the fun and excitement of trying to second guess his line up.
In the comments section, have a go yourself. It’s unlikely anyone will get it right.
Ahead of tonights game, John Collins told us where we are all going wrong. Taking time out from his own rigourous training schedule to talk about everyone elses, he outlined the problem, as he sees it;
“If you want the most from your career, it’s about eating, sleeping and training.”
I’d like to think it’s pretty important that you do well in games really, I eat , sleep and train, but am completely useless at heading the ball. And kicking it. Does that mean I should get my boots ready and wait for the phone to ring ?
And as management, they should be encouraging, cajoling, bullying even, if neccessary, the players. That’s how to get results.
Not this;
Put the notebooks down, and deal with the game in front of you while its happening. Not in the dressing room after wards. Act while you can actually change things.
Collins and Deila are , based on that observation,and the body language in that picture, spending too much time worrying about the fitness and habits of players, and not enough on whats happening during matches.
And thats ultimately where they will be judged, possibly as early as tomorrow morning.
They are supposed to be football managers. How about managing the football ?
Collins continued;
‘When a new manager and new players come in it takes time for them to gel and to get to know each other.
‘But when you are a big club, of course, you have to try to win the majority of matches and we know that.
‘When you are Celtic manager or assistant manager you are always judged. That is the reality of the job. But obviously it takes time.
‘A lot of new players have come in, a lot on loan and they have to adapt to Scottish football and the surroundings.
‘They are working hard on the training pitch. It takes time, it is not going to be perfect right away but we see progress.’
Really ? Where is he looking ? Because its certainly not in the same place as I am .
‘We can all get better and learn from other countries.
‘You look round the world and the top teams are all fit and go for 90 minutes.
‘We all watch the Champions League, World Cups, teams like Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, the top players, and they are all super-fit nowadays.
Perhaps he’d be better watching the dross he and his co-hort are serving up for the paying customer on a twice weekly basis.
‘Look at the top nations who are winning. You just have to watch their performances and look at them and see that they are doing something right.’
Yeah. Winning.
I’m very worried about this statement as well, showing that we are going to play with one striker as the norm, when its clearly not working;
How about looking at our own side, which was the top one in Scotland just a few months ago, and conversley, you should be able to see what they are doing wrong.
His job, and Ronnys’, is to manage Celtic. To get the best they can out of the players he has. So far, all we have heard is that they eat wrong, don’t sleep enough and aren’t fit enough.
Look, if we’d wanted a lifestyle change we’d have hired one of those cooks off the telly, with Leaping Lizzie or whatever she was called to do a few jumps and press ups in the morning.
We needed a football manager. It said on their cvs thats what they were. So far all we have seen is a couple of rabbits in the headlights happy enough to blame everyone and anyone else.
Get it sorted. Starting tonight.
None of us want to hear Pat Bloody Nevin telling the BBC audience tonight how Ronny and Jonny got it wrong. Especially if he somehow ends up being right, because if that happens, he will be in danger of his little twiddly pen marking a whole new beginning in the science of rectal surgery.
The Celtic View today is offering the chance to win two tickets for the upcoming Europa League tie with Dinamo Zagreb. Second prize is four tickets, and third prize is a full package for the home qualifiers.
Come on , Ronny, sort it out. All eyes will be on you tonight, and lets see what you can do.
Hard to believe its come to this. Panicking about a League cup game against a first division side.
On form, with Celtic playing to their strengths, it should be no contest. All of a sudden its become a tense, nervy affair.
And thats when players make mistakes, and not because they had a can of irn bru on the bus.
Or a fag at the side of the pitch…
Thats Dutch international Rene van der Kerkhoff, during a game with his club side PSV Eindhoven in 1975.
Alright, maybe I’ve taken that too far, but footballing ability and training comes first. If fitness is an issue they can run home and save the bus fare.
Because money is tight these days, and not all of the Celtic Park employees are earning thousands a week. Some are on the minimum wage, a policy adopted to encourage a rise in living standards, which backfired spectacularly when employers decided to stick to that instead of offering more to entice a better standard of staff, simply because everyone paid the same anyway, and there was no need to waste a couple of quid a week to make people take a pride in their work. Far better to scare them shitless about losing the job, and remind them that there are plenty of others out there who would gladly fill their role.
Thats why the Celtic Trust are backing the living wage-as opposed to one you can’t live on-for employees at Celtic Football Club, which made an enormous profit last year. And so far hasn’t fucking spent any of it.
You can get involved here, by signing this petition;
the-board-of-directors-of-celtic-plc-become-an-accredited-living-wage-employer
People should work so they can live, not live so they can work.
Thoughts and prayers go to the family and friends of John Divers, the former Celt who passed away yesterday.
