Celtic made hard work of Astra Guirgui last night, but just when the support had given up -well, me, anyway, Stefan Scepovic suddenly remembered the ball should go between the sticks, and Stefan Johansen decided that with Kris commons not playing his only option was to shoot, the hoops moved two in front, and despite a lat consolation for the Romanians, it finished 2-1.
so, after last nights games, the group table looks like this;
Celtic had most of the possession, at least whe they didn’t give it away, but astra had most of the first half chances. Craig Gordon made two excellent saves to keep them out, one with his chest from a thirty yard drive, the other with his foot a couple of minutes later. Again, he gets the man of the match award in europe, which is a little worrying, but its a team game, and as long as we have a man of the match, its a start.
Ironically, Astras goal came from a handball which looped over the keeper, presumably because they had been unable to beat Gordon in a conventional manner.
Three games in, seven points on the board, and qualification now seems possible. In a way, another home win, against Salzburg , should be enough to see us through, but something from Astra in two weks time would make it less, er, stressful.
Because watching that game last night wasn’t easy. Too many passes went astray, and more often than is comfortable, or acceptable, the man in possession had no options available, and could frequently be seen making despairing hand gestures.
Stefan Scepovic got himself into good positions, but the shock of someone passing or crossing to him left meant he wasn’t ready when it happened, and so he missed a couple of sitters, and he looked a cert to be hooked. But Ronny Deila , himself growing in cinfidence if his players aren’t, kept him on.
I saw the chances were coming. Stefan had two big chances before he scored but I am happy for him that he got the goal.
“I know what a goal-scorer he is and he got the goal in the end.
“He really wants to perform for this club.
“He was very tense before the game, I could see it in him, and there was a big relief, of course, when he scored the goal, and it is not the last goal we will see from him.
“We know what he has. He is always in front of goal and smelling chances. He will go on to score more goals.
On his sides chances of qualifying , the Norwegian said;
“I am taking nothing for granted. It is a lot of hard work in Europe, with two away games to go, and there are some very even games. So we need to be at our best if we are to go through.
“We gave Astra some chances in the first half with some bad passes and some stupid mistakes. We were too slow and took too many touches on the ball.”
Well, its a results business, and so far in this group, we’re getting results.
Thats because someone has summed this season up better than I could, or anyone else has.
Step forward Binkabhoy, who put this in the replies to yesterdays Diary after watching the game. no mean feat, when you consider he probably still had his fingers jammed into his eyes.
“Watching Celtic these days is a bit like being at a works nite out (surrounded by friends and enemies) and your fairly drunk and lonely uncle wanders in and decides to tell all his embarrassing jokes and chat up the ladies and offer to ‘sort’ various problems for the lads… embarrassing as fuck, hurts a little too as you know what a great guy he is a a you’ve spent some great times and he’s helped you through some bad times… you love him to bits and he’ll always be family – but right now you just want him to fuck off and sober up!”
Perfectly put.
It could be worse. you could be Oscar Pistorious. He’s been complaining that warders have been taking the piss out of him since his incarceration. apparently, every time he goes to the bathroom, someone shouts bang from outside the door.
Its not all bad. Miranda Hart has decided not to make any more sitcoms after Christmas, which is the genuine christmas miracle.
Yesterday, whilst taking a bit of a break from work, I glanced at twitter. Tommy Gemmell, it claimed, had passed away.
Gemmell was a favourite of mine, his swashbuckling style epitomising the Celtic side of the late sixties and early seventies. He wasn’t the greatest left back in the world, but there was no telling him that.
So, I was a wee bit sad all day. shortly before I got home for the game, after sitting in hours of traffic-alright ten to fifteen minutes- I decided to look for and read a couple of tributes to the man.
Well, if you thought the comeback in Lisbon was good, Tam surpassed it yesterday. He’s not dead at all.
Someone started it on twitter , and it just spread. The big man took it all in good spirit, and announced he was still alive, and wanted us to win the Europa League.
The argument over a Living Wage at Celtic continued, with television now using it as another stick to beat the club with. With the Celtic AGM just a few weeks away its implemention is being discussed by media pundits in pretty much the same way that article 12, the one which wants Rangers ( broadly speaking ) be held to account for their dodgy dealings before succumbing to the inevitable extinction, never was, and never will be.
However, since the mediais often used to achieve an aim by others, theres no harm in using it to shame the club into remembering that club and company are not different. Either morally or legally.
