Celtic suffered a second half collapse in the Nou Camp last night, ending up the victims of a 7-0 mauling that will go down as the clubs worst ever result in Europe. Getting beat by a team that often racks up scorelines such as this against top class opposition isn’t a shame in itself, but the manner of the performance in the second half, where Celtics players decided to join the crowd and stand back to admire the Catalan side, is simply not acceptable.
Captain Scott Brown, who had performed better than most in the first half, agreed;
“It’s the second half that we’re really disappointed with,”
“To lose five goals in 45 minutes is unacceptable. Everyone is disappointed in that changing room.”
“It’s a heavy defeat. We didn’t do well enough on the ball. When we got it, we kept giving it away.
“They’re entitled to score goals, they’re a great team, but we should do better than that.
“It’s 7-0. I’m not going to come away from here laughing and joking, am I? It’s hard to take, but they are a great team.
“Now we need to bounce back. We’ve got Man City in the next game and we need to try and get something at Celtic Park.
“We know at Celtic Park, with our fans, anything can happen.”
Anything can happen in any football match, which is why a team usually has a plan and sticks to it.
Celtic did have a plan, and for the most part, in the first half, it worked. Well, sort of.
Where Brendan Rodgers has excelled in his short reign as manager thus far, is spotting a problem and dealing with it. What he didn’t see, or ignored last night, was that the players weren’t pressing enough, and the change to five at the back was allowing the Barcelona players freedom to roam…and if you do that, they will eventually destroy you.
Previous away games in Europe this season have been disasters, from the embarrassment in Gibraltar to the near disaster in Israel, and one can understand rodgers trying to tighten it up at the back, but the central defenders merely seemed to get in each others way. With Nir Biton and Scott Brown having showed time and time again that they cannot play together, that meant a four man midfield became a solo performance from Brown, with Sinclair and Roberts largely anonymous due to a lack of service.
He did quite well, to be honest, and impressed with his attitude. Especially as he calmed down after a silly booking and didn’t get himself into more bother.
Unfortunately, he was the only one.
A combination of a lack of spirit, which is unacceptable, and an unwillingness to stick to whatever game plan Rodgers had outlined saw Celtic collapse in the second half, and yet it could have been so different.
At one down, after Barcelona had scored before keeper De Freeze was ready, A swift counter saw Moussa Dembele brought down by keeper Ter Stegen, and had he not taken longer to take the penalty than the move that earned it, it would have been 1-1, and that would have changed the game, if not the outcome.
A tangle in defence saw Barca increase their lead, but the first half did have its moments for Celtic, and had they continued in that vein,well, who knows..
One goal chalked off, and a run from Brown which led to a booking for Ratikic after a professional foul showed that Barca are not invincible, but what it also showed is that some Celtic players have neither the belief nor the ability to take advantage.
Goalkeeper Dorus De Vries had worreid a few of us in his previous outings. Last night we saw why those doubts had been in place. Apart from a lack of movement, an unwillingness to control his area and a phobia about round leather objects, there could be a keeper in there somewhere, but so far his stats show thirteen shots on target and none goals conceded.
We’d have been better off using one of those training statues, because at least one or two might have glanced off it. De Vries is a terrible keeper, on a par with Gordon Marshall and Ian Andrews, and we can only hope Rodgers kept the receipt when he bought him.
At right wing back Rodgers opted for Christian Gamboa, a man who only met his team mates a couple of weeks ago, in a repeat of the Jo Inge Berget fiasco, and if I remember correctly, Strachan had the same issue forced on him before Artmedia hit us with our previous worst night out.
For a manager of Rodgers experience, including de Vries and Gamboa against the worlds most fearsome front three is an inexplicable and inexcusable error.
With Mikael Lustig then out of position and forced to cover for Gamboa, who looked lost and completely out of his depth-though he wasn’t the only one- any solidity about the back line, which had come about after a lot of hard work, disappeared.
And with a lightweight midfield offering no protection the result was inevitable.
Maybe that result would have happened no matter how Rodgers picked the team, but the manner of the result is what stings.
Celtic lay down and allowed Barcelona to tickle their tummies.
For a club that has a reputation in Europe for fighting and overcoming seemingly impossible odds, that is too much to bear.
However, there is a little bit of hope for the rest of the campaign. If rodgers realises that its better to play our game, our way, than to adapt to the way others play then we still have a chance in this group.
Lets have no more talk about how the other teams have more money, and how we are a big fish in a small pond , and all the other nonsense about knowing our place in the big picture. We aren’t expecting miracles, we aren’t even expecting progress, this is just the first adventure of many for the club in its most recent phase.
But I do expect more than we got last night.
Borussia may be a formidable outfit, and Manchester city may have all the money in the world, but what they don’t have is that little four leafed clover on their shirts, which up until last night gave the player who wore it an edge.
It can turn decent players into good players, good players into great players, and great players become legends.
For the remaining five games, lets remember who we are, and show what we can do.
If we are going to go down, then at least go down fighting.
Here’s a telling stat from last night…
Fouls committed – Barca 8, Celtic 3!
I suppose – if you’re emphasising the positive – we should be pleased that that Celtic didn’t try to kick them off the park & at least tried to play football, but it does seem to support Ralph’s view that – as a team – we just weren’t committed enough.
Caption competition – Watch this space?
Brendan made several errors last night I felt.
First of all he had no natural replacement for Dembele on the bench had he got injured or played shite.
Which he did.
For all Ciftci’s limitations holding a ball up and giving defenders a hard time aren’t two of them?
Dembele just seemed to mill about for 90 minutes and closed no one down allowing Barca time to stroke it about for 2 minutes before another salvo was launched.
The other was not removing Tierney who to me looked heavy legged,petrified to tackle his hero and unsure of himself?
Perhaps a snapping snarling Izzy with a point to prove might just have upset the super slick Messi?
Gamboa was a risk worth taking for me?
5 games at the World Cup suggest he can cope with a big game atmosphere though I felt he was a bit allover the place like Lustig trying to adapt to two on the that side?
Bitton is too slow witted for the top level for me he doesn’t react very quick to movement and get’s caught behind the play far to often.
