In life, it’s important to make mistakes. Otherwise, you’ll never know when you’ve done something right. Let’s hope Celtic have finally got it right this time with the re-appointment of Martin O’Neill, probably the best of the bunch who have had a go at running the team this season.
We’ve had the hirseshoe formation, where the defence passed the ball to each other while they waited for one of them to come up with an idea of what to do with it under Rodgers, who to be fair was making a point about those who were restricting his plans to improve the overall quality of the squad…or at least keep it as high as it had been, then we had that French bloke who decided to do away with defenders completely.
After each of them were removed, Martin O’Neill was handed the reins to try and put things right.
The first time he succeeded, and left a working model for Nancy to move forward with. Today, he has to undo all the problems Nancy caused within the squad and get the season back on track.
Dundee United visit Celtic Park, and for the first time in weeks the support can be confident of getting a result. In the short term at least, the players will be pleased to have the gang back together on the training pitch, and when , and only when, they start to produce on the pitch can they look back and laugh at the disaster that was the last month or so.
Hard to believe it was only a month. For some reason, it feels a lot longer. Time may fly when you’re having fun, but it stood still in the east end of Glasgow for a while.
Mind you, wouldn’t it be funny if O’Neill opted for a 3=4=3 today ?
Just kidding.
O’Neill will start with four defenders, three midfielders and three forwards. Unlike Nancy, at least according to Stephen MacGowan in the Mail, he won’t give players instructions on basics, such as trapping and releasing the ball, or body shape. Instructions more suited to a primary school PE class than a group of seasoned professionals with titles and medals under their belts.
Mind you, if they’re wearing a belt and hiding things underneath it while they’re playing, it would explain a lot.
O’Neill will revert to what worked for him last time, because it got results. One wonders of the dip in form towards the end of his interim period was down to the players not only knowing he was leaving, but also down to them hearing one of their team mates, who had prior knowledge of the Frenchman’s methods and capability, being heard to sob uncontrollably after locking himself in the Lennoxtown toilets.
For today, O’Neill said:
“Just very tiny adjustments. Not to complicate things with the players, so they’re not going on with five or six different instructions on the field. Honestly, as a player, I could never cope with it. I couldn’t cope with it. Brian Clough, a magician, never gave us new instructions like 24 hours before the game. The things that he preached was real simplicity. So, that’s the way I would go about it.”
On Kasper Schmeichel, of whom it would be fair to say hasn’t been on top form, he said:
“Kasper’s got a lot of experience, I think a really, really terrific goalkeeper. Like everything else, you have to keep proving yourself. And this is it, I now, back again, have to do the same thing. And it’s not a throwaway line, it’s absolutely true. And this idea that people don’t have to, you know, I don’t see it.
“So, if I can get, let’s say in terms of just getting Kasper back to what he did for me, and that’s very, very short term, that would be fine. He made some big saves for us, big moments, you know.
“We had a big save against Rangers in the semi-final, he made a big save at one-each out in Feyenoord. Big save when the boy’s through, makes the save again. Those are the things he’s good at.
In Schmeichel’s defence, he was trying to adjust to playing behind a defence that was also trying to adjust, so maybe it is time to wipe the slate clean and start again.
And a salad or two wouldn’t go amiss either.
O’Neill appears to have ripped up the page handed to him of potential signing targets, including an ill fated bid to bring Kyogo Fuhruhashi back on loan.
Instead, he has demanded quality and quantity to supplement a squad that is still in contention for three trophies, and he’s right , because we are going to need it.
Every game from now till May is a Cup Final, to use an old cliche, and the squad is quite thin. Several first team players are injured, several more will probably get injured, and suspensions will soon start to take their toll.
James Bell Walker , the former chelsea scout, may yet prove to be the unlikely hero of this campaign. That’s right. We’re pinning our hopes on someone called Jimmy Bell….
Some reports indicate that £2m will be heading to Israel to acquire Jo Ta Bi (Jota B ? Seriously, did someone ask Tisdale to come up with a replacement for the injured Jota, and he suggested Jota B ? ) . This has raised a few eyebrows, as his club, Maccabi Netanya, are linked with an Israeli form who manufacture the drones used in Palestine to slaughter innocent civilians.
Maybe better to give that one a miss.
O’Neill says there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes to bring in players, and as long as none of them are on any list put forward by the quack in the hat, then I’ll trust his judgement,
But for now, can we just get back to winning ways ? Put all the other problems to one side and get everyone to do what they’re paid to do ?
We can’t have forgotten how to do that in just over a month
On Thursday, we analysed this….
“W”, on zees side, “N” on zees….. Because zer eez no “I” in WIN.
Today…..
Nygren prepares to face Auchinleck Talbot
Nygren cosplaying Mjallby to get in MONs team.
I gave Wilf these boots back, so did Johnny Kenny.
Ralph you are up beat today, well for you, good. I think we are all feeling better. Last Saturday was depressing but a week’s a long time as they say.
I certainly will welcome the young Ivorian winger albeit he is far from the finished article as far as the Scottish Premiership is concerned. Just to have a back 4 out there will be better in itself. The Board need to deliver a goalscorer, never easy especially in the January transfer window, but it is a must.
CAPTION:
I would say that Wee Jinky would say that his Da would say, “Keep wan oan, wae the other coming aff yir weaker foot”…aye, that’s what I would say!
So the board are working on ways to keep out the Green Brigade, so Ta Bi or not Ta Bi, (like that Ralph and the whole article by the way), is hopefully a success and soaking up the plaudits of our Bhoys while having Palestinian flags waving around him while they wince! If MON had been given the job all the way through the first time around we can be assured replacements would be identified and a whole load of work MON and the coaching staff are now bending over backwards to complete while getting a team to together from a decimated squad and behind MON’s wonderful charm in a determination to put this right. Meanwhile sevco are serious in bringing in strength and spending. Like it or not, and I do not!. Kohl is no the sweetheart he looks and is, unfortunately, a step up from Pedro etc. and their board is furious at recent events. Ours are hiding behind MON and the usual wall of silence. This is not for the feint-hearted and I hope and pray MON and the staff all get the backing they deserve from those in the posh seats and they realise life outside their closeted and cushy lives is a real fight not cushioned by wealth and passing the blame to others. Chris mentions a new striker should have been signed 1st January, though he mentions the inadequacy of the last year and a half on signings, I think he is being polite, needs sorting. Will it filter through to the, custodians as they call themselves, I hate that word, and they get it done and put in place an effective team who listen to the playing staff. They do when the support are in uproar to quieten the rebels, then go back to their usual complacency. Good luck to MON, the staff and players and to the whole decent Celtic support who all deserve so much more and are here through thick and too much of the thin. HH!
“Just a wee tweak”, said Martin.
Caption
Wilfried Nancy’s last brainwave – the new boots he ordered for the entire squad.
Nancy Sinatra signs sponsorship deal with Swedish superstar.
What a difference a proper manager can make! I thought Yang and Tounetki, both of whom come in for a lot of criticism, were terrific today. Confidence is a wonderful thing – thanks Martin.
hows tricks ralph good tae see ye back hope you and yours are cool……… ile tell ye a wis gettin heartily sick ae walkin through brigton gettin called wanny they nancy boys heh heh noo martins back we will win this league at a canter COYBIG
caption nygren sais …well iff its good enough for the zombies
Caption – MON introduces the heavy metal football era at Celtic starting with Fairies Wear Boots.