It’s been an interesting and at times strange season so far this campaign. We’ve had deserved losses against St Johnstone and Kilmarnock in the SPL and yet quite enthralling performances in the Champions League qualifiers and group matches. A domestic defeat against one of the above two clubs would normally result in the panic button being pushed by many supporters. The demise of Rangers Football Club and progression to the CL group stages has literally changed the ball game.
With Rangers gone there is for most fans – not all – more patience being shown as they understand we now live in very different times. With Neil Lennon building a very good and possibly fantastic young team the potential is there for all to see. Any young side will always witness more ups and downs compared to a squad full of experienced campaigners. The world we live in means Celtic will no longer have the £6m signings of Sutton, Lennon and Hartson to bulldoze their way through the domestic competition. Instead young players like Hooper, Forster and Wanyama signed for 15-30% of the afore-mentioned players and also on a fraction of their wages will be developed in Celtic shirts as they go through a steep learning curve before hopefully going on to be established top level players.
The advancement to the Champions League group stage and in my view, quite brilliant performances from the players and coaching staff, has offered supporters a surprising, yes surprising, picture of what may be possible if this young group of players and coaching staff is given encouragement and support, more so knowing the evil enemy are no more.
With supporters focus turning more and more to the Champions League I’ve got absolutely no doubt the players feel exactly the same way. It was interesting prior to the Benfica match and following defeat to St Johnstone when Kris Commons opined it was difficult not to think about the Champions League when no players other than Broonie and Sami had participated at this level. Sure our expectations is a professional should treat every game the same – a message the manager has reinforced many times since defeat to Killie – but reality particularly for younger players can be very different, more so without the weekly focus on what’s happening across the city that may influence the league campaign.
Where am I going with this? Patience will be rewarded.
This group of players will switch off from time due to the very unusual circumstances but in a strange way this allows them a fantastic opportunity to progress physically, psychologically and professionally and in the near future we may witness a quite special time in Celtic’s history.
So Tannadice.
Dundee United is a club I’ve always had tremendous respect for. Jim McLean was incredible there building a group that competed with Europe’s finest and played football the right way. Eddie Thompson took over and again continued a tradition of playing very good passing football while standing up for what is good and challenging what is wrong in Scottish football. United have traditionally had a top class youth development system and recent events has shown this continuing to deliver. Goodwillie went for over £2m last year and in Celtic-daft Johnny Russell and Gary Mackay-Steven, United have unearthed another couple of cracking prospects.
The Arabs will raise their game but if we continue to display patience and retain the ball with a purpose then we can win this game comfortably.
A big change in our game has seen a ball playing centre back move into midfield thus pulling opponents out of position. If all going to plan – Ambrose, Wilson or Mulgrew can drive forward and it commits a midfielder forward and allows a space to be exploited behind them. This is crucial to creating chances especially if we can retain the ball well utilising a high tempo to drag opponents all over the pitch.
Regarding team selection, if there’s any doubt with any first choice player then no debate, they must be rested for Wednesday. Gary Hooper is one who springs to mind and Scott Brown another. If in doubt, yir oot must be the motto!
We’ve got a number of players desperate to play and after last week and the manager’s comments, I’ve got no doubt looking to prove a point to Neil Lennon with criticism still ringing in their ears.
I’ll go for Celtic to win a very entertaining game by two goals.
Possible team selection: Forster, Matthews, Ambrose, Wilson, Mulgrew, Kayal, Wanyama, Ledley, Miku, Watt & Commons.
Celtic to win 3 1
If patience is a virtue and virtue makes saints then, as a Celtic supporter, I am well on the way to having a big share in the November 1st. feast-day. Over the last couple of weeks this Celtic team have tested the patience of God n’er mind that of a saint. I am aware your article was written prior to frustration Sunday just gone but the game at Dundee simply puts your theory to a greater test than ever, H.B. The hole grows bigger by the week and soon something in all of us may start running out of it very rapidly.
H H
It’s not only patience that’s required but some smarts. I think you make all the pertinent points with regards to this teams age added to the fact that some have only arrived in the past ten minutes, so to speak.
Responsibility lies with us as a support too and there are many among us who still scream for Paddy McCourt. To say he was the modern day Stuart Slater would not be an exaggeration.
By the by, I thought (which might be me just getting a head of myself)that we were building a squad for the future?
Rome an’ aw that!
Does anyone else feel that Neil Lennon is far too negative and that our poor performances this season of which there have been many are being masked by the great result in Moscow. Neils new tactic is to play Charlie Mulgrew in midfield now were in my opinion he’s way out of his depth and I feel Neil wants as many defensive midfielders in the side as possible. We’ve good quality in our side now but I feel that’s mainly due to good scouting and well trusting the scouts which of course Neil has to take credit for as well but I’m still really worried about the football we play and the results we are getting. Our domestic form has been rubbish and at times awful to watch which is reflected too by the size of the crowds, it can’t all be put down to the recession. I’ll take pelters for this I’m sure but I feel we were lucky in Moscow with the sending off, sure Hooper may have went on to score and it’d be 2-2 but if that was the case it’s my belief we would’ve taken no more than a point and would most probably have got beaten as Neil would’ve then resulted to the negative tactics I feel he uses far too often. I feel we’d have sat back then and with 11 men Spartak would’ve inevitably scored.That one bit of luck or one result if it had been different would’ve left us with 1 or 2 points from 3 games in Europe and coupled with our terrible domestic form we’d be looking at things in a completely different light. It’s all just an opinion of course but it is my opinion there are enough signs for me to be worried about Neil as manager. I feel not much has changed from his previous poor seasons, always with the negative approach at key times. We’ll see how the rest of the European games go tho and hopefully I’ll be proven massively wrong. I would really like to see us try to implement a quicker more positive approach to games rather than what I’ve heard someone describe as Neils approach to games ‘sit back and then defend on the counter attack’.