Why Ajer is playing in the development squad is beyond me?
This lad was captain of his previous side and we have him playing Barcas U19’s?
De Vries was terrible though it has to be said Barcas finishing was utterly magnificent.
I doubt big Forster would have stopped most of them myself?
Though the first and the free kick I think he would.
We got humped no to ways about it by a side light years ahead of us right now.
We were very naive last night stood off them and bent over to take a spanking.
I don’t want to marvel at sides like Barca I want to give them and sides like them a black eye and a burst nose.
Barely even landed a punch last night so I’m not impressed.
Lenny was bang on with his appraisal pre kick off.
Charlie saiz,
Do you practice talking total shite, because you have mastered it!
So what part of that did you disagree with?
All of it or some of it Monti?
Break it down and let’s debate the points one by one…
The floor is yours as they say MONTI
All of it!
So you thought Dembeles performance warranted him staying on the Park for a full 90 minutes?
You thought he worked the back line?
Thought he held it up well?
Was a great out ball when we were under constant pressure?
So you thought having no back up in the striking department was a good idea given Dembele’s lack of experience?
You thought leaving Ciftci at home was good planning?
I didn’t and I am fairly confident that after 60 minutes of watching Dembele amble about the park minutes he felt the same.
Like i said, you talk shite and the more you speak the more it’s confirmed!
Now there is a big surprise Monti disagreeing with somebody
I don’t disagree with your wife, she said i’m sensational…..reluctantly i agreed!
Monti. Just go away. Please
So fuckin predictable change the record eh!
Not you Donga! Mongti
Donga,
Fuck no and i see Bob is insulting the disabled community…AGAIN???
Agree, St. Brendan got team selection badly wrong, Gamboa got caught in the headlights, Lustig just couldn’t be bothered and as fur Biton, i gave up on him long ago, whats infuriating is we couldn’t even do the very basics of defending last night, once again i ask what John Kennedy actually brings to the training staff, Sinclair looked like good and never gave up but that’s about it, KTF
Get real, goalie after 3 games Is like Andrews, u r really at it. Players gave everything they had barca just miles better same as all other teams in champs league. We r mediocre punching above our weight and bams like u need reality check. Using your logic that means website reporters who like u talk mince are as bad as jackson and keevins et al. Get real we lost to best team ever, if we get 1 point in group it Will b more than we should get HH.
It’s not a four-leafed clover it’s a bloody good kick up the arse they all need.
I don’t know the attendance last night but they probably didn’t include the 11 on the pitch.
It’s pointless being Kings of Scotland and clowns of Europe.
A bit of fight and passion wouldn’t go amiss.
Celtic are a work in progress who are doing incredibly well so far, domestically 100% and achieved our goal of Champions league qualification, 25m cheque in the bank and we are back on the big stage.
Sound as fuck by me.
Barcelona are light years ahead of Celtic, we must accept that, Neymar, Messi, Suarez and they bring Iniesta off the bench?
A few things bother me about the current Celtic side, the goalkeepers are not the answer, Gordon can’t be trusted when it matters and De Vries for me is a number 2 at best, but he is in the side because Gordon has costly mistakes in him.
Simunovic can hopefully come in and have a major impact beside Erik as i think this pairing may well be the long term answer.
There is work to be done on our side but we all knew that, Brendan has had one window to work with and for me has recruited well.
Defensively he has to recruit further and i’m sure he will.
This time next year Celtic will be significantly stronger, Brendan will have had two windows to add to the quality if the squad.
In the meantime, let’s regroup, refocus and collectively move forward with optimism.
In Brendan we trust, keeo the faith and ‘ Mon the Hoops!
5 in a row delivered, Champions league groups delivered, 6 in a row on it’s way.
HH
13 shots and NONE conceded.
What you moaning about?
I laughed out loud at that.
Ralphy made me better.
I think the result last night ” made you better “!
Why would that be Maestro?
Just a gut reaction
its funny that after losing two games to the mighty molde it was all on the players but last night against the unknowns of barcelona it was the manager who got several things wrong??
The players were outplayed allover the park.
With all due respect Barcelona are light years ahead of our side in terms of ability Molde weren’t.
yes thats my point charlie
My point was the players who played against Molde should have put in a better performance than they did.
Deila took the full flack for THEIR individual pish performances.
Brendan made several odd decisions last night though I trust he will learn from that?
Bgbhoy,
He knows not what he do…he a bit dipshit!
Guys my opinion lets park last night until we can use it to our advantage, Brendan could have improved his odds by resting a few players against the tribute act but I haven’t stopped smiling since Satyrday so I am glad he didn’t. A Wednesday game given the travelling would have helped, I thought we ran out of steam in the second half. We will get the Piss taken by those who are no friends to Celtic but we are top of the league, a game in hand, quarter finals of the League Cup and five Champions League matches to come, hardly a crisis. I know a club that are struggling in the league, got horsed by those they consider their biggest rivals, have no money and a trip to Pitiddrie coming.
I agree about the keeper but I wouldn’t drop him for Sunday, no one player deserves to carry the can for last night’s debacle. I would bring Gordon in against Alloa and keep him in.
In December I would go back to last night’s game and challenge the players, a better result against Barcelona at Celtic Park would go a little of the way to wasnt the pain. Then at Ibroke when they chant Barca use the 7 as a target. Positive spin but too much is too good to allow ourselves to go down, even bring accused of bullying mindless bigots has its up side!
Scott, they are not ENTITLED to score FFS!
Do you think he really said that? Off his head if he did.
HH
I think the Champions League is a poisoned chalice now for celtic.
We have been out of this level of football for a few seasons. The Rangers game just gave I think a bit of false hope.
We have been able to use our work rate to bridge the skill gap in the past especially at home. But we can’t keep hoping for a do or die performance to allow us to compete in Europe.
I think this is BR’s biggest challenge and he doesn’t have a great track record in Europe. The result however difficult to watch might prove to be a good thing. No point in clouding the issue with tired legs or we didn’t work hard enough. The focus needs to in developing our ability to keep the ball. That was my biggest concern.
You can always run faster and longer but we don’t seem to be able to keep the ball certainly in Europe. Look at the passing and possession stats. That says it all.
