At lunchtime today, live on BT Sports, Celtic face Dundee at Dens Park. Theres a lot going on off the field that we’ll come to later, but on the field, the pressure is on to secure a win, or at least a goal, so that we can remember what it feels like.
Celtic have failed to find the net in their last two outings, and not scoring in three would see ronny Deila needing chopper cover to make it back to his car.
Suddenly, theres a crisis at Celtic, a crisis of confidence that is, where no one is accepting any sort of responsibility and everyone is blaming everyone else.
The players are blaming the manager, the manager says its the players, and Peter Lawwell says its because Rangers going down has cost the club £10m.
How about everyone just shuts up and concentrates on getting the team back to winning ways ?
Dundee have won just one of their four games so far this season, whereas Celtic have won two out of three. A glance at the table tells another story , though.
| POS | TEAM | PLD | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS | LAST 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Inverness CT | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 13 | |
| 2 | Hamilton Academical | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 12 | |
| 3 | Dundee United | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 12 | |
| 4 | St Johnstone | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 9 | |
| 5 | Kilmarnock | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 6 | -1 | 7 | |
| 6 | Celtic | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 6 | |
| 7 | Dundee | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | |
| 8 | Aberdeen | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 6 | |
| 9 | Partick Thistle | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 4 | |
| 10 | Motherwell | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 6 | -5 | 3 | |
| 11 | St Mirren | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | -7 | 0 | |
| 12 | Ross County | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 14 | -11 | 0 |
Dundee are unbeaten so far this season, and this is by no means a guaranteed three points.
Deila has to get the show back on the road, very quickly. Celtic are seven points behind leaders Inverness, with two games in hand. We can’t even take comfort in the fact that Ally McCoist is their manager, because he isn’t.
The manager and the CEO have been locked in the offices of the Sunday Mail this weekend, as they attempt to outdo each other in the “Round Britain Talking Shite ” competition.
And it’s a close run thing at this stage;
Deila began, telling us about how he has tried to get players in, but when he spoke to English based players he found;
“The problem was salaries.
“I think the same names you’re thinking in your head, and that the supporters are thinking, but when they take the call they start laughing.
“The difference between the big leagues and Scotland is so unbelievable, you have no chance.
“So we can just forget the English Premier League and Championship because it is so hard. ”
Shame he didn’t strike those leagues off before he brought in Berget.
“Then you have to either rent players or wait to see what happens with the squads of the biggest clubs and get something in the end. That’s the reality and it’s hard to understand.
“That’s one reason we are waiting so long for things – the big clubs are getting the signings they want now but we have to wait for opportunities.”
But he’s hopeful that we’ll be ready for the Europa League ….
“We will have more options by then, different types. The balance in the squad hasn’t been right.
“We are missing quick crossers and wingers, we need a target player and I think Scepovic will bring that.
“Could he have made a difference against Maribor? Of course – but it’s not like a computer when you can put him in the team and it’s all good.
“You have to get them fit – Scepovic hasn’t played for a long time so he needs time to get his fitness up.”
Another one who hasn’t played for a long time ? No wonder the rest of the squad are pissed off with him.
Oh, and Scepovic is going to wait until the last minute before joining Celtic, in the hope something better comes along. I know exactly what I would be telling him.
We can’t afford to wait on him. Simple, either he signs now or the offer is withdrawn and we get someone else in.
Back to the talking shite competition, and Lawwell has surpassed himself this time.
Er, no it hasn’t. He said so himself eighteen months ago ago it wouldn’t affect us.
09 Jan 2013
Celtic’s deal with Magners and Champions League run proves we don’t need Rangers, says Peter Lawwell
Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell believes that Wednesday’s announcement of his club’s new sponsorship agreement with Magners proves that his side do not need Rangers as a commercial partner and, with their city rivals currently making a new beginning in the Third Division, he claims that he does not miss the world-renowned Glasgow derbies either.