The official website gave this tribute;
FORMER Celt, John Divers, who played for the club between 1957 and 1966 sadly passed way today (Tuesday) at the age of 74.
It would seem that John was destined to join Celtic as his father, also John, wore the Hoops between 1932 and 1945, and his great uncle was none other than the legendary Patsy Gallacher.
John was born in Clydebank on March 8, 1940 and joined Celtic on July 7, 1956 before scoring on his debut on November 16, 1957 in a 2-2 home draw with St Mirren
That was to be the first of the goals that would make him a Century Bhoy as he was to go on and reach the magical 100-goal figure in his 232 Celtic games before moving to Partick Thistle in 1966.
It was, however, the 99th of those goals, and his last league goal, that was to unpredictably go down in Celtic history.
It was in the 15th minute of the opening-day league game against Dundee United at Tannadice on August 15, 1965 when he opened the scoring in a 4-0 win and so scored the very first goal of Celtic’s nine-in-a-row.
John remained a true Celtic supporter through the years and the thoughts and prayers of everyone at Celtic Park are with the Divers family at this sad time.
Davie MacParland was the man in the picture yesterday. He arrived at Celtic as the old board attempted to break up the Stein Fallon partnership, which had become too popular and powerful at the time. Desmond White saw the accident to Jock Stein as a chance to ease the big man out, and for more on that story, read Stephen Sullivans Iron Man biography of Sean Fallon.
In fact, just read it anyway. Its a good book.
Someone else from that era here, Who is he ?
Ian Young
Iam first hope I am right HH
I think that’s Ian Young.
Ian Young. Taught with John Divers at St Pat’s Dumbarton. Streets ahead in the staff team of all of us. Decent big guy. Sorry to hear that news.
Yes , Ian Young.
Herman Munster?
I getting sick and tired of the talentless twosome criticising the players in the press when they should be doing their talking on the training ground and pitch not the press. The players who are trying to make a system work that they understand about as much as the fans and all they get is criticism. Losing the dressing room perhaps?
Personally, I think this fitness thing is a red herring.
An excuse; that they’re playing poorly because all this fitness talk is confusing and upsetting them.
Extreme fitness should be a given today for any pro athlete.
Even the rugby guys have cottoned on to that.
Can you imagine an Olympic athlete eating and drinking whatever they fancy.
The idea that if you can play , supreme fitness isn’t necessary (Lennon’s opinion) is outdated, which was what Collins was saying.
Usain Bolt is naturally fast, but he still eats , sleeps and trains like an Olympian.
The Celtic squad should be supremely fit as a matter of coarse.
If Deila/Collins fail, It’ll be because they can’t manage at this level , not because they demanded players become athletes.
In fact , if they do end up going, then in my opinion the fitness issue will be the one thing they DID get right.
Don’t need to be super fit. Just fitter than the opposition.
Which opposition? A Scottish First Div team ,or the champions of Austria?
Never been so worried about a game against a first division team.
Met Ian when he was working as Training officer for Health and Safety Officer for North Lanarkshire Council. A great guy both on and off the park
Well written – No top team in the world would tolerate these two. Enough was enough weeks ago. The panic is embarrasing and experimenting with football is what you do on a training pitch or with Subbuteo not in champions League, League matches or any match – apart from friendlies etc and even these would tend to be geared towards entertaining your travelling support. Collins had exactly the same issues when he was handed a fairly decent Hibs team a few years ago – it was utterly dreadful for the players and actually, if you recall, slightly unsettling that he would shower with the first team and comment on their physical condition while flexing his own muscles etc. A sclaffed win tonight should not save these utterly benign and laughable creatures sitting on a Celtic bench. My greatest fear is that Lawwell – because he is a footbal Einstein to be sure will sack Ronny and hand it to Collins that will fuck it up as well lose half the current squad in a month. This is pure P%SH and we are all sick of it. Go learn your trade at Lincoln or Alloa or New Co not at Celtic.
Until them 2 fkg ejits get their Jotters then every game is going to be massive, moral on and off the park is at a 10 year low, their talk of ultimate fitness being the Holy Grail of football is bollocks, fit enough to do 90 minutes with relative ease is more than enough, their footballers not Triathlon athletes, ability far out ways fitness, you can get almost any able body person fit but how many could you turn into a natural footballers, maybe Ronny might try his diamond formation at the back, play 1 in front of Gordon, then a line of 4 , then one sat just behind the midfield, might as fekin well, none of his other formations work and we might keep a clean sheet.. HAIL HAIL
Tonights team
should be aong these lines
Gordon
izzy
van dyjk
denayer
commons
Henderson
Brown
Amrose
Wakaso
griffiths
guideti
bet only 4 or 5 of these start
probably be full of youth side,who look fit
This ass would not play Jinky or Murdoch because they were in the pub after training,perhaps he will insist on a vegetarian or vegan diet next
It took a defeat to Caley to rid us of Barnes, a defeat to St Mirren to rid us of Mowbray, who has to beat us to get rid of these two?