We need to develop a team for Europe that knows how to keep the ball. That to me is the challenge for Celtic. The Scottish league will take care of itself.
Maybe that is the grand plan and BR is putting the building blocks in place. I hope so. I do expect a few more difficult nights in this group. The biggest shame of the last few years is we have not moved forward at all under Ronnie and I think this is part of what we saw last night and the blame for that is on the board or PL in my opinion.
If ever we had an opportunity to plan for the future it was when the unwashed collapsed…anyway old record playing now.
I am hoping the BR has learned from his Liverpool experiences and see’s a way forward that is supported by the board. I am happy to take a few sore ones if we are moving forward.
Absolutely agree i said it in several forums last night i dont mind getting beat but the manner in which we got beat was completely unnaceptable for any celtic team , we gave up and lay down letting barca laugh and joke there way to victory. Even if we get thumped i would expect them to come off that park at the end knowing they have been in a game!
Its not about the money we should have still got stuck right in about them! And also not changed our formation , hopefully lessons are learned. Big doris is shite and i feel sorry for gordon who hasnt made half the mistskes this guy has in a few games.
I thought brown and teirney played well last night but i would have liked more of the scottish lads in who can battle , biton is an absolute passenger jogging about and shirking tackles he was the same on sunday , starting to wish we had got mccarthy
Delbhoy,
” gave up “?
I don’t think so m8
Monti, Del is right,we showed them far to much respect,he is also right about the players,we need more physicality,wee Strachan said the same,John Ogu,Callum Paterson type,who will compete.I fail to see what Bitton brings to the team,Brendan will add better quality as long as Pete backs him up.
We did though. Whichever goal it was, Neymar and Messi vs SEVEN of our bhoys and they pretty much stood off and watched them walk it into the net.
I don’t know if it was the formation or a lack of belief or whatever but it was obvious pretty quickly last night we were going to take a pounding. As was asked above – just what exactly DOES John Kennedy add? As far as I can tell it’s a negative value and I’d get him replaced sharpish. He failed Ronny and he’ll fail Brendan too.
It’s early doors in BR’s reign though, I’m sure we’ll get better in Europe as the matches build up. Can’t believe the “wish we had got McCarthy” comment though, I’d rather have a turd in a tracksuit than McCarthy!
I am disappointed about the result however I think we have to look at a few things:
It was only Rodgers 12th game in charge.
No matter what people want to believe spending money wins, especially if it’s £320M more than your opponent and you have someone who has now scored 40 career hatricks!!
Celtic are very inexperienced at this level with a young squad who will hopefully learn from this season and be ready for an easier (on the nerves) qualification for next seasons CL.
This season is about progress, win the league and 1 hopefully both cups and get to the CL group stages was my hopes at the start of the season and I believe we are on target.
I want to see progress next season with a smooth qualification to the CL groups and (depending on draw) 3rd place minimum finish in the section.
We should have fought harder in the second half but we need to learn and move on, Man City next at home, we all need to get behind the Bhoys, they know that it should have been better and they will look to make amends.
Hail, Hail!
The reason most fans and Brendan wanted 2 good Centre Mids in was to stop embarrasing results like last night. Brown & Bitton cannot cut it at this level!
Come on there was only really 2 midfielders playing. The others were forwards / Inside forwards. Midfield should have been mobbed by us, Brown, Bitton, MacGregor and Armstrong on the right should have played with Sinclair out Left.
Good article Ralphy, It echoes exactly my own thoughts as i posted on your last diary.
Scott Brown,the second half wasnt acceptable.
Yes Broony/Ralphy you are correct it wasnt,we gave them far to much respect,it looked like we were waiting for their autographs,we want to see our team compete,last night they did not compete in any way.I am the first to praise Brendan and the team,but last night was woeful You can mention other results but that does not excuse that performance,praise and critisism only when due.
DeVries to me doesnt look like the answer to our keeper problem,Gordon is better,it seemed to me that we focused to much on keeping our shape and not going after the ball.
Brendan will learn from this and surely must be given the funds to bring in better midfielders,Bitton,Gamboa, Sviat hardly touched the ball although Sviat looked injured,so big Pete spend some of that £50 mill. that we have amassed
and bring in a couple of players in january.
On Barca showing last night, it will be hard for any team to stop them at home,I hope we can dust ourselves down and defend our home games at the very least,always Celtic, Hail, Hail
My team ratings:
De Vries 3
Very poor on the first and the free kick not much chance with the others poor night for him.
Gamboa 3
Very much in at the deep end positional awareness poor though being dropped into a back 5 did him no favours I felt too deep
Lustig 3
I don’t think he helped Gamboa too much as back up found out at this level as a CB not the amnswer in Europe for me
Toure 5 Has lost a yard or two with age and struggled to contain the movement and uncertainty around him
Sviatchenko 6
I think he was proibably the better of the entire back 5 got a few blocks and clearances in though looked a bit mesmerised at times
Tierney 3
Totally overawed by the situation I felt,looked very heavy legged to me and failed to put in a decent tackle all night.
Brown 6
I felt Brown did his job as best he could the fact Rakatic did not feature as much as expected was mainly down to Browns work rate.
Bitton 4
Very poor as a DM but got a plus for his pass selection in tight positions.
Not the answer in Europe for me.
Roberts 6
Not the night for an attack minded winger but when he did get a chance to run at them he did make them look very average on that side I felt
SINCLAIR 7
For me did more as an attacking force than any of our players looked comfortable running at them and like Brown and Roberts not phased by reputation.
Dembele 3
As a target man I thought he was hopeless last night nothing stuck to him.
You should not be getting caught offside as a loan striker that’s basics plus his workrate was very poor almost ambling about at times like he was in a sulk?
He’s young and has much to learn I feel and not ready for a game like last night.
O’Connell 3
Did ok given the circumstances looked like he was actually relishing the challenge.
Armstrong 3
Did ok though lost possession a few times when not under pressure.
little time to have an impact
McGregor 3
Looked ok wasn’t fazed by the surroundings but like Armstrong had little time to make an impact in a game already done as a contest.
