Whose Fault Is It Anyway? Everybody’s…..

Pensionerbhoy has been watching Celtic for a long, long time. That makes his view on what’s happening quite relevant, as he looks at the omnishambles at Celtic Park

Well, the inevitable has happened. As long as there was going to be “fans” at Ibrox, Sunday’s result and subsequent reactions were bound to happen sometime. If there is a silver lining somewhere in the midst of the angst, it is the fact the first defeat is done and dusted. If that were the full story, then I could bite my lip, which now looks like Anne Robinson’s through a magnifying glass, and get on with life. Unfortunately, it is not the end nor even the beginning of the end, as a war monger with a sheriff’s badge once said, but it is the end of the beginning and the imagination simply cannot conceive the future ramifications. For any far sighted Celtic supporter, no matter how badly scarred from the result, the real issue is the door that was opened for the Scottish football authorities, the SMSM and other media outlets, “rangers” directors, management, players and support to espouse and endorse the four years of hogwash as justifiable and true. That is what pains me so deeply and why I never wanted to see that fixture played ever again. If everything possible was being done to prop up the crumbling façade of “rangers”, then it will be multiplied beyond comprehension now that they have “justified their position back among the big boys”. If we had a rotten taste in our mouths on Sunday afternoon, I reckon we will be vomiting uncontrollably in the very near future.
Having said all of that, Celtic is where it deserves to be. Humiliation is not the reserve of Sunday’s result but has been pretty much a constant over the last two seasons and even longer. Losing to lower division sides, being knocked out right at the start of European campaigns, losing semi-finals that should have been foregone conclusions, signing an embarrassingly inordinate amount of dead wood and above all struggling to succeed with a budget and player pool far outreaching any other club in the Scottish Leagues were leading to an inevitable embarrassing disaster. It should have been a time of domination both in terms of performance and in trophies won. Instead it has been a boring, plodding drudge to the finish line – well, when we have actually reached a finishing line. Now the consequences are battering us full on in the coupon with nowhere to duck or dodge and, if past experience is anything to go by, with nothing to counter with either.
Having made my case for our bewilderingly humiliating position, it is necessary to examine where the blame lies. Of course, it is very easy to look at the manager as he is at the head of the front line. He deserves the criticism, all of it, though I am saddened by the way much of it has been expressed by many of our own supporters. I admired Deila as he laid out a plan for the future of the club which reminded me of the vision that Stein had when he first arrived. I hoped against hope we had found a new breed of manger just like Big Jock and was more than willing to give him all the time he needed to establish himself and put his plans in place.

The first cracks and creeks appeared with his management and coaching team. I guess any discerning supporter would have seen the writing on the wall way back then. However, with the demise of Rangers and the “gore” associated with that, I kept faith with Deila and waited for the big transformation and the new era of attractive, winning football. If patience is a virtue, I am a saint but a fool to boot. I clung on far too long before the penny plunged. He needs to go because, as Ralph says, “What promised to be a new wave of ideas under a man set to make his mark not only in Scotland but on the world stage, crashed and burned on the slopes of Hampden…..” In spite of grasping onto very thin straws in the hope he could alter course, I think he has been nose diving for a long, long time and Hampden was just the final few feet to the ground.

However, and it is a massive “however”, he was very far from being alone in crashing the club. Immediately, and perhaps more directly to blame, were his management team. At no time did it come across as a team at all and the attitude of Collins and the immaturity of Kennedy were never going to be a workable combination for Deila. He needed men with grit, strength and determination who would show drive and persistence in the presence of Deila’s softly, softly approach. He needed almost the reverse of Stein and Fallon. The men supporting him should have been his strong arm in dealing with the board and the players, men who would support his ideals through thick and thin. Deila had the vision and the plan, the great strategy, but he did not have the wherewithal to implement it and it does not appear either Collins or Kennedy were on board. A telling sight for me was the sheer lack of enthusiasm or reaction on the side-lines. Look at any “decent” management team and you see animation and energy from all of the team members. In fact, it has been a hallmark of all CeItic’s managers worth their salt down through the years. Under Deila, it was simply non-existent. The current management team was surely a combination made in hell and they all found their place there last Sunday.
But, in fairness, can we really stop at the weakness of the management team either individually or collectively? I very much doubt it. There has been a distinctly foul atmosphere around Celtic Football Club for a few seasons now. Fans have been totally disillusioned with the attitude and activities of the CEO and board for a number of years. I would go as far as to say I have only known such strain in the club on two other occasions. The first was just prior to the arrival of Jock Stein when fans were completely disillusioned by the boards reluctance to replace Jimmy McGrory for, great though he was as a footballer, his reign as manger was a disaster and there was simply no sign of the freefall halting. The fans reacted and Bob Kelly did the rest. The second was the infamous period in the 90s when we only survived through the expertise and aggrandisement of The Bunnet with a little help from a few friends and the sacrifices of some very dedicated supporters.

Bad as these periods were, I get the feeling the stench of animosity today is as strong if not stronger than it was then. Fans and board have been at loggerheads about the management and his powers, the lack of investment in playing staff, the inactivity regarding the shenanigans surrounding the liquidation of rangers and the “reinstatement” of the club that took over at Ibrox, Resolution 12, The Green Brigade, stewarding, policing, ticket pricing, one could go on and on. Celtic is without doubt a family in turmoil, on the verge of collapse even, at the moment. For a whole variety of reasons supporters are either staying away or threatening to do so. Attendances have dropped to a dangerous level and yet there is no response from the board. I firmly believe this unhealthy atmosphere surrounding the club over the last few years has contributed in no small way to the lack of cooperation, respect and enthusiasm between board, fans and management and, therefore, influenced players’ performances on the park.
Now let us examine those performances. Once again, it is easy to point fingers at management but what happens on the field in each game is, at the end of the day, really down to the attitude and performance of the team. Tactics may and in the last couple of seasons most certainly have been incomprehensibly wrong. However, anyone who has played football, even at schoolboy level, knows players should and ought to adapt to circumstances. How dumb is it to stick to a plan when it simply is not working? Doing so shows not just the manager’s incompetence but the players’ inability to perform other than as trained circus animals looking for a lump of sugar after the show. God gave humans a brain and very few, if any Celtic players showed proof of that these last few seasons.