There will be a chance to sign a petition in favour of the Living Wage at the game on Sunday. If you haven’t already, do it then. Or you can do it online here
And don’t forget the foodbank collection next week. The club, I mean. The support will remember and donate.
The club must not ignore it this time. Well, the club won’t. The company might.
Speaking of the differences between clubs and companies, it appears that the light is finally reaching those over at Ibrox. They are wondering if they have been re branded. From there, its just a short stumble to the realisation that they are ot being rebranded.
They are, in fact, a new club.
Wait till it dawns. There’ll be massive protests, weather permitting.
And I’m going to release this as a t shirt. Well, if everyone else is ripping them off, its only fair I should get my cut.
Transfer speculation ? Aye, okay.
Neil Lennon has denied interest in Kris Commons. Aye, okay.
Virgil van Dijk is in “no rush” to leave Celtic. Aye , okay.
Jason Denaayer says there is no chance he will stay at Celtic. Aye, okay.
Good as he is, send him back this weekend. In fact, tonight.
Celtic shirts don’t shrink to fit inferior players, and we certainly don’t lend them to anyone who fancies a game of football.
If we lose van Dijk in the summer, as well as Denaayer, then we’d only have Efe Ambrose. Who isn’t going to hang around until then anyway, if its just to play second fiddle to a player who is here as a favour to someone at Manchester City.
That leaves O’connell and Mulgrew in the middle, Perhaps sooner than you think.
The Ebola crisis continues with the news that not only the has the disease crossed national borders and even oceans, its also crashed through the time space continuum.
Poor Peter Capaldi. He’d only just got the job.
Yesterday we showed you the first ever picture of Celtic, taken at Millburn Park, Alexandria
Today, from Lisbon Lion on twitter, who will probably be looking to take out a restraining order on me, something a little more recent. whats happening here ?
transparent roof put onmain stand to let sunlight reach the grass and enable better growth of the hallowed turf.
building of the Main Stand (south stand for our younger viewers..) for Centenary year
That’s the Jungle.
Getting dismantled in 1994.
Exactly
Roof going on Jungle
New roof getting put on the jungle..
I have been critical of Ronny,so far.However,last night,the performance was all to do with the players.Passing was very poor.Mulgrew has been ineffective,all season.Creativity ? No
Commons,certain players look lost.
I now support Ronny,like Charlie Saiz,the players are failing
him.As a positive person,it’s not all that bad.Top of our Europa
group.So far 5 coefficient pts.to help Eufa seeding for next
year.In CL,last year,we got 6 pts. in total.
Tuning into radio sevco(scotland),on my way home from the pub,and you would have thought we had got beaten.We know their agenda.The laptop loyal are still smarting,that the Lying King has been sent packing,with his tail between his legs !
Hail ! Hail !
Spot on HS.
I don’t like Mulgrew in midfield, never have. He has the odd game and Strachan seems to like him there for Scotland as well, but not for me. Going back to Legia away his touch and play was so dreadful it set up so many of the chances that terrible night.
Those players turned up with the wrong attitude last night, no hunger expecting a stroll; maybe that is the managers fault for not drumming the work ethic into them enough, but he seemed to be cautious in the media so surely he was saying something similar to the players. One spanking of the bottom SPL team and these players are gallous again. Sadly the manager will take all the blame.
Kieran if that’s the main stand then the must have moved the cemetery to be beside it. The Jungle being removed by wee Fergus? or just the old board putting a new roof on it – don’t remember them ever spending money on anything. Last night was terrible with too many passengers in the team but at least we won. agree about denaayer – if he doesn’t want to be here then get lost.
Looks like the jungle to me, must have been getting dismantled ready for the redevelopment of Paradise
Is it the Jungle being dismantled for the arrival of the new North Stand?
Paid to watch that pathetic group of individuals who do not appreciate the support. Astra were a poor team that the team appeared to be frightened of. The tactics of the full backs bombing forwArd will prove to be Delilah’s downfall. Statistics are lies in another format. This team is amongst the worst I have watched, thank God for Gordon.
Players once again let standards drop. VVD and Deynar did.nt look interested. RD is getting the flack for bhoys who cleary turn it on when it suits. Like many thousands last night i thought we.d stroll to 3pts. But a wins a win. Must do better. Roll on Sun. HH
Two words to sum up Deila’s team. Chaotic shambles.
I am now actually starting to feel sorry for him, as he should never have been given the gig in the first place.