Rodgers 4
Right set up I felt but failed to have backup on the bench for Dembele has he an injury or poor night?
Ciftci would have held it up better I feel and given the back four more hassle than Dembele did.
I also felt KT looked heavy legged and perhaps an energetic snapping Izzy might have given Messi a harder time of it?
He did bring O’Connell in but I felt perhaps replacing Gamboa with Lustig and keeping Sviatchenko on the Park might have been a better idea?
Are you sure you were watching the game, or were you staring at your Ronny poster?
Having BT I seen it in perfect HD.
I’m sorry to hear about your affliction, hope it gets better soon.
Lol
Donkeys that stare at posters……myst be a film in there!
No john, it won’t be a Disney feature!
Give it a rest
Champions league level midfielder should have been brought in , brown gives his all but biton is not good enough , henderson would put up more of a fight than he does and hes just a kid!
You reckon?
Henderson is way off CL level bud.
Is there a gulf between Celtic & Barcelona?
No, it`s the 7 seas.
We`ve come full circle over the last few seasons.
Now that Brendan is the manager with his workforce behind
him, it`s now that we`re on the learning curve.
The only thing I will say though is; shall those on the
PLC Board treat OUR Celtic FC as their Hoopy Hobby?
Here`s to goin` places Ghirls and Bhoys.
Hail Hail
The 4 leaf clover on our badge ” It can turn decent players into good players, good players into great players, and great players become legends”
What utter shite.
😉
Occasionally I decide to post, when the conversation is about football, and as DDV comes from my home base in NL I’ve decided to contribute now by saying for the first time ever I agree with Monty, especially on the keeper choice. Gordon has been a disaster in so many big games. DDV could have stopped #1, should have stopped #3 so doesn’t look like an improvement. Which is a shame but not too surprising.
I was very disappointed with the score but not with the players or the ambition. We tried to play football and I personally don’t think the players hid. They were up against brilliant players who’ve played together for the last 2 years and with a point to prove.
Signing a couple of players in January won’t make us good enough of itself to compete in the CL. Sustained player and tactical development will. It takes time and courage, especially after games like last night. None of our players would get in the Barca, Man City squads never mind get game time.
It would have been good if Broonie admitted it was Bhoys against Very Small Men. And I must admit I’ve seen Barca do that to numerous teams over the years and enjoyed it thoroughly. Iniesta’s goal was a peach. The MSN movement, trickery was fabulous. Sinclair, Roberts showed some tricks as well. Brown fought throughout and some nice touches. I’ll take the small pleasures when that’s all that’s on offer.
And I woke up this morning knowing we are still in the Champions League and that it will get better in the games to come. What’s not to like about that?
alkmaarbhoy,
” First time ever “?
I’m fucking honoured!
He clearly kens fuck all about fitba then.
Gordon has been a disaster my erse,the defenders and manager they were the disasters,Gordon is a far better keeper than Defries,who has made many mistakes in the four games he played.
Sensible intelligent post my friend it will never catch on here.
🙂
Ps that was for alkmarbhoy.
As for Mike’s defence of Gordon gies peace he costs us goal after goal ffs
Pish. If you think that Devreis is the answer,you are wrong,wrong, wrong.HE could have saved 2/3 last night,he has been a disaster since day one.Gordon is a much better shot stopper,if you disagree then read other opinions,they fully concur with mine.
🙂
Mike happy to read others opinion but will not change my mind about Gordon happy to say that De Vries is not good enough either but that doesn’t make Gordon any better.
Pish
Guys I agree with all the comments but it goes back to basic of you need to keep the ball and develop that mentality, skill, whatever.
Running around like a headless chicken and chasing shadows would demoralise anyone and better teams have been ran-ragged than Celtic. I don’t think it was a lack of effort I just don’t think they could get close enough to shut them down.
That’s what Barcelona do they demoralise teams.
We clearly have not bought European quality players for Europe. We have bought to maintain control of the Scottish League and gain access to the CL.
BR has had to put some quick fixes in place and I think he has done the correct thing. Get your own house in order first. He probably hoped for a better draw maybe bank some wins and experience but Knowing full well they could easily come unstuck.
We are not ready for this quality of opposition in europe and should be judged next season with hopefully an easier qualification and progress on the pitch with more realistic results.
I agree with BR better to hold off and buy a long term quality player for the team than an overpriced experienced player that chases shadows.
To be honest I don’t see the point of getting upset by this result at all….we are not a finished article and after what has been a challenging start to the season I think we are in a bloody good position all round.
When you line up against a front line of that caliber where the sale of 1 is practically 10x your record fee recieved trying to stop them is futile. You have to try and stop service. We should have mobbed midfield and forced them over the top. The moment they got the ball they got it to the forwards all too easily. 5 at the back was a mistake, our ddefenders were left exposed by the lack of bite in midfield. We got it all wrong last night and if you can’t defend then attack. Make Neymar and Suarez defend they are ok at it, but compared to how will they attack…….
Giants against men! I don’t really want to single out individual players but: Gamboa was a mistake. He looks good on YouTube but he didn’t know his team mates yesterday and it showed.I think he’ll come good. Bitton is too slow to play a high pressing game as arguably is Brown so the back line got swamped. Young KT had a nervous start but got better. Back line weren’t great, too slow in thinking and in action and completely unaware of Barca’s movements at times. Roberts isn’t up to full match fitness. He tried to get forward but not much backtracking. Sinclair was our best player but he and Dembele don’t know each other ‘s movements off the ball well enough to form an incisive unit. Dembele is full of promise but he needs to get back more, but maybe BR wanted him to stay up front. Hard to make a judgement about DDV as he was too exposed. You can’t boss the box when you’re playing a team like Barca – you would end up as a defender rather than a goalie.
It’s early days yet. We can’t keep overestimating where we’re at by scoring for fun in SPFL games, it’s just too easy in some ways. And now we know BR is human, he makes mistakes. No manager is perfect but let’s see what happens next.
Q. to all the moaning noel hunts, If during pre season someone said to you, we will bring in Brendan Rodgers, we will qualify for the Champions league, we will bring in £8m for 3 friendlies, we will bring in £20-30m for the CL group stages and we will shite on Sevco 5-1…..but during all that we will get fucked 7-0 by Barcelona?