Combine that with what has looked like a total collapse of player-manager relations and the consequence is disaster. Enthusiasm can win games against the strongest opponent. Our defeat of Barcelona proved that as, and I hate to remind you all of it, did Sunday’s result. On the other hand, disinterestedness and playing for the pound and not the jersey is fatal and we have witnessed regular fatalities for several years now.

Yes, Deila and his entourage need to go.

Yes, the board needs sorted out.

But, in my opinion, and I feel I am not alone in this, the playing pool needs gutted and I mean well and truly gutted. I personally would be a happy man to see around 20 ravenous kids like Tierney making up the playing pool next season. Yes, we will lose games and perhaps not even win the title but we will be building a solid foundation for the future with freshly cut though green timbers and not rotting lumber. We must have the largest dead pool of any club. We need a Dirty Harry to do some proper gutting. We also need someone with just the minimum of noose to do our scouting. Purchases for years now have not just been poor they have been ludicrous.

Lawwell, for all his supposed financial acumen, seems blind to the utter waste in our transfer policy. For a few lucky shekels coming in now and then, he seems willing to give free rein to some headless horseman to round up any stray, injured or dying footballer who is willing to step out in front of him.

Then there are the wonder-kids from weaker teams who glitter like precious stones at a lower level but turn out to be fools’ gold when they make the vast leap to playing for Celtic. Why can no one seem to judge this in advance? But then, many of us are the culprits who instigate the initial demand for them. And I have not yet mentioned the retirees who have a final fling at increasing their pensions by casting the odd shadow on the green turf of Celtic Park. It is not just embarrassing, it is shameful for a club of our stature and standing.

I must add a few lines regarding “state of the art” training facilities, sports science and medical treatment facilities. What is all of this guff? Training is simply about learning to score or prevent goals, done and dusted. Greats like Wee Jinky or Pele learned those skills in their back yards and sandy beaches. Now, players cannot even grasp the simple skill, if one can call it that, of trapping a ball so that it does not bounce ten yards away from them. That is basic coordination and only needs practice, not techy training. When did the essential part of passing become finding a teammate surrounded by four or more opponents to give the ball to?

In my misty memory, I thought I learned to give it to the man in space.

Then there are two simple moves that seem to have been deleted from any football tactics. I understood the ball should go from goalkeeper or defender to inside or midfield man then to the wing for the winger to carry it towards the eighteen-yard box and cross for a forward to have an attempt at goal. Now players carry the ball all the way to the six-yard box then pass it to the wing.

What is that all about, as Peter Kay might say? Is there not something totally illogical in that ?

Oh, of course they can also guarantee 90% possession as long as they play across the field instead of towards the goal. Yes, that will win a lot of games. Another modern tactic that baffles me is watching and waiting. It seems to me the ball should dictate the game. To do so, a player must anticipate at all times where that ball will go. That means two things.

First, a forward moving player should be constantly trying to find open space. It is not so much what is done on the ball as what is achieved off it. A defender should be reading where a ball is most likely to go and be ready to take whatever action is required. It seems, with the exception of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern and some others, players wait all the time to see where the ball is and then chase it. Combined with slow build ups these tactics will never win anything and are certainly not going to entertain.

There is a whole raft of other tactical conundrums that could be questioned but that might turn this short article into an encyclopaedia. Suffice it to say, I am not a fan of modern tactics and I see little or no advantage in state of the art facilities that encourage boring football, cannot provide fast and efficient treatment for simple injuries and a science that makes players less fit and enthusiastic than when a fag at half time did the trick.
I had planned to write this as a comment but I am going to email it to Ralph as I think I may have gone on an over-long rant. I had not intended it to be so. I just wanted to put the case that not all the blame should be laid at Deila’s door. I am not attempting to exonerate him or even plead his case. Yes, he is the manager and must take the responsibility but he deserves some sympathy for the lack of support from the board, his management team, from the players and even from the fans.

If you think I am wrong, then consider how unenthusiastic our support has been especially at home games for a good part of the season. Celtic supporters “faithful through and through” would be even more vociferous when the team is doing badly. I do remember when we encouraged our poor teams not defamed them. That was reserved for fans of lesser clubs.

So, I guess what I am saying is, we have played our part in this current collapse even though, at the end of the day, it is on Deila’s head and it is time for him to say farewell in the hope of a replacement who will bring back some sunnier days and a whole heap of pride. Mind you, some of the names banded about do not fill me with either enthusiasm or confidence.

Ever the optimist. When he does go, I think it would be right, in the tradition of our great support, to let Ronnie Deila leave quietly and with the respect we give to anyone connected to our club. To not do so would be to let down not only Celtic but ourselves. For once we ought to keep our personal thoughts to ourselves. Sometimes I think we forget that, unlike the past when personal opinions were just shared among ourselves, social media lays our comments bare to the whole world.

However, I would have no objections to the world knowing how most of us feel about our current CEO and board and those who are their mouthpiece.
H H