There were calls from shareholders at Celtic’s annual general meeting to negotiate a separate shirt deal from Rangers for the first time since 1999, with many supporters of the champions believing that the Old Firm brand had become toxic.
Lawwell revealed that the Magners contract had been agreed before the AGM but, for reasons of client confidentiality, could not be revealed at that time. However, he was keen to emphasise his conviction that Celtic did not need Rangers to thrive.
“I don’t want to talk about other clubs,” he said. “We are not defined by any other club. We have our own brand, our own values and our own traditions.”
In 2011 there were, due to cup ties and replays, a record eight Old Firm meetings during the calendar year and, barring the pair being thrown together in the later stages of the William Hill Scottish Cup, the current season is the first since 1890/91 not to feature a meeting of the great rivals.
Lawwell, though, does not pine for the fixture. “Not really: there are pluses and there are minuses, clearly,” he said. “You miss the pluses and you don’t miss the minuses.
Could this claim that the death of the old Rangers be linked to the story that the SFA and SPFL are about to bail the new club out by offering them advance revenues ?
This is from @anorangecount on twitter…
Agreement reached tonight with @ScottishFA and @spfl on releasing future revenues to TRFC to help them fulfill fixtures this month and next.
Anyway, the team for today has been announced…
@celticfc: Celtic team to play Dundee: Gordon; Matthews, Ambrose, Denayer, Izaguirre; McGregor, Kayal, Johansen, Berget; Commons, Stokes (MH)
Goodbye, then , Virgil….
That explains the shite talking competition at the Mail….
We’d better win today, or I’ll be ordering Prozac from DodgyDrugs.com this afternoon.
Is Mulgrew injured?
no hes pish
Wow, Ronny looks stressed. C’mon and score some goals, Celtic!
Sorry guys!,but I’m fuming with thar c-nt Lawell. We do not need or desire anything to do with those cheating bastards. Do what the old board said and fuck off out , and play the GAA. We will soon see who needs who. “Fucking raging” where is our money you c-nt?. Hh
Why do people keep trotting out the same old rhetoric like we don’t already know it. I guess its good for the ego to get on the soap box and state the bloody obvious. Whats going on here is that players are being bought on the off chance of another EPL lottery win and sod the football. Its easy bank balance strategy vs sorting out a football team. This cavalier strategy is causing them to bring in shite players who can lose to just about anyone(see Slovenian gasworks 11). Eventually the lottery wins will stop paying off. Whats going to be left then? That shouldn’t be too hard to answer as we are already pretty close.
To you guys is seems not to make sense to want player brought into celtic that can play football and managers who can manage. Russel would have cost 1m but hey chances if a lottery win were almost zero. Grifiths is being wasted in the name of Ron managers “ideas” whatever that means. However regular trotting out of smoke and mirror arguments like this one will ensure everyone is considering ridiculous transfer fees (which are not happening if you consider buying shite like balde isn’t a waste of money) away from “why are we continually buying players who cant play football”. Not to mention keeping this shower of shite in jobs.
Lawwell is a cancer at the heart of Celtic.
Talks purely in business speak in the hope must fans won’t keep up with his lies.
He is responsible for a business model that relies on Champions League money and player sales to balance the books, and pay the wagebill (including his own £1m remuneration). Any other club would treat CL & player sales as bonuses, to be provided to the manager for player purchases – not Celtic. Lawwell’s broken strategy has us scrambling around every single transfer window desperately trying to pick up players for next to nothing, and bringinging in more money than we spend – every time.
We will continue to go backwards whilst Lawwell and his type run the club.
Spot on my man! Celtic is bigger and better than any .if you are not on our waveleghnt Lawell,Desso, and co. F-ck off. We will start again, no probs. Hh
There is no money in Scottish football – did you miss that part.
PL needs CL money and player sales just to keep us afloat.