Take it would ya?
yes any day of the week.
Mo ti,
Of course we would. Doesn’t stop me discussing tactics. I don’t blame the players for this one. I am still 100% behind Brendan. Not a fan of those specific tactics.
We shouldn’t be there. Last night exposed this. It was shameful and a disgrace.
Every time I begin to believe in the manager he makes decisions like he did last night which gives rise to doubts about his actual ability. Maybe he is the blow hard that everyone down south thinks he is. One thing is for sure, last night shortened his Celtic career. As soon as he gets an offer, any offer from down south, presuming one comes, he will be off. Why will he hang around to see his reputation destroyed. He can win every single cup in Scotland for a decade and no one will bat an eye. Celtic have played themselves into irrelevance. If you do not move forward, if you don’t improve, you are pointless. That is exactly what we have become pointless. OK we spank the Motherwells, the Kilmarnocks, the Sevcos but what does it mean, nothing. The same as Barca taking 7 off of us. Their supporters will not be thinking they are shoe-ins as they ahve played no one. They will get a better idea when they play a real CL team in Man City. The only thing Celtics players did not do was applaud and scream Ole after every move. Kolo Toure looked as he was a right old laugh at the end with s few of his old pals. What was he laughing at? Was he saying well it’s only a year, bit of extra cash. Great atmosphere at Celtic Park though, shitey team. At the same time Tierney looked like he was nervous approaching some of their players at the end as he was obviously looking for auto graphs.
If we could I would advise throwing the towel in, saving us from repeated humiliation. No heart, no fight, no real ability at this level. Just there for the cash.
Two comments were made at the weekend which apply more to us after last night than they did to Sevco and our players should rememeber them ‘Men against boys’ and ‘Know your place’
Money is a major issue. If you do not invest properly then you cannot play at the higher level. I would rather Celtic spent an extra 20 million to just keep the score down to 3 or 4. A quality midfielder was needed last night. This is the second time Celtic have been torn apart in Europe this season.
As for the goalie, signed from the second division in England, what is Rodgers thinking about? The free kick would have been saved by Gordon. Gamboa should not have played either, poor management. and he did not changed things as he has a reputation for doing. At 2-0 the game is done. They are building from the back and picking up every ball in the middle, where Celtic are woefully short. It is, 5-0 or 6-0 before any real change is made.
And for me the worst comment possible is made. “We wee tired after the big game at the weekend’. Legitimising them! If he does not trust his team are fit enough, to play twice in 4 days, play the second string against Sevco. Losing that game would not have been as bad as last night. Or maybe some of our supporters are willing to accept 7-0 thrashing s just to beat them.
I am in my early 50s, I cannot recall a time when Celtic have lost 7 goals. How many times in our History have we shipped 7 goals. Our record defeat is 8-0!
I do believe we are entering a new era, where this will become common place in Europe. Shameful and Brutal.
John,
How do you feel about your fellow fans wrecking the Celtic toilets ar the weekend?
Were you taking part?
The guy makes valid points Monti and is entitled to his opinion ffs.
You calling or insinuating everyone is a hun for levelling criticism at Celtic after such a horrendous result is beyond a joke?
Ignore this tube John and continue with your input regardless bud.
HH
Eeeryyyyyoooorrr eeeoooowwweeeeeerrrrr
You must be the only Tim on this forum as you have called everybody else a hun
HA.HA, Bob he hisny called me a hun unless we were in bed and i misheard.HE.HE.
No, i called you a cunt…..because you are 🙂
I’ve not been called Hun, or cunt I would hope he would call me a dick.
😉
‘Spending an extra £20m to keep the score down to 3-4!!!!’
Have a word with yourself.
@John
It has lawyas been my opinion that if we can’t put a side out that is able to compete at this level then we really shouldn’t be looking to qualify for it?
I personally don’t think we are a Champions League level Club at the moment and haven’t done so since we sold the likes of Forster Wanyama Wilson Ledley and Hooper?
Europa league level at best at the moment and given the quality in there now not even a top end Europa League outfit at that.
The money will help solve some of that though if we are realistic we need to be spending upwards of £20m on EACH player to compete in the CL.
I disagree with that at every level,we can compete better without that amount of reckless spending.This is why money becomes such a distraction,just because you spend £20 mill.
their are good players out there who would cost a hell of a lot less than that and who would add much to the team.
all you have to do is go to the english premier league stats on how much clubs have spent to their league position and it’s conclusive that spending gets you quality throughout your squad that brings success
We should never even be looking at the EPL,their players are hugely over valued and so is their League,the trick is to be smarter and get the players before their quality is spotted.
Guiddeti is a case in point,we brought him on loan and others seen his quality and he moved on cos we wouldnt pay him what he wanted.We should have paid the wages he wanted.
Van Dyke, Wanyama even Joe Ledley,cos we wouldnt pay the wages they moved on and we brought in poor replacements.We need to get smarter.Gamboa is another,they wouldnt pay the loan fee for Wisdom at the Pool,so he goes elsewhere and we pick up lesser quality.
Like Callum Patterson?
Fnar fnar tee hee
HE,HE,HE,naw your right Janko,the cleaning powder that canny play fitba.HAW,HAW.
I have nothing but trust in Brendan Rodgers and our team!
We will become stronger after last night!
Mon the Hoops!
John
No level playing field in Europe and it will change again. Just look a the premier league the transfer money is a joke and a lot of European clubs are hoping to sell to the PL to cream more cash off them.
The gap now is huge.I think you are making really unfair judgements on BR at such an early stage. Can’t tar him with the Ronnie brush.
It wasn’t tactics it was lack of quality I think he knows this and it will change over time.
Monti, I would have said a resounding NO. It is not worth being in the CL if you are not a CL team. why bother showing up. We do not deserve to be their. We are not a CL team. We are a joke at this level . I hate people mocking and laughing at Celtic but that is what they are doing this morning. BR is also being mocked as a failure who cannot get a real job at a real football club. That is a major blow to celtic last night. Psychologically it is devastating. The players will feel this for a long, long time. If Man City take 5 or 6 off Celtic at Celtic Park I would put money on soem players not recovering from it. These guys will be acutely aware that they are second rate and that they are imposters, out of their depth and that they should not be playing at that level.