As long as it isn’t Deadco mate.
Buckie Thistle
So much nonsense in the diary today from Ralph, so biased, putting ideas into RD’s head and mouth which have actually been contracted by RD himself. Clearly RD sees fitness as a means to an end not an end in itself as Ralph seems to suggest. I’d like to win every game too but it just doesn’t happen. This is a transitional period, it’s a long-term strategy that fits in with the overall position of the club – relying on buying young players or bringing them through and improving them. The fitness is one part and will help with sustaining a fast high pressing game and being able to back track and the like for 90 minutes. Don’t for a minute imagine that skills development isn’t on the cards too. It’s no use being skillful for half an hour or at a slow speed. If you look at the best teams they do everything at high intensity. It’s a package RD is after. He’s no fool. Some of the players perhaps just can’t cut it so they be out but new players young players coming through will know what to expect.
A bit of chopping and changing with the lineup has to be expected for the reasons mentioned by RD. Brown, Gordon etc weren’t dropped as Ralph seemed to suggest in an earlier diary. Get real!
Guaranteed he will play Zaluska again! iffy, emilio, virgil, jason. stefan, broonie, chris, mcgregor, stokes, guidetti
Well done Franco, only the keeper wrong; what will the lottery numbers be this weekend?
I heard Lenny the other night talk about fitness, I agreed with him then and agree now. The player’s fitness was never an issue last season or season before.(Commons is different, he is a “chunky” lad and his weight does need careful monitoring)
We lost some cup games because we didnt play well enough, but I dont recall ever watching a game and thinking our team looked unfit. Until this season, when we were blowing out our arse against legia and maribor. Could it be a case of too much fitness work meaning by the time games come around the players are knackered? We ve also seen Brown and Mugrew go out with muscle injuries, another sign of being over worked? I dont belive a can of Irn bru here or there is going to make an iota of difference. They were fit enough before and have been back training since the start of July – how long does it take to make fit people fitter any way?
Much better to settle on a system that works for the players we have, ideally two up front and two wide men or a diamond with Commons at the tip and two more central midfielders either side, pick the same team for a few weeks in a row to get them used to one another and give the players some confidence in what they are able to do by praising their ability rather than moan that they once licked their lips walking past a chip shop and got some chip fat into their system. Its not that frickin complicated.
Lenny was right in saying if people are happy in their work they ll do better, I d be raging if I were under Ronny right now and constantly hearing about how I need to be fitter. Have a look at yourself before others.
I was a huige fan of Lenny and didnt want him to go, i wonder if some of thsoe hipsters who wanted a chagne are regretting getting what they wished for.
Lenny brought back the thunder, all Ronny is bringing is the rumbles in the stands and he shoud have a serious re think very quickly imo if he wants to keep the fans on side adn his job intact.
Let’s not look through rose tinted specs re- Lenny.
Don’t recall much thunder this time last year , when Morton humped us; nor at Parkhead when we capitulated to Aberdeen in the cup.
Also ,I recall on more than one CL occasion , the commentators referring to Celtic near the end of games , as ” running on empty” or being ” out on their feet” in the final minutes.
Let me say, I fear these two (Deila/Collins) aren’t up to this job.
But it’s nothing to do with their views on fitness; views shared by every top coach in Europe.(Lenny excepted).
Think diary was just a bit too negative today…Deila has been trying to rotate squad to allow us to be able to compete in Europe and League at the same time…think we should just give the man a chance without everyone jumping on the bandwagon and slaughtering him…people doing that are probably also the same ones who were demanding Lennon also be sacked early into his reign.Let’s see where we are at Xmas.Top of the league and still in Europe would do nicely for me…we just got a very respectable away point in Austria and could have won…should have beaten Motherwell on Sunday as well…
Delia and Collins constantly bang on about fitness because they are clueless tactically and it is an excuse as to why their “system” is not working. Celtic do not have the quality of player to implement this system. Real Madrid yes Celtic no. They both come with no pedigree as managers yet they are telling a squad who has won the title 3 years in a row that they are nowhere near good enough. They are trying to reinvent the wheel. Why not find out the players’ strengths and then use that as a starting point. They make it sound as if we are not as fit as the other teams in Scotland. Well if that is the case then after all this time that too is the fault of the management team as obviously their training methods are not good enough. They have no idea how to change a flow of a game during the game(whether we are winning or losing) and just seem to hope for the best. I really do hope they can turn it around but they don’t seem willing to recognize that maybe it’s them that’s got it wrong.