We need to back the new strategy – buy cheap, develop, move on – otherwise we won’t have a club to follow.
As for Johnny Russell & Stevie May, as someone pointed out today, neither of them can make the Scotland squad – maybe they’re not as good as people on here think they are.
another player leaving for 10m. did you miss that part.
Haven’t seen that, however, that’s what we are all about. Buy cheap, develop & sell on for a profit.
How else do you suggest we make money?
Naw but we’ve noticed the many parts you’ve decided to ignore never mind miss. Either support the club or fuck off back to the golf.
btw that’s the strategy mantra. whats really happening is buy unknown players in the hope one will be an EPL lottery winner and fuck the football
Andy Docherty – ridiculous post.
Scottish football may be skint, but Celtic are not.
Any other club uses season tickets, merchandise, catering, sponsorship & telly money to meet the payroll, and pay their bills.
Your tacit endorsement of Lawwell’s regime means we play a multi-million pound gamble every year, whereby if we don’t make the Champions League we have to asset strip the squad. And if we do make the Champions League, we are only making ends meet.
He has removed any sense of ambition from the club, and his short-sighted short-termism and obsession with debt are destroying our reputation as we continue to punch below our weight.
You are (rightly) in the minority who support him.
First half just done and we’re one down, could be 4.
Couple of things I notice, Berget is feckin shite, Izzy looks a yard off the pace, Ambrose should never play for Celtic again, he’s worse than a big worse thing, Stokes is awful, can’t play as a lone striker, the quickest Commons moved was when the whistle blew for half time. Only plus point for me has been Craig Gordon.
They are just not playing for the team. What the f-ck is happening at the club. Is J Collins a factor?. He walked away from my team, why is he back?hh
Good one James my page.
Struggled against the mighty Dundee! Everybody’s granny said if you have nothing good to say don’t say anything…therefore… I won’t say anything.
Do you have nay spare prozac?
i need a lie doon in a darkened,padded room
agree wi steve, berget is shit…has he been taking tips aff ambrose and johannsen??
Tony Mowbray’/ back,Hail Hail. God help us after that garbage.
Della out now now. I fear another mowbery. sack the board. get rid of that cuty wilson he is a no voted
Another pish display from the norge, get him out now. Looks like virgil is on his way. Another £8 milion into the bank of fuck all. Lawell if you mange to get 30,000 this season you will be a masetro.
I always thought this was a Celtic Supporters site…been going to Celtic Park for 50 odd years …seen some bad displays but guess what ….I’ll still go ….why? Am a Celtic Supporter who has learned to take the good with the bad!
In 97/98 we stopped the Huns ten in a row. Remember we lost the first two matches that season. Fans were baying for the removal of Wim Jansen. They were also berating this crap Swedish player (Henrik somebody) who came on against Hibs and was promptly put in his place by the great Chick Charnley. This all hurts. What’s going wrong with the team on the pitch—all of a sudden?n Today was crap.
Think we got to credit Dundee a bit. Our final ball was crap again with no movement. We got no pace on the break either. Is Izzy a centre half or a left back cos he never seems to be on the left when defendin. Should have walked today aswell
Can someone explain to me what sacking PL & the board will achieve?
There is no money in Scottish football – PL is only guilty of managing the resources. If PL goes, do you think the next CEO will be any different?
If the board go, do you think the new board will be any different?
We are living within out resources. We can’t afford to go out and buy the 4 or 5 good players we require to get us back to being a good team. Apart from their transfer fees, the wages they would demand along with the current expenditure would mean us running at a loss. I can’t believe any Celtic fan would want this.
We’ve had a great time laughing at rangers & rangers 2’s fiscal policies, do you want to go down the same road?
Deila needs time to get his system to work – we need to back him.
I’m as gutted as any other Celtic fan, but realise that the board have no choice. It’s not nice, but we need to get through this together.
KTF
Man management skills are required, it is their job, but football at Celtic should be played with a smile on your face. Some of these players look like the weight of the world is on their shoulders.