If Celtic are in this competition then they should have the players to play in this competition. Don’t waste your time if you don’t. Stay at home . Beat Dundee, cheer winning meaningless trophies against shite. But don’t become the shite at a higher level.
John,
I think you are at tbe wind up son, i’ll not be biting tho.
John we are in the CL for the cash. We will never compete at the top level. We will have good nights and should be able to compete with a level of club same as us.
The Cl is vital to the bottom line at Celtic and whatever way you look at it we need it.
Without it you may as well welcome back Ronnie.
Totally agree johnbhoy,we need the cash to strengthen the team and to drive further away from thems.
Having 10 men in the are and losing 2 goals from corners and allowing iniesta to score from a floated cross is ridiculous. As is the inability to pick out a teammate in hoops because the opposition are barca. Basic skills like controlling and passing shouldn’t go out the window. Also, leaving 20-30 yards between your lone striker on the halfway line and his nearest teammate is gonna make knockdowns kinda pointless, no?
Have you ever played football?
Monti, if you’d ever played the game, you’d know what Wisnae says is true. They went to pieces.
The space that Messi got for his first and Iniesta got for the volley was an embarrassment.
Are you a Hun Joe? Only kidding pal just thought i’d get Monti’s answer in for him.lol.
I’ve played Football Manager, does that count?
🙂
I am in no doubt that Brendan Rodgers will fix the team and make it better,provided that he is given funds to do so,we do not have to spend a fortune either.It is glaringly obvious that we need a more physical defensive midfielder in the style of Wanyama i have suggested John Ogu the Be-er Sheva player at £1.5 million and the same at right back Paterson at Hertz,these afford a degree of physicality that is required to compete.We need to toughen up.
Gordon is a much better keeper than Doris,who was brought in to find players with kick outs and build from the back,but a keepers first rule is to show bravery and make saves,in the four games he has played he has not shown his quality,but time will tell.
Monti we did give up there was hardly a tackle in the second half , 3 fouls in the game tells you the story , if you think we got right in about them last night as previous celtic teams have you must have been watching a diffrent game. They looked like they couldnt wait till the game finished to get there autographs
Delbhoy,
I didn’t see anyone giving up, i did see some of the best players in the world play to their capacity!
Monti, Del is right,even Brown said the same,we need a Big defensive mid (John Ogu) and Callum Paterson,even WGS said the same to toughen us up.
Pish
HA.HA.HA. The maist elephant i have ever read,yer still wrong,wrong,wrong and Del is right,right,right.
What a fuckin redneck.hahaha
Don’t know what game you were watching Monti – they definitely chucked it in the 2nd half.
I think Monti needs to chuck it mwaahahahaha.
You want to give up! Your embarrassing yerself now
Your wife said i was embarrassing you!
Brilliant response……Comedy gold.
Tactics and team selection would have saved a couple of goals. You are delusional if you think that BR can take what he has and mould them into a team capable of keeping the score down in Europe. And again I go back to the point I made repeatedly weeks ago before qualification. We should not be there. The level of investment is not CL level. We are not the team of 4 years ago. If you are unwilling to sign players of a better quality then you are in for a hiding. Yes, you will still get beat but you will save face. If you go with what we have you will get pummeled time and time again. What is the point? For the money? But then we don’t spend the money? Stay at home. Don’t bother. This is not simply a reaction to last night. I said this when we were playing Astana. Our ambitions are so low. We are excited about just being in the draw, no thought is given to what is going to happen to us when we start playing. If you are not going to spend the money you earn in the tournament then what is the point? You become a laughing stock and that is what we are this morning. Personally, I hate this.
John,
I think you have a failng of understanding the game of football and how the top clubs strengthen their sides.
You can’t spend what you don’t have, the fact we have brought in ICC and CL money doesn’t mean we can go spend happy?
Look at Chelsea and Manchester utd, two of the richest clubs in world football, are they in the Champions league?
I would rather be in the CL that in turns gives us revenue access to strengthen wisely and not recklessly.
How much money has Man utd spent on their squad? Where are they this year? The Europa league!
West Ham had a net spend of £43 million in the summer window and got knocked out of the final qualifier for the Europa league.
Charlie i never said he was i said he would fight more , saying that most players would have mote fight and determination than biton , he is gutless and i cant go that in a player
Monti, you clearly have been drinking some Sevco delusional Kool-Aid. That was a failure of monumental proportions last night, which has disgraced our football club. And yes I have played football and know that players who are much better tend to win games. Going into these games without proper preparation, investment, tactics and team selection is amateur and is liable to get you a hiding. I am not happy for Celtic to take a hiding. But the team should be docked wages for last night. BR should contribute a weeks wages to charity. They did not look as if they were trying, Brown excepted. I was furious with Toure and Tierney at the end. Toure was having a right old laugh and Tierney queued up to shake hands with Messi or some other superstar. They are professional football players but did not act like it last night. never mind we will bounce back against ICT at the weekend. Maybe that is our level. i am very embarrassed this morning. Our team embarrassed us.
John,
I don’t drink, a few of the guys on here will testify to that 🙂
If I was you I would say I was a raving alky as that would explain your daft ramblings on here.
If you were me you would be nostril deep in your wife!
Monti, you need to watch more closely. They never broke sweat in 80 degree heat. The commentator said ‘never got out of second gear and still took seven off Celtic’ in a mocking tone. We are a laughing stock this morning and our world beaters from the weekend know exactly their place. Second rate. If they deserve praise whenthey do well they eserve to be slaughtered when they never tried a leg and shamed themselves and the supporters.
John,
Fuck off to the bears den ya Hun monkey spunk moped!
If you think that the team played badly (which they obviously did – the clue is in the score) then you’re a hun.
Scott Brown said the 2nd half was unacceptable (which it was) – I guess that you think, like Joey Barton does, that he’s a hun an aw?
Your the one that’s acting like a Hun.