The main stand was rebuilt in 1971. I had never sat down at a match before then. Sat beside my mate John Keogh, we had our carry out and got into a wee bit of bother with the guys behind because we were on our feet most of the time. In the photo is the Jungle, our natural habitat at that time.
HH
The Jungle being re developed
Absolute crap performance last night, mulgrew, brown, mcgregor, izzy and van dijk were the worst on the pitch. Not one decent phase of passing until the first goal went in, we might have seven points and sit top of the group but i’m still not 100 percent confident of qualifying for the next stage. Over the 3 games so far we have been lucky not to concede more goals i suppose that’s the difference between the Champions and Europa league. (bisto with regards to your ?????????? your starting to bore me ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ)
Aaawwwwww, can’t we just be fwiends munchkin? Don’t be mean.
What’s the problem? My wife has Ebola porridge every morning!
The picture is of The Jungle being re-developed. Many a happy time spent there in my youth watching real quality players eg McGrain & Burns.
our current team is a classless shambles, as is our managerial team.
We were knocked out of the Big Cup by a poor Maribor team (a team we should have disposed of easily), but that was probably a blessing in disguise.
I’m still not confident of getting out of our Europa group and jeez, I’m still not confident of winning the Scottish league.
Dear Santa – Stevie Clarke for my Christmas please!
What’s the general thoughts on Suttons comments from last night? Seems to have it in for Ronny. For me, he’s just another one taking the £ to slam the club at every opportunity,, shame, cos he was great for us.
I think Sutton, like a lot of fans, believes he’s right. I disagree with him in the same way that I disagree with Jim Duffy saying after the Maribor game that the reason we didn’t win was because we didn’t sign Eto.
Prophet of Doom here but I can see us getting beat in the last three games and getting pumped out of Europe. Ronnie’s system gives me nightmares, I know a few folk are saying its the players that aren’t performing but they didn’t become pish overnight.
Never have I had so little confidence in a Celtic team and never have we looked so beatable. God help us if Craig Gordon gets injured.
Look at the screen-grab of Eyewitness News here in NY! While this doctor can take the time-warp subway from West Africa to Brooklyn to go E’bowlin’, maybe we can hitch a ride in the same car to a time when Celtic didn’t look so disjointed. Squad has nearly the same chemistry as the United Nations – someone please fix; now
Jungle being roofed and seated in 1993.
Looking back at last night, all of the Astra chances (bar funny enough the goal they actually scored) were handed to them through misplaced passes or losing posession. In other words SH1TE Celtic play rather than good Astra play.
Team looks to be lacking in confidence; after the goals you could see the players improving in their play, more confident (ironically we conceded in this period but we definitely made less mistakes). It’s hard to put a finger on exactly what is wrong – plenty of positives for me but if we don’t stop coughing up easy chances at this level we’re going nowehere. We have 7 points and could easily have none………. while it took a wondergoal from DZ to prevent us having 9!!!
Unpredictability continues to be the order of the day….
It was Salzburg’s Soriano who scored the ‘wonder’ goal.
The Jungle was not re-roofed when they put the seating in.
Liz was a looker when she was a young lass …
It wouldn’t matter what system the manager introduced, the bunch of prima donnas he has at his disposal (if only) are only interested in collecting their ill-gotten gains each month and don’t give a toss about the fans who fork out their hard-earned cash to watch these so-called stars do as little as possible at their place of work.
Thank God for Craig Gordon! But for him we would have been soundly beaten by a village pub team. Most of our play seems to be across the pitch or backwards to our superstar centre-backs who pose for photos between touches, before playing the team into danger. Perhaps the groundsmen should paint arrows on the pitch to indicate the direction of the opposition goal or alternatively place the goals at either end of the centre line, since that seems to be the option they prefer. Oh for a Bobby Murdoch or a Lubo who could play an attacking pass.
Added to all of this, our superstars believed the result was a done deal and the opposition would capitulate as it was their place to do so. If we adopt this attitude again in the away game, we’ll be the ones getting humped.
Chris Sutton was actually being quite generous when he described Celts as being
” pathetic ” as they were absolutely atrocious !
I have followed Celts for more than 60 years and cannot recall a worse display than that shown against FC Astra last night.
A bloody disgrace to the shirts !
Are you having a laugh ?
Are you at the wind up ?
Worst display in 60 years ?
Did we get the 3 points ?
Celtic don’t need so-called fans like you !
Away and lie down,in a darkened room(for good) !!