Ambrose was always capable of being a bombscare, but was part of a record breaking defence last season; this year he looks completely lost. Izzy just struggled though he improved in the second half.
What has happened to Johansen this season, he should be revelling with “his” manager in but looks a shadow of last season.
Up front, WTF?! McGregor finally had an awful game, but he was due one. Berget is looking terrible, he could have taken off Commons, Stokes or McGregor before half time as they were all anonymous.
The chemistry is all wrong and good man management is desperately needed, I just don’t know if those skills exist within the current management team.
It’s not looking good is it!
Why all the panic,sick of this site always the same every time we change the manager on come the profits of doom. Come May time when we have won the league again for 4 in a row possibly a cup or two the panic merchants will be there cheering the Bhoys on Europe is just for fun this season we are not ready for it. Lawell is the best around , Celtic are not a Charity they are a business and he runs the Business very well. Look at the state of Scottish Football two of the best supported clubs in the league were relegated last year and there is another club who died and are desperate to get back . The League is not strong enough to provide Celtic with the levels of income needed to buy even the mid range players in England so we have to be professional in other areas of the game by scouting and sourcing players capable of generating value when we sell them on. Accept it!!! This is now the life blood of the club allied to a sojourn into the CL .We did not make it this year which will hurt us financially but as PL says we still have some cash available which is due to his and the Boards diligence. We are not in debt like some other clubs so we should get behind the whole Club and be what we claim we are the best SUPPORTERS in the world. Only fools cannot see the logic in what PL has said this week even the over exaggerated MSM presentation of his comments of the loss of £10m due to the demise of the dead club it might aggravate but it’s true they are a major source of revenue to Celtic so we have to look for other revenue streams and Manage our club in other ways because they may never come back.
The Manager has not been able to field all of the new acquisitions yet, Brown has been out since day one Forrest is an injury waiting to happen but when he plays can make the difference .GIVE THE MANAGER a chance. One thing I would agree with is that we need to keep out of the media as we are self harming at the moment.The Manager needs to concentrate on Football and leave the talking until he has something positive to talk about. Hail Hail!!
Here here. Too many youngsters think that celtic should be spending money that’s not there. It’s ok to argue about the fact that other players can do more with the money being spent, but with that said, who signed them. We have lost the heart of a semi decent team. Hooper, lefdley, samaras, Forster, brown n forest injured.
Stepanovic or however you spell it turned Celtic down. That’s the financial facts. Lawell called it correctly, no emotion, just buisness. 8 of 11 etc. Remember that and enjoy it. I seem to remember mocking others who had become drunk on success in far better financial times for wanting moonbeams. Oh that we should become them, both financially and more importantly with the superior attitude. I hope the same fans who booed fergus are not the same with a sour attitude just now. But I suspect some are and/or of close opinion.
Things can be improved, but are we to sack delia before the ink is dry.
Celtic has a unique opportunity to change the buisness model from top to bottom while still winning the league. Why not chance it, or should we still fane shock at the lack of time given managers while saying ours is not good enough.
Dan the Man – the voice of reason here. Other countries with leagues that are none too competitive and only a couple of teams ever get to win at least have the advantage of large populations and so there’s more money around e.g. France.
Here TV and sponsorship deals are rubbish and every away game, more or less, means scrapings in terms of ticket sales.
PL is doing a good job and Celtic have a strategy that can work until something changes for the better – move to a better league preferably.
Sure it’s disappointing and the system needs refining as we’re still getting too many duds. Once another team from Glasgow joins the league we may see a rise in fortunes and CL football more the norm. For the moment a good run in the Europa cup ( not a certainty) will do nicely.
Is this what we have come to? Longing for the return of cheats, not for me.hh
Where’s my post from last night?
Dan the Man- Excellent post.Great points ,well made.
We are Celtic Supporters…….