I’m all for giving new managers a chance, but it is a result business we are in and IMO he has already lost the dressing room, if you look on YouTube and Celtic TV training sessions, you can see the body language of the players with Ron and John, they are disillusioned with their tactics and philosophy’s on how to play the game…
Hail,Hail a nice win tonight if he plays the 4-4-2
Fitness is a means to an end, not an end in itself. George Herman “Babe” Ruth was probably the greatest American baseball player in baseball history. A complete player they say, who could hit, run, pitch: the whole works. He also once ate 23 hot dogs at one sitting, drank lots of beer, and screwed lots of women, probably all at the same time! His body mass index was probably off the charts. Moral of the story: cut us unfit guys some slack, we might surprise you.
Griffiths must play tonight. He’s a Jamboskelper.
Oh dear such negativity on here today and its no even 3.00.yet. A Celtic win for me tonight-dont care who scores the more the merrier. 7-0 sounds good.
By this time in the season all the fitness work should be finished, whether you are playing juvenile level or top professional club. Training should be about tactics, a wee warm up and stuff like forward V defence, fives etc. Why are they talking about fitness? It’s nearly October!! FFS. We should be talking football, more football and nothing but the football. I played at various levels until I was 46 years old. By October time any teams I played with or against would be flying, fitness wise, and we all loved a pint and smoke.Point 1, is I think that RD & JC are so out of their depth they don’t understand what signals they sending with all this fitness nonsense. Point 2, Why are they two talking up Scott Brown, he has been injured for a couple of months, so I assume missed out on “the fitness training” that everyone else endured, and on his return he is the most important player. This makes no sense to me, can someone please help !!!! My head is scudding
Good,honest diary.
Ralph, ” All we needed was a manager “.
You are spot on.Instead,we have 2 fitness coaches.
Deila’s buzzwords are,energy and tempo.What about
skill,technique and tactics.This says it all for me.
We will beat Hearts.However, I feel there is something
that is seriously wrong at our club ??
Holy sea,
The problem in my opinion isn’t just Deila, although he hasn’t helped himself with team selection and tactics.
I feel the board need to wake up and help the manager, there is no doubt in my mind that when we appointed Deila he was told there would be next to no budget for players.
Now I don’t think that can help a new manager do his stuff.
Fitness is massively important,look at the best club side in Europe over the past decade, Barcelona.
The movement with or without the ball is incredible, even in injury time these guys find a way through, that’s fitness that does that not skill or ability.
I have been Deila’s biggest critic but I’m not going to put the boot into him or Collins for wanting our players to raise their game or routines.
From the manager to the players, time is running out.
Get your team selection right each game Deila and keep pushing them in training! HH!
I must be the only Celtic fan who thinks that we are on the right path. I have watched Celtic in many European games especially and been gobsmacked by the apparent lack of fitness. We do have to start from the feet up. If we want to even try and compete with the likes of Madrid and Bayern, for example, we have to improve the level of fitness. That’s how these teams dominate so easily, by playing fast and aggressive football from start to finish. This is the year when we should be changing the culture of eating and drinking, a year when we should be able to win the league albeit with an experimental team, and then next year look to take it forward again. I like the progressive attitude of Celtic and although the football hasn’t hit the heights, I believe it will. If we don’t try to change the culture this year then we will be totally left behind in Europe and Champions league night will be nothing but a distant memory. The medicine isn’t nice but it will make us better. Hail hail.
Looked sharper tonight. Some good movement. Izzy looked like the old Izzy. Guidetti had a really good touch at times. The team out there tonight might be the best we can field. We still give the ball away too often and we can still look pretty desperate at the back. Harum scarum stuff. But nae bad.
Ive got a 52 year auld Scottish mate here is Sydney, works 5 days a week, loves a bevvy but also loves running ( marathons ) ah asked him how he deals with aw that training? his response: ah love training! Point is, you might no like training but if yer playing professional fitbaw then that’s part of yer remit; TO BE FIT. Am no buying the Deilia & Collins fitness mantra. They players are fit, they just dont get those two. Is no buken rocket science. Have we no got some irish sports psychologist on hand at Lennoxtown?? mibbie he should have a word no wi the players but the managment.
Enuff aboot fitness. Its a smoke screen ( no pun intended )
johnny d has gone to join the other johnny d in heaven to show the big yin how to play football the celtic way god bless them
On the subject of Ian Young…
He came from Neilston and his brother Bobby played for Motherwell..as a centre-forward.
I played for their Dad’s Juvenile team…called Neilston Waverely…in the early 60’s.
Both brothers were really nice guys..as was their Dad.