I cannot and will not agree that we should never be their,the money is crucial to build the team,so i will take thrashings every day of the week in the C.L. just for the cash and to deprive Thems and for us to leave them in the gutter where they belong.
Having said that i want to see the Tic.compete last night they didnt,but he will sort it of that i am certain.
I didnt get the tactics last night , i did think they would go with a back five but i thought it would be a midfield three with armstrong. I didnt understand why we clearly only had two midfielders it was obvious even without barcelonas ability they would over run us with the three players in there. As ralph says brown was basically left on his own because you had biton floating about and sinclair and roberts taking up wide positions leaving the midfield two exposed. We should have had another two players able to battle and snap at their heels beside brown.
fair enough monti its about opinions i just think the team could have given more , there was far to much respect shown
Del yes its about opinions and you have made valid points,same as mine,we need to toughen up with a defensive mid and callum paterson,players who WILL compete,Biton is mince,Brendan will change them come Jan.
We did show them far to much respect to the extent that we did not compete.
I repectful disagree with your view Ralph. 1 billion plus plus in revenue, 650m in profit, team cost 350 m to put together and 90000 season ticket holders. Playing in La Liga. That makes an enormous difference. While we were mesmerized they actually played to their best level I have seen for a while. Messi, Neymar and Saurez I doubt the “Scottish lads” would have done any better unless you want us to kick them off the park. Take this in the chin lads, we will get stronger through this competition and we will learn from it. Let’s move on.
No one is talking about ‘spend happy’ but Celtic needed a battle hardened quality midfielder, a blind man could see this, yet they go into these games weaker than we were two seasons ago. Celtic have earned millions through transfers over the past few years and qualifying for this years CL. Yet have spent 20 milion pounds in transfers, 14 million less than we have taken from Southampton for our three best players. There has been no CL investment. If that is the case don’t play in the CL because you should not be there. Continue to win the meaningless shite which is the SPL, or whatever the hell it is called, but don’t bother showing up to waste the time of the big clubs in the competition. You will only end up making an arse of yourself and become an international figure of fun. Poor wee Celtic. Ha ! Ha! If you have no intention of playing properly, of actually mattering then sit in the bloody house. it is embarrassing. If Celtic supporters are not embarrassed by this I would imagine they are the wee boys who love Messi and Barca, under 12!
Said the same but post didny turn up,just like the Tic. last night.
Nurse
Your eloquence does you credit Mr Wilde. I would say you are a doormat, apologist for a board who have let the club down. And if it was down to cowards like you the Whites and the Kellys would still be in charge. It is cowardly to accept being bitch slapped in this manner. Maybe you should drink as at least it would explain your stupidity. Lie back and take it, bitch. And I do not recognise them but they are all you can talk about. It is this small-mindedness that holds Celtic back. Happy to be where we are. Irrelevant.
Who the fuck are you talking about?
Comes across as a trolling zombie.
🙂
You are an arse of a man John
leverkusen, panathanikos, milan, real madrid, ajax, roma, arsenal, stuutgart, bayern muich, sporting lisbon
all teams who have conceded 4 or more to barcelona in recent seasons… where is our place? who would we beat out of the above? the greeks at home maybe, stuutgart?
people moaning need to catch a grip of themselves, were not in the champions league to compete!! becauase we cant!!!
weve came along way since last season, weve 3 home games and a couple of good trips to look forward too, last night was expected, 100%, you cant blame the manager!!! 10 men on the line they would of still scored 7!!
I disagree Bgbhoy, we can do much better than last night,if Dembelle had scored the penalty,we would have competed better,the players looked more at keeping there shape than attacking the ball,we hardly got a tackle in and gave them far to much respect.We Should have bought in a defensive mid. everyone knows that,not to was terrible knowing the money that we were bringing in.
I agree that given time and Some cash Brendan will make us better,even Brown said that was not acceptable and neither it was.
if celtic scored the penalty mike i think we would of just annoyed them
that team could of scored 15 goals last night if they had too
Your clearly tired oot Bgbhoy,has the wain sorry the wine sorry the wifey tiring yoo oot.
They are a great team with my all time hero Messi at the front,but some of their players especially at the back are far from superstars,my point is that we could have should have done much better,especially in the second half,i think the players would agree with that.
Take care ya twat,he,he.
haha if we opened up last night it would of been 15 for sure!!
lets judge our games against the germans, becuase the 3 remianing games are a write off, they really are on a different planet
**the remaining games
How many do you think that Barca will put past the Germans then?
as many as they need too
Well said bgbhoy!
Pish.
We can take it
BR is doing a great job
That can happen in Barcelona, one of the best football teams I’ve ever seen.
The supporter’s were a credit again
Proud to be a TIM
HH
Wulz,
Totally m8
See your boyfriend is back then
Monti is obviously an Oscar wilde tribute act with his witty repartee to anyone who disagrees with his opinion. Therefore the general opinion is it is OK as we only need the money to beat Rangers. who we claim don’t exist don’t enter. Wow we have some mental issues here. As I have repeatedly said if you are not going to compete what is the point? Fergus McCann had a go at the other SPL teams for being pointless not 4 weeks ago. I would say we are exactly the same at European level. What an existence. Qualify one year in three for the CL and lie back and allow every club to run over the top of you. So much to look forward to . Thank Christ I am 50 odd I will only need to put up with it for another 20-25 years. No wonder so many young kids are walking around Glasgow with Barca And Real Madrid jerseys. Many teams have lost 4 against them. How many have lost 7? So the manager gets a free pass regardless of the decisions taken with regards to the team? They would not have scored 7 if the goalie was different and we didn’t have 10 outfield players terrified to bruise Lionel Messi by actually tackling him. It might have been slightly different if Celtic had actually signed a player to play in Europe, not just beat them. But everyone is happy because ‘wee Celtic with the noisy supporters’ are back in the big time. Big time indeed.
John,
Why are you looking at how kids are dressed in the street?
Odd…
That’s a pathetic comment
I agree, John we don’t want any chat about kids and what they are wearing or not wearing, on here.
Thanks.
Weirdo….
Barcelona scores for 2015/16.
http://www.worldfootball.net/teams/fc-barcelona/2016/3/
Spot on.
Our last 7 Champions League results:
Milan Away 2-0 loss
Barca Home 1-0 loss
Ajax Home 2-1 Win
Ajax Away 1-0 loss
Milan Away 3-0 loss
Barca Away 6-1 loss
Barca Away 7-0 loss
6 Losses
1 Win
3 goals scored
21 goals conceded
But apparently we’re having party in the Champions League…
Or are we simply getting a gubbing in the Champions League?
I would rather get gubbed by Barcelona in the Champions League than Molde in the Europa league numbnuts.
Oh I, not to mention the financial benefits for the club.
Wax on wax off Daniel son
Is the £30m worth the embarrassment of bring the laughing stock of Europe?
I don’t think so.
That’s 13 goals we have shipped in our last 2 champions League games v Barca,
I personally would rather we had a side ready to compete BEFORE we get there.
I see yer bum boy is in attendance as per.
You’d know all about bum boys. Is that not part of the initiation when you sign up for Lizzie?
As for being the laughing stock of Europe, apart from the top 10 or so clubs on the continent, everyone else knows that that scoreline can happen to any team.
Charlie saiz,
Are you coming to the night out?
It’s just that i need to order you a trough from Amazon and nip through to Mikes for a bale of straw!
So, are you pishing yourself at Legia Warsaw getting pumped 6-0 at home tonight?
The usual suspects from the power houses of Europe tool up and slaughter the cannon fodder from the little nations.
I think football fans around Europe, real fans, will find it rather sad.
I’m sure plenty of the bhoys and ghirls who travelled last night had a brilliant time in that great city over the last couple of days, as will those who travel to Monchengladbach. You have to be there to enjoy the party Charlie.
That’s a huge part of what the CL is, or is that something you can’t comprehend.
Charlie Saiz on manoeuvres .
PMSL
I am shocked by the cowardly acceptance of Celtic supporters as well as the club generally. At least the Captain looks as if he cares. We would never have won the European Cup, if Stein had adopted this kind of attitude. Small-minded, paraochial supporters only happy to beat a dead team and make up the numbers. Pathetic.
There is nothing cowardly in accepting how football is nowadays. Even Mr Stein would be unable to compete at the level we faced last night.
You are a depressing character John and do only seem to get your kicks when we lose a game. Funny that.
John
COWARDLY ACCEPTANCE
What a pathetic statement
HH
Two years ago Deila was introduced as the way forward. His supposed strengths were developing players, playing one up front and we were told he was great at the fitness bit. Fans bought into it – at least one person on this site compared him to the great Jock Stein – unbelievable!
For the first time in three years we have qualified for the CL group stages which is progress. We have also humped a very poor sevco which made us all very happy. Last night was terrible – good teams and good managers don’t lose 7-0 no matter how good the opposition might be. It was an embarrassment.
I don’t buy into all this “in Brendan we trust” rubbish. BR has a reputation in management which, so far, is far in excess of his actual achievements. Liverpool fans were pleased to see him go and they have improved dramatically since he left. At Liverpool and Celtic his teams are conceding an average of over 1 goal per game – we have only had 2 clean sheets since he arrived.
I hope BR becomes a great success at Celtic but IMO he still has a lot to prove.
sort of feel with john here. but it will pass. thought suarez goal was so offside it was a joke. but the one two with neymar walk in from messi was a terrible goal to concede. we didnt compete and our best player who has a bit of muscle fogic is in the bench. maybe the manager is a bit of a nut job maybe hes brilliant. but that last night was fucking terrible
Dorset this is almost sacrilege on here. BR is already a saint and this blind loyalty has a habit of coming back to haunt you. Our ambitions and expectations are so low at the moment that a manager can get away with almost anything but work needs to be fdoen of defending. signing some quality defensive players might have been an idea. The club is being mocked this morning but one thing I did notice in the papers is the Sevcoites are mocking our acceptance of this result, many of them not mocking the result itself. And that is what grates on me. We are just saying well, it was Barca an they are brilliant. No professional football team should get beat 7-0. It does not matter that Barca have done it to others they should not have got best 7-0 either. Mark McGhee got criticise for saying loads of teams will lose 5 at Celtic Park, as he sought to justify an abject performance. BR should be criticised for this. Not good enough> the Captain, the only player to emerge with some credibility called it ‘unacceptable’. He was spot on.
Thanks mike i agree with you , no one is saying we should compete just we should get stuck in more. That is what they fear and what athletico do to them
Maybe I just have higher standards than you Andy and take it a wee bit more seriously. I don’t know. I have never experienced Celtic getting beat 7-0 before. I have only been going to games for 45/46 years. Something tells me it won’t be the last time. If you were reading this on Sunday you would have read my obvious delight at the game on Saturday, although I still haven;t seen it all, and my praise for the manager and his tactics. I also conceded that I may have been wrong about him, he would not have been my first choice for the job as he still has far too many questions to answer and I hate the Amercanisms and PMA BS that he comes out with, he has not achieved much in football for a guy with the reputation he has.He seems to have led a charmed life. even though eh is a figure of fun for many down South he still has a big name, despite having won nothing. I think he will be good domestically, but I would expect to win the league as manager. Like, Ian I think he still has questions to answer. And he may be found wanting in this competition which will demoralise him and damage him in the future. He is an ambitious guy and wants a good job down south or in Europe. I doubt he will be here longer than Lennon or Strachan and feel he wants to rebuild his damaged reputation so Celtic will be a stepping stone. That is fine but he will reduce his ambitions and go after a couple of seasons for any job if nights like last night become the norm. he ain’t going to hang around in order to win the treble up here. That won’t improve his CV much.
It cuts deep, but as I said, football has changed beyond all recognition from when I first stepped foot in Celtic Park 51 years ago. I only want the best for the club and yes, a monster midfielder was required before the end of the transfer window, but unfortunately that didn’t happen.
Rodgers has shown me that he has the ability to improve on what we had and given time and a bit more investment, I’m sure he will succeed.
I very much doubt that I take Celtic any less seriously than you.Lower standards. What does that mean ? I think you may mean expectations and yes, being a realist, my expectations maybe slightly lower than the delusional out there.